The orange hills that had rolled by the train gave way to deep ravines and cliffs, each thriving with vegetation and natural wonders. Crystals, gemstones, waterfalls and vines adorned the rocky sides that sank several stories into the earth. Many of these had small wooden support bridges across and within them for ponies adventurous enough to explore these above ground caves. The largest of these ravines opened out into a canyon full of lush tropical plants and a cliff-side leading to a valley near Equestria's southern mountain range. An ancient waterfall, sending great clouds of foam of mist into the sky, cascaded down the smooth green cliff faces and ending in a large inlet, its shores peppered with tiny cottages. Atop this waterfall, proudly standing taller than the mountain it clung to, was the city of Canterlot.
It rose over the horizon, a heavenly sight with it's pearly white gates and royal purple steeples nearly touching the clouds. Elegant mansions, keeps, and apartment complexes curled from it's perfectly clean teal cobblestone streets, all seeming to compete for attention. Each more regal and beautiful than the last. On the far end of the city, where the waterfall emerged from the mountainside, was the jewel of city. The largest and most important landmark of all, Canterlot Castle. The ancient white and gold fortress that Celestia had called home for many centuries. It was the capitol of Equestria, and a symbol of hope amongst its ponies. They needed only to see the ancient structure to feel imbued with a newfound sense of pride. Knowing just how blessed they were to be cared for by a deity as seemingly perfect and benevolent as Princess Celestia.
With a loud hiss and a toot, the Friendship Express pulled into the train station, grey and pink clouds of steam billowing from it's cylinders as it came to a stop, the ornate wooden doors slapping open so the various passengers could get off and on. The small crowd from Ponyville stepped off onto the platform, finding themselves surrounded by the rush of elegantly dressed ponies finishing up their commute before the evening hit. Even in the crowd they could make out the distinct voice of their old friend, her fancy trill easily recognizable over the din.
"Yoohoo! Girls! Over here!"
Through the crowd they saw her approach, her younger sister right behind her. Rarity stood out, even amongst all the well-dressed elite ponies that trotted around her. Her coat was a very light slate grey, almost white. Both her cutie mark on her flank and her eyes were a dazzling deep shade of blue, both sparkling like diamonds when the sun caught them at just the right angle. A sea of indigo hair lavishly clung to the side of her face, ending in a perfectly curled coif, her tail similar in color with a spiral curl that made sure it bounced and swung with every step she took. There was no doubt that Rarity was perhaps one of the most beautiful unicorns in the country. But it didn't come naturally. Being an expert on fashion and makeup meant Rarity was up early every day making sure she looked her best and working hard to ensure she and her friends looked as nice as possible. Ponies who didn't know her well would have thought her to be a snob, with her high-class accent and well-mannered way of speaking. But she was no snob, simply very fastidious about everything, with a deep hatred for ruining hours of work by getting dirty. Of course, it'd be hard to see that in her now as she scrambled like a hyperactive lobster through the crowd, shoving ponies out of the way, and sliding to a stop in front of her friends, dragging them into a hug as tears ran down her face and the cloud of dust cleared.
"How'd you know we were coming, Rarity?" Dash asked as the hug broke apart.
"Celestia told me you'd be arriving today!" Rarity turned her eyes down towards her little sister. "She knew how much it meant to me and Sweetie."
"Sweetie-Belle!" both Scootaloo and Applebloom shouted at once, tackling their friend in a hug. Sweetie-Belle could have been mistaken as a tiny clone of Rarity with how similar they looked. But Sweetie's mane had light pink stripes in it.
"Why is the Prince of Lies and Lord of Deceit here with you?" whispered Rarity as she noticed Discord sitting behind the group looking around with an amused expression.
"I can hear you, miss Rarity." Discord muttered, not even looking at the pony he was addressing. "Don't mind me, I have my own business affairs to attend to here. I have a quota to meet based upon how many times I can prove Celestia wrong in a month and I'm already VERY behind. So I shall take my leave. Goodbye Fluttershy and cohorts. Hope you have a nice time in this....ghastly....city."
And with that, Discord coiled like a spring before bouncing into the sky, floating on the breeze like a runaway ribbon or kite as he floated over the tall buildings and disappeared.
"Discord kinda became a traveling buddy, Rarity." said Dash as she watched him disappear. "It wasn't too bad outside of him giving Spike some sort of meat sandwich to eat."
"It tasted better than I would have thought." grinned Spike as he hugged Rarity's leg.
"Oooh Spikey-wikey!" she cooed, levitating the tiny dragon in front of herself with a small ghostly envelope of magic from her white horn. "You're getting so tall. You're at least half a foot higher than when I saw you last. I suppose that means the sweater I made for you no longer fits. Such is the downside of designing clothing for children."
Rarity placed Spike back on the ground, turning her attention to Fluttershy.
"How are things back in Ponyville? Is the spa still going well without me there every week throwing my bits at them?"
"Oh it's fine Rarity!" Fluttershy answered with a smile. "Lotus and Aloe wanted me to tell you hello from them."
"Twilight, dear you look very pale and tired." Rarity tilted her head a bit, expressing concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just trying to get my life back to some sort of schedule."
"Twilight's been very stressed out." Fluttershy added. "She's had so much work to do."
"Oh you poor thing." Rarity rubbed Twilight's back. "We shall have to make sure you have the best of care as long you're here. How are your new wings doing, hmm? Beating Dash in races yet?"
"She wishes." Dash quipped with a cocky smirk.
"Twilight's gotten much better at flying. She even outpaces me in the sky now." Fluttershy said softly.
"I may be faster but I'm not nearly as graceful in the air as Fluttershy." Twilight argued, trying hard not to blush. "I have about the same grace as a rhinoceros beetle. Fluttershy is like a mayfly, every time she's in the air its like poetry."
"Does that mean I'm like a hummingbird?" Dash asked.
"I'd say you're more like a parrot, Dashie!" Pinkie replied. "You're really loud and really colorful!"
"Thanks...I think." Dash looked very confused.
"How is the bakery, Pinkie?" Rarity asked. "Are Mr and Mrs Cake still doing well? How are the twins? Are they talking yet?"
"They can say 'mamma' and 'poppa' now! And Mr and Mrs Cake renewed their vows in secret. They eloped and renewed. I don't know if that's allowed or not but it seemed very nice and they were really really happy! They went on a second honeymoon too and I stayed home for two weeks and took care of Pound and Pumpkin. When they got back they made a deal with the Apple family to buy their apples and turn them into tasty treats that have been very delicious and popular. We have alotta ponies coming into the bakery these days!"
"Well that's wonderful! Speaking of Apples....we seem to be missing someone." Rarity leaned out to see Applejack pushing a small trolley of bags and suitcases.
"Decided to give the luggage guy a break." Applejack called from behind the cart. She trotted around the cart to find herself locked in place, her green eyes staring into the blue eyes of her friend. Her muscles seized up instantly, quietly staring as Rarity pranced up to her.
"Hello Applejack." Rarity said softly, throwing her arms around her friend and hugging her tightly. "It's been quite a while."
"....hey Rare." Applejack mumbled, returning the hug.
"How are things on the farm?"
"Fine. Same ol' same ol'."
"Are you alright, Applejack? Are you cold? You're trembling."
Applejack drew away from the hug quickly, pretending to inspect herself as she hid her face beneath the brim of her hat.
"M-maybe. I thought I might be comin' down with somethin'."
"Well I shall just have to make you something to keep you warm then." Rarity turned to the others. "Come now, we have a lot to talk about. You all need to unwind a bit, plus I want you to see what I've been working on."
********************************
The Canterlot Convention Center was an old brass and wood building, not quite as perfect or regal as it's fellow structures in the city. However what it lacked in modern pizazz it made up for in design. Two massive hoof-carved wooden spheres made of curved planks sat upon each other, held together by brass piping. Glass windows dotted the outer edge of the upper sphere with spotlights around the lower one facing upward into the sky. Atop both of these was a large brass saucer, covered in ornate harlequin-print diamond etchings from the days when the Center was simply a theater. Round portholes windows ran around the diameter of this as well. Truly it was a strange building, and far ahead of its time when it had been constructed nearly 100 years prior. To be able to book the Center or use it for any large distinguished event was considered an honor. And at the moment the bottom sphere was home to Rarity's 'Cœur du Silence' fall fashion show. Or at least...what was left of it.
"So it's over? We missed it?" asked Fluttershy sadly.
"Afraid so!" Rarity said, unlocking the door to the stage area. "That's not to say we're alone here or anything. My assistants are packing everything away as we speak."
"Rariiiityyy!" Sweetie whined sadly. "Can me and Scootaloo and Applebloom please go to main street? I don't wanna spend the whole day AGAIN watching all the helper ponies set things up."
"Oh you poor thing!" Rarity gave her little sister a kiss on the forehead. "You've been so helpful these last few weeks and all I've done is keep you cooped up here with me. Of course you three can go to mainstreet. That is of course...if their big sisters approve."
"Well sure o' course." Applejack said giving Applebloom a playful nudge. "Y'all go have some fun. Make sure you don't talk to any ponies you don't know, right Bloom?"
"Yes'm!" Applebloom agreed, nodding her head vigorously.
"Spike!" Twilight ordered, distracting the small dragon from a bowl of mints on a nearby desk. "I want you to stick with the little ones. You should give them a tour of Canterlot."
"Yeah that sounds like fun!" Scootaloo shouted. "Spike you should show us a place where we can grab some grub! Like an ice cream parlor!"
"Scoot I know you're probably hungry but remember what I said about eating ice cream before dinner...." Dash began, giving Scoot a very sour glance.
"That strawberry is the best flavor?" Scootaloo squeaked, flapping her tiny wings excitedly.
"That's my girl!" Dash gave Scootaloo a small nudge to follow the other two youngsters. "Love ya, kiddo. Try not to cause any headaches while you're out there!"
Applejack snickered a bit while Rarity nodded her head approvingly.
"Well I must say...you and Scootaloo have certainly bonded." Rarity gave Applejack a cold look to stop her snickering. "I assume things have been going well since you took her in, then? Is she adjusting well to living on a cloud?"
"Well not...perfectly. Like...I'm really bad at taking care of kids but...Fluttershy's always there for advice." Dash rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I do like it though. Carin' for Scoots. Little scamp makes me proud on a daily basis. Clouds kinda freaked her out but now she just sorta flops over and sleeps everywhere. Kinda like me I guess."
"Yeah she never comes to me for advice." Applejack muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah cause you'd just use it to poke fun." Rainbow shot back. "Plus, Fluttershy is more interesting to talk to."
The two rambunctious ponies stuck their tongues out at one another.
"Alright now, everything on the stage shouldn't be tampered with." Rarity began as she pushed open the offstage door. "Mainly because I can't recall what on stage is for retail and what on stage is for show yet. Everything in the dressing rooms you girls may try on. Or keep if you so like since I have duplicates."
"That's very generous of you, Rarity." Twilight nodded with a smile.
"No, what's generous is Celestia letting me use all this!"
With a loud click the door swung open and five little ponies gasped in unison. To say the stage was large would be an understatement. It could easily have had nearly a fourth of Ponyville's cottages sitting on it with room to spare. Two catwalks, each covered in small twinkling lights along their rims, extended quite a fear yards outwards, curving and connecting at their ends to form an extended "U" shape for the models to walk down, around, and back to the stage. Out the center of the gap in the "U" was a large mauve parasol, long fluttering ribbons of various shades of violet and mulberry. It vaguely resembled part of a carousel, which made a lot of sense since Rarity's little business was called The Carousel Boutique. Several dozen rows of dark red cushioned seats extended away from the stage and catwalks all the way to the walls, shadowed by several large balconies for the second and third floors. The arched ceiling had several massive chandeliers, each covered in stage lights in various colors beaming directly at the catwalks. And above these was the ceiling, a perfect dome with an ancient painting of a hippogriff scrawled across it. From the cathedral-styled architecture one would never guess that the convention halls were often used for things like open mic nights and strange performance art. But for the last month it had been used for something special, the fashion show planned and put on by Rarity to present her autumn line of clothing.
"Impressive, no?" Rarity called as she happily skipped forward onto the stage. "Last night was the final show. It was...marvelous."
"Did you meet anyone famous?" Twilight asked as she and the others sauntered to where Rarity stood.
"Oh pshah! We're the famous ones now, Twilight! The Elements of Harmony. Heroes of Equestria, defenders of justice, maidens of freedom, and all of that nonsense. Oh, right here, RIGHT HERE!"
Rarity pranced forward to an area on the U-shaped catwalk.
"Right here is where Hoity Toity himself climbed onstage."
"You mean he just climbed onto the stage?" Pinkie asked. "Isn't that like against the rules and stuff? Or are ponies allowed to climb wherever they want during fashion thingies? Can I climb all over everything?"
"Technically yes. Out of respect and rules one generally does not interfere with the models. However you see this moment was great. I was making my way around the bend here with Sageroot and Pearl Beads in front of me. I was wearing that little number right over there." Rarity waved a hoof at a white gown with a crystal brooch that resembled a seashell. "And so I'm walking along here and suddenly something stops me. Naturally I assumed that the model behind me had stepped on my hem but it was actually Hoity Toity."
"What did he want, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, carefully making her way across the catwalk. "Did he say anything?"
"Not at first. But when I turned to him he was furiously writing a check. I'm sure you can guess the rest." Rarity said with a wink. "One of the best nights I've had in a long time. I was a star. Like a dream come true."
"So....does that mean Mr.Toity is gonna....carry your clothes now or somethin', Rare?" Applejack asked, nosing through the various dresses and gowns that hung on the rack just offstage.
"It means that, besides obviously him calling upon me for haute couture work for specific clients, that I'll also be designing clothes for his exclusive lines. I am now one of his partners. A very short list I should add. It also means that ponies far and wide will soon know the name 'Rarity' and just what it is I do. Feel free to put that on if you'd like."
"Maybe later." Applejack mumbled, placing the frilly dress back onto the rack. "Well shoot, Rare it sounds like you got what you always wanted."
"Oh I did, I did. But it comes with a price you know." Rarity sighed longingly. "Being away from home for so long has been....hard. Hard to sleep, hard to eat, hard to think. Without Sweetie-Belle here and your letters I'm not sure if I'd have been able to keep it together. Luckily next time I do one of these I'll have a full staff of Hoity's assistants so I don't have to be away from home for so long. Speaking of home, is everything alright at the boutique, Applejack?"
"Yes, ma'am! Me and Mac patrol by it once a night, just to make sure no shifty types are sneakin' around. I bet your house missed you a whole awful lot. I know the rest of us have." Applejack's voice grew soft as she finished her statement.
"Well perhaps we can all go back home together, then!" Rarity quipped, prancing back to the stage looking very exhausted but happy. "What you see is all that's left. The rest is just about ready to be packed away and mailed back. You've all arrived at a very coincidental time. Just as Sweetie and I were about to head home, and just as Canterlot was facing a bit of a small problem."
"Small problem?" Twilight asked.
"Yes.... well. Not small. Not big either, mind you. A medium-sized problem. I won't go into it now. For now let's get dinner. I want to see this flower Celestia mentioned and tell you all about my stay here."
******************************
A large broccoli pizza was delivered promptly to the doorstep of the third room on the second floor of the Canterlot Bed and Breakfast Royale. A modest but elegant housing area for visitors to the royal family in Canterlot. Ambassadors, dignitaries, deities, and world leaders from areas outside of Equestria were often given rooms in the Royale to stay in. On days where it wasn't full, one could rent a room to stay in there, finding themselves in an undeniably comfortable and impeccably clean little slice of heaven. The largest suite of which had currently been rented out by Rarity for herself, her sister, and her small pet cat, Opal.
"Um....Rarity...." Fluttershy asked as politely as she could flipping the pizza box open with the tip of her snout. "If you're staying in Canterlot surrounded by some of the most revered bistros and bakeries....why...um....are we eating delivery pizza?"
"Clearly Rarity has realized that pizzas are the best food ever!" Pinkie declared, scarfing an entire slice in one bite.
"I concur." Dash stated seriously, folding a slice and jamming it into her mouth. "Mmmmm."
"Thirded!" mumbled Applejack around a mouthful.
Rarity rolled her eyes at the three, failing to contain her smile. "We're eating this because for the past month I've been going to dinner parties with aristocrats, lunch parties with nobility, and breakfast parties with snobs. I'm tired of eating well. I miss pizza and I miss apple pastry and candy and hoof-made food from home. And out here this delivery pizza is the closest thing."
"It's pretty fancy for delivery pizza." Twilight observed as she chewed slowly, savoring the salty taste. "This is real cheese. And this sauce is made of ripe tomatoes and not just whatever tomatoes the restaurateur grabbed. Even the crust is like fancy toast with little seeds in it."
"Yes. So many imperfections in it's quest to be perfect." Rarity minced, leaning out and giving a curious stare at the small terrarium that sat at Twilight's side. "Is that the flower?"
Before Twilight could answer the glass case was quickly floating in Rarity's magical clutches, as she observed it.
"Well now....this is a beautiful thing." With a glance to her side and a beam of blue magic, Rarity had grabbed a quill and scrap piece of paper and began to furiously sketch. "Such color, such poise, such...independence. Very inspiring, I simply MUST make a dress based on this flower. I adore these stripes on the underside of its um...petals? It seems to be wilting a little bit."
"Probably from spendin' so much time on that train." Applejack said as she and Pinkie leaned over to see what Rarity was drawing. "That looks awful fancy, Rare!"
"Well it's an awful fancy flower." Rarity replied as she finished the sketch, holding it this way and that to make sure it was up to her standards. "I've never seen a flower with so many strange little colorful pieces coming on its stem. What is it called again when a flower is made up of lots of little ones?"
"Inflorescence." Fluttershy happily answered, causing Twilight's wings to spread open briefly, the purple alicorn quickly folding them to her sides again as her cheeks went pink.
"I still think the flower is trying too hard." Dash mumbled, giving an unimpressed glance at the glass tank as it floated by, landing back on the bed next to Twilight. "What's the point of it having all that stuff stickin' out of it?"
"Well don't forget it's not of natural origin. We won't really know until we get to show it to Celestia." Twilight picked the tank off the bed and placed it next to the window in the fading sunlight. "Hopefully it doesn't wilt too much more before we get a chance to have her see it."
The door to Rarity's room swung open, a small dragon and three tiny ponies tumbling in at once. Spike growled angrily and extracted himself from the pile of youngsters, waddling up to Twilight and holding out a small scroll of parchment tied with a golden ribbon.
"One of the royal guards gave this to us. He said it was some sort of urgent message but stressed not to think of it as an emergency. Which was sort of strange."
Twilight tore off the golden ribbon, folding it and placing it on the floor while simultaneously whipping open the scroll, furrowing her brow as she skimmed through it. Years of living amongst books had granted the studious mare the ability to decipher massive amounts of text in relatively little time.
"Apparently there's going to be a mandatory meeting of parliament to discuss royal matters and she needs me to be there." There was no mistaking the tone of disappointment in Twilight's voice. "Furthermore it says here....oh to me specifically...Princess Luna is missing. PRINCESS LUNA IS MISSING!?"
"Oh yes that was the small problem I wanted to tell you about earlier." Rarity minced, taking a small sip from her champagne glass. "Poor dear has run off."
"HOW IS PRINCESS LUNA MISSING A SMALL PROBLEM!?" Twilight bellowed rising to her feet. "WHAT IF SHE BECOMES NIGHTMARE MOON AGAIN? WHAT IF SHE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED? WHAT IF-?"
Immediately sensing Twilight's panic was sending her over the deep end, Fluttershy turned her head, craning her neck in just a way where she could delicately nibble the tip of Twilight's left ear, causing the alicorn to slump back onto the bed, breathing heavily but still looking pensive and annoyed. A small kiss to the neck soon had her calmed down as Fluttershy gently stroked Twilight's back with her wing.
"Twilight please." Fluttershy whispered. "You remember you're supposed to be on vacation. You should be trying to rest and relax. If Rarity and Celestia don't consider Luna missing as an emergency....well...maybe neither should you."
"You're right as always, Fluttershy." Twilight murmured, gently pressing her muzzle against Fluttershy's nose. "I'm getting ahead of myself again."
"Why do you consider Luna missing to be a small problem Rarity? Uh....um....Rarity?" Fluttershy waved her hoof in front of Rarity's face, who looked both delighted and frightened all at the same time.
With an almost unnatural slowness, Rarity's dilated pupils slowly turned to stare at Fluttershy as her eyebrows wrinkled into a look of confusion.
"Fluttershy......." She began, her eyes growing wider. "Why are you and Twilight...erm...kissing?"
"OH! Oh dear!" Fluttershy mumbled, quickly backing away and turning red, hiding her face in Twilight's mane. "I think we forgot to tell you! Oh we did! We completely forgot! I'm sorry Rarity!"
Fluttershy let fly a high pitched 'eep' of dismay as she hid her embarrassment in Twilight's hair. Rarity's look of shock careened sideways, crashing on the shore of Twilight who grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah I guess....we've been so caught up on catching up that....well. Hmm. You see Rarity...Fluttershy and I...uh...we've sort of uh...that is to say...."
"TWILIGHT IS FLUTTERSHY'S MAREFRIEND!" Pinkie squeaked, landing on Rarity and embracing her, sending the glass of champagne flying out the nearby window.
"It's been so cute, Rarity! I can't stand it! I CAN'T STAND IT! IT'S TOO CUTE." Pinkie nearly seemed to be throttling Rarity as she shouted. Rarity in turn made a long loud gasping sound. This was followed by a high pitched shriek that, had it been coming from anyone but Rarity, one would mistake as being a shriek of terror. Luckily it was far from it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! When did this happen? Wait..wait...HOW did this happen? Tell me everything! Details!" Rarity rolled off the bed, sitting expectantly in front of Twilight giddily bouncing up and down like Pinkie Pie often did after far too much sugar intake.
"For goodness sake, Rare." Applejack muttered, rolling her eyes. "Give the two of 'em some room to breathe."
"Well I guess I'd better start at the beginning." Twilight smiled at Rarity, seeing how eager the unicorn looked. "Fluttershy and I were going on an expedition into the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy was the leader since she'd had experience going into that environment a few times and had a flower she wanted me to see."
"You travel in the Everfree?" Rarity asked, her eyes filled with wonder as she stared at Fluttershy. "That place is like endless death. How on earth do you survive in there?"
"Oh....it's...nothing, really." Fluttershy whispered, slowly extracting herself from Twilight's mane. "I've had to rescue animals in there so..."
"Nothing?!" Dash crowed, flying into the air and giving Fluttershy an affectionate punch in the shoulder. "Nah it's awesome! You're braver than most ponies I know, Fluttershy!"
"Well I must say that is certainly very impressive. So what happened in the forest that caused you two to become so taken with one another?" Rarity asked. "Did Fluttershy save you from a Timberwolf and you saw that behind her quiet exterior she was the capable mare I always tried to convince her that she was? You fell into her arms and you two knew it was love! Or something to that affect I assume."
Twilight sighed and shook her head at Rarity's theatrics. "Nothing quite so over the top. Fluttershy kept me safe from a few deciduous horrors but...the turning point was that I just couldn't control myself around her. Her intelligence just drew me to her like a moth to a lamp. Apparently my wings made it really obvious. And when she pointed it out to me and I felt so upset... it turned out the feeling was mutual."
"Very mutual." Fluttershy sighed, resting her cheek on Twilight's shoulder.
Dash grinned mischievously. "Yeah when me and the stratus team from the Weather Control Center went and found them in the woods, Twi was squeezin' Shy like her life depended on it."
"Well it sort of did." Twilight mumbled, her face growing hot.
"Oh well this has simply made my day. Fluttershy I was getting so worried you were never going to find anyone. I was about to start setting you up on blind dates. But now I needn't worry as you've fallen for Twilight, whom outside of that one castle guard had yet to show any interest in any ponies for the last year. How absolutely perfect that you two found love in each others arms." Rarity sighed wistfully. "I can see it now. Romantic nights spent out in Fluttershy's garden, studying the constellations. Getting the 'couples only' discount at the spa. Sitting together at Celestia's side during important governmental affairs. Oh I simply must make you two matching dresses! The question is what. Your color schemes are already complementary."
"Rare it's awful sweet n' all that yer so happy about Twi and Fluttershy bein' sweet on each other but uh....Luna. I mean why ain't anyone panickin' in the streets? Why's everyone so calm? Do folks not really know? Why do you consider it a small problem? I'd think a whole princess goin' missin' AGAIN would be kind of what we'd call a really BIG problem."
Rarity hopped back onto her bed, straightening Applejack's hat with magic before turning to the group again.
"Well it's because she's not really missing." Rarity stated calmly, pouring herself a glass of some sort of fiery liquid from a bottle. "I know exactly what's become of her."
"But Rarity if Luna is missing and everyone says she's missing but she isn't missing and you know where she is then that means she isn't really missing and if she isn't really missing then....oh! Is she hiding? Is she under the bed?" Pinkie, took a quick peak underneath the bed, her excited smile quickly drooping to a disappointed frown. "Nope. No Luna's here."
"No she's not here, Pinkie. I wish she was. I'm sure she'd have plenty of questions for Twilight and how her promotion is going. But no she's somewhere out in Canterlot, in disguise." Rarity took a long draught from her glass. "She altered her appearance slightly and I let her use one of my old dresses. Outside of her voice she's practically unrecognizable."
"Why is Luna hiding in disguise in Canterlot?" Twilight asked.
"She has nowhere else to go." Rarity sighed. "I suppose I need to simply share the whole story. It was about a week ago that this all started. You girls remember the times Luna has visited us in Ponyville, correct?"
"Of course!" Pinkie nodded. "She's always really loud but loads of fun. I'm super happy that everyone in Ponyville ended up liking her after all...even though she was kinda scary. And shouty."
"Yes it is wonderful how eagerly Ponyville accepted her. Even with her...quirks. Sadly they're really the only ones." Rarity's voice slipped into a sad tone. "Luna's been doing a lot of traveling. Trying to earn the respect of the ponies again. Trying to blow away the old rumors and folk tales of her being crazy and evil. But it...well....isn't working. Not every pony city is as kind and forgiving as Ponyville. Most ponies still fear her. Many even resent her, despite the fact none of them were around back when she WAS doing wrong. Quite a few were openly hostile with her. They actually chased her out of Vanhoover!" Rarity shook her head with disgust, looking angry. "They chased her out like she was some sort of plague. Her and the entourage she came with. She went there to help build homes and they treated her like a swarm of locusts."
A silence fell over the room as the other reacted in shock to the news.
"You know what she said to me when she arrived back in town? She said.....of all the places I've been, I prefer the land you come from miss Rarity. Ponyville is a jewel amongst sharp rocks."
"Have you two been talking a lot while you've been here, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes. Luna trusts me since I too got to experience the displeasure of being Nightmare Moon. Even though it was only brief. She thinks of me as a sort of kindred spirit. Which I can't argue with as I do enjoy talking to her. She is a very wise although rather naive creature. The story doesn't end here though, I'm afraid. The riot isn't why Luna is hiding."
"You mean it gets worse?" Rainbow asked with disbelief.
"Unfortunately. Anyway Luna gives up on trying to be a social force for justice like Celestia and Cadance and decides instead to try to be more involved with the governmental side of Royalty. I happened to be at the most recent Legislative Union meeting at Canterlot. I wanted to bring Sweetie-Belle along so she could see how our country gets its laws and rules."
"It was really cool!" Sweetie piped up. "Or...it was until Luna got angry."
"Yes I'm getting to that. So a friend of mine happened to be in the courtroom that day. Mrs.Scratch, the DJ whom has the radio show and who I often have providing music for my fashion shows."
"And my really big parties!" Pinkie added. "I see her everywhere these days!"
"Yes she gets around. Either way, Scratch was there that day. She wasn't there for any sort of fancy law requests. When her turn came up and Celestia asked what she wanted Scratch said she was curious why there was no loudspeaker system in the castle. And for that matter, why they didn't play the Equestrian anthem through the often very silent halls."
"That sounds like a really good idea for adding some life to the place." Twilight said. "I remember in the mornings we'd all stand up in class and sing the anthem together but it was always pretty jumbled since half the ponies didn't know the tempo and the other half didn't know the words and basically hummed."
"Celestia thought it was a good idea as well. So she asked about the easiest way to do so. Scratch explained that she could install a sound system into the halls of the castle in a few hours. On top of that she had a friend in the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra who could play a mellow version of the anthem to be played. Then they needed only to record it on CD and keep it in a player in Celestia's room. And this is where everything fell apart. Luna was clearly confused as she had no idea what loudspeakers were but the name was probably enough for her to figure out what they did. However when Scratch and Celestia began discussing the CD....well....."
Rarity shook her head at the absurdity of it all.
"Luna asked why we would need the aid of an alphabet letter that lived in the ocean."
"Wait what?" Pinkie asked.
"A CD Pinkie. She had no idea what it was and thought we meant the letter D and that it was in the sea as in where all the fish live."
"Oh. That's silly!"
"Yes it is but that's what happens when someone is out of touch by several thousand years. So after a moment or two of asking that loaded question, all the representatives in the room start to laugh. The dukes and duchesses joined in, all the onlookers, and so forth. On most days one would take it as simply good-natured ribbing but...Luna was already feeling very vulnerable. I could see the pain in her face as everyone laughed. And then Celestia started to giggle as well. That really quiet gentle way she does that usually makes one feel so comforted. However it had the opposite effect and I saw Luna's face quickly fill with rage. Those little black spots in her coat around her cutie mark began to grow and spread very quickly across her body and apparently I was the only one to notice. I really thought Luna was about to become Nightmare Moon again."
"Rarity was really scared! She grabbed me and was about ready to jump out of her chair!" Sweetie added.
"Yes, but then the colors on Luna receded to normal and she stood up. And she just gave this....look...to the crowd. Almost like a defiant look. Very bitter but not quite hatred. And everyone fell very quiet. Luna just took off her slippers and her little black crown and placed them in front of Celestia. And very calmly she simply said 'I quit. I'm done.' and trotted towards the door. She swung it open with magic and Celestia ran to stop her or apologize and the door slammed shut. And I mean it REALLY slammed! The foundations around the door-frame shattered. Poor Sweetie was deaf for about an hour or so."
"That's the part that scared me the most! It was like an explosion! Like when Rainbow does her sonic raincloud thingies!" Sweetie waved her arms for dramatic effect.
"Rainboom." Rainbow corrected.
"Yes, anyway. Celestia had torn the broken door off a moment later, looking absolutely heartbroken. And Luna was gone. She was nowhere in the hall or the castle. Vanished the moment she had slammed the door shut on her sister and her old life. That night she visited me, saying that she was tired. Tired of not being respected. Tired of not being loved. Tired of being feared. Tired of being treated like the villain of her own life story. The girl looked close to tears. So I did what any sane modern pony would do when faced with such a heartbreaking situation. I made her a drink." Rarity smiled slyly. "Cures what ails you and never fails you. After that she and I talked for a while and she decided she wanted to live a normal life. Live amongst average ponies as an average pony. So I gave her a gown and styled her hair a little and outside of her visiting every few days, she has yet to be caught."
"Poor Luna." muttered Applejack. "I didn't know things were so bad for her. I thought after Ponyville that she'd found some good luck finally."
"It hasn't all been bad. Last time she visited me she had gone to a sports game. She went to the rugby match of the uh...Canterlot Centurions versus the uh..."
"Dodge City Double Donkers!" Rainbow laughed aloud, clapping her hooves together. "So she was actually at that game, huh? Hiding in the audience?"
"Yes. She went on and on about her time there." Rarity continued, her voice sounding happy. "She'd never had buttered popcorn or cotton candy before. Or had ever tried soda. Nor had she ever seen something as exciting as an organized competition between two teams to kick a rubber ball around. She seemed absolutely elated."
"I'd be elated too if I got to see the Donkers beat the Centurions 27 to 0." Dash snickered. "I guess Celestia doesn't know about any of this."
"She does not." Rarity said sternly. "Nobody other than me and Sweetie knew about this until this point."
"Yeah! She made us promise to make you guys promise not to tell anyone!" Sweetie barked in her high pitched voice, nearly falling over as she leaned in to give everyone in the room a serious look. "Luna's gonna be really angry if we ruin her vacation from being a princess."
"So Luna's vacation is going to wreck mine, oddly." Twilight sighed, giving a half-hearted smile. "Well at least she's having fun."
"Pinkie....." Rarity began, her eyes growing wide with shock. "Why on earth...are...you're bleeding! Oh you're bleeding quite a lot! Did you hurt yourself?"
"Aw shoot." Applejack looked at the gash on Pinkie's leg from the earlier accident, wincing. "Ya done opened yer wound up again lookin' under the bed Pinkie. Looks sore n' infected, too. Honey did you even put anti-bacterial lotion on that? Y'all are gonna make yerself sick."
"Ew! ew ew ew!" Sweetie squeaked, leaping from the bed.
"I just wiped it off with some water and paper towels!" Pinkie whined. "It seemed okay after that."
"Why do you have that garish cut on your hind leg, Pinkie? Did you get into an accident? I notice Dash has a few bumps and bruises as well."
"Rarity I'll tell you the story while we clean up this mess." Dash groaned as she pushed Pinkie off the bed, revealing the dark red stain that had formed near the injury on the bedsheets.
****************************************************
Scootaloo yawned peacefully as she snuggled into the soft linens that had been stuffed into the sock drawer. The little fillies hadn't wanted to leave while the elder relatives looked for hotels or inns to stay in. So for the night a rather rushed sleepover had been organized. Sweetie Belle was curled up on her small bed, next to which lay Applebloom who was curled up in a sleeping bag that Applejack had been wise enough to bring along. Dash as usual had been unprepared and had simply tried to make due. Sweetie's large sock drawer had plenty of room for a small filly to sleep in, so that is where Dash had placed her charge for the night, glad she had remembered to at least bring Scootaloo's favorite pajamas. Which weren't pajamas at all but actually one of Dash's winter stockings that she'd never worn, with four small holes cut out along it to allow the filly to slip her body inside comfortably and have her scruffy orange legs stick out the holes. It gave her the appearance of being some sort of deranged cloth caterpillar, but it was quite comfortable.
"Hey Dash?" Scoot whispered as Dash tucked her in.
"Yeah, Squirt?"
"Why did you cry earlier? When you helped Pinkie? Wouldn't that make you happy?"
Dash sighed and collected her thoughts. She'd been expecting this question to come.
"Scoot you remember when you had that nightmare where Applebloom and Sweetie-Belle got eaten by giant frogs? And there was nothing you could do to save them? You remember how much you cried?"
Even in the dark of the room she could make out the filly nodding her head.
"Well that's how I felt today. I felt like I lost someone I cared about very very much. And I felt like...for once in my life I might not be fast or strong enough to do anything. Like I was helpless. You understand that, right?"
"I guess."
"Great. As long as we're on this subject...erm...what do you think of Pinkie, Squirt? Like if...I were to hang out with her more.... would it bother you?"
"She's cool I guess." Scootaloo deadpanned, yawning loudly as her eyes drooped.
"You think Pinkie's cool?" Dash's tone was laced with disbelief.
Scootaloo turned over in the drawer, her eyes slowly closing as sleep overtook her. "No, but you think she's cool. And you invented coolness. So she must be."
Whatever comfort that could have brought to the pegasus was lost on the fact that her adopted child was sleeping in a sock drawer. A sock drawer that didn't even belong to her. Quietly she sulked, unaware of the quiet clicks of two pairs of hooves that came up behind her.
"I'm real proud of ya, sugarcube. Treatin' lil' Scootaloo like she was yer own flesh n' blood. You've been doin' such a good job, ya know?"
"Says the pony who remembered to bring sleeping bags for her sister." Dash muttered, her voice breaking as her frustrations began to ebb out.
Applejack snickered a bit. "Aw, c'mon now. It coulda been worse. You coulda forgot her at the train station!"
The smile on Applejack's face from her little joke faded as she noticed her friend's shoulders seemed to be silently shaking with grief. She stepped forward, feeling a knot in her stomach as Dash began to sniffle.
"Oh hey now, sugar. Hey now! I didn't mean nothin' by it. I meant what I said when I said yer doin' a good job. I ain't ever seen you or Scootaloo so happy since when ya took her in."
"I feel like I'm doing everything wrong." Dash rasped as she sullenly made her way to the doorway. "First I tell the kid to buzz off when she's having nightmares, now I have her sleeping in furniture. I'm probably traumatizing her."
"She doesn't seem traumatized to me." Applejack whispered with a comforting grin, peering down at the filly sleeping in the sock drawer. "She seems happier than a weevil in an acorn tree."
Dash sat glumly in the doorway, wiping her eyes. Approaching from the hallway came Rarity, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at her sad friend. She glanced up to see Applejack approaching, the farmer pony sitting next to her friend and placing a friendly hoof on her shoulder.
"What's been botherin' ya, Dash? I've never seen ya like this."
"I know I know!" Rainbow spluttered. "I'm an emotional wreck these days. I've cried twice today. I never cry."
"When did you cry the first time?" Rarity asked, taking out a small lacy handkerchief and wiping the tears from her friend's face. "Was it before you arrived in Canterlot?"
"It was after her brave speedy rescue of Pinkie Pie earlier today on the train. Dash went all to pieces on us." Applejack replied with a frown. "I ain't ever seen her cry before. Not like that. Is everything alright, RD?"
Patiently Rarity and Applejack sat watching Rainbow quietly sniffle and wipe the fresh tears that had sprung to her eyes. It was difficult watching the normally confident and brave pegasus weep, unsure of how to help her. Eventually after a few minutes the tears had stopped and Dash took a few deep breaths, finally feeling calm as her body stopped shaking, feeling embarrassed for looking so weak and timid in front of two of her best friends.
"Can....can I tell you guys something?" Dash whispered in the dark of the doorway. "It's kind of a secret."
"Of course you may." Rarity responded gently, wiping Rainbow's cheeks off again.
"Well....you know ever since Fluttershy and Twilight started...dating or whatever...I've been trying to keep a close eye on Fluttershy. It's not that I don't trust Twilight but....I just want to be sure Shy is safe. She was my only old friend who stuck by me back in Cloudsdale. I owe it to her. I owe her so much. Anyway I knew she and Twilight were over by her house and I decided I was gonna toss a few water balloons over at them as a prank. Lighten the mood a bit."
Rarity's screwed up her face as she gave Dash a very disapproving look.
"I pull pranks okay?" Dash mumbled. "If you aren't used to it by now I dunno what to tell you. Deal with it. Anyway when I got there Pinkie was with them and....Pinkie....has feelings for me. Like...lovey type of feelings. And she's unhappy because she thinks it would be bad if she told me and it hurts her."
A look of annoyance passed between Rarity and Applejack, followed by both of them giving Dash a look that pretty much said 'are you serious?'
"That's it?" Applejack asked.
"That's what's been bothering you?" Rarity asked simultaneously.
"Mostly." Dash's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Wait you guys knew? You KNEW?"
Again a skeptical look passed between the farmer and fashionista.
"Uh....sugarcube I don't wanna alarm ya or nothin'....but that ain't much of a secret."
"It's not?"
"Goodness no, darling!" Rarity tried hard not to smile. "Have you never really noticed? With the way Pinkie chases you all over town? Conveniently forgetting her sleeping bag at slumber parties. The surprise parties she throws you every time you accomplish a new trick. Always finding ways of sneaking off from her job at the bakery to watch you practice."
"Heck...her pupils even turn into lil' pink hearts whenever you ain't watchin, RD."
"She's been smitten with you for ages. Ever since you first rolled into town you've been a favorite topic of conversation with her. She sat by her mailbox for a week waiting for you to send her a letter when you were at the Wonderbolts Academy. Poor thing was beside herself with heartache."
"I mean heck....Dash ain't you ever noticed how whenever Hearts n' Hooves day rolls around Pinkie always leaves ya stuff? How she always invited ya over to Sugarcube Corner just to hang out with her and the twins? It never struck ya as odd she invited ya for dinner on THAT specific holiday?"
"Last year she gave you a whole cake on Hearts and Hooves day."
"Yup! And the year before that she got Dash that silly hat with the moose antlers on it? Y'all remember that right?"
Dash fell into a sitting position, dumbfounded as her friends laughed to each other. How had it been so obvious to them?
"I never even noticed a pattern...." Dash mumbled as she thought. "I don't even pay attention when Hearts n' Hooves day rolls around cause its such a sappy excuse for a holiday. I didn't even realize....that......wow...." Dash's expression turned to one of slight worry. ".....I've spent so much time trying to train for the Wonderbolts. So much time I didn't even notice Pinkie giving me special treatment. And then to make it worse, Pinkie's been scared to tell me she likes me because she thinks I'm gonna fly off to join the Bolts and leave her and Ponyville behind."
"Well......" Applejack began, her mirth fading as her eyes grew sad, her voice dropping a few octaves. "Wasn't that always your plan, sugar? To leave?"
Dash's eyes widened as she looked up at Rarity and Applejack. Their was a strange look on their faces. Like they were pleading. Like a sad hope. As if they were hearing good news for the first time in a long time. It dawned on the pegasus that her friends all shared the same fear Pinkie had.
"Wait....you ALL thought I was gonna just move out of town once I became a Wonderbolt?" Dash asked.
"Well Cloudsdale is just so very far away....and we knew it was your dream to fly with them for so long. The five of us have all been trying to prepare ourselves for the day you decided to relocate. Most pegasi move to Cloudsdale when they have employment there. We assumed you'd be doing the same. We couldn't even get through our slumber party while you were staying over at the academy. It just wasn't the same without you there. We all felt so truly empty. Pinkie broke down and then Fluttershy came next...."
"It was like dominoes. Crybaby dominoes." Applejack added with a unenthusiastic grin. "We were all bawlin'. Then we just sorta called it a night and went home."
"Would it be safe to assume that we no longer need to worry?" again Rarity's eyes lit up with hope.
"I'm not leaving!" Dash growled. "I'm really sorry if you guys ever thought I would but I'm not. I can't. You....all...mean everything to me. And...you know I already said this to Pinks but...now that I have Scoots under my wing...how awful would it be if I was to drag her away from her home? And all her friends?"
"It'd be truly awful." Rarity said with a sigh. "You know when Sweetie-Belle said she wanted to come to Canterlot with me, I knew it was going to be hard. Two months away from everyone she knows. The first week there was so much for her to see. So much for her to do. But then routine sets in and....I started losing that happy pep in my step without you girls around. And Sweetie couldn't sleep at night after a while. She was so depressed. I tried to convince her to take a train back to Ponyville but she refused. She didn't want to feel like she abandoned me."
"Yeah it hasn't been easy on us back home either, Rare." Applejack looked down at the floor. "It's hard to function when a pony you care for is gone. Even though it's only temporary."
"Yeah AJ has been beside herself with worry, Rarity. She's been patrolling the train station every day waiting for you to get back." Dash's grin faltered as she noticed Applejack giving her a look that could have frozen magma. "It's understandable I guess. I thought I was gonna lose Pinkie today. And not temporarily either. It's the worst thing I ever felt."
"Do you feel the same way for Pinkie as she does for you?" Rarity asked quietly, her eyes studying Dash.
"I....I'm not sure. I don't have much experience in this stuff. The last time I even tried I lost like...everything. So I don't have anything good to go by." Dash replied with a sad shrug. "I do care about Pinkie a lot. More than pretty much any pony I know. Or have ever known. I'd do anything for her if she asked...I guess."
"Hmmmmm." Rarity tapped her hoof to her chin, deep in thought. "Well I consider myself a bit of an expert in these sorts of things. When Pinkie fell from the train earlier today...how did you feel? What was on your mind? Something made you spring into action, yes?"
"I sprung into action so Pinkie wouldn't get squished. That's a silly question. Not gonna just sit around while a train smashes my pals." Dash rolled her eyes. "As for what I was thinking....I was thinking that I wasn't gonna make it. And if I didn't move fast enough....I was gonna lose......"
Rarity nodded. "Go on."
"....I was gonna lose something I couldn't be happy without. Losing Pinkie would be like losing a family member. Like losing a piece of myself. And I didn't realize it until today." Dash furrowed her brow, rubbing her shoulder awkwardly. "But you guys noticed before I did. Does that make me a bad pony? That I missed something that was obvious to everyone?"
"Yer a bit self-centered Dash, but you ain't a bad pony. Shoot, you just don't have the eagle-eye observational skills me n' Rare got."
"What do I do now?"
"Well at this very moment Pinkie is still trying to clean up that wound on her leg. I could hear her cursing from the restroom on my way over here to check on Sweetie."
"Pinkie curses?" Dash asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Rarity grinned wryly. "Like a drunken sailor. Only when she thinks nobody is around. Especially when she's had too much taffy. I sincerely doubt Pinkie knows how to tend to that injury on her leg. But I'm sure you two probably would, and I personally think Dash should be the one to do it. I have a first-aid kit in the third closet down the hall. You should help out your friend and perhaps try to talk to her? Hmm? That seems like a splendid idea to me."
"Yeah go help Pinkie with her boo-boo, sugarcube. Kiss it n' make it all better." Applejack chuckled to herself, laughing harder when Rainbow shot her an angry glance.
***************************
The bathroom that Rarity had been calling her own for roughly two months looked as impeccable as one would expect from the fussy unicorn. Everything was clean and disinfected, with a floral bathmat, and multiple bottles of Flax and Wheatgrass brand beauty products crowding around the sink and tub. Even the single tiny spider who lived up in the corner of the ceiling had taken to bathing regularly and cleaning up its web, simply because it felt so out of place. Normally the floor tiles were pearly white as well, although they were difficult to see at the moment. A spread out pile of paper towels was slowly swamping the room, each towel dotted with bright red and pink splotches, from Pinkie's fruitless attempts to clean the reopened wound from the earlier accident.
Her mind was abuzz with confusion and a bit of fear as well. Pinkie never got hurt. Her clairvoyance, agility, and strange brand of reality-defying athletic skills were basically a guarantee that she could never be tricked. Never hurt, physically at least. It was these traits that kept her so energetic, and allowed her to do things most ponies would never dare to do. Things normally reserved for pegasi. But this train accident was different. Pinkie had climbed to the roof out of childish curiosity, not even expecting the roof of the tunnel to hit with her head. Had she known it was coming she could have ducked, dodged, maybe even sucked her head down into her chest like some sort of turtle. This would be impossible for any horse besides Pinkie, but she had a knack for the impossible. But none of those had happened. For the first time Pinkie felt adrenaline mixed with pain and fear, the latter two being emotions she rarely experienced. For the first time in a very long time, Pinkie lost control and had come close to death, escaping only because of her friendship. And as she dabbed at the bleeding wound with the umpteenth paper towel, it began to dawn on Pinkie just what a fragile creature she was. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of a plastic first-aid container being dropped onto the floor.
"Jeez louise, Pinks." Dash looked around with a grimace at the mess as she flew in. "It looks like a horror flick in here. Night of the Living Pinkie. It Came from Beneath the Pinkie."
"Dashie...."
"Return of the Pinkie of the Dead. Pinkie's Ladder." Dash chuckled to herself as she began to move some of the bloody garbage around so she could comfortably sit. "Frankenpinkie."
"Dashie."
"The Chronicles of Pinkie: Bordello of Blood."
"Dashie!" Pinkie shouted.
"What?" Dash looked up from the space on the floor she'd cleared from sweeping all the paper towels away, finding herself face to face with her friend. The bright blue eyes of her companion searching her, filled with dismay.
"You've been crying again."
"No I haven't!" Dash protested, immediately wiping her face with the back of her hoof and mumbling, "I thought Rarity had cleaned all that eye goop off."
"I'm so sorry, Dashie. I didn't mean to scare you so much earlier and make you feel this way. If...if I could I'd go back in time and tell myself not to go onto that dumb train roof! You shouldn't be crying! You're the last pony ever who should be crying! Oh I wish I had a time machine! Or knew how to build one!"
"Actually I feel a bit better after crying for a bit." Dash admitted with a crooked grin. "Anyway, Pinkie if we don't close up that wound it's going to get infected. That or you're gonna keep bleeding til you like...deflate like a balloon."
Pinkie laughed aloud at the joke which was enough to make Dash feel less nervous. She pried open the first aid kit and began sorting through it. All the needed things for a suture were there, a curved needle with an eye, antibiotics, gauze, and soft metallic string that would dissolve over time.
"Pinkie uh....I'm gonna try to do this as quick as possible. I'm not gonna lie its probably gonna hurt like hades if you've never had to do this before. I've had to sew myself up a few times and I'm pretty used to the pain but, not every pony is ready for this kind of thing."
"I'll be ok! I've poked myself with needles so many times by accident when I try to clean up after parties. I have to get rid of all the balloons somehow! You can only really use a party balloon once!"
"You mean you pop every balloon after a party? You don't just let them like...lose air on their own?"
"Gasp! And have them sit around all day? Of course not, Dashie. That would be loitering and littering!" Pinkie frowned giving Dash a very serious stare to drive home her point. "They'd throw me in the clink!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes and smiled as she got to work. True to the pink one's word, if it caused her pain she didn't express it. Outside of the occasional flinch of her leg muscles, Pinkie simply watched with a quiet respect as Rainbow threaded the curved needle through the tissue on either side of the gash, her small smile growing as the wound soon became merely a crooked dark red mark, criss-crossed by knots of dark brown string. The only sound being that of her fluffy pink tail swishing excitedly on the tile.
"How'd you get so good at stitches? You're like Rarity with that thing except its...you know, skin instead of clothes but still its really neat! I'm good at leaving ponies in stitches but I could never leave stitches on a pony! I'd probably accidentally sew my face to them or something."
Dash leaned back to survey her work. "Not bad. First aid is part of being a Wonderbolt. If you find an injured pony and there's no medical professionals around, a Wonderbolt needs to know how to treat emergencies with care. Cuts, snakebites, fractures, all the typical stuff that happens to unlucky ponies when they're hiking or flying. All part of being a rad rescue team. Gotta be prepared."
Pinkie wobbled to her hooves, turning in a small circle in an effort to crane her head around and see how her wound looked now. Dash felt her heartbeat speed up as Pinkie spun, looking adorable as ever.
"I'm surprised, actually. You took that like a champ, Pinkie. I wish you could see what AJ is like around needles. Every year she drags me down to Redheart's Clinic to get flu shots with me. She howls like a little kid every time they stick her with the shot. Makes me laugh every year. I don't get it. I've seen AJ willingly shatter her ankle to get fruit off trees, but needles send her into hysterics. Big Mac just goes 'nope' like it's nothing."
As she put the medical supplies back into the small plastic box they had come in, she felt the eyes of her friend upon her. With the icky job of cleaning a literal bloody mess up out of the way, it was time for an ickier job: talking to her friend about emotions and feelings and other stuff. Stuff Dash wasn't the hugest fan of talking about, but she'd been avoiding it too long as it was. Luckily, Pinkie was the first to speak up, her large blue eyes seeming to grow even larger as she stared at Dash with a look of adoration and admiration.
"That's the second time today you've kept me safe! I should hire you as a bodyguard. You could wear sunglasses and a tie and talk into a microphone." Pinkie quietly shuffled up to Dash, closing the distance between them. "You're always there for me."
"Well it's just cause you're always there for me, pal. Always there when I feel bad or bored or when I've gotten tired of flight training. You're the best friend a pony could ask for. Heck you're one of the main reasons I'm able to get out of bed some mornings." Dash frowned a bit, ruffling her feathers as she began to feel uncomfortable. "And I haven't been returning the favor very well. I've been real short with you Pinkie, and I shouldn't be."
"It's okay. I know you're just worried cause everything is changing. And you're really scared of change." Pinkie giggled as she continued moving closer, feeling the short hairs along her back bristle. "But you don't have to be. Look how much has changed for us in the last year. All we've been through. Change is good, I think. And really fun!"
"Um...I gotta be honest, Pinkie. I have a bit of a confession to make. Before we all came to Canterlot.....I was just kinda...flying around a few days ago and..."
"You were spying on me and Flutters and Twilight while we were exercising and you overheard me say some stuff, right?" Pinkie grinned wickedly at the look of shock on Dash's face.
"W...what!? How in the hay...." Dash spluttered.
"You're so silly, Dashie!" Pinkie laughed as she drew ever closer, smiling as Rainbow was unable to avert her eyes from the pink pony's own, feeling the trembling breath of Dash on her muzzle. "My Pinkie Sense is tuned to home in on fun stuff wherever it is. You think I wouldn't sense you trying to pull a prank? On Pinkie Pie? Besides you also made it really obvious when you apologized to me on the train earlier."
"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you, Pinks." Dash mumbled. "I've been hurting you and didn't even realize it. Heck...I didn't even realize how I felt about you until today. I've been kind of a bonehead."
"So how DO you feel about me, miss bonehead?" Pinkie asked, leering forward with a wicked grin slowly stretching across her face at her flustered friend. Her grin only got larger as she observed Dash's wings slowly extending, pushing the pegasus away from the wall and up closer to Pinkie.
Dash sighed. "Pinkie we're both a couple of weirdos. You're always pretending to be happy when I know you're not."
"And you're always pretending to be brave even when I know you're really scared." Pinkie said softly, her muzzle slowly sliding along Dash's cheek, reveling in the way it made the cocky pegasus shiver. "I guess we are kind of weird."
"You wanna be weird....together?" Dash asked sheepishly.
A gentle kiss along Rainbow's jaw was all the answer she needed. Her mind swam as sensations she'd never experienced flowed through her, wrapping her arms tightly around her pink friend and squeezing as tightly as she could. Every frustration, worry, anger, and joy she'd felt over the last two weeks was poured out into the embrace, losing herself as she peppered her friends face with short dry kisses, inspired to continue at the happy giggles that poured from her pink partner. Pinkie squirmed happily in Rainbow's arms at the affectionate onslaught, returning kisses whenever she got an opening, while Rainbow for the first time in months felt stable, a sense of internal peace pervading the momentary excitement. She felt normal for the first time in a long time. How appropriate, she thought, to feel normal in the arms of a friend.
With a titter of glee, Pinkie gave Rainbow another kiss on the tip of her snout, trying not to laugh as the exhausted pegasus leaned back against the wall, panting heavily. "Is this how it's gonna be every time we make out? A loud kiss explosion tornado? We probably woke everyone up! You need to show some self control, missy!"
"Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, is telling ME to have self control?" Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's pretty rich. And I don't think we woke anyone up......isn't that RIGHT RARITY AND AJ?"
The two expected to hear the sound of two pairs of hooves clattering away from the door. But all that came was silence.
"That's odd....after the pep talk Rarity gave me I would have sworn her and AJ would be spying on me." Rainbow mentioned, taking a peep out of the crack in the doorframe.
"I guess some ponies have more class than to just spy on their friends all day, huh?" Pinkie winked at Rainbow. "Unlike SOME ponies I know."
"As if." Dash stuck her tongue out at Pinkie, trying to look offended.
Pinkie's eyelids were drooping as she yawned quietly, leaning heavily against Dash. "I guess you're tired too." Dash commented.
"We've made a horrible mess of Rarity's bathroom." Pinkie mumbled, looking upon the vast pile of paper towers and feathers and drops of blood. "She's gonna blow her top once she sees this. And then her sides and bottom too. All her parts will be bouncing around the room shouting at us."
"Not if I clean it up first!" Dash remarked, quickly using her powerful wings to sweep all the mess into a pile so she could cram it into the tiny garbage bin. Seized with a new happy energy, Dash cleaned the room with almost the same speed she summoned for flight.
"So now what?" Pinkie asked as she swayed, nearly toppling over as sleep tried to claim her. "Are we gonna go tell everyone that we worked out our stuff? We could have a 'Pinkie and Dashie kissed in Rarity's Bathroom' party. Those are always the best!"
"Nah let 'em figure it out." Dash smirked as she wrapped her arms around Pinkie's torso and took to the air, hoisting her friend to the living room and depositing Pinkie on the fluffy Bed and Breakfast couch. "You need sleep. You've had a long and crappy day, thanks to me."
"It ended happily thanks to you as well." Pinkie whispered, leaning up to lick Rainbow's chin, trying not to laugh as the pegasus almost fell out of the air from her wings losing control.
"Yeah well, I'm gonna go see how Shy n' Twi are doing. And then..." Dash yawned, regaining midair stability. "I'll make sure Scoots is comfortable. I guess I'll hit the hay, too. We have a lot to do tomorrow and I don't wanna wake up feeling tired."