Author's Notes:

I had this scene in my head, but it didn't fit in the previous chapter or the next. So here is a little vignette for you.

Shane tucked the over-sized spider plushie under one arm, and held the gate to the ferris wheel’s gondola with the other.

“Thank you,” Winter said, stepping into the gondola. She paused, waiting for him to take a seat before she took hers. The human moved funny, she could never guess just where he was going. As the ride workers latched the door shut, she sat next to her date. He was certainly nice, but a bit quiet. When he did talk, he seemed to be consciously steering to conversation to be about her: which was odd.

“You’re not going to rock the basket, are you?” he asked, his expression a little grim.

“No...” she said, then pointed a hoof at her chest. “Earth pony.”

“Good,” he said, relaxing against the back of the seat. “This should be a really pretty view.”

“Mmhmm,” she answered, bracing herself as the ride lurched forward, letting the gondola behind them load its passengers. Like most of her tribe, she could pass on heights, but Shane had seemed excited to ride the ferris wheel. Closing her eyes, she rested her chin on Shane’s legs. It was a nice quiet moment, and it distracted her from being off the ground, at least until they were up high enough that looking would be worth it. The wheel lurched once more as the next basket was filled with a giggling group of fillies.

“You okay?” Shane asked, draping a warm arm across her neck. His fine fingers caressed the muscles between her ears.

“Just resting. That feels really nice.”

She laid there and enjoyed the attention until the ride stopped its jerky movement, and began a smooth continuous turning. Begrudgingly, she sat up, and leaned shoulder to shoulder. Sitting quietly as the wheel made its first lap, they admired the view. The sun was just about to set, they had timed getting on perfectly.

“STOP IT!” a voice yelled from the basket above them, jerking the two out of their daze.

Looking up, they found a pegasus half-hanging out the gondola. Grinning and laughing, she rocked the basket, while an earth pony clung to the rails.

Giving the basket another swing, the pegasus chuckled. “Don’t be so scared. There’s no way you could-”

Whatever else she was going to say came out as only a grunt, as two hind hooves launched the mare clean out of the basket. Tumbling in the air, she spread her wings and hovered in place. Rubbing her shoulder, she glared at the gondola that was no longer swinging, and held a laughing earth pony.

“Is that normal?” Shane asked, laying an arm across her withers.

Leaning into the embrace, she nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”