//------------------------------//
// AJ vs. Rarity 
// Story: Of Fluff And Feathers 
// by Moowell 
//------------------------------//

Applejack howled and launched her first pillow at Rarity, who leapt to the side to dodge. Rarity followed up with her own volley, which was blocked by a quick swat to the ground. AJ kicked the pillow back, following it with a second right behind the first, but Rarity picked up her own cushion and batted them away. The pair continued this small back and forth for several rounds, sizing each other up. 

"A'right, Rarity. Enough warm up!" AJ picked up a pillow and lunged with a howl, startling the white mare, then slammed her backward with a mighty strike. Rarity quickly levitated a pair of pillows behind her to cushion her crash into the wall, then glared at AJ. Three pillows, each lifted in her magic swirled out in front of her and darted at AJ. AJ blocked the first two, but the third smacked into her and threw her off balance, allowing the others to come back and barrage her with a series of blows.

"Had enough, Applejack? I can keep this up all day."

AJ growled and dropped the pillow in her teeth, then pulled out her rope and flung it out at the swirling pillows. With expert skill, she lassoed all three of them in a single go, then swung the entire mass back at Rarity. Rarity jumped backward to dodge, but AJ just moved forward and slammed into her with all three pillows at once, sending her flying. AJ then released the pillows and barraged the white mare with a *thump* *thump* *thump*. Rarity stood up and shook her head, then glared at AJ. The farm mare was snickering on the opposite side of the room. 

"Don't be so impressed with yourself! That was nothing!"

"Your mane don't think it was nothin'. Bahaha!"

Rarity looked up and shrieked at her completely disheveled mane. Then her anger flared and every pillow in the room, save the one AJ had just picked up in her teeth, rose off the ground and sped toward the farm mare. AJ's eyes widened, and she darted around, dodging and deflecting blow after blow until a pair of pillows sideswiped her and slammed her into the front door of the castle. As she got back to her feet, the entire collection of pillows smashed her forcefully against the door and launched her outside, sending her rolling in the morning dew. 

AJ quickly rolled back to her hooves just in time to see three pillows rocketing at her from inside the door. She lifted up her pillow and smacked them all away, sending them flying upwards as she charged back for the castle.



Rainbow Dash snored peacefully on a drifting cloudbed, having been up much of the night for weather duty. It was nice and soft. Comfortable, even, cradling her in a smooth warmth with a cool breeze ruffling gently over her wings. The perfect snooze after such a long-

*whomp* *whomp* *whomp*

"What the hay?!" RD cried as three speeding pillows destroyed her cloud and sent her flying skyward. She regained control of herself before she fell, but she wasn't happy about getting woken up. She grabbed one of the pillows out of the air and glared around at the ground. "Who threw this?!" Just at that moment, she spied Applejack running toward Twilight's castle with pillow in tow. "Oh, it. Is. On!"