Pinkie uses noodles and glitter to explain the deeper nuances of love and destiny. ...Sort of.
Pinkie uses noodles and glitter to explain the deeper nuances of love and destiny. ...Sort of.
The cafeteria at Canterlot High was already a busy buzz of activity as Sunset Shimmer walked in through the massive double doors. Today was Hearts and Hoo- Valentine’s Day, she mentally corrected herself - and that meant that the half-filled room’s activity was rapidly reaching frenetic levels as students exchanged small cards, flowers, and other small gifts. The staff had decorated the lunchroom with pink streamers that wound around the square pillars, giving the room just a bit more colour for the holiday.
Sunset smiled to herself as she weaved around Lyra shyly intertwining her fingers with Bonbon. Resisting the urge to brush against one of them to snoop on their feelings about each other, Sunset made her way toward the table that she and her six friends usually claimed in the middle of the cafeteria. Pinkie was there first, as always, and wore a look of intense concentration as she stared down at a piece of paper that appeared to be covered in glitter, and, inexplicably, six macaroni noodles.
“Pinkie Pie, what on earth are you doing?” Sunset asked, lighting onto the bench next to her friend.
Pinkie held up a finger as a bit of pink tongue stuck out from the corner of her mouth as she leaned in to what, upon closer examination, appeared to be a star chart from astronomy class. However, the frizzy haired girl had covered it in an inordinate amount of glitter. As well as the mysterious macaroni noodles. After a long moment, Pinkie shook her head. “Oh well, not this year!”
Sunset blinked. “What isn’t this year?” She asked, trying to get a look at the chart.
“Oh! I won’t be meeting the partner of my dreams who will sweep me off of my feet, take me to exotic places, and then we’ll get married and have cute frizzy haired kids!” Pinkie replied, somehow managing to make what was actually a lot seem rather simple. “I didn’t think it’d happen this Valentine’s day, and I’m content to wait. But I always like to check anyway. Just in case my Pinkie sense is wrong.”
“Oh. Heaven forbid that ever happen.”
“I know, right?” Pinkie said, pulling out an inexplicably large sandwich out of her backpack. “As if the Pinkie sense would ever be wrong.”
Sunset chuckled appreciatively, before pulling out a container of salad from her bag. “So, can I ask how you’re interpreting it?” She asked. “And what is with the macaroni noodles?”
Pinkie swallowed the bite she’d been chewing on, then gave Sunset a broad grin. “Oh! Those are things that I want in a perfect partner!”
Sunset waited patiently for a response, then realised as Pinkie went back to inhaling her sandwich that she wasn’t going to get an explanation without a question. “So… what does each one stand for? Cause… right now it looks like you’re putting macaroni in the middle of Equuleus, and I’m pretty sure that there’s not any other stars in the places those noodles are. Though it’s kinda hard to tell underneath all of the glitter.”
Pinkie struck out with a finger, and pointed it at a noodle that fell roughly in between Beta Equulei and Epsilon Pegasi. “It’s all about what you’re looking for. This noodle, for example, represents the sweet tooth I want my future lover to have!” She said, before pointing to another noodle that hovered around Messier 15. “This represents the fact that I want them to be just as magical as me! It wouldn’t be fair to be with someone who worried that they couldn’t keep up with me! So they better be a bright, shiny person on the inside!”
Sunset frowned. “I… don’t quite follow, but could you tell me more?” she asked, before pointing to the noodle that sat on top of Delta Equulei, “What does this one mean?”
“Oh, that one’s easy! That’s the twins we’re going to have together!”
“Twins?!” Sunset exclaimed, before narrowing her eyes and peering at Pinkie. “Are you just pulling my leg?”
Pinkie swallowed the cupcake she’d shoved into her mouth before answer. “Sunset, why would I pull your leg? That’d hurt, and totally make explaining this confusing!” She tilted her head to the side, the pink curls of her hair bouncing lightly as her face fell slightly. “Everything that I put on this has a lot of meaning. And it was really confusing at first to figure out why I made it the way I made it! But… if you think about it, love itself is really confusing.”
Sunset couldn’t deny that. Love certainly was something that she’d found… puzzling at best, and frustrating at worst. “I’m sorry, Pinkie. I guess… I hadn’t thought about trying to put love down to something like, well, this!”
Pinkie nodded sagely. “Well, of course not, silly! I wouldn’t’ve either, except I did it in my sleep and have just been trying to figure it out ever since.” She explained. “But now that I’ve got it figured out it makes it easier!”
“How so?”
Pinkie pulled out a laser pointer from her pocket. “Well… look at all 6 of the noodles,” Sunset nodded, trying to follow her logic. “If I draw lines between them…” She traced an upside down W with the first three noodles, then another pair that sat on the edge of Equuleus, and then connected the edge star with Alpha Equulei.
Sunset’s eyes widened as she realised that the noodles roughly made a new constellation - one that linked Pegasus and Equuleus with a heart. “I’m not sure I understand the ‘how’ of you coming up with this, Pinkie, but I do think I understand the meaning a little better now.” She said with a soft smile. She paused. “Have you figured out why the constellation links Pegasus and Equuleus?” She asked.
Pinkie Pie shook her head. “Nope! No idea! But it’s fun waiting to find out!” She turned as their other five friends walked up. “Oh! Hi Rainbow Dash! I brought you something!” She said, Sunset all but forgotten for the moment.
Sunset took one last look at the glitter studded star chart, and covered her grin with her hand.
Author's Note
I never write this sort of thing. And I had a weird conversation with my therapist about trying to figure out what you want in a relationship, and it being like staring at a star chart covered with macaroni noodles and glitter. I didn't answer my own questions, but at least I got a story out of it!
~
Heartshine~
