//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Rocks and Other Breakable Things 
// by KiroTalon 
//------------------------------//

"Hey, Pinkie, what's up?"  Twilight Sparkle didn't have much cause to visit Sugar Cube Corner most days.  It wasn't that she didn't like sweets, necessarily--Spike in particular was extremely fond of the little bakery's various offerings.  She just tried to avoid eating too many of them at a time, which meant she only had to purchase half a dozen or so a week, and even then sometimes she skipped a week or so.  Today was cupcake day, though, so here she was.  For once, the little shop was empty of other patrons, which gave Twilight the opportunity to chat with her friend.

"Oh, hi Twilight," the pink pony responded, her voice uncharacteristically calm and evenly pitched.  

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her.  "You okay, Pinkie?"  Twilight didn't get to speak with her ebullient earth pony friend as often as she would have liked, but she could typically count on the vivacious pink mare to provide a breath of enthusiasm and a touch of chaotic conversation.  Clearly this was not the case today.

"Yeah, I guess so," Pinkie said, her face troubled.

Twilight smiled slightly.  "Missing Maud?"  Pinkie's older sister had left Ponyville a few days ago, and considering how much Pinkie adored her sibling--and her tendency to exhibit the most extreme emotion applicable to any situation--Twilight knew this was as likely to be the source of Pinkie's depression as anything else.

"A little, I guess."  Pinkie said, absently wiping the counter with a damp rag.  Twilight waited for her to explain further, but was surprised when Pinkie simply fell silent again, staring at the glass display case beneath her hooves.

Twilight's concern deepened.  Even when Pinkie was unhappy--an extreme rarity in its own right--she was always supremely talkative, often to the point of frustration.  It was usually pretty easy to figure out what was upsetting her because of this, since she would typically talk in circles until she managed to unintentionally talk her way into an explanation.  This new laconic Pinkie scared her a bit.  "You guess?"

Pinkie nodded.  "I guess.  Really, she just reminded me of some sad stuff, that's all, and I've been thinking about it since she left."

Twilight frowned.  "Why?  What are you thinking about?"

Pinkie glanced at her momentarily, her eyes strangely hollow.  "Sad stuff.  Stuff I hadn't really thought about in a while."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her.  "Like what?"

The other pony shook her head.  "I can't tell you, Twilight, I don't want you to be sad, too."

"I see," Twilight said.  "Well, is there anything I can do to make you...not sad?"

"I don't think so.  Thanks, though."

Twilight stood silently for a moment, watching Pinkie absently ponder the increasingly polished glass counter top.  "You know," she said, "sometimes when I'm sad, I like to write about what's making me sad, like in a journal, or poetry.  It sometimes helps to put your thoughts and feelings on paper, so you can see them written out.  Sometimes it makes everything seem less scary when it's all organized and small like that."

Pinkie looked up at her, eyes searching the unicorn's face.  "Really?"

Twilight nodded, smiling.  "Sure.  Writing is very therapeutic."

Pinkie thought for a moment.  "Maybe I'll try that," she said, her face brightening slightly.  Her mane, somewhat flat and lacking its characteristic pouf, seemed to bounce a little, the curls a touch tighter, the hair a bit more lustrous.

"You should," Twilight said, relaxing a little as Pinkie seemed to regain some of her normal enthusiasm.

"Will you read it when I'm done?"

Twilight blinked, confused.  "I...suppose.  Why would you want me to?"

"'Cuz you're my friend," Pinkie said, smiling very slightly, "and if you read about what makes me sad, maybe you can help."

Twilight frowned.  "I guess so...alright, sure," she said.  "I'll read it."

"Great!" Pinkie perked up a bit, the smile on her muzzle wider now.  "I'll let you know when I'm done."

"You do that," Twilight smiled.  "Now--"

"Half a dozen buttercream strawberry cupcakes, right?" Pinkie asked, some of her usual pep creeping into her voice again.

Twilight grinned.  "You got it."

"Coming right up!"


~~~


Twilight yawned and glanced out the window of her library at the horizon.  Even though the sun was just now slipping below the edge of the Earth, she was exhausted.  Today had been reshelving day, and while that would have been tiring enough on its own, the Princess had sent her an urgent request for a report on various Griffon technologies and their history.  Why it had been urgent, Twilight wasn't sure, but she had dutifully researched, written, and sent the report as quickly as she could.  It had taken most of the rest of the day to complete, and now she was dismayed to find herself entirely too tired to finish making her checklist of tasks to complete tomorrow. She'd have to wake up early to finish it, which of course meant shaving several minutes off her sleep schedule, which would mean she would have to find time tomorrow to take a nap, which meant she would have to postpone her lunch with Rarity until--

A loud rapping at the library door startled her out of her frenzied rescheduling stupor.  Puzzled, she walked to the entrance and said, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Pinkie!"

Twilight momentarily considered being angry at the other mare for calling so late in the day, but hearing her friend's voice had completely regained its typical cheerful air brought a smile of relief to her face.  She pulled the door open. "Pinkie, isn't it a little late to be visiting the library?"

The bubbly pink pony was bouncing lightly on her hooves, her cotton candy mane following her movements with a slight delay. "I know, but I was just so excited to show you what I wrote that I couldn't wait until tomorrow!"

"What you...wrote?" Twilight said, puzzled. Pinkie nodded as she bounced past the perplexed alicorn into the library.

"Uh-huh! Remember how you told me to write something if I was sad?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight said. "How did that go? Looks like it worked, huh?"

Pinkie nodded excitedly. "Like a charm! I feel sooooooo much better!"

Twilight smiled. "I'm glad. An unhappy Pinkie is the saddest thing I can imagine."

Pinkie giggled and nosed into her saddlebag. "Here, you wanna read what I wrote?" She pulled out a sheaf of paper and offered it to Twilight.

Twilight stared at the page for a moment. "Are you sure? I mean, it's probably pretty private, isn't it?"

Pinkie shrugged. "I dunno. I just wrote a poem."

"A poem, huh?"

Pinkie nodded. "I haven't read it yet. I just sort of started writing, and when I was done, I felt all better!"

Twilight stared at her, puzzled. "You...haven't read it?" Pinkie shook her head. "So you don't even know what it says?" Another shake of the head. "And you want me to read it?"

"Uh-huh. Tell me if it's good!"

"Alright..." Twilight took the paper with some curiosity and a touch of trepidation. She found her way over to the carpet in the middle of the room and settled into the soft pile to read.