A Smile Goes A Long Way
“Knock, Knock,”
Pinkie opened her eyes to see the sky blue ceiling above. The pink clouds were at the corner of her vision. She raised her head and looked at the rest of the room. The walls were a mix of pink and light blue stripes. Her bed sheets were pink, with the carpet being bluer. Her eyes were set on the door, where she heard the voice come from. She shook her head and cleared her throat.
“Who is it?” Pinkie asked. She lazily got out of bed, pushing the covers to the side.
“It’s Twilight, she asked if you wanted to help her today, too,” Mrs. Cake asked from the other side. Pinkie recognized her voice anywhere.
“I’ll be right down,” Pinkie said.
Pinkie’s voice was more higher pitched, and she felt something in her chest. It was a sharp pain that slowly died down. Pinkie held onto the side of the wall as the pain subsided. It was a lot stronger without the medication.
“Alrighty, I’ll tell her that. I just do wonder how you sleep when you’re always outside,” Mrs. Cake said.
Pinkie heard her walk downstairs and reached underneath her bed to a brown box. She would have decorated it, but that would mean being reminded of the truth. It’s been almost a year now. She had been getting migraines after the Royal wedding, something she never told anypony.
Then, one day it got worse.
The doctor told her that her nervous system was collapsing. She had let it get out of hand, and the damage has infected her heart. It could have been a Manticore sting she didn’t notice, or even something in the Everfree, but it was too late to worry about that now.
It could happen any day, she could fall on the ground and not get back up. The medication he prescribed should help with the pain and slow the deterioration process, but it was only a matter of time. Of course, Pinkie didn’t tell anyone, not even the cakes. She didn’t want to take away their smiles. Even if, every day, she could feel herself forcing her smile more and more. It no longer comes natural.
Pinkie let the two pills go down her throat and feels the earlier pain turn into a blissful relief. Her smile appears, although the short high she gets from the drugs lowers and it dips into an artificial smile. She puts the box back with the handful of pills she had left. She would need to get more soon.
Pinkie opens the door, her hair rising back to the poufy look it had before. Her expression turns into delight and she walks down to meet Twilight.
“Pinkie, glad to see you’re up and as hyper as ever,” Twilight said, seeing Pinkie jump down the steps three at a time.
“Don’t worry Twilight, I’m always happy to help a friend,” Pinkie said.
“Well alright then, let’s get on with the second part of my training,” Twilight said.
“Ooh! I like this part,” Pinkie said.
“Pinkie, I haven’t even told you what we’re doing,” Twilight responded.
“But whatever it is, I bet it’s going to be fun!” Pinkie excitedly proclaimed.
“I guess you could say that. It’s like an easter egg hunt, you hide ten of these items around town, and then I use the new spell I learned to try to find them,” Twilight said.
Twilight pulled out ten small items out of her bag. They were a couple of rusted horseshoes, gold and silver, as well as a broken quill and an empty inkwell. Five books of different colors completed the ten items.
“I already know where to put them!” Pinkie exclaimed, grabbing the ten items and rushing out the door.
“She hasn’t changed a bit,” Spike said from beside Twilight.
“I don’t think I’d want her to,” Twilight giggled as she awaited Pinkie’s arrival, taking only two minutes.
“Phew, did I take too long?” Pinkie asked as she ran through the door at full speed, nearly knocking over a customer as they were leaving. She gave a smile and everything was okay again.
“Just a little,” Twilight joked.
Spike jumped on Twilight’s back as the three of them exited the house. Twilight cast her spell, and an image of a book floated above her horn. She saw a dim glow trailing on the ground that pointed her to the left.
“So far so good,” Twilight said, following the trail.
“That’s a cool spell, but I’m really good at hiding things,” Pinkie said.
Twilight came to an end of the trail and looked around. It stopped at the side of a house, with the trail reappearing on the side of the house. Twilight followed the trail and saw the book that was taped on the side of the chimney.
“Duct tape, never go home without it,” Pinkie said, balancing a roll of duct tape on her head.
Twilight levitated the book out of the duct tape and into her bag. She nodded to herself and then activated the magic again. This time, the spell pointed behind her before disappearing. She took two steps before her hoof hit something not-as-solid-as-cobblestone. She looked down at the book that was imprinted into the stone.
“Neat huh?” Pinkie asked, holding a block of cobblestone in her hoof and a stone pickaxe on her back.
Twilight rolled her eyes before levitating the book out of the ground, where a perfect cube indention was left behind. Pinkie fit the block in the ground and hopped away while Twilight tried to put together what was happening. After remembering that it was Pinkie, she activated her spell again.
“Hmm, that’s weird,” Twilight said. She looked up at the image, seeing some magical interference. “Did you by chance put a book near the Everfree?” Twilight asked.
“Maaaaybe,” Pinkie said, giving her a bigger smile.
“Great, this one will really put my magic to the test,” Twilight said happily, following her magic as it led to the Everfree.
Her magic trail started to fade away before blinking back to life. Twilight followed her magic blindly, and Pinkie wondered if she should remind her to be careful. After all, she didn’t think she went this far into the forest. In fact, she put it only on the edge.
They both stopped as a loud growl entered their ears. They turned around to see a pack of three Timberwolves coming out of the bushes. Their mouths were dripping sap and were twisted into a wicked smile.
“Run!” Twilight yelled as she turned to escape, only heading deeper in the forest. Her magic was useless in the forest.
“Where are we going?” Pinkie asked above the footsteps behind them as their pursuers crashed through the brushes, hitting branches and tripping over themselves in their pursuit.
“We can lose them in there!” Twilight said, motioning with her horn at the cave directly in front of them.
The two of them made some ground between them and the Timberwolves before they reached the cave. As the two of them entered, the Timberwolves warily walked around the cave opening, but kept their distance. Twilight was watching them from the side of the wall deeper in the cave. There was about ten feet between her and the opening, where the predators were lurking.
“I don’t think they’re following us,” Twilight said softly.
“Why not?” Pinkie quietly shouted, which confused Twilight to what that would accomplish when they were trying to be quiet.
“These caves are old Dragon lairs. The Timberwolves probably think that it hasn’t left yet, because they can smell the dragons still. I think we can outwait them, but it might take a while…” Twilight explained.
Pinkie nodded her head and then sat on the ground. “Now we play the waiting game,” Pinkie said, taking out a joystick from her… pocket? “It’s too bad for them I’m MLG at this game,” Pinkie said, moving the joystick and making ‘pew’ sounds.
“W-what?” Twilight asked, wondering if there really was something wrong with Pinkie.
“Oh nothing,” Pinkie said, putting the joystick away. “So, do you like stuff? I like stuff,” Pinkie said to Twilight, who once again raised her eyebrow.
The sun hit its peak, and then fell to the horizon, where it traded with the moon so the night could bring a chilling air. Twilight was surprised to find out that in this cave she could use her magic. Twilight had casted a glowing orb that warmed them enough for the night. It was too dangerous to leave in the night, so they decided to sleep until dawn. Now, the moon had started its descent, bringing with it the sun’s early rays as the trade-off was about to happen.
Pinkie opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of the orb next to her. She felt a throbbing in the side of her head. Probably from the rocks she slept on, she thought.
“Twilight?” Pinkie asked, getting up from her position. The unicorn in question was passed out nearby. Her horn was flickering as the orb disappeared. Twilight’s eyes opened.
“Ugh, I used too much magic on that,” Twilight said, raising her head.
With the warmth gone, Pinkie felt the throbbing getting worse. She put on a smile when Twilight glanced her direction for a second. Twilight looked back towards the cave entrance. As Pinkie tried to stand up, her heart pounded and pain shot up her chest. She leaned against a stone wall as she tried to calm her breathing. Not now, she thought.
“I think they’re gone,” Twilight said, glancing around the rocks.
Pinkie managed to stand upright and followed Twilight as they quietly walked out of the cave. Suddenly, Twilight stopped and she stopped as well. Pinkie put her smile back on as Twilight turned to talk to her.
“They’re sleeping, we have to go,” Twilight said. She looked back and saw Pinkie smiling, before suddenly Pinkie’s eyes dulled and she fell to the ground clutching her chest.
It was a burning pain. Pinkie could feel her heart on fire as her smile widened. The pain was too much for her. She was holding her smile as Twilight tried to speak to her. She couldn’t understand all of what she was saying. Her throat was suffering the same pain but she let out a few words.
“I’ll be fine, just go get some help. And… smile,” Pinkie said, giving an even bigger smile than before.
Twilight was taken aback, not knowing what to do. She had drained too much magic on the orb, but she couldn’t just leave her friend. Wait, her friends. She’ll get her friends and they’ll help her. She would have to hurry though.
“I don’t want to leave you Pinkie, but if you can get back in the cave, I’ll get some help in the meantime,” Twilight said. She backed away slowly as Pinkie started scooting her way towards the cave, her smile not once leaving her face.
Twilight ran, she ran as fast as she could. Before she took a turn, she turned back and saw Pinkie’s smile as she entered the cave. Then, she ran even faster. The thought of something wrong with her friend drove her forward. And before she knew it, she was at the town.
Pinkie had made it to where they had camped for the night. She had cold sweat running down her face, with the burning in her heart now an inferno. The pain in her hooves was too much to even hold her chest with. She kept her smile on as the pain in her head became a ringing, and the vision of the cave walls blurred. For a second, she felt her heart had melted from how fast it was beating. Then it slowed, and the pain died down. Finally, the pain stopped.
In the center of the Everfree, the Tree of Friendship was glowing brightly. The elements in their places were full of light. In a short moment, the light on the Element of Friendship dimmed. The Element cracked, resounding through the forest and causing the Everfree magic flow to falter, sending the predators within to frenzy.
“Over there,” Twilight directed them.
The cave she saw before was just ahead of them. Her friends were behind her, as well as Zecora, who would provide whatever assistance might have been needed. As she neared, she saw the ground littered with sticks and pools of sap. There was no movement.
Twilight would have been stunned, were it not for the fact that she had something important she was doing. The six of them turned into the cave, stopping behind Twilight as her eyes went wide. Zecora galloped forward, kneeling beside Pinkie with her hoof on her forehead and then her throat. She tried Pinkie’s hooves and then her chest.
“Don’t tell me she…” Twilight said, tears entering her eyes.
The other four also had tears at the edge of their eyes. They were wrapped in silence, with Rainbow Dash silently shaking her head. Zecora was letting her tears flow as she shook her head. The six of them were left to look at Pinkie as she lay there, unmoving, with a smile spread across her face.
Author's Note
Oh, but this is just the beginning...