Pinkie woke up with the absolute certainty that there was going to be a special letter just for her today! She nodded to Gummy as she sat on the bed, combing her mane out and getting ready for the day.
“I’m telling you Gummy, I got the twitch! An extra special letter, something really important!”
The little alligator blinked once, then again, stoic and silent.
“Yeah I know, it’s never good to get excited about the mail, but I’m telling you Gummy, it’s gonna be important! I just know it!” She hopped off the bed, her tail wobbling along it’s length, “See? The ‘Important Mail’ twitch! Something’s coming in the mail and I’m gonna be setting right there when it does!”
She had taken the day off from the bakery, staring out at the mailbox as she tried to keep her excitement in check. Maybe a letter from Mom and Dad or even Maud! Wouldn’t that be great! She tapped a hoof on her chin, think thinking really hard, maybe it’s form Canterlot! Somepony important wanting her to throw a party for them!
Oh now that would be super cool!
She stared out the window at the cool autumn day, clouds being brought in to slowly chill the land down for the winter to come blocking the sun ever so gently.
“I dunno Gummy, the twitch is still there, think maybe it’s wrong?”
Gummy in his usual way, blinked.
“Yeah I know, just give it time, that’s what you always say.” She peered glumly out the window, waiting for the mail delivery mare.
She tried to think of anything that could possibly relate to a special letter for her. The wedding recently, nooo... Birthday parties.. no there were tons of those the last few weeks. Pinkie riffled through the memories of the recent past, nope...nope and nope! Just her usual self, though she might have put too much sugar in the cupcakes yesterday.
But that’s like, normal everyday things! What could this feeling be telling me darnit! I know this is the special letter twitch and it’s getting worse!
She could see her tail wobbling back and forth, her backside almost following it in its journey. It didn’t annoy her so much as she had to wait on the mail delivery to come around, she hating waiting, always the impulse for the now it was the time between ticks of the clock that drove her up a wall.
“AUGH! Gummy if I don’t get the mail I’m gonna..I’m gonna.. Oh heck I don’t know, sit here and wait for the mail I suppose.” She put a hoof to her cheek and stared out the window, seeing a little gray form in the distance coming closer.
“There she is!” Pinkie bounced off the bed, leaving Gummy in a tangle of sheets as she tore through the bakery, skidding to a stop near the mailbox and bouncing impatiently in place.
“Come on, come on come on!” She watched with bright eyes as Derpy delivered the boxes nearest the bakery first, she was always kind and conscientious in her duties, making sure each letter was delivered to the right place.
Pinkie was about to explode with impatience, her bouncing getting more furious as she stood there waiting for the mail mare. A thought hit her for a second, freezing her in place, “Ohmygosh I forgot her muffins!” Pinkie always made sure she had something special for the mail mare who was a sweetheart in every way. Tearing up grass as she headed into the bakery, grabbing a selection of fresh made goods off the shelf and stuffing them into a box carefully. Tying a ribbon on it, she whipped through the open door to set beside the mailbox once more, seeing Derpy closing in with a wave.
“Hiya Pinkie!” The gray Pegasus set down with an “Ooomph!”, almost tipping from the heavy bags she carried.
“Hey Derpy! Do you have any mail for me today? My tail's twitching something fierce so I know there's a letter for me!" Pinkie was grinning manically at the confused Pegasus.
“I uhm.." Derpy dug through her bags, retrieving a few letters, “Uhm.. bills for Mr. and Mrs. Cake, an invitation to a wedding for them.." She ruffled through the bags once more, giving Pinkie a shy look, “I'm sorry Pinkie, I don't have anything."
The Earth pony was not to be deterred, sticking her head in each bag she took a quick look through everything while the befuddled Pegasus watched her friend, “Are you sure? Cause my Pinkie Sense is never wrong! No mail? Nothing?"
The mail mare nodded, never wanting to disappoint anypony she looked once more, then sat tapping her hooves together as she gave a final pronouncement, “I..I'm sorry Pinkie, I don't."
Pinkie stopped her musing, seeing her friend being embarassed and obviously thinking she'd done something wrong as she watched Pinkie looking through the mail bag once more. “I'm so so sorry Derpy! I didn't mean to make you think you'd done anything wrong! It’s just, well... I got a twitch that's telling me a special letter was coming and I got excited about it."
She grinned at the little gray Pegasus, whipping the brightly wrapped box of muffins out from behind her back, “Chocolate chip and Blueberries fresh from the blueberry trees!"
Derpy got a puzzled look, “Aren't blueberries from.."
“Bushes yeah I know, but Blueberry Trees sound much more cool don't they?" She winked at the pegasus, getting a giggle in return, all was well.
“I guess so," The little mail mare was holding the box tightly while she hugged her friend, “Thank you!"
“You are always welcome!" She grinned, taking the mail from her and watching as Derpy took off to the next mailbox down the lane.
She tapped a hoof on her chin as she wandered back into the bakery, her Pinkie Sense was never wrong, maybe it was just the wrong time?
It continued to puzzle her through the rest of the day, she went back to work until dusk that night with a cheery heart; but the thought lingered at the back of her mind as the twitch kept on at the back of her body, what kind of mail was coming and when?
-------------
Today was it, her tail was twitching in that special way so madly she couldn't stand it. It had to be today! Otherwise she was going to have to cut the wagging appendage off and deal with the consequences! She was staring out the front window of the shop, leaning on the counter as there were no customers for the moment.
Her tail though, was moving like it had a mind of it’s own and Pinkie thought once or twice...well more than that... of telling it to stop.
She sighed, picking at a bowl of Strawberry ice cream and wanting to yell at the clock to move faster, it was only a few minutes until Derpy came by but that was almost a lifetime!
Standing still to wait for something was hard enough, it had never been her way; but this, oh this was absolute torture. Her tail was sweeping the floor behind her in it’s graceful movements, it was very shiny where she’d been standing for the past hour waiting for the mail to arrive. Not a single speck of dust or dirt survived behind her because of her poofy tail cleaning the same spot over and over.
Not only do I have to wait, but getting that stuff out of my tail is going to be..what’s Rarity say? Simply murder darling. That’s it..yeah..I even got the accent right.
Raising one eyebrow she glanced up at the clock one more time, wondering if Twilight had a spell that could make the clock go faster and speed up the mail delivery. Wait..speeding the clock up wouldn’t help the mail come faster it would just speed the clock up and she’d still have to wait!
Darn you logical Pinkie, stop clouding the issue with facts! Argh!
I really have to stop talking to myself, the other me’s will get jealous or something.
Closing her eyes for a moment she sighed once more, tapping a bored hoof on the counter before she heard the flapping of wings. Zipping around the counter she peeked out the front door, seeing the mail mare heading her way. Leaping in place, she quickly turned and got a box of freshly baked muffins and tied them up, leaving everything else so she could sit by the mailbox, waving the the pretty mail mare as she flew in to a stop.
“Hiya Pinkie!” This time the bags didn’t look so full, leading Pinkie to despair maybe her letter wasn’t there.
“Hiya Derpy! Sooo...anything?” Her eyes were hopeful.
The little gray mare rummaged in the bags, coming out with a few letters, “Well, invitation to a party in..oh that’s from you to the Cakes.. Uhm.. A sale on patio furniture again, this time with less breaks!” She showed a flyer of used patio furniture to Pinkie, prompting a giggle from them both.
Derpy’s face looked crestfallen as she finished looking, “I’m sorry Pinkie, there’s nothing here for you.” She walked over to the mailbox and opened it, talking to the now defeated looking Earth pony.
Pinkie’s tail swished behind her, “Are you super duper absolutely sure?”
Derpy nodded, pausing for a moment as she looked into the mailbox. Holding the letters in one hoof, she withdrew an unmarked envelope out of the box, it was simple and plain with no postmark, on it was written one word, ‘Pinkie’.
“You have a letter already, it’s right here. Maybe we forgot to check the box yesterday?“ She proffered it in a hoof to Pinkie who about exploded with glee.
“I KNEW it, I knew I was getting a special letter!" She grabbed Derpy and hugged her until the little pegasus squeaked she had to breathe. Pinkie let her go, telling her to stay right where she was as she ran into the bakery, coming out with a tremendous box of confections and stuffing it into Derpy's hooves, “Thank you!"
She disappeared in a pink blur into the building, leaving a very happy Derpy staring at all the goodies she'd just been given, wondering if they’d all fit in her saddlebags.
----
Pinkie tore up the stairs and leaped on her bed holding the letter tightly, “I got it Gummy! So my Pinkie Sense wasn't off, we just didn't check! I got it right here!"
She showed the envelope to the silent reptile who just blinked quietly.
“I know you're excited too, but calm down and we'll take it slow, always good to enjoy things!"
She examined the envelope, it was made of parchment that appeared to have been folded into a neatly made holder for the letter inside. No tape or glue held it together, just the way it was shaped.
Pinkie was amazed, she carefully unwrapped it, meaning to save the envelope and reshape it once she pulled the letter out.
The letter itself was on a slick piece of parchment, something different from the normally slightly rough sheets for day to day work, like a different paper all together. She unfolded it and looked closely, the hoof writing was not familiar at all. The Equestrian it was written in had a few mistakes, but nothing too bad.
-------------
Pinkie,
It is a beautiful fall day, if I got the weather right. I don’t feel it though, the temperature, the changes in the moment, they’re all nothing but gradients in my mind. How far have we fallen, so very much lost when we think we gain everything.
I see you everyday when I am on watch. I can see the bright eyes, the smiles, and your absolute joy at being alive. I see you everyday and I wish I could join in or even say hello.
But no, that wouldn’t be allowed would it? It would displease our masters, we would be culled and sent to the farthest reaches where none could survive. Charm and happiness were not in the plan, the schedule.Lying here in the forest that covers me, I can hear your laughter, see the glee in your pretty face as you greet others or just say hello to them. Everything is in those words, a comfort in the simple things that we have never known. How much feeling can you convey in such easy things? So much more than I expected.
When you watch, you become a part of what you are observing. You can’t help it, it’s natural, something that is in all of us. Seeing the actions and results of things, marking it down and moving on into plans that further your aims. You cannot do anything but let things slip in, ease aside your own thoughts and turn you to new ones.
Oh how uncomplicated it is to let it happen.
How intently did I behold such things, letting them worm their way into my mind and take over what was already in there. To exhume and exile all those other things that would make me who I am, turning me to something else. The merest thought of such a thing was supposed to be repugnant, to be cast aside as frivolous and false.
Oh the smiles and laughter you gave each day, to cheer and lighten. Your friends who were the same, so different yet taking the time to show the love and care we could not understand and wanted to use.
How elegant such things are, the barest fraction of a moment in which to give something to another, showing that life can be wondrous and halcyon. Things which to you are every day can impact another so very much more, making a difference you couldn’t possibly understand. Yet, I do think you would comprehend, understand the choices you make that affect everything.
You accept so easily, so cheerfully, it is hard on the mind. It boggles that this is real, that it might just be a figment of an overworked brain, yet here it is.
A place in which laughter and love overcome all, that friendship is the highest thing one can attain, to give that which you receive to further that quest in finding a new person to call friend.
So I carefully watched every move, every grin, every bounce you made. Storing it away and pondering on those moments when it was not my turn to scrutinize you. Over and over in my mind, reflecting on the things I had seen and to what I was taught, it conflicted with what I thought I knew.
It was a war in my own mind that could have but one outcome and I am so very glad it did. Because I learned, each and every moment I was left to myself, I learned more and more. That there was something else, something different, something wonderful in this little place.
I even know your name Pinkie, hearing others call it over and again, it stuck with me and even made me smile when I could not be seen. You bubbled and effervesced with an uncanny ability, it just never seemed to stop, that’s what made the difference in all things.
Listening to your conversations, it was amazing how anything could be so interesting to you, taking the time to properly care for everything said by someone else.
But it was early on when one exchange rooted within me, it wedged deep into the dark places and refused to come out. Like a nail it was firmly entrenched in my conscious mind and nagged at me day after day.
It was easy to remedy the constant itching at the back of my brain.
It didn’t take long to make my mind up, it never does, being swift and sure I took the only action I was capable of. No sound, no light or measure of anything came forth that day, it was quiet and calm.
A blade finds weak points anywhere, it’s so simple and yet so direct.
With a few uncomplicated movements, it was all over and done within the space of heartbeats. Those who were with me are here no longer.
So very simple.
The conversation though, rang clearly still, undaunted it drove me and kept me focused on what I must do.
The sweet voice from your lavender friend, “Pinkie, smiles can’t do everything.”
“Uh huh!” You were bouncing in place, “They can do anything!”
Oh yes, they can do anything.
They can save you from those who would come with silver tongues and honeyed words. Promises made but never kept. Assurances that would roll off in myriad ways but saying nothing at all.
Salvaging you from a life of slavery and woe, to stop that which once in place would take this land and turn it into a desolation worth less than nothing.
Even your tears would be used.
But that is past now, the threat is gone and very soon I will be as well. A message sent that tells our masters nothing of worth is here, they do not care to look for us.
It is a pleasant leave-taking for me, seeing you surrounded by your friends, the grins and love shown so brightly in the midmorning sun.
This letter will show you the way to a cairn of rocks I’ve made sure can be seen for a good long while to let you know that I tell no falsehood.
Understand it, know it, realize maybe the bits of scrap nearby were once myself, who learned to care so very much because of you.
Smiles can save the world.
Your Friend,
Cpl. Chris Locke, Augment Scout
4th Terran Alternate Reality Assault Group
----------
Twilight spotted Pinkie the next morning, setting on a bench near Friendship Bridge, a large red balloon held by a string in her fetlock as she gazed over the river. The colors of the sky made the coming of the new Autumn day more glorious than ever.
“Pinkie! What are you doing up so early?” Twilight had never seen her friend up at the crack of dawn before.
The pretty face turned and smiled, “Just sitting here for a moment before I go to work.” Her other hoof was busy tying something at the end of the balloon's tether, a small envelope.
“If it’s not a bother, could I ask what you’re doing?” Twilight’s voice was now honestly curious.
Pinkie smiled, she’d tell Twilight everything later, for now this was hers alone.
Letting the balloon go, she watched with a slight glimmer in her blue eyes as it drifted off into the new sky, “Just sending a letter to a friend.”