Truth or Dare

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven: Epilogue

Chapter One

Truth or Dare
by
SFC Ponycron

Author's Note: 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' is owned by Lauren Faust, Hasbro, and Studio B (at least, I think that's all of them). I make no money off this story.

“Hey!”

You look up from the book floating in front of you and come face to face with the largest and brightest pair of slate-blue eyes you’ve ever seen. Startled, you back away, the book flying high over your head. You stumble and topple backwards, the book landing over your face.

Pinkie Pie’s snort and subsequent laughter fills your ears, and it’s quickly joined with another familiar laugh. Peeking out from underneath the pages, you see Rainbow Dash laughing as heartily as her pink friend.

“Hey,” you say awkwardly as you use your magic to lift the book from your head and get back to your feet, dusting off your forelegs. You put the book into one of the saddlebags at your sides. “What’s up?”

“Listen-listen-listen!” Pinkie Pie starts, going into her trademark excited rapid-fire speech. “Listen! Twilight Sparkle’s birthday is tomorrow and we wanted to make it a surprise one! Yeah! And we wanted to take her to Sugar Cube Corner and make sure all the lights are out, and then we’ll drag her in there when it’s dark, and she’ll be all ‘What the hay is going on?’, and then we’d switch the lights on and all of her friends will be all ‘SURPRISE’!” She nods eagerly, her head bobbing quickly like a diving board after somepony just jumped from it. “Yeah! And it would be completely awesome with tons of cake and streamers and hot sauce and sarsaparilla and—”

A blue hoof promptly shoved into Pinkie’s mouth by an unsurprised Rainbow Dash interrupts Pinkie Pie’s rant. “Yeah, it’s Twilight Sparkle’s birthday tomorrow, and we want to surprise her.” She pulls her hoof out of Pinkie Pie’s mouth. “The thing is, we’re trying to cover all the bases so that there’s no way she can get out of this.” The blue pegasus glances away from you, a slight frown on her face. “Look, I know you’ve helped her out a lot since you’ve moved into Ponyville, and I know she’d want you to be there, but I know she’s going to pull the whole ‘the library can’t be closed’ routine. That’s where you come in.”

“You want me to watch over the library for the day?” you ask. “I can try, but you know Twilight…”

“So do you,” Rainbow Dash counters seriously, poking your chest with a hoof. “If anypony can find a way to get her to leave the library for any reason at all tomorrow, it’ll be you.”

You can see the challenge in her eyes and nod resolutely.

“All right, I’ll do it.”

“Awesome,” she says with her cocky grin. “We’re picking her up at lunch tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there well before that,” you say in agreement. “You guys go do what you need to. You won’t have to worry about me.”

With a smile, Dash takes off into the air and Pinkie Pie bounces away humming a tune to herself.

“Tomorrow’s Twilight Sparkle’s birthday, huh?” you ask yourself. “I wonder what I could get for her?”

+ + + +

It’s about fifteen minutes before noon as you walk into the library the following day. Twilight Sparkle and Spike are working diligently (no surprise) putting away some books that were returned shortly before closing the night before.

“Good morning, Spike,” you say as you nod in his direction. You turn to the lavender unicorn. “Twilight.”

“Oh! Hello! I wasn’t expecting you to drop by today,” she says a little uncertainly.

You grin and tilt your head questioningly. “And why would you think I wouldn’t come by today?”

You see her cheeks take on a rose tint. “Oh, well, no reason…” She smiles shyly. “I mean, you don’t come by everyday, and you were just here yesterday to borrow another one of those silly fantasy novels…”

“I happen to think that ‘The Night Pegasus’ trilogy is a really gripping read,” you say, feigning offence. “I can’t help that I like somewhat dark fiction.”

“I-I’m sorry!” she stammers suddenly, lowering her head. “I didn’t mean…”

You look at her with an unamused face. “Twilight, I was kidding.” You grin and shake your head.

“I’m sorry! I should have—”

You approach her and put one of your hooves on her shoulder. “Twilight, it’s fine, really.” You walk over to the main desk and set your saddlebags down. “You’re acting weird today. You okay?”

“She just doesn’t want word going around that today’s her—”

“Spike!” The tip of her horn glows briefly and all of a sudden a moustache appears out of thin air in front of Spike’s snout. Immediately the moustache ties itself in a knot around the dragon’s mouth.

“S-sorry,” she apologizes again. “A girl has her secrets, right?”

You nod as she gives you a toothy smile and an awkward chuckle.

“You know you can tell me anything if you need to get something off your chest, right?” You take a couple of steps closer to her. “I like to think that I’m a friend of yours, maybe not as close as Rainbow or Pinkie Pie or the others, but a friend.”

“You are!” she says. “You’re such a great help around here, especially when Spike manages to sneak off to spend some time with Rarity. And you do a great job of helping out the other ponies whenever Spike and I are called away.” She looks away, ashamed. “I just don’t like many ponies knowing about—”

The door is suddenly thrown open with Pinkie Pie bouncing in, Rainbow Dash walking in calmly close behind.

“Hiiiii, Twiiiiliiiight!” Pinkie Pie says in a singsong voice. “Rainbow Dash and I wanted to take you out for lunch!” You can’t help but laugh as Pinkie starts bouncing in circles around the surprised lavender pony. “Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm! We can go to the café and have salad and hay fries and milkshakes! Ooh! I love milkshakes!”

“Pinkie…” Rainbow Dash calls out, letting out a slightly exasperated sigh. Pinkie Pie stops in mid-air and turns to Rainbow Dash.

“Uh-huh?” All eyes are on the pink earth pony as she hovers in the air for a few more seconds before landing on her feet.

“We’re not going to get a table if we hang around too long,” the blue pegasus says. “Come on.” She turns around and starts to head for the door, stealing a glance at you and flicking her gaze to Twilight.

“It’s all right, Dash,” Twilight says feebly. “I can whip something up here for lunch.”

“Nuh-uh,” you counter, taking that as your cue. “You’re not staying here all day when your friends are offering to take you out to lunch.”

She turns to you, a surprised expression on her face. “No, really! I can’t close the library during the middle of the—”

You trot towards her and nudge her towards the door. “And you won’t,” you interrupt her. “I can watch over the library while you’re out.”

“That’s not really necessary…”

“It’ll be fine, Twilight!” you say reassuringly. “I was just going to spend the day reading anyway. Now go.” You point with your muzzle at Dash and Pinkie.

“I’ve got research—”

“Which can be done later,” you counter. “Just go, Twilight! I’ll be fine here!” You turn to Spike, who nods, and the two of you start pushing her towards Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. “Have fun!” As soon as Spike crosses the threshold, you slam the door and lock it, immediately summoning a chair to you and propping it underneath the doorknob. You look out the window by the door to see Spike hop onto Twilight’s back as Rainbow Dash flies above and behind the lavender unicorn and Pinkie Pie hops gleefully behind her. As soon as they’re a fair distance away, you nudge the chair away and send it back to its place, letting out an exasperated sigh. “The things one does around here to get a pony to spend time with friends…” you mutter to yourself as you look towards your saddlebags and use your teeth to move open one of them, revealing a present wrapped with plain yellow gift wrap and tied with red ribbon. You smile to yourself.

“I’ll give this to her as a surprise when she gets back from her party.” You turn towards the stack of books that she and Spike were working on and start looking through the titles, thinking of how to efficiently place the returned books back to their proper places.

Chapter Two

Truth or Dare
Chapter Two

You’re just finishing helping out a deep blue male unicorn with a bright orange mane and tail when the tinkling of the bell attracts your attention.

“The book is due back in three weeks,” you tell the male pony.

“Thanks,” he says with a grin and nod, levitating the book and putting it in his saddlebag. As he leaves, you address the newcomer, who, to your surprise, turns out to be Rainbow Dash.

“Dash, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at Twilight’s party?” you ask.

She shrugs. “I just came by to thank you again for doing this for us. You know that sometimes we gotta drag Twilight away from the library once in a while to have some fun, and…”

You raise a hoof. “Say no more. I’m glad to be of help.” You tilt your head questioningly. “How’s the party?”

A wide smile lights up her face. “It’s going great! You should have seen the look on her face when we arrived at Sugar Cube Corner! Her jaw pretty much hit the floor!” She breaks out into laughter, and the mental image you see gets you laughing too.

“I hope somepony got a photograph,” you say.

“Somepony did, I’m sure,” she says. She glances out the window then turns back to you. “Listen, I gotta head back before anypony notices I’m gone. Promise me you won’t tell anypony I came by?”

You knit your brows in confusion. “Um, well…sure.”

“Thanks!” She suddenly wraps her forelegs around your neck in a hug. “You’re the best!” She trots out the door. “See ya!” In a flash of color, she’s gone. You’re left standing in the middle of the library, completely confused and mouth hanging open, wondering why, all of a sudden, Rainbow Dash hugged you, the first time she’s shown any sign of affection other than playful nudges or a competitive but friendly shove. Regaining your composure, you levitate the book that the blue unicorn returned and walk towards the proper section to reshelf it.

As soon as you put the book away, a knock on the door pushes away your thoughts.

“Library’s open!” you call out, wondering who would knock on the library door in the middle of the day.

The door opens and a gray pegasus with blonde hair and wearing saddlebags opens the door, the bell tinkling once again.

“Mfff cfff!” she says, her voice muffled by the package in her mouth.

“Oh!” You trot over to the mailpony and take the package in your teeth, placing it on the main desk. “Saw the note on my door, then, Ditzy?”

The walleyed pegasus nods. You trot over to your saddlebags and levitate a sealed envelope and a few bits. “If you have a sec, can you send this to Vinyl Scratch? It’s a thank-you note for the package.”

You make the letter and money float over to her and tuck it into one of her saddlebags. “Thanks for using Ponyville Postal!” she says and leaves the library.

Excitedly, you trot over to the main desk and look at the flat package. It’s wrapped in brown paper and has Vinyl Scratch’s styled scrawl:

Found Daft Pony’s ‘Dischoofery’ for ya. Ya owe me one.

You chuckle, wondering what kind of a favor Vinyl Scratch would have in mind as you use your magic to neatly unwrap the package, putting the wrapping paper in your saddlebag for recycling later on. You use your magic to open the case and lift the disc from it, glancing around expectantly for a player of some kind. Seeing none, you remember that Twilight never owned one and Spike never got around to buying one.

“Damn things are on special order from Manehattan,” you mutter under your breath. You have one at home, but you did promise not to close the library, even for a minute…

The bell by the door tinkles again and you put the CD back into its case and levitate the case into your saddlebag. You turn to address the newcomer, surprised that it’s Rarity.

“Rarity! What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be at Twilight’s party.”

You see her eyes darting back and forth, trying to find a reason. “Well…” she stammers. “I saw Ditzy flying by Sugar Cube Corner, heading in this direction, and, well, I wanted to see if the new fashion magazine from Canterlot was going to show an article on my designs. Hoity Toity did contact me recently saying he was impressed with my designs so much, and, well, I expected him to say something in a public piece.”

You look at her with an eyebrow raised, wondering if she knew that the monthly magazine deliveries wouldn’t arrive until next week. “You couldn’t wait until tomorrow for that? It’s Twilight’s birthday, you know?”

She looks slightly affronted and raises her head snobbishly, putting a hoof to her chest. “Well, I have to be prepared in case I get a sudden influx of orders for my designs.” A sheepish expression appears in her eyes. “Speaking of which, if I do get bombarded with new orders, you will help me gather the proper materials and help with deliveries, won’t you?”

You sigh with a small grin and shake your head. “If I have a bit of time, you know I’ll be more than happy to help.”

With a wondrous and thankful glimmer in her eyes, she hugs you tightly. “Oh, you are just the most reliable pony that anypony could ask for!” She raises her head and hurriedly kisses your nose. Immediately, she turns around. “I must get back to the party! I…I just wanted to check on those magazines.” She looks over her shoulder at you. “…Just promise you won’t tell the others?”

You give her a confused expression. “I guess…”

“Excellent!” She opens the door and gallops out. “Ta ta, darling!”

Your expression mirrors that of somepony’s after they’ve been slapped in the face with a cold fish. A kiss on your nose? Being called ‘darling’? And before that, Rainbow Dash giving you a genuine hug? It’s not even three o’clock and already your afternoon is turning out downright odd, to say the least.

*-----*-----*-----*-----*

It’s been almost an hour since Rarity showed up, and it’s been quiet ever since. You blink your eyes a couple of times as you let the book you were reading fall flat on the desk. You crane your neck, hearing a couple of small satisfying cricks, when you suddenly hear the small growling of your stomach. You look at the clock and realize you haven’t eaten since before you got to the library, and you feel a small pang of guilt.

“I suppose I could raid her fridge,” you say to yourself hesitantly, “I did promise I wouldn’t close…”

As you get up and move towards her living quarters within the library, the bell by the door tinkles. You let out a slightly aggravated groan, wondering who could possibly think to come in as you were about to look for some food.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” a timid little voice says. “I’ll just…go…now…”

You whirl around in surprise. “Fluttershy?” You see her looking away, just about ready to high-tail it out of the library. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, um…well…” She sets her wing down, a picnic basket falling gently to the floor. “You see, I heard that you were watching over the library today for Twilight, and, um…I wasn’t sure if you’d had a chance to eat, and well…”

You smile. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I was actually about to head to Twilight’s room to see if she had any leftovers lying around.” You walk back to the main desk, all traces of annoyance replaced by relief and eagerness at the prospect of food. “What did you bring?”

Her face lights up and she seems to come out of her shy shell. “Oh! I brought you some salad, because I know you like salad, and I thought you might like some hay fries. And I managed to take a bottle of sarsaparilla for you while Pinkie Pie wasn’t looking.” She pauses as she picks up the picnic basket by the handle with her teeth and places it upon the main desk. You use your magic to move the cloth over the promised lunch, and levitate the food onto the table in front of you, using your magic one last time to uncork the bottle of the fizzy sarsaparilla.

You lick your lips. “Mmm! This looks amazing!”

“Oh, it was nothing, really,” she says shyly.

You help yourself to a good mouthful of salad, enjoying the taste of the cool, leafy vegetables. “Is the party going well?” you ask after a second mouthful.

She nods eagerly. “Oh, yes! There’s a lot of music and streamers and food! Everyone’s really enjoying themselves, and…” Your gaze meets with hers, and she visibly shrinks away. “I’m so sorry, talking about the party when you couldn’t be there…”

You shake your head. “Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy. I agreed to look after the library so Twilight could have fun.”

She smiles brightly. “It’s so good and kind of you to help,” she says quietly. A confused expression crosses her features. “I have to go back. Just…just don’t tell anyone I came by, please?”

You fight the urge to shake your head and roll your eyes. Instead, you just swallow another mouthful of salad and nod. “All right, Fluttershy.”

As she trots out of the library and flies off, you can’t help but shake your head. This is getting ridiculous, you think. Next thing I know, Twilight’s going to drop by as soon as I finish my lunch, claiming to check up on things here, and then she’s also going to ask me not to tell anyone. You munch absently on a few hay fries and chuckle to yourself. Better be careful what I wish for...

Chapter Three

Truth or Dare
Chapter Three

You just finish washing the dishes in the sink in the living quarters of the library. I guess I’ll have to sneak these dishes back to Sugar Cube Corner later tonight on my way home, you muse with a shrug. Your thoughts slowly start to wander as you walk back towards the main desk, gently settling the plates into the emptier of the two saddlebags and setting the empty picnic basket on the floor, hiding it for Fluttershy.

Why would they not want anypony to know they passed by? The question floats around in your mind as you start to wander around the library. You pick out a book on advanced spells and float it over to the desk. They all have reasons to drop by, I guess, but they could just as easily see me tomorrow and thank me for holding down the fort… You chuckle to yourself. Of course, I’d probably starve if Fluttershy showed up tomorrow with lunch…

The tinkling bell grabs your attention again, though it’s immediately silenced. Surprised, you look up to see Twilight.

“What in Celestia’s name are you doing here?” you say incredulously. “You’re supposed to be at your own party! Somepony’s going to notice if you’re gone!”

“I know, I know!” she exclaims. “I just…” She glances around nervously. “I just…wanted to see how you were doing, that’s all!”

You give her a serious look. “Twilight, how many times have I looked after the library while you and Spike went off to do something or other?”

“Plenty of times,” she replies, “but…”

“And despite your constant need to check up on the library, how many times have you actually come to see how things are running?”

She looks away, ashamed. “None.”

You shake your head as you walk around the main desk and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight, you worry too much. Everything’s going smoothly. I’ve looked after the library before. You can trust me.”

Tears start to form in her eyes. “It’s not that. I do trust you, it’s, just, well…” She looks up at you. “You don’t resent me for making you do this for me, do you? I’m grateful, really I am, but I feel bad that you’re here just…”

You sigh with a small smile and shake your head, putting a gentle hoof to her lips. “Twilight, if you recall, I offered to watch over the place while you went out with your friends and had fun. Spike will agree with me that you need to get out more.” You dry her tears with a hoof and gently nudge her towards the door. “You better get back to your own birthday party before somepony notices you’re gone.”

As she’s halfway through the open door, she turns to you and opens her mouth to speak.

You raise a hoof. “No one will know you were here,” you say, anticipating her request. “Just go on and get back to your party. Have fun, okay? I’ll be fine.”

With a reluctant but heartwarming smile, she calls forth a bit of magic, and in an instant, she disappears. You shake your head. What is the deal with everypony today, you think to yourself. Walking back to the main desk, you resume reading.

*-----*-----*-----*-----*

It’s been a half-hour since Twilight passed by, and you walk towards the window by the front door to see the sun slowly moving towards the horizon.

“Hmm, it’s almost time for dinner,” you say as you hear a sweeping noise approach you. You turn to see a broom that you’re absently controlling sweeping a small pile of dust and dirt on the floor towards the door. You turn the knob with your teeth and open the door as the broom sweeps the pile of dust out of the library.

“Let’s see,” you begin, looking about the library, seeing the broom float in out of the corner of your vision. “I swept the floors, dusted the shelves, made sure that I didn’t leave any dishes in her sink…”

“Hidilly-hodilly, odilly!”

You jump in surprise and fall forward.

“Oh, you dolty-colty!” a familiar bright, cheerful voice says, followed immediately by a snort and merry laughter. You get up to see Pinkie Pie wearing a sky blue party hat with yellow polka dots on it, long yellow streamers sticking out of the top. Bits of confetti litter her hair and in front of her hooves is a box tied with twine.

“Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here?”

“We just had the cake for Twilight!” she replies, oblivious to your disbelief. “It was an ultra-yummy triple-layer chocolate cake! Uh-huh! And it had white icing on it with light blue trim! Yeah! And it had chocolate fudge in between the layers of cake! It was soooo yummy! You had to have been there!”

You can’t help but smile at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, you know I had to be here so Twilight could come to the party.”

She nods eagerly, seemingly anticipating your argument. “Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! I know, I know! That’s why I came by! I saved a slice of cake for you! I wanted to save you a slice for later, but then I thought, ‘This cake is so yummy, everypony’s going to want to eat a piece right away!’ So I cut a nice big piece of cake for you! Uh-huh! And I was gonna hide it, and then I thought, ‘I should go to the library and give you the cake before somepony finds it and decides to eat it all up!’ So I asked Mrs. Cake to put it in a box and I snuck away all sneaky-like and I came here to deliver it to you!”

With a slightly awkward smile, you pick the box up with your teeth by the twine holding it and place it on the main desk.

“Thanks, Pinkie Pie. I was starting to crave something sweet, anyway.”

Her smile widens. “I thought you would!” She nods excitedly. She suddenly stops, standing completely still, when her right ear twitched violently before covering her eye. “I gotta go! I think somepony’s looking for me.” She touches her nose to yours. “You gotta keep that slice of cake the most secretest secret ever, okey-dokey-lokey?”

“Why?” you ask, too surprised by Pinkie Pie’s over-the-top, in-your-face demeanor to not be surprised.

She conks you playfully on the head twice with her hoof. “You dolty-colty! If anypony asks where you got the cake from, they’ll know it’s from Twilight’s birthday party, and they’ll know I brought it!”

“But why…?”

Your question falls on deaf ears as Pinkie Pie jovially bounces out of the library, seemingly without a care in the world. Staring out the door at her form as she disappears into Ponyville proper, you shake your head, as if a hurricane just whirled around inside your brain.

Deciding to keep Pinkie Pie’s being at the library a secret, you take one end of the twine holding the box closed and pull, the knot on the top of the box unraveling. Suddenly, the lid of the box pops open with a small shower of confetti and the toot of a small party horn. You peer inside to see a nicely-sized portion of the promised triple-layer chocolate cake. Your mouth starts to water at the sight.

“Oh, stallion, that looks amazing,” you say as you tuck in.

*-----*-----*-----*-----*

“Celestia’s flowing mane,” you mutter to yourself as you put the freshly cleaned plate that held the cake into the saddlebag with the other empty dishes. “This is getting heavy. The way things are going I might as well leave this here and lug it all back tomorrow…”

The tinkling of the bell rings in your ears as your muzzle is in your saddlebag. You look up, not surprised at all to see Applejack.

“Hey,” you say with a small smile, fighting the temptation to roll your eyes. Her gaze darts to the windows nervously. “What brings you here?”

She smiles shyly. “Well, there’s a bit of dancin’ and snackin’ goin’ on, and Ah noticed that there was only one piece of apple pie left,” she replies. She sets her saddlebags down and picks out a box from the top of one of them. “Ah managed ta sneak away when Pinkie Pie called up a conga line.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Really?”

She nods and laughs, a little more calmed down. “Heh heh, yeah. Twilight’s jaw dropped like someone dropped a bushel of apples onto it!”

You both laugh, though you can still feel a bit of weight in the air between the two of you. As you levitate the box and place it onto the main desk, you glance at her out of the corner of your eye and see her fidgeting. She never fidgets, you muse to yourself. She’s normally just up front and honest about everything.

“Applejack, you all right?” you ask as you turn around to face her.

She looks down at the floor, idly brushing the floor with a hoof. “Ah…” She deflates momentarily before meeting your gaze. “Ah can’t tell ya t'keep mah bein’ here a secret, what with me bein’ the Element of Honesty an’ all, but Ah just don’t want anypony, especially th’ others, t'find out Ah was here.” She looks down at the floor again. “Ah hates keepin’ secrets, ‘specially from th’ others.”

You shake your head. It really wasn’t any surprise that even Applejack wanted to keep her being here a secret (for whatever reason), but you could tell it was hard for her to ask. As she said, she was the Element of Honesty.

“Don’t worry about it, Applejack,” you say solemnly as you give her a smile as you raise a hoof. “Pony’s honor.”

A small spark of relief lights up in her eyes as she walks up to you. “Thanks,” she says as she raises her forelegs up and pulls you into a hug. She squeezes a little tighter, nuzzling her muzzle into the side of your neck. “It means a lot t’ me.” She releases you from her embrace and holds you at foreleg’s length, her smile full of relief and sincerity. As she lowers her forelegs again and moves towards the front door, she hesitates and turns back to you. “Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Yer not…yer not involved with Twilight, are ya?”

That was up front, you think. “Oh! Well, actually, I’ve been kinda wondering that for myself.” You give her a toothy smile and an awkward laugh. “I just don’t mind working at the library from time to time. We’ve gone out to lunch once or twice, but other than that, we really haven’t done anything.”

“Oh,” she says, looking down at the ground. “If y’aren’t, ya think there’s a chance, well…”

You perk up at the suddenness of the question. Applejack? Really? It’s not that you find the thought unsettling, but you’ve just never thought to visualize yourself with somepony so strong-willed and independent, let alone somepony as pretty as Applejack. Big Mac’s a big help in that, Ah’ll tell you whut, you think to yourself.

“I…” You don’t want to let her down, but you’re pretty sure she could tell if you tried to lie your way out of it. “I can’t say for certain, Applejack. I’d have to straighten out my feelings with Twilight first.”

“Ah understand,” she says quietly. Just when you think she’s about to run off, she turns to you and kisses you on the nose. “Ah’m glad y’answered honestly.” A small spark of mischief glints in her eye as she winks at you. “I’d have ta make ya taste mah horseshoes real violent-like if ya hurt Twlight’s feelin’s.” Your eyes go wide at her casually uttered threat before she grins and trots off.

“Enjoy yer pie!” she calls out.

Once again, you’re left staring out into Ponyville proper slack-jawed. You shake your head, gathering your thoughts as you close the door to the library. You make your way back to the main desk and open the box, no party-related fanfare popping out at you this time. A plate with a rather large slice of warm apple pie is all that’s in it, and the aroma gets your mouth watering.

One thing’s for sure, you think to yourself as you start to tuck into the pie, I didn’t have to worry too much about food today.

*-----*-----*-----*-----*

The cuckoo clock on the wall chimes nine times as you look up from your book. You use your magic to close the book and send it floating back to its place. You yawn and crane your neck, wondering where the time went. Huh, you think to yourself, I just realized that it’s been two hours since anypony’s come by. You shrug to yourself. Oh well, time to close up. I suppose I can just wait here for Twilight and Spike to get back. You roll your shoulders briefly before heading towards the front door to switch the sign to ‘Closed’.

The sound of laughter sounds in your ears and begins to get closer and louder. As you open the door, you see Twilight and the others, Spike asleep on her back with a lampshade on his head.

“Oh!” you say, surprised. “Perfect timing! I was just about to close up.”

Twilight nods, a bright smile on her face. “Thank you. Really, thank you. I’m glad that you did this for me.”

You wave away her thanks as you feel heat rise in your cheeks. “Ahh, it was nothing.” You glance at Spike. “Tired out, huh?”

“He really tore up the dance floor,” Rainbow Dash says with a laugh. “You should have been there! It was awesome!”

You smile, but you feel a sudden pang of regret for not making it to the party. No! you think to yourself suddenly. It was Twilight’s party! You had to be at the library, otherwise it never would have happened!

“I’ll just put Spike to bed,” Twilight says as she enters the library and trots up the stairs to their bedroom.

“I’m glad you guys managed to get this thing together for Twilight,” you say as you walk to your saddlebags. Remembering her present, you open one bag and use your magic to levitate her gift, setting it on the main desk. “I should get going, though. She’s probably tired and wants to get some rest.”

“Now where’d’ja get that idea?” Applejack asks. You look at her, confused.

“What?”

“She said that she was going to put Spike to bed,” Rarity corrects you. “She actually has other plans for you.”

“What?” you ask flatly.

“You helped Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie get me out of the library for my birthday,” Twilight says as she steps down the stairs. You turn at the sound of her voice. “You didn’t get to go to my party, so the others and I thought to bring a little bit of my party to you.”

“Whaa…?” you manage to say as Pinkie Pie snaps a sky blue party hat with green polka dots on your head. Rarity gets a box out from her saddlebag as Rainbow Dash sets her saddlebags on the floor, opens one, and begins to take out bottles of sarsaparilla.

“You heard the filly!” Pinkie Pie says loudly. “Leeeeet’s party!”

Chapter Four

Truth or Dare
Chapter Four

It’s not as over-the-top as one of Pinkie Pie’s normal parties, but the seven of you enjoying a quiet little party in the library puts you in high spirits and washes away the sleepy feelings from looking after a quiet library by yourself for a whole day. Pinkie brings out a small cake (another mouth-watering triple-layered chocolate cake with chocolate fudge between the layers) with a single candle on it. You can’t help but feel joyful as the seven of you gather around the cake and start singing ‘Happy Birthday’, Twilight singing along.

Seeing her with her five friends and yourself, you see a more confident, relaxed side of her that you’ve never seen before, one you wish you could see more often.

“Happy Birthday, Twilight,” you say as you levitate the present over to her. Her eyes light up in wonder as the gift touches down gently on the tabletop beside the cake. Not bothering to use her magic (or neatly unwrap the present, as you thought she would), she rips apart the yellow wrapping paper with her teeth, revealing the box within. She nudges the lid of the box with her nose, revealing several scrolls of fresh parchment, a crystal inkwell with royal blue ink inside, and a dozen eagle-feather quills, with curious-looking purple nibs.

“Ugh!” Rarity scoffs. “Chestnut and purple absolutely don’t mix!”

“Rarity!” Twilight hisses.

“I made them myself,” you say defensively. “I happened to be wandering in the Everfree Forest one day when I met a purple sea serpent. He and I talked for a while, and I mentioned I wanted to make a present for a friend.” You look at Twilight, smiling warmly. “He gave me some of his scales, and he said that I could probably use them to make something ‘absolutely fabulous’,” you say, perfectly imitating the sea serpent. “When Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came to me and told me that your birthday was coming up, it seemed a good enough time to give them to you as any.”

She wraps her forelegs around you in a hug. “Thank you.”

“Enough with the mushy stuff!” Rainbow Dash says, interrupting the moment. “Time for a party game!”

“Ooh! Ooh! I brought ‘Pin the Tail on the’…”

Once more, a sky-blue hoof stops Pinkie Pie’s sentence. “Nuh-uh, Pinkie Pie. I got a better idea.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh?” Rarity asks, intrigued. “And what might that be?”

“Truth or Dare,” Rainbow Dash replies. “Except that no one is removed from play, and we all play to win.”

“Oh, um…” Fluttershy takes a reluctant step back. “…I think I’ll sit this one out, you guys.”

“You can’t do that, you silly filly!” Pinkie Pie says, appearing behind the yellow pegasus. “You’ll miss out on the fun!”

“Oh, it’s all right,” Fluttershy says in a low voice, trying to back away. “I’m not very good at Truth or Dare.”

“Nuh-uh, Fluttershy. You’re not sitting this one out.” Rainbow Dash reaches into her saddlebags and starts taking out bottles of yellow liquid, occasionally taking out small bottles of red liquid. “Now where did I put those peppermints?”

“Rrfff hrfff!” answers Pinkie Pie, appearing beside Rainbow Dash with a bag of mints in her mouth.

The blue pegasus just glances at Pinkie and sighs, taking the bag of mints in her hooves. “Thanks, Pinkie.” She places the mints by the bottles and sticks her head into her saddlebag, continuing to rummage through it.

You trade wary glances with Applejack and Twilight. “What in Celestia’s name is she up to?”

She starts placing shot glasses onto the floor. “Hey,” she calls out. “Any of you guys know a lie detection spell?”

“I could look one up…” Twilight says, her voice trailing off.

“I was reading up on one earlier, actually,” you say. “Lemme see if I can try it…” You close your eyes. Visualize a large circle, wide enough to surround yourself and whoever else needs to be in the circle, you mentally recall as you call forth your magic. Envision a sky-blue light enveloping anything and everything in the circle. You start to feel a bit of mental strain, but nothing that you haven’t experienced before. Finally, visualize a red light and connect all the necessary ponies to it with a green tendril of magic…

You open your eyes and feel a couple of beads of sweat on your brow. “I think that worked,” you say after a breath. “Try it now?”

“Hmm…” Rarity thinks for a moment. “I think orange and lime-green go perfect together with dark blue.” A buzzing noise cuts the silence and a red light flashes in the air above her.

“Wow. That’s perfect,” Rainbow Dash says. She takes one last shot glass out of her saddlebag and looks at everypony with a sly grin. “I remember playing this version before I moved to Ponyville. Everypony gets into a circle and gets a shot glass.” She glances at you and Twilight, and the two of you start placing shot glasses in front of yourself and the others as they gather into a circle.

“Now, where did that thing…” Her gaze darts left and right, and she finds what she was looking for: an empty bottle. She picks it up and places it on the center of the circle. “Seeing as I know how to play, I’ll go first.” She bats at the bottle and it starts to spin. Everyone’s attention is riveted as the bottle stops, its mouth pointing at Twilight. “Okay, now Twilight, I get to ask you: Truth or Dare?”

You and Twilight glance at each other. She breaks contact first and sighs. “Truth, Dash.”

“Okay!” She thinks for a minute. Her face lights up with an idea and she looks at Twilight. “I’ll start with something simple.” She closes her eyes and raises a hoof. “Did I or did I not clear up the sky in ten seconds flat when you thought I couldn’t do it?”

Twilight nods. “You did.” A green light immediately appears over Twilight, followed by a dinging sound. Rainbow Dash opens the bag of wrapped mints, picks one up and tosses it to Twilight.

“All right!” Rainbow Dash says, her voice laced with excitement. “So, Twilight gets the first point.” She looks around. “The first person to have fifteen mints wins the game.”

“Seems easy enough,” you say.

A mischievous glint in Rainbow Dash’s eye tells you otherwise. “Oh, really?” She looks over to Pinkie Pie, who’s on her left. “Your turn, Pinkie Pie.”

“Okee-dokee-lokee!” She bats the empty bottle enthusiastically, and it spins for a full minute before it slows and, as you expect, it points to you. She looks up at you. “Truth or Dare?”

You look Rainbow Dash in the eye. “Dare,” you say in a challenge.

Pinkie Pie hops up and down. “Oh, goody goody!” She suddenly stops and thinks for a moment. “Umm…” All eyes are on her as she continues to think of something. “Ooh! I got one!” She points to Rarity. “I dare you to use your magic and turn her hair green!”

You turn to Rarity, who is sending you the nastiest glare you’ve ever seen. It’s plain to see that she could do some long-term damage, with or without her magic, but you slowly start to visualize her hair turning forest green. You’re about to call forth your magic when you notice that Rarity’s own horn is glowing, a red aura about it.

“Um…” Twilight starts, tapping your shoulder. “I wouldn’t, if I were you…”

You can see that Rarity’s ready to go through with whatever she has planned. Defeated, you let go of the image in your mind. You shake your head. “I can’t do it.”

Rainbow Dash chuckles smugly as she uncorks one bottle containing yellow liquid and one bottle containing red liquid. She fills your shot glass up with the yellow liquid and pours three drops of the red liquid into your glass. She waggles her eyebrows as soon as she places the smaller bottle down.

“Drink up,” she says. You pick the shot glass up with your teeth and knock your head back, popping the mixture into your mouth. As soon as you place the shot glass onto the floor in front of you, the vilest taste wreaks havoc on your tastebuds and your tongue feels like it’s on fire. It doesn’t show any sign of abating as you swallow it.

“Aww!” you manage to sputter. “What in the name of Celestia’s back left hoof was that?”

“Lemon juice and tobaschoof sauce,” the blue pegasus answers matter-of-factly.

“What?” All eyes turn to Rainbow Dash. She nods casually.

“Yup,” she answers. “You can use the mints you earn to clean your mouth, but that means one less mint to your total.” She looks at you. “You have to have fifteen uneaten mints to win the game.”

“Rainbow Dash, this has to be the worst possible version of Truth or Dare that I’ve ever played,” Rarity says.

“Aww, come on, Sugarcube, it’s not that bad,” Applejack cuts in. “’Sides, it’s mah turn.” The orange earth pony bats at the bottle, sending it spinning.

“Oh, I forgot to say, if it points to you, then you get to spin again,” Rainbow Dash says as the bottle starts to slow down. "And if the lie detection spell goes off, that counts as a penalty and you have to take a shot."

*-----*-----*-----*-----*

The game continues innocently enough for another forty-five minutes. At this point, Pinkie Pie has three mints, Applejack has nine, you and Fluttershy have six, Twilight has four, Rarity has eight, and Rainbow Dash has twelve. You’ve only gone through one bottle of lemon juice and a third of a bottle of hot sauce. Fluttershy spins the bottle and it comes to a stop in front of Applejack.

“Truth,” Applejack says.

“Okay,” the yellow pegasus says quietly. “Umm…” Her cheeks go red and she looks down at the floor. “Have you…” She cowers a little. “Have you…everhadyourfirstkiss?” She immediately hides under her forelegs.

Applejack looks around nervously. “Well, uh…” She smiles shyly. “…No?” A green light appears on her head and a dinging sound rings in your ears.

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asks as she tosses Applejack a mint.

“Now don’t go gettin’ any funny ideas in yer head, Dash,” she warns her. “Yer treadin’ inta dangerous territory.”

Rainbow Dash just waves it off and turns to Rarity. “Your turn, Rarity.” You notice the small wink that passes between them.

Rarity spins the bottle, and, as some form of fate would have it, it points to you.

“Well?” she asks expectantly, her eyes shimmering with mischief. “Truth…or Dare?”

You narrow your eyes. “Truth,” you say.

Rarity grins. “Now, darling, seeing as Applejack has never had her first kiss, if given the opportunity, would you be the stallion to offer her that?”

You look at everypony, their eyes riveted onto you.

“Oh, come on, darling!” Rarity says, rolling her eyes. You give a sad look at Twilight Sparkle before lowering your head.

“I would,” you say quietly. The dinging in your ears feels hollow and you feel two pairs of eyes staring into your heart and soul as you hear the crinkling of a mint wrapper at your front hooves. You close your eyes, afraid to make eye contact with either Twilight or Applejack as the bottle spins again.

“Oh,” was Fluttershy’s only reply as you open your eyes and see the bottle point at her.

Rainbow Dash grins. “Well, Fluttershy? Truth or Dare?”

She stares at the mouth of the bottle. “Well, um…” Her eyes dart up as her gaze travels towards yourself and everypony else. “…Truth,” she answers quietly.

“I noticed you sneak out of the party with some food,” Rainbow Dash says with a grin. “Where’d you run off to?”

Her gaze immediately flicks to you, and you’re fairly positive that everypony noticed. With a gulp, she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

Rainbow Dash fills Fluttershy’s shot glass with lemon juice and hot sauce with a shrug. The yellow pegasus reluctantly picks up the shot glass with her teeth and knocks her head back, downing the mixture in one gulp. She starts coughing as soon as she swallows, and immediately she unwraps a mint with her teeth and hooves and pops it into her mouth.

“Dash, I think this game is getting out of hand,” Twilight says carefully. “Seeing as you have the most mints, can’t we just finish the game here and say you were the winner?”

“Oh come on, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash says, “it’s just a game.” She looks down at the bottle to see that it’s stopped spinning and is pointing at her.

“Truth or Dare, Dashie-Pie?” Pinkie asks excitedly, and in the exact next second, her face turns into one of surprise and she covers her mouth with her hooves. Rainbow Dash suddenly blushes and her eyes widen.

“Pinkie Pie!” she says quickly, her eyes nervously darting around the circle. Twilight suddenly starts to giggle beside you. You turn to her, a question in your eyes, and she points with her gaze at the blue pegasus. You look and see that her wings have unfurled and her blush starts to brighten.

Applejack’s the only one to break out into laughter, though everyone is either smirking or giggling silently. Applejack straightens up and puts a hoof to her lips to try to contain her amusement, but she fails miserably and bursts into laughter again. Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes and looks down in embarrassment.

“Dare,” she says with a sigh.

This one seems too easy, you think. I’m not sure if Pinkie Pie believes in karma, but…

“Okay! I dare you to ask anypony in the circle to help you with your wings,” the pink earth pony states bluntly.

…But she sure has no idea of subtlety, you finish thinking as there is a collective gasp from around the circle.

“Pinkie Pie, that’s out of the question!” Rarity pipes up, much to everyone’s surprise. “I’ve heard of…” She pauses, thinking of a roundabout way of avoiding using a more blunt term for Rainbow Dash’s current condition. “…I’ve heard of these things happening to pegasi, and it’s a natural but embarrassing thing. It’s also just as embarrassing to have to ask someone to help…relieve them….of their problem.”

Rainbow Dash shakes her head and waves Rarity’s objection away. “Naw, it’s okay, Rarity. I chose ‘Dare’. I gotta either deal with it or face the punishment.”

“We can make an exception to the rule, Rainbow Dash…”

Her gaze is icy as she whirls to face the snow-white unicorn. “I said it’s fine!”

The air is thick with uncertainty before the pegasus sighs and moves towards the center of the circle. “Fluttershy…”

Fluttershy immediately raises her head. “Oh! M-m-me?” She shakes her head quickly. “But, I’ve…I’ve never had to…”

Rainbow Dash snorts. “It’s fine. I’ll teach you how to do it.” She glances at you for the briefest of moments before turning her head away. “And you can, too, I suppose. Fluttershy’s a little on the gentle side.”

You glance at Twilight, who shrugs. You shrug in return, get up and walk towards Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy cautiously steps to the fore.

“Okay…” Rainbow Dash says after taking a breath. “It’s different for every pegasus, but…” She looks around the circle. You look around as well, and everypony’s gaze is full of awe rather than ridicule. She closes her eyes but points her head in your direction. “You handle my right wing, it’s the less sensitive one. Fluttershy, take my left wing.” You and the yellow pegasus follow her orders.

“Like I said, it’s different for every pegasus. Start rubbing forwards and backwards at the base of my wings.”

You look around again, expecting anypony to say something, but their attention is anchored to what’s going on in the middle of the circle. Shaking your head, you return your attention to Rainbow Dash and slowly start to rub at the base of her right wing. Fluttershy’s face is completely red as she slowly starts to do the same, her wings starting to rise of their own accord.

Rainbow Dash lets out a stuttered breath. “Okay. Start moving upwards along my wings, still rubbing in the same direction.” Her eyes still closed, she turns her head in Fluttershy’s direction. “Umm, Fluttershy…”

“Y-y-yes, Rainbow Dash?”

“Could you…” She hesitates for a moment, her eyelids clenching shut. “Could you…al-alternate strokes?” She lowers her head shamefully. “Like, as he’s…going in one direction, you could move the…opposite direction?”

You and the yellow pegasus make eye contact, and all of a sudden her wings unfurl fully. She turns away. “If…if that’s what you…”

Rainbow Dash nods quickly, and you see Fluttershy watching you move your hooves. She quickly notices your rhythm and starts to rub Dash’s wing the opposite way. The blue pegasus nods slowly.

“Be…be careful towards the tips of my wings,” she says shyly. “They're the most sensitive parts.”

As the two of you get closer to her wingtips, Rainbow Dash nudges the empty bottle from underneath her and lies down, giving you and Fluttershy easier access to the tips of her wings. At the very touch, she hisses suddenly, and the two of you stop your ministrations in surprise.

“O-o-okay…” the blue pegasus says, her voice a little shaky. “F-from the t-t-tips, start rub-rubbing along…the wing…please.”

You and Fluttershy trade a passing glance and a blush as the two of you follow Rainbow Dash’s orders. You glance down at Rainbow Dash. Her eyes are still closed and sweat is starting to bead on her forehead, but she’s biting her lower lip in what seems to be reluctant pleasure. She shudders as you rub down along the length of her wing and pause at the base.

“Oh!” she says suddenly. “Wait! Rub in circles right…there…”

You start to rub in circles at the base of her wing, and slowly her wings start to point upward.

“Just like that…” she moans with a nod, her eyes still screwed shut. “Just…like that…”

Of your own accord, you start to massage in circles along her wing, gently pressing it down. Fluttershy looks at your hooves rather than your face and follows your pacing, also gently pressing the wing down. Rainbow Dash’s eyes suddenly fly open in surprise, though completely oblivious to the others.

“Oh!” Her entire body starts to shake. “A little more…” She starts to pant. “A little—”

As you and Fluttershy reach the tips of Rainbow Dash’s wings again, the blue pegasus immediately tenses up and her wings point upward and she shoots to her feet and arches her back, sending yourself and Fluttershy sprawling onto the floor. Her wings start quivering for a few seconds as she starts to gasp uncontrollably. Something seems to explode inside of Rainbow Dash as her wings convulse furiously once more and she arches her back and lets out a low, ecstatic moan.

As quickly as the image of Rainbow Dash in the throes of pleasure appears, it fades away as her legs give out and she collapses onto the floor, her wings laying completely slack at her sides. Her breathing is heavy but you can tell she’s satisfied.

“Oh, stallion…” she murmurs as her breathing slows to a more even pace. The entire room is quiet for a full minute before the tension is broken.

“Umm…”

You suddenly remember you have an audience as Applejack pipes up.

“A-are we still playing the game?”

Chapter Five

Truth or Dare
Chapter Five

“A-are we still playing the game?”

Rainbow Dash nods as she slowly gets up. “Yeah.” She glances at Applejack. “It’s your turn, isn’t it?” She puts the bottle back in the middle and saunters back to her spot in the circle.

Applejack spins the bottle, and it points to you. “Well,” she says sternly, “Truth or Dare?”

Regardless of whether you choose truth or dare, you know what she has planned for you. “Truth,” you reply.

She thrusts a hoof in Rainbow Dash’s direction while she stares right at you. “What in tarnation was that all about?” She then points to Twilight Sparkle. “How can you say that you’re still tryin’ ta sort out yer feelin’s about Twahlight when you just go on and pull a stunt like that in frunna all of us?” She lowers her hoof and stands up. “How can you say you like Twahlight when you just go on and help Rainbow Dash with her…”

You stand up and stare her right in the eye. “I did it because she asked me!” you shout. You slowly gaze around the circle. “All of you, any of you, if you had a problem like that and asked me to help you, I would in a second without hesitation!”

You take a few deep breaths before lowering your head, trying to gather your thoughts. “I had plenty of time to dwell on some...things today, and I felt like a choice had to be made. I wanted to try and sort out how I felt for Twilight first because I’ve spent the most time with her.” You lift your head and stare directly at Applejack. “Helping Rainbow Dash with her…situation…confirmed it. I feel the same way her as I do Twilight.” You narrow your eyes. “I don’t expect any of you to believe me, or even think that it’s right, but it’s the truth.”

You push six of your mints towards the empty bottle, which is still pointed at you. “For my turn, I’ll offer a truth about my feelings for you or go through with a dare involving you.” One last time, you look around the circle. “Ask anything of me and I’ll answer or do it. No hesitations.”

For a moment, no one moves. Pinkie Pie looks left and right several times then bounds across the circle, stops in front of you, wraps her forelegs around your neck and pulls you into a kiss. Her lips taste strongly of mint, but the sour tang of lemon faintly registers on your tongue as she slips her tongue past your lips. You squeak in slight surprise and flick your tongue against the tip of hers, earning a throaty moan from the pink earth pony.

As she releases you from her kiss and embrace, she blushes and smiles shyly. “That was fun! We should do that again some time,” she says happily. “Maybe after eating some cotton candy.” She winks. “Or chocolate.” She proudly steps back to her place and unwraps one of your mints with her teeth and hooves and pops the mint into her mouth. She sits down with a satisfied smile on her face and looks at the other five expectantly.

The others trade apprehensive looks. Applejack sighs and walks over to you.

“Ah never did think of mah first kiss happenin’ like this,” she says.

“Then tell me how it would have gone,” you say. “What would we have done that led up to it?”

The orange earth pony thinks for a minute. “Well, we would have spent the entire day workin’ at th' orchard,” she replies. “After all that work, we would have washed up and had a quiet picnic dinner on one of the hills outside th’ farm.”

“Hold that thought,” you say, quickly raising a hoof. You purse your lips in thought, summoning your magic, and touch your horn to Applejack's forehead. A flash of white temporarily blinds you, but when your vision returns, you and Applejack are right where she describes.

The two of you are sitting on a red and white gingham picnic mat, an open picnic basket, empty plates and an empty pie pan on one corner of the mat behind you. The sky is a deep purple and stars are glittering in the night sky. Applejack sits beside you and sighs happily.

“What’s the first thing you would say?” you ask.

“Did y’ enjoy dinner?” she asks back.

You nod, trying to slip into your role in her fantasy. “I did, thanks. You really shouldn’t have.”

She blushes. “Nah, it’s th’ least Ah could do fer ya fer helpin’ a filly out.” She looks up at the sky. “Sure is pretty t'night.”

You scoot closer. “I like this,” you say. “I thought you’d want to go into town for a walk or something.”

You look over to her and she shrugs, still looking up at the night sky. “Nah, I love the orchard. It’s nice and quiet this time of night.”

You grin mischievously. “Much as I love the quiet, there’s the odd time when I like to make a bit of noise…”

“Now what in…”

Before you let her finish her sentence, your forelegs go to her sides and immediately you start to tickle her.

“Hey! Cut that…” Her objection is drowned out by hysterical laughter from both of you as you relentlessly continue to rub your hooves along her ribs. She feebly bats at your chest, begging you to stop, even as the two of you fall over, her hat slipping off her.

As you finally stop tickling her ribs and she catches her breath, you can’t help but smile as you take in the sight of the orange earth pony. Her face is slightly flushed and her hair is mussed up from losing her hat.

“Did…” She looks away from you briefly. “…Did you mean what you said? Ah mean, about…likin’ all of us?”

You nod. “You’re the Element of Honesty, Applejack. You tell me.” You lean in and press your lips against hers in an earnest kiss. You hear her moan into your mouth in surprise before she reciprocates. Gently, you run your left hoof along the length of her hair, pushing away the red hairband at the end and letting her long blonde mane spill out onto the picnic mat like golden straw. Your hoof gently glides along her side, and she whimpers in reply.

You lift your head, breaking away from her lips and look down at her, her eyes half-open in a half-dazed, half-sultry expression, her green eyes glittering like jade. “Why-why’d ya stop?”

You chuckle. “We’re still in the library, Applejack,” you whisper. Her eyes widen in realization and she shakes her head as she scoots out from underneath you. She rushes to get up, her hair framing her quickly-reddening face, and picks her hat up off the picnic mat, flipping it onto her head. She darts her head left and right quickly, finding her red hairband and picking it up with her teeth as the magic-induced setting swirls and dissipates, Pinkie smiling brightly and the other four friends looking away, no doubt uncomfortable by what they just saw.

Applejack sits back at her place in the circle and tries to fix her hair, avoiding eye contact with you as you flick a mint in her direction. You look around the circle again, letting the offer hang in the air. Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy exchange uneasy glances.

“Aww, c’mon!” Applejack says after a full minute of silence. “Pinkie an’ Ah can’t be th’ only ones with enough darin’ ta take ‘im up on ‘is offer!” She looks around the circle. “Now, Twahlight an’ Fluttershy Ah c’n see holdin’ back, and Dash’s…well…” Her gaze goes to Dash, who looks away. “Rare! Whah don’t you ask ‘im ta do sumthin’? See if’n he’s lyin’ or not?”

The white unicorn closes her eyes huffily and put a hoof to her chest. “Applejack, I am a lady and a lady does not participate in such blatant displays of behavior, even among friends.” She looks at you with what seems to be a hint of disapproval. “Besides, what I would want from him he wouldn’t be able to offer me this way.”

She raises an eyebrow. “What in tarnation d’you mean by that?”

Rarity sighs in annoyance. “If you must know, darling, like you, I’ve never been kissed, myself. However, I do have expectations.”

You and Applejack both narrow your eyes.

“I’m sorry, darling,” she says, turning to you, “but I’ve always wanted my first kiss to be the ones that leave me speechless, breathless and my mind completely blank.” She turns back to the orange earth pony. “A kiss like that is something that you just can’t call up. It’s one of those random moments that come up in the middle of a conversation or the result of heavy tension.”

“Heavy tension?” Applejack asks incredulously. “You watched ‘im and Fluttershy help Rainbow Dash with her wings, Pinkie Pie kiss ‘im, an’ me an ‘im get hot an’ heavy right in frunna you and you’re sayin’ there’s no heavy tension in th’ room?” She raises an eyebrow. “Ah’m pretty sure that Twahlight’s just bein’ polite, and Fluttershy’s well…Fluttershy.”

Rarity recoils. “Well…” She glances at you before turning back to Applejack. As you turn to look at Applejack, a thought occurs to you and you mentally prepare to call forth your magic.

“Ah bet yer just put off colts after that fiasco with Blueblood,” Applejack says smugly.

She gets to her feet indignantly. “I will not just sit here and listen to you malign me! I don’t know why I’m still sitting here listening to you! I’m—”

You quickly use your magic to summon her to you in a flash. The shocked look on the white unicorn’s face registers in your mind for the briefest of moments before you throw caution to the wind and press your lips hungrily against hers. She squeaks in surprise and tries to back away, putting a hoof to your chest, but you throw your foreleg behind her neck and press deeper, closing your eyes and tasting her lips with your tongue and taking in the scent of jasmine.

Her protesting moans start to ebb as you put your free hoof to her cheek and push your tongue past her lips. Her foreleg starts to give way and you lean further in, her hoof still on your chest. You bring her closer and as you move your head, your horn clacks against hers, sending a jolt of electricity throughout your body. As your eyes flare open in shock from the unexpected contact, her eyes open wide as well and she gasps into your mouth with surprise. The sensation doesn’t dissipate immediately, but instead lingers at your back hooves for a little while before surging again through your body back to your horn.

Your body seems to be moving of its own accord as you touch your horn with hers again and maintain the contact, the surge getting stronger with each passing second. She shuts her eyes and writhes against you, her horn rubbing against yours, and you feel tremors of pleasure ripple through your body, feeling it the most in your extremities. You shudder involuntarily, causing further friction, enough to force the both of you break the kiss and step back.

You fall backwards on your flank, your breathing heavy, your brow sweaty, and your horn emitting a faint glow. You still feel jolts of electricity flowing throughout your body, giving you the occasional shiver. Staring straight ahead, you see Rarity panting heavily, her hair slightly tousled and her horn glowing slightly brighter than yours.

“Y’all right?” Applejack asks, trotting over to you worriedly. You nod mutely as Twilight trots over to Rarity and asks her the same question.

“Ahh…” She shakes her head. “Wha…” She shakes her head again as she manages to get to her feet. She looks at you and a brief flash of realization hits her. She blushes bright red before looking away.

Applejack, who was looking at Rarity, turns to you with a smug smile and bats one of her mints towards the white unicorn.

“Speechless, breathless, and mind completely blank,” she says. “Ah’d say y’ met her expectations with flyin’ colors.”

Chapter Six

Truth or Dare
Chapter Six

“Speechless, breathless, and mind completely blank,” she says. “Ah’d say y’ met her expectations with flyin’ colors.”

You nod and slowly stop panting, though the soft glow on your horn doesn’t fade. You can feel your face heat up with a blush as you glance at Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash looks over to Fluttershy, a crafty grin forming on her face, while Fluttershy’s eyes widen in surprise. She immediately shakes her head ‘no’, and looks to you with concern.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash says in a frustrated tone as she walks behind the yellow pegasus.

Fluttershy shakes her head again, this time more vehemently, glancing at you from the corner of her eye. “Oh no, Dash, I couldn’t possibly—”

The timid mare’s eyes widen as Rainbow Dash starts pushing her towards you. “There is no way…” Rainbow Dash grunts with exertion as she continues nudging Fluttershy your direction. “…No way you’re passing up…” She grunts again with a more forceful push, and Fluttershy is just a foreleg’s length from you. “…No way you’re passing up an opportunity like this!” She nudges one more time, and the yellow pegasus’ eyes widen as she realizes that your muzzle and hers are no more than three hairs’ widths across.

“Oh! Umm…” She looks away, her cheeks going red. “Rainbow Dash, I…”

Before she can continue, and before you can say anything, Rainbow Dash pushes her once more, and she squeals in surprise as she bumps into you, your lips making contact. Before you can react she immediately backs away and gives Rainbow Dash an annoyed look. The blue pegasus, however, is unfazed and is wearing a smug smile.

“There! Was that so hard?”

Fluttershy doesn’t answer, but instead turns back to you, a request in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she says in a barely audible voice. “I…I won’t ask you to do that again.” She looks up at you and backs away a little. “Unless—”

You put a hoof to her lips. “Do you want me to, Fluttershy?” you ask firmly.

She looks away from you for a moment before nodding reluctantly. You lift her chin up with a hoof, her eyes meeting yours. Your lips touch hers for a moment, and you feel her quake ever so slightly. A tiny moan escapes her lips before she steps back, blushing, and leaving you a little warm and slightly dizzy from the faint scent of vanilla.

The sky-blue pegasus winces. “That’s it?”

“Rainbow Dash, leave her be,” Rarity cuts in matter-of-factly. “You know she’s never one to impose.”

“Nuh-uh,” Rainbow Dash says. She turns to the yellow pegasus. “Fluttershy, you’ve got to want more than that!”

Fluttershy shakes her head. “I couldn’t possibly—”

“He’s offering, ‘Shy!” Rainbow Dash exclaims. She sharply inclines her head in your direction. “Go! He won’t say ‘no’!”

Reluctantly, she approaches you again, her eyes tightly shut. “I don’t want to be a bother…”

You chuckle as you put a hoof under her chin. “Fluttershy, you’re not being a bother. I said I wouldn’t hesitate if you wanted to do anything or ask anything of me.”

She looks away. “Are you sure?”

You nod slowly. She seems to steel herself for a brief moment before she closes her eyes, pushes your hoof away and grabs you in a tight embrace and aggressively crushes her lips against yours. You falter in surprise and fall backward, Fluttershy pinning you to the floor. You feel a sudden need, a sudden urgency, to her kiss, and you put a hoof around the back of her head, answering that need and pulling her closer. She moans in reply, teasing your lips with her tongue. You feel the warmth of her body begin to mingle with yours as her weight slowly starts to settle over you.

She breaks from the kiss and opens her eyes, dark with arousal. As she looks down at you, she realizes where she is, and she suddenly shuffles off you, her face a bright red. “I’m sorry!” she cries out. “I didn’t mean for it to get that out of hand—”

You shake your head as you get up. “It’s fine. I’m sure someone would have tried to stop it if things got too far.”

It doesn’t seem at all possible, but her blush deepens further as she steps back. “Did you…did you enjoy it?”

You nod. “Yes. Did you?”

She nods once in reply. “Yes,” she murmurs. “I did enjoy it.” She looks up to you. “Th-thank you…again…” She moves back to her spot in the circle.

Rainbow Dash strides up to you purposefully and waggles her eyebrows. “My turn.”

Those two words, spoken with the level of arrogance only the blue pegasus has, sends a shiver down your spine. You take a step back carefully as a mischievous smile tugs at the corners of her lips. She glances past you for a quick moment, and before you can take another step back, you feel somepony against your flank, blocking you. You turn to see Applejack shaking her head.

“Looks like you’ve got a bit of a problem,” Dash says brashly. “And seeing as you helped me with mine, I think I should help you with yours.” She turns back to Twilight. “Wanna help? You’ve been pretty quiet this whole time.”

She shakes her head rapidly, as if coming out of private thoughts. “Oh, uh…” She blushes, and you catch the faintest hint of a glimmer on her horn as her focus is temporarily disrupted. “N-no, no thanks, Dash.” You make eye contact with her, and the little glimmer on her horn brightens almost unnoticeably and you catch a blush on her face. “Y-y-you go on ahead.”

“You okay, Twilight?” she asks as you open your mouth to ask her the same question.

The lavender unicorn nods quickly. “Yeah, Dash. Just go.” She waves towards you with a hoof.

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash says as she turns back to you. “Now, where was I…?”

Putting the lie to her question, she leans forward and kisses you, wasting no time in tasting your lips with her tongue and garnering a little groan of surprise from you. She tilts her head and sneaks her tongue past your lips, the sour taste of lemon mingled with heat from the tobaschoof sauce attempting to distract you from the ministrations of the sky blue pegasus.

She chuckles as she pulls away, leaving you breathless and the area around you a few shades brighter. “Sit down,” she whispers huskily, and you follow without question. As you fold your legs underneath you, she nuzzles your mane and teasingly nips at your ear and slowly moves her head away from you, her cheek rubbing gently against your horn. You let go of a slow, stuttering sigh as Rainbow Dash kisses the tip of your horn and begin to shudder as she lays small, innocent kisses down one side. You shut your eyes tightly, feeling your horn warm as she touches her tongue to it, tracing a line to the tip.

Without warning, she flicks the tip of her tongue against the point of your horn. Before you can rear back in surprise, she puts her lips on the point and slowly takes it into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it as she does so. Rather than the surges of electricity you expect to have from her actions, a slow but strong wave of warmth cascades through the nerves of your body. You take a deep breath, trying (and failing) not to hear and feel her moan and hum with your horn still in her mouth.

She pulls away and smiles wickedly down at you. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were enjoying this,” she says, about to place her lips on your horn again. Before she does however, you look up to see Twilight putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight says curtly.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” she asks. Twilight moves closer to the blue pegasus and whispers something in her ear. Dash’s eyes widen with surprise and she briefly looks down at you before she backs away.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, your breath raspy.

Twilight looks away from you. “Nothing,” she says in a small voice. “I…I just think Rainbow Dash…”

You look at her seriously as you get up, though your legs are still a little wobbly. “Twilight, I did say that—”

“I know what you said,” Twilight interrupts you, “but this can’t wait.”

All eyes turn to Twilight as she addresses Applejack. “Can I ask you to do something for me?”

“Whaddya need, Twahlight?” she asks uncertainly.

Twilight sighs. “Can you take Spike with you tonight…please?”

The earth pony gawks at Twilight then Rainbow Dash then you. Her eyes grow wide in realization. “Oh! Well, um…sure,” she replies. “Ah suppose Ah kin hang onta him fer, how long? A day or two?”

Rainbow Dash snorts, a wiggly grin forming on her face. Twilight blushes bright red and glances at you briefly. “Tell him he can come back tomorrow afternoon.”

Applejack nods slowly. “I’ll go get ‘im now.” She turns to the other unicorn. “Care to gimme a hand, Rare? Ah don’t wanna wake ‘im, and Ah’m ‘fraid Ah will if Ah so much as nudge ‘im.”

Rarity nods. “If I must.” The two of them head upstairs to Twilight and Spike’s bedroom.

“What’s going on?” Pinkie Pie asks, utterly oblivious to the situation. “Is the party over? Did Dash win the game?”

“Of course, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash says proudly. Twilight clears her throat loudly, and Dash’s prideful facade quickly fades. “Actually, I wanted to keep playing, but…” Rainbow Dash leans closer to the pink earth pony and whispers in her ear. Pinkie Pie’s eyes widen and she puts her hooves in front of her mouth excitedly, failing to hide her wide smile. She looks at you and giggles as Rarity and Applejack reappear from upstairs, the baby dragon snoring lightly on Applejack’s back.

“Wait,” Twilight says suddenly. She looks around to make sure she gets everyone’s attention before turning to you.

“Everypony else has had their turn,” Twilight says matter-of-factly. “I think I deserve mine.”

You stand and nod.

“I just want a simple truth,” she says. “If…if I asked you at any time to stay the night, would you?”

You jerk back slightly in surprise. She sure knows how to get to the point, you muse as you nod. “Yes.”

“No hesitation?”

You shake your head. “None.”

“Now hold on a minute,” Applejack says quickly. “What about th’ rest of us? Ah thought you said—”

You raise a hoof. “I was going to get to that,” you say. You level your gaze on them all before turning back to Twilight. “I don’t want any of you to think that I’ll favor any one of you over another. My feelings are the same for all of you; I want you to please respect my feelings and each other’s. I’m not just going to up and leave one of you to spend time with another.”

You watch as the six of them look amongst each other. One after another, they all look to you and nod. The air starts to feel heavy with uncertainty.

“Ah guess Ah better get goin’ an’ put this critter t’ bed,” Applejack says, testing the waters. “He’s a mite bit heavier than Apple Bloom.”

“Oh! Right!” Rainbow Dash says quickly. “I’ve got to practice some new tricks first thing in the morning.” She turns and is about to rush out when she runs into Pinkie Pie. “Sorry, Pinkie.”

“It’s okay, Dash,” Pinkie says. “I gotta get going, too. Gotta give Gummy his midnight snack!”

“I should get going as well,” Rarity says. “I should have some new designs ready in case Hoity Toity decides to come to Ponyville again.”

“I should go, too,” Fluttershy says silently. She looks to you and Twilight. “Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you,” you say. “I wasn’t expecting a party.” You and Twilight follow the others to the main area of the library, using your magic to open the door.

“G’naght, everypony,” Applejack calls out, Fluttershy flying above and to her left, watching over Spike.

“See ya later, guys,” Rainbow Dash calls out, leaving behind a flash of color as she zooms upward and out of sight.

“Bye!” Pinkie Pie says jovially, wrapping her forelegs tightly around you in a hug. She kisses you on the lips, ending it with a big smack and a loud ‘mwah!’ before turning around and bounding away.

Rarity turns around and looks down for a moment. “I’m sorry I got all huffy about earlier, darling.”

You grin and raise an eyebrow. “It was my idea, remember?”

She blushes. “Yes, well…I never did thank you for it, either.” She looks up to you. “Thank you.”

You chuckle. “You’re welcome, Rarity.”

She turns to Twilight. “Good night, darling.”

She nods. “Good night, Rarity.” She walks in the direction of Carousel Boutique. As you watch the white unicorn walk away, you can feel Twilight staring at you intensely, but she looks away as you turn to address her.

“You okay, Twilight?” you ask.

“Yes…” she says quickly, seemingly ending the conversation. You can start to feel the tension in the air as she starts walking towards her living quarters. Hesitantly, you follow her towards the front desk and use your magic to place the saddlebags over your back, feeling slightly weighted down by the extra dishes.

“Hey,” she calls out softly as you turn around and think of leaving.

“Hmm?”

“You said that you’d stay the night if I ever asked you to, provided you weren’t with anyone else,” she stated plainly. She turns and looks at you. “Can I…” She looks away briefly before tightening her jaw and shifting her gaze back to you. “The reason I asked Applejack to take Spike tonight, was, because…well…”

You nod slowly as she starts to trail off.

“I…I wanted to take you up on that offer,” she says loudly, shutting her eyes and looking away. “I want…I want you to stay with me tonight.”

You smile, seeing her so frustrated just to ask you that much warming your heart. You magically lift your saddlebags off you, replacing them by the front desk, and walk over to Twilight, nuzzling the side of her face.

“All you had to do was ask,” you whisper. You pull your head back and smile at her, and she grins weakly.

“Seeing you with the others was…” She looks away, ashamed. “It…You noticed…”

“It’s understandable,” you say, “but I simply can’t choose just one of you, and I’d hate to be the one who breaks somepony’s heart.”

She shakes her head. “No, I’m past that.” She glances upward at her horn. “Seeing you and Applejack, and then you and Rarity, well…” Her cheeks flush bright red. “I’ve never really felt something like that, and I wanted to know what that feels like.” She looks up at you with an unreadable expression. “Along with that present you gave me, there’s something else that I’d like for my birthday.”

“And that might be…?”

“You.” She kisses your cheek, and out of nowhere, a short chuckle escapes your lips.

“What?” she asks suddenly, offended.

Realizing the situation you’re in, you nuzzle the side of her face disarmingly. “It was something stupid,” you reply. “The moment you answered my question, that old song by Four Ringer came to mind.”

“Four Ringer?” she asks. “Why?”

“Just being melodramatic,” you reply. “Like in a romance movie, when the main couple was going to kiss and they’d have background music…?” She nods. “Well, the chorus to ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’ by Four Ringer popped into my head as soon as you said that I was what you wanted for your birthday.”

She looks at you incredulously. “…Why?” she finally manages to ask.

You put a hoof to her cheek. “Because you want to know what love is,” you answer, slightly off-key. “I know I can show you…”

She rolls her eyes with a grin. “I wonder how the others will take the knowledge that you sing horribly?”

“Oh, shush,” you say. “Come. I’m sure you have other ideas of spending the night instead of making fun of my singing or my like of old music.”

Teasingly, she taps her horn point with yours, and you can’t help but shudder. “I can think of a few ways…”

Chapter Seven: Epilogue

Truth or Dare
Chapter Seven: Epilogue

A few months later…

“SURPRISE!!!”

A cloud of confetti obscures your vision as the lights in Sugarcube Corner flare to life. Twilight and the others are all wearing party hats and explode party poppers, sending streamers into the air.

“Happy Birthday!” Twilight calls out.

“What in Celestia’s mane…?” You look around. “How did you know it was my birthday?”

Applejack grins. “Caramel’s mouth is looser than a barn door durin’ a hurricane when he’s zonked on sarsaparilla,” she replies. “Went drinkin’ with ‘im and Big Mac a month ago, and he kept on yammerin’ about you helpin ‘im out. He said you mentioned it while workin’ on th’ farm one day.”

“I felt that the little party we had on my birthday wasn’t enough,” Twilight says, “especially with what you’ve done for us. Everypony agreed that we should throw a surprise birthday party for you.”

You shake your head. “It’s really nothing. You guys didn’t have to—”

Pinkie Pie shakes her head quickly. “Nopey-dopey-lopey! For being such a super-ultra-mega-awesome-bestest-best friend, we had no choice but to throw you the most awesomest-awesome party ever!”

“We all agreed that you deserve nothing less, darling,” Rarity says with a bright smile as she walks up to you and hugs you. “You’re special to all of us.”

“Aww, come on, girls!” Rainbow Dash says as she makes a gagging noise. “Come on and let’s party!”

Twilight smiles and looks to the music box in the corner. Her horn glows briefly and the arm magically moves over the spinning record, a familiar drumbeat starting up.

“Benny Goodmane?” you ask. “How did you know?”

Fluttershy shyly lifts her head. “I heard you listening to it when I passed by your house two weeks ago,” she replies timidly.

You raise an eyebrow and cringe. “…You didn’t catch me dancing to it, did you?” you ask, vividly recalling that day. You were just cleaning your house and listening to a CD of mixed music, courtesy of Vinyl Scratch, and ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ by Benny Goodmane was one of the songs you requested.

Fluttershy shakes her head timidly. “No.” She turns away. “…I wish I did.”

Applejack immediately trots up to you. “You listen to swing? Whah’d you never tell me?” She rears up and pushes you back a few feet. “C’mon! Ah love this song!”

You shake your head vehemently. “Applejack, no!”

Your protest falls on deaf ears as the other five start chanting with eager smiles.

“Dance! Dance! Dance!”

*-----*-----*-----*-----*

A few hours pass, with Ponyville residents occasionally popping in, wishing you well and having a snack offered by Pinkie Pie. None of them stay too long, though their company was appreciated. You know as well as anypony that Pinkie Pie’s legendary parties could go long into the night.

It’s just the seven of you in Sugarcube Corner as you finish an oatmeal-chocolate chip muffin, one from a box of eight that was a present from Ditzy Doo.

“Hey! Time for presents!”

Six wrapped gifts are immediately placed in front of you.

You level an exasperated look at each of them. “You guys…”

Applejack grins. “Will you quit yer belly-achin’ and just go with it?” she asks. “Look, you’ve done so much fer all of us, and you’ve almost never asked fer anythin’ in return. You deserve a party and presents, so stop bein’ all humble about it already!”

You sigh with a smile and pick up the present right in front of you. “Hmm…” You put it to your ear and shake it slightly, hearing a gentle thudding and a muted sloshing noise. “I wonder…” You use your magic to lift it into the air and undo the ribbon and wrapping paper, revealing a plain box. Setting the box down in front of you, you take the lid off with your hooves to find a bottle with bright colors swirling about in it.

“It’s liquid rainbow, perfect grade mixture” Rainbow Dash says proudly. “You were such a sport playing Truth or Dare at Twilight Sparkle’s birthday party that I thought you needed something a bit more extreme than tobaschoof sauce.”

You stare wide-eyed at Rainbow Dash, then the bottle. Even though pegasi make rainbows, you recall reading that the rainbow mixture is something not easily obtainable, even from a pegasus weather facility, and a perfect grade mixture takes at least a month to create.

“How did you…?”

She shrugs. “My uncle is a forepony in the weather facility in Cloudsdale. I told him I wanted a supply of perfect grade rainbow, and he said I could have it if I brought my own materials and made it myself.”

“You went through all that for me?” you ask incredulously. “I read that the written recipe for it isn’t supposed to leave a weather facility…”

She snorts and shrugs. “My uncles works there, remember? I’ve got another fifty bottles of the stuff, and I can always bug him if I want to make more.”

You put down the bottle of rainbow and walk around the table, crushing her in a hug, “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. It means a lot.”

“No worries,” she says with a smile. “I got some perfect grade rainbow out of it, too, ya know?”

You let her go and walk back to the table and levitate a slim, flat box wrapped in purple paper with white ribbon.

“That one’s from me, darling,” Rarity says. “I do hope you’ll enjoy it.”

Once more, you neatly unravel the ribbon and unwrap the paper from around the box. You take the lid off and see a necklace with a simple leather cord. The pendant is a twinkling gem shaped like a six-pointed starburst. As you lift it with your magic, you notice that its color changes depending on the angle you view it.

“That’s beautiful,” you say in awe, your voice barely above a whisper.

The necklace suddenly lurches in the air then gently floats over your head. It lowers and settles around your neck. “It’s Prismatic Crystal,” Rarity replied. “I went to look for gems outside Ponyville…”

“Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time, Rarity?” Rainbow Dash interrupts.

Rarity shoots her an annoyed look before turning back to you. “As I was saying, I went to look for gems outside Ponyville, and managed to find three Prismatic Crystals. This one was the best of the three.” She blushes. “…For making my first kiss one of those rare ones that fillies dream about, I thought I should also give you a rare gem, as it were.”

You bow your head, holding it for a moment. “Thank you, Rarity.”

She scoffs. “Oh, come now, darling! I may be a lady, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get a hug.” She walks up to you and gives you a tight embrace, which you return wholeheartedly. As she lowers back down to all four legs, she levitates a thin, wide bottle with a bow on it. The circular bottle is filled with a blue liquid and is about as wide as your hoof.

“Who’s this from?” you ask, using your own magic to hold on to the bottle.

Fluttershy steps up. “It…It’s from me,” she replies timidly, turning her head away and hiding her face behind her pink hair. “It’s…It’s cologne,” she says. You use your magic to unwrap the ribbon and unscrew the lid. As you float it close to your muzzle, the haunting scent of faint vanilla and lavender tickles your nose, and you feel the hairs at the back of your mane stand on end.

“Ze-Zecora helped me with it,” she continues shyly. “I…I thought it smelled like you.”

“To me, it smells like you,” you reply.

“Then…” Her voice falls to barely above a whisper. “…Then it worked…”

You set the bottle down and walk up to Fluttershy. “Thank you.” You raise your forelegs and catch her in a hug before she manages to completely back away, and the scent of vanilla and lavender once again teases your sense of smell. The very faint trace of sweat from dancing mixes in, but images in your head slowly start to suggest other instances where the smells of lavender, vanilla and sweat could mingle…

You immediately release your hold on her and hold her at forelegs’ length, shaking your head and clearing the naughty images from your mind. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” you say again.

“You should open mahn next, sugarcube,” Applejack says, a ghost of a grin tugging at one corner of her mouth. You raise an eyebrow and look to the flat box with only a ribbon on it that’s half the length of Rarity’s. You lift it up with your magic and shake it, but you don’t hear anything.

“Jus’ open it!” she says impatiently, though you can tell she’s just excited. You playfully stick your tongue out at her and make a big show of grabbing one end of the ribbon and tugging it, letting the green ribbon fall to your hooves. You use your magic to lift the lid open, and you find a single key sitting in black velvet.

“What…”

“That’s the key to mah apple cellar,” she says. “Ah’m the only other pony with a key.”

You snap your head up to level your gaze at her, only to find her waggling her eyebrows. You swallow the lump in your throat.

“Th-thank you,” you manage to stammer, feeling sweat beading on your forehead.

She chuckles as she approaches you. “Aww, no need ta get all nervous-like,” she says, emphasizing her accent and fluttering her eyebrows. “It’s jus’ little ol’ me.” She reaches up and gives you a brief but tight hug, kissing you on the nose before she steps back. You clear your throat and look at the two presents left on the table. One is thin and flat, and the other is shaped similar to Fluttershy’s gift, thin, circular and wide.

“Pick mine! Pick mine! Pick mine!” Pinkie Pie says suddenly, hopping up and down.

“Yours is this one?” you ask, pointing at the round one.

Pinkie Pie nods her head like a jackhammer. “Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!”

You use your magic to undo the ribbon and unwrap the paper neatly, the gift still sitting on the table. As the paper settles on the tabletop, you realize what her present is. Your throat closes and you can tell your eyes are going wide as you look up to see the other five looking at you curiously. You catch Pinkie Pie winking at you and licking her lips playfully.

“What is it?”

“It’s…chocolate…” you manage.

“Well, what’s so bad about that?” Applejack asks.

“It’s chocolate body paint,” Twilight corrects you, “imported from Neighpon.”

Five pairs of surprised eyes stare at you, the bottle and then to Pinkie Pie, who’s grinning like the foal who managed to steal the last cookie in the jar.

“What? I like chocolate,” she says innocently. “It’s so sweet and yummy…” Her crafty grin dissolves into a serenely happy smile, but the intent behind the words is unmistakable. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both bite their lower lip, trying hard not to burst out laughing as they see your evident discomfort.

“Thanks, Pinkie…”

Without warning, a blur of pink knocks you over and pins you to the floor.

“You like it?” she asks.

You nod slowly. “Of course.”

“Okay,” she replies simply, kissing you on the mouth and hopping off you like nothing happened. You get back on all four feet.

“Ah take it yers is the only present left, Twah?” Applejack asks.

Twilight nods, and you can tell she’s starting to feel a little nervous. “Yeah…”

“It looks like it’s just a book,” Rainbow Dash says offhandedly. “He already works with you in the library every other day, Twilight. You gotta give him something more exciting!”

Twilight looks offended. “I put a lot of thought into this present, Rainbow Dash! I got it when I had to go to Canterlot. They didn’t have this book here in Ponyville.”

You unwrap the book as the two of them continue to argue. Rarity shakes her head at the two of them and stands beside you. “Let those two argue. Now what did she—”

You feel your jaw drop, and you glance at Rarity to see hers drop as well. You force yourself to blink once, twice, then three times to make sure you’re not dreaming.

“Twilight?”

Everypony stops arguing, and Twilight is taken aback when she realizes that you’ve finished unwrapping her present.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asks as she and everyone else except Twilight walks towards the table and stare at her gift.

In large, gold letters, the title of the hardcover book reads:

The Kama Hooftra for 2nd Millennium Lovers

All eyes turn to Twilight, and she paws at the floor shyly. Rainbow Dash whistles.

“Twilight, I never pegged you to be such a minx!” she says with a wink.

“Neither did Ah,” Applejack agrees. “Seems yer fahnally comin’ outta yer shell, Twah.”

“I think it’s a present that would benefit all of us,” Rarity says.

“Umm…I agree,” Fluttershy says.

“I wanna try this one sometime!” Pinkie Pie says. As you turn to her, you realize that she’s taken the book and is looking through it. “This one looks fun, too!”

“Pinkie Pie!” the other girls cry out. She looks up casually.

“What? Rarity’s right,” she replies.

For Celestia’s sake, what did I get myself into? you think with a grin.

*-----*-----[ Fin ]-----*-----*