Cream fell from her lips even as she tried to lick it up quickly. Discord and Grey smirked at Pinkie's efforts.
"Hey, don't laugh."
They were sitting in Sugarcube Corner on a cold December afternoon. Pinkie was trying to eat her cinnamon bun successfully but the cream kept fall off.
"Are you going to finish that?" Discord reached out for her other bun. She slapped his hand away and jokingly frowned at him.
"No need to be so mean. I'll just have to get it from you later."
"And how are you going to do that?" She asked.
He swooped in and planted a kiss on her creamy lips. They were stuck for a moment as he licked at them. He pulled away with a smirk. Pinkie smiled at him.
"A kiss isn't going to get me to hand it over. You're going to hav...Hey!" She looked down at her plate to find it empty. Pinkie looked up to see Discord pop her cinnanom bun in his mouth.
"Mmmm, ghhood."
She swatted at him. "Meany! Double meany!"
"How's you new business doing, Pinkie?" Grey asked. "It's going to be strange coming here and not seeing you behind the counter anymore."
"It's great! Everyone really seems to be taking it seriously now that it's out of my garage."
"You don't have a garage." Discord mumbled through crumbs.
"It's a metaphor, oh great and wise old spirit. It's now an official Party and Event Consulting business with its own office and my own secretary!" Pinkie beamed. "I am going to miss being more involved with the events but I think it's a good trade off. I get to teach people how to have fun, in a sense." Pinkie twisted her mouth. "It is weird having to do so much paperwork though. It's a lot of contracts and invoices and dealings with outside parties which sounds like it would be more fun with parties making parties but it's not."
"Paperwork." Discord said with a nauseated tone.
"Well that does sound thrilling in its own way. I'm sorry to have missed your house warming party." Grey said. "The stupid Manehatten location just couldn't understand why you don't use the same pot to mix all the different recipes. Let's just say, there were a few nut related incidents and puffy ponies to deal with."
"It's okay. You helped me find the place." She giggled. Pinkie lingered in thought about her new home. It was a simple two story cottage style house with a porch and backyard. There was not much of a front yard as it was on a main street but the porch made up for it. Pinkie loved being able to wave to everypony as they went about their day. Her new office was on prime real estate in town square. She had painted it pink, yellow, and blue. Rarity had been insistent on helping her to decorate the inside with an 'elegant' and 'tasteful' fun theme. It had turned out great.
She sighed. She had only been living in her new house for a month now but she had yet to truly finish decorating it. Her office had been so simple. Why did her home have to be so unsatisfying? Discord eyed her.
"I'm not done furbishing my house. It's so hard."
Discord grinned, "Well of course it'll be hard. It's your own place. It has to do with all your own personal feelings and likes and dislikes and your just getting over little 'personal growth' thing."
"Personal growth thing." Grey mocked. "Wow, so wonderfully stated." She sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked at Pinkie. "But I do have to agree, this is all you. A new place is a milestone in your life. A statement of individuality and personal expression. it'll be even harder for you right now as you had just gone through a major change inside. You won't know exactly what kind of statement you want to make as you're still a little unsure of who you are. It'll get easier as you go and you might surprise yourself with what you put into your new home."
Pinkie nodded her head. "I'm so glad I'm friends with smart people. I would have just butchered that." She laughed wholeheartedly.
Twilight was in her kitchen again. She was gabbing on about the newest healthy living book that came in at the Page Master Bookstore. It laid open on the counter so she could skim over the words in case she forgot them.
Pinkie smiled through the word filled air. She knew this was just the way Twilight showed she cared. Even if it was a little annoying at times.
"Whole grain! That's always the best. I'm starting to wonder what happened to our outlook on food lately. What's wrong with the basics? Everything's processed and massed produced. Whole grain toast and bit of honey. Maybe even some butter but, not too much." Twilight sighed in victory. The pantry and refrigerator were stocked and sorted to her satisfaction.
She turned to her friend. "There you go, Pinkie! I've also put color coded tags on the pages in case you needed to look anything up." Twilight smiled gently. She wrapped Pinkie in an almost maternal hug. Patting her on the back, Twilight pulled away. "Just come by if you have any questions. Or if you just want to hang out."
"Well duh." Pinkie drawled good naturedly. "I have to swing by you house on a regular basis just to make sure you're not becoming some weird shut in. I have it in my day planner, Twi! 'Visit Twilight so she remembers there's an real world outside her house.'"
"Alright, I get it. I'll see you later." Twilight waved as she walked out the door and down the steps. Pinkie waved back. She felt good watching her friend walk away. Now, just to make sure she didn't find my emergency cupcakes.
Sunday morning came with its complimentary sunglasses. Pinkie waited by the beginning of the market place. Her scarf helped to keep some of the cold away but she would be needing a sweater soon. The stiff winds of late fall were coming in.
Fluttershy could be heard before she was seen. Pinkie chuckled at her 'oh my' as a particularly strong wind whipped by her. "Hello, Pinkie." Fluttershy said as she landed. "I hope you didn't wait long."
"Don't worry about it! I was having fun thinking out what we could do today." she spoke as they made their way down the street.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash huffed a little as they carried out the broken couch out of Pinkie's new office. Hmm, maybe it was a bad idea to bounce on it. Pinkie thought as she watched. Squeaking emitted every time she slid up and down the length of the new couch wrapped up in plastic. Rainbow Dash looked on in slight annoyance from the constant sound.
"Working hard today as well." Mr. Cake noted out loud. He and the Misses trotted up to the office with the Twins in tow.
"Hey, guys! Here already?" Pinkie jiggled on the couch letting loose more noises from the plastic cover.
"Yep, can't miss our Wednesday Picnic. They kids just love seeing you."
Pinkie hugged and snuggled with the little ones. "Aww, you guys make it sound like you never see me anymore. Isn't that right?" she booped noses with Pumpkin.
"Your business is doing so well lately. We are just so proud of you and well... we don't want to get in the way of your new freedom." Misses Cake smiled through welling up eyes.
"Prrph, you're so silly Misses Cake. You guys are my family. I'm never free of you."
The couple laughed and nodded. "Well, let's get going. Good bye Applejack, Rainbow Dash. Don't strain yourself." Misses Cake called out. The pair smiled back, calling out their own goodbyes.
Pinkie sucked in her gut as much as she could. "What's the point of 'breathable' fabric if you can't breath in it." She gasped out.
"One more second, Pinkie." Rarity reprimanded. She pinned on the last of the tulle to the corset. "Voilà la!"
Pinkie fought the overwhelming urge to groan. She let out a breath like she's never breathed before as Rarity magically loosened the ribbons.
"Thank you so much, Pinkie. You were such a great help. I just... I do hope I'm not, you know, making you feel bad what with a corset being about slimness." Rarity edged out as she floated the dress to the sewing machine. It was a very pretty outfit.
"It's okay now." Pinkie shook her head. "I'm getting better with myself."
"If you say so."
"I am! If I give up and get depressed over something as little as a garment, nothing will change. Now, can we move on to something less, hmm, life threatening?" she joked.
"The castle has just been awful lately." Discord ranted as he entered the house. He threw his scarf on the hat stand. "Some 'genius' decided to cut down on the amount of desserts in the kitchen. Apparently, sugar is bad for you." He said with sarcasm. "Pinkie, save me." He pleaded on bent knee.
Pinkie rolled her eyes and sighed through a grin. "Discord, did you want to stay in the guest room for a while?"
"Me? Move in? Oh, I thought you'd never ask!" Discord held his hands to his chest and 'swooned' with happiness onto the couch. "The princesses are so boring. And really, castles are not what they're cracked up to be."
Pinkie laughed loudly. "I only asked if wanted to stay for a while." She slapped his knee and moved into the space he made when drawing up his legs.
"Yes, but what's a while? You just never know. I might stay for a few days which turns into weeks then I'm freeloading and you're planting help wanted ads everywhere for me to find." He sprawled out on the couch a little more as if he already half owned it. "Then you find that you just can't live without me." He said in a wistful tone.
Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "I feel like you've done this couch crashing before, just without the last part."
"You wound me, Pinkie. I'm quite welcomed in some realms of reality." Discord crossed his arms and pouted.
"I'm sure." Pinkie crawled up onto his stomach and laid out as if she owned him.
"See? You're already used to me." He grinned. Discord wrapped her up into a cuddle. "Mmm, your hair smells divine as usual."
"Thanks. And you know what?"
"What?"
"I think I would miss you too much. You can stay."
Pinkie laughed as Discord cheered and threw her up into the air.