//------------------------------//
// From Miles Away 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	"Hah!"  Pinkie grinned wide.  "I knew it!  Light was their biggest weakness!"

"That's what they get for bullying those poor hippopotamuses," Rarity said.

"Buffalo," Rainbow Dash corrected.

"Whatever."

"Whew!  Real whizz-banger right there!"  Applejack smirked, tilting her hat back.  "And I wasn't even scared!  Heh!"

"Mmmmmm..."  Fluttershy squatted in a little yellow ball, covering her eyes with her wingfeathers.  "Sp-speak for y-yourself..."

"Awwwwww..." Pinkie leaned in to nuzzle her.  "It's okay, Flutters!  We're a long... long way from Tartarus or anyplace else where basilisks might roam!"

Fluttershy exhaled, peeking out of her wings with a nervous smile.  "Well... I-I suppose you do have a p-point..."

"Although..."  Pinkie tapped her scrunching muzzle.  "If one of them did show up spontaneously out of the blue, exposing your eyes like you are right now would be the quickest way to turn to stone!"

"Eeep!"  Fluttershy buried her face in Pinkie's fluffy mane.  "Don't say th-that!"  She quivered.  "I-I prefer the lions, tigers, and manticores!"

"Ugh... Fluttershy..."  Rainbow rolled her eyes with a smirk.  "Sometimes, no matter what awesome things you say or do, you're still you."

"Uhm..."  Fluttershy peeked out from beneath Pinkie's head fuzz.  "It's a habit I'm d-dying to kick."

"Baby steps, girl."  Rainbow winked.

Fluttershy nervously smiled back.

"Duaaaaaaah..."  Trixie yawned, blinking dazedly up at the sky.  "Trixie is beyond sleepy."  Her ears twitched.  "Trixie thinks she sees shining lights."

"There's a reason for that, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Awwwwwwwwww..."  Fluttershy cooed, her eyes trailing golden lights in the air.  "Lightning bugs."  A soft sigh.  "That instantly makes me feel better."

"Hehehe."  Pinkie nuzzled Fluttershy and helped her onto her hooves.  "How 'bout we hit the hay, ol' Shy ol' pal?"

"Darn tootin'."  Applejack stifled a yawn and threw a mound of dirt over the already-dying campfire.  In wake of the ashes being extinguished, brief flashes of insectoid illuminescence streaked over their faces and manes.  "Better get up bright'n'early for a fresh hike!"

"So long as we have plenty of time for beauty sleep."  Rarity lit her horn, illuminating the path to her tent.  "Twilight?  Miss Lulamoon?"  She motioned along with a dainty hoof.  "Come, come.  Unicorn tent ahoy."

"Mmmmmmm..." Trixie yawned, fuzzy and fuzzier.  "Give Trixie a moment to... mfnnghhll..."  She teetered, eyelids heavy.  "...round up the stubborn sheep..."

Twilight rolled her eyes with a sigh.  "Come on, apprentice."  She smirked, leading Trixie gently by the hoof.  "Time to experiment with REM sleep."

"Mmmmffff..."  Trixie leaned on her as the two hobbled after Rarity.  "Nini... Mareami Sparkle Machine... phweeeeeee..."

"Nighty night!"  Pinkie chirped across the clearing.  "Don't let the freaky butt glowing arthropods bite!"

Rainbow Dash yawned.  Blinking, she hovered into a tent erected on the far end of the clearing.  The mare touched down, grasped a sleeping bag, and swiftly unrolled it.  Just as she was preparing to zip the thing open, she heard a set of heavy hoofsteps entering behind.

"Mrmmmfff..."  Without looking, Rainbow spoke, "Sorry if the story freaked you out, Fluttershy.  With how... y'know... assertive you've become as of late, I kinda sorta forget that scary tales can still get to you."

"Fluttershy's hittin' the sack with Pinkie Pie, sugarcube."

"... ... ..."  Rainbow's eyes twitched—followed by her ears.  She slowly turned around, gasped, then spun back to face her saddlebag with a frozen grimace.

"Mrmmmfff..."  Applejack paused to rub her eyes.  She stood above her sleeping bag, blinking at Rainbow Dash.  "Somethin' the matter, darlin'?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..."  Rainbow Dash shook... shivered.  "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhm..."

"Heh... lemme guess."  Applejack's freckles glistened in the starlight peeking into the tent.  "Ya make frequent trips to the woods at night.  Well, you can sleep closer to the tent flap if ya like—"

"No.  No, it's n-not that, it's... uhm..."

"What, darlin'?"

Rainbow turned.  She squinted through the tent flap and at the other side of the clearing.  Pinkie Pie bounced into her tent.  Fluttershy followed shortly behind—but not without stealing a glance back at Rainbow Dash.  A blink... and the pegasus smiled briefly before disappearing.

Rainbow exhaled.  "Nothing.  I just... uhm..."  Rainbow squeaked.  "I-I'm kind of a restless sleeper."

"Ya toss and turn, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, ain't no thang."  Applejack yawned as she rolled her mat out.  "I mean... ain't like we're sharin' a sleeping bag, right?  Heheheh."

"Right..."  Rainbow's voice cracked.  "That would suck..."