Dreaming of a Grey Hearth Warming

[inkie]

Inkie felt about as out of place as she looked. You'd think that growing up with somepony like Pinkie would make her more comfortable at big parties like the Hearth Warming Ball...

Inkie didn't really have anything formal to wear of her own. After all, there weren't really any formal occasions out on the rock farm. So, Inkie was wearing one of Pinkie's old dresses. It was... well rather 'plain' but only by Pinkie's usual standards, which still meant that it was vibrant with bright pinks, blues and yellows, which no doubt stood out even more against her dull, monochrome fur.

Inkie was simply thankful that she had grown up to roughly Pinkie's size, though it was still a little big on her. While other ponies were socializing and otherwise enjoying the ball, the young mare stood off to the side, deciding it was best to stay out of everypony's way.

[blues]

Unlike Inkie, Blues had plenty of occasions for formal wear. Unfortunately, this wasn't as glamorous as it sounded: his only purpose at an event like this was networking. After all, waiting tables was hardly going to rocket him to fame and fortune in the music industry, was it? Certainly not. So the blue stallion, looking quite snazzy in a slate-gray ensemble, trotted about the Ball, hoping to find anypony with useful connections. In no time, he'd be well on his way to a new career.

At least, that was the plan.

But this plan seemed quite intent on going awry.

Sure, Blues got some fun conversations, but that was hardly the point. He wanted to have fun, yeah, but only if it came along with some sort of progress! (In fact, he suspected that would be the most fun in itself, but he had no way of knowing now.) So, with each genial, if detached, conversation that went by, the musical pony grew more and more discouraged. It was something of a draw, then, when he noticed an equally dour-looking pony standing off to the side in an almost-fitting dress.

He hoped he was at least doing a better job hiding his disappointment than she seemed to be.

"Is everything alright over here, miss?" he asked, trotting over to her and gesturing at the air above her head. "I could swear there were storm clouds forming right here."

[inkie]

Inkie was far too distracted by her usual worryings to even notice the stallion approach. "OH! I'm sorry... Yes, everything's fine I suppose..." She shifted a bit awkwardly in place. Pinkie was always the one who could meet people easily, not her. At least, that's what she kept reminding herself.

At the mention of stormclouds, Inkie actually looked up, taking a half-step back. "Oh... yeah. I hear that a lot... it actually has happened more than once too... Not me of course... I guess I just attract runaway clouds and clumsy pegasai..." She sighed. "Better me the somepony else I guess..."

She stood there in a moment of uneasy silence, unsure what to say to this other pony. She tried to think of what Pinkie would do... well... what Pinkie would do within reason...

Introduce herself, right... "I-I'm... I'm Inkie Pie..."

[blues]

"OH! I'm sorry... Yes, everything's fine I suppose..."

Yes, everything seemed perfectly fine, as Blues might have sarcastically remarked were he less polite. The gray mare looked for all the world like somepony were planning to jump out of the shadows and end her...or at least, it would if she could conjure more interest. It was an odd mix of anxiety and apathy that Blues doubted he could imitate if he tried. Not that he really had any incentive to.

"That's...good?" Blues said, unsure how to take her response. It had hardly been convincing. But he didn't have any time to question whether she was being genuine, verbally or mentally, as she launched into a small monologue about clouds.

"Oh... yeah. I hear that a lot... it actually has happened more than once too... Not me of course... I guess I just attract runaway clouds and clumsy pegasi..." As if trying to blow away the memory, the mare heaved quite a weary sigh. "Better me than somepony else I guess..."

If Blues had been searching for a relief from his mounting disappointment in the evening's opportunities, he'd certainly come to the wrong pony. But then again, that wasn't why he'd gone up to her, was it? If his own evening wasn't going to go the way he'd planned it, he could at the very least try to improve things for somepony else; and it certainly looked like this mare's time could do with some improving. With any luck, Blues could end her blues.

...okay, I'm going to pretend that pun never happened, he thought to himself.

"I-I'm... I'm Inkie Pie..."

"Blues Noteworthy," he said warmly, extending a hoof to shake. He took a moment to look Inkie over, mostly becoming confused by the obvious divide between her expression and her fashion...sense. (And he used 'sense' in a very liberal way; anypony wearing something that pink and frilly was either a filly's toy or not blessed with an overabundance of sense.) Cocking his head a bit, the stallion decided to keep the conversation going. "So, what brings you to this party?" he asked, doing his best not to imply 'because you look like you hate fun.'

Somehow, that didn't seem like something she'd take well.

[inkie]

Inkie shook the offered hoof, not wanting to be rude. Though, she was well aware that her poor outlook could probably be considered rude as well, but some things simply couldn't be helped.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Noteworthy." She was starting to think she was actually doing pretty well, but then Blues asked her the very same question that she's been asking herself all night. She really wasn't sure why she was here. The invitation went out to everypony, so it wouldn't have been rude to refuse... and if nothing else, tonight she proved to herself that she wasn't suited for this sort of thing like Pinkie was.

She stretches for the best explanation she could come up with. "My sister, Pinkie Pie... She loves parties. She has always told them how great they are and is always throwing them... So, I figured I'd go to one on my own..." She glances down at herself. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere... I just hope she doesn't mind that I borrowed one of her old dresses..."

[blues]

"Nice to meet you Mr. Noteworthy."

The hoof shake was firm, if unenthusiastic. Inkie seemed absolutely determined to maintain the optimism of a dropped pie--there I go with the puns again. Blues suppressed a self-disapproving roll of the eyes, ultimately comforting himself in the knowledge that this loathsome wordplay had at least been an unfortunate accident.

Eager to get his train of thought away from that, Blues quirked a brow and smiled wryly. "Just call me Blues," he said, flashing a grin. 'Mister Noteworthy' made him sound like he was twice his age, and no doubt wearing some sort of sweater-vest. Not that he was seeking to judge those who were partial to the things, but Blues didn't quite want to be one just yet.

Or ever, but that's beside the point.

"My sister, Pinkie Pie... She loves parties. She has always told them how great they are and is always throwing them... So, I figured I'd go to one on my own..."

Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie.

That explained a lot, including the dress. ESPECIALLY the dress.

"I'm sure she's around here somewhere... I just hope she doesn't mind that I borrowed one of her old dresses..."

Yep, there it was.

"Heh...if Pinkie's here, I'd have figured we'd know for sure," Blues half-joked. He didn't really know the bubbly pink mare, but there was nopony in Ponyville who didn't know of her, and apparently who wasn't considered her friend. And everypony certainly knew that she was about as loud as a pony could get. (Not that anypony complained when it was during a party of hers, but then they'd be just as noisy.) And if what he'd heard about the Grand Galloping Gala was any indication, Pinkie didn't quite know when to tune it down.

But all that just served to remind him that Inkie did; or rather, that she didn't seem capable of tuning it up. "And I'm sure she'd be fine sharing her dress with you," he added, hoping to alleviate at least one of the many things that seemed to be bringing Inkie down. "Doubt she'd let much of anything get in the way of her fun...but I guess you'd know that better than I would."

Figuring it might help Inkie to come out of her shell if they had something relatable to talk about, he continued. "So, Inkie...what do you do?"