Rarity giggled gleefully as she paced around her inspiration room. “Oh, you should have seen it, Opal, it was perfect! Fluttershy did not suspect a thing.”

”Mao,” Opal replied.

“Yes, yes, I know; I can’t stop now. I must keep the ball rolling, as they say. The question is, then, what next? How do I follow this up?”

Opal rolled her eyes as she lazily walked toward the doorway, giving a small ”Mao,” to signify her departure.

Rarity frowned at her as she left. “Well if you didn’t want to help, you could have just said so.”

Suddenly Rarity heard a knock on the door from downstairs. “Now, who could that be?” she asked the air as she walked out of the inspiration room and locked it before descending the staircase.

“I’ll be there in just a moment,” Rarity called as she reached the ground floor. She quickened her pace momentarily and grabbed the doorknob, twisting as she smiled. “So sorry to keep you waiting, I was just–”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SLEEPOVER AT RARITY’S! YAY!” Three enthusiastic high-pitched squeals interrupted her as she was bowled over by three equally enthusiastic fillies.

Rarity’s eyes rolled in their sockets momentarily before she was able to blink away the confusion. She saw her sister and her friends standing over her with huge smiles and wide, bright eyes.

Working the crook out of her neck as she stood, Rarity eyed them suspiciously. “Not to rain on your parade, girls, but it is Sunday. To say nothing of the fact that I did not agree to host any such sleepover, do you not have school in the morning?”

“Nope,” cheered Apple Bloom, “Tomorra’s Coltlumbus day, which means we got the day off!”

“Yeah, so we can spend all day tomorrow searching for our cutie marks!” Scootaloo gave a hoof pump.

“And I wanted to hang out with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, but I also missed you, and you said in your letter that you couldn’t wait to hear about our adventures, so I thought maybe you wouldn’t mind if we all hung out together tonight?” Sweetie Belle said, inching closer to Rarity with big, sad eyes.

Rarity was about to shoo them away when she had a thought. A mischievous, devious thought; A thought that, normally, she probably would not. I do not have enough fun, they say? Perhaps some of them would like to join me for this fun… Rarity laughed, perhaps more evilly than she noticed. Oh, it was too perfect; She knew exactly the pony with whom she would share this fun. She would go to Twilight’s Library and explain that the girls wanted to have a slumber party, and after all, Twilight Sparkle loved slumber parties, did she not? When Twilight tried to explain that she would be busy in the morning, Rarity would mention that it was a holiday; What kind of fun loving pony did not take off on a holiday? Surely her schedule wouldn’t be so full that she couldn’t enjoy an impromptu Cutie Mark Crusader Sleepover! There would be no way Twilight could say she did not love to have fun after that.

“Um, sis? Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle asked, concern etched upon her face.

Rarity ceased her laughter and smiled. “Of course, Sweetie Belle. I was just thinking, though, that Twilight loves slumber parties, and I think she’s been feeling lonely lately. What if we moved this little get together to the library? Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Rarity found herself laughing once more as three voices united to shout “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SLEEPOVER AT TWILIGHT’S LIBRARY! YAY!” while their owners bolted out the door.

Rarity picked up her saddlebags and followed them out the door.

This is going to be good.

“Oh, hi Rarity, what are you doing here at this hour?” Twilight asked as she pulled her door open, allowing her friend to enter.

“Well, dear–” Rarity began, but was immediately cut off as three fillies barged into the room.

“Hi Miss Twilight!”

“It’s good to see you, Miss Twilight!”

“Yeah, uh, what they said!”

“–My sister and her friends wanted to have a slumber party,” Rarity continued without missing a beat. “I thought, why not include Twilight on the fun? After all, you do love slumber parties, do you not?”

Twilight glanced back at Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, who had already begun cavorting around the Library’s main room, bumping into bookshelves and desks with reckless abandon.

“Oh, um, that’s very kind of you, but…” Twilight grimaced as she used her magic to catch a falling beaker that Apple Bloom had bumped off a shelf. “I don’t think this is a very good time. Don’t the fillies have school in the morning?”

“No, tomorrow is Coltlumbus Day,” Rarity explained.

Twilight groaned. Coltlumbus Day had always been one of her least favorite days of the year; The history behind it was actually somewhat fascinating, having to do with explorers and a giant case of mistaken identity spanning an entire continent, but it also meant a three day weekend – altogether the worst kind of weekend Twilight could imagine growing up.

“Right… Right. I forgot. Okay, but I’m awfully busy, and I have some important research that I really need to do tomorrow.” Twilight sighed.

Rarity hung her head as the crusaders pounced about in the background, paying the two older mares no attention. “I understand. I just thought maybe we could share some fun, but I guess I can’t do anything right when it comes to that.”

Twilight felt her stomach lurch. She was still feeling guilty about what had transpired the other night, but she hadn’t had the time to go over and make it right yet. Granted, if Rarity wanted to have a slumber party now, perhaps she wasn’t that upset about it all? Maybe she’d already been forgiven. That probably warranted exploring.

“... I’m sorry about what I said the other night, Rarity. Just because you don’t share all of our pastimes doesn’t mean we don’t love you, and we definitely didn’t mean for you to feel excluded. You know that, right?”

Rarity smiled weakly and raised her head a few inches. “I know. It’s quite alright. I didn’t exactly react in the best way possible, either,” she chuckled softly.

Twilight studied her friend’s body language carefully for a few seconds. She may have said it was alright, but everything Twilight had been studying on social interactions clearly indicated a mare in pain. Maybe she did have a lot of work to do, but setting things right with her friend came first. Plus, Spike would probably appreciate the chance to spend time with Rarity, as always.

“Alright, let’s have a slumber party,” Twilight said, putting on her best smile.

“It’s no use! Fort Book is completely unassailable,” Spike whispered from behind the overturned kitchen table.

“We might as well give up now,” groused Sweeite Belle.

“Private Spike, Private Sweetie, that is no way to talk,” Rarity whispered harshly back as her eyes crested the table. Fort Book was formidable, certainly, but there were always weaknesses to be exploited; she just had to find them… “They may have the superior defensive position, but they have also become overconfident. We can use that. We just have to figure out–”

Rarity yelped as she narrowly ducked a pillow thrown at her head. Peeking back over momentarily, she saw Scootaloo sneering at her from atop Fort Book. I will have my revenge, Scootaloo…

“Figure out what?” Spike asked, clutching a pillow to his chest.

“Every defensive position, no matter how formidable it may appear, has a weakness. If we find it, we can send the whole construction toppling to the ground,” Rarity explained. She scanned the fortress with her eyes, taking in every detail she could; The parapets, the gate, the walls…

There! Rarity gave a wicked smile when she saw it; On the south wall, Starswirl the Bearded: The Unicorn, The Myth, The Legend had been perched between to Supernaturals and 101 Potions You Wouldn’t Have Thought Of instead of interwoven like the rest of the books on the wall; No doubt Twilight did not want to risk damaging the pages of the book about her idol. This hubris would be her downfall.

Now Rarity just had to explain her plan.

Twilight Sparkle laid back in her chair and smiled. Rarity was a decent strategist, but by allowing Twilight to establish the defensive position at Fort Book, she now had no hope of winning this struggle; It was simply a matter of time until Scootaloo and Apple Bloom would be able to wear them down to the point of exhaustion. Their surrender would surely come shortly thereafter.

Assuming Rarity even had it in her to come up with a plan, there was no conceivable way she would breach Fort Book's defenses. Twilight had checked, re-checked, evaluated and re-evaluated every line of attack available to her rival; They were all fruitless. As she slid her small iron figurines across the map of the Library's main floor to simulate the troop's movements, she smiled.

But what if we run out of ammunition? The thought shattered Twilight's concentration. She had a formidable stockpile to be sure, but if things continued on the way they currently were going, and Rarity was smart enough to wait them out, there would come a point – far down the line, but a point none the less – at which their stores would run dry, and Rarity would be able to attack without fear of reprisal.

This was a problem, and it needed to be dealt with. But how to deal with it? Twilight scanned the map again. "Ah ha," she shouted as she spotted the answer. "The upstairs linen closet! I can simply teleport up when we start running low, and completely restock the fortress!"

Twilight smiled. This was coming together perfectly. Nothing at all could possibly–

“Umm, General Sparkle?” came a voice from behind her. Twilight rolled her eyes before turning her head.

“What is it, Private Apple Bloom? Shouldn’t you be manning your post?”

“I was, but… I think you might wanna see this.” Apple Bloom spoke hesitantly, as if she was worried... But what did she have to be worried about? Fort Book was invincible.

“What? Did something happen?” Twilight asked.

“Just come look,” Apple Bloom replied. Twilight narrowed her gaze. “Er, I mean, sir, just come look, sir?”

“Fine,” Twilight groaned, leaving her planning table and heading up the stair case.

As she finished climbing, she saw three figures out across the main room of the library. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Spike stood perfectly still, grasping a multitude of pillows between the three of them. Twilight frowned. Why were they just standing there, out in the open?

Twilight glanced at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who both shrugged.

“What is the meaning of this?” Twilight called out across the expanse, but received no answer; Her enemies did not even appear to acknowledge her.

Twilight frowned, levitating pillows into the hooves of her followers. “Make them regret ever setting hoof in the main room.”

“Sir yes sir!” The two fillies replied, retaking their positions on the parapets.

Twilight was about to return to her chair downstairs when suddenly she heard a voice shake the air around her; the clarion call of “CHAAAAAAAAARGE!”

Twilight turned to see Rarity, Spike, and Sweetie Belle dashing forward. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo fired their deadly volleys, but were easily evaded. Twilight gasped as a series of pillows flew back towards them, propelled by Rarity’s cerulean magic. She ducked, but heard an ‘oof!’ to her right; Apple Bloom had been hit. Twilight let out a primal roar, gripping a full salvo of fluffy white ammunition in her magic and launching it at her would-be assailants. Rarity raised a force field, but a few of the pillows managed to pass through and knocked Sweetie Belle and Spike to the ground. Rarity clearly saw this, though, and returned the pillows rapid-fire, like a mare possessed. Twilight dodged to the left, but quickly realized she had no more room to run; She should have dodged back instead so she could head down the stairs. The stream of machine-gunned pillows was about to hit her, when she saw an orange blur dive in front of her; a torrent of pillows smashed into the tiny frame before it fell to the ground below.

Scootaloo lay there, coughing up feathers. “Private Scootaloo! Are you okay?” Twilight called.

“I… I’m fine… General,” Scootaloo spoke through another feather-coughing fit.

“I… You saved me, soldier,” Twilight felt water welling up in her eyes. “Is… Is there anything I can do for you?”

Scootaloo continued coughing, taking short, jagged breaths. “Tell Rainbow Dash… I was awesome,” she said, and let her head hit the wooden floor, unconsciousness claiming her.

Twilight took a deep breath and recomposed herself. Turning back to the battlefront, she saw Rarity now standing before the keep, without a pillow in sight.

“That was a good try, Rarity, but it appears you made one grand mistake.”

“Oh? And what might that have been, General Sparkle?” Rarity replied, sarcasm coating her voice.

“You may have defeated my soldiers, but now I have all the pillows.” Twilight grinned. Indeed, Rarity had sent every pillow she had left into that volley; Now victory was assured.

However, rather than the deflated posture of one resigned to defeat that Twilight expected, Rarity stood firm.

“Yes, it would seem you do. So why not come out here and face me, unicorn to unicorn? We can have a fair fight, and settle this once and for all? Or...” Rarity gave a sadistic smile, “aren’t you mare enough to face me?”

Twilight laughed in response. “Was that your plan? Did you really think that would work? Maybe a pony like Applejack or Rainbow Dash might fall for something like that, but I’m Twilight Sparkle; The greatest pillow fight tactician that has ever lived! I have Fort Book, I have all the pillows, there is simply no reason for me to indulge my ego when I have victory within my grasp.”

Twilight watched as Rarity sighed. “I suppose your right. Go on then, finish this.”

“With pleas–” Twilight’s eye twitched. “Wait… what did you say?”

“Pardon, darling?” Rarity asked innocently.

“You… repeat what you just said.” Twilight demanded, raising a pillow over her head.

“What? I just said, your right. That would–”

“Ah ha!” Twilight exclaimed, pointing a hoof at Rarity. “You used the wrong ‘You’re’!”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Whatever do you mean, darling? I was simply saying that you’re analysis of the situation was correct.”

Twilight felt her skin crawl. “You just did it again! Agh, stop it!” She shouted, feeling an uncontrollable pain afflicting her ears.

Rarity cocked her head curiously. “I have no idea what your talking about, Twilight, their is simply no way you could know that.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuugh!” Twilight howled in agony, reeling as if struck by a stampeding bull. Grasping her pillow, she teleported down to the ground floor, behind Rarity, and sent the projectile flying at her with all the magical force she could muster.

Rarity leaped to the side, and Twilight saw the pillow careen forward, heading straight for the south wall… Straight for…

Starswirl the Bearded: The Unicorn, The Myth, The Legend.

The pillow bounced off the book with a subtle ‘pomf’ and fell to the ground. The library was silent; nothing moved for several long seconds as Twilight looked on in horror at the pillow that had struck her favorite book.

Starswirl the Bearded: The Unicorn, The Myth, The Legend fell out of place.

The entirety of Fort Book wobbled violently. Shockwaves shook the foundation, rippling out from the epicenter of the missing book. The entire structure lurched forward, its massive payload of stockpiled pillows now looming directly above Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh dear,” she squeaked as the fortress collapsed.

------

Twilight smiled as she wrapped Spike’s blanket around him, the baby dragon already having passed out nearly an hour ago. All told it had taken exactly 139 minutes and 15 seconds to clean up the aftermath of The Battle For Fort Book, but on the plus side, she got her weekly reorganization done ahead of schedule since all the books were off the shelves already; That meant she’d have plenty of time tomorrow to get all her work done.

Twilight glanced out to the balcony and saw Rarity standing with her forehooves on the railing. She tiptoed over and slid the glass door open to join her.

“I’d like to thank you, Twilight, for sharing this night with me.”

Twilight stepped up to the railing next to her friend and put her own front hooves up as well. The stars of Luna’s night had already begun shining long ago by now, bathing all of Ponyville in peaceful serenity.

“Don’t mention it, Rarity. I’m not sure I can even remember the last time I had so much fun.” Twilight chuckled until she noticed Rarity frowning out of the corner of her eye. “Is something wrong?”

“You don’t have to say that, Twilight. I guess I don’t mind being the ‘buzzkill’. It’s enough to know that my friends still have time for me.” It may have been a trick of the moonlight, but Twilight was almost certain she saw a tear roll down her friend’s cheek.

Twilight felt a stinging pain in her heart. Perhaps she had underestimated the enormity of the situation from Friday night; What would Princess Celestia think of her, knowing she’d hurt her friend so badly? Actually, forget Princess Celestia; What did Twilight Sparkle think of herself?

“I’m sorry, Rarity. We really didn’t mean anything by it,” Twilight mumbled, unable to look her friend in the eye.

“Then why did you let Rainbow say those things? I just don’t understand…” Rarity sniffled, leaning down to rest her head on the railing in between her hooves.

Twilight shrunk back. There was no good answer to that question, or at least not one she’d thought of. They all knew how brash Rainbow Dash could be, but Twilight had done nothing to care for Rarity’s feelings in that moment; She was just as guilty as Rainbow, in that case.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think about how it would affect you, I guess. But just because you don’t always enjoy the same things as the rest of us doesn’t mean we love you any less. We all care about you so much, Rarity, even Rainbow. We’re Best Friends Forever.” Twilight raised her gaze to see Rarity staring back at her, tears now running freely down her face.

“Oh, Twilight,” she said, leaning over to wrap her in a hug, “Best Friends Forever,” Rarity giggled through her tears.

Twilight felt herself smiling as she returned the hug. “I’ll make it up to you, Rarity. Why don’t we go out for breakfast tomorrow? We can even take the train up to Canterlot in the morning, if you want. My treat.”

Rarity pulled back to look into Twilight’s eyes. “I can’t let you do that, dear, you already told me how much work you have to get done.”

Twilight shook her head. “Maybe, but like you said, tomorrow’s a holiday, right? And regardless, you’re more important to me than some silly research. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Rarity smiled widely and reached her neck out to nuzzle Twilight’s cheek. “Thanks, Twilight. I’d like that.”