I'm so so so so so so sorry...
"I didn't know she was blind!"
"And that somehow makes it all better?" the fillys mother retorted. "She has refused to come out from under her bed for three whole days now, because she says, and I quote, 'The music monster will hurt me again if I go outside.' I mean really Mayor," she said, directing her attention to Mayor Mare, sitting behind the great desk in her office. "Can't you do something about this? My daughter so much as hears a single musical note from beyond her window and she near goes into hysterics!"
I never meant to hurt the filly.
Never would I ever ever ever intentionally hurt a little filly, or anypony else for that matter!
It had happened a few days ago, a new family had just moved into Ponyville. I'd talked to the mother and father in passing, given them each a greeting. Upon learning that they had a daughter who had been in the hospital for some reason, I had the bestest super duper idea! I'd wait until she came to Ponyville too, and then I'd throw them all a super awesome mega spectacular Welcome to Ponyville Party!
She was just so delicate, walking between her mom and her dad. I should have been able to tell something was off by the fact that her eyes never seemed to focus on anything, or that she didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. The way she had been leaning up against her fathers side, letting him guide her movements should have been a giveaway as well.
I rolled up to them in my party wagon, setting it to run as I prepared to sing my customary welcome song. The trumpets went off, and everything went to tartarus.
The poor little filly screamed out in terror, backpeddling wildly. She tripped over a rock, and when she finally managed to get her legs under her again she took off. Straight into the side of a house. That would have been bad enough, if her impact with the siding hadn't managed to knock off a flowerpot on a window sill above her. Of course the stupid thing broke over her head, sending her into a greater panic. She backpeddled away from the house, my welcome wagon blaring its song the entire time.
She managed to trip over the same rock as previously, sending her tumbling to the ground. While she hyperventilated and tried to get back to her hooves, the song ended, and the firework tubes shot out a gout of cake batter. I could have sworn I put it in the oven this time, but obviously I didn't.
So there she was, injured, scared, covered in cake batter, her parents desperately trying to console her.
And it was all my fault.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Persimmon Shot," Mayor Mare said, shaking me from my memories, "But theres really nothing I can do. You live almost in the middle of Ponyville. Your residence is right in the crosstraffic of nearly every single resident in the town, I can't hardly ban the musicians guild from travelling the town as they please, now can I?"
"I realize that," the fillys mother replied, rubbing at her forehead with a free hoof. "I just ask that you at the very least make ponies aware, when I try to talk to them they just brush me off like I'm crazy!" she claimed.
The mayer let out a huff of air, sighing heavily. She seemed to do that a lot, especially when it was concerned me.
"Pinkie," she started, turning to me.
"Yes?" I replied. Why did she invite me here? It's not like Persimmon Shot was willing to talk to me at all, every time I tried to she just immediately told me to go away and leave her alone. I even asked her to tell her daughter I was sorry, but she just pushed me away sobbed as she ran!
How am I supposed to apologize and make everything better if nopony is willing to talk to me?
"I'm going to have to ask that you take extra precautions in this situation."
Buh-wha?
"I...what extra precautions?" I asked.
"Pinkie, I don't want this to progress to the point where they feel the need to file a restraining order against you. That is why I'm requesting, not only as the mayor, but as your friend that you please cease all interaction with Persimmon Shot, Straight Shot, and their daughter."
"What!??!" I cried out, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. "But all I want to do is apologize, to make everything all better! I made a mistake, and it was definitely a doozy of one, but I can't make it better if they wont let me talk to them," I pleaded.
"You've already done quite enough," Persimmon Shot snapped, a scowl on her face.
How did it go so wrong so fast? The first time I talked to her, she was all smiles, so happy that her family was moving here. Now I couldn't get a word in edgewise without her frowning...
"Pinkie, please," Mayor Mare asked, fixing me with an apologetic stare. "Theres nothing to be done in this situation. They want you to leave them alone, that is what they believe will let them be happy, will let them smile. Do you understand?"
I hung my head in shame, only able to mutter out a few words, so intent I was on not letting them know I was crying. "Yes...I get it."
I slid off my chair, throwing a glance at Persimmon Shot. She let out a huff of air, and turned away.
"Pinkie," Mayor Mare called out, trying to stop me as I left her office. Well, I hope she wanted me to come back. As this day was turning out though, she more than likely wanted me to go away too. "Pinkie!" I saved her the trouble. I let myself out.
As I walked the streets, I saw friendly faces all around. What would happen if I somehow hurt them too? Would they let me apologize? Or would they clam up and want nothing more to do with me either?
A strand of limp pink hair fell across my eyes. I reached up a hoof, inspecting the straight hair. It usually stayed all puffy and friendly like a big puffball of cotton candy. It almost never got like this. I'm not really sure why. Twilight once said it happened because I was sad. But I wasn't sad now...I was just... not happy.
I didn't really know what I would do if I hurt any more of my friends, and they then desired to cut all ties with me.
I made my way to Sugarcube Corner. I plopped my head up on the counter and ordered a milkshake. It was just such a happy drink, maybe it would help make me happy too.
"Hey Pinkie!" came a welcome voice.
"Hiya Spike."
"Whoa, somepony sounds down. Wanna talk about it?" He asked.
"I guess..."
"Hey, mister Cake, can I get a couple doughnuts?" he asked, facing the counter. He got a positive response, and in a few seconds a couple doughy, yummy smelling treats were plopped down on the table I found myself sitting at.
"So whats on your mind?" He asked, sliding one of his doughnuts across to me. Silly little Spike, thinking everything could be fixed with food. But wasn't that what I was doing too?
"I just don't know what went wrong," I muttered, copying the favorite phrase of the mailmare who usually ended up breaking the mailbox in front of Sugarcube Corner. "I tried to make a new friend, but I ended up hurting them, and losing two others."
"Dang, that's even worse than I thought it would be," Spike possited.
"And it gets even worse, Spikey," I said, sipping at my milkshake. "They won't even let me apologize, they even got the mayor to tell me that I have to leave them alone forever now."
"They won't even let you apologize? That sucks."
"You don't know the half of it." I replied.
"Can't you just, go around them or something?" Spike asked, half of his doughnut gone within the spiky teeth lined maw of his.
I couldn't just go around the parents...unless...
"Spike, you're a genius!" I called out, my hair poofing back to its merry 'poofyness'.
"I can only try. Are you gonna finish that?" he asked, pointing at my own half finished doughnut.
"Have at it, its the least I could do to thank you for cheering me up."
And he had cheered me up! I felt all super excited all of a sudden, I knew what I could do to apologize, and make the little filly smile as well!
It was later that night, I couldn't very well sneak over here in the daytime, could I?
I crept up to the window at the back of the house. I remembered just last week, Persimmon Shot was showing me around this house, happy as could be. She told me of her wonderful little filly, that she was going to be coming home with them soon from the hospital. I had to leave suddenly, so I wasn't able to learn her name, or that she was blind. Of all things, if only I could have been given a couple extra seconds, even a minute. I might have been able to know beforehoof, and avoided this entire situation.
I opened the window carefully, oiling the hinges as I worked. It was standard fare, I often had to oil the hinges of doors and windows so I could sneak around to give ponies a proper surprise.
"~Pssssst~" I hissed into the room.
"Who's there?" a young voice hissed back out of the darkness. It sounded like it was coming from underneath the bed.
"It's...it's me..." I trailed off, uncertain on how to continue. "The Music Monster."
She didn't reply, filling the air between us with silence.
"I...I don't expect you to believe me. I didn't mean to hurt you, I would never want to hurt you intentionally. I acted without thinking, putting you in a situation I wasn't aware would frighten you to the extent it did. I'm not asking you to forgive me, just that you please lay the blame where it should. Please don't hate, or fear music for what happened to you. Music is a truly wonderful and beautiful thing, it can make a pony sad, happy, hungry, all kinds of things." I swallowed, trying to wet my suddenly cotton feeling mouth.
"Blame me, and know that I am truly sorry for what happened. I made you something...I didn't know what you liked, so I just made you a standard cupcake. I put sprinkles on top..." I put the cupcake on the window sill, "It's vanilla. I just wanted you to be happy, to see you smile. Please don't hide away such a precious thing just because of me."
I closed the window, making sure it made an audible click she could hear.
I stood outside for a couple minutes, trying to smile. I had done good, right? I apologized, I made her a special apology cupcake and everything!
A small hoof appeared, reaching above the window sill, probing, slowly searching for the cupcake. It finally found it, and pulled it over the side.
I smiled.
Author's Note
Check the blog for information regarding the continuation of this story.
Also, forgot to mention this. This story was inspired by a scene from the story ...And it's freaking cold up here.
