“Ugh, this is stupid…”
Rainbow turned in her bed trying desperately to find some sort of sweet spot to drift off to sleep while her mind raced out of control. She finally did it. Twilight finally said yes! She couldn’t wait to see her again, to spend time with her, to do all the things couples were supposed to do.
“I wonder if Twilight has ever dated anypony before…”
The pegasus stirred again, flopping back to the other side of the bed. Her eyes wandered to the window in curiosity. The half-moon hanging in the night sky beamed down, illuminating her room. Staring at the celestial body seemed to quiet her mind a bit. All night her heart felt like a caged animal pounding wildly against the confines of her chest. Only now, in the calming moonlight, did the thumping start to subside as thoughts of the unicorn raced through her head. She wondered what Twilight might be doing at this very moment as her tired eyes finally shut for the night.
“Comets are comprised mostly of ice and rock particulate. A comet that draws too near to a star gives off a coma, a hazy atmospheric glow around the main body while a tail forms closely behind giving the anomaly-”
*Thump, thump, thump.
Twilight glanced at the window. The sun had just started to peek over the horizon, signaling the start of a brand new day… and the loss of yet another night of sleep to her incessant studies.
*Thump, thump, thump!
She reluctantly blew out the candle on the desk, which had stood vigil over her all night, and left her seat to answer the door.
“Who in Celestia’s name wants a book this early?” she pondered.
She opened the door with a sigh. “Sorry, but the library doesn’t open until—Rainbow?”
The brilliantly colored pegasus stood in the doorway with bloodshot eyes and an unruly mane-cut.
Twilight shook off the shock fairly quickly. “What are you doing up so early? I’ve never seen you up before Applejack.”
“I didn’t sleep good last night… actually I’m not sure I slept at all, and if I did, it was the worst sleep ever. Mind if I come in?”
Twilight stepped back, allowing her entry. “No, of course not! It’s just weird seeing you up so early.” An idea sprang into the unicorn’s mind. “Hey! I remember seeing something about a sleeping elixir in one of my books. I bet it would work wonders for you!” she said dashing toward the bookshelves.
“Uhhh, Twilight, did you sleep at all last night?”
Twilight glanced over her shoulder towards Rainbow who stared intently at the still smoking candle.
“Heh heh, heh,” Twilight laughed nervously, “I might’ve pulled an all-nighter,” she admitted sheepishly, resuming her search for the book.
“Ya know you can get sick like that. I always make sure to get plenty of sleep to stay in top condition. Being a world class athlete requires plenty of rest.”
“You mean napping every chance you get don’t you?” Twilight replied. “Ah-hah! Found it!” Using her magic, the unicorn pulled the book she had been looking for from its spot. Rainbow peered over the purple mare’s shoulder to investigate the book.
“One hundred and one remedies for restless nights?” Rainbow raised her eyebrow skeptically. “Really? I thought books like these were a bunch of old mare’s tales.”
Twilight flipped through the book, skimming through each of the suggestions.
“Not all of them are useful. For instance, this one suggests you take five minutes before bed to cl-” Twilight’s face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. “Oh dear… moving on.”
“What? What’s it say?” Rainbow asked trying to scoot in closer. Twilight slammed the book closed and opened it again to a random page.
“Here we go!” Twilight proclaimed triumphantly. “The all-natural sleep serum!”
“White grass, sweet tea and… almond milk? Where in Equestria are you gonna get this stuff?” Rainbow asked.
The book, engulfed in a magical aura, floated alongside Twilight into the kitchen. "Actually, I already have everything the recipe calls for. Zecora was kind enough to help me gather some of the herbs for basic salves and ointments," she explained while rummaging through the fridge removing the necessary ingredients for the sleep serum.
Rainbow stuck her head through the kitchen door. “You’re not going to start mixing up some kooky potions to test on me or anything are you?”
Twilight laughed. “No, of course not. It’s just good to know how to make something for first aid without having to stroll into the Everfree forest and stumble into something with teeth longer than my legs,” she explained mixing two glasses of the sleeping solution. Satisfied with her stirring, she removed the spoon and lifted the potions with her magic carrying them into the main area of the library.
“Here we go. One sleep aid for a restless pegasus. Drink up!” Twilight said gingerly lowering one of the glasses onto a nearby table. Rainbow grabbed her glass by the handle and downed the liquid in one go.
“Yuck! Is there some unwritten rule that these things have to taste like a pony’s leg pit?”
Twilight drank her solution as well. Despite her thorough mixing, she could still easily pick out the milk from the tea, and the bits of white grass floating freely didn’t help the taste at all.
Twilight visibly smacked her lips in disgust. “It… It tastes like I just licked the floor under the birdhouses at Fluttershy’s cottage. How is sweet tea supposed to make you sleepy anyway? I thought caffeine is supposed to keep you awake,” Twilight wondered aloud.
“Beats me,” Rainbow said with a shrug.
Both ponies stared at each other in awkward silence.
“Sooooooo, how long is this stuff supposed to take anyway?”
Twilight pulled the book to her, scrutinizing the article word by word. “It doesn’t say. I guess we just wait.” The unicorn’s eyes lit up as an idea popped in her head. “Hey! I’ve been reading this amazing book that I think you’d love!”
Rainbow looked skeptical.
“Oh c’mon, it’s about space! Ya know, comets, planets, meteors, stuff like that,” Twilight explained pulling the book to her as she lay down on the floor.
“I dunno, sounds awfully boring to me,” Rainbow said lying down next to the unicorn and curling up beside her in a very friendly manner. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat feeling her friend closer than she had ever been before sans group hugs. Rainbow’s mane rested mere inches from her nose intoxicating her with the smell of fresh rainwater.
“Hey! You gonna read this thing or what?” the pegasus asked.
“Oh! Right. Sorry about that. Get this, right now, as we speak, there are giant chunks of ice and rock hurtling through space above us!” Twilight proclaimed, paraphrasing the open page in front of her.
“Uh huh… and?”
“W—well, the uh… these chunks of ice and rock are called comets, and they move through the stars at incredible speeds!”
“Mmmhmmm.”
“And… and they move through star systems for eons until they get close or come into contact with something else. It’s been theorized by many scholars that the impact from such an object could cause an extinction level event, possibly sending all of Equestria into an ice age. Still think space is boring?”
Twilight heard a soft sound from the pegasus sitting beside her. Looking at the mare she could see her eyes were closed and a half smile spread across her face as she snored softly. Twilight sighed in exasperation at the sleeping mare curled up beside her. With her audience unconscious, she decided it might be a good time to catch up on some sleep too and joined her partner curled up on the floor.
“Rainbow…”
“I knew it was a bad idea!” the pegasus said, staring at the floor. She couldn't even look at the pony lying in the hospital bed.
“Quiet Rainbow, you couldn’t have known it would happen.”
“It was risky and stupid, and now you’re paying for it. You didn't even want to do it in the first place!”
“Nopony here is blaming you flygirl, least of all me.”
“Yeah… well... maybe you should,” Rainbow said, her voice trailing off.
Fluttershy cracked her eyes open to greet the dawn of another day. Instead of the bright blue early morning sky shining through her window, beige filled her view. She could feel her own breath as if she were trapped in a confined space. In a flash, the pegasus leapt to her hooves.
“Oh no, oh no, oh my! Waaaaaah!”
The panicking pegasus stumbled around, but no matter where she looked she saw only beige. In her crazed stupor, her hoof hit something on the floor sending her crashing to the ground, wincing in pain.
“Ouch… huh?”
Fluttershy opened her eyes again. This time the picturesque view of her cottage filled her vision. Scanning the room she noticed a beige lampshade lying on the floor next to her.
“Oh… my. I guess Pinkie and I were up later than I thought,.” Fluttershy reasoned to herself. Looking around her home though, there were no visible signs of their wild slumber party apart from the bare lamp in the living room. Fluttershy picked up the lampshade and placed it back in its proper place.
“There we go, good as new,” she said with a satisfied smile. Turning away from the lamp, her eyes fell on a piece of paper adorned by a smiley face resting on the coffee table. Fluttershy moved closer to get a better look at the note.
Morning sleepy head! It’s your pal Pinkie Pie just wanting to thank you for such a great party last night! It’s fun to watch you cut loose like you did! You should really come to the next slumber party we have, I think you’d have a great time! I had to leave early to help the Cakes with the early morning baking, but I helped by cleaning up as much as I could before I left. Sorry I couldn’t stick around long enough to say bye. Swing by the shop today and I’ll make you anything you want, my treat!
Hope to see you soon!
Pinkie Pie
P.S. – Lampshades go on the lamp, not your head, silly!
Fluttershy smiled as she put the note away. She thought to herself how wonderful it might be to go to a slumber party with the others and decided that she would definitely go to the next one they threw.
Maybe…
*Slam!
Twilight yelped in surprise at the slamming of the front door. Still in a stupor from her nap, she tripped over the pegasus lying on her legs.
“I’m up, I’m up!” Rainbow shouted untangling herself from the frantic unicorn. Both ponies stared at the intruder plodding through the main area of the library with a drowsy smile plastered on his face.
“Oh, uhh, good morning Spike! I hope you and Rarity had fun last night because there’s certainly nothing going on here, right Rainbow?” Twilight chanced a look at the pony next to her only to see her nodding off. The purple pony nudged her friend forcefully.
“Huh! Wha! I’m awake!”
“I was just telling Spike here that nothing unusual was going on,” Twilight spoke through clenched teeth.
“Oh, right! Yeah! Nothing unusual going on here!” Rainbow assured in kind.
“We made thirteen dresses last night,” The dragon mumbled not bothering to stop or even take note of the blushing ponies. “That has to be some kind of record.”
“Thirteen dresses? Wow, she must have really been behind to pull something like that off,” Twilight replied, her eyes wide in amazement. “So uhhh, Spike… What are you gonna do today?”
The dragon stopped and turned far enough for both ponies present to see several crimson kisses on his other cheek.
“Me? I’m going to sleep,” he stated plainly resuming his march to the bedroom. “Just keep the lovey dovey stuff down you guys,” he pleaded slamming the bedroom door behind him.
Rainbow stole a glance at the unicorn. “You didn’t tell him we were dating?”
“He’s a baby, he’s still too young for this sort of thing.”
Rainbow let loose a massive yawn. “Tell that to Rarity."
"You're still sleepy after that nap?"
"I uhhhh, i haven't been sleeping well lately. I've been having these weird dreams."
"Ooooooh! I've got a dream book that's supposed to help somepony analyze their dreams! Wanna give it a shot?" Twilight asked eagerly.
"Nah, I think I'm gonna head over to Sweet Apple Acres for a nap, Wanna come with?"
“I can't. I’ve got a lot of work scheduled today. Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.”
Rainbow shrugged. “Suit yourself, there’s nothing better than sleeping outside on a lazy day though.”
“Sleeping next to you ranks pretty high on the list,” Twilight blurted out. Her face went red instantly when she realized what she had said.
“Wow Twilight, listen to you getting all saucy all of a sudden. I’ll keep that in mind,” Rainbow added with a wink. “Later!”
Twilight stared as the pegasus took off through the open window, presumably headed for Sweet Apple Acres.
“I can’t believe I just said that…”
“So Twilight loses it and marches right up to the manager and shouts, ‘Do you know who I am?’ Oh Applejack, I wish you could’ve seen it! That unicorn looked like he was gonna pass out at any moment!” Rainbow recounted last night’s events to Applejack who was currently sitting against a tree, her mouth slack in disbelief.
“Our Twilight did that? Twilight Sparkle? As in, Twilight, ‘The princess will send me back to magic kindergarten’ Sparkle?”
“I know! It was incredible! He was falling all over himself to apologize and she just strutted out of there like she owned the place.”
“It sounds like you weren’t having too good of a night though if that shiner is anything ta go by. I’m guessing yer dating days with her are through,” Applejack said with a smirk.
“Hah! That’s what I thought. Turns out she must enjoy my company more than I thought. She said she’d give me two weeks to see how it goes and whether or not she wants to keep going or not.”
“Two weeks? That seems kinda strange. Ya think she got that out of a book or something?”
Rainbow just shrugged. “Maybe. What are you doing just lounging around out here anyway? Don’t you have trees to buck or something? ”
The cowpony pulled her hat over her head. “That’s tha benefit of being yer own boss. I can take a day off when ah like as long as ah’ve got the important stuff done for the day. What about you? Ain’t got any rain clouds to go puttin over unsuspecting ponies heads?”
“Nah, I’ve got the day off too. Being manager has its perks ya know. I thought I’d just drop by and tell you about the date and take a nap since I’m already out here.”
“Sakes alive, I’d sure hate ta work fer you. Ah can’t even imagine how many times ah’d be called in just cause ya wanted ta sleep in.”
Rainbow’s wings flared outward in anger. “Hey! I’ll have you know that for the last three years in a row I’ve finished every year with vacation days left over, Applesmack!” She immediately regretted flipping her lid when the cowpony flipped her hat up a little revealing a soft smile.
“Take it easy girl, ah’m only messin with ya. I of all ponies see what ya do on a regular basis. If ah didn’t know any better, ah’d say this whole dating thing has ya a mite on edge.”
Rainbow rubbed her neck with a free hoof. “Yeah… I guess so. Maybe now would be a good time for that nap huh?”
“Just lemme get a head-start on ya. Ya’ll know ah can’t handle that awful snoring of yours,” Applejack replied retreating beneath her hat again.
Giving a mighty leap and flap of her wings, Rainbow jumped to the lowest branch of the tree. With a heavy yawn she fell back first onto the branch. This particular tree played home to her afternoon naps as far back as she could remember and the hard wood had become so familiar to her that she knew exactly how to lie down to nod off effortlessly. Although there were tons of unanswered questions and ideas floating through her head, she felt herself drifting off fairly quickly.
“Oh come now dear, you couldn’t possibly have known this would happen.”
“She didn’t even want to do it. I talked her into it,” Rainbow replied looking away awkwardly.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now there dear, if you keep this with you, it shall only hold you back.”
“I know Rarity… I just don’t wanna hurt her again.”
“I know. But sitting around and brooding over your mistakes is not going to solve anything. You should only carry the past with you if you plan to build a future atop it. Awww, come over here darling.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes already knowing what was coming next as Rarity threw her legs around the pegasus’ neck in a hug. Suddenly, a strange feeling came over her. Looking at the unicorn’s mane dangling in front of her, she could see that instead of hair, it was made of delicious purple taffy. Without thinking she leaned forward taking a bite of it. Instead of delicious sugary sweet though, she tasted something leafy and slightly bitter. She just couldn’t quite place her hoof on it. Still locked in the sympathetic hug she heard a low growl coming from her friend.
“Oh, you don’t mind, do you Rarity?” she spoke around a mouthful of purple mane.
Again came the growling in response.
“Fine,” she relented spitting the mouthful of mane back out which dangled lazily in front of her.
“Wait a minute…. Something’s not right here…”
Rainbow’s eyes snapped open. She heard the same low guttural groan again. A tree branch missing a few leaves with fresh drool still dripping off certain parts dangled precariously in front of her face.
“Blech!”
Rainbow spat in disgust spraying bits of leaves everywhere. Satisfied that her mouth was relatively clean of foliage, she cast her eyes to the horizon. The sun had already begun its slow descent painting orange and purple hues all over the evening sky. Looking down she saw no sign of Applejack anywhere. Another growl from her stomach pulled her back to her senses.
“Ok, ok, you win! I better get something to eat.”
The Pegasus jumped from her sleeping spot and took to the skies winging her way toward Ponyville. The wide expanse of Sweet Apple Acres flew by in no time and soon she found herself gliding over their little town. In the evening light, shopkeepers busied themselves by packing in their stalls and stands after a long day of selling their wares. Some ponies made for home, while others headed for some of the restaurants and hangouts Ponyville had to offer. Now and then beneath her she spotted a few pairs of ponies walking alongside each other, leaning on one another in more ways than one. Some of them were simply walking down the road sharing a laugh or story while others sat across each other enraptured in each other’s eyes.
Rainbow looked at the couples longingly. She always scoffed at the idea of outward affection in front of other ponies, but anytime she saw two ponies lost in each other’s gaze she wondered how it might feel to be that open with another pony in public.
“Sky writing a dating invitation is totally fine, but holding somepony’s hoof in public is too much? Wow, sometimes I make so little sense it scares me.”
Rainbow dropped altitude alighting herself in front of Sugarcube Corner. The doorbell chimed as she pushed her way into the garishly colorful sweetshop’s lobby. Barring a promotion or party, Sugarcube Corner was usually a calm and relaxed place to grab a bite to eat and just hang out with other ponies.
“Hi Rainbow Dash!”
“Gah!” Rainbow’s wings flared in surprise. She shook off the pink pony’s sudden greeting and returned a smile of her own. “Pinkie Pie, you always seem to sneak up on me. What’s up?”
“Just shakin’ and bakin’! Applejack came by earlier and said you were being a nappy mc’napperton today.”
Rainbow pawed at the floor nervously. “Yeah… I just haven’t been sleeping very well lately, that’s all.
Pinkie’s eyes brightened. “Hey! I know tons of great ways to fall asleep! Sometimes I write recipes, or count the bumps on my ceiling, or I read a bedtime story to gummy which mostly just ends up putting me to sleep instead, or-“
*Groooowwr*
Pinkie’s face filled with concern. “Oh no! You sound like you haven’t eaten anything all day!”
Rainbow’s eyes went upwards in thought. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I have eaten anythi- Wha!” Before she could finish, Pinkie picked the pegasus up bodily from the floor carrying Rainbow over her own head.
“Hey! Put me down!”
Pinkie ignored the squirming pegasus’ demands. Instead, she zoomed to the corner table and placed her in the chair.
“You poor thing! You shouldn’t go so long without eating. Just sit right here and good old Pinkie Pie will have you stuffed in no time!”
Rainbow stared helplessly as the hyperactive mare disappeared from sight, frightened at what she had in mind. She didn’t have long to wait as Pinkie reappeared zigzagging and weaving through the bakery carrying a platter on her head, her nose, and her flank. Quick as lightning, she offloaded the trays in front of the gob smacked pegasus. Cupcakes, pancakes, danishes, pies, and donuts sat in heaps on the table in front of her.
“P-P-P-Pinkie….. I can’t eat all this! You’ll have to roll me out the front door!” Rainbow protested.
“Just eat what you can! It’s my treat! I gotta get back in the kitchen, but when I get back I better see a dent in this stack or else!” Pinkie warned, disappearing in a blur.
Rainbow stared at the pile of pastries in disbelief before slowly pulling out an apple danish. Sweet apple flavor filled her mouth as she bit into the flaky pastry, savoring the first true bite of food she’d had all day.
“Hey Rainbow Dash, what- in the world?”
Rainbow’s eyes bulged at the familiar voice. “Twi! It’s nuh wuh you fink!” The pegasus protested around a mouthful of pastry spraying crumbs on the table earning her a nervous stare from the purple mare. She quickly gulped down the bite of pastry in her mouth. “Twilight, You gotta help me! Pinkie dropped all this food in front of me and told me I better start eating or else!” Twilight seemed nonplussed.
“Or else? This is Pinkie we’re talking about. What in Equestria is she gonna do? Pop a balloon behind us for a quick scare?”
“You obviously haven’t been on the end of one of Pinkie’s really nasty pranks. The last time I ignored one of her warnings she dumped custard all over me and then a bucket of birdseed. I was dodging every bird from here to the Everfree Forest until I got home and washed it off!” Rainbow explained.
“Okay..., don’t make Pinkie mad. I’ll remember that for future reference,” Twilight replied taking a seat next to the pegasus.
Rainbow started back in on her pastry as the purple pony beside her began pulling sweets out of the pile in front of them. She started glancing between the pile of pastries and the purple mare stacking them until Twilight stopped, seemingly satisfied with the desserts towering in front of her.
“Uhhhh, are you actually going to eat all of that?” the pegasus asked tentatively.
“Of course, I haven't had anything to eat all day! Why wouldn’t I?”
“No reason, just… curious, that’s all.” Rainbow took another bite out of her danish keeping a close eye on the unicorn next to her with, apparently, the mother of all sweet tooths. “So... did you get caught up on your schedule?”
Twilight slammed her hooves on the table. “No! I was supposed to catalog the index cards and finish sorting the historical fiction section, but I was already running twenty minutes behind schedule because I ran out of parchment and had to pick up more! I’ve already worked it out in my head though, if I can dust the shelves in half the time and cut a few corners in my electroplating experiments I ca-”
“Hold it!” Rainbow jammed her hoof the unicorn’s mouth cutting off her tirade. “Eat first, schedule later.”
Twilight sighed and leaned back in her chair. “You’re right. I just don’t like falling behind in my schedule. It takes forever to get back on track.”
Both ponies jerked back as a pink blur came to a screeching halt in front of them without warning placing a pitcher of water in the center of the table.
“Almost forgot something for you to drink! Here’s some fresh water to wash-”
Pinkie stopped mid-sentence. Rainbow stared at her curiously as the smile on the pink pony’s face seemed to fade, her eyes locked on Twilight. “Uhhh Pinkie, are you ok?”
“Huh? Me? I’m great, I’m grand! I’m terrific!” she replied, her face returning to a smile: A smile that didn’t really seem genuine.
Rainbow could tell something about her was off. Or was it? It was hard to tell with the pink pony at times. “Heya pinks, Twilight hasn’t eaten anything all day either so I told her she could have some of the food you gave me. Hope you don’t min-”
“Mind? Mind! Who me? Of course I don’t mind! You gotta share, ya gotta care, right?”
“Uhhhh, yeah, exact-”
“And you two are some of my most bestest friends ever, right?” Pinkie asked placing herself nose to nose with the pegasus.
“Ummm sure,” Rainbow answered.
“See? No problems here! Just relax and eat up you two!”
Rainbow stared at the pink pony as she retreated into the kitchen to do Celestia knows what.
“Uhhhhh, is it just me, or does Pinkie seem a little off tonight?” Twilight asked.
“Pinkie seems a little off everyday…but yeah, you’re right. I wonder if something’s wrong,” Rainbow pondered out loud.
“Fluttershy came by earlier and said Pinkie spent the night with her. That’s unusual, even for her.”
“But we’re her friends. Pinkie would talk to us if something was up… wouldn’t she?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight shrugged. “You saw what happened on her birthday.”
“You’re right. I’ll try talking to her later.” The pegasus stared as the purple mare beside her dug into yet another pastry. “Take it easy on those things Twi. Don’t wanna end up sick do you?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh Rainbow, you worry too much. I know my limits,” she reassured before taking another bite of pastry.
“If you say so…”
“Ugggggh, Rainbow, wait up…” Twilight called out to the pegasus walking ahead of her. Night had fallen over Ponyville leaving the two ponies walking home in the dark. The pegasus stopped in her tracks long enough for Twilight to catch up, and to shake her head sadly at her.
“I warned you, but no, you just had to eat everything on your plate didn’t you?”
“It must’ve been those pancakes…” Twilight mumbled as the library loomed ahead of them.
“Or the apple pie, or the cherry-changas. I’ve never seen you go crazy like that before. You probably could’ve given Pinkie a run for her money in an eating contest.”
“You’ve never been to one of the Apple families’ reunions have you?”
“Hah! Once! And I beat everypony there! Unfortunately I was too tired to go home so I spent the night instead,” Rainbow replied
Twilight trudged on wishing she had skipped at least one of the apple fritters during her binge. She smiled gratefully as the cyan mare trotted ahead and opened the door for her. The idea of any sort of exertion made her want to gag. What should have been a simple stroll from Sugarcube Corner, to the library, felt like a marathon instead, the last leg of a marathon as she walked through the front door. The doorway to her bed seemed so far away as her plodding hoof steps carried her across the open area of the library.
“Almost there Twi, c’mon, you can do it,” Rainbow teased, marching in place.
“If the idea of using magic wasn’t quite so sickening, I’d turn you into a frog or something,” the purple mare growled.
“Yeah well, I’d still be faster than you,” Rainbow said following the unicorn into the bedroom.
Twilight shambled over to the bed, the finish line for the end of an agonizing night for her and slowly climbed in. she sat on her stomach for a brief moment before nausea hit her. She rolled over on her back letting her protruding belly stick out into the air.
“For the love of Celestia, please stop me if I ever pile my plate that high again,” the purple pony pleaded.
“Heh, heh. It’s always fun to pig out, at least until it catches up with you,” Rainbow snickered.
“Speaking of catching up, I might need a garbage can soon. You mind grabbing the one out of the bathroom please?” Twilight begged turning green.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and hopped on the bed next to her. The movement did nothing to help Twilight’s current condition. She stared as the pegasus placed her hooves on the purple mares belly.
“What are you doing? I said I need the garbage can. You touch me too much and you’ll end up wearing my dinner.”
Rainbow just gave her a smirk. “Relax Twi, just lay back and let me take care of it.”
Twilight flinched as her friend began working her hooves, softly kneading her sore stomach. Though she expected it to do more harm than good, the slow massage actually seemed to be easing the pressure. A soft sigh escaped her lips as the tension slowly vanished.
“That feels mmmm, amazing…”
Rainbow winked at her. “Of course it does. I used to date Ponyville’s pie eating champion. I’ve done this like, a million times.”
Twilight’s eyes flew open, “Wait a minute, you dated Pinkie Pie?”
The pegasus snickered, “Nope. Pinkie was given the Ponyville pie eating lifetime achievement award and banned from ever entering again.”
“Rainbow Dash: the personal masseuse of Ponyville’s prized pie eating champion… any other secrets you’d like to share?” Twilight asked with a coy smile.
“Hah! I could tell you, but it’s a lot more fun to watch you find out the hard way. You know you owe me for this, right?”
“I figured I might, though technically you owe me for the scene at the restaurant last night,” Twilight mumbled through a content sigh.
“I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t remember that,” Rainbow groaned.
“How can I forget? You still have the black eye as proof,” the unicorn said gently, touching the cyan mare’s face to illustrate her point. Rainbow pushed the hoof away.
“Just sit back and enjoy the massage, egghead.”
Twilight did just that. She let her body go limp as the pegasus worked her over like a lump of clay. Twilight never enjoyed being idle. She didn’t like wasting the day away laying back or just sitting around. Even when she seemed to be doing nothing at all, she was usually busy scheduling and plotting in her head. At this very moment in time though, she let time tick by. Her eyes closed on their own accord just leaving her to the pegasus’ whims.
“Ok, times up,” Rainbow announced.
Twilight’s eyes flew open. “Wait what? But you only just started?” she protested. She stared in dumbstruck awe as Rainbow’s hoof pointed to the wall clock showing that she’d actually been lying down for twenty minutes.
“But, but, that’s impossible…”
Rainbow winked at her. “That’s the power of a good massage.”
Twilight sat up in her bed. The pain and pressure in her poor belly had long since vanished and it even looked smaller now. Her legs and shoulders too felt weightless and pain-free.
“I might be crazy, but I think you might actually give Lotus a run for her bits.”
“Nah, I don’t think I’ll be going into the massage business any time soon. It’s kinda boring for a pony like me.” Rainbow stole a glance at Spike snoring away in his basket. “I can’t believe he slept through all that.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. Her horn lit up red pulling a sealed scroll off her desk. Using her magic she flung the parchment across the room where it bounced off the sleeping dragon’s head before landing next to him.
“As long as he’s actually tired, he’s a pretty heavy sleeper. So uhhh, you got weather duty tomorrow?”
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah. I can’t really take off too many days in a row. Last time I went on vacation, Ditzy Doo had it raining in broad daylight. I should be free sometime tomorrow after lunch if you wanna hang for a bit.”
“Maybe later in the evening. I’ve got so much to catch up on, and you play havoc on a schedule,” Twilight said with an apologetic smile as the rainbow-maned mare strolled over to the open balcony.
“Ok then, I’ll see ya tomorrow night then. I’ll try to have something planned. Later!”
Twilight stared as the pegasus launched into the air disappearing almost instantly into the night. She briefly considered getting up and finishing a report she’d been meaning to send to the princess for two days now, but her body rebelled, demanding she stay put in bed. She felt her smile straighten involuntarily though. Things were moving quickly, a little too quickly according to her plans. Most worrisome though was the fact that she was enjoying this whole situation, more than she ever anticipated. She finally succumbed to the need for sleep and closed her eyes, hoping that tomorrow might be the day when she could get everything back on track. Twilight knew she had to be careful or risk losing one of her best friends forever.