//------------------------------// // Ch. 7 - A Barrier Broken // Story: The Fluffy Girl With a Heart-of-Pink // by DogSomeOre //------------------------------// Anon steps outside his house, looking worryingly around at the beautiful scenery, taking note of just how sweaty his palms are. "You can do this, you can do this." He says to himself, lightly hopping in place to where out the copious amount of adrenaline he's gained over the past twenty-four hours. Stepping forth on the sidewalk, the autumn wind trickles on his skin, edging into his pores; he feels the timid sun hidden by clouds, as he makes his way to his ultimate destination. The talk Anon and Rainbow Dash had was a bit of a convoluted one, and for her, an undertaking to say the least. Trying to come up with all the reasons why "you need to get the girl." Anon, however, was very cowardice about the whole thing; after Anon confessed his feelings for his beloved friend, Rainbow thought that to be the perfect opportunity to strike. Though, having little to no romantic experience herself, or even a clue of how to approach relationships, she had to improvise. They spent the whole rest of the day, preparing for the "date" that Anon fought to even have happen: "Rainbow, there's no way I can just tell her how I feel!" He said to her, nerves running hot in his blood. "I can just apologize, that's what I said I was doing in the first place, there's no need for this, really!" "Well, I could just tell her myself." She teasingly affirms. "Wha- What?! No, I mean, you wouldn't!" "Relax, Anon, I was joking. Really though, don't you think it'd be great to finally tell her how you feel?" "I just learned about how I feel a couple days ago!" Anon tells her, vouching it as preposterous as if his feelings for Pinkie were rooted all the way back when they met each other. "Yeah right!" Rainbow laughs. "You guys are pretty much inseparable. I don't know if you've noticed-" Rainbow says with sarcasm. "But ever since you- uh- 'appeared' in Ponyvile, Pinkie's been practically stuck to you like glue." "Yeah but that's just because I'm the newest one here-" "A whole year?" She rolls her eyes, reminding of him of just how long he's been here. "You really think, there hasn't been a single soul that's come here for one whole entire year?" "I mean, Ponyvile isn't the most popular of places, right?" "Oh yeah, it's only, I don't know, the melting pot of Equestria?" She inquires, annoyed, but still imbrued with confidence. "Face it Anon, you have feelings for her." "Then what about her?" He asks, wanting to see just how much Rainbow does know about her friend. "Oh, uh." Rainbow looks around, clearing her throat, and tapping her hooves on the floor, she tries to dodge the question. "Does she... feel, the same way?" "Well, honestly..." Rainbow hesitates. "I, I don't know." She lies, she wants Anon to know the truth, but doesn't want to feel like she's betraying her friend; though, her going to Anon's house after telling Pinkie she wouldn't, already qualifies for breaking one of those boundaries. "Oh, is that so." Anon anxiously says back, feeling like a fool for even asking. "But!" Rainbow starts. "You'll never know if you don't try, right? I mean how hard can it be? It's Pinkie Pie we're talking about." She tries to make the situation less serious, defusing the fact that this isn't a harsh, cold, girl, but that it's their dear friend, who wouldn't dare to hurt anyone, regardless if she rejected them or not. "Yeah, but-" "No more excuses, Anon." Rainbow cheerfully, yet sternly, states. "Now come on." She reaches out a hoof, edging Anon to follow her. "Lets get you prepared." -------*------- Walking along the sidewalk, wind blowing a slight breeze, ponies chatting to one another as they walk by, Anon finally lands at Pinkie's workplace, second only to be her stationed living quarters. Sugarcube lights up vividly in sight of Anon's vision, targeting the special building, that Anon is always so excited to visit. Though oddly enough to him, Mrs. and Mr. Cake are never seen, apart from the one and only time he actually got to meet them, they've always 'been out' as Pinkie put it. Anon knocks on the door, realizing the futility and silliness of his action, quickly reminding himself that although Pinkie lives here, it's still an operable business; alas, he waits, heart pounding as if it'll fly out of his chest at any moment. Seconds tick by, to Anon it feels like an eternity as stress, and anxiety swell up. "This is so stupid!" His mind tells him. "She's probably still upset, I can't just barge in on her like this! No, Rainbow wasn't right and neither was Rose, this is all so ridiculous!" He turns around, hitting his forehead with a curled up fist, walking away from the one place he was never afraid to enter. Until. "Nonie?" A voice calmly greets. "Oh, uhm, Pinkie... w-what's up?" Anon's words come out in an awkward inflection. "Did you.. knock on the door?" Pinkie asks quizzically, her head cutely drifting to the side. "Yeah..." "You know you can walk in, I mean, we aren't closed today. Unless- oh my Celestia! Did I forget to flip our sign to open!?" She freaks out, looking back at the door's frame, to see if it resides unchanged. "No, no; that's not it." Anon sighs, Pinkie looks back over to him, her big eyes melting his train of thought. "Get it together Anon!" "Nonie?" Pinkie says, looking mildly confused at Anon's lack of a follow up. "U-Uh, can I, come in?" He smiles softly. "Of course!" She exclaims, returning a comforting smile right back. "Gah! Why am I so nervous? She's the nicest pony I know, I don't have to be so weird around her! She's sweet, kind, very beautiful, caring, considerate-" "Uhh." Pinkie eyes Anon, standing right inside Sugarcube, she waits for the blank faced human to follow in. "Playful, awesome, cool, caring, considerate-" Pinkie nudges Anon, her hoof softly connecting with his arm, he jumps a bit at the sudden touch. "Woah, Nonie, you ok?" She worryingly asks. Anon looks down to his pink friend, seeing her concerned face, he attempts to play cool. "Yeah I'm fine, just uh, just thought of something is all." "Oh, do you have stuff to do? I don't want to keep you if-" "No, no, nothing!" Anon flails his hands around. "I mean, I don't have anything to do, specifically, that is." He explains. "Oh ok, are you coming in then?" Pinkie asks. Anon looks around, noticing he hasn't moved an inch. "Y-Yeah, totally!" They both make their way inside, the door closing with a soft thud as Pinkie follows behind. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake aren't here I take it?" Anon's eyes shift around, the silence of Sugarcube would almost be deafening if Pinkie wasn't the one to reside here. "Didn't I tell you?" Pinkie questions curiously, genuinely thinking if she ever told Anon about where they were. "I don't think so, unless I just completely forgot." Anon says. "Weelll~" Pinkie's voice pitches in a carefree tone. "It's allll mine!" She closes one eye, sticking her tongue out playfully as she vaguely tells Anon. "What? Did they retire?" Pinkie laughs at Anon's silly accusation, enjoying his weird observation. "No, silly! They didn't retire!" She waves a hoof, smiling brightly. "They just took a little time off, that's all! They should be back soon though, Mrs. Cake did only say a couple days, then again, they could take a week or two off; oh! That reminds me, this one time-" "I think I get the picture Pinks." Anon inquires, rubbing his neck. Pinkie Pie's heart jumps, hearing him calling her that name again, makes her feel giddy. "Besides that-" Anon puts emphasis on his beginning words, really wanting Pinkie to hear what he has to say. "How are you, you know, feeling?" He hesitates, still unsure how to approach this, or even if it's the right time. "Huh? Feeling?" Pinkie scratches her head, missing the context for what Anon is implying. "I'm fine I think." She looks down at her hooves, then to her flank, her stomach; making sure everything is in tact. "No, I mean, with the whole thing at Applejack's farm and-" "Ooooh!" Pinkie raises her voice, oddly excitedly at the rather bleak topic. "Yeah, of course I'm fine, Nonie! Just a lack of sleep, but I'm alll better!" "Really?" Anon's suspicious, disconnected by the conflicting view about what Rainbow has told him, and the bright pink pony standing before him. "Really, really!" She playfully responds back. "Why? No pony has told you any differently- have they?" Pinkie voices, her 'happy tone' sounding strange by the mistrust that somepony could have said differently. "Well, uh-" "Oh yeah, Anon, one more thing; don't tell Pinkie I came here, truth be told, I wasn't even supposed to talk to you about this. So, just keep this convo to yourself, ok?" Rainbow's parting words spring up, he never got to ask why their conversation had to be so confidential to begin with, but he isn't sure if lying is the best course of action. "Not at all!" Anon tells her, knowing full well that it's just another lie to add to the pile. "I was just- uh- you know- just-" Pinkie unexpectedly puts her hoof on his shoulder, looking up at him again with concern. "I know you said you were fine Anon but, you've really been acting strange around me lately." Pinkie admits. "Nothing has happened to you, has it?" Her eyes curse his soul, as if Medusa herself was turning him into stone, he can't do anything else but stare deeply in her cute eyes. "And that face, I've never seen you make that sort of face before, well, not until a few days ago; what's wrong?" Pinkie desperately tries to seek answers from her tall friend, all the while Anon tenses more and more at every word she says. "H-How bout some tea?" He breaks away, walking toward the kitchen, he awkwardly attempts to dodge Pinkie's questions. Pinkie looks forward, baffled by Anon's demeanor. "I know something's up, I just gotta get him to tell me what." -------*------- Anon sets a cup of tea down on one of the Cake's tables, Pinkie watches him as she sits and waits for him to do the same. "Thank you again, Nonie, but I said you didn't have to worry about it, I could've made it." Pinkie says. "Y-Yeah, I know. I just thought it'd be nice, if I was the one doing stuff for a change." "Hmm." Pinkie studies Anon's face. "That expression again." She says. "I can't put my hoof on it." "I'm not making a weird face, Pinkie, you're just overthinking... whatever it is." Anon spouts, not making eye contact as he says so. "You're not even looking at me though." Pinkie frowns. "Is it me? Did I do something?" Anon pulls out a chair, taking a seat across from Pinkie Pie. "No Pinkie, of course you didn't do anything." Anon stirs his tea, making it very obvious to Pinkie that he doesn't want to or can't look at her. Pinkie reaches out her hoof, setting it on Anon's stirring hand, stopping it in place. "Keep it together." "Nonie." Pinkie inches her face closer towards Anon's side of the table, trying to get him to look up. "Look at me." She softly, and tenderly commands. "...Nonie?" A thought strikes into Pinkie's mind, and in an instant she realizes; Anon's acting how she did outside Applejack's farm, as if it's mirrored right back at her. "I couldn't even look at him." She remembers, her deep hurt feelings coming back up as she's reminded just how out-of-character she acted; well, out-of-character to those who know her that is. "But why is he not looking at me? Did I... Did I hurt him? No, Celestia, no, I couldn't of done that! Did he think I was repulsed, to even look his way? No Anon, please don't think that. Then why don't you tell him, Dianne?" Her mind battles with itself, rational and irrational thoughts coming and going. "Go ahead, tell him how you feel, ruin your precious little friendship, that is, if you even believe he considers you a friend. He- he does! He likes me, all my friends like me, I'm a good mare, I'm- You're fake. You've never shown anypony who you really are. Just a sad, lonely mare, who hides her pain with a party balloon." "Pinkie?" Anon looks up, hearing the sniffling pink mare. "Oh my God, Pinkie." He focuses on her, tears rolling down her vibrant cheeks, she just stares right through him. "H-Huh?" She comes to, putting her hoof up to her face to understand just what soft trickle she feels running down her sides. "What's... this?" She looks at her hoof, water flowing down from her field of view. "I'm... crying?" "PInkie." Anon stands up, making his way round to his friend's aid. He wraps himself around her, caressing her gently in his arms. Dazed, Pinkie almost seems in a comatose state, the real world snapped right back into her being. "Nonie? What's going on?" More tears fall down, soaking into Anon's arms. "I- I don't know Pinkie." They conversate to one another, Pinkie blankly raises her hooves and wraps them around Anon. "I've never seen you-... Pinkie..." Anon firms his grip, closing his eyes, he embraces her sweet, warm fur and her curly, soft hair, connecting gracefully with his body. "Nonie.." She slowly pulls away, wanting to make contact with those wonderous eyes once again. "Please... look at me." Softly her breath reaches his ear, the warmness captivating his senses. He obliges, moving away, though with a bit of stiffness, it's not that he doesn't want to look at her; it's more-so he isn't sure if he can take it. As if the butterflies in his stomach will tear him apart from Pinkie's capricious, and wildly beautiful personality. But still, he listens. They stare at each other, both blank faced, but unable to look away. The sun reaches through the window, the orange color, dousing Sugarcube with it's light; Pinkie's face shines brightly through it, though no smile to come with it, just a face of a somber nature, that Anon wants to vastly explore. "The girls have never seen me cry before." She admits, no childish, bouncy flare coming through her words, no excited, carefree attitude that Anon's always known her for; just a mystique, more mature voice, sounding out. "No one, has ever seen me cry before." She emphasizes her words deeply, as if she made a mistake. "I'm sorry, Nonie." "No, Pinkie." Anon shakes his head, baffled that Pinkie would even begin to apologize, for anything. "You have no reason to say that." He smiles, rubbing his hand on her pink cheek, he moves away her tear stricken face, drying it delicately. Pinkie looks... confused? Nervous? Scared? Anon isn't sure, but he certainly doesn't want her to remain that way. "There is something wrong, Pinkie." Anon confesses, Pinkie's surprised to hear him say this so out of the blue. "But believe me, you've done nothing wrong." He assures her. "Then... what is it, Nonie?" Pinkie's voice comes across vulnerable, upset, cautious; the juxtaposition of just how Anon and Pinkie switched their confidence towards each other like that, is noticeable to the both of them. But Anon is still unbelievably nervous, probably more-so then he was before Pinkie started to cry; his compassion and worriedness for her however, override any fear or anxiety that would usually control over him. "I've been worried about you Pinks. These past couple of days, truth be told, have been some of the strangest I've ever had in Ponyvile. I-I haven't known how to act, how to process, how to... feel, about, well, anything." He admits, a hard confession for sure, but one he believes she needs to hear. "Was it... because of me?" Pinkie nervously asks. "No, Pinkie, it was me." Pinkie looks bewildered, not quite understanding. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry, for not understanding your feelings, for not just taking a moment, to think before I spoke. Pinkie." Anon picks up her hoof, holding it tightly in his hand. Pinkie sniffles softly, taking little breaths in between. "That talk we had, when you were walking with me, back to my house." Anon turns his head, looking at the beautiful setting sun. "-It's stuck with me. I think about what I said, what you said. Throughout this whole time I've known you, you've hardly ever talked about yourself. You remember what you told me... don't you?" Anon asks, wanting to see if Pinkie knows where he's going with this whole spiel. "I... I think so." Pinkie replies, unsure. "You told me-" Anon looks back to his beautiful pink friend; confidently staring at her eyes, and her cute little snout that inhibits her roundly shaped face. "You told me, that you struggle, just like anypony else, you struggle; the things you said, the emotion you exhibited towards me that day, was none other that I've ever seen from you." Pinkie Pie stares still, waiting for the conclusion that her dear friend is getting to. "I've never told you this Pinkie, but-" Anon tenderly squeezes her hoof, the intimate feeling filling both of their bodies with warmth. "You mean, so, so much to me." He smiles. "I want to know who you really are Pinks. I want to know, everything about you." "But Nonie." She pauses for a moment, slowly shaking her head, she smiles anxiously. "You do know about me- I'm just a happy pony, that's all there is; I... I'm not meant to be anything else." Pinkie says as if that's all her personality leads to, that she is only alive to make others happy, never thinking about herself, only the bright smile and joy she brings to so many others. "You are so much more, to me, to others; I want you to show me that side, the side you refuse to show the world. I want to know about Pinkie Pie, the true, Pinkie Pie. I want to be there with you, through anything." Pinkie stays silent, she's never had anyone care about how she felt, how she was doing; was she just so good at hiding the fact that anything was wrong? Did no one ever notice, or begin to think, what 'Pinkie Pie' was feeling? She's confused, stumped, as she looks at her beloved human, mouth slightly agape, she waits for him to say more. "Pinkie, I-" He hesitates, the words stuck to his mouth like cement. This is it, the moment he can finally tell his pink pony, just how he feels, he opens his mouth, heart beating like a racehorse. Pinkie stares at him with awe. "I.... care about you... a lot." Anon chuckles softly to himself, smiling greatly at the pink, furred mare; again they embrace, hugging each other tenderly, affection and warmth prevalent, as they feel each others heartbeats, each others kindness, each others... love. The sun vanishes away more and more, the sky overshadowing the serine glow of the ball of light. Even if they don't know how the other one feels about them, they cherish this one, intimate moment, like it's their last.