//------------------------------// // Concept Development // Story: Dissertation of Affections // by Baby Seal Burritos //------------------------------// “Do you have to go?” Pinkie felt her heart clench in her chest as the small purple unicorn stared at her with wide and forlorn eyes that were still wet from crying. Pinkie had been standing next to the wooden door of the library, hoof extended towards the knob, when the unicorn had spoken up. She lowered her hoof back to the ground. Twilight slowly dragged a hoof across the floorboards of the library, directing her gaze down to the ground, and continuing quietly, “I mean… Can’t you stay here again? With me?” Pinkie sighed, “I wish that I could, Twilight, but I have to help the Cakes with the orders tomorrow.” “Oh.” Twilight’s ears drooped and she cast a glance over her shoulder up towards her bedroom. The prospect of spending the night alone, Spike notwithstanding, seemed daunting. The reactions of Applejack and Rainbow Dash at their new relationship still loomed over her like an oppressive storm front threatening to break at any moment; she felt like such a filly for being so clingy, but she couldn’t help but want to keep Pinkie as close as possible. Pinkie bit her lip. “I have to get up super duper early so I go and sleep at Sugarcube Corner when I’m supposed to help out the next morning.” Twilight nodded slowly, “I understand.” She stretched on a sad little smile, “Sorry, Pinkie. I just really don’t want to be alone tonight.” Pinkie had never seen Twilight so fragile looking; the little unicorn stared at the floorboards as if they held some great secret in their knots, the smile she had donned was slowly melting back into a pout, and her ears rested against the back of her skull. Twilight had really taken their friends’ reactions to heart, hadn’t she? Luna, give me strength. Pinkie implored. Pinkie leaned forward to rub her cheek against the unicorn’s, “It’ll be okay, Twilight. Really. They just need time to think about it.” She smiled, “Maybe we should throw a party! We could invite everypony and celebrate being marefriends!” The more she thought about it the better of an idea it seemed, “Yeah! We could have purple and pink balloons, and we could decorate with all kinds of pretty stars! Think of the party food!” “Pinkie.” “We could have a cake! Or cupcakes! Ooh!” “Pinkie.” “How about “twinkies”? Get it? Twilight. Pinkie. Twinkie!” She giggled and snorted. Twilight raised her voice, “Pinkie!” Pinkie blinked and brought herself back from the imaginary party she was planning, “Yeah?” Twilight was frowning, “I don’t really think that’s such a good idea right now.” Pinkie stared blankly at the unicorn; it seemed to her that it was always a good idea to throw a party. Where was Twilight coming from? After a few long moments the gears clicked into place, “Oh. I didn’t...” Pinkie rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, “I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Twilight shook her head, “It’s fine. I just… I really don’t want to deal with this,” she gestured with her hoof at nothing in particular, “on such a large scale yet.” Pinkie furrowed her brow, “You really think ponies will have a problem with us?” Twilight frowned and shrugged, “Two of our closest friends have a problem with it. Why wouldn’t other ponies?” Pinkie wrapped the little unicorn in a big hug, “There’s nothing wrong with this.” Twilight snuggled in closer, “I know.” Pinkie considered her options. She couldn’t very well leave Twilight alone when she was hurting like this, but she couldn’t just not show up to help the Cakes. She could try to sleep here in the library, but that would mean waking up even earlier so she could make it to the bakery on time. She finally settled on the perfect solution. “Twilight?” “Hmm?” “Would you like to come to Sugarcube Corner with me tonight?” Twilight instantly lit up with joy and Pinkie praised Celestia that she finally did something right. Pinkie’s room in Sugarcube Corner was on the ground floor next to the kitchen; it was a converted storage space with a single entrance and a tiny window, but it was the perfect size for a single pony who was just staying for a night. There was a bed pressed up against the wall in the corner and an end table with a single lamp on top of it. The Cakes had changed the sheets since her last visit and small gingerbread ponies danced around candy canes on a soft pink background. Twilight regarded the room in an analytical manner, running her eyes over every piece of furniture as if appraising them for some kind of auction. Her eyes lighted on the bed and paused for long moments. Pinkie chuckled a bit nervously, “Like I said, it’s kinda cozy.” Twilight nodded slowly, “Yes. Cozy.” Pinkie shifted from hoof to hoof, “If you’re uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor. It’s not a big deal.” Twilight looked shocked, “Pinkie, that’s horrible!” Pinkie shrugged, “I’ve done it before.” Twilight shook her head briskly, “No. I’m fine. It’s not as if we’ve never shared a bed before. It’s just,” Twilight looked back at the bed dubiously, “I’m not sure how we’re going to manage this.” Pinkie smiled, “Easy!” She bounced over to the bed and clambered onto it, “The bigger pony goes underneath the littler pony!” She plopped onto her stomach and gestured with a hoof, “Climb on!” Twilight trotted up to the edge of the bed, “You’re sure I won’t hurt you? I’m not exactly the lightest pony in Ponyville…” Pinkie scoffed, “You’re perfect. Just get up here.” Twilight put her right hoof on the edge of the bed and rose to her hind legs to position her left. She glanced around to map out the spots of the bed that were unoccupied by pink earth pony, and she pulled herself up. For a few awkward moments she just stood on the bed, looming over Pinkie who smiled at her over her shoulder. When Twilight didn’t make a move, Pinkie encouraged her, “Now lay down!” Twilight raised her left hoof but lowered it with a frown, “Just… lay down?” Pinkie nodded, “Cuddle up and get cozy!” Twilight edged towards the wall, intending to squeeze herself in the gap between pony and plaster, but she stumbled over a snag in the sheets and fell on top of Pinkie. Twilight tried to stand back up but she was having a hard time positioning her hooves, “I’m sorry, Pinkie!” Pinkie twisted underneath Twilight to face her with a smile, “There you go. Now get cozy and go to sleep!” Twilight asked, “You’re not uncomfortable?” Pinkie shook her head and gave Twilight’s cheek a quick kiss, “I’m fine! Try to get some sleep.” Twilight glanced around the bed; there wasn’t enough room anywhere for her to get much more comfortable than she was already, so she rested her head against Pinkie’s chest and wrapped her hooves around the pink pony’s waist. She was much more comfy than she thought she would be and she let out a sigh of contentment as the warm haze of sleep descended upon her. She twitched when Pinkie’s arms encircled her, but she relaxed again and breathed in the sweet scent of her marefriend until it carried her off to sleep. Later that night Pinkie was jolted awake by the oddest sensation; her eyes flew open and darted around the darkened room in an attempt to remember where she was. There was a weight on top of her, and something was nibbling on her overly sensitive ears. Heat rose in her cheeks as small waves of pleasure undulated from the unmistakable feeling of teeth scraping against the flesh of her outer ear. Slowly her bearings came back to her and she realized just who was playing with her ears. “Twilight,” Pinkie whispered urgently, trying her best to not squeak, “Twilight what are you doing?” No answer. Twilight paused in her nibbling, and Pinkie felt a wave of relief. She wasn’t quite sure what Twilight had been thinking, but this wasn’t a great time for that sort of thing. Her cheeks enflamed and the hair on the back of her neck shot up. This time she couldn’t contain the surprised yelp when Twilight’s lips wrapped around the cone of her ear and began to suck on it. Pinkie felt her heart thudding rapidly and she hissed, “Twilight!” No response. Her voice dipped into a whine, “Twilight please. What are you doing?” Finally Twilight’s lips left her ear and she heard the sleep-addled voice of Twilight murmur, “Don’t worry, Smarty Pants, you’re not tardy. You’re right on time.” Pinkie took a deep breath, “Smarty Pants? What in Equestria are you talking about?” But Twilight didn’t answer; she had rolled over again, and Pinkie could hear the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing that signaled Twilight was asleep. Pinkie stared at the ceiling completely and utterly confused. What in the world was that? Twilight woke with a large yawn; she rubbed the dust from her eyes and looked around blankly in a drowsy attempt to pinpoint her location. It wasn’t the library. She looked down and noticed blandly that there were gingerbread ponies on the bedspread. Gingerbread. Gingerbread. Nope. This information didn’t help her at all. She stumbled off of the bed and pushed open the only door she could find; she clamped her eyes shut at the sudden intensity of the light. “Good morning, Twilight!” Twilight slowly worked her eyes open and saw an extremely smiley, two-toned pink pony in an apron, balancing a tray of muffins on her head. It dawned on her that she knew this pony; she also knew the two ponies behind her. A stout blue earth pony and another lanky yellow one stared at her from around the pink one. Both of their mouths hung open slightly and she thought she should probably be annoyed at the look they were giving her, but she was still a bit hazy about where she was. The pink pony skipped over to her and planted a kiss right between the eyes, “Aw! Look who’s a little sleepyhead pony!” Twilight blinked a few times before responding with sudden recognition, “Good mor’ing, Pinkie.” The blue pony with the mane that looked like strawberry icing piped up, “What is she doing in your room, Pinkie?” The blue pony, Mrs. Cake, Twilight realized, asked with what could only be understood as affectionate concern. Such a lovely pony, Twilight thought. All the sudden, as if someone flipped a switch, Twilight became acutely aware of her surroundings: Sugarcube Corner; she had just come out of the guest room that had one bed where Pinkie stayed occasionally, and the Cakes had had no idea she had even been here. She could feel her cheeks burning crimson. Pinkie turned to the Cakes and announced, “We’re together now!” The Cakes exchanged glances; Mr. Cake asked, “Together? Since when?” Pinkie puffed out her chest proudly, “Since two days ago!” Again, the Cakes turned to look at one another and Twilight briefly entertained the thought that they were communicating without speech. Maybe it was something ponies could do after spending years together in intimate capacities. The thought of intimacy brought the heat back to her ears as she wondered just what the Cakes thought they had been doing under their roof. Mrs. Cake looked right at Twilight and smiled, “That’s wonderful, my little ponies!” Mr. Cake nodded, bobbing the small hat that perched precariously on his head, “We’re really happy for you, Pinkie. Twilight.” Pinkie seemed to exude happiness like an aura, even more than usual, and she turned to Twilight and gestured towards the guest bedroom, “Can I talk to you for a sec?” She whirled back to the Cakes, “Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” As Pinkie gently shoved Twilight back towards the guest bedroom, Twilight overheard Mr. Cake mutter, “For what?” followed by a smack and a playful grunt of pain. Pinkie shut the door behind them quietly before whirling around and scooping Twilight into an enthusiastic hug, “I knew it!” "What?” Pinkie planted a firm kiss on Twilight’s mouth and the surprised mare responded happily and eagerly until Pinkie broke it off with a grin. Pinkie nuzzled Twilight’s cheek with her own, “I knew the Cakes would be happy! I knew it! I knew it!” Twilight smiled, “So I guess you’re very happy as well?” Pinkie nodded, “You have no idea how much this means to me!” Twilight remembered how she felt when Spike had accepted their relationship and she snuggled up under Pinkie’s chin, “I think I might just have an idea.” Pinkie broke away from the hug and pranced around the room humming tunelessly. Twilight couldn’t help but feel the waves of joy rolling off the pink pony; it never ceased to amaze her how much delight the pink pony could wring from life. Suddenly, Pinkie screeched to a halt, her tail stiff behind her and her ears twitching. Twilight stood to her hooves, “What’s wrong? Is it your Pinkie Sense?” Pinkie twirled around and Twilight could see the faintest hints of a blush on her cheeks, “Twilight?” Twilight cocked her head to the side, “What is it?” Pinkie glanced to the right and then the left, looking very flustered, “Um… how did,” she paused and bit her lip, “How did you know?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, “How you feel? Well I imagine it feels similar to how I felt when Spike…” Pinkie shook her head fervently, “No no no!” She looked imploringly at the purple unicorn, “I mean about my…” She glanced at the ceiling, her blush deepening and her tail twitching, “You know… my… ears.” The last word came as a whisper and Twilight had to struggle to hear it. “Your ears?” Twilight blinked, “What about your ears?” Pinkie whined, “You’re going to make me say it? Why do you want me to say it?” Twilight responded, exasperated, “What in Equestria are you talking about?” Pinkie responded a tad too loudly, “My ears are esoteric zones!” Twilight took an involuntary step backwards, “What?” She found herself correcting the pony out of habit, “You mean erogenous zones?” Pinkie nodded, “Yeah that. How did you know? I’ve never told anypony!” Twilight could feel the heat in her ears again as her mind recalled the Cakes right outside, “I didn’t…! I don’t…! What?” She scrabbled for words to use but came up short, “What?” Pinkie took a few steps closer, “Last night. Remember?” Twilight couldn’t help but hear everything the pink pony was saying through the filter of the two ponies outside, “Nothing happened! We just went to sleep!” Pinkie got even closer, her eyes narrowed in accusation, “Last night you wouldn’t stop playing with my ear. I asked you to stop, remember?” Twilight couldn’t possibly get any more mortified, “I most certainly did not!” Pinkie pressed her nose against Twilight’s, “You called me “Smarty Pants”!” Twilight blinked, “What?” “Smarty Pants!” Pinkie charged, “You called me “Smarty Pants”!” Confusion took over the place of embarrassment, “Like my doll?” Pinkie crossed her eyes in a goofy looking expression, “Your what?” “My doll?” Twilight pressed, “The one I enchanted with the “Want it; Need it” spell? The one that’s been missing since that day I caused a riot in Ponyville?” Pinkie backed up and tapped her chin in thought, “Why would you call me that? That’s just weird, Twilight.” “I didn’t!” Twilight groaned, “I never messed with your ears, and I definitely didn’t call you Smarty Pants. How could I? I was fast asleep all night!” Pinkie shook her head, “It definitely happened! I remember!” The two mares sat staring at each other incredulously. Finally Twilight spoke up, “Actually…” Pinkie leapt to her hooves, “Aha! You admit it!” Twilight frowned, “No I don’t!” She shook her head and sighed, “I mean, not really. But Spike once told me I talk a lot in my sleep.” Pinkie tilted her head, “You do? About what?” Twilight smiled sheepishly, “Mostly my studies.” Pinkie giggled. Twilight cleared her throat, “It’s very possible that in my sleep I thought you were my long lost doll…” She swallowed and licked her lips, “I never did kick that habit of chewing on her…” Pinkie opened her mouth as if to shout once more, but closed it with a snap. She opened it again and shut it. She tried once more before she could speak, “So you didn’t know about my ears?” Twilight shook her head. Pinkie pawed at the ground, “And you weren’t trying to take advantage of me?” Twilight exclaimed, “Of course not!” “Oh.” Pinkie lowered her head, “I’m sorry, Twilight.” Twilight trotted over to the pink pony and nuzzled her, “It’s okay, Pinkie. Why would you think I’d ever take advantage of you?” Pinkie shrugged without saying anything, and Twilight stuck her nose in the party pony’s ear. Pinkie squealed and jerked away, an embarrassed grin stretched across her cheeks. Twilight grinned, “Ears, huh? That’s pretty adorable.” Pinkie swiveled them backwards and stuck her tongue out, “I’ll find your weakness soon, Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight laughed, “My weakness is curly-maned bakers.” Pinkie’s ears shot up, “Bakers! Oh horsefeathers! I forgot about the Cakes! I’m supposed to be helping them!” Pinkie shot out of the room like a rocket, surprising the two earth ponies who had tried to scramble away from the door without success. The four ponies stared at each other for long moments: Twilight petrified in the doorway of the bedroom, Pinkie standing in the middle of the kitchen, and the Cakes on a heap on the floor. Twilight prayed for a stray lightning bolt or some kind of sudden malady to strike her dead right then and there. Pinkie was the first to speak, “The muffins are burning!” A thin trail of black smoke leaked from the oven and Twilight could smell the faint scent of cinders. “I um…” Twilight stepped over the Cakes, “I think I’m late for breakfast. Poor Spike is all alone and I just…” Twilight hurried towards the door, “I think I’ll see you later, Pinkie! Bye!” Pinkie waved as Twilight barreled out the exit, “Okay! See you later!” She carefully took out the tray of muffins marred with black and set it on the counter, “You should be more careful, Mr. and Mrs. Cake! If you’re not paying close attention you’ll burn things for sure!” Mr. Cake laughed nervously, “We’ll keep that in mind, Pinkie.”