It's Only a Paper Moon
It had been a while since Pinkie had run through the sand barefoot. She decided right then and there that she was going to make it a super important part of her routine! Once a week, Pinkie would go running in the sand barefoot.
Well, as long as Skystar would come with her.
It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without her. And it wouldn’t be nearly as special without her.
As the girls ran down the beach, a chill wind flowed off the waves. Moonlight and starlight reflected off of every ripple stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a perfect night for laughing and playing on a quiet stretch of beach.
Skystar darted up a slope into the drier sand, Pinkie close on her heels, but not too close. She happened to like the view, after all! She giggled at the thought and wondered how this had all happened in less than a day.
It had been weird. After the “Jazzbooms” had finally taken an intermission, Skystar’s mom had come down—still followed by the grumpy-looking Stratus. She’s stared at Pinkie for a super long time, though Skystar had never let go of Pinkie’s hand. That had helped a lot.
Pinkie had done her best to look brave. She didn’t really know if she succeeded. She thought she had though.
Then, out of nowhere, Novo had ordered Stratus to drive Skystar and Pinkie to the beach where they’d first met. After that, Novo had walked away, humming “My Kind of Crazy.”
Stratus was still glowering down at them from the parking lot overlooking the beach. Pinkie didn’t mind, especially since Skystar didn’t seem to mind. So, she let the grump be a grump and focused on Skystar.
Neither saw the half-fallen sand castle until it was too late.
Skystar yelped as she tripped over the enormous lump and went crashing to the ground in a huge geyser of sand. Pinkie squealed in fear, but Skystar laughed and flopped back on the sand with a delirious little happy sigh.
“You look comfy,” Pinkie said she walked up.
“I am!” Skystar said. Moonlight reflected off her grin. “I am super comfy. I am super sandy. And I am super happy.”
“Yay!” Pinkie bounced up and down. “Sounds super perfect!”
“Almost!” Skystar sang and offered a hand to Pinkie. “You can help make it super perfect though!”
Now, Skystar had a little glint in her eye. Pinkie was pretty sure she knew what was going to happen. She grabbed her new friend’s hand anyway.
Sure enough, Skystar yanked Pinkie right off of her feet. Pinkie landed on top of Skystar and they both fell into huge giggling fits.
After a little bit, they made themselves comfortable, set their purses to the side, then stared up at the bright stars and the cheerful moon.
“You know, it’s funny… I thought this would be just another city. Another boring old town.” She let out a really long sigh. “I haven’t danced in a super long time.”
“Why not?” Pinkie asked. Her hand went for Skystar’s and found it easily. “Everyone should dance!”
Skystar hummed a little bit of a song. Pinkie didn’t recognize it at first, because it wasn’t a swing song. In fact, it sounded a little bit like a country song.
Then Pinkie smiled and squeezed Skystar’s fingers.
“My mom loves that song.” Skystar sounded a little wistful. “She’d sing it to me when I got sad we were leaving somewhere. It helped a little. Some parts, it still helps.”
“Like what?”
Skystar lifted her head to look out over the water and giggled. “I do still feel small when I stand beside the ocean.”
“Well, the ocean is pretty big.”
Skystar gave her a sidelong glance, though she was still smiling. “You know what I mean.”
Pinkie blushed a bit. “Yeah, I do.”
Skystar’s head flopped down.
“So, whatcha think of our magic?” Pinkie asked with a smirk.
“I still can’t believe it.” Skystar turned over in the sand to study the top of Pinkie’s head. “You actually have pony ears.”
“Yup!” Pinkie wiggled her ears just a little bit. It was weird, like her brain just automatically knew how to use them. Probably magic. “We have ever since Princess Twilight arrived and helped save the school!”
“So, magic’s real, huh?”
Pinkie nodded. Skystar reached out and touched an ear gently. Pinkie giggled and shivered a little and Skystar yanked back her hand.
“Sorry! Did that hurt?”
“No, silly. It just tickles!”
Skystar’s hand gently traced the line of bright blue through Pinkie’s mane. “And the color?”
“That one’s special!” Pinkie replied. “That only happens when there’s lots of music involved… and some other stuff. Twilight could tell you all about it. And I mean all about it. She interviewed us all for like… weeks when she first came to the school.”
Skystar’s smile grew. “They looked like they were having a good night, too.”
“Sunny and Twi?” Pinkie nodded. “Yeah. They did! I knew they’d be cute together.”
“Still wish I hadn’t just blurted that out… like… blah.” Skystar looked a little awkward. Okay, a lot awkward. “But I know, you already said, it worked out okay.”
They lay there for a bit longer, neither saying anything. It didn’t bother Pinkie. She wasn’t usually a big fan of silence, but right then, it felt like the thing to do.
“So… if magic is real, are mermaids real?” Skystar asked.
“Huh?”
“When we first met… you asked if I was a mermaid!”
“Oh yeah.” Pinkie snorted and looked over at her. “I don’t know if they’re real. That would be cool, though, right?”
“Yeah…” Skystar played with her hair. “I’ve kinda always wanted to be one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I think it would be super cool to be able to swim around underwater, see all those neat fish and plants—not to mention all the shells. Just to be there… up close and see it with my own two eyes! Just… something magical about the sea…”
“Welllll…” Pinkie said hesitantly, stretching the word like a piece of taffy. “So far, we’ve seen raging she-demons, teenage zombies, flying fish girls who also did a zombie-lite thing, more demon girls, a crazy plant girl, and… some giant movie star? That last one confuses me.”
“You’re not even joking are you?”
“Nope!”
“It’s funny, but I totally believe you now.” Skystar giggled.
“Who knows?” Pinkie chirped. “Maybe we’ll find you some sort of special magic that lets you turn into a mermaid! I mean… crazier stuff has already happened!”
“Really?”
“We could always ask Sunny or Princess Twi!” Pinkie replied. “I’m sure they’d be happy to help.”
“I think I’d like that.” Skystar went back to staring at the stars, sounding far away. “I’d like that a lot.”
Pinkie pushed herself up and started gathering sand from the fallen sand-castle. Without ceremony, she started dumping it on Skystar’s legs.
“Uh… Pinkie?” Skystar giggled, watching her. “What are you doing?”
“Well, duh, turning you into a mermaid!”
Skystar’s smile was like the sun coming up. “You’re a genius.”
“You know, a lot of people say that! Though they usually sound more surprised.”
“I’m not surprised at all!”
As Pinkie went to work, Skystar lay there in the sand. Rarity would probably be a little mad that they’d gotten sand in their dresses, but it wasn’t like they were going swimming in them! And Pinkie knew a really good dry cleaner.
“So, heh…” Skystar fiddled with her hair. Sand fell from it, glittering faintly in the moonlight as waves crashed a little ways down the beach. “I think my mom likes you.”
“Really?” Pinkie stopped constructing the tail around Skystar’s legs for a moment to look up at her. “You think so?”
“Well, um… don’t you remember? She was there when we… you know… um…”
“Oh!” Pinkie giggled awkwardly. “Right. Heh.”
“Since she sent us out here with Stratus… yeah, I think that’s a good sign.” Her smile faded a little. “But for all I know, all this could be letting me have some fun before we leave tomorrow.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Pinkie frowned. “You can’t be sure. Can’t you just…”
Pinkie blushed and cut herself off as she finished the fin. She knew she was being silly.
“What?” Skystar asked, her voice super encouraging and gentle. “You can say it! Please?”
Pinkie hesitated. It sounded kinda needy. And not all stuff with friends could be controlled.
“Can’t you just be here? With me?” Pinkie asked in a teeny tiny voice. “Just for now?”
Skystar looked like she wanted to jump up and hug Pinkie, but she also didn’t want to ruin all of Pinkie’s hard work. So instead, she just said, “That sounds like a great idea!”
“Really?”
“Mmhm!” Skystar nodded. “I’m totally okay with just being here. Right now. With you. Especially with you.”
Pinkie continued her delicate work of transforming the stunning Skystar into a stunning… err… sky-mermaid? Skymaid? Mersky? Something like that. She was extra careful to make all the little shapes in the sand, even going down to get some wet sand—though she made sure there was enough dry sand on Skystar first—to make all the scales and other details on the fluke. It was kinda like working with really finicky sugar frosting! Kinda.
They talked about everything and nothing as Pinkie worked. They talked about Pinkie’s life back when she’d been a kid and the legend of her family finding Holder’s Boulder. They talked about Skystar’s life on the Aris Islands and the first time she’d gone kayaking in the ocean. Pinkie talked about some of the adventures she’d had. Skystar talked about some of the places she’d seen.
Pinkie hadn’t really been paying attention to the clock on her phone. It didn’t seem important. All that was important was making Skystar into the perfect mermaid.
She had just about finished on Skystar’s hips when she heard the sound of feet sliding through sand.
Pinkie looked up and hesitated.
Ambassador Novo walked toward them, barefoot. She’d changed into a simple-looking dress of pink with purple and blue bands running around the hem. She didn’t look like an ambassador right now. She looked like just a normal lady.
“You two seem to be having a good time,” Novo commented dryly.
“Hi Mom!” Skystar waved at her, though Novo looked upside down from her point of view.
“Hello, Skystar,” Novo said, her voice tender. “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure! Pull up some sand!”
Skystar giggled at her own joke. Pinkie joined in. Even Novo chuckled. Then, the big fancy ambassador plopped down on the other side of Skystar. Novo held her knees to her chest as she looked out over the ocean.
“You okay, Mom?” Skystar asked.
Pinkie watched Skystar’s mom. Her eyes seemed really distant, but she had a sad sort of smile. She had something on her mind. Something big. Something… something she wasn’t sure of! That was it! But that wasn’t all of—
That’s when Pinkie realized where she’d seen that expression before.
She’d seen it this morning.
“I’m fine, Seafilly.”
“Mom!” Skystar protested, her cheeks going red enough to be seen clear as day in the bright moonlight. “Don’t call me that!”
Pinkie blinked. “Seafilly?”
“On our first trip away from home, we ended up staying at a large ranch complex along a beach. Skystar begged me every single day to take her out riding on the beach.”
“Mooom…” Skystar whined.
“She had a favorite little horse too, a young mare by the name of… what was it, Skystar?”
“Griffy,” Skystar muttered, crossing her arms all pouty-like.
“Right, Griffy.” Novo chuckled. “Anyway, she was sad when we had to leave, so I started calling her Seafilly to cheer her up. It made her laugh at the time.”
Pinkie giggled so hard she almost fell over.
“And now it’s super embarrassing!” Skystar said. “Can we talk about anything else? Please?”
“Yes, actually,” Novo replied. “We can.”
Her voice had changed. Now, it was serious. Completely serious. Not like ‘Ambassador’ serious, but ‘Mother’ serious.
“Mom? What’s going on?” Skystar sounded worried.
Even Pinkie was worried.
Novo took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’ve been watching you all day, Skystar. Or having Stratus report on you. The whole time.”
Skystar didn’t seem upset. She looked confused. Pinkie couldn’t blame her.
“Why?”
“I’m sure you’ve wondered why our visits to cities in the last month have usually only been a few days long,” Novo said.
Pinkie hesitated, then put the final touches on Skystar’s tail. She quickly brought out her phone and snapped a few pictures. Novo didn’t seem to notice, but Skystar did give a big smile for each one.
“Yeah…” Skystar shrugged, shifting some sand around her. “I thought things were just busy.”
“They have been, but not that busy. I’ve been watching you. Watching how you interact with others. You’ve been so quiet in the last few months—” Novo’s voice suddenly broke. “I’ve… I’ve missed my baby.”
Skystar’s mouth dropped open. So did Pinkie’s.
“When we first started doing this, you loved seeing the world. You loved meeting new people. Until… you had to say goodbye too many times. Then you started to hide in your shell like a sea turtle, staying a little deeper every time.”
“But…”
“Hush, let me finish,” Novo said, though she didn’t sound angry. In fact, she wiped a tear away. “Three months ago, I sent a message to the Governor’s Office. I gave them an ultimatum.”
Skystar stared at her mom. She looked really scared. “W-what was the ultimatum?”
Novo licked her lips and stared down at her daughter. “For them to arrange for a permanent embassy here.”
“A permanent… you mean you won’t be an Ambassador-at-Large anymore?” Skystar obviously couldn’t believe her ears. “You’ll be… an Ambassador-In-Residency?”
“Ambassador-in-Residence,” Novo corrected gently and then nodded. “Yes, Seafilly.”
“Does that mean…”
A smile slowly spread on Novo’s face. “No more moving.”
Skystar squealed and tried to haul herself up to tackle her mom—but Pinkie had done a really good job on Skystar’s tail and she was totally stuck.
Skystar looked down at her lower half. So did Novo. Pinkie did too. Then all three burst into laughter. Novo instead came down to her daughter and squeezed her tightly in a hug. Both of them started to cry and Pinkie found herself crying, too.
Skystar is going to finally get a home with real friends and everything! Pinkie thought.
Novo pulled back, now sitting cross-legged on the sand. “I’m sorry these last few years have been hard on you. I got so caught up in my duty to our country that I forgot my duty to be your mom.”
“It’s… it’s okay Mom…” Skystar said through sniffles and tears.
“No, it’s not. But I’m going to make it okay.”
Novo’s eyes turned to Pinkie. Pinkie swallowed hard.
“Since I started looking for a place to use as an embassy, I’ve been watching my daughter, Miss Pie. In six months, you are the first person to draw her out. You made yourself her friend instantly. You gave me back the daughter I loved. The happy, bubbly and cheerful girl that loved to dance on the beach when she was little. You were even willing to stand up and fight for her happiness back in that lab.”
“I… I just did what I always do!” Pinkie protested.
Novo waved the comment away. “When Skystar came back to the hotel after seeing you this morning, I could see the cracks in her mask. I could see the girl she’d been peeking out. You let her out. You fought to let her out and keep her out. And for that… I owe you my thanks… in a… a way I can’t really express.”
To Pinkie’s surprise, Novo stood and reached out a hand. Pinkie took it—a little scared—and let Novo pull Pinkie to her feet. Then, to Pinkie’s utter shock… Novo hugged her.
Novo was crying again. “Thank you for giving her back.”
Pinkie tried to comfort the way taller woman, but it was kinda hard. Even she didn’t know what to do right now.
Then Novo pulled away, wiped the tears from her eyes and glanced between Skystar and Pinkie.
“And because of that—and my own research into this city—I’ve decided Canterlot will be the home of the new Aris Islands Embassy. I don’t care if it apparently has magic pony girls. I don’t care if it’s a hundred miles away from half the other embassies in the country. This is where I found someone who brought my daughter back to me. And this is where we’ll stay.”
Skystar gasped.
Pinkie gasped.
Novo smiled.
Then Pinkie dropped down and gave Skystar a huge hug. Skystar returned it with just as much force as Pinkie. Pinkie could feel both of their ribs protest, but they didn’t care.
Now, everyone was crying again. Seemed to be a lot of crying tonight. Silly, happy crying. The good kind. The best kind.
Then Skystar yanked her down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Pinkie went bright red and sputtered a little.
“Skystar, your mom is like… right there!” she hissed.
“I don’t even care. She can ground me for a month!”
“I could,” Novo commented. “But, as I think you two make a cute couple, I think I’ll let it slide. For now.”
Pinkie looked up and saw the warning in Novo’s eyes.
“I’ll be good!” Pinkie squeaked.
“Me too!” Skystar added
“You I trust,” Novo said, pointing at Pinkie. Then she pointed at Skystar. “You, I know better.”
“Hey!”
Pinkie giggled.
“After all, you did just meet this morning,” Novo continued. “Still, you don’t get as far as I have without learning to read people. Skystar, honey?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Hold on to this one. She’s got a good heart. And the pony ears are pretty cute, too.”
Novo winked—she actually winked—at Pinkie and walked off, humming “My Kind of Crazy” again.
Then, it was just the two of them again. Pinkie slumped to the sand beside Skystar.
“I… I can’t believe that just happened,” Skystar whispered. “I… this is my new home?”
“Looks like it!” Pinkie said. She was a little bewildered herself! She hadn’t been expecting this.
“So… um…” Skystar flushed, stared at her sandy tail and fiddled with her blue hair. “I should probably tell you this… but I’ve never actually dated anyone before. Isn’t… this sorta fast?”
“Maybe?” Pinkie wiggled her toes in the sand. “My friends like to tell me I’m a little crazy. I think that’s great, because normal’s boring.”
“And what about me?” Skystar pulled out her purse and brought out Sheldon. “Am I crazy?”
“Yup!” Pinkie replied, pulling Shelly out of her purse. “But you know what?”
Skystar rolled her eyes. “You’re so silly, Pinkie.”
“I haven’t even said it yet!”
“You were going to.”
“Okay, yeah, maybe!” Pinkie pouted a little. “Does that mean I can’t?”
“Depends, are you going to help me break out of this sand prison?” Skystar stuck out her tongue at Pinkie. “Or did you actually use your magic to turn me into a mermaid?”
“That would be super cool,” Pinkie admitted. “But kinda awkward to explain to your mom.”
“Probably,” Skystar nodded. “So… um… help me up?”
“You gonna let me say it?” Pinkie put on her best puppy dog eyes and unleashed them on Skystar.
“Only after.” Skystar giggled. “Deal?”
“Deal!” Pinkie declared.
With that, Pinkie got to work breaking Skystar out of her mermaid tail. Pinkie thought it might be fun if they ever got enough magic to turn them both—because she was not about to let Skystar have that much fun on her own—into mermaids. But until then, she was totally happy with the cute freckled girl as she was right now.
About ten minutes later, Skystar did actually let Pinkie say the words. But only after Skystar had snuggled up against her.
Pinkie had wrapped her arms tight around Skystar. Shelly and Sheldon were nestled in former mermaid’s lap. As they looked out over the ocean together, Pinkie smiled to the world. Inside, she danced. Outside, she sighed happily. It was a new feeling, but definitely something she could get used to.
After all, it was the small things that usually turned to be a whole lot of fun.
I'll admit... I got a little choked up in my final edit for this chapter. Novo finally revealing the truth behind her little "antics" felt so good. She loves her daughter dearly. But she was just so caught up in her responsibility, Novo lost her along the way. Then Pinkie comes and brings her back in just a few hours. When you've been an Ambassador as long as she has... she knows how to read people even better than Pinkie.
And she saw something special in that frizzy-haired little bundle of giggles and gumdrops.
This story was such as joy to write. I worked hard to capture Pinkie's personality in her internal narrative. I tried to do a bunch of research on Pinkie for tight third person, but there wasn't a lot out there! The best one I found was Rarity's Lucky Charm by the one and only Monochromatic! A special thank you to her for that inspiration.
Writing Pinkie is good for the soul. She really, really is.
I'm going to give this story a proper follow-up soon, hopefully within the next week or so, one separate from my usual Takka Takka Takka. Skystar and Pinkie deserve that and then some. Until then, let's enjoy just how flippin' adorable their Equestrian counterparts are in One Small Thing!
I hope you had as great a time reading this as I had writing it!
-Novel
(They're adorable and you must love them!)
If you come across any errors, please let me know by PM!
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Thank you so much for writing this. I enjoyed every moment of it.
And you did a fantastic job of capturing Pinkie's personality in the narrative. Seriously one of the best I've seen.
And yes, Pinkie and Skystar are so adorable together. We need more of them. (And just more Skystar in general!)
This has to be one of, if not the best Pinkie story I’ve ever read. And with the most adorable ship in MLP too!
Idea for a follow up: Seapony comes to visit earth. And brings their pearl piece.
I think you can guess what I’m thinking
PS: It's mermaids
The cuteness is overwheming, and the sand mermaid tail...yeah that was such a Pinkie thing to do, and of course she'd compare it to frosting. I completely agree that someone needs to bring pearls to the EG world, it's not like magic ONLY comes from Starswirl being lazy in waste disposal...
Actually, you probably only need to bring one pearl in the long run. Grind it up, use it as a seed for making more pearls, and the magic will grow along with it until you've got a whole set of shapechanging pearls. I'm sure Skystar would be all about using clams for magical purposes
What I'm saying is that the Aris Isles should totally become a major center of magical research, and the Sirens come out of hiding to steal the results, and then...
They're adorable and this is lovely and if I had an "Ultra-Favorites" category this story would be in it. This is beautiful!
This settles it. They’re both crazy!
Crazy in love!
I didn't even ship Pinkie and Skystar until this story.
Now, I mega ship them.
Knew it.
But seriously, fantastic job! All the right amount of humor, romance, and all-encompassing adorableness to close out this gem of a fic. You did a great job writing Pinkie!
And I, for one, had a great time reading this. So be proud of it.
This story was just adorable. I loved it frim start to finish. I also hope this isnt the last time we get to see you write from Pinkie's perspective. You do it well.
This story was definitely worth the wait. I'm glad you ended up doing it.
You would be amazed how much that can help. Even if you aren't actively trying, you can be a great boon to someone.
8893025
But are they your kind of crazy?
8892796
I know, right?
So Novo does have a heart... Huh, guess despite all her bitchiness, even she cares for her daughter. I'm amazed, whole plan this time when she was talking with Celestia and Luna, just to get her daughter a permanent place to stay...
This is easily the crowning example of this ship and I would be very impressed if anyone could show evidence to the contrary.
This story is also a great example of why I love Equestria Girls as a setting so much, because it allows you to recast and change the context of characters, but still capture their hearts.
8892883
Thank you so much. It was a total blast to write! Pinkie's.... Pinkie's super unique. I wasn't sure how my take on her was going to be received, but people seem pretty psyched over her. And yes, we need more cute SkyPie stuff!!!!!
8892896
...jeez, I'm like about to catch on fire with how hard I'm blushing right now. ^^;;;
8892991
That was one of those in-the-moment things that just came to me... but it felt so right! Gah, I love two!
*cough* Island Wakanda *cough*
8893002
Eeeee! Thank you so much! I'm so glad they were actually as adorable as I hoped they were!
8893025
/rimshot
8893071
i.imgur.com/BuHBZRm.jpg
8893165
Knew it.
i.imgur.com/ntYYM3g.gif
Thank you so much! She was utterly amazing. I hope she comes back and is willing to play in my worlds again!
8893609
Thank you!!! I don't know about writing from Pinkie. I do have a coming Minuette story that's very similar to Pinkie (but still very different at the same time, I see the characters as facets of one another). I don't have another Pinkie story planned at the moment... but since ideas don't care if I have 500 other stories I wanna write... who knows?
8893655
Thank YOU for helping spark its creation! I doubt I would have stumbled across the idea without you being there at the right time and the right place!!
8894335
So Novo does have a heart... Huh, guess despite all her bitchiness, even she cares for her daughter. I'm amazed, whole plan this time when she was talking with Celestia and Luna, just to get her daughter a permanent place to stay...
Her dismissals of Pinkie were simply tests to see if Pinkie actually cared enough about Skystar to fight for her. She saw the attraction right away, but like any good parent, she needed be sure Pinkie was the real thing. And seriously, you don't get more authentic than Pinkie. Once Skystar found someone willing to fight for her... that's all the confirmation Novo needed.
8894672
Wow. Just... wow. Thank you! Thank you so much! That's... like huge. Seriously huge. Kinda speechless.
Agreed (and you know what, I think I'll bring this up at the panel at EFNW!). It allowed me to start with a different Skystar on the surface (while being the same Skystar beneath). Plus... I can't imagine ponies swing dancing. That's... a strange image. It's fun to reimagine a character while staying true to them at the same time!
Ooh! I know that song! Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens...
I honestly have nothing to say after reading this. It was spectacular--a perfect ending to a wonderful, beautiful, adorable story! Novo's reasoning makes so much sense, though I'm still a little curious about that "Shelly and Sheldon had better be back together" comment she made. Overall, lots of warmth and fuzziness, absolutely adorable.
8895174
That's true. Grand story, Novel!
8895197
Yup! I didn't actually put any more in here because 1.) It didn't fit the Swing Dance tone of the story, 2.) You can't put copyrighted lyrics in stories on FimFiction, 3.) It just didn't feel right. Nonetheless, I stumbled across the song while finishing up this story and... it felt right to have it at least mentioned!
Thank you so much!!!
I'm really glad. A consistent bit of feedback I got from editors and beta readers was basically "WTF is up with Novo?" Pretty much all of them said things were solved with her confession as to what was really going on behind the scenes and what she was trying to do, but I was always worried she'd be so confusing that it would end up turning people off from the story! Thank you for telling me my worries were unfounded!
This is a bit about "I know that Pinkie has Shelly," a bit about "having you two as a couple means they'll be together," and a bit about accepting the whole shell thing for Skystar.
Squee!
8895132
I can't blame you. If I ever get around to finishing a multi-chapter story, I'll release it chapter-by-chapter as well. Besides, I hardly mind the wait--it's worth it!
8895262
Well, I'll admit that sometimes, it's just to make people a little bit more eager for the next one and maybe pause them to leave a comment or two. ^^;;;
8895130
The one time I really tried it was a short scene from Luna's perspective, but it was a blast to do. Too short to actually publish, sadly, but still a good exercise.
Huh, wasn't expecting a dose of jazz standards with my ponies, but you won't see me complaining.
A glorious climax and a heartwarming ending. Still not my main Pinkie ship, but you made a strong case with an awesome story. Thank you immensely for this.
8895153
Does that mean Novo is actually the Queen, and secretly is...theWhite Hippogriff?
You know, I love how even if you didn't say in every single chapter's author's note that you were having fun, I could tell just from the writing. It's nice to see a story that is just having a good time from start to finish.
8895620
So, try it again! Come up with a bigger one!
8895913
It's a first for me, too!
8896287
Thank you so much! It was so very fun! (And just you wait. You will bow to the cuteness!)
8896435
...STOP THAT I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS AWESOME STORY IDEA AND I'M STILL EMOTIONALLY WRANGLING WITH THE EVENTS OF INFINITY WAR!
8896550
I so was! Pinkie really, really is good for the soul! I can't remember the last time I had such fun with a character. I'm so glad that showed!!!
8896573
Yeah, I'm still reeling too. I can't believe they went that goddamn far.
This ship was adorable, this story was adorable... I need more of both, and more swing music.
8901010
Well, I did add a few more swing songs to that Spotify playlist, but for now, I'm okay with you craving more story.
This was the first Pinkie/Skystar ship story I've ever read, and... wow! It's such a beautiful story! You just got another member onboard this ship.
Also,
WakandaMount Aris forever!8914239
Thank you!!!! Another soul for the SkyPie Cult!
Wakanda Mount Aris forever!
I love this story! Thanks for helping me shed happy tears :')
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Best kind of tears!
8924898
Glad to hear :D Thanks again :)
Oh man this was so good. Much appreciated breath of fresh air, into a fairly new ship.
*I was shipping them in private and now I am glad I can join da cult!
This was absolutely the most sickeningly saccharine thing I've ever seen and I loved every single word
You're uniquely skilled at getting into the heads of the characters you write and making their actions and motivations feel so perfectly natural.
Thanks for giving us such a sweet story, Novel.
8936763
Free party hats to all new members!
8946502
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Thank you so much! I'm so happy you think I nailed the characters! I'm super happy with them and even if I've said it a dozen times before, I love that people loved them!
Pinkie and Skystar the happy swing dancers would've been adorable all on its own... trust you to go the extra mile with it. And what a lovely read it was. But what, you couldn't find the time to ship the rest of them? I mean, with Pinkie finding a perfect partner outside the seven, we're left with an even four. Sort it out, man! Obvious sequel is obvious.
That aside... this was a lot of fun. Pinkie's joie de vivre may not be too hard to capture in short bursts... the sustained effort is another matter and she really shines through here. Yet despite all her great moments with Skystar, I think the Fluttershy and Sunset duet was the high point here for me. And not that the ending wasn't great, but Novo's actions and reactions throughout made it obvious what she was prepping for. ...The ending was great, assuredly, and I'd have gotten there sooner if I didn't keep having to test my blood sugar.
This ship is so sweet the crewmen have come down with diabetes instead of scurvy.
It's good to see Pinkie written as simply upbeat and not actively trying to hammer down the fourth wall. Really looking forward to that follow-up! I need some more SkyPie in mah veins!
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I'm pretty sure that's illegal to be that cute.
Keeping that fresh was both easy and hard. It did take a lot work, but it was effort well worth it!
Yeah, I freaking love that scene! I kinda wanna a piece of art of them both belting out that song on stage...
And not that the ending wasn't great, but Novo's actions and reactions throughout made it obvious what she was prepping for.
Well, that's the nice thing! A lot of people (including my beta readers) couldn't quite figure her out! So, I got a ton of different reactions to her!
Ah yes, the medical necessity of SkyPie. I've come to accept it as par for the course.
8954966
I can live with this!
Definitely! Pinkie deserves better than that!
Oh right... I still need to do that. Soon(TM)
Aww, you sold me so hard on this ship. They are way too cute together, and thanks to your fantastic characterization for Pìnkie, I could really get a feel for what she sees in Skystar. The date was also very well executed, managing to create this beautiful moment which felt intimate, yet also really open — which certainly fits Pinkie
I just wish I could like the whole package it more than I do. There are a lot of small things that really took me out of the story, like the many digressions which don't really tie with the core story (particularly the whole SunLight subplot), or how convenient the whole thing with the band feels like. Maybe more importantly, I wish that we got to see Pinkie relating to Skystar in a deeper sense. The whole thing feel very much like infatuation as it stands.
Thank You.
I have never really been into fanfictions, but I decided to give this one a chance since it was with my favorite Pink character and I'm so glad I did.
This is with no doubt the best story I have read, it's very emotional and you feel with the characters. Pinkie's character is spot on and so are a lot of the other characters! I really hope there will come a follow-up to this story at some point because I'm not done with this ship!
Thanks for the adorable story and you earned yourself a new follower!
A wonderful story. You nailed Pinkie perfectly, her optimism, her friendliness, her kookiness. Pinkie lives in her own world of icing and cake and smiles and rainbows, and she'll be happy to let everyone come join her and dance with her there. She made me smile just reading her narration as she thinks in a way that only makes sense to her. Given that she's my favorite of the Mane Six, that you got her exactly right was wonderful.
I loved Skystar, Novo made an ill first impression but I quickly caught something was up with her, I loved the Sunlight subplot, and Rarity was well done as well.
Overall a fantastic little story I'm very glad I read.