//------------------------------// // Back Up a Bit // Story: Just an Everyday Princess // by Wages of Sin //------------------------------// Twilight was not happy about Pinkie grabbing her from her bed so early in the morning. But whereas she was used to Pinkie's antics, her newly appointed royal guards were not. While Twilight may have been upset, the guards charged with protecting her were VERY upset. While Twilight struggled in vain to get Pinkie to put her down, the guards had taken to attempting to tackle the pink menace. Pinkie had apparently interpreted their actions as a game of keep away as she jumped and weaved away from every strike they attempted. Their journey was short though, as Sugarcube Corner was not too far from the library to begin with. When the fumbling entourage entered Sugarcube corner the guard finally managed to surround the princess-napping party pony. Pinkie forgot how this game was supposed to be played, what was she supposed to do now again? She thought back to the last time she saw it played... Oh yeah! She finally remembered how this game was supposed to be played! She chucked Twilight right out the window as hard as she could. ... ... ... The quartet of guards stood frozen in place. They simply looked between the pink pony and the now absent window. The sound of glass breaking drew the attention of the Cakes, and they came running not a moment later. "What's going on in here?" Mr. Cake asked. His eyes fell on his live-in apprentice, babysitter, and pseudo-daughter, but more importantly his eyes fell upon the guards that surrounded her. "YOU are under arrest for kidnapping, evading arrest, attempted murder and high treason!" the guard shouted as he and another advanced on the cornered pony. "What!" Mr. Cake yelled, "Pinkie, what did you do!" One of the two guards not combating the potentially regicidal mare went to secure Mr. And Mrs. Cake. The final guard went out the door to retrieve the princess. "I was just playing that one game with Twilight!" Pinkie laughed. She continued to bounce in the corner, apparently oblivious to the gravity of the situation. "What game?" Mr. Cake asked fearfully. "The one where you grab an alicorn and throw them as hard as you can!" Her bouncing did not slow, "I saw Shining and Cadence playing it in the Crystal Empire one time! It looked like a lot of fun, but the only alicorns I know are too heavy! Maybe Luna would be ok, but she hasn't visited since Nightmare Night, so now that Twilight's a-" The guards finally managed to tackle the pink menace. "You are going to jail for a long time for this!" the guard said triumphantly as he stood back to look at the quick work he made of tying the criminal's hooves. "Awww, party pooper! If you wanted a turn you should have just asked!" ------------------------------------- Twilight remembered that it was a first floor window she had been so ungracefully sent through, so she was not expecting impact to take this long. She dared to open her eyes, only to see that she wasn't heading towards the ground, she was going across it, just a little bit above it. She looked back. "Oh. Right. Wings." She glided a few more yards to a stop, "Well that was... Actually kind of fun." "Princess!" one of the guards yelled, running up behind her, "Are you hurt?" "No, I'm alright." she said dabbing a hoof to her face to check for blood. "Smashing that window with my face doesn't seem to have caused any harm." "We recognize our grievous error in not stopping her before she entered the library. We will capture the perpetrator soon princess." "No, it's alright. One of the first things you'll learn living in Ponyville is that you just let Pinkie do what she does and try not to think about it." Twilight gave the guard a reassuring smile. There was some shouting and the sounds of a struggle back the bakery, "We should probably head back." When Twilight Came once again through the bakery's door she was surprised to discover that the guard had actually managed to secure the crazed party pony and had begun loading her onto one of their backs while the Cakes watched in horror. "Before things get even more out of hoof it would probably be best to just get out of your hair." she walked over to her guards and directed them to leave as she untied their pink prisoner. "I think I'll take my leave now, I'll see you later Pinkie." Twilight said as she unraveled the final rope. "You can't leave yet!" She grabbed Twilight once again, "your party is only six hours away!" Twilight fought her way out of the party pony's grip and headed to the door, "Don't worry Pinkie, I'll be here in time for the party." she said as she headed out. When the princess was safely clear of the bakery's door the Cakes looked back to Pinkie with a mixture of confusion and fear. "What party?" Mr. Cake asked with trepidation. "Oh yeah! We're hosting a party for Twilight tonight!" "You mean the princess?" "Yuppers!" Mr. and Mrs. Cake hit the ground unconscious as the party pony bounced into the kitchen. "They're so excited they passed out! I wish I could do that!" ------------------------------------- Preview: As they left the bakery, Twilight's guards clamped around her, not wanting to fail their charge again. Twilight paid them no mind as she began walking in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. She was really curious as to why Applejack was so upset before.