twilightpony | Chillaxing In The Fields

It was really nice and warm today, nearly summer weather. It was so nice that I picked up a picnic blanket, a couple of Plate World books and a Proceedings from the Advancement of Magic and I let a thermal updraft carry me most of the way to a grassy knoll in the Western Pasture. I'd been lazily reading, sunning, and snacking on fresh grass when Fluttershy joined me. That was a surprise. She asked if it was OK to join me, that is, if I didn't mind, and then she spread another picnic blanket. Without another word, she pulled out a book of her own, one of those Neighponese comic books, and settled down to read. I'd barely turned a page when Rarity arrived, wearing a straw summer hat, sunglasses and levitating a chaise lounge. She had a saddlebag full of fashion magazines, a pair of scissors and a scrapbook. Obviously, something was up. I put down my book and asked Rarity how she and Fluttershy came to join me here, in the middle of a pasture. Rarity batted her eyelashes innocently and said, why, research darling, naturally. And she pointed a hoof at her magazines. I was not fooled, but as I was about to retort, I saw Applejack come trotting our way. Well, Applejack will tell me what's going on, and I got up to wait for her, ignoring Fluttershy and Rarity's stifled giggles.

Applejack had a picnic blanket and a pile of seed catalogs and a new issue of Poplar Mechanics. I was not surprised. I asked her straight out how it was that so many of my friends had taken to reading this morning and how they knew where to find me. Not that I wanted to be alone, I was happy to see them, just puzzled. Applejack spilled the beans: Rainbow Dash had spotted me sunning and chillaxing out in the field and she went down and told Pinkie Pie. Together Dash and Pinkie decided to round up the others and join me, unannounced. They told everypony to bring something to read. Mystery solved. I looked up and sure enough, a Rainbow-colored dot was streaking through the blue sky, straight for us. Below her, a bouncing pink pony had entered the pasture.

Dash brought a few Daring Do books, Pinkie a Party Pony Supply catalog and a cookbook by Mulia Mild. And a few tubs of ice cream! We had to eat that before it melted. So it was a surprise chillax picnic in the sun, with the ice cream helping with the chill part of the chillax, according to Pinkie. Dash, the authority on all things chillax, said not quite, but close enough. The rest of us just ate the ice cream. Then we settled down to read and soak up the fall sunshine. Dash had brought my copy of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone to return to me. She hadn't succeeded in getting it signed by A. K. Yearling for me, but that's understandable, what with her getting foalnapped by Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies while at the convention. That led her to tell us all again about her adventure with Daring Do and another fan pony, which is sure to be the subject of the next Daring Do book.

The evening chill starts early this time of year and since we weren't planning on camping out in the fields (we hadn't even planned on a "chillax" picnic), we picked up our things and headed home in the lengthening shadows of the afternoon. I made a detour to Sugar Cube Corner to pick up a small tub of ice cream for Spike. Chocolate mint generously sprinkled with Pinkie's rock candy. Spike has probably already eaten the entire thing.