Rainbow Dash slowly stirred to life after her long night’s slumber which, thankfully, had been free from any more dreams. It was unusual for her to even have dreams, but lately they had become more vivid and frequent. She lay in bed, her mind wondering about the events from the last two days.
How do I feel about Twilight, what kind of a future could we have together, and sweet Celestia, when is that pony gonna stop knocking on my window?
“What a second...”
Rainbow jumped out of bed with a disgruntled snort, walked over to the window and threw it open. “Cloudkicker? What are you doing here so early?”
“Hey Boss. You uh... you having a good morning?” the blonde-maned pegasus asked, giving a sheepish smile.
“Alright, spit it out,” Rainbow asked, annoyed. “What happened?”
Cloudkicker sighed. “Blossomforth mixed up the maps today, and now it’s raining over Town Hall.”
Rainbow shook her head in frustration. “Ugh. Nice one, Blossomforth! I told her Ponyville is supposed to be clear for the whole week!”
“I tried telling her that, but she got a nasty case of ‘Little Emperor syndrome’,” Cloudkicker replied.
“Little what now? What the hay does that mean?” Rainbow asked.
“Well, it’s when a pony-“
“You know what? I don’t care. Looks like I can kiss breakfast goodbye.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and made for the open window. “C’mon Cloudkicker, let’s get this mess fixed.”
“I can’t say I was expecting this,” Twilight said as she stared at a soaked Town Hall. The unexpected downpour had fallen across the square, causing her plans to grind to a halt.
“This is most unusual.” Rarity observed the scene around her in dismay. “I thought the pegasi had insisted there would be nothing but sunny skies for the remainder of the week. Just what in Celestia’s name are those... feathered foul-ups doing up there?”
“I don’t know, but if this keeps up, we won’t be ready in time for the festival!” Twilight added.
Rarity sighed. “Oh well, I suppose we can work on the tablecloths until the weather ponies get this mess sorted.”
“I guess there are other things we could do, but we really needed to get the tables and stands set up today,” Twilight said, unrolling her lengthy to-do list. The scroll unfurled and rolled across the ground, eventually hitting Rarity’s hoof.
Rarity pushed the scroll away, casually dismissing it with a bemused smile. “Oh Twilight, you and your silly checklists. You should know by now that Ponyville is not the sort of place for schedules. Ponyville is too… too…”
“Crazy?” Twilight offered.
Rarity smiled. “Not the word I was going for, but it will do. Speaking of crazy weather, I don’t suppose you have an insider’s source on the weather team’s inner workings, do you?” she asked, nudging Twilight’s side.
“Actually, Rainbow took a couple vacation days. This is her first day back on the job since we started dating. I’m sure she’s just as thrilled as we are about the screwy weather,” Twilight replied, rolling her eyes.
“Vacation days? My, that is unusual for her.” Rarity’s eyes widened momentarily. “No worries, my dear. I’m sure she’ll have this misunderstanding cleared up in a jiffy! In the meantime, I could use your help with the tablecloths.”
Twilight’s eyes wandered towards Sugarcube Corner. “I would love to, Rarity, but I need to see if the Cakes have the food situation under control. I’m sure Spike would love to help, if you need it,” she offered.
“Ah, of course! I must say, Twilight, he’s the handiest and most adorable assistant a pony could ever ask for. Why, if it weren’t for him, I never would’ve completed that order in time for the Canterlot play. I’ll be off then. Good luck at the bakery!” Rarity said, as she sashayed towards the library.
Rainbow stared at Blossomforth sternly, her forelegs crossed over her chest.
“And what have we learned today?”
“To put the maps back in the proper order and check the coordinates and make sure they match,” Blossomforth recited, hanging her head in shame.
“And?” urged Rainbow Dash.
Blossomforth stared at her blankly.
Rainbow put her hoof to her head in frustration. “Always listen to your weather buddy!”
“But you never listen to your weather buddy,” Blossomforth complained. “You don’t even have a weather buddy!”
Rainbow groaned in frustration. She knew how hypocritical it looked to order somepony to do something that she neglected herself. “I know, I know, but I’ve been working weather duty for years. Not only that, but as the weather manager I’m responsible for the ponies who work under me. If you screw something up, I’m the one in trouble, not you. From now on, listen to the others if they think there’s a problem,” Rainbow pleaded.
“Yes, Rainbow Dash,” Blossomforth droned out.
“Alright, now go meet Cloudkicker and get Sweet Apple Acres taken care of while I deal with Town Hall.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Blossomforth said, taking off toward the farm.
Rainbow looked back at Town Hall in dismay. Rain fell in sheets over the square, thoroughly soaking the area. She cracked her neck and aimed toward the dark clouds. Before she could take off, a familiar voice caught her attention. Looking down, she saw Twilight and Rarity standing in the street discussing something. Twilight split off and ducked into Sugarcube Corner with one of her checklists.
I wonder if Twilight might be up for lunch. Wait a minute… it’s still morning. C’mon Rainbow, keep it together. You can’t keep letting yourself get sidetracked like that. You’ve got work to do!
Rainbow turned her attention back to the clouds dropping their payload over town square.
“Alright, time to do some cloudbusting!”
The sharp chime of a bell announced Twilight’s entrance, drawing the warm smile of a blue pony behind the counter.
“Oh! Good morning, Twilight. What can I do for you?” asked Mrs. Cake.
“Good morning, Mrs. Cake. I’m just here to see how the food preparations are going for the festival,” Twilight said.
Suddenly, she noticed a change in Mrs. Cake’s expression. “Is there something wrong?” Twilight asked.
“Oh no, dear. We got all the supplies this morning and we’ll be ready to fire up the ovens tonight.”
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Whew! You had me worried there for a moment! I’ve run into all sorts of problems, and I was beginning to wonder if anything would go right today.”
“Except…” Mrs. Cake started.
“Except...” Twilight repeated, her quill hovering over her checklist expectantly.
“There is one small problem.”
“Ugh, please tell me you’re joking!” Twilight groaned, dropping her quill and checklist.
“I’m afraid not. You see, Pinkie has been acting rather strange lately. She’s staying in her room more often, and when she does help us in the kitchen, she’s a bit slower than she usually is. I hate to admit, but with me handling the counter and Cup handling the regular orders, Pinkie is the one we count on most to get the large orders filled, especially since I’ve had to start taking care of the twins. You wouldn’t happen to know what’s troubling the poor dear would you?” Mrs. Cake asked.
Twilight shook her head dejectedly. “I was hoping you might know. She hasn’t quite been herself lately.”
Mrs. Cake smiled apologetically. “Pinkie doesn’t usually talk to us when she’s having problems. She’s afraid of troubling others when she feels out of sorts. She might listen to you, though. She’s in her room if you want to go on up.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Twilight said.
She made her way up the stairs to Pinkie’s room. Her hoof rested on the doorknob for a moment.
She’d never been good at these sorts of things. Sure, she could lecture somepony when they were clearly in the wrong, but confronting somepony who just didn’t want to talk... that was something else entirely. Nevertheless, she bolstered her courage and pushed the door open.
The lights were off and the curtains were drawn, giving the room an eerie atmosphere. Balloons lay on the floor, some half deflated, and the few cracks of light that made it through her curtains barely lit up the vibrant decorations in her room.
“Pinkie Pie… It’s me, Twilight.”
“I can see that,” Pinkie replied flatly.
Twilight’s eyes adjusted to the dark, slowly giving her a better view of the pink pony. Pinkie was lying flat on the bed, her head hanging off the edge.
“Oh… right. I was just announcing myself before, ya know… barging in,” Twilight explained.
“Most ponies just knock.”
Twilight cringed. It was unusual for Pinkie to be confrontational at all. Even worse, her voice seemed to lack her joyful pitch and chirpiness. It seemed dull and straightforward, as if being her normal, exuberant self took too much effort.
“Pinkie, is something wrong? Mrs. Cake seems worried, and after last night Rainbow and I are, too.”
Pinkie’s eyes widened a touch. “Worried? About me?” she asked, her voice taking on a more concerned tone.
“Yes, you!” Twilight trotted over to the bed, causing the pink pony to shift uncomfortably. “We all know something’s bothering you, but we can’t help if you don’t tell us what that is. We’re your friends, after all,” she reassured with a warm smile. She saw the corners of Pinkie’s mouth turn upwards just a tiny bit, but enough to make Twilight feel slightly better.
“Thanks, Twilight. I… I can’t really talk about it though.”
“Why not? What’s so big that you can’t even tell one of your friends?” Twilight asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder.
Pinkie sighed. “I have to tell somepony something, but... if I do, it might end up hurting somepony else’s feelings.”
“Pinkie Pie, if they’re really your friends, they’ll listen to you and help you no matter what. That’s how friendship works. You can’t avoid facing your fears. You have to tackle them head on with a smile. That’s what you taught all of us.”
“I did?”
Twilight smiled at the pink pony. “Yes, Pinkie, you did. Whenever I’m afraid of something, or scared I might mess something up, I think about you, and what you said. We can’t hide from something just because it scares us. We just have to pony up and face our fears.”
Pinkie’s smile crept upwards slightly. "I... I'm alright. Thanks for checking on me."
"That's what friends do," Twilight said with a smile.
Pinkie hopped off the bed and gave the unicorn a soft hug. "It means alot to know I have good friends like you girls when I'm not feeling Pinkie-ish," the pink mare said, releasing Twilight. "Do you wanna grab some cupcakes or something with me?”
“I’d love to, but I’ve got quite a long checklist to prepare for the festival tomorrow. Raincheck?”
“Sure!"
Twilight stared as the pony walked through the doorway out of sight. “Well, that certainly went better than expected,” she said, checking the box next to food on her list. “This would probably go a lot faster if I had Spike with me. Oh well, somepony has to keep Rarity busy, otherwise I’d be tied up all day with her. Let’s see… next on the list is... decorations. I suppose I can at least make sure the rest of Ponyville is ready, even if Town Square isn’t.”
Whew, finally!
The evening sun stretched its orange light over the horizon as Rainbow hovered over Town Hall.
As long as nopony else messes anything else up, Ponyville should be dry and ready for tomorrow. Guess it’s time to knock off for the day.
Rainbow took off down main street glancing back and forth, hoping to find the pony that’s been on her mind so much as of late. Amidst the usual smattering of ponies headed home after a long day she spotted a bit of lavender in the crowd. She sped to the ground landing next to Twilight, who was currently talking with Rose about something.
“So, we should have enough lotus blossoms for tomorrow, right?” Twilight asked.
Rose nodded with a smile. “Sure will! They’ll be prime for picking tomorrow!”
“Great job! I knew I could count on you. Carrot Top isn’t still angry, is she?” Twilight asked hesitantly. “I know how badly she wanted to try growing them this year.”
“Not anymore. After you put me in charge, she thought she’d grow one herself to prove you wrong. It didn’t turn out so well…” Rose trailed off.
“I’m sure she’s just not used to growing flowers. It couldn’t have turned out that ba-“
“It caught on fire,” Rose interrupted.
“Oh…well… hmmm.”
“Yeah…”
“In that case I’m glad you’re the pony I picked. See you tomorrow at the festival!” Twilight exclaimed, waving as she walked away.
“Bye Twilight, see you tomorrow!” Rose replied.
Rainbow stepped towards the unicorn with a friendly smile. “Still working on that checklist, Egghead?”
Twilight sighed. “Hey Rainbow. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to manage so many ponies at once without everything going horribly wrong.”
“I might have an idea…” the pegasus replied, letting her voice trail off.
“Oh right, weather team. Speaking of weather, what’s up with the rain earlier? I thought Ponyville was supposed to be cloud free all the way through the festival?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I got it taken care of. What’s left on your list?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight rolled the scroll up and stuck it in her saddlebags. “Actually, that was the last stop. I was just about to go to the library to wind down for the night.”
Rainbow’s eyes brightened. “Mind if I come with?”
“Sure, come on over. Oh, and I stopped by Sugarcube Corner today.”
Rainbow looked back at the unicorn. “You talked to Pinkie Pie?”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, she seemed really out of it. Only thing is, I didn’t get to talk to her too long before she miraculously started feeling better.”
Rainbow scratched her head quizzically. “We didn’t miss her birthday, did we?
Twilight pulled out a notepad and started flipping through the pages.
“Hmmmm, p, p, p, Pound cake, Pumpkin Cake, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia….”
Rainbow scrunched her face apprehensively. "I know I’m not an egghead like you, but shouldn’t you list the princess’ under their names and not their titles?”
Twilight sighed. “I know, I know! It just feels weird saying or writing their names without the princess part.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Weirdo.”
“Ah-hah! Pinkie Pie, no, her birthday isn’t for another two months.”
“Eh, Pinkie goes through swings like that now and then. I don’t know about you but I’m starving. Why don’t we stop and get something to eat?”
Twilight’s eyes brightened. “I’ve got a great idea! Why don’t I cook us some pancakes! I’ve been dying to try my hoof at cooking and Pinkie gave me the perfect recipe to try!”
Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but seeing Twilight’s eager smile, she stopped herself, not wanting to dash her enthusiasm. “I guess it can’t hurt as long as you follow the recipe…” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Yup! I already have everything we need at the library.”
“Alright," Rainbow said, grinning slyly. "Let's see what you can do."
“So then Sweetie Belle tripped over the stake holding the slingshot back, and sent all three of them flying! I’m telling you Rainbow, they went way out there!” Spike said, extending his arms for emphasis. “Good thing the lake was there to break their fall.”
Rainbow snickered. “Those little pipsqueaks sure do get into some crazy stuff.”
The sound of a slamming door caught Rainbow and Spike’s attention drawing their eyes to the kitchen. Twilight stood in the doorway followed by a cloud of smoke. Her mane was a mess and she had a slight twitch in her face.
“Um, are you okay?” Rainbow asked hesitantly.
“Spike, take a note.”
Spike followed Twilight’s instructions and produced a paper and quill instantly.
“One extra large pizza with extra cheese, daisies, lilies, and willows, one order of hay fries from The Ponizza Parlor, and one dozen brownies from Sugarcube Corner.”
Spike scribbled furiously, copying every word Twilight said. “Anything else?”
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to pick this up for us, would you?” Twilight asked, flashing her puppy dog eyes.
“I don't know… what’s in it for me?” Spike asked, apparently having built up a resistance to such tactics.
The unicorn’s eyes went to the ceiling coyly. “I think I have a few lapis lazuli rattling around I can part with.”
The baby dragon’s eyes lit up. “You can count on me!”
Rainbow stared at Spike as he sprinted out the front door slamming it behind him. She looked back at Twilight, whose face had fallen. “I’m guessing it didn’t turn out so well?”
Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. I don’t know what happened. I did everything by the book but it just didn’t come out right. It cooked a lot faster than the recipe said it should have, and stuck to the pan.”
Rainbow scratched her head. “It cooked too fast? Did you use a copper or a cast iron pan?”
“Umm, copper, I think...”
“And the sticking, that’s usually what happens when you don’t grease your cookware correctly.”
Rainbow eyed the unicorn suspiciously. “I thought you followed the book…”
“I did... kinda. Well, once everything got started it got a little too fast and I couldn’t keep up. I might’ve missed a few details. Wait a minute, how do you know so much about cooking?” Twilight asked, returning a suspicious glare of her own.
“I used to help somepony now and again. I learned a few things along the way.”
Twilight sighed. “Maybe I should have asked you, instead of just assuming you didn’t know anything. But you could have offered to help!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusatory hoof toward the pegasus.
“You said you wanted to do it!”
Twilight hung her head again. “Yeah, you’re right. I should have asked.”
Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “Wanna send that to the princess?”
“I think it’ll be fine if that one goes under the rug.” The unicorn said with a wry grin.
“So… what do you wanna do until he gets back?”
“The kitchen is a bit of a disaster,” Twilight said, suggested.
“As long as I don’t have to scrub the pans.”
“Deal!”
Twilight and Rainbow lay on the floor next to the half eaten pizza. Spike had long since gone to bed, leaving the ponies to share stories about whatever popped into their heads. Normally the idea of sitting around and doing nothing would be, at best, extremely unappealing, and, at worst, downright terrifying to the unicorn. Ever since the encounter with her past self though, she’d come to enjoy her free time a bit more. In fact, she came to realize that much of the time she spent worrying about what was left to do and what was next ate up more time than anything else.
“Hey Rainbow?”
“Hmmm?”
“Were you and the others close before I came to Ponyville?” the unicorn asked, her eyes trained on the ceiling.
“Not really. I mean, we all ran into each other here and there, but we didn’t hang out like we do now. Rarity mostly made dresses and buried herself in work. Pinkie, I always thought, was way more annoying than she actually is, but we still went to her parties. Applejack and I have always butted heads now and then, mostly because of the weather, and I’ve always tried to keep an eye on Fluttershy since flight school. Besides that, we never really spent too much time together. You certainly wouldn’t have caught me modeling for Rarity, that’s for sure.” She pointed her hoof at her mouth as if she was going to toss up the pizza resting on her stomach.
“So… if you guys never hung out a lot, who did you end up dating?” Twilight asked suggestively.
“This again?” Rainbow groaned
“I wanna know. Is that a crime?”
Rainbow stayed silent for a few moments. Twilight guessed the gears were turning in her mind.
“Fine, I’ll tell you…but you have to tell me something afterwards.”
Twilight eyed her warily. “Okay, but you go first.”
“It was Applejack.”
“Ah-hah! I knew it!” the unicorn shouted. Rainbow looked up at her, holding her ears. “Oh, sorry. I’ve just been wondering who it was and I always thought you and Applejack had a little more in common than friendly competition. Also, apart from the Cakes and Pinkie Pie, Applejack is the best baker in Ponyville.”
“Yeah, yeah. It wasn’t something either of us had planned. It just sorta happened.”
“What was it like?” Twilight asked.
“Kinda like hanging out with your best friend. With AJ I felt like I didn’t have to be somepony else. I could just be me. It was just straightforward without any of the normal mess you have to go through when you wanna date somepony.”
“You didn’t go out together much?”
Rainbow shook her head. “Not really. We mostly just hung out, had burping contests, helped cook for large crowds and contests, and talked about whatever was bugging us.”
“So if everything was going alright, why did you two end it?” Twilight probed. She felt the pegasus’ muscles tighten for a moment, and noticed a sudden change in her demeanor.
“We just drifted apart, that’s all. Eventually we both decided we’d be better off with somepony else.”
Twilight raised her head. “Wait, that’s it? You broke up for no reason?”
“Yeah, no real reason. We just stopped hanging out. Sometimes it happens like that and you just gotta accept it,” Rainbow rattled off.
Twilight thought for a moment, that didn’t sound like the Rainbow Dash she knew. The Rainbow she knew fought to the bitter end and didn’t take anything lying down.
“Okay, my turn,” Rainbow announced, interrupting Twilight’s train of thought. “Have you ever dated somepony else before?”
Twilight cringed. She thought the pegasus might ask her about the princess, or her royal duties in Canterlot. Of course Rainbow would ask about her personal life. “Nope, you're the first.”
“Why? Weren't there any decent stallions in Canterlot?”
Twilight thought for a moment. It wasn’t like she avoided being around other ponies, she just didn’t have time. There was always so much to do. “Of course there were... I guess I just never got around to it.” The pegasus went silent, apparently satisfied, or perhaps considering the answer.
“Twilight?”
“Yeah?”
“Mind if I stay here for the night?”
Everything in Twilight’s mind told her to say no, to tell the pegasus lying beside her that she couldn’t for some reason.
“I don’t mind.”
“Thanks, Twilight.”
She felt the pegasus push closer to her. A soft smile crawled across Twilight’s face as her body heat mingled with Rainbow’s. She laid her own head down next to the pegasus’ multicolored mane. As her eyes shut, a new feeling washed over her. A feeling she had never felt before, yet needed for quite awhile.
It felt nice just being with somepony else in such a way.
“Good night, Rainbow,” she mumbled as her eyes slowly closed sending her off to sleep.
Rainbow walked through Ponyville with Twilight at her side. They had been talking all morning and shared a few laughs back and forth. What were they talking about? It didn’t matter. She was enjoying her stroll with the unicorn, and that’s the only thing that mattered.
The ponies they passed nodded and waved with bright eyes and friendly smiles. They walked by Applejack’s stand, and the cowpony nodded and gave them a friendly tip of her hat.
Instinctively Rainbow glanced back at her side only to find that Twilight was nowhere to be found. She did a double take and spun around frantically trying to find her. Turning around, she came face-to-face with Applejack.
“What’s wrong? Ya lose somethin’?”
Rainbow backed away slowly and turned around only to end up looking directly into Applejack’s eyes again.
“T’ain’t fair ya get to walk away scot-free and happy, now is it?”
The pegasus spun around yet again, this time five Applejacks stood in her way, each with a dangerous glint in their eyes. Rainbow felt cornered. She wasn’t sure what they had in mind, but she didn’t like it.
“Just leave me alone! I’m not hurting anypony!”
“Not anymore, yer not.”
One of the Applejacks pushed her to the ground. She shook off the hit and instinctively glanced over her shoulder. The street which had once been behind her had disappeared. In its place was a canyon, stretching as far as she could see.
“Didja honestly think ya could hurt somepony and not pay the price?”
Rainbow held her hooves out in front of her in desperation. “Please, AJ. I’m sorry!”
“Not yet, you ain’t.” Applejack kicked her off the edge, sending her spiraling into the air. The world turned from blue to brown and back again as she plummeted to the ground. She gave her wings a few flaps, but felt something was wrong. Glancing to her back, she realized both of her wings were missing. Panic set in as the ground rushed up to meet her.
“I’m sorry, Applejack!”
She winced as her side hit the ground.