//------------------------------// // Cupcakes and Tea Time // Story: Healing // by CalmHeart //------------------------------// Shadow's eyes popped open. The sweet aroma of cupcakes and candy wafted into the room, emanating from the floor below. He inhaled though his nose heavily, and exhaled. After he did, Pinkie came trotting happily up the stairs, with three cupcakes resting on her head. Shadow sat up slowly. Pinkie Pie beamed at him."Morning, Sleepy head!" She walked over to him. "I baked these cupcakes this morning especially for you!" She set them on his lap, beaming proudly. Shadow stared at the cupcakes. They were vanilla, with light blue frosting. Pink sprinkles dotted the frosting's swirl, making it look most decedent. "So?" Shadow looked up to the bubbly pink mare. She was about to burst with excitement. He directed his eyes back down to the cupcakes. 'I should at least try them for her. Vanilla is my favorite flavor, after all.' He picked up the cupcake, and took a bite. The taste of vanilla, blueberries, and strawberries exploded onto his taste buds, pleasantly surprising Shadow. "Wow. This is really good. Like, really really good." Her smile only got bigger. "It's my Blue Skies Surprise!" She spread her hooves out wide, her smile just the same. Pinkie Pie leaned next to Shadow, and whispered into his ear. "The surprise is strawberry." She grinned at him. Shadow blinked at her. Pinkie snickered with satisfaction, and hopped back down the stairs to continue her morning shift. Shadow allowed himself to smile. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Huh." He finished the cupcakes, and moved his legs to the side of the bed. He sat here for a few. 'This Pinkie Pie... She's... Just like Maria. Only... a little different." Shadow put his hand on his heart, and looked down. "Please..." He looked over to the blanket. The green emerald remained the same color, but, no longer shining. He closed his eyes. 'If this emerald is here, could the other ones be here too?' Shadow examined his surroundings. There was a balcony, near where the bed laid. 'Maybe I could get over there.' He slowly stood, using the bed frame as a crutch. It still hurt to move, but not as bad as yesterday. He walked along the wall slowly, grunting here and there. He was only halfway, when Pinkie came bouncing up the stairs, a satchel on her. She giggled, Shadow realizing that she had caught him. "What are doing, silly?" She giggled again, and hopped over to him. "I just wanted to get some fresh air, and, maybe look around, but my body can't move. I can stand just fine, But-" "Oooh, use me, use me! I'll give you a ride!" She hopped around for a moment before crouching next to Shadow, beaming wide. Shadow wanted to smile at her. She was just so... Cute. Shadow blushed at the thought, and mentally hit himself. He accepted her offer, and sat on her back, still using the wall to help him. She walked over to her balcony. "This is my home," Shadow gasped. "Ponyville." The morning sun shined onto the land: the place was practically glowing! Small, multicolored, pastel ponies wondered everywhere, greeting each other, playing, talking with friends, and smiling. Birds chirped their own greetings onto the sunny day, and her village was alive. It was colorful, bright, peaceful. "It's beautiful." Pinkie chuckled. "I had a feeling you would say that!" Shadow sighed, and smiled little. "Maria would have loved it here too." "Who's Maria?" He froze. He didn't know he said that out loud. "Just somebody I used to know." He finally answered with a heavy sigh, gazing out to the town. They both watched the morning sun together, and Shadow found his eyes wandering to Pinkie's face. Pinkie Pie finally noticed the hedgehog's gaze toward her. "Staring at me?" She giggled, feeling red coming to her own cheeks. Shadow snapped out of his daze, and blushed. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I kinda zoned out there for a second and-" "It's alright. I get a lot of weird stares from new creatures." Pinkie walked back to her room. "What? No, no, no, not like that! You're just-" Shadow stopped himself. Pinkie looked up at him, curious. Shadow sighed. "I apologize. It was rude of me to stare." Pinkie was not expecting that. She blinked. She stopped near her bed. A smile spread across her face. "Well, thank you. But, like I said," She helped Shadow off of her and back on to her bed. "It's alright." The pink mare beamed at the hedgehog. Her smile turned small, and she turned away, whispering. "I... kinda liked it." Shadow blushed, dumbfounded. Pinkie Pie walked away from him, and to the stairs. Shadow stared at her. Pinkie Pie returned the stare. "...I'm going to go now. Have to see Zecora for a remedy for your body pains." Shadow slowly nodded. Pinkie was just about to head down the stairs when Shadow blurted out something. "Beautiful." Pinkie stopped. She looked up to Shadow, whom was blushing, with wide eyes. "You're... Beautiful. Pretty. Cute." Pinkie Pie blushed red. No pony's called her that before. "Thank you." She said no more, and walked down the stairs. Shadow looked down at the bed, still wide eyed. "oh... My... Gosh..." ... Pinkie Pie melted with joy shortly after she left the stairs. "Beautiful! He called me beautiful!" She started out the front door, and started bouncing. "Oh I knew there was something about him! Maybe that dream I had last night was telling me something..." ... Shadow layed, staring at the ceiling. "I... Just said that. I really just said that. And she didn't freak out." He was silent for a moment. "She said she likes it when I stare at her..." A thought rippled through his mind. "Could... that mean... She likes me?" ... "Bye Zecora!" Pinkie waved bye to Zecora, and trotted away onto the only path through the Everfree. "This remedy will fully heal shady for sure!" She hummed to herself, sunlight finally approaching the path in front of her. "Maybe it would be easier to take if I got something to mix it with." She noticed Fluttershy's cottage nearby, and got an idea. Pinkie smiled. "Tea! That's it! Pinkie, you're a genius!" ... Shadow stared at the emerald, holding it in both hands. "That chaos control was larger than it should have been." He kept his eyes on it intently. "The others must have been sent here too." Then, he suddenly remembered. Silver. Shadow sighed. "You're welcome Silver. Wherever you are." He hid the emerald, and his eyes wandered. They soon found themselves at the stairs. 'I wonder when she'll get back...' Seemingly like magic, Pinkie Pie came hopping up the stairs, humming happily. She met Shadow's eyes. "Hi Shady! I'm back! And I have an antidote that should get you up and walking again!" She hopped over to her dresser, took her bag off, and dumped the contents onto it. "What's the tea stuff for?" Shadow noted the tea pot and cups she separated from the other numerous items stuffed in her bag. "I figured that the antidote would go down better if you drank tea with it." "You have to drink the cure?" Shadow questioned. Pinkie turned to him, smiling. "Yep! It sure beats getting a shot, let alone a surgery!" Pinkie laughed at her joke, and and Shadow quietly chuckled along. She turned back, grabbing the pain reliever and the tea set, tea included, and got to work. The two made chit chat, a pleasant conversation as Pinkie worked. It was all quite nice, if Shadow was being honest to himself. Pinkie Pie trotted over to Shadow, handing him his drink with the medicine in it. Pinkie grabbed her drink, and next to him on the bed. Shadow took a drink, and hummed with thought. "This tea's flavorful and bright." "You can thank Fluttershy for that! She's one of my best friends, and makes the bestest tea!" Shadow chuckled at her. "Bestest isn't a word." "Well it is to me." Pinkie giggled back at him. Now she started to stare. Shadow looked back at her. After a while, Pinkie smiled softly, and Shadow... He had a small, soft smile. Shadow handed her his cup, and Pinkie stood. "Now in a few days, you should be able to get up and walk around." She turned to clean up the tea mess she had made. "But until then you'll check up on me, and, take care of me?" Pinkie Pie was silent for a moment. "Yeah."