RD POV
 
>You wake up. And immediately regret it.
>Paaaaiinnnnn...
>What, birds?
>Birds outside?
>You're immediately awake, and storm to the window, throwing it open.
"SHUT! UP!"
>The birds scatter.
>You made your own head ring.
>Your vision clears a little, and you look around.
>...Somehow, you're in your own house. Back at Cloudsdale. In the SKY!
>How the hay did THAT happen?!
>No, no, don't think, don't think, don't...
>Aggghhh...Oww...
>...You need water. WATER.
>D-don't move...T-too fast.
>So sick.
>You quickly to your bathroom.
>...And immediately vomit into the toilet.
>After you stop wretching, you look into your mirror.
>...You look like crap. You FEEL like crap.
>You ARE crap!
>THIS SUCKS.
>There's barely anything left in your stomach to puke up, but it's still trying.
>You are NOT looking forward to cleaning this up.
 
>OK. Oh, kay.
>You pull some cloud off the wall, and make into a raincloud.
>You let it douse you for a while.
>What. Do you. Remember.
>OK, last thing you remember, you were leaving Anon's house with him, and...Uh, going somewhere.
>Yeah, somewhere. Like, ANYWHERE. You don't know.
>You're making your head hurt again.
>It'll come to you. Just...Let it pass.
>You catch a glimpse of your bath tub in your mirror.
>HOLY MOTHER OF LUNA.
>AJ, is in your tub.
>WHY.
>IS SHE.
>...IN THE SKYYY?!
>She couldn't've done this. Not without magic.
>Not on her own.
>Twilight is the first that comes to mind.
>What would've happened to get her involved, though?
>Whatever, whatever, don't think too hard.
>It...Will come to you. It'll come to you.
>You repeat that to yourself for a while. To pass the time.
>Your thoughts are interrupted when AJ starts to wake up.
>"Urrghhh..."
>She flails limply for a while, but eventually gets the hang of walking again.
>"Ah, ah gotta...N-numb leg..."
>Well, yeah, you were sleeping on it.
 
"Hi...AJ."
>She flops out of the bathtub, landing heavily next to you.
>"R...Rainbow? What in hay's nayme...Ah, mah head..."
"Guhhh...Here."
>You pull off a bit more cloud from the walls to make your cloud bigger.
>It now pours on both of you.
>"Ah...Aheh...Th-that tickles..."
>She tries to move, but her legs have stopped working again.
>"R-rainbow?"
"Yeah?"
>"Wh-why am ah...In yer house?"
"Don't look at me, I...I didn't build it."
>You're far from in the mood to give straight answers right now.
>"Raainboww...?"
"Yeah?"
>"A-am ah...Gonna die heyur...?"
"I, I don't know, shut up."
>You both listen to the rain for a while.
>"...Rainbow?"
"YES."
>"C-can ah...Ask yu a, qwu...Question?"
"SHOOT."
>"Why...Am ah heyur?"
>You groan.
"You were born, I guess."
>You can tell this is going nowhere fast.
>But for some reason, you both can't stop spouting worthless crud from your mouths.
>It's like torture. Torture you're putting yourselves through.
>Hours pass, maybe. You talk, time goes slowly, but it sure felt like a long time.
>You eventually have enough rain, and you start to feel a little better.
 
>You're the first to stand up, slowly, trying not to throw up again.
>Applejack tries to follow, and she manages to stand up after about 3 tries.
>Kinda reminds you of a baby trying to stand up.
>"Sh-shucks. Rainbow, th-thanks fer this."
>You wish you could feel anything other than sick right now, but you'll give it a shot.
"Don't worry about it. Let's, uh...Go somewhere else."
>"Where..."
"My room?"
>"Mah room..."
>You sigh.
"Just follow me."
>"Okayy~"
>She hasn't quite recovered yet.
>You may have suffered the worst of it, but she took it pretty hard, too.
>At least you can think straight. Sorta straight.
"D-don't fall down the stairs."
>"All righty."
>You can't believe you actually needed to tell her that.
>Once in the bedroom, you direct her to the bed.
>She walks straight into it, and slowly works up the will to climb onto it.
"N-now you stay here, I'll...Gah, I'll go make us some food."
>"Ah ain't goin' nowhereees~"
>You sigh.
"You better not."
>You give her a hug.
>...Yeah, you're probably still a little woozy.
>N-no way would you have done that while thinking straight.
>Considering what she tried to do, yesterday, anyway.
>You take one last glance at her before leaving the room.
 
Yeah, there we go. The stairs.
>Watch your step. You probably can't fly straight, so it could end badly.
>"Rainbow Dash? Is that you?"
>...Twilight?
>Seriously?
>Who ELSE is in your house?
>You keep going downstairs.
"Y-yeah, wait a sec."
>You make it to the bottom.
>Wow.
>She's...Made you breakfast, already.
>Two glasses of water, too. They're fizzing, so you can guess what she put in them.
>She sighs.
>"What were you three THINKING? You should've known better than to..."
>You cut her off.
"You saw me? What did I do?"
>She looks at you blankly for a couple of seconds, then rolls her eyes and groans.
>"Oh, I don't know, maybe NEARLY BRINGING THE KINGDOM TO IT'S KNEES would ring a bell?!"
>The only thing ringing here is your head.
"Come on, Twilight, you've gotta be overreacting juuust a little bit."
>She gives you dirty look, then turns back to some papers she's put on your coffee table.
>"...Drink this. I'll tell you what happened, then YOU get to be the judge."
>She hands you the glass of water with her magic, and holds it for you.
>You reluctantly drink it. Tastes a little bitter.
>She rubs her hoof on one of her temples as she puts the glass back on the table.
>"OK. I only arrived in time to help get the situation under control, so a lot of info I've gathered is from eyewitness accounts. Which there weren't many of."
>She looks in your direction, expectantly. "Are you listening?"
>Eh, you'll listen. But if her voice gets too loud, you're out.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Keep it down though."
>"K-k, Keep it down..." She mutters to herself before chuckling nervously. "Yeah, sure. I'll give it a SHOT."
>Oh yeah, she's got 'that' vibe, again.
>This is gonna be one of THOSE days, isn't it?
>This isn't the first time Twilight tried to present some kind of crazy story to you.
>Most of the time, though, they were what actually happened. She knows her stuff.
>She just tends to think that when something is bad in her view, it's bad in everyone's view.
>Which, more often than not, doesn't concern anything but her schedules, letters, grades...Small stuff.
>All things considered, you'll take what she's gonna lay on you with a side order of salt.
>"...So, yesterday, I was supposed to greet Princess Celestia as she arrived in Ponyville."
>You can see where this is going, already.
>"It wasn't that something came up, it's just the letter that arrived had the time written as 6 AM instead of 6 PM, but it said 'today' so I panicked and thought I missed it and the letter was late, but since I had no letter from the princess berating me for not showing up show up, so"
>Uh-huh, headache's back.
>"I just assumed that she meant the next morning and just sent it a little early to make sure it arrived on time. Basically, I missed it, ANYWAY."
>She quickly glances at you to make sure you're paying attention.
>Unfortunately, you're not. You quickly notice that she's staring at you.
>"Hrrrrrmm...!"
"I was listening! It's just, I...Uh..." You catch a glimpse of Twilight's hard gaze. "...Skimmed it?"
>She continues to stare for a few more seconds before speaking through gritted teeth.
>"Well, it's a good thing I made sure you were before I got to the. Important. Part."
>...So, the interesting part?
"Yeah, so, uh...Continue?"
>She looks daggers at you some more, before sighing and moving on.
>"So, Celestia arrived, and I didn't show up. THAT, was bad enough."
>She pauses. Seemingly in deep thought for a few seconds.
 
>You start to wonder if she forgot that she was telling the story, but then she suddenly casts a wild-eyed glance at you, taking you by surprise.
>"But YOU. YOU, ANON, and APPLEJACK, showed up, and...!"
>She continues to stare, breathing heavily and blushing from embarrassment, trying to put her emotions into words.
>You're finding it difficult NOT to pay attention, but you really wish she'd say something.
>Eventually, she seems to find the right words.
>"You...Invited her...To 'a party'."
>Wow.
"A...Party?"
>She grins. Her eyes are still kinda freaking you out, though.
>"YEP!"
>She walks over to the coffee table and looks at it complacently for a few seconds.
>After slamming her head against it, she returns to her story, her voice slightly muffled due to her face still facing the table.
>"A party, 'over at the barn, lots of drinks and music'. In the princess's FACE, Rainbow. Her FACE!"
>That seems like the sort of thing you'd do if you were drunk, you guess.
"That it?"
>Her head rests on one side, making her voice clear again. She sounds exasperated.
>"Oh, no. It gets WORSE."
"Oh, come on. How?"
>"She...Agreed."
"...What?"
>"She believed what you said, and followed you to the 'party.'"
>...
>OK. You can't take it anymore. You burst out laughing.
>"I-it's not funny, Rainbow!"
>You disagree.
>Your head is killing you right now, but you don't care.
"O-oh, MAN, that...Hhahhhhahahah, >gasp< That must've SUCKED."
>Twilight rises from the table and looks directly at you, furious.
>"R-RAINBOW!"
>Wow. She's really taking this seriously, huh? Her voice sounded...
>...Something about the way her eyes look at you make you stop laughing.
>They're angry, sure, but they're also...A little sad.
>Like, guilty sad.
 
>"S-she must've thought it was a surprise party. That I set it up for her and that she would've met me there."
>She really IS upset.
"Twilight, it was just a party, right? I mean, that's...Not gonna hurt anypony, right?"
>She doesn't say anything, and bites her lip.
"...Right?"
>"She drank a lot."
"...Woah, wait, wait. WHAT? Did she...She, like, get...?"
>She nods, shamefully.
"Geez. Uh, that sucks, Twi." You rub the back of your head sheepishly. "Sorry." You quickly add, seeing her suddenly angry expression.
>She vents her fury out of her nose.
>"No, no...It's, not your fault. I should've got there in time, or maybe...Used my common sense."
>Something feels really wrong about letting Twilight blame herself like this.
>...Fine, you'll say it.
"Twi, no, I...It's my fault, OK? I talked Anon into having a drinking contest with me, and...I guess it got outta hand."
>She still looks sad.
>...Did she hear you? You're not gonna have to say that again, right?
>You'll say some MORE stuff then, you guess.
"Look, sparkles, I don't remember much about last night, but, uh, I-I showed up there and said that stuff, and-"
>"It's...OK, Rainbow."
>It is?
>She sighs, then gives a weak smile.
>"Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I...Didn't expect that."
"Uh. D-don't, mention it!"
>...Wait, what did she mean by that?
>Eh, you'll let it go. It's made her happy again, so you'll roll with it.
"S-so, I did good, right? You're happy now?"
>She laughs.
>"No, I've still got a lot of work to do, but I'm not angry any more."
 
>You put your forelegs to your hips.
"Heh! Good enough."
>She giggles.
>"Are you feeling better, yet?"
>Your head isn't killing you anymore. It's just hurting you.
>You're starting to get a little hungry, so your appetite is coming back, as well.
"Yeah. Thanks."
>...You really want to eat the breakfast she's made for you, but you don't want to puke again, either.
>Wait. Breakfast...Oh yeah!
"Hey, Twi, did you, uh, take Anon up here too?" You ask, hopefully.
>She's starting to write on some of the documents she put on your table.
>"No, I couldn't find him."
"What? Where the hey did he go?"
>She pauses before answering your question.
>"I'm not sure. I would've looked, but I had other problems at the time. I'm sorry."
>Damnit.
>There goes another opportunity.
>"...Rainbow, can I ask you a question?"
>Huh? Alright.
"Shoot."
>She seems to think something over in her head.
>"You...You're close friends with Anonymous, aren't you?"
"Yeah..." You say, a little sad that she reminded you.
>"Well, do you, uh...Like him?"
 
>DAMN IT!
>I-it's not obvious, right? Ponies aren't gonna start rumors or anything, are they?
"U-uh, like, whadya mean, uh, 'like him'?" You ask, nervously.
>"Well, you know, is he...N-never mind."
>She dropped it?
>How do you know she doesn't think that you DO like him?!
"I-if it's like, a crush or something, then NO!"
>She looks somewhat surprised by your sudden answer.
>"Uh, I...You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure!"
>She mulls it over.
>"OK, Good. I-I mean, thanks."
>She seems to believe you. Phew.
>If rumors ever spread, you could convince her to make, like, a speech about it not being true, or something.
>It hurts, not being able to tell your friends about it. They don't understand how close you are to making it something more.
>...You could brag about your friendship with him, instead, you guess.
"Y-yeah, we're like...Best friends! Heh. We hang out, like, ALL the time."
>"Uh-huh."
>She doesn't seem interested. You'll continue, though,
"He's kinda an idiot, but he's good at competing with me, so, I, uh, like him, I guess. He's cool."
>"He is?"
"Pretty rad, yeah. He's got drive, y'know? When we're competing, he tries really hard, even though he's gonna lose. I mean, he wins sometimes, but, y'know."
>It's really hard to hold back on describing him, but you need to.
>"Hmm." She says dreamily.
>You need to think of something. Anything! You're losin' her.
"Uh...W-we're gonna go to the Gala, and like, the wonderbolts will be there, I'll introduce 'em to him, and he'll, like, the look on his face will be-"
>"Wuh, wait, you're going to the Gala with Anon? Anon is GOING TO THE GALA?"
>...Oops.
"Uh, yeah, but it's not how you think it is-"
 
>She doesn't seem to hear you.
>"That's GREAT! But, uh, how did he get a ticket? Did Celestia send him one, or..."
"Oh, uh, Rarity gave him her ticket."
>...No response.
"Uh, Twilight-"
>She spins around to face you. "Of COURSE she did. I, ah, need to handle something back at, uh...The uh-"
"The castle?"
>"Y-yes! The castle! Over at the castle. I'll just, uh..."
>She wraps her magic around the papers on the table, poofing them off somewhere else, and heads towards the door.
>"Could you take AJ back to the farm for me? Thank you!"
"Uh...Wait, don't you want to tell her what happened...?"
>"Oh, you were listening, you can tell her ALL about it."
>She opens the door and leaves.
>"BYE!"
>...That was weird.
>You really don't get her, sometimes.
>One second she's asking if you have a crush on Anon, next she's out the door with something else to do.
>Are you missing something here?
>...Nah, probably not. She's almost always this kooky.
>Well, you've got to find Anon.
>You go over to the food Twilight made for you, and wolf it down.
>You can just leave AJ here, right?
>...Actually, that sounds like a bad idea.
>She might snoop through your stuff. And how would she get back down?
>Plus...The cloudwalking spell isn't gonna last forever.
>Yeah, that'd suck.
>You head back upstairs.
 
"Hey, AJ!"
>She's since wrapped herself up in your covers.
>"Agh! Fer petes sake, Rainbow, not so loud..."
>Oh, right. She hasn't drunk the water yet.
"Heh, sorry. Uh, can you walk?"
>"Eh...Lemmie try."
>With a lot more effort than it normally would be, she manages to get your covers off of herself.
>...She's a little wobbly, but she looks fine.
"OK, uh, downstairs. Breakfast is ready."
>"Yew made me...Breakfast?"
"Uh, yeah. I figured you liked pancakes, so I went ahead and made 'em. Make sure to drink the water."
>What? She bailed on you. The least you can do is take credit for it.
>"...Thanks."
>You're not sure if she's got it, so you make sure she gets down the stairs alright.
>You show her where it is, and she goes over to it.
"Be sure to drink the water."
>"Y' don't need to tell me that. Ahm thirsty." She laughs.
>It feels good to help a friend out.
>You'll help out Anon too, once AJ's back home.
>Wow. She ate it almost as quickly as you did.
>Eh, if she throws up, it'll be her problem.
"Come on, we gotta get you back the farm."
>"Shoot, yer right. Thanks fer remindin' me."
>She goes to the door, and opens it.
>She takes about 10 steps outside before you lift her up.
>"Wh, what in tarnation?! Rainbow?"
>You smile at her.
"What, you planning on walking down?"
>She still looks surprised for few seconds before she smiles back.
>"Heh. Jus' don't drop me, Okay?"
"C'mon, AJ, I don't let friends go. I'm the element of loyalty, remember?"