//------------------------------// // 24: Free Ice Cream [Not-Quite-So-Sad] // Story: Party Every Day // by Esle Ynopemos //------------------------------// ((Prompt: A natural disaster strikes Ponyville, and there’s nothing anypony can do to stop it.)) The sun was extra hot, which made Pinkie Pie especially glad for the coldness that seeped through the load on her back, even if it was a bit heavy. That was the trick, really, was focusing on the positive. Sure, it was a hot summer day and she was carrying a lot, but she got to stay cool regardless. That brought a smile to her face as she carefully picked her way around a piece of fallen rubble in the street. The mayor and a few ponies—Applejack among them—were busy clearing out a collapsed section of the town hall. A cloud of dust rose into the air as they all banded together to pull out a heavy wooden beam. Pinkie grinned and trotted up to them. “You all look like you could use some ice cream!” She pulled a tub off of the mountain of similar tubs on her back and flipped the lid open. Applejack wiped some sweat from her brow and raised her eyes. “Gee, that's awful kind of ya, Pinkie, but that sure is a lot of the stuff!” Pinkie distributed spoons to the ponies gathering around her. Taking a quick count, she decided to open up a second tub for the group. “The earthquake broke the freezer at Sugarcube Corner, so unless all this ice cream gets eaten, it's gonna turn into soup!” “Aha.” Applejack ate a spoonful of chocolate swirl, and made an appreciative noise. She glanced around at all the toppled buildings. “Some way to get free ice cream. Are the Cakes okay? I ain't made it over to that end of town yet.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake got the twins to safety as soon as the ground started rumbling. Everypony's a-okay!” “I'm glad to hear it.” Applejack stretched her rear legs. “Weren't much damage out at the farm, as far as I could tell. A bit of shakin' don't harm trees none. But Apple Bloom was over at Sweetie's when it hit, an' she got a few scrapes. Nothin' major, thank Celestia, but I reckon some ice cream'd help her forget all about her boo-boos.” “I bet you're right!” Pinkie said, shifting under the newly balanced load of ice cream. “Is she still at Sweetie's?” Applejack shook her head. “I think she went with Sweetie Belle to go check on Rarity. Give 'em all hugs for me.” She turned back to work on the rubble in the town hall. Pinkie trotted across town. She caught sight of Fluttershy coordinating a team of badgers to burrow under a collapsed home and look for ponies trapped inside. Pinkie made sure the badgers got a whole tub to themselves, and the filly they rescued got an overstuffed ice cream cone and a balloon Pinkie happened to have on her. Spike spoonfed Twilight's ice cream to her while she concentrated on using her magic to lift a house and set it back on its foundations, and Rainbow Dash got three or four tubs to distribute to the weather team as they helped around town. Pinkie's load was much lighter by the time she reached Carousel Boutique. Or rather, the heap of drywall, glass and timber where Carousel Boutique used to be. Rarity stood at the edge of the mess, her front hooves planted on her welcome mat. Her white coat was marred by dirty smudges and scrapes, and her mane was limp and tattered beyond recognition. Her face was blank, her eyes unfocused. If not for the subtle rise and fall of her chest, Pinkie might have thought she was a very well-detailed statue, rather than Rarity herself. Pinkie approached quietly, and put a hoof on her back. Rarity flinched at the contact, only relaxing after she turned to see her friend there. Her eyes drifted back to the rubble. “It's... gone,” she said. “All of it. Just, gone...” Pinkie wrapped a foreleg around Rarity and squeezed her tight. “...Would you like some ice cream?”