The Hectic Nature of Hearts and Hooves

Hearts and Hooves Day. It’s a day that can bring out a wide variety of emotions, from delight to depression, euphoria to existentialism, and generally giddiness to annoyance.  Many ponies feel the pressure to find a special somepony on this day. Usually it’s not too hard, but for those who don’t have anypony it can prove to be almost impossible. This is the tale of one such pony, Sound Barrier, and her attempts to find a special somepony and make this year’s Heart’s and Hooves Day different.

Sound Barrier was a pegasus who spent her Hearts and Hooves Days like any other day, except she usually spent most of the day trying to just get through it and not have to deal with it. It didn’t help that as an artist she didn’t get paid much and still lived at home with her parents. Their house was actually the upstairs room of the pizzeria her dad, Pepperoni, owned. She would help him run the shop when she wasn’t busy with her own work since the mom, Nurse Bloomheart, usually worked from the afternoon shift to late night at Ponyville Hospital. Both of her parents had moved to Ponyville from Cloudsdale when the dad wanted to make a pizzeria and found out that Cloudsdale, being on clouds and all, wouldn’t be able to support the weight of and oven needed to make all the pizzas needed and would be very hazardous to have around. The ingredients were also a pain to have brought to his restaurant with not only the amount of time it took to reach him in the cloudy city, but also the tax on delivering food for the city, which was one of the major ways the city made money seeing as all food needed to be imported.  It wasn’t very easy living for the family having all this work, but they always managed. What made this fact difficult for her on Hearts and Hooves Day is that she would see all the couples who reserved their spots months in advance making kissy faces with each other. Sound would often make a gagging motion with her hoof when she walked away from the couple, but secretly she knew that she was jealous of them. This was something she was fairly certain wouldn’t happen with her and this day felt like it was designed purely to get in her face.

“Hey Sound!” called her dad, orders being scrawled as quickly as possible. “I’m gonna need an extra pair of hooves to hand out these cheese specials to the party that came in! Need ya ta come down and help out!” Her dad, Pepperoni, was a pegasus known for creating the same soy-based patty that he would place on his pizzas. They were a meat substitute for a griffon-based food that consisted of meat slices in the shapes of disks. Pepperoni added different spices to his soy version of the food and officially gave it the name, right after him. His cheese specials were money bringers as well since ponies could buy two pizzas and get the third for free. He was a pegasus with a red coat and yellow mane with a slice of pizza for a cutie mark.

“Coming dad!” yelled out Sound, putting down her pencil as she tried to figure out how she’d draw the griffon getting double-hoof kicked right in the face for the comic book she was an artist for. It was a story about after the pony apocalypse and a wondering pony fighter who traveled around fighting bandits and slavers with her two front hooves (and in this one twist ending for the current comic, her hind hooves) to protect the innocent. It was called "Hoof of the South Star", and it was awesome. The white coated, multi-color maned mare often worked on other projects as well, such as a recurring comic artist for the magazine “Hoof Beat” and “Equestria Daily”. She also had music side projects where she produced her own music and put it online. She made a pledge that she would produce a new song every two weeks and has actually managed to find the time to do so and put them on the internet. She knew that since most ponies and other creatures would pirate the song, she didn’t charge and instead put them for free along with a “donate” button on her page. She had a small-but-loyal following that would actually pay for her music and with the rate of 500 bits per month in donations, made a tidy profit off of her artistic talents. Sound’s main talents lay in drawing and singing, both of which she could say she was pretty good at. She was definitely learning still, but hoped that she could one day combine the two abilities and become a voice actress for a cartoon she would help animate. After all, her cutie mark was that of a black microphone image you would see on a computer. It was just like her career idol’s cutie mark.

Balancing plates of pizzas on a pegasus’ wings was an easy feat for the pizza making duo as they’d been doing it since she was a little filly and could only carry one tray. Now like her father she could carry three of them, two on her wings and one on her back (the fourth could be carried on her head if she tried, but she didn’t wanna risk hot pizza falling all over her face is she slipped). She was quick in her family duties, trying to get back to work before inspiration left her body a husk which could only be filled with endless procrastination. It was three days before the fable day that she would hate, so the restaurant wasn’t as full as it would be then, but she’d definitely have to help out when the time came.

Three hours later and the two family members had started cleanup for the kitchen. In that time Sound had figured out how the kick would be done and even came up with a design for the Rock Fetcher Gang’s Diamond Dog leader for next issue. This was actually a pretty good evening for creativity. As the artist contemplated the next panel to draw that would establish the cliffhanger to next week’s episode her mom came in through the door. Exhausted but happy as usual, she came in through the doors with a weak smile on her face, expressing the joys and difficulties of being a nurse in a hospital. Bloomheart had actually been a nurse in Cloudsdale’s hospital as well before the move to Ponyville. She was quite green when she began her career there but soon got the hang of it. Surprisingly she had not had her cutie mark before she began and only took the nursing career because she was pretty clueless about what to do in life and decided to place her fate on a TV Guide and randomly picking a medical soap opera at random (the next choice on the list was a Premium channel showing of “Mares in Mayhem”, so she considered herself lucky). After helping in her first life-or-death scenario, her cutie mark of a heart with wings appeared on her flank to her delight. Since then she’s been in the same line of work for twenty-six years and enjoying it ever since. Her colors were a white coat along with a bright green mane and long tail and she loved to show as much off as possible to the delight of all the stallions (and several mares) around her. The colors of her parents’ coats and manes would end up with Sound and her older sister, Cleversong, having almost the exact same colors as each individual parent, with Clever having a white coat and a red-yellow mane & tail and Sound having a white coat with a green mane and tail.

The reason Sound’s mane and tail colors would become multi-colored was something of an embarrassing cautionary tale for her to describe. It began a long time ago with Clever convincing her sister to take up singing with her.  Clever had just gotten her cutie mark of a totally rad note and her little sister decided to try it as well. That day, she got her cutie mark and interest in music. By age fifteen, Clever had left the house and started producing some singles like “Rock in the Clouds” and “Heavy Showers” and Sound had decided to run away from home. She wanted to be like her sister with her talent and was picked up as vocalist for a band, “The Reins of Darkness”, a heavy metal band that wanted somepony who could sing and was already related to some other musician to increase their popularity, two traits the fifteen year old pegasus met. One evening after a show at a local venue they had an after-party and ended up drinking Poison Joke Juice. This led to Sound being angry about looking like her mother so much and some other pony in the group, she could never tell who it was after drinking that much, thought she’d look neat in this rainbow hairstyle he’d heard about (it never actually existed; he was just that drunk that he thought it did). That night, Heavy Hitter, the band’s drummer, got some hair dyes and started striping her hair, leaving only a green stripe from her original hair color. After he was finished with the dyeing he cut some of her hair off of her mane and tail, making it look like a punk rocker’s cut. What REALLY makes this a cautionary tale however is the fact that Heavy then casted a spell that would keep Cloud’s hair from ever removing those colors and ever growing longer than it was at that moment. Since he couldn’t remember the spell when he casted it he wasn’t able to figure out how to change it back. In the end, The Reigns of Darkness would become founders of a new hair salon in Canterlot and Sound returning home in sadness, not wanting to see how else she could change, whether it be just her appearance or who she was. She returned home after six months and was thought to just be a customer at first because of the hair until she sung, reminding her parents of her voice. They were overjoyed to see her again and proceeded to ground her for a year. In that time at home she learned about drawing and improved to the point she realized that singing wasn’t the only thing she was good at.

“Hey mom! How’s it going?” greeted Sound as she was putting away the rest of the dishes.

“Ugh, busy. Somepony decided to see what it was like to eat twenty apples at once and needed their stomach pumped. It was like a greener, ickier version of applesauce. You get any of your drawing done honey?”

“Yeah! It’s gonna be really neat when you see the finished project. I also made the griffon extra buff like you wanted mom.” Bloomheart blushed at her daughter’s statement, regretting ever letting her daughter know what her “interest” in griffons was. Dad was okay with it, probably because whatever he was interested in was worse. “Anyway, I’m gonna head back up and continue my work. Night!”

“Oh wait a moment Sound,” her dad called out. “Remember that Hearts and Hooves Day is coming up and I’ll need to know if you’ve got any plans then.” Pepperoni’s words pierced through the bachelorette’s heart as she was once again reminded of her solitude on that day. She knew that when she replied and didn’t have anything that day she would end up suffering the same fate of loneliness and pizza serving she had felt for the past several years. This was the time for change.

“You know what dad? I WILL have plans this year! I, Sound Barrier, hereby declare that I shall finally have a special somepony this year for Hearts and Hooves Day!” She looked up victoriously as if she were looking at fate itself, ready to take it on.

“Ooh! What lucky colt do you have in mind?” the dad inquired.

“And you know what? I’m finally gonna tell you guys; I’m a fillyfooler and proud!” the excited artist then pranced upstairs and tripped on the last step in her victory trot. Falling down, tired, she decided just to sleep there during the night.

The next morning Sound came out of her slumber with her face covered in drool as it was pushed against the floor. Pushing off of the floor with a pain in her back from sleeping on the steps, she went downstairs to get breakfast. She remembered the events of last night and had finally realized what she had done and the gravity of the situation. What would her parents say? Did they still accept her as a daughter? Were they ashamed now? She saw them at the table eating and was prepared to hear the funeral knell.

“Hey Soundy! You said you liked mares last night, right?!” her dad said with cereal in his mouth in a way that was just a bit too excited for what they we talking about. Sound nodded her head slowly, still not sure about what to expect. “AHAH! Told ya! Fifty bits right there!” As her father spit out his cereal in what sounded like victory, Bloomheart took out her purse and gave her husband a bag of bits to his delight.

“Wait a second,” interrupted the newly outed daughter. “Did you guys place a bet on if I was a fillyfooler or not?”

“Oh honey! It’s not just you! It’s pretty much everypony in Ponyville! Your father and I have been making bets like this for a while now. Sometimes we play against other residents in the town and see who’s the winner.”

“Yeah! Let me tell you right here, right now, that the day Braeburn comes out of closet this family will never have to work ever again. I have bets all over the town about that guy and there’s no way I could lose with him.” As her dad continued his ramblings about who was probably gay, Sound felt a sense of relief flood over her. She felt like her parents were cool with her being her. They probably didn’t worry about never having grandfoals as well since Cleversong and her coltfriend Justice would most likely get married sometime since they started living together at Canterlot. Clever had taken a hiatus from singing to become a doctor and impress her mother with her newfound medical knowledge while Justice was a district judge. At this point it’d be a surprise if they didn’t get together.

“Hey, wait a sec. How exactly do you win a bet though if you said that the pony was straight? Seems like that would be the more difficult thing to judge since they could just say they’re straight until the day they die.”

Pepperoni soon replied to his daughter with a smile on his face. “Oh, that’s simple! In the event of somepony dying as ‘straight’ or getting married to the opposite sex we declare the people who bet ‘straight’ to be the winners. I’ll know who dies as straight, seeing as I’LL OUTLIVE YOU ALL! MWUAHAHAHA!” Oddly enough the insane laughter of the pizza making pony had some odd scientific basis to it. For some unknown reason, scientists had predicted that Pepperoni could live almost indefinitely if he ate some of his pizza every day. A complex biology of the colt made this possible for him and baffled every other pony who heard this fact. The dad just laughed and went to the kitchen where he pulled out five cold pieces of his Garden Style Pizza right out of the fridge and stuffed them in his face all at once. He didn’t stop laughing, even at the judgmental glares of family members feeling the shame emanate from that sight.

“Well, I’m gonna go out right now. I had plans with Pawpads for this afternoon and I apparently slept in till about 11, so I guess I’ll see you later.” Sound gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and a stare at her dad and walked out the door to hang out with her friend.

“The Fancy Mare” was the hangout for most ponies in Ponyville. It was originally meant to be a high-class restaurant for elite ponies, but then the owner realized that Ponyville wasn’t very “high-class” compared to the cities and decided to make the entire formal setting “ironic” by pushing the fanciness up to eleven and making certain that whenever teens or undressed ponies came into the establishment the waiters would act all flabbergasted. That and including a low price menu alongside their incredibly high priced foods made the place a success. Pawpads and one of their other friends, Silent Study, waited at their table in hopes of seeing their friend soon.  Pawpads was one of Sound’s oldest friends and the first pony she came out to. While she felt somewhat awkward about that little fact, they still remained friends with her acting as her balancing partner in this game called life; if one of them started acting crazy, the other would calm the other down and restore balance to the world. She was a veterinarian and loved to work with animals so much, especially dogs (too bad they didn’t feel the same way). A very blue pegasus with a cutie mark of a dog and needle, she was one of the only ponies who didn’t radiate with brightly colored coats. Silent Study was a colt who had moved into Ponyville about two years ago and was studying to become a teacher. A light brown coat with a darker brown mane and tail covering him put him with Pawpads in the camp of ponies who didn’t look like they were radioactive and glowing with brightness.  While he was a unicorn, he had never had any magic training and was completely clueless to how to use it even after reading the text books on how to cast. Currently he was a paraeducator (glorified name for teacher’s aide) to Cheerilee’s classroom, apparently the only school and class in Ponyville. He had a crush on her and it killed him to know it would never be since she thought of him as a child in comparison to her experience with teaching. If there’s one thing a good teacher knows, it’s to never date someone you would consider a kid in any school environment. He was also one of the only ponies he also knew that wore glasses.

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late. The Head Waiter kept huffing about how unorthodox my hair color was and the sight of my bare flank in this ‘high establishment’. High indeed. He likes my flank and he knows it,” Sound said, unable to keep calm with how tightly wound the staff was around here. She only ever remembered that she disliked this place after deciding to hang out here with friends and not able to change plans again. “So, you won’t believe what happened last night.”

“You finally managed to slip a nasty word in your comic and not have Mister Bates find it?” guessed Silent. He knew that she had been trying to do that for years now. He only wishes she’d go with his plan and suggest a character to the writers about a kung-fu master with the name of Bates who would always be addressed as “Master” followed by his name. She could then tell him that they had created a cameo of him in their comic and he was a really awesome character. He always wanted to see what he’d look like when he finally came to the realization about the name.

“Did you finally adopt a pet from the shelter? You keep on bugging me about getting a pet phoenix so much I want you to raise a normal pet and see how difficult it already is without the thing catching on fire,” Pawpads said, seemingly exhausted from the events of the morning at her job.

“Nope! Two things; I decided to finally go all out it getting a special somepony for Hearsts and Hooves Day AND I finally came out of the closet to my parents!” Nothing could stop Sound’s smile right then at her boast. She then realized her first statement and then realized her issue. “Hearts and Hooves Day is only two days away, correct?”

“Yep,” replied Pawpads, drinking her strawberry milkshake. “You’re gonna have a hay of a time finding a mare before then at this point. Especially in Ponyville.”

“What do you mean ‘especially in Ponyville’? Isn’t this some sorta haven for fillyfoolers to be and not worry about judgement?” cried the desperately seeking friend.

“Nope. This town was founded by earth ponies that traveled in caravans, remember? Aint nopony ever had time to fillyfool or coltcuddle when families were needed for farms. Everypony needed to help with making families back then since not everypony lived long. Guess the thought never crossed many ponies minds about not always shooting straight.” Pawpads was exceptionally cold today when talking, a lot different from her normal self. This really only occurred after a bad day at the vets got her down. With the way she was acting right now she resembled Cloverbud, an acquaintance of theirs that they nicknamed “The Queen Ice Bitch of the Universe”.

“Don’t feel bad Sound. I remember when I first came to Ponyville and thought the exact same thing. Barely any colts around here it seems.” Silent remembered the first time he entered the small town of Ponyville after living in Mareland for most of his life. “To be honest, I think that’s what I thought when I tried to ask several mares out and got consistently turned down.”

“Has it ever come to your attention that maybe it’s because you’re a sad colt who’s trying to get with a mare that’s also your boss?” lashed out the vet.

“Oh shut it PP. Ever since this morning with Winona you’ve been acting cranky. I thought you were supposed to be good with animals, but I guess cutie marks aren’t that accurate,” Silent responded.

The two of them looked toward Sound, who at this point had gotten her breakfast biscuit and was nibbling on it, having no idea what was going on. Pawpads explained the situation, saying, “Today I had an appointment with Applejack, the local apple farmer. She had complained that her dog was doing strange stuff and bothering the sheep when I found out that the dog she had claimed was a girl was actually a GUY dog! She lives with this thing for at least three years and only finds out about it now. Anyway, I decide to start the procedure to fix the dog and get out the needle to help him sleep and he bites me when I get near! Didn’t stop there though. Apparently I had accidentally stabbed myself with the sedative in reaction to the bite and haven’t felt alright since then. While I’m drowsy the dog bites me again and I can’t feel a thing so I keep getting my other needle ready until I notice that this dog is biting me. I’m starting to bleed at this point and nopony else is around to help me out with the mutt. Eventually I get the needle in, but it wasn’t enough sedative! The dog is somewhat calmer now and I manage to get a muzzle on him and when I try to add more sedative to the needle the sedative sets in, causing my hind legs to fall asleep and I nearly fall. Only saved by the fact that I had wings and started flapping as soon as I feel like I was gonna go down. The operation went well when I finally got around to it luckily. So, yeah, my morning.” The two ponies who were listening were attempting to hold back their laughter at the absurd story their friend had just told them. The failed and ended up howling, causing the nearby staff to start blabbering about how rude they were.

“I’m sorry,” Sound said, gasping for air after laughing so hard. “It’s just that you always seem like you know what you’re doing as a vet. I hear this and remember that you’re still new at the job. Well, at least you’re still here and not dead or whatever. So anyway, what’re your plans with Apple Cider on Hearts of Hooves Day?” Apple Cider was an earth pony who had moved to Ponyville from Appleloosa and was a bit of a player. Pawpads had a huge crush on him the moment she saw him and Sound made it her goal to get them together. It was surprisingly easy since Apple Cider felt the same way when he saw her but didn’t want to commit since he had been hurt in the past by mares either breaking up with him suddenly or even cheating on him. He was finally convinced and they’ve been together ever since.

“Apple says he’s got a bit of a surprise for that day. I can’t wait to see it!” the cheerful pegasus gushed over the idea of her special somepony having something big planned for that day. She really loved that colt and was happy to spend her time with him. What was awesome about those two being together was that Apple was actually a guitarist and would play music with Sound. He got half the money they got through donations and he also got his name out there, so it was a win-win for everyone involved. “I’ve got a hunch that he’ll take me on one of those balloon rides and tour the countryside. Doesn’t that sound romantic?”

Sound’s eyes dilated at the words ‘balloon rides’. One thing she had never told anypony about except for Silent Study was that she was absolutely terrified of heights. Because of that she had never learned how to fly. The only reason she ever told Silent Study was that one time she passed by the school while he was repairing shingles on the roof from the storm and he asked her to grab a pail of nails and just fly up to the roof to hand it to him. Not trying to be rude, she took the pail by her mouth and climbed up the ladder very slowly, using all of her effort not to look downward. She finally reached the top and carefully tried to walk over to the unicorn on the roof to hand him the bucket when curiosity caught the better of her and she looked down. She dropped the pail (it didn’t tip over!) and she lost her balance and fell off the side. In a split second the unicorn jumped into action, grabbing her by her hind hoof before falling face first onto the ground. He pulled her back onto the roof, both out of breath from the surprise fall. He suddenly realized that the pegasus hadn’t used her wings to fly up with the pail or save herself from falling and asked what the deal with that was. That was the first time and only time Sound had ever told anypony about her fear of heights. Normally she would have said that she never got any flight training and lived on the ground, which was true, but that was because she begged her parents not to send her away as a little filly. She had suddenly realized as well that her mystery unicorn hadn’t used their magic to save her or even lift the pail up to the rooftop and asked what was up with that. At that moment Silent also revealed that he had never known how to cast magic in his entire life. Even as a newborn he had never had those bursts of magic most unicorns had and spent his life being ridiculed for it. One of the reasons he had moved to Ponyville was that it was an earth pony town and they wouldn’t mind it if he didn’t cast any magic. Right then they knew that they’d be friends, since each of them had known the pain of not being able to act like the other ponies of their kind. One couldn’t fly, even though she had wings, and the other simply couldn’t do anything with magic. It was something that was pretty intimate and to this very day they’ve kept each other’s secret.

“Uh, I bet it’s something like a trot through Apple Family Acres. After all, he and the Apple Family are pretty close,” interjected Silent, trying to change the subject to something less air oriented.

“Ugh, don’t remind me of them right now. Had enough of their dog. Actually, where is my coltfriend? Haven’t seen him all day.” Her questioning soon turned to smiling as she thought that he was obviously planning their big thing and getting it all set up for the big reveal. Both Silent and Sound rolled their eyes back, both tired of hearing about Hearts and Hooves Day. Silent would accept his fate of being single like he always did while Sound was on a warpath to get a date.

“Alrighty then. I think I should get started on finding the perfect mare. Any of you have suggestions?” inquired the hopeful fillyfooler.

“Well, I know that Curve Ball’s team is coming back to Ponyville soon for their big home game, and I placed a bet that she’s definitely into mares, so I’d say go for it.” As Pawpads said Curve Ball’s name Sound’s face turned bright red from blushing. Curve Ball had been her first crush ever and the pony who made her realize she liked mares. Curve was a childhood friend and a professional Buckball player, managing a 2.8 average this season. She also had this awesome alto voice that rivaled Cleversong’s voice and made Sound certain that if she didn’t have her winner’s cup from Buckball as her trophy that it’d be something music related. She was part of a small garage band called “Anti Lemonade” along with Steel String, one of her teammates, on guitar. She was perfect.

“Uh…I don’t think I could just yet. I mean, what if she doesn’t feel the same way?” Sound was starting to rethink this entire “special somepony” idea now, worrying that she might make a mistake.

“If she isn’t one then I lose a good thirty bits to Pinkie Pie. Seriously, I can’t stand to give her any more money. At this rate I’ll become her private banker.” So it appeared Pawpads was in on the betting ring. One could only wonder how far up the top this reached. “But I’d check around otherwise. I mean, the only fillyfoolers I have any actual knowledge on are in the Wonderbolts and what are the chances of you seeing them here?”

As soon as she said, this Sound just smiled. Little did her friends know that when passing through Ponyville the entire Wonderbolts team would have private dinners at her parent’s restaurant. They really liked pizza. Not only that, but she actually knew who the fillyfoolers among them were as well AND she’d known them for several years now. This might actually work!

“How would each of you like to see the Wonderbolts, up close, in pony!” the friends all gasped at the hopeful pegasus’ statement, considering the possibility of meeting such flying legends up close. “They actually have food at my parent’s place when they come through town, and today just happens to be one of those days. Come on!” They all galloped out of the restaurant, hoping to catch the legendary fliers at her parent’s place. “Put it on our tab, Fancy Sir!”

“MOST UNORTHODOX!”

Arriving at the restaurant, the three ponies hurried till they got to the front door which was locked for these private parties of high importance. While they were waiting for the parents to open the door, Apple Cider came by and started hanging with them.

“Hey guys. What’s going on at Pepperoni’s,” Cider said casually, always calling Pepperoni by his first name and making him feel like a teenager again. As if he needed any more of that.

“Sound says that the Wonderbolts eats at their restaurant and they’re inside right now! Eeeeep!” Pawpads couldn’t hold her excitement in. “Hey, wait a moment. Why haven’t you ever told us this before?” The three of them looked at Sound with puzzlement on their faces, causing her to fess up to the group.

“The reason is because they don’t want everypony swarming after them like a parasprite swarm. Give them some room, okay?” As Sound opened the door and they went in, Apple motioned to Silent to talk with him in private when they got inside.

“What’s up, Cider?” inquired the unicorn.

“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO FOR HEARTS AND HOOVES DAY! HELP ME!” the former playboy pony was having a meltdown at the moment and obviously had no idea what he was doing. “I always had these really great ideas before, like a candlelight dinner in Canterlot, or the time we went to the mines like it was just some interesting thing to check out and we had a picnic in the room where all the gems glowed, but I’m stumped right now! Silent, do you have any ideas?”

“Cider, I’m a grown colt who’s never had a date in his entire life, nevertheless even had a mare like me like that. Why of all ponies are you coming to me for help?”

“Because the only other ponies that’d be able to help me out are all mares. Can you imagine how judgmental and horrible the looks they would give me would be for being a coltfriend and not having anything planned?”

“That is true. Here’s an idea I’ve stored for an interesting situation. This seems like it would fit.” Silent then leaned forward and whispered his plan into the desperate pegasus.

“Wait, you mean you’ve had an idea like that for a date and you’ve never once gone on one?”

“Eeyup,” replied the bachelor unicorn.

“The world has missed out on a great romantic.” With that, Apple and Silent bother entered the pizzeria to see what was going on inside.

Inside the place were legendary fliers Spitfire, Breezie, Soarin, and Fleetfoot, sitting at a table, joking around about recent flying foul-ups. It was a smaller group than what they usually had, but they were only here to be spokesponies for a blood donation campaign at the hospital and wanted just some of them to come. There were several cadets as well, such as a very muscular pony and…what the hay? There was some other cadet there that looked just like Sound, except her coat was blue! She was phased for a moment until remembering that there was another pony in town with hair like hers, and it was naturally like that; Rainbow Dash. She hadn’t ever seen her, but continually kept on hearing about things she did such as saving Equestria several times and even performing at a Royal Wedding. She’d also heard other things about her that would prove to be hopeful for finding a special somepony. As Sound went over to where she was sitting, Spitfire called her over.

“Hey, Sound! How’s the next issue been coming along? Any spoilers for a loyal reader?” Spitfire was one of the young artist’s favorite fans. She had actually convinced the company that made those comics to hire her and even gave her the project, “Hoof of the South Star”, a comic they thought would fail, but ended up going really strong.

“Doing fair, Spit. Just trying to find a special somepony soon for Hearts and Hooves Day so I’m not alone again. Sucks.” Sound was pretty casual with Spitfire, seeing as they’d known each other for several years now and how much they admired each other’s work in their profession.

“Yeah, I know that feeling. I’m a fillyfooler and it’s kinda hard to find some other pony who’s like that and available. But hey, this year I’m not gonna worry with all the work I’ve got already, training cadets and all.” Spitfire said this with a sigh, and Sound decided to go ahead and give it a try.

“Hey, Spit. Since we don’t have anypony, would you mind-“

“Kid, I’m gonna stop you right there. For one, I’m twice as old as you are. Secondly, I’d be a terrible lover.” Spitfire was kidding about the last statement, but the first rang true. Hopes dashed, the lonely pony walked towards Dash.

Apple Cider and Silent Study were standing at the entrance while Pawpads was talking with the muscular cadet, having him flex to show off all his muscles. The two were chatting it up in the way only two colts could, with the brown unicorn starting first.

“So, looks like she was shot down.”

“Yeah, but what did you expect? She’s a lot older than her and a real flier at that while our mare doesn’t even know how to flutter. Man, if only she had found some school for flying down here, then she wouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“Hmm. Hey, who’s that she’s heading to?”

“I can’t tell from here. Hay, maybe I should get glasses like yours.”

“Heh. Oh, I can see her better now. She’d going over to Rainbow Dash.”

“WHAT?! Oh no oh no oh no oh no this isn’t good.”

Silent Study was surprised by Apple Cider’s sudden reaction.

“What’s wrong, Cider?”

“Rainbow Dash is actually straight.”

“Oh. That’ll be awkward.”

“No, you obviously don’t understand. Rainbow Dash is always getting called a fillyfooler constantly and she’s sick of it. She can’t even get a date with Soarin and she’s tried before ‘cause he’s always been stuck with the thought of her not liking colts and says that it’d feel weird. Also, she’s a really popular pony and since so many ponies think she’s a fillyfooler she attracts others like flies and during this time of year is when she has to deal with the most of them. What do you think a pony whose sexuality is constantly questioned going to react to the 500th mare who asks her out while she’s trying to relax?”

The brown unicorn thought for a second before coming to his conclusion.

“Well, buck. We should stop her bef- aww crud she’s talking to her now. Maybe would should’ve stopped her instead of just talking about it.”

“Hey Rainbow Dash,” Sound shyly eked out. This was gonna take some effort.

“Oh, hey! You want an autograph of the great and awesome Rainbow Dash? Five bits each.”

“Um, no. I actually wanted to ask you something.” This was the moment of truth for the white pegasus. “Would you like to be my special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day?”

Rainbow Dash put down her drink and just stared placidly at the awkward pony for a moment.

She sighed, putting her hoof to her face, then saying, “Listen, I know it’s near Hearts and Hooves Day and you’re willing to try anything to find somepony who’s like you, but I’m sorry to say that that isn’t me. Everypony thinks that about me and its actually really annoying because most of the time ponies think I’m like that simply because of the fact that I’m either athletic or have short hair or even its COLOR. I mean, I was born with this hair color. It’s not some sorta statement like you’ve probably got going on. Still, it was nice that you asked and I’m flattered.”

“Oh, my hair isn’t a statement or anything. I just got drunk one night and some colt I knew cut and colored my hair along with casting a spell to make it permanent,” the awkward pegasus said, sorta ruining the mood. “Anyway, thanks for listening. Hay, maybe I’ll have some luck with Breezie over there. I heard she’s definitely a fillyfooler.”

“Oh! If you’re gonna try and chat with her, she has a nickname she likes. It’s ‘Surprise’. Trust me when I say she’ll definitely react to that.” Trusting Rainbow Dash’s words, Sound went off to the table containing the white coat and yellow mane pony.

“Hey Surprise, I was wonder-“

“WHAT. DID. YOU. JUST. CALL. ME?” Breezie seemed a bit in a huff at Sound’s words.

“Um, Surprise?” In just less than a second after Sound said that, Breezie lifted up the table in an attempt to flip it over in rage. However, the force at which she threw it up actually sent the table flying straight up into the ceiling where the force of the impact plus the stickiness of the pizza that was on it kept it up there.

“My table!” cried Bloomheart.

“My pizza!” cried Pepperoni.

“Our ceiling!” they both cried.

Breezie kept chasing Sound around the room as fast as possible, unable to use her wings because of the small size of the interior. Dash just kept on laughing as she saw them running around.

“DAMMIT DASH! Told you before not to get ponies to rile up Breezie!” yelled the Wonderbolt Captain as she tried to pin Breezie down with no avail. Breezi had a long history of being called ‘Surprise’ do to the fact that she looked almost just like the former Wonderbolt of the same name. People called her that throughout her entire life to the point she had no idea who she was anymore. What resulted is that anytime a pony called her that she would explode with anger and attack. The other Wonderbolts soon joined in on their attempt to grab her, just moving out of grasp. Sound was running as fast as she could when all of a sudden the table that was stuck on the ceiling had just decided right then was the proper time to fall and did just that. Instead of providence causing the table to land on Breezie and stop her, it landed on Sound! The shock of the table falling caused Breezie to just stand still long enough for the muscular colt to put a half nelson around her and calm her down.  

An hour passed since then and everything had calmed down. Dash apologized to Sound about the prank and didn’t expect Breezie to get that angry. They paid for any damages and left soon after. Sound was now wearing a bandage fastened by her mother around her head to keep any bleeding from happening and to act as cushion. The place was gonna open soon and luckily Silent Study and Pawpads agreed to help out her dad so she could just relax after having a table fall on top of her. Apple Cider decided to keep her company as well and both went upstairs. The artist soon continued working on her comic and figured out how the fight was gonna end. She illustrated the scene where they were grappling each other when she let out a sigh and caught Apple’s attention.

“Something the matter, Sound?” the concerned colt called.

“Nah. Say, Apple. You feel like playing a song right now? Just follow what I saw with my lyrics and come up with whatever you want to play it like. I’ve just gotta sing right now.” Sound set up the audio equipment and soon everything was in place. She started, with Apple following her slow tempo with his acoustic.

They say love is beautiful and something real grand

What they don’t tell you is that it blinds you like sand

You bear it all out there in hopes of return

When you get hurt, what do you really learn?

Oh love, how I hate you

Oh love, how you hate me

Oh love, how I regret you can never let me be

You’ll torture me forever, a fact I can clearly see

Love can move mountains and cause worlds to shake

They never tell how it’ll turn and cause you to break

They make it seem like it’s worth all the pain

That’s easy to say when you manage to gain

When you can’t do that it’s only a weight

You wanna get rid of it, but you can’t avoid fate

Oh love, how you tease me

Oh love, can you please me?

Oh love, don’t remind me again

The pain returns now and then

Let me just be happy on my own

Don’t pressure me to not live alone

I like who I am, but you make me hate

In the end you’re not too great

Oh love, leave me now

Don’t bother to ask me how

Just go out the front door

I don’t want you anymore.

She finished up the song and turned off the equipment. Apple didn’t know what to say, but he knew he could do something. He went over to the sad mare and put a hoof around her neck. She smiled at the gesture and they both went downstairs and decided to finish the night with some hot soup.

One day. One more day until the apocalypse. Well, not exactly, but it certainly felt that way. She didn’t honestly know what she’d do if she couldn’t find a mare soon. So much effort and willpower was put into the idea of finally having a special somepony that it’d be hard to imagine the day without one. She got out of bed, her head, wrapped in bandages, aching from yesterday. She put on a new roll of bandage and went off to Pawpads’ house. She had the day off and they would try to just hang out and relax and try not to worry about special ponies and such. They were gonna do things like paint each other’s hooves and do other marey things that would take their minds off anything colt related.

“Hey! I just got some ice cream and cupcakes so we could get fat and not give a buck! You bring some snacks as well?” As if to answer Pawpads’ prayers, Sound produced five pizzas right behind her, each of them a different kind and fresh from the oven.

“My dad decided to just cook up some for me and him today. My parents always take the day before Hearts and Hooves Day off since they wouldn’t have any other time to celebrate. They said that they always go to the place where they first met each year to commemorate that one moment they found each other.” Pawpads let out a sound that sounded like she was about to die from how adorable the story was. They immediately set up and started digging in, combining different foods to create an unholy-yet-unfathomable creation of food that would be considered the epitome of self-indulgence. This face stuffing was soon accompanied by watching a movie featuring a donkey and ogre on a quest to save this mystical kingdom from giant spiders. It was actually a lot better than either of them had hoped. Right after that was a makeup session and hoof-painting. There was an impromptu pillow fight that resulted in Sound being right on top of Pawpads for a moment. Sound decided to have some fun with her friends and did a suggestive eyebrow raise while over her. She really knew how to rustle her friends’ jimmies. What happened next though surprised the fillyfooler when the pony she thought wasn’t a fillyfooler put her face closer to her own, slowly. Sound didn’t know what to do. Pawpads had Apple Cider and she didn’t wanna come between them. Not only that, but she only thought of her as a friend and nothing was gonna change that. What could she do? As she got closer and closer, the friend went past her face and whispered, “Gotcha,” and then went down slowly, a grin on her face. She ended up laughing her head off and Sound proceeded to whomp her endlessly with the pillow.

“Sup mares! I have this idea that’ll help-“ Apple Cider started as he busted in, only to see the two mares, one on top of another. A smile slid across his face and the two friends through their pillows at his face. Direct hit. “Anyway, I have an idea to how we can help out Sound with her little problem. I know a great place to find mares just like her.”

“What’ve you got in mind?” asked Sound, excited that things might not be bleak after all.

“Dammit Apple, we were trying to have fun without the stress of finding a special somepony for her. Ugh, you’re lucky you’re cute,” cried out a tired Pawpads. It was now obvious that she had put a lot of effort into taking Sound’s mind off of tomorrow.

“Aww, thanks Pawsy. I’ll have to get you special gift, if you know what I mean,” Sound said, trying to play with her friend’s mind.

“Really?” responded her friend. She was obviously up to the challenge of who could creep out the other first. “Because I’ve been really looking towards having some sweet cherry-“ She stopped talking and looked at her coltfriend who was listening intently to their conversation. They both looked at him with a glare and he couldn’t help hide his smile.  

“Oh, yeah, my idea. Just meet me at town hall tonight and I’ll show you what I’m planning. Just make sure to clean up and I’ll help you guys out.” Apple Cider was leaving when he had something else to say. “Oh! I’m also helping out Silent Study to see if he could somehow get a special somepony for tomorrow. He doesn’t know what’ll be going on either, so don’t worry.” He soon left after, and the two friends engaged in mare talk.

“So, what do you think Cider’s gonna do for you tomorrow?” asked Sound, curious at what he could be doing?

“I have no idea actually. I think that makes it all the better though. What if…” Pawpads stopped talking for a moment, but then started breathing quickly and seemed really worried. “WHAT IF HE PROPOSES?! OH SWEET CELESTIA! I THINK HE’S GONNA PROPOSE!” Pawpads couldn’t stop breathing fast, and Sound was certain she was having a panic attack. “I’M NOT READY! I MEAN, EMOTIONALLY I AM, BUT WHAT ABOUT FAMILY? WHAT ABOUT LIVING SPACE? WOULD ONE OF US MOVE IN? HOW MANY FOALS DOES HE WANT? WHAT IF I’M NOT A GOOD ENOUGH MARE OR WIFE? WHAT IF WE DON’T MAKE ENOUGH?!” Right then Sound grabbed her friend and tried to talk to her calmly.

“Pawpads. Calm down. Think for a moment. What are the chances that Apple Cider would be proposing to you? He doesn’t appear to have been saving up money for a ring or anything, so don’t worry. Just remember to keep calm and flutter on.” Her friend’s words were enough to keep her from ranting anymore. She was still trembling though from the attack. “Here. I made you an ice cream-cupcake taco with the shell being a chocolate coated pretzel. Eat it and calm down.” Sound always knew how to act rationally when her friends were exploding. If it wasn’t for Sound, Pawpads would have died once from a panic-attack induced heart attack.

It was about a week after they had first met each other, when they were both seven and at school. Pawpads was a pretty wild pony, always filled with energy while Sound, her hair still green at the time, liked to play it cool. Pawpads tried to make friends with Sound, but sound said she was too cool for friends, but hay, they could still hang. One day they were just let out of school and were walking on the road together when they heard a rustle in the bushes. They looked at the bushes and saw what looked like a puppy pop out and run into the forest. Pawpads, being the animal lover she is, couldn’t help but go after it with Sound right behind her. When they found the puppy they were shocked to find the entire pack it was from as well. The two pegasi tried to run away and hid in a small hole in an oak tree, squeezing through the hole just in time to escape the wolves and their teeth. In that wooden haven they heard the wolves scratching at the tree and barking madly, causing Pawpads to have her first public panic attack. Apparently she was born hypersensitive and with a weak heart, a very bad combination. She was hyper all the time in an attempt to use all that energy she had and not feel all funny and weird. Sound wasn’t sure what was going on, but she helped out her companion, letting her know that they were safe and that it was gonna be okay. She held her close and they both closed their eyes, trying to shut out the horrible noises just outside the tree. At night they found the coast to be clear and got out as quickly and silently as possible. Their parents were relieved to see them each home and that was the start of their friendship. Each pony rubbed off on one another, making Sound a more social pony and Pawpads learning how to keep it cool.

Later that night when the two mares had calmed down and had discussed other possibilities that Apple Cider would do, such as a trip to the zoo where a zoologist would allow Pawpads to see the animals up close and possibly help them out, or him writing a song and then in the middle of it a bunch of colts start a barbershop quartet to go along with it, they went out to meet Apple Cider and see what he had planned. He was anxious to see them and told them to follow him immediately.

“Wait a minute, what about Silent Study?” Pawpads asked.

“Don’t worry about him. I already gave him instructions on how to head there from the schoolhouse. He said he’d be a bit late since he was helping to tutor these three mares who all needed to figure out multiplication and get their cutie marks in math or something. Also, it’ll be fun to see his reaction when he’s followed the directions and thinks he’s made a mistake somehow.” Apple Cider was having way too much fun with this for it to be something safe. They started to follow him and after an hour found themselves in a part of Ponyville none of them had ever actually seen.

“Where the hay are we?” Sound was the first to ask. Apple Cider was snickering and really loving this. Soon, they stopped in front of this unmarked building and Cider knocked on the door. The top slit on the door opened up, a rough, raspy voice of a colt opened it up.

“Password?” the voice asked.

“I like to move it, but not that,” responded Apple. The top slip shut closed and the door opened up. As the group wandered into the place, they saw a large group of colts and mares. Something didn’t seem right about them though.

“What exactly is this place?” Pawpads asked, finally breaking the ice.

“I found this place when Big Mac came through here with what looked like another colt. It’s a place for fillyfoolers and coltcuddlers! I figured that Sound could find somepony here.” Sound gave Apple a big hug as soon as he finished and she immediately went around, seeing the mares here. She noticed a lot of mares wearing fancy dresses and colts wearing bulky clothes. Some of them actually looked like they were wearing costumes as well. She soon saw a mare with a nice red coat and orange hair and hoped that she’d get lucky.

“Hey there. How you doing?” she started, nervous to the core.

“Pretty good. How you doing?” the deep voice stated. The mare turned around, surprising Sound and causing her heart to break.

“Big Mac?! You’re in a dress?” Sound’s mind was cracking at what she just realized.

“Eeyup. It’s just fun sometimes to do drag. Nothing too fancy though. Usually only do drag if my marefriend is doing it though so we’re a pair. There she is actually.” Big Mac was approached by what looked like a small colt with a yellow coat and red main and tail. They nuzzled each other’s nose and then Pawpads came by, shocked at what she saw.

“FLUTTERSHY?! What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that?” Pawpads was reeling in from disbelief at what she was seeing.

“Oh! Hello Pawpads! I’m happy to say that Angel really liked the pills you gave her. She’s feeling much better now.” Fluttershy spoke in her sweet voice, confusing those who saw her colt-like costume with her voice.  She soon saw Pawpad’s expression of confusion and decided to explain. “Oh, you’re wondering why I’m dressed like this, aren’t you. Well, Big Mac and I decided to do something fun with Hearts and Hooves Day coming up and suggested it to most of the ponies that came here. Guessing lots of others thought it was a neat idea and now everypony is dressed up as their opposite sex.” She was proud of their costume idea and how it became so popular. Big Mac put his hoof around her side and gave her a kiss. This was so weird.

Sound and Pawpads went right back to Apple Cider, who was chatting with who he thought was a lovely mare. They both glared at him for a moment before he asked, “Uh, is something wrong?”

“Cider you fool! This is a costume club…or something. I’m not sure what it is but it’s not a coltcuddler/fillyfooler club! Nopony here is looking for any of that!” Sound yelled, trying to get this info across to the bewildered colt.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say nopony,” the cross dressing colt said, giving an eye to Apple Cider. The only proper reaction Apple had to all of this was to suddenly start trotting backwards and out of sight. The rest of the ponies just stood there, none of them knowing what to do next in their situation.

“Well, I don’t know about you Sound, but I’ll still be partying! Might as well since we’re here. Hay, I might even want to come back here some other time,” Pawpads said, fluttering over to the dance floor and starting to dance. Sound decided to do the same.

For the next hour Sound had danced and wasn’t worried about anything at the moment. She was having fun with these costumed people. At first she thought it was odd, but now she thought that it was just really fun for them to do. Hay, maybe she’d make a costume of her own, maybe one of her own characters from her comics. If she managed to find any of her fans and they saw her dressed up as one of her characters their heads would probably explode. Apple had finally returned, trying to stay away from the costumed dancers, unaware of who he’d be dancing with and not wanting an awkward situation. He was sitting at the bar when Silent Study had finally gotten into the place.

“Hey Silent! Nice to see you finally arrive! Whe-“ and that’s all Apple Cider was able to say before getting bucked in the face by Silent.

“You mother bucker! You have any idea where you sent me?” yelled Silent, pretty angry and, interestingly enough, smelly and sparkly.

“Jeez, Silent! I gave you the correct directions. Double checked them as well. I knew you didn’t have anypony for tomorrow so I thought that you could find a colt here.” Apple said this, causing Silent Study’s face to become distorted in confusion. He attempted several times to say something, starting and stopping, words eventually forming.

“Ok Cider,” Silent said, regaining his calm. “First, I’m not a coltcuddler. I’m just really bad at getting mares. Secondly, YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WRITE WELL! You ended up capitalizing after every single line the next word and I thought that meant I was supposed to go to that specific place. You told to “The Red Light” and instead of going to the red light down from the school I went to that place instead. Do you have ANY idea of what I saw tonight as I went there? Hopefully not, otherwise I wouldn’t have any respect for you. I saw ponies offering me such things that made me blush so badly my head actually started processing higher level math from all the blood in my head. Not only that, but all the ponies who offered them were COLTS. Everypony who hit on me was a colt. They weren’t even trying to charge me! They were all just attracted to me! Made me depressed since I realized that I’d never be that lucky with mares. Anyway, I finally understood what you were trying to say when you said to look for the small tunnel and realized that you must’ve thought that this place was a mixer club, so that’s why I went here.”

Apple had just sat there, listening to this, many thought going through his head. He finally spoke up, saying, “Wait, you actually knew this place before?”

“Yeah, I come here. Fun place. Nice ponies. Hay, wanna hear the story about Plant Day?” Apple Cider just nodded his head, knowing whatever Silent was about to say was going to be great. “Alright, so here’s the story. Plant day is another Fluttershy inspired theme where everypony dressed up as a plant. She chose a tree, Big Mac was an apple tree as well, and I decided to dress up as Astroturf. Anyway, several ponies thought of creating a dress out of pure Poison Joke leaves and covered themselves in the stuff. They warned other ponies not to touch them and it seemed like it’d be a normal party night when several of their costumes somehow managed to catch on fire. All their leaves were burning as they ran around the club, soon causing the entire place to become a smokehouse. The suits burned off and they were fine, but all the smoke started causing the ponies in the club to act weird and tired. Soon they all just lay on the floor and they all stayed there for an entire day. I had managed to get out of the club just before the smoke took effect and when I came back everypony was looking at their hooves and talking real slow. Lots of them kept on saying ‘woah’ and trying to come up with weird philosophical statements that just sounded insane. When it finally wore off they got the hay out of dodge and raided the nearest three dining establishments, eating everything they had. Never did that since.” Apple and Silent just sat there laughing their flanks off at that story, knowing things were cool between them.

“This place is neat!” stated Sound. “I wanna look around the place for a bit.” Sound looked around the other areas of the building, noticing that there was a hallway with several rooms. They were apparently used for storage, with one being marked as a private room. She decided to check out the room and opened the door.

It was the greatest regret of her entire life.

When she opened the door she saw a mare and a colt in a very awkward position. That was the first awkward thing she noticed. The second thing would be part one-of-two of the horrifying things in that moment.

“MOM?! DAD?!” Sound had noticed that at that moment, fully comprehending what she had seen. She had com- entered at the worst possible moment to see “that” between the two of them and stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide. She then continued, “OH MOMMA NOOOO! AHHHHHH!” as she slinked slowly across the floor until resting her head on the couch.

The two parents, dressed in something Sound couldn’t clearly understand in that moment of shock, started to talk. “I, uh, um, well, we, maybe, such, hmm, this isn’t what it looks like?” they said in unison.

“Why are you guys here?! You said you two always went to the place where you first met!” Sound was about to continue asking questions when her answers had become self-evident. “You guys first met HERE?”

Bloomheart, pulling some sheets over the two of them, started to tell their story. “Well, it’s actually pretty interesting. See, your father had visited Ponyville looking for a place to build the pizzeria and a friend had told him of a place where he could party while in town. This was the closest place for them and they decided to check it out. Your father had apparently heard about the costume theme of the place and wore a Royal Guard costume. He went to the place and first saw me at the bar alone, just trying to figure things out. See, this was right after I had finished college and started my shifts at Cloudsdale Hospital. I had decided to head to a bar and Cloudsdale had awful places, so here I was. Reason I wanted to head to a place like this was because back then the shifts were so incredibly stressful and I had worried about the last several years at college being a waste and had no idea what to do with my life. Your father saw me sitting there and asked me if anything were wrong. At first I blew him off and told him to do many things that I won’t tell you dealing with carrots, but then I started to cry from the stress of everything and he couldn’t help but worry. He told me that he wasn’t interested in my flank or anything like that and he’d listen to my troubles. I couldn’t hold it in any longer and spilled it out to him. I felt so relieved afterwards and felt like there was something related to hope. He told me about how he was trying to make a restaurant and how he’d have to probably move from his home in Cloudsdale to Ponyville in order to make his restaurant work and that he was actually really worried about the entire ordeal. If it didn’t work out he’d lose everything, so he knew how I felt about either pushing forward or failing horribly. After that we talked for a while and decided to set up a date for each other. We’d hang out here at the club and this would be our common place. After he’d finally set up his restaurant he ran out of money and didn’t know how he’d even afford the supplies for the food. That’s when I decided to make the big dive and suggested that I would pay for the supplies and help the business startup. I couldn’t afford the rent at my place in Cloudsdale after that and found that Ponyville Hospital was looking for nurses. That’s when your father asked me if I wouldn’t mind living with him since I’d used the rent money for the restaurant, suggesting that I work at Ponyville until I could afford to return.  I actually liked working there better and wanted to stay not only at the hospital, but with your father. Right as I told him that, he went right down on all fours, took out a ring, a proposed to me. We were married as soon as possible, which ironically was on Hearts and Hooves Day. We decided for the Honeymoon to stay at the club that had meant so much to us and the owner of the place, Mr. Kimba, decided, to let us have the room each year on our anniversary after hearing how much this place meant to us.”

After Bloomheart had finished her tale, Sound had calmed down enough to get a good view of her parents. The calm demeanor she had developed soon started to disappear soon though as she got a closer look at what her parents were wearing. It looked like it was clothing that was ragged, like what you would wear after an apocalypse. Only when she saw her dad were her worst fears confirmed: he was dressed to look like a griffon in an apocalyptic setting.

This was Horrifying Sight 2: Electric Boogaloo

“You guys. You’re dressed. Just like my characters. In. My. COMIC?! WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? WHAT HAVE I DONE?” Sound had officially lost her mind and started freaking out again. Both she and the mom looked to the dad, expecting an explanation to come from him and solve the situation like the mother had done.

“Well, um, we’re dressed like this because…we like roleplaying?” The mother facehoofed at that statement. “Well what am I supposed to say? I can’t exactly explain this like you with your nostalgia and romantic past. We’re dressed up like characters from a comic, one of us as another species. Not exactly easy to explain.” Sound simply walked out of the room at that moment, hoping that the bar was fully stocked.

“Hey there. What’ll it be?” the bartender asked.

“Something that’ll erase my memory. I just saw my parents doing it while cosplaying as the characters I made for my comic.” Sound took out a bag with bits and was about to pay when the bartender took out a bottle of Poison Joke Juice, telling her that her money was no good here and that he knew that feeling of seeing your parents like that. “I should let you know that I started drinking when I was in a metal band when I was 15. It’ll take more than that.” He took out five more bottles, making sure that this would work. Whatever happened next was a blur.

“Ugh, what happened?” asked Sound, coming out of a blackout. She had remembered something about a club last night. She must have been trying to mingle and find somepony for Heart and Hooves Day. As she woke she heard a rapping at her door. As soon as she opened it she saw that it was her comic editor, Mister Bates.

“MASTER BATES!” She yelled in surprise, only aware afterwards about what she had just called him. He did not look too happy.

“Yeah, yeah. I know that one. I’ve had five comic writers try to get that one past me several times, and I always get them just before print.” Bates said all of this proudly, sure in his cutie mark of a word with a red line going through it, making it unreadable. “However, I think you managed to do something unbelievable last night. You somehow managed to get an entire issue of our “Hoof of the South Star” series published and in stores before I had a chance to look it over.” Sound knew that whatever this was, it was not good. She decided to be as quiet as possible in the slim chance that is she didn’t speak he’d forget she were there and not fire her. “You wanna see what happened? This is what happened!” He took out a copy of the new comic that had been in progress for weeks now and flipped it over to the big fight scene with our main heroin and the villainous griffon. Sound knew that the characters would grapple each other and the final blow would soon be landed upon the villain, but obviously that was not the case in the final version.

In what could only be described as a very effective PSA about drinking, she had found her two characters had changed their aggressive expressions and then started kissing and embracing each other. Sound had no idea why she had done that, until she remembered the events of last night. That issue ended with those two admitting that they’d never met any other creature who they felt that strong about and how it would now be impossible for them to be separated, making Sound, for the first time ever, be surprised by what she had created.

“How the buck did this happen? I didn’t even write these lines! That’s the writers’ fault.”

“Well, Sound, what happened last night was recorded on video camera. What happened is first you brought a couple bottles of Poison Joke Juice with you and shared it with your fellow inkers, pencillers, and colorists and got them drunk. After that, you managed to get the letterers, or as you simply like to call them, writers, to make lines for the new content you added. You managed this by actually taking away their alcohol and using it for your fellow artists, making the letterers and people writing the story actually become sober for the first time in years. Barely able to function, you planted these drunken ideas in their heads and they were defenseless to write anything other than what you told them to. The people working the printing of the comic were already drunk when you arrived, so that was no issue getting them out. Now, everypony has seen the new issue and we can’t even recall since it actually sold out so quickly because of that twist ending. Now, how exactly are we supposed to make this work in the next issue and not be completely terrible?”

Sound thought this over in her head for a moment, trying to find some way to save her job. She finally had a brain blast, saying, “Let’s make him a main character. Think about it; a main griffon character who has a romance with the wonderer and teams with her and they fight the evil they find together while the griffon works to redeem himself of his slave-trading past.  Can that work?”

Mister Bates deliberated on that idea for what seems like an eternity before responding with a, “Sure. We can do that. Anyway, I guess the moral of the situation is to never allow your employees to work until five in the morning and to always make sure that the writers have enough alcohol to last them at least three weeks. See you later Sound, and Happy Hearts and Hooves Day.” With his departure left her problems of being fired and return of the anxiety of realizing today was the day and she had nopony.

“Great. I failed,” Sound emoted, looking at the clock on the wall to see that it was already noon. She probably wouldn’t be getting a special somepony today after all. These thoughts were soon interrupted by Pawpads and her signature door buck. There’d have to be some really good news to cheer Sound up.

“Great news Sound! I was just told where Apple Cider’s taking me today!” her enthusiastic friend said, happy at the idea of spending the day with somepony special.

“Where’s that, Pawpads?”

“We’re going to the Everfree Forest! Apple said that he was able to find that zebra that lives in there and convince her to give us a tour of the place. It’ll be creepy and scary and I’ll probably jump into his hooves several times throughout the tour. It’s perfect!” The little pegasus trotted up and down in excitement.  Sound just stood there, waiting for her to finish.

“Oh, wait!” she continued. “I remember that you don’t have anypony-yet. Guess who’s practicing at the field today?” Sound already knew that it was Curve Ball. There was no way she could ask her today. There was just too much at risk.

“I’m sorry Pawsy. You know how hard it’d be to tell her. Let me just be miserable.” Sound’s words reflected in her own head, as if it were a challenge from another pony. She had remembered that this was the year she would not be lonely, no matter what the circumstances, and she wasn’t gonna let herself keep her like that. In what appeared to be a hoof-face-turn, Sound busted out the front door, ready to confess to her friend, right before falling straight on the ground and throwing up from the hangover.

Sound had arrived at the field, ready for the final challenge. She had built up her energy over lunch with a power meal of oats, sugar, carrots, thrown that all up, decided to eat something light, threw that up, drank something like water, once again hurling chunks. Eventually she had purged herself of anything that might cause her to vomit, leaving her extremely hungry, light-headed, and dizzy from the effects of no food and large amounts of alcohol. Pawpads swore she’d be right behind Sound from a safe distance as to not make the situation any more awkward by just standing there while she stuttered. Her target, Curve Ball, stood right there in sight, helping to give coaching instructions to her teammates in team, the “Cantering Cannons”. Mintonette was us to buck, rearing her hind legs in preparation and hitting the ball out of the park.

“Good move mare! Alright everypony, let’s hit the showers now!” Curve Ball bellowed. Just before she went in though she saw Sound coming towards her and welcomed her. “Sound! How’ve you been! Been away for two weeks for the big game against the Bellowing Bison out west and we’re now out of season. Won 5-4, making us the new champs,” she said before doing a victory dance.

“Wow, congrats CB! Knew you’d be able to make it,” congratulated the anxious pegasus, trying to find the best possible time to ask.

“Yeah, well, we couldn’t have down it without Cloverbud. A 3.56 average this season! Can you believe it!?” Sound and Curve Ball talked like this for a while. They discussed how the team had been doing with Steel String in her band and how she’d been approached by a record label because of her voice. They talked about how the Wonderbolts had come to the pizzeria and ruined the place, resulting in the bandage on her head. They talked about a lot of things that friends would talk about. This lasted for about two hours, and Pawpads had officially regretted her decision to hide and give far-away emotional support from a trash can.

“So, CB, what’s your plan for Hearts and Hooves Day?” asked the nervous fillyfooler, hoping to eventually get to the point where she could finally ask her.

“Nothing really. Just had training with the team. I’ll probably be heading back to my apartment now. I really need to clean up that place before I go on away games. Can’t wait to smell the garbage.” They both laughed at Curve Ball’s statement, some much more nervously than others. “So, what about you? Got a special somepony pining after you?”

“Nah. You know me. Gotta help the restaurant and all that. Don’t have time for love.” Sound knew that she was starting to move away from what she wanted to say and started to get nervous. She really was running out of ways to ease into the desired topic. “But you know what? I’d actually like to have a special somepony this year. Hopefully there’s somepony available, ‘cause it’s starting to get late to find one.”

“Heh, yeah. Alright, I better head off. See ya!” Curve Ball was walking away. Sound couldn’t believe herself! She didn’t know what to do!

In her moment of self-question, Pawpads’ trashcan tipped over. She crawled out, trying to get some fresh air, and yelled, “GO FOR IT!” That was her moment of triumph, and she bathed in the sense of accomplishment and chewing tobacco.

“Wait! Curve Ball! I need to ask you something,” she finally began. “I don’t have a special somepony this year or most years because, well, I’m different. I’m…..not into colts. I like mares. Mainly, I like mares like you. Mainly you, actually. You, specifically, are the mare I’ve had a thing for since I first saw you and made me realize that about myself. I’m hoping that right now you’re hearing me out and not being freaked out. Celestia knows I hope you feel what I feel as well, but I don’t know how likely that is. So, using all the strength in my very soul, I want to ask you one question: will you be my special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day?” Sound braced herself, waiting for the worst. Nothing happened.

“Oh, Sound,” said Curve Ball in a sweet, loving voice full of strength. “I have something to confess to you to. I’m a fillyfooler also.” At that moment, without giving any physical indication of what going on in her head, Sound imagined herself scoring the winning goal, touchdown, and finishing the 500 meter gallop all at the same moment with hearing those words. “The thing is,” and those words, without any physical indication, caused her to imagine an army of red and yellow flags being thrown in foul at the fact that this filly had no idea how sports were played and just combined three things from completely different sports into one analogy, “I’m not into you like that. You’re a fine mare, don’t worry, it’s simply the fact that I think of you as a friend.” Sound couldn’t hide her disappointment and slinked to the ground, an expression on her face that would make children cry from sadness. Curve Ball knelt down right beside her and gave her a hug that was tight enough that could comfort any in the deepest sadness. “Listen. I know it sounds cruel. I know it might sound like nothing is fair in the world because the one pony you care for doesn’t feel the same way about you, but you need to know that life goes on. Love goes on. If that pony doesn’t feel that way, then don’t worry about that and accept what you already have. I mean, do you have ANY idea how much I love you right now? You’re already one of my closest friends, and I regret the fact that these seasons can keep me away for a while, but you telling me that you’re a fillyfooler gives me hope. It lets me know that there will be somepony who knows how I feel, how it is to try and gather up the courage to try and say something to a mare, only to realize that those little signals were all in your head and that you may have made things very awkward, and know that when you feel scared of who you are, somepony will care for you. That’s why I love you so, so much as a friend. I know that nothing could ever take me away from you. You’ll always be my best friend, Sound. Thank you. Please, I pray to Celestia, tell me that you can accept that from me, to simply be my friend and nothing more.”

Sound knew the feelings that Curve Ball had just described. To be a friend, a person whom could be your security for your most vulnerable emotions and to know what the other felt and console in their time of need, to rejoice in their time of victory, was the best she could hope for with her. “Yes, I accept that I’ll be your friend and nothing else. We all need a friend to lean on and not worry about how they feel about us or something.” They both hugged, and Curve Ball went off, turning her mind back to the creature that now lived in her trashcan.

Pawpads came galloping up to Sound as soon as Curve Ball left. “What did she say? What did she say?” she asked excitedly.

“We’re just friends. Good friends though, and I think that that’s the truly important thing in the end is to have somepony you can trust and love in your own way. And…wow, you smell bad.” Sound had just realized how badly her friend has smelled. “You should get a shower right away before…speak of Discord, it’s Apple Cider.” Apple Cider came galloping to the two ponies quickly, eager as if to say something.

“Hey, Pawpads! Zecora warned me that before we head into the forest that we should try to make ourselves smell bad in order to avoid any predators from being attracted to out scent. And, wait, you already did! Wow, you must be psychic! I’ll roll in some manure when we pass Apple Family Farms along the way, but you should go to her now. She’s waiting at the market place for you. I need to talk with Sound first.” Apple certainly had a way with words.

“Alright! I’ll see you there, sweetie!” and Pawpads gave Apple a kiss right on the lips, the smell horrific as she was that close. She skipped away, allowing him to gag as soon as she was out of site.

“Hey, Sound, I need to ask you a question?” the nervous colt asked.

“What?”

“Is ruby Pawpads’ birthstone? I’m triple checking something,” Apple, obviously nervous, asked Sound.

“It is. Why are you wondering?”  At that very moment, the colt took out a small box and opened it, revealing a ring with rubies indented into it. Sound, visibly shocked, asked, “Apple! Are you going to propose to Pawpads tonight?”

“I sure am! At the end of the tour in the Forest is this massive grove where the sunlight shines bright and glistens off of all these surfaces to create a radiant environment. That’s where I’ll pop the question.” Apple smiled as he put the ring away.

Sound, still jaw on the floor, needed to ask him some question. “Apple, I need to ask you some things. First, are you completely ready for this? Second, how’d you afford that ring? Thirdly, how’re you going to afford a family?”

“The first answer I have is that I have never been more certain of anything in my entire life. Secondly, I actually won the money from your dad.” Apple was waiting for sound to ask the obvious.

“Wait, my dad just gave you money for a wedding ring?”

“No. See, we had a discussion between the two of us about today and I told him how I felt about Pawpads. After that we talked about you and Curve Ball and I told him that you were finally going over to tell her how you felt. He asked me how sure I was that you’d manage to talk to her today instead of bailing out and I said I was certain you’d have the guts. He said that he’d be willing to make a large bet with me about it, saying that thanks to how he managed to fool everypony into thinking that Braeburn was a coltcuddler and switching sides in his bet that he managed to win a whole lot when it was found out that he had eloped with some doe and they revealed it to everypony. Of course, you managed to talk with her and that made me win the bet. Your dad acted as if he were shocked and handed me the bag of bits, along with what appeared to be a guide to rings that were on sale. I pieced the two together and realized what he’d done for me and set off for it.” Apple Cider finished answering that, leaving Sound to absorb that little bit about her father. “As for the last question, I recently found out that one of my song remixes, ‘Filly with a Flank’, was used without my permission on this really big show called ‘Smile’ and apparently my fans spread the word and it caught like wildfire. I just got a load of money and what appear to be several thousand new fans out of the controversy, so as long as I continue making music I’ll be set! I can’t believe how well things have worked out today! Well gotta go now. Wish me luck!” And Apple Cider set off to meet Zecora, ready to begin the greatest journey one could have with the mare of his dreams.

Sound decided to look around at that moment and take in what she had just experienced. She had just learned something heartfelt about one of her friends, and now knew they’d always be friends. Just friends. She was fine with that. Perfectly fine. She went over to a bench and just thought it over. It didn’t matter if she still didn’t have somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day. She still had her friends. Yes, that’s what was good. She didn’t need a special somepony, a pony that would make her feel special, like she was the only mare in the world. She didn’t need to know that in some other pony’s eyes that she was the only one that mattered. She didn’t need to know the warm embrace of another. She…she…just couldn’t. In just a flash, the confident, happy mare had just lost it. She couldn’t hold it in anymore and just started crying.

“Sound? What happened?” Silent study asked as he saw his friend just sitting their crying.

“It’s this damn day! I hate it so much! I’m perfectly happy knowing that I have friends and family that care for me, but, just, aww! Why do I feel this way? I know that there are ponies that love and care for me as family and that I should be happy, but right now, I just can’t. Hay, I know that I’ll look back on this moment and wonder what the buck was wrong with me and how selfish I was, but I can’t help it! I just wanna feel special! I wanna know the somepony would be willing to go out of there way for me! I wanna be treated more than as a friend sometimes! Can’t I just be selfish for one day and actually get what I ask? Am I allowed to feel and express how I feel and not worry about how other’s think of me?” Sound wiped her eyes. The tears were gone, but not the source. Silent sat there with her, silent for a moment.

“You know how often I get cards for Hearts and Hooves Day? Never. I ask myself if there’s something seriously wrong with me or if I’ve offended somepony somehow, but I can never figure it out. This leads me to believe that it’s just me being me that’ll make me lonely, and that’s a depressing thought. After all, I actually like me! I guess I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who likes me, even when I have friends and family. It happens, especially on days like this.” Silent then got up and gestured for Sound to do the same. “Come on. I have something to show you.”

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them arrived at Town Hall. They entered and went up the steps of the building to the very top. Silent soon opened a door, and the balcony was revealed, with it a table and picnic basket nearby. Sound was completely shocked and had no idea what to say. She just followed Sound as he pulled out her chair.

“For you, my mare,” he said eloquently, in a tone where he was half-joking and half-serious. Sound sat down, amazement still in her eyes.

“Silent. What’s going on?” she finally asked, wondering what her friend was doing.

“I know that it sucks being alone on Hearts and Hooves Day. I’m there every single year, I can’t figure out why, so I sympathize with ponies who can’t find that special somepony. I saw how sad you were and how much effort you put into your search that I came up with this idea. See, I know we’re friends, and I’m not wanting to say anything that might put you off guard or think that I’m being a creep, but I’d like to be your special somepony this year. I’m not asking as a lover or anything, but as a friend who can’t stand to see another friend feel bad about herself and wanted to make her feel special on this day. So, what do you say?” Silent asked this, so nervous about how she was gonna react. Either this was going to bomb, or work really well. He got his answer in the form of a spine-breaking hug. “So…I guess…that’s a yes,” he gurgled out, lungs being crushed.

“Heh, yeah. Thanks Silent.” Sound said, and they ended that day watching the sunset together.

And so ends our tale of Sound Barrier and her friends. The message of the story is a simple one that rings true to all. It states that no matter how alone you may feel, you’re never really that alone, as long as you have a single pony in your life who loves you. Let them know that and make them feel special. After all, this is a time to let those whom you live know how you feel and to do something nice for them. Happy Hearts and Hooves Day everypony, and remember, you are loved.