Permanent Vacation

by Apple_Crack

Look Before You Sleep or Book Horse’s First Slumber Party

“Permanent Vacation”

Look Before You Sleep or Book Horse’s First Slumber Party

Yeah, looks like Rainbow’s gonna be waiting a bit longer for our album to be released. As I expected, Lyra and Spike showed no resistance to the idea, while Mac wanted to hold off a bit longer because it’s apparently the busy season for the Apple’s. Eh, gives me more time to work out the finer details with Vinyl then. I’m no artist, but I did sketch up some designs for the album cover and fitting names to be submitted for her approval.

With that idea derailed for the time being, I decide to head home and figure out my next course of action. I had promised Scootaloo before she went to school this morning that she could have a Crusader sleepover tonight… Which will definitely keep my hands full, now that I think about it. I could have thought about it before answering her, but after what I put her through, I’ve gotten into the mindset of just doing anything to keep her happy, even if it means flying by the seat of my pants most of the time… Scratch that, all the time.

“Yo, Blake!”

I look up to the sky at the source of the voice. “What’s up, Rainbow?”

She flies down, hovering on the ground in front of me. “Don’t know if you heard or not, but Ponyville’s scheduled for a massive storm tonight. You got things you want taken care of, you better do it this morning. You definitely don’t want to get caught out in this.”

I nod my head. “Thanks for the heads up. Why so massive though? Aren’t you guys supposed to manage the weather?”

She groans. “Yeah, but there was a mix up at the weather factory, meaning my job gets ten times harder because of somepony else’s screw up.”

I just roll my eyes. “Anything else I should know about? Like if I can still use everything in my house without the risk of electric shock?”

“Yeah… I think.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You think? That doesn’t give me tons of confidence.”

She rolls her eyes. “Then go ask Twilight if you don’t believe me. She’s probably got some egghead book that explains it. I gotta get back to work, but I’ll see you around.” With that, she flies back up into the air and heads off into the distance.

I shrug my shoulders and continue heading towards home, making a quick detour to Golden Oaks once I’m there. The downstairs is devoid of life, which is weird considering Twilight and Spike were here only a little bit ago. “Twilight?”

“I’m upstairs! I’ll be down in a sec!” True to her word, Twilight comes down the stairs a short while later. “Hello, Blake. What brings you back here? If you’re looking for Spike, I’m afraid Celestia wanted him in Canterlot.”

I shake my head. “Nah, I’m actually here with a question you might be able to answer.”

She smiles. “Of course! What would you like to know?”

I smile at her enthusiasm. It’s almost infectious in a way. “As you know, I have multiple electrical items converted to use magic now in my house, and I was recently informed of the major storm we’re getting. As such, would anything in my house be at risk of getting shocked should I use it during the storm?”

“Well, yes and no. It you have a sufficient lighting rod, such as the one installed on the top of the library, then you should be safe. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it. ”

I raise an eyebrow and motion around me. “And living beside a giant tree, that is a lightning rod by nature, doesn’t count?”

She rubs the back of her head and lightly chuckles. “I mean, it should, but I still wouldn’t risk it without a lightning rod of your own.”

I sigh and close my eyes, rubbing my forehead. “And you wouldn’t happen to have a spare one lying around, would you? Or at least know where I can get one on short notice?”

“Sorry, I don’t have any more and the one here was already installed when I moved in.”

Guess that’s the next thing I’m buying then… Unless… I open my eyes and shrug my shoulders. “Eh, worth a shot at least. Thanks for answering that, Twilight. Stay safe tonight.” I turn and start heading for the door.

“You too. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“It’s cool. You did what you could.”

I step outside and pull the door shut before she can respond. Twilight might not have a spare lightning rod, but I’m pretty sure I know of another unicorn that might have one, and she’s pretty close. In fact, she’s right by my house. Since Trixie’s school is still under construction and she doesn’t have a true house yet, she’s still living out of her wagon parked next to my house.

Walking around to the backside of Golden Oaks, I see Trixie setting up a lightning rod beside her wagon. “Trixie!”

She pauses, turning towards me. “Blake! Are you ready for the storm tonight?”

I walk the distance between us so we don’t have to yell. “Well, not exactly…” I glance at the lightning rod.

She smirks. “For shame. With everything electric that you own in that house, I would have assumed you’d be better prepared for storms.”

I smile and roll my eyes. “We can’t all be perfect, Miss Great and Powerful. So, how’s about we set that thing up on my roof and you spend the night sleeping in a house with your family?”

She eyes the rod, then my house, and then me. “Okay. Let me set everything up and grab some things. I’ll see you inside shortly.”

With a nod of my head, I turn around and head inside my house. At least I got Trixie’s help to take care of and entertain the Crusaders. And with their endless need for crusading, I’m assuming that they’ve already worked out ways of trying for their Cutie Marks tonight. But I might just be able to distract them from that, if their ideas get too… Ambitious, to say the least.

---

I stare out the window as pegasi position dark colored clouds in the sky, creating a layer of clouds that blot out the sky above. The Crusaders should be arriving any moment now, but they are cutting it close.

“You know, staring out the window isn’t going to make them show up any faster.”

I glance over my shoulder at Trixie sitting on the couch, idly flipping through channels on the TV. With a sigh, I turn away from the window and sit down beside her. “I know, I know. It’s just that she’s my girl, and I worry about her safety.”

She reaches over and pats my leg. “Hey, you’re raising her. If anything, she should be more than capable of taking care of herself.” I smile at that. She’s right, but at the same time, I’ll always have to worry about her.

I hear the front door open. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SLEEPOVER!”

“Crusaders! Get in here, shut the door, and throw your stuff in Scoot’s room!”

“Okay!” They answer back in unison. I hear the door shut and the scrambling of their hooves as they rush to Scootaloo’s room to officially start their sleepover.

“See? Told you they’d be here.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, you were right Trixie. Sorry for being a parent that cares about the safety of his daughter. ”

She looks at me, a smirk on her face. “Aren’t I always right?”

I smirk. “Yes, of course you are, oh Great and Powerful one. What would the world be without someone like you in it?”

Trixie finally gives up on finding something to watch with a groan and puts the remote down on the coffee table. We sit in silence for a bit, idly listening to the sound of raindrops starting to hit the roof in force. “So… What now?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Whatever we want, I guess. You got anything in mind you want to do?”

She smiles and sits up straight, clapping her hands. “Ooh, I always wanted to have a pillow fight at a sleepover!” At my questioning gaze, she coughs into her hand. “I mean, since the last time I had one… As a filly. They’re just so much fun…”

I got a gut feeling she’s lying. “Trixie, have you never had a sleepover or a slumber party?”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course I have. Trixie was very popular as a filly. Everypony wanted Trixie at their sleepover.”

I’m not buying it, but I nod my head. “Sure, sure. What was your first one like?”

“Oh, you know. The usual stuff. Pillow fights, makeovers, spin the bottle…”

“Xiaolin showdown too?” I interject before she has a chance to continue.

She nods her head. “Yes, that too. What kind of sleepover would it be without that?”

I smirk. “Oh really? Cause it’s the name of a TV show from back home and a magical duel within the show. Not something I would expect at a sleepover. Wouldn’t you agree?”

She opens and close her mouth a few times, trying to formulate a response. She gives up and hangs her head. “Fine. Trixie has never been to a sleepover before.”

I can’t suppress the chuckle that escapes me. “Sorry, but I just had to make sure you were telling the truth. Why lie though?”

She wrings her hands together and fidgets. “Well… It’s kind of embarrassing for a mare my age to have never been to a sleepover. Isn’t that like some sort of rite of passage or something in any filly’s life?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I can’t answer that. Though if it makes you feel better, I’m positive Twilight’s never had one either.”

She glances at me, a small smile gracing her lips. “Yeah, that actually does help.”

I still do feel bad for her though, and it’ll hurt worse when she finds out Twilight is having one tonight. But I may be able to fix that right now… I stand up and grab her arm, yanking her towards Scootaloo’s room.

“What are you doing?!” She stumbles along behind me, but isn’t making any attempt to resist.

I knock on the door. “You got a sec, girls?”

“Sure! Come on in!” I open the door, seeing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rolling out their sleeping bags and Scootaloo sitting on her bed. “What’s up?”

I drag Trixie into the room and push her in front of me. “Trixie here has never had a sleepover before.”

The Crusaders collectively pause and slowly turn to stare at Trixie. “Ya what now?”

Trixie clasps her hands behind her back and kicks at the floor. “… I’ve never had a sleepover before.”

“Isn’t that something every filly does once in their life?”

“Like, yeah! Isn’t that some rite of passage or something?”

Trixie turns to me with a glare and motions to Sweetie and Scootaloo. “See? Even they know it’s pathetic!”

Apple Bloom stands up. “Hold up now. We ain’t ever said it’s pathetic.”

Scootaloo nods her head. “Yeah! It’s just… Weird, is all.”

I pat Trixie’s shoulder. “See? It’s not pathetic. You’re a unique case, much like Twilight… And Moondancer,” I mumble out the last part.

“I know!” Sweetie squeaks out. “You could join us tonight!”

“That’s not a bad idea, Sweetie! How’s about it, Trixie? Wanna join us?”

“Yeah! A sleepover with the Crusaders is way better than any normal sleepover!”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly intrude on your night, but I—” I reach up and flick her ear, causing her to yelp and cover it. “What was that for?!”

I motion to the Crusaders. “They’re openly inviting you to join them and experience something you missed out on as a child. Swallow your pride and enjoy it.”

Trixie crosses her arms. “Fine. Trixie will join your sleepover.”

I smile. “Perfect. I’ll leave you girls alone then. Have fun tonight.” I leave the room, shutting the door behind me as I make my way back to the kitchen to actually make the food for tonight, fresh fish sent straight from Baltimare, a side of rice, and steamed broccoli. While the stovetop is heating up, I hear Sonja whimper and feel her pawing at my leg. I glance down at her. “Sorry girl, but you gotta leave them alone for tonight.”

There’s a crack of thunder, and I hear a shriek from Scootaloo’s room and feel Sonja cling to my leg. I chuckle under my breath at whoever shrieked in there. It was remarkably high pitched, so if that didn’t come from Sweetie, I’d be shocked. I reach down with my hand and rub Sonja’s head. The saying all bark and no bite is pinpoint accurate with her. “It’s okay girl, you’re safe in here.” She only whimpers in response. After the basic prep work is done, I head into the living room and fire up the PlayStation 4, in the mood to replay Doom again. It’s here that I spend some time enjoying myself and drowning out the storm, occasionally heading back into the kitchen to continue cooking.

It’s been some time though, so I should really check up on the girls, lest I incur the wrath of Rarity and Applejack for not watching them better. I hear giggling and laughter as I near Scootaloo’s room, so I take it that’s a good sign. I get close to the door and press my ear against it. “Prepare to taste pillow justice, you fiend!”

“Never! Trixie’s defenses shall stand strong in the face of your onslaught! None shall get through!”

“We’ll see about that! Get her, girls!”

I stifle the chuckle trying to escape me. It seems like Trixie is taking to their sleepover easier than I expected. No doubt I’ll be cleaning up a mess here in a bit, and I don’t want to interrupt their fun, but dinner’s ready, so… I knock on the door. “Girls? Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay! Be there in five!”

I head back to the kitchen to finish plating the food and setting the table for everyone. I sit down in one of the chairs and wait, idly rubbing Sonja with my foot. It takes them a bit longer than five minutes to come out, but they come out nonetheless. Trixie sniffs the air. Before she asks her question, I answer her. “Fried fish, with rice and steamed broccoli. Healthy, not that any of you really care about that.”

Apple Bloom climbs into a chair and gingerly pokes the fish with a fork “Ah don’t think I’ve ever had fish before.”

“Eh, it’s more of a pegasi thing because of their avian nature, but it’s safe for consumption by other species.”

Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “Avian? What’s that even mean?”

“Oh, I know this! It means birds!”

I nod my head. “Very good, Sweetie.”

Scootaloo shakes her head. “Whatever. Let’s eat, I’m starving!”

Scootaloo and I dig in, while everyone else cautiously picks at their fish. Sweetie is the first one of the three to actually put a piece in her mouth. I glance at her to see her slowly chewing it. After some time, she finally swallows. She pauses, and I wait with baited breath to see what she does next. She smiles and goes in for another piece. This apparently gives courage to Trixie and Apple Bloom since they put a piece into their mouths. Trixie swallows her piece first. “This is not at all what I expected to taste.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And what exactly did you expect to taste?” I shake my head before she can answer. “No, wait. I’ll take it as a compliment to my cooking.”

Apple Bloom picks up another piece. “Ya said pegasi normally eat this?” I nod my head, to which she shrugs her shoulders. “Ah don’t see why everypony doesn’t eat this more.”

I shrug my shoulders. “No idea, Bloom. But you’re eating it, and that’s what matters.”

While Trixie and I lapse into a silence, the Crusaders talk about their plans for the rest of the night. Before long, dinner is done and the girls run back to Scootaloo’s room, leaving me with the cleanup. Not that I can blame anyone of them. Once I finish cleaning up, I head into the living room and lie down on the couch, flipping on the TV and slowly browsing through channels. I stop on what appears to be a show about the Power Ponies. Eh, not much else to watch, so let’s see what they call quality cartoons here.

---

“Dad…”

That moan can only mean one thing. I pause the TV and glance over my shoulder. “Yeah? What is it, Scoots?”

“We’re bored.”

I stifle a chuckle. I figured something like this would happen. “You’ve done everything you could think of?”

“Yeah. Trixie isn’t much help for ideas here, so I figured you’d have an idea.”

“You try giving each other makeovers yet? That’s pretty common enough for fillies to do at slumber parties.”

I don’t need to turn around to see her face scrunched up and tongue sticking out. “Bleh. Too girly.”

“You’ll never know if you like it if you don’t try.”

“Yeah, yeah, try new things, I get it. Like you’d even have any makeup though.”

I blink. Yeah… My supposed trump card to keep them out of my hair had a teensy little oversight. But it’s a fixable oversight nonetheless. I stand up and feel a couple of joints crack. “Scootaloo, go back to your room. I’ll have something else for you in a bit.”

“Alright, just don’t take too long. I don’t want my first sleepover at my house to be lame.”

I glance over my shoulder at her. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” She just smirks and rolls her eyes, walking back to her room. I close my eyes and concentrate on the interior of Golden Oaks. I feel the tugging sensation of teleportation, and open my eyes, only to be greeted by a smack to the face with a pillow. I blink, and then look down at the pillow. Ah, pillow fight, or I surprised them and someone threw the first thing they grabbed.

“Blake?” I look up. Rarity, wearing a purple negligee with Twilight’s Cutie Mark emblazoned on the bottom of it, stands there with a couple of pillows floating around her. I glance over my shoulder at Applejack, who is wearing a purple halter top and purple shorts, also bearing Twilight’s Cutie Mark. To my left, I see Twilight sitting on the floor with a book in her hands. She wears, unsurprisingly, a purple sweater and sweatpants.

“Hey Twilight, how goes your first sleepover?” She opens her mouth, but I continue. “Good, great. Listen, I’m here on business actually.” I look at Rarity. “Rarity, where do you keep your makeup in your house, and mind if I borrow some of it for the night?”

“…I’m sorry, but what?”

“Your makeup supplies, where do you keep them, and can I borrow them?”

She opens and closes her mouth a couple of times. “In my room on top of my dresser in a red box, and I don’t see why not. But whatever reason would you have for them?”

I hear a snicker from Applejack. “Don’t tell us ya like to—”

“Finish that sentence and you’ll regret it, and the Crusaders are bored and need something else to do.”

Rarity nods her head. “Ah. Very well then, take the entire box to them.”

“Thank you. I’ll pay ya back for whatever they use up.”

She shakes her head. “No need for that. I have more than enough, and one box won’t hurt. Consider it as a gift for their next sleepover.”

I smile. Such generosity is unheard of, yet easy to prey on. She’ll learn that eventually. “Again, thank you for it. Enjoy the rest of the night everyone.” I close my eyes. “And one more thing. Whatever you’re arguing about, Applejack and Rarity, figure out the problem and get over it.” With that, I teleport to Carousel Boutique before one of them can question me.

I open my eyes, the moonlight filtering in through the curtains providing the barest minimal light needed to see. I raise my hand up and focus on drawing in as much light as possible from the room into a shining sphere. The sphere floats in the air by my head, now serving as portable light source till it’s dispelled. Satisfied, I glance around the showroom floor. From a dark corner, I spot two yellow eyes staring at me. Ah, Opal. “Opal, where’s Rarity’s room? She’s letting me borrow something.” Opal slowly saunters out into the open, stopping at my feet before turning her head away and licking her paw. I cross my arms. Right, asking a cat to show me its master’s room. I shake my head and walk away. Let’s see… Upstairs? I find the stairs and climb them, coming to a foyer like landing with a couple of doors. Since there’s no more stairs, one of these doors must lead to Rarity’s room… Unless it’s downstairs.

I pick the door on my left to start with. I peek inside and see a room that is, for lack of better words, an utter mess. Okay, that’s her inspiration room. What’s behind the next door? I walk over to the next door and peek in this one. A standard, yet still elegant in some regards, bedroom is on the other side. For some reason, I was expecting something a bit more… Extravagant, when it comes to a bedroom for Rarity. This one seems almost subdued, like it’s suited for… a child. Ah, Sweetie’s room. Damn, she’s got some nice furniture in here, better than most kids at least. Door number three might be what I’m looking for then.

I peek in this door, and finally see what I’m expecting, a massive four poster bed with pink sheer curtains hanging down from the left and right sides. With a bed this fancy, this has got to be Rarity’s room. Let’s see… Ah, there it is. I float the box over to me and peek inside. Standard makeup supplies with names I won’t even try to pronounce are neatly arranged and stacked rest inside. I close the box up and take one more look around the room. Hmm… I could… No, no. Restrain yourself, Blake.

“What’s the harm in peeking? I’m sure we could find some… Intimate items.”

“Very tempting offer, and believe me, I’m curious what kind of secrets she keeps… But this is her privacy.”

“Didn’t stop them from coming into your house and searching your stuff when you were gone meeting the Elements.”

I bite my lip. “…Fair point. But that doesn’t mean I should do it. I’m sure if the roles were reversed, we’d be doing the same thing.”

“Fine then. Don’t go snooping around and find some potentially juicy secrets.”

With a smirk, I close the door to Rarity’s room and focus on home. I blink, Rarity’s room replaced with my living room. I glance at the clock and smirk. Not even five minutes. I head over to Scootaloo’s room and knock on the door. “I got something for you all.”

“Finally!” Scootaloo groans out.

I open the door and hold the box out. “A box of makeup supplies for you.” Everyone raises an eyebrow at me. “And before you ask, no, it’s not mine. It’s a gift from Rarity’s personal stash for your future sleepovers here.”

Sweetie gasps. “That’s from Rarity?! She never lets me use anything from her personal collection!”

Trixie still has her eyebrow raised. “You walked all the way over to Carousel Boutique in this rain?”

I roll my eyes. “Hell no. Teleportation is a wonderful spell to know on days like this.” Trixie shrugs her shoulders and takes the box from my hands, setting it on the floor and carefully pulling out each piece. “I’m gonna leave you alone now. Enjoy, remember to thank Rarity when you see her, and all that jazz.” I close the door and go back to watching TV in the living room, lying on the couch with Sonja curled up at my feet.

It’s some time later that I hear a massive crack from outside, followed by something creaking. I idly head over to the window and watch a tree fall away from Golden Oaks, only for a rope to lasso around it and pull it back towards Golden Oaks, causing the tree to fall into it. Come to think of it, was that tree always there beside the library? I could’ve sworn it wasn’t, but I digress. With a yawn, I turn off the TV and head back to my room. I pause at Scootaloo’s door and listen. Hmm… Not a sound... Yeah, that worries me more than it probably should.

I gingerly push open the door and peek inside the dimly lit room, smiling at the sight of everyone fast asleep. I glance down at Sonja and open the door just wide enough for her to squeeze in. I watch as she heads over to the foot of Scootaloo’s bed and lies down. Smile still on my face, I shut the door and head the rest of the way to my room. A quick change of clothes and crawling under the covers is enough to put me to sleep.

---

The next morning, I’m up bright and early. It’s as I’m making breakfast of homemade waffles that my first guest is up. “Morning, Trixie.” She mumbles something back that I don’t quite catch. “Coffee to wake you up?” I levitate the pot of coffee, two cups, and a plate of waffles towards the table, and then sit down at the table as Trixie sits down across from me. Wordlessly, she grabs a cup and pours herself some coffee. She brings the cup to her lips and takes a little sip, a content sigh escaping her lips one she swallows.

“Trixie needed that.”

I chuckle. “I figured you’d might. After all, a slumber party can really tire one out. How was your first one anyway?”

She grabs the plate of waffles, pulling them towards her. Before she can ask, I already have the butter and syrup bottle levitating towards the table. She forgoes the butter in favor of a generous helping of syrup. “Great, but only because I was there to make it great.” She laughs after saying that.

I smirk. “Need I remind you that it only happened because of the Crusader’s sleeping over?”

She smirks. “Every great magician needs an assistant or three.”

“Morning, Blake, Trixie.”

“Morning, Apple Bloom. Take a seat, waffles will be ready shortly.” I stand up and head back to the waffle iron to prepare another batch.

“Morning, Apple Bloom. Tell Blake here how much better our slumber party was because of me.”

Apple Bloom giggles. “It was the best slumber party to date, all because Trixie was there.”

I roll my eyes, but laugh all the same. “I have no doubt about that. Where are the rest of the Crusaders?”

“Scoots is still sleeping, and Sweetie needs to ‘freshen up like ah proper mare like Rarity taught her’, whatever that means.”

I smirk. “Scootaloo still sleeping? No, I hardly believe that.” I glance at the clock. “But she’s been sleeping long enough. Bloom, go wake her up please. If she fights ya, threaten to dump a bucket of ice water on her.”

“Can do.” I slide another plate of waffles on the table for Apple Bloom, along with three cups and a container of orange juice, as she leaves the room.

“Morning!”

I glance over my shoulder. “You’re in a chipper mood this morning, Sweetie. Guess that proper lady freshen up thing really does wonders.”

“Yeah! Like Rarity says, you can’t take care of others until you take care of yourself.”

Trixie giggles. “Or maybe she uses it as an excuse to beautify herself.”

“Well… I mean, yeah. There’s that too.”

I stifle a chuckle. Even Sweetie can see through the veil Rarity wears. “Take a seat, Sweetie. I’ll have food for ya in bit here.”

There’s a groan, causing me to look towards its source. “Why’d you have to get me up so early?” Scootaloo says while rubbing her eyes, as Apple Bloom walks around her and retakes her place at the table.

“So that you’d have more time today to crusade for Cutie Marks?”

Scootaloo stares at me for a bit, and then shrugs her shoulders. “Okay, a good enough reason as any, I guess.”

I jerk my head towards the table. “Take a seat, grab something to drink, and food will be ready in a moment.” I turn my attention back to cooking, even though there really isn’t much that I can do other than pouring the batter and taking the waffles out. Within a short while, I have a stack of waffles for Sweetie, Scootaloo, and I.

As we eat, I catch Apple Bloom pause mid bite as she stares out the window. “What happened out there?”

Everyone else looks out the window. I was wondering how long it would take before someone noticed the giant tree snapped in half outside. “Lightning struck the tree, snapped it in half, and the upper half fell onto Golden Oaks.”

Sweetie jumps up from her chair and runs to the window. “Oh no! Are Twilight and Spike alright?!”

I nod my head. “Spike’s in Canterlot, and Twilight’s just fine. She had Rarity and Applejack there to help her out.”

Trixie raises an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure about that?”

I cock my head. “So sure about… Which part there, exactly?”

“Twilight being fine… And now that I think about it, Rarity and Applejack being at Twilight’s. How do you know they were even there?”

“Hey… Why was mah sister and Rarity at Twilight’s anyway? I thought Rarity was at her place, since you went there to ask her for the makeup and all last night.”

I roll my eyes, but allow a small smirk to cross my face. “Honestly, Trixie, if something happened to Twilight, I’m sure someone would have been banging on my door by now to inform us.”

Trixie pauses for a moment, seeming to consider my words. “Okay, true. But that doesn’t explain how you knew Rarity and Applejack were at Twilight’s.”

“…Were you spying on them?” All eyes turn to Scootaloo. “What? It’s a valid question!”

I drum my fingers on the table. How do I want to play this one? “When the storm first started, I saw the two of them run into Golden Oaks to take shelter. I haven’t the faintest clue as to why they’d be out still, but nevertheless, they were.” Not the whole truth, but partial enough that it’s believable.

Apple Bloom nods her head. “Okay, yeah, that makes sense. And ah can see Applejack helping to clean up the tree, but Rarity? No offense, Sweetie.”

Sweetie just smiles. “None taken! You’ve seen how my sister gets when it comes to getting dirty.”

I laugh. “True, true. But I don’t see a giant hole in Twilight’s house with a tree sticking out of it, so they obviously took care of it. Now, ignore the scene outside and finish eating. I’m sure Rarity and Applejack will be along shortly to get you two, and then you can ask all the questions you want then.”

One breakfast is finished, I send the girls of to clean up whatever mess they made and to pack up their stuff. Once I clean up what I can in the kitchen, I head to the front door to bring Sonja back in. I open the door, Sonja darting it quick, and see Rarity and Applejack on the other side. Applejack has her hand raised, looking as if she was ready to knock on the door. She shrugs her shoulders and lowers her hand. “Morning, Blake.”

“Good morning, Blake. Did you sleep well?”

“Morning to you both too. Please, come in for a sec. The Crusaders are cleaning up and packing their stuff as we speak.” I stand aside so they can enter. Once they’re both in, I shut the door and motion them towards the kitchen. “And yes, I did sleep well. But I think I should be the one asking you that question.”

“Why?” Rarity asks as she sits down, declining a cup of coffee with a shake of her head. Applejack, on the other hand, nods her head, so I slide her a cup.

“Well, for starters, the fact you two were arguing and stuck in a building with each other since yesterday. And,” I point out the window, both of them looking at what I’m pointing at, “The fact that a tree fell onto Golden Oaks.”

Applejack pulls her hat down over her eyes. “Ah’ll be the first to admit, it was stupid of us to be arguing and ruining Twilight’s first slumber party.” Rarity nods her head. “But Rarity and I came to an understanding.”

I smirk. “And pray tell, what was that understanding? To accept each other for your differences, even if it doesn’t exactly jive with your lifestyle choices?”

They glance at each other, Applejack taking a swig of her coffee. “Not exactly what Twilight said, but in essence, yes.” Rarity says.

I nod my head. “Good, good. I’d hate to see something as your lifestyle choices break up a friendship. Hold on a sec, I’ll get the Crusaders so you two can be on your merry way. Girls! Get your stuff! Applejack and Rarity are here!”

The Crusaders and Trixie come out into the kitchen. “Why, I didn’t know you were here, Trixie. Did you happen to spend the night here?”

Trixie opens her mouth, but Sweetie answers for her. “Yeah she did! She helped us with our sleepover!”

Rarity smiles. “That’s wonderful to hear. Did they behave for you then?”

Trixie roll her eyes, but smiles. “Of course they did. They’d not dare to incur the wrath of Trixie.”

Scootaloo smirks. “She said the same thing right before she lost the pillow fight.”

Trixie glares at Scootaloo while the rest of us laugh. “Well, it’s been good and all, and thank ya kindly for the coffee, Blake,” Applejack downs the rest of her coffee, “But we’d best be getting back to the farm. Ready to go, Bloom?” Apple Bloom nods her head.

“And I’m afraid we must be off too. Sweetie, are you ready as well?”

“Yeah, sis!”

I smile. “Then by all means, go. It was a pleasure having the Crusaders over.” Pleasantries are exchanged, and the Crusaders promise each other to meet up again soon for another sleepover. Once my guests, minus Trixie, leave, I head back into the living room and sit down on the couch. With a sigh, I close my eyes and lean my head back.

“So… What now?”

I open my eyes and glance at Trixie. “What do you mean, what now?”

She scratches the back of her head. “You know… Like, what do we do now?”

I sit up and look at Scootaloo. She looks back at me, and a grin slowly spreads across our faces. She’s gotta be thinking what I’m thinking. “Trixie, wanna play some video games?” Scootaloo asks. I can’t help but laugh. Yep, that’s definitely my daughter.

Author's Note:

Happy Fourth of July everybody! In honor of America, have a song!

Comments

[Blackshadow of Abys]

MERICA!!!!

[moonbagger]

Glad to have another chapter up! Even if it's filler;)

[Rathorc Lemenger]

When's the next chapter? I hope it's going to be soon.

[JOEBLACK]

I smirk. “And pray tell, what was that understanding? To accept each other for your differences, even if it doesn’t exactly jive with your lifestyle choices?”

"No. We decided to stop fighting over you and share you."

"In the words of mah brother: "Eeyup."

Blake: "That's nice." *continues doing stuff before sudden record scratch* "Wait, what?"