"Stupid! Stupid!..." I chastised, bonking my head against the wall with each word.
This continued for a few seconds. It allowed me to temporarily forget about my hangover, and the mare from my bed. Hitting my my head especially hard, I remained leaning against the wall. Looking back at the washroom door, the image of an enraged Photo Finish flitted through my thoughts again. This was then followed by the sound of a door opening in the hallway. Fearing my imagination had become reality, I fell to the floor and cowered like a newborn foal experiencing their first Nightmare Night.
“Uh... are you alright Cider?”, a tired voice asked.
Peeking from under one leg, I sighed inwardly when I didn’t see the pony I’d expected. The gray mare yawned before casually trying to straighten out her bed head. Embarrassed to be seen in such a position, I flashed her a sheepish smile.
“And I’m guessing those noises were you.” Octavia said while rubbing one of her eyes with a hoof.
Trying to save face I slowly uncurled and tried to stand. After a few tries, and lots of embarrassing falls, I managed to stagger to my hooves. Feeling the blush on my face, and dull pounding of liquor in my temple, I tried to think up an explanation. With sigh of resignation I decided to tell her everything. Maybe she’d be able to explain it to Photo.
"No... I'm not alright. I'm hungover. I can't remember what happened last night. And I woke up with that mare named, Vinyl Scratch, in my bed!" I answered while putting a hoof to my head.
Looking away in shame, I waited for her to berate me or at least laugh at me for doing such a stupid thing while drunk. After a few minutes of silence I finally found the courage to look at her. I was shocked when I saw an expression I hadn't expected. Understanding?
"Well it does sound rather... incriminating. To be honest you wouldn't be the first to experience Vinyl's 'company'." the grey mare said. It didn't take a genius to figure out what her reddening cheeks meant.
"You and Vinyl-", I started to say before she interrupted me with a flustered response.
"No! I mean yes... It was during the time we were students at the Canterlot Academy of the Arts. Working together, one thing led to another and..." she stopped speaking as she traced embarrassed circles on the floor. By now her face had turned beet red from the unspoken memories.
There was a slam that made the two of us jump as the bathroom door was opened. Standing in the doorway was a haggard looking Vinyl Scratch. Apparently she hadn't heard the conversation as she slowly walked between us.
"I'm going back to bed Tavia, I have a few hours before the train to Trottingham arrives. Sorry for taking so long in the bathroom again." she told Octavia as she plodded down the hall.
Expecting her to head back to the guest room, I was surprised to see her enter the room next to it. Silence permeated the hallway as I stared at the closed door. Something about this whole situation seemed depressing, but I couldn't put my hoof on it. I must have stared too long because Octavia coughed to get my attention.
"Let's let her sleep." she quietly said as I turned to see her at the stairs.
"Yes... I think that would be a good idea..." I said before following her down the stairs. Reaching the first step, I looked at the door one last time, trying to understand why I felt so strange.
Stretching after leaving the house I instinctively looked for paparazzi before walking down the street. After a warm breakfast of haycakes with blueberries, a walk seemed like the perfect thing to do on such a sunny day. Even the hangover started to subside midway through breakfast as Octavia explained how my 'guest' lived there as well. Things would've made a complete turn around if I didn't have this dull ache in my chest.
Lost in my thoughts, it took me awhile to notice a familiar mare hopping along beside me. Speeding up to a brisk trot, she easily kept pace as I blindly followed the roadways. After a few galloping circuits of the town, obviously the spectacle for a chuckling few, I started to gasp as my stamina gave out.
Note to self, work on cardio, I thought with a wheeze. Submitting myself to the inevitable, I started to slow and walked over to a restaurant we'd passed a few times. It didn't help that Pinkie smiled victoriously as I plopped myself into a seat. Picking up one of the menus, I tried to avoid eye contact as she sat on the other side of the table. Hearing some giggling and hushed whispers, it was obvious we'd been amusing to watch.
"What do you want?" I asked, intently staring at the menu. The tip of her mane slowly covered half the menu as she peeked over the top.
"Why are you talking to a menu?" she asked before leaning over for better look. "Wait let me guess... You put a spell on it to make it answer questions!" she said excitedly, grabbing hold of the menu before I could stop her.
"Why'd the chicken cross the road?...", she asked the folded menu.
Speaking in a deep voice, she made the menu open and close with a hoof as she said, "I don't know Pinkie Pie?"
"...To get to the other side!" she answered excitedly, looking at me with a wide grin.
A small part of me died, hearing that corny joke, but the way she presented it still brought a grin to my face. Seeing it, her own grin grew wider before she looked back at the menu.
"Here's another good question. Why does my new friend, Jason Cider, have a frowny face?" she asked before turning to look at me.
Glancing around with worry, I ensured nopony heard before leaning towards the mare. "I do not have a... frowny face?! And how do you know my name isn't White Noise?" I hissed, trying to avoid a scene.
"Maybe I can answer that..." the party pony said from the corner of her mouth as the menu flapped open and shut.
After a day of making cupcakes and hanging with the twins, super fantastic day by the way, Pinkie had a friend stop by her house. Now Octavia usually isn't the type of friend to come over, so Pinkie decided to ask her what was up.
"So Octi, what can I do for one of my bestie-best friends." I...Pinkie asked, opening the door after the first knock.
She seemed so happy to see Pinkie because she jumped a hoof in the air.
"Well... Hello Pinkie...", she said in her usual, I'm very professional, voice, "...I stopped by today to tell you my cousin will be in Ponyville. He should arrive in the next few days and if you could prepare a mixer", another name for a party i guess ,"to welcome him, I'd be greatly indebt to you."
"No problem! If it makes you happy, I'll be happy to throw a party for your cousin!" Pinkie said as she grinned, thinking about all the preparations.
Pinkie was glad to help her friends out in a jam, and this seemed like quite the marmalade for Octavia as she sighed with relief.
"Thank-you Pinkie! I'm sure my cousin Ja... White Noise will be thrilled by the festivities." Octavia said before waving good-bye.
Waving in return, Pinkie watched her friend go, before putting her goggles on. If there was one thing not known to everypony, it was that Pinkie was a secret agent. And being a secret agent means knowing things other ponies don't.
Grabbing her tools, Pinkie stealthily set out for Octavia's house, blending with the shadows like-like... like a ninja-pony. Yeah!
Getting to the there without being seen, she quickly picked the lock before opening the door silently. Using her super-secret spy moves, Pinkie rolled through the entrance way before diving behind a door. It was so super secret agent that spy music started to play as Pinkie tip-toed from behind her cover and into the kitchen. [youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAYhNHhxN0A]
Glancing around to make sure nopony was watching, Pinkie pulled a can out of her bag and pressed the nozzle. A foggy mist sprayed out as red lasers were exposed, all centering around a single drawer. Grinning, Pinkie stretched before breaking into a series of aerial flips, jumps and rolls. Avoiding the sensors with ease, Pinkie landed on her hooves and looked at her prize. A single note carefully placed within the drawer...
"What was in the drawer!" I asked excitedly, interrupting Pinkie mid-sentence.
She looked at me for a few seconds before she broke into a giggling fit.
"What's so funny?" I asked the pink mare.
"You liked my story." she answered before bopping my nose.
Sneezing slightly from it, I covered my muzzle before asking, "so how did you really find out then?"
"I thought you looked like similar to a music video I seen but you gave it away..." she answered with a smile, before tapping a hoof on the table. "..Oh my Celestia, I just had the best idea! Do you want to go to Carousal Boutique? Rarity has been looking for a stallion to try on some suits she's sewing. Race you there!"
Unable to get a word in edgewise, I stumbled for the first few steps as I hurried after her. If she told somepony about my secret, my vacation was all but doomed. Darting after the hopping pink blur, I regretted not drinking some water while at the restaurant because I quickly started sweating from the overexertion of two runs and felt a small cramp developing in my hind leg. Hobbling through the pain, I did my best not to lose sight of her. It paid off when I rounded a bend and found the mare doing a small victory dance in front of the boutique Octavia had shown me the previous day. Seeing me, she stopped dancing as she waved me over and knocked on the door.
"Pinkie...", I managed to say between gasping breaths as I got closer, ".. I need you to promise something. Something really important!"
The change was almost creepy as I watched the party pony have a complete turn around in her expression.
"Anything for a friend." she said with resolution.
"I need you to promise me, not! To tell anypony about my real identity." I told her.
She then proceeded to move her hooves as she said, " cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cup... What about ponies I've already told?"
"What?" I managed to ask before the boutique door was slammed open and somepony tackled me.