A Sweet Melody
The Everfree forest remained a place nopony should venture off into. Of course, the saviors of Equestria had made quite a few trips through the forest and managed to return in one piece.
Although the fear of the forest was strong, they went in without hesitation when it was necessary, and only when it was necessary.
Out of the six heroes, Fluttershy was one to frequently make trips to the forest. She had initially been terrified of it, but after years of living just outside it and becoming familiar with all the creatures that lived there, it was a lot less scary than it once was.
While everypony knew she often acquainted herself with the forest, there was one other mare that explored it.
Pinkie Pie took solace in the midst of the vast woodland on early Monday mornings before the week officially started. There was a clearing in the forest that very few ponies knew about. It was void of animals, and Pinkie Pie had made it her own.
Her new yovidaphone had its own stand so it didn't have to sit in the dirt all the time, and there was a small umbrella hanging over it to keep it safe from the rain. She also had a tarp hung up over her art center, which was just an easel and some paint. Last but not least, next to the easel stood a pony-sized mirror, for various reasons.
It wasn't much, after all, lugging all those things through the forest to the circular clearing wasn't easy, but it was a place Pinkie could call her own, where nopony could judge her and she could be messy and loud to her hearts content.
Besides, she didn't want to bother the ponies of Ponyville. Sometimes she felt as if her presence upset and annoyed her friends. But she didn't begrudge them for it. It was understandable, as she didn't like the idea of somepony barging in on her life either.
When her friends ended up supporting her yovidaphone playing even though she was terrible, she decided to get a new instrument (since her old one was thrown away) and keep it in the forest, far, far away from Fluttershy's house and Zecora's hut. Pinkie had done a thorough search for any other creatures living by the clearing. Save for some bugs and worms, there were no other living beings. Was it something to be concerned about? Sure, but Pinkie knew never to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Every Monday morning, an hour before sunrise, Pinkie set off to visit her safe space. Her yovida-zone, if you will. She made sure to trot quietly as she made her way towards the Everfree forest, passing by Fluttershy's cottage with the softest of steps.
It would take nearly the whole hour to get there, but it was always worth it. She'd then practice until it was time to go back to Sugarcube Corner. Some weeks, just before sun rise, she'd play the flute, which she kept in a case underneath the easel. The flute was something she didn't play often, as it always made her sad. But sometimes, she'd take it out of it's case, polish it, and play the softest, most sorrowful melody. It was the only song she knew how to play perfectly.
Today, Pinkie woke up an hour earlier than normal. It was quite dark outside, and while Pinkie knew not to be afraid of the dark, she couldn't help her heart beating just a little faster as she cautiously closed the door to the sweet shop.
At any given time at night you'd expect at least one or two ponies out and about, but ponyville was so small, the nights were dead silent. It was almost eerie, but Pinkie pushed that fear to the back of her mind.
She slowly made her way towards Fluttershy's cottage, not going close to it, but just passing by. Pinkie's heart always ached just a little each time she passed the gentle mare's home. If there was anypony she could share her space with, it would be Fluttershy, because Fluttershy wouldn't tell anypony else.
But that was another thought to be locked away. Pinkie had to keep it a secret, for everypony's sake. Fluttershy might wonder why the clearing failed to home any animals. And then she'd tell Twilight, and Twilight would do some research and find out it's actually some magical forcefield, and it would become off limits to Pinkie.
Pinkie definitely didn't want that to happen. So it must remain a secret.
Lost in her thoughts, Pinkie jolted as she realized she made it to the edge of the forest. But as she took her first step, she stopped. She didn't take into account of the forest entrance being so... unnerving.
Shaking her head, Pinkie swallowed her fear and pushed forward. She'd be at ease again once she got to the clearing. The clearing was pretty enough to make her feel safe, what with all the flowers and the tiny waterfall in the distance. But also, she had a lamp at the site.
With those thoughts in mind, Pinkie continued into the forest, not straying far from the path to Zecora's hut, just in-case anything were to happen. Pinkie could handle confrontation with the animals of the forest, but it was a lot more daunting when the sun wasn't by her side.
It wasn't long before Pinkie left behind Zecora, her last chance to back out. She was on her own now.
Pushing through thicker vines and muddied ground, Pinkie picked up her pace. She didn't want to go too fast, or else she'd start to feel like she was being chased. So she kept her hooves moving at the same speed as her heartbeat.
Soon, she could make out the moonlight peeking through the trees just straight ahead. Her safe haven. Pinkie galloped towards the light, picking up speed as she started to make out the silhouette of her yovidaphone and "art center".
As she got closer, her pupils nearly swallowed the whites of her eyes, and she could almost taste the light. The warmth of the clearing was just out of reach, just a few steps away.
Pinkie felt the wind in her mane abruptly stop as she tripped over a thick tree root poking out of the ground. She barely registered the air getting knocked out of her lungs as she barreled into the clearing and straight into her mirror.
The glass shattered upon impact. The weight of Pinkie's body slamming into the mirror sent shards of glass flying in all directions. Miraculously, none of the pieces injured Pinkie.
She got back up to her hooves and shook herself off. The moonlight allowed her to look at the mess she made. It immediately put a damper on her mood.
Glass littered the once clean ground. It would be hard to tidy up out here with no supplies. Pinkie sighed and got to work. The glass wasn't too sharp, so she pushed them along while kicking up small puffs of dust.
With nothing more than a few nicks and cuts, Pinkie managed to push most of the glass out of the center of the clearing and towards the edges.
After kicking aside the mirror frame, Pinkie sighed once more. She had gotten up extra early so she could paint. Without the mirror, that task was ten times more challenging. She had planned to paint herself in an epic pose to boost her confidence for the week.
Now she had no painting, no mirror, and no boost to her morale.
Pinkie walked over to her easel, and pulled out her flute case with her hoof from underneath it. She sat back on her haunches and patiently started putting the pieces together.
Pinkie was mainly waiting for time to pass. She never played any music while it was still dark. There was no reason for it, she just preferred doing other things while she waited for the sun to rise.
Luckily, with how long it took to get to the clearing and clean up the glass, the sun was just underneath the horizon. It wouldn't be long before it lit up the morning sky.
Pinkie put the flute to her lips and began playing. The haunting melody filled the silence, bringing the forest surrounding Pinkie to life. As she played, she could hear the distant sound of birds chirping. The sounds were so far away, Pinkie was sure they could barely hear her music. Although, she assumed they probably didn't mind. Unlike the yovidaphone, the melody on the flute blended into the ambiance of nature rather than overtaking it.
It didn't take long for the tears to stream down her cheeks. Pinkie shut her eyes as tight as possible to keep them from falling, but it was no use.
The melody was sweet and soft, yet haunting and melancholy at the same time. It came from Pinkie's childhood. She could never figure out where she heard it, but it stuck to her ever since. And for some reason, the melody always managed to make her cry.
She had spent hours and hours perfecting the melody on the closest sounding instrument she could find. It took years, but now she could play it the way she remembered it.
Pinkie has always wanted to share the melody with a friend, but as with the clearing, perhaps it was better to keep it a secret.
Her friends would probably be confused as to why the greatest, most fun-tastic party mare of all time was playing such a sad tune. They wouldn't get it. And that's what Pinkie was afraid of.
She played her sweet melody until the sun shone a golden hue onto everything in her surroundings. The clearing lit up like a thousand glittering fireflies. The sunlight shone through her mane and glowed brightly on her face. Pinkie welcomed the warmth with her heart wide open.
With one last blow of the flute, she put it down and exhaled softly. Opening her eyes, she couldn't stop as the tears streamed tenfold.
It had been a long while since Pinkie felt emotion that strongly. Sure, making ponies happy on a daily basis was great, but this was another level of happiness. Her own happiness.
Pinkie sobbed, furiously wiping her tears while more fell. It would've been a pitiful sight to see if anypony else was around, but she never felt so much warmth and love in her life from being alone.
The moment lasted until the sun shone higher in the sky, effectively putting an end to the morning glow.
Pinkie wiped her face for one last time and got up to her hooves. She put her flute back in the case and tucked it underneath her easel. It was time to head back home.
Pinkie looked longingly at her yovidaphone as she walked back into the forest. She turned away from it, shaking her head. The yovidaphone can wait for next week.