Time for something completely different
"Twiliggghtt!"
Twilight looked up from a report she was writing, she dropped the quill and stood-
"No stay there, I'm coming up"
Twilight sat back down. Concern growing within her, Pinkie's voice was calm, tired. Then Twilight realised something, a pit grew in her stomach as she did she looked at the time-
"No you're not late" Pinkie said as the door clicked opened and came a slouching pink pony dragging her hooves
"What's wrong Pinkie" Twilight-
"No no sit down"
Twilight thought of standing up. Twilight sat back down and watched as Pinkie slowly trudged her way through her study and finally nestling down beside, her head tumble into Twilight's shoulder
Pinkie closed her eyes and sighed, Twi-
"Double Dicken McOrange Chicken..."
Oh, "Time loop?"
Pinkie nodded as she buried herself deeper into Twilight's side. Feeling a deep pit of helplessness brew within her, she repressed the looming feeling and remembered their protocol
"Ho-"
"Too many times Twi" She mumbled, she moved closer, resting her head down on Twilight's shoulder and gently wrapping her hooves around her as she smushed her face into Twilight's neck
"Sorry for ruining our anniversary..."
Twilight looked down at the Pinkie before her, she dared to ask-
"Your notes are in my backpack, I know you wanna see them, just let me hhmmm..."
Not long after she heard Pinkie gently snoring in her fur, feeling her mouth nibbling gently nibbling her shoulder. Twilight was conflicted. On one hoof her marefriend was clearly distraught and tired, which was awful. On the other hoof she looked absolutely adorable that she felt the need to squish her very squishable cheeks right then and there
She sighed, with her magic she- Oh right, her anti-magic seal, Twilight snickered to herself
After unsealing the seal, she pulled out dozens upon dozens upon dozens upon dozen- Wow she really had been at this a lot. Twilight displayed the scrolls in front of her which created a wall of parchment in front of her almost all in either hers or Spike's hoofwriting. She even found a completed version of the report she was writing - with a big red semi transparent water mark that said 'DO IT YOURSELF'
She rolled her eyes and started skimming through the notes and essays. The longer that Twilight read the more she realised that these had absolutely no through line at all. They were scattered, very loosely tied to each other, it was like reading a first draft of an idea over and over, which was sorta what happened
She then looked back at Pinkie again, for being the one that was actually stuck in the time loop she saw very little of her own input in these papers
She softly heard Pinkie whinnied snores, strangely serene look on her face, she knew Pinkie was a big snorer, her more subdued naps always come when she was extra extra tired. She also saw a small frown on her, Twilight grimaced, Pinkie only did that when- well- almost never!
This was extra extra bad. She looked back at the notes then again at Pinkie
Twilight knew what she had to do
Pinkie groggily opened her eyes, smacked her lips and yawned. She stretched her hooves then realise what she was touching. Silk
She shot out of bed dreading the feeling of excitement within her but she couldn't help it, she found a near by clock
Four o'clock
A pang of pain pulsed through her chest. Below the clock was a calendar
October 10th
She sighed, half heartedly snickering at the fact that Twilight had the date circled with a heart and some crudely drawn balloons, feeling bad that she felt sad that it was still their anniversary
She then realised that this was the first time she slept and not cause a time loop, Twilight would want to take note of that. Thinking of Twilight, Pinkie noticed she was on Twilight's bed, but no beloved bookworm in sight
She turned towards the side of the bed on the nightstand and saw a note in front of a glass filled with chocolate something. She grabbed the note and read
Good evening sweetie. The glass is melted chocolate fudge ice cream, once your done come to the main hallway, I've got a surprise for you!
Happy Anniversary, love Twilight <3
Pinkie smiled at the note, forgetting her sour mood immediately. She then looked at the glass, melted ice cream was her favourite drink. She finish the drink in one gulp, went to the bathroom to clean herself up before going down to the hallway
There she saw Twilight on a stool reading a book, she looked up from her book and smiled at Pinkie. Pinkie steeled herself
"Soo, thanks for the drink" Pinkie said and tried to keep her face from falling, "I know you want to take notes and-"
"Nope!"
"I know that- Wait" Pinkie looked at her incredulously, "No?"
Twilight smirked, putting her book down, "No," She lifted a picnic basket with her magic, "I'm taking you out, come on"
Twilight was already walking outside before Pinkie could even register what she was saying. Pinkie then ran up in front of her and pointed a hoof at her chest accusingly
"Who are you, and what have you done with Twilight!?"
Twilight laughed and held Pinkie's hoof, "I'm your Twily Wily, Pinkie"
She used the code word, "B- but, what are you doing?"
"I'm taking you out on a date silly, it's our anniversary" Twilight nudged her forward, "Now come on, we're on a schedule"
Pinkie didn't really resist, she just let Twilight pushed her forward, "But, the time loop!"
"Time loop, Schwime loop" Twilight joked, which Pinkie smiled at without realising it, "Theoretically you have an eternity, so what's one measly date?"
"Well-" Pinkie thought she had a well thought out argument on why they shouldn't do this, but there were clouds in her head from the fact that Twilight was taking her out on a date
A small but very loud voice in her head was screaming at her to do the rational thing. But Twilight's sparkling lavender eyes attached to a small hopeful smile was practically singing a chorus that drowned that voice
Diane was her middle name, not Rational
"Okay!"
"Great, let's go!"
Pinkie walked beside Twilight. Then she skipped. Then pranced. Then galloped. Then right now she was pronking her usual pronk. Twilight noticed that it was didn't reach the height that she usually would, but she had her eyes closed with that brazen beautiful smile that she loved. Twilight took a moment to breathe
"So I was planning-"
"Movies closed, projector caught on fire"
"Oh" Plan B was-
"New party store is still under construction, maintenance check, that's why the projector caught on fire"
Drats! Maybe they could just sit-
"There's no water in the fountain, they used it to put out the fire"
Twilight huffed, cursing past her for not giving her a heads up for her date plans, "Pinkie look away for a moment"
"Okie dokie!"
Twilight unwrapped the tiny paper note she brought and very quickly wrote something down then tucked it back in the picnic basket
She sighed, "Okay Pinkie you can look back"
She looked back with a wide grin
"You wanted to do that don't you?"
"Its one of the few funny things to come out of a time loop" She giggled, pressing a hoof against Twilight's nose, "Its fun feeling smarter than you sometimes"
Twilight rolled her eyes, "Well what do you think we should do?"
"Wellll..." Pinkie suddenly jumped in the air and caught a kite flying away and gave it back to its owner
"Thank you Pinkie Pie!" The colt shouted back as she ran away
Twilight raised an eyebrow at her, smiling. Pinkie was still tapping her chin in thought
"I know what you want to do"
Twilight stared at the shelf that Pinkie had showed her with great confusion. They were at the antique store and Pinkie had been very vague in what she was going to show her, and by very vague she meant that she kept saying 'You'll see...' before giggling every time she asked what she was going to show her
Twilight spared her a side eye glanced, she was keeping her head high with a satisfied smile
"What am I looking for?"
"You'll seee" She giggled, there it was again, "It's on this shelf specifically, I obviously know where it is but I want you to find it for yourself. I know you love it when you do that"
Twilight snickered as she began to rummage through the shelves, "Wouldn't it be more satisfying if I found it myself, you've guided me this far"
"Yes, but you didn't, that guy did" She pointed at a random pony who was also rummaging through the shelves, "And I knew you wanted that thing, so I'm just pointing you at the right direction"
Twilight rolled her eyes and started rummaging through the shelf, going through her usual system of checking from top to bottom, left to right making sure that she touched everything as not to miss something
This wasn't much different than her usual antiquing spree, she was still just looking through various old things until something catches her eye. But it felt different, she was finding something, something that Pinkie thought- no, she knew she'd love. She felt a tiny bit pressure, what if she had already missed it and ruin Pinkie's entire plan?
She shook the thought out of her bed, she shouldn't doubt Pinkie at this stuff, she's Equestria's third best gift giver after all - self proclaimed of course - Twilight didn't know where the ranking was or even if it was objective, she was also confused oh why she was only a hundred and fifty seventh, she would say that she was decent at- at....
"You found it!" Pinkie hopped in excitement
Twilight was at a lost of words. She carefully moved aside the other antiques that was obscuring it and took it gently with her hooves. She stared at the small thing like it was a baby
It was pair of copper goggles with those adjustable lenses that lets you zoom in and out with it, basically a miniscule pair of binoculars, or a significantly less powerful pair of wearable microscopes. It was discontinued after a short run of only a month of its production in late Equestrian industrial era, citing its redundancy since nopony needed adjustable lenses to read and it was definitely not a pocket microscope. It was indescribably old, completely useless...
and infinitely awesome!
Twilight felt herself being wrapped in hoof around her neck, and frilly hair brushing against her cheek, "Do you like it?"
"Uh huh" She nodded unable to really make words
Pinkie giggled and pecked her on the cheek
Oh no she doesn't. Twilight tucked the goggles under her wing grabbed Pinkie by the shoulder and pulled her into her lips
Twilight walked with a new spring in her step, literally, she was practically skipping - she would pronk, but not after last time. She proudly wore her new goggles, not caring thay couldn't see very well or that there were lenses that were missing, or that they were making her dizzy
"Aww phoo, now my gift for you is lame in comparison" Twilight said
"You bought me a gift?" Pinkie pulled Twilight before she bumped into a lamp post
"Mhm" Twilight nodded
"Aw Twilight you didn't have to, your smile is already a gift enough"
Twilight felt swallowed a lump the suddenly appeared in her throat and thought she would fly away by how much butterflies there were in her stomach, "Aw come on Pinkie- You aw-"
"And seeing you run out of words in another one"
Twilight looked away, "Okay shut up now, I can't have you flattering me the entire time, I'll be a pancake"
"You say that like it's a bad thing"
"Oh uh- We're here!"
Twilight set up the cloth, the trays, the snacks, the plates, and even poured two glasses of pink lemonade for the both of them and sat down. She pat down the space beside her to get Pinkie to sit with her
Pinkie of course ignored that and just inserted herself in between Twilight's hooves, not that she mind of course. She learned through their relationship that Pinkie's hair was surprisingly soft despite how whizzy it looked, Twilight loved the feeling of her hair tickling her cheeks
Pinkie reached out for a daffodil sandwich and Twilight grabbed a cupcake, taking a bite and enjoying the warmth of just being near each other as the looked at the sun slowly dipping away
"Grade?" Twilight asked
Pinkie snickered "Seriously?"
"Just for fun"
Pinkie hummed in thought, "A minus!"
"A minus!" Twilight exclaimed, Pinkie giggle and she blushed, "Sorry..."
"No don't be, you're cute when you do that, I might start intentionally giving low enough scores jus so I so see you do that"
"That's not objective scoring!"
"But you're you're objectively cute"
Twilight hooves tensed up, she felt the overwhelming urge to squeeze this mare to a pulp. Affectionately. She settled with just coddling her in her hooves
Pinkie giggled at the touch, she then sighed sounding content, "You know when I took you out on a date - before the loop - we also ended up here"
Twilight tensed up, "We don't have to-"
"No, I want to" Pinkie said, "I mean can't really avoid it can I, besides these are good memories... mostly"
"Pinkie-"
"It was the start of our anniversary, I decided to take us to watch a movie because I knew you wanted to see 'Everything Everywhere All at Once, but- well you know. Luckily I took page from you and had a plan!'"
"There was this new diner that just opened up called 'Hay! Come on In and Eat Our Burgers' they sold these awesome looking hayburgers that was drenched in melted cheese"
"Oh!" Twilight couldn't help but lick her lips
Pinkie snickered, "I knew you would like it and you did! You went to town on those burgers, it was amazing!"
Twilight felt her cheeks light up
"We even took some to go. Then after that we did what we we're doing right now, laying on top of each other gazing at the stars - just replace the cupcakes and sandwiches with greasy burgers - you holding me like this, but with more grease"
Twilight rolled her eyes and felt Pinkie shifted closer to her, "Until we fell asleep in each others hooves... Well, me in you hooves and it was really greasy"
"Okay Pinkie I get it"
Pinkie giggled and sighed, "After that day of what apparently was the start of the time loop, I woke up on my bed again, which was weird but I thought you just teleported me back home and tucked me in, cause you're sweet like that- Ow, what was that for?" Pinkie said laughing
Twilight had leaned backwards causing Pinkie to suddenly lose her reclining alicorn, "No flattering me while you're in my hooves"
Pinkie rolled her eyes, "So I went along with my day helping the cakes, Rarity needed some help dyeing her fabrics really fast..." Pinkie's head drooped, "I should've noticed it when everypony was asking me about you, but I just kept saying 'our anniversary was yesterday' because why would Ponyville's premier party planner forget a party for her favourite pony
"I should've listen, but I didn't, at least until..."
Twilight felt Pinkie's hooves wrapped around hers, "I'm sorry..."
"Pinkie, it's okay you couldn't-"
"But it still felt bad!" Her voice cracked
Twilight grimaced, but she knew that there was nothing she could say that would make her stop feeling what she's feeling, all she could do was hold her tighter
"You stood there in front of the door, your hair disheveled and... scared" Her voice went quiet, "You weren't even mad! You were completely calm, saying 'that these things happen' and 'Sometimes days just slip from your mind', and I just stood there, thinking how could I forget about you..."
Tighter
"I cried myself to sleep that night"
Twilight let out a pained whined for her, "Pinkie it's-"
"It didn't matter that it was a time loop! All that matters was that I hurt you- I hurt us!" Her lips quivered and she wiped a tear
"But you gave me a second chance and I wasn't going to fail"
Then she laughed, it was a small but it was manic, she leaned back gazing at the sky "It was the best week of our lives"
An overwhelming sense of guilt wash over Twilight for not remembering anything. A side of her brain reminded her that it didn't make sense to feel bad. But she did
Pinkie read her like a book, "Don't feel bad Twi, I realised pretty quickly that something was up I just... Didn't care. You know how I am"
Twilight did know, and she also knew that those Twilight's had the most amazing time
"And well..." She chuckled, nervously, "I also realised pretty quickly that that means I could do whatever I want, so the week that I planned became a teensy but longer... "
Twilight only needed to raise one eyebrow
Pinkie twiddled her hooves, "Don't be mad"
"I won't"
...
"Two months"
"Two months!"
"I couldn't help myself!" She threw her hooves up in the air, "I saw a chance to make this the best day ever and ever and ever!"
Pinkie chuckled, "I started calling it our foreversary"
Twilight rolled her eyes, of course she did, "What made you stop?" She snickered
It was a question that was just flinged out there without a second thought, it sounded innocent enough - to stupid not thinking Twilight! She mentally kicked herself when she saw Pinkie crumple down a bit and her smile falling
"Well... " Twilight felt her slipping, she tightened her grip on her, "I started getting... Bored" Pinkie dug her muzzle in her hooves, "I'm sorry"
"Oh Pinkie, you have nothing to apologise over"
"But I... We- I could never- I would never-"
"I know you'd never" Twilight nuzzled the top of her head, softly whispering, "Take your time, and if you don't want to you don't have to, you don't have to explain anything"
Pinkie took a deep breath and it came out wavy, she adjusted herself to sit up from her slumped position
"It's just that- I- feel like, I'm not with my Twilight. I feel like- like I'm taking some other poor Pinkie's Twilight, a Pinkie that can be happy with her without knowing what's gonna happened next
"I don't- I don't want the same you over and over again- It- it feels like I'm telling the same joke over and over and I'm getting sick of it, but I can't stop cause it always makes you happy"
Pinkie turned around staring at her with those deep blue eyes, "Is that a bad thing?"
"Not at all, I couldn't imagine what you're feeling"
Pinkie paused, "Like I don't just want to be with you, I want to grow with you"
"And I wouldn't have it any other way" Twilight floated a cupcake towards them, Pinkie let a small but genuine chuckle out and started nibbling on it
"This is new though" She said
"It shouldn't have to be" Twilight said, "I'm gonna do everything in my power to get you out of this, but if you need some space to just take a break I'm sure every me will happily obliged"
Pinkie sighed, little crumbs falling out of her mouth, she swallowed, "I hope that's soon though, I don't want this to stop feeling special too"
Twilight opened her mouth the closed it, "I'm getting a feeling that you've heard my words of reassurance"
Pinkie flinched, "Sorry"
"It's okay, I'm not the one being looped"
An airy silence took over, the day had already given away to the starry night. A cool breeze washed over them. Pinkie wiggled closer and Twilight wrapped her wings around her
Pinkie sighed, "You know even with all that, wanna know what the worse part about the loop is"
"Hmm?"
"After I actually told you I'm in a time loop you dropped everything you did and pulled down a dozen stack of books to try and get me out" Pinkie smiled, "You know like you do"
Twilight smiled back
"We try so hard, all day until..." Pinkie head hunged, "Until the end"
Twilight grimaced
"It's seeing you, looking at me like- like you're losing me" Her voice breaks, "It hurts, and I have to look at that over and over and over"
Twilight wiggled herself a bit closer, "And then there's the times you weren't there to see me loop again, the picture in my head is so much worse and-"
Pinkie choked back tears, Twilight couldn't take it
"Hey" Twilight took Pinkie's chin on her hoof and turned her to her
She smiled, "I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere"
Pinkie looked at her, teary eyed and trembling. Twilight wrapped her hoof around hers- Pinkie lunged forward and their lips connected. Twilight was surprised before melting into the kiss herself
After a while, they remembered that they needed to breath. They broke the kiss and stared onto each other, Twilight felt like her heart was knocking on her chest
"There it is" Pinkie softly said
"What is?"
Pinkie squished Twilight's cheeks, "This!"
Twilight smiled, "My face"
"Your smile"
They both giggled, a warm silence filled the air. Twilight thought that she oughta- Wait, "Oh Celestia, I almost forgot!"
"What?"
Twilight floated a small baby blue bag from the picnic basket with a rolled up scroll on peeking out from the side
"Aw you gave me a little bag, with instructions on how to use it"
Twilight rolled her eyes and booped her beloved, "No silly," She wrapped the bag around her, "It's a new bag"
"Aw twily-"
"With!" She continued, "A condensed paper on all of our research from past loops! You don't have to carry all those scrolls anymore, aaandd it makes it a more focused process of research, ergo the faster you get out of this loop"
"Ohhh" Pinkie said, "Who would've thought that multiple Twilight's would make things less organised"
Twilight didn't like how Twilight and 'less organised' was put in to one sentence, but she digressed
Pinkie grab a hold of the scroll and unrolled it. She read it and gasped, she held a hoof on her chest, "Twily~"
Twilight chuckled but was intercepted by a peck on the lips from Pinkie, Twilight only had a split second of reprieve before she pulled her again into another, deeper, longer kiss
They broke the kiss after a while and stared into each other again. Pinkie yawned, then clamped her mouth win her hooves, "Oh no, quick throw me down this hill!"
Twilight snickered, "What?"
"I don't want to this to end yet!" Pinkie exclaimed, "I to spend more time-
need more time- I- whuhhhh?"
Twilight had licked her nose, "Oh wow you're right that does work"
Pinkie was still in deep reverie so Twilight took her chance, "C'mere"
She slowly slid herself off of Pinkie and splayed herself on her stomach next to her. Pinkie got the signal and followed suit, laying herself down and pressing herself against Twilight. Twilight draped her wing over her
Pinkie yawned again, her eyelids getting heavy. She looked a Twilight with unsure eyes
Twilight smiled and touched noses with her, Pinkie looked at Twilight feeling an overwhelming sense of content wash over her. She knew that wasn't going to remember any of this, but she knew that she loved her. That's never going to change
Pinkie smiled, then closed her eyes
Dear Twilight,
Hi, it's you from a different loop. Below this message is all the material we've researched and I compiled, complete with citations and cross reference material
But before that I need to make one thing cleat
Take. Care. Of. Pinkie. I know it sounds obvious right now, but we have a tendency to get sucked into things, especially if we're doing things for her
Hold her, hug her, kiss her. Let her know that you're still there for her, she's the best thing that has ever happened in our lives and you know it. If she feels like she's handling too much drop everything and give her the attention she deserves. She's our number one priority
I've also attached date plans in the back of this scroll, so if you need any ideas go through that, or not! Maybe surprise her with something even she hasn't experienced
Also don't forget to smile
Happy foreversary Pinkie,
Love Twilight
P. S Please keep everything in this one scroll, we don't want Pinkie calling us 'less organised' again
Author's Note
This took longer than expected, apparently starting fifteen stories at once wasn't a good idea.
This story came as an idea from the mlp manga - which is fun and good and very Twinkie-core (seriously they ate literally married there)
This is one of like- a lot of Twinkie stories that wrote in my brazen writing spree, like I have a loaded shotgun of Twinkie stories in my back pocket
Anyways hope you enjoyed, criticism good!
Cheers