Author's Note

Our young farm kid now goes through another gauntlet. This time, it's Quiplash!

August 19-Quiplash XL

The sun rises to welcome a new day in Jackbox Village. Apple Bloom finished her yoga exercises and starts to get dressed. Putting on a red shirt and blue overalls, she heads downstairs for breakfast.

"How was your visit back in Canterlot?" Amy asked.

"It was great." Apple Bloom answered. "No critics, nobody to cause trouble, and Applejack and I spent some time together."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kevin answered the door, and got a surprise. "Cheese Sandwich! This is a shock."

"Hello, Felmanders!" Cheese greeted. "Is Apple Bloom available?"

"I'm over here!" Apple Bloom called out.

Cheese Sandwich came over to the farm girl.

"What brings you here, Cheese?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Do you remember when your sister gave you that Fibbage challenge?" Cheese replied.

"Yup. I sure do."

"Well, I'm giving you another challenge. This time, it's MY favorite Jackbox franchise: QUIPLASH!"

This got Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "You mean that game where you make up answers to unusual questions?"

"That's the one." Cheese answered. "There are three Quiplash games in all. If you can go through four games of Fibbage, you can handle three rounds of Quiplash. You in?"

After getting nods from Olga and the Felmanders, Apple Bloom gave her response. "It is on!"

Later that day, Apple Bloom finds herself in a TV studio. She entered one of the stages, and sees eight podiums with a giant screen on stage. Soon, she meets a Japanese girl with her hair in pigtails. She wore a traditional Japanese school uniform.

"We meet at last, Apple Bloom." The girl said.

"You know who I am?" Apple Bloom gasped.

"I heard many stories of the honorable Apple Family. I am Miko, queen of the quips"

"Queen of the quips?"

"Correct. Quiplash is one of my favorites Jackbox games. I can come up with grand responses."

Apple Bloom saw the podiums with the names of the contestants. Including Miko. She then saw her name on a podium. "Huh? I didn't even sign up."

"This was arranged for you by Cheese Sandwich." One of the workers told her. "He's a good friend of the studio."

Happy to hear that, Apple Bloom took her place along with Miko. Soon, a female voice was heard. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for Quiplash! And, here's your host: Schmitty!"

From the curtains steps a tall man with black hair, mustache and beard. The crowd cheers for him.

"Hi there, everybody." The man said. "I'm Schmitty and welcome to Quiplash! This is where your lines can land you popularity."

Apple Bloom was nervous. Schmitty explained the rules. "Here's how it works. You will be given two prompts. Answer them any way you want. Then, you'll vote for your favorite. Points are given depending on the percentage of those who liked your answer. Now, let's get going!"

The eight contestants were studying their prompts carefully. They typed in their responses.

"I see you guys are done." Schmitty said. "Let's do this!" The big screen came alive. "To start with, There are now four rules to save yourself from fire instead of three. Stop, drop, roll, and ________."

Two answers came up. 'Have a drink' and 'Pray to your ancestors '. The players voted for their favorite. Six voted for the ancestor answer. That was Miko's response. She was given 750 points while her opponent gets 250. Miko also gets a 100 point winner bonus.

"The queen of the quips done it again." Miko boasted.

Apple Bloom faced off against a black haired boy with the prompt, 'What rule of a museum do you find frustrating?'. Apple Bloom answered "Not allowing barefoot farm kids in'. Her opponent answered "No going barefoot during sleepover events. They were equally liked, so they each received 500 points. Miko watched carefully. Apple Bloom is very impressive for a newbie.

Later, Schmitty begins to speak. "That's it for round one. Our beloved queen of quips, Miko, is in the lead." The crowd cheered for Miko. "Now, it's time for round two. Rules are the same. But now, the point values are doubled."

"Doubled?" Apple Bloom thought. "This is my chance to catch up. Being in sixth is not exactly comforting."

The eight contestants put down their best answers to their prompts. Soon, round 2. Apple Bloom faced off against Miko. Their prompt, "Forget fidget spinners, the next big toy kids will want is _________".

Apple Bloom wrote down 'Posable Yoga Dolls' Miko wrote down 'Hologram Rooms' Miko turned to her opponent. "Hi tech is very big in the world, you know."

To Miko's surprise, Apple Bloom's response got 87% of the votes. This netted her 1,740 points. Plus a 200 point winner bonus. AB and Miko were both surprised.

"How did I get a better score?" Apple Bloom wondered.

"I guess people understand yoga better." Miko figured. "Well done, Apple Bloom.'

Miko came back with the prompt 'What would you like to see in your next block party?'. She answered 'Karate Demos'. That got all of the votes, including Apple Bloom. Her opponent was freaked out. "The queen did it again. I've been Quiplashed!"

After round two was done, Miko is still in the lead, thanks to that Quiplash. But, Apple Bloom is in a close second. Schmitty gave another announcement. "Okay, friends. Time for the last round. This time, I'll send you all one prompt. Which road sign would get you so annoyed?"

The players wrote down their responses. Eight answers were shown. Then, they chose their favorites. Apple Bloom's answer, a big H, got 10 percent of the votes. "I'm afraid that I end up IN a hospital."

"Fair enough." Miko replied.
Miko's answer, a STOP sign, got 8 percent. "Not many people heed that sign."

Soon, Schmitty talked to the crowd. "Very exciting. Isn't it? Now, let's see those final scores."

The score were displayed. The winner is......Apple Bloom! The crowd cheered for the farm girl. She won the event with 2,950 points. Miko was in second by 50 points.

"Even I can have a setback as a queen." Miko said as she shook Apple Bloom's hand in friendship. "Congratulations, Apple Bloom."

"Thanks, Miko." Apple Bloom replied. "But, it was a close game."

"I agree. Let's meet again."

Apple Bloom went through her first game of Quiplash. But, she knows that there are two more to go.