“And then the stoooooone fell into the mirror!”
“Wait wait wait!” Celestia shouted, flapping her wings as she did a little hop. She didn't bother looking around to see if anypony was around to see her little dance. “How does a stone fall into a mirror?!”
“Because, dear Celly-Belly,” Pinkie shouted, attempting to defeat the Princess in their noise complaint contest. How dare she! “The stone is not a stone at all!”
Celestia gasped loudly, her jaw dropping as the words were spoken. “It’s not a stone!? Then... then... what is it then!?”
Pinkie took a step to the left, widening the gap between the two of them. “See, the stone is actually a metaphor for the mind of the common cricket.”
“A cricket?” Celestia shook her head. The road still looked just as blurry. “Then what does the mirror represent?”
Pinkie pounced into the air, beaming all the while. “It represents another cricket of course!”
“Oh!” Celestia gave up on seeing the road clearly tonight. It appeared to not be cooperating. She'd have to see the civil administrator about making the bricks more obedient. “But what does one cricket falling onto another cricket mean?”
Pinkie leaped even higher. “See, in the song, while it sounds like it, it's not... hic... it's not an action at all!”
Luna, why didn't you light the moon a little brighter tonight? “That doesn't make sense. What does the dropping represent then!?”
“Simple! It's just another cri-YIKES!”
Twisting the wrong way in the air, Pinkie flailed her legs around rapidly to try and regain her balance. Thankfully, Celestia was still alert enough to ignite her magic and catch Pinkie before she decided to passionately kiss the pavement. Letting out a deep breath, Celestia righted Pinkie, though she still held onto the mare. “Are you alright, Pinkie Pie?”
“Wooooow!” she yelled out, her eyes wide. “Good thing you caught me, or I'd probably be Gummy two-point-oh. Thanks!”
Celestia sighed. “You are most certainly welcome. Let's not do that again, shall we?”
“Indeed-a-lee! Wait!” Pinkie speedily ran with her little legs, her still airborne body slowly turning around so that the two faced each other. She narrowed her eyes and pointed a forehoof at Celestia. “How come I'm all loopy doopy and you're all a-okay!? Did you fake drink those drinks?”
“Trust me, Pinkie, I am not a-okay.” Celestia shut her eyes and shook her head again. The road was still broken. Dang. “There... are just a lot of reasons why I still have more acute faculties.”
“But you’ve never been to my faculties,” Pinkie said as she intensified her glare. “How do you know... hic... whether yours are cuter than mine. Huh?”
Celestia shook her head. “No not… I mean that there are a lot of reasons why I am able to actually talk without slurring.”
“Ah.” Pinkie reared up and crossed her forelegs. “Such as?”
“Well, for starters, I'm at least twice your size and have two extra appendages.”
Pinkie pointed at her. “I can drink Big Mac under the table, and he's only a little bit smaller than you!”
“And second, I only had three of those drinks, and they nearly knocked me out.”
“So?”
“You had ten of those Gummy Gloop things.” Celestia half grinned. “I counted.”
“Oh... right. Yeah... oopsie?”
“Oopsie indeed.”
The two of them stood there for a little while in their playful stare down. Strange. Now that Celestia got a good look at her, Pinkie was a very beautiful pony. Well, she had already known that Pinkie Pie was beautiful, but this was the first time she really realized it. It had been centuries since she had taken a nice, long look at another pony in this particular way. And yet, here she was, doing it for the second time in a single night. She wanted to look away, but at the same time she couldn't break her gaze from those brilliant blue eyes. A soft wind blew past them, catching Celestia's ethereal mane and throwing it across her face. It obscured her vision, but it allowed her to see Pinkie's bubblegum mane flow in the breeze, the tight curls holding true despite the gust. Pinkie's soft lashes bounced with every blink, those long hairs thick and without flaw. Even with her habit to eat everything and more, Celestia couldn't see a single bit of body fat that was out of place. Sure, the mare had a little bit of pudge here and there, but it was all in the right places.
“Princess?” Pinkie whispered.
Blinking, Celestia remembered that Pinkie was looking right back at her. Thank the sun and moon that it was dark out, for she was definitely sporting a blush. “Oh! Um, yes, Pinkie Pie?”
“Can you... umm... let me down now?” She squirmed in air, not really making any progress in any direction. “I'm feeling a little weird floating here.”
“Oh!” She released Pinkie from her magic, dropping her from the air onto the cobblestone road. “Sorry, beautiful.”
Pinkie looked at her hooves and brushed some accumulated dust off of them—stumbling all the while. “It's okay. I'm sure you—” She stopped talking. Pinkie lifted her head and trained her vision right at Celestia. “Did... did you call me...”
Damn drinks. “I... I didn't say anything,” Celestia lied, keeping her face as straight as possible.
The tiniest of grins appeared on Pinkie's face. “That's not what I heard. I thought I heard—”
CRACK!!
Lightning streaked across the sky. Three seconds later the ominous scent of rain appeared in her nose. Thanking the sun and moon and all of the stars for the distraction, Celestia looked up and saw that while she and Pinkie were drinking, the weather ponies must have gathered together a storm for the night. Strange. She didn't remember there being a storm happening until well past midnight... wait. Was it really past midnight? That was a horrific thought, especially for her future self that was going to have to wake up at dawn. Just the image of what she was going to do to her alarm clock made her wish there was somewhere open to buy a fruit basket to say sorry to it in advance.
The sound of rain hitting the road behind her closed that subject to only open up a very much worse one. Gazing behind her, Celestia said, “Pinkie Pie, I think we're going to have to run back to castle. Ready?”
“But... but... fifteen.”
“Fifteen? Fifteen what?”
“I had fifteen drinks to drink!”
Whirring around, Celestia looked at that oh-so-very guilty face. “What? How!? I made sure to count every one!”
Pinkie's head dropped, her interest in her hooves becoming very strong all the sudden. “I... may or may not have had something to drink at the bar while you were in the filly's room.”
“Oh, for the love of...” Rushing forward, Celestia used her magic to once again grab Pinkie. She then not-so-gently threw the mare onto her back so that Pinkie was riding her. “Just hold on!”
She took off, galloping down the streets of Canterlot. If it was just her on a normal day, she would have been able to easily take to the air and outrun the rain without a problem. Outrunning the average storm was something that she could do in her sleep. Even if she couldn't, flying over it was even easier. However, this was not a normal day. There was the fact that she now had a pony-sized passenger on her back weighing her down and restricting her wings' motion. Not only that, but with the way that those three drinks were making her a tad bit dizzy and flying went from second nature to being a criminal offense. Add the fact that Pinkie was flailing her hooves in the air as she cheered and hollered, and the two of them would probably crash and somehow burst into flames the moment they got five meters off the ground.
The sound of the rain was growing nearer with every passing second. As it grew louder, she felt the prospects of staying dry evaporate. Thankfully they weren't that far from the castle now, so there was still the possibility of the two of them making it inside before the rain really caught up to them.
It was right around that moment that the soft roar of the downpour transformed into a pitter-patter on her head. “Oh, shoot.”
“Shoot? More like weeeee!” Pinkie yelled out from atop her back, squealing all the while. “We're running in a wicked thunderstorm! It's like a movie!”
“It's not... as fun... when you're... the one running in it.” Celestia huffed, her chest already feeling like a fire was inside it. Note to self: go on diet.
With those words, the drops transitioned into a sheet of rain, destroying any evidence of the delicate work she put into her makeup earlier that evening. Silently cursing the storm, she took a left turn, leaving the limits of the city proper and into the wide expanse outside the city. Up ahead, she was barely able to see the castle just a couple hundred meters ahead before the rain obscured it from vision. Yet, the slight view that she got was enough to reinvigorate her, giving her the energy to continue on.
Her hooves no longer clattered on cobblestone. Instead, the splashing of water replaced the sound as the muddy water licked at her hooves. Another crack of lightning lit up the area, yet the rain was too thick to permit sight of the castle. In the dark, she could just make out glowing lights cutting through the storm. Celestia fixated on those lights, spurring herself forward with all the strength she had left. All it would be is a few more seconds and they would be out of this place. It was just a few more paces later that she was able to make out the moat that surrounded the castle.
She glared at the view. Of course the drawbridge is up.
“Oh, pickles!” Pinkie exclaimed. “We gotta wait for the thingy to come down!?”
“I... am not... waiting.”
Before Pinkie could reply, Celestia took a quick turn to the right, leaving the path set before the two of them. Her hooves sunk into the ground with every step, throwing mud all over her belly and sides. Getting nearer, her eyes narrowed in determination. Celestia snapped her wings wide and let the the water flick off of the oily feathers, droplets bursting in all directions.
Celestia felt Pinkie's grip on her neck tighten. “What are you—”
She leaped into the air as high as she could, her hooves sinking deep in the mud of the riverside as she did so. With strong beats, she flapped her wings, taking the pair over the moat. She felt the weight of the extra pony on her back in her wings, the muscles in her chest tightening. She wished she didn't have to flap her wings, but she dared not leave her fate to a risky glide. Thankfully, Pinkie wasn't flailing around as fanatically as before, so the universe sought to have at least one thing working in her favor.
Her hooves slammed onto the ground just before the grass line, once again experiencing the feeling of mud around them. She jumped again to step up onto grass and ran until she found cobblestone. Never before had the sound of hooves on stone been such a wonderful gift. Even with the rain pouring down and the main doors well within sight, Celestia couldn't help but to let her sprint slow to a trot.
Suddenly, from atop Celestia's back, Pinkie Pie started laughing. “That was fun! Do it again do it again!”
For whatever reason, that statement caused Celestia to join in on the laughter. “You wish to ride me down the streets of Canterlot in the middle of the night while it's raining again!?”
“Duh! That was the best part!”
“Don’t count on that happening,” Celestia said as she burst through the main doors to the castle proper, sighing when the rain finally ceased its assault on her. Even if they both were completely soaked to the bone, both she and Pinkie were still laughing. As they laughed, Pinkie slowly slid herself off of her back, thankfully avoiding the delicate wings that hung limply at Celestia's side. The sudden relief of the weight against her back was a godsend, finally letting Celestia take a full breath as opposed to the half-gasps that she'd been forced to take since she started running a little bit earlier.
The laughter coming from Pinkie suddenly intensified, drawing Celestia's attention to what the pony was becoming amused by so much. Following the pink hoof visible in the corner of her vision, she saw that it was pointing straight at a rather large mirror. Or, more importantly, the two ponies in the mirror.
Celestia, in very stark contrast to how at she much preferred to present herself on a normal day, was a disaster. Her regalia was missing—Twilight had taken them back to the castle before this little adventure—making her appear a little more exposed than normal. Yet, that was the tamest of any of the calamities that had befallen her. Her once pristine white coat was now soaked through and through, while the hair on her legs, sides, and belly had turned a nice shade of grayish-brown. That wasn't even mentioning how her normally prismatic flowing mane and tail were weighed down from water, now dragging on the floor. The one saving grace was that, despite being exposed to the rain for so long, the oil on Celestia's feathers allowed her wings to stay mostly dry, though a healthy amount of preening was going to be needed later.
Granted, it was Pinkie that Celestia was more interested in. She was in just as bad of shape as Celestia was. Pinkie's bright pink coat was soaked completely through, though unlike Celestia, her hooves were not caked in mud—a feature that she was somewhat envious of. Pinkie's mane and tail, unlike their typical curly and bouncy selves, were mere loose waves, nearly straight as they sagged under the weight of rainwater. Noticeably absent from Pinkie's mane were the beads that she had at the beginning of the night, so either she had removed them while Celestia wasn’t looking or they were lost in the run. Of course, that didn't take away at all from the beauty Celestia saw in Pinkie.
Pinkie nudged Celestia in the side. “So... still think I'm beautiful?”
Celestia's eyelids widened and she averted her gaze to the tile. “I have no recollection of what you are implying.”
“I think you do, Celly.” Pinkie nudged Celestia's side again. Harder this time. “Admit it.”
“I still do not know what you're talking about.”
“Yes you do.” Pinkie turned and walked toward the stairs leading to the bedrooms. Stepping on the first step, she spun back around. “Don't deny it. Why did you say it?”
Celestia followed her. “I… I didn’t say anything.”
“Hmm,” Pinkie hummed, starting to walk backwards. Before she could even take a single step, Pinkie tripped up on herself again, falling backwards with an “eep.” Thankfully, for the second time tonight, Celestia was able to catch her, though this time she physically caught her instead of using her magic. Before she could make sure Pinkie was alright, Pinkie rolled over in Celestia's forelegs, boring her blue eyes into Celestia's own. The wide smile that she was holding before was gone. Instead, it was replaced by the slightest upturned lips. Pinkie slowly blinked, her pleading blue eyes sparkling by the chandelier above.
Celestia gulped. “Are you alright, little one?”
Pinkie blinked again. “Ever think I'm asking you to say it again... because I liked it?”
Heart beating faster than it was when she was galloping through the streets of Canterlot, she let those words sink into her. What do you mean by that? What am I thinking, of course I know what you meant by that. More important question: what do I think about it? Her lungs still burned from before, but now her stomach was in turmoil. Having the mare in her forelegs right now, asking those sort of questions. She didn't know what to do about this. All she knew was that she should do something.
Something crazy.
She shifted the way she was sitting, bringing her face closer to Pinkie's. At the same time, she also gripped her tighter. Pinkie shifted herself, getting comfortable in Celestia's forelegs. It was only then that she noticed Pinkie was breathing much heavier and faster than before, almost matching the speed of her own uneasy breaths. Half the distance had been eliminated between the two of them, Pinkie quickly licking her lips as her eyes grew slightly wider.
“You’re beautiful, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia whispered. A gasp was aired from Pinkie, the mare now breathing much, much faster than even Celestia was.
“You're beautiful too, Celestia,” Lemon Drop whispered back, leaning forward in return.
“No!” Celestia yelled, dropping Pinkie.
Pinkie slammed into the stairs, her back making a loud “thump” against the marble steps below. As a squeak escaped Pinkie's lips, Celestia's stumbled away from Pinkie Pie, her own eyes watering over. She stumbled to the other side of the stairs before Pinkie was able to move. Pinkie rolled over to her side, staring at Celestia with the most confused look that had ever graced a pony's face. There should have been some sort of explanation in order, but there was no way that she could say anything right now. Not with the tears that were re-soaking her face. Not with the betrayal that felt.
So Celestia's turned tail and ran. Despite knowing full well that she needed to explain something to Pinkie. Despite knowing how innocent Pinkie was. Despite how she was the one who had initiated that whole situation. She was the one that fled without answers. Water splashed all over the steps as she clambered up the stairway, her muddy hooves ruining the runner. Making it to the top, she turned left and, ignoring the loud pleas from the mare she left behind, continued to run. From there, it was a blur to make it all the way down the short series of halls to her room. Not pausing for a moment, she nearly tore the door off of its hinges opening it. As quick as she could, Celestia ran through and slammed the door behind her.