Humming a nameless tune, the cheerful, pink pony continued through her late evening cleaning, the heavy rain beating down on the bakery windows. It was definitely not the favorite part of her job, she was sure nopony particularly enjoyed the monotony of constantly wiping down tables, counters, windows, and anything else that could have been dirtied throughout the day, but it was one of the most important jobs that she had. Sure, making the tastiest pastries and most delightful baked goods was the bread and butter of her job, a slight giggle passing through her lips as she made the terrible pun, but it was the cleanliness of the atmosphere that made everypony sit down and stay at the establishment.
So... maybe tidiness was the tofu and cheese? Hmm...
Regardless, the pink hued pony continued to hum her tune, the Element of Laughter carrying out her job better than anypony else could have... with the possible exception of her dear friend Spike. Smiling to herself, Pinkie thought back to how his perfectionist caretaker had a habit of running the poor dragon ragged, forcing him into a never-ending battle against filth. Some days, Pinkie actually felt bad for the dragon. It wasn't uncommon for Twilight to freak out over the slightest thing out of place, like a single book one space to the left of its proper place, or maybe a shelf with slightly too much dust, all of this resulting in sending the lavender student into a frenzy that threatened all of Equestria. Then again, there were the times that Twilight had had her library completely ruined by one of their friends, the times that Rainbow Dash blasted through the entryway coming to mind, and even though not a single book had remained on the shelves, the unicorn had not batted a single eyelash.
And Spike was always caught in the middle, attempting to pick up the pieces.
Pinkie would've much preferred to have been in front of the oven, making sure that her most delicious of confections was made to complete perfection. Right now though, long after the sun had descended beneath the horizon, she cheerfully cleaned up the shop. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, had long since retired to their own home for the evening, leaving their sole employee to tidy up the place. It was more than a fair trade: she would make sure that the place was completely cleaned up, and in return, she would be able to stay in the small bedroom upstairs. If she didn't know the Cakes so well, she would assume that they were related to another unicorn friend of hers, for the idea of being so generous to her was breathtaking.
“And... done!” Pinkie smiled as she threw her rag into the hamper to be cleaned tomorrow. Looking at the entire room around her, she smiled. Every single surface had a sheen to it, from the steel appliances, the granite counter, even the welcome mat. Sure, even Pinkie wasn't sure how that last one made sense, but she knew that a shining room was a clean room.
Her thoughts on the matter were suddenly brought to a close when she heard a loud banging coming from the front door ahead of her. Her voice as musical as a songbird, the earth pony sang, “Sorry, but we're closed for the evening! I'll be happy to fix you up with the tastiest of treats when we open tomorrow!”
It was rare that a customer would attempt to arrive at such a late hour, but whenever one would, such simple words always persuaded the stallion or mare to leave for the night, and come back the next day. It was for that reason that the next knocking took her by surprise, the raps upon the wooden door more akin to a sledgehammer banging on a stone slate than a hoof on a door. The sheer urgency of the demand made the pony's hair stand on end for a moment, but she knew better than to assume something malicious. Ponyville was not a place for meanie ponies, just slightly misguided ones that only needed a little smile!
That was the reason why she was happily approaching the wooden portal in front of her, the heavy maple planks bolted together being the only barrier between the friendly pony in the rain and Pinkie. She had never once met a pony that had tried to purchase one of her tasty treats this late at night, but the thought of meeting such a mysterious pony brought a joyful smile to her face. She was a little saddened that she would be forced to turn the pony away, especially in the middle of such a thunderstorm, but she hoped he or she would understand.
As calmly as could be, and with her eyes shut in glee, she unbarred the lock, and opened the door, “Sorry Mr. or Mrs or Miss or Mrsiss Pony, but Sugarcube Corner is closed.” Smiling ever wider, she began to open her eyes, “If you come tomorrow, I'll have super fresh... umm...” Pinkie slowly stopped, unsure on what to say, for the last pony that she would've ever expected to have been at the shop's front door at this hour was standing there.
Rarity.
The mare was completely soaked to the bone, every inch of the beautiful mare's lavish coat drenched with the harsh spring storm. The unicorn's normally perfectly styled mane, an envy of the entire town, hung limply against her face, the long purple hairs wildly spread against her face and sides. A deep shiver, one that chilled to the bone, traveled through the lovely pony's body, making quite obvious, if the other details hadn't already, that she had been in the icy rain for far too long.
Pinkie instantly sprung into action, and within a blink of the eye, she was in the rain by the white mare's side. Completely disregarding the now generous soaking the grumpy sky was now giving her, she let out a huge smile, “Hiya Rarity! Surprise to find you standing in the rain next to me! Did somepony lose a bet or something?”
She realized very quickly that whatever response she was hoping for, one that was filled with stories of Dashie winning a bet resulting in this, would not be delivered. In fact, instead of any form of verbal reply, the trembling mare's body unable to form words at that moment in time, Rarity merely shivered and shook. Indeed, instead of muttering promises of vengeance or destruction against one of their mutual friends, in jest of course, a much more powerful and heartbreaking reply, even through the rain, appeared on the alabaster mare' face.
A single tear.
It was then that Pinkie began to push the unicorn into the slightly dimmed room, the heavy stench of alcohol all around the white mare, “You're as cold as one of Gilda's 'pranks' when she was being a meanie pants! Come on, I'll help you be all warm and fuzzy again!” She explained as she helped Rarity up the stairs. It was a slow process, much slower than the excitable mare had expected. With each step forward, Rarity seemed to have lost even more of her entire life-force, the pink mare unsure if the alabaster mare was even alive at the moment. Of course Rarity WAS alive, but the deep chill that her skin radiated was frightening.
She shook her head, the action sending the pink pony into a slight dizzy spell as she used her body to support the weight of the drunken mare. With every step, Pinkie brought the increasingly more depressed unicorn up the stairs, and closer to their mutual destination. The pair passed into Pinkie's bedroom, and taking an immediate right, made their way into the bathroom. Even in the dimmed lighting, the bright sunny walls stood in stark contrast to the mood all around her. She was doing her best to think of some way to make sure that Rarity would not break down into deep sobs, but at the rate that things were going, it wasn't looking well. With no words coming to mind, by the time the pair made it into the bathroom, long streaks of salty tears were making their way down the unicorn's face.
Pinkie began to draw up a bath, the constant sniffling of the generous pony behind her being the only other sound in the room. As the bathtub began to fill up with water, she turned back around to Rarity, and instantly found herself gripped tightly in the unicorn's forelegs. Shock consumed her for a moment from the quick hug, and before Pinkie could say anything, the unicorn sniffled out, “He... he... he used me...”
That was where the dam finally broke loose.
Bawling wails pierced the decorum of the tranquil evening, and the normally cheerful mare found herself in a death grip, two snow white forelegs wrapped around her neck. Each second, a heavy sob shuddered through the mare, the uncontrollable crying finally releasing in earnest. The pink pony wasn't sure what exactly to say, settling into merely returning the deep hug, letting a muffled “shh,” escape her lips every few seconds. With the only exception to make sure that the bath didn't overflow, Pinkie continued to grip Rarity, the bone-chilled mare's coat slowly warming up to her own body heat.
Several minutes passed until Rarity's sobs returned to being mere sniffles again, the overflowing emotions finally coming under control. Making sure to smile before she did so, she carefully pulled away from the alabaster mare. The two gazed into the others eyes, “Hey... why don't you get in the tub so you can get all squeaky clean? Hmm?”
A small nod was the only reply, and as carefully as Pinkie could, making sure that Rarity didn't slip on the light blue tile, she helped the mare into the steaming water. As Rarity placed a single leg into the water, a wince formed on the unicorn's face. Still, after another second of preparation, she resumed her forward progress, and with the most graceful of steps, submerged all but her head into the warm water.
Finally allowing herself show a genuine smile again, Pinkie reached over, and did her best to rub the hot bathwater all over Rarity's upper body. The desire to resume the previous tune from before Rarity knocked on her door surged through her, but she had no idea how it had gone, the melody forever lost. So instead of trying to rehash the old one, she began a new one. It was for the best really, the previous song much slower and more melodic, while this was fast and peppy, the tempo intensified to at least double the speed. It was the kind of song that you just couldn't help but tap your hoof to. In short, it was a much more... desirable song to have on such a dreary night.
Pinkie took a second to squeeze some shampoo onto her hoof, always a difficult procedure considering how nasty the gel tasted, and began rubbing the sudsy compound into Rarity's normally styled mane. She knew that Rarity was deep in thought, any other day of her life the fashionable mare would've lamented the ruination of her loose purple curls. Right now though, all she did was sit there, a depressed face painted on her, her mind most likely taking her to many icky places that wonderful ponies like Rarity shouldn't go to.
She did see that the white unicorn was reacting to her soft humming, the mare's long lashes slowly fluttering closed as the music entered her ears. Pinkie raised the volume of her humming, allowing her companion to better listen to her solo. Pinkie's two lathering hooves moved in rhythm to to her music, the peaks and valleys of her motions in step with the beat. Minutes passed, and she made sure that every part of the formerly chilled and dirty pony was completely clean. Not only that, but with the amount of shampoo that she had used, even the smell of alcohol had been subdued.
A smile still remaining on her face, Pinkie ushered the now completely clean unicorn out of her tub, and couldn't help but giggle at the sight before her. Rarity's mane and tail were heavily draped across her face and the floor, giving her a look similar to a wet long-haired puppy. Even in the mare's poor mood, Pinkie could see Rarity doing her best not to smile, a feat that she didn't entirely succeed in. Smiling even wider, the pink pony grabbed one of her own towels and threw it over the unicorn. At first, she was going to dry Rarity the way she normally dried herself after a nice hot bath, but a sudden thought to how Rarity would want to be more delicately taken care of made her calmly pat the mare dry instead. Sure, it took much, much longer, but that was alright with Pinkie: it was what Rarity wanted that really mattered.
Minutes later, and Pinkie finally threw the soaked towel into the hamper, leaving behind a very dry, if quite unstyled, mare behind. Beaming wider than ever, Pinkie whispered, “There we go. All nice and clean. Umm... sorry about your mane and tail; I’m not very good at doing all the curling and ironing things. Though... umm... I think it looks positively fancy this way too.”
Rarity didn't say anything, merely looking in Pinkie's direction, the blue eyes slightly clouded over from intoxication, and after a few seconds, finally allowed a small grin to form on her face. The two retained their mutual gaze for a little while, and for whatever reason, for the first time ever, Pinkie found herself becoming lost in those two orbs of azure. Those eyes were so similar to her own, at least on the surface, but for something about them. They were much deeper than the excitable pony had ever truly realized, a quality that their owner shared. They said that the eyes were windows to a pony's soul. Rarity must have had an exceptionally large soul, with paintings and throw rugs and pretty little knickknacks hung all over the place.
A harsh flash of lightning, followed by the loud rumble of thunder broke the two out of their enchantment, a nervous laugh and a forced cough coming from Pinkie and Rarity respectively. Recovering, Pinkie pushed her friend forward a little bit, “Come on, it's too dark and rainy and spooky out there to go home now, especially after your nice and warm bathy-wathy. You can sleep in my bed tonight.”
Before Rarity could protest, Pinkie shoved her head more and more into the back of the unicorn's thighs, until they were inside the dim bedroom. Smiling at Rarity, she slowly prodded the slightly stubborn mare to the side of the bed. With only a short wayward look back to make sure, Rarity jumped onto the bed, under the sheets, and got herself comfortable. It was silly looking, Pinkie's magenta and pink floral bedspread contrasting with Rarity in ways that the owner would never have been able to imagine possible, but it suited her in a particular way. Not only that, but the length of Rarity's mane was even more apparent now, the soft curl completely gone, so that the pencil straight hair draped atop the comforter wildly, the ends flayed in every direction possible. She looked rather... cute that way.
Snapping out of her thoughts once more, Pinkie took one last step closer, and with those blue eyes staring into her own again, she whispered, “I'll see you in the morning, so just close those little eyesies of yours, and have fun in your little dreamland filled with cake and cookies and all the other things that you might want to dream about. Tomorrow, I'll make you breakfast, and we can fill that empty belly of yours.”
Warmth filling her heart, she gave the unicorn a soft pat on the head, turned, and began to make her way downstairs. She wasn't sure where she was going to sleep, the stereotypical couch idea completely out of the question considering she didn't own a couch. Maybe she could sleep in one of the booths or on top of the counter or something, but that didn't matter. It wouldn't be nice of her to force Rarity to sleep downstairs instead, or worse: send her home in the middle of this storm, so it was up to her to make the minor sacrifice. Now, if only she knew where the icing for the-
“Pinkie Pie,” the mare heard a quiet, and slightly scared, voice call out to her. The vulnerable nature of the voice itself was enough to stop her in her tracks. Her ears perked up and twisted to hear the rest of the thought, Pinkie heard Rarity take a breath, and finally continue, “Could you... please don't leave... I don't want to be alone tonight...”
Without a single thought otherwise, Pinkie turned, and with a slight bounce, began trotting back slowly. There was a smile on her face, her legs popping up and down in their cheerful movements, as she went up to the opposite side of the bed. Slowly now, she jumped onto the bed, and snuggling up into the sheets, she looked back at her friend, the white unicorn still bearing a small smile. Beaming back, Pinkie finally replied, “Of course, silly. All you had to do was ask.”
Both ponies now finally content, Rarity closed her eyes, and with a smile still on her face, began her attempts to go to sleep. For whatever reason, Pinkie couldn't help but to keep her eyes on the beautiful mare in front of her. Many times, it would've been appropriate to just close her eyes as well, and try to enjoy her own dreamland. In fact, according to proper sleepover etiquette, staring at your bed-mate was completely inappropriate, a fact that Twilight had spouted to her one night. Yet, there was something about the unicorn, the rhythmic rise and fall of the sheets covering her chest, the way her currently unruly purple mane perfectly framed her face, and even the way her nostrils slightly flared with each intake of air that... was curious to Pinkie.
Unconsciously, she scooted a few inches closer.
Finally, reason won out, and the pink pony closed her eyes in an attempt to get some sleep. The curious thoughts from when Rarity got out of the tub plagued her mind still, but she bid them no mind. Surely, by the next morning, they would be long forgotten, and she could go about making Rarity a big heaping pile of pancakes, make her even happier, and maybe even spend a day with her. They never did spend time with each other, outside of when they were with their other friends. Well, other than that one time when Fluttershy started to act like a meanie pants, but how long had it been since then? A few weeks? A few months? Far too long.
A sudden shift from her partner, followed by a gentle rub of Rarity's forelegs against her own brought her eyes open again, and she saw that Rarity had scooted much closer, their faces now only a few inches away from each other. So close, in fact, that she could smell the buzz the unicorn must have been feeling from her drinks before. The breath in Pinkie's throat caught for just a second before she relaxed a little bit. Just before Rarity opened her mouth to speak, the pink pony realized that the small smile on her friend was gone.
“Pinkie... why... why are you doing all of this for me?”
Now, if there was a question that confused her more than that one just presented to her, she couldn't imagine what it was. Shifting slightly, as well as returning the foreleg rubs, she replied, “What do you mean? We're friends, silly filly! That's why.”
The unicorn shook her head, “No, I mean... sure, a normal friend would've let me in, allowed me wash myself up, and probably stay the night. All the while, I’m sure I would've been hounded with questions about what happened, why there, and if there was anything they could do. You though... you didn't do that.” Rarity paused for a second to gather her thoughts, “Not only did you let me in, but you went further than that... you... you did so much more. You brought me in, literally washed me yourself, gave up your bed for me, offered to make me breakfast, allowed yourself to sleep here with me, and through it all, not only did you not probe me for any details as to what happened or why, but you... you did all of this so happily; So readily. Why?”
“I don't know, Rarity,” Pinkie smiled, and scooted a little bit closer. Gently, she gave the unicorn a hug, “I just wanted to. I already knew that you were on a date tonight, and that you didn't find your 'prince' tonight, but I didn't need to know anything more. The rest didn't need to be said.”
“Well that's...” Rarity paused, not sure which words to use. After a few moments, Rarity rolled over, and shifted herself, so that her back was slightly touching the soft underbelly of the party pony. Pinkie's face heating up a nice healthy red in the dark, she heard the unicorn finish, “... that's very noble of you, dear Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie sighed, “Of course, Rare-bear.”
That elicited a light giggle from the mare in front of her. A few seconds past before the elegant voice returned one last time, “May I... ask you a favor?”
“Yes?”
“Do you mind... umm...” Rarity shifted slightly, not from discomfort from the way the bed was made, but because of nervousness. Finally, after several seconds of internal debate, the unicorn finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper, “Do you mind... at least for tonight... being my prince?”
For whatever reason, while before when there was just the slightest touch of sides against one another, the most timid of words, or even an extra second of looking into the other's eyes, would send the pink mare into a torrent of blushes, this proposition was different. Even though everything else was so much more innocent, while this was by far the most blatantly suggestive thing either had done, it didn't fire off a single nervous vibe in the pony. Instead, she scooted forward until she was firmly pressed against the mare in front of her. She wrapped her free foreleg around the mare, the embrace sending her heart thumping. Of course, she could feel through her chest Rarity's heart pick up a swifter beat.
Pinkie Pie closed her eyes, and sighed, “I can do that, Rare-bear.”
A/N: Two things. First, I would like to thank Kitsunehero and NintendoGal55 on editing this thing for me. Second, I totally wrote everything up to the bath scene completely hammered, to the point where I don't remember actually writing anything before it...
“AAAIIEEEEE!!!!!”
A sudden shove threw Pinkie off of the queen-sized bed, slammed her against the wall, and with a bounce against the hard surface, the mare was deposited onto the hard wooden floor. A soft groan emanated from the pink pony's lips as her sluggish mind came to grips with the world around her, as well as the bruise that would no doubt form under her pink coat. She knew she was still in her room, the fact that she had just been tossed off of her own bed being the first clue, but what had just happened? Pinkie slowly got to her hooves, and with a glance back to see what had ever so rudely removed her from her bed, her eyes met those of a heavily embarrassed and frightened Rarity, the mare holding the bedsheets in front of her chest.
As details from the previous night began to return Pinkie's mind, Rarity began to stutter. “Pi... Pi... Pinkie Pie!?” the alabaster mare managed to squeak.
Cocking her head slightly, the muscles in her neck far stiffer than they normally were when waking up this early, she replied, “Yes, Rarity?”
“What am I doing in your bed, and why were we... we...” Rarity's voice dropped to but a whisper, a heavy flush piercing through the short white hair, “...cuddling?”
Getting up to stretch some of her muscles, Pinkie giggled. “You mean you don't remember?”
“Re... remember what?”
“Aww!” She giggled again, coming closer to the bed as she spoke, “Do you really not remember what happened last night?” Pinkie continued to giggle to herself, the only response she got to each question was a quick shaking of the unicorn's head. “Tell me what you remember, and I'll fill in the gaps.”
“Well,” Rarity began, her voice as small as a mouse, or maybe a tiny cupcake. “I remember... going on a date with Transitory, you know, the stallion I've been seeing for a few weeks, and as far as I remember the dinner was quite satisfactory. He was a true gentlecolt the entire time, and after the meal, we went on a stroll through the park. He took me back to his place, opened up some of the nicer wine he had in his cellar, and we started talking about random things, from how our businesses were performing to how our families were doing.”
As Pinkie hopped onto the bed, Rarity began to loosen up slightly, though the unicorn's blush was still on her face. “He came over to where I was sitting, and we started to cuddle and other silly things that colts and fillies do. It was very vanilla, but it was very sweet nonetheless. It had started to rain around that time, so he invited me to stay over for the night. Of course I agreed, and a little while after that... well... I'll spare you the saucy details of our rather rambunctious escapades, but what I do remember is...”
Pinkie saw the moment a rather nasty memory returned to Rarity's mind, a flash of anger filling her unicorn friend as it happened. “That... that monster! When he had finally gotten what he wanted and went to sleep, I had to use the bathroom. I went in there, and you want to know what I found!?”
The urge to make a joke like 'a toilet' or something silly like that briefly crossed Pinkie's mind, but she knew that such a statement would not go over very well. Instead, she cocked her head again. “What did you find?”
“A toothbrush!”
“A... a toothbrush?
“That's right!” Rarity's anger flared violently, the mare emphasizing the second word by punching a forehoof into the mattress under her. “I didn't find just one toothbrush, but TWO of them. What stallion has more than one toothbrush? Hmm!? One that has another mare that comes over regularly, that's who!”
“Umm... Rare-bear, are you sure that he just wasn't super hygienic, or maybe he has family over?”
“Oh Pinkie, darling, I wish I could say either of those were it, but as soon as I found that toothbrush, I decided to do some digging! As that vile cretin slept, I went through a few of his things, and I found correspondences, a calender with dates written on it, receipts for romantic purchases that I've never received, and so much more. As soon as I found those things, I couldn't stand to see that stallion ever again, so even with the heavy rain pelting down on my poor mane, I had to leave! I...” the unicorn's anger was quickly extinguished, and replaced with nothing but shame, “...I thought he was my prince. I was so infatuated with him, I didn't see any of the warning signs that were all around me. I’m... I’m nothing but a fool.”
“Hey.” Pinkie scooted up against Rarity, and as the unicorn's gaze fell, she put a comforting foreleg around her. “Don't be all saddy waddy. Something like that is easy to hide. It could've happened to anypony! Think about it, how many mares did you think he was going out with other than you? Two? Three?”
“...Seventeen.”
“Seventeen!? Wow, he's good.” Pinkie tapped her chin in thought. Catching a glimpse of her friend out of the corner of her eyes, she saw nothing but disgrace and hurt. Realizing her slip-up, she quickly changed gears. “Err... I mean, so he was going out with seventeen other mares? Well, that just means that seventeen other mares DIDN'T find out that he was going out with all of you at once. You were the smarty smart mare who found out what that big ol' meanie was doing!”
Rarity shifted uneasily under Pinkie's foreleg, trying to scoot a little bit away from her as she whispered, “I... I guess that's correct, dear.”
Pinkie let her friend go, and she herself scooted to a much more relaxed distance. “So... do you remember anything else?”
“Well, I remember being rained on, that's for sure,” Rarity continued to look down, “but other than that, I don't remember a thing. I don't remember coming here, I don't remember apparently getting a shower, and I most certainly don't remember...” Pinkie noticed that Rarity slightly shuddered, “...snuggling next to you.”
Ouch. That hurt a little. Still, Rarity was hurting much more, and she didn't have time to worry about herself. “Oh you silly. We must have... accidentally rolled into each other while sleeping! Nothing happened! Well... except for me promising you that I was going to give you a big heaping pile of pancakes and you promising to spend the whole day with me, but that's it! You do still want those pancakes, right?”
The snow-white mare's demeanor in her voice seemed to perk up slightly at the proposition, “I would love breakfast, dear Pinkie. As for spending the day, well, I don't think I have orders that are due today, so that sounds splendid as well. Just give me a moment to tidy myself up, and I'll be down shortly.”
“There we go!” Pinkie hopped off of the bed, and did a little spin. “I knew all it would take is the mention of pancakes to get you all happy again! Works for every filly that wakes up in my bed with no memories of the previous night!”
“...What?”
“Nothing!” Pinkie quickly skipped out of the bedroom, denying her friend a chance to question what in Celestia's name that was supposed to mean. In reality, it was a complete and blatant fib, but it felt like a good thing to say to make her friend laugh, or at least chuckle a little bit. Of course she had never woken up to another mare in her bed that had no memory of the previous night!
Well, except for that one time, but she was ordered never to talk about that.
She quickly made her way downstairs, the soft taps of hooves on wood echoing through the empty bakery. After double checking to make sure that she had enough time to make breakfast before she had to start opening the shop, she bounced her way into the bakery's kitchen. Once inside, just like every other morning, she smiled, the idea of all of the potential tasty treats made her heart flutter in excitement. The options were infinite, the only limiting factor being how far the depths of her imagination could take her. However, right now, she had one goal, and one goal alone: pancakes with chocolate chips.
Her mind went blank and her body became a blur as her instincts took over. Flour, butter, sugar, salt, eggs, more sugar, and chocolate chips flew around the room in a furious maelstrom of confectionery prowess. Time was not an issue when she was in the kitchen. In fact, almost as soon as she decided she wanted to surprise Rarity with chocolate chips in the pancakes the batter was made up and placed on the griddle, the hot sizzle of cooking deliciousness filling the room.
This lack of focus brought her something else though: a lot of time to think. She was glad that Rarity was feeling much better, her friend deserved to be happy considering how much she gave up for her friends. Pinkie was even more glad that the unicorn had decided to come to her door last night, and seek her out specifically. Granted, Applejack was outside of town, Fluttershy was next to the forest, Dashie was in the air, Twi-Twi was on the wrong side of town, and Princess Celestia was in Canterlot, but Rarity still chose to stop at her place. Rare-bear sought her out, even if she didn't really remember any of it.
That last thought put a slight dent into the pink mare's smile. Rarity didn't remember coming to her place last night, and the unicorn did smell like Applejack did after having a lot of cider. Did she only come to the shop because of mere convenience, and there really wasn't anything more to it then her just showing up at the closest friendly door? If Twi-Twi's library had been closer, would she have gone there instead? Did... did she really not care as much as Pinkie thought?
She felt her nose scrunch a little bit, and with a slightly forced giggle, flipped the perfectly done pancakes.
The slight distraction was just enough to bring the bad thoughts to a close, at least for now. Rarity had agreed to take the entire day to spend with her, probably at the expense of her business. That had to count for something, for if Pinkie were to just run off with the girls without letting the Cakes know first, they would be very upset with her. Sure, today she was just about to do that, but she still had a vacation day she could use, and even then, she'd make sure that the place was well stocked for the opening breakfast rush.
The soft and regular sounds of hooves on wood drew the pink pony's attention to the stairs in the next room. Just the thought of Rarity, her mane all styled and ready for the day ahead did something funky to her chest. It was like her heart was a member of some sort of gymnastics team, and had started doing a lot of flips and stuff. Weird.
“Pinkie, dear,” Pinkie heard her white friend in the other room, the voice containing a slight tinge of hesitance. “Do you think we could possibly stop by my place after breakfast? My mane is... well... it's a disaster.”
Again, her nose scrunched up slightly. With her smile once again spread across her face, she turned off the heat, took a spatula into her mouth, and tossed the golden pancakes onto two separate plates. After a generous pour of syrup, she placed a single set of utensils on one plate, and she turned towards the door, and yelled, “Of course that's alright, Rarity! Ooh! We could even take my shortcut to get there faster!”
Placing the plates carefully on her back, she noticed a slight pause in the conversation. It was several moments before Rarity's voice was back, “Pinkie... the Boutique is literally straight down the street.”
“I know!” the pink mare smiled, forcing her legs to not bounce their way into a breakfast tragedy. “That's why we need to take my shortcut!”
“...If you say so...”
She passed through the doorway, and with a smile, got a good look at the unicorn mare sitting at the counter. Compared to last night, Rarity was looking much better. Her coat was nice and dry, had the completely white shade that it normally had, and even seemed to shimmer in the morning light. Her smile was small, which was a welcome change compared to the heavy frown the mare wore the previous night. Rarity's mane and tail, despite what she just claimed, didn't actually look that bad. Sure, the curls weren't as picture perfect as Rarity normally wore them, but all things considered, she was still a pony to die for.
Pinkie's heart was currently flipping its way to a gold medal.
Before Pinkie could try to do the complicated maneuver of sliding the plates off of her back and onto the counter slightly above her, she felt the glassware lift themselves off of her back. A slight turn of her head showed the two plates encased by Rarity's magical aura. A tiny movement of those blue eyes brought the two plates over the granite counter, and with the most gentle of touches, they were placed onto their impromptu table.
Rarity looked at the two heaping plates of food, a slight grin on her face. “I’m surprised, darling. You only gave each of us seven each. I was expecting more.”
“Yeah, well,” Pinkie bounced her way around the counter and onto a stool, a spring-like 'boing' accompanying each jump, “ever since that one time I ate fifty-three double-extra sugar cupcakes, the Cakes have been a little more strict with charging me for what I eat.”
The unicorn giggled very lightly. “I guess that would be the only way to slow you down.”
Smiling, the two ponies began to dig into the food in front of them. Rarity was the definition of proper manners. She took the utensils on her plate into her magical grasp, cut herself a small piece, and with the most fluid of motions, placed the portion into her mouth. It was proper, it was graceful, and it fit Rarity exactly. In a complete reversal of that, Pinkie had shoved her face into the food, devouring the pancakes without a single care to how she looked. It was messy, it was sloppy, and it must have been a sight to behold.
As any of her friends would say: it was Pinkie.
As she ate, though, her mind was in overdrive over what the two could do together. They couldn't stay at the shop, so spending the day cooking something tasty was not an option. The first idea Pinkie had after that was to go around pranking ponies, but she shot that idea down almost as soon as she thought of it, because that was the last thing Rarity would want to do. Rarity would much rather spend a day sitting around a nice tea shop, talking about the latest fashions coming out of Manehattan, but that was definitely not Pinkie's idea of fun. Maybe the two could go see a movie together? But what if that suggestion came off as weird, and instead of something for two friends to do, it seemed as if she were trying to—
“Pinkie, darling?”
The mare in question turned her head to the right, though she never lifted it out of her plate. “Yeth, Rarithy?”
“You never... uh...” The alabaster mare shifted her weight slightly in the stool. “You never did answer my question from this morning...”
Her mouth full of deliciousness, the party pony raised herself back upright, and scrunched her brow, “Hmm? Wath quethion?”
Pinkie saw Rarity lightly bite her lower lip, causing every warning bell in Pinkie's brain to go off at once. However, after a few seconds, the unicorn lit her horn, and with a slight movement of her head, brought a napkin to the pink mare's face. “How did we end up in bed together last night?”
The pink pony grunted out an acknowledgment of the question, any other response gagged by the piece of cloth covering her face. Whether intentional or not on Rarity's part, the napkin forced her to think about exactly how to answer the question, even if it was an easy question to answer. Finally, the napkin was removed, and though the answer was on the tip of her tongue, she found the words slightly catching in her throat. “You... kinda asked me to come spend the night with you and to keep the bad thoughts away.”
“I see.” Pinkie could see the gears in the unicorn's mind spinning furiously as Rarity busied herself by folding the napkin, the mare's eyes glued to the cloth as she thought to herself. Finally, Rarity laid the perfectly folded napkin down, and looked back at Pinkie as she spoke, “Tell me something else, darling. Did I take a shower last night, like I thought I did when I woke up?”
“Umm.” Pinkie fidgeted in her seat, which was suddenly getting really really uncomfortable to sit still in. “You kinda maybe took a bath instead, and I might've sorta helped you with getting all squeaky clean.”
Rarity's eyes widened for just a moment, her gaze burning into Pinkie, before she closed her eyes. “...Oh dear...”
The pink mare cocked her head. “What's wrong?”
The white fashionista sighed, her eyes remaining tightly shut. “What's wrong is that I thought all those things were a dream.”
Ouch. That hurt too. Still, on the outside, Pinkie did her best to feign happiness, “Really? So you remember the scrubby-scrubby bath-time and the snoozy-snoozy bedtime? What else do you remember?”
A slight red hue began to show through the unicorn's pure coat. “Asking you to spend the night. Rubbing my forelegs against yours. Everything.”
Pinkie's smile froze, her composure, as well as her voice, slightly cracking, “Y... you mean... even when you asked me to be...”
Rarity's blush intensified five-fold, a shudder flowing through the mare. “Yes... even when I asked you to be... to be my...”
She looked at the unicorn, watching as she just sat there, eyes closed, face burning, and still as a board. There were so many things that her face displayed: embarrassment, shame, and regret chief among them. She wanted to say something, anything to change the mood, and bring back the happy thoughts that they had both started out their breakfast with. Instead, she had no idea what to do, what to say, what to think. Nothing! Pinkie was just... sitting there, watching as Rarity was feeling such... such... awful things.
The pink mare closed her eyes tightly, and thought back to the night before. It was obvious that Rarity was drunk, obvious that she needed her help, and yet, in the end, Pinkie had just made everything awkward. She should have just acted like she was asleep, and ignored the unicorn's drunken speaking. She should have let Rarity sleep by herself, especially since she knew Rarity was going to be alright in the end. She should have just let her friend take the bath by herself, stopping this awkward moment before anything too weird could even begin.
Instead, she ruined everything.
She heard a shifting of the unicorn to her right, the tell-tale sounds of the stool moving slightly closer entering the party pony's ears. A surprisingly soft voice appeared, “Are you alright, dear?”
Pinkie kept her eyes closed. “You hate me, don't you?”
“Hate you?” Rarity's voice was surprised, shocked, yet still very quiet. “Hate you? Pinkie Pie, why in the name of Celestia would I hate you?”
Her mind was a blank, her brain completely frazzled by the twists and turns of her recent emotions. Even more out of place was the ability to speak, so all Pinkie could do was hopelessly shrug her shoulders in answer.
“Oh, Pinkie Pie,” the mare softly whispered. The feeling of a pair of friendly forelegs soon enveloped her sides. “I don't hate you, I was just a tad bit embarrassed by my actions last night. I could never hate you, no matter what happened. Darling, please believe me when I say nothing you do could make me not like you.”
“But...”
“Shh, no buts.” Rarity pulled back, the comforting forelegs replaced with a pair of hooves on her shoulders. Fluttering her eyes open, she once again gazed into those pools of azure, their owner smiling with the most genuine of smiles. “Besides, I was just about to make a deal with you.”
Her self-loathing was lifted slightly, and with the most timid of looks, she cocked her head to the right, “Deal?”
Rarity's smile left her face, the mare closing her eyes. Slowly, she took a deep breath in, held it for three seconds, and slowly released it, “Pinkie Pie, I will make you breakfast tomorrow morning if... if...”
The pink mare leaned forward slightly. “...If...”
Even though her blush was returning full force, Rarity somehow kept her voice level, “...If you continue to be my prince.”
Pinkie Pie Brain Train Express stopped on the rails, her mind unable to comprehend what she just heard. Did she just hear that? Could have it been the wind? It might have been the wind. Okay, it wasn't the wind, but then... did she really... did she really say... what she thought she said? Rarity, the most beautiful and sophisticated of mares in all of Equestria... asked Pinkie Pie, the craziest and silliest of ponies... to be hers?
For whatever reason, the strangest thought crossed her mind. “But... what about the Spikester?”
“I guess I should talk to him about this first thing.” Rarity kept her eyes closed, and sighed, “Poor dear will be probably be upset, but he already knew I was in that other relationship, so I don't think he'll be too broken up over it, or at least I hope so.”
Rarity opened her eyes, and with an even bigger smile than before, spoke again, “So, what do you say about my deal, darling?”
The mood of the entire room changed, there was only one thing to say. Giggling, Pinkie replied, “Can I be a princess instead? Princes are jerks.”
Apparently, the giggle was contagious. “Wait, I thought I was the princess! If you're the princess, what am I?”
“Well duh, silly filly!” The pink mare's smile grew with every second. With a wink, she tapped Rarity on the tip of her snout. “You're a princess too!”
“Oh my! Are we allowed to have more than one princess?”
Pinkie stuck out her tongue. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are princesses, and Princess Cadence is also a princess, and Twilight is a princess-in-law kinda, so why not have us as princesses too!?”
With a mock gasp, Rarity turned her head to flip her hair to the side, so that her mane now hung off of the opposite side of her head. “None of those princesses are seeing each other though!”
“Well,” Pinkie leaned to the side slightly, so that she was able to lock eyes with Rarity again, “that's because none of those princesses are nearly as beautiful as the princess right in front of me.”
The look on Rarity's face would be one that she would never forget. The mare's eyes literally twinkled as soon as those words registered in her eyes, and slowly, she turned to face Pinkie straight on once more. Slowly she began, “Pinkie Pie... you are...”
She paused for another moment, before leaning forward, and planting the softest and arguably the most timid kiss in Equestrian history on the party mare's cheek. Pulling back, Rarity smiled even wider. “You are the sweetest pony I have ever met.” Rarity laughed as she licked her lips. “And not just because I can taste the syrup on your face.”
For her part, Pinkie wasn't sure what to say, the lingering feeling of the mare's soft lips on her cheek still sending waves of emotions through her body. So many feelings of happiness and absolute fullness swelled inside of her, she wasn't sure what to say. She tried to use sign language to tell her Rare-bear, but her forehooves were stuck to her sides. Even the ability to click her tongue to try and use Morse Code failed. So it was up to the only part of her body left able to move to act.
The heart-shaped gymnast inside her, after the award winning performance, went to stick the landing.
Pinkie Pie gained control of her legs, and making full use of them, lunged forward. “SMOOCHIES!!!”
“AAAIIEEEEE!!!!!”
A/N: I would like to once again thank Kitsunehero and NintendoGal55 for all their help. Without them, I would still be trying to figure out the difference between the words two, to, and umbrella.
