The Secret Under the Mare
'She's taking forever, I hope she didn't forget I was coming over today. She wouldn't do that, right?' Dash paced inside Sugar Cube Corner, she'd been waiting for almost an hour, and her patience was dwindling.
'She clearly forgot, I should just go and check with her tomorrow. This blows.' She looked around, realizing how little of the place she'd actually seen before.
'I guess I could wait a few more minutes...' Out of pure curiosity, she ventured deeper into the hallway. She couldn't get caught, the cakes left her alone to wait while they were out doing... Whatever they said. Right.
She walks through the dark hallway, flipping on a light with her wing as she walked past the staircase. All of the doors were closed, and the first one she tried to open proved to be locked. Looking closer, the door at the far left side of the hall was ever so slightly ajar, the lights off inside. Drawn to it, Dash nonchalantly approached the open door, pushing it open.
'Aw, it couldn't have been anything more interesting? This is just a bathroom!' She glanced around,full of hope for something cool forgotten on the counter top.
'She left the cabinet open...' Reaching to shut it, she hesitated, opening it all the way and looking inside.
There wasn't anything too interesting inside, a toothbrush with paste, some extra soap, and a single bottle of pills.
'Those can't possibly be for headaches or anything; they're in the prescription bottle.'
She took a quick glance down the hall, making sure it was clear. On confirmation, she pulled them out and looked at the bottle. Not knowing which label was important, it took a while before she found the title.
'Are these... They can't be... There's no way this is right. She doesn't need these, right? Not her...' Her mind stuttered to explain the pills in the bottle.
It must've taken a minute before she snapped out of her trance, shaking her head, she moved to set the bottle back, uneasily. Before...
"Dash? What are you doing in the cabinet?" A high pitched voice sounds from directly behind Dash.
"AH! NOTHING! Who are- Pinks? How did you sneak up on me like that? The door's wide open beside me!" She shouts, attempting to change the subject.
"What's that behind your back?" Pinkie asked, sounding less like herself and more nervous, and serious.
"I don't know what you're talking about," She denied.
"I saw you holding something in your hoof as I walked in, I just want to know what it is. Please?" She asked, begging with her eyes.
Dash held firm for as long as she could.
"I got bored, since you were running late. A-and I found these, they can't be yours, right? Please tell me these don't belong to you," Dash begged, holding the prescription in front of her.
"Well, I guess I won't tell you then." Pinkie sheepishly looked to the side, scraping the tiled floor with a hoof.
Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing. This would change everything about her Pink friend. It doesn't even seem possible, of all ponies she knew, that she's hiding something like this.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Dash asks.
"No, not really. Could you set those back for me?" Pinkie asks, avoiding eye contact.
Dash immediately complies like a guilty child, closing the cabinet, turning out the lights, and following Pinkie into the living room.
"Please keep this secret Dash, I really didn't want any of my friends to find out." Pinkie speaks, barely turning her head.
"I will, how long have you been on uppers?" Dash asked, instantly worried she crossed a line as Pinkie tensed momentarily.
"Me? Hm, I think it was the first year I moved to Ponyville. The doctors instantly suspected I had something wrong there, and a few months later, diagnosed it. After a few weeks, I was tired of feeling so bad inside, so I had these prescribed to help brighten up my mood. They aren't too expensive, I can afford them, while still making the bits to do other stuff." She answers, smiling.
This inspired the idea for Dash to go a little deeper.
"So what's depression like, it it jus-" Dash starts.
"Please don't say it, I don't like hearing that word." Pinkie flattens her ears.
Dash felt as if she had just spoken the worst insult the planet had ever heard.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It was just-" Dash starts again.
"I know, you didn't mean it. Just please try not to say it when I'm around. It gives me a headache after a while." Pinkie offers a little grin, sitting down on the sofa, Dash taking a seat in the nearby chair.
"But to answer your question, you mean when I'm not on the medication? Right?" She asks.
Dash nods, looking at the floor.
"Not as bad as you hear it is. Ponies like to make it bigger than it really is sometimes. It doesn't matter too much on day one, but if I go too many days I start getting really grumpy and tired. I'll get headaches, I'll stop eating, avoid talking to ponies, It gets much harder to sleep, and I get the feeling that nopony likes me anymore. I sort of just, get quiet and lose motivation. You've actually been around me before when I'd been trying to get myself off of them!" She smiles.
"Really? You always seem so, bouncy. I didn't even have a clue you'd possibly-" She begins.
"I just hide it really well, I don't want ponies worrying for me, that's my job!" She grins.
There's a long moment of silence, nothing really left to be said.
"So what happens now?" Dash asks.
Pinkie thinks.
"Well, I'd rather nopony know just yet. If they need to find out for some reason, than I suppose I'd have to tell them. But for now, just pretend you never saw it, I'm still me, and just because you found out doesn't mean I'm going to act any different around you. I'm fine just the way I am!" She beams, almost as if trying too hard to seem well.
"I guess I can keep that a secret, I'm really sorry I snooped around like that, it's going to take a while to get this off of my mind." She frowns.
"No worries, I'm sorry I was late! I was almost worried you'd leave!" She giggles.
"I was about to, but I got curious. I've only been in a few rooms here." Dash explains.
"I understand completely, but you really shouldn't delve into anypony's private rooms like that! You could've found something you really would regret finding." Pinkie warns.
"Wait, you've got bigger secrets than this?" Dash asks quizzically.
"Well, no. That's all I have to hide myself. But metaphorically, there could've been something really private in there." Pinkie explains.
"What really interesting secrets get hidden in a bathroom? Other than that medication, of course." Dash asks.
"I don't know, that's why it's a metaphor! Silly." She giggles.
"So did you still want to hang out, or did I kill the mood?" Dash asks with guilt dripping from the words.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Pinkie exclaims, quickly changing back to her loud, bouncy self again.
"That's what I was hoping for..." Dash smiles, leaving through the door, Pinkie close behind.
Pinkie stops and takes one longing stare at the bathroom door, thinking.
'I need to find a new place to hide those, before somepony else opens that. Nopony was supposed to see me like this...'
"You coming or what?" Dash calls from outside.
Pinkie looks out at her, smiling, and followed Dash outside.
Author's Note
Written SUPER early in the morning. Writing stories about depression helps me cope with it extremely, so I might be writing a sequel. I have one in mind, but I won't follow through if this gets poor ratings. Hope you enjoyed it! A nice break from writing the same story for a month. Also, I know there are two author's notes. I'm not sure why or how this happened.
