Chapter 4: A Pale Shade of Theater Red

Pinkie Pie laid in her room staring at the ceiling, everything that Rarity told her spinning around her brain like a hurricane.

I’m in love with him? Nah, that’s silly! I’ve only known him for like, fifteen seconds!

“Then why do I feel like this?” she mumbled, putting a hoof to her chest.

She let out a weary sigh before rolling into a more comfortable position on her side. Eventually sleep managed to take her, though it didn’t last that long. In her dream, she was mixing cake batter in the kitchen at Sugar Cube Corner, though for some reason, she was having a hard time getting the mix to stir. It looked and smelled the same as regular batter but it was as thick as cement on the verge of drying. She grunted as her forelegs started to throb.

Just when she was going to give up, Mirth appeared behind her.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, rearing up on his back legs.

He drew her in close and slid his forelegs down hers towards the mixing bowl. With his great strength, he helped her mix; only applying enough force to assist her but not hurt her. She felt his warmth coursing through her and gave a happy chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, playfully flicking her on the nose with one of his wings.

She smiled up at him.

“Nothing. Just happy.”

As she said this she raised her head up to his level and the two of them brought their lips together for a kiss. But before they could actually kiss, Pinkie rolled out of her bed and slammed into the floor.

“Owy,” she mumbled groggily, rubbing the back of her head. “What happened?”

She looked around her dark room and the pieces started to come together.

I must’ve fallen out of bed, she thought, staggering to her hooves.

She yawned then slid back into bed.

“But wow, that was one crazy dream,” she mumbled to herself. “Shame it ended before it got to the good part though.”

As she closed her eyes, thoughts of what could’ve happened if the dream hadn’t been interrupted passed through her head. Everything form simple fun and games to things that even Pinkie didn’t know she knew about. She tried to force away these thoughts but that just made things worse.

Pinkie? This is Pinkie. Stop thinking about him and get some sleep! You have a busy day tomorrow and you need your rest!

But Pinkie, she whined to herself. I can’t help it! He’s just so hot!

What’s so hot about him? So what if he has really soft feathers and has a super duper buff body and is an amazing kisser and don’t get me started on his flank!

Mental Pinkie number one raised a brow at number two.

Okay, I see your point. Though you gotta admit, that confetti cloud trick was pretty cool!

Yeah,she mentally sighed.

Thinking of that and her dream made her face blush so much, steam started to flow out of her mane. It also gave her the same level of insomnia as thirty cups of espresso would to Pumpkin and Pound Cake. Frustrated, she rolled onto her belly and plopped her muzzle into her pillow, thinking that forcing her eyes to stay shut would eventually make her fall asleep. It didn’t, but now she knows she can hold her breath for two hours strait. That was something at least.

This was going to be a long night…….

***

Pinkie woke the next morning feeling like she was thrown into a washing machine then beaten with a stick. Of course, getting only half an hour’s sleep will do that to a pony. Groaning, she pulled herself out of bed and staggered to her bedroom mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy like she had just finished crying. Her mane was deflated to the point of looking like chewed bubblegum as apposed to its usual cotton-candy poof. In short, she looked like hell.

And I felt like it too, she thought miserably.

Luckily, she had something just in case something like this happens. She walked into her bathroom and opened her medicine cabinet. Sitting on the bottom shelf was her secret weapon; a small plastic vile with a jogging pony on it.

A Five-Hour-Energy Trot.

Pinkie sighed as she pulled out the small energy drink. To be honest, Pinkie didn’t like using it. It tasted awful and she on the rare occasions that she did use it she would have a hard time blinking from time to time.

Well, here goes nothing.

She uncapped the vile and dripped a small drop onto her tongue

The effects were immediate. Her mane returned to its usual poof and her eyes no longer looked puffy. She still had some slight bags under her eyes, but she could live with that. Enough of her fatigue faded away that she could function, but she still wished she had gotten a little more sleep.

At this rate I won’t be able to give Twilight’s guests their welcome party! She thought with a yawn. Then again, I should probably wait until they’ve settled in a bit first. Don’t want a remake of what happened with Cranky after all.

Of course, she had another reason to put off the welcome party. One that made her pink face turn a deep shade of red as his face passed through her mind for the umpteenth time.

Baking! That should help get my mind off of him!

With that, she made her way downstairs to start the day.

***

Pinkie let out an exasperated sigh. Throughout the day, she accidentally tried to bake an oven-mit, forgot to put on the lid for the milkshake blender, poured salt into somepony’s coffee, somehow turned vanilla pudding into oatmeal, and almost sold Missis Cake to a griffin. Everypony just wrote it off as normal Pinkie shenanigans and let it drop without getting too upset about it, though the Cakes did feel a little more nervous around her. At the moment she found herself working the register while the Cakes cleaned up most of the damage.

At least it’s a slow day, she thought, miserably.

No matter what she was doing, her mind kept drifting towards Mirth. How he made his entrance really left a huge impact on her. She also loved the way his coat glittered in the light and just thinking about how soft it was under her hooves made her heart pound. Memories of the dream she had last night didn’t make things any easier. The warmth she felt from his embrace was like being wrapped in a security blanket and the feel of his strong frame made her feel safe. What stood out the most for her was the feel of his wings, soft as silk yet stronger than any fabric.

I wonder if his wings really are that soft, she thought with a dopy grin as her mind started to wander.

As she stared off into space, two ponies walked into the bakery, one of which had a very distinct coat. With a smirk, the pair strolled up to the counter and rang the bell.

Still in lala land, Pinkie said, “Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, can I take your order?”

Mirth’s smile widened as he saw how out of it Pinkie seemed to be.

At least I’m not the only one.

“Yeah, I’ll take a Pink Pony to go please.”

Pinkie nodded and was just about to walk to the kitchen to deliver the order to the Cakes before realization made her pause.

Wait, that voice!

She slowly turned around. Standing across the counter from her was Mirth Hour.

“M-M-M-M-Mirth!” Pinkie squeaked, nearly jumping through the roof. “W-What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was talking to Grapevine about what happened yesterday and how I wanted to meet ya again.”

“Grapevine?” Pinkie asked.

It was then that she noticed the light-green Alicorn mare standing next to him.

Must be his marefriend, she thought feeling a small part of herself break. Makes sense. Why wouldn’t he have one?

On cue, he gestured towards his neighbor and said, “Pinkie Pie, meet Grapevine. She’s been a good friend of mine for, well, a long time.”

“Oh,” Pinkie smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.

YES! THANK CELESTIA, YES!!!

“Likewise,” she bowed. “So you’re the mare that molested my friend, eh?”

Pinkie’s eyes widened as her face turned cherry red.

“Um, well, yes?”

Grapevine gave her a long hard look before bursting into a massive laughing fit.

“Oh, man,” she gasped, wiping a tear out of her eye. “I’m so glad you’re real. The last time Mirth told me a mare made the moves on him it turned out to be a super realistic Spitfire piñata!”

Pinkie burst into a laughing fit of her own as she pictured him trying to pull such a lame fast one. Mirth just scratched the back of his head from the awkward moment.

Why did I bring her along again?

After a few minutes of small talk the pair Mirth said that they had to get a few things for their rooms at Twilight’s castle. As the pair made for the door Grapevine looked back at her and asked, “When do you get off work?”

“In a couple of hours, why?”

“I was thinking we could go get some drinks at The Punch Bowl later. You in?”

Now, Pinkie didn’t drink all that often, but when she did things had a tendency to get a little wild. The last time she had a few, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy somehow had their color pallets swapped, Spike was stuck talking backwards, and Rarity’s coat was covered in some strange mixture of tree sap and wood-sealer. Of course, this was mostly because Pinkie made the fatal mistake of drinking alone. With an all-powerful Alicorn keeping an eye on her, Ponyville would at least still be standing the next day.

“Will Mirth be coming along?”

“Only if you are,” Grapevine smirked, playfully nudging him in the chest.

With that said, Pinkie beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

“Great! See you in a couple of hours.”

“Okei-dokei-loki!” she cheered.

As soon as they left she zoomed into the kitchen and found the Cakes just seconds after they put a tray of cookie dough into an oven. The pink party pony was so happy she was vibrating, which both pleased and unnerved her bosses.

“Guess what! Guess what!” she said, giddy as a filly on her first day of school. “I bet your never gonna guess it!”

“Uh, Gummy grew his first tooth?” Mr. Cake asked cautiously.

“Nope!”

“You potty trained the twins?” asked Mrs. Cake

“Nope!”

They looked at each other for a moment then said, “We give up,” in perfect unison.

With a soft giggle, she took a deep breath and said, “I’VE GOT A DATE TONIGHT!!!!!!!"

As soon as their ears stopped ringing, the Cakes congratulated her then everypony went back to work. After that, the day went smoothly with Pinkie now able to focus on what few customers came in. In fact, Pinkie was doing so well that the Cakes had to close up early. It wasn’t long after that Pinkie started to feel the effects of her emergency energy drink start to wear-off.

I guess a quick nap won’t hurt, she thought looking at the clock by her bed. Wouldn’t want to fall asleep in the middle of it.

With a yawn, Pinkie set her alarm and plopped into bed. The second her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep, a peaceful smile gracing her muzzle.

This is going to be the best night ever…….

***

Berry Punch, the manager of one of the biggest bars in Ponyville, let out a bored yawn. Though late in the day, it was still too early for any of her usual customers to show up. That meant that for the next three hours she had nothing to do but keep track of inventory or clean some mugs if she really got bored. Her eyes drifted towards a wine bottle she kept hidden under the bar and she shrugged.

Even though she had a bit of a reputation when it came to drinks, Berry Punch was actually a very responsible drinker. She has enough to get a decent buzz going and no more then that. She had to have these standards, being a single mother and all. Though, it probably didn’t help that she had an extremely powerful tolerance to alcohol.

“Uh, I wish somepony’d show up already,” she groaned, popping the cork before taking a swig. “I hate the weekdays.”

Just when she was about to take another swig, the front door opened and a certain pink pony hopped in.

Berry Punch stowed the bottle of pineapple wine she was drinking in its hiding place and said, “Welcome to the Punch Bowl. Leave your troubles by the door and have a drink.”

Pinkie bounced up to her, grinning bigger then ever before and positively glowing.

“Hiya Berry, long time no see!”

“Tell me about it,” she smirked. “You want your usual?”

“Yeperooni!” she smiled. “But could you wait a couple minutes before you make it. I’m meeting somepony here and I want us to drink together.”

“No prob Pinks,” Berry shrugged. “Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy again?”

“Nope!”

“Applejack?”

“Guess again!”

“Twilight?”

“Nope!”

Berry thought about this for a second. She knew that Pinkie couldn’t be meeting Rarity here. She only comes by on the rare occasions that a business deal flops and since she didn’t hear any dramatic screams of despair that day she could only assume that it wasn’t the fashinesta.

She flashed a sly smirk.

“A coltfriend?”

Pinkie stopped bouncing and with a sheepish laugh rubbed one foreleg with another.

“Somepony I know?”

She shook her head, blushing.

Must be a pretty hot piece of flank if he’s got Pinkie this riled up, she thought maintaining her smirk.

“Well than, I hope he gets here soon. I’m dying to get a look at him.”

No sooner had she said this did the front door open again and two ponies step in.

“He’s here!” Pinkie squealed.

Berry was just about to say her bar’s slogan when the door closed and she was able to get a better look at her new customers and stopped. Her jaw hit the floor as not one, but two Alicorns walked up to a very excited Pinkie.

“Good afternoon, miss,” Mirth said before exchanging nuzzles with Pinkie Pie.

Berry Punch just stood there looking dumbly between Pinkie and Mirth.

She landed herself a Prince?! Damn I knew she had connections but holy Celestia!

Grapevine snapped her out of her stupor by waving a hoof in front of her muzzle.

“I know they make a cute couple, but could you get me a drink?”

Berry blinked then, still feeling a little shocked, turned her attention to Grapevine.

“S-So what’ll you be having Princess?” she asked, trying her best to sound professional for the first time in a while.

Grapevine saw through the act and smirked.

“I’ll take the strongest drink you’ve got,” she said, surprising Berry with her less than formal speech. “And just call me Grapevine. The whole ‘Princess’ thing is really overrated.”

“As you wish,” Berry said, trying to remember what her best drink was. “And you sir?”

“I’ll have the same,” Mirth said, bringing Pinkie closer to himself with one of his wings.

“Okay,” she said, feeling a mix of jealousy and happiness towards the new couple. “Just take a seat and I’ll be back with your drinks.”

As she got to work, she spotted the group taking a seat at one of the booths in the farthest corner of the room.

She’s so lucky, she thought as she shook a drink mixer. I wish I could find somepony like that.

Forcing back her depressed thoughts, Berry put the finishing touches on her concoctions before putting them on a tray. Balancing it on her back, she walked over to the trio.

“One Pink Parade for Pinkie Pie,” she said, taking a mug off of her back and placing it in front of Pinkie. “And two Wild Berry Ciders.”

Placed in front of the two Alicorns were mugs full of a strange rainbow colored liquid. Grapevine looked at it with a raised brow wile Mirth gave it a cautious sniff before grabbing the mug with his magic and taking a sip. It was powerful, even by his standards, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like it. It had a slight bitter flavoring mixed with just the right level of sweet to keep it from being over powering. Though he couldn’t quite place the flavor. It was obviously made using some kind of fruit but he just couldn’t tell what one.

“How is it?” Pinkie asked before taking a sip of her drink.

“New, but good.”

“Wanna trade sips?”

Mirth smiled.

“Definitely.”

The two switched mugs and had a taste.

To Mirth, Pinkie’s drink looked more like an ice cream sundae, what with all the whipped cream and sprinkles coming out of the top of the mug, but to his surprise that made it taste even better! Unlike his drink, he could tell right off the bat that Berry Punch used fermented strawberry juice and a light dash of cherry syrup. But what made the already sweet drink even sweeter was the fact that it touched the lips of the mare sitting next to him. When he set her mug back onto the table to ask Pinkie what she thought about the drink, he saw her set it back onto the table and with a dopy grin she said, “It was amazshing.”

With a maniacal laugh, she slid a little closer to Mirth and leaned into him, a content smile on her face.

Realizing that she had been staring, she turned to leave the booth. Just than, Berry felt a wing drape itself over her shoulder and pull her back.

“Hold on their pal,” Grapevine said, a playful smirk plastered across her muzzle. “Why not stick around and enjoy the show?”

Berry looked at Grapevine with a bit of shock.

“I think the love birds could use a little privacy,” she said, trying to get out of the grip of Grapevine’s wing. “Besides, I’m still on the clock.”

“Oh come on,” Grapevine protested. “The place is a ghost town right now, and I highly dout the world’s gonna end if you hang with us for a few minutes.” Seeing no other way out of this, Berry let out a defeated sigh than nodded. Her capturer let out a happy cheer and took a swig of her drink. “Yeah! I maid a friend!”

Berry laughed nervously.

Even with her limited experience with royals, Berry could tell the two Alicorns sitting with her were not the typical noble types. Unless it was normal for a princess to yell “Yolo,” before finishing a large mug of booze in one go.

“Ah, that was good,” Grapevine sighed, setting her mug down. “You make a good drink pal.”

“Thanks,” Berry said more than a little shocked that the mare was still coherent. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Yeah. Wish it was stronger though.”

Berry’s eyes widened.

Are you kidding me?! That thing had a gallon of vodka in it! She shouldn’t be conscious right now and she’s telling me it wasn’t strong enough?!

Grapevine noticed the look Berry was giving her and smiled.

“I’ll show you some tricks later. For now, lets enjoy the show.”

As she said that she leaned back into her seat and pointed at the couple sitting across from them with a wing. Berry looked and her jaw hit the floor. Pinkie and Mirth had already finished their drinks and now had there forelegs wrapped around each other, kissing with wild passion. Every now and then they would separate to get some air, but that would only last for about a second before they were diving back into each other. After what was probably the longest hour ever, the two broke apart before slumping back into their seats, panting.

“That. Was. Amazing,” Pinkie gasped, an ecstatic smile on her flushed face.

“Yeah, well. I live to please,” Mirth laughed, his breath coming out quick and labored.

The two asked for a refill but before Berry could tell them no, Grapevine grabbed the mugs with her magic and with a flash, they were filled to the brim. The two drunk ponies cheered as the mugs were put back in front of them. Berry gave her an annoyed look.

“Don’t worry,” she said casually. “I’ll pay for the drinks.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Berry glared. “I just don’t want my bar to blowup or something.”

Grapevine looked at the two sheet shot ponies and realized her mistake.

“I see. Tell ya what, I’ll drag them out of here as soon as they finish their drinks and take care of the bill. Deal?”

Berry nodded.

As it turns out, that was a very smart choice. As the two of them drank they became more inventive with their antics. Pinkie some how managed to summon a confetti cannon out of her mane and started blasting everypony at the table with it every time she hiccupped and Mirth used his magic to teleport all of it back into said cannon. Then, at one point Mirth thought the rooms gravity was broken for some reason and tried to “fix” it by reversing the gravitational pull of everything in the bar. It was around the time that Berry’s coat got turned blue with rainbow colored polka dots that she said she had enough.

“Please get them out of here before it starts hailing in my bar!”

“Yeah, good point,” Grapevine said sheepishly.

With that, she returned the Punch Bowl to its original form and used her magic to drag her group out the door. Not that they were resisting, they just didn’t have enough control of themselves to stand. Though they had enough to lip-lock apparently.

“Sorry about this Berry,” Grapevine sighed. “Next time I’ll leave the lovebirds at home.”

She shrugged.

“Eh, I don’t mind. Just give me a heads up next time so I can get the hose ready.”

The two laughed. Then Grapevine hoisted Pinkie and Mirth into the air with her magic and walked away.

That was a lot more fun than I thought, she thought with a grin. But now what do I do?

She looked up at her friends and sighed.

I can’t bring them back to the castle with me. Twilight would have a fit! But I can’t just leave them lying around in the middle of the street either. I guess that only leaves one option.

With a wicked smirk, she made her way towards Sugar Cube Corner.

This is going to be priceless!

***

Pinkie woke the next day feeling like a new mare. Well, a slightly hung over new mare, but a new mare none-the-less. Still in bed, she rolled onto her side so that she wasn’t facing the window and groaned.

Just a few more minutes.

Just then, she felt something warm and soft drape over her. At first she thought it was her blanket, then it started to pull her towards something on the side of the bed she was facing. Feeling a little scared, she opened her eyes to see a multicolored chest just inches away from her muzzle.

Mirth Hour?

Her fear instantly disappeared, as she saw that it was, without a doubt, the notorious Prince of Theater himself.

But why is he in my bed? Wait. Did we- No! No way! I mean, yeah we both got drunk, but I wouldn’t do something like that on the first date, would I?

It was than that Mirth wrapped his foreleg around her, pulling her into a hug. A content smile crossed his lips.

Oh who cares, she thought, snuggling into him, a soft smile gracing her lips. So long as it was with him, I don’t care.

Author's Note

i wanted to develope Grapevine's character more and show that most of Berry's reputation as a drunk was just a rumore. plus, who hasn't wanted to do a bit where Pinkie gets sloshed.