A Dazzling Trio

Chapter XI: Setting the Stage

Chapter XI: Setting the Stage

"Sweetheart. What in the sam hell are ya talking about?" Applejack asks me with a confused look on her face, clearly wondering what I meant. The sound of birds chirping accompanies the orange light of the dawn. Honestly, I feel a little bad for waking everyone up so early to meet at Garden Hooves Park, but at least Sunset supports this decision. Everyone is here except for Rainbow Dash... The last time any of us heard from her was back at the party at my music studio a couple weeks ago. Well, except for Fluttershy. She's apparently still in touch with Dash and she tells us she is fine, but I still worry about her...

"I'll tell you more once Dash gets here, but just know that Sunset and I will be gone for a little while," I respond with a calm voice, knowing that Applejack is probably a little grumpy that she doesn't know what is going on. Fluttershy said that Rainbow Dash would be here soon... By all means, I don't want to push Dash if she is going through a rough time, but I don't know how much longer I can prolong this.

"You can't just expect me to wait quietly when ya say you're leaving. I mean, it's fine to go on a trip, but from the tone of your voice, this sounds serious. What is going on?" Applejack asks again, her arms crossed. Rarity gently brings her hand to Applejack's chin, shushing her lover.

"Darling. I'm sure they have their reasons. We should hear them out at their own pace," Rarity says quietly in an attempt to persuade the cowgirl. For now, Applejack seems to slow down, shaking her head.

"If something bad is going on, I really want to know about it here and now." Applejack sits down on a bench that is pretty much in the center of the park. Everyone else opts to stand however.

"I don't think it sounds bad~ A trip would be a lot of fun," Pinkie Pie tells our friend with a bright smile, bouncing in place. "Every time I travel back home to the rock farm, I have such a blast! Traveling gives a lot of opportunities for adventure after all." Without saying another word, Pinkie Pie pulls out a gummy shaped like a car from her hair, promptly driving it in the middle of the air before throwing it into her mouth. First off, how? Secondly, do I even want to know...? Wouldn't the car get stuck in her hair? I... Wha...

"Well, it really depends on the context of the trip," Fluttershy responds with a thoughtful expression, bringing her index finger to her chin. "If the trip is to go visit an ill family member, then you probably wouldn't have a lot of time to enjoy the scenery, huh?"

Sunset smiles and nods at Fluttershy's statement, leaning against me slightly. "Yeah, that would be sad. There are so many places in this world that I would like to go to. Places that have those breathtaking views." Without wasting a second, Sunset presses her lips against my cheek, giggling to herself. "Besides this one right beside me~" Honestly, why am I surprised? She does this sort of thing all the time. If anything, I should be used to this, but the unprompted flattery still makes me blush.

"Actually, I'd argue that there's only one real breathtaking view on this planet," Twilight pitches in, putting her phone back into her pocket. "That one being the view from the bottom of the ocean~" After a moment of silence, Fluttershy begins to laugh, making me feel surprised. It's not often that Fluttershy full on laughs at a joke. She usually just giggles.

"Because there's no oxygen under the ocean?" Fluttershy asks Twilight in between laughs, making the scientist join in the laughter. Twilight seems happy that at least someone found her joke funny. Sunset also giggles at the joke, but for me? I... honestly find it a little depressing to think about. When I was a siren, I didn't need to breathe outside of the water, so now that I can't do that, it makes me feel a little nostalgic.

"Wouldn't that also qualify outer space though?" Pinkie asks quietly, looking up at the sky.

"Notice how she said 'on this planet,'" Sunset responds with a wink, looking up at the sky as well. "If you're in space, you wouldn't be on this planet." Sunset's quick wit has always made me feel a little jealous. I have a pretty quick mind to begin with, but Sunset almost seems a step ahead of me at some points. Though, there's not much reason to be jealous of her now since we're on the same side. Tilting my head over, I gently nuzzle Sunset's cheek in response to her flirtatious advance earlier. A bright smile appears on her lips, accompanying a blush that only adds to her cuteness.