//------------------------------// // First Picnic Date // Story: Friendship is Weird // by Local Loco //------------------------------// “GOOOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOORNINNNNNNNG EQUESTRIAAAAAAA Check one, check two, Mic Check here live broadcasting from Baltimare for Equestria Radio. Guess after the events of the Summer Sun Celebration, the higher-ups thought they could poach me before my peak. Speaking of the SSC, time for this MC to give you the Weekend Wrap-up. *Sponsored by the Cloudsdale Weather Facility* Turns out, fillies and gentlecolts, Celestia had a sister, but I did well in history and already knew that. Princess Luna returns and ponies are now able to have peaceful dreams; no more nightmares anymore. After being stuck in the moon for a millennium, she returned corrupted only to be saved by six friendly ponies who would represent each of the elements of harmony. They’re names are, let me check my notes for a second… Enchanted Crown, Alto Tenor, Lucky Horseshoes, Hopeful Journey, Facing North, and… Cookies N Cream... Cream? Hey, boss! Cream as in the Hair Care Pony!? …yeah…? We’ll that’s fantastic. Dandy Cream Junior was my inspiration to become the voice that I am today. If he’s still kicking, we’ll have to invite him to the show for an interview. Tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala are on sale and they are selling like hotcakes. Yours truly will be attending so if you want an autograph, you can spend the absurd number of bits that the scalpers are trying to peddle. Ten Thousand Bits? You buy off these guys and you probably won’t be able to afford anything for the rest of your life. Haha. Anyway, here’s a song for you all to dance the night away to. Countess Coloratura-The Spectacle.” The radio started to play a pop song in Cookies room while the unicorn himself is looking in the mirror. “Ugh, to think that my name would be on the news, not because of my culinary capabilities but because my friends and I saved Equestria.” He pulled a hair out of his nose with a tweezer and winced. “And even then, they were more focused on Papa rather than Father. At least my uncle managed to form his success with anonymity from the family.” Cookies made his way down to the kitchen as he wrapped his scarf around himself. He started cracking a few eggs into a bowl and adding butter, flour, and sugar. “Morning Cookies!” The unicorn is greeted by is over enthusiastic childhood earth pony friend and roommate, Hopeful Journey. “Whatcha baking?” “Cake, Hope. Nothing too complex.” Cookies replies. “At least nothing to complex for yours truly.” He said with a laugh. “Yeah, but it’s the weekend! You had plans for something, right?” “As always, my dear Hope, you read me like an open book. I am baking for a picnic with Sky today to catch up on lost time. I just hope she enjoys these sweets I am bringing with us.” Hope had a smile of excitement on his face, but he had noticed that the smile on Cookies’ face was more of longing, like he’s about to accomplish something. “Well, don’t worry about me then. I just realized that I have someplace to be and I just looked at the time and I’m gonna be late and I gotta go. See ya later Cookies.” And just like that Hope was out of the house. “Hope I’d worry for you, but past experiences tell me you’ll be fine.” Cookies said, too distracted by his baking to notice Alto Tenor leaving the house with his instrument case. “Red velvet cake, you shall be the one to make her love me.” Roughly an hour passes as Cookies carefully perfects his confectionary affection. By the time he cuts the cakes up and wraps them in cellophane wrapping, he hears the doorbell ring. He goes up to the door to find a pony much taller than him. His confidence crumbles as Sky Sonata stands before him. The towering height of the light blue Pegasus mare compared to the rather short black and white unicorn stallion before her left many ponies around them staring. “Hey, Cooks.” Sky said to the unicorn. “You settled in to your new home yet?” She doesn’t wait for him to say anything as Sky makes her way inside. “Ooooh red velvet. This for that picnic we were planning?” Cookies nodded. “You always know how to go after my sweet tooth. I only brought this.” Using her wings, Sky placed a six pack of hard lemon cider and a bag of carrot sticks. “Carrot sticks?” Cookies asked? “Carrot sticks!” Sky answered. “Now where are we putting all our stuff anyway?” Cookies eyes narrowed. He had forgotten to get a basket for the picnic. You can’t have a picnic without a picnic basket. He had only recently moved in and there were a lot of things that the house needed and the top priority to him were the food stuffs. What felt like minutes but were actually a couple of seconds had passed until Cookies found Hope’s basket. “We could put it in your brother’s basket.” Sky laughed. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind. I used it as a lunchbox on my first day on the job.” She started putting her stuff in there. “I’ll keep a close eye on it for him. It’s a very important… uhhh… I guess you could call it a family heirloom.” “More of a clue to his past. At least friends remind him of the present, though he should be thinking about his future.” Cookies carefully places the cake into the basket. “Alto at the very least can garner bits through being a musician, but I don’t think he can make a living off being friends.” “Hope can do music.” Cookies gave Sky a raised eyebrow. “He can’t really read music, but the notes he plays on the bass sound good.” She uses her wing to carry the basket. “Enough talking about others though. Let’s go have some fun.” Cookies sighed as the mare of his dreams went outside before following soon after. The two ponies walked to a small lake near Ponyville. While they had many odd looks with how tall Sky is and how her mane flowed like Celestia’s causing some ponies to bow, neither one was distracted by it. Cookies just stared at Sky while following her and Sky was more focused on getting to the picnic spot. When they finally made it, Cookies spread out a light blue blanket on the ground from the basket. Sky joined in too by laying down and munching on some of the carrot sticks. “How’s life been treatin’ ya, Cooks? Element of harmony must have its perks, right?” Sky asks audibly munching on a carrot. “Well, not really. After the Summer Sun Celebration, the only thing that happened was Princess Luna coming into my dreams to say hello. She’s a bit of a night owl instead of an early bird, it seems.” Cookies takes a small bite out of one of the carrots. “She wanted us to have a dream get together of sorts. Seems like she’s trying to get permission before forcing us out of our dreams it seems.” Sky had a bit of red in her cheeks. “She didn’t tell you what I dream about, did she?” Cookies cocked his head with a raised eyebrow. “She saw you in my dream, but she didn’t pry.” The worried look on Sky’s face turned into a devious smile as she deftly chomped on one of the carrots. “Oh, you had a dream about me? I sure hope it wasn’t something lewd. You didn’t scar the princess of the night now, did you?” Cookies didn’t react to her comment in the way she had expected. Cookies stared at their reflections in the water for a bit before he responded. “I like to think I have normal dreams. This conversation that we are having right now could all be in a dream right now and I have yet to notice how off the things around us are.” Cookies looks around the area. “However, there doesn’t seem to be anything out of place that would make you realize that this is a dream. The only thing to do is to do something that would make you feel a physical feeling.” There was a moment of silence as the two ponies stared at each other. “You want me to pinch you?” Sky broke the silence as she made a pinching motion. Cookies horn glowed, encapsulating the massive mare body of Sky in the white aura before flinging her towards the lake. Sky started to fly before she hit the water and did a loop, giving Cookies enough time to take off his scarf and get a running start into a cannonball. Both ponies landing in the water and popping their heads above it at the same time. “A-a-and thus… N-n-not a dream.” Cookies said shivering, his curly mane falling straight. “Oh you.” Sky splashed Cookies, causing his head and body to be submerged unwater. She gasped and started sifting her hooves through the water as her wings kept her afloat. “Cookies? Where are you?” A splash could be heard behind her. “Right here, Sky.” Cookies was using his magic to dry his mane off on shore. Sky furrowed her brow and started to chase after Cookies, from swimming to wading until she got to the shore with him. “You’re a slippery one, Cookies.” She said building up an evil laugh. Her wings were able to grasp him quickly. “Here’s a little payback!” Sky tossed Cookies with her wings to the lake, except she started to notice that he was barely falling but still maintaining his forward momentum. When Sky noticed the magic surrounding him, she launched at him as though she were a Wonderbolt. She was able to tackle him midair and they both crashed to the other side of the lake. Thankfully a bush had broken their fall and she had landed in such a way where she’d also break Cookies’ fall. “Ow.” Cookies said, rubbing the back of his neck. He poked Sky, who had closed her eyes and let her tongue hanging from her mouth. After a few more pokes, she tackled him and the two rolled around on the ground for a bit, both of them laughing as they do. They stop rolling with Sky on top of Cookies. For a moment time had stopped for the unicorn. He could see the blue Pegasus upon him smile as she laughed, the sunshine sparkles in her deep blue eyes. Her hair long and flowing, like he was inches away from a steam cloud. Confetti, as if on cue, came in at just the moment the two of them made eye contact. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” A group of voices roared. Cookies and Sky turned towards the direction the confetti had come from to find five ponies: Hope, Alto, Mareian, Lucky, and EC with Scales being the one to pop the confetti popper. They had the wagon with them with a banner that said ‘Happy Birthday Cookies’ with the banner running out of space on the end. The wagon was stacked with a couple of presents. Sky turned back to Cookies and pressed her hoof against his snout. “Happy birthday, Cookies.” She said with a smile. “Glad you were able to get things ready.” Sky wrapped a hoof around Hope who in turn gave her a big hug. “Yep, yep, yep.” The hug ends as Hope places a big wrapped present on top of Cookies. “Open it! Open it! Open it!” He chanted. Cookies looked over at the other side of the lake where the picnic was set up. “As much as I would love to, our things are over at that side of the lake. Would it be alright if we reconvened over there?” Cookies asked. “No problem!” Hope tossed the present back in the wagon and energetically put his friends in there as well as he rushed over to the picnic area. The amount of time it took to get there gave a bit of whiplash. Hope placed Cookies on the picnic blanket and put the big present on top of him. “Now open it! Open it! Open it!” With a smile, Cookies uses his magic to unwrap the gift and open the box. He pulls out a stuffed pony that looks just like him. The toy looks to be crafted by hoof as there is no tag sticking out, but it’s too small to justify the big box. Cookies pulled out three more toys that look like Alto, Hope, and Sky. Each one of them proportionally the same size as their real counterpart. The box fell over revealing a toy of Lucky, Mareian, EC, and Scales of varying degree of quality. “Very crafty, Hope. I love them just as much as the real ones.” Cookies words brings a smile to Hope’s face, leading to a big hug. Lucky approaches Cookies next. In her mouth is a chain of four-leaf clovers, a total of seven of them linked together from stem to stem. She wraps the clovers around Cookies horn. “Ain’t da only crafty one. Bet even fer unicorns, can’t tie covers quite like me.” Lucky boasted. “Should give ya good fortune for years to come. Happy birthin’ Crem.” “Wow, I don’t think I could do that.” Cookies muttered as he looked at his reflection in the water. “I appreciate the wish of good luck.” Mareian is the next one to come up to Cookies. She has in her wing a box covered in wrapping paper. Not as big as Hope’s gift, nor coated in ribbons. “Happy birthday to the birthday boy.” She said in her usual tone of voice. Cookies unwrapped the gift to find, not one, but two books. One is a book called ‘Canterlot Cooking’ and the other is a spell book titled ‘Spells of the Crystal Empire’ which looks more like a textbook that are offered at schools. “These will surely come in handy for me. Thank you, Mareian.” The last physical gift is hovered over to Cookies. Not as big, or as extravagant looking as the previous gifts. Cookies opens it to find an empty picture frame. He looks over at EC, with a confused look. “I wanted you to have something new to look at.” She pulls out a camera from the wagon. “We can take a new photo of all of us together to put in there.” “THAT’S AMAZING!” Hope exclaimed. “Are we going in order of age? We always did that for family photos back home.” “Like from left to right, or top to bottom?” Sky chuckled. “If it’s the latter I may need to have Cookies on my head again.” “Hold ya horses.” Lucky interrupted. “Wat make’s ya tink that non’a us ain’t in the inbetween?” “Is today your birthday, too?” Sky asked. In response, EC, Mareian, and Lucky shook their heads. “What about tomorrow?” Sky got the same response. “Not like it matters. Cookies and I were born a few hours apart. He was born first and then I came out the next day.” “Please do not refer to birth like that again please.” Mareian said in minor disgust. After a bit of discussion and finding everyone’s ages, the alignment had Hope laying on the ground with Lucky and Mareian to his left and right with Alto sitting behind him. EC and Sky are both standing tall with Cookies on top of Sky’s head. Scales is the one holding the camera getting ready to take the picture. “Hey, this is a bit of a serious picture, don’t you think?” Mareian said, poking EC’s helmet. “Yeah. This is about friendship.” EC responding, taking off her helmet revealing her golden eyes and frazzled mane as she smiled at the camera. “This is nice.” Scales took the picture and ran off “I need to get these developed quickly!” the dragon said in a rush. “Oh… but he’ll miss Al’s present.” Hope said a bit disappointed. EC, Lucky, and Mareian all look at him with raised eyebrows. “He… brought a present?” EC asked surprised. “Ain’t no other present brought.” Lucky stated Confused “It’s a song, isn’t it?” Mareian said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Ooooh. You’re a good guesser, Mareian. We should play more guessing games together.” Hope excitedly exclaimed as Alto pulled out his instrument case from the wagon. After opening it a bright light shined from the case, leading Alto to pull out a crystal ukulele. He sat up against a rock and got into a position he could comfortably play. The music got Lucky to tap her hooves to the beat. “OH NO! I forgot my bass. I gotta improvise.” Hope started to make bass sounds to go along with the music. Alto began to sing. Another year We’re both here Another celebration to The one who inspires me to do A song Please don’t get me wrong ‘cause of all my friends You’re the best one to the end Happy birthday My best friend We have our ways To spend our days We focus on both our plans Making sure everything lands Quite right Every day and every night I know that you’ll feel the same As you know since you became My best friend Happy birthday My best friend Some might say our Friendship’s Weird~ But those don’t know the accomplishments that we’ve cleared~ And I don’t let them bother me Because it doesn’t have to be So downer so sour can’t you see? Best friendship is the key. Happy birthday My Best friend Happy Birthday. Tears were streaming down Cookies face. “Alto Tenor.” He said, wiping the tears from his face. “We’ve been together most of our lives. I never really put too much thought about how to describe our relationship. Best friends… Yes, I’d say that we are. Through thick and thin. In peace or in danger. We have each other’s back.” Cookies gave Alto a hug, to the massive Pegasus stallion’s surprise. “Thank you.” Cookies whispered. “Alright time to get this party started. WHO WANTS CIDER AND CAKE!?” Sky shouts while holding up the picnic basket. Hope tries to grab a bottle but his hoof is slapped away by Sky’s wing. “Sorry little bro. Can’t have you drinking until your birthday.” Sky said to Hope. “Don’t mind if I take that then.” Mareian grabs the bottle that Hope was reaching for. “Oooh, a feisty pegasus pony aren’t ya? How about a little drinking contest.” Sky challenged the green mare who gave a smug look and nodded back at her. “Alright, on three. One. Two. THREE!” The pegasi started chugging their drinks to the hoots and hollers of their friends. Both finish their drinks at the same time. Both are a bit off balance until Mareian is the first to fall. “HA! You ReAeAeAllllllllly are da secn’d youngest.” Sky said, slowly slurring her words before trying to open one of the two extra bottles. “Down the lemony hatch!” Sky took one sip before falling over backwards and landing in front of Cookies who had been sparingly taking sips of his drink. “Oh heEeEeEy birthday boy. *hic* Stallion… *hic* boy. Yous enjoyin today?” Cookies stared at Sky with a bit of a blush. “Well, it’s been rather well so far.” “Now whe’res my *hic* present birthday bo*hic*oy?” Sky clasps her hooves on Cookies cheeks. “Oh ummm.” Cookies used his magic to pull out a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala from the basket and put it in between their faces. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to the Gala with me.” Cookies quickly realized what he said. “I mean, I’ve already got a ticket to the Gala already and if you didn’t have a ticket…” Sky slowly got up, her limbs and body swaying from left to right making her movements rather water like. “Gotcha!” Her wing lunges forward to grab the ticket, but stumbled forward onto Cookies. “Aww thanks for the su*hic*support little birthday boy.” Sky turned her head to the others. “HeEeY, Group Hug! *hic*” From behind, Cookies receives another hug from another intoxicated Pegasus pony in the form of Mareian. “T-thought I’d get lost? *hic* Had lost? *hic* I gots the birthday boOoOoOoy!” She said vibrantly swaying her hips.” Cookies looks over at his other friends who are just staring at his situation while he blushes furiously. “Shoodn we help Crem, or summin?” Lucky asked EC. Hope had already made his way to Cookies for the group hug. “I feel know we should. The real question is how?” EC pondered. At this point Alto trotted to the birthday unicorn stallion for the group hug. “Yeah, let’s just go with the hug. Nothing could go wrong with that.” With all the ponies together in a group hug, Scales returns with the camera in his claws. “Hey guys. The photo guy said it wouldn’t be ready for another hour so we can pick it up…” He notices the group hug in front of him and his eyes roll. “…then.” He pulls the camera up and takes another picture. The day had passed with fun festivities for the friends. Hope and Alto were showing Lucky how to keep a beat going. Mareian and Sky intoxicatingly play with the stuffed toy versions of each other. Meanwhile, EC and Cookies laid at the picnic blanket together eating cake as Scales placed the photograph from earlier in the picture frame. “Came out good didn’t it.” Scales said in a rather proud tone. The two unicorns laugh. “Of course, Scales.” Cookies said. “I couldn’t have asked for one to do a better job than you.” The compliments got to Scales as he blushed, nodded his head, and slithered away to Mareian’s back. “What a nice dragon.” Cookies sighed with a satisfied smile. EC nods before staring at the spell book that Mareian had got Cookies. “Hey, Cookies, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” Cookies had turned his head towards her and nodded. “At the Everfree Forest I saw you with another spell book. I saw ‘Grogar’ on the cover. Cookies, Grogar was a dangerous spellcaster.” Cookies looked at his friend with confusion. “Dangerous? I think there might have been a translation error somewhere because the book you are referring to explained the eccentricities of magic and how certain emotions can power our magic. Fear leads to a weakened magic while anger leads to a stronger much more powerful, yet uncontrollable magic. The Grogar in my book said that happiness and being relaxed was the best outcome for most spells and explained how they discovered it when observing a tribe of Kirin.” “Well, that’s reassuring at the very least it didn’t tell you a spell to destroy Equestria.” EC sighed. “Sorry for burdening this on you on your birthday, Cookies.” “Oh posh, my dear EC. I’ve been meaning to discuss specifically how I use spells with you. That book made sense when I tried baking angry when Hope had eaten the cupcakes that I had made for a bake sale back when we were foals. The number of wooden spoons broken were… not numerous but not just one. It felt more like a history book if you were to look at it. Inside are basic spells listing off how emotions affect each one of them. Desperation being powerful but draining, sadness leading to hiccups, etc.” EC laughed. “Well, there was a specific lesson about anger-based spells in Canterlot. Good to know you have everything in check.” The two continue to eat their cake, Cookies way more slowly than EC. They watch as all their friends have a good time together. It wasn’t long until Mareian and Sky passed out after going to have another drink of the lemon cider. It was at that time that the friends bid farewell and took their unconscious friends’ home. Lucky and Scales had to carry Mareian back to the library with EC, while Sky was placed in the wagon with Cookies, the basket, and all the other gifts he had gotten and Hope and Alto drag them back to the Cream Summer Home. It wasn’t long until the three stallions brought Sky to the house and placed her in the guest bedroom. While Hope and Alto left the room, Cookies stayed making sure that Sky was tucked in nicely and that the ticket to the Gala was on the bedside table with a note saying “Happy Birthday Sky!!! ~CNC” “Hmmmh Cookies…” Sky mumbled. Cookies turned to Sky who was tossing and turning in the bed. It did not seem like she was awake so Cookies began to leave the room only to be surprise grabbed by Sky’s wings to be closer to the bed. It was a rather large bed that had been meant to be for Cookies’ parents when they would come over. “Gotcha goober.” Cookies blushed a bit and began to stammer. “D-didn’t mean to wake you, Sky. Did you need something before I go?” He did not get a verbal response. Rather, Sky’s wings brought Cookies on the bed as she made room for him. Cookies was too nervous to say anything at this point and kept looking at the door in case one of the others decided to check up on them. After a few minutes, Sky started loudly snoring and her wings let loose their grip on the small unicorn. Quietly, Cookies made his way out of the room, gently closing the door on his way out. He let out a sigh. “When are you going to confess to our sister?” Hope said with Alto giving Cookies a menacing glare. Cookies had to stifle a shocked gasp. “W-well I… uhhh…” Cookies pondered as Alto and Hope stared intently at them. “I can’t just confess to a mare at random like that. The confession needs to happen after a brave and daring adventure, where a confession of love holds more weight and the pressure of it all wouldn’t compare to the dangers that the adventure would entail.” Cookies explained with a forced smile. There was a bit of silence before Hope spoke up. “Oh yeah just like Cheese Mare #103 where the Pegasus turned hummingbird, Peep, confessed his attraction for Cheese Mare after an alien armada almost destroyed Equestria.” Hope gave a light chuckle before trotting over to his room. “Night guys!” Alto didn’t let his eyes off Cookies for one moment. The two stallions stared at each other. The massive Pegasus stallion had an intense look in his face as the rather small unicorn stallion looked back at his friend while holding a forced smile. Alto sighed before tapping his best friend on the chest with his hoof. “Go get her, tiger.” With that said, Alto went off to his room for the night. Cookies slumped over on the ground, sighing. It had been a long day for him and not exactly the one he planned. He was looking forward to the alone time he would have had with Sky today, but forgot that both of them had birthdays this weekend. This didn’t make the day a waste in his mind though. Being able to spend time with his friends was a blast and the gifts he’d received were even better. Cookies had set the eight stuffed toys at the kitchen counter and hung the framed photo above them. He looked at them all and smiled. “Huh…” Cookies scoffed. “Ponies say this friendship is weird?”