I saw her half open her mouth to put the end of the hookah pipe in it. For a sigh, I perceived her raspberry-colored tongue and teeth, so shiny that they looked like little pearls. Then her lips closed on the pipe, fleshy pieces covered with a glaze of pink makeup.

Annika only wore pink anyway. I came to wonder if I had ever seen it once in my life with another color.

Even here and now, when we looked up at her, it was pink that predominated: from her outfit, a sweet pink top embellished with pins and small shiny badges, to her pleated fuchsia skirt passing by her nymph thigh tights or her bright pink ballerinas, she was a human gradient.

You were almost shocked when you saw that she had blue eyes. But knowing Annika as I knew her, if she had had the opportunity to change their iris so that they tended more towards pink, she would have done so. Not that she was such a big fanatic of that color actually. But just for fun. Because she would have found it fun.

You could know this word, having read it in a book, heard it on the radio or on television. You could think you knew what he meant. But in fact, we didn't know until we met Annika.

Perhaps that was the most impressive thing about her: getting to understand the true meaning of this word.

Annika kept the hose in her mouth, her chest rising gently under her breath. Then she removed the object from between her lips, tilted her head back and blew through the nose.

Smoke enveloped it for a few seconds before rising and dissipating.

I followed her path to the ceiling beams. Knowing Annika, I was surprised that the smoke did not take the form of an animal or unusual object. It would not have been the first time that she had been seen defying the laws of normality.

Annika was a ball of energy, on the verge of hyperactivity. Seeing her sit down for a few moments to smoke with us, it felt weird. Not that I'm complaining about it: the longer I could lay my eyes on her, the happener I was.

I didn't really remember when I fell in love with her. It had happened, that's all. Little by little, I had no longer managed to get the image of the pretty pastry chef from my head. So I left it there. She was there.

It was good in the room. The overwhelming heat of the day was gone, replaced by a delightfully pleasant summer night. The windows were wide open and a light breeze made the muslin curtains dance. We could barely listen to hear the sounds of San Bernardino at night, the footsteps of the few people still passing by on the street at this time, or the distant song of the cicadas.

From the ground floor of the Sugarcube Corner, we received the musical notes from Annika's gramophone.

The object was terribly outdated but she refused to dispose of it, explaining that "the sound was much better on it". The concrete arguments that Vinyl had once struck him had not changed his mind a bit. You'd think Applebloom was sticking to one idea as much.

Annika straightened, handing the hookah pipe to her neighbor on the right.

"Here, Anna," she said, letting go of the end of the object. I've smoked enough yet.

The selloudienne took the hookah in silence, working mainly to strike a few tongs on the burning coal. She winced, a sign that the latter was nearing its end. In a few puffs, we could no longer smoke.

It was funny how quickly Annika had integrated Anna into our community. Finally, to be perfectly honest, Annika knew how to build trust and collect friends at breakneck speed. It was said that she personally knew every contact on her social networks, and that if she had fun organizing a party with everyone she considered friends, there would be no room in all of Equestria to hold the shock.

And the most amazing thing about Annika was when we said to ourselves that this kind of sentence sounded more like an understatement than a hyperbole.

"It's nice to smoke," sighed Annika, tilting her head back. But it's less fun than cakes. It lasts a cake longer. Unless you're trying to smoke it ...

The young woman suddenly straightened on the elbows, flashes in the eyes. She reached out and put it on Anna's shoulder.

- Am ', do you think we can make smoke cakes?

- This may be hot, I pointed out, scratching my bridge of my nose.

- Bah of course it will be hot, since the smoke comes from something that burns, duh!

Annika looked up at the ceiling.

- You're weird sometimes, Willie.

I was silent. It was precisely for this kind of logic that I adored the pastry chef.

- I knew still agrees with Willieon, said Anna, trying to pick up the thread. On the other hand, there is candy-flavored hookah tobacco. I'll take it from the country the next time I come.

- Real thing ? exclaimed Annika.

"True," swore the Selloudienne, presenting the palm of her hand to her host.

- You are the best! cried the latter, throwing herself on the neck of her guest.

Smothered by the hug from Annika Settigren, Anna tried to hug her a few seconds before giving up and especially trying not to die on the spot.

Annika's hugs often had that effect when you weren't used to it. When we were used to it too.

She broke her embrace and stood up, walking away from the circle we formed around the hookah. She was going to the little corner, she said. Instinctively, the group split up, taking this as a signal for a break. Anna, helped by Tommy, was busy cleaning the hookah while Thundernlane patted me on the shoulder to ask me if I was going with him for a drink. We went down from Annika's bedroom to the main room where the party was in full swing. The guests were dancing, playing balloons or sipping a drink, trying to chat over the music.

The punch bowl had been well attacked by the party hosts. Twilight, however, managed to fill our glasses before signaling me that he was going to drink his on the doorstep, quiet. I followed him there.

It was still mild outside. We were in our shirts at midnight and we weren't even shivering.

Twilight sat on the steps of the Sugarcube Corner and toasted with me. I remained standing, peering through the half-open door. Twilight talked about things and others but I paid him only polite attention. I especially wanted to see Annika in the crowd of her guests.

My friend must have noticed since he stopped his sentence halfway before looking in the same direction as me.

- Always falling for her, huh?

- It's hard to hold back, I whispered over my glass of punch. These things can't be ordered.

"I know," said Twilight, "Flutter taught me that."

"Is it going well with her, by the way?" I asked.

- It's okay. It's just a little hard to motivate her to go out on the town. You know her, she's not the most outgoing girl in San Bernardino. I had thought of reserving the whole restaurant for us, that we are both inside, but she replied that it would surely bother the servers to prepare everything and that she did not prefer.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

The extreme delicacy of Twilight's girlfriend was sometimes comical.

"But stop trying to drown the fish yourself," he retorted. When do you tell Annika how you feel about her?

- I know that, I confessed frankly. I should find the strength already.

- The guy who went to the same flight academy as I would miss guts? Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

- The Wonderbolts were not the same, I objected. You run all over the place, you do your pushups, you stick in a zinc and you do what you have to do. You have a flight plan. With Annika ... already I don't think any plan would work. I mean, you see how she is. It's not by playing it regularly that I could seduce her. And then if she says no, it might ruin our friendship. Do not you believe ?

- Dude, it was precisely because I was a friend with Flutter that I tried my luck. You'll never see a guy point his mouth in the flour and knock over a chick he's never seen just by snapping his fingers.

"Except Applejack," I said after a moment of reflection.

"Except Applejack," confirmed my friend, shaking his head. But we are going to stay at a level of human understanding, okay?

He chuckled, I laugh too. We sipped our glasses in silence for a few seconds.

"More seriously," said Twilight, "I'm going to prick this formula at Dash, but I think she's right when she says that it is better to have remorse than regret. Because at least you did something.

- She hadn't put that sentence out when she was on trial for flying over Canterlot and her zinc wing had sprayed Celestia's bathroom?

"The toilets," said my friend expertly. And Pippi struggled to explain to the Princesses that despite his sentence, Dash regretted terribly what had happened.

- It's still a hell of a driver, I said, finishing my punch.

- Perhaps the best of all of us. But we are not here to chat about Dash, he reminded me, emptying his glass. You have another goal in mind, he announced, giving his chin a blow in the direction of the ajar door.

Through the opening, I saw Annika pass, arms loaded with cupcapkes, who said cheerfully tributed cakes to his guests.

- Did you say it wasn't the same as at the academy? threw Twilight, rising from the steps and fraternally passing his arm around my shoulder. Well, you're going to have to get used to the idea that tonight, I'm your wingman.

- I don't need a wingman, I grumbled as my friend trained me slowly but firmly inside.

- Bullshit. Then for once you become leader of the pair, you're not going to yell, right?

I was going to continue to protest but I came face to face with Annika who, of authWilliety, presented me a cupcake covered with orange frosting. Without really thinking I bit into it. I expected a citrus taste but strangely, it was the scent of blackberry that invaded my mouth. As I chewed the pastry, Annika gave Twilight another one.

- Red fruits ? asked my friend, his mouth full.

"Obviously beta," giggled Annika Settigren, walking away to distribute the last cupcakes she had on her to guests who didn't have any. They would not be orange otherwise!

"This girl is really crazy," said Twilight, finishing his cake. But notice, you're crazy about her, it's catching up.

- You decided to spend the evening playing crappy puns?

- This could be a good means of pressure, it would. I don't stop until you try your luck with her.

He was silent, obviously taking the time to reflect.

- What you would be able to hold on. We will rather use the good old methods. Annika! he called out to the pastry chef.

The young woman turned around, her curly hair dancing around her.

"We are going to make a game," announced Twilight with a smile. Do you want to be?

Asking Annika if she wanted to make a game was like asking Pippi Sparkle if she could read or Rainbow Dash if she liked speed.

It was so obvious that it didn't even deserve an answer.

Annika stood at attention, placing two fingers on her temple as a military salute.

- Soldier Settigren to report, sir! she launched energetically. Always ready for a game, sir!

She smiles with all her teeth. Celestia that she was cute when she did that ...

With a wave of his hand, Twilight invited Annika to precede us upstairs, to find Anna and Tommy. We followed her up the stairs. When his ballerinas disappeared from our field of vision, my friend put his hands in a megaphone and clamored loud enough to be heard over the racket of the gramophone.

- We are going to do a seven minute in paradise up there! We need a girl and two more guys. Those who want to play come now, we don't take the latecomers!

I jumped and grabbed my comrade.

- Are you sick, say? Aren't we going to do a seven minute?

" I find you damn narrow-minded, " he replied most seriously in the world.

- But you take us for fourteen year old kids? It's a game for kids your brother's age, shit!

- One, Rumble is eight years old, sort of "I know nothing about nothing in teen games these days". And two, not a seven minute reviewer, that's how I got my first girlfriend.

- A magnificent story that lasted how long, remind me?

- Two weeks, he admitted grumbling. It could have done more if she hadn't dumped me for Applejack.

- Already at the time?

Twilight rolled his eyes thoughtfully.

- There are things you can't fight against.

Her smile returned at the speed of a Wonderbolt jet.

- But there are things we can change tonight. Go on track!

Joining the gesture to the word, he pushed me up the stairs.

I grumbled in my beard for three days. He seriously believed that seven minutes in heaven would help me declare myself to Annika? Okay, that was supposed to be the goal of a game. Still, it was just a teenage game. But on the other hand, Twilight was not wrong on one point. Things could indeed change tonight. If I had the strength, at least.

Upstairs, the hookah had been put out. Anna and Tommy were still seated on the floor, while Annika sat next to them.

- What do we do as a game anyway? she asked as we sit in turn.

"Seven minutes in paradise," Twilight announced, taking a pack of cards from his pocket and starting to sort them while the other players - Blossomforth for girls; Coconut and Eiffel for the boys - joined the circle.

- I don't know, conceded Anna.

- Are we not a little tall for that? asked Tommy.

- It's funny, isn't it? Twilight retorted without ceasing to sort the game, isolating the figures from the rest of the other cards. Unless Annika doesn't want to. We are at her house after all ...

Seven questioning looks rose to the pastry chef.

- No, we're playing! she replied confidently. It's going to be super-fool-hyper fun!

- Do you at least know how we play? asked Coconut, raising an eyebrow.

"No more than Am," replied a visibly delighted Annika Settigren.

"It's simple," said Twilight, starting to distribute a card, face down to each. There are eight cards, one per participant, each with the king or queen of his suit. The cards are in love and want to find each other. A player will designate someone in the group and reveal their card. If the two cards complement each other, if we have the king and the queen of spades for example, the couple is reunited. And he will spend seven minutes in the dark, doing whatever he wants. Seven minutes in heaven in the clear. On the other hand, if the cards do not stick, the player is eliminated. Suddenly, it also sounds the game over for his or her partner.

I gently raised my card. I had the king of hearts.

"You have to come across the right person in the clear," murmured Anna, her fingers on the edge of her card.

- And sometimes you're happy when your partner lost, chuckled Blossomforth. The time Pigpen was knocked out when we both had the game of spades ... I think I've never thanked Celestia so much for that.

Something was wrong with the game's logic. How could I be sure Annika would be the queen of hearts? If she had another color, she would isolate herself with someone else. The game would have been for nothing in this case there!

Twilight had to surprise my worried look since he winked at me. The look that said "don't worry, I've got it all covered". I wasn't reassured. But I wanted to trust my friend.

- Good, he launched, rubbing his hands, it is the dealer who starts. I have the lady of clubs, he said, turning over his card. And I would like ...

He scanned the assembly for a few seconds, wrinkling his forehead.

- That Tommy please show his card!

The fiery-haired farmer smiled and revealed the king of diamonds.

- Sorry Twilight, she laughs, it's not even tonight that you'll be spreading to Fluttershy.

- What do you think ? replied a smiling Twilight. I purposely distributed like this. I don't want to be killed when I get back to the cottage from Angel.

The humor made the whole little circle laugh. But the words of Twilight aroused a memory in me: he had already been to Las Pegasus, a year. And he told me he met a guy there who taught him how to count and distribute cards.

If it was ... he had rigged the game so that Annika and I both had heart figures!

"Go ahead, Tommy," said Twilight. I'm lost, he said falsely heartbroken, raising his shoulders.

- I choose ... Annika!

- Battle ! replied the pastry chef, turning over her card. Uh sorry, quine! Bingo! Straight flush?

- Not a pair anyway, Anna noted over the young woman's shoulder.

I barely dared to bend down to check. I saw red on Annika's card.

And since Tommy had the tile and the colors had not come together, that meant that ...

- Did I strike? Annika asked playfully. Not even a spare?

- Annika, said Blossomforth gently, we're playing cards.

- I know well. Otherwise I wouldn't have said battle at the very beginning, duh!

Twilight caught my eye, saying, "Is it really with her that you want to try your luck? There is still time to run away, old man ".

But my decision was made. I've been beating around the bush for too long. I was going to advance my pawns with her tonight. Finally, she still had to choose me from the card game.

- Willie, she announced most simply in the world.

I had a hard time understanding. Surely she wanted me to give her a Settigrence of cake or something. Because if she said my name for the game, it meant that ...

- Equestria to Willieon, said Annika waving her hand in front of my face, do you receive me? Can you return your card?

- Uh, yes of course.

I turned it over without believing it too much, as if I had convinced myself that in the meantime, an evil chimera had changed the color of my card to make me lose. But no. The facts were there: I had the king of hearts, she had the lady.

Our cards complemented each other.

- The monarchs of heart are found! Twilight applauds with enthusiasm, imitated in this by the other players. Willieon and Annika are our first couple!

The sound of applause crackled in my ears, leaving me a little haggard as I got up. Was it really going to happen? As easy as that after all this time?

Twilight stood up too, ahead of us as I and Annika followed him downstairs. She was following me. I dared not turn around, lest it evaporate the moment I did.

I had read Orpheus' myth too much.

Twilight had opened the door to a cupboard, juggling the light bulb he had manifestly withdrawn.

- Seven minutes in the dark, just between you, he explained without ceasing to play with the light bulb moving aside to let me in first.

The cupboard was rather large as such, but three-quarters of its space was occuSettigrend by heavy bags of flour and other supplies necessary for the preparation of cakes. In fact, there was only room for one person. Two, hugging each other. And that was precisely the principle of the game.

" I'll reopen you in seven minutes, " said Twilight cheerfully. Have fun !

The closet door slammed, plunging us into complete darkness. Although not, not absolute. A ray of light filtered under the door, allowing us to distinguish some forms. But the other senses were exacerbated: I heard the sound of Annika's breathing, a few inches from me, I was aware of the dryness of my lips, and my nostrils were filling with the mixture of flour, sugar and the scent of Annika, reminiscent of cotton candy.

- You sleep ? Suddenly asked Annika Settigren, breaking the silence.

I jumped, surprised by the brutality of her speaking, when she was already chaining:

- Because you haven't answered since a while ago so I tell myself that you may be asleep. So I'm asking you, so I'm not mistaken. Because if you answer, "no, I'm not sleeping", well that means that you are awake. But if you say "yes, I sleep", well that means that you speak while sleeping. Do you know that Gummy talks all the time when he sleeps?

- Annika.

- The problem is that he speaks the alligator and I did not make alligator LV2. So I have a little trouble understanding it. Good after, since the time that I have it, I managed to understand it a little anyway but seeing that it mince its words, it is not always easy. It's funny, right? An alligator that has no teeth that mince words?

- Annika ...

- I never understood why we said "mince words". Do you know? Because chewing a cake, you chew it because it's good, but good, words, it's not good since it has no taste. But Pippi often says that she devours books. Do you think she uses salt or eats it plain?

- Annika!

My cry was almost painful.

But it needed at least that to stop a Annika launched at full speed.

- Yes, Willie?

I love you. Come on, say it. It's not complicated. Two words, seven letters. It lasts a second. Come on, get it out of your throat Celestia name!

- I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, so now I'm going ...

I took a breath.

- I love you, Annika.

Silence. I never realized how heavy the silence can be sometimes. I had the impression that the smallest particle inside the cupboard had weighed three tonnes, that time had stopped. That Annika would never answer me.

" I love you too, Willie, " she replied cheerfully.

- True ?

- Duh, you're a great friend, of course I love you!

I almost crushed my palm on my face. It would teach me not to specify with a girl like Annika, well!

- No, Annika, I mean I love you. As I like, uh ...

My brain was running at full speed, looking for an equivalent.

- How do you like Princess Celestia? asked the young woman, obviously trying to help me.

- No.

- How do you like cocktails with an umbrella?

- No.

- How do you like chocolate?

- No.

- Do you not like chocolate? choked Annika with horror.

- No. Finally Yes ! But not like you. I ... oh and then thin!

I swallowed and went. I tilted my head forward and tried to capture Annika's lips. Maybe not the best way to do it. But I was hoping that at least like that, things would be clearer. And at worst, even if I took a huge slap afterwards, I would have stolen a kiss from him at least. Better than nothing. It seemed to me that Annika was saying something but I was not paying attention, too focused on my gesture.

Again, I was experiencing temporal relativity. Time seemed to pass even more slowly than a few seconds earlier. We would have slowed down again, I would not have been surprised to see us go back to the past.

I couldn't realize that I was doing it, that I was going to kiss Annika Settigren. That in a few tens of seconds, I would feel the taste of his lips on mine.

No more to realize that something fell on my head, knocking me out on the spot, a moment before I kissed the pastry chef.

I came to my senses in the hallway, the fuzzy form of Annika Settigren and Twilight above me. I had a headache from all the devils and stars in my eyes.

- You forgot lesson number one when you got close to Annika right? asked my friend with a smirk. Always pay attention to the senses.

- I also warned him that I had tingling in my ns the pelvis, adds Annika. And that "when you have ants in your lower back, quickly hide your ciboulot".

"You ate a bag of flour," said Twilight. You don't look like you have any injuries though, it just knocked you out.

I let out a disappointed groan. Seriously? Just a second from kissing Annika, had I been sidelined by a stupid bag of flour?

"I would explain to Madame Le Flour that what she did is dangerous," said Annika expertly. She has to stop jumping on people like that.

Twilight and I raised an eyebrow together.

- Good, boys I leave you, I have to go back and take care of the guests. Ah and Willie ...

She leaned over me and before I could understand anything, pressed her lips to mine. By the time I realize, she was already skipping.

- As it is done, she chuckled, walking away.

Dazed, without my knowing if the shock of the bag was the cause or what had followed, I watched the spectacle of her pink ballerinas disappearing at the corner of the corridor.

- Did you understand something? I asked Twilight.

- Not a second, he replied.

White.

- And it was in the closet? he went on.

- Huge, I replied, still a little stunned. Repeat the seven minutes. But we empty the front closet. Avoid future accidents.

- We could even involve two three friends next time. Like Caramel or Comet Tail.

" But not Applejack, " I said drier. The game must remain fair play.

- Especially not Applejack, assured me my friend.

It was reassuring to know that we always agreed on certain things. Just like knowing that I had spent time in paradise with Annika Settigren, even if it had lasted less than seven minutes.

It was well worth taking a bag of flour over your head.