//------------------------------// // ... I Promise // Story: I'm Done... // by TyRex //------------------------------// Twilight sat on the couch, smoke filtering around her face. In between her lips was a lit tobacco leaf wrapped around a mix of cannabis and a low ratio of tobacco — a blunt. She looked down at the centerpiece deep in thought. She knew she should stop, she thought. But her body was plagued with a cold sweat. She knew she’d continue. She pulled from the blunt again, releasing a filter of smoke from between her lips — smoking was not what she’d have to stop. As her horn glowed, a small jar on the table lifted, and slowly, the lid was undone. The jar rattled with small, white pills. As Twilight watched the jar, memories ran through her mind. “Why can’t you just stop that stuff?” “Twilight, you’re really not the same anymore.” “I think you should stop, Twi. For me, at least… I love you.” Twi gritted her teeth, as she dropped the jar back on the counterpiece, getting up from her seat feverishly. She sucked hard from the blunt, filling her lungs with warm smoke to combat the cold sweat. She walked over to her balcony from the castle, overlooking the small Ponyville. She let her mind drift through her recent past, as she looked up at the starry sky. “Hey, Twi, you actually made it to the party!” Rainbow Dash called to the bashful Twilight with excitement. “Y-yeah… Told you I’d come.” Twilight said, just barely getting over the loud music of the party. “What’s that?! You gotta speak up, babe!” Rainbow Dash called out, filtering through a crowd coming face-to-face with Twilight. Twilight could feel her face heat up, as her skin seemed to heat up over probably imaginary stares. “R-Rainbow Dash! You’re so loud!” Twilight said, pouting and looking slightly down. “Sorry, I can’t be proud of you?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight’s face completely reddened out, as she simply stuffed her face into the chest of the slightly taller Rainbow Dash. “Yikes, you’re as easy to tease as ever.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, extending her wings to cover over Twilight, allowing her to calm. “S-So… What’s on the agenda today?” Twilight asked, finally releasing herself from Rainbow Dash’s embrace. “Well, let’s go meet up with Pinks and DJ Pon3 in the back. The rest might be there, too.” Rainbow Dash stated excitedly. “Wait, you mean with Vinyl? But isn’t that like, VIP access or something?” Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash scoffed a hearty laugh. “C’mon Twi, you’re the Princess of Friendship! What’re they gonna do, turn you away in your own town?” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Y-yeah… Sure, I guess.” Twilight agreed shyly. She always felt bashful using her authority. The two made their way through the building to the back, where, upon sight, the security guard promptly let the two through. Immediately, as the door closed, Twilight realized her nostrils were burning! The back-room, which turned out to be the entrance to the music booth where DJ Pon3 played music, was filled with smoke. “Jeez, they’re blazing already?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dashing ahead with the help of her wings. Twilight watched her disappear around the corner as the crowd back there seemed to liven up. Twilight swallowed the smoky feeling in her mouth and nose, being used to this type of atmosphere with the partying craze Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had been in recently. She walked over to the back, where the music booth was, and as she turned the corner and climbed up a few stairs, she was surprised. “The whole gang!?” Twilight exclaimed with joy as she clasped her hands over chest. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack all waved back at her. “Wassup guys! I didn’t expect to see you guys here! Especially you, Fluttershy!” Twilight excitedly spoke, sitting next to Fluttershy. “She’s as much a party pooper as ever, she hasn’t even taken one pull yet.” Applejack chuckled. “She’s quite like you, isn’t she, Twilight? My, how unlucky for you to have ended up the girlfriend of the best friend of the Party Demon.” Rarity chuckled, calmly pulling from a blunt between her fingers. She had magnificent deep purple lipstick, and her hair was as gorgeous as ever. “Hey now, don’t be like that.” Rainbow Dash said with a pseudo-pained chuckle, as the rest of the group laughed. “Fluttershy?” Rarity asked, as she extended the blunt over to her. Fluttershy looked up at everyone else, who nodded, before looking to Twilight at her side. Twilight simply smiled sheepishly and shrugged, before Fluttershy finally took the blunt, and began to pull gently. The end slowly embered and cracked before Fluttershy stopped. She gently blew out a long, consistent, subtle cloud of smoke. As she filtered it out, everybody gave ‘Ooh’s and ‘Aah’s. “She actually took a real hit!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She tried to pass it to Pinkie Pie, who declined. “One hit? Don’t be shy, ‘Shy, get your fill!” Pinkie Pie stated with a smile. Fluttershy took another, before she timidly held it out towards Twilight, her cheeks puffed and her mouth full of smoke. She swallowed, before saying “It’s your turn,” passing it to Twilight, as smoke gently filtered out from her mouth. Twilight held her hand out shyly, before Rainbow Dash zoomed over and grabbed the blunt, twirling around beside Twilight’s side, opposite of Fluttershy. “C’mon babe, it ain’t hard.” Rainbow Dash stated, gently placing it between Twilight’s lips, who perked slightly to hold the blunt. She sucked, feeling the familiar burn in her chest. Then, Twilight knew something was different. One pull, and she felt her entire world change. She looked at the blunt funnily. “You felt it too, huh?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes now slightly mooned. “Pinkie Pie said she bred some high-grade.” Rainbow Dash explained. Twilight nodded, as she pulled once more, feeling her body become floaty. “I-I think it’s your…” Twilight stated, before she simply pinched her nose with one hand, handing the blunt over to Rainbow Dash with another. The Mane Six, along with Vinyl Scratch, smoked and enjoyed the music provided from DJ Pon3’s mix on the booth for another half hour, before Vinyl finally stood up suddenly. “Had enough already, Pon3?” Rainbow Dash called back, her eyes red and droopy. Vinyl’s sunglasses, combined with her balanced and natural mannerisms, gave off the impression that she was still completely sober. She walked over and tapped Pinkie Pie, only barely tipping her rave glasses. “Oh, guys, by the way,” Pinkie Pie began, standing up herself, motioning a bit more sloppily than Vinyl, but well overall. “Pon3’s got some new stuff today.” Pinkie Pie said, with a smile. “New?” All other five chorused in unison, with an equal amount of caution and curiosity. “Go on, Vinyl.” Pinkie said, as Vinyl climbed to the peak of her music booth, removing some things from beneath the counter where her instruments were. She flicked on a couple sequences of songs to keep the crowd busy, as she climbed back down with a plastic bag filled with what looked to be white pills. “And those are…?” Rarity asked, now standing. “The best few hours of your life!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “As in, the name?” Applejack asked, standing to examine the bag herself. Vinyl whispered into Pinkie Pie’s ear, as Pinkie Pie spoke up: “Xanax. To be taken in moderation, only.” Pinkie Pie stated matter-of-factly. “Like, the medicine?” Twilight asked, with a strange face. “Uhh, not this time, Twilight. This is the party edition!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Hmm, here’s an idea!” Pinkie Pie said, her tone changing. She picked up one of the tablets and pushed it on top of her tongue. Then, she zoomed up to Twilight’s face, and suddenly planted her lips on Twilight’s. Suddenly, Twilight felt something slither down her mouth, and shortly after, a hard substance fall down her throat. Twilight stood back, surprised, as Pinkie stood straight, smiling, as she caught the saliva strand on her finger tip. “Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, as she tackled Pinkie Pie onto the ground. “Aww, what’s the matter Rainbow Dash, it’s all in good fun!” Pinkie Pie laughed, as Rainbow Dash got off her slightly, pouting. Pinkie Pie grabbed Rainbow Dash’s forearm, looking up into her eyes. “Or, did you want the same treatment?” “Get real.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, getting off of Pinkie Pie, as she walked over to the bag and grabbed one of her own, swallowing it. The others all swallowed their own, and Vinyl tucked the bag away somewhere on her person. “So, what now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Nothing, we wait. You’ll see soon enough.” Pinkie Pie stated, as she plopped back on the couch, setting up a few drinks and blunts. “There’s Ms. Party Demon for ya…” Rainbow Dash stated, as she walked over to the couch to relax. As she sat, she suddenly felt her body grow heavy and floaty at the same time. Rainbow Dash looked up to see Twilight still standing in the same spot. “Yo, Twi!” Rainbow Dash called. Twilight snapped up suddenly, looking at Rainbow Dash. “C-coming!” Twilight stammered, walking over and sitting beside Rainbow Dash. The rest of the night was a flash. Twilight blew smoke out calmly, staring onto the night-sky of Ponyville, her mind flashing through the images of her first night with the drug. Every kiss Rainbow Dash gave her was phenomenal, and she had tons of fun. The colors and party was incredibly vibrant. She felt invincible, and for once, she was social! Twilight couldn’t help but remember the first time Rainbow Dash disapproved of her continued use of the substance. “Twi, do you really need to do that now?” Rainbow Dash asked, watching Twilight dig around in a plastic bag of white pills. “What’s the problem, it’s just a picnic.” Twilight shrugged. “Yeah, let’s be active. That stuff makes you boring, and absent.” Rainbow Dash said bluntly. Twilight was taken aback by Rainbow Dash’s sudden use of vocabulary. She was serious. “Hmph.” Twilight said, as she quickly swallowed one pill. “It’ll be fine, just watch.” Twilight stated, walking out the door before Rainbow Dash could respond. To Twilight, that evening had gone just fine. She responded to everything, and she felt exuberant and active as ever. But, according to Rainbow Dash later that day, she had crashed after about an hour, and was mostly physically and mentally absent from the events. Twilight gripped the bar of her balcony, gritting her teeth. “It wasn’t so bad.” Twilight thought bitterly, remembering how Rainbow Dash scolded and punished her. Then, Twilight’s mood mellowed as she remembered the last interaction she had with the group, and her girlfriend. The time she was scared sober. “Twi, you’ve got to make a decision.” Rainbow Dash stated, standing up in front of her. “W-what?” Twilight asked, her mind still fuzzy off of a pill she had consumed half an hour prior. She was surrounded by a gray nothingness, and it was just her and Rainbow Dash on 2 couches opposite of each other. She seemed to be talking to her. “I mean, I’m not f…” Twilight tried to focus on what she was saying, but her voice simply faded out as the surrounding sounds grew louder. Rainbow Dash snapped, gaining her attention. Twilight snapped her focus on Rainbow Dash once more. “Twilight, what’s it gon…” Twilight zoned out again, before Rainbow Dash suddenly grabbed Twilight by both shoulders forcefully pulling her to her feet. “Twilight! We are losing you to this stuff! Stop, please…!” Rainbow Dash said in a pleading voice, more desperate than authoritative. Twilight woke up suddenly, as her surroundings colored in. All of her friends stood around her: Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. “I-I can stop whenever I want…” Twilight finally said, taking a step back, as she felt her heart rate increase rapidly, heat rising to her face. Her entire body felt of a fiery cold sweat, and her stomach seemed to crave something deeply. “So then, why don’t you promise up to stop, right now?” Rainbow Dash proposed, as the others nodded in agreement. Twilight hesitated, her hands on the plastic bag in her pocket, that held her final two tabs. She shook her head slightly. “I’ll stop, I…” Twilight stammered, before she pulled the two pills out. “J-just after these last two…” Twilight finished as she swallowed the two. The crowd looked upon Twilight with unimpressive, disapproving glares. “W-what…? That’s the last time, I promise!” “... That’s what you said the last four times.” "Heart-shaped kisses... I really miss my misstress..." Twilight doesn’t remember it, but she doesn’t have much memory of the rest of that day. She only vaguely remembers a teary Rainbow Dash putting her to bed. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Spike since then, either. Rainbow Dash also seemed to harden up to Pinkie Pie after the incident, too, partially blaming her for what Twilight knew to be her own weakness. Ever since, none of her friends seemed to want to have anything to do with her, and Rainbow Dash seemed to lose all romantic interest in Twilight. It didn’t feel long for Twilight, but this last occurrence happened half a year ago. To Twilight, it felt as if it was just a month. Her body shivered in the warm spring wind. She nodded to herself, as she outed the smoked blunt, dropping it on the side of a plant pot. She sat back down on the couch, overlooking the jar. Her horn glowed once again, and two pills rose out of the jar full of pills. “Xans don’t make you.” The lyrics began to replay in Twilight’s head, the song that DJ Pon3 had shown her before hooking her up with a provider. “Xans gon’ take you.” Twilight knew this was true. That was why, she now knew, “Xans gon’ fake you.” That after these next two pills, “And Xans gon’ betray you.” She would stop for good. After all, “I can stop whenever I want.” Twilight said aloud, reassuring herself as she finally swallowed the two pills, preparing herself for her daily routines.