We Could Build An Islandby Crimson EnjoyerChaptersChapter 2: A Genius IdeaChapter 1: Fish and ChessChapter 3: Immersive Chess TheaterChapter 4: Conviction To JoyChapter 2: A Genius IdeaA lot of ponies really hate the cold, which I totally get, but I like the cold. And also the warm. And the medium! But for the past four months, it’s just been the cold. Even when I go inside where it’s supposed to be warm it’s really just medium. At least, it was medium like, five minutes ago when I was still in dreamland. But then all of a sudden it’s really, REALLY cold, so cold that it wakes me up! Doesn’t the cold know how rude it is to wake a pony up so late at night? Though…if I’m being honest, I’m not too upset about being woken up. Dreamland hasn’t been a very nice place as of late. …Anyway! I hop outta bed to make my way to the cabin. This sudden chill can only have one explanation: Somepony left the front door open! I hope it wasn’t me… I really thought I was over my sleeptrotting phase. I’ve reached the main room, and it would seem my suspicions were sure as stone. I go to correct this blunder (Twilight taught me that word!), but when I look outside, my eyes catch a most curious sight: Lying down on the deck, all curled up into herself, is a certain lavender Unicorn-magically-transformed-by-Princess-Celestia-into-an-Alicorn princess. At least, I think she’s still a princess, I’m not really sure how that works. I then hear what can only possibly be the sounds of a snoring Twilight Sparkle. What’s she doing sleep out here on the deck? Wait…was she sleeptrotting? Is sleeptrotting contagious?! No, wait, it looks like she has her scarf on, she must have been awake when she came out here. I tip-hoof towards her, quieter than a sleeping Fluttershy, so I can wake her up and she can go back to her nice warm bed. I circle around her and almost stretch out a hoof to poke her head, but then, I look at her face. She snores a few more times, before burying her face a bit more into her forelegs, an obvious smile on her face. Gosh, she has such a pretty smile. She looks so peaceful, I can’t wake her up now! Still, it is pretty cold. I then get a genius idea. Carefully, more carefully than Fluttershy pulling a thorn out of a puppy’s paw, I drape the green blanket over Twilight’s body. Now, it’s time for the moment of truth: Picking the grey blanket in my mouth, I gently lower myself until I’m loafing* right next to her, and I fling the blanket onto my back. While I get comfortable, I look at Twilight again. I shift my horsey-body until it’s touching hers. Or, well, at least, our blankets are touching. She then starts to stir and groan slightly, and now I’m panicking, because oh gosh I woke her up by sitting too close and she’s gonna see what I was doing and think that I’m super weird and she’s gonna be real tired so she’ll be extra angry at me and- Instead of anything like that, her stirring ends with her head now resting against my blanketed foreleg. To the outside observer, I am totally calm, because why wouldn’t I be? In my head, however: ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh she’s using me as a head rest we’re basically cuddling- Be cool, Pinkaminae. As far she’s concerned, it’s just two close friends being very friendly and comfortable with each other. Doesn’t need to be anything more than that, no siree. Although…..this does feel super nice. I take another look at her. A perfect comfortable smile on her perfect muzzle as she lays her perfect head on my leg. Her mouth opens very slightly and soft snores come out. Yup, she’s still a princess. Author's Note *a term used to describe a Pony's sitting position in which its hooves and tail are tucked under the body, forming a Loaf like shape. Sorry about how short this chapter is. It mainly exists for the scene at the end, and i couldn't really think of anything for the aftermath that wouldn't work better from Twi's Pov. I promise Chapter 3 will have much more to it, more than Chapter 1 even. these first two chapters were essentially introductory. C3 is where the real meat of the story begins. So stay tuned. Or don't. I'm not your mother. Chapter 1: Fish and Chess“Checkmate!” She’s so confident in what she says. So delighted. How she’s managed to stay so upbeat in spite of everything, I couldn’t tell you. “That was a checkmate, right?” she asks, as the floor beneath us raises slightly. I give her a reassuring smile. “No, Pinkie. That was not a checkmate. Sorry.” “What?!” She seems more genuinely confused than upset, which is good, as I’ve been doing my best to avoid making her upset. “But my little guy-“ “Pawn.” “Whatever- is right in front of the King! That means checkmate, doesn’t it?” “That’s the Queen, Pinkie.” My Pink opponent glances at the offending pieces, and realizes her error. “Oh,” she says flatly, slumping her shoulders. I begin to worry, but before I can offer some sort of comfort, she perks right back up. “Oh well! Ya can’t win ‘em all! And look,” She points a hoof at her own King, which is completely exposed, my last knight standing very close. “Looks like you’ve got an opening!” Not sure what to say or even what expression to make, I light up my horn, and envelope the knight in my magic. I lift it up, move it to her King, and boom. Checkmate. “Hooray!” She stands upright on her chair, forelegs in the air. “Twilight Sparkle holds her title as the best Chess player in the seven seas!” I feel an earnest smile form on my lips. If Pinkie Pie wasn’t here, I’m not sure I would have made it this far. The wind rustles through my mane, as I stand on the deck, waiting for Pinkie to finish setting everything up. It’s chilly, but not unbearably so. The Tattered Scarf around my neck is keeping me warm, if quite a bit itchy. I look over at the other mare, watching as she fiddles with the rope, and I take note of her lack of winter gear. She had given the scarf to me at the beginning during a particularly cold afternoon, a very noble gesture that unfortunately left her a bit more exposed to the elements. It’s a real shame we couldn’t have brought along our winter clothes. She always looks really cute in that jacket and beanie. Oh, and they also would have kept us warm. That too. “Done!” She exclaims from nearby, trotting over with a large burlap sack in her mouth, and a rope over her back. “You ready?” I turn my gaze over to a small bucket to my right, and then to the open waters. Closing my eyes, I light up my horn, and lift a small plastic fish out of the bucket. I Begin to cast the spell, putting all my focus into it. After a few brief seconds, I open my eyes again. The Fake sea animal now has a noticeable glow to it, and thin white strip of light connecting it to my horn. I step forward to the edge and lower the piece of plastic into the ocean, I keep lowering it until I reach the right spot. And then I wait. After a few seconds, I begin to feel pressure building over the bait from all around, slowly but surely. It’s getting heavier, but I can still hold on to it. More seconds pass, and I now feel it has reached an acceptable weight. Straining a bit, I throw my head into the air, and lift the bait back to the surface. Grouped all around the small artificial fish is an entire schools worth of trout, magnetized to it, flopping in place and spraying water all over the deck. “Now, Pinkie,” I all but shout, a bead of sweat rolling down my head from the sheer weight of what my magic is holding. The Pink Pony leaps into the air, sack held open in both hooves. She entraps the aquatic critters into the burlap, and lands back on deck, swiftly pulling the rope from her and tying it around the opening. She excitedly holds the bag up, as if showing off her own big catch. “Look at our haul! This is gonna last us the week, at least!” This is what our lives have been like for the past four months on this Chronos-Forsaken boat. Fish, and Chess. There is actual food stored in the cabin, but we’ve been savoring it, so about three times a week, we come out to the deck, and “go fishing,” so to speak. I was never big on fish. Bear food as far as I was concerned. But it’s been growing on me, though maybe it’s just some weird food-version of Hockholm Syndrome. Pinkie seems to like the fish just fine, though I can pretty easily tell that she’d much rather be eating cupcakes, or pancakes, or cupcakes baked inside of a pancake. Hmm. That sounds disgusting, but I bet she would love it. Heck, I’d probably eat something like that if it meant a break from the fish. I’ve been saying fish a lot, haven’t I? Anyways, the boat also happened to have a Chess set, and so, to stay occupied and to keep our minds from drifting to other, less pleasant topics, I began teaching Pinkie how to play. She actually picked up it pretty quickly, even if she never refers to the pieces by their actual names, and has still only beaten me 2 times out of... Huh. Guess I stopped keeping track at some point. Something has been bothering me though. I was a bit too tired for it to really register with me last night, but Pinkie mistaking the Queen for the King seems a bit…odd. That mare is a lot of things, but she isn’t stupid, nor is she forgetful. Also, she called it the King. She usually calls the King and the Queen something silly like “wizard tower” and “fancy toilet”. Maybe I’m just being me, and looking too deeply into things, but I’m starting to worry about her. Sitting at the table, I look up from my plate, with a single, barely eaten trout on it, to the pony sitting opposite of me. Currently, she is eating her trout as if it were a corn on the cob. For a while, I simply stare at the way she munches on the seafood, listening to the little noises she makes whenever she’s chewing. Some may see others eating the way she does and be grossed out, but I personally find it endearing. I might be biased though. “Twi, you’re staring at me again.” Pinkie breaks me out of my thoughts, and I zone back in, shaking my head a little. “Uh, sorry Pinkie, I-wait…again?” “You’ve done it a couple times.” I notice she’s beginning to blush. “N-not that I mind, ya know,” she adds, laughing somewhat tensely... “I…see.” I feel a blush of my own, as I avoid eye contact. There’s a brief moment of near complete silence, which Pinkie once again breaks: “WELL GOODNIGHT!” Before I can say anything, the pink pony has already bolted out of her seat and into the hallway. I hear the door to her quarters slam shut. “…………..Good night.” I look at where she was sitting seconds ago. She didn’t even finish eating her fish. Guess I’m on dish duty tonight. I change position for probably the thirtieth time. I’ve been in bed for 2 hours now, and I don’t feel tired at all. I stare up at the ceiling. It’s too dark for me to really see any of its details. I breathe a large, but quiet sigh, pick up my scarf, and get out of bed. Stepping out of my quarters and into the hallway, I notice Pinkie’s door is slightly open. I peer inside, and see that she is still there, sleeping soundly. She must have gotten up earlier and forgot to close it when she came back. Her snores are so quiet. Not at all what one would except from a pony like Pinkie. For a while, I just look at her. I look at her body rising and falling with each snore, she looks so unbothered. I wonder what she’s dreaming about. I then suddenly remember Pinkie’s comment from earlier, and I realize that not only am I staring at her again, but I’m also watching somepony sleep without their knowledge. I quickly take a step back, and close the door as quietly as possible. I continue walking down the hallway, passing through the cabin, and finally reaching the exit. I open the door and instantly feel the chill of the night on my coat. I step out onto the deck, and lift my head to look up at the night sky. There aren’t any more clouds, so I get to see the stars in their full glory. Sitting down on my plot, I turn my gaze over to the moon. Its continued presence has served as one of the few comforts I’ve had during this time. The fact that every day, the sun sets, and the moon rises, lets me know that at least one of them is still alive. As I continue to bask in the night’s beauty, I finally start to relax. My eyelids start to feel heavy. I fall asleep. Author's Note First fic on this site. i hope that at the very least, I've made this story intriguing. I do have an answer as to how the events that led to this story occurred, which i intend to reveal over the course of the story, cuz who doesn't like a good mystery? Second chapter should be coming out fairly soon, and will be from Pinkie's POV. P.S i have no idea how chess works. Chapter 3: Immersive Chess TheaterAshes. There’s no more fire, there’s not even any smoke. Just, Ashes. Anything that was once a building, now nothing more than rubble. What were once vibrant forests of green, had now become long stretches of burnt wood, and dead grass. In the distance, I see the barren mountain that once held Canterlot Castle, nearly nothing of it remaining. I’m standing in the center of the town. Of what used to be the town. My body feels weightless. The silence is deafening. The only thing I can hear, are my own thoughts, jumbled and incoherent as they are. Why am I back here? HOW am I back here? Clip-clop. I’m not given much to figure out an answer, as a noise catches my ears. Clip-clop-clip-clop-clip-clop. Hoofsteps… “Is…is there someone there?” I call out, nervously. Clip-clop-clip-clop-clip-clop-clip. The steps are getting louder, faster. I can’t tell which direction it’s coming from…actually, it sounds like it’s coming from everywhere, somehow. It keeps getting faster. It keeps getting louder. I frantically glance at every direction, trying to see something, anything, while I stand in place, not sure if I should even move. The noises start to slow down, and now seem to focus on a single spot to my left. I turn my head to the spot, a dark bit of space between the remains of two buildings. A figure comes out of the darkness. A pony. Another set of hoofsteps, this time from the right. I avert my gaze from the individual to a tall pile of rubble. Another pony walks into view on top of it. More hoofsteps, and even more then. There are now ponies stepping into the light from every angle. All looking towards me. I now realize that I’m being cornered. As I gaze at the ponies circling me, I start to notice how they look. Their eyes are dull and colorless, their manes torn and disheveled, bodies covered in scars. Some of them are bleeding from their mouths, some from their eyes. Some have entire chunks of their flesh missing. “Why couldn’t you stop it?” one of them says. “Why did you leave us behind?” says another. I open my mouth, only to find myself unable to speak. They all start moving towards me. “You abandoned us.” “You left us all to die.” “Why didn’t you die too?” I try to back away from them, but my legs have stopped working. All I can do is look at them approaching, hear their scathing accusations and questions, as they keep getting closer. “You don’t deserve to be alive.” I try to close my eyes, but even that doesn’t work. I am completely paralyzed. I can only stand here, as they get closer, and closer, and- And then they stop. I wait for something to happen, for them to start moving again, when I hear something from below me. I look down, and see that suddenly, I’m standing in 2 feet of water. I lift my head back up. They’re all gone, and I’m not in the town anymore. I’m standing in a seemingly infinite ocean. I begin to sink into the water. Deeper and deeper, my body is submerged. I am still paralyzed, only able to lie still as I wait for the inevitable. But then, I see something, out in the distance. I can’t quite make it out, but it has an unmistakable pink glow to it. I can also see that it’s approaching, quickly. It’s arriving faster than I’m sinking. The closer it gets, the more I can make it out, but I’m still not sure what it is. It looks almost like… a star, not too dissimilar from the one adorning my flank. Averting my attention away from the strange entity, it comes to my attention that my head is the only part of my body not submerged in sea water. My focus is brought back to the entity when it begins to glow brighter, lighting my face and the surrounding area in pink. I no longer feel paralyzed. A shape starts to take form in its center, extending out towards me. It almost looks like…a foreleg, like it’s reaching out to me. Cautiously, I lift my hoof out of the water, and reach back to the entity, whose new found appendage extends even further seemingly in reaction. Right as my muzzle is submerged, our hooves touch. My eyes shoot open as I let out a quiet gasp. A dream. Just that, and nothing more. As I adjust myself back into my current surroundings, I take note of three things: One, I’m laying outside on the deck. Two, there’s a blanket draped over me, even though I don’t remember bringing one with me last night. And three…I’m not the only one laying here. To my right, Pinkie Pie is sleeping soundly in a similar position to mine, with a blanket of her own. I definitely don’t remember that from last night. I then also how notice how close she is to me. Were she any closer, our bodies would be pressed together. I’m not sure why, but that thought makes me feel a bit...flustered. Ignoring that for the time being, my mind goes to the obvious question: Why? I mean, it’s not like I mind…I don’t think, I mean, I don’t know? Whatever. Maybe she was having the same trouble getting to sleep I was, and had the same idea? I doubt it, she looked pretty restful when I peered into her door and watched her…. Boy, that sounds worse than it is. Perhaps her sleeptrotting had come back? Well, no, that wouldn’t explain me having a blanket… Once again, my thoughts are interrupted when she begins to stir. I guess I could just ask her. I watch as she comes to, her eyes fluttering open as she lets out a quick yawn. She groggily shifts her eyes around before they land on me. In an instant, her eyelids shoot open and her expression becomes unreadable. She blinks twice as if doing a double take. “Good morning, Pinkie.” I keep my expression friendly, luckily I don’t have to faker my smile. I seem to smile a lot when around her, at least in comparison to…any other time. She shakes her head, and looks at the scene before her, the two of us laying so close together out on the deck. Expression still non-existent, she begins to stare out into space. If I’m not mistaken, I think she’s starting to blush. “I-uh-ye-uuh…” She seems to be panicking slightly. I should try to calm her down. I should. But I have to admit….she’s pretty cute when she’s being awkward. I stand up from the floor, and stretch my back. “Thanks for the blankets, by the way,” I say, as I do some more early morning exercises. After a few more stretches, I turn my head back to her, and catch her staring before she looks away. She’s definitely blushing now. Part of me wants to say something like “Enjoying the show?” but the few remaining shreds of rationality in my brain convince me that might be a bit too mean. Actually, know that I think about…why am I doing this? This isn’t like me, I don’t go out of my way to make other ponies, especially my best friend, feel awkward. I cease my movements and chuckle sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. “So, um…I guess we should…head back inside?” Right now, my average sized pony brain is a mess of incoherent thoughts, so please excuse me if this next part doesn’t make any sense: OhmygodohMyGOD why isn’t she upset with me is she upset with me and just pretending ohmyGOD she caught me looking at her BUTT wait is she embarrassed right now is that because of me did I make her embarrassed by looking at her butt just now is she self-conscious about her body I don’t know why she would be she’s freaking GORGEOUS wait a minute she said thanks for the blankets so she’s cool with it she doesn’t care that we slept togetherNO NOT SLEPT TOGETHER SLEPT NEXT TO EACH OTHER- “Pinkie?” Slightly startled, I look over at the pony who is currently causing my confused cranium’s catastrophic collapse. She looks concerned. I try to come up with a response, and eventually something comes out of my mouth. “Bwahuh?” Whatever that was seems to have only made her more concerned. “Are you ok?” she says. I put on the most real looking smile I can muster. “Of course I’m ok, silly!” I lie through my teeth, throwing as much cheer into my voice as possible. “What, um- why would you think I’m not? Hehehe…” For how cold it is, I seem to be sweating a lot. Twilight raises an eyebrow, and then sighs, before smiling at me. “If you say so, Pinkie. Come on, let’s head inside.” I’ll admit, just seeing her smile like that is enough to get me to calm down a bit. I get up from the floor and follow her into the cabin. I definitely do not stare directly at her flank as we’re walking because that we would be weird, nope that is not what I’m doing that all. Ok maybe I’m doing it a little. Don’t judge me. This day has been pretty standard fair, the only difference being a slight feeling of awkwardness around Pinkie Pie, owed of course to the very much not standard way the day began. Right now though, things are just kind of boring. Looking at the water can only stimulate someone for so long. Maybe I could ask Pinkie if she’s up for a game of Chess. Huh. Chess. Even that’s become boring to me, even if matches against Pinkie tend to be far more interesting than any other opponent I’ve had. Thinking about Pinkie leads to me to thinking about the day before, and her mixing up the two pieces during our previous match, and then later when she bolted into her room without even finishing her dinner. Between all that, and everything that had occurred this morning, I feel the worry I’ve been having about Pinkie starts to rise. Maybe it’s time I talk to her about it. Getting up from loafed position on the center of the deck, I head back to the cabin. When I open the door, I’m greeted by a rather bemusing sight. “I, King Chester, hereby do decree that all citizens may have free cake forever!!” The table was covered by what seemed to be the entire chess set minus the board, and, laying down on the table like a school filly reading a magazine, was Pinkie Pie, who was currently griping the King in her left hoof, and a gaggle of pawns in her right. “Yoohoo yeah alright! Free cake! Let’s hear it for King Chester,” she exclaimed while shaking the pawns around, as if they were a doll. “I would also like to state that- AAHHH!” Pinkie yelps when she finally notices me, throwing her hoofs into the air, and the pieces along with them. Acting on instinct, I flare up my horn and catch the airborne King and Pawns in my aura before they can land on the ground. Setting the pieces back on the table, I look back at Pinkie with a sheepish expression. “Sorry about that, hehe…should have knocked.” “Oh, that’s fine! I just get jumpy sometimes, ya know...heh.” The awkwardness from last night seems to have returned in full force, this time with even more intense blushing from the both of us. Eventually, Pinkie speaks up again, as she starts to climb off the table. “…Well, uh, I should probably-“ “No, wait!” I say a bit louder than probably necessary. Pinkie looks back at me with a startled but curious expression. My blush comes back because of my outburst, but I compose myself, and pick up the King piece in my magic, then float it over to Pinkie. “What…was it that King Chester was about to state?” This gets her to smile, a real, genuine smile. She takes the piece in both her hooves and holds it to her chest, looking down at it with a dopey grin. In almost no time at all, she’s right back where she was when I opened the door. I trot over to the table, and take a seat, resting my elbows on the table, as I look at her. For the next couple hours , I simply watch her as she uses the pieces to create an entire intricate story about cake taxes and mandatory partying laws, with surprisingly legally accurate court room scenes. In that time, I feel all the concern and awkwardness I’ve felt about this mare for the last several hours wash away, and be replaced with the admiration I’ve felt for her for a very long time. They really weren’t kiddin’ when they said “time flies when you’re having fun”. I’m not sure who “they” are, exactly, but they seem to say a lotta stuff. I think Twilight really liked my immersive Chess theater, she was smiling the whole time and she even did that super-adorable giggle she does sometimes! I wish it didn’t have to end it so soon, but even I’ve gotta get in my 8 hours. So after dinner (it was fish, again), we said our nighty-nights and headed to our rooms. Standing in the door way, I think back to the whole of today. It started out kinda awkward, but it looks like things are going back to norma- “Hey, um, Pinkie?” I look over at Twilight, who seems nervous about something…uh oh. Ok, don’t worry, Pinkie, maybe she just wants to ask me a favour. Maybe there’s a spider in her room, and she’s embarrassed because she’s afraid of spiders. Yeah, that seems plausible. “Yeah, Twi?” “Do you think that…we could…maybe…sleep next to each other again….?” Is it just me, or did this boat suddenly get really warm? Yet again, my brain has become a jumbled mess of thought, this time so incomprehensible I can’t even make out any words. I then notice that I haven’t said anything for 13 seconds, and Twilight’s face goes from a nervous blush to disappointment. Oh no! She’s taking my stunned silence as a no! Come on, vocal chords! Work! “Ok,” I say with a smile. Twilight, in turn, gives me a nice toothy one. “So, uh… your room or mine?” Twi starts rubbing her leg, looking at the floor. “Well, if it’s Ok with you...I don’t think I want to sleep in my room tonight.” That’s a little weird. I wonder if there’s something wrong with the room. Maybe that’s why she went outside last night? Whatever the case, I give her a nod, and we both head in my room. Author's Note So this chapter was going to be a bit longer, but i decided to split some stuff i had planned for it into the chapter 4, which yes, i am already working on. I hope the sudden tonal shift in the beginning wasn't too off putting for y'all, but there's a reason one of this story's tags is "dark" and i did say i was gonna justify the t rating. Chapter 4: Conviction To JoyTwilight is in my bedroom. And she’s sleeping on my bed. Which I am also sleeping on. I have had so many dreams about exactly this happening, though in my dreams the circumstances were…pretty different. We’re not really that close right now, even though we are under the same blanket this time. She’s all curled up in a ball, snoring away. I can’t even keep my eyes closed right now. Too busy thinking about…a lotta things, really. We’re not even facing the same direction. This doesn’t really as nice as last night did. But at least this time, she actually knows we’re doing it. She even asked me specifically! Which means she…must have liked it too… And this morning, when she did all those little exercises, she…was she trying to show off her body? To me? ..... No, that’s just silly. Twilight would never be interested in someone like me. I’ve known that for years. Just because we might be the last two mares on the planet doesn’t mean she’s gonna suddenly want- Ok. No more thinking about that. If I let my head go there, I definitely won’t be getting any sleep tonight. Suddenly, I feel something being pressed against my back, and then what feels like forelegs wrapped around my waist… There’s no way. I look to my back, and- oh my gosh it’s twilight she’s spooning me she actually came up to spoon me in her sleep oh my gosh this is actually happening this isn’t a dream- I’m cool. I’m totally cool. Why wouldn’t I be cool? She nuzzles my back, and I hear her make a happy little murmur. Ya know what? Maybe instead of indulging in gay panic, I should just let myself get comfortable in her embrace, because really, when am I gonna get a chance like this again? But…she’s doing this in her sleep, she probably has no clue what she’s doing. Does that mean I’m taking advantage of her? For about three minutes straight, my mind is split between two sides, one going “just let this happen! She’s so soft and it feels so good!” while the other is all “wake her up! She doesn’t know what she’s doing, and neither of you gave consent!” As much as I don’t want her to stop holding me, I have to at least make sure she knows. I turn my whole body around to face her. Her face looks just like it did last night, when she was resting on my foreleg. Which is to say, absolutely perfect in every way. I really don’t want to wake her up, she looks so comfortable. She lets out a very pleased sounding “mmmm” in her sleep. I wonder what she’s dreaming about? Maybe something tasty. Like cupcakes. Or pancakes. Or cupcakes baked inside of pancakes. Ugh, now I’m getting hungry. She then lets out a very breathy “ooooooo”. Ok, probably not a food dream. Maybe a massage dream? Ok, enough wondering about what area of dreamland she’s in. I have to wake her up now. I have to make sure. But then she does something that hits me like a train. “mmm, ooooh, Pinkie, mmmm” Suddenly, I’m frozen in place. And to make matters worse, it doesn’t stop there. I watch helplessly as she takes her hooves off me, and drags one of them all the way down to her- “TWILIGHT, WAKE UP!” My eyes shoot open, and for several seconds, I attempt to process my current situation. I was dreaming. Of course I was. There’s no way something like that could’ve actually happened… I scan the room. In no time at all, everything comes back to me. The boat, the fish, the chess, the- It is at that moment that I notice the presence of a pink-coated, frilly maned Earth Pony, with baby blue eyes sitting on the bed. The bed of her room. That I had asked to sleep in that night. I had just had an erotic dream about my friend, while sleeping in the same bed as them. I then recall what woke me up. It was a voice. It was her voice. She knows. I can’t even look her in the eye right now. Whether that’s because of the sheer uncomfortable awkwardness, or an intense feeling of shame, I can’t tell. It has to be shame. Bad enough that I have a dream like that about one of my friends, but to have it while I’m sharing sheets with her? Another thought then hits me. I had an erotic dream about her. I’ve always thought Pinkie Pie was a very attractive, very pretty mare. But I thought that about all my friends. It’s not like I’ve never had dreams of that nature before, but they were always about ponies I had imagined in my mind. Sometimes a big, burly stallion, other times, a shapely mare with pretty eyes and a curly mane. Shapely. Pretty eyes. Curly mane. Those all describe Pinkie to a tee. They also describe Rarity quite well, but Rarity didn’t have Pinkie’s beautiful pink coat, or her adorable face, or her wonderful poofy mess of a mane, or the extra layer of fluff that comes with being an earth pony. And as pretty as Rarity’s eyes were, they couldn’t compare to the brilliant baby blues the pink pony had. She also most certainly couldn’t compare when talking about Pinkie’s big, round, cushion-y looking flanks- …..oh my god. “Twi?” I still can’t bring myself to look at her, but she doesn’t sound angry. Her voice actually sounds…comforting. “Twi…I’m not mad at you, or anything…if that’s what you think.” I finally gather the nerves to look her in the eye. She doesn’t look disturbed, or uncomfortable like I thought she would. She just looks concerned. Concerned for me. No matter the situation, Pinkie always seems to put everyone else’s happiness above her own. Even after everything that’s happened, after losing our home and getting lost in the middle of nowhere, being forced to eat the same thing every day, all of that, and her conviction to joy has never wavered. Even after I do something like this, betraying her trust, she’s still concerned for me. And that’s when it all hits me, all at once. The dream I had with the strange pink entity. The dream I just had about being intimate with Pinkie. The sense of comfort and adoration I felt during Pinkie’s chess show. Something has definitely changed in how I view Pinkie, and it’s not just a matter of physical attraction. “Pinkie…” my voice comes out strained and small. “There’s some things we need to talk about…some things about…us.” Her cheeks turn red at the use of the word “us”. It’s honestly an adorable sight. “Ok…um, what-do you wanna talk…about?” I open my mouth to speak, but something clicks in my head as I look at her, nervously stammering. I suddenly feel a strange sense of boldness. “Ya know what, Pinkie? We can talk tomorrow. Right now, there’s just one thing I want to ask.” “Yeah?” “…Can I kiss you?” Her eyes and mouth go as wide as I think possible. I instantly start to regret what I said. Damn it, Sparkle. What’s gotten into you? You should be talking to her about important things, but instead you go and try to be some suave ladies’ mare? RIGHT after she catches having a wet dream about her- “I don’t know, can you?” Her voice shuts down my mental self-chastising. I stare at her dumbly for a few seconds. She has an awkward grin on her face, like she’s trying to look smug and snarky, and failing. I’ll take that as a yes. I give a smile of my own that probably looks just as stupid, and slowly lean my muzzle forwards, closing my eyes. She does the same, albeit a bit faster. And then, our lips connect. For what feels like an eternity, everything goes blank. Everything, except the sense of touch on my muzzle, and inside my mouth. Her lips taste sugary and sweet, almost like they were designed for kissing. At some point, our mouths open, and her tongue made contact with mine. Or mine with hers? I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I know is that this might be the best kiss I’ve ever had. When we finally disconnect, our eyelids are heavy, and my tongue is hanging slightly out of my mouth, a small strand of saliva connecting it back to Pinkie’s muzzle. I lick my lips, trying to savor as much of that taste as I can. She puts a hoof to her lips, blushing profusely, smiling. It’s not a shy smile though. It looks almost...bittersweet. Wait...are those tears? Is she crying? “Pinkie?” “I’m ok, Twilight, I just…I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time.” Does she...is she saying what I think she’s saying? I shake my head. Tomorrow. That’s when will talk. For now, I wrap my forelegs around and bring in for a hug. She sniffles quietly into my shoulder. “You make me so happy, Pinkie. I hope you know that.” She lifts her head to look at me, a look of longing in her eyes. Then she darts forwards, and our lips meet once again. Though at first, I’m taken aback by this, I very quickly lean into the kiss. Our grip on each other becomes stronger, and I run my hoof through her mane. The kiss quickly becomes more and more impassioned, our chests pressing against each other as we run our hooves over each other’s bodies. I wrap my wings around her waist and caress and trail down her back with my feathers, until they reach her flank. I feel her shudder slightly at the touch. That night, Pinkie and I became closer than ever. And it was the best night of my life. As I awake with a yawn, I take a look around the room, until my eyes land upon a pair of pink forelegs wrapped around my barrel. I look behind me, and see her. Her head resting against my back, and her hindlegs draped over my own. The memories of last night all come flooding back to me, and I smile. I turn my body around to face her, her grip never wavering. I run a hoof through her mane, and she begins to stir. Her eyes flutter open, and she looks at me. “Good morning, Pinkie.” I caress her mane once more, before cupping her cheek. She grins happily and places several pecks on my hoof. Her lips are just as soft on my toe as they were on my muzzle, and my chest, and my… I can’t see my own face, but I’m pretty sure I’m blushing. Still, her kisses are making me somewhat eager, so taking her by surprise, I put my hoof to her chin and bring our muzzles together. We may both be too tired to take things any further, but that doesn’t mean the kiss is any less passionate. She strokes my mane, and I rub gentle circles on her chest. At some point, she rolls me and herself over so she’s on top of me, her lips never breaking contact with mine. Her fur is so nice and soft against mine. Eventually, our kiss ends, and we go back to just smiling at each other. “Twilight…there’s something I have to tell you.” “Yes, Pinkie?” “…I really, really like you.” I giggle softly. “I never would have guessed,” I say with a smirk. But she’s frowning. Why is she frowning? “Pinkie?” “I’ve- really, really liked you for a really, really, really long time…” “…How long?” “For about…as long as I’ve known you.” Oh. Oh. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?” “Well...at first I thought it was just a tiny little crush, and that it would go away. It never did though. I thought about, ya know, maybe asking you out on a date one day, but I never did, because…” “Because?” She doesn’t answer. She keeps opening her mouth, but nothing comes out. Instead, she just seems to keep getting more upset about…something. I cup her cheek. “Hey.” She looks at me with those amazing eyes of hers. “I really, really, really, really like you too.” I kiss her on the nose. She blushes, gives a huge adorable smile, and buries her head in my chest. I wrapped my forelegs around her, and time stands still as we lay in each other’s embrace. Author's Note I'm gonna be taking a small break from this story now that this chapter is out. Not a long enough break for me to mark it as on hiatus, but don't expect chapter 5 to come out for a few more weeks.
Chapter 2: A Genius IdeaA lot of ponies really hate the cold, which I totally get, but I like the cold. And also the warm. And the medium! But for the past four months, it’s just been the cold. Even when I go inside where it’s supposed to be warm it’s really just medium. At least, it was medium like, five minutes ago when I was still in dreamland. But then all of a sudden it’s really, REALLY cold, so cold that it wakes me up! Doesn’t the cold know how rude it is to wake a pony up so late at night? Though…if I’m being honest, I’m not too upset about being woken up. Dreamland hasn’t been a very nice place as of late. …Anyway! I hop outta bed to make my way to the cabin. This sudden chill can only have one explanation: Somepony left the front door open! I hope it wasn’t me… I really thought I was over my sleeptrotting phase. I’ve reached the main room, and it would seem my suspicions were sure as stone. I go to correct this blunder (Twilight taught me that word!), but when I look outside, my eyes catch a most curious sight: Lying down on the deck, all curled up into herself, is a certain lavender Unicorn-magically-transformed-by-Princess-Celestia-into-an-Alicorn princess. At least, I think she’s still a princess, I’m not really sure how that works. I then hear what can only possibly be the sounds of a snoring Twilight Sparkle. What’s she doing sleep out here on the deck? Wait…was she sleeptrotting? Is sleeptrotting contagious?! No, wait, it looks like she has her scarf on, she must have been awake when she came out here. I tip-hoof towards her, quieter than a sleeping Fluttershy, so I can wake her up and she can go back to her nice warm bed. I circle around her and almost stretch out a hoof to poke her head, but then, I look at her face. She snores a few more times, before burying her face a bit more into her forelegs, an obvious smile on her face. Gosh, she has such a pretty smile. She looks so peaceful, I can’t wake her up now! Still, it is pretty cold. I then get a genius idea. Carefully, more carefully than Fluttershy pulling a thorn out of a puppy’s paw, I drape the green blanket over Twilight’s body. Now, it’s time for the moment of truth: Picking the grey blanket in my mouth, I gently lower myself until I’m loafing* right next to her, and I fling the blanket onto my back. While I get comfortable, I look at Twilight again. I shift my horsey-body until it’s touching hers. Or, well, at least, our blankets are touching. She then starts to stir and groan slightly, and now I’m panicking, because oh gosh I woke her up by sitting too close and she’s gonna see what I was doing and think that I’m super weird and she’s gonna be real tired so she’ll be extra angry at me and- Instead of anything like that, her stirring ends with her head now resting against my blanketed foreleg. To the outside observer, I am totally calm, because why wouldn’t I be? In my head, however: ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh she’s using me as a head rest we’re basically cuddling- Be cool, Pinkaminae. As far she’s concerned, it’s just two close friends being very friendly and comfortable with each other. Doesn’t need to be anything more than that, no siree. Although…..this does feel super nice. I take another look at her. A perfect comfortable smile on her perfect muzzle as she lays her perfect head on my leg. Her mouth opens very slightly and soft snores come out. Yup, she’s still a princess. Author's Note *a term used to describe a Pony's sitting position in which its hooves and tail are tucked under the body, forming a Loaf like shape. Sorry about how short this chapter is. It mainly exists for the scene at the end, and i couldn't really think of anything for the aftermath that wouldn't work better from Twi's Pov. I promise Chapter 3 will have much more to it, more than Chapter 1 even. these first two chapters were essentially introductory. C3 is where the real meat of the story begins. So stay tuned. Or don't. I'm not your mother.
Chapter 1: Fish and Chess“Checkmate!” She’s so confident in what she says. So delighted. How she’s managed to stay so upbeat in spite of everything, I couldn’t tell you. “That was a checkmate, right?” she asks, as the floor beneath us raises slightly. I give her a reassuring smile. “No, Pinkie. That was not a checkmate. Sorry.” “What?!” She seems more genuinely confused than upset, which is good, as I’ve been doing my best to avoid making her upset. “But my little guy-“ “Pawn.” “Whatever- is right in front of the King! That means checkmate, doesn’t it?” “That’s the Queen, Pinkie.” My Pink opponent glances at the offending pieces, and realizes her error. “Oh,” she says flatly, slumping her shoulders. I begin to worry, but before I can offer some sort of comfort, she perks right back up. “Oh well! Ya can’t win ‘em all! And look,” She points a hoof at her own King, which is completely exposed, my last knight standing very close. “Looks like you’ve got an opening!” Not sure what to say or even what expression to make, I light up my horn, and envelope the knight in my magic. I lift it up, move it to her King, and boom. Checkmate. “Hooray!” She stands upright on her chair, forelegs in the air. “Twilight Sparkle holds her title as the best Chess player in the seven seas!” I feel an earnest smile form on my lips. If Pinkie Pie wasn’t here, I’m not sure I would have made it this far. The wind rustles through my mane, as I stand on the deck, waiting for Pinkie to finish setting everything up. It’s chilly, but not unbearably so. The Tattered Scarf around my neck is keeping me warm, if quite a bit itchy. I look over at the other mare, watching as she fiddles with the rope, and I take note of her lack of winter gear. She had given the scarf to me at the beginning during a particularly cold afternoon, a very noble gesture that unfortunately left her a bit more exposed to the elements. It’s a real shame we couldn’t have brought along our winter clothes. She always looks really cute in that jacket and beanie. Oh, and they also would have kept us warm. That too. “Done!” She exclaims from nearby, trotting over with a large burlap sack in her mouth, and a rope over her back. “You ready?” I turn my gaze over to a small bucket to my right, and then to the open waters. Closing my eyes, I light up my horn, and lift a small plastic fish out of the bucket. I Begin to cast the spell, putting all my focus into it. After a few brief seconds, I open my eyes again. The Fake sea animal now has a noticeable glow to it, and thin white strip of light connecting it to my horn. I step forward to the edge and lower the piece of plastic into the ocean, I keep lowering it until I reach the right spot. And then I wait. After a few seconds, I begin to feel pressure building over the bait from all around, slowly but surely. It’s getting heavier, but I can still hold on to it. More seconds pass, and I now feel it has reached an acceptable weight. Straining a bit, I throw my head into the air, and lift the bait back to the surface. Grouped all around the small artificial fish is an entire schools worth of trout, magnetized to it, flopping in place and spraying water all over the deck. “Now, Pinkie,” I all but shout, a bead of sweat rolling down my head from the sheer weight of what my magic is holding. The Pink Pony leaps into the air, sack held open in both hooves. She entraps the aquatic critters into the burlap, and lands back on deck, swiftly pulling the rope from her and tying it around the opening. She excitedly holds the bag up, as if showing off her own big catch. “Look at our haul! This is gonna last us the week, at least!” This is what our lives have been like for the past four months on this Chronos-Forsaken boat. Fish, and Chess. There is actual food stored in the cabin, but we’ve been savoring it, so about three times a week, we come out to the deck, and “go fishing,” so to speak. I was never big on fish. Bear food as far as I was concerned. But it’s been growing on me, though maybe it’s just some weird food-version of Hockholm Syndrome. Pinkie seems to like the fish just fine, though I can pretty easily tell that she’d much rather be eating cupcakes, or pancakes, or cupcakes baked inside of a pancake. Hmm. That sounds disgusting, but I bet she would love it. Heck, I’d probably eat something like that if it meant a break from the fish. I’ve been saying fish a lot, haven’t I? Anyways, the boat also happened to have a Chess set, and so, to stay occupied and to keep our minds from drifting to other, less pleasant topics, I began teaching Pinkie how to play. She actually picked up it pretty quickly, even if she never refers to the pieces by their actual names, and has still only beaten me 2 times out of... Huh. Guess I stopped keeping track at some point. Something has been bothering me though. I was a bit too tired for it to really register with me last night, but Pinkie mistaking the Queen for the King seems a bit…odd. That mare is a lot of things, but she isn’t stupid, nor is she forgetful. Also, she called it the King. She usually calls the King and the Queen something silly like “wizard tower” and “fancy toilet”. Maybe I’m just being me, and looking too deeply into things, but I’m starting to worry about her. Sitting at the table, I look up from my plate, with a single, barely eaten trout on it, to the pony sitting opposite of me. Currently, she is eating her trout as if it were a corn on the cob. For a while, I simply stare at the way she munches on the seafood, listening to the little noises she makes whenever she’s chewing. Some may see others eating the way she does and be grossed out, but I personally find it endearing. I might be biased though. “Twi, you’re staring at me again.” Pinkie breaks me out of my thoughts, and I zone back in, shaking my head a little. “Uh, sorry Pinkie, I-wait…again?” “You’ve done it a couple times.” I notice she’s beginning to blush. “N-not that I mind, ya know,” she adds, laughing somewhat tensely... “I…see.” I feel a blush of my own, as I avoid eye contact. There’s a brief moment of near complete silence, which Pinkie once again breaks: “WELL GOODNIGHT!” Before I can say anything, the pink pony has already bolted out of her seat and into the hallway. I hear the door to her quarters slam shut. “…………..Good night.” I look at where she was sitting seconds ago. She didn’t even finish eating her fish. Guess I’m on dish duty tonight. I change position for probably the thirtieth time. I’ve been in bed for 2 hours now, and I don’t feel tired at all. I stare up at the ceiling. It’s too dark for me to really see any of its details. I breathe a large, but quiet sigh, pick up my scarf, and get out of bed. Stepping out of my quarters and into the hallway, I notice Pinkie’s door is slightly open. I peer inside, and see that she is still there, sleeping soundly. She must have gotten up earlier and forgot to close it when she came back. Her snores are so quiet. Not at all what one would except from a pony like Pinkie. For a while, I just look at her. I look at her body rising and falling with each snore, she looks so unbothered. I wonder what she’s dreaming about. I then suddenly remember Pinkie’s comment from earlier, and I realize that not only am I staring at her again, but I’m also watching somepony sleep without their knowledge. I quickly take a step back, and close the door as quietly as possible. I continue walking down the hallway, passing through the cabin, and finally reaching the exit. I open the door and instantly feel the chill of the night on my coat. I step out onto the deck, and lift my head to look up at the night sky. There aren’t any more clouds, so I get to see the stars in their full glory. Sitting down on my plot, I turn my gaze over to the moon. Its continued presence has served as one of the few comforts I’ve had during this time. The fact that every day, the sun sets, and the moon rises, lets me know that at least one of them is still alive. As I continue to bask in the night’s beauty, I finally start to relax. My eyelids start to feel heavy. I fall asleep. Author's Note First fic on this site. i hope that at the very least, I've made this story intriguing. I do have an answer as to how the events that led to this story occurred, which i intend to reveal over the course of the story, cuz who doesn't like a good mystery? Second chapter should be coming out fairly soon, and will be from Pinkie's POV. P.S i have no idea how chess works.
Chapter 3: Immersive Chess TheaterAshes. There’s no more fire, there’s not even any smoke. Just, Ashes. Anything that was once a building, now nothing more than rubble. What were once vibrant forests of green, had now become long stretches of burnt wood, and dead grass. In the distance, I see the barren mountain that once held Canterlot Castle, nearly nothing of it remaining. I’m standing in the center of the town. Of what used to be the town. My body feels weightless. The silence is deafening. The only thing I can hear, are my own thoughts, jumbled and incoherent as they are. Why am I back here? HOW am I back here? Clip-clop. I’m not given much to figure out an answer, as a noise catches my ears. Clip-clop-clip-clop-clip-clop. Hoofsteps… “Is…is there someone there?” I call out, nervously. Clip-clop-clip-clop-clip-clop-clip. The steps are getting louder, faster. I can’t tell which direction it’s coming from…actually, it sounds like it’s coming from everywhere, somehow. It keeps getting faster. It keeps getting louder. I frantically glance at every direction, trying to see something, anything, while I stand in place, not sure if I should even move. The noises start to slow down, and now seem to focus on a single spot to my left. I turn my head to the spot, a dark bit of space between the remains of two buildings. A figure comes out of the darkness. A pony. Another set of hoofsteps, this time from the right. I avert my gaze from the individual to a tall pile of rubble. Another pony walks into view on top of it. More hoofsteps, and even more then. There are now ponies stepping into the light from every angle. All looking towards me. I now realize that I’m being cornered. As I gaze at the ponies circling me, I start to notice how they look. Their eyes are dull and colorless, their manes torn and disheveled, bodies covered in scars. Some of them are bleeding from their mouths, some from their eyes. Some have entire chunks of their flesh missing. “Why couldn’t you stop it?” one of them says. “Why did you leave us behind?” says another. I open my mouth, only to find myself unable to speak. They all start moving towards me. “You abandoned us.” “You left us all to die.” “Why didn’t you die too?” I try to back away from them, but my legs have stopped working. All I can do is look at them approaching, hear their scathing accusations and questions, as they keep getting closer. “You don’t deserve to be alive.” I try to close my eyes, but even that doesn’t work. I am completely paralyzed. I can only stand here, as they get closer, and closer, and- And then they stop. I wait for something to happen, for them to start moving again, when I hear something from below me. I look down, and see that suddenly, I’m standing in 2 feet of water. I lift my head back up. They’re all gone, and I’m not in the town anymore. I’m standing in a seemingly infinite ocean. I begin to sink into the water. Deeper and deeper, my body is submerged. I am still paralyzed, only able to lie still as I wait for the inevitable. But then, I see something, out in the distance. I can’t quite make it out, but it has an unmistakable pink glow to it. I can also see that it’s approaching, quickly. It’s arriving faster than I’m sinking. The closer it gets, the more I can make it out, but I’m still not sure what it is. It looks almost like… a star, not too dissimilar from the one adorning my flank. Averting my attention away from the strange entity, it comes to my attention that my head is the only part of my body not submerged in sea water. My focus is brought back to the entity when it begins to glow brighter, lighting my face and the surrounding area in pink. I no longer feel paralyzed. A shape starts to take form in its center, extending out towards me. It almost looks like…a foreleg, like it’s reaching out to me. Cautiously, I lift my hoof out of the water, and reach back to the entity, whose new found appendage extends even further seemingly in reaction. Right as my muzzle is submerged, our hooves touch. My eyes shoot open as I let out a quiet gasp. A dream. Just that, and nothing more. As I adjust myself back into my current surroundings, I take note of three things: One, I’m laying outside on the deck. Two, there’s a blanket draped over me, even though I don’t remember bringing one with me last night. And three…I’m not the only one laying here. To my right, Pinkie Pie is sleeping soundly in a similar position to mine, with a blanket of her own. I definitely don’t remember that from last night. I then also how notice how close she is to me. Were she any closer, our bodies would be pressed together. I’m not sure why, but that thought makes me feel a bit...flustered. Ignoring that for the time being, my mind goes to the obvious question: Why? I mean, it’s not like I mind…I don’t think, I mean, I don’t know? Whatever. Maybe she was having the same trouble getting to sleep I was, and had the same idea? I doubt it, she looked pretty restful when I peered into her door and watched her…. Boy, that sounds worse than it is. Perhaps her sleeptrotting had come back? Well, no, that wouldn’t explain me having a blanket… Once again, my thoughts are interrupted when she begins to stir. I guess I could just ask her. I watch as she comes to, her eyes fluttering open as she lets out a quick yawn. She groggily shifts her eyes around before they land on me. In an instant, her eyelids shoot open and her expression becomes unreadable. She blinks twice as if doing a double take. “Good morning, Pinkie.” I keep my expression friendly, luckily I don’t have to faker my smile. I seem to smile a lot when around her, at least in comparison to…any other time. She shakes her head, and looks at the scene before her, the two of us laying so close together out on the deck. Expression still non-existent, she begins to stare out into space. If I’m not mistaken, I think she’s starting to blush. “I-uh-ye-uuh…” She seems to be panicking slightly. I should try to calm her down. I should. But I have to admit….she’s pretty cute when she’s being awkward. I stand up from the floor, and stretch my back. “Thanks for the blankets, by the way,” I say, as I do some more early morning exercises. After a few more stretches, I turn my head back to her, and catch her staring before she looks away. She’s definitely blushing now. Part of me wants to say something like “Enjoying the show?” but the few remaining shreds of rationality in my brain convince me that might be a bit too mean. Actually, know that I think about…why am I doing this? This isn’t like me, I don’t go out of my way to make other ponies, especially my best friend, feel awkward. I cease my movements and chuckle sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. “So, um…I guess we should…head back inside?” Right now, my average sized pony brain is a mess of incoherent thoughts, so please excuse me if this next part doesn’t make any sense: OhmygodohMyGOD why isn’t she upset with me is she upset with me and just pretending ohmyGOD she caught me looking at her BUTT wait is she embarrassed right now is that because of me did I make her embarrassed by looking at her butt just now is she self-conscious about her body I don’t know why she would be she’s freaking GORGEOUS wait a minute she said thanks for the blankets so she’s cool with it she doesn’t care that we slept togetherNO NOT SLEPT TOGETHER SLEPT NEXT TO EACH OTHER- “Pinkie?” Slightly startled, I look over at the pony who is currently causing my confused cranium’s catastrophic collapse. She looks concerned. I try to come up with a response, and eventually something comes out of my mouth. “Bwahuh?” Whatever that was seems to have only made her more concerned. “Are you ok?” she says. I put on the most real looking smile I can muster. “Of course I’m ok, silly!” I lie through my teeth, throwing as much cheer into my voice as possible. “What, um- why would you think I’m not? Hehehe…” For how cold it is, I seem to be sweating a lot. Twilight raises an eyebrow, and then sighs, before smiling at me. “If you say so, Pinkie. Come on, let’s head inside.” I’ll admit, just seeing her smile like that is enough to get me to calm down a bit. I get up from the floor and follow her into the cabin. I definitely do not stare directly at her flank as we’re walking because that we would be weird, nope that is not what I’m doing that all. Ok maybe I’m doing it a little. Don’t judge me. This day has been pretty standard fair, the only difference being a slight feeling of awkwardness around Pinkie Pie, owed of course to the very much not standard way the day began. Right now though, things are just kind of boring. Looking at the water can only stimulate someone for so long. Maybe I could ask Pinkie if she’s up for a game of Chess. Huh. Chess. Even that’s become boring to me, even if matches against Pinkie tend to be far more interesting than any other opponent I’ve had. Thinking about Pinkie leads to me to thinking about the day before, and her mixing up the two pieces during our previous match, and then later when she bolted into her room without even finishing her dinner. Between all that, and everything that had occurred this morning, I feel the worry I’ve been having about Pinkie starts to rise. Maybe it’s time I talk to her about it. Getting up from loafed position on the center of the deck, I head back to the cabin. When I open the door, I’m greeted by a rather bemusing sight. “I, King Chester, hereby do decree that all citizens may have free cake forever!!” The table was covered by what seemed to be the entire chess set minus the board, and, laying down on the table like a school filly reading a magazine, was Pinkie Pie, who was currently griping the King in her left hoof, and a gaggle of pawns in her right. “Yoohoo yeah alright! Free cake! Let’s hear it for King Chester,” she exclaimed while shaking the pawns around, as if they were a doll. “I would also like to state that- AAHHH!” Pinkie yelps when she finally notices me, throwing her hoofs into the air, and the pieces along with them. Acting on instinct, I flare up my horn and catch the airborne King and Pawns in my aura before they can land on the ground. Setting the pieces back on the table, I look back at Pinkie with a sheepish expression. “Sorry about that, hehe…should have knocked.” “Oh, that’s fine! I just get jumpy sometimes, ya know...heh.” The awkwardness from last night seems to have returned in full force, this time with even more intense blushing from the both of us. Eventually, Pinkie speaks up again, as she starts to climb off the table. “…Well, uh, I should probably-“ “No, wait!” I say a bit louder than probably necessary. Pinkie looks back at me with a startled but curious expression. My blush comes back because of my outburst, but I compose myself, and pick up the King piece in my magic, then float it over to Pinkie. “What…was it that King Chester was about to state?” This gets her to smile, a real, genuine smile. She takes the piece in both her hooves and holds it to her chest, looking down at it with a dopey grin. In almost no time at all, she’s right back where she was when I opened the door. I trot over to the table, and take a seat, resting my elbows on the table, as I look at her. For the next couple hours , I simply watch her as she uses the pieces to create an entire intricate story about cake taxes and mandatory partying laws, with surprisingly legally accurate court room scenes. In that time, I feel all the concern and awkwardness I’ve felt about this mare for the last several hours wash away, and be replaced with the admiration I’ve felt for her for a very long time. They really weren’t kiddin’ when they said “time flies when you’re having fun”. I’m not sure who “they” are, exactly, but they seem to say a lotta stuff. I think Twilight really liked my immersive Chess theater, she was smiling the whole time and she even did that super-adorable giggle she does sometimes! I wish it didn’t have to end it so soon, but even I’ve gotta get in my 8 hours. So after dinner (it was fish, again), we said our nighty-nights and headed to our rooms. Standing in the door way, I think back to the whole of today. It started out kinda awkward, but it looks like things are going back to norma- “Hey, um, Pinkie?” I look over at Twilight, who seems nervous about something…uh oh. Ok, don’t worry, Pinkie, maybe she just wants to ask me a favour. Maybe there’s a spider in her room, and she’s embarrassed because she’s afraid of spiders. Yeah, that seems plausible. “Yeah, Twi?” “Do you think that…we could…maybe…sleep next to each other again….?” Is it just me, or did this boat suddenly get really warm? Yet again, my brain has become a jumbled mess of thought, this time so incomprehensible I can’t even make out any words. I then notice that I haven’t said anything for 13 seconds, and Twilight’s face goes from a nervous blush to disappointment. Oh no! She’s taking my stunned silence as a no! Come on, vocal chords! Work! “Ok,” I say with a smile. Twilight, in turn, gives me a nice toothy one. “So, uh… your room or mine?” Twi starts rubbing her leg, looking at the floor. “Well, if it’s Ok with you...I don’t think I want to sleep in my room tonight.” That’s a little weird. I wonder if there’s something wrong with the room. Maybe that’s why she went outside last night? Whatever the case, I give her a nod, and we both head in my room. Author's Note So this chapter was going to be a bit longer, but i decided to split some stuff i had planned for it into the chapter 4, which yes, i am already working on. I hope the sudden tonal shift in the beginning wasn't too off putting for y'all, but there's a reason one of this story's tags is "dark" and i did say i was gonna justify the t rating.
Chapter 4: Conviction To JoyTwilight is in my bedroom. And she’s sleeping on my bed. Which I am also sleeping on. I have had so many dreams about exactly this happening, though in my dreams the circumstances were…pretty different. We’re not really that close right now, even though we are under the same blanket this time. She’s all curled up in a ball, snoring away. I can’t even keep my eyes closed right now. Too busy thinking about…a lotta things, really. We’re not even facing the same direction. This doesn’t really as nice as last night did. But at least this time, she actually knows we’re doing it. She even asked me specifically! Which means she…must have liked it too… And this morning, when she did all those little exercises, she…was she trying to show off her body? To me? ..... No, that’s just silly. Twilight would never be interested in someone like me. I’ve known that for years. Just because we might be the last two mares on the planet doesn’t mean she’s gonna suddenly want- Ok. No more thinking about that. If I let my head go there, I definitely won’t be getting any sleep tonight. Suddenly, I feel something being pressed against my back, and then what feels like forelegs wrapped around my waist… There’s no way. I look to my back, and- oh my gosh it’s twilight she’s spooning me she actually came up to spoon me in her sleep oh my gosh this is actually happening this isn’t a dream- I’m cool. I’m totally cool. Why wouldn’t I be cool? She nuzzles my back, and I hear her make a happy little murmur. Ya know what? Maybe instead of indulging in gay panic, I should just let myself get comfortable in her embrace, because really, when am I gonna get a chance like this again? But…she’s doing this in her sleep, she probably has no clue what she’s doing. Does that mean I’m taking advantage of her? For about three minutes straight, my mind is split between two sides, one going “just let this happen! She’s so soft and it feels so good!” while the other is all “wake her up! She doesn’t know what she’s doing, and neither of you gave consent!” As much as I don’t want her to stop holding me, I have to at least make sure she knows. I turn my whole body around to face her. Her face looks just like it did last night, when she was resting on my foreleg. Which is to say, absolutely perfect in every way. I really don’t want to wake her up, she looks so comfortable. She lets out a very pleased sounding “mmmm” in her sleep. I wonder what she’s dreaming about? Maybe something tasty. Like cupcakes. Or pancakes. Or cupcakes baked inside of pancakes. Ugh, now I’m getting hungry. She then lets out a very breathy “ooooooo”. Ok, probably not a food dream. Maybe a massage dream? Ok, enough wondering about what area of dreamland she’s in. I have to wake her up now. I have to make sure. But then she does something that hits me like a train. “mmm, ooooh, Pinkie, mmmm” Suddenly, I’m frozen in place. And to make matters worse, it doesn’t stop there. I watch helplessly as she takes her hooves off me, and drags one of them all the way down to her- “TWILIGHT, WAKE UP!” My eyes shoot open, and for several seconds, I attempt to process my current situation. I was dreaming. Of course I was. There’s no way something like that could’ve actually happened… I scan the room. In no time at all, everything comes back to me. The boat, the fish, the chess, the- It is at that moment that I notice the presence of a pink-coated, frilly maned Earth Pony, with baby blue eyes sitting on the bed. The bed of her room. That I had asked to sleep in that night. I had just had an erotic dream about my friend, while sleeping in the same bed as them. I then recall what woke me up. It was a voice. It was her voice. She knows. I can’t even look her in the eye right now. Whether that’s because of the sheer uncomfortable awkwardness, or an intense feeling of shame, I can’t tell. It has to be shame. Bad enough that I have a dream like that about one of my friends, but to have it while I’m sharing sheets with her? Another thought then hits me. I had an erotic dream about her. I’ve always thought Pinkie Pie was a very attractive, very pretty mare. But I thought that about all my friends. It’s not like I’ve never had dreams of that nature before, but they were always about ponies I had imagined in my mind. Sometimes a big, burly stallion, other times, a shapely mare with pretty eyes and a curly mane. Shapely. Pretty eyes. Curly mane. Those all describe Pinkie to a tee. They also describe Rarity quite well, but Rarity didn’t have Pinkie’s beautiful pink coat, or her adorable face, or her wonderful poofy mess of a mane, or the extra layer of fluff that comes with being an earth pony. And as pretty as Rarity’s eyes were, they couldn’t compare to the brilliant baby blues the pink pony had. She also most certainly couldn’t compare when talking about Pinkie’s big, round, cushion-y looking flanks- …..oh my god. “Twi?” I still can’t bring myself to look at her, but she doesn’t sound angry. Her voice actually sounds…comforting. “Twi…I’m not mad at you, or anything…if that’s what you think.” I finally gather the nerves to look her in the eye. She doesn’t look disturbed, or uncomfortable like I thought she would. She just looks concerned. Concerned for me. No matter the situation, Pinkie always seems to put everyone else’s happiness above her own. Even after everything that’s happened, after losing our home and getting lost in the middle of nowhere, being forced to eat the same thing every day, all of that, and her conviction to joy has never wavered. Even after I do something like this, betraying her trust, she’s still concerned for me. And that’s when it all hits me, all at once. The dream I had with the strange pink entity. The dream I just had about being intimate with Pinkie. The sense of comfort and adoration I felt during Pinkie’s chess show. Something has definitely changed in how I view Pinkie, and it’s not just a matter of physical attraction. “Pinkie…” my voice comes out strained and small. “There’s some things we need to talk about…some things about…us.” Her cheeks turn red at the use of the word “us”. It’s honestly an adorable sight. “Ok…um, what-do you wanna talk…about?” I open my mouth to speak, but something clicks in my head as I look at her, nervously stammering. I suddenly feel a strange sense of boldness. “Ya know what, Pinkie? We can talk tomorrow. Right now, there’s just one thing I want to ask.” “Yeah?” “…Can I kiss you?” Her eyes and mouth go as wide as I think possible. I instantly start to regret what I said. Damn it, Sparkle. What’s gotten into you? You should be talking to her about important things, but instead you go and try to be some suave ladies’ mare? RIGHT after she catches having a wet dream about her- “I don’t know, can you?” Her voice shuts down my mental self-chastising. I stare at her dumbly for a few seconds. She has an awkward grin on her face, like she’s trying to look smug and snarky, and failing. I’ll take that as a yes. I give a smile of my own that probably looks just as stupid, and slowly lean my muzzle forwards, closing my eyes. She does the same, albeit a bit faster. And then, our lips connect. For what feels like an eternity, everything goes blank. Everything, except the sense of touch on my muzzle, and inside my mouth. Her lips taste sugary and sweet, almost like they were designed for kissing. At some point, our mouths open, and her tongue made contact with mine. Or mine with hers? I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I know is that this might be the best kiss I’ve ever had. When we finally disconnect, our eyelids are heavy, and my tongue is hanging slightly out of my mouth, a small strand of saliva connecting it back to Pinkie’s muzzle. I lick my lips, trying to savor as much of that taste as I can. She puts a hoof to her lips, blushing profusely, smiling. It’s not a shy smile though. It looks almost...bittersweet. Wait...are those tears? Is she crying? “Pinkie?” “I’m ok, Twilight, I just…I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time.” Does she...is she saying what I think she’s saying? I shake my head. Tomorrow. That’s when will talk. For now, I wrap my forelegs around and bring in for a hug. She sniffles quietly into my shoulder. “You make me so happy, Pinkie. I hope you know that.” She lifts her head to look at me, a look of longing in her eyes. Then she darts forwards, and our lips meet once again. Though at first, I’m taken aback by this, I very quickly lean into the kiss. Our grip on each other becomes stronger, and I run my hoof through her mane. The kiss quickly becomes more and more impassioned, our chests pressing against each other as we run our hooves over each other’s bodies. I wrap my wings around her waist and caress and trail down her back with my feathers, until they reach her flank. I feel her shudder slightly at the touch. That night, Pinkie and I became closer than ever. And it was the best night of my life. As I awake with a yawn, I take a look around the room, until my eyes land upon a pair of pink forelegs wrapped around my barrel. I look behind me, and see her. Her head resting against my back, and her hindlegs draped over my own. The memories of last night all come flooding back to me, and I smile. I turn my body around to face her, her grip never wavering. I run a hoof through her mane, and she begins to stir. Her eyes flutter open, and she looks at me. “Good morning, Pinkie.” I caress her mane once more, before cupping her cheek. She grins happily and places several pecks on my hoof. Her lips are just as soft on my toe as they were on my muzzle, and my chest, and my… I can’t see my own face, but I’m pretty sure I’m blushing. Still, her kisses are making me somewhat eager, so taking her by surprise, I put my hoof to her chin and bring our muzzles together. We may both be too tired to take things any further, but that doesn’t mean the kiss is any less passionate. She strokes my mane, and I rub gentle circles on her chest. At some point, she rolls me and herself over so she’s on top of me, her lips never breaking contact with mine. Her fur is so nice and soft against mine. Eventually, our kiss ends, and we go back to just smiling at each other. “Twilight…there’s something I have to tell you.” “Yes, Pinkie?” “…I really, really like you.” I giggle softly. “I never would have guessed,” I say with a smirk. But she’s frowning. Why is she frowning? “Pinkie?” “I’ve- really, really liked you for a really, really, really long time…” “…How long?” “For about…as long as I’ve known you.” Oh. Oh. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?” “Well...at first I thought it was just a tiny little crush, and that it would go away. It never did though. I thought about, ya know, maybe asking you out on a date one day, but I never did, because…” “Because?” She doesn’t answer. She keeps opening her mouth, but nothing comes out. Instead, she just seems to keep getting more upset about…something. I cup her cheek. “Hey.” She looks at me with those amazing eyes of hers. “I really, really, really, really like you too.” I kiss her on the nose. She blushes, gives a huge adorable smile, and buries her head in my chest. I wrapped my forelegs around her, and time stands still as we lay in each other’s embrace. Author's Note I'm gonna be taking a small break from this story now that this chapter is out. Not a long enough break for me to mark it as on hiatus, but don't expect chapter 5 to come out for a few more weeks.
