Chapters Grey Sky Goes to Ponyville
As Grey Sky stepped off the train from Canterlot to Ponyville, He felt slightly more optimistic about his new life. Upon leaving the station, the first thing he noticed was the sky. It was a rainy day, but the strange thing was that nopony seemed to get wet from the rain. He merely shrugged this oddity aside. Why ponder something that was an everyday occurrence?
“It seems the rain followed me even here. Sigh, I hope one day I will be able to see what the sky looks like .”
Upon reaching the town square, he was suddenly ambushed by a pink blur! Fraught with shock at first, reality decided to give him a good smack in the face. Upon closer inspection, this blur seemed to be a pony. She had a mane that gave off both a “controlled chaos” and a “free spirited” feel. She seemed to be the exact antithesis of Grey. While Grey was soft-spoken and introverted, this pony seemed to be bursting with urge to be social.
“Wow! She is like a tornado !”
“Hi! What’s your name? My name’s Pinkie Pie. You must be new to Ponyville right? I haven’t seen you around here before and I know everypony in Ponyville. I am also friends with everypony too! That’s why when I saw you with all those bags I was like ‘Gasp! I haven’t seen him before! He must be new! If he is new then he probably doesn’t have many friends here, and if he doesn’t have many friends then I should be his friend !’ So I rushed right over here to welcome you to Ponyville! Oh yeah I forgot to tell you I am the best party thrower in Ponyville, so if you come to one of my parties, you can be sure it will be a blast! So anyways what did you say your name was again?”
“…Wait what? I am so confused. Her name was Pinkie Pie right? She throws friends and is parties with everypony? No wait, that doesn’t seem right. ”
“Um, nice to meet you… Pinkie Pie right?” Grey asked with an expression of slight disorientation.
“Yep! That’s me! Ponyville’s number one party thrower!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically.
“Well Pinkie Pie it was really nice to meet you, but I have had a long day. I kind of just want to get home and rest for today.” Grey said apologetically.
“Oh. Alright then. Well it was great meeting you and I hope we can be good friends! Tomorrow I can show you around Ponyville if you want!” The pink mare said.
“Really? That would be great. This is the first time I’ve been to Ponyville, so I do not know anything about the town at all.” Grey said.
“Great! I will meet you here at 10 o’clock sharp tomorrow! Bye!” Said Pinkie Pie before zooming off somewhere else.
“That mare…is nuts. She seems like a good pony though and she is going to show me the town tomorrow. Maybe life here really will be better than that miserable life I led in Canterlot. ”
As Grey walked through the town, he took in the atmosphere of Ponyville. It was astoundingly different from Canterlot’s feel. While Canterlot had a stuffy, uptight feel to it, Ponyville seemed to feel more carefree and relaxing. He made his way through the different parts of town to his home on the edge of the town bordering the Everfree Forest. During the walk his old nemesis, Reality, struck another blow to his psyche.
“Sigh, That pony was nice and all, but I still wonder how the mares here are like. The ones in Canterlot are horrid. Caring only for vanity and superficial love… Considering the difference in atmosphere between the places the mares might no be so bad. Then again, that could just be wishful thinking. ”
He had finally reached his home. It was a long day that was about to get longer, considering the fact the he still needed to unpack many items. While unpacking, his mind once again started to wander. A nasty problem he had was that he would frequently argue with his thoughts, which led to him being distracted.
“Well, I finally did it. I am now a resident of Ponyville. With some luck, I can find a good job here and with a huge amount of luck I can find somepony that will actually love me unconditionally. Of course you’re not going to find her though, she doesn’t exist! Well she could. Maybe. I don’t know. I just need to stop thinking about it so much. ”
He had finally gotten the last of his essential items unpacked, granted at the cost of a slight loss in his mental health. But now, He was finally able to just lie on his bed and fade away to his realm of solace, a realm where he wasn’t burdened by the worries and stress of the real world. As his consciousness started to fade, he cracked a small smile for the first time in a long time. His new life in Ponyville will begin tomorrow…
Grey Sky Goes to Ponyville
Grey Sky's First Day in Ponyville
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! Upon hearing this, Grey sky slowly opened his eyes as consciousness returned to him. He took the time to observe his surroundings. He was in Ponyville. It may not seem like something important, but it was very important to him. The reality that his life was starting again with a fresh slate was now sinking in. This realization made him slightly brighter, but he still had his doubts.
“This is it. This is my new life! No longer am I a citizen of the stuffy and vain Canterlot!”
He quickly got himself out of bed and prepared himself to start his day. He was getting ready for breakfast when something horrible came to his attention. He didn’t have a job! Upon looking in the empty cabinets and refrigerator, his stomach began to growl. He had spent all of his money on the house…
“Hmm, this might be a problem. I need to find a job and fast. It’s bad enough that I can’t eat, but if I don’t have a job how am I supposed to pay for this house?? I barely had enough money to make the down payment on this house… Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more.”
As he was contemplating his fiscal situation, he noticed the clock. It seems that the time was at 9:50. He couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something… Something important…
“Pinkie Pie! I was supposed to meet her!”
As he realized this, he quickly dashed for the door. He had to ten minutes to get the town square or he would break his promise to Pinkie Pie. She was nice enough to offer to show him around and he would not break a promise on his first day in Ponyville. Not if it killed him. He quickly left his house and rushed to the town square. As he was making his way to the town center he wondered how he had woken up with such little time to spare.
“How did it get this late?? I distinctly remember setting my alarm to 8:00 last night and I am certain it didn’t take me two hours to get ready…”
As he tried to remember exactly what happened, his memory of earlier that morning returned. He remembered hearing his alarm clock multiple times… then it hit him.
Snooze.
The most evil button to be installed on a clock, he thought of how many times he must have hit that button while being semi-conscious. He must have hit that thing at least 10 times…
As all of this was being processed in his head while running full speed to the town square, he came to a dead stop. Not by choice mind you. His face had decided without the brain’s consent to make a new friend. This friend was solid concrete that belonged to a building that rudely appeared out of nowhere. After he managed to locate his head and put it squarely back on his body he noticed a pink pony staring at him quizzically.
“Hey, are you alright?? You should really watch where you are going unless you are a bat. They don’t need to watch where they are going because they can hear where they are going. Isn’t that weird? Twilight told me about that, I couldn’t imagine being able to use your ears to see! Oh it’s you! You’re the one that moved in yesterday! I never did get your name. So what is it? Abraham? Alfonso? Anakin? Bobby? Bruce? Benjamin? Carl? Charles? Carver? Devon? David? Daniel?” said Pinkie all in the course of five seconds.
“It’s Grey. Grey Sky.” Said the slightly disoriented pony.
“Grey Sky? That’s a pretty cool name! So Grey, what were you doing running like that? Were you trying to check the hardness of this wall? If so then that’s kind of weird. Ooh ooh! I know! You wanted to see if there’s a train station on the other side right?” Pinkie said.
“What?” asked Grey, completely dumbfounded at this pony and her randomness.
“Well I guess it’s time for me to show you around. Let’s get a move on!” Pinkie said with enthusiasm.
“I forgot that she was nuts. Oh well, It’s not like she is crazy in a ‘belongs in a mental asylum’ way. She’s just…strange. Yeah, that’s the word… I think.”
As the two walked through the town, Pinkie Pie took the time to explain everything about the town. Who everypony was, where everything was, and how the town got started. The way she spoke about the town made it clear she truly loved this town with all of her heart. It was a bit endearing. He certainly couldn’t say the same for where he was from. They continued their tour until Pinkie Pie heard the growl of Grey’s stomach.
“Oh are you hungry?” Said the pink pony with a sly smile.
“Oh not at all, my stomach is alive you see? It doesn’t like its surroundings at the moment so it’s growling at me to move somewhere else.” Grey Sky said laced with sarcasm.
“Wow! Really!? That is so cool! I want a stomach that’s alive! Do you have talks with it or do you communicate telepathically?” Said Pinkie Pie, with all of that sarcasm soaring miles above her head.
“Sigh. No, not really. I was just kidding. I am hungry.” Grey Sky said disappointingly.
“Ohhhhh…” Pinkie Pie said as if she had been enlightened to the secrets of the universe. She paused for a second, processing the joke. You would almost think there was a progress bar above her head when she was thinking about the joke. After a moment, she burst out laughing at the joke.
“BAHAHAHAHA!! That’s hilarious! A living stomach! Heeheehahaha!” said Pinkie, furious with laughter.
Grey Sky just stared at her. He could not understand her at all. She was by far the strangest and most random pony he had ever met. Yet, she was also one of the most cheerful and energetic ponies he had met. Grey, who hardly ever smiled, started to feel something well up in him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He wanted to laugh. Her laughing almost seemed contagious as he felt himself crack a small smile. Faced with such absurdity, he finally and let out a chortle. They both ended up laughing for at least five minutes straight. The joke was funny, but it wasn’t THAT funny…
Another growl of the stomach managed to break the laughing spree they had started, reminding them both that they need to find some food to settle their angry stomachs. As they looked for places to eat, Grey had noticed something very significant. The rain had stopped. The endless rain that never wets anypony that has plagued him since his birth had stopped. He was completely awestruck at this occurrence. So much so that he had stopped walking. As Pinkie started walking away from him she noticed that she had started talking to herself. She looked back to see Grey just standing there looking at the sky. She herself took the time to look at the sky, noticing its beautiful, clear blue color.
As he stood there, just staring at the sky. It was still grey, but there was no rain at all. His staring was quickly interrupted by a pink face that obscured all of his vision.
“The sky is pretty isn’t it?” Pinkie asked, who seemed to be magically standing on thin air right over Grey.
“WHOA!” Exclaimed Grey as he fell back, not expecting to see a giant pink face out of nowhere.
“Sometimes I like to stare at the sky because it’s just so pretty. That’s what you were doing right?” Pinkie asked, whose feet were back on the ground as she leaned in to help Grey up.
“Something like that…” Grey replied trying to recover from the arrhythmia that his heart had contracted from being startled like that.
“Well now, let’s go get something to eat! I’m starved!” Pinkie said, the hunger in her voice was evident.
“Right, let’s.” Grey replied, also very hungry considering he didn’t eat breakfast. “But where are we going to eat?”
“Right here! Said Pinkie as she pointed to the café they were standing in front of.
“Well that’s convenient.” Spoke Grey rather plainly. “I’d love to eat here but unfortunately I don’t have any bits to spare. In fact, I don’t even have a job to get bits.”
“You don’t have a job?” Asked Pinkie Pie quizzically. “Well if you are any good at cooking I can talk to the Cakes and see if they can get you a job at Sugar Cube Corner! Also, don’t worry about today. It’s on me!”
“Really? You would do that for me?” Asked Grey, gratitude filling his voice.
“Of course! You’re a good pony. I can definitely see that. Also, don’t worry about it!” Said Pinkie Pie with a wink. “Now let’s go in and eat! I don’t think I can wait any longer!”
Grey Sky was once again confounded by this pink pony. She didn’t see him for his material worth or his looks. She saw him for him, a pony with a good heart. He started feeling strange, like there was a fluttering or a tickle in his chest. He couldn’t really explain it. He soon started to become more aware of the pink mare, noticing her beauty, her colorful mane, her velvet-like coat, and her absolutely beautiful blue eyes. A shade of red started to creep its way over his face. He started to think about all this time he had spent with her.
“We’ve been walking around the town and talking, and now we’re getting lunch together. Just the two of us. Isn’t this kind of like a d-date?"
Upon this realization he turned an even deeper shade of red. He couldn’t stop thinking. He was almost in a trance-like state until Pinkie broke it by calling to him.
“Hey Grey! Are you coming? I don’t want to eat all by myself!”
Grey responded to this in an instant bursting through the door and proceeded to make a complete idiot of himself and plant his face directly into the floor, still flustered by this sudden realization.
“Do you have an inner-ear problem or are you just super clumsy?” asked Pinkie. “I’m kind of clumsy myself but not as bad as you, but I’m not saying that’s bad or anything. I’m not trying to be mean or anything, I was just curious that’s all.”
“No, I don’t and I’m not really that clumsy either. I just seem to be extra clumsy today for some strange reason.” Lied Grey, knowing exactly the reason for his balance problems. But he couldn’t tell her that she was the reason for his balance problems. Not in a thousand years.
Grey was so caught up in trying to stand himself up, he didn’t notice the slight tinge of red on the mare’s face. Granted, it’s pretty hard to find a shade of red on a pink pony. He managed to regain his composure as they sat themselves down at a table to eat at.
They were so caught up in talking to one another they didn’t even notice the waitress had appeared to take their order.
“Ahem, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Said the waitress with a smile.
Both of them were startled as they were yanked from their little pocket universe.
“Oops, Sorry! Heheheh.” Apologized Pinkie with a blush.
“So what can I get for you two?” asked the waitress.
“I’ll take a dozen of your cupcakes! Half strawberry and half apple!” Said Pinkie enthusiastically. “You like apple right?”
“Yeah, I love apple… how did you know?” asked Grey.
“You just seem like a pony who loves apples!” replied Pinkie.
“So a dozen cupcakes, half strawberry and half apple right?” Asked the waitress.
“Yup!” Replied Pinkie with a smile.
“Alrighty then.” Said the waitress.
The two continued to talk throughout their lunch, discussing all kinds of things. Ponyville, Canterlot, their friends, their life in general. It was the happiest Grey had felt in his entire life. They finished their lunch and returned to the town square where they would go their separate ways.
“Ahhh this was so much fun!” Exclaimed Pinkie. “I had a great time with you today, even though I actually didn’t show you all of Ponyville.”
“It’s fine. I had fun today as well. I’ve had more fun today than I’ve had since I was a filly.” Said Grey with gratitude. “I have to ask though, Why did you go to all this trouble for just me?
“Well, um, I don’t really know…” Replied than Pinkie rather sheepishly. “Anyways I have to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
And just like that, Pinkie zoomed off, a deep shade of red veiled over her visage. Grey was left there, standing by himself in the town square.
“Right… See you tomorrow…” Grey Sky said to himself.
Left alone with his thoughts, his pessimism and worries had surfaced.
“Did I ask the wrong thing? Does she not like me? No, she had to have liked me if she spent all day with me. Why do I feel so uneasy? Wait a minute…tomorrow? She will see me tomorrow? She said that. So that means she has to like me if she is going to see me tomorrow right?”
With all of these thoughts racing in his head he returned to his home. As he was walking back to his house, he noticed something. Something he did not like. It had started drizzling…
Grey Sky Goes to Ponyville
Grey Sky Makes A New Friend
It was another rainy day in Ponyville as Grey Sky walked through the market, hoping to buy some groceries with the few bits he managed to scrounge up. He was still waiting for Pinkie Pie to let him know if he could get the job at Sugar Cube Corner. How else was he going to pay off his house, much less eat?
“I sure hope I can get that job. I really need it. I have faith though that Pinkie will come through. I should be able to get it, I mean, my baking skills aren’t that bad if I must say so myself. It’s been a long time though….”
As he was pondering this, he noticed a certain yellow mare being teased by two other mares. As one who was ridiculed very often, he couldn’t just ignore this. He couldn’t stand anypony who would belittle another. Without thinking, he decided to take action. He quickly jumped in front of the yellow mare while looking serious.
“Hey! Leave her alone!” Exclaimed Grey, trying to sound as intimidating as he could be.
“Like, who are you?” Asked one of the mares rudely.
“It doesn’t matter who I am. I suggest you stop teasing her.” Demanded Grey, his voice once again laced with intimidation.
“Oh I know you.” Spoke up the other mare. “You’re that loser who just moved in right?”
“Loser?? That’s kind of harsh…” Spoke Grey, quickly losing his stoic-ness.
“Oh yeah, I heard about you! You’re that loser that got thrown out by your family so you had to move here! What a drip!” Exclaimed the first mare.
“Ho-how did you know about that?” Asked grey sheepishly, having lost all of his confidence.
“We know everything about anypony that comes to Ponyville.” Replied the second mare, the arrogance of her tone stinging like the sting of a hornet. “You’re so pathetic; we don’t even need to make fun of you! You do enough of a job by yourself!”
Both mares started laughing at him as they walked away, their mocking ripping into Grey’s feelings like a wild beast would to freshly caught prey. He felt his heart sink as reality once again stared him in the face and brought him to his knees.
“But…that’s not…” Spoke Grey as he fruitlessly tried to defend himself against a battle of tongues that had completely crushed him.
The yellow mare who Grey had tried to protect, witnessed this. She couldn’t help but feel responsible for the complete annihilation of this grey pony’s resolve. She had to do something. After all, he tried to protect her. That must have taken so much courage to do… Nopony else besides Rarity and Pinkie have really stood up for her before, and he was a complete stranger too! She had to say something.
“Why… Why did you do that?” The yellow pony nervously asked Grey.
“I…just didn’t want to see anypony else get teased.” Replied Grey, slowly regaining his composure. “I hate it. I was teased a lot when I was a filly, so I can’t stand it when anypony teases somepony else. I didn’t think it would turn out like this though…”
“Thank…Thank you. My name is Fluttershy…” Fluttershy replied in a very quiet tone.
“I’m sorry?” Asked Grey, barely hearing her.
“My…My name is Fluttershy.” Fluttershy said, mustering up a large deal of courage.
“Oh. My name’s Grey Sky.”
“That’s a pretty name…” Fluttershy said in a hushed tone.
“Thanks…” Grey replied, slightly embarrassed as he scratch the back of his head.
Both of them just stood there, in awkward silence. They would try to speak, but they just grabbed the words they were about to speak and pulled them back into their mouths. They tried to say something once more, but spoke at the same time so they didn’t hear each other.
“I’m sorry. Go ahead.” Grey sheepishly said.
“No, it’s alright. You go.” Fluttershy retorted.
“I…uh…Just wanted to say thanks.” Grey spoke softly.
“Thanks for what?” Fluttershy inquired.
“For not laughing; at what those ponies said about me.” Grey admitted.
“Why would I do that? You tried to protect me. I would never turn on somepony that tried to help me.”
“Yeah…I guess it was kind of stupid to think that…” Grey realized. “Anyways, what were you going to say?”
“It’s uh… never mind.” Fluttershy hastily spoke, a slight shade of red painted on her face.
“What? What were going to say?” Grey pried, noticing her slight blush and was wondering what she could possibly say.
“I…Uh…Well… I think-” Before she could finish her sentence she heard a familiar cheery voice.
“Hey Grey!!! Great news!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, flying like a bullet towards Grey.
“What-” Grey spoke turning his head in Pinkie Pie’s direction.
Grey barely had a time to react before he was tackled at mach 5 by the pink blur.
“Grey! I have great news! The Cakes said you can work at Sugar Cube Corner as long as you can prove that you are a good baker!” Said Pinkie as she was standing on top of a discombobulated Grey.
“I’ll take ‘Pony Supermodels’ for 500 Alex…” Said Grey, disoriented from the shock his body had just received.
“Huh???” Exclaimed Pinkie, looking at Grey like he was crazy.
“I mean, uh, that’s great!” Spoke Grey, trying to regain his composure. “I think it might be for the best if you got off me, so I could breathe, not that I mind having my ribcage crushed…”
“Oops! Heheh…” Pinkie jumped off Grey, looking embarrassed.
As Pinkie was stepping off of Grey, she noticed Fluttershy. She looked at Grey in a slightly accusing way for a second, but cast it off. It’s not like the two of them were dating or anything. She had no reason to get upset if he was with another mare, especially one of her best friends…right?
“You…you know him Pinkie?” Fluttershy meekly asked.
“Of course I know him! I know everypony in Ponyville remember?” Pinkie replied.
“Oh, I was just wondering that’s all… I thought you didn’t know him since you didn’t throw a party for him like you do with everypony else who moves here…”
“Oh. Right, that…” Pinkie said, quickly turning nervous. “I…I was just waiting until he got settled in! He said he was very tired when he got here so I didn’t throw a party.”
“I did say that.” Interjected Grey.
“Oh…okay… I wasn’t mad or anything… I was just curious…” Fluttershy quickly retorted, feeling slightly threatened.
“I’ll throw him a party tonight!” Pinkie quickly exclaimed, also feeling pressured. She quickly turned to Grey. “Wanna’ go to a party tonight?”
“Um, Sure.” Grey replied, not really understanding what was going on; unaware of the raging invisible battle between the two friends
“Good! We can have a party later tonight at Sugar Cube Corner!” Pinkie Stated.
“Sounds like a plan.” Grey said. “Oh! If it’s going to be at Sugar Cube Corner, would you mind if I cooked the food for the party? That way I can show my baking skills.”
“Sure! It’ll be great to see how you bake!” Pinkie said with her voice filled with enthusiasm.
Later that day, Grey stepped into Sugar Cube Corner for the first time. He arrived earlier then the time for the party since he was going to be baking the food for it. As he stepped forward, he once again met Pinkie.
“Hey.” Grey said to Pinkie calmly.
“Hey! Ready to do some baking?” Pinkie asked as if she was egging him on to a dare.
Grey realized this, and soon his persona completely changed. He gained a serious and confident face. As he stood in front of the counter, only one thing came to his mind.
“Challenged accepted.”
In a flash of lightning, he quickly assembled the items he needed for baking. He quickly added them in to the bowl and started to mix them. He then split the batter into different pans as he ran to the different corners of the kitchen to grab different fruits to add into the batter. Before, Pinkie could even blink; six different pans of cupcakes were all filled and had different flavors, all ready to be baked. Grey just stood there, looking like he was a master baker, showing his epic skills to an apprentice.
Pinkie couldn’t believe her eyes. She had just witnessed something amazing. This pony, managed to put together six pans of cupcakes in the blink of an eye. She still wasn’t impressed though. Even if he had assembled them fast, that doesn’t mean they would taste good.
Grey already knew that if Pinkie Pie had any sense of baking that she would still be skeptical. I mean after all, they still needed to be baked. He slid each of the pans into the ovens and just stared at them for a second. After a few minutes, his serious demeanor had faded and he was back to normal.
“And now the hard part; waiting.” Grey said with a sullen tone, wishing for instant gratification.
“What was THAT?” Pinkie asked, still dumbfounded by what had just transpired.
“What was what?” Grey asked quizzically.
“That whole super-baking-pony thing! You moved faster than my eyes could follow!” Exclaimed Pinkie.
“Oh that!” Grey retorted, finally realizing what she was talking about. “Sorry, I kind of really get into baking; sort of a hobby of mine.”
“Are you some sort of Super-Pony with super baking powers?” Pinkie asked while eyeing him up and down.
Grey merely laughed. He could now just laugh at this mare’s random nature rather than look at her like she was crazy. Granted, she was crazy, but that’s beside the point.
“Geez, this pony thinks the strangest things. That’s what I like about her though; she never lets things get her down. She just laughs and makes the weirdest jokes. It’s quite refreshing. I don’t know… just something about her nature just fills my heart with happiness.”
As these thoughts whirred inside Grey’s mind, he started to become more self-conscious. He kept flipping back and forth between seeing Pinkie as his best friend, and seeing her as something more. His pessimistic nature made himself doubt that he even had a slim chance with her. I mean, he was just a loser of a colt, kicked out of his house and told to get a life by his parents of all ponies. How could he ever have a chance with such a wonderful and cheerful mare?
As he was thinking about Pinkie, he noticed something strange. He noticed that not all of the images that kept flowing through his mind were of the pink mare. Some of them featured a more reserved mare with a long pink mane. He was baffled at this; all of his thoughts lately revolved around Pinkie while it took just one encounter with that mare to have her entangled in his thoughts. This did not bode well for the grey pony.
“Grey?”
“Grey?”
“GREY!”
With that shout he quickly snapped out of his trance. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he completely forgot that he was baking cupcakes. His mind soon turned distraught at the thought of his beautiful cupcakes being burned. He started to panic.
“Pinkie!” Exclaimed Grey. “How long was I spacing out!?”
Pinkie was surprised at Grey sudden outburst. “Just a few minutes or so.”
Grey took a huge sigh of relief. His worries were alleviated, at least the present worries. He quickly took a look at the clock.
“Okay, good. It’s only been 5 minutes.”
As Grey’s worries settled, his awkwardness had surfaced.
“Sorry about that. My mind kind of got caught up with something.” Grey sheepishly apologized while scratching the back of his head.
“Aw, it’s fine.” Pinkie replied with a smile which quickly turned into a look of curiosity. “What were you thinking about anyways?”
Upon hearing this question Grey quickly turned red and looked away. “Oh, nothing really important y’know? I was thinking about whether or not I’d get the job or not.”
“I’m sure your cupcakes will be delicious!” Pinkie said, trying to reassure Grey.
“Yeah, I hope they will.” Grey replied.
After a short bit, the cupcakes were done. The serious demeanor had returned to Grey as he retrieved each of the pans and placed them on the counter. As quickly pulled out multiple kinds of frosting; he applied them to the cupcakes in a way an artist would apply paint to a canvas. He added various other toppings to the cupcakes such as cookies, sprinkles and other kinds of sweet treats.
As he finished frosting the final cupcake he stood over his creations in a proud manner. He motioned for Pinkie, who had returned to be dumbstruck, to try one. As Pinkie picked up the cupcake, she eyed it carefully. She couldn’t find any big faults with the cupcake itself and the presentation was completely amazing. It was something that a gourmet baker would create. The smell was absolutely intoxicating; the sweetness engulfing her.
She slowly took a bite of the cupcake and froze. She couldn’t believe her taste buds. Was it possible for something to be this delicious?? This was even better than the Cakes’ cupcakes! She slowly chewed it, absorbing the flavor as much as she could. It was…snicker doodle. The cinnamon was not overpowering, but rather intense; it danced on her taste buds rather than trampling on them. As she finished chewing, she opened her eyes and noticed Grey with a satisfied smile on his face.
“Good?” Grey asked.
“GOOD!?” Replied Pinkie loudly.
A look of concern came over Grey’s face.
“This, my good pony, is possibly the…”
Grey quickly started to frown as he felt failure knocking on his door.
“Most AMAZING cupcake I’ve ever had!!” Pinkie exclaimed, joy lacing her voice. “How did you make this!? Even the Cake’s aren’t as good as these! And that’s saying something!”
Grey’s frown did a complete flip as he smiled with joy. “I’m glad you like it!”
“Like it?? I love it!” Replied Pinkie as she continued eating it in the most adorable way possible.
“Looks like you still got it.”
As Pinkie finished her cupcake, a look of confusion came over her face.
“Grey, if you were so good at baking, then why aren’t you a professional baker like the Cakes?”
A frown quickly appeared on Grey’s face. “Oh, that. I guess it was because my family really didn’t encourage me to bake, so I sort of abandoned the skill.”
“Whaaa?? That’s crazy!” Said Pinkie. “Either way, you are sure to get a job here now!”
“I sure hope so.” Replied Grey as he looked at the clock again. “The party is going to be starting here soon. We’d better get out there.”
Pinkie also looked at the clock and noticed the time. “Yup! Let’s go eat those cupcakes!-I mean, let’s go meet my friends!”
Grey softly chuckled as he walked outside with Pinkie who was hopping high enough to hit the ceiling.
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!”
