Twilight opened her eyes and sat up with a yawn. She shook her head to get some errant part of her mane out of her eyes and looked at the clock.
Half past six in the morning. Then it was not time to raise the sun for a few hours yet. Normally, that meant Twilight would happily fall back among her pillows and snooze for at least half an hour before she got out from her warm blankets and into the slightly-too-cool room. But today she didn't have that option. She had an important duty today… something she had planned for more than a month together with both Rumble, Sweetie Belle and Flurry.
But Twilight was the one who set it all up with some help from Pinkie, and the success of her plan hinged on her getting up early to assemble her allies before Cozy Glow could wake up. They had to catch her while asleep.
Filled with purpose, it was easier to ignore the slight chill in her room. She lit a small fire to warm up the chamber and lifted the hatch of her window. Then she set out, tiptoeing past Cozy's door. Twilight heard gentle snores from inside. Good; the schedule still held.
Her first stop was Rumble's room in the castle annex. Luckily it was Sunday, so he didn't have to work. She knocked on his door - hard, like he had instructed.
"Mmmhh… Yeah, yeah, I'm here!" His voice sounded decidedly addled. She had probably woken him up. Not that it was surprising he was still asleep this early on a weekend, but it still made Twilight feel a bit rude.
He opened the door, rubbing his eyes. His mane was messy and drooped a bit. "Okay… how long do you need to do your part?"
"Were it anypony else I was visiting, I'd say ten minutes," Twilight said. "But since it's Rarity, I' going to say at least forty minutes, maybe up to an hour."
Rumble nodded, slowly waking up. "Okay, that's plenty of time. I made the layers yesterday, so I just have to do the garnishing. Maybe I'll make her some cocoa and a sandwich too then."
"She'll probably appreciate that," Twilight said. "And… did you find a gift?"
"Yeah," Rumble said. "I hope she likes it. Wait here." Rumble slunk back in again and crawled in under his bed. A moment later he returned with a thick book in his mouth.
"Silhoof's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master." Twilight read the title out loud. On the cover, every chess piece stood on a row. "I've heard that one's a classical book for chess players. I'm sure she'll love it."
Rumble blushed. "I just hope she hasn't read it yet."
"Well, you'll find out soon. We'll meet in my room when you have done the cake, I left my window open for you. There is wrapping paper in there."
"Okay, great," Rumble replied, sleepiness completely disappearing from his face. "Let's go then."
Twilight nodded and left the room, and the castle grounds. She was going to teleport to Ponyville to meet up with Rarity and Sweetie Belle soon, but first she had to pick up one more pony at her parents' house. She was not even at the door when she saw a small shadow moving behind a window on the second floor. Just before Twilight was about to knock, Flurry opened the door with a radiant smile.
"Finally it's time! I have been waiting for you to come all the time since I woke up! I have been waiting so much I couldn't sleep anymore. I've even had breakfast!"
"Then you are ready to celebrate today, I take it?" Twilight asked with a smile. In a way, seeing Flurry playing with her friends let Twilight experience much of the foalhood she herself had missed out on with her unceasing studying.
"Yes! I have a present too! I got it myself… or my mother did, but I picked the color!"
"I'm sure she will be happy about it," Twilight said. "I'd come with you to the castle, but I really need to be off to collect Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rumble is preparing the cake, but we'll all meet up in my room before we go in to congratulate the birthday filly together."
Flurry nodded energetically. "I'll go now then. I told granny and grandpa yesterday, so they know I'll be gone."
Twilight nodded. Flurry dashed back inside the house, presumably to collect her present. Twilight backed away a little bit before igniting her horn and teleporting. She reappeared outside of Carousel Boutique and knocked. Hopefully Rarity was up... With a bit of luck, she might also have started her lengthy morning process already.
Sweetie Belle opened. Maybe Rarity had woken her up?
"Hi, Twilight," she mumbled sleepily. "Rarity is washing her mane, but she should be done soon. But you can come in, we have some scones and tea if you want."
Twilight nodded. "Yes please. I didn't have time to eat breakfast."
Sweetie Belle gave her a small smile and guided Twilight in. She hopped up on a chair by a plate with a half-eaten scone and a glass of orange juice.
"Oh, did I interrupt you? Sorry about that," Twilight said with a sheepish smile.
"It's fine," Sweetie Belle said. She scrunched up her face a little before she levitated her scone up. Twilight knew eating with magic was particularly difficult for unicorn foals to learn. Something about pulling something to your mouth and holding it still, while taking a bite and eating made for something much more complex than it seemed. But Sweetie took it slowly and made it work.
Twilight, in turn, magicked over some scones of her own and some honey. She sat down opposite to Sweetie Belle.
"You remember when you celebrated Flurry's cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle asked suddenly.
"Of course," Twilight said.
"I was really happy when she told everypony about us. The Crusaders I mean. We have already had a lot of ponies coming to Ponyville to ask about us! I forgot to say that when we were at the Running of the Leaves, but I'm going to thank Flurry for that."
"I think it was Cozy's idea," Twilight admitted. "You can thank her too later."
Sweetie looked back, surprised. "I never thought that there would be so many ponies looking to be Crusaders! All over Equestria too! Good thing I have a nice gift for Cozy!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "A really big bag of candy from Bon-Bon's shop! I spent nearly all this month's allowance on it!"
"Oh? Well, I'm sure Cozy will appreciate it," Twilight replied with a smile - she already imagined Cozy going through a huge bag of sweets and that picture made her giggle.
"I know, right!?" Sweetie Belle said with a big grin. There was one foal who did find it just as fun to give than to receive.
A sound of hooves on the floor made both ponies turn to the kitchen door. Rarity appeared, a fine mist still wafting off her coat from the warm shower. She looked even more dashing than normal. Her mane and coat looked more glossy than usual, sparkling in light of morning sun.
"Oh, terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, dear, but when attending a birthday party one ought to look her best, no?" Rarity greeted Twilight with a stunning smile.
"Sure, Rarity," Twilight said, having long since gotten used to Rarity's quirks. "Are you ready to go? We can't risk Cozy waking up before we can surprise her."
"Just a moment, dear," Rarity said and disappeared again. Twilight heard her go up the stairs.
"She has been working on Cozy's present ever since I told her about her birthday," Sweetie Belle whispered. "It's really nice."
"Can you tell me what it is?" Twilight asked. Given the Element Rarity represented it was hardly surprising she would go the extra mile to get something nice, and Twilight found herself curious.
"Socks!" Sweetie Belle said. "They look really warm and... cozy." the filly giggled, "Perfect for the winter!" Sweetie Belle suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hmmm… why do we celebrate Cozy's birthday today anyway? I didn't think you knew when her birthday was?"
Twilight nodded. "I don't, actually. But her caretaker at the orphanage told me she used to celebrate the day of her arrival there every year. That's today. I hope Cozy won't take offense… but I really don't know when else to celebrate."
"When she sees our gifts, I'm sure she will be super happy about it!" Sweetie Belle chirped.
"Ready, Twilight!" Rarity called with a sing-song voice. She appeared again with a neatly wrapped present on her back.
"Okay, come closer," Twilight said and concentrated on her room back in the castle. Such long teleportations were draining, even for her, but nothing she couldn't handle. Especially not when she had a student's birthday to celebrate.
"Cozy?"
"Mmmm…" Cozy replied without opening her eyes. In fact, she opted for rolling over, away from the noise. It worked for a whole of two seconds before something that felt very much like a pony's muzzle poking her.
"No… go away..." she groaned and tried her best to bat away the offending object. She didn't have to get up yet, not for at the very least five more minutes. Besides, she was pretty sure she was in the middle of some nice dream. She didn't remember exactly what it was about, but maybe if she returned to sleep right away she could finish it.
"Cozy!"
That was Sweetie Belle's voice. When did she get here? Wasn't she in Ponyville? Not that Cozy found herself able to care right now. The bed was too warm and cozy, and her blanket felt just so.
"Well then take… this!"
Her blanket flew away, plunging her in the ice-cold morning air.
She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, even if she still really just wanted to go back to sleep. "That's not how you wake up a friend," she mumbled. Sweetie Belle sat just a small distance away on the bed. She hadn't lifted off the entire blanket, just folded away the part Cozy was using.
What made Cozy raise her brows was the fact Sweetie had a wrapped gift next to her.
"No, it's how you wake up a birthday filly!" Sweetie Belle chirped with a radiant smile. "Surprise!"
"Surprise!"
Cozy jumped from the sudden noise. Everypony went into the room, smiling at her and carrying gifts! Rumble, Flurry Heart, Twilight… even Rarity!
"But… oh, golly…!" Her sleepy mind finally began to catch up. "Oh golly! It's my birthday! I didn't think anypony knew!"
"Twilight told us!" Flurry said and hopped up on the bed. She levitated her gift to Cozy's lap with enough enthusiasm to make Cozy topple backwards. "Open my gift! I'm very happy with it! I even wrapped it all by myself!"
Cozy noticed. The wrapping was not a whole paper, but mostly scraps taped together and with a simply tied ribbon around it. Even for a pragmatic pony like Cozy, it was apparent that it was made with love. "Thank you," she said with a large smile. This all was such a surprise, that her friends had unanimously shown up for her like this with gifts… and so many too! Twilight, Rarity and her three friends made for a whole of five gifts, all for Cozy! She had never had such a luxury before! Cheerful Sun, the caretaker of her orphanage had only been able to afford a few gifts and some cake for her.
She reached for Flurry's gift and tore at the wrapping. The mess of tape made it a bit awkward, but soon she had still bared a new pair of ribbons for her mane and tail. These were maroon red with typical Crystal Empire markings along them. Cozy brushed them with her hooves, relishing in the softness. They were almost the same color as her eyes.
"Woah... Thank you! They are so pretty!"
"They'll go perfectly with your eyes, darling," Rarity said, who had sat down on the edge of Cozy's bed. "Do you mind if I helped you put them in?"
Cozy was taken aback by this request - the last time somepony had helped her with her mane was so long ago. "No, not at all," Cozy replied, with a rosy blush on her face. Rarity clearly knew how to style a mane, so Cozy was sure she'd do it just as well as she did it herself, and it'd be one chore she didn't have to do today.
Rarity sat down next to her and started combing through her mane with gentle hooves. Cozy was surprised how delicate she was, gliding with the hoof tips through her curls, feeling the soft material slightly tightening, to form her usual manestyle. Without a word Rarity levitated a small mirror from Cozy's nightstand over to her.
"G-Golly..." Cozy stuttered, seeing her own flushed face decorated with a new set of ribbons. They really matched her rust-red eyes perfectly, being just a tiny bit darker. "Thank you, Flurry, they are-", Cozy was not able to finish, as a light pink wing wrapped around her back and pulled close to a giggling young alicorn.
"You are welcome, I'm so happy you like it!" Flurry chirped happily.
"Open my present next!" Sweetie Belle squeaked and hopped up on the bed too, though she did leave a reverent distance to Flurry.
Sweetie Belle's present was larger than Flurry's. A hard square box with a lid and a ribbon around it. It was easier to open.
Candy. A lot of it too. More than Cozy had ever seen at once, actually. "Oooh… thank you! Is there any blueberry flavored stuff?"
"Loads of it! I remembered how you said you like blueberries! And no oranges, because they are nasty," Sweetie Belle said proudly. "I've tried all sorts that Bon-Bon has, and I've included some of my favorites too! Just wait till you try her cherry gumdrops! They're the best candy in Equestria, hooves down!"
"I like cherries," Cozy said. She felt Rarity tug gently at her mane, as she was still fixing her blue curls.
"My turn," Rumble said. "I… hope you like it." He placed a thick, heavy block of a present next to her. By the shape and size it was clearly a book. But which one?
Since Rarity was still working with Cozy's mane, she tore off the wrapper with her hooves rather than her teeth. She was only a third of the way done when she recognized the cover. Her hooves froze and a small squeak of pure joy made it over her lips as she tore away the rest of the paper. She had seen this book so many times in the bookstores, first in Cloudsdale and then in Ponyville, but never had enough bits to buy it. Instead she used to sneak in and huddle behind the bookcases to read for some time before the sales pony got mad.
But now she wouldn't have to anymore! Now she had her very own copy!
Flurry swatted at Rumble with a wing. "She wants you to hug her," Cozy could hear her whisper. Even if Cozy knew of Flurry's keen mind for feelings, it was still a bit odd to hear her determine Cozy's own desires before Cozy herself did. But she was not wrong.
"You… sure?" Rumble asked.
"Uh-huh," Flurry said.
Rumble stepped closer and caught Cozy in his forelegs. She was all too happy to return the warm hug, nuzzling his cheek.
"Thank you! It's really something I wanted! Have wanted, for very long," Cozy said, taking in his closeness and warmth and scent.
Rumble gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you liked it. I was worried you had already read it."
"No, I haven't. More than a few pages," she whispered, remembering how badly she wanted to read this book. After her heart felt satisfied with the hug, she gave Rumble the last nuzzle, and even sneaked a small peck on his cheek. She let go of him and noticed a growing blush growing on her coltfriend's face.
The joy she felt settled inside her heart like a little ball of warmth. She turned to Twilight. Her teacher looked at her with a warm smile. "Happy birthday, Cozy, I hope you will like this gift too." Twilight said, handing her a neatly wrapped gift, a bit smaller than Rumble's.
Months ago, Cozy would consider herself insane if she took any kind of a gift from Twilight. This sure had changed since then... She reached out and took the gift in her hooves, then unwrapped it. It was not surprising to find a book under the crumbled wrapping paper, but what surprised Cozy was the title of it."Principles of Leadership, Power and Organization." Mindlessly flipping though it revealed that it was not exactly something written for a foal, and also it seemed to be quite an interesting read with chapters covering various topics, such as economy, statistics and even psychology. Cozy looked back at Twilight, who was watching her silently flipping through the pages.
"Golly… you mean… is this too..." Cozy muttered. "For my studies to… to become an alicorn?" Just saying the word seemed to cause the mood in the room to change. Everypony looked at her, but her eyes were focused on Twilight.
"Like I said, Cozy, I have never made you a promise. It will all depend on you and your progress. But I've never said I will not help you get there," Twilight replied with a reassuring voice. "In my opinion, this book is one of the best guides to… well, learning about leadership and power in general." A small frown appeared on Twilight's face. "It doesn't prevent you from making mistakes, of course, as I'm the best example of, but maybe… we could sit on some chapters and go through them together, if you want."
Cozy lowered her eyes on the book, then nodded slowly, brushing the cover almost reverently. This was an unexpected, but also very important gift.
The last gift was from Rarity, who handed her a beautifully wrapped box, with a shining purple silk bow on the lid. "Thank you," Cozy said with a small bow. One could never be too formal with Rarity.
She almost felt bad for having to tear the ornate paper, but the gift inside made her quickly forget about it. "Oooooh…" Cozy muttered, holding a quartet of socks, sky-blue in color and with dark-blue stripes. Cozy, naturally, tried them on immediately. It felt a bit odd, but warm and snug for the cold season. Looking herself over she found them matching her mane and tail perfectly.
By the discreet glances and twitching wings, Rumble also approved. Cozy decided to remember that. If ever he needed some persuasion, these could definitely be useful...
"Now there's just one thing left for you to have a real birthday morning!" Rumble declared when all the presents were opened and examined. "Wait here!"
He fluttered out of the door, but Cozy heard him move around something just outside her room. When he returned, he had a whole cake balanced on his head.
Cozy was just about to ask how they were supposed to eat it when Twilight magicked a plate and teaspoon into her hooves. By the looks of it, somepony had hidden them in her room at some point.
Rumble carefully sat the cake down on the bed. It was beautifully decorated, with light blue and pink frosting and blueberries crowning the layers, like battlements of a castle's wall. There was just only one thing that looked off.
"Uhmm… Only one candle?" Cozy asked with a raised eyebrow. "You do know how old I am… right?"
Twilight nodded. "From what I hear you are thirteen. But I figured we could consider this…" she gestured broadly to indicate the room and everypony in it. "A new life for you. It felt fitting to let this represent your time with me, rather than just a birthday."
Cozy found herself liking that idea. Like she herself had said back when all of this began: this was a new game, with new rules and pieces.
They cut up the cake (Cozy got the biggest slice, of course, and the candle). Cozy grabbed the spoon and wanted to dig into her delicious slice, but a sudden squeak from Flurry stopped her. "Wait! You must blow the candle first! I always blow the candles on my birthdays, and mommy says if you wish hard enough for something, then it will come true! But only if you keep the wish a secret!" Flurry quickly explained, waving her hooves around.
"Oh… Right."
Not that it mattered if she kept her wish a secret or not. Everypony knew her ultimate desire.
She wanted to be an alicorn. So powerful and mighty, that nopony would ever think her weak again.
So loved that nopony would ever leave her again, the way her parents had...
Feeling the familiar coldness filling her heart, she quickly suppressed the last thought. This was her birthday! She was going to be happy all day today! This was not the time to think about her past. She blew the candle, making her friends cheer for her. Somehow, this felt… real, in a way no other birthday had. Her first real birthday, with friends who cared about her.
Sweetie Belle and Rarity stayed until the afternoon before they took the train back to Ponyville. At about the same time Flurry also went back home to Twilight's parents. By the nudge Flurry gave Rumble as she left, he guessed she picked up on Cozy's desire to have some time alone with her special somepony.
He wanted that too. There was something he had thought about doing with Cozy, and this was a great occasion: he wanted to visit Cloudsdale with her and just… fly through the beautiful streets and vistas of his tribe's capitol. It was almost tradition for two pegasi in love to spend at least a little time in their ancestral home. And of course, the view from their cafés was unmatched. He hoped Twilight could teleport them there... she had already teleported back and forth to Ponyville today, though. Was it tiring for her to teleport to different places around Equestria? Or maybe she truly had all the power of the sun to call upon if she wanted? It wasn't like Rumble knew the limits (or lack thereof) of the almighty alicorns.
"So… I was thinking," he began as they went back from Flurry's house towards the castle. "I know this nice place in Cloudsdale… a café. My brother always goes there when he's together with somepony…" he felt a blush rising. "And I was thinking we could go and try it out."
"Like… a date?" Cozy asked coyly, with a smirk that he had learned to both fear and love.
He felt a silly grin grow on his face. "Yeah! Like… a birthday date!"
"Hmm…. I suppose that does sound like fun… but I also really want to read your book."
"Do you like your book more than hanging out with me?" Rumble asked with fake shock in his voice.
Cozy tittered. "Well, as Twilight's student, I don't want to disappoint my teacher… hmm, what would she do?"
Rumble smirked himself. He too knew how to play this game. "Well, Twilight clearly would neglect her friendship in favor of a new book." He said.
"Golly… well then, I'm sorry Rumble, but-" Cozy was trying her best not to burst out laughing, but the corners of her mouth were rising, and her eyes were sparkling with mirth.
"-but you wouldn't do what Twilight wants! In fact, I can bet you'd take great pride in doing what she wouldn't!" Now Rumble could hold back his laughter too.
Cozy laughed. "Fine! I'll go to Cloudsdale with you. For a birthday date. But this is my first birthday date, so better make it good!"
Rumble put his wing over Cozy's back, as she continued walking. "Don't worry. With you near, it'll always be fun."
They found Twilight in her study, reading a letter and writing another at the same time, with her other hoof stroking Owlicious absently. The owl looked most content in its sleep. She put the letter down and faced the two foals when they came inside. "Hello. Did everything go well?"
Rumble nodded. "Rarity and Sweetie Belle made it back to the train, no problem. Flurry is with your parents."
Twilight nodded. "And…?" she said encouragingly.
"And… I was thinking that maybe I could take Cozy to a café I know of… in Cloudsdale… you know, if you'd be so kind…"
It was only now that he was here that he realized that he, an apprentice chef who didn't even have his cutie mark, had just casually walked into the Princess's own study to casually demand she'd take valuable time to send him on a date.
What was wrong with him? Since when did he start to treat the almighty alicorns like his equals? Also, was this a crime? Was he, in fact, going to have a date with Tartarus because of his insolence?
A small, traitorous part of his mind told him that he deserved it for how he was treating the living embodiment of ponykind.
"Sure! I'd be happy to!" Twilight said and rose from her chair, flapping her wings a little by way of stretching.
Rumble balked. She… didn't even think it was strange! Maybe in her infinite wisdom she just saw the world in such a different way than he did that such trivialities didn't matter to her anymore?
"Do you want to go right now?"
They both nodded and stepped closer. Twilight's horn shimmered strongly before the world disappeared into a lilac flash. When the light receded, they were already in the puffy, white splendor that was the pegasus tribe's capitol. They were just outside the great racetrack, the Circus Altus.
"I'll pick you up here in a few hours," Twilight said cheerfully.
"Thank you very much," Rumble said, trying to make up at least a little for his rudeness before. Twilight waved to them with a grin before she disappeared again.
"So, where is this café of yours?" Cozy asked, looking around.
"It's not far, just by the Great Cascade." Rumble replied, pointing with a wing towards a bigger cluster of clouds.
"Oh, it was really long since I saw that!" Cozy said excitedly. The two of them started flying upwards and along the cloud edge as to really enjoy the view of Equestria underneath them.
Cloudsdale was a strange city when it came to layout. With how pegasi could fly, the city was designed more like a cluster of small, enclosed sub-cities without much interconnection by roads; pegasi would simply fly between them. The city was also heavily layered, with stacks of clouds sitting above or next to others with no path between them. Luckily both Rumble and Flurry had lived here for a long time and did know the way around, although Rumble noticed that Cozy had to follow him for some parts. Maybe she wasn't as home in the finer parts of the city, being an orphan?
After a short while, they reached a small town square by the edge of the clouds. "Here we are, the Great Cascade," Rumble said and gestured with a hoof. About half of the square was covered by a massive cloud above them which, incidentally, housed the weather-plant annex that dealt with the productions of rainbows- the most closely guarded secret in the city and a popular theme for fillies and colts at sleepovers to scare each other with. With its secretive nature, tales of "The Rainbow Factory" were almost urban myths at this point.
Nonetheless, from the factory flowed a large chute of freshly made rainbow in a massive "waterfall", commonly called the Great Cascade. It flowed down to this square and was then led off the edge of the main cloud, creating one of the massive rainbows that made up Cloudsdale's cityscape.
And at the corner of the square, closed off by the rainbow river, a pegasus named Velvet Wings had her café. Lovestruck pegasi made pilgrimages here, since the view, the clouds, the rainbows, the sweet treats… it all was better than any romance novel, especially at sunset.
Rumble and Cozy flew a turn around the massive rainbow, just to get a close look. Rumble had to suppress a childish idea of flying through it, like he once did when he was little and got scolded. It was also then he learnt that rainbows tasted absolutely horrible. Come to think of it… did Cozy know that? If she didn't, then he might just have to trick her into trying. That'd remind her to not underestimate him.
The two of them tapped down outside the entrance to the café. Rumble opened the fluffy, cloud door and held it for Cozy, who bit her lip to suppress a giggle. After she entered the café with a springy trot, Rumble followed her.
Velvet Wings was a pale blue pegasus mare with a pink mane, a bit plumper than most pegasi. Rumble suspected she enjoyed her own sugary treats more than she enjoyed exercising. Still, she greeted them with a warm smile. "Good day! Can I get you both something?"
Rumble and Cozy looked through the glass counter. Velvet had clearly accepted her niche as a place of romance, as every single pastry was either pink or white and also functioned as an exposé over every possible way to vary the traditional heart shape. Hopefully Cozy didn't decide to call him out on it. He didn't think she'd like something as mushy as this.
"I'll take a…Vanilla Heart," Cozy said and pointed at a heart-shaped pastry. A small paper sign informed him that they were filled with a vanilla cream.
"Strawberry Hearts for me, please," Rumble said.
"They're the last strawberries of the season," Velvet informed him and placed the two desserts on a plate. She looked from Cozy to Rumble with a sly expression. "You know, I've got a couple's discount. Are you two here on a date?"
Cozy nodded proudly. "It's my birthday. And he invited me."
"That's so?" Velvet said merrily. "Well, then it's seven bits rather than ten. Lemonade and elderberry juice is for free. Hope you enjoy!"
"Thank you," Rumble said and paid. Velvet poured liquids in their glasses and Rumble noticed that even the drinks had somehow been colored pink. Maybe the rainbow factory produced food coloring too? They each grabbed a glass and went out on the town square again. Some tables had been set up by the very edge of the cloud, so they sat down there.
The Equestrian Heartlands drifted by underneath them. From up here, the patchwork of farms and fields were barely larger than their hooves, and the farmhouses looked like tiny toys. All the fields slowly changed their colors from green towards yellow or brown. Many had already had the last harvest for the season, but some hardier crops could still survive when tended by earth ponies. He even saw one of those new mechanized harvesters slowly making its way over a field.
"I wonder how they work," Cozy said, following his eyes. "I'm sure I could figure it out, if I got to look through one."
"I wonder if you can run them on magic?" Rumble said. "Some time ago, two unicorns came with a large machine to Ponyville. They used their magic to power it, and it made cider. Or that's what my bro says, anyway."
"Golly… I've never thought about that. To use magic as a way to power machinery," Cozy said. "I wonder how you get that to work though… must be hard, or it would be completely revolutionary! Just think… maybe one could even run trains on magic! Or carriages!"
"Ovens too," Rumble suggested. "To help with cooking."
"Heh! I'm going to try that," Cozy smiled. "That'll be my birthday present to you."
"You know, just you remembering my birthday will be enough," Rumble said, nuzzling Cozy's cheek. But, of course, he wouldn't mind seeing another one of her amazing artifacts. She had already made him a self-writing quill, and since then his mail correspondence had drastically increased. In fact, he had found himself actively looking for excuses to send somepony a mail, just to write it with his new quill.
"No, it won't! My special somepony is not going to say Cozy is not both cute and lovable!" Cozy chirped, batting her eyes.
"I'd never say anything else," Rumble replied, making Cozy wink at him.
"Not after all my great gifts, you won't," Cozy said and took a bite of her vanilla pastry.
"Alright, Cozy," Rumble said and started eating himself and rolling playfully his eyes.
They continued talking about everything and nothing while they ate. Flocks of birds flew by underneath the great cloud they were on. At some point, a black-clad pony from the factory above flew down and collected some of the rainbow, before flying back up again. Rumble and Cozy's eyes followed his flight.
"It's… really nice," Cozy said quietly. "All of this, I mean. Golly, not very long ago I'd never have thought… I'd ever have a special somepony."
"Sorry to disappoint," Rumble said and felled his ears in mock sadness.
Cozy reached over the table to jab at him. "Oh, shush! I don't like ponies who are too humble, you know. When you become the consort of a princess, you've got to have some authority!"
"I can have authority if I want, you know," Rumble said. "You're just… fun to mess around with sometimes."
"Hmm… were it any other I'd probably be mad you said that," Cozy mused. "But since it's funny to mess with you too, I guess I can be a benevolent future-princess and forgive you."
Speaking of messing with her… "Hey, Cozy… have you ever tasted a rainbow before?"
Cozy cocked her head to the side. "Rainbow's aren't for eating."
"But have you ever tried?" Rumble pushed innocently.
Cozy scoffed. "Why would I? Have you ever tried to eat gravel?" she deadpanned.
"Gravel - no. Rainbows, yeah, when I was small. It wasn't even that bad."
"You're lying," Cozy said, but she did cast a glance towards the rainbow river nearby.
"I promise I've tried," Rumble said, looking casually at his hoof. "But I bet you wont."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cozy said with a glare. "Do you think I'm a scaredy-filly or what?"
Rumble smiled. She was a smart pony, but if you knew what buttons to press she was still predictable. "Based on your stalling… yes, scaredy-filly. But don't worry, I won't tell."
Cozy huffed and grabbed the empty glass before going down next to the river and scooping up some of the colorful semi-liquid. She came back to the table with a scrunched muzzle. "I'll show you who's a scaredy-filly."
She stared at him intently, as she slowly, very slowly, lifted the glass. She pressed the edge to her lip and sniffed cautiously at it. That wouldn't help her. While the taste was immensely powerful, it had next to no scent. It looked like this was working! Rumble was surprised she was actually going to fall for it. He leaned forward as she slowly tilted the glass up.
It was just one moment too late when he noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes. She jumped over the table with the glass of rainbow in her hoof. She tried to get his forelegs up for protection but he was too late. She all but threw the vile liquid down his throat. He immediately sputtered as Cozy tried to press the glass against his lips. A full spectrum of rainbow spilled down on his chest. Just a few drops found its way down his throat, but it was enough to make it feel like he had just guzzled down a glass of molten magma.
The taste was… more spicy than Sunfire chilli and acrid like some unripe fruit at the same time. But worse was the heavily metallic aftertaste and the unnatural draught that invaded his entire mouth. It was like he had just swallowed a whole beach's worth of sand on top of the horrendous taste!
"IIIIIIIEEEH!!!" He shrieked as loud as he could, spitting and coughing the rainbow liquid around, alerting several other ponies on the square, and causing Velvet Wings to rush out the door as fast as she could.
"Is there something wro-" she galloped over to them and took one look at Rumble and Cozy. One did not need to be a detective to deduce what he had done. Her worried face turned to slight annoyance. "Rainbows are just for show. You shouldn't drink them." She turned to Cozy. "I'll come out with some water and napkins. Just watch your colt from now on, alright?"
Cozy nodded. By the way her mouth twitched, she was desperately trying to hold back her laughter. "I think he's learned his lesson…" she stuttered, as Velvet trotted away. Cozy looked back at him with a pleased expression. "… namely that he shouldn't try to trick me like that."
It was all Rumble could do to wheeze out something for an answer.
Cozy smiled, clapping her hooves together. "This has been such a fun birthday! And you know that now this is a tradition!"