Twilight Sparkle took a moment to breathe in the sweet and salty breeze from the sea before she resumed walking across the bridge from the ship's bow to the shore. A few steps later and she was in the griffin kingdom of Winglark. After trotting a few more paces, enjoying the feel of the sand cushioning her hooves, she turned back and shouted "Come on girls, we are finally here!"
The first to emerge from the depths of the ship was a blue blur followed by a rainbow trail. Rainbow Dash sketched out a series of loops in they sky before touching down. She stretched and yawned, then exclaimed "Finally! I've been cramped up on that stupid boat for far too long. These wings were made to soar, and not in circles over a piece of driftwood. Hey, Twi, the griffins are master fliers, do you think I'll be able to fly with any of them? Cuz that would be awesome!"
Twilight sheepishly grinned and started "Well...", purposely letting the thought trail off.
Next to appear was Rarity. She awkwardly skittered down the gangway until she was close enough to whisper into Twilight's ear. "Hey, Twilight, do you know where the nearest ladie's room is? I'm so glad I never have to use the one on the ship again, I swear it gave me splinters in my, uh, you know..." All hints of Rarity's fake accent were gone, replaced by traces of a whimper.
"There should be one in immigrations." Twilight gestured towards a building further up the slope, where the sand gave way to grass, with fences stretching from either side of it into the horizon. Overhead griffins flew, patrolling the border. Rarity hastily thanked her and hurried off.
An olive face lead a starkly contrasting pink body which was stumbling off the ship and onto the gangway. Pinkie Pie took two more steps before collapsing and heaving into the water. After purging her systems and resting for a second she recovered and managed to bounce her way over to Twilight and Rainbow.
Fluttershy then poked her head out of the ship. After a second she gingerly stepped out and trotted over to the rest of them. At first she stood at the outskirts of the group, but after Twilight beaconed for her to come in closer she did. "Thank you, Twilight." she muttered.
"Thank you for what? We all want you here and want to hear what you have to say. "
Fluttershy took in a deep breathe and braced her self, thinking for a second before she spoke. "Well, aside from that, thank you for arranging for me to have my own room, I needed the peace. Spike kept me company there when I needed it. " She paused for a second, then burst out "Why can't Spike come with us? It's not fair that he isn't allowed in the country just because he is a dragon!" After taking time to breathe and calm herself she continued. "At least now I'm finally able to meet some new animals. All there was on the boat were some rats and a couple of gulls. "
At last Applejack caught up with the rest of the group. She managed to slip in without anyone noticing her, so Fluttershy was startled when she spoke. "Hi y'all, ah finally managed to gather everything off da boat and set 'er off. Wait a second, where's Rarity?"
Before anyone could freak out Rainbow spoke up. "She went off to take a piss. She didn't want anyone to know, but she didn't do a very good job at hiding it, you could just see it in the way she clenched her butt. I'm not sure why she isn't back now, but-"
Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash like she a caramelized apple core being presented to her. "Why were you staring at Rarity's hindquarters?"
Rainbow Dash was about to answer her, but Applejack cut her off. "Don't answer that. "
Twilight decided to break up the growing homoerotic tension with a cough. "Ahem, ANYWAY Rarity headed over to immigration, and they might have not let her back out this way. We should go meet up with her now."
The group headed off to the building, and sure enough they found Rarity bickering with a couple of uniformed griffins just beyond the first checkpoint.
"I said my friends are waiting for me back there and if you do not let me return then I will be forced to-Oh, there they are..." The white unicorn turned a deep shade of red and backed away from the guards as her friends reunited with her.
With Twilight spearheading the group they were able to pass immigration with ease. She merely had to flash a signed document from the princess and they could bypass customs. Soon enough they were through and could survey the port city.
Ironhook was a beautiful city. It was so named due to the iron deposits found there and the shape of the peninsula on which it was located. By having immediate access to the ocean for trading said iron the city was able to prosper. The buildings were made of stone and crystal, and the streets were all paved. Despite it's size the city was fairly clean, and a fountain adorned by statues of griffin princes of old stood at a square.
"Okay girls, we can explore the city for a few hours, but our journey isn't over yet. We are in Ironhook, and we need to get to Draylek. At noon we need to meet back up at that statue, then I will bring you to the station where we meet our train. Did everyone get that?"
Everyone nodded and then went off their separate ways. Twilight first got down to business and located the train station. After that was out of the way she walked around the city, admiring the architecture. Fluttershy managed to befriend a family of pidgeons, while Pinkie Pie tried to befriend a different type of bird, hassling any griffin she passed. Rainbow Dash soared across the city, while Applejack tried to keep up with her and make casual conversation. Finally Rarity wandered about, taking note of fashion and inquiring about the gems that were being used in the various garments and buildings. At last noon came and they gathered back up at the fountain.
The party followed Twilight towards the train station. Pinkie bounded alongside Twilight and blurted out "Hey, Twilight, you saw the train, didn't you? Is it like the train in Ponyville? Is it a super duper big train with crystal wheels and a magic engine? Or is it neon green and it glows in the dark and can go through walls or-"
Twilight sighed before nonchalantly cutting her off. "No Pinkie. You'll see soon enough. Let me explain what's going on. Celestia sent me a message before we landed. See, the griffins don't use trains to move around because they all fly like the pegasi. However, they still need to transport goods, so they built a rail system for cargo trains. We have a train provided for us, but it's not a passenger train like we are used to. It's, well..."
They just pulled into the station and now everyone could see just what she was talking about. In front of them was a single train car, which was essentially a silver tube with a few windows behind an engine. With the exception of Twight, the girls jaws dropped.
"Well, we were just in the ship for a month, and it will only take a few days to reach Draylek. Besides, we've rode trains before. Right, girls?"
Twilight faked a grin, but it faded when Applejack stated the obvious.
"Not in this train."
***
The train consisted of one room which was just large enough to hold all six ponies, a slightly smaller kitchen, a corrider corridor connecting them which was a scarcely large enough to turn around in, an engine room off the kitchen which could barely hold a single pony, and a bathroom in the back which Rarity promptly turned her nose up at.
"I'm not using that thing. It lack space for my essentials, and the toilet doesn't even have a proper lid! Not only does the door lack a lock, but it hardly even closes ."
She emphasized this by shutting the door and watching as it popped back open. The bathroom was little more than a toilet behind a door, like an outhouse made of metal. Twilight hobbled over, accidentally shoving Fluttershy. The sudden touch felt like a jolt of lightning to the sensitive mare, causing her to involuntarily squeak and even after physical contact ended the feeling still lingered, causing Fluttershy to rub herself.
"Sorry Fluttershy." After apologizing to Twilight turned back to the bathroom, quickly glanced over it, and addressed Rarity. In order to get a good view at the bathroom she was already practically pressed against her side.
"Well we are going to stop a few times along the way and there should be toilets at those places, but the distance between stops is going to be very long, so I advise you to get used to it."
Along the tops of the walls were cubbies to store items. Twilight magically grabbed Rarity's oversized bag of toiletries and hefted it into one such hole. Meanwhile in the kitchen Applejack was filling similar compartments with cooking equipment and food while Pinkie Pie watched.
"Hey, are those apple cakes? I love apple cakes!" chirped Pinkie. Applejack could only grunt because her mouth was full, but once she placed said apple cakes into their proper spot she spoke.
"Yeah, but don't touch them. Ah'm saving them for dessert later on. "
"Okie dokie." The pink mare slumped onto her haunches like a dog. With Applejack standing on her hind legs so she could reach up high she looked rather like Pinkie's master.
Rainbow Dash was standing in the corridor, occupying the entire passage way. Her eyes darted around the small room in front of her, settled on Twilight, and then she shouted out "Why do we even need to stuff this tin can? I want spread my wings! Why can't we fly over?"
Twilight swung around, knocking into Rarity and causing her to emit a "Hey!", and stepped forward, treading on Fluttershy's tail causing a small "meep". She hastily apologized twice before replying to Rainbow Dash.
"For one, King Alfred forbade us from traveling long distances by air for security reasons. Second, aside from Fluttershy you are the only one with wings, and I don't even think she could take such a far flight. The only alternative would be to hike through the mountains, which would be far worse than just being stuck in a train car for a few days. Now the more you complain the harder this is going to be. "
She then hollered past Rainbow Dash into the kitchen. "Applejack, Pinkie, get over here! I want to tell everyone a few things. "
Rainbow Dash entered the back room completely in order to let Applejack and then Pinkie Pie come in. Despite the small size of the area the pink mare was still bouncing. They managed to arrange into a tight circle with their faces in the center. Fluttershy was smashed between Twilight on her left and Rarity on her right, stressing her. Directly across from her was Pinkie Pie, who appeared to actually enjoy being squashed between Rainbow and Applejack. Once they were settled Twilight spoke, breaking contact with the magenta eyes opposite her own so she could address everyone.
"Okay everypony, I'm going to explain how we are going to get this to work. It's going to take use a few days to reach Draylek, so we are going to have to endure this thing. If everypony just listens to me now this should be over in no time.
I'm going to manage the engine, but fortunately it doesn't need constant attention, so I should be with you most of the time. Applejack is in charge of food, and as there isn't much room back here feel free to make yourself at home in the 'kitchen'. Just don't take any food without asking as it's being carefully rationed. We will have room to play games, read, talk, whatever to pass the time. Just be considerate to your fellow passengers.
In case you haven't noticed yet there is a toilet in the back. It's not really a proper bathroom, but you are probably going to need to use it all the same. It has an lever to operate an opening to keep it's contents from sloshing out and to keep the odors in, so be sure to operate that so it's open during use and closed otherwise. Do as you need to there, but it would be preferable if, uh, you keep solid waste to a minimum. We will be making the occasional stop, so you can do additional business there. The only sink here is in the kitchen, so don't forget to wash your hooves there. Oh, and don't forget to knock before you open that door.
Finally, for the night we will stop the train in a safe location and set up sleeping arrangements. Unfortunately Alfred has not given us permission to stay at any town over the night for security reasons, so we will need to sleep in the train. It does have cots that are retracted into the walls right now, but we only have two. Unless there are any objections those will be given to Fluttershy and Rarity as they are the most sensitive about this type of thing. None? Okay, that means that unless anypony wants to share a bed that the rest of us are going to have to sleep on the ground. It's only going to be for a couple of nights, and it's not that bad. Now, any further questions?"
There was no response. However, Twilight did notice a foul smell had begun to propagate within the cabin.
It was going to be a long ride.
***
Twilight was in the engine room. She set the train going and was now familiarizing herself with the full route the train was going to take. Meanwhile Applejack was in kitchen cooking up lunch, while Fluttershy admired the passing scenery from out the window in the same room. In the back Rainboe Dash was reading Daring Do and the Liquid Eye while Rarity and Pinkie Pie conversed.
Fluttershy was deeply engrossed by what she saw. She enjoyed the rolling hills and swirling clouds. They were beautiful and the setting was rather picturesque, and while enjoying the view she could think of other things. However, as time went by she came to realize something: she forgot to use a restroom while she was in Ironhook. She would rather not have to use the toilet here as there was no lock and someone might see her. At first she tried to ignore it, then just hold it, but it was getting harder. At last she couldn't take it any longer and rushed to the back. She didn't even notice as she accidentally stepped on Pinkie's hoof and made her squeal.
Once she inside she slammed the door, making sure one hoof stayed in constant contact with the door. This let her hold it close, but after a quick jolt forced her forward and caused the door to peak open for a sec she was reminded she had to be careful. The next challenge was to align her rear over the toilet and flip the lever while retaining control over the door. This proved to be more difficult than she expected, but eventually she managed to do it and relived herself. Okay, she didn't relieve herself instantly as hearing voices outside made her nervous, and it took consider effort to be able to act in spite of that, but she managed to do it none the less. Now she just had to wipe herself.
Getting to the toilet paper and tearing it was tricky, but fortunately she could use her wings as an extra pair of appendages. However, while cleaning herself she was thinking about what would happen if the train shifted now and the door flung open. All her friends would see her touching her nether regions, and she might just wet herself in front of them. It would be horrible, but the shear horror aroused her. That just tortured her even more. Once she realized she had started absent-mindedly fondling herself she blushed with embarrassment. It would be the worst if her friends saw her now.
Fluttershy decided that since she was as private as she was going to get for a long while she best finish herself off now and do it quickly. She hadn't pleasured herself in awhile, so this would satisfy her for sometime. However, while working on herself she slipped on the toilet, which caused her to gasp. From outside Rarity sincerely inquired "Are you okay dear?"
Fluttershy was filled with mortal terror and stopped immediately. Hurriedly she shouted "Yes, I'm fine!", wiped off her hoof on a sheet of paper, and flushed the toilet. She didn't even bother to flip the lever back before she rushed out the bathroom, ran to the kitchen, and intensely washed her hooves. She was still aroused, but there was nothing to do about it. She did everything she could to resist rubbing her legs together or her bottom against something while trying to focus her mind on something else. Now she was gladder than ever that her tail was so long.
***
Rainbow Dash was deeply absorbed in the latest adventure. In her mind Daring Do was standing in a darkened room. The walls were made of mirrors, and the floor was a pane of glass residing over a black pit. In the center on a crystal pedestal the halberd of King Day Eater the Day Eater resided. There didn't appear to be any traps, but she war being pursued by Titan, a diamond dog warlord who had his eyes on the same prize, so she had to act fast.
Suddenly, one of the mirrors shattered, revealing a hulking diamond dog who was charging straight at her. Daring Do grabbed the halberd and-
"Hey Rainbow, what ya doing?"
The scene instantly melted away and was replaced by a pink face. Rainbow sighed.
"I was reading." Rainbow Dash watched as Pinkies eyes darted around, looking at the book, and tried to bringing her own back to the pages. Just as she found where she left off another high pitched chirp issued from the pink pony.
"Whatchya reading?"
"Daring Do and the Liquid Eye" growled Rainbow Dash. Hopefully this would appease Pinkie, but she just stood there.
"Oo, sounds cool. How does a liquid eye work? If my eyes were liquid than they would all spill out when I shake my head and then I wouldn't be able to see and I'll bump into things. Or only one eye would be liquid, then-"
Rainbow Dash was more than a little bit annoyed and she had it. Interrupting Pinkie, she said "Weren't you talking with Rarity?"
"Rarity went up to get something to eat and talk to Applejack, so I was left alone and got bored. " She just stood there, looking at Rainbow Dash with such playful yet such longing eyes.
"Why don't you like, oh, I don't know, count trees or something?"
Failing to take the hint, Pinkie just thoughtfully replied "I tried that, but after I got to 1,254 the trees all disappeared from the landscape and there is now only grass and rocks. "
Rainbow Dash sighed and slammed her book shut. There was no throwing Pinkie when she didn't want to be thrown, so she just had to endure her.
***
After Applejack explained to Rarity that she was in the middle of making dinner and she couldn't have a snack the farm pony and the fashionista began to make idle conversation. As Applejack stirred a pot of alfalfa Rarity told her a story about her sister and herself.
"So then Sweetie Belle came out of the briar patch, but I didn't know that at the time so I was still looking for her. I was getting frustrated, and I called her name once again, and this time she actually responded. I was exhilarated and ran towards that voice as fast as I could. Well, I failed to notice a root in my path, and I tripped over it and fell right into the brambles.
The thorns cut all over my body, I mean all over, and I was covered in mud, but at the time I didn't care. I just had to make sure Sweetie Belle was safe. I scrambled out of those brambles, and I kept on running. Soon enough I found her. The dress I made for her was torn to shreds, but she was safe, and I guess that's all the really matters in the end. "
Rarity laughed, but it quickly died and she went silent and stared into the ground. Applejack stopped stirring and turned to face her.
"Sugarcube, what's the matter? Something bothering yeah?"
Rarity turned towards Applejack and stared straight into her deep emerald eyes for a moment before looking away. Slowly she spoke.
"Everything is bothering me. That's the problem. I've always felt out of place, even with in my own family. My parents are simple, hard working folk. I, I'm so delicate, and I just have this unsatisfiable hunger for sophistication. Why can't I accept things for what they are, and nothing more?
I'm sure this trip has been easy for you, but it's been a ride through Tartarus for me. The close quarters, the smell, the lack of provisions, everything, it's all been hard. I can't even sew here to distract myself, let alone bring my creations to life. I swear I'm loosing my mind in here. "
Once again she paused. She took in a deep breathe and stared into Applejack's eyes, this time not looking away.
"Applejack, you, you're so good. I wish I was as good as you. Look, you're cooking the food, while I'm being useless like usual. Whenever there is a problem you just plow through it like nothing is wrong. I just complain. You're so honest, I'm a filthy liar. You are so brave, I'm a coward. "
Applejack let go of the stirring spoon and moved to Rarity's side, putting a hoof around.
"Rarity, you are no coward. You just told me the truth, which even for me is not always an easy thing to do. Now let me tell you something Rarity, while I'm sure this has been hard for you, you aren't alone. I might look strong, but inside I'm shaking in my leather boots.
When I was a filly my parents died. Ah promised them I would be be strong. And I did become strong. But let me tell you, Rare, while I may run a farm and all and appear as a grown mare, I'm really still just a filly at heart, even if I tell myself otherwise.
I wish could be more like ya too. Let's face it, you are pretty darn beautiful, while I'm just an ugly farmer. Don't tell me I'm not, because not only are you beautiful, but more importantly you can see beauty in anything, and make it even more beautiful. I wish ah could do that. You might wish you didn't need fine things, but I wish I could appreciate them like you do.
I have lots of family living all over, but I still miss them all the same. I miss the oranges, I miss Apple Fritter, I miss Braeburn, I miss Granny Smith, I miss Big Macintosh, I miss Apple Bloom, I, ah, ah miss Ma and Pa!"
Applejack was sobbing now, while a dumbfounded Rarity's jaw dropped. In the back Fluttershy was distracted from her bird watching and became rather confused and uncomfortable from the whole spectacle. Twilight was too busy doing something in the engine room to notice, and Pinkie and Rainbow where equally occupied. After the pair calmed down Rarity thanked Applejack, excused herself, and headed back to the other room.
Applejack's words reverberated in her mind, as did her own. She had learned so much about Applejack...and herself. Trials and reflection really did bring wisdom.
Unfortunately for her, her accretion wisdom wasn't quite done yet.
****
Twilight had long since stopped obsessing over the trains route and began to mentally entertain herself in other ways. She was reading a book, but she finished it and the rest of her books were tucked away somewhere in the back of the train. At the moment she was trying to create a method to define a 3d space filling curve that was partitioned by twos.
Doing the same for the 2d version of the fractal was easy enough, but the 3d variant was significantly harder. For one it was difficult for her to wrap her mind around the complex coils that expanded in three different dimensions. It was also a lot more complicated, having twice as many divisions on each level and three times as many bends in each partition.
Now, partitioning space filling curves by twos is actually harder than partitioning them by threes because the even number throws of the parity and makes it impossible for the ends of the curve to be on opposite ends of the space. This makes it much harder to makes stable divisions so they continue to line up even after being twisted around. However, Twilight managed to do it for two dimensions, and she was convinced she could do it for three. Now the odd parity of the number of dimensions was also working against her, but she figured she found a way to work against that. She just needed to make their be twice as many types of partitions as there would be otherwise.
Twilight carefully wound the curve with her head. She was beginning to see it come to life, iterate it so it would potentially fill the entire space. She was so close when "Twilight" went a whiny voice. With the sudden noise the mental coils unwound and shattered into 1024 pieces.
Twilight sighed and left the engine room. As she walked back she bumped into Fluttershy once again, causing her to profusely apologize for getting in Twilight's way, but she ignored her. In the back of the train she could see Rarity tilting her head back and calling her name. Twilight sighed once again.
***
The toilet was disgusting. It was probably full of millions of germs that would infect any pony who sat on it. Yet Rarity couldn't stop being drawn to it. She was going to have to go eventually, but she was trying to hold it until they stopped somewhere in order to avoid using that thing.
The other problem with that wasn't just it's lack of hygiene and how uncomfortable it looked, but how "public" it looked. Everyone will know she used it if she used it. She knew thinking there was something wrong with that was silly as everyone was using it, but she couldn't help it. Even worse was the possibility the door would open and her friends would see her doing the universally needed but very unladylike act, which would be improper to say to least. She would rather not think about that possibility.
At last she was getting impatient and called for Twilight so she could ask when they would get to the next stop. She called for Twilight a few more times, then noticed she was already by her side.
"Yes, Rarity?"
Slightly embarrassed, Rarity coughed than gently inquired "When are we going to stop?"
Twilight brought a hoof to her face before replying.
"We aren't stopping at any towns today. We just came from Ironclaw and since we left after noon we are behind today."
A flash of distress came to Rarity. She worriedly declared "We must stop soon! It is dire. "
Twilight sighed. "I'm afraid that is not possible. I've studied the route and the next town is hours and hours away. Even if we drive through the night, which we aren't doing as I for one want to sleep, it would still take until tomorrow to reach there. "
Rarity stomped her hooves and whinnied. "Can't you just make the train go faster?"
"No. And why exactly do you need to get to a town so quickly?" Twilight skeptically accused. Rarity blushed at the truth, and the stark color of her cheeks betraying her furthered her embarrassment.
"Um, no reason. "
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sure 'no reason' can wait until tomorrow. " With that Twilight turned around and headed back towards the engine room, leaving Rarity with her agony.
***
Pinkie Pie was bored. As it turned out being cooped in a train for hours and hours wasn't very fun at all. She talked to Rarity, but she left to talk with Applejack and now she was acting fussy. Rainbow Dash was busy reading and not being fun at all. She wasn't even letting her read the book over her shoulder.
Fluttershy was preoccupied with something outside, Pinkie wasn't sure what. She tried counting trees, but she was now bored of that. Twilight had locked herself in the engine room, and Applejack wasn't letting her taste any food in the kitchen.
Now she was playing with a ball, absent minded less batting it between her hooves. As it rolled she noticed how as it rolled two points on the ball didn't spin, the ones along the axis of rotation. Now, if she was rolling a donut the axis could pass through the hole, and then the whole donut would be spinning.
Thinking of donuts reminded Pinkie that she was hungry. She could really use a donut right now. Fortunately Applejack then shouted "Dinners ready! Come and get some, y'all need to come one at a time as there isn't room for everyone here. " It wasn't donuts, but it would do.
***
Throughout dinner Rarity was distracted from properly enjoying her alfalfa casserole by the growing pressure in her bladder. There was only way to relive it, but she couldn't, so she just held it in.
As darkness fell it began to grow so painful that Rarity was on the verge of tears. She knew there would be no way that she could make it through the night, so that left one option. She would have to face her fears. Armed with a deep breathe, she entered the void.
The first step was to close the door. She did this by using her magic, and continued to hold it fast. This would make it quite clear that she was using it as the bathroom door was glowing blue. However, that was better than what would happen if the bathroom door ended up opening if didn't hold it. Also, her friends knowing she was in there wasn't all bad, it meant they wouldn't come barging in on her. Well, unless they were perverts. She certainly hoped her friends weren't perverts.
It was time for step two. She braced herself and sat down on the toilet seat. It was cold and terrible and she could practically feel the germs jumping on her. With adrenaline in her from the trauma she sat out to finish her business as quickly as possible. She emptied her bladder, agonizing at how long it was taking the liquid to come out and the all-too-loud sound it made. She was lucky she was highly skilled at magically manipulating multiple objects at once as that enabled her to break off a sheet of toilet paper while keeping the door closed. She used it to make dry her folds of any lingering fluid than flushed it all down.
As quickly as possible she left the horrid place. She had survived.
***
At last it was time to go to sleep. Sure enough there were two cots that Twilight managed to pop out the walls after she had stopped the train. As they unfolded Pinkie hopped and expressed her desire to sleep in one.
"Oo, beds! Pick me, I want a bed!"
Twilight just kept unfolding them while flatly stating "We already agreed that Fluttershy and Rarity are getting the beds because they are the most sensitive about these things. If you wanted a bed you should have objected back then. You are going to sleep on the floor, and while there is a shortage of beds there is enough blankets for everyone. "
"Aww. Oh well. " Pinkie moaned. Fluttershy noted Pinkie's complaint and quickly responded.
"Um, if you want you can, uh, have mine."
Pinkie spun to meet the yellow mare.
"Oh, that's okay. I'm fine with sleeping on the floor. I'm sure he is nice once you get to know him. "
"Well, if you don't mind, we could, er, share a bed. " Fluttershy stared to the side and hid behind her mane as she stated the offer. Pinkie swept her into an awkward hug as a signal of acceptance.
"Okie doki. Tonight is going to be great!"
The group arranged themselves so that Rarity was on the bed in the kitchen with Applejack at her feet, Fluttershy and Pinkie shared the other one with Twilight at the base, and Rainbow Dash spanned the corridor into both rooms. Despite them being in different rooms Rainbow Dash still managed to kick Twilight in the head, annoying her even more when she happened to strike her sensitive horn, and bash her own head against Applejack's. Meanwhile in the bed Pinkie managed to wrap herself in all the sheets, leaving poor Fluttershy exposed to the cold air and without the comforting pressure the blanket would provide. Eventually they all managed to fall asleep, but it was not an easy night. Future nights were only going to get worse.