We got up early the next morning to get Shy from the airport. I had decided to stay at Vinyl's and sleep on the sofa to conserve time, since Shy said she'd be getting in really early. I drove Vinyl's car, because she was too tired.
Unfortunately, when we got there, Shy had already been there an hour. Apparently the plane got in early, and she didn't want to wake us up. After I got done crushing her in a bear hug, I scolded her for being so silly. Then I left Vinyl to talk with her while I put Shy's bags in the car.
We drove back to my house and got Shy settled into the spare room. I showed her where everything was, and then I treated everyone to breakfast at the local Waffle House two blocks from my house.
And today, a week later, we're getting the girls together to celebrate my seventeenth birthday. Pinkie is in charge of the festivities. I can't decide whether that'll be a disaster or not. It's usually pretty sugary. I'm gonna end up with diabetes one day because of her.
Arriving at Sugarcube Corner with Vinyl and Shy in tow, I discovered that the outside of the bakery was covered in balloons and streamers. As I pulled the door open, I received a blast from her confetti cannon full in the face. Shielded by my body, the other two laughed at my now multicolored face, as did the girls inside, Twi and Applejack. I did my best to scrape off the paper scraps and straighten my bowtie, a gift from Vinyl and I's friend Octavia, aka Tavi or Octy. She had shown up outside my door early this morning to deliver the gift, and almost had a panic attack when Shy answered the door. Luckily, Vinyl and I got everything straightened out.
Taking a seat in Pinkie's self proclaimed Party Throne, I waited for the bubbly baker to show herself. And so she did, in a rather stunning way. A birthday cake rolled from the kitchen. Music began playing from somewhere overhead. And then Pinkie popped out of said cake, not quite scantily clad, but close enough that everyone felt uncomfortable. Especially Shy and I. Shy, for her obvious innocence, and I felt weird because I had a girlfriend, and because this was Pinkie. I covered Shy's eyes with a hand while I awkwardly cleared my throat.
"Um, Pinks, why are you... you know? Could you perhaps go put some clothes on and stop it?" Pinkie looked stunned.
"But, Dashie, I thought you liked this kind of thing? You do like girls, don't you?" Becoming more nervous by the minute, I tugged at the collar of my black dress shirt, certain that the electric blue bowtie was strangling me. I'm sure my face was a nice shade of red.
"Yeah, I do, but I have a girlfriend. Who is currently standing just across the room. Also, no I do not like that sort of thing. It's just too weird." My already scratchy voice was squeaking and cracking like a clarinet in a little kid's hands. This was spiraling out of control.
"Oh, okay Dashie. Let me just get out of here. Can you help me?" I nodded meekly, hoping this wouldn't offend Vinyl. I stood up and walked to meet the pinkette. Reaching up, I grabbed her arms, and began to help her up and over. When she got about halfway out, I wrapped my arms around her legs and lifted her some more.
Rarity chose that exact moment to walk in. The only warning I got was a tinkling bell.
"Oh my. Have I arrived at an innoportune moment, dears? Perhaps I should wait outside while you two... finish up." My face burned in it's rather compromising position. I knew what it looked like, with my face so close to Pinkie's crotch. I wasn't enjoying it in the slightest, and that made it worse.
Deciding to let my friends explain, I lifted Pinkie the rest of the way out and sent her to change while I wheeled the cake back into the kitchen. When I got done, I walked back out slowly, gauging the situation. Apparently everything was sorted out, because Rarity apologized when I returned.
In all the commotion, we had neglected to notice that Rarity had brought a guest. She looked incredibly familiar, and when she turned, it was Octy. Not that she wasn't welcome, but why did she come with Rarity?
"Hey Octy. Glad you're here. Thanks for the bowtie, by the way, it's really cool." She blushed lightly when I thanked her, and waved it off.
"You are welcome, Rainbow. It was the least I could do to show up to your birthday. You never know how many you have left, so carpe diem and such. As for my gift, I assume you noticed the color. I thought it was fitting, as that is part of the color scheme of Vinyl's hair. It makes it sort of a coupley thing, which is nice for such a cute couple." It was my turn to blush. I had seen the color, and I wondered if she'd done it purposely.
"What is this about couples? Who is Rainbow Dash dating?" Rarity, the everpresent go-to gossip, walked over to join the two of us. I cringed. This was not the way I wanted her to find out.
"We were just talking about how Vinyl and Rainbow make a cute pair. I was telling her how I picked out the bowtie she's wearing to match Vinyl's hair." Oh boy, here it comes. The shunning, the silence, the anger, the...
"Well, I think that was a wonderful idea. That was sweet of you, Octavia. I assume Vinyl is the girl at the table talking to Twilight and the girls. Octavia is right, you two do make a cute couple. Congratulations, dear. How long have you been together?" Well, that was not what I expected at all. It took a second for my brain to catch up.
"About a week or so, maybe two. I'm so glad you're okay with it. I thought you would be disgusted with me or something. I mean, high class people like you usually seem to share a distaste for same sex couples." She smiled lightly at me and laughed. Shaking her head ever so slightly, she responded to my statement in an unexpected way.
"While that may be true for some people, I would never look down upon love. And even if I did dislike those kinds of relationships, I would never let those beliefs come between myself and a friend." I felt incredibly relieved. She was okay with us!
"Besides, certain... events as of late have changed the way I feel about that sort of thing. You might say I've opened up to a whole new way of thinking." Looking at her curiously, she smiled conspiratorily, and held up her hand, whose fingers were now intertwined with Octy's. I felt my eyes widen in surprise, and I found that I was positively beaming. Finally, the two upper crust girls had found someone of their own kind that they could actually stand. I couldn't be happier.
"You must understand, Rainbow, that no one but the people in this room can know. It would ruin our careers, especially Octavia's, as she is a classical musician attending the Royal Conservatory." I nodded, and Pinkie swore that I wouldn't tell a soul. Rarity and Octy smiled broadly at me, and pulled me in for a group hug.
"Hey, we'll have to swap stories later. I want to know what got you two together."
"As do we, with regard to yourself and Vinyl." I nodded and shook hands with Rarity, who was currently being more vocal than Octy. Then, we walked over to join the party.
About five minutes later, Luna showed up in a midnight blue limousine outside the bakery, carrying two presents. One was a golden box with a white ribbon from Celestia, and the other was a midnight blue box with a silver and black striped ribbon from Luna herself. I hugged her and set the boxes on the gift table, and then pulled up a chair for her at the table everybody was sitting around.
Pinkie came out of the kitchen with a second, rainbow iced cake, thankfully properly dressed this time. She set it down on the counter, and disappeared back into the kitchen to get the party food. I jumped up to help her carry it out, figuring she'd appreciate it.
The kitchen was kinda dark, and I figured they had most of the lights off to conserve energy. I found the platters of food on one of the stainless steel prep tables. As I reached to grab a couple of trays, I felt warm breath on the back of my neck, and hands running down my sides. Twisting around, I faced a rather awkwardly seductive Pinkie Pie.
"Pinks, what are you doing?" She smiled at me and winked.
"I'm not doing anything but trying to give you my birthday present. Come a little closer, Dashie." She started pressing me back into the metal table, and I was definitely drenched in awkwardness. Then, I noticed that her hair was perfectly... straight. Oh no, that's why she's acting like this. This thought was punctuated by a hand running down my leg. I pushed her off, and turned to grab a tray and run.
Big mistake. She leaned forward, practically laying on my back, and nipped my earlobe. I shivered, and she laughed. She kept making grabs at me while I picked up a tray and struggled away from her. If I hadn't reached the door when I did, she probably would've had my belt undone and going for my pants. Luckily, I spotted AJ outside the door, and I sent her in to calm Pinkie down.
Ten minutes later, a very flustered AJ emerged from the kitchen with food, soon followed by a once-again curly haired Pinkie. When AJ passed me to sit down again, she whispered, "You so owe me one, Dash." I assume that means it went well. I still scooted a little closer to Vinyl when Pinkie came to the table, and pulled Luna closer on my other side for good measure. It scared me that Pinkie didn't seem to remember what she had done. 'Course, she never does when she goes into that weird, alter ego, straight hair thingy.
Time flies when you're having fun, and soon the girls sang Happy Birthday, and Pinkie served up cake. I finished eating my slice, and then I got up and brought the gifts over a few at a time until the whole pile was sitting in front of my 'throne'. I picked up Vinyl's first, since she was my girlfriend, after all. It was a cyan blue wrapped box, with a rainbow striped bow on top. I smiled at her.
I took the bow off the box and stuck it on Vinyl. "You know, Vinyl, you didn't have to get me a thing. Being with you was the best gift I could ask for." She blushed, and leaned forward to kiss me while the other girls were making various exclamations of delight over my words. It was kinda adorable, I suppose.
Getting back to unwrapping it, I peeled the paper back to reveal an unassuming white box. Inside was an incredible gift. Vinyl had given me an autographed set of studio headphones from her personal brand, Hoofbeatz. Underneath that was a vinyl record, also autographed. I smiled widely and hugged her. She had known that I needed some new headphones, but this was a really unexpected and expensive gift.
"That record is the best part, Dash. I put our favorite songs on there, and the last track is one I mixed for you. It's going to be the lead single on my new album." I felt a tear leak into my eye. She had made a song specially for me? I leaned over and gathered her thin frame into a bear hug.
"Thanks, Vinyl. That's so amazing. I'm so happy I let you in my life. You're one of those people I just don't deserve. I love you so much." Our friends let out another chorus of approving noises.
Leaning back, I picked up Luna's gift. Carefully untying the ribbon, I placed it on the table before tearing off the shimmery paper. Looking inside the box, I saw a bunch of Wonderbolts merch, all autographed. She had even gotten me a pair of standard issue flight goggles, with my name embroidered on the strap like the team members have. I was speechless.
"Luna... how? Where did you get this?" Luna winked at me.
"I have my connections. Let's just say I'm very close with a certain orange haired Wonderbolt captain. We have all sorts of fun, videogame tournaments and suchlike." I would've thought she meant she and Spitfire were just friends if she wouldn't have winked when she said 'close', and emphasized the word fun so heavily. So Vinyl, Rarity, Octy, and I aren't the only ones that don't necessarily need a conventional relationship. We are strong, independent women, and we don't need a man.
I winked back at her, letting her know I understood what she meant. I hugged her and thanked her for the gifts. I was blessed to have such a great friend. She was definitely someone I would have been lost without. I'm really glad that her sister let her transfer to my school a few years back. At least I have one friend in my grade.
Twilight's navy blue and star spangled box held an autographed set of Daring Doo books, and a first draft of half of the book currently being written. I don't know how she got that. Maybe it's some secret librarian superpower. Or maybe she has 'connections', like Luna.
AJ gave me a barrel of her family's famous apple cider. "Ah know how frustrated y'all get when you miss out. So, I held back a barrel from last season just for today. Hope y'all enjoy it." I was definitely excited for that gift. That cider was indescribably good. I literally couldn't describe it if I had to.
Shy got me a book of photos she'd taken over the years with Vinyl and I. I almost cried. It was one of the most amazing gifts I had ever been given. It brought back so many incredible childhood memories. It was all I could do to hold back tears when I hugged her.
Rarity had made me a magically weatherproof flight jacket. It was gray stonewashed denim, perfectly distressed, with a few studs strategically placed. It was perfect, and I put it on immediately. Suddenly, I heard Vinyl gasp.
"What? Is there something wrong?"
"Dash, look at the sleeves. Like, right now." I looked where she was pointing, and found something that once again filled me with emotion. Rarity then spoke up.
"I spoke to your mother, and she showed me your old childhood jacket. She said that your father had given that to you when you were little. So, I incorporated the denim and lightning bolts on the sleeves while adjusting the style to reflect your current fashion. I trust you like it?" I was beyond speechless. She had given me an impossible gift; a way to be close to my dad again, even though he wasn't around. Everything had come full circle.
"Rarity, I absolutely love it. In fact, if Vinyl and Octy weren't here, I could just kiss you. This means more to me than you know." Rarity blushed at my comment, and our girlfriends glared at me for it. Like I would really kiss her when we're taken? I'm not crazy, or suicidal.
"Well, thank you Rainbow Dash. That's very sweet of you. Of course, I will have to decline the offer, as they are both indeed present." I smiled crookedly at her, and turned back to the remaining gifts.
Pinkie had, of course, gotten me a miniature party cannon, and a bag of my favorite candy from Bon Bon's sweet shop around the corner. The candy was rainbow colored, and sweet on the outside. But these devilish little balls held an inside so sour it felt like lightning in your mouth, as Vinyl soon found out when she tried one. Oh, her face.
The last box was Celestia's, and it was rather large. I opened it to find, surprise! Another practical joke. Ever the prankster, Celestia taught Luna and I everything we know on the subject. This time, the box was filled with packaged condoms, with a note on top asking Vinyl and I to 'have fun.' Not only were they useless, but when everyone else saw the contents, they started cackling like hyenas, except for poor, awkward Fluttershy. I scowled and pelted them with the plastic packets.
A few minutes later, Luna handed me a slim golden box. Apparently it was Celestia's real present. Inside the box was a charm bracelet, with one charm for each of my friends and myself. There was a butterfly for Shy, three apples for AJ, three diamonds for Rarity, a star for Twi, three different colored balloons for Pinkie, a barred eighth note for Vinyl, a crescent moon surrounded by a black ink stain-looking blotch for Luna, a treble clef for Octy, and a tricolored lightning bolt attached to a cloud for me. It was supposed to signify 'the unbroken circle of friendship.' It was cheesy, but I liked it. It would remind me of how close we all were, no matter how physically far away we were. I wrote a letter to thank Celestia for both gifts, and gave it to Luna to take back with her.
As the party wound down, we had a few more rounds on the karaoke machine. Twi and Rarity were probably the best of us, and kept vocally duking it out, much to everyone's amusement. Eventually Vinyl and I convinced Shy to hop up there, though. She blew us all away. Even Twi and Rarity conceded defeat. Shy got really embarrassed, but accepted her metaphorical laurel wreath graciously. Then she went back and hid at the table.
Cleanup was quick, what with Pinkie having so much sugar. We all hung out until about eleven, and then Rarity left to take Octy back to the capital for a performance tomorrow. About fifteen minutes later, Twi left to go get Spike from his playdate with the Cutiemark Crusaders. AJ left with her to help with the kids. Pinkie was finally knocked out, so Luna and I carried her up to her room. Luna went back to her limo and rode away soon after saying a round of goodbyes and getting her last few hugs.
Vinyl drove Shy and I home after we finished tidying up the last bits of party mess. We parted at my door, and I kissed Vinyl goodnight and Shy gave her a hug. After I waited for Vinyl's taillights to disappear, I walked back inside, deposited the bag of gifts on a chair. Then I went back, took my shoes off at the door and hung my new jacket up. Thouroughly exhausted, I said goodnight to Shy as I passed her room, and went and collapsed on my own bed, not even bothering to change clothes. I can sleep in a bowtie for one night, right?