> Filia Noctis
>  by Storylover-Vodhr
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> First impressions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash never really did understand the reason for the Summer sun celebration. Sure, it was the longest day of the year and all, and even she understood that ponies looked for just about any reason to celebrate, but still, it was just... dumb.

Too much fluff and random garbage, and not enough real reasons to do it.

Sure, the sun was up longer than normal. Woopty doo. Like it really mattered. Just another reason for ponies to go and celebrate things that didn't matter.

"Mom, why are we here, again?"

Dash's mother turned to the questioning filly and smiled the same smile she always did when Dash asked a stupid question. But for the life of her, Dash couldn't figure out what she said that was so stupid.

"Well, me and your father figured that you'd want to see the Princess. She's at every single one of these, after all."

Oh. 

Oooooooh.

That changed everything, and at that realization, Rainbow finally let herself smile in excitement. Alright, never mind. Seeing the Princess was, like, the best reason to celebrate. Sure, it still made no sense for the whole "Sun is up longer" thing, but still, now she could see pony's reason as to why they showed up. At least to Canterlot.

As such, Rainbow Dash happily followed her mother through the crowds without a single complaint, pointedly ignoring her surroundings and the ponies around her as she worked through her own excitement. She would get to see the Princess. And not just a picture, but the actual Princess!

Why didn't they tell her this before? She would've complained, like, a whole lot less if she knew the Princess was gonna be here. If anything, she actually felt a bit guilty about it.

Oh well. She'd just have to clean up her room a bit when she got home without being asked. Never let it be said that she was completely thankless.

"Did you hear? I heard that this year's celebration was organized by the Princess' daughter!"

Rainbow couldn't help but tilt her head towards the talker with interest, all while making sure that she kept sight of her mother. She, along with all of equestria, had heard of this mythical, magical filly. And from the sounds of it, she was awesome.

Only eight years old, and already organizing whole festivals by herself. Sure, it was kinda what one expected from a princess, seeing as they were all supposed to be totally awesome beyond any normal pony could achieve, but it was still really impressive. Dash couldn't even organize her bedroom, let alone a royal festival. And she was nine!

"Yeah! I heard she was even gonna be introduced by her mother this year!"

Wow. Now Rainbow was totally glad that she gave into her mom's pestering, and resolved to clean her entire room. The Princess was infamously protective of her daughter, and because of that, nopony had ever seen her before. Well, supposedly. According to that one foal in her class, anyway.

He was pretty legit, though.

Dash now found herself wondering if she'd get a chance to talk with her. The filly had to be awesome, if her mother was the stinkin' Princess of equestria.

And she had so many questions. Like what the palace was like, or why they still had summer sun celebrations,  when her mother was the princess of the moon. 

Rainbow Dash found herself wondering if the young princess liked flying, too. The young filly had to be an alicorn like her mother. It'd be weird if she wasn't. Heck, and she was probably awesome at it too. Not as good as Dash was, but still, better than just about everyone else.

She could even be her... what was the word? Underwing?

That's it. She could be her underwing. In fact, Dash found herself resolved. She would make this little magic filly her underwing, come tartarus or high cloud-cover.

Hay, never mind waiting for the princess to introduce her, Dash was gonna find the filly right now. She couldn't just wait around, when her potential best friend was out there, being awesome on her own, and not being awesome with her!

She just had to get rid of her mom, first. She definitely wouldn't be happy about her sneaking off. Or where she was sneaking off to. Mom's were weird like that, never understanding the costs of doing what needed to be done.

"Dashie, come on! We don't want to miss the main announcement!"

Her mother's tone was excited, A.K.A her normal tone when they did stuff together, but Dash ignored her. So... where would a Princess be?

It took Rainbow a couple seconds, before she face-hoofed. Well, duh, she'd be somewhere regal and stuff. Probably the nicest tent, surrounded by the scariest looking guards. 

Like that big dark blue one, in the distance. Surrounded by, well... the scary looking guards. The Bat pony ones that were supposedly the best of the guards, like ever, too, reserved only for the palace, the Princess, and the most dangerous of jobs. 

Lunar knights. Of course, that was to be expected for the Princess; her guards would have to be the best, especially if she was bringing her daughter with her.

Easy as hay. 

Rainbow Dash smiled to herself at the thought, and the instant her mother looked away, dove into the crowd. Being nine, and, well...tiny for her age worked in her advantage, as no one could easily see her through the crowd of hooves. It didn't take her long, crawling through the crowd and avoiding the occasionally careless step, and after a moment, she found herself staring at it from behind a nearby garbage can. Yep, this was definitely it.

But now she had to figure out how to get herself in the tent. 

The young filly' mind immediately went to work. The tent had, like, a ton of guards, so flying in or just going through the front door wouldn't work. She'd have to be sneaky.

Super sneaky. 

Maybe she could hide in a crate? No, that's how mom said ponies got foalnapped. Act like she was supposed to be there? Nah, that might work at her dad's job, but not on the Princess' personal guards. She'd probably get arrested for even trying.

Maybe she could go around the back, and try to just find another way in?

That would work. At least better than her other ideas. 

As such, Rainbow snuck sneakily around the tent, weaving in and out of the crowd until she finally came to the back of the large, nay, massive tent. 

"Now, uh, where can I sneak in?"

The question was a valid one, in Dash's opinion. It wasn't like there was an obvious backdoor, er, flap that Rainbow could enter. Nor was there a window or anything like that, either.

The rainbow maned filly sighed at the realization, and shook her head. Why did she think she could just sneak in? These were the Princess' best guards. They wouldn't be the best if a filly could just sneak in and-

Oh, Wait. She could just go under the tent wall. It wasn't even part of the ground. 

Rainbow couldn't help but smirk to herself, and quickly shot over to the nearby wall, and lifting it as high as she could. It was awfully well staked down, however, and Rainbow Dash barely managed to lift it up enough to scoot under, using her head to hold up the flap. Sure, it meant that she had to go in backwards, but that was the price she had to pay.

But, once she managed to get about 3/4ths of the way, she hit a snag. The rest of the tent flap pulled down, and her head got stuck before she could properly pull it out, pulling her head down to the dirt, and covering her eyes. 

Great.

"Oh... Uh, Hello?"

Dash froze at the words, her head still stuck on the outside of the tent. She was so dead, caught sneaking into the Princess' tent. She would be drawn and quartered, keel hauled, lashed with a reed and all of the other scary sounding punishments she heard of in history class. She'd probably even get kitchen duty!

""Please don't arrest me!" The blue filly suddenly felt exposed. Her fanny was stuck out, defenseless, with her head still caught under the tent flap. Whoever had caught her would probably give her a swat to the flank like her mother did whenever she had got caught doing something bad.

She couldn't have screwed this up more. Not only did she get caught, but she got caught with her flank literally hung out to dry.

"Oh, Uh... Don't worry, I won't."

And, like that, Dash's fears were gone, and her normal attitude returned. Well, if she wasn't gonna get in trouble... "Oh! Great! So, uh, could you help me... ya know, get unstuck?"

There was a sudden bright purple light, and the pressure from the tent wall lessened on the stuck filly's head as it was pulled up from over her head. "Ah yeah! Thank ya, uh-"

Rainbow Dash turned around, about to give her savior a proper thanks, but froze immediately when saw her. A small purple alicorn. Now, Dash never claimed to be an egghead, but she wasn't dumb enough to misunderstand what that meant. 

"Oh, wow! Are you the Princess' daughter?"

The tiny Alicorn seemed a little shocked at Dash's forward question, but never got the chance to answer as Dash rushed forward to look the tiny Alicorn over. She had good, strong looking wings, expertly preened, and a nice, long horn that was probably super powerful to boot. But, while those two bits looked normal, nay, almost impressive, the rest of her seemed... mismatched, her body and legs looking a tad scrawny. In fact, she almost looked like Fluttershy for how skinny she was. And her mane. Dash never really put much stock, alright, she put no stock into how one did their mane. But the Princess had a hairstyle that looked like it had been cut by a slide-ruler. Boring, practical, and low maintenance. 

She looked like... well, a scrawny egghead. The thought surprised her for a bit, her mental idea of a strong, brave Princess dying rapidly. 

The Princess was a nerd. 

Dash rolled that fact around her head for a moment, before sighing. Ah well, not even a Princess could be perfect right off the bat. 

Besides, it wouldn't do for the Princess to be totally cooler than her right off said bat. What would she even teach her?

It was at this time that the small scrawny princess managed to recover from her surprise, and answered Dash's question. "Well, Yea- Er, wait, that's not right. *Ahem* Yes, I am the Princess' first born, Twilight Sparkle. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The purple filly then made a small bow, and dipped her head low. "May I ask... Ummm... Why you're in my tent?"

Dash just gave the filly a smile. It was a legitimate question. But Rainbow Dash was here to blow her nerdy little mind.

"I'm here to claim you as my underwing!"

The young and very purple Princess sat still for a moment, as if trying to understand the statement, before her expression morphed into one of understanding. And, once she seemed to get over it, she jumped up, and punched a small hoof in the air before doing a small little dance. It was awkward, clumsy, and frankly, downright adorable.  

"Ha! I told mom that the stories were real!"

Alright, that was a new one. She understood the happy bit; after all, she was Rainbow Dash, and she was offering to be best friends. But that other part...

"Uh... Stories?"

The tiny alicorn just continued grinning, before doing a small butt wiggle. "You know? The stories where a Prince would fly in, and whisk the Princess away!"

At that, the blue mini-Pegasus froze. She hadn't thought of that. Was that what she was supposed to do? Just... take the young Princess away?

Heck, she didn't know any stories, besides one about a pegasus soldier beating a dragon. She didn't even know what the Princess was talking about. Was there some sort of way this was supposed to be done? Was the whisking required, or heavily suggested?

And where would she even whisk her away too? Her house? Sure, her mom might not have a big problem with it, but her dad was a member of the Cloudsdale guard. He definitely wouldn't be happy if he found that she had brought a Princess home. Especially if she didn't ask said Princess' mom first.

Or did she mean whisk, as in the cooking thingie? 

Was she supposed to cook for her?

She had to figure this out. She couldn't just go into this without knowing what was required. 

What if she needed bits? Or had to slay a dragon? She couldn't slay a dragon, even with how awesome she was! She'd need at least a few months before she got to that level of awesome!

"Umm... huh?"

The tiny Princess stopped dancing in place at her questioning tone, and looked at her in irritation before looking her over in return. But, unlike Dash, she only took a second before seeming to make up her mind.

"So, I don't mean to sound... choosey, but I kinda expected a colt."

Oh, so that's how it is. She wanted a colt best friend. 

Dash felt her chest swell in indignation for a moment before she scowled. Well, too bad. She wanted a colt? Now she was stuck with Rainbow Dash, and they were gonna be besties forever. She didn't even have a say in it anymore, Princesshood or not. 

"Nope! You're stuck with me, Twilight Sparkle."
> Sneaky-Sneaky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was no one around but she, herself, and Twilight, which was exactly how she liked it. Any more, and there was suddenly rules, like how they couldn't sneak snacks from the kitchens, or how whatever they wanted to do was too dangerous or "uncouth" for a Princess. And any less, and there was just Rainbow Dash, sitting around, being bored and having to do something dumb, like having to do homework explaining the theory for cloud bucking or something like that.

No, it was best when it was Just the two of them, on an adventure they weren't allowed to be on, to lands unexplored and seas unmapped. The perfect adventure for two best friends for what Twilight determined was to be all eternity.

BFFAE's. It was a huge mouthful, sure, but Dash grew to like it, even if it sounded ultra-dorky. Yeah, saying it aloud sounded like she was choking to death on the alphabet, but what it meant was just... right. All nice and final, with absolutely no wiggle room to suddenly change, like how the rest of the world was. It was a kind of consistency that one could make plans around.

Best friends for all Eternity. And even though Dash wasn't an egghead like Twi was, even she could understand how totally awesome something like that could be.

And, as for the aformentioned plans, Dash had spent all week thinking it up and sorting one out, one that they were currently trying to enact. A trip, just the two of them, to her favorite swimming hole, all the way down by the tiny, ultra-snoozefest town of Ponyville. And, better yet, it was meant for just her, the Princess of book, and swimming. Nopony else. No boring, uptight moms, no lame-joking, groan-worthy dads, no worry-wort personal maids, and no ultra-scary Princesses.

Just the two of them, with nothing but the wings on their backs. Oh, and some snacks that she had snuck over the previous day. All in all, Dash believed that it was a well thought out plan, one that even her stickler of a friend could appreciate, once she finally told her about it. And all they had to do to enact said plan and start said adventure was escape. A simple enough job. Easy as cake.

“Dash! Can.. we... slow down?”

The Pegasus in question let out a groan at the implications, and shook her head in exasperation. Oh yeah, there was that one, tiny little snag; She forgot that her best friend was a complete and total baby, and running for long periods of time was a difficult to manage thing for someone who did little more than book. And, once again, Dash was forced to slow down, regroup, and let her less physically fit compatriot catch her breath.

And, if she didn't, they would get caught due to either Twilight making enough noise to wake even her mother up with her panting and whining, or trip up and simply fall behind and get spotted. Or, worse, Dash could genuinely lose her in the labyrinth that was the lower levels of the castle, and in doing so, make the whole trip idea moot.

So with that in mind, the filly looked around the hall for several seconds, looking for a decent spot to hide, before finally spotting something. A pile of crates, all sitting there in such a way that two small fillies, one awesome and one book, could hide behind. Not the best hiding spot in the world, but enough to keep them out of sight for a couple minutes while Twilie the wondernerd caught her breath.

"Alright, we can rest for, like, one minute, but we gotta get going again."

All the purple filly gave her was a nod of acceptance and a pained whisper of thanks, and Dash decided to stare back, hoping for a little more than that.

What, no hug? Her being nice definitely deserved a hug. She was a great friend, dang it.

But, after a moment of waiting, Dash gave an all suffering shrug, before clambering behind the previously spotted crate, half-dragging Twilight along with her as the purple filly tried to catch her breath. She didn't know why she felt so disappointed; Twilight always had been a stickler for hugs, and right now probably wouldn't be the most appropriate time. They were in a rush, and were supposed to be sneak-snonking out of the castle. And hugging was not sneaky, even if they were somehow really cool.

So, Dash settled with watching her friend tiredly pant while slumped against the crate for a moment, pondering what they should do next. They had been lucky so far, managing to get into the lower levels of the castle, where there was much less staff, and as such, much less chance of being spotted by somepony. It should theoretically be easier from here.

You know what? Dash was gonna call it now; the rest was gonna be super easy.

But, even if the rest was gonna be easy, they had still found themselves lacking in what they needed to find; a window. Yeah, they needed a window like a dragon needed a breath mint, as there was no unguarded doors in the lower levels, a fact that Dash knew completely from experience. But as her luck would have it, windows weren’t apparently welcome in the less splendor-filled parts of the castle, making their escape so much harder.

But, luckily, the filly known as Rainbow Dash liked a challenge. And, even better, she liked high stakes, because the truth was that if they got caught, it was like, a insta-grounding.

Do not pass go, do not collect allowance. She’d probably even get banned from the castle again too, meaning that she’d have to leave poor Twilight alone with all her books and studies and lists of what she should do for a whole week, with only that stuffy maid Cadence to keep her company.

"We're almost out, Twi. We just gotta find a window."

The purple alicorn nodded weakly, before looking around a little. "Uh... there should be one... just down the hall."

Of course. She should've asked Twilight from the beginning; She knew the castle inside and out, probably because she lived here and everything. Of course she would know how to get out of it easily.

So, yes, her plan was clear; Follow Twilight, who would lead them to salvation. A brilliant plan, if ever there was one. They couldn’t afford to get caught by anyone, so the best plan would be to follow the purple one who booked and wrote, and definitely not get caught.

Especially not by one of the Royal guards. A maid could be sweet talked if they were either new and/or busy enough and Twilight put on the "I'm adorable" charm, but a guard always knew what was up, and were completely immune to her best friend's cuteness.

So, all they had to do is not get seen by any guards.

Like the one that was about to walk by the pair, and probably already knew what was up.

“Um, Dash?”

The blue Pegasus barely heard the words before she shot over and pulled the tiny Princess into a tight hold, using a wing to cover her mouth as she drug the two of them further behind the stack of crates. Maybe, they’d get lucky, and the guard wouldn’t have heard her.

They’d just have to-

*CHOMP*

“OW!”

Dash couldn’t help but let out a yelp, and almost immediately, the crate that hid them from view was lifted into the air by a very unamused, yet similar looking guard.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash. Princess.”

Dash was torn between trying to give the familiar looking guard a innocent smile and glaring at Twilight. But ultimately, she chose Twilight. The guard, gleamer plate or Shining armor or whatever could wait.

Besides, she was already caught, so at this point it didn’t matter. Twilight deserved her ire. And to think that she put all this effort into sneaking her out of the castle without even telling her where they were going. Secrets were hard, dangit!

“You bit my wing!”

Twilight, on the otherhoof, just glared back with equal intensity, as if she was the one who had been wronged.

“Well, you tried to smother me!”

And it was for a good cause. Sometimes, somepony needed to take one for the team. “You bit my wing!”

The pair continued to give each other death-glares, all while the guard continued to give the pair a look of bored disappointment, his eyes going from one to the other as the pair argued. But, after a long moment of bickering, the guard finally spoke up.

"Dash, didn't you just get allowed to return today?"

The rainbow maned pegasus didn't respond, instead choosing to glare some more at Twilight. Dang it, now her wing hurt, and was covered in nerd-slobber. And Twilight was just sitting there, like she totally deserved it or something.

The gall. Pegasi wings were special, and not just anypony was supposed to chew on them!

"You stay out of this!"

The guard seemed mildly surprised at the purple alicorn's outburst, but beyond that, he didn't seem all that interested in staying out of the shouting match, instead choosing to lift the pair of unruly fillies into the air with his magic.
> Dress-up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dash couldn't really do much, beyond fluffing her wings in irritation, as the comb running through her tangled mane caught yet again. There was no *real* reason for any of this; It was just a party. A normal, music and dancing and punch party. But her mom seemed to think that she was still a little filly, rather than a thirteen year old Mare, and that she couldn't trust her to look her best. That she needed to have somepony dress her up.

The gall. She was definitely not a filly, but instead a mare. And she managed to make this long, surviving both her parents insanity and her antics at school, along with all the crap she and Twilight did. As such, she deserved the credit for it, thank you very much. 

But that didn't stop her mother, the she-beast of combs, mirrors, and brushes. Of yanking and pulling and twisting.

She couldn't even tell what her mother was trying for, either. Some sort of... something. 

"Dash, sit still, I'm almost done with your mane. We can't have you looking like a ragamuffin in front of the princess!"

It took everything for Dash not to laugh at the idea. Like that mattered. Half the time Twilight's mom saw her, it was her being drug forward to answer to her after some sort of failed stunt, or in the aftermath of some sort of shenanigan that made Shining grimace and Cadence groan. If anything, the Princess probably wouldn't be able to recognize her without her standard coating of dirt, mud, or cake frosting. 

Not that she needed to tell her mom that. If she ever told her mom a tenth of the things they did at the castle, she'd be a dead mare. 

But that didn't matter. Right now, all that did was trying to survive her mom's attempts at making her all fru-fru, as well as survive the rest of the day looking like it. 

Another tug from the brush in her hair made her gasp lightly in pain, but she forced her way through it. What was her mom even doing back there? And shouldn't she be the one with the mirror, anyway? They drug it all the way out of her room, so she should be allowed at least one quick peek, darnit.

Another pull was the answer to her unasked question, and Rainbow sighed. 

The letter even said the theme was casual, dang it. Casual meant *not* being dressed up more than the standard runway model. Heck, Dash doubted that Twilight, little miss super-proper/super-formal, was gonna be as dressed up as she was. And she had a personal maid!

Which raised the question; Why was she just sitting down and taking it? Why was she letting her mother just fru-fru it up? 

She should be rebelling. Kicking and fighting, and flying away fast enough to make her mother at least work for it. But no, instead, she was just sitting here. Taking it like a chump.

So, why?

Dash thought for a moment, before finding that she didn't really have an definitive answer. 

Maybe it was because she was in a good mood, all things considered. She was Twilight's "guest of honor", after all, and would spend all of her time with her best friend.

That was a good enough reason to be in a good mood.

Or maybe it was because she thought that, maybe, just maybe, the Princess had talked to her mom and actually outlined what she expected out of her. That would make sense too, seeing as, in the end, the Princess was always right.

Or, maybe she just wanted to look good, and not embarrass Twilight, regardless of what anypony said. That one made the most sense, but it still had a lot of questions that she didn't have the answers to hidden inside it. Questions that she knew were uber-important, but were unwilling to seek out.

Eh, she'd figure it out. Besides, at least the dress was actually pretty good, even if it was a bit frilly. And, hay, maybe her mom's hairstyling would actually look good, too. Doubtful, but possible.  

Alright, fine. It was also possible that, beyond the other reasons, that she actually liked the dress, and wanted to wear it. The hair was probably gonna be a bit much, sure, but she knew that she couldn't get one without the other, and besides all of that, it was Twilight's birthday. She wouldn't let her bestie down by showing up like some sort of hobo-pony. She'd give it her all, even if her all involved getting very far out of her own comfort zone. 

There. An answer she could accept, even if it involved her ignoring several other, more ambiguous reasons. 

Dash made a snort of acceptance at that, and smiled. Everything was fine. She was going to a party, and was in a nice looking dress. And, as for her mane, if worst comes to worst, she could always mess up her mane once she got to the castle. She was supposed to be super early after all, and if anyone laughed or thought it looked bad, she could always fix it without maternal interference. It would be super easy; Just a quick, high-speed flight would fix it to her normal style, quick as a flash.

"Alright... I think I got it!"

Thank Faust. She smiled weakly in relief, before her mom finally spun her back around, and let her see what the damage was.

Holy carp. She actually looked...

There was a blinding flash of a camera, and Rainbow found herself blinking as the very familiar dot of her mother's camera temporarily blinded her. But Dash didn't let herself get distracted, and instead continued to stare at herself, as if not recognizing the pony in the mirror.

The style was formal, yeah, but it was somehow actually really cool. 

Instead of, say, looking like some stuffy, stuck up rich pony, she looked like a sleek super spy, or something. Sharp, neat, but... cool.

She looked actually good. 

"Dear, you look so adorable~!"

It took everything Dash had to keep from rolling her eyes. No, she didn't need to be rude; her mother put a ton of effort and crap into fixing her hair, and she was feeling, at the moment, benevolent. She could hold her tongue, at least for a moment. 

Plus, she did an ultra-cool job. She earned a pass, even if she insisted on using the wrong adjective.

"Yeah... so, uh, I guess I'll just fly over now-"

She didn't even get a chance to raise up from her chair before her mother put a hoof on her shoulder. 

"Oh no you won't. You're not gonna mess up all of my hard work. You, little miss, will be taking a carriage. It's already waiting outside with your chaperone."

A carriage? Like hay she would. She wasn't some hoity-toity noble; she was Dash the awesome. She carried herself where she wanted to go, with her very own wings to boot, thank you very much. She wasn't about to make a habit of having others do things that she could manage herself.

"Nuh uh. No way, I'm gonna fly over, and-"

"Hello, Rainbow Dash."

The voice sent a sudden rush of ice up Dash's spine, and the filly- No, the mare, suddenly froze in place, her heart filling slowly with dread. No, it couldn't be. 

She recognized that voice easily, as well as the connotations that it held. It was something from her nightmares, one that scared her more than anything. 

But she had to see it with her own eyes. She had to make sure. 

And so, Dash turned around slowly, and sure enough, there was Cadence, sitting there in her maid outfit, looking professional, slightly amused, and positively, absolutely, irrefutably in her living room with her mother. This was a nightmare all in itself.

Twilight's personal maid, the one who cleaned up all of her messes and bandaged all of their scrapes, was here. In her house. With her mom. 

She was gonna get so grounded that it wasn't even funny. She had a better chance surviving punching a dragon in the snout than she did surviving this, and she knew that fact without a doubt. 

Which meant that her sole chance to survive was clear. What she couldn't outfly or outfight, she would outrun. She had to leave, right now. Before the dark one of pink and purple could open up her mouth, and squeal on her every mistake, her every mess. 

"-Aaaaaand get right into the carriage, like my darling mother ordered."

There was a snort of amusement from both her mother and Cadence. She needed to leave, now. Every second she waited was a second closer to her doom. 

"So, yeah, let's go! No time to waste and junk, right?"

There was no real reply to that, and Rainbow moved towards the front door, getting up from the stylist's chair that she was in. 

"Now wait a moment, dear. Cadence here just got here; She could use a moment to stretch her wings before she gets couped back into the carriage. Isn't that right, Miss?"

Dash could swear that she aged a decade at hearing that. No, nononononono-

"That would be amazing, thank you."

She was dead. So dead. She wouldn't even make it to the party, because in about ten seconds, her mom would do the only thing she ever did, talk about her, and Cadence would rat her out so fast that the speed of it would make even her blush. Then, her mother would strike her down, and unlike in the movies, she would not get more powerful than they could ever imagine. 

No, she'd just get locked up in her room until she died. 

"Oh, well, let me make you some tea. Maybe you can tell me what my little Dashie gets up to while she is at the castle!"

So dead. Dash could almost watch the gears in Cadence's mind wind into place, and Dash felt her ears bend back out of fear. Oh, so dead. 

And, just like that, Cadence's face split into a massive grin.

"Oh, it would be my pleasure."
> Spotlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And then, before anypony could stop her, she just burst straight through the cake! I don't think I've ever seen the Princess so shocked in my life!"

Dash could do little more than groan, her already red face burning slightly hotter as she tried to hide under the table cloth. This was worse than she feared. She had expected anger, or stories that got her in trouble, not... humiliation. At this point, she'd take her mom being angry; Her mother had a temper rivaling her own, sure, but at this point, she could handle an angry mom. It was far better than a mom who knew all of her embarrassing exploits. 

Plus, she knew that these stories would get brought up at a later date. This was her mom; she pretty much scrap-booked everything she had ever done, and was probably memorizing the stories as she heard them. 

In the end, the truth was clear. This was a horrible betrayal. A terrible betrayal that would result in dramatic action in the future. She would have her revenge on Cadence. 

There would be no quarter. Honey in her socks, dye in her shampoo. Salt in her sugar jar. There would be hell to pay.

But, that would have to wait. Right now, she had to close the maw that continued to belch out these awful stories. That was the most important, and only after she got to the castle could she could begin her plotting. 

"Oooookay, so, we gotta get going. Can't be late for the party and all!"

The pair of older mares both turned to look at her, a pair of grins still on their faces. Her mother obviously wanted her to wait some more; it was obvious from the expecting and hopeful glances she kept shooting Cadence. And it wasn't hard to think of why, either; She was getting golden blackmail material, material that she herself would want, were the situation somehow reversed, along with more tidbits of her life to fill her and dad's sick scrapbooking fetish. But no, Rainbow couldn't let this stand. 

"I promised Twilight that I'd be there early! And if I can't take the carriage..."

Dash punctuated her statement with a little flare of her wings, hoping that either her mother or Cadence would catch on to the implications. At this point, she was totally willing to ruin her mane and dress to get out of this. Heck, she'd go to the party looking like she drug herself out from under her bed if she had to. 

Twilight would understand.

"That will not be necessary."

And, with that, the room went silent, and Dash's own heart caught in her chest as she spotted both her mother and Cadence make a pair of hasty bows. 

No.

Nope.

All of it. So much nope, that she couldn't bring herself to turn around, and bow to the Princess like her mother and Cadence were doing. Instead, she just sat there, frozen, while her mother seemed torn between honored and horrified at the unexpected arrival. 

But, after a moment, she chose the second.

"Ah! Milady! I-I'm so sorry for the state of my house! I, I-"

But, before she could continue, the familiar, cool voice of the Princess interrupted her. "Do not worry, Mrs. Whistle. I am merely here to ensure that Rainbow makes it to the celebration without trouble."

Of course she was. Dash didn't know if she should be honored because of having a literal royal chaperone, or terrified, because the Princess thought she was enough trouble to *require* said chaperone.

"So, would you please turn around, Rainbow Dash? I wish to see your mother's hoofwork."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but do as she was told, and turned slowly, until she found herself staring into the cool blue eyes of the Princess of the moon, who stood several feet away. The Alicorn's expression was best described as dispassionate, staring coolly at her as the Princess did a visual inspection, her mane floating casually through the air, as if propelled by some invisible, unknown breeze. 

The stare, as always, sent a chill down her spine. 

But, after a moment, the Princess gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, and changed her object of focus to her mother.

"Hm. You've done excellent work, Mrs. Whistle. You are to be commended. Truly, not even the most complaintive of nobles would think that she is out of place."

The statement seemed to make the room relax marginally, and even Dash found herself letting out a breath of relief. Well, if the Princess approved, Twilight would certainly like it.

"So, I apologize for shortness of my stay, but we must be off. It was a pleasure, Mrs. Whistle. If you would, please give my regards to your husband."

And, with that, the Princess turned around and left, leaving the trio in relative silence. After a moment, Dash's mother shot over, and scooped the young pegasus into a tight hug. 

"Well, Dashie, you should get going. Can't leave the Princess waiting, huh?"

Rainbow just made a panicked nod, and after half-heartedly returning the hug, followed after the Princess.





"So... What's the party gonna be like?"

Dash immediately regretted the question the second it came out of her mouth for a multitude of reasons. For one, it reminded her of the fact that, to this day, she still failed all the etiquette courses the Princess had assigned to her. And, for another, it made her look like an idiot. Twilight had told her at least five times, and ironically enough, Dash actually paid attention. She already knew what the party was gonna be like.

And lastly, the idea of accidentally forcing small talk with the Princess was a frightening one, especially after what happened last time.

"Uhh... never mind."

There was more silence at that, and Dash felt herself cringe inwardly. She always hated weird silences, and awkward ones were the worst. Especially when she was the one who made them.

But, unfortunately, the silence continued, and the pegasus was forced to sit there in silence for several minutes, with a cool, collected maid, and the strict, no nonsense guard that always pestered her and Twilight, and the Princess. It was so bad that, once the Princess spoke up, Dash actually felt a bit of excitement at what would probably end up being a warning or reprimand. It didn't matter that the Princess didn't even look at her, nor did she care that the Princess looked surprisingly solemn for even the cold and unemotional standard that she usually set. 

"I want you to look after my daughter while you are with her at the party."

Well, duh. of course she'd do that; she'd punch anypony who insulted Twilight then and there, regardless of who it was. Heck, she'd probably punch her own mom, even if she knew that she wouldn't survive the resulting backlash. No one insulted her friends and got away with it. 

"What kinda friend would I be, if I didn't?"

Princess Luna didn't verbally respond or even look at her, still looking forward as she gave a small, almost imperceivable nod. But, even while the Princess didn't give the most clear of responses, Dash felt that she still passed some unknown test. Maybe the Princess was finally warming up to her-

"I request that you keep your antics to a minimum, if possible. I know that is difficult to ask of you, but I ask that you try."

Or, maybe not. Dash just gave a semi-frantic vertical shake of the head and a forced smile. "Oh, uh, yeah! Won't do anything dumb, promise. Heh."

"We'll see."

And, with that, Dash felt the impact of the carriage's wheels with the ground, as a nice punctuation to the Princess' statement. And, at this, Cadence sat up straighter somehow, and looked over to Dash, before tweaking tiny bits of her appearance, moving stray hairs and straightening feathers. 

"Alright, don't speak unless spoken to, Shin- The guard leaves the carriage first, then the Princess, then you. Keep your head up high, but don't look up, don't fluff your wings, and for heaven's sake, try and look like you belong. You'll only be out in the open for a few minutes until we can get you to the young Princess, so until then, try not to cause waves."

Rainbow Dash did her best to agree as she was tweaked upon, feeling a small bit of worry boil up. She knew that this was a big event; Twilight normally chose to forgo these sort of things, and as such, never had an formal birthday party, beyond the tiny, personal ones that Dash had made for her. 

This was the first real birthday party Twilight had as a royal. 

The realization of how large this event truly was suddenly hit her all at once, and Dash immediately paled. Nope. She couldn't do this. She'd screw something up, and ruin everything. The possibilities of future failures flashed before her eyes, and Dash swore that she could feel her wings coil up like springs, ready to shoot her away from some unknown threat. 

Maybe, she could wait in the carriage until it got pulled around and leave then? She didn't have to been seen by the public, right? And Twilight's own party was only with ponies her own age, ponies who didn't have the power to ruin everything if Dash used the wrong fork. She'd just have to wait a bit longer, and she'd be good.

But, what if she screwed that up, too? What if she somehow offended the son of the Weather Factory's manager, and got her mother fired? What if she accidentally made Twilight look like a doofus or something?

Alright, new plan. She'd sit here, and do nothing until everything was over. 

Yeah. That was a much better idea.

"Do not fear, little one."

Dash barely noted the words before being scooped up by a very large blue wing, pulling her into the side of the large princess. The pegasus didn't react immediately, instead sitting there in under the large wing, trying to both combat the feelings of fear she held, and the utter confusion of what was happening, before finally gathering the ability to look up the the Princess. 

She didn't look annoyed, or irritated, or anything like that. She just... stared back down, her blue eyes observing her quietly with a soft, gentle look. 

"Worry not, Rainbow Dash. Everything will go well."

The words did a little to calm her, but Dash was still skeptical; there was just way too much she could screw up. She found herself staring at the Princess for several moments, trying to spot any sign of deceit as the carriage slowly came to a halt, as the din of unknown ponies grew louder and louder upon realizing that they had arrived.

She couldn't spot any.

"Promise?"

And then, for the first time Dash could ever recall, the Princess laughed. It was short, sweet, and barely more than a singular chuckle, but it was there. Heck, she even smiled that gentle, calming smile that always reminded her of her own mother.

"Yes, I promise."

There was a moment of gentle silence after that, and Dash sighed, feeling strangely relieved. Yes, the Princess was ultimately right; She was being totally uncool. Besides, she couldn't leave Twilight waiting, now could she? 

Plus, who had ever heard of a Shadowbolt afraid of crowds, anyway?

"Alright. Uh... thank you."

The Princess just continued her gentle smile, before nodding. 

"Of course. Now, Shining Armor, it's time."

The previously silent guard nodded, and opened the door, letting the crowd's noises grow even louder. Rainbow felt a quick return of her previous fear, but with the Princess' wing still gently holding her close to the lunar Alicorn, she found that it was bearable, even as they stepped out of the carriage. 

Hmn. She was never gonna hear the end of this from her mom when she got home.
> Should've taken those lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Dash looked around the room, having regained both her composure from her minor little freakout and her freedom from the Princess’s side after a really stress filled walk into the ballroom, she immediately recalled that had never been the biggest fan of *being* in crowds.

They were noisy, uncomfortably difficult to maneuver, everypony seemed determined to stomp on your unsuspecting hoof or tail, and worst of all, the majority of those who made them up tended to have at least a foot over her in height, reminding her once again that she was quite short. No, never mind, not short. Aerodynamic. She was tiny by function, not by form.

But regardless, that was with normal crowds, full of normal, boring ponies. No, this was a fancy crowd, made up of the various nobles of the world, which, after a short moment, Dash decided that she liked even less.

Sure, they were quite a bit quieter, never shouting or drowning out others by volume of voice, and they seemed a bit less likely to stomp her while she stood beside the Princess who sat there being all regal and surprisingly protective, but what few points they earned for being quiet and careful, they easily made the difference up with pure snoot.

Case and point; The mare walking past her, looking like her nose was being repelled by the very earth itself and was trying to escape the mare's face as it pointed to the highest heavens. Or the stallion, who was giving the nearest waiter the stink eye because he hadn't literally teleported to him to provide drinks. 

Or heck, even the rich politician trying his best to smooze up to the Princess not but ten feet away; All he could talk was taxes this, property values that, not noticing that even the Princess seemed bored and irritated at his choice of conversation.

It was snoot-opolis in here. 

No, it wasn't just snooty ponies; Everything was snooty. They way the crowd moved, the way they danced, the way they attempted to gain The Princess’ favor with weird complements and conversations. 

The guards were snooty. 

The decorations were snooty.

The food was snooty.

Heck, even the way they ate said food was filled with some sort of self gratified grace, looking so rehearsed that Dash swore that they had to practice an hour a day on how to eat an stinkin’ cracker.

It was a snoot-singularity. The purified form of snooty. And all of them, doubting her. Counting her out. Not expecting her to be much or do anything great.

But she was better than some snooty noble. And anything they could do, Rainbow Dash, best friend of Twilight sparkle and flier extraordinaire, could definitely do better. And that included getting something to eat, because she had kinda-sorta skipped lunch out of excitement for Twilight's party and at this point, even fancy food filled with what was probably snoot-fruit or something sounded good.

So, yeah. She'd show them. She'd show them all.

And so, under the supervision of the Princess, Dash managed to flag down a server, the ever-faithful Le'Snoot, carrying a platter of various foodstuffs. And after a moment to convince him that, no, she wasn't gonna screw something up, he deigned her worthy to look upon the platter as he kindly lowered it to her eye level.

They had all sorts of things. Some sort of cheese dish, a cracker with some sort of fruit on it, some tomato slices shaped like Twilight's cutie mark, various dips and crackers covered in various pastes of various compositions, they had it all. 

And, better yet, unlike most fancy food, most of it actually looked edible. Dash actually found herself staring in awe for a short moment, before Mister Le'Snoot, as per the norm, gave her a harrumph, reminding Dash that, yeah, she probably shouldn't look like she was being offered the first bite of food she would have in a week.

So, after a quick mental debate, she ended up choosing a cracker with one of those shaped tomato slices and some weird looking cheese, before trying to hold it delicately with her wingtips, trying her best to replicate what she had spotted a cloudsdalian noble doing. And, for a moment, she actually succeeded. Even Mister Le' Snoot looked impressed, and the Princess didn't look disappointed, and Dash allowed herself a moment of satisfaction, even as the head butler turned to leave, and the Princess looked elsewhere. 

So, she carefully, cautiously moved the foodstuff towards her mouth, barely managing to look somewhat dignified, before, somehow, miraculously, she felt the food make contact with her mouth. She actually gave a momentary little wiggle of excitement, but, as fate would have it, that one moment of joy and pride was the one that proved to be her downfall. So, all she managed to get a single bite, barely even a nibble, before the cracker ended up falling from her wingtips, lost due to her victory wiggle, and she could only watch in terror as it fell to the floor.

It landed cheese down. And, as it sat there, Dash stared at it and contemplated what that meant for her hopes of not screwing anything up at the party, and she waited for the other metaphorical shoe to drop. 

And, as she waited and stared, hoping and praying that nothing would happen, a noble walked past, the other shoe made a resounding thud. 

So, with his weight bearing hoof now standing on cheese and cracker instead of floor, The noble slipped immediately, almost doing a backflip as they crashed into Le' Snoot, bowling the poor old Unicorn over and forcing the tray to fly up into the air.

Dash watched the whole thing with an almost sick fascination, watching as the tray flew higher, and as the food, which once had been held by gravity and Le' Snoot were now free to do as they pleased. Which quickly proved to be peppering the surrounding crowd with chunks of cracker, fruit, and cheese, which the nobles responded to with screams and shouts. 

The tray, however, had far loftier ambitions; covering nobles in mere crumbs wasn't its style. No, it wanted to go big. So, rather than just falling to the ground like a tray should, it instead shot forth like a discus thrown by poniclues himself, sinking halfway into the large birthday cake that had sat dead center of the buffet table in the middle of the ballroom, a good seventy feet away.

Needless to say, the eight foot tall cake toppled to the side, and screams of horror rang out for mere seconds as the cake tipped dangerously towards the soon-to-be doomed ponies that dare have the audacity to sit below it's girth, before they were silenced by hundreds of pounds of frosting and pastry.

Then, for a moment, there was pandemonium. Ponies screamed, several other servers got bowled over in the panic, leading to several more salvos of flying horderves, and Dash just sat there, eye twitching as the world's sanity unzipped around her. 

Then, the whole room went silent, and Dash found herself looking on in horror, as the crowd suddenly stopped, turned, and began to stare. 

But not at her. No, they all stared at the Princess, who had a slice of shaped tomato stuck on her horn, skewered neatly halfway down the horn, the red juices of the tomato slowly sliding down toward the Princess's mane.

It was everything she feared, and more. 

So much more.

But, after a moment, the Princess gave a flash of her horn, and the tomato slice and accompanying juice was gone. And the Princess slowly, almost torturously, turned around to face her.

They met eyes. 

And then, the princess turned towards the noble who had slipped, who still laid on his back, contemplating what seemed to be his entire life's choices up until this moment. Dash could relate. She was doing the same. 

"Duke Flowerstem, you seem to have caused a mess."

The noble didn't respond immediately, instead choosing to sit there, staring blankly at the ceiling, covered in cheese and his own personal shame, and the Princess sighed. 

"Shining armor, aid him please."

The Stallion simply nodded, and moved towards the fallen noble. Then, the Princess herself moved to Rainbow Dash, and she felt a tugging at her dress and hair, a glowing blue plucking off bits of cracker and foodstuff that had managed to hit her as the crowd stared at the pair.

"That was unexpected, was it not?"

Dash didn't respond, still shaking slightly. This was twice as bad as the cake incident.

"A small hiccup, but ultimately a harmless one. Now, I believe my daughter has a far more interesting party for to attend, does she not? I dare say that you will be far more comfortable there. Miss Cadence, if you would?"

At that, the Pink pegasus appeared, giving Rainbow Dash a quick once over, before nodding. "The Young Princess should be prepared by now. So, let us be off."

Dash could do little more than nod her head, still trying to comprehend what had just truly happened, before watching Cadence move toward one of the many guarded doors. But, after a moment, and a gentle nudge from the High Princess, Dash began to follow Cadence through the doors.
> Shut up and dance with me~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dash followed Cadence nervously, her heart feeling slightly heavy as the pair having left the ballroom behind. walking past the large double doors and into the foyer. And for a moment, Dash wished to have a moment of silence to herself, to allow her heart to calm and her surprisingly roiling stomach to settle.

To her disappointment however, the halls were far from empty, instead filled with the noises of a surprising number of waiting staff rushing to and from the kitchens with platters of food and other items for the party, most likely to replace what had been ruined.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at that.

But, while she expected to see the castle's staff rushing to fix the issues made by the catastrophe made in the ballroom,  Dash was surprised to see that there was a good number of staff that Rainbow Dash didn't recognize at all, a plethora of unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi that all ran around, many of them wearing a strange outfit that didn't mesh well with the normal outfits of the castle staff.

She had no idea who they were, to be honest.

But, beyond them, the halls were also filled with guards. Lots of guards. Gold plated ones like the normal ones that plagued her seemingly every day she spent over here, several outfitted in the full plate of silver and obsidian that officers like Shining armor wore, and even the silver plated ones, like the ones normally found in the streets like her father. 

But Cadence paid none of them any mind, and instead continued to lead Dash farther and farther into the depths of the castle, her hoofsteps echoing throughout the halls as they walked.

ANd walked they did, down hallways, past countless guards, down enough staircases to feel as if they were no longer aboveground; the pair continued for what felt like five minutes, Dash's impatience and strange nervousness growing until they finally came into a hallway that looked vaguely familiar. They then walked down it for a while, before they came to another, smaller ballroom, one that even Dash hadn't even been aware of. 

The doors of the ballroom, while not as large as the ones from the previous room, were far grander, carved from some magnificent black stone that practically shimmered, and not only that, but they guarded not by the standard guard, but by a pair of Lunar knights, who immediately noticed their arrival, the pair of their heavy, full plate helms turning to look directly at them, their bat wings twitching slightly, ready for probably anything that could possibly happen.

They were probably prepared for even her. They always made her feel nervous. 

"Hello, Rainbow Dash, Milady Cadence."

Dash just stared blankly at the pair of knights for a moment, straining to recognize the voice that spoke, before finally giving up. She never could tell which knights were who, and never even found out any of their names, which was kinda sad, seeing as there was always a pair of them hovering around Twilight somewhere. 

Always there. Watching and judging. Yet, they never seemed to stop her from getting into trouble. They either were really bad at their jobs, or very, very good, seeing as, to date, Twilight had always been suspiciously clean or unharmed by their exploits. 

But she didn't really know what their jobs were, so she wasn't really able to say.

"Oh, uh, hi. Is... Is Twilight here?"

There was just an awkward silence at that, the guards not looking at her, but Cadence, who stood beside her, the pair seeming to wait for the Royal Maid's response or refutal. But after a moment, the Cadence nodded, and the pair of knights relaxed, and the one on the left spoke.

"Yes, milady, the Princess is here. Shall we escort Rainbow Dash inside to see her?"

Dangit, that wasn't even directed towards her at all. What, was she not a pony anymore?

"Yes, if you could. I must return to our High Princess."

The knights simply nodded, the clanking of their armor distracting Dash from their verbal agreement as they did so, and Cadence turned to Rainbow Dash, a soft smile on her face. "Rainbow Dash, enjoy yourself. And please, don't cause a ruckus?"

All Dash could do was swallow and nod nervously, watching as Cadence turned around and left. 

"Rainbow Dash, this way please."

Dash didn't respond immediately, instead watching as Cadence made her way further down the hall. There was a small part of her that didn't want the maid to leave; that she'd stay, and possibly would help clean up her destined to be mess. 

But, a small part of her reckoned, she had Twilight, who could outdo any stuffy old maid any day. The thought comforted her slightly, but even with that, there was a small part of that part of her that was nervous for an entirely different reason. 

She was somewhat afraid to see Twilight. Sure, they were best friends and all, but this was her birthday party. She was probably dressed in the finest of whatever, preened by beauticians and groomed by the fanciest of something-or-others. And here was Dash, coming from a party where the cake had a casualty count. Was her mane ok? Did her dress still look cool? 

She didn't understand why she even felt this way, but the feelings were enough that Dash actually stopped, and took a moment to look her dress over. Luckily, it was completely fine, probably due to the Princess' efforts of cleaning her. But, that didn't meant that her mane was good. But how to-

Ah. 

Dash quickly rushed over to the knight that sat by the door, prepared to open it, and leaned up close their chest piece, the metal shined to a dark, if mirror-like sheen. It wasn't the best mirror, but it would do. 

And... Her mane was mostly intact. Perfect. She wasn't feel her most confident still, but she could at least act cool and ready for Twilight.

So, with herself properly rallied, Dash sighed and forced a grin on her face before looking up towards the knight on the right of the door. There was a short pause, as if the knight expected her to do more preening in their chestplate, before finally giving in with a nod. Then, they pushed the giant, beautiful door open, and gestured inside, the other knight remaining by the door as Dash's newly appointed guide went through the portal, obviously expecting Rainbow Dash to follow. 

Dash did, and the second she passed the threshold, she found herself suddenly immersed in the beat of some loud music that simply wasn't there before, and better yet, it not the stuffy music from the ballroom above, but actual, real music. 

And not only that, but she found that the room filled with a equal amount of ponies as the previous ballroom. But, unlike the previous party, this one seemed to spend the extra bits for actual ponies, rather than boring mannequins filled with self-righteousness and superiority complexes. There were young Pegasi, swooping about the room as they danced and moved, teenage earth ponies, with their weird forms of line dancing and jigs, heck, they even had some of those weird formal dances adolescent unicorns often did with a partner. 

This actually felt like a party. A genuine, honest to goodness party. There weren't butlers, there were tables with servers, giving you what you requested, a sight that made Dash's mouth water. There weren't dancing sections, ponies just moved and grooved wherever they felt like it. 

There weren't guard patrols, there were- Actually, there were about twice as many guards here as at the party above, most of them being Lunar knights for some reason. But at that thought, Rainbow Dash actually felt a flicker of excitement. This party was gonna be totally awesome. 

With that in mind, Dash followed the knight as they moved through the crowd, following closely behind the plate-armored pony as it cut through the crowd with the ease of a razor sharp knife through a cake. Maybe she should stop by the buffet table and grab something before- Nah, that could wait until Twilight. Besides, knowing her, she'd need to prompt her to eat something, anyway. 

So, with that in mind, Dash continued to follow the knight until, to her relief, she spotted the dorky visage of her best friend, sitting at a table alone, flanked by another standing pair of knights that stared directly at Dash as she moved towards them. 

Meanwhile, Twilight was totally being Twilight, sipping tea daintily and reading a book, even as the music blared around her, and the crowd that surrounded her continually gave her curious glances.

She even looked bored. Imagine that.

And the more Dash stared, the more she felt better. Heck, if Dash was to act like a total sap, she’d say something like how her heart lifted at the very sight of her or some garbage. 

Her mistakes, her screw ups, the previous party, none of it mattered. Not when her best friend was nearby. 

"Hey, Twilight!"

She couldn't leave her waiting. So, Dash quickly shot over to her best friend, passing the Lunar knight that was guiding her with nary a care, a huge grin on her face as she nearly plowed through the remainder of the crowd between them, several young ponies stumbling aside to get out of her way.

And Twilight, the poor unsuspecting girl, jolted up a bit, looking surprised upon hearing Dash’s voice, now pulled away from her book to glance around for the source. But if she looked shocked before, she looked even more surprised when Rainbow Dash collided into her side, letting out a squeal that earned them several looks from the surrounding ponies, including the strangely passive Lunar knights that stood around them.

The pair hit the ground like twin sacks of flour, Dash laughing, and Twilight still squealing,  rolling a couple times past the chair that Twilight had sat in moments previous, before they finally came to a halt and sat upon the ground for a short moment.

Dash was naturally on top, smiling down towards her best friend as she sat on top of her, and Twilight on the bottom, simply being dazed and slightly squashed, before the young Princess finally understood what just happened and recovered with a glare and a huff before pushing Rainbow Dash off, the pegasus falling to the side with a thud.

"Rainbow Dash!?"

Dash just continued her grin at Twilight’s outrage as she laid beside her friend, looking at her best friend's face. It felt like they hadn't been together in forever. Heck, she even missed her uber-stick-in-the-mudness and seeming inability to take a joke, which were easily the worst parts of the royal pain.

Sure, it had only been three days since they had last hung out, but still, that was a long time without her Best Friend For All Eternity. She'd have to find a way to hang out with her more. 

"Your mom's party is, like, uber boring." 

The comment earned a moment of silence from the literally grounded Princess, the Alicorn sitting awkwardly on her side as she tried to connect her exclamation with Dash's own response, before Twilight finally mustered up the exasperation to roll her eyes. 

Yeah, Dash knew that she was a pain. But she was Twilight's pain, a fact that Twilight herself seemed to begrudgingly accept. 

But, after several moments of just sitting there on the ballroom floor, Twilight followed the eye roll up with a half exasperated smile as she finally lifted herself up from the ground.

"Yeah, it probably is. Mom can be boring."

Dash just gave the Princess a wise nod, remaining on the ground for a moment as she watched Twilight get up and try to regain her "Princessly composure". Twilight had to get her stick in the mud-ness from somewhere after all, and while Dash had no idea who her father was, it had obviously not come from them. 

"So, you gonna get off the floor?"

The question was a good one; She couldn't sit on the ground forever. But, for the moment, she was content. She was here, so was Twilight, and the world hadn't ended. So far, it was a pretty good day. 

"Eh, just looking at your dress, your "highness". 

There was a return of the dreaded eye-roll from that, and Dash grinned. She had been completely right earlier; Twilight had obviously been dressed by the finest of everything, her hair pinned up in a elegant bun, her dress a beautiful blue with a weird weave of something inside it that reminded her of Twilight's mother's own mane, it's skirt-thingie wavey and nice. It looked like it would be awesome to watch move around, with it's sparkles and waviness.

Not that she cared or anything. But it did look totally awesome. And Twilight definitely deserved to have a dress that looked better than anypony else's anyway. 

"So, what's the plan? We gonna do pin the tail on the pony, or something?"

The question was deliberately obtuse; of course there wouldn't be pin the tail on the pony or anything, even if only not to have to deal with the ridiculous amount of tails and ponies required. But, at the same time, she was speaking to the Princess of literal, and Dash found that she wasn't disappointed when Twilight just rolled her eyes once more, like she had been deadly serious. "This is a ballroom."

She was so fun to tease, and it was so cute to watch Twilight act like she knew what she meant. "Yeah, so?"

Another roll of the eyes, this one more exasperated, and thus, more adorable. "So, we dance. That's what one does in a ballroom."

That earned a snort from Rainbow Dash at the very idea, before actually rolling around the idea for a moment around in her head. Wait, did Twilight actually *want* to dance? 

Did she even know how? Dash knew Twilight's routine as well as the Princess herself did; it would be impossible to plot their adventures and hangouts otherwise. But, never before did she recall there being dancing lessons anywhere in that itinerary. Or, heck, anything that could even translate into dancing. 

She avoided exercise like the plague, doing only the basics. 

She only flew when her mother literally forced her to. 

She only went outside to either read under a tree, or because Dash drug her out there. 

All in all, she didn't know how she thought she could dance.

But, Dash could be wrong. Maybe it was part of some other lessons or something. It wasn't impossible, seeing how Dash's own "lessons" that the High Princess had given her included both flower arrangement and how to fight with a spear for some otherworldly reason. She liked the second, but hated the first enough to avoid both.

Yeah, it'd be best just to check. 

"You can dance?"

There was a moment of silence at that, before Twilight's cheeks bloomed into a blush, and Dash found that she was probably completely right, and that Twilight had no idea what she was doing, or even talking about. "Yeah! My mom taught me."

Dash just smirked up at Twilight from the floor. Unlikely, but possible. But, she would admit that it was a better excuse than Twilight normally had when she didn't have a clue. "Oh yeah? You sure you just didn't read it in a book?"

Twilight blushed lightly at the jab, sputtering weakly, before scowling. "Wha- No! Mom told me all I needed to know."

Dash just gave Twilight a smile and a raised brow. and Twilight had finally had enough, and backed up from her spot, before giving a pathetic spinning wiggling motion. Rainbow Dash watched for a moment, trying to hold in her laughter, before finally giving up and bursting out with a barely controlled laugh fit as the Princess continued.

"You-Pffffft! It looked like somepony put firecrackers in your dress!"

Twilight immediately stopped her awkward gyrations, and looked down at her with a withering scowl.

"Oh yeah?"

Dash took a moment to properly calm down, but once she did, she just grinned and nodded. This was what she was missing. Her best friend, the dorkiest thing this side of equestria. 

"Oh yeah."

Twilight just continued scowling for a moment, before letting out a huff. "Well, if you're so great, why not show me how *You* dance?"

That comment made Rainbow Dash pause for a moment as a thought came up. 

Should she dance?

The idea was there, and her mother had explicitly taught her how to dance properly, at least for a pegasus. Perhaps in hope of her finding a special somepony and wooing them with her moves or something. But, while it had never came up afterwards, the dancing was surprisingly fun when one had a partner they liked, like when she danced with her own father.

The energy, the moves, the sheer danger and speed one needed to properly sky-dance was awesome, even if it was used for something as boring as moving in sync with music. 

But it raised a question; Could they?

Or better yet, should they? The ballroom was large enough for a small one, sure, and even though there was several other Pegasi dancing, none were dancing beyond the normal spins and casual movements. They'd have the entire upper section of the air to themselves.

So, they definitely could. But should they?

Dash took a look at Twilight, her amused yet curious expression, and that question answered itself.

"You know what? Sure."

Twilight hesitated at that, obviously not expecting Dash's own response, but after a moment she seemed to catch on, and began grinning, almost teasingly, even as Dash finally pushed herself up off of the floor, and stood up properly.

"Alright. Show me what you got."

Dash then smiled eerily in return. Hopefully, little miss "I love the ground" didn't mind a bit of flying. "Ah, but I only know one dance."

Twilight, the poor little nerd, didn't seem to suspect a thing, and instead just tilted her head questioningly to the side, as if she were a puppy. 

"Oh?"

Dash continued smiling. The nerd was so cute. "I need a partner. And you're gonna be it."

If Twilight had hesitated before, she was definitely hesitant now, her ears tilted fully back, her curious smile now closer to a frown as it looked like the poor nerd suddenly had a million things rushing through her skull. Dash had no idea what they could be, but this was Twilight they were talking about; One could ask her about the weather and get a similar reaction if one asked it the right way.

"But, er, um,.."

But Dash had a secret weapon. One that never failed to get Twilight to do something.

"What are you, chicken?"

Twilight froze at that, her expression slowly morphing from one of hesitation to some sort of understanding, and, dare she say it, some strange form of acceptance. Whatever she had been thinking, apparently it had gotten resolved. Good, now they could focus on dancing. 

"What?"

Dash just gave her BFFAE a casual, almost careless grin, even as the Alicorn's face began to turn fully toward her, looking at Dash as if it had been the first time she had ever seen her.

"I said you're a chicken."

There was a moment of silence, as Twilight stared at her with that strange expression, as even the Lunar knights beside her looked between her and Dash, seemingly confused as for what to do as Twilight was. But after what seemed to be a full minute, the purple princess acquiesced with a nod, seemingly having figured out what she had been stuck on.

"You know what? Sure."

Dash just gave a grin, even as the knights seemed confused at what had just transpired.

"Alright! But I lead."

Twilight just nodded resolutely, and Dash and the Princess pulled away from the pair of guardians and onto a more open section of floor, the crowd parting neatly for the Princess as they moved through it, a plethora of whispering heard as the current song began to wind down, and a new song began to play.

"Alright... so... how do we do this?"

Dash just gave a smile as she tried to ignore the whispering. "Well, we are gonna sky-dance. The room's big enough."

At that, Twilight's eyes opened fully. "But Dash, that's totally-"

"Do you trust me?"

There was a moment of silence at that, as Twilight stopped her rant preemptively and instead contemplated the question. But, as Twilight did so, as did Dash. The dance wasn't important, not really. But yet, Dash found that she truly wanted this dance. 

She didn't even have a reason why. 

"...Yes."

At that, Dash gave a soft smile, happy with the answer, and instead began to flap her wings, bringing herself into a hover, prompting Twilight to do the same as the crowd of ponies all slowly began to stop dancing, and instead began to watch them. At that, Dash lifted up a bit, and gestured for Twilight to follow, the eyes of the crowd seemingly focused on only them. After a moment, a moment filled with nervousness and hesitation, Twilight finally did, and Dash linked a hoof with her's, making sure to keep a healthy distance between them as they hovered several feet above the ground.

"Just... uh, you know, follow my lead."

Twilight just gave a nervous nod, and Dash tried to give her a reassuring smile as they sat there hovering, their wings beating somewhat in sync as the pair hovered midair. 

"Ok... So, let's get some height."

Twilight nodded as they did so, getting to roughly halfway between the ceiling and the floor, before stopping. The pair looked at each other for a moment, and Dash felt her previous bravado weaken a bit. Her hooves were sweaty as were Twilight's, and she felt, for some unknown reason, like she was about to go down the drop at the beginning of a rollercoaster. She recognized the feeling; it was one that she felt whenever she was in a contest or in a race. Pressure. Not to fail, not to make others look foolish for trusting in her. 

It was the feeling that she couldn't screw this up. Not the most welcome feeling, especially seeing as this dance was supposed to be for fun. But, it was too late to back down now, so Dash looked at Twilight, who was still flying right beside her, and just gave her friend a reassuring grin, even as she herself began to feel her nerves act up.

And so, they began to casually bob back and forth, the pair trying to find a good middle ground in pacing and meter as they tried to match their partner's own wingbeats. It was clumsy, awkward, the only thing keeping them relatively connected being their linked hooves as they both bobbed up and down at different times. 

The perfectionist side of Dash couldn't help but wince, and the irritation grew as the crowd below them got more and more curious, the whispering growing into murmurs as more and more of the ponies below discovered Dash and Twilight in the air. 

Great, now they had spectators. Dash took a moment to look around, spotting that, unfortunately, most of the pegasi had dropped from the air to watch, and found that they now had the majority of the room's attention. Beyond a few outliers, they had a crowd watching their every move. 

"Uh... what next?"

Twilight's whisper was nervous, too nervous for just being nervous of a dance; She had to have noticed the crowd. 

Well, they had their attention. Dash took a moment to contemplate their next move; her desire for the dance was now partially counterbalanced by the irritation of not doing the best job with such a poor start. 

But, at the same time, she had gotten Twilight to dance with her in the first place, and she obviously wasn't the most graceful of ponies; she knew this going in, and she wasn't shallow enough to stop because Twilight wasn't good at dancing. 

But that didn't mean that she'd settle for mediocrity; Now that they started, they might as well give them a show, and she knew that Twilight had greatness in her. She'd just have to do what she promised, all those years ago, and grab the coolness Twilight had buried inside of her and drag it out.

"Alright, so... first off... we both gotta make seperate loops, then meet back up in the middle. Kay? Just... do what I do."

Twilight just swallowed, hesitating for a moment before finally nodding, and Dash lessened her grip of her partner's hoof. This was gonna be a challenge.  

"Ok... go!"

Immediately, Dash pulled back into a stiff full loop, careful to take her time for her slower dance partner as the air rushed through her styled mane and wings, her dress fluttering as she flew. It was controlled, it was careful, it was the academy definition of what a loop should be. And yet, it felt like it was missing something, something vital, and Dash grimaced at herself. 

She could do so much better. But, regardless of the thought, after a moment she came full circle, and yet she still found herself waiting for a short moment for Twilight to finish hers, the alicorn being slower and less experienced. 

Dangit, she'd need to go slower as well. They were supposed to match, and if Twilight couldn't match her, she'd match with Twilight.

But, once Twilight's loop was done, Dash relinked their hooves, and gave her friend a reassuring smile as they resumed their weaving and bobbing through the air, trying to sooth the nervous frown on Twilight's face. And, to her relief, the young alicorn did seem to calm a bit, her frown lessening a bit as they stared at each other, their faces barely a foot or so apart. 

"We're doin' good."

The expression on Twilight's face as they floated through the room told Dash that she didn't believe a word, but the Alicorn didn't say anything. So on a whim, Dash pushed her away with her left hoof, watching Twilight's expression morph from nervous to shocked as she made several revolutions in place. It almost looked planned even, and Dash found a amused grin form as she recaught Twilight with a practiced hoof of a pony used to catching her friend whenever she forgot she had wings, linking their hooves once more with a flourish.

It somehow worked, and the crowd below seemed to actually enjoy it, amused and impressed mutters coming from below, and Dash grinned, even as Twilight's previously nervous expression turned sour once she caught her composure, and she quickly shot Dash a harsh whisper. 

"Tell me next time!"

Dash could only offer a sheepish shrug in return as they resumed bobbing through the air, their wingbeats now matching each other's better. It was still out of sync, far more than Dash would've liked, but it was enough to keep each other together cleanly. And better yet, it was Twilight that was matching Dash's, not the other way around.

Dash knew that she had it in her.

"Uh, now we do a twirl going up. Then we break, and then we go do a half loop backward, then meet up where we were last time. Kay?"

Another nervous nod, another reassuring smile and the pair lifted further into the air, twirling  slowly upward whilst connected, the hooves linked as the spun through the air. But even so, Twilight was still nervous, almost anxious, and it showed in their stiff, almost forced movements as Twilight hesitated and Dash compensated. After their twirl, they split back up, and made a half loop, this time in better synch. But, to Dash's relief, this time around, Twilight was the one that connected the two of them, the pair closer than last time as she anticipated their next action. 

Her expression was still nervous, but she seemed to have gotten the feel for what was happening, her wingbeats now matching Dash's near perfectly as they resumed their bobbing and casual circling in the air above the crowd, the crowd now a bit more receptive to their movements, it's approval slowly rising up to meet them as they casually floated above it.

"Not too bad, huh?"

Twilight's expression didn't change; It was still fearful and hesitant, but she did give a nod in return.

"You're doing awesome, Twi. Just keep... ya know, doing what we're doing."

That seemed to calm the nervous Princess a bit, and Dash got another, more confident nod in return as they continued moving through the air, their wingbeats keeping them aloft. 

"Alright, time for another spin, kay?"

This time, Twilight nodded, and was prepared when Dash gave her the push needed to spin, even going as far as to push out her wings and hooves to do a near-perfect pirouette as she spun. And, as she spun, Dash actually found herself staring for a moment, somehow entranced as she watched her friend spin, the dress she wore waving and weaving wonderfully. In fact, she stared for long enough that Twilight actually started to drop down a bit before Dash regained her wits and caught Twilight, the Princess now wearing a nervous smile once they relinked. 

Dang it, her best friend looked too awesome. 

"Uh, Alright... Another Twirl?"

Dash struggled to keep her previous composure, and the nervous smile Twilight gave her didn't help, even as her friend nodded and pulled her closer without question. This, along with her newfound nerves made Dash swallow nervously, even as the pair moved flew upward, this time a bit faster, the spins a bit neater, and the pair a bit closer as the moved toward the ceiling, a nervous smile on Twilight's face, and a mixture of something unknown coming from Dash herself. 

She had no idea where this was going anymore, but there was a bit of excitement to it, Dash's heart beating faster as the speed, the acceleration, and the pony in her hooves pulled her closer, their wings now completely in sync as they twirled in the air.

When the time came to split up came, through, for some reason, Twilight didn't let go, instead holding on as they stopped spinning, and for a moment they both just sat there, midair, staring at each other for a moment. 

Twilight's expression was one of dawning comprehension, the revelation she now had Dash hadn't the slightest idea, and while that was happening, Dash's was an expression of a bemused confusion, her own feelings and emotions suddenly betraying her, giving her some sort of mystery that she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

She just felt... happy. Happy and nervous, like before one was about to open their biggest birthday present, one that you didn't have the opportunity to sneak a peek at. No idea why, no clear reason, just... joy and nervousness. 

And so, the pair floated there for a split second, staring at each other, before gravity finally reclaimed them, and they began to spin down towards the floor. It was then that they managed to split, and Dash found the strange desire to return to her dance partner as quickly as she could. 

And so, she did, giving a powerful flap of her wings, and Dash finished her loop with near-record time, a grin appearing on her face as she found that Twilight somehow managed to keep up. The pair then reconnected, their hooves linking immediately and pulling their partner close, and without hesitation or even explanation, Dash led Twilight into a full paired loop, the pair twirling and spinning as they shot through the air. 

It was awkward and clumsy, their wingbeats never finding a nice matching pace at the unnatural movement, but at the same time, Dash couldn't feel any shame in the fact as they spun through the upper regions of the ballroom, the eyes of every party-goer now on them.

After all, Twilight looked too excited to have it be a bad thing, a nearly face splitting grin adorning her best friend's face as they shot through the air. In fact, once they finished the loop, Dash couldn't help but make another, twisting awkwardly to make it in the opposite direction for symmetry's sake, making an impromptu figure eight through the air. But Twilight didn't seem to care, just letting out a very enthusiastic whoop when they twirled through the metaphorical skies. 

She had no idea where this was going, but Dash didn't want it to stop. So, they danced throughout the air for several moments, making enthusiastic yet clumsy motions through the air, watched on by the ponies below as they danced. And then, without warning to Twilight, she pulled them back up to the ceiling, and split, prompting Twilight to make another loop.

But, instead of meeting her in the middle, Dash shot past her partner, and flew to the near-opposite end of the ballroom before stopping and turning around. 

This was her favorite part. She hoped that Twilight would catch on quick, but, heck, if she didn't, it didn't matter. Dash moved fast enough on her own to make it work anyway.

But, to her excitement, Twilight seemed to have caught on, and had managed to end up on opposite end of the ballroom a few moments after Dash had turned around, and was facing her, hovering, and Dash grinned, before giving her best friend a nod.

Then, with the biggest push she could manage, Dash shot towards Twilight, and after a second, Twilight mirrored her, and the pair shot toward each other, before meeting in the middle. 

The collision was clumsy, awkward, and the connecting was more akin to a full body hug rather than an embrace, but regardless, the pair met in the middle and turned skyward, the pair spinning as they held desperately at each other. 

They continued to spin, their chest held together as the shot upward, and Dash almost missed the cue to split up, instead focused on the tight hug the pair seemed to have been stuck in. 

It was probably the best hug she had ever received. 

But after a moment, they eventually split, and they did another loop, reconnecting in the middle once more, this time much cleaner, and with more vigor. The pair made another twirl upward, the pair rotating rapidly, and Dash found herself entranced by the beating of Twilight's own heart as their chests pushed together. Twilight looked overjoyed, and Dash herself mirrored that sentiment. 

And, when it came time to split up like they were supposed to, the pair couldn't seem to manage, and instead stopped once more midair, hovering for several moments, just enjoying the presence of their partner before falling back down to earth, their momentum spent. The pair didn't really make a move to stop it, either, until halfway down, when Dash opened her wings, prompting Twilight to do the same. 

With a pair of wings, now perfectly in sync, the pair stopped hovering feet away from the ground, and landed. Their faces inches away, both wearing matching maniac grins as the crowd around them cheered. 

They were close. Extremely close. In fact, Dash could practically taste Twilight's breath, could see the red flush of her cheeks, the twinkling of her eyes, and yet, for whatever reason, the pair didn't pull back, instead remaining in that position for several moments.

And then, Dash found herself moving her face forward toward Twilight's. She had no idea what force made her do so, but at the moment, she didn't understand nor care what she was going to do, not even when she was barely an inch away, the look on her friend's face not changing in the slightest.

Just a happy smile, and acceptance.

But, before her action could be finished, her stomach made a painful lurch, and growled loudly out of hunger, bringing Dash back to reality, and, furthermore, suddenly giving her a startling realization of what she was just about to do. Dash then immediately froze in place, mere millimeters before Twilight, and at the same time, Twilight froze as well, eyes practically shining in surprise and, dare she say it, concern. 

"Uh..."

Dash's stomach made another growl, and she couldn't help but wince, as she suddenly found herself hit with the realization of what she was feeling, her heart pounding in tempo with her sudden revelation.

"You... You alright?

No, she wasn't alright. Not at all. No way. After all, she was totally about to kiss her best friend in the middle of her birthday party with hundreds of ponies watching. That was pretty not alright. That was probably treason, if anything.

But she couldn't tell Twilight that, no way. Not in a million years. As such, Dash's mind immediately found itself rushing, looking for a plausible excuse. She had to get out of here, if only to think for a moment, and she couldn't just sit here and pretend that she was fine; She was a crappy actor anyway.

Another growl. 

What was with her stomach?

Wait...

No. That was perfect. A perfect excuse, and it only hurt her pride a tiny bit. Dash couldn't help but thank her lucky stars, and immediately capitalized on her divine gift.

"Ugh... I think I ate something funny at your mom's party."

Twilight's eyes changed from surprise to understanding, and she immediately moved closer to Dash, forcing the now unwelcome feeling to return, Dash's stomach reeling like a rave full of butterflies had just formed in her gut. No, not good. Abort!

"Ah! Oh, um.... the bathrooms-"

Dash didn't even wait for her friend too finish, and instead gave a push of her wings and shot off the ground. No way she was gonna use one of the public ones. No, she'd go upstairs to Twilight's. She needed privacy. To... think on things. 

To yell at herself. 

She was such a moron. How could this even happen, dang it?

"Nah, I'll go use yours. Be right back!"

And, with that, Dash shot towards the main ballroom doors, and rushed out, Twilight watching in worry the entire time.
> Rumors and slander
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second she cleared the doors of the ballroom, Dash shot off like a rocket, ignoring the pair of silent sentinels as her wings carried her in a rush to get to Twilight's room. It only took a few seconds; Dash knew the castle like the back of her hoof and all, and after she shot past the pair of guards that always kept watch over the royal wing, the pair not even bothering to try and stop her, she found herself at Twilight's door. 

It only took a moment for her to shove it open, and even less time to shoot into the bathroom. And once she got there she slammed the door behind her and locked it, and the weight of her dumbness caught up with her.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

It was official; this was the absolute worst thing she had ever done. Never mind the time she got Cadence stuck in the washing machine for an hour, or the time she accidentally got that one foreign diplomat completely covered in honey; this was officially the dumbest and worst thing she had ever done. 

After all, anyone could knock over a jar or catch a maid's skirt ablaze, but no one was dumb enough to try and kiss the Crown Princess at her own birthday party. Especially when they were her best friend. That was a dumb that belonged to only her.

Even the thought made Dash grit her teeth in anger as she slumped against the bathroom wall, her face held in her hooves.  

She could still see Twilight's face, still see her expression and trust, the exhilaration and joy, the energy and happiness. She could see the lights, see the curve of her smile, her lips moving closer as they...

"What the hay is wrong with me?!"

Dash couldn't help but smack the back of her head against the wall, hoping the pain would knock some sense into her big, dumb head. But nope, she could still see Twilight, and the thought made her even angrier. What kind of pony tried to kiss their best friend on their birthday? And Twilight, no less? It was like trying to kiss a book crossbred with a puppy. It had to be some mortal sin or something,  never mind the whole "She's the crown Princess" thing. That was a whole other mess.

Dash gave her head another well deserved smack against the tiles behind her. Could this get any worse?

Well, yeah, it could. She could've actually kissed her. Ruined five or so years of friendship, get herself immediately arrested for being just the dumbest horse. Get banished and never see Twilight again. Make Twilight look like a total idiot and chump in front of all of Equestria. 

Well, at least she didn't screw up that bad. She just almost ruined everything. She was just a tier below.

Alright, so maybe it wasn't so bad. Yeah, she almost kissed Twi the wonder-nerd, queen of text and paper, but she did stop herself, even if it had only been because of her stomach. All she had done was get really close to her, and heck, they had been dancing at the time, so most ponies wouldn't suspect Dash getting in Twilight's space as something other then a friendly dance.

Maybe she just wanted a hug. To the world, it was a mystery. She was strange and unknowable, whatchyacallit. An enigma. She didn't do anything wrong, not really. At least not to anyone who was watching.

Yeah, if anything, she didn't really do anything wrong in the first place. She had just finished a really cool and awesome Sky-Dance with her ultra-cool best friend, and had been all hopped up on adrenaline and stuff. She probably just followed the whole natural progression thing with what her parents always did; they practically made out after every time they danced. She just took a cue from them after having a totally awesome dance and tried to finish the whole thing as they would've. If anything, this was their fault.  

Yeah, that kinda made sense. It wasn't a train-wreck, it was just a close miss. A stumble, and nothing more. 

With that in mind, Dash allowed herself to calm a bit and let out a shaky sigh. Yeah, kissing Twilight was still not OK, but it was a pretty easy thing to avoid. Heck, she'd have to try and screw that one up. And the whole thinking she was cute thing was totally normal too, the girl was a princess, and that made her adorable right off the bat. She'd have to be totally crazy to think anything else.

"Alright, yeah. Nothing happened. Everything is fine."

And everything would be fine. She was fine, she didn't do anything wrong, and Twilight was waiting, and she was gonna give Twilight the best birthday she could possibly ever have. She would remember this for her whole life, and remember that it was the Rainbow Dash that had done it. And Dash herself would be cool, calm, and be the awesome best friend that Twilight needed and deserved, looking cool and awesome beside her as Twilight sat there and got to be cute and all Princess-ey. 

It would be epic and cool and nothing would go wrong. 

With that thought, Dash forced herself off of the floor with her normal determination in her gut doing it's best to fight the butterflies. She had a best friend to wow. 

Just not in *that* way.





The butterflies cheated. It was the only way this could've happened. Dash had only been about halfway back into the abyss that was the lower levels before the tide had turned and the fire she had built up died, and now, Dash was stuck halfway between the ballroom and Twilight's bedroom, but this time she couldn't run away. Half because she had been seen by the guards and would be asked what she was doing if she ran back after a whole minute, and half because the idea of abandoning Twilight alone on her birthday sickened her more than the butterflies bouncing around in her belly. 

So, she marched back to the ballroom, her stomach twisting the entire way until she got to the door and reentered the ballroom. The music was still blaring, the dim lights still flashing, the food still being served. It was like nothing had happened. 

Which nothing did. Nothing at all.

Now, all she had to do to make everything totally normal was to find Twilight and get stuck to her side like the best friend she was. Then, everything would be fine, she'd be with Twilight, and the whole party could go like it should, with Twilight having a totally awesome time. 

Now if only she could figure out where the heck Twilight was. She couldn't see her in the crowd, She wasn't by the door anywhere, and she didn't have a guide to show her where Twilight's own table was. 

Flying it was. With a push of her wings, Dash shot up into the air a bit, and she looked down upon the crowd.

Yeah, she still had no idea where she was. The flashing lights made it hard to tell ponies color, and the tables were all packed, meaning if Twilight was at one, she'd have to check every pony to see which one she was. And if she was in the crowd...

Yeah, maybe flying wasn't the best idea. 

So, with a disappointed huff Dash returned to the ground, and looked hesitantly into the crowd. Yep, it was totally cramped. And yep, they were all mostly taller than her, practically guaranteeing the they would step on her, at least a little. 

The things she did for Twilight. So, she took to the crowd, pushing through the first bit of the crowd as she started her search for her wayward nerd. And, wouldn't she know it, it only took a whole ten seconds before someone stomped on her tail. And then her back hoof. Heck, if the first party was full of totally calm and peaceful ponies, this party looked like it was trying to balance the whole dumb thing out by being twice as bad as a normal crowd. By the time she made it out of the first packed group of ponies, not spying Twilight the whole time, she felt as if she had been stomped on at least a million times.

"Dangit Twi, where the hay are you?"

The unfeeling crowd didn't answer, and she didn't spy hide nor hair of her nerd anywhere. All she saw was a ton of ponies dancing, with the occasional group of ponies turned inward, gossiping or talking about who knew what. 

Wait.

Maybe they were talking about Twilight?

The idea bounced around Dash's head for a moment, before she felt herself grin. Yeah, they were probably talking about Twilight. Nerd, Princess, Alicorn? Who wouldn't talk about her? This was her birthday party, after all. She was probably the only thing any of them could even consider talking about.

This was the best idea ever.

So, with her new plan of awesome, Dash made her way forcibly to the nearest group of ponies and tried her best to listen in.

"Oh my gosh, Do you think he saw me? He's so-"

Nope. Next group.

"I totally need to fix my makeup, it's smearing like crazy!"

Nada. 

"Gosh, those mud ponies-"

Huh. Some ponies were mean.

For a few minutes, Dash pushed through the crowd, stopping only to try an eavesdrop on ponies. But as her luck would be, she couldn't find a single pony talking about Twilight. Colts, yeah, makeup, sure, being unable to even? Way more than what Dash would've guessed. She would've thought that they could even, whatever that even meant. 

But after five minutes, Dash was about to give up. She had heard boys, makeup, girls, makeup, boys and girls, rumors and compliments on both the food and the music. But not a whisper about her wayward geek. 

"So, did you see the Princess dance? She looked marvelous in that dress."

Wait. Dash froze in place for a second, and tiled her head in the nearest group's direction. Finally, some paydirt.

"Yeah. But did you see that Pegasus with her? What was with her mane? Attention hog much?"

Dash swore that her eye twitched at the words. She was totally not an attention hog, and her mane wasn't nearly that bad. Sure, it was a bit... colorful, but even Twilight thought it looked nice. 

"Yeah, totally. I mean, she did fly pretty well, but what kind of girl just walks up to the Princess and demands a dance? She's a total dy-"

Yep, Dash wasn't going to listen to another word of that, unless she wanted to punch a pony. Regardless, She took a quick look at the group, a quad of white unicorns all gossiping and dressed to the gills, and gave them the angriest glare she could manage. Nobles, probably, thinking they were better than everyone and everything. But they wouldn't be better when she put her hoof up their-

No, it didn't matter. She had to find Twilight. Vengeance would come later, when they least expected it. And with no accountability on her part. With that, Dash turned away from the four annoying unicorns and instead pushed through another part of the crowd. She was better off just wandering the crowd and finding Twilight the old fashioned way.

So, She did just that. Wandered through the crowd for several minutes, until she finally took a moment to stop, and grumble at her luck. A single Alicorn should not be this hard to find. There was literally two in existence, you'd think that it'd take a whole ten seconds.

"Oh, do you see that mare's mane? A total fashion disaster!"

Really? She couldn't find Twilight, but she could find these four again? 

"I mean.... It would look better on her if it was put up, rather than down. It's too curly for-"

"And her dress! It totally doesn't match with that blonde."

"Erm, yes, totally!"

Dash angrily pushed her attention off of the four heckling mares. Even when they were talking about other ponies it made her angry, and she was already peeved as it was. All that she needed to focus on was finding Twilight. So, she once more pushed into the crowd, angrily shoving anyone that bumped into her. She needed her nerd, like, ten minutes ago.

And, as if karma for all those times she ruined Cadence's tea times, Dash found not a sign of the mystic book pone. No ink, paper, not even a single quill. Dash was quickly losing any tiny bit of patience she had, and she was never a patient mare to begin with. 

"She looks like a total charity case."

And then there was these four!

"Oh, easily. That dress was a Hortensky's, and he often does work for the palace for free. You can tell by the stitching. She's not just a charity case, but a broke charity case."

Nope. She didn't have the time nor the patience. She already wanted to sock a pony, and she wasn't gonna get kicked out of the party because of some snobby rich girls. So, with a sigh, and stomp and a shake of her head, she pushed back into the crowd, to get stomped, kicked, and pushed.

And get stomped, kicked, and pushed she did. But she forced her way through it, until, finally, she found a clearing empty of ponies. 

And there she sat. Twilight, in the center of a clearing, dancing like the textbook definition of a dork with a pair of her standard guards surrounding her. Her mane swinging, her butt wiggling adorably, her movements spastic and as uncoordinated as it got. It literally couldn't be anypony else.

Thank Faust. She was worried she'd never find her. So, she moved forward and attempted to reclaim her book horse. 

"Oh my gosh, she's dancing like a total mule."

And like that, Dash immediately froze into place. 

"And I thought Princesses were suppose to be graceful."

Dash didn't even register herself turning around. She just found herself staring at the four unicorns. Them.

"What a waste of a beautiful dress."

Purple hair was closest, and she was the last to speak. 

Before she knew it, Dash shot forward, and clocked the mare in the jaw with her front hoof. It wasn't a good punch, but it didn't seem to matter because the mare went down almost immediately, crashing into one of the other Unicorns before finally hitting the ground. 

And, just like that, the switch was flipped, and she had control again. There was suddenly shout and screaming, and Dash found herself very, very angry, standing over a prissy unicorn that totally needed another punch to the face. In fact, she needed several more punches. She thought she could make fun of Twilight? She'll insult her face with her hooves.

"Stop."

The voice was cold, metallic, and terrifying. And Dash didn't care, moving forward to hit the unicorn that dared to insult her best friend. But her hoof didn't get very far, instead finding herself pulled bodily away from the downed unicorn by a adamantium clad hoof, which Dash reflexively kicked backward against.

"Lemme go!"

Whoever held onto her didn't seem to care, and continued to pull her back, a second set of hooves grabbing her.

"Grab the unicorn as well."
> Repercussions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, so maybe she didn't need to try the second punch. But being locked up in the dungeons was totally overkill.

"So, uh, we gonna be let out of here or what?"

The four Lunar knights, which was even more overkill, didn't respond. So instead Dash turned her attention and anger over to the mare in the cell beside her. Purple hair, which was as good of a name as any seeing as she didn't actually know nor care about her real name, had some tissue paper stuffed up her bloodied nose and a look of despair on her face, probably because her nose was swollen and now she wasn't the most perfect thing in the world or something. 

Well, she deserved it. If anything, she deserved a whole lot more; just the sight of her looking sad over her not being as pretty as could be made Dash even angrier.

"I totally should've punched you twice."

Purple hair didn't respond. She just continued looking sad at the floor, which only managed to make Dash more and more angry. She wanted to ignore her? Who did she think she was? The only person who could ignore her was Twilight.

"Heck, no, three times. Both eyes. Puffy and all ugly."

Again, silence, and Dash continued to glare daggers.

"That'd teach ya. Another couple punches, and maybe you'd be as ugly as a mule."

Her mother would paddle her hide if she heard half of what she was saying, but at this point she didn't give a single crap. She was angry, no, beyond angry, and the thing that made her mad was just slightly out of punching range, acting like she was the victim.

"You're... you're right. I should be as ugly as a mule."

And like that, Dash was completely lost. That didn't make her less angry, but it did make her shut up, even if only for a moment. Which was all Purple hair needed.

"I deserve to be a muuuuuuleeeeeee~!"

Great, now she was crying. Dash actually had to take a moment to try and figure out what was going on. She couldn't figure out the prissy unicorn in front of her, and that made her even angrier. She made fun of random ponies, insulted her best friend, and then broke down the second she called her out on it? This wasn't like the bullies she was used to dealing with, and that made her hesitate, if only slightly. 

"Why? What did Twilight ever do to you? She was just sitting there, having fun, being Twilight, and you sit there, calling her a mule. What kinda pony does that? Heck, what kinda pony does it to somepony on their birthday?"

Purple hair just continued to cry, and Dash gave up and glared at the nearby wall, trying her hardest to ignore purple hair's sobbing as it droned on.

And on.

And on. 

But, eventually, it stopped, and purple hair finally answered her question.

"I just... wanted to be popular."

Yeah, sounds about right. She just wanted to be higher, look nicer, and be seen as more of a pony than anyone else. She didn't care who she stepped on, or who she made miserable; just as long as she got what she wanted, then she was fine. She was just another noble with their head stuck up their tail. 

"The other girls were... well, nobles. They were somepony. And I was just some girl who made her way in on a charity ticket and a homemade dress. I thought..."

What? That if you acted like the worst ponies on the face of Equestria, that they'd think you were one of them? They were nobles; the only thing that mattered was how much money you had, how much land you owned, and how much flank you could kiss on the Princess before she got sick of your crap.

"If they liked me... I could *be* somepony. So, when the girls started saying things, so I thought..."





And then we saw the Princess, and I just started-"

Gosh, she did not shut up. When she asked why she was being a jerk to Twi, she wanted to know was she was a terrible pony, not get her whole frickin' life story.

"-And then you punched me, and I got arrested, and-"

"Please... Stop."

Please. 

"Oh, uh... ok."

Geez, if Purple hair wanted revenge for punching her, she sure as hay got it though giving her a huge headache.

"So, uh... My name is Rarity. What is yours?"

Really, they were trading names now? And what kinda name was Rarity? Dash supposed it fit, if only because she had never seen a pony who could whine as much as she did. That had to count for something.

"Dash."

And like that, there was blessed silence, and Dash reveled in it, going as far as to lay down on the floor and stare mindlessly at the ceiling. Dash had no idea how much she missed it until she was put in the same room as the definition of whining. 

And for a few minutes, there was silence. No words, no crying, no tears. Just her, the ceiling, and her thoughts. Like how She was missing out on Twilight's birthday party. Like how she wasn't gonna watch her best friend slice the cake, open her  presents, or have thousands of ponies sing happy birthday. 

All because she lost her temper and punched some stupid unicorn who wanted to fit in with the worst ponies in the world. 

Great, now she felt like crap in a different way then she was already feeling. She was an awful friend today. And, with that, Dash sat in silence for almost an hour, kicking herself in the flank for messing up her best friend's birthday party. It couldn't get any worse.

Then the door opened, and the four knights bowed low, and Rarity made a squeak that sounded like absolute terror.

"Rainbow Dash."

Oh. 

Oh no. She was so, totally, fully, utterly wrong.

Dash practically teleported to her feet, and tried her best to look like she totally didn't punch a pony, ruin Twilight's birthday, or at any point tried to kiss her.

"Um, uh-"

"I thought I asked you to not cause any trouble."

The words were cool, calm, and measured, like everything the Princess ever said. Except, there was a underlying... sharpness that wasn't normally there. It was a tone that was completely foreign to her, and that was terrifying.

"Er, uh, I-"

"I didn't ask you to speak."

Dash practically swallowed her tongue there and then. 

"Starting a fight. Nearly starting a stampede. Injuring a noble's daughter during said fight." 

Dash lowered nervously to the ground. She totally forgot about that last one.

"Assaulting a Lunar knight. Breaking a punch table, and ruining yet another noble's dress."

She definitely didn't remember that last one. She remembered the table, but-

"What say you in your defense?"

Dash had nothing. Not a thing. She was hung out to dry, and totally, utterly gonna get banished from the castle. Possibly forever. All the other times she screwed up were accidents, but this? This was intentional, even if the results weren't what she had wanted.

"I, uh-"

"U-Uh, It was I who started the fight, your highness?"

Both Dash and the Princess turned their heads toward Rarity, Dash practically pulling a muscle in her neck in the process.

What?

"What did you say?"

The Princess' voice was icy now. That was a huge warning flag.

"I..." Rarity swallowed, before seemingly gaining some steel in her spine. "I started the fight. I verbally insulted the Princess' moral character, her behavior, and her status as the crown Princess. Ms... Dash was merely defending her honor, milady."

At that, there was silence. The Princess sat there, almost solid as stone, and Dash found herself staring at Rarity in shock. Rarity, on the other hoof, looked like she was about to be executed, and somehow managed to get even whiter than she normally was.

"I see. Guards? Escort Miss Rarity out, and see that she is returned home. You are now barred from ever returning to the castle."

Two plate mail covered ponies moved forward immediately did as commanded, opening Rarity's cell and escorting her from the room. Dash on the other hoof, remained where she was, waiting for her still impending doom.

But instead of doom, The Princess let out a exhausted sigh, and shook her head. She suddenly looked a dozen years older. "Was it too difficult to simply have a simple party? No fights, stampedes, nor mayhem?"

Dash didn't answer. Really, what else could she add? She was already in colossal trouble as it was; any backtalk or comments would just make it worse. So, Dash took the road less trodden, and kept her mouth shut.

After a moment of silence, The Princess just gave another tired sigh, and turned to leave.

"Your punishment is to stay in that cell until my daughter finds out where we put you and retrieves you. It shouldn't take long, the party is already over."

And, with that, the Princess left, and after that, it took Twilight fifteen minutes to find her, thirty to scold her, and fifty to get finally convinced that she should actually let her out of the prison cell.
> et amor somnia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, so maybe hide and seek wasn't the best idea in a huge castle. The place was frickin' huge for starters, and even if it wasn't, she was at a huge disadvantage against somepony who could teleport if they thought that they were about to be found. Never mind the fact that everyone was totally in Twilight's camp and were probably covering for her.

But never let it be said that Dash was someone that gave up. Sure, she might not have a chance in the first place, but that was quitter talk anyway. She'd find Twilight, and then it'd be her turn to hide in the massive maze that was the Castle. 

So, without a single thought, Dash shot to the next place she could think of; the throne room. It was kinda unlikely that Twilight was actually hiding there, but there was always a chance, seeing as Twilight was really clever when she wanted to be. So, she'd just have to be quiet, as not to disturb Twilight's mom during court. So, once she arrived at the door, she quietly pushed it open and slipped in. 

And to her surprise, it was almost empty, save three ponies. A pair of Unicorns, one quite young and white as stinkin' snow and the other quite a bit older and equally as white, and the Princess herself who was, as always, a dark blue. None of them seemed to have noticed her, which was somewhat nice. Probably better to keep it that way. So Dash silently snuck along the outside wall of the throne room, keeping her eye out for anything purple and Alicornic. 

"So, what do you think of my proposal, Princess? Is it to your liking?"

Dash heard the older Unicorn's voice as she snuck past a pillar, and tried to ignore what was most likely boring business stuff. If it really mattered, Twilight or her parents would tell her later. 

"Tell me why I should even consider such an offer?"

Dash froze for a second at the Princess's tone, before moving to hide slightly behind the nearest pillar in a panic. Geez, the Princess was peeved. She definitely didn't want to get caught in here now.

In fact... maybe she should probably actually leave. Yeah, that would really be the best idea; if Twilight was in here, she'd have seen her by now; it wasn't like there was places to hide. So, Dash slowly and quietly turned around and started to try and sneak back from where she came. Twilight was smart enough to not hide in the throne room, easily. 

"Simply put, milady, it's because there have been no other offers. No one has attempted or even considered to make such an attempt."

Dash continued to quietly sneak around the wall. Yep, things were getting heated, and Dash definitely didn't want to see what was gonna happen to the fool of a unicorn. 

"I still fail to see your logic."

The Princess's tone was icy now, if not completely frigid. She needed to get out of her before she witnessed a frickin' murder.

"You know what I offer. My family can be a great boon to you. We are easily the richest in both land and influence, and we have many contacts in many other lands. Lands, I may add, that are on rather unfriendly terms with Equestria as of current."

Dash moved further, and paused behind a pillar. She was close to the door, but that also was the easiest place to get caught. She needed to be careful.

"Not only that, but think of the reception of equestria as a whole. The main line secured, a royal wedding. The morale of the citizenry would soar."

Wait... What? A royal wedding? Was this guy asking to marry the Princess?

Oh, this was not good. If she got caught, she was totally dead. So dead. Banished and put in a hole where no one could find her.

But yet at the same time, she was now very curious. This was big. No, this was huge. No matter what the Princess chose, this was something she had to see. So, she slowly poked her head from behind the pillar. The Princess was sitting silent and looking kinda angry, yet not as furious as she was a minute ago. Wait... was she actually considering this? 

No way. 

"Your offers do hold merit, but I am not fully convinced."

Dash tried to keep silent as the unicorn replied.

"I beseech you, Milady. We both know this is for the best. It may not be for love, but it will ensure the line of succession as well as further Equestria as a whole. Besides, there have been no other offers."

The Princess didn't reply for several moments, and Dash found herself wondering why she was still here. Yeah, this was huge and all, but if she got caught...

"I... accept."

With that, Dash felt the breath in her lungs freeze. Holy crap. 

Twilight now had a step dad.

"I hope your son is a fitting match for my daughter."

And with that, her blood followed. No. Nononononononononononono-

"What!?"

Dash didn't even think for a single second before she shot out from behind the pillar and into the throne room. She was angry. No, she was livid. Furious, murderous, everything!

She couldn't believe that the Princess would just sell her daughter out like that!  

"And who are you, little pegasus?"

The unicorn's tone was slightly teasing, but Dash didn't pay the flank-head any attention. She instead chose to glare at the Princess, betraying still stinging.

"How could you!?"

The Princess didn't react much to Dash's question, and instead ignored her completely. 

"There was no one else. Who would marry a useless little excuse for a Princess?"

At that, Dash turned around toward the now heckling Unicorn. He deserved a brick upside the head. In fact, not even a brick. She was gonna kick his flank right here. It didn't matter that he was twice her size.

"He's right. Who else would marry my daughter?"

Dash turned again, back to the Princess, even angrier. What was she even saying? Everyone would want to marry Twilight! 

"Who else would marry Twilight?"

"She's plain."

"She's boring."

"She's a nerd."

The voices came from all around her, from the unicorn, his son, and the Princess all at once, and Dash felt her anger grow and grow until she finally snapped. 

"I will!"

And, like that, everything stopped. The unicorn froze in place, as did his son, and the Princess looked blankly ahead. And, for several moments there was nothing but deathly silence, but Dash didn't even notice, and instead sat there and slowly gathered both her wits and her breath. In fact, it actually and took a few moments for her to realize that they still weren't moving. 

"Do you mean that?"

Oh, the Princess finally deemed her worthy to look at. 

Dash was still angry, furious even, but she nodded anyway. At least she'd treat Twilight right. 

"Yeah. I wanna marry Twilight Sparkle."

There was another moment of silence as the Princess stared at her, as if contemplating, before finally the Princess nodded, her face as impassive as ever.

"Your request has been duly noted."





Dash woke to a flash of lightning, and found herself staring at her ceiling tiredly, the remnants of her dreams slowly coming to her. 

It took her a few moments to properly register what had transpired, her groggy and sleep drunk mind taking its sweet old time, but once it pieced it all together, she let out a groan. 

She thought that she had been over this. But no, since the party her gut and heart kept on messing with her. Wanting more hugs from her best friend, occasionally bringing up the whole near kiss thing when she wasn't really thinking, sometimes when she was actually trying to do something important.

It was getting annoying. No, actually, It was getting ridiculous. 

But what could she do? Denying everything wasn't working at all, and trying to ignore it was even worse, because then she wasn't expecting the feelings when they did suddenly appear, which made hanging out with Twilight suddenly awkward.

But what else was there? Acknowledging the dumb feelings? The very idea went directly against Dash's stubbornness, almost making her angry just thinking about it. But there was literally no other options. She couldn't dig a deep enough hole to bury the stupid feelings, and she couldn't pretend that they didn't exist at all because they were as stubborn as she was. 

All there was left was to work with the flow. 

Heck, that was a pretty good way to think of it actually. Yeah, you could fly against the wind and everything, but it was always so much easier to just to fly with it. And sometimes when you flew with the wind, it even helped you with what you were trying to do in the first place. It pushed you, helped you turn, gave you that extra oomph to make that sweet twist you've been trying to do for the past week.

Eh, what the heck. It couldn't hurt. So, Dash took a deep breath, and whispered into her room.

"I think.... I like-like my best friend."

Hmm. Yes.

Wait, no.

Nope. That made it soooo much worse.
> Field trips
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Does everyone have their permission slips? Make sure to turn them in before you get onto the airship, please."

The whole class gave some sort of noise for agreement as they all stood around the docks to the airship, with Dash's being more of a groan than anything actually excited. 

This was the most pointless field trip ever in the history of field trips. She already knew the castle left right and sideways at this point, and worst yet, they wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere actually interesting. Yeah, they would see the High Princess afterward, but she also saw her every other day anyway, and Twilight, even if she wasn't being kept out of the eye of the public after the "incident" a month ago, would be doing her own studies and stuff. 

Heck, the only reason she even signed up for the stupid thing was to get out of class. Anything, even wandering the boring parts of the castle, was better than listening to the history of the mighty cloud condenser. At least at the castle she'll get to move around and not do tests or some junk. 

"Alright, everypony in, and give your slips to Mr. Rockslate."

The crowd of ponies did as they were told, even Dash, and they slowly wandered into the airship. Her entire class was talking like a bunch of little fillies and colts, all excited to see the wonders and sights of the castle. All the halls and the thrones and the paintings. But as pretty as the castle was, none of it was Twilight. 

Erm, not like that.

Eh, didn't matter anymore. Maybe like that. So, Dash moved blandly forward, and chose a seat near the back. Hopefully she'd be able to sit in silence and be bored in peace. 

“Oh, um... do you mind if I... sit with you?”

Figured. She couldn't even be grumpy in the back seat without someone giving her crap. Dash looked over and- Oh, it was just Fluttershy. Dash looked the girl over, as well as for remaining seats, but it seemed that they all were taken. Well, at least she could still sit in silence.

“Oh, hey Shy. Yeah, sure.”

Dash scooted over toward the window to let her classmate sit, and Fluttershy did a Fluttershy and sat down like she was trying to disarm a land mine with her butt. But after a moment of watching the shy one squirm and shuffle, Dash returned to being bored, and just looked back out the window.

No Twilight, no cool parts of the castle, no adventure. She was calling it now; total snooze-fest.

"So, uh... you've been to the castle before, right?"

Dash just nodded again, barely even listening to Fluttershy's question. Yeah yeah, she went to the castle tons of times. No, she wasn't a liar, and no, she wasn't crazy. Yeah, she really was Twilight's best friend, no, she wasn't a huge attention hog that made up stuff to make herself sound cooler. She was cool enough as it was; she didn't need to lie about Twilight to make herself cooler.

"Um... Is it... scary?"

It took a bit for Dash to really understand the words. Huh, that wasn't the normal question. But, then again, this was Fluttershy. The girl had about as much backbone as the the bugs she was kinda/sorta named after. 

"Uh, not really. I mean, yeah, some of the guards can be a bit grumpy I guess, but it's not a really scary place."

Except maybe for the Princess, but that might just be her. She was Twilight's best friend, after all; she got that fun privilege of getting the Princess of overprotectiveness on her flank.

"Oh. That's a relief."

Dash bet it was. Poor girl was probably gonna have a heart attack one of these days with how terrifying everything was to her.

"So... um... do they have any cute animals in the gardens?"

Dash paused a bit at the question. Animals, huh? Dash never really thought about it, but the castle did have massive gardens. And there were some animals, many of which Dash and Twilight had... tangled with in the past.

More Twilight than Dash. The Alicorn had no danger sense. 

"Oh yeah. There's some rabbits and squirrels, they really don't like it when you steal their nuts, especially when you don't even eat them. And then, there's some song birds. They're kinda cool, I guess, and they sing really pretty- They're nighten-whatits. There's also some ducks and gooses-"

"Geese."

"Yeah yeah, Geese, whatever. And there's a couple of... those weird tall two legged birds... Ostriches? And A flamingo."

She hated that Flamingo. Everypony hated that Flamingo, and that Flamingo hated everypony. It only seemed to like Cadence, and Dash suspected it was because she was just as pink as the bird was.

"There's also some mice and other tiny things, and a whole family of raccoons, but I think they're not actually supposed to be there. Oh! There are also some possums, a bear, and a cave full of bats. Like... lots of bats. Don't go into the batcave, Shy."

At her words, Fluttershy seemed to get a bit excited, and stopped looking like she was about to pass out from being a total wimp.

"There's a ton more, but I don't actually know what most of them are called."

"I hope we get to see the gardens. That sounds wonderful."

It kinda did, actually. Sure, maybe she wouldn't be able to see Twilight, but even with that, maybe this field trip wouldn't be so bad. 

"Aw, come on Trash, what are you filling poor flutterbutter's head with?"

Or maybe not. At the voice, Dash sighed and looked to the seat ahead of her, meeting the eyes of what had to be the world's biggest pain in the flank as he leaned on the back of his seat and tried his hardest to look smooth and crap. Heck, a couple of his friends were looking back too, all acting like a bunch of hype-ponies.

"Oh, shut up Thunder. Go stick your head in a cumulonimbus."

Thunder-flight just rolled his eyes with all the sleaze a pony like him could muster and a couple of the groupies or whatever they were called did the same. It was a surprise the guy could even sit in a chair without sliding out, with how slimy the guy was. 
"Yeah yeah. Everyone knows you're all talk, Dash. You're just a little filly afraid of not being the coolest."

Thunder flight, who was a punch-able pony normally, looked especially punch-able today. But, even if he was the most punch-able pony in Equestria, she wasn't gonna take the bait. He was just a whiny baby who would tattle the second that he got into a fight anyway. All words and no fight, even when he had six ponies at his back.

"There's no way in Equestria that you're friends with the Princess."

He doesn't matter. Really, he doesn't. She totally wasn't gonna punch his lights out and she definitely wasn't gonna get it banned from the castle again or get in trouble at school. The idiot was all talk, anyway. So, she just continued staring at the huge jerk, waiting for him to say more, or maybe finally be the one to throw a punch so she could hit him back without getting in extra trouble. 

She really hoped he tried to hit her. She really wanted to punch him so much.

But no, he just stared for a couple of seconds before finally wussing out. 

"Pssh, I figured you were a wimp."

And with that, the Punch-able one looked back forward and the hype ponies stopped paying attention, and Dash let out a sigh. Thank the moon; she was just about to punch him in the snoot.

"Um... I believe you, Dash."

Dash smiled a little at that. Yeah, Shy probably did. 





"Alright, single file, everyone off the airship. We have a lot to see and not much time, so we have to hurry!"

The crowd slowly kinda pushed and shoved their way out of the airship,  the teachers keeping everypony in a line as they left, and Dash found herself looking at a very familiar sight; the front gates of the castle. 

How many times had she gone through them? How many times had she been shoved out of them? How many times had she tried, unsuccessfully, to sneak Twilight through them?

Way too many times to bother even trying to count. Dozens, maybe even hundreds. 

But anyway, it was a nice sight. It looked like home. 

"Alright, everypony gather up! The guide will be here any second, and we have to make sure that everyone is here and accounted for!"

Dash followed the instructions begrudgingly, gathering into the pile of ponies and standing beside Fluttershy on the outskirts as the teachers went through and made a head count to make sure that everyone had made it out of the airship and that no one didn't randomly fly off. But there was nothing nearly that interesting, as after a minute, everyone was accounted for and the tour guide arrived. 

He looked very familiar. Too familiar.

Oh Luna, why? 

"Hello, everypony. I am Mr. Le' Snoot, and I will be your tour guide for the day. Please, follow me."
> The Grand hall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dash stared at Le' Snoot. And Le' Snoot, as usual, completely ignored Dash as they slowly walked from the royal airship docks and to the main gate. Dash wasn't really sure if that was a good or bad thing, but she really wasn't dumb enough to speak up and find out.

But after a minute or so of walking, they arrived at front of the main gates, and Le' Snoot turned around and faced them once more.

"Before we enter the castle grounds proper, do any of you have any questions?"

Several hooves shot up at that, including, to Dash's surprise, Fluttershy's. Huh. 

"You, Miss Glammer Blitz."

There was a moment of pause from the pony, probably because she didn't expect the elder Unicorn to actually know her name. Dash didn't blame her though, Le' Snoot was a terrifying monster who ate fun and dreams and one time, a poor little unicorn's doll. 

"Uh, how do-"

"I memorized everyone's names before you arrived; Did you think we wouldn't research the ponies who we would be welcoming into our halls?"

Yeah, because that wasn't a totally terrifying idea. In fact, a lot of students seemed to agree, because several hooves went down at that. Except, shockingly, Fluttershy's. She seemed to have a bit more backbone than Dash gave her credit. Not a high bar at all, seeing as she thought a stiff breeze would knock the girl down for good, but still.

"But, your question, Miss?"

"Oh, uh... What are we gonna do for the tour?"

Le' snoot didn't answer immediately, instead staring at Glammer, judging at her with all the power of the head butler for several moments, before finally nodding just slightly before the poor mare collapsed under the weight of his sheer snoot. Dash could feel for the girl; She had been on the receiving end of his stares more times than she could count.

"We will start our tour with the grand hall, followed by the first floor art gallery. After that, we shall go through the hall of history and legend before going to the royal library. It is then that we shall break for lunch in the main dining room. We shall continue from there. Next question, Mister Flexlock."

From there, several ponies asked a lot of dumb and pointless questions, like if they would get to see the royal chambers, (No,) If they would get to look at any of the books in the royal Library, (From certain approved sections, yes,) and if they would get to see Princess Twilight. (A very hard no, to Dash's disappointment.)

Eventually, however, the hooves were slowly put down as questions were answered, until all that remained was Fluttershy who had somehow managed to keep herself from wimping out the entire time.

"You, Miss Fluttershy Softwing. Your question?"

Fluttershy didn't immediately answer; nah, she was actually frozen in place. But Le' Snoot proved to be surprisingly patient, and after half a minute, she finally managed to spit it out. 

"Um.... will we get to see the gardens?"

Le' Snoot didn't answer immediately; he just sort of stared at her as she stood there, frozen in place. But instead of his cold normal stare, he seemed rather... not cold. 

"If we have time, I shall forward your request to the Princess."

And like that, he turned around and started walking through the main gate. 

"Come along, we have much to see and do, and we do not have a wealth of time."

With that, the crowd of school ponies and the teachers moved forward, following behind the elder butler as they finally made it past the main gate. The grounds were, like always, pristine, the grass looking like they were cut only a couple minutes ago, and the statues, sculptures, and hedge-things were all awesome and flawless too, like they always are. Groundskeepers rushed to and fro, royal guards patrolled atop the walls and through the grounds themselves, and the occasional delivery pony moved through, bringing something to someone somewhere.

The road was a very clean white, and a long line of guards, all wearing the standard golden armor and facing in toward the group of students as they followed Le' Snoot down the half mile of road to the actual front door. Everypony, or everybody that wasn't Dash or the teachers anyway, all looked at the guards like they were gonna smack them with their spears. Wusses; the guards were pushovers. Usually.

Sometimes.

Heck, she should probably just show everyone that they had nothing to be afraid of. So, without a thought, she looked at the first guard that she recognized and moved to them.

"Hiya, uh, Blazing blade?"

The guard did not react to her in the slightest, and continued looking forward, even as she got up close and waved a hoof in front of his face. Yeah, she probably shouldn't have chose Blazing; the guy was a complete flankhead at the best of times. She had a better chance of getting a statue to react to her. 

"Pfft! I told you guys that she was a fraud."

Dash felt her wings tense at the colt's words, and it took everything she had to not turn around and smack the idiot as she heard several ponies giggle and laugh behind her. No, she would just ignore the complete tool; if fighting on the airship was a bad idea, fighting in front of Le' Snoot and the guards was even worse. So, even though she really wanted to hit the idiot, she ignored him and his group of giggling idiots and instead turned away from the guard and rejoined the crowd, her pride wounded and her irritation obvious.

The rest of the walk to the doors was pretty straightforward; they walked past a fancy shaped bush or something, a pony would wow or ooh or aww, and they would pass through another set of gates or pass another set of guards looking like they'd been cut from some very grumpy stone. 

It took only five minutes to get to the front doors, but it felt like a whole hour by the time the doors were pushed open and they were ushered in by a pair of guards, this time in the black armor, that followed them in and closed the doors behind them.

And wouldn't she know it, it was the same grand hall that she had walked in practically every day for the past five years. Same stairs, same floor, same walls, same- Actually, the flower arrangement in the wall thingies was different, but that was it.

Yeah, she called it. This was totally boring. It only took a whole five seconds of walking through the main doors, moving past the royal guards and moving into the grand hall before the whole group of ponies ooo-ed and awww-ed. Yeah, sure, the castle was amazing, but they weren't even in the cool parts yet. They were literally just in the front door. Not even the teachers lasted more than five seconds.

If they thought the first stinkin' room they went into was so amazing, they'd probably pass out from sheer awesomeness once they got to see any of the really cool places. 

"Welcome to the Grand hall of the Light and Dark. The polished granite floors you trot upon are just a scant six years short of half century; the stone was sourced from a quarry outside Abyssal falls that has long since run dry. This particular section of the castle is particularly unique; it is very rare to see a White and blue granite mix in-vein, and it is there that the Grand hall gains its name. The material was provided as a gift for the Princess's five hundred and fifteenth birthday, from the noble house of Dark Dancer , who owned the quarry at the time."

Yeah yeah, it was a pretty floor. That didn't mean they needed a whole history lesson on rocks and junk. But apparently nopony else agreed with her, because everyone else was staring at the ground like it suddenly saved the universe. Heck, even Fluttershy was staring at the ground like she wasn't worth walking on it.

"The hoof rails are made from black marble, which has been sourced from many locations throughout the years. In fact, the have been replaced recently."

She could swear that Le' Snoot was staring at her when he said that, and Dash scowled. She literally had nothing to do with that one. She hadn't even been here that day.

"And lastly, the main chandelier is a mix of fine silver and platinum, forged over nine hundred years ago by the legendary smith Hellfire over the course of three years. It weighs over one ton, and is worth over fifteen million bits in materials alone."

And now everyone was looking up like the sky was falling. At least they had a decent reason for that one; Dash had to admit that the chandelier was actually kinda cool. But still, it wasn't so cool that they had to worry about swallowing bugs. No chandelier was that cool.

"Now, let us move along. The art gallery is next, and it is far more impressive than the grand hall."

It was all Dash could do to avoid groaning aloud as the group started moving forward. This was gonna take forever.