Peace for Pinkie Pie
There wasn't a cloud in the sky, Rainbow Dash had seen to that, and the only sound was the distant buzzing of bees; collecting nectar so that they could provide Fluttershy with the honey which she had asked them for the day before. In the midst of that quiet, still calm, Pinkie Pie sat down upon the soft grass, all four legs tucked underneath her. The pink earth pony's eyes were shut, and there was a warm, gentle smile spread across her face. It was so peaceful here. She wasn't tired in the slightest, but simply being able to rest like this was incredibly invigorating in its own right.
Most ponies would have probably been worried to see her here, resting so silently and motionless. They might have feared that she was sick, or worse... unhappy. But in a way, that was precisely why Pinkie had chosen this particular meadow. She loved being the life and soul of the party in Ponyville, truly she did. However, even the most dedicated party animal required a few minutes to themselves now and then, in spite of what most of the ponies that knew her might have thought. Drawing in a long, deep breath, Pinkie sighed contentedly as she thought of what the next few days might hold for her. Hanging out with her friends. Helping Cherrilee's class surprise their teacher for her birthday. And of course helping out the Cakes at their store! She was going to be so busy, and she already knew that she was going to love every moment of it. Of course, that also made this peaceful moment of solitude all the more pleasant in its own right. Knowing that not only was she currently at liberty to do precisely as she wished, or rather, as little as she wished, but that soon this absence of activity would be replaced by a vibrant abundance of things to do!
It was, perhaps rather inevitably, mere seconds later that Pinkie Pie heard a loud voice erupt from the sky above her.
"Heads up!!!"
Opening her eyes, Pinkie leapt about ten feet into the air in shock, squealing and just managing to dodge the purple hued missile which hit the ground right where she had been resting mere moments before. She watched, hanging in mid-air; her surprise briefly counteracting the forces of gravity, as the no longer airborne torpedo rolled and tumbled over itself, end over end over end, before finally stopping in a rather deeply gouged trench of disrupted grass and earth. Twilight Sparkle... Princess Twilight Sparkle, raised her head from where it was currently protruding from between her hind legs, every limb tangled except for her broadly spread wings, and gazed around her in a daze. She looked upward, to where Rainbow Dash was hovering with a half dismayed, half amused look upon her face, then back towards Pinkie Pie; now standing upright on terra firma once more.
Pinkie glanced from Twilight to Rainbow Dash, and cocked an eyebrow.
It fell to the multicolour maned pegasus to explain, Twilight seemingly still dumbstruck by the force of her impact. Ever eager to get on with things though, Rainbow Dash simply uttered two short words before swiftly darting down to ground level, hooking her forelimbs under Twilight Sparkle's shoulders, and lifting the squirming, stunned Princess up into the air once more.
"Speed training..."
She released Twilight some thirty feet up in the air, smirking as the alicorn very nearly failed to hold herself steady in the air of her own accord. Again Rainbow Dash spoke hurriedly, the competitive nature which she exemplified so often rising to the forefront of her character.
"C'mon, Twi... you need to learn to control yourself at speed. If you don't stop making craters around Ponyville by the end of the week, people will start thinking that Applejack isn't really marking out spots for new trees to be planted. Then we'll end up having to carry out your lessons in the desert outside the Crystal Empire! That is, if Cadence will let you practice anywhere near her kingdom after what happened in Canterlot..."
As the two winged ponies rose higher up into the air, Pinkie was just able to catch the beginning of Twilight's bashful but defensive response.
"Hey! It was your idea that I practice hovering while I was waiting for Cadence and my brother to show up. Besides, it's not all my fault. Who puts priceless, hoof woven silk handkerchiefs on a window-sill to dry anyway? I can't understand what she was..."
They floated higher and higher, their voices drifting out of audible range, and with a soft giggle and a wistful shake of her head; that silly little interruption only serving to highlight precisely why Pinkie Pie cherished her friends so dearly, the earth pony settled down to rest once more. She closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and...
"Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh... oh dear!"
Pinkie opened her eyes once more, sighing softly as she saw Fluttershy trotting nervously towards her from the direction of the humming bees, tending to their flowers and honey on the far side of the grassy, wildflower strewn meadow.
The nervous pegasus pony ceased her forward momentum a few metres away from where Pinkie was seated, but did not stop moving; trotting on the spot in continued nervous anguish. She said nothing more, simply repeating her worrysome mantra over and over until Pinkie spoke up.
"Fluttershy? What's wrong?"
Squeaking softly in shock and embarrassment, as though she hadn't even realised that Pinkie Pie was there despite having clearly come here to seek her attention, Fluttershy's face grew bright red.
"Oh... um... h-hi, Pinkie. It's nothing. I mean, it's just... the bees. The honey. Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh d-..."
Fluttershy's voice was cut off by another sharp, nervous squeak as Pinkie pressed a hoof against her lips gently.
"Calm down, Fluttershy. Tell me what happened. I'll help if I can."
The earth pony's kind words, uttered alongside the warm, sincere smile she shared them with, did indeed help to calm Fluttershy down at least a little bit. She trembled where she stood on the spot, glancing around as if afraid to admit what she was preparing to say. She leaned in close to Pinkie, and whispered shamefully...
"I... asked some of my bee friends to make me some honey. I was going to take it home tonight and make some honeycomb treats to share with you all. But... um... I... I tasted a bit when I was collecting it from the hive. And I tasted a bit more as I was thanking the bees for their hard work. T-then I tasted some more... a-and... um... I..."
She looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment, and yet, it was all that Pinkie Pie could do not to burst out into peals of laughter as she asked the obvious question, eyebrows raised with mirthful delight.
"Fluttershy... did you eat all the honey?"
Squeaking shamefully, Fluttershy pressed her head down against the cool grassy ground and put her hooves over her face, hiding away from the world and the friend whom she had shamefully let down. She whimpered softly once more, her wings fluttering wildly, her body seemingly unable to stop moving in what Pinkie was beginning to recognise as a full blown sugar rush.
"O-oh dear... oh dear... oh dear..."
For a second or two, Pinkie considered the situation. She smiled fondly, and knelt down upon her own forelimbs in order to come face to face with Fluttershy, bumping noses and giggling as for a third time her contact with the other pony made Fluttershy squeak in apparent shock.
"You know, I do have a few jars of honey at home. I've been saving them for baking with for my next couple of parties, but I can easily make do with one less."
Slowly, almost in disbelief, Fluttershy's eyes widened.
"R-really? You'd... you'd let me have a jar?"
Pinkie giggled.
"Yup! Two, even... just in case you get hungry on the journey back to my place."
Fluttershy's cheeks flushed pink, but she rose to all fours; still trembling with sugar-enhanced eagerness, and beamed towards her dear friend.
"Thank you, Pinkie! I'll make sure you're the first to try the honeycomb once it's made... u-um... unless Angel wants some, that is. You know how he gets if you try to make him wait. He's so... um... w-what's the word?"
Helpfully, Pinkie suggested a few choice words to describe Fluttershy's rather temperamental pet rabbit, beaming all the while.
"Fussy? Picky? Selfish? Immature?"
Fluttershy shook her head absent-mindedly, the less than kind words seeming to sail right over her head. She smiled softly, and nodded to herself in approval before speaking the word she had decided on.
"Precious."
With one final thank you to Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy not quite sure why her friend was giggling uncontrollably after what she'd said about her rabbit, the honey-hyped pegasus moved on.
Pinkie settled back down onto all fours, closed her eyes, and awaited the inevitable. Would it be Rarity who would disturb her next? Applejack perhaps? Or maybe both of them! It wasn't that she wouldn't love to see her other close friends right now, but really... she had come out here to rest and be alone with her thoughts for a little while, and yet her mind was racing faster than ever. She was thinking about how she could get her balloon set up to go and watch Twilight's practice flights and cheer her on, or how she could go and bake with Fluttershy for the rest of the day! So many fun, exciting things to do with her friends!! But of course, that would leave little time for her to simply sit and rest, and like it or not rest was something that her body and mind did need from time to time.
Surprisingly though, Pinkie didn't hear any approaching hoofbeats across the grass, or the down-home tones of Applejack mingling in with the more refined, haughty speech of Rarity. She didn't hear anything as she rested there. Even the bees had fallen silent; their task done, their honey consumed, no doubt now off seeking nectar in fresh pastures.
It was peaceful. Exactly what Pinkie had wanted. Quiet. Serene. Perfect for a quick rest, before the whirlwind of activity that was Pinkie's life began to spin around her once more.
Pinkie didn't know exactly when she fell asleep, but the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes to see the dim, silvery glitter of moonlight cast out over the grassy field. The air was cool, but she wasn't. She was warm. Surprisingly so.
Stirring with a soft, happy murmur, Pinkie glanced to her left and right, and only then noticed the reason why she had done so; the warmth pressed up against and around her.
To her left, Applejack rested on her side; her face entirely covered by her hat, but the gentle snoring from beneath it clearly identifying the sleeping pony. To her right, no pony, but a thick, warm, beautifully patterned blanket rolled up against her for support, and also shielding her body from the cool night air.
A short distance away in the same direction, a little tent was erected; the pale lamp-light from inside casting the shadow of a slumped figure asleep on an air inflated, magically sealed mattress; raised off the ground to keep away the dirt or creepy crawlies.
Pinkie smiled silently. She had been right, at least in part. Both Rarity and Applejack had come across her as she rested. Unlike the others however, they had not sought to disturb her peace. Rather, they had joined her for it. Choosing to spend their time with their friend in the manner that she had chosen. Indeed, they too now appeared lost in fitful, satisfied slumber, and as such Pinkie Pie resisted the urge to wake them both up and give them a rousing chorus regarding how wonderful they were as friends. Indeed she simply closed her eyes once again, leaned slightly over towards Rarity's beautiful thick blanket for extra support, and waited for sleep to claim her anew.
By the time morning came, there were six ponies asleep in that field. Well... five, actually. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack, all still asleep in the early morning sunlight as Pinkie Pie awoke and observed them; her heart swelling with pride and joy to see all of her closest friends here with her.
How they had all gotten back here without her waking up, or indeed how this restful meditation of hers had turned into an open-air slumber party, Pinkie did not know. Indeed all she could think about right now was how to thank them, and tell them how happy their presence was making her feet.
The answer, for the time being at least, eluded her. How did one thank friends who were already so awesome for being even more awesome than normal?
Pinkie Pie smiled, knowing full well that she would figure something out along the way. She always did. Besides, she knew precisely how to begin... and at the moment, until she had done so, that was really all that mattered.
Tossing her head back, Pinkie cleared her throat, thought of the most insanely over-the-top cockerel crow she had ever heard in her life, and mimicked it in a giddy shriek of exuberance!
All around her, ponies leapt from where they were sleeping; thrashing, kicking, flapping wings and gasping in shock. They all stared, bleary eyed and livid with momentary fear, fury or both, at Pinkie Pie.
The earth pony meanwhile could only beam, and laugh at the expressions on their faces. The night's silent, pleasant peace had well and truly ended, and another fun filled, Pinkie Pie fuelled day had begun.
By Jeeves
