XVIII - Ruined Surprise ... Or was it Surprise Ruin?
August 2nd, 1005 A.D.
A spotlight swung creakily. It illuminated a small circular table and the pony who sat next to it while the rest of the room remained mostly dark. There was a pile of confetti, a large cup with a swirly straw, a pail of turnips, a ball of lint, a sack of flour, a pile of rocks and a raisin muffin. On the table was a series of papers, diagrams, lists and maps of different locations. The pony was a pink earth mare with a poofy mane and tail. Her sky blue eyes were narrowed to pinpricks as she scanned the papers in front of her. The muffin leaped up, his voice harsh.
“Don’t worry soldier, with all the surveillance we got here, the target will be well protected.” The muffin turned to the pony, saluting with a raisin.
Pinkie Pie saluted back. “Yes, but there seems to be more and more ponies lining up to try-”
“Don’t you worry none, we’ll get them before they can say sugar honey ice tea.” The pile of rocks jumped in place, his gruff voice overly loud in the silence.
The earth mare nodded slowly as the other objects also chimed in their support. A loud, room shaking explosion rang out from above, stilling the occupants below. They all looked up, eyes (if they had them) wide. Dust and dirt shivered down from around the tree rooms that coated the ceiling. The pony slowly smiled, her eyes dilating to proper size. Though it was only after a female shouted, calling for her assistant, that Pinkie spoke.
“Sounds like my little star is awake! I better go and see what she made this time!” The hyper pony stood up and bounced for the tube exit on the wall. “I bet it’s super duper exciting! Bye guys!”
The remaining objects stayed stationary, giving no reply. The earth pony shrugged with a wide grin. She stepped forward enough to activate the lower sensors that began the suction pull from the plastic tubing that hung along the walls and ceiling. With a loud vacuum sound, the mare was jerked forward, smile stretched as she flew, tugged along the swirly lines until she was jetted up from a circular part of the ground in the main library room. The green rug that covered the entrance flipped back into place, hiding the location while the pink pony stood just outside of the spot.
Pinkie continued to wear her grin as she looked around the room, noting what the explosion had caused. The usually orderly shelves of books were in disarray. Some had tumbled to the ground while others had flopped over onto their sides in the spaces left behind. Some books were partially off the shelf but managed to still remain by the edge of their covers. The stack of quills, parchment and ink wells were a complete mess. The jars of ink were still sealed, but most of the supplies now rested on the floor. As sky blue orbs went to the desk, they noticed that a box was revealed under the bottom of the desk, preventing the fixture from resting flat on the ground.
A voice, stern and commanding, seemed to whisper up from the tunnel behind her. “Recon, soldier, find that information…!”
Pinkie edged forward, ears slowly flattening to her head. Her hooves felt heavy, even as they lifted up the desk with ease. On the underside was a clean cut in the shape of the box, showing where it would have been hidden out of sight. She set the desk on its side carefully. The box itself was a plain object, dark brown, with no lock or knob on the front that would effect how it fit into its hiding place. The lid lifted easily, swinging open without a sound.
Inside was a small stack of letters. They seemed to flash dimly, drawing her gaze. Slowly, her hoof shaking, she reached out and grabbed the top parchment. It folded open, showing script that was too even and neat to be anything but magically made, and caused the sky blue eyes to shrink.
To Ms. Twilight,
Concerning the things you’ve requested, it will take some time to complete. The plans are very detailed and I’m sure will be a lovely surprise. I will keep in contact if something changes.
Hope things are going well for you.
-Honor Guard
The paper dropped down nearly as fast as pink earth pony’s heart. The world fractured around her. Water rapidly filled her gaze, dampening the details around her. The letter fell from her hoof back to the pile waiting below. Her heart echoed loudly in her ears. This was quickly drowned out by hoofsteps coming from the basement. Pinkie’s breathing hitched and her own hooves shot out, replacing the desk over top of the wooden box. The voices that accompanied the steps covered the soft thud as the furniture slid back into place. Pinkie trained her ears towards the hall, mind a tornado of thoughts.
“I dunno Twilight, it might not be possible…” The voice, young and male, echoed up.
“But she manages to-” The very words seemed to be sharper, more defined, in the pink ears, even as the earth pony’s heart soared briefly. The sentence was cut off however by the lad.
“But she’s special, remember? We don’t want you to get hurt trying to study or do what she does.” This time it came from much closer, signalling their progression up the stairs.
“You’re right. We don’t want a repeat of THAT.” Twilight’s head popped up above the last few steps, showing how she was rolling her eyes at the thought.
She paused at the top, eyes widening with a nervous laugh. The young dragon, being shorter, didn’t notice the issue and continued up. His gaze was focused on the unicorn beside him.
“Twilight? What’s-?” Spike followed the line of sight and also froze, one foot raised up. “O-oh hi Pinkie Pie…!”
Saying the earth pony’s name out loud broke the tension in the air. Both mares beamed and rushed forward to embrace the other. While the unicorn felt her blood warm up pleasantly, the baker couldn’t feel anything but the tingling of her nerves. After cuddling for a few seconds, Pinkie Pie started to warm up and relaxed into the hug. She gave the purple side a loving caress with her muzzle. Pulling back, enjoying the feel of their fur rubbing against one another, she smiled up to purple orbs.
“What has my little star been doing, hmmmMMmmm?” Her voice was a mixture of teasing and love. “You made a great big explosion downstairs! Like the one you made in my heart…”
Twilight chuckled, her cheeks lighting up red. Her right hoof, not being wrapped around the other mare, went up to scratch at her head sheepishly. “Oh, well, you know, a scientist has to do science-based things every now and then.”
The dragon made no comment; instead moving about the room and starting the process of cleaning up. The unicorn continued to laugh lightly as the other mare stared back with a half smile. Ears and grin frozen in place, the earth pony tried to ignore her heart which returned to drowning in her lower half.
“Oh you silly filly! I thought some big huge amazing breakthrough happened! We felt that all the way in our lab!”
“Wait, who-?” Twilight lost her amusement in a wave of confusion, ears starting to tip back anxiously.
“Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours Ms. Smarty Smart Smarts.” Pinkie rubbed the dark purple mane, leaning closer to nuzzle her nose against the other’s. “I can help if you get stuck!”
Twilight shifted in place, uncertain cough breaking free. “Uh- well, no no, it’s ok Pinkie Pie. We’ll just leave everything as it is for now. Besides, we should really help clean up! Wow, we really made a big mess, huh Spike?” The unicorn glanced towards the lad, her grin wavering slightly.
Pinkie nodded slowly, grin still in place. The gruff voice rang in the back of her ears. “Search the area…!”
“That’s a great idea Twilight! I’ll help too!” A pink blur shot off to help replace the dislodged items.
She didn’t focus on just one area however. The pink mare steadily moved clockwise around the room, slowly making her way to the desk that seemed to pulse in her sight. Placing one object back then another, she reached out for the desk, her face a mask of friendliness. “Ooooooh, this looks like it was moved out of place! I’ll just-”
“Wait! Uh-” Twilight rushed up, eyes nervous, “-I-I-I think that maybe we should get out from under Spike’s claws. He has everything in hoof, right?!” Purple met green as a silent exchange took place. The librarian held a hoof out, resting it against her marefriend’s side. The dragon was surprised by the change and tried to recover.
“Wh-uh, yeah, sure. I uh got this. You guys have fun…?”
The others tried to smile assuringly to the party pony. Pinkie in turned stopped, smile growing wider as she tilted her head. Her eyes remained closed to hide the twitch she could feel building in her eyelids. Why…? Why… are you hiding something… “Oh… Sure thing! What would like you like to do my little star?”
Purple orbs floated to the closest window. The sun was midway up the sky, shining warmly onto the ground below. The magical mare felt her stomach tighten and flicked an ear to the kitchen. “Why don’t we go out for lunch?”
Before the other mare could reply, a solid knock on the front door broke the silence. Three sets of eyes turned towards the fixture before Spike set down the stacks of books he held and opened it. Beyond was a gray with blue tint pegasus in the postal uniform. In her right hoof was a scroll which she held out.
“Hello Spike. Delivery from Canterlot, express service. Please sign here!” Derpy held in her wing a clipboard that had a pen attached with a chain. The drake quickly signed and peeked at the return address on the letter. Without watching the pegasus fly off, he looked at the purple pony, holding the scroll as though it was dangerous.
“Fo-for you, Twilight.”
“T-Thanks! Let’s see, ma-maybe the order of books is ready…?” Twilight used a bit of magic to hold the letter, taking quick notice of who sent it. What’s wrong…? Let’s see, “the rest of the cannon supplies are ready but due to their nature, must be picked up right away…” Oh no! That means I have to go to Canterlot right now! The unicorn felt her fur stick outwards in anxiety. She slowly looked back up to her marefriend. Her right ear twitched back and forth.
“Uhm, I’m sorry Pinkie. This is about- about some books that I have to pick up right away. We’ll have to postpone the date. Is that ok…?” Twilight poofed away the paper and turned toward the earth pony with a timid smile.
Pinkie continued to smile widely, eyes shut tight. She reached out and tapped the unicorn on her head gently. “That’s ok Twilight! How about we go out on the fifth? Let’s see-!” The mare reached out with a hoof and pulled out a notepad. Flipping through the few pages, she stuck her nose in there, eyes still shut. “Let’s see, let’s see, let’s see! I planned the last date, it’s your turn my little star!”
“Oh! Ok, that should be fine! I’ll come up with a plan! But I have to leave right now though. I’ll be back in the evening if you want to cuddle.” The lavender mare relaxed in place. She reached out and gave her marefriend a loving caress.
The earth mare breathed in the scents of the other. When Twilight pulled back, the baker tried to hide the unhappy shudder as the warmth left her side. Her gaze was still firmly shut. “I better get going then. Have a nice trip Twilight!”
Pinkie Pie trotted steadily out of the library. Head held high, she tried to act nonchalant as she went to work for the day. All of her limbs were tense, joints firmly locked in place. Her mane began to poof out further, gaining more knots with every breath. There was tiny, nagging feeling in the back of her mind. But she couldn’t place it due to the louder and rowdy voice of General Raisin shouting in the back of her ears.
“Insubordination! Sabotage! Gotta step up yer game soldier!”
-NKP-
In the tree library, Twilight danced anxiously in place. She glanced towards the desk and the calendar on top. Her eyes widened when she noticed the coded message presented there. Spike looked over at the dramatic gasp and thud that came from behind him as he worked. Turning, he found the librarian laying face-down on the ground. Her left back leg twitched in time with her right ear.
“T-Twilight…?”
“SPIIIIKKEEE! What are we going to do!?!?” Twilight lifted her head up from the ground enough for her shout to be heard easily. “We were going to go and find those samples on the fifth! But now I have to set up a date with Pinkie Pie because she almost found out the surprise!”
The dragon sighed and hopped down from the ladder he had been standing on. He reached out and gave the mare a reassuring pat on her head. Spike leaned down, trying to catch watery purple orbs.
“Seriously Twilight…? You’ve got to calm down. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Spike continued to sit next to the unicorn, waiting for a response. As time continued, his brows inched down as he deadpanned. Twilight placed both hooves on her head, hiding her troubled gaze as the chain of events unfolded in her mind, spilling out in a trembling voice. The drake, guessing what was happening, bent his head closer with a sigh, focusing on the low mumble.
“... there’s no way to keep it a surprise from her for long, she’s really instinctive that way, and then the surprise would be ruined and she’d be so sad and disappointed in me that she doesn’t want to go on any dates because I can’t even make a good surprise and she’ll decide to find somepony who CAN surprise her and not some nerdy mare who can’t even plan a date properly and then it won’t matter that I need to go out today suddenly because she won’t like anything and-”
Spike sighed and stood up, rolling his eyes in the same motion. Leaving the mare to mutter to herself, he grabbed some spare parchment and wrote a letter to Honor Guard. Getting the feeling that it needed to be delivered fast, he sent it through dragon flame to the Princess with a request to pass it along. While he waited, the lad cleaned up the area around the unicorn, no longer listening to her nervous breakdown as she was too far into the rant to pull her away from the images.
It was just as Twilight was in the middle of making ‘everything-has-gone-wrong-and-we-must-escape-the-country’ plan hours later that a scroll arrived. Spike felt both elated and nauseous as he burped, spitting out the letter. Nerves frayed from listening to his guardian’s muttering getting worse, he opened it with one eye shut as he braced for the worst. Finding better news than he had hoped, he rushed over to the unicorn sitting morosely by her desk, waving the scroll in the air.
“Twilight! I’ve got it!” The dragon’s shorter legs nearly tripped over the mounds of papers scattered around the area. Barely keeping his balance, he jerked to a stop beside the mare. “I’ve got the solution to our problem!”
Bleary purple eyes sluggishly turned to look. They had begun to turn bloodshot in stress, making the crazy glint stand out even further. “The solution…? Why would I need this emergency plan if there was a solution?” Twilight blinked, taking three times as long to do so.
Spike rolled his eyes at the dour tones. He brandished the letter in front of the frenzied gaze. “Honor Guard has a suggestion for the mixed up planning.”
Hearing the friendly stallion’s name perked up the librarian. Blinking a little faster, she focused on the neat writing, hope kindling in her eyes. Zipping back and forth, she read the scroll several times, sitting up more with each line.
“Oh my gosh! This is perfect! This would make everything ok! And it’s a great date idea too! This is perfect!” Twilight sat up, grabbing the scroll from the purple claw. “Let’s go Spike! We have to set up everything and we only have a few days to do it! We’ll have to work through the night!”
The youth stared back in shock, jaw loose. While the unicorn began to dash around the library, he reached out, trying to cut in. “Hang on! Wait! T-Twilight! Don’t we have to go pick up stuff today anyways first!? We should do that before anything else!”
The lavender pony magically lifted the lad up on to her back as she ran past once more.
“Good idea Spike! We’ll start making plans on the trip up to Canterlot!”
Saddlebags on her flanks, the mare dashed out, locking the door behind her. The drake barely kept his seat, holding on to the bags with tight claws.
“Twiiiliiighhhhtttt!!!”
The crowds close by chuckled at the sight. They managed to keep out of the way of the frantic mare, though it was a common occurance for their little town.
The day wore on. Clouds moved along, sun began to set and the library remained closed. Its normal residence still were out and the local party pony and baker had accepted the general’s advice to return for proper inspection. The evening was starting to empty of the hoof traffic, leaving no witnesses to what was about to happen at the tree building.
Pinkie let her instincts take over her motor controls. Blue pinpricks floated aimlessly as she squeezed through the door. Once she was on the other side, her mane poofed back out from a thin line and her limbs stretched out in each direction for a second. Giving her fur a shake, the earth pony looked at the room to be sure it was empty. None of the books had moved, nor did the stack of papers shuffle in the pop of wind.
“Time to search!” The baker stage-whispered to herself, limbs tensing up as she allowed her motion to be directed by her special senses.
In seconds, she had found three cubby holes with pressure switches, several loose floorboards where a stash of gems rested, fake books with jewelry inside, books of jokes inside of quantum physic books inside of joke books inside physic books, a box of letters from family in Canterlot, a stash of letters from Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns and the hidden stash under the desk. The perfectly fitting box sent a flicker of anger and concern coursing through the pink barrel. Another flicker, making her fur stand on end, traveled across Pinkie’s body.
“Soooo… Another one huh…? Let’s see what has happened THIS time!” Reaching a hoof out, she opened the box, eyes scrunching at the new crisp scroll sitting on top along with one that was slightly less new. “That’s the one that arrived today… And another one? Hmmmmm…”
The letters were carefully plucked up from the pile. Her eyes, scanning the contents rapidly, managed to shrink even further, almost tiny dots while her brows shot up. No no no no no no no no no nononononononono- “No no no no no no no no! He’s trying to control everything from behind the scenes! I can’t believe it! Well, I- I won’t let him! If my little star falls for this-this-this horrible plan, then I’m going to stop him for sure!”
Pink fur stuck out wildly as the hoof swiftly replaced the mail. Another breeze appeared as the box was re-hidden. Shaking with every passing second, the mare used another method to exit, the lead in hooves making it impossible use the first kind. She scaled the walls themselves, shooting for the window that was constantly left unlocked for errant pegasi that crashed into the tree library. She launched from the limb to other house roofs. The mare was a blur to the few villagers who were still awake; not that Pinkie noticed. Her mind swirled with plans to foil the stallion’s schemes.
My dearest sweetheart,
I cordially invite you to join me for a evening in Canterlot. There is a reservation for Les Plus Grands Gourmandises restaurant, followed by a viewing of several very popular party-supplies stores on the fifth. If this is acceptable, please join me in front of the bakery at 3pm on the previously mentioned date.Yours forever,
Twilight Sparkle.
Pinkie’s heart raged between adoring the note and anger that the stallion’s evil plan had already been put into effect. Her hoof shook, torn between crushing the letter and giving it a loving pet. She looked up to where a stack of muffins waited on the counter in Sugarcube corner.
“Pinkie Pie? Everything ok?” The elderly mare’s voice cut through the madness running freely in the younger pony’s mind. Blue eyes glanced up to the earth pony, crinkling lightly in friendliness.
“Sure thing! Can I leave at 3 on Monday?” Pinkie’s voice remained just as chipper even with the whispering of the General in her ear.
Cupcake brightened, pleased to see the other mare happy like her usual self. She set the tray she held in her hooves onto the counter, thinking of the day in question. “I don’t see any reason why not. Can you set these out dear?”
The pink mare nodded rapidly, reaching out to the tray and hopping to the empty display table. Even as she artistically set the baked goods, her mind was far in the distance, thinking of a nearby day in the future in a city several hours away.
-NKP-
Warmth, loosening and almost burning the taunt muscles, spread down the pink furred limbs. Two ears began to twitch unconnected with one another as the pink poofy hair fluffed up for a second. From a distant tunnel, the female store owner spoke.
“Pinkie dear, isn’t your date at 3?”
Blue orbs widened, flicking up to the clock in the far back. Pinkie’s breath caught in her throat as war broke out in her mind. As her thoughts churned, instinct and automated responses took control.
“Oh! I’m so excited! I better get going!” Pinkie’s voice rang out, barely hollowed, as her limbs threw the apron up and over her head. While the cloth floated down to hang from the hook along the wall, she had already shot out the door, stopping rapidly in front of the lavender mare who stood just on the other side.
“Pinkie Pie! I had just arrived; excellent timing, as usual.” Twilight beamed at the party pony who smiled back. The two stood in front of the bakery, silently. The unicorn’s grin started to fade as time wore on and there was no response. “P-Pinkie…?”
The earth pony blinked, a gear like sound clicking as her head tilted and righted back up quickly. “You betcha! Can’t wait for this great date in Canterlot!”
Twilight relaxed with a soft smirk. She stretched out her neck and felt the returning nuzzle in seconds. Once they were done with their cuddling, for the moment at least, the duo started for the train station. The roads were moderately busy with ponies finishing work or errands. The station was quiet as nopony was returning or leaving Ponyville yet. As the unicorn mentally ran over her list, the earth pony kept vigilant, ears and eyes straining.
The trip up to the scenic city was uneventful. The couple remained close side by side, recounting their time spent away from each other. Since they were in a compartment by themselves, Pinkie didn’t feel the need to watch for others on the prowl. It got worse when they entered the capital.
The party pony’s nerves tightened like a bow string at the large amounts of fancily dressed ponies strutting around. Stallions, dressed in solar garb, were the target of most of the sharp blue glares. Every time the earth pony felt her lover’s glance, she’d turn with a bright smile. But as soon as Twilight looked on, Pinkie went back to watching the crowds and warning them silently to stay away. The snobbish citizens barely started to comment on the pink pony’s appearance when they froze at the harsh gaze. Shutting their gaping mouths, they would shuffle on, leaving the tense mare to continue watching the crowds.
Their meal at Les Plus Grands Gourmandises went like every other date. Pinkie didn’t notice or care about how posh the location was, instead focusing on making the star of her heart laugh. Twilight also didn’t care about the location’s five star rating, merely enjoying the time with her marefriend.
There was almost a hiccup when they first arrived. Pinkie’s keen, searching eye had caught what looked like the reservations to be under ‘Honor Guard’ but Twilight had intercepted the conversation before any more questions could be asked. Both mares didn’t notice the other’s distraction as they tried to maintain a cool outward appearance. Luckily, they had a private corner to themselves, making it easier to calm down and enjoy their meal.
It was as they looked at the party supply store that Pinkie Pie’s senses went haywire. The large three story building was a modest gray, almost like a non-descript warehouse, blending in with the pale-gray stores around it. Inside was the opposite. The walls were a bright friendly butter-yellow while the wide open floor space was broken up by long shelves that held multitudes of colored decorations and party supplies. Each floor was themed to the layer of a party. The first floor held the decorations for tables, floors and doorways. The second held wall and ceiling supplies. The top most floor had party favors, goodie bags and treats.
As the two mares turned around the shelf of table setting themes, a wisp of gray fur disappeared ahead of them. The entire pink back arched while her hooves felt a sharp, painful current run through them. Her right eyelid twitched as her tail and mane stood up, fluffing out larger than normal. Before Twilight noticed or could react, Pinkie shot forward, ears pressed flat against her head.
“Pinkie what-?”
“Your evil plan shall never work! In the name of our love, we shall punish you!” The shrill shout echoed through the store, making everypony freeze in place.
It was the sound of a startled stallion that broke Twilight’s shock. She dashed up to the two ponies to find Pinkie standing over Honor Guard. Her mane and tail were up in a wild puff ball and her eyes were frantic pinpoints. The stallion’s own gaze was anxious as he tried to move the stronger mare without hurting her. Other customers ran in panic, screaming at the sudden motion and fight.
“Pinkie Pie! What are you doing?!” The librarian warmed up her magic. Firing a ray, she captured the shouting baker.
“-you will never get her because she’s with me! And she doesn’t want you even if it seems otherwise and you’ll be super duper sorry and-”
“PIIIIIINNNKKKKIIIIIEEE!!!”
Tiny blue dots peeked towards her captor, only just noticing how she was being raised up into the air. The pink body began to shiver, every muscle vibrating rapidly. Twilight found it harder and harder to keep the levitation spell going. The final straw that destroyed her concentration was the small heartbroken question.
“You still love me don’t you…?”
“Wha-? Of course!” The unicorn stepped closer, her own voice filling with pain as she watched her marefriend drop to the ground. Honor Guard managed to back up away from the party pony, crawling backwards on his back as he remained tensed. “Why would you think that Pinkie…?”
The earth pony smiled warmly, tilting her head to the right with both eyes shut tightly; her stance and very presence like her usual self that the unicorn stopped confused. In an eyeblink, the scene changed drastically. Pinkie shot over to the guard and reached out to capture him. The guard’s training kicked in, making him fling the mare over top and into the next set of shelves. As the supplies resting there came crashing down, he paused, fearful of having hurt the civilian. This only provided Pinkie Pie the opportunity to rocket back into the fray. She knocked the stallion back, grin still wide, as her gaze burned holes into him.
“Didya hear that? She’s mine! YOU’RE NOT INVITED!”
Twilight tried to recapture her fighting lover but each time she shot a beam the earth pony vibrated out of the way. The two continued their battle in the store, throwing one another about and crashing into the other shelving. Honor Guard refrained from using magic, since he only knew battle magic, but this didn’t stop Pinkie from using every trick and instinctual ability she had to try and keep the stallion away from the star of her heart.
A distant whistle jolted Twilight into last minute action. Giving up on the magic, she charged forward, closing her eyes as she blindly reached out for the pink barrel. The two mares tumbled past the guard, knocking into the far wall of cloths and going still. Silence finally arrived in the shop. Three sets of heavy panting, echoing loudly in the ears of their owners, raced to stabilize. The librarian kept her eyes shut, ears trained for any other signs of aggravated motion. Slowly, two hooves reached up and held onto her neck. Since it came from the pony under her grip, Twilight took this as a positive sign and cautiously looked at the mare below her.
Sky blue orbs, almost back to normal size, stared back. The couple nearly got lost in each other’s gaze as the warmth in the hooves reminded them of cuddle time in the small town library. Honor Guard hesitantly spoke up from several paces away.
“Miss Twilight…? Miss Pinkie Pie…?”
Pinkie stiffened at the voice. Her eyes lost the warmth showed for friends, taking on an almost threatening hue. Twilight’s heart stopped at the sight. Raising her head faster than Pinkie could potentially respond, she shouted towards the guard a brief farewell.
“Sorry Honor Guard! Please cover for us!”
With a flash and crackle of magic, the duo were teleported away. It was done fast enough that she caught the earth pony off balance and surprised. Together, they reappeared back in Ponyville, in the main room of the library. They dropped a few feet out of the air, landing with a heavy thud that startled the dragon hanging from a ladder. Blinking away mulberry spots from his eyes, he turned to check on the mares.
“Twilight? Pinkie Pie? Why are you guys back so-?”
“W-Why did you do that Twilight!?! He was trying to edge in where he wasn’t invited!” Pinkie’s voice shrilly cut through the building tension.
“What are you talking about Pinkie Pie?!? He wasn’t trying to edge in anywhere!” Twilight huffed in exhaustion, standing up on wobbly legs above the baker on the ground below her. “Why did you attack him?!”
Spike dropped down from the ladder, jaw and claw going slack at his guardian’s words. The earth pony wiggled, trying to get free to complete her mission.
“No no no no no no no no no nononononononono- even now I’m positive he’s scheming new ways to try and capture your heart while you aren’t looking! He was probably rigging up all those party supplies to explode right in my face to make you think he looked much cooler!” Pinkie ran her hooves in the wild strands of her mane. “He’s offering coolness! How can I compete against coolness?! Should-should I get more ice cubes? But if the party goes cold then I lose even more! He’ll get more chances to try, I-”
“What are you talking about!?!” Twilight reached out, tugging away the two hooves before they got stuck in the puffy mess. “Why do you have to compete?! Who are you competing against?”
“That one guard, the one who’s been writing to you, the one who set up tonight’s date, the one who’s been trying to take you away from me!” Pinkie wailed, her limbs struggling pitifully against the lavender mare’s hold.
“Honor Guard? He-he wasn’t uh-” nervous purple orbs sought out a reptile set, only to find no solution. “Th-the letters weren’t from him to try and take me away, he was-”
“Yes he was! Why would he be talking about secrets and arrival dates and how you had to come see it for yourself and he was happy to help-!”
“Because he was helping me with a surprise!” Twilight flung her hooves into the air, her voice raising to match the volume of the mare under her.
“Sure was! A big ol’ nasty surprise for Pinkie Pie about how you’ve found somepony else to be with! Somepony who’s cooler and knows you from when you were younger and is from your hometown and is just as snooty as all the ponies who live there! The surprise of how you found somepony else, who’s been trying to steal you away from me! Just like how everypony wants to take you away from me!” Blue eyes teared up while portions of the pink mane and tail flattened out. A building sob laced each of her words.
“No!” The unicorn sat back, tears of frustration budding up as she magically pulled over the past few letters she had exchanged with the Canterlot guard. “I was making a surprise party for YOU! For your birthday! He was helping me get everything ready!”
The room went still after the shout. Two sets of breathing hitched with choked back tears while the last held his breath lest he startle them. Blue cloudy eyes stared upwards at the sad purples. Pinkie pulled her limbs inward, curling them on her chest. Twilight used the brief respite to open the letters and float them forward.
“See? This is the first one I ever sent, asking for help. Why would you think he or anypony would want to ‘take me away’?” The lavender mare moved off from her marefriend, setting the letters within hoof reach of the distraught baker.
Pinkie sat up, using a hoof to wipe at her tears as she rapidly scanned the contents of the scrolls. “Everypony wants to. I have to keep them all away or they’d take you because of how special you are. Even our friends can be tempted…” The mutter caused the two library residents to lean forward, eyes wide in surprise and disbelief.
“WHAT did you say?!” Twilight couldn’t risk blinking, afraid to look away and have whatever is taking place cut short should the other mare try to run for it. “What makes you think they are trying to break up our relationship?”
“They-they’ve already tried! Dashie AND AJ! They’re both in on it! And they’ve already got special stories lined up for them but noooo! They want this story, they want you all to themselves!” Pinkie stomped her hoof against the floor, tears welling up once again. “Well, I won’t let them! I won’t let anypony! You’re mine! MY little star!”
Twilight felt her heart disappear into the beyond. The food left in her stomach churned, souring and making her regret accepting the dessert. Her mind detached from her numb body as different quotes from dating books floated up from the dark depths.
“...A possessive pony often expresses jealousy. They might become angry or upset when you socialize with friends, family or co-workers. Along with this, they may accuse you of cheating or be suspicious of innocent behaviors such as sending a letter or message.”
… Sweet Celestia! Wha-what is going on!? It can’t be…
The lavender mare took a longer look at the other pony across the way. The dark circles under her eyes, tense muscles that shook periodically, mane and tail straight and quickly losing it’s color. Normally sunny and warm blue orbs were dark with paranoia, twitching around the room, searching for any other threats to ‘her mare’.
“...When left unexplored and unresolved, possessive relationships can amount to feelings of profound unhappiness, anxiety, anger, and even physical or emotional abuse.”
Twilight could feel what was left of her heart clench, making her reflectively scrunch her face. The movement drew sky blue pinprinks to the slowly slouching unicorn.
Pinkie could feel her special senses going crazy. There were too many signals coming in at once for her to read them properly. She could only tell that they were warning of danger, of change, of pain. Each passing second that Twilight didn’t speak made the pink mare grow more anxious. Ears twitching at each sound from the outside, she leaned forward, timidly reaching a hoof out to pet the lavender limb.
“M-my star…? Twilight…?” Pinkie stopped when the purple leg twitched out of the path, avoiding her touch. “...Wha…?”
“Pinkie, I-I don’t know…” Twilight shook her head, scooting back away from the party pony. “It-this doesn’t feel right… Our friends would never try to break up our relationship.”
The statement shot a spike of anger through the pink chest. Pinkie shot forward, brows closing in. “But they-!”
“No! Pinkie Pie, if you think our friends, or-or anypony, is trying to break us apart, and that you’re the only one who can stop them, then-then maybe…” The unicorn took a rattling breath, her mind screaming to step back from the entire situation. “Maybe we should think about what we do next. If you don’t trust me to want to be with you…”
“T-Twilight, wait, no, that’s not-” The earth pony tried again to reach forward but found that the librarian stood up and walked closer to her assistant.
“Then, maybe we need to take a break. Reflect on-on how much we trust one another, and whether this is a healthy relationship…” Twilight couldn’t meet the depressed gaze of the other, and instead looked towards the door.
“No… No, what do you mean? Of course I trust you Twilight!” Pinkie took a half step forward only to falter and take two back. “I love you! I just don’t trust everypony else to stay out of our relationship.”
The lavender pony shook her head, blinking away tears as her mouth scrunched in pain. “P-Pinkie Pie… We are ponies. We live with many others. We’ve always lived in groups; families, friends and neighbors. We HAVE to trust those around us….” For one brief second, Twilight managed to meet the devastated gaze. “I don’t know if I can trust you right now…”
The world around the earth pony shattered; the colors washed away as the details blurred along the fault lines. Every one of her senses screamed that this was wrong, that they were meant to be together, but she couldn’t find her voice to argue the point. Twilight stood out the sharpest, though this was all quickly blotted out by water filling her eyes.
“I think you should leave now Pinkie Pie…”
Pinkie couldn’t remember telling her legs to run. She couldn’t remember the trip back to her room in Sugarcube Corner. She didn’t even remember if she gave any sort of farewell to the mare who was supposed to be her soulmate. She became aware of her surroundings only after the large pink pillow was in her hooves and she was sobbing into its softness.
“Pinkie Pie…?” The voice, soft and warmer than the previous atmosphere, sent a chill over the crying mare. A hoof came to rest on her shoulder. “Dear…?”
Eyes overflowing with tears pulled away from the comforting pillow to find two concerned faces looking down at the immobile pony. The gray colors didn’t help to identify them, but their mane styles and having seen them every day for years clarified matters. The Cakes wore masks of utter shock and concern, though deep in the younger baker’s core, a voice laughed at how little they understood her pain.
“Pinkie, what’s the matter…?” Mr. Cake edged closer, leaning over his wife’s shoulder to be seen better.
Pinkie’s breathing hitched as she tried to summon enough oxygen to speak. With each intake, the married couple inched closer, ears tipped forward to catch every word. Finally, her voice broke free along with another torrent of tears.
“Twilight broke up with me…!”
The older bakers shared incredulous glances, eyes wide, before closing the gap to embrace the devastated mare. Their touch only caused another pang of sorrow to shoot through the younger earth pony as her body, mind and soul ached for somepony else’s touch. A feeling she was starting to fear she may never get again.
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i love it and please have twilight sparkle and pinkie pie get back together
mmmmm.... let me .... just.... get this... out ... of my system....
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
YOU MOTHERFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF--------------------!!!!
ajem... alright... all out... i think...
please don't leave us hangin' like that!
MAH HEART IS BROKEN!!
7211393 hehe, I've been waiting for this for two years. Well worth it.
7211341 I've been meaning to ask, is this video supposed to mean that you're determined that things will turn out all right, or that you died a little inside
7343478 I know and now I have my answer
7551961 >.> I make no comment aside from, thanks for liking the fluffiness!
...........<.< >.> ....................
*frantically hacks nuclear silo launch codes* Undo this. UNDO THII2!