//------------------------------//
// Outin' 
// Story: I'm Datin' a Demon 
// by ArtsyGum 
//------------------------------//

“Y’know, I always wanted to spend a day with a demon.” Rainbow Dash bears a smile toward Pinkie as she soars beside her.

Outside the Golden Oak Library the pair is flying through the Equestrian night sky of deep blue. The stars are twinkling, and there’s nothing lighting the streets but the moonlight and the peering light through house windows.

“Well, today’s your lucky day, then!” Pinkie bears a toothy grin, her flapping skeletal wings keeping her in flight. “Or, well, night, I suppose!” She giggles to herself, ending in a snort.

Suddenly a loud growling comes from Pinkie’s stomach. “O-Oh excuse me! I skipped my morning meal.” Her face flushes red.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes go wide in response. “Damn, girl! Somepony’s hungry!” She chuckles. “Good thing I know the best hayburger place! Maybe we can eat there for dinner?”

“Hay-burger…?” Pinkie is visibly confused. “Like, a meat patty with hay stuck inside it? I’ve never heard of such a thing.” She jerks her head back in disgust.

Rainbow Dash sticks out her stud-pierced tongue, scrunching up her face. “Bleh! Meat patty? You actually eat that stuff? What kind of burgers are you eatin’, girl? We ponies never eat meat.” 

Pinkie points to herself with a hoof. “Where I’m from we demons normally consume meat. I’m not sure if we can even eat hay. Though, my mother is half pony, half demon.” She puts a hoof to her chin in thought.

“But my father—he’s pure demon.” Her words seem to distort in an odd way as she spoke of him.

Rainbow Dash is taken aback by the odd change in sound.

“Though we can handle baked goods and other desserts!” Pinkie says chipperly, glancing back at Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, well we do have a sweet-ass bakery nearby!” Rainbow Dash says proudly. “Their sweets are pretty kickass!” 

Pinkie gives a happy nod. Her attention then shifts to the night sky. “Sooo pretty! Such a nice blue.” She wags her tail cutely while her head is pointed up toward the sky.

She turns her head toward Rainbow Dash, wide-eyed. “Rainbow Dash, is your sky always this beautiful?”

Rainbow Dash laughs aloud. “Yeah, at night.” She shakes her head. “During the day it’s much brighter. Why, have you never seen the sky before?”

Pinkie giggles. “Of course I’ve seen the sky before, silly! But our sky is usually red—like blood. My father prefers it to be that colour…” She gives a deep sigh, her eyes drifting down to the passing dirt path below.

There’s a small family of ponies that seem to be going out some place for dinner: a tall thin mare and a short squat mare both tolling a happy trotting foal.

Rainbow Dash pauses mid-flight. She cocks her head to the side and crosses her hooves. “What’s with your father anyway?”

Pinkie stops flying. “Huh?” She closes her eyes. Her tone is forlorn. “Oh… well, my father—as you know—is the King. He doesn’t like your realm at all. I-I guess you can say that he and I don’t see eye to eye.” Her eyes are still distant.

Rainbow Dash’s brows furrow. “He sounds like a total asshole!” She resumes her flight.

Pinkie laughs in disbelief. She hasn’t heard anyone with the gall to talk so disrespectfully about her tyrant of a father before. “I suppose so. He’s strictly said to me that I’m forbidden from coming here. I certainly hope that he doesn’t catch wind of this.”

Rainbow Dash brings her hooves together in a punching motion. “Well, if he does, he’ll have to go through me first!” She bears a wide confident grin.

Pinkie issues a cute giggle. “Awwe! I wish I could hug you!” Pinkie wraps her arms around herself in a hug, spinning about with her eyes closed.

“Wuh—huh? Why’s that?”

Pinkie returns to normal flight. She smiles at her. “Because you’re such a nice pony!”

Rainbow Dash scratches the back of her head bashfully. “Pffft… more like an awesome pony! Oh—! We’re here by the way!”

The two of them land in front of a gingerbread house bakery. Attached to the front of the roof is a large confectionery-themed decorative sign of a strawberry frosted gingerbread that was dipped in dripping milk chocolate. Fancily iced neatly across the center are the words “Sugarcube Corner” in pink. Below the sign, on the second floor, hangs a cute balcony set up with several cupcake-themed tables and chairs.

“I’ll getcha’ the door.” Rainbow Dash pushes her hoof against the pink carved swing door.

“Oh, thank you!” She trots inside and looks around the bakery interior with starry-eyes. “Woah, it looks lovely in here!”

Her nose is immediately assaulted with the smell of sweet icing and baked goods. The entire bakery is bright and colourfully decorated. Each of the tables and chairs are cupcake or confectionery–themed. The bakery is mostly empty, aside from two mares sat at a table near the window: a white mare with shades and a crazy mane, and a grey mare with a pink bow-tie. Wrapped candy, gingerbread ponies, and frosted doughnut decorations of various colours pepper the pink wall skirting and ceiling overhangs. A set of wooden stairs lead to the second-floor balcony. And behind the counter are shelves upon shelves of candies, cupcakes, lollipops, muffins, and countless other sweets and backed goods.

In front of the smorgasbord of treats is a sweet plump blue-coat mare with a swirly cotton-candy pink mane. She just finishes tending to two other ponies at the counter, taking their payment in her mouth, as Pinkie’s demonic figure waltzes in.

The bakery owner’s eyes go wide and her mouth falls agape. Several bits clatter to the floor.

“Oh my word!”