Twilight woke with a yelp, panting and sweating. Wide eyed she struggled against her sheets for a moment before she realized it had been that dream again. She closed her eyes and sighed letting herself fall back onto the bed.
"Sweet Celestia that was intense." She muttered to herself snuggling deeper into her covers, deciding that for once she should be lazy.
"Why thank you my little Twilight. I do have one thousand years of experience." Celestia spoke and her tone was one Twilight had never heard before. It sounded... Husky.
Twilight's eyes snapped open and she rapidly sat up looking around the room wildly. Ok so she was in her room. And princess Celestia was lounging on a cloud-bed situated above her desk. Giving her the bedroom eyes.
Mind scratching to a rapid halt she blinked stupidly, wondering if she was still dreaming and then last night rushed back into her mind.
"Abuh. Wha?" She hyperventilated as increasingly panicky thoughts flitted through her head. Her eyes widened to an impossible degree and her tick had returned with a vengeance.
Arcs of lighting and a lick of flame danced across her mane before the panic crashed to a halt as one of her contingency spells kicked in.
A wave of calm descended on her and logic re-asserted itself.
"You've been sending me dreams of battle?" She inquired politely of he mentor. Of course Celestia was here. She offered to let her stay. Perhaps saying your place or mine had been somewhat unfortunate in retrospect but it was the only 'invite a mare to your home after a party' phrase that came up to her slightly woozy mind. Stupid dating books confusing her vocabulary.
"Oh I felt that. Calm mind contingency?" Celestia pouted cutely at her fun being cut off. "And no. I wasn't sending dreams that is traditionally Luna's domain. I was trying to make you blow a gasket. You always have the cutest expression on your face when you are panicking. I am still going to use the fact that you woke up panting and with my name on your lips to embarrass you at some point in the future."
"I don't have a problem with that. As long as I get to tell the Zebrican ambassador the realreason why his daughter came to study in Canterlot." Twilight smiled. She really was usually a bit nervous around her mentor and it was nice just talking to her normally.
Celestia's eyes widened and she hopped off the cloud approaching her student.
"You wouldn't!" The Solar Regent complained with a hurt expression on her face.
Twilight smiled serenely at her friend and mentor. The solar princess sat down next to Twilight and nudged her slightly.
"Blackmailing your princess is a capital offense you know." Celestia tried another angle. "I'll have you in front of the Firing Squad."
"I'll take a dozen pies to the face if I have to." Twilight countered.
"Pies?" And then she hit her face with her hoof when she remembered that she wrote a law re-establishing capital punishment as a combination of embarrassment and civil labor. Not that the subject had come came up in court in two hundred years either way.
"Remind me to never write laws when the Jamareican ambassador is visiting." She grumbled. Love and tolerance might work wonderfully and yet, sometimes she wondered if a little plasma, properly applied to a certain segment of nobility... Naah. If she had to be embarrassed she would be. Still she had one more weapon to play. Misdirection.
"I'll just have to torture you then." Celestia intoned calmly, her horn glowing with a customized battle spell that she had been saving for an occasion like this. With a war cry she descended on her rebellious student intent on quashing all signs of insolence.
Before Twilight could react Celestia had pounced on her student and struck true, her hooves precisely guided by the spell to her target, the most ticklish spots her student's body.
A screaming peal of laughter rang across the library with occasional pleas for mercy from Twilight
"There shell be no mercy for the rebellion against your sovereign! No Mercy! No Quarter! Submit! Obey!" The Solar Sovereign commanded before her rebellious student used the small pause to retaliate using the soft ends of about a dozen levitating quills.
No pony noticed Spike had opened the door and then quietly closed it again, blushing.
***
Fluttershy woke up with uncharacteristic reluctance to drag herself away from dreamland. She was warm and safe and all was well with her world. She was still half way in that strange dream where some pony was asking her for something with extreme politeness. She didn't quite understand what, a dream equivalent of a band aid perhaps and she was glad to give it. Her work done she decided it was time to stop being a lazybones. She had some cute critters to feed and a patrol to get to.
With a sleepy yawn she tried to stretch and realized that warmth she was feeling was a limb-full of pony. She froze, her eyes snapped open her heart beating wildly. At the sight of a familiar rainbow mane she relaxed. Dashie was safe, for a moment she had feared she had brought some strange pony home from the party. By morning she had been feeling a bit woozy and what would have been really really Embarrassing.
Still, needs must and her animals needed. She reluctantly slipped out of bed. Dashie mumbled something in her sleep and sprawled onto her back, starting up a cutesy little snore. Fluttershy giggled quietly and tippy-hoofed out of the room.
"Morning Angel Bunny." She called as she made her way into the kitchen. Her dear bunny friend glarred at her tapping his watch. He pointed his finger to a bowl of porridge, a glass of milk and some some simple cellery and carrot salad on the table before pointing out the door. He crossed his arms tapping his foot impatiently.
"Thank you for making me breakfast Angel Bunny I know I slept in a little today." Fluttershy smiled and leaned, parted his ears and gave him a smooch on the top of the head. With a disguised sound Angel scrubbed his head and fled out the front door to hide his blush.
It didn't take too long for her to finish up breakfast, go outside and fill the animal feeds then come back in to brush her mane and tail to make herself presentable. Soon she donned her cloak and went for the door once more. She paused for a moment and hastily scribbled a note to Dashie before leaving, a busy day ahead of her.
She had to check on that manticore family, the river serpent was shedding his scales and the poor timber-wolf pack was having lichen problems. Then she had to swing over to the ranger station and check on the Everfree Patrol before going home for the afternoon feed.
Feeling cheerful she set off towards the Everfree forest with a cheerful melody on her lips that gathered some song birds in counterpoint.
All in a day's work.
***
Applejack never went to sleep. As the others took off she went home, brewed some coffee, had a light breakfast and then threw herself right back into chores. The barn was pretty clean from the after party crowd's kind effort but hey needed stacking, apples wouldn't pick themselves, that fence needed mending and she'd been meaning to fix the harness on the plow for weeks.
By noon she was feeling a bit dizzy from lack of sleep but the chores she set aside for herself were done. As she strolled into the kitchen after a good shower. Granny Smith was away at the spa retreat after getting her hip fixed and it was her bother's turn to cook and she couldn't wait, if only he wouldn't leave that huge pile of dishes after he was done creatin'. Big Mack noticed her entering sighed and shook his head even as he served a tired looking Apple Bloom who has been doing her own chores for the day at double speed so she could go crusading in the afternoon.
"Don't y'all start in on me Big Brother, ah had chores." Applejack protested.
Big Mack nodded knowingly and served her the delicious mushroom casserole.
"Ah know that. But If th' Princess wants to have a talk ah reckon ah might be on another mane raising quest to darn knows where and then the princess herself know when those chores 'd be done." Applejack defended herself.
Big Back dished out a generous serving for himself and sat down raising an eyebrow at Applejack.
"Well of course you could do it but what the hey kinda sister would ah be if ah let you do all the work?" She questioned her brother ash they all paused briefly and murmured a thanks to Celestia and Luna over their meal.
Big Mack smiled at his little sister and chowed down.
"Ah suppose so. Ah jist didn't wanna leave in undone." Applejack sighed.
Apple Bloom stared at her older siblings and then dropped down the spoon.
"Ok how the hey do you two do that?! He didn't say a word!" She protested.
Big Mack and Apple Jack looked at each other and chuckled, eating their lunch calmly in silence.
"Oh come on!"
***
"Come o~n Rarity!" Sweetie Belle protested. "I'm starving!"
In her work room Rarity was just finishing her latest creation: The super lazy unicorn hammock for her vacation.
"I'm coming Sweetie Belle, decorum!" She cautioned.
"I hardly think I am capable of decorum when my stomach is collapsing into a thaumaturgic singularity!" Sweetie Belle protested and a large growl emanated from her stomach. "You hear! It's the anti-thaums from the prevent-horizon self annihilating against my stomach lining."
"Don't be such a drama queen." Rarity protested placing a simple but elegant white hat on her head and opening the front door. She turned to the filly that was gaping at her with her mouth open at the drastic and unashamed hypocrisy .
"Well? Don't make us tardy little sister."
***
Pinkie Pie carefully closed the gold laminated invitation and slid it into it's pre-addressed envelope with a tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth.
"And Two hundred and thirty six." She grinned cheerfully. "Awesomest party invitations ever! Well there we are Gummy! Thanks for the help." She said fishing him out of the confetti box and shaking him upside down gently before setting him down.
She placed the last envelope into the carefully labeled envelope folder and headed downstairs.
"Hey Miss Cake, I'm ready for my shift!" She announced bouncing cheerfully behind the counter while throwing on an apron.
"Oh thank you Pinkie, I promised the twins I'd take them to the park and they've been reminding me about it all week." Miss Cake sighed in relief.
"Doncha worry about a thing." Pinkie announced cheerfully.
"Oh I don't worry. You could probably run the whole thing yourself by now." Miss Cake teased.
"Heavens forbid! When would I find time to party?" Pinkie giggled.
"Pumpkin! Pound! It's..." Miss Cake started to announce when two bundles of pure energy in equine form descended down the stairs and vanished her through the front door.
"My, my those two are getting rowdier every week. Soon they shall fall completely to the pink side and rule in my stead!" She chuckled to herself as she set to do a quick sweep of the counter.
The door clinked and a pink mail-mare entered through the front door.
"Special delivery for a Pie, Pinkamena Diana." The bubblegum maned mail mare cheerfully announced.
"Awesome!" Pinkie Pie announced hopping over the counter. "Just in time! I have some invitations for you!"
"Sign here, hoofprint here." The cheerful mail-mare guided. "And here you go, one self-addressed envelope."
"Why thank you miss mail-mare." Pinkie Pie giggled. "And here's your parcel with Two hundred and thirty six hoof made invitations for a surprise welcome back party."
"Two hundred and Twenty six?" The mail-mare raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Yeah, grumpy ol stalliongrad-y pants came back to town yesterday morning and he knows his vodka." Pinkie elaborated.
"Great! More the merrier." The mail mare enthused.
"So... You have time for cake?" Pinkie asked with a giggle which her companion shared.
"Do I ever! I've been looking forward to a slice of chimichanga surprise all week." The Mail mare squealed.
"You and me both sister, you and me both."
Fifteen minutes later the Mailmare left, pinkie was reading the letter she recieved and soon Twilight entered looking slightly confused.
"Pinkie? Do you have a sister in the postal service? I swear that mailmare I passed looks almost like your twin." Twilight asked sounding a bit confused. "In fact for a moment..."
"Oh we get mistaken for each other all the time. Don't worry about it." Pinkie hoof waved Twilights question away. "What can I do for ya?"
"I need some snack for this evening." Twilight started.
"Say no more, I got just the thing for you. I'll bring a fresh batch of cupcakes, tea biscuits and a dozen slices of forest fruit surprise supreme when I come over."
"Ah great Pinkie." Twilight said distractedly as she checked of an item on her list. "Do you.."
"The shop down the street just got a new batch of candles." Pinkie informed her before she even finished the question.
"Great thanks." Twilight said absentmindedly. "See you later Pinkie."
"Bye Twiliey!" Pinkie waved and then turned back to her letter. "Oooh forming a party! I'm gonna need my Hoppers Hoofy Hoversack. Gummy? Did you see where I left my ten foot pole?"