Of course it's raining. I wouldn't be surprised to look up and see a single rain cloud hovering over me. I brush the hair out of my eyes. The moisture on my face isn't all from the rain. The past few weeks have gotten me kind of nostalgic. First finding out that I might be an Apple, and then the events with Cheese Sandwich. I started thinking about the past, and realized it had been a while since I'd been back to see my family. So I decided to take a little break and go visit them.
I know many people have asked why they never see my family. When I first got my cutie mark, I threw them a big party, and they all seemed so happy. We laughed and danced and had desserts. But it didn't last. My father got upset. Said it wasn't proper for ponies to carry on like that. Mother didn't speak up, and my sisters took the opportunity to gain a few points with Father by teasing me.
It's hard to be different sometimes. I know I'm not like the other ponies. They think I'm weird. "Random" gets used a lot. I wish they could see what I see. I wish they could see how it all connects.
I left home when I was still very young. I wandered over to Ponyville, where I met the Cakes. Sugarcube Corner was everything I could ever have hoped for - it was bright and colorful and full of sweets and they always had parties going on. They took me in, gave me a home and taught me how to bake and organize parties. They went to see my father shortly after I arrived, to let him know I was ok. He didn't put up a fight when they said I wanted to stay with them.
Things are better now, but I can still tell that my family, my father especially, doesn't approve of my life. My sisters both stayed on the farm, so I'm the "black sheep" of the family. I come back for Hearth's Warming to visit, but that's usually about it. Anything more is too much for any of us.
I love my family, I really do. But there's just no joy there. And they like it that way. Being at home is like a black hole of happiness. I start sinking into my depression if I'm there too long - my hair going flat, my colors muted, like when I thought my friends didn't want to be friends any more. It scares me when I get that way, so I try not to stay too long.
Not the way it scares some people though - seriously, who comes up with that stuff? Oh yeah, in case you haven't figured it out, I see you. Sort of. I'm not really sure how I know, but that whole "breaking the fourth wall" as you call it - it's a real thing I do. So I know about the things some people have written about me. I try not to let it get to me. I know they don't really think I would do those things, and I can see how they would get the idea. Like right now - my dripping wet, long straight hair hanging over my face, looking out at you through your screen, talking right to you (or I would be if you were watching this instead of reading it). Remind you of anyone? Ring ring, "seven days". Brrrrrr. And I guess it's kind of funny, in a dark, twisted kind of way. Rainbow Dash would totally laugh if she knew about Cupcakes, but I'd never tell her. It's too creepy.
Anyway, to make a short story long, I'm back home now. I shake out the snow, and bask in the joy of the people around me. My hair poofs back up, and I feel much better. It's always hard to be away from this place.
Contrary to what a lot of people and ponies might think, I didn't get my cutie mark from the joy of seeing a rainbow for the first time. Sure, it was pretty, but I'd seen rainbows before. What made this different is what that rainbow carried. That was the first time Dashie ever did the Sonic Rainboom, and you can imagine the kind of joy that she felt. Everyone thought it was a myth, and she proved them all wrong, and proved that she was one of the best flyers in all of Equestria. Plus, she got her cutie mark. Well, I don't have to imagine. The joy I felt at seeing the rainbow? That was her joy. And Twilight's, Applejack's, Fluttershy's, and Rarity's. Each of them discovered their cutie marks from that event, and I felt the joy they felt from it. I think it might partly be due to our connection through the Elements of Harmony - maybe we were connected to them even back then.
But I do know that that's part of my talent. I was being literal when I was singing about how other pony's (and people's) joy brings me joy. I'm somewhat empathic, I guess you could call it. There's a connection between the ponies around me and I. It's strongest here.
That's why when Twilight cast that spell that messed up our cutie marks, everyone went crazy and started getting mean and sad. It's the same reason why the farm went barren when I was tending to it. Applejack has a connection to the farm, and I have a connection to the ponies in the town. With Applejack not in her role, the connection was broken, and the plants all withered. With me not in my role, the connection was broken, and the ponies lost their joy. That's why it didn't seem like I did anything to get my cutie mark back - all it took to recover was being back in town and feeling everyone else around me again.
Before I head off to bed, I peek in on the babies. They're sleeping soundly. I just want to reach in and scoop them up, they're so cute, but they're sleeping and I don't want to wake them. Mr and Mrs Cake are sleeping as well, and I'm tired, so I head off to bed.
Welcome back. So you're probably wondering why you're following me around. Watching me walking through the snow and going to sleep isn't that exciting.
"You're telling me."
"Eeek!" I shriek and jump out of bed, looking around for whoever it was that just spoke.
"Morning sunshine. Did I startle you?"
There he is, sitting in the corner of the room. "Discord? What do you want? Why are you in my house?"
"What? I can't just drop in for a friendly little visit?"
"The last time you 'dropped in for a visit' you tried to ruin Twilight and Cadence's special day."
"Yes, well, this is nothing like that. Actually, I'm here because I need your help."
"Why come to me?"
"Because we have so much in common! And I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to get to know one another better."
"I throw parties to make people happy. You try and take over the world. How are we alike?"
"Used to try. That's water under the dam, over the bridge. I'm reformed now." The room fills with light and a bright gold ring appears above his head. "As for how we're alike, I would have thought it would be obvious. It is to them." He gestures at.... Wait, does he mean... "your little entourage? Of course. You're not the only one with gifts." He says that last line in a weird accent, then starts chuckling. I'm pretty sure he's lost his mind. "Don't worry, someone out there will get it. Anyway, you and I are two of a kind. We're both just out to bring a little laughter to the world. Chaos, randomness, call it what you will, we're more alike than not." He holds out his claw, and a glass appears, a tiny white rain cloud appearing above it, which starts raining chocolate milk. The glass finishes filling, and the cloud, actually a pile of whipped cream, plops down on top. He holds it out, and I take it, swallowing the whole thing, cup and all, in one gulp. "Sugar glass. See, you do understand me." He pulls me into a big bear hug. Literally. He turns into a bear.
"Ok, ok, let me go. What do you want?"
"Actually, it's not for me. It's for a mutual friend." The only friends we have in common are the rest of the group, and the only one he'd go out on a limb for is....
"Fluttershy? What's wrong, is she ok?" I ask, worried now.
"Oh yes, she's fine. It's just, well, it's come to my attention that she has a little problem. I don't know if you've noticed this about her or not, and I don't want to embarrass her, so what I'm about to tell you should stay just between us." He looks around to see if anyone might be listening, then leans in closer, gesturing for me to do the same. I'm really curious, and a little nervous about what he might know that we don't. I lean in to hear, and he whispers quietly, "Well, it's just, she's really shy."
"Wait, you came here to tell me that? I know she's shy. I've known her longer than you have. It's part of her name for Celestia's sake. What's really going on. If this is some kind of game...." I'm starting to get a little upset.
He backs off a bit and has the decency to look a bit chagrined. "No game, I assure you. You see, I stopped by to visit her not too long ago, and caught her singing to her animal friends. She was really enjoying herself, more than I've ever seen. And her voice was amazing. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite so lovely, and I've been around a long time. I was going to say something, but I got the feeling that I probably shouldn't, so I stayed quiet until she was done, and then pretended like I had just arrived. She seemed relieved that I hadn't heard her, but also a bit disappointed, like a part of her wished I had heard. Well, naturally as her friend, I want to help her, so I thought of who might be able to help me help her, and poof, here I am."
"I don't know. How do I know this isn't just some trick to humiliate her?"
He looks actually hurt, and I immediately regret asking. "I know you have every reason not to trust me. But Fluttershy is my friend. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her." He pulls out a cupcake from thin air and mashes it into his eye. "Promise."
"Ok, I believe you. So, what do you think we should do?"
"Well..." he looks trails off, looking back at nothing, towards where you all are watching from. "Before I tell you, this should probably be a surprise for them, so..." he snaps his fingers and....
Welcome back. A whole day has passed since I last saw you guys. I'm on my way to meet the gang to go visit Fluttershy so we can help her set up for her event tomorrow. She isn't expecting us until later, but I went around yesterday to the others to convince them that it would be nice if we showed up a little early to help her out. Discord has been watching her every morning since he first saw her singing and says she sticks to the same routine, so if we show up early enough, we'll probably catch her.
And he's right. We arrive as she's out back tending to her animals, and we can hear her from the front. It's just like he described. I've heard her sing before, but never like this. What I've heard is more like hearing someone sing Happy Birthday. This was like hearing a virtuoso. That voice... heavenly doesn't even begin to do it justice. Angels weep with envy at hearing that voice. Music was invented just for her voice, and everyone else is just a pale imitation. If one could capture all of the beauty of the universe in a single sound, it would be this voice.
Sorry, got a little carried away there. Happens sometimes. Wait, why are you all laughing?
"Nothing to concern yourself with my dear, just a bit of meta humor." Discord whispers in my ear. I look over to see him, a small fly buzzing around my head.
I shrug. I don't always understand it, but if it makes others happy, I don't need to. Anyway, she's through singing, and Rarity just suggested that she should join the Pony Tones for the benefit tomorrow night. What a great idea! I can just picture it, she'd be up on stage, and everyone would get to hear her beautiful voice. They'd all be so amazed, maybe even a bit jealous. My heart starts beating wildly as I picture them out there, watching me, judging me, waiting for me to fail. Which I will, there's no way I can get up in front of a crowd like that. I'll choke for sure, and then everyone will laugh and I'll be humiliated. I'll never be able to show my face in Ponyville again!
"Pinkie Pie, don't be ridiculous!" Rarity snaps, batting at me with the rolled up poster.
"Aww, but I'm so good at it!" I protest, still trying to get my bearings. What was that? I've never been so terrified before in my life? Wait, is that what Fluttershy feels? I must have tapped in to her feelings as I was describing her performing, and her fear just took over. If that's what it felt like for me, I can't imagine what it must be like for her.
"Now you see the problem?" Discord whispers. I nod. This is bad. I felt her terror, but he was right, I also felt a longing. I think deep down, she really would like to be out there performing. We're at the location where the benefit will take place, and the Pony Tones are rehearsing. I'm watching Fluttershy though, and she's quietly singing along with them, unless she thinks someone is watching. That settles it, we have to do something.
"Any ideas on how to get her to perform? Obviously simply asking her is out of the question." Discord asks. We're back in my room, having lunch.
"Well, she's fine singing as long as no one knows she's doing it."
"Maybe we could convince her to sing off stage, behind the curtain or something."
"No, no good. It's still her voice, and too many people might recognize her. Even if they didn't, the thought that they might would be enough to make her freeze. No, if she's going to sing, she can't sound like herself." Something about that sounded familiar. Her singing, but not sounding like herself.... "I got it! Poison Joke! It's perfect. She can sing, and no one will even know it's her."
"I'll take your word for it. So, now we got the how, what we need is the why."
"Leave that to me." I grin.
"My my, that little smirk looks positively diabolical." He winks. Ok, I'll give him that one. This plan is pretty clever.
"I must admit, I am impressed." It's the next morning, and Discord is buzzing around my head again as we head to the spot where the benefit will take place tonight.
I nod, pulling out a notebook, and making a check next to one of the items in my "Random Talents to Find a Use For" list. Turkey Calling - check. Right between Tuba Playing (which is already checked off thanks to the parasprite incident), and Tusk Polishing. "My Granny Pie always said 'You never know when you'll need to be able to sound like a turkey.'"
"Wise mare that granny of yours."
"Eeyup. So, are you ready?" This next part of the plan is crucial. Once they're at Zecora's, everything should fall into place. We already talked to her this morning to explain the plan and make sure she would help. Fortunately, she was all for it.
"Miss Fluttershy is in such a plight,
afraid to participate in her delight.
To help remove this fear from her
I will sabotage this vocal cure."
"I'm ready. I just hope it works. Subtlety isn't my strong suit you know." He appears in a suit of armor, which falls apart around him, making way too much noise. Several ponies look over to see what the ruckus was.
I quickly knock over a cup off the nearby table. "Heh heh, oops. Clumsy me." They turn away, and I turn back to glare at Discord, who is back to his fly form. "Just stick to the plan. All you have to do is plant the idea of a remedy, and hopefully they'll take it from there." He nods and climbs on my mane as I bounce past the gazebo where Big Mac just finished explaining how he lost his voice. He flies off towards Rarity as I demonstrate my superior turkey calling prowess. I feel a little bad for him, but it's for a good cause. Anyway, apparently Discord was successful, and I see Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Mac run off.
"She's backstage now. It really is quite hilarious hearing that deep powerful voice coming from such a timid filly." Discord is sitting next to me, disguised as a turkey, as we wait for the performance. Twilight asks where Fluttershy is, and I can't keep the 'I've got a secret' grin off my face. Fortunately she's busy with Applejack and doesn't notice. As the moment approaches I'm so nervecited that I barely take notice as Gummy starts gumming Discord-turkey. My attention is fixated on the stage, waiting for Fluttershy's debut performance.
I'm really impressed. Even knowing what I know, and how everyone must be feeling, there's just the slightest hint of nerves on Big Mac's face. But as 'he' starts singing, there's not even a hint of nerves in 'his' voice. Way to go Fluttershy. I glance over at Discord, and he looks equally pleased. At least, I think so. Kind of hard to tell how a turkey is feeling just by looking.
The song ends, and it's a hit. I see a flash of pink peeking from behind the curtain, and I can tell how happy she is. I haven't felt this much joy since Rainbow's first Sonic Rainboom. This was definitely the right thing. Which means, on to phase two.
"Hey Zipporwhill, are you excited for your party tomorrow? I've got a lot planned for it." I stroll over to the excited little filly. She's buzzing around her dad like a little hummingbird. This was his Cuteceanera present to her, the concert and a new pet. And then tomorrow is the party I'm putting together for her.
"Hi Pinkie I'm so excited, I can't wait! Wasn't that amazing I love the Pony Tones I wish they could sing at my Cuteceanera tomorrow." With as much energy and excitement as she has, I wonder if she might not have a little bit of the "party pony" in her too. In any case, she's already on the same wavelength, so I don't even have to suggest it.
"So why don't you ask them? There's no harm in asking."
"Can we papa? Please please please?" she asks excitedly buzzing around him like a little bee.
"I suppose we can ask, but don't be too disappointed if they say no."
Actually pops, I kinda need her to be disappointed. Nothing can lay on the guilt trip faster than a disappointed filly. "Oh, I'm sure they'll say yes. Rarity is the most generous pony I know."
"Mayor, thanks again for letting us use the Town Hall for the party." I haven't had a chance to ask him how he did it yet, but Discord was able to create a good excuse for why we couldn't have it at Sugar Cube Corner, and I got everything moved over here and set up with time to spare.
"It's my pleasure Pinkie Pie. And thank you for agreeing to set up my ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow. I'm sure the grand opening of the new..." she trails off and glances over at her assistant, who quickly flips through a few pages, then shrugs sheepishly. Not missing a beat, the mayor continues "facility will be so much better thanks to your expertise."
"It's my pleasure, Mayor."
Almost from out of nowhere, a brown-coated colt speaks up. "You know Mayor, you should see if you can get the Pony Tones to come to your ceremony tomorrow. That would make it even better!"
"Why that's an excellent idea young man. I'm sorry, I don't think I recognize you. What's your name? I like to know all my citizens on a first name basis."
"Oh, um, I'm, um, Clinker."
"A pleasure to meet you Clinker. If you'll excuse me, I believe I'm going to take your suggestion and see if they'll sing at my ceremony tomorrow. Hope to see you there."
After she's gone, I head over to the new pony, and whisper "Clinker?"
"It means a wrong note."
"Gotcha. So, I have to ask, how did you get the Cakes to close the store?" I ask a little nervously. That was the one part of the plan that I couldn't figure out, so when he suggested to leave it to him, I reluctantly agreed.
"It was simple. I just asked the twins to throw an extra large fit."
"You 'asked'?"
"I speak foal. By the way, if Pumpkin decides to change her name to Stormageddon one day, don't be surprised."
"Riiiiight."
Things were coming together. The next three performances fell into place. With the exposure that the Pony Tones were getting, and how much they were taking on, it seemed like everyone suddenly wanted them at their events, and even their non-events. The spa ponies took very little convincing, and Cheerilee took even less. I'm not one to pry, but I'm pretty sure she still has a bit of a crush on Big Mac, so it didn't take much convincing to have her invite him... I mean them (wink wink) to perform for her class.
And with each performance, Fluttershy has gained a lot of confidence, and has been having so much fun. I'm not looking forward to tonight, but it has to be done. She has to face her fear if she's ever going to get past it.
"Everything's ready. We almost ran into a problem though." Discord was giving me a status update. His job would be to make sure the curtain fell at the right time so everyone could see Fluttershy singing.
"What happened?"
"The Whopper got his voice back. Fortunately Fluttershy did her pouty face and they're giving her one last performance."
"This might be even better. If this is her last performance, she might be even more motivated to hold on. Ok, get up there and make sure the curtain falls when the time is right."
"Yes Ma'am!" He gives a little solute and flies off.
Turns out, we didn't need to do anything. A little loosening of a screw or two is all it took. Fluttershy was so into her performance that she was all over the place backstage, and ended up bumping the curtain rod, knocking it down on the singers. There was that terror again. If I needed any more convincing that this was the right thing, that was it. She shouldn't have to feel that way about something that she so obviously loves. I just hope this works.
She runs off, and after a quick recap of events for those who weren't in the know, we all run after her. And now I'm up. She's calmed down now. Which just won't do. Unfortunately we need her scared for this to work. So it's time to turn it up to 11 again.
Yeah, I know, I made her cry. You don't think I feel bad about it? She's my friend. But sometimes, you have to use a little tough love. We could have had a nice calm chat after her nice relaxing bath and maybe convinced her that it wasn't so bad, and maybe convinced her that she should try it again. But that wouldn't do anything to help her face her fears. This way, she's just as scared now as she was then, only this time, she's safe with us, and we can talk her down. So that the next time she faces the same fear, she'll have the associated memory of how it felt to release that fear, and it will be easier to do the same thing again.
"Well, it looks like the plan worked. I saw her performance for you ponies. Very impressive. Though it is disappointing that she isn't ready to perform in public yet. Still, I suppose one doesn't change who they are overnight." Discord was back in my room, and we were sharing a celebratory glass of chocolate rain. If he keeps this up, I might just get used to having him around.
Still, I can't resist giving him a good ribbing. "You ought to know." Yep, he left himself wide open for that one. Though, I suspect he did it on purpose.
"Yep. Touche." He chuckles and I'm not sure if he's agreeing with what I said, or confirming that it was on purpose. "You know, we make a good team. Like P and Q. Like a Captain and ten eels. Like the wind and a kite. You the bubbly lovable sidekick, me the wise experienced leader." Yeah right. Still, I have to give him credit, that was definitely a good thing he did for Fluttershy. I haven't seen her this happy in ages. She's still glowing from her performance for us the other day. So I'll let him have this one.
"I have to admit, we worked pretty well together. And it was pretty fun."
"Just imagine what we could do together if we set our sights... higher." I'm about to protest, but he just winks, and I giggle. "Well, I should get going. But don't be a stranger. If you ever need a partner for some prank, let me know. And do keep in touch."
"I will, promise." I pull a cupcake out of nowhere and mash it in my eye.
"Until next time then," and with that, he's gone.
I sit there for some time, sipping the rest of the chocolate milk, just thinking. You know, as much fun as it is to throw parties and make ponies - and people - laugh, there was something about this whole thing that really struck me. I did something, something real. Something that made somepony else's life better. Not just for an hour or a day, but hopefully something that will have a lasting impact. And it felt good. Maybe I could do more with my talents than just throw fun parties. Maybe instead of being like party balloons, I could be a hot air balloon, lifting ponies up, helping them find a lasting happiness.
Just then Pound comes flying in. He looks right at me, and in a familiar voice, says "Baby steps," then winks and vanishes.