In the rocky canyon outskirts of Ponyville, a group of ponies were pulling a series of large carts down a certain gravel filled path. They were traders, all ready to reach the town, as they knew it had been in the limelight very recently. Ever since Nightmare Moon was defeated a year ago, event after event had been taking place in that little village, only for an incredibly new situation to happen recently. It was the Castle of Friendship that suddenly appeared, which housed both the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle and the newly knighted Knight of Friendship.
With this landmark, the town was sure to get a new influx of ponies. Most would probably be nobles, wanting to have an audience with the princess while traders knew the publicity would be more than enough for business. But as they tired to do this, they first had to go through the nearby canyon.
"How much further?" An earth pony halfway down the convoy asked the unicorn leading them.
"Almost there," the stallion called back while staring at a magically levitating map. "Don't worry, we'll be in town before sunset."
"Good..." another unicorn moaned, "I've got a lot of goods to unload, and I wanna do it now."
"What do you trade in again?" A pegasus mare asked as she pulled up next to him, only to see the unicorn's horn flash before a small rocket flew out his cart. "Fireworks?"
"Some of the best fireworks this side of Fillydelphia. These bad boys are gonna put me on the map once I sell them in Ponyville. I hear they have a party there every other day."
"I think you might be over-exaggerating," the pegasus countered as she took a rocket out, "So these things are really that great, huh? I can't help but notice it doesn't a fuse."
"Doesn't need one." the unicorn replied with a smirk. "It has a special enchantment on it that makes it voice activated. All you have to do is say a special phrase."
"Which is?"
"Blast off...." as soon as these words left his mouth, wide eyes followed.
It was here that the rocket the pegasi was holding lit. "Whoa!" She yelped as the firework shot out of her hoof, flying up to the nearby wall of the canyon before-
KABOOM!
Everypony stared up at the large explosion that the firework produced, causing the entire wall to shake. The vibrations spread throughout the canyon and made the entire place shake. But as the shakes stopped, cracks began to appear...and spread across the canyon wall. "Oh, that's ain't good." the fireworks seller said with a giant gulp. In that second, the crack made a loud noise, only for a series of rocks to start falling off the canyon wall.
"RUN!" The lead pony yelled before pulling his cart as hard as he could. The rest followed suite, all now showing nothing but fear as they started moving. But as they tried, it wasn't long till they saw that the rock slide was about to hit another section of the wall, quickly breaking it apart. Their eyes shrunk at this, now seeing the rubble ready to crush them as the wall began to tip over, a large shadow covering them as the rocks fell. And as they all closed their eyes at this-
"FLASH DRIVER!" Their eyes shot open at the roar, all looking up to see a shining drill of light fly into one of the boulders. The blow shattered the hunk of rock into dust, only for the drill to disappear, now revealing a shining gold armored pegasus.
"The Knight of Friendship..." they all gasped as a pair of light swords appeared on the knight's back. The pony quickly spun into the air, slashing another set of rocks before doing a back-kick into a boulder, shattering it to pieces.
"MOVE!"
The ponies didn't need to be told twice as they got back into a full sprint, Flash flying over them as he cut down another rock. This was followed with Flash turning into a drill of light again, his form flying through a line of boulders, turning them all to dust. It was here that they reached the end of the canyon, Flash slicing the last piece of rubble down before landing in front of them. A burst of light followed, the knight's armor disappearing along with the swords as he asked, "Everypony okay?" A barrage of murmurs happened, all saying they were okay as Flash continued, "Good. Now, does somepony wanna tell me what that big boom was?"
The fireworks seller did a huge gulp at this, the other traders staring at him as he started his tale. As he did this, Springer, Iron Core and Lightning appeared, only to see Flash giving an lecture.
"I'm sorry..." the unicorn replied with a bow.
Flash nodded. "Well, nopony was hurt, so I guess I can overlook it. Just be more careful next time."
He did a small nod, Flash then gesturing to the convoy to go ahead and go to town. As they did this, Iron spoke up, "Sentry."
"Hey. Don't worry, I managed to get the situation under control."
"We noticed," Iron growled with a deadpan stare.
Lightning nodded in agreement, "Your Sacred Light form come in handy again?"
"Sure did," Flash replied with a satisfied sigh. "It's great to have that whenever I need it."
Springer crossed his arms at this, "Maybe...but don't get carried away. I seem to remember a little talk you had with me about becoming too reliant on my powers."
"Yeah, yeah..." Flash barely responded as he began to walk after the convoy. "So since that's out of the way, you guys up for another patrol lap around town?"
The others all raised an eyebrow, "But it's almost sunset."
"So? Just because the sun's going down doesn't mean trouble's going to sleep."
"But aren't you exhausted? You just flew through a rock slide."
Flash's response was to run on the spot while flapping his wings, "I'm still pumped with adrenaline. Plus, Scootaloo's sleeping over at her friends again, so I don't have to be home for her. Now come on, let's do something. If you don't wanna patrol, we could always do some training. Springer, we can try and get you back into your mega form."
Springer just shook his head. Ever since his battle against Shade, the young jakhowl had been unable to access the form that helped him win. Despite all his attempts, he didn't seem close to the power. Not only that, when he tried to use Velocity Strike, it always ended in him being in severe pain due to aura overload, causing Flash to make him stop trying that move till Springer could increase his aura amount.
Springer's reply was a loud yawn, "Sorry Flash, I'm just too tired. Maybe tomorrow..."
Flash turned to Iron, only to a flash of a hoof, "Nope. Fluttershy should be done cleaning her animals, so when I get there, she'll be done cleaning herself up and we can spend some time together." With that, he began to walk off.
"Don't forget about the pancake breakfast tomorrow!" Springer called out, Iron just giving him a grumble in response.
With him gone, Flash turned to Lightning with a big grin. "Come on! Let's go a round!"
This made the unicorn roll his eyes, his cloak flapping as the daggers began to levitate out. "Fine. One thirty minute sparing session, but no Sacred Light. I wanna enjoy the pancakes tomorrow, and that's a lot easier without a bruised stomach."
"Yes!" Flash hoof pumped, pulling out Lightbringer while his tail started wagging.
Rolling his eyes at the sight, Springer started to walk back into town. As he did this, he saw a very muddy looking Twilight fly over, only to see her shift direction to Sugarcube Corner. "Huh. Wonder what she's doing?" But before his curiosity got the better of him, he let out another yawn, "Eh, I'll ask her tomorrow."
The next morning...
The ringing of an alarm clock was the first thing Springer heard as he woke up. A long yawn followed this as he started to look around, a small grin about to appear on his face. His happiness was for one reason: He now had his own bedroom. Thanks to the castle's extra amount of rooms, he was finally given his own place. Inside, he was able store all his comics, (All that survived the Tirek attack), along with the basket he used to sleep in with its blanket.
Leaping out of bed next, he turned off the alarm clock and put on his usual bandana around his neck. Doing a few stretches, he walked into the hallway, now looking at the six rooms around him. Four were in use, his being opposite of Scootaloo and a little way down was Flash and Twilight's both also opposite of each other. Releasing a quick pulse of aura, he noticed only one of the rooms had someone inside, namely his best friend Spike.
"Did Flash and Twilight not come home last night?" He asked himself, only to pick up Flash's aura a second later...and find it was outside. "Huh?" A few minutes later, he was outside, only to sigh as he found his partner. The pegasi was in a nearby tree, loud snores coming out of the branches. "Seriously?! Not this again..."
The jakhowl clenched his paws, firing an Aura Blast at the tree. Branches and twigs fell next, causing a certain pony to fall headfirst into the dirt, "AUGH!" he yelped as he lifted his head with wide-eyes, "Who-what-where?!" He began to rapidly blink as he started to get up, "Where am I?! What happened?!"
"You were taking a nap...in a tree." Springer deadpanned, "May I ask why?"
Flash yawned in response, "Not sure. Last thing I remember, Lightning warped away after our spar and I was flying home. Can't remember anything after that."
Sighing, Springer shook his head as he grabbed Flash's hoof, "Come on, let's get you inside." Flash pulled himself up, only to wobble as the jakhowl tried to keep him stable, "Careful."
"Sorry...just really tired buddy."
Springer shook his head again, knowing what this meant. Despite this, he just helped Flash inside, only to see Pinkie and Twilight walking up to the castle. The duo were carrying what looked like giant towers on theirs backs and in Twilight's magic, large table cloths covering them.
"Good morning!" Pinkie cheered as she reached the castle, "Who's ready for some pancakes?"
"Me!" Springer replied while licking his lips.
"And me," Flash yawned before turning to smile at Twilight through half closed eyes. "Hey you."
"Hey..." Twilight moaned back, Springer now noticing she was still covered in mud, her mane having several stick and leaves poking out of it.
Pinkie and Springer blinked at the exchange, the party pony tilting her head, "Huh. I was expecting something more..."
"Mushy," Springer finished as his ears flared up, making him turn around to see Lightning and Wild walking up next.
"WILD!" Pinkie screamed as she leapt at her coltfriend, the tower on her back flying off.
"Whoa!" Springer yelped as he caught the tower, wobbling back and forth in an effort to make sure it didn't topple over. He then glanced at the couple, groaning at the sight of Pinkie nuzzling herself into Wild's neck. "Like that..."
Lightning took the tower in his magic as he looked down at Springer, "Did Sentry come home last night? He was practically begging me for a second round...which I had teleport to get out of."
"Not exactly," Springer grumbled as he brushed himself off. "And thanks."
"No prob. Come on, let's get these inside."
The group soon headed in, now entering the dining room as they found both Flash and Twilight asleep at the table. Twilight's head was leaning on Flash's shoulder as they snoozed.
"Aww..." Pinkie cooed.
Wild chuckled at the sight. "Gotta admit, that's kind of cute. Sad I forgot my camera."
Lightning just rolled his eyes, sighing as he took a deep breath, "YO! LOVEBIRDS!"
"EEP!" Twilight gasped with flared wings, knocking Flash out of his seat. Lightning snorted at the sight, only to get glares from the rest as Flash stayed on the floor, still snoring. Twilight on the other hoof, let out a yawn as she looked around, "Huh? What's going on?" Her eyes glanced down at the defender, "Flash? What are you doing down there?"
Flash's eyes slowly opened at the sound of her voice, his form shakily getting up, "Wha...what's going on? Am I in the tree again?"
"Uh....no? At least, I don't think so." Twilight responded as she patted the seat by her, "Here, sit down."
"Thanks." Flash replied as he slumped into the chair, another yawn following as Twilight mirrored him.
"Wow...they are really out of it." Lightning commented as the doors behind them opened, now showing Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Iron and the CMC.
"Morning darlings," Rarity greeted as they all took their seats.
The CMC were almost drooling at the sight of the towers, Scootaloo moaning, "Those smell sooooo good!"
"Well, don't worry about waiting! Its time to dig in!" Pinkie cheered as she pulled off the sheets, revealing several towering columns of pancakes.
"Alright!" Rainbow exclaimed as she sat down, Fluttershy and Rarity sitting on either side of her. Iron sat next to Fluttershy, while Lightning next to Rarity while Wild was between him and Pinkie with Applejack next. The CMC sat next to Iron with Springer taking the last open seat between Scootaloo and Flash, Twilight right by him. The unicorns then used their magic to dish out the pancakes before everypony began to dig in, enjoying the meal.
"Mmm!" Applejack gulped before licking her lips, "These are delicious, Pinkie Pie!"
Pinkie looked up from her plate, her face now covered in cream as she used her tongue to slurp it all up, "Thanks! Twilight spent all night helping me pick the flavor!" She started building a new pancake tower as she continued, "I kept thinking we had found the right one, but she insisted I make even more to try." The party pony now stuffed one pancake in her mouth as she kept adding to her tower, "And more and more and more and more! It was like she never wanted to-"
"Leave?" Fluttershy finished, to which Pinkie nodded.
Exactly!" She then took a bite out of her tower, "Eventually, we ran out of time, so we just went with every-berry-any-chip-surprise!" She popped up between Rarity and Lightning, whispering to the unicorn mare. "The surprise is I lost a measuring spoon in the batter. Somepony's gonna get a very special pancake!" She ran back to her seat while Rarity began to inspect her pancakes, Lightning prodding his with his fork.
"Up all night, huh? Is that why she's so, uh...out of it?" Rainbow pointed at Twilight, now showing her fast asleep again.
"She's not the only one," Springer gestured to Flash, all seeing that it looked like he was eating, only for a snore to come out of his mouth before he reflexively stuffed a pancake inside.
"Oookay." Scootaloo said with a grimace, "That's just weird."
"Tell me about it," Lightning added.
It was here that Fluttershy raised a hoof, "Um...I don't mean to sound unappreciative, but has anypony else noticed that Twilight has been a little...too helpful lately?"
Applejack was the first to answer. "Now that yah mention it, she was lendin' a hoof at Sweet Apple Acres the other day and stuck around 'til near midnight. Dug up fifty tree-plantin' holes when all ah needed was ten."
Rarity nodded in agreement, "She spent an entire afternoon rearranging a single gem drawer at the boutique. An entire afternoon!"
"You think that's weird?" Rainbow chimed in, "She raced me like, a hundred times the other day. And she lost every time! She just kept goin'! Best out of ten, best out of twenty, best out of a hundred! I mean, I know hanging out with me is awesome, but it was like she'd rather keep losing than-"
"Leave?" Fluttershy finished.
"Yeah," Rainbow nodded as Twilight's head fell into her pancakes, the mare rubbing her mane in it with a small snoring smile.
"What about Flash?" Sweetie asked as they turned to the still sleep eating knight. "Is he being like Twilight?"
Iron let out a snort, "Well, I guess he has been a little overenthusiastic with his work."
"No kidding," Springer added. "Remember when he had us investigating the road to make sure there weren't any holes or stray pebbles on it?"
"Or when he had us doing one thousand sit ups," Lightning finished, "I was so damn tired after that."
Iron rolled his eyes at this, "Okay, so he's been really overenthusiastic. But I'm sure it's just because of he wants to show how serious he's taking being a knight."
Springer hummed before he connected his aura to them, now sensing some form of unease. "I think it's more than that. They're hiding something...or trying to avoid something."
"Oh no!" Fluttershy gasped. "You don't think they're avoiding each other, do you?"
"Oh dear...that could be bad." Rarity grimaced, "And in more ways than one. Imagine what would happen if Princess Cadance found out! Why, that could be a disaster!"
"But they just started dating," Rainbow chimed in.
"That's usually when couples start having issues," Rarity told her. "They're still in the transitional period from friends to lovers. Plus, Flash has been so busy with all those interviews from magazines, so they haven't spent any time alone together. They haven't even been out on a date yet."
"But we all went out on a picnic together last week," Scootaloo added.
"Yes, but the two of them weren't alone." Rarity started to slump into her seat, "Oh, I do hope we can fix this before it's too late."
"Now hold on, we don't know for sure if that's the problem." Applejack countered, "It could be something else entirely. Soon as they wake up, we'll find out what it is."
As soon as she said that, Pinkie suddenly started coughing loudly. Wild quickly patted her on the back, only for a spoon to go flying out of her mouth and whack Fluttershy's head, the tool then landing in her pancakes. "I win!" The earth pony cheered, causing both Flash and Twilight to wake up.
"Huh?!" Twilight gasped while Flash fell out of his chair again, "I'm pancake!" The princess announced while having the breakfast item now stuck on her horn, "I mean...awake."
Flash moaned as he picked himself up and sat back down, smacking his lips as he blinked at the others. It was here he saw the blank stares, causing him to raise an eyebrow, "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No...but is there somethin' you two wanna tell us?" Applejack asked next.
Rarity got off her chair and moved over to Twilight, using her magic to remove the pancake from her horn. "You know how much we appreciate all you do for us," Pinkie suddenly shot up and snagged the pancake, "And we simply adore having you around...but...we um...we worry you might be...ahem...avoiding something else?"
"You too Sentry," Iron added as he glared at the half-dead pegasus. "You've been running yourself ragged for weeks now."
Both Flash and Twilight shared a glance before Twilight replied, "Oh uh...has it been that obvious?" Everypony nodded back, making them both sigh.
"Guess we weren't exactly subtle about it." Flash responded, only to feel a tug on his leg. Looking down, he saw a teary eyed Pinkie staring up at him. "Pinkie? What are you doing?"
"Please don't break up! You just got together! You're not even giving this relationship a chance."
"Break up? What are you talking about?" Flash grumbled as he wiggled his leg free.
Hearing these words, Pinkie retreated back under the table, only to pop her head up on the other side. "Aren't you two avoiding each other?"
"No..." the two replied in unison, making almost everypony sigh in relief.
"Well...what are you two avoiding then?"
Twilight started twiddling her hooves as she looked around the room, "Um...you see...we've been...the thing is...I know it's silly, but...we've been avoiding..." She pointed upward, "This place."
The ponies all blinked at this, Rarity gasping, "Why in Equestria would you want to avoid such a gorgeous castle?!"
"Yeah! This place has everything!" Pinkie cheered as she started pointing at the room, "This place has though big tall ceilings that make you feel tiny and shiny new floors that are cold to the touch!" She laid down, only to feel a chill run down her spine, "Brrr!" She then got up and opened a nearby door. "And it even has loooong empty hallways!" That last statement was repeated by a loud echo, only to pop up right by Twilight, "Isn't that neat?!"
"The castle is amazing, Pinkie...but it just...it just..." Twilight let out a long sigh, "It doesn't feel like home."
Flash raised a hoof at this, "Same. Plus, I can't seem to get any sleep here. My bed is super comfy, but no matter what I try...I don't know. I just can't fall sleep."
Twilight nodded in agreement, only for Scootaloo to speak up, "So I'm not the only one."
They all turned to her as Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her statement, "Wait...is that why you been wanting to stay over so much?" Scootaloo did a small nod.
Flash let out a long moan, "Yeah...why couldn't the Tree of Harmony make something smaller?"
"But then we wouldn't have our training room," Iron countered.
Flash turned to him with half-dead eyes, "And I do like that, but...well, would you be up for living in this place if it didn't have that?"
"I..." Iron tried to respond, only for his mind to catch up as he let out a hum, "Yeah, I see your point. This place is too flashy for me. Though don't you Canterlot types like places like this?"
"Eh, we're not all like that." Lightning chimed in, Wild nodding in agreement.
"Same here. This place still doesn't feel like someplace I'd want to live in by choice." Flash added, Twilight and Scootaloo now nodding.
Seeing this, Rarity started chuckling. "Oh, is that all? Why, you simply need to decorate darling. Make this space your own!"
"And you'll need to add in some defensive measures," Iron added. "Like I said, this place is so big that an assassin could easily sneak in unnoticed...which already happened with that stinking fox Shade!"
Everypony ignored him as Twilight spoke up. "But...it's just so daunting! Look how big it is! I-I don't even know where to start!" She slammed her face into the table, Rarity managing to pull her uneaten pancakes out of the way just in time.
"You can start by letting us do it for you. We will make this the castle of your dreams while you all go to the Ponyville spa for some much needed rest and relaxation." Rarity then held up a mirror. "I'm saying this with love, but...have you looked in a mirror lately? I've never seen you look this...mmmm-"
"Frazzled?" Fluttershy chimed in, to which Rarity clapped her hooves.
"Yes! That is absolutely the word I was going to use!"
Lightning turned to Flash, "You need to relax too. The Sacred Light might heal you, but I doubt it's gonna help you if you keep pushing yourself so much."
The three troubled ponies all shared a glance, only for Twilight to speak up, "I guess I do need a little help...and so does my castle. And I just know you'll do a great job because nopony knows us better than you all."
The others all nodded, Sweetie and Apple Bloom patting Scootaloo on the back. "Don't worry," the youngest apple told her. "We'll get to work on making this place perfect for you."
Sweetie nodded, "And maybe we'll get our cutie marks in decorating!"
"But that means I won't get one." Scootaloo countered, only for Sweetie to grimace.
"Oh...yeah. Nevermind. We'll just get the stuff good and ready for ya, alright?"
"Thanks." Scootaloo gave her friends a hug at this.
Springer raised a paw next, making everypony turn to him, "If you don't mind, leave my room alone. I already got it how I want it."
"Of course darling." Rarity replied, everypony else nodding.
Applejack then spoke up, "Don't worry, we'll make this place feel cozier than hot cider on a rainy day."
"There's gonna be cider?!" Rainbow gasped, causing Applejack to glare at her, "Uh...I mean, let's decorate!"
"Oh no!" They all turned to see Spike, blanket and Rarity toy in claw. "Did I miss the pancakes?!" He threw the objects away before rushing over to the table. "I sleep like a baby under that cold, cavernous ceiling."
He started putting some pancakes on a plate while Rarity squealed at his entrance, "Spike, I'm so glad you're here!"
The little dragon stopped himself from taking the first bite as he gasped, "Really?"
"Yes! You're taking Twilight, Flash, Scoot and Springer to the spa!"
"Great! I've been meaning to get my claws done!" He took a bite out of his pancake, only to see everypony now staring at him. "Oh...you mean now." He finished off the pancake in claw, soon scoffing down several more before he and the rest of the small family headed out the door.
Once they were gone, Applejack let out a 'yeehaw' before saying, "Come on, y'all! We've got work to do!" The others all nodded and headed out the dining room, Rarity suggesting they start in the throne room. Iron replied by saying he would work on the entryway while Apple Bloom and Sweetie decided to do Scootaloo's room and the ramp room. Lightning and Wild agreed to just follow directions, both following Pinkie and Rarity as the renovations began.
Meanwhile...
The rest were now trotting down Ponyville, Flash looking down at Scootaloo as he asked, "Why didn't you tell us you were having trouble adjusting to the castle?"
Scootaloo countered with raised eyebrows, "Why didn't you two tell us?"
"She's got you there Flash," Springer chuckled, only to get smacked by Flash's tail.
"That's different. Twilight and I are the ones in charge. You don't need to know what issues we're having, but we need to know if you're having problems."
"Right...sure you do." Springer replied while rolling his eyes.
Flash just sighed as Twilight spoke up, "Alright, maybe we should have told you all. We just didn't want to make you all feel uncomfortable in the castle."
"I know. I mean...I like the ramp room, but..." Scootaloo started rubbing her front hoof, "The rest of the place just feels...cold."
"Yeah...I know what you mean. But you still should have told us."
Scootaloo shrugged at this. "I guess I didn't want to make you all feel uncomfortable in the castle, just like you."
Twilight groaned, rubbing her face in frustration, "Ugh...if we had just been open, we could have fixed this problem sooner."
"Better late than never," Springer chimed in, "Though uh...why don't we all agree to be more open about this from now on? Deal?"
"Deal," they replied in unison, now seeing they had arrived at the spa.
Spike opened the door to allow them all in, Aloe now greeting them, "Hello everypony, princess. What can I do for you all today?"
Spike pointed to Twilight and Flash, "These two need every relaxation and beautification treatment you've got." The two growled at the comment while Spike grabbed a nearby pamphlet. "Let's see here...start them off on the six-steps-stress-buster treatment. After that, Twilight should probably get the super deluxe mane blowout."
"Very well," Aloe turned to Scootaloo and Springer. "And what will you two be having dearies?"
"Oh...I'm not sure."
"Spas ain't really my thing," Scootaloo added.
"Nonsense. Everypony needs a spa day every now and then. Come along, I know the perfect treatment for you both." Aloe around them and started pushing them to the treatment rooms while Flash, Twilight and Spike followed. The masseuse lead them to the hot tub that they had used when the girls got poison joked, "Step one of the six-step-stress-buster treatment. A good fifteen minute soak to get the muscles loosened."
The group hopped in, all happily moaning as they felt the hot water consume them, "Ahh...that's nice."
"This was a good idea," Scootaloo sighed as she laid back.
"Aw yeah..." Flash did the same as he closed his eyes, "I feel like I could just fall asleep right here."
"That's probably more to do with your lack of sleep than the hot tub," Springer reminded him, only to turn and see a snoring Flash, "Typical."
"Just leave him. Having a nap isn't gonna hurt anypony." Twilight commented as she spread her wings. "Ahhh…" She then turned to Flash, now seeing he was sliding further into the water. Here, his whole head slipped inside, all blinking as bubbles began to appear on the water's surface...until they stopped. "Forget I said that!" She yelped as she sparked her horn, Springer diving under to get him.
Back at the castle...
The group had now returned with carts of items. Applejack was pulling one filled with apples, hay, and a few blankets while Rarity had a saddlebag of fabrics and other materials. Pinkie had a bunch of balloons strapped to her back, while Fluttershy was covered in animals. Rainbow was also carrying a saddlebag, this one rolled up posters inside while Apple Bloom and Sweetie were pulling wagons filled with cans and brushes. Finally, Iron was pulling a cart with similar items to the Crusaders, along with some other odds and ends. Lightning and Wild didn't have anything, instead just along for the ride as they helped some carry some stuff.
With the castle now in sight, each pony was beginning to imagine how the final product would be, each shivering at how amazing it would look.
What could go wrong?
Several hours later...
Flash let out a relaxed sigh as they left the steam room, the last step of hair stress buster treatment. "Have to admit, I think I am now one hundred percent stress free."
"Same..." Twilight and Scootaloo added as they both stretched their wings.
It was here they heard a disapproving growl, making them turn and giggle at a certain angry jakhowl. "I knew I should have joined Spike for the claw treatment." Due to the humidity, his fur had puffed up, making him look like an oversized heated hairball. The ponies all hid their mouths behind their hooves, trying to hold back their laughter. In response, Springer started to shake his whole body, soon turning his form into a dripping un-puffed up mess. "Ugh...I need more towels."
"Hey everypony!" they now saw Spike walk up with his claws all filled, "You done?"
"Yup," Twilight replied while patting the towel she was wearing, "Now I just need to have that blowout you ordered me."
Flash nodded before turning to Scootaloo, "And we...have no idea what to do until she's done."
Spike hummed before pulling out his pamphlet, "Hmm...how about a sensory deprivation treatment?"
"What's that?"
"It's where you're placed in a soundproof tank of water that is completely blacked out. It's supposed to be great for clearing the mind."
Flash and Scootaloo shared a glance before Flash shrugged, "Eh, why not?"
"Could be fun," Scootaloo added.
"Great! And why you're doing that, Springer and I can go see how things are going at the castle."
"Sounds like a plan," Twilight replied as Aloe came over. They each announced what they wanted and she began to show them the way while Springer and Spike headed out.
"I can't wait to see what they did with the place," Spike commented as they arrived.
Springer nodded as he opened the front door. "Hope they didn't go into my room. I just got it the way I wanted it." But as they entered, they saw the place looked no different. "Guess they didn't get to this place yet."
"Eh, they're probably busy doing the throne room or the dining room, or-" He didn't finish, as in that moment he felt his foot tap something. "Huh?" Looking down, he now saw some kind of string, "What's this?" He got his answer when he raised his foot and the string snapped, causing one end to retract into a wall before something else flew out from the shadows. What followed was a swinging paint can, which Springer tackled him to dodge the incoming attack. "Thanks..." Spike moaned as they got back up.
"Don't mention it," Springer replied as he started to dust himself off, "Was that there when we left?"
Spike shook his head, "If it was, I don't remember it." And as he took a step back, he felt himself step on another string. "Uh-oh." He leapt away, only to land on another string...along with a few more.
From several different directions, paint cans started to appear, both friends now hopping around as Springer created a Bone Breaker, "What is going on?!" he yelled as he knocked a few away, Spike trying to burn the strings holding the cans. And as they did this for a minute, Springer breathed a sigh of relief as no more seemed to be coming. "That's the last of them."
"You sure?" Spike asked with a small gulp.
"I'm sure. Trust me, I know these things." Springer grumbled as he took another step, only to look down and see a wire. "Aw crap."
KER-THUNK!
"Whoa!" they both yelped as the duo felt themselves being yanked up into the ceiling.
It was here that everypony walked into the hall, "What it tarnation is going on out here?" Applejack asked as they looked up and saw a net with both Spike and Springer trapped inside.
"Somepony cut us down!" Spike cried out.
"How in Equestria did you get up there?" Rarity asked, only to receive two growls in response.
"Talk later, release now!" The others began to debate on how to get them down, only for the traps' designer to walk in.
"Hey! Who set off all my traps?!" Iron yelled with gritted teeth. "These things weren't easy to set up you know."
"You did this?!" Springer screamed back. "Seriously?!"
"What?! They're pretty good! Granted, these'll have to work until I can get some better traps. I was thinking of some laser guided crossbows, bottomless pits and I'll probably get the net electrified." He then blinked as he saw nothing but glares from surrounding ponies, "What? Too much?"
"Way too much!" Spike cried out. "Get us down!" Iron rolled his eyes and moved over to a nearby corner, kicking it before everypony heard a snapping sound. "AAAHHHH!" The two trapped non-ponies yelled as they fell back down, slamming into the floor.
And as the others helped them out of the net, Fluttershy turned to her coltfriend. "You need to take out all these booby-traps."
"Why?" Iron pouted, only to get a version of the stare from Fluttershy. "Uh..."
Rarity rolled her eyes as Springer and Spike crawled out of the net. "This is supposed to be a castle, not a scene from the next Daring Do book."
"Flash and Twilight are already having trouble sleeping," Springer growled as he dusted himself off again. "They'll never get any sleep if they have to navigate this stuff whenever they go to bed."
"But-"
"NO!" everypony yelled in unison, the response making Iron grumble as he turned away, mumbling about how all his hard work was going to waste.
As he did this, Spike started to go for the throne room. "I hope the rest of you did a better job." Springer suddenly sensed a wave of dread coming off everypony, making him grimace as Spike threw open the door. "SWEET CELESTIA!"
Springer, Sweetie and Apple Bloom rushed in after him, only for all four to now be wide-eyed at the sight. The throne room was a mess, filled with hay, apples, animals, balloons, posters and more. There was also a giant portrait hanging over the door that showed the seven ponies that made up the elements standing on clouds.
"What happened?" Sweetie asked.
"This place looks like a rummage sale gone wrong." Apple Bloom added.
Springer turned back to the group, raising an eyebrow as they all blushed while Wild asked, "It's that bad, huh?"
"This place looks terrible!" Spike moaned.
The girls all shared a look before saying one thing, "Phew!"
"Thank goodness somepony said something!" Fluttershy cheered.
Rainbow nodded in agreement, "It's pretty bad, right?"
Applejack just sighed, "This place looks like a mishmash of knickknacks."
Rarity hummed. "I suppose it is a little cluttered."
"What are you all talking about?" Pinkie asked as she hopped around, "I think it looks super fun!" But as soon as she said that, several hidden party cannons exploded, causing all the animals to get spooked. Following this was the animals running amok, knocking over everything in the process.
"Pinkie! Stop it!" Wild yelled as he ran after his marefriend
"Oh dear..." Fluttershy whimpered as she went over to a pair chipmuks, "Oh no, please don't do that. If you all just take a deep breath and calm down-" She didn't finish as a stone pillar was knocked down next to her, making her jump back as the chipmunks hopped over it and grabbed a pair of curtains.
"No!" Rarity screamed, "That's embroidered by hoof! Don't you dare move one more paw!" But as she said this, the chipmunks lost their grip and slid down the cloth. The sound of tearing fabric could be now be heard, causing Rarity's face to go pure red, "EVERYPONY STOP!"
The outburst made all the animals freeze, Pinkie coming to a stop as she blinked at the destruction, "Okay....now its a mess."
"What're we gonna do?!" Rainbow yelled as she rubbed her head in frustration.
"I dunno, but they'll be back soon." Spike groaned, "If they were avoiding the castle before, they'll never set hoof in here now!"
"Ugh..." Lightning moaned while facehoofing, "I knew this place looked bad."
"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Rarity barked back, only for Wild to walk in front of him.
"Don't yell at him! We don't know anything about fashion or design, so we were just following your lead. For all we knew, what you were doing was some crazy new fashion choice!"
"Seriously?!" Rarity hissed, Rainbow now flying down between them.
"Stop! We gotta stop arguing and do something! The others are counting on us!"
Rarity let out a sigh, shaken her head before turning to a certain small drake, "Spike, you and Springer have got to get back to that spa and stall them! Whatever you do, don't let them come home no matter what!"
"Like...forever? But we live here."
Rarity's mouth stayed gaping open for a few seconds before replying, "Uh, yes...well, um...maybe you could manage it 'til...sunset-ish?" She batted her eyelids, causing Spike to go into his puppy love form.
"Anything for you, Rarity..." With that, he ran out the door, Springer sighing at the sight.
The jakhowl turned to the group with a glare, "You all better get this good looking when we get them back. And like I said before, don't touch my room."
"We won't darling. Now get moving after Spike."
"Yeah yeah..." Springer grumbled as he left the castle.
And as the jakhowl disappeared, Lightning turned to Rarity with a low glare, "You know, leading that little guy on like that isn't a good thing."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Rarity replied with a wave of her hoof. "I know its not nice, but Spike is our best shot into getting us more time."
Applejack then spoke up. "Okay, we all agree the castle is too cluttered, right? So why doesn't everypony take one of their own decorations out and we'll see how it looks?"
The girls all gave their nods of approval while Sweetie and Apple Bloom began to leave, "You all do that, and we're gonna go finish Scoots's room."
"Yeah...we're almost done." Sweetie added as they left the room, Lightning and Wild wishing they could go with them instead of just being janitors for the rest. And as the cleanup started, a sense of dread waved over the group as they know time was slipping away.
Meanwhile...again.
As the spa came into view, Spike turned to Springer. "How are we supposed to keep them out of the castle until sunset?"
"We'll just have to tell them that's when the others want them back."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"We'll think of something." Springer replied as he opened the front door, both now seeing Flash and Scootaloo enter the room, "Hey you two, how was the sensory deprivation?"
"It was awesome!" Scootaloo cheered. "You should try it! It felt like I was swimming through a rainbow!"
"It was pretty cool," Flash added while cricking his neck. "I feel extra refreshed."
"Nice. Where's Twilight?"
"She should be done soon." Flash added as they entered a manicure room. There, they saw Twilight be fitted with a new mane style, the blowout just now coming to an end.
She turned to her friends with a huge smile, "Hey everyone, how do I look?" She got her answer when Flash's wings instantly shot out, almost taking Springer's eye out. The reaction made her and Scootaloo laugh while the jakhowl rubbed his face with a growl.
"You look great!" Spike responded, Scootaloo nodding in agreement.
"Good." Twilight replied as she got up, her eyes now fully staring at Flash, "I'm guessing I should try this look more often?" Flash just gave a small, dumbfounded nod that made the alicorn giggle, "I'll try. Now...how does the castle look?"
This made Spike and Springer share a glance, "Uh...good?"
Twilight clapped her hooves, "Great! I can't wait to go home and see it!"
"Hang on there," Springer interrupted. "The others don't you want there till sunset. They wanna...get the place looking perfect before you see it."
"Really?"
"Yeah.." Springer replied before looking away and mumbling. "Plus it'll give Iron enough time to get rid of all those traps."
"What was that?" Flash asked, only for Spike to interrupt.
"Anyways, let's not rush them. Why don't we all...have a massage?" He pulled out his pamphlet and pointed to a random part of it. "I was really hoping to get, uh...this thingy!"
Twilight bent down to read the article, "The extra-strength-hot-stone-deep-tissue massage?"
Hearing its name made Spike gulp, "Uh...yep!"
The alicorn raised an eyebrow in response, "I think I'll just have a traditional massage, but you go for it."
"Same," Flash and Scootaloo both added.
In that moment, Aloe stepped out of another room. "Did somepony order massages?" Before they could answer, the wall of the spa suddenly broke open to reveal Bulk Biceps in a masseuse's uniform.
"YEAH! Let's do this, little dragon!" With that, he grabbed Spike between his bulging biceps before crashing into the wall again.
"Oh, I hate it when he does that." Aloe moaned as she tried to show a smile to rest, "Now, come with me dearies."
Back at the castle, Apple Bloom and Sweetie were heading back to the throne room. The duo were covered in paint, both laughing with joy, "Scootaloo's gonna love what we did with her room!"
"I know!" Sweetie added. "I can't wait to see her face when she sees it. I'm just glad the paint we got worked. I wasn't sure if you could paint crystal."
Apple Bloom nodded as they arrived at the throne room. "Here's hopin' the others managed to make the place look less...yah know." Sweetie nodded as the door came into view.
But in that moment, they heard Applejack cry out. "Hey, those are mah warmin' quilts!" Seconds later, a bunch of blankets flew out the room, making the two grimace at the sight.
"Together!" They now heard Rarity and Rainbow cry out. The crusaders shared a look before glancing in, hearing the sound of balloons popping. The place was still a mess, the girls fighting each other while Lightning and Wild sat on the sidelines, all watching the carnage with a pair of giant frowns.
"Fluttershy! Tell your birds to stop pecking at my balloons!"
Fluttershy growled back at Pinkie, "I guess they must not like being scared out of their wits by exploding confetti cannons or something!"
"But we can't get rid of the cannons!" Pinkie cried out, "I don't even remember where I hid all of them." This was followed by another loud explosion, coupled with a blast of confetti.
"Allow me to help," Rarity began gathering everypony else's stuff in her magic.
"Oh no yah don't!" Applejack yelled with a growl, "Ah'll help you!"
"Not if I help you first!" Rainbow screeched as she got between the two.
Sweetie and Apple Bloom sat down beside Lightning and Wild. "This ain't gonna end well, is it?"
"Most likely," Lightning sighed.
"Should we do something?"
"Probably..." Wild replied while his puppets repeated the phrase, "But I don't think anything we could do will work right now."
Springer and the ponies were now happily trotting down the street, all having just left the spa. Twilight was especially happy as she let out a long sigh, "Oh...that massage was a great suggestion Spike. I feel totally relaxed."
Spike was now showing a look of pure pain on his face, his spine feeling like somepony had been doing the river-dance on it. "Ow ow ow ow ow..."
"So what do you all wanna do now?" Flash asked, seeing the sunset was still a few hours away.
"Why don't we just go for a walk? When was the last time we just enjoyed the scenery?"
The others all shrugged, the group now trotting up a few streets. It was here that they found themselves at a familiar sight: The destroyed remains of the Golden Oak Library. The five frowned at the sight, Twilight sighing. "I really miss this place. We had so many wonderful memories here."
Flash nodded, rubbing his face as he thought back on his fun times at that library. But as he did this, his ears now heard the sound of sniffing, making him look down and see Scootaloo fighting back tears, "Hey, what's wrong Scoots?"
Scootaloo just leaned down, the first tear now escaping her eye, "It's just...this was the first place I really called home."
"What about the orphanage?" Springer asked, only for Scootaloo to shake her head.
"I might have lived there, but it never felt like a place I belonged." She looked up at the destroyed remains of the tree, "This place was where I started really feeling like I was supposed to be there."
Flash let out a sigh, knowing he had no words to give her. Instead, both him and Twilight's wings hugged her, patting her side as he stared at the burnt pile of wood. But as he stared at it, his eyes went wide as he saw a small piece of cloth under the rubble, "Huh?"
Getting up, he walked over to the piece of lumber, making everyone blink at him as Twilight asked, "What are you doing?"
Flash didn't answer, instead pulling the burnt wood away before smiling as he picked up something. "Well what do you know...look at what I found."
Scootaloo's eyes went wide at the sight of a pair of red blankets, both looking completely fine. "No way," she ran up and grabbed hers'. "I thought it burnt up with the tree."
"Same here." Flash replied as he looked the cloth over. "Gotta give it to those alicorns, they sure knew how to make a fabric that lasts."
Flash then took Scootaloo's blanket and folded the cloths as they stared back at the library. All of them were starting to tear up, Spike especially, which made Twilight pull him close, "It's okay Spike. It'll be okay."
"I know...I know..."
Twilight leaned down with a tiny smile, "Say...I know our friends are helping us with the castle, but...why don't we have the girls add some things to make the castle feel more like your home as well?"
This made Spike gasp, "Really?!"
Twilight nodded before crouching down, "Hop on!" Spike did so before Twilight spread her wings, only for the drake to see a look of fear on Springer's face. Here, Spike grabbed Twilight's wings, making her flinch as she crashed landed, "Ow!" She turned to see Spike jump off, "What are you doing?!"
"I, um...I just thought of what I want!"
"Oh..." Twilight replied as Flash helped her up, "Okay. What is it?"
Spike started twiddling his claws, his mouth mumbling, "It's a...well, I want a...it's..."
"A what?!" Flash grumbled as he glared at the drake.
"A bed!" Spike blurted out, only to get a look of confusion from Twilight.
"I thought you said you sleep like a baby in the castle."
Spike scoffed while waving his claw, "Everypony knows babies are terrible sleepers."
"That's...not a bad point," Flash added, "But did you have to be violent to Twilight for that?!"
"I'm sorry! Now let's go right now!" With that, the dragon ran off, making the others share a glance before following the drake.
Meanwhile...one more time!
Back at the castle, Iron had just finished dismantling the last trap, a long grumble escaping his mouth as he headed to the throne room. There, he saw a Daring Do poster float out of the room before hearing Rarity speak up, "There! Now nothing is cluttering the castle!"
"You're right..." Rainbow deadpanned, "There is literally nothing cluttering this castle. Nothing at all!" True to her word, the room looked exactly as it was when they first started: Cold and empty.
"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked.
Wild raised a hoof, "Is failure an option?"
"No, it's not."
Wild just shrugged, "Welp, that was my suggestion."
"Suggestion, suggestion."
Rarity then turned to a window and gulped. "I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but it's almost sunset. If we don't figure this out soon, it's going to look like we didn't lift a hoof to help them!"
"AUGH! Why is this so hard?!" Rainbow yelled while rubbing her head in frustration, "We're their best friends! This should be easy for us!"
"It was for me and Bloom," Sweetie countered.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom added, "We got Scootaloo's room done just the way she'd like it."
"Oh really?! Excuse me for being a little doubtful." Rarity hissed as she stared down at the duo, only for her glare to make Sweetie puff her cheeks up in pride.
"Oh yeah?! Go see for yourself!"
"This should be good." Iron commented as they all headed out of throne room, "This better not be another one of your disaster areas."
"Why would it be a disaster-"
"Everything is a disaster with you three!" Iron interrupted, "Need I remind you of the second and third 'Renegade Farming Equipment Incidents'?!"
The two fillies shared a glance before replying, "Well...at least we didn't make a bunch of unnecessary traps that nopony would ever want."
Iron was about to retort, only to feel Fluttershy's hoof pat his shoulder. "That's enough Iron. Just believe in them. They're Scootaloo's friends."
"Heck yeah we are!" Apple Bloom added as they reached Scootaloo's room, the filly pushing the door open. "Take a look at this!"
Everypony's jaws dropped at the sight, including Iron. Inside, the formerly purple walls were now bright blue and had images of ramps with scooters racing up them. It was also covered in posters of the Wonderbolts, Daring Do and other pegasi memorabilia. The sides were lined with pictures of Scootaloo alongside all her friends and family, as well as images of her and the crusaders' favorite moments.
"WOW!!!" Pinkie cheered, "It's awesome!"
"Thanks!" Apple Bloom responded with a huge grin, "We just put ourselves in Scootaloo's horseshoes and tried to think what she'd want the room to look like."
"Makes sense. It might not be something I'd want my room to look like, but I won't be the one living here." Lightning commented, only to see five ponies eye grow a big as dinner plates.
Fluttershy did a small sigh first, "Oh dear. Maybe we're all a little guilty of making ourselves feel at home instead of Flash and Twilight." Iron patted her on the shoulder, while the others all grimaced at just realizing what they were doing wrong.
Seeing everypony's frowns, Applejack crossed her hooves as she spoke up, "Come on y'all, my little sis was right. We just need to think about Flash and Twilight. What was it that they loved about livin' in the Golden Oak Library?"
"Well...I think Sentry only liked it because Twilight was there," Iron added, the others all nodded in agreement.
"So what did Twilight like about living there?" Wild asked next.
"Oh, everything!" Fluttershy chimed in, "The books, the smell of books, the joy she felt from organizing books..."
"So we just fill the place with books?" Lightning asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Isn't it already filled with books?" Iron replied. "She spent those first few weeks filling this place with books from Canterlot!"
Rainbow chuckled at this, "Oh yeah...remember that time I crashed into all those books attempting my sonic rainboom after you all had just cleaned up?" She let out a laugh before releasing a happy sigh. "That was good times."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Yeah, for you maybe."
Rarity let out a giggle here, "Oh, and Applejack? Remember when we were stuck having a sleepover there? That turned out to be so much fun!"
Iron let out a snort, "I guess that party you threw me when I first moved here was okay. You know, the one after I was stung by those Speed Stringers."
Everypony started to smile at this, only for Pinkie to blurt out, "Remember the time it got blown to smithereens?!" This caused a series of glares, making her gulp, "Wait...no, that was the worst."
"We had a lot of good memories there." Applejack added, "That's what made the Golden Oak Library home." This statement was met with a bunch of nods, only for the earth pony to let out a gasp, "Wait...that's it!"
"What's it?"
"Ah know what we gotta do to make the others feel at home!"
That night...
As the sun began to set, Flash, Twilight, Scootaloo, Springer and Spike found themselves walking up to the castle. The ponies couldn't wait to see how it looked while Spike and Springer were dripping buckets of sweat at the thought of going inside. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop this from happening as Twilight went in first, calling out through the main entrance, "Hello?"
"Anypony here?" Scootaloo added, only to see their friends suddenly run into the hallway.
"Welcome home!" They all cheered while the five just blinked at the sight, now seeing that the place looked exactly as it had that morning.
Flash raised an eyebrow, "So...are we going for the invisible decorations? Very...modern."
Twilight tilted her head at this, "Yeah. You did such a good job of...preserving the integrity of the original design."
"Oh, come on!" Spike cried in frustration, "It looks exactly the same! Do you know how hard it was to keep them from coming back here?!"
Springer let out a groan, "Ugh...I'll be having nightmares of dust ruffles for months."
This statement made Twilight stare at her friends with a slight glare, "Wait...they were keeping us from coming back here?"
Rarity let out a nervous giggle, "It took a teensy bit longer than we thought."
Applejack took off her her hat and placed it against her heart. "Yah see...what really makes home feel like home isn't what it looks like, it's the memories ya'll make when you're there."
The others nodded as Rarity continued. "So we've made something that celebrates the memories we've made with you all since you moved to Ponyville."
Now intrigued, the group walked into the throne room, only for the six to gasp. Hanging above the table was a giant wooden chandelier, all showing tons of shining crystal ornaments hanging off, the shine making the room look almost alive. Fluttershy and Rainbow flew up next, Fluttershy pointing to the crystals. "The ornaments on the chandelier are reminders of all the fun we've had together."
Flash went up to the chandelier, now staring at on the crystals, amazed to see an image inside that was him and Springer first meeting. As he started at it, Pinkie hopped up and grabbed one, "This one shows your welcoming party at the Golden Oak Library!"
Fluttershy showed another, "The time we were in the Fantasia Parade."
Iron tapped another, "When we teamed up to beat the Flim Flam brothers."
"Wow...how many of them are there?" Springer gasped as he stared at the chandelier.
"One hundred and thirty four," Lightning told him. "Pretty impressive, don't you think?"
Back on the ground, Twilight was still frozen as she stared at the chandelier. Rarity then spoke up, "We were hoping that being able to look at your beautiful old memories would inspire you to make new ones."
Applejack nodded in agreement. "And the best part, it's made from the roots of the Golden Oak Library, so ya'll never forget where you came from."
Flash landed next to Twilight, now seeing tears of joy go down her face. "Its exactly what the castle needed." She ran up to them as they all shared a hug, "And I am ready to make new memories here."
Pinkie shined a huge grin as she pulled away, "Then let's start right now with a new memory cake!" She zipped away before coming back while carrying a large multicoloured cake on her back. "Seven layer what's-that-flavor mystery surprise! They might be chocolate chips or they might be super-spicy black beans!"
"Let's go to the dining room. It's a little sparse, but at least there's a table and chairs." Twilight replied as they started to go to the dining room, only to gasp again, "Whoa!" They now saw flowers, drapes and everything else you'd find in a Canterlot Restaurant in the room. "What happened in here? Last I checked, this place was empty!"
"I couldn't help myself!" Rarity whined, making everypony stare at her. "It was just begging for the personal touch!"
Everyone giggled at this, Applejack shaking her head as she added, "Truth be told, ah couldn't either. Your kitchen might have some rustic farm decor."
"And there may or may not be some Daring Do posters up in your library."
"And some stuffed animals in your bedroom," Fluttershy whispered to Twilight.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie turned to Scootaloo with huge grins, "Just wait till you see your room! We know you'll love it."
Flash turned to the males of the group, only for them to all point at Iron. Grumbling at this, Iron looked away, "Alright...I may have set up a kind of obstacle course in one of the unused hallways." The other ponies were now all glaring at him. "What?! I worked really hard on those contraptions!"
Before anypony could say anything else, a loud explosion erupted above them, causing confetti to rain down. "What was that?!" Twilight yelped, making Applejack sigh.
"One of Pinkie Pie's confetti cannons." They all turned to the pony in question, her eyes darting away.
"What?!" She asked as Wild wiped some of the cake off of her and licked it off his hoof, his face going red as he swallowed a spicy black bean. "It's not my fault I hid them so well!" Everypony laughed at this, Pinkie now having to clean up the confetti as the rest finished the cake.
Later that night...
After the fun filled day, Flash was now back in his bed. He had a huge grin on his face as he stretched out on the covers, his whole body feeling fully refreshed from the spa. But as he did this, he felt something. He...still couldn't get to sleep. Despite everything that happened, accepting the castle and all...but sleep still evaded him.
"Come on..." he moaned with his eyes closed, "Why...why can't I..."
It was here his ears spiked up, now hearing his bedroom door slowly open. Glancing up, he now saw Twilight poke her head inside, "Hey. You still up?"
"Yeah..." he groaned as he sat up, "Guess you can't sleep either."
Twilight closed the door behind her as she slowly nodded, "Same...but I think I've figured out why. I was um...I was thinking of the last time I really slept well, and...I realized it was uh...you know, when we..." her face was now pure bright red, "You know....at the cave."
Flash's face was just as red, his mind now thinking about that night. Seeing her point, he began to shuffle his hooves, "So uh...what do we um...do?"
Twilight's horn started to shine as Flash's bed covers started to levitate, the alicorn hopping onto the bed. There, she snuggled up to Flash's chest, Flash's wings covering her as the quilt fell down over them. Flash felt his nose rest inside Twilight's mane, the princess now feeling his heartbeat as a wave of gentle slumber started to embrace the couple.
"Wow..." Flash commented as he wrapped his hooves around her, "I feel...so relaxed. Even more than our whole spa day..."
"Yeah..." Twilight mumbled as she rubbed his chest with her face, "Feels good."
Two smiles started to appear on their faces as Flash whispered, "So uh...looks like we're sharing."
"Yup. Guess we'll decide which room to share in the morning." Flash was too tired to say anything else, his eyes closing as he rested his head on his marefriend. Both could feel the warmth of sleep consume them next, small light snores following this as the lovers went into the realm of slumber.