Wrath

by FishyCrackers431

Sloth

Chapter 6: Sloth

sloth, noun: habitual disinclination to exertion; indolence; laziness

-

Of her two choices, neither was good.

Forcalming, Fluttershy was the obvious choice, consideringit was impossible to be mad at the ponywhile inher presence, or within several miles of her. Or at least it was difficult, Twilight reminded herself. She'd managed it once or twice. While Fluttershy was the best choice to help calm herself, Twilight also knew if she did blow up at the pegasus, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

Right now, Twilight casually brought her mane back into its usual form, and forced herself to put on a decent face. She stepped out the front gates of Sweet Apple Acres, mulling it all over.

So the other option was Sugarcube Corner, which at least managed to get Twilight's spirits up without fail. The problem was that Pinkie Pie happened to live there.

Still, the confectioner was nothing if not hyperactive, and spent almost all of her time out and about. With any luck, Twilight could be in and out without Pinkie Pie ever being there.

This thought remained in mind as she reentered town and hurried through towards the bakery. It wasn't that Pinkie Pie was a bad person, or that she above all made Twilight angry. It was more the idea that it wouldn't even be worth it to try and stop Pinkie from finding the gem.

'Okay, coast is clear...'Twilight stopped outside Sugarcube corner, looking in through the windows. Mr. Cake was nowhere to be seen, while the Mrs. was trotting around the store with Pound and Pumpkin riding on her back and squealing with glee.

Giving a sigh of relief, Twilight pushed open the door with her head and entered the bakery. She only just managed out a smile when the twins caught sight of her from their mother's backs. The happiness fell from their face in an instant.

Mrs. Cake only just turned to Twilight when the both fillies started crying loudly, and based on the look on Mrs. Cake's face, it was obvious why. She quickly gave something of an apology that could barely be heard under the cries, and hurried back into the kitchen with both twins on her back.

She returned a few minutes later, free of children. Twilight could faintly hear Mr. Cake trying to calm the twins down in the back.

"Twilight! Glad you could visit!" The baker spoke happily, and a bit loudly to be heard over the background noise. Despite her kind smile, her face showed traces of uncertainty. "You look..."

"Scary?"

"Taller" Mrs. Cake corrected, giving a quick flash of understanding, before hurrying back into the kitchen to check on her husband. The crying had died down. "I'm sorry if this is a bit sudden" Twilight heard her calling from the back. "But we're only just waiting on Pinkie to arrive. Business out of town"

Mr. Cake popped his head out through the swinging gates, the rest of his body following shortly after with the twins sitting on it. They both looked, frightened, at Twilight. "I really don't know what's gotten into them, but we're a bit behind on schedule. Could you watch the twins for a few minutes until Pinkie Pie gets back?"

"Uh, actually-"

"Look kids, it's Twilight! You remember her, don't you? Twilight" He stopped in front of Twilight, turned in such a way that the twins would both be able to see her up close. The two fillies looked her up and down, seeming almost uncertain.

"Twi-"

"-Light?" They went, Pound before Pumpkin as they usually did with new words.

Carrot Cake seemed at least pleased with this, and set the twins down right there. "See? Just fine. Now Twilight, Pinkie should be here in just a few minutes, thanks a bunch" He disappeared back through the swinging doors, reappearing with a pile of bags stacked high on his back, along with is wife who was in the same position.

"Actually, I'd really rather not-" Was all Twilight could get out before the door was shut behind them on their way out. She turned back to the two fillies who sat on the floor before her, who seemed to be fading from their fear of her and preparing to go explore the shop in their typical chaotic fashion.

'Okay, gotta leave... can they stay here on their own?' "Do either of you know where mommy and daddy keep the knives?" Twilight asked. The two babies looked up to her, smiles spreading across both of their faces at the sound of it. "Of course you do..." Twilight groaned. Okay, so no, she couldn't leave.

Twilight mulled over her options in silence for a few seconds more, keeping both fillies in her sights at all times before simply deciding to run with it. All she could honestly hope for now was that Pinkie would be too excited to care about the gem.

With her horn, she lifted both of them into the air when the two started heading off in their own directions. Pound Cake at least seemed to try to fly away, now airborne, only to be disappointed when he couldn't move from Twilight's magical grasp. Pumpkin Cake on the other hand seemed content with spinning lightly in the air and eventually getting herself stuck hanging upside-down.

"Hold on a minute, auntie Twilight needs some alone time..." With moderate care, the unicorn hurried through the swinging doors into the kitchen, grabbing the first sweet that came into view, a cupcake with green icing, and hurrying back out to the main room.

She sat herself down at a table with the treat before her, only now carefully letting both fillies down from the air gently. 'Okay, calm yourself, this will all work out just fine...' She thought to herself. An assortment of toys were already strewn about the floor, which did their jobs to occupy both children. Still, she kept her eyes on them.

With a sigh, Twilight pulled the gem up and out of her satchel, laying it on the table beside her treat. 'And just what am I going to do with you?' She sighed, leaning forward to take a bite out of the cupcake.

A second later, there was the sound of the front door bursting open followed by the familiar yell of "Sorry I'm late Mr. and Mrs. Cake!"

In a quick fit of fright, Twilight bit forward, and felt only a sharp stinging as the gem ended up between her teeth instead of the cupcake. She spat it back out onto the table, and thinking quickly, lifted it with her magic and shoving it into the cupcake. True, it was only just vaguely smaller, but it'd have to do. The disguise looked halfway believable.

Looking up from the table, Twilight turned her attention to the front door just as Pinkie Pie rushed inside, slamming it behind her. The earth pony didn't even seem to notice Twilight, and ran directly over to the twins, who welcomed her with open hooves.

"Hi Pound Cake! Hi Pumpkin Cake! Where's mommy and daddy?" Pinkie half-yelled in her usual excited manner, quickly falling to the floor and rolling over to play with the two as if she were a dog.

It certainly seemed to work, both fillies were quickly climbing all over her, resulting in laughs from the three. Pound Cake specifically stopped when he was seated upon her chest, pointing a hoof to the corner table Twilight sat in and saying "Twi-", which was naturally finished by Pumpkin's "-Light"

Pinkie lifted her head off the floor just enough to see Twilight, and immediate pulled herself up, hugging both fillies close to her in each hoof and rocking them happily. "Hey Twilight! Are you here to help me babysit? Oh I've never had any help with this before! It's loads of fun!"

Twilight only smiled unconvincingly and sat back, resisting the urge to mention that Pinkie had kicked her out the first time Twilight had tried to help her babysit. She felt through her teeth with her tongue, happily finding that she hadn't bit as hard as she could have, and had all of her teeth intact. "Yeah, you know, I just figured I'd stop by"

"Ooh!" Pinkie didn't seem to hear her. The earth pony sat both twins down on either side of Twilight, peering at the slightly fattened cupcake. Her smile faded. "Wait a second, you were going to pay for that, right?"

"Uh..."

"Just kidding!" Pinkie pie let out a giggle. Twilight gave a fake laugh alongside it, smiling uncertainly. Twilight silently noticed Pumpkin reaching for the cupcake-gem, slid it away, much to the filly's disappointment. "On the house! Hold on, watch them for a minute, I'll be right back!"

With those words, Pinkie Pie rushed back through the swinging doors and into the kitchen. Twilight sat in silence with the two babies, one hoof holding Pound Cake down to keep him from flying off, and another occasionally giving Pumpkin's hoof a quick slap whenever she tried to grab at the cupcake.

Pinkie Pie returned a second later, arms full of all sorts of colors of cupcakes, which she let fall onto the table. "I'm not really supposed to give them sweets, but if you're here to help, that means its okay, right?"

Twilight opened her mouth to object, more out of knowledge that it was unlikely either child could even eat solid foods, but her eyes fell on the table. Which one was hers again? Twilight only just managed to sputter out an objection.

"Pinkie, they're not even a year old!"

"But they love cupcakes, look!" Pinkie pointed to Pumpkin Cake, who currently had the top half of a cupcake sticking out of her mouth, and was sucking on it more than actually eating it. Pound Cake, on Twilight's other side, seemed more interested in squishing them under his hooves. "Come on, you were having one anyway!" At this, Pinkie took one and shoved it playfully at Twilight, managing to smear most of it down the unicorn's face.

Twilight could care less about this once Pinkie Pie started digging in as well. On her left, Pumpkin Cake occasionally exchanged whatever sweet she was sucking on when it ran out of icing. On her right, Pound Cake would take whatever was in front of him and squish it under his hoof, while across from him, Pinkie was stuffing her face and letting out an occasional laugh at either of the kid's antics.

Twilight only gave a light shudder, not daring to move. Which one was it? One of them was going to find it, and then oh lord would Pinkie be a problem.

It was no sooner then she thought this then a loud cry was heard to her left, drawing every one's attention. Cringing, Twilight looked over to see Pumpkin Cake with half of a cupcake in her lap. The other half was vaguely covering the blue gemstone, which seemed to be lodged painfully in Pumpkin's mouth.

"Pumpkin!" Pinkie was at her side in a minute, pulling the gem from her mouth, which emptied it enough for the filly to start very loudly crying. Seconds later, Pound Cake seemed to catch onto the idea, and starting crying as well. Pinkie looked panicked between the two of them, then to Twilight, who have already shoved the slobber and frosting-covered gemstone back into her bag.

"What was that! Why did she just try to eat that? She's not supposed to actually eat them!"

"I'll explain later, help me calm them down!"

-

It took long enough, and it would certainly be an interesting story for Pinkie to have to later tell to the Cakes. That story, being of course, the reason why their daughter had nearly choked and had had an object in her mouth like that in the first place.

It must have taken an hour at least to get the twins both calmed down and settled into their room, before Twilight finally sat ashamedly on one side of Pinkie's room, across from the earth pony who seemed to be trying very hard to understand.

While her gaze was directly mainly at the ground, Twilight did glance around the room. The ceiling had its own set of personal streamers, and the wallpaper had a repeating balloon and candy design. Her bed was, fittingly, bright pink, a single circular table sat in the center of the room, piled high with goods to be used should they be needed for party, and sitting off in the corner was Pinkie Pie's personally made Party Cannon.

Pinkie, pacing through the room, was the first to break the silence. "What did she put in her mouth?"

"Who knows? Maybe it was supposed to be- Ow!" Twilight suddenly sat up straight from her slumped position, feeling quite a bit of very wet pressure being created around her tail. She turned her head just enough to see Gummy seated behind her, gnawing on the hairs quietly with that same blank expression on his face.

"Don't you lie to me, Twilight! I made that whole batch myself! I could get in trouble for this, what if Mr. and Mrs. Cake don't want me to babysit anymore!" Another thought equally bad must have crossed her mind, because a look of horror suddenly flashed across her face. "What if they kick me out? I only get to live here because I work here!"

Twilight visibly winced at these words. Hearing Pinkie Pie angry was a rarity, and it was never for anything small or silly. In fact, if Pinkie hadn't been so scared for her own sake, she probably would have been much more directly angry.

With a pained look and a lump in her throat, Twilight pulled the gem from the satchel hanging around her neck, holding it up for Pinkie to see. The earth pony stopped her pacing at the sight of it. "That's all? Why would you hide that in a cupcake?"

"It was an order from Princess Celestia..."

Pinkie tilted her head to the side lightly at this. "The Princess ordered you to hide a blue ball in one of my cupcakes? Maybe she meant to put it on top, it looks like it'd be a good ornament"

"No, no, Pinkie..." Twilight hushed herself, covering her face with her hoof for a few seconds. She took a deep breath, prepared to explain it in full. When she uncovered her face, however, she discovered the hoof she'd been holding the gem in was now empty.

Her eyes darted across the room to Pinkie Pie, who, as was expected, had the gemstone between her hooves, looking amazedly at it and letting out a soft "Ooh..." Every so often.

'Oh no, please no' Twilight darted over to the table, grabbing a party blower between her teeth and rushing over to Pinkie with it. She gave a powerful blow through it, letting it fall from her mouth right afterward. "Come on, Pinkie, we could have a party! To celebrate... well, that Pumpkin's going to be alright! The twins will love it, come on!"

Inside, Twilight knew this was an empty request. Pinkie was less than likely to care for a party under the effects of the gem.

As she expected, Pinkie only gave Twilight a quick shove away, still looking over the gem in her hooves. "Why bother?" Her voice came out a little less perky than it normally did. "I'm probably going to get fired anyway, no more parties for me..." The earth pony fell forward onto the floor, laying on her stomach while holding the gem out in front of her. "Besides, why all the effort? This is much better than a party..." She spun the gem so it twirled in her hoof.

Twilight steadied herself, looking between the gem and Pinkie. Making her decision, she marched up to the earth pony, grabbing it with her magic and hurrying for the effort. "You're not going to get fired, and I'm not letting you keep th-

A second later, a blast was heard from behind her and Twilight felt something collide in her back, throwing her forward towards and smashing her into the wall. Twilight took a few moments to straighten her vision, realizing the gem had fallen to the floor and was rolling away. But what was the bigger concern was that she was now covered in... party decorations...

'Really?' Twilight thought, lifting her head up to look towards Pinkie. The earth pony stood on her hind legs in the corner, party cannon in front of her with a smoking barrel.

"Pinkie, you just shot me! With a Party Cannon!" Twilight sputtered something incoherent, slowly picking herself up onto wobbly legs and shaking a few streamers off of her that tried to hold on. "I... I don't even know how to be angry at that!"

Pinkie Pie slammed her hoof down into the Party Cannon again, yelling "You're not leaving after what you did!" As if sensing this, the Party Cannon let out a lurch and fired forward a blast of frosting. Twilight only just dodged out of the way of it, splattering Pinkie's wall with a warm green frost.

The last few times, her anger itself had come natural, and with it, powerful magic. But for whatever reason, Twilight couldn't bring herself to do it again, it just didn't seem right for Pinkie to be this angry, to be angry at all for that matter. And it seemed less right to fight her...

'But maybe it wasn't my anger that was doing it...' Twilight looked over to the gem, sitting calmly in the corner with its eye brightly lit up. She glanced over to Pinkie who was setting up the cannon for another shot. 'Please work!' She inwardly begged, pulling the gem over to her with her magic.

The moment it neared, an inward fire seemed to light itself.

Twilight turned her attention back to Pinkie, horn blaring and eyes blazing. She fired a bolt of magic over to the Party Cannon, just as Pinkie Pie slammed her hoof down into it once more. Instead of firing normally, it spun over on its wheels, facing Pinkie, and fired out... a giant bubble. A bubble that hit Pinkie hard, and quickly encased her within it, floating up into the air.

Twilight, with wobbly legs, brought the gem to her and let it drop back into her satchel, watching Pinkie Pie the whole time. The earth pony banged her hooves against the inside of the bubble, yelling out something that came out all distorted through the thin wall, but unable to escape.

"Party's over, Pinkie" Twilight mumbled. Her mane felt as though it was lightly flowing, probably she'd figure out why later. For now, Twilight gave a quick sinister smile to the trapped pony, before turning and heading on her way out.

Comments

[Reader Wolf]

First a plant, then stone wings, then deep freeze, now a giant bubble? This is starting to get out of hand...

[Friend]

Why not show us some pics of twilight each time she changes a little?

[Aether Spark]

Mrs. Cake only just turned to Twilight when the both fillies started crying loudly,

*Filly and colt