• Published 27th Feb 2012
  • 10,543 Views, 322 Comments

What Brings Us Together - Hyzaku



Rainbow Dash has been spending more time at the library hoping to get closer to Twilight.

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The Night Before (updated v2)

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Author's note:
I have republished this chapter because I have made several major edits. Quite a few things have been added, including the remainder of the slumber party, so I encourage my readers to see what has changed.

I also made a number of fixes to previous chapters, mostly just grammar fixes and fixing my said tag abuse to help the flow.

-Hyzaku

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Rarity emerged from the post office with a triumphant stride. She was quite skilled at making deals, especially when dealing with males. Sure she would have enjoyed never seeing that perverted fool again, but this way she would never have to worry about shipping costs for her out of town orders.

“What took ya so long?” Applejack asked. She already knew the answer. Rarity had been giving that goofy postal worker, and probably his boss, a verbal once-over. Hopefully, a bit of casual conversation would keep Applejack from getting a verbal assault too. At this point, Applejack could only hope that what happened would be one of those never-discuss-this-again moments for Rarity.

“Oh, just dealing with that miscreant.” Rarity replied all too cheerfully for Applejack’s taste. Rarity was trying her best not to smile too much. After taking another moment to revel in her new ‘deal’ she finally looked around. The expected participants were there. Applejack, Fluttershy, and that Doctor Smith fellow were waiting outside as she had expected. What she had not expected was to see Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash as well. “Hello Twilight, Rainbow Dash, fancy meeting you here. I thought you had eloped to somewhere less public.” She said as her voice returned to its normal, semi-sophisticated tone.

“Well, you see,” Twilight replied hastily, “I actually just teleported in a panic and honestly did not intend to bring Rainbow with me.” The lavender unicorn’s face distorted with embarrassment.

“Panic is an understatement.” Rainbow Dash held back a laugh. “Twi teleported us right onto the roof.” The pegasus could no longer contain her laughter.

Twilight swapped her embarrassed expression for one of mild irritation, “It’s not that funny Rainbow.” She said with a serious tone.

Rainbow Dash suppressed her laughter to a mere chuckle. “It’s always funny watching you get flustered…and sometimes arousing.” She added a flare of her wings to the end of her statement for emphasis.

Normally Twilight would tease Rainbow, or even flirt back. Unfortunately for the pegasus, Twilight was not in the mood for flirting after her embarrassing show minutes earlier. She poked Rainbow in her ribs, rather harshly, to make a point, “You should try to be less forward in public.”

“So you two are a pot and kettle?” the Doctor quipped with a grin.

Just as Twilight was preparing to give John a comprehensive list of the inaccuracies of his comparison there was a sudden shout from above.

“Doctor!” a mare’s voice shouted from the sky. Moments later a blonde-haired and gray coated pegasus landed next to the stallion she had addressed. She was wearing a standard blue postal uniform, minus the hat, and a green saddlebag adorned with a buckle shaped like a muffin.

The Doctor smiled at the sight of the new arrival. “Hello to you too gorgeous.” He answered cheerfully.

The gray pegasus blushed as her posture inadvertently shifted from confident to shy. “Aw you always say such nice things Doctor.” The mare replied.

“Hey Ditzy, I hope the mail route is keeping you away from storm clouds these days.” Rainbow remarked with feigned enthusiasm. She couldn’t help being less than happy to be near this flying disaster, much less having pleasant conversations with her. Still, as long as that derpy-eyed pegasus was kept away from weather or construction related duties she wasn’t too dangerous.

Ditzy perked up immediately at the familiar voice. She had been so focused on finding the Doctor that she hadn’t even looked to see who he was running around with. Of all the ponies to run into, Rainbow Dash was always one of Ditzy’s favorites, right after the Doctor of course. She had worked under Rainbow Dash for years as part of the weather team. Seeing her old team leader always brought back fond memories of her many adventures under the daring pegasus’ leadership. Sure she had made a few mistakes…okay, maybe more than a few, but she still enjoyed her time as a weather pony. After the big incident involving the town hall and some very unruly storm clouds Ditzy had been reassigned to the post office.

“Hey Rainbow Dash.” Ditzy waved a hoof at her old boss who stood only a few feet away. The gray pegasus smiled.

“So then, what brings my favorite mailmare by for a chat during her route?” the Doctor asked. He knew Ditzy fairly well, she was quite a lot of fun to talk to and she really seemed to enjoy the stories of his adventures. He also knew that she wouldn’t waste time during her route, even just to chat. To her, work was time to work.

That’s right, it’s still work time. No time to stay and talk. Think, think, think, where did you put that letter? Ditzy’s mind raced around like Rainbow Dash during flight practice. She had noticed a letter addressed to the Doctor in her special level Pink deliveries for the day. Doctor hardly ever got mail so she really wanted to give it to him personally. That was why she had set it aside somewhere…

The gray pegasus’ face lit up with realization. She reached her head into her saddlebag and dug around for a few moments before resurfacing with a pink envelope sealed with a heart. “Letter!” she exclaimed proudly.

“Thank you.” The Doctor replied as he took the letter and examined it carefully. He hardly ever received mail, except the occasional invitation. That letter fit the bill alright. It looked exactly like the one Pinkie had given him earlier. Perhaps she realized that first one was blank.

“It’s from Pinkie Pie.” Ditzy said cheerily. Nopony was surprised with her statement. “I bet it’s a party invitation. I really hope I get one too. Pinkie’s parties are so much fun.” The pegasus remarked with a big smile. “I wish I could stay but there’s a lot more invitations to deliver.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tonight.” The Doctor replied with a grin. Ditzy blushed slightly as she flew off to continue her mail route.

Rainbow Dash walked over the Doctor and leaned in close to whisper, “Hey, just giving you fair warning.” Her voice sounded like a dire warning was about to be offered. The Doctor decided to pay close attention. “If you value your hips, don’t let her be on top.” Rainbow’s voice contained a serious tone.

That was confusing the Doctor thought. “What are you talking about?” he asked in hopes of a clarifying statement.

“I’m talking about your marefriend dude. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve seen her destroy with just her butt.” Rainbow Dash whispered back even more serious than before.

The Doctor stepped back in surprise. Did they really think the Ditzy was his marefriend? She was a close friend, sure. In fact, she was the first friend he made in Ponyville. That didn’t have to mean they were together though. “She’s not my marefriend Miss Dash, I don’t know what gave you that idea.” He stated firmly. Certainly, that should end the confusion.

Rarity frowned, “So are you just leading her on then?” she asked.

“Beg your pardon?” the Doctor asked with confusion.

“Dude, don’t you bring her muffins every day?” Rainbow Dash asked flatly.

“How did you know that?” the Doctor asked in surprise. He hadn’t told anyone about that.

Rainbow Dash smirked, “Pinkie Pie told me when we were talking the other day. She said you stop by Sugarcube Corner every morning and buy a muffin. I just took a guess.” Rainbow Dash grinned. It felt great finally having one up on this Doc guy.

“Pinkie gossips with you?” Rarity asked suddenly.

Dash was surprised to hear that question, though who asked it was not surprising at all. “Yeah, so what? She’s got social connections and I need to know what’s going on in town since I spend so much time with Twi these days.” She replied casually.

This was unbelievable. Sure Pinkie was friendly with lots of ponies but to think she took the time to gather information from her obsessive socializing was actually shocking. Pinkie just didn’t seem the type to stay in one place long enough to hear good gossip. Naturally, Rarity felt she could provide a better service. It certainly would not hurt to have somepony to shoot the breeze with now and then. Fluttershy had been visiting her more often recently but conversations are a two way street and her demure friend was hardly the most vocal pony she knew. “You know you could always ask me what going on in town. I’ve got connections too.” She attempted to utilize her social charm.

Rainbow Dash visibly recoiled at that thought. “You have a bad habit of making me model stuff when I visit while Pinkie gives me free snacks. It’s not much of a choice.” Her voice was practically dripping with disgust.

“Way to go off topic Rainbow.” Twilight interjected. The unicorn was hoping she could get the group moving again. Sadly, every tiny little thing seemed to be starting a conversation today and that was not helping.

“Hey, she asked.” Rainbow shot back.

“Well it’s hardly a crime to want to see my friends dress in style.” Rarity responded calmly. So what if she used her friends to model her designs now and then. Sometimes you just don’t see certain things on a dress form. Besides, if something can look good on Rainbow Dash with that crazy colored mane of hers then it could look good on practically anypony.

“Yeah, Rainbow Dash doesn’t do ‘style’ so much as she does awesome. I’m more the type for a sleek flight suit if ya get my drift.” Rainbow replied. She wasn’t the most subtle of ponies when it came to dropping hints.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing you dress up now and then.” Twilight imagined Rainbow in a sleek, black formal dress. She mulled over that thought for a moment, it was a delectable thought. Suddenly, her thoughts awkwardly drifted from black dress to that black body suit Rainbow had worn when she tried to sneak into the hospital. Her mind reviewed every inch of that athletic form. From the tight, toned muscles that showed through the material all the way to Rainbow’s firm, round-

Twilight shook her head in an attempt to remove those thoughts. This was not the place for that she reminded herself. There would plenty of time for fun tonight.

Rarity grinned at Twilight’s comment. This was just the kind of advantage she needed. “See Rainbow Dash, you and Twilight really should find some time to drop by. I could make you something simply smashing for your first date.” Her tone filled with enthusiasm. Truth be told, the conniving fashionista had already made up a pair of dresses for her two lovebird friends over a month earlier. She had not been the most receptive pony to their choice of partners. It was still an odd concept for her to accept that a mare could love another mare. Never the less, if her friends were happy then she would be happy for them. And falling in love was definitely an occasion worthy of a new dress. She just could not find the time to make her big reveal to them. It had been a busy month.

“What date?” Rainbow asked with a confused look. She didn’t remember planning a date.

“You two are supposed to be dating. Obviously you need to be having dates to really be dating. Oh, I’m sure it will be absolutely romantic. Just make sure you spare me the graphic details when you tell me about it.” Rarity replied with a certain energy she only used when romance was the topic of discussion.

Rainbow Dash thought about the idea of going on a date. Images of a candle light dinner with Twilight pranced through her mind. Thoughts of dancing together and having fun after dark made their way into the mix. She dreamed of flying up high in the night sky to give Twilight the best view of the stars she could ever hope for. Rainbow fantasized about what they could do all alone up in the luminescent sky. Oh yeah, dating sounded great.

Reality struck hard as Rainbow realized that Rarity was going to pester her for every last romantic detail of her dream date. That would be so boring. “Why would I want to tell you about my dates?” Rainbow asked in response.

“Oh come now, you can’t just go off and have a romantic outing without telling your best friends about it.” Rarity responded. Honestly, how could Rainbow Dash be so insensitive? Every mare knows you have to tell your friends about your dates. It’s just proper etiquette. Besides, how else would your friends find out about every little detail of your love life?

“Yes I can.” Rainbow Dash replied sternly.

“No, you can’t.” Rarity responded with her own stern tone.

“Can too.”

“Cannot.”

“Can too.”

“Enough!” Applejack shouted, drawing the attention of every pony in earshot. “Will you two stop fightin’ for a gall darn minute. If ya’ll would think for a minute you might remember something a bit more important than talkin’ about dates that haven’t even happened.” She growled angrily. How in the hay does everypony keep getting distracted with small talk?

The two ponies gazed quietly at their outraged friend. She definitely had a point.

Rainbow Dash turned to face the Doctor, “So what are you planning with Ditzy tonight?” she asked.

Applejack planted her hoof against her forehead.

“Nothing too fancy,” the Doctor responded with an almost whimsical tone, “Just a nice dinner out.”

“And you’ve taken her out to ‘just dinner’ how many times?” Dash asked with a serious tone that, had the Doctor not known better, might have passed for sarcasm.

“Oh well, we usually go out on Fridays, well nearly every Friday actually.” The Doctor replied swiftly. “Come to think of it she always has free time on Friday evenings. Anyway, we started just after I moved here; now when was that exactly?” He continued rambling on incoherently for a few moments as he made several gestures indicating some form of mental arithmetic was taking place. “Okay four times twenty six is one-hundred and four, so about two years and two months. Funny how that worked out.” The Doctor commented cheerily with a grin. Clearly he was more amused with the result of his math than any of the five mares were.

“So basically, you buy Ditzy her favorite food every day, you tell her she looks beautiful, and you take her out for dinner every week for over two years, but you’re not dating her?” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly.

“I wouldn’t dream of dating a married mare.” The Doctor replied calmly.

“Ditzy is single dude.” Rainbow responded dryly.

“What?” the Doctor asked in confusion. “But she’s always talking about taking care of her daughters…I thought she-“

“Miss Ditzy Doo is a single mother. Her husband died a few years back.” Fluttershy interjected as she appeared from behind Rarity. “She loves her daughters but doesn’t like to talk about her late husband much.” Her tone bore a hint of sadness.

“Oh, dear.” The Doctor blanched a bit at that revelation. “Well that actually explains a number of things.”

Many moments passed in awkward silence.

“Well congratulations on getting a marefriend Doctor. I guess you and Ditzy Doo won’t be needing invitations for tomorrow then.” Pinkie Pie remarked suddenly, startling her friends.

Everypony turned to find Pinkie happily standing next to Twilight as if she had always been there. The pink pony was flanked by a massive brown sack labeled Invitations.

The Doctor was startled. How did nopony notice her arrival? For that matter, why was he the only one who looked surprised? He turned to Twilight to posit his query but was interrupted before he could even speak.

“Don’t ask.” Twilight turned to the Doctor. “It’s just easier not to question her.” There was a tone of experience in her voice. The Doctor simply nodded in silence.

“Pinkie!” Applejack exclaimed, “We’ve been lookin’ all over for you.” Finally something was going right today.

“Wait, what do you mean I don’t need an invitation?” the Doctor interjected. Time to get to the bottom of this mystery party he thought.

“It’s a Singles Party silly. I can’t invite somepony who isn’t single.” Pinkie replied cheerfully.

The Doctor remembered his friend’s comment moments ago. She really wanted to go to the party. Surely there was a way to make it work. “That’s a bit unfortunate. Miss Ditzy was really looking forward to the party.” There was a somber tone in his voice.

“Oh, then you two can just show up ‘single’ and hook up at the party.” Pinkie replied happily. “I mean if you didn’t even know you were dating her then you are technically single. And if you’re single then so is Ditzy. See it works out perfectly.” She remarked with uncharacteristically reasonable logic.

The Doctor’s expression brightened, “Brilliant!” he exclaimed with a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to take care of for tomorrow.” He exclaimed excitedly.

“Wait, you can’t go yet.” Twilight suddenly pleaded. There was a look of genuine disappointment on her visage.

“I can’t?” the Doctor asked with confusion. Confusion was becoming a theme for the day.

“I still need to figure out why your clothes changed when I teleported you.” Twilight answered. She had nearly forgotten about that odd occurrence. It was so unusual. She had never read about anything like that happening before. She had to study him.

There was a look in the lavender unicorn’s eyes that was very concerning. “And just how do you plan on doing that?” the Doctor asked. He tried not to sound too concerned.

Perfect, now to convince him to come back to the lab in her basement. “Oh I just need to run a few tests. Nothing you need to worry about. If you just come to my lab with me so I can record the results of the experiments I’m certain I can get to the bottom of this.” Twilight’s voice was filled with a bit more excitement than she intended.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to pass. I’m not keen on being a research specimen.” The Doctor replied with a very concerned tone. He slowly backed away from Twilight.

No! This research could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. She simply could not let this chance slip away. “No it’s nothing extreme.” Twilight pleaded. “I just need to teleport you a few hundred times and record the results.” That probably could have been more convincing.

The Doctor made a run for it. Just as he was putting a good distance between him and the overly eager researcher, he found himself face to face with Twilight.

John’s clothes were different again. He wore a cream-colored frock trimmed in a reddish orange with coat striped trousers. Atop his head was now an optimo-styled Panamare hat with colors matching his new coat. Two red question marks were embroidered onto his collar while on his lapel there was…a stalk of celery. “This is even more interesting than last time.” Twilight stated as she studied the outfit. An expression of enthusiasm spread over her face.

“Is that, celery on your lapel?” Rarity asked. “I can’t say I would have ever thought of wearing a decorative vegetable.” She tried to hide her lack of enthusiasm about the idea. Still at least the rest of the outfit wasn’t horrid. Not that she couldn’t do better. Much better.

“If nothing else, I’m sure it’s good for my teeth.” The Doctor responded, seemingly indifferent, and oddly unfazed by yet another sudden change of his apparel. Seriously, is there anything he could wear that she wouldn’t criticize? It would take a very special pony to pull off wearing celery as well as he could. That, however, was not his primary concern. The Doctor was more worried about the other unicorn who was looking far too excited for his own good. He needed a distraction, a big one, and he needed it quickly. Then, the idea struck. He was just about to be brilliant, or fail miserably. Either one was par for the course that day.

The Doctor pointed his hoof behind Twilight, “Look, Princess Celestia!” he shouted.

No way. This had to be a trick. Unless…Oh pony-feathers Princess Celestia did say she was coming to visit Ponyville that weekend. The Princess had sent a letter last week explaining that she had managed to schedule a free day this weekend. She really could be here! Twilight turned around eagerly, “Princess Celes-”

She was staring at a wall. “He escaped didn’t he?” she asked flatly.

“Before you even finished turning around.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. She couldn’t believe Twilight actually fell for that old trick.

Irritation or embarrassment? Twilight really couldn’t decide which one she should be feeling at that moment, so she settled on a mix of the two. Princess Celestia’s visit was supposed to be a surprise, so she couldn’t even offer an explanation to ease her embarrassment.

“Okay now that all the distractions are done,” Applejack confirmed with relief as she turned to face Pinkie Pie, “What in tarnation is that big ‘ol bag for?”

“Oh this is the other half of my invitations.” Pinkie responded as she pointed at the bag that was easily bigger than she was.

“Other half?” the other five mares asked in unison.

“Oh yeah, see I was talking with Mr. and Mrs. Cake about the party because I needed some ideas on how to keep all the stallions entertained while they wait for their chance with you girls and they had the most amazingly terrific idea ever!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she rambled on about every single thing she had discussed with the Cakes. “And that’s when they said I should just invite all the single mares in Ponyville and have a massive Singles Party so everypony can get a date!” she finally shouted after several minutes of talking, seemingly without having taken a single breath.

The group sat quietly and digested the information that had just been dumped on them by their enthusiastic friend.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Fluttershy spoke up from behind Rarity. If every other eligible mare in Ponyville was going to be there, then surely no pony would bother to ask her out. She could just slink off into a corner or find a nice table to hide under to wait out the storm.

“Well if Fluttershy doesn’t mind that plan, then I guess I don’t have any reason to object.” Rarity added. If nothing else, she could always use Fluttershy as an excuse to get out of an unpleasant conversation. Rarity would just need to make sure that her shy friend didn’t go off and hide under a table.

“Ah shoot, if you two are goin’ I guess I don’t have much choice. Who knows, I might be able to find a nice stallion if I can get my brother to leave ‘em alone.” Applejack remarked. With that thought in mind, she excused herself from the group. She still had to give that big lug a mighty harsh talkin’ to.

With nothing left to discuss, the remaining friends went their separate ways.


Rainbow Dash flopped, belly down, onto Twilight’s bed. She spread her wings out completely as she laid still. She had been looking forward to this for hours. After all the fuss earlier that day, combined with her first real bit of flight practice in months, she was really worked up.

There was a soft click as the purple glow of unicorn magic locked the door. Twilight trotted over to her bed where Rainbow Dash was waiting patiently for her attention. “Well you look ready.” She said happily. “Where should I start?” Twilight asked as she slowed the flow of her words a bit to add a sensual tone to her voice.

“As if I need to tell the Master where to start.” Rainbow replied saucily.

Twilight climbed onto the bed and laid down facing her partner. Her horn glowed with its familiar purple aura. A similar aura enveloped Rainbow Dash’s wings as the unicorn focused her magic.

Completely awesome. That was the only way Rainbow knew how to describe the massages Twilight gave her. That they had discovered this on accident when Twilight was just playing around with her normal telekinesis spell was pure luck. The sensation was amazing. The slight tingle in her muscles as they were magically manipulated into a state of utter relaxation was nearly indescribable. There was a slight flexing in her left wing as Twilight focused on a sore spot she found. Her magic probed and prodded throughout the area as she flexed and released the muscle, slowly coaxing it to surrender to her whims.

There was that familiar feeling. Twilight would almost describe it as a ‘pop’ when a muscle finally relaxed and released its pent up tension. The look on Rainbow’s face was so cute. The adorable pegasus always made the same cute expression when Twilight worked on a really sore or tight spot. The look of relief on her partner’s face, even the way her whole body seemed to slump in relaxation was just so appealing in a way that Twilight found difficult to describe. The unicorn never actually gave much thought to the matter though. She was just content to have such an engaging way to make her mare happy. Although, she did sometimes wonder if there were other possible applications for that spell.

Twilight’s magic continued its work as it slowly moved from Rainbow’s wings down into the wing muscles in her back. Rainbow Dash visibly flinched as Twilight’s magic discovered a spot Rainbow hadn’t even realized was sore. Without a word the unicorn set to work on her newest foe. Rainbow could feel the magic coursing through the sore muscle. It flexed and released over and over until it felt like a steady rhythm pulsing in her back. The vibration steadily became more and more intense. It hurt, but it was a good kind of pain, the pain of that sore muscle slowly relaxing under the magical grasp of Twilight. Rainbow moaned slightly.

That spot was proving to be very resilient. Still, Twilight was not about to give up. As a series of small moans escaped from Rainbow Dash Twilight couldn’t help but feel aroused. She knew Rainbow was enjoying it and that made her own enjoyment that much greater. Suddenly, she felt that familiar pop.

Rainbow Dash released a carnal sigh of relief. “Oh my gosh.” Her words escaped slowly with a tone of absolute relaxation in her voice. Twilight had given her one of the best massages she had ever had.

“That looks like so much fun.” Pinkie Pie exclaimed suddenly. “Do me next Twilight!” the pink pony exclaimed as she hopped up and down in place.

The familiar bubbly voice sent a mix of confused emotions through both Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Well there goes the rest of the night they both thought.

“Pinkie, how long have you been there?” Twilight asked. She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Since you both got on the bed.” Pinkie replied nonchalantly as she continued hopping. “I’ve never seen Dashie make such adorable faces, and those noises were really, really cute.”

“How did you even get in here?” Rainbow Dash asked with an accusatory tone. “I watched Twilight lock the door.”

“You left the window open.” Pinkie replied without missing a hop.

The pair turned to see a window to the second story balcony was wide open. The temptation to ask was there, but they both knew better than to ask how Pinkie had managed to get up there without wings.

“Alright, why are you here?” Twilight asked with exasperation.

Pinkie finally stopped hopping. A stern expression covered her face, “Don’t tell me you forgot about our group sleep over tonight?” Pinkie asked with concern. It wasn’t like Twilight to forget about plans she made.

Everything hit her like a falling bookshelf. She had made plans for all of her friends to have a big slumber party at her house that day. It had been on that day’s schedule for weeks…but with the little fiasco this morning she didn’t have time to go over her daily checklist before leaving to meet her friends for lunch. This was totally embarrassing. And Spike wondered why it was so important to have daily checklists.

Almost on cue, the familiar thumping of somepony knocking on a wooden door resounded through the room. “Hey are ya’ll in there?” Applejack nearly shouted to make sure she was heard through the door.

The soft glow was followed by a click and the door swung open. “Yes we are here. Please come in, Pinkie just finished informing us of your arrival.” Twilight answered. She was trying her best not to sound agitated. She would just have to settle for a different kind of fun than she had hoped for that night.

The remainder of their friends filed into the two-tiered bedroom. Applejack quickly caught sight of Twilight and Rainbow Dash lying together in bed. It was hard to stem the thoughts that paraded into her mind. She had had a front row seat to the beginnings of that earlier that day. Sure two lovers do that kind of stuff but she simply was not comfortable thinking of her friends doing that. Her face turned from a smile to an awkward grin faster than she could say howdy. “We, uh, didn’t mean to interrupt nothin’.”

“Applejack, what could we possibly be interrupting?” Rarity asked as she entered the room. The mare followed Applejack’s gaze, “Oh, I guess we are interrupting something.” She added as politely as possible.

“Oh my, were you two kissing again?” Fluttershy asked softly. She vividly remembered the scene from the post office earlier that day. Fluttershy had seen ponies kiss before, but never like that. Her friends had been so feisty, so aggressive. It was just what she had always imagined the ponies were doing in that one novel Rarity had told her to read. Only it was messier, warmer, it was real and it had happened right in front of her. Was it strange to find such a thing so engrossing to watch? Was it wrong that she felt excited every time she thought about that moment? Fluttershy really, really hoped it wasn’t. That day alone she had already had several daydreams of how fun life would be if she could be that assertive with somepony attractive. More of those thoughts would surely visit her in the future. Maybe she could talk to Rarity about it.

“I didn’t see any kissing but Dashie was making the silliest noises.” Pinkie Pie replied energetically. At that point the pink pony decided to give her friends the best impression she could. Without any hesitation she began to moan and sway rhythmically.

Pinkie did not sound much like Rainbow; for one thing her pitch was totally off. However, for just a moment, Twilight was caught off guard. Pinkie was really good at mimicking Rainbow’s facial expressions. She would never admit it to anypony, but it was actually kind of exciting to watch.

Sure it was just Pinkie being Pinkie, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t awkward. Applejack slid her hat down in front of her face. It didn’t help muffle the sounds or even alleviate the awkward thoughts milling about in her head, but at least she wasn’t seeing Pinkie’s physical impression.

Rarity cringed a bit. Okay, more than a bit. That moaning was beyond the simple awkward behavior Pinkie was known for. It was absolutely unladylike to do such a thing in front of others, even close friends.

Fluttershy’s first instinct was to dive for cover. Something about the odd noise combined with Pinkie’s exaggerated, yet rhythmic, movements was captivating. More thoughts of Twilight and Rainbow Dash kissing passionately filled her mind. She just couldn’t help it. It looked, and sounded, like they were having fun. She felt her wings twitch with excitement. For some inexplicable reason she just wanted to move them. To flap and flutter and fly, just like the first time she met Spike. It took every bit of control she could muster to stay grounded.

“Hey I don’t sound like that at all.” Rainbow Dash interjected, interrupting Pinkie’s performance, as she tried her best not to blush.

“Of course you don’t sound like me Dashie, you sound like you.” Pinkie replied swiftly. “So Twilight, you’re still gonna do me next right?” she asked with no warning as she started her habitual hopping once more.

“Oh dear, w-we can, um, give you some privacy. I-if you want.” Fluttershy’s face flushed with embarrassment. Secretly, she was really hoping Twilight didn’t mind observers. After all, she apparently let Pinkie watch something.

“Twilight, I can’t believe this.” Rarity exclaimed as a look of disgust washed across her visage. “I thought a mare from Canterlot would have more class than to fool around with anypony that asks.”

“Yeah,” Applejack interjected, “And why are you okay with that Rainbow Dash?” she asked with an accusatory tone. “You get mad at Doc Smith for callin’ Twilight ‘Dear,’ but you don’t care if she fools around with Pinkie right in front of you? I’m ashamed of ya’ll.” She turned her back to Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie.

Was there to be no end to her embarrassment that day? Twilight’s face flared with the familiar color of embarrassment. “A massage!” the unicorn shouted before Rainbow could respond. “She’s talking about a massage!” she exclaimed. First Rainbow, now Pinkie. It was becoming difficult to deal with so many misleading statements in one day.

“Yeah you should have seen what she did to Dashie with her horn.” Pinkie chimed.

If it was anypony else Twilight would have thought they were doing it on purpose. “She means magic!” Twilight shouted. No more. If Pinkie does this one more time she’s getting her mouth zipped shut Twilight thought.

“Duh, what else would you do with your horn?” Pinkie asked rhetorically. “I mean Dashie doesn’t have a horn so you can’t be jousting.” Pinkie added swiftly. “And have you ever been poked by a unicorn horn? Cause I sure have and let me tell you it is not pleasant. It’s like getting poked really hard cause horns are hard and stuff. Oh can you imagine getting poked by one of the Princesses? Their horns are enormous!” Her forelegs flung out wide for emphasis. “Or, or what if both the Princesses were poking you? Man that would be like the most annoying thing ever. I mean how sore would you be after a few hours of that? And what if they poked you so hard you got sent to the Moon?” Still without having taken a breath, she leapt into the air to simulate the idea of lunar banishment. “That would be really bad cause then you would only have moon rocks to talk to and you could only eat cheese. It would be just like this one dream I had where I was stuck on the Moon and I was running away from Nightmare Moon because she’s big and mean and scary and stuff, right. So I run into this cave to hide and there’s this pile of rocks and he starts talking to me, right. So I ask him what his name is and he says he’s called Rocky. Naturally I ask him what’s in this pot that he’s cooking. Did I mention the pot? Cause there’s a pot there and it doesn’t smell like cheese at all. So I tell him I’m tired of eating cheese all the time and then Rocky said ‘you don’t have to eat plain cheese, Pinkie. You can put your Moon cheese in my oatmeal.’” She attempted to make her voice sound deep when she spoke for ‘Rocky’. “And so then I said, ‘Oatmeal? Are you crazy?’” Pinkie finally paused to take a massive breath.

“One mystery solved.” Twilight said stoically before Pinkie could start talking again. Her horn lit up as she levitated a scroll out from a nearby desk. A quill dipped into a bottle of ink at the same desk before joining the parchment in front of Twilight. “And I’ll just check that one off.” She casually remarked as the quill marked off a small box on the list. The checklist and quill then floated back into their normal resting place, courtesy of Twilight’s magic.

“What was that exactly?” Applejack asked. She knew Twilight had lots of checklists and stuff but she could not imagine why anything in Pinkie’s bizarre ramblings could have been cause to mark something off of even one of Twi’s obscure checklists.

“That was the ‘Confusing Things Pinkie Pie has Said that I Want an Explanation For’ checklist.” Rainbow Dash replied knowingly.

Applejack thought for a moment, “I’m not even gonna question that one.” She shook her head slightly.

Pinkie seemed unfazed by the existence of such as list.

“Alright, Twilight, I’m gonna give ya the benefit of the doubt since Pinkie and misstatements go hoof in hoof.” Applejack returned to the previous topic of conversation.

“Hmm, it does seem like an understandable miscommunication.” Rarity added. She turned to face Pinkie, “Pinkie, darling, you should really try to be less vague when describing such intimate matters.” A light tone of chastisement rang through her voice.

Pinkie shrunk back a bit as she realized her mistakes. “I’m sorry, that massage just looked like so much fun that I just really, really, really wanted one too.” She said as she sprang back up into her hopping routine. “I mean, I’ve never seen a magical massage before. And if it’s Twilight doing the magic it has to totally amazing cause magic is her talent!” Pinkie shouted with unrivaled enthusiasm.

Rarity perked up, “A magical massage?” Rarity’s curiosity was obvious. She spent so much time getting massages and other treatments at the local spa that Twilight knew exactly what was coming next. Rarity was lying on the bed next to Twilight before she could even respond to the question.

“Oh Twilight, darling, you simply must give me a demonstration.” Rarity casually commented. The white unicorn relaxed her body in preparation. “I’ve got a spot in my right shoulder you could work on.” She closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Rarity found herself colliding with the floor as Pinkie swiftly shoved her off the bed and took her place. “No way, Twilight’s giving me a massage because I asked first.” Pinkie Pie said.

“Girls, please stop fighting.” Twilight pleaded. It was already too late. Twilight ducked for cover behind the head rest of the bed as the first pillow of the night went sailing into Pinkie’s face, knocking the unsuspecting pony off the bed.

“How do you like the floor Pinkie? Nice and soft?” Rarity asked sarcastically.

“Pillow Fight!” Pinkie Pie shouted in retaliation before she hurled the pillow back at Rarity.

The unicorn nimbly dodged the fluffy projectile.

“Eep!” Fluttershy screamed as she dove behind the nearest solid object.

“Oh there is no way I’m staying out of this.” Rainbow Dash mused as she bucked the pillow off of the bed towards Applejack.


It was truly a grand battle! Twilight’s bedroom was a complete mess. Feathery pillows were strewn about the room similar to that of debris organized by a tornado. A few unlucky pillows had not survived, their contents either scattered about the room or clinging to the manes and tails of the exhausted ponies that lay giggling in the center of the room.

“That was a lot more fun than being stuck in between AJ and Rarity.” Twilight stated as she managed to calm her fit of laughter.

“I still can’t believe you betrayed me Twi.” Rainbow remarked as she rolled over and poked her marefriend in the shoulder.

“All’s fair in love and pillow fights.” Twilight responded. She poked Rainbow in retaliation.

The two mares poked each other one after the other though neither had a particular goal in mind for the activity.

“So, you wanna do this the hard way.” Rainbow exclaimed suddenly as she lunged at her opponent. The unexpected impact left her standing over Twilight as she stared down at the helpless unicorn.

Twilight reached up with her front hooves and rubbed softly on Rainbow’s belly.

Okay, so she’s not helpless. That tickled way more than she had expected. Rainbow broke out laughing. She quickly fell to her side to avoid the retaliation.

“Hey, this is mighty interestin’ and all but, do you gals think you could avoid gettin’ kissy this time?” Applejack asked.

“Is it over?” Fluttershy asked, poking her head out from behind the door.

“Hey, I was wondering where you ran off to.” Rainbow Dash replied. “You totally missed out on all the fun.”

Fluttershy noticed her friends lying peacefully in the room with no pillows flying about. She felt it was safe enough to enter, “Oh, well, I just took the opportunity to go downstairs and start making some snacks for everypony.”

Pinkie Pie sprang up immediately at the mention of food, “Oh boy, you can’t have a party without snacks.” The pink mare commented cheerfully. Without hesitation, she made her way down the stairs towards the kitchen.

There was a loud growl from Rainbow Dash’s stomach. “That sounds great, Fluttershy.” The pegasus remarked.

“Indeed,” Rarity interjected, “I could use a bit of refreshments after all that.” Rarity picked herself up from the ground and made her way downstairs with Rainbow Dash in tow.

Fluttershy noticed that Twilight and Applejack had made no comment about her preparations, but were instead whispering about something. “Um, I made enough for everypony. That is, if you want any.” Fluttershy muttered meekly.

Applejack turned to Fluttershy, “Actually sugarcube, Twilight and I need to talk about something in private.”

“Oh, okay.” Fluttershy replied. The yellow pegasus promptly turned around and left the room making sure to close the door on her way out.

“So, what exactly did you need to ask me Applejack?” Twilight asked with both a concerned tone and expression. Applejack wasn’t one for keeping secrets, so a private conversation away from their other friends was definitely something to take seriously.

The orange mare sat quietly for a moment as she carefully planned out her next words. “I hate to be a bother, but I feel like you’re the only friend I’ve got that I can talk about this to right now.” Applejack paused once more, “After what Pinkie said earlier about Big Macintosh, I decided to go back home and talk to him.”

“So what happened?” Twilight asked.

Applejack sighed, “Mac said that he had never even seen a stallion come by the farm, much less actively scare one off.”

Twilight thought back to the conversation from earlier that day, “That does seem a bit contradictory to what Pinkie said.” Hints of concern and curiosity rang through her voice.

“Exactly!” Applejack exclaimed, “I know my brother would never lie to me, so that means-”

“However, Pinkie didn’t sound too sure of herself.” Twilight quickly interjected. “It is possible that she didn’t remember exactly what was said, so I don’t think you should go jumping to negative conclusions.”

Applejack frowned, “But-” she tried to respond.

Yeesh, I’ve got to get her thinking more positively Twilight thought. Good thing I’ve already covered this lesson. Twilight smiled, “Applejack, don’t you remember what happened when Pinkie thought we weren’t enjoying her parties?”

“Yeah, I’d never seen her that down before.” Applejack thought back to the surprise birthday party they had thrown for Pinkie that nearly ended in a fight. It was scary how much of an effect that one negative idea had had. “Believe me Twilight I don’t wanna think that one of my friends is lyin’ to me, but-” Applejack replied solemnly.

Good, she’s almost there. “Then you need to ask Pinkie about that, not me.” Twilight made sure to keep up her warm smile.

Applejack was silent for a few moments. Finally, she sat down, “You’re right” There was a strange, but welcome, look on her face that mixed defeat and relief in near equal parts.

“Well, I’m glad I could help.” Twilight said cheerfully. Despite her calm exterior, the unicorn was barely suppressing the urge to jump excitedly around the room. Finally, she had the chance to make use of a lesson on friendship she already learned. It was the first time she could think of that she helped a friend with a problem that didn’t require sending a letter to the Princess.

Applejack could only stare as Twilight jumped happily in circles around her. Exclamations of ‘yes’ rapidly escaping her friend’s mouth only made the sight more awkward. She had thought Applebloom was only joking about this. “Actually, that’s not everything I wanted help with.” She added cautiously.

Twilight immediately stopped her exuberant bouncing chant. After realizing what she had been doing the unicorn simply blushed. “Oh?” she asked in response.

Applejack had already learned to be a good sport about Twilight’s little quirks. Best to pretend it didn’t happen. Donning a serious expression, “Twilight, can you teach me how to be romantic?” Applejack asked.


“Well, I actually had a lot more time to prepare than I expected.” Fluttershy stated proudly as her friends examined the plethora of goodies she had assembled during their pillow fight. “I hope this isn’t too much.” She added meekly. She really didn’t like to see food go to waste, though she doubted that would be an issue with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash being present.

“Are you kidding?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “You can never have too many snacks at a party.” Her eyes indecisively darted from one delectable dish to another. Picking a starting point at a banquet was the hardest decision ever.

Rarity grinned as she examined Fluttershy’s cuisine offerings, “Fluttershy, darling, how do you managed to hide all these little talents of yours?” she asked enthusiastically. “First sewing and now cooking, I do wonder what other little secrets you might be hiding.” Rarity picked out one of the smaller treats and levitated it over herself.

“Oh, well, I have a few recipe books at home and sometimes it’s just fun to experiment with new dished for myself or my animal friends.” Fluttershy replied happily. She was just glad that Twilight’s kitchen was so well stocked. It was very fortunate that she knew recipes for many different ingredients. As long as there were no big fires or other disasters, cooking was usually a good way to get her mind off certain things like big scary pillow fights.

Pinkie - finally fed up with her own indecision - decided to dive in, figuratively this time, after seeing Rainbow Dash start in on the buffet of snacks.

Rainbow swallowed her snack and looked back towards the stairway, “Hey, why aren’t Twi and AJ down here yet?” she asked.

“Oh, Applejack said they needed to talk in private for a few minutes.” Fluttershy replied calmly.

Rainbow Dash turned back to her friends. “Speaking of private conversations,” she lowered her volume a bit, “I was hoping to talk to you all away from Twi tonight.” Rainbow Dash glanced back towards the stairs for a moment.

“About what?” Rarity asked, making sure to keep her volume equivalent to Rainbow’s.

Her friends all leaned in a bit closer. “Well, you know how you said Twi and I should be going out on dates now?” Rainbow nodded at Rarity, “Well I’ve been trying to plan one ever since then and I realized I could use some help.” She said, lowering her voice a bit further.

Pinkie’s eyes lit up, “Ooo, and you need our help to make sure everything goes perfectly right?” the pink party pony asked as she began hopping with excitement.

“Yeah, that was kinda the plan.” Rainbow Dash responded. The more she talked about it the more she worried. She didn’t really expect anything beyond morale support from Fluttershy and Pinkie was almost certainly a wild card. Even if AJ was there, the pegasus concluded that she wouldn’t be able to keep the plans a secret so it was a bit of a relief that the farmer wasn’t getting in on this. At least Rarity would be able to help out some. Rainbow Dash figured she had probably been on a bunch dates in the past.

“Ah, yes, I’m sure four ponies with no dating experience can craft the perfect date.” Rarity remarked sarcastically.

“Wait, haven’t you dated guys before?” Rainbow asked Rarity. Please be joking. Please be joking.

“Of course not.” Rarity replied. How was this not obvious?

Oh flying feathers, this was bad. “But, but…what?” Rainbow Dash stammered in confusion.

“Rainbow, darling, when one aims for the gold one does not simply settle for tin.” Rarity remarked. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of marrying a Prince and becoming a Princess. I was not about to waste my time dating somepony that I had no intention of building a lasting relationship with. That would have been utterly disingenuous and completely unladylike.” Rarity stated with flair of dignity. Relaxing a bit, “Of course, I’m over that silly idea now but I haven’t exactly been out looking for dates since the Gala.” She mentioned calmly.

“Don’t worry Dashie, everything will be great once you pull out streamers and start dancing.” Pinkie exclaimed as she danced around the room to a musical beat that only she could hear.

“I don’t think streamers are appropriate for a date, Pinkie.” Rarity interjected. What did Pinkie think a date was?

Pinkie brought her rhythmic dance to an abrupt halt. She tilted her head to the side, “Really?” Pinkie asked, “Isn’t a date like, a super romantic party for two?”

Rarity resisted the urge to groan. “The key part of that description is romantic.” Rarity replied dryly. “There is nothing romantic about streamers.”

“Unless they all have ‘I love you’ written on them.” Pinkie retorted with a smile.

Rarity could feel her left eye twitch just a bit. Where did Pinkie Pie get such inane ideas? “Anyway, Rainbow Dash I trust you at least have some sort of plan of events for this date.” She returned her gaze towards Rainbow Dash. I swear, her plan had better be more complex than ‘be awesome and make out’ she thought.

“Oh, yeah I have a plan of some awesome things I want do with Twi. I just really need help with the specifics.” Rainbow Dash responded confidently. Suddenly, her posture slouched a bit. Everything needed to be perfect. Twilight deserved that much. However, when considering that two out of her three assistants were likely to be no help at all, things were not terribly promising. She might need to ask Applejack for some help too.


“So, basically, you want to learn how to use your charm to win somepony’s affections?” Twilight asked. The hesitation in her voice belied her calm exterior.

“No, I mean maybe, urgh…I don’t wanna trick anypony.” Applejack replied in frustration. She paced back and forth, not even bothering to glance at Twilight. If only she was better with words, maybe then she could get her point across properly.

Twilight sighed. This was getting nowhere. Applejack had been contradicting herself so often it had become impossible to figure out what she was even asking for. “Applejack, this isn’t like you. You’re talking in circles and it isn’t helping either of us. Why don’t you stop trying to explain yourself and just tell me exactly what you want?” Twilight pleaded.

Applejack stopped her pacing. “What I want is to know how to get a dadgum stallion interested in bein’ romantic with me.” she stated with a frown. “All these months I’ve seen you and RD playin’, teasin’, kissin’, and havin’ fun.” Applejack’s voice quivered a bit. “I’m darn jealous of you two, Twilight. What I want is what you have and I don’t have any clue how to get it.” She exclaimed. Her body slumped to the floor with relaxation.

Jealous? That’s what this was about? Twilight couldn’t fathom how Applejack of all ponies could have held on to that kind of secret for so long without somepony noticing. “Applejack, why didn’t you say something earlier?” Twilight asked as she stepped towards her prone friend.

She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Twilight. Applejack turned her head away, “Yeah because just walkin’ up and sayin’ ‘I’m so jealous of ya’ll’ is such a great idea.” Applejack snapped.

Twilight recoiled from the vicious retort. “Are you feeling tense?” Twilight asked cautiously.

That’s an understatement “I’m a might more than tense Twilight, I just blew up at one of my best friends for no good reason.” Applejack replied. She still would not look at Twilight.

Twilight grinned as her horned flared with familiar purple glow of her magic.


“That should make for an exciting evening.” Rarity said. “Just make sure you and Twilight come by my boutique so I can make you both something beautiful to wear on your date.”

Pinkie Pie looked around the room, “Hey, what do you think is keeping Applejack and Twilight up there so long?” she asked.

The four friends looked towards the staircase with anticipation. “Maybe we should go check on them.” Rainbow Dash suggested. “It does seem odd that we had the time to plan every detail of the date and they still haven’t come down yet.” What was bothering AJ that she would need to talk that much about? Surely, if Twilight hadn’t gotten her straightened out by now it had to be serious. No doubt about it. AJ’s problem needed all the help her friends could muster.

Without another word the four mares made their way up the flight of stairs towards the bedroom.


“Whoa Nelly!” Applejack shouted. The echoes of her voice rang throughout rooms and down the halls and stair wells of the library. The orange mare moaned in pleasure as wave after wave of magical force rhythmically rocked her body.

She had been reluctant at first, but Applejack had slowly given in to Twilight’s pulsating magic. Twilight had never worked on such a tense body before. Perhaps it was her constant attention that kept Rainbow Dash so relaxed. The idea slipped away as Twilight continued to concentrate on relaxing her friend.

“I had no idea you were so sly AJ.” Rainbow Dash said as she entered the room.

“Indeed, this is certainly a thoughtful topic of conversation.” Rarity chimed in sarcastically.

“Hey! I was first in line for a massage!” Pinkie exclaimed.

The magical glow faded as Twilight released her spell. Applejack slumped over with half-lidded eyes. Sounds of relaxation escaped her lips.

Twilight turned to her newly arrived friends, “Sorry girls, Applejack got really wound up during our discussion. We weren’t making much progress with her problem so I decided she could use a bit of relaxation before we continued.” Twilight smiled and glanced at her orange friend, as much to admire the results of her effort as to direct the conversation away from herself.

Finally regaining her senses, Applejack stood back up to face her friends. “Hey,” she said with the beginnings of a blush, “I-it’s not like I asked for a massage.” She paused for a moment. “Not that it wasn’t appreciated.” She added quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was sound ungrateful.

Rarity cast a glower at the cowpony.

“You better appreciate it.” Rainbow Dash remarked with a grin. “Twilight gives the best massages and I don’t normally like to share her…talents.” She slid up next to her marefriend. Rainbow made an elegant show of wrapping a wing around Twilight, encouraging the unicorn to move closer.

Rarity pulled her head back a bit. All but the most unobservant could see the indignation upon her visage. “I see how it is Twilight; you just like playing around with athletic bodies.”

“T-that’s not what this is about.” Twilight replied frantically.

“At least she knows what she wants.” Rainbow Dash quipped with closed eyes, a grin, and an air of confidence.

Rarity cocked and eyebrow, “And just what are you insinuating?” she asked. She never had any doubts about what she wanted. It wasn’t her fault that finding the perfect prince was so difficult.

“Um, d-didn’t we come up here to, you know, help Applejack.” Fluttershy commented cautiously. It was never fun to watch her friends argue.

“Hey that’s right!” Pinkie exclaimed. The pink pony swiftly placed herself next to Applejack. Pinkie patted her friend on the back, “Alrighty Applejack, just tell Auntie Pinkie all about your problems.” Her tone was far too cheerful for the topic at hoof.

Nothing against Pinkie, but for some reason it always felt a bit uncomfortable to have her trying to act mature. Never mind that Pinkie was part of the problem. Applejack sighed heavily. She had wanted to avoid a big discussion about this, but there was no avoiding it now. Her head drooped low in defeat, “I’m worried there won’t be any stallions in town that are interested in me.” She said somberly.

There was a pregnant pause in the room. Applejack’s friends each pondered over what they could say to lift her spirits.

“Applejack, you have nothing to worry about.” Rarity interjected, breaking the tension. The white unicorn smiled gracefully, “Just show off a bit of feminine charm and stallions will be all over you.” It was hard to believe this is what Applejack was so worried about. Honestly, few ponies were as well regarded in Ponyville as Applejack. It was still rather surprising she has any trouble at all with finding a stallion.

Applejack simply stared at Rarity. “Exactly what makes you think I even have those girly ‘charms’ you’re talkin’ about?” she asked dryly. I swear, she had better not try to stuff me into one of her darn frou-frou dresses.

Rarity chuckled a bit. “Oh, please, every mare has her own special charm. You just need to practice a bit with it.” She replied with a smile. “Although,” Rarity placed a hoof to her chin, “You might want to start with the basics. Perhaps a simple seductive eye flutter.” She suggested.

Applejack sighed. It was time get laughed at. “Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.” Applejack blinked rapidly a few times.

Rarity stared silently for a few moments. “Well, are you going to try or not?” she asked.

“I just did.” Applejack responded flatly. What the hay does she think I just did, Applejack thought.

“You don’t mean,” Rarity said, “Oh dear, this might be harder than I thought.” The unicorn visibly cringed as she realized what her friend was referring to. It was mildly disappointing, but this was Applejack after all. It could take months to properly groom her as true lady. Perhaps it was too ambitious to think that she could train her farmer friend in a single night.

“You could always just try being yourself.” Fluttershy suggested.

“I think Fluttershy has a point.” Twilight agreed energetically. “You already have a bunch of positive qualities going for you. If somepony can’t see that then you shouldn’t be wasting your time with him.” She was hoping to drag the conversation to someplace more comfortable for Applejack.

“Yeah, Twilight’s right.” Rainbow Dash chimed in with a nod of her head. “I mean, if was gonna hook up with a stallion I’d totally want him to be like you.” She remarked casually.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “What in the hay is that supposed to mean?”

Twilight slipped away from Rainbow’s wing, “Yes, do tell us Rainbow.”

It was uncommon for the bookish unicorn to use that look. It never made Rainbow Dash feel comfortable. The cyan pegasus was already beating herself up mentally. Seriously, how many times could she let her tongue slip in just one day? This had to be a new personal record. “Uh, I just meant that you’re um strong and fit and…athletic.” Her brain was desperately trying to conjure some magical combination of words that would diffuse the situation.

“Athletic?” Applejack asked gruffly.

It was time to panic. There was no way this would not end up in some kind of scuffle. “Okay, okay, that totally came out wrong.” She said in a panic; she waved her for legs in front of her face.

Applejack turned her back to Rainbow Dash and took a few steps away. “Well I’ll tell you what’s not athletic.” She said with the same gruff tone as before. There was no way for Rainbow Dash to see the devious grin that crept onto her face.

Rainbow relaxed a bit with the extra distance between them. “What’s that?” she asked cautiously.

“A pegasus that can’t even dodge a pillow!” Applejack exclaimed as she bucked a nearby pillow right into Rainbow Dash’s face. The unprepared pegasus tumbled backwards landing on her back.

“Oh it’s on!” Rainbow shouted with a grin of her own.

“Oh no, not again, please.” Fluttershy pleaded. Her body was already trembling.

“Pillow Fight!” Pinkie screamed before lobbing her first volley of feather-filled ammunition.