242: OH MY
“Can’t I have just a teensy, tiny, super-small little smidge?” begged Pinkie Pie, very nearly drooling on the tray of brownies.
“The answer is still no, Pinkie,” said Twilight, magically whisking away the desserts and stowing them back in the picnic basket.
“Patience, dear,” said Rarity. “I’m sure Rainbow Dash will be along any moment now.” She looked critically at the hoof she was polishing, then redoubled her efforts with her file.
Fluttershy scanned the sky again. “I hope she’s all right,” fretted the pegasus. “It’s not like Rainbow Dash to be late for a picnic.”
“Got that right, sugar cube,” said Applejack, chuckling. She glanced at Twilight. “She did say she was comin’, didn’t she?”
The unicorn nodded. “When I left, she told me she’d meet us here at noon. I wonder what’s keeping her?”
“Well, Ah reckon she’ll be here soon. That pony loves Pinkie’s brownies more’n Pinkie does.”
At the mention of brownies, Pinkie groaned and flopped to the grass, flailing her legs. “Just one bite? How about one little bite of a bite? That’s not even a whole bite! It’s—”
“No,” snapped Twilight. She yanked the basket further away.
The pink earth pony suddenly jumped to her hooves. “I can’t take it anymore!” she cried. “I’m going to find Dashie!” She started galloping back towards town, frizzy mane and tail streaming out behind her.
“Actually,” said Applejack, watching Pinkie tear down the road, “Ah am gettin’ a bit concerned mahself. Maybe we should take a look an’ make sure Dash is okay. You last saw her at the library, Twi?”
Twilight nodded. “She didn’t say she had anywhere else to be today, either.”
Rarity tutted. “Oh, I daresay she’s fine, especially if she spent the night at the library”—Twilight and Fluttershy blushed; Applejack tried to hide a grin—“but . . . well, perhaps we should make sure the poor dear hasn’t entangled herself in any more trouble. You know how she is.”
“I wouldn’t mind checking,” added Fluttershy.
“You’re right,” said Twilight. “As Rainbow Dash’s friends, we need to make sure she’s okay. Let’s go, girls!”
* * *
With a little teleportational cheating, they managed to catch up with Pinkie Pie. Together, the five ponies hurried back through town to the library.
Twilight pulled open the door and nearly ran into Spike.
“Oh, good,” said the dragon. “I was just about to go find you. Rainbow Dash says she can’t make it and wants you to save her some brownies.”
“What?” said Twilight. “Why?”
“Because she really likes them. Duh.”
“I meant, why can’t she make it?”
“She said she’s indispersed.”
“Indisposed?
“Uh, yeah, I guess.” He jerked a thumb towards the stairs leading to the upper rooms. “I left her with a Daring Do book and was going to get you, but now that you’re here, I guess I can get back to cataloguing.”
He returned to a desk piled high with books. Twilight and the others followed him into the library.
“Indisposed?” echoed Applejack, arching an eyebrow.
“Is Rainbow Dash sick?” asked Fluttershy anxiously.
Rarity sniffed. “I expect indisposed means napping all morning.”
“It’s a good thing I stashed some brownies here in case of brownie emergencies!” said Pinkie, waving around a tray of brownies she’d inexplicably produced from somewhere.
Twilight shook her head and trotted up the stairs.
“Rainbow Dash?” she called, pushing open the door to her bedroom.
“Hey, Twi!” said a familiar blue pegasus lying on the bed with an open book in front of her. Her eager smile shrank a bit as the other ponies crowded in behind Twilight. “Oh. Uh, hey, guys. Did ya bring me a brownie?”
Pinkie jumped up and down. “Sure did, Dashie!”
“Never mind the brownies,” said Twilight, stamping a hoof. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you come to the park?”
Rainbow chuckled nervously. “Sorry about that. I really wanted to, but I, uh . . . I couldn’t.”
“Why ever not, dear?” asked Rarity.
“I . . . I just . . . I’m having a hard time getting around today, okay?”
Applejack frowned. “Huh? You hurt yerself or somethin’, RD?”
Rainbow flushed. “Look, I just . . . I can’t exactly fly straight right now, and walking’s not much better.”
Twilight suddenly gasped. Her eyes became very, very round, and her face burned redder than the apples on Applejack’s flanks. “Oh,” she squeaked.
“Yeah,” said Rainbow. She grinned sheepishly. “I mean, it was fun and all, but maybe you can use the smaller one next time?”