The winter wind whips at your face, skin pulling tight against muscle as a result. Though Sweet Apple Acres’s tent is only a short walk to the west, the frigid conditions make it feel like a small hike.

You pull up your collar again, fighting for every inch of warmth as your skin grows goosebumps all over to compensate for a rogue gust of wind. Clearly, being in that tent with the portable ovens for over an hour did you no favors. Hopefully, it won’t take you very long to get re-acclimated to the weather again.

“Was it like this before…?” Spike chimes in from your shoulder, holding his extremities close to preserve his body heat.

He’s got a point. You’ve sat through some pretty crazy Canterlot winters, but this feels different somehow. When a dragon starts trying to keep warm, that’s how you know it’s chilly outside.

To your left, Pinkie continues to bounce away towards your destination, seemingly undeterred by the frigid weather.

“The weather team’s trying to make this the coldest day of the season,” Pinkie informs the both of you, her tone as chipper as ever. “Dashie gave me a heads up a few days ago.”

She spins around mid-hop to face both of you, no momentum lost as she remains the leader of your little troupe.

“She said this was about as cold as it’ll get, though, so you two shouldn’t be shivering for much longer!” she reassures the both of you before she once again spins around mid-hop.

As if the universe itself seeks to spite her, you are compelled into a particularly violent bout of shivering; although it ends relatively quickly, it succeeds in further opening you up to the cold. It seems like Spike suffers from the same thing, as you feel him curl his tail around himself for any further warmth he can afford.

“God, I hope she’s right. Do you know when she’s supposed to be meeting up with us?”

“It should be sometime after the fair starts, but not too much later,” Spike chimes in. “Twilight couldn’t get an exact time out of her.”

Yeah, that sounds about right for Rainbow.

“What about Rarity and Fluttershy?”

“Rarity’ll come in with the rest of the ponies when the park opens, since she didn’t have a booth this year. I think she’s bringing ‘Shy with her, so they’ll get here at the same time.”

With only one tent left, it won’t be too long until they all know you’re back in town. Every step you take toward it, you feel a strange tension building; the same tension you felt last night, you’d venture to guess.

Just what is it that you’re nervous about? Pinkie acted like she always does when she saw you, why would the others be any different?

…Actually, maybe Pinkie isn’t the best metric to judge the others by. Nothing against her, of course, she’s just genuinely the friendliest person you’ve ever met, pony or otherwise. Still, it’s not like they’ll hold your negligence against you, right?

…

You wouldn’t blame them if they did. It’s not exactly a tenet of friendship, slowly disappearing from a friend’s life. In such a hyper-social society, that’s tantamount to spitting on someone’s mother. That, or maybe you’ve just been spending time with the wrong crowd for a couple years. The business sector had some striking similarities to Earth, now that you think about it.

As you draw closer to the entrance, you cast a glance over at Pinkie, who nonchalantly continues bouncing along, now humming a tune that you can’t quite place.

You really hope they’ll be like her, even if you feel you don’t deserve it.

As Pinkie goes to draw the tent’s entrance open, a country drawl from just beyond the veil of polyester and canvas breaks through a mere half second before it opens.

“...don’t know how I feel about leavin’ em to themselves like this. Are ya sure they’ll-”

With her gaze firmly affixed behind her, the familiar winter-dressed farm mare bumps into Pinkie, losing her hat and nearly sending them both toppling over into the snow. Apologies are immediately exchanged back and forth as they find their footing (hoofing?), both of them not even registering who the other is for a brief moment. When their expressions of regret eventually tail off, they giggle about it for a moment, AJ having yet to take notice of you.

She’s got a fur-lined denim work jacket on, which hangs just a bit loosely off of her barrel even with it zipped up a tad. Apart from that, she’s actually pretty sparsely dressed for the winter. Not that it matters for her, of course.
The memory of an old lecture from Twilight springs to the surface of your mind; anatomical illustrations of pony anatomy, replete with every difference between the three races that she could think of. Apparently, Earth ponies’ naturally denser muscle mass means their body temperature is uniquely difficult to bring down. Pegasi have something similar to deal with altitude and flight speed, but it’s not quite as effective as good old bulk.

Twilight explained it in much better detail, but you were content to dumb it down and fluster her with your utterly basic descriptions. You really miss those lectures.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Pinkie,” she apologizes, brushing herself off and retrieving her hat. “Shoulda looked where I was goin’.”

“No worries, silly!” Pinkie reassures her with a beaming grin. “Do you girls need any last minute help?”

“Actually, we just got done,” AJ replies, turning around and holding Twilight’s gaze as she steps out of the tent, still as bundled up as when you left this morning.

She notices you out of the corner of her eye, smiling at you as if she hadn’t been with you and Spike all morning. It’s a kind of bright, unfiltered thing that you can’t help but reflect back at her, almost taken aback by how sincere it is.

Like clockwork, AJ follows the route of Twilight’s eyes, her own landing on you and freezing in place. It only takes a second or two before a similarly crooked - yet not quite as vibrant - grin finds itself on her countenance.

“Land sakes, Anon!” she exclaims, walking over and holding her hoof up toward your head.

You bend down to her level and hug it out, light squeezes from both of you decorating the exchange.

“I didn’t know you were in town!” she says as she breaks the hug, both of you returning to your standing positions. “What’s the occasion, sugarcube?”

“Long story,” you reply with a smile, arms folding over themselves for extra warmth. “Mind if I wait ‘till everyone’s here to tell it again?”

“It don’t bother me none. Shoot, I’m just glad t’see ya again. You stayin’ for the festival?”

“Yup! Spike and I have been helping Twilight all morning.”

“Even better,” she says before looking at Twilight once more.

“Again, are ya sure I don’t need to stay behind n’ help? I feel bad galavantin’ around while Granny is slavin’ away in the tent.”

Twilight shakes her head and pulls out a clipboard from one of her saddlebags, meeting AJ’s uncertainty with a disarming grin.

“There’s no need to worry, Applejack,” Twilight reassures, leafing through her clipboard and perusing her notes. “Caramel and Big Mac can handle the heavy lifting together, and Apple Bloom can help some of your other family members with-”

“Ah thought ah told ya to git, young lady!”

A somewhat shrill, aged voice laden with a heavy country accent cries out from within the tent, and not a moment later, a heavily-bundled Granny Smith shuffles out, looking positively peeved. It’s actually almost comical how many layers she has on. Sweaters within vests within jackets, all swimming around their host in a sea of wintry heat retention.

“I’m just worried about ya, Granny, that’s all!” AJ protests, albeit with her ears angled slightly back.

The matriarch’s face softens a bit.

“Ah know, Applejack, but ya been workin’ yer tail off helpin’ us get set up since the start a’ this week, and ah think ya deserve a break.”

AJ winces, more than likely at the thought of giving up her share of the work.

“Granny, I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I’d feel better if-”

“Hooey.”

AJ visibly recoils, wholly smited by such an explicit country-ism. Her expression is unreadable, save for eyebrows upturned in genuine surprise. Quickly regaining her composure, she attempts to assert her opinion once more.

“I just feel like y’all’ll need my help with-”

“Hooey!” Mrs. Smith repeats, more forcefully this time. “An’ ya know it, too.”

You look over at Spike to gauge his opinion, only to find that he had already been looking your way from his perch on your shoulder. You raise an eyebrow, your unspoken question reaching out to him. Only a few times had you ever really interacted with Granny Smith, and fewer still had it been anything beyond a greeting, so you’re uncertain whether she’s actually upset or not.

All he offers in response is a gentle shrug and pursed lips. You look to the others as well, but they’re too invested in the conversation to notice your wayward gaze.

“Jackie, sugarcube,” she continues, voice and face softening to a great degree. “Ah’m mighty thankful for all ya do, ah really am. Heck, you n’ Mac’re the reason the farm always runs so well.”

“But even after all this time, ah swear ya have no idea when ta hang yer hat n’ kick yer hooves up.”

“That ain’t true!” AJ retorts in defense.

Mrs. Smith simply deadpans at her granddaughter.

“Applejack, ya skipped breakfast this mornin’ ta get down here early when ya knew the family would be comin’ to help out.”

“...I did?”

“Ya did. Grabbed an apple from the pantry and darn near galloped out the door while grub was sittin’ on the table. The fact ya don’t remember it proves m’point even more.”

The flow of conversation halts as Applejack takes a moment to recollect the events of the morning, a defeated sigh escaping her lips when she presumably remembers what her grandma is talking about.

“Guess I really did get carried away…”

You’ve got some sort of quip about breakfast being an Apple specialty in your head, but you hold your tongue, not wanting to dilute the impact of a tried-and-true Apple family lesson. Mrs. Smith takes the opportunity to walk up to her granddaughter, resting a mentorly hoof at the base of her neck.

“Ah know ah’m gettin’ old, Jackie, but that don’t mean ya gotta make up for it somehow. ‘Specially not when it’s eatin’ up all yer free time.”

Silence takes hold once more, but Mrs. Smith is quick to dispel it.

“Ya know what ah was doin’ at yer age, ‘sides workin’ on the farm?”

AJ says nothing, only searching her grandmother’s smirking face for answers.

“Well, my memory ain’t quite what it used ta be,” Mrs. Smith jokes, a quick chortle leaving her throat before she continues. “But even durin’ the busy times, ah remember gettin’ together with friends a whole lot, sometimes even at festivals like this’n. Shoot, ah even skipped out on work a couple o’ times so I could see ‘em!”

…Really?

Seems even Applejack has her doubts about that, if her expression is anything to go by.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Mrs. Smith adds flatly before AJ can ask anything. “The point is, sugarcube, ya got yer whole life ahead o’ ya to work hard. Take some time ta be a young mare, alright?”

AJ smiles as the time-tested advice washes over her, meeting her grandma’s gaze with grateful eyes.

“…I’ll do my best, Granny.”

They both step forward, hanging off of each other in a hug that only family can really know of. The display tugs at the corners of your mouth as Mrs. Smith’s advice runs through your head. Some time to be young, huh…?

You’ve no time to ruminate for too long; the breeze from the east softens below your waist, and you realize that Twilight has joined your side.

“How’d everything go over there, you two?” she asks, gesturing to Sugarcube Corner’s tent.

“Great, actually,” Spike chimes in. “Mrs. Cake even made us some eclairs toward the end, which was pretty nice.”

“Oh, god, yeah, those were so good…”

“I know, right!?”

Twilight’s giggling interrupts the two of you before your eclair-centered ramblings can continue.

“I meant how the setup went, Spike.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it went well,” Spike says, returning to earth from his dessert-fueled haze.

Before the conversation can trail off, a wayward gaze to the entrance of the park helps you find your way into it.

“Yeah, it took us a while, but we finished up a bit before you did. Just in time, too.”

You nod over in that direction, and Twilight follows it. There, spilling in through the gates, is an utter swarm of ponies - more than likely the majority of the town, if the size of the crowd just outside the grounds is anything to judge by.

Combing through the oncoming crowd, you can’t quite make out any sign of Rarity or Fluttershy, which makes you a bit anxious. Instead of tackling your nerves head-on, it seems you’re meant to abide suspense for a while. The pit in your stomach expands, fueled by the passage of time.

AJ seemed to appreciate you coming into town, but you can never be too sure, right?

No, no, you’re doing none of that today. Take an interaction at face value, god damn it, she’s not Clean Sweep. I mean, for christ’s sake, AJ? Of all ponies, you think AJ would be insincere?

“You good, Anon?”

The little dragon’s slightly hushed inquiry rips you out of your introspection almost as fast as you leapt into it.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m good. Why?”

The words leave your mouth as scant mumblings as you turn to face him. A twinge of disbelief replaces his concern.

“I mean, you were clenching your jaw like crazy, dude. That, and I could feel your shoulder tense up for a bit.”

Whoops. Time to deflect.

“Yeah, I dunno about you, but I’m ready for it to get a bit warmer than this.”

“I thought the ponies up in Canterlot loved the cold?” he mocks, stifling a low chuckle.

“You can like the cold and still not enjoy standing in a freezer, man.”

Off in the background, Pinkie seems engaged with AJ and her grandma, leaving Twilight without a conversation partner. Feeling a little guilty about that, you take the opportunity to bring her into your little back-and-forth.

“How ‘bout you, Twi? You holding up alright in this weather?”

Your head turns idly toward your friend, expecting a response of some kind. Instead, you see that her gaze is still firmly locked onto the billowing crowd now spreading throughout the park.

She’s wearing the same crooked grin that she directed at you earlier, only now, you can see her rightfully prideful eyes darting around to different points in the massive gathering of ponies. A deep sigh escapes unsteadily through her nose, her uneven breath visible as it slowly ascends into the surrounding trees. A shiver runs through her; the visible parts of her fur ripple ever so slightly, begging for warmth. Despite this, she appears unbothered.

You think about calling her name again, but don’t. Something wriggling around in your midsection is asking you to stay silent, if for but a moment.

Some seconds pass before she finally addresses you, albeit without breaking eye contact with the crowd.

“Can you believe how many ponies ended up attending?” she asks.

Her voice seems airy; the depth of her gratification is made plain to you.

“I know, right? If I were a betting man, I’d say that’s most of the town right there.”

You take a moment to scan the crowd yourself, zeroing in on ponies in a sort of rapid-fire fashion. Even the most dour one you spot still looks like she’s having a good time, being tugged along by her far cheerier friend group.

“I’m happy to have helped put all this together,” she muses, tightening her scarf against the cold.

“What, not even a mention of the two best handymen in Ponyville?” you jokingly chide, gesturing to yourself and Spike. “That’s cold, Twi. Colder than this weather, even.”

“Oh, hush,” she giggles, finally turning to you. “You know you were included in that.”

The three of you laugh in tandem, and for a moment, you forget about anything you could’ve been worried about.

Until a familiar transatlantic accent cuts through the growing ambience of the distant crowd, that is.

“Yoohoo~!”

Oh, shit.

Well, so much for bliss.

You comb the crowd once more, only this time you stop just shy of reaching the middle. Pun not intended, because the first of the two that you see is Flutters herself, looking like a warm-weather tourist caught in a blizzard; bundled up almost as much as Mrs. Smith, with two scarves and…

…Is that a teal trapper hat?

Despite the implications, it actually suits her quite well. It fits a bit loosely with the flaps down, though, since it falls forward into her brow a bit with every few steps.

You catch her eye and she grins sheepishly, stopping for a moment to wave at you and adjust her hat tight against her head. It’s hard not to smile at that, nerves be damned.

Beside her, the patron saintess of elegance strides toward the three of you, donning a black wool coat with a matching fur collar. Upon closer inspection, you can see subtly darker pinstripes running from collar to hem. Topping off the look are a pair of rounded sunglasses with vibrant pink lenses and a matching teal trapper hat, much like Fluttershy’s, but with the flaps pinned up. She’s even got some stylish winter boots on - it’s all very chic, and her expression conveys her acute sense of awareness of that fact.

The duo wait until they’re a bit closer to start any conversation, but before that can even happen, Twilight takes off at a steady canter to meet them in the middle. Names aren’t even exchanged between the three as a way of greeting; instead, Rarity catches Twilight in an embrace, bringing in Fluttershy with a free hoof to share in the affection.

Before you head over to them, you check on the three earth ponies behind you, who all still seem to be absorbed in their conversation. Unwilling to interrupt them, you turn to Spike, still perched on your shoulder, gaze unerringly aimed straight at Rarity.

“You wanna stay up here, or greet ‘em yourself?”

No response. You scan his eyes, only to find somewhat transparent hearts in place of his pupils. You freaked out the first time you saw it happen way back when, but you’ve gotten used to it since then.

“Spike?”

Nothing; his awestruck reaction continues. At this rate, he’s going to start hovering over there, carried by the scent of her perfume or something. You bring your right hand up in front of his face, snapping twice in hopes of getting his attention.

“Dude.”

“Wh-huh?” he almost exclaims, shaking his head as he snaps out of his decidedly amorous trance.

“Please don’t drool all over my jacket, man.”

He instinctively looks downward, eyes poring over your shoulder for any stains he might’ve left. Satisfied that there aren’t any, he adopts a bashful grin as he looks up at you.

“Sorry, Anon,” he says shyly, a chuckle deep in his throat afterward. “What were you saying?”

“Did you wanna go say hi on your own two feet, or are you cool chilling on my shoulder?”

He contemplates the choice for all of a half a second.

“I’ll get down. I actually haven’t seen Rarity in a while, so…”

“No, really?” you tease with a smarmy look.

You kneel down to get rid of a good chunk of Spike’s ground clearance, lightly touching your knee into the snow so as to reduce any wetness. He takes the opportunity to hurriedly hop off and into the snow, wasting no time in making his way over to the object of his affection. They exchange greetings and she gives him a dainty squeeze, which he leans into fully and without hesitation.

Kids and their crushes.

Not one to keep a friend - much less two - waiting, you follow behind him, hands safe from the cold in your pockets.

“Well, here’s a face I haven’t seen in a long while,” Rarity greets you, breaking from the group’s conversation and reaching for you.

You laugh heartily as you accept her embrace, going through the motions of both of you air-kissing each others’ cheeks. These sort of high-class greetings normally weird you out, but with a close friend like Rarity, it isn’t so bad.

Maybe that’s the point of it, then?

You both go to stand once more, but as she pulls away, Rarity’s horn lights up. Both of your jacket’s zipper lines are enveloped in her blue aura as she moves them to and fro, her eyes scanning the minute details of your outfit before they eventually land on yours.

“And wearing one of my ensembles, no less! If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume you were trying to flatter me, Anonymous.”

You chuckle lightly as she lets you go. It comes out naturally, but it’s a bit constricted by the nerves you wish you didn’t have.

“Only a little bit. How’ve you been, Rarity?”

“Very well, actually!” she responds, “I just recently had a wedding order come in at the boutique. An entire group of bridesmares wants their dresses tailor-made, so it’s been a busy week, but seeing their faces whenever they finally put them on will be more than worth it.”

“I don’t doubt it. Who’s the lucky mare?”

“Somepony who moved here recently, believe it or not! An adorable pegasus named Sunshine Smiles.”

That name rings a bell…

Wait!

“Sunshine Smiles?” you ask, eyebrows raised in surprise. “As in, Sunny from the QA department?”

“Oh, do you know her?” Rarity inquires, curious.

“Yeah, she used to work a couple of cubicles away from me. She never did say where was moving to, only that she was finally gonna be free from Flair, which - understandable.”

Another, flown to the homely streets of this cozy town. What’re the odds?

“Anyway, who’s she getting hitched to?”

“Get this,” Spike responds, eager for your reaction. “You remember the old earth pony that used to run the book store over by Quills and Sofas?”

“Yeah, Page Turner.”

He’s waaaay too old for her, though. So that just leaves…

“No way!” you blurt out in surprise. “Tide Turner? His son? The one we played O&O with that one time?”

“The very same,” Rarity replies. “We were surprised, too.”

You’re not too taken aback by it; you remember seeing some miniatures next to her pen cup a couple times.

“Oh, but you should see them together,” she adds wistfully. “They’re absolutely wonderful as a pair. You can practically feel the love they have for each other every time you’re in the same room with them. Why, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tide Turner as talkative as when he’s with Sunny!”

The thought of her finally breaking out of the hell-grind and into a better life, complete with a special someone, gives you cause for a hopeful smile.

“I’m happy they’re doing well. Flair wasn’t good to Sunny, but she was always really nice to everyone in spite of that. If any of us deserved to get out, it was her.”

“She never does talk about her days there with any sort of fond remembrance,” Rarity says, an eyebrow gently raised in concern. “A shared experience, I presume?”

“Oh, is it ever!” Spike interjects, which gets a laugh out of you.

You cross your arms, more out of comfort than any other reason - your nerves must have cooled. For now, at least. You still aren’t overly eager to launch into the story about why you came back, though. Somehow, now, it feels even more selfish than it did when you first got here.

You hope you’ve got the gumption to tell all later.

“More than you might think. I’ll tell you all about it later when everyone’s here.”

Rarity nods her head, flashing you a smile.

“Of course, darling.”

“Tell us all about what?”

A look to your left, and you’re greeted by Twilight, having joined your circle of conversation along with Fluttershy.

“The thing we talked about last night. I just figured it’d be better if I could get everyone on the same page at the same time, you know?

“Oh!” she responds, confusion erased just as fast as it came. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Explaining yourself repeatedly can get tiring when it’s a lot of information at once.”

“It’s all good information, though, right…?” Fluttershy chimes in, her voice barely registering above the noise of the crowd.

Her eyes dance back and forth between you and Twilight, scanning your faces for any sort of tell as to the nature of your circumstances here.

“Yep! It’s nothing to worry about. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing.”

Relief washes over her features as she tucks herself tighter into her scarf, a misty sigh leaving her nostrils.

“And it’s nice to see you again, by the way, ‘Shy.”

“I-It’s nice to see you too, Anon. How long will you be in town?”

Hmm. How do you dress that without giving away the big news…?

“Actually, I’ll-”

“LOOK OUT BELOW!”

That works too, you guess.

The raspy yell rings out behind you, echoing from some far-off point in the sky. When you turn around to pinpoint where it came from, a cyan blur rockets into existence in the open field between the two groups, blowing wind every which way from the sheer speed and force of her entrance as a full-spectrum rainbow trails behind her, dissipating after a few seconds. With a few strong beats of her wings and a slight contortion of her barrel, she comes to an abrupt stop just above the grass, hovering for a second before touching down with all four hooves.

She actually has a surprisingly conservative amount of clothing on for the weather; the only article she’s donning is her favorite Wonderbolts jacket,

“For the love a-” AJ calls out from behind her, picking up her hat from the ground after it had been blown off. “Pull off a Rainboom, why don’tcha?”

Pinkie blows past her, straight-on galloping over to-

“DASHIEEEEEE!”

In the blink of an eye, she tackles her, and they both go rolling for some distance before they finally come to rest only a few yards from your group. Applejack follows them over with a sigh, bringing you in the midst of everyone again for the first time in what must be a year. The realization is not lost on you as Rainbow untangles herself from Pinkie, facing her on her own four hooves as she laughs straight from her gut, mouth upturned in abject elation.

“It’s good to see you, too, Pinkie,” she says when she comes down from her guffawing, blowing strands of her prismatic mane out of her eyes. “Hope I didn’t keep any of you waiting too long! I flew over here as soon as work ended.”

She says that while sweeping her gaze over a good chunk of the group. You're still largely behind her, though, so she doesn’t notice you quite yet.

“Actually, the festival only opened a few minutes ago,” Twilight responds.

She pulls her clipboard out from her bag and checks it one last time before filing it away, presumably for the rest of the day.

“And since we just got done helping out with the stands, that gives us the whole rest of the day to have fun together!”

Dash rears up on two legs and hoof-pumps, her excitement radiating off of her as she does so. It’s contagious, apparently; the rest of the girls react similarly, though not as boisterous.

“Aw, yeah!” she shouts. “Mare’s day out!”

“Not quite, but close enough.”

Her ears rotate toward you for all but a millisecond before she whips around faster than you thought feasible, her eyes finding yours and locking on immediately. A grin cracks that surprised expression of hers as she takes off again with a flourish of her wings, flying up to you with her front legs outstretched toward you.

“Anon!”

You go to accept her embrace, only to find out that the display was a front; she uses the misdirection to sidestep you, bringing one hoof around your neck and resting the other atop your head, herself positioned behind you. With a total lack of mercy, she noogies the absolute shit out of you.

It actually kinda hurts, but it only lasts for a few moments.

“Where ya been, big guy?” she interrogates enthusiastically as she lets you go, touching down once more in front of you. “It’s been too long since I last saw you.”

“Up in Canterlot, mostly. And honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t see me when you rocketed down here.”

“Eh, I sorta saw you, I just thought you might’ve been some kinda pole. Everything blurs pretty hard when I’m going that fast. Besides, I meant figuratively, not literally.”

You can’t hold a chuckle back.

“Missed you too, Dash.”

You turn and look at everyone - all eyes are on you.

Well, mostly. Spike’s stealing glances at Rarity every couple of seconds, but it still counts.

Strangely enough, your stomach isn’t in knots anymore. It’s still not completely calm, but it’s getting there. You sigh deeply, blowing steam into the nippy air.

“…I really missed all of you.”

The words come out a bit strained. Twilight steps forward, holding one hoof up to her chest as she addresses you with an authenticity you’ve been sorely lacking up in Canterlot.

“The feeling is mutual, Anon,” she says, a sparkle in her eyes. “For all of us.”

Your throat gets ever so slightly tighter. You can’t hold eye contact with her for some reason. As your gaze falls into the snow, a disastrously genuine smirk holds itself in place. A nod of your head in silent reverence, and your nerves are nowhere to be found.

Facing them again, you feel a surge of excitement take you, one that is reflected in their own expressions.

“How’s some cider sound to you guys?”

“Sounds like heaven,” AJ replies, making headway for her tent again. “I’ll get us some’a the big mugs we got hidin’ in the back of the tent.”

“Oh, I’ll just take a regular-sized cup, darling,” Rarity says. “I’d like to pace myself until later tonight.”

“Suit yourself! I’ll take the biggest mug ya got, AJ,” Dash all but demands.

“Not if I get to it first, Dashie!” Pinkie interjects, taking off in a sprint toward the tent.

Fluttershy tries to speak up, but is drowned out by the resulting argument, electing to settle for whatever she’s given. Spike hops onto the back of Rarity, both eager to set off for their beverages. Non-alcoholic for Spike, of course. Twilight takes a spot by your side as you all set off, eager to get some cider in your bellies.

It’s a wonderful feeling, being home.

DID YOU KNOW:
This is where the story was originally supposed to end! Before I came up with a much larger narrative, this was just going to be a short little heartwarming romp. Glad I didn't stop here.