The Magic of Laughter

by Don Pony

Chapter 2: The surprise

Another week came and went with nothing really memorable for the ponies in town. However, Pinkie Pie had been scheming something since the reunion with her purple friend. Today the business had been rather peacefully compared to the last week and not many costumer had shown to the Sugarcube Corner, allowing the bakers take their time to make the sweets. Once again Pinkie was staring at the clock waiting for her weekly appointment. The clock walked slower than she had ever felt, it seemed that sometimes it didn't even move. Each minute felt like hours and she could swear it went backward sometimes. All of the sudden the clock finally marked the 12 o'clock.

"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Cake" Said Pinkie moving towards the door, taking with her favorite party cannon.

"Wait, Pinkie, I don't know if the party cannon is necessary. Aren't you overdoing it a little?" Mrs. Cake was really worried about the outcome of the plan Pinkie Pie had.

"Don't worry, Mrs Cake. It's all part of the surprise, and the party cannon never let me down... except that time. I kept forgetting were I put my fireworks, but I checked this time. Gotta go!" She left without another word. Nothing Mrs. Cake would have said would change her mind.

Pinkie Pie was pushing the party cannon across the street and was wearing a white saddle bad that contained another surprise, as if the party cannon wasn't enough. Her smile was as wide as a mile. She was lost in her head thinking on how her friend would react to the surprise. Images of them hugging and partying came into her mind. She was so absent minded that she didn't noticed her friends walking by.

"Hi, Pinkie Pie. What you doing?" Rainbow Dash greeted the pink pony who didn't notice her. The wheels of the cannon almost ran over their hooves and Pinkie did not even hear the sound of the pegasus voice "What's with her? and, where is she taking the party cannon?"

"I don't know, dear, but remember what I asked you to come for" Rarity didn't seem to be very much interested on her friend ignoring her. Moreover, she was more interested on getting back to her house/boutique "I have to make a dress for a pegasus client. I need somepony to model the dress for me and Fluttershy has been busy lately. We must get to the boutique immediately, he longer it take us to to get there, the longer it will take to make the dress"

Rainbow Dash was trying to evade the dress making process, if there was something she hated was to stay still and making a dress required her to be still for hours.

"I know, Rare, but she has the party cannon. She surely is going to hit somepony with it. It might be fun to watch, don't you think?"

Rarity gave a sigh "Okay, Rainbow, but after this no distractions. Okay?" she didn't want to admit, but she actually found jumped scares really funny.

They followed her carefully, keeping their distance so Pinkie wouldn't spot them. Not like she would even notice them, she was too focused on her task. Everypony noticed her, is hard not to notice a pony with a cannon even more when is Pinkie, almost everypony in town had felt the power of the party cannon and they were afraid on who'd the next victim is going to be.
She reached the park and thankfully Twilight was lying on the bench and reading yet another book, giving the back to the entrance, not seeing her friend and the cannon she was holding. Rarity and Rainbow Dash ran and hide on some bushes near them. Pinkie Pie stopped and thought for a moment, she didn't move as she just gazed at mare on the bench near the fountain. Then she reached her saddle bag and took something from it.

"What is it? I can't see! Darn it, dumb bush!" Rainbow Dash tried to get a look to the item Pinkie Pie was taking, but couldn't find an angle to look it clearly.

"Careful Rainbow Dash, she might heard us. Maybe if I open a little leaves from here I can see... It's... an Ursa minor doll?" Just as Rarity thought Pinkie took an Ursa minor bear doll from her saddle bag. The bear doll was completely dark blue with little dots like stars on the body and big dark eyes. She even thought of keeping it for herself.

She looked at it for a moment and wondered "Should I put it inside? or, should I give it to her straight out? But what if the cannon shoots the bear too long... and somepony else gets it, and then they want me to be their best friend, and then Twilight gets mad because she doesn't have one?!" Pinkie's head started to hurt with so much thought as she held the bear against her head. She finally decided to give it herself, so she put it back on the saddlebag.

The pegasus and her white friend were spying on her the whole time "Wait is she going to prank Twilight?! Awesome!" Rainbow was excited about it. Although they had played pranks to her before they never actually did something for her to startled, Pinkie always refused to.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. She is reading a book, what if something bad happen?"

"Oh come on Rarity. She is the perfect victim. No one would expect to be scared when reading a book"

Pinkie moved the cannon slowly close to Twilight who was still blissfully unaware of the surprise attack that was about to hit her. The cannon were so close it almost touches the unicorns tail. Pinkie Pie was giggling in a low volume containing her laughter. Then she calmed down, she took cannon and pushed the button on top of the cannon opening fire to the unaware pony. Streamers, confetti and candies started to filled the air, making a small rainbow, but also launching the one who was on the bench to the ground, even the book she was reading flew into the air.

The unicorn hit the ground hard, she felt a little dizzy, her back hurt, and her ears were making a buzzing sound. After a while she was finally herself again "Pinkie! What was that for?!"

Pinkie Pie was on the floor laughing out loud "Sorry Twilight. But I wanted to give you a surprise" The laughter of the pink pony could be heard from a mile away, her tummy was hurting and she couldn't get up from the ground. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were also laughing, but they still had their hooves in their mouth so they made little to no sound.

"Wait... where is it? where is it?!" Twilight was looking around the ground. It was obvious she was really worried about something she lost. She was breathing heavily and sweating nervously. She looked beneath the bench and to around the are scouting for the missing item.

"Where's what?"

"Oh no!" Twilight went near the fountain where it was. On the shooting of the cannon the book she was reading fell on the fountain. She used her magic to dry it, but it was too late. The pages were wrinkled and the ink from them had melt away.

"I'm sorry Twilight, I didn't mean to hurt you or your book. It can be fixed, right?" Pinkie Pie was truly sorry for what she have done and tried to cheer Twilight up, but Twilight was furious.

"No, Pinkie! It can't be fixed. The whole books is ruined! You ruined my best book! Why don't you pay attention of what you do?"

"B-b-but... I'm sorry..." Pinkie looked down and lowered her head in regret. Surprising ponies and making pranks was fun for her, but she knew that nopony must be harm by them, nor it should have a negative consequence on them.

Twilight didn't accept her friend's apology. She grunted and muttered something, and her eyes were on fire. Twilight had been angry before, even sometimes because of Pinkie, but never did she look that mad "Being sorry is not going to bring my book back! When will you ever grow up?!"

The pink pony was completely shocked at the comment. The question echoed in her mind "When will you ever grow up?!" over and over. Images of his father and mother being angry and yelling at her came fast into her head. Her eyes were wide open and her face showed pain and regret. Tears came from her eyes and rolled through her cheeks. She felt heartbroken for the first time in years.
Twilight took what was left of her book and left to her home to try find a way to save what was left of the book, she never looked back. Rainbow Dash and Rarity who had been watching the whole time were speechless. The first one to come was Rainbow who put her hoof on her friend's back.

"Pinkie Pie, are you alright?" There was no answer, she was looking at the nothingness. Here eyes were empty and color of her skin and mane looked darker, as if she had lost the color of herself "Rarity, I think I'll skip today's dress making"

"The costumer can wait for now. She needs us now"

They picked her up and took her to the closets place to try cheer her up, and turned out to be the Carousel Boutique. They wanted to help her and drawing attention from other ponies might make things even worse, they needed a place where they could talk and they needed it fast. Rainbow carried her on her back while Rarity lead the way. Pinkie didn't move, not even once, since her friend furiously yelled at her. But tears didn't stop coming from her eyes either.

When they arrived to the boutique, they tried talk to her "Hey Pinkie, don't be so sad. Everything is going to be fine" "Hey, she's your friend and she'll forgive you" They both tried cheer her up, but those words felt empty to her. She only muttered "I'm sorry" sometimes, but she never stopped crying. Nothing they do could snap her out of her shocking state.

Rarity decided that there were nothing they could do to help, so they took her to Rarity's room and put her on the bed "Let her clear her head for now. Once she feel better she will come out" she told her flying friend.

"But if she needs us?" Rainbow didn't want to let Pinkie alone. She wanted to get inside the room, but Rarity was blocking the door.

"If she needs us, she will tell us. I think is better for her to be alone now"

Rainbow didn't want to go, she felt useless because she couldn't help the friend who has always gave her a hoof when she needed. But as much as she hated it, Rarity was right. They left the door a little open, so if Pinkie said something they could hear her.
Pinkie Pie lay on the bed as the time flew and the only thing she said was "I'm sorry"

Author's Note:

Rather depressing, wasn't it? Will Twilight forgive her friend? Will the book be back as it used to be?

Comments

[mayrothwell]

Well, it must be a very important book for Twilight to rage like that... Great story more plz :D

[bvdwow]

Although there were a lot of grammar errors it was still readable. Great work :D