//------------------------------// // 1 - 02 // Story: Four Hooves // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// The morning sun pokes out of the horizon as I walk through the pasture, my eyes on a certain bright pink pony up ahead. I pass by grazing, chatting and resting ponies and horses as I think about where I am. The air here is cool, fresh and soothing, but unfortunately, it isn’t helping me with my thoughts. Okay so, that pink pony up ahead is definitely not Pinkie Pie. Yes, it’s not her. Why do I keep on hoping that it’s her? Why do I think that that pony isn’t her? Well, the evidence is practically everywhere. No houses and ponies just...sleep on the ground. Also, that horse back there mentioned ’the winged ones’ so I think those are pegasus ponies. So I guess it’s safe to assume that I’m in the early days of Eques— “Hello!” “Gah!” I jump back, my heart racing as I stare at the...party pony who just now gave me a mini-heart attack. It’s...Pinkie Pie... It’s Pinkie Pie! Oh my gosh! It’s really Pinkie Pie! Oh, and by the way, her mane and tail are flat and straight for some reason. “Pinkamena,” a mare behind Pinkie calls her before she turns her attention to me. “Do you know him?” The happy pink pony turns to her. “Well, duh!” she says, rolling her eyes. “Of course not!” She then turns to me, still holding that wide grin of hers. “So what’s your name?” Wow, she even sounds and speaks like Pinkie Pie. Wait... Name... Ah, shoot... I didn’t think of a good pony name. Well, I can always use my pony persona’s name, but eh... “Jay.” Yeah, that’s my real name. It sounds cliché for these types of scenarios, but hey, at least I’m not Anon! Pinkie is still grinning at me. The two other mares behind her are staring at me. I blink. They blink. I blink again. Finally, after a few more seconds of nothing, Pinkie’s wide grin turns into a confused frown. “So...just Jay?” Oh... They were probably waiting for me to add another word on my name. Like, Jay Pony or something. I try to smile, but I feel it’s an awkward one. “Er...y-yeah. Just Jay.” “Oh, okay!” Pinkie chirps. She blinks and then her smile grows wider. “So Jay! How are you today? My sisters and I are a-okay! And—” and she snorts and falls on the ground, laughing. I arch an eyebrow as her frien—er, sisters and I wait for her to finish her laughing fit. Eeyup, she’s definitely Pinkie Pie. Wait, she said that those two mares are her sisters? I look at them, but they’re still looking at their laughing-snorting sister. What are their names again? Inkie and Blinkie? Wait, no. Those are their fan-made names...I think. Gah... I only know Maud... Now that I think about it, where is Maud? “Phew, whoo! I’m okay now.” Pinkie stands back up and smiles at me. “So, Jay. Can I help you?” Oh? No parties or an invitation to a party? Then again, we’re not in Ponyville, so there’s no reason for her to throw me a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party or something. Also, yay! I’m not in the early days of Equestria! “Well, do you know where Twilight is?” “Twilight?” Pinkie repeats, arching an eyebrow. I smile. “Yeah. You know, that purple unic—mrrf?!” Pinkie all so suddenly puts a pink hoof on my mouth, and I am very thankful that she is not as strong as what the fics I’ve read has said, else I think she would have knocked me unconscious by now. “Shhhh!” she shh’es me, eyes narrowing. She whispers: “Don’t say that word.” “’Unic’ what?” one of her sisters ask me. “Pinkamena,” her other sister grabs her hoof and puts it back down on the ground. She gives her a scolding gaze for a few seconds before she turns to me with an apologizing smile. “I’m sorry about that. My sister could be very touchy sometimes. Could you finish what you were saying, um, Jay?” I open my mouth but I see Pinkie nervously looking at me. “Uh... Just asking your sister if her um...‘unique’ friend Twilight’s around.” “Unique?” she asks. “Unique how?” “I uh,” Pinkie says, earning her two sisters’ attention. She sighs as her ears droop. “I told you not to say that word.” She then turns to her sisters. I arch an eyebrow. I thought that the word she didn’t want me to say was ‘unicorn.’ Still though, I don’t get it. Then again, Twilight kinda is a weird pony for being inside her home and studying all the time. Until she became a princess of course. So I guess that’s what makes her unique? Is ‘unique’ a bad word to use here? I know Rarity uses that word to describe something that screams ‘I am a horrible product of fashion.’ “Hello?” I blink and see a pink hoof waving in front of me. “Oh! Uh... Sorry! I um...was thinking about...something.” “We’ll be leaving you two alone then,” one of her sisters says with a smile. She turns and leaves, the other mare following close behind. Pinkie watches her sisters leave for a few seconds before she turns to me with a...serious look on her face. “Just so you know,” she pauses as she looks around. Afterwards, she looks back at me. “I’m not friends with Twilight.” I blink. “...What?” I blink again. “Uh... We’re...talking about the same unico—” “Shhh!” I flinch. “W-what?” She shakes her head and then looks around for a few seconds before she turns to me. “Okay, I understand that you’re not from here, so I’m going to give you an advice; don’t say the unicorn word here.” She looks around again, as if making sure that no one has heard her say the ‘forbidden word of the pasture.’ After she is satisfied, she sits down like a dog and taps the green earth in front of her. I suppose it means that I should sit down as well, so I nod and sit down. “I thought the forbidden word was ‘unique?’” She blinks. “What? Ah, well, no.” “Oh.” I nod. “Okay, I guess. So uh... Twilight?” She shakes her head. “Sorry, but I don’t know anything about her.” I blink. I don’t get it. “But why? You two are friends...right?” She raises an eyebrow. “Since when?” I blink again. “...L-let’s go back a few steps, is that all right?” She shrugs. “Well, you’re Pinkie Pie, right?” “Yep. But ponies call me Pinkamena all the time.” “Oh, okay. So... Do you know who Twilight Sparkle is?” She shakes her head. “I don’t know her know her. I only heard about her from other ponies.” I blink again. I can’t help it... Things just aren’t making sense at the moment. “Okay, so... You don’t know her personally.” “Nope!” “Then do you know anypony who might know her? As in knows her knows her.” She taps her chin with a hoof as she thinks about it. She later shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’ve only heard about her from other ponies in other pastures. Sometimes from the winged ponies. Well, maybe the unicorns might now.” “Riiight. About that...” I look around and I see ponies aren’t paying us any attention. “Well, can you tell me why I’m not allowed to say the bleep word?” She arches an eyebrow. “Bleep word?” “You know,” I say as I circle a hoof in the air. You know, for emphasis. “The unibleep word.” She blinks. A few seconds later, her eyes slowly grows wide, realizing what I mean. “Oh! That word!” She giggles. “Well, it’s because the bleep ponies are super mean to us.” “Oh?” “And by mean, I mean super duper ‘throw rocks at us’ mean!” I blink. “Uh... You’re kidding, right?” “Nope!” She stands up, turns around and flicks her tail aside. As a gentleman (cough cough) I don’t stare at a woman’s...erm...‘gifts’ but thankfully, or unthankfully, a nasty scar on Pinkie’s thigh is preventing me from looking at her private parts. And it’s a nasty looking scar that made me involuntarily flinch. “Yep. That bad.” “Ouchness, Pinkie,” I say as she turns around and sits in front of me again. “I can’t imagine how...painful that is...” “Yup!” she smiles. “Happened a few moons ago.” Moons? “We never went back there ever again. I mean, we offer them our harvests in exchange for a few magic gems, but noooooo, they have to throw rocks at us as we leave!” She angrily tosses her head to the side and spits on the ground. She glares at her own spit. “Well, too bad for you bleeping bleepers! You aren’t getting any of our harvests in like, forever!” “Okay, okay! Calm down, Pinkie,” I say, reaching out and tapping her shoulder. She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths to calm herself. “I’m...sorry to make you remember an unpleasant memory.” “Nah,” she says, smiling at me as I pull my hoof back. “It wasn’t unpleasant. It was usually fun to run away from their rock storm. Well, it was fun until I got hit.” She shrugs. And from the looks of her scar, I don’t think the unicorns were just throwing those rocks with their hooves. Nope. It looked like they were using their magic as cannons and the rocks as cannonballs. “So we ponies here never mention the bleeps because it ruins everypony’s moods, you know?” I nod my head lamely. “I see. Well, I’ll try my best not to mention the bleep.” She smiles and nods. “So...can I ask another question.” “Sure! Why not?” “Well...” If she doesn’t know who Twilight is, then maybe... “Do you know where Celestia is? Or Luna?” She blinks. “What’s that?” “Never mind.” I sigh... What kind of Equestria am I in, anyway? “By the way, Pinkie.” “Hm?” “You live in Ponyville, right?” She arches an eyebrow. “Uh, no. I live here.” ...Well, fudge. “And you’re sitting on the spot where my mom foaled me.” I arch an eyebrow. “Well, you told me to sit on this spot.” She pouts. “Aw... Stallions usually jump and apologize if I mention that.” Well, too bad. I stick my tongue out at her and she pouts some more.