//------------------------------// // The Generosity of Words // Story: Blue Days // by BlackM //------------------------------// The Generosity of Words --- “Gee, I wonder why they left in such a hurry.” Spike examined a puzzle piece carefully and hovered it over the nearly complete board. It was difficult to tell where the piece belonged because of its simple coloring and lack of notable lines. “Big pony stuff you don’t know about yet,” the dragon replied as he set the piece down for the moment. The filly groaned at this answer, looking back at the dragon from the bookcase. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was being reminded that she was still little, and that automatically excluded her from the business of ponies like her sister. So what if she was young? That didn’t mean she wasn’t entitled to know what the grown ups were doing, or what channels she’s not supposed to watch. It just wasn’t fair. “But Ah hate bein’ left out of these kinds of things,” Apple Bloom groaned as she sat across the reptilian, “Like how AJ never explained t’ me those magazines in her room, tellin’ me that I wasn’t old enough yet.” Spike stared blankly at the filly, surprised to hear that Applejack was the kind of mare to look at those kinds of things. It reminded him of the one copy he had found in Twilight’s pillow a few weeks ago. The dragon suddenly found himself uncomfortable to be near the unicorn’s bed. He had yet to confront her about this, but he was too embarrassed by it. Plus, she’d scorn him for looking through her stuff, even though he had meant to find a book the unicorn had sent him to fetch. Apple Bloom then realized what she had just said, looking at Spike with a pleading face, “Please don’t tell her Ah said that. She made me swore.” “Don’t worry, I won’t tell…” Spike considered telling the filly about Twilight’s own copy, but thought against it, knowing Twilight would find out somehow. Plus, Apple Bloom tends to gossip. “Phew. Anyways, Spike, can’t you tell me anything?” Apple Bloom said with a hint of frustration, “I’d like to know what this ‘big pony’ stuff is all about.” Spike groaned sympathetically as he picked up another jigsaw piece, “I’d like to know too. All Twilight said was to keep an eye on you while they fetched Blues. Must be important.” “Who is this Blues pony anyway?” Apple Bloom asked, honestly curious. The dragon hummed as he thought back to the tea time Twilight had with the stallion that afternoon. He was busy at the time, looking for the books Blues wanted, but he tried his best to remember what he managed to overhear. “Well, for starters, Blues isn’t your average pony,” he said as he looked at the puzzle piece in his claw, “The guy tends to get nothing but bad luck. Not like a curse or anything, but something that keeps him from finding true happiness.” “Wow. That’s sad,” Apple Bloom remarked. “I know. You can’t help but feel sorry for him,” Spike placed the piece in its appropriate spot on the table, “But amazingly, the guy has learned to suck it up and move on.” “Huh. I know if Ah had nothin’ but bad luck, I’d be miserable to the core,” the filly thought, “At least I’m thankful Ah have mah friends to cheer me up.” “Blues doesn’t have friends, though,” Spike pointed out, looking at a clutter of connected pieces, “He’s been by himself for most of his life, and he’s had to endure disappointment to get to where he is now.” “No kiddin’!” Apple Bloom couldn’t believe her ears, “Why, if Ah knew a pony like that in mah classroom, I’d try to make friends wit’ him just to see him smilin’.” “Well, that’s what the others are trying to do,” Spike connected a few more pieces to the group of pieces before him, “They really want to help the guy out of his sadness because they genuinely care for him. Maybe because he’s a special case, but those ponies aren’t the kind to turn down another in need.” Spike connected another jigsaw to the clutter, the one that he couldn’t find a spot for. He looked it over, the stray colors beginning to align with the image of the complete puzzle. “It’s like this jigsaw puzzle here,” Apple Bloom walked closer to observe the metaphor, “Blues is the center piece of the clutter here, and all of us are the ones around him.” “I don’t get it,” the filly said. “You see, Blues almost never keeps his chin up. He just shrugs things off and moves forward with his head down. The others want to help him see the bright side of things.” Spike carefully took the cluster over to the nearly complete jigsaw puzzle. “They know that happiness is accessible to everypony, so they want to help him see that,” he connected the pieces to the rest of the puzzle, “Friends like them can help other ponies see the big picture, that true joy is there, you just have to look up for once.” Apple Bloom stared at the jigsaw as Spike waited for her to understand the concept. The completed jigsaw puzzle depicted a drawing of Celestia in the sphere of the sun, casting a shine all over a crowd of ponies underneath. Many of them were looking up at her while others were playing, chasing each other, and laughing. It was a simple puzzle with only a hundred pieces, but the notable thing about the picture was that no pony was by themselves. And the clutter of jigsaw pieces was of a few ponies circled around a pony, smiling and happy. “That makes little sense,” she said with a half lidded stare. Spike sighed, expecting that, “Well, I tried. I’m not some poetic mastermind or something.” “I think Ah get it, though,” Apple Bloom said, Spike becoming interested, “They’re tryin’ really hard to cheer him up, and they’re careful ‘bout losin’ him.” “Well, it’s sorta like that, yeah,” Spike agreed. Apple Bloom looked back to the door, wondering when her sister and friends were going to return. “I wonder what was so bad that they all had to run, though…” ‘I should have known better…’ the stallion thought. There he was once again, by his lonesome, sitting at one of the free tables of Horte Cuisine, without money, without food, and without a date. All his effort and practice for that date with Rarity, gone to waste. That engaging conversation he had with her? Meant little. His clean face and fresh mane? No effect. The fancy clothes he wore and sophistication he practiced? She didn’t want anything to do with him. Not even the help of five great friends could break his bad luck streak, disregarding the fire caused by one. He had paid a lot for that date with Rarity. He spent money, he loaned books, and he even lost his house in a fire. And yet, he still remained hopeful, that despite these downsides, he had a shot at happiness. It was like the universe was testing him, throwing misfortune his way just to see if he could quit. If it weren’t for the generous support of those five mares, he probably would have. He probably would have just stayed home and focus on making a living. But in the end, none of it mattered. She didn’t want anything to do with him, no matter how fancy he looked or how much he tried. Now, he had nothing. He sighed depressingly as the sound of stampeding hooves came his way. At first, Blues paid no mind to it, thinking they were some racing foals or something, until they stopped and three figures stood across the table from him. Looking up, he was surprised to see three familiar faces staring at him, putting on their best smiles to alleviate the mood. He could tell they weren’t real smiles, though. He saw that look too often in himself. They were hiding disappointment and sadness, trying to cheer him up. It wasn’t going to work, though. “Hey Blues,” Twilight was the first to speak, “Uh, how’d it go?” Blues sighed, folded his arms, and looked away from the three mares. That pretty much was his answer. “I reckon it didn’t go too well…” Applejack said, thinking about her next words, “Listen Blues, you need to understand somethin’ ‘bout Rarity.” “No,” he quickly cut her off, surprising the group, “I know how it is. I’m just probably not her type, that’s all.” “Hold on, Blues,” Twilight spoke up, “Rarity isn’t that close-minded. She acknowledges effort and attention to detail.” “So I just wasn’t trying hard enough?” he said, setting down his hat, “I read books for it, I wore these clothes, I even practiced sophisticated conversation for her. And you’re telling me that it wasn’t enough?” “It’s not that,” Applejack defended, “It’s just-” He sighed loudly, “I shouldn’t have even bothered. Rarity’s too good for me, and I’m not good enough for any pony…” The three ponies shared a long silence with each other. For a sad pony, Blues was stubborn at being unable to see the bright side of things. But it wasn’t like they could make him see the light. He was convinced that there was no bright side, that there was no silver lining or sunrise after the night. Blues actually believed it was his destiny to be perpetually sad and unhappy, and it was hard convincing him otherwise given his cutie mark and talent. Sure, he had three pretty mares telling him to cheer up, but considering his day, and how he’s met failure and disappointment after a lucky break, he wasn’t going to bother anymore. There wasn’t a point in trying for happiness anymore. Blues just wanted to give up, go home, and stay in bed for the rest of his life. “Hey Blues,” Pinkie Pie spoke up as she placed a hoof over his shoulder, “Would a party cheer you up?” The stallion looked up from the table and into the mare’s concerned face. She had her smile on, her infectious smile, and her eyes were sympathetic. She was still that happy pony he met earlier, but this time she had an honest look in her eyes that wanted to share that happiness with him. Blues turned away and huffed an apathetic sigh, free of sadness and disappointment. Maybe he could use a party. Maybe he could do with some socialization. Maybe he could spend some time with his new friends. Blues shook his head at these thoughts, looking like a no to Pinkie Pie’s request. Where did all of these ‘maybe’s’ come from? “Blues? Blues, are you there?” a pristine voice called out. The stallion looked up at his name being called. In the distance trotted a beautiful unicorn of unrivaled grace, accompanied by two pegasi friends of hers. At first, he thought himself lucky once again to receive such concerned words by a mare like her; she rarely acknowledged stallions she rejected. Blues wanted to stare into those magnificent sympathetic eyes of hers, but recalling the denial from earlier, the stallion shyly looked away as the unicorn approached. “There you are,” Rarity said as she reached the table, “Listen, hon. I heard everything, and I want to explain myself to you.” The stallion stubbornly shied as the mare talked, earning an impatient groan from a rainbow pegasus. Rarity frowned at this but continued, “Look, I want you to know that it wasn’t you. I didn’t know about your house being burned down,” She shot a quick glance at Rainbow Dash but continued just as quickly, “And, quite frankly, I didn’t know how much effort you put into your interest in me. Had I known any better, I would have spared you the rejection and…” Blues stopped her with the raise of a hoof. He didn’t like where this was going. “I appreciate the sympathy, really, I do,” he said, bringing it down, “But the last thing I need is attention for my misfortune. It’s nothing any of you need to be concerned about.” “Nothing we need to be concerned about?” Dash parroted, “Dude, you lost your house because of me. Do you have any idea how badly I feel? And we’re here cutting you some slack, trying to cheer you up. And you tell us to not bother you about it?” Blues sighed a little angrily this time, “Think of it this way. Imagine yourself as a little puppy in a pet store,” the ponies followed along, “For some reason or another, nopony notices you, because you’re nothing spectacular. Every other pet has something interesting about them, maybe they can do a trick or two, or because they have an interesting color scheme. Buyers just look at you and go on to the next, more interesting, pet.” The group followed Blues example as best as they could, because they could sympathize with this situation. All of them, at one point or another, had been in such a situation, and they all earned their reputation through their talents or abilities. “Now,” Blues continued, using his hooves for emphasis, “Imagine that the most attention you’ve ever gotten was because of some bad luck. Maybe you tripped and stubbed your muzzle or you accidentally trip over your bowl of water. What happens then?” “Umm,” Fluttershy spoke up, “Ponies notice you?” “Yes. They pat your head, lift your chin up and smile. And it feels good, that ponies look at you and cheer you up, and be nice to you. You feel safe and cared for, like you have friends to count on,” Blues looked down, “And then they leave and never come back. And you’re left with the withdrawal of happiness, and you kid yourself thinking ponies actually liked you for your self.” The group exchanged glances at each other, understanding what he was talking about. “And this continues for the rest of your life,” he continued, giving a small sigh, “You’re an uninteresting pony in a town of talented citizens, but you’re the one getting mistreated by destiny. Not only do you become uninteresting, lowly, and unhappy, you’re eternally known as that one pony who always needs a shoulder to cry on. You’re some pony who always needs a pick me up, who needs some friends because he’s so unfortunate. Because even if the things that happen to you aren’t your fault,” Blues slumped onto the table again, “Sooner or later, ponies give up on you. They get tired of you. You always have some sad story to tell, and ponies may be interested, for the time being. But when they realize that all you ever have are sad times, they leave before they get to know me more…” The six friends remained quiet at this as Blues finished. “…so I’ve given up on making friends. I’ve only had myself to count on, and frankly,” he tapped the table uninterestingly, “Even that’s working out poorly for me.” “Wow,” Applejack spoke up, “I had no idea you were like that, Blues.” “You didn’t mention any of this before,” Twilight said, “I thought you were a brave soul who endured the hardships of bad luck, but…” “You’ve been without hope for such a long time,” Fluttershy continued, “It’s a miracle you aren’t eternally depressed or something.” “Darling, there’s something I want you to know,” Rarity said as she took the spot left of Blues, “We aren’t like those ponies. We would never turn our rumps on you just because you’re being yourself. You must understand that me rejecting you has nothing to do with you, so you shouldn’t take it personally.” “Oh, really?” Blues muffled through his sleeves. “Hey, let the lady explain herself,” Rainbow Dash said as she zoomed in and stared down his face. Blues reeled back in surprise at this close up, and Dash followed, “She’s offering you her side of the story, so the least you could do is pay attention to her.” Applejack would have held her back, but the pegasus was making a point. She herself would have personally made sure the stallion was listening to Rarity, because it was something he needed to hear. And besides, Dash was a better persuader than her. Blues coughed his hesitation away and gave a nod to Rarity, who continued. “Well, I was in your position once,” she began, “I once had my eyes on a dream stallion, the one colt that every mare wanted their hooves on.” Blues became curious as he relaxed in his seat, interested in hearing more. “His name was Prince Blueblood. I believe you know him as the nephew of Princess Celestia herself,” Blues nodded, somewhat familiar with the name, “It all started when I began my business at the Carousel Boutique, when I became more involved in things like town gossip and fashion. I needed to know things, like what my customers needed, what the popular trends were, and I didn’t want to be out of the loop.” By this time, the other four friends decided to seat themselves at the table of interest, despite what little space there was for them. Rainbow Dash took her spot in a nearby cloud, thankfully giving the rest of her friends what little personal space they could salvage. “Well, sooner or later,” Rarity continued, “I heard about Prince Blueblood. Interested, I looked him up in a magazine dedicated to the latest news concerning celebrities like him. It talked about everything about him, how he kept his hair cleaned and combed, how he kept his coat pristine and pure, and he had an admirable figure too, as the photos did not spare the detail of.” The other ponies expected Rarity to start trailing off in her listing the prince’s features, but she kept her posture as she explained. Her apathy may have had to do with her previous encounter with Blueblood, and her shunning him entirely in her mind, so that she could keep a straight face. “So, that’s when I decided to chase a foolhardy dream of wanting to marry the prince…” Rarity said, Blues noticing a tinge of disappointment in her eyes as she said this, “I want you to know that…you may have sacrificed a lot for your interest in me, and in that way, we are the same. But I sacrificed much more of myself for that prince. I forsook dates with other stallions, because I wanted to save myself for him. I worked hard at my job, because I wanted to look good for the stallion, while also advancing my business. I forced myself a brutal and strict diet, just so I could look good enough for him, for one stallion…” Blues, for once in his life, felt sympathy for another pony. He always thought he was the unfortunate one, prone to losing out on good things and having bad luck fall on him. But compared to today, what he lost in attempting to impress Rarity couldn’t hold a candle to her years of self imposed torture, just for one stallion. “So…what happened?” he asked, worried that the unicorn was going to break into tears. “Well,” she brought out a cloth from nowhere and dabbed her eye with it, “One day, my good friend Twilight got us tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala,” she looked to the unicorn across of her and gave her a smile, who smiled in return, “And we were all on our way to the castle. When we arrived, we had all went our different directions, because we all had our hearts set on that place. My heart was set on Prince Blueblood, who was at the party, and I was more than excited to meet him. But then…” “Take it from us, Blues,” Applejack intervened, sparing Rarity an embarrassing return to her memories, “He wasn’t all that hyped up to be.” “Oh, he was less than that,” Rarity said, annoyance rising in her voice, “He was an embarrassment to the Royal Family! The stallion was only concerned with himself. He was spoiled. He made himself out to be too good for anypony. And on top of all that, he used me as a shield for flying cake! I may be a fashionista, but at least I’m not a selfish, ill mannered, brat!” Rarity let out a deep sigh as she slumped in her seat as well. Blues had backed away from the unicorn as she complained about the prince, not paying attention to the mare behind him, and relaxed in his spot when Rarity had cooled down. “So, I take it that it wasn’t the best night ever?” Blues asked. “Well, you could say that…” Rarity said as she straightened herself up, “Thankfully I had my friends to help me cope with the disappointment that was Blueblood,” she gave them all a pleasant smile as they all returned the affection, “But the recoil of the incident left me rather…empty.” “This leads us back to today,” Twilight spoke up, “You see, Rarity had put a lot of effort into Blueblood, like you did, Blues.” “Yeah. And you can see how horrifying it was for her,” Applejack said. “Rarity had sworn off dating ever again, because Blueblood, well…” Fluttershy spoke up, but didn’t know how to finish her sentence. “Blueblood was an inconsiderate poopiehead,” Pinkie Pie chimed in, “I wanted to cheer her up, but every time I brought him up, she just stared at me scarily, and made me pinkie swear to never speak of him again.” “Yeah. She spent the next few weeks churning out dress after dress, almost never leaving her house,” Dash said, “It hit her that hard.” “It’s true that my experience with Blueblood had been…worse than bad,” Rarity said, placing a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder, “But I want you to understand that me denying your offer had nothing to do with you. I’ve just been recovering from that night and I have been committed to seeing no more dates since then. So, no hard feelings.” Blues breathed a much needed sigh when the mares finished. It all seemed clear to him now. Rarity had gone through much worse with that Prince Blueblood she had been admiring for years, and the incident kept her from seeking relations with other stallions for comfort. Perhaps that’s why it was so hard for the other ponies to score a date with her. She wasn’t interested in dating. She just needed more time to cope with her own disappointment. It’s a miracle that the event hadn’t ruined her, still sewing dresses, still making orders for Hoity Toity, and still being successful. She had a lot of hope riding on that dream prince of hers, but to be shattered so unceremoniously, Blues could fully relate to her. He couldn’t blame her anymore. “Hey, Blues,” Rarity said, tapping his shoulder, “I still feel bad about today. How’s about I take you up on that date?” The other ponies were surprised at this, seeing Rarity wanting to try dating again, even after six months since the Grand Galloping Gala. For Blues, he thought he was about to have a lucky break once again. This time, the mare was reconsidering taking him up on his offer, to finally have a chance at happiness to share with another pony. The other fives mares leaned in as they anticipated his answer, hoping that Blues would agree to the offer he earlier proposed. However, despite Blues’ tendency to take whatever he could get when it came to luck, he had to be more honest with himself. It wouldn’t be right. “Thanks for the offer, Rarity,” he said, “But I’m gonna have to say no on this one.” The group resounded with a quiet “Huh?”, with Rarity being more surprised than the rest of them. “But I thought you wanted to get to know me better?” she inquired. “I did, but…” he looked out to the mares before him, “It wouldn’t be right. I have to earn it. I have to earn my happy ending, so that I can keep it longer. Besides, I see us more as friends now rather than an ideal couple.” “Well, if that’s how you really feel, then,” Rarity seemed slightly disappointed, but she eventually came to understand his motives, “I trust you will find the right mare for you one day.” “Thanks,” Blues said with a smile, then became optimistic for once, “And, I think I finally get what it means to really be happy.” The mares became excited again as the stallion may have finally understood the meaning of friendship they had been trying to teach him. Pinkie, in particular, leaned in hoping it was what she wanted to hear of Blues. “It’s not really about the romance when it comes to happiness. That’s a different kind of happiness entirely,” Blues straightened his back as he spoke, “It’s about having friends who you can depend on, and friends who will listen to you when you are down. We all have our sad times, and real friends help us up when we’re down. That’s why we have to share our happiness with each other, whenever happiness is had. And we can’t hide our sadness from them either, or else it’ll hurt them even more. You can’t be afraid to be sad, not when you have great friends, because you can count on them to make you happy again. Real friends stand by with you, no matter who you are or how bad things can get. You all taught me that, and I can’t thank you enou-“ Pinkie didn’t let the stallion finish as she had him wrapped tightly in a big hug. “Aww! You’re welcome, Blues! You should be so happy to have friends like us,” she finally let go, giving the colt a chance breathe. “Yeah, well…” Blues cleared his throat, “That’s something I’m going to have to get used to.” “So, you’re feeling better now?” Twilight asked. Blues breathed before answering, “Well, yeah. I mean, I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight,” he continued before the mares could grimace at this, “But a work buddy of mine is going to let me stay over at his place while they’re rebuilding my apartment.” The group sighed at this as Pinkie Pie was the first to get up from her seat. “You know what this calls for?” she exclaimed happily, “A party! We should have a special party for Blues to celebrate him joining our circle of friends,” the mare then excitedly looked in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner, “Oh! I should go and make preparations for it. I should also ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake permission for it. But I know they’re going to say yes anyway, but you can never be too sure.” “Uhh, that’s great and all, Pinkie,” Twilight spoke up, “But I’m kinda-” Before she could finish, the pink mare sped off towards the bakery, more excited than ever at the thought of having another party so soon. “-busy…” Twilight finished, “Sheesh, that pony will party for any reason nowadays.” “That’s Pinkie Pie, fer ya,” Applejack said, “It wouldn’t be like her to have no reason to party. Makes me think she runs on partyin’.” “Heheh, that’d explain a lot,” Dash joined in as she landed, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her sleep even.” Rarity playfully raised a brow at this, “Oh? And how would you know, Dash?” The rainbow mare looked at the unicorn quizzically until it hit her what the question implied, “Oh ha ha ha. Very funny. Ask the tomboy that question.” “Sorry dear,” Rarity chuckled, “You left yourself open for that. You really need to be more careful with what you say.” The mare groaned and looked away, “Yeah, whatever.” Blues couldn’t help but chuckle at this exchange. He didn’t know if real friends acted like this or not. Or maybe this was a uniqueness of this circle of friends. All of them just acted as themselves, and they didn’t degrade or mock the other for it. It was a nice and welcomed change of pace for Blues to start his socializing skills with. And if these friends could learn to accept him for himself, maybe he’d start liking himself more. Maybe having friends wasn’t so bad after all. “But really, though,” Twilight spoke up, “Am I the only one who finds Pinkie’s parties a bit tiring?” “Not really,” Applejack spoke up, “But she always wants to have a party everyday, and I can’t go them all the time. I got work.” “I’m always down with a party or two,” Dash spoke up, “But remember that one week? When Pinkie was throwing four of them in a row? Yeah, I was barely able to fly after the third one. Too tiring.” “I know she means well,” Rarity said, “But I always somehow get cake in my hair after each one. And cleaning it out can be very troublesome.” “Umm…” Even Fluttershy had something to object about the pink mare’s parties, “I’m still sore from the last one…” “Maybe we should talk to Pinkie about taking it easy?” Twilight suggested, “Her parties are fun and all, but we can’t always be wasting our time having fun. Work is important too.” As the group spoke, Blues found himself appalled at their behavior. How could they talk down Pinkie Pie’s party like this? Sure, maybe it would be tiring to have them consecutively, but have they ever thought of saying no before? It wasn’t like they had to go, and Pinkie didn’t seem like the kind of mare to eternally hate them for it. Did they even understand the point of her parties? “It’s not like she parties for no reason,” Blues spoke up. The group looked to him, almost forgetting he was there. “You know, you really shouldn’t take her for granted,” he said, “I mean, can you throw a party like her?” “Uhh…” Twilight was the first to speak for the group, but couldn’t give a proper answer that wasn’t ‘yes’. “Thought so. And it’s not like all she ever wants to do is party with you guys,” Blues continued, “She makes those parties so that you can all have fun and smile. And she only makes special exceptions for you girls.” “But,” Dash tried to defend their points, “She parties all the time. We know that she means well, but what are we supposed to do about it?” “You could just say no,” he suggested, “It’s not like she’ll get angry or anything. Do you really think she won’t understand? She parties all the time. It’s not like missing one party will hurt her feelings forever. And I’m pretty sure she can wait until the next time you’re ready for a party.” The five ponies looked at each other, unsure of how to reply to that. “We didn’t want to turn down her generosity,” Applejack said, “We really do like her parties, but I guess we forgot what it means to share a party with Pinkie.” “All she ever wants out of you is for her friends to have the time of her life,” the stallion continued, “And you should be a little more grateful for her efforts.” Rarity intervened before he could go on, “We get it, darling,” she placed a hoof on his shoulder, “We didn’t mean to undermine our friend and her behavior. We were just expressing how tiring it can be around Pinkie Pie. You wouldn’t know, though.” “Yeah, you were kinda dragging the whole guilt trip,” Rainbow Dash said, “Not cool, man.” The blue stallion realized this and slumped back down onto the table, “Sorry. I just…she’s throwing this party for me, and I think it’s nice of her. And then you all started talking about how you don’t enjoy her parties much…” “Oh no, it’s not that,” Fluttershy said, “We’d gladly have a party in your honor. We were just contributing to the conversation.” “Yeah. We have nothing against Pinkie,” Twilight said, “But you’re right. We shouldn’t take her parties for granted, and we should learn to say no sometimes.” “I usually do,” Applejack said, earning a bit of surprise from the others, “But then I feel guilty and I end up going anyways.” “And you leave the extra work to Big Mac?” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “…well, when you remind me o’ that, I end up feelin’ even more guilty,” she said with a chuckle. “Yeah. Sometimes we’re too busy to party with her, and it can intervene with work. We should speak our mind the next time she throws one,” Twilight suggested, “I can only hope Pinkie understands.” “I hear my name again!” Pinkie said as she sped back to the table. She toted a large sack full of unknown items, but from the shape, it looked like a lot of paper, “Okay guys. The Cakes gave me the ok for the party. But I’ll need help to pass out the invitations before sunset.” Blues hadn’t noticed it, but the sun was already on its way towards the horizon. It looked to be about four in the afternoon, maybe later. The long talk with his new friends had been an enjoyable waste of his time, he could say that much. “We’ll help, for sure,” Applejack said, “I just need to make a quick trip to the farm to tell Mac about the party.” “Maybe he’ll want to come?” the purple unicorn suggested. “Yeah. I bet the guy could definitely use some time off,” Dash forwarded the idea. “I’ll ask him about it,” the farmer agreed. “Great!” Pinkie exclaimed as she dropped the sack onto the table, “The party starts at seven, so I’ll need everyone to drop off one invitation at each house.” “Wait,” Blues spoke up, “How many ponies are coming over?” “Everypony, silly!” Pinkie gave a short stack to Blues, “Tell all your frie- well, tell every pony you know!” “Oh…” he couldn’t help but smile fondly at the gesture. To see what lengths the mare was going for just for him. It had been a long time since he had received such kindness. Rarity, on the other hand, had noticed something other than joy in the stallion. An all too familiar feeling. “You can count on us, Pinkie,” the rainbow pegasus said, taking the most invitations she could gather in both arms. “Thanks again guys,” she abandoned the sack to her friends and walked onwards towards the bakery again, “I’ll be at the Sugar Cube Corner setting up everything, so come back when you’re all done.” Blues took the pink letters and stood from his seat, feeling helpful all of a sudden as the others took their respective batches. The six ponies split up from the table of the diner, but before Rarity left off to her duty, she closed in on the blue stallion to sneak a word with him. “Blues,” she said, surprising the colt, “I understand what you really meant when you were defending Pinkie back there.” “Huh?” he didn’t get it. “I know that act. I’ve seen it before,” Rarity let herself smile, “And quite frankly, I know she’ll appreciate your words too, if you told her yourself.” “Uhh, I don’t follow,” Blues said honestly. “Talk to her at the party,” Rarity said as she took her own direction, “Because I think you’re special to her too.” Blues wanted to ask what she meant, but the unicorn had already walked off into town to pass out the invitations. Disregarding it, the stallion looked at the letters and admired the writing. Blue and pink hearts pasted onto the envelope. Pink ink on pink paper. Illegible, but so impractical the recipient would know it could only have been from Pinkie Pie. But in these invitations was just about everything the stallion had ever wanted. Friends, joy, happiness, and promise. And he had a special mare to thank for that. “Pinkie…” he pressed them onto his chest, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” the mare randomly said in the living room of Sugar Cube Corner. “Uhh, what was that?” Mr. Cake asked from the kitchen. “What was what?” she asked back, earning a confused stare from the shop owner. “Uhh…never mind,” he retreated back into the kitchen as Pinkie resumed hanging the streamers over the railings. ‘I’ll make this the best night you’ve ever had Blues,’ the mare thought, ‘Because you’re right. I do want to share my happiness with everypony, in the only way I know how. And I want to make ponies smile, all of them, especially the special ones close to me.’ Blues may have not succeeded in finding happiness the way he wanted to, but at least happiness found him. ‘I’ll be that mare, to keep you smiling.’