Characters (Human): Twilight, Pinkie
Characters (Pony): Twilight, Pinkie
Original Write Date: July 13, 2011
Episode Theme
Warning: There are some adult themes stemming from two people having to share hotel rooms while on vacation. If you have never shared a room with three friends and one of their girlfriends and had a discussion of Captain Morgan-ing naked, then this chapter is not for you.
Twilight yawns as she leans against the glass on the shinkansen ride out of the city. Next to her Pinkie presses her face against the window as she watches the scenery pass.
‘Twilight! Twilight! Look! The big mountain! The famous one!’
Twilight smiles and nods as her eyelids grow heavy. She yawns again and figures a short nap is in order.
‘Kobe!’ Twilight yells. ‘We ended up in Kobe! You were supposed to wake me by Kyoto!’
Pinkie shrinks away from her friend. ‘I’m sorry! You just looked so peaceful sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you.’
Twilight takes several deep breaths. She reins in a growl as she huffs, ‘Fine. We’ll just have to get new tickets. James was right that these rail passes pay for themselves quickly.’ She gets out her rail pass and holds it in her hand. Well, this is one less day of museums...
Twilight and Pinkie arrive at their hotel later than they should, thanks to Pinkie getting lost when they changed trains in Osaka. Unfortunately, the women were only able to get a single. Twilight is not looking forward to sharing a bed with Pinkie. The other woman happily bounds into the room and immediately starts playing with everything she can get her hands on.
‘Ooo! Looky! Looky!’ Pinkie says while playing with a lamp. She giggles as she turns it off and on.
Twilight groans, ‘It is getting dark. Let’s try and find someplace to eat before it gets too late.’
‘Oh! Oh! We should totally stop for bread on the way back.’
‘Bread?’
‘Yeah! James said that his favorite snacks when he lived here was bread. I want to try them all!’
‘Well, melon bread does feature in a lot of the shows he and Rei like...’
‘Great! Hey! Let’s try that family restaurant I saw! It looks fun!’
‘Pinkie, we should be trying new things not... WHA!’
Pinkie drags her friend out of the hotel room before Twilight can start one of her trademark lectures.
Twilight sits at the small table in the hotel room. She is mapping the distance between museums, shrines and other historical monuments, measuring distance with one hand while writing notes with her other. She is trying to brush her hair before bed as well. Pinkie can be heard singing to herself from the shower.
‘If we take the train there...’ She gets out a small booklet. ‘No, the wait would offset any time saving if we just ran...’
The singing and shower ends. Twilight takes a deep breath while she waits for her friend. Soon the washroom door opens.
‘It is good that you’re finished. The time we lost today really put us behind schedule. We’re going to have to go to bed ear-ya!’ Twilight covers her eyes and blushes as she turns away from her topless friend. ‘Pinkie! Where are your clothes?’
‘What? Oh! This is how I always sleep, silly.’
‘You never did that at any of my sleepovers!’
‘Uh, duh. I am not going to do that in public. Even Fluttershy changed her sleep habits for those.’
‘Wait. What?’
‘Besides, I figure it is just the two of us. It should be fine.’
‘C-can’t you put on a shirt or something?’ Twilight asks, peeking between her fingers.
‘But I only brought the one change of clothes...’
‘Pinkie, we are going to be out for Celestia knows how long. Why did you only bring one change of clothes?’
‘So I could have more room for goodies!’
Twilight peeks again at her larger friend and covers her smaller chest. ‘F-fine. Just for tonight though. I’m getting you something to wear for the rest of the trip.’
‘Aww! You’re no fun. You should lighten up and be free sometime.’
‘I am plenty fun. I have enough data to scientifically prove that I am a very fun person. Now, we should really get to sleep if we are going to make it everywhere I have planned tomorrow.’
Pinkie pouts. Twilight groans and relocates herself to the bed as best she can without looking at her friend. She reluctantly pats beside her. Pinkie squeals and joins her friend. Twilight tenses up as her friend grabs her in a big cuddle and nuzzles the back of her neck.
‘Nighty night, Twilight!’
‘N-night, Pinkie.’
Twilight sits and pants outside of Kiyomizudera. She finishes one bottle of water and opens another. Instead of taking the bus to the temple like most tourists, Twilight wanted to walk up the mountain. The time wasted catching her breath is cutting into the time she could be spending in the temple.
Pinkie, on the other hand, flitters from shop to shop as she makes her way up to the temple. She even carries bags filled with gifts for her friends. Somehow, she hasn’t broken a sweat yet. She finishes in one shop and prances up to Twilight. The encumbered woman sits by her friend and offers a small tray.
‘Takoyaki? I don’t know what it is, but it is delicious!’
Twilight grimaces. ‘That is fried octopus balls.’
‘Huh. I didn’t know they had any.’
‘That is not what I meant.’
‘Ooo! Are you ready to go in? I really want to see the “love shrine”.’ She blushes. ‘I have reasons.’
‘You know their predictions are all fake,’ Twilight groans. ‘They say what you want to hear or what will get you to buy more services from them.’
‘And who got a really cool birthday present this year?’
Twilight jumps and puts her hand over the sonic screwdriver in her back pocket. ‘Th-that was just luck. You didn’t know James was going to come into our lives like that.’
Pinkie gasps. ‘How did you know who I wanted a love reading on?’
‘Because I am a magical purple unicorn. Sheesh. Let’s just go.’
Twilight stands and finishes her water. As soon as she is done, Pinkie grabs her arm and drags her away.
Twilight moans as she collapses on the bed as soon as she gets into the hotel room. She starts fumbling in her pack for a notebook. Pinkie waves to another guest before joining her friend. She sets half her weight in gifts in their small room.
‘If we get up early enough, we can hit one more sight before we head to the next city.’
‘Aww! But I was having fun here.’
‘There are a lot more cities I want to see. We have the rest of the south to finish before we get to the next island, then I want to visit the north after we’re done.’
Pinkie counts on her fingers. ‘But that is like, only two or three days per city. What if we miss something or there is a big festival?’
‘We have plenty of time to adjust things on the fly.’
‘What if there is a huge accident that knocks the nation’s rail system offline?’
‘James did a scan for potential seismic activity. We are in the clear.’
‘But less time away means less Twilight and Pinkie time...’
‘Pinkie, we’ll be on this route for at least another week. You can always come up north with me, too.’
‘Yay! I can’t wait! You’re the best, Twilight!’
Pinkie leaps to give her friend a hug.
‘Wait! No! My back is...’
Twilight screams as Pinkie lands on her sore back.
Miyajima. Twilight and Pinkie are making an unscheduled detour at Pinkie’s insistence. The detour got detoured when the tourists exiting the ferry got surrounded by the local deer population. Twilight stands off to the side while Pinkie feeds the deer.
‘Twilight! Twilight! This is great! You can feel them nibbling the treats.’
‘That’s good, Pinkie,’ Twilight groans. ‘Mind hurrying it up? We still have more of the island to see.’
‘Um, Twilight?’
‘What?’
‘Help.’
Twilight turns towards her friend. The pink-haired woman is trapped as a circle of deer close in to get at the treats. Pinkie screams as she trips and drops the deer treats everywhere. The deer swarm the downed woman to get at the food. Twilight rushes over to free her friend from her predicament.
…
Twilight and Pinkie sit on the ferry back to the mainland. They have an entire cabin to themselves.
‘Twilight...’
‘Yes, Pinkie?’
‘I think I need a shower.’
Twilight looks at her friend. They are sitting at opposite ends of the cabin. Twilight is covering her mouth and nose. Pinkie’s hair and clothes are covered in mud and other indications of her deer encounter.
‘Gee, Pinkie. Whatever gave you that idea?’
Twilight and Pinkie step off the train in Fukuoka. Twilight breathes deep the fresh air. She takes another breath then starts coughing as Pinkie stands beside her. The woman may have cleaned up, but her clothes are still a mess.
‘OOO! This city looks soooo pretty!’ Pinkie marvels.
Twilight checks her watch. ‘We still have some time before checking into the hotel. We should get you something new to wear...’
Pinkie sniffs her shirt. ‘He, he. I guess I am a bit ripe.’
The two women walk off to find a department store. Other pedestrians clear a wide path for them.
…
Twilight looks through a clothes rack at the nearest department store. She picks out a few items Pinkie might like and one or two for herself.
‘Twilight! How do I look?’
Twilight looks up. Pinkie has a bright pink blouse with matching skirt. When she poses to show off to her friend, her skirt flips causing a passing guy to run off covering his nose.
‘Looks good,’ Twilight sighs. She hands over several items. ‘Here. You might like these. Don’t forget to find a backpack to put everything in.’
Pinkie holds up a shirt and giggles. ‘This shirt has bad English.’
‘I thought you would enjoy that,’ her friend groans.
‘Hey! At this rate, we’ll have done more clothes shopping than Rarity.’
‘Yeah, but she does it for fun, not because she got assaulted by a herd of deer. She is probably having a lot more fun right now.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack, Rarity, Bon Bon, and Cloudchaser lay in a circle on the floor of their room at the inn. They are wearing their yukata and staring at a wind chime above them. A breeze wafts into the room. The women hold their breath. The chime rings, and all of the women cheer. Applejack and Cloudchaser exchange a high five.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Anyway, I am going to pay for these. I’ll be in the video games once you are done.’
Twilight takes the items she selected to the counter while Pinkie hops back to the changing rooms. She pays her for new outfits and heads into the store. Passing through the clothing department, she heads to the floor with the toys and video games. The princess smiles and wanders the aisles, looking for something James might enjoy. Drawn to the video game aisles, she picks up a box for a game. It takes a moment for the text to translate in her mind so she can read the box. Suddenly, she sneezes.
‘Tee hee! You sneeze like a kitten.’
Twilight wipes her nose and looks up to see Pinkie. The bubbly woman giggles at her friend. Her new clothes are haphazardly stuffed in an anime-themed backpack. Twilight sets down the game.
‘Did you get everything you needed?’
‘All except one. Come on!’
Before Twilight can question her further, Pinkie grabs her hand and takes her back to the the women’s clothing section. She heads straight for the lingerie department. She plants Twilight face to face with a mannequin wearing only a brassiere. The princess' face instantly turns deep red.
‘Isn’t this something you should do on your own?’
‘Aw! Come on. We should pick out matching underwear. It would be cute.’
‘More like creepy!’
Pinkie leans down to look up at Twilight. She puts on the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes and whimpers. The embarrassed woman groans.
‘Fine,’ Twilight mumbles.
‘Yay!’ Pinkie drags her friend deeper into the department. ‘Let’s find something cute!’
The two women enter their hotel room after a day of shopping. Pinkie drops her bags on the floor and hops on the bed. Twilight groans as she sits at a table. At least their one bed is bigger this time.
‘Mmm! This bed feels so comfy cuddly! I can’t wait to share it with my snuggle buddy tonight.’
‘Did you at least remember to get something to wear to bed?’ Twilight asks. ‘I think you are stretching the shirt I loaned you...’
‘Wait. You were serious about that?’
‘Pinkie...’
‘I’m just teasing,’ Pinkie giggles.
Twilight groans and starts digging in her backpack. ‘I think we need to make another trip to Lawson or 7/11. We’re running low on bread.’
‘Let’s go after dinner. Oh! Let’s see if we can see one from here!’
Pinkie runs to the window and presses her face to the glass. Twilight sighs and rechecks their inventory. The room lights flicker and go out.
‘What the..?’
‘Twilight... I think we’re in trouble.’
‘Probably just an electrical glitch.’
‘Uh uh. It is the whole city.’
‘Just give it a moment to come back. I highly doubt it is...’
‘I’m at the window. There are no lights anywhere. I’m scared, Twilight.’
Twilight gets up and feels her way to the window. The entire city is dark except for vehicle lights on the street.
‘I’m scared, Twilight,’ Pinkie repeats, her voice shaking. ‘What do we do?’
‘It is probably just a blown relay somewhere. Everything will be fine so... wha!’ Twilight is cut short when Pinkie grabs her friend in a hug. She sighs and pats her crying friend’s head. Pinkie’s hair has gone flat. ‘Calm down. Everything will be fine. I know! Let’s call James. He’ll cheer us up. He might know what is going on.’
‘Right... He knows everything.’
‘Don’t worry. Everything will work out...’
…
The power is back on by the time Twilight finally reaches her boyfriend. Pinkie watches the call from the safety of a blanket fort.
‘... Right. I understand. We’ll be safe. Hold on a second.’ Twilight covers her mobile and goes to Pinkie. ‘James said that he put some emergency funds in all of our credit accounts. Since we have power back, I am going to get us some snacks for the rest of the night, okay?’
Pinkie nods in agreement.
‘I’ll be right back, but I need you to do something important.’ Twilight offers her mobile and smiles. ‘Keep him company.’
Pinkie smiles and takes the mobile. Twilight sighs as she exits the room. She makes sure the electronic lock works before heading out of the building. The streets are relatively calm, though there is an increased police presence. Twilight looks around and spots what she needs. She runs from the hotel across the street to the nearby bank.
‘First time for everything...’ Twilight mumbles as she slips out her sonic.
After making sure nobody is looking, she turns to an ATM. She quickly runs the sonic over the ATM. The machine clicks. A slot opens, and a small stack of bills is ejected.
Twilight smiles and counts the money. ‘A hundred thousand yen. That should be enough.’
The ATM clicks. A slot opens, and a small stack of bills is ejected. Twilight looks around and takes the money. The ATM clicks again, and more bills are ejected. Twilight makes sure nobody is looking takes the money. The process repeats. Twilight growls as she takes even more money. The ATM ejects another stack of bills.
‘Stop it!’ the princess shouts.
A police officer looks in Twilight’s direction. The ATM shuts down. Twilight smiles at the officer and runs back to the hotel. She nervously takes a lift back to her room and quickly seals the door behind her. Pinkie squeals with laughter as she chats on Twilight’s mobile. Her hair has poofed back to normal.
‘Twilight’s back!’ Pinkie cheers.
‘Heh, heh. Hey, Pinkie.’
‘Okay, James! I’m feeling better now! Bye-bye! I love you!’ Pinkie hangs up the mobile. ‘So, do you have the snacks?’
‘Um, well, uh...’ Twilight drops the money on the table.
‘Whoa! That can get a lot of snacks!’
‘It sort of got away from me...’
‘What did?’
Twilight sets her sonic on the table.
Pinkie giggles. ‘So you were playing with your thingy, and you made a big mess in your hands?’
Twilight facepalms. ‘I hate you. … You’re getting the snacks.’
‘What do you mean “closed”?’ Twilight yells.
She and Pinkie are standing outside of a museum. The guard at the gate is giving the stubborn woman a stern glare.
‘Until we have determined that...’ the guard begins.
‘We have been given that same damn speech everywhere we tried going today. It is getting really old.’
‘It is public safety. We want to make...’
‘I am Princess Twilight Sparkle,’ the princess growls. ‘I think I earned special privilege to visit any damn museum or library I want when there is nothing to do in this whole city.’
‘Have you tried..?’
‘Yes! We have tried everywhere! We had to walk since you aren’t allowing anyone on the trains yet! My feet are killing me! I need something cold to drink! I want to sit and stare at paintings!’
‘And I want some more dango!’ Pinkie demands. ‘Make sure they are cooked right, too! And maybe some of those flaky thingies on top.’
The guard turns away and speaks into his walkie-talkie. Two more guards come from a nearby building.
‘Oh, good! They are going to really help us now.’ Pinkie grins and waves at the new arrivals.
‘Run,’ Twilight whispers.
‘What?’
‘Run!’
Twilight turns and takes off. Pinkie looks around for a moment then chases after her friend.
The two friends rest on a bench in a park. Twilight has her shoes off. Pinkie snacks on a skewer of dango. She offers one to her friend. Twilight shakes her head.
‘This sucks! If you didn’t need new clothes, we could have spent at least one day doing something.’
‘You make it sound like it is my fault,’ Pinkie snorts.
‘No. You’re right. I’m sorry. That was mean. I am just really bored and tired.’
‘Well... despite how long we have been out, we haven’t really had any Twilight and Pinkie time.’
‘What are you talking about? We have had plenty of time together?’
‘We have been together on the trains, buses and ferries, in the temples, museums and libraries, and at meals, yes, but we have never had time where it was Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie sitting and talking like best friends.’
Twilight looks at her friend. Pinkie stares back, looking a little teary-eyed.
‘We already know so much about each other, and we spend a lot of time together back home. What is there to talk about?’
Pinkie’s lip starts trembling. She looks away and stares at the ground. ‘Never mind.’
Twilight sighs and puts an arm around her friend. ‘Hey, Pinkie. How’s it going?’
‘I was having a fun day, but then I ran into a mean poopy head.’
‘Maybe she is just frustrated with how her day has been. Maybe she needs her best friend’s help to cheer up.’
‘Maybe her best friend needs help cheering up sometimes...’
‘Are you sad, Pinkie?’
‘James isn’t the only one that sometimes gets lonely when he is around people he loves...’
‘I’m sorry, Pinkie. What do you want to do to cheer up?’
‘Dango?’
‘You want to go get more or...’
Twilight is cut off when Pinkie shoves the treat into her friend’s mouth. She chokes for a moment before she gets the dango down. She growls and turns to her friend. Pinkie is smiling as she stares at the ground.
‘Good, right?’
Twilight takes a deep breath and smiles. ‘We still have ¥493,428. Let’s buy a ton of snacks from the Lawson near the hotel and have a Pinkie and Twilight night in. How does that sound?’
Pinkie’s smile shifts to an evil grin. ‘Can we play the Pocky game?’
‘How do you play?’
Twilight has a Pocky stick in her mouth. Her cheeks are bright red as Pinkie takes a bite from the other end of the stick. Her cheeks match her hair. Twilight takes another small bite. Her nose grazes Pinkie’s. Pinkie takes another bite, causing the women’s lips to almost touch. Twilight gives a small squeak.
‘Your turn,’ Pinkie whispers as she holds the Pocky in her mouth.
The princess squeaks again and finishes the stick. Pinkie sighs contentedly as they finally kiss. Twilight’s lips tremble, and she quickly backs away. She clutches her chest as she pants.
‘You lose...’ Pinkie sighs, a large smile on her face. ‘Best two out of three?’
‘I-I-I am good for now.’
Pinkie giggles. ‘You always get like this when we kiss, even though it is all in fun. It is so cute.’
‘P-Pinkie, you know I prefer men. I only do this because you ask me to.’
‘I don’t want to give you a heart attack. That’s why I don’t ask as often as I want.’
‘Pinkie, you’re...’
‘Don’t tell me you’re prejudiced,’ Pinkie groans. ‘That is exactly why Inkie and I left the farm. Well, that and we could have so much more fun and meet great people, too.’
‘No, it is just I have never seen you with anyone other than James.’
‘Well, we’re together a lot... I see you more than I see anyone else...’
‘Pinkie!’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like this, or at all, but I love you, Twilight. I mean, I love all of our friends lot and lots and like you are family, but I love you almost as much as I love James.’
‘I don’t know what to say...’
Pinkie smiles. ‘You don’t have to say anything. Like I said, I wasn’t going to tell you. Please don't tell the others... I hope this doesn’t change anything.’
‘Of course this changes everything!’
Pinkie whimpers.
‘For one, it starts to explain a lot of your behavior towards me. It will take a little getting used to, but at least I can relax knowing what you are thinking.’
‘You mean you’re not...’
‘Pinkie, the only person other than James I would have wanted to spend a long time alone with on this trip is you. I’m... still a little weirded out, but you are the closest thing I have to a sister. I don’t know if I can say that about Cadence, and she raised me!’
Pinkie looks down and chokes back tears. ‘Thank you, Twilight. Thank you for understanding and not being mad.’
Twilight sighs and sits by her friend, giving her a big hug. ‘Besides, if I am going to share James with anyone, I rather you than Luna.’
Pinkie giggles. ‘I wouldn’t mind sharing with Luna, but I would much rather you.’
Twilight giggles. She reaches behind her and returns with a Pocky stick. ‘Best two out of three?’
…
Twilight and Pinkie lay in bed after their night of snacking and joking around together. The bed is covered in crumbs and bread wrappers. Both women moan and hold their full stomachs.
‘Twilight, remind me never to get sushi bread ever again.’
The princess groans and checks her mobile. ‘Let’s see if there is any new news.’
Pinkie’s rump shakes briefly and she falls off the bed. She climbs back on. ‘Can you give me my backpack?’
‘Clean clothes or otherwise?’
‘The one with my stuff from Kyoto in it.’
Twilight rolls over and grabs the backpack for her friend. Pinkie starts digging through it. She tosses her dirty clothes about the room.
‘I think I am going to take our clothes to the laundry...’
‘Here we go!’ Pinkie holds up a small bag. It has Kiyomizudera markings. ‘You never asked what I got.’
‘It is just a bunch of trinkets...’
‘Don’t be that way. They are magic charms for guaranteed love.’
‘Oh, geez.’
Pinkie holds one up. ‘See, this one is for me and James.’
Twilight grumbles and keeps checking her mobile.
‘This one is... uh...’ Pinkie blushes. ‘You should look yourself.’
Twilight sighs and looks over. She slowly reads the texts on the charm. ‘ピンキーパイ... Okay, that’s you and... トワイライトスパークル... Oh!’ She blushes and tries hiding behind her mobile.
Pinkie’s blush deepens. ‘I know... I wasn’t going to... but after earlier... Anyway! Here! This is the last one.’ She puts a third charm in Twilight’s hand.
Twilight starts reading the charm. ‘Okay. That is me, again, and this is...’ She gasps. ‘Pinkie, this is...’
‘I know... I just want you two to be happy. Besides, I said I would share him with you. Every other weekend after we’re married.’
‘So you’re only going to see us every other weekend?’ Twilight laughs and hands the charm back.
Pinkie shakes her head and closes her friend’s hand around the charm. ‘No, that is yours and no, you can visit us and Rei every other weekend.’
‘Right. You are only going to visit us every other weekend.’
‘No. I said...’ Pinkie turns to glare at her friend. Twilight is giggling behind her mobile. ‘Oh. You are being tricky. You know what cures that, right?’
‘Why do I feel like my life is in danger?’
‘Tickles!’
Twilight screams as her friend tackles her and starts tickling her all over.
Early the next morning. Twilight lays on her bed. She is reading a book on her mobile and texting. Pinkie bounds into the room with a Lawson bag filled with bottles of juice. She frowns seeing that her friend is still in bed.
‘You didn’t even move,’ Pinkie huffs.
Twilight’s fingers fly over her mobile. ‘Define “move”. Also, what is there to do? Nothing is open.’
‘I know one thing that is open~’ Pinkie sings.
‘Excellent. I’ll take anything.’
‘Good! Did you remember to pack a swimsuit?’
…
Pinkie proudly strides across one of the beaches in the marine park. Her bikini shows off all of her curves to all who look her way. Twilight nervously follows behind. She is worried about the stares she is getting since Pinkie convinced her to get a bikini when they were shopping earlier. She doubts any of the other princesses would be caught dressed like this. Pinkie finds a nice spot and stops.
‘How is this?’
‘It is fine, Pinkie.’
‘Great! Let’s start setting u... Snacks! I’ll be right back!’
Pinkie runs off to get treats for the two of them. Twilight groans and sets up their spot. She lays out mats for them to sit on and plants an umbrella. She sets up a small beach chair and get out her mobile so she can start reading. After a moment, a pair of guys walk up.
‘Hey, kawaii-chan. How’s it going?’
‘I have a boyfriend, and he would literally flay you if you tried anything more than just talking to me.’
‘Well, he’s not here, so I guess we’re safe. Wanna hang out?’
Twilight glares at the guys. One has short stubble and is wearing a baseball cap. Another has short silver hair. A third guy with short blue hair seems to be watching the other two with some disapproval. The annoyed princess sighs.
‘Can I take your picture first?’
‘Sure, why not?’ the guy in the cap replies.
Twilight raises her mobile and snaps a picture. Seconds later, a pair of lifeguards march up.
‘There they are,’ one of the lifeguards declares.
‘You’re coming with us, kids.’
‘Wait! What did we do?’ the silver-haired guy protests.
‘We got a tip that there were sexual predators on the beach and you match the photos sent in by a number of anonymous tipsters.’
‘We’re going to have to ask you to leave now, or we will be forced to call the police.’
‘What? We didn’t do anything!’ the capped guy panics
‘Sir, we don’t want to make a scene.’
The two guys back away a step then start running. The lifeguards chase after them. The blue-haired guy walks over.
‘Sorry about them. They’re idiots.’
He proceeds to chase after his friends. Pinkie walks up with a pair of ice cream cones. She hands one to Twilight.
‘What was that about?’
‘Oh, nothing. Just clearing the beach of some trash.’
‘Okay... Hey! Wanna know a secret? If you want to make all of the guys freak out, “accidentally” let a couple drops of ice cream land on your breasts. It drives them wild!’
Twilight has a panicked twitch at the suggestion. It causes her to accidentally shatter her ice cream cone and covers her body in ice cream.
Pinkie giggles, ‘That works, too.’
Twilight groans and wipes herself with a towel, knowing it is going to be a long day.
Twilight lands face first on the bed as soon as she gets back to the hotel. She really appreciates how much her other friends help keep Pinkie entertained since she is exhausted from trying to keep up with her for the whole day. She barely got one book read, and her formerly pure white skin is now slightly tanned. Sleep will feel really good tonight.
Pinkie stumbles into the room after her friend. She collapses next to Twilight, having run herself ragged at the beach. She fluffs her hair a bit and a small mound of sand falls to the bed.
‘Where do you want to do for dinner?’ Twilight moans.
‘In-N-Out. I am sick of Neighponese food.’
‘I don’t think they have those here. How about a family restaurant or pizza?’
‘Will you carry me?’
‘Only if you carry me. I can barely move.’
The two women lay on the bed in silence for several moments. ‘I miss James!’ they both moan at once.
‘He would give the most cuddly hug, and we’d snuggle-snuggle for the rest of the night,’ Pinkie muses.
‘He’d make us tea, and we’d watch movies for the rest of the evening.’ Twilight closes her eyes and smiles. ‘Then he’d kiss the back of the neck...’
Pinkie faces her friend. ‘Slowly work his way around...’
‘And then the sweetest kiss you will ever...’ Twilight is cut short by a peck from her friend. She sighs and pushes Pinkie back. ‘It would be easier for me to come to terms with what you told me if you didn’t try kissing me constantly.’
‘Sorry. I was caught in the moment. Besides, I was thinking of James the whole time.’
‘Thanks, Pinkie.’
Pinkie rolls over and faces the ceiling. ‘Twilight, can you use your purple unicorn princess magic to get us back to James? I really miss him.’
‘Pinkie, I was being facetious.’
‘Gesundheit.’
Twilight groans as she gets out her mobile. ‘I can check to see if there is a way to get back. I think the national high-speed rail is down, but there might be another way.’
Pinkie’s stomach growls. She giggles nervously.
Twilight cringes. ‘Yeah. That was just be...’ Her stomach growls louder than Pinkie’s. ‘Shut up.’
‘Let’s see if they have that shrimp pizza here,’ Pinkie suggests.
‘I knew you would like the weird flavors,’ Twilight sighs.
Pinkie rests her head on Twilight’s shoulder as they ride a bus northward. Twilight was able to find a complicated route that would take them back to Tokyo involving buses, local rail lines and the few active high-speed lines. The whole trip starts with a long bus trip between the islands. Pinkie has chosen the easy way out while Twilight gives herself to the joys of her Kindle app. That is until the bus comes to a jarring stop. Pinkie slips and flies head first into the seat in front of her.
‘What is going on?’ Pinkie asks, rubbing her sore head.
The driver gets on the speakers. ‘Sorry. There appears to be a mechanical malfunction with the bus. I have contacted our company and they are sending truck out to meet us. The bus should be repaired in a couple hours. Unfortunately, we will have to cut the trip short. A bus has been called and will take you back to Fukuoka. We apologize for the inconvenience.’
The passengers groan. With the air conditioning gone, several windows are opened for the breeze. Twilight is frozen in shock as her carefully laid plan comes to pieces.
Pinkie nudges Twilight. ‘Hey. Are you okay?’
‘Hours... Going back...’ Twilight’s eye starts twitching. She laughs nervously, a wider than normal grin forming.
‘Uh, oh...’
‘Excuse me!’ Twilight shouts as she stands up.
‘Miss, please...’
‘C-Can’t you make the repair? Do you even know what the problem is? Does anyone else here know how to repair a bus?’ She gets out her sonic. ‘I have a sonic screwdriver! I can fix it!’
‘Miss, please sit down. Everything will be taken care of.’
‘We have to be in Hiroshima by seven this evening to make our train.’ She waves her sonic. ‘I'm a princess with a magic wand! Let me fix this!’
‘It is okay, Twilight... We can wait.’
‘Everything will be taken care of, miss. Just sit down.’
Twilight climbs over her friend and starts grabbing their backpacks. ‘Fine! You don’t want to let me save the day, we’re leaving. I mean, we only saved the planet from Nightmare Moon, Discord and Chrysalis. We can easily fix a filpping bus!’
‘Twilight...’
‘Pinkie! We’re leaving.’ Twilight marches off the bus. She stops to glare at the driver. ‘You are lucky I am in such a good mood.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ Pinkie apologizes as she follows her friend off the bus.
Twilight’s eye twitches as she looks at the map on her mobile. ‘This way!’
Pinkie sighs and runs after her friend as she walks away.
Twilight is on the verge of screaming. If she does, it would be the third time today. She and Pinkie made it to Hiroshima Station on time, but they were refused access to the platforms and had their tickets revoked. Twilight is currently in the ticket office arguing with a representative.
‘What do you mean our tickets are invalid?’ the furious royal growls.
‘You bought the ticket as part of a package with the bus ticket. When the bus trip was canceled, your full ticket purchase was refunded.’
‘But we are here now!’ Twilight seethes. ‘We made our train on time.’
‘The ticket was nulled when we refunded your purchase. We can allow you to purchase a ticket for tomorrow’s train.’
‘We are here. The train isn’t scheduled to leave for a hour. We should be on that train.’
‘Sorry. But it is sold out. Your ticke...’
Twilight slams her hands on the counter. ‘Let us on that frakking train! Your princess demands it!’
‘Don’t make me call security.’
‘Don’t make me call forces beyond your imagination.’
Twilight and the clerk growl at each other.
‘Um, may I say something?’
The arguers look at Pinkie.
‘May we speak with the ticket manager?’
‘He is out.’
‘How about we just wait in his office?’
The clerk sighs. ‘Fine. I don’t see what good it will do...’
The clerk lets the women around the counter and shows them to an office. He leaves the women alone. Pinkie listens at the door.
‘I hope we can get some progress...’ Twilight grumbles.
‘Shhh!’ Pinkie listens a moment more. ‘Okay. Time to get ready.’
‘What?’
Pinkie smiles and winks. ‘Trust me.’
Twilight gives her friend a queer look that quickly turns to panic as Pinkie starts unbuttoning her blouse.
‘Pinkie! What are you..?’
‘Shh! You don’t want to give us away. Pull your jeans down a bit.’
‘But...’
‘That is just what we want to see.’ Pinkie says, pulling Twilight’s jeans down a few centimeters. There is a sound at the door. ‘Okay. Get ready.’
‘What are you..?’
Twilight is silenced by Pinkie locking her into a big kiss. The more aggressive woman forces Twilight onto a desk. Twilight flails her hands, but Pinkie grabs them and forces them under her skirt before reaching under Twilight’s shirt. The door opens and the ticket manager steps in.
‘What the heck?’
Pinkie breaks the kiss. ‘Excuse me! Can’t my girlfriend and I get one moment to ourselves?’
‘I’m sorry!’
The ticket manager quickly leaves the room. Pinke smirks and climbs off the stunned Twilight. She starts redressing, but leaves some blouse buttons out of order.
‘Okay. Phase one complete. Now, I need you to look shocked, confused and extremely embarrassed.’ She looks at her friend. ‘Perfect. Just like that.’
Pinkie helps Twilight off the desk. The embarrassed princess quickly fixes her clothes and hides in a corner. Pinkie sits at the desk and puts her feet up.
‘Okay. You can enter now.’
The ticket manager nervously enters the office. His nerves are further shattered by how confident Pinkie is behaving.
‘Now, what are you going to do about our tickets?’ Pinkie asks.
‘Well, um, you lost them when...’
‘Oh great! First, you say you can’t honor our tickets. Then, you interrupt a private moment between me and my girlfriend. Look how upset she is.’
The ticket manager looks at Twilight.
$$She notices him and screams, ‘Don’t look at me!’
The ticket manager instantly snaps his attention back to Pinkie.
‘And now you are saying you can’t honor our tickets. Tsk tsk.’ Pinkie leans forward to hit her fist on the table. The action is enough to jiggle a button undone.
‘Um, well, uh, you see.’
Pinkie’s glare increases.
‘How about if we put you in one of the private cars? There is room up there.’
‘It is a start... We might need a hotel room when we reach Osaka...’
‘I’ll arrange one personally! We’ll have someone waiting for you at the station with a private car.’
‘You better. Can we get our tickets now?’
‘Right away!’
‘Excellent. Come on, Twilight. Let’s find somewhere private.’
Pinkie gets up. She properly fixes her blouse before grabbing the shell-shocked woman’s arm and dragging her from the office. She turns back to glare at the ticket manager. The clerk gives the women their tickets. Pinkie gives him the stink eye, too. She marches off with Twilight meekly following behind. They get through the gate and start heading towards the platform.
‘I feel so violated...’ Twilight finally mumbles.
‘Not yet. That is why we are finding someplace private.’
Twilight freezes in place. ‘Meep.’
Pinkie turns back and bats a hand at her friend. ‘I’m kidding! Don’t go all Fluttershy on me.’
Twilight whimpers and looks away. Pinkie sighs and gives her friend a hug.
‘I am really sorry. I should have warned you first.’
‘Please don’t ever do that again. It wasn’t enjoyable.’
‘I won’t. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.’
‘Thank you, Pinkie.’ Twilight returns the hug. ‘And don’t tell James. He’ll want to join in next time.’
‘Next time?’
‘Figure of speech.’
‘Oh. I thought you were finally inviting me to page one-thirty-seven.’
‘If, and that is HUGE if...’
‘Oh, shut up, silly.’ Pinkie breaks the hug. ‘Hurry up! We get to ride in one of the private cars!’
Twilight sighs. She gets out her mobile and starts writing a text as she follows her friend to the train.
‘Sold. Out.’
Several strands of hair point every direction as Twilight glares at a new ticket agent. Her eye twitch is back in full force and her creepy grin is making a reappearance. Pinkie steps in front of her quickly deteriorating friend.
‘Is there another train we can get? We’ll take anything that gets us back to Tokyo at this point.’
The clerk types into her computer. ‘Most of the the lines are booked solid as other tourists travel from other parts of the country. The Kintetsu lines are relatively open if you want to get to Nagoya. We have some seats out of there on our line free tomorrow afternoon.’
Pinkie turns to her friend. ‘We’ll get to see another city at least.’
Twilight just stares at the ceiling and laughs to herself.
Pinkie strokes her friend’s hair as they wait for their train. The panicking princess has not slept since they arrived in Nagoya. She picks at the half-eaten bento in front of her.
‘Almost back,’ Twilight says after a mouthful of rice. She picks up a melon bread. ‘Almost back to James and Celestia and safety and not insanity.’
‘Well, maybe three of those thi-OW!’ Pinkie screams as her joke get interrupted by a bite to the leg. ‘You really need to relax more. Maybe you should try sleeping on the way back.’
Twilight grumbles and munches her bread. Pinkie resumes petting her friend as more passengers arrive for the train.
…
‘Shouldn’t be too long now,’ Pinkie assures as the train starts moving. ‘Soon we’ll be back in our beds. James will be there. Our friends will be there. We can relax. … Twilight? Are you listening? Twilight?’
‘Yes, Pinkie. Very...’ Twilight trails off as she falls asleep.
‘Twilight! Twilight! Look! The big mountain! The famous one!’
‘Wha!’
Twilight bolts upright in her seat. Her mane is bedraggled. Her horn is sore. Her feathers are ruffled. Her coat feels sticky. She rubs the sleep from her eyes then stops to look at her hooves. She takes several deep breaths and leans back in her seat.
‘Aw! You missed it again,’ Pinkie says as she settles next to her friend.
Twilight blinks a few more times as she looks at her friend. ‘Pinkie... I just had the most frakked-up dream.’
Concluded in:
Tomodachi Sketch
