The moonlit sky beamed down as Rainbow paced anxiously outside La Fantaisie Pony, an upper-class restaurant on the outskirts of Ponyville. Looking over her shoulder, she could see the early stages of a groove starting to form on the lawn in a neat line, evidence of her nervous pacing. Stooping under the restaurant’s sign, she stole an inquisitive glance inside the window to take a look at the wall clock. She quickly realized only two minutes had passed since she had last dared take a peek inside and huffed in annoyance.
“Hey Rainbow!”
“Wha-ow!” Rainbow scowled at the sign above the window, gently rubbing the spot where her head had made contact with it.
“Twilight! Where did you come from?”
“I’ve been reading books on stealth and the art of catching ponies by surprise. One day I’ll catch Pinkie off-guard and show her!”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I doubt it, the only pony that’s ever surprised Pinkie is…well, Pinkie.” The pegasus looked Twilight over, she’d seen her in that dress before at the Grand Galloping Gala, but something seemed different. “Is it just me, or did you do something with your dress?”
Twilight did a quick whirl, showing off the star patterned dress. “Rarity made a few changes. She took it up in a few spots and added some sequins. Hey, why do you have your wings tucked in yours? I thought you told Rarity you needed them outside so you didn’t feel trapped.”
Rainbow pushed her left wing from under her dress and wiggled it a few times.
“Have you been picking at your feathers?”
A slight blush started on the pegasus’ face. “Yeah, so I thought it might be better if I just kept them hidden while we eat.”
“Oh! I think I read somewhere that pegasi pick their wings when they’re nervous,” Twilight remarked.
Rainbow’s blush deepened. “Umm, nervous? You don’t say…well I don’t know about you, but I’m starving! What say we get something to eat?”
“Absolutely! I haven’t had a thing to eat since breakfast.”
Twilight and Rainbow waltzed into the classy establishment. The upper-class atmosphere seemed oppressive despite the clean hardwood flooring and soft lighting. Serene music played throughout the eatery, the quiet notes matching their hoofsteps as the two stepped into the seating area.
Despite her brushes with the Wonderbolts and the Princesses, high-class dining was still relatively new to the pegasus. A familiar feeling of unease washed over her. She usually felt like this when she went to the hospital, a familiar sense of dread. Somehow these fancy unicorns with their expensive clothes brought a genuine feeling of intimidation to a pony like herself. It didn’t help that she appeared to be the only pegasus in the entire restaurant.
Seconds into her mental torment, a pony wearing a rather posh suit motioned for them to follow him.
“Good evening ladies,” the stallion addressed them as they walked towards him. “My name is High Hoof and I’ll be your waiter for the night.”
Twilight gave him a quick smile of acknowledgment as he turned and motioned for them to walk on.
Walking through the main dining area, the trio of ponies received more than a few double takes, most of them towards Rainbow Dash. After walking through two more rooms, the waiter finally pointed towards a table in the rear of the restaurant. Using his horn, he pulled the chairs from the table to allow the ponies to sit. Once both ponies had taken their seats, he produced a pen and notepad.
“What can I get the lovely unicorn tonight to drink?”
“Grape juice is fine thanks,” Twilight replied.
“Excellent choice, and for the pegasus?”
Somehow Rainbow felt slighted. She wasn’t really sure if he meant any disrespect to her, but something about his tone rubbed her the wrong way.
“Do you have sarsaparilla?”
A few patrons seated around them glanced at her seemingly in disbelief, while the waiter seemed nonplussed.
“Never mind, I’ll have the grape juice too.”
High Hoof tucked his notepad away into his jacket and gave a nod.
“Very well then, feel free to peruse the menu whilst I fetch your drinks,” he remarked, pulling two menus from a side pocket of his suit and handing them over to them.
“Thank you sir,” Twilight said with a smile.
The moment the waiter disappeared, Twilight vanished behind her menu.
“You seem awfully quite tonight Rainbow,” Twilight remarked.
Rainbow struggled with the menu, trying valiantly to open it with her hooves. It wasn't like the large plastic coated menus in other restaurants she'd been to before. It was coated in some sort of thin layering which made it hard for her to flip through with her hooves. “I guess so. I’ve never really eaten at a place like this before. I’m sure you’ve been to tons of restaurants like this. ”
“I went to a few with my family when I was younger, but I never really enjoyed them. Too stuffy, and there never was much I liked on the menu,” Twilight replied. Seconds later her horn lit up and the menu Rainbow had been struggling with flipped open.
“Thanks,” Rainbow replied as Twilight smiled and returned to her own menu.
Rainbow felt more out of her element here than she could remember. She was used to being in control and knowing exactly what to do, or at least pretending to and winging it as she went along. Dating was an entirely different ordeal though. Having been defeated by a simple menu and discovering her date’s indifference towards her location of choice, she wondered if anything else could go wrong. Her uncertainties were answered as she started reading the menu.
“Tangerine nectar over sunshine? Violet slices and spellbinding sauces? What the hay does that mean?”
Twilight peered back over her menu. “Oh, the first one is bits of a sunflower head deseeded and sprinkled with tangerine juice, and the second is eggplant slices you dip into a variety of sauces.”
Rainbow hit the menu in frustration. “Why don’t they just say that?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “The same reason they framed pictures of Princess Celestia and Luna eating here: pretentiousness.” She pointed to an ornately framed picture of the Princesses enjoying a meal.
“I’m kinda at a loss here, Twi. You know about this stuff more than I do, what do you think I should get?”
Rainbow gazed at the unicorn as she flipped through the menu, considering the options. She felt a smile cross her face as Twilight’s eyes narrowed as they often did when she seemed to be lost in thought, or indeed, a good book. In hindsight, she would have been better off going to a quiet restaurant or maybe even Sugarcube Corner and talking about books. Too late now though, she’d just have to make the best of the night.
“Do you like grapefruit?” Twilight asked.
“Grapefruit? Never had it, is it any good?”
“Well, it kinda tastes like an orange, but it’s a little tangy. A bit of a kick if you will.”
Rainbow’s eyes brightened. “Tangy? Sounds a little like one of Pinkie’s sour apple jawbreakers. Sure, why not?”
The waiter returned setting down a tray with two glasses of grape juice. “Two grape juices for the lovely young ladies,” he announced, smiling at both. “Are you ready to order, or do you need a few minutes more?”
Rainbow looked toward her date pleadingly. Twilight took the hint and cleared her throat.
“We’re ready. I’ll have the green over gray skies, and she’ll have the tartly tingle greenscape.”
The waiter scrawled the order down hastily, nodding in approval with each word that left the purple pony’s mouth.
“Very good, very good. I shall pass this along to the chef and he should have the meal prepared promptly. Is there anything else you might require?”
“Can I get a straw for my drink?” Rainbow inquired. The waiter stared back at her, seemingly unsure if her request was a joke.
“I have sensitive teeth…” Rainbow lied.
“I shall see what I can find. If there’s nothing further, I shall be off.” Both ponies remained silent signaling he was no longer required. Rainbow stared as he strode away, presumably to drop off their order and, Rainbow believed, share a laugh at her expense.
Once he was out of sight she turned her head back towards Twilight and sighed. “Lemme guess, straws aren’t good etiquette here?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, but look at these glasses! There are no handles! How are earth ponies or pegasi supposed to drink with them? It’s not like you have magic to raise the glass with like a unicorn.”
Rainbow made a motion with her hoof pointing to the other tables in the restaurant. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not seeing any earth or pegasus ponies. No wonder I feel like a square peg in a round hole.”
Twilight only nodded in response, not knowing what to say. Soon, silence fell over the table. Rainbow had rehearsed several times all the various small talk and points of interest she wanted to discuss with Twilight during their date, but now that she had the chance, her mind was a blank.
“Living in Canterlot, it was a long time before I saw an earth pony,” Twilight offered, breaking the silence.
"Really?”
The purple unicorn lowered her head slightly. “I remember seeing an earth pony for the first time when I was young. I ran up to her and asked what happened to her horn. Luckily the Princess pulled me aside before I asked anything else.”
“There weren’t any earth or pegasus ponies in your school?” Rainbow asked.
“You’d be surprised at how few pegasus and earth ponies attend 'Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns',” Twilight remarked, letting a smirk cross her face.
“Oh…Right.” Another question burned in the pegasus’ mind. She wasn’t sure if it was something she should ask or if the answer would be to her liking, but that never stopped her in the past.
“You’re not embarrassed to be out with me…are you?” Rainbow asked hesitantly.
“No! Of course not! What gave you such an idea?” Twilight asked, her eyes filling with concern.
“Well for one, it took a lot of convincing to get you to go out with me…” Rainbow pointed out letting her words trail off.
Twilight sighed. “I told you, I want to focus on my studies. I’m still kind of new to the whole friendship thing. Starting a relationship just seems really…”
“Aggravating?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of daunting. Friendship is one thing, but a relationship… that’s completely different. In a relationship, two ponies become one. They share their entire lives with each other and, well, it’s just a lot to think about.”
Rainbow shook her head. “You got it all wrong Twi’. Relationships don’t start out like that. Two friends, or even complete strangers, can hang out until they feel comfortable enough to be close.” Rainbow smirked at her friend. “You think too much. Yeah, sometimes it helps to know what’s coming, but sometimes you have to just jump in and hope for the best.”
Twilight slouched back in her seat. “That’s just it. What if we do this and something happens and we end up fighting or hating each other. I definitely wouldn’t want to lose you as a friend.”
Now Rainbow had her answer. It wasn’t a simple matter of being too busy to be in a relationship, it was fear of the unknown which stopped the unicorn from accepting her offer.
“Ha! You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily. Relax, Twi’. No matter how this ends we’re gonna be friends. I mean, we’re the Elements of Harmony. We have to stick together. Besides, I’ve had a relationship go bad before and we’re still friends.”
Twilight nearly jumped across the table. “Really? Who?”
“One ‘Green over gray skies’ for the lovely unicorn, and one ‘Tart Greenscape’ for the pegasus.” The waiter announced lowering the plates gingerly onto the table.
Rainbow had never been happier to see the condescending server. “Hey, whattaya know; food’s here!” Stealing a glance across the table she could see by the look on Twilight’s face that their discussion wasn’t over.
High Hoof cleared his throat. “If there’s nothing further I shall leave you two for now.”
“Thank you sir,” Twilight replied with a courteous nod.
Rainbow looked down at her meal. Two halves of a grapefruit lay nestled amidst romaine lettuce leaves. Rainbow stared at the enticing fruit. The pink juicy bits glistened in the restaurant’s low lighting.
“Uhhhh, how do I eat it?” she pondered out loud.
“Oh that’s simple; just use your fork to pry…oh, right…no magic,” Twilight said stopping herself mid-sentence. “That’s strange; they should’ve at least cut off the rind for you.”
Rainbow leaned toward the fruit, opening her mouth hesitantly. Out of ideas, and patience, she sank her teeth into the fruit inadvertently sending a spray of juice into her face.
“My eyes! Ack! It burns!” She frantically wiped her face with her hooves trying to wipe the acidic juice.
“Oh my gosh! Are you ok?”
Rainbow threw her hooves into the air in pain. “Dear Celestia, it burns!”
“Go wash it out in the bathroom!”
Hopping out of her seat, the pegasus clipped her glass of juice with her hoof sending it off the table and onto the floor.
“Dangit! I’ll get that when I come back!” she said, stumbling away from the table.
“Rainbow! The restrooms are that way!” Twilight said frantically motioning in the opposite direction with a hoof.
The pegasus double backed to the other side of the restaurant weaving between the tables as she made her way to the bathroom, still trying to rub the juice out of her eyes. Finally she saw the sign for the restrooms and without a second thought pushed through the left door. She dashed to one of the sinks and turned on the tap letting the sink fill while she pranced in place.
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”
After a few more excruciating moments of pain, she held her breath and dunked her head in the sink scrubbing her eye vigorously. The water washed away the acidic juice, bringing her some much needed relief. She lifted her head out of the water and stared at herself in the mirror.
“Oh man, just when I thought the night couldn’t get any worse…”
Her eyes were bloodshot and irritated from the grapefruit juice. Her mane and bangs were sopping wet, the water trailed her face and down the side of her legs, pooling on the floor. No doubt about it, she looked like a half drowned pony that had been up all night drinking.
“Uhh, what are you doing?”
Rainbow snapped around to the voice behind her. A stallion stared at her in confusion.
“What are you doing in the fillies’ room, you perv?” she snapped back, pointing an accusatory hoof at him. The stallion gestured to a plate next to the door with an engraving of a colt.
“Oops, my mistake!”
Realizing her error, Rainbow bolted for the door, nearly knocking the astonished stallion sideways in her haste to exit the room.
She ran out of the bathroom a bit too quickly, earning a few curious looks from the nearest patrons of the restaurant. Rainbow attempted to smooth her frazzled look away in a nonchalant manner.
The patrons, for their part, went back to their plates respectively.
Weaving her way carefully back between the tables, Rainbow spotted Twilight a few tables down from her. She picked up her pace a bit, not wanting to not keep her date waiting.
As Rainbow neared the table Twilight looked up and smiled. That smile vanished quickly though as Twilight held out her hoof in an attempt to stop her. “Look out for th-”
Before Twilight could finish, Rainbow felt her hooves slip out from under her, sending her face-first to the ground. Pain shot through the pegasus' skull as she hit the hard-wood floor.
“…juice.”
“Owwwww…”
Twilight rushed over to Rainbow’s side, placing a hoof on the pegasus’ back.
“Oh my gosh! Rainbow, are you ok?”
“Uggggh… my head...”
Twilight wrapped two forelegs around the pegasus and lifted her back up on her hooves. “Are you ok?” she asked, “Do you want to just call it a ni-”
“Don’t worry Twi’, I’m alright,” Rainbow interrupted. Looking down at her dress, she saw splotches of grape juice all over it. With a heavy sigh, she took her seat back at the table. Her eyes fell to her plate where the grapefruit which had assaulted her earlier lay peeled, cut into slices, and ready to eat. She looked back up to the unicorn sitting opposite of her.
“Did you…”
“Oh! While you were in the restroom I took the liberty of peeling and cutting it up for you,” Twilight said with a smile.
Rainbow popped one of the slices in her mouth, chewing on it slowly. A sweet and tart flavor exploded in her mouth.
“Wow! You weren’t kidding, this stuff tastes awesome!”
Twilight smiled. “Hah! I knew you’d like it. You and Pinkie are always chewing on those sour candies.”
“Hey, I bet Pinkie could make some great stuff with these things. I should tell her the next time I see her,” Rainbow said, popping another slice of the tangy fruit in her mouth.
Twilight’s face changed to a scowl. “Well…it still bugs me they didn’t peel it for you. I mean, what would you have done if I hadn’t peeled it for you? It isn’t right.”
Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly, trying to look cool. “Eh, it’s all right. They’re just not used to serving pegasi here.”
“Ahem, here is the check for this evening ladies,” the waiter announced, placing a leather-bound holder on the table.
“But we didn’t ask for the check yet,” Twilight protested.
“It’s ok, I got it Twi,” Rainbow interjected. This had been the part she had been dreading all night. Flipping open the holder she silently let out a sigh of relief, happy that the check wasn’t as astronomically high as she imagined it might be in her head.
“Let me just get my bits out.”
The waiter sneered at her, apparently out of tact for the evening. “Are you sure you have it? You look like you might make a good dishwasher for the evening.”
“That’s it!”
Both Rainbow and the waiter snapped their heads at Twilight in shock. The unicorn leapt from her seat and pushed her hoof into the waiter's chest.
“You have been condescending, rude, and very inconsiderate to my date all night, and I won’t put up with it anymore!” Twilight spat venomously at the now cowering waiter. Another sharply dressed pony approached from the other side of the room.
“Excuse me miss, I’m the manager and owner. I'm afraid your commotion is disturbing the other patrons. Why don't you keep your voice down and I’ll assist you in your problem.”
Rainbow saw fire spark in the unicorn’s eyes. she fought her natural instinct to step in and kept her mouth shut.
“Do you know who I am? I am Twilight Sparkle, one of the Elements of Harmony and personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself!” Rainbow shrank a little as Twilight pointed a hoof in her direction. “And she is Rainbow Dash, best young flier in Equestria and another Element of harmony who helped save your sorry butt from Nightmare moon and Discord!” Twilight continued, intimidating the now frightened manager into the corner.
“I, I understand your frustration ma’am, I was just trying to defuse th-“
“No, you don’t understand! You and your staff have been absolutely horrible the entire night! First we’re seated at what has to be the worst table in the entire restaurant. The waiter neglected to bring my date a straw for her drink even though she requested it for her sensitive teeth. The chef didn’t bother to peel the grapefruit for her. I had to do that for her myself! Nopony bothered to clean up the juice she accidentally spilled on her way to the bathroom, which she slipped in on her way back to the table and, just now, your slime-ball of a waiter brought the check early without us asking and told my date she would make a good dishwasher. Does that sound like five-star service to you!?”
“N,n,n, no ma’am, it doesn’t, I apologi-”
“Do you think the Princesses would endorse a restaurant that discriminates against earth and pegasus ponies?” Twilight shouted, pointing to the ornate portrait of the Princesses enjoying a meal at the restaurant. “What do you think would happen if I sent her a scroll tonight detailing every little thing that happened tonight?”
The manager lay nearly prone on the ground beneath the purple unicorn’s verbal assault. “Mademoiselle, I-I assure you that such an action will not be necessary! You have my most profound apologies and I shall waive you and your friend’s bill tonight, and, and we’ll even pay for the cleaning of her dress for the removal of the grape juice stains!”
Twilight continued glaring at the apologetic pony, not yet satisfied.
“And I’ll have my staff re-trained to better suit the needs of earth and pegasus ponies!” the manager said with a scared smile.
Scattered applause from the other patrons echoed through the restaurant as Twilight backed up allowing the manager a little breathing room.
“Thank you sir, perhaps I’ll avoid writing about tonight the next time I send a letter to the Princess,” Twilight said, holding her nose in the air. “Ready Rainbow?”
“Ummm, yes?” Rainbow squeaked. The pegasus slid from her chair and fell in step with Twilight as they made their way through the dining area. For her part, Twilight kept her nose pointed skywards, walking with an air of aristocracy and class. As they approached the door, a well dressed stallion propped it open.
“It is my most sincere regret that the events of this night have transpired in such unfortunate ways. We hope to see you again soon,” the doorman said, offering a sincere apology.
“Thank you sir,” Twilight said with a curt nod. Stepping out of the restaurant, the cool night air hit the spots their dresses didn’t cover very well.
“Ugh! I feel so slimy. I just wanna take a shower now.” Twilight shuddered.
Rainbow stared at her questioningly. “What’s up? You step in that juice too?”
“No, not that. I hate acting like a stuck-up noble and name dropping the Princess. It just makes me feel, ugh, gross!”
“I thought it was cool! Did you see that bozo? I thought for sure he’d lay an egg or something.” A blush broke out on the pegasus’ face. “I uhhh, I’ve never had anypony stand up for me like that before…I mean, not that I ever needed them to, but, well…thanks Twilight. It meant a lot to me.”
Twilight smiled softly at her date. “I just couldn’t stand to see them treat you like that. I mean, even after everything that happened, you kept your cool, but I just couldn’t sit there and let that jerk insult you like that.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Rainbow stood there for a moment. There was no doubt about it. The night had been a total disaster, nothing close to the evening she had planned out for impressing the librarian.
“Listen Twilight,” Rainbow started. “I know tonight was terrible, I never thought it could’ve ended up going this badly and I understand if you don’t wanna take this any farther, but I just wanted to say I still enjoyed being out with you.”
“Rainbow…It wasn’t that bad. One thing’s for sure, nopony could ever be bored on a date with you." Twilight was silent for a moment. "You know what? Why don’t we give this relationship thing a shot? Let’s give it two weeks and see what happens,” Twilight answered, flashing a smile towards the pegasus.
Rainbow’s eyes lit up like a flare. “Really? Like, for real? You really wanna try it?”
Twilight nodded. “Like you said before, if it doesn’t work out, we can just go back to being friends. Sound good?”
“Good? Sounds awesome!” the pegasus exclaimed.
Twilight giggled at Rainbow's enthusiasm. “I don’t know about you, but I think we should call it a night. When you get home you should make up an ice pack,” the unicorn suggested, gesturing at her eyes. Rainbow looked at her reflection in the restaurant’s window.
“Oh man…I look like a wreck.”
Rainbow’s dress sported several splotches of grape juice all over from her fall. Her eyes were still a tad bloodshot from the acidic grapefruit juice. Her bangs were ruffled, pointing in every way possible, and her right eye featured a slightly dark ring around it.
“A black eye…terrific, just what I need,” the pegasus commiserated out loud.
The front door of the restaurant slammed open catching both ponies attention. A little unicorn danced excitedly beneath her mother’s hooves.
“See? I told you it was her mom! Can I ask her? Please, please, please?” the filly pleaded with the older mare. The mother rolled her eyes and walked towards Rainbow.
“Excuse me, I hate to be a bother, but we’re staying overnight here in Ponyville, and my little filly noticed you in the restaurant and she’s been pestering me all night for something.” The unicorn paused and pulled out a pen and a picture of Rainbow performing the sonic rainboom at the royal wedding. “I know you’ve had a trying night, but might i convince you to autograph this? It would mean the world to her.”
Rainbow looked down at the energetic filly who stared back up at her with hopeful eyes and a bright smile. Without a second thought the pegasus took the pen and signed the picture.
“Of course! I always have time for a fan!” Rainbow remarked with a wink to the filly, returning the pen. Without warning, the little unicorn broke away from her mom and rushed over to the pegasus, hugging her right leg tightly.
“Thanks Rainbow Dash! You’re the coolest pony ever!”
The mother pulled the filly back to her. “Many thanks, Miss Rainbow Dash. Most performers in Canterlot prefer to charge for their signatures. It’s refreshing to see somepony who cares enough for their fans to sign without demanding bits for the pleasure.”
Rainbow shook her head in disgust. “Ugh, I would never stoop so low. Besides, you can’t put a price on dreams, am I right?”
The older mare smiled. “No, of course not. If you are ever in Manehatten and find yourself in need, feel free to seek me out. You need only ask for Lady Silver Bell.”
“Ummm, thanks…I think, though I’m not exactly sure how I would find you…” Rainbow replied letting her voice trail off.
The sophisticated mare gave her a wink. “I assure you, it won’t be hard. Now I’m afraid we must take our leave. Good evening ladies.”
Rainbow and Twilight stared as they walked towards a waiting chariot. Occasionally the little unicorn would look back and wave excitedly.
“You can’t put a price on dreams? That sounds-” Twilight started.
“Awesome? Cool? Inspiring? Yeah I know,” Rainbow interrupted.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I was going to say that sounds like something I would say,” Twilight finished as she started walking home. “You keep up those crazy stunts of yours and you’ll be even more famous than the Wonderbolts. See ya tomorrow!”
“Later Twi’!” Rainbow called out to her friend.
Despite the entire night being a horrible and terrible disaster, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride swell in her heart. With a quick flap of her wings she took to the sky. A feeling washed over her, one she felt before, a feeling of overwhelming happiness that seemed to spring up from her soul like an unending fountain of giddiness. Twilight had finally given her a chance, and now it was up to her to show her it wasn’t a mistake. Wearing a big dumb grin, Rainbow cut through the wind and headed for home.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Fluttershy froze in place, her eyes trained on the cottage's door. In curiosity she shifted her gaze to the window. The half-full moon hung in the air, giving off a bright glow. It was strange for her to get company unannounced, much less at night. She briefly considered not answering the door and pretending she was asleep, but if the pony at the door was trying to get emergency care for their pet, she would feel awful for ignoring them. She walked to the door silently not wanting to make any loud hoofsteps.
“Ummm, H-Hello? Who is it?” she asked nervously.
“Mmmhpmhph, mhmph.”
The timid pegasus’ ears perked up. All sorts of horrible creatures that could make such strange noises came to mind, but the mumbling from the other side of the door sounded familiar somehow. Gathering her courage, Fluttershy cracked the door open a tiny bit. Looking through the opening she saw a pink pony wearing a fluffy set of pajamas and carrying a bag filled with all sorts of sweets, a record player, and a pillow in her mouth.
“Oh, hello there Pinkie, is everything all right?”
The pink pony put her bag down offering a bright smile to the yellow pegasus. “Hey Fluttershy, are you busy tonight?”
“No. I was just about to settle in for a good night’s sleep.” Fluttershy said, immediately regretting it as the smile dimmed on the pink pony’s face.
“Oh, Ok. In that case I’ll just let you get some sleep then. See ya later,” Pinkie replied. she pick her bag back up and started walking away slowly.
Despite the bright pajamas and party supplies, Fluttershy could tell by looking at the party pony that something was wrong.
“Pinkie, wait!”
Pinkie stopped in her tracks and cocked her head to the side curiously.
“I uhhh, what I meant to say was that I don’t really have anything planned and I would love it if you stayed here tonight.”
Pinkie dropped the bags as her smile returned. “Really? You mean it? Oh, thanks so much Fluttershy! I promise we’ll have so much fun!”
The pegasus knew her chance for a quiet night in had just flown out the window, but she also knew if Pinkie took the trouble of packing up for a slumber party unannounced that something had to be wrong. She decided the best thing she could do was keep her friend entertained and her mind off whatever was bugging her.