A Look Into The Mind of a Pegasus

Twilight Sparkle awoke to a crashing sound downstairs. She glanced out her window to see the sun had barely risen, but the sound of movement downstairs kept her from relaxing enough to sleep. She groaned as she pulled herself out of bed, shaking her head in an attempt to dispel the remaining tiredness. It didn’t work.

A quick glance to where Spike slept showed her that he was still fast asleep, apparently unperturbed by the potential intruder downstairs. Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof, trying to keep her vision clear, as she trotted quietly towards the stairs.

Didn’t expect a burglar in a small town like Ponyville, Twilight thought to herself, as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The pony that had caused the sound hovered there in front of her, focused on reshelving books. Guess I was right not to expect one.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight sighed, as she sat her haunches down on the bottom step, “what are you doing here so early?”

“Huh?” Rainbow looked around. “Oh, hey, Twilight! Didn’t know you were awake.”

“I wasn’t,” said Twilight.

“Oh,” said Rainbow, rubbing the back of her neck with her free front hoof, as the other pushed another book back onto the shelf. “Sorry, didn’t mean to-”

“Crash?” Twilight finished.

“Yeah, something like that,” said Rainbow. “Anyway, since you’re up, can I have some breakfast?”

Twilight stared at Rainbow in disbelief. “Did you come here just for a free meal, or something?”

“No,” said Rainbow, “I didn’t mean to come here at all. Like I said, I crashed. Practicing a new trick, and it didn’t go so well.”

“You went flying at dawn, practicing stunts, without breakfast?” asked Twilight, as she looked at the book Rainbow was reshelving. Her eyes widened. “And you have the audacity to place the Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy next to Slumber 101: All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties but Were Afraid to Ask!?”

“Uh, yes?” asked Rainbow. “Do they not belong next to each other, or something?”

“Obviously not!” said Twilight, as her horn lit up, magically pulling the books off of the shelves.

“How should I know?” asked Rainbow, slightly annoyed. “I’m not a librarian!”

Twilight just shook her head, giving an annoyed groan. “This’ll take hours to reshelf…”

“I guess that’s a no on breakfast?” asked Rainbow, with an apologetic smile.

“That’s a no,” said Twilight.

Rainbow shrugged. “Fine. I’ll just drop by Fluttershy’s or AJ’s for some food. They’re usually up early.”

“You do that,” said Twilight, as Rainbow flew out the window. She set all of the books down as her stomach gave a gurgle. “Unlike Rainbow Dash, I think I’ll get something to eat before exerting myself…”

About fifteen minutes later, Spike awoke to the smell of Twilight cooking pancakes downstairs. Licking his lips, he leapt out of bed, and ran down the stairs, stopping when he saw the mess of the books pulled off the shelves.

“Uh, Twilight?” asked Spike. “Are you redecorating the library today?”

“We are, yes,” Twilight replied, trotting out with two plates of pancakes levitating behind her. “First thing’s first; breakfast!”

Spike sighed. “Pancakes aren’t worth spending a sunny day trapped inside…”

“Well, you can take that up with Rainbow Dash,” snapped Twilight, as she poured syrup on her pancakes. “After all, she’s the one who messed up the shelves to begin with.”

“Rainbow was here?” asked Spike.

“Honestly, I’m surprised she didn’t wake you. She crashed into the shelves.”

Spike shrugged, as he scarfed down the rest of his pancakes. “So what brought her crashing by?”

“She said she was practicing,” said Twilight, “and lost control. She then asked for breakfast, and left when I wouldn’t give her any.”

“She went out flying without eating?” asked Spike.

“Strange, right?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah,” nodded Spike. “To be perfectly honest, the pegasi always acted a little weird.”

“Spike!” gasped Twilight.

“What?” asked Spike. “It’s not rude to say, or anything. They’re just weird.”

“Still,” Twilight began, before a knock at the door distracted her.

“Come in!” called Spike.

Applejack opened the door, trotting into the library. “Mornin’, Spike! Mornin’, Twi!” She looked down at the books strewn across the floor. “Uh, spring cleaning?”

“Sorry about the mess,” said Twilight. “Rainbow crashed by earlier.”

Applejack nodded. “Say no more. Just dropped by to see if ya had a book on pegasus behavior.”

“Really?” asked Twilight, surprised. “Why?”

“Well,” said Applejack, “Fluttershy was trottin’ around in my orchard this morning. Ah asked what she was over for so early and she just acted…”

“Weird?” Spike finished.

Applejack nodded. “Exactly.”

“Huh,” said Twilight, staring off into space, lost in thought. “Maybe something’s affecting their behavior?”

“Discord was just here,” said Spike.

“Fluttershy reformed him, though,” said Applejack.

“You really trust him?” asked Spike.

“No,” said Applejack, “but Ah trust Fluttershy.”

“So do I,” said Twilight. “She’s not one to lie or deceive. Now then, about that book you asked for. Let’s see…” She magically pulled more of the books from the shelves, scanning at each of the titles and forewords, but came up empty. “Sorry, AJ. We don’t seem to have a book like that.”

Applejack sighed. “That’s fine, Ah guess. Was jus’ curious. No big deal.”

They bid each other farewell, as Applejack went back to Sweet Apple Acres. Spike merely scratched his head.

“We have The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide, something even Canterlot seemed to lack, but nothing on pegasus ponies? Am I the only one who finds that weird?”

“It is a little strange,” nodded Twilight, “but that just gives us something to do!”

Spike stared blankly for a moment. “You lost me.”

“You said you didn’t want to spend a day like this stuck inside, so we’re going to go out into the field for research!”

“Research?” repeated Spike. “Don’t tell me…”

“We’re going to study pegasus behavior!” smiled Twilight, magically loading her saddle bags with binoculars, quills, ink, and a notebook.

“Didn’t you learn your lesson with the ‘Pinkie Sense’ incident?”

Twilight paused for a moment. “That’s different. This is a species wide study that has actual basis in science, while Pinkie Sense was… Pinkie Pie.”

Spike opened his mouth to object, but stopped. “That’s actually a good point.”

“Alright,” said Twilight. “Now I doubt most pegasi would appreciate our studying of them should they catch us, so we’ll just stick with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”

“And they will appreciate us stalking them?” asked Spike, incredulously.

“Not stalking, researching!” Twilight corrected.

“Either way, it’s creepy.”

Twilight ignored him. “Ready to go, Spike?”

“Do we have to?” asked Spike, looking around at the mess. “We could always ask Canterlot for a book, and there’s still this mess to clean up…”

“Alright, let’s go!” smiled Twilight, apparently having ignored everything Spike said.

Spike sighed resignedly, before following Twilight out the door.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were trotting together through Ponyville. Twilight and Spike followed close behind, ducking behind barrels, market stands, or fellow citizens, if they couldn’t quickly duck into an alley.

“Hey, Twilight!” waved Apple Bloom, as she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted past.

“Shush!” Twilight hissed back. “We’re trying to go unseen!”

“Huh,” sniffed Sweetie Belle, “rude!”

“Sorry!” Spike whispered to them, as they trotted away.

Twilight nervously glanced around a corner, but Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash seemed to be deeply involved in a conversation. “Whew. They didn’t spot us.”

“Why can’t we just tell them we’re studying them?” asked Spike.

“Because then their behavior wouldn’t be natural!” snapped Twilight. “Knowing Fluttershy, she’d be too shy to do anything, while Rainbow Dash would be showing off how ‘awesome’ she is.”

Spike sighed, but didn’t argue. She was right, after all. He looked around the corner, and couldn’t help but turn his head in confusion. “What are they doing?”

Twilight peered around the corner, and saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had stopped in the middle of the street, staring at a wind chime hanging from Rose’s flower stand. Rose herself was trying to get their attention, but they seemed engrossed in the wind chime, following it’s every slight sway. Rose noticed, sighed, and tapped the chime. The two pegasi giggled at the chiming sound, before continuing to trot through the market. All in all, this exchange took about five minutes.

Twilight stared blankly, before quickly jotting down the notes. “That was unbelievable!” she smiled.

“I agree,” said Spike. “I’d never believe a wind chime could entertain them. Especially Rainbow.”

“Come on!” Twilight urged. “We’ll lose them if we don’t hurry!”

Spike muttered under his breath as he followed Twilight through the market. His expression brightened, as he saw they were heading to Carousel Boutique, but soured when he realized he and Twilight would have to hide from Rarity, lest they tip off Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow seemed against going inside, and was arguing with Fluttershy for a little, before she relented and went in. Twilight took note of this exchange.

“I wonder if Rainbow’s against being indoors?”

“She’s your best friend, and has been inside the library plenty of times!” groaned Spike. “Why are you acting like you know nothing about her? You know she doesn’t care for Rarity’s makeovers and dresses.”

Twilight blushed slightly, giving an awkward cough. “Let’s try and get to the window. We need to see what’s happening on the inside.”

Spike followed Twilight to the window, as they peeked up inside at Rarity’s showroom. She seemed to trying to design a new hat for them, but was having trouble getting their attention. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy seemed much more interested in a stray piece of lace, as they were tossing it back in forth with their wings, watching it gently drift to the other.

Rarity just gave them a bemused expression, before she decided to work on the hats while they were playing. Twilight happily jotted down the notes, while Spike looked as though his brain was breaking trying to process the pegasus ponies’ sudden fascination with a piece of lace.

“First the wind chime, now this?” Spike asked himself.

Twilight suddenly gasped, shoving Spike’s head down. “Get down!”

“You did that for me,” groaned Spike.

“Shush!” Twilight hushed him.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy trotted out of the Boutique, waving good bye to Rarity, each one adorned with a new hat. Fluttershy’s was a graceful looking sunhat. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, seemed to have opted for a fedora.

“Thanks,” smiled Rainbow, giving the hat a tilt. “What do you think, Fluttershy?”

“It’s lovely,” Fluttershy replied in her soft voice. “Thank you, Rarity.”

“It was no trouble, darling,” smiled Rarity. “I’m glad you like them.”

“Well, we should head out,” said Rainbow. “Catch you later, Rare!”

“Uh, before you go,” Rarity interjected, “could you answer a question for me?”

“Depends on the question,” said Rainbow.

“I was just wondering why you were so fascinated with that spare strand of lace,” said Rarity.

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy, giving a quick glance towards Rainbow, “but I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t?” asked Rarity, confused. “Why, just back in there-”

“Look, Rare,” interrupted Rainbow, “Fluttershy and I really need to head out. I had no breakfast, and I’m starving for lunch.”

“Oh, perhaps I can join you?” asked Rarity.

“Sorry,” mumbled Fluttershy, digging uncomfortably at the ground with her hoof, “but I don’t think you’d like it very much.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow. “It’s sort of a pegasus thing. See ya!”

Before Rarity could reply, Rainbow darted off. Fluttershy looked shocked for a moment, before taking off after Rainbow. “Dashie, wait for me!”

Twilight gave Spike an excited look. “Did you hear that, Spike!? A pegasus thing! We get to see their eating habits!”

“We’ve seen them eat before,” muttered Spike, but Twilight was too busy finishing her notes, before galloping off towards Ponyville.

“Come on, Spike! Before we miss it!”

“What? Hey, Twilight! Wait for me!”

“Twilight?” asked Rarity, as she galloped past. “Spike?”

“No time to chat, Rarity!” called Twilight.

“Sorry,” blushed Spike, before they were gone.

Rarity just stared after them, before sighing. “I give up. My friends are just completely crazy.”

Twilight leaned against a wall, gasping for breath. Spike collapsed behind her, also exhausted. “No more running… Please?”

“I can’t make that promise,” Twilight responded, peeking around the corner, and taking out her notepad again. “Uh-oh.”

“What do you mean, ‘uh-oh’?” asked Spike. “Did they see you?”

“No,” said Twilight. “They’re at the library. What if they get suspicious that we’re not there?”

“We did leave quite a mess,” said Spike. “A mess I’d rather spend the day cleaning than spying on our friends. …Wow, never thought I’d say I’d rather be cleaning.”

“Shush,” said Twilight, her ears twitching in an attempt to hear what the pegasi were saying.

“…not in there,” Fluttershy finished saying, pulling her head back from the window.

“Weird,” said Rainbow, with a shrug. “You’d think she’d be cleaning up those books.”

Twilight gave a nervous gulp, as Rainbow glanced around the area.

“Guess she had something important to do,” Rainbow said.

Twilight gave a sigh of relief. “Okay, they aren’t suspicious.”

Spike gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “I wish they were. Then we could stop.”

“What was that?” asked Twilight, as she returned her attention to the pegasi.

“Nothing!” Spike said quickly.

Twilight trained her ears towards the library again.

“…sure nopony’s watching?”

“I’m positive,” said Rainbow.

Twilight felt her stomach give a guilty drop, but she chose to ignore it.

“Quick, before Twilight gets home!” urged Rainbow.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, grabbing the birdfeeder by the window they were flying by.

“I thought they were going to get lunch?” Spike asked, peeking out at the pegasi.

“So did I,” replied Twilight. “What are they doing with my birdfeeder?”

As if in answer to her question, Fluttershy stuck her tongue out, working around the small opening to pull out the birdseed inside.

Both Spike’s and Twilight’s mouths dropped open, as Fluttershy munched on the birdseed. As she had her mouth full, Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to extract some seed for herself, working her tongue at opening. They alternated between getting more birdseed and chewing their current stash, until the feeder was completely empty.

“Ahh,” sighed Rainbow. “That hit the spot… Need to sleep that meal off. Want to nap in Sweet Apple Acres with me?”

“If it’s alright with you,” mumbled Fluttershy, as the two pegasi trotted towards where Twilight and Spike were hiding.

Twilight felt her pulse quicken, as her eyes darted back and forth for a place to conceal herself.

“I wouldn’t offer if it wasn’t,” Rainbow laughed.

“Okay…” replied Fluttershy, giving a soft smile.

Twilight finally saw no other option, tackled Spike, and teleported them away before Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could notice.

Applejack was pulling a cart of apples back towards the barn, when Twilight and Spike teleported right in front of her, crashing to the ground.

“Twilight!? Spike!?”

“Hey, AJ,” groaned Spike.

“Are y’all okay?” asked Applejack, helping Twilight to her hooves.

“Fine,” said Twilight. “Just panicked a little.”

“Panicked?” repeated Applejack. “Something wrong?”

“I’ll say,” muttered Spike.

“Well,” said Twilight, “Spike and I have been following Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy around today.”

“Uh, why?”

“She wanted to know about pegasus behavior,” said Spike, as he helped himself to an apple from Applejack’s cart.

Applejack stared at Twilight for confirmation and, upon getting it, broke into laughter. “Really? Good gravy, Twi! Ah’ll admit Ah was curious too, but spyin’ on your friends?”

“I know it seems extreme,” said Twilight, “but I’ve learned a lot!” She pulled out her notes, and showed them to Applejack.

Applejack skimmed through them, her expression growing more and more confused. “Wind chimes, piece of lace, eating birdseed?”

“See?” asked Twilight, putting her notes away. “Now, they’re dropping by here to nap in your orchard, so I need to get into a good position to continue studying. Promise me you won’t tell them I’m here!”

“Ah don’t know…” began Applejack.

“Promise!” said Twilight.

Applejack sighed. “Ah promise.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

Applejack shook her head, before saying the rhyme. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Applejack. Come on, Spike! They’ll be here any minute!”

Spike sighed, tossing the unfinished apple aside, as he followed Twilight into the orchard.

Twilight wrapped her legs around the branch beneath her, trying to remain as steady and still as possible. Spike sat on her back, looking at the apples around them longingly. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew in and touched down in front of the tree they were in. Twilight held her breath, as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy glanced around.

Her pulse quickened as Fluttershy’s eyes passed over the tree they were in, but she gave no sign of noticing her. She trotted over to the tree across from Twilight, and rested a hoof against it.

“What do you think of this tree, Rainbow?”

Rainbow glanced over. “Looks fine. Big enough for two in the upper branches, even.”

“Hey, Rainbow?” asked Fluttershy. “Do you ever wonder-”

“What it would be like to be a tree?” Rainbow finished. “Can’t say I have. More of a cloud pony, myself. Hey, later I could show you my impression of a cloud!”

“Ooh, I’d like that,” said Fluttershy, as the two of them flew up into the branches. “I bet you make an awesome cloud.”

“You know I do,” smiled Rainbow. “Hey, why don’t you show me your tree impression?”

“Okay,” smiled Fluttershy, as she lay on the branch. She suddenly straightens out, tossing her mane and tail until they resembled clumps of leaves, stared straight ahead, and stopped moving.

Rainbow lay on Fluttershy’s back, leaning her head against the trunk. “Wow, you make a great branch.”

Twilight and Spike just stared ahead, their expressions a mixture of confusion and fear for the pegasi’s sanity.

“Think you can be a tree for… say, two hours?” asked Rainbow.

Fluttershy didn’t move or speak, seemingly trying to emulate a tree branch as much as possible. Rainbow seemed to take her silence as a ‘yes’, as she smiled, before closing her eyes. Fluttershy’s eyes closed, too.

Twilight and Spike didn’t dare move until they heard Rainbow start snoring. As quietly as they could, they dropped down to the ground, before Twilight galloped out of the orchard, with Spike riding on her back.

Once they were clear of the pegasi, Spike burst out the question that was on both of their minds. “What the hay was that about!?”

“I don’t even know,” said Twilight, as she stopped to write the notes down.

“You don’t think all that flying is getting to them, do you?” asked Spike. “Like, the high altitudes lacking oxygen?”

“That could explain Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, “but not Fluttershy.”

“Well,” said Spike, “she lived in Cloudsdale as a filly, right? Maybe it affected her at a young age.”

“Maybe,” shrugged Twilight. “We should check with ponies that knew them before we moved here to see if they’ve ever acted like this.”

“I don’t think Fluttershy knew anypony back then,” said Spike. “Well, except Rainbow Dash, but we can’t ask her.”

“There is one pony,” smiled Twilight. “A pony that prides herself on knowing everypony in Ponyville.”

As soon as Twilight and Spike trotted into Sugarcube Corner, she was tackled by Pinkie Pie. “Twilight!”

“Pinkie!” gasped Twilight. “It’s good to see you. Uh, could you get off me?”

“Right, sorry!” smiled Pinkie, standing up and bouncing in place. “It’s good to see you, too, Twilight! What brings you here? Are we off on another adventure? Oh, did you want to have a party? I haven’t thrown a party in, like, four days! Four, Twilight! That’s like, forever!” All of this was said in rapid speed, as if Pinkie was trying to get through this conversation as fast as Rainbow Dash could clear the skies.

“Calm down, Pinkie,” said Twilight. “I had a question about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, are we throwing them a party?” asked Pinkie. “I’ll have to get a lot of cake and ice cream, then! I know Shy’s favorite flavor is strawberry, while Rainbow Dash’s favorite is cherry. We have a lot of planning to do, Twilight!”

“Pinkie, we aren’t throwing them a party,” said Twilight.

“We aren’t?” asked Pinkie. “Aw…” Despite her disappointment, she didn’t relent in her bouncing.

“We wanted to ask about how Fluttershy and Rainbow acted before we moved to Ponyville,” said Twilight.

“Were they always that weird?” asked Spike.

“Hm? Whaddya mean, Spike?”

“Well,” Twilight began, before she stopped. She remembered when Applejack, in a sleep deprived state, was giddy and strange with a distorted reflection in a trophy, an attitude that Pinkie copied and continued even when Applejack and the trophy were gone. “Oh, I know how to ask! Did they act like, well, you? Ever?”

“Well,” said Pinkie, pausing in thought, “though I knew them and invited them to parties and all that, we weren’t that close before you showed up. Dashie found me annoying, even! Can you believe that?”

“Uh…”

“As for Fluttershy ” continued Pinkie, “I only knew her as the animal caretaker! I knew she and Dashie hung out sometimes, as I saw them at parties together, but other than that, nothing stuck out as Pinkie Pie-ish.”

“Huh,” said Twilight. “Well, then their behavior today has left me even more confused.”

“What do you mean, Twilight?” asked Pinkie.

“Oh, uh,” Twilight hesitated. “Before I tell you, I need you to Pinkie Promise not to let this secret out. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course!” smiled Pinkie. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! What’s the secret?”

“I’ve been following Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy all day to get a read on pegasi behavior,” said Twilight.

“So far,” said Spike, “they’ve acted very, very weird.”

“Weird, how?” asked Pinkie. “Discord, weird? Gasp! You don’t think Discord messed them up when he was here, do you?”

“I doubt it,” said Spike. “Fluttershy wasn’t dumping buckets of water on us.”

“And Rainbow Dash wasn’t trying to ditch her at every turn,” said Twilight. “She seemed to want to spend the day with her.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” smiled Pinkie, as she continued to bounce. “Then, how were they acting weird?”

“Well, they stared and giggled at a wind chime,” said Spike.

“Played with a piece of lace at Rarity’s,” said Twilight, “before going to my house and eating out of my birdfeeder.”

“Then they went to nap at Sweet Apple Acres,” said Spike, “and Fluttershy started impersonating a tree branch.”

Pinkie laughed. “That sounds like a riot! Wish I could have seen it, but I’ve been here all day, baking!”

“Baking for what?” asked Spike.

“A party!” smiled Pinkie. “I haven’t thrown one for four days, you know!”

“If you were already throwing one, then why were you happy about the opportunity to throw one for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight.

“You can never throw enough parties!” replied Pinkie.

“Fair enough,” said Spike.

“Well,” said Twilight, “back to investigating. Do you know where Rainbow practices? She said she was going to show Fluttershy a cloud imitation.”

“She usually flies over the park, or the field by Fluttershy’s cottage,” said Pinkie. “Never at the same place twice in a row, though!”

“Well,” said Spike, “I guess we’ll split up. The park is nearer to the library, so I’ll go there.”

“You aren’t trying to go home, are you?” asked Twilight.

“No, of course not!” Spike lied.

“Well,” said Twilight, “then you wouldn’t mind accompanying me to the field by Fluttershy’s.”

“How do you know if they’ll be there?” asked Spike.

“Rainbow Dash crashed into the library this morning,” said Twilight, “and didn’t drop by Fluttershy’s for breakfast, first. So she was practicing close by. Pinkie, you said she never uses the same place twice in a row?”

“Yup!” said Pinkie.

“Then they’d be at her other training field,” nodded Twilight. “Now, let’s go! There’s not many places to hide in that field, and they could be there soon.”

Spike sighed. “So close to getting out of this…”

“See ya later!” sang Pinkie, as Twilight lifted Spike onto her back, and trotted out the door. “Tell Shy and Dashie I said hello! Unless that would blow your cover, then don’t!”

Twilight had pulled Spike into a bush, and demanded that he keep silent. Spike obliged, choosing to take a nap while they waited. Twilight peered out of the bush, scanning the skies eagerly. Finally, after half an hour of waiting, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew into view.

“Ready to witness my awesomeness?” Rainbow asked loudly.

“Huh?” asked Spike, waking up. “What was that?”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she magically formed a zipper over Spike’s mouth, sealing it shut. She nervously glanced up at Rainbow and Fluttershy, who were glancing around for the source of the sound. Finally, they shrugged, seemingly deciding it was nothing. Twilight took out her quill and notebook as Rainbow started her cloud imitation.

Rainbow winked at Fluttershy before burrowing her way into a nearby cloud. Only her tail, tip of her mane, eyes, and wings were visible sticking out of it. She stretched her wings, and began slowly flying around Fluttershy in a circle.

Fluttershy clapped her hooves together, cheering her on in her typically quiet manner. “Woo-hoo! Go, Rainbow Dash!”

Spike finally managed to undo the zipper, so he could let his mouth hang in confusion once again. Twilight jotted the notes down, as Rainbow continued to impersonate a cloud, and Fluttershy continued to be entertained. Finally, after almost an hour, Rainbow finally shook the cloud off of her, and whispered something to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy nodded, and they flew down to the ground, trotting to Fluttershy’s cottage together. ‘No!’ Twilight thought. ‘If they go inside, I can’t research them!’

The door shut behind them, and Twilight began shaking Spike. “Spike, what do I do!? They’re inside, how can I continue to study them?”

“I think you’ve got plenty of research into their insanity,” said Spike. “Why don’t we just go home? The sun’s setting.”

“I can’t publish my research without their consent,” said Twilight. “And besides, they were acting way too weird for me to be able to relax at home. Spike, I am really concerned by this behavior. Nothing I’ve ever learned or studied suggests pegasus ponies act like this.”

“Then talk to them,” said Spike. “Honestly, half of the problems you face are caused by overreacting and poor communication.”

“How are you so wise sometimes?” asked Twilight.

Spike shrugged, pulling himself out of the bush. He helped drag Twilight out. Twilight shook some leaves out of her mane, before nodding. “Okay, we’ll talk to them. Let’s go, Spike.”

“Uh, shouldn’t you clean yourself up first?” asked Spike. “No offense, but you look as crazy as they acted.”

Twilight’s mane and tail were severely unkempt from all of the hiding she conducted that day, and her eyes had bags under them from the hours of monotonous staring she’s been doing. Twilight chose to ignore Spike’s advice this time, and galloped over to the cottage.

Spike sighed, before running in an attempt to keep up with her. “Twilight, wait for me!”

Twilight stopped outside of the cottage, her hoof raised to knock on the door. She stopped when she heard a repeated thumping noise from inside. Curious, she trotted around the exterior to look in the window.

Spike climbed onto her back to get a look as well. “I thought we were going to talk, not spy- What the hay?”

Rainbow and Fluttershy had apparently noticed their reflections in a mirror Fluttershy had hanging up. They kept flying, and consequently crashing, into the mirror, as if they thought it opened to another room.

Twilight quickly galloped over towards the door, tripping in a badger hole and bumping her head against one of Fluttershy’s many birdhouses. She swayed as she stood up, and finally fell into the nearby river.

“Twilight!” gasped Spike, who had fallen off when Twilight left the window.

“I’m fine,” said Twilight, pulling herself out of the river, and stumbling towards the door.

“Are you sure?” asked Spike.

“Positive,” said Twilight, opening the door to the cottage. “Girls!”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight. “Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “What brings you here?”

“And what happened to you?” asked Rainbow.

“Never mind me,” said Twilight. “What happened to you!? You’ve been acting crazy all day!”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other, seemingly confused. Fluttershy looked back at Twilight. “What do you mean?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “After you left the library this morning, Rainbow, Spike and I noticed you’ve been acting strangely. An athlete like you would know to eat before training. And then Applejack dropped by looking for a book on pegasi behavior because Fluttershy was in her orchard, also acting weird! So then Spike and I got the idea-”

“I had no part in this,” Spike interjected.

“-to follow you around, and study your behavior,” Twilight continued. “And then, well, you act like you’ve lost any grip on sanity you once had! Staring at wind chimes, playing with lace, eating my birdseed! Not to mention pretending to be inanimate objects and flying into mirrors!”

“So we wanted to ask if you were okay,” said Spike.

“This isn’t some new scheme of Discord’s, is it?” asked Twilight.

Fluttershy and Rainbow had remained silent during the whole exchange, expressions unreadable. Finally, they both glanced at each other, and burst out laughing. Twilight and Spike stared in surprise at the sudden laughter. After a couple of minutes, they began calming down, Rainbow wiping tears from her eyes.

“Oh, she completely bought it!” laughed Rainbow.

Fluttershy nodded, smiling slightly. “You were right, Rainbow. Sorry for tricking you, Twilight.”

“Tricking?” asked Twilight. “What do you mean?”

“Do you really think we act like that?” asked Rainbow.

“We noticed you were trying to secretly follow us this morning when we heard Apple Bloom call out to you,” said Fluttershy.

“So,” said Rainbow, with a slight snicker, “I managed to convince Fluttershy that we should act crazy to see how you’d react.”

“But,” said Twilight, “how’d you know I was following you all day?”

“We stopped outside Rarity’s place and pretended to argue so you’d catch up,” said Fluttershy.

“Figured you’d buy that,” said Rainbow, “given how much I hate modeling for her.”

“Then,” said Fluttershy, “we looked around at the library to make sure you were watching.”

“Do you think we’d miss you?” asked Rainbow. “Pegasi need good eyesight with all the high altitude flights we do.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, while Twilight began putting the rest of the pieces together. “And you noticed me at Sweet Apple Acres through the tree branches.”

“And you must have heard me in the bush,” said Spike.

“But how did you keep up the act for so long?” asked Twilight.

“It’s me, Twilight,” said Rainbow. “Do you have any idea how dedicated to a prank I can be?”

“Still,” said Spike, “you’d think Fluttershy would crack. No offense.”

“None taken,” said Fluttershy. “I nearly did crack when Rarity questioned us, but I didn’t want to ruin Rainbow’s prank. Besides… it was fun.”

Rainbow put a hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulder, pulling her close. “I’m proud of you, Fluttershy. You’ve set hoof into a bold new world of pranking. Before you know it, you’ll be putting itching powder into clouds.”

Fluttershy seemed mildly concerned about this, but chose not to voice them. Instead, she turned towards Twilight. “I’m sorry if we caused you too much trouble. You look like a mess. Uh, no offense.”

Twilight looked in the mirror behind them, and chuckled. “None taken. I really do look awful. And I’m sorry for stalking you all day.”

“Now you admit it was stalking,” muttered Spike.

Twilight ignored him. “But there’s something I still don’t understand. Rainbow, Fluttershy, why were you acting as you did this morning?”

“Angel Bunny ran off into the orchard,” said Fluttershy. “I caught him eating one of the apples, and I didn’t want Applejack to be mad, so I covered it up. I’m sorry.”

“And I guess I can admit it,” said Rainbow. “I really was looking for a free meal. Sorry for messing your books up.”

“Oh no!” gasped Twilight. “The books! I still have to reshelf them!”

“That’s what I kept telling you all day!” Spike complained.

Twilight nodded. “Well, girls, I have to go. Sorry about all of this.”

“Hey, no worries,” said Rainbow. “It gave me something to do today.”

“And it was kind of fun,” said Fluttershy, blushing slightly.

Twilight nodded. “Still, though. I should have asked you why you acted as you did, or find some other, not so snoopy method, of finding out.”

“Like asking Canterlot for the pegasus book?” suggested Spike.

“Yes, Spike,” sighed Twilight. “Lesson learned, I suppose.”

“Guess you have a letter to write as well as books to pick up,” said Rainbow, smirking.

Twilight nodded. “Well, I’ll see you girls later. Let’s go, Spike.”

As they walked out the door, they heard Spike trying to bargain the work. “How about you dictate the letter to Celestia as you pick the books up, and I’ll write it and send it. That’s a fair trade, right?”

As soon as they were gone, Rainbow turned towards Fluttershy, her stomach growling. “Mind if I stay for dinner?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not at all. I’ve got a spare bag of birdseed, if you want to split it.”

Rainbow smiled. “Thanks, Shy. You’re a lifesaver.”

Fluttershy smiled back, as they trotted out back to the bird-feeders.