Author's Note
As a general warning: There is one use of profanity within this story.
The 'Narcotics' and 'Suicide / Self-Harm' tags are used because there is an in-depth talk about both drug use, experimentation and suicide.
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Right then, here we are, people!
This is Andy and Pinkie Pie: The Dance, or Andy and Pinkie Pie: Volume Six! This is by far the longest story in the series, but I figured it would be best to cap off this series with something sweet, sad and a little happy. 'End it with a bang', if you will.
Anyway, about a couple or so days later, this is what came into being! I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this series as much as I did writing it and I do encourage everyone to leave either positive or negative feedback relating to your thoughts on the story. Happy reading and I'll see you in the next story I write, whichever it may be!
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With love, from England,
The Dance
Andy and Pinkie Pie - Volume Six - The Dance
By FireRain
*** *** ***
Well, this is it - the big day of the dance. The day of the Apple Family Reunion.
You haven't given much thought about dancing or going to any formal type of event since you were in secondary school and just weeks away from prom. It wasn't like you had anything against parties or celebratory events, but rather the concept of being in the same room as a bunch of people, regardless of if you personally knew them or not. It drove your anti-social anxiety needle into the red zone and caused it to bounce just over the edge.
You remembered prom night like it was yesterday, but the reason why was due to the fact that prom was one of the most awkward times of your entire life. Unlike a couple of your friends, you were seemingly the odd one out in terms of finding someone you liked to go out with. Every guy you knew had already asked out a girl they were interested in and the girls had already found their date, and the remainder of guys had opted to go together as a group as a last resort. So, that left you on your own without another living soul to wrap your arm around.
You felt embarrassed about it. You thought that you must have looked like some form of parasite to the rest of your peers back in those days. You knew you weren't much to look at, but you hoped that you could at least find one girl to go around with. From your view, you were the only student without a date, and it hurt your heart.
The girls which you went to and shyly asked, with an awkward smile and a tap on the shoulder, turned to see you, and you couldn't have picked a worse choice for your first attempt - Claudia Nint. She was among the most popular girls in the school. Hell, she probably was the first-ranking popular girl in school. She had all of the good looks, too! Chestnut hair tied back into a ponytail with a pink scrunchie, marvellously bright green eyes, well-cared for smooth skin that looked completely faultless and really complemented her smoothly-chisled cheeks and cute little button nose. Unlike most girls, she didn't even have the desire to wear any form of cosmetics, and it still wowwed you to this day how beautiful she was.
She always used to wear the school uniform with such a statement that it caught the attention of everyone in the room. She always tucked in her high-quality white cotton shirt into her black skirt around her trim waist, pulling the shirt more closely to her snake-like hips and blossoming fun pillows. That black skirt, you had a firm recollection of, always clung to her well-toned and nicely-rounded booty in such a satisying way, the type of way that had all of the guys hooting over their shoulder as she walked past with those elegantly-trimmed legs of hers.
You could remember that reaction, too. When you prodded her on the shoulder to gain her attention in the maths corridor and she turned to face you, wondering which head-over-heals prince charming had interrupted her conversation with one of her closest girlfriends, Chloe, a below-her-in-beauty girl of average attractive-rating, she gave a soft smile. Even her smile was heartwarming, showing neatly and evenly-spaced white teeth with pristine enamel that shined like polished diamond. You recalled the warmth it brought to your chest, and even still, the memory brought that same blissful warmth as it did then.
''Oh, Andy!'' She said, her tone chipper and peppy. She had a very sweet and tender voice, one that could even put a siren to shame in the middle of the trecherous sea. It always gave you the fuzzies when you listened to her sing in music class. As a matter of fact, that was her main aspiration in life that she was working hard for - to be a singer. ''What's up?'' You remembered her saying, her voice singing to your ears.
''Claudia, I, um,'' You began, much to your inner turmoil as your nerves began to itch more vigorously with each second that ticked past. She was staring at you eagerly now, wondering what you were going to ask her. Her green eyes shimmered all the while, bright and glorious.
''Yes?''
''Claudia, I was just wondering i-if you...'' You stopped for a moment, and Claudia gave you a worried expression as she saw how sweaty your white shirt had gotten around your neck. You felt as if your forehead was sweating bullets the size of a fifty calibre machine gun, but you were unable to tell if you were simply sweating or if your brain was suffering a catastrophic malfunction, minutes away from going ka-bluey!
''W-Would you maybe l-like to...?'' You began shakily, feeling your armpits draw up a sweat strong enough to make dark, grey-ish ponds in your shirt that spread out past the cover of your arms, becoming visible. Your collar had suffered the same fate, and you felt yourself go weak at the knees as the anxiety flowing through you caused your brain to expand and flex, and you felt your stomach tie itself into a tight knot.
''Andy?'' Claudia asked with concern as she touched a hand to your shoulder, feeling alarmed by your temperature, cold and clammy. The delicate and soft touch of her hand to your shoulder was enough to send your brain over the edge, and before you could get a word in, you uttered a noise somewhere between a whimper and a drawn, incomprehensible gasp and you passed out. The last thing you saw were the sparkling, concerned eyes of Claudia Nint, and the last thing your heard was the uproar of laughter from your male peers.
That one day in secondary was the single most embarrassing and confidence-plummeting day of your miserable life. You didn't even bother to go back to school after that. You shut yourself in your room and bolted the door shut with the small brass lock that you had installed when you wanted some privacy. You went as far as quitting your plans to go to the prom, lest you suffer the further embarrassment of having everyone whispering in their friends ears, ''Look! There's the wimp that fainted asking Claudia to the prom! What a loser!''
You could hear it in your ears now, and the sound sparked a swelling pit of empty black in the bottom of your heart. It made you ashamed and scared to leave the house, and it was the first step in the development of your now-nerve-breaking anxiety. It was safe to say that you felt it had developed into the realm of being able to be called 'agoraphobia'.
Standing in front of your mirror in the room you shared with Pinkie Pie, you recollected your thoughts on Claudia Nint and you were lost in a world of your own. You never spoke to girls that much, or at all, as a matter of fact, but, as you came to know Pinkie Pie, you found yourself a second chance at redeeming yourself. However, you were always scared of ridicule and the company of others.
You knew that Pinkie Pie wasn't a low-down pony that would laugh at you in your moments of shame and embarrassment. She was too sweet and loving for that. Come to think of it, you thought of her as perhaps something a tad more than a friend, but you didn't know if you wanted to go that far as of yet. You didn't feel quite so ready to delve that deeply into a committed relationship. Besides, wouldn't that be crazy? A human and a pony? A pink, talking, giggling mass of fluffy adorableness with a sense of intelligence? Now, that would be a little awkward.
It got you thinking about the day when you were standing at the side of the bridge, when you met the three diabeetus-conjuring fillies known as The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apple Bloom, especially, was your focus of attention. The way she kept making those suggestive hints and comments and the way she giggled at your flushed, perplexed reaction.
''From the sound of things from Pinkie, it seems that she's taken quite a likin' to you,'' Apple Bloom had said, and you felt dumbstruck by her words, frozen in place and unable to get a word in from your seized vocal chords.
With those words echoing within your fragile mind, you recalled the first few weeks that you worked in Sugarcube Corner's main kitchen area as you worked the same shift hours as Pinkie Pie. Even before the flour-bombings that had soon followed your first working days, you had at least one eye trained onto Pinkie the majority of the time she was rummaging around for ingredients for whatever she was making before adding them professionally into one of her two mixers with the accuracy of a Wild West gunslinger.
The time when you paid close attention to her was when she reached high up into the cupboards mounted to the wall to pull out spare bags of flour. Particularly, you paid close attention to her hindquarters that were doned with her two blue balloons and single yellow balloon. You hated yourself for it, feeling a little perverted, but you were only human. It wasn't that uncommon for a guy to check out a female. If anything, it just meant that they were attractive and rather good-looking. But Pinkie Pie...she was something else entirely.
Pinkie had an amazing figure, despite the amounts of calories she consumes along with all of that sugar. You were baffled when it came to wondering on where all of those extra calories went as they were digested by the pink pony, the one you had previously thought of as El Diablo back in your early days in Equestria, but you had figured it best to leave the matter alone. You weren't sure you wanted to know the answer. For all you know, those calories could be consumed and eaten away by some kind of evil black hole or vortex within the pony's metabolism and zapped off to some alternate dimension. Either that or Pinkie burns them faster than they go in. You supposed it would make sense, especially with all of the hyperactive activity within her being that knows no end.
As the days progressed, months before her shocking confession after your outburst of anger towards her, you had started to pay more and more attention to her figure. You wouldn't say you were smitten or anything along those lines, but you did admire her a great deal. However, that opinion soon changed the more you hung out with her.
Those toned hips, perfect for cupping your hands around, so smooth and soft with that puffy, candyfloss-scented fur covering her body, her sweet-smelling poofy mane that constantly held a sugary, vanilla-like aroma around it...she was devine in every aspect! The most attractive features of the mare resided within her royal blue eyes. They sparkled and they glimmered with an open hoof to shake and they promised friendship and warmth. They were so inviting that you could gaze into them for hours and wonder what truly lies behind those orbs of magnifisence. They were like windows into the golden-specked soul of an angel. At this point, Claudia Nint had nothing on her!
''Sounds ta me like you like her, too,'' The ghostly voice of Apple Bloom said within your subconscience.
Looking deep within your paled emerald eyes in the mirror, you felt a sense of unease arise deep in your belly. You dwelled on those words spoken from the farm filly's mouth in that adorable Southern accent, singing in the empty space of your hollow skull. Pinkie Pie was a friend of yours, that much was true, but when you were confronted by the ghostly words of the filly reverberating within your skull, you stopped and whispered her words to yourself in a mantra.
''Sounds to me like you like her, too,'' You said to yourself, surprised by how phantom-like your voice was. It was so quiet that even the highest-trained ear in the town couldn't have made it out. As a matter of fact, your voice sounded more scared than nervous.
You hated yourself for one thing, and that one thing is that you knew how much of a hard friend you've been towards Pinkie when you knew she was only trying to help you cheer up and find your place in the world. You were more than sure that, if you didn't ever meet Pinkie, you most certainly would no longer be amongst the living. You would be huddled in a gutter somewhere in the fetal position suffering from a mix of hypothermia and starvation until one of or both consumes you and digs you an early grave. Just knowing how you could have ended up made you grateful for the pony's companionship.
Come to think of it, you thought of her more often than you would openly admit, especially to her personally. Like the whole incident with Claudia, you never were very good at talking to girls in general, so you mostly steered clear of them, especially after the failed attempt to ask out Claudia to the prom. That was a big no-no on your agenda. No, thank you.
However, this whole dance thing that Apple Bloom spoke about - the Apple Family Reunion - you were and weren't looking forward to it. You looked forward to the part that meant you could see Pinkie and her friends as well as the Three Crusaders, but you didn't like crowded spaces. Unlike that time you found yourself watching the sunset at Sweet Apple Acres not long ago where you spoke with Applejack, you realised that you didn't exactly know any of her family. That got you curious on how many family members she has spread across Equestria. The only ones that you've heard of and seen from time to time are Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Mac. Sometimes, you see Granny Smith hanging around the market stalls looking for baking ingredients. It would normally be Granny Smith or Applejack doing the general shopping for the family, so that's the only time you've really ever seen her, but you've never spoken a word to her before. You were too shy for that.
If the entire barn dance happened to be crowded like you feared, then you knew right off the bat that you are going to be in for one hell of an awkward night. The entire time, images of PTSD (Post Traumatic School Disorder) flashed before your eyes, a terrible reminder of why you strongly avoid making conversation with girls.
As you do, that only opened another can of worms for your heart and mind to slalem around. Like prom, if there was going to be a dance involved and you had something you wanted to talk about with Pinkie Pie, you knew that the inevitable was going to happen - you needed to man up, straighten your back and fly right if you were going to have any hope of succeeding in asking her to be your plue-one to the reunion. Just the very thought of asking her was making your stomach tighten, and it felt awful. You could practically feel a sour warmth arise from your gallbladder and up your throat with gradual pace. You had to force yourself to remain collected and you swallowed the rising bile back down with a sour, curdled expression on your face from the bitter taste in the back of your throat.
In the mirror, you had your hands around your waist, adjusting your automatic stainless steel belt. You tugged loosely around the black leather strap as you pulled the tongue of the belt through the lock, the belt clicking as it locked it into place around your waist, giving you a firm but comfortable fit in your blue jeans. Covering your body was your light grey shirt. Over the top of your shirt, you were wearing an ultra-soft and spring-thick black hoodie, a gift given to you by Rarity. (Well, Rarity gave it to Pinkie Pie whom then gave it to you, with the word of it being a present from a friend of a friend.)
True to her profession, the beautiful and flawless array of stitches sewn into the not-so-thick-but-not-so-thin fabric formed a very surprising and comfortable, snug fit around your small physique. You don't even remember a time when you felt so amazed by the quality of a piece of clothing, but wearing something designed by a pony as talented as Rarity, you felt like royalty. You made a mental note to remember to give her your thanks once you arrive at the residence of the Apple Family.
Besides, it was nice to own something new to wear in your not-so-expansive wardrobe. When you arrived in the magical land of Equestria, you had left behind your wardrobe back on Earth, leaving you with only the shirt on your back and the jeans on your legs, of which you found yourself cleaning quite a fair amount. You had Pinkie to thank for that.
In your jeans pocket, you reached down a hand into the left side, feeling a rectangular metal tin, along with the urge to spark a death stick before you decide to leave the bakery. From memory, you knew you were getting low on your coping mechanism, tallying up to only two cigarettes out of a total of fifteen, of which you've already used up. It made your stomach cringe nervously.
That was one of the things that bothered you about Equestria the most. Ponies didn't seem to smoke or even drink that much. In the entire time that you've been here, you can't ever say that you've seen a single pony, mare or stallion, sitting off to the side as they enjoy a death stick to take the edge off. That left you without an ample supply to satisfy your addiction when the time calls. That gave you more than enough reason to worry, and you gave the tin a light stroke with the tips of your fingers from within your pocket.
''You never know,'' You began slowly and quietly, looking at yourself in the mirror all the while. ''I might need you now more than ever. I guess I'll find out when I get to the reunion if things go south.''
You stared at yourself long and hard in the mirror for a solid minute as you calculated your own thoughts and feelings. You still looked a little pale and pasty, but you didn't look as bad as usual. The bags under your eyes had become less prominant and reduced themselves to a very light grey-blue colour. Your lips were also a tad more vibrant and healthy-looking. Even your hair had regained some of its vibrancy, making the brown-black combination shine like the finest silk. For the first time in a long time, you looked as though you were finally getting better.
If anything, you supposed that being away from the main habit that you had picked up back on Earth with no way to substitute it, except for your cigarettes to help calm your withdrawal, had helped clean up your system. As you were getting changed, you even noticed that the insertion points upon your arms, dotted around your elbow and forearm, previously red and ugly-looking marks, had healed up and returned to normal. They still held small scars from extended use and abuse, but they had mostly cleared up and the skin had regenerated.
Maybe, just maybe, you didn't realise it until now, but Pinkie Pie, upon learning about your little...habit, had actually always been there to help you in your time of need. It was because of her that you had a mental crutch to lean against so that you didn't topple over in the wrong direction. She was always there for you and she cared enough about you to offer you her ear.
Sighing, you removed your hand from your pocket and brought it up to roll up one of your hoodie sleeves. You looked down to see the revealed insertion point scars that had formed over the broken skin and you ran your fingers over them with a sense of distaste in your mouth and mind, a bitter type of regret that you took with a grain of fine-grade salt. Not a moment goes by where you don't think about all of the harmful substances that you had injected through your veins over the years. It felt oddly strange having them purged from your body from a couple years' worth of forced disuse and severe withdrawal.
At the same time that it felt strange to you, you felt a little...lighter. More vibrant and awake. You felt as if you could breathe again, as if fresh oxygen had been pumped into your lungs with that new car smell that was always so pleasurable. It was in your eyes, too. Their colour seemed to have become more restored to their full brightness, more lively than dead. It was as if a broken fuse in a plug had been replaced before being inserted into the socket, bringing with it new life. They looked, for lack of a better term, refreshed. The reset button had been hit.
You gave a small smile and rolled your sleeve back down. ''All thanks to you, Pinkie,'' You said, feeling warm inside. ''I'll see you when I get there. I can't wait to see you again.''
*** *** ***
By the time you had left the bakery on-route to Sweet Apple Acres, the sun was already starting to droop down over the horizon, bringing with it a vast, colourful assortment of contrasting white and blue-grey that tinted the clouds. It was still relatively early, and you should have really left a little earlier, but you were indecisive.
You had kept staring at yourself in the mirror in Pinkie's room for quite some time, forgetting all together that you had someplace to be. You were too distracted and lost in your own thoughts about yourself and Pinkie for a couple of hours longer than you had realised. By now, you were sure that both Pinkie and The Crusaders were thinking that you are going to be a no-show.
So, double-timing your pace and with your hands in your pockets and your hood up around your head to fend off the slowly dropping temperature of the evening, you were strolling up the dirt road to the farm. Each step you took caused a weary sensation to intensify in your gut, one that prompted your anxiety bell to ring, not because you were heading towards a barn dance where there will be plenty of ponies, but rather because you knew that Pinkie would be there with her friends, now anxiously waiting for you to arrive.
You were somewhat looking forward to being able to see Applejack again after that friendly chat you had as you watched the sunset together, and you were looking forward to spending some quality time with Pinkie. That more than anything else. Well, and seeing Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, of course!
As you walked along, you thought upon how you were going to break the news to Pinkie, and it had you scared more than anything. It reminded you of all of those cheesy romance novels you've read and those chick-flicks you've seen your sister watch back at home. It was always such a cliché that made you cringe: the moment where the protagonist always frets about losing the friendship of the one they are romantically interested in. It always drives up to the exact same climax in every single romance-themed story or movie, but regardless of the clichés involved, you reluctantly agreed that it was a very true factor in confessing one's feelings to another.
You felt no different in this situation, and you were quite honestly babbing yourself over the outcome of confessing your feelings to Pinkie Pie. If you choose to tell her. You knew that she already liked you, ever since that meeting you had on the balcony of Sugarcube Corner, whereupon you shared your very first kiss, if for only a brief moment. You wanted to be fair to her on the same level that she has been fair with you, so where exactly did that leave you in this conflicting mess of emotions? You hated feeling things. It only leads to heartache, and you can say that with confidence that came from experience.
Drawing closer to the land occupied by the Apple Family, you began to hear what you recognised as music combined with laughter and chatter from multiple ponies. It sounded charming and full of heart and soul, the music, even from this distance, causing your ears to feel warm and cheerful. It sounded somewhere in the realm of Gaelic Storm and The Irish Rovers, heavenly and light-hearted tunes produced by wind and string instruments intertwining their melodies, flutes and violins and harmonicas. It wasn't something you could say you'd listen to all the time as your go-to music, but you found yourself to be liking the sound of the music.
You were standing just outside of the entrance of the farm now, lined by that freshly-painted white picket fence that ran through the border of the land of the rural property. The first thing you saw was the big red barn bordered with white paint next to the main farm house that shared the same colour scheme, and on top of the house was a steel weather vane in the shape of a rooster, the arrow pointing East.
The doors to the barn were wide open and the hay-strewn floor inside was being tapped and stomped upon by wildly dancing ponies of various, rustic colours. Mainly, the colour of ponies' coats seemed to be popular around the yellow and red category. However, you spotted some with pink, green and blue coats of fur. They all also possessed either a Stetson, bandana wrapped around their necks, leather cowboy boots, leather vests and chaps. Very Southernish, indeed.
Stepping not even one foot past the fence that marked the entrance of the farm, you were immediately pounced upon by three fillies, your eyes only catching a brief glance of a blur of yellow, orange and white before you were tackled to the ground. You were taking so much by surprise by the bombardment of adorable, fluffy fillies that you were hardly able to get even a gasp out from your lungs.
''You made it!'' Apple Bloom's voice said cheerfully, and you also sensed some relief, too. You looked down to see that she was nuzzling your chest closely in the form of a greeting hug.
''Yeah! We were beginning to think that you weren't going to show up!'' Scootaloo said from where she was hugging one of your legs like some kind of adorable orange parasite. She craned her head around to face Sweetie Belle, hugging your left arm beside Apple Bloom with a grin. ''That's two bits you owe me, Sweetie!''
Sweetie Belle gave a scoff and turned her nose up at her friend. ''As if!'' She said. ''I betted that he would show up, not that he wouldn't!''
''Did not!''' Scootaloo snapped back in retaliation to the bogus claim.
''Did, too!''
''Did not!''
''Did, too!'' They shot at each other, one after the other in an endless argument.
''It's nice to see you, too, girls,'' You said with struggled breath. ''C-Could you maybe let go of m-my chest? Kinda hard to breathe,'' You said, and the weight of Apple Bloom's body immediately released herself from your chest, allowing you to breathe once more.
''Sorry,'' She apologised. ''We all got so worried that you wouldn't turn up that some of us made bets,'' Apple Bloom explained, looking towards Sweetie and Scootaloo, whom were still arguing.
''And?'' You began. ''What did you think?'' You asked, and almost immediately after the words left your lips, a couple of bits came flying towards Apple Bloom, which she caught smoothly in one of her front hooves. She looked up to you with a blush before she stored them into the back of her mane where her large pink ribbon was tied securely.
''Thanks, Scootaloo,'' She said, to which the orange pegasus grumbled beneath her breath with a pout, as did Sweetie. ''Anyway, we've all been waitin' for you, Andy! What took ya so long?'' She asked. It was your turn to blush, and you didn't really want to answer her question. So, your responded with,
''I just lost track of time. That's all.''
Apple Bloom eyed you for a moment, as if searching your soul with those golden amber eyes of hers, as if she were a pony-shaped lie detector. Even for such a young girl like herself, she had this sense of maturity around her. Although she was young, that stare in her eyes was like that of an adults, similar to the truth-finding gleam in Applejack's eyes. It must have been some form of family gene that passed to them through the generations.
''If you say so,'' She eventually said after a few silent seconds of staring. ''Anyway, come on - everypony's waitin' on ya!'' She said, yanking the denim of your jeans shy of your kneecap with a hoof, asking you to follow her. ''They're all in the barn,'' She said, and, taking the hint, you followed her with her two friends as they ran up to join her by her side.
Heading into the mouth of the barn, your eyes drifted off towards the back of the large building where a stage made of wooden planks was situated, pressed snugly up to the wall, a small set of stairs built into the side of it. Streamers and apple-shaped pendants hung from the large timber logs that supported the large structure of the barn, hanging all around in bright colours of the rainbow.
On the stage, you noticed three ponies standing together as a three-part band. The yellow-coated mare with a sea foam green mane and rose eyes on the left of the stage held a large bass drum in one hoof and a beater in the other. The blue-coated, white-maned mare with green eyes on the right of the stage held a steel flute which, even from the distance at which you were stood, you could tell had seen better days. The mare standing between the pair at the head of the stage was beautiful and eye-catching. She wore a green-checkered button-up shirt around her cream-white coat and a white Stetson sat comfortable atop her head of sleek, shiny blue mane that shined like a polished-up sapphire, of which matched her eyes. In her hooves, she held a violin which she played with professional skill, a talent which reflected the elegance of the orcherstra mare back in town named Octavia, whom is a cellist. A damn good one, too.
Once she finished playing, the ponies stopped their wild dancing and faced the stage with cheers as they pounded the floor with their hooves in a ground-shaking round of applause. The head pony in the band tipped her Stetson in gratitude for the gesture. Like that, they went on to play yet another song, something more upbeat and cheerful, and everypony in the room wasted no time in doing the Dosey-Doe.
Guided by the three fillies in front of you, you were brought around to find Applejack standing off to the side with another pony, a tall off-yellow stallion in a brown leather vest with a brown Stetson similar to Applejack's atop his blonde mane. You saw that his cutie mark was a large red apple.
Apple Bloom came up beside her elder sister and nudged her hoof, catching her attention. Applejack looked down to face her and she whispered something to her. The green eyes of the orange farmpony looked up to meet your gaze with a warm smile. You smiled back and raised your hand in a small wave.
''Andy! Ya'll made it!'' She said before giving you a brief hug and a pat on the arm. ''Where have ya been? We all thought you weren't going to show up!'' She said.
''Nice to see you, too, Applejack,'' You said.
''Oh, Andy, this here's my cousin, Braeburn,'' She said, turning to face the blonde-haired stallion beside her, whom gave you a greeting tip of his Stetson with a smile.
''Well, howdy, Andy,'' He said, his green eyes sparkling. ''Applejack's told me a little about you,'' He said as he looked you over, curious about your origins. ''So, where are ya'll from? I can't say that I've seen anything like you before,'' He said, trying to figure you out.
''I'm not really from here,'' You said. ''I'm from a place called Earth,'' You said, to which Braeburn gave you a confused expression, his brow raised.
''What, you mean like the ground?'' He asked, perplexed. You blinked upon his inquiry, feeling unsure of how to answer that. You didn't have a clue on if he was joking or not, but a part of your mind strongly told you that he was not joking.
''Well, I don't want to be the one keepin' ya,'' Applejack began slowly, sensing the awkwardness between you and Braeburn. ''Pinkie Pie has been waitin' for ya to come all night. From the sounds of it, she seems pretty eager to see you,'' She said with a suggestive wink, and you felt your cheeks flush.
Oh, great, so I see that she's in on it, too, You thought to yourself, sighing inwardly. Is there anypony around here that doesn't know about it?
''Go ahead, go mingle, I'm sure ya'll find her,'' Applejack said, giving your booty a little swat with her hoof, prompting you forward a little on your feet, almost knocking you completely over. You've noticed that Applejack has some generous tone to her muscles beneath her fur, but even when she swatted you, she likely didn't know her own strength.
Giving your smacked booty a rub on the back of your jeans, you headed off aimlessly towards a random section of the barn, somewhere on the opposite side. You awkwardly and carefully manoeuvered around the dancing Apple family members on the middle of the dance floor, feeling more like you were going through the obstacle course on Total Wipeout rather than though a hoe-down. You got bumped numerous times from all angles, and you apologised profusely almost all the while, but you managed to push through to the other side.
Recomposing yourself, you pulled up your jeans more firmly around your waist and you gave a breath of relief. There was this faint but pleasant smell in the air, one that smelled something like a boozy apple-ish aroma. You didn't have to look far to know where the smell was coming from, and you cocked your head tothe side in curiosity. There was a small bench pushed to the back of the wall with a few barrels resting on their sides with taps on the heads of the barrel. There were two small barrels on the left and a large one next to them, and painted above the taps in black stencil were the words 'Apple Cider'.
Ah, so that's what it is, You thought to yourself, now seeming to be a little thirsty at the sight of the barrels full of cider. Well, I suppose it has been a while since I last had a drink.
Sure, the last time when you had a stiff drink was back in college, and you immediately came to think of that talk you had with Pinkie Pie on the balcony of the bakery. Those people that you hung out with that got you a little hooked on the stuff, and the start of what was to become your main ball and chain. You didn't really like alcohol that much, and that goes especially since the last time you had some in your system back in your college days. However, the sweet smell of the cider was inticing to the point where you found yourself becoming drawn towards the barrels of cider on the table.
Slowly walking up towards the barrels, you saw that there were a bunch of wooden mugs with metal handles attached to them just around the side of all of the barrels in a large crate, all of them clean and unused. Taking one, you put the mug underneath one of the taps of one of the small barrels and pulled the tab on the top of it, the frothy contents pouring out of the spout with ease and filling up your mug. You didn't really feel like drinking much, so you only filled it to about half of its capacity.
As you were about to take a sip of the delicious-smelling beverage, you distinctly heard a voice shout your name, right before you were knocked down to the ground for the second time in the evening. The mug of freshly-poured cider went airborne before it landed on the floor next to you, the cup giving a hollow and wooden 'clonk!' sound on the hardwood floor below you.
Dazed, you held a hand to your temple and wondered what had knocked you off of your feet. Your eyes shook within their sockets and the blunt of the force had kicked back the hood that once covered your head, and in front of your eyes, some of your brown-black hair dangled.
''Okay, this is getting old,'' You said out loud, scratching the back of your neck with a hand.
''Andy!'' You heard a raspy voice say, hardly audible to your ears due to the ringing bouncing through your still-shaking skull. ''I was wondering when you'd get here!'' The voice said, and it held some form of familiarity that you recognised enough to belong to a female, but that was about it.
Looking up, you blinked a few times to refocus your eyes. Once they had adjusted, the main object that filled your vision was a face of blue. Specifically, cyan. The face of Rainbow Dash, standing over you with an intoxicatingly large grin.
''Rainbow Dash?'' You said, finally coming back to full attention of your situation.
''Oh, um, sorry,'' She began, smiling sheepishly as she blushed. She put a hoof around your arm and yanked you off of the floor in a single swift motion. ''We've all been waiting for you!''
''Yeah, tell me something that I don't know,'' You said, dusting off your legs and brushing off pieces of straw and hay that had stuck to the denim. ''That's all I've heard in the few minutes that I've been here,'' You said, looking towards Dash with a small frown. ''So, where is everypony? I've only seen Applejack talking with that cousin of hers.'' Rainbow's face brightened.
''We've all been hanging around in one of the stalls at the end of the barn! We've all pulled up a few haybales and boxes to sit on while we were waiting for you to turn up,'' Rainbow explained. ''What took you so long, anyway? I thought you'd be here around two hours ago!'' She gave you a calculating expression, the same which Apple Bloom had given you upon your arrival here.
''Oh, nothing,'' You lied. ''Just thinking,'' You said. Okay, so it wasn't a complete lie, but Rainbow wouldn't know any better, would she?
''Just thinking, huh?'' She asked skeptically, as if she saw right through the white lie, her magenta eyes now locked on your own eyes with a steely gaze. She stared at you for a while as a small bead of cold sweat began to roll its way down your head, running past your ear. ''Well, whatever it is that you lost track of time over, the important thing is that you're here now,'' She said, her expression softening and her smile returning. ''Now, come on: we've all been waiting for you,'' She said, hovering in the air in front of you at about the same level of your face, giving you a clear view of her rear end.
Rainbow Dash lead you towards the back of the barn to where there was an opening into a stall in the right. It was only a small area, but it was very cozy-looking. There was a large wooden spool in the middle of the stall that served as a table, an assortment of medium-sized crates, chairs and bales of hay huddled around it to serve as chairs. Almost immediately, you came to find that Fluttershy and Twilight were sat next to each other, both of them giving warm smiles as they noticed you.
No sign of Pinkie, You thought, feeling yourself deflate slightly at her absence.
Rainbow Dash hovered over to sit beside Twilight on what looked to be a wooden box, and she motioned for you to join her, patting a haybale with a hoof. You obliged and headed on over to sit on the bale of hay next to the cyan pegasus, and Rainbow slided over a mug of cider towards you, filled to the brim. It may have been a little more full than you were wanting, but you took it with a grateful nod anyway. You noticed that all three ponies present already had mugs of their own, Rainbow Dash more than any of them. You counted at least three.
Gingerly, you took a sip and was amazed by the crisp and sweet appley bite the cider had. It flowed like a golden river of pure ecstacy! You could actually feel all of the love and effort that was put into the product, and it made the taste of the beverage fuller and so much more intoxicatingly sweet and heavenly!
''That good, huh?'' Rainbow Dash asked from beside you with a knowing smile and a twinkle in her eye.
''I'll say!'' You said positively, licking your lips as you gave the drink another sip, savouring its juiciness. ''This cider's amazing! The Best I've ever had!''
''You know, Andy, I think you and me will get along just fine,'' Rainbow said with a wink. ''There's more where that came from, so don't worry. Applejack gave me a spare barrel,'' She said, motioning with a hoof towards the corner of the stall, towards a large wooden barrel with 'Apple Cider' written on it like the one you saw on the bench earlier.
''By the way, in case you haven't met yet, this is Twilight,'' She said, pointing a hoof across the table to the purple alicorn sat next to Fluttershy. ''By the way,'' Dash leaned in a little closer, moving her muzzle towards your ear before lowering her voice to a whispering level. ''Make sure you don't bring anything up relating to science or literature: she'll talk your ear off for hours. Believe me on that one,'' She said, right before Twilight cut in.
''Hey! I heard that, Rainbow!'' She said with a pout, causing Dash to erupt into a round of giggles. Soon after, Fluttershy giggled cutely behind her hoof. You even found yourself to join in a little bit, already feeling more comfortable than before. You supposed that this wasn't a bad start at meeting new peop- ponies that you may soon come to call friends. They all seemed to be a rather friendly bunch, anyhow.
''So, you're a human?'' Twilight asked, ignoring the giggles still coming from Rainbow Dash. You noticed that Twilight was looking at you more observantly than the other ponies, like a scientist studying a strange, alien creature from behind a screen of inch-thick plexiglas while they take notes on a beaten up clipboard. It didn't make you uncomfortable, but at the same time, it made you feel a little...small. You never did like being the focus of attention.
''Y-Yes,'' You began shakily, almost unsure if you wanted to answer the question that will surely lead to more questions requiring more answers. Seriously, just because you're the only human that ponies in Equestria have ever seen, every conversation seemingly morphed into a Q and A panel. ''I am. Why'd you ask?''
''I've heard quite a bit about you, actually. Mostly from Pinkie Pie,'' Twilight said, and this made you cock your head at her curiously. So, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were right about Pinkie constantly talking about you. That made you wonder on what had been said when you were out of earshot. (Actually, you had a pretty good idea, and the expression in Twilight's eyes made things more obvious.)
''Oh?'' You said, taking another sip of the cider. (Man, that gets better each time I take a sip!) ''What did she say?'' You asked.
''Nothing that interesting,'' Twilight said, taking a sip of her own cider. ''Just that Pinkie told us a little about where you're from and how you're settling in to Equestria, that sort of thing,'' She said, and you weren't sure you were buying it. You had this gut feeling that she was leaving something out. ''She told me that you told her you were from a place called Earth?'' She asked, and you nodded.
''Earth is where I live. Well, where I used to live. I had a family back there. A mother and father and a younger sister. I'm the eldest of the bunch,'' You said, and you could feel the sadness creeping into your voice. It always made itself known whenever the topic came up, but what would these ponies know? They all seem to be constantly stuck in La-La Land! The constant smiles, laughter and cheer was getting old to you, and it was somewhat depressing to you. Was there something in the water? In the air? Some kind of mood enhancement drug or substance to make everypony loopy and up there?
''Fascinating!'' Twilight said, and a sudden look of regret arose on her face. ''I wish I brought my quil set with me! I probably won't even remember half of this to put into my notes for further study!'' She said, her tone sad. It was then that she noticed the downed expression on your face and in your dim eyes. ''Oh, I'm sorry,'' She said apologetically and sheepishly.
''No, it's f-fine,'' You said, feeling deflated inside. ''I've still got quite a bit on my mind,'' You said, and you noticed the concerned face of Fluttershy across from you.
''I noticed you looked kinda sad when you came in,'' She said in a sweet, calm voice. ''Do you want to talk about it?'' She asked.
Not really, You thought. However, you bit your tongue.
''Fluttershy, I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately,'' You said, reflecting on that day when you were staring at your own reflection in the water in the middle of town on the bridge, the day when you met the Crusaders.
''Like what?'' She asked, genuinely curious and eager to know if you wanted an open ear to talk to, somepony to listen.
''I-I really don't know if I'm ready to talk about it yet, but I guess you'd say I feel...confused? Conflicted, maybe? Something along those lines?'' You began, and both Fluttershy's and Twilight's ear twitched.
''Conflicted?'' Twilight asked. ''Would you mind elaborating on that one, Andy?'' She asked, and you were once again unsure of how to spin your words to make something even moderately coherent.
''I mean that I've been unable to think straight ever since I had this talk with Pinkie Pie not long ago. We sat together for a while after I promised to tell her about something that was bothering me and why I've been so mean during our shared work shift and---''
''Wait, 'mean'?'' Rainbow Dash asked from beside you, now eyeing you with narrowed eyes. ''What do you mean by 'mean'?'' You gulped slightly by her venomous stare. All eyes of the three mares were now focused on you with steel-like stares. You felt icicles prick up your back and goosebumps form on your arms.
''By 'mean' I mean that I kinda used to get really annoyed with her for constantly dumping flour on me or throwing dough balls at me during work. There was this one time that I completely lost my temper and I ended up yelling at her,'' You said, feeling your eyes tingle with warmth and moisture.
Across from you, Twilight and Fluttershy shared the same shocked expression, and you were unable to tell what they were feeling. Next to you, Rainbow Dash looked as if she wanted to be angry, perhaps slap you upside the head with her hoof, but she didn't say anything. Instead, it was Fluttershy who spoke up.
''But how could you?'' She asked, her voice almost a whisper. ''How could you yell at her like that?'' She asked, now fixated on you, as were her two friends.
''I didn't mean to, Fluttershy!'' You said in your own defense, feeling yourself rise a little on the bale of hay that you were sat upon, reeling back from her concrete stare. ''Honestly, I didn't mean to upset her or anything like that! I felt awful about it after it happened, so I decided to go up to her room to apologise to her for the way I acted,'' You explained, and the stares you were given from the three mares softened a little, as if happy you took responsibility for your actions against Pinkie. You were, too.
You've felt bad about it ever since she told you that she liked you. Even more so when she said that she was only trying to make you laugh and or smile. You knew that she wouldn't do anything to annoy you on purpose. That wasn't the type of mare that Pinkie Pie was. She was sweet, loving and caring. She is friends with everypony. Literally, with everypony. There isn't one inhabitant in the town of Ponyville that she doesn't know, and the one thing that you found amazing about her is that she can keep a very accurate track of their lives and when their birthday is. She even knows when married ponies celebrate their anniversaries or when a member of another family celebrates their birthday! It never ceases to amaze you how organised the bubbly mare is. She's like Felix's magic bag of tricks!
''So, what happened next?'' Rainbow asked eagerly, wanting to know the next part of the story.
''I had a chat with Pinkie and told her that I was sorry for how I reacted,'' You said. ''Wasn't that much obvious?'' You asked, and Rainbow scoffed and rolled her eyes, but in good humour.
''But, well, there's something that I wanted to say to her tonight but I haven't seen her since I arrived,'' You said, looking around the side of the stall to where the ponies were still dancing to the country music played by the family band. Everypony was enjoying themselves tonight. Applejack's family are certainly a lively bunch of characters.
''Pinkie isn't here, Andy,'' Rainbow said. You were going to ask why, but, sensing you were going to ask, Rainbow filled in the blank. ''Neither is Rarity. She said that she'll be along soon, so I wouldn't worry too much,'' Dash said.
You wondered why both Pinkie and Rarity were running late. Some part of your mind told you that there was more to their absence than what was being told to you, and you didn't know why. You thought about simply asking what they were doing, but even if you did ask, you doubted if either of the three mares would clue you in on the matter. All you could do was wait and wonder for their arrival. All you wanted to do was see Pinkie again and to talk to her.
It was starting to make you feel antsy. All day, you've wanted to do nothing but confess to Pinkie, to get the burden off of your chest and wait for her verdict, no matter what her answer might be, be it positive or negative. Not knowing what her answer will be made you feel more bound in your conflict with each second and minute that passed by. It felt like it was eating your from the inside like some kind of parasite or a tape worm leaching off of your life force.
Snapping you out of your train of thought, Rainbow Dash tapped you on the shoulder and asked, ''So, howcome we've only heard about you and not seen you around town? Where have you been all this time?'' She asked curiously, and you glanced over to Twilight and Fluttershy, both sharing looks of interest on the topic.
They all wanted to hear about you? You've only ever had encounters and small conversation with Rainbow and Fluttershy every so often, but you haven't really ever had the chance to meet Twilight. Here they were, three of six friends that were so closely bound together, they were like cheese and chalk. You knew hardly the first thing about them but they still wanted to get to know you? For once, you felt flattered and maybe even a little happy to fill them in.
''To tell you the truth, ladies, you haven't seen me around because I don't like socialising much. I mostly choose to stay indoors and work in the kitchen with Pinkie during the majority of the week, so she's really the only pony I talk to,'' You said.
''Just like Twilight,'' Rainbow Dash said as she put a hoof beside her cheek, yet she purposely said it loud enough so that the alicorn could hear her.
''I heard that!'' Twilight said, narrowing her eyes at the cyan mare.
''You were meant to!'' Dash said back, laughing before she took a drink of her cider. You found yourself laughing, too. All ponies present had a drink and then focused their eyes back upon you.
''So, why don't you like going outside, Andy?'' Twilight asked.
''I'm just not much of a fan of the outdoors,'' You admitted. ''I don't hate nature or anything, I simply don't like talking to people or ponies. When I was back on Earth and I was in college, I hardly ever spoke to anyone aside from two of my friends. Other than them, I would only speak to my sister or my parents,'' You said.
''Oh, I know what you mean,'' Fluttershy began, her tone understanding. ''I get that, too. Sometimes, I find it hard to speak to anypony, including Rainbow Dash, and she's my oldest friend,'' Fluttershy said, motioning to Dash with a hoof.
''Nice to meet somepony that shares the same level of shyness,'' I said, and Fluttershy smiled, feeling mutual.
''But anyway, I know you're all friends of Pinkie Pie and you all seem really nice and understanding,'' You began, hoping that you wouldn't regret mentioning what you're leading up to. ''And that seems good enough of an indication that I can tell you about something that I've only told Pinkie about,'' You said.
''What is it?'' Twilight asked.
''Yeah, if you've only told Pinkie, then I'm sure you trust us enough to let us in on it, too,'' Rainbow Dash said.
''You don't have to i-if you don't want to,'' Fluttershy said meekly.
''No, I think it's only right if I let you girls in on it, too,'' You said. ''It's a topic that I'm not really all too comfortable with when it comes to talking openly about it, but I think I should at least explain myself for why I've been so distant from everypony's lives and why I've been short-fused with Pinkie at the bakery,'' You said.
''Andy,'' Twilight began. ''You don't need to tell us something that you're uncomfortable with sharing, but even if you feel that you need to, we'll do our best to be understanding,'' Twilight said reassuringly. At her words, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash nodded with supportive smiles. You smiled back, but you still felt a little uneasy and unsure of how they might react.
Silently, you moved your right hand over to your left sleeve, lightly gripping it by the wrist and then rolling the sleeve upwards towards your elbow, revealing your scarred flesh underneath. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all directed their eyes to look upon the various wounds on your arms, and all of them looked plainly horrified at what they were seeing.
''A-Are those...?'' Rainbow Dash began, getting a closer look, moving her face inches from your arm to the point where you could feel her warm breath against your bare skin in gentle pulses of heat.
''Scars?'' You finished for her, Rainbow nodding, her eyes concerned. ''Yes, they are,'' You said.
''Oh, my,'' Fluttershy said quietly before her eyes raised up to look into your own. ''What happened?''
''Those look pretty nasty, Andy,'' Twilight said, oberving them closely, her eyes scanning over the injection marks dotted around your arm. More importantly, her eyes traced down the length of your arm to land upon a hideous-looking scar marked vertically across your wrist. Upon taking in the vicious mark in your skin, you noticed her bite her lip at the sight.
''Injection points,'' You said as you looked towards Rainbow, then moving your eyes over the other two ponies present.
''Injection points? What from?'' Fluttershy asked. You felt your nerves tense slightly.
''I...I used to be an addict,'' As the words left your mouth, everypony's expressions turned into one of deep concern and surprise.
''You used to be an addict?'' Rainbow Dash asked. You nodded. ''But...why? And what of?'' She asked, her tone holding tones that suggested she possibly didn't know for sure if she wanted a clear answer.
''Well, Rainbow, I'll tell you what I told Pinkie - When I was in college, the two people that I used to hang around with turned out to not be a pair of nice people,'' You said, pointing a finger towards one of the injection marks in your arm. ''They were both involved in supplying and creating illegal substances like heroin and cocaine. Unfortunately, they talked me into trying it, and I was stupid enough to say yes,'' You explained, looking down to the healed-over marks on your arm with a pit of regret welling in your stomach. ''In the end, I got hooked on heroin and I began to use the stuff regularly, and, well,'' You motioned to the wounds on your arm, hoping that it would be an indication enough for where the abuse ended up. It did, as everypony gave looks of sympathy.
''Andy,'' Twilight began, leaning over slightly on the box she was sat on to touch your hand lightly. ''How long did this go on for? When you came here, did you still have access to any harmful substances?''
''No, of course not,'' You said. ''I left all of that behind me. However, because I was cut off from it, I ended up suffering with withdrawel symptoms for around two years, and it's only recently disappeared,'' You said, recalling how much healthier you appeared in the mirror prior to you leaving to come to Sweet Apple Acres. ''Pinkie Pie helped me overcome it, and I don't know what I would have done if I didn't meet her. I'd likely be laying face-down in some dark alley in tattered rags or something,'' You said, the image in your head burning a vivid reminder of where you could have easily have ended up without The Pink One's help.
''Aw, Andy, that's really sweet,'' Fluttershy said, her eyes shimmering. From beside you, Rainbow Dash's hoof curled around your shoulders and she leaned into you to offer you a friendly embrace, of which you accepted.
''Yeah, and you don't have to worry about ending up like that anymore, Andy,'' She said cheerfully. ''As long as we're around, we'll make sure that nothing like that ever happens. Any friend of Pinkie is a friend of ours,'' She said, and she raised her mug of half-drank cider to you. You smiled thankfully and raised up your own, giving it a tap in a 'cheers!' type fashion before you took a swig.
''But what about that one?'' Twilight pointed a hoof towards the cut across your wrist, interested to know how it came to be. Looking down at it, you saw what she was pointing at, and you felt yourself become very uneasy at the inquiry.
Ah, yes, the slash over the veins in your wrist. A memory that was amongst the worst you've experiences you've ever had. You could still see the amount of dots running along the sides of the slash where the stitches had once been threaded through to close the wound. The count was ten.
''Oh, that one,'' You said glumly, hoping that there wouldn't be any question brought up about the origin of the wound. ''Look, girls,'' You said, looking directly into her purple eyes, seeing the concern within them. Next, you looked towards both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. ''If I tell you, do you promise not to breathe a word of it to Pinkie Pie? I haven't told her about this one yet, so I don't know how she'd react to it,'' You said, feeling your innards cringe and tense slightly as you looked over the three mares once more, seeing their faces full of understanding.
''My lips are sealed,'' Rainbow said.
''So are mine,'' Twilight said.
Fluttershy didn't say anything. Instead, she only nodded and gave a soft, 'hmm' to confirm that she'd keep quiet about it.
''Alright,'' You said, bracing yourself. ''I've never told anyone about this, and the only one who knows about it is my sister,'' You said, taking another swig of the apple cider in your mug. You felt the warmth of the alcohol give a pleasant warmth in the bottom of your gut as it settled within your stomach. The taste was so sweet and the alcohol was making you feel more comfortable with talking about the touchy subject you were about to get into.
''Back when I was using, I came home one day from college and went up to my room, only to be confronted by my sister. She told me that she found out about the small stash of drugs I had kept hidden in my room, and we ended up arguing for hours. I'm not sure for how long we yelled at each other, but I said some pretty horrible things and I spent the rest of the night locked inside of my room,'' You stopped for a moment and took another sip of the cider, feeling it calm your nerves.
''I know that I shouldn't have said the things that I said to her, but I was just so...pissed off and on-edge from the drug use that I lost my mind in the heat of the argument,'' Everypony in the room cringed at the cussword you had uttered. In the background, the country music was still playing at a loud enough volume that any prying ears were unable to hear the conversation. ''I felt terrible about what I had said for hours afterwards, and, well, I felt that I was such a burden to my family. My sister, Abbie, told me that she wouldn't tell Mum and Dad about it because she knew that it would destroy our relationship if they knew their son was a no-good junkie,'' You said, feeling the same guilt from that day rise up in your gut and tug your heartstrings.
''A-Andy, it's okay,'' Fluttershy said soothingly, her voice so smooth and mellow that it was on the same level of a mother trying to calm down her children and lull them to sleep. ''You don't have to continue if you don't want to.''
''No, no,'' You said. ''I'm fine. Really,'' You said, and the others gave you an unconvinced look. (You wouldn't believe you, either.) ''I'll be fine, Fluttershy,'' You told her. ''If I started the story, I might as well finish it,'' You said.
''I just don't want you to do something that you're uncomfortable with, Andy,'' She said sweetly.
''It's fine,'' You said reassuringly. ''To keep it short, the same day we had that argument, I sat thinking to myself what I was doing. I knew that I was hurting myself and also my sister by using harmful substances, and I knew that I would likely end up being a massive burden to everyone if I stuck around to cause them more problems that wanted, so I...I...'' You stammered, hesitating as you recalled the searing hot pain that burned through your flesh that day. ''I...I slashed m-my wrist with a razorblade,'' You finished, and everypony in the stall gasped in horror. ''All I can remember is my sister breaking down the door to my room and screaming and constant pain running through my arm. The next thing I know, I'm in the hospital and I have ten stitches in my wrist,'' You said.
''Andy,'' Twilight said quietly. ''That's awful! Well, I'm glad you managed to pull through in time!''
''So am I, Twilight,'' You said, giving a little sniffle. That day was as clear as the day you came to Equestria. As a matter of fact, that day took place mere weeks before you came to Equestria. ''So am I,'' You repeated. Beside you, you felt Rainbow wrap her hooves around your body in a hug.
''Jeez, dude, I can't believe you'd do such a thing!'' She said before pulling away. ''You're lucky to be alive, buddy,'' She said.
Across from you, Fluttershy's expression said it all. Her eyes were watering and she looked like she about ready to burst. Removing yourself from your seat, you headed on over towards the timid mare to comfort her. You leaned down to her level and wrapped her up in a hug, one arm lightly wrapped around her waist while the other was around the back of her neck, her head nestled between your chest and chin.
''It's alright, Fluttershy,'' You said soothingly to her. ''It's alright,'' You continued to say as you rubbed her back. Within minutes, she seemed to calm down and she gave you a smile. ''All better?'' You asked, to which she nodded.
''So, will all of you promise to keep this under wraps from Pinkie? I'm not really sure if it's a good idea to let her in on it as of yet,'' You said, and you looked around to see all three mares nod in understanding. ''Thanks, girls,'' You said.
''What's goin' on in here?'' The voice of Applejack asked from behind you. You turned to see her walking up into the stall with a small frown on her face as her bright green eyes scanned around the scene.
''Hi, Applejack,'' You said. ''Care to join us?'' You offered, to which the farmpony waved a hoof.
''I'm afraid that I can't, Andy. I've still got a few things to do before I can sit for a while,'' She said regrettably. ''Anywho, there's somepony here that's lookin' for you,'' She said with a coy smile. Your ears perked at the news and she moved aside to reveal the white unicorn that you knew was Rarity.
Rarity entered the stall with an embarrassed expression on her face, and you waited for the last pony of the group to follow suit of her, but she never did. Rarity was alone. She came up beside you and she stopped to address the others.
''Dreadfully sorry for being so late, girls,'' Rarity apologised for her tardy arrival. ''I was simply a little too wrapped up with a client to make it here a little earlier,'' She explained, and Applejack held a hoof to her shoulder.
''It's alright, Rarity. You're here now and that's all that matters,'' Applejack said, patting the unicorn's pearl white coat. ''Why don't ya'll go ahead and pour yourself a mug of cider so that you can relax a spell?'' Rarity nodded gratefully for the offer and trotted towards the barrel of cider next to Rainbow Dash before pouring herself a mug and taking a seat on a bale of hay around the wooden spool table. ''As for you,'' Applejack looked up to meet your gaze. ''I need ya'll to come with me for a moment, sugarcube,'' She said, leading you out of the stall and back into the middle of the barn, where everypony was still dancing.
Applejack lead you a few paces down from the stall which you were previously seated in and stopped you again. Confused, you looked down to her and she told you to kneel down slightly so that she could speak to you on an eye-to-eye level. Complying, she said,
''Alright, Andy, I know that ya'll have been mighty anxious to see Pinkie again, so I have a little surprise for you in a few minutes, if you're ready?''
Wait, what? Applejack had some kind of surprise up her sleeve? You thought. I don't really like surprises much, but I wonder what she's talking about.
''What kind of surprise?'' You asked tentatively.
''You'll find out soon enough,'' Applejack said with a smile. ''Just hang around the barn for a while and you'll see for yourself. You'll know it when it happens, Andy.'' Like that, Applejack left you with nothing else left to say. You watched her as she trotted out somewhere into the crowd, presumably off to wherever her cousin, Braeburn, was.
You stood there for a few minutes, feeling confused and unsure of how to feel about news of a surprise. What had you even more unnerved was that Applejack said that you'd know it when it happens, whatever that might mean. You just hoped that it wasn't some kind of twisted humour or elaborate prank. It never was your thing, anyway.
You stood and looked around for any sign of the Cutie Mark Crusaders or basically anything to do while you waited for whatever surprise Applejack had in mind to transpire. You leaned your head back and rubbed the side of your neck with a sigh as you felt the tension in your muscles relieve themselves from your body. It was then that your hand brushed against the pocket in your jeans that contained your ZIG-ZAGG cigarette tin.
You thought about those last two cigarettes inside of the tin's housing, unsmoked and ready to smoke. It crossed your mind that there was more than enough time to leave the barn to partake in a huffing and puffing session of death in a white paper stick, and you thought that now was as good a time as any. Next to the cigarette tin was another small, rectangular bump, belonging to your Zippo lighter. You could be in and out before this on-going dance is over, and you knew it.
Making up your mind, you decided to slip out of the barn and look for a place to light one up. You came beside on of the barn's massive open doors and looked both left and right for a suitable place out of sight where you could get to work. There was a group of a few ponies to the right sat together and having a laugh, a handful of both mares and stallions with their young foals, a boy and a girl, no older than the Crusaders.
Okay, not over there, then, You thought, looking left for a better location. The farmhouse was in the direction that you were facing and you spotted a small well over in the distance, just a little further than the farmhouse and placed next to a row of medium-sized chicken coops. Ah! Perfect!
Moving on over towards the small stone well, you leaned against it so that you were still facing the barn. You could still hear the music from the distance at which you were stood, so you should still be able to know when you should head back to see what surprise Applejack was talking about.
Seeing that you were all alone and out of the sight of the ponies in the barn participating in the family reunion, you felt that it was safe to remove the cigarette tin from your jeans pocket. Opening the tin in front of your face, you saw the last two hand-rolled cigarettes in the small amount of tobacco leaves from the others which you had smoked earlier through your time in Equestria.
They were both about the same length of your middle finger and the smell they gave off of dried tobacco leaves pierced your nose with a type of bitter but pleasant taste. It was a smell that you associated with a sense of nirvana, one that brought with it a stress-relieving quality whenever a stick is sparked and inhaled into the lungs. If it got you through the previous two years in Equestria and Ponyville, then it should certainly work wonders for you in your time of need.
You frowned to yourself at the sight of the two cigarettes remaining, knowing that it was only a matter of time before you're running bone dry on a coping mechanism for all of your insecurities.
''Suppose I've got to make them count,'' You said to yourself before you pulled a cigarette out and snapped the tin shut before placing it back into your pocket. Next, you placed it between your lips and lit it with your Zippo lighter, the clang of the metallic lid satisfying to your ears. That sound of the metal clanging as it was flicked open and closed always made you smile.
Taking a deep, long drag, you leaned back with one hand supported against the stones of the small well behind you, your face looking up towards the late evening sky. It had already become dark and the indigo-coloured sky was specked with white, twinkling dots, and it was entirely peaceful.
You blew the smoke out of your nostrils as you gazed up towards the night sky, finding yourself to be lost among the stars, thinking about being back home. You wondered what your family were doing in your absence. You knew without question that they were likely worried and possibly searching around for you, but you were more concerned about Abbie.
Abbie may be your younger sibling, but you still cared for her deeply. You remembered saying to your parents as a child that you wished you had a sibling to play with when you were growing up to keep yourself from becoming bored. When that day came when your wish was fulfilled, you felt over the moon about having someone to play with.
Of course, as you both got older, you started to go your own separate ways as you entered your teenage years, as most teens do. You both wanted to get out there and explore both the world and your own bodies to see what all of the fuss was about. Regardless, even though you may have both become more distant than usual, you were still always attached at the hip. There was not a thing on this Earth that you wouldn't do for Abbie, and the only thing that you wished you could do was tell her how truly and very sorry you are for those awful things you said to her when she was only trying to help you.
''I'm sorry, Abbie,'' You whispered to yourself, taking another puff on your cigarette, the end lighting up bright red as you inhaled. ''I'll make it up to you one day. That is, if I manage to see you again.''
Time went by slowly as you stood there huffing your cigarette, and by the time you were about done with the roll and it was almost spent, you looked on over to the barn for a final time, and you noticed that the lights in the barn had become dim, the music from the band slowed down and calm. It sounded as if the country music had transformed into a slow and romantic waltz, something that gave you mental images of some old-timey classic film starring Fred Astaire.
You became curious and decided to head back towards the barn, just like Applejack had instructed. As you entered through the large barn doors, you stopped for a moment to observe the scene before you.
Unlike before, the crowd of ponies had all decided to join together in pairs, happy couples of mares and stallions holding each other close in their lover's embrace as they gazed into each other's eyes. They were all moving slowly and rocking back and forth on their rear legs, enjoying each other's company as they did so. It was a sweet sight to witness, but it only made you feel empty inside seeing all of these happy couples together.
It made you realise that you were on your own. You were still waiting on Pinkie Pie and you wished that you had someone to join this dance with. You never really were much of a dancer, but you could picture it so clearly in your head, dancing with Pinkie and holding her candyfloss-scented body close to you while you hold her hooves, your bodies touching as you dance.
''Hey,'' A voice said from behind you, quiet yet familiar. You turned on the spot to view none other than Pinkie Pie, standing there with a small smile on her face and her large, adorable blue eyes twinkling in the light of the moon, glimmering like pixie dust.
Pinkie Pie was dressed up in something that you couldn't even describe the beauty of. It was a long and elegantly-sewn dress that was a tad darker than the fur covering her body. Trailing down the sides of the dress were what appeared to be decorative sweets and various candy such as chocolate and ice cream cones, everything that described Pinkie's personality. On her breast was a bright red rose, one that matched the dim blush on her cheeks as her eyes gazed lovingly up towards you.
Her hair was also done up in a way that made her look more dazzling and ephasised her beauty. Instead of having it in her signature poofy style, her hair was curled down the side of the left cheek and it appeared to be brushed with professional accuracy in a stylish, formal fashion that reminded you of a hairdo from the eighties period.
''P-Pin-Pinkie,'' You said, hardly able to manage a whisper as you gazed at her, feeling awestruck by her beauty. What would be a better word? Smitten? Struck? Lovesick? You simply did not know the better option to describe her in all of her adorable, sweet-scented glory. You even detected a delicate chocolate-like essence surrounding her being, like a perfume-ish fragrance. (Somehow, you had this gut feeling that the smell was on-purpose. You recalled this one time when you told Pinkie that the one thing you loved more than anything was the taste of a chocolate bar, so it struck you as suspicious that she would wear the fragrance of something she knows you love.)
''Yes?'' She asked sweetly.
''You look fantastic!'' You said as you moved towards her. You wanted to hug her right then and there, but you were worried about messing up or creasing the lovely dress that she was wearing.
''Aw, well, isn't that sweet?'' She cooed. ''Rarity's the one that set me up with the dress. She had me stand still for hours while she worked on getting every stitch just right even though I kept telling her it was fine, but she said that 'fine' isn't good enough to please a stallion, so she---''
''Pinkie, Pinkie,'' You said, motioning with your hands for her to stop and slow down. ''It's alright, Pinkie. Regardless, even without a dress, you're still beautiful,'' You said truthfully, to which the blush on her cosy-looking pink cheeks deepened and she became sheepish at the compliment.
So, that's where she got the dress, huh? You thought. That's why she took so long to get here? Rarity was holding her in her boutique so that she could work her over and make her look more presentable for the reunion! Oh, that Rarity! She definitely has a very sharp eye for fashion! I knew that everypony had something that they were keeping me from knowing!
''Pinkie?'' You asked slowly, and her eyes looked into yours.
''Yes, Andy-Candy?''
Tee-hee, You giggled to yourself mentally. She called me it again. I love the sound of her voice when she says it like that.
''Would you like to dance with me?'' You offered, and that same, adorable and heart-throbbing smile that you came to love appeared on her face.
''No, I'd love to,'' She said, right before she headed off into the barn with you by her side.
Man, that smell of the chocolate perfume was driving you crazy! She smelled just like a mug of hot chocolate with a hint of vanilla and gingerbread! It made you nostalgic of Christmas night back home by the fire while you watched Dexter on the couch with your sister.
Walking side by side and entering the barn's main dance floor, the music soothed and massaged your ears. Everypony present was still dancing together and hardly paying attention to your arrival with Pinkie beside you. That was fine by you. You didn't like attention that much.
In the background, you saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the stall beside the one where Applejack and her friends were sitting. All three of the little fillies had their eyes focused on you with that typical schoolgirl 'aw!' expression that any girl was a master of when they saw something cute. They were all laid next to each other on top of some hay bales with their hooves cupping their cheeks, their eyes fixated upon you and Pinkie. They looked extremely happy and pleased for you. You waved a hand over and they all waved back, Sweetie and Apple Bloom giggling. Scootaloo's face only held a warm and cosy smile.
You made your way only slightly into the crowd of slow-moving country ponies before you turned to face Pinkie's sweet and friendly eyes. As you looked deeply into those bright eyes of hers, you found yourself to be lost within them. It was only you and her in the entire barn in this very moment. You could stand and gaze into them for an eternity. You could tell that she could do the same, too.
Slowly, Pinkie started to raise herself slightly on her rear legs, and you held your hands on her front legs for support as she did so. She stumbled a little at first, but she soon regained her balance. You supposed that it shouldn't come as a surprise that ponies would have at least a little difficulty getting themselves comfortable on two legs. Still, it didn't seem to be that much of an issue with these magical pastel ponies, as proved when Pinkie Pie could stand fairly straight on her own, almost matching your height, if not for the slight bend she had to keep in her back to support herself against you.
Her hooves were pressed lightly against your shoulderblades and you had your hands placed gingerly around her surprisingly firm hips as your bodies touched. She was so beautiful up this close, and you never really noticed until that one time on the balcony when you shared your first kiss together, if only a brief peck. She had a very slender and toned body for somepony that mainly had a sugar-only diet, and you noticed that her legs were slender, too.
You remembered that first time you ever checked her out. You felt a little dirty and ashamed when you did it for the first time, finding it inappropriate, but as you began to do it more often, you began to notice exactly how good-looking Pinkie Pie really was. You've seen some of the other mares in town, and even for a pony, you thought that she was very attractive in her own right. If there was one thing about her that you admired about her more than her well-kept physique, it was the wonderful soul beyond her baby blue eyes. You've heard many fairytales and rumours about angels visiting Earth and the like, and they are said to be the most beautiful creatures in the entire galaxy (to quote young Anakin Skywalker), but you never believed such beauty could exist until you met Pinkie.
You held her closely against you as you both began to rock back and forth in time with everypony else in the room, and you rested your head on top of her cushy and soft mane, although, you were careful not to mess it up.
You both held each other for a while as the band played romantic music, their rhythm slow and caressing your ears with the gentle tune. With your chest pressed up gently against Pinkie's, you could feel the soft beating of her heart behind her ribs, and she could likely feel the same, yours beating only a little faster. Feeling it beating against your chest along with the music added in to the growing bliss of the embrace you were sharing.
In the middle of the song, you thought about saying what you had wanted to say to her all night, but each time your mouth opened to break the silence so that you could do so, it clamped shut again. Your nerves were not going to make it an easy feat for you to speak to her, and you knew it. Why couldn't this type of thing be plain, simple and easy to do? Why is love such a fool's game that's played with cruel jokes and hardship? Why can't it be as simple as meeting an old friend and saying, 'hello, how are you?' or having coffee with a good friend?
''Pi-Pink...Pinkie?'' You began slowly and struggling to find your voice. You spoke quietly so that she could only just hear your voice. You saw her ear twitch.
''Mmm?'' You heard her hum.
''I missed you,'' You said, not intentionally planning on saying exactly that, but it's all that came out.
''I missed you, too, Andy-Candy,'' She said sweetly, her cheeks burning once again in a rosey blush. You didn't see it, but you could sense that it was there.
Come on, Andy! You told yourself. You had the courage to walk up to Claudia Nint, so why can't you find the courage to man up and say to Pinkie what you've been waiting to say all night? Come on, lad, grow a pair!
You breathed in slowly through your nose, allowing your lungs to fill fully with the apple cider-tinged air that wafted around the barn before you released it again, feeling your anxiety drift out with it.
''Pinkie Pie?'' You said, this time, your voice more firm and controlled, yet you still felt your nerves making it a challenge for you to speak.
''Yeah, Andy?'' She asked, and you stood still with her for a moment as you pulled yourself away from the embrace you were sharing so that you could look directly into her eyes. You could see yourself within them, and you looked almost as nervous as you did before you left the bakery to come to the dance. You looked down-right terrified, and you knew that Pinkie could see it, too.
''P-Pinkie, listen, there's...there's something that I've been w-wanting to...to tell you a-al-all night,'' You began, your voice starting to break as your nerves began to ring more intensely. Pinkie Pie didn't look away. Instead, her eyes were fixed upon your own in a trance-like state. Somehow, her eyes told you that she had an idea of what you wanted to say, so she didn't interrupt you.
''Pinkie Pie, d-do you remember when we met?'' You asked her. Her eyes brightened.
''Why, of course I do! I found you laying in the grass in a field just on the edge of Ponyville, remember?'' She said. ''Why?''
''Pinkie, when I met you, I had no idea what to think. I've never seen anything like you before, but even still, you were nice enough to offer me someplace to live. Without you, I have no idea what I might have done with myself or where I might have ended up,'' You said, smiling gratefully at the pink mare. ''And, well, I know I've already said this to you, but I know I've not been as nice to you as I could have been, so I hope you know that I'm sorry about the way I acted towards you,'' You said, feeling ashamed of yourself.
''Aw, Andy,'' Pinkie said before giving you a small hug of reassurance. ''I already told you that I forgive you for all of that,'' She said before she looked into your eyes again, giving you a caring look. ''Is everything alright, Andy? You're not feeling sick, are you?'' She asked, unsure of why you were saying this to her.
''What? No, of course not!'' You said dismissively. ''No, it's...something else,'' You said, feeling yourself trail off. That got her attention.
''So, what's wrong? Why are you being so quiet?'' She asked, now giving you a concerned expression.
''Pinkie, do you remember that conversation we had together on the balcony of Sugarcube Corner?'' You asked. She nodded. ''Ever since that day, I've been thinking about a few things. Mostly, I've been thinking about you, Pinkie,'' You admitted. Pinkie looked surprised, but she remained silent.
''Pinkie Pie, I really care about you, and I have been trying to figure out how to tell you something that I've kept secret for days,'' You said.
''Andy, you know that you don't have to be afraid to talk to me if something's bothering you, silly,'' She said, all the while holding that reassuring smile that said that everything's going to be okay. ''So, what's on your mind?'' She asked, her eyes taking on a somewhat suggestive tone as her eyelids closed a little as her face became a little dreamy, as if she knew what you were going to say to her. You steeled yourself in preparation. This was it. Your big reveal.
''Pinkie Pie,'' You began, holding her firmly but loosely as you stared directly into her blue eyes. ''I...I...I'm...I'm in...'' You felt yourself begin to sweat, but you managed to keep yourself focused on remaining calm during your confession. ''I'm in l-love with y-you,'' You finally got it out.
Once the words were out of your mouth and transferred to Pinkie's ears, waiting for her to respond seemed to take a lifetime. She didn't say anything and her face was unreadable, locked in a neutral expression that gave no hints as to what she may be thinking or feeling. While you waited, you felt cold sweat break out on your forehead.
After about a solid minute of remaining silent, Pinkie Pie's mouth curled into a small smile and her eyes began to well up with tears of joy, and she gave a weak sniffle before she pulled you closer to her, hugging you in one of her classic bear hugs that made you feel like your ribs were going to crack from the pressure provided by her strong hooves. You felt a wave of relief wash over you upon knowing her answer, and she pressed her face into your chest while she hugged you, and you heard her sniffles transform into full-blown tears of happiness.
''I-I lov-love you, too, Andy-Candy,'' She said between her tears and you hugged her back with all of you might, wanting nothing more than to hold her in your arms like you've dreamed about.
It was something that you never thought to even be possible for a human such as yourself. That experience in secondary school with Claudia may have scarred you something fierce and tanked your confidence in talking to women, but you could say with a renewed confidence that you were back in the game. You were deeply in love with this pink, loving and caring pony. You loved her more than anything else in the entire world.
Pinkie Pie is by far the best friend you could have ever hoped and dreamed for, and you never thought that it was possible for anyone to love you in the way that she did, but you were proved very wrong on that. Holding her now in your hooves felt like you were dreaming. It felt like you had died and gone to Heaven. It was all you ever wanted. You were in love with Pinkie Pie and you wanted the entire world to know it.
