Rarity awoke held in the forelegs of Fluttershy, gripped tightly yet lovingly by the yellow pegasus. She hadn't been drunk enough the previous night to forget what had happened, and while she didn't regret it at all, she was rather nervous about its many implications. Were they an "item" now? Would they tell their friends, or keep it a secret? (The latter half of that inquiry seemed much more attractive to the fashionista, at least until they figured out what exactly "they" were.) Despite the niggling little anxieties she felt about the situation, she was incredibly comfortable held by Fluttershy and sighed contentedly, snuggling into her. Fluttershy stirred and, quite adorably, her eyes fluttered open as she awoke. Rarity turned toward her and Fluttershy smiled in a way that filled Rarity with a wonderful warmth.

"Good morning." Fluttershy said dreamily, blushing.

"Good morning to you, my dear." Rarity said. She planted a small kiss on Fluttershy's lips, surprising herself slightly.

"Do you remember last night?" Fluttershy asked. "You were pretty drunk when you kissed me. But then again, you should have sobered up by now." Fluttershy giggled quietly.

"I wasn't that drunk." Rarity replied with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "And yes, I remember. Except whether or not we..." Rarity trailed off, trying to imply what she meant to Fluttershy, but the pegasus didn't understand, shaking her head slightly. Rarity cleared her throat and blushed deeply. "Whether or not we...did what Rainbow Dash and Applejack most likely did." Rarity said the last part quickly and quietly. Fluttershy became embarrassed and blushed as well.

"Oh! Oh no, we didn't. We just...had that magical kiss." Fluttershy said before snuggling into Rarity's chest. Rarity rather liked the feeling and held her closer. "Or...kisses..."

"My goodness." Rarity almost laughed. "Seems we were quite amorous last evening."

"But...you wanted that, right?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at her unicorn companion.

"I definitely wanted that." Rarity replied with a smile, making Fluttershy smile as well. "I won't lie to you, I was getting extremely jealous of Bright Sun, seeing you two out of the dance floor." Fluttershy sat up, her eyes wide.

"Oh my goodness! Bright Sun! I completely blew him off last night." Fluttershy lay back down and covered her face with her hooves. Rarity almost giggled in adoration at the sight. "I feel so awful."

"Oh, Fluttershy, it'll be fine. He probably just went and found another mare to dance with." Rarity said. "He is quite attractive, after all. I don't think it'd have been too difficult for him."

"I guess so." Fluttershy said. "I should go break it off with him...if there was anything to break off in the first place. I mean all we did was dance. Should I...break it off with him?" Fluttershy asked, looking into Rarity's eyes. Rarity smiled at her. Even after they finally kissed and woke up cuddling together, Fluttershy was still unsure if they would become anything. Neither was Rarity, but she knew that she at least wanted to give things an honest shot with the pink haired pegasus. And if this morning was any indication, things looked good for the two of them.

"I think you should." Rarity replied. "I honestly don't know if I could take more jealousy." With that, Rarity moved across the mattress and took Fluttershy's chin in a hoof. The unicorn moved Fluttershy's face up and kissed her, deeper than the peck she'd already given her that morning. Rarity looked into Fluttershy's eyes after the kiss, which were half-lidded with affection.

"I'll do it next time I see him." Fluttershy sighed with a smile.

"Fluttershy, can I be honest with you?" Rarity asked, a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

"Of course you can." Fluttershy replied.

"I wasn't having a very good time for much of last night, hence the drinking. But when I was with you...both on that dance floor and on the beach...that changed dramatically. And I quite like you...as more than a friend it seems." Rarity continued. "I would be open to having something with you, but...this is all...very very new to me. I just wanted to ask you if it was okay that we...take it slow? I just have to figure some things out before I dive into this with you head first. And until then, I would like for this to be kept between us." Fluttershy seemed to deflate a bit at the statement but gave a nod.

"Rarity, I completely respect that." Fluttershy said with a half-hearted smile. "Whatever you need. Whatever makes you comfortable, I'm okay with it." Fluttershy's demeanor was not lost on Rarity and she moved Fluttershy's face to hers again, giving her a sweet kiss.

"Let me repeat myself." Rarity said through a smile. "I really like you...And I also really like kissing you. I just need to think about some things, that's all." Fluttershy seemed to cheer up at the kiss, and nodded.

"Absolutely. Can we cuddle some more?" The pegasus asked lovingly. Rarity giggled.

"Absolutely we can." Rarity said, laying on her side and opening her forelegs. Smiling giddily, Fluttershy moved into Rarity's forehooves and sighed as Rarity wrapped her forelegs around her, giving her a small kiss on her head between her ears.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack awoke in a similar manner, just in their natural spooning sleeping position. Applejack was the first to wake up, as always. The farm mare silently delighted at the feel of Rainbow's flank situated soundly in her groin, and also at the fresh memory of the steamy night she'd had with her wife. The foal developing within her was also a constant point of joy for the two of them and whenever she thought of it, it filled her with excitement and contentment. Applejack softly kissed Rainbow Dash's ear, making the pegasus stir in her forelegs.

"Good mornin' you sleepy girl." Applejack said with pure adoration. Rainbow groaned quietly and looked back at her wife.

"Good morning yourself." Rainbow replied with a tired grin. "Goddesses, last night was fun, huh?"

"Which part?" Applejack asked, making a small flare-up of excitement manifest itself in her belly.

"Everything. The drinking, the dancing, the fire eaters...That awesome sex..." Rainbow dropped her voice slightly with the last part of her sentence, exciting Applejack just a little bit more. "No complaints about last night at all."

"You know...Ah might just be hungry for a little more..." Applejack said, kissing Rainbow's neck slightly. "Before we start the day..." Rainbow giggled at this and turned her head, also turning her body slightly, to kiss Applejack passionately. She put a hoof on the back of her wife's stetson-less head and pulled her into the kiss before separating.

"That actually doesn't sound too bad..." Rainbow replied, biting her lip. "Can I pee first? I drank a good bit last night."

"You can do whatever you need to do, my love." Applejack replied, planting three small kisses up her neck, making Rainbow shiver and moan lightly through a smile.

"Okay, be right back." Rainbow said before getting out of bed. The pegasus' eyes suddenly went wide and she staggered a bit, looking back at Applejack. The farm mare had been quite startled by what she'd just seen. "Uhhh...I don't know if that's actually gonna happen, AJ." Raising an eyebrow in concern, Applejack sat up quickly.

"Why is that, baby?"

"Because...um..." Rainbow, incredibly embarrassed, looked to the side, her back legs going together at the knees. "I might be...super sore..." Applejack stood immediately and went to Rainbow Dash to help her.

"Oh goddesses, Rainbow! Ah'm so sorry..." Applejack said, leaping out of bed and trying to help her wife, which she politely refused with a raised hoof. "Are you okay? Ah didn't mean to go that hard."

"No, its totally fine!" Rainbow replied with a smile, still incredibly embarrassed. "I think...I think it'd been so long since I'd had anything...y'know...like that in there...And we did go really hard, so it makes sense. I'm just...not too used to that kinda thing down there."

"Are ya sure you're okay?" Applejack asked, still worried. "Ah'd hate myself if Ah hurt ya...Especially during sex."

"Applejack, believe me when I tell you, that last night you were doing the farthest thing from hurting me." Rainbow assured her wife, placing a hoof on her cheek and giving her a light kiss. "I loved every second of it...And I definitely want to do it again. Just not for a little while...and we'll probably have to make love next time we do it instead of buck like we did last night, if you catch my drift." Applejack gave a small chuckle and nodded.

"Ah think Ah get your meaning...Ah might have gotten a bit carried away..." Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head and blushing.

"I think we both did. I mean, can you blame us? We're a couple a sexy mares, and we were doing some really sexy stuff." Rainbow replied with a wink before moving toward the bathroom, her back legs slightly stiff. The pegasus stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air before looking at Applejack excitedly. The farm mare was confused for a moment before the scent caught her nostrils as well. "You smell that?"

"Ah sure do." Applejack said, her smile growing more as the seconds passed. "Pinkie's breakfast."

Rainbow and Applejack were the first out of their room, having decided to forego a shower until after they'd eaten the breakfast they were expecting to find waiting for them. They were not disappointed. Pinkie had returned to the beach house sometime that morning and had gotten busy immediately with whipping up the food.

"Good mooorrrning! I've made us a crepe bar! You pick up your crepe or crepes here..." She gestured to the plate holding the pastries and then moving down the dining room table, named off the rest of the steps. "Then here you have your butter, your syrup, your powdered sugar...Then here are fruits, I got blueberries, strawberries and bananas, and then, of course whipped creeeaam." Rainbow and Applejack's respective mouths were watering. "Oh, and Applejack, I cut up a couple apples for your crepes in case you wanted any, but there was no room on the table so they're in the kitchen.

"Pinkie Pie, you've outdone yourself." Rainbow gasped, moving toward the stack of six plates. "And I'm so hungry too."

"Well, eat up! We have a big day planned!" Pinkie said happily.

"What do you mean a big day?" Applejack asked, making Pinkie realized she'd almost spilled the beans about their surprise party.

"Oh! Uuummmm..." Pinkie said nervously. "We were going to see the site of the Battle of Stable Hill..." A few seconds passed before Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Oh...Okay, sounds pretty cool." Rainbow said as she went back to preparing her crepe, quite nonplussed by the idea.

"And we were gonna go to that haunted house place. Twilight said the travel brochure reccommended it, so its supposed to be really fun!" Pinkie thanked Celestia that she remembered Twilight talking about the attraction the previous night at the party. "Then we were just gonna grab dinner and walk around all the tourist-y things around downtown!"

"Now that sounds awesome." Rainbow said happily, topping off her crepe with whipped cream. Applejack had already started on her crepe and was about halfway done.

"What sounds awesome is not having such a headaaache..." Princess Twilight Sparkle groaned as she collapsed on the living room sofa, earning a giggle from Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie.

"Go a little too hard last night, huh?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm a princess...I never get to let loose so...Yeah, I might have." Twilight replied. "I don't think I've ever been this hung over..." The alicorn put her hooves on her eyes, before grabbing a pillow and putting it on her face.

"Here, let me get you a water and some pain meds." Pinkie chirped, appearing quickly at the princess' side. Twilight gratefully accepted the help with a nod, sitting up. Her usually straight-combed mane was a mess and she had bags under her eyes.

"Thanks Pinkie." Twilight said before popping the pills into her mouth and drinking the entire bottle of water in less than twenty seconds. "Ah, so good. Where'd you go last night?" Twilight asked.

"Oh did you forget? I went back to Jumping Jamboree's place! It was really fun." Pinkie said happily before leaving the Alicorn to rest on the couch. Rainbow Dash, who had already finished her crepe, was washing her dish in the kitchen when Pinkie returned. "Wanna help me with finishing things up, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked. Initially, Rainbow wasn't too big a fan of the idea, but she nodded.

"Wait, so you went home with that stallion last night?" Rainbow asked, earning a nod from Pinkie. "Nice, nice. Did you two...uh...get busy?" Rainbow leaned in close to Pinkie and whispered the last words. Pinkie Pie, who knew that the only pony in that house who she could share such details with unabashedly was Rainbow Dash, checked the living room to see if any of the others were listening. Upon seeing no one was, she turned back to Rainbow Dash.

"After he threw that party? Oh, yes." Pinkie said quietly with a giddy smile. Rainbow smiled.

"Hay yeah! Me too!" The two mares hoof bumped before getting back to their respective tasks, Pinkie's being finishing frying up the crepes while Rainbow cleaned up some of the stray trash and drips of crepe batter that lay about the kitchen. It didn't take Rainbow Dash long to straighten up the kitchen and she left Pinkie Pie to finish with the crepes, sitting with Applejack as she gorged on two of them.

"Good morning, everypony!" Rarity said as she and Fluttershy entered the living room. They received greetings from their friends, half of which were muffled by the crepes being chewed in their mouths.

"You seem in high spirits." Twilight said, sitting up and attempting to be more present.

"Well, last night was a lot of fun, and we're ready for more adventures today, aren't we Fluttershy?" Rarity said happily, earning a nod from her companion.

"That's great!" Pinkie Pie suddenly interjected. "Twilight, you remember telling me about the site of the Battle of Stable Hill and that haunted house, right?" Twilight, momentarily confused, looked at Pinkie Pie, who stood behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack, nodding vigorously. Twilight, taking the hint, nodded, raising her eyebrows.

"Uh...I... yeeeaah, I remember that." Twilight said. "One of the most important battles Equestria has ever seen. And...that haunted house is supposed to be really cool too." Pinkie nodded quietly and went back to her business.

"You sure you're up for that, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, and the alicorn nodded.

"Oh, definitely." Twilight said happily. "I just...need to get ready and that's it." Twilight regretted drinking so much the previous night deeply. "I guess I can kiss my brain goodbye, though." At her last words, Twilight's eyes widened and she gained a purely mortified look on her face.

"Twilight? You alright?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do we need to take you to a doctor or somethin'? You dehydrated?" Twilight shook her head and buried her face in her hooves.

"I just...I just remembered something from last night...Something I did." The alicorn groaned, slightly muffled through her hooves.

"Oh, goddesses, I don't remember you drinking that much." Rainbow said with a small laugh. Applejack elbowed her wife for her rudeness. "Hey! Ow!"

"What happened, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"I...I might have kissed Golden Ray last night." Twilight said, a shameful tinge to her voice, causing Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie to gasp. Rainbow and Applejack merely looked at everyone else, then at each other, in pure confusion.

"Uhh...Who the hay is Golden Ray?" Rainbow asked.

"Golden Ray is the brother of a stallion I was dancing with last night." Fluttershy explained, moving closer to Twilight. "He also is gay. Twilight, why did you do that?"

"I don't know! I was really, really drunk last night-"

"Well that's obvious." Rainbow said with a small chuckle, earning glares from each of her friends, even Applejack, who understood the context of the situation about as well as she did. "Sorry. I'll just shut up now..." The pegasus looked down at her forehooves.

"We danced pretty much all night, and I guess I got the wrong impression. We went to the bar to get more drinks, and before I knew it, I was kissing him. He was nice about it, but he left pretty quickly." Twilight sighed. "Oh, goddesses, I can't believe I did that."

"Well, I suppose a pony isn't themselves when they're that drunk." Rarity said, looking upward. "Obviously you were quite drunk, I mean, you blacked out on that until this moment."

"That's true." Twilight replied. "I hope we see them again before we leave...I have to apologize."

"I think I'll be able to relay the message, if not." Fluttershy stated, giving a small nod. "I'm going to let Bright Sun off the hook." This earned a surprised look from Twilight and Pinkie Pie, the pink party pony entering the living room after putting away all the crepe bar trays. Rarity looked at Fluttershy and attempted to convey surprise.

"Who the hay is Bright Sun?" Rainbow asked, the group once again looking at her. "Wait...Bright Sun...Golden Ray...You'd mentioned a brother" She pointed to Fluttershy at that moment. "I'm...Gonna go get some water or something." As Rainbow stood and walked to the kitchen, Applejack couldn't help but giggle at how clueless her love could be sometimes. Everyone present was silent for several seconds before Twilight Sparkle's memory triggered, and she continued where they'd left off.

"Fluttershy, I saw you two last night. You looked like you were having a lot of fun." Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I did like him. He's certainly attractive, and a good dancer. But...There was somepony else there last night that I wanted to dance with the whole time I was dancing with him." Fluttershy explained. "But I knew that if I did anything, if I tried for that, my chances would probably be ruined. So...I think if I can't stop thinking about them, then I have to break it off with Bright Sun." Rarity's heart melted at Fluttershy's story, and the unicorn wanted to kiss her right then and there. She saw the fondness in the pegasus' eyes when she talked about "that pony".

"Well...It's not like you two were going to be anything significant anyway." Rarity piped up, making Fluttershy look at her. The pegasus couldn't help but blush. "He'll probably be fine. I have to use the restroom, please excuse me. Pinkie Pie, could you warm up a crepe for me?" Rarity left the room promptly, remembering that any time she blushed it was quite apparent due to her snow-white coat. Fluttershy smiled after her.

"Ahh, I was hoping she would start finally feeling her hangover." Twilight said. "I just don't want to suffer alone." All of the alicorn's friends laughed, both with her and at her.

"Here, Twilight, I went ahead and made you a crepe." Pinkie Pie said, giving her a plate with a beautifully made strawberry crepe with butter and powdered sugar. "Soak up that booze. When do we have to leave for the battle site?" Twilight, being put on the spot, looked around for a moment.

"Uhh...nine?" The alicorn said.

"Okay! Get ready girls! At uhh nine, we hit the road!" Pinkie squealed, making Twilight roll her eyes.

"My goodness, this is amazin'." Applejack gushed, looking out upon the vast field where the Battle of Stable Hill was fought. It was surrounded by a treeline of massive conifer trees, and the early Autumn sun was still warm, while the incoming season brought with it a cool breeze that made the hills undulate with moving grass.

"It's...Just a field." Rainbow said, completely unamused, raising an eyebrow. Applejack scoffed and gave Rainbow a small shove.

"To a kid, maybe." Applejack replied to her wife. "Have a little respect. This is where the forces of Grogar discovered they weren't invincible...That when the ponies they bullied worked together, they could actually fight with the best of 'em."

"I thought Grogar won here." Rainbow said. "That's what they taught us in school."

"Ya clearly didn't pay attention, then." Applejack shot back with a hint of annoyance, which Rainbow detected. "It was what they call a phyrric victory. Do ya know what that is?" Rainbow, already feeling defensive, spouted quickly:

"Yes."

"Really?"

"...No."

"It means they technically won, but the price they paid to do so was so high, they might as well have lost." Twilight said, approaching the married couple, who were dangerously close to bickering.

"Yep." Applejack said simply with a small nod.

"Gee, thanks for the history lesson, teacher." Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes and leaving the observation room of the museum of the battle site. "I'm gonna go get some air, if that's alright with the rest of the class." Rainbow, in a bit of a huff, left the building.

"Ah think we made her mad. But she wasn't bein' very respectful." Applejack said to Twilight, who giggled and shrugged.

"Well, it's not hard to imagine a pony respecting the prospect of war." Twilight replied. "But you're right. She wasn't."

"Ah do still feel bad, though." Applejack said before letting out a sigh. "Ah'll go talk to her."

Rarity and Fluttershy walked through the area of the building with the display cases, each holding a different artifact from the war. Items such as spear tips and chunks of armor were on display alongside actual letters written by soldiers to their loved ones, and less warlike things such as canteens and untensils. The pegasus and the unicorn were enthralled by the items.

"Its as if each of these tells a story." Rarity breathed in awe.

"Literally in the case of those letters over there." Fluttershy said with a small laugh.

"Oh, come now." Rarity replied smartly, earning another laugh from the pegasus. "I wonder if this spear tip was used on anyone..." Fluttershy cringed at the notion.

"I'd prefer not to think of that." Fluttershy replied. "Do you want to go sit down somewhere? Maybe go watch the movie they have playing in that other room?" Fluttershy pointed to the theater playing the ten-minute or so documentary about the battle and Rarity looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow.

"Now why would you want to go in there, I wonder?" The unicorn asked. Fluttershy, who had completely innocently wanted to go watch the documentary, blushed heavily and widened her eyes. The pegasus' ears laid back adorably on her head. Rarity rolled her eyes. "Come on, then." Rarity said as she almost dragged the yellow pegasus into the theatre.

Rainbow Dash watched Pinkie Pie sprint around the field excitedly, looking at different plaques and reading them almost too quickly. The pegasus laughed to herself quietly as she admired her hyperactive friend. She barely registered her wife sitting next to her.

"Pretty, ain't it?" Applejack said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah...It is really pretty." Rainbow sighed.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Applejack prodded, already knowing the answer.

"I dunno...What we talked about in there..." Rainbow attempted to find the words to express her feelings before taking on a defiant look. "Just because I didn't know what a phyrric victory was doesn't mean I'm dumb, okay? Like, for example, do you know what causes your muscles to become tired when you're working out?" Applejack looked up for a moment in thought.

"Some kinda acid." Applejack replied.

"Yeah, lactic acid." Rainbow almost snapped before looking forward. "Looks like you didn't pay attention completely either."

"Rainbow Dash." Applejack said soothingly. "Ah never said you were dumb."

"Yeah, but you implied it."

"No, that sounds like you makin' assumptions." Applejack reasoned. "You were bein' a little disrespectful, so that frustration kinda came out in my words. Ah am sorry about that. But Ah would never call ya dumb, Rainbow Dash."

"I guess I was being a little sensitive." Rainbow sighed. "I was being a bit of a foal back there. A lot of ponies gave their lives here. It's funny that a place where so many were killed is so..."

"Beautiful." Applejack finished for her wife. Rainbow looked at her and nodded, giving a small smile. "Ah agree. It is beautiful...And Ah know what beautiful is." Applejack placed a hoof on Rainbow's cheek. The daredevil took on a bashful look, and put a hoof on Applejack's. She didn't care that her friends could most likely see them through the windows.

"I love you so much, Applejack." Rainbow said, closing her eyes in contentment. "I'll love you forever."

"Ditto." Applejack said simply, kissing her wife under the sun.

In the theater, only Rarity and Fluttershy took up seats, but they were not watching the film. Rarity ran a hoof through Fluttershy's pink mane, making the pegasus moan quietly. Rarity's stomach bubbled with excitement as she leaned over the armrest of the chair, pressing her lips onto Fluttershy's even more.

"I wish we could move this armrest." Rarity breathed, separating from the kiss momentarily before going in once more. Fluttershy giggled and separated herself, kissing Rarity on the cheek.

"Why?" Fluttershy asked quietly with a small giggle that sent chills down Rarity's back. "What would we be doing if we could?" Rarity couldn't take it any more and resumed their kiss, smiling and blushing. The unicorn ran her hooves down Fluttershy's sides, making her giggle again into the kiss. Fluttershy opened her eyes slightly, seeing Rarity's flushed face and she smiled in contentment.

"Rarity? Fluttershy? You in here?" They heard Twilight say as she entered the theater, prompting Rarity to throw herself off of the pegasus, both of them blushing heavily. "There you are! You guys didn't say anything about coming in here." Rarity's heart pounded in her chest.

"O-oh, um yes. I...m-must have forgotten." Rarity breathed, trying as hard as she could to sound natural. It seemed like Twilight hadn't seen them being intimate. "My apologies." As Twilight approached, Rarity and Fluttershy attempted to look interested in the film playing. To be fair, it did seem rather informative and interesting, there was just something both the mares were interested in more than anything else.

"I was wanting to see this before we left." Twilight said, settling down next to Rarity with a small sigh. "How has it been? Does it talk about the pony forces routing Grogar's forces back into the fort?" Rarity nodded, thankful that it was dark in the theater, so Twilight couldn't see her blush.

"Oh, great! I can't wait for it to start again!" Twilight said, clapping her hooves together as she settled into her seat. The feature was over within two minutes. Rarity and Fluttershy stood to leave when the credits rolled, and Twilight's ears laid back. "Where are you guys going?"

"We...already watched it, remember?" Rarity said. "We'll meet you out there."

"Oh, okay..." Twilight almost mumbled, sounding quite disappointed as her friends left. "That makes sense. See you out there."

Rarity and Fluttershy walked quickly from the theater and back to the display case section, both still incredibly embarrassed by what had just occurred. They'd both narrowly avoided having to do quite a bit of explaining. Fluttershy wouldn't have minded so much, but she respected Rarity's hesitancy to be discovered as being bisexual.

"Goddesses, how did she not see what we were doing?" Rarity breathed before looking around. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, Rarity pulled Fluttershy into an area where they were surrounded by display cases, all filled with artifacts. Adequately hidden, Rarity kissed the yellow pegasus again. She deepened the kiss, swiping Fluttershy's lower lip with her tongue. Fluttershy allowed her entry and Rarity did so, their passionate kiss continuing for several seconds.

"I'll say," Fluttershy breathed, looking into Rarity's eyes. "I'm really glad we couldn't move that arm rest." Rarity, surprised by Fluttershy's candor, broke out into a fit of laughter, Fluttershy joining her until they laughed themselves out.

"Come on, we should go find the others." Rarity said, moving toward the door that led outside. "Daylight will get away from us if we don't get moving."

"Six tickets, please." Twilight said happily at the booth. The pony inside, a stallion with makeup applied to have him appear corpse-like smiled at her in a crazy way, obviously a part of his character.

"Why thank you. Nice to see so many victims- I mean, guests..." His demeanor was one that sparked fear, and admiration for his dedication to his character from the group. Except for Fluttershy. All she felt was fear. "Twelve gold bits, please." Twilight placed the appropriate funds on the counter, and slipped an extra one in for him, before giving him a wink. "Oh thank you! I'll be sure they string you up last." The pony let out a maniacal laugh, and Rainbow turned to Applejack, an excited look on her face.

"So cool!" Rainbow said, smiling widely. "See this I like." Applejack raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ah thought you ended up enjoyin' the battle site and the museum." The farm mare scoffed.

"Well yeah, that place ended up being pretty cool. But this is just so freaky and awesome!" Rainbow almost cried out, taking her ticket from Twilight. The six mares walked toward the caged, rusty elevator that would take them into the attraction.

"We appreciate it." The stallion hissed. "But I don't think you'll feel the same when we butcher you for our dogs." Rainbow laughed and threw a hoof up.

"Hay yeah!" Rainbow cried, earning a genuine smile from the stallion in the booth before he interacted with the next guests in line, snapping right back into character. Pinkie Pie felt as Rainbow did and bounced up next to her.

"Do you want to lead or do you want me to?" Pinkie Pie asked, smiling widely at her pegasus friend. Rainbow scoffed and flipped her mane.

"Uh, obviously I'll lead. But I want Applejack with me too." Rainbow said.

"Ooh, ya scared, Dash?" Applejack asked, and Rainbow laughed.

"Hay no! I just want you with me so you can hold onto me when youget scared!" Rainbow put a hoof around Applejack's shoulders and pulled her close, making her laugh heartily. "Is it okay if you're third, Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie giggled.

"If you guys weren't married..." Pinkie said playfully, earning smiles from the married mares.

"I certainly don't mind being forth." Twilight said. "Rarity, you can go after me, is that alright?" Rarity nodded and looked over at Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus wasn't nearly as excited as the others, her legs trembling as she looked up at the elevator taking the group before them up to what appeared to her as their doom.

"Fluttershy, are you alright?" Rarity asked in concern for her friend. Fluttershy, attempting to seem brave and failing miserably, nodded. "We don't have to go up if you don't want to. I can stay down here with you."

"I-I want t-to." Fluttershy said shakily. "I can d-do it like everypony e-else. I wouldn't w-want you to miss out on my account."

"You're absolutely sure?" Rarity asked before nodding at the elevator. "Because we're next." Fluttershy let out a small "eep!" Before straightening out.

"L-like I said..." Fluttershy said, gulping. "I-I can do it." Rarity nodded, putting a hoof around her shoulders.

"If you get too scared, you can hug onto me and close your eyes." Rarity said sweetly, and somewhat romantically. Given the circumstances, none of the others would assume that what Rarity said was romantic in nature. Seeing that no one was looking back at them, Rarity gave Fluttershy a small kiss on the cheek as the elevator clunked down onto the platform.

"Alright. Come in." The attendant said, speaking in a scary, deep voice. His eyes seemed to be sunk into his head and he wore bloodstained overalls. The mares all entered one by one before he slammed the elevator cage door with some force, making Fluttershy nearly jump out of her skin. "So what's the deal with you guys?"

"We're just some friends on a vacation!" Twilight said happily, scared yet excited.

"Ready to see what y'all have to offer." Applejack added.

"Yeah. So far, I'm not terribly impressed." Rainbow said confidently.

"You say that when the nice, warm sun is shining down on you." The stallion said, a gravelly roughness to his voice. "But death is cold, as you'll discover." The statement gave Rainbow a happy chill, and she looked at her wife, who was also feeling the excitement.

"When you enter, walk on your hind legs, and hold the shoulders of the pony in front of you. Otherwise, you just might lose a limb. We've had ponies go missing in here." The stallion said, a fake disdain in his voice.

"I don't believe that." Rarity said incredulously.

"Oh yeah? Read the papers when you get out...If you get out." The stallion said. The statement, while most likely a bluff, still gave Rarity chills. She looked at Fluttershy, who was already quite terrified. "When it gets too dark to see, place a hoof on the walls next to you to guide yourself. Just be careful you don't let anything pull you into the dark." Everything this stallion said frightened the yellow pegasus more. He looked at the group and focused his eyes on Fluttershy.

"Ahh, and there you are." He said with an evil grin. "I see you shaking there. There's at least one of you for every group. Be careful with your crying. The things in there can smell fear. And they just love the sound of crying." Fluttershy gasped quietly, staring at the stallion, who went back to the lever that controlled the door. He pulled it and threw the door up, producing another incredibly loud clang, making Fluttershy yelp.

"Try to enjoy yourselves." He said, tipping his dirty cap to them. Fluttershy's legs felt like jelly and Rarity, sensing this. Placed a comforting foreleg around her.

"He's just an actor, my dear. They all are. This is all just for fun." Rarity whispered to her, as they entered the first room. Sounds that had the qualities of screams of the damned resonated through the dark room, only illuminated by a dozen candles or so, scattered throughout. An open coffin lay on a stand and what appeared to be a corpse lay within it. A sign above the door leading inside read:

Corpse Dirt's Embalming and Mortuary

The six mares all formed a line, standing on their hind legs, linking up at the shoulders.

"Alright, AJ, hold on tight to my shoulders. Everypony ready?" Rainbow Dash said confidently, earning happy and excited affirmative responses from the rest of the group. Her demeanor filled her wife and friends with excitement, save for Fluttershy. Fluttershy was stricken with pure terror, trembling as she put her hooves on Rarity's shoulders. The unicorn turned back to her and smiled sweetly.

"You'll be fine, love." Rarity said soothingly. Rarity calling Fluttershy "love" filled the mare with a warmth that lessened her trembling and made her fear less powerful. Rarity sensed this, and nodded confidently. They moved through, and Rainbow was immediately startled by a scare actor who came out of the wall.

"Buck!" Rainbow cried out, laughing immediately after.

"You sure you don't want me to lead, Dash?" Applejack asked, and Rainbow laughed again.

"You wish!" The pegasus said. Fluttershy, even though she was in the back of the group, had been startled by the actor. But it hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. She smiled, still rather intimidated, but slightly more confident in her abilities to get through this experience. A cage lit up suddenly and a pony inside without half his face screamed at them. All six mares screamed, then laughed, save for Fluttershy who was simply terrified. This one had gotten her worse than the first.

"Help me! Help me please!" He cried, smashing his hooves on the cage, producing very loud clangs. "He'll be back soon!"

"Wish we could bud, but we're on a schedule!" Rainbow replied, making all of them laugh, even earning a small giggle from Fluttershy. The house was expansive, and the deeper the six friends got, the more unsettled Fluttershy became. Terrifying demons and corpses shot from the darkness from every conceivable direction, and Fluttershy's heart rate didn't slow for a moment. They came to a room where there was a large vat of boiling liquid. On top of the vat stood a massive beast that had a hunched back and three-fingered hands, each with sharp claws. In one of the hands the beast held a pony's skull. It seemed to be animatronic and it roared as they passed, holding up the skull to them. This made most of the party jump, and it startled Fluttershy so badly, that she slipped back and fell on her flank. From another vat elsewhere in the floor, a pony who had been dissolved by the liquid leapt out, splattering Fluttershy with a few drops. It was water, clearly, but she was still shocked. She stood, and saw that the party had gone on without her, Rarity apparently not noticing her absent hooves.

"Girls? Where are you? Girls?..." Seeing no other option, the timid pegasus forged on through the house, only this time she had absolutely no one to lean on. The darkness was oppressive and it made Fluttershy's breathing quicken. "Rarity?..." She called, but her voice was weak and trembling. The monster on the vat of acid roared again, which made Fluttershy run out of the room into the next hallway. It was so dark, Fluttershy couldn't even see her hoof in front of her face. Suddenly an insane pony opened the wall and red lights almost blinded her.

"Get out of here!" He screamed, making Fluttershy let out a wail. She ran as he receded back into the wall. A demonic beast, standing over a disemboweled mare appeared next, screeching at a deafening volume. The mare looked up at her.

"P-Please...Help meee...." She groaned in agony. The mare was obviously and actress but the illusion held true for Fluttershy and she gasped, running further down the hall. She tripped on some scenery and fell on her chin and chest. Tears came to her eyes as she stood shakily from the ground.

"Ow..." She almost sobbed, barely holding herself together. Her legs shook violently as she felt along the wall, desperately trying to catch up to her friends. She stumbled along in the dark, before she felt something in the dark come from the wall and grab her foreleg. Lights came on to reveal shelves of dead ponies, severed body parts littering the shelves, which dripped blood. Fluttershy screamed again, stumbling backward onto her flank. The scream turned into sobs as she lay on her chest, covering her eyes with her hooves. The crying came steadily and she didn't want to move anymore, as the more she moved the more horrible things she saw.

"Rarity!" Fluttershy cried out, and she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Screaming, she sat up and threw the hoof off. There stood Rarity before her, an incredibly concerned look on her face.

"Fluttershy, I am so sorry!" She said, both of them being startled by the wall of shelves lighting up again. "I didn't even notice you were gone. Come on, let's get out of here."

"Rarity, I can't." Fluttershy said, feeling better now that Rarity was there. "It's too much! There isn't an exit door somewhere?" Rarity shook her head.

"I know, it's stupid. That's why it came so highly rated. I guess adrenaline junkies are the only ponies who come through here." Rarity replied before noticing something. "Fluttershy look!" The unicorn gestured to the wall, and Fluttershy shook her head.

"No! It's too scary." Fluttershy spouted.

"Fluttershy, I am right here with you. You're going to be fine! Look." Rarity moved Fluttershy's head to observe the shelves holding the ponies' carcasses. "See that seam there? And do you see how not real that leg looks there? It's plastic!" Rarity moved up to the wall and knocked the leg off the shelf. Instead of making a squelch upon hitting the ground, it made a pompf sound, bouncing slightly. "See? Plastic." Fluttershy looked at the hoof that had grabbed her, and sure enough the seam was quite noticeable. The lights went out, and Fluttershy groaned in fear. Rarity was on it, however, and held Fluttershy closely.

"Now wait for the lights to come back on." Rarity said. After a few seconds, the lights flashed back on, surprising the next group of ponies who had come along. They screamed and laughed, but became very confused at seeing Rarity and Fluttershy standing right there in the pathway.

"Umm...Can you guys move?" The stallion who led the group asked.

"Right, right. Sorry, everypony." Rarity said before she started to pull Fluttershy along with her. "Now. Hold my hoof. The next thing that pops up-GAH!" Rarity jumped as a rotting corpse shot from the floor. Fluttershy cowered. "Look at it, Fluttershy." Sure enough, as the lights faded, Fluttershy saw all kinds of goofy things about the prop. There were exposed wires and it moved jerkily, as if governed by a crude mechanism within it. It didn't look real at all. It still scared her, but it didn't feel as...dangerous.

"I don't know if you saw the seams on that one, but it was bad." Rarity assured her, bringing a smile to Fluttershy's face. As they moved through, Fluttershy gripping Rarity's hoof, they both looked for the indicators that it was all fake and after a small while, Fluttershy began to legitimately enjoy herself. They had been splattered with "blood", but Rarity was quick to point at the droplets on Fluttershy's foreleg, and they were clear. Water. Fluttershy laughed sweetly and Rarity couldn't help but give her a quick kiss before they continued on. Toward the end of the attraction, a long hallway was illuminated by the light outside. This was it. The exit.

"That wasn't so terrible, now was-" Rarity began, being interrupted by a chainsaw revving. The sound was loud and jarring, and from the darkness, a massive stallion in a bloody apron and a skin mask charged them, brandishing it. The two mares screamed, running toward the light. Fluttershy didn't notice their screams turning to laughter. They finally exited the haunted attraction, both of them laughing hysterically, earning confused stares from the rest of their four friends.

"Uhh, where were you two?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, suddenly neither of you were there anymore." Twilight said. "I was beginning to worry that what that pony in the elevator said was true."

"Oh, well...um..." Rarity attempted to come up with an excuse, that didn't paint Fluttershy in any negative way.

"I'd fallen behind and Rarity came back for me." Fluttershy said simply. "I was really scared but Rarity helped me see it was all fake. I ended up having a nice time." Fluttershy smiled at Rarity, who nodded at the rest of the group.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't get taken away by some spooky ghostie!" Pinkie Pie said happily. "The guy with the chainsaw at the end was the best!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." Fluttershy replied. "Shall we get some dinner? Then maybe we go to downtown Baltimare?" Receiving affirmative replies from the rest of the group, they all set out. Rarity walked next to Fluttershy, rather closely.

"Thank you for covering." Rarity said. "I was trying to come up with something. Failing spectacularly, too." Fluttershy giggled.

"What do you mean covering? I just told the truth. You were my hero in there." Fluttershy gave Rarity a small nuzzle, which warmed the unicorn's heart. "I'm really excited to eat. Being scared out of your mind will really make a pony hungry."

"I still don't understand why I can't go get Pinkie Pie some antacid or something." Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes as the group entered the Baltimare Beach Haven complex, the sun setting beautifully over the beach.

"Yeah. If she's that bad off, to where she couldn't even walk around downtown with us, Ah say we get her somethin' to help her stomach." Applejack agreed with her wife. Twilight Sparkle turned back to them and addressed the two of them directly.

"We already told you that she already had some stuff in her bag that'd help her." Twilight replied, turning around just in time to start unlocking their beach house door. "She will be fine. Buying anything for her right now would just be a waste of money."

"Not even a fizzy drink to settle her stomach?" Rainbow asked. "I don't know why literally none of you care."

"Just pay attention and you'll see." Twilight said, finally unlocking the door to the dark house.

"What the hay is that supposed to- GAH!" Rainbow said cutting herself off with a gasp as the lights came on and everyone around except her and Applejack screamed out:

"SURPRISE!"

The house was decorated wonderfully, with cyan and orange streamers alternating over the walls and from the skylight. Pinkie Pie, who was in the living room with all manner of delicious food sitting on the coffee table, seemed to scream louder than any of the others. Rainbow Dash breathed heavily, still reeling from being startled. Applejack laughed and shook her head.

"So this is why!" Applejack said happily. "Ah love it!" She looked at her wife, whose eyes were still a bit wide.

"Yeah, its awesome." Rainbow replied, putting a hoof on her chest and relaxing, giving a small smile. "Except I think between this and the haunted house, I'm still a bit too petrified to laugh." The rest of them laughed heartily as they entered, Twilight shutting the door behind them.

"Pinkie, they were both really mad when none of us would let them go get you something from the store." Rarity said with a giggle. "It was priceless!"

"Aww! You two were worried about me!" Pinkie said, giving her friends a hug. "How sweet! Almost as sweet as all the treats in here! Come on! Come inside and look. I also got champagne, some beers and some sodas for anypony who doesn't want to drink tonight."

"Thanks for that." Twilight said thankfully, prompting another laugh from the group. Applejack didn't bother repeating that she couldn't drink. She was just happy for the wonderful party.

"I also rented a couple movies. I couldn't decide between this horror movie, From Darkness and this comedy, called The Switch Up. So I got them both! I figured we could hang and marathon them and pig out on delicious food and drink until we can't feel our faces! Sorry Twilight, Applejack."

"No problem, sugarcube." Applejack replied. "This is amazin'...'Cept, what's the occasion?"

"You two are having a foal!" Pinkie cried. "Duh." Rainbow laughed and hugged Pinkie with one foreleg.

"This is great Pinkie. Really it's too awesome!" Rainbow said. "Now lets get some booze flowing! Which first, the horror or the comedy?"

"Can we do the comedy?" Fluttershy asked. "I think I'm a bit horror'd out for today." The six friends agreed and sat in the living room, eating the delicious food voraciously, despite the dinner they'd had about two hours previously. The comedy turned out to be quite good, and they were all laughing together and at the same time making fun of the movie. They talked about their plans the next day, which were to simply stay at the beach all day, and possibly go get dinner somewhere. When the comedy was over, Fluttershy, who was truthfully exhausted, excused herself.

"Goodnight girls!" Fluttershy said sweetly. "I had a wonderful day today. I'll see you in the morning!" As the pegasus left, Rarity stood as well.

"Actually I think I might turn in as well. I couldn't keep my eyes open for the third act. You four enjoy the scary movie." Their friends bid farewell to them for the night and the two mares went to their bedroom.

"What a day!" Rarity sighed and laughed as they straightened up the bedsheets, preparing to lay down. "But honestly...having had this day with you...I don't think I would change it for the world."

"Me neither." Fluttershy said as she got up on the mattress. "Well...I might have changed that I let go of your shoulders in the haunted house. I could've done without that fifteen minutes or so." Rarity laughed, both mares laying down.

"I'm honestly looking forward to a full day at the beach tomorrow." Rarity said. "Just a full day of rest and relaxation. The sun, the water...Maybe we could build a sand castle." Rarity scooted closer to Fluttershy as she said this, making the pegasus brighten up significantly, scooting toward Rarity herself.

"Oh, that sounds fun!" Fluttershy said, getting ever closer. "I can't wait." There were a few moments of silence, both mares' faces inches from the other. Their lips met in a sweet kiss, and Rarity pulled Fluttershy in close to her. Fluttershy happily reciprocated the kiss, moving her lips on Rarity's. They separated and Fluttershy giggled.

"How did I know you'd kiss me as soon as we laid down?" The yellow mare said with adoration, stroking Rarity's deep purple mane. Rarity giggled.

"What can I say?" Rarity mused. "You're irresistible."

"Would you like to..." Fluttershy said before kissing Rarity again in the middle of her sentence. "Pick up where we left off in the theater?" Rarity nodded, blushing deeply. The two mares kissed each other quite deeply, moving their bodies together underneath the sheets, intertwining their legs. Small giggles and the sounds of kiss after kiss came from their bedroom, but these sounds were drowned out by the horror movie being watched in the living room.

"I had so much fun." Twilight Sparkle said, as she and each of her five best friends all joined in a group hug. "I'm so happy you all could come. Love you guys." Each of the mares replied with varied versions of "Love you too." The final day of the trip had been absolutely wonderful. Pure rest and relaxation, as Rarity had said. Rainbow and Applejack, of course, found themselves racing down the beach. They both became quickly tuckered out, however, as running on sand was much more difficult than running on solid ground.

The six friends had worked together to build a truly stunning sand castle, which some young ponies accidentally knocked over as they played ball. Rainbow Dash had been absolutely furious, but Applejack was able to calm her down and remove her from the situation. It was quite hilarious to everyone else, as a picture had been taken of all of them around it. Twilight had gone and gotten six copies of the photo made, distributing them through the group. The memory had been made and they had photographic proof, so it didn't matter that the castle had been destroyed. After a wonderful dinner, the mares had all returned to the beach house to get sleep for the journey home. The train ride home was rather uneventful, more boring than anything else.

The cakes had sent a telegram before they'd left, saying they had to drop the cutie mark crusaders off at their respective homes a little earlier that day, as Carrot Cake's mother was in the hospital and not doing well. Considering this, there was no need to go and pick the fillies up. Twilight and Pinkie Pie left for Golden Oaks Library and Sugarcube Corner respectively, walking together on the way home as the two places were quite closely located.

"Y'all be safe!" Applejack said as she and Rainbow Dash began their walk home, pressing their bodies together.

"Bye!" Rarity called before smiling after them. "They really are a wonderful couple."

"Yes, indeed." Fluttershy replied. "Want me to walk you home?"

"That would be splendid." Rarity said happily. "I have some wonderful company with me." Seconds of silence passed as the two mares began their walk. "Fluttershy, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, Rarity." Fluttershy replied, having a hunch about what this conversation would entail.

"We...We've obviously started something up together." Rarity began. Fluttershy's hunch had been dead on. Her mind went to bad places, but she quelled the thoughts in her mind, waiting to hear what Rarity had to say fully. "I'm still not exactly sure what it is, and I've never liked pressure very much, so I'm a bit hesitant to put a label on it right now."

"That's understandable." Fluttershy replied.

"That being said, as I said at the beach house...I like you. A lot." Rarity said with a smile. "I just wanted to reiterate that as long as we keep it between us...And go slowly...I'd like to start...dating." Rarity blushed deeply, lowering her ears and looking to the side.

"That's wonderful!" Fluttershy exclaimed giddily, wrapping Rarity into a hug. The unicorn couldn't help but smile, but she felt apprehension rise within her as well. "We can go as slow as you'd like...As long as I have you."

"Well good." Rarity said. "When would you like to go out? I was thinking our usual. Spa, dinner, maybe a movie." Fluttershy nodded eagerly.

"Would you want to go tomorrow?" Fluttershy asked, obviously eager to get things started. Rarity nodded and smiled warmly.

"Sounds wonderful." Rarity said happily. Fluttershy squealed slightly and kissed Rarity, happiness behind the gesture. Rarity smiled into the kiss, but after a moment, she disconnected and looked around. There were no ponies around, which sent relief flowing through her. She looked over and saw Carousel Boutique waiting for her.

"Well, my dear, it would appear that my stop..." She trailed off, seeing two ponies approaching her, apparently having stood on her doorstep. They'd clearly been looking for her.

"Rarity, who are they?" Fluttershy asked, a slightly frightened tone to her voice.

"That's Sapphire..." Rarity said in disbelief. "The pony I...Threw out of my store that time..." The two ponies neared and Rarity could see one of them was a stately looking stallion in a suit, who gave her a packet in a manilla folder. Sapphire gave an impetuous grin, targeted at the white unicorn.

"If you harassed my sister in any way..." Rarity said, standing her ground, but feeling frightened all the same.

"There wasn't an answer when we knocked. So we decided to wait for you." Sapphire said through her snide smile. Her eyes narrowed. "Told you you'd be hearing from my lawyer."

Author's Notes:

Oooohohohoho! Rarity's got some troooouble headed her way. I tried to have this one focus on Rarity and Fluttershy a little more. And speaking of, yaaaaay! They're together now! Well, kinda. Rarity is still figuring her shit out, as people are wont to do when entering these kinds of unfamiliar situations. How will everything go? You'll just have to seeeeeee in the next couple chapters. Just...prepare yourself. This chapter was another long one, and I think I'm gonna be shortening them a bit from here on out. There will still be long ones like this when the story absolutely calls for it, there's one or two I have outlined coming down the pike that will probably turn out that way, but 8,000-10,000 words is pretty damn long for a single chapter. Anyway, leave a comment telling me what you thought of this! I'd be eager to hear from you. Cheers!