Snow Dazeby ScquishieyChaptersWinter SlumberlandFashionably LateGame NightGoin' on a TripWinter SlumberlandWinter morning in Ponyville is a grand time for everyone that lives in the cozy, little town. Snow falls gently onto the ground replacing the once dirt roads with a blanket of fresh, powered snow. Ponies come outside from their houses wearing cozy sweaters while sipping hot chocolate or warm apple cider, laughing and talking merrily amongst their friends. It’s a time to be happy and cheery, where everypony has a smile adorned on their face. Ponyville’s lake is where ponies would usually go for a swim in hot weather, but was turned into an ice-skating rink from now being frozen over with a thick layer of ice, and ponies saw this as the perfect opportunity to try out some new ice-skating tricks. Many tumbled over and fell, but that wasn’t enough to stop them from having a great time, they were all just happy being around one another since everypony loved the wintertime. Everypony but one. A cyan-colored Pegasus mare with a rainbow mane sat down on the icy cold ground next to a large oak tree on a small cliff near the lake while she held onto something close to her chest. “So are you sure you really want to do this again?” The mare asked with a sigh while looking down at the object that she held in her front hooves. She moved the object away from her chest and turned it around. The object turned out to be a very sleepy green tortoise that looked up at the mare with a smile and a single nod. The mare let out a long sigh that came out in a vaporous form. “Alright, I guess this is just something that I’m going to have to get used to.” She gave the tortoise a bittersweet smile. She then set the tortoise down onto the ground, and watched him start to dig a hole before burying himself underneath the dirt and blanket of snow. This was something that happened every winter; her pet Tortoise, Tank went into hibernation when the cold winter months began which left her all alone in her house during these times, making her really dread the long, cold, lonesome nights that she had ahead of her. The mare stared at the ground where her pet had chosen to take his long slumber for quite some time, slowly becoming lost in thought. “Hey Rainbow Dash!” A very happy, high-pitched voice shouted from behind. She turned her head around and looked behind herself; she saw a pink Earth pony with a curly, hot pink mane wearing a puffy, periwinkle windbreaker jacket with a knitted Laplander hat of the same color bouncing up and down coming towards her. “Hey Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow Dash greeted the pink pony with a slight smile. “Hey! Why so glum, sugarplum?” Pinkie Pie asked her sad looking, prismatic friend. Rainbow Dash let out another sigh. “You remember that Tank needs to hibernate every winter right?” Rainbow Dash asked sadly. Pinkie Pie walked over and sat down next to her blue Pegasus friend and gave her an all too powerful hug. “It’s okay! Tank will come back! He always does!” Pinkie Pie told Rainbow Dash loudly while squeezing her. “Errrrrggg!!! Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash began gasping for breath as she struggled to escape the Earth pony's grip. Pinkie Pie saw the look Rainbow Dash was making and noticed that her face was even more blue than usual, and then quickly let go of her strong grip. Rainbow Dash fell to the ground as she panted heavily. Rainbow Dash quickly sat up and regained her composure and looked back at her bubbly, pink friend. “Yeah I guess… But still, I hate when he has to leave, I just hate being home alone and doing stuff without him.” Rainbow Dash sighed and slouched. “That’s why I came here!” Pinkie Pie said loudly. “I knew I would be able to find you here and I wanted to tell you that tonight around six-ish, Twilight invited all of us to her place for a sleepover!!!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she threw her arms in the air. Rainbow Dash perked her ears up and sat up straight. “Really? Well I don’t know…” Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment, she was still a little upset about Tank leaving. “Ooooo come on! It’ll be fun!” Pinkie Pie tried to encourage her friend. Rainbow Dash smirked. “Ohhh alright.” “Yippee!!!” Pinkie Pie jumped into the air and cheered, colorful confetti somehow exploded from behind. Rainbow Dash started to feel a bit better; she knew that she would eventually have to start getting used to the fact that she would be spending every winter from now on without her beloved pet. “And you still need to tell everypony about your suuuuuper special somepony! Heehee!” Pinkie Pie giggled teasingly. This caught Rainbow Dash off guard. “What?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew wide as she stiffened herself up. “Heehee! Soarin! Don't think that I forgot about your big ol’ crush on him!” Pinkie Pie giggled. Rainbow Dash blushed briefly and looked away. “Heh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash replied slightly embarrassed as she rubbed a fore hoof on the back of her neck. “Hey! So what did happen between you two after that one night?” Pinkie Pie asked as she was eager to know the details of what had happened about two weeks ago since she never got the chance to ask Rainbow Dash herself because everyone had been busy with the preparation of winter for the past few days. “Nothing happened really. I let him stay the night; we didn’t do much since we were both tired from that crazy camping trip.” Rainbow Dash replied. “So he fell asleep on my couch and I knocked out on my bed and when I woke up that morning he left a note saying that he had to leave, but would love to hangout again soon.” Rainbow Dash smiled when she thought about both of them hanging out again. “Awh!” Pinkie Pie clutched her heart after hearing the story Rainbow Dash had told her. “Heh, yeah he has terrible mouth-writing by the way.” Rainbow Dash chuckled when she remembered the chicken scratch writing left on the note. “So are you going to tell everypony about him tonight?” Pinkie Pie asked in her usual, high-pitched voice as she grinned widely. “Ohh… I uhh..” Rainbow Dash mumbled. “Come on! Only me and Twilight know about him! You can’t hide it forever Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie said loudly. Rainbow Dash was reluctant; she wasn’t sure how she was going to tell the rest of her group of friends that she was interested in somepony because she felt that the second she told them, they would either make fun of her, or wouldn’t stop asking her questions about it. She was also still embarrassed by the fact that she, the great and mighty Rainbow Dash, liked somepony. “Oh alright.” Rainbow Dash replied with a slight smile. “But how am I going to tell them? I don’t want to just tell them straight out cuz yah know, that’s just not me.” Rainbow Dash said as she placed a fore hoof on her chest. Pinkie Pie thought for a brief moment before getting an idea. “I know! We can play truth or dare! I’ll suggest it and I’ll choose you so you can ask for a truth question!” Pinkie Pie chirped and began to rapidly clap her hooves together. Rainbow Dash didn’t like where this was going. For one, she never chose truth; she was way too daring for that. “Me choose truth? I never choose truth!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “That’s fine! I’ll just turn the question into a dare!” Pinkie Pie said. Rainbow Dash sighed, “Alright, hey see yah later Pinkie Pie, I’m gonna head back home and get ready for tonight.” Rainbow Dash told Pinkie Pie as she got up and began to spread her wings out. “Alright Dashie! See you later!” Pinkie Pie waved goodbye to her colorful friend. Rainbow Dash waved back and shot up into the cold, cloudy sky. As Rainbow Dash flew through the air, something dangled around her neck–a pair of gold colored flight goggles that were a little too big on her that she had put on before leaving her house that morning. She grabbed them with a fore hoof, placed them over her magenta eyes, tightened the strap, and then increased her speed. Rainbow Dash flipped and twirled through the frosty air before her giant cloud home came into view. She brought herself to a slow glide and aimed herself towards her front door. She landed gently in front of her front entrance and noticed a flat, white, rectangular object placed on her doormat. She couldn’t make out what it was since the frigid air had fogged her goggles up; she then proceeded to lift the goggles up and rested them on top of her forehead. After her vision was now cleared, she then realized what it was: a letter. She picked the letter up and quickly opened it with her teeth and pulled out a folded, white sheet of paper. She unfolded the paper and instantly recognized the chicken scratch writing and began to read: Dear Rainbow Dash, Hey! How’s it going? Just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry for having to leave so soon that one morning, you know how it is at the Wonderbolts academy, haha, so yeah I just wanted to make that up to you and tell you that I wanted to stop by tonight at around 6:00 p.m. hope that’s cool with you! Bye! -Soarin P.S. Might be some time after 6:00, cuz yah know, I’m always fashionably late. :-) Rainbow Dash finished reading the letter and couldn’t help but smile as she felt her cheeks warm up. She didn’t know what it was about that dork, and despite all that had happened that one night, she really did like him a whole lot, and couldn’t wait to see him again for the first time in two weeks. She then opened the door and entered her home. Rainbow Dash’s house had always had that cold, sterile feel to it, and even more so in the winter months due to her being all alone. She sighed at the unwelcoming atmosphere that filled the room as she walked in and quickly closed the door behind herself, setting the letter down on a side table near the entrance. She gave the letter another quick glance and smiled. She was excited to finally be able to see that goofball again later that day and flew upstairs to freshen up a bit and prepare herself for the evening. Fashionably Late6:01 P.M. Knock, knock, knock Rainbow Dash was sitting at her dining room table munching on a daisy sandwich that she had fixed for herself before hearing a knock at her front door. Rainbow Dash took one last bite of her sandwich before getting up to go answer her door. She walked to her front door and turned the knob while still chewing on the last bits of her meal. She opened the door, revealing a pale blue Pegasus stallion with a goofy smile wearing a navy blue scarf with blue and yellow tassels and a winged lightning bolt embroidered on the bottom end. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened and she quickly swallowed the remains of her food then coughed and cleared her throat. “Soarin!” Rainbow Dash raspily and cheerfully greeted the stallion with a humongous grin and shimmering eyes. “Hey Rainbow! Nice to see you again!” Soarin greeted her back with a smile and threw his arms around her in a tight hug with no restraint. Rainbow Dash tried to suppress a blush; she knew that Soarin had admitted to having the same feelings towards her, but the thought of it made her feel so happy on the inside that she couldn’t help herself. No she did not go to bed every night thinking about him, or would hug her pillow pretending that it was him, or waking up to find herself smooching on her pillow only to find her pet tortoise looking very worried about her, because of course Rainbow Dash, the most awesome pony in Equestria, didn’t do any of that. Soarin let go of the hug. “Here, this is for you.” Soarin said as he lifted his left wing up and grabbed something from underneath it with his mouth. Soarin pulled out a crushed, red rose. Soarin spat out the rose and grabbed it with a fore hoof and gawked at the crumpled up flower. “Oh… Well it wasn’t flat when I got it, heh.” Soarin chuckled at the disfigured rose. Rainbow Dash looked at the rose, just when the stem flopped down. Both Pegasi looked at the rose, then up at each other, and began to share a moment of laughter. “Pfff, gee Soarin, when did you get so sappy?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hah, well I didn’t want to come empty hoofed.” Soarin replied. Rainbow Dash shook her head as she chuckled. “Heheh, here, come inside.” Rainbow Dash moved aside and invited him in. “Thanks.” Soarin smiled and trotted inside. Rainbow Dash closed the door and both Pegasi went over to her couch in the living room. “So what brings you here?” Rainbow Dash asked as she took a seat. Soarin sat down beside her. “Well remember when I asked you if you wanted to do something when winter started?” Soarin reminded her. Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up when she remembered. “Oh yeah! So what did you have in mind?” She asked excitedly. “Well first, I wanted to ask if we can go back to that bakery with your pink friend who works there, that pie I had was amazing!” Soarin beamed. Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Heh, alright that’s fine by me–OH NO! I FORGOT!” She suddenly exclaimed. Soarin was startled by her sudden outburst. “Uh, what’s wrong?” He asked as he tilted his head to the side. “My friends and I are having a sleepover tonight and I completely forgot!” Rainbow Dash replied as she facehoofed. Soarin looked down at the floor with a sad expression since he was hoping to be able to spend a little more time with her, but he didn’t want her to ditch her friends just so she could hang out with him. Soarin sighed and drooped his ears. “Oh… Well I guess I’ll just go then; we can hang out some other ti–” “NO WAIT!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she held up her hooves. Soarin gave her a puzzled look. “I can just head over to my friend’s place and tell them that I’ve got other plans.” Rainbow Dash said. Soarin felt a rush of happiness go through him, but didn’t show it. “Yah sure?” He asked, trying to sound as if this wasn’t what he wanted to happen. “Mmhm.” Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded. “Heh, alright, if that’s okay with you, it’s okay with me.” Soarin smiled, on the outside he was calm, but on the inside he felt like getting up to do a celebratory dance. “Alright then, come on, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash told him as she got up from her couch and swiftly flew out through the front door, leaving a rainbow trail behind. Soarin chuckled as he shook his head and cantered towards the door; before he left, he looked around to see if Rainbow Dash was far away enough before he proceeded to do a little joyous dance and whinny before he casually flew off after the speedy Pegasus. Game NightIf there was one building that was more different than Rainbow Dash’s cloud mansion amongst the houses in Ponyville, it was Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle, which resembled a large treehouse made out of blue and purple crystals, making Rainbow Dash’s mansion look puny in comparison. Inside the gigantic structure, laughter sounding like it came from a group of fillies was heard. The laughs came from a group of five mares sitting on the inside of a nest made out of pillows and blankets on the floor of the castle’s library. “Alright! That’s the last word, ready to hear the story you guys?” Twilight asked the other four mares as she levitated a quill pen and some sort of booklet with a mystic, purple glow emitting from her horn. “Mhmm!” The four other mares responded. The five mares were playing a game called Pony Libs: A game where you fill in the blanks for a story with different nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on. “Alright!” Twilight said; excited to read what she and her friends had come up with. “A very fat Rarity was at home farting on her couch.” Twilight read the first line and heard snickers coming from all but one mare. “Ack! How repulsive!” A white unicorn with a long, shiny, purple mane argued in disgust with a posh accent. “Relax Rarity, it’s just a game, no harm done.” An orange Earth pony with a blonde mane, freckles, and a brown Stetson hat told her friend in a country accent. “Ugh, I suppose it’s all for good fun.” Rarity said, now feeling a little bit better about the whole situation. “Heehee! Yep! I looooveee this game! It’s so silly!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Hahah, alright shall I continue?” Twilight asked as she chuckled. “Mmhmm!” The four other mares nodded. Twilight cast her gaze back towards the booklet that she levitated with her magic. “She then heard a knock on her door, and skipped towards it and turned the knob with her nostril, and found that her lazy friend, Applejack was standing outside.” Twilight continued. Pinkie Pie snorted then laughed, and began hitting the floor repetitively with a fore hoof, unable to contain her loud laughter. “Relax Pinkie Pie.” Applejack tried to calm down her giggling friend. “And Ahm not lazy!” She smirked and rested a hoof on her hip. “Now darling, it’s just a game.” Rarity said as she smirked. “Just then, her other two friends, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, entered the house by swimming in through the toilet.” Twilight continued on with the story as Pinkie Pie, once again, began to laugh nonstop. Fluttershy, a quiet, yellow Pegasus with a long, light pink mane began to chuckle softly. Pinkie Pie calmed herself after hearing the ridiculous made-up story then gasped. “Hey! Where is Rainbow Dash?! She’s late!” Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew wide. As if right on cue, the five mares heard a tap on the library’s frosted window pane, followed by a familiar, raspy voice. “Hey you guys!” Rainbow Dash called out to her friends as she hovered outside the window. The five mares turned to look at the window. Pinkie Pie’s face beamed when she saw her colorful friend outside the window, and remembered the plans that they talked about earlier with each other. “RAINBOW DASH!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she sprang up from her spot on the floor and aimed herself towards the window, opened it, grabbed Rainbow Dash by the shoulders, pulled her in, and quickly seated her down on an empty spot on the floor. “OKAY TIME FOR TRUTH OR DARE! I’LL GO FIRST I CHOOSE RAINBOW DASH TRUTH OR DARE?! DARE? OKAY I DARE YOU TO TELL US WHO YOU LIKE!” Pinkie Pie shouted loudly and hurriedly. “Uhhh…?” Rainbow Dash looked at her hyper friend with a raised eyebrow. “Hi Rainbow Dash, glad you could make it!” Twilight smiled. “And Pinkie Pie, don’t we already know who Rainbow Dash likes?” Twilight questioned. “WHAT?!” Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy shouted in unison. Rarity, a lover of juicy gossip and romance was a bit hurt that Rainbow Dash, one of her best friends, didn’t tell her about the shocking news. “Darling, why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” Rarity asked as she hovered her head over Rainbow Dash who began to slowly scrunch down to the floor. “Or me!” Applejack, then too hovered her head over her Pegasus friend who shrank back a little more. “I didn’t know either!” Fluttershy said in a hushed voice and flew over to Rainbow Dash and hovered over her as well. Rainbow Dash, whose body was now fully on the ground looked up at her friends who stared at her with wide, shimmering eyes and huge, eager grins upon their faces. Rainbow Dash grunted, “Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie turned to look at Rainbow Dash. “Whoops! I guess I got carried away! Heehee!” Pinkie giggled as she brought up her two fore hooves halfway and shrugged. “EEEE TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!” Rarity squealed, sounding possessed as she shook her arms in front of her face in a vibrating motion. “Girls!” Twilight called out to three mares that still crowded Rainbow Dash. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy turned their heads to look over at Twilight. “I think Rainbow Dash would appreciate it if you would all give her some space.” Twilight told them kindly. The three mares looked at each other, then gave awkward chuckles as they rubbed a fore hoof on the back of their necks, then backed away. “Thank you.” Twilight thanked them as she smiled and gave a single nod. Everypony was quiet for a few seconds. “Eeeee I can’t take it! Please do tell us who it is!” Rarity squealed once again. Rainbow Dash felt her ears heat up from embarrassment; she didn’t know how to deal with all this new pressure that came from liking someone. “Uhh, Rainbow Dash?” Said a boyish voice that completely contrasted with the girly squeals came from outside the window. Right then, Soarin cautiously poked his head in through the window. All six mares stared at the stallion. Rarity gasped. “Oh my! You even brought him along!” She began to quickly clap her hooves together as she grinned. “Uhh… Hi?” Soarin said a little awkwardly. “Here darling, do come in, I insist.” Rarity told Soarin as she patted a spot on the floor next to where she sat. Soarin hesitated for a moment, but then obliged and flew in through the opened window and sat down, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “Oooo!!! Is he invited to our sleepover too?!” Pinkie Pie questioned cheerfully. “Why of course!” Rarity replied. “Uhmm, but… He’s a boy.” Fluttershy said quietly. “Yeah! No stallions allowed!” Applejack joked. “Ughhh you guys!” Rainbow Dash was starting to become frustrated with all the commotion that was going on. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash. “Heh, sorry sugarcube, it’s just that somepony’s getting a little too carried away.” She said as she glanced over at Rarity with a playful smirk. Rarity blushed and shrank her shoulders back. “So sorry, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity apologized quickly. Rainbow Dash sighed, “It’s okay Rarity.” She then walked over to Soarin. “Well yeah, just in case you were all wondering, this is Soarin.” Rainbow Dash pointed a fore hoof at the stallion. “Oh yes! I remember you! The Wonderbolt, correct?” Rarity asked as she batted her eyelashes. “Yep!” Soarin replied happily. “Okay you all met, now come on, Soarin let’s go.” Rainbow said as she found herself starting to grow impatient and more embarrassed by the second. “What?! You’re not staying, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie asked as she frowned. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nope, sorry girls, but there has been a change of plans; Soarin and I are going to head over to Sugarcube Corner.” The other five mares were a bit saddened that Rainbow Dash was choosing to leave, but they all thought it was for the best, especially Rarity. “Alright, ta-ta!” Rarity said and ushered the two Pegasi out the window where they came from before. “Uhm, alright, bye guys!” Rainbow Dash waved goodbye and gave her friends a crooked smile before closing the window behind herself. The five mares in the room were silent for several seconds. “Wow. Who would’ve guessed Rainbow Dash out of all ponies huh?” Applejack chuckled. “Mhmm.” The four other mares nodded. “Indeed. It sure is quite cute though.” Rarity said softly. “So they’re not a couple yet? And how come the only ponies who knew about this were Twilight and Pinkie Pie?” Rarity cocked an eyebrow at Twilight. “Weeeelll It’s kind of a long story.” Twilight replied with a sheepish grin. “Yeah! And she didn’t even admit it at first and kept denying it! Guess she was just trying to keep up her “cool” image, heehee!” Pinkie Pie said as she giggled. “Heh, yeah... That’s our Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said a bit uneasily as she cast her gaze towards the side. “So who’s up for another game?! We can play hide n seek!” Pinkie Pie suggested as she covered her eyes with her fore hooves. “Or hopscotch!” She then took out a stick of chalk from nowhere and drew squares on the floor of the library. “Maybe tag!” Pinkie Pie somehow teleported behind Fluttershy and tapped her demure friend on the shoulder which resulted in Fluttershy letting out a tiny squeak. “MAAAAAHHHJONGGG!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she took out a game box with a weird, foreign-looking design on it. The four other mares in the room stared at Pinkie Pie with quizzical looks. “Uhm, Pinkie Pie, how about we call it a night?” Twilight suggested. Pinkie Pie dropped the box which sent game pieces flying across the floor. Pinkie Pie frowned. “Awhh!! But I’m not even–” Soon after not being able to finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie was out like a light and began to snore loudly as she remained standing up on all fours. The four mares that were still awake tittered at their hyperactive friend as Twilight levitated a yellow blanket and threw it over the sleep-standing Earth pony. “Dear, you can't expect us to just go to sleep when there is so much more that we need to know!“ Rarity complained. “It's still so early!” Twilight looked at her unicorn friend in misunderstanding. “What are you talking about?” Twilight asked the white unicorn with a raised eyebrow. “About Soarin!” Rarity zealously replied. “We need to know more about him to see if he's right for Rainbow Dash!” Twilight gave a wry look. “Uhhh, I don't think that's such a good idea.” “Yeah Rarity, as much as I would also like to know more about it, I think it's best to just leave 'em alone.” Applejack spoke up. “Pft, but we're her friends and we must make sure things go well!” Rarity told her friends. “Now off to Sugarcube Corner!” Rarity cantered towards the library's exit. Applejack and Fluttershy shared an unsure look, then followed Rarity out the door. Twilight stayed behind as she watched with her mouth slightly agape. “W–wait! I'm coming too!” Twilight quickly trotted in attempt catch up with her friends. “Mmm... Cotton candy... Chocolate milk...” Pinkie Pie mumbled as she eccentrically licked her lips in her sleep. Goin' on a TripSoarin and Rainbow Dash sat at a round, wooden table inside of Sugarcube Corner bakery as Soarin devoured an apple pie that had been placed in front of him. Rainbow Dash watched the stallion eat the pie messily as she chuckled. He was still just as messy as she remembered. Soarin looked up from his pie with a face covered in pie filling. “You want some?” Soarin offered. Rainbow Dash looked down at the pie in slight disgust. “Uh, no thanks.” She replied a bit hesitantly. Soarin smiled and nodded. “So hey, your friends are nice.” Soarin stated as he smiled at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash grimaced at the remembrance of what had happened back at Twilight’s castle. “Oh yeah, sorry about that. Heh, sometimes my friends tend to go a little overboard with things like this.” Rainbow Dash said as she scratched the back of her head. “Things like what?” Soarin asked. “Yah know... me, you, together.” Rainbow Dash replied with an awkward smile as her cheeks turned light pink, slightly looking away in minor embarrassment from her words not coming out how she intended them to. “Heh, hey you know I also wanted to tell you that I chose a place where we can go!” Soarin told her enthusiastically as pie filling dripped down back into the pie tin. Rainbow Dash turned her head back towards him. “Really?” Rainbow Dash’s cheeks beamed as she was eager to hear what he had planned for the two of them. “Well only during this time of the year Wonderbolts get a month off for vacation!” Soarin told her. “And I have decided on going to this ski resort that the Wonderbolts and I used to go to every year, but…” Soarin paused and suddenly had a sad look in his eyes. “But then everypony grew tired of it, so I thought hey, why not take you there?” He said as he flashed a cheeky grin. Rainbow Dash began flapping her wings like a little fanfilly with her face beaming bright as ever. “Yes! That’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash shouted, unable to contain her excitement. Soarin chuckled, “Heheh, I knew you would like the idea of it!” Soarin was also equally excited, he had missed the old tradition of him and his Wonderbolt acquaintances hanging out at the resort, and thought that it would be a great idea to share the fun experience with Rainbow Dash. “So when exactly are we going?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I was thinking about leaving tomorrow morning, is that okay?” Soarin replied. “Yeah, sounds great!” Rainbow Dash was starting to feel giddy from all the excitement that was starting to build up inside of her. “Great! And there are cabins up there that we can stay in!” Soarin said blithely. Rainbow Dash wanted to do a backflip, but contained herself; she couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning. “A vacation to a ski resort? Well that sounds like fun!” Twilight stated. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy stood outside while peeking in through a window of Sugarcube Corner listening intently at Soarin and Rainbow Dash’s conversation. “Why yes, it sure does sound like something she would enjoy.” Rarity commented. "But oh my, he sure is a messy eater." Rarity said as she crinkled her nose. “Y–you guys, it’s really cold out here.” Fluttershy said quietly as she was shaking from the sheer cold of the winter night. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack turned to look at poor Fluttershy who was trembling quite a bit. “Oh dear, hold on Fluttershy, just a few more minutes and we’ll leave.” Rarity told her gentle friend. “O–okay…” Fluttershy whispered and tried to remain patient in the cold. A few moments passed by, the night was getting colder and colder by the minute, Fluttershy’s knees started to buckle as her teeth began to clatter. “Hmmm, I wonder where tha place is at.” Applejack said as they continued to stare through the window. “I would love to check it out some time.” Fluttershy began to shiver slightly more than before. “Yeah, me too, I wonder if it’s nice.” Twilight said. Fluttershy continued to rapidly shake and began rubbing her fore arms while huffing and puffing, sending clouds of vapor into the air. “Indeed, I would love to design a new outfit for such an occasion.” Rarity said as she envisioned herself wearing stylish winter apparel. Fluttershy began taking short, rapid breaths. “C–COLD! SO COLD!” Fluttershy shouted which startled her three friends as she sprang up and flew towards the door of Sugarcube corner and went inside. Ding! The door to the bakery hit against a tiny bell as Fluttershy opened the door and closed it behind herself; she sat down on the floor and sighed in relief when the warm air inside the shop instantly made her feel better. Rainbow Dash and Soarin looked over at the yellow Pegasus on the floor. “Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked as she raised an eyebrow. Fluttershy looked over to where she had heard her name. “Oh hello, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy greeted her fellow Pegasus friend with a soft smile. “What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash questioned. Fluttershy tensed up after hearing the question. “Oh, I uhh…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted back and forth, not sure how to respond. Ding! The front entrance's bell sounded and in came the rest of their friends. Rainbow Dash was now really confused. “Uh, what are you guys doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked. The five mares’ eyes darted from side to side as they began to tense up, mumbling incoherent words as they were unsure how to explain their current situation. “Well?” Rainbow Dash’s tone sounded a bit stern. Twilight cleared her throat. “Oh, oh nothing! Nothing, we were just… Uhh…” “Just in tha neighborhood…” Applejack said through a forced smile. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Hey Dash, I think I should start heading back to Cloudsdale now, I need to head over to the academy to clear out my locker and get ready for tomorrow.” Soarin stated. Rainbow Dash turned around to look at him. “Oh, uh yeah! That’s fine.” Rainbow Dash responded. Soarin got out of his seat and took the empty pie tin off the table and threw it away in a trash can near the front entrance. Soarin turned his head around and smiled. “So I’ll meet you at the train station at 8:30 okay?” He told her. Rainbow Dash smiled back. “Sounds great!” Soarin waved goodbye to all the mares as he opened the door and left the shop. Rainbow Dash watched as Soarin flew off and turned around to look at her friends with a slightly annoyed glower. All mares in the room stayed quiet for a while, none of them mustered out a single word. “Ahem, sorry about all of this, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity was the one to finally speak up. “What are you guys doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked, wanting a clear explanation. “Well yah see…” Twilight trailed. Rainbow Dash sighed, “Just cut to the chase.” “Oh, alright! We just came here to check up on you, darling.” Rarity admitted. “Uh, why?” Rainbow Dash asked as she cocked her head to the side. “Just wanted to see if he’s a keeper.” Applejack said as she winked. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m fine guys, I don’t need any help with this… this mushy stuff.” She said as she looked away, a tinge of red had spread across her face. “Well that’s good to know, see Rarity, she’s perfectly fine.” Twilight told the Unicorn. Rarity sighed, “Ah yes, I guess so, I just couldn’t resist!” All mares chuckled understandingly. “Well I guess we should be going now, you coming Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I’m going to order something then head back home to get ready for my trip tomorrow.” Rainbow Dash replied while trying to contain her excitement. “Alright then, goodnight Rainbow Dash!” Twilight waved to the Pegasus and walked back towards the door. “Goodnight!” Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity said in unison as they all left the shop. “Night.” Rainbow Dash said as she turned around and trotted up to the store’s counter to order herself something before heading back home. The four mares walked outside into the frigid night once again, talking about the events that had just happened, about to make their way back to the castle, but were then stopped by a figure that appeared right in front of them. “JUST LEAVE WITHOUT PINKIE PIE WHY DON’T CHA!” A loud voice shouted. The four mares looked up to see Pinkie Pie with a minor upset expression. “P–Pinkie Pie!” Twilight exclaimed. “We’re so so sorry! It’s just that you were asleep, and so I thought–“ Twilight was then silenced by Pinkie Pie’s fore hoof covering her mouth. Pinkie Pie looked Twilight in the eyes with a serious expression, but one that soon grew into a smile. Pinkie Pie took her hoof off Twilight’s mouth. “Heehee! Just kidding!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I was waiting for you guys to come outside, I watched the whole thing!” “Oh, uh, you did?” Twilight asked with a puzzled look. “Yep! And you know what?” Pinkie asked with a giant grin. “What?” Twilight titled her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Pinkie Pie sprang into the air and landed right behind her friends and pulled them in by their necks, bringing them all into a tight hug. “Pack your bags girls, we’re going to the Himalayas!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in her high-pitched voice as she brought a fore hoof up to her curly hair and pulled out five train tickets.
Winter SlumberlandWinter morning in Ponyville is a grand time for everyone that lives in the cozy, little town. Snow falls gently onto the ground replacing the once dirt roads with a blanket of fresh, powered snow. Ponies come outside from their houses wearing cozy sweaters while sipping hot chocolate or warm apple cider, laughing and talking merrily amongst their friends. It’s a time to be happy and cheery, where everypony has a smile adorned on their face. Ponyville’s lake is where ponies would usually go for a swim in hot weather, but was turned into an ice-skating rink from now being frozen over with a thick layer of ice, and ponies saw this as the perfect opportunity to try out some new ice-skating tricks. Many tumbled over and fell, but that wasn’t enough to stop them from having a great time, they were all just happy being around one another since everypony loved the wintertime. Everypony but one. A cyan-colored Pegasus mare with a rainbow mane sat down on the icy cold ground next to a large oak tree on a small cliff near the lake while she held onto something close to her chest. “So are you sure you really want to do this again?” The mare asked with a sigh while looking down at the object that she held in her front hooves. She moved the object away from her chest and turned it around. The object turned out to be a very sleepy green tortoise that looked up at the mare with a smile and a single nod. The mare let out a long sigh that came out in a vaporous form. “Alright, I guess this is just something that I’m going to have to get used to.” She gave the tortoise a bittersweet smile. She then set the tortoise down onto the ground, and watched him start to dig a hole before burying himself underneath the dirt and blanket of snow. This was something that happened every winter; her pet Tortoise, Tank went into hibernation when the cold winter months began which left her all alone in her house during these times, making her really dread the long, cold, lonesome nights that she had ahead of her. The mare stared at the ground where her pet had chosen to take his long slumber for quite some time, slowly becoming lost in thought. “Hey Rainbow Dash!” A very happy, high-pitched voice shouted from behind. She turned her head around and looked behind herself; she saw a pink Earth pony with a curly, hot pink mane wearing a puffy, periwinkle windbreaker jacket with a knitted Laplander hat of the same color bouncing up and down coming towards her. “Hey Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow Dash greeted the pink pony with a slight smile. “Hey! Why so glum, sugarplum?” Pinkie Pie asked her sad looking, prismatic friend. Rainbow Dash let out another sigh. “You remember that Tank needs to hibernate every winter right?” Rainbow Dash asked sadly. Pinkie Pie walked over and sat down next to her blue Pegasus friend and gave her an all too powerful hug. “It’s okay! Tank will come back! He always does!” Pinkie Pie told Rainbow Dash loudly while squeezing her. “Errrrrggg!!! Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash began gasping for breath as she struggled to escape the Earth pony's grip. Pinkie Pie saw the look Rainbow Dash was making and noticed that her face was even more blue than usual, and then quickly let go of her strong grip. Rainbow Dash fell to the ground as she panted heavily. Rainbow Dash quickly sat up and regained her composure and looked back at her bubbly, pink friend. “Yeah I guess… But still, I hate when he has to leave, I just hate being home alone and doing stuff without him.” Rainbow Dash sighed and slouched. “That’s why I came here!” Pinkie Pie said loudly. “I knew I would be able to find you here and I wanted to tell you that tonight around six-ish, Twilight invited all of us to her place for a sleepover!!!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she threw her arms in the air. Rainbow Dash perked her ears up and sat up straight. “Really? Well I don’t know…” Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment, she was still a little upset about Tank leaving. “Ooooo come on! It’ll be fun!” Pinkie Pie tried to encourage her friend. Rainbow Dash smirked. “Ohhh alright.” “Yippee!!!” Pinkie Pie jumped into the air and cheered, colorful confetti somehow exploded from behind. Rainbow Dash started to feel a bit better; she knew that she would eventually have to start getting used to the fact that she would be spending every winter from now on without her beloved pet. “And you still need to tell everypony about your suuuuuper special somepony! Heehee!” Pinkie Pie giggled teasingly. This caught Rainbow Dash off guard. “What?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew wide as she stiffened herself up. “Heehee! Soarin! Don't think that I forgot about your big ol’ crush on him!” Pinkie Pie giggled. Rainbow Dash blushed briefly and looked away. “Heh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash replied slightly embarrassed as she rubbed a fore hoof on the back of her neck. “Hey! So what did happen between you two after that one night?” Pinkie Pie asked as she was eager to know the details of what had happened about two weeks ago since she never got the chance to ask Rainbow Dash herself because everyone had been busy with the preparation of winter for the past few days. “Nothing happened really. I let him stay the night; we didn’t do much since we were both tired from that crazy camping trip.” Rainbow Dash replied. “So he fell asleep on my couch and I knocked out on my bed and when I woke up that morning he left a note saying that he had to leave, but would love to hangout again soon.” Rainbow Dash smiled when she thought about both of them hanging out again. “Awh!” Pinkie Pie clutched her heart after hearing the story Rainbow Dash had told her. “Heh, yeah he has terrible mouth-writing by the way.” Rainbow Dash chuckled when she remembered the chicken scratch writing left on the note. “So are you going to tell everypony about him tonight?” Pinkie Pie asked in her usual, high-pitched voice as she grinned widely. “Ohh… I uhh..” Rainbow Dash mumbled. “Come on! Only me and Twilight know about him! You can’t hide it forever Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie said loudly. Rainbow Dash was reluctant; she wasn’t sure how she was going to tell the rest of her group of friends that she was interested in somepony because she felt that the second she told them, they would either make fun of her, or wouldn’t stop asking her questions about it. She was also still embarrassed by the fact that she, the great and mighty Rainbow Dash, liked somepony. “Oh alright.” Rainbow Dash replied with a slight smile. “But how am I going to tell them? I don’t want to just tell them straight out cuz yah know, that’s just not me.” Rainbow Dash said as she placed a fore hoof on her chest. Pinkie Pie thought for a brief moment before getting an idea. “I know! We can play truth or dare! I’ll suggest it and I’ll choose you so you can ask for a truth question!” Pinkie Pie chirped and began to rapidly clap her hooves together. Rainbow Dash didn’t like where this was going. For one, she never chose truth; she was way too daring for that. “Me choose truth? I never choose truth!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “That’s fine! I’ll just turn the question into a dare!” Pinkie Pie said. Rainbow Dash sighed, “Alright, hey see yah later Pinkie Pie, I’m gonna head back home and get ready for tonight.” Rainbow Dash told Pinkie Pie as she got up and began to spread her wings out. “Alright Dashie! See you later!” Pinkie Pie waved goodbye to her colorful friend. Rainbow Dash waved back and shot up into the cold, cloudy sky. As Rainbow Dash flew through the air, something dangled around her neck–a pair of gold colored flight goggles that were a little too big on her that she had put on before leaving her house that morning. She grabbed them with a fore hoof, placed them over her magenta eyes, tightened the strap, and then increased her speed. Rainbow Dash flipped and twirled through the frosty air before her giant cloud home came into view. She brought herself to a slow glide and aimed herself towards her front door. She landed gently in front of her front entrance and noticed a flat, white, rectangular object placed on her doormat. She couldn’t make out what it was since the frigid air had fogged her goggles up; she then proceeded to lift the goggles up and rested them on top of her forehead. After her vision was now cleared, she then realized what it was: a letter. She picked the letter up and quickly opened it with her teeth and pulled out a folded, white sheet of paper. She unfolded the paper and instantly recognized the chicken scratch writing and began to read: Dear Rainbow Dash, Hey! How’s it going? Just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry for having to leave so soon that one morning, you know how it is at the Wonderbolts academy, haha, so yeah I just wanted to make that up to you and tell you that I wanted to stop by tonight at around 6:00 p.m. hope that’s cool with you! Bye! -Soarin P.S. Might be some time after 6:00, cuz yah know, I’m always fashionably late. :-) Rainbow Dash finished reading the letter and couldn’t help but smile as she felt her cheeks warm up. She didn’t know what it was about that dork, and despite all that had happened that one night, she really did like him a whole lot, and couldn’t wait to see him again for the first time in two weeks. She then opened the door and entered her home. Rainbow Dash’s house had always had that cold, sterile feel to it, and even more so in the winter months due to her being all alone. She sighed at the unwelcoming atmosphere that filled the room as she walked in and quickly closed the door behind herself, setting the letter down on a side table near the entrance. She gave the letter another quick glance and smiled. She was excited to finally be able to see that goofball again later that day and flew upstairs to freshen up a bit and prepare herself for the evening.
Fashionably Late6:01 P.M. Knock, knock, knock Rainbow Dash was sitting at her dining room table munching on a daisy sandwich that she had fixed for herself before hearing a knock at her front door. Rainbow Dash took one last bite of her sandwich before getting up to go answer her door. She walked to her front door and turned the knob while still chewing on the last bits of her meal. She opened the door, revealing a pale blue Pegasus stallion with a goofy smile wearing a navy blue scarf with blue and yellow tassels and a winged lightning bolt embroidered on the bottom end. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened and she quickly swallowed the remains of her food then coughed and cleared her throat. “Soarin!” Rainbow Dash raspily and cheerfully greeted the stallion with a humongous grin and shimmering eyes. “Hey Rainbow! Nice to see you again!” Soarin greeted her back with a smile and threw his arms around her in a tight hug with no restraint. Rainbow Dash tried to suppress a blush; she knew that Soarin had admitted to having the same feelings towards her, but the thought of it made her feel so happy on the inside that she couldn’t help herself. No she did not go to bed every night thinking about him, or would hug her pillow pretending that it was him, or waking up to find herself smooching on her pillow only to find her pet tortoise looking very worried about her, because of course Rainbow Dash, the most awesome pony in Equestria, didn’t do any of that. Soarin let go of the hug. “Here, this is for you.” Soarin said as he lifted his left wing up and grabbed something from underneath it with his mouth. Soarin pulled out a crushed, red rose. Soarin spat out the rose and grabbed it with a fore hoof and gawked at the crumpled up flower. “Oh… Well it wasn’t flat when I got it, heh.” Soarin chuckled at the disfigured rose. Rainbow Dash looked at the rose, just when the stem flopped down. Both Pegasi looked at the rose, then up at each other, and began to share a moment of laughter. “Pfff, gee Soarin, when did you get so sappy?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hah, well I didn’t want to come empty hoofed.” Soarin replied. Rainbow Dash shook her head as she chuckled. “Heheh, here, come inside.” Rainbow Dash moved aside and invited him in. “Thanks.” Soarin smiled and trotted inside. Rainbow Dash closed the door and both Pegasi went over to her couch in the living room. “So what brings you here?” Rainbow Dash asked as she took a seat. Soarin sat down beside her. “Well remember when I asked you if you wanted to do something when winter started?” Soarin reminded her. Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up when she remembered. “Oh yeah! So what did you have in mind?” She asked excitedly. “Well first, I wanted to ask if we can go back to that bakery with your pink friend who works there, that pie I had was amazing!” Soarin beamed. Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Heh, alright that’s fine by me–OH NO! I FORGOT!” She suddenly exclaimed. Soarin was startled by her sudden outburst. “Uh, what’s wrong?” He asked as he tilted his head to the side. “My friends and I are having a sleepover tonight and I completely forgot!” Rainbow Dash replied as she facehoofed. Soarin looked down at the floor with a sad expression since he was hoping to be able to spend a little more time with her, but he didn’t want her to ditch her friends just so she could hang out with him. Soarin sighed and drooped his ears. “Oh… Well I guess I’ll just go then; we can hang out some other ti–” “NO WAIT!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she held up her hooves. Soarin gave her a puzzled look. “I can just head over to my friend’s place and tell them that I’ve got other plans.” Rainbow Dash said. Soarin felt a rush of happiness go through him, but didn’t show it. “Yah sure?” He asked, trying to sound as if this wasn’t what he wanted to happen. “Mmhm.” Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded. “Heh, alright, if that’s okay with you, it’s okay with me.” Soarin smiled, on the outside he was calm, but on the inside he felt like getting up to do a celebratory dance. “Alright then, come on, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash told him as she got up from her couch and swiftly flew out through the front door, leaving a rainbow trail behind. Soarin chuckled as he shook his head and cantered towards the door; before he left, he looked around to see if Rainbow Dash was far away enough before he proceeded to do a little joyous dance and whinny before he casually flew off after the speedy Pegasus.
Game NightIf there was one building that was more different than Rainbow Dash’s cloud mansion amongst the houses in Ponyville, it was Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle, which resembled a large treehouse made out of blue and purple crystals, making Rainbow Dash’s mansion look puny in comparison. Inside the gigantic structure, laughter sounding like it came from a group of fillies was heard. The laughs came from a group of five mares sitting on the inside of a nest made out of pillows and blankets on the floor of the castle’s library. “Alright! That’s the last word, ready to hear the story you guys?” Twilight asked the other four mares as she levitated a quill pen and some sort of booklet with a mystic, purple glow emitting from her horn. “Mhmm!” The four other mares responded. The five mares were playing a game called Pony Libs: A game where you fill in the blanks for a story with different nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on. “Alright!” Twilight said; excited to read what she and her friends had come up with. “A very fat Rarity was at home farting on her couch.” Twilight read the first line and heard snickers coming from all but one mare. “Ack! How repulsive!” A white unicorn with a long, shiny, purple mane argued in disgust with a posh accent. “Relax Rarity, it’s just a game, no harm done.” An orange Earth pony with a blonde mane, freckles, and a brown Stetson hat told her friend in a country accent. “Ugh, I suppose it’s all for good fun.” Rarity said, now feeling a little bit better about the whole situation. “Heehee! Yep! I looooveee this game! It’s so silly!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Hahah, alright shall I continue?” Twilight asked as she chuckled. “Mmhmm!” The four other mares nodded. Twilight cast her gaze back towards the booklet that she levitated with her magic. “She then heard a knock on her door, and skipped towards it and turned the knob with her nostril, and found that her lazy friend, Applejack was standing outside.” Twilight continued. Pinkie Pie snorted then laughed, and began hitting the floor repetitively with a fore hoof, unable to contain her loud laughter. “Relax Pinkie Pie.” Applejack tried to calm down her giggling friend. “And Ahm not lazy!” She smirked and rested a hoof on her hip. “Now darling, it’s just a game.” Rarity said as she smirked. “Just then, her other two friends, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, entered the house by swimming in through the toilet.” Twilight continued on with the story as Pinkie Pie, once again, began to laugh nonstop. Fluttershy, a quiet, yellow Pegasus with a long, light pink mane began to chuckle softly. Pinkie Pie calmed herself after hearing the ridiculous made-up story then gasped. “Hey! Where is Rainbow Dash?! She’s late!” Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew wide. As if right on cue, the five mares heard a tap on the library’s frosted window pane, followed by a familiar, raspy voice. “Hey you guys!” Rainbow Dash called out to her friends as she hovered outside the window. The five mares turned to look at the window. Pinkie Pie’s face beamed when she saw her colorful friend outside the window, and remembered the plans that they talked about earlier with each other. “RAINBOW DASH!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she sprang up from her spot on the floor and aimed herself towards the window, opened it, grabbed Rainbow Dash by the shoulders, pulled her in, and quickly seated her down on an empty spot on the floor. “OKAY TIME FOR TRUTH OR DARE! I’LL GO FIRST I CHOOSE RAINBOW DASH TRUTH OR DARE?! DARE? OKAY I DARE YOU TO TELL US WHO YOU LIKE!” Pinkie Pie shouted loudly and hurriedly. “Uhhh…?” Rainbow Dash looked at her hyper friend with a raised eyebrow. “Hi Rainbow Dash, glad you could make it!” Twilight smiled. “And Pinkie Pie, don’t we already know who Rainbow Dash likes?” Twilight questioned. “WHAT?!” Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy shouted in unison. Rarity, a lover of juicy gossip and romance was a bit hurt that Rainbow Dash, one of her best friends, didn’t tell her about the shocking news. “Darling, why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” Rarity asked as she hovered her head over Rainbow Dash who began to slowly scrunch down to the floor. “Or me!” Applejack, then too hovered her head over her Pegasus friend who shrank back a little more. “I didn’t know either!” Fluttershy said in a hushed voice and flew over to Rainbow Dash and hovered over her as well. Rainbow Dash, whose body was now fully on the ground looked up at her friends who stared at her with wide, shimmering eyes and huge, eager grins upon their faces. Rainbow Dash grunted, “Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie turned to look at Rainbow Dash. “Whoops! I guess I got carried away! Heehee!” Pinkie giggled as she brought up her two fore hooves halfway and shrugged. “EEEE TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!” Rarity squealed, sounding possessed as she shook her arms in front of her face in a vibrating motion. “Girls!” Twilight called out to three mares that still crowded Rainbow Dash. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy turned their heads to look over at Twilight. “I think Rainbow Dash would appreciate it if you would all give her some space.” Twilight told them kindly. The three mares looked at each other, then gave awkward chuckles as they rubbed a fore hoof on the back of their necks, then backed away. “Thank you.” Twilight thanked them as she smiled and gave a single nod. Everypony was quiet for a few seconds. “Eeeee I can’t take it! Please do tell us who it is!” Rarity squealed once again. Rainbow Dash felt her ears heat up from embarrassment; she didn’t know how to deal with all this new pressure that came from liking someone. “Uhh, Rainbow Dash?” Said a boyish voice that completely contrasted with the girly squeals came from outside the window. Right then, Soarin cautiously poked his head in through the window. All six mares stared at the stallion. Rarity gasped. “Oh my! You even brought him along!” She began to quickly clap her hooves together as she grinned. “Uhh… Hi?” Soarin said a little awkwardly. “Here darling, do come in, I insist.” Rarity told Soarin as she patted a spot on the floor next to where she sat. Soarin hesitated for a moment, but then obliged and flew in through the opened window and sat down, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “Oooo!!! Is he invited to our sleepover too?!” Pinkie Pie questioned cheerfully. “Why of course!” Rarity replied. “Uhmm, but… He’s a boy.” Fluttershy said quietly. “Yeah! No stallions allowed!” Applejack joked. “Ughhh you guys!” Rainbow Dash was starting to become frustrated with all the commotion that was going on. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash. “Heh, sorry sugarcube, it’s just that somepony’s getting a little too carried away.” She said as she glanced over at Rarity with a playful smirk. Rarity blushed and shrank her shoulders back. “So sorry, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity apologized quickly. Rainbow Dash sighed, “It’s okay Rarity.” She then walked over to Soarin. “Well yeah, just in case you were all wondering, this is Soarin.” Rainbow Dash pointed a fore hoof at the stallion. “Oh yes! I remember you! The Wonderbolt, correct?” Rarity asked as she batted her eyelashes. “Yep!” Soarin replied happily. “Okay you all met, now come on, Soarin let’s go.” Rainbow said as she found herself starting to grow impatient and more embarrassed by the second. “What?! You’re not staying, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie asked as she frowned. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nope, sorry girls, but there has been a change of plans; Soarin and I are going to head over to Sugarcube Corner.” The other five mares were a bit saddened that Rainbow Dash was choosing to leave, but they all thought it was for the best, especially Rarity. “Alright, ta-ta!” Rarity said and ushered the two Pegasi out the window where they came from before. “Uhm, alright, bye guys!” Rainbow Dash waved goodbye and gave her friends a crooked smile before closing the window behind herself. The five mares in the room were silent for several seconds. “Wow. Who would’ve guessed Rainbow Dash out of all ponies huh?” Applejack chuckled. “Mhmm.” The four other mares nodded. “Indeed. It sure is quite cute though.” Rarity said softly. “So they’re not a couple yet? And how come the only ponies who knew about this were Twilight and Pinkie Pie?” Rarity cocked an eyebrow at Twilight. “Weeeelll It’s kind of a long story.” Twilight replied with a sheepish grin. “Yeah! And she didn’t even admit it at first and kept denying it! Guess she was just trying to keep up her “cool” image, heehee!” Pinkie Pie said as she giggled. “Heh, yeah... That’s our Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said a bit uneasily as she cast her gaze towards the side. “So who’s up for another game?! We can play hide n seek!” Pinkie Pie suggested as she covered her eyes with her fore hooves. “Or hopscotch!” She then took out a stick of chalk from nowhere and drew squares on the floor of the library. “Maybe tag!” Pinkie Pie somehow teleported behind Fluttershy and tapped her demure friend on the shoulder which resulted in Fluttershy letting out a tiny squeak. “MAAAAAHHHJONGGG!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she took out a game box with a weird, foreign-looking design on it. The four other mares in the room stared at Pinkie Pie with quizzical looks. “Uhm, Pinkie Pie, how about we call it a night?” Twilight suggested. Pinkie Pie dropped the box which sent game pieces flying across the floor. Pinkie Pie frowned. “Awhh!! But I’m not even–” Soon after not being able to finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie was out like a light and began to snore loudly as she remained standing up on all fours. The four mares that were still awake tittered at their hyperactive friend as Twilight levitated a yellow blanket and threw it over the sleep-standing Earth pony. “Dear, you can't expect us to just go to sleep when there is so much more that we need to know!“ Rarity complained. “It's still so early!” Twilight looked at her unicorn friend in misunderstanding. “What are you talking about?” Twilight asked the white unicorn with a raised eyebrow. “About Soarin!” Rarity zealously replied. “We need to know more about him to see if he's right for Rainbow Dash!” Twilight gave a wry look. “Uhhh, I don't think that's such a good idea.” “Yeah Rarity, as much as I would also like to know more about it, I think it's best to just leave 'em alone.” Applejack spoke up. “Pft, but we're her friends and we must make sure things go well!” Rarity told her friends. “Now off to Sugarcube Corner!” Rarity cantered towards the library's exit. Applejack and Fluttershy shared an unsure look, then followed Rarity out the door. Twilight stayed behind as she watched with her mouth slightly agape. “W–wait! I'm coming too!” Twilight quickly trotted in attempt catch up with her friends. “Mmm... Cotton candy... Chocolate milk...” Pinkie Pie mumbled as she eccentrically licked her lips in her sleep.
Goin' on a TripSoarin and Rainbow Dash sat at a round, wooden table inside of Sugarcube Corner bakery as Soarin devoured an apple pie that had been placed in front of him. Rainbow Dash watched the stallion eat the pie messily as she chuckled. He was still just as messy as she remembered. Soarin looked up from his pie with a face covered in pie filling. “You want some?” Soarin offered. Rainbow Dash looked down at the pie in slight disgust. “Uh, no thanks.” She replied a bit hesitantly. Soarin smiled and nodded. “So hey, your friends are nice.” Soarin stated as he smiled at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash grimaced at the remembrance of what had happened back at Twilight’s castle. “Oh yeah, sorry about that. Heh, sometimes my friends tend to go a little overboard with things like this.” Rainbow Dash said as she scratched the back of her head. “Things like what?” Soarin asked. “Yah know... me, you, together.” Rainbow Dash replied with an awkward smile as her cheeks turned light pink, slightly looking away in minor embarrassment from her words not coming out how she intended them to. “Heh, hey you know I also wanted to tell you that I chose a place where we can go!” Soarin told her enthusiastically as pie filling dripped down back into the pie tin. Rainbow Dash turned her head back towards him. “Really?” Rainbow Dash’s cheeks beamed as she was eager to hear what he had planned for the two of them. “Well only during this time of the year Wonderbolts get a month off for vacation!” Soarin told her. “And I have decided on going to this ski resort that the Wonderbolts and I used to go to every year, but…” Soarin paused and suddenly had a sad look in his eyes. “But then everypony grew tired of it, so I thought hey, why not take you there?” He said as he flashed a cheeky grin. Rainbow Dash began flapping her wings like a little fanfilly with her face beaming bright as ever. “Yes! That’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash shouted, unable to contain her excitement. Soarin chuckled, “Heheh, I knew you would like the idea of it!” Soarin was also equally excited, he had missed the old tradition of him and his Wonderbolt acquaintances hanging out at the resort, and thought that it would be a great idea to share the fun experience with Rainbow Dash. “So when exactly are we going?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I was thinking about leaving tomorrow morning, is that okay?” Soarin replied. “Yeah, sounds great!” Rainbow Dash was starting to feel giddy from all the excitement that was starting to build up inside of her. “Great! And there are cabins up there that we can stay in!” Soarin said blithely. Rainbow Dash wanted to do a backflip, but contained herself; she couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning. “A vacation to a ski resort? Well that sounds like fun!” Twilight stated. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy stood outside while peeking in through a window of Sugarcube Corner listening intently at Soarin and Rainbow Dash’s conversation. “Why yes, it sure does sound like something she would enjoy.” Rarity commented. "But oh my, he sure is a messy eater." Rarity said as she crinkled her nose. “Y–you guys, it’s really cold out here.” Fluttershy said quietly as she was shaking from the sheer cold of the winter night. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack turned to look at poor Fluttershy who was trembling quite a bit. “Oh dear, hold on Fluttershy, just a few more minutes and we’ll leave.” Rarity told her gentle friend. “O–okay…” Fluttershy whispered and tried to remain patient in the cold. A few moments passed by, the night was getting colder and colder by the minute, Fluttershy’s knees started to buckle as her teeth began to clatter. “Hmmm, I wonder where tha place is at.” Applejack said as they continued to stare through the window. “I would love to check it out some time.” Fluttershy began to shiver slightly more than before. “Yeah, me too, I wonder if it’s nice.” Twilight said. Fluttershy continued to rapidly shake and began rubbing her fore arms while huffing and puffing, sending clouds of vapor into the air. “Indeed, I would love to design a new outfit for such an occasion.” Rarity said as she envisioned herself wearing stylish winter apparel. Fluttershy began taking short, rapid breaths. “C–COLD! SO COLD!” Fluttershy shouted which startled her three friends as she sprang up and flew towards the door of Sugarcube corner and went inside. Ding! The door to the bakery hit against a tiny bell as Fluttershy opened the door and closed it behind herself; she sat down on the floor and sighed in relief when the warm air inside the shop instantly made her feel better. Rainbow Dash and Soarin looked over at the yellow Pegasus on the floor. “Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked as she raised an eyebrow. Fluttershy looked over to where she had heard her name. “Oh hello, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy greeted her fellow Pegasus friend with a soft smile. “What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash questioned. Fluttershy tensed up after hearing the question. “Oh, I uhh…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted back and forth, not sure how to respond. Ding! The front entrance's bell sounded and in came the rest of their friends. Rainbow Dash was now really confused. “Uh, what are you guys doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked. The five mares’ eyes darted from side to side as they began to tense up, mumbling incoherent words as they were unsure how to explain their current situation. “Well?” Rainbow Dash’s tone sounded a bit stern. Twilight cleared her throat. “Oh, oh nothing! Nothing, we were just… Uhh…” “Just in tha neighborhood…” Applejack said through a forced smile. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Hey Dash, I think I should start heading back to Cloudsdale now, I need to head over to the academy to clear out my locker and get ready for tomorrow.” Soarin stated. Rainbow Dash turned around to look at him. “Oh, uh yeah! That’s fine.” Rainbow Dash responded. Soarin got out of his seat and took the empty pie tin off the table and threw it away in a trash can near the front entrance. Soarin turned his head around and smiled. “So I’ll meet you at the train station at 8:30 okay?” He told her. Rainbow Dash smiled back. “Sounds great!” Soarin waved goodbye to all the mares as he opened the door and left the shop. Rainbow Dash watched as Soarin flew off and turned around to look at her friends with a slightly annoyed glower. All mares in the room stayed quiet for a while, none of them mustered out a single word. “Ahem, sorry about all of this, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity was the one to finally speak up. “What are you guys doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked, wanting a clear explanation. “Well yah see…” Twilight trailed. Rainbow Dash sighed, “Just cut to the chase.” “Oh, alright! We just came here to check up on you, darling.” Rarity admitted. “Uh, why?” Rainbow Dash asked as she cocked her head to the side. “Just wanted to see if he’s a keeper.” Applejack said as she winked. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m fine guys, I don’t need any help with this… this mushy stuff.” She said as she looked away, a tinge of red had spread across her face. “Well that’s good to know, see Rarity, she’s perfectly fine.” Twilight told the Unicorn. Rarity sighed, “Ah yes, I guess so, I just couldn’t resist!” All mares chuckled understandingly. “Well I guess we should be going now, you coming Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I’m going to order something then head back home to get ready for my trip tomorrow.” Rainbow Dash replied while trying to contain her excitement. “Alright then, goodnight Rainbow Dash!” Twilight waved to the Pegasus and walked back towards the door. “Goodnight!” Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity said in unison as they all left the shop. “Night.” Rainbow Dash said as she turned around and trotted up to the store’s counter to order herself something before heading back home. The four mares walked outside into the frigid night once again, talking about the events that had just happened, about to make their way back to the castle, but were then stopped by a figure that appeared right in front of them. “JUST LEAVE WITHOUT PINKIE PIE WHY DON’T CHA!” A loud voice shouted. The four mares looked up to see Pinkie Pie with a minor upset expression. “P–Pinkie Pie!” Twilight exclaimed. “We’re so so sorry! It’s just that you were asleep, and so I thought–“ Twilight was then silenced by Pinkie Pie’s fore hoof covering her mouth. Pinkie Pie looked Twilight in the eyes with a serious expression, but one that soon grew into a smile. Pinkie Pie took her hoof off Twilight’s mouth. “Heehee! Just kidding!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I was waiting for you guys to come outside, I watched the whole thing!” “Oh, uh, you did?” Twilight asked with a puzzled look. “Yep! And you know what?” Pinkie asked with a giant grin. “What?” Twilight titled her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Pinkie Pie sprang into the air and landed right behind her friends and pulled them in by their necks, bringing them all into a tight hug. “Pack your bags girls, we’re going to the Himalayas!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in her high-pitched voice as she brought a fore hoof up to her curly hair and pulled out five train tickets.
