Chapter 21
"WHAT!?" Was everypony's first reaction to these words.
"Y-yes... I can just go sit with Rarity again... n-nothing wrong with that now is there?" Fluttershy suggested, though she could feel her resentful, reluctant emotions throbbing at her at the moment.
"N-No way Fluttershy!" Rainbow objected next, making Applejack just send her another vicious glare. "This is all your fault!"
Rainbow for once at this point looked a bit taken aback at her actions. "N-No?... Look I just... Well... SHE GOT ONLY ONE POOL TOY!" Rainbow pointed out, slightly shrinking back though at Applejack's continuously strong tone.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The familiar voice of Princess Cadance suddenly split the air, causing all ponies to freeze... even Fluttershy.
Finally though PinkiePie turned to meet the Princess's gaze, her eyes narrowed. "Uh..." Pinkie couldn't find the right words before Cadance started again. "Are you all fighting!?" Cadance questioned demandingly, sending each pony a look.
Nopony dared to answer her, and after a long silent pause, Twilight finally also got out of her own tanning chair, agitation pricking her at how Cadance had to get up over this nonsense.
"RainbowDash? Applejack?... PinkiePie!?" Twilight spoke her friends' names aloud as if she didn't even know them at all.
Fluttershy just sat and stared at her own reflection at the moment, shame piercing her.
T-This is all my fault!... I-If only I could just... O-Oh...
She finally parted her jaws slightly, letting the pool toy slip from her mouth and plop back into the water, sinking to it's depths.
"I want you all to go ahead and dry off!... Maybe you all should just spend the rest of the day inside..." Cadance then suddenly spoke, her voice never losing it's firmness.
At this, PinkiePie couldn't help but sob slightly, causing Applejack to give a sorrowful look at her friend.
"NOW!" Cadance pushed as nopony showed no sign of movement.
After a long moment though, all four of them began swimming to the pool's edge, each hanging their head low.
Sadness pricked at Pinkie, guilt pricked at Rainbow, annoyance pricked at Applejack, and shame pricked at Fluttershy.
Rarity was now sitting up from her tanning, her heart-shaped glasses pulled off at the moment as she watched her friends punishment take place. "Oh... What's happeneing dears?" Rarity asked as they clambered onto the deck. Nopony even lifted their eyes to her though.
Oh my!... I-Is Fluttershy also not allowed to get back into the pool?
Stunned from her friends' behavior she then calmly slunk back into her chair, bewilderment and sorrow flowing through her now.
Twilight on the other hoof thought that Cadance's punishment was very thoughtful.
Why can't we all just get along?.. I mean, this is a time for bonding!... We're on vacation!
Twilight wouldn't let this nonsense get between her everlasting vacation time, so she then gave Cadance a small nudge. "..How about we sit back down now Cadance" She advised, getting a more grateful look from her sister-in-law. "Sure thing Twilight"
The two alicorns were just reaching their tanning chairs when suddenly the door that led to the living room swung open, revealing Spike.
"Alright!" Came a small shout from the baby dragon as he zipped onto the deck, his small legs pounding the wooden floor.
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle and smile at her little assistant's appearance. "Well I guess Spike finally decided to come outside" Twilight giggled, causing Princess Cadance to just beam as her gaze followed the dragon.
Fluttershy couldn't help but jump slightly and squeal from Spike's sudden rush as he passed by. With her pink mane still dripping and her ears still flat, she watched silently as the baby dragon gleefully leaped into the pool creating a well-sized splash while at it.
Suddenly though Rarity's calm and soothing voice then hit her. "Honey, here, take a towel, your soaked to the bone darling" Fluttershy turned to see Rarity holding out a towel with her unicorn magical aura. Fluttershy smiled gratefully at her friend's generosity before taking the towel within her jaws next.
On the other hoof, RainbowDash's gaze lingered upon the two friends. Her bangs were hanging low over her forehead now because of how soaked she was at the moment. A cold breeze was even beginning to nip at her bare skin as well, but she didn't really care.
Dash felt like apologizing to Fluttershy at the moment with the dread she could feel from within her but she didn't know how to start it. When it usually came to things Rainbow was pretty bad at them.
Another splash suddenly caught Rainbow's attention next as Spike hurtled into the water yet again while doing a canon ball this time. "WOOO!" The dragon screamed before disrupting the water's stillness again.
A hint of jealousy sparked Rainbow for a split second at how much fun Spike was having when suddenly something warm and comforting brushed against Dash's side. She turned her head to see Pinkie holding out a towel with her jaws.
Rainbow smiled slowly before accepting it, wrapping the blanket-like item around her wings and backside.
"...Your welcome Dashers..." Pinkie then broke the uneasy silence, making Rainbow give her friend a grateful nod.
The two then joined Applejack on the small wooden steps that led to the kitchen doorway, all three of them still damp and wet-dripping.
As Rainbow sat beside Pinkie, she couldn't miss the small look that Applejack was casting her from the corner of her eye. Rainbow only tried to ignore it though and lowered her head slightly.
"...So... What do you wanna do when we go inside?" Pinkie asked after a long pause. The sun shone brightly within the mixing blue colors of the pool and completely bathed the high wooden deck with heat. Bugs and crickets could be heard, swarming or calling from out in the marshes over near the balcony of the deck. (which wraps around the house creating a long wrapping deck)
Applejack finally shrugged in reply. Her thoughts and gaze was still focused on Fluttershy. It was sad to think that all Fluttershy had wanted was to play with the small trio and in the end was thrown out as a castaway...
Fluttershy now sat with Rarity, drying herself off slowly as she chatted to her bestest friend within the mane 6. You could just hear them now... "Yes darling, but having a tanline makes you look more professionally luxurious" Rarity was replying to one of Fluttershy's many questions on why the white unicorn liked to dwell within the sun's harmful rays for so many hours.
"...Maybe later we could try going on a bike ride?" Pinkie advised as she ran her towel along one of her fronthooves, drying and collecting droplets of water as she went.
Rainbow's ears slightly pricked at this. "B-Bike ride?" She questioned, sounding fairly amused.
Pinkie's eyes gathered a hint of their spark again as she quickly began explaining this to her confused friend. "Well Twilight told me on the way down that Princess Luna had paid for some Kiawah Island bikes. They're loaned to anypony who wants them and pays for them while they're staying here!" Pinkie detailed her knowings of the bikes, causing Rainbow's eyes to widen slightly as she gave a small enthusiastic nod.
"Yeah, I didn't you see the bike trails all along the neighborhoods as we came down here?" Applejack questioned next.
Rainbow was about to retort to this but found that Applejack's tone was actually calm and non-challenging like Dash would of thought it would have been. Unsure whether she'd get teased by her answer Rainbow slowly shook her head but Applejack just went on. "Oh well you get to ride within the outer parts of this jungle-like forested place, what with all the trees and many willows hanging about, it seems really cool" Applejack explained, making Pinkie suddenly add something to it as well. "Yeah! We can also ride our bikes on the beach!" Pinkie spoke cheerfully and yet rather loudly, causing for Princess Cadance's head to raise slightly from where she sat on the far opposite side of the deck.
Rainbow gaze Pinkie a small look to lower her tone before replying. "Well does everypony else wanna go tonight? The Princesses might have another big meal planned for us tonight" Dash questioned thoughtfully making Applejack nod in agreement, her wet forelock still slightly dripping with water.
"Well we'll just have to see" Pinkie then shrugged, when suddenly the kitchen door from behind them squeaked open, nearly skimming their backs at how close the stairs were to the door.
All three ponies moved a step down as they all turned their attention to Princess Luna's sudden appearance.
"Greetings, thy lunch is ready" Luna informed with a nod before raising her voice higher for the rest of the ponies to hear. "Lunch is ready!" She then held the door opened for the oncoming ponies with her indigo alicorn aura.
"Yay!" Pinkie squealed as she leaped to her hooves and trotted happily into the house, the other two at her heels.
Rarity and Fluttershy were the next two ponies to raise their heads at this. "Oh finally! I couldn't possibly wait another minute for my food, come Fluttershy" Rarity spoke as she finally lifted herself out of her chair and began gallantly heading for the door.
"O-Oh ok..." Was all Fluttershy had to say as she followed her friend to the stairs.
"That's us" Princess Cadance next nudged Twilight as the lavender alicorn was too enthralled by her book she was reading at the moment to clearly hear what Luna had had to say.
"Oh sorry, I was just getting to the part where the two ponies' best friend admits to having murdered their other friend and-..." Twilight paused before giving a small embarrassed smile. "Sorry... It's a r-really good book" She then finished as Cadance only gave her a small impressed smile. "Oh it's fine" Cadance then replied, as she got to her hooves now.
Twilight then set her book aside and joined her sister-in-law, quickly noticing Spike's nonstop play and calling to her assistant and friend. "Come on Spike, come get lunch!"
Sorry for the long wait... But I really must say that this chapter is one of my favorites, just seeing the change of emotion within each pony and the bondingship that is overwhelming them ^^ Please review if you'd like to read more c: