Author's Notes:

I have the flu pretty bad right now, and it hurts my head to stare at the screen for too long, so I’m just gonna post this chapter without a final proofread. Sorry if there are mistakes.

Chapter 114

It was cold and windy outside. The snow was blowing, building smooth, white drifts around the yard. Christmas day had brought calm, lovely weather with it—but that was yesterday. Today, Boxing Day, it was downright unpleasant, which was unfortunate because everyone was heading to Fluttershy’s for the Christmas get-together.

Which is precisely what Pinkie Pie and Sonata Dusk were in the kitchen preparing for. It was just past noon; they were dressed and ready to go. Pinkie, with a thick, white turtleneck sweater and green straight-bottom pants with red polka dots covering their entirety, and Sonata, with her burgundy coat, fastened in the front with those light blue ties, finished off by that pink skirt—though she’d added a pair of black tights underneath to help deal with the cold.

The two were bustling around the kitchen, packing up their contribution to the potluck dinner.

Actually, Pinkie was bustling. Sonata was just watching.

“Okie-dokie, lokie,” Pinkie giggled as she placed the second pie on the travel tray, which consisted of two tiers —to hold two pies, of course— with a handle at the top to carry it with. “The pies are ready for transport!” Those baby-blue eyes of hers suddenly turned quite serious, and they locked squarely onto a grinning Sonata. “Your mission, Agent Notty, should you choose to accept it, is to escort the package safely through dangerous territory to the transport, where it will be taken to its final destination: the super-duper hella-fun Christmas party at the super-secret sex fiend’s house.”

“Hahaha!” Sonata hugged her stomach and let out a goofy chuckle. “You mean Fluttershy!”

“Precisely,” Pinkie replied, maintaining a grim demeanor. “That is your mission. Do you accept?”

Sonata straightened up and saluted. “I do,” she said, failing to hold her snorts and snickers from slipping out.

“Excellent.” Pinkie reached out to shake the siren’s hand. “God be with you, soldier; protect these pies with your life.” She bent down and placed her cheek close to the desserts, pointing her finger at the top one while keeping her eyes on Sonata. “This one is known as Grasshopper Pie, but don’t let its gross name fool you; it is filled with a light, marshmallowy, creamy, minty, delicious filling and has a crust made of crushed Oreos and butter. Yummy. This one,” —she pointed to the pie on the bottom tier— “is a Butter Pecan Skor Kaboom; very similar to a normal butter pecan pie, except this unit has Skor bits inside, and...” —her eyes darted sneakily back and forth— “in a moment of weakness when no one was looking, I gave in to my hot, sugary urges and drizzed all over it with butterscotch!”

“Oh!” Sonata pointed at the syrup-laced pie. “Just like the time I caught Fluttershy with buddy’s cum all over her butt!”

Pinkie’s expression neutralized and she cleared her throat, standing straight again. “Uhh, yeah… which is why you live here now. And that’s super-duper awesome, so… yay for creepy eavesdropping!”

Sonata paused, her brows furrowed with confusion. “Huh? No, they sent me here cuz her house is too small.”

Dubious, Pinkie let her eyes dart back and forth. “Uuuuhh… no, it’s cuz you were watching them bone.”

The siren cocked her head and sneered. “What? No, I was just letting them know the milk was gone. I was being a good house guest; I even waited for them to finish so I wouldn’t interrupt.” Sonata snorted and then laughed. “It’s not cuz I was watching them do it!”

“Yeah, no, it totally is,” Pinkie said dismissively, folding her hands on the counter and locking eyes with Sonata. “So anyway, uhh… yyyyeeeah. You might as well get your coat on and take these pies out to the car; I just have to go pee and I’ll meet you out there, K?”

“OK.” Sonata took her long, black coat from the rack and slipped one arm through the sleeve, glancing at the party-girl as she left the room. “Hey, P?”

Pinkie stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to face the siren.

“I’m glad they sent me here.”

The party girl smiled. “Me too,” she replied, before heading up the stairs.

After returning the smile, Sonata slipped the rest of the way into her coat and then went to the table to take the pie holder by the handle. “Bye Mister and Misses Pie!” she said cheerfully as she waved to Pinkie’s parents, who were sitting at the far end of the table, having heard the entire conversation.

Cloudy Quartz forced a smile and gave a polite nod, while Igneous’ eyes remained glued to the newspaper, his index finger looped through the handle of a coffee mug.

“Fare thee well, Miss Dusk,” he grumbled crossly, which Sonata failed to notice.

When the siren opened the front door, the wind nearly yanked it out of her hand, causing her to stumble. After checking to make sure she hadn’t dropped the pies, she put her head down and grimaced into the stinging impact of high-speed snowflakes as she forced the door shut with a laboured grunt.

Sonata headed to Pinkie’s car next, using her free hand to hold her collar closed while running head-down, squinting into the pelting snow.

“Holy crap!” she cried as she reached the passenger door. After yanking it open with her right hand, she jumped into the car, leading with the pie tray hanging from the left before pulling the door shut behind her as quickly as she could. Now sealed inside, she siren threw her head back and breathed a sigh of relief, having successfully entered the car all in one fell swoop.

“Wowee, it is nasty out there!” she exclaimed as she reached over to set the dessert carrier on the driver’s seat so she could put her seatbelt on, oblivious to how much lighter it had gotten since she’d left the house.

The tray came to rest on the seat, but before the siren had a chance to take her fingers from the handle, she happened to glance over at it, and what she saw caused her heart to skip a beat.

The bottom tray was vacant; only the minty-green pie on the top tier remained.

Sonata gasped. “Where’s the other pie!?” she shrieked. Looking frantically around the car, her breaths became quick and shallow when the dessert was nowhere to be found. “Ohh crap... please tell me I didn’t drop it outside,” she squeaked, turning to look out the passenger side window, but unable to see it. “Shit! Could this possibly get any wor-“

When she’d shifted position to look outside, her backside felt mushy and slippery against the seat, making her stop instantly, face blank.

“Oh no…”

Slowly, Sonata placed one hand on the center console and the other on the door handle, and she lifted herself from the seat to look beneath her.

Sure enough, there was the Butter Pecan Skor Kaboom on the seat, squashed into the shape of Sonata’s backside. Half of it’d been mashed into the upholstery, with the other half smeared into the back of that pink skirt.

“Aargh!” She sat down on the pie again, staring into the snowy windshield as her face contorted with worry. “P is gonna kill me!” she cried, running her fingers through her wind-blown hair, dampened by droplets of melted snowflakes. “How did this even happen!?”

Bundled up and a thick coat and a blue scarf, Pinkie Pie fought valiantly against the wind to get the front door of the house closed. Once that was done, she turned and bounced down the front steps and then scampered to her car, her face shielded by her hand as she went.

She grabbed the handle and tore the driver’s door open, slipped into the seat, and then reached out to shut the door.

“Holy sweet donkey-balls!” Pinkie shivered, her frazzled hair loaded with clingy, white flakes. “That was craz-“

She stopped when she glanced over at her blue-skinned friend, caught off-guard by the pair of maroon-coloured puppy-dog eyes that stared back.

“Notty?”

“I’m sorry, P.” Sonata stuck her bottom lip out, making and expression that oozed with remorse.

Confused, Pinkie let her eyes drop to the tray on Sonata’s lap, noticing the absence of the bottom pie.

Sonata glanced down to her hip, guiding Pinkie’s attention to the chunks of crust and gobs of sticky, brown filling that’d been extruded from under her backside.

Pinkie looked up to the siren’s face again, eyes wide, lips parted.

Sonata opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated. Then she sighed and looked down to the console between them. “I got butterscotch in my butt-crack.”

The party-girl stared vacantly for another moment, but then, without warning, she slammed her eyes shut and snorted loudly. “PPPPPFFFFTTT… HAHAHAHAHA!”

Surprised, Sonata looked up again, watching Pinkie throw her head back to cackle with delight. She clapped her hands several times before looking back and covering her mouth.

“You…” The siren paused. “You’re not mad?”

“Hahaha!… WHAT!? No way!” Pinkie laughed, pointing to the mess on the seat. “How… HAHAHA!... How did that even happen?”

Eyes wide, Sonata put her hands out in protest. “That’s what I said!”

Pinkie squealed at the response and reached out to pull the siren closer. “Oh my god, Notty! You are SO funny!” she giggled, hugging tightly as she pressed her cheek to Sonata’s forehead.

At last, Sonata started to chuckle. “Heh… thanks, P… for not getting mad at me.”

“Oh Notty! Why would I be mad? I know you didn’t do it on purpose!”

Sonata reached around Pinkie with one arm to return the hug. “I-I know, it’s just… my sisters wou-“

“Hey,” Pinkie backed up slightly to look the siren in the eyes. “I’m not your sisters, OK?”

Sonata took a moment to gaze into the bright, blue eyes of her best friend. She nodded finally, and then smiled. “I know, P.”

Pinkie yanked the other girl close once again to squeeze her tightly, pressing their cheeks together. “Ohh! Merry Christmas, Notty! How could I be mad at you? I love you!”

*****

Fluttershy’s house was a busy one that Monday, December the 26th. We had skipped the normal Saturday event that week in favour of having it on Boxing Day; most everyone was busy preparing for the big day anyway, finishing up the last bit of shopping and picking up food for their respective Christmas dinners.

None of us saw each other on Christmas day, with the exception of Twilight and Sunset, who both attended a family gathering at Twilight’s parents’ place, which was also attended by Cadance and Sunset’s employer, Shining Armor.

Applejack spent the day with her family, of course, as did Pinkie Pie, with the addition of Sonata. Rarity’s parents had flown into town for the holidays as well, so she and Sweetie Belle were tied up with them.

None of us knew what Rainbow Dash was up to. None of us had heard from her for over a week. As far as anyone knew, her family hadn’t returned to town for the holidays, but no one heard from her on Christmas Day either. It was anyone’s guess where she was or what she was doing.

And of course, Fluttershy’s family was still stuck in France because of her idiot brother. This was fine by me, however, because that meant that she and I could spend the entire day alone together. We waited until sunrise to exchange a single present to one another; we had agreed not to do anything too extravagant, so just one gift was all we did. My gift to her was a heart-shaped locket with pictures of myself and Rarity inside —which made her cry— and she got me some socks and a few new T-shirts—which also made her cry.

After a hug and a few ‘I love yous’ —as well as the reassurance that I would gladly take nothing but a pair of socks every Christmas for the rest of my existence if it meant that she would always be mine— she calmed down and gave Link and Angel each a little treat, then we went about making a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, hash browns, and sausage gravy.

After that, we curled up on the couch and watched one of those old Christmas specials—not Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; she was too afraid to the abominable snow monster, for fuck’s sake.

It was mid-afternoon when the intercourse started, which began with an off-colour comment from Fluttershy that she’d been dreaming of a ‘white’ Christmas, and it continued right on through until well after dark.

We were not alone today, however. Fluttershy’s home was filled with conversations and laughter, snacks and desserts, friends and lovers.

Rarity was the first to arrive, with her younger sister in tow. After an awkward hello, Sweetie Belle made herself at home on the couch while the fashionista placed a frozen lasagne in the oven, squawking as she did so—because I may have been giving her pert little derrière a squeeze while she was bent over. She uttered some choice words at me after she’d straightened and turned around, but I’d been called a devil many times before, so I simply laughed it off and slid my arms around her to pull her in for a hug.

Sunset and Twilight arrived not long after. They had left the city early in the morning after spending most of the night chatting at a coffee shop—part of the reason being that Sunset wished to get some ‘relief’ before the others arrived to avoid having to spend the whole day horny in their presence. So while I quietly took Sunset to the bathroom to fill her with some Christmas cheer, Twilight hung around the kitchen area and put together a snack tray while having a lively chat with Rarity and Fluttershy.

Applejack and her younger sister, Apple Bloom, arrived next, much to Sweetie Belle’s delight. Apparently, these young ladies were great friends at one time —along with that short-haired girl who worked at the restaurant near Sunset’s apartment— but they’d seen much less of each other in the past few years since graduating high school.

Apple Bloom was one of those cases where you knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was a sister to Applejack, mostly because of how she talked, but she actually bared very little resemblance to her older sister, especially when compared to Sweetie Belle and Rarity. Her style of dress was certainly more feminine than her older sister’s, especially the cartoonishly large pink bow she wore in her long, soft hair, which was coloured in a rather striking shade of red.

Apple Bloom was dressed in a light green shirt with a ruffled neckline and sleeves, accompanied by a pair of tight blue jeans. She was smaller than AJ, both in height and build, as well as being freckle-less. Her creamy, yellow skin appeared soft and smooth by contrast; it was clear that she hadn’t endured the same years of abuse under the hot sun like her siblings evidently had.

Pinkie Pie and Sonata arrived next, Sonata immediately asking Fluttershy if there were some spare clothes available for her to wear—apparently she’d had a run-in with a dessert on the way over?

The gobs of crust and brown pie filling stuck to her backside were clear evidence of said incident; the ‘smoking gun,’ if you will. Whatever happened, I was sure it was something that only Sonata could pull off.

After a quick glance at Rarity to see if she had any objections, Fluttershy offered the siren a change of the fashionista’s clothes that she kept handy, and the shy girl and Sonata, followed by Link —who became Sonata’s shadow for the remainder of the day— headed down the hall to find a fresh outfit.

Rainbow Dash was the last to arrive, her presence announced by the rumble of her new car. She was not the first person to enter the house, however; the front door burst open and in came the young bronze-skinned, short-haired girl from the restaurant, wearing a dark gray hoodie and green cargo pants. Her big, violet eyes were ablaze with excitement, and she threw her arms in the air, shouting:

“Oh my GOD, that car is amazing!”

“SCOOTALOO!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom immediately leapt from the couch to meet the final member of their trio.

Giggling with glee, the three young ladies collided in a tight group hug while Rainbow Dash ambled in through the front door, wearing an oversized gray hoodie of her own, along with some baggy jeans.

Applejack tipped her hat to the rainbow-haired girl. “Howdy, Rainbow Dash! Merry Chris- HOLY SHIT!”

The outburst got the athlete’s attention, and she looked up at the farm girl with a pair of dull, heavy eyes. “What?” she asked weakly.

AJ paused briefly, looking Rainbow Dash over once more. “You… feelin a bit hungover er somethin?”

“Uuhhh…” Dash paused for a moment, her eyes darting around the floor from underneath those greasy, duller-than-usual bangs.

Indeed, the poor girl looked rough. Her shoulders were slouched, eyes sunk and surrounded by dark blue shadows, her skin pale.

Rarity, who’d been too busy at the stove to overhear Applejack’s question, stopped her fiddling to turn around and greet her friend.

“Ah! Rainbow Dash, so nice to see- GAH!”

Dash turned an eye towards the fashionista, who stared back, cringing.

“Er… heh heh heh,” Rarity chuckled nervously, “been burning the candle at both ends this holiday season, have we?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” This was all she said before quietly dragging her feet over to the couch to sit down; all the while, Rarity and Applejack looked at one another, wondering about their friend.

Sonata, dressed in light gray slacks and a white blouse, appeared at the end of the hall a minute later with Fluttershy—who made her way to the couch to curl up with me on the lounge.

Pinkie and Rarity were busy setting out a large spread of food along the counter. There wasn’t a proper dinner planned for this occasion, just a large array of treats set out to pick away at as much or as little as one desired.

Sonata held back and took a moment to watch the gathering take place. This was all alien to her. Adagio and Aria never involved themselves in things like this: friends chatting, lovers snuggling, young women who hadn’t seen each other for ages, laughing excitedly as they turned the Wii on and grabbed a remote each, ready to start a game of Wii Sports Resort.

The siren stood at the hallway entrance and stared, hands behind her back, knees together. Link stayed by her side like a bodyguard, watching whatever she was watching, but without that goofy smile that she’d taken centuries to master. This time, though, it was not that same empty, head-in-the clouds sort of smile; what she was seeing truly made her grin. For the first time in ages, she felt like she was a part of something good, rather than lying to herself, saying that what she was doing was for her sisters, to make them happy.

It made her feel warm inside, and the warmer she felt, the more warmth she craved. It inspired her to be a better person —a better friend— so when she glanced at Pinkie, who was zipping around the counter with Rarity, she decided to speak up and offer some help.

“Hey, P?”

The party-girl glanced over at the siren while she continued what she was doing. “Yeah, Notty?”

Sonata touched an index finger to her chin. “Is there something I can… like… do?”

Pinkie stopped, not expecting the offer.

The siren shrugged and smiled as she put her hands behind her again. “You know... to help?”

Raising a brow, Pinkie flipped some curls from her face and came closer. “Actually… you know what you can do for me?”

“What?” Sonata asked, elated that Pinkie actually had something for her to do.

“PUCKER UP, BUTTERCUP!”

Sonata’s expression went from happy anticipation to a confused frown in an instant, but it was interrupted when the party-girl cupped her hands over those soft, blue cheeks and leaned in to press their lips together.

There was no tongue, no moisture exchanged; only firm, steady pressure of soft lips on trembling ones. Nevertheless, the siren was stunned by the move. Her heart nearly leapt from her chest when Pinkie’s kiss planted itself on her, her mind going haywire when the scent of strawberries and cream flooded her senses. Her hands unhooked from behind her and fell to her sides; they were just about to reach up to find a home somewhere on Pinkie, but before they had a chance, the party-girl broke the kiss and pulled away.

“MMMWAH!” The lip-smack echoed across the room, catching the attention of most of the group, and we turned to see from who and where the sound had originated.

Wide-eyed and speechless, Sonata stared at Pinkie, who laughed hysterically at the reaction. “HAHAHA! Look up, Notty; you’re standing under the mistletoe!”

“Huh?” The siren tipped her head back to look above her, mouth open. Sure enough, there was a ball of fake-looking plastic mistletoe hanging in the doorway. “Oh…” She looked down again in time to see Pinkie scamper off to the counter to resume her work. Then she scanned the room, finding numerous sets of eyes watching her with smirks hung beneath—aside from Rarity, of course, who didn’t look overly impressed, but knew better than to say anything about it, especially today.

She looked down at Link as she touched her fingertips to her lips, feeling the coating from Pinkie’s lip gloss left behind. Her bosom fluttered at the thought of it. No one had ever made her feel like this before; no one ever showed her such affection. Although it wasn’t necessarily a romantic feeling, it made her feel important, cared about —loved, even— rather than being made to feel like a nuisance.

Figuring she was off the hook from helping in the kitchen, Sonata rubbed her fingers together to wipe the gloss away, and she made her way around the back of the couch. Link was on all fours in an instant, following her every step of the way. Even when she found a spot on the couch next to Rainbow Dash, the lynx curled up on her feet to stay close and keep watch over her.

I leaned over to my left to say something to Sunset, who witnessed the kiss like I had, as did Twilight, seated on the far side of her. “Hey, Sunny… is Pinks into chicks or what? I thought she loves the D?”

“She does,” Sunset replied with a chuckle. “But she’s also the type to do something like that just for the sake of doing it—and to get a rise out of everybody.”

“Huh.” I faced the TV, watching the game happening between the young friends. “I wouldn’t put it past her, I guess.”

“I thought it was cute,” Fluttershy said from my right.

I turned to her, speaking in an irritated tone. “You know what, Flutters!?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What?”

“I think you’re cute.”

Giggling, Fluttershy leaned in for a kiss. “Aww… I know you do.”

On my left, Sunset folded her arms and shook her head. “Ugh. Gag me, you two.”

“That can be arranged...” the shy girl fired back, nudging me.

*****

Time passed, games were played, snacks were eaten, and conversations were had.

The latest of such was Rainbow Dash, slouched down on the couch, talking —albeit in an unusually quiet voice— to Sonata.

“Oh god yeah, living with Pinkie was awesome,” Dash was saying. “When the three of us had that house together, I swear, Vinyl put on, like, thirty pounds in the first month.”

“Oh, for realzies!” Sonata nodded. “The stuff she makes is SOOOOOO good!”

On the chaise lounge, I was sprawled out with Fluttershy lying against me, watching Rainbow Dash converse with the siren. Both of these girls were blue-skinned, obviously, but sitting adjacent to each other like this created a stark contrast between them—and Rainbow Dash looked bad.

Sonata was practically glowing by comparison, making Dash’s complexion appear greyish and dull; her eyes were glassy and dark, her hair stringy, flat and drab-looking. Even her cheeks looked sunken, like she had shed weight—and then it dawned on me that every time we’d seen her lately, she was always wearing thick, baggy clothes.

This reminded me of the day I took her to see the Diplomat, when I saw that text on her phone saying she’d passed out at work. As I chewed my lip, I took my eyes from Rainbow Dash to look at Fluttershy, wondering if she had noticed her friend’s diminished appearance, but she was busy watching the young girls play.

I turned to Rarity next, who had squeezed in between Sunset and me and was sipping away at a cup of tea. She too was paying attention to the TV.

Tapping my front teeth with my fingernail, I began to wonder if I should bring it up to them. Not right at that moment, obviously, but later on. Perhaps they were noticing the same thing as me, but didn’t want to interrupt the festivities with a difficult intervention. Dash was quite stubborn after all, and sometimes governed by foolish pride, and it was highly unlikely that she would open up in front of the entire group if pushed.

“AAWWW!” Sweetie Belle shouted and threw her hands in the air, the Wiimote held tightly in one as she watched her character fall down into water below the platform.

They’d been doing the swordplay duel on Wii Sports, in which the players swing the remote to attack their opponent, and the object was to knock them off the edge of the platform. Sweetie Belle had been playing against Pinkie Pie, and the latter had been victorious in the first and second rounds by eliminating the young, ivory-skinned girl with ease.

Pinkie turned to us and growled loudly, gritting her teeth with an exaggerated underbite as she flexed her muscles victoriously. “YEAH! Who’s next? Huh!? Who’s gonna sack-up and face the Pinkster!?”

A rolling of chuckles and headshakes made their way along the couch. Then Sunset gave Rarity a nudge with her elbow, causing the fashionista to spill a few drops of tea onto her hand.

“TSS!” Rarity moved the cup and wiped her hand on my pant leg before scowling at Sunset. “What is it, darling? Look at the mess you’ve caused!”

Sunset nodded toward Pinkie. “Why don’t you take Pinks on? Show her a thing or two on the sword.”

Rarity glanced at the TV for a second, then she let out a dismissive chortle. “No-no, darling. There is no need; that sort of thing is beneath me.”

Sunset turned to the party-girl. “Hey, Pinkie! Rare says she’ll take you on!”

Rarity was about to have another sip when Sunset announced this. She faced Sunset, gasping. “I beg your pardon!? Did I not just say-“

“Yeah, go for it sis!” Sweetie Belle shouted after spinning around giddily to face Rarity. “Kick her ass!”

“Yeeeaah! Let’s see what you’ve got, Rare-bear!” Pinkie shouted, pointing the remote at the fashionista.

Everyone else had joined in by then, egging Rarity on as she shook her head and chuckled nervously. “N-no no, I-I don’t think so.”

“Come on! Go for it!”

“I’m afraid not, everyone, I just-“

“DO EEEET!”

Finally, Rarity conceded and threw her head back. “UGH! Alright then, fine!” she groaned, holding the cup and saucer out to me. “Hold my tea please, my love?” she asked politely.

Chuckling, I took the dishes so she could stand and take the remote from her sister, who then took Rarity’s spot on the couch, squeezing in between me and Sunset.

“Come on, big sis!” Sweetie Belle shouted, clapping her hands in encouragement. “Beat that pink ass into the ground!”

A roar of laughter rang out across the couch. Snickering, I shook my head, surprised by how different this girl was from her sister; in fact, she struck me as being more like a sister Applejack would have, and Apple Bloom honestly reminded me more of Rarity, minus the flawless English.

After turning to glower and shake a finger at her sister, Rarity strapped the Wiimote to her wrist and before long, the round had begun.

My interest in the showdown faded quickly, however, as my thoughts had returned to Rainbow Dash. When I looked down the couch at her, she was sitting with her arms folded, staring at the floor while everyone around her was shouting and cheering over the game.

I was kicking myself now for not saying anything about it after the day I gave her the car. I’d assumed at the time that she’d simply caught a flu bug and just needed to let it run its course, so I never mentioned it to anyone.

But what kind of flu lasts a week and a half, and gets worse as time goes on?

My train of thought screeched to a halt suddenly when everyone shouted at once, and I looked back to the two competitors to see what had happened. Rarity was standing still, staring incredulously at the TV while Pinkie danced around, celebrating an apparent victory.

What the hell? I glanced to my right at Fluttershy. “Hey, did she fucking lose?”

Mouth covered, Fluttershy nodded while giggling.

“Jeeeesus…” I muttered, looking back to Rarity, who was readying her stance to for the next round, just as I’d taught her to do… with a real sword. This was moot, however, since the mechanics of this game didn’t translate well into real life, as evidenced by how the next round began—and finished.

Pinkie Pie simply flailed wildly, smacking the daylights out of Rarity’s avatar, while Rarity tried in vain to evade or block the onslaught. It was a futile attempt on her part, and within seconds, she was down in the water again and the game was over.

“BAM!” Pinkie shouted, throwing a hand forth and stopping it just before Rarity’s face. “That’s how it goes, Rare-bear!”

Rarity sighed and turned to face us, her cheeks darkening when her eyes met mine. “Yes, yes… I suppose you’ve earned your victory today, Pinkie Pie.”

The party-girl giggled. “Aw… good game though!” She held her remote up. “You wanna go again?”

Rarity cringed. “Er… thank-you, darling, but no. I don’t find this to be… terribly realistic,” she answered flatly as she slipped the remote strap from her delicate, white wrist. “Who would like to play next?”

Scootaloo raised her hand. “I’ll play!”

Rarity tossed the remote to the young girl and sat at the foot of the lounge, motioning for Sweetie Belle to stay put when she tried to offer the seat to her sister.

I sat forward and tapped Rarity on the back. She turned around to find me holding her tea cup out to her.

“Ooh! Thank-you, darling. Almost forgot.” She was turning away, about to have a sip when I tapped her again, and she turned back to see what I wanted this time.

“Uh… do I need to take you out for a refresher or something?”

Hearing this, Fluttershy covered her mouth and giggled as Rarity narrowed her eyes at me.

“I wouldn’t go there, darling...” she sang before turning around, placing the teacup to her lips.

Chuckling, I sat back against the cushion. A second later, I felt the light tickle of fragrant hair on my left cheek and I turned to find Sweetie Belle’s face very close to mine, glaring at me with those bright green eyes. Instinctually, I leaned away, slightly unnerved by her proximity.

“Yeeesss?” I asked slowly.

She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low, quiet voice, so only I would hear. “I know you fucked my sister.”

Brows elevated, I glanced quickly around the room before looking at her again. “Uhh…”

“That night you stayed over; after I got home from the airport. You guys did it in the change room—I could hear you through the wall.”

I stared at her for a moment, then, not knowing what else to do, slowly faced the TV again. “K…”

Sweetie Belle licked her bottom lip and leaned even closer, making her hair enter my periphery. “So when do I get a turn?” she whispered softly, her breath caressing my cheek. "Hm? How many times you gonna make me touch myself to that?"

My eyes widened significantly, staying locked on the TV as that tingly feeling of uneasiness crept its way up the back of my neck. Then I turned to my right to see if Fluttershy heard it. It appeared she hadn’t; instead, she was busy tracing the shape of Rarity’s hip with her toes.

Helpless, I faced forward again. I didn’t dare face Sweetie Belle; making eye contact with her was something I wished to avoid.

Luckily, she eventually turned away and sent her attention elsewhere.

How the FUCK did no one see that!? I wondered.

“Who wants to play Scootaloo?” Pinkie was asking.

“Y’ain’t playin no more?” AJ asked from the far end of the couch.

“Nah,” —Pinkie pointed past the couch, towards the counter— “I’m gonna go load up with some desserts!”

“AWW!” Scootaloo growled. “You’re just scared, Pinkie Pie! Scared of the Scoots!”

“Nope! Just hungry,” Pinkie replied, dangling the remote from her hand as she offered it to whomever would take it. “Come on, who’s gonna fight Scootaloo? Applejack? Sunset?”

The two mentioned shook their heads.

Pinkie turned to Scootaloo. “Who do you wanna play?”

Scootaloo didn’t hestitate. She pointed the Wiimote at the slouched-down athlete. “Her! I wanna play Rainbow Dash!”

Dash’s eyes opened and she looked up to find the source of her name. “Huh?”

Pinkie Pie tossed the remote on Dash’s lap. “Your turn, Little Miss Hangover!”

“Oh…” Dash glanced down at the remote. “Uh… nah. I’m not really feelin it right now.”

Scootaloo dropped her hands to her sides and rolled her eyes. “Come on, just one round?”

“Yeah! Gh frh it, Drshie!” Pinkie shouted from behind us, her mouth already full of pie.

By this time, Applejack had a concerned eye locked on the rainbow-haired girl, clearly noting her appearance. “Hey,” she said, leaning forward to place a hand on Dash’s knee. “If yer not feelin it, ya don’t hafta play, Rainbow. Just take ‘er easy.”

Dash glowered at AJ quite unexpectedly; the concern her friend showed for her seemed to spark that trademark defiance that Rainbow Dash was known for, and she sat forward, rolling her shoulders. “What do you mean ‘not feeling it?’”

Applejack retreated slightly, shrugging. “I dunno. Ya just said-… I mean, ya don’t look so hot, that’s all.”

Dash stared at AJ for a moment, then she shook her head. “Nah. I’ll be fine. Let’s do this.” She stood and slipped the strap over her wrist.

Scootaloo, by this point, was watching Rainbow Dash ready herself for the game, her brow marked with concern of her own. It was obvious to me by then that the plucky young girl looked up to Rainbow Dash —idolized her, even— but even she was seeing the unusual behavior and pale complexion that Dash was exhibiting. “Uh… are you—hey!” she shouted, making sure she had Dash’s attention. “Are you sure you’re OK? You have been pretty quiet since you picked me up.”

Dash glanced up at the young girl as she closed the strap around her wrist. “Yeah, totally. Now get ready, kid, cuz you’re about to get your sorry little butt whipped!”

After a short pause, Scootaloo nodded and an unsure smirk appeared on her lips. “Ok then,” she replied, turning toward the TV to start the round.

On the lounge, I watched intently as Dash faced-off against the younger girl, swinging the remote back and forth with a better-looking precision than Pinkie exhibited, though her movements appeared rather lethargic.

I turned to look at Fluttershy to see if she was watching. Her eyes were locked squarely on her friend, filled with worry. I was about to ask if she had noticed Dash looking a bit off when I turned, but it was obvious that Fluttershy was extremely aware of it, so I simply turned back to face the others.

Looking down the couch, I could see that everyone had a close eye on her. It was difficult for everyone present not to notice that something was amiss.

In the game, the two of them were a fairly close match, making the round last much longer than previous ones. Eventually, however, the rainbow-haired girl was able chew off a tough victory.

Scootaloo shrugged it off and chuckled, not really glancing at the older girl as she advanced them to the next round.

With arms that hung limp at her sides, Rainbow Dash was panting heavily by then; she tipped her head back and closed her eyes, exhaling noisily.

“Um… are you gonna be OK, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, sitting forward. “Maybe you should sit down for a minute.”

Dash shook her head stubbornly. “Nah… I just… I fine,” she huffed. With a limp arm, she pointed the remote at the TV screen. “Le’ss go.”

After a pause, Scootaloo reluctantly pressed the OK tab on the screen, and the match began. She was reluctant to swing, however, and she kept her eyes on Rainbow Dash, who stepped forward and, with great effort, raised her arm like that Wiimote weighed fifty pounds.

Once it was above her head, she swung the weapon downward with an arm like a wet noodle. The rest of us watched in horror as the motion caused her balance to shift; her knees faltered and shook, forcing her to stumble off to the right to maintain her balance. Without warning, she wretched violently, spewing a wide stream of light brown vomit from her mouth, which landed on the wooded floor with a thick splat.

The rest of us gasped, wide-eyed and shocked by the sight.

“Holy shit!” AJ shouted as she stood to go help her friend, but as we soon saw, she would be too late.

Dash had covered her mouth by then, and when the second wave of vomit came up, it collided with her palm and gushed in every direction, dribbling down her arm and all over the floor. Her knees gave out next, and her eyes rolled back in their sockets; her body tumbled to the floor in a vomit-soaked heap as the rest of us rushed from the couch to follow AJ’s lead.

When Rainbow Dash landed, she didn’t even feel the hard, wooden floor collide with the side of her head. The pain in her skull from the headache she’d been having all day was too great, but still, the feeling of her brain being jostled within her skull drove the nausea even futher upward. She may have gagged and thrown up a third time; she couldn’t be sure. She wasn’t even sure where she was anymore.

Every muscle ached, her joints were full of spurs, and her blood was like acid. Her skin was cold as ice, yet her pores dumped boiling hot sweat onto her skin, soaking the edges of her hair and her clothes. Rainbow Dash was tough, but any human being, awesome or not, can only withstand so much, and the suffering she’d been enduring, ignoring, hiding, had finally overwhelmed her, and she was no longer able to keep it a secret.

Her body had begun to shut down.

As her eyes slowly drifted shut, all she knew was the warm, putrid vomit against her cheek, and the sound of her friend’s voices frantically calling her name, fading away as she floated further from consciousness.

“Dashie...”

“DASHIE!”

“DAAAAAAASSSSHHHHIIIIIEEEEEE…”