To Love You Again

>*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
>Ugggh you really hated your alarm clock
>What's it ever done for you? Woken you up to a world you never cared to face?
>You throw your arm in the general direction of your alarm hoping to silence it... or at least you try to
>As soon as you so much as twitch your arm you seize up in pain
>*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
>Turning you gaze up to the noise all you see is... a heart monitor?
>You try to sit up only to seize up again in pain
>Fucking hell what happened? did you get hit by a freight train?
>You take in your surroundings as best you can and you are clearly in a hospital
>Your mind immediately begins racing trying to figure out what the hell happened
>Last thing you remember is crashing on your bed last night ready to get some sleep
>Yet here you are, in a hospital, every one of your nerves and muscles on fire
>What the hell happened to you? Did someone break into your house, beat you to near death then decide to take you to the nearby hospital and leave your ass at the front door?
>Whatever the hell happened you don't care, because right now the only thing going through your head is adrenaline
>Fight or flight?
>Well no one's here so flight it is
>Leaping out of bed forcing your body past the pain despite it's cries telling you to reconsider
>As you leap out of the bed you are partially tugged back due to all the wires connected to you
>Ripping them off you look around for a means of escape
>You immediately head over to the window, you don't feel like confronting any doctors, they had syringes that made you feel sleepy
>Not to mention pieces of paper that made you feel self-concious
>Opening it up you check to make sure you aren't gonna die as soon as you jump out
>First floor, perfect
>As you put your first foot over the windowsill the door to your room bursts open, the shock of which makes the rest of you go tumbling out
>Face first... hello dirt my old friend
>"AFTER HIM! DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"
>This sends your brain into overdrive
>You stagger to your feet and start running as fast as you can through the darkness of the night
>"Wait! Stop!"
>Well not with that attitude you're not
>"Please! We only wish to help you"
>Oh well since they asked so nicely you decide to run faster
>Pumping your legs like pistons even faster the pain in your muscles from the running mixing with the pain from earlier make a weird mix that give you a...
>What do those /fit/izens call it? Runner's high?
>None the less this makes you realize you are still in immense pain and need to find a place to hide and soon
>Frantically searching around, you hear the calls of the doctors from behind you
>"...op ..er ....mous"
>What?
>Then you see it, a nearby forest
>This partially relieves you, partially worries you further
>There wasn't a forest to be seen within miles of your house
>However it should be a good place to hunker down for a minute
>As you make a b line towards your possible safe haven you catch some more of what the doctors are yelling
>"Mr. Anonymous! Please stop!"
>Ok what the actual fuck? Not only are you nowhere near your house but the people here know who you are
>As you reach the edge of the forest you hear one last call from behind you as you break through the treeline that makes up the front of the forest
>"NONNY!"
>You head further into the forest just until enough trees obscure your vision of the doctors at the entrance and vice versa
>You collapse underneath a nearby tree desperately trying to refill your body with life giving oxygen
>As you're finally able to recompose yourself the pain from what you just put your body through finally comes crashing down you
>The pain essentially paralyzes you then and there, taking all of your willpower to stay conscious
>After several minutes you're finally able to focus your mind on solving what the hell was going on
>Where were you? How did you get here? How did they seemingly know you?
>All these and a million other questions flood your brain making it impossible to solve just one
>Well so much for that
>Two nearby voice quickly snap you out of your thoughts, the first one is deep yet, hearty? The second more high pitched and slightly raspy
>"He has to be around here somewhere"
>"But where? This place is impossibly big, not to mention more often than not you'll end up going in circles"
>"...Maybe you should head back, I'm sure I can find him on my own anyway but I'm not leaving 'til he's found, we can't let her down, not when we're so close"
>"I know, I know, it's just... nevermind let's just keep going"
>You would freak out if not for the pain, so instead you opt to lower yourself into the tall grass and shrubbery as quietly as you can
>You wait 'til you can no longer hear their footsteps before you allow yourself to let out a breath you don't remember holding
>You roll yourself on to your front and attempt to lift yourself up
>Sadly your body refuses to take anymore of your shit and chooses to leave you there
>So instead you start to crawl forward, it won't leave you out in the open and it doesn't set your muscles and nerves on fire
>You've been crawling around for about 10 minute, as you try to keep yourself as low as possible you luckily find yourself constantly covered by the undergrowth one way or another
>Whilst it isn't the most pleasant experience it's worked well enough so far and luckily no sign or sound of the doctors for some time
>As you crawl further into the forest you see a small light coming from over the otherside of a small hill
>You immediately press yourself into the dirt more to make sure you won't be seen
>The self-preservation part of your brain is currently in conflict with itself
>'We shouldn't go there'
>'Yes we should'
>'No we shouldn't if we do we could come face to face with those weird doctors'
>'Ooooor we might meet someone who isn't crazy'
>'Yeah and then what? they'll heal us because they so happen to be a travelling doctor? they'll just end up dragging us back to the hospital'
>'Ok then maybe we go to investigate at least? There might be food'
>'Did somebody say food?'
>Well shit now that your stomach is in on the conversation there was no turning back
>Check out the light, if it's the doctors, we bail, if it's boy scouts we raid them for all their food
>Rules of nature baby
>You slowly begin crawling towards the light, stopping yourself everytime so much as a leaf crinkles
>As you get to the top of the hill you see one of the strangest things in your life
>Before you is a literal treehouse
>Like, literally a house carved into a tree
>It looks strangely familiar but the fact you're close to passing out from pain your mind is a bit too preoccupied to be figuring out that little detail
>You think about your options, either you pass out here and possibly die of gangrene from all the dirt, or go in and die by way of crazy person, if not the doctors they might return you to
>May as well die on your feet, figuratively speaking
>You somehow manage to prop yourself up on a nearby tree and begin staggering towards the tree hut
>When you reach the door you give it a swift three knocks, as pitiful as they were you hear shuffling from the other side
>Thank god you're saved... possibly
>As the door opens you look to greet your possible saviour/killer
>It'sazebra.jpeg
>What?
>You simply stand there trying to get your brain to process what you're seeing
>You're request has been accepted, processing now, 10%, 20%
>"My, my this is a surprise, to see a dead man rise"
>50%
>"Anonymous come in I implore, for you I have questions galore"
>70%
>"Anonymous? Are you alright? You look like you've gotten quite a recent fright"
>100% thank you for using Brain Vista
"Zecora?"
>That's all you're able to mutter with what little strength you have
>"Ah so weren't having a stroke? you had me worried for a second with that indecent joke"
>She steps aside allowing you to enter her hut and as you do so many things start to click into place
>Rhyming zebra? Zecora
>Place you don't recognize with a near by forest? Ponyville apparently
>You? Freaking the fuck out internally
>But you're still left with how?
>How the hell did you come to be in Equestria, a place that, until recently, you were positive was just from a cartoon
>Yet here you are
>As you make yourself comfortable Zecora asks you of how you came to be here?
"In all honesty? I have no idea one minute I'm in my bed at home, the next I'm in a hospital bed"
>Zecora gives you a very quizzical look at this
"What?"
>"Your story does not match mine, according to some you've been in that bed for quite some time"
"How long?"
>"It's been so long that, how long? is a haze, all I'll say is it's been longer than a few days"
"Zecora I am tired, aching and very confused right now and you aren't making any fucking sense, so can you please give me... well, anything?"
>"I believe that will not be necessary, she will be over in a hurry"
"Who is 'she'?"
>At this the door to Zecora's hut burst open making you jump out of your seat, pressing yourself up against the wall
>"OHMYGODZECORANONNY'SMISSINGANDWECAN'T-... find... him"
>There in the doorway stood one Pinkamena Diane Pie her gaze slowly turning to you, seemingly losing her voice as she does
>"Nonny?"
>Saying this seems to leave Pinkie breathless as she seemingly takes in every detail of you, trying to confirm you are who she thinks you are
>All you can do is stare at her, again the only thing in your mind is how? How do these ponies know you? Did they mug you and take your wallet when you got here?
>"N- Nonny?"
>Her quavering voice snaps you once more out of your thoughts, moving your gaze to her you see tears start falling down her cheeks as she slowly moves towards you
>You only press yourself against the wall harder
>Seriously why the hell are you so scared?
>As she finally reaches you she gently puts out one of her fore-hooves poking and scratching at your leg, murmuring to herself something you can't quite catch
"I'm sorry what's that?"
>"I SAID YOU'RE AWAKE!"
>Pinkie then springs up, wrapping her hooves around your neck and nuzzling her head into it
"OK THAT'S ENOUGH!"
>You quickly wrench Pinkie off you and drop her back to the ground, backing away from her as best you can
"WHO ARE YOU? HOW DID I GET HERE? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"
>Your outburst leaves Pinkie and Zecora exchanging looks of shock
>Slowly returning her gaze to you, Pinkie looks to you, looking... heartbroken?
>"Y- you don't r- remember... anything?"
"No I'm afraid I don't, I have zero memory of anything to do with this place"
>"Yet before, when your emotions were tame, you did remember my name"
"That's... that's... it's complicated and you wouldn't believe me if I told you, and one thing that I can't believe is how I'm here or why THAT ONE hugged me"
>Directing that last part at Pinkie it comes out more harshly than you would've preferred but you are done with pleasantries at this point
>Pinkie looks officially crushed at you directing your anger at her
>Then you officially feel crushed
>Pinkie begins to cry, tears streaming down her face almost endlessly, hiccuping and gasping for air
>The sight of it kills your soul
>But what the hell are you supposed to do? They don't teach you how to handle this sort of situation in school
>After about a minute of this torture that Dante forgot to add to the inferno Pinkie soon calms herself down, wiping her eyes and taking as many deep breathes as she can
>She then slowly begins to move towards you again, hesitating slightly
>Begrudgingly you kneel down so you can be more at eye level with her
>Seeing this Pinkie becomes a bit more confident, coming all the way up to you, raising herself slightly by placing her fore-hooves on your leg
>She takes several deep breathes, seemingly readying herself for whatever she has planned
>The front curl of her hair wriggles it's way into her mane
>After a couple seconds, and some rubber chickens, she pulls out an ornate ring
>Three strips of silver held together by a pink ruby
>"D- do you know what this is?"
>You slowly reach your hand towards the delicate piece of jewelry, ever so gently removing it by the hook of hair holding it aloft
>Rotating it with your fingers taking in as much detail as you can
>Despite it's plain design it does seem to be skillfully crafted even to your untrained eye
>You also see that the three strips of silver actually intertwine at the other end of the ring as well
>But it stirs nothing within you
>You return the ring to it's owner with just as much care as before
"I can't say it does, why?"
>This leaves Pinkie once again looking dejected and downtrodden
>"Just look at your hand..."
>Doing as she says you look down at your hands, all matter of grime, muck and mud cover them
>But one thing catches your eye, a glint coming from your left hand reflecting the firelight of the hut
>Wiping away the mud you see an ornate ring of your own
>3 gold strips this time, held together by a sapphire
>Turning your hand over you see the same intertwining design as the one that Pinkie's had
>You look up at Pinkie in disbelief
>All she does is muster a weak smile and, seemingly reading your mind, gives an affirmative nod
"Y- you mean I'm... and you're... and we're...?"
>Your voice is caught in your throat before you're able to finish the sentence
>This time Pinkie gives you a much bigger nod confirming your thoughts
>Your mind tries and fails to comprehend what you're being told
>You would remember something as important as that... wouldn't you?
>Your mind starts racing, how much of your life have you missed? how long were you in that hospital bed? were your memories fake? was this fake? if it was why did it feel so real? if your memories were fake why did they feel real?
>You begin hyperventilating
>Your heart is racing and your head's ringing
>The sudden stimulation takes the last of your strength away and you pass out

>*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
>Ugggh you really hated your alarm clock
>What's it ever done for y-
>Wait a minute
>Leaning your head up and glancing in the direction of the noise you are once again met with the sight of a heart monitor
>Looking around the rest of the room you confirm you are back in the hospital, the only difference is the sun is up and you're surrounded by ponies
>Pinkie Pie being right by your side, surprisingly enough what with what just happened
>You also see the others looking at you with varying degrees of worry
>"Dude, Anon, you ok bro?"
>What with your mind still waking up you have to focus in order to discover the origin of the voice, you pinpoint it to come from the purple lump on Twilight's back
>Oh wait that's just Spike
"Let's see, my body hurts so much I can barely move, my head hurting the most, I have no idea if this is the real life, or if this is just fantasy, I'm surrounded by strangers I know, and I have no recollection of anything to do with this"
>You hold up your left hand and the ring that adorns it, eventually letting your arm then weakly fold over your chest
"You tell me..."
>"I- I'm sorry man, stupid question"
>Damn it Anon stop being such a total dick, these ponies, and dragon, clearly care about you for some reason
"I'm sorry man but, what with not having much if any memory of anything to do with this place I'm just a bit... rattled, you know?"
>Spike just gives you an understanding nod
>"So Anon, how are you fe- ummm"
>Twilight tries to interject but holds her tongue stopping herself from repeating Spikes question
>"What DO you remember?"
>You consider how much of the show's canon you should use to answer that, eventually deciding to stick with the very basics, starting with a few simple question
"Well I don't really REMEMBER anything, but I do sort of know some stuff... I guess. How about this? Does the name Tirek mean anything to you?"
>Twilight seems slightly surprised by your question but answers all the same
>"Yes"
"What about Starlight Glimmer?"
>"Yes"
"What does that last name mean to you?"
>"She's my student... sort of"
>Well fucking fantastic at least you have an idea of what to expect from this town
>Buy Our Toys Castle here I come
"Well then I'd know all of your names, what you do for work, where you live, aaaannnnd yeah that's about it"
>"Hold on one minute, now I have a question, what do you mean by 'you don't know if this is real life or a fantasy?', and how 'we're strangers you know'?"
>Turning your head you come to face Rainbow Dash with a slightly annoyed, slightly questioning, slightly pissed face
"Well... first off I'd like to know how long I've been under, why, and how long I was here before hand"
>"4 months, 17 days, 3 hours, 27 minutes and 14 seconds if you count when you woke up earlier"
>Hearing the mumble come from right next to you, you turn to look into the baby blue eyes of... your wife apparently, Pinkie Pie
>She's crouched in away that you can only just make out her now teary eyes
>She tries to speak on but can only seem to get out more tears than words
>Despite the fact that you can't remember anything you refuse to leave her distraught like that
>Despite the fact you know you'll regret it you sit up as best you can
>'Hey buddy we did this already, lie down'
>'No fuck you, sad pony'
>Reaching over and picking her up by the waist you place her on your lap and begin stroking her back
"Alright that's disturbing, what about before that?"
>Pinkie seems to lean into your touch slowly relaxing into your lap
>"mmmmm 2 years"
>As Pinkie mumbles that last piece of information you see her entire body going limp, her breathing becoming much quieter and calmer
>The cute sight before puts your heart and mind at slight ease, however the shock of finding out you've forgotten a bit over 2 years of your life still leaves you shocked
>For a while you just sit there, contemplating what you just heard, sorting through your brain, memory after memory, useless crap after useless crap trying to find something, anything that had to do with your time here... nothing
>Eventually bringing yourself out of your pointless excursion into your mind you decide to answer Rainbow's question
"Well it's... complicated, back in my old world there was a tv show that you girls were sort of the main characters in, we learned about you as the show went on so that's how I know all that other stuff, however I have no memory of physically BEING here, I've never met you girls face to face as far as my mind is concerned, that's where the whole 'strangers I know' comes from"
>You let that sink in a little with the girls before continuing on
"Because I have no memory of ever being here or anything I've supposedly done here my head is filled with memories of my home, my family, the people I got to know online, don't ask that's even more complicated, and so because I've apparently been in a coma, I'm no longer sure whether that was a fantasy my mind made to help hold me together or if this is a dream because my last memory from my world was going to sleep"
>That last bit really takes everyone aback causing them to mull over what you said for several minutes
>"Well shoot that sure is a heck of a hefty load to process"
>"I'll say, whilst we were previously aware of this show you mentioned because of when you first came here, that massive gap in your memory is a cause for concern, it may take some time before your mind sorts itself out"
"In all honesty Twilight, with what I've learned, if my life here was... is half as good as I think it is then it'll be worth the wait"
>You cast your gaze down to the napping pony on your lap as you say this a small smile creeping it's way onto your face
>Your attention is drawn to the door as it is opened by a pony wearing a white shirt and a stethoscope, with light brown fur and a dark brown mane, Doctor Horse right?
>Following behind him is Nurse Redheart
>"Ahhh it's good to see our patient up and about"
>"Hopefully this time you're not going to take a trip into the Everfree?"
>From the voices it seems these two were the ones that followed you into those woods last night, though Redheart's isn't so raspy now
>You also can't help but chuckle at the doctor's humor
"Yeah, sorry about that doc, won't happen again"
>"Ah no worries I'm just glad to see my patient back safe in the hospital, on that note you can get out now"
>You and the others give Doctor Horse a very surprised look at his choice of words
>"Ahahahaha, don't worry you should be fully healed, the only thing you need to worry about is slight pains in your movements from being immobile for so long is all"
>This perks you up quite a bit, the sooner you can get your memory back, the better
>You gently lift Pinkie taking the best care to not wake her as you do before getting yourself out of bed
>As you stand on your feet you find yourself wobbling a bit, your body still not ready to work with you after last night
>After making sure you're stable you start heading towards the door, stopping as you reach it, turning to the others with a bit of a sheepish grin
"Uhhh do one of you wanna show me the way out?"
>Twilight simply rolls her eyes at you and starts leading the way forward, you following her by her side
>"So Anon, now that you're out of the hospital, you think you'll be able to make it to the O&O game this weekend?"
>"Spike"
>"Oh right sorry, how about next week's session?"
>"Spike!"
"Ah don't worry about it Twilight, besides might be good to get back into the old routine"
>Twilight simply gives a sigh of defeat before giving Spike a sideways glare
"Hold up though I thought the girls weren't supposed to know about that?"
>"Yeah well they found out whilst you were in the hospital, it isn't so bad though, we can play it every weekend now rather than just when the girls leave town"
>Hmmm Ogres & Oubliettes, what sort of character did you even make for a game like that?
>As you reach the front of the building you stop by the reception desk to pick up any of your belongings
>Once more you are met with Nurse Redheart
>"Let's see here, one wool trim coat, one plain white shirt, one pair of jeans, one pair of white socks, one pair of black shoes, and one wallet"
"Thanks Redheart"
>"Not a problem Anon"
>You place Pinkie down on a nearby chair and grab your clothes so that you can go change in the men's room
>As you leave the bathroom you stretch your limbs trying to get a feel or the clothing
>"Are you quite alright Anon? You seem a bit put off? Do you not like it?"
"Oh no it's not that Rarity, I was just expecting a suit is all for some reason"
>"Ah yes that, you do own a suit and wear it fairly often, it's just that you did say you wanted a bit of a more casual wear for when the same look began to bore you, not to mention when the first winter hit the suit did nothing to really protect you from the cold, and it was winter when you.... oh um...."
>Rarity abruptly stops herself from saying anymore
>Never the less you guess that makes sense
>You go to pick up Pinkie once more only for her to stir and wake up from the sound of your footsteps
>Glancing up at you she gives you a nervous look
>God this must be killing her, you have got to get this sorted out and soon
"Hiya Pinks... you feel like going home?"

>Pinkie perks up at this, getting up and wrapping her hooves around your neck
>"I'm glad you're back"
>Before you're able to reply she hops off of the chair and heads towards the front door, bouncing on her hooves with a smile on her muzzle, waiting for you to follow her
>You do so with a smile of your own
>As you leave the hospital you have to cover your eyes from the glare of the sun before they're able to properly adjust
>Finally you're eyes are able to see across the plains to the town spreading out before you
>It was so surreal being here... again, it was all much more detailed than it was by comparison of the show, even from this far off you could tell that much
>You're able to get a better look at the town as you follow Pinkie with the others not too far behind
>As you get to the town square the others split off to deal with their duties of the day, leaving just you and Pinkie
>You can't help but bring your hand to cover the ring and hold it, slowly turning it, getting a feel of it's weight and texture
>As you walk through the town you are greeted by many a pony who are happy and relieved at you waking up
>"Anon it's good to see you"
>"ANON! Good to see my favourite human up and kicking"
>"Heya Anon it's a bit early for you to awake isn't it? It isn't even past noon"
>You simply reply to these greetings with a wave of your hand, you may have to get to know these ponies all over again soon
>You and Pinkie finally make it to your destination, Sugar Cube Corner who would of guessed?
>As you enter the store you are greeted by Mr and Mrs Cake, looking up at the door they see you both enter
>"Anon"
>The both leave the counter to greet you, Mrs Cake getting to you first and wrapping you up in a hug
>"Ooooohhh it's so good to see you again Anon, everyone here missed you"
>You awkwardly return Mrs Cake's hug
"Good to be back..."
>Your voice sort of trails off at the awkwardness of the situation that they are not yet aware of
>"Hey now Anon I do hope you're not making a move on my wife"
>Mrs. Cake finally releases you from the hug and you turn to face Mr. Cake
"Don't worry Carrot, I'll be sure to keep my distance"
>You both exchange a chuckle at the little joke
>"Don't worry about it Anon I know you're plenty spoken for"
>Mr. Cake gestures to your ring with his hoof as he says this
"ehehehe yeeeaaaah"
>Once more you can't help but wrap your hand around the ring, almost afraid it'll disappear if you don't
>"Anon are you alright? You don't look too good"
>You look up to Mrs. Cake, worry clear in her eyes
>"Oh I'm sure it's nothing Cupcake, he did just get out of the hospital after all"
>Mr. Cake is clearly trying to keep a straight face but you can tell he's worried too
"Look you two it's a long story, but the short version is I've sort of forgotten everything from the past 2 years here"
>This leaves the two Cakes shocked, worry now overcoming the both of them
"I'm gonna work as best I can on getting it back but's it's best you know now"
>"Well... I hope you get better soon"
>It might not be much but there's little you can really say in this situation and you appreciate Mr. Cake's worry
>Once again moving to follow Pinkie she starts to lead you up through the shop, eventually reaching her room or rather you and her room if the pictures were anything to go by
>You look around the room in awe
>So many pictures, so many memories, so many parts of your life just... gone
>You quickly wipe your eyes of the tears that had begun to form
>You're going to get those memories back, you know you are, you have too
>You move over to the wall to inspect the pictures further, Pinkie following close behind, a hopeful expression on her face
>The first one that catches your attention is one with you and what looks like Pinkie's family
>You stand at the back of the group, a genuine smile on your face that was so big you weren't even sure how your mouth muscles formed it, your right cheek is covered up by a bandage and your left cheek is covered up by the pink fur of Pinkie resting on your shoulder, a blush covering her face
>To your right stands Limestone, a glare on her face directed at you, well at least that explains the bandage
>On your right is Maud as stoic as ever, and directly in front of you is Marble looking slightly nervous, she is clearly trying to hide her face but is unable to due to the face that her hair is being held out of her face by you
>Igneous and Cloudy stand both sides of her, whilst Igneous is just as stoic as his daughter you're pretty sure you can see the beginning of a smile on Cloudy's face, her eyes slightly looking towards Marble
>A chuckle escapes your throat as you look at the pictures, knowing you, you can guess what happened in this picture but no clear memories come to mind
>"That was our first Hearthwarming Eve together"
>The voice of Pinkie brings your attention away from the picture
>Pinkie moves forward taking the picture off of its hook using her mouth and trots over to the bed
>Sitting down she places the picture into her hooves and looks over it with a contented smile
>"It was when we were, well, together together, you had been there before but the fact we were going to tell them we were colt and marefriend this time had you shaking in your seat the whole train ride there"
>Pinkie lets out of chuckle at the memory, you can't help but smile at the thought
>"I told you over and over not to worry, but you did anyway, you said you 'wanted their approval'... you were such a sweetheart Nonny, you knew my family was more traditional, and whilst you weren't really able to understand their way of life, you tried and you respected it as best you could... I- I mean you still are I'm sure it's just... well..."
>Pinkie's voice trails off probably afraid she's upset you in some way
>You simply go over and sit next to Pinkie, as you do she slides into your side due to your weight making such a big indent in the bed
>You and Pinkie both looks at each other, blushes appearing on both your faces, if how hot yours got is anything to go by
>You simply place a hand on the other side of Pinkie keeping her by your side smiling down at her as you do
"So I'm guessing I have Limestone to thank for that bandage?
>Seeing your smile puts Pinkie at ease and she slowly leans into your side, clearly still not sure how to act now that she's essentially a stranger to you now but still happy to be by your side
>In all honesty you weren't sure how to act either, you don't know what attracted you to Pinkie when you first came here
>Or if you'll feel that way again this time
>That last thought sends a shiver down your spine and mentally burn it
>If this mare was able to make you smile like you did in this picture, then there was no doubt of why you fell for her then, and there was no way you would be able to resist her now
>"My family's reaction to us were very mixed, Limestone did hit you in the face but not for the reason you probably think, she was actually one of the most supportive of us when we broke it to them, you just got hit from touching Holder's Boulder too much... you always were one to test your luck around ponies"
>You can't help but chuckle, that certainly sounds like you alright
>"As for the others, Maud was simply happy for the fact that I had found someone, and since your last visit she got the message that you meant no harm to anypony. As for Marble she was always a bit intimidated by you even though you were a big softie at heart, she knew this and was supportive of us as well but that didn't stop her from being slightly worried for me. My mom saw that I was happy with you and that was enough for her even if she did think I'd be better off with another pony. As for my dad, he was nearly impossible to convince, I was willing to ignore him but he was the one you really wanted to have the approval of, something about it being an earth custom too you said. Anyway he was always opposed to you, the fact that you were an alien always put him off, he called you a lot of awful things, but you kept your cool and tried over and over again to convince him, eventually he said he wouldn't speak of the matter further unless it was done so in private, you agreed and you both went off into the furthest part of the rock fields to discuss it. Whilst we couldn't hear what exactly what was being said, we could hear you both shouting your lungs out at each other, after about half an hour of this you both finally came back, you with that smug smirk you always get when you won anything and my father confirming we had his blessing."
>Despite all this... still nothing comes to you
>It frustrates you more than anything you've experienced before
>Hearing and seeing so much, all these things you've done before, only for nothing to come to you
>You then see a few tears fall onto the pictures, looking up you see Pinkie crying over the memory
>You bring your hand up to turn Pinkie's face towards you, wiping away the tears from her eyes as you do so
>Cupping her cheek in your hand you give her a reassuring smile
>She returns the smile
>Then she begins to lean towards you
>You simply sit there, unsure of what to do next
>She gets close enough that you can feel her breath on your lips, it smelled like peppermint, and stops just short
>You swallow the lump in your throat and close your eyes as you close the gap, gently leaning into her lips
>Its brief, Pinkie breaks it after barely two seconds, a nervous expression on her face
>You feel your heart in your throat beating a thousand miles an hour, it was short but very sweet, and you swear you felt... something, there was definitely something, but it left you as quickly as it came
>You simply cast your head down, once more your mind is left blank of any sense of familiarity
>However you right yourself quickly as your body is hit with a surge of pain coming from your chest
>Grasping at your chest and gasping for air to calm your racing heart you feel a pair of hooves wrap around your arm
>"Oh my gosh Nonny are you ok?"
>You hold up a hand to let Pinkie know you're fine but you're not entirely sure on that fact as it felt like your heart nearly stopped just now
>Pulling up your shirt to investigate the source of the pain you see a deep scar stretching across the left side of your chest
"What the hell?"
>Before you're able to even have a single thought on the scar you feel your whole body go numb
>Your head starts spinning and your ears start ringing
>It feels like your whole body is screaming, and it's unbearable
>You hear the muffled voice of Pinkie next to you but you're unable to hear any of it before you pass out

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
>Ugggh you really hated your alarm clock
>You throw your arm in the general direction of your alarm hoping to silence it
>You succeed the first time
>Always a good way to start your day
>You manage to drag yourself out of bed at a reasonable time today, gotta get up early so you can go to the supermarket and meet as few people as possible, stranger or not
>You go about your regular routine, have a shower, throw on some clothes that smelled alright and have some breakfast
>As you head out of your house you see that it's a rather pleasant day today, hardly a cloud in sight and it wasn't too hot or cold
>Maybe today wouldn't be so bad
>After finishing your trip to the supermarket with hardly an interaction with another person your day is looking to be a particularly good one
>As you head in the direction of home you notice that the weather has hardly changed and so decide to take the more scenic route
>As you're enjoying the scenery your attention is drawn by the boisterous voice of someone just up ahead of you
>Deciding that you may as well check it out you are able to hear what he's saying more clearly
>"COME ONE, COME ALL, TAKE A RIDE AND SEE YOUR GREAT CITY FROM THE SKY, ONLY $20"
>$20, what is this guy looking to lose money or something?
>Whatever you were just planning on shitposting today anyway and the internet isn't going anywhere
>You approach the well dressed salesman and pull out $20 from your wallet
"Alright man I'll bite, here you go"
>Taking the money from you the man hops into his balloon and beckons you to join him
>When he is satisfied that you are safely secured within the balloon he drops some of the sandbags and you both take off
>As you finally reach the highest point the old man is willing to take the balloon you look over the city and see that, it is in fact, very beautiful from up here
>It's so small from all the way up here too
>You see what people mean when they say it makes thing that are taken so seriously seem insignificant
>Turning to your pilot you decide to hit up a conversation, not much else to do
"So what's your name man?"
>Looking up at you with a ponderous look he gives you a hearty smile
>"The name's Sid. Sid Dorc"
>What?
"I'm guessing you're not from around here then?"
>"You're pretty sharp, no my boy I can't say I am"
"Where did you come from then?"
>"Why I came out here from the east... and the west for that matter, also the south and the north"
>He chuckles to himself a bit whilst you can't help but give him an unimpressed look whilst raising your eyebrows
>He returns your look with mock offense
>"What? When your main mode of transportation is a hot air balloon you end up going in all directions, it isn't up to me where I come from"
"So you're a fan of word games ay?"
>"Words are an important tool my boy, twist them in the right way and you can get anything out of anyone, why you could've gotten this ride for free if you had used my words the right way"
"How so?"
>"Well I said the ride was $20 but I never said when you had to pay me, now did I?"
>At this he taps his nose and gives you a wink
>You can't help but chuckle at the old man
>You look back over the side of the basket over the city only to see storm clouds start to form out of seemingly nowhere
>Before you're able to alert the old man a heavy gust of wind lurches the basket forward and sends you tumbling over the edge, you're only just able to stop yourself by grabbing hold of
"SID A LITTLE HELP HERE!"
>"Hold on I've gotta get her steady"
>Before Sid is able to get to you another gust of wind knocks the basket once more causing him to land on your hand making you release the basket
>You would scream but the fall is sort of taking all of the air out of your lungs
>As you fall you see something glimmer just before you
>Is this how you die?
>As a hood ornament for an airliner?
>Meh it's a better way to go than some
>Wait that doesn't make sense you're falling down
>Then what the hell is that thing?
>Focusing on it as you get closer it seems to be some sort of vortex, it also seems to be where the clouds are emerging from
>As you pass through the portal you feel a rush of ice cold air wash over you
>Then you breach the other side and you're finally able to breath after what felt like 10 minutes of chocking when it was probably closer to 2 seconds
>Your relief to breathe is then overwhelmed by the realization that you are still falling
>You brace yourself for the impact with the ground
>Then everything goes black
>You feel like you're floating, drifting through nothing, then... a voice
>"Sir? Are you ok?
>This brings you crashing back to reality
>You crack open an eye... you're alive?
>Twitching a finger confirms the fact, either that or you're in hell
>However a blue sky above you tells you that the latter isn't true and you doubt you're in heaven
>Looking to you're left you're met with the face of... Pinkie Pie?
>But... that's just a show right? What the hell?
>Seeing you wake up seems to perk her up
>"Oh good you're awake I was worried for a minute there whatwithalltheblood but since you're awake that means Twilight can take you to the doctor and you'll be okiedokielokie also myname'sPinkiePiewhoandwhatareyou?
>You... didn't catch any of that you're in a lot of pain and... wait, did she say blood?
"What do you mean blo-GAH!"
>OH
>THAT BLOOD
>Grasping your chest you feel blood gushing out of it, looking to your side you see Pinkie begin to freak-out alongside an extremely jagged ruby, oh wait it's just a rock
>You are quickly pinned down, making you thrash out of panic
"WHAT THE FUCK? LET ME GO I HAVE TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL YOU CRAZY FUCKS!"
>"There's no time sir we'll have to sear the wound shut now"
>"We got 'im Twilight, he's kicking like a bull but we can hold 'im down"
>Wait what?
"DID SHE JUST SAY SEAAAAAAAAHHHH"
>Your body is racked with pain as you feel someone literally setting fire to you chest, you kick and thrash more and more to get away, but you're just getting weaker and weaker, and finally you pass out

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>You eyes bolt open and you spring backwards kicking out your legs as hard as you can
>Your arm is quickly grabbed by a pair of hooves
>Oh hell no not again
>You begin thrashing once more until a voice snaps you out of your panic attack
>"Nonny it's ok, Nonny calm down I'm right here"
>That voice
>Stopping your thrashing, you start focusing on your surroundings, you're back in Pinkie's room, said pony is clinging to your arm for dear life
>Pinkie is looking at you, tears and fear in her eyes
>The others from before surround you, Doctor Horse, and Nurse Redheart join them
>You finally slow your breathing and try to calm down
"W- what happened?"
>"You passed out Mr. Anonymous, we were worried you were reentering your comatose state again"
>"I was so worried I was gonna lose you again"
>You look to the source of the murmuring next to you
>Pinkie has now buried her head into your shirt sleeve to catch the tears now freely falling from her eyes
>You place your hand under her chin and lift her head up
"Hey now don't worry Pinkie, I'm back even more than I was before"
>Wiping her eyes Pinkie looks up to you with confusion in her eyes
>"How do you mean?"
"I'm pretty sure I just had a flashback... I- I remember how I got here Pinkie"
>Processing what you just said, a massive smile begins to spread over Pinkie's face until she looks ready to burst
>"REALLY!"
>Pinkie jumps for joy at this news nothing but hopeful joy in her eyes
>"Are you quite sure Anon? It could've been one of those fake memories again"
>You chuckle to yourself and lift your shirt once more patting the scar on your chest
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I remember now Twilight"
>This cause Twilight to blush but ultimately does confirm your theory
>Alright one memory down, who knows how many are left to go
>After that little episode with the flashback you find yourself both mentally and physically drained and decide to call it an early night
>The day had run its course and Celestia had only just lowered the sun over the horizon giving way to the moon and Luna's night as you fell into the warm embrace of the bed
>Pinkie snuggling up next to you
>Despite everything you still feel uncomfortable
>It was nothing to do with Pinkie obviously, it's just the fact that you don't remember what you did to earn this
>It sort of makes you feel like you're not Pinkie's Anon anymore
>But that conflict has to wait in line since here in the quiet of night your brain finally has the time to wander as it has tried to before
>So here you lay, all your muscles begging for rest, but your brain allowing you none
>The flashback seemed to bring up more questions than it answered
>Like what was that vortex? who or what made it? could you find it again? and if you did...
>No, you have a good life here, something you thought the realm of impossibility in your old life, you'd give up anything to keep it, even everything you knew back on earth
>Despite your certainty, you refuse to finish that thought for fear of the mental conflict that would come with it
>The idea terrified you for some reason but nonetheless you can't stop considering it
>All because the reason you never want to leave is the very same reason why you might consider leaving
>Pinkie and you
>Pinkie's the happy go lucky mare with a million and one friends who always sees the best in everything and everyone
>Then there's you, a bitter loner who's greatest feat in life is surviving this long
>Pinkie's words echo in your mind
>>"As for my dad he was nearly impossible to convince... he was always opposed to you..."
>Why shouldn't he be?
>Jeez what the hell could you have possibly said to have convinced him otherwise?
>Maybe the old man was right to think Pinkie should be with someone else
>Bah screw this, you need some air
>You gently shuffle your way out of the bed, wary of the mare next to you, trying your best not to wake her
>Walking out to the balcony and leaning over the railing you take in the sweeping vistas of the Equestrian countryside
>Off in the distance you hear the distant howls of the beasts of the Everfree
>Casting your gaze to the sky you see the stars dot the sky and the silver light of the moon's glow spreading across the sky like a silk blanket
>It was truly breathtaking and for the first time since you got here your mind is silent
>Deciding to take advantage of this you focus your mind on finding your memories
>Almost meditating you start off at the last memory, your chest being seared shut by Twilight and passing out
>You try and move your mind forward yet you are seemingly caught on something, a block that refuses to budge, you try focusing your mind as hard as you can on getting past the block
>To no avail
>You let your head smack against the railing for good measure, see if you can't break the block down by force
>Great, now your head hurts
>You put your head into your hands giving an exasperated groan at your own minds inability to get its shit together
>The feeling of a hoof coming to rest on your leg makes you turn to face the adorable pink blob that once preoccupied the bed
>"Hey Nonny, are you ok?
>The concern clear on her face and in her voice makes you mentally smack yourself
>You're not the only one suffering from this, but you damn well should be
>You kneel down to get to eye level with Pinkie Pie, placing your hand behind her ear giving it a scratch to calm her
"Yeah Pinkie I'm fine, just needed some air is all"
>You give her a reassuring smile to help calm her further
>Luckily she does beginning to lean into your touch, a pleasant smile gracing her muzzle
>You're pretty sure the concentrated sweetness is gonna give you diabetes before you get your memory back
>"Hey Nonny?"
"Yeah Pinks?"
>"D- do you wanna maybe go for a walk? it's still sort of early and I know of a pretty good place we could go"
>You can't help but chuckle at Pinkie's nervousness
"That sounds great"
>Grabbing your coat on the way out, you follow Pinkie out of Sugar Cube Corner
>Walking alongside Pinkie you take in the serene quiet of the town at night
>Even your footsteps do nothing to disturb the quiet, muffled by the dirt path
>As you walk you feel Pinkie bump into your legs then quickly drawing away
>Looking down at the earth pony you see her shake her head vigorously
>Despite her efforts she still ends up yawning, her head nodding downwards, her legs beginning to slow and stray until she bumps into your leg once more
>You can't help but smile at the sleepy pony
>Stepping ahead of Pinkie you kneel down and lift her into your arms, cradling her against your chest
"Nonny no, I'm fine, you don't need to carry me"
>You'd be inclined to consider the idea if her sentence wasn't punctuated by several yawns
"Don't worry about it Pinkie, it's no hassle, just tell me where to go"
>Pinkie is only able to lazily point a hoof outwards towards a hill just past the town hall
>Heading in the direction you hear the various mumbling of the dozing ponies in your arms
>You still can't help but feel odd
>Obviously no one would give up the chance to hold a pony, yourself included
>But it feels just like that, holding a pony, nothing truly special about it
>You do feel a small part of your heart calling out to the pony in your arms, but it's like the flame of a new candle calling to the wax at the bottom, so close, yet so far away
>As you finally reach the top of the hill you are met with a sight that makes the balcony look like a piece of post modern art
>Before you stands a lone willow tree it's low hanging leaves dripping with rain, gently rustling in the breeze
>The moon sitting behind it, casting its light on each raindrop seemingly turning the tree silver
>You sit down by the trunk of the willow, the leaves of the great tree surrounding both you and Pinkie
>For a while you just sit in silence, mindlessly staring at the leaves of the tree blowing back and forth
>Until the your attention is drawn to Pinkie who begins to stir in your arms
>As Pinkie groggily opens her eyes she takes in her surroundings, that diabetes inducing smile crossing her face once more
>You bring a hand up to start scratching behind her ears
>A content sigh leaves her mouth as you do so, followed shortly after by a small yawn, her eyes still wandering about the tree surrounding you, slowly closing as she does
>"Do you remember this place Nonny? I- it... was... where..."
>Pinkie's voice trails off, being replace by gentle breathing
>Where what?
>Your tired mind ponders this, once more trying to look past the block, this time more lazily pawing at it than forcing its way past it
>As you begin to drift you feel a familiar numbness flow through your body
>This time you allow the sensation to take you, drifting off into whatever awaits you within your mind

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>You're currently pacing back and forth underneath beneath the willow tree
>It seemed like a suitable choice given the plan and with all the memories it held for you and your mare, Pinkie
>Ah Pinkie
>Even thinking of her makes your heart skip a beat and leaves your brain empty of everything else
>You twirl the box within your pocket between your fingers, thinking about what you're about to do
>It was completely mad obviously, but Pinkie had that affect on you
>Throughout your time here she's put you into countless situations that before you'd never even consider putting yourself in to
>1 year... 1 whole year has gone by... well it was 1 year, 2 months and 13 days, but who's really keeping track?
>Despite all that time it felt like only yesterday you met Pinkie
>As you were slowly bleeding out
>First impressions never really were your strong suit
>You can't help but chuckle at the memory
>"Oh Nonny~"
>Hearing the voice of Pinkie Pie behind you quickly brings you back, your hand clenching around the box
>You also feel a few other things clench as well
>You turn to face the adorable source of the voice
>There she was, Pinkamena Diane Pie, the greatest thing to happen in your life, and that was even before you got the balls to ask her out
>"So what's so important Nonny? Did you get me a present? What is it? Is it a cake? Is it confetti? Is today important? Oh no! Did I forget something? Was I supposed to get you something? I'm sorry I forgot Nonny"
>You can't help but laugh at Pinkie's little panic due to her overactive mind
>Hearing you laugh she calms down, glad that she hadn't forgotten anything important
"No Pinkie it's nothing like that, well it sort of is an important day, but probably just not in the way you're thinking"
>Pinkie becomes thoroughly bemused at your choice of words, curiosity overtaking her face
>You swallow the lump in your throat and kneel down to Pinkie, pulling the box out of your pocket as you do so
>The curiosity on Pinkie's face is immediately replaced with shock as she puts 2 and 2 together, that shock is then replaced by a smile and tears begin to well up in her eyes
"Pinkamena Diane Pie..."
>You have to swallow another lump in your throat and hold back some tears of your own before you continue
>Who knew this sort of thing would be so difficult?
"...over a year ago you took the chance to get to know me when so many others were wary of just being around me. You were willing to trust me as you would any other pony despite knowing nothing about me and the words of warning you got from others."
>You bring the box out from behind your back and hold it out to Pinkie with your other hand resting on top of it
"Then a few months later, you took another risk, the risk of becoming an outcast, to... to go out with me"
>Come on Anon hold it together, you can cry like a bitch when this is over
"So... whilst I have no right to do so, I ask that you take another risk."
>You finish off your sentence by opening the box, revealing the ring inside
>Then you simply wait
>Wait and watch Pinkie for anything
>All you see is tears in her eyes and a hoof covering her mouth
>Now your mind is the one that is being overactive
>Shit, shit, shit, you were never good with words, god damn it you idiot you fucked up didn't you, you completely butchered it, you mongr-
>"yes"
>waitwhat?
"what?"
>Great, now you're hallucinating cause it just sounded like Pinkie just said-
>"I said. Yes!"
>Hearing this leaves you paralyzed, your brain needing to quickly reboot
>God damn Brain Vista
>As you're brain finally finishes processing what you just heard a smile begins creeping onto your face
"Yes?"
>"Yes, I said yes"
>Pinkie then tackles you to the ground pinning you by your shoulders and covering your face in kisses
>Eventually she calms down and settles into your chest leaning her head into the crook of your neck, tears falling down her face
>You simply wrap Pinkie in a hug, never wanting to let her go
>You bring the box up to you and Pinkie, luckily the ring is still secure despite the world class rugby tackle you just got hit by
"So I didn't exactly have the money for one to go on your hoof so where exactly..."
>Pinkie answers this question by wrapping the curl at the front of her hair around the ring, tucking it into her mane
>For a while you and Pinkie just lie there in each others embrace, content
>"I love you Nonny"
"I love you too Pinkie"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>You slowly begin to open your eyes, seeing the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon, it's orange glow casting a new light past the raindrops upon the leaves of the willow tree
>You feel a few tears fall down your cheeks remembering what you just saw
>You look upon the willow tree with a whole new appreciation, feeling a warmth coming from it despite the chilled air of the early morning
>You feel Pinkie stir in your arms due to the incoming light, stretching and yawning as she wakes up
>Wiping the sleep out of her eyes with a hoof she takes a glance around at the tree
>She slowly then turns up to face you, a light blush dusting her cheeks
>"Hey Nonny do you-"
"Yes"
>Pinkie's eyes widen slightly at your answer
>"What?"
>Softly chuckling to yourself you lean downwards until your nose is less than an inch from Pinkie's
"I said yes"
>You can't help but feel a smirk cross your face as you place a quick peck on Pinkie's nose
>Realization of what you said hitting her, Pinkie leaps at you, knocking you both over, nuzzling into the crook of your neck
>The feeling washes away all doubt of last night
>You are Pinkie's Anon, and she is your Pinkie
>But you'll be damned if you don't work to make that mean something again
>After your snugglefest with Pinkie beneath the Willow Tree you both head back to Sugarcube Corner
>Apparently you work alongside Pinkie in the shop baking whatever the Cakes tell you to
>Apparently you wanted to spend as much time with your mare as you could, and according to that mare you did a fine job of it
>Something about your limbs being able to twist and turn in ways a pony's can't
>Pinkie not included
>Because of this you're able to get the icing and decorations to a finer point than the Cakes could
>As you enter Sugar Cube you are immediately knocked sideways into a table
>Luckily unharmed you shake your head trying to see what hit you
>As you lookup you see a white and brown blob flying circles around his father, giggling at his assault of you
>Chuckling to yourself you pick yourself off the table and straighten it
"Aren't kids just the best Mr. Cake?"
>"Aha sorry about that Anon, Pound just got up and it takes a while for him to calm down"
"Don't worry about it Mr. Cake, no harm no foal"
>Mr. Cake gives you a disappointed look at your terrible attempt at a joke
>Fuck, when did you become so lame?
>Leaving Mr. Cake to the little nuisance you head off to the kitchen to find Pinkie
>As you enter you see Mrs. Cake and Pinkie conversing over... something
>As Mrs. Cake sees you however they soon fall silent
>Curious
>Suspiciously inspecting both of their terrible poker faces you relax and go to find an apron or something
>They both visibly relax at this thinking they have duped you, not knowing how many times you've had to call out someone's bullshit
>You were born in the duping, moulded by it
>Now where's an apron when you need one?
>That's what chefs wear right? You have no real previous experience cooking except for microwave meals
>Gonna have to learn how to bake from scratch from scratch it seems
>Finally finding an apron and one of those cool chef hats you are now ready to bake the shit out of those...
>Wait what are you baking?
>Turning to Mrs. Cake to ask how to cupcake you see both her and Pinkie have continued their hushed discussion
>Curiouser and curiouser
>Clearing your throat both the mares snap to attention suddenly remembering you were still there
"So Mrs. Cake, what are we baking today?"
>You would tell her you don't know what you're doing but you reckon you can just wing it, that's how you got through high school anyway
>Well 'got through' may not be accurate, flailed your way through it like an angry fish might work better
>But hey, it's cookies and cupcakes, can't be that hard
>"You'll be decorating a cake for the upcoming Gala"
>Motherfucker
>So wait does that mean jinxing is a thing?
>Is it like a passive pony magic thing?
>Trying to understand magic hurts your brain
"Wait hold on a minute I'm just on decor duty? What about you and Mr. Cake? What about Pinkie?"
>A small blush crosses Mrs. Cakes cheek and she sheepishly shrinks a little
>"Well you see Anonymous, me and Carrot haven't had a lot of 'us' time since the kids came along soooo we were hoping we could rely on you two to deal with this order?"
>You feel your jaw hit the floor, you have to bake a royalty level cake with only one pony to help you?
>I mean you're not gonna say no to the qt pone but still
>"I know it seems like a lot but Pinkie knows the ins and outs of every kind of cake in Equestria, so she'll deal with all the baking, and since you're so tall we reckoned you'd be able to do the decorations by yourself?
>Mrs. Cake gives you a small pleading smile and breaks what little resolve you had left
>Giving a sigh you shake your head at what you're about to say knowing you'll end up regretting it, but the smile has been seen and your hands are tied
"Fine, consider it done"
>Mrs. Cakes is clearly overjoyed by your answer
>"Oh thank you Anonymous, we knew we could count on you."
>She gives you a quick hug around the waist before heading out for her night on the town with Carrot
>You haven't even touched a single sugary sweet since you got here and you have already gotten a new form of diabetes
>Turning to Pinkie you see she is sharing your somewhat worried smile at the prospect of pulling a job this big with only 2 of you
>Least it can't get any worse
>As Pinkie heads over to the ingredients cabinet you catch a snippet of Mr. Cake calling to you one more thing before slamming the door and seemingly galloping away
>"...care of the kids too right? thank you"
>Your eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets and you see Pinkie frozen in place apparently hearing the same thing you heard
>Leaning your head out of the door you confirm that the Cakes have indeed left you to watch their children
>God damn jinxes
>You swear if this is just Celestia screwing with your day she's gonna regret it
>Having the already huge task now turn gigantic you simply slump against the wall, your body already knowing how exhausted its gonna be by the end of it
>Feeling a hoof against your leg you look down to see Pinkie giving you that smile
>That smile that always fills you with a warm joy you can't help but smile back at
>"Don't worry Nonny, we can handle it"
"Yeah I know, it's just the whole thing is a drag since I was kind of hoping to..."
>You stop yourself and clear your throat before you finish your face going extremely red
>Pinkie tilts her head to the side and flops her ears back at your slightly odd behaviour
>"Hoping to what?"
"I was hoping to... go on a date with you... maybe try and jumpstart the old memory you know?"
>Its Pinkie's turn to blush but you're pretty sure you're at the same shade of red
>"I- I uh well I- I mean that is to say I um wouldn't of said no, but we can't, and I mean that um I want t- to but uh um... rain check?"
>Alright, Pinkie has officially beaten you in the blushing category
>She has also beaten Mrs. Cake in the amount of diabetes she's giving you after smiling sheepishly at her stuttered attempt at a sentence
>Ruffling her mane as best you can you give her a reassuring smile
"Rain check"
>Double checking the kids they seem to be doing just fine playing with their toys in a small pen in the corner of the shop
>Ok maybe today won't be so-
>Ah... see you can learn
>Turning to Pinkie once more you notice a bit of white in the corner of your eye
>Looking down you see your jeans now have a white hoofprint imprinted onto them
>You give Pinkie an annoyed look at her defilement of your clothing
>She returns your look with a hoof covering her mouth, giggles still squirming their way out
>"Sorry about that Nonny"
>You'd be more inclined to believe she was sorry if it didn't take a minute for her to finish the sentence due to bursting into laughter halfway through it
"You did that on purpose didn't you?"
>Pinkie is able to calm herself down enough in order to make a coherent sentence
>"No honestly I didn't mean to"
>She's biting her bottom lip still trying to hold back her giggles
>This pony
>You simply roll your eyes at Pinkie going over to grab some ingredients from the cupboard
>Alright big ol' Gala in the capital of Horseland, bound to be a lot of ponies and the princess
>A 12 inch tier cake ought to do
>But what should you do for the guests who want something else?
>You'll burn down that bridge when you get to it
>Alright now for the ingredients, 10 eggs, some unrefined dark sugar, some unsalted butter, plain chocolate, chocolate extract, extra strength coffee beans, vanilla essence, Pinkie already got the flour so... cocoa and baking powder, icing sugar, milk and some double cream
>Those fancy horses better like chocolate cause everypony's getting diabetes when you're done with them
>Wait
>Wait hold on
>What?
>Looking at the ingredients before you, you realize something
>You still have no clue what the hell you're doing
>Pinkie seems to have the same surprised look on her face as she joins you
>"Wow Nonny, I'm surprised you remember so much"
>Putting a hand to your chin you ponder what just happened
"Well... I guess it must've just been muscle memory, I was here for 2 years before, how much of that time was spent working here?"
>"1 year, 5 months, and 2 days cause of holidays and sick days and you not having a job for the first few months you were here"
>Damn that pony has a good memory, it's like the internet, once it's there, it's there forever
"Well I still have no clue what I'm doing so, you wanna get to the baking and I'll make sure the kids don't interrupt?"
>You see just the tiniest hint of a blush on Pinkie's face but it disappears as quickly as it appeared
>"Okie dokie lokie just call me if you need help"
"Nah don't worry I'll be fine"
>You jinxed it didn't you?
>You can only smile at your impending doom, why fight it?
>You head out of the kitchen to check on the kids
>Thankfully they're still in their pen
>You can't help but smile at the sight, it warms your heart a little
>Entering the pen you sit down behind the kids simply watching what they're doing
>Pound is slamming a cube against a triangular hole and Pumpkin is currently chewing on not one, not two, but three different toys
>Fantastic
>Quickly removing the toys from Pumpkin's mouth to make sure she doesn't choke on them earns you some protest from her in the form of waving her hooves in the toys direction whilst giving you the puppy eyes
>No. Must. Not. Give. In. Too. Cute.
>Somehow holding firm you keep the toys close to you so she can't get to them
>You then take the cube from pound and replace it with a triangle
>Only for him to begin to bashing it against a circular hole
"You're gonna be smart when you grow up aren't you Pound?"
>You suddenly feel your stomach lurch as you feel yourself move upwards
>Looking around you see that the toys have been enveloped in Pumpkin's magic
>However your iron grip refuses to let up
"Uuuuuuh Pinkie?"
>Looking towards the kitchen door you see Pinkie pop her head out, once again needing to contain her giggles at the position you are in
>"Need some help Nonny?"
>A smug smirk crosses her lips, no doubt at your earlier words
>Squinting your eyes at her you decide to call upon the stubbornness passed on to you by your forefathers
"Nope I'm doing just fine"
>"Oh really? Then why'd you call?"
>Her smug smirk only gets smuger
"Just wanted to see your adorable face dear"
>It is now your turn to be smug as Pinkie's is replaced with a large blush
>After several stutters she simply returns to her baking
>Alright, back to matters at hand
"Pumpkin, put me down"
>All the little foal does is swing her horn back and forth trying to get you away from her prize
>Both her and Pound giggle at the sight of their personal ragdoll
"So glad I could amuse you two, now put me down Pumpkin!"
>This time you try and be more firm with the filly
>Whilst she does show some sign of putting you down she tries once more to get you off her toys
"Ok, how about this, I'll give you one toy if you put me down?"
>Seemingly thinking over your offer the foal begins to place you back on firm ground
>Begrudgingly handing her a toy you turn back to Pound to see if he's finally broken the box or not
>He'sgonefuck.jpeg
>Quickly getting to your feet you look about the shop for a sign of the pegasus
>The windows and doors are shut so he can't of left
>Quickly hurrying out of the pen you begin to frantically search the house for Pound
>Hearing giggles echo through the building you try to follow them to their source, but when you reach what you thought was the source you hear them in a completely different room
>Checking Mr and Mrs Cakes room for the twelfth time you spot a small air vent
>Gotcha
>Opening the vent you finally find the little tyke
>Reaching your arm in as far as it will go the foal is only just out of reach
>Of course
>Poking your hands with his hoof he finds your wriggling fingers quite amusing
>Then decides to hit them
>Holy crap this kid is strong
>Pulling your hand out you nurse your now red fingers
>Hearing giggles coming from the vent you glare at the little pegasus
>Checking the size of the vent you're reminded of those really small tunnels that that one group of people used in that one war
>The Chinese in WW1!
>Your history teacher would be so proud of you
>Sizing yourself up you reckon you'll be able to fit without too much difficulty
>Surprised by the fact you got into his safe space you manage to grab the foal
>All he does is giggle
>Was getting caught part of his plan?
>Propelling himself down the vent you feel yourself being dragged along with him
>You could pin his wings down with your thumbs but you don't want to be stuck in here nor will you accept Pinkie's help
>After about a few minutes of colliding with many a corner of the vent system Pound finally reaches another vent cover diving head first out of it
>Realizing your full weight will drag you both down you quickly tuck him into you
>Hitting the ground with an audible *THUMP* leaves your spine shouting profanities at the child who luckily remains unharmed
>Finally sitting up you find yourself back at the front of the shop, with the sound of Pinkie whisking coming from the kitchen and the pen being empty
>Wait what?
>Man jinxes are a real big deal here
>Getting to your feet you move to place Pound in the pen only to stop yourself
>Holding his back to your chest with one arm to make sure he can't fly away you move to find his sister
>You spotted that the toys were missing from the pen to you go to check the foals' shared bedroom
>Seeing Pumpkin there surrounded by toys, you feel a wave of relief wash over you
>It's finally over
>*WOOSH* *POP* aaaaaand she's gone
>Blinking several times and rubbing your eyes, you double check the room and confirm that yes, she did just teleport
>Fucking pony magic
>Giving an exasperated sigh you begin your search for the filly once more
>You find her in every room in the house but each time she sees you she teleports away
>One pattern you notice is its not just toys missing anymore, its anything soft
>An idea coming to you, you and your sidekick Pound now head up to Pinkie's room
>Searching her room up and down, through piles and piles of streamers and confetti you finally find a bag of flour under her bed
>Along with a bucket of radishes... and a pile of rocks... and a dust bunny
>You slowly lower the bed cover, you and Pound look at each other, both of you giving an understanding nod to never speak of this
>Going to the front of the store you leave the bag of flour on the counter, hoping your plan works
>Waiting behind the counter with baited breath for a good 2 minutes you hear a familiar woosh and pop
>Quickly jumping up you grab hold of the little filly securing her in your grasp
>*WOOSH* *POP*
>Making sure that both Pound and Pumpkin are still in your arms you notice that your hand had actually hit Pumpkin in the horn
>Luckily she seems unaffected by it
>Giving a sigh of relief you go to head back to the pen only to pump into an ivory pillar
>What?
>Looking around you seem to have teleported into some sort of throne room
>Neat
>Wait no not neat
>If you're on the other side of the planet you might be mistaken for invaders
>Yes, invaders with two children, the deadliest weapons on the planet
>Hearing two voices behind you, you see Celestia and Luna, the latter of which is wearing a shirt as blue as her coat with the words "I hate mondays" on it with the 'mon' part crossed out
>So this is Canterlot huh? Fancy place
>Also you didn't invade a hostile foreign nation
>Always a plus
>They seem to be having an argument over something though
>"Luna please be reasonable, you must understand that if we do this it may cost us a fine ally and a good friend"
>"I am well aware of the risk dear sister but I believe it is worth that gamble-"
>You've probably heard too much already, tapping Pumpkin's horn once more you hope to teleport away
>Luckily you do, and now you're in the barracks if all the armoured ponies were anything to go by
>They all turn to face you, stupefied at the fact that an alien wearing an apron and chef's hat with two babies was able to get into the middle of the room without any of them noticing
>Making eye contact with every guard in the room you straighten your tie and put on your best spy voice
"Gentlemen"
>Quickly tapping Pumpkin's horn once more you find yourself now face to face with Mr and Mrs Cake having a picnic
>Seeing you they both immediately drop their food
>"Anon!? Pumpkin and Pound!? What?"
>A very flustered Mrs. Cake's eyes are dating between you and the children whilst Mr. Cake simply sits there mouth very agape
"Uuuum no? No, I'm... I'm your conscience I know we haven't spoken in a while but here I am"
>"Oh really?"
>Mr. Cake gives you a skeptical look but you decide to roll with it
"Yep just here to say uh... stop worrying about Sugar Cube Corner."
>"We weren't worrying"
"Well apparently you were Carrot"
>"We've known Anon for a good year, Pinkie even more so, we weren't going to worry about them or the kids today"
>Mrs. Cake is giving you a look that tells you to drop the act but you refuse
"Well apparently your sub-conscious says otherwise Cupcake, but you know what, I don't have to take this from you two, good day"
>Giving Pumpkin's horn another tap you disappear once more
>With another pop this time you find yourself on a stage of sorts a gasp coming from the crowd in front of you
>Looking around you spot Trixie, bouquet of flowers in hoof, jaw on the floor
>Looking back to the crowd once more they are all staring at you and Trixie waiting for either of you to do something
>Then an idea hits you, striking a dramatic pose you raise one arm in the air to get the audience's attention
"and for my next trick!"
>Tapping Pumpkin's horn as you do you disappear from the stage
>Feeling yourself land on solid ground again you crack open an eye, and breathe a sigh of relief to find yourself finally back in Sugar Cube Corner
>Collapsing on a chair you let out a heavy sigh, who knew being teleported could be so exhausting?
>Looking down at the foals resting on your chest they both seem unaffected, but you doubt they'll be causing much trouble for the rest of the day
>Must be a pony thing you guess
>Looking to the clock you see that 6 hours have passed since your shenanigans
>Yet the kitchen is awfully quiet, Pinkie should be done by now
>Putting Pumpkin and Pound back in their pen you go to check on Pinkie
>Stepping into the kitchen you see the cake is done, and Pinkie is lying asleep on the floor
>Poor mare
>As you approach her you see her gently stir from your footsteps, slowly looking up to you she lazily smiles up at you before yawning
>A human heart was never meant to face such things
>"Hey Nonny~ What happened?"
"You fell asleep a little after finishing the cake"
>Pinkie looks down a bit in embarrassment
>Kneeling down you cup her cheek, bringing her up to face you once more
"Pumpkin and Pound are waiting for you in the pen if you're wondering? They're pretty tuckered out so they shouldn't give you too much hassle"
>Pinkie perks up a little at this
>Slowly getting up she walks in the direction of the little tykes, groggily rubbing her side against your leg as she does
>You smile at the mare as she disappears from the doorway before bringing your attention to the still undecorated cake
>Alright time to get to work
>Moving over to the table you find the icing pre-made and ready to be applied
>This mare
>Picking up a spatula you go about gently applying the frosting to the cake
>Using a cookbook for reference you apply the icing accordingly, not wanting to mess it up
>Whilst applying the rich chocolate to each layer you actually manage to get some of it to spiral outwards off of the sides of each layer to make it look more fancy
>Finally finishing after an agonizingly slow 45 minutes you pick up the cake carefully and carry it over to the fridge where it can wait until it gets transported to Canterlot
>After cleaning up everything you head back out to the front of the store to check on Pinkie
>Glancing at the pen you feel your heart skip a beat, Pinkie is currently reading a bed time story to Pumpkin and Pound
>Slowly moving over to the trio you gently pick Pinkie up and sit yourself against the wall placing her in your lap
>You then proceed to pick up Pumpkin and Pound and hold them against your chest
>Figuring out what you were doing Pinkie continues to read the story 'til the two foals fall asleep
>For a while you and Pinkie just sit there in the quiet
>Eventually she leans herself against your stomach so that you're both at eye level with each other
>"That was exhausting"
"You're telling me, these two are a handful"
>"I don't know, it was pretty quiet throughout the day, you must've been pretty good with them"
>You scratch the back of your head and chuckle, thankful of Pinkie's ignorance to the adventure you three went on
>"I think you'd make a great dad one day"
>Pinkie's brings a hoof to her mouth realizing what she just said, looking down at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with you
>For a while you simply stare at Pinkie, speechless
>Then you feel a smile forming on your face
>You gently bring a hand to one of Pinkie's ears and begin to give it a gentle scratch, watching her relax into your touch
"You shouldn't sell yourself short Pinkie, you're a natural with Pumpkin and Pound, you'll be a great mother too one day"
>This time making eye contact Pinkie looks at you just as speechless as you were, blush covering her face
>A small smile creeps onto her face and she gently brings her lips to yours
>This time leaning into the kiss to make it last longer you get the full feel of Pinkie's lips, and you are left wanting more when it had to end
>Pinkie softly leans her head into your chest alongside the foals, nuzzling you softly
>"I love you Nonny"
"I love you too Pinkie"
>With that you let sleep overcome you

>It's been a few days since you and Pinkie's attempt at playing family
>Emphasis on attempting
>But luckily Mr and Mrs Cake were merciful enough to give you and Pinkie a day off and so you are both heading over to the local Hayburger to meet up with the girls
>Holding open the door for Pinkie you both step inside only for you to be hit by the the smell of both fresh cut grass being cooked in grease
>A strange combination but it comes together to make an oddly sweet smell
>Spotting Rainbow and Applejack in a large corner booth you and Pinkie head over to join them
>As you get closer you start to hear an argument brewing between them
>"How can you be so darn thick headed? we plow the fields, we plant the seeds, we grow the food, you just don't have a solid argument here"
>"Pffft please AJ, the only way your seeds grow is with the sun, and if we didn't clear the sky of clouds or provide the rain when needed, all of your precious food wouldn't be able to grow"
>"NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE RD!"
"Mom, dad, please stop fighting"
>Hearing your voice snaps both of them out of their argument, turning their attention to you and Pinkie
>"Ummm how long have you y'all been there?"
"About a minute"
>Both of the girls sheepishly shrink into their seats in embarrassment, meanwhile you and Pinkie slip into the seat opposite them
"So what were you two getting so heated about?"
>Giving an exasperated sigh Applejack accusingly points a hoof at Rainbow Dash
>"Rainbow over here said that pegasi are ultimately the most important race to the Equestrian eco-system, of course I said that's a load of horse apples cause us earth ponies are the ones what keep the food on the table and the wilder parts of nature like the Everfree forest from getting out of hoof but she just won't let up"
>"Yeah, cause you're wrong, if we didn't pump out rain clouds to keep Equestria from going into a drought, or didn't clear the skies to keep the sun shining on your crops they'd be ruined"
>The two girls go back to arguing muzzle to muzzle
>Seeing how their argument is just going the way of a good ol' fashion internet shitfest you decide that the menu is suddenly the most interesting thing in this pastel-coloured world
>Looking through the menu you see countless variations on salad
>Hay Salad
>Hay Salad with Grass
>Hay Salad with Fruit
>Fruit Salad with Hay (get your salad tossed right before your eyes)
>Wait what
>Doing a double take you decide to move onto this place's namesake
>This looks much more appetizing, its still all just fruit and hay but some of it is grilled in fat
>Turning to Pinkie for some possible advice you see her not even bothering with the menu, instead choosing to use you like a pillow, softly rubbing herself up and down your arm
>Not wanting to disturb her too much you bring your other hand down to her chest fluff and begin running your fingers through the super deluxe soft fur
>As your fingers run through the fur you swear that you hear a light purr coming from Pinkie
>Wait ponies can purr?
>Well they can now apparently
>Hearing somepony clearing their throat behind you, you begrudgingly turn your attention to the source of the noise
>There stands the rest of group, Starlight included
>Twilight and Fluttershy sit beside Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both of which are still deep in their argument over the master race
>Meanwhile Rarity and Starlight sit on you and Pinkie's side of the booth
>Well Starlight does, Rarity is having a bit of trouble what with you taking up two seats
>Picking up Pinkie and placing her onto your lap you shift to the end of the booth making enough room for Rarity to sit down
>Not wanting any awkward silence Rarity turns to you
>"So good to see you again Anonymous, how are you settling into things after that whole..."
>Rarity clears her throat and is clearly considering her next words
>"...ordeal?"
>Everyone perks up at this question glancing at you with slightly worried eyes, even Applejack and Rainbow Dash cease their arguing briefly to hear your answer
>Jesus what happened to you? It's not like you died or anything
>Well you did get here by falling out of a hot air balloon so that might not totally be out of the realm of possibility
>Looking at the worried eyes all staring at you, you wave them off and give them a reassuring smile
"Girls don't worry about it I'm fine, sure it was odd at the start of it all, but I had some help settling back in"
>You pat the Pinkie currently in your lap to emphasize your point
>Pinkie returns your gesture by meeting your hand half way and placing a small peck on your cheek
>The sappyness between you two generates multiple reactions from the group
>From Rainbow Dash sticking her tongue out in mock disgust, to Applejack and Starlight giggling to themselves, to Fluttershy lightly blushing
>Hearing a loud growl coming from the table you and the girls turn your attention to the menus suddenly remembering why you were there in the first place
>Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash put their argument on hold over the prospect of food
>Deciding to get the basic Hayburger and Hay Fry combo meal you turn your attention to Starlight, clearing your throat to get her attention
>Turning to you with a curious expression she gives you a small yet warm smile
>"What's up Anon?"
"Nothing much just... what are you thinking of getting?"
>You internally hit yourself at your lack of social grace
>"Oh I was just thinking of getting a Fruit Salad with Hay, it's really impressive how they toss your salad"
>Holding back at smile at the strange choice of words the business decided to use you decide to address something that's been slightly bugging you since you saw Starlight
"Hey Starlight, why weren't you there in the hospital when I woke up?"
>A sad look crosses Starlight's face apparently she was expecting the question but wasn't ready for it
>She turns back to you hesitantly placing a hoof on your arm
>"Anon, I'm so sorry, I really am, I wanted to be there, believe me, it's just I was visiting Sunburst in the Crystal Empire and I didn't hear the news 'til the day after you got out of the hospital"
>You pull your arm away from Starlight's hoof causing her to flinch
>Then you bring it down to pat Starlight on the back a few times
"Hey forget about it Starlight you were on the other side of the kingdom, nothing you could do about it"
>A few minutes later a waitress pony comes to take your orders
>Taking aback by the sight of you at first she calms down when the others assure her that you don't bite
>After writing down all of your orders she hurries off back to the kitchen
>Turning back to the group you swallow a lump in your throat and decide to address the elephant in the room
>Clearing your throat loudly to get all of their attention they all look to you with a mix of hesitation and expectancy seemingly aware of what you're about to ask
>You swallow the lump in your throat once more and take a deep breath
"So girls, what exactly put me in that hospital?"
>Raising your eyebrows questioningly you turn to each girl individually to see them all with sad and somewhat... disappointed faces?
>Pinkie being the only exception choosing to not even look up at you but instead wrap her hooves around your waist and bury herself in you as bet she can
>After a few minutes of silence Twilight decides to speak up
>"In complete honesty Anon, we don't know exactly what happened"
>This takes you by surprise, looking at each of the girls once more you all see them giving confirming nods
"Wait that doesn't make any sense, I'm out of it for that long and you don't know how it happened?"
>"Well whatever happened, happened up in Canterlot during one of your meeting with the princesses"
"Well what was I doing there?"
>"What you normally did every month back then, you would go up there to let them know how you're doing, find out how they're doing, just making small talk really. Then on that particular day we all got called into the hospital saying you were in critical condition. When we got there both Celestia and Luna were tending to your wounds alongside the doctors, you were laying on the bed hardly moving at all, the only thing that confirmed you were alive was the heart monitor."
>Twilight has to stop herself briefly to calm herself down as her voice had gotten shakier and shakier as the story went on
>Finally managing to calm herself down she looks back at you to continue the story
>"The princesses said it was the work of a magic rune trap placed in the room you were all in, it was intended for the princesses... and it very nearly hit them, apparently as you were all heading out of the room to walk the castle gardens you spotted the rune beginning to activate as their hooves passed over it. Shoving them out of the way you took the full force of the spell and were left half dead on the floor by it. They both teleported you to Ponyville General and worked all day to stabilize you"
>Twilight turns her gaze to Pinkie, tears now beginning to form in her eyes
>"Pinkie didn't leave your side for a whole month, she hardly ate or drank anything, she barely slept at all and when one of the doctors tried to take her away from you she ended up breaking his nose"
>You can't help but chuckle at the thought, but your heart also warms in appreciation of Pinkie's devotion to you and you hold her tighter
>"The princesses have been working towards finding the culprit but still no solid leads, apparently multiple different magics were mixed together to throw them off, and sadly it's been working"
>Having finished her story Twilight lets out a heavy sigh and turns her head down
>Looking around the table you see all the girls don't dare meet your eyes, preferring instead to paw at the upholstery
>Suddenly you become aware of your jeans becoming increasingly wet
>Looking down you see Pinkie violently shaking in your lap, desperately clinging to you, almost as if she's scared you'll disappear if she doesn't
>Moving your arms down you pick her up from your lap and place her on your chest giving her a tight embrace and rubbing her back
"Shhhh it's alright Pinkie, I'm fine, I'm right here..."
>You continue whispering sweet nothings making sure that only she can hear them to calm her down
>Eventually she stops shaking but refuses to release her iron grip on you
>You go about making small talk with the others, catching up on how they've been recently, still keeping Pinkie close to reassure her you aren't going anywhere in a hurry
>She eventually does release you when the food comes but she's very hesitant about it
>You all simply enjoy your meals in peace, just enjoying each others company
>As they finish their meals the others head out back to work, leaving you and Pinkie alone in the booth
>With Pinkie still slightly shaking in your lap you decide to pay for the bill and head out
>Picking Pinkie up along the way you let her bury her face into the crook of your neck as you head back out to the old willow tree, hoping that it will help to calm her down
>As you finally reach the tree you sit against it's trunk gazing up at its leaves
>Feeling you two suddenly stop Pinkie finally emerges from your neck to look around, a nostalgic smile crossing her face at seeing the old willow tree
>Letting out a contented sigh Pinkie turns around so that her back is now on your chest taking in the sight of the slowly waving leaves
>After a few minutes of enjoying the peaceful serenity of the moment with your mare you are brought back by the sound of her voice
>"Hey Nonny?"
>Looking down you see Pinkie looking up at you with a questioning gaze
"Yeah Pinks?"
>"You know how the other day you said I'd make a good mother and I said you'd be a good father?"
>Images of being dragged through essentially a metal coffin and taking a tour around Equestria via magic baby cross your mind and you slightly shudder at the memory
"Yeah"
"Well..."
>Pinkie slightly adjusts herself in your lap the beginning of a blush beginning to form, lightly dusting her cheeks
>"...d-do you wanna try?"
>The question hits you like a bus as a million questions about human to magic cartoon pony biology and anatomy as well as the idea of giving up on being a wizard cross your mind
"W- w- well that uh... that is to say that um... I mean I wouldn't like, you know... be against the idea... but I do wonder how... you and me... um uh..."
>You silence yourself and try to calm down, to stop yourself from being a stuttering mess the next time you open your mouth
>However this time it's Pinkie's turn to be a stuttering mess with the blush now completely covering her face as she got the gist of what you were trying to say
>"I mean- well... we have... you know done... you know, but we uh didn't really know f-for sure about um... yeah"
>Hearing this reignites the questions in your mind anew and you can't help but feel completely helpless as each time you open your mouth nothing comes out
>Seeing Pinkie in the same predicament as you, you take a few deep breath to calm yourself so that you can focus
>Putting a hand under Pinkie's chin you slowly bring her gaze up to meet yours once more
"Pinkie look, I love you, I know this, and whilst the idea of being a parent scares the hell out of me... it also excites me a little, but I'm also more than happy to wait as long as you need"
>You give Pinkie a reassuring smile and give her a peck on the nose for good measure
>Slowly processing what you just said, tears begin to form in Pinkie's eyes and she launches herself at you, wrapping her hooves around you tightly and burying her head in your shoulder, nuzzling you as she does
>Eventually pulling back to look at you, you see a twinkle in her eyes and one of the calmest yet happiest smiles she's ever had on her face
>"Nonny. I really, really want to be a mom one day, and I know I want you to be the dad, but I'm not sure if I'm ready right now, I just wanted to let you know now rather than later."
>Pinkie leans into your chest once more resting her head in your neck
>You gently hug Pinkie, pulling her closer into you a smile crossing your lips as a puzzle piece clicks together in your mind
"Hold up Pinkie, was that what you and Mrs. Cake were whispering about the other day?"
>You don't get a solid answer only a small giggle from the pony in your arms and a kiss on your neck
>Leaning back into the tree you and Pinkie simply lay there in each others embrace, right now, in your mind, all the world is gone and this is the only thing left, you and Pinkie, under your old willow tree, not caring as the day passes you both by

>It's been a few days since you and Pinkie talked about that
>Despite being married it was still odd to find out that you and Pinkie had gotten to that point before you went under
>It's also been the focus of a lot of your thoughts as the days have gone on
>How would that even work biologically
>Luckily something came along to get your mind off the topic
>That thing being a letter from none other than Pinkie's family
>Apparently news of you waking up had reached them and they wanted to see you and Pinkie again
>Of course Pinkie couldn't pack her bags fast enough
>It took all your might to stop her from stuffing you into one of her suitcases
>After getting the ok from Mr and Mrs Cake and letting the others know you and Pinkie made your way to the Ponyville Express, bags packed and ready to spend a weekend with the in-laws
>In all honesty you weren't ready in the slightest
>But you weren't gonna let that show
>As the train rolled down the tracks you couldn't stop Pinkie from bouncing around the cabin like a pink pinball
>She only mildly slowed down when the landscape got noticeably gray
>As the train finally came to a stop at the station Pinkie finally stopped bouncing
>However what she did instead wasn't much better, she was vibrating with so much excitement you were worried she was gonna phase through the train
>Grabbing your own bag you peer out the window to see the smoke from the train clear to see the ever stoic Maud Pie standing at the station
>Spotting the two of you she lifts her hoof and gives you a wave
>Singular
>"MAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUD"
>After seeing her sister, Pinkie bolts through the train screaming her name until she finally embraced her sister
>With how fast Pinkie was going you're surprised she didn't fling Maud into next week with the force of the hug
>Shaking your head as you chuckle to yourself you make your way off the train at a pace that actually follows the laws of physics
>As you step off the train you wave and smile at your sister-in-law
>That's still weird to think about
"Hey there Maud, did you miss me?"
>"Everytime we sent a letter asking for an update on your condition and we received a response that you were still unresponsive was like a knife in my heart"
>It's official Maud has hit a new record for how quickly you've been stunned into silence
>The factual statement, the monotone voice, and the fact that she's now hugging you
>Not a Pinkie kind of hug but she is embracing your legs so hard you're worried they'll bend the wrong way
>"I'm glad you're back... bro"
>Hello diabetes my old friend
>With Maud finally coming down from her, emotional breakdown as Pinkie put it, she begins to lead you two to the Rock Farm
>As you make your way over a small hill that overlooks the farm you start to take the path to the Farmstead
>Only for Maud to split off from the group as she begins heading in the direction of a silo
>Wait a silo?
>What do they use it for? storing rocks or something?
>As you ponder the utility of a silo on a Rock Farm your train of thought is derailed by the feeling of a muzzle squishing into your knee
>Looking down you see Pinkie looking at you with an equally bewildered look on her face yet gestures you towards the silo with her head all the same
>Adjusting your bag, you and Pinkie head in the direction of the silo just as Maud closes the door behind her
>As you reach the door and enter the silo you and Pinkie are taken by surprise at the cacophony of the word "surprise" coming from the 5 ponies in front of you with varying degrees of enthusiasm
>Before you both stands Pinkie's family all wearing crumpled and dusty party hats
>Pinkie's father Igneous has a stoic look upon his face that perfectly matches the one from the picture in your room back home
>However you find it difficult to take him seriously due to the fact that he has a party horn hanging out of the corner of his mouth
>Standing next to him is his wife Cloudy Quartz
>Whilst she does give off a stoic presence similar to her husband her eyes are much softer when looking at you and Pinkie and a small smile graces her lips, not only that but she has her hair down rather than in the tight bun it usually is
>Limestone feigns disinterest in the whole affair but you can see that she is pleased to see you both
>Well pleased to see Pinkie, she doesn't even bother to glance at you
>Standing close to her sister for protection is Marble Pie, head down but still making eye contact with you and Pinkie every now and then whilst also attempting to keep her hair out of her face
>Similar to her father, Maud has a party horn in her mouth, and whilst her eyes are as stoic as ever at least a smile is tugging at the corner of her lips
>Lining the walls of the silo are what appear to be jewels, but are more likely coloured rocks, linked together with string
>To the side is a table with what looks like a punch bowl on top of it, only instead of spiked punch, which you have a feeling you could use at this point, it is filled with a green liquid and a single rock in the middle of it
>Along with the, whatever is in that bowl, is a plate of sliced bread with some cheese
>Behind the 5 ponies is a white banner with the word 'SURPRISE' written on it in a variety of colours
>Huh, wonder how they did that?
>Taking a glance back at the coloured stones lining the walls you see some of them are unusually flat in some places
>At the base of these flat surfaces you see scratches and black marks
>OOOOOOOHHH
>Clever girl
>You soon return your attention to the ponies in front of you
>Pinkie is already going about greeting them in her way and currently you find yourself face to face with Igneous
>Well stomach to face but you get the idea
>The look he's giving you certainly makes you feel smaller than him but you stand firm and try not to give any sign of how uncomfortable he's making you
>Swallowing a lump in your throat you give them the best smile you can muster along with a wave
"Hey there Igneous, good to see you again."
>You hold out your hand deciding to greet him in some way and it's far too late to stop yourself before you realize your mistake
>no fingers
"How's my favourite father in-law?"
>You add the last bit jokingly to try and help clear the tension yet Igneous holds his apathetic look strong
>Eventually speaking up and giving you a firm hoof/handshake confirms that he didn't die on his hooves in the 5 seconds you were here
>"Greetings Anonymous, it is good to welcome you once more into our humble abode, we hope thine health was not severally affected during your catatonic rest"
>Oh right he's essentially Amish, you forgot
"Um n- no, not hurt too bad, physically anyway, mentally though I'm a bit worse for wear but I- I'm getting there"
>Igneous gives you a solemn understanding nod at this
>"Of course, our dear daughter Pinkamena sent us word of your tragic accident at yonder Canterlot, and then word of your lack of memories. It elates us to see you safe and on the path to recovery all the same"
"Thanks Igneous, that means a lot, really"
>Giving a nod to each other you depart to greet the rest of Pinkie's family
>You are first met by Cloudy Quartz looking up at you with a small motherly smile yet the same fiery stoic presence that Igneous gave off
>Yet it more made you feel an inert respect for the mare rather than feel small in comparison
>Holding out your hand you decide to go for the same greeting as before
"Good to see you Cloudy, how have you been?"
>Cloudy waves off your hand with a hoof and it outwards
>"There is no such need for formalities Anonymous, you are to me as any of my children, let us embrace"
>Whilst the request itself put you off slightly Cloudy tilts her head to the side and her grin widens a bit putting you at ease
>Crouching down you slowly wrap your arms around Cloudy's neck not wanting to overstep any unspoken boundaries
>However Cloudy using both hooves to pull you in close to her chest soon puts your anxiety to rest
>Turning her head up she whispers into your ear
>"I'm so glad to see you well Anon, you don't know how many nights I went through thinking of you in that hospital, hoping for you to return to my little Pinkie safe and sound"
>Turning your head slightly you see a much bigger smile now graces Cloudy's lips
>Returning the smile you give her a gentle squeeze
"It's good to be back Cloudy"
>As you release her from your grip you feel another pony's hoof wrap itself around you next and slam your head into their chest
>Shaking your head out of its slight daze you look up to be met by a pair of lime green eyes
"Oh, hey Limestone"
>"Hey Anonymous"
>Her dismissive tone makes you decide to try and have a bit of fun with Limestone
>"So how have you been Anon?"
"Awww did you miss me Limey?"
>Looking down at you with a slight glare you simply return it with a smug smirk
>"Not really"
>So dismissive, you're almost hurt
"What about you Limey? anything new in your life?"
>"Nope not much other than the rock farm"
"Really so... no coltfriend or anything?"
>Her head immediately snaps to face you, pressing her muzzle to your nose, full glare in her eyes
>You simply return it with an even smugger grin
>Limestone then releases her hold on your neck dropping you face first into the dirt and walks over to the table
>"Good to see you didn't go brain dead in the hospital"
>Leaning yourself up on your arms and rubbing your face you look up at Limestone and... see a blush?
>Oh wait no, your eyes were just tricking you
>That explains why there were two Limestones as well
>Getting up and brushing yourself down you feel a muzzle nudging the back of your leg you look down expecting to see Pinkie
>Only to be met by the sight of Marble Pie
>As she see you turn your attention to her she takes a few hesitant steps back
>Kneeling down so you could make full eye contact with the shy pony you relax as best you can to try and help her calm down as well
"Hey there Marble"
>"Oh um... h-hey Anon, h-how are you?"
>You see her tense up once more and rub her leg with a hoof anxiously
>Giving her a reassuring smile you move a stray strand of hair behind her ear
"I'm doing just fine Marble thanks, it's really good to see you again"
>"Oh it's uh good to see you to. So um you've been getting your memories back? orrr I- I'm sorry I'm not sure on the all the details"
"Not a problem Marble, let me fill you in-"
>"Um don't you want to spend more time with Pinkie first?"
>Looking over to your mare you see her engaged in conversation with Maud ogling at all the rock based decoration
>Looking over at Pinkie you feel your heart skip a beat and your breath hitch in your throat
>The way it always did just by looking at her
>Chuckling to yourself you turn to Marble once more and sit down fully crossing you legs as you do
"Marble, I will always want to spend more time with Pinkie, but a few minutes apart won't kill me."
>Ruffling her mane a bit and giving her a reassuring smile you begin your tale of what happened, starting from when you woke up in the hospital
>As you go into the story Marble tucks her legs underneath herself, listening intently
>As you go on eventually Limestone joins in on listening to the story, chewing on the rock from the punch bowl
>You also definitely spot a blush crossing her cheeks when you get to the especially mushy stuff with you and Pinkie
>Speaking of which, Maud and Pinkie shortly after join, the latter of which lays her head on your lap, which you take as an invitation to giver her ears a thorough scratch
>Igneous and Cloudy soon join in, Cloudy leaning into her husbands neck whilst Igneous leans on top of her head
>For the first time you see a small smile cross Igneous' lips
>By the time you finish your story it's already well into night and you all head into the house for some well needed rest
>Before your arrival the family had prepared a room which you and Pinkie could share
>As you and Pinkie collapse into the bed you wrap your arms around Pinkie's back and bring her in close to you
>As usual she nuzzles her face into the crook of your neck peppering the area with small kisses
>You feel Luna's night slowly calling you to sleep, and then you feel it
>You feel you and Pinkie's heartbeats slowing down beside each other, beating together, as close to each other as you are to your mare
>You pull the mare in your arms even closer, refusing to let her go in anyway, and finally you let yourself sleep

>As the morning sun creeps up the horizon you flinch away from the intruding light burying your head into your pillow
>As you begin to relax once more having escaped the glare of the sun you feel your nose begin to twitch
>Snorting heavily to remove whatever is tickling your nose, you breathe in only to feel your nose twitching more, and more...
>...as your pillow begins to squirm?
>until eventually
*CHOO*
>Now bolting upright, not just from the sneeze, but your pillow shaking you off
>You quickly rub the sleep out of your eyes and take in your surroundings
>Looking around the room your gaze is returned with the sight of grey brick and stone
>Looking beside you, you see your pillow, or as you generally know her, Pinkie Pie
>oops
>The little mare is batting at her muzzle slightly, undoubtedly annoyed at your nasal assault
>Finally satisfied she glances up at you and as your eyes meet you both stop for a second
>Finally you reach over and bring her into a gentle hug
>It wasn't uncommon for you two to partake in such comforts from something as simple as making eye contact recently
>You just couldn't help yourself, you had fallen in love with Pinkie all over again and it was still fresh, and Pinkie had admitted that being away from you for 4 months had left her love sick
>You feel a smile cross your lips at the memory of Pinkie admitting as to why she'd been especially clingy the first few nights after your return to the land of the living
>Before you are both able to return to sleep a voice snaps you both back to reality
>"PINKIE, ANONYMOUS, IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"
>You'd know Limestone's 'gentle' voice anywhere
>But seriously up at this hour? What are these ponies sadists or something?
>Looking down at Pinkie she simply gives you a shrug and hops out of your grasp and heads down the stairs
>Now deprived of your Pinkie you drag yourself out of the bed and head after her
>When you get to the bottom of the stairs you are met with Pinkie's family enjoying a hearty breakfast of that weird green stuff from yesterday
>Sitting yourself between Limestone and Pinkie you awkwardly poke at the viscous liquid with your spoon
>"You do know it's not gonna bite you right?"
>Glancing to your side you return Limestone's smug grin with a slight glare
>Giving her a small bump with your elbow just as she lowers her head to the bowl causes her to lose her balance using her fore-hooves to steady herself she ends up pushing herself away from the bowl
"You do know its not gonna bite you right?"
>Finally steadying herself Limestone turns her whole body to you putting her hooves against your shoulders giving you a harsh glare
>This time its your turn to smirk
>Giving Limestone a wink she begrudgingly detaches from you and returns to her meal with a small blush
>Wait what?
>Checking out of the corner of your eyes you see no trace of any form of blush
>Weird
>Returning your attention to your breakfast you dip your spoon into the liquid you sip at it hesitantly
>Only to find that it isn't half bad, it was thick in texture, but smooth in consistency like soup, yet it had no real taste except for a slightly tangy... spice?
>Happily going through the rest of your soup you decide to avoid the rock not wishing to put yourself in the hospital again
>After you finish washing up your plate, you return to your room to get ready for the day
>Since keeping the rock farm going was a constant battle of sorts you and Pinkie's time here would include yesterday, today and tonight
>But whilst you weren't expected to do any rock farming you were asked to help around the farm in smaller ways
>That means you're gonna be spending today with Limestone
>Apparently the Pie's don't sustain themselves on green soup and rocks alone, occasionally they eat bread and cheese as well but not much else since the farm is expensive to maintain
>Whilst Pinkie is going to be helping her mother with the likes of cooking and cleaning, you and your favourite snarky pony are going to be heading into a nearby town to pick up some food supplies
>Since the Pie's were slightly strapped for cash they could only afford a carriage ride back so you and Limestone had to carry at least a dozen packs each
>As you finish securing the final extra large pack to yourself you give Pinkie a kiss goodbye on your way out hurrying to catch up with the impatient mare who was already well on her way out of the farm
>As you finally catch up with Limestone you catch her unscrunching her muzzle along with the last of a small blush leaving her cheeks, returning to her usual glare
>Is this mare allergic to the sight of affection or something?
>You both walk side by side for a fair amount of time with only a few wayward glances being exchanged
>Though you do notice that as the farm becomes smaller and smaller you catch small things out of your peripherals when Limestone thinks you aren't looking
>Things such as dipping her head down and taking several deep breaths, darting her eyes around almost like she's afraid of being attacked
>The usually hardy pony showing so much anxiety makes you worry for her
"Hey Limestone! You still with me?"
>Hearing your voice her head snaps to meet your gaze
>As quickly as she turned her head to face you she faces away from you shaking her head several times
"No, you're not with me?"
>"I'm fine, why do you ask?"
>Giving a snort to indicate it as more of a rhetorical question she picks up her pace and gives her eyes locked on the path in front of her
>You pick up your pace in order to keep up with you
"I ask, because you looked a little on edge is all"
>Clearly disgruntled that you weren't dropping the conversation earns you another snort from the small mare
>"I'm perfectly fine, just don't get out of the farm much is all"
>Nodding your head you decide not to press the matter any further
>Deciding to change the topic you take some time pondering how to approach the matter
"You know I'm serious now that I ask... do you have a colt friend?"
>Giving you a harsh glare you see her tense herself defensively
>"Why the hell do you care?"
>Giving an exasperated groan at how difficult Limestone's being you simply return her glare
"I don't know alright!? It's just... hearing about the town nearby made me reckon you must have somepony you're interested in at least... it'd explain why you're so god damn jumpy"
>"Well no I don't, alright!"
>Both of you give a groan and walk the rest of the journey in silence
>As you both reach the top of a hill you spot a small town in the distance made of only a few dozen buildings
>Glancing over at Limestone you definitely see her legs wobble ever so slightly
>As Limestone catches you staring at her she straightens up and growls lowly at you
>This time giving a snort of you own you head down the hill towards the town
>But you do glance at Limestone every now and then to check on her
>She's stubborn and annoying but that doesn't mean you didn't worry about her any less
>Hoping to blend in as best you can so you can grab what you need and go, you both saunter into the town
>Well you do, Limestone's shaking has gotten so bad with each step her hooves shake slightly, you would press the matter but you have a feeling you know how she'd react
>Though the shaking probably isn't helped by how your plan failed epicly as you both garner a large amount of stares directed at you both
>Well you more than Limestone
>It's like these ponies have never seen a dressed hairless monkey before, they really need to get out more
>You both split up to get the list done as quickly as possible
>Bread, cheese, milk, apples, and carrots
>Like you said, they can't afford much
>You certainly doubt they could afford a hospital bill as you hear a stallion make a fatal mistake
>"Hey cutie, what brings you he-
>*WHAM*
>"...ugggh"
>Chuckling to yourself you almost feel bad for the poor bastard
>Hearing several more grunts and groans behind you, you turn to see many more stallions laid out on the floor and a small crowd gathering around Limestone
>If it were stallions you'd leave them to their inevitable doom but this is a crowd of nearly everyone in town, mares, colts, fillies, elders, everyone
>Through the crowd you see Limestone frozen in place, hyperventilating, her body wracked with shakes
>Shit, definitely not good
>Quickly rushing over to the crowd you begin to hear several questions being bombarded at Limestone
>"Hey you're Pinkie's sister right?"
>"You're the sister of an Element of Harmony right?"
>"Can I have your autograph?"
>Just as you reach the crowd you see Limestone collapse, hooves covering her head...
>...and tears coming out from under them
>fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck
>Shoving ponies aside you quickly lean down to pick up Limestone
>Luckily you avoid becoming like one of the stallions behind you as you dodge a hoof that shoots out at you head
>Wrapping your arms around Limestone in a way that pins her hooves down so she can't hurt you or anypony else you do your best to calm her down
>Though the crowd continuing to bombard her with questions isn't helping
>"Hey, who are you?"
>"Hey, what are you?"
>"What are you doing with her?"
>"Is she alright mister?"
>Trying to tell everyone to leave is ultimately fruitless as your voice is drowned out by the crowd
>Some of the stallions even begin jabbing you telling you to put Limestone down
>Alright this crowd is really starting piss you off
"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP AND PISS OFF!"
>Your words echo through the town and many of the stallions back up several feet from you bracing themselves in case you decide to attack
>A minute passes and still nopony has moved
>Lurching forward and stamping a foot at a nearby stallion causes them to come to attention however
"I MEANT NOW!"
>This cause the ponies to scatter back to whatever they were doing
>The town returns to quiet, conversations being spoken in hushed whispers
>You slowly stroke Limestone's mane trying your best to calm her down
>All useless as she refuses to even stop shaking
>Shit what's wrong with this pony?
>Clutching her tighter to your chest to try and reassure her you go about picking up the supplies
>Approaching a fruit stall the young mare attending it comes to full attention when she notices you approaching
>As the other pony's in the line notice you too they all move aside
>You simply stop short at the old stallion who was in front of you
>Giving a dismissive wave of your hand the pony's hesitantly return to their line
>When you finally make it to the front of the line the mare comes to full attention once more, a small amount of sweat forming on her brow
>"H- hello sir, how m- may I-"
"Apples"
>Your tone is firm and dismissive showing no sign of wanting to idly chit chat
>Purchasing the apples you move onto each stall in similar fashion until you're finally done with the shopping
>As you begin to leave the town to purchase the small carriage service just on its outskirts your path is blocked by a few stallions
>The stallions that got laid out by Limestone earlier today you note, each of them with a fire in their eyes
>You don't have time to deal with whatever bullshit they have and feel a fire much larger form in your own eyes as you glare back at them
>They seem to see it as some of them back off a little bit
"What?"
>The largest of the stallions, which isn't saying much as he only comes up to halfway up your chest, steps forward
>"We have a score to settle with that mare"
>Looking down at Limestone you see that the shakes still haven't stopped yet
"I reckon she's had enough of this backwater town for today"
>"Well I don't think she has"
>Hearing the confidence in the stallion's voice the others begin to recompose themselves
"Fine you can have her"
>You feel Limestone freeze in your arms and see a few of the stallions step forward
"But..."
>Hearing the venom coating your words causes the stallions to stop dead in their tracks
"...only if any of you have the balls to step forward and try and take her"
>The stallion glares at this
>"Why the hell do you care so much anyway stranger?"
>Glaring right back at him you lower your voice to barely a whisper
"No one fucks with my family"
>As you both stare each other down the stallion decides to take a step forward
>But doesn't take another as you bring your foot to collide with his temple as soon as he did, knocking him out and sprawling him out to the side
>You continue past the stallions towards the carriage ready to get back to the farm
>You pay the carriage driver and you head into the back, Limestone still in hand
>As the carriage lurches forward you finally feel Limestone relax
>Looking down at her you hear the faintest mumble of something you can't quite catch
"What was that Limey?"
>You keep your voice low to help calm the mare and it seems to work
>Bringing her head out from her fore-hooves she rests her head atop them, giving you full view of her now red, tear-soaked eyes
>"I said I'm pathetic"
"You're not pathetic Limestone"
>"YES I AM! You saw me back there, I broke down just because of a stupid crowd"
>Whilst her initial outburst takes you slightly aback you relax as her voice lowers
"Yeah. I was gonna ask about that"
>Wiping her eyes her usual steely glare returns as she looks up at you
>"You wanna know? Fine. I'm terrified of crowds because...
>Her voice trails off and you see her swallow a lump in her throat
>"I'm petrified that they're gonna end up hating me"
>You give Limestone a look of disbelief upon hearing this
"Why would you think they'd hate you?"
>"You know why! In case you hadn't noticed, I can't interact with ponies very well. I glare at them if they glance at me, I yell at them if they talk to me and I hit them if they get too close to me, and I hate myself for it..."
>Her heads falls back into her hooves as shakes begin to rock her body again as new tears form in her eyes
>"...I certainly won't end up with a coltfriend like that"
>You flinch slightly at this
>Tilting her head up you wipe the tears from her eyes and brush her mane trying to think of the best way to go about saying this, finally deciding to simply be blunt
"I know what you mean Limestone"
>Smacking your hand away with her hoof she glares at you
>"What the hell could you possibly know?"
>You simply meet Limestone's gaze with a blank look, showing her you're serious
"About that fear of everyone hating you... from what Pinkie told me... my first few months here weren't exactly glamorous."
>Sighing to yourself you let you head fall back on the seat, this catches Limestone's attention and she turns her head to completely face you
>But you simply stare out the window, hardly acknowledging anything, off in your mind making a visual image of how shit your life was when you got here according to Pinkie
>All made by your own hand
"I was a recluse for so god damn long... once I got out of the hospital I was given a small flat to live in. So I locked myself away, hardly ever going out... once, maybe twice a week. Back home I was cynical, and had few friends, and I just never let that side of me go, in fact here I became bitter and angry at losing what little I had. Because of that I usually ended up taking it out on the ponies around me. Snapping at them when they didn't deserve it, when they just tried to be neighbourly. But there was one pony who never stopped no matter what, Pinkie Pie."
>A smile creeps its way onto your lips at mention of the mare
"No matter what I did, no matter how harsh my words, how loud my voice. That crazy mare never stopped, because somehow, she knew I didn't mean it. She saw past it all and only saw the good in me, somehow. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, I gave in, I let my defences down, started talking to more and more ponies, and eventually, I got to where I am now"
>Looking back down at Limestone she has her head tilted slightly to the side
>"I'm not sure I fully understand"
"What I'm trying to say is that you just gotta wait Limestone, eventually you'll find that one pony, that single pony who can't help but only see the good in you, who isn't put off by anything you do"
>Limestone simply looks down at this
>"I thought I already had"
"How do you mean?"
>Looking up at you, you can now definitely see a blush on Limestone's face
>"You do know you came to the rock farm before you were with Pinkie right?"
>Then a few things in your head begin to click together
>oh
>ooooooohhh
>oh crap
>Looking down at Limestone you see her head buried in her fore-hooves once more
>You gently bring her head up and start stroking her mane
"Look Limestone, I don't know what to say here really except... just don't give up. The real deal is coming, I promise"
>Looking up at you from the corner of her eyes you see a slight bit of anxiety in them
>"You really think so?"
"Oh yes, and believe me he's getting here as fast as he can... so you better work on your bucks because he's gonna have to get used to those"
>This earns you a glare from Limestone, which you can't help but smugly grin at
>Finally shuffling off you, you catch the faintest flash of a smile creep onto her face
>"You're such an idiot"
"I know"
>You both enjoy the rest of the journey to the rock farm in silence
>As you and Limestone head into the house you are tackled by a pink blur
>As you shake yourself out of your daze you bring your arms up to wrap Pinkie in an equally tight hug
>After many failed attempts you're finally able to get yourself up even whilst now top heavy
>After you put the groceries away in the kitchen you head back out to the family's small living room, catching Limestone glancing at you and Pinkie from the stairs a small smile on her lips before she heads off to her room
>Even though she can't see you, you give a wave in Limestone's direction
>Luckily the day goes by unceremoniously and you finish off dinner in a pleasant silence, except for the small bumping contest you have with Limestone
>After you wash up your dish you turn around to come face to face with Igneous
>Taken aback by him suddenly appearing behind you, you place a hand on your heart to try and slow it down
"Hey Igneous, what's up?"
>"Greetings Anonymous, we know this may sound a strange request but, would you join us in the rock fields in an hour, there is a matter of utmost importance I wish to discuss with you"
>Glancing out into the fields your eyes follow the direction his hoof is pointed, feeling something akin to déjà vu as you look out into the vast plain
>Shaking yourself out of the almost trance you look back to Igneous
"Uh yeah, one hour, sure"
>Giving you a curt nod Igneous moves over to speak with Cloudy
>Leaving the kitchen you shortly find Pinkie speaking with Marble Pie
>Clearing your throat they both look up at you, Marble soon turning her head down upon seeing you
>"What's up Nonny?"
"Hey Pinkie, I'm gonna be out in the fields for a while alright? Just wanted you to know not to wait up is all"
>"Awwww alright"
>Clearly disappointed by the news you give her a reassuring smile and ruffle her mane
>As you head out into the rock fields that feeling of déjà vu returns
>Getting a fair bit away from the house you sit down on one of the larger rocks
>The feeling of déjà vu returns with a vengeance putting you on edge
>You feel your breath get caught in your throat and your chest tighten
>Then you swear you hear something off in the distance
>Yelling?
>That familiar numbing sensation overtakes your body once more
>Slowly you allow it to build, drifting into it like you would a dream
>As you feel your body relax and fall to the ground your mind goes blank

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>You are currently walking beside your would-be father-in-law Igneous into the deeper parts of the rock field
>You say would-be as this stubborn old pony refuses to give you and his daughter his stupid blessing
>I mean what more does he want? you couldn't be happier than you are right now having Pinkie Pie in your life and the fact she refuses to leave your side for more than a few minutes points to the fact that she probably feels the same way
>Despite all this and the support you two are getting from the rest of the family he stay stalwart in his refusal to give you his blessing
>Even Pinkie has gotten to the point where she's willing to go through the wedding without it but you have to try
>Pinkie's family is very traditional, even more so than the Apple family
>Because of this you want to try and honour at least one of the few traditions you know that actually passed over from Earth when you came here, getting the father's blessing
>You want to prove to Igneous and the rest of the Pie family that you're willing to put in the work to make Pinkie happy
>But it's not just for them, it's for Pinkie herself too
>That mare, Celestia damn it she has done so much for you here, more than you could ever repay her for, but you're gonna show her that you're willing to give everything to make her feel as loved as she's made you feel
>Starting with convincing Igneous to bless the wedding
>He said that he refused to have any further discussion in the matter unless it was done in private which means one of two things
>This is your last chance to win him over
>Or he intends to bludgeon you to death with a rock then use that rock as your tombstone
>What a way to go
>Your joke does nothing to put you at ease due to the fact that you can never get a clear read on his face
>You almost find yourself losing your balance as Igneous abruptly stops in front of you forcing you to halt before you trip over the stallion
>Looking around you find yourself well away from the farm house, nothing but you, rocks and Igneous for miles and miles
>Not including that town you've heard the family mention every now and then
>Turning to Igneous, he is now facing you, classic stoic face and all
>This stallion always gave off an unnerving vibe about him, whilst you try to hold your composure you still find yourself nervously rubbing the back of your neck
>"Well Anonymous here we are. Should you have any reason as to why I should bless the joining of you and our daughter in holy matrimony, speak them now"
>You find yourself jumping ever so slightly when Igneous finally decides to speak up
>Sadly his question throws you of and you find your mind coming up blank
>Just like every important exam you ever took
>Focusing yourself you try putting together a solid argument, yet come up with none
>As you stand there Igneous simply shakes his head
>"Just as we thought"
>As he begins to head back to the house you find your mind going into overdrive, desperately trying to damage control the situation
>When still nothing comes you slump your shoulders in defeat
"I love her, Igneous"
>This stops Igneous dead in his tracks, ears perking up to catch your hushed voice
>Turning to face you once more his posture shows that you now have his attention once more
>"Continue"
>Standing up straight and running a hand through your hair, you let out a sigh to find your mind empty once more, empty of all things except for images of Pinkie, when you met that fateful thanks to the help of Sid
>When you proposed to her under your old willow tree
>The memories bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face
"That's it"
>Turning to Igneous his eyes are slightly squinted and his head is tilted to the side
>"What doth thou mean?"
"I mean that's it man, that's the only reason I got, and the only reason I need, I love her"
>Igneous' mouth hangs slightly agape as his eyes take on a look of disbelief at your words
>"Surely thou cannot be serious Anonymous"
>You simply shrug your shoulders
"What other reason would I need?"
>"Having the Choosing Stone confirm your bond to our Pinkie would make for a moderate start"
>Igneous snorts at you, and you find that as he gets slightly more agitated he uses less traditional phrasing
>You chuckle slightly to yourself at the mention of that stupid stone
>This only earns you a deep glare from Igneous
"Look Igneous, I don't need a glorified rock to tell me that me and Pinkie are meant to be together. That I love her. Cause I know that plenty enough already, thanks to this"
>You point to your chest to emphasize your point
"Feeling my heart skip a beat, feeling like I can't breathe, just by looking at Pinkie tells me everything I need to know"
>"Such things are still not enough for my Pinkie!"
"Then what is enough Igneous!"
>"For one! Being able to give her children! Being able to give her the love she needs, that she deserves!"
"Oh what and I can't give her that love! HUH?! and why would that be!"
>"BECAUSE KNOWING HOW YOU USED TO ACT YOU DON'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT SIMPLE COMMON COURTESY!"
>This stops your rising anger dad in your tracks and you start to feel only shame
>As images of those days come flooding back to your you bite the inside of your cheek and clench your fist
>As you feel your nails pierce your palm and your teeth pierce your cheek images of Pinkie rush through your head as you feel tears well up in your eyes
>All those ponies you treated like dirt
>You even treated Twilight like trash for scarring you, you didn't care that she saved your life
>All because you lost a life you hated anyway
>Then there was Pinkie, she got the worst of it because she never reacted, she only ever laughed and dismissed your anger
>It pissed you off because she was right
>As you remember the days after meeting her though your shame is replaced with happiness again
>The parties you dismissed as childish were the most fun you'd had in your life
>Once you apologised and made things as right as you could you found you had more in common with them then you had with anyone else on Earth
>As you open your eyes you actually see a smirk tugging at Igneous' lips
>Quickly returning to his regular stoic face he starts to head back
"Hey, hey I'm not done here Igneous"
>"We are"
"No I ain't taking that you get back here and talk to me"
>As he continues his way back to the homestead he dismisses you with a wave
>Feeling your anger rise again you call to him so loud you're pretty sure the town heard you
"TURN AROUND AND FUCKING TALK TO ME YOU COWARD!"
>This stops Igneous in his tracks and the look he gives you could kill
>Luckily your anger stops you from caring this time
"You're right, ok? You are right I was an asshole when I came here! I WAS! But Pinkie helped me and I owe her more than you or I can imagine for that and I am doing everything I can everyday to repay her. Like right now for example BY DEALING WITH YOUR BULLSHIT! SHE DOESN'T EVEN WANT TO PUT UP WITH YOUR STUBBORN ASS FOR FUCK'S SAKE BUT I WILL BECAUSE I OWE HER THAT AND MORE"
>For a while Igneous is silent before turning his head down, as time goes on he starts to shake until he takes a deep breath and shouts back at you
>"THE ONLY REASON SHE HELPED YOU IS BECAUSE SHE HAS BECOME NAIVE FROM BEING AWAY FROM THE FARM FOR SO LONG! SHE HADN'T LEARNED EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED HERE, THAT'S WHY SHE SHOULD HAVE STAYED HERE! THAT'S WHY SHE NEEDS TO FIND A PROPER STALLION, TO SETTLE DOWN HERE WITH SO THAT HER CHILDREN ARE NOT TAUGHT SUCH FOOLISH IDEALS AS WELL"
>You bury your head in your hands letting out a muffled exasperated scream at what you're hearing
>How could he possibly be that dense
>Throwing out your arms to both sides you continue your argument, finding your voice becoming a little hoarse from all the yelling
"YOU THINK THAT THIS! IS WHAT SHE NEEDS IGNEOUS!? THIS!? LOOK AROUND YOU IGNEOUS! THERE IS NOTHING HERE! NOTHING BUT THE SAME BORING SHIT OVER AND OVER, DAY IN! DAY OUT! IF YOU THINK THAT THIS IS WHAT SHE NEEDS THEN YOU ARE NO FATHER OF HERS! YOU KNOW NOTHING! OF WHAT PINKIE NEEDS!"
>"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT, SHE IS MY DAUGHTER OF COURSE I KNOW WHAT SHE NEEDS!"
"IF YOU REALLY KNEW WHAT SHE NEEDS YOU WOULDN'T WANT HER TO EVER SETTLE DOWN HERE! SHE NEEDS TO BE WITH PONIES! TO MAKE THEM FEEL CARED FOR! BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SHE DOES!... That's what she did"
>Igneous seems taken aback by your now hushed tone
>Glancing back at the farmhouse the image of Pinkie chatting with her sisters and mother flashes through your mind and you can't help but smile
"...Igneous. Back when I first came here... you were right. I was a complete mess, never wanted anything to do with this place. I just wanted to go home. But the thing is I don't know why. I had barely anything there. My mum and dad were in another country enjoying their retirement, I had few friends that I hardly ever spoke to, and I barely got by each day"
>Turning back to Igneous his eyes are squinting at you once again, curiosity in them
"Yet. It was mine. Somehow I got by every day because I worked for it, and I guess I didn't want to give any of it up. I was terrified of it changing so drastically that I just desperately clung to it."
>Giving an exhausted sigh your mind is now filled with how things were back on earth, when you weren't at work your whole day was spent on your computer, flicking through countless things just trying to get the day to go by quicker, occasionally messaging your friends, the one thing that remained consistent was your visit to /mlp/ you'd read up on a few green updates, shitpost and posting Pinkie Pie whenever best pony was mentioned
>New images fill your mind again, back to when you first met her, bleeding out with her friends pinning you down, and when you looked up at them, they showed real concern, like you were one of their closest friends, and despite your flailing, you still trusted them none the less
"Pinkie brought me out of that, she gave me something that hardly anyone back on my old world would give me, a chance. That's why I want to marry her Igneous, to give back everything I owe her."
>"But we still wonder as to why we should bless the ceremony"
>You turn to face Igneous completely and give him a small smile
"Because you're going through the same thing I did"
>This takes Igneous by surprise and breaks his stoic posture for a brief few seconds
>Shaking himself out of the shock he turns to face you once more, the slightest glare on his face
>"We fail to see the comparison between yourself and I"
"Well like I said Igneous, I had so little that I didn't want to lose any of it, and you..."
>Taking in the surrounding you nod to yourself, confirming your own thoughts
"...you have just as little as I did, but all of it means so much more to you. A farm handed down from generation to generation, and a small family you helped raise. Now one of them wants to run off with a space monkey in clothing and that terrifies you"
>Glancing at Igneous from the corner of your eye you see him with his firm stoic expression holding, but his eyes give it away, he's coming over to your side
"I know that losing something you have, when you have so little is terrifying, but when you let it go, and see what comes next. It's amazing... and I swear Igneous, with everything Pinkie gave me I will repay her double everything she has given me. Because I know as well as you do the love she needs and deserves, so don't ever think otherwise."
>Finally turning to face Igneous you see he has become conflicted, pondering your words
>Eventually he lets out a sigh and looks back up to meet your gaze
>"Can you swear but one oath to us Anonymous?"
"What's that Igneous?"
>"Should anyone hurt Pinkie in a way that causes her to cry. Make sure you hurt them just as bad."
>You can't help but smirk at the request
"I promise"
>Letting his head down Igneous lets out a long sigh, then takes in a deep breath, bringing his head back up and locking his eyes with yours
>You know what's coming but you can't help but feel your stomach turn in anxiousness
>"Very well Anon, the courtship of you and our daughter Pinkamena Diane Pie has our blessing"
>Taking a few seconds to process what Igneous just says you can't help but jump for joy and punch the air, one of the biggest smiles you've ever had on your face
>Kneeling down you embrace Igneous as hard as you can
>Realizing what you just did you stand back up and try to regain your composure, clearing your throat before you talk again
"Thank you Igneous, really"
>Igneous simply looks up at you and flashes you a small grin, too quickly for you to tell whether that actually happened or not
>"Thou art quite welcome, now come, let us return to the family"
>Following behind Igneous with a new spring in your step you can't help but smile, imagining how Pinkie will react
>Pinkie
>You're bride-to-be

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Returning to consciousness you find yourself with your face in the dirt and your ass resting on a rock
>Quickly righting yourself you look around you see Igneous slowly approaching you
>Oh shit you hope he didn't see you
>Standing up you decide to meet him halfway
>Stopping in front of him you find yourself rubbing the back of your neck once more
"Uhhh hey Igneous. So what did you want to talk about?"
>Seeing his face you are surprised it isn't in it's usual stoic mode
>Instead it is hardy and determined, this unsettles you even more than usual
>"Anonymous, word of your losing your memory and forgetting our dear Pinkamena, have left us troubled for many a night, whilst we have heard of your few returning memories, we would take you to the Choosing Stone in hopes that it could return memories of Pinkie"
"How would it do that?"
>"After you and Pinkie were wed, we saw how your bond only grew stronger, becoming as sturdy as bedrock, we are sure that upon touching the Stone, thou would know that connection to Pinkie once more, and hopefully, your memories restored"
>You simply smile at Igneous, you appreciate what he's trying to do, but you know it isn't needed
"I appreciate the idea Igneous really. But just like I said last time. I don't need a stone to tell me to love Pinkie. All I need is this"
>Patting your chest once more you see Igneous expression soften slightly, 'til it becomes stoic once more
>"Hmmmm, we thought thou might say that..."
>As Igneous voice trails off he turns around to head back to the house
>But just before he fully faces away from you, you spot a small smile on his lips
>Smiling to yourself as well you head off back to the house once more
>As you reach the house you creep up the stairs and into your room as carefully as you can
>Seeing Pinkie lying there peacefully you almost don't want to disturb her
>However you see her hooves reaching out to something in front of her, a small whimper escaping her lips
>Quickly heading over to the bed you gently bring the blanket up and climb in next to Pinkie, placing a hand on her cheek and stroking it ever so softly
>You soon find her hooves wrapped around your neck and her head nuzzling your chest
>Wrapping your arms around her to bring her into a hug of your own you place a small kiss on her head, allowing sleep to wash over you
>The next day you are waved off at the station by Pinkie's family as you both get ready to make the long journey home
>This time however you find yourself sharing a space with three other ponies
>Upon seeing your size each pony tries wriggling down the seats to make more room
>Quickly waving them off you pick up Pinkie and place her in your lap, allowing her to settle down and catch a bit more sleep
>As you stroke her mane your mind begins to wander as you gaze upon the rapidly passing scenery outside
>Whilst this weekend might have ended there was always next week
>Maybe you should check out this Ogre and Oubliettes game Spike was going on about a while back when it finally rolls around

>The week seems to fly by as more and more requests come in from Canterlot regarding the Gala
>So much so that you barely get any time with Pinkie and the girls
>Of course you take every second you can
>Pulling Pinkie away for a quick kiss which normally developed a little before one of you two were caught by any of the four Cakes
>You also get more into the feeling of sleeping with Pinkie so much so that it almost becomes second nature to hold her to your chest
>Eventually though the seemingly endless wave of requests stop and you're all finally given a second to breathe
>However you're given little time to make plans with Pinkie as she reminds you of Spike's offer back at the hospital to play some Ogres and Oubliettes
>You love the little drake and all, he's a top tier bro, but you've barely gotten to be with Pinkie this week thanks to both the princesses needing twenty cakes each
>At least that's the only explanation you can come up with for why you got so many requests
>Despite your protests Pinkie holds firm, stating how you needed to start hanging out with the guy's again since she had hogged you for the past two weeks
>Not that you were ever complaining
>Sadly you can see that she's resolute on this and decide to give in
>It's not like you don't what to see what O&O is like but you've got all the time in the world now
>Nonetheless you make sure to give Pinkie many a cuddle and kiss before heading out since you might not see her 'til the end of the weekend according to Spike
>It is a guy's night after all
>Though technically that would make it a guy's weekend
>Yet despite it being her idea, when the time does come for you to leave Pinkie never seems to be able to get enough, like a child asking for just 5 more minutes on the TV
>"Are you suuuuure you have to go Nonny?"
>You ruffle Pinkie's mane and give her a boop on her nose making her detach from your leg
"Sorry Pinks, it's like you said, I need to go hang out with the guy's again, and don't worry about it, I'll be back before you know it"
>"Awwww, alright Nonny"
>Kicking the dirt at her hoof you hear her mutter a "Me and my big mouth"
>Pinkie gingerly scratches her fore-hoof with the other looking at the ground clearly pondering something
>As she looks up you find yourself unsettled slightly by the face she's making
>Half-lidded eyes, ever so slightly biting her bottom lip and a glint in her eyes she begins to circle you like a shark
>A pink fluffy shark
>"You know Nonny, if you like the idea of role-playing so much..."
>She props herself up on your side and leans into your ear
>"...maybe we ought to try it sometime"
>Her words hit you like a truck and send your mind whirling in a million different directions
>Looking at Pinkie with your jaw on the floor and your eyes threatening to pop out of your sockets you look for any sign that she's joking
>After holding the look steady for 5 seconds she sticks her tongue out at you and drops back to her hooves, snickering slightly
>"Hehehehe don't worry Nonny I'm only playing with you, honestly go have fun at your guys night"
>Bringing a cloth out of nowhere to dab at the sweat that had formed on your brow you try your best to rid your mind of the many, MANY mental images that that sentence had put in your head
>Looking up at Pinkie confirms the fact she was toying with you, her face returning to its usual bubbly state
>This mare
>Giving Pinkie one last kiss you head out of Sugarcube Corner stopping at the door
>Turning around to face Pinkie you open your mouth to say something only to immediately be cut off
>"Don't even think about saying what you're thinking of saying Nonny"
>The slight glare shuts you up completely and you begrudgingly head out to the BUY OUR TOYS castle deluxe
>As you open the doors to Twilight's castle you find that hardly any of the candles have been lit, leaving an eerie feeling to the place
>As you trudge down the halls you see a much brighter light coming from one of the doors further down the hallway
>Finally reaching the door you hear voices coming from the other side
>Upon opening the doors you identify them as Spike, Big Mac and Discord as they all look up from their game board as you enter
"Sup guys"
>"Hey Anonymous glad you could finally get away from Pinkie, are you ready to enter the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?"
>You give Spike an affirming hum hoping beyond hope you haven't massively fucked up
>Sitting yourself on Pinkie's chair you glance around the table looking at the others' characters
>Discord is an archer, Spike is a wizard and Big Mac is a warrior
>A regular band of merry men which you slightly hope to turn into misfits before the game is done
>Though one thing that really catches your attention is that there's no sign of your character
"Hey where's my guy? Or did he die or something?
>"Pffft Nito? Dead? OHOHOHOHO my dear Anonymous you do know how to make me chuckle"
>Looking up at Discord you give him a questioning look
"Nito?"
>"Yep"
"Nito?"
>"Of Incog"
>Placing your elbows on the table you rest your chin on your arms leaning forward
"I'm listening"
>Spike reaches into the box that holds all of the game pieces and brings out your character
>A crudely drawn picture of yourself wearing what appears to be a Shaolin Monk's garb you see him with fists clenched in a fighting stance
>"This. Is Nito of Incog, a fighting monk who was a teacher in a quiet temple in the woods. After the Squizard ransacked your school you headed out to find justice"
>This gets your attention, sitting up straight once more you allow Spike to finish speaking of Nito's background
>"You have points in strength, and agility working like a glass cannon"
>Giving a slight nod you reckon that you could probably get into this now
>"Well that's all fine and good, but now let the real game begin"
>Discord suddenly begins to grow in size looming over the three of you, creating swirling storm clouds around himself
>"Are you gentlemen ready to enter the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?"
>Looking over at Big Mac and Spike you see them both frantically nodding their heads
>Giving a simple nod of your own Discord snaps his fingers and the room is engulfed in a white light forcing you to shield your eyes
>When your vision finally returns you see the three of them dressed in their characters items
>Garbunkle, McBiggun and Wuzz if you recall correctly
>Looking down at yourself you see a plain Shaolin Monk's robes and slightly calloused feet
>Looking at the surrounding areas you see many scattered bones, splintered arrows and shattered swords covering the battlefield
>Whistling at the sight you look to Spike hoping for an explanation
"Hey Sp- Garbunkle what's up with all the spooky skeletons?"
>Turning to you a look of realization hits him remembering the fact you had lost a sizable chunk of your memory
>The irony is not lost on either of you
>"This was last fight we had, a large platoon of the Squizard's men tried to ambush us on our way to the hamlet of Hoovesville, but luckily we took care of it"
>As the others head down a dirt path you follow shortly after them taking in the battlefield one last time
>As you all finally begin to head into the small hamlet you see the sun beginning to fall behind the horizon
>"Alright guys we need to grab a few things here and then hunker down for the night"
"Hey Garbunkle how do these day night cycles work anyhow?"
>"They work the same way they do in Equestria meaning we usually have 2 days here but we decided to go for one day to help you get back into things"
>Giving a nod, Wuzz bumps you with his elbow
>Looking up at him you see him trying to draw your attention to one of the buildings ahead
>Seeing a small building with a sign poking out of it you spot a tankard and the words "Galloping Horse"
>Making sure Garbunkle and Biggun don't see you two you give Wuzz a sly grin and nod before you two depart
>As you enter the establishment a strong scent of alcohol and sweat hits you
>Heading over to the bar you are met with a pudgy stallion barely any larger than Garbunkle
>"What'll it me gents"
>His baritone voice gives him a warm welcoming vibe
>"Give us a pint of whatever you're hiding under the bar"
>Both of you look to Discord with a questioning look
>I mean sure, he's the god of chaos but you barely ever remember drinking in the past
>A small chuckle from the bartender re-diverts you attention
>"Tell you two what, I like playing a game whenever someone orders something like that, if I win you pay double, if you win it's free"
>Before you are able to get a word out Discord cuts you off
>"Deal"
>Before you are able to argue three tankards are filled and placed on the bar
>Grabbing the tankard and giving it a whiff it has a very strong scent that nearly knocks you off your stool
>Looking to Discord and the bartender you see them eyeing you, waiting for your next move
"Welp... down the hatch"
>Swallowing a lump in your throat you bring the mug to your lips and start drinking
>The liquid burns your throat but has a smooth, honey like texture that keep you going
>Slamming down your tankard, shortly followed by the other two, they are soon refilled to the brim with whatever that stuff is
>Eventually you down four tankards each and you all can't stop laughing at something, forgetting about the competition
>A stallion comes up to the bar next to you ordering a drink
>Tankard in hand you turn to him to get him in on the apparently hysterical joke
>However you swing yourself around too quickly for your body and lose your balance tipping your still half full mug on to the stallion
>Spluttering the stallion backs up from you going into a fighting stance
>"The hell was that for?!"
>Bringing your hands up defensively you attempt to calm him down
"N- now sirrr I kn- I knew what it luks like. But I swer it was my mistake"
>You're barely able to get your sentence out as the sight of the stallion brings you into another laughing fit
>Outraged at your unknowing mocking of him the stallion raises himself on his hind legs to bring his fore-hooves down on you
>Spotting him just in time you try to throw yourself back
>However you end up tripping over your own feet, causing you to bring one up to the stallion's jaw, sending him upwards
>As you do this you also fall into Wuzz, bringing him down with you and breaking his stool on the way down
>The commotion at the bar starts a ruckus in the pub and all hell breaks loose
>Both you and Wuzz can't help but double over in laughing fits at the sight
>Eventually bringing yourselves up you both stagger out the door, somehow getting past all the fighting
>When you leave the pub you take off into a run when you hear the bartender burst out the door behind you, yelling something at you both
>Eventually you both find Garbunkle and Biggun
>Well actually they find you staggering and stumbling through the streets
>Them having gathered everything you all head to the outskirts of town to settle in for the night
>Just before you pass out a thought comes to you
"Hey Wuzz..."
>Looking over in his general direction you see his head swaying back and forth but his head is pointed in your direction
"We forgot to pay the guy"
>A few more laughs escape your mouth at the thought
>A small smile creeps its way onto Wuzz's face
>"He never said when we had to pay him did he?"
>Giving a slight nod you let yourself fall back into your sleeping bag falling asleep
>The light from the sun assaults your eyelids and you desperately try to shut it out by pulling your sleeping bag over your eyes
>Feeling something poke your sides you come out to glare at whoever is waking you up
>Garbunkle stands above you glaring down slightly, no doubt due to last nights antics
>"Come on Nito, we have to go, today's the day we assault the Squizard's lair"
>Perking up at this you begrudgingly pull yourself up
>Amazingly you find yourself lacking any form of hangover
>Looking over to Wuzz he simply gives you a knowing wink
>Your company heads off for a good few hours making the trek to the lair of the BBEG
>Eventually reaching the cave which acts as the entrance you see dozens upon dozens of skeletons surrounding the entrance
>Huddling together you start making a game plan
>Eventually breaking the conversation you and Wuzz head straight into the battle whilst Biggun and Garbunkle take the surrounding areas
>As one of the skeleton fighters spots you he lets out a war cry to alert the others
>They all draw their weapons ready for the battle
>You shoulder barge the first skeleton into one who had begun to charge you making them both hit their heads together
>Taking advantage of situation you bring your open palms onto either side of their heads, knocking them out completely
>Looking to your side you spot a sword coming down on you
>Quickly pushing yourself back an arrow strikes right throw the skeletons neck
>Looking to Wuzz he gives you a thumbs up, which you return
>As you head further towards the entrance three skeletons surround you in a triangular formation
>Jumping up you plant both your feet on the skull of one of the foes
>Using him as a spring board you leap towards the nearest one in the formation and bring your fist down on him, cracking his skull
>As the third one charges you, you drop down and sweep his hooves out from under him
>As he trips you right yourself and raise your foot bringing it down on his spine, dislocating it
>As your springboad comes out of its daze you rush him and bring a fist to his temple knocking him to the ground
>Looking around you see two skeletons with their swords raised frozen in place
>As they collapse into a mess of bones you noticed two arrows amongst the pile
>Mentally thanking Garbunkle you go about finishing the fight
>Wiping your hands of some of the bone dust that had collected on your knuckle you and the others head to the door
>It is a large circular door with a single ring around the outside
>The middle of which made of a material that acts like a distorted mirror
>As you touch the door it glows and seemingly comes to life as a large head appears in the mirror
>In a booming tone the head speaks
>"WHAT ALWAYS ENDS EVERYTHING?!"
>Looking to the others you see they are just as stumped as you at the odd riddle
>Eventually you speak up
>"Time?"
>"NO"
>After a few more minutes Garbunkle speaks up
>"Death?"
>"NO"
>Looking downtrodden you give him a pat on the back knowing that you'd probably do no better
>"Oh come on, isn't it obvious?"
>You all look to Wuzz who has a questioning look on his face surprised at how neither of you have gotten it yet
>Bringing a paw down his face he gives a sigh and raises his arms up in a grandiose fashion
>"THE ANSWER IS G!!"
>The face in the door remains silent, giving a low nod and disappearing
>The earth begins to shake as the outer ring rotates letting out a booming click
>Revealing a smaller door at the bottom of the mirror opening up into the cave
>Giving a slight chuckle you turn to Wuzz
"Looks like someone enjoys word games"
>As your party enters the cave you take in your surroundings as Garbunkle lights his staff to illuminate the cave
>Watching out for any traps you hear a loud burp behind you
>All of you face Garbunkle to see him holding a letter with a very surprised look on his face
"What happened?"
>Turning to face you all Garbunkle holds up the letter showing a crest similar to the design of the Equestrian flag
>"The princesses sent a letter and... it's addressed to Anon"
>This takes you all aback
>Exchanging looks Wuzz gives an exasperated sigh and snaps his fingers
>Returning to Twilight's castle you, Discord, Spike and Big Mac surround the board once more
>Taking the letter from Spike you tear it open and read it aloud
>"Dear Anonymous, my sister and I request your presence at the castle, this request would have come sooner but many delegates had to be handled these past two weeks and there was no time, if you return we may be able to assist in returning your memory"
>You read the last part over and over in your head making sure you're not misreading anything
>Looking around at the others they all give you an understanding nod
>Racing to the door to tell Pinkie you are stopped by Discord speaking up
>"You know Anon if I were you I wouldn't scratch the wall, but it is your choice"
>Folding into himself like a deck chair Discord disappears before you can question him
>Looking back down at the letter you feel yourself start to hesitate
>However the thought of Pinkie flashing through your mind steadies your hand and you head off once more

>Walking into Sugarcube Corner you glance around the shop hoping to catch sight of Pinkie Pie
>Not seeing her at the counter or working the tables you head towards the kitchen
>As you enter the kitchen that usual aroma of sweets fills your nostrils
>The source of the smell is your target engulfed in her work of backing what seems to be a lemon cake
>Deciding to take advantage of her obliviousness you creep towards her as quietly as you can
>Stopping whenever she bends her legs
>As you get within arms reach of her you slowly begin to bring your arms down around her waist
>Only for her to turn on a dime and pounce you like a cat
>"GOTCHA!"
>Her sing song voice fills your ears as you are sent tumbling back to the doorway
>When you both finally stop Pinkie crawls up your chest and nuzzles into your neck
>Pulling away only to lock her lips with yours
>Ending far too soon for your liking
>Eventually she does pull herself away so that you can look at her
>You see her looking at you with a tender love in her eyes and a smile that warms your heart
>Sitting up you pull her into a gentle but firm hug
"Hiya Pinks"
>"Heya Nonny, I missed you"
"I missed you too"
>Remembering the letter you pull away and go to fish it out of your pocket
>Finally finding it you hold it in front of Pinkie
"Pinkie I have amazing news, the Princesses said they might have a way to get my memory back"
>"WHAT!?!"
>Hearing this Pinkie pushes her face into the letter
>So much so that you can see her eyes bulging out from the other side
>Finally pulling away she gives out a long drawn out gasp realizing that you weren't pulling her leg
>She then wraps her hooves around your neck in an almost crushing hug
>"OHMYGOSHNONNYTHISISAMAZINGYOU'LLBEABLETOGETYOURMEMORYBACKANDREMEMBERALLTHESUPERDUPERSWEETFUNTHINGSWEDIDANDOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHNONNY!"
>Seemingly at a loss for words at the end of her outburst she simply begins to relax into you and the hug
>"Nonny..."
>It wan't really a question, she was just sort of saying your name for the sake of saying your name
>Bringing her in tighter you stroke her mane until she eventually begins to let go
>As she does you give her a quick peck on the forehead leaving a small blush dusting her cheeks
"Hey Pinkie?"
>"Yeah"
>Bringing a hand to cup her cheek you stroke it softly as she leans into your touch
>For a few seconds you just admire the pony that stole your heart
>Twice
"I just want you to know that losing my memories wasn't such a bad thing"
>Looking at you with a questioning look in her eyes you give a slight chuckle and ruffle her mane as you stand up
>"Because I got to fall in love with you all over again"
>This leaves Pinkie a stuttering blushing mess which you can't help but smile at
>Leaning down to give her one last kiss you head out of Sugarcube Corner to meet up with the princesses
>You would take Pinkie but Discord's words repeat in your mind making you decide against it
>>"You know Anon if I were you I wouldn't scratch the wall, but it is your choice"
>Shaking your head you finally reach the train station and you purchase a ticket for Canterlot
>The ride to Canterlot isn't that interesting
>For the most part you ponder Discord's words
>What does he mean, is there something in your head you don't want to remember?
>Or is it something that someone else doesn't want you to remember?
>This only leaves you more curious and now you are certain you want to remember everything
>As the train screeches to a halt you hurry off towards the castle
>Met at the gate by two guard ponies you stand waiting for them to move their spears
>Eventually realizing you won't leave they both look you up and down
>Realizing that you're that one alien that is the only one of his kind here they move their spears to grant you access
>As you enter through the grand double doors you are greeted by both Luna and Celestia at the stairs
>"Greetings Anonymous it is good to see you well"
>Man Celestia really does give off that motherly vibe
>You suddenly feel very anxious about all those lies you've told, nervous she'll have that weird mind reading abilities all mums seem to have
"Hello Celestia, long time no see. Good to see you to Luna"
>You give a small bow to each princesses until Celestia beckons you to follow her
>Eventually you find yourself at the doors of the throne room
>Opening them with her magic as if they were made of plastic Celestia has all the guards leave the room
>Looking around the room your eyes are met with the same ivory pillars that you, Pumpkin and Pound came to see all that time ago
>What catches you off guard is the small table and tea set laid out in the middle of the carpet
>Looking up to Celestia and Luna with an eyebrow raised so high it threatens to become one with your hair they both chuckle at your clear bewilderment
>"Do not fret Anonymous, we both believed that after returning your memories to you, some refreshments might be in order"
>Nodding your head slightly you return to taking in the design of the rooms examining the stained glass designs
>Eventually stopping at the foot of the throne Celestia and Luna turn to you
>"Now Anonymous obviously you know why you're here, but to stop any trepidation we would go through how this should work"
"Should work?"
>Hearing this from Celestia only increases your trepidation
>"You must understand Anonymous this has never been done before, no reason to, and the circumstances are even stranger than the usual"
>Giving a curt nod, Luna speaks up this time
>"As you should know I am able to wander the dreams of our subjects. Since we will only be using this magic on one it can become much more potent. I believe we will be able to wander the rest of your subconscious with this. However the connection will be unstable, the subconscious is no place to be trifled with due to its fragile nature and so my sister shall use her own magic to stabilize the connection"
>Words escape you so you make do with giving a nod to show your understanding
>"Very well"
>You try to relax yourself as Luna and horns light up
>As they hit you, you feel yourself drifting into sleep, falling to the floor
>......
>Oh man your head hurts
>Opening your eyes you look around
>Rubbing them a few times to make sure they're open you glance around to confirm your surroundings
>Nothing
>Nothing but a pure white space
>Even walking doesn't feel right, like each step you take you're only ending up in the same spot every time
>Like world's trippiest treadmill
>Eventually a voice breaks you out of your trance
>"Anonymous? Anonymous?"
>Looking behind you, you see a blue blur begin to approach you, slowly coming into focus
"Luna!?"
>Raising your voice slightly to get her attention she makes her way to you
>"Ah Anonymous good, now that we are together, traversing your mind should be much easier"
"Easy enough for you to say this place is rustling my jimmies"
>Raising one of her eyebrows at you she gently begins to trot towards the nothing
>Following behind her you look about yourself as best you can, trying to find any indication of where you need to go
>But sadly there's nothing
>Turning to the resident expert you see her jump slightly as your voice pulls her from a trance as hers did for you
"So Luna, what are we looking for?"
>"It is your mind Anonymous, though we are inside it, it still works as usual, we will simply see its processes"
>Deciding to give it a try you focus your mind on your missing memories
>Only to hit that damn block again
>Hearing a woosh you open your eyes to find you and Luna standing before a mighty wall
>Looking to the left and right you see that neither side has an end in sight
>Behind you, you see picture frames floating aimlessly
>So that's what memories look like?
>Looking back to the wall you recognize some picture frames as the memories you were able to get back being pulled against the wall
>Examining the wall further you notice a few cracks in its structure
>Looking to Luna you see her gaze planted firmly on the ground, gently scratching at the floor of your mind and swallowing a lump in her throat
>She must be tired, I mean she does usually sleep during the day
>Rubbing your hands together you try and fit your hands into the cracks
>As soon as you touch the wall however a surge of headaches washes over you
>This causes you to flinch slightly but you push past them making sure to get a tight grip on the wall
>The headaches simply increase in terms of pain
>As soon as you tug at the wall though they become nearly unbearable
>As you are about to relent a picture frames drifts by your eyes
>The memory of when you first met Pinkie
>Seeing her face smiling down at you, even then
>You can't help but smile back at her, almost like its the real thing
>Focusing yourself once more you pull as hard as you can feeling it relent
>Each time it gives way even a little makes you feel like your splitting open your own head but you keep pushing past it as best you can
>Finally the wall gives way, a sizable chunk of it coming loose and disappearing into nothing
>Doubling over clutching onto your head you feel your brain throbbing
>A hoof comes to stroke your back but does little to soothe the pain
>Though having Luna there does certainly make this whole thing a little easier
>After a few minutes the pain subsides enough that you're able to focus again
>Standing up right you face the hole in the wall and see several picture frames floating around
>Looking to Luna you both share a nod before stepping through
>As you walk through the area the air begins to feel thick
>Your stomach begins to roll and you have to swallow several lumps in your throat before you are even able to take one step
>As you take each step it becomes mildly easier to take the next
>Examining each picture you see multiple scenarios
>As you try to recollect the memories they don't seem to show up in your mind, almost like they're stuck here
>Until you see some of them begin to twitch as you near them
>Reaching hand out to touch them they woosh away and out of the hole in the wall
>Just like that, there they are in plain view in your mind
>Looking into more memories you simply go about sending them past the wall
>Waking up at the hospital after your fall
>Meeting the princesses
>The multiple guy's nights
>You hanging out with the girls
>You hanging out with Pinkie
>You and Pinkie's first kiss
>This one you slowly approach taking it in both hands slowly beginning to play
>As you hold it, it begins to overtake your vision until you're actually in it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>You are currently lounging around on Pinkie's bed
>Your shifts had ended and the others were busy so it was a party of two again tonight
>Well party of three including Gummy
>Bah who are you kidding you always include Gummy
>The bathroom door opens to reveal a still slightly damp Pinkie Pie
>You have to admit, they may be ponies but damn it if sometimes certain thoughts didn't cross your mind
>You always shook them off as best you could because, well, as you just said they're ponies
>They probably wouldn't be interested in you
>Stop it brain we agreed no more depressing shit once we got over the recluse shit
>Looking up you notice Pinkie hasn't left the bathroom doorway as she simply stares at you with...
>Hold on is that a blush on her face?
>Turning yourself over to get a better look, Pinkie has already moved on putting her towel up to dry by the window
>Shaking your head to get the blood buildup out of your head you turn to Pinkie
"Hey Pinkie, what's on the fun menu today?"
>Slightly jumping at your voice she turns to look at you
>Only for her gaze to meet the ground as she shifts her body and scratches her neck with a hoof
>Maybe she should see a masseuse
>"Oh I don't really mind No- Anon, maybe we could just... sit?"
>Giving a shrug of your shoulders you slump back down on the bed
>Simply hanging out with Pinkie was pretty good fun, she made for great company
>Feeling the bed sag slightly you look over to see Pinkie shyly shuffling onto the bed, almost like she's trying to go unnoticed by you
>Giving her a small jab to the side a small giggle escapes her and her head snaps towards you
"You do remember this is your bed right?"
>This time you're positive you see a blush on Pinkie Pie
>"Of course I know that silly"
>Her words come out at a bit of a mumble and you see her flexing and stretching herself once more
>Seeing her in discomfort doesn't sit right with you
>Eventually you sit yourself up and next to Pinkie's side
>Turning to you she jumps at the sudden close proximity
>"H- Hey A- Anon, what are you uh... what are you doing?"
"You looked a little tense, I reckoned you could use a massage or something if you're alright with that"
>"YES! I- I mean um sure yes"
>Taken aback by her sudden out burst you simply chuckle to yourself and start with firm rubs to her back
>She almost immediately leans into your touch and you even see a shudder run down her body
>Feeling enough of the main tension clear up you move your hands to her withers
>This sends another shiver down Pinkie's back as you gently knead and press on the area to help get rid of the tension
>"Mmmmm thanks Anon, that feels really nice"
>Smiling to your self you move on to her shoulders
>As you do you see her press her body more into the bed and see her hooves curl up, almost like she's trying to get a grip on the blanket
>Letting up a little bit afraid that you might be hurting her you see her start to relax again
>As you massage her shoulders you see the tendons and muscles flex and stretch as you go to work like a well oiled machine
>Pinkie's voice soon brings you out of your trance
>Realizing that you might have been caught staring you feel heat rush to your face
>"Hey Anon?"
"Hmm?"
>"How long does Twilight think it'll be before she can get you back home?"
>The last part is almost incomprehensible as Pinkie buries her face into her pillow muffling her voice
"She's not quite sure in all honesty, though she reckons she's close to a breakthrough"
>You see Pinkie begin to squirm slightly but eventually she relaxes into your touch again
>You're also pretty sure you hear a few disheartened "oh"s coming from her
>Looking down at Pinkie you stop your massaging causing her to turn to face you
"I'm really gonna miss you Pinkie"
>Glancing up at Pinkie you see her eyes darting back and forth, having some kind of internal argument with herself
>Finally looking back up to you, you see that she made her decision
>Though it was not a decision you were expecting
>Before you know it Pinkie has turned her whole body to you and shoved you onto your back, her hooves firmly plated on your shoulders as she looms over you
>Looking up you see Pinkie with tears in her eyes and whimpers coming from her throat
>"Then don't go"
>Your eyes widen hearing this
>Has Pinkie gone mad or something
"What do you mean Pinkie, I have to go back"
>"Why!?"
>Her tone takes you aback even more and makes you ask yourself the same question
>Shaking your head you give Pinkie a slight glare at the ridiculous question
"You know why Pinkie, I don't belong here, and I'm certainly not going to go anywhere here, not romantically at least, back home I have a chance at finding someone who, for some reason, might like me, here there's no chance"
>Letting her head fall Pinkie gives an exasperated groan before looking back up at you with a glare of her own
>"Celestia, you're an idiot"
>Tucking her legs in she almost winds you as she practically crashes into you
>As you get the air back into your lungs you feel a hoof on your cheek
>Looking at Pinkie she leans in and kisses you dead on the lips
>The shock of what Pinkie's doing leaves you immobile
>Eventually when she breaks the kiss you see tears in her eyes again, this time streaming down her face and her whimpers being much more audible
>Blinking several times you try to process what just happened
"Pinkie... you?"
>Almost reading your mind she answers the question you didn't fully ask
>"Yeah"
"Since when?"
>"I- I don't know, a while ago, just one day I saw you one way, the next I saw you this way and I didn't really notice 'til I heard you might be leaving I guess"
>Swallowing a lump in your throat you ask her one last question
"Why me?"
>Examining your face, Pinkie relaxes into your body a bit more shifting her hooves to get more comfortable
>"Because... you're you"
>Raising an eyebrow at Pinkie's answer her expression never changes, however seeing you're not quite satisfied she lets out a small sigh
>Her warm breath feels kind of good on your face you note
>"You were so... so angry when we first met, never liked talking to anypony, going to party's or even coming out of your house. But I saw you wanted to, but you didn't want to give up on your home, seeing you hurting so much I just had to do something. When you finally let yourself enjoy yourself I found you were one of the most fun po- people I've hung out with. You're always able to laugh at anything, willing to accept others no matter how different they are from you, and you were always willing to help others when they needed it"
"I always thought that if you were willing to do that for me I should be willing to do it for others"
>Pinkie puts a hoof to your lips stopping you from downplaying whatever you did here any further
>"Doesn't matter why. You did it anyway. Then we started hanging out and I just felt happier when I was around you than when I wasn't and then, well... I guess it was now"
>You're left speechless by what Pinkie just said, as she looks up to you though you see her trying to gauge your reaction
>When you don't really do anything her ears droop and her mane begins to sag to
>She slowly gets to her hooves and you see she's about to leave
>Bringing a hand up, you grab one of her hooves
>Freezing at the sudden contact Pinkie looks back at you
>Sitting up straight you bring yourself face to face with her and cup her cheek with your other hand
>Its her turn to freeze up as you slowly bring her into a kiss
>She however recovers much quicker and pushes back into the kiss
>Eventually breaking for air you wipe the tears from Pinkie's eyes that had started to emerge once more
>You gently bring Pinkie into a hug and you both simply sit there enjoying each others embrace
>You had found something worth staying for here and you didn't intend to let it go any time soon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Eventually you feel your vision pull away from the memory and you're back in your mindscape
>As you release the memory and it zooms to the main part of your mind you hear Pinkie's last words as it goes
>"...Please don't leave me"
>Looking around you see Luna giving you a worried look
>Waving her off to confirm your ok you look back over the memories
>What else is in here?
>As you wonder down the rows and rows of memories alongside Luna you see just how much you can miss when two years pass you by
>All the ponies you hurt when you first arrived
>Making amends and gaining new, seemingly invaluable friends
>Guys night with Mac, Spike and Discord
>All the times you hung out with the girls
>Working alongside Pinkie Pie
>Dating Pinkie Pie
>You can't count how many times you chuckled at a memory of you or Pinkie Pie messing up a bit on your dates
>All of these things that a lot of people would see as trivial you can't imagine not remembering
>Of course there were some events that stood out to you
>Birthdays
>Nightmare Night's
>Hearth Warming
>All spent in the company of ponies who care for you
>Not that you didn't have folks back home who didn't care for you
>It was always just too expensive to travel for visits for either side
>As the memories thin in number you realize you're coming close to seeing whatever put you in that damn hospital
>As you reach the last two memories, what shocks you the most is how closely the two are
>One of the frames shows you looking down at Pinkie Pie
>In a wedding dress
>How long had you two been married before that fucker nearly took you out?
>The thought causes you to clench your fist, your nails digging into the skin but never breaking it
>Swallowing a lump in your throat you grab hold of the memory of your wedding, letting it overtakes your vision

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>So...
>Here you are
>Standing at the altar waiting for your bride-to-be Pinkie Pie
>and holy shit why is it so hot in here?
>Tugging your tie down you try to cool yourself off only for a magic grip to quickly right it
>"Anonymous! Would you please calm down!"
>You give Twilight a slight glare for her constant nagging
"Sorry Twilight! It's just I'm kind of, sort of, ever so slightly freaking out here!"
>Taking a few deep breathes to calm yourself down you feel Twilight's hoof on your shoulder
>"Anonymous I understand why you'd be anxious but there's no need to be, besides I'm sure Pinkie Pie is just as nervous as you"
>Swallowing the lump in your throat you try to imagine that scenario rather than the one million and one running through your head
"Yeah, yeah you're probably right"
>Giving you a small nod you can't help but see out of your peripherals a smile creeping onto Twilight's face as well as seeing her bounce on her hooves slightly
>Chuckling to yourself Twilight immediately stops herself and clears her throat
"You look as excited as I feel"
>A small blush appears on Twilight's face as she gingerly shrinks a little at your joke
>"Sorry its just, I've never been a minister before"
"Don't worry about it"
>Pinkie had decided to do a small wedding, family, friends (which included all of Ponyville as well as some weird sea serpent guy)
>Time seems to slow to a crawl going slower and slower
>As you hear the music start to play you remember to breath in and your eyes snap to the end of the isle
>Then everything stops again
>Because there is the most beautiful mare you had ever seen
>Pinkie Pie is slowly walking down the isle hoof in hoof with Igneous wearing a simple white dress with balloon patterns scattered about it
>She never was one for the theatrical unless it was a party
>She more saw the reception as the party
>But you weren't much better, wearing the same old suit you usually wore apart from your coat and jeans
>Time finally seems to start again when Pinkie's standing in front of you and gives you that smile of hers that stops you dead in your tracks no matter what
>It takes all of your will power not to pick up the mare and kiss her now
>"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Anonymous and Pinkamena Diane Pie in marriage. I have seen these two's love for each other out grow the differences between them and I am honored that I could be here today to see them take the next great step in their relationship. I believe they have a few words to share?"
>Pinkie opens her mouth to speak up but then shuts it
>Putting a hoof to her chin you see a sheepish grin creep up onto her face she looks up to you apologetically
>"I um I was sort of so worked up about the wedding th- that I s- sort of forgot to um think of anything"
>Chuckling to yourself a bit you kneel down and place a kiss on her head
>Pressing her forehead to yours you take in every detail of her as the wedding seems to fade
"Pinkie you've done more than enough for me already, I've got more than enough to say for the both of us"
>Giving her a small wink causes a blush to dust her cheeks
>Taking in a deep breath you let your mind go of on its own
>"Pinkamena. Diane. Pie. When I first came here, I had nothing, no family, no friends, whilst I might not of had the first one I didn't even try to get the second one back. But you, you just kept pushing and pushing, and when I finally gave in I got back that small part of my life. Now, a year or so later you're giving me a chance to have a family again. Yet I had nothing to give to you. I mean, I would have my house but I sort of lost that when I moved in with you"
>This gains a chuckle from the crowd and Pinkie Pie
"But I do have something to give, myself."
>This causes Pinkie to pause her eyes questioning you and her head tilted slightly
"Today I give everything I am to you Pinkie, body, mind, and soul, I'd give you my heart but you stole that long ago anyway"
>Tears are now beginning to form on Pinkie's face and she nearly tackles you to the ground when she presses her lips to yours
>Wrapping your arms around her you sink into the kiss as well pulling her up into your arms as you stand up
>"Ummmm Inowpronounceyoumanandmareyoumaynowkissthebride"
>Twilight declaring you two official sends a cheer ringing through the crowd
>You begin to move down the isle with Pinkie still in arms
>You head in the direction of Sugarcube Corner since you and Pinkie never felt like a honeymoon would be your thing
>As you enter Sugarcube Corner you slowly make your way up the stairs still not breaking the kiss with Pinkie Pie
>As you reach her room and set her down on the bed you spot a letter on the bed with the royal crest on it
>On the front of it, it reads 'URGENT'
>Glancing down to Pinkie she gives a disheartened sigh yet stands up and begins shoving you towards the door
>Despite a great amount of argument on your side she refuses to relent stating that the princesses wouldn't call you and deem it urgent for nothing
>She ends up having to push you all the way out the door before you actually start heading off
>'The world had better be ending'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>As the memory it zooms out of your hands, leaving just you and one last memory
>It's clear what you're about to see as you see yourself
>Standing over an activating rune
>For a few minutes you simply stand there looking at the memory
>The memory that lead to you forgetting everything
>Your life
>Your friends
>Your wife
>But you can't help but hesitate Discord's words repeating in your mind over and over
>Just looking at it gave you a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach
>Mainly because the picture seemed... off
>It didn't look like you were shoving anyone out of the way
>Your face showed nothing but shock
>Like you had just walked over it casually only realizing what was happening before it was too late
>But why?
>Swallowing a lump in your throat you raise your hands gingerly to grab the picture
>You're almost unable to with how much your hands are shaking
>Taking a few deep breaths you steady yourself and grab the memory, holding it firm
>Once more the memory over takes your vision

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>You are currently more pissed than you thought possible
>There you were hoping for a little bit of alone time WITH YOUR FUCKING WIFE
>Is that too much to ask for?
>Apparently so as the princesses just HAD to send you a summons letter
>What surprises you even more is that the only reason you're here is because Pinkie literally pushed you out the door and she looked even more pissed than you felt
>But whatever you'll get in talk to these two and get home
>After all heart and absence yada yada
>As you reach the large double doors of the throne room you give them a hard bang hoping to relieve some of your anger
>"Come in"
>Even Celestia's usually motherly voice grates on your ear drums
>A golden glow surrounds the doors and open them wide
>Storming towards the thrones of the two sisters you see them both wave off all the guards in the room
>As they look up at you, they are surprised when they see your glare boring holes into them
>"Anonymous? Is everything quite alright?"
>You give a loud snort at Luna's questions
"Yeah whatever can we just get on with it? Now would be preferable"
>As you approach the thrones Celestia holds up a hoof to stop you
>As pissed as you may be these two could still tear you a new one within the blink of an eye and without breaking a sweat so you comply
>Tapping your foot you look between them both
>Your gaze however, is not met as they are both seemingly having a psychic conversation
>Eventually they both nod and rise from their seats
>"Tell me Anonymous, how often do you socialize with Discord?"
"Often enough I guess... why?"
>"What sort of matters do you discuss?"
"I don't know! The pranks he pulls, how great he is, he's kind of full of himself you know, why the hell does it matter?"
>You quickly take a step back as you see Celestia and Luna's turn their horns towards you
"What the fuck are you two doing?"
>"Anonymous I need you to calm down, we have reason to believe you may be tainted with Discord's magic"
"The fuck are you on? I'm not gonna take this"
>As you turn around to walk out on the bat-shit insane mares you are halted by an invisible wall
>Putting your hand to the wall you see a mix of blue and gold outlining it faintly
>The wall leads all the way up to the ceiling and down to the... floor
>Looking down you see a complex rune beneath your feet
>When the fuck did that get there?
>Turning back to Luna and Celestia you press yourself against the wall as much as you can as you see their horns have two layers of magical auras surrounding their horns
"YOU TWO ARE COMPLETELY MAD! IF DISCORD DID HAVE ANY OF HIS MAGIC IN ME I WOULD HAVE FUCKING NOTICED!"
>"Would you though Anonymous? We understand your trepidation, we too have felt it many times when discussing this matter. But Discord is a being who can play in the long run if he wishes. Besides why else would he be so enamored with you?"
"I always just put it down to my stellar personality really"
>"We are glad you can make merriment in this situation, it is not easy for us"
"Well why don't you just have the elements do something then?"
>"We have already pondered this possibility Anonymous and believe it would be unwise, what I say next I mean in the sweetest way, you do not belong here. If the elements were to sense something with no connection to Equestria it would attempt to return it to its place of origin, we do not want that"
>"You have to believe us Anon if there is any of Discord's magic in you this spell will disperse it"
"What if there isn't any to begin with?"
>You see both of the sisters swallow a lump in their throats until Celestia speaks up once more
>"We do not know..."
"I fucking hate both of you"
>You see a frown form on their faces only for it to disappear just as quickly
>"We understand, and we are sorry"
>With Luna's last words the spell is let on to you
>As it hits you, you feel a force being pushed out of you almost like something detaching from you
>But that still doesn't make any sense, how come no one else has been "tainted" as those two so colourfully put it
>However you also start to feel your headache as the spell continues
>You get to a point where you feel your mind going numb and begin to lose your balance
>Holding onto your head you feel the pain get worse and worse
>Doubling over you try to cry out but nothing leaves your throat
>Eventually you succumb to the pain and black out
>.....
>.....
>.....
>*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Your eyes snapping open you take in a deep breath coughing and spluttering feeling like you have been holding your breath for a whole day
>You feel yourself being lifted up and guided... somewhere
>As you are sat down on a chair your vision finally begins to settle and you are able to refocus on your surroundings
>You're out of that weird memory hall and back in Canterlot Castle, Celestia and Luna looking down at their hooves both of them occasionally stealing a glance at you
>Finally feeling your heart and breathing settle you decide to break the tension
"Would either of you care to explain what the fuck I just saw?"
>Luna chooses to look up to you
>You feel a bit better talking with her
>Despite her old timey ways you felt more relaxed around her
>Probably because she felt more... normal? than her sister you suppose
>Also her mannerisms are reminiscent of Igneous so that helps slightly
>"We can not apologize to you enough Anonymous what we did was unforgivable, we know this. But surely now that you have your memory back you must see why we were worried?"
>Her eyes look up to you hopefully
>Replaying the memory there is one part that sticks out
"It- it felt like something... detached from me"
>Looking up at Celestia and Luna questioningly they both nod their heads confirming your suspicions
>That fucking bastard, what was his game?
>Here you were thinking he was cool after your adventures with Wuzz
>But once a chaotic asshole always a chaotic asshole you guess
"One thing does bother me though"
>Hearing this Celestia finally looks up to you
"What were you so worried about? I mean yeah I had a bit of Discord in me which was unsettling but did you actually think I was gonna be like him?"
>They both look back down at their hooves causing you to slump back in your chair
"Un-fucking-believable"
>"Well what did you expect us to think from the likes of you!?"
>Celestia's outburst takes both you and Luna aback
>You give Celestia a harsh glare at her implications
"The hell is that supposed to mean?"
>Celestia gives you an exasperated sigh
>"Anonymous, when you first came here you were bitter, angry, spiteful, of any little thing around you. Yes you did come out of your shell but you were still bitter. Both me and my sister could see it, and when you informed us of how terrible humans can be to their own kind well... the idea of you having that potential, with Discord's magic..."
>Celestia doesn't even finish her sentence opting to simply give a defeated sigh rubbing her temples with her hooves
>Giving a deep sigh you take a sip of the tea Luna had gingerly made whilst Celestia went off on her rant
"I guess I understand"
>Both of the sisters let out a sigh of relief but you put up a hand to stop them from speaking
"However I don't think I'm ever going to stop hating you"
>Both sisters blink several times trying to process what you said
>Luna even tries chuckling to see if you were in anyway joking
>However your calm delivery of the statement and the fact your face does not change in mood makes them both exchange worried looks
>"But Anonymous, we thought you understood?"
>Finishing off the tea you let the cup fall to the ground and shatter, looking back to the sisters
"Oh don't get me wrong I do, but there's just one problem"
>"What would that be"
>Feeling your fist clench, this time tearing through the skin and gritting your teeth you drop your voice to a whisper as you lean forward
"You made my wife cry"
>Standing up you turn to the door to leave
>"What does that matter when it comes to the potential fate of Equestria!?"
>Celestia's second outburst stops you dead in your tracks
>Turning on your heels you face Celestia once more with a raised eyebrow
>Taking your hint Celestia continues
>"I understand that you are mad Anonymous but remember the potential fate of Equestria was at stake... and as much as it pains me to say this one pony? your wife. Well... well her life is not worth the lives of all of my other little ponies"
>You don't really remember much of what happened next
>You don't remember launching yourself at Celestia
>You don't remember flinging the table aside letting it shatter against an ivory column
>All you remember is balling your fist and bringing it down on Celestia's head
>However as several guards burst through the doors and begin to restrain your thrashing body, as you take in the surroundings that's clearly what happened
"SHE IS TO ME YOU HEARTLESS WHORE!"
>As you are dragged from the throne room shouting obscenities at Celestia the sight of her softly weeping form stirs nothing in you but a want to cause her more pain as she caused you and Pinkie
>As you are thrown out of the castle you spring to your feet ready to run back in you are stopped by two spear being pointed at your throat
>Snarling at the two guards their eyes lock with yours
>Eventually you break the glare between you and them
>You storm away from the castle, although not before you spat on the boots of one of the guards
>You storm through the streets of Canterlot causing ponies to cross the street to avoid you
>You even end up storming past the train station
>You need a good long walk, to think of ways to get back at Celestia
>Storming down the mountainside the only thing that fills your mind is Celestia's last words to you
>You were already this pissed as soon as you saw the memory but those words that stabbed you like a hot knife brought that anger to the surface
>You don't know how long you've been walking. Longer than a day that's for sure, it takes a few hours to get to Canterlot by Ponyville train so you don't know how long you've got left
>You decide to look for a place to rest
>After a few more minutes of walking you come to the edge of a familiar forest
>Looking to either side there's no sign of Ponyville so you decide to go through
>Maybe you could crash with Zecora for a few hours
>Going through the forest you eventually hit a smooth dirt path
>Hoping it'll lead to some form of civilisation you head down one way on it and hope for the best
>After another good half hour of walking you come across what seem to be the ruins of some old fort
>Hoping to find what's left of the guard barracks you head inside
>As you enter through the doorway what meets your eyes rekindles your anger
>Before are two thrones with a symbol of the sun and moon atop them
>Alongside this you see tapestries with depictions of the Celestia and Luna
>Realizing you've stumbled on what must've been the old castle you decide to relieve a bit more anger
>Reaching the top of the stairs you plant your foot firmly on the back of Celestia's throne and shove it down the stairs watching it tumble down, hitting each step fragments of stone breaking off it as it hits each step
>Proceeding to do the same with Luna's throne you move on to whatever else can remind you of them
>You tear tapestries
>Use furniture to smash windows
>Anything
>Eventually you reach the library, several books line some of the shelves
>Even though it's not even half full there's still a few thousand books here
>Then a thought crosses your mind
>If Celestia and Luna were pissing themselves about learning magic, maybe you should give them a reason to
>Grabbing the nearest book you begin flicking through the pages to find something
>A lot of it is in some weird old language that you can't understand
>Chucking the book away you reach for another ...and another ...and another
>Fuck have these ponies never heard of written English?
>Hooking your arms around the end of one of the shelves, you sweep down the row bringing the books tumbling onto the floor
>Yelling your lungs out at your shit luck you slump yourself against the bookshelf and let yourself slide down it, your exhaustion catching up with you in full
>"My, my, you human's do have such a strange way of reading. It's quite fascinating really."
>Looking up you see Discord lazing about on the top of the bookshelf
>Giving a huff you quickly divert your eyes
"Fuck off Discord, this is your fault in the first place you bastard"
>"What gave you that idea?"
>Now crawling down the bookshelf Discord stands in front of you with a questioning look on his face
>How thick is this guy?
"Discord. I got my memory back, I remember feeling whatever the hell it is you did to me detach itself from me"
>"OOOOOOOHHHH. So you decided to scratch the wall ay? Well I can't blame you really. But that doesn't change the fact that I didn't do anything. Or at least not here I suppose."
"Well no shit sherlock we just got here"
>You wish you had some strength left to yell at him but you're completely exhausted
>"Yes I was gonna ask about that, why are you here?"
"The two bitches at the top of the tallest towers back at Canterlot are the reason I lost my memory, I had come here to see if I could use something here but no luck. Then I remembered you're equally to blame if not more."
>Despite everything you still can't find the strength to yell at Discord
>Looking back on your memories so many of them surrounded you, Wuzz, Garbunkle and Biggun going on great quests, there were even a few of you and Discord hitting up Las Pegasus a few times. It was mostly a glorified arcade but there were a few places that did actual gambling.
>The looks on the con ponies' faces when Discord out conned them
>For some reason you just sort of hope that not all of it was done to trick you
>"You know magic won't really do at all for you buuuuut... summoning might work!"
>Discord's voice snaps you out of your trace and you see him eyeing up a dusty old tome with a three page fold in it for some reason
>You can't help but feel curiosity overtake your anger
>Even just a small bit, causing you to speak up
"Summoning?"
>"Yes my dear Anon summoning!"
>The way he said that phrase with reverence sent a small shiver down your spine
>"If you want a solid contract with some ethereal being I'd say the blood of an alien, not native to this dimension, is sure to attract the attention of a powerful being or two. Oooooo it'll be such fun"
>Clasping both of your cheeks in your hands he pulls the book up to your face for closer inspection
>"Of course if that sort of thing doesn't appeal to you, words will be more than enough to get you a decent monster under your control"
"Hold up what?"
>This is a lot of information to take in and you feel your head starting to spin
"Slow down a bit Discord jeez"
>The god gives a sigh at how pitifully slow your mortal mind is comprehending this stuff
>"It's very simple a lot of summoners never get the words exactly right, and beasts such as demon's are very particular about their grammar so occasionally blood is used as more of an incentive than anything else. Get the words exactly right though and you'll be good as gold"
>Discord chucks the book to you and you read over the nonsensical scribbles
>Looking back up on him with a questioning look he only seems to have a gleam in his eyes about the prospect of you summoning something from tartarus
>Maybe you'll end up booty calling one of his poker buddies
"Just like that?"
>"Just like that"
"Bullshit"
>He simply chuckles to himself
>"Oh come now Anonymous, don't be so quick to dismiss this. Words are an important part of any summoning ritual, for example, when wish making, if you twist them in just the right way and you'd be surprised at the results"
>Finding yourself chuckling as well, you glance at the page on the book you and begin to feel a nagging feeling in the back of your mind
>Suddenly a row of memories comes crashing to the front of your mind and a million things click together
>>"Words are an important tool my boy, twist them in the right way and you can get anything out of anyone, why you could've gotten this ride for free if you had used my words the right way"
>>"Well I said the ride was $20 but I never said when you had to pay me, now did I?"
>>"He never said when we had to pay him did he?"
>>"So you're a fan of word games ay?"
>>"Looks like someone enjoys word games"
>Glancing up at Discord still browsing through more books a single thought echos through your mind
>Sid Dorc
>"Hmm? What was that Anon?"
>Discord turns to you with a raised eyebrow
>Did you say that out loud?
>You take a cautious step forward your eyes examining Discord up and down for... well anything
"Sid Dorc"
>This time you make sure what you're saying is clear to hear
>Discords eyes widen slightly
>It's only for a brief second but its enough
>"Friend of yours from back home Anon?"
>You're now right in front of Discord, you have to crane your neck up to make eye contact but you hold firm
"You. It was you. That day on the hot air balloon... it was you?"
>Discord gives a small defeated sigh and scratches his neck briefly
>"Ugh I had hoped you wouldn't put those two together so quickly. But I guess you can't win them all"
>Discord chuckles to himself once more
"Why?"
>Out of the millions of questions swarming around your mind that's the only one you can get out
>Discord raises an eyebrow at your question
>"Why? Well its quite simple, having the prospect of being turned into a glorified garden gnome held over my head if I cause any chaos here means I'm barely allowed a lick of fun. However, causing chaos outside of Equestria is fair game so I thought to myself 'how can I cause mountains of chaos for Equestria without breaking my deal with Celestia?' and the answer just fell into my lap in the form of you"
>Covering one side of his mouth with a hand Discord leans into your ear
>"And if I do say so myself, you have done a spectacular job"
>Shoving him away from a new glare forms on your face
"So all of this was part of some great plan huh? Me coming here, me getting screwed over by the princesses only for you to have a bit of fun!?"
>Discord holds up his hand defensively as you say this
>"Hey now Anonymous, don't give me too much credit. I don't plan that far ahead, never have. I had no idea that the princesses would go off the deep end the way they did, and I certainly had no intention of it happening."
>Once again he leans towards you wrapping an arm around your shoulder
>"Certainly not after you fell for Pinkie Pie."
>He gives you a nudge and a wink as he puts extra emphasis on 'Pinkie'
>"I would never do that to a friend"
>You quickly shove Discord off of you into a bookshelf
>You're so tired, and angry that the word friend is nothing but an empty word, especially coming from Discord
"You're no friend of mine, never were apparently"
>Discord is taken aback as you spit the word at him
>As he opens his mouth to speak you simply shake your head and glare at him
"Just. Go."
>Discord's mouth clamps shut hearing this
>Letting his head fall he simply disappears
>No theatrics
>No nothing
>Slumping yourself against a bookshelf your mind begins to wander about everything that's just happened
>You lost your memory because of the princesses
>The princesses only did what they did because of Discord
>Discord only did it for shit and giggles
>But the only reason Discord was able to do it...
>...was because of you
>As the thought crosses your mind it begins to stick to the rest of your thoughts
>You lost your memory because of the princesses who only did it because you were so bitter and they couldn't trust you
>Pinkie lost someone so close to her because you were too selfish to let go of your anger
>Pinkie had to go through so much because of you
>It was all your fault
>You bring you knees up to your chest and lean your head into them
>Maybe it'd all just be better if you never came here
>Right?
>Pinkie would continue her peaceful life as a baker with all the friends she could possibly need
>These thoughts haunt your mind as you feel yourself drifting off
>God damn it you're so tired
>You half wish that tomorrow you could wake up and all this would just be some convoluted nightmare
>As sleep finally takes you, you swear you can hear the faint echo of hoofsteps
>"...Nonny?"
>As you feel yourself slowly wake up you shift around in your bed trying to readjust and get comfy
>Wait a minute?
>Using your hands to lazily search around you confirm that you are in fact in a bed
>Not slumped against a dusty old bookshelf in a dusty old castle wallowing in your own self pity
>Well maybe that last bit isn't so true
>You feel a few tears form in your eyes as you dare not open your eyes for fear you'll just come face to face with your boring old bland apartment, cursing yourself for that stupid wish
>As your grip tightens on the blanket covering you, you feel a hoof wipe away some of the tears that had started falling down your cheeks
>As it begin to pull away you hand shoots out to grab it desperately holding onto it
>Once you confirm it wasn't some figment of your imagination you crack open an eye
>Looking up you see Pinkie Pie looking down at you, worry clear in her eyes
>Sitting up and swallowing a lump in your throat you look around to see you're back in Sugarcube Corner
>Looking back down at Pinkie Pie she places a hoof on her chest, propping herself up to eye level with you
>"Nonny? Is everything ok?"
>'No Pinkie everything is not ok its further from ok than it could ever be'
>'I should never have come here'
>'Everything that happened is my fault and I'm so sorry'
>All these thought cross your mind and all you want to do is go off on a rant, venting your frustration at everything
>But you're stopped dead silent as a small caring smile forms on Pinkie's lips
>She brings up another hoof, placing it on your shoulder
>"Because i- if there is, you can talk to me, alright?"
>That smile, the smile that always melts your heart away
>Feeling a few more tears beginning to form in your eyes you wrap your arms around Pinkie and bring her into a tight hug
>You hold it for who knows how long but you never want to let her go
>As you feel Pinkie in your arms everything just feels right again
>Her soft fur and skin feels like silk to your hands
>Her sweet scent fills your nose
>Her eyes meet yours and you feel yourself almost getting lost in them
>Placing your forehead on hers you feel her slowly nuzzle your cheek
>Then you do something you never thought you'd be able to
"Yeah Pinkie everything's perfect"
>You let go of whatever anger you had left
>Holding Pinkie in your arms you realize that you don't care how or why it happened, it happened
>You've got your Pinkie Pie back and that's all that matters to you right now or ever will matter to you
>Feeling a smile form on your face you simply lie there
>Content

>A few moths have passed and you and Pinkie are heading to the Grand Galloping Gala
>When Pinkie asked you about you getting your memory back you went along with Celestia and Luna's original story of how you lost it
>You didn't want to cause any more trouble
>The how and why doesn't matter, only the now, and right now you are with Pinkie Pie as you hope you always will be
>You and Discord made up pretty well, enough that you could get back to your adventures in Ogre and Oubliettes but you still kept an eye on him
>As for the princesses about a week after your last visit to the castle you returned to offer an apology to Celestia
>All three of you discussed what happened and agreed to put it behind you
>Entering the castle you spot several ponies in fancy dresses and tuxedos
>You of course are wearing your classic suit whilst Pinkie is wearing the dress from her first time at the Gala
>As you pass Celestia and Luna on the stairwell you give them a small smile and nod which they return
>You and Pinkie spend a lot of your time at the Gala stuffing your faces at the buffet at the chagrin of the other posh ponies
>Hey its free food right?
>Glancing at Pinkie every now and then you see her eyes idly staring at the Cake family who had been invited for providing the cake
>She sees you catching her in the act of few times causing her to blush profusely and hide her head in another pile of food
>You can't help but chuckle at Pinkie's usual antics
>As the night slowly comes to a close you find yourself relaxing at a table watching Pinkie as she tries to make new friends with everyone in the Gala each with varying levels of success
>As the orchestra begins to play a slow song she freezes in place and points her ears in the direction of the music
>Slowly turning her gaze to you, you see her scratch the floor slightly
>Taking the hint you rise from the chair and slowly approach your mare
>As you reach her, her face is focused on the floor
>However you can see her blush reflecting off the finely polished tiles
>Crouching down you hold out your hand to Pinkie Pie
"Care to dance?"
>Hearing your words her head immediately shoots up
>"I- um well um I- I- I- I um..."
>As you softly at her stutters, she simply gives you a nod of her head
>With her hoof in your hand you slowly rise
>As she begins to stand on her hind hooves you place a hand on her hip to help steady her
>When she's sure she's balanced you both begin to slowly sway to the music
>Neither of you really move, you're just happy to be able to do this much
>As she slowly places her head on your chest she lets out a contented sigh
>Leaning down you place a small kiss on her head leaving her blushing again
>Once again you see her eyes fall onto the Cake family
>As you open your mouth to speak you're cut off by Pinkie Pie
>"Hey Nonny?"
"Yeah Pinks?"
>Slowly she turns her head up to face you her eyes darting back and forth clearly showing her nervousness
>You bring your hand up to cup her cheek and rub it gently, calming her down
>Closing her eyes she takes a deep breath
>As she opens them you see a small amount of determination in them
>"I wanna have foals"
>Her words take you by surprise
>So much so that you're pretty sure your heart stops
>Quickly shaking yourself out of it you look back down at Pinkie seeing that same nervousness as before in her eyes as she bites her bottom lip
>Cupping Pinkie's other cheek with your hand you bring her in for a small kiss
>You linger their for a few kisses more before breaking it, placing your forehead on hers and whisper softly to her
"Then why don't we try?"
>Processing your words a smile begins creeping onto Pinkie's face as a few tears form in her eyes as well
>Launching herself into you she wraps you up in a hug that almost crushes you
>Returning the hug you and Pinkie just stand there, everything around you seemingly disappears
>Right now the only thing you register anymore is you, Pinkie, and whatever the hell is coming your way in the future

End