When a breeze rolled over Stephen’s body, he wasn’t going to bother hoping he’d left his window open. After lifting his heavy eyelids and finding himself in the same spot he had sat down in during his afternoon nap, he got to his feet and cranked his neck up to the moon. Bathing Ponyville in its dull, blue glow, it was just as big and bright as it was the first time he’d seen it five nights ago. Confidence in the fact that he was dreaming returned to him. If this were real, wouldn’t there be a new moon or a crescent by now? But what if this world had a different lunar cycle? How many times thus far had logic, as he’d known it, been applicable? Stephen pondered the possibilities as he started walking.
Regardless of the situation, he was glad that the moon was so large and bright. It removed much of the difficulty in relocating the giant gingerbread house about three hundred yards away. Remembering Pinkie’s directions, Stephen put himself in the street outside Sugarcube Corner and attempted an about-face. However, his back legs crossed and his fronts didn't move. He toppled over onto his side and grunted out a frustrated, “Darn it!”
As he rolled onto his legs, a door on the other side of the street opened with Pinkie behind it. “There you are!” she cheered. “What are you doing on the ground?” Pinkie giggled as she gaited over to him. Holding out a hoof, Stephen put a foreleg over it and she pulled him to his feet. “The party isn’t in the street, you silly pony.”
As Stephen followed Pinkie inside, each step felt like dragging a lead weight. He did not feel like he had enough energy for this. “This is nice of you, Pinkie. But you don’t have to throw me a party,” Stephen said, trying to find a way to opt for a calm and peaceful night.
“Of course I do. What better way is there to celebrate new friends?”
If he couldn’t find a way out of it, perhaps he could at least know what to prepare for. “So, who else is coming?”
“Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are already here!” Pinkie cheered. “Everypony else was busy.”
Stephen opened his mouth to ask a question but forgot what it was when he felt something soft and moist grip one of his legs. Looking down, he saw a tiny alligator gnawing his ankle. “Aah!” he shrieked and instinctually kicked the leg up. The alligator went flying across the room.
Quick as a whip, Pinkie zipped over to the other side of the room and caught the small reptile on her back. Then she dashed back inside Stephen’s personal space. “Looks like Gummy wants to join the party too.”
“‘Gummy’?” Stephen asked. “Is that thing your pet?”
“Yep! Isn’t he cute?”
“He tried to eat my leg!”
Pinkie giggled. “You’re funny. He can’t eat your leg. He doesn’t even have teeth.” Pinkie said as the alligator started chewing on a piece of her mane. “That just means that he likes you.”
“Did you ever consider that biting might not seem so affectionate once he grows teeth?” asked Stephen.
Pinkie pondered for a moment. Then she gave a bright smile and squeaked, “Not really! But enough about that. It’s time to party! Follow me!” Pinkie turned around and trotted up a flight of stairs with Gummy along for the ride.
Stairs again? As a pony, he’d only been up and down a flight of stairs once and it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. All things considered, the odds of this boding well for Stephen were not promising. Groaning his frustration, he began making his way up.
Pinkie set Gummy down at the top of the steps. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash appeared at the top of the steps next to her. When Rainbow noticed him, she waved and called out. “Hey, Stephen!”
“Good evening,” Stephen responded before taking another step.
Rainbow’s head cocked slightly to the side and looked curiously at Stephen before asking. “Are you alright down there? You’re certainly taking a while with those steps.”
Stephen was just slightly past the halfway point. Getting up was moderately easier than it was the night before, but it was still a pain to remember the stepping sequence. “I’m not quite accustomed to walking up stairs with four legs yet.” Stephen thought back to the way he had tripped earlier. “Or movements more complex than running for that matter,” he continued.
“Oh my, do you need help?” asked Fluttershy.
“I’ll be fine with a little more practice,” said Stephen.
“Oh, I have an idea!” Pinkie cheered before leaping from the top of the stairs. While airborne, she turned one hundred eighty degrees and landed halfway down the staircase, right next to Stephen. “I’ll teach you the fun way to do it!”
Stephen was dumbfounded with amazement at Pinkie’s coordination. He hoped she wouldn’t attempt to teach him such tumbling. He couldn’t imagine himself being able to tumble as a human. Attempting it as a pony could only lead to pain and disaster. “Thanks for the offer but I’ll decline,” said Stephen. “I just need to go slow until I get used to it.”
“Boring!” said Pinkie. “This will be totally fun, I promise. Just do as I do.” Pinkie started hopping up and down on the stairs, giggling again after two bounces. “Doesn’t this look like more fun? Try it with me.”
“Pinkie, I don’t have nearly enough energy to skip up the stairs with you.”
“Don’t worry, it’s easy,” she continued to hop. “All you have to do is bend your knees and lift yourself up as fast as you can. It’s called hopping. You have hopping where you come from, right?”
“Yes,” Stephen droned with an almost sarcastic tone.
“Good, so give it a try! Then when you feel like you can hop, just move forward after you go up. Like this…” Pinkie moved her bounce forward and skipped up the stairs. “See? It’s easy and super fun. Try it!” She bounced all the way back down to Stephen.
After she repeated this a second time, Stephen decided to stop following her with his eyes before he made himself dizzy. “I’m going to end up rolling down these stairs.”
Pinkie stopped bouncing. “No, you won’t.” Turning her head up the stairs, she called out. “Dashie, can you make sure Stephen doesn’t fall?”
With a salute, Rainbow glided down the stairs on her wings and landed just a few feet below Stephen. “I got your back,” she said while taking a ready stance.
“The last time you had my back, we ended up imprinted on the library’s ceiling,” said Stephen.
Rainbow stomped her front hoof in protest. “Hey! If that ceiling wasn’t so low I would have caught you easily. This’ll be different.”
“I’m really not sure about this,” said Stephen.
“Please?” Pinkie begged with wide eyes, a frown and flat ears.
The puppy-dog eyes worked but only because Pinkie reminded him of Selena too much. With a sigh of resignation, he said, “Alright, let’s see what I can do.”
As to not overdo it on his first try, he only slightly bent all four of his knees. After a moment of gathering strength and courage, Stephen pumped his legs straight. He flew a terrifying three inches from the stairs and fell all the way back down, landing squarely on all fours. After realizing he was stable, he looked up at Pinkie.
“See? Wasn’t that great?” Pinkie cheered.
“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Stephen admitted.
“Now keep going until you think you can move up.” Pinkie shuffled back next to him and resumed bouncing.
Stephen took a deep breath and started bouncing with her. It felt awfully silly and even a tad embarrassing with Rainbow and Fluttershy watching. But it was something Pinkie really wanted and as long as he wasn’t in danger, he could get it over with quickly.
“Think you can do it yet?” Pinkie asked.
Stephen had built up enough height to clear a step. “I can try. I just hope I don’t fall.”
“Well you certainly won’t be able to make the leap if you’re thinking about all the ways you could fall.”
“You got this, Stephen!” Rainbow cheered from below.
Pinkie chimed in. “We’ll do it together on three! Ready?” Ready or not, Stephen wasn't really given a choice. “One! Two! Three!” Stephen put all of his strength into his last jump and lunged forward. He and Pinkie landed square on the next step up. “That was awesome! Now we just got to keep doing it. Ready? Set! Go!” Going again so soon caught Stephen by surprise but he managed to lunge up another step. “You’re doing great! Just keep going!” Pinkie cheered him on. “I’ll follow you now. Ready?”
This was exhausting but he was already three-fourths of the way up the stairs. “I’m ready,” he said with confidence. “One, two, three, go!” Stephen leaped up another step with Pinkie hopping right next to him. Five more consecutive hops put them both at the top of the stairs. Stephen celebrated his victory by sitting down and catching his breath. Flutershy took a moment to look him over and Rainbow Dash fluttered up to the top of the steps to join them.
Pinkie couldn’t stop laughing. “Wasn’t that fun?” she asked.
Stephen wasn’t ready to describe it as fun. But he could settle on, “Yeah…That was good,” in between panting breaths.
“Well the fun’s not over yet. Just look up!”
Stephen lifted his head and gazed into the giant room. The first thing he noticed was a long table covered with cups, plates, drinks, snacks and a large cake. Over the table was a banner reading, ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ in large, sparkling letters and a single piece of paper with Stephen’s name dangling under it. “You really put a lot of effort into this, didn’t you?” Stephen asked as he admired the balloons and streamers, which decorated the walls.
“Parties are Pinkie’s specialty,” said Fluttershy.
Pinkie went around the room and strapped party hats to everyone’s head. After securing one for Gummy, she skipped over to the table. After setting out four milkshakes and slices of cake, she turned to the others and said, “Eat up! We’re going to need a lot of sugary energy to get through tonight.”
“Aw yeah!” Rainbow cheered and jumped across the room, landing right next to the table.
Anything that would get Stephen more energy was appealing. Thanking Pinkie Pie, he walked over to the table with Fluttershy. Once he got there, he reached down and took a bite of the cake. After a moment, the cake’s perfect texture and taste hit Stephen’s tongue at full force and sent him into such a shock that he momentarily stopped chewing and forgot the manners his mother had spent years drilling into him. “Holy crow,” he spoke with his mouth full.
“Is it bad?” Pinkie asked with a concerned expression.
Stephen resumed chewing and swallowed the bite. “That is easily the best cake I’ve ever had.” Stephen practically inhaled the rest of the cake and then went for his milkshake, which was a very close second to the cake. Before he could finish it, Pinkie dropped another slice of cake and a cup of punch in front of him. The four ponies continued to converse and devour the confections. Stephen stopped when he neared the same discomfort he experienced after the Italian restaurant.
“Does anypony want more cake?” Pinkie asked.
“Nah, I’ve had enough,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Maybe just one more slice,” Fluttershy mumbled with averted eyes.
“I don’t think I could eat another bite,” said Stephen.
“Okey-dokey!” Pinkie pie set down a few more slices of the cake. “I’ll leave some here just in case.” As Fluttershy nibbled on her slice, Pinkie inhaled the rest of the cake in a few gigantic bites.
Unsure of what to think about Pinkie’s appetite, Stephen leaned to Rainbow Dash. “Is she a bottomless pit or something?” he asked.
Rainbow replied in the same bewildered tone, “I don’t know how she does half the things she does.”
“Is everyone ready to work off that cake?” Pinkie interjected.
“What do you mean?” asked Stephen.
Pinkie shot over to the other side of the room and dropped a needle on a vinyl record. A polka started playing through the speaker. “It’s time to dance!”
A nervous chill ran up Stephen’s spine. “Dance? Pinkie, I can barely maneuver this body. How the heck am I going to dance?”
“I’m going to teach you how to move that groove thing so you’re not falling over so much!”
Stephen wasn’t sure about this. On one hand, if he could get used to prancing about on four legs, he might not trip over himself so much. On the other hand, that meant that the trial-and-error involved would inevitably lead to a lot of falling over and he’d be making a foolish wager with whatever hopes he had of not getting hurt.
Wishing to avoid this if at all possible, Stephen quickly tried to think of a way out of it. “I can’t even dance under normal circumstances. Seriously, I got picked on at school for not having any rhythm,” Stephen lied. He had danced before with no problems and actually found it a bit fun as long as he was with his girlfriend or didn’t feel like anyone was watching. But he needed an excuse so he could hope for a chance that Pinkie would abandon the idea of dancing for a night of safely doing nothing.
Rainbow Dash interjected. “Then we’ll just have to fix that so you can show them some new moves,” she said confidently. Jabbing Stephen lightly with her foreleg, she continued, “Come on, it’ll be fun!”
Stephen hadn’t been able to worm his way out of anything yet. Why would this have been any different anyway? With that, he was out of ideas so he continued to play along. “Alright, what do I do first?” he reluctantly asked.
“Start off easy. Just run in place,” Pinkie said as she started jogging where she stood.
Stephen looked around the room. Fluttershy had set down her cake and seemed content with trotting in place to the rhythm of the music. Rainbow Dash seemed to be watching him and Pinkie while simply nodding her head to the beat. Gummy had found a grounded balloon and was chewing on it.
Stephen turned his attention back to Pinkie and studied her movement for a moment. When her right front foot went up, the left back foot went up too. Then she would switch with her left front and back right raised and the other two hooves planted. She alternated between these two positions at a merry pace with an even merrier smile decorating her face.
Stephen attempted imitating her by raising his front right foot. Once it was up, he raised his back left. Then he put them both on the ground and alternated. For the first ten or so switches, he moved as slowly and deliberately as possible. After that, his legs started getting used to the motion and he gradually picked up speed. Pinkie was still prancing much faster than Stephen but didn’t look like it took much effort at all. Stephen, on the other hand, was starting to feel short of breath. Then the music’s tempo kicked up.
“Come on, Stephen! Let’s see how you move!” said Pinkie as she added a bobbing and weaving motion to her dance.
“I’m going…as fast…as…I can…” Stephen said in between breaths. Pinkie stopped and held still with a bewildered facial expression. Stephen stopped as well, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked after a moment.
Pinkie burst into laughter. “You’re funny!” she pealed. “Dancing isn’t about moving fast. You have to move with your feelings, not your feet.”
“But I thought we were trying to teach me how to be coordinated.”
“We are, silly. I don’t know about you but if I start thinking about every ity-bity-muscle I have to move when I walk I’m much much more likely to trip. It’s a lot easier if you just do it.”
Stephen didn’t know about this but he was almost certain that’s what happens when someone’s instincts take over. That’s not something that can be done consciously, is it? “I still don’t follow you,” he said.
Pinkie pondered for a moment. “Oh!” she squeaked. “I have an idea!” She bolted back over to the turntable and exchanged the record. After dropping the needle, she was back over to Stephen even before the music started playing. “Do you like this music?”
It sounded like disco music being played on a single electronic keyboard. “It’s alright, I guess,” said Stephen.
“Good!” Pinkie hopped once with excitement. “Stay right here.” Pinkie zipped over to Fluttershy’s side. Nudging her, she brought Fluttershy back towards Stephen. “You should try dancing with someone. It’ll help you feel the beat.”
Fluttershy’s eyes bugged out and she shrank where she stood. “Um…Pinkie Pie…I don’t think I can…” she meekly stuttered out before being interrupted by Pinkie.
“So, Stephen, you dance with Fluttershy and I’ll be your coach.”
“Oh I have got to see this,” Rainbow giggled and flew in closer.
“She seems nervous, Pinkie,” said Stephen.
“Yeah,” said Rainbow with a chuckle. “Pinkie, you might have to coach both of them.”
“Um…what if Rainbow Dash dances and Pinkie Pie coaches and I…go over there…and dance…by myself…” Fluttershy said, shrinking even closer to the floor.
Rainbow’s face deadpanned. “I don’t dance.”
Fluttershy was practically shaking. “But…but…”
Rainbow came up next to Fluttershy. With a playful nudge, she joked, “Come on, Fluttershy. You’re not afraid of a little dancing, are you?”
Fluttershy’s big, green eyes got even bigger and started watering up as she squeaked a barely audible, “Yes.”
“Aww, that’s okay Fluttershy,” said Pinkie, patting her on the head. “You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to.”
Smirking, Rainbow hugged Fluttershy with a wing and said, “Don’t worry Fluttershy, I was just joking with you. Here, we’ll just watch Pinkie and Stephen.”
Fluttershy gulped. “Okay,” she said with her voice raised just above a whisper.
“Pinkie and I?” Stephen questioned.
“Looks like it’s up to me,” said Pinkie. She positioned herself in front of Stephen and widened her eyes at him. “I want you to keep your eyes on mine, stay this close to me, listen to the music and whatever you do don’t think!”
Easy for you to say, was the first thing that popped into Stephen’s mind. He decided not to vocalize the sentiment, as it would have distracted him from the task at hand. As he kept his eyes on hers, she stared into his, unblinking and with that smile which seemed ever present. Suddenly, she stepped closer to him, prompting Stephen to step back. Pinkie took a step back and Stephen stepped forward with her to keep the distance she requested.
How does one not think? Stephen asked himself while he continued to step back and forth with Pinkie. She had indeed told him to keep a clear mind. But wasn’t the thought of not thinking a thought in itself? It seemed like an oxymoron or a catch 22.
Pinkie added a left-to-right swaying motion as she continued to step with Stephen. For a moment, he mentally recorded the way Pinkie’s front and back legs alternated when she stepped and the way her body swayed from side to side. Stephen attempted to not break eye contact by using his peripherals to watch her hooves and his at the same time, copy her movements and hope that he would be able to remember them for the future. A giggle from Pinkie Pie jerked Stephen’s attention from his peripheral vision and back into Pinkie’s eyes. “Are you having fun? I’m having fun!”
“This isn’t what I expected. I know that much,” said Stephen, doing his best to follow her movement.
Stephen managed to keep his eyes on hers even as she suddenly bobbed her head. When they came up, he noticed from his peripherals that something about the room behind Pinkie was different. “But it’s fun right?” Pinkie asked before Stephen could think anything of it.
Stephen thought about it for a moment. After reprimanding himself for thinking again, he answered. “Yes, I suppose it is,” Remembering the previous four nights in an instant, he continued, “Especially compared to the other nights I’ve had these dreams.”
“Well you’re not dreaming now so we’ll make sure this is your best night ever.” Stephen chuckled but kept his eyes on Pinkie’s. She bobbed again and when she came up, the room seemed to have shifted to the right. Were they moving? Pinkie didn’t give him a chance to figure it out. “What else did you do today that was fun?” Pinkie’s head joined her body in swaying with the music.
At first, Stephen tried to follow her with his eyes but he ended up needing to trot in place in order to maintain the eye contact she’d requested. “Not much, really. I was groggy all day until my girlfriend came over. Then we went for a walk in the park and ate dinner.”
“That sounds like lots and lots of fun!” said Pinkie with another bob and turn.
Watching Pinkie, Stephen bent his neck down and weaved to his right and something clicked inside his head. How long had he been simultaneously trotting in place, bobbing, weaving, shifting and turning with her? “Holy crow,” said Stephen without breaking eye contact or stopping his motion. “Have we been dancing this whole song?”
“Yep,” Pinkie said cheerfully. “See? I knew you could dance if you kept your mind off it.”
Pinkie had just shown him how to put himself into a state of clear mindedness and demonstrated it on him without even having to explain it. How could the solution to such an abstract and complex concept be so simple? It was just a matter of almost not paying attention to what you were doing whilst doing it or operating on will power alone. The genius of it all was amazing on its own. Even more astounding was this revelation coming from the hyperactive mess that was Pinkie Pie.
Stephen’s train of thought ended around the same time as the song and he needed to catch his breath again. “That was awesome!” he whooped during an exhale.
“Let’s try something else now!” Pinkie said before dashing off again.
“I think I need a drink first,” Stephen said as he moved towards the punch bowl. He grabbed the ladle in his mouth and tried to pour himself another drink. However, most of the ladle’s contents spilled onto the floor. Despite being more confident with his maneuverability, perhaps he would need more practice at using tools by the grip of his mouth.
Stephen felt a tapping on his shoulder. Looking back, he found Rainbow Dash was hovering just above him with a punch-filled cup clasped between her hooves and held out to him. “Looks like you’ve got some nice moves after all,” she said, setting the cup on the table and pushing it towards him with her hoof.
“Thanks,” Stephen replied before downing the punch in one, long swig. “I think I’ve got this figured out now.” Stephen looked around and then turned back to Rainbow. “Do you know where I can find something to clean my spill with?”
“There’s no time for that!” Pinkie cheered. “There’s still so much to do!” Pinkie already had Fluttershy under her front leg. With the other foreleg, she grabbed Stephen and hauled them both out onto her floor.
Pinkie taught Stephen how to slow dance before the group moved onto a game of ‘Simon Says’. Stephen didn’t have much of a chance. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were dirty tricksters with tendencies to call out things that Stephen simply wasn’t ready to do such as headstands and cartwheels.
When it finally came time for Stephen’s turn, he had to think of a way to get back at Rainbow and Pinkie. He couldn’t think of anything he could say that they wouldn’t be able to do. But perhaps they didn’t need to physically stumble.
“Simon says; look up,” said Stephen, to which the other three complied. “Simon says; look down.” Stephen waited only for half a second once they’d lowered their heads. “Now quickly stand on your hind legs!” he blared as fast as he could. The sudden burst of urgency startled Fluttershy stiff. Pinkie and Rainbow jumped up onto their hind legs as fast as they could, only to realize that in their attempt to meet the command as quickly as it was given, they had followed it without the ‘Simon Says’ directive. After conceding defeat, Pinkie and Rainbow were a little more civil with their commands.
But the game was still challenging until Fluttershy took over. Fluttershy’s commands were seldom anything worse than lifting one of their legs or rearing up. Between Pinkie and Rainbow’s stunts, Stephen’s tricks and Fluttershy’s timid commands, the game was brought to a hilarious stalemate.
From ‘Simon Says’ the group moved onto ‘Red-Light/Green-Light’, ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’ and ‘Twister’. Each activity challenged the limits of Stephen’s dexterity by landing him in a variety of funny, complex and awkward positions. But whenever he remembered what Pinkie taught him about ‘just do it’, anything was possible with the exception of Pinkie’s ability to stand straight on one front hoof. Stephen wasn’t even going to bother trying that.
At one point, Rainbow Dash found a couple of balls that Pinkie had laying around for some arbitrary, inadequately explained reason. She started bouncing one back and forth off her head, front legs and back legs. She turned to Stephen with a competitive look and said, “Bet you can’t do this!”
“I’m not sure but I can try,” he replied.
Stephen walked to the other ball and dribbled it until the ball was between him and the wall. After picking a spot on the wall, Stephen gave the ball a light kick front-legged kick. The ball bounced off the predetermined spot and bounced back towards him. Lowering his head, the ball bounced off his crest and into the air. Keeping an eye on where it was going, Stephen raised his head and continued his bouncing. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie watched for a few minutes as Rainbow Dash and Stephen competed to see who would drop their bounce first. There was no end in sight until Gummy decided to reaffirm his affection for the new guest.
The soft clamp on Stephen’s leg distracted him enough to bounce the ball off the wrong spot on his head and off at an angle behind him. He backpedalled and dived down just in time to get off one more bounce. The ball then bounced forward and Stephen simply couldn’t recover fast enough.
Rainbow caught her ball under a wing. “Ha! That was pretty good but it doesn’t look like you’re ready for the big leagues yet, buddy.”
Stephen chuckled. “Hey now, I was doing fine until Gummy bit me.”
The games had been going on for a couple of hours. By now, Stephen could canter, prance, gallop, turn, spin, jump, cross, buck and rear up on command. It was tiring but as long as Stephen kept moving and took an occasional snack, he could almost keep pace with Pinkie. During one of these snacks, he found himself surprised at how much fun he was having. There was a simple, child-like pleasure to be had in these games which Stephen hadn’t played since he was ten-years-old. He could now see why Selena was so playful and enjoyed video games or going to the park’s playground. Starting tomorrow, he would enjoy these simpler pleasures with her more often.
Pinkie interrupted his thoughts again by poking his flank and shouting, “Tag! You’re it!”
Stephen changed his mind; he was going to start enjoying these simpler pleasures right now. “You’d better be ready to run!” he laughed out.
“No tag backs!” Pinkie giggled before taking off at full speed.
“You’re not getting off that easily!” Stephen galloped after her as she weaved around obstacles in the room, laughing hysterically the whole time. She was incredibly fast but he didn’t care, not even when Pinkie knocked the punch bowl into his path. He didn’t know if it was an accident or if Pinkie was trying to get him to trip. But thinking quickly, Stephen leapt over the new obstacle as the punch flew everywhere. Then the chase devolved into running in circles around the room. Stephen looked away only once when he noticed Gummy in the middle of their racetrack, trying to follow their movement with his eyes. While he wasn’t looking, he slammed into Pinkie’s backside and fell over. When he recovered, he took advantage poked her with his hoof. “You’re it,” he giggled.
“Hold on,” Pinkie responded.
Something must have been amiss. “What’s wrong?” Stephen asked.
“My knees feel pinchy,” she sounded nervous.
Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and started hovering with an alert expression. Fluttershy gasped and took cover behind the table. Stephen was officially perplexed. “What does that mean?” he asked.
“My knee gets pinchy when something scary is about to happen. We’d better stop playing to be careful.”
Stephen’s first instinct was she was trying to think of an excuse to not lose. But would Pinkie want to stop playing unless there really was something wrong? Her facial expression certainly looked like she believed danger was coming. Either it was or she was a really good actress. “Are you girls playing a joke on me?” he asked.
“Nope, sometimes I get little twitches and itches whenever something is about to happen. For example a twitchy tail means something is going to fall.”
Pinkie tried to turn around and demonstrate but she accidentally bumped him with her flank. Stephen was knocked off balance by her impressive hip strength and staggered for a few steps before remembering how to stop his momentum. But when he tried, he slipped on the spilled contents of the punch bowl and was sent careening straight towards the window.
“I got’cha!” Rainbow cried out and flew towards him.
Stephen turned his body to the side in hopes that dispersing his weight across the impact zone would prevent the window from breaking. The contact knocked the wind out of him and the glass failed to stop his momentum. Rainbow Dash appeared over him and tried to grab him out of the air. He tried to reach out to her as well but only succeeded in clocking her lower mandible, causing her to miss the grab. With that, Stephen was left trying to grab onto nonexistent ledges with nonexistent hands as he plummeted headlong towards the ground.