Bittersweet Trails

Bittersweet Trails Chapter 8 (Publicity)
A/N: I cannot stress enough to read my comment under this chapter first.

• I knew this day would have to had come.

As me and Pinkie's secret relationship pressed on, for up to months on end, I began to question why we kept it from everypony. It began to seem rather trivial to have to refrain from holding hooves in public, or to avoid the gossip-circle for fear that they might discover that a morning at the breakfast table was spent with a pair of blushing ponies.

Regardless, we did have some fun times. I'd progressively learned how to skate from her, we'd gone water-skiing, even. And whenever I needed a hug, she was happy to give it to me, be it long or short.

I wished she could have hugged me at this moment, though.

I glanced nervously around, at the faces of my friends, expectantly looking at me. The exception to this was Pinkie, who stood besides me. I could feel my legs quivering, and my heart racing as I prepared to speak. My mouth felt excessively dry, and swallowing did no good.

"Sugarcube? Ya' gonna say anything?" Applejack's words weren't the kindest...but she had a point. I had, after all, called for the whole event, and more recently, attention. Pinkie had been ecstatic about the whole thing, saying she had a 'super-duper-special-fun-awesome-cool' present for me if I followed through, and that it would make me feel 'really-super-warm and good'. It wasn't like anything could feel better than her hugs, but...it was worth a shot.

"I-I...uh..." My friends' entire perception on me could just be about to be changed! How could I be calm? At all?

I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the rampaging beasts that ran free in my stomach. I could feel Pinkie put a hoof around me, and gently hear her whisper: "You can do it."

As my most recent breath came out, my mouth disengaged, and whether I liked it or not, I was talking. "Me and Pinkie Pie are in a relationship, and we have been for exactly 238 days!"

Silence. Uncomfortable silence. Stares.

And then, what I'd feared most. What I had dreaded, and the exact reason I had been half-reluctant to even follow through with the event. They laughed. It started with a snicker, from none other than Rainbow. Then a snort, and then the sudden uproar of all 4 of them bursting into laughter.

I couldn't believe it. I felt sick to my stomach, and tears gathered in my eyes. "Stop it!" I shouted at my 'friends'. "I'm serious! It isn't funny!"

That quieted them nearly instantly. I could see Rainbow still smiling as she spoke up. I braced myself for the insults, the jives, and then:

"Cool your jets, Twilight."

Well. That wasn't as bad as I thought. Regardless, I still felt hurt. "Cool my jets? These are my emotions that you're laughing at!"

"Twi'..." began Applejack, frowning towards Rainbow before glancing back at me, her eyebrows still lowered. "Ah hate to say it, but Rainbow's actually right for once. Ya'll need ta' cool your jets. We ain't laughin' at ya'-"

"Sure sounds like it."

She raised an eyebrow calmly before continuing. "...but we're laughin' because typical you decided ta' turn it into this big ol' deal, thinkin' it was like you'd discovered the secret to life."

I raised my hoof in indignation to reply, but I stopped. Was...was it really such a big deal? "So..." I began, a lot more subdued, I might add. "You...don't think less of me?"

"Darling, anything but!" It was Rarity this time, who I could swear winked as she said so. "We're friends with you because you're you! We don't care whether it's stallions, mares, or even books that you like! Though, Celestia forbid that, hopefully..."

"Plus, uh, Twilight..." began Rainbow. "We, uh...we kinda' knew. All this really did was make Rarity and Fluttershy laugh a little bit. It's not like it's something big."

"It isn't?" I sort of was speaking a very, very long-term commitment here.

"I, um...I think it's sort of big...you know, because...it's a big commitment and all...but you can have your own opinions, too..."

Fluttershy agreed with me at least.

Despite this moment of slightly vain pride, I smiled. "Thanks, girls," I said, taking in all of the now cheerful faces around me. "I didn't know how you might have reacted."

"Twi', we've kicked evil butt before together," Dash pointed out. "If you think we're gonna leave because you prefer smoochin' ladies to lads, that's just plain stupid, no offense."

"None taken."

"Soooo..." Rarity's eyes wandered as she drawled out the word. "Is...that it, darling? Pinkie, did you have a party to go with it, or-"

"Nope!" Glad to finally have a chance to speak, Pinkie lept forward. "That's the old me! I only throw parties for weddings, birthdays, relationships, reunions-"

"Pinkie."

"-graduations, welcomings, goodbyes-"

"Pinkie."

"-friends, conflict resolutions, bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, bake sales, really big apologies, crocodilian gatherings-"

"PINKIE!"

"...aaand receptions now!" she finally finished.

"So..."

"Nah," Pinkie said, throwing a hoof nonchalantly in the air. "Not for 'telling ponies what they already knew'."

"I see." Rarity rose, turning for the door. "Twilight, I'd love to stick around, but I have quite a lot of work to do. I'll be seeing you two around, then!"

The others nodded assent, mumbling their goodbyes and chatting on the way out. I could have tried to listen to the chatter, but I was a little busy looking back at the whole situation. I did have a tendency to blow things out of proportion, but...I honestly thought I'd assumed correctly this time.

By the time I was finished processing this, I recognized that the library was once more empty. And me and Pinkie were alone.

I sighed in relief. "What a pleasant happening, right?"

"Yep!" Pinkie chirped, giggling a little bit afterwards. "Though I knew it would happen. I already told the girls weeks ago."

"Wha-?"

She didn't seem to want me asking questions, so she jammed a hoof in my mouth. I got it out quickly, but by then, she was talking already. "But you were really brave about it for such a book-headed pony. But the fact that you do so much for me is sweet. And that's why I have my gift today!"

The gift. I'd been burning with curiosity. What could she give me that nopony else had given me? She'd said that it was special, and that only she could do it.

"Gift?"

"Welll, I know we're like really far on, but..." Her voice dropped there, taking a more...serious tone, if anything. It was a hard tone to read. "...do I need this? It's something reaaaalllllyy special, and I wanna know if I can give it to you or not."

The piece of paper that she procured from her mane looked oddly familiar. I grabbed it, looking it over.

'The bearer of this coupon receives: one free 'special activity'-'

Oh. A love coupon? She still had those? Well, they did have no expiry date. I nodded, awaiting her response as I poofed the sheet of paper back where it belonged; blank and renewed with a simple spell.

Pinkie sighed, and I could see her shuffling her hooves awkwardly. "OK, good, so...we're clear there, now if only I can work up the courage..."

"Pinkie, you're almost literally killing me with the suspense. Just get on with it." For such a hyper pony, she was being hyper-reluctant about it.

"But it's a really special thing, Twily! If it's too soon for us-"

I had to spell this out? Really? "Pinkie, we're at least 9 months into our relationship. Nothing is too soon."

"So-"

"Just...for Celestia's sake, give it to-"

Oh, she gave me it alright.

Starts getting teen up to 16+ right here...you're in for a ride here, by the way...generally NSFW, but not quite clop...

Right as my voice began to escalate, it happened. A quick blur, and my vision was filled with pink as her muzzle met mine, in a way all too familiar. I relaxed almost instantly, allowing her passage into my mouth that I knew she seeked. So, it was just a kiss, huh?

I could feel a hoof around my neck pulling me closer as we did a familiar tongue dance. I don't know why, but I felt both safe and vulnerable. Safe because I was with my marefriend, in the closest way possible. Vulnerable, because I was with my marefriend in the closest way possible. So I suppose it was just both.

This continued for perhaps a minute or two, with only slight moments that our lips parted to gain a much needed breath, punctuated only by a slight smacking sound as we simultaneously parted, and then once more introduced our lips to each other.

I could feel the one hoof that she chose to keep free wandering, occasionally brushing my relentless hair out of the way, or trailing down my neck to my back, and then slowly teasing its way back up.

It was a way to slow time for me, to leave me perception-less as we shared our innermost selves in an, indeed, very intimate way.

Suddenly, I could feel a shift in the pleasant, loving mood. A slightly more forceful pressing of the lips, a quickening of the tongue's movement. I could feel just the gentlest push slowly moving me backwards, and I felt no other choice but to allow it, and attempt to return the passion that the pink pony now gave to me.

All of a sudden, the perceived world around me changed orientation. I found myself lowered onto a hard surface, but no, not the floor. It was too high, plus the one hoof that remained could still touch the floor. It must have been the circular desk where I normally performed my calligraphic duties. My brain was too hazy to want to comprehend such, however. All it wanted was her.

The heat in my face grew, and my breath became harder and harder to come by. Shorter, more rapid breaths through my nose did the trick, though I was nearly panting by then, as was she.

Finally, the kiss was broken. Pinkie was still heavily out of breath, and her mouth remained slightly open as a deep red blush adorned her features. Her cyan eyes were half-lidded, and just the tiniest smile was visible as she spoke from her position above me.

"This...is going...to be...so fun..."

Oh, goodie. As if it wasn't already.

Pinkie Pie leaned in again, but not towards my awaiting lips. Instead, she arrived just at the side of my neck, to the side of her first target.

The first gentle peck was electric, sending shivers down my entire body. The second carefully placed kiss made me shudder again, that time even drawing a moan that arose unconsciously to me. Pinkie sure knew how to work a mare. Then again, she was one, so if she didn't make me feel...as excellent as I did then, perhaps that might be a mystery in its own.

From a third, to a fourth, to a fifth, the tangent was unclear, but I didn't care. Now free to use both of her hooves, Pinkie set about the work of a master. Both hooves alternately trailed up and down the sides of my body, just barely tingling my coat but enough to draw out blissful gasps. The occasional contact with the very spot that my cutie mark resided in sent a warm, yet nearly overpowering tingle through my body, from hoof to horn.

Suddenly, all contact was removed from me, and my own ears could finally catch how...oh Celestia, I'll just say it, aroused that I sounded. My breath came in short,semi- pant-like intervals, with my chest rising deeply each time. As contact was removed, I found myself instinctively reaching out for her. Trying to bring her back, the good feelings, anything.

Damnit, Pinkie, quit being a tease! Don't turn the light on and then leave the room!

"Sorry!" Pinkie's breathless apology seemed the least bit apologetic that it could be. "I just...can't help...saying that you're...so fun to play with!"

'I don't give a buck! Just finish the session first!' Well, that's what I might have said, if I could have spoken coherently. Instead, all that I managed was "Ohhh..."

"I see that my Twily...wants-"

Nope. Enough games. You're doing this, whether you want to or not. Whether I want it or-wait, I do.

Without another hesitation, I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, pulling her in for another kiss, but the word 'kiss' was much too mild. My lips actively attacked hers, and my hooves pulled her in with all of the strength I could muster. She wasn't going to get away this time. Not if I could help it.

*cough Mature and what can be considered clop below here cough*

...OK, who am I kidding. This is clop. Blatantly NSFW. Intentions pure, but undeniably clop.

If you managed to stomach this much, but don't care for...uh, love scenes, and want to skip, just control-f 'M-o-p-b-o-y', minus the dashes.

If not, enjoy!

I had to admit it, she'd driven me crazy with lustful greed. But by Celestia, I didn't care. I just wanted to close the gap.

And that's what she did.

Despite my death-hold, Pinkie managed to pull back from my fervent kiss. And then, gently and ever so slippery, ever so slowly, she leaned forward.

And then I felt it.

I felt the most electrifying, ecstatic...indescribable feeling as Pinkie's lips once more made contact with me, but not with my own lips. Instead, they closed ever so gently around the tip of my most sensitive body part, of the most important part, of the most talented part, and the very spot that had me crying out in reflex:

My horn.

My eyes were shut tight now as I could feel her gently teasing around the tip, perfectly balancing my surprised yelps and impassioned moans. My muscles strained to the breaking point as she finally closed her mouth around my magical center point, gently teasing the sides with her tongue before gently moving just millimeters down its length, and back up.

The tiniest grinding of her teeth against the sides, only did more to stir my magical reserves, awakened by the intense and localized pleasure. I was completely lost by now, my moans of delight echoing through the empty library so frequently, that there was hardly any space for echoes at all. They sounded foreign to me, even if they were my own, as they slowly rose in both pitch and frequency.

I found myself groaning the first words with any relative coherency that I had in 15 minutes. "Pinkie! Pinkie, I...oh!"

This served only as encouragement to her. I could swear she paused for the slightest second, as if smiling inwardly to herself, before finally, and slowly, descending down its entire ridged length.

That was near it. The shivers that now racked my body at rhythmic intervals became ever the more quicker. I could feel 'it' building-an intense concentration of magic that, when stimulated sufficiently...

It's best to save it for a little later, though.

All I needed was just a few more minutes' coaxing, or something really over the top. Pinkie, being her, opted for the second one.

As she never once moved her head, I could feel her shifting around on her hind legs through my heightened senses. And then, with the tiniest giggle, I felt what I least expected at all, in the area I'd not once paid notice to.

When she had leaned me over the desk, one leg splayed to the side and in full contact with the floor, the other stretched to the side of me, she had left a very...intimate and private part wide open. It was this...area that I felt her brush against with one of her free forehooves.

Well, that certainly was over the top. And from left field. But honestly, I wasn't thinking at the moment. And so, the words that I grunted would make history in our (now very much so) intimate relationship:

"Do...it..."

Not one to shy back from a request from her marefriend, Pinkie responded immediately, and I mean immediately. I was able to concentrate on two sensations exploding into sync at once, from the two most sensitive parts of my being.

My horn, being stimulated to its extreme lengths and being forced to hold back through other means, had increased the receptiveness of my senses so as to waste some of the over-excited energy. It was this sense amplification that had hyper-stimulated my 'special place' that rest between my haunches, and thus left it twice as receptive as normal, and already greased rather thoroughly with naturally produced lubricant.

Thus allowing easier access to the inside.

It was quite a duo. Between the gentle, teasing flicks of my horn with Pinkie's tongue, and the entirely contrasted, rapidly thrusting of Pinkie's hoof inside my general thigh-area, the dual waves of pleasure and pure ecstasy were too much to handle.

My moans had reached fever pitch, becoming so high as to be heavily resemblent of a series of high pitched whines. As if to take shape of something, my mouth was an 'O' shape, repeating the word that sounded like the letter. Pinkie's other hoof was...well, Celestia knew where, but she sounded no different than me. Perhaps because her voice was higher by nature regardless.

I could feel the dual waves coalescing, into one big wave that needed to be released. And due to two separate natures of stimulation, it would have to go out two different ways.

My vocalizations reacted only after the rest of me did. I felt my hooves drawing themselves in as much as possible, turning into a compact fetal position. Senses now fully awakened, I could feel every detail, and every detail felt...wonderful. The cool press of the wood on my fur, the very closeness that we now shared.

A gift? Why, this was so much more. This was a sharing of one's deepest self, something border-line spiritual, something so personal. If anything, it was a privilege.

Privilege or present, it felt no less perfect as I finally approached my dual peaks. With only seconds away, I acted on instinct. I couldn't hold it any longer. "P-Pinkie, I'm gonna...I'm gonna..."

And finally...I did.

Everything happened in one explosion of built up tension. The pressure that had slowly been compacted at the base of my forehead finally made its way slowly up the tip, before...

...everything went silent.

When I say that, I don't mean that I decided that I was bored, and just got up, without making a single sound where previously it had been the opposite.
To be more accurate would be saying that I lost the ability of worldly senses, remaining only intact from the pure, burning hot waves of excellence that engulfed me as I finally reached climax. I was vaguely aware that I was thrashing around, and I could feel...well, it was a weird sensation.

I could vaguely feel pressure from where I lay, but...that was it. The only force that had any effect on me was gravity, if it makes any sense.

(Mopboy)
Suddenly, everything rushed back in a flash.

I was no longer...'deaf', but...there appeared to be nothing to hear but my own exhausted panting. In, out, in out. My chest burned fiercely, but the rest of me glowed with a warmth that entirely shut out the pain when I made to concentrate upon it.

I felt a heavy weight over my entire body, which was warm, soft, and yielding. My brain was muddy, but it was pretty clear as to what...er, who it was.

But neither of us spoke for a few minutes. Honestly, I don't think I could have at the moment if I tried. The physical exhaustion was starting to set in. Instead, we sleepily traded the occasional kiss, all the while just holding each other close while slowly regaining our respiratory ability.

"Twily...?" Pinkie finally began.

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"Did we...just..."

I smiled weakly, gazing into her eyes the best that my weary self could. "We did," I whispered. "We...we did."

She nodded slowly before returning her head to my chest, lying it sidelong and sighing. "And it was..."

"Do I need to say it?"

"Nah. Just saying...it was great."

Well. That was that. But...

I found myself feeling closer to Pinkie than I had during our entire relationship. It was something hard to explain, but...it was like we were physically, yet emotionally closer. Was that it? Or was it just the afterglow of an act older than Celestia's reign itself?

No. It was both. I found myself with my hooves around her waist, but not just because she was warm or soft. It was because we'd done it. We had seen each other through but one of the most intimate acts that a couple could perform. An act of pure love.

I already knew this, but...I supposed that's why it was called 'making love'.

Some top pony psychologists also state that seeing another pony's 'other side', the one that nopony else sees, makes one feel as though it's more 'special', and a bonding experience.

What do I think, though? I say buck the scientists, and buck community conceptions. I loved her. Did I really need to think about it more?

Regardless, I came to attention once more to...recap, if you will. My mane stuck to my face with a thin layer of sweat, and my joints had a certain weariness to them, though that was to be expected. Pinkie had made the most from the least, and OK, maybe I never had much of a tolerance.

"So, Twilight..." Pinkie said, interrupting my train of thought. "I...what was with the magic stuff? That...that was really good, but...that's new..."

Magic? I had no recall of directly using any powers, but I had a suspicion. I asked her specifically what I had done, and she absently frowned.

"Weeelll...I knew something was different when I started seeing lights, and then...Twi', you picked us both up, like we were flying for a bit. You stopped, and then here we were."

Huh. It was certainly something I'd have to explore more later. A smile did creep back onto my face.

And I would do it with her, certainly.

"Alright, Pinkie," I said. "Time to get up. I still have some work to do."

Silence. I could still feel her breathing steadily. Her heartbeat was slow and steady. But I knew she could hear me. "Pinkie, come on. I'd love to pillow-talk or cuddle or whatever, but I have to categorize the biography section."

Nothing. "Pinkie...?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm just...thinking." She sounded unusually distant as she spoke. "About...time..."

"Speaking of which, Pinkie...you've been counting backwards ever since we first started dating. What's that about?"

"I, uh...well, I have about-"

Oh, duh! I roll my eyes as I remember the last number she said-9. 9 days away is my birthday! "Pinkie, were you counting the days to my birthday?"

"I-...yeah! I wanted it to be...a...surprise..." Her voice started fading away at this, to which I frowned. I figured she might be more excited, right?

"Twilight Sparkle-"

Immediately, the warning bells in my head began ringing furiously. Pinkie had not once, EVER called me by my full name. It was either 'Twilight', 'Twily', 'Twi'', or even 'my sweet little twinkie'. But to use my full name...

"-I just can't hide it from you anymore. I...I just love you too much." Pinkie's voice is incredibly off kilter, and she's shaking on top of me, despite seconds ago us having shared a delightful bit of conversation. I was seriously worried now.

"Twilight, I...I..."

"What is it, Pinkie?" Why wouldn't she tell me? Our relationship was a 'no secrets' one, so why would she be so reluctant about spilling one now? Would it be guilt?

It was definitely some form of sadness. Pinkie burst into tears, squeezing me so tight that I thought I might pass out from asphyxiation. She sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed, all the while making a pit in the bottom of my stomach grow bigger and bigger.

And then, through the worrying wails that pierced my ears, word by word, she spoke.

"It's also your birthday, but...it's...it's the time that the doctors think I 'have left', all right? That's what that paper that my sister gave to me said all that time ago, and I didn't wanna' tell you! But I have to! I didn't want you to worry, OK?!"

My brain decided that was enough. That I couldn't handle reality. So I felt myself drift into the blackness of unconsciousness, as my eyes rolled back in my head.

The last two things I felt were my own tears upon my cheeks, and my heart being torn properly, thoroughly, and certainly in twain.