Burned Gingerbread and Fresh Pie

Chapters

"1" The Fire
"2" Do I Stay or Do I Go
"3" The Job
"4" Tears
"5" Grand Opening
"6" Epilogue

"1" The Fire

Several people watched as the building burned to the ground. The weather team had pulled every raincloud they could spare, and the firefighters had fought, but in the end, there was nothing to be done. Tears streamed down the face of a middle-aged woman, as her husband held her close and stroked her pink hair.

Beside them, a pink-haired girl kept the couple's sleeping twins close, her arms holding them protectively. Her blue eyes never left the fire. She never flinched. Even as the fire crackled and popped and the house collapsed in on itself. Long after most of the crowd had gone, the five of them stood there.

Eventually, the five other girls who had stayed led them away, to the towns library. The couple took the twins from the girl, who looked ready to collapse herself. A young, dark skinned boy hastily brought out a teapot and cups for everyone.

"Thank you, Spike," Mrs. Cake said.

"Not a problem, Mrs. Cake." He gave her a forced smile as he placed the tea set on the table. "I…uh…I'm sorry." He ran his hand through his hair nervously before scurrying away.

The room was silent again, once the boy left. No one knew what to say to the couple that would really be of use.

The sudden, quiet sobbing of the girl pulled the room into action once more. Her hands covered her face as she cried. Mrs. Cake wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her close. "Shh…it's all going to be okay, Pinkie dear." Pinkie buried her face into Mrs. Cake's neck as the sobs came harder. "We'll be okay. Mr. Cake and I will find someplace for us to go, and we will get the shop open again. We're alive, and that's all that matters."

After a few moments, Pinkie calmed down and pulled away. Wiping at her red eyes, she shook her head. "I left Gummy. I couldn't find him, and…" she swallowed, shaking her head again. "I promised I'd take care of him, and I just left him." Ignoring the "Oh, Pinkie's," she looked up, her eyes resting on a slender girl with long, flowing light pink hair. "I'm so sorry, Fluttershy."

"No, no, it isn't your fault," Fluttershy said, her soft voice carrying over the reassurance of the others.

A woman with purple hair curled into perfect spirals stood and walked over to Pinkie, taking one of her hands. "If you think, even for just a moment, that saving the twins and warning Mrs. Cake and Mr. Cake of the fire wasn't more than fantastic, then you are wrong."

Pinkie pulled her hands back, squeezing her eyes shut. "No. I caused the fire. It's all my fault." She looked up, eyes full of tears again. "I was baking and I guess I fell asleep and then I woke up and half the kitchen was on fire, and the whole lobby, and I just…" Again, she shook her head, hiding her face in her hands. The whole room looked around worriedly; Pinkie had never behaved this way.

"Pinkie," Mr. Cake said, leaning around Mrs. Cake and gently pulling Pinkie's hands from her face. "Listen to me. It wasn't your fault. It was probably just a freak accident. The smoke from the baked goods would have warned you, had it been them." Pinkie didn't respond, instead folding her arms across her stomach and laid her head on Mrs. Cake's shoulder.

"Well, what d'y'all think you're gonna do now?" A blonde girl asked. She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "We have lots o'room at the farm. You're more than welcome to it."

Mr. Cake smiled. "Thanks, Apple Jack. I really appreciate it."

A cough from a girl with short cut rainbow colored hair drew the room's attention. "Uh…I still have some of my old baby stuff." Her dark colored cheeks tinged red. "I'm sure it would work for the twins." A pair of blue ethereal wings appeared as she walked toward the door. "I'll be right back with them."

"Thank you, Rainbow," Mrs. Cake called after her.

"Actually, I think I have some of Belle's old things. I was going to reinvent them for her dolls, but I think the twins will get more use out of them. Will you come with me, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked. The two girls walked out the door.

Applejack rubbed her hands together nervously. "Now, I only got the one extra room, so it might be a tight squeeze. We still have the old crib, all of us Apple kids used it. The twins can sit real comfortable in it. I could maybe put Apple Bloom in with Granny, and then Pinkie can sleep with me, and…"

"Oh, where did everyone go?" A girl walked down the stairs, looking around the living room. "I just got the letter off to the Princess." She cast a sad smile to the family on the couch. "I guess I missed a lot."

"They're all off collecting stuff. We're about ready to head off too, just waitin' to tell you." Applejack explained. "I was just trying to figure out where everybody's gonna be sleepin'."

Mrs. Cake frowned. "Yes, about that dear, it sounds like your uprooting the entire house for us."

Jack waved a hand in the air. "Apple Bloom'll be fine with Granny, and I'm sure me an Pinkie can work something out."

Twilight cleared her throat, bringing attention back to her. "Pinkie could just stay here? I mean," she said, turning and smiling at her friend, "if you wanted to."

Pinkie nodded, giving Twilight just a hint of a smile. "Yeah, that sounds fine. Thanks, Twily."

After a short moment of silence, Jack stretched. "Welp, we better get goin'. I'll see you girls tomorrow."

Pinkie hugged each of the twins tightly, and Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake even tighter before they left. Then she walked over and sat on the couch, looking into the fire burning in the hearth.

"Hey," Twilight said, sitting next to Pinkie. "We can just treat it like a sleepover, right? We'll have to share a bed, but I can get another tomorrow if I need to. And we can do fun sleepover stuff like…well, the last sleepover I had was kind of a disaster, but I bet you know plenty of fun sleepover stuff. And tomorrow—"

She stopped when she felt Pinkie's soft hand touch hers. "Don't be so nervous, Twily. The Cakes said everything will be fine so it will." Though the smile was forced, Twilight was happy to see Pinkie was at least trying to stay positive.

"That's the spirit. Come on, let's get some sleep."

"2" Do I Stay or Do I Go

The sun filtered softly though the deep purple curtains. Twilight slowly opened her eyes just enough to let a beam of light in, before groaning. She stretched out her legs, and attempted to move her arms, but something was on one. Confused, she turned her head, blinking a few times before she realized the curly mass of pink beside her was Pinkie's hair.

Twilight pulled her arm from beneath the other girl, feeling the pleasant sting as blood rushed back to her fingertips. She looked at Pinkie for a moment, smiling slightly. Pinkie's mouth was open, with half her face pressed into the pillow. A small line of drool fell onto the pillow, and she snored softly. As carefully as she could, Twilight extracted herself from the bed.

As she stumbled her way to the bathroom, she thanked the Goddess that Pinkie was sleeping well. She knew the other girl didn't get to sleep very quickly after everything that had happened the night before. She doubted anyone had. Her morning routine went along quickly; shower, brush teeth, dry hair, and dress.

It was nearly an hour later when she made it back to her room. Pinkie had taken over the small bed, lying on her stomach in the middle, her arms wrapped around the pillow Twilight had been using. She gave another sad smile. She knew Pinkie loved working at Sugarcube Corner just as much as she loved parties, and Pinkie loved her parties. She also knew Pinkie cared about the Cakes, and what was happening to them. She also knew the Cakes wouldn't stay with Applejack forever. "What's going to happen now," she whispered as she walked from the room.

She was just about to make herself some breakfast when someone knocked on the door. Groaning, she glanced at the clock. The Library had been open for at least two hours, and as such the public could come and go as the pleased. Instead, nearly everybody treated it as Twilight's house, refusing to enter without knocking.

She pulled the door open to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Cake, each holding one of the twins. "Good morning, Twilight. Hope we didn't wake ya?"

Twilight shook her head, moving out of the doorway so the couple could enter. "Not at all. I've been awake."

"Living with Pinkie will do that, I suppose," Mr. Cake said with a chuckle.

She led the family to the couch and sat, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, hasn’t she been awake since seven baking? Or singing? Or something?" Mrs. Cake asked. "She's always up with the sun."

Twilight bit her lip. "No, Pinkie's still asleep, actually. Did you need her? I can wake her up." She stood and started walking toward the stairs leading to her private chambers in the library.

Mrs. Cake sighed. "Yes, we need to talk to her." She threw a worried look to Mr. Cake. "It isn't like her to sleep so late, though."

The door to the bedroom was still open, Pinkie's soft snores floating out into the hallway. Twilight reached out to wake her, but jerked her hand back. Pinkie's hair was pushed away from her face, her eyes were closed and she had a slight smile on her face. Twilight almost didn't want to wake her, knowing how quickly that smile would disappear.

Sighing, she reached out again, putting her hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "Hey," she said, shaking her, "wake up. Pinkie, wake up." Slowly, Pinkie blinked. Then again.

"M-m-morning, Twilight," she managed to say through a yawn. "What time is it?"

Twilight smiled as Pinkie rubbed her face, still trying to wake up properly. "About ten. Umm…the Cakes are downstairs. They want to talk to you."

The contented expression Pinkie had worn while waking fell away immediately, replaced with a frown. "Oh. Okay." She stood, taking a deep breath. The sleeping shorts and tank top Twilight had given her to sleep in didn't quite fit, leaving a gap between the shirt and shorts that revealed a small pudge. "Are you…" Twilight started before thinking better of what she had been about to say. She was going to suggest changing, but thought better of it. "Are you okay, Pinkie?" she asked instead.

Pinkie stopped in the doorway, looking back at her. "I will be. I mean, it won’t take long to get this all lined out, and then everything will be back to normal." Twilight watched as she forced another smile to her face, though it looked more like a grimace.

They quickly made their way to down the stairs. Pinkie stopped for a moment at the foot of the stairs, just looking at the family, before she ran over and threw herself into Mrs. Cake's arms. "Oh, deary." Mrs. Cake, with a surprising amount of ease, scooped Pinkie up and sat her on her lap. Mrs. Cake pulled Pinkie close, wrapping one arm tightly, with the other stroked the girls hair. "Oh, sweetie, it's okay. Everything is fine."

"I-I lost G-Gummy. I d-didn't even look for him," she said, not moving her face from where it was pressed against Mrs. Cake's neck. The hands wrapped around the older woman's back balled into fist wrapping themselves in the fabric of the shirt. "I c-could have asked s-somepony to find him. O-or looked for him myself. B-but I d-didn't." She raised her head, looking directly into Mrs. Cake's eyes. "Gummy died because of me. And we lost the shop because of me. I-I'm sorry!" Her head fell back to the Mrs. Cake's neck as her sobs shook both women.

Twilight glanced at Mr. Cake, but he was too busy watching the whole scene. He reached out a couple times to touch Pinkie's back, but pulled back every time, shaking his head. Twilight sat over to the side, not wanting to interrupt the family. She crossed her arms as she watched.

It took a while for Mrs. Cake to calm Pinkie. When Pinkie finally sat up, Mrs. Cake took Pinkie's face in her hands, cupping her cheeks. Using her thumbs to wipe a few lingering tears away, Mrs. Cake smiled at Pinkie. "All out for now?" she asked. Pinkie nodded a small, true smile showing on her face. "Okay then."

Mrs. Cake moved Pinkie over to the side, turning so that both she and Mr. Cake had a good view of her. Mrs. Cake took her hand as Mr. Cake spoke. "We talked to the insurance company this morning. They say they have to wait on the final report from the investigation, but from what they have right now, we'll get enough to rebuild." The small smile Pinkie had been wearing grew. "It'll take about a month for it to process, and then we can start building. But—"

"But what? That's great. We can—"

"But," Mr. Cake said, over Pinkie. "We can't start building until summer. Winter will be here soon, and no contractor will work outside when there is snow on the ground." Pinkie's smile melted. "Hey, you remember Cynthia, don't you? Cup's sister? We're going to stay with her. She has enough rooms for all of us."

Pinkie shook her head, looking between Mr. and Mrs. Cake. "That's three towns away. That’s…" Twilight didn't think she would ever see a time when Pinkie couldn't think of anything to say, but that's what had happened. Pinkie just shook her head.

"Y-You don't want to go, dear?" Mrs. Cake said, concerned. "We were going…" She looked to Mr. Cake, who shrugged, then back to Pinkie. "It's just until the shop is rebuilt."

Pinkie wrapped her arms around her stomach, balling her hands into fist in the cloth of her shirt. "This is home, Mrs. Cake. It's where my friends are," she said, looking over a Twilight. "And everyone knows me. I…" She sighed. "I hate this."

Mrs. Cake's face softened. "I know it's a lot to take in, sweetie." She took Pinkie's face in her hands. "We'll get through it, though."

"How are you so calm about it? How did you just accept it?" Pinkie looked directly into Mrs. Cake's eyes. "How are you not feeling as off kilter as I am?"

Mr. Cake chuckled. "We feel that way too. The only thing we can do is wait and rebuild, though. We've got enough bits in the bank to last us a couple months and Cynthia said we could stay as long as we need to. We'll make it, and we're alive, and that's important."

The room settled into silence, the twin's baby chatter the only noise. "I don't want to go away," Pinkie whispered. "Everything I have—had. Everything I had is here." She grabbed Mrs. Cake's hands. "Can't we just find somewhere to stay here?"

The pained look on Mrs. Cake's face made Twilight's stomach fall. Pinkie was so hopeful that everything would be the same, despite what had happened, and Mrs. Cake was trying her hardest to let her down gently. "Pinkie, sweetie," Mrs. Cake shook her head. "I wish we could. But where would we stay? Mr. Cake and I stayed up late just figuring this out. The only reason we heard so quickly from Cynthia was a favor from the Mayor." Mrs. Cake blinked away a few tears, shaking her head. "We'll be back after winter is over and rebuild."

Pinkie looked around, wide eyed. "But…but…there has to be a way. Please? We can do what Zecora does and live in the forest or…"

"Pinkie," Twilia said, standing and moving over to her distraught friend. "You can stay here. How's that?" She looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Cake, her expression asking if that was okay. Mrs. Cake gave Twilight a sad smile before looking back at Pinkie and taking her hand.

"Sweetie, you can do what you want. We…" Mrs. Cake swallowed, but her voice broke when she spoke anyway. "We know we aren't your p-parents, but…we still want what's best for you. I want you to come with us, but if you really want to stay with Twilight, well, we are only a train ride away."

Pinkie looked between Twilight and the Cakes before burring her face in her hands again. "I can't go," she whispered. "I can't just leave. I…"

Mrs. Cake pulled Pinkie to her again, Pinkie's head resting on the older woman's chest. "That's okay, dear. That's okay." Mrs. Cake stroked Pinkie's hair, looking down at the girl. "Why don't you go get cleaned up, hmm? I bet a hot shower will make you feel better. We have to get train tickets and the like, and then we will all go out to dinner before we leave. Doesn't that sound lovely?"

Pinkie's grip tightened around Mrs. Cake, but she nodded away. Mrs. Cake smiled, gently prying Pinkie away from her. "Okay deary, go and get you a shower. We'll see you this evening." After hesitating a moment, Mrs. Cake kissed Pinkie on the cheek.

"Okay…oh, you don't mind, do you Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight smiled. "Of course not, Pinkie. My home is your home."

Pinkie gave her a grateful smile before walking up the steps.

After a few moments, the Cakes stood. "Thank you, Twilight." Mrs. Cake looked up the stairs where Pinkie had disappeared, and put a hand to her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. Her voice was much thicker, she spoke again. "I can't thank you enough for letting Pinkie stay here. I wish she would just come with us but…perhaps it's for the best." Mrs. Cake took a deep, shaky breath. Wiping tears from her eyes, she looked at Twilight. "Thank you. We really need to go now though."

Twilight walked with them to the door, opening it for them. Mr. Cake pushed the stroller the now sleeping twins were in out the door, but Twilight grabbed Mrs. Cake's arm before she left. "This has you a lot more shaken than you've let on. How did you not break down when Pinkie was crying. I nearly did myself."

Mrs. Cake smiled at Twiligh. "You'll understand one day, dear. But a parent always stays strong for their child. Even if that child is technically grown." Mrs. Cake cast one last glance to the stairs before looking back at Twilight. "I'll see you."

"Bye," Twilight said, shutting the door as the family left.

Twilight sighed before making her way up the stairs. Her clothing was just a tad too small for Pinkie, but since the clothes the girl had worn the day before were still dirty, Twilight laid a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt out by the shower door. She tapped on the door until Pinkie said the door was unlocked.

Cracking the door open with barely enough room to see in, Twilight spoke. "I was just leaving you some clothes. We can go shopping later and get you a few new outfits, but I still haven't washed your clothes from yesterday so…anyway, I'll put them on the rug, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks, Twilight."

Twilight avoided looking toward the shower when she opened the door, quickly dropping the clothes in a heap. Still, she couldn't ignore the hoarseness of Pinkie's voice, or the sniff she gave just before closing the door. "Hey, Pinkie? I think this is going to be fun, us living together." With an audible click, she closed the door before Pinkie could reply.

Twilight walked into her room, waving her hand at the bed, which quickly made itself. Sitting on the newly made bed, she looked out the window. She could see Sugarcube Corner from here. Blackened stone and charred wood was all she could see. If only I could do something. she thought. She wanted to do more than just let Pinkie live with her in the library. She wanted to fix everything.

There wasn't a spell for that, though. She couldn't just wave her hands at the remains of the bakery and have it back to normal. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, looking at the window, but when the Pinkie walked into the bedroom, she jumped up. "Nice shower?" she asked.

"Yeah. I do feel a little better." She flipped her head upside down, rubbing her hair with the towel. "Plus, you said something about getting clothes? I mean, I like your clothes Twily, but they don't really fit all that well." Flipping her head back upright, she gave Twilight a sheepish smile.

She wasn't wrong. Twilight was taller than Pinkie, but only by an a few inches. She was thinner, though, and Twilight's shirt stretched tightly across Pinkie's midriff and breast.

"Come on, we'll go and shopping and then we'll meet the Cakes, yeah?" Twilight picked up her wallet, smiling at Pinkie.

Pinkie's own smile fell a little. "Yeah."

Goddess, Twilight. Can't you see she's trying hard to keep smiling. "So…ready?"

"Yep," Pinkie said, throwing the towel on a basket in the corner. "Umm…we may need to stop by the bank first, so I can get some money out."

"Oh no," Twlia said, leading Pinkie out of the room. "This is my treat. This can be our little 'Pinkie moving in with Twilight' celebration, if you'd like."

Pinkie smiled. "You're totally the fantazing bestest friend ever. You know that, right?"

"Fantazing?"

"Fantastic an amazing," Pinkie replied, giggling a little.

Smiling, the pair stepped out the door and into town.

Twilight watched as Pinkie gestured wildly, telling Mr. and Mrs. Cake about her day. She was smiling again, and laughing, which was more than Twilight had really hoped for so soon. Her smiles fell sooner, and her laughter wasn't nearly as rich, but it was there. The only hint that anything was amiss was in Pinkie's eyes. They didn't crinkle with each smile, they didn't shine with each laugh. Instead, they held an anxiousness. Still, once the dinner was over and the group made their way to the train station, she still managed a smile.

Her smile only faltered when the train started loading. She didn't cry, not this time. But the ache was obvious as she gave Mr. and Mrs. Cake minute-long hugs. As she told the twins goodbye. As she watched the family board the train without her. As she waved until the train was well out of site.

Pinkie and Twilight walked in silence through the market. Twilight wracked her brain for something to say to Pinkie, but nothing came to mind. Just as the library came into view, Pinkie stopped. Sugarcube Corner laid before them, the only dark spot on the otherwise bright and cheery town.

"It's really gone," Pinkie whispered. "Just…poof. Gone." Pinkie sighed, not taking her eyes from the wreckage. Without saying a word, Twilight took Pinkie's hand. "Hey, come on. It'll be good as new soon. I bet Rarity would love to see your new clothes, though. Let's go show her."

Though it was an obvious attempt to get Pinkie away from the burned down shop, she followed the slight tug on her hand. "Yeah. She will love that dress I got! With all the lace and stuff."

The pair stopped by the library to pick up the bags of clothes before going to Carousel Boutique.

"3" The Job

A loud thump followed an annoyed "Bwaarg," as Pinkie let her head hit the table. "Why does no one need any help? I've been to Bonnie, Rose, Tim Turner, and even Dusty!" She pushed her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. "No one needs me. How can no one need me."

If she hadn't know how stressed this was making Pinkie, Twilight would have giggled at her antics. As it were, she frowned. "I don't know. I heard there was a new café opening soon, though. Ivory told me when I bumped into her yesterday. Maybe you could get on there?"

Pinkie's head jerked up, her eyes alight at the news. "Yeah. Did you find out where I could talk to the owner?"

Twilight smiled. "Apparently, there is a luncheon for all the city officials tomorrow and he's going to be serving there. You could probably catch him after."

Pinkie grinned, and Twilight relaxed a little. Nearly two weeks after the fire, and Pinkie had been going stir-crazy. It wasn't that she didn't get out much, but without Sugarcube Corner and the Cakes here, she depended on her friends a lot more to keep her entertained.

"Are you studying today?" Pinkie asked. She picked up her orange juice, a mischievous look in her eyes.

Twilight's guard went up instantly. "No," she said cautiously. "Why?"

The smile that spread on Pinkie's face made Twilight want to change her answer. "Well," Pinkie said, drawing out the moment as much as possible, "I thought that if you weren't doing your studies today, and I'm never doing anything recently, we could…" Her pause for dramatic affect was diminished slightly by the over exaggerated eye movements and waving Twilight in closer. "Bake!" she yelled, jumping up from her seat and throwing both hands in the air.

This time, Twilight did giggle. "Okay, Pinkie. Okay. Just be warned, this cereal is about the end of my cooking skills, though."

It didn't take long for Pinkie to find everything the library had for baking. "If you're such a bad cook, why do you have all this stuff?" On the table lay several different ingredients. "I mean, it looks like you cook all the time."

"Spike likes to bake. And well, it isn't that I don't cook. I just burn everything." A faint flush came to her cheeks. "Spike kinda took over once he was tired of eating charcoal. He just likes sleeping late, so mostly I eat cereal for breakfast."

The faint blush Twilight had intensified as Pinkie giggled. "So, you just cooked the food too high, probably. Come on, what do you think? Cookies or cupcakes?" Pinkie paused, but not long enough for Twilight to answer. "You know what, let's just do both. Cookies are really easy. First, we gotta decide what kind of cookies we want to make."

About an hour later, the two girls were sitting at the table with glasses of milk and a tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies in front of them. "This is the best part," Pinkie said, looking at Twilight. They're just cool enough to pick up, but they are so ooey-gooey and soft." Her hand was little more than a blur as she scooped up a cookie, putting it entirely in her mouth. She moaned, drawing a giggle from Twilight. "Eat one," she said, motioning for Twilight to grab a cookie.

Twilight's eyes widened was she took a bite of her own cookie. "These are good."

"See!" Pinkie said, already starting her third.

It didn't take long for the girls to eat their fill of cookies. "Okay." Pinkie sat her now empty cup back onto the table. "So, we only have twenty minutes until the cupcakes are out of the oven. Let's mix up the frosting."

"I have some in tins if—"

A loud gasp cut Twilight off. "Homemade frosting is so much better. And it's super-duper easy to make. It takes no time at all!" Pinkie quickly gathered the needed ingredients and sat them on the counter. "First, we put in the powdered sugar, butter and cocoa and mix it all up. Here," she offered Twilight the whisk.

"Umm…this doesn't look like frosting."

Pinkie giggled. "Of course it doesn't. Just keep mixing." Picking up a small brown bottle, she smiled at Twilight. "Add a teaspoon of vanilla," she said in a sing-song voice. Picking up a glass jar, she slowly added in milk. It didn't take long for the frosting to reach the right consistency. "And done! See, it's simple. Now, for the most important part." Pinkie scooped some frosting out of the bowl with her finger. "Perfect."

Twilight glanced over to check on the cake timer. "Only a couple minutes left," she said. She turned back to Pinkie, only to see a mischievous smile and Pinkie's hand coming toward her face, the contact leaving a chocolate streak across her cheek.

"We have extra," Pinkie said, getting more frosting on her finger and taking a step toward Twilight.

"Pinkie this isn't—wait—" as best she could, she avoided Pinkie's frosting covered hand. "This isn't proper kitchen etiquette." Twilight giggled. She ran to the other side of the table, so that she and Pinkie were facing each other.

"Who is the professional baker here now, Twily." Quicker than Twilight thought she could move, Pinkie was around the table, barely giving her time to escape. She ran for the counter to get some chocolate ammo for herself. When she turned around, frosted finger ready, Pinkie caught her hand. Using her other hand, Twilight left a dollop of frosting on Pinkie's nose before Pinkie grabbed that hand as well.

Twilight tried freeing her hands, but Pinkie pushed them back onto the counter. "Oh, Twily, I always win frosting wars." Pinkie grinned, softening her grip so that Twilight could move her hands if she wanted. Pinkie was incredibly close to Twilight, their noses not an inch away.

Twilight was finding it hard to breath. Her heart was racing, and not from the mock battle they had just had. She had never realized just how much Pinkie's eyes sparkled, or how beautiful her pink hair was against her brown skin, or how soft her lips looked, until now.

Pinkie's playful grin changed into a different type of smile, though Twilight couldn't place what the exact difference was. She felt Pinkie shift ever so slightly, bringing their faces closer together. Pinkie completely released one of Twilight's hand. The thumb on the other ran over the Twilight's skin.

Twilight knew what every fiber of her being was telling her to do in the moment. Kiss her. She's right there, just kiss her. Wait, no, she's my friend. One of my best friends. I can't do that. Can I? Just as she made up her mind, the buzzing of a timer made her jump. "Oh, there's the cupcakes." She nervously giggled, moving out from the tight space between Pinkie and the counter. She reached into the oven and pulled them out. "They smell amazing. You really are a great cook."

"Thanks, Twilight," Pinkie said. "We just gotta let them cool before we frost them. Some people like to put the frosting on as soon as possible, but I learned that just makes the frosting melt."

Twilight watched as the pink-haired girl sat about cleaning up the kitchen. She didn't notice anything different, anything that would indicate she knew what Twilight had felt, what she had been about to do, just a moment ago. Pinkie walked past Twilight, putting up some of the dry ingredients. "Come on, we gotta clean up. Spike will be back soon, and it's more magical not seeing the mess of baking."

Twilight picked up the milk, putting it back in the refrigerator. "Spike knows what a mess baking can be. I don't think cupcakes are magical to him anyway, he's eighteen."

Pinkie turned and gave Twilight a look she couldn't decipher. "Cupcakes are magical to me."

Twilight sat on the couch reading a book. She hadn't had an assignment from the Princess in days, so she had taken to reading whatever caught her interest. As such, she had found herself in the romance section of the library that morning after Pinkie had left to see about a job. Her first response was to write the Princess and ask for advice on what to do with the feelings that had surfaced. As appealing as that idea was, she she had thrown that idea out once she realized Princess Celestia would tell her to follow her heart. That would make things so awkward, though. I mean, it's just a passing crush. It means nothing. The Princess wasn't the person Twilight went to over matters of the heart, anyway.

That had led her thoughts to Cadance. She told her old babysitter everything, but they hadn't spoken like that in years. I didn't even know she liked Shiny, Twilight thought to herself. To just write to her now, when she and Shining Armor were still adjusting to ruling a kingdom and being married would seem silly. The only other person she could talk to was her brother, but she wasn't sure what his reaction would be.

What she truly wanted to do was talk to Pinkie, but that thought terrified her. What if Pinkie hadn't noticed, or worse, didn't feel the same? What if Pinkie decided she didn't want to stay with Twilight once she found out? They were still sleeping in the same bed, because Pinkie refused to let Twilight buy one, so would that just make things worse? Maybe I should start sleeping on the couch. I should have done that night one. I thought I had control of this.

So she found herself walking to Rarity's. Of all her friends, Twilight thought Rarity would be the best person to talk too. The other three would just tell her to talk to Pinkie. The path to Rarity's house went by rather quickly, and before she realized what she was really doing, she had knocked on the door.

Her hand froze after the third knock. Maybe she isn't home. Oh, I don't want to do this now. I can't just tell Rarity. Maybe it was just a onetime thing and it'll pass. That's probably it. Why did I think this was a good idea? I wasn't thinking at all. Maybe I don't have to tell her that—

"Twilight, darling. How are you?"

"I like Pinkie." She slapped her hands to her mouth, wide eyed. She hadn't intended to finish her thoughts aloud.

Rarity simply raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. "Would you like to come in? I can make some tea." Twilight nodded, rubbing her left arm with her hand. "I found a simply divine brew that I imported from the Southlands. Would you like to try some?"

"That sounds great, Rarity. Thank you." Sitting at the table, Twilight noticed the tea pot and two cups were already sitting out. "Am I interrupting something?"

Glancing at the teapot, Rarity shook her head. "Not at all. I had an…appointment with someone, but that isn't until later. If he comes early, as he usually does, he can simply join is. Or perhaps you wouldn't want him to know…" Twilight felt her face tinge pink. "So, Pinkie? Tell me, when did you realize you liked her."

"I didn't even mean to say that." Twilight hid her face in her hands. Then she looked up, a grin on her face. "Wait, he? Are you seeing someone?"

"Well…yes, and I really do need to talk to you about it. First, though, I want to hear what happened between you and Pinkie."

Twilight sighed, picking up her tea cup. "I've liked her for a while, but I had some real control over my feeling, before she became immersed in my life. We were making cupcakes yesterday. So innocuous." Twilight looked into the teacup, breathing deeply. "We had made homemade frosting, and while waiting on the cupcakes to come out of the oven, we had a frosting fight. I went to get some frosting, but she was right behind me, so when I turned around she pinned me to the counter. And then…well, nothing happened but it was just--I wanted to kiss her." Twilight sat the teacup down, looking straight at Rarity. "It was so hard to not wrap my arms around her and just..." Twilight lightly clapped her hands together.

Rarity's eyes sparkled, though the crease in her brow let Twilight know she was thinking. "And what did Pinkie say about that encounter?"

"Nothing." Twilight shook her head. "We frosted the cupcakes and went about our day." Twilight stirred her tea, taking a sip. Pinkie hadn't acted any differently than normal. Was she missing something? "Wait," Twilight said, looking up at Rarity, "We were talking about cleaning up the mess so Spike would think the cupcakes were magical or something. I don't remember exactly, because I was still thinking about the frosting fight, but she said cupcakes were magical to her. I just took it as a Pinkie thing to say, but maybe it wasn't."

Rarity sighed, placing her tea cup on the table. "You are basing this entire thing on one event? Yesterday was the first time?"

"It's the first time I paid attention," Twilight said, her voice lower than normal. She looked at her nearly empty tea cup, as if it had all the answers to her problem. "I mean, I've always thought she was pretty. She's insanely smart, even if she doesn't like to show it a lot. I think about her a lot. It's just a stupid crush. I can get over those easily. I always have before."

"What do you like about her? You mentioned you think she's pretty and smart. Is that all?"

Twilight didn't notice Rarity's sly grin. "Of course not. She can make anyone smile. She sees the joy and beauty in everything. She understands the scary dark parts of life, and she still grins everyday. She's brave and strong. And I don't mean that just physically, either, though she's that, too." Twilight met Rarity's eyes, her hands gesturing wildly now. "She lost Gummy, and she's still not over him, but she has found the ability to see the good. He was getting old, and maybe it was better this way than a slow death. She lost her job and her home and she wakes me with a smile every morning. She's just…" Twilight shrugged. "She's just her."

Rarity giggled. "You've got it bad, darling. Luckily, I know a few things about the ways of the heart."

"So, you don't think it's a crush that will just go away? Or that she doesn't feel the same? Because yesterday could have been just a random encounter." As much as she had tried to keep herself from it, Twilight felt hopeful that maybe she and Pinkie had a chance.

"As far as the situation with the frosting, dear, it tends takes two to make tension. Could it had simply been a one off thing on Pinkie's part? Possibly." At Rarity's words, Twilight felt her the small bead of hope she had been holding to topple from her grasp. "But I don't think it was. Try droping subtle hints." Rarity held up her hand, blocking Twilight's comment before she could start. "Yes, I know it's Pinkie, but the girl can be incredibly subtle when she wants."

Twilight bit her lip. "My parents are going to kill me. I mean, Jonathan married a princess. They're both nobles. If all this works out then I'm going to have to explain that to them. They expect me to marry within class, you know? And—"

Rarity laid a hand on Twilight's. "Darling, that is all so far in the future. I've only met your parents twice, but they seem like reasonable people. And besides, the heart can't help who it loves." Rarity smiled at Twilight, who smiled back with a nod. The moment was broken with a knock on the front door. "Oh, umm…if you'll excuse me, I'll just tell him to come back later."

Twilight stood, walking along with Rarity. "Don't worry about it. I think I'm going to see if Pinkie is back at the library yet."

Rarity stopped, a tight smile on her face. "Yes but…Twilight, before I open the door, we really should talk, okay? I started to tell you earlier, but as I said, he does like to be early. I thought I would have time—"

"Rarity?" a voice called out, followed by the shutting of the front door.

"Spike?" Twilight called back.

Through the doorway to the kitchen stepped a young man, his shaggy green hair and brilliant emerald eyes looking familiar to Twilight. The expression of bewilderment on his face was unusual. "What are you doing here? I mean, you weren't in the library so…"

As Spike went on with his explanation, Twilight realized something. "You're dating Spike? I…why didn't you tell me? Either of you? How…when…" Twilight looked between the two, completely lost.

"It's recent. We wanted to tell you. It was simply finding the correct way to present the information. I was about to tell you, but…" Rarity sighed. "Are you angry at us?"

Spike moved to stand with Rarity, before stopping and turning toward Twilight. He looked between the two women before running his hand through his hair. "You aren't mad, right?"

Twilight grinned. "Of course not, Spike. The heart can't help who it wants, right?"

Rarity grinned.

Pinkie still wasn't back when Twilight arrived at the library. She bit her lip, hoping the reason Pinkie was gone so long was because she had got the job. She picked up the book she had been reading earlier. How am I supposed to subtlety see if she likes me? Maybe I could lead into talking about crushes by telling her about Spike and Rarity. And then I could ask who she likes. That sounds like a plan, at least. Twilight giggled to herself. "Maybe I should just kiss her."

"Kiss who?" a perky voice asked from behind. Twilight jumped, her book flying through the air and landing at Pinkie's feet. "Oh, I didn't make it very far through this one. The protagonist bored me." Grinning, Pinkie handed the book back to Twilight.

"H-Hey." Twilight cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Hey Pinkie. How did it go?"

Pinkie's grin told Twilight everything she needed to know. Not that it stopped Pinkie from telling her anyway. "Well, I think it went really well. I told him all about how I worked at Sugarcube Corner, and then he really seemed to like that I know everyone in Ponyville. He remembered me welcoming him a few weeks ago. I didn't know he owned a restaurant then, though. I guess it never came up between the welcome song and the cake dance. Hmm…"

"So…that made him give you the job?" Twilight asked.

Shaking her head, Pinkie said, "Oh, no. He said he really needed waitresses and that his help ad hadn't ran yet so he was really happy that I wanted the job and I start tomorrow so I stopped and got us celebratory cupcakes." From behind her back, Pinkie pulled out two cupcakes. "I got coconut delight. I know they're your favorite."

"Thanks, Pinkie. It's great that you got the job." Twilight stood and took the cupcake, licking off some of the white frosting. "What time to you have to start tomorrow?"

As she had just stuffed the last of her cupcake in her mouth, "Around two," came out muffled and with a small scattering of crumbs.

Twilight giggled, sitting her cupcake down. She wrapped Pinkie in a tight hug, which was happily returned. "You know what this means, right? We've got to get you some waitressing clothes. A trip to the salon wouldn't hurt, either."

Pinkie giggled. "Geez, Twily. Have you been hanging around Rarity lately?"

Twilight's smile slid down a notch. "Oh, well, if you don't want to, we don't have to. I mean, I just thought you'd need to get some stuff to wear to work, you know? And I have an appointment at the Hairbalist today anyway, so…"

Shaking her head, Pinkie pushed Twilight toward the door. "I didn't say that, silly. I love going shopping with you. I might try something different with my hair, too. Besides, I love doing things with you."

As they walked out the door, Twilight's tried to keep herself from over reacting. Nothing Pinkie said couldn't be said to just a good friend. It was entirely possible that Pinkie meant everything completely platonically.

Pinkie had brought her a cupcake. Pinkie wanted to celebrate with her. Pinkie loved shopping with her.

Was Pinkie trying to be subtle and tell her she liked her too? Or was she reading to much into nothing.

An arm around her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. "Geez silly, I really was just playing. I wanna come. No need to be all quiet and serious." Pinkie's grin melted away all her worries. Putting her arm around Pinkie, Twilight grinned.

"4" Tears

Twilight sat on the bed in the library, watching Pinkie run her fingers through her hair again. The trip to the salon had started out great, until Vera had cut over half the length of Pinkie's hair off. Her hair was still a curly mess, but instead of a mass of messy loops that framed her face perfectly, the curls fell randomly, only a few inches long. It had a permanently tousled look to it, even as Pinkie ran her fingers through it for what Twilight thought was the hundredth time since arriving to the library only moments ago.

"I shouldn't have let her do this." She looked at Twilight through the mirror, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout. "I miss my hair." She pulled her hair out from the side and let it fall again. "This isn't fun. I said new and fun. Not new and…not fun."

Seeing her friend close to tears, Twilight walked over to her. Moving Pinkie's hands out of her hair, Twilight arranged the curls around Pinkie's face, fluffing some and smoothing others. After a few minutes, she stopped. "There now, not so bad." Through the mirror, she looked into Pinkie's eyes. "You look beautiful, Pinkie."

Pinkie smiled, turning and actually looking at Twilight. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Before Twilight realized it, Pinkie had her in a bone-crushing hug. Wrapping her arms around Pinkie, Twilight felt her take a deep breath. "I guess I don't do very well when things change. I like everything the way it is." Releasing Twilight, Pinkie shrugged. "Even when I was a little kid, I hated it. When Granny Pie died when I was five, my parents thought it would be a good idea to give me my own room, so my sisters moved into hers. Well, it was like a year later, but they still did it. I hated it and sneaked into their room every night, until they put us together again." Flopping onto the bed, Pinkie sighed dramatically, putting her hands behind her head.

"Were you close with your sisters?" Twilight lay next to her, propping her head up with her hand.

Pinkie nodded. "Yeah. They were my bestest best friends. I'm the second youngest, besides my sister Marble. Limestone and Maud always played with us, though."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "You never really talk about them. What were they like?"

"They were the bestest sisters." Pinkie smiled. "Marble is my baby sister. Do you remember that picture I showed you of me and my family? She was the one with dark grey hair. She looks the most like mama. Limestone was the one with light gray hair and the frowny smile. Maud has purpleish grey hair. It's so pretty. She has a teeny smile." She looked over at Twilight, flashing a smile of her own. "We just played all the time together. We were as close as sisters get. We always had a lot of fun together, even when we were doing our chores. Mama started teaching us to cook when we were really little. She said we needed to learn how to be proper mares for when we grow up and marry stallions." Pinkie snorted a little. "So we baked a lot together. Just food the family could eat, though. They would always play pretend with me. I loved playing pirates."

"Why don't they ever come to here? Or you go home? It sounds like you were as close to them as I am to Shiny." Twilight's heart sank as the carefree smile Pinkie had been wearing slipped from her face. She started to reach out, but Pinkie turned onto her side, mirroring Twilight with her hand supporting her head.

Instead of answering right away, Pinkie traced a line in the fabric of the blanket. Taking a deep breath, she looked up to Twilight. "I never told you guys why I live with Mr. and Mrs. Cake, did I?" she asked quietly. "When I was five, Granny Pie died. Granny was my favorite person in the whole world. It really really hurt me, and I couldn't sleep at night. Granny was everything. She's the one who gave us our nicknames. She's the one who brought all the smiles and laughter to the farm. When she died, it was like the world had gone from color to black and white. I didn't smile until Dash's Rainboom." She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. "Only, I was the only one who remembered what it was like to be happy. I remembered what it was like to see color and smile. So I threw that party for my family. They liked it…but I was also discouraged from doing it again. I tried telling them that was my soul call, but they didn't listen. I would try to do things and make them happy, but it made mama and papa angry instead."

"Pinkie…" Twilight stopped when she saw the look the other girl was giving her.

Tears were already forming in Pinkie's eyes. When she spoke again, her voice had a quiver Twilight had never heard her use before. "Can we just talk about it? We-We don't have to. Mrs. Cake normally lets me talk to her, but she isn't here and I haven't been able to talk to anyone and I just feel really bad and I don't know why and—"

Ignoring her own burning eyes, Twilight wrapped Pinkie in a tight hug. Pinkie's hands balled into fist around the fabric of Twilight's shirt as she pressed her face into Twilight's neck and cried. To Twilight, it felt as if Pinkie were crying for more than the story she was telling. The pink-haired girl had held up incredibly well after her initial breakdown the morning the Cake's had left, and Twilight knew she needed an outlet for it. Twilight didn't shush her. She didn't say anything, instead letting Pinkie take things at her own pace. She rubbed Pinkie's back as she felt tears fall onto her shoulder. Soon the tears slowed and faded into sniffs. Pinkie turned her head so that she was facing away from Twilight, though she was still laying mostly on her. When she didn't offer to move, Twilight shifted so that she was on her back, with Pinkie's head resting on her shoulder.

After a few minutes of silence, with Twilight stroking Pinkie's back comfortingly, she continued her story."Anyway, my sistrs loved everything I did, but it made my parents and me fight a lot. They loved me, and I knew that, and I loved them, but they wanted to stay sad all the time and I couldn't take that anymore. So I moved. I told them I was going to, but I don't think they believed me until I left."

Making sure of what she heard, Twilight asked, "You just left?"

Twilight felt Pinkie nod. "But then the family came and got me. Papa told me how silly I was for leaving like that. That I needed to accept life on the farm. So I jumped off the carriage and he stopped. And I told him I hated it on the farm, and that I wanted to be happy. I said a lot of mean things to him, and he said mean things back. But he talked to mama and they gave me a bag of bits and told me I could go." Pinkie sighed, adjusting her head on Twilight's shoulder so that she was closer to her neck. "Marble ran after me, and I said some really bad things to her. I was shouting at her when Limestone came to get her, and that made me and Limestone fight, and I haven't talked to them since."

"I'm sorry. I bet you miss them a lot. Haven't you ever tried to write to them?" Twilight looked down, seeing the back of Pinkie's head.

She felt Pinkie shrug, then lift her head. "No. I wanted to but that was a really long time ago. I came here a month later and the Cakes let me stay with them and you know all of that stuff. I just didn't write them, and I don't want to anymore." Grabbing Twilight's hand in her own, Pinkie laid her head on Twilight's chest. Twilight was sure Pinkie could hear her heart speed up as Pinkie played with her hand.

"Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes?"

"Can we just stay like this for a minute? It feels nice."

"Of course we can." They laid in silence while Twilight thought about what had happened. She's always so happy for everyone, always smiling. I didn't realize how right I was when I said she was strong. Her family always sounds so important to her.

She ran her fingers through Pinkie's hair. Soon, Pinkie stopped playing with Twilight's fingers and her breathing evened out. Repressing a giggle, Twilight smiled when she looked down and saw that Pinkie had fallen asleep. Now isn't the time to talk about my feelings with her. Right now, she just needs a friend. It wasn't long before Twilight's own eyes fell shut.

Twilight walked into the café the next day with a smile. Pinkie had easily gotten Twilight to agree to come be a customer for her first day on the job. After their unexpected nap the previous day, Pinkie had seemed much more like her normal self than she had since the fire. Twilight had assured Pinkie she could talk to her at any time and about anything.

Now, though, she was excited to see what Pinkie would be like as a waitress. Although it was nearly identical to her position at Sugarcube Corner, the owner had encouraged Pinkie to be sociable and talk to the customers, saying it would help her get better tips. The café had a sizable amount of customers for a first day opening, though the crowd was still small.Twilight took a seat near the side of the room, hoping she wasn't supposed to wait to be seated.

She looked around the café as she waited on Pinkie to make it to her table. The blue and silver striped wallpaper looked wonderful against the dark wood tables. The chairs sparkled in the overhead lights and the flowers selectively placed around the room gave the café an airy atmosphere, even though the windows on either side of the door were rather small.

Not that Twilight had much time to look around. In less than a minute, Pinkie was at her table. "Hiya, Twily. You made it. Oh my gosh this is so exciting. Did you know I'm the only waitress he has right now because his ad was delayed and no one has asked about the help wanted sign he has in the window. I mean, we've been really busy. But we aren't right now." Pinkie grinned. "Oh, here's the menu I'm supposed to give you. You can look at it, there's some really super stuff on there. But I bet I know what you want."

Looking up at Pinkie, Twilight smiled. "And what do I want?"

"Chicken salad croissant and a fizzy drink."

Without looking at the menu, Twilight handed it back to Pinkie. "That actually sounds really good, Pinkie. I take that."

"Be back in a jiffy," Pinkie said, taking the menu and walking back toward what Twilight assumed was the kitchen. She came back out quickly, throwing a quick grin to Twilight before going to another table to check on their drinks.

Other than Twilight, there were only three other tables filled. Muffins and Dr. Hooves were on the other side of the café, obviously discussing something important with their daughter. Lyra and Bonbon were sitting in the middle, both giggling over something. And just a table over from Twilight, the towns middle school teacher sat with some of her friends.

As much as she tried to keep her thoughts away, it wasn't long before Twilight was thinking about Pinkie again. She had managed to talk to Rarity and obtain permission to tell Pinkie about their relationship. The couple wanted to keep it a secret for a little while, until they could think of a good way to tell everyone. They were going to tell their close friends this weekend at a small gathering Rarity was hosting, but Twilight hoped to talk to Pinkie before then.

"Here ya go." Pinkie placed Twilight's plate in front of her, pulling her from her thoughts. "Foods all ready." Pinkie stood at the table, looking expectantly at Twilight.

Picking up the sandwich, Twilight took a small test bite. Her eyes widened and she looked at Pinkie with a smile. "It's really good. Great call, Pinkie."

Pinkie giggled. "See, I told you that's what you wanted. It's this place great? The grand opening is next week. Then we should have more wait staff and stuff and we'll have a lot of people coming in to eat. It'll be great! You girls will all be there, and so will Spike, of course. And he says he wants the whole town to come, but I tried to explain to him that I couldn't get the whole town in here unless we timed everyone to only two minutes each, and that doesn't give me time to do what he wants me to do." Pinkie shrugged. "What have you done all day?"

Twilight took a sip of her fizzy drink before speaking. "Well, after you left, the middle school came over. The Crusaders were there, so I had to make sure all the super dangerous books were kept out of their hands. Applejack and Rarity would kill me if those girls get another idea from a library book. Once the library closed, I went to talk to Rarity for a bit, and then I came here."

"Oh, did Rarity tell you about her and Spike?"

Twilight stopped, her sandwich midway to her mouth. "You know?"

"Of course. It's obvious."

Twilight started to ask what made it obvious, but stopped. Am I obvious? Does she know? How does she know? She was saved with her struggle for what to say when a loud male voice called out.

"Pinkamena,, what are you doing? You've got other customers to attend to." A short man walked over to the table, barely glancing at Twilight.

"I told you to call me Pinkie. Pinkamena is so boring and it isn’t really a fun name, you know? Pinkie—"

He sighed. "Okay, Pinkie it is. Still, you aren't supposed to be standing around talking to people. You have a job to do. I thought you said you have experience?"

Giving the man an over exaggerated frown, Pinkie gestured to Twilight. "You told me to talk to the customers, and everyone's happy right now. I was talking to Twilight."

His eyebrows rose as he looked back at Twilight. "Wait…Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight looked between Pinkie and the man. "Sorry, do I know you?"

He smiled, but shook his head. "No, no. I know your parents. You're Velvet and Nightlight's kid, right? We were friends when I lived in Canterlot. That's been years ago now. I haven't seen you since you were eight. I almost didn't recognize you. How are your parents?"

"Good. They're really good, actually." Twilight smiled.

"Yeah? I heard that brother of yours married a Princess? Good on him. I knew Shining Armor would go far. What about you? Got any princes lined up?" He winked and smiled a little, letting her know it was a joke.

Twilight couldn't help her eyes flashing to Pinkie when he asked though. She could have sworn Pinkie frowned at the man. "Did you need me to do something, Mota?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, go check on the other customers and make sure they're okay. That's how you get tips, and tips are how you get paid." He flippantly waved a hand in Pinkie's direction. Twilight watched her walk off, looking back at them once or twice. After that, Twilight found herself giving shorter and shorter answers to Mota, until new customers came in and he had to prepare more food.

By then she had finished her meal. She walked over to Pinkie, who had just finished giving the new group their drinks. "That was really good, Pinkie. Thanks for suggesting it."

It seemed whatever frown Twilight thought she saw was gone now. Pinkie grinned at her. "I knew you would like it. So, you're leaving now?"

"I guess. I just need to pay the check."

Giggling, Pinkie shook her head. She walked back to the window of the kitchen, giving Marco the slip with the orders on it. "Nope. You bought me all kinds of stuff, so I'm buying you dinner."

Knowing she would never win that argument, Twilight just smiled. "Thank you." She opened her arms to offer a hug, which Pinkie welcomed. "I guess I'll see you at home then? Still get off at ten?"

"Yeah. Have a good night, Twily."

"You too, Pinkie."

Twilight woke and rolled over, expecting to see a sleeping Pinkie beside her. She often came in late from the café, so she had started sleeping in later than usual. Mota would work in the morning to the afternoon training the people he had hired. He had put Pinkie in charge of the evenings and nights since she had the most experience working in that type of environment. That meant that, even though the café closed at ten, Pinkie couldn't leave until everything was cleaned and all the employee's had left, putting her coming home often at one in the morning.

Twilight had gone to bed earlier that night and hadn't heard Pinkie come in. Or that's what she thought, until she realized Pinkie wasn't there. She sat up and looked around, but Pinkie's work uniform, which was usually stripped off and left lying in the floor, was nowhere to be seen.

Furrowing her brow, Twilight got up and made her way out of the bedroom and through the library. She checked everywhere she thought Pinkie might be: the shower, the kitchen, Spike's room, the library room, even the freezer, but she couldn't find Pinkie anywhere.

She was about to the check the bathroom again when the front door of the library opened and shut quietly. She looked out of the kitchen to see Pinkie sneaking up the stairs with two Styrofoam containers in her hands.

"Umm…Pinkie?" Twilight stepped from the kitchen and looked up at her. "What are you doing?"

Pinkie sighed, turning and walking down the steps toward the kitchen. "I was surprising you with breakfast in bed, silly. I went to the café and got omelets and toast and some fruit. You were supposed to stay asleep until I came back." Then she smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you down here in your pajamas before." Twilight looked down at her clothes, blushing a little when she realized she was only in sleeping pants and a t-shirt. Pinkie giggled. "Don't worry about it, you look cute. Let's eat before the food gets cold."

Twilight hated it when Pinkie said things like that. It always grew the hope she had that Pinkie felt the same, but it also reminded her of all the times Fluttershy or Rarity had said the same thing. "So, grand opening later should be really fun. I gotta work the evening shift as usual, but Mota said I could have the next two days off after today. You're still coming, right? All the girls said they would be there."

"Of course I'll be there," Twilight said. She sighed as she forked some of her omelets. After eating a few bites in silence, she decided it was time she finally put her plan into action. "So, what do you think about Rarity and Spike dating now?"

"I think it's amazing. I knew the little guy could do it. Well, I guess he isn't really a little guy, though, is he? Maybe I should choose another nickname for him. Do you think he would like big guy? Or S-Dog? Or—"

"I think Spike would be good enough," Twilight said, grinning. "I just think it's great. Spike had a crush on her for so long, you know. Now they're together." She took a deep calming breath, hoping Pinkie wouldn't notice.

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "I wouldn't really call it a crush though. I mean, crushes go away, right? Spike is well on his way to love. And Rarity is, too."

That answer caught Twilight off guard. "Oh. So um…do you have a crush on anyone?" Keep with the questions you thought up. Sure, that threw you off a little, but it's no big deal.

Twilight tried to remain casual as she watched Pinkie shake her head. "Nope. No crushes here."

Looking down at her omelet, Twilight realized she didn't want it anymore. Besides, she wasn't sure how the food would make it into her stomach when it had dropped past her knees. She fought to keep the smile on her face as she separated a pepper from the egg. "Oh," she said, hoping her voice had the same tone it had before. Her eyes burned and she squeezed the shut, refusing to let a single tear come out.

I shouldn't have let myself get so hopeful. This was always the most likely outcome. I knew that. She's still a friend. A really great one. You can be happy with her as your best friend, can't you?She gasped as someone touched her shoulder, realizing she hadn't taken a breath since she closed her eyes.

"T-Twily? Are you okay? Listen—"

Pushing her away, Twilight shook her head. "I'm fine, Pinkie, really. I just…I need to go." She didn't care how obvious she was being now as she walked as quickly as she could without running, reaching the front door before Pinkie's hand wrapped around her arm again.

"Are you even listening to me? Because if you would just listen for two seconds—"

"Pinkie, just, just stop, okay? I need you to stop talking. Just leave me alone. Forget it, okay? I know it's never going to happen and I'm just being stupid so just stop."

Pinkie crossed her arms, glaring at Twilight. "Tell me, Twilight. What's never going to happen? Huh?"

Breathing heavily, Twilight took Pinkie's face in her hands and pressed their lips together. Twilight heard Pinkie's sharp intake of breath the brief and trembling kiss. A second later Twilight backed away, her hand pressed to her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered before turning on the spot and teleporting away.

"5" Grand Opening

Twilight landed in front of Sugarcube Corner, her hand still pressed to her mouth. She took deep, shuttering breaths to try and keep herself calm. Not that it worked. You idiot. You kissed her. Why did you kiss her. She watched as Pinkie ran out the door and looked around. She couldn’t see the Pinkie’s expression to tell how she was reacting. She moved away from the what was left of the building as she watched Pinkie as she walked around to the side of the tree and look up.

Pinkie stared for a moment before she jumped and grabbed the lowest branch, apparently trying to climb the tree. She made her way up quickly. It was as if she had climbed the tree thousands of times before. In less than ten seconds she had made it to the branch hanging over the window in Twilight’s room. The branch below was too far down for her to reach the window by standing, so she carefully made her way to the base before lying flat. She turned so that she was on the underside of the branch and banged on Twilight's window.

She must think I’m in there, Twilight thought. She must be so angry. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking properly. If she were honest with herself, she still wasn’t thinking properly. She turned her back on the library and made her way through the town, suddenly not caring that she was still in her bed clothes.

On any normal day, she loved how small the town was. How everyone knew everyone and was willing to say hi. How everyone truly cared about their neighbors. Today, Twilight would have traded her signed box collection (never even opened) of Daring Adventures to be in Canterlot, where a girl could walk down the street with tears in her eyes, using her arms to hold herself together, and not be questioned.

I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t have let myself build up hope. The same thing always happens. I should never have asked Rarity. Why would Pinkie want someone who finds it hard to see past the book cover? Twilight’s stomach knotted tighter than ever. She walked to the closest building and put her forehead on the bricks, squeezing her eyes shut. Tears ran down her face as she fought to catch her breath. Calm down, she practically yelled in her mind. Having a panic attack isn’t going to help anything. Just calm down. Someone is going to notice if you don’t.

Using a technique Cadance had recently shown her, Twilight took in deep breaths, concentrating on making the air fill her lungs before moving her hand away from her body, releasing the tension with it. After the fifth time, she straightened up and nodded to herself. “Okay, you’ve got it.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and took another deep breath. “You’re calm now. You’re in control.” She turned away from the building, only to jump.

Rarity stood just behind her, a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay, Twilight?” She took a step forward, reaching out a hand and laying it on Twilight’s shoulder.

Sighing, Twilight shook her head. “No. I might have asked Pinkie if she had a crush on anyone.”

“And she said no.”

Looking confused, Twilight nodded. “How did you know?”

Rarity shook her head and she led Twilight down the road, toward Carousel Boutique. “Darling, if I had a crush on you—and as lovely as you are, I don’t—if you asked me if I had a crush, my answer would be no.”

“That makes absolutely no sense. At all. Not that it matters.” Twilight kicked a rock, watching it roll in front of them. “She doesn’t like me. Not like that. She was yelling at me before I left the library. I don’t even know what she was saying. And I kind of kissed her before I left.”

Rarity stopped in the middle of the path. “You kissed her and left? Twilight, what if she had wanted to kiss you back?”

Twilight shrugged. “Then she would have kissed me back. You know how those books go. Someone kisses someone else, then the other person passionately embraces them, putting all the fiery, burning desire they can into that one physical moment. I’ve been studying to figure out…” Twilight trailed of when Rarity giggled.

“You’ve been reading romance books to learn how to woo Pinkie? As in Pinkie Pie? As in the baker currently residing in your home?”

Suddenly feeling foolish, Twilight blushed. “Yeah. They are some of the most checked out books. Pinkie reads them a lot.”

Shaking her head, Rarity put her arm around Twilight’s shoulders. “Oh dear, real life romance almost never works that way. Did you really expect that to happen?”

Twilight shrugged. “I didn’t expect much of anything to happen. I panicked.” Though she knew it wasn’t Rarity’s intentions, Twilight felt ashamed. She had gone about it the wrong way. “Maybe that’s why Pinkie doesn’t like me.”

“Why are you so adamant that she doesn’t return your feelings? What makes you so sure that she doesn’t feel the same way about you?” Rarity’s mouth was set in a hard line.

“I just know. I think I’m going to try to avoid her today. I can sleep in Spike’s room, since he stays over at your place anyway, and—“

Again, Rarity stopped in the street. “Promise me you’ll be at the opening. For nothing else, just so I know you’re okay. Plus, on the off chance that Pinkie doesn’t actually return your feelings, you will need to explain why things are strained between you. Please?”

Twilight swallowed. She didn’t want to go to the opening. She didn’t want to face Pinkie so soon. She knew if she timed everything right, she could avoid the other girl for at least a week. More if Pinkie stuck to a semi-regular schedule. “Fine, I’ll be there.”

Rarity smiled.

Twilight wasn’t positive how long she had been there. She had made it to the café thirty minutes before she and her friends were supposed to meet. She was going to talk to Pinkie alone.

Now she was in the towns only music store. Lyra, the owner, had asked if Twilight needed anything when she had first walked in. Twilight had quickly shook her head. She had watched her friends arrive, one by one, until they were all in the café.

Twilight was now fifteen minutes late.

If Lyra had noticed Twilight not moving from the row of death metal music, she hadn’t said a word. If she noticed Twilight looking out the window more than she looked at cd’s, she didn’t mention it to Twilight. If she noticed Twilight’s breathing exercises, she must not have minded.

Just go, Twilight. Come on. You can do this. Twilight couldn’t quiet convince herself to enter the building across the street. If she waited much longer, her friends would be gone. Her chance would be gone. Taking one last deep breath, she took a step out of the asile. Then another. Soon the bell above the door jingled and she was out of the music shop. Okay, you’ve got this. You’re going to tell her how sorry you are. You are going to tell her how you feel. You can still be friends if you don’t screw this up.

She refused to let her hand hesitate as she opened the door to the café. She stepped to the side, looking for her friends, when she saw the. All five of them. Pinkie had her back turned to her, but she was gesturing emphatically. Rarity said something, causing them all to turn and look at Twilight.

As quickly as she could in the crowded café, Pinkie walked toward her. Twilight swallowed, her heart jumping to her throat. Here goes…something. Still, she backed against the wall as Pinkie came closer. Close enough to hear. Close enough to touch. Then her hands were on either side of Twilights head.

Twilight started talking before Pinkie could start.“Pinkie, I’m so sorry. I really want us to still be friends. I just…” Twilight sighed. “Please don’t hate me.”

Pinkie shook her head. “Twilight…for someone so smart, you aren’t that bright sometimes, you know that? Of course I don’t hate you.” She gave a small laugh, a smile rising to her face. “I love you.” With that, she tenderly took Twilight’s face in her hands and pressed their lips together.

It was totally different than the quick one-second kiss Twilight had given her earlier. It was different that the kisses of burning passion Twilight had read about. It was tender and sweet. It was full of expression, of emotion. Twilight found tears rolling down her cheeks again as Pinkie slowly pulled away.

Pinkie smiled, brushing away the tears before Twilight could raise a hand to do so. “Don’t ever run away from me again. I was trying to tell you I liked you, at the library.” Twilight was to shocked to say anything, so Pinkie continued. “Crushes go away. They are fleeting. Or it develops into something. I didn’t have a crush on you anymore, Twily. I want so much more than a simple little crush.”

Twilight couldn’t help herself; she giggled. She giggled and pulled Pinkie into a hug. “I was so worried. I was afraid you might not feel the same. I didn’t want to ruin what we already had. I just—I was afraid.”

Smiling, Pinkie pressed her lips to Twilight’s again. “I’ve got to go back to work, okay? Got sit with the others, your food is already on the table. I’ll be home early tonight.”

After a round of congratulations and one ‘finally’ and some good natured teasing, the group of friends left. Twilight stayed at the table, stirring her fizzy drink with her straw. She was amazed at how Pinkie knew just exactly what she wanted. This one was called the ‘Pinkie Salad’. It seemed there was a little of everything in bowl. Applejack had laughed when Twilight said Pinkie had picked it for her, asking if Twilight needed to slim down, until Rarity had explained it had the most calories out of everything on the menu. Not that it was hard to believe. Three different types of lettuce, spinach, carrots, two different cheeses, olives, cucumbers, croutons, purple onions, bacon, ham, cabbage, and a few other things Twilight didn’t remember were all mixed together in the large bowl.

Twilight watched Pinkie work. The influx of people hadn’t slowed down, even though it was nearing the end of Pinkie’s shift. She watched as Pinkie greeted new tables, she watched the different smiles Pinkie had, and how she greeted every single customer by name. Everytime she walked by Twilight or checked to see if she needed a refill, Pinkie would touch her. A pat on the shoulder, her fingers trailing lightly across the nape of her neck. Pinkie would wink at her from across the room.

Over an hour after their friends had left, Pinkie’s shifted ended. She pulled Twilight from the table and back through the kitchen, never letting go of her hand. She said goodbye to Mota, who was staying at the café all day for the opening, threw her apron of the ‘to wash’ pile, either not hearing or caring when he said Twilight couldn’t be back there, and left through the back door.

She giggled the entire way home, grinning up at Twilight. And Twilight grinned back. She was ecstatic. Pinkie liked her back. Pinkie actually wanted to date her. Pinkie was her girlfriend. She couldn’t wait to tell her everyone. Princess Celestia, Shiny and Cadance, her parents… They’re very open minded people, Twilight said to herself. They’ll be fine with me dating Pinkie.

It didn’t take them long to get to the library. “So…we’re girlfriends now, right?” Pinkie asked as they walked through the door. “You’re my special someone?”

Grinning, Twilight nodded. “Goddess, yes.”

“So it’s definitely okay if I kiss you lots and lots and hold your hand out in public and—“

To answer, Twilight pressed her lips to Pinkie’s. Pinkie pressed back, harder, causing Twilight to take a step back. And another. And another. Then she fell onto the couch with Pinkie landing on top of her.

Pinkie broke away from Twilight, looking into her eyes. Her hand stroked Twilight’s cheek, just under her still-tender eyes. “I never want you to cry because of me again. If I’m the reason you’re crying, you need to tell me. And if I’m not, I’ll fix it.” Pinkie settled her head onto Twilight's shoulder and sighed. “I care about you too much.”

Wrapping her arms around Pinkie, Twilight smiled. “I was crying because I was being stupid. If I had just told you, instead of what I was doing, we could have been doing this along time ago. And I don’t want you crying either.” She ran her fingers through Pinkie’s short curls. “You make me happy, though. I’ll choose you over everyone.”

Twilight felt Pinkie nuzzle in closer, and she wrapped her arms around her tighter. Soon, they fell asleep.

"6" Epilogue

Twilight blinked slowly. The sunlight was bright coming through the opened curtains of the bedroom. Waving her hand at them, they closed. She started to sit up, but found Pinkie’s arm wrapped around her. Twilight grinned as she remembered exactly what had happened yesterday evening.

But didn’t we fall asleep on the couch? She still had the clothes she wore the day before on. Pinkie was still in her waitress attire. I know we did. Did Pinkie carry me up here? She smiled at the thought. She picked up the hand Pinkie had thrown across her, lacing their fingers together. I was going to actually get some work done today, but I guess I can sleep in.

She had just closed her eyes when Pinkie sat up, gasping. She looked around worriedly for a moment before flopping back onto her pillow. “Just a dream.” Looking over, she smiled at Twilight. “Hey, cutie.”

Twilight felt herself blush. “Hey yourself. Bad dream?”

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah. Better now though.” She shifted closer to Twilight. “You’re here and safe.”

“Do you want to talk about it? You seemed pretty worried.” Twilight wrapped her arms around Pinkie as she nuzzled into her neck.

She felt Pinkie shake her head. “No. It’s always the same one anymore. I know it isn’t real.”

Twilight pulled away from Pinkie, sitting up. Pinkie protested, but Twilight shook her head. “What do you mean, it’s the same one. Do you have nightmares often?”

Shrugging, Pinkie sighed. “It’s just…fire. Places burn. Sometimes it’s the bakery. Sometimes it’s Jack’s house or Rarity’s shop or Chy’s cottage. But a lot of times, it’s just you in a fire. And I can’t get you out and you won’t use your magic because your too afraid and—“

Twilight placed a finger on Pinkie’s lips. “Hey, I’m right here. You saw what the Cake’s wrote to you. Faulty wiring. As a town-owned building, the library gets checked out a lot. We’re safe here, okay?”

Pinkie nodded. Grinning, Twilight leaned in closer. “And you know what? I can do this…” She closed the gap quickly, giving Pinkie a chaste kiss. “…and cheer you up.”

It worked. Pinkie’s eyes widened as her grin grew. “You know what this means?”

“A party?” Twilight said.

“A party!” Grinning, Pinkie got out of bed. “Oh my goodness, I have to get a cake and punch and streamers and—I have to tell the Cakes. Mrs. Cake is going to be so happy. Have you told your parents? What about Johnathan? You probably told the Princess, though, but she might want to know that we’re actually together now. And—“

“Yes, yes, Pinkie. We’ll write the letters today.” Getting out of the bed as well, Twilight stretched. “Party’s when? Today?”

Pinkie nodded. “Of course.”

“So, how about I find some streamers, and you start the cake?”

“And maybe I’ll let you help me make frosting again for the party.”

Twilight’s eyebrows rose. She walked over to Pinkie, grabbing her hands. “I am one lucky girl,” she whispered.

In response, Pinkie wrapped her hands around Twilight’s neck, pressing their lips together once more.