Cotton Candy
Day Come On And Smile in Equestria.
Princess Luna has just finished informing Twilight that one of her "children" was coming to stay in Ponyville for a little while. This was the most super wondrous exciting thing ever! Except the time you first met Twilight, of course. Or the time you were at the Grand Galloping Gala. Or the time you went to the Crystal Empire. Or all of those adventures you went on.
"Pinkie!"
Oh! Somepony's calling your name! A wide smile draws across your lips as you turn to the voice. Twilight looks quite grumpy as she speaks.
"Did you get all of that?"
Twilight had been passing on the information from Princess Luna for the past five minutes. But you quickly tuned it out because it was all booooriiiiiiing. With a smile and slight tilt of your head, you shrug at Twilight.
"Not a word of it!"
All of your friends sigh in unison. Your very best, super amazing, super fast, and super talented friend Rainbow Dash puts a hoof on your shoulder.
"Pinkie Pie. I'm going to be as brief and as nice as I can when I say, you really need to start paying attention."
One very fancy, pristine pony nods in agreement as she speaks.
"Yes, dear. This is very important, and we need to do our best to impress our guest."
Applejack and Fluttershy roll their eyes as Twilight starts rambling once again.
"So, we need a place for her to stay. I'd suggest the library, but it's a little cramped in here."
"Ah'd like t'keep her on the farm, but y'know... Granny Smith and th'barn animals."
"I'm scared of... I mean the animals are scared of..." Fluttershy trails off, as usual. Why's she always such a scaredy-pony? She needs to giggle at the ghostie. How many times have you sang that to her, anyway? You lost count somewhere around -
"Pinkie!"
"Hm?" That persistent smile of yours never fades or falters as you look back at Twilight.
"Can she stay with you?" You furrow your brow and tilt your head.
"Well, I don't see why not. I'm going to be throwing her welcome-to-Ponyville party anyway!" Oh, you almost forgot! The party needs to be planned and set up!
"Then it's settled. Princess Luna said our guest would be here sometime tomorrow morning."
"Then the party should be tomorrow at four!" All of your friends giggle as you start skipping around in circles, smiling all the while.
***
On arrival to Sugarcube Corner, you immediately start organizing and planning for the party. But that is incredibly short-lived. After all, you are the number one premiere party planning pink pony in all of Ponyville. And arguably, in all of Equestria.
Mental checklist time.
Balloons, check.
Streamers, check.
Party favors, check.
Games, check.
All that's really left is the food. But that needs to be done just before the party, so everything is nice and fresh. You ponder for a minute as you think of what kinds of treats a bat pony would like. Fluttershy might know. But her cottage was all the way across town, and it was getting late.
Twilight would definitely know. But the library closed five minutes ago.
"She's your friend, Pinkie. She'd let you in past closing time." That was against the rules, and you knew it. Twilight almost never broke the rules, even for her friends. What a predicament you've gotten yourself in now, Pinkie. This was even worse than that time you made all of those clones.
Okay, you were kind of exaggerating. Of course, you were within reason.
The only bat ponies you knew were Princess Luna's guards, and they were really soft-spoken. They rarely smiled. It saddened you a little bit, but then you thought, maybe they were really happy on the inside and just didn't show it at work.
Your left ear twitches as you hum a little tune and shuffle through your party folder. The front door of Sugarcube Corner opens as a purple Alicorn walks in. You try to swivel in your chair, but twist too hard and fall out of it. Salvage the landing, Pinkie. Twilight shakes her head as you tap your hooves together.
"Twilight Sparkle. I've been expecting you."
"I know you have, Pinkie. You left the library before I could give you a list of things to make for the party."
"Yes, excellent."
She rolls her eyes. She knows you have her exactly where you want her.
"Well, anyways. It's a pretty short list, mostly just stuff with mangos, pineapples, and oranges."
Mango lassis, pineapple upside down cakes, and chocolate orange muffins. Perfect!
"And, Princess Luna says she's really shy and reserved, so try not to make the party too... you know. Loud." Keep the party nice and quiet, alright. Sure. You can do that!
Twilight bids you a good night as you get back to work on planning the party. This was going to be the most super fun fantabulous festive fiesta you've ever thrown! But it has to be quiet.
"Shhhh."
***
"Pinkie. Wake up." A hoof shoves into your shoulder.
"Come on, Gummy! Just five more minutes." The hoof pushes into you once again.
"Darling, we're going to be late." That's not the same voice as the first one. And the hoof is more gentle. What kind of spooky witchcraft is this?!
As you sit up, you realize you fell asleep at a table in Sugarcube Corner. And you drooled all over your party folder. That's par for the Pinkie Pie course.
"Why's it always so hard to get her to wake up?"
"I'm not sure, Rainbow Dash. But you mustn't be so brash when waking another pony." The blue and white ponies argue as you conjure a hot cup of coffee out of your mane.
You have coffee stored in your mane, in case of early wake up calls. It's a blessing and a curse. You get coffee any time you want, and sometimes when you don't want it at all. Like the time all of the scalding hot coffee soaked into your mane. That was unpleasant, so you decided to start keeping it in a thermos.
"Pinkie."
It was a little hard keeping the thermos from fall out of your mane, but it's all just so tangly and poofy that it practically holds itself in there.
"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash's face is mere inches from your own. You smile as wide as you can and tap her nose with yours.
"Yes?" She recoils and blushes brightly. Rarity taps you on the shoulder.
"We need to get to the train station. Our guest is going to be there soon."
Ah, yes. Just the pony you were expecting to arrive today. The guest of honor. You tap your hooves together and grin as you turn in your chair.
"You're planning something, aren't you?"
"I might be." Rainbow Dash finally stops blushing and rubbing her nose.
"Pinkie, could you maybe TRY not to ruin everything?"
"Oh, puh-lease Dashie. When have I ever-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." With that, you follow your friends out of Sugarcube Corner. Off to the train station!
***
"Where are Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight?" Rarity sighs as you bounce in place on the platform. Rainbow Dash sits beside her on a bench.
"Applejack had to tend to the farm, Fluttershy had an emergency with the animals, and Twilight..." Rarity nudges Rainbow Dash.
"Egghead's been caught up in her books about bat ponies. You know how she gets." You sigh and roll your eyes.
"I keep telling her, she needs to get out and have fun some more. It's not like she can't afford the time! She isn't a princess or anything."
The two ponies on the bench look at each other. Rainbow Dash looks back at you with a worried look on her face.
"Pinkie. It's been two years since she was coronated, why are you still in denial of that?" You wave a hoof and dismiss her claims.
"Please, Dashie. Twilight's about as much of a princess as Fluttershy is a tree." Rarity daintily covers her mouth with a hoof and stifles a giggle. Rainbow Dash just slaps her face and sighs deeply.
"Sure, Pinkie. Sure."
You smile so wide that you close your eyes and stick your tongue out at Rainbow Dash. She was always so grumpy. Rarity holds a sign up as the train pulls into the station. You must not have heard it coming in. You didn't care, your new friend was about to step off that train...
Now.
No? That's not a bat pony, silly Pinkie. Several ponies get off the train, but you don't see a single bat pony amongst them.
"Where is she?"
Rainbow Dash hovers above the platform and looks around.
"I don't know."
You turn to see if she might have gotten off of one of the other cars, only to be met with two dull orange eyes staring into your own. You jump back and start screaming. She mirrors your action. Rarity and Rainbow Dash rush over to you and calm you and the bat pony down.
"Terribly sorry, darling. Pinkie Pie is quite excitable."
"I-it's alright, I'm used to this."
You swallow hard and blush as Rainbow Dash moves in front of you to block your view of the bat pony.
"Pinkie, you need to apologize."
"I was going to, until you RUDELY stepped in front of me!" Rainbow Dash squints at you.
"Then get to it." That sounded kind of mean.
You flatten your ears and walk around Rainbow Dash. The bat pony looks up at you and lowers her ears.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, Pinkie Pie."
"Y-yeah. I'm sorry too."
***
Today was starting out fairly bad. You've managed to be nearly late to the train station. You've managed to scare your guest.
Well, it could definitely be worse. A dragon could attack Ponyville.
Just as that thought leaves your mind, you look up to the sky. No dragons.
Good, you have a party to throw later.
"Pinkie, do you think you could be a dear and take care of Speck for the day? I have business to attend to at the boutique."
"Yeah, and I have to get my flying practice in." You look past Rarity and notice Speck sitting on one of the benches.
"Did you ask if she wanted to go fly with you?"
"Yeah. She said she'd rather see the town. Can you give her the grand tour?"
"Okie dokie lokie." You smile and bounce away from your friends and towards your new friend. She looks up at you and smiles as you approach.
"Hi."
"Hi! Rarity and Rainbow Dash had some stuff they had to go do, so they left me in charge of your tour!" She blinks as you tilt your head and smile. But that smile slowly fades as she just stares at you.
"Wh-where do you want to go first?"
"I'm not sure. Princess Luna told me I was supposed to be meeting Princess Twilight?"
"Oh please, Twilight's going to be at the party later. You can meet her then!"
She looks away from you and groans.
"I'm not really a fan of large gatherings with new ponies."
"You... don't hate parties do you?" She hops off of the bench and sighs as she walks past you. You quickly trot to her side.
"No, no. Not when it's other ponies that I know, but... I don't really know anyone here."
"Well, I'm Pinkie Pie, and you've already met Rarity and Rainbow Dash! That's three ponies!"
"I guess you have a point. Are we going to meet anyone else?" You start bouncing as you and your new friend trot into town.
"Of course! There's plenty of ponies to meet!"
Wait! The party! You still need to make all of the treats!
Speck tilts her head and stares at you as you start furiously tapping the ground with your hooves.
"Are you okay, Pinkie Pie?"
"No! I forgot that I have to bake all of the treats for the party!"
"Do you want any help? I used to help my mom bake all the time." You start to hyperventilate, looking around for any possible answer to your predicament. Speck needed to be shown the town, and you needed to get baking. "Pinkie Pie. I can help you bake if you need me to."
You start to whine as you spot Applejack carrying a large cart of Apples through town. Dragging Speck along with you, you rush over to Applejack.
"Well, howdy there. Is this the special guest we're all supposed t'be welcomin'?" Applejack puts a hoof under your chin as you start nodding frantically. "What's wrong this time, Pinkie?"
"I forgot I have to bake for the party!"
"I already told her I'd help."
"You can't help! You have to go on your tour!" Applejack puts a hoof on your shoulder and smiles.
"Sugarcube, she's gonna be here for a few days. Y'all don't have t'worry about the tour." Your eyes water as you sniffle.
"But..."
"No buts, Pinkie. She'd be more'n happy t'help ya bake for th'party." You turn to Speck and smile softly.
"Would you, really?"
"I already said I would."
You leap into the air and fire off your emergency confetti, which is conveniently stored in your mane. In case of confetti emergencies, of course.
"Well then, y'all better be off then. Oh, and here. A welcomin' gift from the Apple family." Applejack gives Speck half a dozen of her brightest, reddest apples.
"Thank you. I'm Speck, by the way. Nice to meet you.
"I'm Applejack, and likewise. I'll see y'all at the party later. Gotta sell these apples." Applejack waves as she trots off with her cart.
"That's four ponies you know now!"
Speck chuckles nervously.
"Who haven't I met yet?"
"Well! There's Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Pound Cake, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl Scratch-" She shoves a hoof over your mouth and slowly shakes her head as her eyes lock with yours.
"Please. I have a feeling you're about to name the entire town."
You nod. She sighs and lowers her head, ears drooping.
"That's really unnecessary."
"Sooorryyyyy. I just get super duper excited when my new friends meet all of my other friends and they become friends and-" Her hoof slips into your mouth.
"Please."
You whisper a soft and muffled "okay."
"Thank you." A loud pop sounds as she takes her hoof out of your mouth. With a drop of her jaw and a raise of an eyebrow, she stares at you in shock.
"It's better not to ask, with that one." A light blue unicorn with a cape walks by. You wave frantically at her.
"Hi Trixie! Bye Trixie! Make sure to come to the party later!"
"I'll make sure to be there, Pinkie Pie."
"Well, time to get baking!"
"Who was that?" Speck follows you as you start to bounce in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.
"That was Trixie. She's a magician!"
"Is she going to perform at the party?" You giggle and fall over onto your side.
"Oh, that's rich! Trixie hasn't performed in town in over three years!"
"Why not?"
Standing up, you wipe your tears off of your cheeks and out of your eyes.
"Long story short, she was a bit of a meanie-pants to a lot of ponies in town."
She hums softly as you begin your trek to Sugarcube Corner.
"So you just let her stay here? Has she caused any more trouble?"
"Not really. But, you know what they say! Friendship is magic!"
She stops just as you reach the front steps of Sugarcube Corner.
"Who's "they"?"
You shrug and trot up the stairs and into your place of work. The smell of fresh cookies and cupcakes and pies hit your nostrils.
"Oh, wow. It smells absolutely amazing in here!" Her eyes close as she takes the smell in, a wide smile forming on her face. "Do you live here?"
"Mhm! Upstairs in the attic! Or, well. The giant cupcake attic!"
"Pinkie? Is that you? Could you be a dear and come into the kitchen? I need a little help!"
Oh, of course! You completely forgot Mrs. Cake was restocking the bakery today.
"Come on Speck!" She rushes past you as she follows the smell of fresh baked treats into the kitchen. You follow closely behind her.
"Oh! Well, who's your friend, Pinkie?"
"Royal guest! She's going to be staying with us for a few days while she... Why are you here?"
"First, I'm not royalty. Second, didn't Princess Luna tell you?"
You snort as you laugh.
"Well duh, of course she did! Well, actually. She told Twilight, but she always rambles and talks and talks and I never listen to her!"
She slaps a hoof to her face as you grin. Mrs. Cake does the same.
"Anyways, Princess Luna actually forced me to come here because I've been "lonely" and "need to make friends"." She actually makes air-quotations with her hooves. You thought you were the only one that did that.
"Pinkie? Do you think you and your friend could ice those cakes on the counter?"
"Okie dokie lokie!" You bounce over to the counter and pick up a spatula in your mouth.
"Pinkie? I've never iced a cake before."
"Oh! It's easy, just remember: whatever you do is going to be absolutely perfect, because you did it, and that's all that matters." Your constant smile fades for a second as you whisper to yourself. "You just have to believe in yourself, because you're absolutely wonderful."
Speck tilts her head as she notices your smile fade.
"Are you okay?"
With a quick bounce and giggle, you slap a large amount of cake icing onto the cake in front of you.
"Of course! I'm always feeling positively Pinkie keen!"
"I think there's more to you than meets the eye, Pinkie." Her words catch your attention midway through smoothing the icing over the cake.
"Well, of course there is, silly! I'm not just some two-dimensional black and white pony!"
Speck giggles and smears icing over her cake. It looks awful, from a professional's perspective. But your own words have you entirely convinced that no pony can do anything wrong if they at least try. She giggles to herself and smiles wider than you've seen her smile all day. Until she looks over at your cake, which causes her to frown and her ears to droop.
"My cake looks terrible."
"Of course not, silly! It looks perfectly you! Remember what I said, Speck."
"No matter what I do, it's going to be perfect, because I did it."
You grin and tap her on the nose with your spatula.
"Looks like you hit the nail on the head! Or, should I say, the ball with a bat!"
She stops what she's doing and stares at you, icing smeared over her nose.
"That doesn't make any sense."
"You hit the ball. With a bat. Because you're a bat pony."
"That is such a bat pun." You gasp and drop your spatula on the counter. Oh, she's good. "Did I say somefang wrong?" With another gasp, you begin tapping your hooves against the floor.
She likes puns!
She taps you on the nose with her spatula and smears icing on your muzzle.
"Now we're even."
***
After several hours of baking together, you and Speck finally look up at the clock that hangs in the kitchen. One o' clock.
"Well, we definitely made good time. When's the party?"
"Four! I can take you on your tour now, if you want!"
She smiles and nods.
"Yeah. I'd like that."
"Hmmm. Where should we go first?"
You tap a hoof on your chin.
"We could go see Fluttershy! Oh, but she's taking care of her animals..."
"I'm not very good around animals."
"Oh. Wanna go see if Rarity's busy? I'm sure she'd love to give you a makeover!"
"Sure, that could be fun!"
You bounce around with glee at her answer.
"Well then, let's go!"
"Why are you standing on my back?" Looking down, you find that you stopped bouncing after landing on her back. Mrs. Cake walks through the kitchen just as Speck asks her question.
"Don't question it, dearie. Pinkie is what Pinkie does."
Speck tilts her head back and looks up at you.
"Can you get down?"
"Whoopsie! Sorry!" You hop down and start to trot out of the bakery with your new bat friend in tow.
"So, Rarity. She's the white unicorn, right?"
"Mhm!"
"What does she do?" Speck trots beside you as you lead her to Rarity's boutique.
"She's a dressmaker, but her special talent is finding gems. She uses the gems on her dresses."
"Oooh. No wonder she looked so fancy and regal."
"Oh, no! That's just how she always looks!"
Speck starts looking at your legs as you bounce and hop on the way to the boutique.
"Can I ask why you do that? And how?"
You stop abruptly and stare ahead of you. The gears in your brain crank and turn as you furrow your brow.
"I... I'm not sure. I've always done it. It's just second nature!" With the final word, you bounce up and squee, a large grin overtaking your face.
"You really are one of a kind, aren't you?"
"Yessiree, I'm the most one of a kind pony there is!"
Speck tries to mimic your bouncing and hopping as the two of you continue on to Rarity's boutique. Poor little bat. She was never going to be able to do it. It made you giggle watching her try though!
***
The front door creaks open, causing a bell to chime through the building.
"Just a minute!" The sound of a frantic unicorn reaching a good stopping point in her work could be heard from the front of the shop. Muffled "oof"s and "ow"s sound as she clambers out of her work room.
"Oh! Pinkie! How's the tour going?"
"It just started." You say this with a bright and cheery smile.
"Wh... What? Pinkie, I left you alone hours ago!" Rarity places a hoof on her forehead and sighs.
"We were baking for the party. It was a lot of fun!"
Rarity looks at Speck with a raised eyebrow and a look of pure shock.
"You... actually had fun baking with Pinkie Pie?"
"Of course. She's really fun to be around."
You blush and bat a hoof at her. Heh, bat puns.
"Oh, psh. I'm just doing what I love to do!"
Rarity just stares at you in awe.
"Well, I thought leaving the two of you alone would be a bad idea, but good to know I was wrong!"
"Rarity! Could you hurry up out there? Standing here is getting a LITTLE BIT TIRING!"
You gasp and jump up! Rainbow Dash was here too! How perfect! But Rarity stops you just as you start to drag Speck into her work room.
"Bad idea, darling. Fluttershy's back there helping me sew some things and... you know how she gets."
"But she has to meet Speck!"
"I can meet her at the party, you know."
"But..."
"Ah, ah. Pinkie, dear. It would be better if-"
Absolutely not! You were taking Speck on a tour to see Ponyville and meet all of your friends! Fluttershy would just have to suck it up. With Speck in tow, you barge past Rarity into her work room.
You find Rainbow Dash wearing a dress that isn't too snug, but isn't too loose. Little diamonds sparkle across the black fabric.
"Wow! Pinkie, you were right! Her dresses ARE amazing!"
"You flatter me, darling, really. But it isn't finished yet!"
"Ugh, I wish it was. You KNOW how much I hate wearing dresses."
Speck looks at Rarity and tilts her head.
"Why are you making her wear it if it isn't hers?"
"Well... It needs to have wing holes, and her proportions are very similar to the pony I'm making the dress for."
You bounce over to Rainbow Dash and smile at her. She sighs and rolls her eyes as you make silly faces, trying to get her to move or laugh. Fluttershy stands beside her, Rainbow Dash's body blocking the view between her and Speck. She has several pins in her mouth and was concentrated solely on the dress.
"Hi Fluttershy!"
"Eeep!" She drops the pins and nearly jumps out of her coat. "Oh! H-hi Pinkie Pie. You startled me."
"Sorry! I have somepony I want you to meet!"
"Oh? Is it our guest?" You nod excitedly. "W-well. I guess I better meet her sooner, r-rather than later, right?" Fluttershy had, thankfully, been getting more and more acclimated to meeting new ponies without freaking out and fainting. Unfortunately, she didn't know any bat ponies. Not even Luna's guards. As a result, the exact moment that she looks around Rainbow Dash, she immediately turns and gets back to putting pins into the dress.
"Fluttershy?"
"I-I'm not scared!"
"Yes you are."
Fluttershy glares at Rainbow Dash, who starts stomping her hooves in place.
"Can you hurry up with the dress?"
You trot away from the two pegasi before Fluttershy can respond.
"Uh, Rarity? I think Fluttershy needs your help." Rarity sighs as you interrupt her and Speck.
"Fine. The dress shouldn't be taking this long anyway!" She huffs and trots over to the pegasi, leaving you with Speck.
"She's really nice. She was telling me about all of the dresses she made for the Grand Galloping Gala. I wish I could see them."
"Oh, yeah. She's really, really super nice. She makes our dresses for the Gala every year!" You and Speck turn to watch Rarity and Fluttershy get back to work on the dress.
"We should probably leave them to it. Where to next?"
"We should probably go find Applejack. Hopefully she won't be at the farm."
"Why not?"
"Well... Her granny's a little old-fashioned and doesn't take too kindly to... you know."
"Bat ponies?"
Rarity glares at you from across the room. Apparently she hadn't been doing anything to the dress the entire time you and Speck were talking.
"If you two are absolutely insistent on speaking to one another whilst I work, I would kindly tell you that Applejack was here not long before you two arrived!"
"Did she say where she was going?"
"As a matter of fact, she did. She said she was going to head over to the library to fetch Twilight and head to the party."
Rainbow Dash stomps her hooves.
"Rarity! Please, finish the dress!"
"Oh, of course. Apologies, dear." Rarity shoo's you out of the room so she can work in peace.
"I didn't see Fluttershy in there."
"Oh, she was hiding."
Speck follows you as you leave the boutique.
"Hiding? Why?"
"Oh, she's a big scaredy pony. She used to be scared of her own shadow, but now it's really just new ponies."
"Is it because I'm a bat pony?"
"No, no. She actually has a few bats at her cottage. It's just because she doesn't know you, really!"
She shrugs and continues walking with you to the library.
As you approach the Twilight's library-house, you notice a little purple dragon sitting outside of the door. Applejack sits beside him.
"Hi Spike! Hi Applejack!"
"Hey Pinkie, and uh..."
"Howdy Pinkie. Howdy Speck."
"Speck?"
"She's the bat pony Princess Luna sent here! And she's... uh..." You turn your head, only to find her cowering behind you.
"Somethin' wrong?"
"Yeah, are you okay Speck?"
She mutters something as she looks around you at Applejack.
"Are y'all frightened of Spike?" Speck nods slowly, which causes Applejack to start laughing as Spike crosses his arms with a smug grin.
"At least someone around here recognizes me as a ferocious dragon."
You and Applejack laugh loud enough that Twilight pokes her head out of one of the windows higher up on the tree.
"Spike! Would you keep it down out there?! I'm trying to study!"
You, Speck, Applejack, and Spike all look up at the window. At this point, Twilight has realized that Spike is no longer alone outside of the library.
"Oh! Pinkie! You brought Speck... I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon! Give me a minute and I'll be right down!" Exactly one minute later, the front door of the library opens. "Sorry girls, I was a little preoccupied with... Pinkie, why is Speck hiding behind you?"
"Spike."
Twilight glares at Spike.
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything! She just started cowering behind Pinkie Pie as soon as she saw me."
Applejack chuckles and nudges Spike.
"It's 'cause he's a ferocious fire breathin' dragon. Ain't that right, Speck?"
Speck mumbles something and hides her face in her hooves. Twilight flattens her ears as she approaches you and Speck.
"Spike, go inside and clean the bedroom up."
"What?!"
Applejack nudges Spike again and shakes her head.
"Ah think y'all should get to it. Yer scarin' Speck."
Spike grumbles and walks inside without another word. You just smile as wide as a mile. Applejack sits beside you as you turn to face Speck, Twilight already trying to calm her down.
"Hey, Speck?"
Speck squeaks and continues hiding her face. Applejack places a hoof on her shoulder and leans down, offering Speck a smile.
"Now come on, sugarcube. There ain't nothin' t'be afraid of. Spike's just a little baby dragon."
Speck starts to smile weakly as she moves her hooves from her face.
"It's just... new things, I guess. I've never seen a dragon before, but I've read about how scary they can be."
Twilight smiles as she brings a hoof up under Speck's chin.
"There's no reason to be afraid. He's just a baby dragon."
Speck nods slowly as you give her a tight hug from behind.
"Well, come on! We have a party to get to!"
"Hang on Pinkie. I wanted to talk to Speck for a little while before the party."
"Could we talk at Sugarcube Corner? We're going there anyway."
"I suppose we could. Spike already knows when the party is, I guess he'll just show up around then."
With only two hours until the party, you, Applejack, Speck, and Twilight decide to start setting up. Twilight and Speck work close together, so Twilight can talk with her. You have no idea what it's about, since you're all the way across the room from them, tossing streamers and balloons everywhere. And preventing Applejack from sampling any of the treats too soon.
She keeps eying those peach cupcakes Mr. Cake suggested you make.Silly Applejack, everypony knows you only like apples.
It might actually have been a bad idea to put her on tablecloth and snack duty. But oh well, Twilight and Speck were busy moving tables and chairs against the walls.
"Hey, uh... Pinkie Pie? Would y'all mind if Ah just had one little nibble of a cupcake?"
You turn to her and offer a wide grin.
"Of course I would, silly! You have to wait until the party starts just like everypony else!"
The apple farmer groans and flattens her ears.
"Just one liiittle nibble?"
She raises a hoof to you as she continues to plead. You tap her nose with a hoof and smile.
"Nope! You know the rules!" As you hop away from her, tossing streamers and confetti all over the room, Twilight beckons you over to her and Speck. "Hey Twilight! Hey Speck! What's shakin'?"
"Well, I know you weren't listening yesterday when I was telling everypony what Luna told me." Implying you were listening right now. "And I just wanted to say that you've been doing an excellent job of making Speck feel welcome."
"Did you really doubt that I couldn't make anypony feel welcome in Ponyville? Please, Twilight. Give me some credit."
"So Princess Twilight, what exactly am I here for, anyway?"
Princess Twilight. You chuckle softly and place a hoof on Speck's shoulder.
"Twilight isn't a princess, silly!"
Speck stares at you with a very curious gaze. It makes you fall over and giggle.
"You'll have to excuse her. She hasn't quite come around to the idea. Anyways, I thought Princess Luna told you?"
"Kind of, I guess. I've been a little lonely lately, and I've never had many friends."
You continue to giggle and snort over Speck thinking Twilight was a princess while they talk.
"Yes, she said she sent you here to learn how to make friends. She said you were really lonely back in Hollow Shades." Speck looks away from Twilight and catches your eye as you finally calm down. "But, I can tell that Pinkie here has really helped you."
Speck gives you a very sincere, very cheerful smile as she nods.
"She has, but I don't think I'm ready to go back yet. Maybe a little more time here would be beneficial."
"Fair enough. We did plan to have you here for at least several days."
You hop up and hug Speck around the neck.
"You even get to stay in the giant cupcake with me! It's going to be the bestest best sleepover in the history of sleepovers!"
"I've never been to a sleepover before."
"Oh, well in that case I should run to the library and get my copy of 'Slumber 101: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask'."
"Twilight, please. I know how to handle slumber parties. They ARE parties, after all!"
Twilight just rolls her eyes at you.
"Well, if I'm staying in the cupcake, do you think you could show me how to get up there? I've been carrying my bags with me all day."
"Oh, have you? Heehee, I guess I never noticed!" You really hadn't, and it was probably because she only had two saddle bags slung over her back. She must have known she'd be staying here for a while.
"Actually, let me just take your bags upstairs. We're almost done setting up for the party and the guests should be arriving soon! Wouldn't want you to miss meeting all of them!"
Speck jerks away from you as you reach for her bags. Her dull orange eyes pierce your very own. Oooh, spooky.
"I-I'd actually like to take them up myself."
"Okie dokie lokie! In that case, just head up the stairs, to the right, at the end of the hall and to the left! There's a spiral staircase that leads right up into the cupcake!"
"Thanks, Pinkie."
"No problemo!"
Speck offers you and Twilight a weak smile as she trots up the stairs.
"Well that was a little weird."
"Everypony's a little weird, Twilight."
"Uh-huh. Well, let's finish setting things up, shall we?"
"Alrighty!"
***
As time passes, you, Applejack, and Twilight, soon accompanied by Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, finish setting the party up. And just in time, at exactly four o'clock, ponies from all over town start trickling into the bakery and begin mingling and taking part in the games. They talk amongst each other, and it seems that all is going well for a party. That is, until Twilight approaches you not long after you start hearing whispers of who the party is for.
"Pinkie Pie? I haven't seen Speck since she went up to your room earlier."
You shrug and look around.
"She's probably just trying to psyche herself up for the party!"
"Can you take Rarity and Fluttershy and go check on her? Rarity mentioned something about having a gift."
"Okie dokie lokie!" You take your leave of Twilight and search for Rarity and Fluttershy. It doesn't take long to find Fluttershy, at least. As usual, she sits in the corner of the room, all alone at one of the tables.
"H-Hello Pinkie."
"Hi Fluttershy! Twilight wants me, you, and Rarity to go find Speck!"
"Oh my. I c-can't, Pinkie. I'm sorry." She looks away from you and bites her lip.
"Oh come on! She isn't anything to be afraid of, Fluttershy. She's really nice!"
"Darling, is everything alright?" Oh Universe. You're such a pal. Turning to Rarity, you nod your head towards the stairs.
"Twilight wants us to look for Speck."
"I was wondering why I haven't seen her. Is she afraid of parties?"
"I'm not sure."
"W-well, if she's anything l-like a normal bat pony, she should be asleep."
You raise your eyebrow.
"She's been awake all day, silly!"
"Well, in th-that case she's probably just trying not to come off as... strange."
"Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy squeaks and hides her face in her hooves.
"S-sorry."
"Come on, Fluttershy. We absolutely must go look for our guest!"
Fluttershy mutters and whines as Rarity uses her magic to lift her out of her seat. You bounce beside the two as Rarity leads the way through the crowd and upstairs. But after walking down the hall, taking left, and ascending the spiral stairs, you find no sign of Speck in your cupcake.
"Her bags are here, but I don't see her. Do you think she wanted to play hide and seek?!" You look up at the ceiling, and down at the floor. Rarity just sighs.
"No, I don't think she did."
"M-maybe she's just... sleeping?" Fluttershy tries to dart out of the room as she finishes her sentence, but Rarity catches her with magic once more.
"Hmmm. Maybe she's hiding in the crowd downstairs!" You hop back downstairs with Rarity in tow, but stop just outside of the bathroom. Rarity bumps into your backside as you stop.
"Pinkie Pie! Please, give us a warning when you're going to stop so abruptly!"
"No, shhh!" You point at the door and press an ear to it. Rarity does the same, while Fluttershy just tries to tip-toe away. Rarity does nothing to stop her this time, and just listens intently to the sobs that come from inside.
"What do we do?"
You tap your chin with a hoof and look up at the door.
"Hmmm."
Rarity grabs your hoof as you reach up and try to knock on the door.
"Pinkie! You can't just knock on the door when somepony's crying!"
"Well, why not?"
"It's rude!"
"You know what else is rude? Talking about somepony outside of the bathroom when they're crying."
Rarity gasps and nearly faints as she turns and notices Speck standing with the door open. You flatten your ears and quickly grab Speck in a big hug.
"You can't be sad today! Especially now! You have a party to get to, and so many ponies showed up and they all want to meet you!"
"No, no. I'm not sad, it's just that... none of you really know me, and you're going through all of this trouble to make me feel welcome."
"Darling. It's a simple party, Pinkie Pie does this for every new pony that walks into Ponyville."
"Yeah! I just want everypony to feel super happy all the time! It's my special talent!"
Rarity perks up and smiles as she suddenly remembers something.
"I will be back momentarily! I left something downstairs." Rarity rushes back downstairs, leaving you with Speck.
"So."
You just grin at her until she starts smiling. Her tear stained cheeks turn up with her lips as she catches a case of the smiles.
"So, now that you're smiling and not crying, we can get on with the party!"
"But what about Rarity? She said she'd be right back."
"Oh, fine. But you're going to enjoy the party after this!"
And so you waited for her to get back. Speck just sat in the doorway of the bathroom, not speaking another word. After a grueling two whole minutes of tapping your hooves on the floor, Rarity finally bounded up the stairs with a little gift-wrapped box.
"Sorry it took so long. The crowd down there is positively massive!"
"Oooh! Can we go back down there yet?!"
"Not yet, darling. First, I'd like to give Speck a little gift." Rarity trots up to Speck and sets the box down in front of her, releasing it from her magic grip. Speck's eyes widen as she looks down at the box. Her eyes water as she opens the box, threatening to cry again.
"Go on. Try it on." Rarity levitates one black dress flecked with diamonds out of the box.
"It's beautiful... Why didn't you tell me it was for me? I would've let you use me to size it!"
"It wouldn't have been as much of a surprise, but SOMEPONY decided to barge into my workshop! I can measure a pony up just by looking at them, anyway, so it wouldn't have been necessary."
Speck sits on her haunches and looks at the dress.
"I love it! Thank you, so much." She smiles at Rarity, who quickly shoves Speck back into the bathroom.
"Hurry up and put it on, darling. We have a party to get to!"
"Yeah, come on! The party's almost in full swing by the sounds of it!"
Moments later, Speck returns from her venture in putting her new dress on. Her messy dark-turquoise mane and dull orange eyes are brought out by the dress. Rarity hums and taps her chin with a hoof. She levitates a hairband out of the box and affixes it to Speck's mane. The sky-blue band stands out among her mane. A cute little bat hangs on it, just beside her ear.
"There we are! It's so simple, yet... so perfect. I must say, I've really outdone myself on this one!"
Speck smiles as she looks over the dress.
"It is perfect. Thank you, so much Rarity."
"Party?"
"Yes, Pinkie. Speck? If you're ready, the party does await its guest of honor!"
She nods and blushes a little bit. You grin and hop toward the stairs with both of your friends in tow. Some of the party-goers start to stare at Speck as she trots behind you. Everypony in the room quiets down as you and Rarity sit on either side of Speck. Rarity clears her throat as she begins to speak, but you quickly cut her off.
"Everypony, this is Speck! She's the guest of honor!" You hold your hooves up at Speck, who waves meekly.
"Is that a bat pony?"
"Are those fangs?"
"I-is she going to drink our blood?"
Speck raises a hoof as her lip starts quivering.
"B-but I don't drink blood."
You look over to Rarity, who just sits slack-jawed and mortified. But just before you can say anything to all of those rude ponies, Fluttershy hops up on the stairs and turns to face the crowd.
"How dare all of you say such cruel things to an innocent pony! She's no different from any of us!"
Applejack climbs onto the stairs and takes a seat in front of Speck.
"Y'all should be ashamed of yerselves, insultin' such a sweet pony like that. Ah bet none a'y'all've even talked t'her!"
Rainbow Dash hovers beside the stairs and just glares out at the crowd as Twilight finally approaches the steps.
"Party's over. I want all of you out of here. Treating a royal guest like this? Really? I thought better of all of you."
The ponies chatter amongst each other in surprise as they start to file out of the building.
"Aw! Party's over? Come on Twilight!" You frown and lower your ears.
"Darling. It's not like we haven't had parties with just the six of us."
Rainbow Dash flies out in front of the stairs and holds her arms out to her sides.
"So? There's still food and games! Come on, let's have some fun... Hang on, where'd Speck go?"
You turn your head and notice that Speck was strangely missing.
"Oh no." You rush up the stairs, leaving your friends behind. As you sprint into the cupcake-attic, you notice her bags are still on the floor. She's still here, somewhere.
A gentle breeze wafts through the room, as you look up at the open window. You rush up to it and look outside. A dark turquoise tail catches your attention as you look up. Closing the window as you climb out, so none of your friends would think to interrupt, you climb up onto the top of the cupcake and sit beside Speck.
"Hey Pinkie." She brushes the side of a hoof over her eye.
"Why'd you leave? The party was just about to start."
"I didn't want to listen to any of that. I can understand that I'm different, but I just can't listen to it."
"But we stuck up for you."
She nods and sniffles.
"I know. I left after Fluttershy finished speaking."
"Well it's over. Why don't you come down and we'll play some games and chow down on some treats?"
"Can we just sit here for a little while? I'm not ready to face anypony just yet." And so, you sat with Speck, watching the colors of the sky shift from their blues, to their oranges.
"You don't have any friends in Hollow shades, do you?"
"Not really, no."
"Is that why you're awake during the day?"
"Mhm. Usually, bat ponies ARE nocturnal, but we usually adapt to the sleep schedules of the ponies that we associate with the most."
"Neat! But... who would normally be awake during the day in a village of bat ponies?"
"Tourists, mostly. I give day-tours of the town."
"Aren't the ponies scared of you?"
"Not usually. The colts and fillies are, but most of the adults go to Hollow Shades expecting to see bat ponies."
You look up at the sky as the sun starts to hang low in its path. The blues of the sky start to change into bright oranges.
"I've always enjoyed watching the sun set." She smiles and spreads her wings. "We should get back downstairs."
"Yup! The others are probably still looking for us!" You and Speck hop down from the top of the cupcake and back through the window. Applejack stands with her back to you as she looks through your closet.
"Not in here either. Hmmm. If Ah were a bat pony, where would Ah hide?"
Speck presses a hoof to her lips and whispers a soft "shhh" as she starts to sneak up behind Applejack. Speck stops just behind her and waits. Applejack, after finishing her search through the closet, swiftly turns and comes face to face with Speck.
The startled pony jumps back and hollers louder than you've ever heard her holler before. She falls back on her rump and holds a hoof to her chest, her breathing rapid. Four other ponies come running up the stairs and stop as they see Speck standing over Applejack. Speck looks up at them and waves a hoof as she starts to giggle. As Applejack's breathing finally slows, she starts to giggle as well.
You trot up beside Speck and pat her on the shoulder. Rainbow Dash runs over and gives Speck a hi-hoof. Twilight and Rarity trot back downstairs, shaking their heads as Fluttershy follows them.
"Good to know she's fitting in."
"Well, come on girls! There's a party downstairs just waiting to be had!" You lead one pegasus, one earth pony, and one very happy bat pony downstairs and into the main room of Sugarcube Corner. One Alicorn, one unicorn, and another pegasus stood around chatting and playing games with each other. The festivities double as your group joined theirs, and all seven of you eating treat after treat and playing game after game.
Each of your friends spent a good chunk of time with Speck.
Fluttershy talked to her about bats, bat ponies, and different fruits.
Twilight talked to her about Hollow Shades and what the other bat ponies were like.
Rarity just fawned over how perfect Speck looks in the dress she made.
Rainbow Dash just bragged about how fast she is, and keeps asking Speck how fast the average bat pony can fly.
Applejack talked about the farm and all of the apples, and every single recipe she knew for them.
Speck's smile never faded. That is, until Spike dropped by to give Twilight a letter from Princess Luna. But, her smile returned just as quickly as Twilight began to read the letter.
"Dear Princess Twilight,
I have noticed that the bat pony I've sent to stay with you has been significantly happier.
I am not sure if you are aware, but each star in my night sky shines in representation of my ancient children.
Speck, being one of those children, has a star of her very own, just as all of the bat ponies do.
I'd like to thank you and your friends for cheering her up and helping that star to shine just as brightly as all of the others.
Yours, for as long as the moon and the sun watch over Equestria,
Princess Luna"
"Well girls, we definitely did a good job."
Rainbow Dash gives you a hi-hoof.
"It WAS mostly Pinkie Pie."
Twilight nods and gives you a big hug.
"Yes, thank you so much for showing her around Ponyville."
Speck smiles and nods.
"Yeah, thank you Pinkie Pie."
You and all of your friends converge on Speck and squeeze her in a big group hug.
"Well, this big group hug is nice and all, but we need to be in Canterlot tomorrow, Twilight."
"Oh! Yes, of course, how could I have forgotten. I'll see you girls when we get back!"
And so, you and Speck started saying your farewells to the rest of your friends as each one of them started to leave. Soon enough, only you and Speck were left. Upon looking outside, you realize how late it was. The moon was already making its way through the sky.
"There's still more to do, though! The party might be over, but the sleepover is just star-"
A yawn cuts you off. Speck chuckles and starts leading you upstairs.
"No, I think it's time to sleep. We've had enough fun for the day, don't you think?"
"I guess. We're going to have more fun tomorrow, right?!"
"Of course!"
Speck stands beside you as you both look at the bed. She had removed her dress as soon as she got into the room.
"It's your bed."
"Well, you're the guest!"
"I can sleep in the closet."
"Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"Not really. I'm pretty u-"
You cut her off as you headbutt her onto the bed. She lands with a soft "pomf" and rolls over to look at you.
"Okay, fine. But where are you going to sleep?"
"In the bed, duh! It's not like it'd be weird or anything." You hop in bed beside her and pull the covers up to your neck "Well, good night!"
"Good night, Pinkie Pie." Speck rolls over and faces the window as she covers herself with your quilt.
You clap your hooves together to shut the lights in the room off.
"Pinkie?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks again. For being my friend."
"It's no problem, silly! I'm friends with everypony!"
The soft snoring coming from behind you tells you that Speck finally fell asleep. You roll over and smile as the moonlight seeps in through your window and illuminates her form. As hard as it is to resist, you scoot closer to her and wrap your forelegs around her in a tight embrace.
"I know how hard it is to be alone, but you just need to remember that you were destined to be with your friends from the very beginning." Letting go of her and rolling back over, you close your eyes and smile. "Somepony, somewhere, will value you more than anything, and they'll love you forever. You just have to be patient."
Your words trail off as you finish talking to yourself, the warm embrace of a nightly rest finally taking you.