A Time in Laughter and Joy
Hearth’s Warming, a time of comfort, joy, and forgiveness among all ponies. It was something that Tempest Shadow, or rather Fizzlepop Berrytwist, had spent missing out on for years when she was alone, and even after she allied with the Storm King. Although she had returned to celebrating Hearth’s Warming a few years ago, she still felt as though she should spend it with a pony she had grown rather fond around - Pinkie Pie. Since Tempest had reformed, she had grown rather close to Pinkie and her unique ideas of further reformation. Right now, she was on her way to Sugar Cube Corner to meet up with her marefriend. As she entered, she was greeted by Pinkie’s enthusiastic glee, which began with a loud, sudden, gasp.
“Fizzy!” Pinkie yelled before coming at Tempest with a sudden hug. “I wasn’t expecting you here.” she explains, “Sugar Cube Corner is closed. It’s currently 8:00pm.”
Tempest hadn’t noticed at first, but, currently, Sugar Cube Corner is empty. Makes sense. It is late.
“So, why are you here, Fizzy?” Pinkie asks.
Tempest initially hesitated at that question, before she decided to answer with “You have just been good company to me. I decided to thus spend my Hearth’s Warming week with you.”
“Aw. That’s so nice of you, Fizzy. Although, I can’t do you anything since Sugar Cube Corner is closed right now.”
Tempest nodded. “Seeing as you won’t be working for the rest of the day, any plans?”
Pinkie thought about this for a moment. The Cakes were all upstairs, and she hadn’t planned far ahead. As she pondered this however, she and Tempest failed to notice a blue unicorn stallion, roughly the same height as Pinkie, with green eyes, black glasses, and a blond, spiky mane walking by across the snow-covered ground. He was wearing a saddlebag and his Cutie Mark was of a grey tyre shooting orange sparks from behind. The stallion stopped, and watched from outside the window.
“Is that the Bearer of Laughter?” the stallion asked, gesturing at Pinkie Pie.
Meanwhile, inside Sugar Cube Corner Pinkie answered “Nope. No plans for this evening, Fizzy. I haven’t met any new ponies recently.”
Outside the window, the stallion telekinetically grabbed a pen and paper from his saddlebags and started making notes on Pinkie’s behaviour.
If I can uncover all I need about Pinkie Pie, maybe the Novolts will finally realise how unnecessary of a leader ‘the Outsider’ is compared to me. the stallion thought.
Flashback…
“I told you, we don’t need you, Bluegrass!” a green pegasus stallion with a blond mane and brown eyes told the earth pony stallion, whose name is Bluegrass.
“You embarrassed yourself eavesdropping on Rainbow Dash, then got kicked out of Sweet Apple Acres by flipping Apple Bloom. What makes you think you’re a good choice to lead us?” a brown unicorn stallion with orange eyes and black spiky hair asked Bluegrass.
“If you really are more worthy of a leader when compared to me, then how about you actually prove to us that you can monitor just one of the Bearers of Harmony unnoticed.” the white pegasus stallion with blue eyes, yellow glasses, a black mane with a blond streak, and a red zig-zag running across his wings, asks, most likely the Outsider based off his choice of words, asks to a disgruntled Bluegrass, before adding “And fix up that attitude. Remember back in our world, at school, when you, me, and Summer were asked to do those posters. She and I did the fifteen small ones, and yet, you refused to do the five big ones, even trying to get me and Summer to do them, despite the teacher asking you to. Don’t be like that.”
End Flashback…
“Don’t be like that.” the stallion, now known as Bluegrass, mocked in the Outsider’s voice before he then immediately continued in watching Pinkie and Tempest.
“Anything you’ve got in mind?” Pinkie asked Tempest out of curiosity.
“Well, I heard that Reindeer: The Musical, based on the film - ‘Reindeer’ has come to Ponyville.” Tempest asked, a smile visible on her face, “And there is still three days until Hearth’s Warming… and I’ve got the tickets for you.”
Pinkie gasped. “You paid for the tickets, for me?” she asks in joy.
“Yep. It’s going to be on in… an hour. So, want to see it with me?”
“Sure thing, Fizzy.” Pinkie replies, “I’m more than happy to to see it.”
Bluegrass had overheard this, and thus knew they were headed for to watch what he knew to be a comedy play. As Pinkie and Tempest left Sugar Cube Corner for the theatre, Bluegrass followed them.
As Pinkie and Tempest walk down a crowded street, Bluegrass follows, pushing and shoving a few ponies and hardly greeting others. He wanted information about Pinkie, and would stop at nothing to get it.
Bluegrass, having the unfortunate luck of being too distracted noting Pinkie’s behaviour to realise he was walking into a closing door until he hit it face-first and briefly stumbling backwards. Once he recovered from the door to the face, he entered the theatre, violently slamming the door wide open, only to realise something upon entering: He didn’t have a ticket (talk about humiliating) and thus would have to patiently wait for Pinkie and Tempest to leave before he can follow them again.
Once Pinkie and Tempest entered the theatre, and went to seats L5 and L6, where they spent the next 2 and a half hours watching ‘Reindeer: The Musical’, and found numerous moments where they had to hide their laughter due to the sheer lack of expectation in regard to certain jokes, some so funny even the actors struggled to keep a straight face.
By the time the play was over, Bluegrass was distracted messing around in the arcade room as he waited for them to leave and thus, initially didn’t notice Pinkie and Tempest leaving the theatre.
“Wow, even I was not ready for that.” Pinkie admited, still trying to get the remaining giggles out of her system.
“You’re telling me.” Tempest agreed as she and Pinkie were headed for the exit.
“I do have one question though.” Pinkie mutters.
“What would that be?”
“How did Spark constantly get fired, and then rehired?”
Tempest laughs, “Your answer is as good as mine.” she answers.
Bluegrass was still distracted in the arcade room for a few hours until until he finally noticed ponies, changelings, dragons, griffins, yaks, and hippogriffs leaving the play.
Shoot! he thought, Pinkie has probably already left the theatre by now!
In a hurry, Bluegrass left the theatre in a hasty search of the two mares, which, best guess was that they were back at Sugar Cube Corner, where they weren’t. Unable to find them anywhere in Ponyville, Bluegrass groaned as he returned to Novolt Headquarters.
Pinkie was at Tempest’s house, where the two of them would spend for the night.
“Fizzy,” Pinkie began, “thank you for that.”
“It was the best I could do for you.” Tempest answered.
Just then, Bluegrass, who was walking by on his way to Novolts HQ, noticed Pinkie through the window and went to grab his pen and paper… only to realise he had left them at the theatre, causing him to drop to the ground, groaning in frustration, anger, and exhaustion before storming off to Novolt Headquarters. He couldn’t afford to make a scene right now.
“You wouldn’t mind if I stay with you tomorrow, until the second day after Hearth’s Warming?” Tempest asked.
“Why, of course I wouldn’t not not, silly.” Pinkie answered with a smile.
‘Wouldn’t not not’. Tempest thought, causing her to snicker. “So, yes?”
“Yep.” Pinkie answers as she gets close to Tempest and kisses her on the cheek.
Tempest’s eyes widen in shock initially, before she relaxes and smiles at Pinkie. These next few days were going to be a time in laughter and joy.
Author's Note
Apologies of the ending isn’t brilliant. Not big on romance, but I did want to give it a shot.
Not watched MLP: The Movie, so sorry if I made any mistakes in Tempest’s character while writing this.
If your wondering, ‘Reindeer’ is a the MLP equivalent of ‘Elf’.
