• Published 3rd Feb 2012
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Friends and Lovers - Donnys Boy



A series of mini-stories exploring various pony ships. Because shipping is magic.

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The Eyes Have It (TwiPie)

“The Eyes Have It”
(TwiPie)

I. Mirrors

The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul.

Her eyes are big and bright and almost impossibly blue, as blue as fresh spring water, as blue as a cloudless sky, as blue as aquamarines. Her eyes that smile and laugh just as readily as her mouth, and they’re full of such perfect, shining joy. Except for when they’re not.

Tiny moments, infrequent, almost unnoticeable. The very end of a party, as everyone’s going home. That split second after a friend’s just shoved her away following a too-tight hug. And then, just like that, those big blue eyes break, they shatter completely, and from behind the smiles and laughter come bubbling up panic and desperation and stark, cold fear.

Twilight recognizes it all too easily. Panic and desperation, after all, are her bread and butter.

II. Strengths

Twilight was amazed at how easily Pinkie seemed to be trotting along. The unicorn couldn’t detect any heavy breathing, stumbling steps, or anything else that would indicate that Pinkie needed a break. It was more than a little impressive, really, that Pinkie Pie could carry her for hours like this.

Maybe it was an earth pony thing. Twilight had learned while still young about how each race of pony had its own special magic. Pegasi ruled the air and the weather, while unicorns had a direct connection to magical energy. But earth ponies’ magic was more abstract, more indistinct, having to do with the plants and animals on the ground. More than a few fillies and colts in Twilight’s classes had snickered at that part of the lesson, whispering to one another that earth pony magic could barely be called magic at all.

Twilight had snickered, too. But right now, right here, she dearly wished that she hadn’t, and she felt a stab of white-hot guilt.

Twilight rested her head against the neck of the other mare. Underneath her, Pinkie felt comfortingly solid, and with every step the earth pony took, Twilight could feel Pinkie’s shoulder muscles flex and contract. Strong. That’s what Pinkie was. What earth ponies, in general, were. That sort of physical strength was never something Twilight had valued—was always something at which she scoffed as being inferior to intellect—but right now Pinkie’s surprising strength and boundless energy were the only things keeping Twilight from freezing to death in the snow.

“It’s ironic,” she mumbled into the soft warmth of Pinkie’s mane.

She could feel Pinkie’s head turn towards her. “Twi? Did you say something?”

I could fall in love with you. It was a strange thing to think, random and completely out of the blue, and yet think it Twilight did. It would be so easy to fall in love with you.

“No.” The unicorn shook her head, just slightly, careful not to further aggravate her injuries. “No, I didn’t say anything.”

III. Synonyms

“And I feel that it would be the height of happiness,” Spike continued reciting, cackling as he did so, the piece of paper held tight between his claws, “if I could drown in those eyes of amethyst.”

At that, Rarity gasped.

Meanwhile, Applejack scrunched up her face in a thoughtful frown. “Amethyst? What’s that?”

Every eye was on Pinkie, who just stood there with a plastic smile frozen in place. The very air in the bakery seemed to grow dense, almost oppressively thick and stifling, and the loud ticking of the wall clock was the only sound to be heard for several long moments.

“Purple,” came the reply from a soft voice. As one the group turned, and there was Twilight standing in the doorway. “‘Amethyst’ means purple.”

IV. Meanings

“Did you … did you mean it? That stuff about, um, you know. My being the song of your heart and your drowning in my eyes and … stuff.”

Pinkie didn’t look over. In a voice that sounded strangely muffled to her own ears, she replied, “Every word.”

“Oh. Um. That’s … wow. Wow.” Twilight laughed a bit, but it sounded shaky. “I don’t know what to say. Actually … actually, that’s not true. I should start by apologizing. I’m so sorry, Pinkie. I never should have—”

“It’s okay.” Pinkie gave a shrug. “I mean, I mighta done that too.”

“Even so.”

“I forgive you. Don’t worry about it.”

Together they sat in awkward silence for a few moments. Pinkie could feel the heat from Twilight’s body, as Twilight sat so close they were almost touching, and struggled to keep her heart from pounding its way right out of her chest. Twilight was just so close, too close, really, and it was hard to focus on anything besides that lovely warmth or the slight smell of ink …

“So,” said Twilight, after clearing her throat. “You … you really like my smile?”

Pinkie inhaled sharply. “Twilight Sparkle, I love your smile. I love all of your smiles.”

And then, suddenly, like water breaking free from a leaking dam, Pinkie was talking about all of the different kinds of smiles that Twilight had: a big wide smile that caused the unicorn’s entire face to light up like the sun, a small quiet smile that meant Twilight had just solved a particularly hard problem, a lopsided grin whenever somepony said something that Twilight thought was amusing …

Finally, Pinkie was able to catch herself, to stop the seemingly endless tide of words, and glanced over to Twilight. When she did, she saw that Twilight Sparkle was smiling. Twilight was, in fact, smiling a larger smile than Pinkie had ever seen her smile before.

V. Lacunas

Twilight paused in the doorway to the bakery. After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder.

Pinkie fidgeted nervously under the weight of the unicorn’s gaze. She tried not to think about just what might be racing around in Twilight’s big brain. She tried not to think about how beautiful, how frighteningly beautiful, were Twilight’s deep violet eyes—but, of course, as soon as she tried not to do it, she started doing it even more.

She could write an entire song cycle about Twilight’s eyes. An entire opera about those eyes.

Then, Twilight turned around and slowly walked back over to Pinkie. She stopped right in front of the earth pony, her every movement calm and deliberate, and Pinkie could feel her heart pounding away in her chest and her stomach churn with a strange mixture of excitement and fear.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed the very air around them hung thick and heavy with anticipation.

And then Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes again and began singing.

I am not a songsmith
I have only these words true
But I will sing them loud
I love you, I love you.

Pinkie had never stood so still or so quiet in her entire life.

I will sing until you see
That though the feeling’s new
It burns as bright as the sun
I love you, I love you.

Twilight took a step closer, her eyes burning with determination.

I will not move, will not bend
Not until you give the cue
Because I need you to know
I love you, I love—

But Twilight Sparkle never got to finish her song, as suddenly Pinkie’s mouth was on hers, urgent, desperate, as the earth pony kissed the unicorn with a hunger greater than any she’d ever known, a hunger greater than she’d even thought possible. After the kiss finally ended, though, Twilight offered not a single word of complaint ... offered up nothing but a tiny, quiet smile, as small and as sparkling as the purest of diamonds.