How I Met Your Pinkie

I know, this is the usual kind of thing that draws people away from my story, but I believe you'd like to know my appearance, before listening to my tale. The name is Hypothesis Bend, nice meeting you. I am of the race of pegasus. My coat is a deep emerald green color, the same color you would find on moss growing on a rock in the middle of a forgotten forest. I try to keep my mane relatively neat, but the mix of light and dark brown mess tends to rebel against me. If I could choose one thing that outlines me, I wouldn't choose my mark, a silver question mark with some vines entangled around it, and a full moon in the background, but my eyes instead. Why? Well, they are a brilliant sky blue, but as they go closer to the pupil, the shade turns darker, and darker, until it is a lavender color. In the lavender color and the darker blue part, golden flakes show every here and there. Around my neck I wear a glistening silver necklace, with a circular pendant in the middle. The pendant is the same silver metal, outlining the circumference of a strange foggy green gem in the shape of a marble. Although I am relatively young, being twenty-one at the time I am telling you this, I've been told that my eyes make me seem many years older, by the look of fatigue in them. I didn't have that when I was a kid, but I have it now. My job, its something. Anyhow, I suppose you'd like to hear what you came here for, so without further ado.. Here it is.

Now, Pinkie Pie as you knew her was not always this loved. Back when I was in school, I was her only friend, for a little while. Sure, it sounds pretty cliche, but it was true. Maybe it was something about where she grew up that caused ponies to want to avoid her, or maybe it was because at the time, ponies weren't that friendly..

I was around thirteen when the teacher announced that a new filly was joining our 'learning environment' and that she was going to come in the afternoon sometime. To be honest, I was extremely excited. I was always called the new kid at school, even though I had been in said place for about three years. The school period passed quickly, and we ran out to lunch to escape the building and all of its boredom. I chose a quaint old bench to sit at, one of my personal favorites, and ate my lunch quickly, tossing my bread crusts from my sandwich to the birds. I made my way to the school's rusty old swingset, and sat down on one of the four swings. As I swung back and forth, the swings creaked painfully, and the whole structure shook back and forth. I didn't pay any attention to it, it was how the swings normally sounded, and to my ears, how all swings sounded.

Finally, halfway through the recess, she walked in. Or, I should say, bounced in. Her fluffy pink mane jiggling up and down with every tiny hop. She was around twelve years old then, and she wanted to be friends with everypony. But nopony wanted to be friends with her. She ran around the grounds, asking everypony if she could play with them, or if she could join them. They all ignored her, and she quickly grew saddened and walked over to the swing set, sat sown on a swing, and started to cry. Her mane seemed to deflate on itself, turning into a straight sort of depressed look on her. I knew the kids in school could be jerks, but this was absolutely ridiculous. I turned to face her, a concerned expression showing on my features.

"Hey, you ok?" I asked. Her head slowly turned and looked at me. Through tear streaked eyes, she pointed a hoof at herself.

"Me..?"

"Yeah you, what's the matter?" I tilted my head to one side. She burst into tears.

"What isn't the matter..? Nopony likes me.. Nopony..." She got off of the swings and ran away to a corner of the field. Me being who I am, I ran after her. Honestly, I couldn't understand why she ran away. I was being polite, and talking to her, so why she ran away from my welcome, I still haven't really figured out.

"Why.. Why are you following me..?" She sniffed, her head turned away from my gaze.

"Want to be friends?" I smiled warmly at her, and although she couldn't see the smile, I was pretty sure she knew it was there. Her mane started to comically inflate again, so I started talking. "My name is Hypothesis Bend, call me Bend. I wish to be a part of the stealth program in Canterlot. You see, the thing is that I really don't understand why they ignored you. You seem really nice, and I'd like to be friends. I'm sure that everyone else will come around sooner or later," that was a lie. Those kids, they were something else. They stayed in groups, and strictly never talked to anyone outside of said groups unless they were insulting/teasing another kid. "Now, what d'you say.. Friends..?"

"I'd like that.. Yeah," she nodded, and her hair bounced back up to the style it was when she first walked into the grounds. "Oh, and Bend?"

"Pinkie, right?" I knew that didn't sound good, but I needed to know her name. Thankfully, she just nodded in response.

"Yeah, Pinkie."

"What was it you wanted to say..?"

"Oh, um.. Thanks." She smiled with a look of gratefulness so positively adorable, that I had to give her a hug. We played games like tic-tac-toe in in the dirt until recess ended, then once we were all inside, the teacher introduced her to the class, told them that she is a really nice filly, be friendly.. You know, the regular required teacher stuff. Then she told Pinkie to choose somewhere to sit. As you would assume, she sat next to me.

School got better, I don't know if it was because of Pinkie Pie, or something else, but I place my bits on Pinkie. We would go to the swings every day on recess, and talk. We would share about what we wanted to be when we grew up, or ideas on how to make life better, or just goof around.

I remember one day we got in trouble for passing notes back and forth between each other. We had to stay after school and clean the windows, but instead of taking them one at a time, Pinkie got a hose and soaked the whole building. From there, we had to get towels, so I went into the natatorium and took every single towel. Oh boy, we got in so much trouble, it was ridiculous. We ended up having to wash all of the towels, then clean the windows again, but that time under supervision. It was one heck of a day, and one that I will remember for the rest of my life..

So a couple months pass, we do the same routine every day, sit on the creaky swings and talk. Then it was her birthday, she was turning the same age as me. The teacher told her that for her special day, she could take one friend out to the playground and play all day.

Oh boy, once the children heard this, they flipped and each told Pinkie to choose them, even though they still wouldn't talk to her on any other day. But she chose me. We were getting to be very close friends, so why wouldn't she? We walked out onto the playground and sat on the swings again. We swung for a while, until the sun was high in the sky. We figured that the other kids would be coming out in a half hour. Pinkie hopped off her swing and looked at me solemnly. As we all know, Pinkie Pie is not a serious pony, so naturally I was concerned. Then she opened her mouth and spoke two words.

"Follow me."

She started walking to the corner of the playground where we first played, and sat down in the same place as before. She looked at the ground and was interested in the dirt around her more than usual. She had something on her mind, I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.

"Hey Pink, what's up?" I asked in a mildly concerned tone. She looked up at me with the most grateful face ever, positively adorable.

"I just want to thank you, Bend, for absolutely everything," she started. "From talking and playing with me on the first day, to just being there. From sharing your lunch with me that one day, to letting me make you cupcakes."

"Yeah, those cupcakes were really good. You should be a pastry chef in the future."

"That's my plan," she leaned close and gave me a hug. "But thank you. You are my favorite gift." Well, I was shocked. She never had given me a hug before, I had only given one to her that first day.. And then my shock level intensified when she gave me a little peck on the cheek.

"... Whoah.." My eyes went wide, and I stared off into the distance.

"Bend..? You okay?" She waved a hoof in front of my face.

"Yeah.. But... Whoah. I mean, whoah," I stressed the second 'whoah' so it sounded more along the lines of whooaaah.

"You sure?"

"I.. Whoah. I.. We've only just become teenagers, already a first kiss..?"

"Well.." She looked away, her face imitating one of a tomato. Something else popped into my mind.

"Hey Pinkie.. How long have you liked me?"

"Oh silly, I have always liked you. Why else would I want to be around you?"

"No, like.. like like me," I waved my hoof around vaguely.

"Oh, that.. I think just today," her eyes shifted to the ground.

"Pinkie, I can tell when you are lying. I am trying to be accepted into the Royal Guard Stealth Program, remember? Tell the truth."

"Ever since you asked me if I was ok, ok. For as long as we were friends. And.. And I hope that I didn't ruin the friendship because of that.." Now I was really worried. She was acting too serious. It was scaring me.

"This isn't just some silly crush, is it?" I asked. She shook her head. "I thought not. Well... Good," I smiled then hugged her. "I feel the same way, I just didn't realize that."

Life was getting better. Pinkie was my fillyfriend, while still staying my friend. Our classmates ignored us both now, like some disease, but we didn't care. Young love, as you would say, crazy isn't it?

But then one day it all fell apart... Literally.

We were out for recess again, and Pinkie and I were walking over to the swings, well, I was walking, Pink was bouncing along. She ran up and jumped on the swing, and a horrible screech sounded from inside the poles. This is when everything started to happen in slow motion.

"Pinkie!" I cried and ran forward, forgetting that I had perfectly good wings. The swing set shuddered than started to collapse. Somehow a swing trapped Pinkie to the ground. The top bar dislodged from the side bars and started to fall.  I jumped forward in a desperate attempt to save the pink filly. I closed my eyes as the impact echoed throughout the playground.