"And to your right is Carrot Cakes' Pastry Shop, as well as Miss Cup Cake's Cake Emporium!"
Pinkie oooed. "Oh! I think I saw those ponies fighting each other the other day! Are they related? Cause they have the same last name!"
Octavia shook her head. "I thought that very same thing, but apparently, the two aren’t related at all... they just both come from baking families." Octavia couldn't help but stare at the little shops. "They're both really good bakers... but they have so much bad blood between them that I think it sours their potential..."
Pinkie hummed a bit, staring at the shops as well. "Why do they hate each other so much?"
Octavia shrugged. "I've heard a lot of rumors. The most prevalent one seems to be that the two ponies simply started off as competitive rivals, but as time went on their rivalry turned into all out war."
Pinkie frowned a bit. "But why would they be rivals?"
Octavia shook her head. "Well... Pinkie, in Ponyville... and largely the rest of Equestria, really... there is only so much demand for one product. The fewer ponies selling that product, the more those who do stand to profit." The elder sister couldn't help but turn her attention to the little shops once more, imagining what their owners were doing. "When more than one pony sells a product, that demand is divided evenly between them, assuming of course that they are of equal quality and reputation..."
Pinkie seemed to be listening intently. Octavia was wondering if she really had to explain it more. "Uh... well, because two of them sell cupcakes, and because they're both really good bakers in their own right, neither one of them sells as much as they would be if the other wasn't there."
Pinkie hummed. "But is it so bad to split profits? I mean, I may not know about how money works as much as you do, but I can't see why ponies couldn't share?"
Octavia shook her head. "I don't think it's just the profits, to be honest. I think its one part profit, two parts pride... for every customer one shop gets, the others' owner feels it like stepping on a nail."
Pinkie shuddered at the feeling. "Ohh... I see..." The pink pony stared at the shops, tilting her head. "I just don't see why they couldn't be friends though. I mean, couldn't they sell a lot more and do a lot more if they worked together?"
Octavia sighed a bit, smiling at her sister's naiveté. "Oh Pinkamena... I'm afraid it doesn't work like that.... but it's the way it should be."
Pinkie shrugged a bit, turning to steal one last glance at the shop as they had passed it. "Maybe someday... doesn't hurt to hope!"
The two ponies continued on their trot. "And down that path, you'll see Sweet Apple Acres."
Pinkie looked down the path, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Apple trees as far as the eye could see! Why, Pinkie didn't think she had ever SEEN so many trees, let alone so many APPLE trees! Of course, she couldn't be entirely sure; she had never taken the time to count them, or find out if they were apple trees. It was then she wondered if it was fair for her to make this assumption without counting first?
Oh well, she could worry about that later.
"The Apple family lives there. They're the proprietors of all of Ponyville's apples and apple cider."
Pinkie nodded. "I see... is that the ponies who made the cider that taught you the magic of hard cider?"
Octavia scowled. "Yes... though I hardly hold it against them..." She looked behind them into what Pinkie assumed was the direction of their home. "More or less, I blame Vinyl for that, and for not telling me the difference between hard cider and normal cider."
Pinkie hummed. "Oh! Oh! Could I try hard cider?"
Octavia gasped. "Pinkie, what!? No! you're not old enough yet! I'm not technically old enough yet for another year! Vinyl is a few months younger than me, and can only get it because she has a fake ID!"
Pinkie's only response was to tilt her head in confusion. "Why do I have to be a certain age to drink hard cider?"
Octavia rubbed her temples. She could swear that somewhere in her head, she had a tumor with Pinkie's name on it. She had known her sister to always be curious, but it was not much of a problem before; now it seemed there was always another question.
Of course, she had to give Pinkie credit; she was adjusting far better to the outside than she herself did.
"Let's just say when you drink hard cider, you do things you wouldn't normally do, things you stop yourself from doing on a regular basis, either consciously or subconsciously..."
Pinkie hummed. "You mean like last night how you started moaning in your sleep and said something about something being so big and deep?"
Octavia shook her head. "No Pinkie, that's UNCONCIOUSLY, not--" She stopped herself as connections were made in her head, and her face turned a deep red. "... and I would appreciate if you never speak of that or anything like it again. If I say anything or do anything in my sleep, I would ask you to please please PLEASE wake me up, because I can be having a very very VERY bad nightmare."
Pinkie nodded. "Ohhh... was you dreaming somepony were hurting you? You was moving around a lot and seemed to be sweating a little, and you was moving your hind legs around like you were trying to run away from somepony on them and--"
"PINKAMENA!"
Pinkie stopped.
Octavia's face was a deeper red than the apples. "PLEASE. Please... never speak of this again. Ever. To anypony. Promise?"
Pinkie nodded. "Oh! Sure! I don't see why- OH! Because you're afraid ponies will think you're afraid of stuff?"
Octavia turned away from Pinkie. "Something like that. Now! Let's continue with our tour and forget we ever spoke of this!"
"But if I forget we spoke of it, how will I know that I'm not supposed to talk about it?"
"PINKAMENA!"
****************
"Oooo! What a nice tree!"
Octavia rolled her eyes at Pinkie who had begun to bounce instead of walking. She had remembered Pinkie used to do that a lot after getting her cutie mark, but had stopped when the community had asked her to stop throwing so many parties.
"This, Pinkamena, is no ordinary tree. It is the Books and Branches Library. Center of knowledge in Ponyville, home of books and information galore... and my favorite place to pick up books for a nice little weekend."
Pinkie quirked her brow. "What kinds of books?"
Octavia smiled. "Why, my dear Pinkamena, any kind! All kinds! If you can imagine it, they have a book for it!"
"Oh! Oh! Do they have a book about a three headed serpent name Steve who sells cotton candy but secretly fights crime?"
"Uh, well Pinkamena, that's kind of too specific and-"
"Oh! What about a book that explains why my hair gets poofy when I'm happy but gets flat when I'm depressed?"
"Unless somepony's been watching you, I seriously doubt-"
"Oh! What about a book about a pegasus who goes on adventures and hunts ancient treasures?"
"I don't-- wait, I think a book like that actually does-"
"Let's go inside I can't wait anymore!"
Without another word, Pinkie dashed towards the library and pressed the door open.
Inside, it was very quiet. The linside seemed surprisingly big, considering it was not really so large a place. There were many books in the walls, which had, much like the rest of the tree, been hollowed out strategically to allow the tree itself to serve as bookshelves. Sitting at a nearby table that was close enough to the door to allow whoever was sitting there to notice newcomers was a purple coated earth pony mare with a lavender mane, tied back in a ponytail. She wore a single checkered legwarmer on her left hoof, and had her nose buried in a book. She turned up to see who had entered the library and smiled.
"Oh! Hi Octavia! Hi... uhh... other pony!"
"Cheerilee, how are you?"
Cheerilee shrugged. "Could be better. Just doing some studying... to think, I'm just months away from getting my teaching license!" Cheerilee beamed proudly. "I'll be a shaper of young minds! I'll be a pony that foals look up to! I'll be--"
Suddenly, Pinkie's body seemed to twitch, bloat, stretch, and vibrate at random intervals.
"Woo! That was a doozy!"
Cheerilee quirked a brow. "Is... is she alright?"
Octavia shook her head. "I... I honestly have no idea... though... Pinkamena, that wasn't your sixth sense was it?"
Pinkie shrugged. "I dunno! Maybe? The last time that happened was when you decided not to come back home! And that was also the first time it happened too! I wonder if they're related?"
Octavia looked around nervously. "Uhh... any idea what triggered it?"
Pinkie shrugged. "I dunno! But I got it when I looked at that poster behind Cheery!"
Cheerilee turned around to see a poster on the wall that depicted three fillies; one from each tribe, playing together. She had never considered the poster before, but now that she looked at it... she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of foreboding.
"... Anyone else have a full body shudder just now?"
"I did!"
Octavia sighed. "I don't think she meant your sixth sense Pinkamena-"
"I don't like that term anymore!"
Octavia quirked a brow. "What? But... that's what it is, isn't it? A sixth sense?"
Pinkie waved her hoof. "Yeah, but I don't like that name! I wanna call it the Pinkie Sense!"
There was a palpable silence.
"... Pinkie sense..."
"Yup!"
"... Are you serious?"
Pinkie nodded her head enthusiastically. Octavia was so tired of rubbing her forehead, of facehoofing, of sighing, that she did the only thing she felt could make sense at this point in time.
"Okay, yeah, whatever."
Pinkie beamed. "Pinkie sense it is then!"
Cheerilee squinted her eyes and looked at the two ponies. "What... what is this all about?"
Octavia rolled her eyes. "My sister has a sort of sixth sense--"
"Pinkie Sense!"
".... Pinkie sense.... in which her body exhibits strange spasms and convulsions... we used to think she was having seizures until our father realized each specific convulsion happened at about the same time as certain events, such as her tail twitching when something was going to fall..."
Pinkie nodded. "Yessir! Daddy said I was his special girl with a gift from above!"
Cheeriliee couldn't help but smile at the silly pony. "So Octavia, this is your sister?"
Octavia nodded. "Cheerilee, this is my little sister, Pinkamena Pie. Pinkamena, this is Cheerilee, local librarian and soon to be educator of young ponies."
Pinkie held out her hoof, smiling still. "Nice to meet ya, Cheerilee!"
Cheerilee took her hoof and shook it gently. "You too, Pinkamena! So, you're from that little community Octavia came from?" Pinkie nodded enthusiastically in response, her smile never fading.
Octavia smiled a bit; glad to see the two ponies getting along so well. "Yes, she's here for her coming of age, so we're trying to get her as immersed into society as we can to better help her decide what she wants to choose."
Cheerilee 'oh'ed and nodded. "Oh! I see! Well, you're in luck! The library has just about any information you could hope to find about Equestria AND beyond!" She stood up and trotted around her desk and back towards the two. "Is there anything in particular I can help you find?"
Pinkie hummed and tapped her chin with her hoof, pondering what she could ask for. So many choices, so many options, yet there wasn't much she wanted to know!
Although...
"Do you have any books on how to throw parties?"
Octavia seemed to freeze at this.
"Huh, well, I don't know... I could check the 'How To' section for you though! I'm sure we might have SOMETHING that you can use though, if it exists at all!"
Cheerilee trotted to the bookshelves and started to look about. Octavia turned to her sister. "Why do you need a book on how to throw parties? You're not planning on throwing any parties are you? Please tell me you don't intend to throw any parties..."
Pinkie hoof waved. "Of COURSE I'm gonna throw a party! I mean, I wanna throw at least a few of them before--" Pinkie stopped herself, noticing the look on her sister's face. "--er, before I go back, IF I go back... but I want to see how ponies party out here!"
Octavia sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, it's... not much different from how you partied back at home, save that there's more ponies.." The next thing she knew, Octavia's personal space was invaded by her sister, who was pressing her face right up into her own.
"Of course! I want to throw big parties! I wanna throw parties so great that even if I do go back home, I can say to myself, 'WOW! That party was WILD!"
Octavia didn't know what to say to this. On one hand, she wanted to stop Pinkie cold in her tracks; a party in this town would likely mean Pinkie would invite everypony she either knew, just met, or happened to see as she was planning it, etc. She didn't think their little home would be able to stand a party.
And yet... this was Pinkie. Her little sister, struggling to decide where she belonged. There was no way Octavia could deny her this.
So, she smiled to her sister.
"Alright Pinkamena... if you really want to throw a party I... I guess we can try to... accommodate everything and make sure we're ready to replace windows and--"
"Oh! I don't want to throw one JUST YET silly!"
Octavia almost balked she was so surprised by this statement. It was unlike Pinkie to be patient! "E-excuse me?"
Pinkie simply giggled and shorted in response. "I mean, I DO want to throw one, right now in fact, but I wanna learn a little bit first! I'll need time to read that book, maybe go to other parties and stuff, before I throw my super duper amazingtastic Pinkie Pie Ponyville Party! After all, it's gotta be a party everypony will wanna come to!"
"Oh! Here we go!"
The two ponies turned as Cheerilee came back with a book in her mouth, smiling as she put it into her hooves. "Everything you ever wanted to know about partying, but was too afraid to ask! It may not have literally EVERYTHING, so you know, but it should have a lot of really good material!"
She handed (hooved?) the tome to Pinkie Pie, who took it and hugged it tightly, smiling so big you'd swear she had just found an old friend.
"Well, Pinkie, is there anywhere else you'd like to go to?"
Pinkie shook her head. "Nope! I think I'm good for today!"
Octavia smiled and nodded a bit. "Right, let's go home then! I'm sure Vinyl is getting pretty hungry, and if we don't get home soon, she'll likely try to cook something herself and burn the house down..." The eldest sister turned to face Cheerilee and nodded. "Thanks for your help, Cheerilee. I'll be seeing you later, and hope you have a good day!"
Cheerilee smiled and waved. "Have a good day yourself, Octavia! And Pinkie? It's been a pleasure to meet you!"
*******************
"Vinyl! We're home!"
The two ponies stepped into the house. It was already early evening; Octavia hadn't realized she and her sister had been out for so long! She was fairly certain they had only been gone an hour or so... but the sun didn't lie (unless Celestia was playing one hell of a prank today) and the changing color of the sky showed that night was on its way.
"Well Pinkamena, I'm going to go start dinner. Could you go tell Vinyl we're home?" Pinkie nodded enthusiastically and, without another word, trotted upstairs. She made her way towards the door that lead to Vinyl's room. As she neared, she started hearing noises coming from her room, but not the usual wubs... it sounded more like moaning.
Pinkie pushed the door open. "Hey Vinnie, you okay in--"
Her mind had time to piece together that Vinyl was on her back and a stallion was standing on his hind legs, holding her own to either side of himself, before she turned around and closed the door quickly, yet gently, so as not to draw attention. Biting her lip, she hurriedly headed back downstairs and into the kitchen.
Octavia looked to Pinkie and quirked a brow. After a few seconds, her jaw fell open. "... Is she--"
"Yup."
"Did she--"
"Nope."
"... Do you want to ta-"
"Nope."
The two sisters sat in silence that seemed to permeate the entire house. It was just now the two could hear a faint creaking sound.
"Awwww yeah!"
....
"What say we go and eat something out tonight and bring back a doggie bag for Vinyl?"
Pinkie quickly nodded her head, her next word spoken as if she were faced with a horde of zombies on the other side of a fence. "Y-yeeah..."
----------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...