Incentives

by TheLegendaryBillCipher

Rating: everyone
Tags: Romance, Tempest Shadow, Comedy, Derpy Hooves, Pinkie Pie, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1771

Pinkie has a unique way of helping Tempest reform.

Pinkie Pie takes a lot of things seriously, surprisingly. Party planning, being a good friend, and helping reform her marefriend chief among them. And like most everything else, she has a unique way of going about it.

Written for NaNoWriMo 2020.

Story inspired by cover art used, made by simondrawsstuff.

Published 2021-08-12 00:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-08-12 00:00:01 UTC

Pinkie Has Her Ways

As dusk fell over Ponyville, the shops and homes of the town darkened one by one. Pinkie Pie waved goodnight to the Cakes as she swept the floor by Sugarcube Corner’s entrance. She hummed contentedly as she went, fully aware of her Pinkie Sense ringing her heart like a bell.

The front door opened to reveal an ominous, shadowy figure. They stood with an imposing statue, even after all this time. Teal blue eyes pierced through the darkness, ready to puncture souls if necessary. The figure was dressed in a simple black cloak and charcoal scarf.

“Fizzy!” Pinkie squealed, instantly abandoning the broom against the counter in favor of hugging her marefriend.

Tempest smiled softly, wrapping a leg around the enthusiastic mare. “Hey Pinkie,” she said softly.

After a moment more of sharing warmth, Pinkie stepped back and puffed out her chest. Her jovial, often goofy, expression hardened to the steel of a drill sergeant. Tempest smiled in spite of the seriousness, but stood a little taller.

“I take it your mission went according to plan, Miss Berrytwist?” Pinkie asked in a quiet, inquisitive tone.

Tempest saluted. “The deed has been done,” she reported.

“And?” Pinkie leaned forward, barely able to suppress her giddy smile.

Tempest exhaled, leaving her marefriend hanging a moment longer. “Princess Celestia… accepted the apology.”

“Woohoo!” Pinkie cheered, skyrocketing into the air with a gleeful spring. She quickly covered her mouth, however, when she realized the household was sleeping, and continued in a quieter tone on terra firma. “I mean, woohoo.”

“So,” Tempest said, a giddy smile passed onto her own muzzle. “Does this mean…”

She trailed off as Pinkie nodded and cleared her throat. Despite the happiness smacked across her muzzle, she tried to resume her former, serious stature. “Fizzlepop Berrytwist. It is my honor to present to you the next tier of your redemption: the Warm Hug.”

Pinkie sat on her haunches, spreading her forelegs wide – her face was serious. Tempest glanced at the opening and her marefriend, the latter nodding.

Tempest stepped forward and was instantly snatched up as if she were caught in a bear trap. That is, if you could consider bear traps to be soft, warm, and welcoming all at the same time. A content smile seeped across her muzzle as she leaned into the embrace, holding Pinkie close.

After spending a few minutes in the embrace, the pair separated as Pinkie went behind the counter. She wheeled out a revolving chalkboard—seemingly from nowhere—and pointed to the chalk outlines with a wooden pointer she pulled out of her mane.

“You’ve made great work, Fizzy,” she said. She tapped the pointer at the first bullet point in a list. “Princess Cadance accepted your apology, and therefore you earned the Cutie Boop.”

Tempest touched the tip of her muzzle in remembrance. “All those thorns from her rose garden I weeded were worth it,” she agreed with a nod.

Pinkie tapped the second point. “Princess Luna accepted your apology, and therefore you earned the Fuzzy Nuzzle,” she continued.

Tempest’s head tilted to the side as she remembered her marefriend nestled into the crook of her neck. “She was surprisingly understanding. I guess that’d be that whole Nightmare Moon thing, huh?” she remarked.

Pinkie nodded and tapped the third point. “Now, Princess Celestia has accepted your apology! You’re almost done with Operation: Fizzy Redemption. There’s just one more pony you need to apologize to.”

“Um… is it Princess Twilight?” Tempest guessed.

“No, you two already made up. I’m afraid this might be the most serious apology you’ll have to make,” Pinkie said, her voice taking on an ominous tone. “With a little luck, this pony might accept your apology.”

Tempest gulped, but frowned in resolution. “I won’t let you down, Pinkie. I’m ready to apologize to whoever’s left,” she said firmly.

“Not yet you’re not,” Pinkie said. “You’re going to need help, and luckily, I’m just the mare for the job.” She beamed.

“What sort of help do I need?” Tempest tilted her head, her frown turning to one of confusion.

Pinkie smacked the bottom of the chalkboard, causing it to rapidly flip. She stopped it with a hoof and pointed to the new illustration on the blackboard. “Baking!”

“Baking?”

Pinkie nodded. “This is important, Fizzy. You’re unlocking the highest honor any pony I know could have…”

Tempest watched as Pinkie’s hoof slowly pointed to her own lips, which she quickly puckered – and continued to talk through. “The Pinkie Smooch.”

The unicorn’s muzzle heated as if she were under Celestia’s sunlamp and she gulped again. If just Pinkie’s touch was so soft, warm, and welcoming, what would a Pinkie Smooch be like?

“My friends and family have been Cutie Booped. They’ve been Fuzzy Nuzzled. There have even been a few times where I Warm Hugged a pony. But never, ever, have I Pinkie Smooched someone before,” Pinkie continued ominously, before breaking into a cheery grin. “That’s because it’s reserved for my marefriend!”

Tempest felt the heat redouble, and she quickly saluted. “I won’t let you down, Pinkie,” she barked.

“Then follow me into the kitchen!” Pinkie quickly produced and then donned a chef’s hat. “We’ve got some baking to do!”

As Pinkie trotted into the kitchen, Tempest cast one final glance at the pastry on the chalkboard before following after her.

It had been a long, tiring day. The winds seemed to have been against Derpy her entire shift, and there were a lot more irate ponies than she had remembered in Ponyville. It was hard to keep letters from flying away – and smacking face-first into a passerby.

Now that it was afternoon, she was finally off for the day. She could unwind at home, maybe take a nap, and most importantly: partake in a glorious muffin!

But all those thoughts left Derpy’s head as she braked to a halt mid-air – and fortunately not into a solid object this time.

For sitting in front of Derpy’s house was none other than Tempest Shadow. Former unicorn horn-owner, former Storm King right-hoof, and former Equestria conqueror.

She perked up when she saw Derpy, though the Pegasus’s awkward golden eyes were fixated on the basket sitting in front her. Cautiously, Derpy flapped over to investigate.

“Um, hello, Derpy Hooves,” Tempest said. Her eyes fell to a bush opposite of Derpy’s house, where a familiar pink pony was silently cheering her on. Her gaze quickly focused back on Derpy and she cleared her throat. “Do you… remember me?”

“Well… yeah. You’re Tempest Shadow.” Derpy landed in front of the unicorn, glancing between her and the basket. “Um… what brings you here?”

Tempest inhaled and exhaled slowly. She slowly slid the basket towards the seated Pegasus. “I came to apologize, for what happened in Canterlot,” she explained.

Derpy quickly picked up the basket, golden eyes sparkling in different directions. It was loaded with banana nut muffins (which were the most apologetic muffin, according to Pinkie). Along with it was a folded up pamphlet, with the words “Sorry I turned you into a statue” as the title.

Tempest carefully removed the pamphlet, spreading it out in front of her. “’Sorry I turned you into a statue,’” she read. “’It has taken me a long time to remember what it’s like to be welcomed by ponies as their friends. My actions in Canterlot were inexcusable, and I will do whatever is necessary to amend them. Sincerely, Tempest Shadow… or, if you prefer, Fizzlepop Berrytwist.’”

“Whoa, is that your real name? That’s cool,” Derpy remarked with a grin.

Tempest smiled softly, setting the pamphlet back with the muffins. “So, what might I do to make up for turning you into a statue?” she asked.

Derpy scooted the basket to the side and pulled Tempest into a hug. “The apology was enough,” she said. “But thank you for the muffins. Banana nut is one of my favorites.”

Tempest hugged her back, patting the Pegasus on the back. “Sorry again for the whole statue thing,” she said.

“It’s fine. Not the worst thing that’s happened to me,” Derpy said with a shrug. She stood up and gripped the basket handle in her mouth. “I hope you keep making friends though! You’re a really nice pony.”

Derpy flashed one last smile at Tempest before trotting into her home. Tempest waved after her, before trotting over to the bushes across the way. She frowned when her marefriend didn’t appear.

“Um, Pinkie?”

Pinkie burst out of the bushes like a firework – if fireworks could shout “Hooray! You did it!” anyway. She landed in front of Tempest, gripping her shoulders.

“You did it! You apologized to everyone you turned into a statue!” She hugged the unicorn tightly. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Pinkie. For helping me and… everything else.” Tempest blushed softly. “So… does this mean…?”

Pinkie nodded and leaned back. “Fizzlepop Berrytwist, I hereby present to you the highest honor, for going above and beyond the call of duty: the Pinkie Smooch.”

Before Tempest could comprehend further, Pinkie puckered up and planted her lips firmly on Tempest’s.

The unicorn’s eyes shot wide open. If sugar and electricity could be fused into a sensation, it was what Tempest felt coursing through her very body. The Cutie Boop, Fuzzy Nuzzle, and Warm Hug combined were nothing compared to the electrifying power of the Pinkie Smooch.

When Pinkie pulled away, she giggled at Tempest. “So? What did I tell ya? Was apologizing worth it or what?”

Tempest just stood there, frozen. She swore some of her mane stood on end from the sheer energy of what she had experienced. A dopey smile was plastered across her muzzle.

“Totally worth it,” she croaked.

Author's Note

Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 11/01/20

I believe it was the summer before I wrote this that I finally saw the My Little Pony Movie. I really liked Tempest, and I thought she and Pinkie would make a cute couple. Pinkie is a nearly bottomless well of positivity, and her methods, while usually unorthodox, do get results, so she's the perfect pony to help reform a villain. And the cover art gave me a cute idea.

This is actually the second time the Pinkie Smooch™ has made an appearance in my works. The first was in "Lighter Than Air." It's a cute little FlutterPie story I made for Hearts and Hooves Day, so be sure to check it out.

A good song for this one would be "Mill It Over" from the game Mario Party 7.

-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast