Twilight, Soldier of War

Twilight watched as her comrades scavenged supplies from dead rat soldiers. It was a common sight along the frontline as the commonwealth probed their defense. The Osanens were too deeply entranced; she had even heard some soldiers joke that it would take another orbital cannon to break the line, and those had been destroyed in the first days of the war.

The town they were in was little more than rubble now, the asphalt was cracked, and the few cars that remained were now burnt out wrecks. Twilight walked along the premotor. Their recent battle had been only a few hours prior, a few more hundred dead on both sides. She stepped into another ruined building and spotted a rat soldier pinned against a wall by a rebar pipe that pierced his abdomen. The rat was very much alive.

His helmet was off so Twilight could see him glare at her as she approached. She tugged at the med kit that rested on her hip and unzipped it. She had received the medical kit and a full afternoon of training with it, shortly after Davis had died. It was a quick and simple “Sorry for your loss. Take this, you’re now the medic,” she may have been insulted if it wasn’t said with the same cold indifference as someone passing out the mail.

Twilight took out a tab of morphine and stepped closer to the rat. When she reached out to administer the morphine the rat slapped her hand away, knocking the morphine to the ground. “I don’t…need your…pity,” the rat gasped out. Blood dripped from his mouth as he tried to take in more air. He looked off into the distance and seemed to be speaking more to himself than Twilight. “They said our families would be taken care of if we joined up. I should have known they were lying, they can barely feed us. I went to see them on my last leave, I saw them being taken away…they were so thin.”

Twilight picked up the morphine tab from the ground and dusted it off. The rat jerked and swung his arm at the morphine once more, but Twilight caught his arm mid swing and jabbed the tab into the side of the man’s neck. Relieve flooded his face almost immediately. He looked at Twilight with glazed covered eyes and spoke in a voice that was no longer his own; it was strangely familiar but she couldn’t place it, “You shouldn’t be worrying about me. Don’t you remember? It’s time to go home.”

Twilight set up in bed; sweat drenched sheets clinging to her body, a scream stuck in her throat. She took a few slow breaths as she got a grip of her surroundings. Laying back down she threw the sheets over her head. The dreams weren’t real and so long as she stayed in bed that would continue to be true. Yes, nothing would be getting her out of bed today.

***

With the rhythmic bopping of a hoof on a nose, Fluttershy gradual opened her eyes. She half grumbled as she spoke, “Pinkie Pie, why are you bopping my nose?”

The Pink pony smiled wide at the sleepy Fluttershy, and answered in a sing song cheerful tone, “It’s time to get up.”

Fluttershy rolled away from her. “Too early, need more sleep.”

Pinkie jumped to the other side of the bed and put herself nose to nose with Fluttershy. “You can’t sleep! There’s no time to sleep!” Pinkie insisted. “Don’t you understand it’s finally our chapter! I’ve been waiting two years for this…I need this!”

Fluttershy had no idea what Pinkie was talking about, which wasn’t that much of a surprise; Pinkie would often go on about things that made sense only to her. Regardless, Fluttershy was certain of one thing: one way or another she was not going back to sleep. She leaned forward and kissed Pinkie, who eagerly returned the kiss.

Pinkie backed off as Fluttershy raised form the bed and made her way to a mirror and began to comb out her mane. “What is this about?” she finally asked.

“We are spending time with Twilight today, just the three of us and hours of emotional bonding.”

“And does Twilight know about this?”

Pinkie waved the question off. “Of course she knows, silly, I sent her an invitation with our schedule on it. I’m sure she’s just waiting for us to race over…I know I am.”

***

Spike looked through the mail. Most of it was junk and a few official looking documents which he set aside. The last piece of mail was a postcard sized invitation with oversized font on the front that smelled faintly of cupcakes. The card read:

Finally!

Twilight Sparkle

You are cordially invited to a party two years in the making!

Just you, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and as much emotional baggage as you can carry.

There will be streamers

There will be games

There will be crying

Look on back for an event schedule

Spike flipped the card over and gave it a quick read.

8:00 am: Meet up with hugged and laughter.

8:10 am: Head to Fluttershy’s cottage.

8:15-10:30 am: fun.

11:00 am: First emotional confession and/or bonding.

11:30 am: fun.

Spike tossed the card into the junk piled and carry the rested to his office. He was sure that Twilight wasn’t in the mood for Pinkies game today. After dropping off the mail, Spike entered the kitchen and began on Twilight’s breakfast or lunch, depending when she got up. He got out onions and green peppers and diced them up, and was about to oil a pan to fry them when a glance at the window made him jump back in fright.

Pinkie Pie was clinging to the window like an overgrown tree frog. “Pinkie what are you doing? We’re two stories up how did you even get up—” Spike stopped himself when he realized that he was asking a logical question to an illogical pony.

“Spike, did you know the front door is locked?” Pinkie asked, her voice sounding distorted with her mouth pressed against the glass.

“Yes, I locked it. There is no counsel business today, and Twilight needs her rest.”

“Spike, the door…open the door!” Pinkie Pie slowly slid down the window as she continued to cry, “The door!”

Spike set his knife down and walked for the front door, thinking it may be better to deal with her before she pops out of the oven or something.

When Spike opened the front door he saw Pinkie talking to one of the two guards standing outside the door. She was rambling on about something that Spike couldn’t follow, and when the guard spotted him he shot Spike a pleading look. Fluttershy was also standing close by but like the others was watching the scene unfold.

“Pinkie, Fluttershy, how can I help you?”

Pinkie jumped over to Spike. “We’re here to see Twilight.”

“Twilight’s sleeping right now, come back later.”

Pinkie grabbed ahold of Spikes shoulders and declared, “Spike, You don’t understand!” Pinkie began a long rant about bonding, her destined time, two years of planning, and how if Twilight wasn’t able to meet with them today all of time could just stop, like some kind of temporal hiatus. Spike didn’t follow nor was he trying to. He told them to come back later and shut the door. He had brunch to prepare.

Pinkie stare incredulously at the door that was slammed in her face. She looked back to Fluttershy. “Can you believe this, his tone, slamming the door, not a single ‘thanks for dropping by cupcake’,”

“Pinkie,” Fluttershy winced. “Let’s just wait a few hours for Twilight to wake up. The world isn’t going to end before then.”

“Are you willing to take that chance, I’m not! Come on, Pinkamena Diane Pie, doesn’t give up that easily.”

Fluttershy gave a long sigh as she followed along. “Truer words have never been said.”

They walked around the building with Pinkie scanning the surface for anything from an open window to a secret door. She glanced up and spotted the third story balcony and smiled. Pinkie looked over to Fluttershy, a devious smile on her face. “Fluttershy, did I ever tell you how beautiful your wings are?”

Fluttershy tucked her wings in close to her side. “I’ve told you already, I’m not into wing play,”

Pinkie let out a snort and laughed. “Oh you are funny, but hypothetically speaking how strong of a flyer are you?”

Fluttershy lowered her head, her mind already connecting the dots. “The things I do for love,”

“WEEEE,” Pinkie called, sitting square on Fluttershy’s back as they ascended up the castle. “Faster, Faster,”

“Pinkie, if you don’t settle down I’m going to drop you. I haven’t decided if that will be on purpose or not.”

Fluttershy landed on the third floor balcony and collapsed, her wings laying out flat at her sides. Pinkie Pie hopped off and trotted to the balcony door. It opened without a sound. “Alright, we’re in. Operation ‘Sneak into Twilight’s Room’ is a go,”

Pinkie rolled to the nearest wall, her head darting around the first corner. She waved Fluttershy over as she advanced forward with another roll. “Dun dun dun da, dun dun da,” Pinkie sang in a hush whisper. Fluttershy rolled her eyes but followed.

Pinkie’s head darted between a set of doors as she said, “Such a large castle, so many rooms, who knows which one could hold Twilight.”

“Second floor, eighth door from the stairway.”

“No way to know,”

After another thirty minutes of coaxing, clever maneuvering, and at times dragging, Fluttershy was able to get them to Twilight’s doorway. “Should we knock?”

“Knocking, ain't nopony got time for that!” Pinkie Pie opened the door and tumbled end over end inside. She jumped up and landed on her back hooves with a hushed “Dun da!”

“Pinkie, quiet,” Flutterhy said. She pointed to the bed in the room where Twilight was still sleeping with the blanket covering her head.

“Well this is no good; did she even read my event schedule?” Pinkie’s eyes darted around the room until she spotted a small box sitting on the desk adjacent from the bed. With her mind now fully occupied with what was in the box, Pinkie hopped over to the desk. She picked up the plain looking box with the title that read: Nutrition bars. “OOW, some of Twilight special human food, me want to try,”

“Umm, Pinkie, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Twilight did say that humans and ponies had different dietary needs,”

Pinkie waved her off. “Dietary, Smietary. I’ll just try one.” She pulled one of the bars from the box and pulled back the white wrapping in one go before biting the bar in half. Pinkie give three long chews before swallow the food. She turned to Fluttershy and gave her a wide smile. “Fluttershy, bury me on a rock farm.” With her legs straight as a board, she killed over.

“Pinkie!” Fluttershy trotted to her side and took Pinkie’s head in her hooves.

Pinkie’s face was a sickly green; she looked up to Flutterhy and spoke in a weak voice, “Don’t forget about me,”

“Pinkie, no!”

“What is going on here?” an irritated and very awake Twilight called.

Twilight set up in her bed, letting her blanket fall to her side, and looked at the two ponies making a scene in her floor. Pinkie Pie jumped up first and bounced over to her. “Hi, Twilight, we’re here to pick you up,”

Twilight rubbed sleep from her eyes. Her hair was a mess but she was too tired to care. “Pick me up for what?”

“Didn’t you get my invitation?”

By invitation she knew that Pinkie had to be talking about a party, seeing as in the last week alone she had been to three of Pinkie’s parties. “Sorry, Pinkie, but I’m not in the mood for a party today. Maybe next time.”

“Here we go,” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie’s eyes looked bloodshot, one eye involuntary twitching. “Twilight, this isn’t just another party; this is about the three of us as friends,”

“I don’t know, Pinkie. It sounds like we could do this anytime,”

Pinkie grasped Fluttershy by the hoof and drug her over. With both hooves she puffed up Fluttershy’s cheeks, “Look at this face! Could you say no to this cuteness?”

“Pinkie!”

“Look at her!” Pinkie moved Fluttershy closer. “Give in to the cuteness,” Fluttershy was blushing heavily and looked ready to bolt, but was holding firm. Twilight wasn’t sure if that was due to the awkward position she was in or the complements she was receiving.

Twilight threw her head back and groaned, “Fine! Just let me shower first.” Pinkie cheered and Fluttershy rubbed her face. Twilight rose from the bed and walked to the shower across the hall.

She took her time and enjoyed the hot water before reluctantly emerging. When she made it back to her room Pinkie Pie was holding her anizon case. Not only that, but she had opened it and was looking at one of the vials in a hoof.

“OOOh, pretty,”

Twilight practically vaulted across the room snatched the vial and case from Pinkie, tucking them back into her desk drew. “Pinkie, you shouldn’t go through other people’s things without asking.”

“Sorry, but my twitchy ear said it may be fun. Say, was that some kind of candy?”

“No, Pinkie, that was not candy,”

Twilight looked over to Fluttershy who was holding a nutrient bar in a hoof. “It can’t be that bad,” she was muttering. She pulled the wrapper off and took a bit.

“Fluttershy, don’t eat that!” it was too late; Fluttershy killed over.

Pinkie galloped to her side and held Fluttershy’s head in her hooves. Fluttershy looked up with weak eyes and whispered, “Take care of my animal for me,” her eyes closed and her head drooped to the side.

“Fluttershy, no!”

Twilight pointed to the door. “That’s it, everypony out!”

Twilight walked a slow pace behind her two friends as they lead her back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Behind her Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum kept their normal distance, not to close to be a bother but not too far away that they couldn’t respond if needed.

The cottage set on top of a hill and rounded by a small stream just like she remembered. She wasn’t sure if it was her memory or her imagination, but the area was overflowing with animals. If she had to guess, a lot of them were probably here for the free food. How Fluttershy was able to afford it she may never know.

They crossed the wooden bridge and walked up the hill to the front door. The animals gathered around Fluttershy, like baby birds expecting food. “Yes, yes, I’m back,” Fluttershy spoke to her animals. “No, I’ve already given you today’s food…then I suggest you go foraged more. There is plenty of food to be found in the Everfree,”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see that Fluttershy didn’t let her animals boss her around. The two guards waited outside while everypony else went inside.

To Twilight’s surprise there weren’t streamers hanging from to walls, or balloons everywhere, not even a table full of more sweets then the town of Ponyville could eat. Just a plain a living room with a birdhouse and other animal dens build into the walls. “Not quite what I was expecting,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy guided them to the coach as she said, “Since it’s only going to be the three of us, I talked Pinkie out of decoration,”

“They should change your name to Party-Poopershy,” Pinkie grumbled, taking a seat next to the pegasus. With a wing Fluttershy pulled Pinkie closer.

“So you two are dating,” Twilight said, as she watch to closeness between them. “Rarity motioned this the other day, but it was hard to believe. I never quite imagined you two like that,”

“Nor did we,” said Fluttershy.

“It was my Suspire Cakes of Love that won her over,”

“I would say it was your pie that won me over,”

“Pie? I never made you a pie,” Fluttershy gave her a raised eyebrow. Pinkie took in a breath and her face reddened.

Twilight made a facepalm. “I can’t believe you just make that joke,” she looked up to Pinkie. “Pinkie, tell me literally anything about your day,”

Fluttershy rose from her seat. “Let me go get us some drinks,”

“She’s certainly bolder then I remember,”

“I know, just the other day she bumped into somepony and didn’t even stop to say she was sorry, I was like ‘we’re going to start calling you Flutterbold’,”

“That’s not quite what I meant,”

As Fluttershy came back into the room Pinkie jumped up and ran out of the room. A minute later she returned with a board game in her hooves. She set in on the coffee table, “How about a game of Candyland?”

Twilight gave a shrug, “Why not,” They played for what felt like hours, each of them forgetting their worries. Twilight had to admit, it may have been a childish game but it was quite fun.

When the wall clock struck 11:00 a bird popped out of its hole and started clucking— a real bird not a fake one. “It’s that time already,” said Pinkie. She raised form her spot on the couch and jumped on Twilight’s lap with her hooves wrapped around her neck. Twilight looked down at the pink pony in confusion.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?”

“Shhh, it’s ok. Just let it all out, momma pie is here for you,” Pinkie cooed as she slowly stocked Twilight hair. Twilight glanced at Fluttershy, trying to get answers, only for the pegasus to shrug at the scene. “Tell me all of your secrets there’s no need to hid them with me,”

“So you want to hear my secrets do you?” Twilight asked more to herself. A dark smile crossed her lips, but she managed to fix it with a distraught look, “Your right, Pinkie Pie, I can’t hold back the dark secrets inside for a moment longer!” Twilight’s tone was one too fake to be believable, but Pinkie seemed to buy it hook, line, and sinker.

Fluttershy watch like somepony waiting for a punchline.

“It’s ok, Twilight, I’m here for you,”

“Every day I would go to the cafeteria and ask for the same thing, but no matter how many times I asked or where I asked they never had it. Don’t you understand, Pinkie Pie, they didn’t have frosting! They never had frosting!”

“The horror! The Horror!” Pinkie cried. Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry I know how to fix this,” Pinkie jumped down and disappeared into the next room a minute later she returned with three cans of frosting and three spoons.

They spent the rest of the day eating frosting and playing childish games. Twilight was suddenly glad she didn’t spend all day in bed.