Chapters The air smelled like vinegar, that was the worst part. Usually whenever Rainbow Dash got into a funk she could just forget about whatever happened and try to remember how awesome she was. However, the pungent aroma of vinegar wasn't just inescapable today, it was overwhelming. Dash could barely breathe, let alone could she think straight with the odor swirling around her. Altitude didn't help, she had tried that already. The ground smelled bad, her house smelled bad, and the cloud that she was currently trying to forget the world on smelled bad. Of course, the same could be said for the rest of Ponyville and Rainbow was not alone in her suffering. The reason it hit her so hard was that she knew she was the cause of all this.
She was disappointed in herself, but she definitely wasn't the only one disappointed in her. The mayor had saved a few choice words for her when she found out what had happened. It was never supposed to get this big, all Rainbow Dash had wanted was to have a fun afternoon with Pinkie Pie. Pinkie had suggested building the biggest volcano Ponyville had ever seen, and said they should split the responsibility fifty-fifty. Pinkie would get the baking soda and Rainbow would get the vinegar, as much as they could find. Soon it became a competition, and Rainbow's competitive side met Pinkie's absurd reality bending capabilities and before you knew it everything was chaos. Rainbow had constructed an entire cloud of Vinegar and Pinkie Pie had a verifiable mountain of baking soda. Neither party had assumed the other would get anywhere near themselves in the collecting, so when the two forces collided, lets just say it was the first tidal wave to ever hit downtown Ponyville.
It were times like this where Rainbow only wanted to be alone. She had let down the entire town today, no reason to make it worse by showing her face. However, she also knew that in approximately two minutes her exile would be called off by the immediate arrival of one of her friends. The only real mystery was whether she would be comforted by a soft wing from Fluttershy or lassoed down to the ground by Applejack. Well, the other mystery was why Rainbow always came to the same cloud when she was down, even if her friends all knew where it was, however that was something Rainbow wasn't keen on saying.
What Rainbow wasn't expecting however was to find a red tin cup blindside her as she lay on her cloud. The cup strangely stayed floating above ground making Rainbow wonder momentarily if she was being haunted by the world's worst ghost. However the real answer was slightly more mundane, if more confusing, as the cup appeared to be attached to a string which was snagged on Rainbow's mane. The string itself continued through the cloud and out of sight to the puzzled mare. A quick examination showed that the cup was stone dry and seemed to have no purpose whatsoever. As Dash fumbled around with it in her paws though she heard a light mumbling coming out of the cup. Intrigued, she put it up to her ear.
"- and then the cakes said they weren't mad, just disappointed. Isn't that the worst?" The voice was unmistakeably Pinkie just from the pace at which she was talking. She sounded a bit less bubbly though today, and Rainbow was pretty sure she knew why. After taking a deep breath, she paused in what Rainbow figured was contemplation. "Oh silly me, I should probably give you a chance to talk now."
Taking the cup and moving it from her ear to her mouth, Rainbow tried to start from the beginning. "Uhm, Pinkie? I sort of put that cup in my ear right at the end of that whole monologue. What were you talking about?"
"Anytime you want Rainbow Dash, I'm listening." Pinkie said, oblivious to whatever Rainbow Dash was saying.
"Pinkie, you need to put the cup in your ear if you're listening."
"C'mon Rainbow, don't be shy." Pinkie said, as clueless and chipper as she was to begin with. As she stared up at the cloud she saw two mighty wings emerge and in three flaps the cloud itself had descended to her level, Rainbow Dash included. Her smile only increased but before she could continue talking into the cup Rainbow slowly, but forcefully, threw the inefficient telephone into the nearest tree. Rainbow then preceded to lie down on the cloud as if she was trying to nap, but Pinkie seemed to see right through her tiredness.
"Hey Dashie! I know you're feeling all gloomy right now and probably don't want to cheer up anytime soon, but I figure that you'd at least want something sweet to wash out that vinegar taste. And I don't think you've ever turned down my super sweet cupcakes, so I brought some by." Pinkie opened up her basket she had brought with her and sure enough, there was a half dozen sparkling cupcakes inside. As much as Dash wanted to keep cool and stay mopey, Pinkie had a point about the vinegar. At least that's what Dash told herself as she reached out and slowly started eating one of the cupcakes, that it was the vinegar and not the truly irresistible taste of the cupcakes.
"Rainbow, you know that nopony hates you because of this, right?" Pinkie said softly, sincerely. It was a side of Pinkie not everybody saw. Sometimes even the funniest jokes couldn't get somepony to smile, not even the happiest of parties could either. Sometimes what Pinkie needed to be for her friends was a serious pony, somepony who made them smile for other reasons than laughter. "Because you're Ponyville's number one weather pony, they know you'd never leave them hanging."
"Yeah, I guess," Rainbow said half because she believed it and half to make Pinkie feel better. "Doesn't mean they shouldn't hate me though. The entire town's covered in vinegar and I can't even clean it up because I'm on a week suspension from the weather patrol."
"A whole week? Wow, that's a long time for you. What are you going to do with all that spare time?"
Really, the question had never crossed her mind. Rainbow up until now had been to busy trying to forget the past that she hadn't realized she had nothing to do for an entire week. Looking around she yawned and replied " You're looking at it." Oddly though, Pinkie's face only lit up when she said that.
"Not anymore you're not! The cakes said that I get whatever punishment that you get, so that means that were both going to have a week free! That or I'm not allowed to change the weather, but I don't think they're going to be that literal." Pinkie Pie was hopping in place now, her excitement building to critical mass. "Either way though, we're going to have an entire week to hang out!"
Dash was not hopping in place, in fact she wasn't even smiling. Her mouth was not as rash, it was still trying to figure out how to take this news. While Pinkie cartwheeled around her, Rainbow could only think about how this was possibly the worst thing for her right now. When she and Pinkie hung out, the town was covered in vinegar or worse. The two of them together were a legitimate threat to the safety of the town.
However it wasn't always like that. Back when hey first started hanging out, things were a lot simpler. They'd spend their days pulling off little pranks, joking with one or two of their close friends. Some days they'd mix it up, they'd go bowling or maybe go for a swim on those hot summer days. On the days when they were busy, Rainbow would come by Sugarcube Corner and just keep Pinkie Pie company when things were slow. Pinkie in return would watch Rainbow perform her stunts; the loudest cheerleader Equestria had ever seen. In those days Pinkie and Rainbow would be together more often then they'd be apart.
Lately though, times had been tough for the pair. Rainbow needed more shifts on weather patrol and with their new twins the cakes had cut back heavily on their baking time. the increasingly rare spare time was no longer spent pranking, but instead with Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight and Rarity. There was only so much free time in a week and to spend it with anything but all of their friends felt unfair to Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie seemed to feel the same way. At least she acted like she was ok with it.
She never stopped planning things with Rainbow Dash though, even when she knew that it would probably fall through. When it actually ended up happening it seemed like Pinkie was trying to fit a month's worth of crazy into one day. This was exactly why they had created a tsunami of baking soda and vinegar. Pinkie had just gotten to crazy recently.
The instant that thought crossed Rainbow's mind the cupcake in her mouth couldn't cover up the sour taste on her tongue. That wasn't a thought Rainbow made, that wasn't what she believed. But as much as she denied it, the idea came right out of her mind. But Rainbow knew just how to deal with her mind; prove it wrong.
"Sounds like a great idea Pinkie." Rainbow said as she stepped off of her cloud, releasing it to float back up the sky. "It will be just like old times. Rainbow and Pinkie and whatever we want to do." Pinkie's jumping for joy stopped when Rainbow said "old times", and as she landed she just looked at Rainbow Dash with a smile that couldn't possible be contained by her face. Her eyes were filled with so much hope that they seemed like they were going to burst, and for a second it looked like they had just a little. But Rainbow couldn't tell before she was swallowed up in a truly Pinkie Pie hug.
Or at least it started like a trademark Pinkie Pie hug. This particular one lasted a bit longer, and she pulled away a bit slower. There was even a brief pause afterwards before Pinkie spoke, as if she took a moment to really see where she was. "So I think we've figured out that we should stop taking my advice on these things, so what do you think? Can you decide what we do for the next seven days?" She said, quickly speeding back up to her old pace.
"Yeah, sure. Listen Pinkie, I'd love to start this week off right now, but I can barely stand my own smell right now. With you its like I'm breathing in a fish and chips place in the worst way. So how about we go shower off and then start off our week tomorrow?" It was completely true, Dash couldn't stand this for much longer and it seemed like Pinkie understood.
"Alrighty Dashie! I'll see you tomorrow, you can pick me up at the Corner!" Pinkie said a she hopped off to her home higher even than usual. Even Rainbow Dash had lost her frown from before, replaced with a nostalgic grin. Just the thought of her time with Pinkie Pie made her grin. She knew though that this wasn't as strong a smile as she had back then, it wasn't as infallible. This week could be the best week of her life, but if it falls through like today had... Rainbow Dash didn't know if her friendship was strong enough to survive it anymore.
It had never really hit home for Dash like that, how far they had really drifted apart. she was overcome with an urge to just fly over to Pinkie Pie, to just walk home with her and just enjoy her company. But they smelled, they smelled bad, and for once that seemed like it was a big enough problem to keep them apart. When did that happen?
That hug didn't seem like it lasted too long anymore.
Thoughts from the last night were still swirling around Rainbow's head when she woke up the next morning. She'd been trying all night to find the perfect thing to do today and she had fallen asleep before she had come up with anything near a solution. It was the crack of dawn but Dash didn't really feel groggy. Rainbow's favorite responsibility on the weather patrol had recently been creating the picturesque sunrise so she was usually up about an hour or two earlier than the sun itself. It was just her, the sun and the endless sky, but in her hooves it turned into a masterpiece that started every day off as awesome as she was. Today however the clouds didn't frame the sun perfectly and the dew had already evaporated ahead of schedule as well. The sunrise was not helping Rainbow Dash at all today.
It served a purpose for her though as she looked out her window eating her breakfast of toast and jelly. When she wasn't focusing on the toasty delight in front of her, Rainbow's mind was split between the weather patrol and Pinkie. On one side was the window, the other her leftover cupcake from last night on her table. It was too early for worrying so she instead looked neither at the cupcake or the sky as she ate her breakfast, completing it in record time. It was a hollow victory though, the second she swallowed the last gulp she couldn't stop thinking about what she was going to do with Pinkie Pie.
She was of course worried because she hadn't figured out what they were going to do today yet, but deeper than that was the fear that whatever she chose was just going to end up like yesterday. Yesterday hadn't been an unlucky day, yesterday had been what should have happened for a long time. Their pranks had been spiraling out of control and this time there hadn't been any level headed farm pony's or clever librarians to save the day when it got too crazy. Why did Pinkie keep getting crazier if Rainbow was only getting more fed up with the ridiculous antics? If today was anywhere near as irresponsible as last time then even if they didn't get caught Rainbow didn't know what she was going to do.
The regular outings just weren't going to cut it today. Pranking used to be the only thing they had in common, but today...
"I told you Dashie," Pinkie said as she ran out of town. "they wont get the joke until they check the vault and see that we've swapped all the money out for green and gold jello. Now get your head down and hustle because we need to get to the Everfree quick."
Rainbow Dash was close behind, running at full speed with a black wool ski-mask clumsily covering her head. She had no idea how it all had happened so fast, and even if Pinkie was just kidding the police ponies in hot pursuit were anything but.
"Stop and turn around right now!", bellowed the cops as they followed. " Rainbow Dash, we realize that this wasn't your idea so if you stop right now you'll only serve a few years in the Canterlot dungeon!"
...today Rainbow didn't want to risk it. But at the same time, she didn't really know what would work anymore. They had used to spend their afternoons at the library when the newest Daring Doo would have come out, but once again...
The smoke was dying down now, no longer threatening to jump across the street and burn down the entire town. Twilight was bearing down on her and Pinkie, showing no mercy in her unrelenting lecture. Rainbow couldn't blame her, they had burned down her home. However, Pinkie also deserved some credit. They had tried to do every activity they could find in the dictionary that day, and Twilight said they were crazy. She might have been right, but they had got all the way to arson and...
How did this idea ever sound defensible again? Why was Pinkie still under that impression?
... the library didn't seem like the best place. As Rainbow contemplated, she realized that the only place she would be really comfortable with Pinkie would be her house, where it wouldn't matter if anything broke. Sadly the same reason it was so replaceable was the same reason Pinkie had never stepped foot in the floating domicile. That realization crossed out places other ponies owned and places Rainbow Dash owned. With a sigh, Rainbow got up from her table and soared down to the ground. Today seemed like a good day for a picnic.
An outsider might say that the center of Ponyville was Town Hall, where all of the decisions were made. Twilight might say that the center of town was actually 42 feet at twelve degrees north of east from Town Hall. However any native to the town knew that undisputed center of the community was Sugarcube Corner. Every pastry bought, every party planned, every cake ordered happened right behind those doors for the entire town. Today was no exception.
In fact, today was the day that proved the rule. Sugarcube Corner was down one employee out of three and the store was packed. The heat of the oven made the whole store reek of sweat, and the mood was not alleviated by the piercing sound of crying infants from the back. Rainbow was suddenly very glad that Pinkie didn't have to work today, because there was no way that Rainbow was going to spend more than two seconds inside the store. The fates must have been smiling on her today then, as Rainbow was tackled before she even reached the door.
"Hiya Dashie!" Pinkie said as she climbed off Rainbow's back. Groggily turning over and shaking out the stars in her vision, Rainbow managed to catch the open window that Pinkie must have catapulted herself out of. That answered where she came from, but not how she had seen or known that Rainbow was there. That was Pinkie for you. Not today though, not for Rainbow Dash.
"Pinkie, how did you know I was here? That window is like four feet off the ground and where the customers line up. You couldn't have waited there for me."
"Well, I was combing my mane up in my room when I felt all of my hooves twitch not once, but four times in a row! So obviously I ran downstairs to meet you when I felt my tail twitch! I knew something had to fall and everything was perfectly balanced, so I figured why not me?" Pinkie said like it was the obvious reason. Rainbow just sighed.
"Well, at least I sort of see where your coming from. Anyway, I was thinking we could have a picnic today way on the outskirts of town. So if you wouldn't mind picking up some bread from the bakery-" her slow pace today was no match for Pinkie's pep.
"Oh, no can do Dashie! I'm not allowed in Sugarcube corner right now so maybe you should go in and I'll just wait here." her mouth scrunched up a little and her eyes darted back and forth in worry.
"Wait, you just jumped out of there! How could you possibly not be allowed in there?" Rainbow asked incredulously.
"Well, I just jumped out a window during the busiest time of day, and the cakes aren't exactly happy with me in the first place so lets just say I don't need my Pinkie sense to know that I'm going to be coming in the backdoor tonight." The fact that Rainbow was holding a picnic basket in her hoof did nothing to stop it from heading straight to her forehead. As she walked up to the giant humid mass of sweaty ponies that they called a line, Rainbow knew that today was starting off great.
The outskirts of Ponyville were actually sort of beautiful today. The sky was clear of clouds and the air smelled like it had never even heard of vinegar. Rainbow knew that the main reason it looked so nice was that the weather ponies had made too much wind so the clear skies meant for the town had blown off course, but for once she decided to ignore it and focus on Pinkie. They were far away from everyone else now, even if things went wrong nothing could spiral too out of control. Pinkie and herself could just talk.
"I bet I can eat an entire loaf of bread in ten seconds flat!" Pinkie proclaimed right as they sat down. It was clear to Rainbow that Pinkie could easily, and was actually waiting for Rainbow to give her a reason. Anypony else would have said she was either crazy or that she couldn't do it. Rainbow knew though that this wasn't Pinkie being Pinkie, this was forced. The smile was a smidgen to long, her eyes blinking a second too late.
"I'm sure you can Pinkie, but I sort of want something to eat while we sit here. I was hoping we could talk." Rainbow could see a trace of fear in her friend's eyes. " I just want to talk like the old days today. Nothing crazy, no pranks, just talking."
"Well, that's good because I wanted to talk to you too. I know I said you could choose what we do, but I was thinking that maybe we could do some sort of activity. Like, more than talking." Rainbow had hoped to talk about this after a few servings, but if Pinkie was going to force the issue they might as well get everything out in the open.
"Pinkie, I was hoping that after yesterday we could have a day where we don't mess up the entire town. I also thought you wouldn't want something like that after the Cakes kicked you out of the bakery for a week."
"If you wanted that why didn't you go hang out with Applejack?" Pinkie said pouting.
"Because you're one of my best friends Pinkie and you have the entire week off. Why would I want to spend a week counting apples when we could hang out?"
"Because when you say you just want to sit and talk you might as well say you want to hang out with Fluttershy. That's not who I am Dashie, I'm your friend who you party with, who you prank with." Pinkie said with a level of seriousness that rarely graced her face. "I'm not who you go to for serious advice, I'm not the one you go on a picnic with. I'm not that type of friend." Pinkie wasn't smiling anymore, her face very close to a frown.
Rainbow was caught off guard from this sudden change, wishing for a second she had taken her up on the bread eating. The way Pinkie was speaking here, so clear and concise with not a tangent or joke was even more surprising. These thought weren't spur of the moment. These were the type of thoughts that didn't go away after you first have them. Thoughts that just echoed and bounced off your mind, always coming and never leaving. Not the type of thoughts that Pinkie should be having, Rainbow figured.
With a smile composed of genuine sincerity and a little extra to boot, Rainbow said " Pinkie, c'mon that's just crazy. You're my friend, no conditions. I mean, sure we do a lot of crazy stuff, but it doesn't have to be that way. We could read the dictionary together and it would be awesome."
"That's nice of you to say Dashie, but I don't do this for me." Dash raised her eyebrow. "Well, it is a ton of fun, but Rainbow you're the one who needs the craziness the most. My whole life is like an explosion of confetti, I never know where I'm going to be next or what I'll even be doing. You were like that for a while too you know. Random."
"Hey, I'm pretty random!" Rainbow said more defensively than she thought she would. To prove it Rainbow promptly did an impromptu back flip, but even by the time Rainbow was halfway through the jump she knew the idea was stupid. You can't be random on command. Well, except for when she landed she saw Pinkie staring back at her with glasses and a red nose she got from Celestia knows where. "You can't be random on command unless you're Pinkie Pie " She corrected herself mentally. Pinkie gave a brief chuckle as she took off her gag, returning to her serious demeanor.
"See, back when we first started hanging out you wouldn't have to prove it. We'd be like a wrecking ball without a steering wheel going through Ponyville. Now I know more about what you're going to do than you do."
"Really? I'm not that predictable."
"How was the toast you had for breakfast today?" Pinkie said monotone and removed. Rainbow scoffed at her apparent ace.
"Oooh, you got me, I eat toast for breakfast most days. Are you sure your not actually psychic because-" but Pinkie cut her off.
"I bet it was bland, it would have to be. Nothing tastes good when you have it everyday. I remember when you'd come to SugarCube Corner for the scones and the danishes. Now it's just bread. You wake up to late to have anything fancy, so now its just toast. It's too bad for you, I remember once after your birthday you ate cake for a week for breakfast. Now it's just toast."
"Ok, well I guess you've got me there but you do sell me my food so-" before Rainbow could rationalize what was happening, Pinkie interrupted again.
"That's the other thing, you used to sleep into noon. You worked on cloud patrol, a simple job. No real responsibility but still important. Now you wake up early, eat your toast and go off to work. It doesn't take ten seconds flat anymore huh?" This time Rainbow didn't have a reply. "I'm not super crazy smart Dashie, I can't see the future. You're just predictable now. And I know you can be so much more than that." Pinkie Pie wasn't smiling anymore, her face was hiding in no way her gloom.
"Now's the part where you do something crazy and random to prove me wrong, and I'll smile and we can forget all this sadness and have fun again." Pinkie said with a hint of optimism in her voice. " I mean, that back-flip was pretty impressive." She said with a slight shake in her voice. What ended up happening was actually a much more muted affair. Rainbow Dash slowly walked across the picnic blanket to her friend and gave her a hug.
"For somepony who is so random, you've really started to fall into a rut of schemes to get a hug." Rainbow said with mock seriousness before pulling out of the embrace. "Maybe your on to something though. I have been playing things a bit safe recently. Well, except for when we wrecked the town yesterday."
"Oh, I don't want us to get that crazy! I know that was way overboard, I guess I just got... excited." Pinkie said adorably swaying on her hooves. Ironically Rainbow realized, it was that cuteness that got her into all the trouble. Who could say no to her when she was like that? A pony stronger than Rainbow Dash maybe.
"Well how about we try a new prank tomorrow, but a small one. One target, one pay-off, no town destroying mayhem?" Pinkie could barely hold in a squeal of delight. "This was how things are supposed to be " thought Rainbow Dash.
The rest of the day went by like most picnics did. Pinkie and Rainbow talked, they schemed, they gossiped. It turned out to be exactly what Dash wanted. There was so much to say, so much that they just hadn't had time to address while they were pranking. And from the constant smile on Pinkie's face, it looked like she was enjoying it as well. After they ran out of food, they kept talking. After they got hungry again, they went back to the corner and got some more food. Treats this time instead of a loaf of bread. They talked late into the night until even Pinkie was tired.
"And she said "They don't call me Spitfire for nothing!". Oh man, it was possibly the coolest moment of my life, even if I was just watching it." Rainbow said as she tried to retell her day with the Wonderbolts.Pinkie had probably heard that story twenty times, but she never cut Dash off. "What do you think Pinks?" However the sleeping pony beside her offered no response but a light snore and Rainbow could only chuckle quietly at her friend. Together, under the stars Rainbow wasn't thinking about how clouds were blocking the sky today, or how their prank could fall apart tomorrow. She was just glad to be here with her friend. It was a perfect moment, the type where she really felt glad to be friends with Pinkie Pie. But it was only a moment, it couldn't last forever so Rainbow carried Pinkie on to her back and took her home. It was funny, Rainbow realized, she never really had these moments with her other friends. Must have been something about Pinkie. Realistically though, that could have been anything.
As Rainbow snuck through the back door of the bakery to drop off her friend, a sparkle caught her eye. Than a few hundred as she picked up the delicious looking doughnut. With another light chuckle she took a few of the unsold doughnuts and dropped Pinkie off. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day.
Rainbow was in the bush, waiting to see Twilight open her closet from outside. Beside her was Pinkie Pie, keeping a hoof over her mouth to stop the giggles from giving them away. Twilight was walking right towards her closet, oblivious to the terror about to jump out from behind the door. Than, all of the sudden she began casually whistling. It was too much Rainbow takes in a breath and-
Pinkie covers her mouth so she laughs quietly. Twilight opens the closet, and then all bets are off as the bush explodes in a burst of laughter.
Tomorrow was going to be different.
Tuesday
Cloud doors don't slam shut, and the halls in a floating home don't echo when you stomp through them. Or at least not usually. With a resounding "thump" Rainbow slammed down on to her bed, taking no relaxation from the comfy surface. Instead her legs were still moving, her hooves squishing and tearing at the bed underneath. It wouldn't cause any permanent damage to the bed, but it felt good today. Well, better at least.
Rainbow wasn't even thinking about the bed though as her mind was in another place entirely. She was wrapping her head around what had happened today, how everything had looked so good in the morning and completely crumbled by night time. She had been wrong, Pinkie had been wrong and worst of all what they had done had been wrong. But it all still sounded so sweet...
"So it's a giant jack in the box?" Rainbow Dash said, contemplating the device Pinkie was so anxious to show her. It looked like a giant jack in the box for sure, from the traditional crank and shape right down to the bright primary colours.
"No silly!" Pinkie said as she hopped on over to the box from behind Dash. It never ceased to amaze Dash how nothing was simple with Pinkie, even just a two meter walk. Apparently this also applied to giant jack in a boxes as well. "It's so much better than that! Just try it!"
That last command came out just a bit too happy, even for Pinkie Pie. As Rainbow thought about it, she couldn't see anything else wrong with the picture though, except that Pinkie hadn't even blinked since she last spoke. With two warning flags in her head, Rainbow approached the crank. Pinkie Pie let out a brief giggle as she approached, but then covered her mouth with her hoof in a degree of subtlety only Pinkie Pie could have.
"It seems stuck." Rainbow said after pushing on it with all her might. Or at least she gave off the impression of pushing on it with all she could muster. Pinkie Pie's giggles faded away and were replaced with a look of confusion.
"Really?" she asked, pushing Rainbow out of the way. "It was fine just this morning. Here let me give it a go." Pinkie began to crank the box as she spoke. "Yeah, it seems to be working fine for me. Don't tell me all that weather flying has softened you up-" However Pinkie never finished that sentence as she was cut off by a pie traveling faster than any pie should coming right out of the box.
"A pie in a box? Priceless!" Rainbow Dash could barely get her praise out as she laughed. Pinkie was covered in pie and halfway across the room. "You okay Pinks?"
The only sound Pinkie could make was a cough, clearing her lungs of delicious apple filling. That was followed by the loudest lip smacking Rainbow had ever heard as she licked her face clean of all of the pie crust. She was still covered in Pie however from the neck down. "I'm fine," she said in mock anger, "but this pie was meant for you."
"How so?" Rainbow Dash replied, basking in her lack of pie.
"Well I made it with zap apples that would go great with your mane. It completely clashes with my coat, and that cannot stand."
"How so?" This time, Rainbow was a lot more tense, looking equally behind her to the door and at Pinkie. Pinkie never responded though, instead making her intentions clear by jumping at Dash in all her crusty covered, gooey glory.
With great effort Rainbow finally managed to pull off a section of her bed about half the size of her hoof. For an instant she felt good, the adrenaline pumping through her veins taking her mind out of it's recollection. But then it faded, and her anger went with it. In its wake she was left with no closure, instead filled with ennui and confusion. She let go of the recently separated cloud and let it float out her window. With a sigh she tried to relax, wishing she could just fall through the bed and be sucked up by it. That way at least she could stop replaying the days events over and over in her head.
"And I say that I know more about my chances with Rarity than you do." Spike said as he stocked the shelves of the library. Twilight let out a snort and moved to pat Spike on the head. It was late in the day and the library closed in twenty minutes, so it was just the two of them left. All of the hustle of the day was gone, and the sibling taunting had taken it's place.
"Spike, I'm one of Rarity's best friends so I think I'd know if she had a crush on you. Gossip that juicy doesn't stay a secret between friends and especially when one of those friends is Rarity." Twilight said as she stocked the shelves a bit out of reach of her young assistant.
"Yeah, but that doesn't count when the gossip is about herself. Anyway, who made you the expert on love?" Spike said turning to face Twilight, his voice combative yet playful. "You know that I have to check the records on who takes out what, right? Because I also know that a certain somepony has taken out the Encyclopedia of Love: Third Edition, four times in the past month."
"Oh be quiet." Twilight said as she pushed Spike back to the shelf, blushing slightly. "I'm studying friendship so I figure I should at least look in to love as a scholar." Spike rolled his eyes and from Twilight's nervous eyes it was clear that neither party believed her. "Whatever, I at least know the subject matter from an academic standpoint. What do you have?"
"A beautiful unicorn who is totally into me." Replied Spike smugly as he went to fetch more books.
Twilight might have grumbled, but the bushes outside found the scene to be an absolute riot. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were concealed craftily in the bushes, hidden from the world but most importantly the librarians. From their view-point they could see the back of the library, home to children's literature, encyclopedias and the supply closet. Today that supply closet was home to Pinkie's newest contraption.
The quarters were pretty cramped in the bush, especially when you didn't want to be seen. Pinkie was so close to Dash that she could feel her breathing, but as Pinkie had pointed out it was necessary. Of course, there was another bush a bit too the left, but that one didn't have as great a view, and this was guaranteed to be a once in a lifetime sight. Twilight, with Pie all over her face. The best things in life...
Were simple. No way around it. Drama, sadness, tragedy, all complicated. Where was the philosophy behind flying fast? Where were the intricate details to spending a day with your friends? Things that were good didn't require decisions and all that other junk.
Simplicity. If there was one thing Pinkie Pie was, it was certainly not simple.
"So how much longer do you think we'll have to stay here?" Rainbow asked as she brushed a twig back out of her eyes.
"Oh don't tell me I'm boring you Dashie." Pinkie said in a mischievous whisper.To be honest that couldn't be farther from the truth. Even just sitting in silence, Rainbow was finding no signs of boredom. The eavesdropping was interesting when Twilight would walk by the window, and when Pinkie giggled quietly at Spike, for some reason it felt better than whatever Spike had said in the first place.
"Oh don't worry about that Pinkie. Your the type of hostess you can make even a bush fun."
"Oooh, bush party. I hadn't thought of that before." Pinkie mumbled, drifting off into thought. "That could work. Bigger bush obviously, but still. Anyway, don't worry. My knee is going to cramp when Twilight's about to be hit by a pie."
"Knee cramping, alright I'll keep an eye on that." As Rainbow settled down to wait for the inevitable pie impact, Twilight had came out with a small grey book. It looked older than all the other books at the library by a few hundred years. The grey cover was chipping, and the pages were yellow and fragile with age. The fact that Twilight was using telekinesis instead of her mouth was also probably intentional.
"Spike, is the display case wiped clean yet?" Twilight asked as she carefully levitated the tome.
"Yeah, just give me a minute to dry it off. I don't trust that book in an airtight vault, let alone a damp glass case." Spike said as he finished scrubbing the podium.
"Please Spike, this book has been around for two hundred years now. It might not look like it, but Its lived through at least three fires and countless attempts at censorship by various anti magic fanatics. If two centuries of earth pony extremists can't destroy the works of Starswirl the Bearded, than I think it can withstand our library."
"Ok, well you can tell that to the other 999 copies of the Starswirl collection who's ashes are floating around somewhere. I don't think our copy is any tougher than those oldies, and only about half of them were burned. The others just plain disintegrated."
"Yes, but our copy is a winner. Isn't that right?" She asked to the hovering book with the same affection a normal pony would give to a puppy. "That's right."
This time it was a miracle that nobody heard the bushes' snickers.
Everything was rattling around her head now, echoing and warping, coming back to her with more intensity than ever before.She just wanted to stop thinking about everything, to just shut her brain off. She wanted to scream, but her walls were to thin. Above all else, she just wanted to do today over again.
It was obvious, painfully obvious. Of course Spike would be the one to find the pie launcher, and obviously he would try it. And if Spike was the one to use it obviously the pie would fly right over his head. Anypony could have guessed where it would end up, right on the unicorn ten feet behind the closet. And from Rainbow's angle it all became clear an instant too late that it would hit the librarian right in her book.
The next part was even more apparent. There would be a gasp from the bush that would give the pranksters away in a second. But an even more piercing gasp, one of pain and surprise would come from within the library. Tears would fall, tempers would rise. Nopony would laugh and nopony would leave with a smile.
The only thing that wasn't obvious was why the fastest pegasus for miles watched it all unfold without being able to stop it.
Sleep was the last weapon Rainbow Dash had at her disposal. Tomorrow was a new day, and if everything else had gone wrong than at least she still had that. Maybe she could make things better with a cooler head, or wake up and find out it had all been a dream.
In the meantime though, all her struggle and anger was slowly draining away as she laid on her bed, blanket drawn. And for all her fight, the part of the day she wanted to think of the least just kept jumping to her head. Her yelling at Pinkie, Twilight crying, Spike pacing in confusion. But most of all she just couldn't stop thinking about how it had all happened.
"Hey Twilight, what's with this jack in the box?" Spike asked as he slowly appraised it. Rainbow knew it was only seconds now and her heart started racing. She was close enough to Pinkie to realize that she wasn't alone. She turned to Pinkie with a smile that could have rivaled Pinkie's trademarked grin. But Pinkie was already looking at her, her face more nervous than gleeful.
Then, she closed her eyes and leaned forward in a quick lunge. Surprise wasn't a big enough word to express what Rainbow was feeling. All she was able to do was let out a muffled "eep" as Pinkie kissed her.
It ended as quickly as it began, as Pinkie pulled back with a hesitant look on her eyes, looking right at Rainbow. But before Rainbow could think, let alone speak a pie was launched that quickly took precedence. The last thing Rainbow saw before Twilight started to cry was a very confused Pinkie. Confused, with a hint of fear hiding behind her worried blue eyes.
It had been hours now, and it had never left her mind. Worse, she still had no idea what had happened, or what to do as she drifted too sleep.
