Chapter 2: Set the Date
"GET BACK HERE, YA LIL' VARMINT!"
"Oh, please, Applejack, try and be more gentle."
"Ah TRIED being gentle wit' that darn rambunctious, lil' critt'er."
"Oh, well, perhaps you could try again?"
Applejack sighed, "Fluttershy, that bunny is a thief! An' we don't tolerate thieves here at Sweet Apple Acres."
As of now, Applejack and Fluttershy were trying to work together to capture the "thief"; a lively, grey bunny that was bouncing up ahead with a carrot tucked in its cute, little mouth.
"Oh, well, I'm sure he didn't know any better; maybe he has a family to feed?"
"Well, that would explain all 'em missin' carrots over the past few weeks." The Apple family's supply of carrots had been dwindling mysteriously recently; all their hard earned bits wasted on food that disappeared without any known reason. And now they had finally caught the reason in the act.
"Oh, he must be so scared…" Fluttershy fretted.
"Ah don't care how he's feelin'." Applejack said, picking up speed again while Fluttershy tagged along behind on her wings. "He ain't gettin' away this time!"
"Oh, dear…" Fluttershy murmured, falling behind. While Fluttershy stayed behind to avoid seeing the bunny get rough handled by Applejack and figure out a way to convince said pony to let it go, she could hear distant yelling. It sounded familiar too…wait, was it coming from above her or-?
Oof!
"Ow…" Fluttershy commented from under Rainbow who had landed on her rather roughly, knocking her down and causing dust to rise all around them.
"Ugh…oh, gosh! Fluttershy! Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash had picked herself up and looked down at the pony she had just about crushed in concern.
"Um…I'm okay." Fluttershy stood up rather unsteadily and shook herself off. Rainbow Dash winced at the sight of a now developing bruise on Fluttershy's flank.
"Aw, I'm really sorry. I was practicing my Fantastic Filly Flash." Rainbow Dash explained. "You can guess what happened." She added, tucking in her wings.
"Oh, my..." Fluttershy said, her deep cyan eyes widening.
"Yeah, it was horrible. If I'm ever going to join the Wonderbolts I have to sta-"
"Uh, Rainbow, l-look out!" Fluttershy warned frantically, indicating that someone or something was coming from behind. But before Rainbow Dash could get the chance to turn around and see the source of Fluttershy's panic, she was tackled to the ground rather forcibly. Much like what had transpired to Fluttershy not one minute earlier.
"Ah got ya now!" Applejack cried triumphantly.
"Owww! Applejack, it's me, now get off!" Rainbow Dash barked angrily, oblivious to the fact that Applejack's eyes were impaired due to the dirt obscuring them.
"Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked, recognizing the pegasus's voice, confused. "What in tarnation are ya doin' here? Where's Fluttershy?"
"Uh, right here." Fluttershy peeped, staring down at the pony pile in front of her.
"Helllloooo? GET OFF ME ALREADY." Rainbow Dash demanded, smacking her hooves on the ground in impatience.
"Oh, what? Sorry." Applejack said apologetically, lifting herself up, a little wobbly in doing so.
Rainbow Dash leaped to her feet and turned around to face her.
"What in the hay were you thinking, Applejack? Didn't you see me?" Rainbow Dash wanted to know. But then she finally took note of the condition of Applejack's eyes.
Applejack shook her head all around, clearing her eyes of the dirt that had temporarily prevented her from seeing properly and straightening her light brown Stetson hat. "That sneaky, lil' rat-"
"Bunny," Fluttershy corrected automatically, blushing and smiling sheepishly when she realized she'd said it aloud.
"-bunny" Applejack consented, stamping a hoof, "was playin' some sorta mind games wit' me. Got me thinkin' ah had him at a dead end an' then went an' dug up dirt all over my face like some sneaky fox. Why, ah'm fixin' ta make bunny stew outta 'em now."
Fluttershy gasped, horrified at the thought of bunny stew.
"Oh no, Applejack, you mustn't do such an unspeakable thing!"
"Oh, ah was only kiddin', Fluttershy," Applejack reassured her, feeling guilty for upsetting her friend. "But ah shore as hay ain't lettin' him get away without some repercussions."
"Let me talk to him." Fluttershy volunteered, smiling.
"Aight, ya do that, just as soon as ah find-"
Fluttershy leaned her head down to the bunny that had been cowering behind her hoof and spoke to him sternly, but in a soft manner; something only Fluttershy could accomplish, "Alright, Mr. Bunny, it wasn't a very nice thing what you did to Applejack; now, you apologize."
Applejack gaped, never realizing the bunny had been hiding right from under her nose and restrained herself from leaping at it in anger. Rainbow Dash watched all of this in amusement.
The bunny stared at Fluttershy for a moment and then looked up to Applejack, who gritted her teeth at it. His whiskers wiggled a bit and he looked down in what looked like shame.
"You should know better than to steal from such a nice pony like Applejack; stealing is wrong. But, for your case, I have a solution. Instead of being a bad bunny and stealing what does not belong to you, you can come live with me and I'll provide you with all the carrots you and your family will ever need." Fluttershy said warmly, offering a small smile.
The bunny perked its ears up at this and seemed to give a small nod.
Fluttershy smiled again, swinging her head back up to face her friends.
"See, Applejack? It just takes some gentle reasoning." Fluttershy said.
"Ah reckon that's one way to handle a thief." Applejack agreed. "Nice work, sugarcube."
Fluttershy blushed and smiled happily at the praise.
Rainbow Dash yawned, "Well, as fun as this has all been, I gotta go. Ya know, signature moves to perfect, places to be, and ponies to see. So, see ya!" She gave a half hearted wave and then dashed away on her wings, leaving behind a wind that ruffled up Applejack and Fluttershy's manes.
Applejack blew out between the strands of her mane that was now swept up in her line of sight, "That pony takes herself way too seriously."
Fluttershy made no comment.
~Sugarcube Corner~
Pinkie Pie lay in her bed, but not on her pillow. Rather, she was turned the other way around so that her head rested on the end of her bed while she was wallowing in pity-or whatever it is ponies wallow in when they're extremely upset.
And Pinkie Pie was extremely upset.
"Why does love have to be so complicated?" Pinkie Pie sighed to herself. "It sure isn't like that in the movies!" Pinkie Pie sighed for the twentieth time this evening alone and stewed in silence for a few minutes.
"Maybe it's complicated because me and Rainbow Dash are both mares," she thought aloud. "I've never watched a movie with two mares in love…ooh! Idea!" Pinkie Pie leaped up out of her upside down position, her eyes sparkling in enthusiasm. "What if me and Rainbow Dash MADE a movie? About US?'
It was silent for a few minutes more.
Pinkie Pie frowned and decided,"Nah, Rainbow Dash hates wearing makeup. And everypony wears makeup in movies."
Pinkie Pie sighed again and walked over to the balcony to ponder some more on her love life troubles. As soon as she walked out though, she noticed something curious.
There were hundreds of multi-colored paper flyers drifting down from the sky! Pinkie Pie gasped and leaned over the railing. "Wow!" she exclaimed at the small spectacle.
Then, what pony should happen to rush past, but of course, Rainbow Dash!
"Dashie!" Pinkie Pie called out, waving to get her attention. What a stroke of luck that the pony she couldn't get her mind off of would happen to be right outside her balcony.
The pony with the rainbow mane & tail stopped in midflight to swing around and see who had been calling her nickname, though she had a good guess-"Oh, hi Pinkie." She greeted.
"What are you doing? Do you see all this?" Pinkie Pie gestured all around her, where the flyers were still drifting toward the ground, taking their time to settle.
"Sure I do; I'm the one who dropped them." Rainbow Dash said calmly.
"You're littering?" Pinkie Pie accused melodramatically.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "No, I'm helping Applejack get more participants for her Square Dance Party." She gestured to the faded, brown mailbag slung over her shoulder, only half full of the flyers that were raining down on Ponyville.
Pinkie Pie gasped, eyes gone wide, "Applejack is having a party? And she didn't ask for my help?" she practically yelled, clearly insulted. "Has she forgotten? I LIVE for parties!" She said, waving a foreleg at her flank with her cutie mark of balloons to make her point.
Rainbow Dash smirked, "Aw, come on. You know how Applejack is; won't ask for help until she's worked herself to death."
Pinkie Pie's justified anger melted away, "Yeah…" she acknowledged, eyebrows furrowed."But still! I could have helped arrange the decorations, set up the games-ooh! Do you think there will be Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Pony? I love that game! Of course, I also love the game-"
"It's a square dance, Pinkie. And she arranged it to promote her apple farm business." Rainbow Dash cut in before Pinkie Pie could recall all of her many favorite games.
"Oh." Pinkie Pie said, understanding dawning on her pink face. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's eyes grew to the size of saucers, "Ooh, Dashie! Do you know what this means?" Pinkie Pie was now bouncing on the balcony in her excitement over whatever had just gone through her Pinkie head.
"I'm not going to get any work done?" Rainbow Dash guessed, folding her forehooves in impatience while still in mid-air.
Pinkie Pie ignored this, "WE could go to the Square Dance Party!"
Rainbow Dash gave a look as if to say "And your point is..?"
"Together." Pinkie Pie hinted, smiling slyly.
Now Rainbow Dash's eyes were the size of saucers.
Pinkie Pie merely giggled, "Oh, it'd be perfect! It would be like our coming-out party!" she gushed as Rainbow Dash blanched.
"Heh…heh heh…yeah." Rainbow Dash said, nervous sweat trickling down her forehead. "But, Pinkie, we already discussed this. Remember, this morning?" Rainbow Dash reminded her, praying to the sun goddess Celestia that the free-spirited pink pony hadn't gotten her hopes up again.
But Pinkie Pie's smile didn't falter, "Oh, but I'm sure you've changed your mind since then! Right?" Pinkie Pie looked to Rainbow Dash for confirmation.
"Uh…"
"Great! So, it's settled. This is going to be so much fun, I can't wait!" And with one last blinding smile, the extremely giddy Pinkie Pie headed back inside, even as Rainbow Dash's hoof lifted in objection. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh.
How does that even happen?
~20 Minutes Later~
Pinkie Pie was positively, completely, absolutely hysterical. She kept pacing back and forth in her room so much that one began to wonder if it were possible she would worn a groove through the floor. It was pure luck that Mr. and Mrs. Cake were out getting more supplies for their shop or they would have been alerted to the pony panicking upstairs.
"This is bad! Oh, why did I have to blurt my big mouth?" Pinkie Pie scolded herself, while staring down at the flyer she had easily taken in from outside.
The Square Dance was to be held in a week, according to the hot-pink flyer.
Pinkie Pie only had a week to get ready for a dance with Rainbow Dash! Oh, how could Applejack have been planning this party in secrecy for so long? Why didn't she give her bestie best friends an advanced notice? Now Pinkie Pie was going to be super busy trying to find the most perfect of all perfect dresses! She had to look good for Rainbow Dash. And Rainbow Dash? Well, she could go to the Square Dance completely bare and would still outshine her! And, knowing Rainbow Dash, that's probably what she planned to do…
Pinkie Pie huffed in frustration.
Ooh, wait!
Pinkie Pie's spirits instantly lifted, as an idea came to thought. I could ask Rarity! She thought, grinning. She makes the best dresses, after all! And we're bestie best friends, so I'm sure she'd be more than happy to oblige!
Now that Pinkie Pie had a plan for her dress, she had other things to take into consideration. And when Pinkie took things into consideration, she tended to overdo it. So her train of thought went something similar to this…
Holy ravioli, maybe this dance is the place where me and Rainbow Dash will FINALLY kiss! Eep!
Yes, it was true. The young couple still did not engage in kissing yet. However many times Pinkie Pie tried to initiate one, even as inexperienced as she was, Rainbow Dash would suddenly remember she had clouds to clear or a bear to house-sit, leaving Pinkie Pie rather confused and flustered.
And then- we'll get married! And when we're married, we'll live in a floating house together, 'cause I mean, how cool would that be? LIKE SUPER DUPER COOL. I bet Twilight could come up with a spell so I could walk on clouds again, 'cause she's like so smart. Ooh, and Twilight will be like our adoptive kids auntie. Oh my gosh, we'll gonna adopt kids? YAY!
With her head up in the clouds, Pinkie Pie continued her relentless fantasies while elsewhere somepony was just about having a nervous breakdown…
~Elsewhere~
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…
Rainbow Dash's thoughts were whirling-what am I gonna do? Should I cancel at last minute? But what if that pushes her over the edge? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?
Rainbow Dash felt her head would explode from all of the thinking she was doing and she held it in her hooves, as if she had a headache.
Ugh, I need to clear my head. She decided, standing up to spread her wings on the drifting cloud she had been resting on. Then, without warning, she jumped off, flapping her wings with ease as she soared up high into the sky; no thinking required.
It was so easy to forget all her troubles when she was flying; it was all just so…natural for her. She did lazy circles in the sky, smiling in bliss with her eyes closed while the wind ruffled her feathers gently. So quiet. So peaceful.
So boring.
Rainbow Dash eyes popped back open and she smirked, determined to get this move to perfection. Onward, she started flying faster and faster and faster and faster…
And then she abruptly stopped and dived, her tongue sticking out in her concentration. She stared down below at the Everfree Forest and, if she got this right, she wouldn't be going down there. With the Everfree Forest looming ahead, err, below, she swooped herself back up at the last possible second, her signature rainbow zooming behind her. She slowed her speed a bit, and glanced back behind at the Everfree Forest.
"Ha!" she blew a raspberry childishly at the Everfree Forest's offending view, proud of herself for managing to not crash into it. That would have been bad…
About fifteen minutes practicing her tricks and just flying around, Rainbow Dash had pushed Pinkie Pie to the back of her mind.
~Meanwhile~
Pinkie Pie had finally finished her daydreaming and was now skipping cheerily to Carousel Boutique, greeting everypony she happened to come by in her good mood.
Hmm, I wonder what color it should be, Pinkie Pie mused. Oh, I know! Pink!
That was easy.
Before she knew it, Pinkie Pie had arrived at Carousel Boutique and was standing outside the door. The sign hanging on the door declared the shop was still open so Pinkie Pie invited herself in, even though she was tempted to ring the fancy doorbell embedded on the side. But Rarity had restricted her to that privilege, ever since the last time she'd visited and nearly broken it with the amount of times she had pressed it.
"Hellllloooo?" she called out, looking around for the boutique's only empolyee. "Rarity?"
"Meow?" The white Persian cat Opal, short for Opalescence, was the only one to answer her, as it sat and swished its tail around itself.
Pinkie Pie looked down and giggled at the kitty cat, "You're not Rarity!" she accused good naturedly.
"She certainly isn't, darling." Rarity's posh, sophisticated voice drifted from where she sat working on a lime-green dress with her sewing machine, a familiar sight.
"Rarity!" Pinkie Pie greeted her friend, bouncing over. "I have a BIG favor to ask of you." she declared, emphasizing on the word "big"
Rarity slipped the glasses she used for work off to rub at her eyes tiredly, "Well, no promises; I already have more than I can barely handle."
Pinkie Pie bit her lip; she hadn't counted on the idea that Rarity might be already loaded down with work.
"Well..." Pinkie Pie hedged, not sure she should even bother asking now. "Uh…"
"Please, darling, I haven't got the time for such nonsense. What is it?" Rarity urged, working on the dress some more while she waited for Pinkie Pie's response.
"Well," Pinkie Pie coughed, "I was wondering if you could, maybe…make me a dress for the upcoming Square Dance Party Applejack is hosting?" Pinkie Pie finished in a rush, wincing as she braced for Rarity's reaction.
Rarity heaved a delicate sigh with a hint of exasperation in it. "Oh, darling, you really have caught me off guard here." She admitted, looking at Pinkie Pie apologetically.
"Oh. I understand…I'll just go…" Pinkie Pie said, her ears down in disappointment, and started her walk out of Ponyville's finest store. Now what she was going to do?
"Oh, please, Pinkie Pie, wait!" Rarity tried calling her over again. Pinkie Pie looked over her shoulder at Rarity, her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "I never did say "No", did I?" Rarity pointed out, straightening her glasses and smiling tiredly.
Pinkie Pie's face split into a grin and she zoomed right back over to the glamorous unicorn. "You mean...?"
"Yes." Rarity confirmed, smiling on the outside though she was sure she would regret it all later. But she just couldn't bear to send a pony, especially one of her closest friends, away in need of a dress.
Pinkie Pie squealed, causing Rarity to flinch. "OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH, RARITY!" Pinkie Pie cried, wrapping the startled mare in a hug. Rarity smiled nervously and struggled to maintain her composed air of elegance, "Ah-of course, darling. You are one of my best friends, after all."
Pinkie Pie finally released Rarity from her death grip, who immediately sighed in relief.
"Ahem. So, I don't suppose you already have an idea as to what you-"
"Oh, yes!" Pinkie Pie interrupted, already knowing what Rarity was going to ask. "It has to be pinkie pink."
Rarity waited.
"And…?" she prompted when she realized Pinkie Pie wasn't going to offer anything more than that.
"Oh…well, I haven't given it much thought, actually!" Pinkie Pie looked to be really thinking on it now. "But it has to be perfectly PERFECT." Pinkie Pie decided.
Rarity sighed. Well, that certainly isn't much to go on.
"I'll do my best." Rarity told her, and then went right back to work on the other dress for another client.
"I sure hope so! I want to look pretty at the dance. No, beautiful. No, wait, breathtaking!" Pinkie Pie went on, oblivious to the fact Rarity wasn't paying her any attention.
She'll get bored eventually, Rarity reassured herself.
"And I know you already made me a dress but that was for a completely different occasion! This time, I want to actually impress somepony-"
Rarity had been struggling to tune out Pinkie Pie so she could focus on her work but immediately perked up when she heard this.
"My word!" Rarity exclaimed, looking up to gawk at Pinkie Pie. "Darling, are you implying that you have a date?" Rarity's eyes sparkled in interest, waiting on bated breath for Pinkie Pie's response.
"Well…yeah." Pinkie Pie confirmed hesitantly, her motor mouth finally grinding to a halt. Uh oh-now what do I say? I hope she doesn't ask who-
"Who?" Rarity wanted to know, her hooves clasped together to contain the joy she was feeling for her friend. She couldn't believe it. Pinkie Pie on a date? How cute!
"Uh…" Pinkie Pie looked like she'd rather be anywhere but there right now.
"Oh, Pinkie, I'm so happy for you!" Rarity said, smiling earnestly. "I shall see to your dress right away! And do not fret-I will make sure it is PERFECT for your date." Rarity assured Pinkie Pie, abandoning her work and rushing off to her collection of pink fabrics. She then proceeded to use her horn's magic to roll out the various bolts of pink fabrics and scan them all with a critical eye.
"Hmm…which pink do you like best, darling?" Rarity asked, looking over her shoulder to see the spot Pinkie Pie had been occupying empty now and the shop's door closing shut.
~Later That Night~
Pinkie Pie was one hundred percent positive she wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight. Not after she had spilled the beans to Rarity.
What if Rainbow Dash finds out? She worried, snuggling deeper into her bed.
She'll be furious! …Unless.
Unless I can fake a break-up. Yeah! I'll tell Rarity that my date turned out to be a big meanie grumpy mean-meanie-pants.
But then another voice inside of her cried out: Are you CRAZY?
Which was a weird thing for a voice inside your head to ask, even by Pinkie standards.
Huh?
You must be crazy if you're seriously considering that dumb idea! Faking a break up? No, sir!
Sir?
The voice in Pinkie's head continued without missing a beat, What you have to do is tell your friends the truth. I mean, they're going to have to find out about you and Rainbow Dash sooner or later, right?
Welllll…
And besides, Rainbow Dash even said there wasn't a thing you could do or say that would upset her!
That's true.
You can do it, Pinkie.
Yeah.
Tell them!
I will.
You've got nothing to be ashamed of.
I don't.
You can do it!
I can!
Who's the boss?
"Meeeee!" Pinkie Pie answered out loud without realizing it and quickly looked around, as if somebody might have snuck into her room uninvited and heard her outburst. Once reassured there were no intruders, she started to mentally devise to herself.
I'm going to tell everypony about me and Rainbow Dash on Square Dance night.
Pinkie Pie smiled to herself; satisfied with her decision. And so, with her mind at ease, she finally succumbed to sleep.
~Dream Scene~
Pinkie Pie found herself in a familiar situation; she was dangling from a cliff, barely holding on with her front hooves. As she kicked in an attempt to lift herself up, little rocks chipped off the side of the cliff to fall down the long drop to the bottom.
Pinkie Pie was whimpering, "Somepony help me!" she cried desperately, almost losing her grip in doing so.
An eternity passed.
"Please…" she whispered. Pinkie Pie could feel herself losing this battle with gravity; while she much preferred to stay up, gravity demanded she get down.
Pinkie Pie gathered the breath she needed to call out her friends' names "Twilight! Applejack! Rarity! Fluttershy!"
And then…
"RAINBOW DASH!" she hollered the loudest.
As if on cue, Pinkie Pie could spot a patch in the sky that wasn't blanketed in eternal darkness. Was that-? It couldn't be!
But in Pinkie Pie's heart she knew it was. She would recognize that flash of rainbow anywhere. It could only be-
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie called out happily, relieved. I'm saved! Oh, this is so romantic, now all Rainbow Dash has to-
"Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie Pie called out again, confused as to the reason why the pegasus pony was moving AWAY from where Pinkie Pie was hanging from.
"Dashie! It's me, Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie called out louder, getting more desperate by the second. But it seemed her cries were falling on deaf ears…and she was starting to slip.
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! RAINBO-" And just like that, Pinkie Pie had finally used up all her energy and was falling, falling down to the ground where she would meet certain, cold death.
~End of Dream Scene~