Chapter 21: Out of the Woods

Authors Note: Merp...I had a little bit of this written out on my phone for the longest time. I just never got around to finishing anything. I re-read this whole story, saw some typos or in general some grammar errors so I fixed them or added a couple of different things to the dialogue, but it's basically about the same. Yep. so. stuff.

This chapter is about flash forward like 3 weeks in the story just so you know. So bam. Also can I just say how awesome Rainbow Rocks was. Sunset Shimmer is totally awesome sauce. Oh yeah, so is Taylor Swift's 1989 album. If you hate her, go listen to it. If you love her, go listen to it. If you haven't heard it yet, for the grace of god go listen to it. A lot of people complain about her going pop, but I really love it. Out of all her albums it's definitely my favorite. I love all her albums...okay maybe not Red all that much, but that's besides the point. Long live TayTay Swiffer.

Hue hue hue hue. I couldn't think of a chapter name so I gave it the title of one of the songs from 1989.

Disclaimer: Don't own mlp. merrrrp.

"Ugh. Why do teachers have to give out so many projects?" Rainbow growled slamming down her pencil on the floor. "We aren't even from this world. Why the hay should we even be doing any of this?"

"Complaining isn't gonna get them done any sooner, Rainbow Dash." Twilight lectured as she finished compiling her bullet styled list of main components for her essay.

"Besides, look at it this way. We've got just tomorrow left and then we go on break. Get em done now and we won't have to worry about them at all during the holidays." Emma happily stated as she decorated her poster board for physics.

"So exactly what is this holiday everybody at school is talking about? It definitely wasn't Hearth's Warming Eve, which is about this time of year." Rarity questioned placing a few stitches in a dress she designed for her fashion class.

"It's sorta like Hearth's Warming Eve, except it's not really only about being friends, harmony and all that. Christmas is about being with friends and family, the birth of Jesus, presents, cookies and a fat man in a red suit." Emma summed up earning mixed reactions among the group.

"Jesus?" Twilight asked dropping her pencil.

"A fat man?" Fluttershy stated in confusion.

"In a red suit?" Rainbow continued halting all her work.

"What are ya talkin' about?" Applejack rose a eyebrow in question.

"And how does all that have anything to do with one another?" Rarity asked not putting any of what Emma stated together.

Sweetie Belle and Spike looked towards one another shrugging in question to the components of the Earth holiday. They still had a lot to learn about the new world, especially the two, considering they had just dropped in not too long ago compared to the other six.

"Oh! Oh! Does Jesus and the fat man sing carols together?" Pinkie asked rapidly waving her hand in the air as if nobody could see her. "I bet that's what they do! Oh, and they give out free cookies to all the nice people in the world! They all get cookie presents and sing and become friends and everybody is happy!"

Jaden walked through the door startling the eight girls and Spike. He had a handful of different goodies as he entered the house.

"Got an awesome cake at the bakery. Not to mention I'm nice enough to get everyone some sub sandwiches. No need to thank me, I know. I'm awesome." Jaden announced setting the cake on the floor clutching onto the bag of food. "Know how much you love these." He tossed Spike a bag of dog biscuits which he happily caught.

Rarity looked over noticing quite the conflicted expression Rainbow let off. Her friend had subtly bit her lip at the arrival of Jaden as she looked off to the ground every so often. It certainly wasn't the first time she's noticed that same look, for the last couple of weeks it seemed to happen almost every time the two were in the same room. A mixture of curiosity overtook her mind, dozens of explanations stacked on top of one another. It was a mystery and she just needed to get to the bottom of it.

"You didn't have to do that. I could've just made us food, ya know." Emma stated with a smile "buuuut, on the other hand." She took the bag from Jaden searching through it for her food.

"That's great and all, but you haven't answered our questions." Twilight said shifting back on topic.

Emma laid out the sandwiches to the respective person as she continued. "Alright. Umm...let's start with the fat man. He's Santa Clause, and he brings presents to kids that are good. It's like a tradition. Something for children to look forward to every year. If they're bad though they get coal. Pretty crappy gift huh?"

"And then Jesus is-" Emma continued, but was cut off.

"A zombie!" Jaden screamed grabbing onto Pinkie violently shaking her. She shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Z-z-zombie!" Pinkie fell backwards, terrified for life.

Jaden doubled over laughing, clutching his sides. Tears started to form at the corners of his eyes, his face turning a slight red from lack of breathing.

Emma punched him in the shoulder. A scowl appeared piercing from her eyes. "You're an ass, you know that?" She pulled Pinkie back to a comfortable position giving her a reassuring smile. "He's just kidding. There's no such thing as zombies. Jesus is just some biblical figure who died for everyone's sins."

Emma shook her head giving out a small laugh. "Moooooving on. So basically they don't really have much to do with one another directly...it's just sort of how Christmas works."

"But you said that you spend it with your friends and family." Fluttershy stated.

"Yeah...what about that? I have you guys." Emma replied biting into her food.

"It's just, aside from your mom we haven't actually seen any of your other family." Twilight pointed out twirling a pencil with her fingers. "Why is that?"

"Oh...well...I guess my family isn't as close as it could be. You all saw how my mom was. Pretty awful, basically how her whole side of the family is." Her attitude took a nose dive. "As for my dad. Let's just say he's too wrapped up in work to really care all that much about me."

Pinkie opened her mouth to reply, but a knock at the door cut her off.

"I'll get it." Rainbow jumped up, seeing as she was the closest one. Opening the door her smile quickly shrank to a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"Attitude much? You know what, forget it, Bozo."

A loud clear smack echoed through Dash's head. As much as she hated the person standing in front of her she couldn't help, but wince.

"Ow! God, you're gonna pay for that."

"Who's at the door?" Emma questioned, the group huddled around Rainbow, mixed expressions among each of them.

"Emma." The voice cut through the air with poison.

"Jennifer." Emma glared at the girl, not capable of budging.

"I'm not here to start something, lucky for you." She scoffed, the venom in her voice cutting through the words that fell from her tongue.

"Then what are you here for?" Jaden questioned furrowing his brows.

"Because I made her." A boy appeared from the corner taking place beside Jennifer, who seemed annoyed. The majority of them all looked at the teen with curiosity, well almost all. "Rebeka, nice to see you, as always."

"Yeah, right back at ya, Hunter." Rainbow shot back a smile. "So...why are you here again? With her?"

"Well, me and Jennifer are throwing a huge party for the holidays this weekend and I was wondering if you all wanted to come." He explained running his hand through his hair. It was slightly longer than Jaden's, a light wispy brown that contrasted against his bright blue eyes.

"Let me get this straight, you...and Jennifer? That's...I'm not so sure." Emma contemplated, her and Jennifer practically staring one another down.

"It wasn't my idea to invite you losers. Come if you want, but I would be totally fine if you didn't." Jennifer rolled her eyes walking back to her car leaving Hunter behind.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, she's...really difficult."

"Can we go, Emma? Can we? Can we? Please say yes! Please! Come on, a party is just the thing to let loose!" Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly.

"It certainly sounds like fun." Rarity added, her eyes practically begging. "We've all been so busy working on projects that we've hardly had anytime to enjoy ourselves."

Emma sighed, sure it was under the roof of her mortal enemy, but it sounded like something that she needed. "Fine, we'll go."

One by one they started to migrate back to their food, but Rainbow remained by the door. Jaden watched carefully as Dash walked out front with Hunter. The smile on her face, her laughing with him, it made him want to puke.

Are you kidding me? What's so great about that dude? He seems pretty girly to me. Jaden rolled his eyes, his forehead wrinkled in disgust.

Emma stifled a giggle, pulling Jaden aside she looked at him straight in the eyes. "Oh my god. You're so jealous of Hunter."

"Wh-what? No. I'm not jealous of anybody." He argued pulling up his defensive side.

"It's so cute. You're mad cause she's talking to another guy. How adorable." Emma pinched his cheek making a baby face at him.

"Knock it off. I'm not mad. He's got no chance." Jaden stated crossing his arms letting out a confident smirk. "He's not her type."

Emma gasped leaning towards the window giving her a clear view of the two. "Then why did she just kiss him on the cheek?"

"What!" Jaden pushed her aside peeking through the glass. His blood began to boil, just the sight of the two standing by one another looked...wrong.

"Gotcha." Emma smirked pulling on his ear. "Besides, and exactly what's her type?"

"Duh. Me." Jaden cockily stated.

"Righhht. That's why she seems to be more interested in talking to Hunter right now than she has with you lately." Emma replied poking him on the nose. "Might wanna step your game up."

"Exactly how am I supposed to do that?" Jaden questioned scrunching his face.

"That's for you to figure out."

Jaden stood in contemplation. How? When? Where? And that's when it hit him. "The party!"

/

School had drug on for far too long. The last day before yet another needed vacation. Classes ran pretty smooth, teachers hadn't really felt like teaching much, most gave out simple worksheets that could easily be done in a matter of minutes.

The ride home was filled with chatter and generally a positive atmosphere. Rarity on the other hand was hardly able to contain herself. She was the first one to run into the house, nearly tripping over the porch as she raced inside.

Going straight to her favorite place in the entire house.

Rarity took out yet another dress, tossing it onto Emma's bed. The pile had grown so large it started to tilt to the side seemingly ready to spill half the contents onto the floor.

"So many choices to decide from." She beamed exiting the closet. The room was covered in articles of clothing. Multiple shoes, skirts, shirts, dresses and various jewelry were strewn about. "Whatever is a girl to do?"

The door carefully opened grabbing the fashionista's full attention.

"Rarity! I just cleaned my room. Now it looks like a tornado went through it." The infliction in Emma's words cut through with anger. It wasn't the first time Rarity had destroyed her perfect room with an outfit idea. No matter how many scoldings Emma gave her it would happen time and time again.

Rarity cleared her throat, licking her lips as she looked upon what she had done. "I'm terribly sorry...it's just I wanted to find the perfect ensemble for the party. First impressions are everything and-"

"Look, I don't wanna hear it. You can't just mess up my room whenever you want. Just make sure everything goes back exactly the way it was." Emma stretched her legs far enough to avoid stepping on the massive piles of shoes. "Seriously though? Do you really need to go through all this stuff just to find an outfit?"

"I would've thought you would at least understand. Darling, one must go through all options to find the best. Wearing a fabulous outfit ensures for a fabulous boost of confidence."

Emma shook her head grabbing a nearby perfume bottle and giving herself a small spray. "It's not the outfit that makes a person. It's the person that makes the outfit."

"I beg your pardon?" Rarity questioned gently placing a skirt on the bed she was previously examining.

"You're so wound up on finding something to wear, going through tons of clothes to make the right decision." Emma walked into her closet pulling out a plain pair of dark denim skinny jeans and a worn out mint sweatshirt. "If I have confidence in what I'm wearing then even something as simple as a sweatshirt and jeans can look really cute. Confidence is what makes the outfit. Not the other way around."

"So what you're saying is a fashion disaster outfit can look more stunning than a carefully put together top and skirt simply with confidence? Because honestly that makes no sense at all, darling."

Emma let out a huff trying to get her point across. "All I'm saying is stop worrying about it. Just choose something, if you've got the right attitude you can own whatever you wear."

Rarity picked up a dress that had fallen to the floor, nothing as fancy as she had in mind, but regardless it still caught her eye. The simplicity in the black dress spoke to her, the bottom being a nice leather and the top a silky type of cloth with thick sleeves cut off at the shoulder.

Jumping to her feet she held it up to her, giving a little twirl. "What do you think? Perfect, is it not?"

Emma let out a small laugh, scratching the side of her head. "Perfect." Picking up a pair of black heels she handed them to Rarity. "Now you can clean up."

She dismissed the idea, shooing the air with her hand as she gazed at the shoes. "Yes, yes. Of course. Later. Definitely later. I have other things to attend to at the moment."

Emma watched as Rarity grabbed the dress and shoes before racing off to the bathroom with various jewelry, shutting the door and essentially locking it behind her.

"So what she's really saying is she's not gonna clean this." Emma mumbled as she snatched up various items from the floor, putting them back in their respective places.

/

Rainbow groaned as she stared up at the ceiling for what felt like hours already. Time was ticking, she wanted to leave now. Today was the day her cast was coming off, finally she would be able to walk without it slowing her down. Only Emma kept pushing it off, starting to grind her patience down. I could always text Jaden... She shook her head dismissively at the thought. No.

Things had felt awkward between them ever since that kiss in the bathroom. Part of her regretted it, they had just started to become friends and then she had to go and ruin that. She didn't want to keep avoiding the issue, but Rainbow wasn't the type to talk about her feelings.

And feelings were going to be brought up if she even tried to start a conversation with him. The sole reason she never romantically involved herself with anypony, or human in this case, was the fact that she hated feelings and anything mushy. That and the fact she always saw herself as too cool for any stallion in Ponyville.

Rubbing her head Dash stopped all thoughts on the subject. All she wanted right now was the satisfaction of walking like a normal person. With that in mind she searched for the one individual that could give that to her.

Making her way down the hall she could hear the faint noise of music coming from Emma's room. Traveling to the source she stumbled upon her friend cleaning up dozens of clothes.

"Come on, put the clothes down! I need this thing off!" Rainbow whined pointing towards her cast. She was tired of lugging it around wherever she went. Dash just wanted to put it all behind her, getting rid of the cast and wheelchair once and for all was the first step.

"Just give me a second. Rarity made this huge mess and didn't bother to clean up after herself."

"I don't care. It's not your problem, so quit picking up after her." She limped over to Emma and pulled her up by the shirt collar. The fabric started to stretch in ways that would make Rarity faint at the sight of such wickedness.

Emma grabbed her shirt, trying to pry Rainbow's finger from it, but unable to succeed. "Stop! You're gonna stretch my shirt out."

"Then let's go and get this stupid thing off and I'll quit." Dash argued not letting up.

"Fine. Fine. Okay. We'll go." Rainbow let go of the shirt, allowing Emma to go her separate way. With one yank she took her purse off the ground slinging it over her shoulder.

"Chillax. No need to get all grouchy and grabby." Rainbow grumbled to herself.

/

Rarity followed Rainbow Dash out to the backyard. The others had left to get supplies and since Dash decided to stay at the house with Spike, Rarity figured she would finally get the chance to talk to her, thus remained behind as well.

Rarity cleared her throat as a way of breaking the ice, Rainbow looked over her shoulder as she sank deeper into the chair by the pool.

"You need anything, Rarity?" Dash asked slightly confused by the odd look her friend had.

"Well...I thought we could um talk." Rarity stated a bit awkwardly as she took a seat next to Dash's.

Rainbow rose an eyebrow not really grasping what the tone was indicating. "About what?"

"About you..." Rarity pressed on fading out near the end.

"Me? What about me?"

"Oh dear...how do I put this without sounding nosy..." Rarity tapped her finger on her lip a few times thinking of the best way to address the topic. There was no reason to beat around the bush. If she wanted to get the inside scoop she needed to be direct. "About you and Jaden."

Rainbow's face grew somber at the mention of his name. Rolling her eyes she fell further back in the chair. "Why do you care?"

"I couldn't help, but notice a sort of...tension, if you will, between the two of you recently. Nothing like in the beginning, but I thought you two were getting along quite nicely lately. What happened?" Rarity stated in concern.

Dash sighed and bit her lip mulling over the question. "I'm not so sure I want to talk about this."

Rarity frowned at the defenses her friend was throwing up. She knew the best thing was to talk about the situation, but it was definitely going to be a challenge. "Do you not trust me with the issue, darling?"

Rainbow shook her head sitting upright to face Rarity more clearly. "It's not like that...just. I'm not so sure I wanna talk about it. Not with anyone. Not Twilight, AJ, Fluttershy, Pinkie. No one. Okay, so just stop."

"But wouldn't you feel much better letting all that bottled up emotion out? I'd be more than happy to listen." Rarity offered eagerly.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes and let off a small frown. "Is that the reason you came out here? To pry feelings outta me?"

"I came out here because I'm concerned about you, dear. You're my friend and if something is bothering you I'm gonna be there to help in any way I can." Rarity corrected placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh, her eyes glued to her lap. She looked to her shoulder and followed the path of her friends arm tracing back to Rarity who had a loving warm smile. "Fine."

Rarity let out a small squee in delight. Containing her excitement she plastered on a straight face quickly. "Okay, I'm all ears."

Rainbow rested her hand under her chin. "So...let's see...okay. So I guess it all started back at the...incident...when I was in the hospital. I woke up and everyone was sleeping on chairs or whatever. Except Jaden was knocked out next to me."

"And exactly what started?" Rarity questioned leaning forward a bit as she listened carefully.

"I guess it started the moment that I didn't completely despise him. Like when I was laying there it got me thinking...he actually cared enough to be by my side, ya know?" Rainbow explained.

"He certainly didn't hate you, even though he came off rather cold hearted at first. I remember when he came running up the street completely freaking out that you were indeed taken by that...abomination." Rarity inputted causing Dash to stifle a laugh.

"Anyways, so things started to go smoothly. We were becoming friends and all that, but...then everything started to get...awkward?" Rainbow stated in question wondering if it was the right way of wording the situation.

"Awkward? How so?"

"It was just weird. Whenever it was just the two of us...everything would get all...mushy. It just seemed like the sorta thing you'd be into." Rainbow stuck out her tongue showing off her disdain for the mushy.

Rarity gasped at the thought. "An unlikely attraction! Oh this is so juicy! I can- wait. If you two like each other than what's the issue?"

"The issue is I'm not really sure where we stand. I'm not exactly...great at relationships." Rainbow summed up a hint of sorrow in her voice. "It's just really confusing. I don't know what's going on with us."

"Well...why don't you just ask him? It's really that simple, Rainbow." Rarity presumed her excitement dying down.

"He told me he wasn't sure how he felt...he said the whole 'me being a pony' thing was weird to him." Rainbow stated gritting her teeth slightly.

"I could understand how that's frustrating. Perhaps he just needs more time to think this whole thing over and figure out how he truly feels about you." Rarity insinuated softly hoping to let it resonate with Dash.

"That's just it. I could understand if he wasn't completely sure of how he felt, but I know he definitely likes me. There's no doubt in my mind." Rainbow cut in gently placing her hands in her lap.

"And what makes you say that? Infatuation is completely different from being romantically interested. How are you so sure?"

Rainbow blushed slightly thinking back on the night. "Well...you remember the time when Emma's mom and those people broke into the house?"

Rarity nodded letting Rainbow continue on without being interrupted. "After I made you and Emma go into the wall I got tied up and thrown into the bathroom. I was in there for like forever so I fell asleep. Jaden woke me up and some...things were said. One thing led to another and we sorta ended up kissing."

Rarity's face lit up in pure delight. She grabbed Rainbows hands bouncing up and down in her chair. "You have got to tell me the details! Was it a small quick one or a really long passionate one?!"

"Rarity."

"Who initiated it?! Was it you or him!?"

"Rarity."

"Was it any good?! Was he any good?!"

"RARITY!" Rainbow snapped in frustration causing Rarity to wince.

"Oops...sorry. I guess I overreacted a little, huh?" Rarity apologized sheepishly smiling all the while.

"Ya think?" Rainbow simply said her eyes glazed over.

"I just can't help myself. How do you expect me not to be curious?" Rarity groaned practically begging for answers to her questions.

Rainbow was forced to look into sad desperate eyes along with a pout blinding her into a trance. She closed her eyes pushing Rarity slightly back, just far enough to feel comfortable in her own space. "Knock it off! You're starting to creep me out."

Rarity pressed her cheek against Rainbow's face breaking all distance between the two. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Fine! Just shut up!"

"Deal." Rarity beamed quickly jumping back to her seat.

"It was pretty long. Jaden was the one who started the kiss. He grabbed me and just went for it. As for the kiss itself, it was...something." Rainbow answered, short and to the point leaving out all the details.

Rarity groaned in disappointment. "Are you joking? What kind of answer is that? You left out everything."

"What? Are you expecting me to walk you through the kiss step by step?" Rainbow shot back.

"Heavens no. I wasn't expecting you to tell me a novel of how it went, but you could do a lot better than just saying it was 'something'." Rarity pouted crossing her arms.

Dash moaned becoming fed up with her friend rolling her eyes for the millionth time. "Okay, fine. It was great. It was completely perfect. Well, most of it anyways. He was going a little too fast for me so I had to stop."

"Now was that so hard?" Rarity stated satisfied with the answer. "Too fast? What do you mean by that? Did he...did he try and go farther than just a kiss?"

Dash's face grew red at the accusation. She shook her head rapidly in response, her bangs falling into her eyes. "No. Nothing like that. I swear. His pace was just getting really fast throwing me off, plus his hands started to wander places..."

"I was just making sure he didn't try and take advantage of you, darling."

"I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have gotten to that point."

"You never know. You don't really think about these sorts of things in the heat of the moment."

Rainbow hung her head slightly grasping Rarity's arm with one hand. "I...I don't think you understand. It wasn't just that...I got nervous. Scared..."

"Scared of what? That doesn't sound like the Rainbow Dash I know. I thought you weren't scared of anything and now you're letting petty relationship drama scare you?" Rarity lightheartedly joked towards her friend.

"Scared of getting hurt again." Rainbow quietly answered grabbing Rarity's attention, her voice cracking. She looked into Rarity's eyes, the pain showing clearly in her own eyes.

Rarity's mood plummeted with the expression Dash was giving her. She could tell Rainbow Dash had kept everything bottled in for far too long. "Rainbow, dear, I'm certain he wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"I can't do this anymore, Rarity. I can't pretend like everything's alright. Cause it's not, and it never will be. I'm scared, I'm terrified of letting my guard down. I mean I let it happen once and it got me nearly in the ground!" Rainbow's eyes started to well up, tears slowly building up as she grew more emotional with every word.

Rarity frowned wiping her friends tears with her fingers. "Don't cry."

"Nobody can feel what I felt. Nobody. I was strapped down, Rarity. Strapped, helpless, I was alone. No one could hear me, no one! I tried to yell for help and nobody came. He wouldn't stop. He just kept hurting me. He cut me, beat me, he took away everything. I just can't get away from it. No matter what it's like I'll always belong to him, I've even got the mark on my leg to prove it!" Rainbow let her head hang so her hair covered her face, although tears were visibly seen falling onto the pavement which surrounded the pool.

Rarity felt her own eyes start to well up. She had no idea all that emotion was pent up. She did the only thing she could do. Rarity clutched onto Rainbow pulling her into a hug. Dash's arms dangled for a few seconds before slowly rising up to wrap around Rarity as she dug closer into her friend's shoulder.

The tears streaming from Rainbow began to soak Rarity's shirt though she paid no mind given the situation. "Rainbow Dash, nobody has to go through it alone. Why didn't you talk to me or someone else sooner?"

Rainbow mumbled into the shirt, but just audible enough to be understood. "It's hard enough having to relive the moment every time I close my eyes, talking about it is just as difficult."

"Darling, sometimes the most difficult things to say are the ones that need to be said."

Rainbow pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes quickly. A few deep breathes later she shakily cleared her throat. "Can you...can you keep all that to yourself? Like the whole Jaden thing and the other stuff..."

"I understand the privacy you want with the Jaden part...but I don't think it's a good idea to keep quiet about the other part..."

Rainbow grabbed Rarity's arm, a pleading look in her eye. "Please. I just...I don't want anybody asking. It was hard enough just telling you. I don't wanna explain it to anyone else. At least not right now."

"Okay...if that's what you want..."

/

Jaden parked his truck on the street. He twisted the key turning off the ignition. The music shut off leaving him to sit in silence.
His thoughts ran wild, all he could think about was the party. It was going to be perfect. Everyone would be able to have some fun.

Especially him and Rainbow Dash. He couldn't help, but feel like she kept putting space in between them. Jaden didn't expect to be in some glamorous relationship with her, but since that kiss they had yet to do anything else together. Not even a hug. It was confusing, as if neither knew what they truly wanted out of it.

Maybe it was just some one time kiss. Jaden looked towards the house, contemplating that single idea.

Exiting the vehicle he left all thoughts behind. It was the first night of Christmas break. Time to live it up, time to be happy. Not time to be dwelling on thoughts.

"Hey, everybody." Jaden called out walking inside, only to be greeted by silence yet again. "Anybody here?"

He peeked down the hall, face to face with darkness. Turning his head he continued into the living room, again, nobody. "Weird..."

Catching a glimmer of light his eyes flicked over to the sliding glass door.

"Hiding from me?" Jaden yelled loud enough to be heard from a distance.

The nine stopped their conversation, turning towards Jaden who was running towards them.

"We were hoping you'd give up looking and just leave." Emma teased pointing towards an empty chair.

"A big campfire to kick off the whole no school thing?" Jaden sat in the chair kicking out his legs stretching them as far as they could go.

"Yep!" Pinkie handed him a skewer and a bag of marshmallows. "Like a party!"

Jaden chuckled at her enthusiasm while he took a quick glance over at Rainbow who was a couple chairs over from him. The only people distancing the two were Pinkie and Twilight who were sandwiched between them. Something seemed different about her though.

"No cast anymore?" Jaden questioned doing a double take at Rainbow's newly freed leg.

She glanced down giving a quick smile as she moved her limb. "Got it off earlier today. Though I practically had to drag Emma out of her room to take me to the hospital."

"Not even. The only thing you dragged was your crippled leg." Rolling her eyes Emma took a sip of her hot cocoa.

Rainbow Dash shot her a glare, grinding her teeth at the remark. She knew Emma had a tendency to be sarcastic and make the occasional snide remark, but even then some things still were better left unsaid.

"At least my-"

Jaden jumped out of his seat talking over Rainbow to detour the conversation before it took a turn for the worse. "Who's up for some Truth or Dare?!"

"I wanna go first! Somebody dare me something!" Pinkie shouted happily.

"I dare you to pour ice in your underwear." Jaden immediately said without thinking.

They all looked at him, not a single word escaped anybody.

"That's gold. Jesus. Christ." Emma blinked rapidly before turning to Pinkie. "You gonna do it?"

She slowly got up, all eyes rested on her. "It was a dare...okie dokie lokie. I'll be back!"

"She really gonna do that?" Applejack watched as her friend walked into the house. "That's gotta be one of the most ridiculous dares ah've ever heard."

"Puh-lease. Not even close. There are dares so much worse than that." Emma argued thinking back to party she had gone to a few years prior. "Freshman year I was at a party, I got dared to-"

"GOT THE ICE!" Pinkie screamed running back to the campfire circle with a cup in hand.

"Oh Celestia..." Twilight breathed quietly as Pinkie halted in front of them.

"Alright. Here it goes." She took the cup, quickly going through with the dare. "That wasn't so b-" Pinkie fell the ground shivering as she grabbed the waistband of her pants. Her teeth chattered loudly, dragging her body along the ground she inched closer and closer to the fire trying to warm her body up.

Rainbow fell out of her chair backwards into the grass. A few leaves on the ground found its way into her hair as she rolled around hardly able to contain herself.

"D-don't w-worry, Dashie. Y-you're n-n-next." Pinkie managed to get out as she crawled as close as she could get to the heat.

The others let out a few giggles as Rainbow regained her composure. Shaking the leaves out of her hair she fixed her chair taking her respective seat next to Twilight and Rarity.

"Alright, alright. I choose dare."

Rarity leaned over grabbing Rainbow's face. "I dare you to..." She whispered the other half of the sentence into Dash's ear. With every word Rainbow's face grew a deeper shade of red, her body started to overheat as each second passed.

"No way." Rainbow shook her head back and forth as she licked her lips nervously.

"You have to. It's a dare." Rarity replied with a slick smile, raising her eyebrows she glanced over at Jaden quickly then to the shed.

"It's a stupid dare."

"So is pouring ice into your underwear, but Pinkie still did that. Come on, what are you, a chicken?"

"No!" Rainbow jumped out of her chair nearly knocking it to the ground. Clearing her throat Dash tried to calm her nerves. "I um...I need a drink, I'll be right back."

"But you already have one, right there." Spike pointed out, a bottle of water half full stood in plain sight clearly marked with her initials.

"Well then I'm going to the bathroom." Rainbow grunted as she walked off.

Nobody spoke, the wind whistled, firing roaring. After a minute or two of quietness Fluttershy broke the silence.

"What did you say to her?" She asked, squeaking towards the end as her hair fell into her face. "If you want to tell us that is..."

"Oh um nothing. Nothing at all. It's not important, I just love yanking her chain is all." Rarity laughed dismissing the question.

I know, I suck. Its been so long. T_T