There was something alluring in all this vibrant orange, red and purple, mixed with the deep blues and clouds of the sky. Twilight Sparkle sat at the base of an empty tree, gazing out at the carpet of leaves across the entire clearing ahead, and breathing in the earthy smells on the breeze. She enjoyed the moment of solitary contemplation; it was serene. The stresses of the morning seeped out of her body. She watched carefully as one of the only remaining leaves fell from its branch and glided to the ground, not noticing the sound of approaching wings behind her.
“Oh hey, Twi, I thought you were Fluttershy,” said a voice from above. Twilight turned her head towards the rainbow-maned pegasus who hovered above her, the image slightly obscured by naked branches.
“Hi, Rainbow Dash! Isn’t it a beautiful day out? Why did you think I was Fluttershy?”
Dash looked around briefly, squinting at the leaves and trees. “Yup, it’s nice today. I thought that cuz normally I’d only ever see Fluttershy in this neck o’ the woods. That and you don’t really strike me as an outdoorsy kind of pony.” She smirked.
Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I’m trying out some meditation! I read all about it in 24 Study Habits You’ve Never Tried Before by Quillsby, a really good book. It’s actually quite relaxing, and it’s supposed to improve my focus and spell power.” She lit her horn and lifted a large cluster of pebbles and twigs into the air. This meditation exercise was the latest in quite a few new activities she was trying, in order to ‘find more balance’ in her life, something that Princess Celestia had suggested she do a few months ago. Though she wasn’t able to study her books and also meditate, admire art, or see the ballet at the same time, (at least, not without earning many disapproving glances at the theater), the overall effect seemed to be an improvement to her mood and stress levels.
“Ya know, that actually sounds pretty cool, coming from an egghead,” Dash said, “You should totally spend more time outside of that boring castle and out here where everything’s not-boring.” She looked up, scanning the sky. “I’m going to get some practice in before my weather shift, figured I could use a cheering section, you know, like you guys were at the best young fliers competition. How’d you like to watch me do some awesome tricks for a while?” She grinned.
“Oh, that would be great! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you practice.” Twilight unfurled her wings and stood up as she talked.
“Cool! Just come with me to that clearing over there,” she pointed, flapping her wings and swooping up over the trees, and looping around while she waited. Twilight took off at a brisk trot, noticing with pleasure the sound of each leaf she crushed under her hooves, following Dash’s lively shadow deeper into the meadow. Once at the edge of the clearing, she found another bare tree and lowered herself onto a small bed of leaves by its trunk, looking up towards the sky.
Dash stopped and flew lower long enough to say, “Here goes nothing!” before she flapped hard and zoomed straight up out of the clearing. Twilight felt the wind push her hair back from the sheer power of Rainbow’s ascent. Dash continued upward until she reached the level of the large, white clouds, before suddenly flipping over backwards and gliding into the start of an incredibly quick dive back down. Once she was close enough to clip the tops of the trees, she tilted her wings and shot upwards again.
“Woohoo!” Twilight cheered while she gazed at the pegasus cutting through the air. Forget Moneigh, she thought, here is my favorite work of art. For some reason, today Rainbow Dash seemed to be entirely in her element. Her cyan coat melded with the sky, and her mane and tail whipped behind her body like a multicolored stream of water. Twilight sighed and shielded her eyes to watch Rainbow Dash flit across the surface of the sun. She reached the clouds again, accelerating as she circled closely around one of them, causing it to start rotating. With a pang, Twilight realized that she would most likely never have the ability to fly with such talent. She instantly dismissed that notion, however, and cheered for her friend again.
Rainbow Dash added more cloudstuff to the rotating cloud, circling around it to keep its speed up while it grew heavier. Eventually she stopped adding cloud to the large mass, then started flying even faster around it, causing it to flatten out and form a large disc in the sky, covering the sun. Abruptly, she stopped circling the disc-cloud and ascended high above it before diving downward towards its center. As Rainbow met the cloud, Twilight saw the cloud vanish in a flash of rainbow before a muffled boom reached her ears. The disc became rain, drenched in rainbows, which poured across the entire clearing in the meadow for several seconds. Rainbow slowed her descent and landed, panting, in the clearing, holding her head high and preening her wings to put a few feathers back into place. “Pretty good, huh?” she breathed. “That one I’ve been working on all week. What’d you think? Will that impress the Wonderbolts?” The rain had slicked her mane, splayed across her neck.
Twilight could not restrain her smile. “That was amazing, Rainbow Dash!” Her voice sounded almost too loud in her own ears; she tried to push back some of the enthusiasm. “You were so graceful! I’m sure the Wonderbolts will be impressed by your new trick. What do you call it?” she added.
Dash peered closer at Twilight, and a little blush appeared on the blue of her cheeks. “Uh, haven’t really gotten around to naming it, yet.” She chuckled a little and rubbed her hooves together, then said, “Anyway, thanks for watching, but I think we need to work on your cheering skills a little. Maybe you should ask Fluttershy for a few pointers.”
“Well, I suppose I can cheer much louder than that, if I just exert myself a little more,” Twilight agreed. “Anyway, I’m curious, was that a full rainboom-”
Dash cleared her throat. “Sorry Twi’, I’ve, uh, got to get going, weather shift and all that. But, you should watch me practice again sometime, OK? Like, tomorrow? Oh, and I’ll see you later tonight,” Dash was already turning aside and spreading her wings, so Twilight only managed to say goodbye before she sped away. Twilight watched as she flew on, banking to the side, soon lost to the trees and sky.
Twilight sighed and looked down at the ground, the exhilaration draining from her body. She stretched out her legs and neck, standing up and dusting off some of the leaves that had clung to her coat. Then, she stretched out her wings a little – that’s strange. Her wings were strangely stiff, still unfurled and up in the air. She prodded one of them with her hoof. With a little coaxing, Twilight loosened and retracted her wings, looking at them with a puzzled expression. I don’t think this wing behavior was covered in the guide, unless - With a jolt, she realized why her wings were acting so strange. She blushed scarlet and instinctively hid her face behind a hoof. Oh! ponyfeathers...
Several hours later, Twilight stood inside the large doors to her castle-home, her heart beating rapidly. She listened intently. A few seconds ago, the sound of several sharp knocks had sounded through the castle, but Twilight had yet to respond. Soon, the muffled voice of a pony with a distinct country accent could be heard, muttering something about eight o’clock. Twilight threw open the door. “Applejack! You’re the first to arrive! Please come in.”
“Howdy, sugarcube. I was beginning to think I’d come round at the wrong time! I brought all types of apple snacks for us to munch on.” The orange pony hefted a bag of red, shiny apples and stepped inside, shimmying out of her saddlebags. She looked over at Twilight. “You all right there, hon? I know you get nervous ‘bout these types of things.” Indeed, Twilight was fidgeting with her hooves and biting her lip. “But you don’t gotta be nervous with us, we’re all old friends here,” Applejack said, placing a hoof on Twilight’s withers.
Twilight smiled, although it appeared somewhat strained. “Oh, it’s not that, it’s just… I’ve gotta run to pick up some drinks for tonight. I totally spaced it this afternoon! Can’t keep my schedule straight without Spike here, hehe.” She took a few steps, pausing in the doorway. “Do you think you could let everypony in if they get here before I get back?”
“Sure thing. Don’t take too long, now, or you’ll miss the fun.” Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight as she grabbed a pair of saddlebags and hurried out.
Twilight took the long way around town to reach Swigs and Sofas, and took a rather long time deciding on which flavors of fizzy drinks to buy. She placed the bottles carefully in her saddlebags, and began the walk back towards the castle. Once she had reached it, she paused outside of the doors. Laughter was periodically audible from inside, and she could see the light of her own lamps shining through the windows into the cool evening air. With a moment of resolve, she raised her hoof and knocked on the door, then retreated a few paces and lowered her head. Applejack opened the door. “Howdy again, Twi’, no need to knock on your own door! Come on, we were just about to start a game. I was wondering if you’d make it!”
“Oh, sorry I took so long, I was just making sure I didn’t bump the drinks and make them lose their carbonation,” Twilight said, fiddling with her hoof.
Applejack cocked her head a little. “Well, come on in already! You’ll catch a cold faster than a cowpony without her boots,” she said, stepping aside and pointedly opening the door wide. Twilight took a few shaky steps towards the door, but didn’t go through until Applejack raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat. Once she crossed the threshold, her legs seemed to gain strength, and her gait gained more confidence. She walked through the reception area into a large living room with high ceilings. The echoes of chatter in the room were partially damped out by patterned rugs scattered across the floor and hung on the walls.
“Twilight, darling! Come over here this instant and sit at my side!” Rarity said, looking over and batting her eyelashes. She, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were all gathered around a large board game. Twilight gingerly set her saddlebags down on a floor cushion, then walked over and sat down on Rarity’s left, which also put her beside Dash. Twilight made sure not to look in that direction.
“Twilight, you missed all the treats!” Pinkie shrieked, as though it was the worst possible thing. “Somepony ate them all, even though Applejack said we should save the rest for you!” She gasped, leaping up and narrowing her eyes, looking slowly around the room. “But who could be the treat-thief?”
Applejack walked up and took her place by the game board. She snorted. “Gee, I don’t know who that could have been! Who do we know that has a mighty strange appetite for treats, Pinkie?”
Pinkie raised her hoof into the air. “It was me,” she said, before plopping back down on the ground. “Sorry, Twilight.”
“That’s all right, Pinkie, I had a lot to eat before you all came over,” Twilight said, looking at the game pieces before her.
Rainbow Dash began dealing out plastic chips that resembled bits of various values, and before long, each pony was rolling the dice in turn and moving their chosen piece around the board, buying properties and paying each other if they happened to land on the others’ properties. It was a rather simple game, but that didn’t stop Rainbow and Applejack from turning it into a fierce competition. Each time one of them would land on the other’s property, she would snarl before shelling out her precious bits. It got to the point that Rarity intervened to make peace when Applejack tried to re-roll one of the dice because it ‘landed funny.’ The game dragged on for a couple hours - and then - something dreadful happened.
Twilight knew it had to happen eventually. So far she’d been lucky, only landing on a few owned properties. However, she only owned a few herself, since she was trying a new strategy where she tried to save her money rather than spend it on every random property she landed on. The strategy seemed to work at first, but she had no luck landing on the properties she needed. Once the other ponies had a stranglehold on the retail market, her pile of bits slowly dwindled away. Until, she rolled a twelve and landed right on Cloudsdale with a hotel, which was owned by Rainbow Dash. Twilight was actually relieved, since it meant she wouldn’t have to play the nerve-wracking game anymore.
Twilight gathered up the few bits she had left and offered them out to Rainbow Dash, but Dash shook her head. “No, you keep those, I’ll give you a free stay in Cloudsdale,” she said, as though she were making an extremely noble gesture. Confused, Twilight retracted her hooves and dropped her bits back on the rug.
Applejack blew air out of her nostrils. “Horseapples, Rainbow! Why are ya giving her a free pass, after I landed on Canterlot Gardens three times already? That’s not fair.” She stamped one of her hooves.
Rainbow didn’t react with anger, like Twilight was expecting. Instead she heard Rainbow say in a curious tone, “Well, you wanna know why I’m letting her go for free?” Twilight looked up and saw a small, almost victorious smirk on her face. “It’s because she’s so buckin’ cute, that’s why,” Rainbow said, and stuck out her tongue at Applejack.
Twilight let out a very Fluttershy-esque squeak and hid her face behind a hoof, sure she was blushing. She felt a consoling hoof on her back. “Please, Rainbow, you’re embarrassing her! It’s okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy cooed, but Twilight didn’t turn back to face the others right away.
Applejack was spluttering while Pinkie simply looked between the ponies and giggled. When Applejack finally found her tongue, she glanced around and said, “Oh yeah? Well, uh, I think Pinkie here’s real cute, so I’m giving her a free pass to any of my properties!” She stuck out her tongue at Rainbow. Rarity immediately took her hoof away from her game piece to cross them over her chest and glare at Applejack, who turned to face her with a painful-looking expression of innocence. “What? Everypony thinks that Pinkie’s a cute mare!” With that, Pinkie rolled over on the ground, guffawing and kicking out her legs.
“Why don’t we just call this game a draw,” Rarity huffed, already beginning to clear her pieces off the board with her magic.
Applejack blanched and reached out her hooves, “No wait, don’t do that!” She withdrew when Rarity glared at her again, baring her teeth. She quickly revised her tone and said, “Actually, a draw seems like the only fair thing to do.”
Pinkie Pie rolled over so she was right-side-up again and cheered, “A draw means that everypony wins! And who couldn’t be happy with that?”
“I certainly don’t mind,” Fluttershy said.
“Ha! I won this fair and square!” Rainbow said to Applejack. “I had Cloudsdale and Canterlot Gardens both with hotels! It was only a matter of time before I wiped you off the board!” Her taunts didn’t faze Applejack, however, who simply mimicked Rarity, picking up and sorting her pieces to put back into the box. Rainbow flicked her tail. “Well, whatever, then. Hey Twilight, what about that movie you were talking about?”
Pinkie started hopping up and down. “I wanna see ‘How to Lose a Stallion in One Fortnight’!”
Twilight also began cleaning up the game, and bit her lip. “Hmm, it is getting a little late, but-”
“I’m going to get some beauty sleep, my little ponies,” Rarity cut in, with a flip of her mane. She appeared to have regained some of her composure. “Do try to keep the volume down, won’t you?” She trotted over towards the hallway.
Twilight seized the opportunity and started to follow Rarity out of the room, mumbling something about being tired. Applejack and Rainbow turned and shared a look. Fluttershy broke the silence with a nervous chuckle, “Well, this has been an interesting night, but I’ve had a lot of fun. And I’d love to see the movie before bed, that is, if you still want to…”
Pinkie giggled, “Yippee! You’re such a fun, not-at-all wet blanket, but a warm-blanket pony!” Fluttershy smiled appreciatively.
Rainbow groaned and said, “Time for this pegasus to hit the hay; you guys stay up if you want.”
Pinkie immediately replied, “You really shouldn’t hit the hay, Dashie - that poor hay! What did it ever do to you? Anyway, the only hay around here should be in the kitchen, because a tidy kitchen means a tidy castle, (and Twilight always keeps a tidy castle), and the kitchen’s far away from where you probably want to sleep, unless, of course, you wanted to be in a sugar coma, (just a fancy word for a snooze)...”
“Goodnight!” Dash called out, putting her hooves over her ears and beating her wings to lift her up and out of the living room. Evidently, Applejack decided to stay for the movie, as nopony followed Rainbow.
The moon and stars shone through several windows in Twilight’s spacious bedroom. Beside Twilight’s own bed, a guest bed was covered in blankets and pillows, and a small pile of thick sleeping pads was placed at the foot of it. Rarity had lain down on one of the sleeping pads, entrenched in a mass of colorful blankets, her eyes already covered by her night-mask, and her ears plugged. A relaxed breathing sound came from her mouth. Twilight was lying under the covers in her own bed, but she seemed to be lying too still to really be asleep.
Twilight felt the bed give way as another body came onto it, and let out a small gasp as she was jolted out of her reverie. She turned her head to see who it was, and saw Rainbow Dash’s brilliant mane and coat framed by the dim moonlight. Twilight found herself staring at Dash’s eyes, noticing that Dash was smiling. Twilight quickly looked towards the door, and noted that they were, for the most part, alone. She rolled over to better face Dash, and began playing with her hooves. Her voice came out as a whisper, “Um, Dash, about earlier today, I just wanted to say...”
Dash simply held out a hoof and stopped Twilight from continuing. “Don’t worry about it, Twi’. Besides, it’s time to sleep now. No time for that stuff.” She pointed at the bed. “Mind scooting over a bit?”
Twilight blinked. “Oh. Okay.” She shuffled over to the other pillow and closed her eyes, feeling Dash maneuver her body under the covers, close to her own. After a moment, the rustling stopped. Then she felt Dash’s wing slide itself over her side, until it stopped and rested there, sending warm sensations across Twilight’s body and heat across her face. She didn’t flinch, but she opened her eyes and breathed, “Dash?” Dash didn’t respond. Her eyes were already closed, and in the dim light it seemed the smile was still on her lips. Dash started to breathe deeper, as though trying to imitate sleep.
Twilight stared at her, wide-eyed, but Dash didn’t move. Her head was whirling with all sorts of thoughts and worries, but after a long while it settled down into a comfortable stillness. She found herself listening to the rhythm of Dash’s gentle breathing. She closed her eyes and let the tension flow out of her muscles, from the top of her head down to her hooves, just like in the meadow. A feeling of immense safety and contentment washed over her as she lay there, under Dash’s wing. Careful not to move her body too much, she reached out and pulled the covers higher over the both of them and nestled her head into the pillow.
Her body felt light, like she was lying in a bed of clouds. She let her mind float freely, over the bed and high above the castle, and it went up and up until she was gliding silently in the cool silver light of the moon and gazing at the rich, silver landscape. She sighed at the beauty of it all, and saw that there was somepony else also drinking in the view. There, to her left, the graceful, blue pegasus flew by her side.