A door slammed opened as an excited rainbow-maned mare flew in and landed like a superhero. Rainbow Dash rose up and chuckled to herself, "And who says that this is hard on the knees?" she asked herself smugly before gazing over to see her friends in the Mess Hall of the Wonderbolt Academy, eager and excited to practice today's stunts for their show tonight.
"Hey, Soarin, Fleetfoot, I came by as fast as I could. I --" But Rainbow Dash paused herself, to find that the Mess Hall was not filled with her fellow teammates of the Wonderbolts, but also completely void of anypony. Not a single soul was around. To her confusion, she looked at all the tables to find not one speck of food stain, silverware, napkins, or anything. It was all clean! Not a single soul sat at any table. Even the kitchen was lacking a cook pony. This was bizarre on a whole different level.
Did she actually show up earlier than everyone else? She honestly hoped not. Granted, she loved being fast -- even hoping to be called fastest pony alive one day -- but there were times where she wouldn't mind being a tad late for something. And this was one of them! She secretly always loved showing up late just to see her other friends cheer for her to come and join them at their table. She felt a little special when they did that. It was like a tradition in some way, kind of like her Ponyville friends. But being this early made her felt empty inside. Should she wait for the rest to show up or leave and show up later to take them by surprise properly this time? She didn't know.
She raised a confused brow then smiled and chuckled to herself. Or it could be something different entirely as she strolled in the Mess Hall, "Okay, you guys can come out now. Aren't we were a little old for hide and seek?" Rainbow Dash called out but received no response. It was quiet, too quiet for her liking. Her amused smile turned into an unamused frown, letting out a snort. "Come on, guys, this isn't funny. Where is everypony?"
Looking around the lunch area, she called out again, hoping to get some signs of life around the area. "Soarin? Fleetfoot? Bulk Biceps? Thunderlane?" Not even the sound of crickets answered her, just ominous silence. She gazed into the kitchen, raising a brow as she called. "I'll even settle for you, Derpy?" She walked around some of the tables to see if anyone was hiding. If they were playing hide and seek, the first pony she would've likely found was Derpy. She was always bad at stuff like that. But still, not even Derpy was around; no sign of anyone, anywhere. Now she was really starting to get concerned. Where were her teammates?
"Guys?!" she hollered, but only received a small echo of her own voice as a response.
Okay, now things were getting weird. She stopped at the mess hall doors and deliberated the situation, wondering if there was another option to nab. And one immediately did. She perked up, "Maybe Spitfire knows where they are? It's not like them to be late." With that, she rushed out and headed to Spitfire's office. Maybe she had some answers to this strange phenomenon.
This was so unlike her teammates. It's like they vanished into thin air. But if anyone knew where they were, sure enough Spitfire would, there ain't no way she would let her team play hooky without her say-so. Not when they had a show tonight.
It didn't take her five seconds as she zoomed through the halls and was already in front of the doors to Spitfire's office, "Hey, Spitfire? You in there?" Rainbow Dash called out, knocking on the wooden door. "Everyone's not in the mess hall. Was there a delay in practice or something? Or has everypony suddenly come down with Feather Flu?" But just like what happened in the Mess Hall, there was no response. And an eerie silence was all that remained.
Rainbow Dash waited a few seconds, but couldn't hold still long enough to wait for some kind of noise, "Spitfire?" she confusedly called out, knocking once more before the door oddly creaked open by itself. As creepy as that was, she believed that Spitfire was here and that the silent treatment was awfully uncalled for. Unless she's swamped with paperwork, normally she'd answer right away, "I don't know why you're being so quiet, but I have to ask you some--" she peeked into Spitfire's office, but saw no Spitfire. She was missing, too.
She processed as much as she could, but just like the Mess Hall, there was no one around. It's like a ghost town up in here. No team, no leader, just her and this eerie, haunting silence.
"W-What the hell?" Now she was started to freak out a little. Something wasn't sitting right. A gut feeling told her this wasn't a prank; Spitfire was always in her office before meeting everyone. If even Spitfire wasn't here, now she's really starting to get scared.
"Where is everypony?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as her call echoed louder.
But, then, it dawned on her. She looked to the window and rushed to look out for anyone. She immediately opened the window, and spreading her wings, she dashed out and flew towards the training field. Hopefully, she'll find someone there. She couldn't be the only one that showed up at the academy.
Upon landing in the middle of the flyway, she scanned her surroundings for anyone here. All the obstacles were accounted for, yet looked like they've been barely used. Come to think of it, she noticed the wind velocity wasn't right either. There was a small gentle breeze, but not the strong winds she was used to in this altitude where the academy usually floated. But, just like the Mess Hall and Spitfire's office, there was no sign of anyone. No even a bird in the sky.
"Okay, this crap is not funny, all all," Rainbow Dash snapped with a frustrated snort. "Has everyone been abducted by aliens? If Thunderlane got the Feather Flu again, he must've passed it on to everypony while trying to hide it from Spitfire so not to shirk work." She rolled her eyes, recalling how her fellow Wonderbolt flyer had fallen sick when they once had to get water up to Cloudsdale for the rainy season, right when they needed his extra wing-power for the tornado. "And if that's the case, I'm gonna kill him!" She snorted in anger, if their training had to be canceled because everypony had fallen sick thanks to one sick pony – she's gonna kick that said pony's sorry flank.
"Not in the Mess Hall, not on the training field… and Spitfire isn't even in her office! Where is everypony?!" She shouted into the sky, but only received another echo. She sighed in annoyance and decided to just leave. If there was an event going on, they should've at least informed her instead of abandoning her like she didn't matter or something. What a bunch of bull!
As she was about to take off, a strange, low humming sound stopped her in her place. It sounded like nothing she heard before. She looked around for a few seconds before hearing the strange noise get mysteriously louder. It sounded like it was coming from all directions.
"What is that?" She asked herself nervously before looking up to find something in the sky. She perked up and kept her eyes glued to a strange object in the sky. If it was a pony, then finally, someone was about to show up. Rainbow Dash felt a bit of relief, but it was hard to get a lock on what it actually was. At the moment, it looked like a dark speck anyone could find on a wall. And yet, the otherworldly noise seemed like it was coming from it. At least, that was one hypothesis she could come up with.
Rainbow Dash decided to wait. She had no idea why, but a feeling in her gut told her to just sit and wait. And so she did despite being the kind of pony to hate waiting. As she gazed at the speck, she didn't have to wait long at all; almost as if something listened to her and whoever was here could finally give her some answers. Her anticipation quickly turned into shock when she realized the speck was slowly growing in size as it was getting closer and the strange noise started to get louder. Rainbow Dash couldn't take her eyes off before it became apparent that whatever this speck was wasn't growing but aiming directly at the Wonderbolt academy and aiming fast!
And it was coming right at her!
She yelped in shock when she realized this, "Okay, that's not a pony!" she got up and flew back some when the object became clear to her. It didn't look like a meteor or some kind of rock. And how it was arriving was very weird. It was spinning at a high velocity that it almost looked like a top; the glowing blue middle was another thing to add to the weirdness factor. Wait, No! With how the noise grew louder the more it headed towards her and was now clearly connected to the spinning object, it looked more like a flying sawblade!
"I gotta get out of here!" Rainbow Dash said in a panic as she turned and ran away from the oncoming object. But try as she might to fly away, the object arrived within seconds and caused her to trip on her own hooves, making her faceplant on the pavement. A giant shadow loomed over Rainbow Dash before disappearing. The athlete pegasus got up and rubbed her head before looking straight ahead to find the object had indeed arrived. It was as massive as the academy island itself and, just like before, it spun like a disk, emitting the same noise humming-like noise like before.
The size alone was actually pretty intimidating. Rainbow Dash looked up nervously and weighed in on the option that maybe, just maybe instead of sickness, it really could be aliens that abducted her friends.
She tried to speak to the thing but found no source of courage anywhere to warrant a sentence from her. But, with what she had to spare, she put on a brave face and snarled at the being before her. The light in the middle of the flying disk was bright, but Rainbow Dash ignored it long enough for her to let out an assertive, demanding, "Stop!" as it echoed.
And much to her surprise, it did and it lazily floated in the air just above the Wonderbolt Academy to reveal what it actually was. Though she would've been surprised it actually listened to her, or maybe it stopped on its own accord, she was more confused by what she was looking at. The floating object was triangular-shaped with a dirty green coloring all around it. The azure-colored lights disappeared and all Rainbow Dash could see were what appeared to be sharp ridges on the sides of this U.F.O-like creature. This was unlike anything she'd seen before in her life, yet it seemed familiar to her, too. She tilted her head and raised a confused brow as she got a clear view of what she was looking at.
"A... turtle shell?"
Suddenly, blue flames from underneath the massive turtle shell burst forth and propelled it to turn around and show Rainbow Dash three sockets. Rainbow Dash ducked down and watched in awe as two reptilian-like arms erupted from the left and right sides, showing five-digit claws. Rainbow Dash widened her eyes and tried to comprehend what she was looking at, but she never anticipated seeing the massive creature poke its head out so suddenly and stare her down like it was a god. Rainbow Dash gasped in horror as she backed away but plopped on her rear, too scared to use her own wings to fly away. Her wings had locked up in fear, just like Fluttershy's wings do.
She locked eyes with the beast like it did in return. It was no doubt a turtle, but the large tusks protruding out of its lower jaw were something she had never expected seeing from such a turtle. Then again, she never expected to see a turtle like this in her whole life. It was nightmare-inducing!
Then, narrowing its beady eyes, the massive turtle opened its mouth and let out a large guttural, yet high-pitched, roar at Rainbow Dash. And Rainbow Dash screamed in terror along with it as she instinctively covered her eyes with her left arm and waited for the inevitable to happen...
--
Rainbow Dash gasped heavily as she sprang up from her head, heaving deep, heavy panicked breaths with her eyes wide in shock. "What the hell just happened?" she asked herself anxiously. She frantically grabbed her face and looked around to see where she was, only to find that she wasn't at the Wonderbolt Academy, she was just in her bedroom.
Then it became clear to her what really happened. "Oh. Oh, it was... just a bad dream," she said as she took steady breathes to ease her anxiety, weakly chuckling to herself as she held her head, relieved to find it was just a nightmare.
Though the wiring sound returned, she flinched with her eyes widening in horror and quickly looked around. She looked to her right to find Tank lazily floating in his copter-pack looking at her a bit worriedly. Realizing it was just her pet and not that monster from her dream, a small smile formed on her face as she looked at her pet, "Heh, was that racket coming from you, Tank?" she asked Tank, only to receive a slow head tilt from the tortoise. She chuckled softly and rubbed her head gingerly, "Man, that was quite a nightmare. And ironic, too." she quipped before bringing Tank in for a hug as she took the copter pack off his shell. "You wouldn't believe me if I even told you, Tank."
Though seeing it was still nighttime, Rainbow Dash went back to bed with Tank by her side, gently holding her beloved pet close. The little tortoise looked up to his owner curiously, wondering what she saw in her dream, but deciding to brush it off for now, he just nuzzled her softly before going into his shell to rest; this time to be close to his master.
***Three months later after Spike's departure***
Twilight walked out of her tree library, closing the door behind her with her magic and shuffling her saddlebag against her sides. She inhaled as much fresh air as her lungs could carry before exhaling peacefully. It felt nice to take a breath of fresh air, especially on a very beautiful day such like today. She smiled softly and walked into downtown Ponyville, heading over to Fluttershy's cottage for a tea party she had kindly been invited to.
But, sadly, she was still distraught about what happened three months ago. She hoped this tea party will help her recover and ease the toll taken on her. Although it has been 3 months since the one she saw as a son had left her life, she had tried to move on. She craned her head down and glanced at the ground, thinking to herself that has really had been three months since Spike left. Yet, she felt like it lasted an eternity since she last saw him. She still hadn't recovered from that day.
Twilight groaned, frustrated in herself for not getting over it. 'Come on Twilight, Spike wouldn't want you to keep moping like this. We knew it would happen eventually. So, why can't you let it go?' she thought to herself as she shook her head to try and make herself forget that day. "He's gone… and it's over now, isn't it?" She spoke to herself, trying to get it through her head that what happened had happened, and there's nothing she can do but let go and carry on. But why did it still have to hurt so much? How could she have to let him go? Why did he have to go?
Why couldn't she let go?
"Isn't it? Isn't it over?" She sadly spoke as her eyes start twinkling sadly, gazing up to the sky, to the clouds – as if hanging on to a sliver of hopeless hope that she would spot him, with resolve that he didn't want to leave her after all; She smiled lightly as a cloud formed into his shape as it slowly passed through the sky. She almost believed she could almost see his smiling face, reaching a hoof out for him as she nearly followed after the cloud before it dispersed the dragon form it took and turned back into its puffy shape - alas, she's only fooling herself.
Spike… her son, he was all grown up… and he had vanished into the night all those months ago. It was his decision to do so. And all of her friends, the princesses, the citizens, and she herself, they had all accepted it.
He's gone, and he's never coming back. The pain in her chest that has been there for 3 months started hitting her once more with the very grief that had been hurting her for those 3 months. Whimpering, she quivered out in a defeated and heartbroken voice, "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"
Looking down, but recalling she has somewhere to be, she brought herself back into reality and pressed on through Ponyville; surprisingly not hitting anything or anyone around her through her emotional zoning, though she wasn't surprised if any of the ponies around gave her odd looks. Perhaps this meet up with her friends would help set her mind at ease, and hopefully help her forget that painful day. She crossed halfway over the bridge but suddenly stopped as her ears twitch. She gazed back.
As she did, a familiar voice called out to her as a cyan pegasus flew down and landed close to her on the bridge, giving her a greeting smile.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash." Twilight asked, happy to see that she arrived at a convenient time. "I thought you'd be the first to show up at Fluttershy's tea party? What's the occasion?" Twilight asked as a pseudo-joked, too, jabbing at her for how fast she usually was and how she'd like to brag about it all the time.
The cyan pegasus pouted and rolled her eyes at that little joke, but complied, "I had to help my parents out with rearranging their stuff; mainly their furniture. My dad bought some new furniture for himself and my mom. Gotta replace the old with new, right? 'In with the old and out with the new', am I right?" she chuckled lightly.
"I think you mean, 'Out with the old, In with the new'." Twilight looked bemused as she corrected the botched saying Dash had tried to say.
"Yeah, whatev. Same thing." Dash waved it off, knowing what she had meant. "Anyway, I had to try and speed things along to meet you guys. Course dad had to go all 'that was fast. Must be those young bones!'" she said as she did a slump followed up bad impersonation of her father to lighten the mood. It successfully got a chuckle out of Twilight; though, deep down, she cringed at how bad that joke was. She was just glad Twilight was easy to laugh, sometimes.
"That's funny, Rainbow Dash," Twilight complimented. A little humor like that was always nice. Though, a voice in the back of her head told her that Rainbow Dash could've worded that 'old and new' comment a little better. But, who was she kidding?
Though Rainbow Dash appreciated that, it was high time for them to start walking. She motioned Twilight to follow her as the continued to talk, "Anyway, off of my family's redecoration problem, what have you been up to? I see you got Fluttershy's invite, too?"
"Yup," she said with a small giggle. "And I've been rearranging some books, been going to Roseluck's flower shop, and got a free dinner at a restaurant; Princesses discount." Twilight rolled her eyes at that last part. She hated being treated like a princess, but it did have its benefits like flying around. Though she doubted she'll ever reach Rainbow Dash's level of speed, but she digressed. It was never going to be her thing because she feared she might go power-hungry over it. But the one thing she did like out of most of those benefits was, "Even if I go to a theater of any kind in any pony town like Manehatten or Canterlot, I get a discount and VIP exclusive." She was living the life of luxury with that one. It was her absolute favorite.
Rainbow Dash sulked a bit and pouted out of jealousy from hearing Twilight spew those things, especially getting a discount and VIP exclusive pass. What she wouldn't give to have that luxury every once in a while. 'Lucky bitch,' she thought to herself; she wondered if she could have something like that - perhaps a mane six discount?
"Lucky, you get all the good stuff." She then chuckled a bit, letting go of that jealous bit because it was just silly to her. If being a princess meant she could've had what Twilight had then she'd be set for life. She cursed Celestia in thought for this hierarchy blasphemy, but it just wasn't meant to be.
But that made her want to ask out of curiosity, "So, I take it being a princess is getting easier for you now?" She wondered because with how things have been ever since Twilight got her wings and title, her life must've been gotten easier, what with being royal and all.
But to Rainbow Dash's surprise, Twilight simply shook her head, "You could say that. But it is still a big responsibility for me, and it's even harder for me when everypony always has to bow every time I show up to certain spots. I know I'm a princess and all, but I'm not on that level as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are. I just wish ponies would just treat me equally like they used to and had help without being addressed as such."
As they walked, Twilight looked down at the ground and glared with an agitated snarl, irritated that ever since her ascension to becoming an alicorn, each pony she asked for help always thought that they were beneath her; but she wasn't. She was not like that. She hated that. She can try and overlook being called a princess, but every time it happened they made it sound like she was that kind of pony who'd ask lowlife ponies to lick her hoof and kiss her plot. Picturing that was just disgusting and uncalled for. She would never treat everypony like that. And she couldn't fathom there being worse than what she witnessed before. She never asked for this; she never asked for wings and a title. Yet she had to undergo that unexpected test.
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, a little nervous and felt somewhat uncomfortable. She didn't mean to start up anything from Twilight. She was just happy for her about her new title. She didn't think she'd struggle with how much other ponies would treat her. She clearly saw it was bugging her, but it shouldn't be that big of a worry; even she knew royalty had its ups and downs. Did she think she was going to end up as a power-hungry dictator or something?
"Twilight, relax." Rainbow Dash said in a caring tone to Twilight, hoping to calm her down. She was a loyal pony, but she wasn't very good with talks such as this. She just hoped Twilight would see reason. "I'm sure everypony didn't intend for that. I think they bow out of respect. If I was a princess, I'd take pride in it." And she meant it. She wouldn't take offense to everyone bowing or talking to her like a princess. There was obviously a light side to being a princess and she wouldn't treat it like it was a means of using that power for bad. "You'll be fine, Twilight." she smiled at Twilight and hoped what she said got through to her. She didn't have to think of it as a bad thing.
As she looked at her alicorn friend, she noticed she barely reacted to what she said. Almost as if her words seemed like they went one ear and out the other with Twilight. She kept her head down as they walked, but something felt off with her. Her glare was still there, but there were hints of sadness etched in those glaring angered eyes. Rainbow Dash took a moment to figure out Twilight's behavior. She was there for her, but she'd thought some talk would cheer her up.
Then it dawned on her. Maybe it wasn't the ponies that were bothering her, but maybe, "You're still bummed he left, aren't you?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing the blatantly obvious to Twilight. If that didn't get a reaction out of her, then she had no idea what else it could be.
Her guess was correct when Twilight snapped out of her frustrated state and beamed her eyes towards her tomboyish friend. She frantically shook her head, denying that notion and tried to play it off like that wasn't the case as she said, "What, no, I'm not sad about Spike leaving Ponyville. What makes you say that? I'm totally fine." she laughed a bit, faking and trying to hide her real emotions, but Rainbow was not buying it one bit. Twilight tried to fake her laughter to try and distracted Rainbow Dash from what she really felt deep down.
Twilight looked away and tried to play it cool, but Rainbow Dash got annoyed with her behavior. Enough was enough and she had to face the truth. "Okay, stop," Rainbow Dash sternly barked as she hopped in front of Twilight and spread her wings, getting the alicorn to halt in place. Twilight was confused by this, but the frustrated look on Rainbow Dash's face was all the more clear, "Twilight, I know what you're trying to hide." This whole act was something she was not a fan of. True, she lied to others for different reasons, whether emotional or not, but at least she owned up to it in the end. Twilight was trying to hide it and she could see through that amateur act, "Look Twilight, I know you're still heartbroken about Spike, but you've got to move on. I know it's tough, but Spike is a full-grown dragon now," She said, shining a drop of reality on the poor princess. "I know how much he means to you, but being depressed like this won't change anything and it won't make things any better for you and him."
Twilight backed up a bit and plopped on her haunches, looking at Rainbow Dash - shocked from those words. She looked at Rainbow Dash with saddened eyes. She never expected Rainbow Dash to get so serious or why it concerned her this much. But she realized she couldn't hide it from her any longer and she already figured out why she was acting the way she was. It secretly surprised her how she managed to read her so easily, but she was right, after all. Twilight lifted her front hooves in an assuring manner, "Okay, okay, Rainbow Dash. But, really, can you blame me?" yet, she tried to come up with some excuses as to why she's been acting the way she had. She knew she should move on, but it was difficult for her, "I know that I have to move on, Rainbow Dash, but I just can't." A single small tear wallowed and slid down her cheek, "You have no idea how much it hurts. I've raised him since he was an egg. I felt like a piece of my life left--"
Rainbow Dash slowly blinked and looked at Twilight as if she was watching too many drama shows or taking classes from Rarity -- ironic enough, Rarity was always dramatic but she doubted she'd be on a level as Ms. Possessive in front of her. But hearing her babble about Spike being gone was getting on her last nerve. She groaned in irritation and impatience, "It's been three months, Twilight. Get over it!" Rainbow Dash slightly yelled in an assertive tone. "You're being ridiculous."
Those last few words stunned Twilight. But then, her anger instantly manifested and boiled like water in a teapot. "Excuse me?" She tightened her jaw and snarled aggressively at Rainbow Dash; though Rainbow Dash was not affected by this level of intimidation, almost as if she became a different pony.
Rainbow Dash, secretly smirking to herself, offered to repeat herself, "I said, get the buck over it, Twilight. He's gone and he's never coming ba—"
Twilight, however, could no longer take that and blindly lashed out in a pseudo-royal voice shout, "Shut up, Rainbow Dash!" she snapped and glared at her with tearful, hurtful eyes and the mere thought of biting her tongue was nonexistent, some of the ponies around them flinched from her pseudo-royal voice.
Dash noticed their startled reactions but paid them no mind, she looked back at Twilight with lowered lids, though inside – she was a bit startled herself from the lungs Twilight had. And seeing her advance towards her would've made her flinch, but she kept her non-caring stance.
"Listen…" Twilight scowled as she stomped up to her, "You have no idea what it's like to lose somepony very important to you! You literally at times have no idea what's going on! Nor do you even care most of the time!"
Okay, now that was getting a bit personal. Dash slightly deepened her frown at that, but refused to budge as she kept her mouth shut as Twilight continued. "What makes you think you know my pain?!" the lavender alicorn yelled, letting all her frustrations and rage out on the rainbow pegasus and soon let out slow short exhausted breaths. But she was far from done with her and she had no intention of letting Rainbow Dash get a word in -- not that Rainbow Dash was going to say anything.
She mentally snickered to herself while Twilight threw her lecture-fest. She would take this seriously, but she had an idea in mind. Her first part was to just tune Twilight out and stand there motionless and look at her how Maud Pie would look at them. If Maud Pie was ever a teacher at anything -- besides rocks -- it'd be some form of patience. Normally, she'd be very impatient around other ponies, but, in this case, she'd make an exception and strongly refrain herself from expressing any emotion or talk back while Twilight unleashed more of her mother-bear rage on her.
At the moment, she couldn't make out most of what Twilight was saying, but she only managed to hear a few words or more, "Spike was my son and I was his mother." She slowly started to tear up tears of frustration, to get it through Dash's head that she has a right to worry about her son after his departure. "I hatched him… and unlike my folks, Princess Celestia, Luna or even you girls… he's the closest thing I have to a true-blooded son." She didn't care if he was a dragon, or that they weren't the same species; the love she felt for Spike was eternal and she will always view him as her son. "It's a mother's right to worry about their own child."
She sagged her shoulders down and breathed through her teeth, admitting, "I'm depressed, yes, but I'm not going around and making a big deal out of it. I'm keeping it to myself so I don't burden anyone with it." she breathed exhausted, headache-induced breaths as her bag suddenly dropped on the ground. "Is that... so wrong... of me to do?" That was the last thing she said before she finally gave her lungs a break.
Then everything around them went stone quiet as the wind gently rushed through. Rainbow Dash just stood there without a care in the world while her friend fully released all her excess emotion that drained out of her body as she panted heavily as if she went through a five-star wonderbolt obstacle course twice. Rainbow Dash blinked a few times as she came out of her self-made zoning trance and looked at Twilight with a raised brow, "Ya done?" she asked curiously, but not cautiously, because she knew Twilight's emotional rampage was not actually on her, the whole time. It was on herself. And that was the first part of her plan done if Twilight was finished.
Twilight blinked a few times in shock at those words but woke up from her emotion frenzy, feeling confused but lighter, all of a sudden. It felt like a huge weight was thrown off her shoulders and she felt a massive wave of relief cover her all over. She looked to Rainbow Dash and smiled calmly, "Y-Yeah, I actually feel a lot better." Only in three seconds had she realized she did something incredibly wrong and she grasped her mouth and gasped in terror. Now instead of swimming in relief, she was drowning in powerful, painful guilt and she felt as though she couldn't escape. She looked at Rainbow Dash with eyes full of regret and almost she felt her heart sink.
"On no, Rainbow Dash, I didn't mean--" but a cyan hoof planted itself on her muzzle and shut her up real quick. It wasn't forceful, but it pushed her muzzle back enough to make her look like she scrunched it. Twilight looked confused and eyed the hoof before looking to Rainbow Dash nearly about to laugh. Her confusion meter was cranked up to eleven. Now she wondered just what Rainbow Dash was thinking.
"Take it easy, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said while trying not to laugh out loud. "I was just trying to rile you up so you can get all that out." She saw the confused look on Twilight before retracting her hoof back so she could speak. And speak she did. Having her second part take effect.
Twilight still looked at Rainbow Dash confused and tried to puzzle what she had planned. She asked, pondering, "So, you planned this?"
Rainbow Dash smiled brightly and nodded, confirming her notion, "Uh-huh!"
"You knew how I really felt?" She raised a brow at the pegasus.
"Yup." The cyan pegasus nodded once more.
She lowered her brow as she realized that pushing someone's buttons would exactly be something Dash would do. "And you purposefully got me angry at you just so I could let out my steam about Spike's departure, didn't you?"
"Bingo!"
Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash awestruck and tried to process what she just did. 'Did she just turn into a brief therapist?" she thought to herself as Rainbow Dash kept that enthused smile up. She remained quiet and puzzled for a few minutes to gain her bearings on how to handle this. For one, she would be frustrated, again, for throwing her emotions out like that. But, on the other hoof, she would be surprised Rainbow Dash actually pulled something like this. Her tomboy friend used a method to lure her into releasing her entire emotions and she didn't seem affected by how by her frenzy. Twilight gasped a little 'wait a minute,' she then looked to Rainbow Dash and asked, "Did you tune me out while I was yelling at you?"
Again, Rainbow Dash nodded and shrugged like it was no big deal, "I'm surprised you didn't notice me fighting back. True, you did get a little personal at one point, but, eh." She shrugged once more.
She had a point. Rainbow Dash would usually fight back when it came to arguments and physical fighting, but this time? She played a card that was out of her comfort zone. It was honestly scary, yet fascinating.
"I don't know how to feel about this, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said stumped. She felt like she got outsmarted by Rainbow Dash of all ponies.
And now for the final part of her plan. Rainbow Dash chuckled amusingly, "You don't have to think about it too hard, but--" she reached her arm out and clonked Twilight over the head with her hoof.
"OW!" Twilight grabbed her head and rubbed it. "Jeez!" She glared at the pegasus, irritated for that unexpected action. "What the buck was that for?!"
"To knock some sense into ya, ya egghead!" With Twilight back to reality, it was about time she gave her a little more to boot. "I can't have you going to Fluttershy's house acting as you are now."
Twilight flinched a little as she gazed up at Rainbow Dash at that one.
"Pretty sure if they saw you as you were, they'd probably do the same thing I did, or something different," She sat next to Twilight and wrapped her arm around her and explained as best she could to Twilight, "Twilight, with how you've been acting and missing Spike and all --" she patted herself on her furry chest " -- we miss Spike, too, ya know. But we've all moved on and we'd all love to help you, we really would." She smiled softly at her, actually trying to lift her spirits, for once.
Twilight began to calm down and lightly smile back at her friend, feeling a little better knowing they'd do anything they could to help her feel better. It brought a gentle touch to her soul, but she hoped they'd help her differently than what Rainbow Dash just did, "Heh, yeah. That's true." And she couldn't forget that fact in the slightest. They've been through so much over the years; their friendship had never been so strong. She no doubt would know they'd help her out in any situation. "Though, they would've used different tactics than this cheap shot you pulled…" She muttered to herself, but Dash managed to overhear it anyway
"Yeah, but, don't worry. We've got your back, Twilight. Don't ever think we don't."
Twilight's smile stretched a little wider, feeling better, "Thanks, Rainbow Dash. It means a lot that you and the others would help me with any problem I have."
Rainbow Dash snickered and unleashed her final part of her plan, "Even getting you a stallion?"
"Even getting me a -- wait, wait?" Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, shocked and confused, only to have her personal space invaded when Rainbow Dash firmly planted her muzzle against her's, beaming serious eyes that would poke her at the soul.
"Seriously, Twilight, if you ever brought this up to everyone else, we would not hesitate to find you a stallion and get you laid," Rainbow Dash said in a tone shift from calm to serious.
Twilight blushed rosy-red from hearing that. She didn't even think of anything like that. Nor did she ever think that would be brought into play. She loved Spike as if he was her own, but now with this talk Rainbow Dash brought up, she never considered having a biological foal of her own; let alone have a stallion to commit to it, too.
Her serious tone then shifted back once she saw Twilight had paused in thought. Her plan was working like a charm, now for the final touch. She twirled her hoof and deviously said, "And with you being a princess and all, and having gained a few things -- " she cheekily pointed down, motioning Twilight to the hip department, much to Twilight's embarrassment as her friend even had the nerve to poke at her hips, watching her hoof sink a little into it " -- I'm surprised you haven't noticed a lot of stallions gawking at you. I'm sure they'd love to help you --"
"Ack!" Twilight jumped out of Rainbow's grasp and frantically waved her hooves, and even spread her wings and waved them with her hooves, flustered by what she was saying. "Alright, I get it!" She shuddered, frowning softly. "Just… stop it before you go too far." As much as she'd love to have that moment of settling down with some stallion, she wasn't ready just yet. Besides, hearing Rainbow Dash spew all that perverted stuff made her feel uncomfortable.
Twilight Sparkle was a few things, but perverted - she was not.
Rainbow Dash chuckled victoriously as her plan came to a full success. She stood up proudly and looked at Twilight with excitement. "Alright, now come on. Fluttershy and the others are waiting. We already lost a lot of time goofing around." Depends on what she meant by 'goofing around'. Rainbow Dash pressed on to Fluttershy's cottage, but Twilight kind of fell behind.
She felt many things go on throughout her mind now that all her frustration was out. Rainbow Dash planned out this whole thing without her knowing it and she fell for it so easily. She didn't know what to think, do or say, or know how to form the right words to say to what just happened. She never thought to be in a situation where Rainbow Dash actually scared her for once. She was never known to plan out what she did; was this really Rainbow Dash? She had so many questions yet the biggest things flowing in her mind were how she now felt how guinea pigs felt and how much she did not want to know what Rainbow Dash does in her spare time.
But another thought occurred to her. While she did mask her feelings with another, that one feeling was still on the board. It dawned on her that she never told the others her true feelings about being a princess, but she didn't want to risk facing them with that just yet, "Hey, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight called out, getting her attention. "About the whole princess argument. I meant what I said."
Rainbow Dash was confused when Twilight said that. She raised a brow and asked her, "You mean that whole princess hate was real, too?"
Twilight nodded at her with a guilty look, "Please, don't tell the others about this. I don't want them thinking I want to abandon being a princess." the mere thought of that made her thought she was succumbing to her own demons. Princess Celestia chose her for a reason, but the responsibility was unexpected and she had questions and doubts. She just wanted to learn, not rule.
Rainbow Dash saw the conflicted look on Twilight and felt a coat of sympathy cover her. She was not going to go hard on her this time, "Sure, Twilight. I won't tell."
Twilight perked up and looked at her surprised before a relief rained down on her and calmed her down, "Thanks, Rainbow." she said with a calm smile.
The rainbow pegasus chuckled, "Now come on, Fluttershy's waiting!" Rainbow Dash said with an eager tone as she and the new princess rushed to Fluttershy's cottage.
*****
A dirty-green hummingbird peacefully hovered over a pink flower. It sunk its beak in the center to consume the nectar within while basking in the serenity of the area it was grazing over. And the reason why it was enjoying a day like this was because of a friend it made that lived in a nature-themed cottage; a cottage that would pass off as a house for a little foal's show.
Hummingway was minding his own business while staying in the front of Fluttershy's cottage. While he did love the peace Fluttershy provide for him and the other animals, he was given a task. Normally, his task would be to just be a hummingbird doing hummingbird things and go on with his day. But today, his friend and caretaker asked him to be a lookout for any more guests to arrive. Three ponies have already arrived, but now he needed to wait for two more. It had him dumbfounded because he remembered Fluttershy telling him that one of them was as fast as lightning and that she'd be here in no time. Three of them showed up, but none of them were the ones Fluttershy described. Hummingway didn't really care though; so long as he did his job, he was fine.
He trailed through the air somewhat lazily floating before something caught his attention. He heard two more voices approaching the cottage and looked to find the pony with the right description and another one with her. That must be them! Focused and nodding firmly, Hummingway made a bee-line around the cottage and headed straight to Fluttershy who was standing in front of her table with the three other ponies with her. Her attention was easily grabbed.
"Oh, Hummingway, there you are! Any reports?" Fluttershy asked with a tint of worry. But a few chirps and a nod put her at ease. "Okay, thank you, Hummingway." She got up as Hummingway zipped by her; his job was done.
Excusing herself for a moment and rushing around her cottage, she then spotted Rainbow Dash and Twilight approaching, "Hi girls!" Fluttershy greeted and waved, excited they finally made it.
Rainbow Dash smiled as she and Twilight walked up to their friend just as excited, "Hey Fluttershy! It's been a while."
"Oh, it has. It's so good to see you two. What took you so long?" Fluttershy asked curiously. Normally, Rainbow Dash would be first. This was such an oddity, that it couldn't help but spark her curiosity.
Rainbow Dash knew something like that was going to arise and she chuckled awkwardly, trying to find an excuse, "We got sidetracked with a Daring Do talk." Hopefully, she'll by that and not pick up something odd like she did with Twilight.
Fluttershy raised a brow. As believable as that was, she doubted that was the case. She peeked over to Twilight who smiled at her a little awkwardly.
"Twilight, is this true?" Fluttershy asked, somewhat suspicious.
Twilight responded in kind, trying to play it off like it was true so she wouldn't ring the alarm going on in Fluttershy's head, "Oh yeah. You know us? Big Daring Do fans and all. In fact, we just talked about our favorite scenes and that might've caused us to be a little late."
"I see…" Fluttershy gave them an intense glance for what seemed like minutes on end, giving them the impression she was onto them about something, but ultimately chuckled and waved an assuring hoof to them, "Okay, I was only messing with you. It's good you made it anyway. Everyone else is waiting." she trotted back to her backyard while Rainbow Dash and Twilight sighed in relief to themselves as they followed Fluttershy.
But, as if they had synced minds, had thoughts swimming in their heads like fish in a river. Did the others arrive before them? Like Fluttershy, they haven't seen Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack in such a long while. Again, this idea Fluttershy whipped up was perfect. They haven't seen them in three months, they wondered if any of them have changed? Hopefully, they can all catch up on things they've been doing since Spike's departure.
Upon walking around the cottage, they saw a pink, round, wooden table with a decorative cover over it and six chairs of the same color surrounding it. Each chair had a theme of representing their cutie marks -- it was very unique and creative for Fluttershy to do; if she did all that, of course. Twilight and Rainbow Dash smiled, not because of the matching furniture, but because two familiar earth ponies sat at their respective chairs and awaited them to join them -- Fluttershy walked up and sat on her chair next to Rainbow dash's chair. A familiar orange mare with her trademark cowgirl hat gave them a welcoming nod and an all too familiar pink mare with a cotton candy-like mane and tail excitedly waved at them with a big smile on her face.
Without hesitation, the alicorn and pegasus joined their friends around the table. Twilight and Rainbow Dash sitting next to one another, of course.
"It's so good to see you girls," Twilight said as she placed her saddlebag down.
Applejack chuckled, "Likewise, Twi. It's been a long while. Same goes to you too, Dash."
"Yeah, it felt like years since we last saw each other. I almost thought I would forget your faces!" Pinkie Pie in a worried tone that passed off as hyperactive, but with how her friends were looking at her like she overreacted there, that wasn't the case. She was just as silly as always.
Twilight smiled reassuringly, knowing three months wasn't exactly that long, but she did get where she was coming from, "Pinkie, it's only been three months. Time goes by, but not in a sense like that."
"I'd hold your breath, Twilight," Applejack leaned to her, shaking her head. "Pinkie did the same thing to me when I got here. It's like spittin' in the wind." Even though three months doesn't seem that long, it was still long enough for some to get excited after not meeting an old face for so long; Pinkie Pie was the prime example.
The other three nodded in agreement. Though, no one was in the wrong here. It was just nice to have a get-together after so long.
Rainbow Dash looked over to Applejack and perked a little, noticing something off with her, "Hey, is there something different about you, AJ? You look a little... buffer?" Rainbow Dash pointed as Applejack looked at her confused before glancing at her arms.
Twilight noticed as well and was genuinely surprised, "Hey, yeah. She's right. What did you do throughout that time?" Since they were here, she might as well ask.
Applejack chuckled again, figuring they'd noticed like Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity did, "I've been workin' out, is all. Pushin' myself harder around the farm." She flexed her left arm. "Workin' non-stop at the farm really gave me quite the exercise; Big Mac, Applebloom and I had to go through a lot to keep our home safe, ya know?" And to further her proof to back up what she was saying, she flexed her right arm to show just how bulkier and stronger she'd gotten. She wasn't one to show off, but this was just a demonstration; her biceps were as big as the apples she bucks off the trees. Her front and hind legs were slightly brawnier than what they'd use to be and her neck muscles were slightly bulked to where it seemed like she could lift a rock as big as Big Macintosh, if not bigger.
Though she didn't stand up to show off anymore, Rainbow Dash and Twilight got the hint rather well. Twilight was mesmerized and Rainbow Dash was kind of jealous.
"Working out for three months to end up like that? Lucky." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and pouted, looking away with a snort.
Twilight analyzed Applejack's form and looked over to Rainbow in thought, but didn't really spend too much time on it. It was obvious Applejack and Rainbow Dash were polar opposites. One was made for speed while the other was made for strength; it was clear as water if they'd noticed it.
"So, what about you, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked curiously. "What've you been doing for the past three months?" Other than missing her friends and all, she had to have done some other stuff, right?
Pinkie Pie shoved her whole arm into her mane and shuffled around in there before pulling out a scroll to show them. As much as that would be bizarre for anyone else, they were used to something like this from Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, do I have a list of what I've done!" Pinkie Pie said as she giggle-snorted and dropped the scroll as it rolled over to the table and down to the nearest bush.
Twilight looked surprised that Pinkie actually made a list of the things she'd done for that amount of time. This was big, even for Pinkie, but she noticed the top of the scroll had bent back to show her something was off. Twilight snickered, knowing where it might lead while Rainbow Dash and the others were caught off-guard. Even Applejack was floored by it. Guess Pinkie Pie saved it until they showed up.
Pinkie Pie cleared her throat and was about to speak, but snickered and tossed the scroll away, "Just kidding."
Everyone rolled their eyes and chuckled amusingly at Pinkie's little joke. It was such a breath of fresh air that Pinkie Pie hasn't changed all that much, personality-wise, but they'd still like to know what she'd been up to during their three-month departure.
But, their answer came to them when Pinkie Pie threw her scroll away. Fluttershy watched the scroll land then suddenly poof from existence. The timid mare was baffled, but focused her attention back onto her friends -- some things are better left unanswered.
"I've actually not done a whole lot throughout that time. I just worked, planned parties -- " she pondered for a second and snickered " -- and finally solved that one issue Applejack and I had for quite a while." She smugly looked at her friends, feeling proud of that moment.
Applejack lightly clopped a hoof on the table, mentally kicking herself for forgetting that moment, "Oh, that's right. How could I forget?" She giggled awkwardly to herself. "We did finally get a result and it surprised both of our families."
"Wait, for real?" Rainbow Dash said, surprised to know that mystery had finally been solved. "Well, what was the result?"
Twilight was just as enthused. For a while, it still remained a total mystery whether or not Pinkie Pie and Applejack were related. She planned on helping them find out, but never got around to asking if they actually wanted it. To know they actually figured it out ontheir own was rather exciting. "Yeah, I'd like to know, too. This is so exciting, I -- wait?" She paused and waved at her friends to get their attention. They complied, but they looked at her confused.
Twilight looked at her friends and mentally counted from her to... Applejack? Five of them were here, but Rarity was missing, "Where's Rarity?"
Rainbow Dash was wondering the same thing now that Twilight brought it up.
"Oh, she's here," Fluttershy responded. "She's using my restroom." She pointed to the upper floor of her cottage. "She's been in there for a few minutes in case if you were wondering."
Well, that answered her question, but Twilight was worried Rarity would miss out on this golden opportunity. Pinkie and Applejack looked like they were excited to spill the beans, but they were short one pony. "Should we wait until--?"
"I'm he-eee-re!!!" a graceful singing voice chimed and grabbed their attention.
"--Nevermind." the thought occurred to her that she really shouldn't worry so much regarding what her friends do.
Applejack chuckled, amused by just the timing Rarity pulled, "Way to make a grand entrance, Rarity. Were you just waiting behind the door or something?" she teased playfully, knowing full well that fashionista of a mare just has a silly habit of making an entrance. That, and being dramatic about almost everything.
Pinkie Pie let out a small giggle-snort and Fluttershy tried her best to withhold a tiny giggle. While it was true, they did miss Rarity's antics so much. And they were happy she managed to do just that.
But, that didn't stop her from giving the three an unamused pout, especially to Applejack for that unnecessary quip, "Well, I'll have you know I did no such thing. It was merely timing." But she then looked to Twilight and Rainbow Dash and waved at them. "Oh, good to see you've made it, girls." she started to walk to the table to join them.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash slowly waved back at Rarity and they would've smiled at her, if it weren't for the fact that they now figured out who had the most 'changes' out of all of them. Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked on in shock. Not only did Applejack get buffer, but Rarity went through a huge body change, too, -- figuratively and very much literally. She wasn't her thin and curvy self anymore. No, actually… she seemed to have gained quite some pudge over those three months they haven't seen her.
Twilight noticed her cheeks slightly swelled to look somewhat identical to a newborn foal's cheeks, then she looked down to see her chest gained some fluff, too, and slightly bounced with each step she took. That or maybe that was literal extra fur she acquired and not actual fat? She didn't want to assume so quickly and just thought of another logical guess. But her form clearly looked like it could still move her around with no trouble, at all. Yet she worried about what happened to her friend over the three months they haven't seen each other.
Unfortunately, while Twilight noticed the front of Rarity's transformation, Rainbow Dash noticed what Rarity was packing in the back. And it was just mind-boggling how she was able to move so easily. While her front legs didn't look like they changed that much, her back legs were the ones that gained the most padding. Her hips, thighs, and flanks swelled so much they barely passed her shoulders. She blushed faintly. She could only imagine how other ponies must've reacted when seeing her. She would flaunt over the fact it was quite a sight, but oh how the jokes will fly later down the line. Right now, she just needed to keep her cool; hopefully.
At the moment, they didn't know what to think of her. The process took a slow start, but they tried not to make it awkward once she joined them.
It wasn't until Twilight noticed what Rainbow Dash noticed and blushed as well. She recalled what Rainbow Dash told her earlier and secretly looked down at her own flanks for a second before glancing back to Rarity as she stood next to her chair talking to Applejack. Like before, she appreciated the thought, but she wondered if Rainbow Dash didn't take to account that other mares could beat her to the punch.
Seeing Rarity the way she was now, Twilight felt a little envious and leaned close to Rainbow Dash with a somewhat sharp whisper, "And you said stallions would stare at my flanks?" she tried not to draw any attention from the others but she was still confused out of her mind by what happened to Rarity and she had couldn't help but jab at what Rainbow Dash told her earlier. Still, just what the hell happened to her?
Rainbow Dash blushed embarrassingly and awkwardly. She momentarily forgot what she told Twilight before showing up here and just assumed she'd brush it aside; apparently not! But, now that she brought that nugget of information back, she didn't know what to say. She was trying to compliment while also trying not to get Twilight all depressed. But can she blame her? She didn't know Rarity would end up looking like a literal walking marshmallow! She winced and gazed at Twilight, "Hey, I was only trying to help you! How was I supposed to know Rarity would get this big?" She whispered back while trying not to draw attention.
Twilight raised a brow at that, not buying that for a second, "Help me? You said stallions gawk at my flanks all the time. You honestly think other mares wouldn't find ways to draw attention, too?" She whispered again, making a good point that not all stallions are going to gape over royal flanks like hers; not that she wanted it.
'And here we go…' Rainbow Dash closed her eyes tiredly and silently groaned in annoyance. She had a cold feeling Twilight was now gonna be jealous because of Rarity's new 'assets' and that she was gonna be the cause of it. All she tried to do was compliment her friend with that little remark and now she was about to get an earful from the virgin mother, "Twilight, just take the damn compliment."
"What are you girls talking about?" Pinkie Pie asked as she got in between her friends and wrapped her arms around them. She noticed them whispering to each other for a bit and got really curious. Twilight and Rainbow Dash flinched and looked away from each other and Pinkie Pie, feeling their hearts race from her popping out of nowhere and thinking she might've heard them.
"Um, nothing!" They both responded
Pinkie pie snickered and raised a humorous brow at her friends, "You sure?" she said as she teased them. "I saw you two whispering and thought you girls were whispering sweet nothings like it were secret." she gasped excitedly. "Are you two secretly friends with --"
Rainbow Dash and Twilight widened their eyes in embarrassed shock and quickly plunged their hooves into Pinkie Pie's face before she could even finish what she was about to say, "Pinkie, shut up!" Both alicorn and pegasus said simultaneously before the party pony left to go sit back on her chair still smiling and laughing from their reactions.
Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy laughed in enjoyment. They knew those two were having some kind of conversation but didn't think much of it. Yet, one pony had to ask since what Pinkie Pie did throw them into such a fuss.
"Just what were you two talking about, darlings?" Rarity asked as she carefully got up on her chair and casually sat down; her chair creaked but miraculously held up just fine with the weight she gained. Though, if one were not able to pay attention, one would mistake her flanks as though she were sitting on two big, round pillows.
Just what did those three months do to Rarity to make like this? That was one question roaming around in their minds; there were more, but that was the only one strongly circling in their heads.
But, unlike the figurative stallions Rainbow Dash brought up before they got here, Twilight had to be the brave one of the two, stop rubbernecking Rarity, and speak before they start to think she's becoming a crazy mare. She giggled a little nervously and awkwardly before saying, "Oh, we weren't talking about anything important. We were just talkin' about --"
Rainbow Dash suddenly threw her arms up and interrupted Twilight. Her curiosity got the better of her and she just couldn't hold it in any longer. "Holy cow, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash blatantly said in a shocked tone that caused the other ponies to flinch from such a reaction. Rarity was held aback when Rainbow Dash asked her a question like a carefree, curious little filly, "What the hell happened to you? I mean, last time I saw you, you had a model mare's body. Now you're a walking pillow any pony would lay their head on." It was out; she couldn't take it back; Rarity heard her; the others heard her; if she had any regrets, Rainbow Dash would write them in her will.
Twilight sat there with a frozen face of panic. Silence was over the table and no one said a word. She was going to say something that didn't regard Spike or what Rarity looked like! Instead, Rainbow Dash had to screw things up for the both of them by blabbering about the freaking latter!
She knew this was going to open a new can of worms, she knew how sensitive Rarity was about her looks, and while she too wondered about what happened, unlike Dash, she would've been a bit more delicate about asking her – and made it a bit more private because asking a question of such a thing, is a bit invasive, now that she thinks about it.
'Kill me now!' Twilight thought as she gazed at her friends who looked shocked from Rainbow Dash asking that question. 'Just kill me now!' She glanced at Rarity who, surprisingly, didn't give Rainbow Dash an I'll-kill-you-dead glare that would give villains a run for their bits. Strange. But, still! Twilight wanted to smack Rainbow Dash upside the noggin' for being so rude like that. Twilight looked to Fluttershy and she had that raging glare on her face, too. She no doubt had the same thing in mind: 'Rainbow Dash, you idiot! 'But, again, Rarity wasn't lashing out or giving a dramatic lecture like she normally would. Was she okay?
Yet, Applejack broke the silence with an unamused tone, lowering her eyes at her polar opposite, "Way to be subtle there, Sugarcube." She, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were aware of how much Rarity changed, but they never said anything because it wasn't any of their business. Applejack did mention it before but only to tease around. Just asking might've been rude on her part.
"Yeah," Pinkie Pie said, not too thrilled by Rainbow Dash's question. "I know I keep files on ponies, but topics like that are a big no-no!" Yet, with all the sweets Pinkie Pie eats, she shouldn't be the one to talk, yet as chubby as she may be, she is still nimble and energetic. Only Pinkie Pie knew the answer to that one of many mysteries about herself.
Well, this didn't look good. Rainbow Dash felt bad for saying what she said. She didn't mean to cause a ruckus among her friends. She just saw something that excited her was all. She didn't think Pinkie pie and Applejack would be sensitive about Rarity's change. She tried to apologize to Rarity, but in a surprising choice of fate, Rarity looked sternly at Applejack and Pinkie Pie; not at her.
"Oh hush, you two. I can speak for myself, thank you very much," Puffing her lower lip out in a firm pout, she lifted her muzzle in a bit of a huff while Applejack and Pinkie Pie flinched and backed off from saying anything. They thought they were defending her in case she was the one that felt sensitive; they were so confused by this turn of events. A little blush emerged on the fashionista's cheeks, however. "There's no need to gang up on somepony who was only curious to know." If anything, Rarity never needed any defending. She was more than capable of defending herself. The thought was appreciative, but the behavior was not tolerated -- especially when it involved another friend. They were all mature mares by now and she was going to remind them as such. It also insulted her in some way, but not enough to make her lash out at the two mares.
"Besides, Applejack,' Rarity said specifically targeting Applejack as motioned to her new figure. "If somepony got curious about how bulkier you got, you'd think it was alright, would it?"
How ironic she said that, because the very pony who asked her about her weight gain asked her about her bulk. Applejack felt so stupid and would hide her face behind her hat knowing the revelation smacked her right across the face -- she knew better than that. "I see your point, Rarity." She wouldn't be shocked if what Pinkie Pie and herself did was outright hypocritical. She looked to Rainbow Dash and smiled apologetically; Pinkie Pie was the same, knowing Rarity was right to call them out on their behavior.
Fluttershy calmed down knowing Rarity might not've had any issue, at all. She never took to account that she could be okay answering Rainbow Dash's questions. In hindsight, she was just glad she didn't say anything. It wasn't wise to join in on a pointless argument when no one thought that the defendant didn't really need defending after all.
"Heh. Sorry about that, Rainbow Dash. We just assumed what you did was gonna upset Rarity. We just acted on impulse," Applejack apologized sincerely. She never wanted to start something when they just got back together after so long. She gazed over at Rarity, recalling her sensitive characteristic and brought it up to bat, which caused Rarity to blush deeper as her eyes widened in a bit of surprise. "You oughta remember how sensitive Rares here is about her looks."
Pinkie Pie felt the same. That was not right at all and she had plenty of ideas as an apology for how she behaved, "I'm super-duper sorry too, Dash. I thought you were gonna make fun of Rarity for how marshmallow-y she looked or take a jab at how much stallions love looking at her big plump --"
"Okay, Pinkie, I think she gets it," Rarity's blush became bright red. A simple 'I'm Sorry' would've worked. This was supposed to be a mature moment; the right kind of maturity. But leave it to Pinkie Pie to try and make it awkward. Though, deep down, she didn't deny any of that. However, her bigger frame belonged to only one and one alone -- as well as something else along the way. She was just relieved none of her friends noticed.
Though she will comment on Applejack's jab about her sensibility as she gave a tiny scoff, her blush still visible, "Come now, darlings – I'm not that overdramatic over my looks."
However, the slight raised brows and the silence they gave her begged to differ, one thought ringing through their heads about her comment; 'Really?!'
But, despite that comment, Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what just happened. She spoke her mind and thought she was going to be swarmed, but Rarity saved her from that cruel fate. She owed her big time for that and smiled gratefully, "It's okay girls. I wasn't trying to insult her. I just wanted to know why the body change. You were always so into keeping your body thin. What changed?"
If they've forgotten what happened that day, she'll gladly explain. Rarity looked at herself and knew exactly what Rainbow Dash meant by what she said. Yes, she gained a lot over time and she wasn't going to deny that. Yet, she wasn't going to let it offend her either. She smiled bashfully and rubbed the back of her head as she placed one hoof on her dome-like belly, "Okay, how do I explain this?" She blushed brightly and embarrassingly, "Um, well, first off, you're not the only one that asked me about my 'change'." Which put Rainbow Dash at ease a lot more knowing other ponies asked the same question, too. "Second, I don't really want to go into full detail, but, I'll simply say: I gave up."
That threw her friends for a loop. That was it? They expected a full dramatic story on why she decided to be what she was. Either, she got into an argument with family and she needed to eat to cope or time got to her and it put a number on her body or she was sitting too much or some other fourth thing. To hear her say she just 'gave up' seemed rather alien to them. Was this really the Rarity they knew or an imposter?
"Are you for real?" Applejack asked, confused.
Yet Rarity simply nodded and casually said, "Yes, I am. I simply gave up. Trying to keep a good image just felt like it was more work than the work I already had. I still use make-up, of course, but I just couldn't keep up with trying to keep my body fit that I just couldn't bother with it anymore."
For Twilight, something was way off. There had to be more to the story than what Rarity was leading on. As much as she knew about her friend, Rarity wouldn't just give up that easily and let herself go like that. It worried her. "Rarity, there's more to this, isn't there?" Her voice spoke of only worry and concern for her beautiful friend. She could make a few guesses on what might be wrong, but she might have one that could be an absolute winner.
Rarity looked to Twilight without a hint of retaliation and denial. Was she that bad at hiding her emotions? Wait, no! She could've sworn she thought that little act would've convinced them. But, they haven't figured it out, so she'll just partially tell them what's going on. And it wasn't like they were fools; Twilight did spark everyone to wonder if there was more to her story.
Rarity sighed, "Yes, there's more. I gave up, that much is true. But ever since Spike left, it really changed me." She looked at her friends and saw the sad looks on them. She didn't mean to bring him up, yet she had a gut feeling Twilight would relate to it, if not more than her.
She leaned back on her chair and looked up at the sky in thought while trying to secretly be careful, almost in a moment, she almost envisioned Spike himself flying home to her, but she knew she was only fooling herself. She sighed softly, still feeling gloomy, that her love left, "I know it's been three months since Spike left, but it's been difficult for me to go on without him around." So, it wasn't just simply giving up that got her like this. She felt depressed throughout the whole ordeal. Twilight was shocked, but she could easily relate. Rarity missed him just as much as she did; it was obvious, but she didn't think it would lead to this. "When Spike left, I just didn't feel like myself anymore. I lost focus on some days and I started to stress eat; normally, I would sew, but it just didn't help me like it used to. I tried to lose weight for two weeks, but when that didn't work, I saw no point in trying any further and just… gave up. Now I'm just a fat pig, and now a crying mule." she scolded herself for what she became, but there was nothing more she could do. She was depressed and she tried a lot to make herself feel better, but her heart was still broken from that ordeal that she just lost the motivation to keep going.
To think, a nice, caring dragon would make her act like this and turn her life upside down. She tried not to make herself feel like a wreck, again, because she was around friends, but she couldn't help it. She missed Spike so much that she nearly teared up and quivered her lips, her mascara threatening to leak with her tears.
But Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and the rest of the girls tried their best to comfort their pudgy friend. They felt so sorry for her and wanted to make her feel better. They knew Rarity cared for Spike and knew he had feelings for her, but they never expected her to end up like this.
"Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up, Rarity. We all miss Spike just as much as you do -- well, maybe more," Applejack tried to comfort Rarity as she looked to Twilight, knowing for a fact that she and Rarity have this moment in common.
But Rarity looked to Applejack with near-teary eyes. She was not sure of what to make of what Applejack said and it made her wonder just how much the others missed him, "W-What do you mean, Applejack?" She was so fog-headed, that she completely forgot about Twilight's feelings in all of this.
Fluttershy knew exactly where Applejack was going with this and she gazed over to a confused Twilight, then to Rarity, "She means we're going to have a small rehab session." She looked to everyone with a stern form; she was in no mood for any backtalk or complaining. Everybody was going to comply in this session.
Everyone looked at Fluttershy as if her idea made absolutely no sense whatsoever. A rehab session? But none of them had any alcohol problems -- except for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie when they have one of their late-night parties with other friends on special occasions. But, still, they never make a habit of it. So, just what was Fluttershy talking about?
"Rehab?" Pinkie Pie asked. She didn't quite get that because this was a tea party and not a gathering of drunken idiots acting like drunken sailors on a drunken boat.
Fluttershy nodded. It seemed as though all of them still had bits of depression left from that day. She originally invited them over for a simple get-together, but she can clearly see that they all still have emotional wreckage left in their systems. Well, for some, at least. As much as she hated to admit it, out of the six of them, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and she herself had not gained a strong connection to Spike like Rarity and Twilight had. She'd be damned if she ever said that out loud, but how she felt right now regarding Spike was small. And she could see that with the other three. But, if they were to have a regular get-together, they needed to get whatever it was they had off their chest.
"Yes, well, a pseudo-rehab session. Since Spike is no longer with us, we have to know what his presence has done that changed our lives," she pointed to Rarity as a prime example, "And Rarity has shown she misses Spike dearly. And if I were to guess, you miss him helping you around your home, right?"
Rarity looked to Fluttershy shocked. She nailed that dead-center and held no punches. There was still more to it, but that was one of the key points. She was ultimately glad she wasn't going to ask further questions because she still had to at least keep up this little act before she was ready, she sighed softly in regret, "Y-Yes. Without Spikey-wikey around, life around the boutique has been very 'empty' so to speak." She wasn't going to deny that in the slightest. It was true, ever since Spike grew 60 feet tall, he can no longer help her inside the boutique as he used to, and she had grown to admire his constant company. Granted, she knew levitation magic that would help her for days, it just didn't feel right without him helping her; that, and the appreciation they gave each other. Yet, if he does return, she can't wait for what's to come, soon. "But, I've been doing other stuff, too. I miss Spike so much, but I didn't spend the last three months moping my head off." But the details will be for later since she figured Fluttershy didn't want to hear it, just yet.
Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what was going on. That talk she had with Twilight about not bringing Spike up was completely pointless now. Not only did Rarity bring him up, but she anticipated Twilight would've done that. But she didn't! The tables have turned on her and now she felt a sudden cold feeling run down her spine -- and she had one guess what was causing it. She did not move an inch; not even twitch an eye. Right next to her was Twilight now giving her a venom-soaked glare. And, yeah, she deserved it and she knew it. Her talk backfired, hard. That compliment backfired. And when this was all over she'll probably backfire blood for a few days. But, like the fate-tempter she was, she attempted to go and stare death in the face before Fluttershy cut her off by calling her name, "Huh? Wha?"
"It's your turn. We're starting this of my choosing. And it's your turn."
"Oh, um, okay," Rainbow Dash pondered for a moment. "Well, for the past three months, I haven't done a whole lot other than helping my folks and going to training practice at the Wonderbolts Academy. Honestly, not a whole lot has happened after Spike left. I do miss him, but I've moved on."
Fluttershy nodded. Rainbow Dash wasn't mean about it and she respected that. Her confirmation was correct. But now it was time for Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She looked to Applejack, but the cowgirl already knew where this was going. And with her element, she held nothing back.
"Pretty much the same as Rainbow Dash." She momentarily took off her hat and held it over her heart, while she tried not to sound mean, she will not deny that there wasn't a day that she missed Spike as well. If he wasn't around helping Rarity at the boutique, he would sometimes help out in the orchard, which she didn't seem to mind at all. "Aside from the whole workout part, I've been tending to my folks. Granny's getting up there in age; Big Mac is still being his strong, silent Big Mac self, but Applebloom actually found herself a colt that genuinely loves her." She smiled fondly at that last part, feeling so proud of her little sister for finding a coltfriend. She chuckled warmly, "It took us a bit to get used to him, but that boy has such a kind soul. Even threw us for a loop when he said he idolized us and was thrilled to be dating Applebloom." Never in her life did she ever thought ponies would be fans of the Apple Family. It was nice, but she was more than ecstatic to know he wasn't one of those crazy fans she's seen before. If that was the case, he'd be outta there faster than Big Mac's boulder toss record. "I've never seen my little sister so happy in my entire life."
Fluttershy smiled happily to hear that. But, like Rainbow Dash, she moved on, too. She nodded to Applejack before moving to view to Pinkie Pie. And like before, she spoke without Fluttershy getting a word in.
"Oh, where do I begin? Oh, wait, I know where!" she said with an upbeat smile. "Just like Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I had a few things going on in my life like my job at Sugarcube corner, babysitting the twins, dealing with that one thing Applejack and I were going to mention earlier." She wanted to mention that part in case they forgot; which they haven't, but still. Pinkie Pie slightly frowned and lowered her ears, "I still do miss Spike being around. When I would make new sweets like cookies or brownies, he'd give me critiques on them. And he was always so sweet about it." She giggled at her joke as it got her friends to either chuckle or cringe; depending on the reaction, Pinkie Pie still loved them. Just like Applejack and Rarity, she too got used to his presence around her workplace, and if he wasn't with Rarity, or helping Applejack at the orchard, he was with her – eagerly taste-testing her sweet experiments. But she couldn't help but remember the looks Spike gave to her when he got a taste. They were so rewarding and wholesome. "But, now I've gotten other taste-testers like Pound and Pumpkin cake and a few other ponies, too. They're not as detailed as Spike is though, but their reactions are more than enough."
Fluttershy nodded. It was good to hear Pinkie Pie was doing well after Spike left. It surprised her and, more than likely Twilight, that he was one of Pinkie's taste-testers. He never mentioned that to any of them, then again he would've forgotten about it or kept it a secret like his visits at her cottage. But, now it was her turn to share, "Okay, much like Pinkie Pie's little secret right there--"
"Was a secret," Pinkie Pie corrected, knowing there was no need to keep it.
"-- Right.' Fluttershy smiled a bit. "Spike and I had a little secret hang-out. Much like what we're trying to do. He came over for a visit for tea and peace." It made her feel special knowing he'd always love to show up. She enjoyed the company and the peace that came with it. Of all the places, she tried her hardest to maintain that peace around her area; even she wondered how she was able to do so.
"Wait, peace?" Applejack said, confused. "Did he not think any of what we did was peaceful?" she looked a little worried. True she was rough some times, but she had her own peace like everyone else -- it just depended on the environment.
"Yeah, what do you mean by that, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked in a suspicious tone, looking at her as if she did something to convince him to think that. Was Fluttershy trying to tell them something? Because that wasn't like Fluttershy, at all.
That worry almost crossed with the others, but Fluttershy quickly shook her head, "No, no, no. That wasn't what I meant," she said in a frantic, assuring tone. "I meant he enjoyed the peaceful area around my home." She motioned to her backyard that was filled to the brim with flowers on the ground and forest trees to house her small animal friends.
That was enough to convince the five. They thought Spike was more adapted to what Fluttershy said and assumed he would rather stick around with her instead of hanging with them, or something more on the line in the gutter area, but they always knew that Fluttershy wasn't that kind of pony -- maybe. They should've remembered he was well-adapted to almost any environment. Maybe that meant they really should ask before assuming. The last thing they need was a misunderstanding.
"Yeah, he enjoyed the peaceful serenity around here. It made him feel at ease. At least, that's what he told me. But, after he left, things felt a little different for me. Without his visits, I'm just doing my daily routines with my jobs as a veterinarian and animal caretaker." With those jobs said out loud, it really was like a contest to see who had the toughest job. But with that said, they were amazed and proud that Fluttershy was able to handle them without succumbing to stress. They all can relate in some way.
"Heh, yeah, I may be a bit at fault on that one," Twilight smiled a bit awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. She always wanted peace in her life, but with how she handled things growing up, maybe she could've learned a few lessons from others beforehand, but the thought never occurred before she went coo-coo a few times. "I may have been a little unstable with how I handled things and I might've provided a harsh environment for him. Spike always tried to help, but I have a feeling I made things worse."
"Twilight, you know that's not true," Fluttershy spoke out slightly assertive, making Twilight flinch a little. "He loves you no matter what happens." Yes, she had her unstable moments, but so does everyone else. No one was perfect and that's why Fluttershy didn't choose her first. And it was one reason why everyone other than Rainbow Dash glanced over to her.
Of all the stress they've dealt with, they never had the stress of dealing with raising a child; for Applejack and Pinkie Pie it was raising a sibling and foalsitting, but those don't compare to raising a child of your own. It was a little messed up for Celestia to just hand Spike over when he was a hatchling when Twilight was still just a filly, but they digress.
"Don't ever doubt yourself like that." Fluttershy once again asserted but gave her a little worried, if not pleading look in her eyes. She really didn't like seeing her friends doubt themselves, which very much included Twilight.
Twilight was at a loss for words. She looked at everyone else waiting for them to respond, but they all looked at her as if she was the one holding back something -- and she was. She realized what was going on and looked to Fluttershy and took a guess," I'm last on purpose, aren't I?"
Fluttershy nodded, confirming her guess, "You are Spike's mother, after all. So, I figured I'd save your answer for last. So, were there any changes when he left?"
Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy then at Twilight, this time. Yet, Twilight never looked right back at her. Twilight just sat there with eyes locked in thought, it was as if she'd forgotten what she told her. She dodged a bullet there, but everything was quiet until Twilight sighed sadly and then spoke out in a somber tone.
"I miss him so much." She said. "When he left, I feel like I achieved something, and then lost something. I raised Spike my whole life ever since he was just a baby, and to see him gone, it just hurts so much." she placed a hoof on her chest and felt the pressure about to set in, she could feel her heart begin to ache and break. She tried so hard not to tear up, but she had to say it. She hiccups a bit, "The Treehouse is so empty without him. Sure, I have Owlowicious, but I never felt quite the same. Each passing day feels so cold without his warm embrace, and I'd always get distracted whenever I try to focus on something else. At times during the night, I almost call for him for dinner only to remember that he's no longer here." She slowly sheds a tear, her lip quivering, "No matter what I do, I'm constantly reminded about my memories of him."
It appears that her son's presence had an effect on all of them, and his absence struck her deep – to a point that she almost calls for him in the treehouse as if he was still here, only to remember that he was gone. The pain struck hard and left her a quivering mess in the middle of the night, and currently, it was threatening her to break down in front of her friends.
"I'm still depressed, I won't lie, but I'm slowly getting better. I just don't know when I'll fully recover… or when this pain will stop." She choppily breathed a bit, finding herself repeating herself from earlier. "It's over, isn't it? He's all grown up, we loved him – and he loved us, but now he's gone." She whimpered, her tears swollen and slowly dripping down her cheek. "It's been over for 3 months, girls… hasn't it?" She gazed up at them in heartbreak and disbelief that she just can't seem to let it go and move on just like they all had. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I just move on?" Closing her eyes, she gazed down as her friends look dreadfully worried and guilty for her suffering so much. Resting her hooves on the table, followed by her cheek resting on top of them, she concluded to them in depression. "It's over, isn't it… why can't I move on?!" She broke down in front of them as her tears leak down her cheeks, hiding her face in her folded hooves as she cried.
The depressed look said it all. And her friends felt so bad for her. Not a quip; not a joke; not even a sarcastic remark. They all felt sorry for her.
"Oh, you must have Empty-Nest syndrome," Fluttershy sympathetically said, prompting Twilight to look up at her slightly confused.
"Empty-what?" She asked, a bit confused as she sniffled.
"Empty-Nest Syndrome. Basically, it's a form of depression every parent goes through when their child is old enough to leave the house." Having said that schpeel to them, they all looked to Fluttershy amazed she knew this or confused about what it meant. They've never heard anything like that before and not once did anyone ever mention it to them -- even Twilight was astonished. She never read up on anything like that kind of syndrome before. Where did Fluttershy get that information from?
"Uh, Fluttershy? Where in Equestria did you learn something like that?" Applejack asked.
"Yes, darling, I never learned that in school before," Rarity said in a surprised tone. She didn't think any of them learned that her whole life and if Twilight was going through that, it would explain a lot.
Fluttershy smiled proudly that she said something her friends never knew and happily said with a hint of excitement, "I found it out from my jobs and around my home. It's not just ponies that go through it, but animals do, too." She was about to share some stories with them, but quickly stopped herself and waved a hoof. "But, back on topic, that seems like what you might be going through, Twilight. And there is nothing wrong with that." She tried to reassure her that this was a natural cause and it would take some time to get over. Fluttershy understood that despite not being a mother herself.
But hearing that, that actually cheered Twilight up. She smiled appreciatively and felt good to know her friends were so cooperative when they brought this up. It made the feeling she had before when she talked with Rainbow Dash earlier very moot. "Thanks girls, that means a lot. For a moment I --" she paused herself when that conversation she had with Rainbow Dash kicked back up in her mind. She appreciated the compliment, but she felt manipulated into thinking the others would stop what they were doing and just dragged her to get a stallion to sleep with. Oh, that won't fly with her this time! It's time for some sweet, sweet revenge.
"You what, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, confused as to why she paused like that.
Twilight cleared her throat a little and prepared her revenge, "I thought for a moment if I brought up Spike just once, you girls would stop what you're doing and try to find a stallion for me." Twilight acted innocent in front of them while Rainbow Dash mentally went stiff as she looked to Twilight in sheer shock.
The moment that was said was when the other mares processed what they just heard. Did they hear her right? They'd drop everything just to try and get Twilight a stallion so she'd shut up about Spike? That took a bit of thinking as everything went silent again. They've said a lot of weird stuff to joke around with, but even that was bizarre -- especially from Twilight.
Rainbow Dash cocked her eyes to Twilight while everyone was distracted and, to her utmost fear, saw the smug look on Twilight's face as she gave her eyes that told her 'suffer'.
It wasn't long until they all started laughing and grabbed Twilight's and Rainbow Dash's attention.
"Are…Are you serious, darling?" Rarity asked through her sophisticated laughter, finding what she said hilarious and very silly.
"Really? We'd stop everything we're doing just to try and get you a date?" Applejack quipped as she snorted hysterically, trying to fight it but her amused quivering smile spoke volumes. "Sugarcube, I know we'd love to help you and we love ya to Luna's moon and all, but I doubt you'll need our help in findin' a stallion." And she was right. Twilight was a princess. If she was ready to date, she'd already be out there with a guy by her side by now. She really didn't have any issues there.
And the filters go right out the window when Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted and waved her brows about to bring the gutter with her as she elbowed her a little, "Twilight, Twilight, you silly girl. We'd love to help, but you already got stallions wanting to go after that purple butt of yours. You're a princess and you're not taking advantage of it? I'd go to town on it; if you know what I mean?" She was messing around, but she was being honest through her antics.
Twilight blushed a mile a minute when Pinkie said all that. No wonder she and Rainbow Dash became fast friends; they're both total pervs! Well, that same goes for Applejack and Rarity, but they were not up there with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Yet, Twilight put a fake smile and giggled awkwardly when Pinkie Pie brought up her princess title; like hell she'd use her title for her own gain. She still hated it, but oh well.
It wasn't until Fluttershy spoke up that really nailed the coffin for Rainbow Dash, "Twilight, why would you think that? You're a grown mare. Who would make you think we'd stop everything just to... to..." she pondered for a moment. Before long, she looked to Rainbow Dash who wasn't laughing with them and instead looked very hesitant. She tilted her head and looked up in thought. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity took several breaths to calm themselves down from their laughter before glancing over at Fluttershy, wondering what she was thinking.
Rainbow Dash never noticed Fluttershy getting suspicious and kept her concerned eyes on Twilight. She didn't expect this, or never felt so betrayed. Although in some way, she kind of deserved it for what she said, now the ammunition was used on her. And the sudden gasp from Fluttershy grasped her attention while Twilight just gazed with a satisfied look.
It all made sense now! Why Rainbow Dash didn't show up first and why Twilight acted so strangely. True, it was Rarity who brought up Spike, but it wouldn't have changed either way. This little rehab session would still play out. "Oh, now I get it," Fluttershy said as she gave Rainbow Dash a suspicious look, but she also had a smug smile similar to Twilight. "Rainbow Dash, you tried to brainwash Twilight, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at Fluttershy, but that reaction was just the answer that she needed.
Now all eyes were on Rainbow Dash and they saw the hesitant, refrained, stiff look she gave them. The rest of the mane five were not as dumb as she thought they were and no one was gonna hide anything from them.
Rainbow Dash didn't account for Fluttershy to figure that out so quickly and now she was on the receiving end. They were never gonna let this down and give her the time of day. To try and shut Twilight up like that would not go unpunished, but they had a feeling she never meant for it like that. Still, Rainbow Dash was not gonna get off scot-free.
Rainbow Dash sat there as her friends looked at her with a thousand ways to get her back. She tried to play them and it backfired, hard and now it's coming to bite her twice as hard, right in her rainbow-colored ass.
'Buck my life!'