I find my day isn't as cheery as usual. The nightmare is still fresh in my mind, and no matter how much I try to get it out of my head, it returns, and every time, there's more questions I do not have answers to.
I hope nopony notices my distress; then they'd probably ask what happened. I know I could just lie if I had to, but I was never a very good liar.
No, I think the only way to figure this mystery out is to ask the pony the nightmare was about.
After a mindless and dread filled day at work, I escape to my room. I lock the door securely behind me and begin to pace my bedroom. Gummy lies on my desk under a sun lamp. He needs to keep his body temperature up, being cold blooded and all.
"I know that your energy stuff might not be filled yet, and you can't. . . appear, or whatever it is that you called it, 'manifeasting'--something similar, anyways--but I really need you to come to me. I need to ask you some stuff," I say into thin air. This time, I actually feel weird talking to what seems like nothing, which usually never happens.
I'm not in shock when nothing occurs.
I lick my lips and look up, my eyes bleary with a few tears. I then quickly, and somewhat jerkily, reach up into my mane and take the black skull out. I thrust it into the air.
"I have the thing! I've probably poured so much love into it that it's overflowing, so come on out." I keep my hoof outstretched, looking around. I lower my arm.
A tear escapes my eye and drips into my hoof, which is down near my body, still upturned with the charm in it. The skull seems to glow slightly and before I know it, I feel like someone's watching me. My head lifts up.
"You called, madam?" Surprise quips as I turn around, and she takes a bow, one arm across her chest.
"Surprise!" I shout, relieved. "I'm so glad you're not a monster."
She looks shocked. "Monster? Pinkie Pie, what are you talking about?"
"See, that's the thing. . ." I explain my dream to her.
Surprise just stares at me, purple eyes wide. She then quirks an eyebrow.
"Oh, Pinkie, it was just a bad dream. You of all ponies should know that," she says, tilting her head.
I smile and feel the dread that had been weighing on me all day fade away. "I'm glad it was. For some reason, I thought it might have some ominous explanation behind it."
"Nah, just a harmless little nightmare." She hooks an arm around me. "We all have them from time to time."
"Even you?"
She tilts her head slightly to the side and gives me a small smile. "Yes, even me." She then perks up again. "So, what else is new? I see a cute little thing that wasn't here before," she giggles, changing the subject. I sigh in content, glad that she assured me it was just a dream. Seeing her flitter away, I look over and follow to where she's playing with Gummy. He looks. . . scared, somehow, his eyes wider. He opens his mouth and snaps it shut several times.
"How cute! What's his name?" Surprise asks me, grinning.
"Gummy. I found him in the pond," I answer, scratching at the base of his neck. He doesn't respond, which is odd, as he loves being scratched there, and instead just stares at my angel. "Hmm, he's acting rather odd. Maybe he's tired. We did just wake him up from his nap." I glance at the sun lamp. Its shine seems duller than a few minutes ago.
"Dang, must be nearly out of batteries," I mutter, banging on the head of the lamp with a hoof. It brightens slightly before flickering.
"So," Surprise starts, rubbing her white hoof down the scales on Gummy's back, the alligator all the while snapping at her arm, "Is the nightmare the only reason you called?"
I recoil. "What?"
Surprise looks startled for a moment, her wings splaying out behind her. Once she regains her composure a second later, she frowns at me, giving me this deadpan stare. "I don't mean like that."
"Oh. Good. . ." I scuff my hoof along the wooden floor. "Because I don't want you to leave yet."
She smiles, then, without warning, pulls me into a hug. "I don't want to leave either." We stay in our embrace for a while longer before she lets go. "So, who's your best friend here so far?"
"Well, I'm really good friends with Rarity! She makes tons of cool dresses and stuff, and she's really pretty! I think you'd like her if you could ever meet her."
Surprise gives me a sad smile and flicks her tail, which looks rather awkward as it's as fluffy as mine. A look of thought then comes over her features. She crouches, her wings spread out. The pegasus starts slowly approaching me.
"Oh, Surprise, we haven't wrestled since we were eight," I chide, following her every move. I see her smirk and before I can even think about getting out of the way, she tackles me to the floor. I yelp in shock as I'm forced into the ground. She puts her hooves on my shoulders, pinning me to the floor. I wriggle around and one of her hooves slips, allowing me to force her off with my back legs in a soft yet sturdy buck. She gives a small flap of her wings, doing a backflip to the other side of the room.
"You've gotten better, Pinks," Surprise comments, a smirk still on her lips. I make a silly face at her, sticking my tongue out and licking my eye. She quirks an eyebrow at me, and when she's distracted, I pounce, leaping through the air. I land right in front of her and grab her ears, then tug downward. She yelps and goes tumbling under my hooves. I release her head and fall.
"Do you surrender?" I ask the pegasus that is currently trapped under me. My fluffy pink tail is hanging over her face. Surprise snorts and lifts it out of her muzzle, wriggling her nose as the hairs tickle her snout.
"Fine. But I'll win next time," she growls playfully. "I usually won when we were little anyhow."
"You did not! You were tiny then and you're still tiny now!" I scoff at her obvious lie. We share a quick laugh.
"So, uh, care to get off me now?"
I feign pain and groan loudly, over exaggerating. "Oooh, I feel our little tussle has broken my bones. I don't think I can move." I throw a hoof over my forehead. I learned this bit from Rarity.
Surprise rolls her eyes, "Come on, you lazy bum." She rocks underneath me.
I roll off of her with a thump as I hit the wooden floor. She clambers back to her hooves, shaking her fur. She scrunches her nose, attempting to stifle a sneeze but failing. I put a hoof over my mouth, trying to stop myself from giggling.
The creamy white pegasus tilts her head. "What?"
"You sneeze like a kitten!" I gasp, falling over and kicking my legs. She frowns and rolls her violet eyes. A small smile graces her lips after a moment.
"I believe you've told me that before."
"B-but it's true!" I gasp some more, my light blue eyes watering as I hold my stomach.
"I don't see it."
"You can't see a sneeze, silly!"
"Oh, Pinkie."
I stand up, wiping the tears out of my eyes. Surprise watches me, a soft smile still on her face.
I close my eyes, sighing. "Surprise, I-" I blink them open once again. My ears fall flat. I should've expected it.
"Heyah Cherilee!" I call as I trot through Ponyville. The rosy colored earth pony waves back at me.
It's been a year. I'm about fully grown now, a bit taller than I was. I'm doing my regular skip through town, greeting ponies on all sides of me. You see, it's nearly time for the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. This year, it's in Ponyville, which is such an honor. I can't wait to see the beautiful princess!
Everywhere around me, pegasi are flitting through the air, some holding banners and others just simply enjoying the day, eagerly awaiting the sun that was to come up tomorrow. I wave at some of them as I pass. They return the gesture.
Suddenly, I look up and see a purple colored unicorn standing in the street. I approach, studying her. She looks nervous, but the baby dragon-- IS THAT A BABY DRAGON?!-- standing beside her has his claws out towards me. I'm smiling at the mare, trying to figure out her name. WAIT, IS SHE NEW HERE?!
"Um. . . hello?" the unicorn asks.
SHE IS NEW HERE!!!!
I leap in the air, my mouth opening at the realization. A huge gasp leaves my mouth and I speed off in midair, breaking the laws of 'physics', whatever those are.
The unicorn looks puzzled, but I know she'll be so surprised later!
Wow, I'm the Element of Laughter! Holy smokies! I never thought that I'd be special enough for that! I just saved the world! You see, this Queen Meanie was terrorizing us, and Twilight-- that's the unicorn's name-- she knew who she was when the other ponies didn't! So, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and I followed her! Did I mention Rainbow Dash had to force Fluttershy along? Yeah, turns out they were friends before Ponyville! Like, BFFs! Dashie is so protective!
Anyways, we met up with Twilight-- she needs to learn how to use a library!-- and we headed after Queen Meanie into the Everfree Forest. Mmm, candy apples. . .
Oh, yeah, we beat the Meanie! But it turns out, Queen Meanie was actually Princess Celestia's long lost sister, Princess Luna! It was so sad! And sweet! Mmm, candy apples. . .
And we got necklaces! Mine is just like my cutie mark! Well, they're all like our cutie marks! Twilight's is super cool! And did I mention that I giggled at the ghosties? And candy apples!
Mmm. . . candy apples. . .