"Psst!"
Pinkamena quietly sighed, ignoring her counterpart. It had only been two months into her Pinkie-enforced parole and she had already grown tired of her. She sat atop a cloud, using her hooves as a support as she tried to relax.
"Pinkamena!"
She growled lowly, before turning onto her stomach as she gave her wings a single flap, gusting her and the cloud downwards. Low enough for her to see Pinkie clearly.
"Hey!" Pinkie waved as she saw Pinkamena coming into the distance. Pinkamena unenthusiastically waved to her.
"Are you ready to talk?"
"Sure..." Pinkamena, yet again, was already bored by the conversation.
"Okay. Let me just..."
She removed three balloons from her saddlebags, somehow already inflated, and tied the strings around her midsection. Pinkamena sighed as Pinkie slowly rose up to Pinkamena's height. "Okay, ready."
"I could just carry you with me, you know. You don't have to use balloons every time. It'd be a lot safer"
"I know, but where's the fun in that." Pinkie giggled. "All right, pull me up so we can talk." She extended her right forehoof to Pinkamena. Pinkamena took her hoof, pulling her along as she floated upwards, slowly going above the bakery.
"How's it been adjusting?"
"Okay, I guess." Pinkamena stared at the passing rooftops above as they slowly drifted with each other, following the small breeze in the wind.
"Made any friends yet?"
"Just a stallion. I really haven't had time for friends. I've barely built my house."
"I would've figured clouds would've made easier building material." Pinkie laughed. Pinkamena disingenuously chuckled with her.
"What's he like?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your stallionfriend, silly! Gimme the juicy details." Pinkie rested her head on her forehooves. Pinkamena scoffed.
"Give me a break..." She whispered silently. "It's not like that. You sound like Rarity when you try to get gossip."
"Oh, really?" Pinkie's ears perked up. "Well, perhaps I shall begin imitating her as well." She did her best impression of Rarity, speaking in a dignified, proper tone. The tone diminished with Pinkie's roaring laughter. Pinkamena cracked a small smile but didn't care to laugh with her.
"There you go..." She agreed quietly. Pinkie floated a slight way higher, staring at Pinkamena in the eyes.
"Are you all right? You're kinda seeming distant today."
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I dunno, but something's up..." Pinkie squinted as she tried to spot any changes in Pinkamena. Her mane was still parted to the left side of her head, her coat and wings were normal, no bruises or cuts on her hooves... yet, something was different.
=================
Pinkie stared at Pinkamena as she laid in the hospital bed, motionless. Her head had been wrapped with bandages along with the cuts to her face, her right wing was in a large, stainless steel brace, her ribs had been wrapped in bandages, and her hooves had small bandages over her cuts. An IV was inserted into her right forehoof, feeding her body her medicines and keeping her hydrated while she was temporarily unable to do it herself. A small oxygen mask had been strapped over her face, with a tube feeding into a large tank of oxygen. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stood at her bedside. both looking down at her with remorse. Twilight and Spike awaited her outside, at the princesses' request.
"I am so sorry." Luna whispered, before turning to Pinkie. "She'll be in her for a few months. Your parents..." A low growl was hidden in Luna's voice, before she straightened herself, taking a breath as she calmed herself. "Your parents will not get away with this one. We have definitive proof this time."
Pinkie nodded, relieved that Marble wouldn't be at risk anymore, but it also was bittersweet that the cost was so high.
"I'll have her put in our local hospital under another name. We can get Marble--" "No."
Princess Celestia looked up at her, confused.
"She's had to hide from Marble this entire time. I can take one for the team this time. After what she just suffered through, she deserves time with her sister."
"Are you sure, Pinkie?" Princess Luna questioned. "You cannot see her until Pinkamena's healed, you know that, right?"
Pinkie nodded, fully aware of what she was about to do. The princesses nodded.
"I'll cast an invisibility spell on her wings and fix her mane. Pinkie, I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave while she visits her. We can't risk her seeing you both." Princess Celestia ordered as she turned towards Pinkamena, her horn brightening with her magic.
Pinkie nodded. "Just please, take good care of them both."
"I'll vouch for it." Princess Luna said with a smile. Pinkie nodded as she gently stepped back outside of the door.
=================
Marble Pie sat beside Princess Celestia's throne. She stared at the polished, porcelain floor, awaiting the princesses' return. Her conscious had plagued her with doubts and regrets. I knew I shouldn't have left. I didn't even last a day... She silently scolded herself for being so foolish. How could she have been so dull to think she could last a day by herself? No- that wasn't true.
I-I can't have known that they'd come, right? Marble tried to tell herself, and she knew she was right, but parts of her were still conflicted.
The large door to the throne room opened with a creak. Princess Luna stepped through. She smiled lightly as she trotted over to Marble, although it was clear something was wrong with the way she was quickly trotting to her.
"Hello, Marble. It's good to see you again, although not under the circumstances..." Princess Luna knelt as she approached Marble.
"Mmhm." Marble nodded. Princess Luna glanced back to the door, ensuring that it was closed, before turning back to Marble with a sigh.
"I don't want to hide this from you anymore..." She took Marble's right forehoof, cupping it in her own. "When Celestia's day guard arrived, your parents were standing in front of the door to your inn. They were hitting somepony."
A lump had quickly formed in Marble's throat as a sense of dread suddenly washed over her.
"At first, they thought it might've been the innkeeper because she refused to let him in, but once they got closer..." Princess Luna swallowed nervously. "It was Pinkie."
Marble's world came to a screeching halt. Pinkie was hurt. Because of her, too? "W... What?"
"I'm so sorry. She'll be in the hospital for a few months." Princess Luna stood back up. "I can bring her up to her if you want."
She nodded, standing with Princess Luna as she tried to piece together what had just happened and what she had done.
"All right. Follow me."
=================
"You're sure you're all right, Pinkamena?"
"Yeah. It's just..." She huffed through her nose. "I wanna go stay someplace else besides Ponyville. But since I've gotten my wings back, I've had a ball and chain around my hooves, grounding me here." Pinkamena spoke loudly, finally releasing her discretions.
"Well, you did do a lot of stuff when you were in control... most of it not good..." Pinkie reminded quietly.
Pinkamena looked up to her. "You don't think I know that? I'll have to carry that with me the rest of my life. Just-- please, let me get a chance to actually spread my wings." She pled. Pinkie looked down as they passed over Town Square, approaching Sweet Apple Acres, contemplating what would be an appropriate response.
"I... I'm sorry, but I can't. Princess Celestia will lock you up if she knows you're out of my supervision. This is for your own good."
"My own good?!" Pinkamena stood, thoroughly infuriated. "What the buck was the point of giving me back my wings if you're just going to limit where I can and can't go?!" She growled in a low voice.
"So you can fly again. I just need some time to make sure you're trustworthy. For Celestia."
Pinkamena scoffed. She was genuinely hurt. "You don't trust me?! After everything we talked about?!"
"I didn't say that--" "No, you did! You know what?! Buck you!" Pinkamena yelled, her anger overpowering her. Pinkie looked up at her in shock. She hadn't seen her so angry in such a long time. "Fine! I wish I had never thought about you!" Pinkamena trotted to the side of the cloud furthest away from Pinkie, sitting down as she waited for the visit to be over.
"Pinkamena, c'mon. You know I didn't mean it like that."
She turned her snout up away from Pinkie.
"Pinka--"
Pop--Sssss
Pinkie suddenly gasped. Pinkamena glanced back, noticing that one of the balloons had quickly begun to deflate.
=================
Marble followed behind Princess Luna, slipping through a crowd of different dignitaries and officers that had crowded in the courtyard. "We're almost there."
"Mmhm." Marble acknowledged.
"She was asleep when I left, so she might not be awake when we get there."
Marble, once again, only nodded. She only took moments to follow Princess Luna, most of her thought into retracing her steps, trying to see where she had gone wrong at.
I-I-I fell asleep at the Apples'... maybe they noticed me from there and followed me? No-- they'd have just taken me there... m-maybe I was j-just careless and didn't notice? Marble tried to think of where she had gone wrong- what trace she had left of herself for her parents to follow. But nothing was obvious. She had been relatively careful on what tracks she left. It just wasn't adding up...
"We're here." Princess Luna had turned to Marble, standing in front of a white door. Princess Celestia was standing at the other side with a small, yet somber grin. Her magic aura surrounded the doorknob, twisting it and pushing the door open for Marble. Marble took a deep breath before stepping in, preparing herself for what she was about to see. Although, no amount of breathing nor thinking could've prepared her for the sight of her own sister laying in a hospital bed, bandaged from hoof to head in parts. A tremble went through her hooves as her throat suddenly dried.
"We... we'll give you some time." Princess Celestia said before she and Princess Luna allowed Marble some privacy. Marble slowly trotted towards her.
"P... Pinkie?" She asked as she put her left forehoof on the bed railing. Pinkie didn't answer her call. A tear came to her eye, only just then realizing how severe the situation was.
"I'm so... so sorry..." Marble moved her forehoof to Pinkie's right forehoof, squeezing it. "I-I shouldn't have come to you... this wouldn't have happened." She silently berated herself. Her sister was hurt, and it was (in her mind)all her fault.
=================
Pinkamena watched in horror as Pinkie suddenly sank below the surface of the cloud. She quickly returned to the previous side of the cloud. "Pinkie! Gimme your hoof!"
Pinkie reached up for Pinkamena's hoof. Pinkamena flapped her wings, desperately trying to lower the cloud low enough to where she could grab her.
Pop
Another balloon popped as Pinkie fell closer towards Sweet Apple Acres, the final balloon not even close to supporting her. Pinkamena stood, taking a sprinting dive off the cloud as she tried to follow behind her. Horsefeathers! She cursed as she nose dived quickly towards Pinkie, both of them quickly heading towards tree branches.
"Hold on!" Pinkamena called as she hastily caught up with Pinkie as they ever so quickly approached the branches. She swept Pinkie up, pulling her into her chest as she flipped onto her back, awaiting the imminent crash.
The tree branches cracked and broke under the velocity of the two, but only Pinkamena took the pain of the impact. They slowed to a stop, coming to rest at the bottom branches. Pinkamena grunted as she leaned up. "Celestia... are you all right?"
Pinkie groaned. "Yeah. Horseapples... thank you." Pinkie looked up to Pinkamena as she sat up, grabbing onto a tree branch overhead.
"Yeah, yeah... just-- you're gonna have to take care of me... horsefeathers, that hurt." Pinkamena remained still for a moment, trying to ensure that all of her was still there. Her hooves and wings were still intact, so she was fine.
"Trust me, I owe you." Pinkie dropped down, landing under the apple tree with a thud. "You need some help?"
"Nah. Just gimme a minute." Pinkamena groaned, leaning up as she felt her fresh set of bruises throb with her movement. "You're lucky I care about you, otherwise..." She slipped her hind hooves down, allowing them to hang limp as she dropped down.
"Aww, you do care!" Pinkie giggled before helping Pinkamena trot away.
"I do, it's just-- Celestia, this is frustrating." She brushed her mane out of her eyes with her wing as she followed behind Pinkie.
"I know, I know. But trust me, we're going to be just fine. I can go with you some places, y'know." Pinkie put a forehoof over her shoulder gently, pulling her a slight bit closer. "I just can't right now, but trust me, once I get some time off, we'll visit someplace else. Where'd you like to go, anyways?"
"Really?" Pinkamena turned to her, suddenly excited. Pinkie nodded with a smile.
"Thanks!" She suddenly pulled Pinkie closer, wrapping her in a hug. "Can we go to Las Pegasus first?"
"I thought you hated it there."
"I want to see if it's any better in the skies."
"Fair enough." Pinkie chuckled as they trotted away from the apple trees.
=================
Pinkamena quietly groaned, her head, stomach, and other throbbing bits and pieces of her body began to wake up. She heard a gasp as she felt a previously unknown pressure around her right forehoof suddenly disappear.
"Pinkie?"
Pinkamena opened her right eye, the other swollen shut. Marble was at her bedside. A smile suddenly came across her face as she hugged her.
"Thank Celestia you're okay!" Marble was ecstatic to see that Pinkamena had awoken. Pinkamena resisted to urge to tell her off for leaving-- forgot it, in fact. She forced her left forehoof up to return the embrace. It had been too long since she last saw Marble.
I thought Pinkie wouldn't have shown her this... Pinkamena was regretful that Marble had to see her in such a state. But I'm glad she did. She had missed her sister.
However, before they could continue, the reunion was crushed by a saddened gasp for air.
"I'm so-- so sorry!"
"Why?" Pinkamena asked. She hadn't done anything wrong.
"Th-they must have followed me! I'm s-so sorry you got hurt!"
"Hey, hey--" Pinkamena pushed Marble up. Tears pooled in Marble's eyes, with one rolling down her right cheek. She had a dark blush across her cheeks. "Don't cry. What I did, I did on my own. You didn't make me go, okay? I chose to." Pinkamena wiped Marble's tears away. "Okay?"
"Mmhm." Marble nodded. Pinkamena smiled, before pulling her back into the hug.
=================