The Laughter is Dead
BloodinMyenam
As countless ponies passed the pink mare in the corner of Ponyville Cafe, not one of them gave her any unnecessary attention. They knew something was wrong. Usually, she was a ball of joy, constantly bouncing back and forth down the streets and alleyways of the small town.
Now, she lay resignedly on a plush leather couch in the back of the building, her aquamarine eyes without their usual sparkle, her hair having long since fallen flat, reflecting her somber mood.
Her appearance was the main cause of the other ponies' wariness, along with the the strange aura she was emanating, an aura that stated, quite clearly and without words, Back the buck up before you get slapped the buck up. Also, there was a certain feeling in the air, a type of social consciousness that, if put into words, would whisper "Laughter's upset.The world is going to Tartarus".
Their attention was diverted by the entrance of another mare, one whose appearance was just as grim, but unlike the pink mare in the back, was set with determination, her pink hair disheveled and a large bruise standing out on her face.
The pegasus moved directly to the couch on which the pink mare lay, glared at the prone, resolute form lying on the sleek black futon, her head between her hooves, with a mixture of detest and grief in her cyan eyes that could not be described by any bystander.
Suddenly, without a word, she collapsed next to the pink mare, head over her neck and flanks touching. They lay like that for a long while, as the pink mare felt her deflated hair grow wet where the other mare nuzzled her.
"Flutttershy, I-" she started, but the other mare cut her off.
"No, Pinkie Pie, I'M sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."
"But I hurt you, again, Fluttershy. I had no right to take it that far. I guess I just forgot I was an Earth pony." Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy, their snouts nearly touching, and treated her to a quick kiss on the nose, which had been broken by her own actions just hours before.
Fluttershy gazed at her for a while, and spoke. "Well, I guess the rope was a bit unnecessary. But I do enjoy you tickling me, even if it's a bit more...forceful than I'm used to."
The other mare sighed, her warm breath a soothing breeze on the pegasus' nose.
"Sometimes, I feel her in me, like she's an actual, living thing, ya know? Like she's just waiting to come out, waiting to hurt somepony. And then she gets out, gets out for just a few seconds, and all Tartarus breaks loose."
"I'm scared, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy, her heart breaking, searched her socially awkward mind for something to say. And suddenly, in the darker corners of her normally friendly consciousness, she found such a thing.
"Pinkie."
The other mare did not respond.
"Pinkie Pie! Look at me!" She whispered forcefully, grabbing the party pony's head with her hooves and turning it to face her.
"Never give up hope! Yes, she may be in you, and yes, you may be one with her, and yes, of course she wants out! And you're going to let her out time and time again! But remember, if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be who you are! You know what I used to do in Cloudsdale? Whenever they would make fun of me, I would just go to the edge of the rainbow falls, and sit, and think. The things I would think scared me too. And if I'd told anypony, I probably would've been locked up! At these times, I thought 'Why not just jump? Make all the bad thoughts stop! They wouldn't be able to hurt me, and I wouldn't be able to hurt them!' But I didn't ! No, I would go home and-and-" With those words, she turned over her hoof, and showed Pinkie the few patches of skin on her hoof, where the soft, light coat that Pinkie loved had not grown for years, and would never grow again. "Without Laughter, you'd be nothing! NOTHING! Never let the bad outweigh the good! Because no matter what happens, you can restrain yourself if you just TRY! And besides," she said, pulling Pinkie close, and choking back tears, " I'll always love you, for better or for worse. Never forget that."
Pinkie looked up at her fillyfriend and smiled.
"I-I guess you're right," she said stoically, brushing away a tear.
Fluttershy gave her another adorable smile. "You know what Discord once told me in one of his letters? He told me what Celestia told him, while she was the embodiment of Kindness and he Laughter. Before stripping him of his powers, Celestia told him: 'Too often, Laughter comes at the expense of others. Laughter is nothing without Kindness. Remember that always, Discord. Someday, we can be together again. That I swear.' I know none of you like him very much, but I believe that he's truly changed. And if he can bring himself back from whatever dark abyss he fell into, I know you can overcome your own hyperactivity."
Pinkie looked up at her lover, the one pony who seemed to understand her.
Then she shot upward, surprising Fluttershy with a long, sensual kiss. In that moment, she knew they would stay together. Until death.
"Soo, still want that tickle fight?"
"I dunno...no ropes, right?"
Pinkie looked at her mate with a serious, are-you-bucking-kidding-me look, and Fluttershy worried that she had gone too far. But then, she smiled, not a hyperactive smile, but one of gentle playfulness.
"No promises!"
Author's Note
http://awsdemlp.deviantart.com/art/MLP-Tickling-372711065
Okay, so it's kiiinda weird...
