Just Smile

[center]Chapter One
Stories

"I am always at a loss at how much to believe of my own stories."
-Washington Irving“The monster came in the dead of the night as thunder crashed and lightning blazed. He walked slowly but fluidly, head held high, eyes blazing.” Rainbow leaned in close, a sly grin spreading across her face. She spoke in a hushed but foreboding tone. Pinkie Pie sat still, eyes filled with awe, eager to hear more.

The silver moon glistened high above, giving Rainbow's features an eerie glow as she continued. “He had large wings, massive and dark with a claw at each tip like a dragon's. He stared at what was before him, head level, locking eyes with a young mare trembling in his path. She was paralyzed. The monster grinned, bearing teeth as sharp as knives. He unfurled his wings and loomed over her, rearing up onto his back legs and—"

Pinkie screamed, leaping to her hooves and kicking off. She ran in circles, her high-pitched wails echoing through the night.

“Pinkie!” Rainbow called, racing over to her panicking friend and holding her back. “I haven't even finished the story yet! Come on, scardy-tail, don't you want to hear the end?”

Pinkie took a deep breath, and smiled. After a moment, she began to giggle, puzzling her multi-coloured friend even further. She laughed uncontrollably, getting louder and louder until she was clutching at her sides, her whole body shaking with the effort. Lights were starting to go on in houses. “Of course I want to hear the end, silly. It's just really fun to be scared!” She giggled some more, falling over onto her back and kicking her legs up in the air. The laughter echoed through the empty roads.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. She gave a sharp sigh and sat down beside her bubbly friend. “Alright, fine, just don't freak out again when I get to the good parts. And be quiet. Everypony's sleeping, remember?”

“But we're not sleeping, so that's not everypony,” Pinkie laughed, her curly mane bouncing with every breath.

“I meant everypony else, okay?" Rainbow sighed. "Now be quiet and let me finish the story.".

“Alright, alright.” Pinkie sat up, crossing her forelegs. “You sure are crabby this late at night.”

Rainbow ignored her and started the story once again. “Now where was I—oh, yeah!” She leaned forward, ears back and eyes narrowed. “The monster let out a growl, low and menacing like a lion getting ready to spring. He scraped his hooves on the ground, ready to charge at the cowering mare. He leaped, landing on her back and baring his fangs. The other ponies of the town who had stood frozen in fear now bolted. They ran in circles, trying desperately to find a place to hide as the mare cried out for help-”

“Wait!” Pinkie exclaimed, eyes wide. “How come nopony helped her?”

“I don't know. They were scared, I guess, all too panic-y to think to help,” Rainbow explained. “Now if you'll let me continue-”

“Does the mare escape? Does somepony break out of their fear-trance and spring to rescue, attacking the monster and driving him away to the land of evil beasts and then they all have candy and sweets to celebrate and-”

“Pinkie, whose story is this?” the blue-coated pegasus snapped while stomping her hoof on the ground. “Are you going to let me finish or not?”

“Oh, sorry,” the bouncy pony apologized. “I'll be good now.”

“Alright,” Rainbow sighed, starting her story yet a third time. “Now as I was saying, the mare cried out for help as the monster raised his hoof. Her scream was cut short as he drove his hoof onto her head, knocking her out with one single blow. He dragged her off as ponies fled to their houses, cowering behind their doors. When he got to the end of the road, he spread his massive dragon-like wings and carried her off into the sky. Off to his lair deep in the abandoned woods.”

“Ooh! Then what happens?” Pinkie was leaning in so close, Rainbow thought she'd fall over.

“Sorry, that's the end of part one,” the pegasus chuckled. “It's how the story was told to me when I was a filly. In parts.”

“Aw...” the party pony hung her head, disappointed. She paused for a second, seeming in thought. “Hey, Dashie...”

Rainbow gave her friend a curious look. “Yeah?”

“Is this based on a true story with a real monster?”

The pegasus laughed, shaking her head. “Nah, monsters like that don't exist. It's all just old mares' tales. Stuff you tell friends over a campfire. That's all.”

“Oh, okay!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed and grinned as if all the worries had been chased away. While they had been talking, the black sky faded to a softer shade of grey, lightening the roads.

Sun should be up soon, Rainbow thought, rubbing her eyes. She knew she'd be tired all day now but she supposed that's what she got for over-sleeping during a nap the previous day. She yawned, turning her gaze from the sky to her friend who seemed as wide-awake as ever. “Hey, Pinkie, why couldn't you sleep?”

The earth pony looked confused for a moment. “I don't know, I just couldn't. My hooves just didn't want to stay still so I let them take me wherever. It's a good thing because then I ran into you!” She smiled, a big, wide-mouthed smile that stretched from ear-to-ear.

Rainbow gave her a little grin back. “Yeah, I guess so. Otherwise you wouldn't have heard my awesome story.” She spoke with confidence though, admittedly, she didn't really feel it. Pinkie, well, she didn't seem to always be in control of her movement. The young pegasus did know of the party pony's “Pinkie Sense” that warned her of certain immediate dangers. She wondered if insomnia had something to do with that. If, maybe, her inability to sleep was in itself a warning. Rainbow sighed and decided she was getting worried over nothing. Pinkie was just hyper. She ate tons of candy and it wasn't out of the ordinary for her to be on a sugar rush. There was nothing to worry about, and even if there was Rainbow Dash could certainly handle it. The bravest pony around. There was nothing she couldn't fight off. Nothing.

Yet another record-breaking smile spread across Pinkie's face as she bounded around Rainbow with an energy that shouldn't physically be possible. “Your story sure is neat! I can't wait to hear the rest!”

As they started to canter down the road a feather drifted by on the wind, ragged and coated in dirt. It caught the attention of the young pegasus for a mere second before she shrugged it off. Just a feather, that's all... though she had failed to mention that the mare in her story, as it had been told to her, was a pegasus. She felt a slight chill down her spine.

But monsters such as this one, as everypony knew, did not exist. And stories, of course, were just that -stories. Never anything more.