"Hi, Mr and Mrs Cake!"
"Why hello, Candy," Mrs Cake greeted from behind the counter in Sugarcube Corner.
"Good morning," Mr. Cake casually called from the kitchen in the back. "What are you doing here? Today is your day off."
"Oh, I know," Cotton Candy said with a quick nod. "I'm just on my way to meet with a friend, thought I'd bring them a treat."
Mrs Cake tilted her head and smiled at Candy. "Well that's nice of you, sweetie. And what would your friend like?"
Candy brought a hoof to her chin and carefully inspected the pastries behind the counter's glass. It took her a good minute before she settled on the glazed, freshly made, cinnamon rolls. After Mrs Cake placed two of them in a brown bag, Candy was ready to open her saddlebags and pay the store owner, but stopped when Mrs Cake raised a hoof. Confused, Candy looked at Mrs Cake's face and watched as she placed the bag on the counter, then slid it over to her. Candy looked at the older mare's face and saw an expression that was practically saying 'Take it, it's on the house'.
"Thank you!" Candy exclaimed before she took the steaming bag and placed it into her bags.
"Have fun!" Mrs Cake yelled as Candy exited the store, giving her one last wave before leaving.
Candy was excited, because yesterday, her friend, Epic Parody, had asked for her to meet him the morning after under Ponyvile's gazebo. The light-blue earth pony mare had difficulty hiding her good mood, she had no idea what the reason for the meeting was, but knowing Parry, it HAD to be something fun. Soon, she wasn't walking to the gazebo, but instead, hopped towards it; similar to how her mother, Pinkie Pie, used to get around.
When she finally spotted the wooden structure, she abandoned her hops and chose to run towards it.
"Parry!" Candy shouted, stepping into the shadow casted by the gazebo's roof.
Parry, a red earth pony wearing wool cap and a pair of glasses turned to her. "Oh...hey," he shyly looked away and rubbed his shoulder with a hoof before finishing his sentence, "Candy..."
Candy had a questioning look on her face as she quickly picked up that something was wrong; she had never seen him so...down...
"Hey," Candy said as her ears flattened, her hoof nearing Parry, ready to rest on his shoulder. "Something the matter?"
"Hmm?" Parry muttered before lightly shaking his head and facing Candy with a nervous smile. "Oh. No. Nothing's the matter. Just uh...," he shrugged, "cold."
Candy raised a brow at him. "It's summer..."
"Is it?" Parry said as he placed a hoof on his chin and surveyed his surroundings.
"Uh...yeah..." Candy rolled her eyes, thinking that nothing was wrong and Parry was just being Parry. "Anyway," she then unhooked her bags and dug through them for the cinnamon rolls. "I got us something!"
Parry's ears perked as he smiled. "Really?" Candy found the bag, pulled it out, then opened it, revealing the still steaming buns. "Oh wow!" He exclaimed after getting a whiff of them. "They smell grrreat~!"
Candy stared at Parry and lightly shook her head with a mock disapproving look. "I'm gonna take a guess here and say that you had cereal this morning where the mascot on the box was a talking feline..."
He gave her a grin and a nod before accepting the cinnamon roll. Candy took her own and the two just sat there as they took bites of their treats, occasionally watching other ponies passing by. Once Candy was halfway done with hers, she spoke to Parry without looking at him.
"So, Parry." She took a quick bite of her roll, chewed it, then continued. "Why'd you call me here? We gonna do something fun?"
He didn't answer, and all Candy heard from him was his chewing. She gave him ten seconds to finish chewing so he could reply, but when ten seconds passed, he still didn't answer.
She then turned to him. "Parry?" Candy's expression quickly turned to one of concern. Parry was still chewing his roll, but he seemed to have been silently crying; his eyes were red and his tears were falling off his cheeks to land on the pastry near them.
"Parry, what's wrong?" Candy asked.
His bloodshot eyes darted to her, then he held what was left of his roll in his mouth as he used one hoof to lift his glasses and used the other to wipe his eyes. When he thought they were dry enough, he removed his hooves from his face and held the roll with them.
"N-nothings the matter," he said, trying to give off his usual cheery attitude, only to have his tears slowly return and ruin the facade. He balanced the roll on one of his hooves, then used the other to gesture to it. "Was just reminded of the time my sweet-roll was stolen on my tenth birthday party." He then chuckled...or, tried to...
Candy's ears flattened as she shook her head. "Parry, you're not fooling anypony. Just tell me what's wrong."
He grimaced, causing more tears to be pushed out of their ducts as he lowered his head and dropped what was left of his cinnamon roll.
"Candy... I..." Parry turned to her and momentarily focused on her eyes, so full of concern for him. He couldn't bare to tell her while facing her, so he quickly lowered his head again before answering. "I have to leave Ponyvile..."
Candy raised a brow and smirked. "Wait, what? That's it? Parry, you go on trips with your dad all the time; you come back like what, the next day? Maybe the day after? That's no reason to be upset about."
Parry shook his head. "No, it's..." He sighed. "It's different this time..."
Candy scratched her mane, the fact that he was still upset was worrying her. "Ok uh, you're gonna have to explain what's going on."
And explain he did, he had to stop and calm himself every now and then before he continued, but eventually, Candy understood why it was that Parry was so upset.
"A whole year!?" Candy nearly shouted, her eyes getting red and her voice starting to crack, all caused by the news she just received. She had to repeat what was just told to her, just to confirm that she heard him correctly--which she hoped she didn't. "Your dad is filling in for a retiring instructor at the Party Pony Academy in Applewood, so you and your family are moving there and I probably won't be able to see you again for a whole year until they find a permanent replacement!?" After saying all that in a quick burst, Candy had to take a deep breath to refill her lungs.
Parry nodded as he stared at the wooden floor beneath him. "I know, it...it sucks. My dad was their best student there, so it makes sense why they chose him to fill in. I know a year isn't that much, but it's still a very long time. Still... I, I don't want to go." He broke into a small smile. "Sure, my family used to move around a lot because of dad's job an' all, and I am kinda used to it, but..." He raised his head and looked at Candy. "But I like Ponyvile; for once, I actually made some friends: Godzilla, Ghidorah, Munchkin, Bandage Face, Bandit, Blurs, Sugar, Cloudy, and uh," he actually seemed bashful for a second there before finishing," you, Fairy Floss."
Candy spoke as she slowly shook her head, would-be tears ready to fall down her cheeks. "Parry, if you don't want to go, just tell your dad."
Parry rubbed the back of his head. "I did, but it's already too late; it's kinda scary how fast dad can do things, after he accepted the job, it was like he clapped his hooves and the house was instantly up for sale." The red stallion then raised his head and stared at the gazebo's ceiling. "Now we have nowhere to go but Applewood..."
Candy was hoping to hear an alternative, but by the sound of it all, there was nothing that could be done about it, and that saddened her. She wanted to say something, but failed to find any words. Parry then continued.
"I'm sorry that I had you thinking that we were gonna do something fun, but I just wanted to tell you before I have to head home and start packing..." Upon hearing this, Candy's eyes widened and her tears finally escaped her, she then lowered her head and gazed at the floorboards. Parry placed a hoof on her shoulder and his next words sounded as if they pained him to utter them. "It's been fun, F-Fairy Floss. I...I guess I'll see you in a year..." He then walked passed her, ready to leave from under the gazebo, but stopped in his tracks when Candy said something.
"When do you have to leave?" Strangely, she didn't sound sad, but...determined.
He looked back at her, and formed a half-assed grin. "Heh, uh...for once, I'm being totally serious here and not trying to be funny, but it's the day after tomorrow." Even though he was staring at her back, he could see she was nodding her head as she muttered something.
"So one day huh? ...Yeah, I can do this." She then said something that Parry didn't really catch.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked.
She then repeated herself, a bit louder so he could hear. "Best day."
"'Best day?'" Parry said, confused to what her meaning was; if anything, today was definitely not 'best day'. To his surprise, Candy then tackled into him and pinned him to the ground.
Candy then shouted as she pointed a hoof down at him accusingly, almost as if she had caught him red-hoofed in the middle of committing some crime. "Tomorrow! You and me! We're going to make it your best day in Ponyvile before you leave!"
Parry nervously smiled up at her, a bit startled by her sudden inner fire. "B-but Candy, that's tomorrow! There's no way you can make it the best--" She then placed her hoof over his mouth to shut him up, then used her other hoof to point at herself.
"You dare doubt me!? Daughter of freakin' Pinkie Pie! If anypony can do it, it'll be me!" She then lowered her face to hover inches from his own as she angrily glared at him. "You got that, buster?" Parry just nodded, too scared to do anything else. Candy then looked around the gazebo, seeming to be searching for something. "And you know what!? I'm gonna seal the deal with a..." She then found what she was looking for, her half eaten cinnamon roll. Picking it up with her hoof, she then smashed the roll over one of her closed eyes, then gestured at it before it humorously fell of her face. "There! A Cotton Candy Promise! Now it's guaranteed to happen!"
Everything was happening too fast, confusing Parry. "I...uh...I need an adult..." Candy swiftly pointed between his eyes.
"I am an adult!" She yelled, even though she wouldn't legally be considered one for a few more months. She then started using her hoof to poke Parry's chest in sync with every word in her next sentence. "No ifs, ands, or buts, mister! We're doing this!"
Parry wanted to tell her that it was impossible for somepony to plan 'the perfect day' in such short notice, but looking up at Candy, he could see that behind her fierce determination, there was a want--no, a need to do this.
"Alright Candy," Parry said.
"Now don't you try to weasel your way out of--wait, what?" Candy said, just noticing that he accepted.
"I said alright. This obviously means a lot to you, and to be honest here, I would like one final hurrah with you before I have to go."
Candy got off of Parry, allowing him to get up. She still seemed surprised that he accepted, but that changed when she gave her head a quick shake before adopting her more determined look.
"You bet it's gonna be a hurrah!" she exclaimed. "Now go home and pack up all your stuff so that you're free tomorrow!"
Parry flashed Candy a quick grin. "Wow, never thought I'd see somepony so glad to see me go."
Candy rolled her eyes at that then gestured with her hoof for him to go. "Just go already!" When she then realized something, she stomped the floor once before saying, "Oh, and don't forget! Come here first thing in the morning!"
He shook his head with a smile before turning around and started to head home.
I will make it the perfect day tomorrow, Candy thought as she watched Parry leave. Then, without being aware of it, she moved a strand of her mane into her mouth and nervously chewed it. At least...I hope I can...
It was morning, and Candy was ready; it took her all of last night, but she succeeded in planning 'The perfect day' for Parry. When she met with him under the gazebo again, Candy surprised him when she set down a basket she brought and revealed a lavish breakfast within it. Parry seemed so happy as he dug into pancakes that Candy worked so hard to prepare in the break of dawn, and in turn, this made Candy twice as happy!
Once they finished breakfast, they went over to the local comic shop to pick up the newest issue of Parry's favorite series. Candy knew he would want to visit the shop for it, and that was why she added it to the plan, knowing full well that comics were just one of the ways Parry kept himself up-to-date on his references.
Up next on the agenda, they went to a carnival that happened to be visiting Ponyvile that day where Candy and Parry spent the entire afternoon there, eating the delicious snacks and having loads of fun! But when the sun started to set, it was nearly time for Parry to head home. However, they didn't want the fun to end so soon, so they decided to ride one last ride before going home. After some friendly bickering, they eventually decided on the ferris wheel.
It was dark and the moon was shinning brightly above them when Candy and Parry took their seats on the ferris wheel. Once it started to move, and the two were halfway up, all the rides' colorful lights turned on at once; best of all, when the ferris wheel stopped, the two were at the very top, allowing them to fully enjoy the light show below.
At this point, Candy was very nervous over the next phase of the plan; she had to tell him before he left, and she'd been prepping herself all day. So, without allowing herself to have second thoughts, she confessed. She told Parry of her feelings for him. Parry seemed shocked, and that scared Candy; she was starting to fear that Parry didn't feel the same, but moments later, she was relieved when he told her that he felt the same. Next thing Candy knew, either by some heat of the moment or blind passion, she found herself kissing him. Seconds later, as the two still kissed, fireworks went off, illuminating everything in every possible color imaginable. Unfortunately, their kiss ended when the ride began to move again, forcing them to get off when they reached the bottom.
As Parry walked Candy home on that quiet night, no words were exchanged, not even when they reached it, instead, only one final kiss was exchanged before Parry left...
The next morning, Candy awoke to a tapping noise coming from her window. When she went to it, she opened it and found Parry standing in the street below, a pebble ready to be thrown was held in his mouth.
"Parry?" Candy asked, confused as to why he was still in Ponyvile before she ran downstairs to meet him. "What are you still doing here?!" she questioned after opening her door.
"It's my dad, Candy!" Parry said, sounding excited. "He decided not to take the job!" He smiled the biggest smile Candy had ever seen on him. "We don't have to move anymore!"
Candy covered her mouth with her hooves as she shed tears of joy. She then surprised him when she suddenly embraced him, crying, "Parry! That's...that's wonderful!"
"I know!" He said, hugging her back. "It means I get to stay with you..."
"Oh Parry." Candy said before she pulled her head back to look into his eyes.
The two then kissed, and they lived happily ev
Candy stopped typing, as she had to wipe away her tears again. She gave the paper sticking out of her room's typewriter a quick read, instantly realizing that it was flawed in so many ways. But she didn't care, it was still better to write down what she wanted to happen instead of crying all night.
"Candy..." Candy turned to her side and spotted her mother standing outside of her room. "Aren't you going to the train station to see Parry off?"
Candy took a shaky breath before wiping her red eyes of the tears that have been plaguing her all night. "Y-yeah mom..."
Pinkie gave her daughter a worried look before she walked into the room and give her a hug. "There there..." she said as she lightly caressed Candy's mane. "Don't be sad sweetie; a year isn't that long. He'll be back before you know it."
Candy just broke down and cried into her mother's shoulder, as everything went so wrong yesterday: she had tried to make Parry breakfast, but ended up with burnt crisps; she wanted to take him to his favorite comic shop, but there was a long line outside because of a very popular comic's newest issue being released; and last of all, they were at the carnival for all of thirty minutes before a stray cloud from the Everfree snuck past the weather ponies and rained over it.
So there was no ferris wheel, no bright lights, and definitely... no fireworks...
Cotton Candy...had failed her Cotton Candy promise...
Author's Note
So! Show of hands here: how many jimmies have I rustled?
The Funfact is:
Cotton Candy often likes to write little short stories during her alone time, it helps her with her borderline ocd as she can control what happens in the little worlds she creates and she loves organizing a series of events to happen during her stories.
