The Town of Friendship

Over the next few days, Twilight and her new friends became more accustomed to the Town of Friendship and its ways. They noticed that, every morning, there were classes given on how to become better at friendship. There were experts living there who knew all about friendship, and Twilight was intensely excited to learn all she could from them. She would pick their brains for hours on end, to the point of annoyance, because she was so thrilled at her new life and her new concept of other ponies. They weren’t sexual objects, and neither was she.

One day, not long after they’d arrived, Starlight called Twilight in to her office at the Town Hall. The ex-prostitute found her friend sitting behind her desk, made expertly out of shimmering stones, quietly contemplating something. She looked rather pensive, as if the entire world were going to fall in around her ears should something not take place within the next five minutes. Twilight gave her an odd look, as she realized that she didn’t know how to respond to this.

“Um…Starlight? You okay?” Twilight asked with concern

Starlight sighed. “No, I’m not okay, Twi. I need your help with something.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, you know we love friendship around here and we hold it in the highest regard…but there are some ponies who love it a little too much.”

Twilight recoiled a bit. How could anypony love friendship too much? It was such an amazing thing! She was meeting all sorts of ponies from all over Equestria, and learning their stories through the power of friendship. Her bonds were growing daily, and she was reveling in the warmth and comfort of her new friends. But this was something that blew her mind. Loving friendship too much was like loving hay cakes too much. It just didn’t seem natural!

“I’m sorry, Starlight,” she said, “I must’ve misheard you. I thought you said somepony loves friendship too much.”

“She does,” Starlight said simply, “and she’s annoying the older ponies who wish to keep to themselves.”

“But I thought friendship was about togetherness,” Twilight said in confusion, “why on Earth would anypony wanna be left alone?”

“It’s not that they wanna be alone, it’s that they wanna be alone with the ponies who are closest to their age. They work at things at their own pace, and we like to accommodate that. It’s what good friends do. Trust me, some of them are elderly veterans of Lilly’s war, and they’ve seen hell. But this pony is making it no simpler for them to relax or make friends by being too friendly.”

Twilight realized the issue and agreed to help in any way she could. So Starlight led her out of the hall and down a certain street. They passed row after row of the quaint little homes until they reached a certain area and stopped. Twilight looked around and felt incredibly peaceful and happy. The greenery that stretched out in front of her was absolutely astounding, and it featured flowers of all kinds. There was a small stream that soothed the soul as it bubbled along its way. She noticed that there were some places for rest and relaxation, and a lot of the older ponies had taken to them like fish to water.

“Wow!” Twilight breathed softly, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a serene place!”

“Our older friends do enjoy it here,” Starlight said as she smiled, “but the problem is that they’re constantly bothered by this other pony. We’ve tried everything, but nothing’s been resolved. So, if you could help by dispatching her, we’d really appreciate it.”

Twilight sat on her haunches as she faced her first real dilemma since moving there. She had made a lot of friends and developed relationships with them, and she wanted to do the same with this new pony. But asking her to leave might harm her feelings. Oh, what do I do? Twilight asked herself, what would a true friend do?

Suddenly, a pink blur raced by her and bounced into the park. The mare galloped freely throughout the greenery, paying no mind to the ponies who were trying to take it easy. She would run up to one and ask a series of rapid fire questions, and then, without having any of them answered, she would gallop to another and repeat the process. Does she get some kind of enjoyment out of screaming at them? Twilight asked herself. She could definitely see why the older ponies had come to Starlight for help, and she determined to stop the pink one.

She trotted up to her and stood on her tail, throwing the proverbial monkey wrench in the machinery. “Aw!!!!!!” The mare said, “I was just about to go ask that nice old mare where she got her hat! I love hats! Don’t you?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?!”

“Um…” Twilight said before shaking her head. She was going to control this conversation. “Listen, I know I don’t know you, but I’ve been sent by Starlight Glimmer with an important message. You’re bothering everypony here and we’d appreciate it if you left.”

“Oh, come on!” The pink one said, batting her blue eyes, “all I’m doing is having fun! I love these older ponies!”

“Yes, but they may not enjoy it when you interrupt their peace and quiet. They come here to relax, and I can definitely see why you’re annoying them.”

The pink mare gasped and tears formed. “You…think…I’m…annoying?”

“No-no-no!” Twilight said, “that’s not what I said. I said you’re annoying them!”

“Oh,” the other mare said as Twilight saw her puffy mane deflate as if popped, “I see. I’ll just go home, then.”

Twilight didn’t know why, but she felt absolutely sick to her stomach. It was as if this pony was the embodiment of laughter and happiness, and she had done her part to destroy it. She felt like crying as she sat there. She hated to see the pink mare so depressed and unhappy, when only moments before, she had been bouncing around in a very ecstatic state. She swore she saw the flowers in the garden begin drooping as the depressed pony walked passed them.

“Wait!” Twilight suddenly called and then ran to catch up. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said you were annoying. I don’t even know you! It was wrong of me.”

“No,” her fellow mare responded, “you’re right. I am annoying. I’m nothing but an annoying, bothersome, frustrating, irritating mess. It’s why I got kicked out of Neighagra Falls.”

“You’re from Neighagra Falls?” Twilight asked, “I hear it’s beautiful there!”

“The land itself is beautiful. It’s one of the most amazing sights anypony’s ever seen! But…”

“But what?”

The pink mare sighed. “But Queen Lilly never allowed anypony to go to the falls. We could only look at them from afar and dream of what it must’ve been like to play and romp around them, or swim in the cool water.”

“Wow…how awful!” Twilight said, “you must’ve been through a lot. By the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Pinkie Pie!” She responded, smiling, “what’s yours?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well, Twilight Sparkle, I hope you and I can get to be good friends, now that I’m not annoying you.”

“No!” Twilight said, “you were never annoying me! You were bothering those elderly ponies, and they go to that garden to rest and relax. There’s nothing wrong with talking to them, it’s just…you were…very adamant.”

“Yeah, I guess I can get like that. I just wanna be friends with everyone!”

“That’s wonderful, but you have to know your limits, and the limits of everypony else.”

“Huh…that kinda sounds like a friendship lesson. You know, the type you’d write a long winded letter about to some great, mentor-ish figure.”

“It does,” Twilight said as she smiled at her new friend, “it most certainly does.”