L.I.P: Pinkie Pie- Ratatat

Chapters

Pinkie Pie: Ratatat ch 1
Pinkie Pie: Ratatat ch 2
Pinkie Pie: Ratatat ch 3

Pinkie Pie: Ratatat ch 1

We were accommodated in a small room, with only two seats. A huge mixing board to the left of us and a coffee table in between, with scripts and various other papers and documents nestled sporadically in semi-organized piles. The silence in the room seemed to bounce off the white tiled walls and carpeted flooring. I gave a look to my partner, who turned to me and, with a wry smile on her face, flipped a switch on the mixing board. The red light was on. Time to go to work.

“Good morning everypony, This is your one and only DJ Pon-3 reporting the what’s what in Ponyville and all over Equestria. For today’s show, we have the usually rockin’ tunes, with a very special guest interview with… Ratamacue! That’s right! The very same pony who is known as the drummer for the one and only Mane Street Band! Can’t wait! But first, here’s Sapphire Shores with her latest single…”

She clicked the track and turned off the room mics, then turned to me and started telling me about what was going to happen in the interview. I wasn’t really listening, not that I have anything to worry about. Vinyl Scratch never ceased to amaze me, how flawlessly and seamlessly she gets her point across to her listeners, and how smoothly her voice rolled out over the speakers. The voice of Ponyville. The queen of the Equestrian airwaves.

“…And then it’s all downhill from there… did you get any of that? We go live in 10 seconds. Are you ready?” She must have picked up on the blank look on my face…

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I said to her with a slight wink and smirk out of the corner of my mouth.

She clicked back on the room mics just as the song finished, “I have sitting with me in my warm and cozy studio the one and only Ratamacue from the new big thing in Canterlot, The Mane Street Band. So close I can just reach out and touch him and, let me tell ya mares out there, he’s quite the handsome stallion. So tell us, Ratamacue, how does it feel to come from nothing to being part of one of the biggest musical sensations in Ponyville?”

The words were flowing from my mouth as she kept firing question after question at me. I was looking her over as I sweet talked my way through the overwave interview. She was just the perfect kind of spunky, sexy mare that made me want to become a superstar in the first place. Her soft gray coat, her striking blue mane, and those glasses she always seemed to be wearing whenever she was doing her work. She looked even more attractive with them off. But I’ve only had one chance to see behind those glasses. I wanted to make more opportunities to see them off her…

“There you have it fillies and gentlecolts, straight from his mouth to your ears, the story and future of the sensation that’s sweeping the Equestrian nation. Now let’s listen to their newest single, ‘Stuck in the Saddle…’”

She turned off the room mics one more time, and turned to me with a seductive smile on her face, “You did wonderful, Ratamacue, you’re still planning on helping me DJ for this year’s Summer Sun Celebration, right?” She had a look on her face that seemed almost pleading. Then again, it was kind of hard to tell what facial expression she was making with those damn glasses on.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I replied suavely, as I got up to take my leave so as not to cause trouble for the rest of Vinyl’s radio show.

“Great, got any plans afterwards?”

“I figure I’ll just go where the night takes me.” Play it casual, don’t act too interested, then you’ve got them in the bag…

“The night can find you in some pretty strange places, why don’t you play it safe and accompany me after the celebration?” This was too easy.

I turned to walk out the door, then, giving her a glance back, I responded, “We’ll see…”

I returned to my temporary apartment-home in Ponyville to look my best for the Summer Sun Celebration, making haste through the busy streets and marketplace. I reached the front of my door and opened it with my magic, and stepped inside to the small but cozy room that I would be calling home for the next few days. Stepping into the bathroom, I took a long look into the mirror to see what the early morning damage would be. My grey-blue coat was looking great as always, my white mane just the perfect amount of messy. I didn’t see the need to put anything on for the party, seeing as nopony wears clothes on a regular basis anyways. What’s the point of putting on clothes if it’s socially acceptable to go without? There are some things I’ll never understand about high society ponies…

I grabbed an apple from the complimentary minifridge and lay down on the bed, planning on taking a quick power nap before the big celebration. I lay there for a good long while, just thinking about how I came to be where I am right now. A few months ago I was nothing but a nopony, with a rag-tag garage band from Seaddle who wanted to make it big. Now I’m getting called up between tours to talk on local radio and to co-host and DJ one of the biggest parties of Equestria. Sometimes life is good to those who really don’t deserve it.

My thoughts drifted to Vinyl, and what kind of plans she might have in mind for after the party. It occurred to me then that “after” the party would be the morning, since the party ends with the raising of the sun by Princess Celestia. Something tells me she didn’t really think that through, and I hadn’t really thought about it until just now. Still, the thought of spending some personal time with DJ Pon-3 herself sent shivers down my spine. Again my I began to wonder just how lucky one buck could be as I drifted off to sleep…

I waited patiently, stationed behind the mixing board and speaker system placed stage left at the dance floor in the middle courtyard of Ponyville that would host the party to kick off the Summer Sun Celebration. The snooze I had taken in my cozy apartment left me feeling refreshed and excited about the night to come. Citizens of Ponyville were already beginning to show up, stopping to talk to other partiers and making casual conversation, apprehensively waiting for the dancing to kick off. One of my favorite parts of being on the stage has always been pony-watching, looking out into whatever crowd I would be playing for and just watching ponies, stallions dressed up nice (or not so nice, depending on the gig) and mares and their always attractive clothing (or lack thereof). This was turning out to look like a rather mixed crowd, with the many different cliques and age groups converging on the platform to join in the festivities. The kick-off wasn’t scheduled to start for another hour, and it seemed that over half of Ponyville was already in attendance.

It struck me as strange that they were hosting the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville for the second year in a row. As far as I know, the venue had changed every year. Maybe Celestia had acquired a soft spot for the little town…

I was pumped! The same kind of pumped I always get before a show with the band, or any time I get on a stage really. I turned to Vinyl, who was at the turntables next to me. She gave me a look and that mischievous little smile she seems to give me a lot lately. If she hadn’t been wearing those glasses, I probably would have seen her winking at me, judging by the way she gave me a little head turn-smile combo. I looked at the stage we were situated on, and saw the pedestal from where Celestia would do the honor of raising the sun in front of the crowd of awestruck ponies. This really was a bigger honor than I was feeling at the time. To be fair, I was really excited at the time, not really acting entirely flattered with the entrustment of such an important job.

30 minutes left! I turned back to the crowd, and continued my session of pony-watching. I noticed two unicorn mares talking, one with a pretty lavender coat and purple mane with pink highlights. She was showing the other, a white coated mare with an extravagant purple mane, various magic tricks, particularly the ability to grow daisies on any patch of grass she pointed her horn at. Lavender coat was cute, and very easy on the eyes, but white coat was absolutely breathtaking! I took a good long look at the beautiful mare, and then turned to the rest of the crowd. There was an adorable pegasus mare with pink hair and a soft yellow coat waiting in line for punch, which in retrospect was kind of a waste of time because other ponies kept cutting in front of her in line, as she would sheepishly try to get their attention to her presence. I felt kind of sorry for her; she was too cute to have to put up with that.

I turned my attention to the other side of the square, and spotted the orange earth pony running the snack stand talking to… WHO WAS THAT? She was talking to… one of the most fantastic looking earth ponies I’ve ever seen. Her coat was a bright, powerful pink, her mane a similar but darker shade of pink. She was pretty, but something about her just struck a cymbal in my mind. I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it at the time, but I knew that I would have to go talk to her later once the party got going.

“Hey Rattie… the parties about to start, get ready.” Aw, that was cute; she came up with a nickname for me. I would have been a little more turned on by this, but my mind was stuck on the pink pony in the crowd. I looked to where she had been standing, but instead found her clear across the field, barking at somepony who had cut in front of the yellow Pegasus. How did she get over there so fast? I only looked away for a second…

The lights dimmed, the crowd fell silent (the scene has been set!) A lone mare appeared on the stage, with a spotlight trained on her…

“Hello everypony!” The very official looking pony started, “Welcome to the formal party to kick off the Beginning of the Summer Solstice! I won’t bore you too much with a long speech, I’ll save that for the morning, but for now, let the party begin!” Her words were followed by loud cheering and hoof pounding from all the ponies in attendance. Vinyl took her place at the record players, and I began the preset playlist she had made. The party had official begun!

The music was hard, the floor was shaking, and ponies were dancing all over the place. Vinyl was tearing at the tables, mixing the beat with expertise that I could never muster. She was doing two records by hoof, and one of the records she seemed to be scratching with her magic, and another with the tip of her horn. I was really kind of funny to watch, she really gives her all into the work she does.

I was adding samples and interesting beats and bass hits to put icing on the cake, nothing too hard, considering how powerful my sense of rhythm is.

It didn’t take long for the excitement and intensity in what I was doing start to wane. The clock had already struck midnight. Vinyl told me it would be cool if I wanted take a break. I happily accepted, both for my need to take a break and my desire to mingle into the party, if only for a few minutes.

I shimmied my way through the crowd on the floor and made it over to the punch table. It was a waste of time, considering somepony had drank all the punch and was now wearing the bowl like a hat, much to the enjoyment of his friends. I sighed, I was really thirsty. I guess I’ll go buy a drink from the sales-mare.

I floated my drink behind me, and walked to the gazebo at the back of the park. Behind it, there was a wall that marked the edge of the courtyard. There were a bunch of adolescent ponies lying on the floor, locking muzzles, even some others doing less wholesome activities. I decided that’s not really a place I wanted to be at the moment, and made my way back to the dance floor.

I danced for a good while turning to a few mares and getting a little dance session with each one before turning to the next one. I even danced with the nerdy-cute looking lavender mare I saw earlier. For such a studious looking unicorn, she really did know how to cut loose.

I turned around from my last dance partner and… I was looking straight at her. The pink earth pony. I gave her a small smile and started dancing to the beat Vinyl was laying down. She returned the smile and locked eyes with me, came in close, and started mimicking my movements. I smelled… peppermint? It was rolling off her breath as she panted slightly from exertion. She stopped following me, and gave an incredibly cute, high pitched giggle.

“Heehee! Now you follow me!” She started swaying to the beat. Naturally, I started doing the same. She started moving faster. She wasn’t following the beat anymore, my inner drummer was screaming, but I followed her anyway. She was now at double speed, and I started panting heavily. Then she did something crazy… she got up on her hind legs, crouched down, crossed her forelegs in front of her, and started kicking her legs forward. I tried to follow her, but ended up falling on my flank, much to my embarrassment.

“You’re really fun!” She positively beamed, her coat beaded with sweat, her blue eyes shimmering. The way she was standing over me was… kind of arousing. “What’s your name?”

“Ratamacue” I answered as I righted myself.

“THAT’S A FUN NAME!” She yelled, and then proceeded to say it over and over again.

When she was done, she turned her attention back to me, “I am Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can call me Pinkie. Wanna come get some punch with me?” She added without hesitation.

“I would love to, but I have to go back to the stage. I’ve been gone too long.”

She looked put down, so I added, “but you can meet me after the party’s over. M-maybe we can meet up for the raising of the sun?” I stammered out. Dang, did I just… ask her to watch the sunrise with me? I feel like this might be moving fast.
She lit up, and instantly replied, “Oki-Doki Loki!” and gave me the cutest smile I’ve ever seen.

The fast electronic beat ended, and gave way to a much slower, rock ballad of sorts. She gave me a look, and when I met her eyes, she turned her head down, gave a delightfully awkward smile, and blushed. The act was kind of strange, as she was already pink.

“Well, I can’t leave now,” not that I really needed to, this was probably Vinyl’s way of taking a break, “I need to slow dance with somepony before the night is over…”

She lit up again; her eyes went wide for a second before going a little softer. She blushed even harder. I found it weird; she seemed so outgoing when the music was intense. Why would she have any reason to blush?

She leaned in close, and we both started swaying again to the much slower beat. She took a step closer and passed my head with hers, using my neck as a support for hers, in a sort of embrace. We were swaying together, in the middle of the floor. It felt so wonderful to have her touching me, her hot neck pressed against mine, her warm breath lapping against me. I smelled her mane… cotton candy? I was lost in the sensation of it all.

The song ended too soon. We parted, and I gave her one last look. I looked down at the ground, rubbed the back of my neck with my hoof and gave an awkward chuckle, “I should get back to the stage…”

“Kay, see ya later Ratamaratadamacue!” She turned to join her friends as the heavy electronic music started back up. She gave me a glance back and blushed once more, and disappeared into the croud. I guess I really was going where the night would take me.

It was now 3 a.m.; the party had died down a little bit. Ponies had gone to their homes to get at least a little sleep before the sunrise ceremony. Some ponies, including Pinkie Pie, were still going as if the party had just started. She was dancing with the two unicorns I saw earlier, the yellow mare I saw at the punch bowl, and the orange earth pony who abandoned her stand to join the festivities, leaving a frazzled looking light yellow filly with a maroon mane running the catering. There was also an extremely sleepy looking light blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane who I did not see at the party earlier. She looked like she had just waked up. My suspicions were reinforced by the huge yawn she gave.

Vinyl stopped violently raping the turntables, and gave me a sexy look, “So… you wanna head to my place after the party and have a little… morning delight?” She had clearly been drinking. Strange how feelings toward a mare can change the instant you meet somepony who changes your perspective toward other mares.

“Well… remember how I said I would see where the night would take me? Yeah… I kind of made plans with somepony else after the party…” I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, after I had heavily implied that I would meet up with her yesterday.

She gave me a sour look, “Who could possibly be better company than me? Oh… OH! DON’T TELL ME YOU MADE PLANS WITH PINKIE PIE!” She burst out into a very drunken laughing fit.

“Maybe I did… What’s wrong with that?” I was getting kind of mad at her, for her outburst and her obvious disapproval of the mare that I found absolutely… I don’t exactly know how to describe her.

“Dude, she’s never dated before. As far as I know, she’s a one trick pony. All she’s ever done is party and talk. I don’t think she’s capable of romantic feelings. I don’t even think she has ever looked at another pony with attraction.”

With the way she had danced with me at first, and how she was dancing right now, I would have believed Vinyl. But the way she blushed when the slow song came on… It was clear that she felt embarrassed about wanting to slow dance with me. She probably wasn’t used to wanting to do something romantic with a pony.

“Whatever, she seems pretty cool and we’re going to watch the raising of the sun in the morning together.”

“Alright man, but let me just tell you, you’re missing out…” She looked kind of hurt as she returned to violating the records. I went back to my job, and continued to watch the adorably eccentric party pony doing dance move after impossible dance move.

Pinkie Pie: Ratatat ch 2

Ten till seven. Vinyl and I vacated the stage and left to join the rest of the ponies to watch the raising of the sun. This time I was sure the entire town was here, the crowd was huge. I left Vinyl, who had given me the silent treatment the rest of the night, and made my way through the gathering to try to find my date. She shouldn’t be this hard to find. She’s bright pink. I made it to the end of the crowd and, thoroughly convinced that she wasn’t over here, turned around to check the other side, when I nearly crashed into her. I back pedaled, surprised and a little shaken by the sudden wall of pink in front of me. She gave me a wide grin, and then looked confused by my sudden shock.

“Warn me next time you do that!”

“Oh, sorry! I’m just so excited to see Celestia raise the sun I mean I‘ve seen it once before but this only comes around once a year and I’m just so excited and…” She stopped and, more slowly, said, “Come on, let’s get a better view of the stage.”

We walked side by side to the middle of the crowd, within perfect view of the pedestal. She kept glancing over at me and smiling, but whenever I looked back she would turn back to the stage. Her excitement was showing all throughout her whole body, her eyes were wide; she was shaking with apprehension, or was it nerves? It was cute how excited she was getting over the ceremony.

A hush fell over the crowd. The same official pony from last night got on the stage, and addressed the silent ponies in the audience, “Good morning everypony! As the mayor of Ponyville, I would like to welcome you to this years’ Summer Sun Celebration! For a thousand years, Celestia has raised the sun every morning so that the ponies of Equestia can bask in its glory! This day, on the longest day of the year, we show appreciation to our beloved Princess with a party, to say thanks for bringing us the light to end our night! So, without further ado, I welcome to the stage, Princess Celestia!”

The formerly silent crowd let out a huge cheer as the majestic white alicorn stepped out on stage, her breezy mane flowing through the nonexistent wind. She stepped in front of the pedestal and rose into the air. As if it was somehow connected to her being, the sun itself rose over the horizon with her, shining its rays over the gathering. There was uproar as everybody took in the beauty of the new day. I turned to Pinkie, and this time her watery blue eyes met mine. She looked magnificent in the quiet light of dawn, her pink coat illuminated and stunningly bright, smiling cheek to cheek. I probably won’t forget that moment for the rest of my life.

Other ponies started filing out of the square until about half the crowd had left, returning to work or to sleep. Pinkie looked at the ground, and began kicking her hoof at the dirt.

“…H-hey Ratamacue? Y-you wanna… maybe… meet me at Sugar Cube Corner later today? Maybe… grab some lunch?” She was looking everywhere but at me, she was blushing hard.

I didn’t know what to say… scratch that, I knew exactly what to say. But I didn’t know how to say it. She had caught me completely off-guard. I was expecting that I would have to be the one to ask her about seeing each other again. There was no way I could say no.

“…That would be great.” I gave her a warm smile, and she instantly calmed down, “Let’s meet, say, about 11-ish?”

“Okay! I gotta go home now, but I’ll see ya later!” she turned around and… bounced? How could she bounce on her hooves like that? Anyway, she bounced away down one of the streets to her home. I watched her go, both in admiration of her nice looking backside and out of sheer disbelief.

I was walking on air the entire way back to my apartment. I had a real date with the mare I had fallen in love with at first sight. With the other guys of my band, I was never seen as the lady killer of the group. I couldn’t wait until the rest of the guys heard about this. Sure, I had fans, but I wasn’t the one that all the mares would want to see after the show. Such is the life of a drummer…

My mind focused on pony-watching, a habit that had really become prominent ever since joining the band. I gazed at the ponies walking down the street, ponies sitting in shops and talking to their friends, ponies getting ready for the day ahead, opening shops and sweeping and making morning preparations. Pegasi were flying overhead, clearing the clouds, letting the brightest sun on the longest day of the year shine down in all its glory on the quaint but sound little town of Ponyville.

My eyes drifted to one couple in particular. They were sitting at a table in front of a small bistro on the side of the street. They were leaned in close, their heads resting in their hooves, gazing into each other’s eyes. It was such a nice looking scene. When you see two ponies with that kind of synergy, you can’t help but wonder the circumstances in which they meet, and what the story is behind their love. It’s something that I had always wanted, and had always admired those who had it for themselves.

It suddenly hit me how exhausted I was. I hadn’t slept since I left for the party. My mood was only slightly dampened by my lack of sleep. I trudged the rest of the way to my apartment, went inside, and took the rest I really needed after a night like that.

I met Pinkie Pie at Sugar Cube Corner, a little catering shop that was on the opposite side of town from my apartment. We met outside the shop and walked in together. It was then that I learned that Pinkie Pie actually works there, and lived in the housing area above the shop. She was off work, so we got our lunch and decided to take it to the park.

Pinkie was looking at me like she had a question on her mind, “What’s up Pinkie?”

“I just… You seem really familiar for some reason. I know everypony in Ponyville, so I knooow you’re not from around here. But I felt like I’ve seen you before.”

I could have said the same about her. I felt like I had known her for a very long time, even though I knew very little about her.
“I’m in a band that’s pretty famous around Equestria nowadays, it’s called the Mane Street Band, maybe you’ve heard about us or heard us on the radio.”

“Hmmm… Never heard of Ya!” She said with a wink that sent a wave of affection throughout me. She stopped in place and inspected my flank as I walked by. “I’m guessing by your cutie mark that you’re the drummer, huh? I’m sort of a musician myself.” She caught back up to me.

My flank was emblazoned with the image of two crossed drumsticks, making an X. “Really? Are you in a band?”

“No… but one time I got rid of a little parasprite problem we had in Ponyville by leading them into the forest with my one pony band act!” She exclaimed proudly.

I laughed at the idea of Pinkie leading a parade of parasprites into a forest with a plethora of instruments being played at once.

We were about halfway to the park; we had just passed a dress shop that had a stunning display of dresses in the front windows. I tried to imagine Pinkie in one of the dresses, but the only one that did her any justice was the pink one with candy on the trimming. The thought of her in that dress made my stomach flutter.

“So what about you? What’s the story behind your cutie mark?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you, but I think you should skip this part, most of the people reading this have already heard this story...” I had no idea what she was talking about. Before I could question it she delved into her story. I was listening intently, holding on to every word. It was great to get to know a little more about her than what was on the surface.

“And that’s how Equestria was made!” …What…

“Wow Pinkie, that’s amazing, way more inspiring than the way I got my cutie mark. I was messing around in my kitchen when I was colt and started banging spoons on her pots and it appeared on my flank.”

She giggled at that remark, “I can just imagine that! You must have been an adorable foal!” She seemed to think that was an awkward thing to say. She looked ahead and her cheeks went deeper pink.

We had approached the edge of the park. The sun played across the grassy fields and filled the air with warmth and light.
The park was a completely different place during the daytime. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Ponies were playing in the fields, or enjoying picnics in the sun. If there was any day in the year to do it, this would be the best.

I made my move. I gave her a quick sideways glance and wrapped my tail around hers. She made a small sound of surprise, and turned to meet my smiling face. She smiled back and, blushing harder than ever, returned the embrace. We stepped into the park and tried to find a place to enjoy our lunch.

She turned to speak, then stopped and looked down at the ground, and gave a nervous laugh. “Hey, is there something wrong Pinkie?” I didn’t want her to feel nervous around me.

“I’m just… I have a reputation around in Ponyville. Ever since I got a cutie mark, ponies have seen me as nothing but a party pony. I love my special talent and all, but sometimes ponies only see me as what I wear on my flank. Nopony in Ponyville has ever liked me for anything other than my party attitude. ‘Hey, you know Pinkie?’ ‘Yeah, she’s great at parties, but I’ve never really taken the time to get to know her very well!’ Every time I ever liked a pony they would never see me as somepony that they would, you know, get to know better. They call me a ‘one trick pony’ just because they haven’t talked to me about anything besides parties. I feel like the only ponies in this town who really know me are my closest mare friends, and they’re not exactly good for relationships.

Then you came along. I know everypony in Ponyville and not very many ponies come around from other places anymore. You were just so… I wasn’t used to seeing anypony new. I’m not very good at… being romantic because I never got the chance. I get nervous when I like a stallion. I… like you a lot, and I thought maybe if I showed you my other side of me, I could have something that I’ve wanted a long time.”

She waited for me to say something; I knew it must be hard for her to tell anypony so much about herself. I didn’t have any words to say. Instead I gave her an understanding look, and wrapped a foreleg around her, and held her close to me for a while. I knew at that moment that I had probably heard something that she had never told anypony before.

I released her and said, “Let’s find a place to eat.” We found a nice shady place and laid out our lunch underneath the leafy tree cover. The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about nothing, laughing at each other’s jokes, and looking at the ponies around us. The sun was starting to get closer to the horizon, but there was still a lot of daylight left. It was the best day of my life. I had danced with the mare of my dreams, enjoyed an afternoon with her, and found love (although I didn’t tell her so at the time) all in one day.

We laid in the field and looked at each other, playing absent-minded games with our hooves, each getting a good look into each other’s eyes. I considered myself the luckiest pony in all of Equestria. Love doesn’t always come to everypony, and it almost never is shared between two. Everything that happened before today didn’t seem to matter at that moment. My mind was absent, only for a moment. I was still tired from the night before, so before I knew it I had drifted off to sleep.

I awoke an unknown time later. A sliver of the sun was still visible over the horizon. Pinkie Pie was still in front of me; she had fallen asleep as well. Her soft, minty breath was washing over me, delicately playing against my coat. I let her lie there for a little while, taking in her cuteness. The sunset was making her coat look slightly orange in coloration. There was a soft breeze blowing across the park. Most of the ponies had returned to their homes, and the park was much quieter and peaceful than I had ever seen it.

I had no worries. There was nothing on my mind other than Pinkie Pie and the sunset. It seemed like there wouldn't be a single moment that I would ever forget that day. It was a lot to take in in less than 24 hours. I was happier than I had been in a long time, and there was just nothing that mattered more than that day at that very moment.

I woke her gently before the sun sunk below the horizon. She stood up and stretched, and turned to look at the sun as it waved goodbye to Equestria for another night of Luna’s elegant moon. I suddenly felt really poetic and kind of cheesy at the same time. I had watched the sunrise, and the sunset with Pinkie Pie. We packed to go, and I offered to walk her back to Sugar Cube Corner. I would have to walk back home alone in the dark, but Ponyville didn’t seem like a very dangerous place, and I knew I wouldn’t get into any trouble.

The night was inky black and silent. The stars twinkled brightly; I had never seen so many before. There were always too many lights in Seaddle to see more than two or three stars in the sky. Luna’s moon lit the way back to Sugar Cube Corner. I made sure she had made it safely home, and she said goodnight. I leaned in, and gave her a short, sweet kiss on the end of her muzzle. My heart rate doubled, and the butterflies in my stomach took off. She returned the kiss with a slightly longer one, and I nearly doubled over in ecstasy. I whispered goodnight and watched her close the door behind her.

My heart was racing all the way the way to the apartment. I practically grew wings and flew home I was so excited about what had just happened. I reached the door and saw a letter resting outside on the placemat. Who would send me mail? Only a few ponies knew I was staying at this apartment in Ponyville. I picked it up with my magic and took it inside with me.

The letter was addressed to me from Sunny Mane, the lead singer of the Mane Street Band. Sudden realization washed over me. I opened it up slowly and looked it over:

Hey Buddy!

Don’t forget we have a tour launch in 3 days from the Summer Sun Celebration. We need you to be here in Canterlot a day in advance so we can prepare. The first show will be in Fillydelphia. I hope you’re excited to see your old buddies again and get to jam with us for the rest of the summer! We’ve already bought you train tickets, so get your ass up here!

Your best bud,

Sunny Mane.

I had completely forgotten about the band, let alone the tour, since Pinkie and I stepped into the park! I was struck with a conflict. This complicated things a bit. How was I going to make it there in time? How was supposed to get over there with only two days to get all the way from Ponyville to Canterlot. Abrupt dread spread over me.
How was I going to break this to Pinkie Pie…

Pinkie Pie: Ratatat ch 3

I held the train ticket in my magic, and felt almost sick. I really wished it had the ability to magically catch on fire. Normally, I would look at something like this and feel really excited about getting on the road again. But now all I wanted to do was toss it out the window. I couldn’t face the facts. There was no way out of it.

I had to leave Ponyville.

I had to leave Pinkie Pie.

And I only had one day left. How would I tell her? I don’t know if I could face her and tell her that I had to leave. The image of her smiling face turning for the worse as I delivered the news, a wave of tears streaming down her soft pink cheeks, was too much for me to think about. To have her first relationship torn away from her as soon as it had come, to take away from me my love, was too much to bear. I couldn’t imagine having to tell her after all that we had been through today. Wow. It’s only been one day. A whole twenty-four hours. It had seemed like the day had lasted a lifetime.

I was tearing apart inside. I didn’t know what to do. There was so little time. I thought it over and over in my head. I would just have to tell her. I would spend all day with her tomorrow, and I would deliver the gut-wrenching news that evening. I didn’t want to have to do it. I really wished there was some other way. If I could just quit the band and stay in Ponyville.

I lay in my bed in quiet anguish, hoping that I would just be able to fall asleep and it would all go away. But sleep wouldn’t come. I just stared at the ceiling as slow, hot tears flowing purposefully down my face. I closed my eyes, and willed for sleep to come, but was met only with images of Pinkie’s beautiful face, laughing and smiling, blue eyes filling my mind’s eye. I finally was given solace, and I fell into a fitful, dreamless slumber.

I awoke in the late morning. I felt terrible from the restless sleep last night. Tear trails had dried into my coat, leaving two sticky lines in the fur on my face. I sat up in my bed, and fell back as a terrible headache pounded at my brain. Laying here was a lot better, and certainly hurt a lot less.

I forced myself to rise. I clicked on the bedside lamp with my magic, and instantly regretted it as my brain protested with a sharp pound at my temples. I remembered that this would be the last day I would get to spend with my Pinkie Pie, and that gave me the strength to stand and make my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stood under the cold water for a moment. The water running through my mane instantly had an effect on my condition.

I stood there for a good long time, thinking about what this today meant. This would be the last day I would get to spend with her before leaving, and Celestia damn it if it isn’t going to be the best damn day of my life. I tried not to think of what would have to happen in the evening. Better not to have to think about that now.

I got out and brushed my mane and coat. I felt excited about the day, and thought I should probably be heading over to Sugar Cube Corner right now. Pinkie Pie was undoubtedly awake already, given that I had overslept the night before. All the fear and worry I had felt had washed away in the shower. I packed up everything I would need for the day into my saddlebags, and absentmindedly threw the ticket along with the letter from Sunny in after I was done packing up my copy of the latest Daring Do book. I stepped out of my cozy apartment, and into what I hoped to be the best day ever!

I arrived at Sugar Cube Corner, and was greeted by Mrs. Cake.

“Good morning Ratamacue! Pinkie Pie just left to the market to pick up some ingredients, but she should be back in a few minutes! Make yourself comfortable! I can make you some breakfast if you want.”

“Thanks Mrs. Cake, that would be great!”

I took a seat at one of the tables close to the window, and set my saddlebags on the ground by the table. There were a few other ponies sitting in the little pastry shop, enjoying a nice midmorning brunch, or just socializing with their friends. There was a group of three adorable fillies sitting at one of the tables across the room from me. They were all wearing matching capes, as if they were in some sort of club, or secret society maybe. The White unicorn filly was waving her arms like a chicken and making clucking noises, much to the amusement of the light yellow earth pony I saw at the Summer Sun Celebration party. The other one, an orange pegasus filly, didn’t look nearly as amused as her companions, as if the joke was directed at her. It was really an amusing sight.

Mrs. Cake came over with some of the most delicious looking pastries I had ever seen in my life. I enjoyed them and stared out the window into the dusty streets of Ponyville. This town was definitely a lot less crowded than the bustling streets of my home city, and a lot more pleasant. As Mrs. Cake had just demonstrated, most of the ponies in town are really nice. It would definitely be a fantastic place to settle down and make a family. I thought about the idea for a moment, and started wondering if Pinkie had ever thought about having fillies and colts before. I would happily supply her with the necessary equipment, if she were willing. That is, if she ever wanted to see me again… I shook off those thoughts as soon as they had surfaced.

Mrs. Cake stopped cleaning off the empty tables, and came and sat at the table with me, “You know, ever since last night, Pinkie has been absolutely ecstatic. I almost couldn’t get her to go to her room; she was bouncing of the walls. Pinkie has never been a sad pony, but you have definitely made her happier than she has ever been. You gave her a new kind of happiness she had never felt before, she said, and she wanted everyone she knew to feel it too. She didn’t know what to call it, but with the way I described it, it sounds like love.”

She turned to Mr. Cake and gave him a wink, he smiled warmly back to her, then turned to me, and gave me a long distance brohoof when she turned to look out the window. She stood up and continued to the kitchen. I gave thought to what she had said, and took a deep breath of satisfaction. I know I’ve said this a lot lately, but I am definitely the luckiest pony in the world.

Just as I had finished the last of my late breakfast, I saw Pinkie Pie’s pink head break over the crest of the hill, as she made her way to the shop. My heart fluttered, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the extremely cute way she decided to make her way around. I still didn’t understand how she did it. I didn’t need it to be explained, I knew Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie.

She burst through the door of Sugar Cube Corner and shouted rather unnecessarily loud, “GOODMORNING EVERYPONY!” much to the distaste of Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

Mr. Cake looked at her and nudged his head in my direction. She swiveled in my direction and, after looking around trying to find what he was motioning towards, locked her eyes onto me. The innocent gaze did more to me than I would like to go into detail about. She seemed surprised, but overjoyed by my impromptu visit. She rushed over to me at unprecedented speed and wrapped her forelegs around me. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek; an older stallion gave a disapproving grunt from the table next to mine.

She looked up at me and widened her eyes, “Hey Ratatat! Whatcha been up to?” THAT was the kind of nickname I could get into! I pulled her in closer and just held her for a minute. I breathed in deeply the cotton candy scent of her mane, felt her soft coat on my own fur. I’m gonna miss this… STOP THAT!

“Sleeping, actually. I had a lot to think about last night and I couldn’t get to sleep.” I gave her a wink as we broke the embrace.

She giggled quietly, and still found the capacity to blush. “I know whatcha mean… I was just about to leave for lunch, maybe you can hang out here for a little bit, and help me bake cupcakes!” I was an absolute terrible cook, but I decided I couldn’t decline her offer.

“Sure, sounds like… fun.” I shuffled my hooves and my left foreleg caught on the strap of my saddlebag on the ground. The bag tipped over and spilled the contents on the ground. On the top of the pile were the train ticket and the letter from Sunny.

…Buck!

She went to help pick it up, and before I could say anything she was holding the ticket and the note in her hooves.

“What’s this?” notgoodnotgoodnotgood.

“Pinkie, I…”

She looked at the ticket and the note with deep concentration. She read the letter to the end, and visibly sagged. Her ever-present smile disappeared from her face. Then something strange happened. Her curly, messy hair... Deflated… that was the best way to describe it. It fell flat around her head, and hung in front of her face in sadness. It didn’t suit her well. She didn’t look right. I wanted to explain myself, but couldn’t. She shouldn’t have seen this yet.

“…Y-you’re leaving?” It was all she was able to say. She looked at me with deep despair in her eyes. I wasn’t ready for this. I wanted to get through this day without her knowing. She shouldn’t have seen this until tonight.

“Pinkie, I didn’t want you to see this yet…”

She cut me off, “Oh, so when were you gonna tell me?” She started to look angry with me.

“I was going to tell you at the end of the day today, I wanted to spend the last day in Ponyville with you.”

“So you planned on spending the day with me, and then telling me you were leaving? You wanted to get what you wanted and leave town?” This was a bad idea, but there was nothing I could do. I had no choice, but she didn’t see it that way. She thought I was taking advantage of her. I moved to speak, but no words came out of my mouth.

She was tearing up. The rest of the shop had gone silent. Ponies’ eyes were drilling into me from every direction. She was making me look like the bad guy, and I deserved it. I didn’t want to leave her. I didn’t want to lose her. She closed her eyes shut as tears started to run down her face. I stuttered again, trying to find the words to say to make things better, but I couldn’t think straight. She turned away with a sour look on her face, and ran for the back room of the shop. I just stood there in a desperate stupor. Mr. Cake gave me a look of shame, and shook his head.

“Look, son. Maybe it’s time you left Sugar Cube Corner.”

I hung my head, and headed slowly out the door. Ponies who had been watching the scene fold out in front of them returned to their meals. The fillies at the table in the back of the shop were whispering quietly at their table, and one of them pointed a hoof in my direction. I felt humiliated, defeated, and ultimately heart broken.

So much for the best day ever…

I headed to a cider pub on the outskirts of town. It was an extremely depressing looking establishment that only mirrored the feelings that were weighing down my head and heart. The only ponies around were wallowing in shame, or whatever it is that ponies wallow in when they take a visit to the pub in the afternoon. Probably heart break. That’s why one pony seemed to be heading there at the moment.

I walked inside the bat wing doors into a dark musty room. The smell of smoke was heavy in the atmosphere. At the end of the room there appeared to be a small wooden stage. Seated in the middle of the platform there sat a lone chair. There were a couple other stallions sitting at the bar. I took a seat on a stool at the end of the bar. The tender came up to me, and I ordered the heaviest glass of cider they had to offer.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the situation I had put myself into. I loved that mare, and now I’ve lost her, and she thinks I was leading her on. I didn’t hesitate to finish my cider, and swiftly ordered another, in hopes that I could drown my sorrow.

The stallion sitting down the table from me slid over and took a seat next to me. He was a stark white earth pony, with a red and black mane. I looked at his flank and saw emblazoned on it the four suits of standard playing cards arranged in a diamond. He whispered something about winning it big in Las Pegasus and then proceeded to lay his head his head on the table. His breath smelled heavily of alcohol and smoke.

I felt discouraged about being in such a disheartening place and decided I should get out of that place. I had stood up to head toward the door when a spotlight trained itself on the chair on the stage.

I light grey unicorn with a beamed eighth note cutie mark walked onto the stage and sat at the chair. She was holding a guitar in her magic. She floated it into her arms. Her rosy red eyes were staring intimately at the instrument as she began to strum the strings with her right hoof. The ponies at the tables closest to the stage started whooping and hollering at her, trying to reach over the edge and grab a quick touch at the mare. Vinyl ignored the stallions and kept playing her guitar. She began singing, a soft, melodic voice echoing from her throat. She was quite talented with her voice, and her hooves.

She finished the number and I gave her a loud cheer, momentarily forgetting the reason I had stepped into the pub in the first place. She spotted me and gave a smile of appreciation. She got off the stage as another mare got into the spotlight.

Vinyl came around to the back of the pub and took a seat at the bar next to me.

“What are you doing at a place like this at such an early hour?”

I was a little dizzy from the two mugs of hard cider I had just downed, “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Being a radio DJ doesn’t pay a lot. I get pretty good tips from the stallions who come to see my show. A mare’s gotta pay the bills somehow.” She was obviously ashamed and embarrassed by the situation I had found her in, “What’s your story, Rattie? Nopony comes to a bar at one p.m. for no reason, what’s gotcha down big colt?”

“I bucked it up with Pinkie Pie. She saw something that I didn’t want her to see, and now she’s upset and probably doesn’t want to see me again.” A returning wave of despair washed over me as her hurt, teary face flashed in my mind’s eye.

“She seemed pretty happy a few hours ago in the market… Look man, I don’t claim to know a whole lot about being all lovey-dovey, but if she doesn’t want you, she’s missing out.” She turned to look about the pub, “But you need to get out of this place, this atmosphere isn’t good for anypony.”

I realized that she was right, and felt only a little better. I gave her an appreciative smile and headed out of the bar. I was still in a terrible mood, and decided I should just go back to my apartment. The afternoon air was warm and the sun shone brightly on the summer day. It made me sick. This would have been a fantastic day to spend with Pinkie Pie. I was starting to feel like the unluckiest pony in all of Equestria.

I was hanging my head and staring at the ground, so I didn’t see the mare coming. I crashed into her and her field of magic broke. She dropped her books she had been holding in the field of levitation. I offered to help her, but she just cast her magic out and picked them up neatly into a stack floating in midair. It was the nerdy-cute unicorn from the party. She seemed to recognize me and gave a toothy smile.

“Sorry about that, I really need to pay attention to where I’m going.” I wanted to get out of there and hide myself away in my room. She had other plans.

“You’re that unicorn Pinkie Pie was talking about after the Summer Sun Celebration! I’m Twilight Sparkle.” She gave a kind of curtsy with her forelegs.

“I’m Ratamacue.”

“Nice to meet you! From what I’ve heard about you, you seem like a really nice stallion. Pinkie was extremely excited to finally have a date… She was in an overly ecstatic mood when she came over to the library this morning to borrow a cook book. She was talking really fast, but I picked up something about a unicorn stallion that she… well anyway she was in a great mood and she came and left almost immediately.”

My curiosity to the bit of information Twilight had skipped nipped at the back at my mind. Not that it mattered anymore anyway. I was broadcasting my emotions a little too freely, and the lavender mare seemed to pick up on them. She gave me a look of puzzlement.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I have some things I need to take care of. If you see Pinkie Pie again, tell her… tell her I’m sorry. I didn’t want for this to happen, but I had no choice.” I walked around Twilight with my head hung low and continued the direction of my apartment. She stood there, frozen and confused, with a frown on her face. No words came out of her mouth. I didn’t look back at her, but I heard the distinct sound of galloping getting more distant in the other direction.

Clouds were starting to fill the sky. I guess Ponyville was in need of a rainstorm. Or maybe the pegasi were just playing a cruel trick with me as the receiving end of the joke. Within minutes, curtains of rain draped over the dusty streets. The cool water ran down my mane and back as I trudged through the shallow mud towards my cold empty apartment.

It was the next morning. I stood on the platform, ready to board the train to Canterlot that would be leaving in the next half hour. Puddles riddled the streets and the air was moist with the after effects of the storm yesterday. I had spent the rest of the day in my apartment, packing for the train ride and just generally feeling sorry for myself. It wasn’t healthy for me to stay in Ponyville anymore. I was actually starting to look forward to being back on the road. I took a seat on one of the benches, and looked over my ticket and letter.

After reading it for the hundredth time I turned to look at the terminal entrance. No… It couldn’t be…

She was standing in the gate. Her mane was still down. She looked at me, and walked slowly in my direction.

I felt like I was about to get chastised by a teacher for doing something wrong in class. I looked down at the wet ground, unable to meet her gaze. She came up to me, and sat on the pavement. I met her eyes, wet with tears and… it looked almost like pleading.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I had to make it right.

“Pinkie, I’m s-so sorry for what happened. I wanted to tell you that I had no choice, but the words caught in my throat. You had every right to be upset with me. I should have told you that I would have to leave before we became… what we are now. When I was with you… the world didn’t matter to me. I had forgotten every single responsibility and duty I had. All that mattered to me was you. I… I l-love you, Pinkie Pie.

“I made a huge mistake. Now I have to leave, and I wish there was something I could do to stay, but nopony can spend their life in a d-dream.” I was sobbing, just hoping that she would forgive me. She gave me a small smile, and looked down at her hooves; tears started flowing out of her own blue orbs as well.

“I’m sorry too, Ratatat. I overreacted and… my insecurity got the better of me. I was mad at you for something I made up in my own mind. I stormed out and started crying in room. I was really mad and sad because of what you did. But then, after you left, my left leg started to twitch. When my left leg twitches, it means somepony is really sorry. I felt really really sorry for what I did. I tried to go out and find you, but you were nowhere in town. I went back home, I thought I would never get to see you again. Then Twilight came to the shop. She said she was looking for me. She said she met you and told me what you said. I knew I had to find you before you left, and the only place I knew you would be is at the train station. I’m so sorry, Ratatat. I don’t know what love feels like, but I know I would be sad for a really long time if I didn’t say I was sorry.”

I felt instantly relieved. I stopped sobbing and gave her a long embrace. Her straight mane was soft and damp. All the sadness of the last day had melted away from my soul. Her body warmed my frosted over heart. I wanted to hold her forever and never let her go…

“…All aboaaaard for Canterloooooot!” The train’s whistle sounded throughout the terminal.

“I have to go now, but I promise as soon as I get the chance I will take the rest of the guys through Ponyville. And when the tour is over, I’m coming straight back here. Promise me you’ll wait for me?”

Her hair Returned to its cotton candy-esque splendor. “No promises!” She joked, “Come into town as soon as you can. I listen to you on the radio every day. I’ll be here when you get back.” She gave me one last smile, and I took a mental picture of it so I would have it with me when I left.

The train whistled one last time. We just looked into each other’s eyes. Kissing would have ruined the moment we were sharing right now, and I wanted to take her in before I left. Our hooves touched. It was all I wanted to stay here in this moment forever.

I’m sure it was such a nice looking scene. When you see two ponies with our kind of synergy, you can’t help but wonder the circumstances in which they meet, and what the story is behind their love. It’s something that I had always wanted, and I finally had it for myself.

I got on the train and looked out the car window. The train started to pull forward. She was bouncing next to me, waving her hoof in the air.

“Have a nice trip! See ya next fall!”