Slumber Party at Dave's
*Knock-knock*
“Hello? Moonlight? You home?”
I was getting a sense of deja vu here. After lunch, Pinkie had insisted on coming with me to meet Moonlight, and here I was, knocking away at a door that was not opening. It was kinda vital that she should be around, now that I needed to prove her existence to somepony else. What, was she only available when the weather was bad?
“Are you sure she’s home?” Pinkie asked.
“Positive. I can’t think of where else she could be.”
I knocked harder, and finally, to my relief, the door creaked open, and that familiar forget-me-not blue eye peered out. It registered Pinkie, and I could just see the pupil contract; she was nervous.
“Moonlight, it’s ok. She’s a friend. Come on out.”
The door opened, and Moonlight stepped out, still looking cautiously at Pinkie, whose eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates at the sight of the pegasus.
“Pinkie, this is Moonlight, my neighbor. Moonlight, this is Pinkie Pie, my best pony friend.”
“Why didn’t I think of it before?” asked Pinkie, slapping her brow. “I come here to see Derpy all the time, but I thought both of these houses were empty until Davie took that other one! And here you’ve been living the whole time, and I never even threw you a hello party! Oh, Pinkie, you’re such a goofy-goof-dummy-brain!”
Moonlight looked unsure of what to say in response to such an outburst.
“It’s ok, Moonlight,” I said. “That’s just her way.”
Moonlight seemed settled by this, and extended a cautious hoof, saying,
“It’s very nice to m-meet you.”
Pinkie, a smile back on her face, shook her hoof between both of hers.
“And it’s nice to meet you, Moonlight! Davie told me you like Daring Do like he does! Who doesn’t like Daring Do? I know I do! What a doozy of a do-gooder!”
(If she goes on one of her tangents, we could all be in deep ‘doo-doo’.)
“So, uh, Moonlight,” I interjected. “Pinkie had the idea of hosting a slumber party over at my house tomorrow night. Nothing too big!” I said, hastily, seeing a slightly panicky look on her face. “Just a few friends, but I’d love it if you were a part of it.”
“M-Me?” asked Moonlight. “I don’t know. I’ve never really been much of a party pony.”
“Neither has Fluttershy,” said Pinkie, “but you can just leave it to me. I’m a party professional!”
She beamed, though Moonlight looked quite nonplussed at this claim.
“Moonlight, you have nothing to worry about,” I assured my pegasus friend. “Pinkie’s harmless. She just has a lot of love to give.”
Moonlight looked from me to Pinkie, who smiled placatingly. At last, she said,
“I’ll come to the slumber party.”
“You will?” I asked, feeling a happy jolt behind my ribs.
“You will?” asked Pinkie, excitedly.
“Yes,” said Moonlight. “If your friends are as nice as Pinkie Pie, I think I can trust them.”
“That’s awesome!” I said, feeling both relieved and excited.
“Whoopee!” cheered Pinkie. “Just you wait, Moonlight! This is gonna be so much fun! I’ll see you both tomorrow!”
“See ya, Pinkie!”
With the speed (and quite possibly even the sound) of a car on the highway, Pinkie zoomed off back toward Ponyville. I looked down at Moonlight, who was blinking in bemusement at the cloudy trail Pinkie had left behind in her speed.
“She can be a little weird,” I conceded, “but she’s the best friend anypony could ask for. You’ll see.”
Moonlight nodded, though whether she fully agreed or not, I could not determine. All I knew was, the party was on!
***
I devoted the next morning to getting the house ready. Well, I should say, Moonlight and I did. She actually asked if she could help out with setting the house up for company. How could I refuse such a generous offer?
I didn’t think it would be very difficult cleaning up a house that didn’t have that much furniture in it, and while I wouldn’t say it was exceptionally challenging, it was still more than I imagined. Not only did we have to contend with my bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen, but the entire unused upstairs too, which I had hardly visited. There was a layer of dust over the bare floor, and I wondered if it would ever be put to use. I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to use it as a guest bedroom one of these days, so, armed with a duster, dusting spray, a rag, and a small vacuum cleaner that I had purchased together in the marketplace, the two of us got to work.
The one thing I regretted was not having any music to listen to while I worked. I had none of my possessions with me from my own world, not my phone nor my MP3 player. On the other hand, I had Moonlight to talk to.
“I really appreciate your help, Moonlight,” I said, as I dusted off the kitchen table. “I always seem to miss a spot or two when I’m asked to clean something myself.”
Moonlight was a marvel. She flew from top to bottom, armed with a dusting rag, polishing everything down to a gleaming sheen. For somepony so withdrawn and quiet, she had remarkably perceptive eyes to catch even the tiniest speck of dust. I was usually called out because I had missed one bit of pet hair or one speck of dirt when vacuuming. I suppose it could be attributed to wanting to just get it done, but I always hated lectures about that.
In any case, the house was spic, span, and ready for company with our combined efforts.
“Mom used to get on my case for not doing my room properly,” I said, more to myself. “Well, if only she could see me now, getting a whole house ready, with help, of course. Come to think of it, how would she react to me even having my own house in the first place? That might be the first reaction to deal with." I turned to my pegasus neighbor. "Thanks for your help, Moonlight.”
“You’re very welcome, Dave,” said Moonlight. “I really do hope this party turns out wonderfully.”
“With Pinkie heading it, it’s gonna be. Just you wait and see.”
Putting the cleaning stuff away, I set about wondering what kind of edible fare the ponies would expect at a slumber party. I had to be careful with my bits, and couldn’t just splurge willy-nilly, but I didn’t want to seem like a bad host. Boy, who knew organizing a party took such work? Pinkie made it look so easy.
***
There’s a kind of calm before the storm that always makes one feel nervous, edgy, ready to jump at any noise. It could be from waiting for the enemy to charge at a battle, the wait for a package or the pizza delivery guy to arrive, or, in my case, waiting for guests. I think I speak for every person who has ever hosted a party that waiting for the guests to arrive is very nerve-wracking. You always feel like there’s something you’d forgotten to do, which could jeopardize everything. You could be stomping around the house with a feather duster in your hand, ready to attack any offending dust particles that dared to settle on your hard work. You could be panicky about the way some of the furniture or decorations are arranged, and won’t be satisfied until they’re just so. I called this spontaneous OCD PPP, or ‘Pre-Party Panic’.
The minutes ticked away as I paced up and down the house, trying to ensure that everything looked right. At the same time, I was reminded of how sparse it was with so little furniture. Moonlight merely observed my panic without a word, though she looked liked she wished to say something. I tried to take my mind off of things by reading the Daring Do books to her later on, which she greatly appreciated, but even that couldn’t keep my mind away from the inevitability approaching. When would they be arriving? Would they be on the dot, fashionably late, or super early? I just couldn’t tell.
The day was wearing away quickly, too quickly for my liking. The afternoon slipped away into evening, and I was even edgier than ever, even as the two of us sat atop my bed, reaching the final chapters of The Basilisk’s Eye. What if they couldn’t come? What if they cancelled? What if it turned out to be the biggest snorefest I could have subjected them to? What if-
“That’s a good one right there, bud.”
I gave a jump, the jolt knocking my glasses askew, my heart jumping with such force that I could have sworn it banged against my Adam’s apple. Turning slowly around, I saw one of the weirdest sights I had seen yet, though not the weirdest: Lyra sticking halfway through one of my windows, right beside me. When we made eye contact, she smiled toothily. Moonlight gave a jump, her wings flaring out like those of a frightened bird.
“Lyra?!” I spluttered.
“Hi! Am I early?”
“Early?”
“For the party, dude!”
“The party?...Hang on a minute.”
Casting my mind back, I counted off on my fingers who Pinkie and I had agreed to show up. Pinkie herself, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh (still not sure if he’d even agree), Moonlight...had Lyra been brought up at any point during that?
While I was thus occupied, Lyra turned to Moonlight.
“Hey! Never seen you before. Name’s Lyra, what’s yours?”
Moonlight said nothing. She just blinked in stupefaction.
“What’s wrong?” asked Lyra. “Do I have something in my teeth? My mane messy?”
“How did you find out about the party, Lyra?” I finally asked, readjusting my glasses.
“From Pinkie!” said Lyra. “I heard her talking about it with Big Macintosh out in the marketplace. All I really heard was ‘party at Davie’s house', and nopony misses a Pinkie party. Does she still call you that? Davie? That’s so cute!”
She reached out and nudged my cheek with her hoof, which didn’t help the red blush in it.
“Your point being?” I asked, patiently.
“Well, I wanted to ask, but Bonnie was keeping me busy with more candy testing, and after it, I was a little too stomach-sick to want to do much of anything. So, I wanted to ask now, while it’s still fresh: can I come?”
She clasped her hooves together imploringly at the side of her head, almost like one imitating sleeping on a pillow. To add to this, she worked her mouth into an adorable pout, complete with quivering, over-large eyes. I sighed, allowing a smile to come over my face.
“You ponies are too cute for your own good,” I said. “Of course you can come, Lyra.”
“YAY!” Lyra squealed. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Now that’s that settled, can I ask for a favor?”
“What’s that?”
Lyra braced her hooves against the wall and tried to push herself forward, but she didn’t move an inch. I could already see what she was about to say.
“I’m kinda stuck,” she said, embarrassed. “I only meant to poke in and talk, but I guess I went too far. Can you give me a pull or a push?”
I got up from the bed and walked over to the window closest, opening it and looking out. Sure enough, Lyra’s rump was sticking out of the other side, her back legs wiggling slightly, and even her tail flicking. She was taking this rather well, I had to say.
I turned back to her front half, whereupon she grinned sheepishly.
“Relax, I’m not gonna make any fat jokes,” I assured her, walking over to her. “I have a feeling Bon Bon already does that to you.”
“Yeah, but I know she's just kidding around,” said Lyra.
She held out her hooves, which I gripped, then gave a hard tug backward. I heard Lyra groan in pain as I pulled, but I also saw her scoot forward inch by inch, until I could just see the edge of her cutie mark.
“You’re getting there,” said Moonlight.
“Almost there,” I said, bracingly. “One more pull ought to do it.”
I gave another heave, and sure enough, she topped through, right on top of me. I looked up to find her nose to nose with me, and she grinned that huge grin of hers.
“You silly pony,” I chuckled, tousling her mane.
“Guilty as charged,” she giggled.
“Oh, get a room, you two,” came a familiar, tough voice.
Lyra bounced off of me, and we looked up to see Rainbow Dash peering through the window, resting an elbow on the sill.
“Well, hello to you too, Rainbow,” I said, dryly.
“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” said Lyra.
“Hey, Lyra,” said Rainbow. She then turned back to me. “Pinkie Pie told me you were planning a party today, so I brought the best things you can bring to a Ponyville party, besides Pinkie.”
“And those are?” I asked.
“Well, myself, for one,” said Rainbow, rubbing her chest with one hoof.
(Of course.)
“And if you open the door, I’ll show you the other thing.”
“Ah, right, hang on a sec.”
I jumped up and hurried to get the door open. By the time I did, Rainbow Dash was already standing there, grinning broadly and proudly displaying the stack of boxes perched on her back, right between a full pair of saddle bags. A tantalizing, familiar smell wafted from them.
“Is that...pizza?” I asked.
“You bet! Rain or shine, I’ll get your pizza to ya in 30 seconds or less, or your bits back!”
“Wow, Rainbow, that was really nice of you to go to that trouble.”
“Ah, don’t sweat it, big guy,” said Rainbow. “Just point me to the kitchen so I can drop these off. I brought some other refreshments with me.”
“Down that way, on the right,” I pointed out, and Rainbow stepped in, still keeping the pizzas perfectly balanced on her back.
“Nice place,” she said. “Kinda bare, though.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m meaning to fix that soon, when I have the funds.”
“Did somepony say fun?”
I knew that voice! I turned back to the door, and felt my jaw drop. Pinkie was there, wearing saddle bags full to bursting, but so was Big Macintosh. A cart was hitched up behind him, and it was bearing what looked like a sofa and an armchair, all roped down.
“Pinkie!” I gasped out. “Big Macintosh! What’s going on?”
“Surprise!” squealed Pinkie. “I invited Big Mac so he could help cart your new furniture as well!”
“My new...Pinkie, what are you-”
“Remember what we talked about the day I came back? I knew a pony who could hook you up with some second-hoof furniture, and here it is! It’s not too bad, should still be comfy.”
“You might wanna step away, Pinkie, Dave,” said Big Mac. “Ah don’t want y’all gettin’ hit.”
“Okie dokie lokie!”
“Er, ok.”
All I could do was step away as Big Mac began sliding the pieces of furniture in through the door, steadily and with amazing strength.
“Anywhere particular you want these, Dave?” he asked, as he began pushing in the sofa.
“Uh, no, not really. I’ll let you be the judge.”
“Eeyup.”
As Big Mac worked, I turned to Pinkie.
“Pinkie, I can’t believe this!”
“Don’t you like them?” she asked, in what sounded like a hurt tone. “Are they the wrong color?”
“No, no, Pinkie, they’re great. They’re fantastic. I just can’t believe you’d actually do this for me. When you told me about that idea of yours, I kinda thought you were just making idle talk. How can I possibly repay you for something like this?”
“You don’t have to, silly billy. Consider this a ‘Housewarming-Welcome-Slumber Party’ Combo Pack, three parties for the price of one!”
Welcome? Ohh, she must have meant for Moonlight! How nice!
“Is that a deal you normally dish out?” I asked, smiling.
“Only for my best of friends!” said Pinkie, rearing up and nuzzling her cheek against mine.
“How’s that, Dave?” asked Big Mac.
I looked up, and was amazed to see what a great job he’d done. Along with the sofa and armchair, both a nice green, there was also a coffee table, a lamp, and a circular rug. Everything had an aged, slightly faded look to them, but still appeared in good condition. Lyra was admiring it all with boggled eyes.
“It’s perfect,” I said. “Thanks, Big Mac, and you too, Pinkie.”
“Eeyup,” said Big Mac, with a smile.
“You’re welcome, Davie,” said Pinkie. “Now, are we ready to get this party started?”
“Well, everypony's here, so I suppose so.”
“Good, cuz it’s time.”
“Time for what?” I asked.
By way of answer, Pinkie skipped out the door, and returned wheeling in her party cannon.
“Oh boy,” I muttered, grimly anticipating what was about to go down.
“Duck and cover, everypony!” said Pinkie, gleefully.
She didn’t need to ask twice. All of us got down, covering our ears, and I saw Pinkie push the trigger of her cannon. There was a blast that sounded like a mix between a gunshot and a party horn, and I saw a burst of streamers and confetti explode from the muzzle. When I looked up, it was to see the living room festooned with streamers and balloons, including a covering for the new coffee table. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Pinkie, that was amazing! How does it do that?”
“Can’t tell you that, silly! What goes into the party cannon stays in the party cannon. At least until it’s party time!”
She giggled at her own joke.
“Oh, goodness! What wonderful decorations!”
Everypony looked around at the voice. Moonlight had come into the living room, goggling at the decorations.
“Ah, there she is!” said Pinkie.
“Who?” asked Rainbow.
“Everypony,” I said, addressing the others, “this is Moonlight, my neighbor. Moonlight, this is Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, and Lyra Heartstrings.”
“Hey there!”
“Howdy.”
“Glad to meet ya!”
“Hello, everypony,” said Moonlight, shyly. “It’s very nice of you to want to have me.”
“Hang on,” said Rainbow, “if you’re a pegasus, how come I’ve never seen you in Cloudsdale?”
“Oh, um, well,” said Moonlight, shyly, “I don’t remember ever living in Cloudsdale. I’ve always felt at home on the ground. I’m not much of a flier.”
Rainbow’s friendly smile faded, to be replaced with an odd look, as if she were trying to comprehend something.
“Hey, Dave, can I talk to ya in private for a moment?” she asked.
“Huh? Uh, sure, I guess. Big Mac, ladies, excuse me for a sec.”
I followed Rainbow into the kitchen, closing the door behind me. Thankfully, there wasn’t a window to the rest of the house in there. As soon as we were alone, Rainbow rounded on me.
“What’s going on here? Who is that mare?”
Her tone confused me. She didn’t sound angry or indignant, but curious and almost anticipatory.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“What do I mean? She could totally pass for Fluttershy! I’d say she was her sister, but she's only got a brother.”
“Is there something wrong about Moonlight?”
“Wrong? Of course not. I just think it’s a little weird there’s two pegasi who live on the ground and are both really shy. You don’t see that a lot in Cloudsdale”
“I suppose that might be an odd coincidence for pegasi. Would you know her from somewhere?”
“I doubt it. She looks younger than me, and I don’t remember any ‘Moonlight’ back in flight camp.”
“Well, I have no idea who she is. She’s not very forward with talking about herself. All I know is she hates thunder and loves Daring Do.”
“Hates thunder? Definitely not a Cloudsdale pegasus, then.”
Thankfully, she didn’t say this with any level of disgust or disdain, which might have hurt Moonlight’s feelings if she’d heard. Then, all at once, Rainbow perked up again.
“Hang on, she loves Daring Do?”
“Yeah. When I first met her, we spent the day reading The Cloudcrown Tower.”
“Oh, sweet!” said Rainbow, her rose-colored pupils expanding, and her wings fluttering briefly. “That’s one of my faves! She and I might get along just fine, then.”
“That’s good to hear,” I said, relieved. “If you ask me, the poor girl could use some friends.”
“How are you getting along, by the way?”
“Great. I just finished The Basilisk’s Eye.”
“Ooh, awesome! I’m almost done with Legend of the Earthwing. I’ll drop it off here once I finish.”
“Sounds good!”
“Hey, what’s the hold up in there?” called Lyra through the door.
“Nothing, Lyra!” I called. “Rainbow and I were just, uh, taking a look at the pizzas! Anypony hungry yet?”
“You betcha!”
“Eeyup.”
“Yay! Pizza!”
“Sounds lovely.”
“Well, Miss Dash,” I said, cracking my knuckles, “what say we get this party started?”
“You bet!”
***
Besides the pizzas (a couple being plain cheese while others had assorted veggie or flower toppings (I avoided those)), Rainbow Dash had also brought several 2-liter bottles of soda, potato chips, and chip dip. I had taken care to hide away my bulk candy, in case those got discovered and rifled into. The pizza was excellent, with great cheese and a soft crust (my favorite). However, it reminded me forcibly of pizza places I had left behind in the human world. Still, it wasn’t a bad substitution. The bigger eaters, like Pinkie and Lyra, practically inhaled their slices, while Moonlight took dainty little nibbles. It was both funny and cute to observe.
Of course, it couldn’t have been a party with Pinkie and Rainbow without a few party pranks. The next seat I took after the pizza doled out, I found myself giving unexpected vent to a loud, disgusting burst of flatulence which set everypony laughing. Somepony had set a whoopie cushion on my chair before I’d even had a chance to notice; that took skill. Of course, finding out who had done it was less of a chore, because the perpetrator had labelled it ‘Property of P.P.” When I had declared this (spelling out the acronym as well), this set about another bout of laughter. Of course.
I wasn’t the only one at the receiving end of a prank, though, but the first of these was for good reason. Rainbow had spiked the chip dip with something spicy (I was not a dip person), and when Big Macintosh took a taste, he practically had flames spewing from his mouth. It took a splash of cola to put out the fire, but he seemed none the worse for wear. Lyra, for her part, got a pretty big scare when a balloon Pinkie handed to her inexplicably popped, raining tiny rubber spiders on her. How Pinkie had gotten those in there was beyond me. Even Moonlight wasn’t safe. Rainbow held out a flower for her to sniff, which squirted water in her face. At first, I was worried she would start crying, but was relieved to see her laugh it off with everypony else.
Pinkie had brought various games in her saddlebags, including what looked like Battleship with clouds and birds as the ‘ships’. Rainbow Dash proved utterly unbeatable in this game. My first time playing, she beat me in one fell swoop: raining on my cumulus, finding my seagull, zapping my weather-pony, and stinging my bumblebee (all of which were the proper phrases to use in the game). To everypony’s surprise, it was Moonlight who proved an even match for Rainbow Dash. The two fought it out furiously until they were down to one cloud apiece. Unfortunately, Rainbow came out on top, but she played the good sport and congratulated Moonlight for giving her a good competition. Moonlight looked both pleased and embarrassed to receive such praise.
Pinkie had also brought a ponified version of Twister (the game, not the movie, thank goodness), and that turned out to be a blast. I wasn’t very flexible, so I took the role of the ‘spinner judge’ while the mares played. It also gave me the perfect pretext to test out my new armchair. The instant I set my butt on the cushion, I knew it was a match made in heaven. For being an old chair, it was really comfortable. Big Mac had sat down beside the chair, watching the game progress.
“Are you having fun, Big Mac?” I asked. “Or is this getting boring?”
“Naw, Dave, Ah’m havin’ a swell time,” said Big Mac. “Ah’m just not much for games like this.”
“Yeah, me neither. I never was that flexible. I hated gym class.”
“Next one, Dave?” called Rainbow.
“Oh! Sorry about that. Right front hoof blue!” I said.
The game had been going for some time, and the mares were twisted this way and that in positions that were frankly hard to look at. For somepony who had a job taste-testing candy all day, Lyra was surprisingly dextrous; she had managed to bend herself into an arc over Pinkie, who had her hooves crisscrossed. Moonlight had it much easier, having a whole portion of the mat to herself. Rainbow was in the worst of it, for not only was Lyra keeping her in a low crouch, but Pinkie’s flank was right against her left cheek.
“Get your rump out of my face, Pinkie,” she snapped.
“Sorry, sorry,” said Pinkie.
“I think my leg is falling asleep,” muttered Lyra.
“Which one?” I asked.
“All of them.”
“Uh-oh,” said Pinkie, suddenly.
“Pinkie, don’t you dare,” Rainbow snarled.
“No, it’s not that. My tail’s a twitcha-twitchin!”
Sure enough, Pinkie’s tail was going nuts, flapping like a windsock on a gusty day.
“Oh, come on, Pinkie,” said Rainbow, rolling her eyes. “What could possibly-”
But she was interrupted by Lyra’s giggles from above her. Pinkie’s twitching tail was tickling her side, and her face was reddening from the effort to keep from burst into guffaws.
“Uh-oh,” Big Mac and I muttered together.
“Oh, horse-apples,” Rainbow said, weakly.
Finally, Lyra lost her equilibrium. With a burst of laughter, she toppled, full-force, on top of both Rainbow and Pinkie. Moonlight, who had managed to avoid being in the midst, looked on in perplexity.
“I should have known,” said Pinkie. “It was a double twitch!”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked, grumpily.
“Lyra fell, then we fell!”
She burst into a bout of the giggles, which Lyra joined in, and even Big Mac and I started laughing. Rainbow, however, was not amused.
***
Later on, the girls got tired of Twister, and moved on to a game of Truth or Dare. Big Mac and I settled on a game of cards, in which Rainbow joined us. She told us (or, rather, bragged to us) that she had been ‘banned’ as a Truth or Dare player for too many dangerous dares, a fact she seemed quite proud of. We started with a game of Old Mare (essentially Old Maid), where I was even more baffled with how pony hooves worked; Big Mac and Rainbow were able to hold their cards up perfectly. Unfortunately, I was pretty bad at the game, and ended up with the Old Mare 3 times out of 5, something Rainbow found very amusing.
We next moved on to Appleloosa Hold ‘Em. We didn’t gamble any money, and had no poker chips to use, so we used potato chips instead. Once more, I found myself on the losing side. I was never a good hand at card games, and had even grown resentful when computers started telling me I couldn’t complete a hand of Solitaire, so the contest naturally went to Big Mac and Rainbow, who were bearing down on each other like a pair of dogs.
Losing early gave me a chance to half-listen to the Truth or Dare game as well. Pinkie and Lyra came up with the silliest dares for each other, like Lyra balancing on her horn, or Pinkie chugging an entire bottle of soda by herself. The two had even gotten into a bit of a ‘dare-off’ to see who could play the bongos on their belly the best. Lyra wasn’t quite as pudgy as Pinkie, though, so the latter won that silly debacle.
Moonlight wasn’t having much luck either way. She didn’t seem to want to take part in a dare, but whenever she picked ‘truth’, she never had anything to say. Whatever was asked of her, she acted like she honestly couldn’t think of anything to say, not even ‘what was the silliest thing you ever did’ or ‘did you ever have a crush on anypony’. Whether it was nerves or some other reason, I couldn’t say, but it was a little disconcerting. Thankfully, though, Pinkie and Lyra were very patient with her.
In the midst of it, the girls were talking excitedly about Nightmare Night. Lyra and Pinkie were going on about how each had the ‘perfect’ costume this year, but refusing to reveal what they were gonna go as. Moonlight didn’t add anything to that part of the conversation, making me wonder if she planned to attend at all.
“That’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” asked Rainbow.
“Eeyup.”
I turned back to the card players. Both had just gone all in with their chips, and Rainbow laid down her hand. Er, hoof.
“Two pair. Read ‘em and weep, Big Mac,” she said, confidently.
“Not so fast, Rainbow,” said Big Mac, and he laid down his own hoof.
Three of a kind.
“Nuts,” Rainbow muttered, as Big Mac raked in the chips.
“Close game, though,” I said, hoping this might alleviate her temper.
“Heh, yeah, I guess so,” Rainbow conceded.
‘So, what do you guys want to do now?” I asked.
I checked my watch. It was almost 11.
“I’ve got the perfect thing to close out the evening,” said Rainbow, in a devious voice. “Who’s up for a scary story?”
“Ooh! Me! Me!” Pinkie said, energetically.
Moonlight looked absolutely terrified at the idea. Lyra put a foreleg around her.
“Don’t worry, Moonlight. We’re here to protect ya. No ooga-booga ghostie that Rainbow dreams up is gonna hurt you.”
Moonlight’s panic faded slightly, and she looked comforted by Lyra’s words.
“So you think my stories are make-believe, huh?” asked Rainbow, hovering and placing her hooves on her hips. “Well, just wait until you hear this one. Somepony kill the lights and grab a lantern.”
Half-dreading what was about to go down, I went to turn off the lights while Pinkie set down a small lantern full of a greenish glow. When I came back, I saw that it was honest-to-goodness firefly light. I settled myself between Pinkie and Lyra, and Rainbow took a seat in the center of us all.
“These are some nice woods we have around here,” said Rainbow, casually. “You picked a great spot to live, Dave.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“But that all changes when Nightmare Night comes around,” Rainbow continued, her sinister tones returning. “Because then, the woods become the haunting grounds of...” She paused for dramatic effect. “...the Shadow Stallion!”
She had crouched low over the glare of the lantern and began waving her forelegs like a horse rearing. In the shadows cast on the wall, she had the distinct appearance of an actual rearing horse, but with elongated limbs, giving it a ghastly appearance. That was just creepy.
“The Shadow Stallion gallops far and wide, looking for little lost ponies, especially those who wander too close to his trail...”
She leaned forward over the lantern, the flickering light casting eerie shadows on her face. Moonlight whimpered and hid her face in Lyra’s side. Pinkie nestled up beside me, her usual big smile gone. I couldn’t even see Big Macintosh.
“It was a dark and gloomy night,” Rainbow went on, “and four little ponies went for a walk in the woods, not knowing that the Stallion was on the prowl...”
***
“...She ran as fast as her legs could go. ‘I’m gonna make it’, she panted, ‘I have to make it! The town has to know about that monster!’ There, up ahead, was the edge of the wood. She was almost there!”
Rainbow’s story had been lengthy and exceedingly chilling. Moonlight was shivering, eyes wide, in Lyra’s forelegs, the green unicorn’s teeth chattering like castanets, while Pinkie and I were keeping a tight grip on each other, my heart hammering inside my rib cage. All of us were dying to know how the story was going to end, but dreading what was going to come.
That was far from the least of it, however. Unbeknownst to Rainbow, as she neared the end, something began rising up behind her, something huge, something with forelimbs raised right above her head. All of us gasped.
“R-R-Rainbow D-Dash!” I gasped out.
“Not now, Dave, this is the good part,” said Rainbow, still not aware of the danger she was in. “She was too late, because there, waiting for her, ready to drag her away into the netherworld, was...”
“THE SHADOW STALLION!!” Pinkie squealed, pointing behind Rainbow.
Surprised, Rainbow whipped around and saw the huge shadow looming over her, now letting loose a monstrous cackle. Rainbow let out a scream and zipped away to hide under the couch, while the rest of us cowered from the form still hovering over us.
“B-Begone, evil one!” I spluttered, making a ‘cross’ out of my index fingers. “Go back to the darkness from where you were spawned!”
Suddenly, the lights flicked on (Lyra and her magic, most likely), and the ‘Shadow Stallion’ was none other than-
“Big Macintosh?!”
“Gotcha!” chuckled Big Mac.
“I was wondering where you’d gone to,” I breathed, very much relieved that it wasn’t the real Shadow Stallion, come to eat our souls.
“You really got us,” said Lyra. Moonlight was still shivering, but not as badly as before.
“You were super-duper-scary, Big Mac!” said Pinkie. “You even scared Dashie!”
We all turned to see Rainbow’s rump sticking out from beneath the couch. At these words, however, she wormed her way out.
“Did not!” she snapped. “I just, uh, remembered I lost something under the couch.”
“And did ya find it?” asked Big Mac, raising an amused eyebrow.
“Er, no. Must have left it somewhere else.”
“Sure, Rainbow, we believe you,” said Lyra, in a playful tone.
“That was still one heck of a story, though,” I said. “I felt like I was gonna soil myself ever since the first pony disappeared.”
“Heh, thanks,” said Rainbow, looking like her old self again. She then stretched her forelegs and wings, which cracked noisily, and yawned. “Well, I dunno about the rest of you, but I am beat. Time for me to hit the sack.”
“I’m bushed, too,” said Lyra, stretching on her part.
“Well, if you all brought sleeping bags,” I said, “feel free to camp out where you please.”
“Much obliged,” said Big Mac, gathering up his immense sleeping bag. “G’night, y’all, and thanks fer havin’ me.”
“It was my pleasure, Big Mac. Good night!”
Big Macintosh began setting up his bag while Pinkie stretched and yawned like a cat.
“What, you get tired, too?” I asked, jokingly.
“Of course I do,” said Pinkie. “When I party hearty, I get really party-pooped.”
“Good to know,” I said, flatly.
“Thanks for the great party, Dave,” said Rainbow, spreading her bag out on the floor.
“Thank you for bringing the snacks and yourself, Rainbow. Like you said, the two best things to bring to a party besides Pinkie.”
“Aww, you really said that, Dashie?” asked Pinkie, beaming. “That’s so sweet of you!”
“Yeah, well, what can I say, I’m a sweet-talker,” said Rainbow, as she nestled herself inside her bag. “Night, everypony.”
“Good night!”
Rainbow inserted a pair of corks in her ears (ear plugs, most likely), and settled down to sleep. I turned to Moonlight.
“Are you gonna be ok?” I asked, gently.
“Uh-huh,” she said. She was no longer shivering, and had allowed Lyra to let go of her. “I’ll be all right.”
“Ok, because we’ll all be at hand, er, hoof, if something’s bothering you.”
“Thank you, Dave. It was very kind of you to have me here.”
“You’re welcome, Moonlight. We were glad to have you, right, girls?”
“You bet!” said Lyra.
“Yeppy-deppy!” said Pinkie.
Getting up myself and stretching, I ambled off to get ready for bed while the girls got their bags ready.
***
I returned to the living room, teeth brushed and in my pajamas, intending to spend the night on my new couch. With that in mind, I grabbed my bed’s comforter and pillow and set myself up upon it. Lyra and Moonlight were already sound asleep in their bags, but I couldn’t see any sign of Pinkie. Reasoning that she was probably in the bathroom, I clicked off the light and settled down to rest.
It didn’t last long, unfortunately. I suddenly felt something heavy clamber on top of me. In the dim light, I could just barely make out the form of Pinkie, wearing a little nightcap over her messy mane.
“Pinkie, what are you doing?” I asked.
“I did it,” Pinkie muttered, drowsily.
“Huh?”
“I did what nopony ever dared before,” she continued, sleepily. “I have scaled the mighty Mount Marshmallow! I claim this mountain in the name of Pinkie Pie!”
Was she serious?
Then, without any further prelude, she flopped her head down and started snoring.
“Aw, Pinkie, come on,” I groaned. “Get off.”
I tried to push her off, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Oh, for Pete’s...All right, stay there, you crazy pony. ‘Mount Marshmallow’. Good gravy.”
I settled back down to sleep. In all honesty, in spite of my grumblings, it was kind of comforting, having Pinkie snoozing right at my side, like a faithful dog. I couldn’t stay mad at her. Before I truly drifted off, I reached up and patted her mane.
“Good night, Pinkie,” I whispered, then flopped down onto my pillow.
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aww... hurry up and ship them already
Wow, Davey sure is a wuss if Dash's "scary" stories scare him... a lovable little wuss, but a wuss all the same.
I laughted my ass off when I read that
Another good chapter. Thanks mate!
Moonlight.
Huh.
She seriously COULD pass for Fluttershy!
lol this was awesome. you need to update more often. i love this story
2719802 Well they're already sleeping together so I think that we're good.
2720431 And you never see them at the same time!
“And it’s nice to meet you, Moonlight! Davie told me you like Daring Do like he does! Who doesn’t like Daring Do? I know I do! What a doozy of a do-gooder!”
(If she goes on one of her tangents, we could all be in deep ‘doo-doo’.)
HA ha HA ha :| :P
2720431 I guess... but why would fluttershy dress up/paint herself just too hang out with Dave? Unless there is an ulterior motive...
Shadow Stallion huh? http://a-hardie.deviantart.com/art/The-Nightmare-King-377769083 cameo methinks?
I have no idea how to post hyperlinks
I have four kings
what do you have 
Two rotten pairs
and another pair of aces 
Two pairs
Yes one pair of aces
2722164
Heh, sounds like that Bugs Bunny joke. I wouldn't be surprised if Pinkie really did pull that off in a card game.
2722242
Only fools and horses four aces
>Come for the Dave/Pinkie fweendship moments
>Get blindsided by the subtle PinkieDash
Mount Marshmallow? I thought that's what it was called when you used Rarity for a pillow...
"Pinkie had also brought a ponified version of Twister (the game, not the movie, thank goodness)"
Hey, the movie was awesome.
2754118 Or, uh, Anthro Rarity's tits. Just sayin'.
2719935
they make my knee pinch 
Rainbow's Story's are scary
And you have made so many references to the pinkie sense that i watched the episode again and took notes on all the senses.
If any one cares here u go:
Tail twitch = Falling
Ear Flop = Splash
Itchy Back = Lucky
Pinch Knee = Scary
Achy Shoulder = Alligator in tub (This is way to specific. Just sayin')
Ear flop + knee twitch + eye flutter = Rainbow Appears
Ear flop + eye flutter + knee twitch = Doors
Itchy nose = Bees
Vibrating = Doozy
3450038 Thanks for the chart! I may need this for my own story sometime...!
That would be concerning. I'd be envisioning looking out the door and seeing the entire population of Ponyville and a few visiting Canterlotters in the area in front of his house, eagerly looking at me and putting me in the unenviable position of disappointing most of them. And I'd have to, for maximum safe capacity reasons if nothing else. Then, not having the party be crowded.
go back to the christian minecraft server
The colour is fine, just make the whole thing, you know... about 20% cooler
!