Come on arms, don't fail me now!
With her hands on Pinkie Pie's shoulders, Twilight was trying her hardest to push her friend away, although her hardest was proving to be entirely ineffective. Her arms felt like jelly, and were completely useless in her shocked state. For once, she couldn't think of a single thing to say. She had read a dictionary once, cover to cover, and here she was, at a loss for words. She knew so many, why couldn't she put any of them together to form a coherent sentence? Maybe something simple, like "Pinkie, get off of me"? No, she simply laid on her back, gripping Pinkie's shoulders as if for dear life.
Pinkie was straddling her, smiling an undeniably drunken smile. "Something wrong, smarty-pants?" Great, even in her intoxicated state, Pinkie was a better conversationalist than Twilight. Her voice wasn't even influenced by her inebriation, although there was a bit of a seductive, teasing tone to it that Twilight had never heard before. Twilight hadn't had a single drink all night. Her mind was her pride and joy, why would she want it to be under the influence of a depressant? She just didn't see the appeal of alcohol. Pinkie, on the other hand...
Pinkie giggled as she plucked Twilight's hands off of her shoulders and placed them on the bed above Twilight's head, where they stayed without any complaint from their owner. Pinkie's hands started to slide across Twilight's waist, and once they reached her hips, she took hold of Twilight's shirt and started to slowly pull it up. As she did, she leaned in to Twilight's neck and started to kiss, and then bite, softly at first, but slowly getting harder. It seemed like an eternity before Pinkie spoke.
"If you want me to stop, I will." Her voice was as bright and sunshiny as ever, but there was still that teasing inflection, as if daring Twilight say something.
This was her invitation to get out of this messed up situation. All she had to do was say "stop" and this would be over and done with.
"I..."
Pinkie sat up, but kept her face only a few inches away from the woman beneath her. She silently looked down at Twilight, waiting for her to continue. Twilight stared back into the wide, bright blue eyes above her. When she finally did find her words, they weren't quite what she had expected.
"Kiss me."
---
"Have ya seen Pinkie anywhere? She was pretty out of it last time Ah saw her."
"Isn't she always out of it?"
Applejack rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash, who simply chuckled at her own joke, then shrugged. "I haven't seen her since she went off with Twilight."
"She went off with Twilight?"
Rainbow nodded, pointing towards the stairs.
"She dragged her up there, all excited about something."
That was a bit of a relief, knowing Pinkie was in good hands, but she decided to head upstairs anyway to check on the two. Twilight would probably be glad to see her, since Pinkie could be quite a handful.
---
She needed to assess the situation, and form an escape plan. Her extremities were useless, and her mouth was a traitor. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her face was hot... in fact, her whole body felt warm. Her thoughts were jumbled... yet, she could hear a small voice in the back of her mind, telling her to take it easy. Sit back, relax... everything is right with the world.
She quickly corrected that voice. No, everything was not right. One of her best friends was kissing her, and she was loving it. She tasted like alcohol and cake frosting, a strange combination, but a wonderful one. Her lips were soft, and despite being drunk, she was kissing Twilight very gently, as if she was enjoying the sensation just as much.
Pinkie suddenly pulled away, and Twilight found herself prepared to protest, until she realized Pinkie had pulled her shirt up to her neck, and wanted it off the rest of the way. She obliged, raising her hands over her head to make things easier. Once it was off, Pinkie tossed it aside and returned to Twilight's lips.
And then the door opened. Pinkie sat up and looked over her shoulder at the person standing in the doorway.
"Hi Applej-AHH!"
Twilight had suddenly kicked Pinkie off of the bed, trying to appear as innocent as possible. It didn't work. Applejack looked like a deer in headlights.
Since Twilight's legs seemed to suddenly be working again, she hopped off of the bed, grabbed her shirt off of the floor, then walked over to Applejack. Pinkie was lying on the ground, mumbling something about all the pretty stars.
"Don't tell anyone!"
Twilight was covering her chest with her shirt, and Applejack just stood there, mouth slightly agape.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone, Applejack!"
"Ah... Ah promise, Twilight."
Twilight turned her back to Applejack, put her shirt back on, then started out of the room, but paused in the doorway. "She's had a lot to drink, could you... you know, watch her until the party is over?"
"Are you leavin'?"
Twilight looked down, feeling ashamed of herself. She couldn't stand being at the party with Pinkie for the rest of the night. "Yes... I am." With that said, Twilight headed through the hallway and down the stairs, quietly making her way out of the party.
---
Lying on the couch, reading a book and struggling to keep her eyes open, Twilight decided it was finally time for bed. Spike had gone to sleep an hour ago, but Twilight had decided to stay up a bit later than usual to finish off the last few chapters of her book. She was two chapters away from the end, but if she didn't go to bed now, there was a chance of messing up her sleep schedule, and who knows how long that would take to get back on track. So, she marked her page and headed upstairs.
She changed into a pair of purple pajamas and got into bed, though as soon as she started to doze off, a soft thud against the balcony door caused her to open her eyes. Another thud followed, and then another and another before Twilight finally forced herself to get up and open the balcony door. She was hit square in the face with... what was this? A muffin?
"Hiya Twilight!"
Twilight quickly recognized the voice as Pinkie's, coming from the ground below. When she moved to the railing to look down, illuminated by a nearby streetlamp stood her vivacious friend, with an armful of muffins. She was wearing a pair of pink and white striped socks that almost reached to her knee, jean shorts, and a dark pink tank top. Pinkie raised her free hand over her head and waved in an excited greeting. Twilight could feel her cheeks getting hot as Pinkie's top lifted up slightly and exposed a bit of her midrift. Why did she have to be so cute?
"Pinkie, why are you throwing muffins up here?" Her tone denoted a bit of annoyance, not at all revealing her actual thoughts.
"Because cupcakes would've left frosting all over your balcony, silly!"
Twilight groaned. "I was trying to sleep, Pinkie. What do you want? "
"I wanted to see how you were doing. I don't remember much of the party, you know, the one I threw two nights ago. I think that's the last time I'll be drinking for a while!" Pinkie laughed, "But I haven't seen you since the party! And every time I came by during the day, Spike says you aren't home. So I decided since you're always busy during the day, maybe we could do something during the night!"
Twilight was stunned, but quickly composed herself. Pinkie didn't remember the party... so, that meant the only two who knew about what happened was herself and Applejack. Applejack was trustworthy, she knew the secret was safe with her... so she could put this whole thing behind her. Right?
Twilight was lost in thought, so Pinkie broke the silence. "Can I come in? Or do you want to talk like this? This could be fun... I could go get my bull horn!"
Twilight snapped back to the matter at hand. "No, that's not necessary. We can talk for a bit downstairs."
Pinkie skipped over to the front door, and Twilight went back inside, trying her best to be quiet as she made her way over to the front door; Spike was still sleeping, after all. Once she let Pinkie in, she went over to turn on some lights, followed by her friend as she did.
"Thanks Twilight, I'm glad we can hang out a lit-" As Twilight turned to face her, Pinkie's eyes widened and locked on something on Twilight's neck. She dropped her muffins on the floor, starring at her confused friend.
"... Is there something on me?"
Pinkie didn't answer, and Twilight reached her hand up to feel the spot Pinkie was starring at, but she felt nothing there. "Uh... Pinkie?"
"You have a hickey, Twilight!" Pinkie burst into giggles, "Who gave it to you?"
Twilight immediately rushed over to her bathroom and looked at her neck in the mirror, followed close behind by Pinkie. Sure enough, there was a rather large red mark that she had failed to notice, right on the side of her neck.
"Who was it Twi?"
Twilight groaned angrily, wanting to kick herself for missing the mark.
"Who was it??"
She started out of the bathroom, with Pinkie skipping behind her.
"Who was-"
"I'm not telling you!"
"Can I guess? Oh! Can we play ten questions?"
Flustered, all Twilight could say was, "What?"
"You know, ten questions! I ask ten yes or no questions and if I think I know who it was at the end, I can guess and see if I get it right!"
"Fine," Twilight sat down on a chair, expecting Pinkie to take the other one beside her, but instead she plopped down on the rug in front of Twilight and crisscrossed her legs. "But you won't get it. And after, you have to leave, because I need my sleep."
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Ok, first question. Was it someone I know?"
"Yes."
"Well of course it was, I know everyone around here!" Pinkie giggled, "Was it someone at the party?"
"Yes."
"Was it a boy or a girl?"
Twilight was stunned at that one. She thought Pinkie would have assumed it was a man. Wasn't it safe to assume she preferred men? She didn't want to answer that.
"That's not a yes or no question..."
"Oh, right. Then, was it a boy?"
Twilight looked away. "No." She could have just as easily lied, but that hadn't occurred to her as an option until after she had said the answer.
Pinkie smiled a little, "You like girls, Twilight?"
"I guess so..." Twilight could once again feel her cheeks reddening, "And that counts as a question."
"Okay! So I'm at five." Pinkie seemed to be deep in thought, searching for a good question. Twilight was regretting ever agreeing to this. "Number five: Did you always know you liked girls?"
Twilight didn't see how this related to the game. At first, she wanted to inform Pinkie that her question was off topic, but decided that might be in her favor.
"No, I didn't."
"Did you know I like them too?"
Pinkie looked pretty cheerful, and Twilight looked uncomfortable. Where was this leading?
"I didn't really know that... Pinkie, I'm not even sure if I like women. It could have been a fluke."
"Was she drinking a lot at the party?"
Twilight looked away once again, "Um, no."
Pinkie laughed, then rather than saying it, she sang, "You're lyyyying!" She returned to her normal speaking voice, "The girl who gave you that," Pinkie pointed at Twilight's neck, "Does she remember that night?"
Silence. Pinkie waited for Twilight, blushing and looking to the side, to say something.
"Okay, different question." Pinkie looked up at the ceiling, apparently thinking of an alternate question. "Did you know that she really likes you, and wishes she could remember the party?"
"No... I..." Twilight finally looked up at the woman sitting across from her. "Pinkie, I can't do this."
"Of course you can! We're almost done, I only have two more questions."
"No, I can't do this." Twilight sighed, "I mean, us. You and me."
"Oh."
Pinkie's smile had been replaced by one of her rarely seen frowns, and Twilight felt terrible at having caused it.
"Look, Pinkie. I don't think it would work. I've been thinking about it, and-"
"Right there!" Pinkie suddenly sat up on her knees, her face now very close to Twilight's. Out of nowhere, she looked angry, and Twilight shrank towards the back of her chair. "That's your problem! Thinking too much! And you think you know everything, but you don't even know what to do with your own feelings!"
"I-"
"I'm not finished!" Pinkie was now gripping the arms of the chair and leaning further towards Twilight, who looked like she wished she could sink into the cushion beneath her and disappear. "Just because you're scared, doesn't mean you should run away! It's new to me too, and new, scary things can be fun... but you have to try it first, or you won't know! There's no how-to books on love, Twilight!"
Pinkie was right about that last part, at least not in her library. Twilight checked yesterday. There were plenty of potion recipes and spells, but nothing on love itself. She didn't want to know how to create it, she wanted to know what to do with it once it was there... She glanced at Pinkie, who was looking disappointed at Twilight's lack of a reaction to her rant. She moved back to her original position on the floor, crisscrossing her legs again.
"If you want me to leave, I will."
If you want me to stop, I will.
Twilight remembered how she had been offered the option to get Pinkie to stop kissing her neck. She hadn't taken her up on the offer, and she wasn't about to reject Pinkie this time either. She couldn't, and she didn't want to.
Pinkie was looking away, towards the front door, most likely waiting for Twilight to tell her to leave. Instead, Twilight joined her on the rug, and Pinkie turned to raise an eyebrow at her.
"I am scared." Twilight said, forcing herself to look Pinkie in the eyes, "I've never felt this way about anyone, and I always expected that my first crush would be on... you know, a man."
Pinkie made an excited squealing noise, and leaned forward to hug her bookish friend. "Twilight! I never ever thought you would feel the same way!" She pulled back from the hug before Twilight could even hug her back, "I really wish I could remember the party... did we kiss? Did I miss our first kiss?"
Pinkie quickly noticed Twilight looked uncomfortable again, "Sorry..."
"It's fine, Pinkie. We did kiss a little."
"Twi, if you're scared, we can go as slow as you want. I just want to be with you," Pinkie giggled, "But I guess I made that obvious when I was drunk."
It made sense. It sounded to Twilight like Pinkie had a long-time crush on her, and had resigned to keeping it a secret, until she had a little too much to drink and tried to seduce her. Twilight hadn't realized just how much she admired the pink haired party girl, or rather, she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself.
"Sounds good, Pinkie." Twilight tried to pluck up a bit of courage before she continued, "And... just so you know, I'm fine with this." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Pinkie's lips, and Pinkie leaned backwards, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Twilight had intended the kiss to be brief, but Pinkie had already wrapped her arms around her partner, and Twilight wasn't about to complain.
Pinkie started running her fingers through Twilight's hair with one hand, while the other was tracing a line up and down Twilight's arm. Twilight, on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what to do, and before she knew it, the kiss had ended.
"You're stiff," Pinkie had noticed Twilight's inaction, "If you're nervous we can stop."
Suddenly, Twilight kissed her with new found determination, and Pinkie laughed into her mouth, another sensation that Twilight found herself liking, a lot. It felt like her body was heating up, and her subtle feelings of guilt and uncertainty were replaced by excitement and desire. This was unknown territory as far as Twilight was concerned, but the whole experience was inspiring a romantically bolder side of her that Twilight herself didn't even know existed. She was now propped up with her knees on either side of Pinkie's waist, placing kisses along Pinkie's jawline while her hands started to undo the buttons on her own shirt. She remembered how Pinkie had seemed fixed on getting her shirt off at the party, so she thought she might as well do that for her. She wasn't wearing anything underneath it this time, though.
Twilight reached Pinkie's neck, kissed it a few times, then bit, which was followed by a sharp intake of air from her partner. It took Twilight a moment to realize she was gasping in pleasure rather than pain, so she bit down again, eliciting a moan from Pinkie.
"Your neck is sensitive," Twilight observed as she sat up and shrugged off her now unbuttoned shirt.
"Yep," Pinkie said brightly, but a bit breathlessly. She admired Twilight's bare chest for a moment, but apparently looking wasn't enough. She started to run both hands up Twilight's stomach, up to her chest, then traced a circle around Twilight's nipples with her finger. Twilight's blood practically started to boil. Having her hair played with was nice, and so was the caressing of her arm, but neither came close to the feeling she was experiencing now. Pinkie suddenly sat up, pushing Twilight up with her so they were facing each other, then pinched one of Twilight's nipples lightly between her teeth, and started playing with the tip with her tongue. Pinkie started to push her back as she did, and it wasn't long before Twilight found herself on her back, with Pinkie lying on top of her, switching back and forth from one nipple to the other.
Although she was being quiet, Twilight was unbearably aroused, the only hint being her very fast breathing. Pinkie had picked up on it, and was now running a hand back down her stomach, and once she reached her waist, started to slide her hand into Twilight's pajama pants.
"Pinkie..."
"Yes Twilight?" Pinkie moved up from Twilight's chest, so she could look at her properly. Her hand hadn't stopped descending though, and she was now feeling around for a bush that wasn't there. "You shave." Pinkie said with a smirk.
"I think we should stop."
"What?" Pinkie frowned, but made no move to change the position of her hand, so Twilight grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of her pants.
"I... think we should stop."
"What's wrong?" Pinkie moved so she was beside Twilight rather than on top of her, "Is it because you're topless and I'm not? I can fix that!"
"No, that's not-" Before Twilight could stop her, Pinkie had stripped off her tank top and was undoing her bra, which came off with one quick flick of her index and thumb.
"Ta-da!"
Twilight lost her train of thought. Pinkie was at least a cup size bigger than Twilight, and her nipples were perfect. She was gorgeous... but Twilight quickly gathered her thoughts together.
"No, Pinkie, I was just thinking about my parents."
"... Ew."
"Not like that!" Twilight rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. "I was just thinking how disappointed they would be if they knew I have a girlfriend now."
Pinkie bounced happily as Twilight said 'girlfriend,' but composed herself in a flash.
"Twilight, they wouldn't be disappointed. How could they? They're probably so proud of you, being a hero, Celestia's star student, and a super smarty pants," Pinkie pulled Twilight into a hug, "You can't help who you fall for, they'll understand."
Twilight tightly hugged Pinkie back, not wanting to let go. "I think I'm in love with you," she said after a small silence.
Pinkie pulled away from the hug and smiled, "You know what people do when they're in love?"
Twilight gave her a curious look. Pinkie pounced without any warning, and Twilight was on her back once again.
"They have sex!"
It was Twilight's turn to laugh, but Pinkie silenced her with a passionate kiss, her hand trailing downwards once again. When she reached the seam of Twilight's pajamas, Pinkie pulled away to check on her girlfriend.
"Are you all right? I mean... this is okay?"
Twilight nodded, and managed a quiet, "I'm all yours."
Dear Princess Celestia,
There's no way I'm sleeping tonight. Or ever again. Some noises can never be unheard.
Your faithful student's disturbed assistant, Spike.
((Disclaimer: This is not an accurate portrayal of the Amish. Not even a little. I just have an unhealthy addiction to puns.))
...demonstrated a momentary surge of magical energy, as well as the shape of the ore changing very briefly, displaying similar qualities to a melting object. The ore returned to it's original shape, and the energy dissipated, suggesting it had been absorbed by...
It had been snowing for days, and still didn't seem to be letting up. Being trapped in the library wouldn't have been so bad if she could actually focus on studying, or writing, or casting spells, or... anything really.
...displaying similar qualities to a melting object. The ore returned to it's original shape, and the energy dissipated, suggesting it had been absorbed by...
The fact that she could hardly remember the lines she had just read was extremely frustrating, but it had been happening all day. She didn't want to be here. She had been spending so much time with Pinkie recently, when they were apart Twilight would end up quickly losing interest in almost everything and become distracted. Even when she was studying, Pinkie was often times with her, though she would leave Twilight alone.... but she was still there. Building a book fort, trying to teach Spike how to cartwheel, taking apart an alarm clock and somehow rebuilding it as a robot, counting everything blue in the library... for some reason. At times like this, she would be Twilight's background noise. Being without her didn't feel right.
Would this be considered codependency? No, she didn't need Pinkie to be here. Codependency... that was a ridiculous notion! From the top, focusing this time!
...demonstrated a momentary surge of magical energy, as well as the shape of the ore changing very briefly, displaying similar qualities to a melting object. The ore returned...
“Is that Pinkie?”
Twilight had joined Spike at the window in a matter of seconds. He had been watching the snow fall, but spotted a definite pink outline of someone. She didn't seem to be heading for the library, but regardless, Twilight was now racing to put on her winter jacket and some snow boots.
“Really?” Spike watched Twilight dart around the room, putting on a scarf, and then casting a quick spell on her boots before heading to the door.
“Don't judge me.”
Spike snickered, but didn't have a chance to say anything more before she slammed the door behind her.
The spell worked perfectly, melting the snow around her feet, which normally would have had her stuck at least ankle deep. She spotted the outline that she thought was Pinkie and ran after her, catching up quickly thanks to her enchanted boots. It was definitely Pinkie, and she hadn't yet realized she was being followed as she struggled through the deep snow. Twilight was only a few feet behind her, and she decided to announce her presence by casting the melting spell on Pinkie's boots. She extended her hand, which began glowing violet as the spell was cast.
Pinkie stopped in her tracks as the snow around her melted away, and almost immediately turned around, a big grin on her face.
“My little bookworm is inching after me!”
Smiling back, Twilight jogged up to her, and was almost immediately pulled into an unexpected kiss.
Now that she thought about it, she had no idea why Pinkie was out trekking around town in this sort of weather. When they parted, Twilight noticed the backpack she wore, and decided to come up with a nonchalant comment that could segue into finding out why she was out in the snow.
“Your lips are freezing.”
“All of me is freezing!” She started walking again, and Twilight joined at her side. “Being this cold is totally un-fun... when I get back, it's your job to warm me up!”
“Hm, I don't think my microwave has a Pinkie Defrost setting.”
“No problem! I was thinking a nice soft blanket in front of a fireplace, a bottle of wine, and Spike staying the night at a friends... Pinkie Pie defrosting is an all-night process!” Pinkie stopped walking, and turned to face Twilight. “I'll be back tomorrow night, might want to get some firewood as soon as you can, it sells out quick this time of year. Love you!” She gave Twilight a quick peck on the lips, then started walking again.
“Oh, wait, hang on.” Pinkie stopped and turned back around, still smiling, though... it was different. “I forgot to ask where you were going. It has to be something important if you're out here in this weather. Where are you headed?”
“Oh, just visiting my super duper boring parents. I do every winter, and bring them some bread from Sugarcube Corner. We catch up, it's really, really boring. That's why I moved here, because out in the country it's just sooooo-”
“Boring?” Twilight laughed, “If it's that uneventful, maybe I could come with you and liven things a little? I'd love to meet your family, too.”
“Oh no no, you would hate it there! I couldn't do that to you. I mean, the rocks are more exciting than my family!”
“I find geology fascinating, actually.” Twilight was looking around at the weather, and Pinkie was frowning, though when Twilight turned her attention back to her, she was smiling again. “Besides, in this weather it would be safer to travel with someone else.”
“Well, see, thing is, I don't think-”
“Pinkie, I insist. This weather just isn't safe, and that enchantment will wear off before you even get out of town.”
Pinkie's eye twitched slightly, but her awkwardly forced smile was unfaltering.
“I promise your family and I will get along.” Twilight held out her pinky finger, and Pinkie's smile suddenly seemed to become a bit more genuine.
-----
The rock farm wasn't as far away from town as she expected it to be. Twilight couldn't imagine making the walk without her enchanted boots, though... it would take quite a lot of dedication. As the rock farm itself came into view, it was rather clear of snow, probably so the rocks they harvested wouldn't become lost underneath. She was curious to find out why exactly they harvested rocks, and who their buyers were, considering it didn't sound like it could be a lucrative business.
The conversation had all but stopped at this point, and Pinkie once again looked uneasy. The rest of the walk here, the two chatted like normal, though any questions about Pinkie's family were averted. It was all adding up to make Twilight a bit nervous. She was starting to think Pinkie was hiding something... but she couldn't jump to conclusions.
The area that belonged to Pinkie's family was surrounded by a short fence, and Pinkie's pace was slowing as they approached it. They had been holding hands during the entire walk, and only a few paces before the fence, Pinkie suddenly pulled Twilight behind a rocky outcrop that was tall enough to hide them if they ducked.
“All right, what is going on?” Twilight's tone sounded a bit more demanding than she intended it to, so she added, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Do you remember that story I told you, about how I threw my family a party, and they loved it and learned how to smile?”
Twilight nodded, and Pinkie continued.
“Well, I might have, maybe, possibly, soooorta-”
“Pinkie!”
“Exaggerated how much they liked it.”
“Exaggerated?”
“Well, more like completely changed how it happened. But it was just such a downer of a story! I couldn't tell a story without a happy ending!”
Twilight had her eyes closed, and was rubbing her temple. “So... what actually happened? What are you parents like now?”
......
My sisters and I were raised on a rock farm outside of Ponyville. We spent our days working the fields. There was no talking. There was no smiling. There were only rocks.
We were in the south field, preparing to rotate the rocks back to the east field, so the inmates would have more rocks to move by tomorrow-
“What??”
Shhh! Anyway, all of the sudden, there was this huge, beautiful rainbow, out of nowhere! I'd never felt joy like that before. It felt so good, I just wanted to keep smiling forever. And I wanted everyone I knew to smile too, but rainbows don't come along that often. I wondered, how else could I create some smiles?
I decided to throw my family a party! It was perfect, just like parties should be- balloons, streamers, cake, music! But when my parents came to see it, they... they didn't like it. They hated it. My dad had heard of parties before, he told me they were bad. Only bad children had parties. I ended up crying, which made my dad angry, and he just started yelling. My older sister, Inkie, stood up to him. It was the first time I'd seen her do that. They started yelling at each other, and by the end of it, Inkie had left. I had missed something... I didn't understand what had made her upset enough to do a thing like that.
It turns out, she liked parties. Different kinds of parties. She had been sneaking out and going wild at those parties.
I behaved for the next few years. Inkie would visit me every now and then, sneak into my window and we'd share a drink. She wasn't a bad sister, but she ended up making some bad choices. She's hard to get ahold of, she is all over the place, but... she isn't the same any more. My parents act like she never existed. I moved out, and even though I visit, they don't know anything about me. And that's the only reason we get along.
Twilight's eyes were wide in disbelief. She was at a loss for words. Pinkie had kept a serious tone throughout the story, and even looked a bit solemn, but her typical bouncy demeanor quickly returned. “Oh, and the inmates! The prison pays my dad to use the farm as a disciplinary area, all the bad inmates come here to push around rocks!”
Twilight's eyes widened further, and Pinkie laughed, “They were under extra good surveillance, of course! They just pushed rocks, and it was our chore every day to move them back.”
“Why... why in the world did you have to move them back? Couldn't the inmates do that the next day?”
“Dad said it builds character.”
Pinkie stood up, but Twilight was a little slow to follow her.
“Now come on. All you have to do when you meet them is be polite as can be, and don't use magic.”
“Right...” Twilight followed after her, still trying to process all the information she had just been given. It had taken her a minute, but she finally regained her mental bearings, and decided on a response.
Pinkie was about to step over the low fence, but Twilight grabbed her by the wrist before she could, and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I love you, I'm sorry your childhood was awful.”
Pinkie was taken off guard, but slowly returned the hug.
“It's okay... I'm okay. I love you too.”
-----
“Pinkamena!”
The door opened almost immediately after Pinkie knocked, Twilight wondered if her mother had been waiting at the door.
“Hey mom,” At the confused glance that was directed at Twilight, Pinkie said, “This is my friend, Twilight. She didn't want me to make this trip on my own, since the weather was so bad.”
“Oh... how sweet.” Mrs Pie smiled at Twilight, though it seemed forced, just like the ones Pinkie was giving her earlier on. “Well, come on inside, don't want you girls to freeze!”
Twilight had found Mrs. Pie to be a bit off, but compared to Mr. Pie, she was a spectacular hostess. He seemed suspicious, though of what, Twilight hadn't a clue. Pinkie had established that they couldn't hope to make the trip back, since it was already starting to get dark, and as Pinkie, Blinkie, and Mrs. Pie made dinner, Twilight was left to be scrutinized at the table by Mr. Pie.
She was asked some simple questions, and Mr. Pie was judgmental about all of the answers, but when she was asked what she did for a living, she said she was a student and librarian. Not a lie, but not quite the truth. Pinkie had warned her that they didn't like the Princesses, for whatever reason, so Celestia wasn't brought up. Twilight simply said she was studying history. It just popped into her head as an answer she could back up.
When Mr. Pie remarked that going to school for something like that was a waste when you could be learning a skill that was actually useful, Twilight had a difficult time biting her tongue. The rest of it went smoothly, though. He was impossible to please, and she decided accepting that was the first step to properly dealing with him.
Dinner was... rugged. A loaf of bread Pinkie had brought was warmed up and served, along with an oddly pungent stew and a heap of soggy unidentifiable vegetables. She was hardly spoken to, which was in all honesty a relief. Pinkie and her family were catching up, so Twilight decided to finally look around at the home Pinkie grew up in.
The house was completely wooden, and the walls undecorated or painted over, so they just looked like old wood. Everything was nicely cleaned and in order, though it all seemed old, regardless of probably being regularly dusted. There was a fireplace in the living room, which was in use, burning away, with a shotgun hung on the mantle above it. That was unnerving... but probably normal for people who live in the country, now that she thought about it. They probably needed some sort of protection in the case of a robbery, or something like that.
She turned her attention back to Pinkie. She was talking at a normal speed, and sounded very down-to-earth. If she didn't know what she was actually like, she would have bought it. She was a good actress... but then again, she had been doing this for years.
The dinner was drawing to a close, and Twilight decided to volunteer to clean things up. Pinkie offered to help as well, and twenty minutes later the kitchen was nearly spotless.
Twilight was finishing up wiping the counter when Pinkie suddenly wrapped her arms around her waist. Twilight jumped away almost immediately, trying to put distance between them.
“Pinkie, what are you... your parents...”
“They go to sleep right after dinner, silly! And Blinkie doesn't care.” Pinkie laughed at the terrified expression still on Twilight's face. “You look like you just saw a ghost, scaredy cat. Relax!”
Pinkie turned and walked to the opposite side of the kitchen, looking inside what appeared to be a pantry, and Twilight managed to relax. “I'd say we're done here, it looks good...”
“Mhmm.”
“So, am I sleeping on the couch?”
“Not unless you want a terrible hurty back for a while” She was rummaging through something, though Twilight couldn't see what was in the pantry from over here. “My bed is fine with them. Go get comfy, I'll be there in a bit!”
Twilight sighed, and started off towards the bedroom Pinkie had showed her much earlier. She didn't know what she was planning, but whatever it was, she was going to shut it down. Meeting her parents had gone well.. or as well as it could, she wasn't going to risk messing it up because of Pinkie's occasional bouts of terrible judgment.
Her heavy jacket and scarf were hung on a hook beside the door, and her shoes were also over there. She decided not to undress further, and got into the bed as she was. Maybe Pinkie would get the message?
When Pinkie entered a few minutes later, carrying a blanket, she began shedding light on a different problem.
“My dad still keeps his alcohol stashed in the same place!”
“What? Pinkie, I don't-”
“Shh, hang on! He only drinks whiskey, and it tastes so not tasty. I was looking for something yummier.” Pinkie sat down on the edge of her bed and set down the blanket beside her, which had an odd shaped lump in it. “But I didn't find anything else, so I just grabbed some whiskey...” She unfolded part of the blanket and grabbed it's contents. “WHISK KEY! Whisk key, you get it?”
Pinkie was holding a whisk... and a key.
Twilight collapsed back onto the bed in exasperation, though she ended up laughing.
“You are so not right, Pinkie.”
“Good! I'd rather be wrong.”
There was a soft click, and Twilight looked up again to see Pinkie locking the door with the key she had brought, and then tossing it aside. She reached for the blanket again, and removed an actual bottle of Bourbon.
“Speaking of right, did you know I'm ambidexlicious?”
“You mean ambidextrous?”
“No, nope, I said it right.” She had opened her bottle and took a swig, flinching a bit as the straight whiskey went down. When she recovered a moment later, she was crawling up to Twilight. “See, the difference is, even though I can't write with my left hand, it is just as capable as my right hand of doing things that would make you drool. Like if you saw a delicious cupcake... ambidexlicious!” Another gulp of alcohol later, Pinkie added, “Want me to show you?”
Twilight didn't look amused in the slightest. “Don't you think your father is going to notice an entire bottle missing?”
“Haha, no! He doesn't like making trips into town, so he stocks up a lot when he goes. He has like, a million bottles in that pantry!”
“Right... a million.”
“It's a rough estimate.” She took another drink, and held it out to Twilight, who pushed it away. Pinkie frowned.
“Are you mad at me?”
Twilight groaned, and Pinkie sat down beside her, resting her head on Twilight's shoulder.
“Of course not. I just don't know why you're doing this.” Twilight took Pinkie's free hand and interlaced their fingers. “You could be risking your relationship with your parents, you understand? It sounds like you've been careful to preserve it for years. I don't think it would be something you want to put on the line.”
It was quiet for a moment before Pinkie spoke. “I don't have a relationship with my parents... you can't risk something you don't have.” Twilight squeezed her hand, and Pinkie softly squeezed back. “I have Mr. And Mrs. Cake. They treat me much better than my real parents. My mom and dad... just make me sad. And all the Cakes' care about is making me happy.”
“Well... if you think the relationship you have with your parents is just hurting you, maybe you should leave it. But you shouldn't do it by making them angry.”
“You're right!” Pinkie suddenly sat up, the serious moment they just had seemingly over. “A toast, to Twilight's right-ness!”
She stood up and drank from the bottle again, and Twilight laughed. But then she kept drinking... she was chugging the entire bottle.
“Holy shit, Pinkie!” Twilight's hands glowed, and the bottle disappeared, then reappeared in her grasp, safely away from Pinkie. “Haven't you heard of alcohol poisoning?”
“Noooo...” She staggered for a moment, then collapsed on the floor.
-----
Pinkie rubbed her eyes as she sat up, but found that even that tiny bit of pressure gave her pain, worsening the headache she had woken up with.
She was in Twilight's bed, and though it was dark, she could tell Twilight wasn't with her. The curtains on every window were drawn, even the ones down stairs, though there was a bit of light coming from what she guessed were candles.
“Twilight?”
Shortly after she called out, she heard Twilight coming up the stairs. She was carrying a lit candle and a glass of blue tinted liquid.
“Um, hey... how did we get here?”
Pinkie held her head again and flinched, and Twilight chuckled as she handed her a glass. “Drink that. You had too much alcohol at your parents, and passed out... you're fine other than the massive head ache you seem to have.” Pinkie took the glass. Upon closer inspection, the blue liquid was a bit thick. “But that's normal... anyway, that should fix you up almost immediately upon consumption.”
“Oh... it's like a miracle hangover cure?”
“Basically, yes. With a bit of magic to make it quick-acting.”
Pinkie downed the liquid, displaying her chugging abilities once again. “You're right about this stuff, it works! I feel like my perky, peppy, Pinkie self already!” She bounced off of the bed and threw her arms around Twilight. “What time is it? Or... what day is it?”
“Oh, you just slept through the night, and most of the morning. It's almost noon.” Twilight had returned her hug at first, but then took a step back. “I left a note telling your parents you were sick and had to leave. That was all I could think to do.”
“No worries, that's perfect. How did we get back here, though?”
“Well, I walked. And you got a piggy back ride.” Twilight smiled and looked away, “I didn't really have any options...”
Pinkie blinked. “You carried me?”
“I thought you were in danger, and you know being carried by magic is a discomfort... I thought it might make things worse.”
Pinkie blinked again, looking stunned.
“I'm just a bit sore, it's not a big deal. Come on, you should probably drink some wat-”
“NOPE!” Pinkie grabbed Twilight's arm and fell back onto the bed, causing Twilight to fall with her. “I need to apologize... and not just regular apologize! This calls for a super-duper-double looper extra mega special apology!”
Pinkie had moved so she was straddling Twilight. She already looked prepared for whatever apology Pinkie had in mind, judging by the lustful look on her face, and how she was already running a hand up Pinkie's shirt. “Oh?”
“Yep... did I ever tell you I'm ambidexlicious?”
