Rainbow Dash sighed contentedly after kicking the last cloud from the now pristine blue sky. Well... almost pristine, she had to leave a cloud for her to take a nap as compensation for a job well done, of course. Landing on the cloud, she stretched her wings as she kneaded the fluffy tufts to her liking and then rested on it with a big “poomfph”.
She could see pretty much all of Ponyville from that high up, from Applejack’s farm to Fluttershy’s cottage, it was a comforting view that grounded her when she felt her mind was up in the clouds. Her eyelids felt heavy as her eyes drifted to the library below her, seeing the door open and Pinkie Pie… walk out with a book? Rainbow expected her pink energetic friend to be skipping happily out of the library with a particularly mad librarian yelling at her for disorganizing her books again, but all she saw was a concentrated Pinkie reading from a book she held with her hair.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes a bit to see if she was dreaming, but seeing that she was still in reality, she stood up and took off from her comfy bedding. She flew down until she was just hovering the ground next to Pinkie, but she still didn’t seem to notice her presence. With a raised brow, Rainbow peered over to see the book cover, reading the title “Curious Botany and Bountiful Curios.”
“I never thought you to be an egghead, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash teased as she flew above Pinkie’s head.
Pinkie Pie’s stopped in her tracks as her concentration broke and she looked up at Rainbow with a smile.
“Oh! Hi Rainbow Dash! I was just reading this really nice book Twilight recommended me for this really special party I’m planning today.”
“Huh, and what’s that?” Rainbow chirped and landed on the ground, walking closer to her friend and trying to see the contents of the book.
Pinkie took the book from her hair and displayed the page spread to Rainbow, there wasn’t a lot of text cause of the large picture of a tree she’s never seen before. What captured her attention were the weird-looking fruits that hung from its branches, or maybe they were pods, she really couldn’t tell.
“It’s these cool little things I’m after. Says here that when they’re ripe, they shoot out the most beautiful confetti you’ve ever seen! I would have gotten them earlier but the Cakes needed as much help as they could after they got their cute twins. Ohh, I just can’t wait till their monthiversary!” Pinkie squeed and put her hoof to her cheek in delight.
Rainbow Dash took the book from her and skimmed the pages a bit more, reading something about them having a “limited time frame to harvest before the ficus confettulosa mature and expel their paper-like pollen”. She looked up at Pinkie, who was also looking at the book, but it seemed that she was more interested in the pretty print at that moment.
“Hey, Pinkie, it says here that you have till… sunset for you to get these... and it’s already noon,” Rainbow said as she looked up to the sky and saw the sun at its zenith.
“You’re right!” Pinkie gasped and took the book from Rainbow’s hooves before hiding it within her hair. “Why don’t you join me? I can collect more if you come with.”
“Sure, I’m up for a little adventure!” Rainbow Dash grinned. Going out with her friend beats lazing around anyway.
“Then what are we waiting for? Race you there!” Pinkie giggled and skipped excitedly across the lively streets of Ponyville.
“Hey, wait! I don’t even know where it is!” Rainbow yelled, but Pinkie Pie was already too far away for her words to reach her.
Rainbow Dash quickly took flight and searched around for the party pony, she then zoomed to the left once she saw a bit of a fluffy pink tail disappear from behind a building. Passing the building, she saw Pinkie skip to another corner. She didn’t remember her friend being so hard to race, let alone follow. Her wings beat fast as she swiftly turned to her right and crashed against something.
“Rainbow Dash!”
Or somepony.
Rainbow shook her head and opened her eyes hurriedly so she could try and find Pinkie again, but what she saw was Rarity rubbing her aching behind and Spike picking up the different sorts of fabrics that were splayed on the ground.
“Oh, sorry about that.” She nervously laughed and stood up to take a few of the fabric spools and handed them to Spike.
“You really should be more aware of where you are going, dear,” the fashionista scolded, inspecting the fabrics to see if any of them got dirty.
“Yeah, yeah, have you seen where Pinkie Pie went? I saw her pass through here and I’m supposed to meet her somewhere.” Rainbow rubbed her neck as she searched over her surroundings a bit more.
“Hm? Oh well yes, I think I saw her going to the Everfree Forest.” Rarity pointed to the road that led to the forest while putting a few more of the spools onto the towering pile Spike was miraculously balancing.
“Thanks, guys! Catch you later!” Rainbow spoke out and hurriedly took flight, leaving the two bewildered. Rarity and Spike looked at each other, then to their racing friend, then back to each other and shrugged before going back to their business.
The cyan pegasus followed the dirt road from the sky, on the lookout for her friend. Rainbow could see the forest growing closer and closer before she was right at the edge of it. She settled her hooves on the ground and investigated the place in search for her friend.
“I win!” Pinkie sang from behind her.
Rainbow jumped high and yelled in surprise. She looked back to see Pinkie Pie grinning proudly, making her cheeks tinged with pink. As much as she disliked losing, she’d do it again if she could see that beaming smile.
“I-I only lost on purpose!” Rainbow Dash stammered and rubbed the back of her head.
Pinkie giggled and took a few steps till she faced the creepy and looming woods. Unaffected by the unsettling forest, her hair whipped out the book she had earlier and opened it to the page she was on before she trotted inside.
“Come on, Dash! This book here has a map that’ll tell us where the tree is.” Her voice echoed from the forest.
Rainbow gulped before she cautiously stepped into the eerie forest, trying her best to not lose track of Pinkie.
“So, what’s the plan?” Rainbow Dash asked after finally catching up with Pinkie, looking around for any dangers that might be lurking around.
“Well, we go to the place where they have the tree, we harvest a few of those mini party cannon things, and get out of here lickety-split!” She responded without taking her eyes off the book. Luckily, there was plenty of sunlight that seeped through the trees and illuminated the way, which was good because Pinkie Pie needed it to see the map.
“But…” Rainbow Dash pried. “Where is it? Last time I remember, I’ve never seen a tree like that around here before…” She emphasized and pointed her hoof to some of the trees, which one of the trees retaliated back by whipping one of their wrangly branches at her nose.
“Oh, come on, Rainbow.” Pinkie laughed and stopped to look back at her friend angrily shaking her fist at the tree. “Says here that we’re right about-” She looked straight and couldn’t find her book wrapped in her hair.
Pinkie Pie looked left and right, then put her body low to the ground so she could find the book again.
“Uhh, Pinkie?” Rainbow looked down to see Pinkie below her, peeking at a particularly suspicious rock. The pink party pony paid no attention to her and kept scurrying around to see where the book was.
“Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said flatly, but to no avail.
Pinkie was already up a tree. She inspected the holes that made the tree’s face and put her hoof inside to try and feel for anything that resembled a book. Sadly, all she got were some Everfree Beetles that hissed and scurried off her hoof.
“Pinkie!” Rainbow yelled.
Pinkie Pie jolted and met eyes with her friend. Rainbow’s magenta eyes calmed Pinkie’s racing heart enough for her to climb down the tree and slow her hyperventilation.
“I… I lost the book.” She nervously laughed out as she walked to Rainbow, but her words barely formed a whisper.
“What’s that?” Rainbow inched her head closer to hear Pinkie better.
“I lost the book!” Pinkie blurted out but then immediately covered her mouth.
“What?! But how? It was with you the whole ti-” Rainbow Dash roared, but her surprise was quickly stifled as she heard some noises behind a thicket.
Both of them quickly huddled together as the strange sounds crept closer and closer, the howling of the winds and the scraping of branches only made it more ominous. Rainbow swallowed her fear and marched to the moving bushes. Her heart could almost leap out of her chest at any moment, fearing for what was behind those shrubs.
Then and there, Rainbow was met with the most terrifying and harrowing… frog? She scratched her head as she tried to figure out how she got so scared, no not scared, on edge of such an innocent frog.
“Awe, hehe, what are you doing here Mister Frog? Froggy Bottom Bog isn’t anywhere near here!” Pinkie Pie peeked out from behind Rainbow Dash and went closer to speak with the amphibian, even if she couldn’t understand him.
Upon closer inspection, Pinkie saw that there was a book behind Mister Frog. Of course, this amphibious bandit noticed and hid the book deeper inside the bush.
“Thief!” Pinkie gasped and pointed accusingly.
The jig was up for Mister Frog. He used his tongue to reel in the book into its mouth and bid the two ponies adieu, jumping farther into the forest. Pinkie couldn’t believe the gall of that slimy bandit. She jumped into the bushes and swam among the leaves to find him.
Rainbow Dash was shocked at the events that occurred in front of her, but the shining orange lights hit her vision just at the right angle to shake her back to reality. Realizing the change of the light’s colour, she looked up and noticed that the sun was already starting to lower.
“Pinkie! We need to go to that tree wherever it is now before it’s too late!” Rainbow sputtered out, but Pinkie was still too concerned with that bastardly frog.
Rolling her eyes, she gripped the pink fluffy tail out of the bushes with her teeth and dragged out an infuriated Pinkie that was still throwing her punches towards the frog’s direction.
“Yeah, you better run!” Pinkie Pie yelled to the now empty thicket.
“Come on, we don’t need that book. You already know where it is since you’ve been reading that map ever since we got here.” Rainbow nudged Pinkie with her hoof in assurance.
“Heheh… well about that...” Pinkie intoned as she took a few leaves from her mane.
“Don’t tell me…”
“You know when you look at something for so long and then you immediately forget when you look away?” The party pony stood up and gave Rainbow a shy smile.
“I can’t believe it.” Rainbow’s wings fell down to her sides in disbelief.
“I’m sorry, I just really wanted to have this little adventure with you. But with only just a bit before the sun sets, I guess we can just go home...“ Pinkie lamented, her hair deflated a little bit before she began to walk back to Ponyville with her head down and her body slumped.
It pained Rainbow to see Pinkie look so defeated, she flew up to get a better view of the horizon. There was still about an hour or so left before the sun was to set.
Pinkie felt her head push against something that stopped her from walking out the entrance of the Everfree Forest. Looking up, she was face to face with Rainbow Dash giving her a big grin.
“Come on! I’m not giving up on this just yet!” Rainbow pushed Pinkie to the other way, or tried to, that is.
“You don’t have to, I know you’re just doing this to make me feel better. I’m sorry I wasted your time…” Pinkie apologized, lowering her head more.
Rainbow stopped pushing Pinkie and lifted her head up with her hoof. Pinkie was surprised by the action and turned pink, well, pinker.
“You didn’t waste my time. I’m glad I went with you, you know. I got to spend time with you today, and that’s more than what I can ask for.” She expressed with a smile.
Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened, and for a second, there was silence between them. Rainbow could see her own reflection in those bright eyes Pinkie always had, and even deeper within them, she could see a little hope spark.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Pinkie beamed, her hair bouncing back to its lovely curls.
The two ponies ran inside the forest and searched all over. From the highest tree tops to the lowest swamp, but there was still a narrow amount of time before the sun was to meet with the horizon.
“Have you found anything?” Rainbow piped up from behind a boulder.
“Yeah! So I was checking out this cute leaf I found on the floor and it sorta looked like a splotch of pistachio icing and you’ll never believe it! Next what happened was-”
“I mean about the tree.”
“Ohhhh, well why didn’t you say so? I found the cave where it lives in about a few trees back.” Pinkie pointed up to a mountain.
“What?! Well, why didn’t you say anything?” Rainbow Dash bleated, running to Pinkie so she can get a clear view of the cave.
“That pistachio icing leaf was really interesting!” Pinkie protested.
She squinted her eyes and was able to see the cave that was up a ledge of a mountain not far from them, but seeing the twilight sky above them, Rainbow knew that they’d only have about a few minutes to get there.
“We won’t be able to make it in time! Rainbow, I need you to fly up there and take as many of those tree pods as you can before it’s too late!” Pinkie ordered.
Pinkie Pie saw Rainbow Dash look at the mountain ledge, then at her, before she took off. She wiped her brow and sighed, knowing that there’s still a chance of Rainbow getting what she needed and them making it back home just before it got too dark. Pinkie followed the rainbow trail with her eyes and saw that the trail’s direction was facing towards her.
“Rainbow? Why are you flying at me if the cave is that way-AHH!” Pinkie screamed as she was picked up bridal style by Rainbow. She flailed her lower legs as she looked down at the shrinking ground below her.
“I’m not going there without you!” Rainbow yelled, feeling her wings beat harder than before so she can hold Pinkie and prevent both of them falling to the blanket of trees beneath them.
Seeing as she couldn’t protest, Pinkie stayed as quiet and as still as possible. She could hear Rainbow’s heart beating quickly and feel herself being squeezed tighter, making her cheeks turn bright pink for a moment.
Just as the mountain was already within reach, Rainbow glided down enough for Pinkie to jump off safely to the ledge, although Pinkie did trip a bit among grounding. Once she checked to see that Pinkie was okay, she speeded into the cave. It was cavernous and there were roots burrowed deep all over its limestone walls and dirt floor.
Going deeper, Rainbow finally could see the tree and its pods that hung from the branches. Her body gave her one last ounce of energy to make it in time to grab a few of them.
“Come on!” Rainbow strained before she finally made it to one of the branches, now all she had to do was take at least one and leave.
But it was too late for that.
By the time she tugged at the pod, they began to expand quickly and burst out their confetti. Rainbow panicked and zipped throughout the tree, she hoped to find at least one that wasn’t matured completely. But sadly, that wasn’t the case as all of them erupted their pollen.
Overwhelmed with defeat, Rainbow slowly flew down and sat on the ground, lowering her head. She was too late to get what Pinkie wanted, how can she face her now? How can she tell her that she failed?
Rainbow felt a poke on her shoulder, but she was too bothered to look back. She then smelled the sweet and comforting scent of icing and candlefire from behind her. Confused, she turned her head to see Pinkie with a cake in her left hoof. The cake was small and simply decorated with a few candles.
Rainbow slowly stood up and walked to Pinkie Pie, who had a big smile on her face and bits of confetti on her mane.
“Happy Three-Year-Friendiversary!” Pinkie Pie sang out.
Rainbow Dash stared at her in disbelief, and then looked up at the confetti that danced slowly in the air. It was different from the ones that she saw from Pinkie’s party cannon, they were iridescent and shone with the sunset in the most beautiful way, they almost looked like fireflies when they caught the last bits of sunlight.
“Did… did you plan this?” wondered Rainbow, looking back at Pinkie Pie.
“Well, most of it. It won’t be easy when I have to tell Twilight that I lost her book.” Pinkie laughed out.
“I’ve known you for so long. I really wanted to make sure that today was a day you wouldn’t forget, cause with a friend like you…” She paused, a hint of pink staining her cheeks.
“Every day is unforgettable.”
Rainbow Dash was left speechless, she tried to say something but all she could do was look away in embarrassment.
“Don’t you want to make your wish?” Pinkie lifted the cake a little higher, but Rainbow motioned Pinkie to come with her and started to walk.
The inside of the cave was illuminated by the last bit of sunlight that came through another entrance of the cave, a window if you will. It tinted the inside of the cave with a few lovely shades of reds and purples.
Rainbow took a seat by the base of the tree and patted the ground next to her, removing a few stray leaves before her friend sat down. Once Pinkie sat down and got comfortable, both of them held the lit cake so the candlelight wouldn’t falter.
“Ready?”
Rainbow closed her eyes for a moment before she puffed her cheeks and blew out the candles. Once she opened her eyes, Pinkie already had a few plates and utensils next to them and started to cut a piece.
“Wh-where did you… nevermind. Can you give me a big piece?” Rainbow waited hungrily for her piece, they haven’t eaten since breakfast after all.
Once both of them had their pieces, Pinkie Pie started to ravage her cake. She then noticed that Rainbow had barely touched her cake and was looking at the last inch of sun that laid on the horizon.
“Is something wrong, Dash?” questioned Pinkie with a mouthful of cake.
“Hm? Oh, no, I’m just thinking.” Rainbow chuckled.
“What about?” Pinkie asked after gulping down some of her cake.
“I was thinking about my wish.” Rainbow said as she looked at Pinkie enjoying the last bite of her cake.
“Ohh, what is it? Did you wish to be a Wonderbolt? Or did you wish for all the frosting in the world? Oh, oh, hold on! Did you wish for…”
While Pinkie babbled on, Rainbow couldn’t help but notice a little piece of icing on her cheek.
“... or becoming a shooting star! Well on second thought, I don’t think that one’s a good wish. What do you thi-” Pinkie Pie was interrupted when she felt a kiss on her cheek, turning her to a bright shade of red. She turned her head to see Rainbow with a similar shade of red on her cheeks.
“I wished for every day to be exactly like this.”
