Beautiful Freak

by Damocles23

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Pinkie Pie
Length: 8412

What happens when unrequited love, is too much for somepony's heart to handle? Pinkie knows...

In the most important day of Rainbow Dash's life, the only one of her friends that is missing is Pinkie Pie.

The only thing left of her is a letter.

A letter in which the pink pony poured all of her heart...

A letter in which there is everything she wished to say to the pegasus...and couldn't find the courage.

Published 2012-08-07 08:14:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-10 08:52:35 UTC

For Dashie...

Beautiful Freak

By Damocles23

Dear Dashie,

If you’re reading this it means you must’ve found my letter on your pillow and I’ve already broken your heart.

Sorry If this letter is such a mess, but I’m writing at the edge of my seat and the train movement isn’t helping. I don’t have much time and there are so many things I want to say to you, so many things I wanted to share with you and I don’t know if I can fit them on few pieces of paper, but at least I’ll try. At worst you can always have some laughs from my rambling, right? I like to think that I’ll make you laugh one last time…

You may have noticed that I’m not with you or the other girls. I wasn’t even at the ceremony and you barely saw me in the train. You’ll be probably asking why. It’s not like I vanished into thin air from the hotel in Canterlot. The truth is, I had this planned for a long time, ever since I heard the big news. I am sorry if I ruined your greatest day, but I can’t go on like this.

I’m leaving Ponyville…And I’ll never come back. Not if things stay this way, and I’m nopony to change them. And I certainly can’t do much if I stay this way. This time I’m not strong enough…

Not even the Cakes know where I’m really going, nor the other girls. Even I don’t know where I’m going . . .

I just want to go far from here, to a place under no sky. So I won’t always think about you…I did that for so much time that my heart started to bleed.

I am broken. Believe me Dashie, ever since I met you the sky never seemed so beautiful . . . even when it was hidden by dark clouds.

You cleared it for me.

Before you get angry, I guess I should explain everything to you. Or to whomever is reading this because I can’t sure if you’re the one who found it, but if you’re my Dashie, you deserve the truth:

The reason I’m leaving is because…

I Love You.

I know it seems sudden and random and out of nowhere, but believe me when I say that it surprised me too. And this is not a prank, so stop looking over your shoulder; I’m not going to pop up and yell SURPRISE or something like that. I wish it was a prank as well . . .

But this is not a joke. It’s just the truth.

I Love You.

I always did and I always will. Until Celestia’s Sun goes out and the Stars fall from the sky . . . And even after that . . .

I don’t know when it started. Maybe there was no start or a finish, not for something like what I felt about you. It’s too big to confine it in silly concepts like “beginning” or “end.” Right now, I can’t picture one moment of my life without those seven colors. I don’t remember ever being happy without those seven little colors . . . who knows? Maybe I was happy before.

It doesn’t matter. It can’t compare to what you have given me.

It used to be so simple.

I would watch you from the ground, admiring your spins and twirls in the air, tracing elegant circles and trajectories that left me breathless. It used to be enough, watching you from far, reveling in your grace and your beauty.

I needed nothing else. Being near you sufficed to still my heart.

Until the day that it was no longer enough. I needed to get closer to you, even though I lacked magic or wings. There’s a reason behind all my strange contraptions. I still giggle remembering your face when you saw the trampoline and the balloons! Not even gravity could keep me from you.

Just watching you and being with you was one of the greatest pleasures of my life . . .

Knowing you better I noticed that my best friend was also one of the most reliable and brave ponies that ever sailed the skies of Equestria:

Rarity falling to a certain death due to her own hubris? You were there.

A foal in a well, crying for help? You were there.

An erratic pink pony having a nervous breakdown on her birthday? You were there . . .

Do you remember my birthday, Dashie? Of course you do . . . Nopony else knows what happened that day; its a secret kept by you and I. My darkest hour . . . everything I believed, my whole life, looked meaningless and false. I never felt so alone. Only the voices remained, whispering bleak nourishment and vengeful promises.

There was only darkness.

And like a blazing ray of sun, you pierced the miasma of that day. I don’t know if you did it because you cared for me in a special way, or maybe because you were the right one for drawing me out of my cage, but you came for me. Even if the rest of the day was happy, my weakness returned to haunt me at night. I had thought that it was because I had to rely on you.

Now I know I was wrong: I’ve never felt weak around you. The total opposite, actually.

You showed up in my time of need to show me the truth and gave me the strength to react. As time went by, I became much happier, and found a strength I didn’t know I possessed. That day I knew I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. Maybe, afterwards, the flame that drove me to spread joy and happiness to everypony rekindled into a passionate inferno.

Maybe because it was you who gave me back the will to smile.

Even in the little things, you’re a hero. A true hero . . . except when you’re so full of yourself, but that’s part of your charm!

Then tomorrow came.

You know the kind of day that starts off simple and harmless, but in the end you see so many layers of meaning, all caused by one tiny detail that spins your life upside down?

This was one.

I really didn’t know about that storm. One day I was just there, taking a stroll and thinking happily of my own business, until . . . BAM!

I feel one drop of rain on my coat . . .

Two drop of rains on my coat . . . Three drops . . .Four drops . . .

Thousands of drops! All over me!

In a few seconds I was soaked, cold and with nopony to help or at least lend me an umbrella. The only thing I knew was that I was alone under the rain. I could have caught a cold or worse! Not to mention the roaring thunder and lightning strikes that tore apart the sky.
Until a beautiful blue pegasus came to my rescue…

The rain stops and warm sunlight bathes me, tracing its soft touch along my mane. When I lifted my head to see what happened I immediately saw you, taking a peek from a little gap you opened in the cloud-bank. You looked so concerned and cute! And you looked cute even you were shouting at me from up there, asking me what the hay was I doing in the middle of a storm! I answered that I just didn’t know of the storm and I should have because my best friend is on the weather team and I would’ve remembered if you’d told me. And then, you remarked that you had told me already! Six times in a week! And you told the other girls in advance because you wanted to be sure that nopony got completely soaked because you weren’t there to tell them about the storm! I can be such a featherhead, sometimes…

And just what my favorite Pegasus did after that epic display of absentmindedness?

You opened a passage in the cloud-bank! A long lane of light that traced a path through the ground, so I couldn’t get lost in the rain and the sun’s glow could dry me off a little bit. Of course, you told me to think nothing of it, that you were just doing a favor to a friend and you hoped you wouldn’t get in trouble just to give a hoof to your random Pinkie Pie. And the cutest thing about it? You shaped the trail in the clouds to look like a smiley face! Complete with a tiny pair of holes for eyes, from one of which you were waving at me, smiling!

You always do these wonderful things and for you it’s just routine.

When I finally came home, my eyes were opened and something in my tiny, curly pink head changed forever. I’ve never liked the Sun as much as that day . . . and I felt for my beautiful friend that delivered it to me something more than friendship . . . and believe me when I say you’re beautiful, Dashie.

You’re the most beautiful pony I have ever seen, blessed with beauty, strength and charm.

Sometimes, when I looked myself in the mirror I was jealous of you: a body so sleek and yet muscular, crafted to be the fastest thing alive, a mane that instead of just choosing one color took all of them for itself.
Me?

I’m so plain that I can consider myself lucky if I’ve never gotten fat after a lifetime of sweets.

If our life were a painting, you would be the centerpiece, a stunning embodiment of everything that is good and pure under Celestia’s Mighty Sun. Even a Goddess of your own. I always thought that you were prettier than the Princess Herself…

Me? I was just some faded pink blur in the background that only made your beauty stand out more.

That’s what I always was: a background event.

I’m comic relief, not girlfriend material . . .

I’ve touched the lives of many ponies (and donkeys and dragons…), but only for a moment. I’m a brief candle that can lighten up your day with a brief smile and a quick laugh. Too cheap and impermanent to be something more than this. Surely not enough for what I wanted to be with you . . .

Because … you are my Sun! And a candle can’t outshine the Sun. And her light is not even worthy to stand beside you.

But that’s where you always wanted me.

At your side. You always wanted me at your side because I keep forgetting that the weirdo that I am is also the one that you’re proud of calling friend.

But too much love can hurt you and too much light can blind you.

And feeling so much alive while being with you, can also show you how inadequate and undeserving you are…

It started out small enough, only to get bigger and bigger: watching a fun movie together, a good afternoon of pranking, a tiny gesture of affection, or just passing some time with me because you wanted to have fun. And you always said I was so much fun! Even if there were days I could get really annoying and weird, you and the others always came back for me.

You always came back for me!

At first I regarded it some kind of crazy idea. But I started to see something more in your smile. Your voice never sounded so musical, your mane never looked so luscious and the Sun never shined as much, unless you did the cleanup. It was like I wasn’t searching your approval or your company not because I wanted to be your friend, but because I wanted you to see me as something more. I felt prettier around you, and so sure of myself. Stronger than I’d ever been before.

The thought of you became a rush of energy, the reasons I wanted to get up in the morning. It was like that every time I saw you I felt exactly the same when I saw your rainbow. I never felt so much…me-like in those days.

Then one fateful night I saw the truth, and the words just appeared before me:

I’m in love with Rainbow Dash.

I realized I was madly in love with you. Completely. Desperately. In love with you.

And this scared me.

It scared me because I considered myself lucky having you as a close friend. But being in love with you?!

“You must be kidding” I said to my heart.

Yet he was really super serious this time, Dashie! I’m not somepony who can handle something delicate like a relationship, especially one with you . . . I hold you in such high regard that I can’t find a way to feel worthy. But a part of me, a big part of me, wanted this to make it work.

I wanted to have my chance with you.

That’s why I was a lot nicer to you and you always had a free treat from Sugarcube Corner and you got that lifetime supply of parties. But the biggest one of them was when I finally organized that private audition with Soarin and Spitfire: Just the three of you, so that my favorite Pegasus could finally show them what she was made of.

And no, I’m not telling you how I’ve managed to find them all alone on Cloudsdale, let alone convince them. I like having some secrets…

You wanted to thank me and insisted on a picnic on your favorite hill. You said that it was the least you could’ve done. And you remember what I said up there? To think nothing of it, that I was just doing a favor to a friend and I hoped I wouldn’t get in trouble just to give a hoof to my favorite pegasus in the whole wide world! You gripped me in a hug and said that I was your best friend.

And my heart leaped.

I thought I had some hope and maybe you would’ve grown closer to me. My attempts at wooing were foalish, yes, a bit materialistic, but they were sincere. It all felt so real. Maybe even more than real. Everything was actually better when I was you. The sky looked brighter, sugar was sweeter and everything felt so glorious and beautiful! And, who knows, maybe you felt something different for me those days. But there was that voice in me . . . one that never left me since my birthday.

It said that this perfect moment couldn’t last.

I shushed it, telling it that if I had my Dashie everything would be alright. For a while, I was right. I asked you out more often and the time we spent together was the best of my life. Well, I didn’t ask you out properly, mostly because I still didn’t have the courage. From your point of view it was more like two friends hanging out. I liked the fact that I was basically dating you without you knowing. It wasn’t much different from a real date, you even kissed me on the cheek once!

I still don’t know what possessed you to do that, but when I asked it you pouted and blushed, saying that you still wanted to thank me properly for the audition and that it didn’t mean anything. I loved the fact that you still acted like a tough girl even while being cute…

And then you joined the Wonderbolts.

That day I knew that all good thing must come to an end wasn’t just a proverb written by some jerk . . .

It was a dream so simple and beautiful, and, as time went by, it seemed so hard to fulfill. But you never surrendered, you always practiced so hard, and strived even harder after you went to training camp.

We started to see each other less and less, to the point that you sometimes disappeared for days, only to return and collapse exhausted on the floor of somepony’s home.

When you crashed at my place, it was quite a scare! I still remember the shriek Mrs. Cake gave at seeing a half-dead pegasus on the floor of Sugarcube’s Corner. Mr. Cake was about to call the Guards! Fortunately, I recognized you even under the grime and the dust. . . By the end of the day I was half-dead too, for having to take care of both you and twins!

But you couldn’t go on like that, nopony could have. I wanted to stop you . . . all the girls wanted to stop you. But I could see the fire in your eyes, that unbreakable spirit that knew victory was at hand.

I had to allow you to continue, even if it shattered my soul and tore asunder my heart . . .

I was the one who convinced the others to encourage you instead of telling you to give up. I told them that you deserved this chance, if only because I wanted you to realize your dream. I was prepared to accept all responsibility if you failed Dashie; if you had gone down I would have fallen right beside you. After all, I was the one who started all of this.

We fought that day.

Terribly.

For hours.

I made Fluttershy cry, and Twilight was about to slam me with a magic fist . . .

I don’t think anypony believed you really could’ve done it. Not because we didn’t trust your determination or your natural talent, but because we believed that nothing, nothing, was worth the pain you had to endure.

But I believed in you and I wanted to give you this final chance, and with time and patience, I managed to convince the other girls.

We were still reluctant . . . even I was reluctant . . . but now that you had everypony’s support you grew stronger. More confident than you’d ever been.

I made you stronger Dashie.

For once, I did that. Yet the spotlight was yours, and yours alone. My part in this play was small, insignificant; mine was a performance that would not be remembered by the end of the night.

And after all this, you know why I was the only one who didn’t show up at the ceremony? And the big welcoming party after that?

To tell you the truth I was there.

I was always there for you; hidden under the stadium’s bleachers the whole time, watching you from afar. Basking in your glory one last time, before leaving forever. I had to be there, even if I didn’t want to show up because . . . I didn’t want you to see my tear streaked puffy eyes.

I was crying because I was so happy for you!

I was a wrecked, blubbering, ridiculous mess, watching my Dashie conquer all of her dreams and bring color to this lifeless world with your talent. You shone of your own light up there.

You were simply magnificent.

I wanted to come out and run into your forelegs, in full view of everypony, to give you a big hug and say how proud of you I was…but if I saw you from that close, so stunning and proud, clad in your brand new Wonderbolts uniform and looking so ecstatic, so full of joy . . .

. . . I would have ruined your day with my foalish blubbering.

I know very well that there is no place for tears at parties, especially when you are the guest of honor. I knew it was over and I had to face tomorrow.

I wanted to disappear from your life at least with some grace, without some kind of long, tragic, drawn out goodbye. I thought that you’d have suffered less like this. Now, I’ll never know how you feel about it…

When I saw you like that I finally understood: That was the moment that you were above and beyond my grasp. I don’t deserve you and I never did.

Today we all finally grew up . . .

Except for me.

You don’t need me anymore…

You told me I was your best friend and helped you achieve your goal. That was my cue for getting off the stage, retire to the shadows and disappear with a smile on my face and a silly song in my heart.

I wasn’t needed anymore.

At that point I wouldn’t dare to stand in your way. I want you to follow your own path, even if it means walking it without a silly pink pony by your side.

I would only slow you down.

But even if we challenged the fate’s design and embraced each others love, what I could offer you?

Nothing, Dashie.

My role in this story is finished . . . and I didn’t get the girl. You don’t need me, there's nothing this silly screw up can offer you.

I’m just . . . me.

Plain, boring ol Pinkie.

What would that look like? Rainbow Dash The Wonderbolt and Pinkie Pie the chaotic baker?

Please, Dashie, we both know that is never going to work. You deserve better . . .

I’m just a freak . . . you can call me whatever you want, but ‘marefriend’ will never be one of them. I’m too weird, too clingy for being the one you need in the time of distress. Too erratic even for being somepony you want to hold at the end of one hard day. I’m just a mess . . .

You’ve made me strong, stronger than I could’ve ever imagined, but I lied to you before.

I have a weakness, I can’t love you as much as you deserve.

Not in the way you need.

It’s a shortcoming I will never forgive, never surpass . . .

I thought that watching you from afar would be sufficient, but now . . . now I can’t stand it anymore. I wanted to leave before the pony that gave me so much joy drowned me in my sorrow.

I didn’t want to remember you like that.

Maybe I don’t need to leave after all.

Being a Wonderbolt you’d have to go on tour for a very long time. Maybe you’d have to leave Ponyville forever and I’d see you less and less . . . and with time the memories would fade away. My love for you would fade away . . . and you could go on with your career, perhaps recalling me with some fondness here and there, and maybe, just maybe, give a special place to your weirdo friend.

Maybe passing by once a year for a show or two, with me watching you from the shadows like always, until I found the strength to finally greet an old friend.

No.

It would’ve hurt.

A lot.

But time could have healed my wounds. If this was everything I could aspire for, I would have gladly accepted it. Your happiness was everything that mattered to me.

If only it was that easy, Dashie . . .

I can’t turn around without seeing your shadow haunting me. You’re such an important part of my life: I see you in the clouds and the rain, I see you in the face of little Scootaloo who has taken up flying inspired by you, I see you in my own smile because you were the one who taught me to . . . before this year’s Winter Wrap Up I made so many snow ponies . . . and all of them ended up looking like you . . .

And so, I have to say goodbye.

I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me and not despise your crazy friend. If it’s not too much, I hope that sometimes you’ll think of me with just a smile and a snarky remark, like you always did. I hope that the you’ll be happy and, who knows, maybe you’ll find somepony who is actually ready for you, somepony that loves you as I never could.

Your Best Friend (But not really) and the one that loved you so much,

Pinkie Pie

She waits at the station. The Canterlot Castle dominates her vision, every feature glaring down at her from high atop the mountain.

The train whistles, it’s near.

She looks at the ponies gathered around her, searching every face for a reason to stay just a moment longer.

Too late. Its over.

She mutters one last goodbye between herself, the lonely rainslick floorboards of the station, and to the pony that she held close so dearly.

Her mane is flat, her face hidden by the silken curtain. It won’t be much longer. She doesn’t dare look back, afraid that her past will reach out and grab her, sucking her back into that dark, watery despair.

She stands firmly on her hooves.

The whistle gets closer. This is it, she thinks, I can’t turn back now.

A flutter of wings behind her. A much too familiar flutter of wings.

She gasps.

“How did you find me?” she says to the looming presence behind her.

“If you wanted to leave, this was the only place to look,” a voice pants out, her breath coming in hot, sticky globs.

She hears a hoof step forward.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” She screams.

“Why?”

“Because if you do . . .I need to do this Dashie,” she steels her teeth, “I need to.”

“I don’t want to . . .” the Pegasus takes another step forward. “I don’t want you to leave!”

“Did you read my letter?” A simple question, asked in a pure tone.

“Yes. And once I finished it, I immediately came here.”

“Then you know . . . why.” She almost finds the strength to turn. Almost…

“You said that you love me! You said that I mean so much to you! Why are you doing this to me?!” she roars, Pinkie feeling the pegasuses anger sputtering on the back of her neck.

“I wrote everything you needed you need to know.”

“I don’t care!” A sharp woosh splits the air and a pair of strong hooves crush her in an embrace. ”Wherever you’re going . . take me with you! I don’t care what you think of yourself! Just . . . take me with you!”

"D-Dashie . . ." She turns and sobs desperately in the pegasus’s chest. "You can't come with me . . . the Wonderbolts . . ."

"Then you stay here with me. It's easier that way." A soft smile appears on her face.

"I'm just . . . not good enough . . . for you! I can't stay with you!"

"You don't know that! You're nopony to say that!" She starts to gently stroke Pinkie's mane. "Stupid Pinkie Pie! Why you didn't tell me anything?"

She buries herself into Dash's chest deeper. "Because I don't deserve you . . ."

"I don't care." Dash wraps her wings around the pink pony. "The only thing I care about . . . is you! A pony that said all those wonderful things . . . that cares for me so much . . . that means the world to me for what she did . . ." she gently kisses Pinkie's forehead, ". . . is the right one for me!"

"But, I'm . . ." The pink pony is at loss of words.

"You said that you love me, that I am your Sun . . ." she cuts Pinkie off, giving her another little kiss on the nose. "Nopony ever said that to me. Nopony was ever this kind to me. And I'm sure as Tartarus that nopony ever held me in such a high regard!" She gives her a small kiss on the lips. "How can you leave me if you love so much?"

Pinkie regains her composure, despite every fiber of her being screaming to kiss Dash back. It's getting harder to leave by the minute . . .

"I can't work this out Dashie . . . just look what happened now! I'm just too scared . . ."

Dash’s face glows with a gentle smile.

"Then smile. You always smile when you see something scary. That's the first thing you taught me . . ." she deepens her hug, pulling the pink pony closer with a wing. "Don't I always make you smile?"

And Pinkie smiles a soft, hopeful smile. "But . . ." she tries to say. Dash slowly puts her hoof on her mouth.

"Sshh . . . no more words. No more excuses. Just be the wonderful pony that you have always been. I don't need more."

Pinkie sniffles, nuzzling Dash's chest.

"You said that you can't work this out . . ." Dash continues, "but we can!"

"We?"

"Yes . . . you don't have to hide anymore. I'm here for you, like I've always been, and always will be..."

"You're ok about . . . me? Even after all this?"

"I like you just the way you are, even more after you told me the truth." She cups Pinkie's face in her hooves. "If you're by my side, then I'm happy. You don't have to give me anything that you don't have already . . ."

"I love you, Dashie . . ."

"I know. And I wouldn’t have it any other way . . ."

Their lips meet, and Pinkie finally knows her place.

She feels the light, the same light she always felt with Dash.

But this time she's not scared. This time she doesn't feel unworthy. Her eyes are opened.

This time she's exactly where she wants to be.

With her love . . .

She doesn't know what the future holds for them, but now that she is with Dash, she won't be scared anymore.

If there is one thing she is sure of, it is this: that she will love Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolt, until Celestia’s Sun goes out and the Stars fall from the sky.

The End

Epilogue

Epilogue

In a hotel room, four ponies are having a terrible evening.

The white unicorn is devastated, sitting on a table and sobbing in silence. She buries her face in her hooves, the wails seeping through her forelegs. A Stetson wearing orange mare and a cream colored pegasus comfort her, keeping her close as they gently pat her back.

“Sssshh . . .” says the Pegasus. “Don’t worry Rarity. Everything will be fine . . . everything is alright . . .” Her voice is a soothing tone. Calm and sincere, even if the pegasus herself is shaking.

“Yep! Ah bet Rainbow’s already on her way ta get Pinkie!” She pats the unicorn shoulders with a broken smile. Inner fortitude forbids her from cracking; she has to remain strong for the others.

Rarity sniffles. “What if you’re wrong? What if she never found her? What if we lost our Pinkie forever?!” Her lips frantically tremble and she bursts into tears once more, howling with grief.

A purple unicorn, sitting in the corner of the room, is visibly annoyed as holds her temples between her hooves: “Please, Rarity! I can’t concentrate on my tracking spell if you cry like that! Spike, hold that book for me!"

She is enveloped in a purple hue that ignites tiny sparks of electricity in the air.

“Sure thing, Twilight!” The little dragon quickly complies and hold the book for her as she looks at another tome resting on the floor.

“Is that the one?” he asks, standing on his tiptoes in order to give her a better viewing angle.

“Yes, this is the one. It has all the variations of Starswirl the Bearded's spell to find lost things!” she says enthusiastically, turning some pages with her magic. “Ah-ha! I found it! How to locate everything that is pink!”

“Well, gee!” Says the orange mare, rolling her eyes. “And jus’ how many pink things are there in Canterlot?”

Twilight eyes glow weakly. “According to my calculations . . . 1.567.892 items. No, wait, 1.567.891. That last one was just faded magenta.”

“Isn't there a faster way?” asks the mare with the rose tinted mane.

“I wish there was,” replies Twilight. “Most of the tracking spells I know were crafted to find something that is already magical, like another spell or a particularly powerful unicorn. Pinkie is just an earth pony. We’re lucky I found this one.”

“Well, make it work!” Rarity suddenly shouts. “You have to find her! We can’t let this . . . this TRAGEDY go on!” She quickly stands on all fours; her tears evaporate at the sight of her inner strength. “We have to succeed! For our friends! And their love! True love will find a way!”

“Well, at least she’s not crying anymore . . .” Applejack whispers to Fluttershy. The pegasus nods, relieved.

Rarity turns her gaze toward Spike, who is still searching through the pile of books near Twilight.

“Spikey Wykey!” She lunges at him and locks Spike in a tight hug.”Please tell me you’ve never suffered the plights of unrequited love!”

“Can’t . . . breathe!” The dragon struggles between her forelegs, gasping for air.

“I know . . . I know! Loving somepony can make you feel like you can’t breathe! But you won’t have that from me anymore! Life is too short for this!” She strangles him even harder, pressing him against her chest with feral strength.

“Especially mine!” His body takes on a faint blue hue.

“Oh, Spikey Wakey! I’m so glad that you found the way to tell me about your feelings. I’ll never let you go!”

She smolders him, crushing the last of his breath.

“Ever.”

She gives the little dragon a soft peck on his cheek. Spike progresses from blue to fiery red. Her forelegs loosen, sparing the dragon from certain death. She gently turns the dragon toward her and stares in his eyes. Her snout brushes against his face. and Spike gulps nervously.

“Spike?” she asks.

“Yes, Rarity?"
The air in the room grows still, every pony anticipating the approaching words. Destiny was at hand, the master scheme of the cosmos at last coming to fruition.

Yet it was not meant to be.

“Wait, girls! Something is happening!” Twilight shouts with her eyes glowing more brightly. “The spell! The tracking spell is telling me that something pink is approaching! It’s getting closer by the second!”

All the girls look at the door anxiously. They dare not blink, a predatory gleam is in their eyes. The door blushes from all the attention, and every second stretches for an eternity.

The sound of hoofsteps approach . . . they cannot discern if it is a single pony or if there is a second.

“Gah! I can’t take this anymore!” Rarity runs to the door and rips it off.

A dumbfounded blue Pegasus stands there, just about to knock, her hoof still frozen in the act. A faded pink mare with a long silken mane is in her shadow. Rainbow’s wing is draped around her in a protective embrace.

“Hi, girls!” The blue mare chirps. She moves her gaze toward the purple unicorn, Twilight’s eyes still aglow from the spell. “Well, that explains it . . .”

“Hello…” says the pink pony wearing a timid smile.

The four ponies in the room lunge toward them in a wild hug, the force of their assault knocking them off their feet.

“You stupid . . . adorable . . . you! Why must you possess such a tender heart? Whaaaaaaaaa!” Rarity blubbers, a weeping disaster.

“Ya made me worry so much! Ya made all of us worry so much” Applejack’s smile is genuine this time. Tears of joy are rolling down her cheeks.

“You should have told me! Why you didn’t tell me?! I could’ve helped you! I have books about everything!” Twilight is in tears too.

Fluttershy is crying softly, grateful to be hugging her friend once again.

“I knew you would come back!” Spike joins in, latching onto the only part of Pinkie his friends aren’t hugging: her head.

Pinkie stands, swamped in affection that was unimaginable only hours before. She loses herself in the grinning faces that surround her, her soul brightening with every passing second. Yet there is one face she does not see.

Dash stand off to the side, an idle smile on her face. She locks eyes with Pinkie for a moment, and unspoken words pass between them. Rainbow is the last to join the group hug, yet no one else’s hug comes close to the crushing embrace with which she smolders Pinkie.

The latter is overcome with joy, tears pouring freely. There is no need to worry anymore.

“Wait a sec!” She cries. Her friends back off, confused. “You mean that everypony knew? Of my letter?”

“I told you, Pinkie. I went searching for you immediately after reading it. I didn’t tell anypony!” Dash glances about the bedroom. “Wait a second, this is my room. How did you girls . . .?”

Twilight steps forward. “Rainbow it’s not what you think. It’s true we know of the letter, we know of what Pinkie feels for you, but I swear we didn’t read it!”

“Oh yeah?” Dash flaps her wings and levitates a few inches. “Then how do you explain it? And don’t say magic! It’s too easy.”

Twilight bites her lip. “The truth is…”

“Ya read it out loud!” Applejack blurts out. Twilight sighs in relief and silently thanks the Element of Honesty.

“Pardon?” Dash stares, unblinking.

“Yep! You were jus’ one step away from screaming the whole thing!”

“It’s true, darling.” Rarity intervenes. “I don’t know if this is a bad habit of yours or maybe the letter was so touching . . .” A sob escapes her throat. “And believe me dear, it was . . . but whatever the reason is, it doesn’t change the truth.”

“And . . . uh . . .” Fluttershy looks from behind her mane, avoiding Dash’s gaze. “The walls are pretty thin.”

Dash cheeks glow in embarrassment. “Well, I was surprised by all this . . . and terrified when I got to the part that said she was leaving Ponyville . . .”

Rainbow’s facade cracks and she chokes back a sob.

Pinkie gently nuzzles against her neck. “Hush, there’s no need for that silly. I’m here now, thanks to you!”

Twilight steps forward. “I’m sorry we invaded your privacy so much, but we just couldn’t help it. And I believe I’m speaking for all of us when I say we would have helped you search for Pinkie had you hadn’t taken off so quickly.”

The other girls slowly nod.

Pinkie grimaces. “Everypony knows? Like, this whole floor?”

Perfect.

Just perfect…

“Well, not everypony, just us four,” Twilight assures.

Applejack clears her throat. “Ah think these two need some alone time. Right girls?” She flashes the pair a sultry wink.

“Well yes they should be, but why bring this up right now . . .” Rarity blushes a little, at last understanding the deadpan stare Applejack is shooting her. “Oh . . . Oh! I mean . . .yes we should go! Alone time. By themselves. To do things.”

She backs up towards the door. “Yes.”

Relieved and happy to see that everything is as it should be, the girls give one last exchange before heading out the door.

Rarity hugs Pinkie with tears in her eyes. “I wish you both all happiness in the world! And you!” she turns to Rainbow, “Don’t you dare break this poor filly’s heart again or I will find you.”

Rainbow gulps, a sizeable drop of cold sweat rolls down her forehead: “The thought never crossed my mind.” Her words are sincere, yet spoken in fear. Rarity smiles, pacified. "Good! Now let’s go Spikey Wykey, we need some time to ourselves too!”

“Yeah, I hear you- wait, ourselves . . . ourselves?! Sure thing!” Spike gives Pinkie one last hug before floating after the divinely sculpted unicorn.

Fluttershy is next, pulling the two into yet another one embrace. “Please don’t ever leave me you two.”

“Oh don’t worry Shy!” Rainbow returns the hug. “We’re too cool for doing that again! Right, Pinkie?” She prods her friend.

“Yes, indeed-y, Fluttershy!”

The timid Pegasus takes her leave, smiling at them through eyes brimming with joy.

Applejack offers only a small nod to the pair. “Ah hope y’all are happy now, both of ya. Life i-is too short for . . . for wasting it li-like that. It’s not- oh horseapples!” The earth pony finally lets herself go and runs away in tears.

Dash and Pinkie are taken aback by her philosophical ramblings, both rendered speechless.
Their whole world had flipped upside down, it seemed. For once Flutershy had been the strong one while the headstrong farmer had been reduced to a quivering pile of nerves. This fact wasn’t lost to Twilight either.

Twilight shoots them a quick smile. “Sorry, girls! I’m happy for you but now we have to go take care of Applejack! AJ wait up!” She gallops off after her friend.

The pegasus and the earth pony find themselves alone in the room, with only a bed to keep them company. A king sized bed, comfortable like few others. Very much needed for both of them.

They glanced at each other; no words were necessary.

Longest days of our lives.

“Do you want me beside you all night long?” Pinkie whispers as Dash strokes her mane, leaning back against the cyan chest.

“Yep. I bet this is the only place you don’t want to leave,” Dash cooes in her ear. She plants a small kiss on her forehead.

Pinkie blushes; this is the first kind of kiss Dash ever gave her.
From now on, each little kiss will only remind her of this night . . .

“Besides,” she continues, “I almost lost you tonight. If you think I’m going to let you out of my sight, you’re wrong.”

“I was wrong. I don’t want to leave you anymore, not now, not ever.” She gently rubs her snout against Dash’s.

“Why Pinkie? Why did you feel . . . forced to do this?” Dash speaks with a hurt voice, but holds a patient gaze.

“I don’t know Dashie. I felt so hopeless, so confused, so . . . small. It was like the world didn’t care for me anymore. Like you wouldn’t care for me anymore . . .”

“Oh, Pinkie . . .” She gives her another kiss, this time on the lips. “I think I know what happened. Stop me if you think I’m crazy, but I think that deep down inside you take everything seriously. You may seem silly and easy going but you care so much for everything and everypony that . . . I don’t know, when you fell in love with me it seemed so big to you that you didn’t want to screw up anything. When I told you I’ve joined the Wonderbolts I guess it just got worse. Oh, by the way . . .” She reaches for the drawer and takes out a scroll.

“I’m still wondering how did you manage to write everything on just one page.” The Pegasus holds up the letter, chuckling.

“I have my secrets . . .” Pinkie replies with a sly smile.

“I wouldn’t call it a secret; you just write freakishly small when you want to…”

“Or maybe it’s the scroll that is bigger and nopony noticed! Boo!” She waggles her hooves and puts on the best scary impression she can muster. It is highly ineffective; Dash can only snicker.

“Hahaha! I didn’t know a pony so funny could also be so . . .” she pauses, searching for the right word.

“Sappy?” Pinkie guesses, giggling.
Rainbow slides an arm around her.

“Nah, sappy is something stupid. Nothing you’ve ever told me is stupid.” She tightens her hug. “Why did you think you weren’t good enough for me? You’re adorable!”

Pinkie glances off to the side.

“I don’t know Dashie, I just don’t know. I want to stay here, in your embrace, like I always wanted. I don’t want to be afraid anymore. Not of loving you.”

Dash remains silent, pondering. “And if that ever happens, what would you do?”

Pinkie’s eyes gravitate back to Dash’s.

“Smile!” Her mouth parts into a grin of monstrous proportions.

“Yes, you would! And you’re not in the background Pinkie . . .”

“Huh?”

“You’re not a pink blur in the background. You’re far better than that. If I am your Sun, then you’re my flowers.”

“Flowers?” Pinkie tilts her head.

“Yes, flowers! They stay on the ground and they grow because of the light of the Sun . . . and some of them of them are so beautiful that they make a better world just by being there.”

Without warning, the pink pony bursts into tender tears, her blue eyes fixated upon Dash.

Dash panics. “What’s wrong? Was it too sappy? Or maybe you didn’t like-”

“It was perfect, Dashie!” She cuts the Pegasus off with an intense kiss. A kiss filled to the brim of everything she has ever felt for the mare, the blue angel that visited her in her dreams.

The day after that made only of joy and laughter, a day so glorious and beautiful that it washed away the sorrow that had preceded it.

Sadly, some of Pinkie fears came true.

Dash’s career forced her to leave Ponyville . . . but the pink mare never left her side. Not even for a moment, as she had promised. With time, all her other friends departed and Pinkie alone remained in Ponyville.

Yet Dash, with the pink pony by her side, never forgot the place where she met her love and her dearest friends. Even while so distant, Pinkie managed to keep in touch with all of them. And, of course, she threw a party whenever they could...

And Pinkie was loved.

Loved more than she could ever imagine, and certainly as much as she deserved

The old feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness vanished because all the little quirks that made her unique were the aspects that Dash loved about her. Even the small things, like her laugh or a silly joke, were enough for Dash. Those were the moments she felt so lucky to have her.

Of course, it also helped that Pinkie had arranged her meeting with the Wonderbolts in the first place. Thanks to her, their most memorable shows came after Dash’s membership.

That fateful night she knew she had found her place. And with the love of her life and a brilliant future ahead of her, Pinkie was finally complete.

She was the flower that made Dash’s world better.

And at the end of the darkest of days, the pegasus would always find Pinkie's warm smile waiting for her.

And Dash was sure that the pony that loved her the most was everything she needed.

Alternate Ending: The Place Under no Sky

Alternate Ending: The Place Under no Sky

She waits at the station. The Canterlot Castle dominates her vision, every feature glaring down at her from high atop the mountain.

The train whistles, it’s near.

She looks at the ponies gathered around her, searching every face for a reason to stay just a moment longer.

Too late. Its over.

She mutters one last goodbye between herself, the lonely rainslick floorboards of the station, and to the pony that she held close so dearly.

Her mane is flat, her face hidden by the silken curtain. It won’t be much longer. She doesn’t dare look back, afraid that her past will reach out and grab her, sucking her back into that dark, watery despair.

She stands firmly on her hooves.

The whistle gets closer. This is it, she thinks, I can’t turn back now.

A flutter of wings behind her. A much too familiar flutter of wings.

She gasps.

She has to turn, at least to see if she’s right. Courage returns to her, and she lifts a hoof . . .

Nothing . . .

She didn’t hear anything. Dash is not here . . .

Why would she be here?

I have to go, or I’ll start seeing her everywhere again.

The train arrives, billowing a thick cloud of steam all over the platform.

She disappears in the fog . . . with a sad smile in her face and no song in her heart. Wherever she’s going there’s no place for songs.

Some years later she has obtained it.

A place where she can’t possibly think about her love.

A cold, barren, desolate place no different from the farm where she grew up. It’s not even that distant, actually. She has even picked up the family business: rocks . . .

Those six colors are nowhere to be found, erased by the passage of time.

She can’t even catch a glimpse of the sky. That sky is just like her heart: lots of obscured gray and ominous darkness, but no blue.

Just like she wanted . . .

She never sees her friends. She hasn’t heard of them for quite a while. The memories of those days are fading, just like her love. She can’t even remember the name of that blue mare . . .

She doesn’t see anypony at all, save for her workers.

One of the farmers brings a newspaper with him one day. He starts to read it aloud for the other workers.

She happens to eavesdrop them.

The headlines are about the Wonderbolts and their new captain. He’s a great fan of them.

Their youngest captain ever: a beautiful, brave, incredible blue pegasus with a mane of six colors and her tradermark pink headband . . .

Pink . . .

She wears pink.

Pinkie can only cry now, and lament for what could’ve been . . .