Humming happily to herself, Carrot Top bumped the door to her house shut, pausing for a moment in the little hallway to take a glance at the small mirror on the wall above the umbrellas. Smiling happily to herself at what she saw, she entered the sitting room, her smile grew slightly as she caught sight of her reflection in the nearby window. She spent far much more time sweating out in her field and garden, growing her carrots and flowers, than taking care of her appearance, but her infrequent visits to the spa always left her looking great and feeling even better. She had no idea how those two fillies made her feel so good, but she really didn’t care. Especially after they’d gotten rid of the growing pain between her shoulders. This little makeover wouldn’t last long, she knew, especially considering that she was going to be out in the field again in a couple of days, making sure no birds, animals or hungry cross-eyed pegasi helped themselves to the new crop growing out there.
“Glossy, smooth coat,” she noted to herself, running a hoof across her side and indulging in a slight wiggle of her hips. “Shiny hooves and ...” she paused, glancing around to make sure that she was alone and nobody was on the other side of the window before tossing her head, giggling as she watched a cascade of orange curls fall over her reflection’s face.
“Looking good, Goldy!”
Carrot Top sighed, peering around the room for the source of the familiar voice.
“I told you not to call me that, Berryshine,” she muttered in reply. “But thank you, anyway.” Eventually finding her friend, who had somehow squeezed herself underneath the couch, she rolled her eyes. “I hesitate to ask, but what are you doing down there?”
“Practicing!” Berry Punch replied happily, rolling over onto her back and grinning up at Carrot Top. “When Ruby comes over and we play hide and seek, I’m going to beat her this time!”
“ … you’re practicing to play hide and seek with your little sister?” Carrot Top raised a brow.
“Yes!” Berry chirped happily back.
“Which you keep losing? To said little filly?”
“Yes, but that’s going to change today.” Berry rolled back onto her stomach, her mane sticking up in messy clumps, a few inexplicable cat hairs stuck to it. Neither of them even had a pet, so those hairs really confused Carrot Top. “She’s coming over in a few minutes and I’m going to be ready for her. I spent all day studying the garden and I know where the best hiding spots are! I’ll beat her this time – I have a plan, and it’s foolproof!”
“Foolpro-“ Carrot Top sighed, resting her face in both of her forehooves. “Did you take the time to look at the sky while you were out there?” Leaving Berry beneath the table, Carrot Top settled down into her chair, waving at the window and the sky outside. “It’s going to rain soon, and the pegasi said it’s not going to be a little one. You’ll both get soaked.”
Berry Punch waved a hoof dismissively. “A little rain never hurt anypony.”
Shaking her head in amusement, Carrot stayed quiet, jumping slightly when somepony knocked at the door. Chuckling at her surprise, Berry trotted past to the door. A few moments later, she popped her head back into the room. “Ruby’s here!” she called gleefully. “Do you want to join us?”
Glancing at the window, which was already showing a few drops of rain, Carrot Top shook her head, her intricately curled hair bouncing against her cheeks. “I think I’ll pass,” she answered. “Somepony here has to act like an adult. Besides, my mane …”
“You’re a silly pony,” Berry replied, sticking her tongue out. “No fun, either.”
“I’m fun!” Carrot Top protested as Berry disappeared. “I just don’t see the fun in messing about in the rain.”
As the rain began to fall in earnest, Carrot dragged a log over to the fireplace, putting it in place before reaching up for the matches. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ruby Pinch, Berry’s little sister, stalking around the garden, peering carefully – and adorably, Carrot thought - into every nook and cranny. Her hoof hit her face when she saw Berry creeping along behind her sister, carefully keeping out of sight, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth in concentration.
Walking over to the window, Carrot Top smiled as Berry pounced on her sister, the two laughing as they rolled over together in the rain and increasingly muddy ground. Looking around the warm, dry and empty room, Carrot Top sighed.
“I really am a silly pony,” she muttered to herself, glancing at her reflection in the mirror, giving her mane another admiring look. She still had no idea how those spa ponies made it look so shiny.
“That’s not how you play hide and seek!” Ruby Pinch protested between giggles as her sister tickled her.
”Yes it is!” Berry disagreed, grinning. “It’s the other way of winning – surprise tickle victor- argh!”
Tackled off of her sister by an orange blur, Berry burst into helpless laughter as a pair of hooves hit the sensitive spots in her sides.
“No – no fair, Goldy!”
“Maybe not, but I still win!” Carrot Top grinned as she tickled her friend.
“Not for long, though!” Carrot yelped as Berry flipped her over, returning the tickling.
As the two alleged adults rolled around in the garden tickling each other, their manes drenched and plastered against their faces, Ruby rolled her eyes and trotted back into the house.
Half an hour later, the two ponies trotted back into the house.
“I thought you didn’t want to mess up your pretty mane?” Berry asked, sniffing as she tried to shake some of the rain out of her mane.
“I decided fun was better than a pretty mane. Besides,” Carrot grinned as she looked at the mirror, her mane hanging in long, straight sheets. “I make this look good.”
“I make it look better,” Berry grinned, her shorter mane simply plastered to her face and neck.
“Do I have to tickle you again?” Carrot Top asked arching a brow.
“You can try, Goldy.” Berry grinned.
Turning the kettle on, Ruby sighed as she listened to the two adults bicker. “And I thought I was meant to be the child here.”
Partly because she wanted an answer, but mostly to distract the adults from how the cookie jar had mysteriously and inexplicably lost a lot of its contents while they were both outside playing in the rain, Ruby trotted over to her sister.
“Why are you staying here now, anyway?” she asked. Above her, Carrot Top and Berry Punch exchanged a glance.
