//------------------------------//
// 7. - Do You Think She’d Like to Hang Out Sometime? 
// Story: Who Is Pinkie Pie? 
// by Irrespective 
//------------------------------//


 * *  Ω * * 


“Good morning, Long Run!”

By some stroke of sheer dumb luck, Long Run managed to keep from spilling his coffee when he bolted in alarm, but it was a near thing, especially given the angle and velocity he took to launch himself into the corner of the Coffee Hutt’s booth. “Good morning, Princess Twilight! I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I could say the same thing,” Twilight retorted with a small giggle. “I know I heard you say that you wanted to sleep in as much as possible during your vacation.”

“And I would,” he said with a slight huff. Part of him wanted to ask Twilight about the zipper and the yellow patch that he’d seen on Pinkie Pie yesterday, but the other part was quick to remind him that Twilight had said to just roll with whatever comes along with the pink party mare. After a brief moment of debate, he decided to tactfully avoid the subject and instead focus on what was on the table before him. “But I wasn’t able to sleep last night. So, rather than tossing and turning in futility, I decided to tackle a research project. But I always have to have some sort of caffeine in me when I get to studying, and the Coffee Hutt is the only place open at this hour.”

“Research?” Twilight Sparkle’s eyes lit up, and she levitated one of his books off the table. “What are you researching? Maybe I can help you.”

“Thanks, but I couldn’t impose on your time with my little curiosities,” he said while she flipped through the pages of his book. “You must have a lot to take care of, being the Princess of Friendship and all.”

“Actually, my schedule is pretty open this week,” Twilight said. “I always have more free time than normal during the summer break.”

Long stole a quick glance out the window, and his confusion grew when he saw Ponyville still snuggled in the embrace of the pre-dawn darkness. “If this is your free time, when do you sleep? It looks more like you're working on a project.” 

“Well, I was on my way to take care of something else, but it can wait,” Twilight said, a small frown crossing her features. “I’ve been collecting geological samples from the surrounding area, but Spike somehow managed to mislabel all of my specimens.”

Long Run had the distinct impression that the ‘mislabeling’ had been rather intentional, given Twilight’s tone, but he said nothing about the matter. Instead, he offered a small smile and motioned to the empty seat across from him. “Well, if you’d like to help, I wouldn’t mind some assistance, especially from the star pupil of Princess Celestia herself. I’ll even buy you a latte or something, if you’d like.”

“That’s very kind of you to offer, but you don’t need to do that,” Twilight said as she sat, but Long Run held up a hoof as if he was cutting off any further argument.

“I insist. What would you like?”

“Well, since you’re offering, I would like a double-double espresso latte with seven pumps of chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and low foam.” She paused, but after a moment of thought, she added, “On second thought, make it eight pumps.”

Long Run nodded, stood, and moved to procure Twilight’s order while the Princess looked over the various books and notes that he had spread out on the table. When he returned a minute later, she smiled at him, took the offered beverage with her magic, and propped her head in her hooves while he sat.

“You’re trying to figure out why Scootaloo can’t fly,” she said in a smug and knowing tone.

“Yes and no,” he replied. “I mean, I am looking into the specifics of her case, but to be professional about it, it’s not her, but a theoretical pony who just so happens to have her exact issue. I used to do this all the time in college with my buddies for research papers and stuff.”

“So, Doctor Long Run, what is your initial diagnosis for this hypothetical pony?”

Long Run huffed, and his wings ruffled slightly. “That’s been the most infuriating part of this whole thing. I can think of at least a dozen different conditions.”

“Well, start with the most likely reason, and then work your way from there,” Twilight said while floating one of Long’s medical books over to the center of the table. “My first hypothesis would be that she has some form of thaumic hypotonia.”

“That’s what I thought at first, too,” he said, and he pointed to the open page in the book. “But it doesn’t quite add up. A patient with hypotonia, in most cases, is unable to generate either lift or thrust, but not-Scootaloo has absolutely no problem with thrust, if Rainbow’s stories about the Cutie Mark Crusaders are true. But that made me wonder if not-Scootaloo experienced some sort of physical injury during her infancy, and that stunted her wing development. Here, look.” Long picked up another book, flipped through the pages for a moment, then placed it down so Twilight could see the illustration he was pointing to. “Damage to the growth plates here, on the lateral anterior humerus, would explain her smaller wingspan. That could also be the cause of a thaumic deficiency, since the tractus magicae runs right alongside the supercoidious.” 

“But injuries like that are normally unilateral, and only affect one wing,” Twilight countered. “Unless she somehow injured the plates on both sides. I suppose it's possible, but it's not really plausible.” 

“You’re right,” he agreed. “My next best guess would be there is an underlying mental condition. There are several documented cases of flightlessness being caused by phobias and post traumatic stress disorders.”

Twilight nodded, and her magic winked a half-dozen books into existence before Long Run had even realized her horn had lit. “That could be it. As I recall, post traumatic stress disorders usually occur when parents allow their foals to attempt flight at an extremely early age, and the resulting trauma from the failure imprints on them. I thought I read something about that in Caregivers’ Your Mind is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy. Let me see…”

“Page two hundred twelve,” Long helpfully added with a grin. “Three paragraphs down.”

Twilight glanced up to him, a large grin overtaking her face. “You’re familiar with Caregiver’s works?”

“Of course. Caregiver was the foremost authority on mental and behavioral issues. Besides, her stuff was required reading in my anatomy classes back in college. Professor Tibia believed that you needed a firm understanding of the mental before you could truly appreciate the physical.”

Twilight sighed in appreciation. “Pure poetry. So, if you studied under Tibia, you must have attended the University of Canterlot.”

“I wish. The Professor taught an adjunct course at Cloudsdale University one year, and I was lucky enough to get in.”

“Cloudsdale? Ah! Volantibus in altum volare fortis eris, right?” 

“You know the creed? Wow,” Long said. “But usually, we translated it as ‘please don’t crash into anything, we’ll be held liable for it.’”

Twilight snickered. “I see. But I think we’re getting off-topic.”

“Maybe just a bit. Do you happen to have Caregiver’s Normal is an Illusion? I remember reading it back in college, but it’s been out of print for years and I can’t find a copy of it anywhere.”

“Of course!” Twilight produced said book from the stack she’d summoned, and Long snatched it out of the air with a gleeful laugh.

“Ha ha! Of course, it makes sense that you would have it. I’ve heard legends about the expansive library in your castle. I’d do almost anything to have a library like that.” He paused, then grinned. “Princess Twilight, will you marry me?” he asked.  

“WHAT?!” a third voice broke in, and Long Run was smacked in the back of the head by a wing.

“Rainbow Dash?!” Long Run turned to her and rubbed the spot where she’d struck him. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re going to marry Twilight?! You hardly even know each other!” she raved. 

“Relax, Dash. I’m just marrying her for her enormous tracts of tracts,” Long shot back. 

“Huh?” 

“How about I just give you a library card instead?” Twilight said with a small laugh. “There’s no lifetime commitment, my brother won’t send the royal guard to interrogate you, and it’s a lot cheaper than a wedding.”

“And Rainbow Dash won’t throttle me, either,” Long added. “I can go for that.”

Rainbow snorted, her tail lashing at her haunches. “That wasn't funny. I can’t believe you would even suggest something like that, Long.”

“I think someone needs an espresso,” Long shot back with a waggle of his eyebrows. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Uh, duh.” Rainbow gestured to her flight suit. “Wonderbolts meeting?” 

“Ah, right. You’ve got the flight routine to hammer out,” Long said. “Well, why don’t I buy you a drink for the trip? Then the Princess and I can get back to our little nerd session over here.”

“What are you two eggheads doing, anyway?” Rainbow glanced over the mess of books and papers. “You’re not trying to create some kind of Frankenpony, are you?”

“Tempting, but no. Just some hypotheticals, that’s all.”

Rainbow glanced at Twilight, and the Princess nodded. “Honest, Dash. We’re just debating and discussing some medical possibilities, nothing more.”

Rainbow glanced over the mess again, blinked, then shook her head. “Well, whatever. I gotta get going. Long, you can get me a blonde roast, with a pump of hazelnut and three creams.”

“You are not going to sleep for the next week, but whatever,” Long said as he stood. “One blonde roast coming up!”


 * *  Ω * * 


“Ugh, this is why I didn’t become a doctor.” Long Run rubbed his face with both of his forehooves, then drew in a deep breath while looking over the notes he’d written. “But, I do have to admit that this has been quite informative, and—dare I say it—yes, even one of the most enjoyable study sessions I’ve ever been a part of.”

“I don’t think we’re any closer to figuring out Scootaloo, however,” Twilight noted while Long began to close books and gather his papers.

“Probably not, but unless we get her medical records and conduct our own interviews, we’re never going to be able to come to a definite conclusion. Still, it’s nice to know I didn’t lose everything I learned in college.”

Twilight nodded. “That would be quite the shame. So, where are you off to now?”

“I have a date with Pinkie Pie I need to get ready for,” he said while stretching his wings. “I’m supposed to meet her at the bowling alley in half an hour or so.”

“Really? I didn’t think Pinkie was much of a bowler.”

“She probably isn’t. I just threw the suggestion out there yesterday and she agreed.” Long’s memory again offered up the image of the yellow spot and the zipper, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“Well, since it’s Pinkie, you’ll have fun no matter what,” Twilight said with a bright smile.  

“That I’m sure of,” he said with a matching smile. “But I certainly wouldn’t mind if you and I had more study groups in the future. I’ve got a few other questions about other various things that I’d like your thoughts on.”

“I’d love to! We could throw in another flight lesson while we're at it. Maybe we can meet again tomorrow sometime?”

“I’ll have my ponies contact your ponies,” he said.

“Deal.” Twilight giggled. “Good luck on your date!”


 * *  Ω * * 


“Hi Long!” 

“Hello again, Pinkie Pie,” Long Run said as the perky pink mare trotted over to where he had landed. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Pinkie said with a grin. “I just got here, actually.”

“Good. Looks like the bowling alley is pretty busy this afternoon.” Long nodded to the crowd of ponies that were walking towards the main entrance. “We should probably go get in line.”

Pinkie nodded, but her gaze went to the hoof she was twiddling on the ground. “Actually, I was thinking that, maybe, we could go do something else. Only if you want to, that is.”

Long shrugged. “What were you thinking? I don’t mind a little spontaneity.”

“Well, if it’s okay with you, maybe we could just go for a walk.” Pinkie’s eyes moved up to meet his, but she still looked nervous. “There’s a nice little trail in White Tail Woods that’s full of beautiful flowers right now, and I kinda-sorta thought that it would be kinda relaxing to go see them. Kinda.”

Long nodded, but as he did so, he tried to locate the zipper on Pinkie’s neck without making it look like he was looking. He had spent most of last night trying to figure out the puzzling development that had been unintentionally presented to him, but the effort had only yielded two possible and logical conclusions. Either he had just imagined seeing a zipper and a spot of yellow on Pinkie Pie yesterday, or, for some odd reason, there was another mare inside some sort of Pinkie Pie costume, and she had forgotten to check her disguise during her hasty dressing. 

The first one was pretty easy to dismiss. His last perfect visit to the optometrist had only been two months ago, and yesterday had been the typical, almost patented bright and sunny day that Equestria was known for. Unless there had been some sort of weird reflection or bizarre atmospheric event—or, more likely but just as confusingly, Discord had been involved for reasons known only to him—there had been a zipper on Pinkie Pie.

But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why any mare would dress up as Pinkie Pie and then ask him out on dates. The only thing that had an ounce of sense in it was the notion that Rainbow and Pinkie were pulling some kind of prank on him, but that ounce got used up pretty quickly once he thought more about it.

“That does sound rather enjoyable,” Long replied, his eyes stalling for just a moment when he thought he saw a seam line on Pinkie’s chest. If it was a costume, then it was one of the best costumes he’d ever seen. The line was so thin and so fine that it would only be seen if somepony stared intently at it, and even then, he wasn’t totally sure if it was a seam. “Besides, I’m terrible at bowling. You’d beat me by several hundred points, hooves down.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said. “I’m not much of a bowler, either.”

“Well, lead the way, then,” he said with a soft smile. Pinkie or not, he was going to enjoy his time with this mare, and maybe he could get some answers while they walked, too. “I’m not very familiar with White Tail Woods.”

“It’s just this way,” Pinkie said with a large smile.


 * *  Ω * * 


“Y’know, this is nice,” Long said with a deep sniff of the fragrant aromas that danced in the wooded glen around him. “I’m glad you suggested coming here.”

Pinkie beamed brightly, but her gaze went to her hooves once more. “Thank you, but what’s really surprising is that you’ve never been here. This is a popular hiking trail, so I thought that you already knew about it.”

“I wish I had known,” Long replied, his left wing easily sliding over Pinkie and pulling her in close. “Sadly, there’s a lot I’ve missed out on with my hectic schedule.”

“It’s too bad you don’t get more time for yourself,” she said as they continued to walk and admire the woods. “But your work is really important, from what you’ve told me.”

“It is and it isn’t,” he said. “I mean, at the end of it all, I’m just a glorified travelling flight instructor. I enjoy teaching the more advanced flight methods, but…” he trailed off, then sighed. “Pinkie, we’re friends, right? Even though we just met each other?”

“I think we are. Honestly, it feels like I knew you before we met.”

“So, if I tell you something personal, would you keep it between us? Y’know, as friends?” he pressed.

“Of course!” Pinkie grinned and paused to sit. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, put a cupcake in my eye!”

Long Run chuckled as Pinkie pantomimed the motions with her promise. “All right. Between you and me, I’m really starting to wonder about my choice of employment.”

“Why?” Pinkie asked as they resumed their walk. 

“Ever since we met, I’ve had this… feeling, I guess.” Long Run usually didn’t have a problem with words and phrases, but at that moment, he found he was at a loss to describe his inner thoughts and emotions. “It’s a bit hard to explain, but I’ve had this nagging desire to settle down, or to stay home more often. I still want to teach, of course, but maybe… maybe I should cut back on how many classes I give, or maybe I should make ponies come here to me, instead of the other way around. I’ve really enjoyed waking up in my own bed every morning, and seeing familiar friendly faces instead of hotel staff. I’ve been eating healthier, too, and I actually think I’ve lost a little bit of weight, now that I’m not eating out all the time,” he said, but then he chuckled. “This probably all sounds really dumb, huh? Like I’m just whining or something.”

“I don’t think so,” Pinkie said in a soft and thoughtful tone. “Travelling is nice, but it does get tiresome if it’s the only thing you ever do. At least, that’s what I think. If I were in your situation, I’d want to stay home more, too.”

“Do you think that’s bad?” he asked. “It always seemed like ponies tend to look down on those who enjoy just being at home, y’know?”

“I don’t think that’s bad,” Pinkie said. “Lots of ponies like to stay home. Princess Twilight spends most of her day in her library—if she isn’t busy with something else—Rarity lives and works out of her house, Applejack stays on her farm, and I’m usually home, too.”

“Really?” Long asked. “You didn’t strike me as the stay-at-home type, what with your parties and your job at Sugarcube Corner.” 

“Huh? Oh!” Pinkie chuckled nervously. “Right, of course. I still have my job with the Cakes, of course, and my parties. But there are times when I don’t have any of that, so I’ll just head up to my room and work on my party plans by myself.”

“I guess everypony needs some downtime, eh?” he said with a playful nudge.

Pinkie nodded. “For what it’s worth, the downtime is nicer when you’re around.”

Long’s heart skipped a beat, and the tips of his hooves suddenly felt tingly. “Really? You think so?”

“Oh, yes. You’re very kind, and you’re patient when you explain things, and I like how you smile all the time,” she said with a giggle as he blushed and grinned. “But mostly, I really like that you’re such a good listener.”

“I think that’s the first time anypony has said that about me,” he remarked.

“It’s a wonderful trait,” Pinkie went on with a pleased smile.


 * *  Ω * * 


“Looking good, Fleetfoot!” Spitfire called out from her vantage point on the ground. “Soarin, watch your angle of attack coming out of the roll! Rainbow Dash, what in the name of Celestia are you doing?!”

“I was just… um…”

“Get down here! Now!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rainbow dropped like a rock, and when she landed, her ears were splayed back and her gaze was on her hooves. “Sorry, ma’am.”

“You do realize you’re supposed to invert after the knife turn, right? Or did I not make that clear enough?”

“You did, ma’am. I just…”

Spitfire snorted, but she shook her head in dismay. “Look, Crash. I know you know the flight plan. You just need to get your head in the game.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Spitfire grinned. “So, who is it?”

“Huh?”

“C’mon, fess up.” Spitfire gave Rainbow’s shouler a playful nudge. “It’s obvious you’re thinking about a special somepony. Who is it? Soarin? Wind Waker?”

“What? No! Ew.” Rainbow Dash gagged a little. “Not Wind Waker. He’s a nice pony, don’t get me wrong, but… no. Not him.”

“Ah ha!” Spitfire poked Rainbow in the chest with a hoof. “You didn’t deny it! That means you are daydreaming about somepony! C’mon, tell me!”

“I’m not daydreaming about anypony,” Rainbow snapped.

“Right. Wait!” Spitfire slapped her forehead with a hoof. “Of course! You’re all a flutter for Long Run, that ad hoc flight instructor we use!”

“I am not!” Rainbow stomped a hoof. “I mean, yeah, sure, he and I are friends, and we’ve known each other a long time, and we hang out whenever he’s not travelling, but we’re just friends! Nothing more!”

Spitfire’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Sure, whatever. Deny it all you like, I don’t care. What I do care about is when my Wonderbolts can’t remember the flight routine because of their personal relationships. So figure out how to keep your lovercolt out of your head, or I’ll be forced to ground you. Is that understood?”

“Perfectly, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash said with a sharp salute. 

“Look, why don’t you go take five,” Spitfire went on. “Get a drink, catch your breath, and do whatever you gotta do to clear your head. I want your full and undivided attention when you get back here, got it?”

“Understood.”

“Good.” Spitfire began to walk away, but she stopped after a few steps and glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, and Crash? For the record, I approve.”

“Approve of what?”

“Long Run.”

Rainbow snorted, and her cheeks began to burn as Spitfire giggled and walked away. While it was true that her mind had been elsewhere that morning, it didn’t have anything to do with Long Run. 

No, he wasn’t the problem at all. It was all Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle’s fault. 

Rainbow pulled her goggles and flight mask off as she entered the empty mess hall, and she paused for a moment once the door shut behind her. Ever since she had left Ponyville that morning, her thoughts had been stubbornly stuck on the sight of Long Run comparing notes with Twilight, his joking marriage proposal, and the scheduled date he had with Pinkie Pie. 

“Hypotheticals, my hoof!” she said with a snort. “I saw the way the two of them were ogling each other. The only hypothetical he’s interested in is hypothetically scoring with Twilight so I’ll have to wear one of Rarity’s frilly fru-fru dresses. And Pinkie! I still don’t know what his game is with her, but I’m gonna figure it out!”

Rainbow punched the bathroom door open, marched herself to the nearest sink, tossed her goggles and mask on the counter, and proceeded to splash herself in the face with cold water. She then rubbed her face for a moment with a moan of annoyance, and when her gaze went to her reflection in the mirror, she gave it a deep frown. 

“This is stupid,” she said to the glass. “Why is this even a problem? Long and I are friends. We’ve been friends since junior speedsters. I’ve never cared about what he does before now. Why should I care if he studies with Twilight and hangs out with Pinkie?”

Her reflection offered no answers, so she simply stood and stared at herself, her mind a swirl of thoughts and emotions. She pondered over her feelings for what felt like hours, puzzling and attacking the problem from every angle she could. 

"Okay. Twilight always says to simplify complex problems down to a core question," she said to herself at length. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment in thought. “So, I guess the real question is why this is irritating me. And that’s easy to answer! This is irritating because he’s being a jerk.”

The expected feeling of resolution did not come. Rainbow defiantly stared at herself for several long moments, but once she was sure that she hadn’t solved her problem, she dipped her head. “Fine, fine, fine. It’s because he's betrayed me, right?”

That wasn’t quite the right question, either, and Rainbow sighed. “Ugh. Okay. Why do I feel like he’s being disloyal? And who is he being disloyal to?”

Those were the right questions, and she was able to answer the latter question after a moment of thought. Long Run was being disloyal to her, Rainbow Dash. 

The answer to the former was more elusive. She’d already used up all of her other excuses and justifications for this whole mess of events, so what else was left?

“It’s just cute to watch you two work off each other like this,” Twilight’s voice echoed in her head. “You’re picking up right where he stops without missing a beat, and that little smile that comes out when he’s talking is adorable!”

“No.” Rainbow whispered the half-hearted denial. “We’re just friends. That’s impossible.”

Rainbow Dash refused to accept the truth that was bearing down on her. She fought against it, denied it, and refuted it by any means possible.

But her efforts died as quickly as they started, and with a shuddering gasp, Rainbow recalled how she had felt when he had kissed her.

She, Rainbow Miriam Dash, was in love with Long Run.

The truth slammed into her like she had just flown head first into a brick wall. She was irritated with Pinkie Pie because if Long was dating Pinkie, he wasn’t with her. He wasn’t supposed to have study sessions with Twilight because one thing could lead to another, and Twilight could take him away. 

Rainbow Dash drew in a long breath. Fine. She was in love with Long Run, even if she didn’t really want to say it out loud. She was afraid of losing him, and that was the root cause of all of her problems. 

But as Rainbow studied her face in the mirror, a thought came and she smirked. She then went airborne, and she took several long moments to look over her whole self in the mirror. It was a well-known fact that Long Run was a sucker for a mare with curves, and Rainbow Dash was a mare with all the right curves in all the right places, in her own humble opinion. She was lithe and lean, and with just a bit of work, she could make herself irresistible to Long Run. 

Rainbow slid a hoof down her barrel, and her grin grew. Pinkie Pie may have won the first round for Long Run’s affections, but now it was time for Rainbow Dash to strut her stuff and win him back. 


 * *  Ω * * 


“Oh, so that’s what happened,” Long said with a distant, thoughtful look. “I always   wondered why Fluttershy just disappeared, then reappeared on the ground two weeks later. Rainbow Dash never bothered to give me the details.”

Pinkie nodded. “She’s been in Ponyville pretty much since then.”

“So, you and Fluttershy have been friends for quite a long time then, haven’t you?” Long reached out, plucked a nearby pink daisy from among the selection in the meadow they were sitting in, and began to weave the stem into the circular bouquet he was creating.

“She was the first one to greet me when I moved to Ponyville, way back when I came to work for the Cakes,” Pinkie said. “I thought that was just the nicest thing, so I promised to make sure I’d always greet every new pony with a smile, at the very least. I prefer to throw a party if I can, though.”

“Yet, somehow you missed me,” Long noted with a chuckle. “How did that happen?”

“I’m not sure,” Pinkie said. “Maybe I just heard about you from Rainbow Dash, and what she told me made it feel like I already knew you when you moved here.”

“That does make some sense,” he said. “My crazy schedule probably didn’t help matters, either. I’ve been gone more than I’ve been home, I bet.”

“Can you forgive me for not meeting you sooner? I still feel so horrible about not giving you a proper greeting.”

“Hey, there’s far worse things that can happen in the world,” Long said, and he gently placed his floral creation on Pinkie’s head. “No harm done.”

“Thanks,” Pinkie stammered, her gaze firmly on the ground. “For the flowers, and for the forgiveness.”

“Nothing to forgive; you didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, we’re friends now, and that’s what really matters.”

“Yeah, it is,” she said with a small snort of delight, and she wiggled a bit so she could properly lean over and rest her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t know you were a florist, too.”

“Picked it up from my mom,” he said with a wry smile. “She runs a floral shop in Cloudsdale, and I was always helping her with the orders and procuring fresh supplies. I like to joke that she forced me into becoming a long-distance flyer since she always sent me off to the ends of Equestria for rare and exotic specimens.”

Pinkie giggled. “Does she still run the shop?”

“She does. Dad and my sisters get sent on flower runs now, but Mom always complains about how long Dad takes, which then leads to a discussion about how he needs to lose weight.”

“Your family sounds nice,” Pinkie said with a hum. “How many siblings do you have?”

“All together, there’s nine of us.”

“Goodness! And I thought P—er, my family was big!”

“We all blame my mom,” Long said with a chuckle. “She claims it was cheap labor for the store, but really, she’s just one of those ponies who loves being pregnant. There is still a risk she’ll try to make it an even dozen. Officially, it goes me, twin girls, twin boys, single boy, and three girls.”

“Your younger sisters must be really young, then.”

“The youngest is probably about the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But we’re all still pretty close.”

“Do they all still live in Cloudsdale? Most of my, um, sisters still live with my parents on the rock farm.”

“About half of us are still there. The twin girls moved to Peachtree Grove, and if you know where that is I’ll be amazed,” he quipped. “One of the twin boys is in college, and me, obviously.”

“Maybe I’ll get to meet them one day,” Pinkie softly said, and she hummed when Long began to stroke her back with the tips of his primaries. “This has been a wonderful afternoon. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“My pleasure, entirely,” Long replied with a pleased grin. “And who knows? Maybe I’ll get to meet your family one day, too.”

Pinkie stiffened slightly, but then relaxed. “Maybe. I think you’d like them.”


 * *  Ω * * 


Long Run hummed a happy tune to himself as he strolled into his house and looked over the day's mail, and he hit a high note as he kicked the door shut with a rear hoof. He and Pinkie Pie had spent the afternoon chatting about nothing in particular, and it had been so enjoyable that the only reason they’d stopped was because night was approaching  and Pinkie had some evening errands to run. 

In fact, there had been several times when the two of them had simply sat in comfortable silence, and Long really couldn’t say if those moments had lasted for minutes or hours. 

In the end, he really didn’t care. Pinkie’s presence was calm, relaxing, and quite pleasurable. The two of them had good chemistry together, and—

Long’s thoughts ground to a halt. He’d completely forgotten about the zipper during the afternoon, but now the obvious question was staring him in the face.

Who, exactly, did he have good chemistry with? Had he really been with Pinkie Pie that afternoon, or had the mystery mare dressed up as her again? He had seen a seam, but now that thought back, he found he wasn’t completely convinced that he’d seen what he thought he saw. It was possible that he’d just projected the line onto Pinkie, or that the hairs of her chest had just so happened to give the impression due to shadows and lighting.

Besides, Pinkie Pie was the type of mare who would wear a zipper just because she liked the word. 

Long huffed and tossed his mail on the kitchen counter. This whole thing just had to be some sort of elaborate prank that reeked of Rainbow Dash. There was no other plausible reason to explain the oddities. She was trying to mess with his head, make him question his sanity.

Well, two could play this game, he decided. He wasn’t going to let Rainbow get the better of him, and he knew exactly how to beat her.

Patience.

It was the one thing that Rainbow never had much of, nor much use for. She was all about the thrill of the hunt, the shot of adrenaline, the big payout when she beat the impossible odds. Waiting dulled the intensity of the win, until eventually the rush had been sapped away completely.

Rainbow Dash wanted him to think he was going nuts, but if he didn’t react or question the insanity around him, it would take all the fun out of the stunt. 

“Hey, Long!” Rainbow Dash burst through his front door, slid to a stop, then jerked slightly when her eyes met his. “There you are. You eat yet?”

“No, I was just figuring out what I should make,” he said with a grin. The game was afoot, and Rainbow didn’t even realize it.

“Good, I’m starving.” Rainbow casually tossed her flight goggles aside, moved to his icebox and helped herself to its contents. “You got any of that sriracha stuff left over?”

“Second shelf, next to the cider.” Long hesitated as his gaze remained on Rainbow’s sweaty tail end, despite him not fully realizing it. “Did you fly straight here from the Wonderbolts meeting?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was muffled by the icebox, and she kept rooting around as she continued. “We got a few more things settled, but there’s still a lot of planning to get done.”

“Why didn’t you change out of your flight suit?”

Rainbow glanced over her shoulder and flicked her tail. “Because I knew you’d like the view.”

Long swallowed hard, and his cheeks felt hot all of a sudden. Usually, he could take her teasing without reacting, so why was this getting to him? “You aren’t worried about spilling something on yourself?”

Rainbow backed out, popped the cap off a bottle of cider, and shot him a smirk. “Nah, I’m good. You’d lick it off for me, I’m sure.”

“Somepony is feeling frisky tonight,” Long quipped in a vain attempt to get the situation back under his control. “What did they feed you at that meeting?”

“Carrot dogs with all the trimmings and hay chips. Speaking of which, where’s the grub? Pretty sure I said I was starving.”

“Well, since it’s late, I’ll just order a pizza,” he said. “You want your usual?”

“Throw some pineapples on there this time. And get the stuffed crust.”

“Stuffed crust, huh? You really must be starving. I’ll get some of those garlic bread… sticks…” Long trailed off as Rainbow slowly pulled off her flight mask and whisked her mane with a dramatic swoop.   

“You do that,” she purred as she tossed the mask on top of his mail and put a hoof on his chest. “But I’m keeping the suit on, you animal. Get those wings down and go get the food.”

Long shook his head and snickered in amusement, but he continued to trace Rainbow’s lines as she moved to his living room. “That mare is going to be the end of me, I swear.”


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