RD)- Celebrating Harvest Feast

End of November, 1004 A.D. (After Discord)

It was a beautiful fall day; the Running of the Leaves went better than last year, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash tied for first and Twilight came in fourth, and the majority of the leaves knocked from the trees. It was through this mostly leafless scape that the cyan pegasus now flew, heading for a small cottage on the edge of town.

It was nearing a certain holiday that Dash knew the animal care-taker didn't like to be alone on; it was one thing to be afraid on Nightmare Night, another to be alone on Harvest Feast; after all, it was a holiday dedicated to being with family and friends, and for obvious reasons, every orphan disliked it.

The bold pegasus had made sure to always invite the shier one in past years, though this stopped after...

(Don't think about it Dash, focus on the here and now; I am not going to leave Fluttershy hanging this year.)

With this promise firmly in mind, Dash dropped down squarely in front of the red-brown door and gave it several sharp knocks. In moments the door creaked open, large enough for a teal eye to peer out curiously; upon noticing the prismatic mane, Fluttershy opened the door further with a small smile.

“Oh, hello Rainbow Dash; how are you doing?” The bolder pegasus waved her hoof with a smile while following the timid mare inside.

“Bah, I couldn't be better! It's like I didn't even run that marathon.” The canary mare looked at her friend in worry, reminded at how fast the pegasus had ran and tried to make her comfortable just in case she was still tired from the race (even if Dash said she wasn't).

“Oh, yes, you were great in the Running of the Leaves... Did you want to have a seat? Maybe, maybe stay for lunch?” Rainbow glanced towards the kitchen which Fluttershy quickly made her way to, she had others to feed as well after all.

“Well, if you're already making something then I guess it wouldn't be so bad.” Rainbow Dash wasn't willing to turn down free food and followed her old friend to watch as she made lunch for everyone in the cottage as well as some outside.

While the bold mare had arrived with a different mission firmly in mind, seeing the care that Fluttershy put into making the meals was rather interesting to watch; Dash didn't usually put as much attention into it and just threw basic stuff together that would ensure she had enough energy for her extra workouts and flight routines.

Just as the two friends were sitting down at the table (with Dash posed to begin eating), there was a knock at the door. Fluttershy looked towards it in confusion, not having expected anypony today (though Rainbow was a pleasant surprise); with an apologetic smile to the annoyed mare, the cream-yellow pegasus went to answer it.

“Coming!” The shy pegasus opened the door without her usual hesitation, having the local hero nearby gave her courage; upon seeing the local farmer, Fluttershy paused in confusion.

“Oh, hello Applejack; is something the matter? Are there other animals bothering the farm?” The orange farmer held her hat in one hoof as she peered at the timid mare with her own timidness.

“Uh, no, it's-it's not that Fluttershy; Ah'm goin' around askin' all the girls if y'all like to come tah come to Sweet Apple Acres for Harvest Feast? Also, have ya seen Rainbow around? That filly is harder tah find than a needle in ah haystack.” With a curious tilt of her head, Fluttershy stepped back allowing Rainbow to be in view of the farmer who put her hat back on with a sheepish grin.

“Hey Dash, what'cha doin' here?” The cyan pegasus reluctantly stepped away from the table (and the very delicious smelling food) and stood next to the other pegasus as they looked to the farmer.

“I was just visiting; what's this about Harvest Feast?”

“Ah'm goin' around an' askin' all the girls if they want tah come to Sweet Apple Acres for a big ol' meal with me an' mah family. Would y'all be able to come?” Fluttershy wasn't sure how to respond to the question; while she had usually spent the holiday with Rainbow Dash, after Bifröst died Rainbow had not want to think of the holiday, let alone celebrate it.

Dash, on the other hoof, saw this as a golden opportunity to make it up to the quiet mare and stepped forward excitedly.

“Sure! You'd come right Fluttershy?” At the quiet smile in place of a response, Dash wrapped a hoof around canary shoulders and grinned. “We'll definitely be there AJ!”

The orange mare smiled in relief and nodded once before tipping her hat towards the two pegasi.

“Great, Ah'll see y'all there then. See ya around!” The pegasi waved briefly before going back to the kitchen once the door was shut.

The two friends sat and tried to enjoy the meal the animal care-taker made, but Fluttershy was distracted by thoughts of who would be going to the Harvest Feast at Applejack's. While it was nice to be sharing the holiday with Rainbow once more, her mind wandered to another pegasus that tried to be 'cool' and 'tough'.

The cyan mare hadn't really noticed the wandering attention of the other, having been thinking of how to make the festivities more interesting; so when Fluttershy asked her a question, Dash choked lightly in surprise before managing to focus on the concerned mare in front of her.

“Rainbow, do you think the Cutie Mark Crusaders will be there....? Rainbow Dash!? Are you ok?” After being assured that the brash pegagus was fine, the timid mare tried to inquire again.

“... Do you think the girls will be going too?” Dash raised a brow at the question, unsure of where it was going.

“I guessss..... I mean, Applejack and Rarity will be there, so I guess their sisters would as well....” Fluttershy tapped her hooves while she peeked from under her mane to the cyan mare.

“Well, uhm, do, do you think Scootaloo will be lonely?” Dash froze at the reminder that Fluttershy wasn't the only orphan (who more than likely hated this particular holiday right after Hearth's Warming Eve) that she knew.

“Oh, uh.... We could see if she could come along...?” Seeing the mare across from her brighten at the question, Dash mentally sighed before continuing the train of thought out loud.

“I'll go and find Applejack and see if it's ok then I'll find the squirt to ask her to come; that work for you?” Rainbow ruefully smiled at the pleased expression on the cream-yellow mare's face and looked despairingly at the remains of her lunch before getting up with a soft sigh.

“Alright, I'm off then; see ya later Fluttershy.” The timid mare came back to the situation and realized why the bold mare looked at her plate before getting up.

“Oh! Uhm, I could, make you a proper supper if you want, since our lunch kept getting interrupted... if you want...” Dash smiled at the proposal and nodded, pleased for more free food from one of the best (if unknown) cooks in town.

As the speedster took to the skies, she didn't hear the quiet shout of joy from the cottage of getting the pegasus to come back later for sure and to make sure nopony was left alone on the upcoming holiday. Dash followed the dirt paths to try and catch the orange earth pony before she got too far; this was unsuccessful however, meaning that the prismic mare had to go to Sweet Apple Acres to ask her question.

Rainbow found Applejack heading out to one of the fields to start on some of the few remaining chores before winter set in; with a sudden drop in altitude, the rainbow maned pegasus pulled up sharply in front of the earth pony who stopped at the sudden movement.

“Howdy Dash, what's up? Ah forget somethin' before?” The pegasus waved a hoof to assure her friend before leaning on a nearby tree to appear at ease.

“Nah, I just thought of it after you left; would it be alright if Scootaloo came as well? She'd probably want to hang out with the other Crusaders.” Applejack smiled at the question and nodded her consent.

“Shoot, that'll be fine; one more shouldn't be all that hard. Did ya want me tah see if she's with the girls in their clubhouse?” Dash let out the breath she wasn't aware that she was holding before standing from her place against the apple tree.

“No worries, I'll find the squirt. Thanks AJ!”

“No problem RD, Ah'll see ya in a few days.” The farmer shouted her own farewells as the pegasus sped off before turning away with a smile.

Rainbow wasted no time and started her search with the Crusaders' Clubhouse, finding it by flying through the orchard until she found the treehouse where laughter rang from. With a soft landing on the porch that surrounded the house, the pegasus burst through the door and posed before smiling at the trio sitting in the center of the room; the Crusaders didn't seem surprised at the sudden appearance and Scootaloo sat up further with a bright grin.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!”

“Hey squirt, gotta question for you, got a moment?” While the younger pegasus nodded rapidly, Dash looked to the other Crusaders and tried to decide if she should ask it in front of them or not; with a frown at how uneasy she got when it came to talking about this kind of thing, Dash dipped her head for the orange filly to follow her outside.

Once both pegasi were on the ground, Rainbow leaned against the tree trunk as she tried to appear calm and collected.

“So, uh, Scoot, you have any plans for, uh, for Harvest Feast...? Did you want to come with me and the others for a dinner here at Sweet Apple Acres?” Scootaloo's jaw had dropped open at the mention of the holiday before trying to contain her excitement at being asked by her idol to join her and everyone else; once Dash finished her question, the young pegasus didn't waste anytime from accepting the invitation.

“YES! Uh, I mean, yes, I'm free to come.” Rainbow scuffed Scootaloo's mane at the sight of the large grin as she smiled as well.

“Alright, did you want me to pick you up someplace or meet us somewhere?” The orange pegasus' eyes shrank at the offer of being picked up but she managed to hold back her fear of having her hideouts discovered and tried to appear nonchalant.

“Oh, uh, I'll, I'll just meet you wherever you want Rainbow Dash.” The cyan mare frowned slightly as she realized that she could have found where the young filly was currently living if she hadn't gave the offer of meeting someplace else but shrugged it off as a chance later.

“Sure, meet me at Fluttershy's cottage; we'll pick her up too before coming to the dinner. I'll see you around squirt.” The pegasi shared grins before the older one took off once more with the filly watching in awe before going back inside the clubhouse to share the good news.

Rainbow Dash made sure that the weather was just as it was scheduled before taking an afternoon nap; all the searching with little food meant she was even more tired than usual. She set her mental alarm clock for supper time, she wasn't about to have two meals of the day ruined.

That evening, over supper at the animal care-taker's cottage, Dash explained her success at inviting Scootaloo earning another smile from the canary mare; something the cyan mare wanted to make sure stayed on Fluttershy's face, though she wasn't too sure why.

The next few days saw a massive wave of travelers across Equestria, on their way to family and friends for the holiday; the weather team (those that could) had to make sure the weather was safe for travel of any kind, which took a lot of time and effort since fall weather wanted to be cold and rainy.

The day of Harvest Feast itself shone bright and clear, with only a hint of the now usual chill. After catching a nice nap to make up for lost naps, Rainbow Dash went to the grass covered cottage with a smirk, her plans to make the evening 20% cooler in place and ready. Just as she started to knock on the door, the cyan mare heard her name being called from the roadway.

“He-hey Rainbow Dash! Were you waiting long?” Dash smiled at the canary mare who had just opened the door before turning to face the orange filly who was hurrying up the pathway while calling to her hero.

“Yep! You were way too slow, you gotta keep working on matching my speed.” Scootaloo was worried for a moment but noticed the teasing smirk her idol wore and smiled in return with a snappy salute.

“Sure thing!” Dash nodded sharply in reply before grinning at the other pegasus who watched the interaction with a small smile of her own.

“You guys ready to go? Wouldn't want to miss out on free food!” Scootaloo nodded as she readied her scooter while Fluttershy frowned lightly at the phrase.

“Rainbow, you know it's not just about the food...”

“What? That's most of it, isn't it? Getting everyone together so we can eat a giant meal?” The cyan mare smirked at the nonplussed head shake before taking for the skies once more; Fluttershy was close behind her and tried to get her attention.

“Rainbow Dash? Wait!” The brash pegasus paused in her ascension and looked at her friend with an annoyed frown.

“What is it now Fluttershy?” The timid mare half-hid behind her mane though her voice stayed just as resolute.

“Scootaloo has to follow over land, you, you shouldn't go so fast or far... to be polite.... If you want to, that is...” Light cerise eyes rolled at the return of shyness but dropped down a few feet all the same and made sure that the scooter riding pegasus was in sight.

While the extra time it took to get to Sweet Apple Acres annoyed the brash mare, seeing the welcome banner and fall colored party streamers that decorated the sparse space made Dash smirk amusedly.

(Ah Pinkie Pie, at least we can always tell when you're around the place. Better make sure my own supplies are in place too, heh heh heh.)

Fluttershy was a little worried to see the almost menacing smirk on her friend's muzzle but didn't get the chance to say anything as Rainbow zipped off after greeting the host; Applejack watched in curiosity at the speeding mare before turning back to the two other pegasi, both of whom still watched the blur blue speeding off.

“Howdy, thanks for comin'. The others are inside already, did ya want to come in or do ya need something else?” At the question, two sets of eyes looked to the farmer in sheepishness at having been distracted.

“Oh uhm, we can just go in.” Applejack nodded before looking to Scootaloo specifically.

“The other Crusaders are inside too, they're lookin' forward tah you joinin' us.” The young pegasus smiled before parking her scooter next to the barn and heading inside.

Fluttershy watched for a moment longer before looking at the farmer who seemed to be on edge about the dinner.

“Applejack, is, is everything alright? None of the animals are giving you trouble?” The orange mare smiled at the worry and shook her head, turning on the spot to lead the cream-yellow pegasus inside.

“Nah, none of the critters are givin' us any trouble; Ah just want tah make sure this here Harvest Feast goes well.” Fluttershy smiled at hearing that there wasn't any trouble while making a note to herself to make sure that Rainbow Dash didn't cause trouble that would upset their friend.

“I'm sure it will be fine and that everyone has fun, uh, if they want to...” Applejack smiled at the assurances and nodded before going to check on the food and their other friends, leaving the timid mare to stand near the entrance, gazing at the scene before her.

Even though it wasn't much later than 4pm, everypony was already there helping set up the tables as well as plates and utensils they would need; Pinkie seemed to be confused as to the nature of the event, throwing streamers and placing balloons all around the barn where they were going to use. Fluttershy ducked worriedly as the party pony hopped over to the door to greet the newest arrival.

“Hey Fluttershy! I saw Scootaloo come in already, now we just need Dashie!” Pinkie leaned forward precariously while Fluttershy crouched from the hyperness.

“Oh uh, I think Rainbow Dash is checking on something, she should be here soon....”

Before either could continue the conversation, the doors burst open to reveal the cyan pegasus they were just talking about.

“Everypony can relax, the most awesome of ponies has arrived!” The canary mare relaxed her stance while the pink mare grinned before leaping over.

“Hey Dashie!! Are you ready for the best Harvest Feast ever?!” Rainbow smirked and leaned to whisper into the excited mare's ear.

“Sure it's going to be the best, and I have a few 'insurances' to make sure it is the best.” Blue eyes widened before shifting side to side conspiratorially.

“Oooooh, I see, in that case, I better step up my own game!” With a bright smile to the pegaus, Pinkie hopped back to her marefriend to put a party hat on her before heading to the others and setting them up in style as well.

Fluttershy looked worriedly towards the two mares as they spoke just before the door before making her way over to the cyan mare once Pinkie continued on her way.

“Where, where did you go Rainbow?” Dash glanced towards the roof before looking at the cream-yellow mare with a smirk.

“Oh, uh, nowhere; I'm here now, so it's fine.” Before Fluttershy could comment further, Dash went into the barn to greet the others.

The Crusaders were in the corner discussing topics of grand importance (or so their stances belied), Rarity was standing by the table with a distracted gaze to the doorway while Twilight was trying to keep Pinkie's attention as she wanted to keep bouncing around the barn; at the call of the brash pegasus, everyone focused briefly to return her greetings before being distracted once more.

Applejack came back shortly after with news that it would be a little longer for the food, something that was a source of an annoyed groan from Rainbow.

“Oh come on, can't we at least get something to have for now?” Applejack rolled her eyes at the tone before nodding.

“Alright, alright, Ah'll see about getting somethin' for everypony tah drink; y'all just hang tight.” Rarity frowned at the suddenly retreating figure and stepped forward.

“Perhaps I could help darling?” The farmer blushed while looking towards the door.

“Oh er, sure Rarity; we'll just need tah grab some juice an' maybe a few treats tah tide us over.” The gray-white unicorn smiled and trotted over to the other mare before both went back to the main house, giving Dash plenty of time to begin to set up her pranks of the evening.

The cyan pegasus started with the rafters, since nopony would think to check there and before everyone settled and wondered where she went; once they were properly set, Dash dropped down and edged her way to where the cups and plates were stacked up as well as taking a better and closer look at some of the chairs.

None of the others really noticed the highly suspicious actions of the speedster since Pinkie Pie was trying to get the others to join her in song about the special holiday. Either because of her 'sense' or by pure chance, once Rainbow was finished the hyper earth pony grabbed her around the neck and swung her around as she sang. The pegasus didn't pay close attention since she was trying to see if any of her well laid traps were set off; one never knew when they would happen, all part of the surprise after all.

While Pinkie finished her song, Rarity and Applejack returned to be included in the very end; after sharing an amused smirk at the hyper mare's antics, they set their burdens onto the table in the center of the room. Once the impromptu number was done, they went to grab a drink to sooth dry throats.

As the cups were passed out, Dash held back her chuckles as she watched Twilight use her magic to pour Pinkie and herself some juice; it was to the lavender unicorn's complete surprise and panic that her cup began to leak the apple juice down her front.

Rainbow couldn't hold back her laughter, leaning against Pinkie who also laughed at Twilight's face and shock. The unicorn shot a disbelieving glance to the pair and levitated a napkin over to clean up the new mess while Applejack glared at the cyan pegasus.

“Rainbow, ya best behave...” The pranking mare shrugged before grabbing her own cup and taking a drink, keeping a close eye out of for any other traps that would hopefully be set off.

Once the mess was cleaned up, they settled down around the table which in turn set off the next prank the cyan mare had set up; as Rarity went to sit on the stool that had been provided to the group, one of the legs snapped off and threw the fashionista to the ground and rolling back, sending her into a panic of dirt and ruining her mane.

“Waaa ha ha ha-help!” The farmer threw herself to try and catch the unicorn, managing to stop her momentum only after she rolled a few times.

Once Applejack checked on the gray-white mare, she glared at the laughing pegasus who was banging a hoof on the table at the fashionista's expression when the stool gave out.

“Rainbow! Ya better not have some other pranks planned, it's not ah regular ol' party!”

“Yeah, yeah, relax, it's just harmless fun!” The farmer shook her head at the dismissive mare before making sure the fashionista was going to be alright.

Rainbow could barely contain her amusement at how well the prank went and cast her gaze to the rest of the room, trying to guess who would set off the next one. Fluttershy frowned lightly at the prismatic mare and made sure to keep a close eye on her; knowing Dash for as long as she has, the canary mare knew it wasn't over yet and tried to think of how to stop her.

The next half hour was quiet, especially since the multitudes of food finished and was soon brought out to be put on display, drawing many a drooling muzzle to gaze at the various apple-themed foods; one would think it would grow tiring, but with the help of traditional and old recipes, the food almost tasted different no matter how often apples appeared as the main ingredient.

The whole group sat down, with Granny Smith and Big Macintosh at either ends of the table, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Twilight and Pinkie Pie on one side while Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy along the other; they had to use two tables to fit everyone but it made it feel much cozier and warm, having everyone be close helped to heat the otherwise chilly barn.

Just as they were about to start the meal, Applejack found a disturbance as she tried to eat with better manners than usual to appease the unicorn on her right; as she tried to shift the fork from her left hoof to right, the farmer found that it was attached firmly. She gave it a few quick jerks but found no change in it's hold on her and was only starting to suspect foul-play when Dash couldn't hold back a burst of giggles.

“Raaaiiinbooow...” The pegasus tried to speak through her laughter as the table ended up focusing on her.

“Heh heh, at least -giggle- you'll be able to, ha ha ha, eat with proper manners -HahaHA- now!” The orange earth pony was growling towards the laughing pegasus when Rarity caught her attention to help remove it; it was at this point, as everyone else turned back to their food, that Fluttershy tried to get her friend to behave.

“Rainbow, please be good....” The cyan mare frowned slightly at the pleading tone and glanced at the quiet mare.

“What? It's not like I'm hurting anypony, I'm just trying to liven up the meal.” Rainbow smirked as she stretched in place, flicking her wings over her shoulders and towards the food before grabbing just a regular apple from the center.

“Rainbow, you know that Applejack wants this night to go well, please don't do more pranks.” Dash frowned further before turning to the rest of the table while Fluttershy sighed quietly to herself.

(Oh, I hope she doesn't do anything else.... Everypony else wants this to go nicely... I want it to go well.... If only you didn't remember your father through pranks Rainbow Dash....)

Once everyone was settled and enjoying the meal, Rainbow smirked before starting a joke with Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, Pinks! Do you like sea-food?” The pink mare tilted her head at the question with a thoughtful frown.

“Not really, I mean, fish is a little fishy and crabs are just too cute and-”

“See! Food!” Rainbow knew to cut the hyper mare off early and merely stuck out her tongue that still had part of the meal she was eating on it; once Pinkie realized what was said she laughed and banged the table with a hoof.

“OooOoh! See-food! Oh oh! I want to try!” Twilight, who was on the party mare's right, rolled her eyes at the sudden enthusiasm and tried to put a stop to it.

“Pinkie, please don't-” She was cut off as the pink pony turned to face her with her tongue already out and a pile of mashed food on it.

“See food!” The lavender unicorn face-hoofed before trying to get her marefriend to focus and behave.

“Piinkkiiee! Please, be good, it's bad enough that Rainbow is encouraging you but-”

“GASP!!! Twilight, Twilight, your tongue is blue, your tongue is blue!” Pinkie finished her seefood and pointed to the lavender mare while shouting, grabbing everyone's attention as Twilight froze in place before sticking the offending appendage out and trying to see for herself.

“Oh darling, it is! What in the world caused it?! It doesn't match your coat at all!” Applejack rolled her eyes at the last sentence before looking closer to what was on the plate that may have caused it.

“Ain't nothing there that would turn yer tongue blue unless-”

“Bwahahahahahaha! You, you guys are hilarious!” The majority of the older ponies rolled their heads and eyes at the laughter, the reason for the color changing tongue becoming clear.

“RAINBOW!” Everyone (aside from the Cutie Mark Crusaders) yelled at the pegasus who smirked proudly with crossed hooves.

“Hey Pinkie, I bet it tastes just like the dark blue berries I used to make it change colors; you'll let us know later right?” Dash smirked at the hyper mare who frowned thoughtfully at the request before realizing how she would be able to taste what the color was and blushed at the suggestion; everyone else who knew of the relationship (that was still trying to be hidden from the town) glared silently at the cyan mare who merely smirked with an indifferent shrug.

Twilight shot one last glare at the pegasus before asking to visit a mirror to see what changes she could make with magic to set it back to normal; while the unicorn was gone the others tried to refocus on their meal but with more caution, having realized that Rainbow Dash wasn't going to stop her pranks anytime soon. To counteract this, the pranking mare behaved for a while, so the others wouldn't suspect it.

Fluttershy was trying to keep an eye on the Crusaders who were trying to fit as many peas into their mouth as possible (she wasn't sure how it was related to cutie marks) when she saw a cyan wing subtly move an air horn towards the fillies. Teal eyes widened as realization sank in and the timid mare took a deep breath before gathering her courage to stop Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy didn't want to disrupt everyone else, so she silently but firmly placed a hoof on the light-blue wing, pushing the horn away; Rainbow hadn't expected it and ended up setting it off by mistake, giving everyone a bit of scare, though none as startled as Fluttershy. At the sudden loud sound, the timid mare let out an eep of fright and swatted away the offending object, sending it soaring through the skies and into the rafters, hitting a well hidden bucket full of water which fell down onto the canary mare, soaking her completely.

The whole table froze in place while Fluttershy stayed still, the water dripping off her ears and mane; next to her, Dash was trying to hold back her laughter at the sight but the feeling died at the stare Fluttershy gave her. The quiet mare, after taking in everything that happened, turned to the pegasus and almost glared at her, disappointment coming off in waves.

“Rainbow Dash, you were asked to be good and not do anymore pranks.” The cyan pegasus noticed the awed look on Scootaloo's face at the awesome pranks and tried to act dismissive of the canary mare's words; a feat that was hard to do in the aftermath of the Stare, but she tried nonetheless.

“Phhfftt, it's just some harmless jokes...”

“No Rainbow, with that air horn you could have made someone choke on their food. Sometimes, pranks are not a good or harmless thing.” Rainbow frowned at the potential danger Fluttershy was referring to.

“Look, I know what I'm doing, everything would have been fine.” The cream-yellow pegasus merely looked at the other before shaking her head in frustration and heading outside, wanting to get away before she said anything mean in front of everyone else.

All of the others watched in concern as the timid mare quietly made her way out of the barn, while Rainbow tried to hide how much she was getting worried about what had just happened. While the rest of the group fell into bickering and stressing about how the evening wasn't going well for anyone (something that added to Dash's guilt, since a lot of the problem stemmed from her pranks), the pegasus merely poking at the food on her plate and not seeing the concerned and determined looks shared by the Crusaders to her left.

Fluttershy walked away from the barn, heading to the nearby orchard to surround herself with nature and some of the animals that lived there. She tried to not let what Rainbow was doing get to her personally, knowing exactly why she acted like that but couldn't help the hurt feelings that came from the annoyed look she received from her old friend.

(I don't think Dash realized what would have happened, she didn't want to seem wrong in front of the others..... But she didn't have to be so short with me, I was just trying to help...)

As she cuddled with various animals who came to check on her, Fluttershy noticed the three fillies sneaking out of the barn to head for the farmhouse. The shy pegasus frowned towards the sight of them before glancing to the barn where she could hear the sounds of arguing and stress, causing Fluttershy to flinch back against the tree.

Meanwhile, just as Rainbow was going to just to give in and find her oldest friend, she noticed the lack of three troublemaking fillies and paused in the middle of standing up.

“Where are the girls?” While it was a simple sentence, it drew absolute silence from the others who looked to the empty seats before taking in the situation.

“Is that... smoke!?!” Rarity put a hoof to her mouth in fright as her head whipped towards the door where the smell came, drawing everyone's attention.

In moments, the others rushed out the door and found smoke rising from the kitchen; everyone ran to the back door and burst in to find the three Crusaders trying to get something from the oven amid smoke and bits of flame that licked the sides.

While Rarity levitated the girls away from the oven in blind panic, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Rainbow Dash all used different methods to try and put out the fire simultaneously; while Applejack grabbed the fire extinguisher from under the sink, Pinkie grabbed a pitcher of water (from where, nopony knows), Twilight rapidly thought before turning on the facet and channeling the water to shoot to the oven while Rainbow decided it was too slow and busted the tap off to tunnel the gushing water with rapid hoof and wing work.

Within seconds of the combined methods, the fire was out and Twilight was repairing the sink faucet with a short glare at the now sheepish pegasus. As Granny Smith, Pinkie Pie and Twilight tried to air out the house, the others sat the girls down to find out what exactly happened.

“That was really dangerous! What if ya burnt down the house? Then we wouldn't have a place tah stay, what the hay were y'all tryin' tah cook anyways!?” Applejack grilled the fillies who stood dejectedly before the angry and worried glares.

“We just wanted everyone tah be happy again an' we were goin' tah make a nice cake for everyone.”

“But we wouldn't have enough time to let it cook normally, so we thought that if you turned up the heat it would cook it faster.” Rarity did a very undignified hoof-plant at these words and made a mental note to get Sweetie Belle proper cooking sessions.

“We're sorry, we didn't mean to almost burn down the house.” The girls all bowed their heads apologetically while the older mares looked on; Big Mac stopped glaring at his sister and her friends at the sound of apology and started to help clean up the kitchen.

“Siigh... It's ok to make mistakes, but the next time you guys want to cook, why don't you go and get one of ponies who can actually cook, alright?” Three heads nodded in agreement to this and the mares turned back to find the kitchen had been taken care of and properly cleaned.

As everyone left to return to the barn and the remains of their dinner, they found Fluttershy standing just beyond the doorway, peeking inside to find what had happened; it was silently conveyed to the brash pegasus that she should be the one to explain as well as make up to the timid one by way of glares and nods from the others.

Dash sighed in resignation before lagging behind so she could talk with the other pegasus, something that Fluttershy was weary about but curiosity won in the end.

“Rainbow...? What happened? Are the girls alright?” Rainbow slowly led the way back to the barn, while she glanced at her friend from the corners of her eyes.

“They're fine; they were trying to make a cake to get everyone happy again...”

“O-oh...” The cream-yellow scuffed a nervous hoof along the ground while peeking towards the other pegasus.

“.... I'm sorry about earlier...” The cyan mare paused in her slow trot halfway to the barn and sat suddenly as she tried to make it up to her friend; Fluttershy wasn't sure what to expect since Dash would normally brush off these kinds of things and remained silent as she sat next to her.

“... I was just trying to make the whole thing cooler...”

“But sometimes it doesn't have to be cool... It's ok to be normal or even happy...”

“Phhfff, sappy, who needs to be sappy all the time....” Fluttershy frowned briefly at the return of brushing away the more touching emotions before merely sighing and trying to get through to her anyways.

“It's ok to be happy about being with friends... Or sad when somepony you love goes away forever...” The cyan mare froze in place at the quiet words, staring at the ground as she scrambled to come up with a cover story.

“I know that's why you like doing so many pranks.... And sometimes, maybe it is a little fun, if others don't mind.... But, it's ok to be serious too....” Dash tried to ignore the swelling emotions and shrugged instead of trusting her voice to come out calm and nonchalant; Fluttershy noticed this attempt and placed a soft hoof on a cyan shoulder before giving her friend a way out of the conversation.

“... If you're still not ready to talk about it, that's ok... Just remember that I'm here if you need anything or want to talk...” The usually brash pegasus stayed silent while nodded once to show that she did hear the offer before starting for the barn once again.

The shy pegasus couldn't help but feel depressed that her friend still wasn't willing to talk about what had happened; though the thought that Rainbow might be somewhat closer to talking about it helped to lift her spirits as they rejoined the rest at the table.

Compared to how the first part of the evening went, things were rather calm since both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash tried to behave (they still cracked jokes, which were still kept to a minimum and often on the side). What really brought the night to another pause was when, near the end, Granny Smith felt the need to say the blunt truth about the hidden couple.

“Well Ah gottah say that y'all make fer interestin' dinner companions, an' you two make ah cute couple.” The older mare pointed with a hoof to Twilight and Pinkie Pie who froze at the words; Pinkie wasn't sure what the best reaction would be while Twilight crouched down in worry.

“Oh, uh, what do you-?”

“Oh nonsense! It's as obvious as ah golden delicious in pile o' almata apples, don't know why y'all were tryin' tah hide it.” The whole group (minus the Crusaders and Big Mac) wore sheepish looks while Granny Smith smirked at the couple.

“What do you mean, 'a cute couple'?” Scootaloo broke in with obvious confusion, looking from the two mares at the end to the oldest farmer, bringing even more bashful looks from the mares who knew what was going on.

Twilight glanced at her marefriend who stared back with encouragement in her eyes, willing to follow her lead with whatever she wanted to say.

“... Well, it means that Pinkie and I are dating; we just haven't really told anypony about it yet...”

“That ain't th' best way tah have a relationship! No good comes out of bein' more secretive than a bear in a beehive.” While the lavender mare hunched further at the light scolding, Pinkie sat up with a grin.

“We're just waiting for the right time to throw a 'Twipie Party' but we want it to be a surprise for everypony else, so could you keep it a secret until the party is ready?” Granny Smith raised a brow at the 'excuse' while Rainbow rolled her eyes at the 'party'; after a glance to find herself under scrutiny of the cream-yellow pegasus next to her, Rainbow merely resettled in place and kept the jokes to herself.

Fluttershy was curious to see if the cyan mare would make any kind of comment like she did when they first found out that two of their friends were dating but was mildly surprised and pleased when Rainbow remained silent on the topic.

As the evening was wrapping up, the youngest pegasus was among the first to leave the barn (after being sure to say goodbye to her idol) much to Fluttershy's disappointment; she had hoped they could find out where she was staying most of the time but didn't want to give chase since that would give away what she hoped to accomplished.

Dash didn't notice the hidden plan but realized that she may have to talk with Fluttershy anyways to be sure they were on good terms and offered to fly her home; something that the timid mare was happy to accept, hoping that they were going to perhaps talk about why the cyan mare was so focused on pranks.

While Fluttershy tried to fly with the expert flyer, she couldn't go too high and ended up just floating above the ground with Rainbow Dash flying relatively close by. Both remained silent for the the start of the trip, one unsure if something needed to be said while the other tried to think of how to start the conversation.

“Hey, um, Fluttershy?” Rainbow didn't notice the sudden focus of the canary pegasus as she continued to keep her gaze focused forward.

“We, we are good right? No hard feelings?”

“Oh Dashie, of course I'm not annoyed at you; I'm just worried about how far you are willing to take these 'pranks'...” Rainbow rubbed her right hoof along the left as she glanced to the opposite side while she realized that she wasn't going to be able to get out of the new direction of the conversation.

“... I know when to stop the jokes.” Fluttershy gave her friend a stern look, something that Dash could feel and sighed.

“... Ok, maybe I take them a little too far sometimes but you know I wouldn't want anypony to get hurt!”

“Yes, but you don't have to do pranks all the time... There are other ways to remember Bifröst...” Dash frowned sharply at this and paused in her flight to look sullenly at the other pegasus, causing Fluttershy to tip her ears back in nervousness.

The two pegasi remained mid-air as they stayed silent as both tried to think of what to say to break the awkward turn in conversation.

“Yeah, well, he liked pranks so it is the best way if you must know.” Rainbow crossed her hooves with a glare, being annoyed at having to take part of the conversation she really didn't want to.

“Well, uhm, holidays like today is a good way to do so; it is a holiday that is about family and friends after all.” Dash frowned at a reminder of how she avoided Harvest Feast for the past few years and even left the canary mare alone for the duration of those years.

“.... I know I've avoided taking part of Harvest Feast, and haven't really been around in the past few years but I just needed to get away.”

“It's ok, I'm glad you felt better enough to come back and that we were able to share this holiday with all our friends.” Fluttershy smiled gently to the other mare who smirked back briefly before turning serious once more.

“You know I'm not going to be going anywhere like that again right? Promise.” Dash bumped her hoof gently into a canary shoulder, it's owner smiling back softly at the brief display of emotion before the brash mare returned to normal and continued towards the grass covered cottage.

Fluttershy gave her friend a brief nuzzle once they arrived which earned a blush and dismissive wave before they went their separate ways for the night.

Author's Note:

My gosh was this a long one! No one is going to see the whole meal (from everyone's sides) unless you read the other stories (you don't have to, it's more of if you want to see why the others were so worked up).

Also, I have no idea why Pinkie is just singing at this meal, I was just writing when she came along and started singing (I don't even know of what yet, I have to make the lyrics myself most likely) . Same with the Crusaders, I was just writing how Dash was looking towards them and I find they're trying to earn food stuffing cutie marks or something

The creation of Harvest Feast is credited to Gwg who made it for one of my earlier stories, Perfect Pitch (since I was just trying to be lazy and he called me out on it, as well as giving a relatively sound holiday for the world of Equestria).

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