Tree
Dinky trotted along the well-worn path that led around town, kicking up a flurry of dust behind her as she avoided any and all ponies she saw. Clamped in her mouth was a note scribbled from top to bottom in the almost illegible writing of her mother. It was a grocery list.
The town’s market wasn’t far off, the filly knew, but it was rather busy with Saturday morning traffic, mares and stallions walking about with full baskets and their heads full of gossip. It was a rather peaceful day, at least beyond the filly’s head. Aww, what am I going to do?
One the one hoof, she began to reason as her journey continuing unhindered, I really, really like Rumble, I think. But on the other hoof, I might hurt myself if I go there, and I think I like him, but I... I don’t know. And well, on the other hoof I’m not sure if I’m ready for love. And on the last hoof, love sounds really, really fun.
She trotted into the market, pushing her woes to the back of her mind as she immersed herself in the jostling and moving crowd, her ears drooping against the stomping of hooves and the cacophony of voices trading and haggling and just plain talking to one another.
She grit her teeth, released the paper, and floated it up until it stopped in front of her face; she blinked as she examined the list. The first item was a ‘buncha carrots’. Carrot muffins, again? Sighing once more, Dinky searched past the crowd and found a stall with a carrot motif attended by an orange mare with a carrot cutie mark. “Hi, Miss Carrot Top.”
“Ah, hello,Dinky,” Carrot Top said as she leaned over the counter and stared down at the filly. “You here for your mommy?”
“Well, yeah, I guess. She gave me a list and it’s in alphabetical order, sorta. Carrots are at the top....”
“Perfect!” the mare exclaimed, trading with Dinky a dazzling smile as she tossed some of her precious veggies into a sack and hoofed them over.
Dinky, after a moment of consulting a nearby price-chart, levitated a few bits from her saddlebags and paid up. “Thanks, Miss Carrot Top!” she called over her shoulder as she crossed off the item from the list and rushed to the next stall.
“Dinky!” a filly called out, the voice ringing across the marketplace until it was absorbed by the good cheer. The filly looked around her, blinking at the mares and stallions that seemed to be paying her no attention at all. Then Archer crashed into her, from above.
The two fillies found themselves tangled in a pile of legs and tails and manes while Archer laughed until she coughed and tried to pry herself off of Dinky’s back. “Oh, sorry?” she offered as she finally rolled off and then tried to help Dinky back to her feet with a tentative push of her wings. “How’re you doing?”
“Well, I was doing fine...” Dinky said, flashing a glare Archer’s way. The mean look soon turned into a reluctant smile. “How are you, Archer?”
“I’m awesome! Hey, what were you doing just now?” she asked in a rush, her wide eyes scanning the carrots poking out of Dinky’s slightly crushed saddlebags.
Dinky followed her friend’s gaze. “Oh, well, Mommy sent me out to pick up a few things today. I was just going to get the rest of the things on this.” Frowning in focus, Dinky lifted her list and floated it in Archer’s view. “But that shouldn’t take too long, I hope.”
“Sweet, ‘cause when you’re done, maybe we could head back over to my place?” the blue pegasus asked as she turned to walk at Dinky’s side as she made her way to the celery stall.
“I don’t know, Archer. I don’t feel so good.” Dinky jerked her gaze away from Archer, wincing as the sting of having lied to her friend came to bite her. It’s not a real lie, she reasoned, only a half-lie. I don’t feel that good, but I could still go with her, and stuff.
“Oh, but you’re going to feel better tomorrow, right? ‘Cause tomorrow’s a super important day!”
The day of Rumble’s party?
“Tomorrow, I, Archer, will compete in the first of the regional archery championships! You have to come.” Archer slapped Dinky’s back, sending the filly reeling.
“B-but tomorrow I-I have....”
Archer’s gigantic smile began to falter and for the first time that day, Dinky really looked at her friend’s face.
Wrinkles stained the edges of Archer’s eyes, eyes that were bloodshot on the fringe and seemed to twitch about frantically. Her mane was loose and ratty, as if she hadn't bothered brushing it in days. “Archer, are you okay?”
“Of course I am!” the filly lied to Dinky’s face, her eyes shutting as she turned. “I’m awesome, I told ya.”
Dinky stuffed her list away and stomped towards Archer, eyes firmly fixed on her friend’s face. “Don’t lie to me, Archer. Friends don’t lie to each other, I read about that in a book. So, so you tell me what’s wrong, right now. Please?”
The pegasus sighed and grumbled under her breath for a moment. “Fine, but not right now. There’s... there’s something I want to get first. I’ll be heading home, but don’t go too far, I’ll be back in a sec.” She bent her knees, grit her teeth and shot up into the air like a spring before her wings popped open and she hovered out of view.
Dinky followed her friend’s trajectory away from the marketplace and into the cerulean blue sky before she arched an eyebrow and shrugged. “Okay, back to shopping, I guess.”
Returning to the stalls, Dinky bought a small bag of flour, some precious chocolate chips and was negotiating down price of a jar of maple syrup when she noticed a grey form moving three stalls down.
Her heart missed a beat and what little blood she seemed to had rushed to her face. “Miss?” the stallion at the stall asked. “I’m sorry, but you don’t look so good, eh? Need help?”
“I-I-I, well. I’ll take it,” she said, hopping onto the wooden counter and grabbing the jar all the while levitating and dropping a few coins too many into the stallion’s hoof.
He blinked at her as she darted away and counted the coins. “What was that about?”
Dinky squeezed her way past the next few ponies and found a nook in which she could hide, partially shaded from the bright sun by the shadow of a canvas-topped pavillion. What’s with me? I’m not even sure if that was Rumble. And he’s just my friend, I shouldn’t be afraid of him, right? Oh, what if he laughs at me for doing groceries?
A hoof touched her flank.
She screamed, a wailing, piercing sound that made her throat hoarse in a split second as it sliced through the air. Dinky spun around, still wide-eyed and screaming, to face her aggressor.
Rumble was behind her, his wings ramrod straight as he too screamed and stared back.
They both stopped, their shouts replaced by silent workings of their jaws. “Huh,” they both said.
“Um, hey, Dinky. Sorry about that?” Rumble said as he scratched the nape of his neck and switched his apologetic gaze from her to the congregated ponies that had rushed to see what was happening. The crowd began to disperse with rolled eyes and murmurs of vexation.
“Well, no, it’s okay,” Dinky said, her voice growing softer and softer as her focus turned to the dirt below.
“So, I saw you and all that, and, uh, just wanted to say hi, you know?” he offered, smiling tentatively at her.
“Well, um, hi? How are you?” Dinky offered.
Rumble shifted his weight from hoof to hoof. “Oh, me? I’m doing great. Gonna go play with some friends later, and Sunny Days too.... So, um, are you coming to the party tomorrow? It’s not a birthday or anything, so you don’t have to bring nothing. Just yourself and I’ll be happy.”
She tried to hide her blush by sinking deeper into the shadows. He’s going to see her again, isn’t he? Aww, it’s not fair! I don’t want to not like her, she never did anything to me, but... still. “Um, well, yeah, I was thinking about it, maybe. No promises though, I might have something, or something.”
“All right then. It would really suck if you weren’t there. Anyhow. I was just here to pick up a few things for tomorrow.” His gaze fell to the ground below, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, Dinky thought she saw a blush taking over his dark grey cheeks. “Right, see you, Dinky. Have fun, shopping and all that.” Swallowing hard, the colt spun around and beat his wings nervously as he fell into the crowd and disappeared.
She sat down.
Oh. Well. That was that. What’s going on? she asked herself in vain as the blood slowly trickled out of her face and her body’s heat died down to a dull glow. Pushing past the haze that clouded her mind, Dinky found the closest thing that remained intact: her grocery list. Picking out the piece of paper, she headed out and began going around the stalls, filling her saddlebags a little more at each one.
A voice talked into her deaf ear, but Dinky kept on trading bits for foodstuffs, glazed over eyes leading her to the next areas as she hid within her thoughts.
“Dinky!” Archer screamed at her, shaking the filly with violent shoves. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, Archer?” Dinky said, pushing her thoughts to the fore. “You’re back.”
Her friend rolled her eyes. “No duh. I brought you a gift. It’s sort’ve an invitation to tomorrow’s contest.” Twisting around, the filly grabbed at something that was tucked under her wing, something long and narrow and that shined in the midday light.
She placed it at Dinky’s hooves and touched it with the tip of her wing. “It’s the arrow, you know, the one that you tried to fire the other day? I thought that maybe you’d wanna keep it, eh?”
“Well, sure,” Dinky said, warming up to the odd present. “Thanks, it’s really nice of you.” The fillies stared at one another trading quick smiles and grins before Archer bit her lower lip.
“All right then. I have to go, Dinky. I really need to practice, and do my homework too. I promised, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, I guess you did.”
She nodded fiercely. “Right! See you tomorrow then.” Huffing in pride and pumping out her chest, Archer trotted by Dinky and began trotting home under the young unicorn’s gaze.
With a slow, forced pace, Dinky pulled away from the market, her bags bulging and weighing her down with every step. Her hooves moved like a creaky old machine, halting steps that almost dragged on the uneven terrain. She was heading home.
Why is this so complicated? I love Archer, I know that, and I love Rumble, but not in the same way. Or do I? What is there to say that I actually love either one of them? Can I base that off of the things I’ve received from them? She shook her head.
No, that sounds like something a mean, selfish pony would think. Then what? What’s the basis for friendship?
Did Mommy lie to me? No, she wouldn’t. Did the books lie to me then? Or maybe I just didn’t understand them. Shouldn't there be a formula to friendship, just like how magic works and math and everything else in life revolves around those principles.
A warm wind blew, capturing the filly in its caress before it moved on and rustled with the leaves of the singular tree nearby. She followed its winding path through the air until her gaze alighted on the town’s library tree, the structure rising above her and hinting at the possibility of answering any question she may have.
The filly then looked at the path she should have been taking, the one leading her to the comforts of home where she could meditate and think and cry. When faced with the choice to stare down a challenge yourself or with friends, always find the shoulder to lean on.
She crossed the thoroughfare, her pace increasing somewhat as hope rekindled itself within her. above the doorway, dangling for a little chain, was a sign that read: Books are your friends. That confirmed her resolve once and for all.
The filly pushed into the library, finding a circular room awash in candlelight and beams of sun that descended from the ceiling to illuminate armies of dust mites. The air itself was permeated by the faint odours of sulfur, mold and the scent of opened tomes. Walking about with her horn aglow, was Twilight Sparkle, the mare levitating some new books and sliding them in the few empty spaces along her massive wall-to-wall shelves.
“Um, hello?” Dinky asked, her bravery only taking her so far.
The librarian looked over. “Oh, hi! Dinky, right?” She finished placing the few books and beat her wings with a sort of childish glee. The floating columns of dust were banished into a swirling whirlpool. “You’re Derpy Hooves’ daughter, aren’t you? I think I recall seeing you with your mom.”
“Um, yeah, that’s me.”
The princess smiled, taking a few tentative steps towards the little filly. “And how may I help you, young Miss Dinky?”
Dinky slushed again, rubbing a forehoof against her shin. “Well, I was wondering if maybe you had a book... well, I know that you have many books, I mean, a specific one, on a specific subject.”
Twilight sat down, her wings folding at her sides in the image of grace. The walls of pure knowledge behind her were like a pliable monolith worshiping their queen to Dinky. “And what subject would that be?”
“Friendship, and, and maybe love,” Dinky burst out, her throat catching just as she uttered the last words in a croak.
Twilight's eyebrows arched, but her serene smile never faded. “Ah, well, you came to the right place then!” Then, the Princess did the unthinkable for Dinky. She placed a hoof over her mouth and snort-giggled. “You kinda found an expert on the subject. At least, from a purely academic point of view.”
“Oh, I know that Miss Sparkle! I read all your books!” Dinky slid forward, closer still to the Princess, but keeping a respectful distance. “Your thesis on making friends, ‘Invaluable Commodities in the Social Arena,’ was incredible, and your book, the ‘Guide to Understanding Conflicting Personalities’ really, really helped me. I’m a huge fan Miss Twilight,” she repeated, tears springing to her eyes. “And I need help, please!”
“Oh,” Twilight said, taken aback. “Well, okay, maybe. The scientific method would imply that we take the time to make an in depth analysis of the issue, then test out a few preliminary solutions before planning out a long term goal that would solve the problem....”
“Yes, I’m familiar with the Scribeswell method of acquired friendship, but, but I don’t think I have time,” Dinky replied in a whisper. “The culmination of my social experiment is tomorrow and, and it’s hard.”
The princess sighed, then hummed, touching the tip of her wing to her chin. “We’ll have to find a solution then, but first, could you summarize the events that are troubling you so much?”
Dinky nodded. “I’ll try, Princess Sparkle. It started at the beginning of this school year. My first year in an actual school. And, I tried to make some friends and I managed to make two of them, good ones. But, well, I think, maybe I might have accidentally sorta fallen in love with one of them by accident?”
“Hmm, that’s normal, or at least, that’s what the majority of the statistics I’ve pulled have said. Ponies, generally of younger ages, tend to fall in love with each other. The ‘why’ is rather complicated though. Still, let’s focus on the characterization,shall we?” She stood up in a single graceful motion and crossed the room, her long limbs skimming past the wooden floor until she reached a shelf and searched. A moment later she returned with a thick tome by her side.
Dropping it on the ground between the two of them, Twilight reached out and began sifting through the pages. “Ah-hah, here’s a definition: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Often one that leads to... um--” Twilight swallowed hard. “--certain desires and a feeling of warm personal attachment.”
“Yeah, I think that’s what I feel for him,” Dinky said, sighing at her own hopeless situation.
“Wait, this is curious,” Twilight notted as she turned a few hundred pages over. “This is the definition of friendship: a pony attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. Dinky,” Twilight said as she closed the book. “The link between friendship and love is rather strong. I can honestly say that I love all my friends, very much. Maybe it’s the same for you? Maybe you’re just so friendly with this colt that you’ve grown to love him?”
“I-I.” That, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah! Maybe It’s just that I’m Rumble’s friend and me worrying isn’t because I love-love him, but because I really, really want to be his friend. And, and that explains why I was a tiny, little bit jealous of Sunny Days, because she’s his friend too! “Thanks Miss Twilight!” Dinky said as she jumped to her hooves.
In a single motion the filly hopped over the book and grabbed the princess in a tight hug, squeezing for all she was worth before the realization of what she had just done hit her. “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s, it’s okay?” Twilight replied, her entire body stiff as she stared at Dinky with detached amazement.
“Thank you so, so, so much, Princess Sparkle,” Dinky repeated as she fell into a low bow while Twilight bit her lip and tried to gesture that it wasn’t necessary.
Dinky got up, spun around and rushed out the door, practically flying as her melancholy was left behind and replaced by a growing grin. She had a bit of a plan. But first, she needed to visit the hardware store.
Edited by:
]The Misfits
Also, we wrote a new story: Of a Certain Adventurous Pony Please, please tell us what you think!
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I like Twilights role in this chapter. Well done!
Your work never ceases to amaze me, and to be honest, you're the one who inspired me to make my own fics.
I know that you'll never fail to disappoint, so keep it up!
3216695
Oh, wow. Never been much of a role model though.
I hope you enjoy the new story too!
3216366
I knew I could not have been the only one who immediately thought of that song.
A) Twilight, waht R U doin. Twilight, stahp. Goodness gracious, she isn't helping this situation in the least. xD
B) Solutions to romantic problems are not typically found at the hardware store. I believe the following chapters will contain significant quantities of well-intentioned mischief and mayhem, and will not help Dinky at all. Furthermore, I believe it will be Twilight's fault.
C) If Dinky happens to meet up with the Crusaders while at the hardware store, I think someone should probably notify Celestia. Because she's not gonna have a country to rule over for much longer.
Archer or Rumble?
Which one seemed more worried?
Yeah, go with Archer.
3217118 If C happens, Celestia and Luna should just leave now. I hear Balrimare is nice this time of year...
3216768 Well, the first story that I read from you was "Of Challenges and Kisses". It would have to be my absolute fic of all time!
And "Of a Certain Adventurous Pony" is prety cool I love the characters in the story quite well in fact. I'll make sure to give it a favorite.
3216366
Damnit when is season four going to be here again? Because that video is like inescapably linked with "new episode time" in my mind.
Funny/Cute chapter.
Though I'm a bit concerned by the title's name not being highly involved or a reference to something. It seems to leaf me hanging.
3221677
You're a terrble person.
I mean. That pun.You need to branch out more with your humour. Puns are sappy.
3221705
I tree what you did there
Twilight seems really off here. The main issue is she's so detached through the whole thing. While she can be very scientific at times she isn't like that always. She certainly could write a bunch of books on the subject, but she tends to talk about it a far more literary manner, even somewhat poetic in her letters to Celestia. She does fall back to facts and figures when it comes to subjects she doesn't know, like love, but friendship she gets and relates to it in a more natural manner. Also Twilight having to look up the definition of Friendship is incredibly wrong. Maybe love, but if she really wrote books on the subject of course she should know the exact wording of Friendship by now.
To end on a positive note other than Twilight acting strange I loved everything else. Especially the two foals screaming at each other like that. I also can't wait to see what Dinky's come up with that requires hardware.
Why must you do this to me Raven?
Dinky + Twilight = too much adorable nerdiness. It's just so very
. I love it.
You need to make another one of these, quick! I think you and your team are some of the best storytellers ever. I never really got into the whole 'shipping' thing, but you changed my mind on this story, OCAK, and OAARAPPP. Keep up the good work, you guys are the best. Also, if you have any more good romances, send them my way please!
3223383
you don't have a limb to stand on.
3779605 He would be more steady if he had more roots in comedy
Commence read.
Looks like Twilight was able to shed some light on Dinky's problems.
Now for some more confusion to ensue.
WHERE HAS THIS GONE!?