The New Maids of the Castle of Friendship

While Trixie was on her way to the castle, another pony who possessed the same desire for cash, and Twilight as Trixie did soon learned of the job. This pony would be none other than...

"Pinkie! Pinkie! They'll catch fire if you don't pull them out!!!"

"Oh, relax Mrs. Cake," Pinkie said while waving a hoof. She then pulled the tray of cupcakes out from the warm stove. In Pinkie's opinion, though, no matter how many burn marks there were, every last one of them were good enough to eat, icing or not. "See? They came out just fine."

"Ohh... Well, I suppose they are. Just a second longer, though, and... Whoosh! We might've had to call the fire department."

"But, luckily, we didn't," Pinkie said confidently. "By the way, save one for me, please."

Mrs. Cake smiled while rolling her eyes, and teased, "As always, Pinkie Pie." She laughed, which made Pinkie laugh, and then, she said something curious. "You know... Twilight's looking for a maid, finally."

Pinkie turned around, and asked, "Hmm? A new maid? For her castle?"

"Yep, for that castle of hers. I thought she would've been on the look out all along, but I guess not. I only recently found an ad about it hanging on a post just outside." Mrs. Cake presented the paper to her assistant. "See?"

Pinkie grabbed hold of it. If there was one thing Pinkie was sometimes good at, it was hiding emotions that nopony else needed to see or know about. Sometimes.

"Ehh, I'll consider it. I'm not that great at cleaning. If anything, I'd rather make messes!" She then placed it on a table nearby, and then came back into the cooking area.

"Oh, ho, ho, Pinkie Pie!" Mrs. Cake came closer, and something about her eyes told Pinkie she was about to take off that ridiculous, two-faced attitude of her's. Mr.s Cake sighed, and said, "Don't be so modest! I mean, lately here, it certainly hasn't been thanks to my husband that this place stays so sparkling all of the time!"

Pinkie cheekily forced a smile despite the way Mrs. Cake was staring at her, and made an attempt to decorate one of the cupcakes. "Well, I just like to work in a place that's also just as good looking as it is sweet smelling."

As if Pinkie hadn't been speaking one bit, Mrs. Cake then exclaimed rather loudly, "Also, you'll finally get a chance to show Twilight how much of a nasty turn on you can be!"

Had Mr. Cake not taken the kids to go shopping at Rarity's Boutique that day, Pinkie might've had a heart attack.

Pinkie squirted her pink frosting all over the cupcake she had been preparing, and some of it continued to spurt out along the side of the counter. "Wh-... What did you just say?" Pinkie asked, frozen in place.

"I mean," Mrs. Cake continued. "Pinkie, you tend to get a bit noisy when you're in the bathroom. You talk about Twilight as if your life with her was some sort of stupid romance novel. It's... hard to ignore, you have to admit. I mean, the walls are paper thin, after all."

Pinkie turned away from her ruined treat, and asked, "What's your point?" She was getting on a more realistic level with Mrs. Cake now. "You wouldn't be saying this if you didn't have an edge. I just... Why do you always have to do this to me? Holding junk over my head like that..."

Mrs. Cake began, "It's a delicate situation you're in, isn't it, my dear? You see, I want to open a new shop."

Pinkie gagged a little. "Oh, brother..."

"I want it right in the heart of Canterlot!"

"What?!" Pinkie asked in shock. "Are you out of your mind? It'll take a fortune! You can't just-"

That's when Pinkie was cut off. All Mrs. Cake had to do was raise her hoof, and place it right on Pinkie's sensitive lips. "Ah- ah... but I can. You see, Pinkie, you'll be my instrument... My weapon, just like old times. Otherwise... Well, what would Twilight think if I sent her an anonymous tip indicating to her that one of her closest friends was secretly, and madly in love with her? How do you think she'd react?"

Pinkie gulped, not knowing the answer. "I don't know... No," she said. "It can't happen like that!"

"Then," Mrs. Cake said hauntingly. "That's it! I win again!" She began cackling, and offered, "What if she finds out it's you? What if... she never wants to be your friend again?! Could you live with yourself, Pinkie, knowing that Twilight wouldn't have any such desire to speak with you again??? Come on, Pinkie Pie! Answer me!!!" Mrs. Cake gave Pinkie a look that always made her follow orders, and no matter how badly Pinkie hated Mrs. Cake, she couldn't escape her clutches.

Pinkie just gulped with a trail of sweat seeping by her cheek, and quietly said in a pained voice, "No... I... just couldn't gamble like that, Mrs. Cake."

The shop owner stood back, and cooed into Pinkie's ear, "I assume you'll definitely be giving this a try, because let's just face facts, Pinkie... This plan I'm offering to you is perfect for both of our interests."

Pinkie breathed, finally, and said, "I suppose you're right, but I also want a sixty percent cut of what I make as a maid!"

Mrs. Cake had turned around, so Pinkie couldn't see her sour frown. However, she could still hear it in her drab voice. "Fifty-fifty, Pinkie Pie. Sounds good to you, right?"

Pinkie chuckled, and said, "Nuh-uh, Mrs. Cake! I've gotta have more than fifty."

It got a little too quiet after that, but Mrs. Cake eventually gave in to Pinkie's demands. "Oh, alright then! What're a few extra rocks, anyways? Right?"

Pinkie huffed, and said, "Right..." She then hurried up the stairs to prepare while gruffly saying to Mrs. Cake, "Nice talking to the real you again."

In response, and getting the last word in, Mrs. Cake simply replied, "Likewise."

In the back of her mind, she couldn't believe she had just gotten away with such a ridiculous bluff. Once inside her room, she whispered with overwhelming excitement, "Whew, that was close... I mean, c'mon Mrs. C. I would've settle for twenty five percent at least!" It didn't take Pinkie very long at all to get ready, and then, she was gone, headed straight for the same destination as Trixie was.

Meanwhile, at the castle where Trixie was headed, Twilight was on her thirty fourth interview for the day. Word traveled fast, and so far, several ponies had come and gone, but none could meet the standards of what Twilight wanted to see in a maid. Some came close, but so far, nopony had actually gone through the entire interview without storming out.

Octavia was just hearing about this. She was also being asked to sign a 'measly' statement saying that she was to not repeat what was said and/or done during the interview. Of course, Octavia didn't think much of it at the time. After all, Twilight wore the kindest of smiles, and spoke in the most innocent of tones. It was almost intoxicating to the musician. "So, you see, Octavia," Twilight said warmly. "Nopony up until you has had what it takes to be this castle's maid, and I'm not even sure you have what it takes, either."

Octavia breathed, and asked, "What makes you say that? I have my ambitions in life. I'm going to need a lot of bits if I'm ever going to perform all across the whole, wide world one day. The way I see it, that's what's going to drive me to keep what's yours shining. With that in mind, there's really no reason at all for you not to hire me."

Twilight stood from the desk she'd been sharing with Spike, and walked on over to Octavia provocatively. "Yes, I don't doubt you have the drive, and the skill, but what about... the lust for friendship?"

"Hmm?" Octavia asked, "What do you mean?"

Twilight brought her hoof up to move some of her mane out of her eyes, and standing above Octavia the way she did, she asked, "Would you also be my friend at the same time?"

Then, Twilight reached out for Octavia's shoulder. Just the touch alone sent Octavia through a whole new universe of ideas. "Your... friend? What is this? A trick question or something???"

Twilight assured the pony, "It's nothing of the sort. In fact, I just want to make sure that I hire somepony that I can also get along with. That's why... Octavia..." She came closer in order to whisper into Octavia's ear, "You'll have to kiss me in order to earn this job."

The musician bounded back, holding her lips as if they'd been stollen clean off her face. "That's why," she stated.

Twilight just kept smiling at the pony in front of her, and asked, "What is it?"

"That's why nopony's been hired, then. Is that what you're getting at, Twilight!?"

Twilight's smile only became larger. "Yep! Nopony's kissed me yet! Can you believe that?! All these lovely, sexy mares! Just one... Only one of them can be rich, but not one of them wants to do this for friendship as well! Oh, no! They're just out for my money is all. Even you! You're just out to get my money. Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong!"

Octavia was backed up into a wall at this point. She wasn't sure what had gotten into Twilight, but she wasn't planning on staying to find out. "You're sick," she said harshly.

Twilight just giggled at that, and then said, "Fine, then. If that's the way you truly feel, then go."

Octavia gasped, and questioned, "You mean to say that... that's it? I came all the way over here just to be humiliated?! Just to find out that you're nothing but a pervert?" She shook her head, and said, "I'd heard that you were acting a little bit differently ever since Starlight left three weeks ago."

Those words pierced through Twilight's insane banter like a dagger. Her fiendish eyes changed back to normal ones for a second, and she even backed away, almost offended. "Octavia, I..."

"Just... save it for later, Twilight." Octavia scowled at the Princess for a good second or two, and then, she said, "I'm out of here."

In a huff, she left Twilight to think about all of this. Once Octavia had completely left, Spike came up behind Twilight, and said, "She's right, you know. Ready to tell me what's going on?"

Twilight nodded. "It's easy to figure out, you know. Even since Starlight left, I've just been... lonely."

"But, you and Starlight were never lovers, though! So... Twilight, why are you trying to find somepony who will kiss you during this interview? It doesn't make sense to me, Twilight! What're you doing?"

Twilight breathed in deeply before answering that, and for a second there, she seemed like her old self again. "Spike... What if I were to tell you... that I desperately wanted Starlight as my lover, but could never bring myself to actually tell her that?" It was after hearing this question that Spike began to realize just how far Twilight had fallen for that unicorn. "Well, Spike, with her being gone, I've finally found out the truth! Do you know what that truth is?"

"What?" Spike asked simply.

"It's that she... never could have the same feelings for me, I don't think."

"What makes you say that? She's one of your all time best friends in the whole, wide world!"

"Because," Twilight mentioned. "I never could see it in her. When I look in the mirror, Spike, I can see that I like the same sex, but when I looked at her, it was always different. When I saw the way she looked at Sunburst... I just knew." She then gave a toothy grin, and turned around to face her dragon. "So, what am I doing? I'm trying to find an appropriate mare that'll not only clean, but also, a pony that I can use to replace Starlight with! That's what I'm doing! Let's face it, Spike. She and I will never be that close."

Spike shook his head. "I've gotta disagree with you, Twilight. What'll happen when she gets back? Haven't you been writing to her?"

Twilight became physically effected by that last question. She lowered her head, and breathed differently. Not to mention, she seemed to have broken out into a miniature sweat. "I, umm... I've sent one every week. That's three letters." She didn't look at Spike when she said this, too. She could only stare coldly at the ground. "She hasn't sent me anything since she left."

Spike's eyes widened. "Whoa, wait... What?" he managed to ask.

Twilight began to laugh in a way that Spike had never heard before. "Oh, yeah, and didn't you hear what she told me just before she walked out the door?" Twilight held a hoof against the right side of her face, and slid it downwards as she rolled the pupils of her eyes up almost until Spike couldn't see them anymore. "She said that she wasn't sure when she would be returning. She had everything packed up, and ready to go. It could be weeks, she said. Could be months..."

Twilight looked defeated, and just as Spike said her name, she reacted exactly the way he was afraid she would. "Twilight... Please..."

Her eyes trailed back down to him, but her head stayed cocked upwards, giving her the most sinister appearance Spike had ever seen her with. "You know something, Spike? Now that I think back on it, she could've been smiling. I think... I believe she was on the verge of telling me that it could be fucking years before I'd ever get to see her again."

With that nice bit of information gently placed on the table, Spike now knew her mind was playing tricks on her, but there was nothing he could do about it. To make matters worse, somepony was justly arriving, and this somepony just so happened to be none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie. Unlike anyone before her, however, instead of waiting to be called forth by her superiors, she just barged right on in. The unicorn did something Twilight would've never expected.

She came right up to Twilight's back side only to twirl her Highness around with one quick tap of the cutie mark, and just before doing as she pleased, she allowed Twilight to know something. "Trixie can make you feel a special way like no one else can, honey."

Then, she planted a nice, wet kiss right on Twilight's royal lips. They were both caught up in the moment, but that didn't stop Twilight from enjoying herself. At first, she seemed to resist, but that ended very quickly. After all, Trixie was doing exactly what Twilight was wanting all along. All Twilight could think about at this point was how alluring Trixie smelled, and tasted.