Twinkle/TOCP's Thirty Minute Ponies Stories

by Twinkletail

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Romance, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 74124

It had been ages since I'd last written fanfiction, but I've been getting back into it with help from Thirty Minute Ponies. Every day, a writing prompt is posted with a six-hour window, and you have to write a story in 30 minutes and submit it. It's really helped me get back into writing again, and hopefully I'll be getting back into longer works soon. Here's a compilation of all the stories I've written for TMPS so far. Feel free to check out the tumblr and get in on this yourself; it's a whole lot of fun, and there are so many talented writers contributing! I'll be including the prompt in each story, to show what I was working with each time.

Published 2012-07-12 02:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-14 03:00:11 UTC

Prompt #1: Silence Isn't Golden

The prompt: Write a Rainbow Pie story in which one (or both) of the characters does not utter a single word of dialogue for the entire story.

"So, what do you wanna do today?" Rainbow Dash asked, trotting along. She and Pinkie were always able to find a good time in nearly anything. It was a dynamic that she really enjoyed about how they were as a couple. It was often to the point where they didn't even need to communicate with each other. One would see an opportunity for a good time, and the other would catch right on. Not that there was a lack of communication; Pinkie always saw to that. The day that Pinkie had trouble communicating was the day that...well, it was nearly impossible to even draw a proper metaphor, because it simply didn't happen. Pinkie was Pinkie, and Pinkie always talked endlessly.

Except for right now, apparently. Rainbow found the lack of response from the pink baker unsettling. It had been nearly 5 seconds since the pegasus had asked her question. By this point, she would have already been buried in verbiage from her hyperactive partner. This time, though, the earth pony's lips remained sealed. Rainbow glanced to her side, just to make sure that Pinkie hadn't zoomed off after a butterfly or gone to greet some other pony in the distance. These were, to Rainbow, the only likely solutions for the lack of response.

Yet there she was. Bouncing alongside Rainbow. Wordlessly. Impossibly, inconceivably wordlessly. It wasn't right. Something was just wrong.

"Uh, hello? Equestria to Pinkie?" Rainbow said. Pinkie, who had been looking a little bothered by something while bouncing along, gave Rainbow a cute little smile, her eyes opening wide with excitement. This confused Rainbow even more. She looked so happy, and yet she refused to speak to her.

"I said, what do you wanna do today?" the blue pegasus repeated. Pinkie just bounced along, completely nonresponsive. Rainbow sneered a bit. Were they in a fight? She hadn't remembered doing anything to insult her love, and Pinkie wasn't an easy pony to upset. Even if she was, she'd often tell Rainbow exactly why she was upset. They didn't keep secrets from each other. At least, they hadn't ever done so. Maybe she was keeping a secret right now? It wasn't like her, but then again, it was next to impossible to predict the pink pony's actions.

"Okay, what did I do wrong?" Rainbow asked, a bit of venom in her tone. She hated being told that she had done something wrong, especially when she didn't even remember what it was that she'd done. Pinkie simply continued bouncing along. This frustrated Equestria's fastest pegasus to no end.

"Come on, Pinkie, talk to me!" Rainbow said, a bit louder. "What did I do?" Pinkie turned to her and gave her the same smile and the same excited look that she had earlier, but still said nothing. Rainbow waited to see if she would answer, and when it became evident that she would not, she sneered.

"This is ridiculous!" Rainbow shouted. "I don't even know what I did wrong, and you won't even tell me! Come on! Out with it!" Her wings flared up as she shouted, hoping to maybe intimidate her partner into spilling the beans on what this apparent fight was all about. Still, the pink baker remained silent. Rainbow was beginning to shake with frustration; this would not stand.

"Was it when I caught you with that rubber cupcake prank earlier this morning?" Rainbow asked. She knew that Pinkie always took pranks in stride, but she was reaching for straws here. The lack of the ever-present ramblings of her love was really getting to her. Pinkie's lack of response to this relieved her a bit. That WAS a good prank, and she knew Pinkie would appreciate it. Yet she still had to get to the bottom of this, or it would just eat away at her.

"Was it when I said that I didn't want to go visit Applejack the other day?" she asked tentatively. Pinkie had really wanted the two of them to deliver her special apple muffins to AJ, knowing that she would just love them and that a visit from two friends was better than a visit from one. The pegasus just didn't feel up to it that day, though. And besides, it was right smack dab in the middle of her naptime. Pinkie still refused to answer, and Rainbow's anger started to rise again.

"Tell me what's wrong!" Rainbow shouted. "I can't take this anymore! You have to speak! You always speak! Constantly! You never even stop when I ask you to! Why aren't you speaking now??" Pinkie bit her lip a bit as she bounced along, but still refused to give the blue pegasus an answer. Rainbow rose into the air, flying around to Pinkie's front. The two were nose-to-nose now.

"Speak up!" Rainbow shouted. "Why aren't you talking to me? You haven't said a single word to me since we left Sugarcube Corner! Was it something I did there? I can't even remember doing anything wrong there! I went to your room, I said hello, we kissed, we went downstairs, we said goodbye to Mrs. Cake..."

Rainbow paused right then and there. She briefly looked up to the sky, as if thinking of something. Finally, she looked back into Pinkie's eyes. Her eyes narrowed, and she sighed an exasperated sigh. She finally knew what she had done.

"...Pinkie."

Pinkie giggled and hugged Rainbow tightly. The blue pegasus restrained the urge to shout at her, and took a moment before she finally hugged back. She shook her head as she did so. Pinkie could be frustrating, but she loved her anyway. And if there was one thing she'd learned from all of this, it was that Pinkie took jinxes seriously.

Prompt #3: An Injury Most Grievous

The prompt: Twilight is grievously injured and only Pinkie Pie can save her.

Twilight sat quietly on a mountain of pillows, books upon books laid out in front of her. The books were her idea. The pillows were Pinkie's. The bookish unicorn had always insisted that she was quite comfortable just lying on her bed, her couch, or even the floor to read, but the pink baker would not hear it. She wanted her favoritest pony in the whole wide world to be as comfortable as possible. Not that Twilight really minded much; these pillows WERE quite comfy. It was just a luxury that she felt she didn't need, though she did appreciate Pinkie's desire to lavish her.

Twilight gazed upon the pages of the Master Mare's Manual to Monsters Magnificent and Malevolent. She sure hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with any of the beasts described within its pages, but with the frequency at which she and her friends were called upon to save Equestria or venture into the Everfree Forest, one could never be certain of the ability to avoid them. The purple unicorn briefly glanced over at Pinkie, who was lying on top of her own pile of cushions. They usually sat together, but they had just finished an epic pillow war, and each was claiming their own fortress as their place of relaxation for the moment. Twilight was surprised with how well Pinkie was able to fight back in a pillow war, especially since she, being an earth pony, lacked the magical element that Twilight had employed to bombard her with fluffy ammunition. Even after all this time knowing Pinkie and all these months being her special somepony, she still found ways to surprise her.

Twilight turned the page with a quiet "ouch." This wasn't typical of her. She usually didn't say anything upon turning a page, since studying required the majority of her attention and speaking would likely take her out of it. This time, however, the cause of her unusual utterance was a tiny laceration on the soft flesh at the bottom of her hoof. In her haste to be expedient and turn the page quickly, she had sacrificed prudence, and sustained a minor papercut. The purple unicorn let it be. Papercuts were not too uncommon for somepony that read so many books, and she thought nothing of it. Pinkie did not share her mindset.

"OH NO!!" Pinkie bellowed, upon hearing Twilight's verbal recognition of her minor pain. Before Twilight knew it, the pink pony was practically on top of her. The baker grabbed Twilight's hoof and turned it over roughly, an action which caused Twilight slightly more pain than the papercut.

"Your poor hoofsie!" Pinkie lamented, cradling it in her own. Twilight stared at Pinkie, baffled. This was quite the reaction.

"It's fine, Pinkie..." Twilight tried to tell her, but Pinkie would have none of it. Before she knew what had happened, Pinkie had lifted Twilight onto her back.

"Don't you worry, Twilie!" Pinkie said. "Pinkie Pie's here to make the hurty-wurty go away!" Twilight tried to protest, but Pinkie was determined. "I have a first aid kit at Sugarcube Corner! C'mon!!" The purple unicorn did not even have time to inform Pinkie of the bandages that she had in her own bathroom. Pinkie was already out the door. The pink pony galloped at full speed through the town, a stark difference from her usual casual bouncing. In her haste, she nearly bowled over Fluttershy, who had been out for a nice stroll.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked as Pinkie skid to a halt to avoid collision. "What's the matter?"

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You're good at taking care of injured animals, right?" The yellow pegasus nodded nervously. "What about injured ponies?" Fluttershy looked back and forth between Twilight and Pinkie, so very confused.

"Um..." Fluttershy started.

"Good enough!" Pinkie responded. She quickly loaded a meeping Fluttershy on top of Twilight's back and continued zooming towards Sugarcube Corner. The yellow pegasus looked at Twilight with the most confused expression the purple unicorn had ever seen. Twilight just sighed and shook her head.

Moments later, the three ponies had arrived at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie placed Fluttershy on the ground, then plopped Twilight down into yet another large stack of pillows. Pinkie always kept piles of pillows all around Ponyville, in case of pillow emergencies like this one.

"Give me the injured hoof!" Pinkie demanded. Twilight raised a brow and stretched the cut hoof in Pinkie's direction. Fluttershy looked over to inspect the injury. Even to a meek, nervous pony like Fluttershy, the injury didn't look bad at all.

"Quick! Fluttershy! Bandage!" Pinkie blurted out, stretching a waiting hoof out. The yellow pegasus blinked a few times, then gently passed a bandage into the outstretched hoof. The pink pony applied the adhesive strip, then stretched her hoof out again. "More!"

"More?" Fluttershy asked tentatively.

"More!" Pinkie responded.

"Don't you think this is a little silly, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"More!!" Pinkie shouted again. Fluttershy acquiesced.

A few minutes later, Pinkie was finally satisfied. Twilight sat there, looking quite perturbed. Her hoof was very heavily bandaged and wrapped in gauze.

"You're lucky I was there for you, Twilie!" Pinkie said, beaming. "Who KNOWS what could have happened?" Twilight just sighed. At least she could take solace in how much Pinkie cared for her.

Prompt #4: Anything For You

The prompt: Princess Luna takes Pinkie Pie on an “outing” to thank her for something.

"Omigosh...it's so beautiful!" Pinkie exclaimed as her eyes darted left and right, overseeing all the sights that laid in front of her. The Princess had shown her many sights in the time that they had been together, but this, by far, was the most wowie-zowie, super-fantastic awesome sight of all time! The moon princess smirked at Pinkie's excitement.

"I take it you enjoy where I have taken you, my little pony?" Luna asked. She already knew the answer to this query, but Pinkie had the most adorable, entertaining ways of answering questions like this. She wouldn't miss this opportunity.

"I do!" Pinkie bubbled. "It's so cool and awesome and great and fantastic and gray! I usually don't like gray all that much because it's not very colorful and I really like things that are really really colorful, although one of my sisters is gray and I liked her just fine but STILL! I usually like color-y things the best, but this gray is different! I love it soooooooo so so much!" Luna chuckled lightly to herself. The answer did not disappoint.

The little pink pony bounced left and right, too excited to stand still. As she did so, she marveled at just how high she was able to bounce. She could never do anything even remotely like this back in Equestria! Any time she bounced around back at home she'd land about a second later, and that was fun and all, but this! This was glorious! It took almost five seconds for her to land from each bounce! This wasn't just regular bouncing; it was ADVANCED bouncing! Pinkie bounced to and fro, and then back to to once she was done with fro, because she didn't want to neglect to. To was just as good as fro and deserved equal treatment in Pinkie's mind. Before Pinkie could make it back to fro, though, the moon princess took hold of her with her magic. Pinkie giggled as Luna levitated her over and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Do you see that over there?" Luna asked, pointing to a particularly large crater. "That's where I spent most of my time over those years. It doesn't look very comfortable, but one gets used to it." Pinkie gaped as she stared at the crater. Upon closer inspection, she saw little lines carved into the side. Tally marks, indicating how many days the princess had spent here. It was a very big crater.

"I'm sure it was super-duper comfy-womfy!" Pinkie said excitedly. Luna rolled her eyes a bit, just outside of Pinkie's field of vision. She didn't want her little pony to see any sign of disagreement. As far as Pinkie knew, the two of them agreed about everything.

"Yes," Luna said. "Comfy-womfy indeed." Pinkie giggle-snorted. It was funny to hear the princess say comfy-womfy. Luna gently spun Pinkie around so that the two were facing each other. The rest of the tour could wait, for Luna still had to thank Pinkie properly.

"My dear Pinkie Pie," Luna said. "You mean everything to me. Without you, I would have nothing."

"That's not true!" Pinkie said, smiling. "You'd have your room and your bed and your blankets and-" Luna cut her off, smirking a bit.

"Literally, I would have things," Luna explained. "But none of them mean as much to me as you do."

"Ohhhhhhhhh," Pinkie answered. She blushed and giggled softly. "I see." Luna nodded, then floated Pinkie a bit closer, so they were nose-to-nose.

"You are going to keep your promise to me, right?" the princess asked. "It would mean the world to me...and to you."

"I'd do aaaaaaanything for you, Princess!" Pinkie replied, nodding happily.

"I do hope you brought it," Luna said, looking straight into Pinkie's eyes. Pinkie blinked a bit, then felt reeeeeeally happy. This happened a lot when she was with Luna and they looked into each other's eyes. It was the happiest, most spectacular feeling ever, like every single party that she had ever thrown had manifested into one big huge ball of joy and enveloped her. Luna always made her feel like that when she looked into her eyes, and it felt even better when she'd do whatever Luna asked of her after that. She really liked that feeling.

"Yup!" Pinkie answered, smiling dreamily. "I suuuuure did!"

"Then give it to me," Luna said, a bit of ice in her tone. Pinkie gleefully acquiesced, reaching into her bag and pulling out her Element. Luna put an extra bit of magic into her gaze as a reward for obeying, and Pinkie felt it all over her body, the same warm, pleasing feeling she got every time she did something that the princess told her to do. The moon princess placed the happy, squirming Pinkie on the ground, then brought the Element into her possession. With a quick motion, she snapped it in half.

"You do promise to help me in any way you can with this, correct?" Luna asked, setting her gaze on Pinkie once more. The little pink pony giggled as another wave of happiness wafted through her.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie responded.

"Very good," Luna said, her lips twisting into a smile as she surrounded herself with an all-too-familiar dark energy. "Thank you, Pinkie Pie. When Equestria is mine, I shall give you Ponyville as a present."

Pinkie beamed, overcome with joy. She loved making Luna smile.

Prompt #6: Pass or Fail

The Prompt: Character A has done or is going to do something which will hurt Character B, and A knows they’re going to hurt B, but A is going to do it anyway.

She regarded his appearance first. Maybe it made her shallow, but she could not help it. She was a pony of very specific tastes. An upper class pony like herself could not be seen in public with a partner who did not meet Canterlot society's high expectations. He had to be a shining example of stallionhood, one that dripped with pulchritude and exemplified ruggedness, while at the same time holding an air of grace. The pony in front of her did not fit this definition in the least. His unkempt mane, his protruding front teeth, his slovenly getup...none of these would ever earn him acceptance amongst her peers. One test had been failed.

She regarded his social potential next. Once again, she recognized that such a thing might make her shallow, as her concerns were more for her own well-being than his. She dismissed this once more. A pony in her standing could not take any risks. She needed a pony who was able to hold his own at the various upper-crust parties (parties that were, ironically, often thrown by Upper Crust), hodge-podge with the elite, and make her look good in the process. Once again, he fit into this mold about as well as a square peg into a round hole. His profession was unrelatable to her crowd, perhaps even completely beneath them. His appearance played a factor in this as well, and that accent...that accent was simply deplorable. It would not do. The second test had been failed as well.

Finally, she regarded his personality. This was a distant third when it came to choosing a partner, but it still mattered. This was the one department in which he shone. In her conversations with him (All done under the cover of night, in the least-populated of locations), he impressed her with his ability to make her smile. She would describe her multitude of problems to him; whether it be an issue with a poorly-executed manecut, an accidental fashion faux-pas, or...well, anything...he listened. He hung on her every word, devoting his full attention to her and offering his best advice, advice which she often took, albeit without giving credit where credit was due. He possessed a strange, rustic charm, despite all of his shortcomings. Normally, a stallion who had failed even one of the previous two tests would not make it to the third. A single failure was a failure overall. Yet this one time, with this one stallion and no other, she was willing to make an exception. Perhaps the ponies in Canterlot's upper echelon would briefly lower their noses from the sky to laugh haughtily at her. Perhaps they would demean her for choosing one that did not fit their mold. Perhaps...no, certainly...they would toss barbed words in his direction, whether he be right there for him or not. They had done it many times before, and they would again. Yet he took it in stride. He did not speak a bad word towards those who would mock him, for, as he often said, "Two wrongs don't make no right." Even his lack of attention paid to proper syntax was slightly charming. For these reasons, she ignored her usual criteria for a partner. If the papers caught them and word spread throughout Canterlot, she would accept it, for he had made himself out to be worth it in her eyes.

Fleur De Lis lie on her bed, surrounded in rose petals. The setting could not possibly have been more lovely. She posed on the mattress, for it was her way. She always posed. Her beauty and grace allowed for it, and she took full advantage. She cast a beckoning gaze towards the door, inviting him to step closer.

"Gee golly, Ms. De Lis!" Hayseed Turniptruck stammered, his cheeks quickly reddening. "I never done thought I'd end up here!" Fleur did not respond verbally. Her eyes spoke volumes. They requested his presence next to her, and he shut his mouth and took the hint. The window washer took this opportunity with vigor, something in the back of his mind telling him that such an opportunity would rarely, if ever, arise again. He stepped onto the bed, a single forehoof gently brushing the mane out of Fleur's face. The posh pony gave a warm smile, and he said no more. His appearance failed her criteria, but she looked past it to the pony within. His social graces fell short, but right now, the only pony he needed to enthrall was her, and he had done so already. His personality had earned him this incredibly rare opportunity, and neither of them wished to squander it. He acted, she reacted, and everything was wonderful.

Moments later, the door opened.

"I say, what is going on here?" Fancy Pants said, trying to process the sight that laid before him. She knew he would be coming home at this time. He always did. Perhaps this was not the kindest way to tell him that the fire in their relationship has gone out, but it was the way she had chosen, and she bore no regrets.

Fleur covered Hayseed's mouth before he could say a word. Once again, no words were necessary. The two white unicorns stared at each other for a long, tense moment, one that felt like it would go on forever. It was the stallion that faltered first, leaving the room without another word. Fleur did feel a modicum of regret, as most anypony would, but her choice had been made.

Prompt #7: Looking For Help

The Prompt: The circumstances leading to, following, or surrounding somepony uttering the question, “How could Twilight Sparkle be so stupid?”

Rainbow Dash had flown excitedly into the library today. When she was a filly, she had never imagined herself being excited to enter a library. In fact, it was rare that she ever envisioned herself entering a library in any fashion, let alone being this anxious to do so. Twilight Sparkle had changed that. Ever since the two got together, going to the library was possibly the biggest highlight of her day. While her excitement was usually due to the promise of romantic activities, though, today's visit was much different (Although said romantic activities would not be unwelcome). Today's visit was a business-related one, and she knew that when Twilight heard what she needed from her, she would be ecstatic to help. It was for this reason that she was extra-surprised when Twilight's answer was a flat "no."

"...What?" Rainbow asked incredulously. "No?? I thought this would be right up your alley!" Twilight sat, hooves crossed, not looking at the blue pegasus. Rainbow was absolutely baffled. This was something that the bookish unicorn should have loved. After finishing up the meeting with her fellow Ponyville pegasi about the hurricane that they needed to create, Rainbow had gotten the idea to talk to Twilight and see if she could come up with something to help them measure the strength of the hurricane. It was something that required research and study, and that would provide her a good learning experience on the strength of a pegasus's wingpower. All that think-y stuff that Twilight liked, rolled into one big event. Plus, it was something for them to do together, and that just sweetened the deal in Rainbow's mind. Still, Twilight refused.

"No," Twilight repeated. "I will not help you." The purple unicorn turned her nose up, eyes closed. This only served to frustrate Rainbow further.

"This is a great opportunity to learn stuff, Twi!" Rainbow shouted. "Why in Equestria would you not want to help out?" Twilight finally turned to face the blue pegasus, giving her an icy stare.

"You know why," Twilight responded, and then looked away again. Rainbow facehooved. Twilight was mad at her for something, and she had no clue what it was.

"Don't be like this, Twi," Rainbow said. "I need your help really badly! You're the smartest pony I know, and I need a smart pony to-"

"Oh really now?" Twilight snapped, turning to glare at her again. "The smartest pony you know, huh?" Rainbow nodded slowly. She hoped this wasn't another instance of Twilight trying to be humble, or trying to defend their friends when something like this was said. She knew that each of their friends was smart in their own way. Applejack had an amazing business sense and knew so much about farming. Rarity was the most artistically creative pony she'd ever met. Fluttershy was like an encyclopedia of animal knowledge, and Pinkie, despite how flighty she seemed, was deceptively bright. Of all of them, though, Twilight was the smartest in the terms of what Rainbow needed right this moment. Her wide array of knowledges was astounding due to all her studies, and surely in those studies she'd found something that could help in this situation.

"Yes!" Rainbow answered. "The smartest pony I know, okay?"

"Then why did you say what you did exactly three weeks, four days, and eleven hours ago?" Twilight asked, glaring. Rainbow blinked a few times. She couldn't remember saying anything that would have upset Twilight. There were times that she barely remembered what she had for breakfast in the morning, let alone a comment she made three weeks, four days, and eleven hours ago. She knew it was no use playing dumb, though.

"Uh...what comment?" Rainbow asked sheepishly. Twilight let out an exasperated sigh, then pulled out her journal and turned back a number of pages.

"Ahem," Twilight said, pointing to a page in the book. Rainbow floated over to look.

"How could Twilight Sparkle be so stupid?" Rainbow read. She didn't remember this at all.

"You were talking to me about making out," Twilight said. "And I didn't know what you were talking about, and I asked in what context it would make sense, since the only reference point I had was "making an out," a kickball term, and that made no sense in the way that you were talking about it. And when I told you that I had no idea what kickball had to do with a romantic evening together, you said, 'How could Twilight Sparkle be so stupid?' Well, I guess if I'm stupid, I can't very well help you with something like this, can I?" Rainbow floated there, dumbfounded. She hadn't even thought anything of that comment. It was the same kind of mostly-good-natured ribbing that she and Applejack often shared.

"...Is this really why you're so upset?" Rainbow asked, trying to wrap her brain around this.

"And you didn't apologize," Twilight answered. Rainbow facehooved. She never apologized for anything. It wasn't her way. However, she hated to see Twilight this upset with her. The blue pegasus sighed lightly.

"Okay, Twi," Rainbow said. "I'm sorry I said that. It was wrong of me. You really are the smartest pony I know, and I can't think of anypony else that I'd rather have help me than you." Rainbow prepared to keep going, but was interrupted by a hug from the purple unicorn.

"Apology accepted!" Twilight said gleefully. Rainbow was once again confused.

"...That's all?" Rainbow asked. Not that she wanted Twi to stay mad at her; it was just that she seemed so angry a moment ago, too angry to just drop it like this.

"That's all!" Twilight said, letting go. "I got what I wanted! You barely ever apologize to anypony, and you apologized to me! That means a lot to me, and according to my studies, something like that is an important step in a relationship." Rainbow smiled with relief.

"So you'll help me?" Rainbow asked. Twilight nodded happily.

"I've been looking for a reason to use my anemometer!" Twilight answered. "And thank you again for apologizing to me. I know how stubborn you can be."

"...Excuse me?" Rainbow said. "Stubborn?" Twilight trotted into her study, smiling. Rainbow glared at her as she left. Now it was her turn to be angry.

Prompt #8: Dancing So It's Free

The prompt:

They danced
until rivers of sweat
poured down their sides
until their muscles
trembled
until they panted for air.
They danced
with all that they had and
all that they were.
They danced
because it was when
they danced
that they were
free.

(Write a story about ponies dancing. The above is offered to help inspire you as to determining these ponies’ motivations, feelings about dancing, etc.)

"Come on, Flutters!" Pinkie shouted over the music. "Shake that groove thang!" The yellow pegasus whimpered slightly as her partner went nuts on the dance floor, performing moves that she could never even imagine performing. She wasn't taken by surprise; Pinkie's dance moves were the stuff of legend, given her status as Ponyville's Premiere Party Pony and all. It was more that she felt embarrassed, because her dance moves, if one could even call them that, were not quite up to that level. She could bob her head just fine, although she didn't want to bob it too much because then ponies would notice how much she was bobbing her head and they would all turn and stare at her, and if she lost the rhythm for a moment all the ponies would surely laugh at her and she could never show her face here again and...

"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked. "Um...I'm trying..." She couldn't get the imagery of all the ponies on the dance floor belittling her out of her head, but she powered through and kept her little headbob going.

"That's more like it!" Pinkie exclaimed, even though Fluttershy hadn't changed a single thing about what she had been doing. "We've gotta keep this going if we wanna win!" It had been a very long night, and the dance floor was down to four couples. Every couple in Ponyville had come out that night for this dance-off. A big Ponyville event like this always drew big crowds, as the ponies loved getting together and enjoying themselves, but tonight's event was even more packed than usual, likely due to the prize being given out; an all-expense-paid week-long vacation for two to Las Pegasus for the last couple standing on the dance floor. Pinkie wanted this so badly. Las Pegasus really was her kind of city; flashing lights, constant music, and parties at every turn. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing Fluttershy normally would have gone for, but she loved Pinkie and wanted her to be happy, and if that meant spending a week in a big, loud, scary city with her, then it was worth it.

Lyra and Bon-Bon were the first of the final four to drop out. Lyra slipped during an otherwise-graceful spin, taking both herself and Bon-Bon down to the floor. As per the rules of the contest, if both members of a couple were knocked down, they were eliminated. Bon-Bon sighed and glared at Lyra, who offered a guilty "I'm sorry" smile.

Applejack and Rarity were the next to fall. AJ had been frustrating her fancy partner all night, as their dance styles, to say the least, clashed. Rarity had been trying to bring the rustic farm pony into a more sophisticated waltz, but AJ had other ideas, trying to convince the prissy pony to square dance. Somehow, despite all of this, it had worked for a while, but a misstep in a do-si-do collided with a fanciful sashay, and the two were floored. This would surely cause yet another argument between the odd couple, but their arguments usually didn't last very long, and the other ponies were convinced by this point that they only had so many arguments because they enjoyed making up.

Pinkie and Fluttershy looked across the dance floor at their only remaining competition; Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. This was a tough one, as Rainbow's energy nearly matched Pinkie's, while Twilight had been studying proper muscle care and made sure to pace herself with her less-than-graceful dancing. Plus, the blue pegasus was the competitive sort, and it wasn't exactly beneath her to do whatever it took to win a competition. Fluttershy whimpered again, as her neck muscles trembled from so much head-bobbing. Rivers of sweat poured down her forehead as she tried to keep her rhythm. Pinkie, on the other hand, was tireless, and continued on with impossible energy. Things started looking up for the pink baker and her nervous love, as Twilight was forced to bow out due to exhaustion. She was eliminated, but Rainbow's exuberant dancing was keeping them in the game. Fluttershy was too exhausted to go on. Still bobbing her head for the moment, she leaned over to whisper to Pinkie that she would have to go on without her. The yellow pegasus made a critical error, though, as Pinkie had to swing out of the way to avoid hitting her with an errant hoof while spinning. The pink baker lost her balance and spun out of control. She whizzed along the dance floor for a bit, finally crashing headlong into Rainbow Dash. The two most energetic ponies on the dance floor had been eliminated.

"Great!" Rainbow groaned. "A tie! What happens now?!" Pinkie shook her head out, then poked Rainbow and grinned.

"Nopey dopey!" Pinkie giggled. "No tie here!" She pointed a hoof towards Fluttershy, whose head was still bobbing. Rainbow facehooved as judges swarmed the poor, timid pegasus and congratulated her on her victory. Fluttershy managed a small smile in Pinkie's direction, and the pink baker jumped for joy over their success. "Great job, Fluttershy!" she bubbled as she bounced over for one of her patented biiiiiiiiiiig hugs. Fluttershy smiled meekly. In the back of her mind, she was panicking over the idea of a week in Equestria's busiest city, but the smile on Pinkie's face made it all worth it.

Prompt #9: Last Words

Prompt: Write a Flutterjack fic which includes the last words Fluttershy and Applejack ever say to one another.

Their first date was...unique, to say the least. It wasn't quite what one would call a typical date, but it wasn't meant to be at first. A day of apple-bucking, followed by an accidental injury to the usually-timid pegasus. Not what one would call a normal date. That described their entire relationship quite well, actually. Their friends didn't expect the two to get together; neither of them had ever shown signs of it before that day. Sure, there was the time with the dragon, when Applejack was the one to go out of her way to help Fluttershy up the mountain, and when she was the first to encourage her to talk to the dragon and overcome her fears. But Applejack would have done that to any of them. They didn't call her the most dependable of ponies for nothing. It was different with Fluttershy, though. Her kind soul and quiet, adorable demeanor just struck her in a way that nopony else could, and the feelings were mutual. Fluttershy admired AJ's tough exterior, the way she was able to be brave and outgoing, two things Fluttershy always wanted to be. The two ponies couldn't be more opposite, but as many ponies often said, opposites attract.

They spent nearly every day together, practically every waking moment. Despite this, they wouldn't go flaunting their relationship all over the place. AJ knew how nervous Fluttershy was, and would never purposefully subject her to the embarrassment that came from public signs of affection. They couldn't help it sometimes, though. A nuzzle here and there, a warm hug, a gentle kiss. It never went further than that when other ponies were present, but those were common occurrences, not so much for the intention of making sure everypony knew of their feelings for each other, but moreso because the two of them just couldn't keep themselves apart for too long.

The day they spoke their vows to each other was one of the happiest days in Ponyville. Ponyville was usually a happy place in general, but something about their union just brightened the town even more. Theirs was a love that held strong, and seeing the two ponies so happy to be with each other was something that energized the others and gave them hope, especially their closest friends. The two rarely argued. Sure, the occasional disagreement came up here and there. It was inevitable; something that happened with all couples. No romance was perfect, but Applejack and Fluttershy tried their darnedest to make theirs as close to perfect as possible. Any argument that did come up was quickly defused. The sheer extent to which the two cared for each other would not allow for them to remain upset with each other.

As strong as their love for each other was, the adoption of their daughter only made it stronger. They had considered the idea for quite a while, and after much discussion, they knew it was what they wanted. Applejack was always very family-oriented, and Fluttershy's natural caring spirit made it a natural decision for the two of them. They raised her as best they could. When that wasn't enough, they had the help of their friends.

They lived full, happy lives. Applejack, always the hard worker, kept up on her farmwork until she physically couldn't anymore. Big Macintosh's twins took over when the farmer finally had to retire. Fluttershy continued caring for her animal friends, but it became harder and harder on the pegasus as she advanced in years. Eventually, that job was taken over by their daughter. The two missed their former obligations, but they remained happy, even without their work.

They grew old together. The time formerly spent working was now spent sitting on a loveseat outside, watching their family work and play. Maybe other ponies would have found it boring, just sitting there instead of keeping active. In truth, they found it somewhat boring on occasion. Applejack, in particular, was so used to working. But such a feeling would not last long, for it was when they were with each other that they were truly at their happiest.

They reflected on their lives together as Applejack lay on that bed, no longer having the energy to leave it. They held hooves for as long as they could. The farmer brushed away the pegasus's tears whenever it was necessary. She reassured her that they had lived long, happy lives together, and that nopony could have possibly dreamed of having a life that held even a fraction of the joy that theirs had. As Applejack drew her final breath, she held her love close.

"I'll always be here for you," the earth pony whispered.

"You'll always be in my heart," the pegasus whispered back.

And then she was gone.

Fluttershy did not move from her bedside position until Applejack was taken away. She would remain by her side for as long as she possibly could. Applejack was there for her when they faced the dragon. She was by her side for every day since their first date. Fluttershy would not leave it now.

She visited her grave every day. Often more than once. It got harder and harder for her to make it there, and once she no longer had the physical capacity to keep going, it was there that she stayed. Eventually, she closed her eyes for the last time. Their daughter was there to witness it, and told others that it was the first time since AJ's passing that Fluttershy had smiled.

Prompt #10: Friend's Night Out

Prompt: Two ponies go to a bar; one gets extremely drunk.

“You…you gots a really pretty mane…” the blue pegasus slurred, smiling dreamily. She had completely lost count of how much she had drank since she arrived at the bar, but whatever the number was, it certainly fit the criteria of “a lot.” She didn’t often drink -this- much when she went out. She’d drink just enough to get herself nice and sloshed, and then she was content for the night. Tonight, though…she’d just gone way overboard with it. She felt that she needed to impress her drinking partner for the evening, and for good reason; it wasn’t everyday that one was given the opportunity to spend the night with the captain of the Wonderbolts. In Dash’s mind, Spitfire was the coolest, most awesome pony in all of Equestria (Other than herself, of course). A pony of her caliber was sure to be a big partier. A big partier liked to drink, hence the bar crawl tonight. A pony that liked to drink liked to get drunk. A pony who liked to get drunk was likely to be impressed by another pony who could drink a lot. If she was impressed, she’d want to see her again. If she saw her again, maybe she’d get to really like her, and if she really liked her, she could potentially be dating the captain of the Wonderbolts. And with that kind of in, how could she possibly NOT get a place on the team? And it sure didn’t hurt things that she was quite the looker. The aforementioned pretty mane was only one of the things she could compliment her on. She had a lot of other things she liked about her, and she was determined to let her know every single one of them.

Spitfire smiled politely as Dash went on and on. She was used to fanponies before, but this was just something else. She hadn’t stopped drinking since they arrived at the bar. Spitfire liked to have a drink here and there, but she usually stopped when she was just starting to feel tipsy. There was no way that she would allow herself to get into the state that Dash was currently in. As a public figure, she couldn’t afford it even if she wanted to. Surely the papers would be all over a story about the revered Wonderbolts captain had embarrassed herself in a drunken stupor at the local club. Some ponies said that any publicity was good publicity, but Spitfire just couldn’t risk that. Besides, what would the fillies and colts who idolized her think, reading about their hero’s drunken escapades? Nope, absolutely not worth it. It was even risky to be seen in a situation like this, hanging out with a pony who was blitzed out of her mind like Dash was. However, she didn’t really want to leave. Dash was a bit brash, but she was a nice pony, and she owed her one for the whole saving her life thing. She’d endure it for tonight, and hopefully the next time the two hung out, mass quantities of alcohol would not be involved.

“Did…didju know that I love the Wonderbolts??” Dash asked, nearly slipping off of her barstool. Spitfire knew this. She knew it before tonight. Even if she hadn’t, the seventeen times that Dash had said it in the last hour alone might have provided an ample hint towards her discovery of the fact.

“Yes I did,” Spitfire replied with a polite smile. “I was aware.”

“You were?!” Dash asked incredulously. “Ha…have you been reading my diary?”

“I’ve never even been to your house, Dash,” Spitfire said, chuckling a bit.

“Do you wanna see it?!” Dash practically shouted.

“Maaaaaaybe another time,” was Spitfire’s response. She wasn’t trying to blow Dash off, but she was fine with just staying at the club tonight until it was time for her to head home.

“It’s really great!!” Dash said, staring at Spitfire with an intense, meaningful stare. “It’s made of clouds, and it’s got rainbow waterfalls, and part of it is shaped like a-“

“Peach schnapps please!” Spitfire shouted, interrupting Dash. She’d seen Dash’s house once before. She knew where that sentence was going, and there was no way she was letting her finish it in public. Dash nodded and ordered herself yet another drink.

A half hour passed. Spitfire had just gotten herself to her pleasant state of tipsiness. Dash, on the other hoof, was even farther gone than before. The bartender had thankfully cut her off, but the damage was already done. Spitfire smiled as she relaxed on her barstool. Even though Dash was being just the tiniest bit loud and a slight bit obnoxious, she was having a good time. It was nice hanging out like this. It was the kind of thing she did with her friends. She wondered if she considered Dash a friend.

“Spitfireeeee,” Dash groaned, beaming. “Didju know….didju know that I loooooove the Wonderbolts?!”

“Really?” Spitfire asked, humoring her. “I never knew that! Tell me more!” Yeah, she could consider her a friend. That worked for her. She could see herself hanging out with her more often.

“Omigoshomigoshomigosh!” Dash suddenly burst out. “I love this song!” Before Spitfire knew what was going on, Dash was standing next to Spitfire, leaning on her drunkenly. Spitfire smiled awkwardly. She knew she was going to sing.

“I thought love was only true in fairytales…” Dash started. Spitfire had to admit that, even when drunk, she had a decent singing voice.

“Meant for someone else, but not for me…” she continued. Spitfire continued to smile awkwardly. Dash was being pretty loud and bringing a lot of attention to the two, but it wasn’t a huge deal. She was just being friendly.

“Love was out to get me…that’s the way it seemed…disappointment haunted all my dreams…” Spitfire chuckled a bit. She was sure getting into this song, though it was kinda weird that her gaze hadn’t left Spitfire the whole time.

“Then I saw her face!” Dash belted out. “And I’m a believer! Not a trace of doubt in my mind!” Spitfire looked around at the ponies grinning, and grinned back. Dash was a bit silly, but she was a good friend. Dash suddenly stared straight into Spitfire’s eyes, placing a hoof in her mane.

“I’m in LOVE!” Dash sang, gazing at her. “I’m a believer! I couldn’t leave her if I tried!”

Spitfire suddenly felt a kiss on her cheek. At the same time, she was sure she saw a camera flash. Hoo boy. The papers were gonna have a field day with this one.

Prompt #11: Making A Mark

Prompt: The mane six all wake up in Sugarcube Corner after a wild night. But everypony remembers last night differently.

Applejack was the first to wake up. This came as no surprise; the hard-working farmer pony often woke up at the crack of dawn to take care of her property. Today, though, she found herself waking up on the floor of Sugarcube Corner. After a few moments, she remembered that she had gone out the night prior with the girls. It was an intense, awesome night, one that she would remember for a good long time to come. The others woke up one by one. Twilight was next, then Rarity, then Fluttershy, and then Rainbow. Pinkie remained asleep, snoring loudly. AJ was used to her snore by this point, and chuckled a bit as the others reacted with disdain to the noise that she'd not only grown used to, but accepted as just another cute part of a full adorable package. She watched the sleeping baker with a smile...but something seemed off. The farmer trotted up to Pinkie, and, upon further inspection, noticed a strange marking on her front left leg. The others, noticing her intent stare, came over to observe as well.

"The heck is that?" Rainbow asked loudly. The others gave her a "be quiet" look, and Rainbow repeated her question in a soft whisper. AJ stared at the marking, trying to remember...

"Uh oh..." the orange pony muttered. "Ah r'member what that is." The girls all continued to look it over as AJ shook her head.

"We were out las' night," AJ recalled, her eyes swishing back to Pinkie every once in a while. "An' we were all pretty far gone. Ah r'member Pinkie talkin' 'bout how 'super-awesome' gettin' a tattoo would be...she must've gone an' done it, an' none'f us were in the right state'a mind ta stop her!" The farmer facehooved. Her pink pony's body was permanently marked, and if she had been sober enough to say something, it wouldn't have happened...

"No wait!" Rainbow suddenly interjected. She was quickly shushed again, and resumed whispering. "No way, that's not what that is!"

"Then whaddaya reckon it is?" AJ asked. She was positive it was a tattoo, she clearly remembered Pinkie talking about it.

"That's the scar from when Pinkie fell!" Rainbow answered. "We were all leaving the bar, and she was busy bouncing all around like she usually does! But she was drunk, so her balance was off, and she slipped and fell against Berry Punch's fence! It was splintered a bit, and she got cut! I remember it clearly!" Rainbow groaned to herself. She was the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. If she wasn't drop-dead drunk, she could have swooped in and caught poor Pinkie before she scarred herself.

"No, that's not it either," Twilight said, placing a hoof on the frustrated Rainbow's back. "I remember what that is now. We were all in the bar, and that one brown stallion with the hourglass cutie mark was talking to her a whole lot. I remember us having to talk you down, AJ." The farmer nodded; that did sound like the kind of reaction she'd have to a stallion talking her pink baker up. "He wrote his address on her leg because there was no paper around, and she waited until he had left the bar before she scrubbed it off. The ink must have just stained her coat a bit."

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Twilight," Rarity spoke up, "But I believe you're mistaken. It was I who spoke the Dr. Whooves." The white unicorn showed off the address written on her leg to prove it. Twilight awkwardfaced; it wasn't like her to get a fact wrong, especially one that she had been there to witness. She blamed it on the hangover.

"That mark," Rarity explained, "Was caused by my dear cat Opalescence. We had stopped by Carousel Boutique after our night of excess, so I could write this address down properly. While inside, Pinkie had accidentally trodden upon poor Opal's tail. She...did not react well, to say the least. That is where she was scratched." Before anypony could say anything in response, the dramatic unicorn thrust herself onto a nearby couch, covering her forehead with a hoof. "If only I had informed Pinkie as to the location of Opal's bed! Our dear friend would never have gotten so badly and disfiguringly injured! Oh, woe is me! Woe is Rarity!"

"Um...excuse me," Fluttershy whispered, attempting to overcome Rarity's moans. After a few failed attempts, she finally nudged the white unicorn with a hoof to quiet her. "Um...I'm sorry...but that's not what that mark is. I remember Pinkie stepping on Opal's tail, but I calmed her down before she could scratch Pinkie. That mark came from the walk home...Pinkie was bouncing around and not paying attention, and she bounced into a patch of poison oak. That's the beginning of the symptoms, and it's going to spread." Fluttershy sighed as she remembered this. If she had just skipped that one glass of wine, she would have been attentive enough to steer Pinkie away from the poison oak...now she was going to suffer through all the terrible itching, and it was all her fault. Fluttershy shrank back into the corner, feeling terrible about herself.

"No way, it's a tattoo," AJ said. "I remember it."

"-That- is a scar!" Rainbow insisted.

"It's a pen marking and we'd better wash it off!" Twilight

"POOR SWEET PINKIE PIE, BEING INJURED BY MY DEAR OPAL!" Rarity sobbed.

Fluttershy just meeped.

Meanwhile, Pinkie yawned and stretched, having been woken up by all the discussion. She watched the five ponies bickering back and forth with a smile before joining in.

"I say we move all the corn to the east side of Ponyville!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing. "That way if we ever want corn, we know where to go and can meet up with other corn-wanting ponies easily!" The other five stared at her.

"Do you even know what we're arguing about?" Rainbow asked.

"Nopey dopey!" Pinkie responded with a smile. Applejack sighed and approached Pinkie.

"Ah'm real sorry Ah didn't stop ya from gettin' that tattoo..." AJ said, head hung.

"No, -I'm- sorry I didn't stop you from getting that scar," Rainbow said, feeling equally guilty.

"I should have stopped that stallion from bugging you," Twilight sighed.

"I AM A TERRIBLE FRIEND!! MY CAT HAS INJURED YOU!!" Rarity wept.

"...poison oak..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Huh?" Pinkie asked. "What are you all talking about?"

"THAT!" the five ponies said, pointing to the mark on Pinkie's leg.

"Oh, this?" Pinkie asked, then giggled. "That's frosting! We made cupcakes when we got back!" Pinkie licked it off, then bounced into the kitchen, humming. The other five ponies stared, dumbfounded. It really had been a wild night.

Prompt #12: An Illicit Affair

Prompt: A pony is trying to hide a love affair from another pony, but they’re caught in the act.

Applejack looked left. Applejack looked right. Applejack looked in absolutely every single conceivable direction for the slightest hint of anypony. She was right to be nervous; if this got out to anypony at all, it would absolutely ruin her friendships and her reputation. She was not a pony who put too much thought into what other ponies thought of her, as she believed that the ponies she cared about the most would care for and respect her no matter what she did...or at least, ALMOST no matter what she did. They would forgive some indiscretions, like refusing help in a situation where she really needed it or not managing to receive a first-place ribbon in a rodeo (Mayor Mare was still slightly disappointed at the lack of prize money, but had mostly gotten over it by now). This, however, was way, way, WAY past that level. This act that she was about to commit was just wrong. She knew exactly how wrong it was, and how her friends and family would react to it. Deep inside, she knew, and a part of her wanted so badly to stand strong and deny this behavior, call it out for its wrongness, and strike it from her plans. Try as she might, though, she just could not keep herself from the path she had chosen. The farmer was very strong-willed in most cases, but her willpower was failing her. She had to do it at this point.

And then she thought of poor Fluttershy. Fluttershy, who had devoted herself to her. Fluttershy, who trusted her implicitly, who supported her in everything she did, who smiled at her when she was down and who would give absolutely everything she owned without a second thought if it meant making Applejack happy. She thought of what would happen if her Shyshy happened upon her at this time and caught her in this diabolical act. She knew exactly how she would react, too. First would be the stunned silence, as those big blue eyes stared, unbelieving, at the sight in front of her. Then would be the quiet speaking of her name. Just loud enough to barely be heard over the gentle breeze. Then she would apologize. She would have absolutely nothing to apologize for. It would be Applejack who should be apologizing, but Fluttershy would anyway, because that was simply her way. She apologized for everything, even when she had done nothing wrong. Next would likely be the attempt at a smile, and a feeble effort to try and say that what Applejack was doing was okay. Even though she would not really feel that way, she would say it anyway. In the poor pegasus's mind, it would be the right thing to do, because in the end, all that mattered to her was that AJ was happy, no matter what it took. Then would be the first heart-shattering sniffle. It tore the farmer's heart to pieces whenever she saw Fluttershy cry, and to know that she was the cause of those tears...she couldn't even fathom the extent to which it would annihilate her. And she would deserve said annihilation as her Shyshy flew away bawling. She was making her bed by committing this deed, and she would have to lie in it, without a soft, warm yellow pegasus to snuggle up to. All of this playing through her head nearly energized the orange pony enough to pull herself away from the act of betrayal that she was about to commit. Yet still, she didn't. She knew that this made her a bad pony, to know how much this act would hurt the one she loved and still go through with it. And still, she persisted.

Applejack placed her lips on the soft, firm skin in front of her. It was sweet and moist, and the farmer was entranced by this. She ran her tongue along it, wishing to taste everything. Little thoughts of what the others would say if they knew ran through her head, but she shut them out as she went about her task. This was far too good, there was absolutely no turning back for the traitorous farmer now. Her choice was made, and she was mostly confident in the decision. Yet still, as she continued to revel in the flavor, she hoped that nopony would catch her, especially not Fluttershy. Actually, it didn't matter whether or not it was Fluttershy that caught her. Whoever did catch her would certainly inform Fluttershy of the situation. Applejack continued her actions, knowing that with this, she was throwing her relationship away. And still, she continued. It was just too wonderful, too succulent, too marvelous. Stopping was not an option.

"Um...hello?" Fluttershy whispered as she poked her head behind the barn. "Buttercup? I thought I heard you here and..."

Applejack's head whirled around. There she was. It was all over now. Nothing left but to bear the brunt of the damage that she had chosen to inflict on that beautiful, innocent pegasus.

"Is that an orange you're eating?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack simply hung her head, unable to even make eye contact with her Shyshy.

"...Yes'm..." she muttered shamefully.

"Um...can I have one?" Fluttershy asked, trotting closer. AJ looked up. Fluttershy wasn't upset. She wasn't crying. Hay, she was even smiling.

"...Ya ain't upset?" Applejack asked incredulously. The yellow pegasus tilted her head.

"Why would I be?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack got up and hugged her tightly, utterly relieved. Fluttershy responded with a quick eep, before wrapping the farmer in her hooves and wings. "Awww, I'm happy to see you too, buttercup," she said, giving AJ's cheek a nuzzle.

"...You know you should peel those first, right?" Fluttershy asked. AJ didn't respond. She just hugged, so happy that their relationship had not been ruined.

Prompt #13: Taking Flight

Prompt: Why is Applejack crying?

Rainbow Dash was absolutely ecstatic. She had been waiting so, so long for this day to come, but for some reason, it kept being put off over and over and over again. There was always one excuse or another that kept it from happening. Sometimes it'd be a viable one; Applejack did have a lot of work to do on her farm, after all. Other days, though, things just got silly. It was the day that AJ declined due to a need to wash her mane that the blue pegasus started to get suspicious. AJ never put that much importance towards washing her mane, and to decline the opportunity to spend some quality time with the Dash for such a reason just didn't sit right with her. Today, though...today, it was going to happen. The farmer had finally run out of excuses. Rainbow might have played a part in that; she did clear out AJ's section of the orchard in record time, and she miiiiiiight have paid Big Macintosh off to wake up early and get some of her other chores done before she could. She wanted this to happen so badly, and had no idea why the farmer was so reluctant, but her avoidance ended today. Today, AJ would fly with her.

Rainbow waited for AJ to leave her room, as she'd headed inside to drop her hat off. The pegasus was baffled as to why she was so reluctant. She'd always taken her significant others that didn't have wings out for a ride through the skies. She did it with Twilight...and that was it, really. Twi and AJ were the only non-pegasus ponies she'd dated. Regardless, she saw it as a nice bonding experience, and one of the few things she'd do for the sole purpose of trying to be romantic. She thought about this as her sweet Apple exited the farmhouse, sweating just a tiny bit.

"Hop on, AJ!" Rainbow said with a smile, kneeling down to accept her passenger. The farmer hesitated.

"How 'bout we jus' go fer a stroll?" Applejack offered. When it was apparent that Rainbow would not falter in her insistence on this plan, the farmer sighed and climbed aboard, resting her body down on Rainbow's back. AJ wrapped all four legs around Rainbow, clutching onto her as if her life depended on it. The pegasus grinned back at her, then flapped her wings and lifted off.

"Well gee that sure was fun Ah guess we can get back home now!" Applejack exclaimed a moment later. This elicited a flat glare from Rainbow.

"We're two inches off of the ground," the rainbow-maned pegasus said.

"Oh...right," AJ muttered. Rainbow snickered, then pulled up into the sky. She looked forward the entire time, remembering how she crashed into the side of a mountain the last time she'd taken her eyes off of her flight path. This allowed her to completely miss the fact that Applejack's eyes remained tightly shut the entire time.

"How's the view back there?" Rainbow asked as she flapped. AJ didn't respond. She just clung to Rainbow as tightly as possible. The pegasus continued to gain altitude, until she found her favorite cloud. It was a cloud that was vaguely shaped like a lightning bolt. Rainbow found it quite fitting. She laid down on top of it, then in a quick motion, rolled over onto her back, using her wings and eventually her legs to keep her lovely farmer on top of her. It was at this point that the pegasus finally noticed AJ's eyes clenched shut.

"The hay are you doing, AJ?" Rainbow asked. "How are you gonna see anything up here with your eyes closed? C'mon, it's really nice up here!" Applejack sighed deeply, then cracked an eye open. She took deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. After a few moments of one cracked eye, she opened the other one slowly. It wasn't too terrible up here...it was just like she was looking up at the sky, only she didn't have to crane her neck as much. Maybe this wasn't so bad at all...

"There ya go!" Rainbow said with a smile. "And just check out what Ponyville looks like from here!"

It was possibly the worst thing she could have said. Applejack looked down upon hearing this. The ground was so far away...she'd only seen the town from this view once before, and that was when...

Applejack yelped and panicked. She flailed her legs frantically, unknowing of what else to do. This surprised Rainbow, but not as much as it did when the farmer slipped off of her and began to plummet.

"APPLEJACK!" Rainbow screamed. She quickly dove down, flying as fast as she could. Before long, she'd swooped down and caught the orange earth pony. She tried to speak consoling words to her, but it was pointless. AJ was a blubbering mess.

The blue pegasus made haste in touching down on the ground. When she did, she was quickly relieved of her cargo, as the panicking Applejack flopped onto the ground as soon as she knew it was safe. She laid flat on the ground, sobbing and hugging it as if she never wanted to leave it again. Rainbow frowned and laid next to her, resting a protective wing over her and nuzzling her cheek tenderly.

"Applejack..." Rainbow said quietly. "Why didn't you tell me you were afraid of heights?" AJ didn't answer. In truth, Rainbow didn't even need an answer, because the two of them were so alike. Rainbow knew that she would never want anypony to know about her own fears, and Applejack was likely just the same. Rainbow shifted positions and hugged the orange pony tightly, nuzzling again to wipe her tears away.

"Shhh...you're safe," Rainbow said. "I won't let anything hurt you." The farmer pushed her muzzle into Rainbow's mane, half out of remaining fear and half out of shame. Rainbow sighed lightly as she comforted her love. She guessed that romantic flights just weren't in the cards for them. At least not yet. Fears weren't always permanent, and she hoped that maybe she could help AJ overcome this one. For now, though, she just stayed by her side. The Element of Loyalty would do nothing less.

Prompt #15: Daring Do and the Horrible Hoofinator! By Rainbow Dash

The prompt: Write an adventure story in which Daring Do teams up with one of the Mane Six to go on a rescue mission to save Rainbow Dash.

"Come, Lady Rarity!" Daring Do shouted to her companion. "The terrible tyrant's lair is just behind that door!" She often wondered why she took Lady Rarity along on these kinds of missions. She wasn't exactly the most athletic pony around, and she certainly didn't react well to some of the conditions she was put into. In this adventure alone, she'd stopped the heroic pegasus no less than five times so she could clean the dirt off of her prissy white hooves.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said, frowning. "Why would you write such horrid things about my character?" The blue pegasus sighed a bit and turned away from her typewriter to face Rarity.

"C'mon, Lady Ra...Rarity," Dash said, rolling her eyes. "It's an exaggeration! And plus, you KNOW that if you went on one of these adventures and your hooves got dirty, you'd stop and clean them just like you have been in the story!" The fashion-minded unicorn hesitated. Rainbow Dash was correct; she simply could not afford to ruin her clean, delicate hooves.

"...Very well," Rarity said, turning her nose up a bit. "Carry on." Rainbow nodded and turned back to her typewriter.

"But Daring Do!" Lady Rarity whined. "I cannot afford to ruin my fabulous hooficure!"

"Oh, come on, Lady Rarity," the brave pegasus said, adjusting her pith helmet. "All we have to do is overcome whatever the villain's got in store for us and we can go home, alright?"

"...Very well," Lady Rarity sighed, turning her nose up a bit. "Carry on." Daring Do nodded and turned her back to the door, knocking it open with a powerful buck.

"O-ho!" came a villainous voice from inside the room. "If it isn't Daring Do and her companion! I take it you're here to save your friend?" Daring Do's eyes scanned the room for a sign of whomever was speaking. She instead caught a glimpse of her favorite pony in the whole wide world (who was also a fantastic flyer and good at a lot of other things too), Rainbow Dash! The awesome pony was trapped in some weird mechanical thing.

"Rainbow Dash!" Daring Do called out. "I'll save you!"

"NOT SO FAST!" boomed the villainous voice again. Out of nowhere came a huuuuuuuge monster of a pony! "Take one more step and I'll pull the trigger!"

"My stars! What is that thing?" Lady Rarity asked as Daring Do looked on with this really awesome and angry look on her face.

"Why, this is my Hoofitron McEmbarrassinator 5000!" the burly and kinda cool-looking (but not as cool-looking as Rainbow Dash) pony said with a snicker. "One pull of this trigger and those mechanisms over there will touch Rainbow Dash's hooves and begin giving her a hooficure! And she hates that!! As soon as that happens, she will be so embarrassed! And unfortunately for you, my machine is powered by embarrassment! With all of that embarrassment, it will be strong enough for me to take over Equestria! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Don't you think that's just the tiniest bit preposterous?" Rarity asked. Dash turned again, looking quite bothered.

"Hey, this is MY fanfiction," the blue pegasus said. "This is how it's gonna happen, alright?" The unicorn rolled her eyes. Dash was a stubborn sort; anything she would say was very unlikely to change her mind on the matter. She simply sat and waited for the epic conclusion.

"I don't think so!" Daring Do shouted back at the big tough pony (whose name was Doctor Jerkenstein, by the way). "There's no way you'll be able to get away with that!" Daring Do went to fly at Doctor Jerkenstein, but suddenly a really big and strong rope wrapped around her! Twice! "Ugh! I can't fly like this!" the flippin' awesome pegasus said, because even though she was more awesome than everypony in the world (except for Rainbow Dash) put together, even she couldn't escape this diabolical trap!

"Your world is mine!" Doctor Jerkenstein said! "MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Little did he know that Lady Rarity had already jumped into action! He was too busy looking at Daring Do, because he probably had a secret crush on her or something! Quickly, Lady Rarity used her magic to free Rainbow Dash (who was about 3 seconds from freeing herself anyway cause she's awesome like that) from the Hoofitron McEmbarrassinator 5000. Rainbow Dash was free! And awesome! Lady Rarity quickly enacted the next part of her plan, slipping into the machine herself!

"And now, I pull the trigger, and doom you all!" Doctor Jerkenstein said! He pulled the trigger, not even bothering to look back because he knew his plan was perfect! The machine jumped into action, and started giving Lady Rarity the best hooficure she'd ever gotten!

"Oh my, this is fabulous!" Lady Rarity cooed from the machine. "Just what my hooves needed!" Doctor Jerkenstein, upon hearing this, turned around really fast!

"NOOOOO!" Doctor Jerkenstein yelled! "MY PLAN IS RUINED THANKS TO THE BEST HEROES EVER!" Daring Do and Rainbow Dash worked together and beat up Doctor Jerkenstein in ten seconds flat! Actually, five seconds flat, because there's two of them!

"Good job, Daring Do!" Rainbow Dash said awesomely, smiling.

"You did a good job too!" Daring Do said! The two looked into each other's eyes for a really long time, and then they grabbed each other and started making out!

"RAINBOW DASH!" Rarity shouted, appalled. "What in the world do you think you're writing?" Dash turned around to look at the clearly-offended unicorn. She thought for a moment, then turned back to the typewriter.

And then they stopped making out and freed Lady Rarity from the machine (once her hooves were all nice and done of course), and they started making out with her too!

Dash turned to look at Rarity. "Better?" Rarity's face was a bright red. She looked at the pegasus at the typewriter for a moment, then smiled a bit.

"Hm...yes," Rarity said. "Better."

Prompt #16: The New Mare in Town

The prompt: Whatever happened to the Mare Do Well costume(s)?

"Come on, Spike!" Twilight said in that lilty, somewhat-motherly-yet-at-the-same-time-respectful tone that she would often speak to Spike in. "Only one more box to sort!" The two had been spending the day cleaning out Twi's basement, as it had grown quite cluttered. The space was supposed to be used for her occasional delves into the world of mad science, and a clean mad scientist was a happy mad scientist. Although that was probably an oxymoron.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Spike asked, pulling a costume out of one box. Twilight looked at the purple and blue costume and chuckled a bit.

"I can't believe I forgot to throw this out!" Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash would probably be annoyed if she knew I still had it." She floated the Mare-Do-Well costume over, inspecting it. It was still in pristine condition, just the way she left it (save for a few creases from being folded in a box for so long). She had no need for it, though, and Dash's reaction to seeing it was not one that she particularly wanted to witness.

"Should we throw it out?" Spike asked. A nod from Twilight sealed the deal.

Meanwhile, a young colt was passing by the library. He often took this route to his best friend's house. He never had any interest in visiting the tree-turned-library, but today, for some reason, his gaze turned towards the building. He didn't know why; he certainly didn't feel like reading. Maybe he was meant to look at the library today; maybe something interesting was going to happen there! Just as he thought this, the door opened, and Spike placed a box of garbage on the doorstep. The door closed, and the colt took a few steps forward. He was nosy sometimes, and for some reason he just had a feeling that he should be looking through this particular garbage. As he approached the box, he gasped. Was that...the costume of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well?! Surely it had been thrown away by mistake...but one pony's mistake was another pony's opportunity! The colt snatched the costume from the box and ran back towards home, beaming the entire way.

"Moooooooooooom!" Snips shouted as he entered his house. "You gotta do me a favor!!" Snips’ mom looked up as she heard her little pride and joy call for her. It was tough raising a rambunctious child like Snips while also trying to keep up her trade as a tailor, and she was very busy working on alterations for a recent customer, but for her little Snips, she could take a break.

"What is it, kiddo?" Snips’ mom asked, trotting into the room. Suddenly, everything went dark. She shook her head out and pulled the costume that Snips had thrown at her off of her head. "What's this?"

"I need you to alter this costume so that it fits me!" Snips said, bouncing excitedly. "That way, I can dress like a real-life superhero, and all the fillies and colts at school will HAVE to be my friends! Then I'll be the most popular colt ever to be in Miss Cheerilee's class!" Snips’ mom chuckled. He sure was a hoof-ful.

"Alright, honey," Snips’ mom said, starting to trot back into her workroom. "I'll have it ready by tomorrow morning!" Snips cheered loudly. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. Snails was an awesome friend to him, but he didn't like not having any other friends in school. That would all change after tomorrow, though.

"Uhh...Snips?" Snails said, in his usual slow pace, as the two trotted towards school the next morning. "You look sorta different."

"I'm in a superhero costume, Snails!" Snips said. "Everypony loves superheroes! When I show up in Miss Cheerilee's class like this, everypony will be so impressed, and I'll have all the friends I could ever need!"

"Uh...I'm your friend, Snips," Snails said, grinning blankly.

"I know!" Snips said. "But soon I'll be friends with EVERYPONY!" The two continued on their way to school. Snails kept his vacant smile, even though he knew something was wrong. Snips was going to become popular and get all the friends he could ever want. He wanted to be happy for him, but something in the back of his mind frustrated him. Why wasn't he enough of a friend for Snips?

"BEHOLD!" Snips shouted as he burst into Miss Cheerilee's classroom. "It is I, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!" The fillies and colts in the classroom stared at the pudgy superhero standing in front of them. He took it all in, beaming behind his mask. He had the attention of the entire class! Next would be the calls of admiration, the offers to be his friend, the...

"Ya DO know that 'mare' means GIRL, right Snips?" Apple Bloom offered. She regretted it the moment she said it, because it was then that the rest of the class started laughing.

"Snips is a maaaare!" Silver Spoon said.

"SNIPS IS A MAAAARE!" Diamond Tiara repeated. Pretty soon the majority of the class was chanting those four words at the little colt. He tried to say something, but it was quickly drowned out by the chanting class. Snips was glad he was wearing his mask, because that way, the class couldn't see him begin to tear up as he ran out of the room. Snails frowned and followed him.

"What a looooooser!" Diamond Tiara laughed. She was met with a cold glare by Apple Bloom, before she too exited the room. Diamond Tiara shrugged and continued to laugh.

Snips had slumped against a tree just outside the classroom. There was no way he could show his face, masked or otherwise, in that room again after what had just happened. It wasn't fair...he was supposed to be a cool superhero...he was supposed to have all the friends he ever wanted.

Snails sat down next to Snips. "Uh...are you okay, Snips?" he asked. "Uh...I mean, Mare-Do-Well?" Snips just shook his head.

"No," Snips said. "Just Snips." The pudgy little pony looked down forlornly, and Snails frowned even more. He then looked up to Apple Bloom, who had just arrived. Bloom sat on Snips’ other side and patted him on the back. Snips looked at her through the costume's sky-blue eyes.

"Aren't you gonna laugh at me too?" Snips asked. Bloom shook her head.

"Ah ain't," she said. "S'not nice what they said ta ya. Where'd ya get that anyhow?" Snips looked down.

"I took it from the garbage at the library," he said. "I thought being a superhero would get me all the friends I'd ever want."

"Uhh...I'm your friend, Snips," Snails said, as slowly as ever.

"An' Ah'll be yer friend too," Bloom said. "An' Ah'm sure Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle will be too! We know how it feels ta feel like ya don't got any friends." Snips looked up at the two and smiled, although it was still hidden behind his mask. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he did have all the friends he'd ever need.

Prompt #17: The Pernicious Pan Purloiner

The Prompt: ”Elementary, my dear Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie galloped through town in a tizzy. Except this was no ordinary tizzy. This was a super-duper EXTREME tizzy! The tizziest of tizzies! Tizzy was a fun word to say. It was so unique; not a whole lot of words sounded like tizzy. It was pretty much just tizzy and dizzy. Although missy sounded kinda like it if you slurred when you said it, but that was cheating, and Pinkie Pie was a lot of things, but she wasn't a cheat. She was a pony, a baker, a party-thrower, a town greeter, a babysitter, a fortune-teller, a member of the Ponyville Yacht Club...but she was NOT a liar! Wait, that's not where the sentence started...cheat! She was NOT a cheat! So she refused to accept missy as a reasonable rhyme for tizzy. Pinkie stopped for a moment; she couldn't remember why she was trying to rhyme tizzy. Was she writing a song? She didn't remember having any reason to write a song...wait! Now she remembered! She was IN a tizzy, and had to see Twilight! She continued galloping.

Twilight had just finished organizing the exotic birds section of the library, when suddenly, a pink blur burst into the room. Twilight managed to light her horn up and just barely stop Pinkie from colliding with the bookshelf that she'd just finished arranging. THAT would have been a pain in the neck.

"Twilight! Twilight!!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing up and down frantically. "I need your heeeeeeelp!!!" Twilight turned right to her. In the past, she may have dismissed Pinkie's crazy behavior, but there had been enough times in the past where she'd doubted Pinkie's intentions and it had come back to bite her on the flank.

"What do you need?" Twilight asked, showing concern. Before she knew what was going on, Pinkie had plunked the bowler hat from their train ride a while back onto Twilight's head. Twi shook her head out and looked up at Pinkie, who was now suddenly wearing her detective hat.

"Your help!" Pinkie said. "I already said that, silly! Unless I said something else and it sounded like 'I need your help' but I'm actually under a spell where things I say sound different to other pon-"

"No, Pinkie," Twilight said, interrupting. "I heard you say 'I need your heeeeeeelp.' What is it that you need my help with?" Pinkie could really be a hoof-ful sometimes. Even when she had something urgent she needed to do, she was so easily sidetracked that it was often necessary to keep her under control when she went on a tangent like that.

"There's a mystery we need to solve!" Pinkie said, all wild-eyed. "Somepony took my favorite baking pan!" Twilight gasped. This was a legitimate gasp, not a fake one. She knew how much Pinkie cared for her baking implements.

"Who was it?" Twilight asked. "Did you see them?"

"I did see them!" Pinkie said. "But they were wearing a big cloak and I couldn't see anything about them! Oooo, Twilight, we need to pause the pernicious pan purloiner before he perpetrates another petty-" Twilight interrupted her again.

"Pinkie," Twilight said, "While I'm awfully appreciative of your ample application of alliteration, we need facts! Which way did the pony run?"

"He ran thataway!" Pinkie said. Twilight deadpanned.

"...Whataway?" Twilight asked. Pinkie giggled. "What are you laughing at?" the purple unicorn asked, starting to get annoyed.

"You sound silly when you say that!" Pinkie laughed. "But enough being silly, Miss Sillypants! We need to solve this!"

"I know," Twilight said. "What way does 'thataway' mean?"

"Oh!" Pinkie said, looking thoughtful. "Well, he ran away from Sugarcube Corner and towards the middle of town! And while he was running away, I heard him say something?"

"Now that could be a useful clue!" Twilight said, smiling. "What did he say?"

"Something!" Pinkie said. "Weren't you listening?" Twilight let out a grunt of aggravation. She opened her mouth, but then stopped herself before yelling. She didn't want to yell at Pinkie; that would likely just stress her out even more.

"Pinkie, I need to know exactly what it was that he said," Twilight said calmly. It took the patience of a saint to deal with her sometimes. "Whatever he said could provide a clue as to the reason he stole the pan, or who he is, or where he might be going with it."

"Oh, right!" Pinkie responded. She stopped bouncing and thought back, holding a bubble pipe to her mouth. "I remember him saying that he needed the pan..."

"Right, right..." Twilight said, listening closely.

"And that he wasn't gonna give it back..." Pinkie mused.

"Right, right!" Twilight answered, eyes widening.

"And then something about..." Pinkie continued, tilting her head.

"About...?!" Twilight practically shouted. She was on the tips of her hooves now; the suspense was killing her.

"...Oh! I remember!" Pinkie said suddenly. "He said that he was taking the pan to the school!" Twilight leapt in the air.

"See, Pinkie?" Twilight exclaimed. "THAT'S the kind of clue we need! But there are so many schools nearby...which school did he say? The high school? Ponyville University?" Pinkie stared right at Twilight and smiled widely.

"Elementary, my dear Twilight," she answered.

Twilight couldn't speak for a moment. She just stared at the pink pony in front of her. She took a deep, deep breath as Pinkie continued to smile.

"...There wasn't a thief, was there," Twilight asked. Pinkie shook her head, her smile growing further.

"You made all of that up and ran all the way across town just so you could make that joke, didn't you?" Twilight asked, a flat look on her face. Pinkie burst into uncontrollable laughter, rolling about on the floor. Twilight facehooved, then shook her head and smiled. There was never a dull moment when one was friends with Pinkie Pie.

Prompt #18: Lending An Ear

Prompt: “When one door closes, another opens.”

Applejack looked up at the clock. It was 4:13 PM. She knew what was coming. The same thing happened every day at 4:13 PM. It had been happening for about two weeks now. She tried to be as patient with it as possible. She was best known for her honesty, but her patience was also quite notable, especially given the exact situation that she was dealing with. She looked up from her apple juice as she heard the usual knock on the farmhouse door. Slowly, calmly, she got up and trotted over, pulling the door open. She was greeted by exactly what she expected; the sad, blue eyes of her good friend.

“Hello, Applejack,” Rarity said, accompanying the greeting by a smile, as if trying to give the pretense that she was here on positive business rather than her usual reason.

“Afternoon, Rarity,” AJ responded. She smiled politely back. This moment of greeting was the one moment where the two were really able to smile. It was really the part of these visits that she enjoyed the most. Rarity had a lovely smile. When she smiled, it melted Applejack’s problems away (Not that she had much chance to speak of them during these visits anyway). The way those lips curled up, the way her eyes narrowed slightly, the very, very slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes that she dared not tell Rarity about, lest she spend the next week in the bathroom slathering wrinkle cream all over her face. They all added up to such a wonderful package. She could just look at that smile all day. Unfortunately, such a thing would not happen, as it was no sooner that she had finished ruminating on it that it had vanished, the happy moment lost to the aether as Rarity sighed and frowned.

“Everything in my boutique reminds me of her still, Applejack,” Rarity said as she entered Applejack’s humble home and sat herself down on the couch, right in the spot she had occupied for each of these visits. Applejack sat in her usual space as well, or at least close to her usual space. It was hard not to inch slightly closer each time. AJ sighed slightly; she feared that Rarity would never get over Twilight at this rate. Granted, the first day after their breakup had been far louder and sadder than the oncoming days would be. Rarity was absolutely inconsolable that day, and while it gradually got better, she showed very few signs of truly getting over it.

“It’s real tough, sugarcube,” Applejack told her, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “When Dash an’ Ah split up, it took me dang near ferever ta get back on mah hooves.” She saw Rarity twitch slightly at the mention of Dash. Bringing her up was probably a mistake, given the endearing looks that Dash and Twilight had been sharing in the last few days. However, it needed to be done; she wanted to relate to her as best she could. “Ya jus’ gotta r’member that life goes on. Yer gunna find somethin’ or somepony else that’ll make ya happy. Dash an’ Ah thought we’d be t’gether ferever, an’ Ah’m ha…” She stopped there. She wanted to do her best to help Rarity, but she was still the Element of Honesty after all.

“I know, Applejack,” Rarity said quietly, interrupting her at a time where she was very grateful to be interrupted. “And I thank you ever so much for enduring my constant impositions. Your patience with me is astounding, and I am very appreciative.” Applejack nodded with a light, noncommittal “Mhm.” She found herself inching slightly closer again, and tried to play it off by stretching.

“Ain’t no big deal,” Applejack said quietly. “Ah’m happy ta do it fer ya.” Rarity looked at her with a sudden intense gaze, something which unnerved the farmer slightly.

“You have been so good to me, Applejack,” Rarity said. “And I must repay you for that.” Applejack tilted her head slightly.

“…Come again?” AJ said inquisitively. This time Rarity shifted closer, smiling that beautiful smile that AJ obsessed over.

“Let us not play games any longer,” Rarity said, placing a hoof on Applejack’s side. “I have an eye for detail, you know. I can tell when something is bothering you, and I know exactly what it is.” Applejack started to sweat a bit, a slight smile crossing her face.

“Y’…y’can?” she asked. “Ah…Ah dunno what ya mean…”

“An unconvincing liar as always, Applejack,” Rarity said with a smile. “You have had your eye on me for a very long time, darling, and only a pony who wishes to be with me like you obviously do would put up with my complaining about Twilight.” AJ wiped the sweat from her brow. Had she really telegraphed herself that much?

“We must not fool ourselves any longer, Applejack.” Rarity said, shifting over and sitting herself on top of a surprised AJ. “The door on the relationship that Twilight and I once shared may have closed, but I believe that when one door closes, another opens. Take me in your hooves right now, sweet Apple. I am yours.” Applejack hesitated no longer. She wrapped her hooves around her, reveling in the feeling of her soft, white coat.

“Applejack…” Rarity moaned. “Applejack…Applejack…”

“…APPLEJACK!”

AJ blinked and looked up. Rarity was staring at her.

“Are you okay, darling?” Rarity asked. “You seem to have zoned out for a moment there.” AJ shook her head out and smiled weakly.

“Ah’m alright,” AJ said. “Jus’ thinkin’f somethin’.” Rarity nodded and went off into another story about how the various clothes in her room reminded her of her various dates with Twilight. AJ nodded along and offered a comforting hoof. She was there for Rarity, albeit not in the way she’d most wanted. She was dedicated to making her happy again, because that was what the most loyal of ponies did for her friends. Her own happiness came second.

Prompt #19: Taking Charge

Prompt: One of the pets is gone.

At first, it seemed like a typical pony pet playdate. Maybe it was because they were all used to this being how it was for a while. It was only the five of them for the longest time, so it was no major surprise that nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first. However, it only took a few minutes before they began to wonder just where their newest little friend was. Rainbow would have normally arrived with him by this point, but Tank was nowhere to be found.

Angel was the first to notice. He'd often boss the turtle...tortoise...around, lying down on his shell and expecting a ride. The rides were slow and uneventful, but it was one of his favorite things to do, and he felt nice and important when he was able to demand things from Tank like that. So when it got to the point where he was sick of using his own paws to get around, the distinct lack of Tank was an issue that was pushed to the forefront of his attention. Angel frowned. He hoped that nothing bad had happened to Tank. He quickly justified this into his usual "I am most important" thought pattern by convincing himself that he simply missed his ride and nothing more. Either way, though, Tank had to be found.

Angel gathered the others together. It was a tougher feat than he'd expected. Owloysious was the toughest to gain the attention of, as he was the only one that could fly. Opal and Winona were no easy feat either; Winona often spent a fair amount of time chasing Opal around, hoping to get some playtime with her. For some reason, though, Opal never took it quite the way that Winona intended, though. Most cats didn't take well to dogs running at them at full speed. Gummy was a completely different situation; it was difficult to get him to do ANYTHING sometimes. Angel thought quickly, grabbing a stick from the ground. This instantly garnered Winona's attention. He tossed the stick high into the air, near where Owloysious was flying. A quick wave to Opal, who was no longer distracted by a happily rampaging dog, was enough to get her over. And to make things easiest, he'd organized the meetup next to Gummy. That way, the alligator didn't even have to move.

Angel looked at his ragtag team. It would be hard to get them to work together, but darn it, he had to try if he wanted to see his good friend...erm, his occasional method of transport...Tank ever again. The bunny waved to the group before getting on all fours and walking forward very slowly. Owloysious caught on quickly; he was a very wise owl. The rest of the group slowly caught on as well, and noticed that their playmate was indeed missing. Angel pointed to each of the others and saluted. No words were needed (thankfully, as Angel could speak no words). The five animals nodded simultaneously. They had to find Tank.

Angel pointed to Winona and Opal. The dog and cat stood at attention as Angel pointed them in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. The two looked at each other. They did not particularly wish to team up, but in a situation like this, where the safety of a friend was at stake, they had to put aside their differences. They ran off towards the farm.

Angel then pointed to Owloysious and Gummy. They were to be the air team, heading in a straight line from the park to Sugarcube Corner and searching for any signs of Tank. Owloysious picked Gummy up in his talons, and the two took off as well.

Angel smiled. He was a natural born leader. The bunny closed his eyes and crossed his forelegs, waiting for his ride to carry him off towards Fluttershy's cottage. When he remembered that his chariot was MIA, he sighed lightly and ran off on his own.

One by one, each pony realized that their pets were running off. After a moment of initial confusion between the friends, they each took off after their own pets, calling out for them. None of the pets looked back; this mission was too important to be slowed down by their owners. If they got a hold of them, they would surely be brought back to the park, and none of them could afford that right now.

Winona ran towards Sweet Apple Acres, using her keen sense of smell to try and track down the missing tortoise. Tank had a very distinct scent; she could pick it up from a fair distance. However, it didn't take her long before realizing that Tank had not been anywhere near Sweet Apple Acres any time recently. She was also slowed down somewhat by Opal, who had insisted on resting on her back. The spoiled cat was not used to so much manual labor, and it only took a tiny bit of running before she'd opted to ride her usual rival. Winona really didn't mind too much; she liked the kitty, despite how she'd always run away from her. It was playing in a way, after all. The two eventually had to admit defeat, though; Tank had not been anywhere near here. It was only a moment later that Applejack and Rarity caught up with their pets and gathered them up, bringing them back towards the park.

Owloysious and Gummy did their best to scan the path between the park and Sugarcube Corner. Owls had very good eyesight, and Owloysious was no exception. Gummy provided whatever help he could by snapping his jaw in a direction whenever he saw something that he thought could be Tank. Try as they might, though, the two just couldn't find the missing tortoise. After reaching Sugarcube Corner with no sight of Tank, the two touched down on the ground, as a worried Twilight and Pinkie met up with them. Their search had proved fruitless.

Angel looked left. Angel looked right. Angel looked everywhere, trying to find his frie-...transport. His paws were getting tired; he had gotten so used to rides from Tank that he was no longer used to really running this much. Still, he persevered. He would do it for Tank's sake. He couldn't stand to think of the poor tortoise being hurt or in any manner of danger. Luckily, his worries were relieved, as he ran smack into the shell of his big, slow friend. Angel beamed and hugged Tank tightly, before realizing what he was doing and letting go, giving a cool nod to the tortoise. Tank smiled slowly. Angel's concern for him was their secret.

---TIME LIMIT---

Fluttershy panted as she finally caught up to Angel. The little guy really was a hoof-ful. She caught the very end of Angel hugging Tank, and almost awwwwed, but decided to hold it in and pretend that she hadn't seen it. She knew how much pride Angel took in his toughness. Fluttershy caught her breath, then smiled to Rainbow Dash, who had also witnessed the scene.

"Oh...um, hello, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "We were wondering why you weren't at the park already for our pony pet playdate."

"Oh, I decided to let Tank go at his own pace today," Dash said with a groan. "Maaaaaajor mistake. I am soooo bored." Fluttershy smiled warmly at Dash.

"That's very sweet of you, Rainbow Dash," the yellow pegasus said. "I never knew you could be so considerate." Rainbow rolled her eyes and tried to play it cool.

"Uh, yeah, whatever," Dash said. "So, do you wanna walk back to the park with me?" Fluttershy smiled and nodded, and the two resumed Rainbow's previous leisurely stroll. Angel had climbed into his usual position on Tank's shell. He tried acting like he usually did, pointing insistently forward as if to demand Tank to do what he wanted. Tank just plodded along, a smile on his face.

Prompt #20: Sweet Cider

Prompt: Tell me about a bottle.

Midnight Bloom sat quietly in the kitchen, studying for her magic exam which was to take place tomorrow. As always, she was looking for any possible excuse to interrupt her schoolwork, and today, salvation came in the shape of a bottle. She'd always meant to ask her parents about that bottle, and because she had something more important and boring to do, now was the perfect time. She lifted it magically off of its perch on top of the buffet and trotted into the living room.

"Momma!" Midnight called, trotting up to where Applejack was resting on the couch. AJ perked her ears up as she heard her daughter calling for her.

"Ain'tcha s'posed ta be studyin', Middie?" the farmer asked. Midnight blew this question off, because she and AJ both knew the answer.

"What's the deal with this bottle?" Midnight asked, floating it over into Applejack's waiting hooves. Applejack turned it around a few times, a smile crossing her face.

"Ah never toldja 'bout this?" she asked. Midnight shook her head. AJ patted the space on the couch next to her, and Midnight sat down, snuggling up next to her for storytime, just like she would when she was a younger filly.

"Well, Middie, it all happened a long time ago..."

"C'mon, Twi! It'll be fun!" the farmer said, grinning.

"I don't know, Applejack..." Twilight said, looking side to side. "I tried alcohol once...frankly, it was disgusting." AJ smiled and patted Twilight on the back; perhaps just a smidge too hard, as Twi nearly lost her balance on the barstool.

"Then ya musta been tryin' the wrong stuff!" Applejack said, following the statement with a chuckle. "Here, Ah'll order ya somethin' sweet." Before Twilight could raise a hoof to object, AJ had beckoned the bartender over. "Gimme a bottle'f yer finest hard cider!" The bartender happily obliged. AJ smiled to Twilight. "Don't worry yer pretty lil' head, Twi. This stuff's plum delicious." Twilight tried to object again, but was once more interrupted as the bottle of hard cider was placed in front of her. The unicorn looked it over, still quite unsure of herself.

"Erm...are you SURE it's okay?" Twilight asked. "I always read that sometimes all it takes is one drink to get addic-" Twilight's sentence was cut short by a glass full of cider being put to her lips by Applejack.

"Jus' enjoy it!" Applejack said, and tilted the glass. Twilight reluctantly took a sip of the frothy beverage. She prepared to react with disgust, but she simply couldn't. This was just marvelous! Applejack grinned, not even needing a verbal response from Twilight. She could see the glint in her eye. "Ah TOLDJA ya'd like it!" Twilight smiled and nodded in response.

"This isn't like that other drink I tried!" Twilight said, looking at her glass. "This is delicious!" She lifted the glass to her mouth and took another sip. How could anything that was bad for somepony taste this good?

"Ah never lie, Twilight!" AJ said, laughing. "Ya said it yerself!" Twilight giggled and nodded. She wasn't called the Element of Honesty for nothing. "Now you jus' sit right here an' enjoy yerself. Ah gotta run ta the lil' mares room." AJ gave her date a nuzzle, then slipped off of the barstool and trotted away to do just what she'd said she was going to do.

Twilight finished her glass with a smile. She even licked the rim of the glass, trying to get every last bit of flavorful goodness out. She looked at her empty glass, then at the bottle. Surely Applejack wouldn't mind if she had another glass. She poured herself a second glass and finished this one in short order. It felt sooooooo good running down her throat. It had a very slight bit of the burning sensation that the other drink she'd tried had possessed, but it was mostly masked by the sweet, rich flavor. She adored it. AJ certainly wouldn't mind if she had a third glass.

An hour later, AJ sat next to Twilight in the library bathroom. She held the unicorn's mane back as she revisited her drinks for the evening.

"The whole bottle." Applejack said incredulously. "Ah cain't b'lieve ya drank the whole dang bottle." Twilight looked up at her, eyes red and tears streaking down her cheeks.

"This is terrible..." was all Twilight could mutter. AJ rolled her eyes and gave Twilight a nuzzle.

"Ah gotta say, Ah'm a lil' impressed that a lil' mare like you managed that whole thing b'fore Ah had ta cart ya out," Applejack told her. "Yer tougher than ya look." Twilight managed a small smile before she was forced to turn back to the toilet. AJ continued to hold her mane back, stroking her back with her free forehoof.

"And you saved the bottle?" Midnight asked, head tilted. Applejack nodded with a smile.

"S'from our first date, Middie," AJ said, ruffling Midnight's mane. "We had a whole lot more like that. 'Cept Momma Twi handled herself jus' a bit better in the rest." Midnight laughed. She couldn't even imagine Momma Twi drinking at all. AJ gave Midnight a kiss on the cheek. "Now y'all best get back ta studyin'. Ya got a big day t'morrow. An' don't tell Momma Twi that Ah toldja that story." Midnight nodded with a smile and slid off of the couch, heading back to the kitchen. AJ stretched out on the couch. She turned the bottle around a few times, happily reminiscing for as long as she could, before she was hit in the face with a pillow. AJ sat up quickly and looked over to the doorway.

"...How long ya been there?" AJ asked sheepishly.

"The entire time," Twilight responded. AJ stammered a bit, but was silenced by another playful smack from the pillow. Twilight hopped onto the couch next to AJ and leaned on her, giggling.

"That really was a fun night," Twilight said. "Except for the very end." AJ nodded, leaning back. Twilight lit her horn up and floated a full cider bottle and two glasses over to the couch. She filled them and the two shared a toast. Twilight grinned mischievously.

"I'll just make sure to tell Middie about your infamous bender a few nights later," the unicorn said with a smirk. Applejack started to object, but then let it be, chuckling. It was only fair.

Prompt #22: The Swarthy Sea Stories of Captain Pinkbeard and First Mate Flutters

The prompt: Pinkie Pie becomes a pirate. Who is her first mate, and whom do they plunder?

"Yarrr!" Pinkie growled, waving her cardboard sword in the air. She realized shortly after this expulsion that she may have been just a teensy-weensy bit too loud, as was made evident by her first mate ducking for cover under the closest desk.

"Whoops! Sorry, First Mate Flutters!" Pinkie said with a smile. "Oh wait! I'm a pirate! I'm not supposed to be nice! Ooh, but I can't be mean to you, Flutters! You're too nice and sweet and NOPONY could be mean to you! I'll have to be a two-face pirate or something, where I'm nice to my first mate but mean to everypony else! Ooh, but I dunno if I can really be that mean...I'll just be slightly rude! I'm Pinkbeard, the slightly-rude pirate! Eeeheeheeee, this is already so much fun!"

Fluttershy slowly poked her head out from behind the desk to get a good look at Pinkie. Pinkie was standing about 5 feet away from the desk. She was wearing a tri-cornered cap, an eyepatch, and a big puffy pink beard. Out of other ponies, this might have been peculiar, but Pinkie had costumes for pretty much everything.

"Umm..what are you doing, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked, everything below her eyes still obstructed by the desk. Pinkie responded by plunking a pirate hat on Fluttershy's head, eliciting a timid "Eep" from her.

"We're being pirates!!" Pinkie exclaimed giddily. "I'm Captain Pinkbeard, the most thought-of-as-rude pirate to ever scourge the streets of Ponyville! And you're First Mate Flutters, because I think it'd be fun to do this together and because you look really cute in that hat!" Fluttershy blushed, hiding behind her mane. She did kind of like the hat.

"What exactly are we doing as pirates?" Fluttershy queried, glancing up at the one corner of the hat that she could see and blowing her mane out from in front of her face.

"Yarr! We be going to the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse!" Pinkie said, diving behind the desk and slipping under Fluttershy. Fluttershy blinked a few times from her new position on Pinkie's back. She tried to ask more questions, but Pinkie gave her no time, whisking her quickly outside. Their ride was waiting for them; a red wagon with planks of wood glued to the sides.

"How do you like our ship?" Pinkie asked, not even waiting for an answer. "The S.S. Yay We're Pirates And This Is Our Awesome Ship And We're Gonna Go Pirating!" Fluttershy glanced at it. Pinkie had painted the name onto the "ship", and it wrapped around the entire thing. Pinkie deposited her first mate into the ship and took the reins. "A good captain steers their ship with an unmatched skill! Off we go!!!" Fluttershy again tried to get a word in, but her question was replaced by a startled yelp as the pink pony took off, pulling the "ship" down the road.

"Now remember, Fluttershy!" Pinkie said as they arrived at the clubhouse. "We're going to go in there, and you're going to demand that Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle sing us a song!"

"A song?" Fluttershy asked, looking quite confused. "Why a song?" Pinkie didn't answer. Instead, she burst into the clubhouse.

"YARRR!" Pinkie shouted. "WE BE PIRATES!"

"Um...yes," Fluttershy said, trotting in after Pinkie. "Pirates."

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had been drawing before this interruption. They looked at the two adult ponies as if they each had two heads.

"Uh...what're ya doin'?" Bloom asked. Pinkie nudged Fluttershy, who nodded and stepped forward.

"Um..." Fluttershy started. "...Do you think you could please sing us a song? Um...if that's okay...if you want to..."

"Not like that, First Mate Flutters!" Pinkie said. "We're pirates! We take what we want! We don't ask!" Pinkie bounced up to Bloom and pointed her cardboard sword at her and her friends. "Yarr! Ye be singing us a fine sea chantey, or ye be walking the plank!" Bloom looked at Scootaloo, who looked at Sweetie Belle, who looked back at Bloom.

"Whaddaya say, girls?" Bloom asked.

"Playing pirates is a lot more fun than the drawing we were doing!" Scootaloo responded. Sweetie nodded in approval. With that, Bloom turned back and put on a look of mock terror.

"Yes sir, ma'am, sir!" Bloom said quickly. "Whatever ya say! Jus' don't make us walk the plank!!" Pinkie smiled and sat down on the floor, pulling Fluttershy into a sitting position next to her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other with a smile, then went into the only song they all knew as a group.

"Look, here, are three little ponies!" Scootaloo sang, as the other two began to dance. "Ready to sing for this crowd! Listen up, cause here's our story! I'm gonna sing it..."

"VERY LOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUD!!!" the three little ponies sang together.

A few minutes later, Captain Pinkbeard and First Mate Flutters exited the clubhouse, having got what they apparently wanted. Pinkie trotted happily back to the ship, singing the Cutie Mark Crusaders' song as she did so. Fluttershy remained quiet for a bit. She had so many questions, but she didn't want to be rude and interrupt Pinkie's singing.

"Great job, First Mate Flutters!" Pinkie said as she finished singing and stood in front of the "ship." Fluttershy waited a moment to see if Pinkie would go on, and, when she was convinced that she was not, spoke up.

"Um...I don't mean to question you, Pinkie," Fluttershy said. "But what was the point of all that? We didn't even take anything from them...um, not that I wanted to take anything from them...they're such nice little fillies...but still, I thought that was what pirates did?" Pinkie laughed a hearty laugh.

"Of course we took something!" Pinkie said, bouncing. "They sang for us, and I just sang their song!"

"...What does that mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"We're pirating music!" Pinkie answered, giggling. Fluttershy tilted her head.

"Um..." the pegasus whispered. "I don't think that's what pirating music means..." Pinkie looked confused for a moment.

"...Oh well!" Pinkie said. "It was still fun! Now, where do you keep your black jumpsuits? We're gonna be ninjas tomorrow!"

Prompt #23: What's In A Name?

Prompt: Two pony parents discuss what to name their foal.

Rarity smiled to herself as she flipped through the pages of the book she'd chosen to read today. She figured that with the foal due in the next month or so, it was about time to pick out a name. She'd already put a little bit of consideration towards it a while back, but that was before they'd received confirmation on the foal's gender. Now that they knew their foal would be a filly, that made things slightly easier. She'd had so much difficulty deciding on a name back then...there were so many good ones. Now that she was able to cut the possibilities in half, she'd decided to resume the thought process.

Rarity looked up and smiled as Applejack walked into the room. Applejack's walk had, understandably, become more awkward and lethargic as she progressed through the pregnancy. Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof; she felt awful poking fun at Applejack's walk. The farmer had made a great sacrifice for the both of them in deciding to be the one who carried the foal. Taking her away from her work could have been very bad for Sweet Apple Acres' business. Thankfully, Big Macintosh more than covered his share, and Applejack's cousin Braeburn had agreed to come on down to Ponyville and cover her workload. Rarity would have put up more of a fight about the topic, but Applejack was insistent on being the one to carry the foal. Applejack knew her lovely jewel well; she would not take well to the weight she gained from the pregnancy. She'd told Rarity this, and the unicorn knew she was right. Still, at times, she felt little twinges of jealousy.

"Whatcha readin', jewel?" Applejack asked, carefully lowering herself onto the couch next to Rarity.

"Oh, just a book of foal names," Rarity responded. "I figured now would be a good time to begin research on the topic." Applejack smiled and nodded.

"Ya got that right," AJ answered, pulling out a book of her own. AJ opened the recipe book and began reading.

"Oh, are you looking up a recipe for tonight's dinner?" Rarity asked. "I told you I would cook, there's no need for that."

"Nope!" AJ answered. "Ah' lookin' up foal names too!" Rarity stared blankly at Applejack. She looked back at the book's cover, to make sure she wasn't reading it incorrectly. No...no, that was undoubtedly a recipe book.

"A-ha-haapplejack..." Rarity said, a bemused grin crossing her face. "Why are you looking in a RECIPE BOOK for a foal name?" AJ looked up and grinned.

"Well, s'a family tradition ta give our foals an apple-related name!" Applejack answered matter-of-factly. "How's Apple Tart sound?" Rarity stared for a few moments, trying to figure out if Applejack was pulling her leg. Once she'd discerned that her sweet Apple was serious, she facehooved.

"Applejack, darling," Rarity said, with as much tact as she could muster. "I will not have my foal named after a delicacy." AJ tilted her head, beginning to frown a bit.

"Yer foal?" AJ asked. "She's gunna be OUR foal, Rarity. An' Ah'm the one carryin' her, so Ah reckon Ah got a majority vote on this matter."

"You most certainly do not!" Rarity snapped back. "She is both of ours, we will agree on a name, and I refuse to put myself in a situation where I can purchase my child's namesake for an afternoon treat!" AJ started to try and get up onto her hooves, as she often would do when hers and Rarity's arguments began to get heated. In her special physical situation, though, such an act proved difficult, and she chose to attempt to look intimidating from her current reclined position.

"An' jus' what do YOU suggest we name her?" Applejack snarled, deeply insulted by her wife's unkind comments towards her choice of names. Rarity placed her hoof down on her book, pointing to a name that had caught her fancy.

"I believe 'Diamond Lace' is a lovely-sounding name," Rarity answered with a proud smile. The farmer scoffed.

"Yer kiddin', right?" AJ said incredulously. "Ah ain't gunna have mah daughter trot 'round with a frou-frou name like that!"

"Oh, so she is no longer OUR daughter?" Rarity snarked. "How quickly you change your mind, Applejack."

"She IS ours!" AJ answered. "An' OUR daughter's name is gunna carry on the family tradition!"

"OUR daughter's name is not going to be one we can find on Sugarcube Corner's menu!" Rarity said sternly.

The argument went on for a good while, neither of them willing to relent. It took a yelling-at from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who had been studying upstairs, to finally calm the feuding soon-to-be-parents down. After that, the two sat in silence for what seemed like ages. It was Rarity that finally broke the silence.

"...Sonya." Rarity spoke. Applejack looked up.

"Pardon?" AJ asked.

"Sonya." Rarity responded. "It is the name of a variety of apple, yet discreet enough to not be entirely obvious." AJ stared at Rarity, long enough for Rarity to begin thinking that she disapproved.

"...Ah love it," Applejack finally said, a wide smile on her face. "Sonya. Yeh, that's fantastic." Rarity breathed a sigh of relief and smiled to match her partner's. The two shared a nuzzle, their previous argument nearly forgotten.

"Sonya," Rarity repeated, placing a hoof on Applejack's belly and rubbing it tenderly. "Our filly's name shall be Sonya." Applejack just smiled and nodded, closing her eyes.

Prompt #24: My Sweet Treat

The Prompt: Twilight and Pinkie go to karaoke.

Twilight sat at the table that she and Pinkie had chosen tonight. She sat alone, because as usual, Pinkie was spending most of her time on stage. Every karaoke night was the same with them. Twilight would spend most of the evening sitting at the table closest to the stage, while Pinkie would sing her heart out. Pinkie would often ask Twilight why she wouldn't sing, and Twilight was always quick to avoid the question. Not that doing so was very hard with Pinkie's attention span; Twilight would often not even be halfway through her excuse before the pink pony bounced off, her name being called again. Pinkie did ask her on occasion if she really enjoyed karaoke night, and Twilight did not avoid this question, as she honestly did enjoy it. Hearing Pinkie sing was more than worth it; she didn't even need to sing herself to have a good time. Tonight, though...tonight would be different. Hopefully. Maybe.

Twilight welcomed Pinkie back to the table with a kiss on the cheek and a compliment on her latest song, just as she always did. She passed Pinkie's drink over to her, trying to hide her nervousness. Thankfully, Pinkie didn't notice it, or if she did, she didn't say a word about it.

"I've got a whole song until it's my turn again!" Pinkie bubbled. "Oooh, I think I'm gonna sing that new song by the Sea Ponies! It's a goodie! Have you heard it, Twilight? It's all like SHOOOOOOO BEE DOOOOOO, but then it goes SHOOO SHOOOOOO BEE DOOOOOOO! Oooh, but I shouldn't sing it now! You'll hear it when I'm up again! I wonder who's next anyway? I don't even see a lot of ponies in here, and most of the ones that are here don't really sing much..."

Twilight just smiled and nodded as Pinkie went on. Her nerves were wrecking any chance of paying attention to anything other than what she was concentrating on. Pinkie suddenly stopped speaking and shook Twilight a bit. "Ooh, look, the MC is coming up to the microphone! Let's see who's singing next!" Twilight gulped and nodded.

"Our next singer..." the MC said, "Is...Twilight Spackle!" Twilight rolled her eyes. Already off to a good start. She slowly stood up, but was stopped by Pinkie.

"Twilight, where are you going??" Pinkie asked. "Don't you wanna hear Twilight Spackle sing? I wonder who she is, I've never met a Twilight Spackle and I know EVERYPONY in Ponyvi-"

"Pinkie..." Twilight cut her off. "He meant Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight Sparkle?" Pinkie asked. Then her eyes sparkled. "YOU'RE singing, Twilight?! Omigosh! I'm so excited!!" Twilight chuckled nervously, sweat pouring down her forehead. She slowly walked up to the stage, levitating a record that she'd pulled out of her saddlebag next to her. She passed it to the MC, who brought it to the record player. Twilight stepped up to the microphone, looking around at the crowd, but mostly at Pinkie.

"Uh...hi," Twilight said, an awkward grin on her face. "Um...I'm gonna sing a song I wrote. I hope you all enjoy it." Pinkie applauded enthusiastically as the music started. Twilight took a deep breath. Hopefully this would be good enough for her Pinkie.

"My sweet treat," Twilight started, coming in right at her cue. So far, so good! Three words in and she hadn't gone flat or forgotten a word yet! "You're such a delight to..." Twilight paused there. The word she'd intended suddenly sounded far dirtier than she'd originally intended. The unicorn panicked for a moment, but centered herself as best as she could once she locked eyes with Pinkie, who was watching her intently; far more intently than she watched any of the other singers. Twilight took a deep breath and came in at her next cue.

"My sweet treat," Twilight continued. "I love you from your head down to your.." She hesitated again. What was she thinking?! Ponies don't have feet! Ponies have hooves! But hooves doesn't rhyme with treat, and she had to rhyme. All of the research she'd done on songwriting said that rhyming was a necessity. Before she knew it, Twilight realized that she'd been thinking too long, and had missed her next cue. She panicked once more, coming in late.

"...Treat..." Twilight stammered. She tried to center herself on Pinkie once more, but found herself noticing the other ponies watching her. Some of them were starting to look bored, and that only made her sweat even more. She was doing a terrible job, and Pinkie was a great singer, and she was a horrible singer, and Pinkie would never think the same way about her after she embarrassed herself like this...it was too much for the unicorn to handle. She bolted off of the stage, to the bewilderment of the MC and the other patrons.

"...Twilight Spackle, fillies and gentlecolts!" the MC said, smiling slightly. "Up next is Pinkie Pie again!" Pinkie got up, but instead of heading to the stage, she ran out of the club after Twilight. The MC shrugged. "Well then, Twinkletail, you're up!"

Pinkie didn't take long to find Twilight sitting against a tree outside. She plopped herself down next to Twilight and placed a hoof under her chin, looking into her eyes.

"What's wrong, Twi?" Pinkie asked.

"What do you mean?" Twilight answered sheepishly. "Did you see me up there? I was awful!" Pinkie hugged Twilight tightly.

"You were great, Twi!" Pinkie said. "It was really nice of you to write a song all for me and try to perform it! And even though you forgot a lot of words and stopped like 20 seconds into the song, it was still really sweet!" Twilight smiled weakly.

"You really think so?" Twilight asked.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie responded, booping Twilight's closed eye with a hoof. Twilight smiled warmly as Pinkie followed this up with a kiss on her cheek, just like Twi always did after Pinkie finished her songs.

"Maybe you can try again next week!" Pinkie offered. Twilight chuckled slightly.

"Maybe."

Prompt #25: Eyes On Her

The prompt: Ship Derpy with one of the Mane Six.

Pinkie Pie bounced around the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. She had no particular reason to do this. She wasn't baking anything. She just thought it was a really fun thing to do. She had been doing this for about 10 minutes, and was finally forced to stop it when she heard a very familiar knock. She recognized the knock immediately as that of Derpy, the mailmare. She knew everypony's knock, and this was undoubtedly Derpy's. She found this a little odd, because it was Sunday and the mail never came on Sunday. Pinkie instantly assumed that this meant there was a super-special ultra-important package for her and it simply couldn't wait until tomorrow. She bounced excitedly towards the door, opening it as quickly as she could.

"I hope it's a new sled!" Pinkie bubbled, bouncing up and down in the doorway. Derpy looked at her with a confused look.

"What do you hope is a new sled?" Derpy asked. Pinkie stopped and assessed the situation. It appeared that Derpy had not brought her a package of any type, let alone a new sled. She took a moment to wonder why she was so excited about getting a new sled right now in the first place; there weren't many sledding opportunities in mid-July.

"Oh! I thought you were bringing me a super-special ultra-important package since you were visiting on a Sunday and the mail doesn't normally come on Sundays!" Pinkie answered. Derpy slowly shook her head.

"Nope!" Derpy told her. "I came here because I want to talk to you!" Pinkie beamed and stepped aside to allow the mailmare entry. Talking with friends was always nice, and in some cases, even better than a new sled. Derpy entered Sugarcube Corner, looking all around the place. She never really got much of a chance to come in here, and she was utterly distracted from the reason she'd come by all the muffins stacked up in one of the display cases. She pressed her face against the glass, staring at the delicious baked goods that lay before her.

"So you said you wanted to talk to me?" Pinkie asked. This pulled Derpy out of her muffin-induced daze. She nodded and sat down on the nearest couch, accidentally bumping into the end table. Pinkie's tail twitched, and she dashed over to catch the vase that had been on the table before it shattered into pieces. She then sat on the couch next to Derpy.

"What did you wanna talk about?" Pinkie asked. Derpy nodded, getting right to the point.

"What do you do when you think you're in love with a pony?" Derpy asked. Pinkie blinked; she certainly hadn't expected that question.

"Are you in love with a pony?" Pinkie asked.

"Yuh huh!" Derpy answered cheerfully. "Well, I think! I really like her a whole lot! She's really fun to be around!" Pinkie awwwed, causing Derpy to blush.

"Well, who is it?!" Pinkie asked, Derpy looked away for a moment, blushing harder.

"It's a secret..." Derpy said quietly. Pinkie nodded knowingly. She couldn't bother somepony into telling their secrets. It just wasn't right.

"How do you know you're in love with her?" Pinkie asked. "Oh, I mean, how do you know you think you're in love with her?" Derpy blushed even deeper.

"Well..." Derpy started, rubbing the back of her head a bit. "I like being around her...and I think she likes being around me, but I'm not sure. She does talk to me a lot when we do stuff together." Pinkie nodded sagely; it already sounded a lot like her reasoning when she was thinking of asking Twilight out.

"What do you do together?" Pinkie asked. Derpy looked up, as if she was thinking.

"I help her with stuff sometimes," the mailmare said. "We fly around and talk and stuff...she's a real good flier."

"Oh, she is?" Pinkie asked. She was pretty sure she had a good idea of who Derpy was talking about now.

"She is!" Derpy answered, giggling a quiet, embarrassed giggle. "She's real good at it. I can't even keep up with her! And her wings are real nice, and she's got a real nice mane..." Derpy blushed even deeper still, and her wings began to stir a bit. Pinkie giggled at this reaction.

"Alrighty, that's enough!" Pinkie said. "I think I have a good idea of it now! So what are you gonna do about it?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you!" Derpy answered.

"Oh! Right!" Pinkie said with a gigglesnort. "Well, when I wanted to ask Twilight out, I was nervous about it at first, just like you are! But then I thought a lot about it and about how nice and sweet and pretty and smart Twilight was, and I just decided to go ahead and ask, because I really wanted to go out with her, and I knew that if I didn't ask I'd never know if she felt like that about me, and I really wanted to know that! So I just went and asked her!" Derpy nodded, taking this in. "So you should just go fly right up to her house, knock on the door, and ask her out!" Derpy thought about this for a moment. Finally, she smiled and nodded.

"You're right!" Derpy exclaimed. "You're the smartest pony ever, Pinkie Pie! Seeya later!!" Derpy flew right out the door, and Pinkie beamed. She knew Rainbow Dash would be so surprised at this.

Derpy gathered her thoughts and her courage. It would take every single bit of her courage to do this. She reached her hoof our and knocked her usual knock on the door. She sweated a bit as she waited, shaking anxiously and going over what she would say when the door opened and she saw that pretty face staring right at her. Derpy stood confidently, staring right at her door. This was it. She was going to do it. The door opened.

"Oh, hello Derpy!" Fluttershy said with a sweet little smile.

Prompt #26: Something Horrible

Prompt: There’s only one day. One day, before Equestria ends.

"The horror!! THE HORROR!!!"

Roseluck and Daisy sat back on their lawnchairs, reclining comfortably and paying little to no attention to the frantic Lily that had just stepped outside. By this point, they were more than used to her outbursts, and had come to stop paying any heed to them. A few days ago, her cries of horror were directed towards the fact that she had run out of shampoo. Two days before that, she had poured just a teensy bit too much powdered sugar onto her pancakes. Her flair for the overdramatic could make Rarity seem calm and collected in comparison.

"More tea, Daisy?" Roseluck asked, nudging the teapot towards her.

"Please," Daisy responded, leaning over to take the pot.

"Didn't either of you hear me?" Lily asked, jumping up and down. "The HORROR!!!" Roseluck sipped her tea, while Daisy filled her cup. Lily looked back and forth between the two, wondering what had come over her two closest friends. This was a very important situation, and she couldn't believe that they would just ignore her like this.

"Rose! Daisy! Listen to me!!" Lily shouted. "This is the biggest problem ever, and I need you to listen!" Rose and Daisy rolled their eyes in unison and finished off the tea in their cups. Both ponies reached over to take the teapot, but Lily, having had enough of being ignored in favor of piping-hot refreshments, kicked the teapot over.

"Lily!" Daisy snapped. "Those were very expensive tea leaves in there!"

"We got them from Zecora, and you know how little she comes around!" Rose said, exasperated.

"There's no time for any of that!" Lily shouted. "You have to listen to me! This is the absolute worst possible thing ever, and-"

"Is it worse than the time that some dirt got on your newest dress?" Daisy asked.

"Is it worse than last month when Carrot Top bought the last head of lettuce in the market?" Rose inquired. The two of them smiled smugly at each other, causing Lily to groan in frustration.

"Yes! YES!" Lily shouted. "It's worse than ALL OF THEM! COMBINED!!!" Daisy and Rose chuckled and stood up.

"Lily, Lily," Daisy said, placing a hoof on her back. "You get way too wound up over things. Have you ever noticed how much you overexaggerate things? Everything is a major disaster with you. You have to learn to calm down, dear!"

"But this IS a major disaster!" Lily moaned. Daisy shook her head and looked to Rose for help. Rose stepped over and also placed her hoof on Lily's back.

"Lily, we care about you," Rose said, as nicely as she could. "And for that reason, we want you to stop making a big deal out of every single minor issue. It's not good for your nerves."

"BUT THIS IS SERIOUS!!" Lily whined. "It's not a dirty dress, it's not a lack of lettuce...it's not any of those things! It's terrible! It's horrible! THE HORROR!!" Rose sighed and shook her head.

"Lily, have you ever heard of the colt who cried wolf?" Rose asked, snickering a bit. This caused Lily to get even more frantic.

"Yes, I have!" Lily said. "And this is exactly like that! Don't you remember how in the end, the colt was telling the truth??"

"Ugh! Spoilers!" Daisy said, frowning. Rose gave her a look, then turned back to Lily.

"Lily, dear," Rose went on. "What I'm trying to say is that we know what you consider to be a disaster by this point. The three of us have been together long enough to understand your...quirks...and we've come to terms with them. I'm sure this is nothing, just like the other times usually are." Lily twitched slightly. She looked back and forth between her closest friends, feeling utterly, utterly frustrated.

"It's not nothing..." Lily said flopping onto her plot and looking down. "Why won't you believe me..." Daisy and Rose sighed in unison.

"Alright, Lily," Rose said. "Let's hear what this huge horror is today." Lily grabbed both ponies' heads and pointed them towards the sky.

"THAT!!!" Lily shouted. It was only then that Daisy and Roseluck noticed the huge meteor that was quickly approaching. "The news said it's going to hit Equestria tomorrow!!" Daisy and Rose's jaws dropped.

"THE HORROR!! THE HORROR!!!" the three ponies shouted in unison, then started running in all directions.

"...And that's how Equestria was destroyed!" Pinkie said, beaming. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stared at her.

"...But Equestria hasn't been destroyed!" Scootaloo said.

"Oh! Right!" Pinkie said with a gigglesnort. "Who wants cupcakes?" The pink pony hummed happily as she bounced into Sugarcube Corner. Scootaloo stared at her friends, completely and totally confused.

"She's jus' bein' Pinkie Pie," Bloom said. Sweetie nodded. Scootaloo shook her head out, and the three entered Sugarcube Corner. There were cupcakes that needed eating.

Prompt #27: Stitching It Together

The Prompt: Rarity stops making a dress.

Rarity hmmed and hawed as she tried to figure out what else her current project and future masterpiece needed next. As was always the case with the fashion-minded unicorn, the dress had to be absolutely perfect. Every stitch needed to be perfectly executed, every single flourish flawless. Flourishes were her specialty, and this dress certainly was not lacking in them. Rarity smiled as she checked the front, making sure that the green bow across the chest was symmetrical. It was, of course. Such a detail would never have avoided her discerning eye. Of course, she wasn't completely perfect, as was made evident by the teal feathers that she had sewn into the train. She had no idea what she was thinking when she'd added those. Upon a second look, they were quite possibly the tackiest things she'd ever seen. She began to pull the feathers off violently, as an affront to the loveliness of this dress deserved no less. She managed to control herself at the last moment; surely such things could come in handy for a future project. Rarity carefully removed the offending feathers and set them in a heap on the ground. This was her inspiration room, and maybe they would serve for inspiration in the future.

Rarity inspected the armscye. She couldn't bear to make the same mistake she had a while back. Such a thing would be completely embarrassing for a talented dressmaker such as herself. She lit her horn up and gently pulled at the armscye, testing its elasticity. A measuring tape was introduced into the process, just to be safe. Rarity seemed satisfied when it stretched about 7/8 of an inch before becoming taut. The previous dress's armscye only stretched 5/8 of an inch, and that was simply inexcusable.

Rarity's eyes then shot to the middy collar. She glanced between it and the shawl lapel. They went together beautifully, eliciting another satisfied smile. But all was not well yet; there was still so much to double-check. She had made sure to sew every stitch of the dress with care, and without the aid of a machine. This dress deserved every single bit of effort that she could muster. Her gaze turned to the dress's pleats. She leaned close, every ounce of her attention concentrated on them. She was more than happy to find that they were perfectly even. Another masterful piece of work, and it looked lovely with this fabric, which was some of the most luxurious fabric she'd ever used.

Rarity then double-checked every single stitch, to make sure she had employed the correct stitches in each area of the dress. Not a single misused stitch to be found. She'd made absolutely sure to watch her use of backstitches, because she simply could not have a repeat of last time. A topstitch was definitely the correct choice right here, and she'd used it to perfection. The unicorn then walked in a circle around the dress, making sure she'd gone with a proper overdesign. This was the pinnacle of true French haute couture, and could not be mistaken as anything else, A factory-made dress could never hold the beauty that this one did. Rarity had sewn her raw emotions and her very soul into each stitch, poured her feelings into every lovingly-cut piece of fabric, and exhumed her very essence into the flourishes. This dress was a true Rarity creation, through and through. It had to be, because it had to be positively flawless to match the pony who was to wear it. It was almost there; true perfection had almost been achieved. All that was needed was one more addition, but exactly what said addition was eluded the unicorn. Suddenly, as if struck by a bolt of inspiration, she realized it! It was-

"Um...hello?" Fluttershy called out as she entered Carousel Boutique. Rarity jumped; she certainly hadn't expected Fluttershy to visit today! The dress was supposed to be ready for tomorrow, but she had skipped sleep in order to get it done earlier. This proved to be a serendipitous move, as all she had to do was keep Fluttershy here while she added the last detail. Rarity stepped out of her room to meet Fluttershy, smiling widely. She was elated to find that Fluttershy was returning said smile.

"Fluttershy!" Rarity exclaimed. "What brings you here today?" Fluttershy's wings fluttered joyfully; she was unable to hide her excitement any longer.

"Rainbow Dash asked me out to dinner tonight!" Fluttershy said, smiling sweetly. Rarity blinked a few times.

"O-oh?" Rarity asked, her voice wavering slightly. "Well...how wonderful!" Fluttershy nodded happily.

"Do you have time to talk?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't know what to do on a dinner date...I've never been on one..." Rarity smiled a smile worthy of an Oscar nomination.

"I...I'm afraid I am quite busy, Fluttershy," Rarity lied. "I have quite a bit of work to do."

"Oh..." Fluttershy said. "Um...I'm sorry for interrupting..."

"Do not fret over it, Fluttershy," Rarity said, biting the inside of her cheek. "Perhaps you could visit after your d-date and tell me how it went?" Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

"I will," Fluttershy answered. "Have a nice day, Rarity!" The yellow pegasus trotted out the door. Rarity watched her go, then drooped. She headed back into her inspiration room and stared at the dress for a long moment. Through tear-hazed eyes, she levitated a pair of snips towards the dress. It was perfect. Perfect garbage.

Prompt #28: I Fold

The Prompt: One of the Mane Six or Spike reveals a skill nopony expected them to have.

"Ughhh..." Rainbow Dash groaned. "So BORED!" Applejack nodded quietly in response. She was always taught by her family that only those with weak minds got bored, because there was always some sort of way to occupy oneself. She knew her mind wasn't weak, and neither was Rainbow's, but she couldn't deny her utter boredom. The two had done nearly everything they could think of, and nothing was interesting enough to keep their attention for very long. AJ sighed lightly and looked over to Rainbow then blinked a few times.

"...The hay is that, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, staring intently. Rainbow raised a brow, then glanced down at her hooves, where AJ was looking. In her hooves was an origami swan. Rainbow blanched.

"N-nothing!" Rainbow said nervously. "Nothing at all!" Applejack stood up and trotted over.

"Well, if s'nothin', then ya won't mind me doin' THIS!" AJ snatched the swan as Rainbow yelped. The earth pony looked it over in wonder. It was immaculate. Every fold was perfect.

"When the hay didja learn ta do this?" Applejack asked. Rainbow sighed; the jig was up.

"I learned how to do origami when I was a little filly," Rainbow answered, hiding her face. "I promised myself I'd never do it again, but sometimes when I'm bored, I don't realize that..."

"Never do it again??" Applejack asked. "Why in Equestria wouldja promise never ta do this again? This is amazin'!" Rainbow began to answer, but Applejack shoved a hoof in her mouth, her eyes lighting up. "We could make a lotta money offa this, Rainbow!"

"Money?" Rainbow repeated, confused.

"MONEY!" Applejack shouted. "We could travel 'round Equestria an' show off yer talent! Ya could fold yer papers up an' make tons'f lil' toys an' trinkets fer other ponies, an' we'll make a fortune!" Rainbow Dash facehooved; this wasn't what she wanted at all, and she was determined to make this known to her friend.

"AJ, I don't wanna..."

Rainbow had no time to finish her sentence, as AJ snatched her up onto her back. "C'mon, Rainbow! We're gunna be rollin' in bits!" With that, Applejack galloped out of the farmhouse, scooping up a pile of papers as she went.

Hours later, the stand that AJ had set up in the market was the most popular thing Ponyville had ever seen. Applejack greeted every paying customer with the biggest smile she could muster; she was an accomplished salespony, after all. Rainbow, for her part, folded masterpiece after masterpiece, but she never matched the smile that Applejack wore. Ponies from all over town were paying big money for Rainbow's artwork, but her heart simply wasn't in it. Worse yet, there was no convincing Applejack that she didn't want to do this. Every single bit that Rainbow's work garnered just encouraged the entrepreneurial AJ to keep Rainbow going.

"Can ya b'lieve all this cash?" Applejack swooned, showing off the bags and bags of bits that Rainbow had earned. "This is fantastic! Yer a wonder, Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow groaned.

"So we're done now, right?" Rainbow pleaded. Applejack shook her head vigorously.

"You kiddin'?" Applejack said, chuckling. "We're goin' off ta the big one t'morrow!"

"The big one?" Rainbow inquired.

"The big one!!" Applejack repeated. "The Canterlot Origami Expo's t'morrow, Rainbow! We're gunna blow 'em all away!" Dash paled; she had completely forgotten about the COE.

"Applejack, we can't..." Rainbow started to argue.

"We cain't lose!" Applejack finished gleefully. "Ah know! An' we'll win that prize money, an' we'll never hafta work a day in our lives again!" Rainbow groaned and slammed her forehead on the table.

It was a busy day in Canterlot the next day. Nearly everypony within 50 miles of Canterlot had shown up for the event, as usual. There weren't many events in Equestria that drew more attention than the Canterlot Origami Expo, and if the sheer enthusiasm hadn't attracted ponies around the area, the hefty bounty for first place certainly would have turned their heads. Applejack strode proudly into the arena, Rainbow Dash following close behind. AJ glanced back at the blue pegasus.

"The hay is the matter, Rainbow?" AJ asked. "Ya love competition! Why're ya hidin' yer face like that?" Rainbow didn't respond. She simply continued to follow, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.''

"Greetings, origami enthusiasts!" Princess Celestia shouted, and the crowd that had gathered in the coliseum roared.

"Are you ready for some fantastic folding??" the Princess continued. The crowd roared even louder.

"Then let the games...BEGIN!" Celestia yelled. Right on cue, the Wonderbolts flew over the coliseum, their smoke trails forming a big piece of paper in the air. The crowd went absolutely nuts.

"First up..." Celestia said, looking down at her list. Suddenly, her face contorted into a grimace. "...Rainbow Dash??" The crowd murmured, as Rainbow covered her face with her hooves. Applejack looked to her friend, confused.

"What's with all the murmurin'?" AJ asked.

"I tried to tell you..." Rainbow moaned. Before either could respond, palace guards had grabbed the cyan pegasus. AJ tried to pry them off, but was restrained as well. With a loud crack, Celesta teleported in front of the two ponies.

"I thought I told you never to show your face at an origami expo again, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said sternly. "Ever since you folded my prized one-of-a-kind Chroma Splash sketch into a worthless, although still quite well-done, origami frog!" Rainbow's head dropped. AJ looked at her, bewildered.

"Now, you two will have to be thrown in the royal dungeon!" Celestia said. "Unless you can pay for the sketch you ruined! Do you have 300,000 bits to make up for your indiscretion?" Rainbow looked straight to AJ, who went white. That was exactly how much they'd earned yesterday at their stand! Rainbow looked at her with pleading eyes, and the earth pony sighed.

The next day, AJ and Rainbow sat around the farmhouse again, staring up at the ceiling.

"So BORED..." Rainbow groaned. She started to unconsciously fold a piece of paper, but AJ slapped it out of her hooves.

"No," AJ said. "Never again."

Prompt #29: Study Break

The prompt: Two ponies are in competition. One loses … but doesn’t realize it.

Twilight Sparkle sat on her favorite cushion, doing her favorite activity: studying. She had been studying all day, as a matter of fact. Normally she would have taken a break somewhere in the afternoon, but this research was extra-important. She'd promised Princess Celestia a huge party for her visit this coming weekend, but she didn't know until the very last minute that Pinkie Pie was going to be out of town and unable to help set it up. As such, she had been tirelessly studying up on how to magic up the best party ever. Twilight was actually rather surprised at the lack of interruption in said studying, as Fluttershy would have usually interrupted her by this point. Fluttershy always apologized for interrupting, but that never stopped her from doing it anyway if Twilight was studying for too long without a break. It was always a positive interruption; usually for a nice meal or some other fashion of pleasant alone time for the two. Today was different, though. Fluttershy had come over like she usually did, but this time, she instead chose to sit patiently and wait for Twilight to finish studying. It was an odd change, but also a useful one, as this studying just couldn't wait.

Twilight began cross-referencing the book she'd been reading for the last hour with the one she had been reading for the hour prior. Most of the bits of information were the same between the two books, but there was a glaring difference between the two regarding the application of the party streamer bombs. The first book cited a need for more gunpowder than confetti in the reagent list, while the second book said the exact opposite. Twilight figured she'd test it a bit later; she had so many other details to work on that actual testing could wait until that was finished. Twilight glanced up at Fluttershy as she closed the second book. Fluttershy was sitting completely still, just staring at her. Part of her was flattered; it was nice to be admired. At the same time, though, it was slightly unnerving that Fluttershy hadn't tried to interrupt her work yet. She always stressed the need to rest one's mind for a while and not overwork oneself, but she was making no effort at all to pull Twilight away from her studies. Twilight shrugged it off and buried her face back in her book.

It was a half hour before Twilight looked up again. Her studies had gone off on a bit of a tangent. Whilst reading over a spell for amplifying music from a record player without the aid of a stereo system, she'd stumbled across a spell to amplify one's voice. She figured this could come in handy at some point, perhaps to speak over Pinkie when she'd start on one of her endless tirades while Twilight was trying to speak. The unicorn bookmarked the page she'd found it on, vowing to go back to it later. She attempted to return to her studying, but once again, Fluttershy caught her eye. She couldn't believe that Fluttershy was still letting her continue studying. There was still a little part of her that was happy to be left to her studies, but an ever-increasing part of her was a little hurt by this. Had Fluttershy given up on her efforts to aid in Twilight's mental health by convincing her to take a break? The idea of it struck Twilight deeply. She thought Fluttershy really, truly cared for her. Fluttershy had made it evident in the past that she did, but the sheer fact that Fluttershy seemed to no longer care if she overworked herself spoke volumes. Twilight closed her eyes, beginning to worry. Did Fluttershy really not care about her anymore? She'd never been in a relationship before this one with Fluttershy. Was this a sign that she was breaking up with her? Twilight shooed the bad thoughts out of her head and tried to go back to studying.

Yet she was completely unable to concentrate on her studies. There wasn't a single word in the book that could take her attention away from the sadness that she was feeling over Fluttershy's refusal to save her from overworking herself. Nothing in this book mattered to her enough at this moment. What mattered to her the most was that her relationship with Fluttershy had apparently deteriorated so much that Fluttershy was now breaking up with her over her refusal to stop studying. It tore at her mind and her heart. She'd never thought that she'd have to choose between her love of studying and her love of the yellow pegasus sitting across from her, but it had apparently come down to that. She stared at the book a little longer. This spell needed to be finished for the weekend so that Princess Celestia would have the greatest party ever...but Twilight wanted to enjoy the party too, and the heartbreak over knowing that she'd chosen studying over Fluttershy would never allow her to enjoy herself at a party. The Princess would likely be bothered if this party wasn't the best party ever, as she'd claimed it would be...but it was worth the risk. Nothing, not even the Princess's disappointment, meant anything to her if she was losing Fluttershy's love. Twilight bookmarked her page and closed the book, setting it down next to her. She looked across the room at her love, who was still sitting there silently. Twilight's eyes began to tear up as she stood up, ready to apologize for overworking herself despite Fluttershy's previous insistence that she be more careful with it. Hopefully her pleas of forgiveness would be accepted.

"Fluttershy, I..." Twilight started.

"I win!" Fluttershy said, smiling a cute little smile. "Nopony beats the Shhh Champion! ...Um...if that's okay..." Twilight stared at her.

"...You're not mad?" Twilight asked, voice shaking slightly.

"Mad?" Fluttershy said. "Of course not! ...Um...do you want me to be mad? I could try to be mad if you want..."

"No, no, it's okay," Twilight said, sighing a huge sigh of relief. She trotted over and gave Fluttershy a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go get some lunch. I think I need a break."

Prompt #30: The Secret's Out

The Prompt: It’s clear to everypony that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are a couple. Everypony except Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash stretched her wings, relaxing after a long flight. It was Thursday, and Thursdays were her hangout day with Fluttershy. It was one of her favorite days of the week; a major change from what it used to be only months prior. She used to get frustrated at Fluttershy's slow pace when flying, but little by little, she'd been helping her friend gain confidence in her flying ability. She still couldn't fly anywhere near Dash's top speed, but the level she was at was a vast improvement from where she'd been. After a few leisurely laps around Ponyville, the two would always stop back at Fluttershy's cottage for tea; an act that Dash found too frou-frou at first, but eventually grew to enjoy. Dash relaxed comfortably on Fluttershy's sofa while the tea was prepared. She may not have been flying very fast, but she was flying for a good long time, and it felt good to rest. She smiled to her friend as she entered the room, carrying a tray with a teapot and two fancy teacups on it.

"I decided to bring the nice china out today," Fluttershy said with a smile. "I know you don't like things that look too girly, and these have flowers all over them, but I thought it'd be nice."

"Pfft, don't worry about it," Dash said. "It's no big deal. The Dash can handle a little bit of girliness here and there." She then looked side-to-side. "...Just don't tell anypony else, okay?" Fluttershy beamed and nodded. Dash picked the teapot up and poured cups for herself and Fluttershy, then carefully set it back on the tray. The two sipped their tea at the same time.

"Ooh, is this chamomile?" Dash asked. Fluttershy giggled.

"Just a month ago you were saying that tea was too namby-pamby for you," Fluttershy said. "And now you can tell the blend from just a single sip." Dash blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Uh...it's just cause I'm really good at tasting and stuff..." Dash said sheepishly. Fluttershy just nodded and grinned. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, I'll get that," Fluttershy said. She picked herself up off of the couch and drifted over to the door, opening it.

"Hello, Fluttershy!" Twilight said, wearing a wide smile.

"Oh, Twilight!" Fluttershy said. "What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

"Is Rainbow Dash here?" Twilight asked, her smile growing wider still.

"Oh, yes, she is," Fluttershy answered. Twilight chuckled a bit.

"Okay, I'll see you two later!" Twilight said, Fluttershy tilted her head.

"You only came over to ask if Dash was here?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded.

"Don't let me interrupt you!" Twilight said, holding back a giggle. "I'll see you later!" With that, Twilight trotted of. Fluttershy shrugged and closed the door.

"Who was that?" Rainbow asked.

"It was Twilight," Fluttershy said. "She wanted to know if you were..." Before Fluttershy could answer, there was another knock at the door. Dash raised a brow, and Fluttershy shrugged, then turned to answer the door again.

"Good afternoon, Fluttershy darling!" Rarity said, grinning. "How are you doing today?"

"Hello Rarity!" Fluttershy answered. "I'm doing just fine. Dash and I just got back from a flight, and we're..."

"Is that so??" Rarity said, giggling slightly. "You two fly together?"

"Um...yes...every Thursday," Fluttershy said. "And then we have tea..." Rarity giggled even more, and looked like she was putting all her effort into restraining a much more exaggerated reaction.

"That sounds just lovely!" Rarity said. "Well, I shan't take up your time any longer! I have many things to take care of, after all! Enjoy yourselves, you two!" Before Fluttershy could say another word, Rarity had left the area, heading back home.

"Was that Rarity?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy nodded as she closed the door.

"Yes..." Fluttershy answered. "I don't know why everypony's acting so strangely today...she left right after I told her you were here." Rainbow just shrugged.

"Never mind that," Rainbow said. "C'mon and sit back down. Your tea's getting cold." Fluttershy nodded and sat down, but there was yet another knock on the door as soon as she'd gotten comfortable. "I'll get that," Rainbow said, picking herself up off of the couch. "You stay here and enjoy your tea." Fluttershy nodded quietly as Dash swooped over to the door and opened it.

"Oh! Uh...hay there, Rainbow!" Applejack said, smiling awkwardly.

"Hey Applejack!" Rainbow said with a smile. "What's up?" Applejack idly kicked a front hoof in the grass, looking down.

"Oh...nothin' really," AJ said. "Thought Ah'd come talk ta Fluttershy.

"You can do that!" Rainbow said. "She's right inside!"

"No!" AJ said suddenly. She then shook her head out. "...No, that's alright. Ah don't wanna take up yer time." Rainbow looked at Applejack, head tilted.

"What's the matter, AJ?" Rainbow asked.

"N-nothin'!" AJ said, eyes shifting from side-to-side. "Jus'...y'all have fun t'gether, alright? An' tell Fluttershy Ah said hi, okay?" Rainbow slowly nodded. Applejack smiled awkwardly, then made a hasty retreat. Rainbow closed the door.

"Is there something in the water that's making everypony act weird or something?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh dear...I hope not..." Fluttershy answered. Suddenly, there was a fourth knock at the door.

"Gee, I think I can guess who this is," Rainbow said. "And I'm getting some answers out of her." Fluttershy joined Rainbow at the door as she opened it.

"Hiiiii!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down. Rainbow grabbed her and held her still.

"What's up with everypony today?" Rainbow asked. "Why is everypony coming to Fluttershy's house and leaving when they see I'm here?" Pinkie giggled.

"We don't wanna interrupt!" Pinkie said. "We just wanted to see it for ourselves!" Rainbow narrowed her eyes.

"See WHAT for yourselves?" Rainbow asked, starting to get annoyed. Fluttershy just stood there, looking confused. Pinkie laughed out loud.

"You don't have to hide it, you know!" Pinkie said, grinning. "Everypony knows."

"Knows what?" Rainbow and Fluttershy said together, eliciting another giggle from Pinkie.

"That was adorable!" Pinkie said. "You're such a cute couple!"

"Couple?!" Fluttershy and Rainbow said in unison once more, causing even more laughter from Pinkie.

"Ooooh, you two are bad at hiding it!" Pinkie bubbled, bouncing again.

"And just who told you this?" Rainbow asked, looking sideways at Fluttershy.

"It's on the internet, silly!" Pinkie answered. "All over it! There's all these pictures and videos and stuff, and everypony's talking about it on Ponibooru! Don't think we didn't see that kiss you gave Fluttershy during the changeling fight! A lot of ponies were all like 'Ooh that wasn't a kiss, she was just picking Fluttershy up,' but we know better!" Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other, completely confused and both blushing up a storm.

"Pinkie, what's Ponibooru?" Rainbow asked slowly.

"Oh, I'll show you later!" Pinkie said excitedly. "I don't wanna interrupt your daaaaaaaaaate!" Pinkie giggled and bounced off, leaving the pegasi completely baffled.

Prompt #31: What Has Been Seen

The Prompt: Spike witnesses something he won’t soon forget.

Spike walked happily through Ponyville. It was a bright, sunny day, but that wasn't even the main reason for his joy. Twilight had sent him out for a delivery, since she was far too busy studying to make the delivery herself. Normally, Spike would have balked at being used as a delivery service, but once he heard that he'd be delivering an important shipment of jewels to Rarity, nothing could stop him from taking on this task. Any opportunity to see that gorgeous, flawless white unicorn was an opportunity that he would gladly take.

Spike struggled at Carousel Boutique's front door, trying to open it. The bag of jewels was quite large and heavy, and it was difficult to shift it into one claw so he could open the door. He could have knocked, but it was a place of business anyway. Doing such a thing wasn't all that important to him, and it would just keep him from seeing Rarity for a few moments longer.

Spike looked around for Rarity, and when it was evident that she was not downstairs, he made his way upstairs. He glanced around, looking for the lovely unicorn's bedroom. What he found was not at all what he expected.

"SPIKE!!" Rarity shouted out as Spike looked into the open doorway of her bathroom. Spike's eyes went wide, and he dropped the bag of jewels. He stared for a split second longer before turning bright red and scrambling away from the doorway. Spike bolted down the stairs and flumped against the wall, breathing heavily and sweating. He heard the bathroom door slam shut, and his head dropped. Rarity would never forgive him for what he saw, and he felt absolutely horrible...but at the same time, it was a sight that he would never forget. He sat against the wall, closing his eyes and picturing what he'd seen. He had quite a vivid imagination, and the image was clear in his mind. He grinned guiltily as he ruminated over it, the scene he'd just witnessed playing over and over and over again in his head.

Spike then heard the bathroom door creak open. It snapped him out of his thought pattern, and his first instinct was to run like the wind. Rarity was sweet and kind, but after what he'd just seen, there was very little chance that she wouldn't be angry over it. He tried to get up, but his legs just wouldn't act on the impulses that his mind sent to them. He found himself frozen in place; nothing on his body would allow him to run like he so badly wanted.

"Spike!" Rarity spoke sternly from upstairs. Spike could feel the impending doom breathing down his neck. He silently wished that he'd said a goodbye to Twilight before heading out the door, as it was likely the last time he'd ever see her again after what Rarity would certainly do to him.

"Come upstairs," Rarity said. "Now." Spike sighed, knowing that he had to accept his fate. He slowly rose to his feet, eyes pointed straight down at the ground. He dragged his feet up the stairs, unable to even make eye contact with Rarity. He tried looking up at her a few times, but his gaze would reach her hooves, then he would remember what he'd seen and stare straight back down at the ground. He finally reached the top landing of the staircase and stared at Rarity's hooves, too guilty to look up at her.

"I'm sor-" Spike began to say, but one of the pristine white hooves that he had been staring at rose up and covered his mouth. It then moved under his chin and rose his head so that his gaze met Rarity's. Rarity did not look quite as angry as he'd expected, but it was still enough to make him feel awful. His eyes drifted to her partially-dyed mane, but quickly back to her eyes as she cleared her throat.

"You will never speak a word of this to anypony," Rarity said calmly. Spike nodded so fast that he thought his head would fall right off of his neck. Rarity about-faced and walked back to the bathroom. The can of hair dye rolled out into the hallway, before it was snatched back up by Rarity's magic.

"And tell Twilight I said thank you for the jewels," Rarity said curtly. She then slammed the door.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived, and Rarity's secret was safe with him, although it was one he wouldn't soon forget.

Prompt #32: Stone Silence

The Prompt: “In a different reality, I could have called you friend.”

Princess Celestia glanced left and right as she made her weekly stroll throughout her garden. Normally, this stroll was simply a time for her to enjoy herself and take some time to herself. She was a Princess, and as such, she was often very busy. Time to unwind was an absolute necessity. Today's trip, however, was quite different.

Celestia stopped in front of the statue she'd come here specifically to see. There it stood, almost unnerving in its current state. The first time she'd turned him to stone, he'd at least been left in a nice, almost joyful pose. That was a benefit of the element of surprise; the victim never saw it coming. This time...the terror and dread on his face almost made her feel bad for him.

He wasn't so bad when he'd first arrived on the scene all those years ago. At first she'd even enjoyed his antics; as long as he wasn't causing direct harm to anypony, she didn't mind watching him play silly pranks and make it rain chocolate milk. It was good, mostly-harmless fun.

Something happened to him, though. Something even Celestia couldn't explain. Before long, silly antics weren't enough to satisfy him. His brand of chaos became more and more harmful and vicious. Gone was the silly Discord she'd known...well, not really GONE, per se. He was still just as silly as ever; the mean streak was new.

She had never thought she and Luna would have to save Equestria from him. He was the ever-present joker, the jocular little draconeequis who never seemed like he'd harm a fly. She supposed that it was power that corrupted him. Not an uncommon situation, the more she thought about it, but an upsetting one, and one that she wouldn't have expected with him.

Celestia placed a hoof on the statue. She looked at it wistfully, remembering what once was. She'd have loved to have prevented whatever it was that had driven him off the deep end. But it was pointless to sit and regret her inaction. Doing so wouldn't change a thing.

Celestia looked into Discord’s cold, scared stone eyes. It was this day, all those years ago, that she had locked him in his previous stone prison. She stared at it and sighed.

"This never would have happened if you had just watched yourself," Celestia said. "The three of us could have watched over Equestria together if that hadn't happened. We could have been friends."

Discord's stone eyes suddenly blinked. Before Celestia could look away, his hypnotic gaze was upon her. Discord chuckled malevolently to himself as Celestia fell under his gaze

"Oh Celestia," Discord said, his grin cracking the stone around his face. "Who says we can't be?"

Prompt #33: Fly By Night

The Prompt: “What is the wish that you will pay for with your soul?”

Rainbow Dash soared through the sky, pulling off trick after trick after trick. She knew from an early age that it was her destiny to be accepted into a world-class flying team, and as she gazed left and right at her teammates on either side of her, mirroring her amazing efforts (Although she had to admit that her own motions were just a bit more crisp and slightly more awesome), she knew that her wish had finally come true. Sure, it wasn't the Wonderbolts, and that was a little bit of a sting. After all, it was them that she'd always envisioned joining. However, the most important thing in her mind was that she get to show off her skills and become recognized for them. This team might not have been the Wonderbolts, but they flew just as spectacularly as them, and there was little doubt in her mind that flying with them would be her fast track to fame.

Dash settled down on the ground after a good long session with her team. As she thought about the prospect of fame, she paused for a moment. She quietly wondered to herself why she'd never heard of the Shadowbolts before today. Here was a team of pegasi who were just as good as the Wonderbolts, if not better. Not to mention, their outfits were way cooler. The blue and yellow theme that the Wonderbolts used was pretty cool, but come on! Black and dark purple? So awesome! Maybe the Shadowbolts were famous somewhere outside of Equestria. There were more places outside of what she'd visited, after all. The concept of this excited the young filly. Here she was, joining a flying team that was already famous in other parts of the world. News of the newest member would spread along...wherever they were famous...like wildfire, and once that happened, the spotlight would be on her in Equestria too. She could picture the headlines in the papers; Rainbow Dash, Equestria's newest pride and joy, proves her worth with the world-famous Shadowbolts. Once again...SO AWESOME!

Dash looked over to her teammates. She had yet to get their names; she'd been too busy showing off her skills to worry about silly semantics like introductions. Now that they were on break, maybe such things were in order. Dash approached the pony who'd invited her to join up, assuming that she was the leader.

"Hey!" Dash said, patting her on the shoulder. "Thanks for letting me on your team and stuff. You're not gonna be disappointed, that's for sure!" The Shadowbolt nodded, looking away to the rest of the team.

"Right," she answered. "I'm sure." Dash grinned, trying to hold back her excitement so as to come off as the cool pony she was.

"So what's your name?" Dash asked. The Shadowbolt rolled her eyes a bit.

"I'm Nightshade," she said. She then pointed to each other member individually. "That's Stratus, Starry Skies, Blueball Blitz, and Charger." Dash reached a hoof out for a hoof bump, but Nightshade didn't return it. Dash noticed this and quickly played it off, bringing her hoof up to fix her mane.

"So when do I get a cool costume like yours?" Dash asked, inspecting the Shadowbolt uniform all over. Nightshade laughed.

"Cool your jets, Rainbow Dash," Nightshade said with a smirk. "You're the rookie of the team, and you've gotta earn your uniform." The other Shadowbolts all grinned, eyeing Dash.

"Pfft...earn it?" Dash asked with a snicker. "I'm already the most amazing flier Equestria's ever seen. What else could I possibly need to do to earn my costume?" Nightshade just smiled and shook her head.

"This is a regular ritual we put all of our new members through," Nightshade answered. "Trust me, you'll like it just as much as the rest of the team will." The Shadowbolt that Nightshade had referred to as Stratus sidled up to Dash's side, smirking.

"You know, Shade," Stratus said. "You gave the first test to the last new member. What say I...test Miss Dash here first?" Nightshade chuckled.

"Sure thing, Stratus," she responded. "Come on, Dash. Let's go." He gave Dash's flank a smack, causing her to jump a bit. The other Shadowbolts laughed as they brought themselves back into the air. Dash chuckled lightly as well. She always saw members of sports teams smacking each other's flanks. She felt like she really belonged. Dash unfurled her wings and flew off to join her new teammates. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the five ponies she'd entered the forest with as they waited on the other side of the ravine. She briefly considered going back, but she barely knew them. This was far more important. She'd always wished to join a world-class flying team, and at long last, her wish had come true.

Prompt #34: Acceptance

The Prompt: “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

Twilight Sparkle sat around in the attic, wondering where Spike had gotten off to. He had been helping her organize all of the random stuff that they had never organized since moving into the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. It wasn't like Twilight to leave something disorganized, but so much had happened since the day they moved in, and she believed "having to save Equestria from eternal night" was a valid excuse for not being more organized. Only just barely, though.

"Spiiiiiiiiiiike!" Twilight called out. Her "number one assistant" had been taking a break for far longer than he really needed to. Her organization skills were fantastic, but having an assistant to help expedite the process was a wonderful thing. A wonderful thing which she was not experiencing at the moment, since the lazy little dragon was nowhere to be found, and was not responding to her calls. Twilight rolled her eyes and pulled the next box over. Baby dragon or no baby dragon, she was getting this done. She lit her horn up, beginning to sort the box's contents. Old books went in the "old book" pile. Slightly newer, yet still old books went in the "slightly newer, yet still old book" pile. It was a very efficient process, although sometimes she would get caught up on exactly what the cutoff date between "old" and "slightly newer, yet still old" was. Thankfully, there was a "books of questionable oldness" pile to cover that.

Twilight's eyes drifted over to the latest book she'd lifted out of the box. Her attention was caught by a folded-up piece of paper that fell out from between the book's pages. For a few moments, she figured it was simply a bookmark. However, her need to know everything wouldn't allow her to just go with that assumption and toss the paper out. She set the book in the "books of questionable oldness" pile where it possibly belonged, then floated the piece of paper over to herself. She unfolded it and began reading it.

"Dear Miss Sparkle," Twilight read aloud. "We here at Canterlot University have read over your thesis, and we are happy to inform you that..." Twilight stopped reading aloud, instead just staring at the letter. She sighed softly. Things had changed so much for her in the last week or so. She fell silent, thinking about how she felt when she'd received that letter from CU.

"...And that is why we feel that you would be a perfect fit in our university! We wish you a happy and healthy summer and eagerly look forward to you beginning your matriculation!" Twilight finished. "Yes yes yes yes yes yes yeeeees!!!" Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle grinned to each other as their daughter bounced in circles around them. They were more than used to this jubilant reaction from her by this point. This was her regular form of celebration since she was a little filly. She always spent so much time quietly studying; seeing her break out and act like the young filly they'd remembered was always nice. After a few moments, Twilight opened her eyes and saw her parents watching her and smiling. She cleared her throat and skid to a halt, blushing.

"I take it you're happy with this, Twilie?" Mrs. Sparkle asked. Twilight blushed.

"Um...yes," Twilight said sheepishly. Mr. Sparkle trotted over and put a foreleg around Twilight.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed, honey," Mr. Sparkle said, hugging her close. "You have every right to be celebrating like this. Canterlot University, honey! Your brother's gonna be so proud when he hears!" Twilight beamed and leaned into her father's warm, safe hug.

"Thanks, daddy," Twilight said. "I can't wait! College is gonna be so great!"

Twilight sighed softly. She'd had such big plans for her college career. Of course, that was before she'd read about the Elements of Harmony, and before Princess Celestia sent her to Ponyville.

"What's that?" Spike asked. Twilight nearly jumped; she hadn't even heard Spike come upstairs. Spike took the letter and read it over.

"Canterlot University?" Spike asked. "You were gonna go to Canterlot University?" Twilight looked at the letter with a small frown. She thought about what she could have been doing, but those thoughts were quickly replaced by the memories of the last few days. How she'd been sent to Ponyville, met new friends, and saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon. She smiled lightly and turned to Spike.

"I intended to go there," Twilight said. "But I think I was needed here more."

Prompt #35: The Bestest Party EVER

The prompt: “No matter where you are… everypony is always connected.”

Pinkie Pie bounced around Sugarcube Corner, getting everything ready for the big party today. She had been planning this for so so so so long, and the big day was finally upon her! She was so excited, she could barely contain her glee. All she wanted to do was sing and play and dance in joy over the fantastic party that she had planned. There would be time for that later, though. First, she had to make sure that everything was ready.

Pinkie checked the kitchen first. Food was one of the most important aspects of a party, and that really meant a lot, because EVERYTHING was a really important aspect of a party, so to point out one thing that was even MORE important meant that it had to be super-DUPER important! Pinkie did a good job of doing her own catering, and it showed, as about half of the tables had tons and tons of sweets and pastries piled upon them. She'd really driven it into overdrive for this occasion; every single possible baked delight she could think of was put into this grand spread. However, even the sweets-loving Pinkie knew that sugary delights weren't enough for a proper party. There had to be plenty of nice healthy foods for ponies like Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who were always watching their physiques. To this end, the other half of the tables were covered in fruits, vegetables, breads, crackers, and cheeses. There really was something for everypony at this party, and Pinkie expected every single guest to leave with a full tummy.

Pinkie bounced into the main room. Food wasn't all that mattered at a party of this magnitude; entertainment was also a top priority Pinkie smiled from ear to ear as she inspected every single game she'd set up. "Pin the Tail on the Pony" was a perennial favorite, so she had made sure to have it well-represented. Of course, regular PtTotP was good enough for a regular old party, but for a party of this scale, something more was needed. Pinkie tested the Lazy Susan-like contraption she'd installed on the floor. It worked perfectly, spinning her just fast enough so it was super fun, but not so fast as to make her feel woozy. She grabbed one of the tail pins and tested the special board out, sticking the pin straight into the target point. Right on cue, a loud fanfare blasted from the speakers next to the board, and Pinkie giggled as confetti rained down on her. She made a quick job of sweeping it all up and setting it back up in the trap door in the ceiling. Super Pin the Tail on the Donkey for a super-amazing party. Perfect.

Pinkie then checked the other party games. The barrel she'd set up for apple-bobbing was full of strawberry milk, because water was overdone, and as usual, she'd mixed plenty of surprises in with the namesake apples. The Twister board was all set and ready for ponies, and she'd made sure to include silly options like "nose" and "plot" to the board, just to make things extra-fun. She'd considered musical chairs, and in the end decided to go with it, but she'd hidden whoopie cushions in a few of the chairs, just to add a bit of extra surprise. The last time she'd done this, Twilight had nearly jumped out of her skin in shock, and that gave Fluttershy the opportunity to sit in the chair. Fluttershy apologized over and over again, of course, but it was a real game-changer, and there was no way that she'd leave it out this time.

Satisfied with the party games, Pinkie then went to check on the music. Vinyl Scratch had come by last night to work with Pinkie on the perfect soundtrack for the party. Every single genre had to be represented, because everypony loved music, but everypony loved different kinds of music. Pinkie couldn't live with herself if somepony was completely unhappy with the choice of music, so they put EVERYTHING on the playlist. She'd also worked with Scratch to set up an automatic volume changer, since the last time they'd had a big party, a fairly-quiet song that Fluttershy had turned the volume up to hear was immediately followed by a loud Neighslayer song (At Dashie's request, of course). Rarity had to spend an hour and a half brushing poor Fluttershy's mane down after it had been blasted backwards from the cacophony of power chords. Now, each track had a set volume to start at, so that ponies could get situated to the new song before it went to a volume of optimal enjoyment. Pinkie was very thankful for Scratch's aid in this, and she had also stayed the night, which was an added bonus.

Pinkie checked the party favors last. There were plenty of party hats and noisemakers and little horns and streamers to throw around...it was excellent. Everypony would be very happy to receive one of these goodie bags. Pinkie left the table and gave the party one last look-around. As she did, she remembered that she hadn't double-checked the decorations! Thankfully, those didn't really need double-checking. Sugarcube Corner always looked ready for a party to begin with, and the extra bits she'd set up just made things that much better. Streamers of every color decorated the walls, and all the tablecloths and curtains had been changed to a more party-themed decor. Pinkie couldn't help but beam. This was going to be the best party EVER!!

Pinkie's beaming didn't last long, though, as she realized the ONE THING she'd forgotten to do while setting the party up. She had forgotten to send out invitations! Here she was, with this wonderful, amazing, super-fantastic-awesome party set up with everything that anypony could ever want...and she'd completely forgotten to send invitations out! Pinkie facehooved, her party plans ruined...until she remembered something!

"Duh!" Pinkie said out loud, shaking her head. She closed her eyes and sent a message along the collective. Within moments, the others were already starting to show up. Pinkie welcomed each party guest as they arrived, feeling relieved. A collective mind was just one of the really cool benefits that she enjoyed ever since the whole changeling attack happened back in Canterlot. It was really super-duper nice of the Queen to accept them and all their friends into the collective once they'd taken over, otherwise who knows what would have happened to them? Always being connected with everypony...whoops, everychangeling, she kept forgetting that...made things like parties so much easier! Pinkie closed the door as the final party guest arrived. The party was ready to begin!

Prompt #36: Figuring It Out

The prompt: “There are more things in heaven and earth … than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Pinkie Pie looked up at the prompt above her. She pondered it for a few moments, trying to figure out exactly what it meant. She'd seen a few of them recently that made her really think. Yesterday's in particular was a bit of a headscratcher, and she was IN the story that ended up being written. She sat, tapping a hoof to her chin, as she looked it over. How could she interpret this one? Pinkie appeared deep in thought as Twilight trotted up to her.

"Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing?" Twilight sat next to her and looked up, trying to see what Pinkie was looking at.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with this prompt!" Pinkie said. "It's a real toughie!" Twilight tilted her head.

"Prompt?" Twilight inquired.

"Prompt!" Pinkie replied. "Don't you see it right up there at the top of the page?" Twilight blinked a few times.

"Pinkie, what in Equestria are you talking about?" Twilight asked, seeing absolutely nothing but sky above her. "What page?"

"The webpage!" Pinkie said, starting to get a bit exasperated. "It's right up at the top! Look!"

"I AM looking, Pinkie," Twilight said, shaking her head. "And I don't see what you're talking about. At all."

"Well of course you don't now," Pinkie said. "We've been talking too long and now it's probably scrolled off of the screen!" Twilight stammered a bit.

"Pinkie, I don't understand a word you're saying," Twilight responded, frustrated. Pinkie sighed heavily.

"Have you been paying attention to the stories that have been written about us in the last month or so?" Pinkie asked.

"What stories?" Twilight asked. "You're not making any sense!"

"The STORIES!" Pinkie said, jumping up in the air. "You were in a lot of them! You were in the one two days ago about you getting the letter to go off to Canterlot University but then you had to say no because Princess Celestia sent you to Ponyville to meet us and stop Nightmare Moon! And five days before that, you were in the one where you and Fluttershy were dating, and you got worried cause she wasn't talking to you so you thought she was dumping you because you studied too much, so then you finally started to talk to her and she told you that you lost the Shh contest!" Twilight just stared at Pinkie for a little bit.

"I have no clue what you're..." Twilight started to say, but she was interrupted by Pinkie going off once more.

"And you were in so many of them with me!" Pinkie said, throwing her front legs up in the air. "We went to karaoke in one about 12 days ago! And there was the one where I came up to you and I was yelling about my baking pan being gone but I was just making it up to tell a joke, and then there was the one waaaaaaaay in the beginning when you had a papercut and I had to save you! Come to think of it, there are a lot of stories with us together in them! That's probably because BabySealBurritos and DonnysBoy and Kyronea and AlexanderKrizak really like us as a couple, but AAAAANYWAY..."

"PINKIE!" Twilight shouted. "What are you talking about? I don't remember any of these things! Who are BabySealBurritos and DonnysBoy and Kyronea and AlexanderKrizak?"

"They're MODS, sillypants!" Pinkie said. She patted Twilight on the head. "You really need to get out more." Twilight brushed her hoof away.

"None of what you're saying makes any sense!" Twilight said. "I don't believe any of it!"

"Well Twilight," Pinkie said. "Remember that day when you found out about my Pinkie Sense? Just cause you don't believe in it doesn't mean it's...not...real..." Pinkie suddenly became very quiet. Twilight tilted her head and stared at Pinkie.

"...Um...Pinkie?" Twilight asked, raising a hoof and waving it in front of her face. Pinkie suddenly burst up onto her hooves.

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in YOUR philosophy!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing a hoof at Twilight. "That's perfect! I get it now!!" Twilight looked more confused than ever.

"Pinkie, I..." Twilight started. She was interrupted by a pink blur speeding by her.

"Thanks Twilight!" Pinkie shouted as she ran off. "I gotta go write! I only have an hour left!"

Prompt #37: The Perfect Sister

The Prompt: ”You said you’d always be there for me! But you’re not. And it’s because of me.”

Rarity double-checked every single thing before leaving her house. It was just the way she was; as a seamstress, she had to be very detail-oriented. Just as each stitch of a new garment had to be flawless, so too did each bit of her life. Whether it be a simple visit to a friend’s house of a big event like tonight, she had to make sure everything about the trip was perfect.

Rarity was just about to leave Carousel Boutique when she noticed that the portrait of her parents near the front door was askew. She didn’t have a moment to waste, as she was already late leaving the boutique and Sweetie Belle’s big solo was very early in the show. However, she simply could not leave a portrait askew like this. She lightly nudged the photograph until it was perfectly straight. She stared at the photograph for a moment. Even though they weren’t there, her parents’ faces still somehow managed to judge her through this photo. She was entrusted with Sweetie for the week, and the filly was already upset enough that her parents wouldn’t be around for her big recital.

“Oooh…I know, Mumsy and Pop-Pop,” Rarity said quietly. “I shall be there for her, just as I said I would.” For a moment, she could swear she saw her father’s smile grow bigger, but she knew that was nonsense. In one quick motion, Rarity flew out the front door, shutting it behind her.

And in a moment, she was inside again. She couldn’t believe that she’d nearly forgotten it, as she set her keys on the counter. Her parents had made absolutely sure to inform her of Sweetie’s favorite flowers and candy, and in her haste to leave, she’d nearly forgotten them. Her parents made sure to reward Sweetie with these treats after each of her recitals, and Rarity could not bear to disappoint her and fall short of her expectations. She quickly located Sweetie’s presents, right where she had left them in the dining room and ran off once again.

Rarity quickly shoved her hoof back into the door before it closed. She’d left her keys on the counter, and thankfully remembered just in time. She levitated her keys into her bag and nearly ran again, before remembering that she’d promised Sweetie that she would take pictures. She couldn’t break this promise to her. Even though their experience with the Sisterhooves Social had been great for their relationship, she still felt inadequate as a sister on occasion. Applejack and Apple Bloom did nearly everything together, whereas it sometimes felt like she and Sweetie barely saw each other at all. She strived for perfection in her life, and as such, she needed to be the perfect big sister, for herself but more importantly for Sweetie. Rarity grabbed the camera, stuffing it into her saddlebag and making sure not to disturb the flowers or smash the candy. She had a feeling that slightly-bent flowers would not upset Sweetie, but she couldn’t afford that. They had to be perfect for her.

Rarity gasped as she caught a quick glance at the clock. She was running so late! The unicorn burst out of the house, now positive that she had everything she needed. She slammed the door behind her, making sure that it was locked. She galloped as fast as her hooves would take her, despite the fact that she’d just gotten a nice hooficure yesterday. She winced slightly as she looked at the dirt getting on her hooves, but there was no time to worry about it now. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the schoolhouse come into view. Hopefully she had made it in time…

Rarity’s face fell as she entered the auditorium. The crowd applauded wildly as Sweetie sang the final note of her song, but she did not look happy to be receiving such praise. Sweetie’s disappointed eyes scanned the room until they set on Rarity. The usually glamorous unicorn was out of breath, mane disheveled, and drooping at the knowledge that despite her best efforts, she’d let her sister down. Sweetie stepped off the stage and approached Rarity, who held out the flowers and candy with a weak smile. Sweetie pushed them aside.

“You said you’d be there for me,” Sweetie said. Before Rarity could explain her reasoning, Sweetie stepped right past her with a “Hmph.” Rarity slumped to her haunches, dropping the flowers to the ground. Applejack, who had seen the entire scene, stepped over to comfort Rarity, but she would have none of it. The unicorn dragged her hooves out of the schoolhouse without another word said.

Prompt #38: Fighting Boredom

The Prompt: “You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world! This room’s the greatest arsenal we could have - arm yourselves!”

Rainbow Dash beat her head against the closest bookshelf, groaning. "I'm SO BORED," the pegasus lamented. She looked around to her friends, who were all displaying various states of boredom. Applejack was slumped against another shelf, humming to herself. Fluttershy was idly tapping a hoof on the ground (and apologizing if a particular tap was too loud). Rarity was braiding Fluttershy's mane. Even the ever-jubilant Pinkie Pie was starting to show signs of boredom. Her bounces were becoming less energetic.

"Don't worry, Dashie," Pinkie offered. "I'm sure Twilight will be here soon! It's not like her to miss a party! Especially not one for her! Although I guess since it's a surprise party she wouldn't know that she was missing it so that wouldn't really factor into it but STILL! I'm sure she'll be here soon!"

"I sure hope so," Applejack said. "Ah cain't even r'member the last time Ah was this bored."

"Ooh, what about that time where you and Rainbow Dash entered that origami contest?" Pinkie asked, bouncing. Both AJ and Rainbow looked at her, confused. "Whoops, wrong story!" Pinkie said, and settled down. The two ponies shrugged. They were used to weird behavior from Pinkie by now.

"Anypony know what time it is?" Rainbow asked.

"Um...it's 5:00," Fluttershy said quietly.

"Wasn't Twilight s'posed ta be here at 4:00?" AJ asked. The other ponies nodded.

"Pinkie, darling," Rarity said, looking up from her task for a moment. "You DID inform Twilight that she needed to be here at precisely 4:00, correct?"

"Nope!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "I wanted her to be EXTRA-surprised!" The other ponies groaned.

"So let me get this straight," Dash said, flying in front of Pinkie. "You gathered us here to throw a surprise party for Twilight...a party which you still haven't told us the reason for...and you stressed that we need to be here at 4:00...but you didn't even make plans for Twilight to be here at that time?!" Pinkie nodded, beaming.

"Good job, Dashie!" Pinkie said, placing a detective hat on her head. Dash shook her head and threw it off.

"Pinkie!" Dash said. "Do you understand how ridiculous this is? How do we even know that she'll come any time soon?"

"I dunno!" Pinkie responded. "That makes it a DOUBLE surprise! Twilight doesn't know that there's gonna be a party for her, and we don't know when she's coming home! Eeeeheehee, it's like SURPRISE-CEPTION!" Dash facehooved and sat down. It was no use arguing with Pinkie Pie.

"So what, pray tell, are we gunna do till Twi gets here?" AJ asked. "Ah've run outta tunes ta hum!"

"We could play spin the bottle!" Pinkie offered. Fluttershy meeped.

"Will you remember to empty the bottle before you spin it this time?" Rarity asked as she finished up Fluttershy's braid. "It took me ages to wash the grape juice from my coat last time." Pinkie giggled.

"Nah, that game's no fun without Twilight here," Dash said. AJ rolled her eyes.

"Yer too sappy sometimes, Dash," AJ said. Rainbow just shrugged with a smile.

"Well, we must do SOMETHING to pass the time," Rarity said. "I've finished Fluttershy's mane. Does anyone else want braids?" Rainbow and AJ instantly shook their heads.

"I don't think you can do that with my mane!" Pinkie said. "It's all poofy and crazy and stuff!" Rarity nodded. Pinkie's mane was impossible to tame.

"This is ridiculous!" Rainbow said, smacking her hoof against the wall. As she did, a placard that was hung on the wall fell off and clocked her on the head.

"OWW!" Rainbow shouted. "What the hay?!" The others looked over to her as she picked the placard up, ready to hurl it across the room in her anger. She took a moment to glance down at it, and read it aloud.

"Books are ponies' greatest weapon against boredom," Dash read.

"What a coincidence!" Pinkie said, bouncing. Dash looked at the placard for a few moments. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"Duh!" Rainbow said. "Why didn't I think of this? It's so obvious now!" The other ponies gathered around and looked at the placard. One by one, they each nodded knowingly. Their boredom was about to end, right now.

Twilight smiled as she and Spike approached the library. She'd had a wonderful meeting with Princess Celestia today, one that she'd been meaning to make for a while. Despite this, it was still really nice to get home. Twilight lit her horn up and nudged the door open. She stepped one hoof into the library, then stopped short, staring at the carnage that had taken place in the library. The entire place was littered with books. Almost every shelf was bare, and books were thrown haphazardly around the room. One by one, her friends popped up from their individual book forts.

"Surprise!" Pinkie yelled, before she was smacked in the head with a softcover book that Rainbow had thrown.

"Score!" Dash said, as Pinkie giggled. "Books really ARE the best weapon against boredom!"

Twilight sighed heavily. Cleanup was going to be difficult today.

Pormpt #39: Preoccupied in Ponyville

The Prompt: Ship the mods’ OCs.

Hasty Hooves stretched her wings as she landed from her flight to work. The flight never got any shorter, but overall, she didn't really mind it. It was a lot easier than if she'd had to walk the whole way. As she stepped into the office of the Ponyville Press, she reveled in the feeling of the air conditioning. It was so hot outside, and the stark contrast in temperature upon entering was a welcome change.

Hasty gave a smile and a nod to each pony she passed. She was the quiet type, and didn't usually stick around for long conversations with her coworkers, but she appreciated each one all the same, and was more than happy to greet them each in turn. Her office was near the back of the building, which gave her a nice opportunity to greet nearly everypony in one trip. She'd wondered why, after working at the paper for a while, she still hadn't been given a nicer workplace. It was no big deal though; it actually helped in her column sometimes. Being able to tell ponies that wrote in for advice on their lives was sometimes easier given her ability to relate with the ponies who talked about their less-than-desirable working conditions.

Hasty gave a small "Hello" to the pony working in the freelance office, which was right next to hers. Said office was currently occupied by a young writer named Purple Prose. He'd submitted some of his works to the paper, and they'd offered him a trial position. His works so far had been somewhat well-received, but no word had been given yet on whether the paper was keeping him around, and tomorrow was the last day of his trial period. Hasty had never really spent much time talking to him (which wasn't saying much; her conversations with coworkers were often a bit limited to begin with), but he seemed like a nice stallion, and she'd read and been impressed by his work. He had this way of dancing around his imagery and slipping little puns into his stories that she enjoyed. Prose returned her greeting, giving a small smile back.

"Uh...going to work?" Prose asked. He mentally slapped himself upon finishing this question. Where else would she be going? He quietly cursed his awkwardness.

"Yup," Hasty responded with a polite smile.

"Cool," Prose said, rubbing the back of his mane with a hoof. "Good luck!" Good luck? What kind of comment was that?

"Thanks," Hasty said, opening the door to her office. "Good luck with the whole keeping-your-job-here thing."

"You too!" Prose said as Hasty entered her office. Then he facehooved. He always messed up with proper use of the "you too."

Hasty sat down at her desk and looked at her inbox. She only had one letter to reply to today; it had been a somewhat slow week overall. She shrugged; at least her work day would be short and easy today. She opened the letter and got to reading.

"Dear Hasty," she read. She had a tendency to read her letters aloud. "I've got a big problem. There's this mare who's caught my eye, and as far as I'm concerned, she can keep it." Hasty chuckled slightly. That was kinda clever. "I've been wanting to talk to her for a while now, but she never sticks around very long to talk, and when I do say something to her, I tend to screw it up." Hasty sighed slightly. Romance, while one of her favorite topics, wasn't one that she was super-confident about giving advice for. She had enough trouble with it herself. Regardless, she continued on. "What can I do to get her attention? I don't know if I can go much longer without showing her how I feel, but how do I go about that? Signed, Preoccupied in Ponyville."

Hasty sat back and thought about what to tell Preoccupied. Her usual reaction would be to tell him (or her?) to go and find out this mare's interests, then try to talk to her about it. Then she thought about her own attempts at romancing ponies she'd been interested in. Trying to get to know everything about the pony who'd caught her fancy sounded like the right thing to do, since it would give them common ground. Plus, that's what the ponies in some of the novels she'd read did, and it always worked in there, so it had to have some manner of verity to it. The last time she'd attempted such a thing, though, she'd waited too long and missed her chance. This pony clearly sounded like he needed to have this happen soon. Hasty thought for a moment longer, then started typing.

"Dear Preoccupied," Hasty began. "It sounds like you've got a dilly of a pickle on your hooves. My best suggestion in this situation is to come clean to this mare and let her know you're interested. What's the worst that could happen? She says no? All in all, it's an attempt worth making in my eyes. Otherwise, you're gonna be left wondering what she would have said, and I have a feeling that'll 'preoccupy' you even more." Hasty nodded with a smile. Hopefully this would help Preoccupied with his dilemma. She sent the paper over to the press, ready to put it in print for tomorrow's edition.

Hasty landed in front of the Ponyville Press building the next day, ready for another typical work day. As she opened the door, she nearly walked into Purple Prose.

"Gah! Sorry!" Hasty said, skidding to a halt.

"No problem!!" Prose said. It was then that Hasty noticed the box of candy floating next to Prose.

"Ooh, those look good," Hasty said. "Who's that for?" Prose took a breath, looking nervous.

"Uh..." Prose said, smiling slightly. "They're for you."

"...Me?" Hasty asked, taken aback. Prose nodded, grinning back.

"I don't want to be preoccupied any longer," Prose said with a chuckle. Hasty blinked a few times as she realized what was going on. Prose just smiled back as Hasty picked the candy box up, blushing.

Prompt #40: Managing Without

The Prompt: “Magic has disappeared from Equestria.”

"BRRRRING!!! BRRRRRRRRING!!!"

Twilight groaned as she woke up. The new alarm clock seemed like such a good idea ever since Spike had made it clear that he wasn't going to wake up early enough to wake her at her preferred wakeup time, but actually hearing it was another story. She didn't understand what was so bad about waking up at 7 AM; it left her with an entire day chock-full of studying and seeing her friends! She glanced over at the baby dragon, sleeping atop his pile of cushions on the other side of the room. He could be so lazy sometimes.

Twilight yawned, then decided that she'd heard quite enough of the alarm. She lit her horn up to bring the clock over. Or, at least, she went through the usual process that she would go through in order to light her horn up and float things over to herself. This time, though, something didn't work quite right. There was no light emitting from her forehead. There was no little crimson aura surrounding the clock. And there was certainly no aforementioned clock floating towards her. Twilight crossed her eyes and looked up at her forehead. Her horn was still there. In the past, checking for such a thing would have seemed silly, but ever since Discord removed it, it was worth checking. The horn also looked perfectly fine, and she knew she hadn't trodden through any poison joke recently. Maybe she wasn't concentrating hard enough? Twilight tried again, but it was no use.

"Don't panic, Twilight," Twilight whispered to herself. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. And I could probably think of what it is if that ALARM WOULD STOP RINGING!" Twilight covered her mouth after she'd finished shouting those last few words. She glanced over to Spike. Somehow, even through the alarm and the shouting, he remained asleep. She briefly thought again about how lazy she was before trying to reach the alarm without getting out of bed. Alas, it was just out of reach of her hooves. It took some rotating around and stretching before she finally managed to grab it with her hind hooves. Picking things up without magic was HARD. She had no clue how earth ponies and pegasi did it...although Fluttershy was quite nimble with those feathers of hers...but there wasn't time to think about that now. This alarm had to be shut off, and she had to figure out why her levitation wasn't working. Twilight awkwardly tossed the alarm clock from between her hind hooves, intending to catch it with her forehooves. Such a thing did not happen, as the clock flew past her face and landed on the floor, breaking. So much for the new alarm clock...but at least the noise had stopped.

Twilight had no more time to waste. Such a strange magical anomaly had to be scrutinized immediately. Twilight tried to teleport to her lab, but her horn refused to cooperate. She sighed and decided to cast a spell on her legs to make her move faster, but that was no use either. The purple unicorn flopped to her haunches. THIS was a problem. It wasn't just her levitation that wasn't working; it was her magic in general! Twilight got straight back up and bolted down the stairs to her study.

Upon entering the study, Twilight began madly pulling books off of the shelves, trying to find anything she could on magic anomalies like this. This task exhausted her, as she was nowhere near used to doing such a thing without the use of magic, but her sheer determination helped her push through it as best she could. Once she felt that she had enough books (A situation which would normally never come up, as Twilight ALWAYS felt short on books when all it took to get more was a simple levitation spell), she grabbed the first one and put it on the desk. Or she would have if it didn't slip right out of her hooves. After a few more tries, she finally slapped the book onto the table and maneuvered her hooves around to open it. She located what she needed in the table of contents, then flipped madly to the page.

"A-ha!" Twilight said. "What to do when your spells won't shine!" Twilight mumbled the opening to the section to herself. The section started off with brief descriptions of magic that she was already familiar with, but she couldn't just not read them; they were part of the book, and every bit of it was written with care. Finally, near the end of the page, she saw what she needed. "If your spells won't work, make sure first that your horn is still there." Twilight nodded with a satisfied grin, in the knowledge that she'd already done the first step. "Second, make sure your horn is stiff. A floppy horn cannot transmit magic." She remembered being unable to cast spells during her encounter with the poison joke, and was once again satisfied that she'd already taken this step. "If your horn is still in its usual place and as rigid as ever, then there is only one solution. The magic is..." Twilight reached the end of the page. She brought her hoof up and hastily turned the page, then continued on the next page.

"...Gone from Equestria."

Twilight stared at that page. No...no, it couldn't be...but a book said it. This was a very well-respected research book, and it would never lie. Twilight slumped to the floor, not even knowing what to do with herself. Magic...gone? What would she do? Her special talent was magic...without it, what good was she?

"I...I can't believe it..." Twilight moaned, curling up into a fetal position. She curled her tail up between her hind legs and began to stroke it, trying to calm herself down. As she did so, Spike dragged his feet downstairs, grumbling and groaning.

"What's with all the noise at this time of morning?" Spike asked, looking generally annoyed. He then saw Twilight curled up on the floor and rushed over. "Twilight? What's the matter?"

"M...magic...gone...from Equestria..." Twilight stammered, stroking her tail even more.

"What?!" Spike exclaimed. "Where did you hear this?"

"Page 42, last paragraph," Twilight whimpered, pointing weakly up to the book. Spike looked at it and turned back a few pages.

"There is only one solution," Spike read. "The magic is..." Spike carefully turned to the next page with his deft dragon fingers. "...Blocked. This is a rare occurrence known as 'magical backup,' and cures itself within a few days."

"...What??" Twilight asked, getting up. She looked at the book...yes, that's exactly what it said. Then she facehooved. In her haste, she must have turned more than one page! She looked at the last paragraph on the right page, and saw that it was going into a description of the showdown between Celestia and Luna 1,000 years ago. "...And with a tear in her eye, Celestia made sure that her sister Luna was..." She had Spike turn the page. "...Gone from Equestria." Spike just shook his head.

"You've gotta be more careful, Twilight," Spike said with a yawn. "Now I'm going back to bed. Sorry about your magical whatsit." With that, Spike headed back upstairs. Twilight just sat, staring off into the middle distance.

Prompt #41: Sisterly Bonds

The Prompt: Celestia remembers.

Princess Celestia smiled lightly, looking at the pony sitting across from her. "You really want to hear that story again?" the sun princess asked, her multicolored mane flowing despite the lack of breeze in the room. The pony across from her nodded eagerly.

"Alright," Celestia said, getting comfortable. "If you insist. Once, years ago, there were two mares who were very close friends, and yet their rivalry was as strong as their friendship. Their names were Meadow Breeze and Mint Leaf, and the two of them lived with their younger sisters."

Meadow Breeze ran through the meadow, trying to gather up all of the flowers in the area before Mint Leaf could. It was imperative that she succeeded in this task; Mint would never let her live it down if she lost a single competition to her. That was the way she always was, but to be fair, Meadow was the same way. The two were fiercely competitive, and bragged about every single victory they held over each other.

"Hey Meadow!" Mint said, running up to her. "Fifty-five!"

"Fifty-five too!" Meadow responded. It was then that her little sister, Winter Breeze, galloped up to her side, holding a flower in her mouth.

"Hey Meadow!!" Winter said, bouncing excitedly. "I found this flower and-"

"Fifty-SIX!" Meadow boasted, lifting a confused Winter onto her back. Mint scowled.

"You can't count your little sister's flower!" Mint said, stomping a hoof. Suddenly, she was met by her own little sister, Tea Leaf.

"Minty!" Tea called. "Check out this flower I-"

"FIFTY-SIX TOO!" Mint shouted, hoisting Tea onto her own back.

"I thought little sisters didn't count in this?" Meadow said, sneering.

"They do now!" Mint shot back. Winter and Tea just looked at each other and shrugged. They were used to their sisters being like this by now.

"There's only one way to settle this!" Meadow said. "A two-on-two competition! Me and Winter versus you and Tea! Best sister team wins!" Winter tilted her head. She wasn't much for competition, especially not with her family or her close friends.

"It's on!!" Mint responded. "And we WILL win!" Tea looked down at her sister, wanting no part of this. But it was too late; the older sisters had made their minds up.

By the afternoon, the two older sisters had set up a big obstacle course. Mud puddles, barrels...even huge vats filled with grapes, meant for making grape juice. Every single thing that the two could think of to compete against each other with was included.

"First to the finish line after completing all the obstacles wins!" Meadow said, getting nose-to-nose with Mint.

"We'll see you at the finish line!" Mint responded, pushing against Meadow's face. The two stared each other down until their little sisters nudged them apart. After a countdown, the two older sisters bolted into action, pulling Winter and Tea along. Each one tried to finish the obstacles by themselves, but found that they were spending too much time concentrating on the other to be able to finish their tasks properly. It was only with the help of their little sisters that they were able to make it past each part of the course.

Midway through the course, Meadow and Mint had actually all but forgotten about trying to beat the other. By this time, they were having far too much fun just finishing their tasks with their sisters. Winter and Tea were very pleased with this change; they didn't get much sisterly time since Meadow and Mint were always too busy trying to beat each other at everything. As the two pairs of sisters reached the finish line, there was no ore vicious competition, no more desperately trying to prove dominance. It was replaced with happy laughing and wonderful sisterly bonding.

"The actual winner of the race was lost in time," Celestia said, grinning. "I was there to witness it...but I won't divulge that information, because it would ruin the spirit of the story. Ever since that day, the two pairs of sisters made sure to repeat this activity each year. It eventually attracted more and more pairs of sisters, and that is how the tradition of the Sisterhooves Social came to be." Luna beamed back at her older sister as she finished her story.

"That's so nice," Luna said. "I wish I could have been around to see it." Celestia nodded.

"No worries, little sister," Celestia said, as she got up and indicated for Luna to do the same. "We'll make up for it with a victory this year." Luna smiled at the other ponies waiting at the start line. Some seemed in awe of the two; others were just getting ready for the race.

"Let us do this, big sister," Luna said with a smile. The race started, and they were off.

"And that is the story of how Luna and I were banned from the Sisterhooves Social," Celestia said, smirking. Applejack tilted her head.

"Well...with all due respect, Princess," Applejack said, "Ya kinda shoulda expected it...Ah mean, you an' Luna kinda are real powerful an' such. S'a bit'f an unfair advantage." Celestia shrugged, a small smile crossing her face.

"But it was fun, yes?" Celestia asked. Applejack couldn't help but nod. It had been quite the interesting sight.

Prompt #42: The Interview

Prompt A: What is the answer?

Prompt B: What is the question?

The Question: What is the meaning of life?

Twilight Sparkle: Well, it’s pretty clear that the meaning of life is getting a good education. Learning everything that one can possibly learn is imperative to making the most out of your life. I’ve spent the larger part of my life sitting around and studying up on everything that piqued my interest, and even many things that didn’t! There’s more to life than just the things that you in particular are interested in, after all. So yes, my answer would have to be “the pursuit of knowledge.” I mean, just look where it got me! I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve kinda done a fair amount with my life…although I guess that could also be attributed to the fact that I put aside my studies for long enough to go and make friends…I couldn’t have done half of the things that I’ve done in recent years if it hadn’t been for my friendship. But technically, that’s still research, as I’m doing research on friendship…can I change my answer?

Applejack: Well shucks, the meanin’ of life is the ability ta keep yourself active an’ make somethin’f yerself. Ta keep yerself active an’ have a good work ethic, ya know? Mah family’s always been a hard-workin’ bunch, an’ Ah reckon s’done us a lotta good. We got a pretty good handle on the whole life thing, if’n Ah do say so mahself. Ah wake up at the crack’a dawn, spend most’a mah mornin’ workin’ on the farm, an’ Ah see mah friends when Ah can. The work helps me do pretty decently in the way of bits, an’ that an’ mah social life keep me happy. An’ it’s all thanks ta the fine work Ah do fer Sweet Apple Acres, growers of Equestria’s finest apples! Y’all ain’t tasted a proper apple till ya’ve bitten inta the sweet flesh of a Sweet Apple Acres apple! Here on our farm, we make sure that every apple passes our personal quality control! If it ain’t good enough fer us, it ain’t good enough fer you! Yes, Sweet Apple Acres insists on…hay, where ya goin’?

Rainbow Dash: Oh, that’s easy. The whole purpose of life is to live on the edge and make the most of every single moment! There’s really no point to life if you’re not risking that life at every opportunity, I mean, come on, why live if you’re not gonna do everything as if it’s the last time you’re gonna be able to do it? That time that I performed my first Sonic Rainboom? Hay, I didn’t know what was gonna happen! All I was concerned with was beating those jerks in that race. Well, that and being awesome, which, I must say, I did pretty well. But that’s what life is all about! Doing the coolest things you can, regardless of what might happen to you, and worrying about the consequences after you’re finished being praised for it!

Pinkie Pie: The meaning of life? It’s a movie! With those crazy things that did that movie about that really pretty cup! You know, the one with the black knight and all the funny drawings and the evil bunny? Although I still don’t know where they got THAT idea from! I’ve never met an evil bunny before! Although the only bunny I’ve really MET met was Angel Bunny, but I know he isn’t evil! Why would Fluttershy keep an evil pet? I mean she’s really nice and kind and pretty and stuff but still, she’d never keep an evil pet! Even SHE has her limits! But then again she’d probably be all upset that it wasn’t getting taken care of even if it WAS evil…ooh! Maybe she’d be able to try and rehabilitate it from its evil ways! She could be Fluttershy: Super-Awesome Super-Cute Animal De-Evil-er! And she could have a show on the Discovery Channel! It would be soooooo cool to have a friend who had her own TV show! …Wait, what was the question again?

Rarity: Darling, the meaning of life is to leave a beautiful impact on society. Why do you think I do what I do? To revel in the beauty of my creations? …Well, that DOES factor into it, I must admit…but it is hardly the most important aspect of it. I create to let the world revel in my talents, to spread my visions amongst the ponies of the world and allow them to properly enjoy the fruits of my labor. For what, pray tell, is life, if not to share its beauty with the world? I give of myself because I love, darling. I love to give what I can to my fellow ponies, to share my haves with those who have not. I bear the Element of Generosity for a reason, darling. I am generous because that is what is important in life. Plus, if my designs get to the right ponies, perhaps I could finally meet my true love…oh, Rarity, you will meet him or her someday…

Fluttershy: Um…I don’t know…I guess I would say that life was meant to be enjoyed, and to help others enjoy. But I don’t know if that’s really the meaning of life…or if there really is even a meaning of life to begin with.life is…just life, really. …Um…I’m sorry if that isn’t what you were looking for…eep…

The Conclusion: Everypony has a different idea of what life is all about. Maybe one is right; maybe none are. We could never really be totally sure.

Prompt #43: A Bad Trip

The prompt:

“We’re running just as fast as we can,
Holding on to one another’s hand,
Trying to get away into the night.
And then you put your arms around me
As we tumble to the ground,
And then you say,
‘I think we’re alone now.
There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

You are to use these lyrics as your writing inspiration, but you are not required to use any exact quotes from these lyrics in your story. In fact, there is only one restriction: Your story cannot be a romance.

"Ah think we're alone now..." Apple Bloom said, reaching back behind her head to straighten her bow out.

"Of course we're alone now!" Sweetie Belle shouted at Bloom. "We're in a big dark cave and it's all your fault!" Bloom frowned and got up, pulling just enough so that she would make Sweetie stumble.

"Mah fault?" Bloom said, stomping one of her front hooves on the cold, wet ground. "Yer jokin', right?"

"As if!" Sweetie yelled. "You're the one who tripped!" She stomped her hoof for emphasis, forcing Bloom to do the same.

"Ah tripped 'cause YOU jumped an' grabbed me!" Bloom retorted, pulling the hoof that had just stomped towards her, Sweetie was jerked in Bloom's direction, and quickly adjusted her stance so that she wouldn't fall headlong into her.

"I jumped and grabbed you because YOU yelled!" Sweetie shouted back, and pulled her back left hoof towards herself. Bloom wasn't prepared for this and nearly fell on her face, but she was able to throw her right front leg out to catch herself just in time. This had the unfortunate side effect of throwing Sweetie's balance off as well, and the two both fell, rolling a little deeper into the cave before catching themselves.

"Ah yelled cause'f the big growl Ah heard!" Bloom said as she recovered. "Maybe ya woulda heard it too if'n ya weren't so busy concentratin' on not trippin' over yer own hooves!"

"Maybe if YOU would have kept the right rhythm, I wouldn't have had to concentrate so hard!" Sweetie shouted. "I don't even know why I agreed to join the six-legged race with you in the first place! And there was no growl, you're just saying that as an excuse!"

"Am not!" Bloom cried.

"Are too!!" Sweetie responded.

"AM NOT!!" Bloom screamed.

"ARE TOO!!" Sweetie shrieked.

"There was TOO a growl!" Bloom said. "And it sounded just like this!" Bloom opened her mouth to imitate the growl, but was stunned to silence when she heard the growl again. The scared little filly looked over to Sweetie to see if she'd heard it this time, and judging from the look on Sweetie's face, she certainly had.

"...That was a r-really good impression..." Sweetie said, starting to shake a bit.

"That weren't no impression..." Bloom said, shaking as well.

"I had a feeling you were gonna say that," Sweetie replied. The two stood silently for a moment, before both shouting in unison.

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!"

The two fillies began to run, almost completely forgetting about the bindings from the race. Bloom tripped in one direction, and Sweetie tripped in another, and the two both fell to the ground, the stress from the pulling tearing the bindings on their forelegs. Realizing that one set of bindings was broken, the two friends frantically reached to undo the bindings on their hind legs. As they did so, their efforts were interrupted by another, louder growl. Bloom and Sweetie shrieked, and their actions became more erratic. It took them a moment, but they finally undid the bindings that held their hind legs together. There was no time to celebrate this success, though, as an even louder growl shook the two to the core. They ran as fast as they could towards the cave entrance, then skidded to a halt when they saw a silhouette in the mouth of the cave. Bloom and Sweetie's legs grew weak, and they grabbed each other, hugging tight and whimpering in fear.

"PLEASE DON'T EAT US, MR. MONSTER!!" Bloom shouted out.

"WE JUST WANNA GO HOME!!" Sweetie yelled after her. The two fillies held each other and trembled, fearing the worst. The silhouette growled again, then stepped closer to the two. Both wanted to run, but were frozen in place, too scared to respond to the messages from their brains telling them to abscond.

"Ah'm sorry, Sweetie Belle!" Bloom blubbered as she held her friend close.

"I'm sorry too, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie sobbed in response. The two cowered in fear as the mystery attacker stepped closer and closer, growling louder and louder...until it started laughing. The beast laughed harder and harder, its voice changing from deep and intimidating to a voice that the two recognized instantly.

"SCOOTALOO!!!" Bloom and Sweetie shouted in unison.

"Gotcha!" Scootaloo laughed. "That's for going and teaming up for this thing without even telling me!" Scootaloo continued laughing as Bloom and Sweetie composed themselves and stood up. The two looked at each other as they calmed down, then looked back to Scootaloo.

"Ya scared the livin' daylights outta us, ya big dunderhead!" Bloom shouted.

"Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of!" Scootaloo yelled. "And I wouldn't have done any of that if you didn't leave me out of your plans!" Bloom and Sweetie tried to answer as Scoots turned around with a huff, but had nothing to come back with.

"...We're sorry, Scootaloo," Sweetie said sheepishly. "We heard about the race and signed up right on the spot."

"Yeh...we're real sorry," Bloom said. Scootaloo sighed, then turned around to face them.

"It's alright," Scootaloo said. "Just make sure to tell me next time!" Bloom and Sweetie nodded, then grabbed Scootaloo into a big hug.

"EWWWWWW!" Scootaloo said as her friends squeezed her. Bloom and Sweetie laughed, then let go.

"Ah guess we cain't race anymore..." Bloom said, looking back at the tattered bindings. "Cain't do a six-legged race if'n we ain't tied t'gether."

"Oh, who cares?" Scootaloo said. "We're in a big cave! You know what that means?" The three looked at each other, then smiled and jumped into the air.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CAVE EXPLORERS!" the three shouted. "YAY!!!" Without another word, they ran further into the cave.

Prompt #44: Lady Luck is a Foul Mistress

The prompt: Rarity breaks a mirror.

“RARITY!!” Pinkie shrieked, staring in horror at the ground. “Do you even know what you just did?” Rarity turned to look at Pinkie, and followed her shaking, pointing hoof to the ground.

“Oh my…” Rarity said, frowning. “My favorite hoof mirror!” Rarity knelt to the ground and lifted up the remains of her beloved reflective apparatus. She shooed Pinkie away so she would not accidentally step on the glass, then got to sweeping up the shards. It was not a difficult task, but it took Rarity a while anyway, as she kept catching little glimpses of herself in the pieces and finding bits of her mane to fix in them. Pinkie stared at Rarity, unnerved by her calmness in such a drastic situation.

“Rarity! Have you gone loco in the coco?!” Pinkie asked, bouncing urgently. “You don’t even seem to be worried!” Rarity paused, a sudden glint of realization reflecting in her eyes.

“Oh my word…” Rarity said, covering her heart with a hoof.
“I KNOW!!” Pinkie said. “It’s the worstest thing ever!!”

“Worst thing ever?” Rarity asked, befuddled. “My dear Pinkie, this is fantastic! Do you not see the beauty in these shards of glass? Look at the arrangement! The way the light refracts off of their surface!” Rarity suddenly lept about a foot into the air. “IDEA!! I must use these in my next dress design! Of course, the sharp edges will need to be sanded down…”

“No no no no!” Pinkie said, grabbing Rarity by the shoulders and pulling her face close to hers. “You don’t get it! Breaking a mirror means seven years of bad luck! SEVEN YEARS!! That’s sooooooo long! This is serious business!” Rarity hesitated, then allowed a slight grin to cross her face. It was all she would allow; she knew that if she expressed exactly how silly this notion was, she would likely hurt Pinkie’s feelings, as she was so dead-set on it.

“Pinkie…” Rarity began, trying her best to be gentle. “That is simply a superstition. One does not get seven years of bad luck simply from breaking a mirror.” Rarity turned to resume cleaning, when she let out a slight yelp. She picked her hoof up to see that she had stepped on a shard of glass.

“See?!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Bad luck! It’s already starting!” Rarity pouted as she dabbed her poor hoof with a wet handkerchief.

“Pinkie Pie, it was one mishap,” Rarity told her. “A mere coincidence, nothing more.” She tried to continue on, but was interrupted by Pinkie whizzing past her, towards Carousel Boutique’s front door.

“I gotta get outta here and find a whole bunch of four-leaf clovers to make into a smoothie for you before the bad luck gets me too!” Pinkie shouted. Rarity, a bit disoriented from Pinkie zooming by her, stumbled sideways and fell into her supply table. Spools of thread fell everywhere as Rarity attempted to right herself.

“It’s already getting worse!” Pinkie yelped. “I’ll be back, Rarity! Good luck! Oh, but I wouldn’t be going anywhere if you had good luck! So…uh…less-bad luck!” With that, Pinkie zipped out the door and shut it behind her. Rarity rolled her eyes as she finished gathering the last of the spools up. She was certain that Pinkie was just being Pinkie. Two mishaps in a row was a little strange, but it was simply a coincidence. Rarity sighed lightly as she noticed that her powder kit had also fallen off of the table. She retrieved her vacuum, vowing to replace the powder kit as soon as she could. She flipped the vacuum’s switch, but it would not start. After a few more tries, Rarity turned the hose to herself, in order to look in and see if there was an obstruction. As she did so, her leg nudged the “reverse” button on the vacuum. Some say the unicorn’s shriek as she was covered in dust and debris could be heard all the way to the tip of the Everfree Forest, but nopony knew for sure.

Rarity whimpered and stormed upstairs for a shower. She turned the spigot on and placed her hoof under the showerhead. At least this was’t going horribly wrong; the water was nice and warm. She stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water spray all over her body. Rarity closed her eyes and smiled. After all those surely-coincidental mishaps, this felt divine. Rarity paid little attention to her surroundings as she reached out to grab her shampoo. She breathed in the scent of the shampoo as it ran through her mane. It smelled a little different than usual, but it didn’t strike her as especially odd until she noticed the yellow fluid pouring into the shower drain. Rarity blinked a few times, then poked her head out of the shower and looked in the mirror. It was at that moment, on that day, that Rarty realized how bad an idea it was to share her bathroom with Sweetie Belle, especially the day after Sweetie had dyed her hair to match Applejack’s.

“I’m back!” Pinkie said cheerfully as she reentered Carousel Boutique. Her saddlebags were filled to the brim wth four-leaf clovers. “Ponies say these things are hard to find, but I found a whole bunch! I guess cause I already had one, and that’s already good luck to begin with! I know you don’t believe in bad luck but maybe you should…” Pinkie stopped when she heard the scream. She began to rush up the stairs, but collided with Rarity, who had just began to charge down. The two tumbled a bit, landing at the foot of the stairs.

“Oh, THERE you are!” Pinkie said. She tried to hand the bags to Rarity, but Rarity was already gathering the clovers up as fast as she could.

“I thought you didn’t believe in bad luck, Rarity?” Pinkie asked, picking herself off. She glanced up at Rarity’s bright yellow mane and covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Rarity did not dignify this with a response, She simply poured the clovers and a bunch of milk.into the nearby blender.

“Yay, smoothies!” Pinkie said. Whatever else she was saying was drowned out by the blender turning on.

Prompt #45-A: Sharing the Love

The Prompt: Everypony loves Applejack.

Applejack sighed to herself as she lay on her bed. The bed wasn't the reason for her sighing; on the contrary, it was probably the most comfortable her bed had ever been. She had been gifted the softest and most luxurious of blankets from Rarity not long ago, to go with the new, gigantic bed that that nice carpenter pony Ocean Mist had made her. She had received so many pillows that they couldn't even all fit on the bed anymore. It got to the point where she'd rotate her pillows every night. Of all the things to come from this situation, the new bed and its makings were probably her favorite. It was nice and new to have a fresh pillow every single night. She wanted to just spread out all over the bed and enjoy every bit of the nice comfy sheets, much as she did when she was a little filly and her regular-sized bed was way too big for her. Such a thing proved impossible, though. She glanced for a moment at Rainbow Dash snuggled on one side of her. She turned her head and glanced at Fluttershy curled up on her other side. A while ago, this probably would have been one of her happiest fantasies. Things change.

AJ was interrupted from her thoughts as her bedroom door opened and Pinkie Pie bounced in, carrying a tray of cupcakes. More gifts. They had been nice for a little while, but now, she felt like she was taking advantage, even though she wasn't trying to.

"Applejaaaaaack!" Pinkie bubbled, landing at the side of the bed. "I made you apple cupcakes!"

"Thanks, Pinkie," AJ said, giving her a weary smile. Pinkie placed the cupcake tray on top of AJ. She paid little to no attention to Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash as she smiled in the farmer's direction. AJ looked at the cupcakes with a small smile, then looked up to notice Pinkie's kissyface. AJ held back a sigh, and leaned up slightly. Pinkie took the initiative, planting a big, wet kiss on AJ's lips. The slight shifting was nothing to Rainbow, who slept soundly, but it was enough to cause Fluttershy to stir.

"Mmm...Applejack...please don't move around so much..." Fluttershy mumbled as she opened her eyes. "Um...if that's okay...I don't want to make you unhappy." AJ sighed slightly and looked to Fluttershy.

"It's fine, Fluttershy," Applejack said. "Ah'll be more careful."

"Thank you, Applejack," Fluttershy said quietly. She yawned, then uncurled momentarily to rest her head on AJ's belly. "Ooh, cupcakes...is it okay if I have one?" AJ nodded, and Fluttershy began to nibble on a cupcake. She finished her treat in short order, then yawned again. "I'm going to get back to sleep." AJ nodded, then noticed the proximity of Fluttershy's face to hers. She knew what she wanted, and with a very slight sigh, she gave her a gentle kiss. Fluttershy's wings fluttered slightly as she kissed back, then pulled away with a sweet smile.

"Night night, Fluttershy," AJ said. Fluttershy rested her head back on AJ's belly and closed her eyes. AJ took a deep breath, then reached for a cupcake. She really wished that Twilight would find a cure for this soon...it was so nice in the beginning, and she'd never thought that she'd tire of something like this, but here she was, hoping for a remedy. So many ponies would do anything to be in her position, but it was much more taxing than one would expect. She wasn't holding her breath for a cure from Twilight, though; it was unlikely that she'd want to cure it.

"Applejack!" Twilight called as she trotted into the room. AJ opened her mouth to say something back, but she had the wind knocked out of her as Pinkie, who'd moved the tray of cupcakes just a moment ago, belly-flopped onto her. AJ tried to reach a hoof over to give Pinkie a nice pat on the back, but Fluttershy was lying on top of one foreleg, and Rainbow was clutching her other like it was a favorite stuffed toy. None of this seemed to bother Twilight as she approached the bed.

"Hay Twilight," AJ said hopefully. "Any luck with the counterspell?" Twilight grinned.

"Oh, was I supposed to find a counterspell? I completely forgot," Twilight said playfully. AJ sighed. Of course she hadn't. That was the answer ever since she'd accidentally cast the Want-It-Need-It spell on her. Twilight looked up and down the bed, and AJ knew exactly what she was looking for.

"Ah'm awful sorry, Twi," AJ said. "Bed's kinda full up..."

"But Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy always get to sleep next to you!" Twilight said, pouting. "When do I get a turn?" AJ was about to try and respond, when she felt Pinkie shift over slightly.

"Room for two up here!" Pinkie said gleefully. Twilight beamed and lit up her horn, teleporting herself on top of AJ and next to Pinkie. AJ grunted slightly as Twilight snugged up, making herself comfy. She silently thanked Celestia that Rarity was busy with work tonight, because there certainly wasn't room for five. She wished she could get in contact with Celestia to fix this like she'd fixed the spell last time, but with the way Spike gave her the goo-goo eyes he'd previously reserved for Rarity whenever he looked at her, her only direct line of contact with Celestia wasn't likely to send this particular message. AJ sighed and resigned herself to her fate for the night, snugged up to Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight. Maybe tomorrow she'd take the train to Canterlot. That is, if her friends would let her go.

Prompt #45-B: In Which Typicalmod is an Idiot and Makes A Bad Joke

(I decided to write two stories for this prompt, because Applejack is best pony)

The Prompt: Everypony loves Applejack.

Applejack dragged her hooves into the house. Today was a very long day for her, as it often was. After all, it was a tough job being a sportswriter in Ponyville. Not a lot of ponies took much interest in the local hoofball team, but still, Applejack worked hard to make every single article she wrote a big one. Today, though, had been especially tiring. She had nearly been knocked off of her hooves by a big burly hoofball player while standing on the sidelines during their practice and interviewing the coach. All she wanted to do now that she was home and not crippled was sit on the couch and watch TV.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, trotting into the room and looking generally harried. "Where have you been? You're a half hour late getting home from work, and I've been stuck in the house all day taking care of the kids!" Before AJ could even say a word, Apple Bloom ran down the stairs.

"Mooooom! The twins won't stop throwing things at me!" Bloom whined, stomping her hooves. AJ turned around to respond to this, but was met by a wadded-up paper ball to the face. She stared at Pound and Pumpkin Cake, who were already loaded up with more ammo.

"Alright, you two," AJ said. "That's enough! Y'all stop throwin' things at yer sister an' Ah!" The twins giggled and ran back upstairs.

"Thanks, mommy," Bloom said, then turned tail and headed upstairs.

"See, Twi?" AJ said. "Now THAT is good parentin'! Why couldn't you do that?" Twilight rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Do you want to know what I did today?" Twilight asked, calmly and evenly. AJ braced for impact.

"...A lot, because you're a fantastic wife and mother?" AJ asked, hoping this would quell the savage beast brewing within Twilight.

"I woke up to the twins jumping on me," Twilight said. "You'd already left because you had to be up and out for your biiiiig interview. I made breakfast, then I had to clean breakfast off of the floor because the kids thought it would be funny to hurl their food at each other instead of eating it. Then Bloom was busy complaining that her bow was old and that all the other fillies had much newer, nicer bows, so I had to take her out to get a new bow. We went to SIX DIFFERENT STORES before she was satisfied, and the bow cost twenty bits! So I very calmly suggested that maybe she get a less expensive bow. She told me she hated me, so I bought it anyway out of guilt. Then I got home to see that your dear mother had let the twins have candy before lunchtime, so I had to try my hardest to calm down two rampaging sugar-high two year olds while also keeping the house nice and tidy AND dealing with your mother. Who, by the way, is coming over with your father and brother for dinner; a bit of knowledge that I did not know until she told me that YOU had said it was okay! So you'll have to excuse me if I'm a bit too exhausted to stop the twin S.S. Paperbombs from attempting to sink the Bloom Boat!" Twilight breathed heavily as she finished. AJ just stood there, trying to take it all in.

"...Did you say mah family's comin' over fer dinner?" AJ asked weakly. Before Twilight could answer, the door swung open.

"Applejack!" Rarity gushed happily. "Thank you so much for inviting us for dinner tonight."

"Yeah, dinner, right," Rainbow Dash said, walking past the group. She sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. "I'll eat at halftime."

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said. "Your daughter invited us over for dinner, not to watch television! You could have watched television at home!"

"I tried!" Rainbow responded. "You wouldn't let me!" AJ just shook her head.

"Where's Big Mac?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, he's bringing the food over," Rarity said, as Big Mac trudged into the house, carrying trays of food on his back.

"...Ya came over fer dinner, but ya made dinner yerself?" AJ asked, confused.

"Oh of course, darling!" Rarity said. She turned to Twilight and smiled. "I know my daughter prefers my cooking."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Twilight said, grinding her teeth. Rarity shrugged innocently.

"Oh, it's nothing against your cooking, Twilight," Rarity answered. "I just know what Applejack likes." Twilight clenched her teeth and looked at Applejack with a death glare.

"Are you going to let your mother talk to me like that?" Twilight asked, venom in her tone.

"You should see how she talks to me!" Rainbow quipped from the couch.

"I have to treat my wonderful child well!" Rarity said, pinching AJ's cheek and smiling.

"Ah have ta treat mah wonderful child well," Big Macintosh echoed in a deep, mocking voice.

"Oh hush, Big Macintosh," Rarity said. "You know I treat you well also." Big Mac stared at Rarity for a moment. Rainbow Dash laughed from the couch.

"When Applejack turned 18," Big Macintosh said, "Ya gave her a car. When Ah turned 18, ya gave me cab fare." Rainbow laughed even louder from the couch.

"Oh, stop it," Rarity said. "Let's all just sit down like a big, happy family and eat."

"Who's happy?!" Rainbow called. Rarity disregarded this and helped Big Mac set the table. She deliberately placed an empty dish in front of Rainbow.

"You can have your food when you join the family," Rarity said as she returned to the table.

"If I eat your dinner now, I won't survive to halftime!" Rainbow said, before turning her attention back to the game. Applejack sat down at the table, still being stared at by Twilight.

"I can't believe you," Twilight said.

"But ya still love me?" Applejack asked, smiling.

"Everypony loves Applejack," Big Macintosh droned with a roll of his eyes.

Prompt #46: Because Typicalmod Doesn't Watch Doctor Who

The Prompt: One of the Mane Six is actually the Doctor.

Fluttershy stood in the doorway of her cottage, looking absolutely perplexed. Twilight should have expected such a reaction, really. The concept of what she was saying was pretty ridiculous in its own right, but to tell it to Fluttershy of all ponies was downright silly. Fluttershy was a nice, quiet pony who kept to herself. She had no idea exactly what it was that prompted her to even ask her about the situation at all, but she had to be thorough and ask absolutely everypony, even if doing so made her look a bit nutty to her closest friends.

"Um..." Fluttershy said, finally breaking the silence. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, Twilight. Sorry." Twilight sighed and nodded.

"Right," Twilight said. "Sorry for taking up your time."

"Oh no, it's no problem at all," Fluttershy responded with a small smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."

"Don't worry about it, Fluttershy," Twilight said, starting to turn around to leave. She looked back over her back at Fluttershy. "If, by some strange chance, you do hear anything about this Dr. Adorable, will you let me know?"

"Of course," Fluttershy said, looking away slightly. Twilight gave Fluttershy a smile and a nod, then headed out, on her way to the house of the next pony on her list.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her door. It was hard lying to her friends, especially her. Looking into those big purple eyes and lying straight to her face nearly shattered Fluttershy's heart. She reflected on this as she pulled a lever next to her door. A trap door opened under her, and down she fell.

"Oh Twilight," Fluttershy said as she hurtled down the well-lit tunnel. It had been completely dark at one point, but that scared her too much. "I'm so sorry, but it's for your own good. You'll find out when the time is right." Fluttershy flumped into the gigantic butterfly-shaped pillow that she always left under the chute. She gazed around the laboratory. She'd been in Twilight's lab before, and was proud to say that hers trumped that of Ponyville's most studious and possibly most intelligent resident. She pulled her lab coat on, then donned her goggles, letting out a tiny "eep" at the snap. She stared forward into the camera that she used to keep records of her efforts.

"Some day, I'll be able to tell you the truth," Fluttershy said. "And then we can be together, and you can be my faithful cohort." She took a breath, reaching a wing out to press the button on the nearby sound system. "I'll make everything extra-adorable for you." The music began playing, and she looked straight into the camera again.

"Library day
Down the lane
Next to books
Studying
Wanna say
Love your mane
Here I go
Worrying
With my cute ray I will fluff your world
With my cute ray I will
Fill our home with pretty birds and
You saw me once
Looking at
Rainbow Dash
...Just a phase
Unicorns
Are the best
I love their horns...eep...
Anyways
With my cute ray I will warm your heart
Not a friendship ray or a party cannon
That's all Pinkie Pie
I think I need to tell you why
I'm the mare you need to date
I think TwiShy is really great
My cute ray will bring you to me
We'll make the whole world squee!
That's the plan
You and me
Cutesy snugs
Every day
I love your plot...
Oh my...I...um...this room is hot!
...Anyway
With my cute ray I will cute..."

Fluttershy shut the camera, blushing hard. "Perhaps some of those lyrics need work..." she muttered as she slid off of her seat and went to work on her creation.

Prompt #47: Read All About It!

The Prompt: Write a Gabby Gums article

EXTRA! EXTRA! Berry Punch: What's She Hiding? Our Inside Reporters Have The Scoop!
By Gabby Gums

Most ponies in Ponyville know Berry Punch as the happy-go-lucky owner of the Berry Good Produce and Punch Pavilion. The pony who always has a smile for every one of her customers and whose sense of humor brings joy to her patrons, and who serves the finest of fruits and punch to anypony who wants them. What the citizens of Ponyville might not know, however, is the secret second life of the cheerful shop owner. Gabby Gums has the exclusive scoop, so read on, faithful fans!

Our roving reporters have eyes all over Ponyville, and they were able to catch a glimpse of Miss Punch's everyday life. What we saw was far more interesting than we could ever have expected. Before Berry Punch opens her doors for business every day, she makes herself breakfast. What's that you say? That's not interesting? It might interest you, loyal readers, to find out that Miss Punch likes to accompany her most important meal of the day with a nice, big mare-tini. That's right. An alcoholic beverage in the early morning. But it doesn't stop there!

Our photographer caught exclusive photos of Miss Punch preparing her titular punch for the day. The ponies of Ponyville love Berry's punch, that's for sure, but what they might not know is the deep, dark secret behind that second bowl of punch that she keeps on display, but doesn't let her patrons sample. She would lead you to believe that this punch bowl is too warm to drink, or not quite fresh but just out for display. All stories meant to throw ponies off the track of her deep, dark secret. Our photographer, in a Foal Free Press exclusive, snapped a picture of Miss Punch pouring alcohol into this second bowl! We kept our eye on Miss Punch throughout the day from a hidden location, and what he saw shocked him. Throughout the day, when no customers were around, Miss Punch would drink from this liquor-infused beverage. Perhaps this is the secret to her happy-go-lucky behavior? Surely the effects of alcohol could be conducive to a pony exhibiting behavior as outgoing as Miss Punch's.

But it doesn't end there, faithful fans. Miss Punch's drunken escapades are only beginning to bud at this point in the day. What happens behind closed doors after her shop shuts down for the day is ten times worse than anything we've previously reported on. A friend of the paper, who wishes to remain anonymous, has informed us that Miss Punch enjoys drinking what she calls her "happy juice" not only with dinner, but all the way until she goes to sleep for the evening. Our anonymous correspondent stated that Miss Punch "would play games with her family in which the penalty was taking a drink. She would then proceed to purposely lose until she had finished all the 'happy juice' she'd set out for herself for the evening." Shocking!

We here at the Foal Free Press like to try and stay as impartial as we can in our articles, because as a fine, upstanding newspaper, we report only the most important news with absolutely no bias whatsoever. In my humble opinion, ponies are allowed to enjoy their lives in any way they wish, as long as it isn't causing harm to others. However, in what again is my opinion, (ed. note: Gabby Gums' opinions are strictly the opinions of Gabby Gums and do not reflect those of the Foal Free Press as a whole) this type of behavior might not be the best to exhibit around impressionable young fillies, and should not be the kind of thing that is done while running a business. While it apparently does serve to bolster Miss Punch's happiness and charisma in dealing with her customers, it might be best to lay off of the mare-tinis before and during work. Even though her produce and her punch are still delicious regardless of her state of inebriation, it might be a wise practice to lay off the sauce.

Signing off,
Gabby Gums

Berry Punch sat in her chair, reading the latest edition of the Foal Free Press. Her expression changed throughout her reading of the article. It started off with a content smile at the positive review of her demeanor and her goods. The smile eventually turned into a small, bemused grin, and degenerated over time into a frown. By the time she was finished with the article, her mouth had twisted into a grimace. She looked around to make sure Pinchy wasn't around; she knew that she wouldn't take well to what she was about to do. Once she was satisfied that her daughter was not watching, she hurled the paper to the ground.

"Unbelievable!" Berry shouted. "How could they say these kinds of things about me?!" Berry stomped back and forth, trying to release her frustration. The door to the living room opened, and Colgate poked her head out to see what the fuss was all about.

"Berry, darling?" Colgate said, trotting into the room. "What's the matter?" Berry picked the paper up and showed it to Colgate, frowning.

"THIS!" Berry cried, pointing to the article. "It's full of lies! Horrible, terrible lies!" Colgate took the paper and began to read. She raised a brow as she neared the end, then looked up to Berry.

"Um, Berry?" Colgate said, trying her best to say this nicely. "You...do kinda drink a lot."

"But I would NEVER drink mare-tinis!" Berry shouted. "I drink vodka!" Berry grabbed the bottle of Stalli from the endtable and took a swig. "Those three lying little fillies are gonna get a very angry letter from me!" Berry stomped into her study to begin writing, as Colgate sighed.

Prompt #48: Our Hero

The Prompt: Once upon a time, there was a dragon…

Once upon a time, there was a dragon. There were many dragons, actually, but this story is specifically about this dragon. Now, dragons in general were, and are, known for being very powerful, but this dragon was perhaps the most powerful dragon that had ever existed, and he was still only a teenage dragon. His physical prowess far surpassed that of his peers, so much so that he was undefeated in tail-wrestling competitions. His flames burned brighter than those of his companions, and his scales were so thick and strong that nothing could penetrate them. He was truly a prodigy amongst dragonkin, and it was for this reason that, despite his relatively young age, he was called upon for one of the most dangerous missions a dragon has ever been summoned for.

A great evil had taken over the lands, and it seemed that there was very little anyone could do to stop it, or at least anyone who had previously tried. It called itself "Bofus," and it was truly a terrifying sight. Its tentacles ravaged entire cities, and whatever wasn't smashed to bits was ruined by the foul beast's toxic emissions. For a time, it had looked like all was lost for our world, until the call was made to seek aid from the dragonkin and recruit their strongest warrior. Our hero did not hesitate to accept the call for help, because in his heart, he wanted to be a hero and save those he cared for most, and even those he didn't know at all, from certain doom at the claws of the horrifying menace. He left his home that day, not knowing whether or not he would return. He was accompanied by one squire; myself.

The dragon met Bofus face-to-face. The hideous beast snorted a cloud of putrid gas into our hero's face, but he did not falter.

"Your day has come, Bofus," our hero said, preparing himself for battle. "Now is the day in which you shall breathe your last breath."

"Foolish mortal," Bofus said, its mouth tentacles flaring and dripping with caustic spittle. "You wish to slay a god on this day. You will fall like so many others." Bofus reared back, standing in its full, disturbing glory. Still, our hero did not back down.

"Your bravery is commendable, dragonkin," Bofus hissed. "But bravery is not enough to end my reign." The terrible beast struck at our hero with his tentecles, but our hero's thick scales withstood each blow. Searching for a weak point, our hero found one under the beast's tentacles. Quickly, he shot out a stream of blazing-hot fire at the beast's weak point. It cried out in agony, a horrible, bone-shaking shriek. Our hero dashed forth, unfettered by the beast's flailing onslaught, and drove his claws into its flesh. Bofus screamed and fell.

"You die on this day, beast," our hero said.

"I shall live on," the beast hissed. "For my heart must be destroyed, and none can live to swim through the toxic waste that it lies beneath." Our hero cast his gaze upon the pool of toxic waste. He knew what he had to do.

"If you immerse yourself in the toxic waste," I told him, "you will become hideously malformed and mentally traumatized." Our hero nodded.

"For the fate of those we hold dear, I shall make the sacrifice," our hero said. Without another word, he leapt into the waste.

Our world as we know it was saved that day, free from the reign of the terrible Bofus. The monster's remains were burned, towns were rebuilt, and all would eventually be well. As for our hero, he was never the same again, physically or mentally. He was eventually brought to reside in the very place he had left. To this day, he lives on in that mountainous valley. Many have forgotten his deeds, and his malformed appearance and disturbing behavior may put some at unrest. But to those who know his tale, no matter what his current state, he will always be remembered as Crackle, the mighty dragon who saved the world.

Prompt #49: Five Years Later

The Prompt: One of the Mane Six has left and the rest miss her terribly.

"I mean it! I'm leaving and I'm not coming back!"

"Fine! You always say that and you always come back, so I'll be waiting!"

"FINE! You'll see! Ponyville's gonna miss me, and it's gonna be your fault that I'm gone!!"

"FINE! You're not actually leaving anyway so I'll just see you when you come back, like you always do!"

"I'm not coming back! This is for good!"

"Yeah right! See you soon, Dashie!"

"Goodbye, Pinkie! This is your fault!"

That argument took place five years ago today. Of course Pinkie Pie didn't believe Rainbow Dash when she said she was leaving. She couldn't even count the number of times that Dash had made that threat, then come back not long after. Usually it'd only be about 5 or so minutes. Sometimes it wouldn't be until near the end of the day. One time, she didn't come back until the next day. Pinkie cried that night, because she thought that was the one time she actually meant it, but she woke up to Dash sleeping next to her. Since then, every time she made the threat, she was only gone for a very short while. Pinkie never would have expected her to keep true to her word never to return, but she should have.

Rarity dealt with Dash's disappearance as best she could. She kept business going at Carousel Boutique, as she couldn't just stop working because one of her closest friends had up and left. Rarity's heart hurt with the knowledge that she wouldn't see her dear friend again, but she had to continue on. It was work that kept her going, both financially and emotionally. Soon she stopped showing up to her weekly spa trips, citing a need to continue her work. Then she would shorten her breaks so that she could get back to sewing. "A busy mind does not have time to mourn," she would say. And her mind was indeed kept busy, as she slowly turned into a recluse. As time went on, her friends saw less and less of her. She would attempt the occasional outing, but her visits always ended early. She would welcome them to speak to her while she was working, but would always end up losing track of conversations, too embroiled in her latest creation, most of which tended to have very colorful, rainbow-like themes to them.

Twilight Sparkle tried to take an analytical approach to the situation, as she always did with any situation that came up. Once it was clear that Dash was not coming back, she began researching every single possible path she could have taken, every single place she could have gone to. All of her searches came up fruitless. Contacts in Cloudsdale had not seen a trace of her rainbow-maned friend. She kept tabs on every single Wonderbolts appearance around Equestria, but Dash's face did not show up at any of them. It hurt Twilight that research could not solve this problem; not as much as the pain from Dash's disappearance, but a lot nonetheless.

Applejack tried to stay strong. It was what other ponies expected of her. She was the one that many ponies would go to for emotional support, for an ear to lend towards their troubles. She was the rock, the tough earth pony who always stayed strong, no matter what the situation. It was no surprise to any of her friends that they rarely saw her too upset over the matter. Sure, she was saddened that her close friend and sometimes-rival had vanished, but she kept herself as calm as possible, and made sure to listen quietly and patiently whenever the others needed somepony to talk to about the situation. Rarity once thought she saw her cry, maybe two weeks after Dash had left. AJ insisted it was something in her eye.

Fluttershy had a very difficult time coping with Dash's departure. It struck the poor pegasus deeply; ever since they were fillies, Dash had always told her that she would be there for Fluttershy, no matter what. She was there to defend her against bullies, to back her up and provide support when they needed to make the hurricane in Ponyville...she was always there. But now she wasn't. Fluttershy's reclusion made Rarity look like an extrovert. Her friends would stop by Fluttershy's cottage and occasionally manage a few sentences with her before she would retreat back into her shell.

Pinkie, however, took it the worst of everypony. Every single day, those last words from Dash rung in her ears. "This is your fault." Four words that completely turned Pinkie's life upside-down. Not only was her love gone, but it was because of her. Her main goal in life was to make everypony smile, and she was bad enough at it that it drove one of the most important ponies in her life away. She would look at her other friends and see their grief, and the fact that the burden rested right on her shoulders was too much for the poor pony to bear. She made them stop smiling. They would insist that they didn't blame her, that it wasn't her fault, but she would have none of it. It took a while before she would even speak to anypony again. When she did, her friends couldn't help but notice the ever-present plush toy that she would carry around, colored to resemble their lost friend. She would only smile if it was by her side, and once she began speaking to it and treating it as if it really were Dashie, her friends began to become more and more uncomfortable. She didn't mind, though. Dash was still there, and she would always smile for her. The smile sewn onto her face guaranteed that.

Nothing was the same for the five friends ever since that day, five years ago.

So what would happen if Rainbow Dash returned?

As the rainbow-maned pegasus took her first step into Ponyville in five years, she wondered the same thing.

Prompt #50: Keeping On Schedule

The Prompt: Ship all the mane six in a single relationship, not as separate pairings.

Twilight Sparkle sat at her house, anxiously watching the clock. It was Saturday, a day which had recently become her favorite day of the week. It was almost 8:00, and that was when the others were supposed to arrive. Of course, she knew that it was very unlikely that they would all show up on time. By this point in their relationship, she was used to the little quirks of their definitions of "being on time." Applejack would certainly arrive right at 8:00. She wasn't a strict scheduler like Twilight, but being a hard-working farmer, she knew the value of doing things on time. Rarity would arrive a few minutes later, as she loved to be fashionably late (Something which was to be expected, since it included the word "fashion"). Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie would arrive around a quarter after, as Pinkie liked to get Fluttershy...warmed up, as it were. It made sense; the entire relationship sprouted from their one-on-one relationship, so why would Twilight expect any different? Finally, Rainbow Dash would arrive at roughly 8:30. She didn't like being fashionably late. She didn't have any warming up to do. She just wasn't much for being on time anywhere. This might have bothered Twilight if it were somepony else, but she just couldn't stay angry at that smooth, sleek body.

And of course, everything turned out nearly exactly as Twilight expected, with most of the arrivals taking place right around when she'd predicted. Scheduling was so much easier when she was doing it around five ponies that she knew this well. The only deviation was Rainbow, who actually showed up around the same time as Fluttershy and Pinkie, to Twilight's surprise.

"I'm glad to see you all here tonight!" Twilight said with a smile. "And we're actually starting early for once! Thanks, Rainbow Dash!"

"No big deal," Rainbow said, grinning. "I just happened to wake up from my nap a bit earlier."

"That's cause you were with us~!" Pinkie said, bouncing. Rainbow blushed slightly. Fluttershy blushed far deeper.

"I do not understand why you need to gather in advance," Rarity said. "Are we not all getting together for that exact purpose?"

"Oh hush, Rarity," Applejack said with a smile. "Ya asked me ta do the same thing las' week on account'f ya were jealous 'bout them doin' it."

"Applejack! How dare you!" Rarity huffed, glaring at her.

"Ah'm jus' speakin' the truth," AJ said, grinning smugly.

"Girls, girls!" Twilight shouted. "If we keep arguing like this, we're gonna fall way behind schedule, even with the headstart we got due to Rainbow Dash's early arrival." Pinkie burst out laughing.

"Early arrival!" Pinkie said between laughs. "That's a good name for what happened to Dashie-" Her sentence was cut short by Dash's hoof clapping over her mouth.

"Girls, please!" Twilight said, trying to maintain order. "Now then, let's move our scheduled greeting kisses from 8:30, where I had them, to right now, 8:20. Does that sound good to everypony?" All five other ponies nodded. The six ponies exchanged kisses with each other, making sure that everypony got a turn with everypony. Twilight beamed as she finished her kiss with Applejack. She liked to save her for last; she'd had her eyes on her for a long time before the six of them came to this arrangement.

"Excellent!" Twilight said, grinning from ear to ear. "We're making very good time!"

"Making time?" Pinkie asked, head tilted. "I thought we were making out!" Fluttershy giggled lightly. A while ago, even a comment like this would have made Fluttershy blush and stammer, but at this point in their relationship, a little comment like this didn't really faze her as much.

"Well...yes," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her mane. "But we were also...you know what, nevermind. We have to keep this going if we want to get to the best part." The other ponies nodded in unison. Nopony could deny what the best part of the evening would be.

"So who gets to roll first?" Rainbow asked. "Cause I think it should be me!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed. "You always roll first!"

"That's cause I always think it should be me!" Dash said matter-of-factly.

"Well I think I should roll first!" Rarity said. She stomped a hoof, then gasped and checked it to make sure she didn't ruin her hooficure. Thankfully, it remained in pristine condition.

"Well too bad!" Dash said, flaring her wings. "I think I should roll first!"

"Now y'all're bein' silly," Applejack said. She always was the voice of reason for the group, the one whose word the others held in some kind of reverence.

"I agree," said Twilight. "Which is why-"

"Ah reckon Ah should roll first," Applejack continued. "Ah always end up last an' it's real frustratin'."

"No way!" Dash said, pushing her nose up to AJ's. "I'm rolling first!"

"I am!" Rarity said, stepping between the two.

"I don't care who rolls first, but now I wanna cause everypony's arguing about it!" Pinkie bubbled, bouncing around.

"Enough!!" Twilight shouted. "I drew a name from a hat to figure it out, and it turns out Fluttershy is rolling first." Fluttershy eeped and shrank back as everypony's eyes turned to her.

"...Um...I don't want..." Fluttershy began to protest, until Twilight pushed the die towards her.

"It's on the schedule already, Fluttershy!" Twilight said, looking at her expectantly. "And we can't change the schedule!" Fluttershy sighed softly, hating to be the one to make the first decision, even if it was a game of chance. Fluttershy picked the cup containing the die up and meeped quietly as she tipped it over, sending the die rolling.

"...And Fluttershy's with Rarity tonight!" Twilight announced. Rarity beamed at her spa partner. It wasn't often that she got paired up with her, and she relished the opportunity. Fluttershy began to apologize to Pinkie, as she always did whenever she ended up with a pony that wasn't Pinkie, but Pinkie shushed her.

"We're all together now, silly!" Pinkie said, giving her a big smile. "It's fine!" Pinkie gave Fluttershy a reassuring smooch on the nose, and Fluttershy calmed down as Rarity stepped up next to her.

"I shall treat you like the lady you are, Fluttershy," Rarity said with a nuzzle. Fluttershy returned the affections, closing her eyes contently.

"MY TURN!" Rainbow shouted, but she was stopped by Twilight.

"The next name chosen was Applejack," Twilight said.

"Aw, so I get leftovers?" Rainbow said. She shrunk back as Twilight, AJ, and Pinkie glared at her. "Uh...not that I think of any of you like that! Heh..." AJ smacked Rainbow with her tail as she trotted past her to retrieve the die. She picked the die up and gave it a good roll.

"HAH! What?!" Rainbow burst out. "It landed on Applejack! Guess you're alone tonight, AJ!" AJ rolled her eyes.

"Aaaaaactually," Twilight said, "The rules I wrote state that a pony who rolls herself gets to choose her partner for the evening."

"Yee-haw!" AJ said, rearing up. "Everythin's comin' up Applejack!" Rainbow just snorted.

"Oh, cut it out, you," AJ said, trotting up alongside Rainbow and resting her tail on top of her. "Ah wouldn't want mah partner fer t'night bein' a Negative Nelly." Rainbow grinned with a blush as AJ kissed her on the cheek.

"That means I'm with Twilight! That means I'm with Twilight!" Pinkie said, bouncing in circles around Twilight. Twilight watched her, grinning widely.

"That it does!" Twilight said, placing a hoof on Pinkie's back. "Okay then! The teams are set! You girls know what to do!" All six ponies nodded in unison.

"Let's get to it!" Rainbow said excitedly. Each pair of ponies picked up a Gamecube controller.

"Now remember the rules!" Twilight said as she popped the Double Dash disc into the console. "Each time you switch your racers, pass the controller to your partner!"

"Twilight, I believe we know the rules by this point," Rarity said, smirking. The ponies each chose their character, then began the race.

"Eeeeheehee!" Pinkie said as her team took the lead. "I almost like this part of the night better than the post-game orgy!"

Prompt #52: Not So Great

http://pastebin.com/FWFJvCHd

The Prompt: Trixie becomes great and powerful.

Special rule: Twilight Sparkle cannot appear or be alluded to.

“Unbelievable! Inexcusable! Just…just UNFAIR!”

Trixie stomped down the road, steaming. Her cape was torn. Her hat was askew. These things only served to make her angrier as she trudged onward, trying to get as far away as possible from the horrible town that had potentially ruined her reputation. All she wanted to do was perform for the ponies of Ponyville, while making some extra bits along the way. Every town that Equestria had to offer needed to see her greatness, and she had hoped that Ponyville was just another step along her path to eventual world fame. As it turned out, though, that apparently wasn’t meant to be.

So she bragged a little. Or rather, she bragged a whole lot. That was what she was supposed to do, though. She was a stage performer; she was supposed to tout her obvious talent and overblow her abilities (Even though they needed no exaggeration). Those simplistic Ponyvillians just didn’t understand the art of stage performance. To resort to heckling, even before she’d gotten fully into her self-aggrandization? It showed a true lack of class. Why couldn’t they grasp this concept? Stupidity, that’s why. Simpletons.

Yet she still ended up shown up in the end. Even though she knew how good she was and was used to a bit of heckling here and there, it still hurt to have her skills mocked like that, and even more to watch other ponies just destroy her efforts. And those horrible ponies had looked down on her so harshly after it…so she wasn’t able to stop the Ursa Minor. At least she’d made an attempt! The other citizens…well, most of them…had done nothing but run and scream. Sure, she ran, and sure, she screamed, but she made an effort! She tried to tie it up! She tried to hurt it with a lightning bolt! It wasn’t her fault that the rope was too short, or that the Ursa wasn’t hurt by the lightning…or maybe she should have tried harder with the rope, or concentrated harder on the lightning…maybe she wasn’t as great and powerful as she thought.

Trixie slumped to her haunches in the middle of the path. The broken remainders of her cart fell off of her back, and one of the wheels rolled off down the hill, splashing into the lake. Trixie might have normally tried to stop it with her magic, but she was too disheartened to do so. It probably wouldn’t work anyway, just like her efforts to stop the Ursa didn’t. Maybe her parents were right about her, about her choice of profession…about everything. “You’ll never get anywhere as a performer,” Dad had said. “You’re better off working at our shop. If you go out and try this, you’ll be throwing your life away!” Mom just sat and shook her head, much like she often did. At the time, Trixie refused to believe that anything they said could have been right at all. Her talents would have been wasted as a tailor…but whatever. Her talents clearly weren’t enough anyway. She wasn’t great. She wasn’t powerful. She was just normal, useless Trixie. Maybe she should have just stayed at home and worked for her parents. She’d probably be making a lot of bits right now…a lot more than the paltry amount she’d gathered from doing this. Trixie sighed as she pulled herself back to her hooves. She would head back to Fillydelphia at her first opportunity. Hopefully her parents would accept her back.

Trixie continued along the path for a few steps before she accidentally dropped another wagon wheel. Her eyes followed it as it hurtled towards a young, unsuspecting filly who was fishing at the edge of the lake. Reacting quickly, Trixie lit her horn up. The filly turned her head to see the wheel about to hit her, before it was lifted into the air. Trixie levitated the wheel back onto her back and started trotting down the path, before she was stopped by a small tug on the back on he cape.

“Hey!” Trixie heard from behind her. She turned to see the beaming face of the filly who had been fishing.

“Yes?” Trixie asked, tilting her head.

“That was AMAZING!” the filly said, jumping into the air. “The wheel was coming and was all scary, and you just WHOOSH!”

“Oh…it was nothing, really,” Trixie said.

“Nothing??” the filly exclaimed. “You saved me! That woulda knocked me into the lake or something, and I can’t even swim! You’re the best!” The filly hugged Trixie’s leg, and Trixie smiled warmly at her.

“You think THAT was good?” Trixie asked. She lifted the filly’s fishing pole up, making it dance in the air. The filly was floored.

“That’s GREAT!!” she shouted, jumping up and down.

“How about this?” Trixie asked. She lifted a nearby stone up, trussing it up in the fishing line.

“So powerful!!” the filly raved. “You’re so…”

“Great and Powerful,” Trixie said, her usual smug smile returning to her face. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, at your service.”

Prompt #54: A Very Important Engagement

The Prompt: Steven Magnet goes out for a day/night on the town!

Steven Magnet stretched his legs. Very few even knew that he had legs; they were almost always submerged in the Everfree River. However, today was a special occasion, one that required the use of these mystical, little-known legs that he possessed. Today was the day that he would finally visit Ponyville. He had been promising himself that he would do so for a good long while, and now that day had finally come.

Steven stepped out of the water for what felt like the first time in ages. The dirt and grass felt bizarre under his feet, a feeling almost completely foreign to him. He took a few moments to wriggle his dragony toes in the grass before he set off through the forest and towards his intended destination. He briefly stopped to gaze upon his magnificence in the surface of a lake, but quickly pulled his attention away and continued his stride. He knew he looked fabulous, there was no doubting this. However, he was on a strict schedule, one which left no room for dawdling.

Steven stepped out of the forest and gazed up at the sun. He was so used to the dearth of trees in the forest that he was not used to seeing the sun at all. It was a brilliant celestial body, which shone almost as radiantly as he did. He made a mental note to write a lovely letter to Princess Celestia about how wonderful her sun was. Such a thing would have to wait until tomorrow, though. It was imperative that he arrive at his destination on time; he was expected.

Steven strode along the path to Ponyville. He marvelled at all the different flowers he saw along the way. Nothing like this grew in the Everfree Forest. Sure, there were many beautiful flowers in the Everfree (as well as that terrible blue plant that once turned him the most HIDEOUS shade of lime green), but they were nothing compared to the sights he was seeing right now. He leaned over to gather a handful of vibrant dandelions. He brought them up to his nose and sniffed, reveling in the pleasant scent. He thought they were wonderful, and surely she would as well.

Steven stepped his first step into Ponyville. He thought it slightly odd that the roads he took remained empty. He had always heard that Ponyville was a rustic, yet busy town, yet he barely ran into anypony on the road. He did notice a group of three ponies that he did not recognize at one point, but they all shouted and ran before he could even say a word to them. He thought very little of this; they were probably quite busy, or more likely taken aback by his gloriousness. He had no time to put any thought into this, though. Thinking would likely cause him to hesitate, and such a thing was unacceptable right now. He continued on towards his goal.

Steven arrived at his destination with a smile. He still didn't understand how ponies could live in big, structured things like the building that lie before him. His home was the Everfree River, and he was unrestricted by things like walls and doors as long as he stayed within the river itself. This concept of a "house" was alien to him. Why didn't ponies just live in the town without building houses? They could run anywhere they liked if they did so, without having to worry about returning to a predetermined home area when they were tired or hungry. Steven quickly realized that thinking about this was delaying his knocking on the door, though, so the thought pattern came to an immediate halt as he rapped on the front foor.

"How can I help you?" Rarity asked as she opened the door. She looked around for a moment to find the pony who had knocked, before realizing that the giant purple tree stationed in front of her front door was not a badly-placed, poorly-colored tree at all. Rarity slowly looked up until her gaze met that of Steven's.

"Ohh, good afterNOON, Miss Rarity!" Steven exclaimed, doing his best to bow without doing something wreckless like destroying Rarity's home. "Here I am, right at the time that you had specified!" Rarity blinked a few times, before a look of recognition crossed her face.

"Oh! Yes!" Rarity exclaimed. "You're here for your facial and your manicure, are you not?"

"But of COURSE!" Steven exclaimed. "I have been awaiting this day for so long!"

"Wonderful!" Rarity said, smiling. "I have everything set up and ready for you! Do come in!" The two stared at each other for a moment, then looked at Carousel Boutique, which Steven was nearly the size of.

"Orrrrrr...perhaps I shall come out there," Rarity said. Steven nodded as Rarity turned tail to retrieve her supplies. He already looked fabulous; soon, he would look even moreso.

Prompt #55: Tales From the Kids' Table

The Prompt: An Apple Family reunion.

Mah Granny Smith always told me that ponies cain't change war, but war can sure change ponies. Ah always wondered why she said that. Ah reckoned that 'twas cause while she was a real special pony, she could also be wackier than a family'a ponies tryin' ta bean a bunch'a moles. Lil' did Ah know, she was right all along. Mah partners an' Ah learned that lesson on that fateful day; the day'f the Apple Family Reunion.

'Twas 'round six months ago, if'n Ah reckon correctly. Mah troop was stationed at the kids' table, on account'f we were younger than the adults. We were still big ponies...but that was neither here nor there. We had a good bunch'a ponies in that troop. Ah was the general'f our division, an' by default the brains'f the crew. Mah right-hoof mare an' second-in-command, Sweetie Belle, was on hand, on account'f her sister Rarity's married ta Applejack. Red an' Golden Delicious's son, Apple Seed, was the wild card. Nopony knew what ta expect'f him. Braeburn's lil' sister, Apple Cider, was our artillery expert. Filly had a mean arm on her, an' her applesauce grenades always found their mark. Then there was Sonya, mah niece an' AJ an' Rarity's daughter. She was the distraction, on account'f she was the youngest an' we all chose our roles already an' left that one fer her. Ah had the best ponies Ah could ask fer by mah side. Woulda been nice ta have Scootaloo on air support, but 'twasn't in the cards that day.

"Now listen up here, y'all," Ah said, unrollin' the map'f the room. "This here's where we are. Over there's the apple pie. Now, if'n we wanna get it b'fore the adults got a chance ta touch it, we gotta work as a team, cause we gotta pass right 'round the adult table, marked here, without gettin' noticed." The others all looked over the map, studyin' every corner'f it. Well, 'cept fer Sonya. She jus' kinda drooled.

"On mah word, we send Sonya out usin' the Mobility Encouragement Device," Ah continued. "That'll pull the attention'f AJ an' Rarity, an' that'll get Granny Smith an' Apple Strudel too, cause old ponies love foals." Ah drew the line that Sonya was gunna take, an' the others nodded. "Cider, yer gunna toss yer grenades over this way, an' ya gotta hit right over here, by Red an' Golden. That'll take 'em outta the picture, an' collateral damage'll pull Apple Crisp an' Apple Cinnamon away too, since they're flankin' the Deliciouses an' always gotta clean up messes." Cider saluted, pullin' out two applesauce grenades. She was always prepared.

"Whilst they're all busy, that's where Ah need you ta plant the mental distraction, Sweetie," Ah said, turnin' ta look at mah right-hoof mare. "Braeburn is located right here, at the corner'f the table. Yer gunna whisper ta him 'bout an arm-wrestlin' contest. With how loud that pony talks, ain't nopony not gunna hear him yell 'bout it. We know how Big Macintosh, Caramel Apple, an' Apple Cobbler cain't resist a good ol' arm wrestlin' contest, so that'll take those four outta the picture. Once we got them distracted, yer gunna swing over ta the right side'f the table, where Seed an' Ah'll be waitin'. Since Apple Brown Betty, Apple Tart, Apple Turnover, Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, an' Baked Apple're gunna be facin' the other way an' have all these distractions ta worry 'bout, we can sneak 'round this here side'f the table undetected. From there, s'jus' a matter'f wheelin' that pie back ta the kids' table an' gatherin' the troops back up ta taste the fruit'f our labors." Ah looked 'round the table ta mah squad mates. Ah wouldn't trade a single one'f 'em fer anypony in the world. Well, mebbe Sonya. She kinda smelled.

"Oh mah sign!" Ah whispered. The others waited till Ah threw mah hoof forward. Sweetie tied the Mobility Encouragement Device ta Sonya's head, an' she was off. Danglin' a toy at the end'f a wire was a genius plan that only the brains'f the operation (Mahself, of course) coulda thought'f. Sure enough, AJ an' Rarity noticed her, an' the old ponies flocked over ta coddle her or do whatever silly snuggly things adults like ta do ta young ponies. Cider jumped inta action, hurlin' her grenades through the air. They landed right at their target, but what we didn't expect was Cider trippin' as she reached fer the next ones. The Deliciouses scooped her up as she whined 'bout her scraped knee, but other than that, everythin' was goin' accordin' ta plan, as Crisp an' Cinnamon got ta cleanin'. Sweetie went right on cue, pullin' Brae down ta her level an' bettin' him that he couldn't beat Big Macintosh in arm-wrestlin'. Sure as sugar, he was shoutin' at the top'f his lungs 'bout how he'd win with one hoof tied behind his back, which was already awful silly cause ya only need one arm fer arm-wrestlin'. Brae was a silly pony, but 'tweren't his fault. The grownups always got real loud an' silly (an' smelled'f those drinks that AJ always tells me Ah cain't drink) at these gatherin's. Cobbler an' Caramel got involved, an' the key ponies were all distracted.

Jus' as planned, Sweetie met up with Seed an' Ah, an' we were free ta head towards the dessert table unnoticed. Ah thanked Celestia fer mah amazin' partners as we headed towards our target. They say a general's only as good as her troop, an' mah troop...mah troop was good. But unpredictability struck at the worst possible moment.

"HEY EVERYPONY, WE'RE GUNNA GET THE PIE!!" Seed screamed. Every head turned in our direction.

"Now what didja go an' do that fer?!" Ah asked Seed, as the adults began to descend on us.

"WILD CARD, FILLIES!!" Seed shouted. Ah couldn't even get the chance ta yell at him b'fore we were swamped by the enemy.

We got our pie that day. We mighta had ta wait a few minutes longer, but we got our pie. It didn't come without a cost though. Cider's knee scrape took almost a whole day ta heal up. Sonya never came back ta the table; AJ strapped her inta her backpack carrier an' she passed right out. She wouldn't wake up fer a whole 10 hours. Seed suffered from post-traumatic noogie syndrome, jus' like anypony who tried ta take Uncle Apple Strudel on one-on-one. Sweetie's mane was ruthlessly ruffled, an' she'd complain 'bout how it looked like a mess throughout the whole dessert phase. An' me? Ah suffered the worst'f everypony. Mah cheeks were pinched like nothin' ya could ever b'lieve. Ta this day, Ah can still feel those pinches when Ah try ta fall asleep. Ah still hear the laughs'f the adults as they seized us one-by-one an' talked 'bout how...ugh...CUTE...we were. Ah still smell those weird adult drinks on their breath. Ah still see their silly smilin' faces when Ah close mah eyes ta go ta sleep.

War never changes. But war changes ponies. We all changed that day. We had our pie...but at what cost?

Prompt #56: Double Rainbow

The Prompt: One of the Mane Six has a twin.

Special Rule: The twin isn’t the result of time travel, changeling shenanigans, or Pinkie Pie’s esoteric powers.

"Oooh, I can't wait!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing up and down in place. "This is gonna be like the coolest, most awesomest thing EVER!" The others all nodded. They might not have been matching Pinkie's exuberance, but the fact remained that they were quite excited for the day's events.

"Sure is excitin', Pinkie," Applejack concurred, looking around. "But don'tcha reckon Rainbow Dash shoulda been here by now? S'almost 1 PM, an' this here gatherin's mostly fer her anyhow."

"I'm sure she'll be here very soon," Twilight said. "I can't see why she'd possibly want to miss this!"

"Rainbow Dash does tend to be late for her appointments," Rarity said, looking at her hoof. "You would think that Equestria's fastest pegasus would be able to arrive for plans on time, especially plans like this."

"Um...I'm sure she'll be along any moment," Fluttershy said quietly. Suddenly, all eyes turned to Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, gasping. "You must know something about this!"

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

"Pinkie does have a point," Twilight said, looking ponderous. "You've known Rainbow the longest, right?"

"Ever since we were little fillies in flight school," Fluttershy responded.

"Well, certainly you must know what her twin brother is like!" Rarity said, realizing what Twilight was getting at. Fluttershy looked away and shook her head.

"...I didn't even know she had a twin brother," Fluttershy said. "I'm sorry..." The others looked at each other, confused. Before any of them could say another word, Sugarcube Corner's front door opened, and the mare of the hour flew in, looking quite bothered.

"DASHIE'S HERE!" Pinkie shouted, pouncing her as she entered.

"Whoa!" Dash said as she was bowled over. "Easy, girl." Pinkie gigglesnorted and got up, letting Rainbow pull herself to her hooves. "I'm not even late or anything, sheesh."

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, trotting up to her. "We've all been a bit curious about something."

"Yeah?" Dash said nonchalantly. "What?"

"Well," AJ spoke up, stepping up to join the others. "We were all mighty baffled 'bout this whole twin brother thing."

"What's to be confused about?" Dash said, looking away. "I have a twin brother. He's coming to visit. How can that be confusing?"

"Well..." Twilight said, "We were a bit confused about why you'd never mentioned your twin brother before."

"You mean like how you never mentioned Shining Armor before we got the wedding invitation?" Dash asked curtly. Twilight opened her mouth for a retort, then fell silent. She had her there.

"Well, darling," Rarity said, joining the others as well. "It still does seem a bit odd that he has never come up in conversation."

"I just don't talk about everything, okay?" Dash said, sitting down in a nearby chair. The other ponies followed her, like moths to a flame.

"Why wouldn't ya talk 'bout a twin brother?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in. "Having a twin's super-duper awesome! Or at least I'd think it is! I don't have a twin! But I do have triplets, and that's REALLY awesome, so having a twin must be at least half as awesome! Or would it be a third as awesome? Ooh, or maybe it's 100% more awesome since-"

"Pinkie," Twilight said, turning to her. Pinkie smiled and zipped her lips; she knew that "That's enough" look from Twilight by this point.

"I just don't talk about it!" Dash said, beginning to get a bit annoyed. "Do I have to talk about EVERYTHING with you girls? I'm sure there are things you don't talk to us about. Right, Applejack with her subscription to Playpony Magazine?" AJ turned a bright red and tried to hide her face behind her hat.

"There's no reason to toss secrets around, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said in a calming tone. "We were just wondering. I mean, even Fluttershy doesn't know about your twin brother, and she's known you since you were young!"

"He moved away really early, okay?" Dash said, looking at the ground. "He couldn't live in the kind of environment our home had. That's probably what your little psychoanalysis books would say, right Twilight?" Twilight sighed. It DID sound like something her psychoanalysis books would say, but she didn't want to admit it.

"What was wrong with your environment?" Rarity asked.

"Nothing!" Dash responded, gritting her teeth. "There was nothing wrong with my home! He went off and lived somewhere else with a nanny, we'd go to visit him and stuff...look, you're gonna meet him in a minute or so anyway, so let's just drop the issue, okay??" The girls looked at each other. Twilight began to speak, but was interrupted by the front door opening.

"I hear my sister Rainbow Dash is in here?" the pony in the doorway asked. Dash stood in the back of the room, not saying a word. Pinkie was the first of the ponies to respond.

"RAINBOW DASH'S TWIN BROTHER!!" Pinkie shouted, as she pounced across the room. She somehow skid to a halt in midair just before colliding with him, and held her hoof out for a shake.
"I'm Pinkie Pie, one of Rainbow Dash's bestest friends!"

"I'm Rainbow Blitz," Rainbow Blitz responded, accepting the hoofshake. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too!" Pinkie exclaimed, beaming. "So you must be a pretty good flyer too, huh?"

"Uh...Pinkie..." Twilight tried to interrupt.

"Because Dashie's all like ZOOM WHOOSH FLYYYYYYFLYFLYFLY and stuff!" Pinkie continued.

"Pinkie..." AJ spoke up, but Pinkie wasn't listening.

"Did you two do synchronized flying stunts?!" Pinkie asked. "Ooh, that must be so awesome..."

"PINKIE!!!" Rainbow Dash shouted at the top of her lungs, a shout that finally garnered her attention.

"What is it, Dashie?" Pinkie asked, turning to look at her friends. All five ponies pointed back towards Rainbow Blitz. Pinkie turned around and took a closer look at the pony standing before her, who was now looking quite uncomfortable. She stared for a good long while, until her eyes lit up.

"OH!!" Pinkie said with a giggle. "You're an EARTH PONY!!" Blitz smiled awkwardly. Dash said nothing. She just turned away.

Prompt #57: Dissent

The Prompt: Despite how easily he changed physical appearance, the changeling remained utterly the same and unvarying on the inside … until the day he met Pinkamena Diane Pie.

"So...what's the plan for the next attack?"

The attitude in the cluster was, to say the very least, grim. Granted, these meetings were never really joyous occasions. Changelings didn't really deal much in joy and merriment. This particular meeting, however, was a bit more of a downer than the usual meetings. It was to be expected; they were reeling from a last-minute ruining of their queen's perfect plan and a brutal defeat at the hooves of a bunch of ponies. Their morale could stand to be higher.

"Simple," Chrysalis said, walking back and forth in front of her minions. "We take time to regroup and rebuild. We shall find a small, unsuspecting town and prey upon its citizens. The strongest of them will be put in conversion pods, and once our army has grown stronger than ever, we find a new mark to take the place of." The other changelings nodded. Their queen was wise and powerful and everything she said was absolutey correct and perfect. This was no different.

"...But..." one changeling muttered. In an instant, every single head turned to look at him. No one ever brought the queen's orders into question. Chrysalis strode across the room until she came face-to-face with the dissenter.

"But?" Chrysalis asked, her face riding a delicate line between bemusement and rage. The changeling in question sank down a bit, but Chrysalis lit her horn up, lifting him up so that he was at eye level with her.

"Do you mean to question my plans?" Chrysalis asked, her voice eerily calm. "It isn't like one of you to do this." The changeling looked away. He wanted to go on, but was far too intimidated to continue his thought pattern.

"What is your number?" Chrysalis asked, tightening her magical grip on the changeling in front of her. He did not respond at first. This infuriated the queen; insubordination was unheard of, and she barely even knew how to react to it.

"TELL ME YOUR NUMBER!" Chrysalis shouted, tightening her grip further. The changeling winced and struggled before finally answering.

"I am not a number," the changeling spoke in a strained voice. Murmurs spread throughout the room, with a few scattered gasps here and there. Attention then turned to Chrysalis, who surprised her brood yet again by placing the changeling down on the ground and releasing her grip.

"Explain yourself," Chrysalis said.

"I...am not a number," the changeling repeated. "I am an individual." More murmurs spread, until Chrysalis raised a hoof to silence them.

"What makes you think you are special?" Chrysalis inquired, lowering herself to stare straight into the eyes of the dissenter.

"I have brought happiness to somepony," the changeling spoke. The crowd roared, but was once again silenced by the queen.

"Happiness?" Chrysalis said derisively, spitting on the ground near the changeling's feet. "Happiness is a weakness. Happiness is a vulnerability to be exploited. It is not an emotion that one should feel pride in bringing to others, unless it is being used for your own personal gain. What did you have to gain from this?"

"...Nothing," the changeling said. "When we were fighting the ponies...the pink one. She smiled and laughed at my transformations. THen she requested that I change myself to look like her. I complied."

"Why?" Chrysalis asked.

"I didn't know at the time," the changeling responded. "It was something I had never felt before. My actions were approved of, and I wasn't even trying for that type of reaction. It felt...good." Chrysalis stared the changeling down, though her stare seemed a bit less harsh than it had been.

"And how do you feel about this?" Chrysalis asked. The changeling looked up into Chrysalis's eyes, noting the odd, empathetic question.

"...I feel good about it, my queen," the changeling finally responded. "It was a fantastic feeling, knowing that I had done something to make someone genuinely happy. Perhaps if instead of trying to take over Equestria, we simply concentrated our efforts on gaining acceptance from others like I did from the pink pony, we could-" The changeling's voice was cut off as a quick surge of magical energy from Chrysalis seized him and snapped his neck like a twig.

"Happiness is for the weak," Chrysalis said coldly. The other changelings were silent. "Now let us get back to business."

Prompt #58: Unforeseen Results

The prompt: Rainbow Dash’s first sonic rainboom gave all of the mane six their cutie marks. What did her second rainboom do?

Rainbow Dash zoomed through the sky. She had some downtime, and as usual, she was using this downtime to practice some of her amazing tricks. It had been roughly 8 months since the Best Young Flyer competition in which she'd performed her awesome Sonic Rainboom and wowed the audience with her amazing skills (Oh, and saved Rarity. Best day ever!), but she didn't have time to dwell on the past. It was time to look towards the future, because the NEXT Best Young Flyer competition was coming up in 4 months, and she would do anything to win another day with the Wonderbolts. She would have to pull something REALLY awesome to out-do the Sonic Rainboom, but she was pretty convinced that she could figure something out. After all, she WAS Rainbow Danger Dash.

Rainbow touched down on the ground, deciding to take a little bit of a break. She'd been flying for a good few hours, and even the best pegasi got tired after that much practice. Rainbow folded her wings, giving the poor things a much-needed rest. As she reached for her water, she noticed a group of three stallions approaching her; one pegasus, one earth pony, and one unicorn. She had never seen any of these stallions before, but that wasn't so weird. She wasn't Pinkie Pie; there WERE ponies around Ponyville that she hadn't met. She gave the group a small grin, assuming they were here to watch her amazing skills. Something about the group unsettled her, though. She couldn't quite place what it was, but it was...well, something.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash," the unicorn said. He smiled an odd, wide smile that made Dash's skin crawl.

"Uh...hey there," Rainbow said, backing up a step. "Who are you guys?"

"Fans," the gigantic earth pony grunted. The pegasus said nothing.

"...Glad to hear it!" Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"More than fans, actually," the unicorn said, still smiling. "We have a connection." Rainbow chuckled awkwardly; this group was making her more and more uncomfortable with each word spoken.

"Whaddaya mean?" Dash asked.

"You remember your Sonic Rainboom eight months ago, right?" the unicorn asked, stepping closer. Rainbow matched his step, backing up an equal distance.

"Of course I do," she said, trying to look smug. "You don't forget an amazing stunt like that."

"That Sonic Rainboom changed all of our lives," the unicorn spoke.

"Oh, really?" Rainbow asked, smiling awkwardly. "That's kinda funny, cause my friends-"

"My name is Shatter Shard," the unicorn said, not letting Rainbow finish. "I was living with my parents, and my flank was still blank. My parents owned a glassware shop. When your Sonic Rainboom went off, it shattered every bit of merchandise in their store. We had no insurance, and their business was ruined. To try and support myself and my family, I turned to a life of crime. My cutie mark showed up upon the success of my first bank robbery. Unfortunately, my second robbery landed me in prison, where I met Brick Breaker here."

"I'm Brick Breaker," the tremendous earth pony said. "I was thrown in jail on charges of property destruction. I can't help it; I just see these perfect buildings and I have to ruin them."

"We all have our vices," Shard said, patting Brick on the back.

"Despite my experience, I couldn't figure out how to break out of the prison," Brick continued. "But then your Sonic Rainboom came along. It weakened the walls, and I was able to find a small crack in it and tear the whole thing down. I earned my cutie mark that day."

Rainbow Dash just stared at the two, not knowing what to say. Then her attention turned to the pegasus.

"...I'm afraid to ask...but what about him?" Dash asked.

"This is Lecter," Brick said, nodding to the silent, somewhat-twitchy pegasus. Rainbow looked towards his flank. His cutie mark depicted a pony biting another pony.

"We don't like to talk about how he earned his cutie mark," Shard said. "But it was related to the very same Sonic Rainboom." Rainbow Dash couldn't remember the last time that she had felt this utterly unnerved by a group of ponies. The three stepped a bit closer to her, and she backed up in response. She wanted to fly away, but her wings were frozen to her sides in fear.

"S...so...what are you gonna do to me?" Dash said, starting to shake a bit. She found herself backed up against a tree as the three ponies advanced. She trembled as they got closer, until Shard was right in her face, smiling that creepy smile. She could feel his hot breath on her muzzle, and she tried to shrink back, but the tree prevented such a thing.

"Oh, we're not going to do anything to you," Shard said. Brick laughed an eerie, husky laugh, while Lecter giggled, a high-pitched giggle that hurt Dash's ears.

"Then why are you here?" Dash asked, not really sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"We have a special bond with you, Rainbow Dash!" Shard said. "You earned us our cutie marks, so we have to all be best friends now! Isn't that how it worked with your other friends?" Dash blinked, staring at the three ponies in front of her.

"Wanna come hang out with us?" Brick asked. Lecter just laughed louder.

"Uh...maybenexttimeIgottago," Dash said quickly. Before the other ponies could react, she unfurled her wings and took off as fast as she could. Shard, Brick, and Lecter looked at each other.

"Oh well. What now?" Brick asked.

"Wanna go get pizza?" Shard asked.

"Sure," Brick said. Lecter just laughed even louder as the three ponies turned tail and headed towards the nearest pizza joint.

Prompt #59: Lady Lovely Rises

The Prompt: Rarity is the hero.

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The weather ponies had really done a wonderful job on keeping the clouds out of the sky, which was all the more reason for Rarity to have donned her sun hat for her morning constitutional. Too much sunlight cast directly on her face would surely have adverse effects on her makeup, and she simply could not risk a bead of sweat ruining her delicately-applied eyeliner. She smiled warmly as she trotted through the town square, but stopped short when she heard a troubled cry.

“My hat!!” a young filly cried. Rarity turned to look just as she saw the poor filly’s hat carried away by an errant gust of wind. Neither she nor the filly could react fast enough, and the hat landed in a pile of dirt. Rarity just barely restrained the urge to faint at the sight of such a nice hat being ruined. Her despondence was nothing, however, compared to that of the filly, who had begun to cry.

“My favorite hat…” the little filly whimpered. Rarity frowned, and glanced up at the chapeau she was wearing. It was one of her favorites; elegant, yet not too gaudy. She had purchased a basic hat and spruced it up to her liking, and there were few hats in existence that matched its panache. She glanced back at the sad filly whose hat had been ruined. Sure, it could be cleaned, but just the knowledge that it had been sullied was enough to mar it forever. Rarity herself had disposed of many a hat instead of washing them for this exact reason. She sighed lightly, then trotted over to the filly.

“Here, darling,” Rarity said. The filly glanced up at Rarity. Rarity bit her lip and silently wished a fond farewell to her beautiful chapeau as she levitated it off of her head and placed it on that of the filly.

“…F…for me?” the filly asked, her eyes full of wonder.

“For you,” Rarity said, nodding. “I’m sorry for the loss of your precious hat, and I do hope you enjoy this replacement.” The filly blinked a few times, then hugged Rarity’s leg tightly.

“Thank you so much!” the filly said, beaming. “It’s so beautiful! You’re my hero!’ The filly ran off, giggling happily. Rarity smiled warmly as she watched her leave. It always felt so good to give to those who needed more. She ruminated over this feeling. It was a wonderful one, and one she wanted to experience again. The filly had called her “her hero.” Surely she could be a hero to more than one pony, what with her considerable talents in the field of fashion. Rarity nodded, knowing what she had to do. She turned tail and headed straight back towards Carousel Boutique.

The next few hours were spent working. It wasn’t hard work; she was talented enough that things like this simply came to her. It was simply a matter of making sure that everything went together, nothing clashed, and nothing was too tacky. Extra bells and whistles (which were sometimes literally bells and whistles) were omitted from the original concept that she’d gotten into her head on the trip back, until she was left with something wonderful and perfect. Smiling proudly to herself, she slipped into the sleek, form-fitting costume. She donned the cape, as well as the accompanying headdress, saddle, and boots. Some accessories had to be omitted, but it was in her nature to include at least some. After all, what perfect piece of clothing was not made better with an accoutrement or two? The mask was the final touch. Of course, the mask couldn’t hide too much of her lovely face; just a simple eye-covering was all that was needed (with eyelashes attached, of course).

Rarity glanced at herself in the mirror, and was immensely satisfied with the end result. She struck a heroic pose, admiring herself. It was time to practice her heroic mantra.

“Through light of day and dark of night, no fashion faux pas shall escape my sight. I am Lady Lovely, and I have come to beautify the world!”

Rarity tapped a hoof to her chin. Her mantra needed work. She took off towards the library in an instant. Before Ponyville’s newest, most fashion-minded hero could begin protecting it from more fashion disasters like the incident with the filly’s dirtied hat, every bit of her had to be perfect, and that included her catchphrase. Perhaps Twilight could help with that. She was good with words.

Prompt #61: A Bittersweet Farewell

The Prompt: The breakup

Pinkie Pie sat quietly at the table. It was a rare occasion that Pinkie, of all ponies, found herself at a loss of words. In fact, she was often full of words. Actually, that wasn’t totally true, because she was always busy saying words, so she probably wasn’t FULL of them because she kept saying so many of them, although she kept coming up with more words to say, often at the same time as some of the words she had been saying were on their way out of her. So maybe she wasn’t full of words like she thought earlier. After all, she also had a bunch of other things in her, like her heart and her stomach and her brain and her lungs and her skeleton and lots and lots of other things that she didn’t know the names of but Twilight probably did because Twilight knew a lot of stuff like that…

…Twilight.

Pinkie drooped just thinking about her. She was the reason for this rare silence, after all. She and Twilight had known each other for quite a while now, and every experience they’d shared together in that time was just wonderful. Twilight always gave her a warm feeling, and she was sure that she had the same impact on Twilight. Twilight was the sweetest pony she knew. She filled Pinkie’s life with her own special, unique flavor, and Pinkie had always thought that life would be pretty crummy without her. It hurt her to realize that she’d known for a while that the end was coming. She never expected the end to come this soon, though.

Pinkie tried to begin talking, but she couldn’t get the words out. She stared up at Twilight and thought about how beautiful she was. Her crisp features, her warm smile…well, her physique was a tiny bit doughy, she had to admit. But that was what made her so special! She wasn’t just some cookie cutter pony; she was unique and special. Pinkie thought about how badly she wanted a piece of her right now, but she knew that doing so would be wrong. It would just lead to inevitable heartbreak.

“…Twilight…” Pinkie finally managed to say. “I’m so sorry…” She stared at Twilight, choking back a sob. She sighed deeply, trying to continue. She’d just lifted Twilight from her sheets a little while ago, and now everything was coming to an end. Twilight looked like she was about to crack, but she held up as best as she could, smiling gingerly. Pinkie knew she was secretly feeling rather crummy about this as well, but they both knew, deep within their hearts, that this was for the best.

“I’ll never forget the good times we had together,” Pinkie said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief she pulled from seemingly nowhere. “But everything has to come to an end sometime…I’m sure you’ll be…” Pinkie sniffled. “…Happier with her.” Pinkie leaned over and gave Twilight a gentle kiss. She always enjoyed the taste of Twilight’s kisses, and it hurt her heart to know that she would never be able to taste her again.

“…I’ll always love you.” Pinkie said. Then she burst into tears.

Twilight tilted her head, confused by Pinkie’s odd behavior, but decided to let it be as she took the gingerbread pony from Pinkie. She was impressed; Pinkie had really gone all out to customize each of the treats for her friends.

“Dessert’s gunna take ferever if’n she does this fer each’f us,” Applejack whispered to Twilight.

“APPLEJACK!” Pinkie yelled through her tears, lifting the AJ cookie up. “I’m so sorry…”

Prompt #62: A Memorable Pep Talk

The Prompt: A childhood memory from one of the Mane Six that they never want to forget.

OR: A childhood memory from one of the Mane Six that they would rather forget.

Applejack stomped her little hooves angrily as she headed home. It wasn’t fair. Everypony at school was so mean, and she was never ever going back there again, no matter what any of the big ponies said. If Granny Smith tried to force her to go, she’d just go hide in the little corner of the barn that she couldn’t reach. She’d stay there forever if she had to, just so she didn’t have to go back to school. If Big Macintosh tried to force her to go, she’d just tell Granny Smith about the Playcolt magazine she found under his bed, and then she’d make sure to get to the corner of the barn first cause it definitely wasn’t big enough for both of them.

“What’s wrong, AJ?” Big Mac asked as AJ stomped into the house.

“Ah ain’t never goin’ ta school again!” Applejack yelled. Big Mac sighed and offered a hug.

“Ah don’t wanna hug!” Applejack shouted.

“Yes ya do,” Big Mac said calmly. Applejack pouted, then galloped up to Big Mac. Big Mac hugged her tightly. He knew his little sister well enough to know that once she got this upset, even if she said she didn’t want a hug, she really did.

“Now what’s wrong, AJ?” Big Mac asked, sitting down on the couch and inviting her to sit with him. AJ hopped up onto the couch and rested her head on Big Mac’s side.
“All the other ponies at school’re makin’ fun’a me!” AJ said. She started to tear up a bit, but took a deep breath and calmed herself. Big ponies didn’t cry, and if she wanted to be a big pony, she couldn’t cry.

“Why?” Big Mac asked. He noticed the near-cry but chose not to say anything about it. He knew Applejack was a prideful little pony. He did give her a light nuzzle, though, because that always made her feel a bit better when she was close to crying like this.

“Cause Ah don’t got mah cutie mark!” Applejack said, frowning. Big Mac hid a roll of his eyes.

“C’mon now, AJ,” Big Mac said, bringing a foreleg around her. “Who cares ‘bout that? Don’t mean nothin’.”

“Yer one ta talk!” AJ said, looking up at him with a big frown. “You got yer cutie mark last’f yer class!”

“So?” Big Mac said, giving a small shrug.

“Cutie marks mean yer growin’ up, an’ if’n Ah don’t got mine, that means Ah ain’t a big pony yet!” Applejack whined. Big Mac gave her another gentle nuzzle; he could already see those tears threatening to fall.

“What’s the rush ta be a big pony?” Big Mac asked, putting a hoof under AJ’s chin so their gazes could meet.

“Cause nopony listens ta lil’ ponies,” Applejack whimpered. Big Mac considered trying to stop the tears again, but sometimes it was good to let it out. He pulled AJ close to himself and let her cry into his side. He waited until she was done, then looked back into her eyes.

“Ah listen ta ya,” Big Mac said. “An’ so does Granny Smith.”

“But yer family,” AJ said. “Yer s’posed ta listen ta me.”

“What about yer lil’ friend Carrot Top?” Big Mac asked.

“Well…yeh, she does listen ta me,” AJ had to admit.

“An’ June Bug?” Big Mac asked.

“…Yeh, her too,” AJ answered, nodding.

“An’ yer teacher?” Big Mac continued.

“Yeh, all the time,” AJ agreed.

“So who don’t listen ta ya?” Big Mac wondered.

“All’f the popular ponies who already got their cutie marks!” AJ said, drooping.

“So who cares?” Big Mac asked. “D’ya even wanna be friends with ‘em?”

“Not really…” AJ said. “They’re mean.”

“Then why worry?” Big Mac said. “The ponies that matter ta ya listen, an’ if’n other ponies don’t wanna listen ta ya, they prolly ain’t worth talkin’ ta.” AJ tilted her head.

“Ah guess yer right…” AJ said, nodding.

“So that was the main reason ya wanted ta be a big pony?” Big Mac asked. “Cause Ah’ll admit, yer lucky.”

“Lucky?” AJ asked. Big Mac nodded.

“Once ya b’come a big pony, ya stay a big pony fer the rest’f yer life,” Big Mac said. “Ya only get a lil’ bit’a time as a lil’ pony, so ya gotta make the most’f it. Got it?”

“Ah guess so…” AJ said.

“An’ b’sides,” Big Mac said, grinning. “Sometimes Granny Smith don’t listen ta me, an’ Ah’m a REAL big pony.” AJ giggled and hugged Big Mac.

“Ah’ll always listen ta ya, big brother,” AJ said.

“Ah’m glad,” Big Mac said, hugging her back. “So ya goin’ ta school t’morrow?” AJ looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Ah guess so,” AJ finally said.

“Good,” Big Mac said. “Now c’mon, Granny Smith’s makin’ apple fritters.”

“Apple fritters!” AJ said excitedly. Big Mac stood up and scooped AJ up, placing her on his back. AJ giggled happily as Big Mac carried her into the kitchen.

Prompt #63: A Typical Day

The Prompt: The Mane Six have always been stallions. How are things different for them?

Dusk Shine yawned as he woke up. He glanced at the clock next to him. It was two minutes before the alarm that he’d set for himself. This frustrated him to no end. As a pony who liked to stick to schedules, waking up this close to the alarm was terrible. If he wanted to wake up with his alarm, he’d have to go back to sleep, but there really wasn’t enough time to fall right back asleep before the alarm went off. However, if he got out of bed now, that would make him five minutes early in his schedule, and while being early was better than being late, he greatly preferred to just be on time. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep despite everything. Maybe there’d be enough time to-

BRRRRRING!!!

“Well, that worked out,” Dusk said, pulling himself out of bed. He made his way to the bathroom for his morning cleanliness routine, finishing up with a quick fix of his mane. Once finished, he headed downstairs, giving Spike a gentle nudge with his magic to wake him up as well. He always slept through his alarm.

After fixing up and enjoying a delicious breakfast, Dusk checked his schedule. As it turned out, the next thing on his agenda was to go visit Bubble Berry and pick up a cake. He glanced over to see if Spike wanted to accompany him, but Spike had fallen back asleep at the table. Luckily, Dusk had this exact scenario on his schedule. Otherwise, it would have likely frustrated him to no end. He grabbed his saddlebags, full of books for his friends, and exited the library. Dusk thought idly about how excited he was for this cake as he trotted along. Bubble’s cakes were the best, tied only with Applejack’s. He was suddenly distracted from his thought patterns by a rainbow blur whizzing past him.

“Rainbow Blitz!” Dusk yelled, just managing to catch his balance. “You have to be more careful!”

“Whoops! Heh, sorry Dusk,” Blitz said, landing alongside him. “I was just busy practicing my awesome moves. Wonderbolts tryouts are next week, after all!” Dusk rolled his eyes, then blinkblinked.

“Oh no!” Dusk moaned.

“What is it?” Blitz asked.

“I wasn’t supposed to see you yet!” Dusk said, facehoofing. “I was going to visit you third today, right after Applejack but before Butterscotch!” Blitz laughed.

“Oh come on, Dusk,” Blitz said. “You’ve gotta calm down with that schedule stuff. Live life as it comes! That’s what I do, and I’m pretty awesome.”

“You ARE pretty awesome, Blitz,” Dusk said, “But I’m on a very strict schedule. I have to get to Sugarcube Corner and pick up my cake from Bubble Berry, and-“

“Cake? I’m in!” Blitz said, perking up. Dusk sighed.

“Fiiiiine,” Dusk said, looking defeated. “You can come along. I guess I’ll replace the timeslot that was going to be taken up by visiting you with something else.”

“Kay!” Blitz said, grinning. “Now let’s go get that cake!”

“Cake?” Applejack asked, trotting up to the two. Dusk whirled around, surprised.

“Applejack?” Dusk asked. “What are you doing here? You normally don’t finish working on your farm for another hour, and I was going to come visit you afterwards!”

“Well shucks, Dusk,” AJ said. “Ah finished mah work early an’ figured Ah’d take a trot ‘round town.”

“But you’re supposed to still be at the farm!” Dusk said, kicking a hoof in the dirt.

“Ah’m so sorry ta disappoint, Dusk,” AJ said, rolling his eyes.

“No no, it’s okay,” Dusk replied. “Do you want to come with us to Sugarcube Corner and pick up our cake?”

“Sure thing, Dusk!” AJ said. “Ah could use some sweets after all that work!”

“Alright,” Dusk said, amending his schedule. “I’ll just move my visits to Carousel Boutique and Butterscotch’s cottage up to take over the slots meant for you two.”

“Um…what about me?” Butterscotch asked as he and Elusive appeared on the scene. Dusk groaned.

“You too?!” Dusk asked. “Is everypony just leaving their homes today?”

“Um…sorry…” Butterscotch said, looking down.

“Oh, no need to be sorry, Butterscotch,” Elusive said, smiling. “We are dreadfully sorry to interrupt you three, but we were heading to the spa and overheard your conversation. I hear that you are all visiting Bubble Berry?”

“Yes,” Dusk said, sighing. “And I’m running a few minutes late now, and I wasn’t supposed to meet up with any of you until afterwards! Elusive, Butterscotch, don’t you usually go to the spa on Thursdays?”

“Oh yes,” Elusive replied. “But we moved it up to Tuesday this week, because Butterscotch has to care for a sick bunny that’s being moved into his care tomorrow.”

“That’s right,” Butterscotch said. “We would have made it Wednesday, but Elusive has a very important pony coming over for a fitting tomorrow.” Elusive nodded.

“Ugh…fine!” Dusk said. “I guess I’ll just change my entire schedule!”

“Hey, you two wanna come to Sugarcube Corner with us?” Blitz asked.

“We’re gettin’ cake!” AJ said, smiling.

“That would be wonderful!” Elusive answered.

“Oh…yes…if you don’t mind,” Butterscotch replied.

“There,” Dusk said, having crossed most of his schedule out. “At least I can count on Bubble to be where he’s supposed to be at the time he’s supposed to be there.”

“Where am I supposed to be?” Bubble asked, pushing a big wagon with a cake on it up to the group.

“Bubble Berry?!” Dusk said, tilting his head. “I was just on my way to Sugarcube Corner to get that cake…”

“Oh! Whoopsie!” Bubble said, bouncing. “I decided to bring it to you instead! I hope you don’t mind, Dusky!” Dusk shook his head.

“Well…at least it all worked out in the end,” Dusk said. “Now how about we all go enjoy this cake?”

“YEAH!” the other ponies said happily. And with that, the group headed to the nearest bistro to enjoy their confectionary delight.

———

“Um…Pinkie?” Twilight asked as she finished reading the story.

“Yes, Twilight?” Pinkie asked, grinning.

“All of these stallion versions of us are exactly like the mare versions of us,” Twilight said. “Aren’t they supposed to be doing things differently? Like, being all masculine and stuff?”

“Why?” Pinkie asked. Twilight tilted her head. Somehow, that one-word response was a lot deeper than she’d expected.

Prompt #64: Completing Each Other

The prompt: Tell the story of what Lyra and Bon Bon were doing during the events of the two-part episode “A Canterlot Wedding.”

“No! Wait! Come back!!”

Lyra pounded on the wall of the crystal prison that held herself, Colgate, and Twinkleshine, shouting as loud as she possibly could. She had hoped that Twilight and Cadence would realize that they had been replaced by changelings, given their encounter with said changelings just a moment ago, and go searching for them too. Unfortunately, the two were in a huge rush to stop the wedding, and the three unicorns were left in their prison.

“Come…back…” Lyra whimpered as she slumped against the wall. She looked back to Colgate and Twinkleshine. The two of them slumped to their haunches and sighed heavily.

“They left us…” Colgate sighed.

“We’re gonna be stuck in here forever…” Twinkleshine moaned. Lyra didn’t respond. It wasn’t in her nature to be negative like the other two were. She was always the one who’d be jumping happily up and down, playing happy music on her lyre, or just generally being bright and cheery. However, in this particular situation, it was just a bit difficult to remain positive. She had considered trying to break the crystal wall down with a blast of magic, but she was pretty sure that her magic wasn’t strong enough, and with the reflective properties of the crystals, she couldn’t afford to have a wild blast of magic ricocheting around. Things were bad enough as they were already.

“What are we gonna do?” Colgate asked, grabbing Lyra. Lyra just sat there, staring blankly at the wall. She had to figure out some way to get out, to make a positive outcome out of all of this. Colgate and Twinkleshine depended on her. Bon-Bon depended on her. She had thought that it was relatively odd when she received an invitation to be a bridesmaid for the Princess. She barely knew her at all, and found it even odder that she was invited, but not Bon-Bon. The two did practically everything together. She almost didn’t even accept the invitation, citing a refusal to go without Bon-Bon. Bon-Bon had been adamant, though, in saying that she should do it, insisting that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that she shouldn’t give it up just for her sake. Bon-Bon always was the logical thinker of the pair.

“C’mon, Lyra, we need to try getting out!” Twinkleshine said, shaking Lyra. “We could try blasting the walls!” Lyra tried to respond, but couldn’t find the energy to do so. Her ability to be positive was very quickly draining. This made sense to her; it was Bon-Bon’s presence that really fueled it. Before she’d met Bon-Bon, she’d never been quite as happy as she was nowadays. Something about Bon-Bon just energized her, made her think that she could do the impossible for her. After all, she had done some crazy stuff when Bon-Bon was involved. Her magical ability, for instance, was never all that strong, but when she got close to Bon-Bon, she noticed an obvious increase in her power. She figured it was the confidence that Bon-Bon’s love instilled in her. Everything about Bon-Bon just made her a better pony, but she was losing hope that she would ever see her face again.

“C-c’mon, Lyra…” Colgate said, prodding at her. “We have to figure something out…” Lyra didn’t look up. She wondered where Bon-Bon was now. The two of them had some odd way of finding each other in crowds, and she wished it was possible for Bon-Bon to find her now, the same way she always did. It was a silly thought, though; how could she possibly think to look here for her? Barely anypony even knew about these caverns…

CRASH!

Lyra fell backwards as the crystal wall shattered, just barely avoiding the shards of crystal raining down. She fell straight into Colgate and Twinkleshine, who grabbed her and lit their horns up to keep the three from slamming against the back wall. Lyra shook her head out and opened her eyes, taking a look at the pony who had just somehow summoned up the strength to buck the wall down.

“…Bon-Bon?!” Lyra exclaimed, rubbing her eyes.

“C’mon!” Bon-Bon shouted, waving for the three unicorns to follow. Bon-Bon grabbed onto a rope that had been lowered into the caverns. Lyra grabbed onto her, and Colgate and Twinkleshine onto Lyra. With the help of the ponies she’d brought with her, the four were lifted to safety.

“H…how did you find us?” Lyra asked once everypony had calmed down.

“I can’t even explain it,” Bon-Bon said, wiping her brow. “I just knew somehow.” Lyra grabbed and squeezed Bon-Bon joyfully.

“I told you I shouldn’t have gone without you,” Lyra said. Bon-Bon just chuckled and hugged back. These were the kinds of things that happened when the two were apart for too long. She preferred to think of it as a sign that they belonged together. She couldn’t explain it, but they just completed each other.

Prompt #66: Left Out

The Prompt: Apple Bloom is an only child.

“Apple Bloom, I’m really sorry, but…”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Sweetie Belle,” Bloom said, looking down. “Tain’t yer fault or nothin’.”

“I know, but I’m still really sorry,” Sweetie said, feeling sheepish. “Rarity and I never…”

“Ya never miss the Sisterhooves Social,” Bloom said. “Ah know, Sweetie. Ah ain’t gunna be mad at ya over it.” Sweetie sighed. She could tell when her friend wasn’t being totally honest. She could also tell when it wasn’t a good idea to press the issue, though.

“…I’ll see you on Sunday then?” Sweetie asked. Bloom nodded. Sweetie offered a hug, which Bloom half-heartedly accepted. She released the hug and trotted off towards home, looking back momentarily before she vanished over the hill. Bloom kept up a smile until Sweetie couldn’t see her any longer, then let it fade and headed towards home.

———

“Bloom, honey? Can we come in?”

Bloom didn’t reply at first. She wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anypony, let alone her parents. After all, all of this was their fault. If they’d just had another daughter before they had her, she could have been going to the Sisterhooves Social too.

“C’mon Bloom, you awake?” her father’s voice called. Bloom sighed heavily, then answered.

“Yeh, Ah’m awake,” Bloom muttered.

“Can we come in?” her mother asked quietly.

“Fine,” Bloom said. She knew they probably wouldn’t stop until she said yes. The door creaked open, and her parents walked in. They sat on either side of her.

“What’s wrong, sugarcube?” Bloom’s mom asked. “Ya came home from school an’ jus’ came straight up here without even as much as sayin’ hello. That ain’t like ya.”

“Nothin’s wrong, ma,” Bloom lied, not looking up.

“Now now, that don’t sound like a ‘nothin’s wrong’ voice,” Bloom’s father said as he fiddled with her bow.

“S’jus’…” Bloom started. She interrupted her thought with a sigh.

“Jus’ what?” Bloom’s mom asked gently.

“…Ah wanted ta have a sleepover t’night,” Bloom said. “But nopony can come on account’f the Sisterhooves Social is t’morrow, an’ Sweetie Belle an’ Rarity’re in it, an’ when this happened las’ year Ah was able ta hang out with Scootaloo but then she was adopted by Rainbow Dash’s parents an’ now she an’ Rainbow’re goin’ t’morrow too, an’ they all gotta prepare b’forehand an’ wake up real early so they cain’t come over t’night, an’ it ain’t fair!” Bloom’s parents looked at each other, then back to Bloom.

“Well…what if ya have the sleepover t’morrow?” Bloom’s dad offered.

“It ain’t jus’ that though!” Bloom whined.

“Well then, what else is it?” Bloom’s mom asked. Bloom stared straight down at her mattress.

“Tain’t fair,” Bloom said. “Sweetie’s got an older sister, an’ now Scootaloo’s got an older sister, an’ Ah don’t got no older sister ta compete in the Sisterhooves Social with or nothin’ else!” Bloom’s parents looked at each other again.

“Well, sugarcube,” Bloom’s dad said. “We can do stuff with ya, ya know. An’ so can Granny Smith.”

“Tain’t the same,” Bloom said quietly. “They got big sisters an’ Ah don’t got any. They get ta have all the fun, an’ they’re all special cause they got older sisters ta do stuff with an’ Ah don’t.”

“Bloom, honey,” Bloom’s mom said, putting a foreleg around her. “That don’t mean they’re more special than you. Yer still real special, an’ ya don’t gotta have a big sister fer that.” Bloom’s father nodded, bringing a foreleg around her as well.

“But Ah want somepony ta hang out with when Sweetie an’ Scootaloo’re busy,” Bloom said. Bloom’s parents looked to each other again, and smiled.

“An’ it’s gotta be a big sister?” Bloom’s dad asked. Bloom nodded.

“Yer sure?” Bloom’s mom asked. Bloom nodded again.

“Ah guess we shouldn’t tell ya what we found out t’day, in that case,” Bloom’s dad said with a grin. Bloom looked up.

“What’re ya talkin’ ‘bout?” Bloom asked.

“Well,” Bloom’s mom said, taking Bloom’s hoof. “Mebbe ya cain’t have a big sister. That don’t mean ya cain’t have a sister at all though.” Bloom looked up to her mom, tilting her head. She glanced down at the hoof her mom was holding, as she placed it gently on her belly. Bloom blinked a few times before things started making sense.

“Yer…” Bloom said, her eyes getting big. Her mom and dad both nodded.

“Got a few months ta wait fer yer sister,” Bloom’s dad said. “Plenty’a time fer ya ta learn how ta be the big sister yer talkin’ ‘bout wantin’.” Bloom hugged her mom tightly, as her dad joined the embrace.

Prompt #67: Negotiations

The Prompt (Presented by Twilight Sparkle): Spike goes on an adventure with some or all of the Mane Six.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea, Spike?” Twilight asked her rider, looking back. Her face showed a bit of concern, a stark contrast from the confidence that Spike exuded.

“I’m sure of it, Twilight,” Spike said. “Trust me, I’ve got this.”

“I am not sure if I am at all comfortable with this,” Rarity huffed. “What they did to me last time was inexcusable, and if they even so much as try to touch a hair in my mane…”

“Don’t worry, Rarity,” Spike cut in. “Your Spikey-Wikey will make sure that you leave this place unharmed.” Rarity sighed. She wasn’t quite sure she believed him, but he just seemed so confident about it.

“I really hope-” Twilight started, before her sentence was cut off.

“PONIES!!” a shrill voice screeched. Rarity had no time to scream before one of the horrid beasts landed on her back and pulled a looped rope over her muzzle. Twilight turned to Rarity and made an attempt to react, before another beast attempted to do the same thing to her. It didn’t count on Spike already being on her back, though, and certainly didn’t plan on his violent reaction to its attack. Spike grabbed the beast’s leg as it came down and pulled it, slamming the beast to the ground. The one on Rarity’s back jumped off of her to react, but Twilight’s reaction was quicker, as she lit her horn up and suspended it in the air.

“We’re here to talk,” Spike said. “Not to fight.” The helpless beast nodded in midair. Rarity sneered as she levitated the rope off of her muzzle.

“Hmph!” Rarity exclaimed. “I should not have expected any less from a diamond dog!” Spike shushed her.

“Those kinds of comments aren’t exactly diplomatic,” Spike said.

“That BEHAVIOR is not exactly diplomatic,” Rarity responded. Spike shook his head, then turned to the diamond dog on the ground.

“We wish to be taken to your leader,” Spike said. “We have business to discuss.”

“Release him first,” the grounded dog said, pointing at his compatriot. Spike looked to Twilight and nodded. Twilight lowered the dog slightly, then let it drop the rest of the way as she released her magical hold on him. The dogs stood and brushed themselves off, then started leading, as Spike and the ponies followed.

———

“What do you wish to discuss?” the head of the diamond dogs asked, sitting across the shoddy-looking table from Spike and company.

“We’re to understand that you’re in the market for gems,” Spike said, crossing his arms.

“Gems…geeeems…” the dogs flanking the leader muttered eerily. A glare from the leader quieted them down.

“We are,” the leader told them. “What does this matter to the dragon and his ponies?”

“HIS ponies?” Twilight asked incredulously. Spike looked back at her with a “please let me have this” look. Twilight sighed and nodded.

“It’s simple,” Spike said, leaning forward against the table. “You want gems. Rarity here knows how to find gems.”

“We know this already,” the leader said. “The pony made our lives miserable when we tried to have her find gems for us.” Rarity smirked.

“Well,” Spike said, grinning. “Perhaps we could be convinced to share the gems that we find with you and your society.”

“This pleases us,” the leader said, his lips curling into a toothy smile.

“But of course, we’re gonna want something in return,” Spike said. staring straight at the diamond dogs’ leader.

“We are listening,” the leader said, returning the stare.

“A trade,” Spike said, tapping his fingers on the table. “Princess Celestia can use some help mining near the Crystal Mountains. If you and your kin are willing to help, we can make it worth your while.”

“Why would we subject ourselves to working for ponies?” the leader asked, glaring.

“Legend says the Crystal Mountains are chock-full of gems,” Spike said, smirking. “You help us out, with Rarity accompanying you, and you can keep half of the gems we find.” The leader thought this over.

“Seventy-five percent,” the leader said.

“Sixty percent,” Spike replied.

“Seventy.”

“Sixty-five.”

The leader thought this over. After a moment, he reached his paw across the table.

“You have a deal, dragon,” he said. Spike accepted the shake.

“Good to hear,” Spike replied.

“Now take your leave,” the leader said. Spike nodded, and he left, Twilight and Rarity following.

“Spike, I don’t think that was very nice,” Twilight said once they were out of earshot. “You know there aren’t anywhere near as many gems in the Crystal Mountains as those legends said.” Spike shrugged.

“They tried to kidnap my lovely Rarity,” Spike replied. “They’re lucky I was this nice.” Twilight and Rarity rolled their eyes as the group exited the caverns.

Prompt #68: Imperfections

The Prompt (Presented by Rainbow Dash): Rainbow Dash (that’s me) finally gets accepted into The Wonderbolts! Eeeeeeeee!!!

Rainbow Dash felt like she was on top of the world. Nothing was going to knock her down. Not today. She’d been practicing for what seemed like forever for this moment, and now, the moment was about to arrive. She stood outside the arena, waiting anxiously for her number to be called. She looked around at all the other pegasi who were waiting. None of them could stand up to her awesome skills. Seriously, had any of them ever performed a Sonic Rainboom? She was sure that they hadn’t, being as she was the only one to do so. This whole audition thing was a mere technicality; her getting into the group was a foregone conclusion.

“Number 124!” the secretary called out. Dash’s ears perked up. That was her number! She quickly got up and grinned, trotting confidently up to the doorway. She gave the other pegasi a smirk as she went. It sure sucked for them that she was going before them, because after the Wonderbolts saw her skills, they wouldn’t need to see anypony else.

“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire said, smiling. “Welcome!”

All of Dash’s confidence seemed to immediately fall out of her. She stared at the table where seven of the Wonderbolts were sitting. Spitfire sat in the middle. To her left and right were Soarin’ and Streak. Joining them were Ice Wind, Tangerine, Doc, and Surprise. She knew every single member of the Wonderbolts, even the lesser-known ones. That’s how big a fan she was. And “fan” was a very important word, because that’s exactly what Dash felt like when standing in front of them; a fan.

“What do you have to show us today, Dash?” Soarin’ asked. Dash just stood there, staring. She tried to tell them what she had planned.

“Snniifc Rnamabimm,” Dash said. Her face turned beet red.

“…Right,” Spitfire said in response to the nonsense, smiling. The other Wonderbolts chuckled, and Dash felt like she was about to die. “Well, let’s see that Snniifc Rnamabimm then!” Dash gulped and slowly rose into the air. She closed her eyes for a moment, hovering there silently. She needed to gather herself; this kind of silly nervousness was not what the Dash was all about.

“Start the timer!” Spitfire called out. Dash did not know about a timer, and this only unnerved her further. She took deep breaths, trying to center herself. This was no time for hovering there like a dunce. It was time for action.

Dash took off into the sky, doing a big loop. The loop wasn’t up to her usual standards; it faltered a little at the top and wasn’t a perfect circle. This knowledge did nothing for Dash’s confidence, and caused her corkscrew upon her descent to become a little choppy. Dash winced, sure that this would take points off of her final score. She refused to let this slow her down, though, and went into her Super Speed Strut upon touching the ground. She felt herself misstep a bit, but very quickly recovered before she found herself in danger of tripping. That was sure to be points off as well.

Dash swooped back into the air. The Filly Flash was next on her list, and she performed that one with ease. It was a simple trick, though, and perfect execution of something that simple wasn’t going to wow them. She prepped herself for the Sonic Rainboom, but thinking on the fly, she decided to abandon it. She was already in a bit of a funk; she didn’t need to be propelled through the sky from a failed Sonic Rainboom. The Buccaneer Blaze wasn’t anywhere near as impressive, but it would have to do. She picked herself up and whispered a few hopeful words to Princess Celestia before diving. The Wonderbolts shielded themselves from the flash as Dash whizzed past them, then clapped as she touched down upon its completion. Dash tried to smile, but she was sure that her routine wasn’t anywhere near enough to earn her a spot on the team. The Wonderbolts consulted with each other for a few minutes, and Dash found herself nearly collapsing from the tension. It was Soarin’ who finally spoke up.

“Very nice job, Rainbow Dash,” he said. The other Wonderbolts all nodded…except Spitfire. Dash stared at her, sweating. Did she not approve? If the leader of the Wonderbolts didn’t approve, there was no way she was getting in.

“…Spitfire?” Dash squeaked out. Spitfire got up without a word and left the room. The other Wonderbolts murmured, and Dash nearly passed out on the spot. That was it. Her chance at the Wonderbolts was destroyed. She sighed, then turned around, slowly trotting towards the exit.

“Hey, where ya going?” Spitfire’s voice called out. Dash turned around, and her eyes went wide at what she saw. There was Spitfire, floating towards her with…a Wonderbolts uniform.

“…Is that…for…” Dash stammered. Spitfire nodded, grinning.

“We haven’t had a single other pony show us anything that impressive, Dash,” Spitfire said, passing the suit to her. “Hope this is the right size!”

If Spitfire said anything after that, Dash didn’t hear it, for she had passed out, the biggest smile ever on her face.

Prompt #69: A Day To Oneself

The Prompt (Presented by Fluttershy): “Rarity has a day off.”

8:00 AM: I arise! Beauty sleep must last a maximum of 9 hours. An early start is also required; even on a day off, one must make the most of their day. And what a day off this shall be! It has been simply forever since I have had an entire day to enjoy as I wish, and I plan on taking ull advantage. This shall be the most relaxing day off ever!

8:15 AM: Opal has been fed. I am never able to make my own breakfast until my darling kitty has been fed. Even if I could bear to eat while knowing she is hungry, she would not allow such a thing to occur. I served her her favorite breakfast. At least it was her favorite the other day; her behavior this morning seems to suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, she has eaten, and now I can start making my own breakfast.
10:30 AM: Still have not made my own breakfast. I remembered just before removing the eggs from the refrigerator that I promised my dear friend Twilight that I would deliver the book on sewing that she had requested. I am not sure if she has any real interest in sewing, but as always, she wishes to learn everything she can about…well…everything. Regardless, I am home now, and now it is time to dedicate the rest of the day to myself, starting with a healthy breakfast.

12:15 PM: The eggs remain in the refrigerator. Sweetie Belle stopped by with her little friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. It turned out that their Cutie Mark Crusader capes had gotten torn. I simply could not let them run around with torn capes. What a fashion faux pas! Apple Bloom and Scootaloo having torn capes could be borderline acceptable, since Scootaloo is a roughhouser to begin with and Apple Bloom’s family does not seem to care for fashion quite as much as I do, but I could not possibly let my dear sister Sweetie Belle run around with ripped clothing. What would it say about me? I have just sent the three scampering off with their repaired capes, and now, my day off begins. I suppose it is a bit late for breakfast, though; perhaps I shall make myself a delicious daisy sandwich for lunch. But I must be hasty; I must make my hooficure appointment at 1:30.

2:30 PM: I am quite hungry, and I had to cancel my appointment, but it was for the best, really. After all, I could not live with the knowledge that I had let a friend down. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stopped by and requested that I make costumes for them. It turns out that they are attending some sort of odd “convention” at Pinkie’s behest next weekend, and they need new Mare-Do-Well costumes. I do not know what happened to the previous costumes; I asked, but Pinkie Pie began one of her long stories, and I humored her for as long as possible before cutting her off. After all, if I had let her finish, it would likely be even later than it is right now. I jotted down their notes for their costumes (I have never heard of this “Ponyasha” book series, but I must say that the fashion sense in them leaves something to be desired) and traced up a few preliminary sketches. This should not be too hard to accomplish, but proper work on them shall start tomorrow. Today is my day off, and I plan to enjoy the remainder of it, starting with lunch.

5:45 PM: Rainbow Dash never wants to stand still for a dress fitting, nor does Applejack. So naturally, when the two of them visited the boutique and requested fittings for their wedding dresses, I simply could not turn them down. I think I might have spent just a bit too long doing the fittings, however. Rainbow Dash certainly made that apparent with her fussing and fidgeting once the first hour had passed, and Applejack, while doing her best to hold her tongue and be polite, was clearly not too thrilled with it either. But these are their WEDDING DRESSES. It shall be their happiest day, and they must be dressed impeccably. The two were quite excited to get out of the boutique just a few minutes ago; I had made the mistake of allowing the two to measure each other’s croups while I sketched, and I think it brought their minds to…frisky places. Nevertheless, it is now time to finally begin enjoying my day off. It is too late for lunch, though. Perhaps I shall make a nice plate of hay fries for dinner.

9:30 PM: I have just finally finished dinner. I got a bit sidetracked by some…well, some work. But one does NOT turn down a request from the Princesses. I am sure that they were quite pleased with the preliminary sketches I finally made them for their Gala dresses, as well as the dress and tuxedo for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Work is done now, however, and once I have eaten dinner, I shall get started on enjoying my…day…off. …Oh dear, is it this late already? Oh well; chin up, Rarity. Only another week until your next day off, and that one shall be the most relaxing ever!

Prompt #70: The Bestest Thing Ever

The prompt (Presented by Applejack): Pinkie Pie shows Applejack a good time.

“Ooh! Applejack, look at that! Isn’t that like the bestest thing ever?!”

AJ sighed quietly to herself. This was what the last 20 minutes had been like for her. There she was, working on her farm, when Pinkie Pie had shown up out of nowhere, going on about how they hadn’t spent a whole lot of time together recently and how she had a whole bunch of things she really really REALLY needed to show her. AJ wasn’t even quite sure why she’d let Pinkie drag her off. Pinkie was one of her closest friends, but she still had to admit that the mare could sometimes be nuttier than the apple nut clusters that Granny Smith made every Hearth’s Warming. She figured it was the sense of urgency that convinced her to leave her work, but even that was questionable. Just because Pinkie said something was important didn’t necessarily mean it was, a point that was made obvious by what AJ had been going through with her. Maybe an apple-shaped balloon and an orange-and-pink streamer were things that Pinkie found to be “super-important,” but she didn’t quite share the sentiment. Still, she did her best to feign interest. After all, she didn’t want to hurt Pinkie’s feelings.

“Uh…yeh, that’s pretty great,” AJ said, giving a little smile. “Ah sure do love…uh…whatever those are.”
“Noisemakers!” Pinkie said excitedly, taking one in her mouth. “Yrr jrrsth drr dssth!” Pinkie began spinning the noisemaker wildly. AJ rolled her eyes slightly, her ears folding back at the odd noise that it emitted.

“That sure is a racket,” AJ said, giving a weak smile.

“I know, right?!” Pinkie said, spitting it back onto the table. “Doesn’t it sound EXACTLY like that dinner bell that you rang that one day a few months ago when I was hanging out at your house all day and telling you all about the party plans I had for your birthday and I wanted you to come over and play Pin The Tail On The Pony and have dinner with me but then that bell rang and you said that was Granny Smith calling you in for a really important dinner even though it sounded kinda like the big bell you were standing right next to might have sounded if a pony with big strong leg muscles like yours bucked it?” AJ blinked a few times.

“Uh…yeh,” she said. “Now that ya mention it, it does.” Pinkie had the weirdest memory sometimes.

“Aren’t we having the greatest time??” Pinkie asked, bouncing happily into the next room. “C’mon, I’ve got one more thing to show you! And I promise it’ll be even better than everything else I showed you! Even though everything else was really great, but this is even BETTER! It’s gonna knock your socks off! Although you aren’t wearing any socks…do you want socks? I can get you a pair of really cute socks! You’ll look so cuuuuuuuuuu-I mean awesome in them! And then I can knock you out of them! But that can wait! C’moooooon!” Pinkie grabbed AJ and started pulling her. AJ sighed lightly and went along. She really needed to get home and finish her work, but she wanted to humor Pinkie just a little longer. Even though this whole thing was a bit irritating, she felt obligated to do this for her. Pinkie always made everypony smile; she’d feel awful if she didn’t do the same thing for her.

“And heeeeere we are!” Pinkie said cheerfully as they entered her bedroom. AJ looked where Pinkie was pointing and saw a large white sheet hanging on the wall. She tilted her head, staring at the sheet. There was absolutely nothing on it. She had expected at least a drawing or a note or something…anything, really. Pinkie had made such a big deal about whatever this last thing was; she’d expected just a little bit more than a blank white sheet. But then again, this was Pinkie Pie. Very little of what she did made sense. AJ sighed.

“Pinkie, s’jus’ a sheet,” AJ said. “Ah’m sorry. Ah’ve been tryin’ ta be real excited ‘bout these things ya’ve been showin’ me, but this is…Ah cain’t even find a way ta pretend. This is jus’ a sheet, Pinkie.” AJ cursed her honest nature as she looked at Pinkie, whose smile had faded. The pink pony drooped, and AJ felt even worse. AJ tried to say something to Pinkie, but Pinkie turned away from her. She reached forward and stepped on a small button she’d placed on the ground. The sheet fell, revealing a large note written in pink and orange crayons on the wall, with little apples and balloons drawn around it.

“PP <3 AJ”

AJ couldn’t even find words. She looked over to Pinkie, who had slumped down next to the button. She sighed, and trotted over to sit down next to her. Pinkie looked up at AJ, and her big, sad blue eyes nearly crushed AJ’s heart. AJ pulled her into a hug, which Pinkie immediately returned.

“Ah’m a dang fool, Pinkie Pie,” AJ said, sighing.

“No you’re not,” Pinkie said, pulling back. “You’re nice and pretty and honest, and you were just being honest with me when you said that you were only pretending to be interested in what I was showing you.” AJ tried to respond, but Pinkie quieted her. “And that’s still really sweet of you, because you were pretending to be interested so you wouldn’t make me upset, right?”

“Right,” AJ said, nodding.

“Well, you can go back home if you want,” Pinkie said, smiling weakly. “I won’t keep you from your work any longer.” AJ thought a moment, then shook her head.

“Work can wait fer a spell,” AJ said, smiling. “How ‘bout ya show me s’more’f the stuff ya got ‘round here?” Pinkie beamed at AJ, then got up and pulled at her hoof. AJ chuckled and got up to join her.

Prompt #71: Prettifyin'

The Prompt (Presented by Rarity): Applejack shows her true beauty.

“Nuh-uh, Rarity,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Ain’t no way Ah’m lettin’ ya do this ta me.” Rarity watched AJ’s ponytail wave as she shook her head. She so wanted to tear that hairband off and let that golden mane flow free, restricted only by Rarity’s expert touch. She wanted to make that mane her plaything, to free it from the prison that its bearer had incarcerated it in and mold it to her vision. She needed to maximize its potential, but her friend simply would not have it.

“But Applejack!” Rarity started. “You are a beautiful pony! You just have to let other ponies see that! Please!” Rarity was typically not one to resort to begging, but it had worked so well with Fluttershy in the past. Applejack was no Fluttershy, though. Rarity loved Fluttershy, but she was not exactly known for her strong will, unlike the farmer that stood in front of her.

“Ah ain’t budgin’ on this, Rarity,” Applejack said firmly. “Ah don’t need no prettifyin’. ‘Tain’t practical.” Rarity sighed deeply.

“But Applejack,” she tried again. “Think of the possibilities!” There was a moment of tense slence as the two stared at each other.

“…This really mean that much ta ya?” AJ finally asked.

“Oh, ever so much!” Rarity said. AJ stood steadfast for a moment, before sighing and rolling her eyes.

“Fine,” AJ said. “Fer ONE DAY. An’ then Ah’m goin’ back ta mah usual getup.” Rarity squealed with joy. She was finally free to paint on her most elusive canvas. Before AJ could have a chance to change her mind, Rarity had grabbed her, dragging her into the nearest changing room.

After a number of hours, Rarity was finally satisfied with her creation. She crowded Applejack in front of the nearest mirror.

“Gaze upon my creation, Applejack!” Rarity said proudly.Applejack looked herself over. Her mane looked so unnatural just hanging there, band-less. She had to admit, however, that she did somewhat like the way it fell over her shoulders and onto the elegant dress that Rarity had stuffed her into. She kicked her hind legs uncomfortably; she wasn’t even positive why Rarity had bothered with stockings. They weren’t even visible under the puffy dress. She swished her tail; this, unlike her mane, remained tied. However, she did not particularly enjoy the pink bow that replaced her tail’s usual red band. Her hoof came up to rub her face, but Rarity quickly lit her horn and stopped it in its tracks.

“Ah ah ah!” Rarity said, gently placing Applejack’s hoof on the ground. “You do not want to ruin your beautiful makeup, do you?” AJ closed her eyes and sighed. She quickly opened her eyes again; the excessively-long fake eyelashes that Rarity had done her up with tickled.

“Come now, darling,” Rarity said, beaming. “We must show you off to the town! But first…” Rarity disappeared into a dressing room, emerging moments later in her own exquisite gown. “I cannot let my dear friend get ALL the attention, can I?” she asked, smirking.

“No ma’am,” AJ answered with all the enthusiasm of a banana slug. “Can we hurry this up? These here shoes’re hurtin’ mah hooves.”

“You’ll get used to it, darling,” was Rarity’s only answer before pulling Applejack outside.

The next hour was spent parading through town. Applejack sighed heavily with each pony who commented on her drastic change of appearance. She walked awkwardly, unused to all these accessories. She was a simple farmer; she didn’t need any of this. Rarity, on the other hand, was strutting along, looking almost like a proud mother leading her unwilling filly through town square; an image only exacerbated by her tendency to reach over and brush Applejack’s bangs out of her eyes whenever they would drift there. Rarity relished in every single comment that her friend received, whereas AJ looked like she’d rather be practically anywhere else. At times, it would bother her that AJ’s getup was receiving more stray compliments than her beautiful dress, but she figured that everypony was used to her beauty by now; it wasn’t every day that they had the opportunity to appreciate Applejack’s.

“What a lovely mare!” a voice called out. Rarity turned to thank the voice’s owner, when she suddenly froze in place.

“S…S…Sapphire Shores!” Rarity stammered. Sure enough, Sapphire Shores hersel was now approaching the two ponies. Rarity preened herself, positive that this comment was directed towards her. She smiled sweetly at Miss Shores, from the moment she started walking towards the two until the moment that she passed right by her.

“You are simply fabulous!” Sapphire Shores said, looking Applejack over. “How would you like to be featured on my program?” Applejack just raised a brow, as Rarity stood there, dumbstruck.

“But…what about…” Rarity began.

“Ah, yes!” another voice chimed in. “She iss luffly! Vat charm! Vat pizzazz!” Rarity could barely speak as Photo Finish stepped out from behind a bush to admire Applejack also.

“Clearly a pinnacle of beauty!” a now-appearing Hoity Toity exclaimed.

“My dear, you are simply ravishing,” Fancy Pants added, stepping out from a nearby building. Rarity could barely believe it.

“No…no…” Rarity stammered. “What are you all doing? You should be paying attention to me…” Rarity’s pleas fell on deaf ears as the four famous ponies continued to rave over Applejack’s ensemble.

“She iss Eqvestria’s next big star!” Photo Finish swooned. Rarity sunk to her haunches.

“What have I done??” Rarity moaned. “WHAT HAVE I DONE?!”

“…What HAVE ya done?” Applejack asked. Rarity looked up to see AJ, still standing in the middle of Carousel Boutique, looking just as she had. No dress, no fancy manestyle, no stockings…just regular Applejack. Rarity cleared her throat and stood up as if nothing had happened.

“Um…nothing,” Rarity said. “Never mind that.”

“Right…” Applejack said. “So what possibilities were ya goin’ on ‘bout?” Rarity blinked a few times.

“…None,” Rarity said. “You do not have to do this if you do not want to, Applejack.”

“Great!” AJ said. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief as Applejack gave her a wave and trotted out of Carousel Boutique. She then donned her favorite dress for a walk through town.

Prompt #72: Fluttershy, the Bestest and Prettiest Hero Ever! by Pinkie Pie

The prompt (Presented by Pinkie Pie): Fluttershy is the bestest pony forever and ever!!! And she fights a whole bunch of evil monsters, and she saves me and Dashie and Twilight and AJ and Rarity, and she’s super brave, and maybe she even get kissies at the end because brave heroes sometimes get kissies!

One day there was a group of super-awesome super-nice ponies! There was Pinkie Pie who was the pink pony and she liked to run around and make all of her friends smile and that took a long time usually because everypony in town was her friend, and even a lot of ponies outside of town, though she didn’t know everypony outside of town cause that pretty much meant everypony in Equestria and beyond and she’d never really been too far outside of Equestria but if she was she’d be happy to be friends with everypony there too! Then there was Twilight Sparkle who was really really smart and really really good with magic and she came from Canterlot to come be friends with ponies in Ponyville and learn about friendship, and she became friends with us and that made me really happy even though it might have been kinda hard to tell at first cause I was all like WHAAAAAAAAAAAA?! when she came into town (is that how you spell a gasp? I’m not really sure!) and that didn’t really say very well that I was happy but I was! Then there was Rainbow Dash, who’s like the bestest flyer EVER! She knows all these tricks and just goes WHOOSH ZOOM BANG and does all these flips and there’s a rainbow trail behind her when she flies sometimes, though I’m not quite sure how she does that but it’s still really cool! And then there was Applejack who’s really really good at baking and knows a whole LOT about apples! I mean she’d have to if she was named Applejack, right? Like my name is Pinkie Pie and I know a lot about pie! And Applejack’s really friendly and dependable and stuff too! Then there was Rarity who’s really good at making dresses, and she knows a lot about jewels and stuff! Hm, if Applejack knows a lot about apples and her name is Applejack, shouldn’t Rarity’s name be something like “Jewelity” or “Fashionity?” Oh well, I still like her name anyway!

And all of these ponies were kidnapped! They were all sitting around and talking and stuff, although Pinkie was doing the most talking cause she does that a whole lot, and everypony else was talking once in a while but nowhere NEAR as much as Pinkie was! They were all having a big party and there were balloons and streamers and pin the tail on the pony and bobbing for apples and pinatas and it was all really really fun just like all of Pinkie’s parties were! But then a big mean robot came in and was all like, “I AM A ROBOT, I WILL KIDNAP ALL OF YOU!” And Applejack said, “Well gee golly!” cause she always said things like that! I’d say it too but I can’t really do her accent too well! And Twilight was like “What are you? I’ve never seen anything like you in my books!” and Rarity said “Oh my stars, that metallic silver is so garish!” and Rainbow Dash said something about rainbows or something, I kinda didn’t notice what she said because ROBOT! And the robot went and shot these biiiiiiiig nets at us and caught all of us in them! Well, almost all of us, he kinda missed me the first time, but I felt bad cause the others were all caught in nets and I didn’t want the robot to think he was bad at what he was doing so I stood still so he could catch me too! Wait, are robots male? I dunno, I guess his voice sounded like a stallion’s so I’m just gonna call him “he!” So he picked us all up and carried us off! Twilight tried to use her magic to get free and so did Rarity but it didn’t work cause I dunno I guess the robot had an anti-magic thing or something? Sure, let’s go with that!

They got to the robot’s lair and the robot put the nets down on the ground and pulled all of us out of the nets, and he was like “YOU ARE ALL GOING TO BE MY SLAVES” except he said it really flat and stuff, like his tone didn’t change at all! Here, I’ll try it again. “YOU ARE ALL GOING TO BE MY SLAVES!” There! Better, right? So Twilight said, “No! Slavery was abolished from Ponyville after the Great Phillydelphia Vs. Trottingham War of 1832 AC” and I wasn’t really sure what she meant by that but she reads a lot so she was probably right! But the robot didn’t care if she was right or not, he just wanted slaves! So he was all like “I DON’T CARE I’M MADE OF METAL!” Well he didn’t say he was made of metal, that was just me adding it, but he WAS! So he put these weird hats on us and these lights went on on the hats and suddenly everything was all weird and fuzzy, and we looked at the robot and I suddenly really wanted to do everything the robot said! It was weird and Twilight told me later that it was “hypnosis” or something. So then the robot told us to go down to his mine and mine! And we did because we had to because of that hypno-whatsit thing that Twilight talked about! And the robot laughed and said “HA HA, YOU WILL WORK IN MY MINES FOREVER!” I didn’t really want to work in the mines forever, but when he said it I DID want to because of that hypno-something thing! Though I didn’t really.

But then suddenly Fluttershy came out of nowhere! I forgot to mention Fluttershy earlier because she hadn’t gotten to the party yet cause Angel Bunny was sick, but she’s like the bestest pony EVER! She’s really really pretty and it’s really cute the way her mane falls down over her face and just covers one eye, and she’s really shy and always says “um” and “sorry” and she doesn’t like to talk much but when she does she has the sweetest, cutest voice, and when I see her I just want to kiss her over and over again, but I usually don’t because that makes her face turn all red and then she just says “um” and “sorry” a lot more than she usually does (even though she usually says those a lot to begin with!). So she saw us wearing those weird lighty hats and working in the mine, and the robot was laughing like a big meanie, and she said, “You can’t have my friends!” and she said it a lot louder than she usually says things (Sometimes I can barely hear her because she’s so quiet!) and the robot looked at her and laughed even more and said “ANOTHER PONY FOR MY MINE!” (See? I’m already doing the voice better!) And he got another hat and was going to put it on Fluttershy but then Fluttershy STARED AT HIM! I know that doesn’t sound like it’s very threatening but her stare’s magical or something! The robot got all scared and put the hat down and Fluttershy said “Free my friends NOW!” She actually yelled! It was so crazy! So the robot said okay and took the hats off of us and we didn’t want to work in his mine anymore! I still did for a few seconds because the robot must have really wanted us to mine badly if he went and used that stuff on us, but Dashie pulled me away. And then Fluttershy said, “Um I saved you, sorry,” and I said “Don’t be sorry Fluttershy!” And then I jumped on her and we kissed a whole bunch and she probably would have said “um” and “sorry” some more if I wasn’t so busy kissing her!

———

“Um…Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “Um…sorry…but I think you’re embellishing the story a bit.”

“What’s embellishing?” Pinkie asked. Fluttershy started to respond, but Pinkie jumped onto her and began kissing her over and over.

“You’re the bestest hero EVER!” Pinkie said between kisses. Fluttershy just laid back and enjoyed it, glad that no other ponies were around to make her feel embarrassed and say “um” and “sorry” a lot.

Prompt #73: Written In 15 Minutes Cause Typicalmod Got Home Way Too Late And Couldn’t Think Of Something Good Enough

The Prompt (Presented by Spike): Twilight lets Princess Celestia know how she really feels about her.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia!”

Celestia looked up to catch sight of Pennington, her secretary, trotting into her chambers. She had just been in the process of writing up some new Equestrian laws. This was a process that she usually did not enjoy being interrupted during, but she could sense the urgency in Pennington’s voice. From what she could tell, it wasn’t a situation of dire importance; she wasn’t nearly panicked enough. However, it was clear that it was still something important, even though the fate of Equestria likely didn’t hang on its delivery.

“What is it, Pennington?” Celestia asked, setting her quill down.

“Twilight Sparkle is here to see you, Princess,” Pennington said, stopping at the throne. Celestia smiled; it had been ages since Twilight had come to see her in person. She enjoyed her correspondence with her favorite student, but it was so much better to actually see her.

“What brings her here today?” Celestia asked, genuinely curious. “It’s not every day that she comes to see me face-to-face.”

“She says that she wants to tell you how she truly feels about you,” Pennington said. Celesta blinked. This…was not something she had expected. Something that she had dreamed of for a long time, yes. Expected? Not quite as much.

“…I see…” Celestia said, doing her best to hide any outward signs of her excitement. “Please tell her to give me five minutes.” Pennington nodded, then trotted out to deliver the message.

Celestia sighed to herself. Ever since Twilight had matured, she had always looked at her with a certain degree of reverence, one that would have confused many ponies. After all, she was the Princess. The looks of reverence regarding one of her subjects were supposed to be directed AT her, not emanating FROM her. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. She envisioned Twilight entering her chambers and declaring her unending love for her, reciprocating the feelings that she secretly held for her favorite student. She pictured inviting her for a nice, relaxing bubble bath together, then spending the rest of the evening…

“Princess Celestia!”

Celestia’s train of thought was interrupted by Twilight’s entrance. She smiled warmly at her favorite student, beckoning her closer.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia said, restraining her excitement as best as she could. “I hear you had something to tell me?”

“I do,” Twilight said. “I thought I would finally let you know how I really feel about you.”

“Go on then,” Celestia said, leaning in slightly and smiling at Twilight. Twilight moved a bit closer to Celestia, and Celestia closed her eyes, ready for the moment she had often dreamed about.

“You’ve always been the greatest teacher a pony could ask for,” Twilight said. “But you really need to watch your oral hygiene, Princess,” Celestia’s face fell.

“…Is that what you really think?” Celestia asked. Twilight nodded, smiling.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with a nice mare named Colgate,” Twilight said, “And she says that oral hygiene is very important, and since I’ve never actually seen you brush your teeth…”

“I do brush my teeth, Twilight,” Celestia said.

“…Oh!” Twilight responded, blushing a bit. “I just thought since I had never seen you…”

“I do,” Celestia said, shaking her head.

“Oh! Well then, please forgive me for wasting your time, Princess!” Twilight said. Celestia just nodded.

Prompt #74: Rainbow Dash and the Temple of No-Doom-At-All

The prompt: Pinkie Pie’s peculiar proposal.

“RAINBOW! Ya gotta come quick!”

Rainbow Dash woke up from her mid-afternoon nap, yawning. She hung her head groggily over the side of today’s napping cloud, staring down at the trio of Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She found it a bit odd that they would wake her up; they knew quite well how much she valued her naps. Even though they were some of her best friends, the only pony who was allowed to wake her up from any nap, let alone the mid-afternoon one (Usually her favorite), was Pinkie Pie. Then again, Pinkie Pie could do pretty much anything to her without making her mad, but that was besides the point.

“Ugh…what’s the problem, girls?” Dash asked, lazily shifting so that a little more of her was hanging off of the cloud. “You know I don’t like being woken up.”

“Pinkie Pie’s in trouble!” Rarity shouted. Dash snapped right out of her daze at the sound of these words.

“What?!” Dash shouted, jumping to her hooves. She’d just seen Pinkie a few hours ago, when they were reading the latest Daring Do book together. “What happened? Where is she?!” Dash zoomed down off of the cloud as quickly as she could, landing with a thump in front of the three ponies.

“Oh my…she was just leaving my cottage, and she was snatched up by a…*gulp*…monster!” Fluttershy said, shaking.

“A MONSTER?!” Dash shouted, causing Fluttershy to cower.

“We chased it all the way ta…” AJ started, before stopping midway.

“…To Sweet Apple Acres!” Rarity chimed in. “It brought her into some strange, well-decorated lair just off of her property!”

“Let’s go!!” Dash shouted, and took off as fast as she could.

“…Did she go?” Fluttershy asked. The other two ponies nodded.

“Thanks fer coverin’ fer me, Rare,” AJ said, wiping sweat from her brow. “Ah couldn’t finish that.”

———

Rainbow Dash burst into the lair, flying as quickly as she could through its labyrinthian layout. She didn’t remember ever seeing something like this near Sweet Apple Acres, and figured the monster must have been quite the handipony to have built it so quickly. She didn’t really have a ton of time to pay attention to it, but she did notice in passing that the place was quite nicely decorated, just like Rarity had said. She tilted her head, wondering for a moment just how Rarity knew about the lair’s decor, but she had no time to dwell on it, as she was forced to stop short as a set of spikes shot up out of the ground. She took a deep breath; that was a close one. She began to fly over the spikes, but then took a closer look at them. They weren’t anywhere near as sharp as she had expected them to be. In fact, upon very close inspection, they appeared to be made of foam.

“What the hay kinda lair is this?” Dash asked nopony in particular. She then took off again, dodging her way around more foam spikes, arrows and darts made of the same foam, and falling styrofoam rocks. The entire thing seemed like a bizarre, family-friendly Daring Do novel. Still, she couldn’t dwell on it too long. Pinkie Pie was somewhere in this lair, and she had to find her.

Dash turned the next corner and quickly ducked. A swarm of bats was heading right towards her, and unlike the other things she’d encountered, these certainly were not fake. She glanced up as the swarm passed right over her, and was confused by what she saw. Each of the bats had a small yellow ribbon tied around one leg. Fluttershy always did this to her bats so they were easy to find in the dark and easily recognizable as her own. Things were just getting weirder and weirder.

Rainbow sighed a sigh of relief as she approached a large red door that looked strangely like the door that Applejack had just recently removed from one of her barns. On the door, three words were written: MONSTER IN HERE. Dash stopped to wonder why in Equestria this monster would write such a thing on the door to its chambers. She decided that time spent wondering about that was time that Pinkie could be in danger, and she burst through the door, skidding to a halt as she landed in the final chamber.

“LET PINKIE GO NOW!” Dash shouted, snorting. Then she stopped and got a good look at the scene in front of her. There was Twilight, in a ridiculous monster outfit that looked like she’d gotten it from the bargain bin in the Nightmare Night store.

“…Twilight?” Dash asked, more confused than ever.

“You shall not defeat me!” Twilight said, in the most evil voice she could muster (Which was not very evil at all). “And you will never save Pinkie Pie! Mwahahahaha!” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Where’s Pinkie?” Dash asked.

“You will only find out if you defeat me!” Twilight said. “And you will never do that! Unless you step on my tail! But don’t do that!!” Dash sighed an exasperated sigh and decided to play along. She casually strolled around Twilight and stepped on the tail of her costume.

“Bwaaah! I am defeated!” Twilight cried. “You may now save Pinkie, who is right in the next room!”

“…Right,” Dash said. She trotted past Twilight and to the far door, opening it. There, in the next room, was Pinkie, sitting on a metal disc.

“Oh! Hi Dashie! You saved me!” Pinkie said, smiling. “I was supposed to be in a cage but we didn’t have a cage so we made the bars out of big candy canes, but then I got hungry waiting for you so I ate them!”

“What is this all about, Pinkie?” Dash asked, stepping closer.

“You saved the princess, Dashie!!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “And you know what happens at the end of adventure stories when the hero saves the princess, right?”

“Of course I do,” Dash said. “They get ma…” She froze in place as she noticed the small box that Pinkie was now holding in front of her. Hoof shaking, she reached forward and opened the box to see a golden necklace. Dash was at a loss for words as Pinkie smiled the big, goofy grin that she was so used to seeing from her.

“P…Pink…” was all Dash could manage to say.

“You can answer whenever you’re ready, Dashie~” Pinkie said, beaming. Dash didn’t have to say a word. She grabbed Pinkie and kissed her deeply, uncharacteristic tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

“Is that a yes?” Pinkie asked as the kiss ended. Dash nodded wordlessly. This was probably the silliest proposal she’d ever heard of…but she’d expect nothing less from her Pinkie.

Prompt #75: Cleaning Up

The Prompt: X only has one week left before retirement.

She sat in her office, looking around with quiet reverence. This place had become a second home to her; there were days where she spent far more time here than at her actual home. It was natural; her particular job required her to be in her workplace a lot, to constantly be on call in case her services were needed. She had performed her job very efficiently, but as many ponies said, all good things must come to an end.

She looked down at her desk, covered by her own possessions. She idly nudged the nameplate on it. The nameplate read “Mayor Mare,” as it should have. She sighed lightly and moved to slide it into her bag, but she stopped herself. She would come to it later.

She glanced over at her collection of newspaper clippings. She liked to clip headlines lauding her accomplishments out of the paper and put them on her desk. Looking at the good things that she’d done helped her get through the bad times. She reached over to them, picking up her favorite one. The photo taken with Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy after the first Winter Wrap-Up in ages to actually finish on time. It had yellowed a bit, as a lot of the clippings from around its time had. While it had aged, her memory of that day hadn’t. Ponies from towns all over were cheering the accomplishment, and her name was practically famous for a little while. She smiled warmly…she looked so much younger back then. She reached over to the rest of the collection, pushing them together into a neat stack. She laid her favorite one on top and paperclipped the bunch together, then slid them into her bag.

She honestly wasn’t sure why she was packing up right now. She still had a week until the new mayor’s inauguration; certainly cleaning off her desk didn’t need to be a priority right now. For some reason, though, she felt it necessary. She knew that if she didn’t do it right now, she wouldn’t be in the mood to do it closer to the final day. She was already feeling quite down about the whole thing to begin with, and she still had seven whole days to work with. She couldn’t even imagine how she’d feel on that last day, but somehow she knew that it wouldn’t be the kind of mood that would attribute itself very well to cleaning.

She chuckled a bit in spite of herself. It was she who had come up with the idea of term limits in the first place. She had thought that she would get tired of doing her job, and had done it as an out for herself. She honestly never thought she’d get this attached to her job, but here she was.

She had watched the election process with interest, curious to see who would be taking her position. She had to admit that Ponyville had made a good choice. They knew what was good for them, she thought. It might have sounded a bit arrogant of her to think that, since it also insinuated that she knew she was the right choice all those times in the past. It was a thought, however, and nopony could have heard it to judge her. And it was true, anyway. She was the right choice. She still would have been if she hadn’t reached her term limit. There was no time to regret things, though, and she wasn’t going to hold a grudge against the new mayor. She was sure that she would do a good job too. Maybe not as good as she had, but good nonetheless.

She looked at her desk. It was still her desk, but it just looked so empty now. There was only one thing left to remove from it, but she wasn’t ready to remove it just yet. The nameplate would stay there until her final day in office. It was fitting, after all. She wasn’t done being Mayor Mare quite yet.

Prompt #157: The Tale of the Last House

The Prompt: The very last house of Nightmare Night.

Four wandering eyes envisioned the prize; a bounty full of sweets
They took their friends' dare, the young colt and mare, to go for tricks and treats
They welcomed things scary, and yet they were wary, each quiet as a mouse
The colt and the filly both thought it was silly to visit that final house
For stories had told of young ponies more bold who entered that domain
Though warned to beware, they did not take care, and were never heard from again
This particular wager held rewards quite major, but outweighed by this strange mystery
Yes, candy brings mirth, but what was it worth to claim sugar-induced victory?
The colt had protested, but the filly contested, for the team with the most confections
Would claim both teams' earnings and fulfill all her yearnings; for candy, she had a strong predilection
The colt, although wincing, took little convincing, and slowly his will was bent
His anticipation ceased his hesitation, and towards the house the two went
They trod up the path, past the broken birdbath and around all the long, creeping vines
They stepped past the door, and the creaks of the floor sent shivers down their small spines
Of bravery bereft, the colt nearly left, but the filly would force him to halt
For five minutes they'd stay to make their friends pay the sweet candies they'd add to their vault
The filly was given pause upon the sight of large claws reaching for them from under the mat
But she felt silent joy when she saw it was a toy, and upon a nearby couch she sat
Then the two had a fright with a shut of the light; they were sure they would meet their ends
For a witch, rumors tell, in this house did dwell, and she'd likely not see them as friends
They attempted to flee, but they could not see, and collided with a table
They could take no more, and cowered on the floor, awaiting consummation of this fable
But five minutes did pass, and the lad and the lass were relieved to find it was a lie
Their friends waited outside, but were then forced to hide, until one let out a loud cry

"Wh..what happened then, Miss Zecora?" Apple Bloom's trembling voice asked. Sweetie Belle clung to her friend's side, hiding her face behind the big cat ears that were part of Bloom's costume, and even Scootaloo was visibly shaken. The zebra smiled and responded.

"I cannot answer that, my sweet little cat, but perhaps when you go out tonight
If you go past that dwelling, you'll hear some faint yelling...but try not to tremble in fright."

Right on cue, a yell was heard in the distance. The Cutie Mark Crusaders shrieked in terror and fled the scene, as the zebra chuckled to herself.

"Thanks, Zecora," Applejack said, stepping out from behind a nearby tree. "Ah've been tryin' ta get Bloom ta slow down on the sweets fer ages."

Prompt #243: Princess Bloom Blossom Saves Her Sister!

The Prompt: Somepony tells a bedtime story.

"...Ya really want me ta read ya a bedtime story?" She stared at her sister, surprised, as she passed her a tissue. "Ah thought ya were a big pony." Her sister nodded, taking the tissue and blowing her nose loudly.

"Well...alright then."

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named...Bloom Blossom. Yeh, that's it. Bloom Blossom. She was a real great pony, an' everypony in her kingdom loved her, 'specially her family an' her two best friends...uh...Sweetie Swirl...an'...uh...aw hay, Scootaloo. Her name was still Scootaloo, cause Ah know that she'd get upset with me if Ah gave her a prissy name.

Anyway! So Bloom Blossom, Sweetie Swirl, an' Scootaloo were the best of friends, an' they did everythin' t'gether. They played sports t'gether, they went on adventures t'gether...the princess's big sister, Apple...uh...Apple Lily! Yeh, Ah like how that sounds...anyway, Apple Lily didn't really like her goin' on too many adventures, on account'a she was worried 'bout her sister's safety. But Bloom Blossom insisted cause she thought she an' her friends had ta do whatever it took ta get their cutie marks. They were the only three fillies in town without cutie marks, an' they didn't like that, not one bit.

One day, Bloom, Sweetie, an' Scootaloo were all hangin' out at the royal palace. They woulda been out on an adventure, but they'd made a promise ta Apple Lily not ta go adventurin' that day. They decided that they were gunna try an' get their cutie marks in sewin'. That didn't last long, though, cause they got bored real quick. Jus' as they were 'bout ta go an' do somethin' else, though, a carrier pigeon flew inta the palace with a letter! Bloom opened the letter (after thankin' the nice pigeon, of course) an' read that somepony had ponynapped Apple Lily! This upset Princess Bloom an' her friends a whole lot, an' they decided right then an' there that they had ta go save her! Jus' as they were 'bout ta leave, though, Princess Bloom remembered that they'd promised not ta go adventurin'! The three panicked, not knowin' what ta do. They didn't want Apple Lily ta be ponynapped no more, but they didn't wanna get in trouble neither! Finally, they decided that Apple Lily had ta be saved, an' if that meant gettin' yelled at, well hay, that's what had ta happen!

The three fillies ran off, down inta the dangerous Everfree Forest, where the letter said Apple Lily had been taken. There were a whole lotta mean critters there, but Princess Bloom didn't let that stop her, cause she had ta go save her sister! The three friends ran 'round a manticore, an' past a big ol' hydra, an' they even saw a whole bunch'a scary bats! None of 'em could stop 'em, though, cause they couldn't let nothin' get in their way. Finally, they arrived at the cave that the letter said Apple Lily would be in. They walked through the dark, scary cave, but they weren't scared, cause whenever they got scared, they'd just think'a savin' Apple Lily, an' they'd ferget how scared they were an' keep goin'.

Finally, they got ta the end'a the cave, where they saw...the cockatrice! The same cockatrice that Fluttershy...uh, Ah mean...Fancy Flutter! Is that a good name? Sure, Fancy Flutter! But anyway, it was the same one that Fancy Flutter saved 'em from a while ago! This time, though, it had captured Apple Lily an' turned her ta stone! Princess Bloom an' her friends were pretty scared as the cockatrice got closer an' closer, an' also Bloom was real sad that her sister was a statue now, but still they stood there, cause they knew they had ta save her! Jus' as the cockatrice got right up close ta them, Princess Bloom summoned up all her courage an' stared the cockatrice right in the eye! She demanded that the cockatrice turn Apple Lily back from stone, right now! The cockatrice tried ta change Princess Bloom ta stone, but it didn't work, cause...uh...cause the love in Princess Bloom's heart fer her big sister was too strong! Yeh, that's it! The cockatrice backed up an' got real scared, an' apologized ta Bloom an' her friends fer bein' a big meanie again. He turned Apple Lily back from stone, an' the two sisters hugged real tight. The cockatrice promised not ta turn ponies ta stone again unless they really deserved it, an' this made Bloom an' her friends real happy. What made 'em happier, though, was when they saw that they got their cutie marks fer bein' big cockatrice-tamin' adventurers! So Princess Bloom Blossom, Sweetie Swirl, Scootaloo, an' Apple Lily went back ta the palace an' lived happily ever after! The end!

Apple Bloom smiled to Applejack as the story ended. Applejack, however, didn't smile back. She was out like a ilght. Bloom smiled to her sleeping sister and gave her a kiss on the forehead. AJ always treated her like this when she was sick; it was only fair that she returned the favor.

Prompt #348: Apple Tea

The prompt: Two of the following characters go on a blind date: Bon Bon, Thunderlane, Princess Luna, Braeburn, Vinyl Scratch, Fancypants, Ditzy Doo/Derpy Hooves.

Braeburn shifted uncomfortably in his chair, no less unsure about this whole debacle than he was when he’d first arrived at the restaurant. Part of him wished he had just said no to the whole mess and stayed home. That part accounted for the vast majority of himself. If he had to declare it specifically, he’d have said that his heart, mind, skeleton, muscles, other internal organs, skin, head, body, mane, and legs would have all been wishing to be back at Applejack’s farm, having no part of this. Maybe a little part of his tail would have been okay with being here, but it was severely outvoted. Yet here he sat, waiting for what was sure to be a terrible experience.

He supposed, though, that he’d already been through such a terrible experience that this one might pale in comparison. It was about a month ago that he’d finally come to terms with some of his innermost feelings, some of which were so far in that even he had not been aware of them. Many ponies, both within his own family and outside of it, had always wondered why he hadn’t settled down with a mare yet. They called him lots of nice things. Handsome, charming, charismatic, funny, sweet, strong. They were all awful nice things to say, and he appreciated them at their base level, but there was something about the tone of them that he didn’t appreciate quite as much, something he couldn’t quite place his hoof on. Perhaps it was the fact that they were always said in reference to his failure to find a mare to settle down with. Something about that had always felt wrong to him, but it was a feeling that he was unable to put into words. They’d wondered why nothing came of his one or two dates with Little Strongheart. They’d ruminated, often a little too loudly, over his decisions to stay in when the other single stallions in town would go out and hit the Salty Spitoon in search of pretty young things to talk up. Sometimes he questioned them too.
It was only last month that he finally discovered the truth about himself. That discovery, one that he’d hoped would be a happy one, led to three weeks of mental anguish, unsure of how to let his family know. At that point, he hadn’t really considered that things could go wrong. He’d just been trying to figure out exactly what to say, how to say it, who to say it to first. It took some time before he was able to devise the perfect setup, and it was just last week that he put it into action.

Braeburn sighed, idly stirring the hot water in front of him with a spoon. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small teabag. Apple cinnamon, his favorite flavor. He submerged the bag and watched as the water darkened, taking a moment to equate them to that day. His immediate family was the water, all gathered together in one place, all for the same purpose, all, for the most part, uniform. He was the tea bag, the one different one of the bunch, introducing a new element. There was one big flaw in his metaphor, though. The water accepted the tea bag and let its essence shine, enriching the community as a whole.

He’d tried to get away from his family for a bit by making the trip to Ponyville. He’d hoped that maybe Applejack would be more accepting of his decision. Unfortunately, she also seemed quite perplexed by the entire situation. She didn’t respond with anywhere near the same level of vitriol as the family back in Appleloosa, but the confusion on her face was enough to harken back to them. It was only two days ago that he’d told her, and she’d been oddly quiet to him since. That is, up until yesterday, when she’d proposed the idea of this blind date. She’d punctuated the idea with talk of “finding the right pony for him,” just like their family back in Appleloosa had always said. It had hurt him, but he’d finally accepted the idea, primarily to make her happy. He wanted to make his kin happy no matter what, wishing to himself that they could just find it in them to do the same for him.

Braeburn looked up as the restaurant door opened. He watched Applejack enter, talking to a pony he couldn’t see. He immediately looked back down, not even in the mood to see the mare that AJ had brought to try and convince him to abandon his self-discovery. He heard hoofsteps get closer to his table, and at that moment he could find nothing more interesting to look at than the teacup set in front of him.

“Braeburn?” a voice asked. Brae blinked, startled by the deep voice. He looked up from his teacup to see a sleek, decidedly non-feminine stallion, coat as black as the night, standing in front of him.

“I’m Thunder Lane,” the stallion said, taking a seat. “Your cousin told me a lot about you.” Brae took another look at him before looking to the restaurant door. AJ was still there, giving him a big, warm smile. Brae gave her a smile back before turning his attention back to his blind date. Maybe his tail was right about this.

Prompt #0: The First Date

The prompt: Rarity and Pinkie Pie have their first date. Successful or not is up to you.

"Oooh! I'll have one of those, and two of those, and a whole BUNCH of those!!"

Rarity stared at the bouncy pink pony with a mixture of bemusement and irritation. She really should have expected something like this when Pinkie asked her out for this dinner date, but for some reason it had slipped her mind. Perhaps she had simply underestimated the baker's appetite. More likely, she had lost herself once more as she stared into those baby blue eyes. Trying to do so was borderline hypnotic, given Pinkie's hyperactive bouncing, but once she was locked on, it was difficult to look away or concentrate on anything else. Either way, Rarity had not quite anticipated just how much her date for the evening would be ordering.

"Pinkie, darling..." the fashion-minded pony started, trying earnestly to get a word in edgewise. Her sentence was interrupted by a sudden need to duck for cover, as the menu whizzed by her head.

"Ohmygosh!!" Pinkie exclaimed. "They have an ENTIRE MENU for dessert?! Why would I even need anything else?" Rarity sighed lightly. This type of behavior was garnering them quite a bit of attention from the ponies at the surrounding tables. This was something that had worried Rarity slightly, once she had been able to concentrate on something other than those big blue eyes swishing left and right. Canterlot was a lovely place, a place in which she wished to spend more time. Canterlot, however, was apparently NOT an ideal place for this date to occur, at least not if Rarity wished to show her face in town ever again. Pinkie's loud, excitable personality was one more fit for a quaint little restaurant in Ponyville, rather than the expensive upper-crust dinery they presently occupied, and judging from the reactions of the other patrons, Rarity was not the only pony that believed this. The white unicorn tried once more to calm her date down.

"Pinkie, if you would..."

"Poundcake and pudding and pecan pie!" Pinkie bubbled, bouncing in her chair. "Biscotti and baked Alaska! Heeeeheeheeeee!"

She was an unstoppable juggernaut, Rarity thought. Once she got going on desserts, there was simply no reining her in. It was frustrating, but at the same time, adorable. It was Pinkie's upbeat attitude and overwhelming joy that had attracted her in the first place. Granted, it was not the type of behavior that Rarity would be caught dead exhibiting, but she enjoyed being around such a pony, in a way living vicariously through her. As much as she loved Pinkie's tendency to get like this, though, this was simply not the place for it. Trying to convince Pinkie of this would be nigh-impossible, however, so Rarity simply ducked slightly behind her menu, hoping that the other patrons would eventually pull their attention back to their own tables.

"It could be worse," Rarity said quietly to herself. "At least she isn't..."

"Ohhhhhhhh!!!"

Pinkie's bellow forced Rarity's gaze up from the menu that was formerly her blushing face's shelter. Pinkie was now standing on the table, on her hind legs, forelegs outstretched. That, combined with the note she'd just shouted, meant only one thing, the one thing Rarity hoped beyond hope that she would not end up doing.

"...Singing."

"Who needs dinner? Dessert is for me!" Pinkie sang out, leaping off of the table and galloping over to another one. The boisterous pink pony grabbed the salad bowl from the table, flinging it away. "Forget about salad! Cake is all that I see!" Rarity could do nothing but sit and stare as Pinkie's sweet-inspired serenade sent her careening left and right throughout the fine dining establishment, hopping onto tables and dancing with unwilling ponies who were trying to eat their meals. Multiple waiters tried to restrain her, but it was simply no use. Once she got going on a song, there was no stopping her until it was finished.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Pinkie asked. It was roughly five minutes after the couple had been not-so-politely asked to leave the restaurant. The owner, who, for the record, had certainly not taken kindly to Pinkie decorating his face with a can of whipped cream, made it quite clear to the two that such behavior would not be tolerated. Rarity had never been more embarrassed...but yet...

"...It was," Rarity agreed. She couldn't say no to those happy blue eyes. Perhaps taking a break from being proper was worth it sometimes.

Prompt #2: Appleshocked

The prompt: Applejack walks in on a romantic moment between Twilight and Rarity.

"Alright, y'all!" Applejack said, beaming as she carried a tray of apple pancakes on her back. "Are y'all ready fer the finest apple pancakes y'all've ever see-"

Applejack was normally fairly good with grammar. Her accent occasionally got in the way, but she knew quite well that the proper word to use in that sentence was "seen." She fully intended to use "seen," but it was cut off when she saw Twilight and Rarity, on her couch, muzzles pushed together. Were they...kissing? In her house? On her couch? She should have known when Rarity showed up with Twilight earlier. Twilight was always welcome at the farm, but Rarity hadn't informed her that she was coming with her. AJ stood silently for a moment, trying to process it. It was about 5 seconds before she nervously cleared her throat. "Ahem..."

Twilight and Rarity's eyes popped open in unison, as if they were connected by their minds as well as their mouths. Both ponies turned thei gazes to the orange pony standing in the doorway, delicious snacks piled onto her back. The two pulled away, both blushing deeply. Twilight had figured that it would take a bit longer for AJ to finish the pancakes, and had informed Rarity of her belief that they had enough time for a bit of fun before they were joined in the room once more. The white unicorn had no reason not to believe her; after all, Twilight was quite good with scheduling and timing and the like. Apparently, though, she hadn't accounted for the fact that the apple-loving pony may have started the pancakes before they had arrived.

"Uh...hey, Applejack!" Twilight said nervously. "Ooh, are those pancakes?"

"Yeh," the orange pony responded, still a bit dumbfounded. "Ah toldja Ah was makin' pancakes..." Twilight smiled a large, awkward smile. She tried to continue, but Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder, silencing her.

"Applejack," Rarity said, a red blush permeating the pristine whiteness of her cheeks. "We are ever so sorry for what you have walked in on..." Rarity was a pony of social graces, and she knew that such behavior in front of others was absolutely inappropriate. Normally, she might not have engaged in such behavior while at a friend's house. However, Twilight was so insistent, almost strangely so. It was practically impossible to resist Twilight when she pleaded for physical attention like she had; it was such a...well, a rarity...for her to do so. The fashion-minded pony had assumed that she had perhaps just finished a romance novel of some sort. Twilight's bookishness was adorable, especially when she would try to apply it in romantic situations. Being a romance buff herself, Rarity would often be able to piece together which novel Twilight had just finished by how hard she tried to emulate it. In fact the tactics she had used that led to this situation were quite reminiscent of "A Mare's Melody," which she had just finished recently. Perhaps they both unknowingly participated in the same book club?

"Nah...nah, don't worry 'bout it," Applejack finally responded, breaking Rarity's train of thought. "Ah don't mind none." She managed a weak little smile and chuckle. "S'cute ta see two lovebirds anyways. Ah'm plum happy fer y'all." The two unicorns sighed a simultaneous sigh of relief. Offending a dear, loyal friend like Applejack was not something that they had been hoping to accomplish.

"We're still really sorry," Twilight said. Before she could continue, the orange pony slid a plate of pancakes in front of her.

"Don't be!" AJ responded. "Stuff happens, ya know? Now g'won an' eat up, y'all! Ah worked hard on these jus' fer..." She hesitated. "...Fer both'f ya." Twilight and Rarity smiled and began eating the meal laid out in front of them. Applejack smiled wanly, watching the two lovebirds enjoying their meal.

"Applejack?" Rarity asked, pulling her gaze away from Twilight's eyes for a moment. "You aren't eating, darling."

"Oh...Ah ain't hungry," AJ responded."Ah...had a big ol' meal earlier." This seemed to placate Rarity's concerns, and she returned to eating. The orange earth pony excused herself shortly after, citing a need to use the little mare's room. She made a detour through the kitchen, stopping at the counter. She quietly thanked Celestia that she hadn't mentioned a dessert to the two as she shoveled the white and purple-frosted cupcakes into the garbage. Rarity liked to watch her calories anyway.

Prompt #5: Catfight

Prompt: Rarity and Fluttershy have their first big fight.

"Come in, darling!" Rarity called upon hearing the knock at her door. One might think it was entirely too trusting of her to simply tell whomever was knocking to enter without even checking to see who was there, but Rarity knew that knock anywhere. Nopony knocked as quietly and gently as her dear Fluttershy. She barely grazed the door, as if she were worried that she might hurt it if she was too rough. The fashion-minded unicorn also would normally have answered the door herself, but she found herself far too busy wrapping Fluttershy's present, a beautiful hooded shawl. She had spent hours and hours working on it, making sure it was just right. After all, it had to be just as lovely as the pony who was to wear it

"Um...hello?" Fluttershy said quietly as she entered Carousel Boutique. "Rarity? I'm so sorry I'm late for our dinner..." Fluttershy had gotten caught up at home, and while she was only a couple of minutes late, she was still worried that her date would be upset, despite all the times that Rarity had shown no concern over her lateness.

"I'm in the workroooooooom!" Rarity called out. Fluttershy smiled and began to head in the direction of the unicorn's voice, when she stopped in her tracks. There, in front of her hooves, stood Opalescence, pawing desperately at the cabinet. Fluttershy looked up at the clock. It was 6:03 PM. She had been around enough to know that Opal's dinnertime was 5 PM. She shook her head. This was not the first time that Rarity had simply forgotten to feed Opal at the proper time. Each time it happened and she found out about it, Fluttershy would express the importance of keeping a regular meal time for a cat, but apparently it had not gotten through. The yellow pegasus let out a small sigh.

"Rarity?" Fluttershy said, a smidge more confidence in her tone. "Come out here, please...if you don't mind, that is." Fluttershy didn't mean to end that demand with a gentle request. It was a habit, one that she had been trying to get out of ever since her dealings with Iron Will. Still, it persisted, and it always popped up when she was really trying to sound assertive.

"You'll have to come in here, darling, I'm a bit busy," Rarity answered. The gift was nearly wrapped, and she wanted badly to give it to Fluttershy as she came into the room.

"Did you forget to feed Opal again?" the yellow pegasus asked, managing a tiny bit more confidence. She didn't want to make Rarity feel bad, but this was an important manner. Upon hearing this, Rarity blushed a bit and looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was over an hour since she was supposed to feed the poor cat. She had gotten so caught up in Fluttershy's present that it had simply slipped her mind.

"Oh...yes..." Rarity answered meekly. "I was quite busy." Fluttershy frowned. That was her excuse every time.

"Rarity, this is important," Fluttershy said. "The poor kitty has been waiting for her meal..

"I know, Fluttershy," Rarity responded, taping the last bit of wrapping paper down. "But this is important also, and I needed to-"

"What could be more important than feeding your cat at the right time?" Fluttershy asked. She realized as the words came out of her mouth that they could have sounded a tiny bit demeaning, as if she didn't think Rarity had the ability to prioritize. This realization would have normally sent her into a stream of "sorries," but she just felt so bad for hungry little Opal. Rarity reacted to Fluttershy's interruption with silent shock. It wasn't like her to ever purposely interrupt somepony. She would have been proud of her love's assertiveness, if it weren't for the fact that her sudden confidence was being directed at her when she had worked so hard on this gift for her.

"Fluttershy, you don't understand," Rarity said, trying to keep her cool.

"No, you don't understand," Fluttershy answered. "Taking care of a poor little animal who depends completely on you is a big responsibility, and one that needs to be taken seriously." Rarity could barely believe her ears. Was Fluttershy...lecturing her? The accusation was nearly enough to make the white unicorn flip her lid, but she kept her cool as best she could, since no matter what, she still loved Fluttershy and did not want to be angry with her.

"I know, Fluttershy," Rarity said flatly. "But-"

"And after all these years of having Opal," Fluttershy continued, "You should really know better than that."

"Fluttershy, this is important!" Rarity said, a bit loudly. "I was going to feed her as soon as I finished, but I lost track of time!"

"You're just working on more clothes," Fluttershy said, a bit sternly. "You're always working on clothes. I'm sure these clothes aren't as important as you think." Fluttershy regretted those words the instant they left her mouth. Had she really said that? It was so unlike her...but Rarity needed to know how important it was to take care of Opal. She hoped Rarity wouldn't be too upset.

Fluttershy's words struck Rarity deeply. The white unicorn, always one to be dramatic, stormed out of the workroom. She thrust the present into Fluttershy's hooves, causing an eep from the usually-timid pegasus.

"Maybe you're right," Rarity said, her eyes starting to water slightly. "Here are your 'unimportant clothes' that I thoughtfully made for you, Fluttershy. I do hope you enjoy them, even though they do not matter!" With that, the white unicorn stormed upstairs.

Fluttershy looked down at the present, wrapped with care, that laid in her hooves. She sighed quietly, feeling awful.

Prompt #14: Feathered Friends

The Prompt: One of the Cutie Mark Crusaders becomes an apprentice for one of the Mane Six after their Cutie Mark appears.

Scootaloo had waited for this for so long. Everything in her life was leading up to this point, and she knew as she waited for it that her life would forever change once it happened. She knew that it would change for the better, and that she would finally be able to win the respect of her peers. She already had the respect of her two closest friends, but she yearned for respect from the others in her class as well. Even more than that, though, she wished for respect from her idol, Rainbow Dash. She'd often imagine herself pulling off some amazing trick that would earn her her cutie mark. Once she did, Dash would take notice of her awesome skills, and from there on in, everything would be smooth sailing. She had always wondered what it would be that earned her her cutie mark. She figured it'd likely be some awesome scooter trick, or possibly an amazing flying feat. Something that would make Dash take notice of her and take her under her wing. She definitely did not expect this.

"Ugh, this is soooo boring!" Scootaloo groaned. She'd been sitting with Fluttershy for the last hour as she lectured her about the various things she'd need to know to take care of the many animals around her home. She'd earned her cutie mark a few days ago when she'd found an injured bird on the side of the road between the CMC clubhouse and the schoolhouse. She'd stopped and cared for it because she felt bad for the little guy. She didn't think much of it; it was just a nice thing to do. Apparently, though, it was what she was meant to do, because no sooner had she helped the bird and fixed its wing up that her cutie mark finally appeared. It was a nice enough cutie mark, she guessed. A little red cross with a pawprint in the middle. It did look sorta cool. However, this was certainly not what she'd had in mind for her special talent, and it was definitely not something that would come off as super-cool to Dash. Plus, sitting and listening to Fluttershy was a major snoozefest.

"Oh, come now, Scootaloo," Fluttershy said with a small smile. "You were looking forward to getting your cutie mark, right? Now that you have it, we need to teach you the things you'll need to know to use your special talent properly." Scoots rolled her eyes. Fluttershy was probably right, but she didn't want her to be right, so in her head, she wasn't.

"But I wanna go out and pull some awesome stunts!" the filly moaned. "And I can't do that if I'm cooped up in here, hearing about bird skeletons! Skeletons are only cool when they've come to life and we have to fight them off or something!" Fluttershy meeped and cowered a little bit. The thought of such a terrible thing occurring scared her. Scootaloo got up and started to walk out, but the yellow pegasus managed to muster up the courage to place a hoof on her back and stop her.

"Um...I'm sorry," Fluttershy said quietly. "But this is very important, and I want you to know the things you'll need to know. I think that once you've gotten to work with my animals, you'll start liking it in no time." Fluttershy offered a sweet smile. Scootaloo frowned and plopped herself back into a sitting position. As much as she didn't want to do this, Fluttershy was a nice pony, and she didn't want to hurt her feelings too much.

"Fine," Scoots said, rolling her eyes. "But just for a bit. And if I don't like it, I'm leaving!"

"Um...well...alright...if that's what you want..." Fluttershy said. The yellow pegasus floated over to a nearby coop and opened the door. She reached inside and pulled a small chicken out. "This is Henrietta. The poor dear hurt her leg this morning and I haven't had the opportunity to help, as I've been just buried in work. Could you see what you can do about her? I've told you everything you need to know to help her."

Scootaloo took the chicken in her hooves. It looked at her, confused. Fluttershy smiled as she watched. Her chickens were very friendly to her, but tended to react poorly to ponies they didn't know. Even the fact that Henrietta was remaining still for Scootaloo was a great sign.

"Uh...hey, Henrietta," Scoots said, then rolled her eyes. "Why am I talking to a chicken? This isn't cool at all." Fluttershy gave her a big, encouraging smile. She sighed and looked back at Henrietta. "So your leg is hurt, huh?" She swore the chicken nodded at this, but that was probably a silly thought. Fluttershy took notes as she watched the two interact.

"Uh...well...here, maybe this could help," the pegasus filly said. She carefully shifted the chicken over, almost instinctually holding her leg so as not to jostle it too much. She worked on it for a few moments, bandaging the leg with a level of care that frankly surprised her just a bit. Fluttershy beamed as she watched her little apprentice care for Henrietta. She was a natural.

"There you go," Scoots said once she'd finished the task. "Do you think you're ready to walk around a bit?" She placed Henrietta on the floor. The chicken looked to wince slightly, but then managed a few steps. Before long, it was walking comfortably. Scoots couldn't help but smile. Her smile grew wider still as the chicken hopped back onto her, resting on her as if to hug her. Scootaloo gently hugged the chicken back, as Fluttershy watched on with pride. Maybe her newly-found special talent wasn't the coolest or the most showy, and maybe it wouldn't grab Rainbow Dash's attention, but this was cool in its own way.

Prompt #21: Day Off

The Prompt: Iron Will’s day off.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Iron Will sat up out of bed and slammed his fist on the alarm clock. "IF YOU TRY TO WAKE, A PENALTY YOU'LL TAKE!!" He then wiped the remains of the clock off of his fist, laid back down and went back to sleep.

Prompt #51: Stationery!

The prompt: Pinkie Pie invites her four best friends to her birthday party.

"Dear Rainbow Dash," Pinkie began. She beamed. It had been pretty much forever since she'd written out individual, unique invitations for each pony that was invited to one of her parties. Doing so would usually be a ridiculously tough task, since her parties usually involved nearly everypony she could think of. This party, though, was a super-special one. It was the first of her birthday parties, the one that was reserved only for her closest, most bestest friends ever! All of her friends were really important, and they would all be invited to the second birthday party, but this one was for the ponies who she'd been through the most with, and who she could honestly call her best friends.

"Dear Rainbow Dash," Pinkie continued. "Oh wait! I already wrote that! It's right up at the top of the paper! I dunno why I wrote it again! Actually, I don't know why I'm writing any of this stuff I'm thinking!" Pinkie looked down at the paper. Sure enough, she'd written that entire thought process down on Dashie's invitation. She considered starting over, but ultimately decided to keep it in. Dashie was one of her best friends! She'd surely be interested in reading her thought patterns! She brought the quill back to the paper and continued on.

"Anyway," Pinkie narrated, "I'm writing this to invite you to my super-duper awesome-tastic birthday party! Not the other party that you already got the invitation for, although that one's gonna be super-duper awesome-tastic too, but this one's an even more special one because it's just for my bestest friends! You don't have to get me any presents; being there is enough of a present for me! Though if you really insist on getting me a present it'd be kinda cool if you got me one of those really terrific pinwheels that you showed me when we went to Cloudsdale that one time! Remember, the ones that were all multicolored and were all like WHEEEEEEEEW when you blew on them, unless you blew on them the wrong way and then they'd be all like FRRRSSHHHH? One of those would be really great! But you don't have to get me a present! Just be at Sugarcube Corner on my birthday at 8:00 sharp! Or even 8:00 dull! Either one is good! Love, Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie folded the invitation neatly and deposited it into an envelope, sealing it shut with a big heart sticker. She then grabbed another piece of paper and began writing again.

"Dear Applejack," Pinkie said. She hesitated for a moment, admiring the stationery she'd chosen for AJ's letter. There were apples all over the edges of the paper. It was perfect! She'd made sure to get stationery that each of her bestest friends would appreciate. The paper for Dashie's invitation had been a sheet of official Wonderbolts stationery. Rarity's had glitter and jewels on the side, and Fluttershy's was decorated with grass on the edges, a rabbit poking its head out of the grass on the bottom. They were all perfectly suited for the ponies they were going to.

"Dear Applejack," Pinkie continued. "...Oh darn! I did it again! I accidentally wrote the header a second time, right after I did the same thing to Dashie's invitation!" Once again, Pinkie had written her thought process on the paper, and once again she decided to leave it. She went on to finish AJ's invitation. It was pretty easy; it was mainly the same as Dashie's, except instead of mentioning the pinwheels, she wrote about a really cool slide whistle that the stall next to AJ's in the market was selling. She folded and sealed this one similarly, then restarted the process with Rarity's invitation. Rarity's and Fluttershy's both began with the same repetition of the header (A genuine mistake each time; she was easily distracted), and each one mentioned a specific gift that Pinkie told them they didn't need to get her; Rarity was told of a cute set of socks, and Fluttershy was reminded of the collar she'd seen for Gummy when they'd gone to the pet supply shop together.

"All done!" Pinkie said as she sealed Fluttershy's envelope and set it next to the other three. "All ready to go out to all of my best friends?"

"What about me?" Twilight asked. "Where's my invitation?"

"Don't be silly, Twilight!" Pinkie said, tousling Twilight's mane playfully. "I didn't think you needed an invitation! I mean, what are you gonna do, NOT come? We've kinda been fused together ever since that wacky spell you messed up!"

"Hm...good point," Twilight said. "Though it still would have been nice to have an invitation."

"Okay, Twilight," Pinkie said, giggling. "Let's go to the stationery store! We'll deliver these on the way" Twilight smiled and levitated the invitations into a saddlebag, and off they went.

Prompt #53: Family Resemblance

The Prompt: Time to meet the parents!

It was quite possibly the single most awkward situation that Applejack had ever been a part of. She wasn't at all used to this kind of thing; as a filly, she'd never really put too much thought into the whole dating thing, so this situation had never come up for her. Big Macintosh had talked about it in the past, and she'd seen it first-hoof when he would bring a marefriend by the farm, but just hearing stories about it couldn't prepare her for what it actually felt like to experience it. She was normally a somewhat-talkative pony, but she found herself at a loss for the proper words to get a good conversation going.

"So how is this working?" Mach Speed asked in a gruff voice.

"Uh...pardon me, sir?" Applejack asked, tilting her head. Mach Speed pointed down at Applejack's hooves. AJ looked down, then realized. "Oh! Uh...friend'f ours knows a cloud-walkin' spell."

"Right," Mach Speed responded. AJ smiled awkwardly. She desperately looked to the stairs leading to the second floor of the house, wondering how long it would take Fluttershy to return with the photo album her parents had sent her to find. She'd only been gone for about 30 seconds, but it felt like forever, and her father's general silence and stern gaze wasn't helping matters. AJ looked around the room idly, until a photo on the coffee table caught her gaze. She picked it up and looked to Mach Speed, grinning.

"Ah didn't know ya were on a flyin' team, sir," AJ said. Mach Speed just nodded as AJ looked over the photo.

"Isn't he just gorgeous in his flight suit?" Golden Tongue gushed as she floated back into the room with a tray of brownies, nearly bumping into the doorframe as she entered. "You don't even know what I first thought when I saw him in that suit...oh gosh, my knees just turned to jelly, let me tell you." AJ chuckled nervously, placing the photo back on the table. This certainly wasn't the kind of topic she wanted to get into. She looked to Mach Speed, who just stared silently, not helping in the least.

"Uh...sure thing, ma'am," Applejack said, rubbing the back of her mane.

"And it's skintight!" Golden Tongue said, beaming.

"Y...yeh..." AJ muttered. She looked again to Mach Speed. He said nothing. He just looked AJ over. She was positive that he was judging her, but she had no idea what his criteria was.

"And he's just the most impressive flier you've ever seen!" Golden Tongue continued on, shoving a brownie into AJ's mouth. AJ was taken aback, but began chewing, offering the biggest smile she could.

"Y'drnt sry..." AJ said, then clapped a hoof over her mouth. Talking with her mouth full was perfectly acceptable at home, and occasionally even around Fluttershy, who would chastise AJ for it half the time, but giggle at it the other half. When meeting Fluttershy's parents for the first time, though, it was a gigantic faux pas. AJ's eyes darted over to Mach Speed. He stared at her, silent but for a quiet coughing noise that AJ was sure was done out of derision.

"Oh yes!" Golden Tongue bubbled, swooping over to Mach Speed and wrapping her hooves around him from behind. "My Speedy is the most powerful flier you'll ever meet! Not like me; I'm lucky I can even fly straight! He can do so many tricks, and he can do them all with a pony on his back! Isn't that right, my strong stallion?" Golden Tongue nuzzled Mach Speed's cheek. He made a slight "hrm" noise, rolling his eyes. AJ wondered if Fluttershy had somehow gotten lost. They only had about a half hour until they needed to get to their dinner plans, and she seemed to be taking absolutely forever. As if she'd heard her thoughts, Fluttershy came down the stairs at that exact moment. The relief on AJ's face was purely visible.

"I found the photo album," Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Golden Tongue said, beaming. Mach Speed just nodded.

"Applejack, could you help me in the kitchen?" Fluttershy asked. "I need help carrying the-"

"SURE!" AJ said, the sudden volume elicitng a small "eep" from Fluttershy. AJ smiled at Fluttershy's parents, then rushed into the kitchen.

"So what do you think of my parents?" Fluttershy asked as she joined AJ in the kitchen. "Ponies always say I'm a lot like them, but I don't really see it...I mean, dad's such a good flier, and mom's so outgoing..." AJ glanced back out into the living room. Golden Tongue was still going on and on, flying sloppy circles around Mach Speed, who was still stone silent.

"Ah think Ah can see it mahself," AJ said with a grin.

Prompt #60: Because Typicalmod Is Creatively Drained And Thinks Thinly-Veiled Parodies Are Funny

The Prompt: The last pony in Equestria.

Twist woke up with a start. It was 8:30 AM, and she was usually woken up by her parents at 8:00. Something was very odd.

“I wonder why my parenth didn’t wake me up?” Twist wondered out loud. “Maybe they wanted to teach me how to be rethponthible!” Twist frowned, worried that she had just failed her first grownup test. However, this was not enough to dissuade her completely. She put her glasses on and headed downstairs, ready to have herself some delicious peppermint pancakes. Her confusion only grew when there were no pancakes, nor parents, waiting for her.
“What’th the deal?” Twist asked nopony in particular. “Where are my parentth?” She thought for a few moments. “Maybe they’re out buying prethentth for me!” Twist smiled and headed to the kitchen to make her own breakfast. She didn’t know how to make pancakes, though, so she just had candy canes. She was good at making those, and they were practically all she ate when she was stuck making her own meals. She loved them, though, so eating them so often made her (As well as Dr. Colgate) very happy.

Upon finishing her breakfast, Twist wondered why her parents still weren’t home. It wasn’t like them to leave her home alone for this long. Twist walked outside to see if they were maybe relaxing outside or something. She was further thrown off by the fact that the entire town seemed to be vacant.

“What’th going on here?” Twist wondered. She started knocking on the doors of random houses, but nopony answered.

“…I mutht be the latht pony in Equethtria!” Twist exclaimed, astonished. “I can do whatever I want!”

Twist spent the next eight hours getting the house ready. For years, she had wanted to replace all of the furniture in her house with candy cane furniture, but she never had the time to do so, and also it would have likely gotten her parents quite angry. Now, though? Nothing would get in her way. Twist looked around the house proudly once she was done. No furniture remained in the house, save for whatever it was that she used to make candy canes.

“Now, to get thtarted on the motht thuper-thpectacular thpecial houthe ever!” Twist said happily. She reached over to start the candy cane machine, but tripped. She grabbed onto the machine to steady herself, accidentaly pulling the self-destruct lever in the process. Twist stared in horror as the candy cane machine fell apart, and the individual pieces burst into flame.

“No…no…” Twist said, in utter shock. “That’th not fair…that’th not fair at all. There wath time now…there wath all the time I needed! That’th not fair!!” Twist burst into tears, surrounded by the flaming wreckage of the machine, a burning reminder of all the candy canes she could never eat.

Prompt #65: What Is Home?

The prompt: Scootaloo’s home.

Home can have many different meanings.

Apple Bloom talks about her home a lot. She talks about how home is where you and your family live. She talks about how happy she is to go home after school and mess around with Applejack and Big Macintosh and help Granny Smith with her cooking. She says that home is where you go to see your family, the ponies that care about you.

Sweetie Belle talks about how she has two homes. She can go to one home and be hugged and loved and cared for by her parents, or she can go to the other home and spend time with Rarity.

They’re lucky.
I feel that home is somewhere you can go where you have ponies who care for you. Somewhere that’s safe, somewhere that you can go to get away from things you don’t want to deal with. Bloom and Sweetie agree with me on that part, because all three of us don’t want to deal with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and going home helps that. I can’t go home when they both go home though.

They both agree that home is where your family is. It doesn’t work like that for me. The idea of home being a safe place and the idea of home being where my family is don’t really work together very well.

Home is where you have ponies who care for you, like I said before. Ponies who you know have your back, who you know will always be there for you and support the stuff you do, even if it’s crazy stuff like trying to jump over a picnic table on a scooter (Which I totally did, and don’t let Apple Bloom tell you otherwise. Just because the back wheel clipped the edge doesn’t mean it doesn’t count). Just because ponies who are related to you live somewhere doesn’t always mean it’s home. Sometimes ponies who are supposed to have your back and support you don’t do that. Home stops being home when that happens. It becomes just some house, just like all the other houses on the block, with no special meaning.

I do have a home though. It’s not a traditional idea of a home, but it’s home to me. It may not look like a traditional home. It’s not fancy or full of expensive furniture that I’m not supposed to practice my sweet scooter moves off of. It’s actually kinda run-down, though Apple Bloom did fix it up really nice. But it’s still home to me. I can’t always go to it when I need to, because the ponies who care for me and make it a home aren’t always there. Sometimes they have to go to their own homes. I don’t mind when they do that. I mean, everypony has to go home sometimes. When they are there, though, I can go home.

If home is where your family is, then I guess they’re kinda my family too. I’m okay with that. Just don’t tell them I said that, cause I’ll sound all sappy and stuff.

The Great and Powerful Storm

(This technically isn't a Thirty Minute Stories story, but I couldn't publish it alone. It's something I wrote for an Equestria Daily event back in May 2011. It was a 300 word story event, and all stories had to star Trixie and/or start with the words "Nopony could remember a time when it had rained so hard." This seemed the simplest place to put it)

Nopony could remember a time when it had rained so hard. Rainbow Dash had created some intense rain storms before, but they were nothing compared to the overwhelming downpour that Ponyville was experiencing right now. Rainbow Dash looked on helplessly at the storm. She and her pegasus friends had attempted to put an end to it, but the magic that was causing the storm was far too strong. Surely, the pony who created this rainstorm was one of immense power, one whom everypony wished they could be.

"I cannot believe that I can't stop this storm!" Rainbow Dash whined. "Truly, I am not as awesome and cool as I thought!"

"Don't worry about it, Rainbow!" Twilight Sparkle said, bowing her head. "It is me who should be ashamed! I tried to use my magic to stop it, but my magic wasn't anywhere near good enough! I am a tremendous failure, and everypony should make fun of me!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Twilight!" said the orange pony whose name I forget at the moment. "Even though you are absolutely right!"

"Haha!" came the voice of the Great and Powerful Trixie, who flew past Twilight's window. "My magical storm proves that I am better at magic than you!"

"You are right!" all six of those stupid ponies said together!

The Great and Powerful Trixie laughed a great and powerful laugh, then flew away, and the six ponies drowned in the flood forever! Hahahahahaha!

~~~~~~~~~~

"...ha...ha...ha!" Trixie pulled her hooves away from the keyboard, proud of her work. This was sure to be regarded as the greatest literary accomplishment to ever be written. Even better, it fit all the criteria of the event! She was a perfectionist, though, so it had to be exactly 300 words long.

"....The End!"

Trixie smiled.