First Date -- A Chiller Sway and Pinkie Story

Important backstory before reading: This story was written when I was about 15 over the course of 4-5 days. Since then there's been story rewrites, timeline upsets, Sway getting married to an OC instead of a mane 6, character redesigns, and Chiller Sway (ponysona) used to have my real name. Not much of this reflects kindly on the current Chiller Sway due to all the changes to his character over the years, but I really wanted to share it with all you random strangers. And a forewarning, this story is over 10,000 words long. How 15-yr-old me did that in less than 5 days? Spending every waking second on this, that's how. You might argue over how well I wrote Pinkie Pie in this, but all-in-all there's worse out there. Enjoy!

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Chiller Sway checked his favorite new watch again. Still over 30 minutes early. He'd checked that watch every minute for the past quarter hour in dire anticipation. Was he too early? Should he have waited longer before he set up his basket and the food? Carrying a basket around was not the easiest task anymore, requiring him to give up the use of his mouth for such a usually thought-free motion. Maybe if he had decided he wanted to be a unicorn, then his life wouldn't seem so difficult. "Suppose I could always get myself one of those things that makes carrying baskets and stuff easier. I just don't see how to place a saddle bag on myself without magic." His attempts to humor himself and calm his own nerves usually never worked for things like this anyway. Looking down at his chest he again tries to self-critique his picnic date's attire. Rarity had been nice enough to refer him to the shop selling this particular set of sweaters, but it seemed so strange to be wearing a sweater to a summer's day picnic. Yet it affected him so little in the (by Texan standards) mild heat, that it felt trivial whether he was wearing a loose sweater or not. He could just as easily be wearing a simple tan brown shirt and the same effect could be said. "Oh, but, no, darling. One cannot be dressed simply for an occasion such as this one. If you're going to wear-- eck-- brown, then you'll have to wear it correctly. A boring T-shirt just won't make the cut for this, I'm sorry to say. But if you're to make an impression to miss Pinkie Pie, then you'll have to show with more favorable tastes." Like any of that matters much to Pinkie. Their first date is a summer picnic. Outside. Pinkie cared so little about what she wears on her first date that she even said to him “I won't even bother with anything. Won't even style my mane in any special way” Ending her sentence with a giggle. “You just see me when I walk on by, Sway!” Before an unabashed little smile. "Maybe I've overdressed?" he scoffed at such a silly concern. Why, if he'd've let Rarity done as she really wanted, he'd be here in a full marble white suit, blue tie and everything. It's good that Rarity doesn't actually know what Pinkie likes, because then he gets to feel the satisfaction of still knowing Pinkie better than her. "Maybe Pinkie is just late to her 'arrive early' schedule of 10 minutes." Chiller Sway would say to himself every passing 5 minutes. Of course it was silly to think she'd arrive early just because he was. Though, he thought he was arriving early because she might show up early, and then they could start even sooner than they each expected to be starting. At this point Chiller Sway could have left to change out of his sweater and come back with time to spare; but, he won't. Rarity was sure to ask and would be disappointed if he hadn't worn what they'd each argued about. And even more importantly, he was waiting very patiently, checking frequently in all directions for that first glance of the mare he could never see from enough, listen for enough, even smile in her company enough for satisfaction. Pinkie's love was of company, which he was pitifully missing in relationships past. Where he came from there had been possibility from many people, yet distance from family or school related moves may have taken those chances away. And the one time the technology of his world allowed for such a thing to remain a possibility, even the relative distance was debilitating at times. The small voice of doubt would come to him whenever it caught a heavy beat in his heart. "If she doesn't come early, why would she come at all?" it would try to argue, in vain of course. There was no way he'd quit waiting, but it didn't make that time any easier. It was 5 'till and it didn't appear as though she'd be arriving early, or on time for that matter. Late it shall be. So he finally laid himself on the grass, even though he had the usual picnic blanket folded nicely in his basket. It always amazed him whenever he'd realize he'd been standing for over half an hour and his hooves rarely hurt. Not more than a few minutes later he noticed a peculiar shadow gliding across the grassy hillside, and, now that he was really paying attention again, the elevated sound of flapping wings: Rainbow's wings. A curious glance upward showed him a familiar purple air balloon, which at this point he figured as Twilight's personal one, with Rainbow Dash pushing it across the sky. The balloon was flying suspiciously low, and directly overhead. Rainbow Dash then looked down from her task. "Hey, you! Why are you just sitting in the grass?" "Well, I'm waiting." "Not anymore, you're not." And a pink telescope peered out the side of the balloon's basket. Even with the fair distance there between him and the balloon, anypony could tell you whose that was. "You wouldn't mind if a pretty ol' missy stopped by for a quick word, would ya?" A smile started to break its way through, even as he spoke. "Well of course not! Send her down!" The two above had a few words, then the balloon began to fall. All hearts racing, the balloon finally reached its way to the ground, but the basket was taller than normal, as if to tease Sway. The door to the balloon's basket moved slowly open, and after a soft, excited squeal from inside, the first pink hoof stepped onto the soft grass. It took a few nervous taps, then out came the pink curl, nose and face he'd come so fondly to recognize. Though that was all there was to be unchanged of Ms. Pie. Strands of her mane had been straightened behind her folded ears, which were now velvet tipped, fading in thin streaks to the base, the insides of which had been colored a light pink, and even fluffed a little. She continued slowly exiting the basket, throwing forth her best showpony face and strut, only breaking form to have herself a small giggle at his wonder. Her entire chest and underbelly had been colored white, in what could only be described as an excruciating process due to her very ticklish nature, becoming something the girls agreed never to try again. She'd been studded with dark pink stars above her shoulders and down her back, followed by her tail, it had been roughed up a bit, though enough to recognize. "How do you like it?" with a satisfied hum. "I was going for over-the-top." Trying not to gape, he just kept staring. A wonder of a sight, he couldn't believe that Pinkie had actually over prepared. He didn't notice he was rearing back until his rear hoof slowly kicked into his basket, leaning it over. It was his call back to the real world, and he could see past Pinkie Pie again. Clearing his throat, he was about to speak until Rainbow Dash swooshed down beside her. "Yeah, I'm here to see you two during your date." using her wings so she could cross her forelegs. After a raised eyebrow from Pinkie and a look she couldn't quite read from Sway, she eased off the joke with a "Just kidding, guys. Jeez. Didn't know you two were gonna get so serious." followed by an even higher raised eyebrow and the clear look of confusion on Chiller Sway's face. The pegasus tried to defend herself. "Again, just kidding! But Twilight left you two this. Said I couldn't give it to you guys until we got here." After passing the rolled up paper to Pinkie, she readied the balloon to fly. "I'mma be taking this back. See ya!" pushing the balloon as soon as it lifted from the ground. "Well, you still haven't told me what you think about it?" Shaking herself from side to side to make sure she had his attention. "I, uh, well it, gahhh, you look amazing! I, I can't believe you dressed yourself up." She accepted the compliment. "Why, thanks. It took so long to get everything done," glancing towards her chest. "I wasn't sure if I was ever going to get here." He’d considered taking a glance at his watch, but didn't want to remove his gaze from Pinkie. "Oh, no, uh, don't worry about the time. I'm just glad you're here." And a reassuring smile. "Aww. Well, thanks. I think you look nice too." He took a quick look at his simple brown sweater. "Hah. Nah, it's ok. Looks like you've outdone me." it gave Pinkie a good laugh. "Now see? You should always listen to Rarity." and a sly wink. Double strike on Sway. "Anyway, you gonna stare at me some more, or are we gonna get going? I'm just dying to stretch my legs again." He just noticed that they had added glitter to the balloons in her cutie mark, such a Pinkie Pie thing to do. "Oh, sorry, Pinkie." Blushing now that he'd been called out, and though he'd turned his head away a little bit, he was still gazing. So Pinkie began flaunting herself and the girl's hard work at him for a little bit. He eventually picked up on his awkwardness, clearing his throat and asking "Oh, we should, um, we should see the letter Twilight gave us." "Oh, of course. I have it around here somewhere." Using the excuse to continue showing herself off to him. Which amused him very much. "Ah hah! There it is. Well, it reads: 'Dear mom and dad. Stop. My studies in Ponyville have been going great thus far, and I plan on visiting you guys sometime soon. Stop. Though I must confess that I do not think I will be able to anytime soon. Stop. You can send word to me whenever the next winter wrap up in Canterlot is taking place because I would love to see it all done with magic again. Stop.'" Stealing a look towards Chiller Sway, she found him confused and not really convinced that this was the note. It got her laughing pretty good. "I'm just kidding, silly. Twilight wouldn't send us a telegram that Rainbow Dash was just going to deliver herself. Do you have any idea how long it takes to write one of those?" She and him both share a chuckle. "Ok, ok. I'll show you what the paper really is." She trotted briskly over to him, nearly rubbing herself alongside him. The paper, completely killing the buzz, was a list of things Twilight figured they ought to do on their first date. With a P.S. written on the bottom: "Don't let me down! - Twilight" It was a healthy list of the embarrassing sort of things ponies would ask after a first date. "What'd she/he wear? Did you eat? Did you kiss?" Yes, all those kinds of questions put on a list. At least the pair knew what they'd be asked about afterward. "That old Twilight. She has a list for absolutely everything." Ever since she had gotten so close to him, he found it difficult to stop peeking at her ears, the way they were colored red made him want to bite the sensitive tips, perhaps that was the point. But he was still paying attention." Right, right." She looked over to face her stallion, noticing and flopping her ears with a smile. "Glad ya like 'em!" Her eyes followed his as he nodded in compliment. After she started peering at his tan brown sweater, giving it a few "poke" noises, Sway finally put his wonder away for at least a bit. "W-well, since you're here now, um, you want to see the, ahh, the picnic space me and Twilight found? This was just the meeting spot." She gave a relived sigh, "Yes, Sway. I'd really like to get walking again." "That's good, it's all the way past that treeline and down the trail a bit." Pointing towards someplace in the distant trees. "Lead the way!" "Oh, well aren't you sure you wouldn't want to lead the way?" He said playfully, still wanting to see more of Pinkie. "Maybe we can just let this compass lead the way!" As she pulled a black, circular compass out from her hair, though neither north or south pointed the path out. "Meh, worth a shot." "Hehe. Well, I suppose it's this way." He decided, reaching to pick up his basket, but Pinkie grabbed it with her hair before he could. "Boy, you should really invest in a saddle bag. They're much safer than carrying everything in your mouth." She recommended, while at the same time tossing the basket around. "Yeah, we've been over that. You don't 'invest' in a saddle bag, you just buy them. Investing is a totally different concept. Like, the opposite of buying a product." "Business talk, business talk. Maybe you could write and file my paperwork someday." She said as Sway began to walk down towards the path. She followed beside him merrily, swinging his basket around and humming "Smile Song" when she felt that way. Occasionally he would join in too, but it seemed to kill her vibe if done wrong. It was more of a personal delight for her. Though he was feeling confident today, humming along with his partner. It made her warm up with a smile, bobbing her head with the rhythm alongside him. Though she may not show it every time, she loves the fact he knows her favorite song by heart. Once the song repeated they each quietly started forming the words in their lips, it would be the first they might sing the lyrics in company. Slowly, and with hearts rising, they began to mumble the sentences, their mumbles easing into words, now swaying their heads side to side. Before the second verse they were both singing their happy tune, making proper gestures towards one another and smiling the whole way through. When the song finished with the final "smile!" they both stopped in their tracks to stare each other down, unintentionally engaging each other in a staring contest. Sway was never any good at those anyway, and against someone he loved? Not a chance. He closed his eyes and turned his head the other way to hide his embarrassment. Pinkie fell into a laughing fit and nearly dropped their basket. They were lucky she had great/impossible reflexes, catching the basket with her hooves mid-flight. The treeline was still a ways off, and Pinkie could see the trail they intended to follow for herself now, and after picking herself off the grass, started skipping her way towards there. He was still blushing from his defeat literally at the face of his loved one, but still had to gallop to stay caught up. But Pinkie was a trouble pony, only speeding up whenever he got close enough, forcing him to go faster. She knew it wasn't fair to tease him with her speed, he always said he wasn't fully used to a strong gallop yet, but she didn't ever let that stop her from having her own fun. And Sway said he liked a good chase every now and then, so she was excused for the most part. He would always be practicing, however, beginning to be able to give her a run for her money every now and then. On rare occasion she'd let him catch her, like when they're trotting through the streets of Ponyville and nearing the denser areas. Once they had nearly ruined a flower garden, a shop cart, a lampstand, and a pony crossing the street in one run. Something the mayor gave them quite some trouble about, informing them that the busy streets should be kept free of trouble such as high speed chases. The fuss was over a hidden book that he wrote his more difficult to understand adventures, and Pinkie, with her curious habits, unsuccessfully tried to steal the book to read herself. She still begged him to let her read it, but he insisted that it needed to be revised and removed of many of the more personal paragraphs before he felt comfortable with another pony reading it. She supposed the time would eventually come. Their chase continued until they neared the treeline and Sway gave up, out of breath. "Ok, Pinkie. You win." Slowing himself to a stop. Pinkie was breathing hard too, but not enough to stop her. "Hey! You're--you're getting better!" Gasping for breath every couple words. "Give it a--ah, another couple months and you-- you might be able to catch me good." Sliding the basket down her back and taking a quick breather. After a few moments of recuperating, Pinkie looked up to find the trail they were to walk directly ahead. It was like any normal walking trail, with trees, vines, even small bushes growing and branching on all sides. The canopy provided shade for nearly all areas of the walking trail, which wasn't particularly wide, being only a single pony width. She supposed he chose this path because he probably thought it'd be romantic to take a small trip through the woods, but if they couldn't be walking side-by-side, then there might have been another reasoning behind it... "So, we just follow the trail out the other side?" "Y-yeah. It, ah, it just goes through the forest--and the picnic spot is out the other--other side." Still unable to control his lungs. "No crazy forks or loopholes to be looking out for?" the response she got was him nodding his head. He took a few deep breaths and said "Yeah, you can go ahead. Hmm. Ladies first?" She played along with his false politeness, figuring what he wanted, she went prancing on ahead of him. He took a few extra moments and followed closely behind her. It took him a little while to realize that the way he chose the trail and order they went looked as though he were objectifying Pinkie. His actual reasoning for choosing a meeting spot, then through a walking trail, rather than simply meeting at the picnic area, was because of its symbolic meaning to him. He had entered Equestria in a similar way a few years ago. Being escorted down a shadowy trail, leading to his new life, new world. It seemed a fitting choice to begin his relationship as such, though this symbolism could not be explained to Pinkie. But hidden meanings and motives aren't much of an excuse if nopony ever knows about them. He supposed Pinkie might have to know one day. If there were two things he couldn't do, they're lying and planning ahead. Although while he was at it, he couldn't help but notice the way Pinkie's haunches swayed opposite of her shoulders. Of course, he'd noticed this in his own walking patterns, but Pinkie was so elusively fluid when she pranced about. Was it just something she'd figured out? Perhaps she walked in similar fashion to everypony else, and that he only notices in Pinkie? But surely Rainbow Dash doesn't that way? Does she? This is going down a path Sway doesn't really like. "So," she started, glancing over her shoulder and derailing his thought process. "you got any spooky forest stories?" "Well, um... I suppose I might have just one... I don't know if you'd like it though..." "Oh sure! I love stories. One time, there was me, Rarity and Applejack, and Rainbow Dash and Twilight and Fluttershy, and we all went down a spooky forest trail following after Apple Bloom. She had decided that it would be a good idea to--"He already knew this story, but Pinkie would forget that when she got going on a good story, he'd just let her ramble on about it and answer her questions at the end like he was paying full attention. Maybe he'd ask her to tell a story she doesn't know and see how she reacts. "And it turned my tongue into a water balloon! I couldn't swallow! You have any idea how awful that is?" Coming to a full stop and reliving the day in her head. Chiller Sway had started inspecting a thorn bush just before her sudden halt, so he didn't even really notice. He has a habit of looking at thorns on bushes or flowers or vines, they intrigue him or something. Though her silence always catches his attention. "Yes?" "I just don't think you've really told me about how you know our adventures so well, even things like Gummy's first birthday you say you've heard about. I don't think I've ever told anypony--" "Ahhh, well, that--Pinkie, is, um, you--you guys are famous, that's what. Um, everyone always wants to know, you see... Yup." She took to him with a raised eyebrow, a technique she must know is effective. "Or, uh, maybe I just have a hunch?" "Just a hunch, huh?" The best he could come up with was a nervous laugh. "Y--yup!" She squinted at him, reading his eyes for signs that he was lying... "Well, guess there isn't much we're doing out here in the woods, now is there? We should see this place that you've chosen out for us." "Uh, y-y-yeah! You can thank Twilight and her map. N-not the table map, she has a topographical map of Ponyville and the surrounding areas." He explained as they began to move forward again. "I didn't know you knew how to read one of those." "Well, I have had my schooling. We learned how to read those, it's really interesting." "Yeah, I used to have to read them all the time when I worked on my family's rock farm. It was important to see how far you'd climb that day." "I suppose. And, we should be reaching the end of the trail any moment now." "Sure are. Maybe we could get a better view, eh?" Whether or not she just swished her tail at him was not for him to say. The spot that he and Twilight had chosen was not too unlike the designated meeting spot. It was very grassy, had a good view of the sky, though with a single, healthy tree [advantageously] grown roughly in the center. There was already a small table and stools placed for their arrival, and a few other pleasantries for Pinkie Pie to find. "Oh wow!" Bouncing up and down excitedly. "This is the place we're eating--erm--dating at?" Having himself a chuckle. "Yes, Pinkie. Down by that tree. And if you find all 3 eggs by the time our date is done you get something special." Ending his sentence matter-of-factly so as to pretend to downgrade its significance. It got Pinkie flying, however, shouting behind at him: "Last one to find the eggs is a rotten egg!" "P-Pinkie! It's not set up so that-- Oh, Pinkie." He started a light jog after her. She must have been serious to find those eggs, she was nearly three quarters the way there. By the time he got there she might even get the idea to climb the tree. She pretty soon found the egg hidden by the foot of the table. "I got it! I got it!" She screamed as loud as she could. It was a secluded area, so she was free to do so. He figured he ought to hurry up and distract her before she gets to the second one and starts ending the game early. "Ok, Pinkie! I'll be right there! Just a second!" As he trotted up to the table, Pinkie was scrounging all about, hunting the grass for another egg. The first egg was just a "gimme", the next two would take a bit of inspection. "Ok, you found an egg?" "Copy, agent brown. Artifact number one, recovered. Reconnaissance undergoing." She hissed into an imaginary radio transmitter, employing her best secret agent sneaks and poses. She then dropped out of the tree behind Chiller Sway, scaring him. "My contacts assure me this is the egg!" "Ah! Um, yes, Pinkie. That's- that's the first egg alright. Um, two to go!" "Perhaps they may even pose more of a challenge than the last..." "You bet on it. Placed the eggs myself. I'd be surprised if you find both of the remaining ones." Implying that he didn't think one of the eggs could be found by her. "Oh! Are they hiding in the basket?" Clapping her hooves together and bouncing at the same time. "Haha. Nah, they aren't. That's good thinking though. Keep on the path like that and you're sure to find the last one." "Like the path we just came from type of path, or are we talking more of the spiritual kind?" Levitating herself and pretending to rub on a crystal ball. "Ok, that's even more inexplicable in person then when I'd see this kind of stuff on the show." He thought to himself, watching as she defied physics. "How has anypony gotten used to you, Pinkie?" "Meh, you're asking the wrong mare." "Well then I'll be sure to talk to some of the other ponies in town. You want to take a seat?" Motioning towards Pinkie's chair. "Sure, thank you very much." Though still keeping a close eye out for any hints of an egg around. “Ok, give me a second to get the food out, if you want to eat now?” “Mmmhmmm. What’ve we got?” “Well, I put the usual sandwiches, an apple and an orange,” placing the items on the table as he listed them out, “umm, I think these are some different kind of sandwich, maybe these are the cucumber ones that Rarity just would not let me leave without saying I’d add them. I don’t actually know how good they are. Umm, what else is in here… Oh, just this blanket, we can use that later. There’s some water… And secret cookies, the Cakes wouldn’t tell me what.” Pinkie laughed a little bit. “Well I’m sure we can find out what they gave us if we EAT THE COOKIES!... Haha, just kidding.” as she started to place the cookies back in the basket. "Well, I for one would like to check how this 'simple pleasantry' actually tastes." He remarked as he picked up one of the cucumber sandwiches Rarity insisted he got. "I dunno. The only time Rarity's ever brought cucumber sandwiches around me they went overboard. Swoosh!" followed by a sinking and bubbling motion. "Huh. You've never had any either?" "Nope." As she took her first bite through an orange peel. Sway raised his eyebrows and ears as she did this. Waiting for her to spit out the peel. Instead she just took another bite and looked at him, clueless. "What?" "That's not even bitter to you?" with a sour expression. "But the peel is the best part!" munching blissfully away. From then, Sway simply accepted that despite being a baker, she must simply be lacking bitter taste receptors. Which would cause him to wonder how she ever baked anything tart or zesty. If she can just chew through orange peels without problem, what else does she eat? Straight up squash? These are things that you'd have to figure out before much of a relationship, but this is just another thing, another day. Tomorrow he might discover that she can Pinkie Sense lunar eclipses. "Sure it is." Before first trying out a cucumber sandwich. "Huh. Not as bad as I thought..." The two continued their peaceful lunch. The pair often staring at each other between bites, Pinkie's usually being in response. Sway loved the white coloring and the stars. She'd surprisingly managed to keep her mane straightened out this whole time, something even he probably couldn't pull off, and his mane didn't even have the consistency of cotton candy. He'd been nervously taking glances at the egg he'd camouflaged as an apple, wondering if the disguise was good enough to fool Pinkie. His glances started tipping her off instead, having her own looks up the tree. It was just a red egg with a fake leaf painted on it, held up to the tree by a brown string. Pinkie stuck out her tongue in thought, she knows an egg is in that tree someplace. "Ok, ok. There's an egg in the tree."Since pretending it wasn't is no longer an option. "Of course it is! Whee!" And she sprang herself into the branches. He exhaled deeply and simply waited for her to find the egg and come back down triumphantly. If he can just manage to keep his eye off the last, most challenging egg, then the game might remain fun for her. He was still surprised, however, by how long it took her to find the egg in the tree. "Surely it isn't that well disguised?" he asked himself. "You got it, yet?" "Nope!" "Huh, well I'm sure if you look that it's up there somewhere." It's hard to see her very well, though the white on her does make it fairly easy to when she reaches between branches. "21 questions." "But isn't that cheating?" "Not if you accept." Shouting every sentence back down at him. "Fine, but 5 questions instead." "First question! Is it in the upper or lower levels of the tree?" He lists the rules of the game in his head. "Not a yes or no question." "Drat. Is it really high in the tree?" "No." "Is it really low in the tree?" He takes another glance at the hanging egg. "No." "Umm, is it in a nest? "No." "Is it taped to a leaf?" "Nope." She continued climbing throughout the tree. How such stunts are even possible for a pony, none may ever know. "Wow, you're real smart about hiding this one." "Oh, really now? Eh?" "Totally. Um, am I looking in its direction?" Trying to assess which way the white spot in the tree is facing, he asks: "I know I'm not supposed to ask you questions, but which way are you facing?" "Right here! This is my front hoof." "Ahh. Well, no. You're not facing the egg." "Foiled again. How many questions is that?" "Five, you're out." "Man, I've really set myself up for a tough one." She searches the branches for any sign of an egg not in a nest, not taped to a leaf, and not where she was facing earlier. Clearly a very difficult puzzle to crack-- pun intended. Carefully she continued to place herself branch to branch. Sway began to set up the first game he has in mind on the table, granted, of course, she doesn't immediately jump down on the table as soon as she finds the egg and ruins his setup. After he'd placed close to the last checker piece, Pinkie called out from the tree. “Sway! I can't find it." "What?" "I can't find the egg anywhere!" "Well I'm sure it's up there, you just have to find it." She was nearing the location of the egg anyways, so he may as well finish setting up this little game. Not more than a minute or two later he heard Pinkie call out. "I got it! I got it!" falling straight out of the branches behind her seat. "See?" "Yes, yes, very good. How do you like its camouflage?" She giggled at the 'apple'. "Yes, it's deliciously disguised. Thinking of which." She reaches into his basket, pulling out the apple and eating it. "Yes, good job finding that 'apple', Pinkie." Still willing to give her the victory, after all, she did find it. "One left to find, and I personally doubt you'll be able to find this one." and a triumphant crossing of his forelegs. "Hmm, I dunno. It's gonna be hard to keep this ol' egg away from Pinkie Pie." she explained, while pulling out a magnifying glass and detective hat. "Ah hah! What do I see here? Checkers..." "Yes, I didn't know if you wanted to play chess, so I figured, checkers'll do." "Make way for the checkers queen. I have got this one in the ball." "You mean, in the bag?" "No, silly. In the crystal ball I have. I can see it now!" And with a rapturous voice, "Pinkie Pie will be the undoubted winner of this 'checkers' game." "We'll see about that, Pinkie. You have no idea what you're up against." The stallion boasted, in more of a playful manner. "White first." Pinkie noticed her side were the white checker pieces, then looking down she remembered the white on her chest. "You sly one!" "What? I have no idea what you're talking about." She then rubbed her stomach while using a "then what's this?" face. Sway just smiled jokingly at her. "Your move." The checkers game was close fought on both sides, with a restart required because neither would allow a piece to be jumped. The second time around, the white-bellied-winner took a tight game from Chiller Sway, winning with the added leverage of a third king. They settled on best 2 out of 3, but even then, He just couldn't find a successful tactic against his star-studded mare, conceding towards the closing moments of the set. "Ok, Pinkie. You're better at this stuff than me." Pinkie played her signature giggle. "Of course. When it comes to board games, you can bet on champion Pinkie Pie." Though he always feels sour at defeat, Sway decided he could get over himself. "I certainly will. Here you go." and he passed along the second golden painted chip. He intended to win these back someday. "And now you get to hold onto these. Until I win them back, of course." "We'll see about that, young sir." Even while Sway had been mostly paying attention to the checkers he and Pinkie were playing, he hoped he'd be able to see her all spruced up again, maybe next Harthswarming. What he didn't notice in his staring, however, was that Pinkie was doing the same to him. Looking him up and down, lost dreamily in how happy she was in the moment. Sure, he had his problems listening to Rarity, and missed out on showing up all dressed up and fancy like, but she knows he's learned the hard way as she often has to. The scene brought back a memory all too similar to this one, the moment she came to love him back. See, Chiller Sway doesn't have an eye for interior design or furniture arrangement, nor does he care all too much. He set things down a certain way the first time he got in his house, decided it'd suit his needs and left it at that. "And he doesn't quite have the best first tastes for interior design either, reader. Yeah, 'reader', he had no idea what he was doing!" Ahem, yes. Anyway, she had gotten word from Fluttershy that she had heard from Rarity that Yearling wasn't too impressed with the guy’s house. They'd worked on his house together as he'd offered, but he didn't seem to have very many belongings that he'd brought to Ponyville, explaining that his lack of things only made it easier to get a smaller house, and that it was ok. Rarity was busy at the time, so she requested Fluttershy to help the returning newcomer. Though Fluttershy probably knows about as much about decorating and space management as he does, so in her insecurity, she asked Pinkie to do the favor for her. Of course Pinkie agreed. He'd said that he hadn't been in Ponyville much at all, and that he wasn't home much lately either. It didn't surprise her that he didn't have much to show for. She said she'd get on it the next morning, and to send word to Chiller Sway. He, by this point, noticed that she was staring at him, just as enthralled. But he decided if she didn't care, he didn't mind so much. Suddenly, however, his thoughts clouded, preoccupying itself in all the things he'd pushed away so he could enjoy the day. Pinkie hopped from her spot at the table and moved right beside him, caressing his shoulder. "What's wrong?" "I-- uh, I'll be fine, Pinkie. Really. Just a couple of... Passing thoughts." "Oh, like what?" "Well... Alot of things. The past couple of days. But it's ok, really." He had to come up with a distraction. "Uh, you were saying?" "What? No, that's not important. What's making you so sad? I haven't seen you look at me like that in awhile." "I'm sorry, Pinkie. It, it's not important to our date. Please, let's just forget about it?" She sighed concernedly for him. "Alright." She sat back down, putting her mind where it was before. So that next morning she set out to see Sway again. Mane color: green. Fur: Brown. Eyes: Brown. Cutie mark: Rutherford model of the atom with a pair of black glasses. Tail: Brown with a green streak in the middle. Birthday: [redacted information]. Yes, the same Chiller Sway that had moved into town a month ago; required assistance last week. He’d been nice enough when greeting the door, maybe the two might work well together? She could agree with Yearling that his house was not impressive to look at. He apologized excessively for his lack of belongings, but a simple lived life may be better for some ponies than others. She ensured his house was decorated, curtains replaced, walls touched up even after Yearling's help, and some new furnishings added. Sway watched adamantly as Pinkie worked, even at times when he was supposed to be helping. Once their work was done, they both sat on ends of his new table, talking about interior decorating and alot of the design choices they've made that day. At one point, Pinkie noticed they were both staring at each other. Her realization caused him to fall out of his chair, which caused quite a bit of stir from the both of them. Pinkie wasn't used to ponies acting quite like this around her, and being as direct and affirmed as she is, she told him "You like me, don't you?" Her noticing caught him off guard again, blushing strongly. "W-what? N-n-no.... No-- well, yes. Yes." She just smiled and laughed quietly. "I know because nopony has ever looked at me like that before." Pinkie Pie giggled at his clamminess, she understood what was going on. "Here, let me show you something. I've been waiting for my own time to show you, but I may as well." She got down from her chair and walked towards Sway, who was clearly nervous. She had to admit to herself, even her heart felt a little fluttery. She stepped next to him, attempting not to stare into his eyes, and presented him with a special watch that she had bought for him the day before. Though it wasn't terribly costly, something Pinkie knew he didn't mind anyways, she requested it engraved on the bottom with the message: "So you may count down the time we may see each other again. - P." She smiled when she was giving the watch to the astounded stallion, who couldn't even take the watch from her for awhile. Pinkie even began to worry before Sway finally picked up the watch from her hoof, still unable to gather his head. "Flip it over." Her heart began to race, she knew he liked her, but had she been too bold? Sway removed his eyes from Pinkie, flipping the watch over and covering his mouth with his hoof. He broke her memory lapse by suddenly clearing his throat. "By the way, you haven't forgotten about the third egg, have you?" His question caught her by surprise, for she had, in fact, completely forgotten about it. "Oh, of course not, silly. I was simply... Deciding how best to celebrate me finding it! Hehe..." "Hmm, maybe another 'I got it! I got it!' would probably work." "Most likely. You wouldn't happen to know where the egg is though, hmm?" "Yes, I do. But I'm not giving it away as easily as the last one. You'll have to find it yourself." Reaffirming his decision with a nod. "Won't be a problem for me. I'll be sure to nab this egg." "Anyway, um, you want to try the other board game I've got? It, um, you may not recognize it. But it was fun to play where I grew up." "Oh! What is it?" "Well, I'll give you a warm up session or two, and then we'll get going, ok?" "Sounds good to me. Is it hard? ' "If you aren't familiar to the game, possibly. It's more about luck and precision than much else. We call it Battleship. Ah, it's turn based. " "Sounds fun. What's it look like?" "Well, the game isn't quite made here, so I had to brandish my own board and pieces. You can thank Rarity for her help. I-- frankly could not design this myself." He then set out the folded Battleship boards, one for himself, and one for Pinkie. They were sturdy wooden boards, decorated with a needless amount of red, but the thematically designed ships around the borders did mesh well with the object of the game. The boards were rather simple grids, and the traditional red and white pegs were instead replaced with colored squares that slotted nicely into each grid. Rarity had also managed to retain the folding design aspect, and the ships were the right sizes, he hoped. There was the longer ship that carried “the smaller ships”, the main battleship, the submarine, which Rarity surprisingly understood, the other ship that was the same size as the sub, and the tiny “two-ship”, which served only to either stall the game towards the end, or give the opponent ease of mind when they shoot it down early. “Ooooh! What’s this? What’s this ship? Does this one do anything? How come there are two grids? Is there something special with the top one? Oh! Can this big ship look over and see your boards!?” And she scooped up the “boat launcher”, holding it over the divide between hers and Sway’s boards. “Ok, wait, give me a second to explain the game to you, alright?” she sat patiently and nodded her head. “You see the two boards?” “Mmhmm.” “Ok, the bottom board is where you place these little ships.” Picking one up with his hoof as an example. “You place all 5 ships randomly around the board, where you think I can’t find them. And you don’t show me where they are, right?” “Yes, Sway. I follow you completely.” Placing her ships on her board. “Since you’re new to the game, I’ll place my ships pretty fairly. In a way that you can easily find." “If you say so. I’m sure I’ll pick it up just fine.” Chiller Sway began placing his ships with relative strategy, and Pinkie’s placements were pure random. “Ok, I’m ready.” “So, the next part—” as he placed his final piece into position. “The next part is to begin the real game. You can’t move your ships on the bottom board at all. Ever. Also, did you place them diagonally?” “Nope.” “Alright. Just double checking. Anyway, you can’t move them, and the point is to sort of, “navigate” around the other person—pony’s board using your top one. As an example, not real play. I can say: ‘A-6’, referring to a spot on your bottom board I’d like to attack. You’d check it,” and she gazed curiously downward, noticing the grid pattern. “and if, at that coordinate… By the way, you know how to read a coordinate, right?” “Oh, yes. I sure know my maps.” “Right, of course you know how to read a coordinate. Sorry about that. Most ponies just don’t understand this kind of stuff.” “Don’t worry about me, Sway. I may seem like everypony else,” she said sarcastically. Even she knows she’s unlike most all ponies. “I sure know just as much as you do.” “Oh, really?” “You betchya.” “So you know how to solve a square root, then?” She thought about it for a moment. “Yeah. You find a tree with a root shaped in a square, and then you flatten it out.” And a whooshing noise as she pretended to flatten the tree from the top down. “Ok, yeah, no. Anyway, Battleship. You would read that coordinate on your board, and if a part of your boat crosses over that spot, you’d say ‘Hit!’ If there’s just the water there, you say ‘Miss!’ Easy enough?” “Yup.” “Remember, you can only attack once, and on your turn.” “Of course, of course. Do you wanna go first?” “No, no. Please, go first.” “Alrighty then. Umm, G-5?” “Miss. Right, and now, on your top board, you look for that spot you just attacked and place a white square there. White means ‘Miss’.” Pinkie carefully placed her first “Miss.” token. “Alright, then… There. So, now it’s your turn?” And she looked anxiously down at her board. “Yes. Um, C-5?” “Miss.” “Of course. Your go.” “Hmm… F-…5?” “Miss.” And so continued the pair. The friendly game of Battleship. Tried and trusted over the many years to be a fun and relaxing experience. Sure, the tension rises considerably as the game continues on, your calculations always seem to fail at some point, and you realize it’s just mathematically impossible for you to catch up to your opponent in time. Their first game was won by Chiller Sway, but he said it didn’t count towards the golden checker piece. “Just a warm up.” He’d explained. Round two, however, was a different tale. Pinkie realized a small, nothing breakthrough, but a decent strategy. And though it made no sense to him, she won another two games in a row. The last one awarding her another golden checker. “Wow. You’ve gotten pretty decent at this pretty quickly.” “Why, thank you.” She smiled blissfully. “Maybe next time I’ll be sure to employ my full strategies.” Rubbing his hooves together in anticipation, though he was spent on Battleship for today. “That’s a really fun game. We should play it again. And again, and again, and again, and—” “Yes, yes, I understand. I really like the game, too. There’s a reason I remember it so well… Except for maybe the exact size of the grid. Though I’ll never be able to double-check for sure.” “Why not? Can’t you just go back there and be all like: ‘Hey! I not so sure I remember game so fondly!’” as she sprung up beside Chiller Sway, putting forth her most stallion worthy voice. “‘Do you think you could tell me just precisely how the grid system in the coveted ‘Battleship’ is sized? I would really like to know.’” Soon breaking out into laughter. Her male impression sounded rather silly. It made Chiller Sway laugh, even from the beginning. “As much as I’d like to, I just can’t go back there anymore. Just—someplace I’ll probably never be able to reach again.” He gazed into the distance in his solemnity. Pinkie looked in the direction of his stare, towards where he suspected the Santurnari to be, although she had no knowledge of them. “Oh. You get kicked out?” He laughed in spite of himself. “No, no. I uh, I guess I ‘kicked’ myself out, eh?” His gaze morphed into a longing. Pinkie began to worry again. “Sway, is everything really alright?” “Y-yes, Pinkie. E-everything is—alright, yes.” He shut his eyes tightly for a second, once again relocating his concentration. “The time sure flies, huh?” Though he tried not to let it show, his voice was rather weak. He turned his watch wrist over to inspect the time. Nearly a full 2 and a half hours had passed. Time well spent if it meant he could keep looking at her. The colorful and decorative markings brought himself back in the moment, and he looked happily at her. It eased her tension a little, and she tried to be confident in her smile in return. She put on her most confident smile, shaking her head to rid it of any bad emotions and waited firmly for Chiller Sway’s response. She’d never made a move before, but she was confident that she had done it right. Sway continued to stare at the engraving on the watch, certain that this was not real. This was not really happening to him. There was no way. I-it’s the kind of thing that only happens in your imagination, but never could you imagine that it’d happen right in front of you. Slowly, he made attempts with his lips, his eyes quickly flew around, his heart pounding impossibly fast and strong. He cleared his throat after much effort. “Pinkie, I-I just don’t… I just, thank you! I--I-I’ve never been given a gift like this before. You-you mean that you—?” She blushed. “Y-yeah, Sway. I really do. You’ve been so nice to me, and, well, it’s really obvious.” He looked at the watch again, astonished. “Th-thank you, Pinkie. It’s just, I never thought that I ever could--.” “You silly.” His embarrassment served only to deepen hers. “Thank you, really. I’ll,” He slid the watch around his hoof, tightening it and ensuring the strap stayed locked up. “I’ll take very good care of it.” “Thanks. I didn’t know what else to get for you that you might have liked.” He thought for a long time. “I don’t think I have anything in my house, here, that you might like to have. I don’t have much with me, in case you hadn’t noticed.” “Oh, it’s fine. I don’t need anything, really. Just, knowing that you like it is all I need.” “I really do like it. And I’m glad, too. Maybe I can even keep better track of this than my last one. I broke it when playing one day. Made me pretty upset.” “Oh, well, you’d best keep it away from me, then. I love to play. Even if it seems a little, kiddish every once and awhile.” “No, no. I like that kind of play, actually. I think it’s really fun. S-say… I guess I can repay you somehow…” He was beginning to blush again. “R-really?” “Yeah. Since this means, well, you know. It’s the first gift you’ve bought me and, stuff.” He tripped in his mind over the right words to say. “Would you like to…” His nose felt funny for some reason, and his stomach felt light. “Would you want to go—out with me? Sometime?” He smiled at her with a heavy bashfulness, blushing and hiding his eyes. She gasped and squealed a little bit, having herself a little bounce. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Her excitement getting the best of her as she rushed over to him, nearly sending his toppling again and shaking his hoof as if they’d just carried out a business deal. “I’d love to!” And letting out an excited scream. He laughed, less nervous now. “Good! Yeah! I’d like to.” He was definitely dreaming now. There’s no real way that this is a real thing that just happened. It just couldn’t possibly. Pinkie nearly felt the same way in her own mind. Her excitement flying about like colorful streamers, and she was more than happy to catch and cast all of them. Maybe he was the stallion for her… “…Pinkie? Pinkie?” Again, she had to be pulled out of her lapse. “Mmm… What?” “I was asking you when you might dress up again?” “Oh, this?” She looked at her display. “Whenever you’d like, Sway.” Her response made him smile. She always knew what to say. “That’s good. I guess, though, that I don’t really have any more plans for our date now. Just that last egg, or we could just lay together in the grass?” “Oh! The egg!” Instantly jumping from her chair and scanning the grass and tree for any suspicious signs of the last egg. “Commere, eggy, eggy, eggy!” “Eggy? You’re calling him ‘Eggy’?” “Well, maybe he does have a real name? You sure seem to know a lot about him?” “He’s my egg, after all.” “And I will find him!” pouncing on the ground with her sentence. Chiller Sway got up from his chair. “I’ll be laying in the grass if you’d like to join me. I’m not giving it away this time. There are hints around its location, though. Go ahead, try and find it. I don’t think you will.” “Challenge accepted.” Chiller Sway had a rather relaxing time. Since he now has fur, lying in the grass never caused him to itch anymore. Which was convenient. That was far from the usual case when he had only bare skin. The sky was spotted with lovely, natural clouds. Sure, they were actually manufactured at Cloudsdale, but still. They looked really nice and pretty. He would occasionally glance at Pinkie, who he could tell was beginning to get frustrated at her inability to find the final hidden egg. She was checking in all sorts of the wrong places: the basket, bowls, the tree again, the grass, under the decorations. Pretty much oblivious to the one spot it was actually in: the back of her own chair. “Sway! I can’t find it.” “I know you can’t.” she grumbled a little bit, finally taking a seat next to him in the grass. He lay there so comfortably that he might risk dozing off. “What are you doing?” “Oh, just relaxing. It feels nice out.” “It’s a little warm to be right in the sunlight.” “Oh, where I come from, this weather would be simply perfect. Sure, maybe a tiny bit of a stronger breeze, but other than that it feels great out.” He placed his hooves under his head. “Can you show me where the last egg is?” “You want me to show you?” “Yes, please?” “Ok.” He got up. “The last egg was hidden in either the first place you’d notice, or a spot you’d never guess.” “So?” “So, it’s right here.” And he pointed his hoof out to the very small cradle in the back of the chair. It was somewhat disguised, and he had to get a unicorn to even get the thing in there. He’d painted it a dark yellow, though. He figured it was enough of an obvious clue. “The egg is right inside the back of the chair.” “What? Really? No way!” And she tried to pull the egg out of the chair, but it wasn’t actually possible. “Yeah, so maybe it was a little hard to find. I had to get a unicorn to even get it in there.” He scratched the back of his neck a little bit, still deciding if it was an unfair spot. He turned to the side, and when he looked back, Pinkie was holding the egg in her hooves. “Wow. You sure got me with this one. I couldn’t even get it out.” Chiller Sway shook his head at her obviously false statement. “Then how do you explain that?” Pointing out her hoof. “Oh, this?” Then she checked the back of the chair again, she really had removed the egg. “Oh, that was nothing. Fun egg hunt, though. Do I get the surprise?” “Ahh… No? I-I mean, you didn’t really find the last egg. I showed you where it was.” “Awww. Really? I can’t have the surprise?” “Um, no?” she sighed. “Ok. When do I get it? Huh? Huh? When can I have it? I love surprises!” “I’ll, um, come up with another challenge? I won’t make it so hard next time, I guess.” “Whatever you want. Can you give me a hint, though?” He debated it for awhile in his mind. “It’s… written?” “Written?” “It’s written. That’s, um, that’s my one hint about it.” “Written, written, written. Hmm…” “I’m sure you’ll think about it. I like it, anyway. Can’t wait to show you.” “Ok. I can wait. I can play by the rules.” She eyed him a little bit, flicking her tail before pouncing atop of him. Rolling each other in the grass and laughing a bit. Sway didn’t fight her about it and she came out on top. Laughing and pinning him down. “I’ve gotcha!” Her pink hooves holding firmly against his chest. Now the fallen strands of her mane had fluffed back up, presumably from the tumbling. Though the stars on her shoulders and white belly were just as intended, very distracting. He smiled and held his head against the grass. “Yeah, you got me.” He placed his hooves on her shoulders. “Oh, no! Look out! A… flying seagull is coming for you!” And he used the excuse to throw her off. And when Pinkie looked up to try and spot the bird he mentioned, he laughed. “There’s no seagulls here?” “Oh, really? I thought I saw it rather clearly. Let’s see, it was brown, and kinda green.” “Hey, that’s you!” “Look out! It’s still coming after you!” And he charged after her. She let out a small squeal before he grabbed her by the side and pulled her to the ground, placing his hooves on her shoulder. “Now I gotcha.” “Nuh-uh!” And she tried to get back up, but Chiller Sway’s grip was much stronger than she gave him credit for. She grunted and tried to escape him, though he was always able to catch her anew and keep her stuck. She grabbed his hooves and slowly lifted them off of herself, so Sway let up his grip and allowed her to escape. “Boy, you sure are a strong one.” “Oh, really? I guess I just never noticed.” “No way. You’re strong and you sure do know it.” As she picked herself back up, dusting herself and walking over. “Ok, I admit. I suppose I do exercise a bit. Picking things up usually isn’t a struggle, so I suppose so.” “Maybe you could help me on moving days or somethin’. There’s always so much to get moving!” “Oh, sure. You can always ask for my help.” “Maybe you could help me getting that surprise, hmm?” Winking at him a few times. “No, I’m pretty sure I can’t. You have to complete the challenge correctly. Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something.” He smiled to her and she nodded her head. “Well, mister Chiller Sway, what do you wanna do now?” "I dunno. There’s no more eggs, the food was good, and I look like I might be out of board games.” He began to lay himself back down on the grass, figuring the thing he wanted to do most was simply relax with his new love. “Hmm. I don’t know.” She picked up on his behavior and laid down next to him. Folding her legs underneath herself and taking in the view. Chiller Sway looked at her again, the stars riding down her back were such a nice touch. Soon enough, though, he faced forwards again, enjoying his quiet company. It truly is a rare moment. His watch lied not. It was 25 ‘till and they should be returning to their respective homes soon. He didn’t want the day to end, but he wasn’t a unicorn and therefore had no say in the matter. “Oh, it’s too bad. The time’s getting far away. Come back, time! Where’d you go?” “Yeah, I always wondered that, too. Baking with Gummy always goes by so fast! I’m always asking him: ‘Gummy! Where’d all the time for baking go?’ He’s never really sure.” “I didn’t know gummy thought of things like that?” “Oh, yeah. He’s pretty smart.” He laughed when she said this, but tried to keep it hidden. “Really, now? That’s pretty funny.” “What?” “Oh, nothing. He just doesn’t look like the type of, um, alligator that thinks much. Always a blank stare with him, not much expression.” “Oh. Well then you should have seen my sister, Maud. If you thought Gummy was expressionless, you just haven’t seen her yet.” “Oh, I have. Maud’s pretty good.” “Favorite of the sisters?” “What? What kind of trick question is that?” “Trick? There’s no trick there.” “Ok, well then, yes. I think I like Maud a lot.” “Great! Even better for when you get to meet her!” “I could meet your family?” “Uh, duh. Sure, they live kinda far away, but we could always visit them any time you want.” She was about to open her mouth to ask him something, but quickly closed it. She realized he had no family to return to. “Yeah, maybe I’d like to do that sometime.” “Good.” “Ah, but we probably should be going soon. But I don’t wanna.” “Me neither!” Wearing a silly pouty face. “I’m sure we’ll be able to see each other tomorrow. But, I’m not sure that we finished 100% of that list Twilight gave us…” “Oh, that silly thing? Let me go check.” She bounced off the ground and walked over to the basket. Humming away and picking the letter from the basket by her mane. She trotted back to him and placed it in front of his hooves. Opening the letter, he chuckled a little bit. “Well, I’d say we might have done, like, 60-75% of it? Some of the things on here are pretty random.” “Let’s see, make a snowman, tell each other embarrassing foalhood stories, talk about cutie marks, hug, dance, lots of laughs, stare deeply into each other’s eyes…. On and on… Kiss. Yup. About 70-90% completed.” “70-90%? Did you actually read the list? It’s some good advice, mixed with Twilight fantasizing about what your love life looks like.” “’Well, a generous outlook on life is one that procures the most fabulous results.’ Which is something that Rarity told me.” “Right, as if even the word ‘generous’ didn’t give that away. Even so, we wanna grab something to check the list off with? You know Twilight’s gonna wonder why we didn’t…” “I don’t think so. I didn’t bring anything to write with me. Did you?” “Um, nope. You sure you don’t have anything in your mane we might be able to use? Just like, a simple pencil. You got one of those?” “Hmm… Let me check…” A strange array of objects were flung out of her hair. As well as a live cat? Certainly, she was among the oddest of ponies. “Ah hah! There one is!” And she pulled out a small pencil they could write with. “Nice. I’ll mark off the list. For Twilight, I guess.” Pinkie tossed the pencil at him and he caught it fairly easily. “Good throw.” “Nice catch.” “Better throw than my catch.” “Swifter catch than my throw.” “Stronger throw than my catch!” “More impressive catch!” “More random choice to throw!” “Impressive ability to adapt catch!” He opened his mouth again, but he couldn't think of anything he could say back. Instead he laughed, Pinkie after him. Truly the element of laughter, she is. So he quietly started checking off items on Twilight's list while Pinkie ate the rest of the food. Once he'd finished, he wrote a P.S. on the bottom saying: "Thank you for the list. I think we can handle it next time." He signed it and put it inside his basket. Once everything had been cleared, he turned back to Pinkie. "Thanks for coming today." "Of course. This was the best!" "Really? The best?" "Totally!" "Ok, then. Um, you ready to go?" Pinkie nodded her head. "Alright. Let's get going back home. The two walked the trail through the woods again, with Sway leading the way, checking the time more frequently than he liked. Once they'd exited the forest, he turned back to Pinkie and asked her if she knew the way back home. Regretfully, she wasn't paying attention when Rainbow Dash was pushing the balloon. So Chiller Sway showed her the rest of the way back home. They discussed Twilight's balloon, Chiller Sway's cutie mark, even what they've been up to recently. Eventually the path became familiar to Pinkie. She sprang in front of him. "Oh, I know the way from here." "Think you could beat me there?" "Nah, you're probably too strong." Kicking her hoof in the dirt. "Oh, I'll give you a chance. If you could hold the basket, of course." "I'll eat that basket!" And she snatched it from his back. Tossing it on top of her hair and sprinting away. Chiller Sway was close to follow, and the pair hurried home.