> How to Hug an Alicorn > by Harmony Pie > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Pink and Purple > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mmhmm," Twilight hummed, her dark eyes hungrily racing across the words. A magenta glow gripped the edges of the yellowing pages as she flipped through the book. The alicorn stopped suddenly, placing her hoof on the page with a little squeal of excitement. "Ohh! That makes so much sense, now!" Twilight fluffed her wings by her side and scrunched her small muzzle up. "Physically though, love healing is a stretch... although, no doubt they are quite beneficial to the one directed at..." she trailed off, levitating up a quill to scratch out a note on a piece of parchment paper. She would have to talk to Cadance about the certain properties of love, seeing as friendship was more of her subject. She continued to read, making small notes as she went along. Yet, how different were friendship and love? Twilight brought her hoof to her chin in thought. "This could make for an interesting letter to Celestia," she said quietly to herself. Surely Celestia wouldn't mind, even if she wasn't technically her student anymore? Thump. Twilight jerked up, her wings unfurling out in surprise. "Oh, hush up you," she whispered to her limbs, shoving them back by her withers. Her wings, although she had grown used to them, weren't always helpful. Satisfied, she turned around from her position on the rug to look at the door of her castle. Silence. Sighing, Twilight got up from under the blanket, and trotted to the door with a couple steps. "Yes?" Twilight chirped, putting on a smile as she flung open the door. "What can I help you with..." she broke off, finally taken notice of the empty steps before her. She craned her neck to see both ways, but nopony jumped out at her. Nothing stirred except for a couple ponies milling out far beyond her yard. With a giggle, Twilight closed the door, swaying her violet tresses. Probably just some silly fillies, she thought. Ding dong ditch... or knocking? Shaking her head, she sunk down to the floor once again and reopened her book. "Let's see--" Thump. Thump Twilight gritted her teeth, and rubbed her face in annoyance. This time it came from the other side of the castle. With a flap of her wings, Twilight flew across the room and rushed to her window. Just as she has suspected. Nopony! "What the hay?" Twilight groaned, slapping her hooves on the glass. Who was playing with her? Twilight squinted through the glass. Muttering, she turned around, with one last death glare at the pile of dirt beyond her window... and found something strange. Something very strange, indeed. There was a Pinkie underneath her book. Now, before coming to Ponyville, Twilight had been a reclusive unicorn with a very logical mind and a plan for every situation. That changed, however, when she met Pinkie. Logic jumped off a cliff and swam down into the darkest parts of the ocean. Pinkie had done so many crazy and off the wall things that Twilight had almost grown accustomed to it. Almost. But nothing prepared her for this moment. Twilight's mouth opened, and then closed. She made a little guttural noise, her eyes never leaving the pink mass that now occupied the space beneath her book. Clearing her throat, Twilight swallowed and nudged the mare with her fetlock. "Pinkie?" Pinkie Pie didn't move, nor make any indication that Twilight had spoken. Her form huddled beneath the book, which lay across her pink mane, as if she believed she were hidden. Twilight blinked. Welp, there went her relaxing evening. "Pinkie, what are you doing?" Pinkie's body wriggled on the floor, and her poofy head popped up. "I'm waiting," she said simply. Twilight raised an eyebrow, tapping her hoof on the floor. She would play along. "Waiting for what, exactly?" Pinkie made a huffing sound. "Well, what would be the point of telling you, miss Twi Twi?" Twilight was dumbfounded for a second. "Point of telling me?! You just showed up in my castle randomly-- and under my book for that matter-- and made me run around everywhere! And you're askin--" Twilight was interrupted by an object that shoved itself into her mouth. She furrowed her brow, looking down at Pinkie's hoof that was now pressed against her lips. "Mmph?!" Twilight pushed back, staring at the nonchalant mare incredulously. Pinkie Pie just shrugged, her face stretching into a sparkling smile. Twilight almost laughed at how adorable Pinkie looked, a book balanced atop her head like a hat, and her eyes wide in mischief. But she stopped herself, wiping her mouth roughly. "Pinkie, you can't just go around and shove your hooves into ponies' mouths!" Twilight exclaimed, at lost for anything else to say. Pinkie tilted her head, her cheeks rosy. "Hmm, and how come?" Twilight spluttered, throwing her forelegs up in frustration. "It's just not something you do, alright?" Pinkie Pie grinned lopsidedly, her ears falling over. "Well, it's something I do, silly! If I do it, it must be okay!" She giggled, rolling onto the floor so that the book fell off. Twilight rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Ooh! What were you reading?" Twilight watched Pinkie flip the book over and point to the cover: The Mystery Of Love. Twilight dug her hoof into the floor, finding for some reason that her face was tinged with a heat. "Just a book on love, and such. I was gonna ask Princess Cadance about some of my notes later," she said carefully. Pinkie stood up, dancing a bit as she walked up to Twilight. "That's crazy talk, Twilight. There's no mystery on love!" "Oh?" was a Twilight managed to make out. For some reason she couldn't quite deduce, her throat was excessively dry. "Yeah," Pinkie replied confidently. "It's just really liking someone a lot!" she chuckled, a sound that made Twilight feel a bit weak in the knees. "That sounds nice, Pinkie," she stuttered out, taking a step back. "But what were you waiting for again?" Pinkie paused, an inch away from Twilight's nose. "Oh, duh! How could I forget! I guess it's 'cause you started talking about hooves and mouths for some reason!" Pinkie fluttered her eyelashes innocently. Twilight gulped. Without warning, Pinkie reached forward and wrapped her soft forelegs around the alicorn. Twilight's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away as her stomach exploded in butterflies. Pinkie squeezed her chest, and dug her warm face into the side of Twilight's neck, whose nose twitched at her frizzy mane. "I was waiting to hug you, silly filly! You just seemed so lonely in your castle, reading boring books. I think I succeeded in my mission. Huh? Did I? Do you feel better, now?" Twilight swallowed hard, her cheeks aflame. "...yes?" Pinkie Pie bounced up in joy. "Great! See you tomorrow, Twilight!" She bounded out the door, singing out a song as she skipped down the steps. Twilight gaped at the spot where Pinkie had just been, still feeling the warmth of her hooves wrapped around her chest. Absentmindedly, Twilight picked up her fallen book, breathing heavily. The words blurred together. Maybe her letter to Celestia could wait. Perhaps friendship wasn't all that different from love.