Twilight rematerialized in her bedroom with a loud pop. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Okay, she thought to herself. It’s fine. It’s fine. She opened her eyes and quickly read the alarm clock by her bed: 7:22. If she could find it quickly, she could get back to Dash and still be on schedule. Maybe she’d be lucky and spot it right away.
Twilight’s eyes then scanned her room. Nothing. It was as if her gift was hiding from her. Maybe it was under the bed?
Twilight dove onto the floor and poked her head under the mattress. She was greeted by some dust bunnies and a dead bumblebee. Her wings twitched in agitation.
She pulled back out, turning her focus to her night stand. She pulled open its drawer and using her aura lifted its contents into the air. Mostly just some quills and parchment. Twilight then lifted the night stand about a foot into the air and furiously pawed at the floor beneath it. Still nothing.
Twilight was not going to let Rainbow down. Not tonight.
She turned to the bookshelf sitting under her mirror. Twilight pulled a book off the top shelf with her telekinesis. She noticed the title. It was part of a new series that she was reading with Rainbow Dash. She then hoisted the rest of the books into the air. They began to slowly spiral around the room along with the contents from her nightstand as Twilight searched the shelves.
It had to be somewhere.
Twilight kicked the shelf in frustration, causing a picture frame to topple over. She picked it up and frowned. It was a picture of her and Rainbow Dash from last Hearth’s Warming Eve. She had her wing draped over Twilight’s back, the two of them wearing proud smiles and matching blue and purple wool hats. Twilight had expected her to say they were lame or something, she didn’t expect Rainbow to want to put them on and get their picture together. Twilight gently set the picture back down.
Rainbow Dash.
Twilight quickly darted across her room. She picked her telescope up and turned it upside down, as if the gift would fall off.
What if she wouldn’t be able to find it?
She ripped open the doors on her closet. She’d never forgive herself if she never found it. Her clothes sprang free and flew into the air.
What would happen to them as a couple?
Several boxes tumbled out of the closet, their context spewing onto the floor before ascending.
Twilight didn’t know if their relationship could survive the strain this would cause.
Her closet was now empty, its content floating above her..
Would they break up?
Twilight began to pace around her room. She didn’t know if they would be able to go back to being friends. Her possessions swarmed above her as she moved like angry insects.
Oh Celestia, what if it drove her and the rest of the girls apart as well?
Twilight breathing became heavy. What would she do then? She didn’t know if she could show her face around Ponyville if that happened. She’d have to go back to Canterlot, and then what? Then it would only only be a matter of time before something realized Equestria was vulnerable to attack without the elements. Ponykind would find itself in jeopardy...
Twilight was too lost in her worries to notice the mare entering the room behind her at first. When she did, she screamed and an explosion filled the room.
“Almost, almost, ah! Perfect!,” Rarity beamed. She was instructing Fluttershy as she was hanging a banner on the wall. She took a step back to admire their craftwork.
The map room was decorated with balloons, streamers, and other party supplies provided by none other than Pinkie Pie, who was absent at the moment. Applejack was sitting in her seat at the map, helping to blow up some balloons. In the chair beside her was Spike. Without Twilight being there to stop him he had eaten too many of the sweets Pinkie had brought. Now he was snoring softly as he lay slumped over.
“You think they’ll like it?,” Fluttershy asked as she landed.
“Like it!? Why Darling, I’d think they would love it! Oh, what better way to celebrate one year of true love.” Rarity swooned.
Applejack let out a snort at her outburst. “What was that, Darling?”
“Nothing,” Applejack said. She tied a knot on the balloon she had blown up, then smirked. “It’s just a little funny that ya seem might bit more excited ‘bout their anniversary than they do.”
“Humph. Can’t I just be happy that both of them have finally found their special someponies! Even if the two of them are a teensy bit unorthodox,” Rarity said. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Alright, maybe I’m a tiny bit excited about the eventual wedding.” Rarity signed dreamily. “Oh, just imagine! I could finally fit that Rainbow Dash in a dress! Not to mention get a chance to fix that mane of hers…”
“Guys!” The doors suddenly burst open as the pegasus in question suddenly dashed through. She circled around the room and landed on the map in front of a still-sleeping Spike. “We got a problem!”
“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “What happened? Where’s Twilight?”
“She uh, kinda took off on me.”
Rarity gasped. “No,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “No, no, noooooo!,” she shrieked as she latched onto Fluttershy for support. Rarity apparently didn’t hear the small “Eep!” that Fluttershy made. “WHY!? WHY!? WH-WH-WHY!?”
“Um, ACK! Rarity, ACK! You’re, um... ACK! Hurting me…”
“H-HOW COULD FATE BE SO...SO... CRUUUUUUUEL!?,” Rarity said between sobs.
“A-ah don’t understand,” Applejack added, her voice laced with shock. “It’s one thing to say no, but ta run away afterwards?”
“Well, actually, I uh… didn’t get to ask her yet.” Rainbow gave a chuckle sheepishly as she clutched her saddle bags.
“WHAT!?,” Rarity shouted as she released Fluttershy, giving the mare a chance to breathe. Spike lifted his head up at the sound of his beloved in distress, muttered something, and promptly went back to sleep.
“Rainbow, ya said ya were gonna finally do it!,” Applejack said, pointing an accusing hoof at her.
“Hey!” Rainbow flew closer to Applejack until their noses were almost touching. “I was gonna ask her!” Rainbow realized that she was shouting and took a step backwards. “I didn’t chicken out, I was totally gonna do it. She just took off before I had a chance to say anything!”
“Um, why would she just leave your date, if you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
“She said she forgot her present for me,” Rainbow added. The three mares stared blankly at her as Spike snored. “I’m guessing it threw off her schedule for the evening.”
“Oh,” Rainbow’s friends said in unison.
Applejack frowned. “Figures. Ah guess we shoulda realized how much she’d worry ‘bout a night like this. Now she’s gone all cra…” Applejack trailed off when she noticed the venomous look on Rainbow Dash’s face. “Eh, sorry.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “It’s fine,” she said. “Hey wait a minute. If you three are here, then where’s-”
A scream was heard from upstairs, followed by a bang. Spike rolled over and continued to sleep.
“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said, her stomach sinking.
Everypony then raced upstairs.
“Okay Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she gently guided her head under the bathroom faucet with a hoof. “I’m going to need you to try and keep your eyes open for me, okay?,” Twilight nodded as best as she could. Twilight winced as she felt water pour into her face, but did her best not to shut her eyes. As she grit her teeth she managed to overhear the conversation the mares were having in the next room.
“Now now, Darling. I’m sure it is just a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding!? She shot my marefriend in the face with her party cannon!”
“I didn’t mean to! I swear! I swear!”
“Oh. Well I guess that makes it all okay then.”
“Aww, thanks Dashie! I knew you’d forgive me!”
“I swear to Celestia …”
“Woah, easy there sugarcube. Ah’m sure Pinkie’s gotta a good explanation fer what happened.”
“Yeah! Totally.”
“And what would that be?”
“I was defending the castle!”
“Defending. The. Castle.”
“Yep.” Pinkie paused for a moment. “Oh, okay.” Pinkie inhaled sharply.
“Okay so, I went to the kitchen to triple check on the cakes, I mean, the cakes I baked for Twilight and Dashie, not the Cake ponies. And by Cake ponies I mean the ones that own Sugarcube corner, not ponies that bake cakes. Although I COULD be said to be a cake pony since I bake cakes almost everyday. And the Cakes probably would consider me to be an HONORARY member of the Cake family. I mean, we are really close, and Marble always wanted a little brother, although it would be weird to have four parents-”
“PINKIE!”
“Right, sorry. So aaaanyways, I was checking the cakes when I got an itchy hoof and a wobbly left knee, which means that somepony forgot to close a window. And I know crystal buildings don’t get the BEST circulation, but nopony wants bugs and stuff getting in.”
“So then I was going around to every room, making sure every window was nice and tightly shut. But then I heard this really really loud noise! At first I thought that I set of one of Pinkie Pie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™, but then I thought ‘That doesn’t sound like one of Pinkie Pie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™, that sounds like somepony moving furniture around’ But the girls and Spike are downstairs, and Twilight and Dashie are out, so who else could it be? Then I thought ‘GASP! It’s a no-good burglar!” He’s goning through Twilight’s stuff! And Twilight hates it when other ponies go through her stuff! She’s always like ‘Pinkie don’t touch that. Pinkie, that might be poisonous. Pinkie, you should wash your hooves after picking that up.’ So I grabbed my party cannon and went to give that big meanie a piece of my mind-”
“And I got confetti in my eyes,” Twilight finished as Fluttershy shut off the faucet..
“Heh heh, sorry.”
Twilight sighed. “It’s fine.” She grabbed a towel and began patting her face dry. “Wait a minute, why are you guys here? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating the festival?”
Everypony suddenly fell silent.
“Oh, well sugarcube, ya see…” Applejack trailed off as she noticed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie furiously shaking their heads. “We were decorating the map room, ‘cause, um…”
“Because we wanted to throw you two a party for your one year anniversary!,” Rarity said. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both let out a sigh of relief.
“I see,” Twilight said, deciding that she had more important things to worry about as she set the towel down. She grimaced as she saw her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane was ruined, and the fur around her face was matted. Just perfect, she thought.
Rarity took notice and shot over to Twilight. “Don’t worry Darling. I’ll have that mane of yours fixed up in no time!”
“Sorry Rarity, but we don’t have time for that.” Twilight trotted past a flabbergasted Rarity back into her bedroom. She grimaced as she saw the mess. After being temporarily blinded by Pinkie Pie she had released her telekinesis. Now her belongings were scattered across her floor.
Normally Twilight wouldn’t mind an excuse to reorganize things, but now was not the time. She turned to face the girls.
“Rainbow, my...your present is not here. The only remaining place where it could be is in the map room. If I can find it within the next ten minutes, we’ll have time to pick up where our date left off.”
“NO!,” five mares shouted in unison. Startled, Twilight jumped into the air, hovering for a moment before landing.
“Wh-why not?,” Twilight asked incredulously.
“Um, you seem really tense. Why don’t you relax here while I go to look for it with Rarity and Applejack. If you don’t mind, of course,” Fluttershy said.
Twilight shook her head. “No, I’m sorry but that won’t work. For that to work I’d have to tell you about my...Rainbow’s gift, and I doubt any of you will be able to contain yourselves once I do.”
“And just what does that mean?,” Applejack said, narrowing her eyes.
“It’s...I...you’ll understand after I give it to her. I’m sorry.” She trotted out the door.
Suddenly Rainbow Dash swooped down in front of Twilight, blocking her path. “Fluttershy has a point you know, Twi,” Rainbow said. She raised her wing to block Twilight from going around her. “You seem a little tense. Maybe I could help you relax a little.” Rainbow batted her eyelashes. She then leaned in to whisper into her ear: “If you know what I mean.”
Twilight blushed. “D-dash,” she said, stammering as Rainbow began to nuzzle her neck. “We...ah...can’t we do this later?”
“You really want to wait till later?,” Rainbow asked in a husky voice. She then began to nibble Twilight’s ear. “Hm. Something tells me you won’t make it till later.” Rainbow then pressed her lip’s against Twilight’s as she caressed her back with her hooves. Twilight moaned in delight.
“Applejack, where do I look?,” Pinkie whispered.
“Ah don’t think there’s anywhere safe ta look.”
Rainbow broke the kiss, brushing a lock of Twilight’s mane out of her face. “Oh, Dashie,” Twilight said breathlessly. “Dash I, wait...No!”
Twilight suddenly teleported behind Rainbow. “Hey!”
“Sorry Dash,” Twilight said as she trotted down the hallway. “Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”
“WAIT!,” Rarity shouted. Twilight stopped and turned around. Thinking quickly, Rarity grabbed a letter off the floor with her magic. “Twilight, darling, Spike got this letter from the Princesses earlier today. It might be important.”
Twilight snatched the letter in her aura and quickly scanned it. Rarity hoped to Celestia that it would buy them at least a few minutes. “This is from three weeks ago,” Twilight said and floated it back over to Rarity. She turned around again.
“Well, Ah’m all outta ideas,” Applejack added.
A sense of dread filled Pinkie Pie’s stomach as she realized what she had to do. She reached into her hair to grab one of her Pinkie’s Prepacked Party Poppers™. “Sorry Twilight,” she muttered. Pinkie then threw it at Twilight’s flank, where it exploded into a mixture of glitter and streamers. Twilight leapt into the air, her wings spreading in an attempt to take flight. Instead, her forehooves hit the ground and she toppled forward onto the floor with a squawk. Rainbow flew over to help her up while Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy galloped out the door behind her. Once she was on her hooves again Twilight whirled around towards Pinkie Pie, her pupils tiny pinpricks and her face redder than Big Macintosh’s.
“Piiiiiiiiiinkie pie,” Twilight growled.
Pinkie pie swallowed. “Um, yes?”
“WHY IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU DO THAT!?”
“Oh, um, there was a spider! On your butt!" Pinkie took a step back. "I was just looking out for you again!”
Twilight’s right eye began to twitch. “Um, it was really … big?”
With an exasperated sign, Twilight turned and ran through the door. “Wait,” Rainbow Dash asked. “Was the spider big, or was her butt big?” Pinkie shrugged.