Twilight sat on the bed in the library, watching Pinkie run her fingers through her hair again. The trip to the salon had started out great, until Vera had cut over half the length of Pinkie's hair off. Her hair was still a curly mess, but instead of a mass of messy loops that framed her face perfectly, the curls fell randomly, only a few inches long. It had a permanently tousled look to it, even as Pinkie ran her fingers through it for what Twilight thought was the hundredth time since arriving to the library only moments ago.
"I shouldn't have let her do this." She looked at Twilight through the mirror, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout. "I miss my hair." She pulled her hair out from the side and let it fall again. "This isn't fun. I said new and fun. Not new and…not fun."
Seeing her friend close to tears, Twilight walked over to her. Moving Pinkie's hands out of her hair, Twilight arranged the curls around Pinkie's face, fluffing some and smoothing others. After a few minutes, she stopped. "There now, not so bad." Through the mirror, she looked into Pinkie's eyes. "You look beautiful, Pinkie."
Pinkie smiled, turning and actually looking at Twilight. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Before Twilight realized it, Pinkie had her in a bone-crushing hug. Wrapping her arms around Pinkie, Twilight felt her take a deep breath. "I guess I don't do very well when things change. I like everything the way it is." Releasing Twilight, Pinkie shrugged. "Even when I was a little kid, I hated it. When Granny Pie died when I was five, my parents thought it would be a good idea to give me my own room, so my sisters moved into hers. Well, it was like a year later, but they still did it. I hated it and sneaked into their room every night, until they put us together again." Flopping onto the bed, Pinkie sighed dramatically, putting her hands behind her head.
"Were you close with your sisters?" Twilight lay next to her, propping her head up with her hand.
Pinkie nodded. "Yeah. They were my bestest best friends. I'm the second youngest, besides my sister Marble. Limestone and Maud always played with us, though."
Twilight furrowed her brow. "You never really talk about them. What were they like?"
"They were the bestest sisters." Pinkie smiled. "Marble is my baby sister. Do you remember that picture I showed you of me and my family? She was the one with dark grey hair. She looks the most like mama. Limestone was the one with light gray hair and the frowny smile. Maud has purpleish grey hair. It's so pretty. She has a teeny smile." She looked over at Twilight, flashing a smile of her own. "We just played all the time together. We were as close as sisters get. We always had a lot of fun together, even when we were doing our chores. Mama started teaching us to cook when we were really little. She said we needed to learn how to be proper mares for when we grow up and marry stallions." Pinkie snorted a little. "So we baked a lot together. Just food the family could eat, though. They would always play pretend with me. I loved playing pirates."
"Why don't they ever come to here? Or you go home? It sounds like you were as close to them as I am to Shiny." Twilight's heart sank as the carefree smile Pinkie had been wearing slipped from her face. She started to reach out, but Pinkie turned onto her side, mirroring Twilight with her hand supporting her head.
Instead of answering right away, Pinkie traced a line in the fabric of the blanket. Taking a deep breath, she looked up to Twilight. "I never told you guys why I live with Mr. and Mrs. Cake, did I?" she asked quietly. "When I was five, Granny Pie died. Granny was my favorite person in the whole world. It really really hurt me, and I couldn't sleep at night. Granny was everything. She's the one who gave us our nicknames. She's the one who brought all the smiles and laughter to the farm. When she died, it was like the world had gone from color to black and white. I didn't smile until Dash's Rainboom." She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. "Only, I was the only one who remembered what it was like to be happy. I remembered what it was like to see color and smile. So I threw that party for my family. They liked it…but I was also discouraged from doing it again. I tried telling them that was my soul call, but they didn't listen. I would try to do things and make them happy, but it made mama and papa angry instead."
"Pinkie…" Twilight stopped when she saw the look the other girl was giving her.
Tears were already forming in Pinkie's eyes. When she spoke again, her voice had a quiver Twilight had never heard her use before. "Can we just talk about it? We-We don't have to. Mrs. Cake normally lets me talk to her, but she isn't here and I haven't been able to talk to anyone and I just feel really bad and I don't know why and—"
Ignoring her own burning eyes, Twilight wrapped Pinkie in a tight hug. Pinkie's hands balled into fist around the fabric of Twilight's shirt as she pressed her face into Twilight's neck and cried. To Twilight, it felt as if Pinkie were crying for more than the story she was telling. The pink-haired girl had held up incredibly well after her initial breakdown the morning the Cake's had left, and Twilight knew she needed an outlet for it. Twilight didn't shush her. She didn't say anything, instead letting Pinkie take things at her own pace. She rubbed Pinkie's back as she felt tears fall onto her shoulder. Soon the tears slowed and faded into sniffs. Pinkie turned her head so that she was facing away from Twilight, though she was still laying mostly on her. When she didn't offer to move, Twilight shifted so that she was on her back, with Pinkie's head resting on her shoulder.
After a few minutes of silence, with Twilight stroking Pinkie's back comfortingly, she continued her story."Anyway, my sistrs loved everything I did, but it made my parents and me fight a lot. They loved me, and I knew that, and I loved them, but they wanted to stay sad all the time and I couldn't take that anymore. So I moved. I told them I was going to, but I don't think they believed me until I left."
Making sure of what she heard, Twilight asked, "You just left?"
Twilight felt Pinkie nod. "But then the family came and got me. Papa told me how silly I was for leaving like that. That I needed to accept life on the farm. So I jumped off the carriage and he stopped. And I told him I hated it on the farm, and that I wanted to be happy. I said a lot of mean things to him, and he said mean things back. But he talked to mama and they gave me a bag of bits and told me I could go." Pinkie sighed, adjusting her head on Twilight's shoulder so that she was closer to her neck. "Marble ran after me, and I said some really bad things to her. I was shouting at her when Limestone came to get her, and that made me and Limestone fight, and I haven't talked to them since."
"I'm sorry. I bet you miss them a lot. Haven't you ever tried to write to them?" Twilight looked down, seeing the back of Pinkie's head.
She felt Pinkie shrug, then lift her head. "No. I wanted to but that was a really long time ago. I came here a month later and the Cakes let me stay with them and you know all of that stuff. I just didn't write them, and I don't want to anymore." Grabbing Twilight's hand in her own, Pinkie laid her head on Twilight's chest. Twilight was sure Pinkie could hear her heart speed up as Pinkie played with her hand.
"Twilight?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes?"
"Can we just stay like this for a minute? It feels nice."
"Of course we can." They laid in silence while Twilight thought about what had happened. She's always so happy for everyone, always smiling. I didn't realize how right I was when I said she was strong. Her family always sounds so important to her.
She ran her fingers through Pinkie's hair. Soon, Pinkie stopped playing with Twilight's fingers and her breathing evened out. Repressing a giggle, Twilight smiled when she looked down and saw that Pinkie had fallen asleep. Now isn't the time to talk about my feelings with her. Right now, she just needs a friend. It wasn't long before Twilight's own eyes fell shut.
Twilight walked into the café the next day with a smile. Pinkie had easily gotten Twilight to agree to come be a customer for her first day on the job. After their unexpected nap the previous day, Pinkie had seemed much more like her normal self than she had since the fire. Twilight had assured Pinkie she could talk to her at any time and about anything.
Now, though, she was excited to see what Pinkie would be like as a waitress. Although it was nearly identical to her position at Sugarcube Corner, the owner had encouraged Pinkie to be sociable and talk to the customers, saying it would help her get better tips. The café had a sizable amount of customers for a first day opening, though the crowd was still small.Twilight took a seat near the side of the room, hoping she wasn't supposed to wait to be seated.
She looked around the café as she waited on Pinkie to make it to her table. The blue and silver striped wallpaper looked wonderful against the dark wood tables. The chairs sparkled in the overhead lights and the flowers selectively placed around the room gave the café an airy atmosphere, even though the windows on either side of the door were rather small.
Not that Twilight had much time to look around. In less than a minute, Pinkie was at her table. "Hiya, Twily. You made it. Oh my gosh this is so exciting. Did you know I'm the only waitress he has right now because his ad was delayed and no one has asked about the help wanted sign he has in the window. I mean, we've been really busy. But we aren't right now." Pinkie grinned. "Oh, here's the menu I'm supposed to give you. You can look at it, there's some really super stuff on there. But I bet I know what you want."
Looking up at Pinkie, Twilight smiled. "And what do I want?"
"Chicken salad croissant and a fizzy drink."
Without looking at the menu, Twilight handed it back to Pinkie. "That actually sounds really good, Pinkie. I take that."
"Be back in a jiffy," Pinkie said, taking the menu and walking back toward what Twilight assumed was the kitchen. She came back out quickly, throwing a quick grin to Twilight before going to another table to check on their drinks.
Other than Twilight, there were only three other tables filled. Muffins and Dr. Hooves were on the other side of the café, obviously discussing something important with their daughter. Lyra and Bonbon were sitting in the middle, both giggling over something. And just a table over from Twilight, the towns middle school teacher sat with some of her friends.
As much as she tried to keep her thoughts away, it wasn't long before Twilight was thinking about Pinkie again. She had managed to talk to Rarity and obtain permission to tell Pinkie about their relationship. The couple wanted to keep it a secret for a little while, until they could think of a good way to tell everyone. They were going to tell their close friends this weekend at a small gathering Rarity was hosting, but Twilight hoped to talk to Pinkie before then.
"Here ya go." Pinkie placed Twilight's plate in front of her, pulling her from her thoughts. "Foods all ready." Pinkie stood at the table, looking expectantly at Twilight.
Picking up the sandwich, Twilight took a small test bite. Her eyes widened and she looked at Pinkie with a smile. "It's really good. Great call, Pinkie."
Pinkie giggled. "See, I told you that's what you wanted. It's this place great? The grand opening is next week. Then we should have more wait staff and stuff and we'll have a lot of people coming in to eat. It'll be great! You girls will all be there, and so will Spike, of course. And he says he wants the whole town to come, but I tried to explain to him that I couldn't get the whole town in here unless we timed everyone to only two minutes each, and that doesn't give me time to do what he wants me to do." Pinkie shrugged. "What have you done all day?"
Twilight took a sip of her fizzy drink before speaking. "Well, after you left, the middle school came over. The Crusaders were there, so I had to make sure all the super dangerous books were kept out of their hands. Applejack and Rarity would kill me if those girls get another idea from a library book. Once the library closed, I went to talk to Rarity for a bit, and then I came here."
"Oh, did Rarity tell you about her and Spike?"
Twilight stopped, her sandwich midway to her mouth. "You know?"
"Of course. It's obvious."
Twilight started to ask what made it obvious, but stopped. Am I obvious? Does she know? How does she know? She was saved with her struggle for what to say when a loud male voice called out.
"Pinkamena,, what are you doing? You've got other customers to attend to." A short man walked over to the table, barely glancing at Twilight.
"I told you to call me Pinkie. Pinkamena is so boring and it isn’t really a fun name, you know? Pinkie—"
He sighed. "Okay, Pinkie it is. Still, you aren't supposed to be standing around talking to people. You have a job to do. I thought you said you have experience?"
Giving the man an over exaggerated frown, Pinkie gestured to Twilight. "You told me to talk to the customers, and everyone's happy right now. I was talking to Twilight."
His eyebrows rose as he looked back at Twilight. "Wait…Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight looked between Pinkie and the man. "Sorry, do I know you?"
He smiled, but shook his head. "No, no. I know your parents. You're Velvet and Nightlight's kid, right? We were friends when I lived in Canterlot. That's been years ago now. I haven't seen you since you were eight. I almost didn't recognize you. How are your parents?"
"Good. They're really good, actually." Twilight smiled.
"Yeah? I heard that brother of yours married a Princess? Good on him. I knew Shining Armor would go far. What about you? Got any princes lined up?" He winked and smiled a little, letting her know it was a joke.
Twilight couldn't help her eyes flashing to Pinkie when he asked though. She could have sworn Pinkie frowned at the man. "Did you need me to do something, Mota?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, go check on the other customers and make sure they're okay. That's how you get tips, and tips are how you get paid." He flippantly waved a hand in Pinkie's direction. Twilight watched her walk off, looking back at them once or twice. After that, Twilight found herself giving shorter and shorter answers to Mota, until new customers came in and he had to prepare more food.
By then she had finished her meal. She walked over to Pinkie, who had just finished giving the new group their drinks. "That was really good, Pinkie. Thanks for suggesting it."
It seemed whatever frown Twilight thought she saw was gone now. Pinkie grinned at her. "I knew you would like it. So, you're leaving now?"
"I guess. I just need to pay the check."
Giggling, Pinkie shook her head. She walked back to the window of the kitchen, giving Marco the slip with the orders on it. "Nope. You bought me all kinds of stuff, so I'm buying you dinner."
Knowing she would never win that argument, Twilight just smiled. "Thank you." She opened her arms to offer a hug, which Pinkie welcomed. "I guess I'll see you at home then? Still get off at ten?"
"Yeah. Have a good night, Twily."
"You too, Pinkie."
Twilight woke and rolled over, expecting to see a sleeping Pinkie beside her. She often came in late from the café, so she had started sleeping in later than usual. Mota would work in the morning to the afternoon training the people he had hired. He had put Pinkie in charge of the evenings and nights since she had the most experience working in that type of environment. That meant that, even though the café closed at ten, Pinkie couldn't leave until everything was cleaned and all the employee's had left, putting her coming home often at one in the morning.
Twilight had gone to bed earlier that night and hadn't heard Pinkie come in. Or that's what she thought, until she realized Pinkie wasn't there. She sat up and looked around, but Pinkie's work uniform, which was usually stripped off and left lying in the floor, was nowhere to be seen.
Furrowing her brow, Twilight got up and made her way out of the bedroom and through the library. She checked everywhere she thought Pinkie might be: the shower, the kitchen, Spike's room, the library room, even the freezer, but she couldn't find Pinkie anywhere.
She was about to the check the bathroom again when the front door of the library opened and shut quietly. She looked out of the kitchen to see Pinkie sneaking up the stairs with two Styrofoam containers in her hands.
"Umm…Pinkie?" Twilight stepped from the kitchen and looked up at her. "What are you doing?"
Pinkie sighed, turning and walking down the steps toward the kitchen. "I was surprising you with breakfast in bed, silly. I went to the café and got omelets and toast and some fruit. You were supposed to stay asleep until I came back." Then she smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you down here in your pajamas before." Twilight looked down at her clothes, blushing a little when she realized she was only in sleeping pants and a t-shirt. Pinkie giggled. "Don't worry about it, you look cute. Let's eat before the food gets cold."
Twilight hated it when Pinkie said things like that. It always grew the hope she had that Pinkie felt the same, but it also reminded her of all the times Fluttershy or Rarity had said the same thing. "So, grand opening later should be really fun. I gotta work the evening shift as usual, but Mota said I could have the next two days off after today. You're still coming, right? All the girls said they would be there."
"Of course I'll be there," Twilight said. She sighed as she forked some of her omelets. After eating a few bites in silence, she decided it was time she finally put her plan into action. "So, what do you think about Rarity and Spike dating now?"
"I think it's amazing. I knew the little guy could do it. Well, I guess he isn't really a little guy, though, is he? Maybe I should choose another nickname for him. Do you think he would like big guy? Or S-Dog? Or—"
"I think Spike would be good enough," Twilight said, grinning. "I just think it's great. Spike had a crush on her for so long, you know. Now they're together." She took a deep calming breath, hoping Pinkie wouldn't notice.
Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "I wouldn't really call it a crush though. I mean, crushes go away, right? Spike is well on his way to love. And Rarity is, too."
That answer caught Twilight off guard. "Oh. So um…do you have a crush on anyone?" Keep with the questions you thought up. Sure, that threw you off a little, but it's no big deal.
Twilight tried to remain casual as she watched Pinkie shake her head. "Nope. No crushes here."
Looking down at her omelet, Twilight realized she didn't want it anymore. Besides, she wasn't sure how the food would make it into her stomach when it had dropped past her knees. She fought to keep the smile on her face as she separated a pepper from the egg. "Oh," she said, hoping her voice had the same tone it had before. Her eyes burned and she squeezed the shut, refusing to let a single tear come out.
I shouldn't have let myself get so hopeful. This was always the most likely outcome. I knew that. She's still a friend. A really great one. You can be happy with her as your best friend, can't you?She gasped as someone touched her shoulder, realizing she hadn't taken a breath since she closed her eyes.
"T-Twily? Are you okay? Listen—"
Pushing her away, Twilight shook her head. "I'm fine, Pinkie, really. I just…I need to go." She didn't care how obvious she was being now as she walked as quickly as she could without running, reaching the front door before Pinkie's hand wrapped around her arm again.
"Are you even listening to me? Because if you would just listen for two seconds—"
"Pinkie, just, just stop, okay? I need you to stop talking. Just leave me alone. Forget it, okay? I know it's never going to happen and I'm just being stupid so just stop."
Pinkie crossed her arms, glaring at Twilight. "Tell me, Twilight. What's never going to happen? Huh?"
Breathing heavily, Twilight took Pinkie's face in her hands and pressed their lips together. Twilight heard Pinkie's sharp intake of breath the brief and trembling kiss. A second later Twilight backed away, her hand pressed to her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered before turning on the spot and teleporting away.