Grey Sky Goes to Ponyville

The night was abuzz with music as Grey took in his surroundings. There were ponies from all over town in one place. He felt kind of overwhelmed as he was constantly meeting other ponies. Grey was not the most sociable pony after all. He preferred to keep to himself; not for reasons such as arrogance or anything, he just wasn’t very good at talking to other ponies.

He soon caught a sigh of relief as he slipped away from the large crowd of ponies and made his way to the kitchen. As he walked in. he overheard some ponies talking about the food.

“These cupcakes are delicious!” Said one pony.

“I know! How can these cupcakes be so good!?” Spoke the other pony.

“I tell you, Pinkie Pie really outdid herself tonight! Her cupcakes before were good, but these are just amazing!” Spoke another pony.

Upon hearing this, Grey started to frown. He was not one for demanding credit, but he felt slightly irritated that he didn’t get any credit for baking the cupcakes.

“Sigh, I guess that’s how it goes, huh? Pinkie gets the credit even though I made all of the cupcakes. It’s not her fault though. I just wish for once to sort of, I don’t know, be acknowledged. Sigh…”

As soon as Grey finished that thought, Pinkie appeared out of nowhere like she usually did and quickly corrected the misinformed ponies.

“Oh I didn’t make these! That was Grey that made the cupcakes!” Said Pinkie Pie.

“Really??” Asked the first pony. “You didn’t make these?”

“Nope!” Replied Pinkie. “It was all Grey! He makes amazing cupcakes!”

Grey felt his heart rise as he heard Pinkie correct the other ponies. He forgot though that with acknowledgement, comes ponies wanting to talk to you. As the other ponies turned to him and started walking towards him, he quickly bolted for the door. He had talked to enough ponies tonight; he just wanted some peace and quiet. As he slipped outside he noticed a purple unicorn gazing at the stars. She looked quite beautiful under the moonlit night.

Although he wanted to get away from everypony else, he didn’t mind the purple mare’s presence. He sat down on one of the benches in front of the shop and started staring at the stars, losing himself in thought. He started thinking about his new life, and all the friends he made, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and his future.

“This is so unreal. I was just some loser back in Canterlot, but here, I have ponies that appreciate me; that like me. Like Fluttershy…or Pinkie Pie… Sigh, both of them are amazing ponies, I can’t believe they wanted to be friends with me. I’m just some nobody from Canterlot…”

As he was lost in thought, he was broken from his trance as the purple mare spoke up.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they?” Asked the purple mare. “It just goes to show you how small we are in the great big scheme of things.”

“Yeah…” Replied Grey, not fully paying attention to the fact that he was talking to a beautiful mare.

“See those stars right there?” Asked the purple mare as she gestured towards a set of stars. “Those stars make up Orion’s Yoke.”

“Yeah, and over there is Capricorn.” Replied Grey, still not paying full attention.

The purple mare looked surprised at Grey. “You know your stars.”

“Yeah, I’ve read quite a few books on astronomy. I love stars. I-” Said Grey as he turned to the purple mare, finally realizing that he was talking to her.

He was frozen. He was absolutely stunned as he looked at the purple mare. Her mane shined under the moon’s light; giving it a beautiful, luminescent glow. Her eyes seemed to sparkle like the stars and he coat looked illustrious as she was illuminated by the moon behind her.

“Uh, are you okay?” Asked the mare.

Grey tried speaking, but the words were caught in his throat. He just sat there, staring at her. After about a minute, he finally smacked himself upside the head; snapping him back to reality.

“Sorry about that…” Said Grey. “My brain just sort of froze.”

“Uh, no problem…” Said the mare, looking at Grey with a puzzled look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” Retorted Grey. “So, you like astronomy?”

The look of concern on the mare’s face was replaced by a look of excitement.

“I love it! All of the stars out there, so far away, just waiting to be discovered!” Replied the mare eagerly.

Grey replied with equal earnest. “I feel exactly the same way!”

A look of surprise came over the mare. “Oh I’m sorry, how rude of me. I’m Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight said with a smile.

Grey smiled in return. “I’m Grey Sky. Nice to meet you.”

Both of them talked for quite awhile, their conversation filled with intellectual topics. Grey was actually quite the educated pony. He had to be; he grew up in Canterlot, a city where you were required to have a good education. They also talked about Canterlot itself, both of them being native to the city. After what seemed like hours, the two parted ways. Grey felt bad for not being part of the party that was actually for him. He decided to go back inside and meet up with Pinkie Pie; his head filled with thoughts of Twilight.

“Wow, I had so much fun talking to Twilight… I mean Pinkie and Fluttershy are amazing ponies, but I haven’t had such an intelligent discussion like that in a long time. It’s quite strange though, I usually have a hard time talking to other ponies; especially mares… How was I able to talk to her so easily?”

As he was walking, he bumped into a white pony with a violet mane. He took one look at her and he could already tell. She was a pony that was in the same vein as those ponies from Canterlot; his sworn enemies.

“Sorry about that.” Grey said with a grimace.

“Oh no, the fault is entirely mine. I am usually more attentive. I apologize.” Replied the white pony.

Grey was immediately taken aback by this. While this mare held the same air as those uptight ponies from Canterlot, her sentence belied her aura. A pony from Canterlot would never have apologized for bumping into someone.

“Are you alright?” Asked Grey.

“Yes, I am quite alright.” Retorted the white pony as she stood herself up. “Are you by any chance Grey Sky?”

“Yes…how did you know my name?” Inquired Grey.

“Oh how lovely it is to meet you! I’m Rarity. Pinkie told me all about you! She said you baked the food for this party and I must say, these cupcakes are simply delectable! How ever did you make them?” Rarity asked.

Grey was astonished yet again by the ponies of this town. Even the most Canterlot-like pony in the town still managed to be kind and respectful.

“What is UP with this town?? It seems like everypony here is the nicest pony ever! It’s quite strange…”

“Sorry, a trade secret.” Replied Grey, flashing a soft smile.

“Fair enough.” Rarity replied.

“So you’re friends with Pinkie?” Asked Grey.

“Oh yes, I am one of her best friends! We spend quite a lot of time together!” Rarity answered.

“That’s really interesting.” Stated Grey.

“So Pinkie told me you are from Canterlot?” Asked Rarity, her face beaming.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Grey said with a look of disgust on his face.

Upon seeing this Rarity smile started to fade. “Oh, I apologize. I take it you did not like the Canterlot life?”

“Oh heavens no! I absolutely loved it! Having everypony you know constantly criticize you when you make the slightest mistake and being constantly demanded to be perfect in everyway is one of the most enjoyable feelings one can experience!” Said Grey, the sarcasm in his voice almost stinging.

Rarity started to frown and look hurt. Grey, noticing this, started to feel the guilt inside him welling up. After all, it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know what life is like in Canterlot.

“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” Grey took a sigh. “Suffice to say, I did not enjoy life in Canterlot at all. It may seem like living in Canterlot is this great thing but it can be very harsh. I’m not trying to crush your dreams or anything if you want to live there one day.”

“All is well. I can see it is a sensitive subject for you and have learned that it is best to leave the topic alone.” Rarity replied with a smile. “Anyways, any friend of Pinkie is a friend of mine!”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Said Grey.

The two continued their conversation for a while, talking about Canterlot, her job as a fashion designer, among other things. The two soon decided to go their separate ways after a bit.

“She sure was nice. I was really surprised though, I was totally expecting her to be like those miserable ponies back home in Canterlot. It’s official; Ponyville is perfect.”

As the party continued, Grey ran into Pinkie who was standing next to a blue Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane.

“There you are Pinkie!” Said Grey.

“Grey! I was just looking for you! I want you to meet one of my best friends, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie said, gesturing towards the mare next to her.

“Hi there; nice to meet you.” Grey said, his hoof outstretched.

“Hey. What’s up?” Replied Rainbow Dash, shaking his hoof.

Right away there was an awkward silence between the two. Neither of them really knew each other’s interests. Sensing this awkwardness, Pinkie Pie stepped in and tried to initiate a conversation.

“So Grey, did you know that Rainbow Dash was the first pony to ever do a sonic rainboom?” Interjected Pinkie Pie.

“Oh really now?” Replied Grey, a feeling of impression coming over him. “I gotta’ say, that’s a pretty impressive feat.”

“Heh Heh, Thanks! I never could have done it if it wasn’t for Fluttershy! We were just fillies back then!” Exclaimed Rainbow Dash, her eyes filled with nostalgia.

Grey chuckled at this newfound excitement, intrigued at the story as well. “It sounds like an interesting story.”

“Oh it totally is! It all started  when Fluttershy was being teased by some other fillies, so being her best friend, jumped in and defended her. They ended up challenging me to a race which I totally beat them at. Anways…”

Rainbow Dash went on to tell Grey the story in great detail about how she got her cutie mark and helped her friends earn theirs, all to Grey’s amusement. After some more stories from both sides, the two eventually said goodbye. Grey had spoken to so many ponies at this party, it was quite a shock. Usually introverted, Grey was not one to talk to many ponies.

“I couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by Rainbow Dash. I mean she’s definitely got so much going for her. I honestly don’t know why she isn’t part of the Wonderbolts…”

As Grey was contemplating this, he noticed that an orange earth pony was calling out to him.

“Hey! Hold up there a second!” Shouted the orange pony.

Grey, once again trying to make for the door; came to a stop as the pony called out for him. As he turned, he came face to face with an Orange mare with a brightly colored mane.

“Well Howdy! I’m guessin’ you’re Grey Sky right?” The orange mare asked enthusiastically.

“That’d be me. What can I help you with?” Replied Grey, curious as to who exactly this mare is.

“Mah’ name’s Applejack! Ah’m one of Pinkie’s friends! It’s a pleasure to meet ya’!” Exclaimed Applejack, shaking Grey’s hoof with fervor.

“H-h-h-hi-i-i-i-I n-n-n-nice t-t-to m-m-meet y-y-y-you” Said Grey, still bouncing up and down form her feverous hoofshake. After stabilizing himself firmly on the ground, Grey decided to engage in conversation with the orange mare. “So you’re another friend of Pinkie Pie huh? Well it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Pinkie told me yer’ from Canterlot, but ya’ don’t really seem like a city pony, you look like ya’ belong here in Ponyville!” Applejack said, the friendliness and good feeling in her voice as clear as a summer sky.

“Heheh, I’ve definitely heard that a lot.” Grey replied. “I have to say, it’s pretty much the truth. I hated the city with a passion.”

“Well now hatins’ a mighty strong word, but I get what yer’ sayin’.” Said Applejack. “Ye’ll find Ponyville to be a wonderful town!”

“Oh it is! I’ve only been here for a week or so, and I have to say, this town is simply amazing. The atmosphere, the ponies, all of it is just so wonderful.” Replied Grey, speaking about the town as a filly would speak about a new toy they got for their birthday.

“Well that’s great to hear that you’ve taken such a likin’ to the town!” Said Applejack. “Pinkie Pie also told me yer’ the one who made the food for this here party?”

Grey merely chuckled at this. He’s had to answer questions about the food for most of the night. Still, it made him happy that they were so excited about the food that he made.

Grey merely said “Yep.” In reply.

“I gotta’ say, you certainly make some lip smackin’ good cupcakes!”  Said Applejack.

“Why thank you. I have to say, I honestly did not expect my cupcakes to be so well received. It’s been ages since I’ve done any baking.” Grey said admittedly

“Are you kiddin’? These are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had! Granted, there’ll always be a special place in mah’ heart for Pinkie’s cupcakes.” Applejack said with a combination respect, admiration, and loyal in her voice.

“I must admit, I’ve not yet had the pleasure of tasting of Pinkie’s cupcakes.” Said Grey.

“They are the best cupcakes Ah’ve ever had! No offense to yers’ though.” Applejack said excitedly.

“None taken at all. I’m sure Pinkie’s are easily better than mine.” Grey said, his insecurities slightly showing.

Applejack being the element of honesty, was an excellent judge of character and could tell when somepony was hiding something. Grey was no exception. Applejack could easily tell that Grey was hiding something and she was determined drag it out of him.

“Now Grey, Ah’ can easily tell ya’ ain’t the most confident pony, but ya’ just gotta’ believe in yerself! Yer’ a good baker! Trust me!” Applejack said supportively.

“I’m that easy to see through huh?” Grey said with a shrug.

“It’s not that. Ah’m just the element of honesty, so Ah can tell when somepony is hidin’ somthin’.” Applejack admitted.

“I see. Well you got me pegged. I’m definitely not the most confident pony.” Grey admitted rather sheepishly.

“Ah’ think everypony has trouble being confident at one point. Just some ponies are worse than others. Heck, just take a look at Fluttershy! That pony certainly has some confidence issues!” Applejack said, still trying to give Grey some support. “We all still love her just as much as anypony else.”

As soon as those words left Applejack’s mouth, Grey’s mind kicked into hyper-drive. He took that last sentence the wrong way as he pictured himself surrounded by Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and all of their friends. He quickly found the nearest flat surface, which happened to be a bookcase and proceeded to smash that fantasy out of his head.

Realizing that some ponies were staring he merely tried  to shrug it off coolly. As if it was a normal thing. This confused Applejack, but at the same time made her laugh.

“Thank you Applejack. We haven’t even known each other for more than ten minutes and you are already supporting me like a true friend.” Grey said, admiration and respect in his voice apparent.

“Of course! Ah could already tell yer’ a good pony. Why shouldn’ Ah’ help a friend in need?” Said Applejack as she went to give Grey a supportive hug. “Well I dun’ wanna’ keep ya’  here all night! Ah’m guessing you have lots of ponies to talk to so Ah’ll be off now! It was great to meet ya!”

With that, Applejack trotted off and left Grey alone with his thoughts, lost in a sea of ponies.

“Wow. Just wow. I honestly did not expect to be seen through like that…but she saw through me and offered to help me up… There’s a part of me that just wants to say this isn’t real…”

Grey had taken notice that the party seemed to be fading as more and more ponies began leaving. While he was going to stay, since the party was for him after all; He wanted to take a walk. Before he could leave though he was caught yet again. This time it was Pinkie.

“So Grey! What did you think of the party? I hope you liked it since I pride myself on being the number one party thrower in Ponyville so I tried throwing one of the best parties ever! Also everypony told me they loved your cupcakes which I did as well! But anyways what did you think?” Pinkie said at the speed of light as usual.

“It was great. I had a lot of fun and I got to meet your friends who all of which were amazing.” Said Grey. “I have to admit though, there were times when it was a bit overwhelming. I’m not used to talking to so many ponies, so there were a couple times I had to sneak away for a bit to regain my composure.”

“Oh. I see.” Pinkie said dejectedly. It was obvious she completely missed everything that Grey said at first.

“But I would be lying wholeheartedly if I said I didn’t enjoy  this party, Pinkie.” Grey said, trying to cheer her up as he put a supportive hoof on her shoulder.

That sentence brought a small smile to her face as she looked up at Grey. “Thanks, Grey.” Pinkie then proceeded to break Grey’s spine as she hugged him with a force that could shatter concrete. After she let him go a little light bulb appeared over her head in revelation.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Exclaimed Pinkie. “There’s still somepony else you need to meet!”

“Oh? Who would that be?” Grey inquired.

“I’ll be right back!” Pinkie said with excitedness filling her voice.

As soon as Pinkie has left, she reappeared with a little purple dragon in her stead.

“Grey, this is-” Said Pinkie before she was cut off by Grey, who took one look at the dragon before saying one word and cutting off Pinkie.

“Bro.”

Spike raised his eyes and replied “Bro.” as they bumped claw and hoof. This action was surprising to both Grey and Spike, as it was very out of character for both of them to act in such a manner. Both of them could tell with one look though. That they were plucked from the same tree. Two peas in a pod. Bros. Pinkie was also taken aback by this development. She expected them to be good friends, but she never expected them to click like this. This gave Pinkie an opportunity, though.

“Hey Grey! I know you’ve had a long night with the party and all, but do you think you and Spike could take a walk while we cleaned up?”

Grey was slightly confounded by this request but obliged anyways. Both Grey and Spike exited Sugar Cube Corner and began to walk out of sight. Both of them buzzing with conversation.

As Pinkie shut the door, she joined the rest of her friends who were cleaning up.

“Okay girls, Grey and Spike are gone. It’s time to get down to business!”