//------------------------------// // A Friend in Deed // Story: Sugarcoat Interferes In Pony History // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// "I just can't believe it. Cranky said he would never forever be my friend. It was awful." Pinkie Pie looked absolutely defeated. She had never ever ever encountered somepony in Ponyville who had so decisively rejected her attempt to kindle a friendship. Well, except Gilda, but that was a special case. She was only there for a visit, while Cranky Doodle Donkey seemed to be here to stay. If he was staying in Ponyville, then she'd see him around a bunch, and if she saw him around a bunch then she wanted to be able to smile and greet him and maybe even hug him if the occasion called for it. None of that would be welcome if they weren't friends. Especially not the hugging part. That kind of thing could result in restraining orders, and those were Pinkie's least favorite kind of orders by a wide margin. "I know this is hard for you, Pinkie, seeing that you're friends with everypony," Twilight Sparkle said. "But you just have to accept that Cranky is gonna be an exception. He just... doesn't want to be bothered." Twilight looked with pity at the poor dejected pink pony. She remembered all too well how upset Pinkie had been when she thought her best friends didn't want to be her friends anymore. She could at least take some solace in the fact that she was taking this far better, but that didn't make her feel any less bad for her. "Yeah, he doesn't want to be bothered by your over-the-top super-hyper antics," Rainbow Dash said casually, barely even looking up from her Daring Do book. "Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed. "Oh come on, Twilight," Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. "You never ready like that when Sugarcoat says things like that! Why is that, exactly?" Twilight blushed profusely in response to the question. Thankfully, she found herself not having to respond. "No, no, it's okay, Twilight," Pinkie said softly. "I get what you're saying. What you're both saying. And I guess...I can leave Cranky alone." Twilight nodded with a proud smile on her face. Pinkie was a smart pony, but sometimes her unique perspective on life made it hard for her to learn from her mistakes and see the obvious solutions to her problems right in front of her face. Seeing her come to the correct conclusion filled Twilight's heart with joy. "...Right after he accepts my apology!" Pinkie said resolutely. Twilight's face fell into her open book. "Stop it." Pinkie raised a brow as she turned to watch Sugarcoat walk down the stairs. She had nearly forgotten that Sugarcoat was staying at the library for the time being. "Sugarcoat!" Pinkie said. "I'd nearly forgotten that you were staying at the library for the time being!" "Makes sense," Sugarcoat responded. "You're pretty scatterbrained." "My brain's too peppy to stay in one place!" Pinkie said with a smile. "Right..." Sugarcoat said, shaking her head. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. Stop it." "Stop what?" Pinkie asked. Her head tilted to one side as she tried to think of just what Sugarcoat might have been referring to. "Everything you're doing," Sugarcoat said plainly. Pinkie raised a brow, staring at Sugarcoat. Sugarcoat looked a bit confused at the intense stare Pinkie was giving her. It was unlike any look she'd ever gotten from Pinkie before. It was only when Pinkie began to turn red and her eyes began to water that she understood. "You can breathe and blink, Pinkie," Sugarcoat said with a groan. The relieved pink pony quickly squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Sugarcoat looked to Twilight, who gave her a sympathetic shrug. "Anyway..." Sugarcoat continued. "This guy clearly doesn't want to be your friend. So instead of bugging the hay out of him, you should back off and give up." "But I don't wanna give up!" Pinkie whined. "There's still a chance I can..." "It must be nice living in a fantasy world like you," Sugarcoat said, turning away from Pinkie. "Not everything has a happy ending, and you need to learn that sometime. Might as well be now." Sugarcoat fixed her mane with a hoof, then looked back at Pinkie. The poor pink pony looked like her world had been shattered, tears threatening to pour at any moment. Sugarcoat was taken aback by that reaction, and even more so when she caught the glares that Twilight and Rainbow were giving her. She let out a long sigh, then moved forward and hugged Pinkie. "Don't cry," Sugarcoat said. "Maybe...maybe he just needs some time off from dealing with you." "I know I do sometimes," Rainbow said, eliciting another glare from Twilight. "I like your style," Sugarcoat said to Rainbow, before turning her attention back to Pinkie. "Give him a few days, then try again, okay?" She looked back in the direction of the others. Something about seeing the approving smile on Twilight's face felt good. "But I can't leave him without any friends for a few days!" Pinkie lamented. "Nopony should live like that, even if they're not a pony at all! What should I do?" "Ugh..." Sugarcoat groaned. "I don't know...I saw another donkey in town before. Why don't you introduce them or something?"