Walking on Clouds

by Kapuchu

Rating: teen
Tags: Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance
Length: 17044

Twilight hasn't sent a friendship report to Princess Celestia in over a month and looks to Rainbow Dash for help.

Not much more than two years ago, Princess Celestia tasked Twilight Sparkle with studying friendship in Ponyville. Here she's made more friends than she would've ever believed she needed, or thought possible.

Despite Celestia saying that she only wanted friendship reports whenever any of Twilight or her friends learned something new, Twilight wants to send one again, but doesn't have anything new.
At Spike's suggestion, she seeks out her cyan friend for help. What will that small encounter lead to?

:pinkiegasp: What is this? A fanfic by Kapuchu that ISN'T sad? And, oh my, it is still incomplete. Outrageous I say, outrageous!

Cover image by the lovely GreatLeonopteryx. Thank you for taking my request finishing it before "A few weeks" had passed, as you said it would. took only 1 week:yay:
Character tags & additional story tags may be added over time. I still don't know if I'll make it Slice of Life, or I can pull it off as being one continuous story without large timeskips.

Teen for some potential drinking & language in the future, and maybe sexual themes.

Published 2013-04-09 16:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-24 19:11:44 UTC

Chapter 1 - Throwing Stones

“What’re you doing, Twilight? You’ve been sitting there for the past three hours and not moved an inch.”

“I’m trying to finish this letter for the Princess. Problem is, I don’t know what to write.” Twilight replied with a weary sigh. “It’s been quite some time since I sent the last friendship report, and I want to sent her a new one soon.”

“Didn’t the Princess tell you to only send a report when you learned something new about friendship?” asked Spike, taking a few steps closer to look at the paper adorned only with ‘Dear Princess Celestia’.

“I know, Spike.” The Librarian grunted, resting her forehead on the stand upon which the paper lied. “But when it’s been over a month since the last letter, I feel like I owe it to her. What if she thinks that I’ve forgotten about it, or doesn’t care about my studies anymore?”

Spike couldn’t hold back a facepalm, this was so Twilight.

Twilight just ignored her assistant’s exasperated gesture and lifted her head up from the stand to continue her rant. “What if she decides to send me back to magic kindergarten, or what if she doesn’t want me to be her student anymore because she thinks I don’t take my studies seriou-”

*Slap*

Spike stood with his right claw lifted, a small red mirror image of it plastered on Twilight’s cheek. Said unicorn shot him a venomous glare, to which he chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with the already raised claw.

“Hehe... Sorry. Anyway, Twi, she’s not going to send you to back to magic kindergarten or stop being your mentor. You should know, you’ve lived with her by your side for the better part of your life. She’s like a surrogate mother to you, and a grandmother to me.”

Twilight chewed a bit on this piece of information. It was true. Princess Celestia was very much like a second mother to her, and as a direct result of that, a grandmother to Spike.

Eventually, she perked up and turned to her green and purple assistant. “You’re right.” She said at length.

“I’m sure she’ll forgive me if I’m a few days late. It’s only a little more than what she’s already waited for, so.” She returned her gaze to focus fully on the dragon beside her, boring her lilac gaze into his. “Spike, if we want to avoid me being sent to the moon or worse, we need to have a friendship report done within four days. Any ideas?”

Spike groaned audibly. How had he put up with this mare for the past fourteen or so years? His entire life in fact? He could’ve sworn that she’s freaked out more times than she’d ever made assignments or other reports for Celestia. There was that one time when she literally begged Celestia not to punish her for emptying the stash of coffee she had been given two days before she got a new stash of it. Twilight had stared up at the monarch in disbelief when she had said that finishing your supply of coffee before you got a new one wasn’t a sin. It took her, believe it or not, a whole quarter of an hour before she actually believed that she hadn’t sinned or disappointed her mentor in some way.

That is the price of being so obsessed with schedules. Even the most minor side-step from the schedule was enough to bring the unicorn librarian over the edge and beeline for the crazy train, Spike silently commented to himself.

"Twilight..." He muttered exasperatedly as his right claw rubbed its way down his entire face. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?”

“Overreacting? I’m not overreacting!” The few hairs standing on end, and the pupils that were ever so slowly starting to shrink said otherwise. Everypony aboard! The Crazy Train is about to depart.

“So, Spike. Any ideas?” asked the mare who was slowly succumbing to insanity.

Okay... There is one way out of this, and that is to actually give her an answer. That would both prevent her from getting a one-way ticket to the Equestrian Asylum, and make sure that neither of her friends had to deal with her when she was like this again.

“How about going to see Rainbow Dash? She and Fluttershy has been friends for years, ever since their flight camp days. I’m sure she’d be able to tell you a few things about friendship. Out of the six of you, she and Flutters are the ones we know of to have had the longest standing friendship.”

Twilight's mane returned to a state that had a semblance of normalcy. It did, however, not return completely to normal, a few errant strands of hair was still sticking out from her mane. It was a step forward at the very least.

Her brows creased a few moments later, an stray thought had made its way to the surface of her mind. "Spike, why Rainbow Dash and not Fluttershy? Fluttershy lives on the ground after all."

"You know Fluttershy, right?" He asked, "I don't think you're going to get her to tell you anything about her past, not even her friendship with Rainbow. She did have a hard time back when the two of them were in Flight School after all, being bullied, being a very weak flier and all that.

"That makes sense -wait!" She turned to look at Spike with a mask of confusion strapped onto her face. "How do you know about Fluttershy's time in Flight School? I don't think you were there when we all told each other our Cutie Mark stories after the CMC had tracked us all down to hear it."

"Remember last week when you asked me to deliver that book about rare birds to Fluttershy and I came back an hour late?" Twilight nodded, remembering that day. "Well, I delivered the book and I was invited for tea. I accepted and we got talking. We eventually reached the subject of my early life and I ended up asking how her childhood was, and... yeah. It was a sad tale."

It made sense, Twilight had to agree on that. Fluttershy was far too shy and timid to get anything out of without plenty of coaxing and a lot of patience, and Twilight just didn't have the time for it.

"So, Rainbow Dash!" The Unicorn exclaimed, finding joy i the one fact that she know had something that looked like a plan. "I'm looking forward to the lecture about hers and Fluttershy's friendship she's going to give me!"

“Uuh... Twilight?” Spike asked. He was looking at her with a slightly puzzled expression, as if he wasn’t quite certain how to formulate what he was about to say. “I don’t think you’re going to get a lecture out of her... It’s Rainbow, remember?”

Twilight’s ears laid down along her skull. That was a detail she had not remembered. Rainbow Dash was a speedster and tomboy. She was about as likely to give a lecture as Rarity and Applejack to make a switch-a-roo when it came to their jobs. Thinking about it, Applejack in a dress and Rarity in galoshes was quite the humorous thought. Twilight couldn’t quite hold back a soft chuckle. “You’re right,” She said, still fighting the small fit of giggles that had overcome her. “But what should I do then? I can’t very well just walk up and knock on her door. She lives in a cloud home.”

“Well...” Spike drawled, scratching his chin in thought. “You could...”

“What the hay is that noise?” Rainbow complained. She had been in the middle of a very interesting thing. She had been doing it for the past three hours and she wasn’t tired of it yet. It wasn’t a book she was reading, and it totally wasn’t a custom made Daring Doo safari hat that hung on the bed’s poster.

“Rainbow!”

Okay... Now the noise was accompanied by phantom voices calling her name, great. Or, wait. However faint it was, even for a pegasus, the voice sounded familiar. And that noise sounded very much like-

*Crash*

Yep. Rocks hitting a window, and the said window was now broken. Rainbow put down the not-Daring-Doo-book on the night table, beside the totally-not-custom made-Daring-Doo-Safari Hat, and trotted out her bedroom and towards the front door to her home.

She opened it, went out, and closed it behind her with a kick of one of her hind legs. A few steps further and she had her head stuck over the edge of the cloud platform. Only to receive a small rock right between her eyes.

“Hey! What the buck is the big idea!? First my window, and now my face too! Why, I should- Oh, hey Twilight.” The cyan pegasus took of and lazily glided to the ground where she landed in front of Twilight and gave her a very confused look. “Umm, Twi. Why did you just throw a rock in my face and another one through my window?”

“Heh, sorry about that.” Twilight said. Her face was adorned with a sheepish grin. A purple glow surrounded her horn, and a similar glow covered the small bruising area where her rock had impacted with Rainbow’s forehead. The glow slowly diminished and the resulting pain of the stone reduced in tandem. “There,” she said after a few moments when the pain had more or less disappeared. “That should do it. Again, sorry! I just wanted your attention.”

“Ookay...” Rainbow muttered, dragging the word out a little as she pressed a hoof against her forehead, testing to see if there was any pain. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly since it was Twilight who had cast the spell, the pain was gone. Her forehead felt like it had before it became a crash test site for rocks. “So why did you want my attention? You’ve got it now, all 120% of Rainbow ‘Awesome ‘ Dash!”

Choosing to ignore Dash’s typical boasting, the librarian jumped right into the fray and forgot everything Spike had told her. “I need you to give me a lecture on friendship! I haven’t sent a report to the princess for over a month, and since you and Fluttershy have been friends for longer than any of the other girls have been, I figured you’d be able to tell me something!” Twilight sat down on her haunches with an expectant look on her face. Her ears were perked up and turned towards the pegasus.

Twilight couldn’t quite help but notice how pretty the rosy eyed pegasus actually was.

…Well of course they were pretty. From a solely scientific standpoint, of course.

“Umm... Twi,” Rainbow started. “I don’t give lectures, y’know. I’m not an egghead.” An apologetic smile flashed across her muzzle. Sure, she’d love to help her friends whenever they were in a pinch, but nopony would ever catch her giving a lecture. That was just too un-cool.

Twilight, on the other hoof, chose to deliver a deadpan stare instead. One that spoke a simple, very simple, message. ‘Are you kidding me?’

The lavender mare’s horn lit up and an ethereal screen materialized beside her, hovering one and a half feet above the ground. A certain scene played on the screen, a very short one that didn’t stretch more than a few seconds. It was a scene of Rainbow Dash, dressed in a black catsuit, the hood hanging limply. The on-screen Rainbow Dash drew in a deep breath and let it out in a defeated sigh. “I’m an egghead.” It said in a sad voice.

The real Rainbow Dash could easily feel her cheeks heat up in an embarrassed blush. It didn’t help when a small glint of light appeared and revealed a certain book hovering in Twilight’s magical aura. It was a book whose cover showed a dark taupe coloured pegasus with a multi toned grey mane and cerise eyes. Not to mention the ever present jungle green jacket and safari helmet. The header said ‘Daring Doo and Quest for the Sun and Moon stones’.

“I-is that the n-new Daring Doo novel?” Rainbow gasped, her ruby eyes drawn to the cover of the book like a bug to a lamp. “The one that’s sold out from Canterlot to Fillydelphia?” Twilight nodded and started floating the book around. Up and down, left to right. Even 360 degrees around the cyan Pegasus.

The librarian couldn’t quite hold back a chuckle as she watched her friend turn around herself, constantly keeping her eyes glued to the cover of her fictional idol. There was nopony cooler than Daring Doo. Well, apart from the pegasus herself if she had her way. “It is.” Twilight said, nodding. “I managed to get a single copy. So... You weren’t an egghead?”

Twilight may normally be a sweet and kind pony, somepony that you could come to if you needed any help, and she’d help you, or just one that would be the ear to listen to your trouble. She was a friend of friends, even if she had only had actual friends for a good two years now.

“That’s so not cool, Twi. Using Daring Doo against me? C’mon! Play fair!” Rainbow whined after she finally tore her eyes from the cover of the hovering book and directed her cerise gaze at her nerdy friend. “You know it’s the only book I ever read! And I only admitted to being an egghead because I-ugh-Gaah! Okay, what do you want Twilight? I’ll do anything! Just please, let me read that book!” She gestured towards the book that was now hovering beside Twilight’s head.

“I want you to teach me something new about friendship,” Twilight started explaining. She let the book blink out of existence for now. She may have need it of later. “I know you and Fluttershy have been friends for longer than any of the rest of us. I figured you’d know something about friendship that I don’t.” Rainbow was listening attentively, though one of her eyebrows was raised slightly in confusion. Twilight continued. “It’s been a month since I last sent a report to the Princess, and I know that she said only to send a report when we found out something new, but it’s been so long... I’ve decided to give myself four more days to write and send the report. I’m sure Princess Celestia won’t mind waiting four more days for the report, or sending me back to magic kindergarten.”

Ugh, this again? I swear, Twilight, someday you’re going to level the entirety of Ponyville with one of your crazy fits. Rainbow shook her head, trying to get rid of the disturbing thoughts. “Okay... Sure, whatcha wanna know?”

“Anything! Anything I don’t know or could learn something from!” The lavender Unicorn exclaimed. She was in too much of a hurry for her own good.

“Okay, Let’s see... Well, Fluttershy and I met in flight camp, as you know. We kinda just hit it off then and there. There weren’t many ponies that bothered to talk with her since it was about as easy to get more than a few squeaks out of her as it would be to make Discord good.” She made a few strange gestures with her front legs, trying to emphasize just how impossible it would be to make Discord a good pony.

“Point being, barely anypony bothered to talk to her. That’s when I came by. I just started chatting. Sure it was more like a monologue than anything, but after awhile she started to warm up and came up with a few stories of her own. Most of them were a few stories from her childhood that she found funny, such as the one where she played vet with her dolls, or “plushies” as she called them. We just kinda... became friends after that, y’know? Like back when I crashed into you and all that.”

Twilight’s eyes rolled, almost on their own accord. “Yeah, I remember that.” She then mumbled something about hurting more than her bookfort collapsing.

“Yeah so... After that, we just started hanging out. I’d talk, she’d occasionally add a little thing of her own, and we’d just be together without any real reason. Sometimes we’d even find stupid excuses just to be together!”

Find excuses just to be together? That’s new... Hmm, I can probably use that somehow! Twilight smiled and gave an appreciative nod in her cyan friend’s direction.”Thanks Rainbow! I think you helped me. I’ll see you later!” She then turned around and broke into a light canter towards the library.

“See ya, Twi!” Rainbow called back and took off, heading for the cloud castle she called home.

Author's Note

Hello there everypony!

So, yeah, my friend Kobalstromo sort of pushed me into trying to write something other than my typical sadfics. I think it turned out alright... Well, I'll see how well I did with chapter one when the comments start rolling in :derpytongue2:

Whatever the case, I would like to thank Switches and Zervziel for helping me edit this chapter. I trust they will be there for next chapter which is already underway.

That being said, I will update infrequently. I am no good at deadlines, and it will end up crap if I force it out. I want to make this good.

Chapter 2 - Solutions at the dinner table

I wonder what all that was about? A certain rainbow maned pegasus mused to herself, as she laid her head back on the small cloud she used as a pillow. She wanted me to teach her about friendship, ‘cause I’ve been friends with ‘Shy for so long, but... why me? I’d have thought Fluttershy would be more likely to give her the ‘lecture’ she wants. Oh well. She let out a small shrug, derailing that particular train of thought.

With a small grunt the cyan pegasus got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. On her way, she passed the living room where Tank, the tortoise, was walking around, playing with a ball. If him pushing it with his head could even be called playing.

“Come on, Tank. Dinner time.” Rainbow Dash called to him and continued out to the kitchen, where she poured some reptile chew in his bowl.

The tortoise himself slowly came trudging out, one eternity-long step after the other. Rainbow would’ve facehoofed if it wasn’t because she loved him so much. He was the only one she had ever actually loved.

A frown quickly replaced the smile she had adorned her face just moments ago.

Twilight Sparkle, personal protegé of the solar diarch Princess Celestia herself, sat by her desk, looking down at a piece of blank paper. A quill was held aloft in her signature purple aura. She had been sitting like that for two hours since she got back from Rainbow’s, and she still hadn’t been able to get get anything written on the report for her mentor.

Sure, she had given herself four days to work on the report, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t start with a hypothesis of sorts, right? All she had was Rainbow’s statement that she just spent time with Fluttershy and that’s why they were such old good friends. So far, all she had written was a more formal copy of what Dash had said, a simple reproduction of the cyan mare’s words.

She sighed and trotted over to the window, no point in standing there and glaring down at the paper. It would do her about as much good when it came to the report as just idly spending time with her friends would.

A light bulb went off inside Twilight’s head.

“Spend time with my friends! That’s it! Rainbow said that she just spent time with Fluttershy, and that was how they became such good friends! I just need to be together with one of my friends for a while, so that I can learn how to be as good friends as Rainbow is with Fluttershy!” The unicorn was nearly ecstatic at this point. She had finally found the solution to her problem; spend time with one of her friends for an extended period of time. There was just one problem. “Who should I spend time with? And I can’t very well just drop by and say ‘Hi! I want to spend time with you. Mind if I stay here with you for no reason?’ No... I need a reason.”

The lilac unicorn started pacing her room, muttering to herself, while Spike watched from a sideline, not daring to interrupt. He knew how his caretaker was when she was thinking. Three words summed it up nicely; Do not interrupt. Instead, he set about making something to eat. One look out of the window, or at the clock if you didn’t want to count the time from the position of the sun, revealed that it was close to dinner time.

“So... What should I make today? I could make some alfalfa soup for Twilight, I’m sure she’d like that. But for me...” He rubbed his scaly chin with a claw, thinking over his options. A few moments later, and he snapped his fingers, having decided what he wanted. He hopped up on the kitchen table and opened one of the upper cupboards, peering inside. He smiled and chuckled as he reached out for a large bowl in the back. It was filled with several delicious gems; emeralds, sapphires, rubies, malachites, even- “Topaz! Yeah, I think I’m taking a topaz for dinner. Topaz and-uuh...” His draconic features scrunched up in thought, a dozen different recipes racing through his head. How did he want his topaz? It was an incredibly solid gemstone and would be a tough chew, even for him.

Eventually, he just shrugged and took out the large topaz, put the bowl back into the cupboard, closed it and jumped down. He’d take a couple slices of bread and then just eat them together with the orange gem.

“Twilight! Dinner’s ready!” He called after roughly twenty minutes when the soup was finished. “So... What did you find out?” Spike inquired, munching on a piece of bread as the lilac unicorn sat down on the chair opposite him. Judging by the look of her face, she’d at least made some progress with the whole ‘report to the princess’ thing.

Twilight looked up from her soup with a thoughtful frown creasing her brows. “Well, I did plan on visiting each of my friends in turn to see who I should spend some time with. I could just pick one at random and then just spend time with them like that, but I’m afraid it won’t work like that.” She sighed, took a spoonful of soup and continued. “I managed to compile a list of pros and cons for each of them, and they were all almost equal! Same number of pros and cons for each of them.” She lowered her head onto the table in frustration, careful to avoid hitting the bowl of soup.

“Applejack is dependable, honest, earth bound-- no pun intended. But she’s stubborn as a mule, borderline work-a-holic, and not very talkative. Fluttershy is kind, compassionate, and a good listener, but she’s incredibly shy, too scared to offend someone so she doesn’t voice her own opinions, and too indecisive.”

“Then there’s Pinkie Pie. She’s fun to be around, very talkative, and you can always count on her to keep a secret, provided that you make her a promise first. But...” She let out a barely audible groan as she had to list yet another set of cons. “She’s far too hyperactive and will tire you out in no time, it’s nigh on impossible to get a word in edgewise when talking to her, not to mention that she can get so annoying after a short while. Rarity; She’s a good listener and talkative as well, so long as it doesn’t involve getting dirty, you can have an amazing time with her, and let’s not forget that she’s the best there is if you need advice concerning appearance or something else.

“Her downsides? She’s a bit too prissy and focuses too much on being ‘lady-like’.”

“Hey!” Spike exclaimed indignantly, slightly offended at having his crush insulted by Twilight pointing out her flaws. Twilight chose to simply ignore his outburst and kept going.

“If you want to do something with her, it will never amount to much more than gossiping or dress-up. The big winner being her vanity. Sure, she’s pretty --beautiful even-- but it gets a little too much when she has to spend ten minutes in front of the mirror because a single hair is out of place.” She sighed, finally reaching the last of them. “And then there’s Rainbow Dash. She's probably the most complex of them all. She's lazy beyond comparison, but a really hard worker when it's called for. She's also a braggart but has the skills to back it up... most of the time anyway, and when she doesn't she possesses a determination to achieve said skills. She's reckless and rarely thinks before acting, but the biggest flaw she has, I think, is that she has a very hard time sharing her insecurities. I'd really wish that's something she'd share more of.”

The unicorn finally picked her head up from the table and continued to eat her soup, a thoughtful frown the only constant feature on her face.

“What do you think I should do?” The lilac unicorn asked after a few moments, watching her assistant over the rim of her spoon with an expectant look on her face.

“Well...” Spike began, scratching his chin with the still living half of the topaz. His eyes had trailed towards the ceiling and his free hand idly tapped against the table. “You could try to visit them one after the other. Start with, say, Rarity? Then go for Fluttershy, and then just wing it?” He suggested with a small shrug, taking another bite from his topaz.

Twilight sat there staring into the soup, as if it held the answers to all the answers in the universe, including the question she was currently mulling over; how was she going to solve this problem with that report to the princess? Was it really as simple as Spike said? Could she just spend a few hours or so with each of them, and then decide who she would try and spend time with to ‘learn the lesson’, and enable her to write that report to Celestia?

It couldn’t hurt to try.

“My only fear is that the rest of the girls will feel like I’m ignoring them.” Twilight muttered with uncertainty in her voice. “I don’t want them to think I’m favouring one over the other.”

Spike reached over and carefully laid a hand on Twilight’s hoof comfortingly. “Twilight, they’re your friends. They won’t think less of you even if you choose to be with one of them a little more than the other. It’s perfectly natural! It’s like how I prefer emeralds rather than sapphires.”

A smile spread across Twilight’s lips. Those were surprisingly wise words from her number one assistant. He was usually a little bit dense, but he couldn’t help it. His mind was still mostly that of a child so it was excused... Sometimes.

“Thank you, Spike. I’ll make sure to remember that. Who do you think I should visit first?”

“Rarity, I’d say.” He suggested with a smile that quickly turned dreamy as his thoughts drifted to the purple maned mare that held his fancy. Twilight only smiled a little knowing smile, practically able to see the hearts in his eyes.

A few minutes later and they had finished their dinner. Spike was doing the dishes and Twilight returned to her writing desk. She had a few things to plan out.

Author's Note

Chapter two is here!
And I'll have to apologise for the length. It wound up being a bit shorter than I had expected. I'll try and make up for it in Chapter Three which I have vowed to myself will be out before 13th of May.

Again, I would like to thank Switches and Zervziel for their help with proof reading and editing this story.

Chapter 3 - Under the tree's shadow Part 1

Maybe Caramel? Nah... he’s a bit too chipper, I think. Lucky? Oh, right. He’s taken by Daisy. Rainbow Dash sighed and directed her gaze to the clear sky above her, watching a few lazy clouds floating about without any pegasi to guide them. Or as much of the sky as she could see through the branches of the tree in the hills outside of Ponyville, whose shade she was currently dozing in, enjoying the feel of a calm spring breeze blowing through the branches above her and the feathers of her wings in the late afternoon.

Since the day before, shortly after Twilight had visited her, she had been mulling over the fact that she had never actually been in a relationship before. She had never been approached by anypony nor had she approached others. It was as if Twilight’s question had started a small chain reaction that ended up with her realising that she’d never been in love before, never felt butterflies in her stomach other than when she was free falling.

“I wonder... what about that Time Turner guy?” She mused quietly while idly playing with a few stray hairs of her mane, twirling them around her hoof again and again. “I don’t think I’ve seen him with any mare, or stallion, in more than a friendly manner. Though I did see Cloud Chaser eyeing him a little a few days ago, but she’s with Blossom so that’s not really possible.” The pegasus groaned and banged the back of her head against the tree’s trunk. “Stupid love, stupid emotions, stupid thoughts making me want romance.”

“You? Wanting romance, of all the ponies in Equestria you actually want romance?” A mirthful voice said from a few metres behind Rainbow. It was light and familiar, holding a tone of mild mischievousness.

Upon turning around with a little, startled yelp, the ruby eyes fell upon a lilac pony that was as familiar as the voice with which she spoke. If her lilac coat and dark blue mane with purple and pink highlights didn’t give her away, the star speckled flank did.

“Hey Twilight!” Dash said with a smile and motioned for her unicorn friend to come closer. “And just for the record, you didn’t hear anything. We clear on that?” Her tone had gone from casual to half serious half nervous as if fearing that someone might have heard her musing about which stallions were available for the romance-craving mare to pick.

“Don’t worry, Dash, my lips are sealed. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey-Argh!” Twilight Sparkle had, yet again, poked herself in the eye with her hoof while trying to perform the Pinkie Promise, eliciting a bout of raucous laughter from her cyan friend.

“Oh-haha-oh Twilight, I-I know I shouldn’t be l-laughing but- haha- that’s far too hilarious.” She had one leg wrapped around her barrel to try and keep her sites from hurting, whereas the other was busy trying to quell her laughter by filling her mouth with her own hoof. It took almost half a minute, but she finally managed to get a hold of herself enough to speak normally. “So why are you here, Twi? Got bored of the dusty books and came to seek out the town’s most awesome pegasus?” The trademark grin spread across her muzzle, her previous embarrassment completely forgotten.

Twilight chuckled and blushed herself, the lilac fur on her cheeks gaining a small bit of pink as blood flushed to her face in a traitorous plot of giving away a tidbit of what she was thinking of, or hinting at what she had been through.

“Well... Both yes and no. I’ve been meaning to talk to you today, but I’ve visited the rest of the girls as well. You could say it’s tied to what I came to talk to you about yesterday.”

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow, her attention fully on the unicorn. “Oh?” she said. “What’s this about? And what happened?”

“You sure you wanna know?” Twilight asked hesitantly, fidgeting a little with her hooves. A few things happened that were a just a little embarrassing.

Rainbow nodded with a smile on her face. Judging by Twi’s face there would be some entertaining stories from what had happened today, and she was not one to pass up a nice story to tease her friends with.

“Yeah, Twi, I wanna know. So tell me, what’ve you been up to?” Her hooves found their way to the back of her head and she leaned back against the trunk of the tree with her head turned to Twilight, awaiting her story.

“Well, alright... here goes nothing,” she mumbled and plumped down besides the pegasus and started talking.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes were running across the length of paper held in her magical aura in front of her, scanning, by her standards, the small checklist of items she needed to do before the end of the day. She was looking for anything she may have missed, any small detail that she had overseen.

She turned her head and looked at another list, this one placed on the pedestal in the Library’s main room, trying to find anything on that one that wasn’t on the magically airborne paper. Finding nothing wrong, she rolled the parchment together, and with a ‘poof’ it disappeared.

“Everything seems to be in order... Spike, you sure you can look after the library until I come home?”

Spike looked down at her from his position atop a slightly wobbly ladder and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Twi, I can take care of it. I’ve done it before, remember?”

Twilight smiled and nodded, glad to know that she could trust her number one assistant to looking after their home. “I know you can, Spike, I just wanted to be sure is all. Remember to eat something other than gems while I’m away. I know you think they taste good, but they’re not much more than candy to you.” Spike grunted in confirmation, showing that he had heard her. “Alright, I’ll head out then. See you later!”

“See ya, Twi!” He waved, only to lose his balance and fall down on the floor with an ‘oomph’. “Ugh, thick scales is a win.” He mumbled.

Outside, Twilight was making her way towards Carousel Boutique for her first stop of the day; Rarity. She was going to spend some time with her to see if she could achieve the same thing between them that Rainbow and Fluttershy had.

“So you went to Rarity’s? Big deal, get on with it!”

“I’m trying to tell a story here, Rainbow. Be quiet please.”

Ten minutes later and the large and colourful building known as Carousel Boutique was within sight, only a few hundred metres away from the humming unicorn trotting away towards her destination.

I hope this works out. I really need that report for the princess done within the next 3-oh my Celestia! I only have three days left! Oooh, whatdoIdowhatdoIdo!?

“Twilight darling, what are you doing just standing out here?” Rarity was standing in the entrance to her home, facing Twilight, whose mane was sporting a few hairs sticking out in every which way. The fashionista gave her friend’s coiffure a wary look. Her right eye gave a slight twitch at the sight of the untidy state of Twilight’s mane.

“Oh, hi Rarity!” Twilight exclaimed, her mane returning to ‘normal’, causing the other unicorn’s eye twitching to cease. “Yeah, sorry, spaced out... anyway! I just wanted to see how you’re doing so... if you have time for a chat?” A hopeful smile spread across her features as she spoke.

“Why of course, Twilight! Come in, come in! I’ll have some tea brewing in just a moment.” The prim unicorn turned around and made for the kitchen, her horn glowing to absentmindedly ironing out the cringles on what looked to be a new dress for a customer of some sort.

The unicorn outside nodded and stepped forward, closing the door with a small pulse of telekinesis once she was inside. The boutique looked much as it always did; rackets of dresses on each side of the door, and mirrors with cushions in front of them in the left side of the room for when somepony needed their mane and tail done. In the right side of the room was the small podium that Rarity so often used to have ponies stand on when modelling or when having a dress custom-made. On the far end of the room were a few ponyquins, as well as the small area cut off by curtains they had used for the fashion show with Hoity Toity back in the days.

Finally, there was the small open arc that lead out towards a small kitchen and ‘back area’, as well as a staircase leading to the upper levels of the boutique as well as Rarity’s living area.

Twilight made for the small back area where she had seen Rarity go through. Inside it was a quaint little kitchenette with a single table, two chairs, and a kitchen table with only the absolute necessities for somepony who had to entertain a guest for a short amount of time, or for taking a small break. This included a small refrigerator and a cupboard or two filled with a few ingredients for a snack or two, as well as tea and tea sets.

“So Twilight dear, what did you want to talk about?” the fashionista asked as she was filling a kettle with water and a few dried tea leaves. “It’s not a common occurrence for you to pay me a visit.” She turned around and looked at Twilight with a smile playing at her lips, albeit a curious glint in her eyes.

“It’s nothing, really,” Twilight said, waving her hoof to dismiss any strange theories the other unicorn might have, “I just wanted to spend time with a friend is all.” Her brows creased in a frown. “That’s not a problem is it? I’m not interrupting anything?”

Rarity chuckled lightly and shook her head. “Do not fret, Twilight. You didn’t interrupt me in the least. I was only working on an order for a client in Canterlot, I think her name was Melodia, a beautiful mare and a fantastic violinist if I must say.” She stood up and trotted back in the main room, a few mutterings could be heard as she apparently looked for something.

Within a minute, a quiet piece of violin music had started playing and Rarity came back into the kitchenette with a smile on her face, the music sailing through the air from the main room. The piece was slow in the beginning, building up gradually while seemingly shifting between high and low notes constantly. It was strange harmonious despite the lack of such in the first few seconds.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She asked with a smile and grasped the can of tea in her magic, pouring a cup for the both of them. Her crystal blue aura then brought the cups and saucers down on the table for them. “So, back on topic, what did you want to talk about?”

“As I said, it’s nothing really... actually it is something.” She then set about explaining how she had spoken with Rainbow Dash and had been told about how she and Fluttershy had become such good friends by just hanging out with each other, and that Twilight herself was now trying the very same thing; hanging out with Rarity for the express purpose of gaining a friendship as strong as the one the two pegasi in their group shared.

Rarity’s eyes trailed towards the ceiling as her hoof found its way to her chin, scratching it in a thoughtful manner. Her mind was running top speed trying to find a way to help Twilight. After a minute of contemplation she perked up, eyes going wide and with a loud ‘~IDEA~’, and moved so fast that Twilight could have sworn she teleported the both of them into the main room again, their tea forgotten.

Twilight found herself standing on the podium in the right side of the room. She had no idea how she’d gotten there so quickly, it was either teleportation, or Rarity being Pinkie Pie’s secret sister.

Please let it be the former... We don’t need another Pinkie Pie. One is enough

“So Twilight.” Rarity said, her voice drawing the unicorn’s attention forward. “Are you ready to spend some quality time with your friend Rarity Belle?”

The look on her face was nothing short of predatory; a wide grin and dilated pupils. Suddenly, Twilight knew what she had set herself up to, and it didn’t bode well. At least she wasn’t Rainbow Dash in terms of being girly.

She’d just agreed to modelling.

“Oh this is great! Don’t stop Twi, I wanna hear the rest!”

“I’m getting to it.”

Twilight found herself surrounded by several measure tapes, a dozen pincushions, a scissor or two, and several different types of cloth floating around her. Upon further inspection, she saw both silk and some sort of veil-like cloth. It was partly transparent, easily revealing what was on the other side of it. All of it was held in the white unicorn’s blue aura. It was an impressive show of control.

As the mare on the podium watched the numerous items float, she was assaulted by measuring tapes and pieces of cloth held up against her to see how the colour matched, or clashed, with her coat and mane.

“No, no, no. This colour won’t do at all.” The pink pieces of cloth that had previously been compared to the lilac coat was floated away and replaced by a dark purple piece of fabric. A thoughtful ‘hmm’ came from Rarity as yet another piece of fabric, this one almost white with a hue of lavender, made its way beside the purple fabric, both of them being held in comparison to Twilight’s coat.

“You okay there, Rarity?” Twilight turned her head behind her to see her friend studying the colour combination that she had currently set up.

“I am quite alright, Twilight, I just-” She gasped and her eyes widened. With a speed that would have made Rainbow Dash proud, she dashed to where her desk was and found a piece of paper and some coal to draw with. Every single one of the fabric rolls, as well as measuring tapes and so on, were dropped on the floor.

The mess it created caused the librarian’s eye to twitch ever so slightly. She did not like when things were messy, even despite the fact that she routinely caused a mess in her own library. At the very least that was quickly taken care of by her or Spike. “Rarity?” she asked, redirecting her attention to the pony currently drawing furiously on the paper while constantly shooting glances at Twilight.

“I am perfectly alright, Darling. I just had an absolutely fantastic idea!” Rarity exclaimed jubilantly, though quickly regaining her composure, finishing the sketch.

“Come’n Twilight! I wanna hear the rest!” Rainbow Dash whined.

Twilight chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, Rainbow, but a few things happened that I don’t feel comfortable sharing. I don’t really like sharing how and where I was touched, even if they were only accidents during the measurements.”

Rainbow smirked, this was a goldmine of things she could tease her with. “So Rarity ‘touched’ you, huh?” She poked Twilight in the ribs with an elbow, eliciting a small squeak.

“N-No! Not like that! It was pure accident, she Pinkie swore that it was only accidents, and we both know that nopony breaks a Pinkie promise. It's just that... I'm ticklish, especially around my cutie mark. I just don't like ponies knowing where I'm ticklish, least of all you.”

Rainbow nodded with some reluctance, she had just hoped that she’d be able to tease Twilight with being touched by Rarity like that. But alas, a Pinkie Pie swear was not something you got around without dire consequences. She still held some fear for their pink friend from back when Pinkie Pie thought AJ had broken a Pinkie promise in Appleloosa. Still, she may be able to tease Twilight later, now that she knew she was ticklish.

“So,” Dash said after some time, “by the sounds of it, she made you model for a dress, how did it look?”

“You really wanna see?” Twilight muttered, having found her hooves surprisingly interesting. “I have it with me if you really want to.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, the corner of her lips tugging slightly upwards in a smile. She may not be one for dresses, but she was curious as to what Twilight had been through.

“Well, here goes.” Her horn ignited and after a few seconds, and a small burst of light, Twilight wore a dress cosisting of a semi-transparent piece of fabric covering from her neck, barrel and her legs. The fabric was covered in small glittery points, given the illusion of the night sky covering her body, the edges of it being held together by several black beads. A sort of shawl was attached to the lower part of her back, flowing down her sides and over her tail and haunches. Its hue was a light amethyst. Over it, attached to the rest of the dress with a star-shaped clasp, was a flowing piece of fabric in a beautiful, deep purple with a lighter purple at the edges. It was truly a dress worthy of the gala

“Wow...”

Author's Note

So!
Here we are again, Chapter Three of my horrid attempt at writing something worth reading :rainbowlaugh:
Though, on a more serious note, I'm quite proud of this chapter, and the story as a whole. This chapter because I had originally planned to fill this chapter with five times the stuff I actually did!:rainbowderp:

Aaaanyway, I got 3 chapters done before my birthday, so I'm happy :pinkiesmile:
Again, I'd like to thank Switches for his help with editing and proof reading. ~~It looks like Zervziel, the other guy I had helping me, decided he didn't wanna help anymore. [Insert sadface] He was an okay guy.~~
My mistake! Zervziel never left us! He was simply busy and I took his complete silence as the "silent treatment"
12/05 2013 - A few changes have been made (primarily additions to the descriptive part), as per Zervziel's suggestion (and keen eyes :3) I think a "thank you Zerv" is in order :twilightsmile:

Regardless, please like if you like, and leave a comment with any opinion you may have, including critique, and please point out if you spot any mistakes.

Edit: I found this Rainbow Dash thing to put in between the breaks! I don't hope I use them too much... :unsuresweetie:

Chapter 4 - Under the tree's shadow Part 2

Twilight Sparkle was just standing there, looking at Rainbow with a hopeful and slightly embarrassed look on her face. She rubbed one front leg with the other, nervousness evident in the way she stood and presented herself. While the dress itself looked beautiful, with the sun shining from behind her giving her an almost otherworldly glow as well as causing the dress to almost shimmer, it did little to make the unicorn any less nervous.

If she had to guess she’d put her bits on her nervousness stemming from the wide eyed stare that her multichromatic friend gave her.

Dash, It is not cool to stare! Stop staring at her! Come on! Stop staring at that feathering beautiful ma- ...what!?

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Rainbow looked back up at Twilight only to see that her still blushing friend was still what she’d consider beautiful. Yup, Twilight was definitely still in the ‘beautiful’ category.

Not like it means anything. I know Derpy’s straight and she’s commented on other mares being beautiful as well. Stands to reason that I can appreciate beauty as well... right?

“You seem startled, Dash.” Twilight chuckled and lit her horn, letting the dress blink out of existence, leaving her bare once again. Her features quickly took a dip down the pit of sadness. “Was it that bad? I personally thought it was really well made. I mean, Rarity made it and all, and she’s the best fashionista I’ve ever seen, and... I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

Rainbow snorted and nodded, temporarily having stowed away a rather disconcerting question into the back of her mind. She could worry about that later, right now she was spending time with a friend.

“So,” Twilight said, “you want to hear about what else happened today? Visiting Applejack and so on?”

“So long as it isn’t boring, sure.”

Twilight rolled her eyes before she continued her tale of epic proportions, starting by the very beginning when once upon a time -a few hours ago- a brave mare -a town librarian- trotted down a golden road towards an ancient and terrifying temple -dirt road towards Sweet Apple Acres-.

The light tapping of hooves on a well-trodden dirt road floated lightly through the air as Twilight Sparkle made her way through the rows upon rows of apple trees that made up the Sweet Apple Acres’ apple orchard.

Twilight had left Carousel Boutique only twenty minutes earlier after her dress had finally been finished and the unicorn herself had escaped the demonic claws of Ponyville’s only fashion designer. She looked between the apple trees, trying to spot a member of the Apple family. The weather was rather warm, little clouds for the sake of shade. Aside from that, the weather team had given the rural town a cloud-free day. A nice day, to say the least. A day that just begged you to be outside and either work or enjoy the weather.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, letting the smell of summer and apples fill her with a sense of calm and serenity, as well as a giddy sort of energy. It made her want to try to just do something. To say that it was an alien feeling for her would be an understatement. Books took up so much time that she rarely ever had the chance to get out and experience nature in the same way that some of her other friends did. The only one of their little group that could be considered almost as much of a recluse as herself would be Rarity, seeing as she spent a lot of time working on her orders and whatnot in her boutique.

It was a few minutes of nothing but her own hoof steps to accompany her until she met Big Macintosh. A large wagon filled with baskets of apples of different kinds were strapped to his back. His immense body pulled it along the road as if it was nothing but a small wheelbarrow.

“Hi, Big Mac.” Twilight called, waving a hoof in greeting.

“Howdy, Miss Twilight,” he replied in his ever emotionless tone. “What brings ya to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I’m looking for Applejack. Do you know where she is?” She cocked an eyebrow now that she was close enough to see just how many apples were in the wagon. “What’s all those apples for, by the way?”

Big Mac craned his neck behind him look at the apples. His face was still empty of any expression when he turned back to Twilight. “The market stall,” he explained. “Lotsa ponies wanna buy apples today. Dunno why. As for AJ, she’s in the barn. Repairin’ the plow I reckon, ya should be able to find ‘er there.”

Twilight gave the big stallion a smile and a nod. “Thanks, good luck with your sales!” With that she trotted past him, heading for the big red barn that was the primary location for storing the tools and such that the Apple family used to run the farm.

Twilight’s hoof made small tapping noises as it impacted with the wooden surface of the barndoor. She pushed it open with her head and moved inside, letting the sunlight filter through the open door as well as the few windows lining the sides of the wooden structure.

Applejack seemed to be just putting the finishing touches on the plow. The last nail was hammered into the side of it with a hard tap of Applejack’s right hoof, making sure that the harness wouldn’t just pop off of it when it was being used.

The farm pony looked up and saw her friend, pleasant surprise written on her face. She had apparently not heard the knocking. “Howdy, Twilight,” she greeted with a kind smile and stood up. She extended a hoof in greeting which the other mare accepted, bumping the extended appendage. “Didn’t expect ta see ya here today. What gives?”

“Nothing much, Applejack, just wanted to see a friend. Heard from Big Mac that you were working on fixing the plow.”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, just finished. ‘Bout to head out the orchard to buck some trees. Saw some ripe ones yesterday, but didn’t have time then.” She shrugged. “Sorry, Twi, but I don’t think I have the time to chat so much today. Hope it don’t bother you too much.”

Twilight, slightly saddened by the news, lowered her head, ears splayed back and spoke with an almost defeated tone. “Sure...”

“Beg pardon, Twi, but the farm takes priority.” Applejack smiled good naturedly at the unicorn and tipped her head, turning to leave.

“Wait!” Twilight exclaimed. “Can’t I help?”

“I don’t really know...”

“I know I’m not strong enough to buck apples... I hope you wouldn’t mind if I used magic.”

“I guess...”

“Please~!”

Puppy eyes- check, pout- check, almost on her knees begging- check. “Ya sure are givin’ Apple Bloom a run for her bits with that face, Twilight,” Applejack chuckled. The begging face of her friend was just too much for her. “Sure, Twi, ya can help me. Come on, let’s get going.” She opened the door to the outside again and immediately headed for the eastern orchard.

The two walked side by side in companionable silence. They didn’t need to say anything and they both knew that. Twilight was used to silence as she spent so much time studying. Applejack, on the other hand, was a practical pony, preferring to only speak when it was necessary and only speak aloud what was necessary. She never spoke anything but the blunt truth, it was just the kind of pony she was.

They eventually reached the first rows of trees where Twilight could see more red and ripe apples than she could count. Looking across the entire site of the orchard, her jaw dropped. She had seen parts of the orchard back with the Plim Plam brothers or something and the first applebuck season they had after she arrived, and walking along the dirt road didn’t quite give a clear image of the sheer size of their orchard. Now, as she was looking out at rolling hills of nothing but apple trees, she suddenly realised how much work it was on this farm.

How do they deal with this much? They’re only four ponies, only two of which are capable of actually bucking!

“We don’t do all of this ourselves, Twi,” Applejack explained with a chuckle, having noticed her friend’s expression. “We have a few farmhands hired ta take some of the load off of our backs. No way we’d be able ta do all o’ this ourselves. Now, let’s go.” She cocked her head towards the lines of trees and walked up to one of them, giving it a solid kick. Every apple on the tree’s branches fell down into several large buckets already placed under the trees.

Twilight, having chosen a nearby tree of her own, lit her horn while silently contemplating how she would go about bucking the apples. I could always just levitate them off, but... She perked up as an idea came to mind. The light shining from her horn created a small glowing sphere of purple energy, it gave away a low chirping sound as if a number of small bird were chatting away inside the orb. Eyeing the tree, Twilight whipped her head towards it, sending the ball flying into the midst of the branches. Once in between the branches, it exploded, creating a low booming sound that caused the tree to tremor and lose all of its fruit to the baskets below.

“Wha’ in the hay was that?” Applejack exclaimed, whirling around to see a smiling Twilight.

“Sonic magic,” Twilight explained. “I created a small ball of energy that emitted a shockwave when ignited, so to speak. It’s similar to the principle of a subwoofer-”

“A-what now?”

“A subwoofer,” the unicorn continued undeterred, “is an object used the project or enhance sound. They’re those big black boxes that DJ’s use. Vinyl Scratch, was it? The unicorn that helped us with Rarity’s fashion show, she’s a DJ- or disc jockey- and she uses subwoofers to project her music.” For one reason or another, Twilight made a half hiccup throughout her sentence, as if she wasn’t quite telling the truth.

“Aha... And what does that have ta do with your sonic magic?”

“Subwoofers create sound using large amounts of a quick movements via a magnet inside. Sound is basically the air moving. My spell does something along those lines; It creates a shockwave that moves the air around it, causing that booming sound you heard.”

“Fancy,” Applejack mumbled, looking over Twilight’s tree to see if there was any damage or if any apples had eluded her magic. “Though why not just levitate ‘em off of the trees like ya did with that Cider Contest?”

At this Twilight smiled. “Because this is a new spell a friend of mine helped me develop. She came up with the basis for a spell that uses sound vibrations for various stuff. It could be demolishing or, in this case, applebucking. I wanted to try it out, see if it works as well as I had hoped.”

“Well, would ya look at that, sounds mite interestin’ even if I don’t understand much magic.” The farm mare smiled at her friend and went over to another tree, giving that a kick as well. Not a single apple was left on the branches.

Twilight had resumed her ‘applebucking’ as well, filling the air with small chirping sounds followed with a resonating boom. It wasn’t anything overly loud, it could be felt more than it could be heard, really.

“So how’s it been going so far, what with Granny Smith’s hip and Apple Bloom’s school?” Twilight asked after a few minutes of silence save for the occasional sound of hooves impacting on bark and apples falling down. “Last time I heard, Granny’s hip wasn’t any better.”

Applejack sighed. “Just ‘bout the same as always,” *thunk!* “Still don’t have the necessary money ta give ‘er a new one. Harvest’s doing fine, selling bushels upon bushels of apples, but too much of the farm and our tools and somesuch are getting worn down. We were lucky the plow could be fixed with a few nails and a new harness, otherwise we’d lose another two thousand bits on it. Two thousand Twi, for a plow!” She shook her head, sending another batch of apples to their bucket-y doom. “Starting ta think we may not save up enough before it’s too late.”

Maybe... No, I can’t. It'll only cause ponies to demand m

Taking a few moments, and a few trees, to compose herself, she spoke up again in a much lighter tone. “As fer Apple Bloom, she’s doing just dandy. Macintosh helping her with the fancy mathematics really payed off. That and Granny’s history lesson bumped up her grades a bit and then some more. Who’da thought that an age old scrap book could teach her everything ‘bout Ponyville’s history?”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Twilight replied with a smile on her lips. While the entire thing with Granny Smith was sad indeed, she was always happy to hear that some of the ponies she considered friends were improving academically. “I’m sure Apple Bloom will grow up to become the brain of the family.”

“Wha’ in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked, turning to look at Twilight with a deep frown etched onto her face. “Ya sayin’ I’m stupid?”

Twilight fell to her rump and used her forelegs to wave off the accusation. “N-N-No! Nothing like that at all! I just mean that-” She was interrupted by low chuckles. She refocused to look properly at the farmer and saw that she had a hoof by her mouth, trying to stifle her chuckles in vain.

“Nice one, Applejack,” Twilight conceded as she stood up, chuckling a little herself.

“S-Sorry, Twi. But that one was just too good to pass up on.” She went over to a tree nearer Twilight and bucked it. Again, all the apples on its branches fell down into the baskets underneath. “How’s it goin’ with Spike and the library an’ such?? Little fella still chasing Rarity like a dog chases a cat?”

A nod from the unicorn confirmed the farmer’s assumption. “He’s still fawning over her. I swear I almost saw literal hearts in his eyes once or twice when he looked at her.” She giggled as another chirping, purple orb was fired from her horn, relieving yet another tree of its fruit. "I just hope he realises that it isn’t going to work. He’s a dragon and she’s a pony, not to mention that he’s hardly more than a child while Rarity is already grown up." Her eyes widened as a thought struck her hard enough that she was forced to sit down. "Applejack, he's a dragon. He will outlive not only Rarity, but all of us. He'll see us wither away and die, he'll see me die." She drew in a shuddering breath as silent tears threatened to spill over. "He's but a baby right now and will hardly be anything more than a teenager when we're all gone, I’m worried about him."

Applejack sighed before replying, adjusting the position of a few baskets under a tree at the same time. “Poor fella. I agree with ya on that, he shouldn’t have to have his tiny heart crushed by bein’ let down. Don’t deserve it none. And you’re right to be worried about him. He may know how to take care o’ himself here, but he’s no pony, he ain’t a true dragon either, growing up ‘round ponies and such. I’m not sure how he’s going ta make it alone, just gotta hope Celestia will help him somehow.”

Twilight just nodded, and for the next few moments they both worked in silence. Not the companionable silence, but the one that invited deep and somber thought. It was almost a sad sort of silence.

A low, resonating boom sounded across the area they were in, and more apples fell down from the trees. Three trees to be exact. Twilight shot Applejack a small grin. “Sorry, just wanted to see if I could take more than one. You asked about the library, though? Not very much. There are precious few ponies in town willing to rent a book, and those that do only visit every once a month or so. I think the last one was Roseluck, she was looking to expand her business a little and wanted to do some research on other flowers she could work with.” A smile spread across her lips as she recalled a piece of the conversation the two had had when she visited. It would be a good way to dispel the depressive topic they had touched upon previously. “Did you know that she got together with Lily?”

“Lily? The flower mare? Weren’t she, Roseluck an’ Daisy sisters?”

“S-Sisters?” Twilight laughed. “No, no they aren’t sisters. Just three mares with interest and talents concerning flowers.”

“Well, would ya look at that...” she chuckled, “Good fer them I suppose.” She cast a calculating glance at the trees around them.”Now, I’m sure we can finish in an hour or two with your help. So less talkin’ more buckin’, that okay with ya?” Twilight nodded. AJ gave the unicorn a challenging look, rearing up on her forelegs in preparation.

She spends way too much time with Rainbow, Twilight thought while shaking her head, a slightly amused smile gracing her lips. The challenge in the farmer’s face was all too easy to see, even to Twilight. I might as well, we’ll be done quicker then. Twilight nodded and he horn sparked to life, sending another purple orb between the branches of a tree. The boom from when it echoed out came in tandem with the sound of hooves impacting on park.

Both Twilight and Applejack worked as hard and as quickly as they could for the next two hours, making apples rain into the baskets underneath the trees. At first they had raced to see who could get the most trees done, but it had gradually gone back to just being one friend helping the other with their word, no competition needed.

Idle chatter passed between them amidst the occasional boom from the sonic spell or the sound of hooves on bark. The two ponies worked alongside each other as the shadows grew in length and the sun soon reached its zenith.

“Think that’s ‘bout it, Twilight.” Applejack took off her hat and wiped the sweat off of her brow. Her eyes trailed towards the sky as she placed the hat back on, noting how high the sun was on the sky. “‘Bout lunchtime, I recon. Say, Twi,” she looked over at Twilight who was putting a few stray apples that had hit the ground into the baskets, “Ya wanna grab some grub at the farm? I think ya deserve it after helping me out.”

Twilight grinned, having put the last stray apples into the basket. “I’d like that, thanks... what about all those baskets, though?” She gestured to the baskets that were all around them, several under each and every tree in the vicinity. “Aren’t we supposed to bring them back too?”

“Nah, we ain’t,” Applejack waved off. “Least not now, later maybe. Me an’ Big Mac will take care o’ that, though. I’m sure ye have other stuff ta do today.”

A nod of her head was Twilight’s response, an appreciative smile accompanying it.

“Now, come along, Sugarcube. We wouldn’t wanna make Granny Smith’s apple pie wait, now would we?”

“No, we wouldn’t,” the unicorn said with a chuckle.

She followed Applejack back to the farmhouse where they found Big Macintosh stepping up on the porch. He turned around to face them and opened the door for them. A small smile graced his otherwise stoic face.

The three of them crossed the threshold and went inside. They were greeted with a table filled with a multitude of apple orientated dishes, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith placing the last few things on the table.

Ten bits the mugs are made out of apple wood. Twilight thought, amused at the thought.

“Well, hello there Twilight. Wasn’t aware ya’d be joinin’ us,” Granny Smith said in her squeaky tone as she brought in a large can of what looked to be apple juice. “Well, I’m sure we have enough grub fer one more belly ta fill.”

“Heya, Miss Twilight! Whatcha doin’ here?” Apple Bloom asked, instantly rushing over to the only unicorn in the room. How she had managed to put the plate of apple fritters onto the table then dashed over to Twilight in just half a second was a mystery.

She couldn’t quite help a little giggle at the youngest apple’s almost hyperactive behavior. She was still a filly afterall, so it was to be expected. “Not much, Apple Bloom. I just came over to spend a little time with your sister is all.”

“Enough chatterin’. Let’s get some grub!” Granny Smith declared and sat down, immediately reaching for a piece of apple pie.

“Eeyup!” Big Macintosh chimed in and did the same.

The three remaining ponies each sat down and started to dig in as well, idle chatter and questions as to what the day had brought to each for the seated ponies passing between them.The food was delicious, as expected, and they were all soon done, leaning back in their chairs with a content smile on each of their faces.

“So, I understand from Applejack that ya helped her with some o’ her work in the east field?” Twilight nodded at Granny Smith’s question. “I think a ‘thank ye’ is in order.” She gave a brief nod of her head in gratitude to which Twilight replied with a polite smile.

Unbeknownst to the two mares sitting underneath the shadow of the tree, the sky was getting a little more clouded. Little by little, the few clouds that were present, slowly growing in numbers, were getting darker.

“So that’s all you did? You helped AJ work and chatted with her for two hours? No pranks? No funny stuff like with Rarity?”

“Hey! Rarity finding my ticklish spots is no laughing matter, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a slight pout, turning her head away. She was happy that she hadn’t explained precisely where her ticklish spots were. One could only fear what Ponyville’s resident daredevil would do with such information. “But yes, that was all we were really doing. It was a relatively new spell I used, so it was fun to try it out. Turned out to be a success!” She took a moment to rewind her train of thought, bringing her back to the question asked. “And yes, that was all we did. Worked together and chatted for roughly two hours, then had lunch.”

Rainbow Dash groaned, placing a hoof on the bridge of her nose. “Right, so all you did was boring stuff. Next! What did you do then? It’s-” she looked at the shadows around them, noting which way they pointed, then compared it to where she knew the north was. “It’s around two right now, little less than that perhaps. You can’t have been looking for me for two hours, what did you do then?”

Author's Note

So... Here we are, chapter four.

I'm sorry for the long wait but I got hit with a bad case of procrastination and one of my editors had a three weeks holiday. That coupled with me focusing on my story "Power Surge" caused this to take quite some time.

Again, I would like to thank Zervziel and Switches for their help with this chapter and the previous ones.

I said in an earlier blog that the next chapter would be quite a bit bigger than the others, which it is. This is only part of what I had for chapter four, however, so expect to see a new chapter relatively soon.

Also, 'Knight of the Raven', I know you're out there! I did my best to cut down on the "Lavender Unicorn Sydrome" which you have brought to my attention previously. I hope it's gone now :3 At least better than it has been.

Chapter 5 - Under the tree's shadow Part 3

“I went over to visit Fluttershy, seeing as her cottage is the nearest thing to Sweet Apple Acres. I was hoping that she’d be home for a chat or something of the sort.” Twilight closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree’s trunk.

“So... What then, Twi?” She gave the unicorn a light nudge between the ribs, causing her to yelp in surprise. Rainbow snorted. “Seriously, dozing off like that while telling a story?”

“I wasn’t dozing off,” Twilight retorted, sitting back besides Dash and once again leaning her head against the tree. “I was just trying to remember just what we did.”

“Okay, so what did you do then?” Rainbow Dash pressed, strangely impatient to have the unicorn start talking.

“Well, she was trying to coax out a hedgehog from under a bush.”

The sound of a single set of steps on a wooden surface could be heard as Twilight Sparkle crossed the small bridge that went across the little river separating Fluttershy’s cottage from the road towards Ponyville. She breathed in the smell of the place around it. It was wild but very serene and calm at the same time. It didn’t hold the same air as the Apple Orchard, this one made her want to relax rather than work. It wasn’t only the smell, however, as the area around her spelt one word, a single word that encompassed everything that this small grove was; Sanctuary.

Yes, this place that surrounded the small hill upon which a lone pegasus mare had made her home could only be called a sanctuary, and the one closest to the position of dominance in this place of peace was currently bent low to the point of eye-height with woodland critters, her gaze focused solely on a small figure hidden among the branches of a small raspberry bush.

“Come out little friend, there’s nothing to be scared of,” Fluttershy cooed, extending a hoof ever so slightly to the concealed subject of her attention. “You don’t have to be scared of the other critters, Mr. Hoggy.” She continued trying to persuade the little fellow to come out of hiding but to no avail.

She was interrupted from further attempts by the sound of hooves on tight packed dirt this time, and a voice calling out to her. “Fluttershy!” Twilight called, waving a hoof at her.

“Oh, h-hi, Twilight. I didn’t see you coming, what brings you here? N-not that I’m not happy to see you, because I am.” She asked, halfway hiding behind her mane as the sudden call-out had startled her just a little.

Twilight chuckled, going into a light canter the last of the way over to Fluttershy, stopping just short of her and the bush. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, I just came here, hoping you’d have some time to spend with me... unless you have something else you need to do first, because I can wait-”

“Oh nono! I have time, Twilight. I have some cocoa and some cookies I baked this morning if you want to? I just need to feed the hedgehogs if that’s okay with you.” She looked at Twilight with both hope and hesitation in her eyes, hoping that she hadn’t offended Twilight in some way. She prayed that her friend wouldn’t get angry because she had to wait some.

“It’s fine, I have all day afterall, don’t have much to do today. I think it’s due time the library has a day where it’s closed. It’s open everyday, so I think one day of it being closed wouldn’t be much of a problem.” Her brows furrowed. “Not that very many ponies visit it either.” She perked back up again, not wanting to let her annoyance at the lack of visitors affect her time with the pegasus. “But don’t worry about that, I’m not here to complain about the library, just to spend some time with a friend.”

Fluttershy smiled a small demure smile before returning her attention to the raspberry bush again, trying to coax Mr. Hoggy out of hiding once again, but her attempts were fruitless as the little critter refused to get out of hiding, especially now that there was a new, strange pony present. “I’ll get their food then. Umm... would you mind getting the cookies and the cocoa ready? It’ll be a little fast that way.”

“No problem Fluttershy, you don’t have to be so hesitant about asking me to help a little, you know I’m always willing to help a friend.” She trotted into the cottage, following the yellow pegasus. Once inside she made her way to the kitchen but not before quickly being told where the different things were. Fluttershy then grabbed an already prepared number of bowls filled with salad and various vegetables on her back, a little help coming from Twilight. She then went outside to feed Mr. Hoggy and and the other hedgehogs that made the cottage and the area surrounding it their home.

It was only a few minutes later when Fluttershy returned, the hedgehogs fed and a few other things taken care of that had popped up while she was out there. One of them being a bird whose nest had become a little askew thanks to Mr. Eagle practicing a new trick to impress Rainbow Dash and then crashing into it. The bird, a robin, had asked Fluttershy’s help with making sure it sat firmly in the tree again. She had, of course, helped the robin. How could she not?

The pegasus stepped inside and was immediately met with the pleasant smell of warm cocoa wafting from the twin cups standing on the table with a small plate laden with cookies between them, Twilight sitting on one side of the table with an expectant smile on her face. A quick glance to the side revealed that there was a small fire burning in the fireplace, but there were no smoke and very little warmth coming from it.

“A little something for the ambience, I thought it would make it a bit more cozy and comfortable,” Twilight explaining, having noticed Fluttershy’s confused glance.

“Oh. Well, that’s alright. It’s actually nice, really... does it burn the wood?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. It’s more of an illusion coupled with a heating spell. It gives off a little warmth and light, but it doesn’t actually burn.”

A smile appeared on Fluttershy’s face as she made her way over to the other side of the table, sitting down as gently as a butterfly landed upon the crown leaf of a flower. She tentatively reached out for one cup of cocoa while Twilight grasped the other in her telekinesis. They each sipped once, then twice, before either of them spoke.

“So, Twilight, how has your day been so far?” Fluttershy asked cautiously, taking another sip of the cocoa held between her hooves.

A light brown cookie with pieces of dark chocolate in it floated from the small pile on the table and up to Twilight’s mouth where she took a small bite before answering. “I’ve been having a little trouble the past day or two. I have a friendship report I want to sent to the princess, but I don’t really know what to write in it, so I took the day off to spend some time with my friends. You know, to clear my head.”

Fluttershy didn’t seem to quite believe the lie, although she nodded her head and refrained from commenting on it. She figured that it wasn’t her place to call out Twilight on not telling the entire truth. That is, if she actually was lying. She decided to just stay quiet on that matter and try to forget about it. She instead chose to delve into something else.

“How’s your love life going, Twilight?” She asked, though quickly retreating behind her mane in shame, fearing that she may have offended or upset one of her friends. “I-I’m sorry, Twilight, I shouldn’t have said that. You -umm- don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I mean, you can answer if you want to, but you also can’t- oooh...”

Twilight, to her credit, managed to somehow keep the embarrassed blush to a minimum, though her cheeks still flared brightly enough to be visible. She slowly set the cup back down on the table in her now wobbly telekinetic aura, her concentration halfway broken by the completely unexpected question from her friend.

“I hear there are rumours about a particular set of musicians,” Fluttershy continued, “I think it was Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. It was in the newspaper the other day.”

“W-Well,” Twilight stuttered, having finally managed to get her blush under control, though there was still some slightly nervous fiddling with her hooves. “It isn’t going well, been alone for quite some time... Didn’t really go well the one time I had a love life. I had a coltfriend once, it ended horribly.”

“Oh my... What happened?” Fluttershy almost whispered. “That is... If you don’t mind me asking, because it’s okay if you don’t want to since it... didn’t go so well.”

“It’s okay. I haven’t really spoken with anyone about it before. I suppose I should at least let one other pony know.” She sighed and let a smile spread across her lips as she recalled the time she had with her first coltfriend.

“It started as nothing more than a fillyhoof crush. His name was Dazzle, a young unicorn colt with a vanilla coat and light purple mane. His Cutie Mark was a golden star in the middle of a square made up of four squares; two black and two white, exactly like a disco floor. Man, he could dance. I met him at a small party I was at with Celestia, it was just a formal gathering of some sort, a little soiree arranged by Fleur De Lis, I think.

“It was still on the days where I did nothing but study, I even had a book on Advanced Abjuration with me that my nose buried in. It was at that point that he came over to me and asked for a dance. I had never really danced before outside of my parents teaching me every now and then, so I was, of course, nervous and immediately tried to find a way out.” She chuckled a little as she remembered her own almost panicked state of mind when Dazzle had asked her.

“It took a bit of coaxing from Celestia to make me finally accept his offer, and he just stood there the entire time, waiting for me.” Her cheeks took on a slightly darker colour as blood rushed to her face. “I had more fun that night than I ever had before. I didn’t know why or what compelled me to do it, but as the party approached its end, I had come to like him. It wasn’t really anything but a little bit of infatuation at that point, but it was enough that I remember pecking him on the cheek.” A noticeable 'squee' sound could be heard from across the table, one that caused a small grin to appear on the unicorn.

“We kept seeing each other for quite some time after that, in secret of course. We just chatted with each other for the majority of the time, watched the night sky or walked through the gardens. My... infatuation with him grew into a real crush after a little time, I genuinely started to like him and be with him. I think he felt the same. The occasional peck I had given him before soon became actual kisses.” The blush adorning her cheeks visibly darkened. “He wasn’t just a great dancer, that I can assure you.

“Anyway, we actually ended up having a real relationship with a date here and there, the moonlit walks in the gardens, as hopelessly romantic as that sounds, and so on. It was a serious yet innocent relationship until...” A melancholic sigh escaped the unicorn’s lips. “Until his family had to move. I never found out exactly what it was about, but I think it was some sort of business arrangement that forced them to move out of Canterlot and to Trottingham.”

Fluttershy, easily being able to see that Twilight had been affected by bringing up the memories of her lost love from way back when, moved over and embraced her friend.

“It’s not a big deal, Fluttershy,” Twilight protested, “it was years ago, I’ll be okay.”

“You may say you’re okay, Twilight, but I can see that you’re not. It hurt you that he had to move, broke your heart.”

Twilight would have protested further had it been anypony other than her dear friend. She eventually just shrugged and wrapped her hooves around the pegasus in return, fully accepting the hug and letting the one tear that had gathered in the corner of her eye slip.

The two of them sat for some time like that, Fluttershy holding Twilight while said unicorn went down memory lane, reminiscing about all the small dates and meetings she had with her one-time coltfriend. The wound she had received the day she got the news that he was forced to move had long since healed, but there was still a scar where it used to be. A small needle had come and poked the scar, prompting a small part of it to open up and let some of the hurt out again. Despite this, it never amounted to more than the one tear she had already shed.

She had liked Dazzle, liked him enough that she had wanted to stay with him and almost wished that she was still together with him. What would have happened had he not been forced to move? Would they have broken apart at a later date, or would they still be with each other? The fact that Twilight had moved to Ponyville may have been what tore them apart this time.

It eventually came to the point where Fluttershy let go of her embrace and took a step back, watching her friend as she, too, returned to the world of the living. Twilight took a quick sip of what was left of her cocoa, finding it cold. They had been sitting there, embracing each other for quite some time by now, longer than she cared to admit.

“Are you okay, Twilight?”

“I’m okay, Fluttershy, thank you for looking out for me.” She glanced out the window above the kitchen sink. It was getting a little late, and she’d prefer to have time enough at hoof to give both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash a visit before the day ended. “It’s getting a little late, I should be going. I plan to give both Pinkie and Rainbow a visit before dinner.”

Fluttershy quickly brought her hooves up, covering her mouth in shock and what looked to be guilt. “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to keep you away from the other girls.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight chuckled, “I’m sure they won’t mind if I spend a little more time with you one day than I do with them.”

“O-Okay, if you say so.” She let her hooves back down on the floor, though there was still some hesitation in her demeanor. That’s Fluttershy for you.

Twilight stood up and made for the front door, thanking the pegasus for the cocoa and the cookies before she grasped the doorknob in her telekinesis and opened the door. Fluttershy followed behind and, when the door was swung open, brought Twilight in for a quick hug, saying that if she needed anything or needed somepony to talk to, then the cottage was always open for her. As it was for all of her friends, Fluttershy was quick to reassure.

During the embrace, Twilight couldn’t help but realise that hugging Fluttershy felt strangely similar to how it felt to hugging Dazzle way back when. She especially noticed the softness of her friend’s fur but chalked it up to good coat-care. She hadn’t really noticed this before seeing as she had almost all but forgotten her one-time coltfriend, but now that the memories had been brought to the surface, so did the memory of how embracing him felt which allowed her to compare it to the current sensory input her brain received.

Shouldn’t it feel more platonic to be embraced by a mare when I am one myself? Not important, I guess.

Pulling out of the embrace, Twilight told her goodbye one last time and went out of the door, immediately setting course for Ponyville. She didn’t make it more than three steps, however, before she was heard Fluttershy call out to her, or her equivalent of it anyway.

“Umm... Me and some of the girls were talking about a get-together in town one of these days. You want to come, right?”

Twilight hummed and tapped her cheek in a thinking motion. “I’ll think about it. When did you think we should do it?”

Fluttershy’s brow creased in thought as she struggled to remember what days they had talked about going. “I think it was in four or five days,” she answered after a few moments. “I can’t remember the exact date, but I’m sure Rarity remembers. I’ll ask her later today or tomorrow to be sure.”

“Thanks, I guess I’ll see you then,” Twilight replied with a nod and a smile, then turned back towards the small bridge that lead to the road to ponyville. That means I still have the next three days to decide exactly who I should spend time with to get that friendship report in order. It will all be done! She then gleefully skipped down the dirt road, aiming for Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville. She was hoping to find Pinkie Pie there.

“Woohoo! Funtimes inbound! Pinkie Pie is coming!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, punching a hoof into the air.

“You’d be surprised,” Twilight muttered under her breath, too quiet for the pegasus to hear.

A light breeze blew through Twilight’s mane as she trotted peacefully towards Ponyville, her destination in mind being Sugarcube Corner. She had so far visited three of her friends and had only spent about five or six hours in total, now she only needed Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, then she could go home and find out who she should spend time with in order to have the best chance of learning something new to write in her friendship report to Princess Celestia.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice the pink ball of energy bouncing along the dirt with a gleeful smile on her face. Pinkie Pie stopped in front of Twilight. “HI!” She almost yelled.

Twilight jumped, absolutely certain that her fur had been scared right off of her body. She landed on her rump and looked up at Pinkie, her breathing ragged and uneven. She lifted her right hoof to her chest, inhaled and, as she moved the hoof in in front of her, exhaled again. This action was repeated thrice before she stood up, having finally regained that ability to speak.

“Pinkie! You scared the living daylights out of me!” Twilight exclaimed, exasperated.

“Pfft, Twi, no I didn’t, I couldn’t have.” She poked Twilight in the chest. “You don’t have daylight inside of you, I mean, how could it get inside of you? That’s just silly.” She giggled and stood up beside Twilight, flashing the unicorn a winning smile.

Don’t even attempt to use logic against her, Twilight berated herself as she opened her mouth to retort that it was just a figure of speech rather than a literal statement. She had tried using logic against Pinkie Pie before, and all it had done was give her the nickname ‘Rapidash’. It took three months to get Pinkie to stop using that name, and she still has no idea what the name meant.

“Anyway,” she said. “How are you doing, Pinkie?”

“I’m doing just superrific! I’ve been baking cake for Carrot Top, ran around town for supplies for Mrs. Cake and had all sorts of fun by myself the rest of the time!” The pink pony was jumping circles around Twilight as the two trotted, and jumped, ever closer to Ponyville. “So how about you, Twi, have you been having fun today? Done all sorts of mad unicorn scientist experiments, huh?”

“I’m afraid not,” Twilight replied, holding back a snicker. Despite how annoying Pinkie could be from time to time with her incessant rambling, she could also be quite fun to be around. One thing was certain, she’d get you smiling at some point during your time together. “I’ve been visiting Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy, just chatting a bit, and actually wanted to go see you now.”

Pinkie gasped, her smile widening just a bit more. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s talk!”

True to her word, Pinkie started talking and she hardly stopped to breathe, a fact that really surprised Twilight. She talked for minutes on end, only stopping to allow Twilight to answer a question. Her random speeches ranged from new recipes she had in mind to theories as to how she could use alcohol in her cupcakes and muffins for ponies of legal age. She even waved off Twilight’s attempt to say that she couldn’t do that since ethanol evaporates at a lower temperature than water does.

At one point, however, when they were just two minutes from Ponyville’s border, Twilight felt like she had to stop the waterfall of randomness that was Pinkie talking.

“And that is how I befriended the king of the ants in Antville and saved thei-” A hoof interrupted further speech of the heroics deed of Pinkie Pie and the ants.

“Pinkie, sorry, but I have to go now. I also need to find Rainbow Dash, you know.” Twilight flashed Pinkie an apologetic smile, trying to convey that she regretted having to leave her.

“Aaaw, but I wanted to tell you the whole story about Mrs. Antmy and her autumn leaf pie.”

“Tell me some other day, is that okay?” Another smile was flashed Pinkie’s way, this one hopeful rather than apologetic.

A pink hoof was tapped against an equally pink chin as Pinkie contemplated the proposition. As she eventually found nothing wrong with it she nodded her head vigorously. “Okie Dokie Lokie! I’ll see you some other time, bye Twilight!”

Twilight waved goodbye as well, smiling genuinely this time rather than trying to make Pinkie understand that she was sorry for going or hoping for some response. Purple light enveloped her horn and with a flash of light she was gone, reappearing somewhere else on the other side of town.

“Note to self; Pinkie will not work for the test. She’s much easier to spend time with when there’s more than just her and me.” She drew in a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly through her mouth. It had been a challenging twenty minutes to be with Pinkie, but she had survived with her sanity intact.

“And that is the conclusion of my daring adventures for today,” Twilight said, letting out a low chuckle. “Pinkie was a challenge, I’ll admit, but it was fun in its own right.”

“So, what now?” Rainbow asked, turning her head to look at Twilight.

“Now? Now I plan to just spend a little time with my favourite blue pegasus.” A few moments later Twilight’s hoof impacted with her forehead, a loud smack and a possible mark being the result. “That sounded better in my head,” she grumbled.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash didn’t quite know if she should be blushing or laughing at her friend’s remark. It ended up becoming a mix of both. She chuckled loudly while her cheeks were ever so slightly darker in colour than usual. “That was priceless, Twi!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” The unicorn mumbled, her head buried in her own hooves.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, several clouds were gathering overhead. Not only that, but they were slowly getting darker and darker. It was not yet enough for the sun to be blotted out, but it wouldn’t be long. A light breeze picked up where there had previously been almost nothing, rustling a few loose leaves in the tree crowns.

“I was thinking,” Rainbow said after a few minutes of mindless chatter about this and that. A few mentions about a new trick of Rainbow’s and a minute or two of questions asked about business in the library and the everyday life of Twilight Sparkle. “Do you have that Daring Do book with you?” She fidgeted nervously with her hooves as well as darting her eyes around.

“I do,” Twilight replied with a hint of mischievousness glinting in her eyes. Her horn lit up briefly and the book appearing with a flash of light, landing in Twilight’s hooves when gravity took effect. “Why? Do you want to read it?”

The look on Rainbow’s face as the book literally dropped out of the sky was worth every bit Twilight owned. Her eyes widened, pupils filling almost the entirety of her eyes. Her lower lip was pushed forward, quivering, and her ears were splayed back. She swore she could even see small sparkles in Rainbow’s eyes.

Note to self; ask Celestia to officially rename the ‘Puppy dog eyes’ to ‘Rainbow Dash eyes,’ Twilight noted, grinning widely on the outside.

“Yes please, I want to read it!” Rainbow exclaimed, jerking her entire body as if she only just stopped herself from diving towards it.

“Alright then.” The book was enveloped in a light purple glow, trademark of Twilight’s magic, and the book opens, the first page turned over. “Daring Do trotted along the cobbled roads of Canterlot-” Twilight is interrupted from her readings by Rainbow Dash pressing fully up against her, her eyes shining with joy as they are transfixed on the page as she silently read the words her brain could easily have confused with alcohol. She didn’t even acknowledge, or didn’t notice, that her entire body was pressed up against Twilight in order to get a better look at the page.

“Ahrem,” Twilight cleared her throat, her face flushed by the contact between them. She glanced to Rainbow and, when she saw only the pegasus staring at the page, returned her own attention to the book. “Daring Do trotted along the cobbled roads of Canterlot, heading for her assistant’s home. Posey had mailed her a few days prior, briefly mentioning something about a new expedition he thought would be of interest for Daring. The letter said hardly anything, and it was only made harder thanks to Pokey’s new decryption method. Paranoid little bugger, Daring thought...”

A few minutes passed as the two continued to read side by side. Both pressed against the other to get the best look at the book, neither making anything more of it than that, though the thought of it not being anything did nothing to remove the slight blush on Twilight’s cheeks.

A drop of water fell from the now darkened sky. Neither of the two ponies beneath the tree had noticed the clouds had multiplied in number or that they had darkened to grey rain clouds.

Twilight looked up and frowned, the pegasus copying her actions. They had both been enjoying this little outdoor reading session with each other.

“It’s raining,” Twilight muttered, still staring up at the sky.

“Really? That’s the best you can come up with?” Rainbow jabbed, smirking.

Rather than taking the bait, Twilight brought a bookmark into existence with a flash of her horn and placed it between the pages of the book, closing it before it was returned to her temporal pocket. “I think I should be going home. What about you? Wanna come back to the Library and read a little more?”

Rainbow Dash grinned widely at the prospect of getting to read more Daring Do despite the waterl. She looked like a filly in Bon Bon’s confectionary, so wide was her grin.

“Race ya!” She announced and ran towards Ponyville.

Twilight shook her head, smiling, and took off as well, galloping as fast as she could to try and catch up. A flash of magic and she re-appeared on Rainbow’s side, matching her pace as best as possible. They ran through the now-drumming rain, manes and tails matted and clinging to their faces and necks.

Their eyes met and they both grinned at each other, speeding up even further. Rainbow increased the speed with which she ran, prompting Twilight to step past her boundaries and exceed her limits. Wind roared past them, hoof-falls thundered across the ground as they ran.

They entered Ponyville and the sound of their hooves changed from the pounding in dirt to the loud clicking of hooves on cobble stone. Houses passed by them in a blur as they rushed to the library and Twilight’s home. They were neck and neck, Rainbow having matched Twilight’s speed. Golden Oak’s Library came into view, quickly coming closer as they ran faster and faster. Nothing else mattered for the two of them, only the wind rushing past their ears, their hearts beating hard in their chests and the feeling of the other being with them.

Rainbow increased her speed just a little, getting centimetres ahead of Twilight as said unicorn reached out with her magic and opened the door from a distance. Closer and closer they came, the entrance to the tree being their goal. Rainbow was half a body’s length forward. She entered into the library, but stubbed her hoof on the threshold. Twilight crashed into her from behind, sending them both tumbling through the door.

Author's Note

Patience is a virtue... One I do not posses :derpytongue2:

This is chapter five done, and a new record in chapter length.
I'd like to point out that this chapter hasn't gone through my two lovely editors yet, so there will probably be a mistake here and there, or a lot more than usual. Here's to hoping my own look through it was enough to rid it of the worst.

~~Corrections and so on will be added when it has been fully edited... I was just too impatient and really wanted this out before school starts wednesday.~~ Changes has been made! Enjoy!