The Reason I Love You

by Blue Dragon

First published 5th of January, 2013

Twilight and Pinkie reminisce about their hidden feelings for each other, and finally decide to do something about it.

Twilight and Pinkie reminisce about their hidden feelings for each other, and finally decide to do something about it. However, Twilight's nightmares only get worse the closer they become.

Why I Love Pinkie Pie

I'm not sure when it started. That pink party pony has always intrigued me--but when did my thoughts of her become something more than platonic? I still can't remember when things started to change. It bugs me so much that I don't know these things, and yet it's what draws me to her. There are a bunch of reasons for why I love that pony--probably too many to name. However, much like a checklist, I plan on doing my best to organize my feelings.

Pinkie Pie is always there for me. She's the pony I can count on through thick and thin, even to just put a smile on my face. In fact, that seems to be her mission in life. I'm pretty sure it is.

To put it simply, she's an adorable fluff of pink with some extraordinary abilities and a tendency to make other ponies smile. If that wasn't enough for me to fall in love with her, maybe her constant sugar high was. While that pony's randomness could be a little annoying, it's something that captivates other ponies' attention as well. It's a strange phenomena, but everything related to Pinkie was weird.

I still remember when I first found out about her Pinkie Sense. It was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard of. A pony who could predict an event that would happen in the near future based on their normal everyday bodily functions? Absurd. I still have my doubts about it, but I don't want to see that look on her face again. The reason I haven't furthered my studies on the mystery of Pinkie Sense is because of that faltering expression. The one that showed hurt for only a fraction of a second; the one that meant she was affected by what somepony had said or done. I've only witnessed it a couple of times, but each instance my heart stopped, and I couldn't help but think that she didn't deserve to feel that way. What made it worse was that I was usually the pony who'd caused it.

Sometimes, that waver in her composure made its way into my dreams. I always woke up unsettled after seeing it, usually in a cold sweat. Whenever I had that nightmare, I couldn't get back to sleep. It haunts me in my dreams, and occasionally when I close my eyes. I can't ever escape Pinkie Pie, whether it be in my sleep or real life.

Her baked treats are the best. I'm sure that nopony (even the Cakes) could ever rival her prowess in the culinary arts. I make sure she knows I think so, too. Even if she isn't aware of my feelings for her, I make absolutely sure that she knows that what she does matters. Because it does to me. But I don't tell her that last bit, or she might catch on. Pinkie Pie may be a little slow at times, but when it comes to emotions, that party pony was as sharp as a knife. Somehow, she could sense when something was wrong with somepony almost immediately, and it made me a little nervous. I always wonder if she already knew about my feelings.

Pinkie Pie... Her name always flowed so naturally from my tongue. I don't know why, but it always left something to be desired, yet was still satisfactory. I'm not sure why that is, but once again, I force myself to remember that it's Pinkie I'm talking about here. If anything, that pony made no sense, but her name fit her so well. She's pink, soft, and sweet as can be. From what I've noticed at a comfortable distance (I don't want to blow my cover) she smells like cinnamon. I've gotten plenty of chances to feel her fur and figure out her scent with how often she likes to hug. And each time she does, I always look a tad bit more purple in the face. I'm sure she's noticed, because when we do part, she giggles. I think she's started to do it more often, too, just to see me look like a silly filly. That's probably why she does it; she must think I blush because I don't hug anypony very often. She'd be in for a surprise if she knew the truth.

Oh! How could I forget that mane! I have no idea how she does it or even if it's possible, but she does it. It's probably the most beautiful mane I've ever seen, even better than Rarity's. It reminds me of cotton candy, and I really want to touch it. I wonder what it feels like. How soft would it be? ...Would it taste like cotton candy, too?

Pinkie Pie the party pony is perpetually perfect. Try to say that five times fast. I made the alliteration myself, and I believe it wholeheartedly. She really is perfect. I don't think there's anything that could possibly be done that would make her any more flawless. Every little characteristic made her all the more valuable in my mind, even though some weren't preferable.

However, the best quality Pinkie has by far are her eyes. Those sparkling, blue orbs... They put my cutie mark and name to shame. Her innocence cannot be denied when one looks into them. When my favorite pink pony looks into my own eyes, I find myself getting lost in hers, and agreeing to just about anything she wants. I think she uses it to her advantage, though. Often times she gets that adorable look on her face and asks if she can do something silly, like rearrange the library books from what she finds interesting, to what she thinks isn't. Which, sadly, I end up letting her. When she does that, it usually takes me a whole day to fix it.

I don't know if it's just me being foalish, but Pinkie seems to be spending more time with me lately. She's visiting the library more and more often. I find it really weird because Pinkie and libraries do not mix. Maybe I've gotten her interested in books like I got Rainbow Dash into them. Not likely, though. But what could it be?

I wonder what Pinkie thinks of me. Am I an antisocial bookworm with whom she's forced to befriend because of my status with the Princess and our relationship as bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Am I a filly she feels obligated to teach life lessons? Or even worse, maybe she hates me for being the complete opposite of her. What if she's trying to find a way to get away from me? I don't want that...

How could somepony like me ever hope to even get near a pony like Pinkie Pie? I'm already lucky to be her friend. Best friend, that is. I've worked hard to maintain that level, but I wish we could be something more. We're both mares, though. I'm sure that an old town like Ponyville would disapprove of a relationship like that. Does Pinkie even like mares?

I still have one question weighing on my mind, though. The most important one of all, and the one it seems I've been answering this whole time. Why do I love Pinkie Pie? Well, to sum it up...

She's beautiful, funny, and always there for her friends. Her eyes and culinary skills are unmatched by anypony out there, and her Pinkie Sense is very unique. Pinkie Pie would do anything to make me smile. But most importantly... she's the pony who completes me.

Author's Notes:

Initially, this came to me as a whim when I thought of the rhyme, "Why I love Pinkie Pie." And then, loving the ship already, I just had to do this. The next chapter will be similar to this one, as in Pinkie's point of view, and after that I plan to keep this going as a story. Anyway, you'll know when you see it. :)

Why I Love Twilight Sparkle

Twilight Sparkle is a super duper awesome pony! I’m getting that out of the way now, ‘cause she’s the greatest. I can’t explain it very much, but there’s something about her that makes me want to do stuff I shouldn’t. Like, sometimes in the middle of the night I want to go over to her house and eat cupcakes with her! Or, sometimes when I make a new kind of treat I want her to be the one who tries it first!

Okay, maybe I’m being a little too silly right now, but it’s the truth! When I sang that song for Twilight while I was trying to get the other ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, I really meant it! She is the cutest pony ever, but I don’t think she knows it. I’m surprised nopony has ever asked her out on a date! I mean, I know I would totally go on a date with her, ‘cause everything about her makes her even more adorable.

The very first thing I can think of is how she’s not very good with social stuff. I don’t know why, but she’s so cute when she doesn’t know what to say or is getting nervous. Especially from the things I do! Those are always the best moments. But still, every chance I get to be with Twilight is great.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention it, but I love Twilight! She’s so amazing… I fell for her the first time I’d seen her! All I knew about her was how beautiful her coat and mane was, and that she was new in town. I really wanted to get to know her more, and make sure she got friends, so I threw her a party! Everypony likes those. Anyway, if she knew how I normally acted like, she’d have been able to notice that I was acting weird. I was talking a lot faster than normal (which is pretty hard) and I wasn’t at the party games. Instead, I was following her around and trying to talk to her, but she didn’t want to. The best part about that party though, was when Twilight drank the hot sauce! I think it tastes pretty good, but she didn’t have a very big tolerance to it.

I think I’m getting a little carried away. Heh, the look on her face was just too funny that I couldn’t help myself… Where was I? Oh yeah, why I love Twilight!

She’s an adorable little bookworm and a smartypants. And I’m not referring to her doll (I wish Big Mac hadn’t taken it; I wanted to keep her). I love to hear her use those big words that don’t really make any sense, and what’s even better is when she starts getting into telling me about one of her favorite books. She gets so happy about it, and there’s no way I could ever, ever, ever take that away on purpose.

Speaking of which, the best thing about her is that smile! It makes me feel super duper warm inside, even more than when anypony else smiles. I don’t know how she does it, but when she grins it makes me melt inside. Sometimes I wonder if I’m getting sick or something, ‘cause if something was melting inside of me that would be really bad. But yeah… I’d do anything to see that smile.

Twilight can be such a silly filly sometimes! I remember that time when she was freaking out about not getting a friendship report to the Princess on time… It’s not a very happy memory, though. I thought she was just being silly, but I should’ve known better… Twilight went all crazy and cast a spell on almost everypony in town, and Princess Celestia almost took her away! I was so scared that she’d have to go back to Canterlot, and it would’ve been my fault! I could’ve come up with something—I should’ve helped her with some sorta friendship problem! I was a bad friend…

But everything worked out okay in the end. Twilight got to stay, and everypony had to write friendship reports to the Princess. There was this other time that Twilight got visited by her future self and she thought that something really bad was going to happen. I learned from before to take her worries seriously, so I did! We got to wear these super cool spy costumes, and Twi looked really different. Not in a bad way, though. The new mane style was a little cute, I have to admit!

But when she cast the ‘go back in time’ spell, I was kind of scared. I kept thinking, What if she doesn't come back? And the longer it took, the more nervous I felt. My tummy was full of butterflies I didn’t even know could get in there! But the second I saw Twilight, I was so happy she was still there with me. It was one of the greatest feelings ever in the history of Equestria.

Actually, there is one thing that could be able to top that off. If I knew that Twilight for surely sure had feelings for me, that would be the greatest feeling ever in the history of Equestria. I kind of have a little hunch right now, ‘cause she is acting a little weird around me. I’m not sure if she’s noticed that I’ve been walking closer to her, or that I’m hugging her more often, but I can tell that she’s laughing a little more. Sometimes, if I look long enough, her face even turns a little bit more purple! It’s a funny looking sight—and I can’t help but laugh! I mean, it’s so cute, but I’m positive it’s a blush. I’m not entirely sure what that means though, so I haven’t made any sort of move yet. If I did anything too suddenly, she’d get scared and might not want to be my friend anymore, so I have to take it slow.

I think I’m ranting now. But I don’t really care that much, because that’s what I always do. Even so, I talk even more when I’m with Twilight. What’s really super weird though, is how much she’s in my head! I have dreams with her in them, and she’s always in my thoughts somewhere. Sometimes I think she might’ve accidentally cast a spell on herself and got pulled into my mind or something, so I end up rushing over to her library only to find her still there! It’s really weird. Sometimes I’ll be so distracted while thinking about her that I’ll forget that the Cakes wanted me to do something. I’ll feel really bad and get on to doing whatever it is I needed to be doing, but then I’ll start thinking about her again.

You know what’s a lot of fun? I kind of mentioned it earlier, but I didn’t really say it. Hugging Twilight is lots of fun. Not just for her reaction, but because she’s super soft, warm, and smells nice. I can’t tell what it is she smells like, but I think it’s the best scent ever. Even better than the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, or ‘MMMM’ for short. Oh yeah, it was also a lot of fun to be a detective with Twilight as my lowly assistant. I totally solved that mystery all by myself! Mostly.

There’s a bunch more I love about Twilight. Like that totally awesome pink streak in her mane, and her really pretty purple eyes, and even how she’s not so good with skating. I remember how she kept falling onto the ice, and I really just wanted to hold her up and help her learn how to skate! I think I should do that next Winter Wrap Up, actually… I mean, wouldn’t that be fun? She’d have to depend on Pinkie Pie, and I could “sweep her off her hooves,” like Rarity always says. Except I’ll actually be doing it.

Hold on, I gotta go write this one down so I don’t forget it, 'cause I don’t really get good ideas all that often. Let’s see… I could sweep her off her hooves, do a little skating and out of nowhere do a dip, stare into her sparkly eyes, and tell her how I feel! And, and, maybe if it goes well I could even kiss her. That would be just absolutely perfect! I wonder what she tastes like…?

I’m not sure if I can ever tell her how I feel, though. Ponyville’s an awesome place, but not everypony thinks mares should like other mares. I'm not sure about Twilight’s own thoughts on that, but I know that she’d never give up our friendship! Right now, I’m okay with just being friends with her anyway. I think I’ll just wait for a while and watch her, maybe give her a few signs that I’m interested. I have to make sure that she cares that way before doing anything else, so I don't accidentally ruin everything!

Huh? I haven’t really answered it yet? I’ve been telling you why this whole time! Okay, I’ll say it in a couple of sentences, right? Well, I love Twilight Sparkle because she’s the most perfect-est pony ever and she makes me feel really nice inside. She’s the opposite of who I am, so if we were put together we’d make the perfect pony! At least, I think so. When we’re together, I could move mountains and do anything.

And that’s why I love Twilight Sparkle!

Author's Notes:

I like this one more, and it was a lot of fun to write! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Also, with the feelings out of the way, the story will take off in the next chapter. (:

The Worst One Yet

It wasn’t a very good dream. Twilight Sparkle rolled over and over in her restless sleep, coated in a cold sweat. In her slumber, she reached a hoof out to finally wipe the tears away, to finally stop that pink pony from giving her that heartbroken look.

But just like always, the unicorn woke with a start. She was breathing hard and staring at her outstretched arm. Twilight let it fall back with a sigh.

“I thought I had it this time…” She pushed herself up and glanced out the window. “It’s already so late… I guess Spike got up before me.” The unicorn levitated her clipboard to her spot on the bed and let the pencil etch another tally mark.

Twilight let out another sigh as she went about her morning preparations. Even when she woke up late, nothing ever changed. Especially after that dream. She’d been having it more and more frequently as of late, and it’s been giving her small case of insomnia. While staying up late wasn’t unknown to the unicorn, over time she knew it could have drastic affects to her body.

But she’d been so close. Pinkie was right there, and only just out of her reach. Twilight tried to push the negative thoughts from her mind as she trotted down the stairs of her library. As she’d predicted, Spike was making waffles. He noticed her presence immediately, speaking without looking away from his task.

“...Did you have the dream again?”

Spike knew about her crush on Pinkie, as well as her nightly terrors. Twilight sat at the dinner table with resignation and an air of defeat.

“Yes,” she admitted while staring at her hoof, “It was worse this time, though. Her eyes were filled with much more hurt than usual, and I almost had her. She was right within my grasp, Spike!” The unicorn stomped the table with the upraised hoof.

The dragon stepped away from his cooking and gave Twilight three steaming waffles on a plate. He then got his own and sat across from her without saying a word. The lavender mare only continued.

“It felt real. I just can’t shake that image every time I close my eyes…” Twilight stuffed her muzzle with a bite to eat, speaking through it, “It won’t go away, Spike. Do you have dreams with Rarity like this?”

The assistant promptly blushed. “Come on, Twi… Chew with your mouth closed. And to answer your question, no. I have dreams with her in them, but they’re not like yours.”

Twilight frowned in response. Spike stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide what to say. The dragon knew his friend like she knew books—word for word and easily readable. He’d found out a few weeks ago about her love for Pinkie Pie the same night he found out about her nightmares. Long after the dragon had gone to sleep, he’d awoken to the sound of crying. He had immediately recognized it as Twilight’s, and did what he could to comfort her. Spike gave Twilight his unwavering support day in and day out to make sure his friend could last that long.

“I’m really worried about you, Twi…” He set his silverware down on his plate and gave her a serious look, “…I think you should tell her.”

“W-What?” The unicorn sputtered, “About the dreams or my feelings for her? You can’t be serious!” She wasn’t very hungry in the first place, so she just pushed the breakfast away from her.

Spike nodded resolutely. “Both. Just look at the bags under your eyes! Obviously I’m not much help at this point, and who better to end the nightmares than the pony in them?” His fierce look dissolved into one of genuine concern, “Pinkie’s your best friend and the Element of Laughter. There’s no way she’s going to make you cry. Besides… She came here an hour ago asking for you.”

Twilight’s head shot up curiously, though her sadness wasn’t gone. “What for?”

“Well…” Spike frowned knowingly, “She noticed how tired you’ve been recently and wanted to make sure that you were okay. Also, she wanted you to go over to Sugarcube Corner whenever you woke up.”

Magically, Twilight moved her plate into the sink and stood up hurriedly, her chair clattering unceremoniously onto the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Spike?”

The unicorn didn’t give him a chance to answer. She was already halfway to the door, rather excited to see Pinkie again. However, she also felt a little wary about meeting her so soon after the dream.

“Hey, wait!” Spike protested. His friend glanced back at him to see what he needed. The dragon jumped out of his seat and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

“It’s winter, remember?” He tightened the loop with his experienced claws, “Just don’t forget to tell her about what’s been bothering you. I’ll hold down the fort here in case somepony wants to check out a book.”

Twilight smiled and gave him a quick nuzzle. “Thanks, Spike. I won’t leave you alone for too long, okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. Go have some fun!” The dragon had a huge grin that quenched all doubts Twilight had. Spike could be really mature when he needed to be.

The unicorn slipped out the door and gave Spike a little wave. He did the same before closing the entrance to their home.

Spike had a noticeably smaller and more apologetic smile at this point. He moved over to clean the dishes, speaking as he went.

“I hope Twi doesn’t get too mad at me for lying. I mean, she should’ve known I haven’t been up for an hour if I was just now making breakfast! It’s for a good cause… I mean, maybe Twilight will finally confess to Pinkie. If luck is on my side, Twi won’t say anything about Pinkie coming over to the library, though…”

He was torn between his morals and wanting to help his friend. “Well… It’ll work out in the end.” He shrugged half-heartedly.

---

Pinkie was having a good day. When she woke up, it was snowing! It looked beautiful outside, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake told her that she shouldn’t go out. At first Pinkie was upset that she couldn’t go see Twilight, but she was still having fun baking. Besides, since there weren’t really any customers, she could even bake her favorite cupcake—the one that resembled Twilight.

Of course when the Cakes came in she’d hurriedly throw it into her mouth with a huge smile—but that was only because she didn’t want them to know about her love for Twilight. Only one pony, or, more specifically, alligator, knew about it. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust anypony else, it was just that she didn’t want to burden somepony. While putting your emotional weight on somepony else could be relieving, the receiver definitely wouldn’t feel that way. Obviously, Pinkie didn’t want to cause trouble for somepony.

So, she kept them a secret. Gummy was always there for her, so she let him in on it. Not before making him Pinkie Promise, though! Or, what Pinkie assumed to be his acknowledgement of the promise.

Pinkie felt the warm, fluttery feeling in her stomach when she looked at her newly created Twilight cupcake. Well, it couldn’t exactly be considered a cupcake, since it was made entirely without cake. She made it out of purple cotton candy (which looked exactly like a certain purple unicorn’s coat color) and shaped it up to look like a pony. She used little chocolate pieces for the eyes and horn, using string candy for the mane and tail. It could stand on its own, and was the tastiest kind of treat Pinkie had ever had the pleasure eating.

The earth pony stared at the miniature Twilight, imagining the real one. The flip-flopping in her belly continued as her heart beat faster. Twilight usually had that effect on Pinkie, whether she was there or not.

“Pinkie!” Mrs. Cake’s musical voice rang out from just around the corner. Pinkie Pie quickly threw the sweet into her mouth and watched as the mare looked at her.

“Twilight’s here to see you, dearie.” Pinkie’s heart jumped in excitement.

“Really, Mrs. Cake? Really, really, really?” The blue pony nodded once, and that was enough for Pinkie. The much younger mare zoomed from the kitchen to the entrance faster than Rainbow Dash could say, “Ten seconds flat.”

So, within moments Pinkie was muzzle to muzzle with Twilight and had a large grin plastered onto her face. “Hi, Twilight!”

“H-H-Hey, Pinkie…” The pink party pony noticed the unicorn’s chattering and her shivering quickly. In fact, there was still some snow on her back!

Pinkie gasped. “Oh, Twilight! You must be freezing! Here, let me help you…” She brushed the snow off of her friend’s back and let it fall to the floor.

“Y-Your floor,” the unicorn tried, “It’ll get wet…” Pinkie giggled as she finished getting all of the snow off.

“It’ll be fine, you silly filly! I’ll take care of it later. And don’t think about using your magic—remember last time?” The pink pony laughed more, causing a small blush to rise into Twilight’s cheeks.

“Yeah, I remember… You jumped on me out of nowhere while we were baking and it scared me, causing a bolt of magic to shoot from my horn. That led to some commotion, and the Cakes banning me from using magic in Sugarcube Corner.”

“It was totally awesome!” Twilight hadn’t noticed due to her gaze being set on the floor, but Pinkie was watching her movements closely. The unicorn shook her head as embarrassment set in.

“N-No, Pinkie! Mr. and Mrs. Cake still hesitate when letting me in, and I always have to p-promise not to b-bake with you.” She was still shivering.

“You’re still cold? Come on, I’ve got some blankets in my room and plus there’s a heater in there!” Twilight was dragged up the stairs of Sugarcube Corner, only just barely able to smile apologetically to Mr. Cake. Oddly, he was doing the same.

Once in her room, Pinkie draped her favorite blanket over the unicorn and turned the heater on. She promptly sat next to Twilight on the floor.

“Why’d you come to Sugarcube Corner in cold weather like this, silly?” The earth pony had a big grin, feeling really happy to be a host for something other than a party. Plus, she could imagine that Twilight had come with noble intentions or that she had missed her so much that the unicorn couldn’t stand being apart!

Twilight, on the other hoof, was a little confused. When they’d entered, she was looking around Pinkie’s bedroom for the first time. It was, as somepony might guess, completely pink. Twilight felt like if they were playing hide-and-seek that it’d be impossible to spot her friend from the single mass of color.

However, when the pink pony spoke, she found her attention drawn elsewhere. “I should be asking you that. Spike said that you came to the library asking for me.”

Pinkie had only just noticed the other mare avoiding her eyes. Then she figured it out—hunched posture, sad tone, diverted gaze, Spike lying… Something wasn’t right.

“Hey, you silly filly, what’s wrong?”

Twilight flinched like she’d been hit. “What’re you talking about?” The slight increase in volume was enough for Pinkie to know she’d gotten a bull’s eye. However, she wasn’t very happy with the discovery that her crush was upset.

“You can tell me! I won’t tell anypony, and that’s a Pinkie Promise!” The earth pony did the movements in record time.

Twilight wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell Pinkie or not, so she settled on being vague. The unicorn muttered, “I’ve . . . I’ve been having nightmares.”

Pinkie was about to laugh and ask “Is that it?” but Twilight’s serious expression stopped her. The pink pony felt her heart sing its own sorrowful song in response.

She put a reassuring hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and put on a smile. “Come on, Twilight. Tell me more so I can see if I can help you! I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me what’s in the dreams.”

She was much more subdued than Twilight could ever recall. The unicorn could already feel panic reaching out to her—should she tell the truth?

“I…” She said at last, “I’ve been having nightmares about a traumatic experience of mine. I remember somepony giving me this look that haunts me. When I close my eyes, I see her.”

Pinkie found herself even more curious. Her? The hurt in her friend’s voice was evident, and it brought upon that primal instinct of hers to cheer the pony up. However, Pinkie’s very own feelings for Twilight kept her from any sort of physical contact, her morals holding her back.

She shuffled a little closer to Twilight, not too close to be uncomfortable, but enough to reassure her.

“Who are you talking about?”

Author's Notes:

And... plot! :D I tweaked the summary just a little bit, by the way. Oh, and I made the cover photo myself.

Don't worry, this story won't turn into a 'dark' one. I planned it to make up for my angsty TwiShy, so I don't want to turn this into something similar. Just your average fluffy drama stuff I suppose! ^_^

Hope you liked this chapter! :)

Is This Really Happening?

“…Who am I talking about?” Twilight stared at Pinkie, feeling dread snake its way into her heart. She shouldn’t have said anything after all.

“Yeah, is it somepony I know? Is she hurting you?” The pink pony’s gaze was locked on Twilight’s own shaky eyes. “Twilight, is somepony hurting you?”

“N-No, of course not.” The unicorn scolded herself for stuttering and for being so stupid. She felt like an idiot for bumbling out something like this—something she cried over. And if Pinkie knew she was involved, it’d probably upset her a lot.

“Please, Twilight, tell me what’s going on! I really don’t like seeing you like this, and we’re not getting anywhere! Who do I have to go talk to for hurting you? Should I bring pie?” Out of nowhere, she pulled out an apple pie.

“No, Pinkie… It’s…” Twilight sighed with resignation, “It’s you.”

The apple pie fell to the floor with a splat. “Me? I’ve been hurting you?”

“No, you haven’t been hurting me, it’s just that look… Please don’t look at me like that!” Twilight shrunk away from Pinkie, cringing.

"Huh?" The pink pony was confused—and that didn’t happen very often. Speechless, she walked over to her mirror and peered into it.

She saw a pony she could barely recognize. The mare in the mirror had eyes that pierced through even Pinkie’s heart. She was frowning and her hair was still puffed out, but it didn’t have its normal bounciness. The look the mirror-Pinkie was giving her filled the pink pony with guilt and regret for doing something she didn't know of.

Pinkie Pie looked back at her crush, whose mane was covering her face. Twilight was shaking a little. The pink pony felt like a terrible friend for causing it. In fact, it made her feel unworthy to have feelings for the mare.

“Twilight,” the pink pony’s lip quivered, “I’m so, so, so sorry! I didn’t know I could look so scary! I mean—I just—Is that what’s giving you nightmares? Oh, please don’t un-friend me!”

Pinkie dived at Twilight’s hooves with a pleading expression. “You don’t know how much you mean to me, Twilight! I wouldn’t be able to live without you! Twi, I... I...”

Twilight had a small blush from what Pinkie had said. Her dreams weren't bothering her very much at the moment. “No, Pinkie, I’m not going to un-friend you. You’re my best friend, I’ve just... had some nightmares. It’s not your fault, Pinkie. I—“Pinkie put a hoof in Twilight’s mouth. She felt bravery swirl within her and she wasn’t going to let this chance slip by. She'd already started the confession.

“No, Twilight, I need to say this first! I can’t keep myself from telling you, so don’t interrupt, okay?! I think I—no, I know I—“

“Pinkie—“She drowned out Twilight with a shout.

“I love you, Twilight!” The earth pony watched the unicorn nervously, her heart beating faster. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock.

“R-Really?” The unicorn blushed darkly, forgetting about her dreams entirely. She hadn't been expecting that to come out of Pinkie's mouth. Naturally, she was skeptical.

“Yes, I’m super duper absolutely positively sure!” Pinkie Pie was nodding rapidly. Twilight wasn’t sure how to react—she wanted to say something, but was too tongue-tied.

“I-I... Pinkie, I...” She gulped, “I love you, too.”

Pinkie Pie lunged at Twilight, knocking her over. The pink pony felt happier than ever before as she beamed down at the unicorn. “Do you really, really, really feel that way?”

Twilight did her best to nod from her spot on the ground. “Yes, Pinkie, it’s true.”

Pinkie’s shiny teeth could’ve easily blinded Twilight. Even so, the unicorn couldn’t look away from the beautiful mare. Her huge smile was infectious.

They stared at each other for a long time. Twilight found herself blushing after only a few seconds. Both ponies were wondering if this was real or not, and about how it had even happened. Pinkie couldn't believe her luck.

“Does that mean I can finally kiss you?” Pinkie asked quietly, not expecting an answer. Slowly, she bent down towards Twilight, their lips mere centimeters apart, and then…

“PINKIE PIE!!!” Mr. Cake’s voice rang throughout the entire house, causing both ponies to jump.

“I’ll uh, be right back, Twilight. I gotta go see what Mr. Cake wants…” In a split second, an embarrassed Pinkie was out the door and trotting downstairs. She wondered why he sounded so upset, and couldn’t help but to feel just a little disappointed that she’d been interrupted. However, Pinkie was sure Mr. Cake had his reasons. Besides, there was no way she could be angry with anypony after what had just happened!

“Yes, Mr. Cake?” Pinkie was beaming even more than usual. The stallion did look mad, but upon seeing her he seemed to cool a little.

“Pinkie… You’ve cleaned out our supply of cotton candy again. Please, whatever it is you keep making, don’t make so much of it… But now that we’re out, we need you to go pick some up. Mrs. Cake and I will be very busy while you’re out, so don’t hurry back. Okay? Consider this a day off.”

“But Mr. Cake, didn’t you say you wanted me to stay inside ‘cause it’s snowing so much?” Pinkie tilted her head in confusion.

The older pony blushed a little. “Er, the situation’s changed. Why don’t you take Twilight and go do something fun? And maybe, say, around five you could pick up the cotton candy and come back. Does that sound okay?”

Pinkie jumped up and down with glee. “Sure does, Mr. Cake! I’ll be back later!” She zoomed back up to her room.

“Hey, Twilight! Let’s go have some fun!” Pinkie Pie bounced through the door happily.

No response.

“Twilight?”

The party mare scanned the room closely, but there was no hint of purple. Pinkie felt panic rise within her—where was Twilight? Was she scared by her advances, thinking that they were moving too fast?

“Where are you?” Frantically, Pinkie looked everywhere she could think of—under the bed, buried beneath the pillows, in the closet, and even under the rug.

The pink mare rushed towards her pet alligator with an anxious expression. “Gummy! Where did Twilight go? Do you know who ponynapped her?!”

He blinked. “What? You don’t know? But you were here the whole time, Gummy!”

The alligator blinked again. “G-Gummy!”

“…Pinkie?” The party pony’s ears perked at the sound of her voice. She rushed towards the bedroom door where the lavender mare had emerged.

“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie hugged the unicorn, “Where did you go? I thought you were ponynapped!”

The unicorn blushed, but returned the embrace. “Geez, Pinkie… I just went to the bathroom.” The earth pony giggled at herself with a blush, too.

“Oh…Hehe, my bad…”

“So… Pinkie…” Twilight Sparkle shuffled her hooves nervously, “Were you serious?”

Pinkie Pie smiled toothily. “About what?”

The unicorn started rubbing one foreleg with the other and her eyes never stayed in one place for more than a second. “Er… Um… You know… Loving me. You weren’t just humoring me, were you?”

“Of course I mean it! Why would I say it if I didn’t actually love you? That’d be silly!” Pinkie Pie giggled, "Come on, let's go have fun!"

"Huh?" Twilight didn't get a chance to ask what she was talking about before being dragged downstairs by her scarf. Pinkie let go when they reached the door.

"We're going out now, Mr. Cake! I'll be back later!" The pink pony led the unicorn back out into the cold with a smile. Twilight wasn't too happy to be going out into the snow after only just getting warm.

"P-Pinkie," she shivered, "Where are we going?"

The other mare continued to pull Twilight along. "I don't know!" She giggled.

"You don't know? But we have to be organized, or we won't get to do anything, and then we won't have any fun! L-Let's just make a quick checklist, and then we can get started with whatever it is we need to do," Twilight rummaged through her saddlebags. Pinkie's smile widened.

"No, Twilight, fun isn't planned! The most fun is the stuff that doesn't go the way you thought it would. Trust me, Twi, no plans, and we'll have a blast!"

Twilight stared at Pinkie for a long time, but didn't say anything. When she was in the bathroom, she'd been reflecting this whole situation, and she still was. The last few minutes felt so unreal. And, upon further thought, it seemed like Pinkie was just doing all of this to make her happy. It almost felt like the pink pony was trying to make up for the bad dreams. In fact, wouldn't that make sense? Pinkie Pie's main goal in life was to make other ponies smile. The unicorn didn't want to end this fantasy so soon, but it was all too perfect. It didn't feel right.

"Pinkie... You don't have to do this anymore. Pretending to love somepony can only keep them happy for so long. I can't believe you were able to fool me for so long--I should've known from the start. After all, what reason could somepony have to love me?"

Pinkie Pie wasn't sure how the conversation had turned so sour. How did talking about fun lead to Twilight saying something like that? The earth pony was very aware of the cold biting at her, but almost couldn't sense it over the hollow feeling in her chest. Had she not been clear enough in confessing her feelings? She'd been the one who confessed first! But, Pinkie thought, Maybe she needs me to explain to know I'm serious!

"Twilight..." She said quietly, "Follow me. I'll prove my feelings to be true, and then you'll know the reason I love you!"

Author's Notes:

Confession already and ending it there? Yup! I figured, since there's already a lot of stories where the characters dance around it, I might as well not dwell on that part. Besides, the actual relationship and the doubts that come with it are the main ideas of this story! Hope you liked the chapter. Although, the pacing seems a little fast for me, but I told myself, "The chapter's mostly following Pinkie around." Let me know what you think. ^_^

Let Me Show You

"W-Where are you taking me, Pinkie?" Twilight shivered as she was dragged by her scarf for the second time that day. Pinkie muffled out a response, but it hadn't made any sense. She'd never seen the pink pony more determined.

The unicorn was confused when they trotted out of town. Where could Pinkie be taking her that wasn't in Ponyville?

Pinkie Pie, however, knew exactly what she was doing. I just hope it's cold enough... She thought absently. It would be the perfect way to prove her feelings, even to somepony as calculating as Twilight. Pinkie tugged a little harder as they neared the location, ascending over a small hill.

As they finally made it over, Twilight was met with a very memorable place. The lake was frozen over completely with snow rimming around the edges--just like the first time she'd seen it. She was immediately thinking about what had happened here, and how embarrassed she was for her actions.

Pinkie only continued to pull her towards the water with a smile. When they reached the edge, she let the scarf drop from her mouth and turned towards Twilight. Or, more specifically, her saddlebag. The pink pony began digging through it, intriguing the unicorn further. Why is she rummaging through my saddlebag as if it was hers?

Before she had the chance to stop her, Pinkie beamed and pulled out several pairs of ice skates. Twilight felt anxious as soon as she'd seen them.

"I'm not a very good skater, Pinkie! Don't you remember last time?" She expressed her concern. Pinkie had a grin on her face as she bent down towards Twilight's forelegs.

"Don't worry, Twilight! You'll be okay." She was able to get Twilight's first two hooves into the shoes easily, but had to use her mouth to tie the laces. She was moving pretty fast for having to do something so hard, though.

The unicorn was feeling very nervous. She blushed when Pinkie lifted her back legs to put the shoes on, but that wasn't what was making her uneasy. Twilight wasn't sure what the earth pony had planned, but from the way the party pony had reacted when she'd expressed her doubt, it was meant to be rather heartfelt.

When Pinkie Pie finished putting Twilight's skates on her, she practically threw on a single pair on her back legs. She was very excited to finally live out her favorite fantasy with Twilight.

Pinkie Pie nudged Twilight towards the ice. The unicorn felt a lump grow in her throat at the memory of how that'd gone last time. Mostly, she just remembered how cold it was, and how hard the ice was on her flank.

"I don't think I'm ready for this..." She mumbled back to her partner. Pinkie giggled.

"Of course you're ready!" Without any hesitation, she gently pushed Twilight onto the ice. Her feet were sliding around instantly, trying to find purchase on the slippery ground. It didn't work.

Once again, Twilight found herself falling to the ice. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the harsh impact she knew was about to come...

But it never did. When the unicorn felt warmth radiating from her side, she opened her eyes in confusion. The first thing she saw was the ice underneath her, close enough to lean down and touch it with her muzzle. Not that she wanted to.

Her brain was working itself over trying to find how she was suddenly levitating without the use of magic, but then she remembered the heat beside her. She glanced towards it, and was surprised to see Pinkie there, holding her up with only her forelegs. It was enough to make her heartbeat quicken.

"I told you that you'd be okay..." Pinkie pulled Twilight back up so she wasn't in any danger of falling. The unicorn felt kind of silly on four legs while Pinkie was able to balance on two, but she was thankful that the pink mare hadn't let her touch the ice.

"Thank you," she managed out. Pinkie Pie nuzzled Twilight just behind her ear, giggling.

"You're welcome!"

As Twilight finally got comfortable with standing completely still on the ice, she wasn't expecting Pinkie to change it up. The party pony slid around to face her with a smile. She reached out with both forelegs and pulled Twilight up until she was only on two hooves. This immediately caused panic to surge through the unicorn.

"Pinkie, I-I'm not ready to stand like this..." She already felt her legs slip from underneath her. Pinkie Pie giggled and held Twilight's shoulders up so she wouldn't fall. The unicorn blushed at the close proximity, and could still feel herself slipping.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." She soothed, reaching down for Twilight's hooves. "Come on, Twilight, you gotta hold on!" The earth pony placed Twilight's forelegs above her shoulders before resting hers on the unicorn's.

Anytime Twilight felt her lower legs slide, she'd put more pressure on Pinkie to right herself. The pink pony liked feeling so important, especially to Twilight. The lavender mare, however, was a little embarrassed to be in this position.

"How did you get so balanced?" She asked, avoiding the pink pony's gaze.

"The first time I ever ice skated, I was able to do it! I guess I'm just a natural at it! Anyway, we'd better get started--I didn't know I could stand still for so long!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"W-What?" Twilight exclaimed, only just used to standing on two legs. Pinkie laughed a little louder.

"Hold on," She pushed off the ice at a slow pace. "And make sure you're moving your feet..." Pinkie said absently as she skated in a straight line. She made sure Twilight wasn't slipping too badly, and she seemed to get the hang of it eventually.

So, the earth pony began to do more intricate maneuvers. At first she started with curving around the lake, then she increased speed. Slowly, her hooves moved down to Twilight's waist. The unicorn hadn't really noticed, too thrilled with this new activity. The party pony was so excited for what she had planned.

Pinkie Pie twirled Twilight around, getting more confident. With the way the unicorn was giggling and smiling, it didn't seem possible that she was so upset earlier. Pinkie wondered if she believed in her feelings yet.

The pink pony spun around in a tight circle, holding Twilight close. Out of nowhere, she dipped down with her, one hoof around her waist, the other supporting her head. She gazed into the unicorn's eyes, and Twilight didn't look away this time.

"Do you trust me, Twilight...?"

She held her breath, not daring to hope for anything. Twilight's eyes were a little shaky, but she maintained eye contact. A small smile, the most beautiful one she'd ever seen on Twilight, graced her features. Pinkie's heart beat faster, and she had to force herself not to smile, too.

"Yes, of course I trust you, Pinkie."

The whole wide world of Equestria seemed to hold its breath for this moment. Pinkie was trying to memorize every detail about Twilight, and the way her fur contrasted with the bright white ground. There just wasn't enough time for it, though. Pinkie Pie smiled so widely it almost looked like it hurt.

This time, however, she didn't hesitate or ask. The pink mare leaned down and captured Twilight's lips in a kiss. It was soft, and warm, and everything she'd imagined it'd be. She tasted a lot nicer than that old pillow in her room.

Twilight was feeling similarly. The pink pony tasted just as sweet as she'd thought she would, if not more. The unicorn liked feeling Pinkie so close, holding her. She wrapped her hooves around Pinkie's neck. There was no doubt in her mind now. If Pinkie hadn't actually had feelings for her, then why would she go through all this trouble? It didn't seem possible for somepony to pretend to get this close if they didn't actually like the other pony.

After what felt like forever to both mares, Pinkie pulled away with a huge smile. She was feeling the greatest feeling ever in the history of Equestria. That dream she'd never really thought she'd have--it'd just happened, and Twilight loved her.

Twilight was in love with Pinkie.

"I love you, Twilight!" She exclaimed happily. Twilight was about to reply, but was interrupted by that unmistakable cracking sound.

The ice was breaking.

Neither ponies had a chance to react before it gave way, swallowing them up into its murky waters. Pinkie was so distracted by the kiss and Twilight's beauty that she hadn't noticed the weak patch of ice.

"T-Twilight!" Pinkie sputtered as she got back to the surface. The unicorn must've still been underwater. She quickly undid her skates and swam back down, looking for her mare.

Twilight Sparkle wasn't a very good swimmer, either. She'd hit her head on the ice when she fell, and was knocked out. Pinkie could feel the freezing cold water on her fur, but she could see the unicorn just below her. She reached out to her, kicking hard at the water. It took a few seconds to find the opening in the ice, but she managed to get back up.

With as much strength as she could muster, Pinkie got Twilight onto the ice. She was spitting out the water she'd gotten into her mouth, and gasped for breath. Swiftly, she got back up onto the ice next to her unconscious unicorn.

"Twi...light," she repeated, looking at the mare beside her. Had she swallowed water? Most likely. Pinkie Pie pressed her hooves onto the unicorn's chest, doing the motions of CPR. Just when the pink pony was going to give Twilight some air, the unicorn sputtered water out.

"Are you okay?!" Pinkie Pie asked immediately, laying her ear atop the lavender mare's heart to make sure it was still working. Twilight was coughing loudly.

"Y...Yeah," she managed out, still coughing.

"I'm so sorry, Twi, I didn't think the ice was going to break! Are you sure you're okay? That really scared me!"

"I'm okay... My head hurts a lot, though..." The unicorn pushed herself onto her haunches and reached a hoof up to the back of her head, wincing.

"Did you hit your head when you fell?" Pinkie nuzzled Twilight's cheek, glad that she wasn't hurt too badly.

"I think so. But that's not important right now... Just look at us--completely soaked on ice. It's p-pretty cold now..." Pinkie Pie inched closer. "But in response to you... I love you, too. And I really do trust you. I don't know what came over me earlier; I should've known from the start. P-Pinkie, you're the best mare ever."

"No, silly, that's you!"

"C-Can we...go inside and get warm? This s-skating thing was great, but I'm really cold and wet right now, so I want to dry off. And I think I need to get my head wrapped up or something..."

"Sure!" Pinkie hugged Twilight tightly. "Let's go to the library, then!"

Author's Notes:

I was very tempted to leave it as a cliffhanger with Twilight unconscious underwater, so you guys should be grateful. xD And my tragedy-loving mind was just begging me to make this story sad. I'm keeping my resolve to keep this very lovey-dovey, though, and I hope you liked this edition. :D

In Your Embrace

It didn't take long to reach the library. Twilight was shivering the whole way, and all she really wanted to do was sleep the pain off. The unicorn didn't even know how she'd fallen through the ice and hit her head the way she did. She was able to remember what had happened just moments before, though.

That was a very nice memory.

Twilight had never seen something like that coming. Maybe she'd gotten caught up in the moment, but when you were being held by the pony you loved, looking up into their sparkling eyes... You lose yourself. The unicorn hadn't ever been at a loss of words like this before. The way Pinkie had held her like a fragile piece of glass that could have been easily broken and the way she'd held her so close as if to protect her from the dangers surrounding her... It made her love Pinkie even more.

After all, who wouldn't love a mare like that?

As they reached the doorstep to the library, Twilight didn't even knock. She opened the door and walked in casually.

"Spike! I'm back!" The unicorn shouted, trotting into the room. Pinkie Pie followed her, smiling all the way.

Spike, however, had jumped at the mention of his name in that tone, and rushed down the stairs. Well, tripping and falling down the stairs. The dragon quickly pushed himself back up and raced over in front of Twilight with the most apologetic look he could muster.

"I'm really sorry, Twi! I didn't mean to do it! I just wanted you to be happy and for you to confess to--Pinkie?" Spike rubbed his eyes, staring at the pink pony incredulously.

Pinkie Pie giggled, but didn't say anything. Twilight was giving him the look that meant you'd-better-tell-me-what's-going-on.

"What in the name of Celestia are you talking about, Spike?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. The dragon's eyes widened at the realization that he'd just incriminated himself.

"You... You don't know?" He held his tail between his claws; a clear sign of his nerves.

"Tell me." Twilight shook her drenched scarf off and let her saddlebag fall to the floor. She didn't look away from Spike.

Pinkie squeezed herself between the dragon and her unicorn. Behind her, she pushed Spike back a few spaces. "Aww, come on, Twilight! He's sorry for whatever he did... Oh, and doesn't your head still hurt from that fall you had?"

"Fall?" Spike inched around Pinkie Pie to give Twilight a questioning look. She reached up for her head, wincing at the pain.

"I guess you're right, Pinkie. I'll let you off the hook this time, Spike. Whatever you lied about, don't do it again... Would you please get me some ice, a few pillows, and two towels?" Twilight went over her mental checklist, nodding as she said each item. Spike let out a sigh of relief before saluting and getting everything she'd asked for.

Twilight let herself get comfortable on the cold floor. Pinkie lay down beside her, nuzzling just behind the unicorn's ear.

"You don't want to rest in your room? It might not be a good idea to sit on the floor unless you have the deadly Floor Flu, which in this case you don't! I know because when you have Floor Flu, you can't talk right and you can't stop thinking about how shiny the floor is!" She giggled at the thought. "I've had it before, and truuust me, you don't want it! I even thought you transformed into the floor!"

"Floor Flu? Pinkie, that sounds ridiculous--"

"You trust me, Twi, remember?" The seriousness after such an absurd statement caught Twilight off guard. She looked back at Pinkie to make sure she wasn't pulling a fast one. They stared into each other's eyes for a while, and Twilight almost forgot that the pink pony had asked her a question.

"Of course I trust you, Pinkie... What was it called again? Floor Flu?" Pinkie's face brightened immediately, and she went into explaining this 'deadly' disease. Spike sauntered over with pillows and towels stacked precariously in his claws. The tower swayed from side to side uncertainly, but he managed to keep it from falling over. The dragon let Twilight use her magic to get the items onto the floor without incident.

Spike watched with interest as the two ponies dried themselves off. To him, they seemed to be acting differently than normal, but in a good way. Both ponies were sitting kind of close, and Pinkie kept trying to dry off Twilight herself. The dragon scratched his chin as the gears in his head clicked into place.

"Are you two dating?" Between the sudden blush that arose on Twilight's cheeks and Pinkie's giggling, Spike was sure he knew the answer.

"Well... are we?" Twilight glanced at Pinkie for assurance. The earth pony couldn't stop her laughing.

"I never asked? Oops! Hehe, Twilight, will you be my marefriend?" Pinkie Pie was still giggling, but it was obvious she was trying to stifle them. It didn't work very well.

"Yes! I told you that I love you, remember? Of course I want to be your marefriend." Twilight used her magic to place the ice bag on her head, cringing at the cold feeling.

"I love you too, Twilight." Pinkie was nuzzling Twilight happily. Spike groaned, slapping his face with a claw.

"I didn't think I'd have to watch lovey-dovey stuff like this when I was helping you out, Twilight..." He shivered, feeling the winter drowsiness creep in. "Whatever... I'm just gonna go take a nap, alright, Twi? You don't need anything, do you?"

The unicorn shook her head. "I'm okay, Spike. You go ahead; I know how tired you get during this time of year. Thanks for all the help!" Spike yawned, making his way upstairs. Now that they were dry, Twilight levitated the wet towels towards the dirty laundry and brought the pillows over.

"You don't mind sitting on the floor, right, Pinkie? We don't really have a couch in the library yet, but I did order one the other day..." She used her magic to bring her favorite blanket from beside her telescope. It was a pretty big one, with all of the night sky's constellations pointed out. She often used it for when she'd gaze at Luna's creation.

"I'm fine as long as you are!" Pinkie said with a smile, "But what do we do now? Ooh, should I pick out a book?" She was already hopping towards the bookshelves. Twilight smiled, letting the cover wrap around her. Before long, Pinkie was trotting back to Twilight. She crawled under the blanket and cuddled next to the unicorn.

"Here you go!" Pinkie nudged Twilight on the side with the book she'd picked out. It was titled, Every Sweet in the History of Equestria. The book was pretty hefty; probably nearing six hundred pages.

"Are you sure you want to read this?" Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I want to hear you read it! Ooh, and don't forget to read the author's name." Twilight could already feel her throat getting hoarse. She cleared it anyway, and began reading aloud.

"Every sweet in the history of Equestria," she began, "written by... Pinkamena Diane Pie? Pinkie, you wrote this?!"

Pinkie smiled with a fond look on her face. "Yup! It took me a long, long, time, though! I was trying to be a smarty-pants like somepony I knew, and thought that if I wrote a book that maybe you'd notice! I kept getting bored while doing it, but I didn't stop when I thought about you reading it. Sooo, we should get started! I promise I won't interrupt."

Twilight looked at the book, wondering how Pinkie could possibly maintain the attention span to even sit still for five minutes. She opened up the book to the title page, and then to the table of contents. And then... Twilight realized that the book hadn't been published.

"It's a single copy... You even wrote it yourself! Pinkie, how could you--?"Pinkie put a hoof on Twilight's mouth.

"Read it!" She grinned, and that was all the encouragement the unicorn needed. Twilight turned to the first page, not really going over the table of contents.

"Number five, cupcakes. Cupcakes are the tastiest treats in all of Equestria. They're sweet and look great! They're not hard to make, but they're well worth the wait! The icing's the best part, too..." Pinkie's hoofwriting was elegant and curly, easily readable. There was a badly drawn picture of a cupcake at the top of the page. Twilight turned the page, getting sleepy already.

"Number four, parties. Parties are super-duper fun! They're nice and there's always a new pony to meet." Twilight was surprised there wasn't more written, but turned the page anyway. She could feel Pinkie's warmth from beside her, and it calmed her immensely.

"Number three, smiles. A smile is always the best treat a pony can give you!" Twilight smiled subconsciously, and she knew Pinkie had, too. The unicorn flipped the page to the next one.

"Number two, friends. I have so many friends, but my best friends are Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack. They're all really awesome!" The hoofwriting was very easy to read. From the corner of her eye, Twilight could see Pinkie's face turn red. She buried her muzzle into the lavender mare's fur.

Curiously, Twilight turned the page. "Number one... Twilight Sparkle?" She blushed. There was a lot more written here, and it continued for a few other pages. The hoofwriting became a lot more messy, and instead of a drawn picture at the top, a photograph of herself was there. It was one she didn't even know had been taken. She at the Gala in that starry dress, and Princess Celestia's leg was visible just to the side of the photo. Twilight couldn't help but wonder where Pinkie had gotten her hooves on this picture.

Twilight looked at Pinkie questioningly, but the pink pony wouldn't meet her gaze. "Keep reading..." She urged. The unicorn turned back to the book and tried to read the writing.

"There's a reason she's number one on this list! I wouldn't ever tell anypony, but she's my favorite-est pony. But all my friends are just one level lower, which is why they're number two. Every time I look at that picture, I feel like throwing a party! I... Pinkie..." She cast an embarrassed look towards the pink pony. Both were blushing. "This is embarrassing!"

"Please? I wrote this just for you!" Pinkie nudged the book towards Twilight. The unicorn's face was turning that familiar shade of dark purple Pinkie had seen many times before. It was adorable.

"...You wrote it, so why don't you read it?" She pushed the book back towards the earth pony. Pinkie giggled, and rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Okay, but don't laugh at me!" Pinkie cleared her throat before reading aloud. "...When Twilight walks by, my eyes always follow her. She's always talking about her magic spells, but the greatest magic she's done was on my heart!" Both ponies' hearts started going faster. Twilight had only just noticed Pinkie wasn't even reading from the book, and the thought made her blush even more. She couldn't think very well with Pinkie talking like this.

"She's beautiful, even if she doesn't think so sometimes. It's the greatest treat to be around her, because she's the sweetest thing ever. I love--"In a burst of confidence, Twilight turned and pressed her lips firmly against Pinkie's own. The earth pony didn't object at all, deepening it and wrapping her forelegs around Twilight. The ice pack fell to the floor, but neither pony cared.

It was simple, but it felt like a continuation of the first one. The same fireworks seemed to go off inside of both ponies, warming them to the core. Pinkie wanted to keep going, but didn't want to burden Twilight. She pulled away with a smile.

"I love you, Twilight." The party mare finished, still with a hoof around the unicorn. The other pony was grinning serenely, too. The pain in her head had subsided fully.

"I love you too, Pinkie." They cuddled for a while, giggling at just how happy they were to be with each other. When they finally calmed down enough, Pinkie continued to read from her book. It turned out that most of the book was left empty; she intended to write more about the things she loved later on. Twilight was still surprised that Pinkie could be patient enough to write even the few sentences she had, but the earth pony had explained that Gummy had written down everything before the entry about Twilight. Suddenly, the elegant hoofwriting changing to the messy one made perfect sense.

In the comfort of her lover's embrace, Twilight found her vision swimming. She didn't want this moment to end, but like everything else, it did.

Twilight fell asleep.

Author's Notes:

I have a question: fillyfriend or marefriend? Which one is correct? Just wondering...
Let me know what you thought of this! ^_^

The Noblest of Intentions

Pinkie giggled out of sheer happiness, despite her efforts to remain quiet. Twilight had fallen asleep in her embrace. She looked sooo cute this way. She was really warm, and she had a little snore that made Pinkie laugh. The party mare was sure she'd never been happier in her whole entire life--even when she got her cutie mark.

She couldn't help thinking that she was forgetting something, though.

Pinkie dismissed the thought and nuzzled Twilight's neck instead. She let out a giggle as a particularly naughty thought went through her mind, and she let her hoof slide down her marefriend's back, resting it on her flank. The pink pony giggled a little bit louder as she realized how much of a pervert she was being.

However, after making sure everything was perfect earlier, she couldn't help herself from a little reward. Guilt got to her quickly, and she moved her hoof back up to Twilight's mane.

I hope I never have to let Twilight go... Pinkie thought, her smile dipping down ever so slightly. I want to be with her like this forever. She pulled Twilight in closer, almost protectively.

"I love you, Twilight..."

---

Twilight was floating in a completely dark abyss. She felt at peace for some strange reason, and she liked it. Not a single thought ran through her mind as she remained completely still, her eyes opening and closing every once in a while.

However, the sense of tranquility didn't last long. For some reason, Twilight's heart started beating faster. She opened her eyes blearily, confused. She didn't see anything, and that made it all the weirder.

She let her eyelids lower once again, ignoring the pounding in her chest. But then, she felt something touch her. Twilight looked towards the contact, but nothing was there. She felt a gentle tapping on her shoulder, and beyond afraid, she whirled around.

"Wh-Who's there?!" She exclaimed. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Or, rather, what she was doing. Pinkie Pie was standing right in front of Twilight with a sad little smile, but what surprised the unicorn the most, was the fact that the earth pony had a hoof resting on her chest. She'd never touched her in a dream before.

The mare's calming touch caused Twilight to relax, her heartbeat slowing dramatically. Pinkie leaned in and, strangely, kissed her. It didn't feel right, but the unicorn still returned it. The pink mare's hoof never moved from Twilight's chest, even when she deepened the kiss. But then...

It happened. Suddenly, Twilight's heart started going a little too slowly. The unicorn's eyes snapped open as she felt her limbs numbing. She tried to pull away, but found she couldn't move at all.

Pinkie did end the kiss, staring into Twilight's eyes. Her hoof remained on the lavender mare's chest, though. The unicorn felt afraid as she locked her gaze with Pinkie's cerulean eyes, and even more so as she felt her heart's beats take even longer to come about.

The pink pony frowned, and her hoof pressed even harder into Twilight's chest. The unicorn felt everything within her freeze as her heart beat one last time. Her eyes slowly started to close, but she could still distinguish Pinkie's saddened expression.

"You're too late," she said quietly, "You can't change this."

---

Twilight's eyes snapped open and she jolted up. Her heartbeat felt like it had actually stopped.

"Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed, immediately at her marefriend's side, "What's wrong?!"

The unicorn was breathing hard, and she barely looked at Pinkie. That dream hadn't been like the others--this one had terrified her. It felt like she'd actually died. She raised a hoof to her chest, closing her eyes in relief when she felt her heart's pulse.

"Twilight, what happened?" The lavender mare didn't meet the other pony's questioning gaze, and that worried her even more. "Please, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I... I had another nightmare..." She panted. Pinkie felt a pang in her chest, suddenly remembering their previous conversation. How could she have forgotten something so important?

"Oh, Twilight, I'm so sorry!" Pinkie nuzzled Twilight's neck, letting her mane brush against her marefriend's chin. She could feel the unicorn's erratic heartbeats through her coat, and she knew that it must've been bad. Twilight began to relax, letting Pinkie comfort her. The only reason it didn't work as quickly as it should've, was because Pinkie was the one scaring her to death, literally.

But eventually, Twilight was able to breathe normally. Pinkie pressed her muzzle against the unicorn's cheek, kissing it gently.

"You're okay now, Twilight... I'm here for you." She continued to say comforting things until she was sure Twilight was perfectly okay. "...What happened in it? Did I do something bad again?"

Twilight leaned her head down and pressed her lips against Pinkie's. The earth pony returned it slowly, and the unicorn was thankful that it tasted like the real Pinkie, not the one who'd been in her dream. The pink pony had been a little surprised at first, but let her hoof wander into Twilight's mane.

As soon as they parted, Pinkie hugged Twilight tightly. "You know I love you, right?" She whispered into her unicorn's ear.

Twilight didn't say anything, opting to remain quiet. They continued to hold each other for a long time, and Pinkie found it difficult to keep the lavender mare awake. Her eyes kept wanting to drift shut as the minutes ticked by. This called for drastic measures.

"Twilight, I know we we have to do..." She nuzzled her cheek with Twilight's. The unicorn blinked at Pinkie, silently questioning her. When it was made obvious that the sleepy mare wasn't going to reply, Pinkie giggled.

"We have to have an all-night party, just the two of us! Doesn't that sound great? I can get whatever music you like going, whatever baked goods you like a-baking, and you can even pick the party games! Twilight, don't you want to?" She honestly just didn't want Twilight to fall asleep and have another heart-wrenching nightmare, and she wanted to stay by the unicorn's side. Twilight's brow rose of its own accord.

"But... But didn't you have to do something for Mr. Cake?" Pinkie blinked. While on her way to the bathroom, Twilight had overheard part of the conversation.

"Oh, that? Hehe, silly filly! I can do that and be back in a sec!" Twilight watched as the pink pony dashed out of the library and into the snow. She felt a little empty and lonely without her company. She wished she'd gotten the chance to tell her to stay--she was a little afraid of being alone after that nightmare.

But, true to her word, she returned only a few short seconds later. Pinkie pushed open the door and closed it behind her, shivering.

"I-I'm back, Twilight! I told you I could do it really fast! Mr. Cake was all like, 'woah!' and surprised and stuff! Mrs. Cake couldn't say anything, either, I was so fast. I just dropped off the cotton candy and told them I'd be back tomorrow!" She giggled, moving back over to Twilight. The unicorn hugged her once she was close enough, feeling Pinkie's cold fur.

"You must be freezing, Pinkie..." She commented, shivering herself.

"Y-You're right. I think I know how to f-fix it, too." The earth pony didn't give the other mare a chance before kissing her. She wrapped her hooves around Twilight, pulling her towards her. The unicorn was immediately freezing, but Pinkie enjoyed the warmth immensely.

After a few more moments, Pinkie pulled away with a contented smile. "There! I feel a lot better now." Twilight blushed and averted her gaze, still not used to the idea of kissing the party pony. Pinkie Pie laughed, thinking it was cute.

"Anyway, I did bring some cupcakes!" The pink mare rummaged through a saddlebag Twilight hadn't noticed she'd brought with her, and pulled out a picnic blanket full of goodies in it. "I thought it'd be fun if our first activity was to see who can feed each other better! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Pinkie picked up a cupcake at random, and had a silly grin plastered onto her muzzle. Twilight wasn't sure if she wanted to be fed something like she was a foal again.

"I don't think so, Pinkie..." She began hesitantly. Pinkie's eyes had a certain devious tint in them--the kind that usually only appeared when she was about to pull a prank.

"Twi... You know how unicorns have their magic, and pegasi have their wings? Well, earth ponies have strength, and I'm not afraid to use it!" She tried to keep a straight face through her teasing, but she was obviously having trouble.

"Oh?" Twilight played along, smirking, "I'd like to see you prove it!"

Pinkie's smile widened, and the unicorn almost felt nervous. Almost.

The party pony scooted closer to Twilight. She leaned towards her, seemingly for a kiss, but it was a trick. Pinkie's hoof lightly traced the unicorn's shoulder, pulling her into a false state of security. The earth pony tried not to giggle as her marefriend's eyes drifted shut. This was it.

Pinkie moved so she was beside Twilight, letting her hoof wrap around her back. With her other hoof, she brought the cupcake, whose wrapper had mysteriously disappeared, up towards the unicorn's muzzle. Twilight's eyes fluttered open in confusion at the strange position Pinkie's hooves were in, and then it clicked.

"W-Wait!" Pinkie took the opportunity Twilight had given her to push the cupcake into her open mouth. At first, Twilight resisted. She didn't want to lose the game. But Pinkie's hooves kept her in place, and the cupcake did taste pretty good. With an internal sigh and a glare, Twilight swallowed the treat.

"Yay!" Pinkie smiled, "I told you I was strong!" Twilight pouted, looking away. Pinkie rummaged through her saddlebag again, and hoofed a cupcake over to the unicorn. "It's your turn, Twilight!"

The unicorn lifted it with magic, a devious thought crossing her mind. If Pinkie wanted to use her earth pony strength, then she'd use magic to her advantage. The party pony was happy that Twilight seemed to be having so much fun, and that she wasn't thinking about that dream anymore. Mission accomplished!

She'd considered letting Twilight win, but that wouldn't be any fun for either pony. So, she got on all four hooves and was ready to play. The second Pinkie saw Twilight's magic light up more, she knew she needed to move.

---

Many hours of games passed, mostly with Pinkie winning. The earth pony did anything she could think of to make Twilight happy, and not sleepy. However, the longer the party went on, the more tired the two became. Pinkie was able to stay awake by drinking sugar-filled drinks, but they didn't seem to help the unicorn at all.

The bad part about it getting late, though, was how anxious Twilight was getting. It was getting harder and harder to get her mind off of having a nightmare. As much as Pinkie hated to admit it, this party was nearing its end.

"Come on, Twilight, we still have to pin the tail on the pony!" The lavender mare didn't say anything, so Pinkie continued, "And truth or dare! I dare you to stay awake."

"I don't know, Pinkie..." Her eyelids were dangerously close to closing, "Studies show that ponies who play 'Truth or Dare' suffer from more mental illnesses than regular ponies."

Oh no. When Twilight relied on random spouts of scientific information, that was when she'd mentally 'go offline.'

This called for even more drastic measures. "Oh, okay... Then we won't do that. Ummmmm... Oh! Why don't you go take a shower, Twilight? That always wakes me up!" Pinkie pushed Twilight up the stairs and into the bathroom. "I'm going to wait here, so don't fall asleep. 'Cause if you do, I'll know right away! Okay? Go wake yourself up!"

Pinkie closed the door for Twilight and put her ear against the door. She heard Twilight's hooves hitting the ground towards the tub, and the water rushing into it. Pinkie briefly wondered whether she was using cold, hot, or chocolate water. The last one was her favorite, as she could drink it while taking a shower.

She could tell by the sound of the water that Twilight had gotten in, and by the steam coming from underneath the door, that she'd opted for hot water. Pinkie fell back on her haunches, still listening through the door. A lot of time passed by, and the water was still going. Pinkie Pie didn't hear any sign of Twilight behind the door, and it worried her. Had she fallen asleep? This time, she wasn't going to forget about how scared the unicorn got when she had a nightmare.

Pinkie nudged the door open, and was surprised when it was unlocked. The steam quickly escaped, and it felt really warm inside of the bathroom. The earth pony looked around, but couldn't see anything through the steam.

Was Twilight okay?

Author's Notes:

I hope you guys liked this chapter, and let me know what you guys thought of it! :)

A Peeping Tompony

Pinkie blinked through the steam, trying to find even a glimpse of Twilight. She stepped inside the bathroom and called out for her marefriend. "Hey, Twilight? Are you okay?"

No response.

Pinkie Pie trotted toward the bathtub, and, because of the steam, couldn't see anything. She nudged the curtain to the side, and...

The pink pony's first thought: Twilight was awake. The unicorn looked much more aware of her surroundings after getting into the hot water, and had been washing her foreleg with soap before the earth pony had interrupted her. The next thing Pinkie noticed was just how wet Twilight was. Her mane was plastered onto the side of her neck, her bangs covering most of her eyes, and her fur looked very inviting.

Pinkie's cheeks suddenly got warmer, and she was sure it didn't have anything to do with the steam.

"P-Pinkie?! What are you doing in here?!" Twilight exclaimed in embarrassment, wrapping her forelegs around her body despite there being nothing to hide. Even though ponies didn't normally wear clothes, a shower was a private matter that they did by themselves. Anypony would've been embarrassed had their marefriend walked in on them soaking wet in a shower.

Pinkie couldn't tear her gaze away from Twilight, though she did notice her offense immediately. "O-Oh, sorry, Twilight! I-I was just checking on y--"

"Get out!" The unicorn shrieked, blushing profusely. Pinkie didn't need to be told twice. The party mare dashed back to the hallway and slammed the door behind her, leaning against it. She panted from the exertion of the run, and from what she'd just witnessed. Her entire face felt feverish, and she couldn't believe that she'd walked in on Twilight taking a shower! Well, she knew she was in the tub when she checked up on her, but she didn't know she was going to be awake!

Pinkie Pie finally recovered her breathe, and let herself slide down the door so she was sitting. She hoped she hadn't made Twilight angry with her. That was the last thing Pinkie wanted to happen. However, this was a lot better than thinking about the nightmare. Surely it'd keep the unicorn's mind occupied long enough to keep her from dwelling to that train of thought.

The only thing that Pinkie found funny about this situation was how she had teasingly called herself a pervert earlier. Now she probably seemed like one to Twilight, too.

---

Twilight stood in shock for several seconds, a blush still prominent on her features. The water continued to pour down on her, but she didn't really feel it. Had Pinkie really come into the bathroom, knowing that she was taking a shower?

What did that one mare call it in that one book? Oh, yes, Pinkie was a Peeping Tompony. Twilight was sure that was what they were called nowadays.

After recovering herself, she pulled the curtain shut and continued to wash herself off. That was embarrassing. Twilight would never have pegged a mare like Pinkie as that kind of pony. Even though the unicorn knew she'd probably just come in to check on her, the blush she'd been sporting proved that she liked whatever she saw. Well, whatever that might be.

Finally, without an ounce of drowsiness, Twilight twisted the knob until the water stopped, and stepped out. And, to make matters worse, there wasn't a towel in sight. Great.

The unicorn trotted to the door, more than a little embarrassed, and spoke into it. "Pinkie? Are you still out there?"

Twilight could hear the pink mare's shuffling hooves. "Um, yeah! Of course I'm out here!"

The conversation had already become slightly awkward. Twilight's ears folded down by themselves, just like they always did when situations made her look silly. "Do... Do you think you could do me a favor?"

"Sure! What do you need?" Her eagerness to help drained out any embarrassment from her voice, though Twilight was sure she was still feeling nervous.

"I need a towel... Spike took the ones from the bathroom for us downstairs earlier... If you don't mind... could you get me another one from my room? In the closet?"

At first, Pinkie saluted, but then she realized Twilight couldn't see that. "Sure thing, Twi!"

"Oh, and please try not to wake Spike up!" The unicorn reminded just as the earth pony walked over to the bedroom. She pushed it open slowly, slinking inside.

Closet... Closet... Pinkie couldn't see very well through the darkness, but she was much more confident in herself here than back in the bathroom. She trotted quietly to where she knew from memory the closet was, and opened it up. From the faint light ebbing just in the hallway, she could make out some clothes. As she imagined Twilight shivering by now, she began rummaging a little faster. Finally, she found towels on the top shelf she'd neglected to check in the very beginning. The closet itself was neat; Pinkie just didn't keep hers the same way as Twilight's. In fact, the inside of her closet was decked out as a second sleeping place--for special, partying emergencies.

But this wasn't the time to think about that. As Pinkie pulled out a towel, something else clattered down to the floor. The earth pony cast an anxious glance at the sleeping dragon, but he hadn't woken up. When she looked back at whatever had fallen, she noticed that her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light.

A small box had landed on the floor, the lid just to the side. Pinkie knew it would be wrong to go through Twilight's stuff, and that it would probably make her upset, so she picked up the lid and prepared to put the box away. However, just as she lowered the lid, she saw what was inside. A simple photograph--it was one of Twilight as a filly with a little doll. It was an old picture, and scrawled on it in an obviously younger pony's handwriting, read:

You're the best doll ever, Smarty Pants! We'll be best friends forever!

It was more than enough to make Pinkie smile. The earth pony recalled the doll being the subject to a spell of Twilight's that made everypony go crazy over it, and that Big Mac had taken it away in his daze. The thought that Twilight didn't have something she felt so strongly about as a foal made her a little sad, too. Then, the underused gears in Pinkie's head began to spin.

What if she recovered the doll for Twilight? What if these nightmares were somehow connected to Twilight not having Smarty Pants when she went to sleep?

Pinkie Pie quickly put the lid atop the box and shoved it into the closet. She picked up the towel and quickly exited the room, closing the door behind her. She was surprised Spike hadn't woken up at all. The earth mare made her way back to the bathroom and knocked on the door three times.

"I have your towel, Twilight!" The unicorn sighed in relief, and opened the door slightly.

"Thank you!" She reached her hoof out and took the purple towel, gently pulling it into the room and drying herself off with it. "Seriously, Pinkie, what took you so long?"

Pinkie began to think of an excuse, but decided to give her the truth. Well, part of it. "Sorry, Twilight, I couldn't find it!"

The unicorn sighed, pushing the door back open as she walked out of the bathroom. Neither seemed to care that it was so late--or, in this case, so early. Pinkie turned a little red as she remembered the way Twilight had looked with her mane drenched, and the lavender mare noticed the quick glance toward her hair.

She gave Pinkie an apprehensive look. "So, are you going to explain to me why you walked in on me taking a shower?"

The earth pony gulped involuntarily and smiled nervously. "Well, um, you were really sleepy, and you were really quiet, so had to go make sure you were okay and... um... you left the door open!" They both shared a sheepish laugh.

"I guess you're right... Well... Let's get back downstairs." Twilight changed the subject, slyly making her way down the stairs. Pinkie, glad that she'd been spared of any more embarrassment, trotted down after her. Had it been anypony other than Twilight, she wouldn't have really cared about being caught in a silly situation like that, but she really did want the unicorn to think highly of her. That said, she was one of the only ponies she was really self-conscious around.

However, just as they got to the library floor, they could see the sun start to rise. Twilight commented on how she hadn't noticed the time going by, but Pinkie had congratulated herself on a job well-done. Twilight hadn't fallen asleep that night, but in truth...

It was only a matter of time until she did.

Pinkie dismissed the bad thoughts, as she so often did, and concentrated on having as much fun with her marefriend as possible. Later today, she would retrieve the Smarty Pants doll, and only then would she really give herself a pat on the back. If the loss of the doll really was what was causing the nightmares, then maybe this way she'd be able to make Twilight happy again.

Pinkie giggled to herself. She'd have a talk with Big Mac later.

Author's Notes:

Hm... Allow me to change the rating just in case. ^_^"
Didn't expect her to be awake, did you? As always, let me know what you thought! :)
As a sidenote, I figured this was a good place to leave it, and since I got it out a little sooner than usual, I figured the amount of words wouldn't be that big of a problem. I hope you guys don't mind! >_<

Rainbow Dashilemma

"Hey, Twilight..." Pinkie began slowly, trying to figure out what to say. Twilight pulled away from their snuggling to look into her eyes curiously. The pink pony didn't ever use that tone unless she was about to say something important.

"Yes, Pinkie? Is something wrong?" The earth pony shook her head, but she seemed bothered by something.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just... I gotta go soon..." She diverted her gaze to the ground, drawing circles in it with a hoof. Pinkie didn't want to leave so soon, but she knew she had to if she really did want to get the doll back. Plus, today was a work day for the Cakes, which meant she'd have to help out at least a little.

Twilight's smile faltered. Had her silly heart really deluded her into thinking that they wouldn't have to be apart ever again? It felt like a betrayal that it could trick her into an illogical state of mind. Even so, she understood that they were busy ponies with lives other than each other. She'd have to open the library up today, too. But that didn't mean she liked it.

"It's okay, Pinkie... I understand." She got up off the ground and trotted over to the door. Pinkie got up too, following the unicorn with sad eyes. The moment had been ruined.

"Hey, come on, Twi... I'll be back! Why don't you turn that frown upside down for me?" The pink mare was suddenly right in front of Twilight with an encouraging smile, though her eyebrow was furrowed in a way that suggested she was paying attention to even the minor details. Pinkie's eyes were focused on Twilight's mouth, waiting in a hopeful manner for the edges to curve upward.

The lavender mare watched, wondering how a pony could possibly care so much for another. Eventually, Twilight conceded and let a small smile grace her features, if only to keep one on Pinkie's face.

"Wait... I'm about to be brilliant!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly, causing Twilight to jump. "You could come with me and we could both bake!"

Twilight raised a hoof to her head, rubbing it. It was still early in the morning, and yelling something in a pony's face was a surefire way to give them a headache. Especially when that exclamation came from a high-pitched voice like Pinkie's. The unicorn shook her head.

"Sorry, Pinkie, I have to take care of the library today. Since it's winter, ponies will want to curl up and read a book at home, and I don't want to leave Spike here by himself. You know how he has a hard time moving around when it's cold..." Twilight pointed out. Pinkie nodded slowly.

"Oh... Well, that's fine! I understand; we don't want anypony to be sad without their books, right? I'll come back after work... Those same ponies will want their cupcakes while they read their books!" Pinkie smiled, pulling Twilight into a hug. "I'll see you in a while, okay?"

Twilight returned the embrace and gave the party mare a kiss on the cheek. "See you later."

The earth pony pulled away and opened the door, stepping outside. She literally had cold feet. "Bye-bye, Twilight! I love you!"

"Me too, Pinkie." The pink pony stood there, staring at the unicorn expectantly. Twilight stared back, feeling increasingly awkward. "What?"

"You just said 'me too,' which means you love yourself and not me!" Pinkie said, waiting for Twilight to tell her what she wanted to hear. The unicorn rolled her eyes playfully at her and pretended it was a hassle.

"Okay, Pinkie... I love you too." The pink pony smiled before bouncing away. Twilight watched as Pinkie waved, and continued on her way.

Huh... Didn't she say she was going to Sugarcube Corner? The unicorn thought, wondering why she was going the opposite direction. Almost... like she was going toward Sweet Apple Acres. Well, it's Pinkie. She's probably just taking some shortcut I've never seen. Or maybe she needs to get some sort of ingredients for the Cakes. Twilight figured, trotting back inside.

"It's too bad she had to leave... Eh, she'll be back soon. Right." The lavender mare quickly prepared the library for any ponies that might wander in. Spike was still fast asleep, but Twilight decided to let him rest. She was feeling generous today, and besides, she didn't want him asking her questions about what they did all night. That would be embarrassing.

Not long later, Twilight heard the telltale sound of the door opening. She turned away from the shelf she was at, hoping to see her marefriend again. Instead, a rainbow-maned pegasus walked in slowly. For some reason, the unicorn's still traitorous heart dropped in disappointment. She already knew that Pinkie wasn't going to be coming back until much later, so why did she expect to see her? Hay, why did she even hope for it? Sweet Celestia, this pony was messing with her head.

"You're up early, Rainbow..." Twilight commented, walking toward her friend. Dash had a bashful smile.

"I was up late finishing that Daring Do book. It was at a really good part, and I kinda forgot to sleep... I just finished it, and was hoping to get the next one." The circles around her eyes became more prominent after she mentioned her lack of sleep. The pegasus stared at Twilight's own eyes for a minute, too. "You look like you haven't slept either, Twilight. So... what did you and Pinkie do last night?"

"W-What?! W-What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Twi, I saw you two on my way here. It's a little early for a friendly visit." Dash waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Twilight blushed. How could something like this happen? Forget Spike asking questions, this was embarrassing! And there was no way Rainbow Dash knew how to keep a secret like this. Twilight was a terrible liar, too.

Why did Rainbow have to be the pony to walk in?!

---

Pinkie continued on her trot to Sweet Apple Acres. She was going to get the Smarty Pants doll before going to Sugarcube Corner so she wouldn't be thinking about it all day. Besides, the bakery didn't open for another hour. She was glad Twilight didn't realize that.

I wonder if Big Mac is awake! Oooh, and Applejack, too. Maybe I could talk to them after I ask for the Smarty Pants doll. I haven't seen either of them since last week at Fluttershy's birthday party! That won't do! She thought, surprised that she hadn't seen either of her friends for so long.

A few minutes later, Pinkie was trotting up the path to the Apple's home. She was pretty cold, but it didn't bother her as much as it did for Twilight. Gosh, that pony got cold fast! Maybe it was just a unicorn thing. Rarity always bundled up at this time of year, with probably about ten thousand different scarves. Pinkie giggled to herself at the thought of Twilight with that many scarves! A pony could make an entire castle out of them! Pinkie would be the knight in shining armor, and Twilight would be the princess! How much fun would that be?

Pinkie could barely contain her enthusiasm when she knocked. She could just imagine Twilight refusing to do it in the cutest way possible, with a blush and stuttering, and then she'd probably also be shuffling her feet--

"Pinkie Pie? What're you doin' here so early?" Applejack squinted at the pink pony, bringing the mare out of her daydream.

"Oh! I didn't see you there, Applejack! Is Big Mac in there?" She smiled, glad that her fellow earth pony couldn't read her thoughts and that her fur color could cover up the small blush on her cheeks.

"'Course he is. Why don't you come in? It must be freezin' out there." AJ pulled Pinkie in before closing the door. "Now what's gotcha comin' here so early just t' see my brother? Don't tell me you like him!"

Pinkie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd never so much as heard Applejack talk about anything like that! "No, silly," she bounced in place with a smile, "I like somepony else!"

Absent-mindedly, AJ replied, "Hm... Okay... So what did you come for? We were just eatin' breakfast. Do you... want some?" The orange pony hesitated, not sure of the reason her friend had visited. She and Pinkie usually didn't have any one-on-one time, so it was a little strange.

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry! I just need to talk with Big Mac for a sec. Is that alright?" Before Applejack got the chance to reply, the stallion himself trotted from the dining room to the front door. He must've heard what they were talking about, because he stood their with an eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Uh, Ah guess..." Applejack said in reply, turning toward her brother, "Pinkie Pie wants to talk to ya, Big Mac. I'll just mosey on over and eat my breakfast... You don't need anything else, do ya, sugarcube?" Pinkie shook her head, and AJ trotted back to the rest of her family. Big Mac hadn't said anything just yet.

"...Big Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

Pinkie took a deep breath before speaking so quickly that nopony in all of Equestria could understand. "I was just wondering if you still have Twilight's doll from that one time, you know the one called Smarty Pants? I really really really really really really really need it if you don't mind!"

Big Mac blinked, but said nothing.

Pinkie tried a different method. "So, do you have it?"

He blinked again.

"The doll. Come on, Big Mac, you know what I'm talking about!"

The red stallion only stared.

Pinkie sighed in exasperation. "I know you have it, Big Mac! Don't lie!"

"What ya talkin' about?" The Apple questioned with confusion. He didn't understand how Pinkie was getting the idea that he was somehow replying without saying anything, and was having a conversation based on it.

"Smarty Pants. You said you didn't have it anymore, but I'm sure you have it somewhere! Remember when Twilight cast that spell on the doll and you took taked taken it? I really need it."

His expression turned into one of thought. He then walked toward the stairs, and Pinkie bounced after him. He was apparently headed to his room.

How exciting! She was going to get Twilight's doll, and it was going to solve the nightmares, and then they'd have a perfect relationship without any problems, and after that they'd get to have fun and sleep together without worrying about anything--

Big Mac placed Smarty Pants on Pinkie's outstretched hoof, pulling her out of her daydream. That was the second time that'd happened today! The party pony played it off, inspecting the doll. It was certainly the right one.

"Oh, thanks, Big Mac! I'll just go and--"Before Pinkie could get away, the stallion stopped her by the tail.

"Wait one second, Miss Pinkie. Before I go givin' it to you I need ta make sure it's in good hooves." Pinkie could see a faint blush on him in his embarrassment. "It's kinda like a treasure."

"Oh, I understand. It's just that... well, I didn't Pinkie Promise to not say anything, did I?" She muttered to herself quietly, "I still don't think Twilight wants anypony else to know... So you gotta Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony!"

Big Mac nodded simply, and Pinkie explained about Twilight's nightmares and about her theory with the doll, accidentally giving him a little too much detail.

"You an' Twilight are special someponies?" Pinkie's eyes widened and she tried her best to play innocent. She was actually pretty good at it.

"What? When did I say that, silly?"

Big Mac just stared at her, and she tried to think of what she'd said that clued him in. He obviously was one hundred percent positive, and wasn't yielding at all. Pinkie gave in with a sigh.

"Okay, we are, but you can't tell anypony yet! We only just got together yesterday, and I don't want to overwhelm her with the thought of telling everypony so soon--that's what the party I'm already planning is for--and that will be later. See, I even got the banner already!" Seemingly out of nowhere, Pinkie pulled out a long banner that read, 'Let's Be Twinkies Forever!' Pinkie folded it back up with a precarious glance toward the door as if to make sure nopony had come in. She coughed.

"It's supposed to be a surprise to everypony. I just have to make sure Twilight doesn't mind telling everypony, but she won't know about the party! I think I'm going to do it on the night of Winter Wrap-Up, so all the ponies can relax after a hard day's work and we can celebrate doing it on time! That's a good idea, right, Big Mac?"

The red stallion wasn't sure when he'd become some sort of accomplice to this. All he asked for was a nod, not a life story. Though he'd shown no sort of acknowledgement to her question, Pinkie continued.

"Good, I thought so too. Anyway, I should probably be going soon... Can I please keep the Smarty Pants doll? You know, for Twilight?" Big Mac nodded. "Great! And... you Pinkie Promised, remember? Don't tell anypony about anything I said here! At least, not until after the party, okay?"

"Two months? Eeyup." He said, falling back on the easiest way to get a mare out of his business. Which was agreeing to everything one said. That was obviously the only way to get them to calm down and go away.

"Cool!" Pinkie chirped, "See you later, Big Mac! Thanks for all the help!" With that, the pink mare disappeared out the door, leaving a very confused stallion in her wake. She trusted him to keep her promise--after all, he was quiet about everything. Pinkie held the Smarty Pants doll gingerly in her mouth so she could walk, making sure not to bite on it on accident. When she passed the dining room, she waved at the rest of the Apples. Granny Smith, not a morning pony by any means, glared, while Apple Bloom waved exuberantly. AJ smiled sheepishly, nodding in her direction.

Pinkie took that as her cue to leave. So, she trotted out of the Apple family's home and toward her own. She hadn't seen the Cakes for a whole day! That wouldn't work. They were like, her second set of parents!

Pinkie rushed to her home with a smile, thinking about telling Mrs. Cake about her marefriend. She would tell her later, after her Winter Wrap-Up/Twinkie party. In the mean time, she was going to bake the best baked goods ever--the ones that looked like Twilight.

Author's Notes:

Can't believe I'm updating this one instead of my other stories... xP Oh well, a little more Twinkie never hurt anybody, right? ^_^"
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

Reality Check

"I don't want to talk about this right now, Rainbow... Whatever you think is going on, you're wrong." Twilight turned away from her friend, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. There was no way she was going to tell Rainbow Dash of all ponies about her relationship with Pinkie so soon after getting into it.

Besides, they were both mares. Some ponies thought that was wrong, and Twilight wasn't exactly looking forward to everypony staring at her with their mouths agape. Not to mention the disapproving looks of her friends and family, as well as Princess Celestia. Before now, the realization hadn't really hit her--most ponies thought that mares shouldn't be together. Twilight had felt pretty neutral about the idea before she'd fallen in love with Pinkie, and didn't really care about romance at all.

She loved Pinkie. Truly. But she wasn't a brave pony. Rainbow knowing about... this... terrified her to no end. It had all been a dream up to this point. A wonderful dream that countered her nightmares, leaving her in a blissful state of relief with Pinkie by her side. But because of this pegasus, those dreams were shattered and replaced with a very real fear. Rainbow had reminded her of all the dangers that this relationship could bring.

"Come on, Twilight. Tell me the truth!" Rainbow Dash urged. When Twilight didn't say anything, the pegasus impatiently flew in front of her friend. She wasn't expecting to see Twilight crying.

Rainbow blinked in surprise, feeling guilt suddenly twist her insides. "Twilight, why are you...?"

Twilight reached a hoof up in front of her blurry vision, and felt the tears for herself. Her brow furrowed. "I... I don't understand..."

And that was the truth.

The pegasus sat back on her haunches, unsure of why her friend was suddenly so emotional. Had she done something wrong? "What do you mean? I should be the one telling you I don't understand..."

It was... strange. Even if she wanted to, Twilight couldn't explain what she was feeling. She was scared, sad, relieved, and most of all: tired. Sleepy. Whatever energy she'd gotten from her marefriend fleeted, and reminded her of the fact that she'd stayed up all night. Twilight was afraid of the unknown--of what the future may hold. Thinking about it only made her want to sink into a pit of despair and mope for the rest of the day.

But Rainbow Dash--that brash and loyal pegasus--would have none of it.

"TWILIGHT!" she exclaimed suddenly, shaking the tree's very roots, "Snap out of it! What's gotten into you?!" Rainbow watched as the unicorn jumped, and had mixed feelings when Twilight glared at her. On one hoof, that was a lot better than her crying, and on the other, Twilight Sparkle and anger didn't mesh well at all.

The lavender mare sighed, and wiped the remaining tears away. She spoke in an emotionless tone, but her eyes betrayed her. "...I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Dash. What did you come for again? The next Daring Do book? Let me go ahead and grab it."

Rainbow watched helplessly as her friend trotted away. She was obviously still upset; what with the slumped shoulders, lowered eyes, and even the way her hooves dragged across the wooden floor. The pegasus caught up with the unicorn, and stopped her with a hoof.

"Twi... I'm not very good at this kinda thing, but I can tell something's eating you. I'll... uh... try my best to listen. Okay? Just don't pretend that everything's alright when it isn't. AJ would kick you in the head if she saw you doing that." she shook her head at her own sad attempt at lightening the mood, "I'm your friend, so tell me what's wrong before I choke on these mushy words that are actually coming out of my mouth... Seriously, Dash?" The last bit was aimed at herself, and she blushed in embarassment.

Twilight smiled in spite of herself. Rainbow was a true friend, and she always would be. How could she have doubted her?

So, the unicorn did her best to explain her fears. How she was afraid of everypony elses judgment, how she didn't want them to know, and about how far her feelings went for the pink pony. Rainbow remained silent, though her expressions were incredibly easy to read. As impatient as Dash was, she loved her friends enough to put up with their shenanigans. Wasn't flight school with Fluttershy testament enough for that?

When Twilight finally got everything off her chest, it was quiet. It felt... nice to confide in somepony, but at the same time, she felt vulnerable. Like... whatever Rainbow said, it'd either make or break her day.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dash spoke. "...It's natural to feel that way."

Shocked, Twilight looked the pegasus in the eye. She shrugged simply, and the unicorn found herself wondering how she could be so neutral about this.

Rainbow continued, "Everypony feels like that at some point. Just ask Fluttershy; she's always afraid of what everypony else is thinking about her. I'll tell you what I always tell her: 'It doesn't matter what everypony else thinks. It's your life, so live it the way you want to.' Get it?" When Twilight said nothing, Rainbow tried again. "If you really do love Pinkie, and if she really does love you back, it shouldn't matter what the rest of Equestria thinks. Ugh... I'm gonna have to wash my mouth out after this... Here goes..."

Rainbow Dash took in a huge breath, clamped her eyes shut, and exclaimed in trademark Pinkie Pie fashion.

"We all love you! Me, Flutters, Rare and AJ! No matter what, we'll stay by your side. I said it, okay?!" Flustered and embarrassed, Dash wrenched an eye open to speculate on Twilight's reaction. She hoped that nopony else heard her say that.

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash for a long time. The pegasus must've thought this was a serious issue if she pulled out that card, despite it being the peak of embarassment. However, it did the trick. Twilight felt tons better, especially knowing that those words came from a pony like Dash. Maybe... Maybe everything would turn out okay. All her friends would stay by her side. They'd faced hydras, ursa minors, and dragons together. Why would this be any different?

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash... You're the best friend anypony could ask for. Now, let me get you that book." she smiled, truly smiled, and trotted over to the book shelf. This time, the pegasus followed without complaint.

Twilight pulled out the Daring Do book and gave it to Rainbow. The two walked over to the door, and the pegasus stepped out.

"I... I won't tell anypony about what we talked about," the rainbow-maned pony promised, pushing the book into her saddlebag. Twilight reached out and pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Thanks again, Dash... I won't tell anypony about what you said, either," she joked. Rainbow pulled back with a smirk.

"You'd better not! I'd just deny it and say you were a crazy pony who needed help, anyway. But yeah..." Dash's smile dissolved into a thoughtful frown. "You sure you're okay?"

Twilight nodded. "I'm fine, really. You were right; I have friends who care about me, and now a loving marefriend. If anypony does happen to disagree, it won't matter so long as I have you guys... Bye, Rainbow Dash. Come visit me soon, alright?"

Rainbow took to the air and mock-saluted. "Will do, Cap'n! See ya later, Twi! Oh, one more thing..." the pegasus leaned in toward the unicorn and whispered into Twilight's ear secretively, "If I were you, I wouldn't talk about your fears to Pinkie just yet. If you brought it up, it'd just make things more complicated and would force the two of you to deal with it. Just... wait a while, okay? Bye!"

With that bit of vague advice, Rainbow Dash flew off. Twilight blinked and was about to call after her for explanation, but she was already gone. With a sigh, she went back into the library. It was still early in the morning, and cold as ever outside. That was expected, though.

What wasn't, however, was Spike standing at the foot of the stairs with his little arms crossed and a frown strewn across his face. He clearly wanted some sort of explanation.

...It must have been important to get him out of bed this early on a cold, winter morning.

---

Pinkie wiped the sweat from her brow as she pulled out another batch of cupcakes from the oven. More ponies were wanting baked goods today than she expected, so she had to work harder.

...Which meant she didn't get a chance to make Twilight out of cotton candy.

Absent-mindedly, she used the purple frosting on the fresh cakes. It reminded Pinkie of Twilight, and made her want to see the unicorn even more. But Pinkie could just imagine Twilight shaking her head and saying, No, Pinkie... Responsibility's important, and you really shouldn't... Hey, is that Smarty Pants?

As Pinkie's focus shifted onto the doll on the countertop, so did her fake Twilight's. And, because her gaze wasn't on what she was doing, frosting now layered the counter and the pan the cupcakes were on.

"P-Pinkie, dear!" Mr. Cake's voice rang out somewhere behind her, and he reached over and took the frosting bag out of her hoof. "Be careful... We have customers waiting, remember? We need these to be nicely done."

Pinkie blinked, and an apologetic smile stretched across her muzzle. "Sorry, Mr. Cake! I was just a little distracted... It won't happen again, I promise!" She grabbed the icing back and continued, concentrating on the cupcakes with renewed vigor. She didn't want Mr. Cake to be upset with her.

"So, Pinkie... What's the doll for?" Truth be told, the toy's beady eyes creeped him out beyond belief. Otherwise, he would've just let it go and passed it off as Pinkie being... well, Pinkie. He loved her like a daughter, but she could be weird sometimes. Really weird.

Pinkie beamed at him, took a deep breath, and was about to tell him all about her success in landing the best mare ever--but then remembered that she wasn't supposed to tell anypony. She paused. As much as the earth mare hated lying to Mr. Cake, she couldn't tell him just yet. So, she gave him part of the truth.

"It's a friend's! She just lost track of it, but I found it and am going to be giving it back after work!" The yellow stallion nodded in response, before taking the now-fully-coated-in-frosting cupcakes to the front of the store, where some ponies were waiting patiently. His wife was writing down special orders and hoofing out the sweets on display when a pony wanted to purchase them. She smiled and pecked her husband's cheek when he got close enough, before the two of them got everypony what they wanted. Usually, Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake and Pinkie Pie would alternate in baking and selling, and they were planning on switching soon.

Obviously, Pinkie's favorite station was the cashier, since then she could see all her friends come in to buy something. But at the same time, she liked making the sweets for her friends. It was a pretty controversial issue in her mind.

So, the work day pretty much went like that. Pinkie made sure there never was a dull moment for the Cakes, while they made sure their customers didn't get too intimidated. It was a nice, if somewhat cold, day at Sugarcube Corner.

And Pinkie was ready to leave.

As soon as the clock hit six, signaling closing, Pinkie was on her way to the door. She was so excited to see Twilight--even though Pinkie had been thinking about her all day, she hadn't seen her for, like, more than twelve hours!

Just before Pinkie had bounded out the door, Mrs. Cake's voice stopped her. "Dearie... You'll be coming back tonight, right? We were worried about you yesterday..."

The pink pony blinked, and remembered that she'd told the Cakes about the situation the previous day. Well, she was speaking at a hundred miles a second and had glossed over the details, but they seemed to understand. Regardless, Pinkie's heart melted at the thought of the Cakes being worried over her. They were great ponies.

"Well... I'll be back tonight! I Pinkie Promise that I'll be home before ten."

Then, Mrs. Cake's expession turned somewhat suspicious. And mischievous.

Very mischievous.

"Are you going on a date, honey?" Pinkie blushed, and that seemed to be enough of an answer for the older mare. Mrs. Cake giggled. "I knew it! You'd better not keep him waiting, dearie. Have a good time, and make sure to tell me all about it when you get home!"

Pinkie Pie didn't get a chance to correct her before she was pushed outside by the over-excited mare. When the doors closed behind her, it was quiet outside. One thing that Mrs. Cake had said was echoing in her mind, though.

"Her... Not him." Pinkie smiled slightly before making her way to the library.

Author's Notes:

So, I feel really bad for taking so long to get this chapter done, and have it seem like a filler. Really sorry about that! (Though I do think I wrote this chapter pretty well. Is Rainbow OOC? Eh... /: )

Anyway, let me know what you thought. (Look forward to more Twinkie interactions next chapter! :)

Like a Daydream

I'm so excited! I can't wait to see Twilight and kiss her and hold her and maybe even watch her sleep! If Smarty Pants really does work, I'll... uh... I'll think of something nice to do!

Pinkie giggled to herself as she hopped up to Twilight's library. She'd been looking forward to this all day! But she wasn't sure how to bring up the Smarty Pants doll without explaining the fact that she'd sorta accidentally snooped in Twilight's stuff, even though it wasn't really her fault.

Pinkie paused at the door. Would she be mad at me? She entertained that thought for a few more seconds before pushing it aside. The earth pony knocked on the door, very aware of the doll's presence in her saddlebag.

"Coming!" Twilight chirped happily from within. Pinkie was surprised by the mare's tone and elated expression when she opened the door. "Oh, hey, Pinkie!" A huge, warm smile appeared on her face, effectively melting Pinkie's heart and causing her to blush slightly.

A few awkward seconds later she realized that she was supposed to say something. "Oh. Oh! Hey, Twilight! What's up?"

"Come in, come in!" Pinkie skipped in with just a little hesitation. There was something up...

"As much as I love seeing you happy, Twi, would you mind telling me the occasion?" Pinkie leaned in for a quick kiss from her marefriend, but Twilight side-stepped, still with a huge grin.

"Not yet, Pinkie! This is great! Revolutionary, even!" Pinkie tried not to pout at being denied a kiss, and became interested in just what was making her marefriend so happy.

"What do you mean, Twilight?" The unicorn couldn't contain her enthusiasm. Despite her appearing not to want a kiss earlier, Twilight leaned in suddenly and pressed her lips against Pinkie's. It was such a surprise that Pinkie didn't even have a chance to respond before Twilight pulled away.

"Princess Celestia's coming to Ponyville tomorrow!"

As silly as it might have been, Pinkie was a little disappointed that somepony else could make her so happy. "Oh... That's great! Why?"

"I'm not sure. She sent me a letter early this morning, which woke Spike up, and told me that she'd be arriving around noon. She said it was important. I haven't seen her in a long time, so it'll be great!"

"Can I go?" Pinkie asked, nuzzling Twilight's cheek.

"Of course! Actually, Princess Celestia requested that you join me. I'm not sure why, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow!" Twilight was still smiling brightly as she returned the nuzzle.

"...Spike's not here?" Pinkie asked suddenly, pulling away slightly. The unicorn gave her a quizzical look before answering.

"Nope. After he woke up, he went to Rarity's. He was still a little mad at me... Why?" Pinkie's smile slowly turned into the kind she got when she was about to prank somepony.

"Good, 'cause that means I can do this!" Pinkie pounced onto Twilight, kissing her slowly and deeply. She grinned when the unicorn kissed her back. After a few more seconds, she pulled away.

"What was that for?" Twilight questioned, leaning up to kiss Pinkie's nose. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

Pinkie smiled. "Sorry! You were just so happy, and you of all ponies should know how I get when somepony's happy! I can't control myself." she giggled out. Then, she remembered the Smarty Pants doll in her saddlebag. "Oh, Twi! I almost forgot--I have something for you."

"J... Just you being here is enough for me, you know." Twilight tried, though the way she said it seemed forced. However, her blush and uncertain tone made it so much more adorable.

"Aww, you're so cute, Twi!" Pinkie had a small blush and a fluttery feeling in her stomach from what Twilight had said, but she still managed to rummage through her saddlebag. She'd brought Smarty Pants (obviously), and an emergency stash of party supplies.

"Thanks! Wait. Is that...?" Pinkie pulled out the doll and watched as Twilight's eyes sparkled. They slowly moved from her long lost treasure to her marefriend's face. "How?"

"Well, I um... came across this photograph of you as a filly with Smarty Pants, and remembered what happened during the Want It Need It spell, so I made a hippo-the-sis--"

"Hypothesis..." Twilight corrected automatically.

"--that maybe it had something to do with your nightmares. So, I got it back from Big Mac for you!" Pinkie smiled hopefully, placing the doll beside Twilight's head. She was still standing over her.

"...Thank you, Pinkie. I've been wondering what had happened to Smarty Pants... Wow, today's been so great! Thank you so much, Pinkie!" Twilight wrapped her hooves around Pinkie's head and pulled her down for a passionate kiss. Apparently, the doll meant a lot more to her than she'd initially let on. The earth pony returned it with just as much enthusiasm. She was glad she'd brought it back to Twilight, and even happier that Twilight wasn't angry at her for going through her things.

Then, the unicorn pulled away and began to sit up, forcing Pinkie to give up her dominating position. Twilight picked up Smarty Pants and inspected it for damage before giving it a bear hug. Her smile was super infectious--Pinkie couldn't stop the pleased grin from being plastered onto her muzzle.

Twilight yawned lightly, and both ponies were reminded of their lack of sleep. Pinkie glanced at the clock and realized that it was already eight. She'd have to leave in an hour and a half if she was planning on keeping her promise with Mrs. Cake. And, at the same time, she wanted to make sure Twilight was going to be okay to sleep.

"You can go to sleep..." Pinkie said, hugging her marefriend.

"But I haven't seen you all day..." Twilight complained as she returned it.

"I want to know if my...uh... thingy is correct. You know, the one that starts with an 'h' and you said I was pronouncing it wrong?"

"Hypothesis, Pinkie..." said Twilight in response.

"Yeah, that. I won't leave until I'm sure you're okay, 'kay?" Pinkie promised. Twilight stared at her for a long second before smiling and nodding slowly.

"Okay... If you Pinkie Promise." Pinkie beamed before doing the motions. Twilight stood up and grabbed Smarty Pants with her magic. The pink mare got up as well. They both trotted up the stairs and into Twilight's bedroom. Pinkie felt a little nervous.

"If this makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to get in..." Twilight said almost dejectedly as she climbed into her bed. Pinkie's heart jumped in alarm at the tone of her voice.

"W-what? Of course I'm okay with this. I just wanted to make sure you were!" Pinkie jumped onto the bed to prove her point, snuggling up next to Twilight. The unicorn smiled and buried her muzzle in Pinkie's mane. "You're really warm..." she commented, sighing into Twilight's fur.

"...I love you, Pinkie Pie." the unicorn spoke suddenly. Pinkie let her hooves wrap around Twilight's back.

"I love you too, Twilight Sparkle."

Neither pony said another word. Pinkie felt a lot more calm in Twilight's embrace, and she had to keep herself from falling asleep. Twilight's breathing slowed until the earth pony was sure she was snoozing. After a long time of peaceful silence, Pinkie glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes past nine--time always seemed to go by quickly when she was with her bookworm. She'd have to leave in about twenty minutes.

But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy her time now.

Pinkie breathed in Twilight's unique scent, pressing kisses into her fur. Once, just for the fun of it and because she was a little curious, she actually licked Twilight. In her defense, she just wanted to see what it tasted like--if it was like candy, books, or even a rainbow!

...It didn't really have a distinct taste. If anything, it was sweet, but kind of tasted like ink. Pinkie decided that Twilight tasted like a book made of candy. Maybe that's why she was so smart and sweet at the same time!

Hm... That would make my candy Twilight "un-accurate," as Twilight would say... Is ink bad for a pony to eat? I'll have to ask Twilight before I try it... thought Pinkie as she debated on whether or not she could create her special cupcake with ink in it. As her mind wandered off into different topics, (such as if chocolate could be in a gas form--there was chocolate rain, and there was bar chocolate, but what about air?) time went by even faster. Before she knew it, nine thirty had come around.

Pinkie frowned at the thought of leaving this warm bed and her beautiful, candy-book tasting marefriend. She gingerly slipped out of Twilight's forehooves and replaced the empty space with Smarty Pants, who was hanging out by Twilight's tail previously. She kissed Twilight three times for luck, (one on her forehead, one on her nose, and the last on her lips) before quietly walking over to the door.

She looked back to make sure Twilight was still okay, trying to find some excuse to stay longer, but nothing happened. So, she let herself out and made her way to Sugarcube Corner and Mrs. Cake's excited inquiries.

Twilight slept peacefully for the entire night.

Author's Notes:

Twinkie overload! Nah, not really. Just a whole fluffy chapter to prepare you guys for the next one! Hint, hint! xD
I know this took a long time, but I've been pretty busy. I think I can maintain a better schedule, as I'm in the last part of the school year, so look forward to more updates on a regular basis! (Hopefully!) At the very least, I won't take 3 weeks. ^_^

Thanks for reading!

Different Shades of Pinkie

Twilight woke up bright and early the next morning to the sight of Smarty Pants. It was such a familiar feeling that Twilight almost forgot she wasn't a filly anymore. The only thing that would've made it perfect would have been Pinkie by her side.

She sighed. Nopony can be with another pony every second of the day. And even if you could, no matter how smitten you were, you'd grow sick of them eventually. she thought, dismissing the part of her that wished she could always be with Pinkie. Then, she remembered why today was so important.

"Princess Celestia's going to visit! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my... Spike! Come here, Spike! Hurry!" Twilight hopped out of bed and trotted over to his own, prepared to pull him out of it.

...It was empty.

"...Spike?" she said, a lot quieter this time. There was no way he was already up--it was still winter--so she had no idea where he could possibly be. What if he was a frozen dragon-cicle outside?!

Twilight shook her head. That was Pinkie thinking. She thought about the last time she'd seen him, and came up with a better explanation. "He's probably still at Rarity's. She wouldn't have let him walk home with the weather the way it is... Hm... I'll pick him up on the way to the market. I have to get something for when the Princess gets here!" She laughed at the thought. There probably wasn't a single thing not expired in the library. Her mentor had apparently known that Twilight would end up living in Ponyville, because she'd added a mini-kitchen in the corner before Twilight had moved in. Not that she ever really used it; that was what Spike did.

The unicorn made her way downstairs, planning out her day. Princess Celestia would arrive around noon, so she needed some lunch-type food. Sandwiches were easy. So, considering it was around eight, she could go into town, pick up Spike, get some food, check on Pinkie, and get back home in the span of two hours. If Pinkie wasn't busy, (which Twilight doubted, seeing as how Princess Celestia wanted to speak with them both) she could relax with her marefriend at the library and make some sandwiches.

That'd be fun.

So, with that, Twilight grabbed a scarf and made her way out of the library, making sure to lock the door behind her. Some ponies were out and about, doing their morning chores. It was just about routine for Twilight to see these ponies every day, but it still amazed her that they could be so cheerful this early. There was only one pony that could be even happier than these, even in the morning, and that was Twilight's marefriend. Somehow, everything in Ponyville somehow reminded her of Pinkie.

The unicorn trotted leisurely to the Carousel Boutique, wondering if Rarity would be up this early. It seemed unlikely, as that pony would probably want to get her "beauty sleep," or something silly like that.

But when Twilight got to the front door, she was surprised by the sound of a pony actually moving around and speaking. She recognized the two voices as Rarity and Spike's. The lavender pony knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, so she knocked on the door and spoke into it. "Hello, Rarity? Is Spike in there?"

A sudden "Shh!" elicited from Rarity, who was speaking extremely loud for somepony trying to be secretive, "It's Twilight!"

The unicorn frowned at that, wondering just what in Equestria they were talking about that involved her. The door inched open just enough for Rarity to show her face.

"Yes, darling? What brings you here this early?" she asked, her nervous expression a reason for suspicion. The room behind her was completely dark, so Twilight couldn't tell what was going on in there.

"Is Spike in there?" asked Twilight, opting to ignore that which was none of her business. Rarity stared for a second too long.

"Oh, well of course, darling! Spike, dear! Twilight's here to take you back to the library." the white pony directed behind her. Twilight heard the unmistakeable sound of shuffling dragon steps before he squeezed himself through the door. Rarity still hadn't opened the door more than a crack. Twilight found that odd, but decided not to say anything about it.

"Ready to go?" she questioned instead. Spike nodded, glancing back at Rarity. She said goodbye to the dragon and closed the door without another word. As weird as Rarity's behavior was this morning, Twilight figured she had more important things than to ask what those two were hiding from her. With most things, she'd find them out in due time; she was a pony who didn't require instant gratification. Well, curiousity usually outweighed that resolve, but Princess Celestia had requested an audience with her for today, for Tartarus' sake!

When the dragon seemed to realize that they were indeed not headed back to the library, he asked, "Where are we going?" He barely concealed a yawn behind his claw. Twilight knew how difficult it was for him to so much as move at this time of the year, so she lifted him onto her back via levitation. He seemed to appreciate the gesture as he slumped against her neck.

"Remember the letter from yesterday? Well, Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville for lunch and we're going to get some things at the market. Also, we need to pick up Pinkie; the Princess wants to see her, too."

Spike chuckled. "You sure that's not an excuse just to see her, Twi?"

Twilight had to suppress the urge to buck him off. "Spike!" She turned her head around and glared at the snickering dragon, "That's not funny! You know I wouldn't lie about something like that!"

Finally, the assistant was able to stop himself, though unshed tears gleamed in his eyes, "Sorry, Twilight! Heh, you asked for that one!"

Twilight continued into town, quietly sulking over what Spike had suggested. For anypony--even Spike--to so much as mention anything bad about Princess Celestia, regardless of whether or not it directly involved her, really set her off. Princess Celestia was a respectful ruler, and didn't deserve anything of the sort. Only good things should be said where the Princess was concerned.

Spike relaxed atop Twilight until he was nearly asleep. The unicorn wondered if he'd gone to sleep late, or if it was just his instincts getting to him. She shrugged the matter aside and bought the ingredients for daisy sandwiches--her personal favorite--and made sure she didn't need anything else. Then, when her mental checklist had been perused several times over, she allowed herself to go to the place she'd wanted to all along: Sugarcube Corner.

---

Pinkie had felt anxious all morning. After leaving Twilight last night, she'd gotten home at precisely 10:01, where she was ambushed by a super hyper Mrs. Cake. The mare hadn't been lying about questioning her all about her "date"--and Pinkie had to be really vague with her answers.

However... Mrs. Cake had picked up on that and made Pinkie promise to bring her date to dinner on Friday... and she couldn't get out of it.

So, she and Twilight were on a crash course set for disaster in the matter of a couple of days--and that had nothing to do with why Princess Celestia wanted to see them. If anything, that only seemed to bode more trouble.

All that stuff made Pinkie pretty nervous. The only thing going for her was seeing Twilight soon. All morning, the Cakes had been badgering her for more information on this mysterious "coltfriend" of hers, in which Pinkie had to pretend they'd actually asked her about the "cold frames," and from there she'd say she didn't know they owned any picture frames that were cold. (That usually ended with them face-hoofing, but Pinkie didn't really see why--wasn't that a legitimate statement?)

Finally, the bell for the door rang, and Pinkie just knew it was her marefriend, despite dozens of other ponies' entrances. She bounded over to the door with more enthusiasm than she would've done had it been somepony else, and beamed at Twilight.

"Hey, Twi! What's up?" Twilight smiled in return and glanced back at the snoozing dragon on her back.

"Remember how Princess Celestia wanted to speak with us today? I figured I'd come by and make sure--"Pinkie's eyes widened and she shouted over Twilight to be heard by the Cakes:

"Oh, I almost forgot! Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, this is an emergency! The Princess is coming and I have to go and see her since she asked me to! I'm really sorry but I'm gonna have to take another personal day and I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

With that, the pink pony practically shot off like a rocket, leaving behind a smoke trail in her and Twilight's wake. Mr. and Mrs. Cake both blinked at the sudden disappearance of their employee, trying, and failing, to comprehend the jumble of words that'd just been thrown at them. However, it was one of the things that came with living with Pinkie Pie, and they'd learned to find endearing.

Seconds later, Twilight and Pinkie had come to a complete stop in front of the library. The unicorn felt dizzy, and face-planted on her doorstep. Spike was no better. He stumbled off the lavender pony and clutched at his stomach.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" he exclaimed as he rushed inside. Pinkie alone remained completely fine from the extreme-speed dash she'd just taken them through, though concern was etched into her features.

"Hey, Twi? Are you okay?" She stepped a little closer to her groaning marefriend and helped her up. Twilight's muzzle was twisted with distaste and a hoof was immediately pressed into her forehead.

"What the... I don't even..." She scrunched her eyes together and groaned again. "Pinkie, I didn't know you could do that! You're just as fast as Rainbow Dash, except with more whiplash. My head aches..."

"Aww, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Well, I'll try not to--I mean it's a lot of fun, ya know?" Pinkie smiled brightly before nuzzling Twilight's neck. She then hopped up to the door, which was ajar from when Spike had come in, and held it open for Twilight. The pink pony tried to keep a straight, gentlepony-like face as she did so, but a grin split her face when she saw Twilight blush. The unicorn walked in, and Pinkie followed after her.

"Oh yeah! Twi, I have some important questions for you!" The party mare bounced in front of Twilight, who flinched at the assault on her ears. Pinkie lowered her voice. "Would it be bad for a pony to swallow ink? Did Smarty Pants work last night? Did you miss me this morning? Oh! Are you free this Friday?"

Twilight stared at Pinkie. "Um... Yes, it could be hazardous for a pony to ingest ink. I slept well last night, thank you. I did miss you a lot, actually, and I'm pretty sure I don't have any previous engagements planned on Friday."

"Awesome! I'm so happy right now... But about Friday--"Twilight's hoof was thrust into her mouth suddenly.

"Pinkie, we can talk about this while we make lunch, right? The Princess could show up any second now!" Worry was clear in her voice and expression, so Pinkie nodded. The two trotted to the mini-kitchen section, where Twilight pulled out some things from her saddlebag--namely, the food ingredients.

The pink pony stared at the bread and daisies before reaching a conclusion, "We're making daisy sandwiches?"

"Yup!" Twilight chirped in response. She sounded chipper, so Pinkie figured she liked daisy sandwiches quite a bit. Their ears picked up on the disturbing sound of Spike's wretching somewhere else in the tree, but they decided to ignore it. As they began making the daisy sandwiches, Pinkie cleared her throat and tried again.

"So, about Friday, Twi... Um, I dunno if you've ever heard Mrs. Cake talk about how she met Mr. Cake or romance in general, but she's really passionate about it, and the other day she kinda figured out that I was dating and--oh, who am I kidding, she wants you over for dinner, but the thing is she thinks you're a stallion!" Pinkie stopped and took a deep breath, her gaze imploring and her hooves shaking slightly. She watched as Twilight stopped what she was doing and looked over at Pinkie.

"Uh... What?" Twilight felt nervous, and hoped that she'd heard wrong. Not that long ago, she'd talked about this problem with Rainbow Dash, who'd told her not to bring it up! Pinkie appeared nervous, too.

"Yeah, I don't want to force you to go, 'cause I mean I'm not so sure about where they stand about same-gender couples or how they're gonna react, and it's almost like they're my parents and we only just started dating, so--"Twilight kissed her out of nowhere, abruptly cutting her off. Pinkie stared at her marefriend's closed eyes, and relaxed into the kiss.

But just as she was getting into it, Twilight pulled away. Pinkie wished she'd stop doing that. "I... I want to do it."

Pinkie blinked, and then she blinked again. She hadn't been expecting Twilight to want to tell of their relationship so soon. As for Twilight, she was somewhat surprised of her own words, too.

"But," she continued slowly, "Just Mr. and Mrs. Cake, right? I don't think I'm quite ready to... you know, just jump right in and declare it to everypony." Twilight shuddered at the thought. After speaking with Rainbow about it and getting it off her chest, she felt more confident in meeting with Pinkie's employers, but not enough to tell any other ponies. Perhaps she would go to see Rainbow for some more advice before then.

Pinkie watched Twilight carefully, and time seemed to slow down. She felt happy that the unicorn valued their relationship enough to meet two of the most important ponies in her life. The earth pony was feeling a strange, almost foreign sort of happiness--instead of making her want to bounce for joy, it made her want to relax and be with Twilight for the rest of her life; it was the sort of happiness that slowly spread from her heart and soul to the rest of her body until it had completely engulfed her in its serene bliss.

All of this had happened within the span of five silent minutes. But Pinkie didn't say anything about the experience, not that she didn't want to. Being around Twilight just seemed to be changing her, just a little bit, and making her feelings that much more powerful. Pinkie then realized that she'd been staring for too long. She let her muscles loosen from their earlier tenseness and allowed a small smile to grace her expression. Then, she turned back to the nearly forgotten sandwich ingredients with a new, certainly un-Pinkie-like care.

"...Let's keep working, before the Princess shows up and we have nothing done."

---

Soon, the couple had exhausted all the ingredients they'd purchased for daisy sandwiches, and it was just about twelve. Spike hadn't returned from his restroom venture, though the occasional sound of him throwing up could be heard. Twilight felt bad for him and how easily he got sick. But even more than that, she couldn't help but wonder what she'd done wrong. Pinkie was being quiet, which was clearly a cause for concern--she was never just silent. And what made it even stranger was the care she was putting into her every move, almost in a Rarity-esque fashion. There wasn't even any sort of emotion in these movements, except for maybe some repressed happiness--though that was up for debate.

Twilight opted not to bring it up, or even to strike up a conversation. Instead, she allowed herself consolance within her own mind, by way of distraction. I wonder when the Princess is going to come... When was the last time I saw her? Hm... I think it was back at Shining and Cadence's wedding. Wow, that was a long time ago... Wait, is she coming to check on my studies? Oh no, oh no, oh no, I haven't so much as looked at my books in the past week! Princess Celestia is going to be so angry with me--quick, Twilight, what's the formula for the force of gravity on an accelerating object with the speed of--

"Twilight..." Startled, Twilight suddenly became aware of what was going on: she'd been drowning her current daisy sandwich with dressing, from squeezing the bottle too hard. Pinkie pressed her muzzle into Twilight's neck and placed a hoof on the one holding the sauce. It was odd to have Pinkie so close, and yet so far--at least, in mind. "You have to be careful when you're in the kitchen, or else you'll make a mistake. Even with the simplest of recipes, you have to pay a lot of attention to what you're doing. Especially if it's for somepony you love." The pink mare kissed the underside of Twillight's chin. The lavender unicorn could no longer hold off a blush from all the extra attention. Pinkie giggled quietly before stepping back. "I think we've made enough sandwiches now, since there's no more bread!"

Then, the two mares heard a knock on the door. Twilight knew that Spike was probably curled up in the bathroom, asleep, so she moved over to open it herself. The two ponies behind the door surprised her:

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

Author's Notes:

Ohmygosh an update?! Isn't that an extinct species?!

I won't be upset if you put something the likes of that in your comments. I know I took my time with this chapter, and I'm hoping it was for the best quality-wise, as well as length. As I have just finished up with school this year and getting into summer, I'm hoping to have more time to write, which means more updates for you guys! If any of you are interested, I have been working on a new Twinkie one-shot that will be posted sometime after this story has been finished.

Regardless, I hope this chapter made some of you happy! Thanks for being awesome. :)

Under Her Jurisdiction

Twilight’s jaw had dropped. She knew that Princess Celestia was going to be visiting her today, but she didn’t think Luna would show up too! It must have been important for both Princesses to get away from royal duties at the same time.

Princess Celestia smiled at Twilight from behind the door. “I hope we’re not too early…”

The unicorn practically had to pick up her jaw from the floor. She hoped she had enough sandwiches for both of them. “Oh, of course not, Princess! Come in.” Twilight stepped aside and let the two ponies into the library.

Within the few seconds that Twilight had been away from Pinkie, the hyper mare had set up a picnic table with four plates and a basket full of daisy sandwiches in the center. Woah. How did she…?

Twilight overcame her surprise faster than she had earlier with a shake of the head. It’s Pinkie. The unicorn then gestured to the table and said, “Why don’t you two make yourselves comfortable?”

“Thank you for letting us visit at such short notice, Twilight.” Princess Celestia mentioned as she and her sister sat next to each other. Twilight then slid into the seat opposite her mentor.

“It’s no problem, Princess.” Twilight smiled brightly. She was happy to see her teacher, since it’d been quite a while since she had last. Pinkie then bounced onto the bench Twilight was on, grinning as well. She made sure she was sitting really close to Twilight—though the unicorn didn’t see why. She hoped the two older mares didn’t notice.

“Yeah, it’s nice to see you both!” Pinkie chirped with a smile. “I hope daisy sandwiches are alright.”

“It’s fine.” Luna replied with a polite nod before lifting a sandwich up to her muzzle. Then, she stopped its ascent with a frown. Her eyes lingered on Twilight’s head. “Did you hurt yourself, Twilight Sparkle?”

A bashful blush appeared on Twilight’s cheeks. She’d been ice-skating with Pinkie—best experience ever—when the ice had broken underneath of her. Twilight didn’t remember much about what had happened after that, except for the throbbing pain in the back of her head. How Luna had figured out that she’d been hurt, Twilight didn’t know.

“Oh, I just, uh, hit my head the other day.” Twilight smiled unconvincingly, feeling a ghost of the sensation. Pinkie gave her a concerned look.

“…I see,” the Princess of the Night replied, though she didn’t sound as if she believed her. She then took a bite of the daisy sandwich that’d been suspended in her magic. With that, Twilight and Princess Celestia both grasped a sandwich in their own magic and began to eat. The lavender unicorn had to suppress the urge to breathe a sigh of relief now that the subject had been dropped.

Pinkie, however, lacked a horn, and had to eat the earth pony way. She didn’t really mind using her hooves, but she felt a little out of place.

After a few more moments of silence, Princess Celestia cleared her throat. “So… Twilight,” she began regally, causing Twilight to look up nervously. Oh no, this is it, this is it—she’s going to ask me about my studies! Oh, she’s going to send me back to Magic Kindergarten when she finds out I’ve been slacking!

“…How have you been sleeping lately?”

Twilight blinked. She hadn’t been expecting a question like that. “Why do you ask, Princess?”

All these questions were starting to seem like an intervention of some sort. Like, the Princesses were dancing around the subject they’d come all this way to talk about because they weren’t sure how Twilight was going to react. To see visible nerves from her mentor made Twilight even more uneasy.

Princess Celestia glanced at her sister. Luna frowned, but spoke anyway, “Do you know why I am here, Twilight Sparkle?”

The unicorn shook her head, even more confused than before. “I didn’t think there was a specific reason, Princess.”

Luna smiled shyly. “Yes, well, as much as I do enjoy your company, Twilight, this audience is of utmost importance. Please, walk with me.”

The Princess of the Night stood from her seat, despite only eating one sandwich. Pinkie looked at Twilight curiously, silently begging her to stay. The unicorn didn’t notice, and whispered simply, “I’ll be back soon. Okay?”

The pink mare nodded even though she didn’t want Twilight to go. She just had a bad feeling about it. And, worst of all, she really wanted to kiss Twilight, but knew she couldn’t in the presence of the two Princesses—not when her marefriend so obviously didn’t want them to know about their relationship.

Twilight stood up and trotted around the table until she was next to Luna. The two then walked out of the library, leaving Celestia and Pinkie alone.

Luckily, Pinkie wasn’t one for awkward silences. Her side felt oddly cold without Twilight there, but she maintained a cheery smile. “How have you been, Princess?”

“Perfectly fine.” she responded as she ate another sandwich. She seemed to be distracted—perhaps by whatever the other two were going to be talking about.

Naturally, Pinkie wanted to know. “Sooo, Princess Celestia… You wanted me to be here too, right? Is my attendance of utmost importance like Twilight’s? For what, then?”

Princess Celestia sighed, and gave Pinkie an apologetic look. “Yes, your attendance was important to my sister. She’s worried about Twilight’s well-being—especially at night. I wanted to speak with you about it.”

That made Pinkie nervous, but she kept it to herself. The Princess continued, “But first… Are you two dating?”

Pinkie’s face turned red. She was immediately thinking about how she wasn’t supposed to tell anypony else about the fact she and Twilight were dating—but was afraid she’d already given herself away. Not to mention that the Princess Celestia had asked, and it’d be considered taboo to lie.

Luckily, the pink mare didn’t have to make a choice. Princess Celestia smiled lightly. “So it is true…”

“What do you mean, Princess? I mean, um, how did you know?” Pinkie figured she felt just about as nervous as Twilight would be in front of the Cakes. Princess Celestia had been a motherly figure to Twilight ever since she was a filly, and the two definitely shared a close bond that had certainly surpassed that of a teacher and student.

“If you ignore the close seating arrangements and nervous glances… I know my faithful student very well.” Princess Celestia’s tone was playful.

Pinkie blushed harder and fumbled with the sandwich in her hooves, her eyes anywhere but on the Princess.

The alicorn’s expression soon turned serious. “I trust you’ve been treating her well?”

“Of course!” The earth pony’s eyes met Princess Celestia’s. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything but that!”

The alicorn smiled, but the corners of her mouth dipped back down shortly. “I’m glad. But I’m afraid we do have a problem on our hooves.”

Finally, the heat in Pinkie’s cheeks died down. She opted not to say anything, and instead watched attentively. The Princess then went on to inform Pinkie of what her sister had told her in great detail. The further the discussion continued, the more Pinkie’s ears drooped. Her shoulders sagged and her head dropped in defeat. Some tears were shed in the process.

She couldn’t believe it.

---

“If you don’t mind my asking, Princess, what did you want to talk about?” Twilight questioned with a bounce in her step. She and Luna were walking around Ponyville aimlessly. Some onlookers stared in awe at the fact a Princess was in town, though they mostly kept to themselves.

Luna only seemed a little bothered. She smiled in response to the unicorn. “Just wanted to catch up. And… to ask your permission.”

Twilight tilted her head curiously. “Permission? For what, Princess?”

Luna pawed at the ground, and her eyes were cast to the side. “Luna. Just… Luna.”

The unicorn’s brow furrowed, but she said nothing. Now that they’d stopped walking, her gaze focused on the older mare’s strange behavior and posture. She’d never seen Luna anything short of graceful before—other than when she was Nightmare Moon, of course.

“I must admit, it has taken me many days to accept that times have changed. But now… I believe I have improved in casual conversation among my subjects. Do you think so?” Luna’s tone was filled with uncertainty.

Twilight nodded, but she didn’t see how that had to do with anything. “Yes, you’re doing much better.” She didn’t know what else to say, so she waited for the other pony to continue.

“The point is this: for the past thousand years, I have had nopony to talk with. You brought me to my senses when I did return—and I consider you a dear friend for that. And, it is because of this that I wanted to speak with you. I wanted to say that I am here if things go wrong, and all you needith do is call.”

At first, Twilight didn’t get what was going on. A few seconds later, it occurred to her that Luna was pretty much asking to become better friends with her. Though, that didn’t leave much room for her to reply. “I appreciate that very much, Luna. I’ll be sure to send you a letter if anything comes up.”

The unicorn hugged the alicorn. When she pulled away, she smiled. “Should we head back?”

The Princess of the Night smiled in return. She squared her shoulders and stood up straight once again. “Yes, I believe we should return to your humble abode.”

Twilight decided not to take that the wrong way. With that, the two made their way back to the library. All the way, Twilight would stop and wave at ponies she knew.

Today was a good day.

---

Not long later, Twilight and Luna had arrived at the library after their ten to fifteen minute walk. The unicorn was excited to see her marefriend again, and hopefully get some time alone with her. With any luck, Pinkie would be back to her cheery optimistic self.

Though, from the looks of it, that wouldn’t be the case.

Princess Celestia was sitting next to Pinkie, and seemed to be in the middle of saying something when the two had walked in.

Pinkie was staring down at the table in front of her. The earth pony’s shoulders were hunched and her eyes were empty.

Her mane was still as poofy as ever, though.

Twilight didn’t get the chance to investigate further. As soon as she’d walked in, Pinkie stood up, grabbed the basket of sandwiches, and trotted over to the kitchen. The unicorn looked at her teacher questioningly.

Princess Celestia had gotten up as well. “I think it’s time for us to be on our way. Thank you for having us, Twilight.”

“You’re welcome, Princess. Feel free to visit anytime!” Twilight replied, though her eyes were on her marefriend. Her behavior all day had been strange, so the unicorn wasn’t sure what to think of this new development.

Then, the two Princesses made their way outside and to the carriage hidden behind the library. Luna was frowning. “…Sister, did we do the right thing?”

Celestia stretched her wing out and rested it on her younger sister’s back. “It was your decision, Luna. I cannot tell you how to handle your authority.”

“I know, I know… It’s just that I haven’t handled problems such as these in so long. Despite it clearly being in my night’s jurisdiction, what are your thoughts?”

The older alicorn stepped into the carriage first and settled herself on the seat. “You must learn to rule without my opinion swaying your decisions, sister. The ponies of Equestria are our subjects, and I will not allow you to feel mistreated by them again. However you wish to solve the problems under your starry night will be your decision, and your decision alone. That’s the only way for you to gain the attention you seek and to become a benevolent ruler of your kingdom. Do you understand?”

Luna sighed as she clambered onto the carriage after her sister. “Yes, of course I understand. It’s just that I still feel you’re doing all the work, and I don’t know if it was really the right thing to do!”

“One step at a time, dear sister. With time, you will no longer need my help.” Celestia smiled encouragingly, which was reciprocated.

“I hope you’re right.” Luna looked out the window as the carriage took off, watching the Ponyville library shrink into the distance until it was no more.

Author's Notes:

So, I vaguely remember at some point saying this story was going to be light-hearted... Well, I changed my mind. Conflict adds to a story, and while there was some previously, I think this is better than what I had planned.

However, this chapter was a chore to write. I couldn't get any words onto the document, and it seems terribly rushed to me. I tried my best though, and I hope it isn't too bad. As always, let me know what you think will happen! :)

The Sacrifices We Make

Twilight stacked all the plates at the table and made her way over to the kitchen sink. Pinkie had only just set the basket on the counter. “That was a little weird, huh? I never question the Princesses’ decisions, but I don’t really understand why they requested an audience with us.” The unicorn smiled fondly. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Do you have work later today?”

Pinkie didn’t say anything. Her hooves rested on the countertop on either side of the basket.

“I hope not. Maybe we could do something fun inside. You know, where it’s warm. I’m not quite ready to go out in the cold just yet, but—“

“Twilight.”

She glanced at her marefriend. Her name had been said in the most un-Pinkie-like way possible. It was sharp enough to stop her ramblings, but calm enough to make Twilight nervous.

Pinkie avoided her gaze. “We… We need to talk.”

Time slowed down as Twilight leaned forward to try and meet Pinkie’s eyes. “I have been trying to talk to you. I mean, you haven’t said a word since before the Princesses came, and even then you were pretty quiet.”

The earth pony was breathing harder than usual, and her hooves were shaking. “No, I-I mean… we need to talk about us. Our relationship.”

Twilight swallowed thickly, and she squinted. Her heart started beating faster. “What do you mean? What’re you talking about?”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve realized that… that we can’t work.” She breathed in shakily. “I’m sorry, but I’m breaking up with you.”

Twilight’s heart stopped. The gears in her mind stopped turning momentarily, before spinning faster than ever. She couldn’t think straight, and millions of questions made themselves known. The unicorn was barely able to speak. “W-what?”

Pinkie pushed herself off of the counter so she was on four legs again. “I’m sorry.”

Then, she rushed out the door, leaving a confused unicorn in her wake. Twilight could only stare at the open door with tears stinging at her eyes.

Twilight let herself fall back on her haunches and took a deep, shuddering breath. Her mind was drawing a blank. Let’s think logically about this. Right. Don’t remind yourself about the fact that the love of your life just broke up with you and ran out the door with no explanation, because that would be like twisting the knife. Oh, who am I kidding… I couldn’t not think about something if my life depended on it… What did I do wrong?!

---

Pinkie didn’t know where she was going and she didn’t really care. All she knew was that she had to get away from Twilight and away from all her friends. I can’t believe I did that. She hates me now, I know it. I’m the worst pony in the history of all ponies. If you looked up “worst pony” in a dictionary you’d see my picture in it.

Pinkie found herself standing beside the frozen lake where she’d shared her first kiss with Twilight. Her bottom lip quivered as she plopped down beside the water and stared at her reflection.

It’s all my fault. Twilight’s probably crying right now… And I’m the reason. Her vision blurred as tears of her own ran down her face. Why did it have to end like this? Why did the princess have to tell her?

“I miss her already…” Pinkie buried her muzzle underneath her forelegs and began sobbing. The cold snow underneath of her didn’t bother Pinkie at all. Her mind wandered back to what Princess Celestia had said.

“Are you aware of Twilight’s nightmares?” Princess Celestia asked finally. Pinkie nodded. As far as she could tell, she’d solved those nightmares by getting Twilight her Smarty Pants doll back.

“Luna is aware of them as well. As you know, my sister is the Princess of the Night, and that means this falls under her jurisdiction.”

“What do you mean?” Pinkie tilted her head to the side.

“Twilight’s nightmares have not only hindered her studies, but they’re also affecting her health. Luna has expressed these concerns to me, and she believes there is but one true way to end them.”

“How? I’d do anything for Twilight. Tell me I need to find some herb in the Everfree Forest and I’ll do it. If there’s something on the other side of Equestria that can help her I’ll do it without a second thought! There isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do for Twilight!”

And she knew it was true. There was determination in her eyes and fire in her words—she’d never felt more sure of anything in her entire life. Princess Celestia met her eyes, a deep sadness set within them.

“So long as the subject of her nightmares is close to her, Twilight will continue to have them.”

Pinkie’s brows furrowed and she frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“…The only way to get rid of Twilight’s nightmares is for you to stop seeing her.”

Pinkie’s heart broke at those words. Her gaze shot to Celestia’s, her eyes trying to voice the confusion her tongue could not. When the words finally sunk in and she knew them to be true, Pinkie lowered her eyes to the table. The implications of that statement were far too much for her to take in.

Pinkie loved Twilight with every fiber of her being, and she’d do anything for her. But staying away… Forever? That hadn’t even crossed her mind—she’d never thought of that as something she’d have to do. The answer was obvious to her, but it hurt too much to accept. Twilight’s well-being was more important than anything else, even if it meant sacrificing that much…

A wing draped over Pinkie’s shoulder and the next thing she knew Princess Celestia was comforting her. She couldn’t hold herself back any longer. Sobs clawed out of her throat and tears stained her fur, and yet all she could think about was Twilight’s sorrow.

“I’m sorry it’s come to this…” the alicorn said quietly, “but if you truly love my student, this should be nothing.”

Pinkie didn’t say anything, unable to speak over her crying. She cried for longer than she remembered ever doing in the past, before pulling away from the Princess. She hadn’t been listening to what the older mare had been saying, too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

And that was when Twilight walked in.

Pinkie didn’t slow her crying—she’d hurt the one mare she vowed she wouldn’t. But was it justified? No, Pinkie thought, I’m still the worst pony ever, even if I did it for a good reason…

A sudden nagging thought pushed its way into her mind—Is somepony watching me? The earth pony didn’t care enough to look. At least, until there literally was a shadow of a pony standing over her.

Pinkie finally looked back, unsure who could have followed her here.

It was Big Mac.

The stallion didn’t say anything. His expression was impassive, but his eyes were soft. And for the second time that day, another pony sat next to her and comforted her while she cried.

But just like before, it did little to help.

Author's Notes:

Have faith in the author, guys. She knows what she's doing.

I apologize for the short chapter, but I'll try not to do so in the future. Anyway, part of the reason this came out late was because I was participating in the Twinkie Prompt Tag Group Collab, which could use some more authors contributing. It doesn't take long to do, as the maximum amount of words is 500. So, if you like to write or if you like this ship, won't you please contribute? :)

As a last note, thanks for reading this time around, and seriously--don't worry. Everything's going to work out.

Walking on Thin Ice

“Oh, Big Mac, I ruined everything,” Pinkie lamented, falling back on his bed with a massive sigh. Big Mac took a seat in the chair beside his desk, frowning.

“Ah don’t quite understand, Miss Pinkie,” he said with a furrowed brow.

Pinkie lifted a foreleg into the air, staring at it. After she’d gone to the lake by herself, Big Mac had shown up. The stallion had comforted her without words for at least an hour before asking if she wanted to go to Sweet Apple Acres. The pink mare had no objection to it, and only followed silently.

In fact, these were the first words she’d spoken to him.

“I… I broke up with Twilight.” She squeezed her eyes shut and counted the seconds it took for Big Mac to reply. After twenty, it became apparent that he wasn’t going to. So, Pinkie continued despite it feeling like an excuse. “I know I can trust you, Big Mac. After all, you’re the only pony that knows about me and Twi, and you’ve kept it a secret up until now.”

Pinkie swallowed. “You remember that Twinkie party I really wanted to have? It’s never gonna happen, and Twi’s never gonna want to be my friend again, and all the other girls are gonna hate me—oh, AJ’s going to skin me alive!”

“Ah doubt she’d do somethin’ like that,” Big Mac said firmly, “and even more than that Ah doubt Twilight would kick ya to the curb.”

“You don’t understand…” Pinkie let her hoof fall back to the bed. “I told her I loved her, but now we’re not together anymore; I told her we couldn’t work.”

“Why?” Big Mac asked, much more verbal than Pinkie could remember him ever being.

“Because if I didn’t, she would’ve gotten hurt.”

“Why?”

“The nightmares would never stop coming. I saw what it was like when she had them; it was terrible and I never want to see her go through that again.”

“Why?”

“Because I love her, don’t you get it?” Pinkie shot a glare his way, her fur bristling. Big Mac gave her a blank look.

“…Ah’m not sayin’ I understand exactly what’s goin’ on between you two, but what I do understand is that you two love each other. Twilight’s a smart pony, and I’m sure you two can find some sort of solution for all this nonsense that doesn’t leave the both of you hurt.”

Pinkie let her gaze wander to the floor. “…Princess Celestia herself was at the library. She told me there was no way no how I could keep dating Twilight and get rid of her nightmares at the same time.”

“So?”

Pinkie sent him a shocked look, one that didn’t fit her at all. “What do you mean? I’m talking about the Princess Celestia here!”

“Has it ever crossed your mind that even the princess can be wrong? Maybe she’s testin’ your relationship.”

“What’re you saying?” Pinkie Pie sat up, meeting Big Mac’s eyes.

“What Ah’m sayin’ is you should go talk to Twilight and work things out. I think you overreacted to the princess an’ maybe you misheard.” Big Mac shook his head, “Princess Celestia is a fair ruler. She wouldn’t pull two lovin’ ponies apart for a reason like that.”

Pinkie mulled over what Big Mac was saying. On one hoof, she really wanted to see Twilight again and apologize and promise she’ll never say something like that again, but on the other hoof she didn’t feel worthy of Twilight any longer, and she didn’t want to take a chance when it came to Twilight’s wellbeing. Pinkie never was good at decisions.

Pinkie felt a familiar tug at her gut. Big Mac was a sensible pony, perhaps even more so than his sister. But was he more trustworthy than Princess Celestia?

“I don’t know, Big Mac…” Pinkie let her shoulders sag. “Twilight must hate me by now.”

“I doubt that,” he said. “Just give it a chance. Unless yer perfectly fine with never gettin’ to see her again, never getting to hold her, and never gettin’ to hear her voice. If that’s what you really want, then maybe I was wrong about your having real feelings for her.”

Pinkie’s heart thudded heavily against her chest, protesting against everything Big Mac had said. To be honest, she didn’t want any of that to happen. She wanted to wake up with Twilight beside her, she wanted to cook the very best treats and watch as Twilight ate them, and more than anything she wanted to see Twilight smile.

Pinkie bit her lip. “…I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I think about this before?”

Big Mac opted not to say anything, leaving Pinkie Pie to her thoughts. She wished she could dissolve into the floor.

---

Twilight wasn’t feeling so great. Her head ached, and her face was raw from the tears she’d shed. The floor underneath her was cold and unforgiving, and exactly what she didn’t want from it.

Twilight was still sorely unsure about what had happened. Pinkie’s words resounded in her head like a bell being struck in an otherwise silent room. Twilight had never dated a pony in the past, and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to try again. Pinkie was so amazing and everything was perfect, and she’d never have guessed this would’ve happened. Never would have guessed that Pinkie didn’t want to date her anymore.

She’d promised that she wasn’t dating her just to make her happy, but that must’ve been a lie. If this was what love was, Twilight wanted no part in it.

Twilight steeled herself as she stood, her legs weak and shaking. She walked over to her desk, where books on magical theory were already strewn about. One book in particular caught her attention… The one Pinkie had written herself about the sweetest things in the world. Bitter tears streamed down her face, and she threw the book as hard as she could across the room, where it hit the wall with a smack. She gritted her teeth and wiped her eyes with a foreleg before dropping down into her chair. Her gaze shifted to the rest of the books in front of her.

She hadn’t studied enough lately, due to Pinkie’s inclusion in her day and her nightmares by evening. But now, she didn’t have anything to hold her back. Princess Celestia would be proud of her if she could get this done; if she could get a report or two to her today.

So, it was with conviction that she opened a book and stared at its pages. She read through it, her eyes glassy and following the lines of words with little understanding. It kept the nagging thoughts in her mind at bay. It gave her the peace she craved since she was a filly—the peace she hadn’t had since before she met Pinkie.

“…Hey, Twilight?”

Twilight sat there, unmoving. She ignored the voice, not trusting herself to respond.

“It’s me, Spike. I… I heard some of what happened.”

Twilight felt something wet streak down her cheeks yet again, but she said nothing. Her shoulders lifted and dropped of their own accord, her stomach sinking at the reminder.

Then, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight! What the hay’s happened to you?!”

Rainbow Dash. Twilight didn’t look up from her book, but that didn’t last long. Rainbow reached for Twilight’s other shoulder and turned her roughly toward her. Her big pink-red eyes were full of worry and care.

The unicorn shrugged her off and turned back to her book. “I’m busy, Rainbow Dash.” Her voice was weak and strangled, and she hated that she sounded that way.

Rainbow shoved the books off of the desk, causing them to clatter to the floor on the opposite side. Twilight glared at the pegasus harshly.

“Then make time.” Rainbow’s gaze hardened as she spoke, her tail swishing aggressively behind her. Spike walked over, unsure about the situation.

Hot, angry tears pricked at Twilight’s eyes now, but her stare was unwavering. “Why? Why does it even matter…?” she murmured. She looked away from Rainbow Dash, her eyes landing on the book Pinkie had written for her. When she’d thrown it, it’d landed face down, the pages crinkling from the position.

Twilight finally found it in her to speak up. “…Pinkie broke up with me.”

Rainbow Dash’s hooves fell away, and her eyes glazed over. “What? Why?”

“She said we couldn’t work. That… it wasn’t meant to be.” She shifted in her seat. Hearing the words coming out of her own mouth made it seem more real, and it was all she could do to keep from bursting out into tears. “…I was a fool to think otherwise. I should’ve stuck with my gut; she was only doing it to make me happy.”

Rainbow didn’t say anything, but her hooves were shaking. Twilight couldn’t see her face, but rage seemed to emanate from the pegasus. “How could she do that…? You both looked so… so… happy. I can’t believe this. I swear, I’m gonna—“

Twilight felt a draft hit her before she knew Rainbow had taken flight. When she looked up, all she saw was a rainbow trail where her friend once was.

Spike stepped closer. “…Twilight.” She made no attempt to respond, but he didn’t care. The dragon hopped up onto her lap and wrapped his claws around her.

“I’m sorry this happened to you…” he said quietly. “I never would have guessed it.”

Somehow, this brought a second round of tears to her eyes. Her chest felt hollow, but warmth spread through her body. Spike cared. He always would.

Twilight wrapped her forelegs around him and hugged him tightly, just as she did when she was younger and the other kids were picking on her, and cried into his scales. He was neither cold nor warm, but it was comforting nonetheless.

She didn’t know how long she sat there.

---

Pinkie had left Sweet Apple Acres a few minutes ago, and was content with walking down the path alone. She took her time, just thinking. The last time she’d been here she had wanted to recover the Smarty Pants doll for Twilight, and the thought made her sad.

She wasn’t sure where she was going or what she wanted to do, but that was enough. Pinkie had no idea who to believe: Princess Celestia’s words, Twilight’s prowess, or Big Mac’s reliability. Too many things were going through her mind at once; and all left her with varying levels of regret and the want to never be in Ponyville again.

It came as a surprise when something crashed into her and knocked her to the ground. The other pony stood over her, anger and hurt in her eyes.

“Pinkie! How could you?!”

Pinkie winced. Rainbow Dash’s words lashed out at her, pouring salt into the already life-lasting wounds. She didn’t say anything—couldn’t. She didn’t even know how Rainbow had figured out what had happened.

“I can’t believe you! I thought—I thought you two had something special. I thought you loved her!”

“What’re you talking about?” Pinkie said, her words betraying her guilty conscience. “How did you know?”

“That doesn’t matter!” Rainbow Dash continued to glare down at her friend, scorching her in her heated gaze. “You told her you loved her! She’s a complete wreck right now, I hope you know that. And—and… UGH! I can’t even look at you I’m so mad!”

The pegasus stepped away from Pinkie, her muscles tense and her body shaking. Pinkie stood up.

“She’s… a complete wreck?” She could barely find the strength in her to speak up against her angry, could-kill-a-pony friend. Rainbow tossed her head.

“Yes! You’d better explain yourself. I’ve never seen her more depressed!”

Another knife stabbed through Pinkie’s heart. She wanted nothing more than to be next to Twilight, to comfort her, to brush her mane as she cried, and to apologize through every minute of it…

“So? Why the hay did you break up with her?” Rainbow asked again, and Pinkie realized she wouldn’t be able to change the subject or get away from her. She let her head hang.

“I can’t tell you, Dashie.”

Pinkie felt the heat of Rainbow’s glare on her, just barely stopping short of sending her to Tartarus. Dash stomped a hoof into the ground.

“Well, I’m not gonna let you go anywhere until you tell me,” she said stubbornly. “You’re lucky I didn’t tell the other girls about this… but if you don’t tell me why you broke up with her, then I’m going to have to assume the worst.”

Pinkie sighed. “…Fine…”

So, she explained. She told Rainbow Dash everything she had told Big Mac; her feelings, Princess Celestia’s words, Twilight's shock…

Rainbow Dash was animated throughout her explanation. She was angry throughout most of it, but her expression softened a bit toward the end.

“She’s having nightmares?” Rainbow shook her head before sitting back on her flank. “…I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions, Pinkie. But still… Big Mac’s right; you shouldn’t have done that.”

Pinkie’s lower lip quivered. “But Dashie… I don’t know what to do.”

“Yeah, well, I know what you’re going to do. You’re gonna go to Twilight’s place right now, apologize, and make things right again. Besides, didn’t she have the nightmares before you got together?”

Something clicked. Pinkie’s mind zoomed back to the day she’d asked Twilight out, and when she’d admitted to having nightmares. Rainbow Dash was right—she’d had them before they got together. That had to mean something, right? Maybe Princess Celestia really was pulling her leg—maybe there was nothing to worry about!

Pinkie felt excitement course through her. Maybe—maybe she didn’t have to forget about ever seeing Twilight again or ever kissing her or never getting to hold her, like Big Mac had said. But still, trepidation followed the initial enthusiasm.

“Does she hate me now? If I apologized… would she kick me out and never want to see me again?”

She couldn’t even imagine how Twilight must have been looking right now, or how she must have been feeling. Pinkie swallowed thickly.

“She’s only really sad right now. I’m sure if you explained, she'd forgive you. That’s what friends—and marefriends, I guess—do, right?”

Rainbow Dash gave her a smile, which soon dipped down into a frown. “I still haven’t completely forgiven you for hurting Twilight like that, though. Next time, think a little more before acting.”

Pinkie nodded, sure she would be able to hold that promise. She never, ever wanted to go through this again—and she was positive she’d learned her lesson. If Twilight forgave her, she wouldn’t pull something like this if her own life depended on it. Unless Twilight’s life was on the line, but that was a different story.

It was a short walk back into town, now that she knew where she was going. She didn’t waste any time either, focused completely on the task ahead. Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything on the way.

Pinkie took a deep breath as she stood in front of the library. Her legs were shaking, and suddenly this didn’t seem like a good idea. She remembered the blank look on Twilight’s face, and she could vividly imagine how hurt her expression must’ve been at this point.

“Go on,” Rainbow Dash urged lightly. When Pinkie couldn’t force her hoof up, the pegasus opened the door for her. Inside, Spike was picking up the books Rainbow had knocked off earlier, his face tight.

He looked up when he heard the door open and he glared. “Pinkie! What’re you doing here?! And why did you bring her here, Rainbow Dash?!”

The dragon fumed angrily, his eyes darting from the two ponies. Pinkie had never seen him so livid before.

“Calm down, Spike. Pinkie needs to talk with Twilight.” Rainbow Dash walked inside, looking around. “Where is she?”

“Uh-uh,” Spike shook his head. “I don’t care what you guys want, you can’t come in right now. I just got her to get into bed, and I don’t want to see her cry again.”

“Please, Spike, I’ll explain everything to you later. I just—I need to see her.” Pinkie trotted inside, headed toward the staircase. Spike barred her path just before she took the first step.

“No, Pinkie. I got you two together because I thought it’d make Twi happy, and I thought you both were! Why would you tell somepony you love them if you don’t?”

“I didn’t lie!” Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, her voice cracking. Spike glared at her for a long while before he finally looked away. He sighed.

“Whatever. But if you make Twilight cry again, Pinkie…” Spike gave her a hard look before stepping away. Pinkie smiled at him.

“Thanks, Spikey. I won’t.” Pinkie walked past him and up the stairs, where she was met with the door to Twilight’s bedroom. Pinkie pressed an ear against it, and for a moment all she could hear was her own heavy breathing and the beating of her heart.

When no other sound could be heard, Pinkie pushed the door open and stepped inside. She moved on the tips of her hooves, making sure not to make a sound. Her eyes landed on Twilight’s bed at once. A lump was just underneath the cover, and it was shaking.

Pinkie chewed her lip before stepping a little closer. Now she could see a horn jutting out from the blanket—unmistakably Twilight’s. She swallowed before finally finding the courage to speak up.

“…Twilight?”

A purple ear perked up. One of those adorable ears that could only belong to Twilight.

Then, Twilight sat up and turned around so she was facing Pinkie. The unicorn looked bad. Her appearance couldn't even be described as terrible, it was that bad. Her mane was disheveled, her fur roughed up, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked nothing like the Twilight Pinkie had come to know, and it hurt to see her this way.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice was hoarse and strained.

“I’m… I’m here to apologize,” Pinkie said as she pressed her trembling hooves into her chest. She swallowed again.

“For what? Telling the truth? You were right; I don’t know what I was thinking. Obviously we’re too different to stay together. Now if you’ll excuse me, I was busy doing… doing whatever it is I was doing before you came in.”

Pinkie jumped up when her heart had. “No, no, no—Twilight, that wasn’t the truth! I was lying; I really really didn’t want to say all that stuff. It was just that Princess Celestia told me that your nightmares would never go away if I didn’t stop seeing you, and then I didn’t want to see you get so worked up like that one time…”

Twilight’s expression hadn’t changed the slightest. “And why would Princess Celestia say something like that? Why should I trust you after all that?”

“Because… Because…” Pinkie twiddled with her hooves, unable to maintain eye contact with Twilight. The unicorn sniffled, but anger still filled her to the brim. Pinkie took a deep breath before forcing her eyes to meet Twilight’s.

“Because it’s the truth. I Pinkie promise you—a thousand times. I really, truly am sorry for hurting you, and I never want to do that again. I just—I didn’t… I’m no good at decisions, or thinking straight. Princess Celestia told me that stuff, and all I could think about was how scared you were before, and I couldn’t think past it.”

She scuffed her hoof against the ground. Twilight spoke so quietly she might not have heard if the situation had been any different.

“Do you… Do you still love me?”

Pinkie nodded several times, her mane bouncing with her head. “Yes, yes, I really do!”

“Really?” Pinkie took another step toward Twilight, nodding a little slower.

“Yes, I promise.”

Twilight bit her lip, chewing it in that thoughtful way Pinkie had come to love. “How much?”

Pinkie leaned forward, resting her forehead against Twilight’s. “More than anything.”

Twin tears rolled down Twilight’s face, and Pinkie lifted her head to kiss them away. She heard Twilight sniffle again.

“I was so scared… I thought… I thought you didn’t like me anymore. That you really had lied to me that day.” Pinkie pressed her lips against Twilight’s lightly, for a brief second. When she pulled away, she sniffled herself.

“I’m sorry…”

“I thought I was a terrible pony…” she whispered. Pinkie kissed Twilight again, her hoof reaching up to caress Twilight’s cheek. She pulled away shortly.

“You’re a wonderful pony.” Twilight bit her lip in that adorably frustrating way again, and Pinkie couldn’t keep herself from claiming them once more. The unicorn pressed back this time.

When they parted, Pinkie pressed her lips against Twilight’s cheek, opposite of the one her hoof still rested on. “You’re the best pony ever… I hope you can find it in you to forgive me.”

Twilight rested her hoof over Pinkie’s, moving it just to the side so she could kiss it.

“...Of course I can. I love you, you know?” Pinkie slipped her hoof away from Twilight’s and placed it on her shoulder. Again their lips met, but this time Pinkie pushed Twilight down onto the bed.

A couple of long minutes later, Pinkie pulled away. “I love you too. I really mean it.”

Twilight leaned up and lightly kissed the other mare’s nose. “Promise?”

“I promise… Forever and always.”

---

Spike and Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, careful not to alert the two ponies in the bedroom. It was Pinkie’s fault for leaving the door open and not expecting someone to spy on them, after all. It wasn’t like the two peepers were guilty or anything.

“I guess they’ve made up,” Spike whispered to Dash, unable to tear his gaze away from the two kissing ponies. Though he’d stepped away from the door, he still had a clear view.

“Oh, Spike, you have a lot to learn when it comes to this stuff…” Rainbow smacked a hoof against her face before pulling him down the stairs. “They need some privacy. Besides… wasn’t there something we needed to do at Rarity’s?”

No Way!

Pinkie was sure she’d never slept so peacefully in all her life. Usually, she could never get comfortable and was always moving around. But this time, she felt warm and content, to the point that she never wanted to get up again.

She shifted a bit before becoming aware of a weight on her chest. Pinkie opened her eyes blearily, only to be met with the sight of a purple horn. She lowered her gaze some, and almost jumped when she saw Twilight there. The unicorn’s forelegs were wrapped around her midsection tightly, and her chin was resting on Pinkie’s chest.

Pinkie’s entire face turned bright red, and she tried to remember what’d happened. She recalled coming into Twilight’s room to apologize, kissing her a few times, and… Oh… Oh gosh.

She felt feverish as she remembered exactly what had happened. Things had escalated pretty quickly, but the emotions had been tangible. It had meaning—neither had taken advantage of the situation. It just… happened.

What do I do now? If I try to get up, I might wake Twilight, but if I stay here… As if on cue, Twilight buried her muzzle into Pinkie’s fur, making her heart race even more. Pinkie had to refrain from squirming. I’ll totally die. She’s way too cute for her own good…

Pinkie settled on brushing Twilight’s mane with a hoof and watching her sleep. She smiled lightly when Twilight’s breath tickled her fur, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her horn.

That was when Pinkie decided to play a game. She giggled when Twilight shifted in her sleep, muttering something. She blew into the unicorn’s ear, causing it to flick several times. The sleeping pony’s brow furrowed, and she scowled. Pinkie laughed as silently as she could.

“Ugh, stop it, Pinkie…” she grumbled, turning her head to the side so her marefriend couldn’t mess with her ears anymore. A few seconds later, Twilight lifted her head and blinked toward the other pony. “Wait… Pinkie?”

Twilight stared at Pinkie, who only smiled. She wondered why she’d even woken Twilight up in the first place, and she was beginning to wish she hadn’t the longer the silence continued.

The unicorn looked down at the bed they were both laying on, and back up to Pinkie. Twilight was blushing heavily, but a frown was strewn over her muzzle.

“Did we… um… you know…”

Pinkie was having trouble figuring out how Twilight was feeling. Was she still upset with her? Was she disappointed that they’d done something like that? Or could she just be really embarrassed?

Pinkie averted her gaze, feeling warmth spread over her cheeks. Silence settled over the two like a blanket, though it wasn’t the least bit comfortable.

“I’ll… go make us some breakfast,” Pinkie said, jumping out of bed and making her way out of the room. When she’d disappeared from sight, Twilight sank down into the sheets.

I can’t believe it… I don’t even remember what happened last night. After that much crying, I doubt anyone could. After a few more minutes, Twilight finally pushed herself up. She made a beeline for the restroom to wash up, not eager to continue her awkward conversation with Pinkie. Maybe she’d take a shower while she was at it.

Downstairs, Pinkie had pulled out pancake mix and a bowl. She poured in water and stirred. As she did so, her mind wandered.

I hope she doesn’t hate me… She looked so nervous. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so rash. I mean, she wasn’t feeling very well after all the things I said. She probably thinks I took advantage of her, or that I’m a bad pony…

Pinkie’s shoulders fell slightly at the thought. I wonder what she’s doing now. Her ears perked at the sound of a shower turning on, a silent answer to her question. She looked back down at the pancake mix in her hooves for a few seconds before pouring it into a pan.

Remember what Twilight always says, Pinkie. “Don’t let your imagination run wild.” Yeah. We made up yesterday; there’s nothing to worry about…

It didn’t take long for Pinkie to finish up, and she trotted over to place the plates on the table. As she walked over to the fridge to pour the two of them something to drink, she accidentally stepped on what felt like a book. This led to her slipping and landing on her flank, sending the apparent book flying into the opposite wall. She was just glad she wasn’t still holding any dishes.

“Ow…” Pinkie grumbled as she rubbed the spot she’d landed on. “What the heck was that, anyway?” The baker stood up and dusted herself off before setting off to find whatever she’d stepped on. Twilight would appreciate it if she put the book back where it belonged.

However, when Pinkie found the object that’d caused her slip up, she could only stare at it in astonishment. “Is this…?”

She lifted the book up from the ground and stared at its cover. Indeed, it was her very own, hoof-written (with the help of Gummy) book: Every Sweet in the History of Equestria. Unlike the last time she’d seen its pages, the book looked a lot more worn. Not the type of worn where it looked like it’d been read thoroughly; rather, it looked as if it’d been thrown around without much care. Its pages were crumpled.

At first Pinkie had assumed it was her fault for having sent it flying across the room, but it soon became clear to even her that this was not her doing. After all, the book was laying on the ground when she’d slipped on it.

Pinkie’s mind hadn’t registered the fact that the shower had been cut off and that Twilight, now fresh and alert, was trotting down the staircase.

“Did you make pancakes? They smell really good,” she said as she walked over. When Pinkie made no attempt to respond, Twilight moved over toward her. “Pinkie? Is everything alright?”

It was then that she became aware of what Pinkie was holding in her hooves. Her heart dropped at the sight.

“Pinkie… I didn’t mean to do that. It was just that yesterday I wasn’t feeling like myself, and when I saw the book, all I could think about was how upset I was. I didn’t want to be reminded of… well… you.”

These words didn’t seem to make it better, though Pinkie appreciated her honesty. Twilight nuzzled Pinkie’s cheek lightly. “I’m sorry.”

Pinkie let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been keeping in. She turned toward Twilight and gave her a hug. “No, I should be saying that. It’s my fault.”

“About that…” Twilight began as she returned the embrace. “I think we need to have a serious chat. I want to know what was going through your head yesterday. You know, to figure some things out.”

Pinkie’s heart started beating faster of its own accord. She pulled away from Twilight. “I understand. But do you think it could wait until we eat our breakfast? Wouldn’t want it to get cold, after all…”

Twilight nodded her agreement, and the two made their way to the table. The pancakes had cooled down considerably, but they still tasted delicious. Twilight wondered where Spike had gone off to, but decided that wasn’t very important. On the other side of the table, Pinkie tried to guess what Twilight was going to ask her about. Their conversation had nothing to do with their inner thoughts, however, and mostly consisted of how great their meal was.

As much as one might have wanted it to last, it didn’t. The dishes were soon placed into the sink to be cleaned later and the two ponies returned to their seats. It felt way too formal for Pinkie’s liking, but that was just how Twilight did things.

“Pinkie.” Twilight had her hooves placed neatly on the table, and Pinkie’s book rested just to the side.
“Twilight,” Pinkie copied. She wasn’t sure what else to say.

“I just wanted to clarify a few things with you. After yesterday, I’m a little confused.” Pinkie watched as Twilight indulged in one of her many nervous habits--gripping her foreleg. “We’re still… together, right?”

Pinkie nodded resolutely. “Yes. If that’s what you want, I mean.” She chewed her lip. “Do you still want to be marefriends?”

Twilight reached her hoof over and rested it over Pinkie’s. “See, this is why we need to talk. We’re both unsure about where we stand in this relationship. But yes, Pinkie, I do still want to be your marefriend.”

“Whew…” As if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Pinkie sat up straighter. “I’m glad. What else did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to ask about Princess Celestia and what she said to you. You mentioned her last night.”

Pinkie looked down at where their hooves touched. “Basically… she was just looking out for you. She told me that if I kept seeing you that your nightmares would continue… I didn’t want that to happen to you, so I decided it’d be better if I broke up with you. It seemed like a good idea at first, but now I know it isn’t. I never, ever want to make you go through that again.” Pinkie slid her hoof out from underneath Twilight’s and put it on top. “What did Princess Luna say to you while you were out?”

“...It was a little strange,” Twilight admitted. “I’m still not sure what she wanted to say. At first she asked if she had gotten better in regular conversation, then she said she considered me a ‘dear friend’ for bringing her back to her senses, and that I could send her a letter if anything went wrong.” The unicorn tapped her free hoof with a chin. “Come to think of it, I think she said she wanted permission for something, but she never said anything more about it.”

Pinkie’s expression grew more serious. “Was she… you know, acting nervous at all? Any spacing out…? Did she stutter any?”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure I understand why that’d be important at all.”

“Come on, Twi, it is important.” Pinkie pressed her hoof down on Twilight’s a little harder. She was acting a lot more solemn than usual, so Twilight decided to go ahead and answer her questions.

“Let’s see… She did seem a little nervous to me. Like, she couldn’t stay on one topic for too long before going onto another. She spoke a little fast, and her posture was off. There wasn’t any stuttering though.”

Pinkie mulled this over. Sirens were already going off in her mind, and she unconsciously stroked Twilight’s hoof with her own. “I could be wrong, and I really super duper seriously hope I am… but I think Princess Luna might have a crush on you.”

Pinkie felt Twilight’s hoof jerk away, but she was able to keep it in place. Twilight couldn’t have looked more distressed even if she tried.

“What?! There’s no way that can be true! She’s a princess that’s lived for more than a thousand years, Pinkie!”

“But she’s still a pony, and ponies don’t always fall in love with someone everyone would expect.” The real meaning of Pinkie’s statement was lost on Twilight. Something else seemed to have caught her attention, rather than what was intended.

“When did we start talking about ponies falling in love? Pinkie, that’s ridiculous! Luna would never fall for me of all ponies!”

“Calm down, Twi, I didn’t mean it like that. All I was saying was that I think she might like you. Watch, I can prove it, too.” Pinkie stood up and grabbed parchment and a quill before placing them in front of Twilight.

“What is this for?” Twilight asked suspiciously. Pinkie waved her question off with a hoof.

“Just write exactly what I say.” Twilight levitated the quill and watched Pinkie with an arched brow. The baker leaned casually on the table with one of her forelegs, a conspiring expression on her face. “ ‘Dear Princess Luna… It’s been so long since I last spoke with you! Well, technically only a couple of days, but it feels like so much longer. How have you been? I know you’re busy, but I hope I hear back from you soon. Your good friend, Twilight Sparkle.’ ”

Twilight did as she was told. “Pinkie… What are you planning?”

Pinkie rolled up the parchment before Twilight could get an answer from her. “Now, all we need is a way to send this… Do you think you could, Twi?”

“Anything to prove you wrong. She won’t even respond until nightfall, you’ll see.” Both ponies exchanged confident smirks until Twilight started casting a spell. It wasn’t something she enjoyed doing, as it took a lot of energy considering the distance, but she knew how to do it. It was just easier to have Spike take care of the mail.

It didn’t take long for the letter to disappear from the kitchen table and out the window. Pinkie smiled lightly. “Just wait…”

About a minute passed with nothing, and Twilight was starting to feel victorious. “See, Pinkie? I told you--”

Then, a letter popped into existence, shutting Twilight up on the spot. Pinkie unfurled the parchment and cleared her throat in a conceited manner. Twilight sunk down in her chair.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle, all has been going well for the Night Princess! I was afraid you wouldn’t send for me. Has all been going well for thou? Has something happened? I shall make arrangements to see thou right away if my presence is required. --Luna.”

Pinkie placed the paper down and gave Twilight a look. “See? It’s daytime--when she’s usually fast asleep--and she replied within a couple of minutes. And just look--she’d come right away if you needed her? What’s with that?”

Pinkie looked like she was actually starting to get mad, rather than just proving her point. “Is she trying to make a move on you? She didn’t try to hug you or anything, right? ‘Cause you’re strictly Pinkie Pie huggable only.”

“Relax, Pinkie. She didn’t do anything like that, and I doubt she wants to.” Twilight thought for a second. “I love you, not some other pony. Not even a princess.”

Twilight hugged Pinkie as if to prove her point. The other pony relaxed some and returned the embrace. “I believe you. But think about it… Princess Luna is, at the very least, showing some funny symptoms toward you which could possibly mean she likes you. And then you were having nightmares. About me. The pony you’re dating. Luna came over, wanting to make sure you knew that she would be there for you, almost as if she knew what was about to happen.”

“You can’t really be saying…”

“No, but what if? Wouldn’t it make sense?” Pinkie pulled away from Twilight with a stern look on her face. “I believe in the princesses just as much as the next pony, but this would have to be one heck of a co-ink-i-dink.”

“I doubt the princess would purposefully break us up. I mean, come on. This is almost as bad as that one time you were pointing hooves at all the different bakers for supposedly ruining the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness!”

“I’m tellin’ you, Twi, I’m getting the weirdest feeling from this. It’s not my Pinkie Sense, but it’s like a creepy ghost is sitting on my shoulder or something. You gotta take these things seriously.”

Twilight sighed in defeat. Knowing Pinkie, she’d never stop talking about it until somepony finally did something. At the very least she could hear her out. “What do you propose we do, then?”

Pinkie tapped a hoof against her muzzle. “I dunno. Let’s start by sending a letter saying that you’re not up on the market and…” When Twilight glared at Pinkie, she toned down. “...Maybe you should send her a letter asking her to come to Ponyville, so we can talk civilly about it. That way Doctor Pie will get the for surely sure diagnosis on Princess Luna.”

Twilight frowned lightly. “I don’t see any problem with that, I suppose… As long as you behave.” Pinkie nodded several times, and Twilight pulled out a new sheet of parchment along with a quill. She wrote down a short note asking Princess Luna if she could indeed come to Ponyville for some tea, but made sure to stress that it wasn’t because there was something wrong. After sending it, Twilight started to feel the effects of exerting herself. Sending one letter to Canterlot was difficult enough, but that was the second one of the day. She hoped she wouldn’t have to do so again.

It took even less time for a response to be sent. Princess Luna had replied with a simple “I shall be there shortly.”

Twilight was starting to wonder if this was even a good decision to begin with. “Pinkie, what are we even going to say?”

“Oh, just the usual. We’ll ask about those nightmares some more, look for some very specific-al signs in her speech and behavior, hint toward some stuff and ask some more stuff. Just, you know, stuff.” Pinkie shrugged.

This could go badly, Twilight thought at once. But it was too late to call it off. Already somepony was knocking on the library’s door. Pinkie jumped up to get it, but Twilight pulled her back.

“Let me get the door,” Twilight said, unsmiling. She trotted over to the door as Pinkie took a seat, humming to herself.

When the unicorn opened the door, lo and behold, Princess Luna stood there. She looked awfully winded, as if she’d run a marathon or two.

“Oh… Twilight… Sparkle…” she rasped. “It’s nice… to… see you.” She took a moment to compose herself before straightening up. It looked like she’d come alone. “Doth thou require my assistance? You must have been brief in your letter because someone was holding thou hostage, yes?”

“Er, no, Luna. I really just wanted to have some tea with you, if that’s alright.” Twilight smiled at the older mare, who paused for a moment.

“Ah, of course. I see.” Twilight stepped aside and allowed the Night Princess entry. From over her shoulder, Twilight could see Pinkie watching them carefully.

“The pink one is here as well?” Princess Luna seemed surprised by the turn of events. Pinkie narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, though the princess hadn’t noticed.

“Yup! Why don’t you take a seat, Princess? I think Twilight was just about to make some tea.” The obvious dismissal wasn’t lost on the unicorn, but she went over to the kitchen anyway. Pinkie seemed to just be making small talk with Luna.

Twilight poured three cups of tea and levitated them back to the table. There were two obvious open seats--one next to Pinkie, and one next to Princess Luna. Twilight intended on sitting next to her marefriend, but remembered that Pinkie had wanted to confirm that silly suspicion of hers. So, she sat next to the princess.

Despite having been the one to suggest it, Pinkie still felt a bit jealous that her marefriend was sitting next to what could be a rival. She tried not to think about it. “Princess… The last time you and your older sister were here, it seemed to be really serious. Me and Twilight wanted to ask some more about it.”

Princess Luna’s head dipped slightly. “Indeed?” She cast a cursory glance toward Twilight. The unicorn nodded.

“I see. As Princess of the Night, I understand your concerns and it is my duty to wash them away. Are there any specific questions you have for me?”

She seemed nervous. A thousand years on the moon without any company must’ve made it hard for a pony to hide anything.

Pinkie scooted forward until she was on the edge of her seat. “Yes, I have some. Do you know why Twilight’s having them, and why they’re about me? Do you know how to make them stop? What do you think of Twilight?”

The last question had slipped out unintentionally, but anyone could tell it was the most important of the bunch from the way she emphasized it.

“...Pardon?” Princess Luna smiled anxiously. Twilight tried to motion to Pinkie to cut it out, but the mare was on a roll.

“What do you think of Twilight?” she repeated with a faux sincere smile.

“So that’s what this is about…” Princess Luna lowered her head with a sigh. “I’ll admit, I haven’t been completely honest with you, Sparkle.”

Author's Notes:

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope this new chapter comes as a (pleasant) surprise to all of you. I'm very fond of it, and mostly proud of myself for having written it so soon after updating a different story. Well, this story is drawing to a close. As much as it saddens me to say this, there's only a couple of chapters left. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say. Hope you have a good one!

Dinner with the Cakes and a Nasty Revelation

That was unexpected. Princess Luna had just admitted to not being honest with Twilight? The unicorn blinked before turning her attention to the princess, who avoided her questioning gaze. “You two have overcome your recent… hardship and made up, have you not?”

“Yes, we have,” Twilight said simply, waiting for Luna to continue. She still wasn’t sure how to feel about what was to come.

“That’s good to hear. You see… Your relationship was foretold in the stars. I will be the first to say that I did harbor a certain… fondness… for you, Twilight Sparkle. And that is why I was upset that it was not I that had gained your affections. I came to accept it as time went on, but the two of you did not know of one another’s own feelings, and it seemed like neither of you would do anything about it no matter how much time passed.”

Pinkie’s mind was still stuck on the part where Luna had said she did have feelings for Twilight. She was caught between wanting to say “I told you so!” and being protective of her marefriend, who sat right next to the pony that’d wanted her affections almost as long as she had.

Princess Luna continued. “So… The nightmares… They were of my creation.”

“Aha! I knew it!” Pinkie exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. She sank back down in her chair from the heated look Twilight shot her way.

“Please continue, Princess Luna.” Twilight wasn’t happy either, but she wanted to hear more. After all, the nightmares had been plaguing her day and night, bringing her to tears on more than one occasion. Maybe Luna had a good reason for it, however horrible a thing it is to do.

“It was the only way I could think of to push you into the embrace of your lover. It was also a bit of a… test... to make sure that the object of your affections was deserving of them. And from the looks of things now, it appears that all has worked out and you did not need me in the first place. It was selfish of me.”

Pinkie sulked from her side of the table, but had learned her lesson and didn’t speak up. Twilight looked back at Luna. “I’m honestly very… surprised right now. I’d never have guessed you’d do something like this, Luna. Does this mean that Princess Celestia was in on it as well?”

“No, of course not. She would never have approved of it had she known. My sister did believe the only way to rid you of your nightmares was to separate the two of you, and that is only because she trusts me so completely in this regard—my being the Princess of the Night and all.”

“I see…” Twilight said after a while. She wished she was sitting next to Pinkie at that moment, so she could hold her hoof and will herself to stay strong. “I appreciate that you would go to such lengths for me, Princess… but I think you’ve taken it too far, and I don’t know if I can forgive you for that.”

The older mare’s head dropped. “I understand, Twilight Sparkle. It’d have been foolish of me to believe otherwise. In any case… I truly am glad that you’re happy with your special somepony, and I can promise that I will no longer interfere.”

Luna gave Twilight a sad little smile before standing up and stretching her wings. “I shall take my leave, then. I must get some rest if I am to raise the moon when the time comes.”

Pinkie leaned over the table toward Twilight as Luna trotted to the door. She whispered, “You’re not gonna stop her?”

Twilight stared at her marefriend in surprise. “Why would I? Pinkie, she could have ruined our relationship and for all I know, I could’ve fallen for her instead. I thought you didn’t like that idea either.”

Pinkie shook her head before placing her hoof over Twilight’s—the gesture she’d been wanting earlier. “No, of course I don’t like it. But if it were me in her horseshoes, I would want you to come after me. Even if I knew nothing would come of it. And, you know… I could turn a blind eye if you, um… hug her. Just once.”

Pinkie stared down at the table, and lightly pushed Twilight out of her chair. The unicorn didn’t get the chance to say anything, though she doubted she’d have been able to formulate any sort of response if given the opportunity.

Luna opened the door and spread her wings. Before she was able to get off the ground, however, Twilight had approached her and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Princess Luna.” The alicorn looked back at her, but Twilight avoided her gaze. After a few moments, Twilight finally willed herself to meet the princess’ eyes. “I may not be able to forgive you… but I’d still like you to come to Ponyville the night of Winter Wrap Up. We always have a big party celebrating it.”

The Princess of the Night’s expression lit up like that of the stars she created. “Oh, yes! Of course I will attend. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away from the castle early enough to arrive on time, but I shall be there!”

Luna hugged Twilight, a huge grin on her face. Despite the cheery atmosphere, Luna knew not to push her limits. When Twilight glanced back, she was surprised to see that Pinkie really had averted her gaze.

Not long after, Luna pulled away, said her goodbyes, and flew into the sky. Had she been a few hundred years younger and her heart lighter, she’d have done flips. But if a thousand years banished to the moon taught her anything, it was patience.

Pinkie came up behind Twilight and nuzzled her cheek with her own. “What did you say she could come for? You didn’t ask her out on a date, did you? That would be way more than I would be okay with.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I told her she could come to Ponyville for the annual Winter Wrap Up celebration.”

Pinkie screwed up her face in concentration—the kind that made it look like she was trying to remember something she’d forgotten. Then, her eyes sparkled. “Oh, okay! That sounds good. But back to the more important topic… Was I right, or was I right?”

The unicorn glared, so Pinkie settled down. Twilight sighed. “Okay, fine. You were right. But I don’t think it’s something to be smug about.”

Pinkie placed a kiss on Twilight’s nose. “Yeah, I know. I’m just glad that you were able to forgive me. But we have another issue. Do you remember that thing I asked you about the other day?”

“What thing?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake wanted to meet my very special somepony on Friday, and…” She gulped. “Today’s Friday.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she raced upstairs. Pinkie followed after her, only to find that she was pulling out her personal calendar—every date had several lines of writing on it—and Twilight’s eyes darted across it.

She groaned and slumped forward. “What am I even supposed to wear? Or say? How would I show up and not make myself look like a complete idiot?”

Pinkie Pie trotted over to where Twilight sat and wrapped her hooves around her in an embrace. “It’ll be okay. You don’t need to try super hard, which I know will be hard for you, but trust me. If the Cakes have a problem with you, which I’m almost positive they won’t, then we’ll work it out over ice cream and cupcakes. You don’t have to wear anything special. Just be your cute self; they already know who you are. The fact that we’re dating shouldn’t change how they think of you.”

Twilight sighed, a weary smile on her face. “So much stuff is happening so quickly. I think I need a break.”

The pink mare giggled lightly. “How about me and you ‘take a break’ after we get this out of the way? Listen, I’m gonna head back to Sugarcube Corner to help the Cakes and to get ready… Make sure you’re there on time, alright? I’ll look forward to seeing you.”

Pinkie kissed Twilight briefly before hopping away. From the doorframe, she blew another kiss, and then she was gone.

Twilight frowned more as she thought about how the Cakes would react, and idly she wondered where Spike was and when he was going to be getting home. She had a few hours until she had to start thinking about dinner. Maybe Spike would show up just in time to keep her from going off the deep end. Even though Pinkie’s words could calm a raging fire, it was in Twilight’s nature to be a worry wart.

Still, she could try to get some work in. So, she went back downstairs and tried to read.

---

As it turned out, Twilight wasn’t able to get anything done. She was reading the material, but she wasn’t retaining any of the information. Instead, she was biting at her hooves thinking about the inevitable ending to an already uncertain day. Worse yet, Spike had never shown up, so he wasn’t able to quell her worries. Twilight didn’t have any time to wonder where he’d been, though, as she had more important things cramping her style.

Now, as she stood outside of Sugarcube Corner with nothing but the fur on her back, she couldn’t have been more nervous. Her breathing was shallow and sweat dampened her brow. This was perhaps even worse than the day she’d tried getting into Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. At least then she had some comfort in the form of her parents.

Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and took another, shaky step toward the entrance to Sugarcube Corner. From within she could hear the cheery shouts of both Pound and Pumpkin Cake, who seemed to be out of control (but that was normal).

Finally, Twilight rose a hoof up to knock. After hours, Sugarcube Corner’s entrance was closed and locked, so you couldn’t just walk in. Mr. Cake yelled “Coming!” and Twilight only had enough time to gulp before the door was opened.

Mr. Cake’s brow lowered slightly. “Twilight? Is there something you need? I’m not quite finished with that book I checked out if that’s what this is about, but I should be within the next couple of days.”

Mrs. Cake appeared from behind her husband, sporting both baby ponies in one hoof. “Twilight, dear? Oh, do come in for some dinner! Pinkie invited her coltfriend over, and he should be arriving any minute now!”

Twilight had every intention of correcting the overly enthusiastic mare. But it was in vain. Mrs. Cake pulled her inside while her husband closed the door behind them. Normally, this room was used for clients that wanted to eat within the bakery, but now there was just a single table set up in the center. Hayburgers, fries, salads and fruit—all sorts of things were spread atop a table cloth. Apparently the twins had put up a bit of a struggle, as a bowl had crashed to the floor and caused baby food to splatter.

But that wasn’t what caught Twilight’s attention. Rather, it was the pony who was cleaning it. Pinkie Pie was in the midst of wiping up Pound and Pumpkin Cake’s mess, clad in a frilly apron Twilight was used to seeing on Spike.

Pinkie’s eyes met Twilight’s.

Thankfully, the bashful unicorn didn’t have to formulate a response. Instead, Mrs. Cake spoke.

“Pinkie dear, go clean yourself up. You want to look nice and presentable for when your date gets here, right?”

The mare in question swallowed lightly, but Twilight intervened on her behalf.

“Actually, Mrs. Cake… I’m Pinkie’s special somepony.” Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s eyes popped out of their heads in surprise. The stallion’s mouth dropped, and his wife’s eyes darted between the two ponies. Pound and Pumpkin took the opportunity to get away from their mother, who hadn’t noticed.

Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest. She knew she’d done the right thing in being blunt, but she couldn’t help feeling like she was being burned alive. She could see it happening clearly—the mean, hateful glares the Cakes were giving her, the engulfing silence that befell them all. Twilight imagined herself resting her neck on a guillotine, preparing for the blade to make its cut.

“That’s great!”

Twilight’s head snapped upward, and she met Mrs. Cake’s excited gaze. The unicorn said, “Really? You’re not angry?”

Mrs. Cake was gathering the kids when her husband responded. “What? Why would we be angry? Haha, Twilight honey, you’re not being serious, are you? Whoever Pinkie decides to date, it’s hardly any business of ours. Besides, you’re a good pony; why wouldn’t we approve?”

Twilight didn’t have the time to register Mr. Cake’s words before Pinkie’s hooves wrapped around her neck, taking her by surprise.

“Yay! Did you hear that, Twily? Oh man, you don’t know how much this means to me, Mr. Cake!” She nuzzled into her marefriend’s neck without restraint. The married couple both smiled fondly before getting the twins into their seats.

“How about we get to that dinner?” Mrs. Cake said jokingly. Both Pinkie and Twilight sat down on one side while the Cakes took their seats opposite them. All the ponies ate and held cheery conversations—most of which consisted of Mrs. Cake’s excited inquiries of the two’s relationship as well as her sharing information about hers. Anytime she said something personal Mr. Cake would grow bashful and steer the conversation elsewhere. All in all, it was a great evening, and the twins were mostly well-behaved.

When their meal was finished, Twilight thanked the bakers for the wonderful meal and made her way to the exit. Pinkie followed after her, grinning.

“Oh, Twi, that was great! Dinner with the Cakes usually isn’t so… so... fun!” The pink pony hopped onto her marefriend’s back and hugged her. “I’m so glad you decided to come!”

Twilight shot a smile back toward the amiable pony, who was now snuggling into her neck. “Me too. It feels nice that they’re okay with it, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Pinkie replied. She smiled against Twilight’s fur. “...Do you mind if I crash at your place?”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

Pinkie thought for a second before giggling. “Not like that, sheesh! Just a sleepover with marshmallows and ghost stories.” Even so, the way that she’d said it and the fact that she’d smiled suggested that she’d planned on Twilight misinterpreting it.

Twilight nudged Pinkie with her nose. "Let's do it! That would be a nice way to relax. And... You know, we wouldn't have to worry about me falling asleep and having nightmares, so we can spend more time together."

Pinkie stuck her tongue out playfully. "I was planning on it."

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. Really, truly sorry. However, there is good news... There's only one chapter left of this story, and I plan on finishing it as soon as I can. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and is looking forward to the next, and final, one. See you guys next time.

Let's Be Twinkies!

Winter Wrap Up was as stressful as it always was. The pegasi lost track of some storm clouds, somepony misplaced the grass seeds, and Pinkie Pie had caused some of the ice patches to spontaneously combust. Accidentally or not, it was a wonder she didn’t burst into flames herself. Not even Pinkie could figure out how that had happened.

But finally, the day had come to a successful end, and winter was wrapped up. Everypony had done their part and were ready to relax. Pinkie Pie was corralling all the tired ponies and trying to get them to Sugarcube Corner, where they could have a good time. Some ponies went home anyway, but most wanted to get their hooves on some of the Apple family’s famous cider Pinkie always seemed to have.

The bearers of the elements were still outside, though.

“Hey, uh, you guys go on ahead of me,” Rainbow Dash said, scratching the back of her head. “I just need to go grab something.”

Rainbow Dash winked in a painfully obvious manner towards Rarity, who nodded. The pegasus took off before anypony could object.

“That was weird!” Pinkie noted with a giggle. Applejack rose an eyebrow.

“I wonder what’s gotten into her,” Fluttershy said, worry clear in her tone. Rarity shrugged, a stretched smile on her face. Spike, from atop Twilight’s back, looked a little nervous too.

“I’m sure there’s no need to fret; she’ll be along soon,” Rarity said. “Why don’t we join the party?”

“Yeah, come on, ponies!” Pinkie exclaimed as she ushered all her friends through the swinging doors. She took extra care to make sure one of her hooves was on Twilight specifically.

Once inside, all the ponies dispersed into the different activities they wanted to take part in. Applejack went over to join the apple cider drinking contest some stallions were hosting, Fluttershy was bombarded by little fillies who wanted to play Pin the Tail on the Pony with her, and Rarity disappeared into the crowd, presumably to gossip. Spike followed after her.

Pinkie reached over as if to hug Twilight, but the unicorn rejected it. “Not now, Pinkie,” she whispered harshly. “There are a lot of other ponies here…”

Pinkie Pie pouted. “Come on, Twi, nopony’s even paying attention… And a hug isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Maybe later, okay? There really are a lot of ponies here. I don’t even recognize some of them…” Twilight squinted at the guests, and recognized some ponies she used to go to class with back in Canterlot. She knew for a fact they didn’t live here in Ponyville. “Pinkie? Seriously, what’s—”

“YOUR NIGHT PRINCESS HAS ARRIVED!”

Luna bounded into Sugarcube Corner with a huge grin, and a few ponies stopped their activities to turn and look. Twilight felt slightly embarrassed about the princess’ overly casual entrance. Luna waved at Twilight, still smiling, before getting pulled into the drinking contest Applejack was taking part in.

She didn’t seem to have any problem with it.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Pinkie asked, nudging Twilight in the side with her muzzle. Twilight shook her head before turning to her marefriend.

“Some of the ponies here aren’t from Ponyville. I think I even saw Shining Armor and Cadence somewhere!”

“You’re just being silly, Twi. I can go get a drink for you, if you’d like—”

“Look! Like I said, they’re right there!” Twilight pointed a hoof straight at her brother and sister-in-law, who happened to be at the snack table. There was no mistaking who they were.

“I invited them over! It isn’t a problem, right?” Pinkie replied, a nervous smile on her face. Twilight was starting to grow suspicious, especially once she saw her own parents at the party. Something weird was going on here.

“...No,” Twilight said carefully. “I’m just a little confused.”

Pinkie smiled nervously before pointing toward Sugarcube Corner’s entrance. “Hey, lookie there, Rainbow Dash just got here!”

Rainbow Dash had just walked through the door, carrying some sort of box atop her back. Rarity was helping her balance it with her magic. Spike was trying to help as well, but appeared to be helping more with morale than anything.

“What is that?” Twilight questioned as she blinked at the two ponies. Pinkie laughed before excusing herself to go help the two ponies, avoiding Twilight’s question entirely.

Pinkie’s acting really weird tonight, Twilight thought as she let her gaze follow the pony in question. Dancing party-goers soon got in the way of her line of sight, however, and she lost track of where her friends were.

However, Twilight did spot Applejack across the room. Now she and Princess Luna were competing to see who could chug the most apple cider in one go, and neither seemed to be letting up. Twilight trotted over to them.

“Hey, Applejack, I was wondering—”Applejack slammed her glass down on the table, where it became clear she had just finished her eleventh round. She smirked, until she looked over at the Princess of the Night’s empty cider tankards—at least thirteen.

“Oh no… Oh no you don’t,” Applejack said, slightly off-balance. Luna only smiled, lifting her next glass. The stallions betting on her cheered, but the earth pony was a force to be reckoned with. Twilight waved her hoof in front of her friend.

“Applejack, can we talk?”

“No, Ah’m busy, Twi,” she replied firmly.

Luna laughed lightly. “Busy getting her flank handed to her! I have lived far longer and have had much more experience in the ways of hard apple cider. I doubt fair Applejack could possibly stand in the way of my crowning championship! Ha, not even you, Twilight Sparkle, could hope to defeat me!”

Princess Luna stuck out her chest in pride. She was completely unfazed by the large amount of alcohol she’d already consumed, whereas Applejack was struggling to lift another glass. Twilight was never one to drink, but who would turn down a challenge? It could be a learning experience… Plus when a pony was that arrogant somepony had to knock them down a notch, even if it was a princess. It wasn't like she had better things to do.

Twilight smirked back. “I’ll take you on, Princess.”

---

Pinkie Pie was glad Twilight hadn’t followed her. This was of the utmost importance; nothing could possibly be more important than keeping Twilight away from doing what she did best—unraveling mysteries and making sense of things.

It was a surprise! It was oh so obvious that Twilight was suspecting something was off, but Pinkie was certain her marefriend hadn’t put it all together yet. Like she told Big Macintosh a while back, not only was this a “we succeeded in wrapping up winter!” party, but it was also a Twinkie party.

And it was very important.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity hefted the box into the kitchen area of Sugarcube Corner, closely followed by the baker herself.

“Is she on to us yet?” Rainbow Dash asked as she slid the rather large box onto the counter. Pinkie Pie opened it up, investigating its contents.

“Nopey-dope, she’s still in the party and everything’s just fine!” she chirped. “Just like this cake. Once everything goes according to plan then everypony will definitely want a slice.”

Spike hopped up on Pinkie’s back, peering over her head at the cake. He laughed. “Man, that’s a little cheesy, isn’t it?”

Rarity levitated the baby dragon off of Pinkie and onto her withers, the teensiest of glares evident. “I think it’s just the sweetest thing,” she said. “If the stallion of my dreams did something like this for me, I would surely swoon at the sight!”

“Plus it matches the banner,” Rainbow Dash added with a small laugh.

However, Spike’s comment set in anxiety for Pinkie. She stared at the cake, chewing her lip. “Maybe I should change it? Oh, I didn’t think about the cheesiness, it really is too cheesy, she’s going to hate it, Twi hates cheesy things—they really make her tummy upset and I just didn’t think about that, oh, why am I so stupid?”

Pinkie reached over for a knife, prepared to scrape the icing off and start over. Rarity, thankfully, was able to pull the knife out of her grip with the help of magic.

“No! Dear, it’s perfect the way it is. She’s going to love it! Right, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” she said, uninterested. When Rarity hardened her look, the pegasus jumped. “I mean, yes! Rarity’s one hundred percent correct-o! Twilight likes cheesy romantic stuff; I’ve seen her personal book collection, trust me.”

Pinkie Pie plopped down on the floor, her shoulders sagging and her heart trying to run away. She reached into her mane and pulled out a small black box.

“I’m just a little nervous… What if she says no? I can’t giggle at the ghosties to get rid of my fear this time…”

Spike chewed on his lip. “Pinkie, I’ve known Twilight ever since I was a hatchling, and I can say one thing with absolute certainty: she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her, now that she’s found you.”

Pinkie blushed lightly at this, and glanced down at the box she was twiddling with her hooves. Rainbow Dash trotted forward and placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.

“Pinks, you may have screwed up a couple of times, but I’m sure she’ll accept. She has no reason not to! You’re the best thing for her.”

Pinkie mulled this over before sticking the box back in her mane. She took a deep breath and stood back up.

“I’m gonna do it now, Auntie Pinkie Pie is gonna tie the knot! Would you guys mind, um, taking care of the… you know, that stuff we discussed beforehoof?”

Rarity smiled. “Of course, darling. Go get your mare!”

The unicorn shooed the pink pony back out into the party, allowing the three of them to finish all the preparations. Pinkie Pie started to look all around the crowded party for her love, but there were far too many ponies blocking her view. Her anxiety peaked—there really were so many ponies here! This was by far the most ponies she’d ever seen occupy Sugarcube Corner. She’d taken care to invite every single pony she thought Twilight would want there… and then the ponies Pinkie wanted.

But there were way too many ponies here. She couldn’t even see the mare she loved, for ponies’ sake!

Pinkie looked around for a familiar face, and, thankfully, laid eyes on Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief and slinked her way over to her good friend.

The earth pony chirped, “Hey, Flutters! Have you seen Twily anywhere?”

Fluttershy jumped at suddenly being addressed—she’d been trying her best to disappear into the wall once all these ponies started showing up. She was not one for parties with so many other ponies.

The pegasus pony swallowed before nodding once. Pinkie Pie grinned.

“Oh, you did? Where? I really really super dee-duper need to talk to her! It’s really important.” Fluttershy lifted a hoof up and pointed over to the center of Sugarcube Corner, now revealed to Pinkie Pie, where several tables had been pushed together to make room for two ponies apparently in a heated drinking contest.

Unfortunately for Pinkie, one of these two mares happened to be the pony she was looking for. Even more unfortunately, the other pony happened to be one she didn’t trust completely... One who had feelings for her marefriend.

Glasses upon glasses were strewn over these tables, and an apparently drunk and passed out Applejack lay in the center of the tables. A lot of the ponies at the party were placing bets on who they thought would win, and there was some loud cheering. Pinkie didn’t know why she didn’t hear it sooner.

Pinkie Pie made her way toward all the commotion and was able to hear some more of what her marefriend and her competitor were saying:

“Ah’ll beat shoo,” Twilight swayed slightly, a red tint to her cheeks, “Woona, I… I will win!”

“O-oh no you shall not!” Luna declared, “I will sooner defeat youuu than… than… I will rule the night!” A satisfied princess took another glass and downed it easily.

Pinkie was all for fun and games, but this was a bit much. She placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder when she was within reach.

“Hey, Twilight, what’re you doing?”

“I’m… I’m beatin’ Loony, s-showin’ her who’s boss.”

Pinkie couldn’t help noticing how cute Twilight looked when she was drunk and determined. But there was something that needed doing…

“Come on, Twi, you hate hard apple cider.” Pinkie tugged on Twilight’s hoof, trying to pull her away from the festivities. Princess Luna cackled.

“Victory… shall be… mine!” Then she fell over without any more resistance, falling asleep within seconds. All the other ponies went back to their business, placing more bets on the next two ponies to compete, and Pinkie was able to get Twilight away from all the alcohol.

“I… I won, riiiight?” Twilight said, leaning on Pinkie for support. Instead of waiting for a reply, Twilight pressed her muzzle into Pinkie’s neck and started kissing it.

Pinkie blushed really hard at this, but she started walking faster. “Twily, not in front of everypony, I thought you didn’t want to?”

“C-c’mere, you,” Twilight said as she leaned up and started to nibble on Pinkie’s ear. Pinkie Pie gasped at the sensation, before remembering they were in a room full of other ponies and none of them knew they were even in a relationship. Oh, and Twilight was drunk, she couldn’t forget that!

Pinkie grabbed onto Twilight and dashed upstairs, away from all the other ponies. Ponies sober up when they take cold showers, right? Maybe I can… um, get her to do that and then she’d be okay enough to continue with the plan? Maybe?

Unsure, Pinkie guided Twilight to Sugarcube Corner’s bathroom and got her into the tub. Twilight was grinning.

“Wanna shower with me?” she said, prompting Pinkie to blush even more. It reminded her of that time she walked in on Twilight, with her hair plastered onto her neck, her fur all wet…

Pinkie shook her head. Maybe when she says yes.

“No, I just need you to hold still, okay?” Pinkie reached over and turned the knob, causing water to crash down on Twilight. The water was icy.

Twilight hated cold showers.

“Ack!” The unicorn attempted an escape, but only ended up slipping and collapsing in the tub. Pinkie helped her back up, but was trying her best not to stare. After she was certain Twilight wouldn't fall again, she pulled the curtain to a close and turned away, as if keeping watch.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Not at all, I feel sick...”

“...What about now?”

“Nope.”

“Yay or nay?”

“Nay.”

Pinkie sighed before pushing the curtain away. A still very drunk Twilight sat there, smiling at her. “This isn’t helping at all…” She turned the knob off and gave Twilight a towel. “Okay, you stay here, I’ll be right back, okay?”

Pinkie raced out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and finally back into the kitchen. Spike and Rarity were fixing plates and utensils.

“Can you help me, Rarity? Is there a way to sober a pony up really fast?” Pinkie’s eyes were showing desperation now; if Twilight wasn’t sober, she couldn’t propose, and if she couldn’t propose now, then the party was a bust, and if the party was a bust, she’d never get another opportunity to propose again, and if she never got another opportunity, then Twilight would surely leave her and never come back!

Rarity’s eyebrows came down sharply. “Why ever would you need to know that?”

“It’s Twilight, she was drinking a lot of hard apple cider and she can barely walk straight…”

Spike’s jaw dropped. “Twilight drinks?”

Neither pony paid him any mind. Instead, Rarity frowned deeply. “This is a problem… I may have a spell that can be of use...? Where is she?”

The baker smiled and gave Rarity a big hug. “Oh, thank you thank you thank you! She’s upstairs in the bathroom right now. If you can bring her around, I would be so grateful, Rarity!”

“Yes, well, that’s what I’m here for. Spike, would you be a dear and continue on without me? I’m certain I’ll be returning shortly.”

Spike saluted before grabbing some more plates from the cupboards. Pinkie then led Rarity up the stairs and back into the restroom, where Twilight was now rummaging through the medicine. Pinkie was quick to pull her away from the cabinet and close the door. Twilight was just giggling.

Rarity grimaced. “She really seems out of it.”

“Um, yeah, she was competing with Princess Luna over who could drink more cider…”

Rarity shook her head and stepped closer. She then prepared a spell, her horn lighting up. Pinkie kept Twilight still as Rarity neared. Without wasting any time Rarity cast the spell—blue magic laced around Twilight, and then a bright light was cast. When the light dimmed, Twilight was laying on the floor.

“Is she okay?” Pinkie asked at once, nuzzling behind her marefriend’s ear.

“Yes, I’ve been the subject of this spell a few times myself. Just give it a moment and she should come around, good as new.”

True to Rarity’s word, Twilight soon began to rouse. Immediately, she raised a hoof to her forehead and groaned.

“Ugh… My head…”

“Twily!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hugging her marefriend tightly.

“Take it easy, Pinkie.” Twilight hugged her back. Rarity smiled and slinked out of the room, intent on heading back and helping Spike.

“Oh, I’m so happy you’re back to normal! You’re so goofy when you’ve drank-slash-drunk-slash-been drinking too much apple cider, it makes me feel like I’m a normal pony!”

Twilight met Pinkie’s gaze. “I was drunk?”

Her marefriend nodded exuberantly and said, “Very, very, super—”

Suddenly, a small black box plopped out of Pinkie’s mane and landed on the floor. Pinkie froze for a moment, petrified. Her excited nodding must have launched it! Twilight was just staring at it, to make matters worse.

Pinkie dived on top of the box, her face aflame. She smiled awkwardly and avoided Twilight’s questioning stare.

“Um, you ever been to Green Jewel’s sh—I mean, er, Bon Bon’s One Stop Sweet Shop? Yeah, she sells ring pops—um, no, I mean… Ugh…” Pinkie buried her muzzle underneath her hooves, her cheeks bright red. She was so stupid! Twilight wasn’t going to believe her no matter what she said, there was no mistaking that container once it landed on the floor.

Stupid, stupid, stupid… I ruined it, blew it, it’s not gonna be special or anything. She’s gonna say no because I’m a ditzy mare who ruins everything and she’s probably trying to figure out how to get out of here as swiftly as possible and then she’ll tell me that she can’t possibly date a failure like me and then she’ll move back to Canterlot to make sure I don’t end up doing something stupid again…

“Pinkie?”

Oh no, here it comes, I’m so done for—

“...Was that what I thought it was?”

Pinkie Pie swallowed, lifting one of the hooves off of her face. She looked up at Twilight, who appeared to be rather straight-faced. She ruined the perfect moment, so all that was left now was to finish the job…

She sighed before standing back up, and gently picking the box up between her hooves. She opened it, and then grabbed hold of one of Twilight’s hooves.

“Twilight, this isn’t anything like I imagined it would be… I really wanted it to be a big thing with a bunch of ponies and streamers and banners and cake, but I think it’s the right time for me to go through with this. I love you so so so much, I could never—not ever!—find the words to describe it. There are so many reasons why I love you, and over these past few months, I’ve made sure to tell you a lot of them. We’ve known each other for years now and I really don’t think I could see myself with anypony else! My heart belongs to you and you alone, forever and ever! I Pinkie swear. So, would you make me the happiest mare in all of Equestria, and accept my proposal? I really do want to marry you with all my heart. Can we stay together and make a Twinkie?”

Twilight stared for a moment, then two. Pinkie was starting to feel the throbbing pain of rejection from deep within her heart, but maintained her hopeful smile and bright eyes. Twilight let her hoof slip from Pinkie’s.

Then, she reached around and pulled Pinkie Pie into a hug. “Pinkie, you know me better than that… It didn’t need to be perfect. I’m a pony who can appreciate a good plan, but I’m also the first pony to understand when they go wrong…”

She held her tighter, almost painfully so. “I would love to make a Twinkie.”

Pinkie Pie returned the embrace at once, her strength far greater than Twilight’s. She even lifted Twilight off the ground. “I can’t believe this, this can’t be happening, I have to be dreaming like all those times before, Twily can’t possibly have said yes after all of what just happened, oh my—”

Twilight pulled back slightly and kissed Pinkie, abruptly shutting her up.

“I would have said yes if you asked me months ago with only a ring pop.”

The two ponies shared another, longer kiss, filled with more emotion. After a few minutes, Pinkie Pie finally pulled away, and picked up the bracelet from within the box. She attached it to Twilight’s hoof—a universal sign of her new engagement status.

“I got a matching one, too,” Pinkie murmured, as she pulled out a second bracelet out of the same box. This one was laced with purple, while the other on Twilight’s hoof had traces of pink. Pinkie Pie attached it to her own hoof and, overwhelmed with happiness, kissed her fiancée.

“Are we going to tell all those ponies down there?”

“Of course! As long as you want to, Twily,” Pinkie nuzzled into Twilight’s side, and, suddenly, there was nothing Twilight could have been afraid of. It was liberating—while once she might have cowered at the thought of publically admitting her relationship with Pinkie, now, she felt no such restrictions. She could have climbed mountains and fought manticores with the way she was feeling right now.

And, well, there were probably many scientific reasons for that. But the only thing that could have possibly explained it?

Love.

Author's Notes:

And that's it, this story is now completed. It really wasn't intended to take so long when I initially started it about a year and a half ago, but a lot of things have happened since then, and all I can do at this point is apologize for it. I honestly think that I've improved along the course of this story, and have grown as an author. I really do hope that all of you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you very much for sticking with me for the duration of this story and for being patient with me along the way.