//------------------------------// // Happiness // Story: Shut The Blinds // by The Rainbow Blunderbolt //------------------------------// Chapter six: Happiness After the odd scenario involving the cake twins was dealt with, Sugarcube Corner had resumed being the happy place it always was. Everything seemed to revert back to its normal state. For some things at least. Pinkie Pie sat upstairs in the twins’ room, turning an empty gaze to the wall opposite the one she was leaning against. Her poufy hair was completely deflated and hanging across her face like a dark pink curtain, and her shining blue eyes were red, puffy, and gleaming with fresh tears just waiting to escape her eyelids and roll down her tear-stained face. She sniffed loudly as another tear slowly rolled down her moist cheeks. The two foals that sat in their cribs looked at her sadly. They wanted to do something, but they were unsure of what they could do anymore. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake had already tried to get the pink pony’s attention numerous times, but each of their desperate attempts had been blatantly ignored by Pinkie Pie. So there they sat, looking at the pink pony in quiet sympathy. Why did this have to happen? That was Pinkie Pie’s only question. She knew that life was unfair, and that it could throw unexpected twists and turns at you, but Dashie being blind for the rest of her life? Okay, life, that was going the slightest bit too far! She groaned sadly. In her mind, there was no reason to smile right now. She was trying to find one, she REALLY was. However, no reasons came to her mind at the moment. It was ironic, wasn’t it? The pony who told everyone to smile, couldn’t find a reason to do it herself, Pinkie thought to herself bitterly. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door she had closed when Rarity and Applejack had left. She moaned in annoyance. The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was another pony, but she had a reputation as the happiest pony in Ponyville to maintain, right? She wiped her face with her hoof quickly and plastered on a clearly fake smile. That was easy enough. But the one thing she couldn’t seem to do was give her hair its signature look. That was the main thing that worried her. Maybe she could play it off as a new mane style. Yeah, that could work, she could totally pull it off. She always was a good actress if she said so herself. Pinkie Pie made a few humming noises to make sure her voice was as chirpy as ever, and not that cracking sound it usually was when she had cried for a long period of time. “It’s open!” Her voice cracked. Damn it. “Pinkie Pie? Are you all right in there, dearie?” Mrs. Cake’s pleasant voice called in as her head popped into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Pinkie Pie. A few awkward moments of silence passed between them. “Oh…uh, hiya, Mrs. Cake!” she said happily. Luckily for her, her voice was devoid of anymore cracking sounds. “Pinkie Pie…are you doing okay, dear?” Mrs. Cake asked, a concerned tone taking over her voice. “Of course!” Pinkie Pie assured the older pony quickly, plastering on an even bigger smile than before. “What makes you think that I wasn’t?” “Well, for one thing your hair is – ” “Oh, I just thought I’d try something different than what I normally go for! Do you like it?” she asked eagerly, shrugging Mrs. Cake’s question off faster than you could say chimmy cherry changas. Mrs. Cake looked taken aback for a moment, but that look of surprise was quickly replaced by a look of concern. “Umm…yes, it’s very nice, dear. But, can I talk to you?” she asked, walking further into the room. She took careful care to close the door behind her. “It won’t take more than a few minutes.” The pink pony backed up a bit, getting a bit nervous that her little secret would be discovered as Mrs. Cake came closer to her. “Uhh…yeah, okay…sure thing,” she agreed, looking in all directions except the older pony’s eyes. Mrs. Cake looked a bit hesitant to start the inevitable conversation, but she told herself that this couldn’t be avoided. She knew that the younger pony was holding quite a bit in, and she was just barricading herself in from the outside world. That wasn’t healthy for any pony to deal with, least of all on your own, and she just hoped that Pinkie Pie would come to realize that. She just needed a push in the right direction, and Mrs. Cake was willing to be that push if it meant helping the pony she cared for so much. “Rarity told me about…well, about Rainbow Dash, and - ” Pinkie Pie suddenly got defensive, walking threateningly towards Mrs. Cake. “Oh she DID, did she? What else did she tell you? HMMM?” she accused. By the time she had finished, she had backed Mrs. Cake up to the wall opposite of them and was pushing her nose up against Mrs. Cake’s. Mrs. Cake was reluctant to answer after the pink pony’s display. “She didn’t tell me anything else, Pinkie,” she assured. After hearing Mrs. Cake’s comforting voice, Pinkie Pie realized what she was doing, and instantly regretted it. She backed up more than enough to give Mrs. Cake her personal space and looked down at the ground in shame. “Sorry, Mrs. Cake,” she mumbled . “It’s quite all right, dearie,” Mrs. Cake told her soothingly. She cautiously took a few steps closer to the younger pony. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie made no attempts to back up once again. “Now, I know you’re feeling sad, but - ” “Who said I was sad? I’m not sad!” Pinkie Pie yelped quickly, looking up wildly and bobbing her head in all directions. She winced at the sound of her own voice. If it wasn’t obvious that she had a problem before, it was certainly obvious now. Mrs. Cake looked at her knowingly, and Pinkie Pie folded in like a cheap table. The walls she had so cleverly built up to shield her emotions from the outside world were starting to crumble, and tears started to leak out of her eyes slowly. “Okay, fine. I’m sad,” she admitted bitterly. Mrs. Cake sighed in sympathy and walked over to Pinkie. Aforementioned pony looked back down to the ground once again and the tears starting flowing from her eyes faster. The blue pony smiled sadly and held a hoof around Pinkie Pie’s heaving shoulders. “It’s okay for every pony to feel sad once in a while,” she said comfortingly. However, the reaction she got was certainly not one that she had expected. “But I can’t!” Pinkie cried, slamming herself against the wall and leaning against it. She slid down the wall slowly and landed on her rump with a dull thud. Mrs. Cake heard small gasps from the crib where her foals lay, but paid the sounds no heed. Right now, she focused her undivided attention to the wailing pony beside her. She sat down and asked, “Now who in the wide world of Equestria said that?” “Every pony! I’m the Element of Laughter, so I have to be happy all the time! If I don’t then I won’t be doing my duty properly, and then ponies won’t like me anymore!” she sobbed. Her wails were getting louder as she continued, but she didn’t care. She just tucked her head into her front legs and held it there, as if her limbs could provide a shield from the judgment of the outside world. However, that wish remained just that: a foolish wish created by her insecurities. “Ponies like me because I throw parties and I’m happy and I make every pony else happy too! If ponies knew I was all saddy-waddy, then they would stop liking me! And I don’t want any pony to stop liking me!” By the end of her rant she was completely in hysterics. She clutched her face in her front hooves and her body was shaking violently with her never-ending sobs. While Pinkie Pie was doubled over, Mrs. Cake was soothingly rubbing her back. “Oh, Pinkie Pie…that’s not true at all,” she said. Pinkie Pie wasn’t having any of that. “But it is!” she countered. “I’m seeing you cry, but do I think any less of you?” Mrs. Cake asked. Pinkie pie looked up at the older pony, her eyes red and moist from all the tears. “Do you?” she asked sadly. “Of course not, dearie,” Mrs. Cake smiled. “And neither will any pony.” “You promise?” Pinkie asked, still not convinced. Mrs. Cake sighed and sat up on her haunches. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said, going through the motions of the promise that was named after the pink pony herself. It was only when she reached her hoof to her eye and touched it that she winced. After she was finished she put her hoof back down on the floor once again. Pinkie Pie gave a small smile and wiped her nose with a hoof, giggling while doing so. “Are you feeling any better now, Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake asked. “Yeah…a LOT better,” Pinkie sniffed. Suddenly, she pulled Mrs. Cake into a tight embrace, folding her front legs around the older pony and squeezing her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Cake.” “Anytime, dearie,” Mrs. Cake smiled, returning the hug just as tightly. She was both happy, and just a bit surprised when Pinkie Pie’s mane suddenly fluffed up once again. But, it was certainly nice to have the usual Pinkie Pie back. After a few more minutes of hugging, Mrs. Cake finally let go, much to Pinkie Pie’s disapproval. “Mr. Cake will probably be wondering where I am. Is it all right if I go now, dear?” Mrs. Cake asked. “Sure! You go right ahead!” Pinkie encouraged. Mrs. Cake looked hesitant, but smiled to the pony beside her. She slowly stood up and made her way to the door. It seemed she had done her job, but Pinkie Pie was a very convincing actress, she had learned that on many occasions. So before she opened the door to leave, she looked back one last time. “Are you sure you don’t need me anymore?” she asked. “I’m super-duper sure!” Pinkie said, hopping to her hooves. She bounced to the door and held it open for Mrs. Cake. “Well…okay. But call me if you need anything,” Mrs. Cake said. Finally she walked out of the door Pinkie was holding and made her way down the staircase leading to the main floor of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie saw her out, watching the older pony gratefully as Mrs. Cake walked down the stairs and back to the store. She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Mrs. Cake. Mrs. Cake had helped pull her out of spiralling depression after all. It wasn’t completely gone, however. She still felt horrible for Dashie, and even worse that she could do barely anything to help her. But Mrs. Cake’s efforts had dampened that feeling of helplessness considerably. She shook her head in amusement. What a silly filly she was. Just because she’s the Element of Laughter didn’t mean that she can’t be sad at all. She now knew that ponies couldn’t be happy all the time; it just wasn’t possible, even for her. It just seemed to take her a little bit longer to realize this simple fact. But, better late than never, as the expression went. She looked at the twins, who were both looking at her worriedly, and walked up to them. “Don’t worry, you guys,” she assured them, smiling a small smile just in case the two weren’t entirely convinced. “I’m fine.” They both smiled in return and clapped their hooves together, while happy noises came out of their mouths. Their antics made her smile even bigger, but that wasn’t the whole reason. She had made not one, but two ponies smile. In fact, it was one of the first times she thought she had genuinely brightened up some ponies’ day this week, which was more than enough for her. Speaking of this week, she had just realized that she hadn’t thrown a single party, which was quite unusual for her. She had been much too busy worrying about Dashie to throw any parties. But that was going to change. And it was going to change very soon indeed. She would throw the best party ever for her friend! It may take a while to plan for and prepare, but if she knew her standards (which she knew very well, if she said so herself), then it would be the best party ever! It would be the party of all parties! “What do you guys think? Should I throw a party for Dashie? Do you think she’ll like that?” Pinkie Pie asked the twins. They both smiled and nodded vigorously, signaling their approval of Pinkie Pie’s proposal. Pinkie smiled in glee. “Good! I was hoping you would like it! And I’m sure Dashie’ll like it too!” Pinkie smiled, clapping her hooves together. She stopped her hooves and gave each of them a pat on the head. “You guys are the best, you know that?” Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake smiled in approval. Oh, they knew that all right. The pink pony sighed. “Well, I guess I should get back to work,” she said, walking over to the door. Just before she closed it, she called over her shoulder, “See you guys later!” She came to a stop just before she reached the staircase. Was Mrs. Cake really right? Would the ponies down there still like her? She was sure they had heard her wails, but she had no idea how they had reacted to them. Still, she figured she might as well face the music while she still had at least a little bit of dignity left. With her head held high, she hopped down the steps. Her entrance appeared to be seemingly ignored by the ponies in Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie wasn’t quite used to being ignored when she came into a room, but it actually wasn’t so bad. Besides, it wasn’t like she was trying to get noticed anyways. “So far so good,” she thought as she made it to the bottom of the staircase without attracting any attention. Suddenly, Mr. Cake appeared in front of her. He had a comforting smile on his face that set Pinkie Pie’s startled mind at ease. “Feeling better, Pinkie?” he asked kindly. “You bet, Mr. Cake!” she answered. The ponies must have noticed her by now. With some hesitation, she looked around the store. To her delight (and just a bit of luck) all the ponies in the room were smiling at her. Some even gave the pink pony a welcoming wave when she locked eyes with them. She breathed out a noisy sigh of relief. Mrs. Cake had been right, thank Celestia. What she had said to Mr. Cake about her feeling better was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, she promised that to herself. She was finally happy again. After a long week of disappointment, anxiousness, and all around sorrow, she was finally happy. However, the big black cloud that was called depression still loomed over the deepest parts of her subconscious, just waiting to strike when the perfect moment presented made itself clear. But she could handle it. She was sure of it. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “Hey, Mr. Cake, do you think…” She whispered the last part of her plan in the stallion’s ear. Pinkie wanted to be super secretive with this one particular party. No pony could know until everything was absolutely perfect. If some pony knew ahead of time, then it could spoil the whole element of surprise, and the whole thing would be left in ruins, and she couldn’t have that. After he was told of Pinkie Pie’s brilliant plan, Mr. Cake smiled and gave her a nod of approval. “I think that’s a great idea, Pinkie,” he said supportively. “I’m sure she’ll love it.” “Great! I’ll have to start planning right away!” she said. “But first…” She gave her first genuine Pinkie-Pie smile of the week. “Need any help?”