“‘Five miles to Ponyville’,” Trixie read off of a sign as she passed it by. “Almost there now. And the Great and Powerful Trixie has a surprise for Dashie when she arrives.” Trixie smirked as she reached into her cape with her magic and pulled out a thin envelope. “My show could have gone better, but at least I got this.”

Trixie put the envelope away and returned her eyes to the road, where she saw a large figure standing before her. Quickly reversing the flow of her magic caused the trailer to come to a very abrupt stop, almost throwing Trixie off of it if it weren’t for the new rail Applejack had attached to the front before she left Ponyville.

“Hey!” Trixie shouted, startling the griffon that was staring off into the distance. The griffon turned around and glared at Trixie, causing her to sweat as she glared back. “What are you doing standing in the middle of the road like that? You could have damaged Trixie’s trailer!”

“None of your business!” the griffon shouted as she took off into the air, flying past Trixie’s trailer and away from Ponyville.

“… Honestly. Some sentient life forms are just rude,” Trixie said as she restarted her magic around her wheels, continuing her pleasant ride towards Ponyville. “Huh… That flying technique looked more pony than griffon… Well, whatever. Only four-and-a-half miles left to travel.”

As Trixie drew closer and closer towards the town of Ponyville, her encounter with the griffon earlier faded out of her mind until she no longer gave it any notice. For now, she had a much more pressing matter to attend to. One luck pegasus pony was about to receive a very… ‘awesome’ gift, as said pegasus was likely to put it.

“And then I said ‘because she’s qauckers!’” Rainbow Dash and Applejack both laughed along with Pinkie Pie’s story whilst their other friends sat to the other side of the picnic blanket discussing something else. “So anyway,” Pinkie continued as she calmed down and wiped a tear from her eye, “That’s why I got a salary cut this month.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were, by this point, no longer laughing. Instead they exchanged confused looks at Pinkie Pie’s last statement. “Wait, that actually happened?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie Pie nodded. “Yuh-huh! Well, except it wasn’t a genie granting me wishes. It was just Discord pulling my legs.”

“Rightly so,” Discord said from his seat atop Rainbow’s head.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack yelped as they quickly moved away from the sudden draconequus interrupting their picnic, who remained floating in the air as if Rainbow Dash’s head was still beneath him.

“W-When’d you get here?!” Rainbow asked with an angry look on her face.

“I’ve been here the entire time,” Discord calmly stated as he lifted a teacup from the blanket as took a sip of the air inside it. “I was just remaining silent while my good friend Pinkamena Pie here told her story.”

“‘Good friend’, huh?” Applejack asked in a sceptical tone as she turned a questioning eye towards Pinkie Pie, who simply giggled as a miniature Discord suddenly rose out of her mane.

“I threw him a party ‘cause I remembered I never threw him one when Fluttershy reformed him because he was always so busy, and it was a total blast! I wanted to invite you all but Discord wanted to make a few adjustments and by the time he was finished we were in this funny place where all the doors were connected to each other and the gravity was reversed and there singing fish and-”

“Sadly, I was already there to help with the decorations at the time,” Rarity said as she shuddered. “Believe me, you were lucky to have missed it.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Fluttershy contested as picked up a sandwich, only for it to sprout legs and arms and turn into Discord before she could eat it. “But the paradoxes were a bit… T-They still keep me up at night…”

“Discord,” Twilight said in the calmest tone she could muster while Discord’s fingers were circling around her head, always drawing close but never making contact with her, “Don’t you have any important work to do for Princess Celestia?”

Discord jumped back and landed on a soft cloud. “You sound just like that brother of yours. ‘Discord, don’t you have something important to take care of?’ ‘Discord, I’m trying to do a headcount to make sure all of my troops returned from their mission okay!’ ‘Discord, stop bringing my orcish army figures to life!’”

“And?” Twilight asked.

“She gave me the day off,” Discord said. “I proposed to her that a day off from my duties would be the same as giving herself a day off from me. I know I can be a bit of a hoofful, and I do worry about the stress I’m putting on poor old Celly…”

“Then stop being so stressful,” Twilight suggested.

“Nah,” Discord said as he summoned an ice-cream cone in his eagle claw and held it above his mouth. Tapping the bottom caused an avalanche of ice-cream scoops to pour out of the cone and into his mouth.

“Well, it was a nice day out while it lasted,” Rarity sighed as she poured herself a fresh cup of tea.

“Oh, by all means, don’t let me ruin a beautiful date between friends such as this,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers to magic a pair of swimming trunks over his lower body. “By all means, pretend I’m not even here.” Discord jumped into the air and dived into the lake beside the six mares, causing all of them to raise their forelegs for cover. However, no water splashed their way. In fact, there was no splash at all…

“Twilight, you know any freezing spells to ice the lake over?” Applejack asked quickly as soon as she saw that Discord was gone.

“Sadly, it’s too warm out today,” Twilight said. “Anyway, it would just be easier to move the picnic itself.”

“Good thinking,” Rainbow said as she flapped her wings to gain some lift. “I’ll scout out a good spot.” Rainbow Dash took off, but stopped after only a second of flying. With a gasp and a very large smile, Rainbow Dash took off again, this time her destination being the blue mare she could see walking their way. “Hey!”

Trixie grinned as she saw Rainbow Dash flying towards her… and then looked worried as she saw no signs of the pegasus slowing down. “H-Hey-” Trixie was cut off as the blue blur collided with her, knocking her down to the ground as two blue forelegs pinned in her place. “What is the meaning of this?!” Trixie asked as she struggled against her captor’s hold. “Release Trixie at once!”

“What’s the matter?” Rainbow Dash asked as she chuckled at the helpless unicorn beneath her. “Can’t the Great and Powerful Trixie get herself out of something like this?”

“It’s not that,” Trixie said as she winced. “Trixie twisted her leg in Manehattan! It still hurts!”

Rainbow’s eyes widened as she quickly lifted her own forelegs. “S-Seriously?!”

Trixie quickly lifted her right foreleg around Rainbow’s neck and sat up, bringing their faces close together. “Nope,” she said in a playful tone, before rolling out from underneath Rainbow Dash and dusting herself off.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was stunned at the little deceptive act that had just transpired, but only for a few seconds. Her face turned to a scowl and her wings flared out of her sides. “Hey! That’s playing dirty!”

“You move fast, Trixie thinks fast,” Trixie said with a smirk. “Anyway, it’s what you get for pinning Trixie down in the dirt like that.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t like it,” Rainbow Dash said, now with a devious grin on her face as she closed in on Trixie. She kissed the other mare’s lips and the two closed their eyes as they shared a few long moments enjoying each other’s mouths, tongues and all.

“So Trixie spent half-an-hour looking for you,” Trixie said as the two finally decided to part from the kiss. “She heard that you were having a picnic by a lake. Too bad that this town has five lakes in and around it.”

“I thought you said you’d be back tonight,” Rainbow Dash said.

“True. That was the idea,” Trixie admitted. “Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well so Trixie decided to leave early.”

“Ah… Sorry to hear that,” Rainbow said.

“But, there was one thing that went right,” Trixie continued, pulling an envelope out of her cape with her magic and presenting it to Rainbow Dash. “Go ahead. Look inside.”

Grabbing the envelope from Trixie, Rainbow Dash gave a questioning look before biting into the top and ripping it open. Inside were two thin paper strips… Rainbow Dash gasped as she pulled them out and saw what they were. “Tickets to the Wonderbolts’ show this weekend!” Trixie nodded. “VIP seats?” Another nod. “FREE SNACK BAR?!”

“That is corre-” Trixie had to stop midsentence as she felt all of the wind escape her lungs. For all her honed reflexes, she could not for the life of her dodge the incoming vice-like grip of the ecstatic blue pegasus before her. She tried to plea for mercy, but words were unable to escape her mouth. She feared that this was the end.

“Oh my gosh, oh MY GOSH!” Rainbow Dash released Trixie and flipped into the air. “This. Is. AWESOME!”

‘Called that one,’ Trixie thought to herself as she rubbed her head and rose back up to her hooves.

“No, seriously! This is just- I don’t even- … How did you afford this.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Well you don’t have to say it like that,” Trixie said before clearing her throat. “Anyway… they were a gift.”

“A gift?” Rainbow Dash asked. “These? These kinds of tickets usually go for, like, triple digit sums!”

“Yes, well you see… Trixie happened to bump into this charming couple up in Manehattan who ran into some trouble with a pickpocket, and Trixie, the Great and Powerful mage that she is, saved the day.”

“What do you mean you don’t serve hay smoothies?!” Trixie shouted as she slammed her forehooves onto the service counter at the café that she was visiting.

“I’m sorry, Miss, but that brand was discontinued at this chain because it was simply unpopular,” the stallion on the other side of the counter replied as he mopped his brow with a hoofkerchief. “If you’re lucky, one of the smaller cafés in the city might serve it, but-”

“Well then, it seems that Trixie will have to take her business elsewhere!” With a harrumph, Trixie turned and left the store. As she walked outside, she sighed and pulled out a packet of peanut butter crackers from her cape. “Well, at least Trixie still has this going well for her today.” Licking her lips, Trixie opened the packet and levitated one of the crackers towards the peanut butter…

“Stop him!” Trixie looked up just in time to see a stallion crash into her, knocking her to the ground and causing her treat to fall down a nearby drain.

“Ow…” The stallion rose to his hooves and glared at Trixie. “Watch it you stupid mare!” The stallion tried to flee, but he felt something yanking on his tail, preventing him from moving. As he turned around, he saw the same mare he has just knocked down pulling on his tail with magic as she sent an icy glare his way.

“You made Trixie drop the snack she was looking forward to… and then you dare to insult her?!” Trixie pulled the stallion towards herself with her magic and then crouched. The stallion sailed above her. Trixie thrust her forehooves upwards into the stallion’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him before he crashed down onto the ground behind her.

As the realisation that there were ponies watching sank into Trixie, she cleared her throat and regained her composure, dusting herself off and picking up her hat that was knocked to the ground by the stallion’s collision.

“You there!” Trixie jumped and froze on the spot. She hoped that that wasn’t the city’s guard as she turned around slowly, and then gave a relieved sigh as she found that it wasn’t. “You just saved us! Thank you so very much!” the stallion approaching Trixie said.

The mare beside him knelt down and picked up the bag lying next to the downed pony. “You are a true hero! Thank you, Miss…”

Trixie looked between the two with an uncertain look on her face. “T-Trixie…”

“Thank you, Miss Trixie,” the stallion said as he shook her hoof. “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t stopped that mugger.”

Trixie’s eyes widened as that single sentence filled the holes in her mind. “O-Oh, yes! Don’t mention it. It’s what the Great and Powerful Trixie does, after all.”

“‘Great and Powerful’ indeed,” the mare said. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Aunt Orange. And this is my husband, Uncle Orange.”

The stallion bowed. “Nice to meet you. Now, whatever can I do to repay you for your kindness?”

Trixie smiled at that. “Well-”

“There certainly aren’t many kind ponies like you out in the world these days,” Aunt Orange said. “Such a shame, it is.”

“I-”

“Going out of your way to help ponies you don’t even know. My daughter would love you,” Uncle Orange added.

“That’s-”

“And so modest, too,” Aunt Orange finished. “I know you never asked for anything, but it would be wrong not to give you something. So here, take these.” She pulled out a small envelope from her bag and offered it to Trixie. “These were given to the two of us by a friend, but it’s not really our thing.”

“Maybe you have a coltfriend you’d like to go with?” Uncle Orange asked in a sly tone. “Strong and beautiful mare like you has got to have caught somepony’s eye.”

Aunt Orange nudged her husband, who simply chuckled. “Don’t mind him. He’s like that to all the pretty ones, but thankfully he has me to keep him in line.”

“Don’t-”

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Miss Trixie,” Uncle Orange said. “I’m sorry to have cut into your time like this. We’ll let you get back to your day now.”

The couple turned around and walked down the street, chatting and giggling to each other. Meanwhile, a confused-looking Trixie was left holding onto a small envelope as she watched the two walk away. “… Trixie would have preferred cash…” she said as she opened the envelope to see what was inside. “… But this works too.”

“Well, more-or-less,” Trixie added. “You should have seen it. An intense battle of the ages, it was! But of course, the Great and Powerful was not scared once. Not even when the coward drew his knife!”

“He had a knife?” Rainbow Dash asked, a look of concern on her face.

“As Trixie said, it was not a problem,” Trixie quickly added, waving her hoof dismissively.

“After what happened with Melody, I don’t really think you should be picking fights with armed muggers just yet.”

“Trixie has already recovered from that. Anyway, Wonderbolts show. Yea or neigh?”

“Oh!” Rainbow Dash suddenly remembered the tickets in her hooves. “Well, obviously I’m not gonna turn down something like this!”

“Then it’s a date,” Trixie said.

“You’re going on a date?” Trixie’s ears twitched and she turned around to see Rainbow’s friends standing behind her. It was Pinkie Pie who spoke. “Hey guys! Dashie’s going on a date! Where ya going? Is it somewhere with lots of cotton candy?”

“Well ah’ll be,” Applejack said as she approached the two. “Girl only jus’ got back an’ ye’re already puttin’ the moves on her?”

“Hey! She’s the one who got the tickets!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Tickets to where?” Twilight asked, smiling at the two.

“To the Wonderbolts show this weekend,” Trixie answered. “VIP seats, too,” she added in a prideful tone.

“Oh my,” Rarity said, “You certainly know how to woo your mare.”

“Guess we know who wears the saddle in this relationship then,” Applejack said in a sly tone.

“What?!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she landed before Applejack. “As if! She got the tickets, but I’m the one who’s gonna pick her up and take her home!”

Trixie was about to say something in objection, but realised that Rainbow Dash ‘picking her up’ would be a lot cheaper than hiring a chariot for the evening. So she remained silent… verbally, at least.

“Trixie, dear,” Rarity said, drawing Trixie’s attention, “You weren’t planning to wear that on your date, were you?”

“Hm?” Trixie looked over her cape and hat. “Oh. Well if it’s a cold night, Trixie will just wear her casual hooded jacket and skirt.”

Rarity gasped. “You can’t be serious! You don’t have any formal attire to wear at all?”

“Uh, ursa minor?” Trixie frowned as she heard herself using that excuse again. But it’s not like it wasn’t true. The damage from that incident was still affecting her even to that day. “It destroyed whatever clothes Trixie had, and she never quite found the money to spend on luxurious dresses or the like.”

“Well that just won’t do! You can’t go out on your date wearing that!”

“It’s just to a Wonderbolts show,” Trixie pointed out.

“A VIPs,” Rarity rebutted. “Not to mention it’s your first real date with Rainbow Dash outside of Ponyville. No no, I insist on fixing you up with an outfit more suited to the occasion.”

“Trixie does not have enough-”

“Completely on the house,” Rarity interrupted, anticipating Trixie’s next words.

“Well that’s-” Trixie stopped in her tracks and tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she caught sight of something behind the other mares. “I-Is that…”

“Ooh! A new friend to play with!” All of the mares beside Trixie yelped and turned to Discord as he suddenly blinked in behind Fluttershy, leaning down on her head and examining Trixie.

“D-D-D-D… DISCORRRRRD?!”

Discord reached into his ears and pulled out a pair of ear plugs. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to repeat that. Didn’t quite catch it.”

Trixie was not amused by the draconequus’ antics, her head lowering and her horn glowing in just a matter of seconds. “S-STAY BACK! THIS WON’T END LIKE LAST TIME!”

“Trixie, calm down!” Twilight shouted, teleporting herself between the two. “It’s okay! You don’t have to do that!”

“… You’re right,” Trixie said. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “You distract him, and Trixie will go get the Elements. They’re in your library, right?”

Twilight facehooved. “No, I mean we don’t have to seal him away! He’s reformed!”

“That’s right! I’m a new chimera now! I would never do anything to harm anypony,” Discord said, a halo appearing above his head in order to strengthen his claim.

“I thought you already knew about this,” Rainbow said as she walked up to Trixie.

Trixie’s horn died down as she faced Rainbow Dash. “I thought you were joking.” Trixie turned back to Discord. “So he’s… really your friend now.”

“Welll,” Twilight said, scratching the back of her neck.

“Kinda,” Applejack said.

“In a manner of speaking,” Rarity added.

“He’s the best draconequus friend we’ve ever had,” Fluttershy said with a warm smile.

Trixie looked over the group of mares, all with different expression on their faces. “… You guys… have some weird friendships going on.”

“Tell me about it,” Twilight deadpanned.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Discord said as he wrapped a talon around Trixie’s neck, “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself, friend?”

Trixie’s eyes sparkled and her mouth curled up into a grin. “You wish to hear about the Great and Powerful Trixie’s magnificent tale?” The Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all rolled their eyes, knowing where this was leading. “Very well then! Let’s start with-”

“Or we could just scene transition!” Discord interrupted.

“Wait, what-”

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle laughed as they ran around the school yard, chasing a butterfly with nets in their mouths as it fled the three menacing fillies pursuing it. Other fillies and colts that were in their path were knocked to their flanks as the Crusaders passed by, and stopped for a moment to glare at the three before resuming their own fun and games.

All except for two, who just happened to pick the worst time to be showing off their shiny new bracelets when the three fillies bumped into them. Diamond Tiara gasped in horror as she watched her silver bracelet fall onto the ground besides Silver Spoon’s pink one, and Silver Spoon yelped as her glasses fell from her face, rendering her as blind as a bat.

“Hey!” Diamond Tiara shouted to the three chaotic fillies, causing them to stop and turn to face her. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I can’t see!” Silver Spoon screamed in panic as she stretched her forelegs forward.

“We’re just playing,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Why don’t ya mind yer own business?” Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out, which only seemed to infuriate the pink filly further.

“Diamond?” Silver Spoon asked as she crouched down as felt the ground for her glasses.

Diamond Tiara picked up the fallen bracelets and stomped towards the three Crusaders. “You could have damaged our new jewellery!” she shouted. “Do you realise how much they cost?!”

“If you’re worried ‘bout damaging them, you shouldn’t bring them to school,” Scootaloo remarked.

“Guys?” Silver Spoon rose to her hooves as turned to her left, taking a slow step forward.

“Oh, so you wouldn’t care if somepony broke your scooter while it was left in the classroom?” Diamond asked, causing Scootaloo to frown.

“That’s different!” Scootaloo argued.

“You’re right. Our bracelets are actually important.”

“C’mon Scoots,” Apple Bloom said as she tugged Scootaloo’s foreleg. “Let’s ignore ‘em.”

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “Remember Rainbow Dash telling you not to get into stupid fights like this?”

Diamond Tiara chuckled. “You really care what that stupid airhead says that much? You really are stupid, having a crush on somepony so much older than you!”

Scootaloo blushed. “I don’t have a crush on her!”

“Look, we’re sorry fer yer bracelets!” Apple Bloom said, hoping to defuse the situation. “Why don’t ya jus’ let it go an’ go wash ‘em off or somethin’?”

“You think a simple ‘sorry’ will fix everything?” Diamond turned to Scootaloo. “And it’s obvious you do, which is quite sad, considering you’ll never get her in your life!”

“That’s enough!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“It’s true though, what with that unicorn she’s been hanging around with. She’ll never love you.”

“That’s too far!” Sweetie Belle barked. She and Apple Bloom turned when they heard hoofsteps behind them and found Scootaloo walking away at a fast pace. “Scootaloo!”

“Just leave me alone!” Scootaloo shouted back as she continued to storm away from her friends.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned back to Diamond Tiara with fiery glares. “Way ta go!” Apple Bloom said.

“We just got her to feel better about all that!” Sweetie Belle told her.

Diamond Tiara harrumphed. “She needs to grow up and face reality.”

“Diamoooooond!” Diamond Tiara turned around to find a panicking Silver Spoon searching the ground. “Helllllp!”

With a sigh, Diamond moved to help her friend, whilst the Crusaders took off after their own.

Scootaloo kicked a stone on the ground as she walked through the trees outside of the school grounds, stopping at one of them to lean against it and sigh. “Stupid Diamond Tiara,” she muttered. “I know she’s going out with Trixie, but I still-”

“Squirt?” Scootaloo jumped with a start and placed a hoof to her chest, ordering her heart to stay inside. “Up here!” Looking up, Scootaloo found Rainbow Dash looking down on her from the tree branch above her head. “What’s up? ‘Sides me, I mean.”

“R-Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo’s eyes followed Rainbow Dash as she descended slowly to the ground. “N-Nothing’s up! Why would you think something was up?”

“You were kinda muttering something to yourself,” Rainbow told her. “And you’re also outside of school, which means something must be bothering you. Is it that pink filly again? Or the glasses-wearing one? Or that colt with buckteeth?”

“N-No,” Scootaloo said as she shook her head. “Well, Diamond Tiara is partly the problem, but I… I just wanted to be alone. That’s all.”

“Alone?” Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

“No reason,” Scootaloo answered quickly. “Just… wanted to be alone.”

Rainbow Dash stared down at the filly for a few moments, watching as Scootaloo’s eyes shifted left-and-right while her hooves scuffed the ground. “Look, kid. I used to ‘just wanna be alone’ sometimes, too. And lemme tell ya, I was terrible at lying about it. I couldn’t control my eyes or my legs at all whenever my dad asked me what was up and I just told him it was nothing.”

Scootaloo winced as she forced her leg to remain still. She sighed as she closed her eyes and lowered her head. “… I just… You… You’ve been spending a lot of time with Trixie lately…”

“Well, yeah,” Rainbow Dash said in a confused tone. “We are going out and all.”

“Well, it’s just that you’ve… You haven’t been spending as much time with me…” There was a silence between the two for a moment. “I mean, like, we used to go play together in the park, or I got to watch you practice your flying, and sometimes, you helped me with my scooter tricks.”

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her neck. “Yeah… I guess we haven’t done stuff like that since before I went to Detrot, huh?”

“I mean, I get you have a marefriend and all now, I just-”

“That’s no excuse,” Rainbow Dash said. “Even Rarity and Applejack still find time for their sisters… I guess I was just having so much fun, it didn’t cross my mind…”

“… I should probably get back to school, before Miss Cheerilee sees I’m gone.”

“Wait.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin. “… Y’know what we still haven’t done yet, that I told you we’d definitely do a long time ago?”

Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash questioningly. “What’s that?”

“Y’know! Go see a live Wonderbolts show together!”

Scootaloo tilted her head to the side. “We’ve been to shows together.”

“Not in VIP seats!” Scootaloo gasped. “That’s right! The seats with all the best angles, where we get our faces shown on the big screen, and the Wonderbolts come down to hang with us personally during the breaks!”

“No way!” Scootaloo’s eyes showed stars as she ran up to Rainbow Dash. “You can’t be serious!”

“I am!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed proudly. “This weekend, me and Trixie are going to the Wonderbolts with VIP tickets, and kids get in free with two adults!”

Scootaloo’s enthusiasm seemed to die down a little bit. “T-Trixie will be there?”

“Wellll… she’s kinda the one who got the tickets…”

Scootaloo lowered her eyes to the ground for a second, before looking back up at Rainbow Dash with a big smile on her face. “Alright! This will be so awesome! What time is the show? No, what time you pickin’ me up? Should I take my scooter for them to sign? How much money should I take? How-”

“Slow down, kiddo,” Rainbow Dash laughed as she motioned with her hooves for Scootaloo to settle down. “Take whatever you want, but the snacks there will be free. As for pickup, I’ll stop by your place at around five. But make sure your parents are okay with it first!”

Scootaloo nodded. “They will be! They love you!”

“Well, obviously,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered into the air. “Anyway, you should probably head back to school before classes start.”

“I will,” Scootlaoo said as she waved goodbye to Rainbow Dash. “See you later, Rainbow Dash!”

Scootaloo turned and ran back towards the school, a wide smile on her face and cheer in her features. As she ran, she heard two voices behind her. “Scootaloo!”

Stopping and turning around, Scootaloo found Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle approaching her from behind. “Girls? What’re you-”

“We were worried, so we followed after you,” Sweetie Belle explained.

“We saw Rainbow Dash talkin’ ta ya though, so we hid in the bushes. What happened? Are y’all okay now?”

Scootaloo nodded. “I’m fine. Rainbow Dash invited me to a Wonderbolts show this weekend.”

“That’s great!” Apple Bloom cheered.

“Yeah… Uh, so… I kinda have a favour to ask…”

“Sure thing!” Apple Bloom said. “Y’all can ask us fer anythin’, you know that.”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “So what is it?”

“… I kinda…” The two fillies tilted their heads and motioned for Scootaloo to continue. “… Need a dress.”

Gasps of shock filled the air.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were wide and filled with stars as she stared at the beautiful thing in front of her. She knew that Trixie was getting a new dress from Rarity for their date, ands he was aware of how much time Rarity had spent on the thing thanks to Applejack. Even so, she never thought that the dressmaker could create something like this. She didn’t think that anypony could make something that would actually make her blush just from making eye contact with its wearer.

“So ah take it ya like what ya see?” Applejack asked with a smug grin, walking away from the door and just allowing Rainbow Dash to enter the boutique at her own pace.

Rainbow Dash shook off her surprise and stepped foot inside the store. “Well, yeah… I mean, it’s not bad-looking or anything. I just wasn’t expecting something like… this.”

Rarity giggled at her flustered friend. “I’ll just take that as a compliment. I wanted this to be the perfect dress for your first real date!” Rarity leaned towards Trixie and whispered, “Because I know Rainbow Dash certainly won’t be responsible for making this night magical. I’m leaving that up to you.”

Trixie nodded, but didn’t say a word. Rarity wondered if she had actually heard that. Trixie was also captivated by the beauty of the dress she was wearing. The dark-blue colour was just the right shade to accent her coat without clashing with it. The shimmers made it look like she was a galaxy in the night sky. The right amount of lace made it appear that she was a princess of noble blood, whilst the flowing cape down her back offered a look of mystery and wonderment.

“I look wonderful,” Trixie commented, catching the others off guard, who all fell at her use of ‘I’.

“Y-You mean ‘the dress looks wonderful’, right?” Rarity asked.

“Hm? Oh, yes. The dress is lovely,” Trixie said. “But I pull it off perfectly.”

“Well it was intended for you,” Rarity said. “Now, Rainbow Dash, are you sure you don’t wish for at least some makeup before you go?”

“I’m sure!” Rainbow Dash said, backing away quickly as soon as she saw Rarity approach her makeup box.

“Such a pity. Oh well, I guess it was too much to hope for,” Rarity sighed as she closed her box. “Well then, I hope the two of you have a wonderful evening.”

“We most certainly will,” Trixie said with confidence as she turned and approached Rainbow Dash. “Shall we?”

“You two have fun now!” Applejack called after the two as they left the boutique, closing the door behind them. She then turned to Rarity with a devious grin on her face. “Now then, how ‘bout the two of us have a lil’ fun?”

“Not tonight, Applejack,” Rarity said, though it did little to stop Applejack’s advances as the farm pony planted soft kisses on her partner’s neck. Rarity giggled, but managed to push Applejack away before letting her mind give in. “No, really. Not tonight, dear. I’m exhausted after making those dresses…”

“Dresses?” Applejack asked. “Plural?”

“Oh yes. Sweetie Belle and her friends came by a couple of days ago and asked for a dress for Scootaloo. Said she has a date and wanted to look her best.” Rarity yawned as she removed her glasses and put them away inside their case.

Applejack, however, looked confused. “Scootaloo has a date? That’s odd. Apple Bloom didn’t say anythin’ ta me, an’ she’s always goin’ on ‘bout her and her friends when we’re workin’ together.”

“Perhaps Scootaloo asked her not to tell you,” Rarity suggested.

“Maybe,” Applejack said with a nod. “Well that’s great, anyway! So who’s the lucky lil’ foal she’s got her eyes on?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t tell me.” Rarity unleashed another yawn. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Rarity and allowed the unicorn to snuggle up against her shoulder. “Anyway, I’m too tired for intimate play right now…”

“That’s okay. Ah’ll let ya get yer rest. You deserve it.” Applejack and Rarity walked towards the stairs leading to the store’s upper floor. “Jus’ make sure ya get lotsa rest, ‘cause come mornin’, ah ain’t takin’ ‘no’ fer an answer.”

“So…” Trixie said awkwardly as she walked beside Rainbow Dash, “… I guess you’ll be… giving Trixie a lift, soon?”

“Uh, about that,” Rainbow Dash responded, stopping for a moment. “There’s something I probably should’ve told you sooner.”

“Hm? What’s that?” Trixie asked.

“Well, you remember Scootaloo, right?”

Trixie’s ear twitched and her eyes narrowed as an image of the filly entered her mind. “Yes… She’s that… charming little filly, correct?” she said in a tone of forced sweetness.

“Yeah, well y’see, the thing is… I kinda invited her along with us.”

Trixie’s eyes widened suddenly. “You what?!”

“But it’s okay! Kids get in free with two adults and-”

“B-But this is our date!”

“And it still will be! We just… have a guest tagging along, too.”

Trixie stomped a hoof against the ground. “Unbelievable! The Great and Powerful Trixie had prepared the perfect moves to woo you, and now she must rethink her entire strategy because of the presence of a child!”

“I’m sorry, Trix. It’s just that she’s been kinda down lately, and I wanted to do something special to cheer her up. And hey, it’ll still be fun, right?” Rainbow Dash walked up to Trixie and placed a hoof under her chin. “We can still do this when she’s not lookin’.” Rainbow Dash kissed Trixie on the lips, pushing her tongue forward and finding Trixie’s.

She pulled back after a few seconds and gave a victorious grin at Trixie’s pleased expression. “… Well, it won’t be a total loss,” Trixie said as she turned around. “Very well then. Trixie will let this slide, but try not to make a habit of inviting children along to our dates.”

Rainbow Dash led the way to Scootaloo’s house, where the two found Scootaloo dressed up for the occasion in a gorgeous orange dress with purple lining that one certainly would not expect to see a child wearing to a sporting event. Not unless they were on a date with another child.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said as she ran towards the older pegasus mare and latched onto her leg. She shot a flat stare at Trixie. “Hey, you.”

Trixie tried her hardest to force a grin along her face. “Hey, kid. Nice evening for an air show, don’t you think?”

“Totally. Don’t see many unicorns up there though.”

“Well Trixie is a special case.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Scootaloo muttered.

Trixie felt a vein starting to pop. “Well, it certainly is nice to see you again,” she said, keeping herself composed whilst Rainbow Dash was watching.

“You too,” Scootaloo said, almost gagging on her words.

“So, Rainbow Dash,” Trixie said, “Shall we be going now? You’re our lift, after all.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears fell and her eyes narrowed at Trixie. “I’m your ‘lift’?”

“That’s right,” Trixie said as she levitated Scootaloo onto Rainbow’s back. “All aboard the Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash stopped Trixie from climbing onto her back by stretching a hoof. “No! No way! You are not getting on my back! I’d like this spine to be working for at least another ten years or so!”

While Scootaloo laughed, Trixie looked decidedly less amused. “A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed,” she said as she allowed Rainbow Dash to fly into the air and pick Trixie up from underneath her. Grunting and groaning, Rainbow Dash carried her two dates up towards the clouds.

The Cloudsdale Firefly Stadium – the biggest, grandest stadium in Equestria, built originally as a military training ground, it was remodelled into a sporting arena to house the first ever Equestria Games, and has since been used to hold flight races, wingball matches, and other flight-based sporting events, both for professional athletes and for school outings.

So it was no surprise to see lines of ponies stretching as far out towards the horizon as Rainbow Dash could see. In fact, it was like that every time the Wonderbolts were scheduled to make an appearance there. Usually, Rainbow Dash would be one of the ponies near the front, or at least halfway down the line, in her camping tent, keeping a sharp eye out for anypony trying to cut ahead of her.

Today, though, she was able to fly right by the thousands of anxious spectators with an air of great satisfaction and simply enter through the VIP door to the right of the crowds. As she let Scootaloo and Trixie off, she couldn’t help but notice the many eyes suddenly on them. Sure, ponies would often turn their heads whenever somepony skipped the line to use the VIP entrance. Even Rainbow Dash herself was guilty of that. There was a certain feeling of envy and annoyance that arose whenever she saw somepony do that.

But she suspected that, moreso than that, many of those eyes were focussed on the pony who should not have been with them – the unicorn, standing on the cloud floor as if it were solid ground. Usually, non-pegasi guests would be riding on the back of a chariot, not walking on the clouds. Even the bouncer seemed momentarily distracted by this before Trixie flashed her tickets at him, snapping him out of his daze as he returned to his job and examined the tickets.

“Alright, go on in, Mr. and Mrs. Orange,” the bouncer said, giving Rainbow Dash a strange look.

“Actually-” Rainbow Dash began.

“A hobby of his,” Trixie interrupted. “Please don’t stare. It’s not very nice.”

“M-My apologies,” the bouncer said, quickly averting his eyes.

Trixie shot Rainbow Dash a wry grin, who returned it with a frown as she walked past. “I don’t… really look like a colt, do I?” she asked once she was inside.

“Of course not!” Scootaloo said quickly. “You’re more of a mare than even Rarity is!”

Rainbow Dash gave the filly an uncertain look at that. “I don’t think that’s any better. I don’t want ponies to think I’m some ‘helpless damsel’ who can’t protect herself.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad,” Trixie said. “That way, the Great and Powerful Trixie can sweep you off your hooves as she rescues you.”

“But isn’t Rainbow Dash the one who helped you?” Scootaloo asked in a teasing tone.

Rainbow Dash grinned and wrapped a wing around Trixie. “Hey, yeah. If anything, you’re the damsel in distress and I’m the great hero.”

Trixie looked down at the filly, who simply gave a victorious smirk before turning away. “Or perhaps it’s the kid who is the helpless heroine.” Scootaloo skidded to a halt.

“What?! I-”

“I think this it,” Rainbow Dash said as she turned a corner and entered through a doorway, finding herself in the open VIP box with three other ponies. “Oh my gosh… This is really it, isn’t it?”

Behind her, Trixie and Scootaloo exchanged electrifying glares. “I sure hope your spell doesn’t wear off before we leave,” Scootaloo said. “Would sure be a disaster.”

“Oh don’t worry for Trixie. Just try not to wander off. You know how easy it is for kids to get lost,” Trixie returned, the sparks between the two of them causing the three other VIP guests to move cautiously away from the group.

“Hey Trixie,” Rainbow Dash said as she turned around, finding the two ponies looking her way with friendly smiles on their faces, “What’s the deal? Where’s the snack bar?”

Trixie walked further inside the VIP box and looked around. She found that there was indeed no snack bar as the tickets had promised. “Maybe they’re going to bring them out after the show starts? You shouldn’t be so eager, though. An athlete needs to watch her figure.”

“She has to eat a lot,” Scootaloo said, “If she’s gonna have enough energy to carry you back down to Ponyville.”

Whilst Trixie scowled at the pleased-looking filly, Rainbow Dash seemed to miss the malicious tone in her voice and broke into hysterics at the comment. “She’s right, Trix. You’re heavier than Applejack after an all-you-can-eat apple buffet!”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s weight comes from the sheer magnitude of her epic levels of magic!” Trixie defended.

“Then why isn’t Twilight that heavy?” Rainbow Dash countered.

“B-Because… Anyway, let’s just find some good seats and enjoy the preshow… whatever Soarin’s doing up there.”

“I don’t think that’s an act,” Scootaloo said. “I think he’s just being yelled at by Spitfire.”

“… Well, let’s enjoy that then.”

After a very long wait, the show as finally ready to begin. And with it, the snack bar that Rainbow Dash had been promised arrived, too, served by none other than…

“Hoops?!”

“Huh?” The stallion pushing the tray into the VIP box peered through the bangs of his mane at the mare addressing him. “Rainbow Crash?! What- How did you get in here?”

“What’s that?” Rainbow asked with a sly grin on her face. “Is the caterer disrespecting the VIP guests?”

Hoops gulped and quickly shook his head. “N-No, ma’am. Not at all.”

“Friend of hers?” Trixie asked Scootaloo as she used her magic to pull an apple towards herself.

“I guess so,” Scootaloo said as she swiped that apple from Trixie’s hooves.

“Hey-”

“Thanks for getting that apple for me!” Scootaloo shouted, loud enough that everypony momentarily regarded the two before looking away.

Trixie bared her teeth as Scootaloo gleefully took a bite out of her apple. “You are such a… Whatever. I just hope your wearing your teeth-protectors.”

“My what?” Scootaloo asked as she gave Trixie an odd look.

“Oh, y’know. The thing you should always when you eat something that was held by magic You don’t want your teeth growing to the size of your legs, right?”

“WHAT?!” Scootaloo quickly released her apple, dropping it through the cloud floor beneath her.

As everypony turned to the two again, Trixie levitated a second apple towards the filly. “Oh, Scootaloo! You’re such a klutz! Here, you can have my apple.” Trixie leaned in and whispered, “By the way, that was a lie.” As she sat back up, she stole a glance at Rainbow Dash to see her giving the showmare an approving look.

“Who are those two?” Hoops asked. “They’re really loud.”

“That would be my marefriend and sister,” Rainbow Dash said.

“You’re datin’ a unicorn?” Hoops took another look at Trixie. “Ah, that explains it. You musta got your tickets through her. She looks just like the rest of those Canterlot snobs.”

Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow. True, she did get her tickets through Trixie, but the reasoning was completely off. “For your information, she is not-” Rainbow Dash stopped. “… She’s not anywhere near as bad as the snobs in Canterlot,” she continued. ‘At least not the few I’ve seen…’

“Well, whatever. If she’s rich, you found a good- Hold on. You have a sister?”

“Y’know, there’s more to liking somepony than just their money,” Rainbow Dash said.

Hoops gave her a flat stare, though it was hard to tell under his bangs. “This comin’ from you?”

Rainbow Dash tensed up at that. “Yeah, okay, so I dated a few ponies to get a few meals… and to get into R-rated movies. But it never went beyond kissing. This is an actual relationship.”

Hoops chuckled. “So, our lil’ Rainbow Crash is growing up finally.”

“Like I need to hear that from somepony who’s still doing catering jobs for a living,” Rainbow returned.

“Actually, it’s community service for… something that happened at a bar. I’m actually a Gym coach at our old school now, just like I said I’d be.”

“… Oh.”

“And what about you? Last I heard, you’re still only a Wonderbolt cadet.”

Rainbow Dash scowled at the grinning stallion. “I’m working on it!”

“If you were half as serious as you were when you were a filly, you’d be out there on the field right now, not watching from the stands.” Rainbow Dash said nothing as Hoops uncorked a champagne bottle and began to decant the drink into glasses. “That town’s changed you. When you were a filly, even if I gave you a hard time, I actually believed you’d be a Wonderbolt in no time after you graduated. But now, it’s like you’re content just being on weather duty the rest of your life.”

“That’s not true!”

“Then why’d you take the part-time class?” Hoops asked. “I ran into my old pal Lightning Dust the other day. She said she’s your Wingpony now. I can understand her taking the part-time class, but you should have enough to sign up for the fulltime classes.”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to see my friends as much…”

Hoops simply shrugged. “That’s a choice you’ll have to make. It’s been your dream your entire life to be a Wonderbolt, but if you aren’t ready to go all out at whatever cost, then I have to wonder if you’ll even make it.”

Rainbow Dash remained silent as Hoops discarded the empty glass and turned to leave. Behind her, Scootaloo pulled out a juice box she had brought along with her and poked the straw through the hole. Before she could take a sip though, the carton was in the air through Trixie’s magic and the showmare took a sip.

“What’re you doing?!” Scootaloo demanded with a furious look on her face.

“Just making sure it’s not got any poison in it,” Trixie said. “Since Dash and I are looking after you right now, we have to make sure you don’t digest something that might kill you.”

“Like there’d be any poison in my juice box! Give it back!”

“Here,” Trixie said as she returned the juice box. “Seems safe enough.” Trixie levitated a glass of champagne from the tray and brought it towards herself. She looked down into it with a grin on her face… which quickly feel as soon as she saw something fly into the liquid, following the sound of somepony spitting beside her. She turned her head to find Scootaloo sipping away at her juice with a devilish look on her face.

“Hey guys,” Rainbow Dash said as she approached the two, carrying a plate of potato chips and cupcakes on her back. “Sorry ‘bout that. Ran into an old… classmate of mine.”

“No worries,” Trixie said as she scooted closer to Scootaloo, inviting Rainbow Dash to sit beside on the side opposite to the filly. “We were getting along just great. Isn’t that right, Scootaloo?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo answered with a smile on her face as she tipped her juice box over, pouring what little remained onto Trixie’s lap. She quickly moved it away and put on an apologetic look. “Oh man! I’m so sorry, Trixie!”

Trixie forced herself to remain smiling. “A-Accident’s happen, I guess,” Trixie said as she pulled a napkin out of her cape and wiped her legs dry.

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she watched the arena. “Now that’s flying!”

Trixie and Scootaloo also turned towards the stadium, watching the Wonderbolts work together in the sky to create a spectacular show of aerial dynamics that a single pony on their own couldn’t even hope to mimic.

“That is something,” Trixie muttered, narrowing her eyes as they remained on Spitfire, leading the rest of the team with the blazing trail she left behind as she flew. “Trixie’s magic could easily make it ten times better, of course.”

“Too bad the Wonderbolts is an all-pegasus team,” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and turned to Trixie, but was relieved to find she seemed to be unfazed by that comment. “Hey,” she said, “You gonna drink that?”

Trixie looked down at the champagne in her glass and wondered why she was simply holding it. She then caught Scootaloo grinning in the corner of her eye and remembered the reason why. With her magic, she levitated the glass back to the tray. “Perhaps it would not be setting a good example to be drinking in front of the kid,” Trixie said, placing a hoof on Scootaloo’s head and roughing up her mane.

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, I’m the designated flyer here, not you.” A few minutes passed by as the three continued to enjoy the show. “Hey,” Rainbow Dash whispered to Trixie. “You mind if I ask you something?”

“You seem to have no problem doing so anyway,” Trixie said.

“Well, it’s about my Wonderbolts training.”

“Oh yes. You’re in the Wonderbolts Academy, aren’t you? What about it?”

“Well, you see, I’m only in the part-time classes at the moment,” Rainbow Dash said. “But those classes take a lot longer than the fulltime ones. Like, years longer. If I took the fulltime course, it would only take a year before I’m able to take the final test to see if I have what it takes.”

“Those courses are expensive though,” Trixie pointed out. “Not that Trixie ever had to worry about which course she’d take…”

“Well, the money’s not really a problem for me,” Rainbow Dash said.

“True. That house does scream wealth.”

“The problem is that, if I take that course, I won’t be able to see my friends again for a whole year, except for the holidays and special time off.”

“But it’s only a year, right?”

“I know, but I… I don’t know. A week is fine, but to not see them for an entire year? And if I fail the test at the end, I have to take the entire course all over again, but with the part-time course, you only have to take a few improvement classes if you fail at the end.”

Trixie put a hoof to her chin. “Well, if it was me, I’d take the fulltime course,” Trixie said. “But then the difference between us is that Trixie is used to being separated from ponies for prolonged periods of time.”

“But I don’t know if I’m down with that. I’ve been living in Ponyville for years now, and it’s so much fun there every day! The ponies there are cool, my friends are awesome, and I’ve also got a little sister now who always comes to me for advice! What if I’m suddenly not there to help her when she needs it? She comes to me for flying lessons, y’know?”

“It seems to Trixie that you’re going to have to chose what’s more important. Your dream of becoming a Wonderbolt, or keeping things as they are now, with your friends all beside you, just the way you like it.” Trixie turned her head away to hide her frown. “Of course, just because you pick one, doesn’t mean you’ll get it.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t see it, but she could hear the bitterness in Trixie’s tone. She wrapped a wing around Trixie and pulled her closer, and felt the showmare leaning into her shoulder. “But how am I supposed to make a decision like that?”

“You don’t have to do it right away,” Trixie said. “But you will have to make it before it’s too late. Otherwise, the decision will be made for you.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “Maybe I should ask Spitfire for advice.”

“Worth a try. She is your coach, after all.” Trixie turned to look into Rainbow’s eyes. “Whatever happens, find solace in the fact that the Great and Powerful Trixie will always find some time to come and visit you.”

Rainbow Dash grinned and leaned towards Trixie a bit. “Yeah, that helps… a little.”

Trixie also leaned in to kiss Rainbow Dash, but she was interrupted by a pair of hooves to the side of her head. “OH MY GOSH, DID YOU SEE THAT?!” Scootaloo shouted as she violently pulled Trixie’s head backwards and turned it to face the arena. “Awwww, it’s over now!”

Scootaloo hopped down from Trixie’s head and sat down in her seat, a proud look on her face as she continued to watch the arena. Trixie growled at the filly, who seemed to be taking no notice of her.

“Easy there, Scoots,” Rainbow laughed as she patted Trixie’s head. “You’ll break her neck if you keep that up. You know unicorns are more fragile than us tough pegasi.”

Scootaloo giggled and nodded in response, whilst Trixie huffed and pointed her nose upwards. “Well, it’s not like she can help it. She is a kid, after all.”

Scootaloo’s smile immediately deflated, even moreso when Rainbow Dash’s laughter reached her ears.

“Yeah, kids can be pretty excitable, I guess.”

Scootaloo turned her attention back to the arena, but she wasn’t focussing much as her forehooves tensed and grabbed a hold the dress she was wearing. ‘I’m really just a kid in her eyes, huh?’ Suddenly, Scootaloo found it hard to pay much attention o anything other than the sinking feeling in her gut.

With the evening over, Rainbow Dash flew Trixie and Scootaloo back down from Cloudsdale, dropping the former off at her trailer first before taking Scootaloo home, Trixie’s trailer being the closer location of the two.

“Well, this was certainly a fun evening.” Trixie glanced past Rainbow Dash to find Scootaloo blowing a raspberry towards her. Rather than scowling, she grinned and closed in on Rainbow Dash’s lips. She kept an eye open and, as expected, Scootaloo was growling furiously at her.

Rainbow Dash pulled back. “Okay, Trix. Maybe not a good idea making out in front of the kid?”

Trixie simply giggled. “Very well then.” Trixie leaned in to whisper, “Come back after you drop the runt off. We’ll have some more adult fun.”

Scootaloo hadn’t heard what Trixie had said, but Rainbow’s twitching wings told all. Scootaloo averted her eyes and gritted her teeth together.

“Alright, Squirt. Ready to go home?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I can go back myself,” Scootaloo muttered.

“In this dark?” Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure you could, but I’d rather not risk a lecture from your folks.”

Scootaloo sighed and nodded her head. “Fine…”

“Alright then! Hop on my back and I’ll have you there in ten seconds flat!” Scootaloo climbed up onto Rainbow Dash’s back and the older mare took off, bolting through the night sky towards Scootaloo’s house. “So, pretty awesome show, huh?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo answered simply.

“… Remember when Soarin almost crashed into Spitfire, and the two got into an argument together? Man, those two are awesome together.”

“They are pretty funny,” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow Dash sensed that something was wrong, but she didn’t have much time to ask Scootaloo what it was before they arrived at the filly’s house. “Well, I guess you’re pretty tired,” Rainbow Dash said, more to herself than to Scootaloo. “You are a kid, after all. Awesome, but still a kid.”

Scootaloo’s legs shook and she stared at the ground as she jumped off of Rainbow’s back. “T-Thanks for…”

“Ah, don’t mention it.” Rainbow Dash turned around and prepared to take off. “Catch ya later, Squirt!”

“Wait!” Rainbow Dash turned around. Scootaloo wasn’t sure what to say, if anything at all.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked. Scootaloo still said nothing… but a tear drop did fall down her eye. “Kid? Hey, c’mon. You know you can talk to me. If somepony’s giving you a hard time, you let me know and I’ll-”

“I love you!”

Time seemed to freeze as those words were blurted out all of a sudden. It wasn’t long after that Scootaloo realised what she had said, gasped, and bolted away from Rainbow Dash and into her house. As soon as she was inside her room, she fell to her haunches and allowed herself to cry.

Trixie sighed as she gazed out of her window, looking up at the crescent moon in the sky. Her dress was resting on the floor and she was laying on top of her bed with naught but her cape and a pair of purple-and-white-striped socks. “Where is she?” she questioned as she turned towards her trailer door. “It doesn’t take that long to fly to that kid’s house and back.” A thought came to Trixie that made her ears droop. “Is she not coming? … Hmph. Her loss.”

Removing her socks and her cape, Trixie pulled the covers over her body and locked her door with her magic, pouting as she snuggled warmly under her covers and closing her eyes to drift off to sleep.

Author's Notes:

Hmmm... I'm not sure if I paced the build up to Scootaloo's feelings bursting out right or not. Readers, what do you think?

Anywhom, against all odds, I managed to get this chapter out before New Year's :3 (In some countries, at least)

And now, back to Link Between Worlds... Man, this game is good.

By the way, is it just me, or are horizontal rules just not visible anymore? :S