Rainbow Dash let out a long breath as she closed the window she had just barely avoided crashing through. That had been far too close. Twilight trotted up to her with a concerned expression on her face.
“Are you alright? Something didn’t go wrong with James, did it?”
Dash shook her head and trotted forward, dropping off the still-full bag of bits on the counter with the bottles of cider and the green beans.
“Well… almost. I accidentally mentioned Thanksgiving by name.”
She chuckled nervously as Twiligth shot her a glare.
“But I did cover it up!” she added in her defense. “I told him Pinkie had given me the invitation, and since he had told her…”
“She would tell you,” Twilight finished with a nod.
She stared at the ground for a moment, then smiled.
“Great job Rainbow! I knew we could count on you for getting the diversion moving. Have they already left?”
Rainbow nodded.
“Yep, Flutters put the blindfold on as I took the grocery list, and last I saw, she’s leading him toward stage two.”
Twilight clapped her hooves together.
“Excellent! We have all the time in the world now!”
She looked over Dash’s shoulder to the green beans and cider.
“Beans? Why do we need beans?”
Dash shrugged.
“I dunno, I think we just make them plain.” She snatched of James’ grocery list and pointed at the green beans with her hoof. “The list has everything broken down by dish, so I think green beans are just a side or something.”
Twilight scanned the list and gasped.
“Stuffing? What’s stuffing?!? He never talked about stuffing!”
Applejack trotted over and looked through the ingredients listed under stuffing.
“Ah’m pretty sure he always talked about stuffing. Usually came right after talkin bout the turkey leftovers.”
She frowned.
“But ah don’t rightly know what stuffing is for. Maybe Granny Smith would know?”
Twilight let out a strangled grunt of panic.
“I’ll look something up while you go ask. We can’t well make a perfect Thanksgiving dinner if there isn’t this stuffing!”
She moaned and let her head fall to the table.
“What kind of friend am I if I can’t make a single genuine human dinner for my coltfriend?”
She squeaked when she realized the words she said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both just sighed. Applejack slid off her hat and passed Rainbow a bag of bits, while the pegasus smiled smugly at Twilight.
“Finally!” Dash said. “It is about time you fessed up! AJ and I have had a bet going for months about James and you!”
Twilight buried her head in her hooves, failing miserably at hiding her embarrassment.
“You’re not gonna tell, are you?”
Dash snorted.
“Course not, I know you have some plan to get him in bed during Hearth’s Warming.”
She looked to Applejack, who hid her face behind her stetson.
“Unlike AJ here, who thought you were holding out for the princesses.”
Twilight squeaked.
“Both?”
Applejack’s blush was easily visible from beneath her hat.
“Well, ya always seem so happy when yer with em, and yer always goin to Canterlot to visit, I just thought… ya know.”
Twilight let out another squeak while Dash held her belly and fell to the floor laughing. Twilight rolled up a newspaper and swatted at the pegasus.
"Stop laughing at me and go get Granny Smith! We need to make this perfect!"
Rainbow rolled over and gave Twilight a mock salute before she and Applejack raced out of the castle.
*****
James bit his tongue as he stubbed his toe on another tree root. Fluttershy was humming happily in his ear, stroking his hair as she tapped his shoulders with her hooves, indicating which way he needed to adjust his walking.
They had been moving for the better part of an hour, and though it had been a bit of a stumbling start, James had adapted well enough to being blind. They had stopped needing words after a while, and so Fluttershy had created her system for telling him where to walk. He just wished she would warn him more often when an obstacle was on the path.
“Are we almost there yet?” James asked as he tripped over a rock.
Fluttershy clicked her tongue.
“Yes, I do believe we are. Everything looks a little different from up here, but I know we’ve been on the right path. Shouldn’t be much… oh no!”
James cast his blind eyes about.
“What? Have we been going to wrong way?”
Fluttershy shuffled on his shoulders.
“I… think I have some bad news James. Move forward a few more steps so I can read the sign.”
James did so nervously, and he waited while Fluttershy read the sign.
“Well? Is this a bust?”
Fluttershy sighed.
“That depends if you’re willing to go to Canterlot. Apparently, the turkey plants were endangered, so they’ve been taken to the Royal Canterlot Gardens by Princess Celestia.”
James smiled.
“Celly’s invited to dinner anyway! All I need to do is talk to her, and then we’ll be good! Let me just take off the blindfold and write her a letter…”
Fluttershy swiped his hand away from the blindfold, then hugged his face.
“NO!” she shouted. “I- I mean, you can’t. It says here that any appeals have to be taken up with the princess directly. We have to go to Canterlot.”
James sighed, and reached for the blindfold again.
“Then let me take this silly thing off so that I can run us back to the train station.”
Fluttershy swatted his hand away again a second time.
“There’s no need for that James, look! A chariot is coming!”
James gave her a blind, deadpan look.
“Did you just point to something oyu very well know I can’t see?”
Fluttershy giggled.
“Maybe, but we’re having fun right? Come, let’s go with these fine stallions and get your turkey plant.”
James sighed, then shrugged.
“Alright, just so long as I don’t stub my toe again.”
Fluttershy hummed happily and led him to the chariot, sitting him down before settling like a cat in his lap.
“I’m not losing this blindfold before the end of today, am I?”
Fluttershy snuggled into his belly.
“Nope.”
James sighed as they lifted off. He had an idea of what was actually going on, but still, he’d play along. Just so long as he got the turkey substitute cooked and eaten before the end of the day, he’d be happy. Thanksgiving would reign in Equestria if it was the last thing he’d do!