//------------------------------// // Should've Invited Her // Story: Two and a Half Liars // by Tirimsil //------------------------------// Twilight let out a horrific, shuddering pffTtTtttHhh with her cheeks puffed out and slammed her face down onto the table. "Y'all might coulda tipped it over with all yer dang luggage, maybe," Applejack suggested. "You and Pinkie tipped it over when you both stood on the same end!" Rarity accused. "Oh here we go with the fat comments again!" Pinkie rolled her eyes. "You're no Miss Equestria yourself, you ice-cream-snarfing hag." "I don't snarf that much --" "How did you girls get back to shore!!" Spike slammed his hands on the table and yelled. "Waah!" He wilted under four sudden strong glares. "Spike, you're being very rude," Twilight admonished. "Wha," Spike blinked in disbelief, closed his eyes and scowled. Twilight turned to the others. "Listen. Girls. I know you're all very upset, but yelling at and blaming each other isn't going to solve this mystery." "What mystery," they all objected in chorus, then looked at each other and away. "I've cross-referenced all of your stories and I believe I have a loose approximation of what really happened," Twilight offered. They slowly turned their heads to her with reluctant pouts as Twilight physically picked up a stack of three or four papers, cleared her throat, and opened her mouth to read with closed eyes. "Let me see that," Fluttershy hissed, and swiped it out of her grasp. Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike meekly followed behind the furious, stomping yellow pegasus who just two hours ago had been their dear, tender friend Fluttershy, until she had overheard them discussing the boat trip and interjected herself. For some reason, she was incredibly upset with them, and they didn't know why. "I can't believe you girls," she huffed. "You can't be left on your own for two days!" The locals and other tourists in the Seaward Shoals took one look and got out of the way as they made their way quickly from the train station to the docks. "H-hey, I wasn't even on this trip," Twilight objected. "I only heard about it today," Rainbow Dash yawned. "I'm sorry I missed it and glad it isn't my fault for once." She was smiling at the goings-on. "Surely you helped them plan it out, Twilight..." Fluttershy accused, pointing a wing at her like a sword. "E-excuse me?" Twilight paled. "What, you think I plan literally every microcosmic event that happens in Equestria --" "And you didn't even think to talk to me before you left?" "Erm... N-no?" Applejack answered honestly. "Why in th' world would that-a crossed our minds." Rarity paused with nervous pigeon-hooves. "We did tell you we were going on a trip --" "Rrrrgh." Fluttershy cooed, and gently tapped one forehoof onto the earth. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and kept walking with a big pout. "-- though-perhaps-ought-to-have-given-more-detail!" Rarity hastily added. "You're bein' really weird," Pinkie worried. "Fluttershy, darling," Rarity soothed. "We're terribly sorry to um, to have upset you, but um, why are you so upset with us, and why did we need to come back here, and why did I need to prepare another serving of cucumber sandwiches..." "I don't know why I'm here either, but I'm gettin' some serious shooden-frood." Rainbow Dash nodded along. "Shoddy-freed. Shootin'-friends." "Schadenfreude!" Twilight yelled at her. "Gezundheit," Dash smiled back. "You three have been a terror to all the animals of Ponyville and even those beyond," Fluttershy scolded. "Scaring them with your yelling, damaging their homes with your violent outbursts, and you even took some back with you from their proper home at the Seaward Shoals." She paused at the dock and leaned down, gently parting her hair to allow the cheerful crab to scamper out and return to the water. The three in question all paused to share an awkward glance with each other. "And to top it all off --" Fluttershy began, then slowly breathed in and out. "Are the sandwiches sealed air-tight?" She gently demanded. "Yes, dear," Rarity confirmed with a gulp. "Get in the boat, please." Fluttershy stood at her full height on the edge of the dock and swept one wing out towards the boat - a modest rowboat - with a prim expression. The others awkwardly shuffled in, balancing themselves around the boat and avoiding looking at each other, before Fluttershy stepped in with her chin high. "Twilight, Rarity, if you'd be so kind, take us to the center of the bay, and keep us well above the waterline." "Huh?" Twilight asked. "Oh, with magic..? Uh, sure, we can do that. Right, Rarity?" And so a magical force, visible only to the unicorns as a wobbly bubble in sapphire-and-eggplant checkerboard, lifted up the boat and carried it to approximately the center of the bay. "You girls didn't even make it to sea, did you?" Fluttershy huffed. "S-sure we did!" Pinkie objected. "We sailed quite a distance," Rarity sniffed. Applejack opened her mouth, winced, and closed her mouth. "No you didn't, don't lie to me," Fluttershy declared firmly. "Rainbow Dash, could you take these sandwiches out about... 30 hands from the boat, open it up, dump it in the water, and hurry back here as quick as you can, please..." Fluttershy said more gently. After all, Rainbow Dash was the only one who hadn't somehow offended her. Rainbow Dash stood there with her eyes closed for a second or two. "Uh, am I gonna be in danger," she eventually questioned with a yawn. "Oh, not at all," Fluttershy assured with a smile. "Just fly back here right away when you drop them." "Kay." Rainbow Dash yawned again, accepted the box of sandwiches, and flew out. "Is this faaar enooough?!" she yelled. "A little mooore!" "Heeere?!" "Teensy bit moooore!" "How 'bout noooow!" Fluttershy tilted her head side to side. "That's good! Open it up, drop it, and hurry back!" Dash was back before the sandwiches hit the water. "Alright, now what." Except for the pegasuses, the girls yelped as a huge bump rose up from the bay, turning from blue to purple. Twilight and Rarity lifted the boat up a bit higher to evade the wave, and the girls' breath caught in their throat as the bump turned again to red, the yellow spines down the back now visible. A long neck unfurled, ending in a huge head, somewhere between a dragon's and a dog's, with a long sharp-toothed snoot, a pudgy black nose, and three spines along the nose bridge. It opened its big doe eyes and blinked its thick lashes at them. Everyone except Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash curled up together into a fearful big group hug. "This is a tri-horned bunyip," Fluttershy chirped. "Bunyips make their homes in the water very close to land, because they eat or use all of the things ponies clumsily drop into the water. Because of their large size and powerful jaws, many legends mistakenly think of them as pony-eaters, but they're very gentle creatures. They have an irresistible attraction to cucumbers and can smell them from the bottom of the bay." "C-cucumbers..." Rarity whispered in dread. "Siiick," Rainbow Dash complimented, still smiling. The bunyip's eyes widened upon recognizing Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie, and it gave a sad grimace, pulling up its little front paws and poking them together. "She remembers you and she's very sorry for ruining your boat trip," Fluttershy interpreted. "And she's the one who brought you back to shore." "Finally!" Spike exhaled. "Now it makes sense. A big fantastic creature living in the middle of the bay that no one knew about did it. Of course." He nodded. "I shoulda known." "Um," Rarity separated from the hug to step forward. "H-hello!" She waved. "I'm happy you liked the sandwiches!" The bunyip waved back and nodded with happy kitty eyes. "I hope all Pinkie's candies didn't upset your stomach!" Rarity added nervously. The bunyip shook her head with the same face. Pinkie and Applejack moved next to Rarity. Fluttershy instinctively moved back to keep the boat balanced with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike, even though Twilight was still holding it aloft. "Thank you for saving us!" Pinkie added. The bunyip blushed and waved both paws palms-out in a no, no gesture. "Um, see ya later!" Applejack waved. The bunyip waved again and returned under the sea. Everyone was quiet for ten seconds. "Noooow," Fluttershy crooned like a disappointed mother, "I think you three girls have something to say to each other." Another ten seconds. "Th' heck was th' matter with y'all!" Applejack started. "Me?! Why didn't you tell us you were seasick?!" Pinkie retorted. "Ooooh is that why you barfed on meeeeee?!" Rarity added. "G-girls," Fluttershy meeped. Twilight sighed, rolled her eyes, and began to pull the boat back towards shore as the sun began to set. "I was tryin' to git you two all excited fer an adventure 'n' you two were busy bein' dummies!" "Excited? Excited?! You two were so busy bein' jerks you wouldn't even play look-boop let alone wham-o-clock!!" "Am I supposed to be eager to join you in wanton violence you mad pink boar?!" "Mmm," Rainbow Dash sighed, leaning comfortably on the side of the boat. "Feels good to be on this side of the exhibit for once." "Oh, dear," Fluttershy sighed.