She Totally Likes Her...

by Starlitomega

Rating: everyone
Tags: Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Comedy
Length: 5023

Rainbow likes Pinkie Pie, but Pinkie totally likes Fluttershy. Or so Rainbow thinks...

After a party, Rainbow hints to Pinkie that she likes her. Unfortunately, Pinkie starts avoiding her and begins hanging out with Fluttershy instead, even going as far as to give the shy pony a nickname. Rainbow sees the writing on the wall and decides she'll put her own feelings to the side and get Fluttershy to admit she likes Pinkie.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Pinkie try to come up with a way to get Rainbow to admit that she likes Pinkie.

What could go wrong?

As usual, edited and pre-read by Key Tapper and CookieMonstar
There will be two chapters to this story.

Published 2014-07-27 17:20:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-03 01:01:54 UTC

She Does

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy walked to the library with a bit of spring in their step, and saddlebags filled with all manner of food and party supplies.

"Eeee!! I'm so excited! This is it, Fluttershy. Tonight I'll finally know the truth!"

"Oh, Pinkie. I don't know how you can be so calm about this," Fluttershy said.

They finally made it to the library and knocked on the door. They didn't have long to wait. In just a few moments, Twilight opened it, greeting them with a smile.

"Hey, girls."

"Hey, Twilight! You look a lot less scary than before," Pinkie said as she bounced in.

"Yeah. I was kinda working on maybe three hours of sleep. Spike is still conked out. Who knows when he'll wake up." Twilight giggled.

"Is anypony else here," Fluttershy asked, glancing around the room nervously.

"Nope! You two are the very first. Applejack stopped by earlier and said she might be a little late."

Pinkie threw off her saddlebags. "Well then, we should totally get everything ready."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You're not going to use th-"

"Party cannon time!"

In a flash, Pinkie whipped out her instrument of decoration and fired it with a less than deafening boom.

Unpredictably, the blast didn't produce massive amounts of colorful decorations. Instead, the tree was filled streamers and balloons, mostly of soothing shades of blue and purple.

"Huh. I was expecting the usual," Twilight said, inspecting a candle that had also materialized on a nearby table.

Pinkie giggled and tucked her canon away. "You like it? It’s lavender. Different parties call for different decorations. Don't you remember anything I taught you when we planned Cadence's after-party?"

“To be honest, Pinkie, I don’t remember much of what happened after my ninth mug of cider,” Twilight admitted.

A sudden knocking on the front door caught everyone’s attention.

“Come in!” Twilight called out.

The door opened and in walked Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack.

“Howdy y'all! The family’s all done in for the night, so Ah’m good and ready for a sleepover.”

"Yeah. I haven't been to a sleepover in forever. Gave me a good excuse to pull out my official Wonderbolts pajamas." Rainbow hovered in the air and rotated slowly so everyone could see her prized pj's.

"Given Pinkie Pie's usual party planning, I thought it better to just bring my sleep mask," Rarity said.

"Well, since we're all here, why don't we get started?" Twilight aimed her horn at the bookcase but was quickly stopped by Pinkie.

"No books! This time, we do this the Pinkie way."

Twilight grumbled, clearly disappointed her book wouldn't be put to use tonight. "Fine. We'll do it your way."

The party had gone swimmingly, starting off strong with some snacks and a couple hoof wrestling matches. as the night wore on though, Rarity finally suggested they switch to truth or dare, giving Rainbow a wink in the process.

The ponies sat in a large circle, each casting nervous and excited glances at each other.

"Alright. Let's just start by choosing a random pony." Twilight looked at her friends before finally pointing to Rainbow.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash, You're first."

Sweat formed on Rainbow's brow. Oh no! I totally wasn't prepared to go first!

"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Easy, Rainbow. You've got this. Just bide your time for now.

"Applejack! Truth or dare?"

The cowpony rolled her head side to side a couple times. "Truth"

"Is it true that you keep an ultra secret special stash of cider somewhere on your farm?"

Applejack paled. "Uhhh, I uhhh... well the thing is..."

"C'mon, AJ. You know that lying in a game of truth or dare is the same as breaking a Pinkie Promise,” Pinkie reminded her.

The cowpony sighed. "Fine. We do keep a small stockpile of cider fer special occasions and such. Ain't like we have a whole cellar of the stuff though."

"I knew it! One day I'll get my hooves on some that cider for sure," Rainbow said, looking up wistfully.

"That day ain't today. Now it's my turn." Applejack looked at her friends. "Okay, Twilight. Truth or dare?”

“Uhhh, dare?”

“I dare ya to... scramble one of your bookshelves!"

The alicorn's eyes filled with terror. "No! An entire bookshelf?"

Applejack nodded smugly.

A few hairs popped out of Twilight's mane. She eyed one of her bookcases and reluctantly pointed her horn at it. Four books popped out and shifted around randomly before being jammed into new homes.

"Good?"

Applejack glared back at her.

"Fine."

All of the books in the bookcase popped out of their homes and shuffled around a bit before being slapped back into the shelf.

"Happy?"

Everypony giggled at Twilight's exasperated glare. "Yeah, sugarcube. Go on ahead. It's your turn and well deserved."

"Let's see... Rarity. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Is there... somepony you have your eyes on at the moment? Possibly a Canterlot noble, or some fashion guru?"

Rarity shook her head. "I'm afraid not. After the Trenderhoof debacle, I believe I'm through with any sort of crushes right now. My turn." Rarity smiled at a pony who seemed more interested in hiding than playing.

"Fluttershy, darling. Truth or dare?"

Fluttershy’s pupils dilated in fear "Uhhhh heh... heh heh... ummm truth?"

"Do you happen to have a crush on somepony in particular?"

Fluttershy squeaked and involuntarily flapped her wings to escape. Unfortunately, she was no match for Applejack, who held her firm to the spot. Realizing she was going nowhere fast, she finally sighed. "Yes, I do. Now I think it's my turn."

"Wait a minute," Rarity objected. "Don't you have to say who?"

Fluttershy smiled. "You didn't ask me who I had a crush on, just if I did."

Everypony nodded in agreement. Rainbow finally got her answer. Fluttershy really did like Pinkie Pie, and now she was out of the running for good. She hid her disappointment behind her normal air of bravado and tried to keep smiling

"Okay, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow's ears twitched. "Huh?"

"Truth or dare," Fluttershy reminded her.

"Oh, right. Uhhh, truth," she answered, not really into the game.

"Do you have a crush on one of the ponies in this room?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow's face blanched. The way Fluttershy asked that question struck her as odd. There was a confidence to it she'd rarely seen before.

I must be imagining things. Doesn't matter. I have to lie now. If I tell the truth, I'll break Fluttershy's heart for sure.

"I don't. Nope. Not one bit."

Fluttershy looked stunned. "Really? None of us? Not even Applejack, or—or Pinkie Pie?"

"Uhhh, nope! Not at all! I mean, could you see me and Pinkie Pie together? I mean she's totally crazy. Cool, but crazy. Yup, if somepony else had their eyes on her, I wouldn't be bothered at all!" Rainbow finished, closing her eyes and sitting up proudly.

The sound of crying shocked Rainbow back to reality. She turned just in time to see the pink fuzzy tail of Pinkie Pie bob out of the library, the front door slamming behind her.

"Great job, Fluttershy! That was your cue!" Rainbow exclaimed, pointing an accusatory hoof at her.

"M—me? What do you mean?"

Rainbow grunted. "Don't act coy! You and Pinkie Pie have been glued at the flanks lately! Rarity and I both see it. She keeps calling you that crazy nickname, and she's been hanging out with you all the time... and avoiding me."

Rainbow sighed. She hated how defeated she sounded at that moment, but she couldn't help but feel upset with the way things turned out.

"Rainbow Dash, I don't have a crush on Pinkie," Fluttershy stated flatly.

"But, you said you did," Rarity interrupted.

"No, I said I had a crush on somepony. The whole reason Pinkie and I planned this party was to get Rainbow to admit she liked Pinkie," Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow put her hoof to her forehead in frustration. "The whole reason me and Rarity came to the party was so you could finally admit you liked Pinkie!"

A heavy silence fell upon the room.

Fluttershy walked over to Rainbow and placed a hoof on hers. "Didn't you say you wanted to spend more time with her at the party?"

Rainbow nodded and then snapped to attention. "Hey, wait a minute. How do you know about that?"

"She told me. She said she wasn't sure if you were serious and she didn't want to jeopardize your friendship if you didn't."

Rainbow Dash slapped herself in the head. "Are you kidding me? That's why she's been avoiding me? Ugh! I could have had Pinkie the whole time, and I didn't even know?"

"Ummm, well... yes," Fluttershy said.

Rainbow hung her head in disappointment.

Fluttershy gently shook her. "Aren't you going to talk to her?"

"Why? She probably hates me now for what I said about her."

Fluttershy smiled. "I think she'd understand if you told her the truth."

Rainbow sighed. Fluttershy was right. Even if Pinkie was upset with her, she still owed the poor pony an apology. Without a word she flapped her wings and flew out the front door.

Twilight watched as Rainbow tore off into the night. Fluttershy stood in the middle of their now incomplete circle looking very pleased with herself, and Rarity muttered various forms of, "I can't believe it" to herself.

"Does somepony wanna tell me what in the heck is going on?" Twilight shouted, throwing her hooves into the air.

Rainbow gently alighted on Pinkie's balcony. She didn't have a clue as to what she would say, but thinking ahead was never her strong suit. She pushed open the door only to be greeted by a dark room. The most prominent, and important, detail in the room was Pinkie Pie. She was lying on the bed, covering her face with her hooves while she sobbed.

"I... I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie."

The.crying pony stopped her hiccuping and sobbing for just a few brief moments. "What do you care?"

Rainbow sighed and closed the gap some. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Pinkie scoot away from her a little.

"Pinkie, I care because I like you."

Suddenly the pink mare turned, her hair flowing straight around her neck and shoulders. "That's not what you said just a few minutes ago! You said I was crazy! You didn't care if somepony had their eyes on me!" The mare shouted. Her breaths came in deep heaves. After a moment passed, Pinkie's face fell.

"I guess I am crazy. Maybe that's what you meant."

Rainbow shook her head and grabbed Pinkie by the shoulders, which was enough to cause Pinkie to wake up out of her stupor.

"Pinkie, you're not crazy. Actually, you kinda are," Rainbow admitted, "but I like crazy... and I like you."

"You keep saying that, but what do you mean?" Pinkie demanded.

A flood of emotions washed over Rainbow Dash. She knew this was now or never. Overcome by the sheer force of emotions, Rainbow felt the stinging of tears at the corner of her eyes.

"I mean, I want to go out with you. I want to cuddle, and kiss, and all the other sappy, uncool stuff that couples do."

Pinkie's mouth fell. If she was expecting Rainbow to say such a thing, her mouth surely didn't say so. "But then, why did you say all that stuff?" Pinkie asked. Her expression had lost all form of rage.

Rainbow hung her head sadly. "I thought you liked Fluttershy. After that party, you stopped hanging out with me, and you spent most of your time with Fluttershy. I thought... I thought I had driven you away.

Pinkie tilted her head. "Maybe I have been avoiding you some. But Fluttershy? We're just good friends who hang out all th... huh. I see what you mean." Pinkie admitted.

"That's why I was so excited about the party tonight. I thought I could finally get Fluttershy to admit she liked you."

Pinkie's ears twitched. "Wait. But you just said you liked me."

“Yeah… but if you and Fluttershy liked each other… I didn’t want to get in the way.”

“You mean you were okay with me and Fluttershy being together even if you liked me?” Pinkie asked.

Rainbow blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, ya know... loyalty and all that."

Pinkie jumped the few feet between them and latched onto her with a hug that could crumble mountains. "That's so super duper sweet of you! It takes a super awesomefantabulous friend to do something like that."

Rainbow melted into the hug. She didn't notice exactly when, but at some point, Pinkie's mane had fluffed back up. Even the room, still devoid of any lights, seemed brighter. "Heh, you know me. Awesome all the time."

"You know you'll have to be punished, don't you?" Pinkie whispered into her ear.

Rainbow swallowed hard. "Yeah... we should go back to the library."

Pinkie squeezed her tighter. "Five more minutes..."

Five mares dressed in black cloaks stood in a circle. A solitary candle burned behind them, giving them and the library an eerie look. Rainbow in the middle, cloakless and unsure exactly what would happen.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight started as she took a step forward. "You have committed a grave crime this night. Let the record show that you willfully, and blatantly used truth or dare to further a goal outside of the game proper. Also, and more seriously, you lied during your turn. The council will now render their verdict."

The four cloaked mares surrounding Rainbow all stepped toward her.

"Guilty." They spoke in unison.

"Very well then," Twilight continued. "Though you had good intentions, I cannot allow you to go unpunished. In fact, you will face the most brutal punishment afforded you under the circumstances. Bring forth the punishment!"

One of the cloaked ponies walked to a nearby table. She wore an executioner's hood and walked with a steady gait until she reached the table. She grabbed a box clearly set for Rainbow's punishment and carried it over to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus turned her head as the hooded and cloaked figure approached.

"Rainbow, you must look at us," Twilight commanded.

Rainbow nodded and swallowed hard. She turned and stared straight ahead, holding her head high with pride.

"Okay, Fluttershy. Let her have it!" Twilight shouted.

Rainbow hardly saw it coming. The box flew open and a brown mass entered her vision.

"Auuuuggghhh!" Rainbow cried out in agony as she crumpled to the floor in a heap.

Silence fell in the library.

"And so it is done." Twilight sighed.

The five cloaked ponies stared at their fallen friend in somber silence.

"Uhhh, you girls wouldn't mind if I licked the chocolate cake off her face, would you?" Pinkie asked, tossing off her cloak.

A smile crept up on Rainbow's face.

Twilight rolled her eyes as Pinkie tackled her brand new marefriend. "Pinkie! She's supposed to be punished for her crimes!"

Pinkie paid her no mind, instead choosing to clean the tasty chocolate off of Rainbow's muzzle.

"Heh, heh! Oh gosh! That tickles! Gimme a chance to breathe" Rainbow pleaded with Pinkie.

"Ya know, Twi, I think she's being punished enough as is," Applejack said, tossing off her cloak.

"Yeah," Rarity agreed. "I think this is quite a suitable punishment indeed."

"N, no you guys! Help me out here! Please!"

Rainbow's cries for help fell on deaf ears as her friends walked away, giggling to themselves over Rainbow's fate.

Author's Note

Heeey it's finished.
Just a quick thing I threw together. Hope you enjoyed it.

Doesn't She?

"Ahhhh. Just another day of awesome weather, thanks to yours truly."

Rainbow Dash sat on the solitary cloud left in the sky, her perch from which she could survey the entirety of Ponyville for deep, statistical weather analysis.

Or maybe just a place to take a nap.

It's kinda boring today.

Rainbow started mentally listing what she could do to pass the time when a familiar pink pony entered her line of sight. Rainbow wasted no time in slinking into the cloud to keep herself hidden. Down below she saw Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy walking through Ponyville with a box from Sugarcube Corner, no doubt filled with something very sweet and tasty.

Unfortunately, even the enticement of treats came second to Rainbow. The only thing she really wanted was Pinkie. She had even been rather forward with her at the last party they attended, staying long after everypony else left to help clean.

Rainbow spent her cleanup time sitting close to the pink mare, and hinting her feelings, even going so far as to suggest they spend more time with each other in the future.

In the end though, it was all for nothing. For the last couple weeks, Pinkie had been acting strangely nervous around her. Anytime she tried to get more than a sentence out of the normally exuberant mare, Pinkie found a way to escape.

And now, seeing Pinkie spending so much time with Fluttershy, it became perfectly clear why the party pony was skittish around her.

Pinkie and Fluttershy totally like each other.

She didn't want to admit it, but Rainbow was jealous, and that was something friends weren't supposed to do—certainly not somepony awesome enough to be the Element of Loyalty. The problem was that Fluttershy would never be brave enough to admit her feelings for Pinkie Pie.

Aha! That's it! I'll help Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie get together! If can't have Pinkie, at least a cool pal like Fluttershy can! Hmmm, I'll need some help though.

Perfect! Rarity will help for sure!

Rainbow hopped off of her cloud, zoomed down to the boutique, and knocked on the door. She heard an angry harrumph from the other side.

Oops. I hope I haven't caught her at a bad time.

The door swung open revealing a miffed unicorn on the other side.

"I hope you realize you just cost me five minutes of— oh! Rainbow Dash!" Rarity's eyes brightened, and then suddenly shimmered as if she had just opened a treasure chest full of the rarest gems in Equestria.

Uh oh. I don't think I like where this is going.

"Uhh, hey, Rarity. I, uhhh, think I knocked in the wrong door by acci—Ack!"

Rarity snatched her without warning and dragged her inside. "I'm never too busy for a loyal and kindhearted friend like you! Come in!"

As she had feared, Rainbow Dash found herself gussied up in an extravagant outfit and placed on a pedestal.

"Now what were you saying, dear?" Rarity asked as she placed several needles in the dress to start her alterations.

"I said, have you noticed how often Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy hang out?"

Rarity tapped a free hoof to her chin. "Now that you mention it, they have been spending an awful lot of time together."

"Exactly! Remember the last Pinkie party we went to?"

"Mmmhmmm."

"Well, I stayed after the party, and I... might have hinted that I liked her. Since then, Pinkie's kinda been avoiding me. Don't you see what that means?"

Rarity lifted her glasses. "I never knew you felt that way about her. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what you seem to be implying."

"Ugh! It's so obvious! Pinkie doesn't like me! She likes Fluttershy! That's why she's acting all nervous and stuff around me!"

Rarity gasped and dropped the needle she was holding in her mouth. It fell and stuck itself into the pegasus' flank.

"Rainbow Dash! You're absolutely right! There's no way Fluttershy will ever have the courage to ask Pinkie out!"

Rainbow plucked the needle out and rubbed the spot where she got pricked.

"Okay, first off, ouch. Secondly, I know, right? We have to do something!"

"Well, what can we do?"

"Hmmmm.... I've got it! We have a slumber party!"

"I thought parties were Pinkie's answer to everything," Rarity said, rolling her eyes.

Rainbow placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "We have a slumber party, and then we play truth or dare. You ask Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie if they like somepony, and they'll have to answer, right?"

"Hmmm. I suppose that could work. With both of us working together, we're bound to get one of them to say the truth."

"Awesome! I'll go convince Twilight to have the party at her place. Thanks Rarity!" Rainbow leapt off the platform and bolted for the door only to get yanked back.

"Oh no you don't. I'm not finished yet. Sit still for just awhile longer."

“Fiiiine.” Rainbow crossed her hooves and planted her rump firmly on the pedestal.

“Can you take care of the birds while I handle this?”

Pinkie grabbed the extra large bag of birdseed she and Fluttershy purchased while put in town. “Sure thing, Flutter-Butter!”

Fluttershy watched as the pink pony dashed about the house, pouring copious amounts of birdseed into the bowls that had been set up for the birds. Fluttershy herself was busy mixing up a special mix of nuts for the squirrels.

Having Pinkie Pie help out with feeding time had been a huge boon to Fluttershy. She had even had a chance to practice some sewing lately with all of her free time. There was one thing that had been bothering her.

“Have you talked with Rainbow Dash yet?”

Instantly, Pinkie locked up. She turned to Fluttershy with a nervous grin. “I, uhhh… I haven’t.”

Just as she suspected. Fluttershy knew Pinkie had been antsy about the pegasus. She didn’t really want to push the issue, but this had been going on for a couple weeks now.

“Are you still worried about what she might say?”

Pinkie’s smile faded to a low frown as she nodded sadly.

“It seems strange that you would be afraid. I always assumed something like this would be easy for somepony like you,” Fluttershy said.

“This is super duper important!” Pinkie exclaimed as she ran over to where Fluttershy was working. “If I’m wrong about this, who knows what will happen! Rainbow might start getting weird around me, or she might ditch me as a friend altogether!” the pink mare exclaimed, pushing her face close to Fluttershy’s.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie,” Fluttershy said in a firm, yet caring tone. “Rainbow would never turn her back on any of us, and you know it.”

Pinkie sighed. “Yeah… you’re right. I just don’t know how to say it.”

“I guess she would just want you to ask her out. I—I don’t know. I’m not very experienced in these things.”

Pinkie’s head hit the counter with such force that Fluttershy couldn’t help but cringe. “I would just like to know if she really was saying what I thought she was saying at the party! If I had some way for sure to know that she really did like me, I’d love to go out with her!”

“I guess I could maybe ask her for you,” Fluttershy suggested.

Pinkie grabbed her face, holding it like one would a precious treasure on display. “Ohmigosh! Would you, please?”

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide and her legs locked up. "On second thought... I don't think I can."

Pinkie groaned. "Awww. Oh well."

Fluttershy's ears perked up in realization. "Oh, wait! I have the perfect idea!"

Pinkie looked up at her hopefully.

"There's one way to get a pony to admit something," said Fluttershy.

"And that is?"

"Truth or dare. Next time we have a party, we can play truth or dare! When my turn comes up, I'll ask Rainbow if there's anypony in the room she likes. She'll have to tell the truth!"

Pinkie's smile would have broken her mouth had it gotten any larger. "That's perfect! Why didn't I think of that? So, we just need to start a party. How's tomorrow sound for you?"

Fluttershy ran through her schedule mentally. "I should be free. We just need to see if our friends are."

Pinkie scooped the pegasus up in a huge hug. "I get a party along with Rainbow Dash? This might be the best night ever!"

"Uggghhh."

An insistent knocking at the front door disturbed Twilight's fitful rest. Rest she definitely needed having stayed up until almost sunup. In fact, looking out the window, she couldn't have been asleep for more than a couple hours.

I'm going to vaporise whoever is foolish enough to be knocking on my door!

The alicorn untangled herself from her blanket and marched downstairs with a purpose—the complete obliteration of whoever was pounding on her front door. She opened the door, shielding herself from the bright morning sun.

"Morning, Twilight!" Pinkie greeted cheerfully. Next to her stood Fluttershy, who, despite being up at an ungodly hour, also bore a smile.

If I obliterate them, I'll just feel guilty later.

"Speak fast," Twilight instructed.

Pinkie responded by thrusting a piece of paper in her face. Twilight rolled her eyes and took the sheet. Unfortunately, her vision was still blurred. She rubbed the crust out of her eyes and looked at the paper.

You're invited to a super-duper special slumber party!

Where: The Library

When: Tonight

What: I dunno

Bring: Nothing but pj's! Pinkie Pie will bring refreshments.

Twilight looked up at the two ponies smiling back at her.

"Girls, I have to question the logic of inviting me to a slumber party that supposedly will take place at my own home."

Pinkie gasped. "That's right! We forgot to ask you! Is it okay if we have a slumber party tonight at your library?"

Twilight sighed. "I've had like, less than three hours of sleep. This is like asking your marefriend who is still throwing up in the bathroom if they want to chug a barrel of cider the morning after a crazy party."

"Pleeeaaassseee?" both ponies asked in unison, their smiles stretching even wider.

Twilight grabbed Pinkie's bottom jaw, pulling it down. She crammed the paper into her mouth and let it snap shut.

"Fine. Slumber party here, tonight. I'm going back to bed. Interrupt me again, and I'll turn you both into frogs," Twilight said as she slammed the door shut.

Fluttershy excitedly flapped her wings, lifting herself slightly off the ground. "Pinkie, she said yes! Maybe this will work after all," Fluttershy said with a smile. She jumped in surprise as Pinkie spat the piece of paper on the ground.

"Yeech! Hey, Flutter-Butter, do you think that counts as an RSVP?"

"Ahhh, nothing like a snowball on a hot summer day, right, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash asked, in between licking her frozen treat.

"Darn tootin. It's been hotter than a tin roof on during the Summer Sun Celebration lately."

Both ponies rested beneath the shade of Applejack's favorite tree. It sat in a hill overlooking the farm. Down below they could see the Cutie Mark Crusaders splashing and swimming in the lake.

"Hiya!"

"Gyaaah!"

Rainbow screamed and tossed her snowball in the air as pink suddenly filled her sight. Two deft and swift hooves grabbed the snowball before it was too late.

Pinkie tsked. "You should be more careful. You nearly lost your dessert."

Gathering her wits, Rainbow looked up and saw Pinkie hanging from a tree branch by her hind legs, dangling upside-down precariously with the snowcone. Normally, Rainbow would probably be upset and maybe even fuss at the pink pony. All that she could manage was a blush.

"H-hey, Pinkie... thanks for saving my snowball."

"It probably wouldn't have needed saving if she hadn't appeared like a bat," Applejack pointed out.

"Don't mind Applejack. She's just in a grumpy mood. Can I get my snowball back... unless you want it, of course..."

Pinkie gasped. "No way! I couldn't take your snowball! Thanks for the offer though," the pink mare said as her face flushed red. "I actually came to bring you this," Pinkie said, pulling out a sheet of paper. Rainbow scanned through it quickly.

"A slumber party? Tonight?"

"Yeah-huh!" Pinkie exclaimed clapping excitedly. "We're gonna have so much fun tonight! Anyway, I gotta go get everything ready for the party. See ya later!" Pinkie said as she passed the snow cone back and disappeared in a pink cloud of dust.

Rainbow smiled.

This is it! I can finally hook up Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

That smile dimmed quickly though.

"Somepony has sure got it bad," Applejack cackled.

"Yeah... she sure does," Rainbow said as she started back into her snow cone.

"A slumber party? Tonight? Why, that's absolutely perfect!" Rarity shouted, causing Fluttershy to step back slightly in shock.

"Gee, Rarity. I didn't expect you to be quite so excited about a slumber party."

Oh no. She's onto me!

"Well, uhhhh, it's been quite awhile since I've been to one. I suppose I'm just excited."

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh. In that case, I'm sure it's going to be so fun. I should probably go. I promised Pinkie I'd help out with decorations."

Rarity walked with the pegasus and opened the door for her. "Ta-ta for now, dear. I shall see you tonight."

The unicorn sighed as the door closed behind her friend. She turned to go back to her sewing machine, lining up the fabric and placing her hoof on the pedal.

"Rarity!"

The unicorn jerked the fabric in surprise, startled by Rainbow's sudden entrance punctuated by her door being slammed open.

"I take it you're here because of the slumber party," Rarity said, inspecting her misstitched fabric.

"Of course I am. We have to get a game plan going pronto," Rainbow said, smacking her hooves into each other.

Rarity re-aligned the fabric and put it back under the sewing machine. "Very well. I suppose I can talk and work. I'm just not sure how much planning we need to put into this. All we need to do is ask Pinkie if there is somepony in the room she likes. She has to say yes."

Rainbow smacked her hoof down. "No way. We need a backup plan. That sounds like something a smart pony like Twilight would do.

Rarity sighed. "You're probably over thinking this."