Some ponies tend to be calm, restful sleepers. They go to bed with the blankets over their body and their head on the pillow, and when they wake up hours later, they’re in almost the exact same position with their bed as neat as when they made it.
Winter, however, is pretty much as opposite of a ‘neat sleeper’ as one can get. As the sun rises, it shines through the window on his form practically sideways on the bed, blankets either on the floor or wrapped tightly around him like a cocoon, and the pillows haphazardly adjusted multiple times to keep up with his moving head. His mane and tail are far messier than normal, and under those blankets, his pajamas look so crumpled one would think they had fallen off the hanger and just been ignored for a week before he put them on.
The door slowly opens, a narrow muzzle poking through, followed by the rest of the silver fox’s head. Seeing his friend still asleep, he sighs and pushes the door open, looking back at the mare behind him. ‘He’s not gonna wake up on his own… you wanna do the honors?’
Seeming to understand what he means, she nods, walking in quietly with a smaller form on her back. As she nears the bed, her head cranes around and grab the filly by her scruff, setting her down right next to Win’s head. Finally, as her own touch, she leans down, nuzzling him with a smile. “Wake up, sugarcube~”
A long, soft groan escapes his muzzle as he shifts a bit. Instead of waking up, he instead reaches out his hoof, grabbing the first thing it finds and pulling it close. This just so happens to be the sea green filly that had been placed beside him.
Instead of struggling, the young pony smiles, resting her head against his chest. She looks to the farmer, eyes shimmering with hope. “...just for a little bit?”
With only the barest roll of her eyes, Applejack smiles and nods. Ash happily squeals, nuzzling closer to the stallion’s body, enjoying the warmth coming from him. After a few moments, though, he begins to feel her own warmth, and his mind starts to float back into the realm of reality. His eyes start to flick open as a loud yawn comes from his mouth.
‘Wow, I just realized he has tonsils…’
The unicorn lets his yawn transition to a groan as he hears the familiar voice. “Morning, Merc...” His eyes finish opening and rest on the form in his forelegs, causing him to smile. “And Ash...” He glances upward, eyes meeting with those of a certain orange farmer. His face pales. “And… A-Applejack?!”
She quirks an eyebrow at him. “What? How come Ah’m the one who gets the shocked ‘good morning’?”
He backs up a bit, using magic to hastily unwrap himself from the blankets, blushing as he realizes his current appearance. “Wh-why are you in my house?”
‘We let her in.’ Mercury jumps up onto the bed next to Ash, smiling up at his friend. ‘Don’t you remember what day it is?’
“...no?” the unicorn offers, trying to keep himself covered with the blankets even as he tries to free his body from their confines. “Applejack, why are you here?”
“Because somepony needed to make sure ya’ll got up on time today.” She laughs quietly. “And it seems like everypony else here would’ve just been in it fer the snuggle time.”
Winter raises an eyebrow. “...why do I need to be up ‘on time’?” he asks. “I don’t need to check in at the office until past noon, there’s no drills today, I didn’t have any other arrangements...”
“Because of the Heroes’ Ball.” Ash rolls onto her hooves, shaking herself before sitting down. “You were invited there, weren’t you?”
“Yes, Ash, I was.” He sighs. “‘Invited’, not ‘ordered’. And I choose to decline.”
‘Win,’ the fox speaks up, frowning in disappointment, ‘you said you’d go there with Applejack. Finally do what you promised me you would?’
Rather than evoking annoyance or guilt, this actually seems to confuse the stallion. He speaks quieter so only the kitsune can hear. “I was going to do that today… I just didn’t know you meant at the Ball...”
‘Well, she’s going to Canterlot to be in the Heroes’ Ball.’ He shrugs, tails swaying slowly. ‘I think ponies are starting to recognize them as heroes, you know?’
Sighing, Winter sits up straight and stretches his back, flinging the blankets to the foot of the bed and off of his lavender, crescent moon-patterned pajamas. “Fiiiiiiine...”
Seeing his nightwear, the mare’s mouth scrunches up. “Heh… cute PJs, Win.”
He blushes, instantly going back to trying to cover with his hooves, the blankets now out of reach. “Th-thanks…?”
‘Can we trust you to stay awake if we leave for you to get changed?’ Mercury blinks, tilting his head to one side. ‘...wow, I really can’t word today...’
“...honestly? Probably not...” The unicorn demonstrates this by flopping onto his back, head on the pillow, with a sigh. “I’m getting flashbacks to mom trying to wake me up on Monday mornings...”
“Well, how about another try from us then?” The farm mare’s voice barely stops before a lightly tossed filly lands on his stomach. “Ya’ll know she ain’t gonna get tired of that.”
He yelps, catching the filly with a slight look of worry before smiling a bit. “Hey there, you.”
“Hi.” Ash giggles, touching his nose with a hoof. “So… I can go with you guys, right?”
“Only if you promise to behave yourself and not eat anything sugary,” he states firmly. “...and you let me get up.”
“I promise!” She laughs brightly as she jumps off his stomach, running off to her room. The sudden push off of his belly nearly knocks the wind out of him, forcing him to exhale sharply as he springs into a sitting position again, clutching his midsection.
Shaking her head, AJ walks forward and takes one of his forelegs, holding it above his head. “Just breathe, sugarcube.”
He manages to take a deep breath, ensuring that his lungs were still fully operational before letting it out, resuming his normal breathing cycle. “Thanks...”
'You want me to leave so you can get dressed, too? Or would you prefer the extra paw?' Mercury stays firmly seated despite the question, smirking slightly.
“...you’d probably stick around regardless of my answer, so I’ll just say you can help.” The unicorn finally rolls out of bed onto all four hooves, shaking himself off and looking over his bedhead-afflicted mane and tail. “I wonder if this is how Vinyl gets her style...”
Applejack shrugs. “Got me, Ah usually just spend a minute with the old manebrush before Ah put mah ties on.” She indicates her red bands around the ends of her mane.
“Usually I just go with however mine looks after a shower,” Winter says with a shrug of his own. “I’m assuming that would be ‘unacceptable’ for a formal occasion like this?”
With a small smirk, she replies. “What do ya think Rarity would say to that?”
“Probably something involving the word ‘obviously’ four times.” He tries to pat his mane down with a hoof. “At least promise me it doesn’t need to be cut or gelled. The former makes me sleepy and the latter makes me itchy.”
'Make sure it's decent, at the very least,' Mercury speaks up, dropping off the bed and heading into the closet. 'Especially considering that she's going to be there, too.'
“Yeah, yeah...” Sighing, Winter turns his attention to the closet as well. “And let me guess: formal wear, no going au naturale?”
She nods. “Yep, seems like most Canterlot stuff is like that.”
“Great… hopefully my uniform still fits. Save a few hundred bits on getting a suit for one occasion.” He cracks his neck loudly before starting to tug his pajama top off.
“Well, it is fer yer teams,” she muses behind him. “Ah think military would be a fine choice.”
“Yeah. Plus, I’d likely be representing the Ponyville guard as well, so…” He shrugs as the shirt comes off, starting on the pants. Suddenly remembering who else is in the room, he quickly yanks them back up over the green fabric nearly revealed, face as red as the farmer’s cutie mark.
She smiles cheekily as she watches him. “Something wrong, Win? Lookin’ a bit red there.”
He coughs awkwardly. “Y-You didn’t see anything, right?”
'Heaven forbid.' The kitsune emerges from the closet, a belt with a scabbard in his tails. 'If she did, she might be even more interested.'
She giggles, shaking her head. “Nothin’ interestin’, no. Somethin’ Ah should have seen? Ah mean, we don’t normally wear clothes so…”
Winter sighs, still blushing. “I know, but… let’s just say I like wearing layers to bed… it’s warmer that way.” He looks for anything else in the room to focus on.
The farmer tilts her head at him. “So… what? You’re embarrassed about wearin’ warm britches?”
“...something like that… just turn away, please?” he practically begs.
With a smile and a shake of her head, she does as he asks. “Silly shy stallion…”
“Hey, I grew up in two cities where peculiarities meant ostracization,” he retorts as he slides the bottoms off, no longer feeling as nervous. “Just my luck that I had, and still have, so many of them.” The dark green garment beneath comes off next, and his full set of sleepwear is tossed roughly into the laundry basket.
“Well, Ponyville has more than its fair share of the unusual, so most folks won’t bat an eye at ya,” she shoots back, playing with the brim of her hat.
He sighs. “Still not gonna be totally comfortable flaunting them.” He grabs his glasses off the nightstand with magic and sets them on his muzzle. “Alright, you can look now.”
She turns back around, making a show of giving him a look from ear to tail tip. “Hmm… now ain’t that a sight?” The mare grins.
“Yeah, I know, I’m a mess.” The unicorn rolls his eyes, but chuckles. “Just give me a chance to shower, and I’ll at least look good enough to step outside.”
“Now when did Ah say you were a mess?” Walking over, she nuzzles him. “Seems like first thing in the morning is quite the honest time for looks.”
Blushing a bit, he nuzzles back. “Scruffy hair, bloodshot eyes, purple moon jammies… yeah, that says a lot about me personally.”
Snorting, she gives him a small noogie. “Looks like we’re gonna have to work on that attitude of yers.”
He wrenches himself away from her, smirking. “I’ve had it for twenty years, good luck with that.” She simply smiles back at him, a determined twinkle in her eye.
‘...wait, aren’t you only nineteen?’ Mercury tosses the belt and scabbard on the bed, turning to his friend. ‘Did you have a birthday without me knowing?’
“Rounding up,” Winter adds with a sigh before glancing at the accessories he had retrieved. “I should probably shower before we figure out outfits...”
“Do Ah need to send Ash in with ya ta make sure ya don’t try to sneak off or take a snooze?” the farm pony asks.
He rolls his eyes. “If you’re that worried about me falling asleep under a stream of hot water, why not follow me in yourself?” he asks sarcastically.
“Well, that’s a bit forward of ya.” She smirks.
Blushing, he avoids eye contact on the way over to the door. “...I’m going now.”
“Good boy.” She nods at this, silently laughing.
Volt raises his eyebrow as he double-checks Twilight’s list before it is used. “You wrote a step by step guide for putting on your dress? Is it really that complicated?”
She glares at him, levitating said dress over to herself. “It doesn’t pay to be unprepared, Volt! What if I forgot a strap here or there? I’d look like a fool!”
“No you wouldn’t,” he argues, “you’d look cute. Plus, who tells a princess she looks foolish? A fool, that’s who.”
“But that’s the point!” she yells. “Have any of the other princesses ever shown up to a formal event, in a clearly last-minute outfit they just threw on without realizing how it was supposed to be done?!”
Putting a hoof to his chin, Volt hums. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen any of the princesses wear anything beyond their regalia except for at your coronation.”
“I… wait, really?” The purple alicorn raises an eyebrow before shaking her head. “Not the point! Just help me get this on, please?”
Nodding, the dutiful coltfriend walks over, holding the dress in his magic as it overlaps hers. “This a head or tail first one?”
“Head first,” she replies, standing straight. “That’s what Rarity said, anyway… I haven’t tried it on yet.”
“Well, I guess now’s the time.” He guides the fabric over her with his hoof, struggling a moment to get her wings through the holes.
After a few moments of her trying to stand as rigidly still as possible, she finally relaxes once the dress is over her body. She trots over to a mirror to look over herself, double and triple-checking the checklist as she fixes anything that seems off and dons any accessories, from boots to a flower in her mane. “I think that’s about right… what do you think, Volt?”
Tilting his head back and forth as he looks at her, the stallion thinks careful before answering. “I think mares use far too many layers to try and make themselves more beautiful than they already are.”
Twilight blushes, smiling a little. “Heh… thanks, you flatterer.” She straightens her mane out. “Really though, does it look good? Is everything on straight?”
“As far as I know, yes.” He nuzzles her. “I think you look lovely. Don’t worry so much.”
She sighs, relaxing and nuzzling back. “If you say so… now come on, you need to get dressed up too.”
“At least you don’t have a checklist for me,” he mutters as he goes over to his hanging suit.
“Because yours is much simpler,” she replies. “And because I can just fix it for you. I know how suits are supposed to look.”
“Well, Princess of Knowledge, care to help me put it on then? I can never tie the bowtie correctly…” He looks down at the small purple ribbon with a glare.
She giggles, taking it in her magic. “Certainly. Get the shirt on and I’ll take care of it.”
Nodding, he lifts the fabric in his own magic, stepping into the foreleg holes and fastening the few unicorn-specific buttons to make it stay on. Once he has it on, Twilight folds the collar up and quickly ties the bowtie around his neck, swiftly and neatly fixing it up before folding the collar back down over it. “Wow… how’d you learn to do that?”
“Do you even need to ask?” she retorts, smirking.
“A book.” He chuckles.
“...maybe.” She blushes a bit. “Now come on, hurry up. We don’t want to be late.”
“What does one even take to a Heroes’ Ball?” Gel looks down at the clothes and accessories strewn across the bed, her ears drooping as indecision takes hold.
“Just wear something nice, love.” Rhino nuzzles her, his own selection of jacket, shirt, tie, and hat already selected. “One of your dresses, perhaps. They do look lovely on you.”
“Yes.” She rolls her eyes, bumping his side. “But I don’t want you getting jealous because a stallion - or mare - has wandering eyes.”
“I don’t think we’re expecting more ponies than our friends,” he points out, smirking. “And I know how to deal with them.”
“But there’s also guards. And soldiers.” The nymph picks up a medium-length dress, feeling the fabric carefully. “Some of which haven’t seen a mare in months, if I heard right.”
“They will behave themselves, or they will be hurt,” he says seriously. “Their armor is enchanted. I’ve glanced at it enough to know how to deal with them.”
Gel pauses, looking to her husband in concern. “You realize that got you in trouble with Celestia before? At the Gala?”
“I would face all four Princesses for you,” he says defiantly, puffing out his chest.
“I appreciate the thought,” she pulls on his tie to peck him on the lips, “but I don’t want my husband thrown in a dungeon.” She carefully steps into the dress, brushing his cheek with her tail. “Please behave… and try not to stare at my flanks all night.”
“Fair enough on both points…” He nuzzles her. “I’ll just make do with your beautiful face.”
“Flatterer.” She turns away, looking over her shoulder at him. “Zip me up?”
He does so with his mouth, grazing his nose up her back cheekily. “Think the foals managed to get ready?”
“With Ruby there? Probably.” The navy nymph giggles, squirming as he moves up between her wings. “We might need to… convince them to stop playing, before we leave.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?” He starts donning his own outfit.
She levels a stare at him. “They may be playing, and we need to make sure they don’t wrinkle their outfits.”
He blinks. “Oh, right… well, we can just tell them to settle a bit. I doubt we’ll get them to completely stop. They’d be bored.”
“If you say so.” She heads to the closet, flicking on the light. “Could you go check on them, love? I’ll finish getting ready while you’re gone.”
“Of course.” The stallion heads out of the room and down the hall towards the twin’s bedroom. He knocks on the door before he walks in. “You little ones doing alright in here?”
“We’re okay, dad!” The tallest of the three nervously smiles, stepping forward to hug him. “Just having a bit of fun!”
Chuckling, he hugs her. “So much fun you forgot to dress yourself?”
“Ye- no!” Ruby blushes brightly, squirming in place. “I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to wear…”
“Have you narrowed it down?” Rhino asks.
“Yes…” The pink filly gestures to the bed, where a baby blue toga-style dress and a white suit lay. “...but they both look so good…”
Her father tilts his head. “You’re considering a suit?”
“Yeah, I thought it looked nice.” She looks to his outfit. “You’re wearing one, too, so it isn’t too strange, is it?”
“Well… no, but usually mares wear dresses and stallions wear suits… there are exceptions, I suppose.” He shrugs, but seems to look at the dress more.
“Like Aunt Luster and Octavia?”
“Yes, like them.” He nods.
“Then I think both are options.” She looks to her younger siblings, smiling warmly at them. “So… what do you two think I should go with?”
Mystic looks up at her, wearing his own tiny suit. “Umm… I like the dress. You and Serene would match then.” He gestures to the blue filly who is wearing a pink dress, who nods.
“Then it’s unanimous.” The young mare nods, taking the outfit in her magic and turning to the door. “...dad, may I go change?”
“Oh, right, blocking the door...” He nuzzles her as he steps to the side. “Be sure to ask your mother if you need help.”
“I will!” As soon as she exits the room, her younger sister moves in, nuzzling Rhino’s chest.
“Oh?” He scoops her up, nuzzling her back. “How do you like your dress, my littlest princess?”
“I love it, daddy.” Serene smiles up at him, eyes shining in happiness. “Thank you for getting it for me.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie.” He scoops up the colt as well as he walks over. “Just to let you know: be good during this party, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, okay?”
“Okay. As long as I can be with Mystic!” She hugs around his neck, giggling brightly.
“Of course you can.” He kisses her head lovingly. One eye looks to his son, the colt nodding before he hugs the both of them.
“Ow!” Winter hisses, instinctively flicking his tail out of reach once again. “Applejack…!”
“Look, it’s either Ah do this, or Rarity does it.” The orange mare flicks one of her neatly curled locks out of her face, already fashionista approved for the upcoming event. “Ya’ll already used up yer chance ta do it yerself.”
“Why does my tail even matter?” he grumbles, flinching as she runs the brush through another knot.
‘Because she likes to feel it.’ Mercury laughs, curled up as he is on the bed. ‘Don’t you want to make sure it’s the best it can be for her?’ The unicorn doesn’t respond vocally, but his subtle sigh and nod is enough of an answer. ‘Good. Now kiss.’ The nod quickly turns to a fierce glare. ‘What?’ The fox gives a small smirk. ‘You’re going to at the Ball anyways, right?’
“AJ?” Winter asks calmly. “Please make him leave.”
She nudges the fox with a hoof. “Git along now, Mercury, go find the little one and make sure she’s ready. Ah bet she looks plum adorable in her dress.”
‘Fine. But I want him to look his best for you.’ He winks to his friend before hopping down, dashing out the door as soon as he lands.
Sighing in relief, Winter looks back at his tail. “Are we done that part?”
“Hmm… Ah think so.” She nods. “Now that you’re all gussied up, maybe Rares will give us all a little peace. Don’t get me wrong, Ah appreciate her wantin’ us to look our best, but doin’ that with so many ponies ain’t good for her or us.”
The unicorn has had an eyebrow raised since the beginning of her sentence. “‘Gussied up’? AJ, this is the same thing I used to wear every other day back in Canterlot.” He looks down at his uniform; dark green pants and black shoes, with a white button-up shirt and black tie underneath a darker green jacket adorned with various medals. “It’s not like I’m wearing makeup or a tux.”
“Doesn’t mean ya don’t look nice.” She straightens the tie a bit.
Before he can respond, a knock comes from the front door. “Guess the others are ready, too… good timing.” They both get up and head to the door.
When they get down to the first floor, the uniformed stallion opens the front door to see who it is.
On the other side is the white unicorn from Winter’s team, tapping her hoof against the ground. She starts when the door opens, looking from the stallion to the mare and back, an eyebrow raised. “...I want so badly to comment on this…”
A burgundy pony behind her peeks over her shoulder, chuckling at the sight and muttering under his breath. “Heh. Kinky.” He shakes his head, and nods to the small group behind them. “Ready to go? Our train leaves in a few minutes.”
Rolling his eyes at their comments, Winter nods. “Just let me grab Merc and Ash, and we’ll be right with you.”
Twilight nods, looking to the orange mare. “Come on, Applejack. They’re expecting the six of us to show up together.” A wry smile crosses her face. “You and your coltfriend can see each other again at the Ball itself.”
“Alright Twi; guess the same can be said of you and yours, huh?” Trotting over to her friends, AJ gives one last comment over her shoulder. “Try and enjoy yourself if Ah can’t find ya quickly there, else Ah’ll have ta start planning with Ash on how to get ta do it.”
He chuckles, giving a wave. “You have fun too.” With that, he nods to the others and heads inside to grab the other inhabitants of the house. There’s a crash, and then the stallion returns, looking back at the filly and fox draped across his back, wearing a dress and a fancy collar respectively. “That was easy… you okay, Ash?”
“...pretty stars…”
The unicorn looks a little worried as he carefully lifts her off with his magic. “I’d suggest you stay home after all, but apparently the house is more dangerous to you than anything else at the moment.”
Vinyl speaks up, pushing her way to the front of the group, taking great care not to ruin her black gown. “...Sol, what even happened in there?”
He glances to her. “These two came running down when they realized it was time to go, and Ash tripped… down the stairs… and rolled across half the room.” He looks back at the fox. “Good job taking care of her.”
Mercury raises his nose indignantly. ‘I was doing a good job before then, Win.’
“I’m still blaming you.” He carefully sets the filly on the ground. “Feeling better, Ash? Anything hurt?”
“...just my pride.” She shakes herself, brushing at her hair with a hoof. “Do I still look okay?”
He steps back playfully to get a look at her. Despite the tumble, her simple deep blue sundress, decorated with a lighter blue bow around the waist, is almost perfectly straight. The unicorn just lights his horn and straightens the slightly crooked bow before responding. “Perfect.”
The filly beams at this, prompting a look of surprise from the fox beside her. ‘...aren’t you normally not one for fashion?’ For his response, a hoof is shoved into his mouth.
Winter sighs, shaking his head. “Kids.” He glances at Merc and his minimal apparel. “Why do you get to wear so little?”
The burgundy pegasus, wearing the outfit he had been fitted for not long ago, pipes up from his spot at the back of the group. “I think it’s because he looks like a wild animal.”
“Excuses.” With another sigh, but a small smile, he turns to the group. “Should we get going now? Train’s leaving soon.”
Rhino nods. “Yeah, waiting for trains is bad enough without missing it to have to wait for the next one.” He looks around. “Especially with a group this big.”
Nodding as well, Winter starts walking towards the station, most of the others following along beside or behind him, the Nexus family the only ones ahead. For a second, this gets him a view of Ruby in her own outfit, causing him to immediately look away, mentally slapping himself. Don’t be weird… don’t be weird… stop being creepy. His mental slap soon coincides with one from the fox on his back, who silently scolds him. “...I didn’t do anything.”
The disk jockey behind him raises an eyebrow, stepping forward and bumping his side. “No one said you did anything, Sol.”
He coughs. “I know… blame Merc.” He keeps his eyes off to the side, trying to resist the urge to peek again.
Seeing his plight, the white mare tries to offer a distraction. “...so, how have you and Applejack been?”
Winter latches onto the change of topic quickly, not realizing the road it could go down. “Pretty good, I hope… she came this close to committing breaking and entering today just to make sure I went to the Ball, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.”
“...wait, what?” Enigma rushes forward on the other side of him, an eyebrow raised. “What do you mean by that?”
“Merc and Ash let her in while I was asleep, and when I woke up she all but pounced on me so that I’d hurry up and get ready.” He sighs. “Just glad I didn’t wake up with the typical stallion’s morning problem...”
Hydro, listening in, chuckles as he comments. “Would have been quite the surprising landing to a pounce.”
“...shut up.” The cobalt unicorn’s face reddens.
“It’s not a big deal, is it?” Enigma shrugs. “Being adored by the mare you adore?”
He rolls his eyes. “Still embarrassing to have you guys go on about it.”
“To be fair, we go on about everyone when it comes to that, even each other,” the red earth stallion points out.
“Yeah, but once you’re a couple, it kinda fades,” Winter points out. “There’s you and Dior, E and Vi, Rhino and Gel, Volt and Twi… and Ruby, whom I don’t even know anything about in that department. So I kind of got the short end of the stick by being the last one.”
“You realize you aren’t technically the last one, Sol.” Vinyl pats him on the head. “Maud and Gilda haven’t met anyone. And besides…” She glances to the stallion on the other side of the cobalt unicorn, a sly smile on her lips. “You get over it by being with the one you love… or ones.”
His eyes roll once again. “Maud and Gilda are terrible examples for reasons I should not have to go into. And now you’ve reminded me that they’re the only full-on adults between the two teams besides myself not in a relationship. Which doesn’t help.”
‘What about Ruby? She’s an adult, by law.’
“I was raised to believe that being an adult should not come at an age earlier than being able to live on your own, and I’m sticking to it.” He shakes his head. “But fine, count her too. Still doesn’t help.”
“Can you guys tone down the drama?” The stone nymph nudges his hindquarters, huffing in annoyance. “You’re in a relationship now, so the past doesn’t matter. What matters is the future you’re going to have with that farmer.”
He turns back to her, glaring a bit. “We’re not in a relationship yet, you know.”
“Then what about that kiss the other day?” she shoots back.
“She was inebriated!”
“In a party with no alcohol?”
He has no response for that, instead just groaning and facing forward again. “For all we know, she was just being friendly. At least wait until she and I talk about it.”
“...fine.” She leans in close, whispering into his ear. “But I hold the right to say I told you so.”
One more roll of the eyes ends the conversation before they look forward again, realize the problem with that, and go back to the ground. “...so, we almost there?”
“Just a little more, Winter.” Gel looks back at him, smiling warmly. “You can be patient, right?”
He nods, meeting her eyes with a small smile. “Yeah. Just can’t wait to get this over with.”
Rhino comments over his shoulder. “It shouldn’t be too bad… at least we have each other to avoid awkward social situations.”
“Or cause them,” Hydro adds.
“Quiet, you.”
“Hey, I’m with him,” the cobalt unicorn adds. “Suggesting I will in any way help you avoid awkward situations is like suggesting we store oil by the burners. Everything will go up in flames by the end of the night.”
Mercury smacks the back of his head once more. ‘It won’t be that bad. You have that friend of yours in the guard, don’t you?’
“You act as though he won’t contribute to said flames.” He smirks.
“Anyone we should know about?” The mechanical engineer asks.
Winter waves a hoof. “Just one of the marines. Not sure if he’ll even find us amongst everypony else.” He shrugs, looking ahead. “Well, there’s the station.”
The conversations are all quickly dropped as the group sees the station and picks up speed just a bit, glad to have finally arrived. Little do they know what will transpire that very night...