"I never rode in a convertible before..."
"Rainbow Dash?"
"Go away, Rarity!"
Twilight Sparkle gave a loud groan and facehoofed. "Not again..." she whispered.
A small crowd was gathering next to her, attracted by a scene now quite familiar to all of them. They murmured, pointed, and some of them even giggled, while their gaze alternated between the two of her friends.
"Would you be so kind as to come down here, darling?" Rarity asked. "I have something I'd like to show you."
"Go away, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash replied from on top of her little cloud. "I said I was sorry a million times now. When will you give it a rest?"
"Oh, this has nothing to do with that, dear," Rarity said in a very forced innocent tone. "I'm all over that now. I just wanted to give you something. A token of peace and friendship between us. After all, true friends don't hold grudges, do they?" She gave a wide grin while speaking through gritted teeth. "No, things like that should just be left behind..."
"You and I both know what happens if I touch the ground right now," Rainbow said. "Not a chance."
"Why do you distrust me so?" Rarity pouted, and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Am I not your friend?"
Instead of a reply, the pegasus above her spread herself out on her back and gave long yawn, followed by loud snoring. Rarity's expression twisted into that of rage, and she stomped her hoof. "That does it!" she shouted. "Get down here this instant, Rainbow Dash! I deserve a proper apology!"
Her friend rolled over and stuck her head out over the edge of the cloud. "I already tried that!" she shouted back. "And if Twilight and AJ hadn't held you down, you'd have strangled me."
A sizzling bolt of magic came as a response, which made Rainbow yelp and bolt out of her little bed as the bolt sliced it in half. She quickly headed for the safety of a larger cloud further up. It didn't stop the second salvo from blasting it apart, but it did keep Rarity from spotting her and getting a clear shot.
"I'll strangle you right now!" Rarity screamed. She aimed her horn and fired another bolt, missing her target by mere inches. "I'll prepare the most barbaric corset ever conceived by pony fashion! You'll be wearing it until the end of your days!"
Rainbow cackled as she zigzagged between the clouds above her friend. "Gonna be hard to do that if ya zap me!" she called out. Her wings flapped as she dove to her left to dodge yet another salvo. "Make up your mind already!"
The bystanders all laughed as well. More and more ponies joined the crowd once they heard that their daily source of entertainment had begun. A few of them even cheered, either for the wannabe sharpshooter or the slippery speedster, while others just shook their heads, including Twilight Sparkle herself.
"Uh, Twilight?" Spike said as he stepped up beside her. "They've been at this for a whole week now. Don't you think we should try and stop those two already?"
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd. "Geez..." he went on. "They've even started placing bets."
Twilight groaned and hung her head. "I give up, Spike," she replied. "It's hopeless. Rainbow thinks what she said was apology enough. Rarity wants her head on a platter. Nothing the rest of us say or do seems to work, and nopony else wants to risk stepping in."
She frowned as her gaze followed their friend soaring above them. "It doesn't help that Rainbow decides to play this little game every time. She could just, you know, fly away and not keep teasing her. Not before things get ugly..."
A high-pitched yelp rang out from above as one of Rarity's bolts managed to land a glancing blow.
"...like when Rarity's aim starts to get better." Twilight bit her lower lip. "Oh, I should never have lent her that spellbook..."
"Yeah, but..." Spike said. His hands tugged on something behind his back awkwardly. "We still gotta do something, right?"
Twilight sighed and turned toward her friend, only to pause, mouth hanging open, once her eyes landed on him.
"Are you trying to propose to Rarity again?" she said. Her hoof pointed to the large bouquet of flowers in his claws.
"Well... y-yeah." Spike blushed deeply. "But that's beside the point." He paused and scratched his head thoughtfully. "Actually, maybe it isn't. I mean, Rarity doesn't even get weirded out anymore like she always does. All she cares about is how she's going to take Rainbow Dash's mane and—"
A loud explosion cut him off, and the two winced as the force of it made their ears ring. The crowd held its breath as a giant cloud of smoke enveloped the airspace where Rainbow Dash had been just moments before. Sizzling motes of magical fire rained down in the deathly silence, along with a hoofful of light blue feathers. The glow on Rarity's horn faded out, and the anger on her face gave way to disbelief as she stared up.
The center of the cloud swirled, and a heartbeat later, the crowd erupted in cheers as the pegasus emerged from the smoke with a wide smile on her face, seemingly unharmed. She stood at attention and gave a bow in mid-air, while the ponies below stomped their hooves. Rarity cursed loudly and took aim, but by the time she could charge up her horn, her target was already on the move again.
"Point taken, Spike," Twilight said. "I'll think of something."
"What. In Equestria's name. Is that?" Rarity said.
Her hoof pointed to the light-blue colored metallic beast in front of her. The odd seat-like objects in its interior suggested that it was meant for transportation, but it was unlike any cart, chariot, or even train that she had ever seen. Its body was more rounded out, more streamlined, the materials were unfamiliar, and its four black wheels seemed too bulky to get their job done.
There were two individual seats up front, one on either side, and a larger, couch-like seat in the rear. There was no roof, merely a glass shield before the front seats. A steering wheel was placed in front of the left seat, along with an assortment of sticks and buttons. For Rarity, the overall appearance slightly resembled the luxurious mini-skyships in Canterlot, although she doubted that the machine in front of her could fly, or pretty much do anything at all.
"It's called an 'automobile'," Twilight announced eagerly as she stepped up beside her. "Though most ponies have been referring to it as a 'car' lately. Anyway, it's a brand new transportation method based on four-stroke engine technology. Testing has shown that it's faster than pretty much anything short of air travel or teleportation, although it does need purpose-built roads to show its true potential."
Twilight's horn lit up, and large a map of Equestria unfurled on a stand next to her. "Luckily, Equestria is quick to adopt it," she said. Her hoof pointed to several highlighted routes between major cities. "One place, in particular, jumped on it almost as soon as it came out, and the ponies' response has been overwhelmingly positive. Since then, almost third of Equestria's road network has been upgraded accordingly, so there's plenty of 'ground' to keep testing it, so to speak." She gave an excited giggle. "Oh my gosh... I wish all other fields of science could get such great boosts for—"
"Okay, um..." Rarity said, cutting her friend off. "This is all very fascinating Twilight, but... Why are you showing me all this?"
"Well, Rarity," Twilight began. "The thing is, the girls and I had an idea. We—"
The door behind them creaked open, prompting both mares to turn as somepony stepped in.
"Hey, how's it going every—" Rainbow Dash trailed off, and her eyes widened. "Uh oh."
Rarity inhaled sharply. "YOU!" she bellowed. The rest of her friends quickly braced themselves as she slammed against them, her hooves trying to reach past them and grab the stunned pegasus. "How dare you show your face here! I'm going to—"
"Rarity!" Applejack shouted. "Calm down!"
"Stay out of this, Applejack! She's MINE!"
Applejack gave a low groan as she strained against the mad unicorn. Despite three other ponies helping her hold her friend back, even the farmpony's strong legs trembled from the effort. The others gave desperate whimpers and pleas, while Rainbow Dash just stared at the five of them in shock.
"Don't make me get my rope, Rarity," Applejack said once Rarity met her gaze. "Ya hear me?"
The struggling came to a halt, leaving the five mares in an odd pose while Rarity and Applejack just stared each other down. Finally, the former decided to relent. She yanked back her forehooves and returned them to the floor, which made her friends stumble forward and collapse into a heap.
"Very well," she said in a low voice. "I'll play along. By all means, do tell me why you've brought me to Applejack's barn to show me this... thing..." Her hoof pointed to the car beside them, while her head nodded to the stunned pegasus near the door. "...and why Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, is here as well?"
Her friends could only groan in response as they tried to untangle themselves from each other's limbs. Applejack was the first to get back to her hooves. She quickly dusted herself off, adjusted her Stetson, and trotted back to the door to drag Rainbow Dash inside.
"Listen," she said. "It's about time you two stopped fightin' once and for all. Yer antics these last few days have been crazier than Granny Smith's rodeo stories. Somepony's gonna end up hurt if y'all keep goin' like this."
"Says the mare who ran away from her friends," Rarity hissed under her breath.
Applejack frowned at her. "This ain't about me right now," she said. "And it's no excuse fer tryin' ta shoot somepony with yer fancy unicorn magic." She turned to Rainbow Dash. "And it certainly ain't an excuse fer flyin' around and teasing somepony all day."
"Why?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smug grin. "It's not like she can hit me. I'm way too— OW!" She jumped as a bolt from Rarity's horn seared her flank.
Applejack gave a long sigh. "Like Ah said: both of ya need to make peace. That's why we figured the two of you could use a little vacation." Her forelegs wrapped around the two mares and dragged them next to each other before her. "Together."
Their jaws dropped as she greatly emphasized that last word. Rarity glanced at the others, a desperate look on her face, but they just shrugged and nodded in agreement.
"Wait..." Rainbow Dash said. "'The two of you'? Does that mean you girls aren't coming?"
"Nope," Applejack said. "Just you and Rarity."
"May I ask why?" Rarity said, a hint of disgust in her voice. She inched away from the pegasus next to her.
Twilight sat on her haunches next to Applejack. "Because that would just be forcing it," she said. "By being there, we risk not letting you honestly work things out, and you might end up acting nice just to keep us happy."
"Huh. Nice to know you feel that way," Rainbow grumbled. She turned to Rarity. "Hey Rares, why are they our friends again?"
Rarity did not reply. She just sat down, crossed her hooves, and looked away with a bitter expression on her face. Though she would not admit to agreeing with Rainbow Dash, deep down, she also felt hurt by Twilight's words.
Twilight held up her hooves defensively. "Not that we don't trust you," she said. "But this is still between the two of you, and you're the ones that have to settle it. We're just paying the bills so you two can have a good time. Together." She shot Rainbow a look. "There. Are we 'friends enough' now?"
"Hey, I'm always good for a free vacation," Rainbow Dash said with a grin.
Twilight looked at her other friend. "Rarity?" she said.
The mare sat still and did not say a word. Eventually, once she grew tired of everypony staring at her, she let out a groan and buried her face in her forehoof.
"Oh, Celestia help me..." Rarity muttered. "If you all insist, then I suppose I'll go through with it." She glanced at the car again. "I'll ride this beast of yours... And I'll tolerate the other beast for a few days..."
Twilight gave a sigh of relief, while the rest of her friends erupted into cheers. Pinkie Pie, in particular, who had been quietly hanging back just moments before, was now practically exploding with joy. Out of nowhere, confetti, streamers, and balloons rained down on her friends, while the young mare bounced all around them, singing and chanting the whole time.
"Wo-hooo! You're going to Las Pegasus! You're going to Las Pegasus! Toge-e-ther! Toge-e-ther!"
Rainbow Dash and Rarity both turned to her, the former with an excited grin, and the latter with a look of horror.
"Las Pegasus?" they exclaimed in unison.
"We were somewhere around Marestow, on the edge of the desert, when the magic began to take hold..."
The car roared across the burning hot asphalt, its rapid advance kicking up a cloud of dust behind it.
"I remember saying something like 'I feel a little lightheaded. Maybe you should drive.'"
A strong wind tugged at the manes of the two passengers, though it just barely balanced out the searing heat of the sun above.
"We had two bags of hay, a gallon of cider, seventy pellets of—"
"Be quiet, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. Her eyes never left the newspaper in her hooves. "And put that thing out already. Since when do you smoke anyway?"
"Ugh..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. She leaned over the side and spat the cigarette out. "It's just a scene from a book."
Rarity turned to her with a bemused expression. "You read books now? As in: not just 'adventure novel' trash?"
"Har har," Rainbow said. "It had this really weird title and cover, so I thought it might be fun. The story was about these two stallions in it that went to Las Pegasus and did some crazy stuff." She chuckled. "And, you know, since that's where we're going..."
"Breathtaking..." Rarity muttered. She turned back to her newspaper. "Tell me more."
"Aw, you're no fun."
"I'm having all the fun I wish to have, thank you very much."
Rainbow glanced at her and gave a devilish grin. "You sure about that?" she asked. Her right forehoof reached out to press a button on the stereo, upon which loud music erupted from the speakers. Rarity shot her a nasty look in response, but that only made Rainbow laugh, so she went back to reading her paper. The car raced further down the highway, its two passengers silent as the roar of the engine and the loud music pounded their eardrums.
"Well, Rarity?" Rainbow asked after a while. She stomped on the accelerator, making the car lurch from the sudden boost. "Having fun yet?"
Rarity sighed, folded up the paper in her hooves, and tossed it onto the back seat. "Not as much as you must be," she said. "How on earth did you learn to drive this thing anyway?"
"Oh, it's no big deal," the pegasus said with a chuckle. "Just gotta push a few pedals and hold on to the wheel. The car pretty much drives itself."
Rarity sighed. "Why did I ever let them talk me into this?" she muttered.
While Rarity sent a prayer of thanks to Celestia that there were no sharp turns on the highway, her gaze slowly wandered out over the side of the road. For a moment, Rainbow could have sworn her friend's face showed pain, as though the sight of the endless desert was stirring up her emotions somehow. But just as she was about to ask about it, Rarity sighed and returned her gaze to the road, her expression once again a mix of boredom and ire.
"Would you mind turning down the music at least?" she asked. "If you insist on driving like a madmare, that is..."
Rainbow Dash laughed. "Not a chance," she said. "High speed and loud music. We need both for a good ride."
"Can't have a lot of fun if I spend every second just trying to cope with it all..."
"Why not try one of these then?" Rainbow said. She turned to reach for something on the back seat and returned with a small plastic bag in her hoof. Inside were acorn-sized, blueish pellets that looked like crystal shards. "Trust me. With this, you can really have fun."
Rarity's eyes widened in horror. "Rainbow Dash!" she exclaimed. "How dare you suggest I try something like that?"
Rainbow's grin faded from the outburst. "Geez, Rares." she said. Letting go of the wheel for a moment, she took a few pieces out of the bag, popped them into her mouth, and bit down on them, making a series of loud crunching noises. "Iss juss shome wock candy I got fwom Pinkie Pie," she said with her mouth half full. "Lighten up already."
Rarity huffed and shook her head. Moments later, her hoof reached out to tap the buttons on the stereo, and the obnoxious music was replaced by something much more calm. For good measure, she even turned the volume way down.
"There," Rarity said. "I'll be calm as a coma now."
Rainbow Dash groaned. "You gotta be kidding me..." The car slowed a little as she turned her attention away from the road to glare at her friend. "Seriously? Are you trying to make me fall asleep here?"
"You wanted me to 'lighten up,' didn't you?" Rarity shot back. "Well, this trip is far too long for me to tolerate your madness. I won't have any of your 'rock candy,' nor will I have any more of your 'hard rock' or... whatever it is you call it."
"It's music, Rarity. You know: stuff that makes ponies feel alive."
"I'm perfectly happy with this music. It makes me feel alive and doesn't make me want to stuff my hooves into my ears."
"Oh yeah?" Rainbow said and stomped on the accelerator again. "Less music? More speed it is then."
Rarity's horn lit up, and Rainbow gasped as she felt the pedal push up against her hoof. "Not on your life," Rarity said. A smirk crept onto her face upon seeing the pegasus stomp angrily on the unresponsive pedal. The car began to slow down. "This whole trip has been on your terms so far. Now it's my turn."
Rainbow gritted her teeth. "Fine, whatever." She pointed at the stereo. "Just change it to something good at least."
"I am a lady, Rainbow Dash. The least you could do is say 'please.'"
"Oh, for Celestia's sake..." Rainbow took a deep breath. "Could you please put on a song that doesn't sound like a lullaby for foals?"
Rarity rolled her eyes, and her hoof tapped the stereo again. The music changed to yet another song.
"Happy?" she asked.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing, merely turned the volume back up a bit and listened intently. Her head nodded to the beat, lightly at first, and once the song properly kicked in, she gave a tiny smile.
"Yeah, it'll do."
The sun was already halfway beneath the horizon by the time they reached the city limits. An endless, empty road now turned into wide passage full of wheeled machines, each one humming the same drone as their own during their march toward the heart of the place.
Even though the highway expanded to four separate lanes in either direction, the mad dash that Rainbow insisted on eventually slowed to a crawl from the intense traffic. The sight of so many other cars could have been shocking, perhaps even aggravating now for the duo in the blue convertible, were they not dumbstruck by the image of the city itself.
"Omigoshomigoshomigosh!" Rainbow squealed. Her head spun left and right, eyes wide as she took in her surroundings. Her forehooves trembled as they gripped the steering wheel, not even trying to hide her excitement. "This is going to be so awesome!"
Rarity was left speechless as she struggled to absorb it all. Flickering, spinning, and weaving lights bombarded the two mares from every direction, emitted by glowing orbs and tubes spread out all over the surface of signs, towers, figures, and even entire buildings.
"Good heavens," she said. "It's as though a pony figured out how to build things out of light... then decided that everything needs to dance."
The analogy was not far off. Darkness, as it seemed, could seldom find refuge in a city so fond of lighting as Las Pegasus. But the bright apparitions had a far less whimsical purpose. Each and every one screamed into the night what the place they adorned had to offer: good food, rest, entertainment, romance, and, of course, gambling.
"Wow, check it out!" Rainbow said. Her hoof pointed to a casino with a large fountain in front of it. The synchronized jets of water reached dozens of feet into the air, where they were painted by a set of colored spotlights. "'Rainbow Falls Hotel'..." The pegasus gave a whistle of approval. "They even got the colors right!"
"Is that a miniature Canterlot Castle?" Rarity said. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the next building they passed. "Hmm... Well, close enough." She paused for a moment, and a wide smile appeared on her face. "Do you think there will be upper class ponies here? We should definitely pay this place a visit."
"And go through another snoozefest like the Grand Galloping Gala?" Rainbow said under her breath. She giggled, gaining her another nasty look from her friend.
A bright sign to her left caught her eye. "'Crystal Empyre'?" she said. Her enthusiasm deflated, however, once the casino itself came into view. "Pfff... Boooring. The original looks way better."
Her face lit up again when she noticed the next one in line. "Aww yea! 'The Wonderbolt Express'," she added. "Now that's where I'm going."
Rarity huffed and crossed her hooves. "You have no taste at all, Rainbow Dash."
"Says you." Rainbow grinned. "Well, you can go visit all the boring places you want." She nodded her head toward the casinos they passed. "But I'm gonna have some fun."
"Puh-lease." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Betting on races? I didn't think you could sink any lower. One couldn't find a place more corrupt and swindler-infested outside the Manehattan stock exchange."
"We're in Las Pegasus, Rarity. If you're not here to gamble, why are you even here?"
Rarity looked away and sighed. "I keep asking myself that..."
Rainbow Dash smiled and shook her head. She then gasped when a purple and white blur slammed into her side, and the car swerved toward the adjacent lane. Heart pounding, she quickly steered them back, but not before getting a few angry honks from the cars behind them.
"'The Fancee Fair'!" Rarity cried. She clambered over her friend and leaned out over the side to get a better look. "They have a hotel here based on Fancee!"
"Hey!" Rainbow shouted. Her friend's midsection blocked her view, so she quickly stomped on the brakes, setting off yet another chorus of honks from behind them. "Rarity! Get out of my face!"
"Never mind your silly driving!" Rarity said. She turned around, grabbed her friend's shoulders, and shook her violently. "We. Must. Visit. This. Place. Tonight!"
"Aaaahh! Cuut iiit oouut!" Thinking fast, Rainbow stepped on the gas pedal. The car lurched forward, forcing Rarity to stop and brace herself. "We're holding up traffic here!" Rainbow said. "Get back down!"
"Oh..." Rarity looked around and noticed all the angry motorists now staring at them. "Sorry." She gave a nervous chuckle and hastily got back into her own seat.
The rest of their journey was silent and mostly uneventful, with the two mares going back to just gawking at the sight of the city. It took almost another hour until they could fight their way through the flood of traffic, but they hardly minded the slow pace among such wonders.
"Oh, wait," Rainbow said. Her hoof pointed to one of the countless bright signs up ahead. "I think this is it."
She took a right turn off the main street and drove the car into what looked like a miniature park in front of an elegant mansion of sorts. The sight instantly made the both their jaws drop. Neatly trimmed hedges lined the path on either side, made to resemble what looked like giant racehorses in various graceful poses. The facade of the building, illuminated by a dozen powerful spotlights, featured the same kind of excessive decoration: finely-sculpted marble statues, mosaics, reliefs, frescoes, and even what looked like tiny dancing figures made of solid light. Every piece was a different variation on the common "racehorse" theme.
The path they drove on met the building under a large and well-lit carriage porch, where a young stallion in a tidy red and white uniform awaited them.
"Welcome to the Mustang Hotel, madam," he said with a friendly smile. Still under the effects of the dizzying spectacle, the duo just stared at him silently. "Do you have a reservation?"
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Huh?" she said. "What do you—" Rarity poked her in the side, which made her gasp and come back to her senses. She quickly reached for an envelope in the glove compartment and presented it to the stallion.
"Very well," he said. "May I take your car and park it?"
"Yeah, you can—" Rainbow's eyes widened. "Wait... What?"
"Just to park it, madam," he said and pointed to his left. "The hotel offers free parking in the garage, and I'm offering to take it there."
"Oh..." Rainbow said and gave a nervous smile. "Uh... Sure. Go ahead."
The mares climbed out of the car, and the stallion helped them retrieve their luggage from the back. Once they finished, Rainbow Dash gave him the keys, while Rarity stealthily tucked a small gem into his vest pocket.
"Have fun, my ladies!" he said as he climbed into the car. After starting the engine, he turned back to them for a moment. "The keys will be sent to your room as soon as I'm done. And remember: 'Gambling in Las Pegasus is a race, and The Mustang is your lucky horse!'"
"Wow..." Rainbow muttered as they watched him drive away. "Twilight wasn't kidding. This place really did jump on the whole thing."
"One could even say they've overdone it a little," Rarity said. "The traffic in the city is just ludicrous."
Her hooves fumbled with her saddlebags, upon which a pair stallions wearing the hotel's uniforms approached to help her. "Then again, at least they've adopted a few polite customs as well," she added with a smile.
"Yeah," Rainbow said as she passed her own bag. "Because they get paid for it too."
The sarcastic tone did not impress Rarity, but she decided not to argue. The mares followed the bellhops into the lobby and swiftly checked in. The inside of the place was far more modest than the exterior, though most likely just for practical reasons. With the amount of guests that moved through it day and night, it would have been awkward to stuff every inch with the same amount of eye candy.
Excluding the ceiling, of course. One look up there revealed an entire galaxy of crystal decorations, enough to rival an ancient dragon's hoard.
"Mmmm..." Rarity said. She stretched her stiff limbs and gave a long sigh of relief. "I'm just dying for a bath after that long trip."
"You may go up to your suite at any time, ladies," the mare at the reception said. She smiled and nodded her head to her right. "Or you could visit our lovely casino right now. First-time guests get five hundred bits' worth of chips on the house, and we offer special cocktails for another hour. 'Gambling in Las Pegasus is a race, and The Mustang is your lucky horse!'"
The slogan was becoming more and more unsettling for Rarity. Rainbow, on the other hand, seemed enthusiastic. "Yeah, why not?" she said and turned to her friend. "The room's not going anywhere, right? And my hooves are itchin' for some cards..."
Rarity frowned. "You truly have no empathy, Rainbow Dash. I am in no state to show myself among the ponies in there, let alone want to actually play. My mane is a mess, I need proper attire, and—"
"Aww, come on!" Rainbow gave her a playful nudge. "What was the point of the whole trip then? Forget about all that, just this once. Let's go gamble!"
Rarity bit her lip. "Well, I... Uh... Hmm..." She looked around for a moment, tapping her chin thoughtfully, and took a deep breath. "All right. I'll do it. Just give me a moment."
Before Rainbow could react, her friend hurried off into a nearby fillies' room. A few minutes later, ponies throughout the lobby gasped as she emerged in all of her hoity-toity glory: perfect makeup, perfect grooming, fancy jewelry, a whole new manestyle, and even a magnificent dress that Rainbow was certain could not have fitted inside the unicorn's saddlebags.
The pegasus could only stare in shock as Rarity sauntered past her, the crowd's gaze following her every step in awe.
"Ready when you are..." she said with a smug grin.
The two mares stood before the entrance to the hotel's casino, a determined look on both of their faces. Their gaze was fixed on a sign above the doors, which featured the same slogan that the valet and the receptionist told them.
"Every mare for herself?" Rarity asked.
Rainbow grinned. "Loser buys dinner?"
"You're on, darling."
"Ya sure this was a good idea, Twi?" Applejack said as she closed the barn door behind them.
Twilight didn't answer right away. For a while, she just trailed her gaze along a pair of tire tracks in the dirt, all the way to a small cloud of dust in the distance.
"Come to think of it..." She sighed. "Not really."
"What do ya mean?"
"Well, the idea was that if they can make it in Las Pegasus, then they'll have an invincible bond of friendship." Twilight turned around to face Applejack. She had an odd look in her eyes. Not one of worry, but it still made the farmpony feel uneasy.
"But?" she asked cautiously.
"But it was a leap of faith," Twilight said. "An idea that seemed crazy enough to actually work." She frowned. "For all I know, it won't, and it's just plain crazy."
"Well, I'm sure they'll be fine," Applejack said. "Ah mean, what's the worst that Las Pegasus can do to them?"
"That's the point: I don't have a clue." Twilight's hooves shuffled nervously. "I've never actually been to that city."
"Oh..." Applejack lifted her hat to scratch at her head. "How come?"
"They never let me go."
"Who?"
"Mom and dad while I was young." Twilight turned to look at the dust cloud again. "They always told me it's a dirty place. And they'd ground me if I asked any further."
"Well, that sounds... normal... Ah guess..."
"Princess Celestia came after that." Twilight went on. "One day, she found out I was planning to celebrate my graduation there."
"And?"
"She said—"
"You can go any day you want to, Twilight," a familiar voice whispered in their ears.
The two mares inhaled sharply and almost jumped out of their skins. Shuddering, they slowly turned around and saw Princess Celestia standing right behind them. She smiled and reached out with her forehoof to pat Twilight's head lovingly.
"I'll just banish the whole city to the moon along with you..."
