Princess, I Shrunk the Ponies!

by NintendoGal55

Separate Ways

What seemed like several hours later, nopony seemed to know, Applejack and Pinkie Pie finally arose from where they'd fallen. Within a lot of grass, but it was not noisy in the slightest.

Applejack sat up, coughing and shaking her head. She found her hat on the ground nearby, so she picked it up and placed it on her head. "Ugh...what a ride...Ah ain't never doin' that again..."

"Ohhhhh..." Pinkie moaned from somewhere nearby. She was on her back, her legs sticking up in the air, but sprawled out to the sides. "Where are we...?"

"Ah don't reckon to know, Sugarcube," Applejack sighed, shaking her head a bit. She managed to stand straight, flexing her sore body and muscles before she trotted over to the other Earth pony. "Y'all okay, Pinkie? Need any help gettin' up?" She came to notice her lasso was still around Pinkie Pie's waist.

"Uh-huh..." Pinkie noded, grinning sheepishly. "I kinda can't get my legs to go straight..."

"Guess Ah'd better help ya with that, Sugarcube." Applejack seized her pink legs, managing to bring them into place. She applied pressure to them, even getting them to move back and forth to get the circulation going in her limbs. Afterward, she untied the rope, placed it in her makesift saddlebag (which was still thankfully intact), then helped Pinkie Pie up.

"Phew! Thanks, Applejack! I thought I'd be stuck like that forever!" Pinkie smiled at the orange Earth pony, testing her four legs by bouncing in place.

"Anytime, Pinkie," Applejack smiled a little, glad to see that she was all right. "C'mon now, we gotta find the others and where in the hay we ended up."

"That's a good idea! I hope they're not too far away!"

The orange Earth pony sighed a bit, having serious doubts about it. But she just couldn't crush Pinkie's spirits. "Guess we'll find out soon, sugarcube."

------------

Within a small corn field, Twilight managed to groggily awaken. Had she fallen asleep, or was just passed out? She wasn't sure. The muscles in her body ached, to which it even proved hard to move her limbs. On the ground next to her, Rarity was on her stomach, awake and breathing, but wasn't moving or making an attempt to get up. Her made was windswept and lanky, having lost its usual stylish coiffure.

"R-Rare....Rarity? ....Are you okay?" Twilight croaked, shakily standing up.

"Oh, Twilight..." Rarity moaned, pressing her hooves over her eyes. "It's terrible...it's awful...it's dreadful..."

"W-What do you mean?" Twilight asked softly, making her way over to her. She stretched her sore muscles accordingly, then cricked her neck.

"My mane...look what that horrid windstorm has done to my beautiful, perfect mane...!" Rarity wailed, tears beginning to pour from her eyes.

Twilight blinked, and then sighed a bit in irritation. But, this was Rarity, and she knew that getting annoyed wasn't going to get them anywhere. "I know, Rarity...I know it's a pain to have your mane all messed up like this. ...But at least you're still alive."

Rarity stared up at Twilight incredulously. "Well, of course I'm still alive, Twilight! But my mane just looks absolutely dreadful, now...I can't be seen like this!"

A little smile came to the lavender Unicorn's face. "Well, actually, nopony can see you except all five of us. And...you know, with us, you won't have to worry about that. When we return to our normal size, you'll be able to fix it up before you go out again."

The white Unicorn blinked, and then smiled in relief. "Why, you're absolutely right, darling! Once we've returned to our proper sizes, I shall be off to the spa!"

"Yep!" Twilight felt better knowing better that the other mare was in high spirits again. "I think we might all need a good trip to the spa after this is all over."

"Indeed, my dear!" Rarity nodded in agreement, tousling her windswept mane as best as she could, in an attempt to make it at least slightly curly, again. "I just hope the other girls have fared better than we have."

"Yeah...I can see they're nowhere near us right now...I hope they're all right." Twilight looked beyond the corn field with worry.

---------------------

Fluttershy could feel something on top of her. Whatever it was, it was an added weight, but still pleasant...and smelled like lilies and rain. Something soft was even touching her cheek. She sighed a bit happily, reaching up to hold whatever was on top of her. Wherever she was, she was awake and coming to, but hadn't opened her eyes yet.

Disoriented, but relaxed, she opened her eyes. When they focused, she came to see a pair of deep rose eyes struggling to open looking back at her.
Her own eyes widened.

"...Rainbow Dash?"

"...Fluttershy?!"

Realizing that she was on top of the other Pegasus, Rainbow Dash quickly flew off her, hovering just above her best friend, now. "Oh, man! I am so sorry! I must've landed on you! Are you okay?"

Feeling pangs of disappointment from the loss of their close contact, Fluttershy managed to nod. Her legs curled, she didn't feel ready to move just yet. "Don't apologize...I'm fine, really..." A little blush tinted her cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Rainbow Dash gazed at her with concern. "You're not hurt or anything?"

"Just sore..." Fluttershy admitted, kicking her legs a bit. "But I'm all right...Oh, Rainbow Dash...are you all right?"

"Me? I'm fine! Great, actually!" Rainbow Dash flew a little higher, flexing her wings and forelegs. She landed again, folding her wings at her sides. "That was crazy though, wasn't it?"

"...Yes...crazy..." Fluttershy rolled onto her side, managing to pick herself up, though shakily. She looked to her best friend with remorse, swallowing. "I'm sorry I grabbed you like that before the wind swept us away...I was just scared...I didn't want to end up blown over somewhere all alone..." She whimpered a little, feeling scared again.

"Uh, hello? Why are you apologizing for that?" Rainbow Dash cocked her head to one side. "Fluttershy, if I were in your place, I'd have probably done the same thing! And it's not like I'm upset about it, either."

"...Oh..." Fluttershy looked a bit sheepish. "Well I..." She couldn't even think of an answer as to why she apologized. But she felt relieved to know how she felt of the situation. "You're right...I suppose what matters is that we're alive...and not alone." She scooted a bit closer and nuzzled the other Pegasus gently.

"True enough," Rainbow Dash chuckled softly, nuzzling into the other Pegasus in return. "And we should just be lucky that it wasn't a thunderstorm with a heavy downpour, instead of a fairly strong wind."

A shiver of fear coursed through the pink-maned pony, causing her to swallow hard at the thought. But their little nuzzling worked to relax and comfort her a bit, thankful it wasn't the case.

"You're right...thankfully we avoided that kind of disaster." She whispered softly.
The rainbow-maned pony smiled gently in reassurance. "Then again, I would've never let anything happen to you, even if that were the case."

Despite the situation, a soft blush coursed Fluttershy's cheeks as she managed to relax all the more. There was nothing but confidence and truth in Rainbow Dash's eyes as she yet again promised to protect her. She could always feel so safe and secured around her...she only wished she could be that brave and to protect her right back, to be so sure of herself and her bravery.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash..." Was all she could muster, and nuzzled the other Pegasus affectionately.

"You're welcome, Fluttershy. Anytime." Rainbow Dash smiled, genuinely smiled, nuzzling the other Pegasus in an affectionate manner, returning the gesture.

Heart melting, Fluttershy savoured their little moment, just as always. Her mind at ease, body less tense, and her panic dying down, she managed to look to her longtime companion with more of a smile of her own. "We should look around...try to find the others...we should be okay...as long as we stick together...um....would you fly up...and see what there is around us?"

"Sure thing!" Rainbow Dash winked and saluted, before flying up to take a look at their surroundings. "Looks like we landed near the fountain in the park. But I don't see the others anywhere."

"Oh..." Fluttershy managed to fly up next to her. "I wonder how long it's been...the wind stopped, at least..."

"I don't know..." Rainbow shrugged. "But we should probably try to find them before we try going to the Everfree Forest..."

"Good idea, I suppose we could look around for now..." Fluttershy agreed.
The two Pegasi drifted along the park, remaining in the air, but hopefully out of range of anypony coming near them, if it was the case.

--------------------

Twilight wasn't sure which of the cornfields this was, but considering their size, it seemed massive to them. She just hoped they would somehow find the way out, or to some kind of source telling them where they were. She trotted along, slowly, and looked back once more at Rarity, who was lagging behind. With a soft sigh, she paused and waited for the other Unicorn to catch up.

"Come on, Rarity. We have to keep going."

"I'm...trying...Twilight..." Rarity panted, beads of sweat trickling down her face. "But it's...incredibly difficult...to run like this...at such a small size...through such an...enormous cornfield...!"

Sighing once more, Twilight nodded in agreement. "I know it is, Rarity. But we do have to keep trying and going, because just about anything is dangerous to us right now. At least we're in a secluded kind of place, where not many ponies will be around. I just hope none of these stalks are weak..."

"That...would be...a dreadful thought, dear..." Rarity frowned, still panting as she tried to catch her breath. "We simply...must...get out of here...and find the others..."

"I've got a feeling we're all kind of far from each other...." Twilight groaned. She stopped walking again to let the other Unicorn catch up. "We should probably try to find the others first, before we go to the Everfree Forest."

"An excellent...idea, Twilight!" Rarity nodded in agreement. "We mustn't remain apart...from the others...for too terribly long."

"I wonder where they are...at least, I hope they didn't end up all alone somewhere." The lavender Unicorn said with a worried frown.

"Oh, I certainly hope not..." Agreed the white Unicorn worriedly. "And I certainly hope another dreadful wind won't be stirred before we can find them..."

"Me too, even the slightest draft could send us flying. I wish I could find a way to weigh us down, but that would only do so much, and Celestia knows we can't afford to be slowed down that way." Murmured Twilight.

"I would suggest loading down these lovely makeshift saddlebags you put together for us. But I wouldn't want to ruin all your work." Rarity frowned, looking deep in thought as she sat down on her haunches atop a small (but big to her) stone.

Twilight wanted to protest them sitting AGAIN, but she decided it best to just follow along. She sat on the stone with her, exhaling. "It could work, but I won't take too much chances with that, I wouldn't want to ruin them," she sighed again, shaking her head. "...Well, at least we're not alone right now."

Rarity gave a soft smile and nodded to her fellow Unicorn. "That does make this ordeal slightly more bearable," Then she frowned, looking off into the distance. "Still, I do hope our dear friends are all right. I would hate to have something dreadful happen to them while we're apart..."

Looking over to the designer Unicorn, Twilight felt the same sentiment as well. It would be one thing to worry of their friends if they were separated while their normal sizes. But now that they were three quarters of an inch tall, smaller than most insects, it added to the worry all the more. That almost everything was dangerous to them now. Especially the risks of being crushed to death. Squashed like bugs.

"I know what you mean, I hope nothing happens to them, either. ...But we just have to keep trying, and we'll find them."

"Indeed, we shall." Rarity then stood up from the stone, looking determined. "Well, Twilight? We'd best be off again, we shall never find our friends or reach the Everfree Forest if we continue to sit around!"

Twilight rolled her eyes a bit, having thought to do exactly that. But she smiled, nodding in agreement before she stood up along with her. "Right. So let's get going, hopefully we can cover some ground and get some semblance as to where we are and where everypony else ended up."

"Of course." Rarity nodded. "Then let us be off!"

"Okay then," Twilight agreed.

The two Unicorns continued their trek through the massive corn field. Smells of the corn and plantlife around them filled their noses, as did the ground below them, considering how close they were to it. While Twilight worried more for the fate of their friends, she just had to put her trust that things would turn out okay if they just kept on going. No matter what.

-----------

'Happy place happy place happy place happy place...' Fluttershy thought, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as she tried to keep her thoughts focused on good things. Happy things.

An open field, near all kinds of trees. Animals of all kinds surrounding her, along with wildflowers. Beautiful peace! Even the trickle of the river nearby to add to the effect. The smells, the feeling, the warmth, to sweet sounds all around...

Something was missing.

She thought a moment, and then added a beautiful rainbow in the sky. Then, an added fast streak coming toward her before it landed...revealing to be Rainbow Dash. She would walk toward her, confident and proud as always, but with such a gleam in her eyes. Then the cyan Pegasus would then turn to her, snuggling against Fluttershy affectionately. And then would look tenderly into her eyes, whispering sweet nothings to her, then leaning in...closer...

"Oh...Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy murmured dreamily, giggling.

"Uh...Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash frowned in confusion, leaning back as the shy Pegasus was leaning closer. "...What are you doing? I don't think now is the time or the place."

"Hmm?" Fluttershy didn't quite register what she said, still lost in her fantasy. But then a distant bird call snapped her out of it. She blushed and looked away a little, sheepish. "Oh, nothing! I was...I thought I saw something...in your mane...that's all..."

"Well...if there's something there...would you mind taking it out for me?" Rainbow Dash blinked, shaking her head lightly.

"Um....well I...sure... um...." Fluttershy gulped, realizing she was lying. She reached over, gently brushing the rainbow mane a little, pretending to be searching for something, and then "getting it out". She pulled back and looked satisfied. "Okay, it's gone now!"

"Heh...thanks." Rainbow Dash chuckled softly, a little blush overtaking her cyan cheeks. Of course she knew the other Pegasus had been lying about there being something in her mane. But she wasn't going to tell her so.

"You're welcome..." Fluttershy looked away again, shuffling a hoof along the ground. 'Darn it...I did it again....'

"So..." Rainbow Dash scuffed a hoof across the ground, not looking at Fluttershy.

"So..." Fluttershy repeated, trying to sound as cool and casual as possible. She glanced toward her briefly, but looked down again.

"So..." Rainbow Dash said again, glancing up towards the sky for a moment, before looking back down again.

Fluttershy looked up at the sky also, scuffling the ground with her other hoof. She even whistled a little, trying to sound more casual. "So..."

Rainbow Dash crossed one foreleg over the other, uncrossed them, and then crossed them again.

Fluttershy did the same, crossing one foreleg over the other.

Rainbow tossed her mane over her shoulder, still avoiding eye contact with her fellow Pegasus.

"Soooo...." Fluttershy dared look at her again. She wished she was bold enough to say something...to do something...to just instantly make them big again! This was unnerving, and she felt ready to collapse with anxiety. "What do we do now?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing..." Rainbow sighed, staring down at the ground in frustration.

It was irritating to not be able to do anything to help their current situation. But she knew there was nothing that any of them could do on their own, which was why they needed to find their way to the Everfree Forest and get to Zecora's hut.

"Well...um...." Fluttershy looked up, seeing that a couple of Pegasi were moving in some more clouds. "....Rainbow...is there rainfall scheduled today?"

"There...wasn't supposed to be, no..." Rainbow blinked, seeing the Pegasi gathering clouds in the sky. "Uh-oh...I wonder who decided on this..."

"Oh no...." Fluttershy's ears drooped with fear. "Rainbow Dash...we should find shelter before we do much else....I...I...I don't want us to...g-get caught...in rain....out in the open....please?" She looked to her friend pleadingly.

Thinking quick, the two Pegasi flew up into the air, looking around the area of the park they were now in, seeking out a good idea for shelter.

Fluttershy glanced about, and then her eyes fell to the nearby sandbox. An idea struck her. Sand absorbed water, so the area wouldn't flood around them. In the sandbox was a plastic bucket turned on its side, completely empty. There was also nopony around, so it was likely nopony would be coming for it anytime soon, especially since it was going to rain, as it seemed.

"Rainbow Dash, look! We can shelter ourselves in that bucket in the sandbox!" Fluttershy pointed to it.

Rainbow Dash looked where Fluttershy was pointing, and grinned. "Good thinking, Fluttershy! The sandbox will be a perfect place to take shelter!"

Pleased with thinking quick, Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "All right, then let's-"

A droplet of rain water, now much bigger than they were, landed upon Fluttershy sent her plummetting toward the ground, screaming.

"Fluttershy!!!" Rainbow Dash cried, swooping down to catch her friend before she could hit the ground.

More raindrops followed all around them, looking more like enormous balls of water than just the tiny drops they were used to upon being normally sized. They plummetted mercelessly, like bullets, as if out to get them. Noisy splats hit the ground below, just about indicating how dangerous they were.

Fluttershy squealed in fright, but was then caught and lifted back into the air.

"Gotcha!!!" Rainbow exclaimed triumphantly, having caught Fluttershy with her forelegs. She flew them over to the sandbox, dipping and diving, swerving and swooping, to dodge the onslaught of raindrops from the cloud-filled sky.

Shaking, but relieved, Fluttershy grabbed onto Rainbow Dash with fear and gulped, squeezing her eyes shut and hoping the now threateningly dangerous rain drops wouldn't hit them again.

But they were everywhere! Everywhere around on all sides, and especially from above.

"Rainbow Dash...!" She whimpered, terrified.

"Just hang onto me, Fluttershy!" Rainbow continued to fly them towards the sandbox, feeling more like she was practicing her aerial routine for a Wonderbolts tryout than trying to avoid massive raindrops knocking her out of the sky.

Nodding a bit, Fluttershy held tightly to her fellow Pegasus. She felt grateful that

Rainbow Dash managed to avoid all the drops like this, and hoped she could keep it up long enough.

A raindrop envelopped them, sending them lower to the ground, this time onto the wetting sand.

"Ooof!!!" Rainbow Dash grunted when she hit the sand, losing her grasp on Fluttershy upon impact. Water clung to her entire body, soaking her from mane to tail. "...Are you all right, pal?"

Sprawled along the sand, Fluttershy whimpered as she nodded, and covered her face and head with her hooves in fear of the next raindrop to fall over her. "Rainbow Dash..."

"Fluttershy...?" Rainbow Dash managed to stand up, shaking herself off like a dog, despite the still-falling raindrops.

Managing to roll over, though sometimes forced down by the rain drops, Fluttershy looked at her with fear. She tried to stand along the sand, since it was wet and made for an easier grip. "Come...come on....we can keep going..."

Rainbow Dash nodded, managing to get up, although her wings were now coated with wet sand. "All right...but I don't think I can fly, now..."

"Oh..." Fluttershy managed to gather her strength all the more, and made her way to her friend. "It's all right...I'll help you...we'll make it..." She managed to brush some of the wet sand off her wings, using her own wing to shield over them from the dangerously falling rain as much as possible.

"Heh...thanks, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash managed a small smile, testing her wings once some of the wet sand had been brushed off of them. "Come on...we need to keep moving...we can't wait out the storm..."

Gulping, Fluttershy could see that they were just a short distance away from the bucket. With the rain all around them, they had to keep going before they would get sick. Sparing it no further thought, she went behind Rainbow Dash, took hold of her forelegs, and lifted them up into the air. Kind of. The cyan Pegasus' hind legs ended up dragging along the sand a bit.

"Almost...there..."

Groaning as her hind legs dragged along the wet sand, Rainbow Dash began trying to flap her wings, managing to lift them a bit higher. Just enough so her hind legs weren't dragging through the wet sand anymore.

It took some doing, especially with the rain falling down on them, but Fluttershy was more prepared for it this time. She was especially determined to make sure her friend would be all right and they would be safe.

Finally, they reached the inside of the bucket. Fluttershy gently set her friend down before she collapsed herself. She breathed heavily, curled up into a ball, and shivered, whimpering.

Seeing this, Rainbow Dash lay on top of Fluttershy, opening her wings over her to help her warm up. She was shivering herself, but was determined to make sure her best friend would be kept warm.

For a moment, Fluttershy stiffened with surprise, but then relaxed as she felt herself grow a bit warmer. Especially in how close they were. The wordless promises of keeping her safe, warm, and even comfortable were volumous. She felt herself smile then, a sense of relief in her heart. Rainbow Dash really was the Element of Loyalty. It was moments like this that her loyalty could shine.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash...thank you..." She murmured softly.

"No problem, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash smiled, leaning her head down to nuzzle the other Pegasus. "Can't have you getting sick, after all."

Fluttershy blushed a bit, and felt her heart melt all over again, her smile growing. "Oh... But what about you? You need to warm up, too.."

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I'm a weather patrol Pegasus, I've been through worse. You, on the other hoof, since you're not used to braving the elements..."

A little sigh escaped Fluttershy, and then she nuzzled back sweetly. She still worried for her friend, and hoped she would be all right, but trusted her word. Being from Cloudsdale and then working as a weather patrol Pegasus for a good while, it was no wonder she was more used to certain weather elements.

"I guess you're right..." Her blush increased, and she couldn't help but relax in sweet, warm bliss. "...And you're better than any blanket..."

Rainbow Dash chuckled softly, nuzzling her best friend again. "Glad you feel that way, pal..."

Heart swelling with happiness, Fluttershy relaxed all the more, forgetting their perils for the time being, and the thundering rain outside. All that mattered was that they were safe, so close together, and keeping warm. She couldn't have asked for a better moment in these tough times...and couldn't have asked for anypony better than to be with right now.

------------

When Twilight looked up at the sky again, she felt uneasy yet again. The clouds were being rolled in, a clear sign that there was going to be rain. If it wasn't already raining here, it definitely was somewhere in Ponyville.

She looked back at Rarity, who wasn't even paying attention.

The lavender Unicorn stopped in her tracks, turning around to face her. "Rarity, listen....I don't want to alarm you, but I think that we need to find shelter as soon as possible."

The white Unicorn didn't seem to hear Twilight, as her attention was focused elsewhere. She frowned, ears perked up, as she listened to a curious sound. "Twilight, darling...do you hear that?"

"...Hear what?" Twilight frowned in both confusion and worry. "What is it that you hear?"

"Shh shh!" Rarity hushed her. "Listen!"

It was a chirping noise, though it sounded much more pained and sorrowful.

"...That sounds like an animal," Twilight realized, her eyes wide. "I wonder where it's coming from...it sounds as if it's in pain."

"We'd best investigate!" Rarity decided, looking to Twilight for confirmation. "Perhaps it is an animal that could be of aid to us!"

Twilight pondered that for a moment, then came to see that Rarity had a point. "Good idea, maybe it is! We'll just have to be careful, since we might be a lot smaller than it is, and it could either squish or....eat us," she grimaced at the thought. "But let's go see what it is."

"Indeed, dear." Rarity nodded, and the two Unicorns trotted off to find the source of the noise.

Following it as best they could, it wasn't long before they cut through the corn stalks away from the path they were originally on. They soon came across a bird laying on the ground. Twilight recognized the bird, it was the same bird she had once briefly nuzzled during a picnic. That same little bird. Its wing was at an odd angle, and it seemed to be chirping sadly in pain.

"Oh no...it must've hurt its wing and then fell down."

"Oh, dear! The poor thing! Twilight, do you know any healing spells?"

"I do, and I might be able to help it. But we need to find shelter before we do anything else," Twilight pointed upward. "I don't like the look of those clouds..."

Rarity looked up to where Twilight was pointing, biting her lip as she saw the cloud-filled sky. "Oh, my...it seems we're in for a most dreadful downpour!"

Twilight thought for a moment, wondering what they could do. She first approached the bird, slowly. The lavender Unicorn smiled warmly at it before she gently nuzzled its warm, feathery chest as a way to assure that she wasn't an enemy. She then turned to Rarity.

"I have an idea. I'm going to put up a force field around us when the rain comes, and while I do that, I'll try to construct a hoof-made shelter for us and the bird, so that I won't end up using too much magic and tire myself out."

"An excellent idea, Twilight!" Rarity nodded in approval, smiling kindly at the wounded bird. "Don't you worry, darling. You'll be all right soon."

A drop of water splashed near them. Twilight looked up and could see that the rain was indeed starting up. Quickly, she managed to fire up her magic to create a small force field around the bird and both ponies. With it in place, Twilight turned back to Rarity.

"Okay, you keep it company and talk to it. I'll gather some materials we'll need to make shelter."

"All right." Rarity approached the bird, nuzzling it as she'd seen Twilight do, and smiled softly. "You poor dear. It seems you've had a terrible accident. Are you all right?"

The bird twittered sadly in response, trying to move its wing, but with no success. It just looked down at the white Unicorn with sad eyes.

"Oh, don't move it..." Rarity chided the bird softly. "My friend here is going to help you."

Once more the bird twittered, looking as if it were giving up.

"You mustn't give up. You're going to be all right, soon. I promise you, we will heal that broken wing and help you to fly again."

Silent for a moment, the bird reached its good wing down to pat Rarity on the head a little bit.

Twilight came back then, with a big umbrella made from a stick, leaves, blades of grass, and maize blades from the corn that have fallen. "Here, I made us an umbrella. It's not much, but it'll shelter us."

"Oh, wonderful, Twilight!" Rarity praised, levitating the umbrella with her magic to shield herself, the lavender Unicorn and the bird from the rain.

Releasing the force field, Twilight was relieved that the tactic of the hoof-made umbrella working as best as it could. Now with protection from the rain out of the way, she went to work on examining the bird's wing. She was pretty proficient in healing spells, and had also read up on some basic healing methods for all kinds of limbs, that of which included wings. Mostly in terms of the Pegasi, but Fluttershy had shown her a thing or two when Twilight was researching basic animal care with her help.

"Rarity, do you think you could maybe...sing to it? It might be painful and I don't want it to think about the pain," she said to her fellow Unicorn.

"Sing? Why, certainly. But what shall I sing?" The fashionista Unicorn blinked.

"Um...anything, I guess....." Twilight shrugged a bit.

"Okay then..." Rarity nodded, thinking for a moment of a song to sing while Twilight was working.

Sadly the bird twittered, which almost reminded Twilight of a little tune. She smiled, turning to Rarity.

"How about that cute song from that musical, The Sound of Music, where the children are taught about the original music notes and how they can be turned to song?"

Rarity's eyes lit up. "Oooh, splendid idea! Sweetie Belle and I adore that wonderful musical!"

"Great! You can sing that to cheer up the bird and distract it!" Twilight smiled more, and then went to work on examining the bird's wing with her magic. She tried to pinpoint as to where the problem was in the wing, hoping there were no broken bones or feathers missing.

As Twilight began to examine the bird, Rarity closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to softly sing.

"Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi

Do-re-mi, do-re-mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do-re-mi, do-re-mi

Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti
Let's see if I can make it easy..."

For a moment Twilight paused, just letting the elegant beauty of Rarity's singing voice soothe her ears. She really did have by far the most beautiful singing voice...with Fluttershy as a possible close second, it seemed.
The bird seemed to agree as it focused its attention on Rarity, smiling. It then joined in, cheeping and twiterring the melody along with her.

Rarity smiled and giggled softly, as she continued to sing the song.

"Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do oh-oh-oh!"

Even Twilight was now humming along to the song, tapping one hoof in time to the rhythm. She used her magic to secure the bird's wing with a twig to form as a makeshift splint, and used some blades of grass and maize to secure it.

Along with Rarity's singing ,the bird whistled and chirped cheerfully, not even thinking about the mild pain int is wing.

Rarity giggled softly, pleased that her singing was putting the bird at ease, and even that it was chirping and whistling the music to accompany her. She continued singing, while Twilight finished healing the bird's wing.

It took a little doing, but Twilight managed to secure the bird's wing with the makeshift splint, and then healing and easing it's pain with magic. Once she secured it, she sat down beside it and gave it one more little nuzzle.

"There you go, you should be just fine now."

"How do you feel now, darling?" Rarity inquired with a kind smile.

The bird twittered happily, giving both ponies a little nuzzle with his beak in thanks.

"Awww...I'm glad you're feeling better. Don't worry, we'll stay with you until your wing heals," Twilight promised.

"It's the least we can do!" Rarity agreed. "And besides, you and I simply must perform a duet! Your singing is quite lovely!"

Twittering happily, the bird sang a little again before it relaxed.

"You two would make a nice duet," Twilight smiled.

Rarity couldn't help but giggle in girlish glee. "Oh, yes! We simply must take our act on the road together! All that fame! All that glamour! All waiting for me...errr, us!"

Twilight gave a warm laugh, making herself comfortable next to the bird.

Silence befell them as they nestled under the umbrella, with the rain falling all around them.

"You know, Rarity...I never really had a chance to say I was sorry..."

"Sorry for what, Twilight?" Rarity glanced at her fellow Unicorn in mild curiosity.

The lavender Unicorn hesitated for a moment, but then looked to her friend a bit sadly. "About earlier...when Fluttershy kind of backed herself into a corner about admitting what had happened the first time she looked after the girls. ...I was there, and that was why I was with her the next morning when you got there. I had been turned to stone when I saw the cockatrice, I didn't even have time to stop it."

"Well, of course you were there! Fluttershy explained about the cockatrice! Why, if it weren't for her and that Stare she has, you'd be a mere stone statue in the Canterlot Garden!" The white Unicorm exclaimed.

"...Yes, that's true...but the thing is, I kind of did what she did too, I didn't even tell you or Applejack about it," Twilight said guiltily, looking down. "I mean, sure, you can say it really wasn't my place to tell either of you...but still, the fact even I kept quiet about it really doesn't sit with me now that I look back."

"Oh, Twilight! There's no need to fret over that, now! It's in the past, and that's where it shall stay!" Rarity told her, leaning over and giving her a friendly little nuzzle.

Smiling, Twilight felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she managed to nod, offering a little nuzzle back in thanks. "Yeah, you're right. It's in the past and everything's okay with it now. But I promise too, that I won't keep something like that a secret, either."

Rarity smiled in return, nuzzling her friend again. "That would be wonderful, if you'd do that. Not to say that I no longer trust you, since it was due to circumstances beyond your control. Just that I truly and completely trust you, one hundred percent!"

"...Thanks Rarity, that means a lot," Twilight smiled warmly, looking relieved. "But I'm glad Fluttershy managed to tell you guys. I know it must not have been easy to hear, I'll admit..."

"No, it certainly was not." Rarity shook her head, frowning lightly. "Certainly your big brother would not be pleased if he'd heard about something terrible that could've happened to his little sister?"

Twilight's ears flopped as she smiled sheepishly. "Yeah...I never did tell him about that...."

"Well, I will certainly not be the one to inform him." Rarity shook her head. "If your brother is to learn about that little adventure, then that is completely one hundred and ten percent your decision, dear!"

"Yeah, that's true, I guess," the purple Unicorn agreed with a little smile. "Guess the next time I see him and Cadance, might be a good time to share some of my....adventures with them," she chuckled a bit at that.

A little sigh escaped her as she looked around them for a moment, looking worried all over again. The weight of their predicament, and the fact it was likely raining across Ponyville right now, worried her about their friends.

"Gosh, I hope the others are okay..."

"I hope so too, dear." The white Unicorn agreed. "I simply can't help but worry about them in this awful downpour..."

"That's for sure, I hope they managed to seek some kind of shelter," Twilight murmured in worry, but took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "...Well, I'll bet you one thing that if Fluttershy's lost with Rainbow Dash, they must be snuggling together from the rain..." she giggled a bit at the thought.

"Certainly so." Rarity couldn't help but giggle, herself. "I'm sure they're not aware that we all know what's going on between those two. It really is lovely, though."

"I guess I really am not the only one who notices," this made Twilight laugh a bit as she smiled more. "You're right, it's really sweet. Fluttershy's not quite that subtle in that regard, unbelievable as it sounds, but the way Rainbow is so much softer and more gentle around her, especially when she thinks we're not looking...hello?" Twilight waved her hoof playfully, giggling.

"Oh, yes! I've certainly noticed that, too. Fluttershy always seems to just glow when we meet up for our spa date after she's spent a night with Rainbow Dash," Rarity agreed.

Now Twilight's eyes widened, having clearly not known that. It wasn't uncommon for friends to have sleepovers, but something about this information rang a little differently. "They...spend nights together? Like sleepover slumber parties? Oh, what am I saying? Of course! That's really nice though, that she's glowing? I guess the spa only touches it up!"

Rarity nodded. "Why, yes indeed! The spa just serves to enhance that glow about her magnificently! And Twilight, I have many romance novels in among my book collection. You needn't treat me as though I'm naive."

"Oh! No, I'm not..." the lavender Unicorn gave a sheepish laugh. "Guess it's just news to me, but then again, what do I know? Well, she must be pretty happy if she's glowing after they spend nights together!"

"Oh, yes!" The white Unicorn giggled, shaking her head lightly. "In fact, she has even detailed at least a few of her nights spent together with our dear Dashie!"

"Really? What do they do together?" Came Twilight's curious question as she tilted her head slightly. "Slumber party fun? ...Although trying to picture Rainbow going through a makeover is hilarious in itself!"

"A little bit, yes." Rarity giggled, smiling at the other Unicorn. "And only dear Fluttershy can convince our favorite dare-devil that a makeover is not such a bad thing, tee-hee!"

"Oh my goodness!" Twilight laughed at this, slapping a hoof against the ground. "I'm not surprised, I bet only Fluttershy could convince her to do that!"

"Oh, yes indeed!" Rarity laughed, as well. "In fact, I absolutely must show you the photo Fluttershy sneakily took of Rainbow Dash with a mud mask on! It is hilarious!"

"She didn't!!" Twilight laughed a bit harder, slapping her hoof against the ground. "Oh, that would be terrible of me, but I have to see that! What next, did they play dress up?"

"Oh no, of course not!" Rarity laughed harder, also. "Although that would be quite a sight, wouldn't it?"

Twilight giggled as she calmed down her laughter, shaking her head. "It would! Well, that's great they spend nights together and have some fun. Especially if it makes Fluttershy so happy!"

"Absolutely!" Rarity nodded, giggling as her laughter died down, too. "And I think there may be more to it than just slumber party fun, of course. But that's between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and is really none of our business."

“Of course not, what they do together is nopony's business but their own and unless they share, that's the way it is,” For a moment, Twilight was a little confused as to what Rarity meant by that as a whole. She wondered if maybe she could mean that they possibly went on moonlight flights together, played board games, read books, but then it dawned on her. "Oh...."

"Hmm," Rarity saw that Twilight had finally caught on, and then winked at her secretively.

"Oh!!" Having it confirmed, Twilight blushed a bit at the very thought, as well as many possible images that came to mind. "...Guess that explains why Fluttershy glows, doesn't it?"

"Mmm-hmm." Rarity nodded, giggling softly behind her hoof.

Twilight pondered that for a while. The bird twittered. The rain continued on for quite some time, showing no signs of letting up.

------------

By the looks of things, Applejack managed to deduce that they were in an outskirt neighbourhood of Ponyville, within the grass. Since they couldn't see above the blades of grass, even if she pulled some down, neither could tell which way they were going, if they were even going in the right direction.

"Well Pinkie...Ah reckon we should find us one of them bigger rocks we can climb and get a look at which way we're goin'...." Applejack mused.

"Okey-dokey lokie!" Pinkie nodded agreeably, bouncing toward a large rock not far away. She bounded up onto its jagged surface, making her way to the top as easily as if she were climbing stairs.

"Well Ah'll be danged..." Applejack said in relief. She approached the rock as well, climbing onto it easily as she followed up after the pink Earth pony. "So how 'bout it? Do ya see anythang?" She called up to her.

"If you mean our friends, then nopey dopey lopie!" Pinkie shook her head. "Oooh, oooh! But I think I can see Sugarcube Corner from here!"

"Really now?" Applejack finally managed to get up beside her. She looked in the direction that Pinkie Pie was pointing, and could see that some ways off was Sugarcube Corner. "Well shoot, there it is! Think maybe we can make our way there, if nothin' else!"

"Oooh, that's a good idea, Applejack! A great idea! A super-duper-ultra-extra-special idea!"

"Er...thanks, Ah guess.... We can find shelter there, an' if we're gonna be in there tonight, least we'll find scraps o' food."

"Yupperroonie! ...Oh, wait, that might not be such a good idea! I forgot, Mr. and Mrs. Cake are out of town, and I'm supposed to be in charge of the bakery while they're away!"

Applejack frowned sightly. "Ain't that all the more reason ta go there? An' if we cain't, got any other ideas?"

Pinkie blinked. "You're right, Applejack! Duh, what was I thinking?!" She thumped her own head with her hoof, her eyes briefly crossing as she did so. "Of course that's a good idea to go there!"

"Well, awright," Applejack's irritance faded then. "We'll keep on goin' straight ahead, try not to take any detours, an' we should make it. But we gotta go fast..." She pointed a hoof up at the sky. "Ah don't trust them clouds....case those Pegasi decided to rain on us, an' we don't want that to happen at this size."

"Oooh, nopey-dopey lopie! That would be bad!" Pinkie agreed, shaking her head. "So we need to get moving!"

"Awright, let's go," Applejack hopped down along the rock, making her way back to the ground. "C'mon then Pinkie, we ain't got time to lose!"

"Coming!" Pinkie bounced down the rock behind Applejack, giggling on the way down. "Hee hee! Applejack, why are you tickling me?!"

"Wha? Ah ain't ticklin' ya, Ah'm over-" Applejack turned around, and her eyes went wide with shocked horror. "Um...Pinkie? Ah...don't think ya should move..."

"Why?" Pinkie stopped bouncing and blinked at the orange Earth pony. "What's wrong, Applejack?"

"J-Just...don't move...don't panic...just stay calm...you'll be fine...Ah'll get mah rope..." Applejack uttered in fear, gulping.

Pinkie winced, as her knee became pinchy...one of the many signs of her Pinkie Sense. "S-someth-thing s-scary is ab-bout t-to hap-pen...i-isn't i-it...?"

---------

I love The Sound of Music, I had to throw those in.
All rights reserved!

Comments

[SpyroFlame]

I hope its a praymantis i love those things
I enjoyed Rarity and Twilghts conversation, for a egghead Twilight can be so amuseing and clueless.
PS the sound of music is Awesome

[NintendoGal55]

712913
XD You'll see!

Indeedy! XD Plus Rarity was kind of vague, but at the same time, yeah...hello? XD Now she gets it!

YES!! It sure is!!

[Puck The Faerie]

I smell spider.

[Fat Autistic Weeaboo2222]

i sense a snake with an erection if thats even possible

[Rainbow87dash]

"So..." Rainbow Dash scuffed a hoof across the ground, not looking at Fluttershy.
"So..." Fluttershy repeated, trying to sound as cool and casual as possible. She glanced toward her briefly, but looked down again.
"So..." Rainbow Dash said again, glancing up towards the sky for a moment, before looking back down again.
Fluttershy looked up at the sky also, scuffling the ground with her other hoof. She even whistled a little, trying to sound more casual. "So..."
Rainbow Dash crossed one foreleg over the other, uncrossed them, and then crossed them again.
Fluttershy did the same, crossing one foreleg over the other.
Rainbow tossed her mane over her shoulder, still avoiding eye contact with her fellow Pegasus.
"Soooo...." Fluttershy dared look at her again. She wished she was bold enough to say something...to do something...to just instantly make them big again! This was unnerving, and she felt ready to collapse with anxiety. "What do we do now?"

Most awkward moment EVER!