A T(WIL)IGHT SQUEEZE
by Blazewing
Twilight Sparkle was a young unicorn mare, under the tutelage of Equestria’s most gracious monarch, Princess Celestia. She was a brilliant, brainy girl, but prone to relying on logic rather than common sense, though this was somewhat less of late, thanks to her friends. Yes, you heard right: a unicorn whose main concern was her academic studies had friends, some of the best she could have ever asked for: honest, hardworking Applejack; sporty, tomboyish Rainbow Dash; cultured, classy Rarity; sweet, sensitive Fluttershy; and fun-loving, chaotic Pinkie Pie. She also had a wonderful friend/assistant/little brother figure in the form of the baby dragon, Spike. What more could she ask for?
Twilight, due to her studious nature, wasn’t a very athletic pony by habit, but she did reasonably well to keep in shape, and she wasn’t bad-looking either: violet coat, straight-cut purple mane and tail, energetic purple eyes, and a cutie mark of a six-pointed star. As time went on, however, due to her schedule, she tended to lapse, and was showing signs of putting on a little weight in her middle. No one else criticized it, though, as they knew she didn’t get out very much, and this was a perfectly reasonable explanation for it. Nothing truly bothersome concerning it happened until one day…
***
It was her and Spike’s designated “overhaul” day; every nook and cranny scrutinized and dusted with vigor. That meant taking all of the books off of the shelves, dusting the shelves, dusting the books themselves, and putting them all back where they belonged. A normal task in itself, except for the fact that their home was a library. Actually, Spike never agreed to a day like this, but was dragged into it anyway by a combination of respect for Twilight, a sense of duty, and preference to avoid being scolded for not doing his part. So, very early in the morning, there he was, sweeping the floor with as much enthusiasm as an automaton on low battery power. Twilight, on the other hand, was showing remarkable zeal, using her unicorn magic to lift objects from their place, give them a thorough dusting, and set them back.
“Come on, Spike, pick up the pace!” said Twilight. “The sooner we finish, the sooner we have to enjoy the rest of the week!”
“But Twilight…” Spike groaned, punctuated by a yawn, “you already clean up faster than Pinkie Pie cleans her plate. What do you need me for?”
“Spike,” said Twilight, in a stern tone, “that’s not the right attitude. I can’t clean the whole place on my own. Everybody’s got to do their part. Look, even Owlowiscious is contributing.”
Twilight’s pet owl was indeed lending a wing to the clean-up job. He was picking up tiny scraps of loose scroll paper and putting them in the waste bin. Spike gave another groan. When he had first met Owlowiscious, they started off on the wrong foot, and he wasn’t about to try and start that up again now.
“Ok, ok…” he said, finally, and got back to sweeping, much to Twilight’s satisfaction.
“That’s the spirit! Now let’s hurry. We want to get a good bit of it done in time for breakfast. I’m starved.”
Spike, as he swept, took a moment to glance at his mentor/big sister figure. Her appetite had increased recently, though he couldn’t pinpoint why, and was starting to get a little plump in the middle. Of course, he had no reason to jab at her about it, seeing as his preferred diet consisted of rare gemstones, and he wasn't exactly slim either. So, he said nothing and kept on cleaning. He was interrupted by a loud hooting, and saw Owlowiscious swoop over to Twilight, a letter clamped in his beak.
“Oh! Thanks, Owlowiscious! Could you give it to Spike to read for me?”
The owl turned to Spike and handed him the letter.
“Thanks, buddy,” he said, and opened it, clearing his throat. “‘Dear Twilight, I know this might seem like short notice, but the annual Apple family reunion is today, and I would be pleased as a pig in a mud bath if you and the others could join us, as you all are so much like family to me. Your pal, Applejack.’”
“The Apple family reunion’s today?”
When Twilight and Spike had first arrived in Ponyville, the first pony they had met formally was Applejack, who wasted no time in introducing the two to her whole family at Sweet Apple Acres, of whom only her older brother Big Macintosh, little sister Apple Bloom, and grandmother Granny Smith stayed with her in Ponyville. The rest were spread out all across Equestria in orchards of their own. Twilight had reluctantly stayed for brunch, but now that she had gotten to know the Apples better, the idea seemed much more exciting.
“What do you think, Spike? Should we go?”
“Definitely! That is, if we can get cleaned up in time.”
“Oh, we’ll worry about it once we get back! Come on! We can just make it if we hurry!”
Setting her duster aside, she levitated Spike onto her back, making him drop his broom.
“Owlowiscious, can you keep an eye on the library while we’re away?”
The little owl gave her an affirmative hoot, and she and Spike hurried off outside.
***
By the time they had reached the gate to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight was out of breath. There, standing under the arch, was Applejack, an Earth pony (meaning she had no unicorn powers or ability to fly) with an orange coat, blond mane and tail loosely tied, freckled cheeks, and a cutie mark of three red apples on her flank. As always, she wore a brown Stetson hat on her head, and sitting beside her was her pet dog, Winona, who barked in greeting when she saw Twilight and Spike.
“Twilight! Glad y’all could make it!” Applejack said, her voice carrying a strong Southern accent. “Ah hope mah letter didn’t arrive too late for ya.”
“Not at all, Applejack,” said Twilight, regaining her breath, “and I hope you don’t mind me bringing Spike. I didn’t want him to be all by himself.”
“Course not! When Ah wrote to ya, Ah meant to include Spike in the invitation. He’s always welcome!” She beamed at the little dragon, who smiled back. “Come on, now, you’re the last to arrive!”
She led them across the farm over to the big barn at the end, where the sound of talking was almost deafening. Inside, the farm was jam-packed full of ponies, mares and colts, all talking amongst each other. In one corner, Twilight could see Big Macintosh, a stoic red stallion with a cutie mark consisting of half of a green apple, who wasn’t much of a talker, but was an unstoppably hard worker. He was listening to Braeburn, a yellow colt who happened to be Applejack’s cousin from the Western settlement of Appleloosa.
Over in another part of the barn was Apple Bloom, a yellow filly with her red mane done up with a large pink bow, but with no cutie mark unlike her other family members. She and two friends of hers were part of a small group that regularly tried to discover their true talents, which was what allowed Equestrian ponies to earn cutie marks.
As usual, Granny Smith, an elderly green mare with her white mane and tail done up in buns, and an apple pie by way of cutie mark, was asleep in her rocking chair. Granny Smith was a lovable, feisty old lady, and one of the very first settlers of Ponyville.
And there, in the center, were Twilight’s four other friends: Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash was a sky-blue pegasus with an unruly, rainbow-colored mane and tail and a cutie mark consisting of a cloud with a multicolored lightning bolt. It was her job, as was the case with most pegasi, to monitor the weather, though she was a little lax with this. She was extremely competitive, obsessed with winning, and was perhaps a little rude at times, but she was a very loyal friend when need called for it.
Rarity was a pearl-white unicorn with her purple mane and tail done up in elegant curls, her cutie mark made up by three blue lozenge diamonds. She was Ponyville’s foremost fashion designer, her specialty being anything encrusted with gems. She was the archetypal 'uptown girl living in a small-town world', always yearning to make it big with her designs. She came off as rather snooty, dramatic, and obsessed with order, but was always ready to sacrifice it all for the sake of her good friends. On top of that, her little sister, Sweetie Belle, was one of Apple Bloom’s best friends.
Pinkie Pie was a pink Earth pony with a very poofy, frizzy magenta mane and tail, her flank adorned with a cutie mark of three balloons. Her whole life was dedicated to making ponies happy, and indeed, she seemed to exude an air of irrepressible joy wherever she went. She was an expert on parties (she threw them very regularly), a connoisseur of sweets, and friend to everyone she met. There were times where her behavior got on her friends’ nerves, but she was also fun to be around.
Fluttershy was a yellow pegasus with a pink mane long enough to hide her face behind, which she might have been prone to do on occasion. Unlike most pegasi, who lived in the appropriately-named Cloudsdale, she preferred to live on the ground, in a cottage near the Everfree Forest. She was an animal caretaker, and friend to all critters big and small, so it made sense for her to have a cutie mark of three butterflies. She was painfully shy, hardly ever raised her voice, and tended to fret over small things, but she was extremely sweet-natured and happy to please.
“Girls! I’m so glad you could make it too!” said Twilight, coming over.
“I wouldn’t miss an Apple family brunch for the world!” whooped Pinkie, bouncing, as she usually did, as if she were on the surface of the moon.
“And it was so nice of Applejack to consider us family…” said Fluttershy, in her meek way.
“Especially considering how much family she has,” said Rarity, who always spoke with a hint of an aristocratic accent in her voice, “meaning no offense, of course.”
“And besides, they’re the only ponies I know besides Pinkie Pie who really know how to pull off a cool party!” said Rainbow.
“It certainly is quite the turnout,” said Twilight, looking about at all of them. “I just wonder how soon brunch is. I’m really hungry!”
As if to answer her query, from outside, there came a loud, metallic ringing, as of someone clanging away at a triangle.
“SOOOOUP’S OOOON, EVERYPONY!” came Applejack’s voice.
Right on cue, every pony in the barn came rushing out and stampeded across the farm yard, Twilight and pals included. An enormous, cloth covered table had been set up, and everyone had a spot along its sides. Applejack, Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith sat at the head, followed by her friends. The table was already laden with a massive amount of apples and apple treats: caramel apples, apple pie, apple crumble, apple strudel, apple cinnamon crisp, just to name a few. Twilight’s mouth was watering, as was Spike’s, at the sight of this spread. However, Applejack stood up and tapped a bottle of apple juice beside her with a spoon held between her teeth.
“Before we dig in,” she said, “Ah’d like to propose a toast, to our special guests: mah good friends Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Ah know it seems a might irregular, but, to be perfectly truthful…they’ve been like family to me ever since Ah’ve known them. To Twilight and friends!”
“To Twilight and friends!” came a chorus of Apple family voices. Twilight smiled at Applejack.
“Thanks, AJ…”
“Ah meant every word of it, Twi,” she said, with an equally warm smile. “And now,” she said aloud, “on your marks…get set…CHOW!”
***
It was going on noon by the time everyone had eaten their fill, and Twilight and Spike had just excused themselves, saying they still had work to do. No one seemed regretful at her parting, as they knew this was just Twilight’s habit, so she wished all of the visiting Apples goodbye and safe travels, and made her way home, while everyone else continued to talk. Twilight walked slowly, as she had eaten about as much as she had been forced to eat upon first arriving in Ponyville, her belly quite distended and hanging between her legs. She didn’t feel quite as sick as last time, however. Spike was still munching on a caramel apple on a stick.
“Boy…” he said, “when those Apples cook, they really cook!”
“Tell me about it,” agreed Twilight. “I still feel like I could eat a little more, but we can’t let ourselves get too far off track.”
“Right…” Spike groaned.
They finally arrived back at home, but to their surprise, they found Owlowiscious flying past with a dust rag in his talons. Everything looked sparkling clean.
“Owlowiscious…did you do all this?” Twilight asked, amazed.
Owlowiscious gave a small hoot and pointed with his wing. Three more animals had joined him, all carrying various cleaning implements. One was a tiny alligator, carrying a dusting brush in his toothless mouth. Another was a little rabbit holding a sponge. The last was a tortoise with an odd, propeller-like apparatus on his shell. These were Gummy, Angel, and Tank, pets of Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow, respectively. The only ones not present were Winona, who was obviously still at Sweet Apple Acres, and Opalescence, or Opal, who was Rarity’s pampered and bad-tempered Persian cat. It seemed Owlowiscious had summoned them there to help.
“Wow…this was so nice! Thanks, everyone!”
Gummy gave his tail an energetic little twitch, Angel grinned and gave Twilight a chipper squeak, and even Tank, in his slow way, smiled.
“You’d better hurry, though, before you’re missed,” she went on.
As if in agreement, all three of them scurried out the door.
“Owlowiscious, you really are a marvel,” Twilight said approvingly.
The little owl settled on her back and gave her an affectionate nuzzle.
“You know what this means, Spike? We’ve got the rest of the day to relax!”
“I was hoping you’d say that!” Spike said, and he leaped off of her back. “Race ya to the top!”
He sprinted upstairs, laughing, but when he stopped at the top, he found that he had won by a landslide. Twilight was plodding her way up very slowly, her full belly wobbling with each step she took. Spike looked concerned.
“You ok, Twi?”
“Yeah…I think I just ate too much, that’s all.” She finally made it up. “I’ll be fine, Spike, really. I just haven’t eaten so much since we first arrived.”
She gave him a reassuring smile, then, as she turned, she cast a curious glance at the wall.
“Hey…what’s that?”
“What’s what?” Spike followed her gaze.
Her vanity had been shifted to the right, and where it stood, there was a small hole in the wall, a mere crawlspace. Spike took one look at it, and became immediately apprehensive.
“Oh, that? It’s probably nothing.”
“It can’t be ‘nothing’, Spike,” said Twilight. “I have a hole in my wall! I’m gonna check it out.”
She trotted over to it.
“B-But there could be, uh…something unpleasant in there!” Spike blurted.
Twilight stopped at the hole and looked at him from the corner of her eye, in an amused way.
“Spike…is there something you’re hiding from me?…”
“What? Aw, c’mon, Twilight, when have I ever kept a secret from you?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, and Spike rethought what he said.
“Ok, so maybe I’ve fibbed a couple times, but I just don’t think you should go lurking in that hole.”
“Oh, stop being such a scaredy-dragon. I’m just going to take a peek inside, that’s all. What is it, a shrine for Rarity?”
Spike blushed. It was no secret among his friends that he had a crush on Rarity, and to an extent, it was reciprocated, but only to that extent. Twilight got into a crouch, which seemed difficult for her, with her bloated middle. Her horn began to glow with a purplish light.
“Hmm…looks like it goes pretty far back…”
She began inching her way forward, poking her head and front hooves through.
“Kind of looks like a tunnel…must be a pack rat or something…”
She edged forward a little more…and then stopped short. It wasn’t a voluntary act, however. What she hadn’t noticed, when she examined the hole, was that it was much too small to allow her bulky belly to pass through, and it was now plugged up against the rim of it, keeping her from going any further. She strained and groaned as she tried to push herself forward.
“It’s…a little…snug…” she grunted.
Then, she stopped, and Spike saw her brace her back hoofs against the wall and try to push herself out, but it was no good. She stayed put, her stomach firmly lodged.
"Uh oh..."
“What's wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked.
“…I think I’m stuck…” she said.
“Well, not much of a surprise there,” Spike began.
“And don’t give me any ‘diet’ jokes!” she said, pettishly, giving her tail an angry flick.
“I wasn’t gonna say anything!” said Spike, defensively, prompting Twilight to sigh.
“I’m sorry, Spike. This is just a little frustrating. Can you help me get out?”
“I can try.”
He hurried over to assess the situation. It didn't look very pretty. Even if Twilight were at her normal weight, she most likely would not have fit through the hole, at least not very easily. Filling up at the Apple family brunch hadn't helped at all.
“Would you want to be pushed in or pulled out?”
“Well, if I were pushed in, I don’t know how I’d get back out,” she said, sounding as if she were trying to stay patient.
“Good point. Hang on, then.”
He grabbed her long tail and gave a hearty tug on it.
“OW! Don’t pull my tail, Spike! Pull on my legs if you have to!”
“Oh! Right, sorry…” Spike said, sheepishly.
Being such a little dragon, he couldn’t manage much of a grip, but he grabbed Twilight’s back hooves as best he could and pulled. Her stomach seemed to stretch from the effort of pulling, but didn’t budge from its trap. After taking a small breather, Spike tried again, but with no better results. Twilight was stuck fast.
“It’s no good, Twilight…” he said, panting. “I can’t budge you…”
“Well, thanks for trying, Spike,” said Twilight, sadly.
“But don’t worry! I’ll get the others! Maybe they can help!”
“Oh! That’s a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I dunno, but I’ll be back as quick as I can!”
Going as fast as his little legs could take him, Spike sprinted out of the library, leaving Twilight to ponder over her predicament alone.
“I guess I haven’t been keeping track of my weight…” she said, sadly. “How could I have let this happen? I’m always on top of everything! How could this slip my notice?…And in all honesty, I really should have let Spike go in first. He could have fit in easily…”
She didn't know how long she remained that way, staring down the dark tunnel, miserable, alone, feeling just like that silly old bear who had eaten too much honey. Then, all of a sudden, there was a clatter of hooves and rush of wings that told her that her friends had arrived.
“Whoa nelly!” came Applejack’s voice. “You all right, sugarcube?”
Twilight was about to answer, when there came a burst of laughter from Rainbow Dash. A thud and an “Ow!” told Twilight someone had cuffed her.
“Honestly, Rainbow Dash, how can you laugh at poor Twilight’s predicament?!” asked Rarity, sternly.
“I got caught up in the moment!” said Rainbow, in an angrily offended tone. "Ya didn't have to hit me. Sorry, Twi."
“Don’t be sorry, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I’m not too happy with myself either.”
“Aw, come on, Twilight,” came Pinkie’s chipper voice, “don’t be such a saddy-stucky face! Well, actually, I can’t tell what your face is, cuz you’re stuck the wrong way around!”
“Gee, thanks, Pinkie…” said Twilight, bitterly.
“Does it hurt, Twilight?” asked Fluttershy, concerned.
“It’s all right, Fluttershy, I’m not hurt. It’s just pretty uncomfortable.”
“How did you get like this anyway?” asked Rainbow. “I mean, you’re no athlete, but you’ve always been pretty trim.”
“I don’t know how it happened…I’ve just been finding myself eating a lot more recently…”
“Probably because you’ve spent more time studying, skipping meals a lot, before recently,” said Spike.
“Yeah, that may be it…”
It wasn’t unreasonable for a pony as dedicated to her work like Twilight, but it had never been this bad before.
“Hey, now, don’t sound so depressed, hun,” said Applejack, reassuringly, “it happens to the best of us. Ah mean, look at me. Ah eat like a horse, if’n you’ll pardon the expression.”
“Yeah, but it’s normal for you. You’re a work-pony.”
That was true enough; Applejack was one of the most athletic ponies in Ponyville, and despite her voracious appetite, she burned off all of those calories apple-bucking, giving her a toned physique.
“How about me?” asked Pinkie. “I eat tons of sweets every day!”
Again, nothing truer could be said; on a normal day, Pinkie was usually the plumpest out of all of them. Her appetite for sweets knew no bounds.
“But you’re always burning off all of that energy…” said Twilight. “I don’t have any excuse…”
Everypony was silent, concerned for their friend.
“I think we’ve wasted enough time,” said Spike, firmly. “Let’s get Twilight out of there!”
This was met by a chorus of enthusiasm from the five ponies.
“Now, don’t be fretting or nothing, Twilight, but this is necessary,” said Applejack.
Twilight was confused at this, but then understood the meaning by the touch of something around her plump middle. Applejack had lassoed her around the waist, good and tight. She couldn’t help letting a giggle escape as it tightened.
“What?” asked Pinkie, sounding curious. “Is there something funny in there? I wanna see!”
“No…it’s just…I’m ticklish…” she whispered, meekly.
“Pardon?” asked Rarity.
“I’m ticklish…” Twilight said, louder.
“Huh…I never knew that…” Spike said. “You’d think after so long-”
“Now’s not the time for idle gab, Spike,” said Applejack, who had taken the other end of the rope in her teeth. “Y’all stand back.”
She gave a mighty heave, and Twilight felt her back end jerked backwards, but her belly still remained jammed in the hole. The stubborn work-pony dug her hooves into the floor and yanked mightily, teeth firmly clamped onto the rope. Those who knew Applejack personally would never have believed the difficulty she was facing; their Applejack, rodeo champion of Ponyville ever since she was a filly, one of the strongest apple-buckers found anywhere in Equestria, finally lacking in her trademark muscle when she needed it the most. Preparing for and taking part in the Apple family reunion had most likely thrown off her better concentration.
At last, she was forced to let the rope drop from her mouth.
“Land sakes…Ah must’ve been slacking lately. Sorry, Twilight.”
“You put in a valiant effort, Applejack,” said Rarity, “but perhaps where brute strength fails, a little magic prevails.”
“Brute?” Applejack blurted, angrily, but Rarity was already at work, using the magic from her horn to telekinetically grip the wedged unicorn.
“Hold tight, darling,” she said.
Twilight then felt a great tug and heard Rarity grunt with the strain, but her effort didn’t produce any better effect than Applejack’s. Now, naturally, Rarity was no powerhouse; her entire focus was on fashion and beautification, but those who had the pleasure of her better acquaintance knew that beneath her prissy, clean-freak exterior beat the heart of a pony who could flip from cultured and classy to frighteningly hot-tempered in the blink of an eye, especially when it came to either her work or the plights of her dear friends. Today, however, was different, and despite her earnest efforts, she just couldn’t summon the strength she was looking for.
After a few more attempts, she was forced to give in as well
“Well…I’m sorry, dear, but I’m stumped…”
“Surprise, surprise,” said Rainbow, in a snarky tone, causing the fashionista to glare at her. “Watch how a pro gets it done!”
Rainbow scooped up the rope in her teeth and hovered into the air. Then, without warning, Twilight felt herself jerked backwards again. Rainbow was straining with all her might, wings flapping furiously, teeth holding the rope so tightly that it would have snapped in two otherwise, but Twilight still didn’t budge from the hole. Besides being winner of the Best Young Flier’s Competition, and the only pegasus in living memory to pull off the fabled Sonic Rainboom, a trick once derided as an old mare’s tale, Rainbow was Ponyville’s other prime athlete, next to Applejack. Her one zealous desire was to impress the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s top daredevil fliers, with her own tricks and be asked to join their ranks, and thus was always looking for ways to improve herself. Besides that, however, and in contrast to her usually brash and boastful nature, Rainbow had a heart of gold, and would never abandon her friends for anything in the world. Unfortunately, even with this unwavering dedication to her best pals, her pegasus muscle just couldn’t extricate poor Twilight, and she too was forced to quit.
“Man…no offense, Twi, but you’re one stuck pony…”
“So I noticed…” grumbled Twilight.
“Um, I don’t think we’re going about this the right way…” Fluttershy said, tentatively.
“Oh? You got any bright ideas?” Rainbow asked.
The unconvinced look she was giving Fluttershy made the latter regret speaking up. She squeaked and hid her face behind her mane.
“Well…no, forget I said anything…”
“Ugh! This is so like you, Fluttershy! Why can’t you ever contribute something useful for once?!”
Fluttershy hung her head.
“Hey!” Pinkie cut in, defensively. “You leave her alone! You don’t know if her idea will be stupid or not!”
“And what did you plan to do, Pinkie? Throw a PARTY and hope that would make things better? Maybe a ’It’s Ok That You’re Stuck, Twilight’ party?”
Pinkie’s ears lowered, hurt by this jab to her talent.
“Now, see here!” Rarity interjected. “This is no time to be insulting everypony!”
“And you're one to be talking about insults??” snapped Applejack. “Calling me a brute?”
Rarity rounded on her, a scandalized look on her face.
“I called you nothing of the sort! I merely said ’brute strength’-”
“Well, them’s fighting words in my book!”
Applejack interrupted, leaning in so that she was snout to snout with the prissy unicorn, her vibrant green eyes narrowed.
“Then I suggest you find a different author…” said Rarity, coldly.
“Why, you-!”
The library exploded into assorted arguments and insults, every pony except Fluttershy and Spike in full career. The former had clapped her hooves to her ears to block out the arguing as best she could.
Inside her trap, Twilight hung her head, tears brimming in her eyes. This was ridiculous…if her friends were reduced to squabbles on her account, then she might never get out. They were arguing because of her, because she had let herself get this way...
Spike, who had been beside Twilight the whole time, resting a gentle claw on her side, and now cringing from the arguments between the four ponies, started as he felt Twilight's body twitch. She had been reduced to quiet sobs in the midst of all this. He felt a surge of compassionate pity flow through him, replaced soon after by hot anger, almost hot enough to expel itself as dragon fire. He took in a deep breath and yelled,
“QUIIIIIEEEEEEET!!!!”
Immediately, everypony stopped right where they were, staring at Spike in stupefaction.
“Look at you all! Poor Twilight’s trapped, completely helpless, and all you can do is insult each other when she needs you the most! What would the princess say if she saw how you were acting?!”
Everypony looked at each other, ashamed with themselves. If Princess Celestia had indeed been present, she might have had some choice words for them…
“Now,” said Spike, regaining his patience, “I say we let Fluttershy tell us the idea she had.”
Rainbow was about to speak, but a sharp glare from the baby dragon cut her off.
“Go ahead, darling,” said Rarity, encouragingly, “we’re listening.”
Fluttershy looked up, though her confidence was little bolstered by the fact that all eyes were on her now. At last, she tentatively spoke up.
“Um…well…I’m only speaking from past experience…but once, I got my hoof stuck in a birdhouse when I was feeding the robins. I was worried I was going to be stuck there for a long time…If Angel hadn’t brought soap and lathered my hoof up, I might not have been able to get out…So maybe, if we soap up Twilight’s tummy, and then all of us pull together, maybe we can get her out.”
Everyone gazed at her, as if stunned.
“Fluttershy…” began Rainbow, sounding humble, then enthused, “I was wrong. That’s the best plan we’ve had all day!”
“You…you mean it?” Fluttershy asked, startled.
“Yeah!” said Pinkie, bouncing in place. “This situation calls for saturation!”
“A brilliant idea, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “I only wish we’d thought of it sooner.”
“Guess we were too mule-headed about our own strengths,” said Applejack, “that we were too busy to use brains instead of brawn. Good work, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy looked embarrassed, but pleased at this praise.
“I’ll go get the soap!” Spike said, greatly heartened by this new turn, and he scampered off quickly. In next to no time, he had returned with a bar of bath soap.
“This might tickle, Twilight, but it’s to help you get out.”
He got to work, rubbing the bar along Twilight’s belly, where it was crammed into the hole. Indeed, it did tickle, and Twilight’s tail swished furiously as she tried to stifle her giggles. Hearing the giggles made Spike smile, however, because he knew his friend was in good spirits again, and would hopefully soon be free. At last, Twilight’s middle was slick and shiny from the soapy coating.
“All right, girls, and Spike,” said Applejack, saying the latter as an almost-forgotten afterthought,” grab a hold of the rope.”
Everyone took their rope in their teeth, Spike in his claws. Rarity, at first, seemed adverse to picking up the rope in her mouth, seeing as Applejack and Rainbow had held it in theirs, but a stern look from Applejack checked her squeamishness.
“It’s for Twilight…it’s for Twilight…” Rarity repeated, mentally preparing herself, before finally taking hold of the rope.
“On the count of three…one…two…THREE!”
Everypony gave a mighty tug on the rope. At first, it didn’t seem to work, and Twilight was still as stuck as ever. Then, everyone felt the rope go extremely taught from behind. Fluttershy, who normally wasn’t very strong, was pulling with a strength they had only ever seen once before, when her motivation was roused at the thought of losing to their old foe, Discord. It always seemed like it was the quiet, soft-spoken ones that had the most violent bursts of strength and attitude when least expected, and Fluttershy, sweet innocent Fluttershy who was so delicate that her own shadow used to spook her, was no exception to this rule.
Inspired by the shy pony’s show of strength for her friend, everypony gave another great heave, and, slowly, very slowly, Twilight began to inch backwards. She was coming loose!
"Keep going, everypony!" Spike cried. "We're almost there!"
They all gave another tug, and at last, with a pop like a cork escaping from a bottle, Twilight came flying out and bowled right into them, knocking them all in a heap. The rope was still tightly bound about her soaped middle, and there was some dust in her mane, but otherwise, she looked perfectly fine.
“I’m out…I’m out!” she squealed. “Oh, everyone, thank you so much!”
All at once, she was mobbed on all sides by a warm group hug from her close friends, no, her family, as Applejack had so designated them.
“I’m so sorry for causing so much trouble…”
“Oh, you have nothing to be sorry about, dear,” said Rarity.
“It’s us that ought to apologize,” said Applejack, “for getting to feuding when you needed us.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it, girls. I just wish I knew what that hole was all about.”
At these words, Spike sighed.
“Well…it did cause all this trouble. I guess you ought to know now.”
As everyone watched, Spike ducked down and clambered inside the little tunnel. A few moments later, he returned, carrying a large bit of paper wrapped into a neat scroll.
“I was hoping to keep it hidden away until your birthday,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t want you looking in it.”
He unrolled it, and everyone but Twilight gasped, then “aww”-ed. She, for her part, was too stunned to speak. It was a hand-drawn picture of her and Spike, surrounded by a big red heart, and underneath were the words “TO MY BEST FRIEND, TWILIGHT”.
“I’ve been spending my free time in there getting my artwork right,” he said, a little sheepishly. “…Do you like it?…”
Everyone let go of Twilight so she could approach Spike. A warm, teary-eyed smile filled her face.
“…I love it, Spike…” she said. Then, after a moment’s pause, “Come here, you…”
She grabbed Spike and hugged him against herself, nuzzling the top of his head with her cheek. Her friends all smiled at this affectionate display. Spike nestled himself against her belly.
“Wow…you’re even better to hug this way…” he said. Twilight giggled.
“Don’t get too cozy with it, Spike. It’s not gonna last too long.”
“I know, I just wanna enjoy how snuggly you are while it lasts.” She grinned and gave him a playful noogie with her hoof.
“Do you think this warrants a letter to the Princess?” asked Fluttershy.
“Maybe, but I doubt this is something to bother her about. If anything, it’s taught me that I need to go on a diet.”
Everypony laughed good-naturedly at this.
“Still…” said Applejack, apologetically, “Rarity, ah’m sorry I got so huffy with ya.”
“Oh, no, no, Applejack,” said Rarity, “it is I who should apologize for insulting you like that.”
“Ah, I know you didn’t mean it,” said the hardy farm-pony, throwing her foreleg around Rarity’s shoulders.
At first, the fashionista looked uncomfortable with the gesture, but she’d learned by now to ignore such invasions of personal space if it was her close friends, and so gratefully accepted AJ’s embrace. Rainbow, for her part, was looking uncomfortable, not looking at Fluttershy or Pinkie.
“Listen, guys,” she said, “I’m not too good at eating humble pie-”
“No one is, silly,” said Pinkie. “It tastes like *blech*!”
She punctuated this with a “gag me” expression, complete with her tongue sticking out. Rainbow raised an eyebrow, then continued.
“But…I’m sorry I acted like that towards you both. Fluttershy, your plan worked after all. And Pinkie, I should know better than anypony to never insult your party skills.”
“Oh. Rainbow Dash…” said Fluttershy, in that softly sweet voice of hers, “you know we can never stay mad at a good friend like you. We all were a little out of temper.”
She leaned in and warmly nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek, getting a soft smile from the boyish pegasus. The tender moment was evaporated, however, as Pinkie sprang in between them and grabbed the both of them in a tight hug.
“And I forgive you too, Dashie! I’d say this calls for a celebration! Cupcakes on me!”
This idea was met with a collection of groans from everyone present. They were still full from the mountainous Apple family brunch they had all come back from, and the thought of other foods mingling with their already full-to-capacity stomachs was nauseating. Pinkie looked around at them, confounded at their lack of enthusiasm, but perked up almost immediately.
“Oh well! More for me!”
