//------------------------------//
// Sugar Rush 
// Story: Laughter or Darkness 
// by Starlitomega 
//------------------------------//

Though she was quite sure Pinkie had forgiven her, Luna spent the rest of her week worrying. Despite the wonderful experience she had in touching Pinkie's very essence, it did little to change the fact that their relationship was still in jeopardy. The biting loneliness and guilt forced her to seek out Celestia more often than usual to keep herself occupied. 

"Ummm... Hi."

It was barely four in the afternoon and Luna had just awoken from her slumber not even an hour ago. Turning in her seat, she saw Pinkie Pie standing in her room. The pink pony's smile did not shine as bright it usually would, and her voice was much quieter. With nothing terribly poetic to say, Luna decided to stick with the basics. 

"Hi."

Silence built between them as they stared at each other awkwardly.

"Am I Miss Pie, or am I Pinkie Pie? I don't really want to be Miss Pie anymore..."

Luna stepped out of her chair and gently nuzzled the skittish pony. "You needn't worry. You're Pinkie Pie."

The pink pony's smile widened as she leaned into the affectionate gesture.

I expected you later tonight, to be honest. I suppose you wanted to do something during the daylight hours?

Pinkie swayed left and right, wearing a coy smile. "You could say that..."





"My... word."

Staring in disbelief, Luna couldn't quite comprehend where Pinkie had taken her. Of course she had seen candy before, especially on Nightmare Night, but she had never been to an actual candy shop. 

Pastel colors seemed to jump from every nook and cranny of the store. The walls were dotted with brightly colored polka dots and mostly obscured by shelves and racks of candy and toys. On a nearby pegboard hung plush toys of famous figures, such as the Wonderbolts and Sapphire Shores, or Princess Celestia and… herself.

Grabbing the toy with her magic, she stared at the effigy of herself. It had a mane made of shimmering blue and glittery fabric, and two buttons for eyes. 

Cute… I guess.

The pony working the counter seemed quite flustered. Anytime her guests looked away, she would try and fix her hair, or straighten her tail. "It's really quite the honor to have you here, Your Majesty," the cream-colored mare managed to spit out. 

"Don't worry, Bon Bon! She's not here on official business. We're just here for candy! Speaking of..." Luna jumped as Pinkie appeared next to her almost instantaneously. "...find anything you like?"

Luna brushed off the shock and looked toward a row of clear boxes, filled with what looked like colored pebbles. "What exactly are these?"

"Grape, lemon, orange, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, sarsaparilla, and lemon lime flavored jelly beans," Pinkie explained, pointing to each canister. 

Luna's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Wait, did you say sarsaparilla? How in Equestria do you make a jelly bean taste like sarsaparilla?"

"I dunno, but they totally dooo!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place.

Luna turned to Bon Bon. "We must have some of these immediately!" 

"Ummm, the bag is right next to the canisters," Bon Bon said. 

Luna stared at her for a moment until her eyes rested on the roll of plastic bags. Swiping one with her magic, she opened it and stared at the wall of candy. "So we just pick what we want?" 

Nodding furiously, Pinkie began scooping up large quantities of gumballs and jelly beans. "Yup! She weighs everything and then charges based on how heavy it is." 

"I usually weigh Pinkie when she comes in the door and just weigh her again before she leaves, but she's been remarkably well-behaved lately," Bon Bon explained. 

"A sound business decision," Luna agreed, having seen Pinkie's lack of self control first-hand.

Pinkie took off like a rocket, appearing next to Bon Bon at the counter. "Oooh! Did you get any energy drinks in?" she asked, wagging her tongue. 

"Sure did," Bon Bon said, reaching under the counter and pulling out six cans. "Didn't get many, though, so they won't last lon—"

"We'll take ‘em!" Pinkie proclaimed, grabbing them all and dropping them in her bag. 

Luna turned, scooped one out, and looked at the label. "'Face Punch Energy'. Why would we want to drink something that wishes to threaten us?"

Pinkie chuckled and seized the can back from Luna’s grasp. "It just means it's powerful stuff! You'll see."





After leaving the candy shop, Pinkie practically dragged Luna to Sweet Apple Acres, where they planned to share their bounty with Applejack and Apple Bloom. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found, not even by the lake where they would normally retreat to on such a hot day. Not wanting to wait a minute longer, they plopped down beneath the shade of a nearby apple tree and began rummaging through their haul, with only the gentle sound of the lake and each other for company.  

"Okay, drink time!" Pinkie announced. Pulling out the energy drinks, she hoofed one off to Luna. 

"I'm not so sure about this..."

Pinkie popped the top off her can. "Don't be such a baby. It's totally fine!" 

Luna's eyes burned at Pinkie's statement. She stared at her companion with ferocity and determination. "We are not a baby! We'll show you!"

Both ponies drank deeply of their beverage. For Luna, it was once again unlike anything she had experienced. The drink had the pleasant fizziness of a soda, but had a kick she was quite unfamiliar with. 

"That is quite strong," Luna noted, smacking her lips. 

"Yup! It's Face Punch Energy! Wa-pow!" Pinkie exclaimed, punching the air emphatically.

"Are you sure it's safe for us to partake in this after having so many sweets, as well?" Luna asked suspiciously. 

"Psh, of course it is! I mean, what's the worst that could happen? We get a little excited. Big deal." 

"If you say so..." the princess responded hesitantly, tilting the can back for another sip.



 

"PINKIE PIE! I FEEL LIKE I COULD STRANGLE AN URSA WITH MY BARE HOOVES!"

Pinkie paid little attention to Luna’s proclamation, as she was busy jumping from limb to limb in an apple tree to reach the very top. "Wheee! We should do something like fight crime, or build a boat, or fly to Canterlot, or enter a race, or run for benevolent dictator of the world!"

Luna giggled with a tiny modicum of self-awareness. "I don't think that's an open position! We simply must do something though!" 

Pinkie, having reached the top of the tree, struck a pose. "Idea!" 

The pink pony jumped off the tree and did a cannonball into the lake, splashing water everywhere and soaking Luna. 

"We should go pranking!" Pinkie screamed as she burst through the surface of the lake. 

Wiping the wet hair out of her face, Luna fired her horn at Pinkie, lifting her out of the lake with magic. "Pranks! Of course! That will be most enjoyable! Come, Pink Menace, our pranking awaits!"





Slowpoke was a pony who had a certain reputation. Apart from being an older pony, he was insufferable. He was the kind of pony who would criticize every little detail of anything he came across, including gifts. He was also rude, and a bit of slob. 

Pinkie didn't like him because he didn't give out treats on Nightmare Night, and that, in her mind, was unforgivable. Who in their right mind could refuse to give innocent little foals candy one night of the year, to say nothing of giving her candy? 

At this particular moment, however, Pinkie stared at him intently from the safety of a nearby bush. Slowpoke considered himself to be the best fisherpony in all of Equestria. Today, like most days, Slowpoke sat at the end of a pier, his line cast into one of the biggest lakes in White Tail Woods. 

Pinkie's ears twitched at the sound of a gentle disturbance of the water. Slowpoke, much like his namesake, lifted his pole with as little effort as possible. With a quick jerk of the pole, he started reeling in the line. 

Suddenly, the rod went taut, nearly dragging him off the pier. 

"Woah!" Slowpoke cried out. He finally sat up, taking the prospective catch seriously. "This... this thing must be huge! It must be Del Lago! The legendary fish of White Tail Woods!" 

Pinkie snickered to herself from her hiding place as the unpleasant pony reeled in his catch. 

Another strong tug nearly dragged the older pony into the water. "Oh no you don't! Wait till the other ponies see you! They won't laugh at me any more!" 

Slowpoke put all of his considerable weight into one last pull. A striking figure of blue emerged from the water forcefully, glimmering in the evening sun. 

"HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT OUR SCUBA DIVING SESSION?!"

Slowpoke stared at the lunar princess clinging to his line in disbelief. "I-I'm sorry, P-Princess! I wa-was just doing some fishing and I—" 

"YOU WHAT? YOU THOUGHT TO MAKE A FOOL OF US?!" 

Slowpoke screamed and let go of his rod, dropping the princess back into the water. Pinkie fell to the ground, kicking her legs in laughter as he ran away faster than she'd ever seen him move before. 

Luna emerged from the water once again, dripping wet and smiling mischievously. . "AND BUY SOME CANDY FOR NIGHTMARE NIGHT THIS YEAR, YOU LOUSY DEGENERATE!"

Pinkie rose to her hooves slowly, still caught in the midst of a massive laughing fit. "Oh my gosh! Did you see him run? He was like, whoosh!"

Luna chuckled heartily, shaking the excess water out of her mane. "I'm glad he has a strong heart. I thought he would keel over on the spot."

"You are a natural prankster, my dear princess," Pinkie said. 

"And you are a natural goof!" Luna replied, giving Pinkie's hoof a bump.





After a solid five hours of pranking and rabble-rousing, Pinkie and Luna stumbled back into the princesses’ private chambers. 

"Ugh, now I see why you referred to it as a crash," Luna said, standing on her hooves shakily. 

"Yeah, it's not fun at all," Pinkie commiserated through a yawn. 

Placing a hoof on the bed, Luna steadied herself. "I believe we should call it a night."

Pinkie nodded in agreement. "Yeah… but before I go, I have something for you." The pink mare pulled out the bag of leftover candy. 

"More candy? I don't think I could eat anymore right now,” the alicorn said, letting her tongue droop from her mouth. 

"Not for now… for later. You seemed to really like the jelly beans."

Luna smiled. The fact that Pinkie had managed to save some candy for her showed an incredible amount of restraint from the otherwise unruly party pony.  

"Alright, I'm heading back to Ponyville,” Pinkie announced through tired and slurred speech.

Luna stared as she stumbled to the door.

"Please, wait."

Pinkie's ears pivoted, and her legs locked up. "Huh?"

"I don't think you should go home. You could stay here with me tonight... if you’d like."

A spark ignited in Pinkie's eyes. "Really?"

Luna hopped into her bed and gave it a pat. "Sure, I can't exactly let you walk home in your condition."

A tired grin graced Pinkie's face. She trudged over to the bed, stumbling like a newborn filly. Gently, she placed her front hooves on the bed and hopped up. Slowly, she lay down next to Luna, scooting closer until their bodies touched. Unbidden, Pinkie grabbed Luna's hoof and wrapped it around her warm, pink body. 

"Good night, Luna," Pinkie muttered as she drifted off.

Luna smiled. She reached over and ran her hoof through Pinkie's frizzy mane. To say it had been awhile since Luna had slept next to a pony would be an understatement.

Your bedroom is kinda dull.

Heartsong’s words echoed in Luna’s mind. Without a second thought, she turned to the pony next to her and scoffed. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" 

"I don't know! You're a princess! Aren't you supposed to have exotic statues or something? I mean, the most exciting thing about your room is the bed," Heartsong said, patting the mattress.

Reaching over, Luna pulled the red colored mare close to her, enjoying her body heat. "Being a princess is dull."

"Maybe, but it doesn't have to be. Haven't you received some gifts or tributes or something over the years to put on display?"

"Hmmm. I think I see the problem."

Heartsong turned, looking Luna in the eye. "Oh?"

"I think you've got the wrong idea. You see, because I am a princess, I'm always a princess. I'm never a pony. I do, in fact, receive gifts. They're always rubbish old things that regular ponies find remarkable. The last time I went to the kingdom of the griffons, they presented me with a vase, sculpted in the traditional way which involves using only their talons, and hundreds of hours of labor."

"Yeah, so where is it?" Heartsong asked, craning her neck around the room to spot the item in question.

"I tossed it out the window. It made quite an amusing crash," Luna said with a devilish grin. 

"Griffin pottery does look absolutely dreadful," Heartsong sympathized.

"My point is, I haven't received anything I would deem worthy of placing in my room. It's all the same old boring royalty junk. Even the artists here at the castle make unimpressive filth. Take those tapestries in the main hall, for instance. Misshapen and crude figures with spindly little legs. What a crock."

Heartsong pulled away from Luna and cast her eyes at the far wall. She hemmed and hawed a moment, gaining Luna's attention. 

"And just what are you looking at?" the princess asked. 

"Potential. I think right between your wardrobe and the door to the balcony, you could put a bookshelf." 

Luna eyed the empty spot Heartsong had gestured to, and held a hoof to her chin. "A bookshelf. That actually wouldn't be such a bad idea, if I could find a book worth reading. These texts about ancient magicians and the origins of Equestria are far better than any medicinal sleep aid the apothecary is capable of mixing up."

"You're impossible to please," Heartsong said through a gentle laugh. 

Luna moved her mouth close to Heartsong's until less than an inch remained between them. "You somehow find a way."