"Got any Apples?"
"Nnope"
"Shields?"
"Go Fish"
"Ah hem."
The two stallions looked up (or rather, down) from their card game and saw Princess Cadance looking up at them sternly.
"So..., would either of you care to tell me how you managed to get yourselves up there?"
Shining Armor thought for a moment, "Not particularly"
"Nnope" Big Mac said.
Earlier That Evening-
"HoooooWeeeee!"
Big Mac smiled as he heard his little sister galloping around upstairs. He wasn't sure on what all the fuss was about, but Applejack was enjoying herself and that was all that mattered.
CRASH!
So long as nothing was broken, that is. It wasn't that he minded fixing the occasional broken window or hole in the wall. Or roof. Or floor. It was just that he had enough on his plate, what with having to rebuild the barn from the latest Cutie Mark Crusader incident. Again.
"YesYesYesYesYesYes!" Shining Armor grinned at the sight of his little sister jumping around the castle. He hadn't seen her this excited since the day she told him how she got her cutie mark. He looked about himself as he waited for her to calm down enough to tell him what she was so excited about.
...
...
...
"YesYesYesYesYesYes!"
Okay, maybe he should try to intervene...
"Twilight..." He tried to interrupt her bouncing by stepping in front of her, but she just teleported past him and kept bouncing, leaving him a bit dazed from the sudden flash. He shook his head to clear his vision. Just as the spots were fading he caught a glimpse of her rushing up the stairs.
'Guess this will take a bit longer than I thought.' Shining Armor shook his head again, this time chuckling to himself as he continued to explore the castle.
"Applejack?" Big Mac asked as he knocked on his sister's door. "Are ya alright?"
There was a bit of hesitation, then a burst of frantic whispering, before Applejack responded "Ah'm fine, Y'all can go back to whatever it was yer were doin'."
He thought about pressing the matter but decided to let it go. If anything was broken and she needed help fixin' it, he knew she'd ask.
He really should visit his 'L.S.B.F.F.' more often. It's been way too long since he's just dropped by to chat. Shining Armor wondered about just how little he saw his younger sister, now that he was Prince Consort of The Crystal Empire, as well as being Captain of the Royal Guards and Twilight wasn't just Princess Celestia's Prize student anymore, but a Princess in her own right. He remembered all the fun adventures they went on when they were foals as he examined some of the pictures and souvenirs of the adventures she's gone on since then.
CRASH!
'What was that?'Shining Armor tensed, startled. His guard training kicked in (or maybe it was his big brother instincts) and he rushed up the stairs, and up the stairs, and up the stairs,...and...up the stairs,...and then walked up the final flight of stairs, before finally reaching his sister's room. He reached out to knock when the door burst open, knocking him back down the stairs, and Rarity gracefully walked out. Spike took up his trumpet and played a short fanfare.
"Presenting, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Rarity gave a graceful curtsy as Twilight stepped out wearing a beautifully simple satin dress of light aquamarine, with a long train carried by birds. Her mane was curled up into a regal bun, with just enough left out to frame her face. She had on silver slippers and around her neck was a simple strand of pearls on a braided silver necklace. Fluttershy shyly stepped out from behind Rarity as her birds kept Twilight's train off the ground as Twilight descended the stairs.
Big Mac turned to go when he was slammed into the far wall (luckily for him it was only a few feet away) as the door slammed open.
"Duh da da da da Duh DaAaaa!" Rainbow Dash snag out triumphantly, like a warrior presenting a teammate who scored the winning goal.
"YaYYYY!" Pinkie Pie popped out of a trap door hanging down form the ceiling and threw confetti up in the air as Applejack stepped put of her room. She was wearing her mane in a loose braid with her regular hat dressed up with a band of black with a rosebud on the side, and black cowpony boots trimmed with red. What really surprised Big Mac was the fact that she was wearing dress. Applejack had on a simple red dress topped with a saddle of brown with black trimming.
Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest as she struck her announcer's pose,"I give you, the totally awesome, totally amazing"
"Totally awesmazing!" Pinkie cut in with more confetti, and a hundred balloons that she had somehow managed to fit in the Apples' attic.
"totally the coolest cowpony around, and my personal Best Friend Ever, Applejack!"
Big Mac just raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth...
"Isn't it great?!" Applebloom cut in from behind Pinkie in the attic,"Mah big sis is going on her first date!"
"Whaaat???" Groaning, Shining Armor slowly sat up as he shook stars from his vision
"Isn't it exciting?!" Rarity gushed, "Twilight's going on her first date!"
Shining Armor blinked.
Big Mac blinked.
"What?!"
"Nnope."
Three Hours Later-
"How in Equestria did you two manage to get tied to the roof?!" Cadance asked as she examined the locks on the hoofcuffs.
"Mares" Shining Armor said.
"Eeyupe." Big Mac nodded.
"Well, let me get you two down." She reached out with her magic to unlock the cuffs when...
"Wait! Don't...!"
"Nnope!"
Too late. The spell Twilight and Rarity had put on the hoofcuffs trapped Cadance's magic and created another pair of hoofcuffs that chained her to the table under the bell next to the stallions. And then poofed out another hoof of cards.
At her confused look, Shining Armor explained, "I'm pretty sure that was Pinkie's idea."
"Eeyupe."
Cadance sighed, "So what are we playing?"
One Hour Later-
"Do you have any Chocolate Milk, Shining?"
"What in the name of Celestia, are you three doing tied to the bell tower of my school house?!"
The three ponies looked down to see Miss. Cherilee looking up at them in astonishment.
Before they could answer, Cherilee had already grabbed the ladder she kept for 'Crusader Emergencys' (Don't Ask) and propped it up against the roof. As soon as she reached the top, she bought out a pair of lockpicks (Also for 'Crusader Emergencys') and moved to pick the locks.
"No! Wait..!"
"Nnope!"
"Stop! Don't...!"
"What the...?!" Too late. Cherilee now had on a matching pair of hoofcuffs. As well as a freshly dealt hoof of cards. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to need to expand my 'Crusader Emergency Kit'. So, what are we playing?"
"Sooo..., I'm guessing this has absolutely nothing to do with Applejack and Twilight going on a double date with their special someponies tonight?" Cadance asked, as she looked up from her own hoof of cards.
"Uh huh."
"Eeyupe."
Cadance blinked.
Cherilee blinked.
Shining Armor stared stared down at the roof.
Big Mac stared up at the bell.
Cherilee sighed and shook her head. "Do you have any Hearts, Cadance?" She asked.
"No, Go fish." Cadance waited for Cherilee to take a card before asking, "Do you have any Books, Cherilee?"
"I wonder how long it will take the girls to get back with the key to these locks." Cherilee mused as she tried an experimental tug on their hoofcuffs.
"Wow, These are really tight"
The two stallions shared a worried glance. And then sighed.
"Eeyupe"
"We know"
"Got any Books, Cadance?" Big Mac asked.
She sighed, 'It's always the quiet ones.' and hoofed over the cards.