You wander over to the pile of skates and up to your neighbour Roseluck- the poor thing's having a bit of trouble with her skates.
"You want a wing with those?" You ask her, and she nods gratefully.
"It's tough getting these things on with just hooves. I don't know how Pinkie does it!" she says as you get her laced up. It doesn't take you long.
"That's great, thanks!" she says. "You want to grab yours on too so we can get going?" She stands unsteadily and waits for you to get yourself sorted.
"Sure thing!" You pull your skates on and in a minute or two you're both wobbling towards the lake, balancing on the blades.
"We should have put these on at the lake's edge," Roseluck mutters to herself. She's got her snout scrunched up in concentration and you can actually see her stick her tongue out a little bit as she navigates the last few steps. You can't help but let out a giggle and Roseluck rolls her eyes at you with a grin.
"Oh, you shush. I don't have wings for balance!"
Once she's out on the ice, though, she doesn't need them. She's off and away in a wide, graceful sweep before you've gotten started. You, on the other hand, are starting to realise that you haven't been ice-skating in quite a long time. It's not that you don't enjoy it, it's just that you're out of practice WHOA ow. Roseluck loops back and slides to a stop beside you.
"Ouch! That looked like quite the tumble!" Roseluck's smiling at you and you have to admit it must have looked funny- you managed to get all four legs in front of you and have been dumped unceremoniously on your rump after windmilling your wings for a moment.
"I've had worse," you say as she reaches out a hoof to you.
"Huh." Her brows wrinkle as you link forelegs and she looks out across the lake. "Does he know how to brake?"
You follow her gaze to see the stallion in the Plants vest accelerating towards a worried-looking Carrot Top. You're about to say it doesn't look like it when you hear Pinkie's voice ring out across the lake.
"Brake!" she shouts, and everyone on the lake instinctively responds. Unfortunately, you and Roseluck both freeze in the middle of her pulling you up. Her back leg slides out along the ice shortly followed by the rest of her and as she falls, she yanks on your foreleg, overbalancing you as well. You spin as you fall with her and she ends up landing on top of you as you smash flat on your back, wings outspread.
"Hwoof!" you say, since it's the only word your body's going to let you say for a few seconds. You open your eyes to see Roseluck's blushing face inches away from yours. You become incredibly aware of exactly where she is- she's lying on you chest to chest, her back legs between yours, her forelegs outstretched and braced against the ice, trembling as she tries to keep from crushing you.
"Sorry," she squeaks, without moving. Her breath's warm against your lips.
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To go back a step, Click here for Chapter 27.