Chapters Suspect Number One: Twilight Sparkle
"Helloooo?? Dashie??? Are you okay?"
Pinkie's worried voice broke into my thoughts. I looked up at the pink party pony to see a rather worried look in her eyes. That made me wonder how long I'd been spaced out due to being absolutely mortified at the fact that Pinkie Pie has a crush.
"Huh? What? Oh... Yeah. I'm fine..." That was a big fat lie. I was not fine. I just found out that my crush has a crush! Of course I'm not fine! Then I felt it. That horrible, awful lump in my throat. Oh, no... I was not about to cry any time soon! And especially not at SugarCube Corner right now, in front of Pinkie Pie. Crying isn't even something I do! Ever! ... What's crying again? I seem to have forgotten... I knew I was upset, but the entire fact that I even felt at all like crying at that moment was beyond shocking to me. My first instinct was to get out of there, fast, before I did something stupid.
I glanced up at SugarCube Corner's clock. "Oh, wow, would you look at the time.... I'd... Better be going..." That's all I could say. That's all I wanted to say, because I feared... No, I doubted... That I would be able to talk for long before my voice began to shake and everything else went downhill from there. I quickly stood and glided towards the door, leaving my untouched cupcake sitting on the table.
"Hey, wait!"
Dangit! I thought as I heard Pinkie call out to me just as I reached for the door handle. I could already feel the lump in my throat begin to grow as I slowly turned my head towards Pinkie.
"Why are you leaving so soon...?" She asked me, with a tint of sadness in her voice. I could feel my heart drop the second I saw her disappointed expression. I also noticed she had that glimmer in her eyes. The glimmer that she only gets when she's sad. You don't see that very often. That most definitely did not help the lump in my throat.... Whatever that was doing there...
"I just.... Have... Somewhere to be." I was just barely able to get those last few words out sounding perfectly normal.That was close.
Pinkie Pie picked my cupcake up off the table and studied it for a few seconds. "But... You didn't even finish your-" She looked up, probably to see me flying away, because I left before she could finish her sentence. I couldn't risk falling apart in front of her, but never before had I felt so horrible in my life for leaving somepony behind.
As I flew away from SugarCube Corner, I began to think. Who could Pinkie's crush be? It's got to be somepony she's around a lot, so it has to be one of her best friends... Right? As I completed this thought, I noticed the library was up ahead. Twilight... Could it be Twilight? I glided down to the ground and knocked on the library door. No reply. I sighed, and was about to walk away when I remembered that she always keeps the door unlocked, unless it's nighttime. I suppose I could just look inside... Maybe she's just studying or something and was too focused to hear me knock... But NO snooping around... I told myself.
I slowly opened the door to the library. I didn't see anypony. "Hello?" I called out to see if Twilight responded. Nothing. I stepped into the library and shut the door behind me, then looked around the library for a moment. No snooping... I tried to keep that promise to myself, but then I noticed something on the table the caught my attention, making that promise extremely hard to keep. It was a bright pink envelope. Pinkie Pie is the only pony I know who sends envelopes that are THAT pink. I took a step toward the table. No, Rainbow, this is wrong... You shouldn't be doing this... But... Ugh! I have to know! I then quickly zoomed to the table and grabbed the envelope. It then occured to me that I could be making a huge mistake. But me being me, I shook it off and pulled the paper out of the envelope. It was from Pinkie, alright... But this wasn't a love letter... Just a party invitation. I can't believe I actually expected some sort of love note!
In frustration, I put the invitation and envelope back on the table rather forcefully. Then I realized something. The date on the invitation... Was that today?! quickly picked the invitation back up and read over it. Sure enough, the date on the invitation matched today's date. Another thing: I never got one.
Did she really just- I stopped myself before I could complete that thought. No... Pinkie would never in a million years throw a party and not invite one of her closest friends. Especially me! Maybe there was just a mix-up in the delivery, or it got lost in the mail. Or maybe it's just late.
I doubtfully looked at the envelope again before slowly slipping it back into the envelope.
"Rainbow Dash!"
My eyes widened in surprise as I heard my name called. Twilight! In panic, I threw the envelope onto the table as I turned to face her. "Oh! Uhm, hey, Twilight! What's up?" I tried my best to look normal while saying that, but I most likely failed miserably.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at me. "Nothing really... I wasn't really expecting to see you here... What brings you to the library?"
"Oh! I was... just visiting to see if you were home," I replied. That wasn't a total lie. I did want to see if she was home... so that I could maybe gather some information from her on who Pinkie's crush might be. I mean, she's the smart one, right?
"Oh?" Twilight looked at me quizzically.
I didn't blame her. It's not often that I just go to somepony's house just for the heck of visiting, let alone the library.
"Well... it's nice of you to stop by then."
I held back a sigh of relief as she said that. Thank Celestia she hadn't seen me with the envelope or asked me any more questions. I think might have died. "So uh... talked to Pinkie Pie lately?" I asked. That question seemed to just slip out. Where the hay did that come from?!
"Hmm... well, now that you mention it, no..." I noticed Twilight's eyes slowly drift to the envelope on the table behind me. I got a bit panicy for a moment, but then noticed that I wasn't the only one who looked nervous. Twilight looked nervous.
Did Twilight not want me to see the envelope? Maybe this has to do with the whole fact of me not getting an invitation. Maybe Pinkie didn't want to invite me. Maybe it was a secret party for only her and my other friends, so she told them not to tell me, and Twilight is freaking out because I'm so close to the envelope and she thinks I might open it and then- NO. That is NOT what's going on, Rainbow Dash. What's wrong with you? You out of all ponies should know your friends would NEVER do that. EVER.
..... Maybe just to make sure...
"Something bothering you?" I asked the purple unicorn.
Twi's line of sight quickly darted back to me. "Oh! Of course not! Why would something be bothering me?"
"You looked a bit worried there..."
"Worried? Hah! Since when am I worried?"
I stared at her suspiciously, a bit annoyed. If anypony was ever worried about anything at any given time, it was Twilight. Or Fluttershy. But definitely not me. ...Yeah. Never me. Ever.
Twilight and I stood there awkwardly looking at each other for some time before she finally spoke. "Well! I should get to studying, sooo..."
Ah ha! An excuse! Twilight clearly wanted me to leave so that I wouldn't end up looking at the letter. Too late, Twi... I already saw it. "Oh, okay then. Guess I'll be on my way then," I said as I glided over to the door and opened it to leave. I turned to look at Twilight. "I'll see you late-" I cut off as I saw her levitating the envelope and quickly running upstairs with it. I couldn't help but sigh. Well... that happened. I thought as I exited the library, and slowly shut the door behind me.
When I turned around, I was greeted by bright blue eyes right in my face. Surprised, I jumped a bit. "Pinkie Pie?! Where did you come from?!"
She giggled and bounced a few times. "SugarCube Corner, silly! What, did you think I fell out of the sky, or teleported, or broke the laws of physics and gravity or something?" She giggled again.
I paused for a moment. "Uh... yes. I did."
I'm not sure whether Pinkie heard me or not, because the next thing she did was ask, "Hey! Is this where you needed to go?"
I froze, seeing her looking up at the library curiously. Great. Now what?! "Um... no."
Pinkie looked at me confusedly. "No?"
"Uh... yeah. I just had to stop by and grab something real quick."
"But I thought you said you were in a hurry!" Pinkie debated.
"I am! But... uh... what I was looking for isn't here. Twilight seems to have misplaced it, so I have to go look for it now..." I started to walk away, but I was stopped by Pinkie for the second time today.
"Oh! Oh! I'll help you find it!" She squeed, bouncing around excitedly.
"That would be very nice of you! But uh... I think I got it..." I said as I started to leave once again, trying to avoid disaster. But I was cut off as she jumped in front of me again.
"Aw, come on, Dashie! Pleeeaaaase?" She looked me right in the face an batted her eyelashes pleadingly.
Think, Rainbow, think! "Uh... sure! Would you mind checking... Canterlot?" I had tried to think of someplace far away that wasn't so far off that it would be completely obvious that I wanted to get away from her at the moment, which is exactly what I wanted to do.
Pinkie stopped and looked at me for a second. "...Canterlot?"
Is she suspicious? "Yep! Canterlot! It could have been accidentally left there while Twilight was visiting the Princess or something."
There was a long pause.
"...Okay!!!" Pinkie Pie started bouncing again. "I'll find what you're looking for and -" She stopped. "What ARE you looking for, Dashie?"
Buck. "Er... my... goggles! Yep! My goggles! You know, for flying practice."
"Ooohhh! OKAY! Don't worry, Dashie! Pinkie Pie will find what you are looking for and be back in no time!"
And then she was gone, just like that, in a pink, blurry streak.
Well... time to talk to somepony else, then... I thought, looking around.
... Today was going to be a long day.
Author's Note
Ta-Dah! Chapter two, complete! I hope you all like it so far!! ^-^
Suspect Number Two: Fluttershy
After a quick, rather unsuccessful search around me to see if any of my other friends were nearby, I decided to head towards Town Hall. There was a good chance of me finding somepony hanging around there, whether it be Rarity heading to the Spa, or AppleJack selling apples.
As I was flying in the direction of Town Hall, I spotted a familiar yellow pegasus with a pink mane. Fluttershy. I began to quickly fly in her direction, but slowed down as I noticed she had her saddlebag, and it was filled to the brim. It's probably just a bunch of food for her animals... Everypony knows how picky that 'Angel' can get. What an ironic name. I thought as I reached Fluttershy, and landed behind her.
"Hey Fluttershy!"
I must have really startled her, because she made a pretty sharp sound, and the next thing I knew, she was face-planted on the ground. I acted quickly, and helped her back up onto her hooves.
"Whoops! Sorry I scared you. I guess I probably should have landed in front of you, and then said hi. Hehe..." Well that was awkward. I'd been in multiple awkward situations already today, were they ever going to end?!
Fluttershy looked at me, still looking a bit shaken. "Oh.... n- no, that's okay, Rainbow Dash. You know how jumpy I am. It's not your fault." She said softly.
"If you say so..." I was going to say something else, but a bunch of things on the ground caught my eye. I looked at them and quickly realized that they were party supplies. Party supplies?! What are these doing here?! Don't tell me...
Fluttershy must have noticed me looking down, because she quickly started picking things up off the ground. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness...."
I could tell she was talking to herself, but I could still hear her. "Err... Need some help?" I offered. Why not? Maybe she'll tell me what it's for...
Fluttershy lifted her head momentarily to reply. "Oh... thank you for the offer, Rainbow Dash, but... I - I think I can handle it..." And then, she started picking up again.
I was able to prevent a sigh from escaping my lips. Might as well just ask... "So... what's all this party stuff for?"
Fluttershy froze. I could see a look of nervousness quickly spread over her face, which she quickly hid away from me. "Oh... um... it's for.... um... ........" Her voice trailed off into a mumble at that point, and I couldn't understand a single word she was saying.
"Uh.... for what..?"
"Um.... for a..............." Her voice trailed off once again.
"Uh, I can't quite hear you..." I said it as patiently as I could, which was pretty tough, considering how my day was going so far.
"A......" There was more mumbling.
I considered shouting for a moment, but quickly pushed the thought away. Shouting at Fluttershy was like a crime, one of the worst crimes any pony in Equestria could ever commit. "Just... say that one more time?" I pleaded.
Fluttershy looked up at me, and I could see that she wasn't as nervous anymore. "It's for.. a party... for all of my little animal friends..." She said with a small smile.
I wasn't sure whether to believe that or not. Since when does Fluttershy throw parties? I mean, she throws tea parties, but those don't involve streamers, and balloons, and confetti! "Ooookay then?" I said.
I must have looked pretty confused because Fluttershy then quickly said, "Angel is very picky, you know. He said there was no way he could have a party without all of these."
It was somewhat believable... but there was something in the back of my head telling me that that had been a lie. That Fluttershy was hiding something from me. Yet, then again, Twilight was hiding something from me, too... Were all of my friends going to hide something from me today?! Pinkie Pie and her crush, Twi, and even Fluttershy! The element of kindness was hiding something from me! No, no, no... I can't think like that. They're your friends, Rainbow Dash! You gotta trust them!
"Um... Rainbow Dash? Are you okay? You look kind of upset."
"...Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Fluttershy before realizing that I had been standing there, probably with a frustrated look on my face. "Oh. No.. I mean - Yes. I'm fine." No I'm not.
"Oh.... okay.. I was a little worried." Fluttershy smiled kindly at me. How could I not trust that face? Maybe it was right to believe her.
Oh! I forgot why I was here in the first place! "Hey uh... Fluttershy?"
"Yes?" She looked up at me after closing her saddlebag, which was now once again filled to the brim with various party decorations.
"Have you hung out with Pinkie Pie lately..?"
Fluttershy's eyes went wide for a moment. "Pinkie Pie? Well, no... I mean, I saw her yesterday, but we just said hi. She was really excited, as usual."
"She wasn't acting any differently?" ... Rainbow Dash, you idiot. What kind of question is that?! She's gonna think something is up now...
"...What? No, not at all. She was just normal, crazy Pinkie Pie. Why? Is something wrong?" She looked at me worriedly.
"Oh... No, I was just wondering.." So it couldn't be Fluttershy... WHO is Pinkie Pie's crush?!
"Oh, okay." She smiled.
"I... should really get going." Where should I go next?! I have no idea who her crush is, and it's already mid-day! I have to figure this out TODAY, I just have to!
"Oh, okay... See you later, Rainbow Dash!"
"Bye..." and with that, I darted away to find somepony else.
Could today get any worse...?
Suspect Number Three: Applejack
As I flew away from where I'd crashed into Fluttershy, I began to lose hope. What if her crush isn't even one of our friends? It'll take FOREVER to find them! And Pinkie Pie has a LOT of close friends...
"Rainbow Dash!!!"
"Huh?!" I quickly snapped back to reality, and then I went into panic again. I knew that voice anywhere. Pinkie Pie... With hesitation, I looked downward to see Pinkie Pie running after me. How is she back already....? Then again, why am I even asking myself that...?
"Rainbow Dash, slow down!"
I let out a small sigh. There was no point in trying to escape. I learned that lesson a long time ago. I slowed down just enough for Pinkie Pie to catch up, and flew next to her, but I only looked at the path ahead of me; never at her.
"Rainbow Dash! I just got back from Canterlot!" She announced.
"That was fast..."
"I know, right?! Oh, I couldn't find your goggles, though. Sorry..."
For a moment, Pinkie Pie's tone of voice took me by surprise. She sounded genuinely sorry. "Uh, it's okay..."
Even without looking at her, I could feel Pinkie Pie staring at me.
"It is?" She asked, sounding hopeful.
"Yeah.. don't worry about it..." And then my mind began to race. Now what?! Where else am I supposed to send her? The Crystal Empire?! She's way too fast, and I can't just keep telling her different places to run off to just to find some pair of goggles I lost a long time ago! I'll probably never see those again!
Pinkie Pie smiled widely. "Yay! ... But I still wanna make it up to you!"
"Uh.. how?"
"I'll just have to keep looking for them until I find them!"
Is she being serious right now? It's just a pair of goggles... and a small one, at that. She'll never find them! "Pinkie Pie, are you sure...?"
"Of course I'm sure! I told you I would find your goggles, and I meant it! In fact, consider this a Pinkie Promise!"
"Really?" Careful, Pinkie... don't make a promise that you can't keep... "But what if you don't find them?"
Pinkie Pie simply giggled. "Don't be silly, Dashie! I Pinkie Promise, and I'd never make a promise that I can't keep!"
Oh, Celestia... PLEASE don't tell me she can read minds... "Pinkie...."
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
And with that, she disappeared.
Now that I think about it, I wonder what would happen if she broke her own Pinkie Promise.... Oh well. I don't have time to think about that.
After a bit of flying, I noticed Sweet Apple Acres in the distance. I guess Applejack is next, then. I sped up, and soon reached the barn. I noticed Applejack heading inside with some apples. What else would she be carrying? "Hay, Applejack!"
Applejack flicked an ear, then turned to face me. "Oh, howdy, Rainbow Dash!"
"What's up?"
Applejack paused for a moment. "...Just harvestin' apples."
I became suspicious. Just one bucket? And then immediately taking it back inside? I don't think so... "That's not that many apples."
"Ah know... but ah don't really need that many right now."
"Why are you taking them inside?" I asked, giving the cowpony a confused look.
"Because... ah'm gonna bake with 'em. Ya know it's best to bake with apples that are fresh."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." I glided down to the ground and stood. My wings were getting tired from all the flying around I was doing today. "So... what are you baking?"
"A pie..." Applejack responded and glanced away.
"A pie? Just one? I don't think you can fit all those apples into one pie." I tried to get more answers out of her. I could tell something was up.
"Ah'm makin' more than just one pie!'
I could tell Applejack was getting frustrated with me by the tone in her voice. I had better hurry up and get all my questions asked before she leaves. "What are all the pies for?"
Applejack glared at me. "That's none o' yer business!"
"Hay! Sorry, geez..."
Applejack just stared at me.
"Erm... Well, seen Pinkie Pie lately?"
Applejack's expression changed quickly. Huh?
"No... Ah haven't. Why did ya wanna know?"
"Oh, I was just wondering... It's no big deal." It can't be Applejack, either... If Pinkie Pie had a crush on somepony, that pony would be seeing her quite a bit. And Applejack hardly ever lies. I felt that horrible feeling creep up on me again as I realized I only had one friend left to ask. Rarity. And what were the odds of Pinkie Pie's crush being Rarity?
"Rainbow Dash, are y'all alright?" Applejack's voice broke into my thoughts, and I looked at her.
"Yeah! Great! Perfect! Awesome!" I gave the best smile I could manage.
"Are you sure about that?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at me.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"
Applejack gave me a concerned look. Time to get out of there, quick.
"Uhhh...... Oh! Look at the time! Gotta go, bye!" I sped away. There was no time to waste. I still had one more place to visit.
Carousel Boutique, here I come...
Author's Note
Finally! Next chapter! Also, my laptop is back now, so I'm hoping to get the following chapters done much more quickly. Depends on how schoolwork goes. Hope you enjoy!~ ^^
Let the Investigation Begin.
Today.
Today is the day. I'm finally going to get this over with. I've been waiting for the best chance I could possibly get to tell Pinkie Pie about my feelings for her. TODAY. I've told myself that so many times, but it seems like it's a lost cause almost every single time. I always procrastinate, my fears- no, my doubts - always seem to get the best of me. I'm not afraid! I never will be! But it just seems like every time I remind myself, I forget again. On purpose. Maybe if I just keep reminding myself...
Today, Rainbow Dash. TODAY.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I reached SugarCube Corner, those... doubts ... began to kick in again. What if Pinkie Pie actually didn't end up liking me back? What if she thinks I'm a weirdo for thinking things like this? Worst case scenario is that she runs away screaming and never speaks to me again, which, when you think about it, is rather silly to think about, since this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about. Pinkie Pie may be slightly insane sometimes, but I don't think she could handle leaving a friend... or, hopefully after today, a marefriend.
I'd stood there thinking for a little while without even realizing I'd just been standing in front of the door for about five minutes already. My heartbeat quickened as I knocked on the door. Great. I was already nervous. Today...
I was not ready when Pinkie opened the door. In fact, I jumped a bit. Just because I wasn't ready... not because I was scared or anything.
Pinkie's face brightened the second she saw me. That helped me a bit. "Hiya, Dashie!" She chimed, showing off that brilliant smile she gets every time she - well, pretty much all the time.
"Hey, Pinkie!" That's all I could say at that moment... normally I would ask what's up or something, but I just didn't feel like it.
"Well let's not waste our time standing in the boring ol' doorway, silly! Come on inside!" Without another word, the party pony spun around and hopped into SugarCube Corner.
I can't help but think about how it must feel to basically bounce around almost the entire day. Wouldn't your legs get tired? Like, really tired? It's just a thought, but I've always been curious as to why that doesn't wear her out. It's probably all that sugar she eats every single day.
I followed Pinkie inside and shut the door behind me. For a moment, I considered bailing, saying I had somewhere to be. Maybe I had to be practicing to audition for the Wonderbolts... Or maybe I forgot to clear the clouds this morning. Not that I do that all the time anyway.
No, Rainbow Dash... I thought to myself. TODAY.
"I just made a brand new superdy-duperdy scrumptious batch of cupcakes!" Pinkie's high, enthusiastic voice broke my train of thought, and I jumped a bit again. "You want one?" She held a cupcake out to me.
I looked at the cupcake. Did I want one? I couldn't tell whether my stomach was churning from nervousness or because I really didn't want to eat anything at the moment. I didn't exactly want a cupcake, but... Those eyes. When Pinkie looks at me with those adorable blue eyes of hers, I feel as if everything inside of me just melts. And that face ... I couldn't resist that face either. I made my decision.
"Sure!" I said, half regretting it.
"Hooray!" Pinkie chimed, as she bounced over to a table. "Come sit with me Dashie!" She said, taking a bite of her own cupcake shortly afterwards.
Today. I thought, looking at the empty seat across the table from Pinkie. "Okay!" I said to her, then slowly glided over to my seat. This is it. The perfect moment. The moment I've been waiting for. The moment I keep putting off over and over and over again. But today is the day I finally do something about it. TODAY.
"So, Pinkie..." I started, then stopped. What EXACTLY do I say? How do I say it?!.... I'm doomed.
"Yes, Dashie?" She asked, looking at me once again with those giant, blue, irresistible eyes.
"You see, there's actually something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time..." I continued. Not a bad start, if I do say so myself; However, it wasn't the best.
Pinkie's eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement as she looked at me. "What is it?"
"Uh... well..." I couldn't get any more words out. I was stuck. NOW what?!
Pinkie leaned in closer. "Yeeees?"
Today. I have to do this. I have to get this over with. "Well... you see I sort of have a crush-"
To my dismay, Pinkie Pie cut me off. "You have a crush?!" Her voice was filled with surprise and excitement, and I could see her eyes glimmering with happiness. "That's SO cute! I guess there's another thing we have in common!" Then she looked at me again and started laughing with that adorable laugh of hers.
I froze. "I guess there's another thing we have in common!"?! Pinkie Pie has a crush too?!
I completely failed to notice my facial expression at the moment, which was utterly shocked. But I don't think Pinkie noticed... I'm pretty sure she was too busy laughing. I should have known this was doomed from the start. This was not how I had planned this to go... at all.
Remember when I said the worst case scenario was her running out and screaming and never speaking to me again? Well... I lied. The fact that Pinkie Pie has admitted she has a crush on somepony is enough to hurt me. The question is: WHO is it? And I am going to find out even if it kills me.
Author's Note
This is my first fic. I hope it's not absolutely awful. Please leave me helpful tips and criticisms as well as praise. I wanna become a great fanfic writer. ^^
