Afternoon of the Dance
“Hiya Rainbow Dash!” The cyan Pegasus blinked at her name and looked up to find the voice...
...only to end up with a grey Pegasus face-planting into her, causing the two to topple over into the snow.
Right now, Rainbow was on her way to Sugarcube Corner to meet up with Fluttershy for lunch. So she had made her way out through the dirt path of Sweet Apple Acres into town.
This is where she had run into her eccentric, mail-mare friend...quite literally. She sighed, but couldn't help but smile fondly at Ditzy, who was shaking her head of her dizziness, sprawled out across her. “Hey Derpy, how's it going?”
“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-” Ditzy's words were suddenly cut off by Rainbow placing her hoof over her mouth.
“It's fine, girl, no harm done,” Rainbow stated, ushering the pony off of her and standing up and shaking the snow off of her mane and winter gear. “So what's up?”
Ditzy blinked, then grinned, happily. “I finally got that date with Time Turner!” She answered jumping up in excitement, accidentally kicking the tree behind her, causing snow to fall over the pair of them. “...oops.”
Rainbow laughed, once again shaking the snow off of herself. “That's great, Derpy, I'm happy for you. Just try not to tread on his hooves when your dancing, okay?”
“I said I was sorr-”
“I know Derps, I'm just messing with ya,” Rainbow answered, motioning to town. “Hey, I was gonna get some lunch with Fluttershy, you want to come along?”
Ditzy grinned, bouncing up to Rainbow's side. “Sure!”
Rarity sighed in relief as the last dress for the dance was finished, and right on time.
She enveloped Sweetie Belle's dress for the night in her magic, going up to her room to deliver the gown personally. Everypony else had already picked up their clothes before she had gone out to buy Hearth's Warming presents with Cadence or after she had returned.
It was quite funny when she returned and there were, like, twenty ponies lined up outside of her shop looking anxious. But they had what they needed and that's all that mattered.
When she reached the room, she knocked a few times. But when she didn't receive a reply, she opened the door in concern, only to find Sweetie Belle passed out on her bed, snoring quietly.
She smiled fondly at her sister as she entered the room, hanging the garment on a coat hanger on the end of her bed.
She heard Sweetie Belle shudder and looked over to see her reaching out for something. She looked and saw that her blanket had been kicked off...or maybe she hadn't even put it over herself in the first place.
Rarity gave an exasperated sigh and a smile as she used her magic to cover her sister with her blanket, which the mini Unicorn started to snuggle into.
As she was leaving, she heard a little voice say. “Thanks sis.”
Her smile widened a little as she closed the door, only to hear a small knock at her door.
Confused, she walked over and opened it up to find Pinkie there, covered in cake batter no less. She looked her dough covered friend in the eye and pointed to the hose to the side of her house.
Pinkie blinked, but grinned instead. “No need!” She said as her tongue extended out of her mouth, slithered across her entire body, gathering the cake batter, before retracting it back into her mouth and swallowing it all. “Ta da!”
Rarity blinked in surprise, before she smiled and moved to the side. “Hi Pinkie, pleasure to see you.”
“Oh I was wondering when you were going to say something! You've been so quiet since the scene started!” Pinkie mentioned, off-handedly, before she jumped onto Rarity's drama couch and started to lounge on it a little. “Sorry to bother you, but I'm hiding from Cheese!”
“Oh! Have you had an argument?” Rarity asked in concern, as she went into the kitchen to get some drinks.
Pinkie waved off her comment. “Nah, but he got me with the old, bucket of cake batter on top of a slightly open door, gag and now he's only one point behind me and I refuse to lose this prank war! And since Fluttershy betrayed me, I thought I'd hide out with my good friend, Rarity, since Applejack had ponies over and Rainbow and Twilight weren't home!”
Rarity chose, wisely, to ignore the fact that Pinkie had basically told her that she was the last resort, and set two cups of tea down, as well as a plate of cookies...
...she knew they wouldn't last long, but hey.
Almost predictably, Pinkie's mouth soon did it's best vacuum cleaner impression and sucked the whole plate clean, almost as if she hadn't just eaten her own weight in cake batter just a minute ago.
Rarity shook her head and took a sip of her tea, hoping that she could get some form of conversation, at least.
Soarin flew around town, trying to find Big Mac, who had said that he was going to meet up with Caramel, Thunderlane and Time Turner for lunch at Hay-Burger King, and said that if Soarin wanted to eat with them, he could meet them there.
...All entirely in mime too!
Soarin had grinned at the little display that the big, red horse put on. It was fairly funny, especially his mime of eating, which looked more like he were some sort of hamster, and his mimic of Thunderlane was just pushing his own mane into a mohawk.
He glanced down and noticed Caramel waving to him from the side of the street, Doctor Time Turner stood next to him, fiddling with some kind of metal, cylindrical thing that had a glowing blue light coming from the tip of it.
He waved back and landed in front of them, folding his wings in behind him, holding out his hoof for a hoof-bump. “Hey guys, how's it going?”
“It's going great, good to see you again, dude!” Caramel replied, returning the hoof-bump. He then nudged Time Turner, who jumped and quickly put his metal thing behind his ear.
“How do you do, Soarin. Sorry about that, my sonic device is just on the fritz again,” The brown stallion replied, sheepishly.
The Pegasus didn't really know what a sonic device was, but knocked the Trottish pony on the shoulder, regardless. “I'm doing great, but I'll be doing better with some food in me, so let's get in there before I freeze my tail off,” He said, motioning towards the Hay-Burger King behind them.
Once they got in, they ordered their food and sat down with Mac and Thunderlane, where Thunderlane was having a fairly one-sided conversation about the latest hoof-ball game, Mac just nodding every now and then.
“Hey guys,” Soarin said, before grabbing a couple of fries and stuffing them in his face. The two paused their conversation enough to greet him in return.
“Hey Twi, Flash! Over here!” Rainbow announced from the table she, Fluttershy and Ditzy were sitting, once she noticed the pair walk into Sugarcube Corner. Twilight noticed them and nudged Flash towards the table.
“Hey girls, how are you doing?” Twilight asked, Flash busying himself by nodding to the group and going to order his and Twilight's food.
“We're doing great!” Ditzy replied, happily nibbling her muffin. Fluttershy nodded in agreement, having finished her blueberry pie earlier.
“No doubt,” Rainbow also answered, taking a drink of her vanilla milkshake. “How about you? You having fun with Flash?”
Twilight sighed. “I'd be having a little more fun if Shining wasn't constantly breathing down his neck. He got hurt earlier because Shining forced him to wear his metal armour outside!”
“Aw, I'm sure he's just being over-protective,” Fluttershy giggled, causing Twilight to raise an eyebrow. “Zephyr used to be like that with me all the time! Especially when he thought Rainbow and I were dating!”
Rainbow grumbled with a blush, having just remembered that little fact. “Yeah, that was an interestingly awkward day that I thought we were never going to bring up ever again. Ever.”
Fluttershy winced and gave the cyan Pegasus an apologetic grin before Twilight got her attention. “So you know how to get big brother's off your back?”
“Zephyr only backed off when I had to beat it into his skull that we weren't dating,” Rainbow answered for Fluttershy, noticing Flash take a seat, setting a daisy sandwich, a slice of pecan pie and a strawberry milkshake in front of his mare-friend while he settled for a bowl of honeyed oats and a glass of apple juice.
When he noticed the odd looks that Twilight's friends were giving him, he rose his eyebrow. “Um...hi?”
“Really? Out of everything here, you went for honeyed oats?” Rainbow inquired, to which Flash shrugged.
“During boot camp, we got these every morning and, well, I got kinda hooked on them,” He answered, taking a spoonful and putting them in his mouth.
“...Eh, okay, whatever floats your boat!” Ditzy finally answered, turning to Twilight. “And have you thought about asking Applejack? She has a big brother and she's been dating Soarin for quite some time.”
“Nah, Mac knows that AJ can handle herself, so never really minded Soarin, especially since he helps during apple-buck and cinder season. He said he sees the guy like a brother,” Rainbow answered, having learned all of this, first hand, from Mac himself. Plus, seeing the two interacting last night, playing cards and laughing, she knew Mac and Soarin got along like a house on fire.
Twilight sighed, turning to share a look with Flash, who put a hoof on her shoulder and rubbed it to try and soothe her. “Well...That sucks.”
“Relax Twi, Shining will go easier on Flash soon, don't you worry about that!” Rainbow said, confidently. “And if he doesn't, I'm sure Cadence will give him a piece of her mind!”
Twilight let out a small smile, remembering all the times that her sister-in-law had helped the two of them out when Shining was giving them a hard time. “Yeah...I guess you're right.”
“On a slightly lighter note,” Ditzy said, hoping to change the subject, as well as to let Fluttershy know about her date's good deeds. “I just got to the part where Discord fell into a box of broken glass!”
After a few minutes of eating and talking amongst themselves, Mac noticed Soarin look up at him every now then, looking a little nervous. So, after finishing off his apple, he nudged Soarin in the shoulder and tilted his head towards the door.
Soarin took a deep breath and nodded, suddenly feeling a little more jittery than before. “Hey guys, I need to talk to Big Red for a bit. Be back in a minute,” He told the group, not even waiting for a reply before he moved to the exit.
The other three gave Mac a confused look, which he just shrugged at as he followed the Pegasus out of the door.
“What do you think that was about?” Time Turner asked, once again fiddling with his pen-like device.
“Not sure,” Caramel replied, taking a sip of his drink. “Though I hope it's not anything serious.”
“I'm sure it's fine,” Thunderlane said, firmly, before changing the subject. “So do you guys have a date for the dance?”
Mac tilted his head as Soarin suddenly lost all of his composure and started fumbling around in his saddlebags, looking for something.
Soarin noticed this and just waved off his concern. “I'm fine, just l-looking for it, no big deal. Ah ha!” He declared, taking out a gold earring with a green emerald in a small, golden apple held in a small, velvet box, and placed it on the ground in front of him.
Mac blinked as Soarin showed him the thing, proudly and expectantly, before his eyelids lowered in a sarcastic expression. “Oh, Soarin this is so sudden,” He said, sardonically, holding a hoof to his own chest.
Soarin quickly punched Mac in the shoulder, half-heartedly, before flinching and holding his hoof in his other one. “Ahh, jeez! What are you made of?!” Soarin complained, rotating his fore-hoof to try and soothe it a little.
Mac shook his head and tilted it. Soarin noticed and grinned, nervously. “Right, that. Well...I was maybe...Kinda hoping to ask your sister to...well, marry me. And...well...was kinda hoping for your blessing?”
“Soarin, we ain't livin' in tha dark ages. If ya want ta marry mah sister, ya gotta ask her, not me,” Mac said, knowing that his usual 'eeyups' and 'nopes' weren't exactly suitable for this conversation.
“I know, I know. I just thought-”
“I get it, Soarin,” Mac assured him, placing a hoof to the other stallion's shoulder before the Pegasus got too flustered. “An' Ah'm grateful that yer respectful enough ta feel tha need ta get mah blessing. But Ah'll tell ya right now, if ya did need it, ya most certainly have it.”
Soarin blinked, and tilted his head at the bigger stallion. “Really, why? I suck at farm work, I rarely have time to come down from Cloudsdale, I'm loud and I-”
“Make AJ happy,” Mac, once again, interrupted, giving Soarin a reassuring smile. “If Ah needed a farm-hand, Ah'd hire a farm-hand. You can't help needin' ta work where ya do and if you think you're loud, you should try hanging out with Pinkie sometime.”
Soarin blinked, still in his surprised stupor as Mac placed a large hoof on his shoulder. “What Ah wanted was somepony who loves AJ, faults an' all, and makes her smile. An', as far as Ah see it, yer that somepony. So go fer it, an' Ah'll be glad ta call ya mah brother.”
Mac turned to leave Soarin alone with his thoughts for a little, the blue stallion's smile growing inch by inch, until Mac popped his head round the corner.
“Oh, Ah suppose Ah should warn ya about keepin' her happy or Ah'll rip yer wings off an' jam 'em down yer throat, but ya probably already knew Ah'd say something like that,” Soarin blinked at the surprisingly violent choice of words, before Mac grinned and left for real this time.
“...I think Rainbow might be a bad influence on him.”
“Ah swear ta gosh, Applebloom, why did ya think stayin' up all night was a good idea?” Applejack asked, shovelling some slop to the pigs, who started to slurp up the mix, hungrily.
“Huh?” Applebloom asked, dazed, throwing some feed to the chickens...or what she thought was feed. Instead, the chickens started to hungrily peck at her apple fritter that she had been eating.
Applejack sighed and looked over, only to cringe as her sister took a hoof-full of seeds and shoved them into her mouth, before spitting them out in disgust.
“Eww, Applejack what did you put in tha fritters?!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Apparently a bunch o' bird seeds.”
“Why would ya do that?!” Applebloom asked, rubbing her tongue.
“What?! That was sarcasm, Applebloom!”
“I dunno what this sarcasm is, but it tastes awful!” She said, throwing some actual bird seeds to the chickens, who seemed a little less peckish than before.
Applejack blinked, before her hoof found her face rather suddenly. “Oh fer tha love of-We've talked about this, Applebloom! Sarcasm isn't a food!”
“Well clearly, who'd want ta eat somethin' like that, right Spike?” Applebloom asked, turning to find the little dragon curled up and asleep with Winona, the Apple family's dog, lying across his chest. “Spike!”
“I'm awake!” He exclaimed, jumping up to his feet, launching the dog into the air, briefly, before she landed on Applejack's back. Winona blinked, bleary-eyed for a second, before curling up to sleep on her new source of warmth. “What's happening?”
“Uh, never-mind,” Applejack sighed, turning to find the pigs looking up at her, expectantly. “How can ya still be hungry, Ah just gave ya a full trough!” She exclaimed, moving to give the pigs a little more.
Spike looked around, before Applebloom walked up to him and tilted her head. “Want me ta walk ya back ta tha castle? Ya look sleepy,” She asked, concern dripping for her eyes, even through the bags hanging under them.
“What, nah I'm fi-*yawn* fine!” He said, before his legs gave out and he landed on his backside. Applebloom rolled her eyes, stepping forward to help him up, before her own legs gave out and she face-planted the ground next to him.
Spike blinked and pushed her onto her side, concerned, only to find her fast asleep.
He grinned at her hypocrisy, ready to tease her about this later. Though seeing her sleeping started to make his own eye-lids feel heavy.
“Alright ya pair of ninnies, now we need ta-” Applejack started, before she turned and found the dragon and pony passed out on the ground.
She sighed and picked the pair of them up, motioning for Winona to get down for the moment. The dog let out a whine, but did as she was told and started to trudge back to the farmhouse, hoping to get to her dog-bed before she falls asleep in the snow, rather than next to the warm scale-y one or on top of the furry one.
Applejack deposited the two of them on her back and moved into the house, noticing Featherweight and Scootaloo sitting on the porch swing. “How are you not tired?” She asked, noticing his date asleep on his shoulder.
He shrugged and moved down in time to catch the orange filly, who was in danger of falling onto the ground. “My doctor said I have insomnia or something, I don't know. I stopped paying attention at that point.”
Applejack nodded and went inside, deciding to let Spike sleep on the couch, before noticing Babs and Rumble watching TV. “Hey you two, ya got any room fer Spike on there?”
“We would-” Babs started, before motioning to Winona who was curled up and asleep next to them. “-but ya dog called dibs and Rumble don't want ta move her.”
She looked up at the colt, who was stroking the dog and smiling like it was already Heart's Warming. “Ah see...”
“Sorry cuz, but Rumble lights up like a kid with a present when it comes ta dogs an' Ah don't wanna ruin his fun. Besides, he's cute when he's like this,” Babs continued, smiling warmly at the colt, who started to scratch the dog behind her ears.
“That's alright, Ah still got a guest roo-”
“Button's using that,” Rumble announced, suddenly, causing her to look up at him. “Applebloom offered when he said that his brother wouldn't be picking him up until three and he didn't want to get in trouble with his mom again.”
“Alright, fine,” Applejack replied, grumpily, trotting out of the room towards the stairs. “They'll just have to share her room then.”
Once she got into Applebloom's room, knocking her head against some model spaceship the yellow filly had hanging on the ceiling, she promptly dumped the two on top of the covers, grabbing one of the pillows and placing it at the foot of the bed, laying Spike down that way, while laying her sister the other way, separating them enough so they had their space and left, knocking her head against the same spaceship.
She sighed as she closed the door, cursing her sister's love of space, and found Featherweight and Scootaloo, who looked to be somewhat awake now, standing there. “Um, Miss Applejack, can Scootaloo sleep in your room for a bit? She said she was getting cold outside.”
The orange Earth Pony blinked, looking back at Applebloom's room, then towards her own, empty room and even to Big Mac's equally empty room, before cursing her own stupidity and sighed, motioning over to her door. “Sure kid, knock yerself out.”