A Not-So-Subtle Romance

Chapters

Quiche and Research
The Fluffle
Cupcakes and Science
The Three Horseshoes
Clear Skies
Epilogue: The First Party
Open Wings

Quiche and Research

Twilight rolled over, mashing her cheek into a small puddle of drool on the pillow. “Bwuh…?” She sat up and wiped off her face, stifling a yawn. Through rustling leaves outside, yellow and orange sunlight filtered into the room. She stayed there in the bed for a few moments, blinking and rubbing her face. Rainbow Dash had gone. The sleeping pads were all empty and folded neatly, along with most of the blankets. In the guest bed some feet away, Pinkie Pie lay diagonally across the entire surface, limbs splayed out and tongue flopped onto her cheek. She let out a snort and her hind leg twitched. How does Pinkie sleep like that?

Making as little noise as possible, Twilight headed to the attached little fillies’ room before making her way over to the hallway. Something smelled deliciously like spinach, and the smell only strengthened as she approached and entered the dining room. The kitchen and dining room had an open floor plan, with only a low wall dividing a cluster of stoves, ovens, a copious amount of counter space, and a large walk-in pantry from the dining area, which held a medium-sized table and a few reading chairs. The table seemed dwarfishly small in the middle of the high-ceilinged, wide room. Rarity was lounging in a fluffy chair towards the end of the table, flipping through a magazine. “Good morning, Twilight! It appears that you slept quite well, judging by the state of your mane!”

Twilight ran a hoof through her own mane, then noticed that Rarity’s coiffure was as stylish and perfect as ever. “Yes, I did sleep pretty well, after… Are you cooking some breakfast? I love spinach!”

Rarity got up and walked towards the kitchen area. “Oh yes, I just whipped up a quick quiche, it should be nearly done. Sadly I think only you, Pinkie and I are here, the others had to run to their various duties I assume, but we will have more than enough to eat.” Her horn lit with a light blue aura, grasping and opening an oven door. She bent down to peer inside, then lifted a pan out and onto a hot pad. “Listen, dear, I want to apologize for my rude behavior last night. I should not have been so huffish.”

Twilight followed her over. “Your behavior? You mean during the game? I didn’t think you were being rude, no need to apologize,” she said.

Rarity smiled at her. “You are very gracious. But I know I need to control my theatrics every once in a while. It’s just… Applejack knows exactly how to get under my skin and make me act rather – dramatically.” She placed her hoof on her forehead and sighed. “She’ll come around to apologize sooner or later. I’ll have to apologize to her too, but not before.”

“How are things going between you two? If your fights are like what happened last night, it seems like it can’t be bad.”

Rarity picked up a knife in her magic and started slicing the quiche into squares. “Our relationship is faring much better than before, I really can’t complain. She’s as stubborn as a mule, but so am I when it comes to a lot of things. We bicker so much like an old married couple, you’d never guess how long we’ve actually been dating...”

Twilight chuckled. “Well I’m happy that it’s working out between the two of you.” Rarity smiled and finished placing two squares of quiche onto plates, carefully setting a sprig of parsley on each one. She floated one over to Twilight, who grabbed it with her own magic, and the pair walked over to the dining room table. As they started taking their first bites of quiche, Twilight spoke. “So Rarity, did you notice anything… unusual this morning when you woke up?”

Rarity set down her fork and dabbed at her mouth with a cloth. “Whatever do you mean, Twilight? Hmm, I woke up and noticed that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had left, probably to get to work, and Fluttershy was folding the blankets, such a dear. Besides poor Spike not being here, I don’t think anything was out of the ordinary.” She looked over at Twilight. “Should I have noticed something?”

Twilight froze, feeling heat rush to her face. “N-no! I mean, it does seem strange without Spike. I must just be missing him more than I realized. I can’t wait ‘til he gets back from Canterlot.” She smiled, perhaps a little widely. Well, I’m not exactly lying…

“You have something here,” Rarity pulled back her top lip and pointed to one of her own teeth.

Twilight cocked her head. “Huh? Oh!” She ran her tongue under her lips a few times. “Did I get it?” She bared her teeth.

Rarity leaned forward. “Yes, all better. Now, Twilight, you know I’m always here for you if you need anything. Even if it’s just someone to talk to. Why don’t you come to the boutique this afternoon, and we can drink some tea?” She forked a few more small pieces of quiche into her mouth.

“That sounds great. I’ll just need to remember to put it on my schedule, since Spike isn’t around, hehe.” Twilight finished the last bites of her breakfast. “Oh wait, I’m supposed to go see – Rainbow – and watch her practice some stunts this afternoon. Sorry, I forgot. I might have time after that, though.”

“You’re watching her fly? How nice. My, it’s been ages since I’ve had time to see her practice myself. But the work never stops piling up, you know…” She smiled wanly.

Pinkie Pie rolled into the dining room, her mane much puffier than usual. Twilight and Rarity stared at her. “What year is it?!”

Twilight turned to look at a clock high up on the wall. “Uh, if you mean the time, it’s half past-“

“Oh I’m gonna be late! Mrs. Cake is gonna kill me! I needed to start mixing syrup an hour ago! You take the syrup, the butter, the stuff, the water, and don’t forget the salt! Then comes the whip, whip, stir, stir, pull, pull, pull, and you’ve got yummy taffy treats!” She licked her lips, then paused. “Or, was it whip, stir, whip, stir, pull, pull, pull…? Oh wait! Stir, whip, pull, whip, stir, stir… whip?” Pinkie continued to talk, while her legs flailed about in the appropriate hoof motions to describe whipping, stirring, and pulling.

Twilight began, “Uh, I think you’re getting ahead of y-”

Pinkie zipped around the table and grabbed onto Twilights withers with both hooves, sticking her muzzle right next to Twilight’s. “Twilight! I’ve got to go back! You’ve got to send me back to the past one hour ago! Pretty please?” She wrinkled her lower lip and her wide blue eyes seemed to sparkle with barely-restrained tears.

Twilight recoiled a few inches. “I don’t want to mess with time spells ever again, Pinkie. It’s far too dangerous! But I could just teleport you to Sugarcube Corner?”

Pinkie rubbed her jaw for a moment. “Nah, I’ll just go by myself. Thanks, though!” She turned around and trotted behind a large chair in the corner of the room until she was obscured from view.

After a beat, Rarity laughed, “I’ll never get used to how she does that.”

“And I’ll never understand how she does it,” Twilight added.

Pinkie poked her head out from behind the chair. “Uh, seems like there’s a little traffic jam! Either that or some sort of anti-disapparition enchantment on the castle. Probably that one, there’s so much magic in here it makes my head spin! Can you teleport me?” She skipped over to Twilight again.

Twilight nodded, lit her horn, and screwed her eyes shut for a few moments, until a bright, dazzling white light appeared a few feet in front of Pinkie, expanding outward into a twisting, bright circle. The counter and cash register in Sugarcube Corner were visible suspended in the middle of the circle, shining in a blue light. “What did you mean by the anti-appara-whatsit enchantment, Pinkie?” she said.

“Can’t talk, gotta go, thanks bye!” Pinkie leapt forward, pulling her legs to her body before vanishing into the circle. The circle contracted until it was a dot once more, and vanished.

“Quite a spectacular spell, Twilight! I don’t think I’ve seen you cast that one before,” Rarity said. She gathered up the soiled plates and utensils, floating them over towards a sink next to the ovens. “If it’s not too much to ask, could you cast it for me too? I do have some orders I’d like to start sooner rather than later.”

“Sure thing,” Twilight said, before lighting her horn and producing a similar circle of light, in which the table from Rarity’s kitchen could be seen. “Thanks for cooking breakfast, Rarity! You’re a much better chef than I am.”

“My pleasure, dear, and if you have some time this afternoon, do stop by,” Rarity said. She lit her horn, floating a few suitcases from the hallway into the room and then through the circle of light. They passed through the barrier, appearing to fall onto the floor on the other side. Rarity walked over towards the circle, seemingly entranced by the ribbons of twisting light. “So… shiny…” she mumbled. She put a hoof through the center, as if testing the temperature of a pool of water, before walking through and vanishing together with the circle of light.

Twilight looked around at the empty room and groaned, letting her face fall onto her hooves on the table. She got up and headed out of the dining room into the hallway, and opened the top drawer in a small desk next to the wall. She pulled out a long piece of parchment, which was covered in printed boxes and lines. “Emergency checklist: check!” Pulling out a quill and inkpot, she began to scribble on the parchment, only pausing every now and then to chew on the end of the quill, which already looked quite frazzled.

Later that day, Twilight looked up and found herself surrounded by beakers and glass instruments of all shapes and sizes, most of them filled with colorful, frothing liquids. She was in a large room filled with stainless-steel benches and machinery, made dark by blinds covering all the windows high up on the walls. A buzzing alarm sounded somewhere in the darkness, making her jump. “Oh yes! I remember setting that…” Twilight looked around for an escape from her glass cage, poking a large glass cylinder filled with a black liquid. Eh, don’t wanna move that one. She spread her wings, then retracted them as they threatened to knock over a fragile titration system. The alarm continued to sound. “Whatever,” she mumbled, grabbing a nearby notebook and vanishing in a flash of lavender light.

She reappeared in a deserted corner of the room and pressed her body to the wall, edging along it towards the source of the noise. “Horn, activate,” she said. Her horn lit up, and a tight beam of light illuminated her path next to the wall. With several more shuffling steps her beam of light found an egg timer buzzing on the ground, which was quickly engulfed in a lavender aura and silenced. Twilight vanished again.

“Ah!” She screamed, having appeared in her own bedroom. Sunlight streamed through a skylight onto her tightly-scrunched eyes, which she covered with a hoof. She fumbled around with her other front hoof, scooting forward towards the doorway. Slowly, she managed to crack her eyes open, opening them all the way by the time she was in the hallway. After opening a closet just outside the bedroom, she wrapped a magenta scarf around her neck. She lit her horn for a moment, then shook her head and let the aura die out, instead turning to trot down the hallway. She retrieved a sealed inkpot and quill from a desk, placing them and the notebook into a saddlebag which she tossed onto her back. Then, she pushed open the castle doors and stepped out into the cool air of the outside world, breathing in deep.

After coughing a few times, Twilight headed away from the castle at a leisurely pace, following a cobbled path that skirted around the Ponyville market and continued towards the Everfree forest. There were quite a few ponies out; Twilight saw them flitting between the market stalls, many carrying large packs full of purchased groceries. On the other side of the market square, she could see a long line in front of Applejack’s cart, which was brimming with apples and also bits. Twilight smiled.

The number of houses on either side of the path diminished, until Twilight only passed a residence, and usually an attached vegetable garden, every once in a while. Eventually, once the land had given way to tall grasses and groves of trees, the path forked into two, one leading over a bridge and towards a large cottage which seemed to be surrounded by herds of rabbits. Quite the fluffle over there. Twilight took the other path that followed along the stream, heading into more forested areas. She swiveled her ears, listening to the intermittent calls of birds in the trees all around her and the gentle churning of the water. That sound is actually caused by small bubbles vibrating and popping after being formed in the water.

The path cut away from the stream after a while, and then faded into an overgrown, leaf-covered gravel path that split into many different directions. Twilight took the one that headed straight into the meadow, and after a while she came to a familiar tree at the edge of a clearing. She went up to the base of it and kicked leaves out of the way before sitting on the cool grass. She pulled out her quill, inkpot, and notebook, flipped to the middle and began to write some very long words into the margins, filling nearly every square inch of the page.

It wasn’t much longer until the sound of hooves touching down in the leaves directed Twilight’s attention out of the notebook and towards a cyan pegasus, now posing and flipping her mane several feet in front of the tree. “Hey Twi’, glad you came. I see you brought your books with you.” She grinned.

“This is just a notebook, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “My lab notebook. I’m working on perfecting a source of unlimited light. It’s very close! I just need to account for some impurities that royally mess everything up…” She glanced down at the notebook again, adding a few extra dots and letters to the script.

Rainbow Dash coughed into her hoof, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like egghead. “That’s really cool and all, yeah,” she said.

After a moment, Twilight stopped writing in the notebook but kept her gaze downward. “Hey Rainbow, I was wondering-”

“Wait a sec, Twi’,” Dash cut in. “I didn’t get a chance to show off yet. I’ve been doing a new workout for the last few weeks. How do you think my flanks look?”

Twilight looked up. “Your flanks? Oh, Celestia-” Rainbow had turned around and tensed her hind legs, giving Twilight a view of her muscular haunches, and looking back at her with something of a sultry smirk. Twilight smiled weakly and fought to keep any blood from rushing to her face. “They’re, uh, very nice, Rainbow. I can tell you’ve been working out.”

“Thanks. Yeah, I’ve been following this new workout video called ‘Devastation’. It’s called that cuz it’s what I’ll do to all the stallions at the clubs when I show up. Devastate ‘em.” She flicked her tail like a whip.

A frown flitted across Twilight’s muzzle. “That sounds like a tough workout routine.” She paused. “Wait, when’s the last time you even went to these supposed clubs, Rainbow?”

“Uh, like just a few months ago. Maybe it was last year. But it was totally awesome, and now I’m super ready to strut my stuff again. And impress some hot guys.”

Twilight chuckled, albeit feebly. “Just the guys? I’m sure you’d impress a lot of mares, too?”

Dash looked at Twilight with an unreadable expression for a moment, then grinned. “Well, of course, and there’s nothing wrong with a few extra admirers. Plenty eye candy here to go around.”

“You said it, hehe.” Twilight felt her wings rustle slightly, but ignored the sensation. She let out a breath. “So, um, I think I’m ready for a break from my research. You have my full attention, Rainbow Dash.”

“Glad to hear it. Hold on to your scarf, it’s about to get a little wild here.” Rainbow turned around and sauntered away, swishing her tail, before sweeping her wings downward and lifting straight up into the air, swirling the leaves in her wake.

The Fluffle

“Back! Back you monsters! This is my notebook, and I’m gonna keep it!” Twilight clutched her notebook to her chest with both hooves, using her magic to grasp a broom and swat at several approaching white rabbits. The rabbits twitched their noses, bouncing back from the attack. Their beady, red and black eyes were wide, and they looked around the room as they sniffed. The few that Twilight had driven away instead bounded towards the kitchen. Saliva dripped and glistened on their large front teeth.

The kitchen floor was littered with empty boxes, scattered silverware, and broken dishes. Many bunnies had taken to chewing on the boxes, splitting the cardboard into pieces. Bunnies hopped on the counters, opening the cupboards and pressing their noses into every corner and crevice, which were long-since devoid of any food. A few were idling in the sink, which they had filled with cool water, treading in place or diving below the surface.

“I’ve never – pant – used The Stare this many times in a row,” Fluttershy said. She was in the middle of the living room, bodily protecting her own couch and other furniture from the animals, Staring clusters of them into submission and ordering them to behave. However, each time she used her animal-taming powers, it seemed like more rabbits would join the fray and overwhelm her. They had already torn one seat cushion to shreds, and were eying the rest. “I just can’t … can’t bring myself to yell at the cute little bunnies. Tell Angel, I still love him…” She closed her eyes and began to fall backwards.

Twilight charged her horn, preparing to catch her, but flinched and stopped when something zoomed in through a window. There, in front of the couch, Pinkie Pie stood with Fluttershy lying splayed across her back, a triumphant grin across her muzzle. “Hiya Twilight! I got a flinchy leg, a floppy ear, and a twisting tail, so I knew to come right away!” Pinkie’s explanation included replicating her ‘flinchy leg,’ which tipped Fluttershy over onto the couch, her head supported by a pillow that Pinkie slid into place. The rabbits in the cottage ceased their onslaught, looking at Pinkie and chattering with each other.

Fluttershy opened a bleary eye. “P… Pinkie? You saved me…”

“I was about to catch you but Pinkie just showed up out of nowhere,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. She lit her horn again, levitating away a group of rabbits that were attempting to creep up from her blind spot.

Fluttershy continued, “The bunnies ate everything… I can’t… please… save us, Pinkie…”

Twilight raised a single eyebrow while she listened to Fluttershy’s breathless voice. On the other hoof, Pinkie jumped up from Fluttershy’s side, saying, “Sure can do, Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie’s gonna make everything OK!” She spun around to a particularly large chair by the wall, grabbed its seat cushion and raised it above her head. With a grunt, she tore it in half.

“I always thought that chair was a little uncomfortable…” Twilight said. Pellets of animal food rained down onto the floor of the cottage out of the two halves of the seat cushion, which Pinkie held aloft.

Pinkie skipped towards the door, leaving a trail of pellets in her wake. “There’s plenty more where that came from, wascally wabbits~” she said in a sing-song voice, “Follow me!” At the sight of food, the animals came flooding out of the kitchen and the corners of the cottage, snatching up the pellets and trailing behind the pink mare and out the door.

Twilight caught her breath in the sudden stillness, then stood up and looked out the window in the front of the cottage. Her eyes bulged. In the middle of Fluttershy’s front yard, an elegant and massive salad lay arrayed in a pile about ten hoof-lengths tall. Large leaves of lettuce were covered with plump orange slices, and a tiny red cherry was perched on the very top. Bunnies dove head-first into the dish, gnawing on the leaves and biting off sections of fruit. The whole display became a writhing mass of white, green, and orange.

Further away across the stream, a few light-colored mares were visible, bouquets of flowers peeking out of their saddlebags. The mares had evidently caught sight of the rampage, as their jaws dropped and they fell as one, screaming, onto the ground. One of them whispered, “The horror…,” to the open skies, her legs twitching.

Twilight shook her head and walked over to Fluttershy, who was now sitting up and smiling. “You all right, Fluttershy?” Twilight placed a hoof on her head.

“I’m feeling much better, thanks.” Fluttershy slid off the couch onto all fours, and trotted over to meet Pinkie, who was passing back through the doorway. The rabbits were slowing down in their eating frenzy outside. “Oh, thank you thank you, Pinkie! How did you do that?” She reached out and grabbed Pinkie Pie in a gentle hug, which Pinkie returned with greater intensity.

“I keep salads stashed all around town in case of salad-based emergencies. For this one, it was a doozy, so I combined a few salads into one! How did you get yourself in such a pickle, you silly filly?” Pinkie extended a hoof and flicked Fluttershy’s nose. The yellow Pegasus squeaked quietly and withdrew, hiding her face behind her mane.

“I feel like it’s all my fault,” Twilight said. The other two looked over to her. “I was the one who left the door open. I guess the rabbits assumed it was an invitation for supper.”

“No no, it was Angel’s fault. I’m sure he told them they could eat whatever they want, like it’s his house and not mine. I’ll have to give him a stern talking-to later,” Fluttershy said. She turned to Pinkie. “Angel invited his family over for a family reunion. It’s normally a lot of fun, but not when they get so – rowdy.”

“That’s neat! I didn’t know bunnies even had family reunions. Huh – do you think they throw parties, too? Do all animals… like to party…?” Pinkie’s speech slowed as she spoke. Her eyes widened and slid out of focus, and her mouth hung open. A small bit of drool leaked onto her chin.

“Pinkie! Equestria to Pinkie!” Twilight walked towards the pony and clopped her hooves together, but she didn’t respond.

A moment later, a small white bunny scampered into the cottage and threw its body around one of Pinkie’s front legs. Pinkie started and looked around, noticing the creature. “Oh hi, Angel! Did you like the salad?” Angel chattered for a few seconds, hopped back onto the ground, and gave the mare two thumbs up. Then he nuzzled her hoof, and hopped back out the door. The trio saw Angel and the rest of the rabbits hurry off into the trees near Fluttershy’s cottage, leaving a few salad leaves stacked on the ground like some sort of memento.

“Wow, I’ve hardly ever seen him do that with another pony,” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie Pie cocked her head and made a high-pitched noise. “I guess I can be friends with everyone in town, not just ponies! This is great!”

“I’m glad, his attitude seems to be improving,” Fluttershy said. “Um, Pinkie, would you like to stay for a little while? I’ll make us all some tea, it’s the least I can do to thank you. First, I suppose I should clean the kitchen a little.” Her ears flopped against her head as she surveyed the clutter.

Pinkie and Twilight offered to help, and, with some trepidation, the mares walked into the kitchen. They spent some time picking up cardboard boxes and cleaning soiled silverware. Once the kitchen was in working order, Fluttershy set a kettle on the oven to boil, then beat her wings and rose to the top of one of the cabinets, grabbing a box of teabags, coffee grounds, some sugar, and a bowl of cookies. Before long, two steaming cups of tea were in front of Pinkie and Fluttershy, while Twilight had a cup of coffee in front of her.

“What were you two talking about before all the fracas got started?” Pinkie asked, grabbing several cookies out of the bowl and munching on them.

“Oh, we were just talking about the past. I was wondering what it was like in flight academy and in Ponyville before I got here,” Twilight said.

“It sure wasn’t as super-exciting,” Pinkie said, taking a swig of her tea. “I mean, we’ve saved the world how many times? We even have stained-glass portraits of us in the royal castle now!”

“And the five of us were friends, but not nearly as close as we are now,” Fluttershy added, “It’s because you brought us all together.” This earned a smile from Twilight. Fluttershy continued, “Oh, and I never finished answering your question about Rainbow Dash.” She took a long sip of tea. “All I can remember are those colts that she used to date in the academy, and a long-distance thing with a stallion in Cloudsdale. But that didn’t last too long, only a few months, just like the other ones. I can’t think of anything more recent.”

“That’s it? No trysts with other mares or anything?” Twilight asked. Pinkie stopped slurping her tea and looked over at Twilight with something like a sly grin, but remained silent. Twilight’s eyes flicked toward Pinkie for just a moment. She gulped some coffee and started nibbling small pieces off the corner of a cookie.

“No, nothing like that,” Fluttershy replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “Although, it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened now.”

Pinkie swiveled her head towards the pegasus. “It wouldn’t?”

Fluttershy blushed lightly. “Well, I mean, she can come off as a little harsh, but under the surface she really does have a romantic side. It’s no wonder she wants to get back into the dating scene. And yes, I happen to know that she finds both stallions – and mares – attractive.”

“She’s not the only one~” Pinkie said, looking at Fluttershy, who hid her face behind her cup of tea and her hooves.

Twilight looked between the other two mares, rubbing her jaw with a hoof. “Huh. Did something happen between you and Rain-”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Nope! Nothing at all.” She set down her cup and grinned. “Is it hot in here? It’s hot in here. I’ll go open up a window…” She turned to walk out of the kitchen.

“Uh, I think the windows were already open, if I remember correctly,” Twilight said, but the mare had left. Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, who was chuckling and finishing her tea at the same time, thus making a strange gargling sound. “I hope I didn’t upset her.”

Pinkie swallowed. “I don’t think so, she’s just being Fluttershy. It’ll be fine, just you wait.”

Soon after Pinkie finished talking, Fluttershy walked back into the kitchen. “I’m sorry Twilight.” She let out a breath. “I wasn’t entirely honest before. Rainbow and I did have a thing for a while, back in flight school. It was just a silly filly crush I had on her, and she was nice enough to go out with me.”

“I’m sure she also liked you back!” Pinkie said, “Otherwise why would she have snogged you so much and stuff?”

Fluttershy blushed again. “Yes, well, there was that, yes.”

Twilight clopped her hooves together. “That’s so wonderful! I had no idea that two of my best friends had been marefriends before! This is an important part of life that I’ve never much talked about with you girls before!”

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah Twilight, you can talk with us about anything, you know!”

Pinkie’s sentence reminded Twilight of something. I never did make it over to the boutique today… She resolved to make it up to Rarity sometime.

“I know that, Pinkie. I’m lucky to have such good friends.” She took one last drink and levitated her empty mug over to the sink.

Later that night, Twilight waited at the train station platform, carrying only a small bag. The streetlamps had just come on, though the scene was still lit by fading sunlight. Soon, a mid-size passenger train came into view, puffing out clouds of steam, slowly approaching the station. It eventually stopped, and a conductor shouted the name of the town while ringing a bell. The doors slid open, and several ponies walked out in a line, followed by a small purple dragon covered in green spines, wearing a backpack.

Twilight hurried over towards the dragon, sweeping him up bodily in a hug. “Spike! I missed you!”

“Yeah I missed you too, Twilight,” Spike said in his boyish voice. He returned the embrace for a moment. “Uh, you should put me down though, ponies are staring,”

Twilight glanced around, not noticing anypony looking their way. “Sorry,” she said, placing the dragon back on the platform.

“No biggie,” Spike said, waving a claw. “Boy have I got a lot to tell you! Yesterday, I asked Celestia if I could have a break from all the tutoring, and she said yes! So I was walking through the castle courtyard, and, um.” He paused, sniffing the air. “What’s in the bag, Twilight?”

Twilight stifled a giggle. “Oh, maybe a little something I picked up as a reward for being such a good assistant,” she said in an indifferent tone. “Maybe you’d like a little peek?” She folded down the corner of the bag, revealing several large glittering gemstones inside. One was a rounded white stone, lined with grains of red.

“Is that… a fire opal?” Spike said, staring into the bag with his mouth open.

Twilight slapped the bag closed. “Yes! You can have that one as a bedtime snack once we get back to the castle.” She started walking, slowly, towards the platform exit.

“Sweet Celestia, a fire opal. Please, can’t I have just a taste now?” Spike dragged his claws down the sides of his head.

“No, if you have a taste you’ll want more and I don’t want you to make a mess in public,” Twilight answered, shaking her head.

“C’mon Twilight, just a lick?” He flicked a forked tongue into the air and waved it around, but Twilight just shook her head again.

Spike ran in front of Twilight, grabbing onto one of her hooves and urging her forward. “Then let’s go home! Faster!”

Twilight snickered, and picked up her pace to a canter, levitating Spike onto her back. They made their way off the platform and through the center of the city, Twilight’s hoof beats echoing in the emptying streets. At one point, she thought she heard Spike saying ‘Mush! Mush!’ behind her head, but when she turned around, the dragon was only chuckling.

Twilight lit her horn and swung open the doors to her castle, galloping inside and sliding to a stop. The reception area was lit by a few firefly lanterns, which gave the furniture and the walls a murky yellow sheen. “Are we here already…?” Spike asked in a tired voice.

Twilight plucked the dragon off her back with her magic and set him down on a rug. The dragon’s eyes were drooping, and he took off his backpack, clutching it in his claws. “Are you falling asleep so quickly? Well, I suppose I can just tuck this fire opal away for your breakfast tomorrow,” Twilight said, continuing on into the castle.

Spike jolted up, and rushed forward to meet her. “No, I was only resting my eyes for a bit! C’mon, I hardly had anything to eat on the train!” With a flash of lavender light, the stone in question materialized in Spike’s outstretched claws. “All right! Wow, the marbling is just perfect.” He stroked the surface of the stone with a claw, following the glittering lines of red.

He shoved half of the large stone into his mouth, chawing it in half with a flourish of his tongue. After munching for a few seconds, he swallowed and licked each claw on his free hand. The other half of the stone met a similar, mercifully quick fate. Spike patted his belly and sighed.

“Maybe you should take a bit more time to enjoy your food, don’t you think?” Twilight said. She had stopped mid-step to watch the dragon, now turning to walk around a corner in the hallway.

“Us dragons know that the best part of eating is doing it fast! That’s when it tastes the best!”

“Ya know, you might have something there,” Twilight said, nodding.

The pair entered the bedroom, and Spike headed over to one side where a somewhat smaller version of Twilight’s bed stood by itself, covered in sheets that had pictures of ferocious dragons printed on them. He set down his backpack and turned towards the wall, breathing in and belching forth a stream of green flame. The flame struck a small torch bolted onto the castle wall, which lit and bathed half of the room in a gentle emerald glow. The dragon pulled himself into bed underneath the covers.

Twilight sighed, “Now it looks like home. Sleep tight, Spike.”

“Ugh, sappy. ’Night, Twilight,” he replied, and rolled over onto his side.

After making sure Spike was comfortable, Twilight grabbed a saddlebag, made her way to the front of the castle and slipped outside, silently closing the doors behind herself. The sun had completely vanished by now, replaced by Luna’s starry sky and a waxing moon on the horizon. The few ponies remaining in the streets seemed to be heading home. Following the light of the streetlamps, Twilight walked towards the center of the city until she reached a row of shops lit from within by lamp light, in contrast with the surrounding dark buildings. One of the shops had a sign above it which read, ‘Madame J’s Books’. The storefront was pink and decorated as if at random by painted hearts. She paused at the doorway for a moment, then pulled the door open and stepped inside.

A soft jingling sound followed Twilight into the shop, which was much larger than it had appeared from the outside. A narrow walkway led straight from the door to a counter dominated by a large cash register and also cluttered with stacks of books. Bookshelves towered on both sides of the walkway, extending further into the shop in either direction. To her left, signs hung suspended from the ceiling over groups of bookcases, with labels like ‘Nonfiction’ and ‘Suspense’ or ‘Cooking’. Most of these books had spines that were blue or grey, and were packed tightly together in the shelves. To the right, only one large sign hung from the ceiling, spinning slowly, which had the word ‘Romance’ written on it in a showy font. The books in these bookshelves were colored pink or red, and were generally much thinner than the others. And in the very back of the right half of the shop, a small sign on the wall labelled the section as ‘Adults Only’.

An older unicorn mare with a faded pink mane and light purple coat walked up to Twilight. “Princess Twilight Sparkle! Good evening.” She bowed to the alicorn, briefly. “Thank you for visiting my shop. You’re in luck, I was about to close up, just waiting on another customer. But I’m in no hurry.”

“Oh, thanks, Madame J,” Twilight replied. “I won’t take long. And there’s no need to call me ‘Princess’.”

“Very well, Twilight. Is there anything I can help you find?”

“I just wanted to browse a bit.” Twilight scratched at her neck with a hoof. “By myself.” She winced.

Madame J waved a hoof in a placating gesture. “Not to worry, I understand completely. I’ll be over here if you need me, take your time.” The mare turned and walked towards one of the stacks of books perched on the counter.

Twilight glanced around again, and slid between two bookshelves marking the entrance to the ‘Romance’ section of the shop. Her eyes flitted about as she walked, pausing on titles such as The Canterlot Affair, and After All Is Said: How to Win Her Back, or even Twilight. She shook her head, continuing on.

Once she had reached the edge of the shop and read most of the spines in that bookshelf, she turned the corner and was greeted with a view full of freckles. “Wah! Applejack, what are you doing here?” Twilight retreated a step. The orange earth pony had been looking at a display of some hoof-sized black and pink boxes, which were turned so that Twilight couldn’t see their fronts. She was also holding a similar box in one of her hooves.

Applejack whirled towards Twilight, blinking several times. “Uh, hiya… Twi’. I’m not doin’ much, not anything really! Just checkin’ out this here shop I’ve never been to before. How about you?” Applejack gave a feeble grin and her eyes darted anywhere but to Twilight’s face, or to the boxes she stood beside. She took a quick step away from the display, simultaneously shifting her stance so that whatever she was holding moved out of Twilight’s line of sight.

“Oh, you know, just checking out this bookstore, it seemed pretty interesting. I’ve never been here before, either, hehe,” Twilight said. “What’s that you’ve got?”

“Oh this thing, this right here?” Applejack said. Her body remained motionless. “It’s, uh, apples.”

“You brought apples to Madame J’s.”

“Yup. For a… midnight snack. I always carry apples wherever I go, on account of I get hungry at night.”

“Uh huh,” Twilight said. She looked up towards the ‘Adults Only’ sign nearby on the wall and blushed. She spun to face the way she had come. “Anyway, I should get going now, it’s getting pretty late. See you later!” She walked a few steps before turning her head to say in a casual tone, “I bet Rarity will love the, uh, apples.” She smirked and hurried away, ignoring Applejack’s incoherent sputtering behind her.

Twilight chuckled into an elbow, then turned once again to the bookshelves on either side of her. She wiped a hoof down her face and groaned. Lighting her horn, she levitated four books out of the shelves, seemingly at random, and continued towards the center of the shop. Madame J came into view, placing books from a stack onto a few different wire racks. She glanced up at Twilight Sparkle’s approach, smiling when she caught sight of the books surrounded by a lavender aura floating in front of her. “I can help you over here. Did you find everything you were looking for?”

Twilight nodded. “Yup.” She placed the books on the counter, looking around at the door to the shop.

Madame J sorted through the books Twilight had picked out, and her eyebrows rose for a second. “Are you sure you found everything OK?” She began to ring up Twilight’s purchase as she talked.

Twilight looked at the older mare and blinked. “Yes. But, I might come back some other time, if that’s all right, hehe.” She shifted her weight from hoof to hoof.

“Of course, hon. Your total comes to 32 bits.” Twilight pulled out a bag and counted out a pile of coins, pushing them across the counter. “You’ve made some excellent choices, I think you’ll enjoy them,” Madame J said, bowing slightly before returning to the stack of books beside her.

“Thanks!” Twilight whisked the books into her saddlebag, trotted across the walkway to the door, and exited the shop.

She made it past a few streetlights before stopping and covering her mouth with a hoof. She started snorting through her nose and leaned on the nearest wall, her body shaking with stifled laughter.

Cupcakes and Science

Twilight opened her castle doors, levitating a book in front of her muzzle and muttering soundlessly. A butter yellow pegasus stood on the other side. “Good morning, Twilight. Did you still want to go grocery shopping today? If you’re busy, I’d understand…”

Twilight lowered her book and appraised the other pony for a moment. “Oh yes! Of course, Fluttershy, just let me grab my saddlebags and I’ll be right with you.” She turned around towards the depths of the castle. “Spike! I’ll be back in a while!” she yelled, and waited until she heard Spike’s muffled acknowledgment. She walked to a nearby closet and removed a pair of saddlebags, placing them on her back.

Fluttershy waited at the door, watching Twilight make her preparations. “What book are you reading now? Anything I’d understand?”

Twilight looked at the book still levitating in the air before her, titled Forbidden Loves: Crimson Dawn, and paled slightly. She whisked the book onto a shelf in the closet and closed the door. “It’s nothing! Just a treatise on, uh, magical properties of liquids! It’s for my research project.”

“That sounds fascinating!” Fluttershy said, “Is this project the ‘flashlight thing’ you’re working on? Rainbow Dash told me something about it.”

“Rainbow did?” Twilight’s eyebrows raised. “Well, I suppose it’s something like a flashlight. When it’s done, it should be an almost endless light source. I’m trying different fluid mixtures and magical concentrations.”

Fluttershy nodded her head. “What a neat project. I bet Celestia’s proud of you.”

Twilight smiled. “Actually, it was all my own idea, and I haven’t told her about it yet. I want to complete it and then test it thoroughly first. After all, I’m a princess; I should do things more on my own now and take on whatever projects I think are important for Equestria… as long as I do everything else on my checklists.” She trotted up to the castle doorway. “Shall we?”

Twilight and Fluttershy headed down a familiar path towards the city’s market square, which was somewhat crowded with ponies moving from stand to stand and pegasi flitting throughout the air, most carrying bulging packs on their backs. Together, they waited in line for asparagus, leafy greens, and cherries. After paying quite a few bits for the imported cherries, they walked to the end of a line for the next cart, which was surrounded by buckets of shiny red apples. Applejack stood behind the cart, counting a couple of other ponies’ bits, and she waved a hoof at her friends when she noticed them. After a minute, the line emptied.

“Howdy girls,” Applejack said, “Y’all are stockin’ up on supplies?” She met Twilight’s eyes for a moment, and blushed, tipping her hat.

Twilight winked at the earth pony. “Yes, I haven’t been keeping up on my grocery shopping since Spike’s trip to Canterlot,” she said, “And Fluttershy really needs to restock her kitchen, after all that craziness with Angel’s family reunion.”

“Oh? What’d that varmint get up to this time?”

“His family was quite – hungry – even after eating all the food in my kitchen. But everything worked out, Pinkie Pie came over and made them some dinner,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, I can help take care of that problem for ya. These are on the house.” Applejack pushed two piles of apples to the front of her cart.

“Are you sure, Applejack?” Fluttershy said.

“Sure thing, it’s the least I can do after you sent your bird friends to help clear out those pests,” Applejack replied. Fluttershy smiled and scooped the apples into her saddlebag. Twilight took out a bag of bits and started placing several on Applejack’s cart. “Now, Twi’, that’s more bits than I woulda even asked ya for,” Applejack said. She frowned.

“Thanks, but I don’t need any special treatment, Applejack. Don’t worry, I’m doing well for myself,” Twilight said, gathering her own apples.

“Well, I appreciate it.” Applejack tipped her hat again, then jumped when something whooshed into place beside her. “Whoa there, Pinkie, what’s the hurry?” The pink pony stood next to Applejack, holding several red sealed envelopes in her teeth. She squeaked a few times and jutted her muzzle forward towards Applejack, who slowly took the top envelope with her own muzzle, placing it on her cart.

Pinkie gave an approving squeak, and zipped to both Twilight and Fluttershy, who each took envelopes of their own. She then skipped away in a bee-line for a nearby tree.

“Bye, Pinkie,” Fluttershy called after her. She took the envelope into her hooves. “I wonder what this is.”

Twilight lit her horn and slit open the envelope, removing and unfolding a thick piece of paper, which was covered in multicolored balloons and some writing. “Later today, a taste-testing with ‘new, exclusive flavors’? Sounds interesting.”

“What in blazes is that pony doing? I swear sometimes it seems like she has a few screws loose in that head of hers,” Applejack said, squinting her eyes.

“Huh?” Twilight followed her line of sight, and saw Pinkie apparently trying to give some envelopes to birds perched on a low-hanging tree branch. One of the birds pecked at an envelope, and she released it, but it dropped to the ground. Unperturbed, she continued to push her envelope-filled muzzle towards the animals. They turned their heads to each other, chirping and shrugging their wings. Twilight tilted her head, watching.

“We should get out of the way,” said Fluttershy, with a glance at some ponies who had lined up behind them. She shepherded Twilight to the side. “See you later, then, Applejack!”

Applejack shook her head. “Right. Later y’all, and if you need me to, I can teach that pet of yours a few rope tricks – if ya know what I mean.” Fluttershy giggled as she and Twilight walked away from the stand.

That evening, Twilight stood in front of Sugarcube Corner and knocked on the door, ignoring the sign hanging from the doorknob, which read, ‘Closed,’ in a textured font. Applejack opened the door. “Howdy, Twi’. Déjà vu, as Rares would say.” She stepped aside, indicating for Twilight to enter.

The first room once inside the building was large and open. Scattered throughout, several brightly-colored tables were surrounded by wooden stools and chairs, and a counter and glass case displayed cream puffs, chocolate mousse rounds, donuts, and other baked goods and candies. Bowls full of popcorn were placed on each of the tables, and on the counter. Rarity, sporting a wide-brimmed floppy hat, was standing next to the display case, her eyes roaming over the treats, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were chatting and standing next to a large table. Rainbow Dash was wearing a green striped beanie, interwoven with some strands of sparkling silver, and her tail and the parts of her mane visible from underneath the hat seemed to be sleeker or shinier than usual. When she caught sight of Twilight, she smirked and picked up a few popcorn kernels, crunching them in her mouth. Fluttershy waved at Twilight, and she and Applejack walked over to their table.

Rainbow gulped down her mouthful and cleared her throat. “Hey Twi’. So, Fluttershy told me about what happened after you left my stunt practice. I can’t believe you guys almost got overrun by bunny-rabbits, of all things!” She snorted, folding a hoof under her nose. Twilight felt her ears and face grow warm.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “I wouldn’t be laughing so quick there, Rainbow. If there’s one thing I’ve learned on the farm, it’s not to take any sort of critter too lightly. Even the smallest beetle can wipe out an entire grove of apple trees.”

“Yeah, but bunnies?” Rainbow let out a few laughs.

“Well, imagine if you were cornered by dozens of rabbits that wanted to chew apart your latest ‘Daring Do’ novel, which you had just barely got and hadn’t had a chance to read yet,” said Twilight. “That was basically my situation.”

Rainbow Dash stopped laughing and her ears fell flat, before perking up again. “Ha! I’d be way too fast for them to catch me. I’d just hold the book in the air where they couldn’t get it, and fly away.”

“And you’d just leave poor Fluttershy to fend for herself?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

Dash clicked a hoof. “Well obviously I’d take her with me, her and the book.”

Fluttershy spoke up, “Oh, but I’d be too worried about leaving my cottage before taking care of them all; I couldn’t just leave.”

“Look, somehow, I would take care of it. Whatever, end of story. These hypochondriac situations are way too annoying to think about for too long.” Dash scowled.

Twilight cocked her head. “I think the word you mean to say is hypo-”

The conversation was interrupted by six platters, each covered with multiple cupcakes, which slid onto the table and quivered in front of each of the six ponies. Pinkie Pie had appeared at the edge of the table, as well as Rarity. The pink pony had a huge grin across her muzzle. “All right, everypony! I made six new kinds of cupcakes, and there are six of us, so I hope you all brought your best taste-testing tongues! Dig in!” The cupcakes in front of Pinkie looked as though they were made with coarse grains, and small dark dots were embedded in the frosting. She made no move towards them.

“Oh my, these cupcakes look so pretty, I almost don’t want to eat them,” Fluttershy said. The cupcakes in front of her were covered in light green frosting with blue sprinkles. Despite what she said, she picked one up and took a small bite. Her eyes closed. “Mmm, I love buttercream.”

“Holy apples, Celestia.” Applejack had taken a hearty bite of one of her cupcakes, which were an intense red and orange color. She withdrew her muzzle from the platter. “What in the hay did you put in these things, Pinkie?”

Pinkie bounced over towards her. “Oh, I think probably about three and a quarter apples went into that one! How do you like it?”

Applejack swallowed. “Uh, it’s pretty good! But also pretty strong. Like, stronger than barrel-aged cider. I dunno how much more of these I can eat, to be honest.”

“Hmm…” Pinkie hummed, narrowing her eyes.

“I suppose I’ll try a taste of these works of art,” Rarity announced, levitating a spotted yellow cupcake to her mouth and taking the smallest of bites. She froze. “Pinkie, what ingredients did you use to make these?” she asked in a low voice.

“That one was fun! Let’s see, it has all the usual stuff, then cardamom, some whitetail root, and a pinch of saffron. And maybe a couple others I forgot.”

Rarity nodded, listening to Pinkie, then removed her hat with a hoof, setting it to the side. “I know it’s unladylike to do this, but buck it, these are good,” she said, eating half of her cupcake in one go. She chewed a few times and swallowed, before taking another large bite. She hefted another cupcake into the air.

Applejack leaned her head on a hoof, watching Rarity eating her cupcakes with lidded eyes. “You know I love it when you eat like that, Rares.”

“Get a load of those two. Blech,” Rainbow said, sticking out her tongue. Pinkie turned to her and whimpered, her lower lip quivering. “Not your cupcakes, Pinkie! These are better than hay.”

Pinkie smiled again and turned to Twilight. “It’s your turn to try yours! I made those cupcakes with science.”

Twilight’s eyebrows rose. “I’m not sure I want to know what that means, exactly. But regardless, I’m sure it’s delicious.” The cupcakes on her platter had frosting of many different colors swirled together.

“That one’s for Spike,” Pinkie said, pointing to a cupcake that was encrusted with multicolored gemstones.

“I’ll make sure he gets it, thanks, Pinkie,” Twilight said. She lit her horn, and lifted one of the cupcakes up. She took a bite and chewed it slowly, while looking up at the ceiling. “It tastes pretty good, is that blueberry and strawberry? But the consistency is unusual, maybe a little… chewier than I’d expect. Not bad, though.”

“I’m glad you like it, Twilight! And you’re right, those aren’t your usual cupcakes. They’re dried up cupcakes!” Pinkie pulled a small cloth sack out of her mane and shook it, so that the contents clinked together with a dull sound. “I fit a few baker’s dozen in here. Just add some water, and poof! Mostly normal cupcakes.”

“Whoa, Pinkie, how did you do that? I didn’t know that you did that science stuff like Twi’,” Rainbow asked. Her mouth was slightly open, revealing crumbs of purple cake.

“You don’t have to be a science-pony to do science! I just changed up the recipe so I could pack more cupcakes wherever I go. And, these are way easier to send to my friends all over Equestria!”

“That’s very cool, Pinkie, you’ll have to show me your process some time,” Twilight said, picking up another cupcake.

There was a lull in the conversation, during which most of the ponies chewed. Pinkie Pie’s eyes flitted about the room as though she were looking for something. She jumped into the air. “Oh! I forgot the music and drinks! I’ll be right back.” She hopped over to the counter and started a record player on her way to the kitchen. The sound of a flute and vibes filled the room.

“Ooh, I think this is some Canterlot jazz,” Fluttershy said. She walked closer to the record player, turning her ears towards it.

Applejack also walked over towards the counter. “It does sound a mite familiar…”

Rarity stopped eating and gasped for breath. “Goodness, I haven’t done that in far too long. Some drinks would be lovely right about now,” she said, and grabbed her wide hat, fanning her face with it.

“Can I try one of yours?” Twilight said, pointing to the few cupcakes remaining on Rarity’s platter. She nodded, and Twilight levitated one over to herself. “I really like your hat, by the way. Reminds me of Canterlot; I don’t think I’ve seen hats like that outside of the big city.”

“Oh, thank you, dear. I think it’s the perfect autumn fashion, might make a line of them for next year.”

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, drawing the gaze of both Twilight and Rarity. “And what do you think of my hat?” she said, looking at Twilight and ruffling her feathers.

Rarity squinted her eyes. “In my opinion, the silver is a bit too garish. I could make something in that style for you that would suit your colors much better.”

Rainbow glared at the fashionista. “I like this one. Besides, Twilight likes it too. I bet she thinks I look sexy in it.” She smirked, looking back at Twilight.

Twilight’s wings rustled and she felt her cheeks warm. “I don’t think I have much of an eye for fashion. But, I have to say, you do look good, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash’s smirk fell from her muzzle for a moment. “Uh, of course! This pegasus is always in tip-top shape. Nothing less for the Dash.” She spread her wings and struck a pose.

“Twilight might be on to something, Rainbow. Are you using a new product on your mane? Or any product, for that matter? I’m liking the results,” Rarity said.

Dash’s pupils shrank and she retracted her wings. “Nope, I didn’t go to the spa or anything! Must just be all those rainclouds I’m flying through. Yup, for some reason we have a lot of rainclouds to get rid of these days, so I’m, like, always flying through them.” She tilted her head to the side. “Say, isn’t it a bit late for the birds to be chirping like that?”

“Don’t try to change the subject, dear,” Rarity said, grinning. Her ears swiveled. “Actually, you’re right, that is odd…”

The ponies turned as a large flock of birds flew in through the open windows. With the sound of fluttering wings, they alighted on many of the tables and began pecking at the popcorn. Their raucous tweets sounded over the music in the room. Applejack and Fluttershy walked over to the other ponies, and the group huddled together as if for protection from the birds. “Sugarcube, you got any idea what’s going on here?” Applejack said.

Fluttershy leaned towards the nearest few birds. “Hello, how are you?” She waited for a moment. “It’s strange, I think they’re saying that they’re waiting for somepony…”

Pinkie Pie walked into the room, balancing a tray covered in glasses of water and soda on her back. She stopped and gasped, dropping the tray onto the counter before rushing over to several birds which were breaking pieces off of a single popcorn kernel. “I’m so glad you guys made it! Here, I made some cupcakes especially for you!” She grabbed the untouched tray of cupcakes that had been in front of her earlier, raising it in front of her. Many birds in the room took off, landing on the tray and splitting the cupcakes into pieces with their beaks before devouring them. Pinkie giggled, and set the tray down. She stood on her hind legs and put her forelegs out to either side, and several birds flew over to perch on them. A few blue jays landed on her withers and began to grab chunks of her mane in their beaks, straightening it and entwining sections of it into a simple braid. Pinkie began to sing a formless melody to go with the jazz song from the record player, spinning around slowly on the spot, and the birds seemed to be adding to the song with their own twitters.

“Uh, Pinkie, what are you doing?” Fluttershy was looking at the pink pony with a strange expression.

“Come on girls, the party’s headed outdoors!” Pinkie continued to spin, following a loopy path through the front door towards some lawn to the side of Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy followed after her.

“C’mon, y’all,” Applejack said, shaking the other ponies out of their expressions of stunned surprise, and leading them to follow their friends to the side of the building. The four ponies stood close together.

The birds that covered Pinkie’s back and some that had nestled into her mane began to beat their wings, and the pony’s hooves lifted off the ground. “Wheeee! This is fun! You should try it too, Fluttershy.” She began to drift to and fro throughout the air above the other ponies’ heads.

Some of the birds fluttered down and alighted on Fluttershy’s head and withers, continuing to flap their wings. She gave a small flap of her own and rose up into the air after Pinkie Pie.

“What the hay is going on?” Rainbow said. “Fluttershy knows she can fly by herself, right?”

Rarity poked the pegasus in the side. “Shush, you’ll ruin the moment!” She sighed, gazing up at the two airborne ponies.

“Twilight, get my rope,” Applejack said in a low voice. “Just in case!” she added, after Rarity had turned to glare at her.

Soon, however, Pinkie and Fluttershy touched down to the ground again. The birds chirped to Pinkie and Fluttershy and lifted off, circling above their heads. “See you later, birdies! We’ll have to hang out again soon!” Pinkie said, waving both her hooves. After Fluttershy bid farewell to the birds, they flew off in the direction of the forest.

Pinkie and Fluttershy started walking back inside the building, with the others behind them, heading towards the platter of drinks. “I think it’s wonderful that you’re making friends with the birds, they really seemed to like you,” Fluttershy said, “Where did you get that idea?”

“From you, silly! You’re always so kind to your animal friends, and I thought, hey! Maybe I could be a friend to the animals and have fun with them, too!”

Fluttershy’s cheeks reddened, and she picked up a glass of cold water. “Oh, how wonderful,” she said, taking a sizeable gulp.

“So, I have an idea, everypony,” Rainbow Dash said, after draining her glass of orange soda. “And it’s gonna be totally awesome!”

All eyes turned to the pegasus, who stood in the center of the group. “Yes?” Pinkie Pie asked, leaning forward on two hooves.

“Have any of you been to the ‘Three Horseshoes’ at the edge of Canterlot?”

“Ooh, I haven’t, but I totally wanna go!” Pinkie said. She wobbled and almost fell over.

Rarity rubbed her jaw with a hoof. “I believe I’ve heard of it. What sort of establishment might it be?”

“It’s a pretty good club. Been there forever. A lot of the best DJs in Equestria do shows there, and it has some really great drinks, too,” Rainbow said.

Rarity paused for a moment before replying. “I think, I might actually be OK with being seen in a place like that. Who knows, I might actually have fun.”

“I’ll make sure you have fun, Rares,” Applejack said, flicking the brim of Rarity’s large hat down to cover her eyes. She huffed, straightening it.

“All right! So, we’re all going then. How about this weekend?” Rainbow said.

“That’d be good, I just need to be home in the morning to feed the animals,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight chewed on a lip before speaking up. “Uh, will everypony be dancing there? Is it that kind of club?”

“Nah, there’s plenty of space to just sip drinks and chill. We don’t have to spend the whole night there, either. And if you don’t want to, you could always just watch me dance,” Rainbow said with a smirk, meeting Twilight’s eyes. Twilight glanced down, poking the floor with a hoof.

Pinkie bounced in place. “Yippee! This’ll be a blast! I should bring the party cannon.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Uh, maybe leave the party cannon at home, Pinkie. It’s fun and all, but, I’m not sure everypony there would appreciate having confetti shot in their face.”

“Okie-dokie-loki! A party is still a party, even without a cannon!”

“Yes, dear, we wouldn’t want to be thrown out of the place on the night of my first appearance there,” said Rarity. “Oh, but I’m looking forward to this more and more! Now I must decide what to wear.” She levitated her glass back onto the platter, clinking against the other empty glasses.

Over an hour later, Twilight looked up and found herself surrounded by a sea of scrolls, inkpots, quills, and a chalkboard that was covered in lines of text. She extended her wings, but retracted them slowly as a pile of parchment threatened to topple over. Eh, what the hay. “Spike! I need your help!” she yelled, projecting her voice into the depths of the castle.

In a moment, the dragon in question appeared, wearing a baggy shirt that read, ‘#1 Assistant,’ and holding a comic book in one hand. He groaned. “What is it, Twilight? I was about to read my comics before bedtime. Did you forget to eat again?”

Twilight chuckled. “No. I just need your help to organize these papers. Be careful with that bunch right there. And whatever you do, don’t get your dragon fire on them!”

“Hey, I’m a master at controlling my fire!” Spike grumbled. He bent down to grab some parchment, forming it into a neat stack and placing it to the side. Twilight also helped with her magic, and before long, a clear path between Twilight and the outside world appeared.

“Thanks, keep on doing what you’re doing. I’ll be right back, just have to grab something.” Twilight walked over to a closet on the other side of the room, retrieved a book from within and set it beneath a wing, then walked back to the mess of parchment.

Spike was still organizing, but for some reason he snorted a couple of times. He turned towards Twilight, and said in a careless tone, “That wouldn’t happen to be the second book of Forbidden Loves, would it?”

Twilight stopped in place, and felt her cheeks heat up. “Uh…”

Spike laughed, clutching his belly. “Oh, this is rich! I found it cleaning the castle this afternoon. What are you doing reading that kind of stuff, Twilight? I thought you wouldn’t be interested. And isn’t it, uh, below your reading level? Pretty sure it’s meant for fillies.”

Twilight resumed her walk, uncovering the book and floating it over to sit on top of three other books, which were similar in appearance. “For your information, I’m doing research. A well-rounded pony is knowledgeable about all parts of life, not just science, or even friendship. The magic of love is important, too.”

“And so you’re reading these books? You could just ask me! I know everything about love!”

“Yeah, you’re a regular Casanova.” Twilight smirked and walked over to the chalkboard.

“Well, I know tons more than the mares in those books! Like Dawn Flower, she’s way too much of a push-over. She’s all like, ‘Oh no, but I’m just a filly from the country,’ when that noble stallion was totally head-over-hooves for her. They should’ve gotten together in the first chapter.” He sliced a claw through the air for emphasis. His eyes widened. “Not that I’ve read that whole series, of course. I’ve just heard a lot about it.”

Twilight stifled a laugh and turned to face the dragon. “Right. I won’t judge you for your reading habits. But I think you might be oversimplifying the issue. According to my research, there are many factors involved in whether or not a pairing will succeed, which should be considered. Usually I can only analyze the main character’s psyche in detail, but clearly several aspects are important, such as, level of introversion, charisma, self-discipline-”

“Pshaw,” Spike said, waving a hand dismissively. “Even I know those are just stories, Twilight! For love, all it comes down to is this. If you like somepony, you just gotta go for it. When the time is right, tell her how you feel. Then if it’s meant to be, it’ll work out! If not, it’s not the end of the world. And if she’s dating somepony else, I guess you have to wait first. It’s the right thing to do.” He scratched his head. “But that’s all there is to it! Oh, and it’s a good idea to buy them gifts, help them with errands, and stuff like that. You know, butter them up.”

Twilight cocked her head, listening to Spike talk. If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out? Surely it can’t be that simple. “Maybe you do know more than I thought, Spike. But I still need to complete this analysis. Could you help me finish organizing?”

Spike moaned. “Okay, but once that’s done I’m hitting the hay. I need lots of sleep to keep these scales so lustrous.” He licked a claw and slicked back the spines on his head. They immediately sprang back into place.

Twilight giggled. “It’s a deal.”

The Three Horseshoes

“My, but this Martinez is simply divine!” Rarity said, taking another sip of her drink, which was a clear amber color and garnished with a lemon peel. She was wearing a simple, red-striped dress that clung to her back and legs. “I usually prefer my cocktails to have more – ahem – fruit in them. And perhaps a little sugar never hurt anypony. But the complexity of flavor, simply divine!”

“See? I knew you could appreciate a good drink, even if it isn’t gussied up in tiny umbrellas,” said Applejack, arriving at the table and sliding behind it, taking a seat next to Rarity. The group was seated at a booth with a high-backed, padded bench that wrapped three quarters of the way around the table. The booth was nestled behind chairs and tiny tables, near the corner of the large room, lit by lamps hanging from ropes that extended high into the gloom near the ceiling. Beyond the chairs, a large floor space was lit with dancing purple lights, and filled with many ponies hopping and bobbing along to the beat of large woofers. A white-maned pony stood behind the speakers and a stand covered in various electronic equipment, holding a pair of large headphones to one ear and twiddling some knobs on the equipment with the other. The music, a stylish mix of classical orchestra and dance beats, was tastefully loud.

Rainbow Dash held up a mug full of cider and swished it around in the air. “I’ll drink to that!” she said, and took several gulps, nearly finishing the mug. She had a weak grin on her red-tinged muzzle, and was bobbing her head slightly to the beat of the music.

“Seems like you’d drink to just about anything tonight, sugarcube. I reckon you should pace yourself if’n you don’t want to trip over your own hooves out there,” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow in Rainbow’s direction.

Fluttershy sucked on her own dark red drink through a thin straw, eventually filling her mouth. She tilted her head up and swallowed, then let out a small sigh. She turned to Applejack, grinning. “Oh, don’t worry about us, AppleJacks. Us pegasuses have a good meta – hic! – metabolism for these kinds of things, don’t you worry.”

Pinkie gasped, removing her muzzle from a glass of neon pink liquid and licking pink sugar crystals off of her face. She stared at Fluttershy, her eyes shining. “Really? I am like, so, so, jealous of you pegasuses right now. If I didn’t get weird in the tummy, I’d drink this stuff all day long! Look at how pink it is!” She squealed, licking some more sugar off the glass rim.

Applejack chuckled. “I don’t know about you, Pinkie, but I would lose the farm if I drank like this every day. O’course, it’s great to celebrate and spend your bits every now and then.”

“AJ, you’re such a silly pony,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof. “Don’t you know there’s more to life than bits? Like, so much more.” Her gaze drifted across the table to Twilight Sparkle, who looked up to meet her eyes and jumped slightly in her seat.

“Of course I know that! Why, I wouldn’t sell my farm, or my family, for anything in the world. For that matter, I wouldn’t trade anything for you girls, as infuriatin’ as one rainbow-maned pony can be.”

“Hmm, so you wouldn’t sell your farm even for a hundred thousand bits?” Rainbow upended the mug of cider over her mouth, her eyes fluttering closed.

Applejack squinted and took a sip of her amber-colored drink. “A hundred thousand? Sure, we could buy a better barn after that, but that place is our home, I don’t know if I could leave it with a clear conscience.”

“Then what about one million bits?” Rainbow smirked, biting onto a corner of her hoof.

Applejack paled. “One million? I… I’d have to think about that one…”

“Girls, please! All this talk of finances is reminding me of a rather large dress order, one which I’d like to forget about right now,” Rarity said, “Why don’t we head out onto the dance floor?” She turned to Twilight, who was nursing an opaque drink garnished with lime. “Twilight, dear, will you come dance with us? Perhaps what you need is a little time on your hooves.”

Twilight looked up, feeling a slight blush on her face. “Um, of course! I’ll dance for a bit.”

Before anypony stood up, however, a stallion wearing a black shirt approached and placed a tray of six green drinks garnished with apple slices on the table. “From two gentlecolts at the bar,” he said, pointing a hoof before turning and trotting away. Two stallions sat on high chairs next to the bar set into the side of the room, looking towards the group, one with a light mane swaddled with a lavender scarf, and one with a dark brown mane and hazel coat. The light-maned stallion smiled and waved a hoof at the mares.

Pinkie Pie pulled the green drink nearest her to her muzzle and began to lap up the contents. “Ooh, sour!” She waved a hoof to the stallions, saying, “Thank you!” in a loud stage whisper. The others took drinks as well, Applejack raising her glass to the stallions before taking a sip.

“Oh no, girls, I guess we’ll just have to – hic! – finish these drinks before we can gets to dancing,” said Fluttershy with a giggle. She held hers in her hooves, studying it and breathing through her nose to frost the glass.

Rarity looked up towards the bar for a moment and sighed. “It looks like they’re coming to chat, how clichéd. Hopefully this won’t take long.”

“I bet they’re really nice ponies, Rarity! And who could say no to new friends?” Pinkie said, smacking her lips.

Rarity scrunched up her face. “You might be right, Pinkie. But, I think I can spot a – how to put this lightly – poser by appearance alone. Let us hope that I’m wrong.”

After a few seconds filled with the rhythm of the music, the two stallions arrived at the booth and stood a short distance from the end of the table. Applejack greeted them with a tip of her hat.

The brown-maned pony addressed them in a slightly rushed voice. “Hey, uh, don’t think we’ve ever seen you all before, so we wanted to say ‘hi.’ Great place, huh? We’re kind of regulars. Are you from around here?” He smiled. While he spoke, the pony with the scarf was glancing around the table, spending some time on Rarity and her dress.

“I’m personally from Canterlot, but we’re all here from Ponyville. It’s my first time in this part of the city, though,” Twilight said.

The light-maned pony spoke up. “Ah, Ponyville, quaint town. I have a few friends who traveled through there, and they had nothing but good things to say.” His voice had a touch of a Canterlot accent.

“The ponies there sure know how to have a good time! It’s the party capitol of Equestria, thanks to yours truly!” Pinkie said.

The stallion nodded to Pinkie. “Oh, no doubt.” He turned to Twilight. “I’m Pish Posh, and this is my friend McCaspian Leatherby.”

The other scowled. “That’s not my-”

“Maybe, once you’re done here, we could show some of you fillies around?” he continued, “This part of Canterlot has many hidden gems.”

“Um…” Twilight began.

“We’d be pleased to share a few dances with you, darlings, but tonight for us is more of a girls’ night out, surely you understand,” Rarity said with a polite smile, drawing the light-maned ponies gaze.

“Oh? And what good is a girls’ night out without a handsome stallion to liven things up? I’m referring to myself of course, but McCaspian here will gladly tag along.” He chuckled, while his friend scowled at him again. “Surely you can’t all be into mares.”

Rainbow Dash set her glass down with a loud clink. “And what if we are?” she said, glaring at the stallion.

Pish Posh raised a hoof in a placating gesture. “My apologies, Miss… Multicolored. Let’s just forget I said that.”

“I hope these two lowlifes haven’t been bothering you,” said a third stallion with a short, dark mane. He walked up beside Pish Posh and draped a fore leg around his neck, seeming to apply some pressure.

“Unfortunately, I think we are,” said McCaspian, with a sidelong glance at Pish Posh.

“Oh, no bother at all, just a slight misunderstanding.” Rarity batted her eyelashes a few times at the newcomer.

Pish Posh made a choking sound. “Yes! We were – gack! – just having a polite conversation with these wonderful folk about the city.”

“Right,” said the third stallion, “I don’t believe you, and I don’t believe her. I knew something like this would happen tonight.” His gaze moved around the table and fixed on Twilight. His eyes widened. “And, of course, you idiots chose to hit on Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends.”

McCaspian jumped. “Princess Twilight?”

“Eh heh,” said Twilight, turning her body so that her wings were more visible.

McCaspian paled slightly, then bowed. “We are so, so sorry to bother you, princess.”

Twilight blushed. “Please, that’s not necessary.”

The short-maned stallion nodded to Twilight. “I’m also sorry, that I ever agreed to come here with these two. I sincerely hope you don’t banish us to the Everfree, but I would agree with the sentence. We’ll leave you be.” The short-maned stallion turned, leading Pish Posh back the way they had come by the head. McCaspian followed on their heels, bowing once again.

Pish Posh protested, shuffling his feet to keep up. “Ow! Must you be so cold-hearted? I was making headway!” Soon, the music drowned out his voice.

“Hey Rainbow, would you mind scooching over?” Pinkie said, bumping into her with her flank.

“Oh, sure.” Rainbow’s dark expression vanished, and she slid off the bench and stood up. She looked over at Fluttershy as Pinkie slid over. “Hey Fluttershy, you okay?”

Fluttershy started and opened her eyes. “I’m awake! Oh, are we dancing now? That would be nice, I just need a moment.” She yawned, covering her mouth with a hoof.

Pinkie stood up next to Rainbow. “I’m gonna go chat with those guys. Maybe I can get them to come dance with us!”

“You’re gonna talk to those rapscallions?” Applejack wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah, they’re funny!” Pinkie said.

“They may not have seemed the most sophisticated of ponies, but I do admit that they were rather interesting,” Rarity said, downing some of the green drink.

“Well, all right then, good luck, Pinkie,” Applejack said. “C’mon, y’all, let’s get to the floor and start this hoedown!”

Pinkie cheered, and started walking towards the bar. The other ponies slid off of the bench and stood up. Fluttershy hurried after Pinkie, saying something about ‘making sure she’s all right.’

Twilight paused at the edge of the bench, scrunching her eyebrows. “Hey Rainbow, can I talk to you for a second? We’ll catch up,” she said with a smile to Rarity, who smiled back and led Applejack onward.

“Huh?” Rainbow turned around but stayed where she was.

Twilight fiddled with her drink on the table. “We haven’t really had a decent conversation in a while. I was just hoping we could talk for a bit.”

Rainbow worked her jaw. “Uh huh,” she said, and took a few steps to the other side of the table. After a brief pause, she sat down on the bench. “So, how’ve you been?”

Twilight smiled, her face still lightly blushed. “I’ve been pretty great, actually.”

Rainbow chuckled a couple times. “Is that because you’ve spent all your time in that dusty library? I haven’t even seen you outside the castle since all that crazy bird stuff with Pinkie Pie. You should come watch me do my stunt practice. Fluttershy’s been coming, too. I know you’d enjoy the show.” She smirked.

Twilight’s cheeks reddened further. “Yes, I’ve been forgetting to get out of the castle a little more. But, I was doing some important research.”

“Working on that never-ending flashlight again? It sounds important I guess, but nothing’s important enough to keep me indoors for so long. Unless it’s Daring-Do.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I haven’t worked on that project all week.”

“So, what’s so important?” Rainbow said, turning her head towards the dance floor.

“It’s a new area of study for me. I was reading psychological treatises, and some other – ahem – documents, to help me analyze my own personality and determine my compatibility with – well, with you! And my strong hypothesis is that we would be complementary to each other.”

Rainbow’s ears twitched. “Yeah? And what does that mean? We are best friends, right?”

Twilight chewed on her lower lip. “Listen, when we were having tea, Fluttershy told me that you two used to be marefriends.”

“She did?” Rainbow whipped her gaze back towards Twilight, her eyes wide.

Twilight looked back at her with a serious expression. “Yes, and I want you to know that I accept that part of you one hundred percent. In fact, recently I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m bisexual, too.”

Dash glanced down to the table. “Well that’s news to me! I had no idea you were like that.”

Twilight frowned. “Really? I could’ve sworn that you, uh, noticed.”

“Nope! I haven’t seen you date any mares, so how would I know?” Rainbow fidgeted in her seat.

“You didn’t notice anything at all. I thought I was being pretty obvious about my feelings for you, Rainbow. I really like you.” Twilight let out a breath, and smiled at the pegasus, blushing. “You don’t know how good it feels to finally say that.”

Rainbow said nothing for a second. Her wings rustled. “Uh huh?” she said.

Twilight’s smile faltered. “Rainbow, what do you-”

“I have to go.” Rainbow Dash slipped off the bench onto the hard floor, turned, and walked away in a straight line. Her pace picked up, and she flapped her wings, taking off and skimming over ponies’ heads.

Twilight sat still for a moment, watching, then jumped off the bench and followed Rainbow at a trot. “Rainbow! Where are you going?” she yelled, as Rainbow landed and galloped through an exit, disappearing from view. Twilight slowed to a stop and stood frozen in place. “What the buck just happened?” she said.

Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes, and she blinked, turning her head to see a few nearby ponies staring at her. One mare with a green hat took a step towards her. “Are you okay, hon?”

Twilight blinked rapidly. “Um…” She lit her horn and vanished in a burst of lavender light, reappearing on the cobbled street outside of the Three Horseshoes. The evening was chilly, and Twilight winced and wiped a tear off her face. The muffled beat of the music could still be heard. She tilted her head up to skies, eyes darting between bunches of clouds colored by the sunset. “Rainbow!” she yelled, towards the clouds. Her ears swiveled towards the sound of a nearby carriage, then to some distant conversation.

She stood there for several seconds, looking up and turning in place, before lowering her head and beginning to walk slowly back.

A day passed after that night, and another morning. In the afternoon, Twilight was woken by Spike shaking one of her legs. “Twilight, Rarity’s here to talk to you,” he said, looking at Twilight with a worried expression. “How are you feeling?”

Twilight pulled a sleep mask off of her eyes, and stretched her hooves, yawning. She sighed. “Oh, I’m feeling much better after that nap. Thanks for taking care of me, Spike.”

“Of course!” Spike said, “As your assistant, my first duty is to ensure that you are healthy and happy! And if I do a good job, someday I’ll become your executive assistant.” His eyes grew round.

Twilight sat up in the bed, blinking her eyes. “Oh really? Who told you that?”

“Luna. She said that during the lessons about numbers and stuff.” He shuddered. “But it’ll all be worth it.”

Twilight chuckled. “Was Rarity waiting for me?”

Spike jumped. “Oh yeah! She’s at the entrance hall, I told her I’d see if you were awake. And I guess you are now.” He smiled sheepishly.

Twilight hopped down off the mattress, and began walking towards the doorway. “It’s good that you woke me up, I would want to talk to her.” She continued through the door and the castle hallways, Spike in tow.

She rounded a corner, and saw Rarity fluffing her mane, looking in a mirror near the castle doors. Rarity turned around at the sound of hoof steps echoing in the room. “Twilight!” She said with a smile. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “Wah-ha-ha!”

“Good afternoon, Rarity! What does ‘Wah-ha-ha’ mean?” Twilight walked until she was a few feet from the mare.

“Oh, hehe, you might want to run a brush through your mane a few times, darling,” Rarity said, cringing slightly. She shook her head vigorously. “But that’s not important right now. I need you to do a favor for me.”

Twilight touched her own mane in a few places, then shrugged. “Of course, Rarity. What can I help you with?”

“I need you to come to movie night tonight! We’re going to watch ‘The Scroll’.”

Spike’s expression brightened. “Oh! I’ve heard of that one! I mean, I’ve heard that it’s a filly flick, that’s it. Nothing exciting.” He looked down, examining his claws.

“You’re invited, too, of course,” Rarity said, smiling to the dragon.

“Well, I guess I’ll come, just to make sure Twilight’s okay,” Spike said in a nonchalant tone.

Rarity’s smile faltered. “Yes, we all want Twilight to be okay.”

“I’m doing much better. Really,” Twilight said. “Where will it be?”

“Rainbow’s offered to host this time.” One of Twilight’s ears flicked. “She said that she really hopes you can come. I hope you can make it, too. After all, I can’t cast the cloudwalking spell. No pressure, though, dear. We can always reschedule.”

Twilight sighed. “No, no, I’ll come.”

Rarity squealed. “Fabulous! Now, we’re meeting at Sugarcube Corner in two hours.”

“That should be perfect!” Spike said. “I was just about to finish cooking dinner.”

“How splendid! I’ll see both of you in a little while, then.” She turned towards the door. “We’ll all be happy to see that you’re doing well, Twilight,” she said, starting to walk away.

Spike ran forward and opened one of the doors for her. “See you later, Rarity!” He waved as Rarity nodded and slipped outside. He shut the door behind her. “Oh, boy!” he said, hopping on the spot.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you want to see that filly flick, Spike,” Twilight said, smirking.

Spike grinned up at Twilight. “Well, I know you can keep a secret, so I’ll tell you. I’ve been wanting to see that movie since it came out, like, four moons ago.”

“Today’s your lucky day,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

Spike scampered across the floor, heading for a hallway. “Gotta get dinner finished first, though!”

Clear Skies

On their approach to Sugarcube corner, Twilight and Spike noticed that something like a life-sized gingerbread house had appeared next to the building. They walked over to it. The skeletal contraption seemed to be made out of candy canes supporting horizontal boards of thick gingerbread, surrounded by a system of gears and chains. Four large candy canes stood up from the corners, topped with what looked like fan blades.

“What in Equestria is this thing?” Twilight said, stopping by the corner of the building.

Spike put a hand on his belly and moaned. “I dunno, but all I can think about is the tummy ache I’d get from eating it all.”

A nearby bush rustled, and Twilight and Spike took a step backward. Pinkie Pie popped out of the leaves, wearing a pair of flight goggles and carrying a handful of thick, colorful disks, which looked like oversized hard candies. “Twilight and Spike! You made it! Just one second.” She grinned and hopped over to the gingerbread-and-candy cane construction, dumping the disks on the grass. She picked one up and posed as if throwing a discus, closing one eye. “Hiya!” she shouted, and spun her entire body, releasing the disk, which flew through the air and somehow attached itself to the curled portion of a candy cane. “Hiya! Hiya! Hiya! Hiya!” Pinkie twirled her body like a baton, and the rest of the colored disks flew off her hooves, smacking and sticking to more candy cane and gingerbread. The resultant look was, oddly, aesthetically pleasing.

Pinkie breathed heavily for a few seconds, then turned and bounded over to Twilight and Spike. “I’m so glad you could come! Tonight’s going to be so much fun!” She leaned over to Spike and whispered loudly, “I’m bringing the candy bag.”

“Oh,” Spike said, his eyes wide.

Twilight smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. Um, is that thing what we’ll be flying up in?” She squinted.

“It sure is! This here’s the candycopter mark two! I’ve been working on it for a while.”

“Howdy, y’all,” Applejack said, walking up with Rarity beside her. “Howdy, Twilight,” she said with a smile. She looked over to the flying machine. “It’s looking pretty good, Pinkie! Reckon it’s okay to fly?”

“Hi Applejack! Hi Rarity! I sure reckon it’s better than any candycopter ever built before in the history of Equestria,” Pinkie said, beaming.

“And exactly how many candycopters have there been in the history of Equestria?” Twilight said.

Pinkie hopped around the other ponies and dragon. “More than one, and less than three! Now, it needs two ponies to power it, so Applejack, catch!” She tossed a pair of flight goggles bound with a leather strap to Applejack, who caught it in a hoof.

Applejack turned the goggles over in her hooves, then removed her hat and pulled them over her eyes. “How do I look, Rares?”

Rarity tittered. “Very dashing, Applejack. Why, I might mistake you for an airship pirate.”

Applejack laughed. “Arr! Y’all best turn out yer bits,” she said in a gruff voice.

Pinkie Pie stood up straight. “Stow the chit chat, rookies! This is last chance for the latrine ‘fore we make for high skies!” She pulled her goggles up to her forehead before leaning in and whispering loudly, “That means the little fillies’ room.”

“I think we’re good to go. Fluttershy’s meeting us there,” Rarity said. She turned to Twilight. “It’s probably best if Twilight were to cast the cloudwalking spell before we leave ground.”

Pinkie slid the goggles back over her eyes. “All right, mare your stations while we wait for tech to give us the go-ahead!”

Spike blinked and looked at her. “Uh, what does that mean?”

Pinkie slid the goggles back up into her mane. “That means we should all get into the candycopter, and Twilight can cast the spell on us all at once!”

“Good idea, Pinkie,” Twilight said, “That should make it easy.”

The four ponies and dragon walked over to the flying machine, and climbed candy cane steps onto a gingerbread platform. Two sets of four pedals connected to various gears were situated in the front of the platform, with a raised seat in the middle of each set, so that a pony could push four pedals at once while their body was supported. Applejack walked over and hopped onto a seat, placing her hooves on the pedals.

“Here goes,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and screwing her eyes shut. In a moment, a pink sheen covered the flying machine and its occupants, then vanished. Twilight let out her breath. “All right, that should last for a few days.”

“Magic, Twilight!” Pinkie hopped onto the other seat and pedals, then turned to Applejack. “Do we have clear skies, rookie?”

“Oh! Uh,” Applejack said, raising a hoof to shield her eyes and looking up. “Clear skies, Pinkie!”

“Then let’s do this thing!” She and Applejack pushed on their pedals. With a buzzing sound, the four fan blades at the top of the machine started spinning, quickly gaining speed until they became blurs of motion. The machine picked up off the ground and rose slowly straight up into the air.

“Whoa, nelly,” Applejack said. Rarity clutched a candy cane, while Spike ran to the front of the candycopter and looked over the edge. As they rose, more and more buildings became visible, until all of Ponyville came into view beneath them.

“Steering hard port!” Pinkie yelled. She reached forward with her muzzle and grabbed onto a candy cane with her teeth, pulling it. The flying machine rotated slowly in place. Past the buildings of Ponyville, a distant white and rainbow-colored dot in the air moved until it was in front of them. Pinkie spat out the candy cane, and they stopped rotating. “All right, get set for some chuff!” She shifted her body, and her seat and pedals angled forward along with two of the fan blades above them. The machine started drifting forward in the air, picking up speed and wobbling slightly. “Keep her steady, rookie!”

“I’m doin’ my best,” Applejack said, licking her lips.

“Good job, girls!” Twilight said. She clopped her hooves together and smiled, the wind tossing her mane.

“Yes, eh, keep it up,” said Rarity. She was grabbing onto the candy cane tightly with two legs.

Within a minute or two, the white dot grew into a large house made of clouds and draped in several fountains of rainbows, floating in the air above fields of farmland. There was a flat platform at the front of the house, with a pathway in the clouds leading towards what looked like a front door. Pinkie Pie lurched her body backwards, and her station and the fan blades flipped back to the horizontal. The machine slowed its forward approach, eventually stopping over the cloud platform. “All right, take her down easy!” Pinkie called out.

“Roger,” Applejack said, and the two slowed their pedaling speed somewhat. The candycopter descended slowly until it bumped and settled onto solid cloudstuff.

Rarity let out a breath. Pinkie Pie removed her goggles and hopped up and over towards the candy cane steps off of the machine. “That was a doozy of a trip!”

Applejack wiped her brow. “Eh, that wasn’t so bad, once you get the hang of flying that thing.”

“I’d take a candycopter over a chariot any day!” Spike said, standing up on his toes to get a better look at the cloud house.

The group left the candycopter and trotted across the cloud path. When they were near the door, it opened, and Fluttershy popped her head out. “Hi everyone, come right in,” she said. She squinted at the flying machine for a moment, then swung the door open wide, holding it while the others walked through. She smiled at Twilight as she passed.

The inside of the house was mainly blue and white in color. Some tough, smooth material made up most of the walls and floor, although much of the floor was covered in soft cloudstuff flattened into something like carpeting. White, patterned columns lined many of the walls and corners. After passing through a short entryway, the group entered a living room, which was slightly cluttered with random clothing. Wonderbolts posters were pinned up on the wall, along with a shelf adorned with several golden trophies. A purple sofa sat at one end of the room, next to a large mass of loose cloudstuff. A few chairs were arrayed on the other side of the sofa. Rainbow Dash was seated in one of the chairs, flipping through a brightly-colored magazine. She looked up as the others entered the room and smiled.

“Hey guys! This is gonna be so awesome!” she said, tossing the magazine into the corner of the room. “You all are going to witness the very first performance of this baby.” She pointed high up on the wall, where a black film projector sat on a shelf jutting out from the wall. The projector pointed to a flat, white, section of wall on the other side of the room.

“I made some popcorn,” Fluttershy said, walking into the room and carrying a large bowl of popcorn on her back.

Before long, the ponies and dragon sat themselves down around the room. Applejack and Rarity sat next to each other on the sofa, while Fluttershy lay on about half of the loose pile of cloudstuff. Pinkie, Twilight, and Spike took the chairs, which were deep and well padded. Applejack grabbed the bowl of popcorn and took a hoof full, then passed the bowl to Rarity.

Rainbow Dash flew out of the room for a moment, returning with a wheel of film clutched in her hooves. “All right everypony, get yourselves nice and comfy!” she said and attached the film to the projector, flicking a switch. The projector whirred and started spinning, and a light within it slowly brightened. On the other side of the room, the number ‘8’ appeared, counting down to ‘7’. The projector beeped, and Spike and Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Sweet,” Rainbow said. She grabbed a handful of cloudstuff and shaped it into a flat sheet, pressing it to one of the windows in the room so that the sunlight from outside was partially obscured. She did the same for the other window, then moved back to the pile of cloudstuff and gathered some up into a ball. As she laid back into the cloudstuff, she glanced over towards the chairs, catching Twilight’s eye. They both quickly shifted their gaze.

Some slow piano music began to play from the projector, and video of a sunset appeared, reflected over a pond. Geese were flying across the shot, framed by the sun. The shot changed to show an elderly mare standing at a window, gazing wistfully out across the pond. An indistinct figure appeared behind her in the doorway to the room, focusing into an elderly stallion, who knocked on the open door. The mare turned around to look at him. “Hello?” she said, in a breathless voice.

“Hi, Mayfly. How are you?” the stallion asked. His voice was gravelly and deep.

“Mayfly… yes, that’s my name. I remember it now.”

The stallion walked forward and extended a hoof, tenderly taking Mayfly’s hoof and shaking it. “Do… do you remember my name, Mayfly? Do you remember who I am?”

Mayfly studied the stallion’s face. “I… I don’t know… can’t remember…”

The stallion let go of her hoof and looked away, clearly crestfallen. “That’s all right, that’s all right,” he said. He reached behind him and pulled out a large scroll, rolled up and tied with string. He unwound the string slowly. When the scroll fell open, he pulled up a chair and sat down. Mayfly sat down as well.

“Now, I’d like to read you something that is very close to my heart,” said the stallion. “It’s a story that somepony I love very much asked me to write down for her. You should know this somepony very well. Very well, indeed,” he said, leaning towards the mare and pointing a hoof at her.

Mayfly put a hoof to her chest. “Who is this somepony?”

The stallion sighed. “I hope that, as I read this important scroll, you might remember who it is. And that you might remember who I am, too. Will you listen to the story? Please.”

Mayfly nodded gravely. “I will.”

The stallion smiled at her. “Thank you. The story begins, ‘There once was a mare from Nantucket, who slipped and fell on a bucket. She hit her head, then woke up in bed, and when asked who she was, she said ‘buck it’.’” The stallion looked up towards Mayfly with a hopeful expression. “Do you remember who that somepony is, now?”

Mayfly tilted her head to the side. “No, in fact I think I’m more confused than before.”

The stallion sighed again. “That’s all right, that’s all right. Thank you for listening to me. Can I read you some more of the story?” Mayfly nodded her head, and the stallion smiled. “You’re very kind. The next part of the story begins, ‘There once was a colt from Peru,’ …”

As the movie continued to play, Spike started visibly nodding off. Pinkie Pie nudged him with an elbow. “Psst! The candy bag,” she said in a whisper.

Spike jumped and blinked his eyes. “Huh? What?”

“The candy bag!”

Rarity looked over the side of the sofa, munching on popcorn. “Shh!”

Pinkie whispered quieter to Spike, “The candy bag, silly.” She stuck a hoof into her mane and pulled out a large plastic bag filled with a multitude of wrapped, colorful candies.

Spike grinned. “All right!” he whispered.

Pinkie grabbed either side of the plastic bag and tugged, but the bag wouldn’t open. She grit her teeth and pulled harder, and the bag ripped and exploded in a shower of color and loud crinkling sounds.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity managed to yell very quietly.

“Sorry!” Pinkie whispered back. She picked up the nearest piece of candy and pulled on the ends, starting to unwrap it. As the candy twisted open, the wrapper let loose with a loud cracking sound, as though the plastic were being torn in half.

Rarity leaned over the sofa arm and flicked a popcorn kernel at Pinkie, which lodged itself in her mane.

“Sorry!” Pinkie whispered again. She popped the candy in her mouth, and bit down. The hard candy scraped against her teeth and split in half with a loud pop. She turned to the sofa, meeting Rarity’s glare. “That’s the last time!” she said quietly, waving her hooves. Rarity kept her glare, slowly leaning back and turning towards the film. Pinkie turned to Spike. “Careful, Spike, you can eat the candy but you have to suck on it ‘til it melts!”

“Sure, sure,” Spike muttered, his eyes half closed. “Gah!” he said, jumping in his seat. He turned towards the movie and leaned forward.

Over an hour later, the movie wound down to a close. The final scene was in the same room, with the same stallion and mare lying in bed next to each other, holding hooves. “Good night, Mayfly,” the elderly stallion, said, in a slow, tired voice.

“Good night, my love,” Mayfly said, her voice fading.

The camera panned back out to another deep red sunset over the pond. A flock of geese flew in front of the sun, slowly traversing the shot. The silhouette of a pegasus pony flew after the birds, gaining on them. A voice echoed in the distance, “Turn around, you stupid birds! Don’t you know you’re supposed to be flying north?” The shot faded out into darkness, and credits started playing, with more slow piano music.

Rainbow stopped the film projector, then flew over to the windows and collected the cloudstuff, letting in light from the real sunset outside.

Rarity sniffed and put a hoof to her face as if wiping away tears. “My, such drama! Those actors were simply sublime! But the script could have used some work, to put it lightly.” Her body was snuggled up against Applejack’s side, who rested a hoof on her shoulder.

“I didn’t really get that movie, I mean, Mayfly remembered everything for like two seconds, but what did that change, really?” Applejack said.

Rarity gasped. “Memory is everything, darling! What if I woke up tomorrow, and couldn’t remember who you were?”

Applejack scratched her mane. “Well, first of all, we’re not that old, so it’s not really the same. And second of all, I sure as hay wouldn’t abandon my family to try to get your memory back, like that stallion did.”

“How could you say such a thing? You would just forget me and move on?” Rarity placed a hoof on her chest.

“I’m just saying that there’s such a thing as priorities! Sure, I’d visit you and all that, and I’d be mighty sad, but I wouldn’t go dropping all my chores on Applebloom and forcing Big Mac to keep track of the bits. That sure would be somethin’.”

Twilight stood up from her chair and stretched her limbs. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but shouldn’t we start heading back soon while there’s still some light left?”

All eyes in the room turned to her. Rainbow Dash spoke up, rubbing a hoof against her neck, “Uh, didn’t the girls say tonight was a sleepover? Because you could totally stay up with me and crash here, you know, if you want to.”

Twilight frowned for a moment. “Oh, sure! I must have missed that. I can stay up, I usually have a couple hours left in my daily routine, anyway. Should we play some sleepover games?” She looked around at the other ponies.

Fluttershy stood up and walked over to Spike’s chair. “Oh no, Spike looks so tired!” she said, pointing to the dragon, who was slumped against the arm of his chair. “Don’t worry, Twilight, I can take him back to the castle and tuck him into his own bed, so he’ll be nice and comfortable.”

“Okay, thanks, Fluttershy. Will you come back here?” Twilight asked with a confused expression.

Fluttershy winced. “Um, I don’t think so, there was something else I had to do. Oh yes! I forgot to feed the animals their dinner. They must be so hungry.”

“Well, we’ll certainly miss you. Thanks for taking Spike, though, that’s kind of you,” Twilight said.

“It’s my pleasure,” Fluttershy said, bending down and deftly scooping the sleeping dragon onto her back. She started walking towards the front door of the house. “See you later, Twilight.”

“Ah haff moo ho moo!” Pinkie Pie said, her cheeks bulging. She loudly sucked in some drool that threatened to escape her muzzle. The floor in front of her was littered with small wrappers, which she hurriedly scooped up and placed in her mane. When she was done, she started walking behind Fluttershy.

At the same time, Rarity and Applejack slid off of the sofa. “Whatever that was, Pinkie, it was revolting,” said Rarity. She turned to Twilight. “Oh, and, so sorry, dear, but I can’t stay either. Dress orders and the like, simply dreadful. But think nothing of it, you should stay and enjoy yourself!” She and Applejack followed behind Pinkie, who had already reached the door. Fluttershy was waiting just outside.

Applejack muttered to herself, walking in front of Rarity. “And all that rememberin’ wasn’t any good for her health, neither! So what did he really get done? It don’t make a lick o’ sense.”

“Well, all right then! Have a good night, girls,” Twilight said.

Once at the doorway, Applejack stopped and looked over her shoulder, grinning at Rainbow Dash. “We’ll see you two lovebirds later – ouch!” Rarity had stomped on one of her hind hooves. “Now what did you go and do that for?”

“Oh dear me, I must not have been looking where I was going,” Rarity said, bodily pushing Applejack’s rump out the door. “Things like that tend to happen when certain ponies stop walking in the middle of doorways to say unnecessary things, surely you understand…” Their voices became muffled and faded away as the door closed. The only sound left in the room came from the wind listing through the windows.

“Should we, uh, hit the hay, then?” Twilight said.

Rainbow stood, still rubbing her neck with a hoof. She turned and walked over to another doorway. “In a bit. C’mere, Twi’,” she said, opening the door and revealing a hallway that led deeper into the cloud house, lit by lantern light. She paused for a moment, until Twilight began to follow her, then walked into the hallway and left the door open. Twilight followed at a short distance, until Rainbow stopped and opened another door and stepped inside.

The floor inside this room was made of hard checkered tile, leading up to soft purple carpet further in. Framed by two pillars, a cloud bed and nightstand sat atop the carpet, the bed covered in sheets emblazoned with a stylized version of Dash’s own cutie mark. Rainbow Dash’s hooves sounded lightly on the tile, until she flapped her wings and took off, gliding over and landing on the bed. She sat down, smiled, and patted the spot next to her, indicating for Twilight to approach.

Twilight turned and closed the door behind herself, then took two steps onto the tile and stopped. “Rainbow…” she began, but her voice trailed off. Her eyes roamed around the room, to the Wonderbolts posters pinned up on the walls and a small bookshelf crammed with brightly-colored books.

Dash leaned back into a pile of pillows, placing her hooves behind her head. “Some movie, huh? I figured out that they were married from the start! It was so obvious!”

Twilight chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t see what all the fuss was about. I’d give it three stars, at best.”

“Three stars? Yeah, totally, out of ten!”

The two shared a laugh for a brief moment, but neither spoke up afterward. Once again, the sound of the wind filled the room.

Dash cleared her throat. “Maybe we should, um, talk about something else.” Her ears pricked up. “So, Twi’, you really like me, huh?” She sat still, looking at Twilight.

Twilight let out a puff of air through her nose. “Well, yeah! That’s what I was saying when you turned around and left me!”

“Yeah, so, I may have been kind of a jerk back there. I wasn’t thinking of how you’d react.” Rainbow’s ears fell back against her head.

Twilight laughed. “How I’d react? I just stood there like an idiot, hoping nopony recognized me and saw how pitiful I looked. The gossip column would’ve paid good bits for that photo, that’s for sure.” Twilight bowed her head and looked at her hooves. She spoke softly. “And I guess I know now that I never had a chance with you. But, it’s okay, Rainbow. I’ll get over it.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows raised and she leaned forward, dropping her hooves to her sides. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “Twi-”

“I mean, why did I spend so much time analyzing myself and trying to decide if a possible relationship would work out, when I didn’t even know if you liked me back or not? But no, I was stuck in my books, like always…”

“Twi’, wait a sec,” Rainbow began again. Her hoof steps clicked onto the tile.

“Of course you ran away. You were trying to be nice to me. You couldn’t let me finish because your answer wouldn’t be what I want. You left because you’re a good f-friend.” She sniffed.

“Twilight,” Rainbow stated. She reached out a hoof and lifted Twilight’s head up, meeting her eyes with her own. “I’m the worst friend.”

Twilight blinked rapidly, her eyes glistening. Her lower lip trembled. “I’m such an egghead,” she said.

After a moment, Rainbow leaned forward and tilted her head to one side, puckering her lips slightly and placing them on top of Twilight’s. She closed her eyes and pressed forward a bit, causing Twilight to shift her stance. Her hoof moved from Twilight’s jaw towards her withers, stroking her fur and mane.

“Mm?” Twilight said, unable to open her mouth. She blinked, and a tear pushed past her eyelashes and fell on Rainbow’s muzzle. Twilight felt Rainbow’s breath on her cheek, accompanied by a sweet smell. She closed her eyes and pushed back with her lips, returning the same pressure.

The two stood like that for several seconds, moving their muzzles only slightly, until Rainbow leaned away and took a step back, separating them with a soft, wet sound. Rainbow locked eyes with Twilight again for a moment before Twilight looked away, a sheepish expression on her face. Both had healthy blushes on their cheeks.

“What’d you think?” Rainbow said, grinning. Her wings were slightly unfurled.

Twilight looked back up. “That was certainly… um, an empirical experience.”

Rainbow’s face fell. “That bad, huh?”

“No! It was great! I’m just really confused right now. I need some time to process this.”

“Oh. Okay then. Time is good,” Rainbow said. She stepped forward and placed a hoof on Twilight’s withers, leading her towards the bed. They sat down, and Rainbow positioned some pillows behind Twilight’s back.

Twilight leaned forward on the bed. “So, does this mean that you find me attractive?”

Rainbow laughed weakly. “Uh, yeah. I don’t do that with just anypony. Is that what’s got you hung up?”

Twilight fiddled with her front hooves for a while. “Are you mad that I was… ogling you, when you were flying last week?”

“What?” Rainbow laughed, then stifled herself with a hoof. “Twilight, I just kissed you, and you’re wondering if I’m mad that you were checking me out?” She extended a hoof, pointing to where the pair had stood a few moments ago.

“Um, maybe?” Twilight said. “Then why have you been acting so differently, and why did you run away from me at the Three Horseshoes?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow began, and wiped a hoof down her face. “Maybe, I panicked a little back there. You can’t blame me for being a little scared. You’re a scary mare!”

Twilight started to laugh. “You’re saying that you ran away – because I’m scary?”

“Well, yeah! You’re Twilight Sparkle. You’re way cute, and the smartest pony I know! I can’t do anything that you can do, and that scares me. And, you’re a princess, so throw that on top of the haystack.” Rainbow frowned.

Twilight shifted her body towards the pegasus. “Rainbow, you’re just as amazing at just as many things as I am, and I can’t do anything you can do, either!”

“Yeah, maybe,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof.

“Maybe you’re not a princess, but honestly, I don’t think I deserve to be a princess either! And you girls are the ones who’ve made me into who I am today.” Rainbow stayed silent, still glowering. “And I’m pretty sure that between the two of us, you’re the more attractive one. I mean, that seems pretty obvious to me.” Rainbow cracked a smile as Twilight spoke, but it quickly faded. Eventually, Twilight looked away towards a picture on the nightstand. “Is there something else?” she said, quietly.

Rainbow sighed and pushed herself up onto the bed a little more. “You don’t wanna date me,” she said, and sniffed.

Twilight’s eyebrows raised. “Er, actually, I think I’d be very open to the possibility.”

Rainbow shook her head, bending to look at the floor. “No, you don’t. I’m sure Fluttershy told you all about my failure of a romantic life when you were asking her about me. Every time I date somepony, it all falls apart in a few months, or even just a few weeks. It happened even when I – even with her.”

“Oh,” Twilight said and sat back into the pillows. “Why does it happen?”

“I’m just no good at that mushy stuff, Twi’. Things weren’t like they were at the start, and we just sort of drifted apart. Or maybe it was just me. I’m the one who pulled away.” She sniffed again. “And the worst part is, I don’t even know why.” A couple large teardrops slid off her muzzle onto the carpet.

As Dash cried, Twilight took a deep breath and scooted over to sit beside the pegasus. She put her hooves around Rainbow, pulling her into an embrace.

Rainbow sniffled onto Twilight’s shoulder. “Twi’? What’re you doin’?”

Twilight spoke into Rainbow’s multicolored mane. “I’m comforting you, silly.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Rainbow slid her own hooves up to return the hug.

Soon, Rainbow stopped crying, and her breath slowed down into an even rhythm. The two continued to hold each other, Twilight occasionally running a hoof over Rainbow’s withers. “I’m really glad you trust me enough to tell me that, Rainbow,” Twilight said, still talking into Rainbow’s mane.

“Uh huh,” Rainbow said in a weak voice.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” The pegasus nodded into Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight smoothed Rainbow’s mane with a hoof for a few seconds, then paused. “What would you say if I said, even knowing all that, that I would still want to date you?”

“Uh huh?”

“Well, I’m saying it. I’d like to try. Would you want to be marefriends?”

“…Yeah. That’d be awesome.” Rainbow tightened her hold for a moment, then pulled away. She looked up. “Are you sure?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes. As a wise person once said, ‘if it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.’ And if not… well, we’ll always be friends, right?”

Rainbow closed her eyes, wiping some tears off her face with a hoof. “Obviously.” She wiped her hoof on the bedsheets. “Ponyfeathers, look at how sappy I’m getting. Sorry you have to see me like this, Twi’.”

“Actually, you look pretty adorable right now.” Twilight chuckled.

Rainbow pursed her lips for a moment, then smiled. “Shut up.”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash lay back sprawled against the pillows, breathing deeply. The fur along their legs blended together, trapping a comfortable heat. Twilight gazed upwards, tracing swirling lines in the ceiling around with her eyes. The moon had come out and was shining through the room’s translucent windows, bathing the ceiling and walls in a soft silver light. Her muzzle rested with a soft smile. A warm feeling began to wash over her body, a familiar feeling of safety and of being at ease. She closed her eyes and lay there for some time, listening to the rhythm of Dash’s gentle breathing mingled with the sound of the wind outside.

At length, Twilight rolled over to look at Rainbow with a grin. “Do you really think I’m cute?”

Dash’s eyes popped open. She groaned.

The End

Author's Note

Epilogue coming soon!

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Epilogue: The First Party

“You ready, Twi’? Can you see anything?”

“Not a thing!”

“All right, I’ll try not to spin you too hard, but no promises.” Rainbow Dash reared up and placed her hooves on Twilight’s back and withers, pushing with one and pulling with the other, biting her tongue in concentration. Twilight rotated around her middle, shuffling her hooves awkwardly, as Rainbow continuously readjusted her hooves. A light strip of cloth was tied around Twilight’s face, covering her eyes. After Twilight spun around a few times, Rainbow began to accelerate her speed, prodding and pushing Twilight with her hooves at random places on her body.

At one point, Twilight yelped and her face flushed. “Ah! Rainbow, you… that’s enough, I’m really dizzy!”

Rainbow took a step back and smirked, while Twilight continued to spin, slowly coming to a stop, her head wobbling slightly. Pinkie Pie hopped up to Twilight and guided a scrap of fabric and a pin into one of her hooves. Pinkie turned Twilight another quarter circle and stopped her, then squeaked. “Okay, just walk straight ahead and pin the tail! You can do it!”

Twilight took a few steps ahead, then stopped. She cocked her head and turned it from left to right. Rainbow called out, “Hey, no peeking, that’s cheating!”

“I can’t see anything, really!” Twilight said. “I’m just noticing where the dominant light source is in the room. By my calculations, it should be precisely forty five degrees to my right, but it’s almost at ninety degrees.” She turned her body somewhat. “There, that’s better.”

“Oh gosh, now you’re gonna run straight into the counter, Twi’!” Rainbow said.

Twilight smirked, and walked straight ahead several paces, until her extended hoof bumped into a wall. She reached up and pinned the scrap of fabric onto a piece of paper at chest height. She took off her blindfold, and saw that she had missed pinning the tail onto Celestia’s widely-drawn rear by only a few inches. “Ha! I knew you were bluffing, Rainbow.”

“Wow, Twilight used her Twilight Sense to figure out the prank!” Pinkie grinned.

Rainbow pouted. “That’s not Twilight Sense, it’s just called being an egghead!”

Twilight trotted back over to her. “I think what you’re trying to refer to is called deductive reasoning. Everypony uses it, even you!”

Rainbow spat out a mouthful of air. “Me? I don’t know the first thing about that stuff.”

“Sure you do! Like the night before last, when we were looking at the stars and you showed me how to find your way using constellations. That’s similar deductive reasoning.”

“Oh, heavens, you two were stargazing as a couple?” Rarity and Applejack had walked up to join them. “How romantic! Tell me everything about it, spare no detail!” Rarity giggled, and pulled up a nearby chair, taking a seat and leaning forward.

Twilight blushed. “We were just testing my new telescope by looking at a few planets and nebulae. It was no big deal, really.”

Rarity sighed and fluttered her eyelashes. “I can see it now, the two of you snuggling on a hillside, looking at the stars and then into each other’s eyes, the paparazzi sneaking photos from a nearby bush…”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. “Paparazzi? Why would anypony be sneaking photos of us?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Uh, newsflash? We’re the biggest couple in Equestria right now!” She flipped her mane and struck a pose. “I mean, I’m the best flier in the history of forever. And, I guess, you’re, like a princess or something, so you’re kinda cool too.” She dodged a hoof that Twilight half-heartedly sent her way, and smirked. “Everypony’s gonna want a piece of this.”

Twilight shook her head. “Well, if that happens, it happens, I guess.” She turned to the other ponies, looking pointedly at Rarity. “But there’s no need to leak any information to the Daily Mare, right?” she said, in a somewhat menacing tone.

Rarity fanned her face with a hoof. “I wouldn’t dream of it, darling! No matter how many bits they might offer me, to, say, give them advance notice of your next outing. In an unrelated matter, how often do you two go out on dates?”

Twilight lowered her face into a hoof. “It’s hardly been more than a week, Rarity! I think we’ve only been on one proper date so far.”

Rainbow turned to Twilight, frowning. “Yeah! Even though we’re hanging all the time, we should actually have dates, like, four times that much.”

“That’s right, for a lot of ponies, spending quality time together is a great way to show how much you care!” Pinkie said.

“Well, that might cut into my research time, but… it’s worth it, of course.” Twilight smiled. Rainbow nodded and grinned.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Applejack said, smirking. “Y’all are growin’ up, figurin’ out the important things in life, I see. And learning how to be sappy as hay about it, too.”

Rainbow blustered. “Oh yeah? Well, take a look at you and Rarity over here, always fawning over each other and talking like you’ve been married for forty years. Blech.” She stuck out her tongue.

Applejack laughed. “Can’t say I don’t rightly deserve that one.” She glanced towards the counter. “Goin’ to get some more punch. Want me to get you a glass, darlin’?”

Rarity tittered. “I’m quite all right, thank you, dear.”

Rainbow flicked her tail. “Well, I’m getting some punch too.” She turned to Twilight. “Do you want some, Twi’? Or can I get you anything?”

Twilight gave an amused smile. “Sure, I’ll have another glass.” Rainbow and Applejack headed away, and Twilight turned toward Pinkie. “It’s really good punch, Pinkie. Thanks for everything, and for throwing this party!” She looked around at the interior of Sugarcube Corner, which was decorated with multicolored streamers, purple balloons, and a prominent banner which read, ‘Happy Twidash!’. In one corner, a group of squirrels were picking acorns out of a small bucket and attempting to throw them into brightly-colored hoops arrayed on the floor. To their side, Fluttershy and Spike watched and chatted with each other, occasionally applauding when an acorn landed inside one of the hoops.

“My pleasure, Twilight! I love to celebrate important things with my friends! And this one sure is a doozy,” Pinkie said, bouncing in place, “It’s great that you like the punch! This batch had an extra secret ingredient.” She leaned forward. “It’s extra-hot hot sauce.”

Rarity’s smile wilted somewhat. “Oh, I thought it tasted a little, um, exotic. You are quite avant-garde, Pinkie!”

Twilight looked over Rarity’s shoulder to the corner of the room, where Spike was talking animatedly to Fluttershy. Fluttershy glanced towards her with something like an urgent expression, causing Twilight to raise her eyebrows. She walked towards the pegasus and dragon, circling around and passing by the squirrels, who had ceased their game and started chewing on the acorns.

Fluttershy noticed Twilight’s arrival and turned to Spike, who was waving a claw around in the air. “So then, they all came flying out of the trees, like, from everywhere, gliding around like some sort of circus show! And one of the big ones dropped a feather on the ground, so I went to pick it up. Oh, hey, Twilight.”

“Spike, could you give me a minute to talk with Fluttershy? You should go try the punch, it’s actually really good,” Twilight said.

Spike sucked in a breath. “Aww, okay, I suppose I can, but I’ll have to remember where I was in the story.”

“Yes, please! Your stories are always fascinating.” Fluttershy smiled at the dragon, who returned the smile and walked away towards the other side of the room. She turned to look at Twilight for a moment, before blushing and covering her face with her mane.

“Is there something wrong, Fluttershy?” Twilight said.

Fluttershy squeaked. “No, no, everything’s fine.” She took a deep breath, then threw her mane back to the side of her head. “I just wanted to talk with you, about Rainbow.” She looked up and met Twilight’s gaze. “She is an amazing mare, but I know more than anypony that it can be hard to get her to open up and really talk about some things. Like, the way she’s feeling, or what might be bothering her.”

Twilight rubbed her jaw with a hoof. “Hmm, last week I think she opened up pretty well. She told me some things, like how she was scared that, if we dated, it wouldn’t last very long. We did have a really good conversation, I think it helped her feel better. That’s what led to us actually becoming marefriends.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said, seemingly taken aback for a moment, before a smile overtook her muzzle. “That’s wonderful! I knew you were the perfect mare for her. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. I can’t remember the last time I saw her this happy.” Her eyes shimmered. “So, thank you for that, Twilight. A lot.”

Twilight smiled. “Of course!” She took a step forward and reached for an embrace, which Fluttershy quickly returned. The two hugged each other tightly.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s going on here?” Rainbow Dash walked up to the two mares, holding a glass of punch in one hoof. In her wake, the squirrels picked up their acorns and scampered away, chattering to each other.

Fluttershy withdrew from Twilight and hid her face behind her mane. Twilight turned towards Rainbow. “Just having a hug. Nothing strange about that, is there?”

“A little too chummy for just a hug, if you ask me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Fluttershy was asking for a threesome.” Rainbow smirked. Fluttershy eeped loudly.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, her muzzle falling open.

“Oh, come on, Twi’, it’s only natural. Who wouldn’t want to get in bed with us, the biggest couple in Equestria?” Rainbow tossed her mane.

Twilight shook her head, then closed her muzzle and smirked back at the pegasus. “Well, maybe before you go around suggesting threesomes, we should work on having a twosome first.” Rainbow froze in place, a slightly shocked look on her face. Twilight walked up and leaned in near Rainbow’s ear. “Maybe you can come by the castle later, and we can figure something out about that,” she said in a low voice. Rainbow stayed silent, still frozen in place. Twilight turned around and flicked her tail to smack Rainbow lightly on the muzzle, then sauntered away.

“Oh… my…” Fluttershy muttered. Her wings were fully extended, and a healthy blush covered her face.

Rainbow’s muzzle had fallen open, and her wings were spread to her sides. “Did… did she just… what?” She squeaked.

Pinkie Pie appeared beside Rainbow and draped a foreleg around her neck. “She sure did! It seems that the student has surpassed the master.” She pulled out a wooden pipe in her other hoof and blew into it, releasing a stream of bubbles.

Twilight approached Rarity, Applejack, and Spike, who had moved to chat next to the counter. She stifled a round of giggles.

“What’s so funny, dear?” Rarity said, turning away from Applejack.

“Oh, nothing! I just thought of something funny to say to Rainbow, but it also required walking away for dramatic effect. So I did.”

“I see,” Rarity said, “And what was so funny that saying it would require leaving a conversation?”

“Eh heh,” Twilight said, blushing, and coughed into her hoof.

Spike yawned. “You ponies are all starting to act strange. I think it’s time for me to hit the hay, or Sweetie Belle will yell at me tomorrow for being late again.”

Twilight turned towards the dragon. “You’re heading home? Do you want me to walk you there?” She looked over to the windows, through which the last lights of the setting sun were visible.

“Nah, I can take care of myself. ‘Sides, Mister Squirrel will come with. See you guys later! Bye Rarity!” He waved a hand and started walking away, calling out to the other mares and also to the squirrels, lounging at a nearby table. The squirrels stuffed acorns in their cheeks and scurried off to follow Spike out the door.

Once Spike had left the room, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy walked over to the other three. Pinkie reached out and pulled the other ponies into a huddle. “Now that it’s just us girls, what do you say we pull out the big guns?” She grinned widely.

“It’s your rodeo, Pinkie,” Applejack said.

“Woohoo!” Pinkie released the others and hopped up towards the ceiling, then landed and zipped through a doorway. She returned in a moment, balancing an entire barrel and several tall glasses on her back, which she placed on the counter next to the punchbowl.

“All right, cider!” Rainbow shouted, pumping a hoof and taking flight. She glided over to the barrel and hovered beside it, panting with her tongue out as though she could already taste the contents. Pinkie giggled and turned the tap on the barrel, grabbing a glass and catching a stream of frothing amber liquid. Once the glass was filled, she lifted it into the air, and Rainbow snatched it into her own hooves. Rainbow upended the glass over her muzzle, noisily gulping down the contents. She closed her eyes and slowly drifted down to the ground, her face covered in foam.

“There’s more where that came from, everypony!” Pinkie filled glass after glass, deftly tossing them onto the counter, where they landed upright and in a line. The other ponies walked forward and took some of the drinks.

“Mmm, thank you, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said, taking a small sip, followed by a larger gulp. She let out a sigh and licked off her foam moustache.

Applejack chuckled as she saw Rainbow start on another glass. “It still surprises me how much this pony loves cider, no matter how many times I see it. She’s like a worm in one of my apples.”

Rainbow let out a laugh and a hiccup as she quickly finished her drink. She grabbed another. “I bet you’d like a worm in your apple right about now, AJ, hehe.” A devious grin spread across her muzzle and she narrowed her eyes, glancing towards Twilight.

Applejack started and blushed slightly. “Beg your pardon?”

“All righty, then,” Twilight said, walking up to Rainbow and placing a hoof on her withers. She lit her horn and pulled Rainbow’s glass from her grip, levitating both of their glasses in the air in front of her. “Why don’t we have a seat over there, Rainbow, and you can drink your cider a bit more slowly,” she said, leading Rainbow several paces to a table and sitting down on one of the chairs. Rainbow pouted but took a seat, reaching her hooves toward her drink. “Slowly, remember,” Twilight said with a stern look, and lowered Rainbow’s drink to the tabletop.

Back near the counter, Applejack watched the two ponies walk away and chuckled. “I reckon if there’s anypony who can keep up with that mare’s antics, it’s Twilight.”

“They are such a cute couple,” Fluttershy said with a blush.

“Oh, goodness, yes! I’m so glad that night worked out the way it did,” said Rarity. She sighed, a soft smile across her muzzle.

Pinkie turned towards the others and grinned. “We done good, everypony! Helping other ponies find happiness is the bestest feeling ever!”

“It sure is nice,” said Fluttershy, looking back towards Twilight and Rainbow. She squeaked and glanced away, before looking again. With a soft pomf, her wings stretched out in the air.

“Huh?” said Applejack, following Fluttershy’s line of sight. She smirked, and a slight blush appeared beneath her freckles. “Whoa, nelly, those two are really going at it!” Her eyes narrowed at Rainbow Dash, who was looking her way over Twilight’s shoulder and waggling her eyebrows. “Consarnit, Rainbow, is that a challenge?” Applejack turned. “What do ya think, Rares? I can’t take that lyin’ down.”

Rarity giggled. “If you must include me in your brutish competitions, I suppose I can oblige. Let’s show them what we’ve got!” She pursed her lips and leaned in, joining Applejack for a rather rough kiss. Applejack rotated the two of them so that she could look over Rarity’s shoulder and glare at Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie chuckled and hopped past Rarity and Applejack. She grinned up at Fluttershy, who was fiddling with her hooves and blushing, looking towards the floor. “And what do you think, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked up and cocked her head. “Huh? What do I think about what?”

“This!” said Pinkie, leaning forward and pushing her lips onto Fluttershy’s own. After a moment, she straightened up, separating their muzzles with a loud pop. She beamed.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she looked into Pinkie’s gaze, her blush deepening. She panted lightly. “Um, more, please,” she said. She leaned in and returned the kiss – in earnest.

Author's Note

And that's that!

Have a good one. :twilightsmile:

Open Wings

There was something alluring in all this vibrant orange, red and purple, mixed with the deep blues and clouds of the sky. Twilight Sparkle sat at the base of an empty tree, gazing out at the carpet of leaves across the entire clearing ahead, and breathing in the earthy smells on the breeze. She enjoyed the moment of solitary contemplation; it was serene. The stresses of the morning seeped out of her body. She watched carefully as one of the only remaining leaves fell from its branch and glided to the ground, not noticing the sound of approaching wings behind her.

“Oh hey, Twi, I thought you were Fluttershy,” said a voice from above. Twilight turned her head towards the rainbow-maned pegasus who hovered above her, the image slightly obscured by naked branches.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash! Isn’t it a beautiful day out? Why did you think I was Fluttershy?”

Dash looked around briefly, squinting at the leaves and trees. “Yup, it’s nice today. I thought that cuz normally I’d only ever see Fluttershy in this neck o’ the woods. That and you don’t really strike me as an outdoorsy kind of pony.” She smirked.

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I’m trying out some meditation! I read all about it in 24 Study Habits You’ve Never Tried Before by Quillsby, a really good book. It’s actually quite relaxing, and it’s supposed to improve my focus and spell power.” She lit her horn and lifted a large cluster of pebbles and twigs into the air. This meditation exercise was the latest in quite a few new activities she was trying, in order to ‘find more balance’ in her life, something that Princess Celestia had suggested she do a few months ago. Though she wasn’t able to study her books and also meditate, admire art, or see the ballet at the same time, (at least, not without earning many disapproving glances at the theater), the overall effect seemed to be an improvement to her mood and stress levels.

“Ya know, that actually sounds pretty cool, coming from an egghead,” Dash said, “You should totally spend more time outside of that boring castle and out here where everything’s not-boring.” She looked up, scanning the sky. “I’m going to get some practice in before my weather shift, figured I could use a cheering section, you know, like you guys were at the best young fliers competition. How’d you like to watch me do some awesome tricks for a while?” She grinned.

“Oh, that would be great! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you practice.” Twilight unfurled her wings and stood up as she talked.

“Cool! Just come with me to that clearing over there,” she pointed, flapping her wings and swooping up over the trees, and looping around while she waited. Twilight took off at a brisk trot, noticing with pleasure the sound of each leaf she crushed under her hooves, following Dash’s lively shadow deeper into the meadow. Once at the edge of the clearing, she found another bare tree and lowered herself onto a small bed of leaves by its trunk, looking up towards the sky.

Dash stopped and flew lower long enough to say, “Here goes nothing!” before she flapped hard and zoomed straight up out of the clearing. Twilight felt the wind push her hair back from the sheer power of Rainbow’s ascent. Dash continued upward until she reached the level of the large, white clouds, before suddenly flipping over backwards and gliding into the start of an incredibly quick dive back down. Once she was close enough to clip the tops of the trees, she tilted her wings and shot upwards again.

“Woohoo!” Twilight cheered while she gazed at the pegasus cutting through the air. Forget Moneigh, she thought, here is my favorite work of art. For some reason, today Rainbow Dash seemed to be entirely in her element. Her cyan coat melded with the sky, and her mane and tail whipped behind her body like a multicolored stream of water. Twilight sighed and shielded her eyes to watch Rainbow Dash flit across the surface of the sun. She reached the clouds again, accelerating as she circled closely around one of them, causing it to start rotating. With a pang, Twilight realized that she would most likely never have the ability to fly with such talent. She instantly dismissed that notion, however, and cheered for her friend again.

Rainbow Dash added more cloudstuff to the rotating cloud, circling around it to keep its speed up while it grew heavier. Eventually she stopped adding cloud to the large mass, then started flying even faster around it, causing it to flatten out and form a large disc in the sky, covering the sun. Abruptly, she stopped circling the disc-cloud and ascended high above it before diving downward towards its center. As Rainbow met the cloud, Twilight saw the cloud vanish in a flash of rainbow before a muffled boom reached her ears. The disc became rain, drenched in rainbows, which poured across the entire clearing in the meadow for several seconds. Rainbow slowed her descent and landed, panting, in the clearing, holding her head high and preening her wings to put a few feathers back into place. “Pretty good, huh?” she breathed. “That one I’ve been working on all week. What’d you think? Will that impress the Wonderbolts?” The rain had slicked her mane, splayed across her neck.

Twilight could not restrain her smile. “That was amazing, Rainbow Dash!” Her voice sounded almost too loud in her own ears; she tried to push back some of the enthusiasm. “You were so graceful! I’m sure the Wonderbolts will be impressed by your new trick. What do you call it?” she added.

Dash peered closer at Twilight, and a little blush appeared on the blue of her cheeks. “Uh, haven’t really gotten around to naming it, yet.” She chuckled a little and rubbed her hooves together, then said, “Anyway, thanks for watching, but I think we need to work on your cheering skills a little. Maybe you should ask Fluttershy for a few pointers.”

“Well, I suppose I can cheer much louder than that, if I just exert myself a little more,” Twilight agreed. “Anyway, I’m curious, was that a full rainboom-”

Dash cleared her throat. “Sorry Twi’, I’ve, uh, got to get going, weather shift and all that. But, you should watch me practice again sometime, OK? Like, tomorrow? Oh, and I’ll see you later tonight,” Dash was already turning aside and spreading her wings, so Twilight only managed to say goodbye before she sped away. Twilight watched as she flew on, banking to the side, soon lost to the trees and sky.

Twilight sighed and looked down at the ground, the exhilaration draining from her body. She stretched out her legs and neck, standing up and dusting off some of the leaves that had clung to her coat. Then, she stretched out her wings a little – that’s strange. Her wings were strangely stiff, still unfurled and up in the air. She prodded one of them with her hoof. With a little coaxing, Twilight loosened and retracted her wings, looking at them with a puzzled expression. I don’t think this wing behavior was covered in the guide, unless - With a jolt, she realized why her wings were acting so strange. She blushed scarlet and instinctively hid her face behind a hoof. Oh! ponyfeathers...

Several hours later, Twilight stood inside the large doors to her castle-home, her heart beating rapidly. She listened intently. A few seconds ago, the sound of several sharp knocks had sounded through the castle, but Twilight had yet to respond. Soon, the muffled voice of a pony with a distinct country accent could be heard, muttering something about eight o’clock. Twilight threw open the door. “Applejack! You’re the first to arrive! Please come in.”

“Howdy, sugarcube. I was beginning to think I’d come round at the wrong time! I brought all types of apple snacks for us to munch on.” The orange pony hefted a bag of red, shiny apples and stepped inside, shimmying out of her saddlebags. She looked over at Twilight. “You all right there, hon? I know you get nervous ‘bout these types of things.” Indeed, Twilight was fidgeting with her hooves and biting her lip. “But you don’t gotta be nervous with us, we’re all old friends here,” Applejack said, placing a hoof on Twilight’s withers.

Twilight smiled, although it appeared somewhat strained. “Oh, it’s not that, it’s just… I’ve gotta run to pick up some drinks for tonight. I totally spaced it this afternoon! Can’t keep my schedule straight without Spike here, hehe.” She took a few steps, pausing in the doorway. “Do you think you could let everypony in if they get here before I get back?”

“Sure thing. Don’t take too long, now, or you’ll miss the fun.” Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight as she grabbed a pair of saddlebags and hurried out.

Twilight took the long way around town to reach Swigs and Sofas, and took a rather long time deciding on which flavors of fizzy drinks to buy. She placed the bottles carefully in her saddlebags, and began the walk back towards the castle. Once she had reached it, she paused outside of the doors. Laughter was periodically audible from inside, and she could see the light of her own lamps shining through the windows into the cool evening air. With a moment of resolve, she raised her hoof and knocked on the door, then retreated a few paces and lowered her head. Applejack opened the door. “Howdy again, Twi’, no need to knock on your own door! Come on, we were just about to start a game. I was wondering if you’d make it!”

“Oh, sorry I took so long, I was just making sure I didn’t bump the drinks and make them lose their carbonation,” Twilight said, fiddling with her hoof.

Applejack cocked her head a little. “Well, come on in already! You’ll catch a cold faster than a cowpony without her boots,” she said, stepping aside and pointedly opening the door wide. Twilight took a few shaky steps towards the door, but didn’t go through until Applejack raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat. Once she crossed the threshold, her legs seemed to gain strength, and her gait gained more confidence. She walked through the reception area into a large living room with high ceilings. The echoes of chatter in the room were partially damped out by patterned rugs scattered across the floor and hung on the walls.

“Twilight, darling! Come over here this instant and sit at my side!” Rarity said, looking over and batting her eyelashes. She, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were all gathered around a large board game. Twilight gingerly set her saddlebags down on a floor cushion, then walked over and sat down on Rarity’s left, which also put her beside Dash. Twilight made sure not to look in that direction.

“Twilight, you missed all the treats!” Pinkie shrieked, as though it was the worst possible thing. “Somepony ate them all, even though Applejack said we should save the rest for you!” She gasped, leaping up and narrowing her eyes, looking slowly around the room. “But who could be the treat-thief?”

Applejack walked up and took her place by the game board. She snorted. “Gee, I don’t know who that could have been! Who do we know that has a mighty strange appetite for treats, Pinkie?”

Pinkie raised her hoof into the air. “It was me,” she said, before plopping back down on the ground. “Sorry, Twilight.”

“That’s all right, Pinkie, I had a lot to eat before you all came over,” Twilight said, looking at the game pieces before her.

Rainbow Dash began dealing out plastic chips that resembled bits of various values, and before long, each pony was rolling the dice in turn and moving their chosen piece around the board, buying properties and paying each other if they happened to land on the others’ properties. It was a rather simple game, but that didn’t stop Rainbow and Applejack from turning it into a fierce competition. Each time one of them would land on the other’s property, she would snarl before shelling out her precious bits. It got to the point that Rarity intervened to make peace when Applejack tried to re-roll one of the dice because it ‘landed funny.’ The game dragged on for a couple hours - and then - something dreadful happened.

Twilight knew it had to happen eventually. So far she’d been lucky, only landing on a few owned properties. However, she only owned a few herself, since she was trying a new strategy where she tried to save her money rather than spend it on every random property she landed on. The strategy seemed to work at first, but she had no luck landing on the properties she needed. Once the other ponies had a stranglehold on the retail market, her pile of bits slowly dwindled away. Until, she rolled a twelve and landed right on Cloudsdale with a hotel, which was owned by Rainbow Dash. Twilight was actually relieved, since it meant she wouldn’t have to play the nerve-wracking game anymore.

Twilight gathered up the few bits she had left and offered them out to Rainbow Dash, but Dash shook her head. “No, you keep those, I’ll give you a free stay in Cloudsdale,” she said, as though she were making an extremely noble gesture. Confused, Twilight retracted her hooves and dropped her bits back on the rug.

Applejack blew air out of her nostrils. “Horseapples, Rainbow! Why are ya giving her a free pass, after I landed on Canterlot Gardens three times already? That’s not fair.” She stamped one of her hooves.

Rainbow didn’t react with anger, like Twilight was expecting. Instead she heard Rainbow say in a curious tone, “Well, you wanna know why I’m letting her go for free?” Twilight looked up and saw a small, almost victorious smirk on her face. “It’s because she’s so buckin’ cute, that’s why,” Rainbow said, and stuck out her tongue at Applejack.

Twilight let out a very Fluttershy-esque squeak and hid her face behind a hoof, sure she was blushing. She felt a consoling hoof on her back. “Please, Rainbow, you’re embarrassing her! It’s okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy cooed, but Twilight didn’t turn back to face the others right away.

Applejack was spluttering while Pinkie simply looked between the ponies and giggled. When Applejack finally found her tongue, she glanced around and said, “Oh yeah? Well, uh, I think Pinkie here’s real cute, so I’m giving her a free pass to any of my properties!” She stuck out her tongue at Rainbow. Rarity immediately took her hoof away from her game piece to cross them over her chest and glare at Applejack, who turned to face her with a painful-looking expression of innocence. “What? Everypony thinks that Pinkie’s a cute mare!” With that, Pinkie rolled over on the ground, guffawing and kicking out her legs.

“Why don’t we just call this game a draw,” Rarity huffed, already beginning to clear her pieces off the board with her magic.

Applejack blanched and reached out her hooves, “No wait, don’t do that!” She withdrew when Rarity glared at her again, baring her teeth. She quickly revised her tone and said, “Actually, a draw seems like the only fair thing to do.”

Pinkie Pie rolled over so she was right-side-up again and cheered, “A draw means that everypony wins! And who couldn’t be happy with that?”

“I certainly don’t mind,” Fluttershy said.

“Ha! I won this fair and square!” Rainbow said to Applejack. “I had Cloudsdale and Canterlot Gardens both with hotels! It was only a matter of time before I wiped you off the board!” Her taunts didn’t faze Applejack, however, who simply mimicked Rarity, picking up and sorting her pieces to put back into the box. Rainbow flicked her tail. “Well, whatever, then. Hey Twilight, what about that movie you were talking about?”

Pinkie started hopping up and down. “I wanna see ‘How to Lose a Stallion in One Fortnight’!”

Twilight also began cleaning up the game, and bit her lip. “Hmm, it is getting a little late, but-”

“I’m going to get some beauty sleep, my little ponies,” Rarity cut in, with a flip of her mane. She appeared to have regained some of her composure. “Do try to keep the volume down, won’t you?” She trotted over towards the hallway.

Twilight seized the opportunity and started to follow Rarity out of the room, mumbling something about being tired. Applejack and Rainbow turned and shared a look. Fluttershy broke the silence with a nervous chuckle, “Well, this has been an interesting night, but I’ve had a lot of fun. And I’d love to see the movie before bed, that is, if you still want to…”

Pinkie giggled, “Yippee! You’re such a fun, not-at-all wet blanket, but a warm-blanket pony!” Fluttershy smiled appreciatively.

Rainbow groaned and said, “Time for this pegasus to hit the hay; you guys stay up if you want.”

Pinkie immediately replied, “You really shouldn’t hit the hay, Dashie - that poor hay! What did it ever do to you? Anyway, the only hay around here should be in the kitchen, because a tidy kitchen means a tidy castle, (and Twilight always keeps a tidy castle), and the kitchen’s far away from where you probably want to sleep, unless, of course, you wanted to be in a sugar coma, (just a fancy word for a snooze)...”

“Goodnight!” Dash called out, putting her hooves over her ears and beating her wings to lift her up and out of the living room. Evidently, Applejack decided to stay for the movie, as nopony followed Rainbow.

The moon and stars shone through several windows in Twilight’s spacious bedroom. Beside Twilight’s own bed, a guest bed was covered in blankets and pillows, and a small pile of thick sleeping pads was placed at the foot of it. Rarity had lain down on one of the sleeping pads, entrenched in a mass of colorful blankets, her eyes already covered by her night-mask, and her ears plugged. A relaxed breathing sound came from her mouth. Twilight was lying under the covers in her own bed, but she seemed to be lying too still to really be asleep.

Twilight felt the bed give way as another body came onto it, and let out a small gasp as she was jolted out of her reverie. She turned her head to see who it was, and saw Rainbow Dash’s brilliant mane and coat framed by the dim moonlight. Twilight found herself staring at Dash’s eyes, noticing that Dash was smiling. Twilight quickly looked towards the door, and noted that they were, for the most part, alone. She rolled over to better face Dash, and began playing with her hooves. Her voice came out as a whisper, “Um, Dash, about earlier today, I just wanted to say...”

Dash simply held out a hoof and stopped Twilight from continuing. “Don’t worry about it, Twi’. Besides, it’s time to sleep now. No time for that stuff.” She pointed at the bed. “Mind scooting over a bit?”

Twilight blinked. “Oh. Okay.” She shuffled over to the other pillow and closed her eyes, feeling Dash maneuver her body under the covers, close to her own. After a moment, the rustling stopped. Then she felt Dash’s wing slide itself over her side, until it stopped and rested there, sending warm sensations across Twilight’s body and heat across her face. She didn’t flinch, but she opened her eyes and breathed, “Dash?” Dash didn’t respond. Her eyes were already closed, and in the dim light it seemed the smile was still on her lips. Dash started to breathe deeper, as though trying to imitate sleep.

Twilight stared at her, wide-eyed, but Dash didn’t move. Her head was whirling with all sorts of thoughts and worries, but after a long while it settled down into a comfortable stillness. She found herself listening to the rhythm of Dash’s gentle breathing. She closed her eyes and let the tension flow out of her muscles, from the top of her head down to her hooves, just like in the meadow. A feeling of immense safety and contentment washed over her as she lay there, under Dash’s wing. Careful not to move her body too much, she reached out and pulled the covers higher over the both of them and nestled her head into the pillow.

Her body felt light, like she was lying in a bed of clouds. She let her mind float freely, over the bed and high above the castle, and it went up and up until she was gliding silently in the cool silver light of the moon and gazing at the rich, silver landscape. She sighed at the beauty of it all, and saw that there was somepony else also drinking in the view. There, to her left, the graceful, blue pegasus flew by her side.