“My Dearest Twilight Sparkle,
As you must know by now, your most charming brother and I are to be happily married one week from today and needless to say, even now I’m really rather nervous. I hope everything is going along just fine in Ponyville and that you and your friends are all in good health. I’ve heard an awful lot of good praise about your friends and I am very much looking forward to meeting them all and seeing how much you’ve grown!
I am writing this letter to invite you and your dear friends to a little ‘get-together’ my dearest aunt, princess Celestia, will be holding at Canterlot castle. I hope that in spending a little time with my friends and family, and indeed soon to be family, will help to calm my nerves a little. To say I’m not excited about the wedding would be an outright lie: I’m so overjoyed to be marrying such an amazing stallion that I can’t even begin to describe with words how excited I am!
I very much hope that you all can attend this humble celebration tonight in preparation for my up-and-coming big day and I am eagerly awaiting your reply. I can’t wait to see how that bright little filly I used to sit has grown in what must be twelve years! Once again, I am very fervent to finally see you again after all these years and catch up on all of our adventures!
Yours truly, princess Miamora Cadenza,
Your friend, Cadence.”
“Ooh!” Twilight Sparkle squealed in delight as she finished the letter, leaping up and down on the spot several times like her dear pink friend would until she calmed down enough to catch her breath and recollect her thoughts. “Cadence is having a party!” She cried once more, saying this aloud re-ignited much of her excitement. “Of course we’ll come!” The purple mare yelled at the letter, only to be met with the crinkle of dry parchment as a response.
“A party? What, like a sleepover? Count me out!” The little purple dragon named Spike, who had only moments before belched out the scroll in a great lick of emerald flame dismissed, frowning up at Twilight who was stood before him in the kitchen of her library.
“What!?” The unicorn cried in disbelief, her eyes wild with astonishment. But then the realization hit her. “Oh, girl things, right?” She asked, to which Spike merely nodded with closed eyes. “I suppose you’re right, Spike.” Twilight noted, trotting past him and out into the main floor of the library.
“Yeah,” The baby dragon added, “Why would I want to spend a whole night with a bunch of mares?”
Twilight chortled into her hoof and blushed a little at the young reptillian’s pre-adolescent protest. She deemed it best to leave him with that attitude until... his later years... “You’re right, Spike.” She decreed. “Anyway, it would be uncomfortable for both of us mares and for you to be there anyway... no offense.”
“None taken, Twilight. I needed to stay here tonight anyway; lots of chores to do...” He sighed.
After a short moment’s pause, the only sounds were of birds happily chirping outside in the glorious summer sun as they darted back and forth in search for seeds and berries. This was the fifth hot, sticky day in a row and by now, everypony in town was either at the swimming pool, relishing in the shade, or, like Twilight herself, merely lounging around indoors, her windows opened as wide as they possibly could go, proving themselves useless as wind was a thing of fable right around now.
“Alright.” Twilight began, flicking the baked wooden door open with a flick of her horn, the blistering heat soaking her fur like some kind of dry, boiling bath. “I’m going to fetch the others, Spike.” She said stepping outside and into the unbroken heat of the sun. “If you don’t hear from me, I’ll be back sometime tomorrow.”
“What sort of time?” Asked Spike, standing at the edge of the library door, peeking out at the vibrant world, the sun already warming his cold blood right down to the bone.
“Ummm...” The lavender unicorn pondered for a second or two. “I should be back late morning, early afternoon. It really depends on how late we stay up.” She turned away briefly, scanning the many green leafy trees and flowerbeds dotted at the bases of the many cottages surrounding the library before looking back at her dragon assistant, who had approached far quieter than she was comfortable with.
“Are you going to be okay staying here on your own?” She asked, taking a step backwards, further into the outdoors.
“Come on, Twi...” Spike sighed in an amused tone. “It’s not as if you haven’t left me on my own before...”
“Yes, but this will be what... third time I’ve left you overnight?” She enquired, bending down a little closer to Spike. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” She asked, feeling somewhat apologetic.
“Really, Twilight... I’m fine. It’s fun to be alone sometimes: just you and your thoughts, you know?”
Twilight smiled, seeing as how her young dragon assistant saw living in solitude the same way as she did. The quiet young mare often lost herself in her studies, completely, as her assistant so graciously put it, ‘being alone with her thoughts’... Whatever ‘thoughts’ that may be...
Twilight shook the apprehension from her head and relocated her wandering eyes to Spike’s green discs. “So you’ll be fine, then?” She asked, this time a lot less concerned, but rather, she was smiling with confidence.
“For the last time, Twilight, yes!” Spike cried, seemingly becoming impatient.
“Alright... I just wanted to make sure, alright?” She paused for a moment before adding “I just care about you Spike...” She spoke softly, and with a motherly tone. “I care about you a lot...”
Spike chuckled quietly. “I love you too, Twilight...” He replied with a slight blush.
Twilight smiled in a picturesque manner. “Just behave yourself, Spike... I don’t want to come back to find a mess...” She leant forward and kissed Spike gently on the forehead before promptly swirling around and trotting off into town, Celestia’s great ball of fire beating down on her back, her excitement at the thought of seeing one of her very best foalhood friends once again returning.
“See ya’ soon, Twilight!” Spike called, watching the bright young unicorn skipped out of sight. He hastily shut the door and began mentally planning the exciting day before him.
“Princess Miamora Cadenza?” Fluttershy queried, cocking her head at her light plum colored friend. “You mean Cadence? She’s having a sleepover?”
“Yup!” Twilight beamed proudly. “She was my foal-sitter when I was just a filly! I haven’t seen her in twelve years!” The unicorn was practically radiating glee as the golden sun shimmered around her, casting it’s warm glow into the yellow pegasus’ cottage.
“That sounds... lovely!” Fluttershy squealed, as loud as she felt appropriate, which for the timid little mare wasn’t much at all.
“I’m going to get Pinkie Pie. Could you go and ask Rainbow if she’d like to come and then maybe ask her to go get Rarity? Once everypony knows, we’ll meet at the train station in twenty minutes. Okay?” Twilight ordered, still holding the joyous air around her like a halo.
“Okay, Twilight. I’ll go and ask Rainbow Dash, and then wait at the train station for you. Is that right?” For one reason or another, the pegasus seemed rather strong-willed in the way she spoke, despite her usual meekness. Fluttershy held a great sense of enthusiasm behind her, not to be confused at all with boldness.
Twilight Sparkle quickly picked up on this fact and decided to bring the thought to light. “You seem happy today, Fluttershy...” She mused as the butter colored pegasus followed her outside into the sunshine. The meek little Fluttershy broadened her wings, the liquid warmth of Celestia’s sun soaking into every feather.
“It’s just this kind of weather really... light’s up my soul!” She cried gleefully.
“That’s very poetic, Fluttershy.” Twilight replied, unable to stifle her widening smile.
“I’m sorry, it’s just this perfect weather. And now I’m going to a sleepover with my best friends and a princess!” Once again, Fluttershy squealed in delight.
“Ohhh! I just know it’s going to be great!” Said Twilight, starting down the dirt track leading from Fluttershy’s humble cottage. “We’re going to have so much fun!”
“I know, Twilight...” Agreed the pegasus softly, her wings broadly extended behind her back, catching as much of the sunlight as possible. “I’m excited too.” She added.
“So,” Twilight began, re-entering her ‘organised - mode’, “I’ll run and get Pinkie, and you...” She trailed off, allowing Fluttershy to finish her sentence so she was certain the yellow mare knew where she was going.
“...Oh, um... I’m going to Rainbow Dash’s house and then I’ll ask her if she can go and tell... Rarity?” Fluttershy asked, feeling pretty confident despite herself with her answer.
“That’s right. And then...” Asked Twilight again.
“Then I’ll meet you at the train station- oh...” The meek pegasus trailed off, remembering she was not carrying any money at the present moment.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight queried, stopping in her tracks just as Fluttershy did.
“I... I left my purse in my house, I... I’m sorry, Twilight, I need to go back for it.” Fluttershy returned with the upmost apology.
“Don’t worry about that!” Twilight replied happily, “I’ll buy us train tickets... Think of it as my little treat!”
“Oh, but I wouldn’t want to be a hindrance...” Fluttershy noted, not wanting to exploit her friend, yet she still turned back from her cottage to face her.
“Not at all, Fluttershy!” Beamed Twilight. “I can’t wait for you all to meet Cadence.”
“A- are you sure?” The yellow pegasus asked, not wanting to argue with her friend, yet still rather apprehensive about using her money.
“Positive.” Twilight answered, continuing on her way along the winding dirt trail leading back to Ponyville.
Fluttershy paused for a moment before becoming more content and accepting. “Alright Twilight. As long as you’re okay with it, so am I...” When she had finished speaking, she gradually ascended into the sky, hovering just over the unicorn before taking off to invite her colorful friend. As she did this however, she caught a glimpse of the purple mare’s pert backside, her flanks shining from the sun of the afternoon. In that moment, Fluttershy stopped mid-flight. She didn’t know what to be more shocked by: the fact that she had looked at her best friend’s behind, or the fact that she was ever so slightly hypnotized by it in the second or two she had peeked.
Realizing time was dragging in seconds as she mulled over the strange thoughts and she managed to chase them from the front of her mind so at least now she could see straight and fly right. She climbed higher into the sky, barely noticing the small clump of clouds on the other side of Ponyville that happened to be Rainbow’s home. Gracefully, she flapped her little wings and soared silently above the bustling town of Ponyville. Down below, the streets were alive with grounded ponies seeking refreshment in one way or another. Whether that be in the form of an ice cream, a shady bench or a dip in the pool, there was no doubt the residents of Ponyville were doing their best to make the most of this wondrous weather.
Gaining on the white plume of clouds, and the impressive rainbows sprouting from the roof and walls. Fluttershy couldn’t help but wonder, as she did many times, how a pegasus such as Rainbow Dash could afford such an exquisite property and where she found the money. The yellow pegasus didn’t much enjoy thinking about this though, she saw it extremely rude to enquire a friend’s value in terms of wealth, whether that be asking them or not, she still scolded herself mentally for thinking in such a way.
Her train of thought, however, hit a brick wall when she heard a very distinct noise. It made her falter for a second before she found rhythm in her wing beats again. She peered towards the upper window of the blue pegasus’ home and held her breath. It was Rainbow Dash. And she was moaning. Without hesitation, something seldom seen from this particular pony, Fluttershy darted to where the sound was emanating from, her fear and apprehension being dispelled by the thought of Rainbow Dash being hurt and in dire need of help.
The yellow pegasus darted through the wide open window, yelling - despite herself - “Rainbow Dash! What’s wr-” But that’s all she managed to shriek out, the rest of the question dissolving into stunned silence and horrendous embarrassment. Rainbow Dash lay on her back on her cloud bed, rear legs opened wide and her two forehooves rubbing furiously in-between them. At the point of hearing Fluttershy’s urgent voice, Rainbow jerked upwards instantly mid-groan, coming face to embarrassed face with her shy yellow friend.
Fluttershy had her front hooves clasped over her mouth, failing miserably to hide an enormous blush covering her whole face. “Flut!-” Rainbow started, being cut short as she attempted to cover herself up with moist bedsheets and falling from her bed in the process. She appeared at her bedside a moment later, her face a mix of embarrassment, shame and maybe a touch of frustration. “Fluttershy! I, um...” She tried again, not getting much further than before, her voice losing all sense of purpose as she made one of the worst lies in history. “I was um... I had an itch...” She said her own face not differing from Flutteshy’s in the slightest.
The yellow mare didn’t know what to think. Alas, she didn’t know what she wanted to think. She merely accepted Rainbow’s blatant lie and replied. “I... Um... Okay...” She somehow managed to say without squeaking.
A moment of very awkward silence passed before anypony spoke. To Fluttershy’s great relief, it was Rainbow Dash who took the first move. “So, Fluttershy...” She began, scratching the back of her head as a statement for dispelling some more tension, forgetting that her hoof wasn’t ‘dry’. “What brings you here?” She asked, bringing her hoof slowly back to the floor.
“Oh, I just um...” Fluttershy began, landing and bringing her hooves away from her mouth when she spoke, her face slowly but surely returning to its proper color. “Do you remember when Twilight told us about her old foalsitter, Cadence?”
“The one who’s marrying her brother, right?” Asked Rainbow.
“That’s right.” Fluttershy confirmed, finding something to now focus her thoughts on. “Well, she’s invited us all to Canterlot to stay the night.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’m not sure, but it sounds really nice!” Beamed the yellow mare, ‘nice’ being the most advanced word for a display of glee in the mare’s dictionary. “Twilight wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come.”
“I did want to come...” Rainbow muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” Asked Fluttershy.
“Nothing!” Rainbow quickly replied, her cheeks rapidly becoming rosy once more. “Yeah, that sounds like fun!” She continued, casting her eyes away from Fluttershy and back around her bright, messy room. Her lilac pillows were scattered in the general area of her bed, many were bunched up in the dark blue duvet, harboring a red and yellow lightning bolt design. The walls proudly displayed many posters of the Wonderbolts and other famous ponies across the land.
Fluttershy beamed and hopped in delight a little before taking off. “Oh, one more thing, Rainbow Dash...” She began, hovering a fraction away, nearly forgetting what Twilight had said to do and becoming a little miffed with herself over it. “Twilight asked me to ask you if you could ask Applejack if she would like to come to the princess’ sleepover as well.”
“Right. Got it.” Said Rainbow.
“Twilight’s gone to ask pinkie Pie.” Added Fluttershy, sounding as if she were simply relaying information. “We’re all meeting back up at the train station.”
“Understood.” Said Rainbow, sounding like a soldier taking orders. “I’ll go with AJ to Rarity’s, then meet up at the platform in about ten minutes.”
“Ooh! I can’t wait! This is the first time I’ve stayed away in Canterlot! I wonder what we’ll be doing...” The butter-colored pegasus pondered, seeing the six friends and the princess sat around a fire, chatting about the upcoming wedding the entire world was talking about.
“I don’t know, Fluttershy...” Said the blue pegasus, stepping over to her bedroom window behind Fluttershy, intending to leave her bedroom in the mighty mess that it was, deciding to clean it up when she returned.
Fluttershy decided not to question her friend as she took off from the cloud home, waiting for her spectral friend to close the window behind her, not bothering to lock it. Somepony being robbed was unheard of in Ponyville, the crime rate was so low that you could leave out a solid gold, jewel-encrusted tiara outside overnight and in the morning it would still be there. One reason for this could be the fact that in the little town of Ponyville, everypony knew everyopony, so if anypony stole something, they would quickly be found out. Anyway, Rainbow Dash shut the swirly patterned glass window loudly and turned back to Fluttershy.
“See ya’ soon, Flutters!” She said, hovering a small distance from the blushing yellow mare. Rainbow Dash had only called Fluttershy ‘Flutters’ once, and that was when the two had become very close that one time they were both drunk at one of Pinkie’s signature parties. Nothing ‘drastic’ happened between the two, but neither pony knew then or now if it would have been better or worse if ‘something’ had...
“I’ll see you in ten minutes then, Rainbow Dash...” Said Fluttershy unmoving from her friends’ side.
Fluttershy had barely finished saying this before Dash bid farewell in a typical ‘Rainbow Dash’ manner. “Okay, Fluttershy! See ya’ then!” She then took off towards the endless apple orchard in the distance, a luminous rainbow in her wake.
Fluttershy sighed contently, becoming conscious again of the glorious sunshine. She ruffled her feathers again; well, as much as she could in mid flight, feeling the tiny pricks of pleasure along each feathery appendage as the warmth of day soaked into her wings. Slowly, and indeed in a very demure ‘Fluttershy’ style, the little yellow pegasus glided softly downward, heading straight for the Ponyville train platform in which she hoped to bask in the sun peacefully a little longer before her loud pink friend arrived.
“Are you coming, Pinkie?” Twilight asked, standing before Pinkie in her bedroom in the deserted Sugarcube corner. The bakery was a ghost town today, it was far too hot not only to work in a kitchen full of ovens, and besides, the store had no customers all morning and had decided to close early and try to relax in the heat. Much like everypony in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie’s doors were wide open and like everypony else, it was fruitless.
When Twilight Sparkle rasped on the bakery door, she became worried at the long time it took for somepony to answer it. She began to fret that her friend who knew the ins and outs of a good time wouldn’t be able to attend. But to her relief, a very hot and flustered Mr. Cake answered, his brow drenched with sweat and his eyes heavy. He and his wife were not only irritated by the weather, but also by their two children who wouldn’t stop displaying their distaste in the heat via constant wails of discomfort.
“Duh!” The bright pink mare cried loudly. “Of course I’d love to come to a sleepover at the castle! It’ll be super, duper FUN!” She cried, dropping to her knees and rummaging around under her bed.
Twilight watched for a moment, completely lost before asking in defeat. “What in Equestria are you doing, Pinkie?” She asked, observing the two big bouncy flanks wiggling provocatively in the air.
“Board games!” Cried Pinkie, swiveling round on her knees, bearing several boxes in her arms, the top one being everypony’s favorite: ‘Mulenopony’. However, as Pinkie turned, she kicked out another, more intriguing item from beneath her bed. Twilight only caught a glimpse before it was stowed away again, and she couldn’t for the life of her think what it could have been. Pinkie shoved the long pink item back under her bed and returned to Twilight, blushing profusely.
“What was that?” Asked Twilight, bending down to try and see it - whatever it was.
“Nothing!” Said Pinkie as fast as she could, standing up in front of the unicorn to obscure her view. “Nothing at all!” She added, drawing Twilight’s attention back to her panicky blue eyes.
“It looked like a... translucent pink uh... cucumber...” Twilight pondered, attempting to remember the curious object.
Pinkie’s quick mind made up a story so fast, she shocked even herself. “Yeah, that’s what it is... a cucumber!” She gave a little giggle. “It’s a new type of ingredient for cupcakes, but it needs to be kept in the dark.” She nodded manically, emphasizing to Twilight that this was the truth.
“A... cucumber...” Twilight asked, still a little skeptical.
“Yup, a ‘special’ type of cucumber, it uh... needs to be kept in the dark.” Replied Pinkie with shifty eyes.
“Really?”
“Yup!”
“Can I see it?”
“NO!” Cried Pinkie, a lot louder and more desperately than she intended. “I mean... just now... when I knocked it out... that’s more than enough sunlight for today...” She trailed off, casting a glance back to her bed, her cheeks still a pinkish red.
“Interesting… Remember to tell me when you make a batch with it!” She laughed, and Pinkie joined her, finding more humor in the unicorn’s ignorance than in her statement.
“So anyway,” Pinkie began again, gathering her board games from the floor and placing them on her cushy - looking bed. Pinkie’s room was extremely similar to Twilights; tidy, and girly. The walls were a rich, creamy color and radiated comfort. The quilt draped over her bed was a mint green, bearing simple white balloon, lollipop and candy wrapper designs in each green square, separated by a thin white line. A broad wardrobe stood in the far corner, small enough to not seem imposing, yet large enough to store all of Pinkie Pie’s many, many fancy dress costumes and party gear. “As I was saying, Twilight, I’d love to come to your foalsitter’s sleepover.”
“Now, Pinkie...” Twilight started, taking on a motherly tone as if she were teaching a stern lesson to her foal. “Cadence was my foalsitter, she’s not anymore, and I haven’t seen her for years but from what I hear from shining Armor, she hasn’t changed a bit!”
“I can’t wait to meet her!” Exclaimed Pinkie Pie, her embarrassment transforming into her usual state of ecstasy. “She sounds so nice!”
“She is...” Replied Twilight, dreamily remembering the fondest memories of her foalhood and how much Cadence was a part of it. Back in her youth, Twilight had seen Cadence as a role model, in some cases, even more than Celestia. Cadence’s special talent was love... no other pony in existence had the power to control love. Even Twilight Sparkle, the very element of magic; representing the power locked inside love and friendship could not actually force two ponies to love each other. But maybe that wasn’t such a good thing...“However, Pinkie,” Twilight began, “I don’t think Cadence, a princess, will be that into board games...”
Pinkie’s smile faltered, dropping ever so slightly in disappointment. “Can I... bring them anyway?” She asked, her voice pleading.
“If you want to, Pinkie, by all means, do.” Answered Twilight, feeling sorry for causing disappointment to her friend. “I don’t know... maybe Cadence will play Mulenopony with us... Thinking back on it, she played it a lot with me when I was a filly...” Twilight spoke with remembrance, even more happy memories came flooding back. Oh, she simply couldn’t wait to catch up!
“Whew!” Pinkie sighed, the heat of the bedroom getting to her. “Come on, Twilight. It’s soooo hot in here!” She groaned rushing out of the door before Twilight. Before exiting, Twilight had a burst of curiosity, she slid her hoof under the drapes of Pinkie’s duvet, catching a glimpse of the ‘cucumber’ before she felt a firm hoof on her shoulder pull her back out of the door, accompanied by a fillyish giggling from the pink mare.
“Uuuughhhhh! I’m soooo bored!” Was the grievous moan which rang through Carousel Boutique. The prim and proper unicorn waved her hoof in front of her face like a fan in some feeble attempt to cool off. The boredom due to the lack of business was only made worse by the sweltering heat. And the three little fillies scrambling around playing dress up wasn’t helping.
Once again, Rarity groaned, exerting her displeasure in the thought that he had the rest of the boiling day with the little tikes destroying any hope she had for getting any peace and quiet.
And then Rarity had a marvelous idea. Simple, however most of the best ideas in history were simple ones. “Um... girls?” Asked Rarity, clambering off of her red sofa where she had been idly laying on her back for the past half an hour. The Cutie Mark Crusaders continued to run laps around the boutique, engrossed with some kind of role playing game. The purpose of which, Rarity quickly deemed unfathomable. “Girls?” The blue eyed unicorn asked again, a little louder this time. But once again, the three colorful fillies ignored their host.
“AHEM!” Rarity cleared her throat, deliberately very loud, yet still holding some air of decorum. The three young ponies halted in their tracks, each bumping into the one in front as their rapid single file line came to a dead stop. Each filly awkwardly looked about each other, but their attention was recaptured by Rarity when she next spoke, allowing herself a discreet smile before she opened her mouth.
“Girls, why don’t you play outside?” The fashionista asked with the best smile she could muster. “You’re giving Rarity a headache...” She complained, rubbing her temple tenderly with the tip of her hoof. It was true, though the girls weren’t solely to blame, they certainly weren’t aiding the migraine which was niggling in the back of her brain. Far too loudly for its own good, a tall fan stood on the floor, slowly scanning the room and failing at its task of providing refreshing air. Rather, all the three spinning blades did was supercharge the hot air that was already in the room. It was days like this that made her regret not buying air conditioning
“Uh! But it’s soooo much hotter outside!” The violet maned Scootaloo argued, a whining tone detected in her voice.
“Yeah, we don’t wanna be runnin’ around in this heat!” Applebloom added, shifting uncomfortably on her hooves.
Rarity glanced to her open window, the silk drapes perfectly still in the absence of wind. Truth to tell, if she wasn’t so refined, and if it wasn’t stuffed with food, the hot and bothered unicorn would be sitting inside her fridge in an attempt to cool off. To say she wasn’t tempted by the thought of the refrigerated air chilling her sweaty body would be a lie. In fact, if this heat wave continued, she may give that experience a try once her sister had gone home with her parents and there was nopony around to bother her.
A heavy knock at her door interrupted her thoughts and she jumped a little at the unexpected sound. Her shock quickly turned to excitement, however as the thought of escaping her oven-like boutique crossed her mind. She trotted towards the deep purple door and, unable to see through the diamond - shaped window due to the intense glare from the sun, Rarity merely shrugged and pulled the door open.
“Well, howdy, miss Rarity.” The placid as ever Big Macintosh greeted in his deep southern accent, the intense afternoon heat matting his fur to his sides with sweat, showing off his mighty stature. Rarity’s face flushed as she couldn’t take her eyes off of the stallion’s bulky neck and well toned legs. Oblivious to her admiration, Big Mac simply continued with his explanation. “Uh, sorry to disturb ya’ ‘an all, but... Twi and Pinkie here were jus’ tellin’ me about their little get together at the castle and I was jus’ wonderin’ if you wanted me to take these three fillies off ya’ hooves...” By now, the three young fillies had congregated around Rarity’s hooves and had now removed their articles of clothing and had had presumably flung them carelessly to the floor, ready for Rarity to pick them up later.
“Huh?” Asked Rarity, snapping from her stallion-induced trance and gazed up at Big Mac’s light green eyes, subconsciously smiling in a seductive manner.
Big Macintosh merely chuckled deeply. “It was a mighty stroke a’ good luck fer me to run into Twilight and Pinkie Pie here on my’ break.” The great red stallion continued, glancing back to face the two mares who had previously met him in the town centre. He was, as he defined, “Goin’ nowheres in particular...” and Twilight had informed him about the sleepover at the castle. Making quick calculations, as she does, Twilight deemed it best to leave an invitation out of the question, many reasons complemented this decision, but the most outstanding of them all happened to be the fact that Big Macintosh would never fit in with such a ‘girly’ regimen.
“These girls were jus’ tellin’ me that you might need me to look after em’ whilst you’re away.” The tank-like stallion motioned, glancing from first Scootaloo, then to his sister, Applebloom, then finally to the cute little Sweetie Belle.
Rarity paused for a moment before responding. The first thought on her mind was what in Equestria the big red stallion could be talking about. “I’m sorry... ‘get together’?... At the castle?” The unicorn cocked her head, looking out past Macintosh to the two mares stood each side of him.
“Oh, right... um... excuse me, please...” Said Twilight, stepping past Big Macintosh, who leaned to the side a little not making it substantially easier for Twilight to pass. Though at least he made the effort.
“Rarity.” Twilight began, recapturing Rarity’s attention which had subconsciously fallen back to the chiseled rump of the broad stallion.
“Hm?” Rarity mused, her eyes drearily turning from the red pony and back to the purple one, her discomfort returning as the direct sunlight began to strike her already damp fur.
Twilight smiled broadly and explained her visit. “You know my foal sitter is marrying my brother next week, right?”
“Uh - huh...” Rarity answered slowly.
“Well she’s invited all of us to stay at Canterlot castle tonight!” Twilight replied, up until now, able to surpass her excitement.
“Tonight?” Rarity inquired, excitement growing in her voice too. “As in, tonight, tonight?” She added, her enthusiasm increasing rapidly.
“Yeah...” Twilight confirmed, causing a great beaming smile of pearly white teeth to explode upon the unicorn’s face.
“Just us girls!?” Exclaimed the pampered unicorn, already growing fond of the idea of a sleepover not only with her best friends, but this time with a princess! She quickly dashed into her house and returned a moment later with two bulging saddlebags.
Twilight’s head fell to the side and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “What’s in the-”
“Supplies.” Rarity interrupted Twilight mid - sentence. The purple unicorn flinched a little before asking another question.
“Supplies?” The purple mare repeated her friends answer.
“Oh, you know...” Rarity replied, jiggling her back a little to make the bags more comfortable.
Twilight Sparkle gave a brief laugh, playfully swiping her hoof in the air in front of Rarity’s face. “I’m pretty sure princess Cadence has enough ‘supplies’ for tonight.” Twilight’s grin widened as she finished.
The white unicorn’s face flushed ever so slightly and her eyes fell to her sister, who she idly patted on the head. “Well, it can’t hurt to... bring a few of my own...” Twilight frowned in thought, staring at the saddlebags, able to see little files and bottles of various colored liquids inside. Once again, Rarity shuffled and the contents of the white bags re-positioned. “Just a few of my own special colors...” Rarity explained after a very forced - sounding laugh. “You know... off market... ‘special’ ones.”
“Right...” Twilight replied, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“Of course: I’m going to share them.” Rarity quickly added, wiping her hoof across her forehead, drawing a long line of most uncouth perspiration along her forearm.
Nopony spoke for an amount of time which was far too extended to be regarded as comfortable.
“So... Are we sleeping at yours now, Applebloom?” Scootaloo enquired, turning to the yellow filly and raising an eyebrow.
“I guess so...” Applebloom replied, gazing up at her big brother. “Can the three a’ us stay round ours tonight?”
Big Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.” He simply answered, his great head casting a shadow over the three little ponies.
The three of them galloped as a filly could back into the boutique, giggling, going to re-pack their things. The four adults were left alone to converse, yet the ambience of the fillies could still be heard through the walls. Rarity giggled quietly to herself and turned back to the robust stallion.
“Thank you, Big Macintosh.” The white unicorn said with a wink. “Thanks for taking them off of my hooves so I can have a night out with the girls.” She took a step closer and raised her right foreleg a little as if she was hurt. “You will be able to cope, won’t you?” She asked.
The big red pony gave a modest bow before returning to Rarity’s eyes. “No problem, miss Rarity.” Big Mac answered with a serene as always smile. “I’m no foalsitter, but I can take care of a few kids, no problem.”
Rarity’s face flushed. Her pure white cheeks becoming a rosy pink. “You’ll make a great father one day.” She declared, causing Macintosh’s smile to widen.
Big Macintosh simply nodded knowingly, closing his eyes and simply agreeing: “Eeyup...”
“You don’t have any work today, right?” Rainbow Dash enquired, hovering just above the tanned farm girl earth pony who, despite being the hard worker that she was, seemed to not be coping well with this heat. In fact, the mighty draft from the blue pegasus’ wings felt like a godsend.
“No...” Applejack replied, breathing heavily after going for a long trot to compensate for said lack of work, now regretting it as she was sweating well enough to fill a lake. “Actually, Rainbow...” Applejack continued, her deep respiration very slowly returning to normal. “I jus’ got back from a run and... and I’m feelin’ mighty plum tuckered.”
“But,” Rainbow began, confused. “You buck hundreds of trees like, all day - every day!”
“It’s... It’s different...” The earth pony replied, sinking to her haunches onto the dry, cracked dirt in front of her big red barn. The clouds in the sky were quickly dispersing, leaving nothing but the relentless blaze from above.
Rainbow Dash landed as Applejack sat, putting an end to the organic fan. “Hey, Rainbow?” Applejack asked, looking up at her friend from her place on the floor.
“Yeah?” The pegasus replied, who went to fold her wings away, but upon the discovery of how sweaty her back was, she decided to keep them raised.
“You don’t have to, but, if ya’ don’t mind, could you keep flappin’ those wings? The breeze feels so nice.” Proposed the orange mare, expecting an instant refusal. But to her surprise, Rainbow Dash began to beat her feathers again, only this time, in the direction of Applejack, stirring up the still breeze and doing little, but enough to satisfy Applejack enough to draw out a content sigh.
She said she regretted it and began to tell herself that “Missing out on one day’s exercise wouldn’t hurt.” But she quickly righted herself in admitting that that notion would lead to more days of little or no exercise, which would cause her to fall behind in her work. She couldn’t let that happen, despite the fact that she was also found to be in heat, which made the whole experience twice as bad. Nevertheless, with a hearty smile, she thanked Rainbow Dash for her effort.
“No problem, AJ.” The cyan pegasus replied, her soft wings whooshing against the air. “So, are you coming?”
“‘Course I am, Rainbow.” Applejack answered indefinitely. “‘Specially if we all get to meet that princess ‘Radiance.’”
Rainbow Dash began to laugh, her wing beats faltering. “I think you mean princess ‘Cadence’!” She corrected, her laughs fading slowly.
“Oh, right.” Applejack replied, laughing a little herself, but in doing so, was alerted to the searing sensation between her legs.
The farm pony couldn’t hide the sudden rush of pain and her face contorted. Then, just like that, it was gone. “What’s wrong, AJ?” Rainbow asked, taking a step closer to her friend.
“Ain’t nothin’ Rainbow...” Applejack replied, holding up a hoof to stop the pegasus approaching any further. Rainbow had stopped flapping her wings, and just as Applejack was about to ask, the pegasus realized this and hastily began beating her appendages again.
“It’s jus’ that...” Applejack continued, raising herself to her hooves. She eyed Rainbow skeptically before continuing, realizing how the blue mare would have no problem talking about this in front of her, so why should she? “...You know what it feels like to be in heat, Rainbow? Right?” Applejack asked, blushing slightly, despite herself.
The sprightly pegasus paused for a moment, thinking about her reply. “That’s when mares like, ‘need’ to have foals, isn’t it?” She asked, not being able to confide; she was too young to have something like that happen to her body yet.
“Well, to be honest... Just sex in general...” The farm pony answered sheepishly, her blush refusing to go away.
At that statement, Rainbow’s face flushed too, rather, she saw this as ammunition to be funny. “So you’re pretty much telling me that you’re really, really hor-”
“Don’t say it, RD.” The orange mare warned.
Rainbow Dash merely grinned and finished. “Horny...” She spoke slowly.
At first Applejack was angered, but after a short moment, couldn’t help but laugh. It was hard for Applejack to lie, and maybe it was even harder to not find humor in her best friend. Especially with the tender matter at hoof. “Give it two or three years, Rainbow, and you’ll know what it’s like...” Applejack commented smugly. “They don’t call it ‘in heat’ for nothin’. Sometimes it really hurts.”
“Better you than me!” Rainbow laughed jokingly. “How long does it last?”
“‘Bout two weeks.” The farm girl answered. She had cooled down enough by now to not become easily irritable.
“Great!” Rainbow replied with mock enthusiasm. Once again, Applejack laughed. “Anyway, AJ,” The pegasus started, looking behind her past the beating wings and back towards Ponyville. “Ready for a little race to the train station?” She challenged, eyeing the orange mare.
Applejack furrowed her brow. “Always.” She answered, before darting off without another word, leaving Rainbow in shock for just a second before she too gave chase. The wind blowing through her technicolor mane as she galloped through the rich apple orchard.