Total Anarchy
A simple sentence. Everything started out with four very unassuming words, from a not so unassuming woman wearing a bright pink blouse with multi-colored balloons all over them and a pair of shorts matching her top. The words were spoken, with no ill intent, to the gray hooded figure casually strolling around town. “Ark, let’s hang out!”
Ark looked up at her, the words bringing him out of his meandering thoughts. Her bouncy pink hair and bright blue eyes practically in his face, giving her best attempt at the puppy dog eyes. Ark stood silent, contemplating his options. On one hand, he could continue to wander around town aimlessly, maybe even fly for a bit with no real direction. He did enjoy that. On the other hand, he would most likely be dragged out on some unexpected adventure with the one person who oozed happiness and joy, emotions that he wasn’t exactly familiar with, therefore making her slightly uncomfortable to be around.
She continued to stare at him, putting as much into being sweet and innocent as possible. Ark wanted to say no, but the look she was giving him made it seem like she would fall to pieces had he actually declined. Letting out a deep sigh, Ark said the one word that would forever leave him contemplating everything he ever knew.
“Sure.”
“YAY! This is going to be super-duper awesome! I always wanted to get to know you but everyone said I should avoid you but I think you’re a swell fellow and we should totally go and do awesome brand new best friend things!” Arks eyes widened slightly as he tried to process the rapid assault of information being crammed into him in such a short amount of time.
“Umm…okay?” Ark said, not really sure what else to say. She jumped happily and grabbed his arm before quickly running towards her home. Ark wasn’t sure what was happening, but as he practically flew behind her, he decided to just go with it at this point and let these next moments work through their course.
Finally coming to a stop, Ark took a few seconds to gain back his composure, the ride taking quite a bit out of him. He wasn’t giving much time, as the stall was momentary, Pinkie quickly dragging him into the bakery where she worked. “I’ll be right back! I have someone I want you to meet!” She quickly bolted up the stairs, leaving Ark to finally get himself back together. Taking in the surroundings, he remembered that she held all her parties at this place. It was interestingly built, as it seemed to be much bigger on the inside than on the outside. His looking around came to a stop when he noticed a woman wearing a bright blue dress and dark pink hair looking at him. She was standing behind the main counter, doing the finishing work on a cake for the display.
“Welcome. I see your friends with Pinkie, though I can’t say I am surprised.” She laughed lightly, earning a curious stare from the young man. “Oh, silly me! Forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Cake. I own this wonderful establishment.
“Hello.” Ark said in his usual tone, raising a hand and waving slightly.
“The quiet type? I never would have pegged someone like you being interested in Pinkie.” Mrs. Cake said, smiling happily.
“She is interesting.” Ark responded, shrugging his shoulders. He was completely oblivious to the actual meaning of the sentence, so he didn’t understand why the woman in front of him was squealing in a high pitched manner, calling him cute of all things.
“I’m back!” Pinkie said from behind Ark. He turned around, coming face to face with her friend. He looked at him for what felt like hours, trying to figure out how he should react to the situation at hand. A normal response to being face to face with a large eyed baby alligator could stem from fear to confusion to downright ear piercing screaming in terror. It blinked, one eye at a time, and opened its mouth, showing a lack of teeth. This action was combined with stretching out its neck and gently latching onto his nose.
“Pinkie…why is there an alligator on my nose?” Ark asked calmly as Pinkie let it dangle from its current location.
“That’s the friend I was talking about. Ark, meet Gummy! When I look at you, something about you reminds me of my wittle Gummy Wummy. I just can’t put my finger on it.” Pinkie said, scratching her head. Ark stared down at the intrusive pet and gently picked it off. He handed him back to Pinkie, who let it latch on to her hair, digging through the curly locks. “Okay. The reason I called you here is because I have noticed something seriously bad.” Ark’s interest was quickly piqued at the thought of trouble. “I won’t be able to forgive myself if something isn’t done about it, and that is why you are here!”
“What do you need me to do?” Ark asked, showing some slight enthusiasm in his response.
“Perfect attitude. Now, here is what you need to do. I need you to SMILE!” Pinkie said, jumping up into the air to emphasize the last point. Like a blade to the neck, Ark’s enthusiasm was quickly killed off, replaced with bewildered indifference.
“Umm…okay. I don’t see the problem in doing that.” Ark said. Before he could complete the easy task, however, Pinkie quickly covered his face with her hand.
“No no no no no no! I want the smile to be real. If you fake it, it just won’t be the same.” Ark stared at the dark lit palm of her hand, not really struggling against her.
“I can’t see.” Ark said in a muffled voice. Pinkie quickly removed her grip from him, allowing him to readjust to the bright room.
“So, what makes you happy?” Pinkie asked, pulling out a note pad and a pencil, waiting eagerly to take notes. Ark sighed and turned around, heading for the door. “Wait! Arky, where are you going?”
“This is stupid.” Ark said, continuing his walk towards the exit. He stopped when she quickly moved in front of the door, blocking the exit. “You’re not letting me leave, are you?” Ark asked, though knowing the answer already. Pinkie nodded quickly giving him her most determined face, something that Ark actually found quite impressive.
“I got it!” Pinkie said, jumping happily. “I know what will make you smile!” Ark didn’t have time to respond as he was once again on the move.
---------- ---------- ----------
“Pinkie?”
“Yes Arky!?”
“This was not a good idea.”
“I know, Arky! Just…Keep…Running!”
Within the time that he has been here, Ark’s attitude and actions had earned him a somewhat large fan base from the winged population. Having caught wind of this, Pinkie figured it would make Ark smile by bringing him to one of their meetings, as they had developed a fan club. It was a good idea, as knowing people liked you generally made a person happy. She didn’t, however, anticipate fan girls.
All of his training, experience, and skill couldn’t prepare him for walking into the house. Roughly twenty females walked around, giggling as they stared at candid pictures taken and even homemade plush dolls of him. Among all the other fears he had known in his life, the sudden head turning as they simultaneously noticed his presence, was the worst. Ark understood. The women understood. Pinkie, completely oblivious to the mood, only made it worse by loudly announcing their presence and introducing him to them as her special friend. It only took a second to see every single one of them had suddenly moved into a very close proximity to the two. Ark’s instincts immediately kicked in, and grabbed Pinkie, bolting out the door with a flurry of flying fan girls fluttering after them.
“We love you!”
“Leave that pink floozy!”
“Let me have your babies!”
Ark, shuddering to think of what would happen to them if they were caught, grabbed Pinkie’s hand and booked it around the corner of the next building. He came to a quick stop when he realized it was a dead end. He was certain going back was no longer an option, and he didn’t have enough time to remove his jacket. Taking just a single second to gain his focus, he concentrated on his goal, escape. It had to be fast, and he couldn’t leave poor Pinkie in the hands of those whack jobs, even if this whole mess was her fault to being with. He scooped her up into his arms and quickly ran at the wall. Pinkie wasn’t helping his concentration in the slightest, yelling ‘wheeee’ the entire time. To her, this might have been fun, though everything seemed fun to her. To him, it was essentially a matter of life and death.
“There he is!” One of the girls pointed out, the group flocking into the alleyway behind them. It was now or never, as Ark ran towards the side of the building, and with incredible skill, began running up the side of it, until he knew he was going to fall. He jumped and shifted his weight, landing on the opposite wall and continuing up it. This act had the dual effect of aiding his escape and causing the girl to start to squeal and take pictures rather than chase him down. Before they even realized it, he was over the building and onto the roof. They quickly flew up in search of him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, they haven’t bothered to check the bale of hay that laid on the ground on the opposite side.
---------- ---------- ----------
“I am sorry, Arky.” Pinkie said apologetically, removing more pieces of straw from her hair. They had managed to safely return to the bakery, sitting at a table to catch their breaths.
“I think…I’m going to avoid town for a few days.” Ark answered, shaking his head at the mental recollection of what occurred.
“I just wanted you smile.” She began to sniffle, Ark unsure of how to deal with this.
“How about a muffin?” He asked quietly.
“A…muffin?” Pinkie asked between little sobs. Ark nodded and pointed to the display, at a blueberry muffin that stood its place proudly. Pinkie nodded and grabbed it from its stand, leading the baked good into the jaws of demise. Ark took a bite out of the muffin, Pinkie waiting to see what the verdict. She had gotten more than she bargained for, when she began to squeal in delight as she watched him. A small yet honest smile appeared on his face as he happily took another bite.