My spirits were high going into the day. Rarity dropped off my new set of clothes, so I was able to stay in my human form for an extended period of time without shame. The light grey tights covered everything they needed to, and though they were quite snug, I got comfortable wearing them after a few minutes. You have to hand it to Rarity, she knows what she's doing.
Today, I was going to take full advantage of my new threads: I was going to stay in the library all day and research divinations! Nothing like a rigorous session of research to really get your mind racing (into a blissful state of sleep). I don't know what it was about divination, but it wasn't anywhere near as interesting as transmutations. The dweomers involved just seemed... flat in comparison.
I yawned my way into my second chapter of divinations and their practical applications when the most pleasant of sounds was heard: knocking at the door. Yes, a distraction! I hopped to my feet and strode to the door, swinging it open with renewed excitment.
Beyond my door stood the princess of the realm, though this meeting with Celestia was on more even ground than last time. While my pony form had me standing up to her chest, our eyes were level with each other this time. Celestia looked me over with surprise, and spoke up with a smile. "Ah, practicing transmutations, I see."
"How'd you guess?" I asked rhetorically. I motioned her inside. "Come on in."
Celestia walked inside, her guards taking flanking positions outside the door. I looked between the two of them wondering if it was necessary to have these guys standing out there, but I wasn't about to ask that out loud. I closed the door and turned to Celestia. "Want anything to drink? I've got tea, orange soda, orange juice, cider, and scotch."
Celestia gave me a curious look from her seat. "I wasn't aware you began drinking."
I shrugged at her. "Hey, even I enjoy a cold one now and then."
Celestia smiled, though I got the impression she stopped short of a chuckle. "I'll have a cider, then."
With a nod, I went into the kitchen to pour two glasses of cider. I came back out and placed them onto the table, ice cubes clinking away in their cups. "Are you on the job, Princess? I don't think it's wise to be drinking and law-making." I said in a joking manner.
Celestia just gave me a serene smile. "I'll have you know that a thousand years is a long time to build a tolerance for alcohol." She levitated her cup and took a controlled sip.
I accepted her answer with a laugh. "Right. So what are you in town for? Surely not for our limited supply of booze?"
"Not at all. I figured it would be best to spend time with my most faithful student, especially since I didn't know her as well as I thought I did. With all of my previous visits cut so short, I figured today would be perfect for catching up." She glanced about the library. "So where's Spike?"
"He's probably trying and failing to get a smooch from his girlfriend." I answered with a sip of my cool amber cider.
"I didn't know Spike had a girlfriend." Celestia remarked.
"Well, he wishes he does. He hasn't gotten around to telling her how he feels." I clarified.
"Do you think you should help him?"
"Nah. I don't think it would work out, anyway."
Celestia hummed thoughtfully. "Do you know on whom he has his eyes?"
"Yeah, that's an easy one: Rarity."
"Your unicorn friend, Rarity?" I nodded, after which she continued. "Yes, it would be difficult to make that work."
"That, and it doesn't help that Rarity already has a crush on someone." I added.
"Oh, who?"
"I think she keeps saying 'Prince Blueblood', or something like that." Celestia winced and took a sharp intake of breath, which I didn't take to mean anything good. "That's bad, huh?"
"I have some advice for your friend."
I nodded and leaned closer.
"Good luck."
I lowered my head in sympathy for Rarity's someday-to-be-broken heart, and sat back into my chair. "Alright, so how's palace life? Anything interesting from the capitol?"
"There's always something interesting happening in Canterlot. Just recently, we got a slide in the castle."
I frowned inquisitively. "Wait, why did you install a slide in the castle? Did you just want to slide around the castle?"
Celestia just smiled and calmly took a sip from her cup. "So how have you been, Twilight?"
I smiled with light-hearted suspicion. I knew when a politician was avoiding a question for a reason. "I've been doing pretty good. At least I can't complain."
"A lack of complaints is a good thing." Celestia noted with another sip. "How are your friends?"
"The others have been more active than me, I'll admit. They recently went to Appleloosa."
"What about you? Did you go to Appleloosa?"
I momentarily considered what I should say, so I figured I wouldn't bring up Spike's sabotage, if at least to spare myself from the tedium of explaining it. "I didn't go. I mean, if it weren't for my invitation getting lost in the shuffle, I probably would have stayed behind anyway to help with Trixie's trailer."
Celestia's smile widened, impressed by what I said. "So you stayed behind to help another friend of yours? That's a very commendable thing to do."
"Thanks. Though if what the others said was true, I missed quite the showing in Apple Town."
"So I've heard. What did you do in the meantime? Surely you and Spike did something interesting."
"Spike went to Appleloosa, actually. I guess he figured I would be too busy helping Trixie to go on a trip." I covered two bases with this excuse: a blatant lie so I wouldn't have to explain to her Spike's persistent paranoia and covering for Spike's mistakes. Damn I'm good.
"Hmm, Spike should have mentioned it at some point."
I shrugged. "I dunno, but I guess he was just too excited to remember that."
Celestia nodded, agreeing with my false assessment. "So what did you do, then?"
"Magic practice, mostly. I spent most of my time lounging around and reading stuff."
Celestia smiled with familiarity. "Falling back on old habits when your friends are gone?"
I rolled my eyes playfully, as true as it was. "I'm not that bad about it. I still went to the gym and everything!"
"Oh? And how is the gym working for you? I can't even imagine you working out."
"They kicked me out, actually." I admitted.
Celestia tilted her head in confusion. "Why would they kick you out? Surely you didn't do anything to spur such an action."
"I may have started a fight."
"You didn't." She said in disbelief.
"Yeah, I kinda did. He said some unforgivable things, so I made him the only pony in town who is both black and blue."
Celestia gave me a stern, disapproving look. "Twilight, you must not start fights like this."
"What? He was being a dick!"
"That's no excuse for violence." Celestia stated firmly. "I'll not have you in any more fights, am I understood?"
I sighed with agitation. Just one more promise I'll have to keep in mind in addition to no low-blows and being a good friend. "Fine. You won't hear about me kicking ass anymore."
"I'm serious, Twilight."
"And I'm reluctantly agreeing."
Celestia glared at me in scolding with me returning a look of disgruntlement. Celestia sighed. "I can't believe how much you've changed in just a few short months."
"Really? Is it that hard to believe that I've been affected by my friends this quickly?"
"I suppose friendship has a way of changing one's behavior. That leads me to a new assignment for you. You said the stallion you fought coaxed you with insults?"
"Yeah...?"
"Then you must learn to be more patient. You can't just let your anger push you into action like that."
I groaned. "Aw crap, you're sending me to anger management, aren't you?"
"No. As we've just established, friendship will help change you, this time for the better. You are to spend more time with the Bearer of Kindness and learn from her how to better control your anger."
"Alright, I'll do it. I've been meaning to spend time with her, anyway."
"Then I'm glad we both get something we want."
I knocked back my glass and emptied it quickly. I've been meaning to do it for a while, but now I really had no choice: I'll have to spend some time with Fluttershy. It's just as well, since I've been meaning to find out how Fluttershy can keep hordes of animals in line without the threat of a chainsaw, wood chipper, or some other automated lawn care device of questionable utility. Hopefully she doesn't mind a little company tomorrow.
Rarity opened the door to her home, trotting in with merry fulfillment. "Thank you so much for helping me carry my groceries, Spikey!" She called behind her.
Spike wobbled in after her, precariously balancing a heap of filled bags in his arms. There were quite a lot more items than the "bare necessities" in his opinion, but he didn't dare question the mare of his dreams. "N-no problem, Rarity." He replied, arms wobbling under the weight.
Rarity levitated a few of the bags from Spike's grip, thankfully alleviating the burden to something he could handle much more easily. Rarity carried the floating bags into her kitchen with Spike walking with her. They set the bags onto the counter tops (Spike left his bags on the floor, because of how short he was).
While Rarity easily sorted the items into their proper shelves, Spike was torn. On one hand, he could just spend some time with the most beautiful mare in the world (he had to hold in a dreamy sigh at that thought), but on the other hand, he needed somepony else with which to discuss his problems with Twilight. He would have said something, but he was distracted by the grace and beauty of the ivory goddess placing cat food in the cupboard. How could he possibly work up the courage to speak in the presence of such divine elegance?
Focus, Spike. He needed to talk to her. It was difficult to get a word in when he got so easily distracted by the deep color of her eyes, and the magnificent styling of her expertly tended mane, and the curves of her...
Dammit man, focus! Maybe if he didn't look directly at Rarity, he'd have a better chance at speaking. He turned away, and the fluttering in his chest lessened. He took a deep breath now that it felt possible. Yes, this was much more manageable.
"Rarity?" He began tentatively. "Aren't you a little worried about Twilight?"
Rarity shelved one more can of Opal's food and spun to face Spike with concern. "Why, is something the matter? I sure hope that she's alright!"
Spike silently hoped the same. More importantly, he had to beat his pounding heart back into submission. How could Rarity's voice alone get his heart racing? "Doesn't it seem odd to you that she wants to be some kind of monstrous ape thing? Why would she rather be a 'human' than a pony?"
"I'm not sure." Rarity admitted. "I suppose Twilight just wants to practice her magic, now that she has an appreciation for it."
"But that's weird, too." Spike protested, straining himself to keep focus off of Rarity's harmonic voice. "Twilight has always loved magic. She didn't need some insufferable street magician to tell her how amazing magic is; she's always thought that. It's why she studied magic under Princess Celestia in the first place."
"Odd. I could have sworn Twilight learned politics under the princess."
"Well, maybe a little, but Twilight has always been a magic student first and foremost. Now she's suddenly interested in 'republics' and 'democracies' and other weird political structures that no sane pony would ever create."
"A budding interest in new things isn't so bad." Rarity pointed out.
"But for a couple of months, Twilight's interests didn't include magic! How could Twilight suddenly change her mind on something that was so central to her life?"
"Well, do keep in mind that Twilight hasn't always been completely honest with us. Her love of magic was likely just another thing she lied about." Rarity suggested.
"I don't think she was lying about it for ten whole years just to suddenly start 'telling the truth'. Besides, she's been really shifty about herself lately. Why was she so hesitant to talk about herself? What does she have to hide?"
"Everypony has their secrets, Spike. It's an especially touchy subject for some."
"But if it was such a touchy subject, then why did she invite you all to talk about it?"
Rarity wilted slightly at the reminder of that day. "I'm sure she was willing to trust us at the time... oh no, she's not still upset about that, is she?"
Spike shook his head. "Not as far as I can tell. But what was she going to say? What secret could Twilight possibly have that not only do I not know, but worries Twilight so much that she'll clam up about it?"
"I haven't the faintest idea, I'm afraid."
"I figured out what it is." Spike announced.
Rarity leaned in with interest. "Really? Pray tell, what is it that bothers her?"
Spike took another deep breath and recounted all his information. "Twilight has been acting strangely for the last couple of months. She's been more aggressive, more crude, and lazier than I've ever seen her. Her attitude towards magic has changed multiple times over the course of these months, and she's developed a strange fascination towards these 'humans'. She's developed a transformation spell so she can spend her time in a human form, and she's suspiciously good at using it. I know the secret behind all these facts: Twilight has been replaced by a real-live human."
Rarity didn't immediately know how to respond to Spike's claim. "Um... if Twilight was magically replaced by a human, then why wasn't she able to transform into her natural form at any time before now?"
"Maybe she always has been." Spike explained. "She only cancelled the transformation sometime after we all left for Appleloosa, so perhaps that was when she decided it was safe to change her shape."
Rarity nodded at the explanation, but had more questions. "Then if this Twilight is an imposter to a genuine article, when was she replaced without anypony noticing?"
"I've figured that out, too. She first started acting strange when we first arrived in Ponyville. She must have been replaced sometime during the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Okay, so the Twilight Sparkle we've become friends with was the imposter the whole time?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"So the imposter was the pony who helped us activate the Elements of Harmony and save Equestria?"
Spike gulped, not liking where this was going. "Um, yes."
"And this same imposter was the one who rushed to my aid when I was abducted by diamond dogs, no matter how little her assistance was needed?"
"Yeah..."
"And this is the same imposter who was so heartbroken after she revealed how wrong we all were about Zecora, and lost the courage to reveal this very same secret?"
"Well, we don't really know what Twilight was about to say."
"I suppose you're right." Rarity conceded. "But what else would she have wanted to say? Isn't there some other secret that she would have wanted to reveal?"
Spike thought back on his interactions with the real Twilight, and shook his head. "Nothing that would raise this much of a fuss. That just proves my point though, right?"
"Actually Spike, that's not the case at all." Rarity doubtfully declined. "Twilight did reveal a secret of her's to me once, and it was something of which you aren't aware."
Spike looked up at Rarity, now fully distracted by their conversation to get nervous. "Really? What did she say?"
"I can't tell you, but suffice to say that you don't necessarily know everything about Twilight."
Spike sagged at the news. It figures that the imposter's foul influence has already clouded Rarity's judgement. "Okay, but her behavior is completely changed from before. I know Twilight wouldn't be as aggressive as she is now."
Rarity chuckled as if at a little inside joke. "You might be surprised, if you knew."
Spike growled slightly in frustration. This imposter was good, too. "But I know Twilight was replaced! Nothing about he recent behavior makes sense otherwise!"
Rarity sighed. "Spikey, do you realize how outlandish this all sounds?"
"I get that a lot." He grumbled.
"Then I'm not the only one to tell you." Rarity observed. "Spike, ponies change. Just because they act differently doesn't mean aliens or monsters are involved; it's just the way ponies are."
"They don't change that fast." Spike said in denial. "Besides that, I'm worried about what she can do now that she's able to transform. Who knows what she'll be capable of now that she be anypony at any time."
"I doubt Twilight is the kind of pony to do anything wrong with such abilities. She may be a bit abrasive, but she's not a bad pony."
Spike slumped in defeat. It was no use. Rarity already had it in her mind that Twilight was a perfectly normal pony, and such notions were difficult to change.
Seeing the glum look on Spike's face, she wrapped him in a one legged hug. "Now don't you worry, darling. Just because she's changed doesn't mean anything's wrong. Always remember that no matter what, she'll always love you."
It was a nice sentiment, but love had nothing to do with it. Spike sighed and returned the hug. "Okay. Thanks for talking with me, Rarity."
"Any time, Spikey."
Spike left shortly after in a dreary state of mind. Of all ponies to be under that monster's control, he had hoped Rarity wasn't one of them. There was only one pony left to try. Hopefully he could persuade her. While he knew the others could handle themselves against "Twilight" if they really needed to, he was truly scared of what could possibly happen to poor, defenseless Fluttershy.
I knocked on the door to Fluttershy's cottage with my hooves. It was one of those doors that were segmented into upper and lower halves, which I've never understood. Why have a separate portion of the door open when you could instead install an eye hole or a little hatch? Doing it this way just seems like it would be more expensive.
After a few moments, I was wondering if she was out doing errands or busy with her animals. I knocked again to be sure. Eventually, Fluttershy opened the upper portion of the door. "Hello, Twilight." She greeted.
"Hey Fluttershy. I just so happened to be in the area, so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or something."
Fluttershy looked confused for a moment. "Um, I'm sorry, but what would take you all the way out here?"
I laughed off her seeing through my little ruse. "Okay, you got me. I'm out here because I wanted to hang out with you."
Fluttershy glanced back inside. "Oh, um, I was just grooming Opal. I'm almost done, but I'll have to bring her back to Rarity afterwards. We can talk on our way to Rarity's, if you want."
"Okay, that works for me."
Fluttershy invited me inside, and in I walked. Fluttershy's cottage was a homey little place. It certainly wasn't spacious, but neither was it cramped. There were bookshelves in a few of the walls, stairs leading up, and a green sofa with a matching green chair across from it. I looked up at the ceiling to see a birdhouse hanging from it. There were holes for mice around the base of the walls, butterfly paintings, and a couple of animal baskets lying around. This place was laid out well for animals to dwell, so I could see how this was Fluttershy's home.
A white ball of fur that could possibly be a cat lied on the sofa, impatiently flicking its unkempt tail as it watched Fluttershy's approach. I could only guess that this thing was Rarity's cat, Opal. Fluttershy sat next to it and grabbed the nearby brush. "No need to be so hasty, Opal. I just need to brush your tail, and we'll be done." She reassured.
The cat calmed down at Fluttershy's tranquil words. Is that how she did it? I found it hard to imagine that any creature would relax from just a few words, let alone something as fickle as a cat. I chalked it up to Equestria being fundamentally different than where I was from.
I sat in the chair and watched as Fluttershy brushed Opal's tail to a less messy fluff than before. Putting down the brush, Fluttershy smiled at the little cat. "There, now doesn't that feel better?"
Opal meowed in response.
Fluttershy giggled. "You're welcome, Opal. We should go back to Rarity's, don't you think?"
Opal meowed again.
"Okay, hop into the basket, and I'll take you home."
Opal hopped off the couch and into a basket behind the couch. I knew this basket was different from the rest because it had a big red bow on it. Fluttershy grabbed the basket in her mouth and walked closer to the door. "Are you ready to go, Twilight?"
I nodded, and we left her cottage behind. On our walk into town, I decided to spark up some conversation. "So I take it you're having a good day?"
"Mm-hmm." Fluttershy nodded.
That was an underwhelming response. I waited for a second or two to let her elaborate, but she didn't. I guess she just had little to say, or at least didn't think to say anything else. I asked some more questions. ""Well, that's good. Rarity lets you groom her cat every once in a while?"
"Yes she does." Fluttershy said in that typical Fluttershy kind of excitement. "Rarity has her groomed every week or so. I'm so glad she let's me do it." Fluttershy looked over at me. "How was your day?"
"Fine. I had nothing to do, so I just came out here to see what you were doing."
"Really? You just wanted to spend some time with me?"
I believe that was just established. Was it really that difficult to believe I would just spontaneously decide to hang out? "Well, perhaps the princess also said I should, but really, I've been meaning to come over for a little while."
"The princess did? Why does she want you to spend more time with me in particular?" She asked.
"She said I have rage issues or something like that. I mean really, I'm not that bad." Fluttershy lowered her head, to which I sighed. "Let me guess: you disagree."
"Well, you do seem to get really upset over small things." She admitted.
I rolled my eyes. "Eh, I prefer to call it a controlled release of inner fury. Anyway, she said you'd be a good influence."
Fluttershy blushed. "She really thinks that highly of me? Wow, I'm so honored!"
We walked into the town itself, so it wasn't much farther until we reached Carousel Boutique. We were silent for a while. Speaking for myself, I was thinking of something I could bring up for conversation. Fluttershy beat me to the punch. "So what was that about 'inner fury' you said earlier?"
I shrugged. "To quote a wise atomic abomination: I'm always angry."
Fluttershy looked concerned for me. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?'
"Not much to talk about."
"Are you sure?" She insisted.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Silence lasted a few more seconds. She spoke up again. "I know of a way to relax, if you'd like."
"Seriously Fluttershy, I'm fine." I said reassuringly. "It's just a couple of outbursts. It's not like I'm on a rampage down the market place."
Fluttershy stopped insisting, but she still appeared worried. We arrived at Carousel Boutique shortly afterwards, and went inside. It was the same as I remembered it. Rarity was on the opposite side of the room at a sewing machine working on something, but there was also a little white filly I didn't recognize. The entry bell rang to signal our arrival. Rarity groaned with exasperation. "Oh, what now?"
"I hope we're not going to be too much trouble for you." I retorted.
Rarity jumped and looked over sheepishly at us. "Oh, so sorry darlings. I'm just a little... pressured. And thank you, Fluttershy, for grooming Opal for me."
"You're welcome, Rarity." Fluttershy placed the basket down. "Here we are, Opal. You have a good day, okay?"
Opal meowed and hopped out of the basket, walking off with a haughty gait I didn't expect from a cat.
"I don't know how you do it." Rarity told Fluttershy. "Every time I try to groom her myself, she claws at me."
"Oh, I think I'm just good with animals." Fluttershy said.
I looked over to Opal, seeing the filly try to pet her only to get a portion of her mane torn off. That cat was a dick, so yeah, I guess she was right.
"So Twilight, how are you liking that outfit?" Rarity asked.
"I like it. It's like I'm wearing tights for MMA." I said.
"MMA?"
"Yeah. You know: Mixed Martial Arts."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "I should have figured as much." We all shared a chuckle, though I wasn't quite sure if it was at my expense or not. "Anyway, I'm afraid I can't sit around and chat. I have a little too much work right now, and I simply must get it done by tonight."
"Ah, I see." I commented. "Well I'd hate to get in the way."
Rarity levitated over a golden cloth that sparkled in the light as it fluttered. "I need to make twenty robes lined with this. It's taking all my patience and skill, but I must get it done."
Looking over the cloth, I felt that there was something wrong with it. I didn't have a very good angle with which to view it, so I didn't think too hard about it. Still, that was some gorgeous cloth she had. It'd be a shame if anything happened to it. I wonder who would need robes made out of this stuff? Also something to wonder: why was that white filly sheepishly tapping her hooves in the corner?
All silent inquiry was stopped when the door behind me swung open and two fillies ran in with excitement. Though, they weren't excited enough to forget their greetings to Fluttershy and Rarity as they ran past us. Whatever worried the white filly didn't bother her anymore, as these two new made her smile.
I recognized the yellow earth filly as Apple Bloom, who skid to a halt in front of the white filly alongside her orange pegasus friend. "Hi Sweetie Belle!"
"Hi Apple Bloom, Scootaloo!" She returned. "Are you girls ready for tonight?"
"You bet!" The pegasus, Scootaloo, exclaimed. "Imagine: tonight, we find our special talents."
An excited Apple Bloom continued. "And we'll finally get our cutie marks!"
I wondered again about these "cutie marks" they mentioned. Aren't they just tattoos? Come to think of it, I should have already put more time in learning pony culture than I have. I mean, I was getting by just fine, so I guess I didn't really need to. For now, I was just assuming that "cutie marks" were something of a rite of passage where kids get symbolic tattoos.
I had a few more thoughts about pony traditions, but I lost them when the three fillies all screamed "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SLEEPOVER AT RARITY'S, YAY!" The sheer force of their combined yell rattled through my ear and felt like they were scrambling my brain. I was disoriented by how loud they were, and very shocked to see the windows were still intact.
I rubbed my eyes to get my bearings, and when I opened them again, Sweetie Belle was showing off a cape she was wearing. I knew she wasn't wearing that a moment ago.
Sweetie Belle fluttered the cape. "How do you like it, girls? I made three of them for us!" The cape she displayed was red with a blue patchwork emblem on the sides that depicted a filly rearing up.
"Wow, it looks so cool!" Scootaloo complimented.
"You think so? I mean, I lined them with gold silk, so it took a while, but I think they turned out really well."
Gold silk. I looked over at Rarity, who seemed to come to the same realization that I did. She lifted up the fabric and clearly showed the three conspicuous missing squares. Rarity's eye twitched with a crazed agitation that really hit home for me. Just when I thought she was going to launch into a rant or a violent rage, she didn't disappoint with her initial yell. "Sweetie, what have you done? It's going to take me so long to make more!" Rarity rubbed at her head to relieve the pressure building in there. She spoke again in a calmer tone of voice. "I'll have to work all night to make some more and complete the order. Since I won't have the time to watch over you, I'm afraid the sleepover is cancelled."
She didn't get as upset as I was expecting. Then again, I was comparing her reaction to be similar to what I would feel. I would have flipped my lid and punched something...
Aaaand now I understand why my anger was such a big deal to Celestia. In comparison to Rarity, I was a psychopath! Damn, I really did need help.
The fillies all wilted in disappointment at the news and moaned sadly. As a scholar of cause and effect, I couldn't help but not feel any sympathy. Aw, poor Sweetie Belle. I guess she shouldn't have used up her... wait, who was Sweetie Belle in relation to Rarity, again? They didn't exactly say. Still, she shouldn't have used Rarity's expensive-looking fabric without her permission. Tough break, kid.
On the other hand, Fluttershy wasn't above taking pity on them. "Oh, there must be a way they can still have their sleepover. Maybe they could stay with one of us?"
The fillies brightened at the idea, and all looked expectantly at Rarity. Now put on the spot, Rarity looked among us to make a decision. "Would that really be alright with you?"
"Absolutely." Fluttershy said.
"Sure, I'll keep 'em outta your hair for a night or two." I said.
"Alright, then. Twilight, would you like to..." Rarity stopped mid-sentence, as if she just reconsidered what she was going to say. She turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, would you like to host their sleepover for me?"
"Oh, of course!"
I narrowed my eyes at Rarity. "Hey, why did you disregard me like that?"
Apple Bloom looked up at me. "Wait a minute, aren't you the pony that got drunk at Zecora's?"
"N-no!" I groused with my arms crossed. "You were drunk. I was just...shut up!"
Everyone chuckled at my expense again, to which I lowered my head in embarrassment.
Being serious once more, Rarity asked, "Are you sure you can handle it, Fluttershy? Opal was one thing, but I assure you the Crusaders are something else."
"I think I can." Fluttershy assured Rairity. "I'm sure they'll be like little angels."
We all looked at the "Crusaders", who smiled as innocently as angels. Really, they had the halos and everything.
Rarity didn't look quite convinced, but conceded anyway. "Right. I suppose I have a lot of work to do, and I can't afford any distractions..."
Knowing that permission was already implied, the Crusaders leapt with joy. "YAY! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SLEEPOVER AT FLUTTERSHY'S!" They ran outside without even looking back to see if we were going to follow.
Fluttershy gasped with surprise and ran after them. "Girls, wait for me!"
I looked back at Rarity and shrugged. "Good luck with work, Rarity." She nodded her affirmation and I left.
The day had just begun (it was afternoon, whatever), and I barely got to spend any time with Fluttershy. I wasn't going to let that stand. Sleepover or not, I was going to hang out with her! Besides, those girls were definitely hellions. Fluttershy would need some help.