The Art of Falling

Twilight sat down in the grass under the shadow of Rainbow Dash’s floating cloud home and listened while Rarity and Applejack explained what had happened with Rainbow Dash earlier that day. Fluttershy sat behind Applejack, looking down at the ground and not saying anything. Pinkie Pie bounced and then stood and then sat by Twilight, becoming quieter and quieter as they talked.

“And then she asked us to leave,” Rarity finished. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen her so upset.”

Applejack nodded. “I’ve seen Rainbow mad plenty of times, but this… she wasn’t just mad. She's hurt, says we don't care about her anymore.”

Fluttershy drew her hoof along the floor, but still said nothing.

Twilight frowned and thought about what she herself had said to Rainbow Dash just the day before. She wondered how it was possible that she had communicated so poorly. Twilight thought she should understood friendship by now. But even with all she had learned, she was still making mistakes. And now Rainbow Dash had suffered for one of those mistakes. “This does seem pretty bad,” she finally said.

“Yup,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “I was hopin’ you’d have somethin’ more to say than that.”

They were all quiet for a while.

Pinkie Pie opened her mother mouth and then closed it again and then opened it again and then said, “Rainbow Dash is wrong.”

“‘Bout what?” Applejack asked.

“I still care about her,” Pinkie said. “And so does Gummy! He asks about her, like, every day.”

“We all still care,” Rarity said. “And I’m sure she knows that. She’s only upset.”

Pinkie was quiet for another moment, and then asked, “Is now one of those one in a million times Twilight told me about when I shouldn’t throw a party? Because I’ve always wanted to throw a ‘Hey, Rainbow Dash, We All Think You’re Really Awesome But We Just Wish You’d Stop Hurting Yourself But We Still Love You Anyway’ themed party. I mean, I haven't always, but at least for the last five minutes.”

Rarity let out a shallow chuckle. “I believe it is one of those times. Rainbow needs space now, not parties.”

“I agree,” Twilight said. “We should give Rainbow Dash an opportunity to calm down and think things through, and we should take this opportunity to do the same.”

“I guess I don’t really feel like throwing a party anyway,” Pinkie said, and she poked at the grass underneath her hoof.

“All right,” Applejack said. “We can give her all the space she wants, but it don’t solve anythin’. What do we do now?”

“We don’t do anything,” Twilight said. “At least for now. We’ve all been working at cross purposes, talking to her separately instead of working together as a group, like friends, like we should have done from the beginning. We can go together tomorrow and talk this out with her.”

“Are you certain she’ll listen to us?” Rarity asked. “I don’t think you realize how upset she is. I just feel awful for laughing at her…”

“Yup,” Applejack said. “I can’t talk to her. That girl won’t listen to anythin’ I have to say. She’s too sore with me, not that I can fault her for that.”

Twilight noticed Fluttershy wince when Applejack said that. Fluttershy hadn’t spoken since she, Applejack, and Rarity had arrived. Twilight didn’t know what to make of that. “We have to try,” Twilight said.

“And I’ll bring her book to her!” Pinkie said, smiling again. “That’ll make our sorry even more extra special.”

“Book?” Applejack asked.

“I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to go to her house now,” Rarity said. “It wouldn’t be polite with her already upset with us.”

Pinkie Pie folded her hooves over her chest. “I promised Dash I would bring her book to her, and friends don’t break promises.”

“Actually,” Twilight said with a growing smile, “Pinkie, that’s a great idea. We’ll bring Rainbow Dash some of her things tomorrow morning, just like we said we would. It wouldn’t be much, but at least we could have something to give her other than excuses.” She looked up at Dash’s house above them. “Why not now?”

“Well,” Rarity started to say.

But Twilight’s horned glowed and then darkness swallowed them all.

__________________________________________________

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all reappeared in a jumble on the floor of Rainbow Dash’s living room.

Rarity picked herself up with a huff. “Twilight, dear, I would thank you to warn us the next time you do that.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said, smiling sheepishly. “I didn’t think about it. I guess I thought you were used to it by now.”

“How does one ever ‘get used to’ abruptly disappearing from existence?” Rarity asked. “But I suppose as long as we are here we might as well carry on.”

Before Twilight could reply, Pinkie Pie bounced between and past them both, over a couch, across the floor, and up a spiraling staircase in the corner, humming to herself all the way. Twilight wondered how, or even if, Pinkie knew where she was going.

“I’ve never been in Rainbow’s house before,” Applejack said, looking around the room. “It looks… normal.”

Twilight laughed, though she had only been inside Rainbow Dash’s home once or twice before herself. “What were you expecting?”

“I dunno.” Applejack shrugged. “A few more big portraits of herself hangin’ off the walls, I guess. Or at least some mirrors.”

Twilight glanced around. ‘Normal’ was an accurate enough description. Dash’s living room looked about the same as it had the last time she had seen it. The might-have-been-nice-once couch and coffee table still stood in the same spots, posters still cluttered the walls, and bits of refuse still littered the floor.

“My word,” Rarity said. She flipped over an empty pastry box with her hoof and cringed. “Now I suppose I know why she asks to sleepover at the Boutique so often. This is a mess. How can she live in such filth? It’s no wonder she spends so much time sleeping outside. I would as well if this were the alternative. ”

Applejack kicked at a dusty magazine on the floor. “I’d be more surprised if it was clean. Rainbow never struck me a the spring cleanin’ type. So, what are we lookin’ for here?”

“Anything that’ll help make Rainbow Dash’s hospital stay easier,” Twilight said. “I think Pinkie went up to her bedroom to find that book. Maybe you and Fluttershy could look around upstairs, too?”

Applejack looked to Fluttershy and smiled. “That fine with you, sugarcube?”

Fluttershy looked away. “I’d prefer to go by myself.”

Applejack stopped smiling. Applejack didn’t do anything else for a little while. “Okay,” she finally said.

Fluttershy stepped meekly around her and then towards the same staircase Pinkie Pie had gone up.

“Wait, dear,” Rarity said, carefully sidestepping several bits of refuse and giving Applejack a significant look that said, Don’t worry. “Would you mind showing me to the washroom? I promised Rainbow I would bring her some of her mane products.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy nodded and continued walking towards the stairway. “It’s this way.”

“Let’s meet back here once you’re all finished,” Twilight called after them.

Rarity nodded and followed Fluttershy up the stairs, leaving Twilight and Applejack alone with the trash and the dust. She heard Rarity’s voice overhead, but couldn’t make out the words. She sounded concerned. Twilight looked to Applejack.

Applejack looked down at the floor but didn’t seem to find whatever she was looking for there.

“Is something bothering Fluttershy?” Twilight asked carefully.

Applejack sighed. “Just me is all.”

“Maybe I can help?”

“Nah,” Applejack said. “Sorry.”

Twilight bit her lip. She hated this. She hated all of this. Normally, when they had arguments, as all friends will, Pinkie would throw a party or Rarity would invite them all out to the spa, and they would talk it out and everything would be fine. But that didn’t seem like they were enough now.

Twilight didn’t say anything. If Applejack didn’t want to talk about it, Twilight wouldn’t force her. One problem at a time. Rainbow Dash first.

She looked around the room for anything Rainbow Dash might want and wrinkled her nose at the mess. Twilight knew Rainbow Dash could be something of a slob, but this was just excessive. With so much untouched dust, it almost seemed more like no one lived here at all. Rainbow did seem to have been sleeping over at the library more often recently, though.

Twilight saw some magazines strewn about, sports magazines and one copy of Canterlot Fashion, but Twilight checked and found that none were less than six months old. She didn’t see anything else useful.

“I don’t see anything here,” she said to Applejack. “I’m going to look in the kitchen. It’s right over here, if I remember right.”

Applejack nodded.

Twilight turned and walked towards the door that lead to the kitchen. Rainbow Dash would probably appreciate having something to eat other than applesauce for a night. She heard Applejack walking behind her.

 Twilight pushed open the door, and the cloying, sweet stench of rotting fruit hit her full in the face. She gagged and staggered inside.

“Land’s sake,” Applejack murmured.

It was good that Rarity had gone upstairs. If she had thought the living room a mess, she would have called the kitchen a catastrophe on a scale that was nearly as impressive as it was foul-smelling. Old dishes filled the sink and trash piled high over and around the wastebasket.

Twilight did her best to ignore the smell and went about looking through the cupboards. Applejack did the same. They both remained silent for a while. Most of the cupboards were empty except for dust.

“You don’t gotta say it,” Applejack said from the other side of the kitchen.

Twilight looked back. Applejack faced away from her, looking into a cupboard. “What?”

“You don’t gotta say it,” Applejack repeated, not turning around. “I already know.”

“Say what?”

Applejack sighed and closed the cupboard. “This is my fault. I screwed up.”

“Applejack—”

“Don’t try'n tell me otherwise, either,” Applejack said. “I made a mess of everythin’, and now I’m gonna fix it.”

“Applejack, I messed up, too. We all did. We’re all just a little stressed about Rainbow Dash, is all. And worried.”

“And I’m still the only one who decided to get into another stupid shoutin’ match with her,” Applejack said. “But it doesn’t matter. An Apple cleans up after herself. Whatever I gotta do, I’m gonna do it. That’s a promise.”

Twilight didn’t know what to say. It was her fault, just as much. It was Rainbow Dash’s fault, too. But fault didn’t matter anymore. Friendship wasn’t about figuring out who to blame. It was about figuring out how to help and how to show that you care.

“Doesn't seem to be much food here,” Applejack said.

“No,” Twilight agreed.

“Rarity and Pinkie Pie told me Rainbow’s over at their houses most nights. I guess she doesn’t come around here much.”

“She sleeps over at the library a lot, too,” Twilight said.

“She used to stay at the barn a lot,” Applejack said. “She stopped doin’ that after me and Fluttershy got sweet on each other.”

“Maybe she doesn't want to intrude.”

“Maybe,” Applejack said. “Or maybe she was sweet on Fluttershy or maybe she was sweet on me, and maybe she just doesn’t want be around either of us anymore.”

Twilight mulled over that for a moment. “You asked Rainbow Dash out on a date once, right?”

“Yup.”

“And she said no?”

“Yup.”

“And… do you still like her?” Twilight asked. “Like that?”

“I guess I do,” Applejack said. “It's not the kind of thing that just stops or starts when you tell it to. But I’m with Fluttershy now, and Rainbow doesn’t come by but once every so often anymore. I wish she’d stay over like she used to. But I guess she stays over with you other girls now.”

“Do you wish you were with her instead of Fluttershy?”

“Not for a minute. And I’d thank you kindly to never ask me that again.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But I do wish…” Applejack chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked at the messy countertop. “What I’d wish for is impossible, so it don't matter. Wishin’ never did anypony any good, anyway. It’s time for doin’. It’s time for fixin’ this.” Applejack started towards the door. “Let’s see what everypony else found.”

Applejack walked out of the room before Twilight had a chance to say anything.

She followed Applejack out. Rarity and Fluttershy were standing by the couch, and they looked up at her when she came in. Pinkie must have still been upstairs.

“Did you find anything?” Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head as she trotted over. “No. There’s almost no food in the kitchen at all. How about you?”

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Rarity said with a somber shudder. “She doesn’t own a single mane product. Not a one! And I searched as thoroughly as I could. I didn’t find so much as one bar of soap, and her bath looks like it hasn’t been turned on in weeks.”

Applejack nodded. “Sounds about right. There’s dust all over everythin’. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say no pony even lived here.”

Pinkie Pie came tumbling head over tail down the stairs and yelling, “I just found the most cheerupRainbowDashific thing to cheer up Rainbow Dash ever! You have to come see!”

“You found her book?” Rarity asked.

Pinkie Pie, incredibly, landed on all four of her hooves at the bottom of the stairs. “Even better! But yeah, I did find the book! And a lot of other stuff, but none of that matters, because I found it.”

“It?” Applejack asked.

“You just have to come see,” Pinkie said with a little hop, and then turned and began bouncing back up the stairs. “You won’t even believe it!”

Twilight glanced at the others, shrugged, and followed Pinkie up the stairs. The rest stepped in line behind her. They went up to the very top of the spiraling staircase, passing several floors that appeared to be in just as poor condition as the first on their way, before reaching Rainbow Dash’s bedroom.

Dash’s bedroom was a circular room at the very top of the house with several wide, airy windows. It reminded Twilight of a roost at the top of an aviary. Actually, the entire house seemed designed like one great, oversized birdhouse—the messy ground floor being used for feeding, platforms in between for recreation, and the roost at the top for rest and safety. She wondered if all pegasus homes were designed similarly to birdhouses. Or perhaps all birdhouses were designed similarly to pegasus homes? Twilight made a mental note to research the subject later.

The bedroom looked cleaner than the rest of the house. It was still messy, but it was a lived-in kind of mess, the sort Twilight would have expected to see in most ponies’ homes. She noted that each of the bedroom windows were more than large enough to easily fit a pony. Rainbow Dash could come and leave through those windows without ever stepping hoof into any other part of the house.

“Look!” Pinkie Pie shouted, shoving something at Twilight’s face.

Twilight stumbled backwards, bumping into Applejack and Rarity behind her. Before her, Pinkie held up a magazine with a double spread picture of two mares who appeared to be either playing or fighting. Twilight couldn’t tell which. One mare lay on her back, while the second leaned down in between the first mare’s spread hind legs. She seemed to be doing something with her tong—

Burning, red warmth spread into Twilight’s face and ears and her eyes widened.

“Oh my,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy squeaked.

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said, pushing the magazine away, “why are you shoving an adult magazine in my face?”

Pinkie Pie dropped the magazine and grinned. “It’s Rainbow Dash’s. I found a whole bunch of them under her bed. Look!”

Pinkie moved aside and revealed a pile several dozen magazines high on the bedsheets.

Rarity laughed then and walked around Pinkie and up to the stack. “Well, Twilight, I hope you are happy with yourself,” she said, a dainty smirk on her face.

“Why would I be happy?” Twilight asked, walking up beside her and frowning down at the collection. Judging by the variety and quantity of publications present, Rainbow Dash had a both extensive and diverse taste. Twilight hadn’t so much as ever imagined the possibility of some of the things she saw ponies doing on those magazine covers.

Rarity winked at her. “Look at all the reading you've inspired Rainbow Dash to do.”

Twilight sighed.

“Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said, “didn’t Rainbow Dash ask you not to look underneath her bed?”

“Yup,” Pinkie answered. She bounced over to the bed and picked up another magazine. She opened it and waggled her eyebrows. “But then she told me to forget about it. So I did!”

“Well," Rarity said, prodding at the stack, "whatever a mare chooses to do behind closed doors is her own business. If this is how Rainbow Dash prefers to spend her free time… well, it’s really not my place to judge. However, I’m not sure I understand how these can be of any use to us.”

“Oh, right,” Pinkie said, throwing her magazine over her shoulder. She began digging through the stack, tossing discarded magazines left and right. She giggled and grabbed a magazine with a picture of a mare bound by ropes on the cover. She opened it and held it up for the rest of them to see. “Here! Doesn’t it look just like Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack leaned forward together. The picture showed a blue pegasus mare lying in bed, each of her hooves bound with ropes and slings. They held her in a position markedly similar to the slings that currently held Rainbow Dash in her hospital bed. Around the bound pegasus stood five other mares, each of them performing a different… act on the bound pegasus.

“Um,” Twilight said, blushing. “I guess it does.”

“The resemblance is striking,” Rarity agreed. “But I’m still not sure how this is relevant.”

“Wait,” Pinkie said. “There’s more!”

Pinkie Pie flipped between the pages, and, sure enough, there was more. The magazine featured an entire series of images portraying the six mares in a variety of indecent positions, all of which Twilight thought might make even Celestia herself blush. Pinkie flipped through page after page and Twilight felt warmer and warmer with each turn.

“Could you get to the point already, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, drawing her hat down over her face. “Or did you just think it would be funny to show us off-color pictures?”

Fluttershy let her mane fall over her eye, but stayed quiet.

Rarity fanned herself with a dropped magazine, her face flushed. “Yes, dear. Could you please hurry along to the point?”

“Aw, we were almost to the best part,” Pinkie said, lowering the magazine. “Rainbow Dash had a bookmark in this spot, so she must really like these pictures.”

“So?” Rarity asked. “Are you suggesting we bring the magazine to her? I don’t believe the hospital staff would approve of that.”

“No, silly. That would be crazy.” Pinkie Pie giggled and rolled her eyes. “I think we should reenact this for her.”

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity went quiet, and Pinkie Pie grinned at them.

“Uh, just so I’m clear,” Applejack finally said. “You mean reenact this on her? As in, you want us to do this to her?”

“Exactly!” Pinkie Pie said, bobbing her head up and down.

Twilight looked at the pictures again and imagined the bound pegasus as Rainbow Dash, and then picked out a cute purple earth pony in the pictures to be herself. It was utterly absurd and impossible, of course, but she tried anyway.

Well, she didn’t only try. Twilight succeeded, and with an aplomb and enthusiasm that would have made her parents swoon. Her mouth suddenly became very dry and her tail wouldn’t stop twitching and the room seemed unusually warm and when had she started sweating so much?

“Sugarcube…” Applejack put a hoof to her face and shook her head. “You’re jokin’, right?”

“I never joke about cheering up my friends.” Pinkie stamped her hoof on the floor, then giggled. “Oh wait, unless I’m cheering them up with jokes. But not this time!”

Rarity began fanning herself with her magazine again. Her face appeared much redder than before. “What makes you think Rainbow Dash would acquiesce to something like this? I can only imagine how embarrassed she would feel if we suggested it to her.”

“Because we all love her,” Pinkie said simply. “And she loves all of us.”

Twilight frowned. “That’s a sweet thought, Pinkie Pie, but I don’t think that’s what Rarity meant. Rainbow Dash probably won’t want to do this.”

“Then we’ll ask her first,” Pinkie said. “And she’ll say yes. Because she had a bookmark on that page, so she must really like it, and if she really likes it, it must mean she really wants to do it. But she never could before, because she would be too embarrassed to ask us. Now is the best chance she’ll ever have of getting to do it, because there’s a blue pegasus tied up in bed in the picture, and Rainbow Dash is a blue pegasus tied up in a bed right now, and there are five mares in the picture, and there are five of us! And we’re mares!”

“But why would we do this?” Applejack asked. “It just don’t make any sense.”

“Because we love her, and, well, maybe…” Pinkie lowered her head and frowned a tiny little frown before continuing in a quieter voice, “Maybe Rainbow Dash thinks we might not love her right now, because we’ve all been yelling and laughing at her a lot. But if we give her something that she’s always wanted, it’ll make her happy and she’ll know we’re sorry.”

“We can give her lots of things to show her we’re sorry,” Applejack said.

Pinkie shook her head. “We can give her lots of things, like cakes or tambourines or pet giraffes, but anypony can give her cakes or tambourines or pet giraffes. If we give her one of those, she might not know for sure that we still love her.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Twilight said.

“If we give her something that only friends who are really, really special to each other,” Pinkie said, “that only ponies who love each other can give to each other, Dash’ll know for certain and forever that we love her.” She smiled up at them again. “And I want Rainbow Dash to know that I love her.”

“Pinkie, dear,” Rarity began slowly, “I know your heart is in the right place, but this is simply too... obscene.”

Pinkie huffed. “Why can’t I show her this way?”

“Um, can I see the pictures, please?” Fluttershy asked quietly from behind Twilight.

Twilight had forgotten Fluttershy was present altogether. She wondered at how easily and how often Fluttershy managed to fade into the background. Pinkie Pie handed Fluttershy the magazine, and Fluttershy carefully examined its pages.

“This is foolish,” Applejack said.

“Why?” Pinkie asked.

Applejack sighed. “Because it just isn’t somethin’ that ponies do.”

“Yes it is,” Pinkie said. “Ponies do it all the time.”

“But not friends,” Twilight pointed out.

“We’re more than just friends!” Pinkie cried.

Twilight opened her mouth to retort, then paused. Twilight couldn’t bring herself to disagree with that. For a long time, she had thought that they had developed a closeness and understanding together that transcended being friends. She wouldn’t call it more or less than friendship, and she wouldn’t call it romantic, either. They had something else altogether. Twilight didn’t know what it was or what to call it, but she knew it wasn’t simple friendship.

“That very well may be,” Rarity replied. “But physical intimacy isn’t something you give to another pony in passing or without thought. It is meant only for those ponies who are in passionate love.”

“I do love Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie said. “And I know you do, too.”

“Well, yes, of course I do, but—”

“And if Rainbow Dash thinks we don’t love her anymore, we should do anything we can to show her that we still do, right?”

“Well, yes,” Rarity admitted. “But that isn’t the point.”

“What else matters?” Pinkie asked.

“I’ll do it,” Fluttershy said.

They all turned and stared at her.

She stared back, the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks. “I’ll do it,” she said again.

“You’ll do what?” Applejack asked.

Fluttershy swallowed and held up the magazine. “I’ll help Pinkie Pie, um, reenact this for Rainbow Dash.”

“Darling!” Rarity cried. “What’s gotten into you?”

Twilight didn’t know if she should scold Fluttershy or cheer for her. She could expect Pinkie Pie to do something like this. Pinkie’s unexpected was the expected. But Twilight had trouble even picturing Fluttershy being intimate with anyone, unless said intimacy quickly ended with Fluttershy screaming in equal parts embarrassment and terror and running in the opposite direction.

Before Fluttershy could say anything else, Pinkie Pie rushed at her and wrapped both her hooves around Fluttershy’s withers and squeezed tight. “Aw, thanks so much, Fluttershy! I knew you’d help. Rainbow Dash is gonna be so much happier if you’re there, too.”

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy replied, returning Pinkie’s hug with a small one of her own.

Applejack trotted up to them both, and Pinkie disentangled herself from Fluttershy and stepped aside. “Fluttershy?” Applejack asked. “Why would you do this?”

“Because I want to show Rainbow Dash that I still care about her,” Fluttershy answered, without any hesitation.

Twilight chewed the inside of her cheek as she listened. Could that really be all the reason Fluttershy needed? Twilight wondered at how much Rainbow Dash must mean to Fluttershy, and how close Fluttershy must have felt to her to be able to consider doing this. Then Twilight thought about what Rainbow Dash meant to herself and how close they had become.

“And what if she doesn’t want to?” Applejack asked.

“I’ll ask her first.”

Applejack shook her head. “But you don’t have to do this.”

“I don’t have to,” Fluttershy said. “That’s what will make it special.”

Applejack looked deep into Fluttershy’s eyes, as if searching for the answer to a problem she didn’t understand. Fluttershy looked firmly back. They stayed like that for a long time, Applejack staring silently and searchingly at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy staring back, never once dropping her gaze.

Finally, Applejack asked, “Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”

“I think it is,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“And…” Applejack paused and took a deep breath. “And this is what you want to do?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay,” Applejack said, leaning forward and giving Fluttershy a small nuzzle. “Okay, then. I think I get it. I’ll help, too.”

“You don’t have—”

Applejack silenced her with a hoof. “I want to. For you and for her. If this is what you think we should do, then I think so, too.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, so quiet it was less than a whisper, and pulled Applejack into an embrace.

“Aw!” Pinkie exclaimed, wrapping her hooves around both of them at once. “Rainbow Dash is gonna be so happy!”

Rarity turned to Twilight, a worried frown on her face. “You wouldn’t imagine participating in something like this, right, Twilight?”

“Well…” Twilight bit her lip. She loved Rainbow Dash, and she had said before that she would do anything to show Rainbow Dash that her door would always be open to her. Why not this? Maybe this wasn’t absurd or impossible at all. “I think I will,” she decided.

“But, Twilight!”

“I think Pinkie Pie is right,” Twilight said. “I want to show Rainbow Dash that I still care, too.”

“But friends simply do not do this with one another,” Rarity said.

 Twilight shrugged. “I don’t think you can say something like that, you can’t ever say definitively that friendship has to be one thing but can’t be another. I’ve been studying—well, trying to study—friendship for a long time now, and I keep discovering that there always more expressions of friendship. I think this might just be one more way to show a friend that I care. And, well...” She blushed slightly. “I think Rainbow will enjoy it, and I think I will, too. It’ll be something special that we can share together.”

“And fun, too!” Pinkie added.

Twilight’s blush deepened. “And yes. Fun, too.”

Rarity frowned and pawed at the ground. “When you say it like that…”

“So?” Applejack asked. “Are ya in or aren’t ya?”

“Oh…” Rarity sighed. “I don’t know.”

“You know you’re gettin’ to do this with Rainbow Dash, right?” Applejack said with a smirk and a chuckle. “I’m surprised you weren’t the first to sign on board.”

Rarity looked up, her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t pretend.” Applejack winked. “We all saw that lingerie you gave her for her birthday last year to wear during your—”Applejack loudly cleared her throat and grinned—”your sleepovers.”

Rarity’s cheeks glowed a brilliant red. “Just as I explained to you all then, that was not lingerie! It was avantgarde nightwear. I simply thought if she was going to sleep over so often, she might as well look presentable while doing so.”

Applejack laughed, but Fluttershy cut her off with a hoof. “Don’t tease her,” she said. “She doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to.” She turned to Rarity. “We understand if you’re uncomfortable. You don’t have to.”

“Oh, Fluttershy,” Rarity said, frowning again. “I suppose I can help if you all think this is the right thing to do. But I just don’t know… We’ll ask her permission first, yes?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “If she says no, we won’t do anything at all.”

Rarity nodded. “All right. In that case, I suppose I can help.”

“Yes!” Pinkie Pie cried. “I knew everypony would want to! This is going to be so much fun!”

“How are we going to do this, though?” Twilight asked. “We can’t just walk up to her and say, ‘Hey, Rainbow Dash, we were thinking about sexing you up, would that be okay?’, right?”

Fluttershy giggled. “We could, but I think we should follow the story in the magazine. I think she would really like that.”

“Oh, yeah!” Pinkie said, bouncing in circles around them. “That’s the best idea ever! We’ll do it just like in the story. The story was the best part!”

“Uh, what story are we talkin’ about?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t remember a story, either,” Rarity said.

They looked to Twilight, and she shrugged. “I didn’t see one.”

“Didn’t any of you look at anything other than the pictures?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity looked between each other for moment. Then Applejack voiced what they were all thinking, “There was somethin’ to look at ‘sides the pictures?”

Fluttershy smiled and trotted over to the bed. She spread the magazine out on the sheets and pointed underneath the first picture. “There are captions.”

The rest of them gathered around her. Twilight saw underneath each picture a string of descriptions explaining the ‘story,’ if it could even be considered accurate to label it as such. Twilight had seen foals’ school assignments with higher quality writing. The more she read, the less it made sense..

“What is the story?” Rarity asked.

“This pegasus, her name is, um, well, Hot Flanks,” Fluttershy said, blushing and pointing at the bound pegasus in the bed, “hurt herself in an accident, so the rest of her friends surprise her at night with a game to cheer her up.”

“Surprise her at night?” Rarity repeated with a frown. “That sounds… indecent.”

“We don’t have to do it just like in the magazine,” Fluttershy said and turned to the next page. “We’ll ask her if she wants to play along first. The important thing is that we show her that we still care, and that we explain to her that we’re worried she’ll really hurt herself if she keeps getting into these kinds of accidents.”

“Oh! Let’s do it tonight!” Pinkie said with a bounce.

Rarity shrugged. “I suppose we could.”

“It’s up to Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “I can do it anytime.”

“Tonight is fine,” Fluttershy said. Then she bit her lip and resettled her wings on her back. “And, um, thank you all so much for doing this with me.”

“Of course,” Applejack said.

“Definitely!” Pinkie added.

“Sure, and we should probably look at this magazine some more,” Twilight said, and they all looked up at her. “So we can learn our roles!” she added quickly.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Yes, I agree. We should give this a thorough examination. To learn our roles, of course.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said with a giggle, turning back to the first page.

They all gathered closer around her and inspected the magazine. To learn their roles, Twilight reminded herself. No other reason at all.