• Published 9th Feb 2016
  • 8,561 Views, 103 Comments

Please Nibble Responsibly - FrontSevens



Pinkie Pie learns the weirdest thing about ponies in love; they nibble each other’s ears. But, why?

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Irresponsinibbles

“Heave!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “Heeeaaave!” She dug her back hooves into the dirt, with a long, thin weed coiled around her front hooves. Pinkie pulled until her hooves turned white and her face turned blue.

Fluttershy lifted her wide-brimmed sun hat. “Oh, my. Do be careful.”

“Heeeeaaaavvve ho!” A flurry of dirt erupted as the weed came loose. Pinkie fell back onto the garden bed, huffing and panting. She lifted up her trophy, a wispy weed with a root at least two feet long. “Fear my mighty weeding powers!”

Fluttershy nodded, using her trowel to dig a small hole. “You could use the clippers next time if you want,” she said, pointing to the shears lying in the dirt near Pinkie. “For the ones that are too hard to pull out, that is.”

Pinkie stared at the shears and picked them up. “These would make it easier, yeah.” Pinkie wiped the sweat off her forehead. She pointed at a pot full of petunias on Fluttershy’s cart. “Say, mind if I have one or two of these?”

“Go right ahead. I think you’ve earned it.”

Pinkie lifted out the pot and selected one of the flowers, chomping down on it. She took her own sun hat off and used it to fan her face. As she chewed the flower, Pinkie glanced at Fluttershy’s ears. She swallowed. “Hey, Fluttershy?”

“Yes?”

Pinkie cleared her throat. “I dunno if you know about this or not, and I wasn’t sure if it was okay to mention it, but it’s really bothering me; your ear has a teensy weensy little bite mark in it,” Pinkie said. “It’s like either Mikey the mouse took a ginormous chomp, or Ginny the gator took a super small nibble.” She used her arms and hooves to illustrate the size of such a small nibble from an animal with such a large jaw.

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, don’t be silly. Mikey has never tried to eat a pony.”

Pinkie set the shears down and scooted closer to Fluttershy, inspecting her ear. “It really does look like a bite mark. Does it hurt?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t worry, it’ll grow back.”

Pinkie poked Fluttershy’s ear. “If it wasn’t Mikey or Gerry, then who bit it?”

“Well, you know, it was, um,” Fluttershy said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Just Rarity.”

“Rarity?” Pinkie’s brow furrowed. “Why would Rarity do that? Was she that hungry? I thought you said you were going to a fancy restaurant last night. Didn’t they have food there? Or is it one of those restaurants where it’s so fancy, they don’t give you any food?”

“No, there was food. It was very nice,” Fluttershy said, lifting out a cluster of sunflowers and setting it into the hole. She pushed the dirt back around the flowers and patted it. “Rarity was just fooling around, is all, and she nibbled my ear.”

“Why?” Pinkie looked around. She set a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Was she mad at you?”

“No, it’s nothing like that at all,” Fluttershy said, smiling and stroking her mane. “It’s simply a silly little thing that ponies do when they’re in love.”

Pinkie backed away and sat in the garden bed. She wrapped her hoof around another weed and tugged at it. “Do they?”

“Well, they can, certainly.” Fluttershy shrugged. “It’s a playful thing, is all it is.”

“Playful, you say?” Pinkie squinted and rubbed her chin. “How playful are we talking? Cracking a clever joke playful? Professional competitive sports league playful? Chess playful? Checkers playful? Young at heart playful?” She puffed up her cheeks. “Adorable widdle kitten pawing at a teeny yellow yarn ball playful?”

“That one, almost. Close enough,” Fluttershy said. “It’s my favourite kind of playful, anyway.”

Pinkie nodded firmly. “Mine, too.”

“And that’s all it is,” Fluttershy said, picking up her watering can and passing it over the sunflowers. “Just a playful little thing two ponies do when they’re in love.”

“Just a playful little thing, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Pinkie tugged some more at the weed, then reached for the shears. “Just a playful little thing.”

~ ~ ~

Pinkie only had to knock twice before the cloud-door to Rainbow Dash’s house swung wide open.

“Pinkie! Hey!” Rainbow gave Pinkie a quick peck on the cheek. “You made it!”

“Hiya, Rainbow,” Pinkie said, giving a small smile. She untied the balloons from her waist and hitched them to a cloud-pillar.

“You’re like ten minutes late.” Rainbow zipped off to the couch and swiped her controller off the ground. “I’ve been waiting for days to take back my title as the Pong champion. It’s about time that the real Pong master takes her rightful place and rises to the top once again.”

Pinkie nodded, closing the door behind her. Her special cloud-walking shoes made soft puffs as she strolled over to Rainbow’s couch. She sat down and made herself comfortable.

Rainbow’s hoof hovered over the knob on the controller. She perked an eyebrow at Pinkie and grinned. “You ready, hotshot? Ready to be taken down? Down and around? Down to the ground? Downward bound?”

“Yeah, sure,” Pinkie said, picking up the controller. “Yeah, uh, I’m gonna take you down, too. Downtown. Downville, really, ‘cause we live in Ponyville. Not Ponytown.” She shook her head. “Nope. No sirree bob. It’s a ville.”

Rainbow withdrew her hoof from above the controller. She set it down on her lap and poked Pinkie. “Hey, are you okay? You seem… distracted.”

Pinkie gnawed at her hoof, her eyes drifting from the television screen to Rainbow’s ears. Pinkie looked down at her controller, nudging the knob. Her white paddle moved up a bit, starting the game, but the ball went past her paddle almost immediately. ‘1’ flashed on Rainbow’s side of the screen. She lifted her hoof off of the controller. “I wanna give something a try,” Pinkie said, playing with a tuft of her mane. “Is that okay with you?”

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, I mean, you know, earlier today I was talking with somepony, and her ear looked kinda funny, like someone had bitten it, and it turned out that’s exactly what happened.” Pinkie shook her head, tapping her hooves together and turning away. “Like, her marefriend bit her ear. Like, just a little bit, though, on the tip, and not hard or anything, and it wasn’t because she was mad, it was because she was being playful, is all. Is that a thing?”

“Oh, you mean ear-nibbling?”

Pinkie whipped her head around. “You know about it, too?” She sat back on the couch and folded her arms, pouting. “Why does everypony know about this but me?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno. You weren’t paying attention?”

“I’m always paying attention!” Pinkie threw her hooves up. The controller she was holding flew up into the air, landing on the cloud-carpet with a soft whump.

Rainbow set her own controller aside, shifting on the couch. “I didn’t mean to offend you or whatever. Geez.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Pinkie slumped on the couch. “It’s what ponies in love do, right? I dunno. It’s just a playful thing.” She scanned a shelf in the corner, her eyes stopping at Rainbow’s favourite board game. “Wanna play Battlestratus instead?”

“Nah. You know what, Pinkie? Go for it,” Rainbow said, running a hoof through her mane and smiling. “I trust you. If you want to give it a try, I’m ready.”

“Well, okay,” Pinkie said. She straightened up on the couch. “Okay. Yeah.” She realigned herself, first changing her stance to a sitting position, then a standing position, then a sort of side-lean, then a crouch, then settling on the classic sit.

“Gettin’ cozy, there?”

“Uh huh.” Pinkie inhaled through her nose and relaxed her shoulders. “Here goes.” She took a quick glance around. Hesitating at first, she brought her mouth close to Rainbow’s ear.

Then, Pinkie nibbled.

It was a soft nibble, just barely a gnaw on the tip of Rainbow Dash’s ear. The deed done, Pinkie pulled back and studied Rainbow’s face. “That didn’t hurt, did it, Dashie?”

“Nope,” Rainbow said, folding her arms behind her head. “That was actually kind of nice. Never done that before.”

Pinkie examined the tip of Rainbow Dash’s ear. It didn’t have a visible bite mark yet. “Can I try it again?”

“Sure.”

She leaned in again and nibbled, this time attempting a second nibble. Then a third. She continued to gnaw, her ears folding back.

Rainbow grinned and rolled her eyes. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, actually,” Pinkie said between nibbles. “You’re kinda tasty. I dunno if you knew that.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Oh? What do I taste like?”

Pinkie scrunched up her nose. “I want to say marshmallow. It’s so light and fluffy and kinda sweet.” She took another nibble and licked her lips. “It’s not quite marshmallow, though. It still has some meat to it, you know? I mean, not meat meat—that’d be super gross. I’m just saying it’s a little rich and dense, sort of like a Double Dark Delectable Delight Chocolate Cake, but also smooth and light, like the creamy milk chocolate icing on a Double Dark Delectable Delight Chocolate Cake.” Pinkie gasped, taking another bite. “Like cake and frosting at the same time! It’s incredible!”

“What was that?”

“I said, ‘Like cake and frosting at the same time! It’—woooooah my gosh Rainbow!” Pinkie gaped. “Your ear’s gone!”

Rainbow put a hoof up to the side of her face, searching for her ear, but nothing was there. Only a smooth patch of light blue skin remained where her ear had once been.

“I’m so sorry! Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry!” Pinkie jumped up, scurrying to hide behind the couch.

“I forgive you times five, geez,” Rainbow said. “It’s no big deal.”

Pinkie peeked out from behind the couch. “Are you sure? Doesn’t it hurt?”

Rainbow looked at her hoof and shook her head. “No, not at all.”

Pinkie crawled out, settling next to Rainbow on the couch cushions. “Are you one hundred percent positive? It isn’t sore at all? There’s not even a weird tingly feeling up there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Rainbow said, staring at nothing in particular. “I’m just surprised, I guess.”

“Surprised? Just surprised? Your ear is completely gone off your head! Because I ate it! How are you not absolutely bewildered?”

“Well, I’m a bit bewildered, yeah. I mean, I didn’t think we were that close,” Rainbow said, her cheeks flushing red. She put her hoof on Pinkie’s. “I dunno about this, Pinkie. I mean, this is moving a little too fast, but if you’re cool with it, then I’m cool with it.”

“Cool with it? Did you not hear me?” Pinkie walked around to Rainbow’s intact ear and shouted, “I ate your ear!”

“Pinkie, chill, it’s okay,” Rainbow said, pushing her away. “It’ll grow back.”

“Dashie, you don’t understand the implications!” Pinkie grabbed Rainbow by the shoulders and shook her. “You’re edible! How are you alive? Were you a result of one of Twilight’s magical experiments gone wrong? Have you been cursed by an evil witch? Are you a cake-pony cyborg from the future sent back to the present and programmed to kill me, or are you programmed to save me, my plucky son, and his dated haircut?”

“Yeah, okay.” Rainbow lifted Pinkie’s hooves off and picked up her controller. “Ear-nibbling’s a no-no. Got it.”

“How many of you are out there? Or maybe it’s just you?” Pinkie paced across the room. “No, but Fluttershy’s ear had been bitten too, by Rarity.”

“Really? Huh. Rarity told me things weren’t getting serious.”

“Well if things weren’t getting serious, they will be now!” Pinkie bent down and covered her head with her hooves. “These are the most serious things ever! Have I been baking cakes with frosting for ponies made out of cake and frosting?” She slid down to the ground, pulling down her eyelids. “Have I been a cannibal all my life?”

“Seriously, Pinkie, chill.” Pong flashed up on the television screen, and Rainbow nodded towards Pinkie’s controller. “One-v-one me. Quit it with the cakes and cannibals and whatever.”

“No,” Pinkie said, standing up. She pushed the controller away. “No time for games. I need to know.”

“Kay. Have fun being all vague and mysterious.”

Pinkie squinted. “That’s what they all say.” She slithered across the cloud-carpet, sneaking out the door and closing it softly behind her.

“Hey, Tank!” Rainbow called out, looking around her and under the couch cushions. “You busy? I’m down an opponent, here, and you and Pinkie are like the only ones in this town that’re any good at this game.”

~ ~ ~

“Twilight?” Spike stood beside Twilight’s bed, adorned in his pajamas and holding a candlestick.

Twilight groaned, pulling the sheets in closer. “Mmm? What is it, Spike?”

“Twilight, I need to ask you something.” Spike set the candlestick down and wrung his claws.

Twilight stretched her neck, squinting out the window at the dark sky, which had only barely turned a deep blue. “The sun’s not even up yet.”

“I know. It’s, um, kind of urgent.”

“Mmm. Fine.” Twilight sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Spike fidgeted, twiddling his thumbs as he glanced at Twilight. “Why did Pinkie Pie come into our castle this early in the morning, and why is she eating your ear?”

Twilight turned to look. Pinkie sat next to her on the bed, affixed to her ear. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie stopped chewing and waved. “Morning, Twilight.”

Twilight blinked. “Pinkie?” Her eyes widened. “Pinkie, what are you doing?” Twilight shooed Pinkie away. Throwing off the covers, she rubbed the place where her ear had been and blushed. “I thought you were going out with Rainbow!”

“I needed to know,” Pinkie mumbled, her eyelids drooping halfway over her eyes. “And now I know.”

“Know what?”

“That my life is a lie and everyone I’ve ever met is a walking, talking cake-frosting hybrid.” Pinkie’s head tipped down. “I don’t know why we’re all cake-frosting hybrids, but there’s some comfort in knowing that it’s a fact of life, you know?”

Twilight pursed her lips. “Pinkie.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll grow back.” Pinkie yawned. “You know what they say. It’s just a playful little thing. Adorable widdle kittens and yarn balls and stuff.”

“Pinkie, you should go home. Now.”

Pinkie caught herself from nodding off. “Yes please.”

Twilight pushed the teetering Pinkie out the bedroom door, Spike following close behind. Pinkie skidded down the hallway and yawned. “You tasted good, by the way.”

“Pinkie, I don’t want to know.”

Pinkie’s head lolled back. “Bit of cinnamon in there, I think. Or nutmeg.”

“Pinkie.”

“Similar to everypony else, though.”

“Pinkie, I’m—” Twilight halted before she reached the front door. “ ‘Everypony else’? Oh, no. Pinkie, did you—”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Twilight sighed. “Good grief.”

Spike pushed open the door to a crowd of ponies gathered around Twilight’s doorstep. All heads turned to the Princess of Friendship when she appeared. Applejack and Rarity were the first to come forward.

“Twilight!” Rarity said. “Everypony in town is having an affair, but nopony knows with whom!” Rarity gasped, putting a hoof to her chest as she spotted Twilight’s missing ear. “Heavens, not you too!”

“Yep,” Twilight said. “No affair, though.” She raised her voice so the whole crowd could hear. “None of you are having affairs with anypony.”

“Ya sure?” Applejack said. She took her hat off, her lips curling in a pout. “What, uh, what about a secret admirer?”

“Well, maybe,” Twilight said. “But the reason your ears are gone is not because everyone just happened to have an affair at the same time. That’d be astronomically coincidental.” She pointed at Pinkie. “She did it. Not with ill intent, though. She’s just never heard of ear-nibbling before, and she simply doesn’t understand it.”

Everyone sighed in relief and nodded.

“I understand. I remember the first time I discovered ear-nibbling,” Rarity said.

“I think we all do,” Twilight said. “Anyway, you can all go home now.”

The crowd dispersed and strolled back down the road to Ponyville. Pinkie started to follow, but Twilight pulled her back. “Pinkie, a minute, please?”

“Hmm?” Pinkie almost tipped over as Twilight stabilized her. “Why?”

Twilight rubbed her face. “Believe me, I’m as exhausted as you are, both physically from lack of sleep and emotionally after I thought you were cheating on Rainbow with me. But first, you need to tell me why you went around Ponyville in the middle of the night and nibbled everypony’s ears.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Pinkie said. “It’ll grow back. It’s just a playful little thing. Adorable widdle kittens and—”

“Pinkie, please.” Twilight held Pinkie’s head steady. “I need you to focus. Why’d you eat everyone’s ears?”

Pinkie’s brow wrinkled as she stared at Twilight’s lips, mouthing the question. Stirring awake, she narrowed her eyes as she straightened up. She jabbed a hoof at Twilight’s chest. “Why do your ears taste so good, huh? Answer me that!”

Twilight shrugged. “Taste is subjective. I like coffee. You don’t.”

“But ears? Tell me you didn’t know you could eat ears!”

“Oh yeah, I think just about everypony knows.”

Pinkie jabbed a hoof at Twilight’s chest. “Why are ears edible? Why!”

“They just are.” Twilight leaned back. “That’s how ponies have always been. Ponies’ ears are edible.”

Pinkie stomped her hoof to emphasize her words. “That doesn’t make any sense!

“Weren’t you the one that taught me that things don’t always have to make sense?”

Pinkie glared at Twilight, snorting furiously, her pupils constricted into pinpoints. “I swear on Celestia’s one-thousand two-hundred and thirtieth birthday bonanza coming up in November, this better not be one big practical joke where everypony wore some cake-and-frosting franken-pastries shaped like ears for a whole night just to trick me into eating them and questioning everything I believe in!

“Actually, wow, yeah.” Spike said. “That would’ve been one of the best pranks ever. Y’know, minus the questioning everything bit.”

Collapsing onto the ground, Pinkie let out the breath she was holding. “I wish it was a prank.” She sagged as she lay face-first on the doorstep. “Can I go home now?” she mumbled.

“Yes, please,” Twilight said, stepping out of her way.

“Thanks.” Pinkie hobbled off down the road to Ponyville. “If it’s a prank, I’m making a note in the friendship journal later that you’re all liars and jerk-faces. Right on the table of contents.”

“Okay, see you later.” Twilight waved goodbye. “C’mon, Spike, let’s get back to bed.”

“With pleasure.” Spike hopped up and ambled inside.

Twilight followed suit, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Just before closing the door, she stopped. “Hey, Spike?”

“Yeah?”

Twilight looked down the road at the stumbling Pinkie Pie. “Did you ever think it was weird that ponies’ ears are edible?”

“Nah.” Spike strolled onward. “I don’t question pony stuff. Not only can you can shoot magical lasers from your face, but you became a pony princess just by finishing a poem, and a free castle grew out of the ground as a result. And it’s not like Pinkie herself hasn’t pulled some weird stunts before. The whole ear-nibbling thing doesn’t faze me.”

“Fair enough.” With that, Twilight closed the castle door behind them.

Comments ( 101 )

Never mentioned this in my Writeoff review, but the fact that Pinkie completely bites Dash's ear off while distracting herself with thoughts of cake and frosting is just perfect.

And the character work, more generally, is awfully spot-on for such a random piece.

Turns out my dog's ear is not edible.

And we might not be friends anymore.

Thanks, Pinkie. Hmf. :pinkiegasp:

6917483 Thank you! :>

Also, as a person who most of the time doesn't consider any of his work high-level on many levels, I'm forever going to tell people that I wrote a story that a great writer considered "modern art". :P

Well. That...happened.

Okay, I'll give give you props for this: it's new and original. I've seen ear nibbling done as an affectionate thing among ponies in other stories, but this is the first time I've seen it done where they're edible. And, Pinkie Pie was the perfect character to explore this the true nature of ponies with edible ears.

And, when Pinkie ate Rainbow Dash's ear because she was thinking about cake was just hilarious.

Overall, I have to say that, while the premise borders on bizarre, I like it.

6917691

Overall, I have to say that, while the premise borders on bizarre, I like it.

Phew. xP I've been working on writing some of my more bizzare ideas in such a way that they appeal to people other than me, so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it :>

6917539
It's true!

> great writer
Also, flattery will get you everywhere. Do you want an upgrade to "high modern art"? A pull quote for your movie poster? "This absurdist Bildungsroman earnestly deconstructs the moribund obligations of romantic commitment via the metaphor-laden medium of My Little Pony. A true tour de force of ear-nibbling."

6917771 I like that a lot, actually :O

In fact, I may just go ahead and use that as the title of the movie, if you don't mind

Missed it in the write-off but I'm glad I read it in this version. Quite fun and just surreal enough.:twilightsmile:

I tried it and my colleague is now writhing on the ground and yells in something that sounds like pain. Is that supposed to happen?

I have to admit, this grew on me, rather like a pony's ear post-nibbling. I still wonder about the anatomy and biology of it all (Shouldn't there at least be a hole leading to the eardrum?) but this was a fun case of Pinkie Pie being the one confounded by the inexplicable for once. Her desperately echoing what she'd heard before in an attempt to justify herself was especially nice. Thank you for this. :pinkiesmile:

That's a whole lot of WTF. Usually it's Pinkie being the perpetrator and not the victim which is different.

Awesome. I was like "wut?" in the middle but I regretted nothing. :twilightsmile:

:rainbowlaugh:

I got nothing else. Except that it's quite a change to have Pinkie be the bamboozled one.

This... Was worth every second of reading.

~Skeeter The Lurker

NOPONY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION

haha just imagin all the little foals at the school the next morning !

So, that's a thing, then.

I don't even know.

Clear evidence that Ponies were designed millenia ago by Princess Celestia... pony ears are made of self-regenerating cake. :trollestia:

pretty sure every part of a pony is edible, if you have a butcher's knife and an oven :trollestia:
6917539

are you sure that's a compliment?

6918830 And thank you for reading & providing feedback in the writeoff :3

6920232
If that was a serious question (and it probably isn't), context is the first link in 6917771.

6919625
Well, of course! It's High Modern Art™! :raritywink:

6920232 I have a feeling it is a compliment, yes, but even if it wasn't, I could always misquote it to my benefit :V

Didn't even read it before adding it to favourites. Just added it from the description and picture.

I like this funny stuff. I like this story.

After reading this, I searched for images of earless ponies. Good job, mate! :moustache:

6920521 Ah yes, favouriting responsibly I see :moustache:

6920615 Glad I could expand your horizons to new earless heights :3

Actually, now I'm kind of curious, too... xP

mrk

All of my wat

Alright... That just happened.:rainbowderp:

That was an interesting story. How did you come up with it

It is not often that a story asks me to simply accept something as strange and out of context as this.

I mean
what

I thought this was going to be an adorable thing with Pinkie Pie going around nibbling random ponies' ears trying to figure out what exactly ear nibbling was. It started out just fine, thinking Fluttershy just had a mark on her ear instead of a whole chunk missing. Then I read "Your ear's gone!"... I had to reread that a few times to make sure I understood that correctly...

You know, this was really crazy. But then at the end, with the context of how weird ponies normally are, it's surprising how much this doesn't seem as impossible.

Wow. Faved and liked. kind of wondering what other anatomical wonders there are. Like sugar being pony dandruff, or something crazy.

“Cool with it? Did you not hear me?” Pinkie walked around to Rainbow’s intact ear and shouted, “I ate your ear!”

“Pinkie, chill, it’s okay,” Rainbow said, pushing her away. “It’ll grow back.”

“Dashie, you don’t understand the implications!” Pinkie grabbed Rainbow by the shoulders and shook her. “You’re edible! How are you alive?

Oh my God. Pinkie is the straight man in this story.

PS Like, fave. It was really good.

I beg your pardon???

What did I just read?:pinkiecrazy:

..... Have you been running lines of scratch-n-sniff pony pictures? Because it's the only explanation I have for a story where Pinkie is the straight man.

Pinkie Pie as the straight man in a comedy...

Welp, now I have officially seen everything. That's it, folks.

6920338 Unfortunately no. Left a bloody taste in my mouth.

This story is filled with wat.

But it has implied Flarity and Rainbowpie.

I like this.

This story made absolutely no sense.

I love it.

A story where Pinkie Pie doesn't know what everypony else does for a change is brilliant!

Good job.

I... No.

Pony ears! The other other white meat!!!!

BRD

Pinkie is not the only one who whats to know, In fact Everyone likes to know this.

Unless it's like the Big Question in Doctor who.

The Question is: Doctor Who? (In case no one knows the Question is.)

Well, now we know where Mike Tyson got the idea from. Small cute ponies.

Ok, this is going in the "Comedy" tab of my "WTF did I just read?" folder.

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