Applejack and the Beanstalk
...In a faraway village, there lived a simple earth pony farmer by the name of Applejack. Though she didn't have much, she still remained positive in what she DID have. Unfortunately, that positive attitude was starting to shrink as food and money began to run alarmingly low. Applejack's only means of making money was selling apples, but even that business had started to slow. The only other means of money resided in Applejack's athletic but lazy roommate, Rainbow Dash, who was staying with AJ after a certain calamity involving her house. Apparently, Rainbow wasn't thinking and made her last house out of straw. Then there was something about a wolf with a big mouth, some huffing and puffing, and well, the rest is history.
"Rainbow!" Applejack said to her one day after catching her laying under a tree while she was supposed to be doing her chores, "Now is not the time to lay around! It's high time that we thought of somethin' to do 'bout our money problem! Unless you wanna starve this winter!"
Rainbow yawned as she looked up at the stern earth pony. "Have you considered putting on a show?" she asked unenthusiastically, "I mean, after the fiasco with the candlestick, you would have ponies lining up to see that again!"
"Oh hardy har har!" Applejack laughed sarcastically. It seemed that nopony could accidentally set their tail on fire from jumping over a candlestick nowadays without having somepony else remind them of it. Applejack STILL had pains just thinking about it. So much for "Applejack be nimble, Applejack be quick."
"Well alright," Rainbow said as she sat up, "How about we try selling some things? That could earn us a good bit of bits!"
Applejack scratched her chin thoughtfully. "An interesting idea. It could help us a lot. Ok then, you can sell your collection of Daring Do books and-"
"WHAT?" Rainbow shouted, jumping up, "No way Applejack! They're collectables! Do you know what I had to do to get the final book? It was a present from Humpty Dumpty!"
"Was this before or after you accidentally knocked him off the wall?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"THAT WAS NEVER PROVEN!" Rainbow protested, "Besides, if we should sell anything, it should be that old cow of yours." Milky White, the cow, had been with Applejack for years. Though the cow hadn't given any milk in a mighty long time, Applejack still cared deeply for her, seeing how Milky White was her mother's. Just the mention of the idea made Applejack gasp in horror.
"SELL Milky White?" Applejack asked in shock as she hugged her cow's neck, "Why she's practically family! Ah couldn't do a thing like that!"
"Why not?" Rainbow asked, "She hasn't given any milk in years, and we NEED that money! You want to eat don't you? Either you sell the cow, or I'll eat it myself!"
"We don' even eat meat!" Applejack retorted.
"Well with how hungry I am, THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING!" Rainbow scolded, "C'mon Applejack! We could just give the cow to the next village over. There's a farmer over there that collects cows. I bet he would give you a good price! Please?"
Rainbow dropped to her knees and started to beg. Applejack looked from the pleading pegasus to her beloved cow as she thought. On one hoof, they really DID need the money. On the other hoof, Milky White was the last reminder of her mother. On the other hoof, winter was around the corner, and they needed food. Applejack felt as if she was stuck between a rock and...well...Rainbow Dash as she contemplated her decision. She glanced over at Milky White again, who just gave a low "moo." Rainbow was right in saying that the farmer at the other village did collect cows, and AJ happened to know that he cared for each cow accordingly. Maybe that would be the best choice.
So, with a deep sigh, AJ finally nodded, "Ok Rainbow. I'll sell her."
"Great!" Rainbow said with a smile. She then flew into the house and came out a few seconds later with a long leash. Quickly, she fastened it to Milky and handed the other end to Applejack. "No time to waste! You might wanna head out now. The sooner we get that money, the sooner we can eat!"
"Alright," Applejack sighed, "I'll be back soon." And with that, Applejack headed off to the next village with Milky White trailing close behind her.
The road to the next village was a pretty straight one, but Applejack still had to cross through a section of the woods that split the two villages. She didn't have to cross through the dark parts of the forest thankfully, but it still put Applejack on edge. The forest was said to hold dangerous creatures and if you didn't pay attention to your surroundings, you could easily get lost. As AJ arrived at the forest though, she ventured forward, not focusing on the scary-looking trees or the eerie silence. Milky stopped as she gave a cautious "moo," before moving onward as AJ pulled her leash. As Applejack hit the halfway point of the forest, her hopes of not getting scared were shot by the tapping on the back of her shoulder. Following a loud yelp and jumping five feet in the air, Applejack turned around to find the culprit. As soon as she saw who it was, Applejack just rolled her eyes and sighed. The creature standing behind her was NOT a monster, but a tall, familiar creature with the head of a pony and the body of a whole bunch of things.
"Why hello there dear Applejack!" he said with a sly grin.
"Discord," AJ sighed. Discord was known throughout the land as a magical, but sneaky troublemaker, who just loved pulling pranks on others. His pranks were harmless, but they just annoyed the hay out of everypony. "Don't do that," AJ continued, "Ya'll almost gave me a heart attack."
"My apologies," Discord said as he bowed respectfully, "But I couldn't help but notice that you were walking through the woods with that wonderful-looking cow. Where are you going with her?"
"To the next village," AJ responded, "I'm selling her to get some money fer me and Dash."
"Well, if you don't mind," Discord responded as he surveyed the cow, "I could take her off your hooves."
Applejack eyed him curiously. She didn't know what somepony like Discord would want with a cow. But then again, if she didn't have to go through the hassle of getting through the forest, she could've been willing to take it. "Yeah? What's the catch?"
"No catch at all," Discord replied seemingly innocent, "I just thought that we could trade. You give me the cow, and I can give you..." He then snapped his fingers, and in a small flash of light, something small popped into his hand, "...these." He outstretched his open hand toward Applejack, who looked forward to see what it was. In his hand, slightly shimmering in the faint sunlight, were five little beans. Applejack was NOT amused.
"Beans?" AJ asked, unimpressed, "Thanks, but no thanks Discord. I don' think five beans are gonna keep two ponies satisfied for long." As AJ took the cow and started to trot away, in another flash of light, Discord appeared in front of her again.
"Oh no Applejack!" he said with a smile, "These aren't just any ordinary beans. They're MAGIC beans!"
Applejack raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "Magic? What do ya think this is? A fairy tale?"
"Why don't you ask the pony reading this story?" Discord murmured.
"What?"
"Nevermind. My point is that these beans ARE magical. I made them myself. You, like any other pony, should know of the power that I hold." Applejack eyed the beans for a second. She was aware of the power Discord had, but that didn't mean that he didn't like to trick others.
"And how, exactly, do these things work anyway?"
Discord smiled even more. "Simple. All you have to do is plant them, and within seconds, you won't have to worry about running out of food ever again. You have my word!" Applejack started to think. It could well be just another prank, but what if they really were magic? Discord may have been a pain, but he never caused any pony harm before. And if she and Dash wouldn't have to worry about food anymore, that would help a lot. She then looked from Milky White to Discord, still holding the beans in front of her. Was it a risk that was willing to be taken?
"Oh alright Discord," AJ finally said, "Ya got yerself a deal."
"Oh wonderful!" Discord cheered. He then handed the beans to AJ, who in turn, handed the leash to Discord.
"You will take care of her right?" AJ said as she turned to leave.
"I'll treat her like my own sister!" Discord replied as he turned to Milky, "I hope you like Twister! Ta-ta Applejack! Pleasure doing business with you!" And with a snap of the fingers and a blinding light, Discord was gone. Applejack eyed the beans as she tucked them away in her saddlebag. As she headed back home, she was only hoping that Dash was going to take it well that their cow was traded for five, possibly magic, beans.
"YOU DID WHAT!?!" She didn't take it well. "You sold the cow for...BEANS? ARE YOU INSANE?!"
"But Dash," Applejack said calmly as Dash's wings fluttered with fury, "They're magic beans!"
"Oh MAGIC beans! That makes it ALL better!" Dash said with heavy sarcasm. "I guess that makes THAT a magic door. And THAT a magic window, and THIS a MAGIC ANGRY PEGASUS! I can't BELIEVE how you've been conned so easily!"
"Ya never know Rainbow!" Applejack retorted, "They COULD be magic. You know about Discord's power. He said all we had to do was plant them, and we'd never run out of food again! Look, I didn't fully believe it either, but maybe there's a chance-"
"Nope! NOPE!" Rainbow snapped as she snatched the beans from Applejack, "I'm not listening anymore! You know where these things belong?" And in one swift motion, the beans were flying out the window, thrown by the angry pegasus. Applejack rushed to the window and peered out, only to see nothing but the dirt below. She closed the shutters and turned back to Rainbow with an angry expression on her face. "Don't give me that look!" Rainbow replied, "This is all YOUR fault!
"Ah was jus' tryin' to help Rainbow!" Applejack scolded, "And now we have no beans!"
"Oh boohoo!" Rainbow scoffed, "Get it through to your head AJ! They weren't magic. You were just conned by Discord. Unless something happens in the next five seconds that proves me wrong, I don't want to hear abou-"
Rainbow Dash was suddenly interrupted by the ground. It had begun to violently shake. The two ponies' expressions quickly changed from angry to horrified. As the ground rumbled and rattled, the two hugged each other tight as they braced for whatever was coming. Suddenly, the rumbling was followed by a loud CRASH! Rainbow quickly ducked out of sight, expecting something to fall, but to her and AJ's surprise, nothing came. After the crash, the rumbling stopped, and besides a few cupboards flung out and shattered plates, the two ponies were fine.
"What. In the name. Of Ol' King Cole. Was THAT?" Rainbow asked as she slowly got up from the ground.
"Ah don' know," AJ said, looking around the room, "Felt like an earthquake, but what was that crashing noise?" Applejack went over to the window to see how much damage was done outside. She opened the shutters, expecting to see the sunny field, but instead, was faced with something that dropped her jaw. Something big, green, and leafy. To get a better view, AJ ran outside as fast as she could. "Uh...Rainbow?" she called with a quivering voice, "D-did we always have a giant vine growing next to the house?"
"What?" Rainbow asked as she walked towards the door. "No. Why would you even ask thaaaaAAAAAAAH!" As soon as Rainbow stepped outside, she knew why. Her jaw dropped right away as she and AJ stared at the giant green vine that had sprung up from the dirt and had literally stretched to the sky. The vine was so long, it went right through the clouds above. Rainbow and AJ just stood there, taking it all in that there was a giant vine next to their house. The two didn't say a word. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes, AJ was the one to break the silence as she turned to Rainbow with a big smile on her face.
"A GIANT BEANSTALK!" she shouted, pointing at Rainbow, "I TOLD you they were magic! I was right! Oh yeah! I was right! Who was right? Me! I was right! Woo!"
"Alright alright!" Rainbow sighed as she rolled her eyes. "They were magic. But what are we supposed to do with this thing?"
"Well, Discord said that we would never run out of food again," Applejack said as she walked up next to it. As she stared closely, she noticed that there were green beans growing on the beanstalk. She ripped a pod off the plant and showed it to Rainbow. "Ah hope you like green beans."
Rainbow groaned as she stared at the humungous plant. She would be living off of green beans? After what she just saw, she didn't want to even see another bean, but what else could they do. "I'll get a bucket," she sighed as she started back in. Applejack, however, continued to eye the stalk. As she surveyed the size, she started thinking. How far did the thing go? What if it led to something? Suddenly, the adventurous side quickly took over, and Applejack trotted over with a smile.
When Rainbow had come back out with a bucket, the first thing she noticed was Applejack. She wasn't on the ground anymore, but climbing up the beanstalk. "What in the hay are you doing?" she asked as she dropped the bucket.
"What's it look like ah'm doin'?" Applejack answered as she grabbed a vine and pulled up further, "Ah'm climbing this thing. Ah wanna see where it goes."
"It goes to the clouds!" Rainbow called, "Earth ponies can't walk on clouds!"
"Then how 'bout ya'll come with me?"
"I don't know..."
"What's the matter Rainbow? Chicken?"
"Hey!" By this point, Rainbow had flown up to Applejack's level, who was about two stories up. "I'm no chicken. I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"If you say so RD!" Applejack said, "Let's go!"
It didn't take too much longer for Applejack to make it up the beanstalk. She was a very athletic pony, so climbing was no problem for her. It took about 20 minutes to reach the top. When they had gotten above the clouds, Rainbow scooped Applejack up and carried her on her back. Applejack looked down as she saw that their house looked like nothing more than a speck. As the two looked around at the endless sea of blue sky and puffy white clouds, they took in the beautiful scenery. Rainbow had been in the clouds before, being a pegasus and all, but this was a new experience for Applejack. All she could see was blue and white and a sidewalk that led to a building. Wait. Applejack rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming, but there it was. A sidewalk, in the sky, that led to a giant house, in the sky. "Rainbow! Look!"
Rainbow turned and her jaw dropped again at the sight. The building must've been the size of five barns, with red siding, a red and white striped roof, and a brick chimney with smoke coming out. The two could barely believe their eyes. "Now who in the right mind would own a house up here?" AJ thought aloud. She looked at Rainbow for an answer, but soon noticed that she wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were drawn to the house, she took in a deep breath of air as her mouth started to water. "What's wrong?"
"This isn't a normal house!" Rainbow said, "It's a giant BAKERY! And where there's a giant bakery..."
"...there's giant baked goods!" Applejack finished as she caught on. She was just as hungry as Rainbow, and the smell coming from the chimney was so tempting. It smelled like chocolate that was baking in the oven. Applejack leapt off Rainbow's back and landed on the sidewalk as the two sped towards the doors of the giant bakery. When they got to the entrance, they noticed that the door was slightly opened. Some more good luck. The two hungry ponies stepped inside and got a good look at the interior. The walls were a bright pink with yellow floors, and the whole place smelled of a combination of peppermint and chocolate. But that wasn't what caught their attention the most. Right in front of them was a giant table, and on that table was a spread of giant goodies! Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and a whole bunch more, just waiting for the picking. Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other with big smiles as they knew they were both thinking the same thing.
In one swift movement, Rainbow and Applejack practically soared up the table and onto the surface. They eyed the giant treats with hungry eyes as their mouths were almost flooding at that point. "Applejack," Rainbow said with a quivering voice, almost as if she was on the verge of crying, "If this is a dream, do NOT wake me up!" And with that, Rainbow dived right into the cherry pie next to her as if it was a swimming pool. She came back up covered with red juice, but she didn't mind. She began to greedily eat the crust around her as she sighed on how good it was. Applejack just watched her as she shook her head and smiled, but then a thought came to her.
"I wonder," she said as she scratched her hat, "What pony in the right mind would bake GIANT pies? Then again, who COULD bake giant pies?"
"Who cares?" Rainbow said as she stepped out of the pie and shook the juice off, "All that matters is that our hunger problems are over."
Suddenly, the whole room shook as a low BOOM was heard. Applejack and Rainbow's ears perked up as their smiles quickly faded and their eyes went wide.
"Please tell me that was your stomach," Rainbow said quietly.
"I'm not THAT hungry Rainbow," Applejack replied. Just then, another boom and shake occurred. They continued to sound as they got louder and louder, almost as if something was getting closer and closer. The two ponies quickly jumped off the table and ran for cover. The two ducked behind the door hinge just as a giant figure came marching into the room. The two, once very hungry, but now terribly frightened, ponies' eyes grew to the size of plates as they stared at the figure that had entered the room. It was...a pony. A GIANT PONY! Bigger than 100 ponies. It's coat was a shining pink, it's mane was curly and out of control, it's eyes were huge, and its giant cutie mark was three giant balloons. The two watched as the giant stomped into the room from a back room, possibly the kitchen, with another pie in its mouth. It seemed to have been humming a tune as it pranced. The giant set the pie down on the table and was about to go back in, until she stopped. The giant was indeed a she. She stopped and looked around curiously, as if she knew she had two intruders. She then took a deep sniff through her nose and in a booming high-pitched voice, she shouted,
"FEE FI FINKLE FONY! I smell the blood of an English pony! Ooo! And apple spice too!"
As the giant began to look around the room, Rainbow turned to Applejack. "Does THAT answer your question?" she whispered.
"Very much so," Applejack quietly replied, "We gotta get outta here, or else that thing's gonna have us for dinner!"
"Agreed," Rainbow nodded.
Just then, they heard the giant say, "Must've been smelling things again. Oh Pinkie, you and your snout. Well, back to work. Lots to do!" And with that, she trotted back into the kitchen.
"Now's our chance!" Applejack whispered. She and Rainbow quickly made their way to the door. As soon as they made it outside, they were about to head for the stalk, when they heard the giant from inside.
"Silly me. I always forget to water my flowers."
"HIDE!" Rainbow snapped as the two ducked behind one of the flower pots just as the giant trotted outside. She was carrying a giant watering can that looked like it could flood the entire town. The giant began to tip the can as giant drops of water came raining down. As she did this, Applejack signaled Rainbow, motioning her to move as the giant was distracted. Rainbow nodded as the two began to sneak out from behind and book it as the giant's back was turned. Suddenly, just as they were about out of the line of sight, the giant stopped as she lifted her head slowly, only to be followed by a loud AHH-CHOOO!
"Gesundheit," Rainbow called out.
"Thanks little voice," the giant happily replied. "Wait a minute!" She turned around to see the two tiny ponies standing on her sidewalk.
"Of all the times ya picked to be polite, you choose NOW?" Applejack scolded. But there was no time for arguing, for the giant had stopped what she was doing and was headed right towards them. Screaming for their lives, AJ and Rainbow ran towards the stalk as fast as they could, with the giant following closely behind.
"Stop! Come back here!" the giant called. When they reached the beanstalk, Rainbow just grabbed AJ and started to fly all the way back down. The giant had arrived at the stalk and had started to climb down, all while yelling, "Wait a minute! Come back!" Within minutes, the two ponies had made their way back onto solid ground. Applejack didn't waste any time in grabbing the axe leaning on the side of the house and started to hack at the stalk. Rainbow flew to the barn and grabbed the chainsaw and started from the opposite side. The two looked up to see the giant's hooves poking out of the clouds. Bullets of sweat were beating off of them as they hacked and sawed their way through the stalk. Little by little, the stalk was cut away some more, until finally, it was enough.
"TIMBER!" Applejack shouted as the beanstalk began to lean. The threads keeping the stalk connected broke as it leaned and with one final swing of the axe, the stalk fell to the ground, with the giant clinging for dear life on it. The two watched as the giant fell. Down and down and down, until it landed with an earth trembling CRASH! When the smoke cleared, Applejack and Rainbow looked out to see the stalk completely taken down, and a giant pony implant sunk into the ground. The two stood there for a second before they broke out in cheers and hooting and hollering.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" Rainbow cheered, "Talk about an adventure!"
"Ya got that right!" Applejack replied, "Ah don' thing Ah'll ever experience something like THAT again!"
"We just climbed a giant beanstalk!" Rainbow laughed, "I dived into a giant pie! And we just KILLED a pony-eating GIANT!"
"Really? Where is it?"
"It's right over there...you didn't say that did you?" Applejack shook her head, her expression changed to that of horror. The two looked down as they noticed that a giant shadow was casting over them. Slowly, the two turned around to see, to their horror, a dirt-covered giant pink pony, looking down on them with a smile. All composure was lost as the two screamed and hugged each other tight, cowering beneath the giant.
"We're so sorry we intruded!" Applejack cried, "We won' do it again!"
"I didn't even want to come!" Rainbow quivered, "She MADE me!" Applejack quickly shot her a look that said, "Thanks a lot," before going back to cowering. "Please don't eat us!"
"Eat you?" the giant said, "I'm not going to eat you!"
"Please! I don't taste like apples! Don' let mah name fool-" Applejack stopped as she looked at the giant with confusion. "Wait what?"
"I don't eat ponies silly-billy!" the giant giggled, "Just sweets!"
"Wait a minute! Time-out!" said Rainbow as she let got of Applejack. "If you weren't going to eat us, then why were you chasing us?"
"I wanted to invite you to my party!" the giant smiled. AJ and Rainbow's mouths opened in disbelief. "I never get any visitors at my bakery. I guess that's what I get for putting it in the sky. I love interacting with others, so when I saw you guys, I just had to invite you in."
"So...you weren't going to eat us, but invite us to a party..." Rainbow said. The giant nodded as the two ponies looked at each other with embarrassed smiles. Had they had THEIR facts wrong. Here they thought that giants were ruthless and liked to gobble ponies up, but here was a giant that just wanted a friend. And here they tried to kill her. Maybe they shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and not judged a book by its giant cover.
"Well ah feel right embarrassed and ashamed of myself," Applejack said to the giant with a smile. "I'm sorry we tried to...you know...kill you like that."
"Oh that's ok!" the giant replied, "I get that a lot! So, do you guys still want to come to my party?"
"You bet we do!" Rainbow shouted as she flew up to the giant's eye view extended her hoof, "And by the way, the name's Rainbow Dash."
"And ah'm Applejack!" AJ said as she tipped her hat.
The giant smiled and shook Rainbow's hoof, very lightly, "I'm Pinkie Pie!"
And with that, their friendship was born. With the help of a little elbow grease, and a lot of duct tape, the three friends repaired the beanstalk and they made their way back up to the bakery. The party was a blast as the two, once living through poverty, had more than enough to eat. Applejack and Rainbow learned an important lesson that day; Never judge a book by its cover. The cover may seem giant and scary, but the pages might just be kind and helping. You never know. From that day on, AJ and Rainbow were able to visit Pinkie anytime they wanted. Happiness had returned to their lives again and everypony lived happily ever after!
THE END!
"That was so cool Pinkie!" Pound said as he sat at the foot of his bed, "Tell us another one!
"I don't know..." Pinkie thought, "You two should really get to bed."
"Please Pinkie?" Pumpkin pleaded with her big eyes, "We'll go straight to bed after! Pinkie Promise!"
How could Pinkie resist those big pleading eyes? "Oh alright!" she said, "But just one more for tonight!" Pound and Pumpkin smiled as they got comfortable as Pinkie started the next story.
"Once Upon a Time..."
Fluttering Snow and the Seven Ponies
...In a kingdom far far away, there stood a mighty, alabaster castle. And in this castle lived a queen by the name of Rarity. She had a coat as white as freshly fallen snow, a mane as luscious as the waves of the sea, and a crown with more gems on it than anypony could count, and it was shiny too. The queen was seen as the fairest unicorn queen in all the land, but there was one little problem; she had a very stuck-up attitude. She would treat others as if they were below her hooves, trampling over them, metaphorically speaking, as she passed them. She also tended to be quite jealous. When she saw something that she didn't have, she did anything in her power to make it hers. Despite all of this, she only looked at herself as beautiful.
Everyday was the same with Queen Rarity. The first thing she would do after she woke up was...well, shower and dress and brush her teeth and comb her mane. But after all that, she would go to her mirror, and talk to it. For you see, the mirror was a magical talking mirror that showed a pair of emerald green eyes and a purple, dragon-like face. So everyday, she would go to her mirror and say, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" And every time, the mirror would reply,
"Only you my dear Queen Rarity!"
This made Rarity happy, although it seemed that the mirror just liked to kiss-up. In any case, Rarity was known as the fairest of them all for a long time. But everything changed when the Queen heard an answer that she didn't want to hear.
One day, the Queen went to the mirror as always, and started her words. "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the-" She stopped, however, when she saw that the face in the mirror was still sleeping. Rarity rolled her eyes and shouted, "WAKE UP!" The mirror jolted awake, shaking the entire stand as it did.
"Sorry your majesty," the mirror said as it gave a mighty yawn, "Had a wild night last night. Man that was some party."
"How do you even party?" Rarity asked, "You're a MIRROR! You don't even move!"
"I don't ask you how to spend YOUR Friday nights!" the mirror replied. Rarity just huffed and shook her head, wiping the conversation away.
"Never mind. Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
"That's easy," the mirror started to say, "Only-" The mirror suddenly stopped as its ear perked up and its spikes on its head started to shake, as if disturbed by something. This was the way of saying that the mirror was getting new information. Rarity frowned a bit as she watched the mirror's face drop. When the shaking of the spikes subsided, the mirror turned back to Rarity with a nervous expression.
"Well?" Rarity asked impatiently, "What's going on?"
"Um..." the mirror stuttered uncomfortably, "Well...if I tell you, you have to promise not to get mad."
Rarity's brow narrowed as she stared at the mirror. "Why?"
"Just promise me!" the mirror begged.
Rarity straightened up and lifted the mood of her face so she looked like her normal prissy self. "I promise."
"OK well..." the mirror stammered, trying to think of the best way to say it. "You see...I just learned that...umm...how do I put this..."
"OH JUST SPIT IT OUT!" Rarity shouted.
The shout startled the mirror so much, it forgot to be nervous and just came out with it.
"There's somepony else who's fairer than you!"
Queen Rarity's expression changed in an instant. What was once a prissy face of self confidence, was replaced with a slowly scrunching face of anger that was trying to contain itself. The mirror watched nervously as the Queen tried to hold in the anger from the latest news. After a few minutes, Rarity had sucked in her anger and smiled at the mirror. Although the mirror could tell that the smile was incredibly fake and almost menacing. Then, through a gritted smile, the Queen slowly asked, "Who. Is. It?"
"Uh..." the mirror winced as he spoke, "Fluttering Snow."
That was enough. All composure was lost as Rarity started to grunt, grumble, and growl, trying her hardest to contain her newly found rage. She started to pace back and forth and tugged at her mane furiously as she contemplated what she just heard. For you see, Fluttering Snow was a common peasant that lived at the corner of the village. She wasn't that well-known, but she was one of the kindest souls in the entire kingdom. She always put others before herself, tried to comfort anypony who needed it, and was extremely kind to all of nature. Next to that, ponies would be lying if they said that she wasn't beautiful. She had a soft yellow coat, flowing pink mane, innocent eyes, and a voice that could melt steel. That being said, Rarity still couldn't understand how Snow could be more beautiful than her.
"How is SHE fairer than me?" she asked the mirror angrily, "She's a peasant! She's not even that popular! I'm the QUEEN for Celestia's sake!"
"Those are very good points your majesty," the mirror replied, "But you see, Fluttering Snow has not only outer beauty, but inner beauty as well. She's...well...more kind than you." Rarity shot him a dirty look. "No offense."
"So just because she has a better attitude than me, that gives her bonus points?" Rarity asked furiously.
"Pretty much," the mirror said.
Rarity growled again as she turned away from the mirror and started to think. Though he didn't know what she was thinking about, the mirror was sure that it wasn't anything good. He knew the Queen far too well, and when she didn't have something, she got it by any means necessary. After a minute or so, Rarity turned back around with a mischievous smile on her face. "If she's out of the picture, then the title will belong to me again, correct?" she asked the mirror.
"Well, yes," the mirror replied cautiously, "But what are you going to do?"
"You'll know soon enough," Rarity chuckled deviously, "You're dismissed mirror." With that, the face in the mirror bowed its head and vanished, turning the image back to a regular reflection. Rarity didn't waste any time in what she was planning to do. Closing her eyes in concentration, her horn began to glow a white aura and she started to speak aloud. "Huntspony! I'm in need of your assistance! Report to me at once!" She opened her eyes as the horn's glow vanished. The spell that she used was a communication spell, which allowed her to speak to anypony she focused on within a mile radius. The Huntspony, who she had summoned, was her own hunter and gatherer. He was a strong-looking earth pony with a red coat, strong legs, and an apple half as a cutie mark. Though he didn't talk much, he was very good at what he did, which mostly involved hunting for food and gathering supplies.
Within a few minutes, the doors to the chamber room opened, and in trotted the Huntspony, with his leather bag strapped around his midsection, a hunting cap with a red feather in it, and a small dagger sheathed around his left leg.
"Ah Huntspony darling," The Queen greeted, "I have a little job for you to do for me. Are you familiar with Fluttering Snow?"
"Eeyup," the Huntspony answered plainly.
"Well, I want you to find her."
"Eeyup."
"And take. Her. Out."
"Eeyu-huh?" The Huntspony's plain expression changed to worry. "You mean...KILL her?
"GAH! You can't say 'kill' darling," Rarity scolded, "This is a children's story!"
"Sorry," the Huntspony said, "You mean...'take her out' take her out?
"Yes. I want you to find her, take her out, and bring me proof that you did so. Then I'll be the fairest in the land!"
The Huntspony looked worried. He had never killed...oops, I mean, took anypony out before. He was just a simple Huntspony. "Uh...your majesty, I'm not sure if I could do this. I mean, my name may be the Huntspony, but I don't actually 'hunt ponies'," Rarity suddenly shot him a dirty look that made his spine crawl. "But...I'm sure I can figure something out."
"Good," Rarity smiled deviously as she headed toward her throne. "Now go! And don't dare fail me." The Huntspony nodded and trotted out of the chamber.
Huntspony didn't waste any time in heading over to the town to ask where Snow was. It took a while, but he finally heard somepony say that she was in the flower fields outside of town. Huntspony trotted quickly to the outskirts where the fields sat. As he neared the fields, he heard a soft, sweet tune. Somepony was singing, and he had an idea who. He headed towards the sound, and sure enough, there was Fluttering Snow, picking flowers and singing a lovely tune. She was so sweet and innocent. She couldn't even hurt a fly. But the Huntspony had a job to do, and like it or not, he was going to do it. Slowly he trotted up towards the singing yellow pegasus slowly as he pulled out his knife with his mouth. Just a quick job. All he had to do was plunge the knife into her back, and it would all be over. Simple as that. The Huntspony's heart was going at a mile a minute as he inched closer to Fluttering Snow. He was so close, he could reach out and touch her.
Though she was picking flowers and singing, it didn't alter Snow's perception, and she suddenly stopped as she saw a shadow forming from behind. Knowing that somepony was behind her, she casually turned around to see the red Huntspony, knife in mouth, staring right at her. Although, the thought that he was there to murder her had not gone through her mind at that moment, so she smiled sweetly and said, "Good morning Huntspony. Beautiful day isn't it?" The Huntspony stopped. Her voice really was as sweet and soft as silk. He tried to not focus on her big, innocent eyes as he tried to remember mission, and what the Queen would do if he failed.
"Uh..." he stammered through the knife as he tried not to look her in the eye, "It...is a beautiful day...indeed Miss Snow...I...I..." It was too much for him. The young pegasus's beauty and innocence blocked out the Queen's threats. He just couldn't bring himself to hurt a soul such as hers. The Huntspony sighed in defeat as the knife dropped from his mouth. "I can't do it. Please forgive me Miss Snow."
"I don't understand," Snow responded, "What's wrong?"
"I was sent here by Queen Rarity," the Huntspony explained, "She had sent me here to...take you out."
Snow stared at him, confused. "Take me out where?"
"No no miss," Huntspony said, "She wanted me to...you know..." He traced his hoof against his neck to signify what he meant, but Snow still looked confused. Huntspony grunted. "To kill you!"
Snow gasped in horror. "You can't say 'kill!' This is a-"
"Children's story, I know," Huntspony sighed. "Look, the Queen wants you out of the way so that she can be the fairest of them all! You have to get away from here!"
"Where am I supposed to go?" Snow asked.
Huntspony thought for a second, and then an idea came to mind. "I know! A while back, while I was walking through the woods, I saw a small cottage in a clearing. You could go there." He then pointed out towards the forest beside them. "All you have to do is take that path and you should reach the cottage."
"Oh thank you kind Huntspony," Snow said, "But what's going to happen to you?"
"Well, unless I bring proof that I took you out back to the Queen, I'm probably a goner," Huntspony answered as his expression dropped. Snow noticed this and felt she needed to do something to help, so she reached behind her and tore off an extension of her long, pink tail and handed it to the Huntspony.
"Give THIS to her," she said smiling, "Hopefully it will help."
"Oh thank you Miss Snow!" Huntspony said, "I don't know how to thank you enou...you wear tail extensions?" Snow blushed as she smiled embarrassingly. There went her big secret. The Huntspony smiled, not caring about the extensions. "Well, thank you anyways. Ya'll be careful now, ya hear?"
"Thank you too kind Huntspony," Snow smiled softly as the Huntspony turned and headed back to town. Fluttering Snow didn't waste any time in running into the woods. She had never really been through the woods before, due to it looking so intimidating, but she had to get away from the Queen's wrath. So, without even thinking, Snow took to the path the Huntspony pointed out and headed into the woods. The journey down the path was definitely a tense one, as most light seemed to had been blocked out by the many trees, leaving only small streams of light shining through the leaves. As she traveled, Snow heard rustling sounds on each of her sides, as well as the hooting of the occasional owl. Snow tried not to think about the sounds as she continued to gallop down the path. The Huntspony said to just keep straight, so that's what she did. It seemed that the sounds were getting louder and louder as she galloped, only increasing her nervousness. All that fear disappeared though as Snow spotted an opening coming up in front of her.
Snow galloped even faster as hope started to fill her. Sure enough, the trees split off as light shined down on the small clearing. And sitting at the center was a small cottage with a brown door and shudders, a tile roof, and a brick chimney. Snow had never seen a house so adorable. It was almost like a doll house. Snow trotted up to the door and knocked. No answer. She tried again even louder. Still no answer. Now normally, Snow never just barged into a house uninvited, but she was just so curious. She put her hoof on the door and slowly pushed it open. The door made a loud creak as it opened to the small interior that matched the outside. Snow sighed dreamily as she looked around at the cute pieces of furniture. The couch at the corner of the room, a medium-sized table with seven chairs around it, and even a little sink...almost overflowing with dirty dishes. The more she looked around, the more Snow realized how dirty the place was. Apparently, the ponies who lived here didn't take good care of their residence.
"Hmm..." Snow thought, "Seven chairs...there must be seven ponies living here. Seven tiny ponies. Seven UNTIDY ponies by the looks of it. Tsk tsk. I've never seen such untidiness." Suddenly, an idea came to her head. "I know! I'll clean the house to surprise them! Maybe they'll let me stay!" It was going to be a busy job, but Snow didn't mind. She had much practice with cleaning, and could do it rather fast. There was much work to be done, so Snow hung her cloak on the door and started to clean.
Later that evening, all was peaceful in the woods. Not a sound, except for the crickets, owls...and the traveling singing. Yes, seven tiny ponies were making their way down the path, singing a catchy tune. The ponies were just the size of children, but they all had a tiny beard. They were all carrying a pickaxe on their backs and a saddlebag was strapped to each of their sides. They all traveled in a single-file line as they trotted down the path to their humble cottage, their song echoing through the forest. "Neigh-ho! Neigh-ho! It's home from work we go! Dum dum dee dum doo doo dum dum dum! Neigh-ho! Neigh-ho neigh-ho neigh-"
"Hold it guys!" The lead pony shouted out suddenly. The others came to a screeching halt as they looked forward to see what was going on. The lead pony, who was a pegasus, had an orange coat, and a short purple mane, was looking towards the cottage. A small stream of smoke was coming up out of the chimney and the lights inside were on. "Did somepony forget to turn off the lights before we left?" Everypony turned around and looked at the pony in the back, who was a bit taller than the others, but had a blank expression on his face. He was a unicorn and had an orange coat as well, but a teal mane.
"Don' look at me guys," he said with a slow voice, "I wasn't even the last one out!"
"You're ALWAYS the last one out Snails!" said another unicorn with a white coat and curly dark pink mane.
"Not true Sweetie!" retorted the stubby unicorn with a teal coat and orange mane. "I was the last a few days ago."
"Never mind that," the lead pony said, "All we know is that there's an intruder in our cottage!"
"W-w-w-what if it'th a monthter?" asked a frightened earth pony with big glasses, a cream-colored coat, and a curly red mane.
"Ah don' think there's such a thing as monsters," sighed the earth pony with a light green coat, red mane, and a big pink bow.
"There's always a first time for everything Bloomy!" shuttered the shortest of the bunch. An earth pony with a white and brown spotted coat, a brown mane, and a slight British accent. "What if Twisty IS right, and it's just waiting in there to gobble us up!"
"We are NOT going to let some monster stop us from reclaiming our cottage!" the leader shouted as the others came to attention. "I say we charge in, and give whatever is in there a hay-of-a-fight!"
"Scoots is right!" the one called Bloomy stated, "We can't be afraid! We gotta take back what's ours! CHAAAARGE!" The seven ponies gave a great shout as they galloped into the cottage.
It would've been a perfect plan...if they didn't come running out screaming in terror a few seconds later with Scoots shouting, "RUN AWAY!" The seven ponies ran behind a big oak, just in time for Fluttering Snow to come trotting out. Apparently, she was in the middle of cooking some dinner when the owners of the cottage came charging in. As soon as they burst through the door, Snow let out a horrible scream, and that set the ponies off that led them to run away in terror.
"Oh please come out," Snow called to the seven, "I won't hurt you. I was just startled, that's all." The seven poked their heads out from behind the tree in curiosity. Though they didn't get a good view of whoever was in their cottage, they saw who it was now, and at that point, all of their fears went away. As soon as they saw that the monster was just an innocent, beautiful pegasus, the seven came out from behind the tree and trotted over to her. Snow took a look at the seven tiny ponies gathered in front of her. "Goodness me. You all are the size of children, but...you have beards. If you don't mind me asking, what are you?"
"We are dwarf ponies," Scoots proclaimed proudly, "We're a special kind of pony that are raised in the mines and dig for gold. We had just came back from a day's work, and what do we find?"
"A pretty pegasus in our cottage?" asked Snails.
"It was a rhetorical question Snails," Scoots sighed, "But never mind that, we haven't introduced ourselves. My name's Scoots, the leader of the group."
"Ah'm Bloomy," the one in the bow said.
"Sweetie," said the unicorn with the curls, "Pleasure to meet you."
"And I'm Twisty," the one with the glasses said, "It'th thuch a pleathure."
"Pipsy! At your service!" introduced the short one.
"The name's Snipsy," said the stubby unicorn, "And the tall orange blockhead is Snails."
"My head's not a block!" Snails snapped, "It's more of a pear shape."
"He's not the sharpest knife in the place where they keep the knives," Snipsy whispered to Snow, who in turn, giggled.
"Well, my name is Fluttering Snow," Snow introduced with a sweet smile, "It's an honor to-"
"Fluttering Snow?!" the seven suddenly exclaimed with surprise. Snow nodded.
"We've heard 'bout you!" Bloomy said, "Yer one of the nicest ponies in the kingdom! What are ya doin' out here?"
Snow's expression drooped a bit. "I'm running for my life. Queen Rarity wants to get rid of me, so I needed a place to stay for a while. I didn't mean to invite myself into your cottage."
"Are you kidding?" Scoots proclaimed with a smile, "We're honored to have such a wonderful pony in our cottage. And if it's to get you away from that wicked queen, then you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like!" The other six nodded excitedly. Snow smiled and nodded in thanks. Suddenly, a loud bubbling noise broke the silence as the ponies looked around, wondering where the bubbling was coming from.
A realization came to Snow. "Oh goodness! I've left the stove on! I was actually in the middle of cooking some dinner before you guys came. Come on, there's plenty for everypony!" The seven dwarf ponies took in a deep whiff of the scent coming from the kitchen, and simultaneously let out a hungry sigh.
"SOUP! HOORAY!" In the blink of an eye, the seven were all inside sitting around the table. Snow rolled her eyes happily and trotted into the cottage to serve the food.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the Huntspony had turned in the tail extension to Queen Rarity, and with luck, she bought it. She really thought that Fluttering Snow was gone. After the Huntspony took his hasty leave, Rarity didn't waste any time in going to the mirror to hear her favorite answer to her favorite question. After the head appeared, Rarity struck a half triumphant half stunning pose as she proudly said, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who NOW is the fairest of them all?"
The mirror just sighed and shook its head. "Look your Majesty, you know you'll always be the fairest in my book, but I have to go with facts. And the fact is that Fluttering Snow is still the fairest one in the kingdom."
"Oh no no no," Rarity chuckled, "Silly mirror. Fluttering Snow is gone! The Huntspony took care of her, and even brought me proof." She held out the tail extension to the mirror. "Behold! Her tail!"
The mirror examined the tail very carefully, before he sighed again. "Uh...Queen Rarity, that's not her tail. That's just an extension. Fluttering Snow's still alive. I believe she's now living in a cottage in the middle of the forest with seven dwarf ponies."
Rarity's smile dropped. It didn't fade into a frown. It dropped like an anvil. Her mood suddenly changed. Her proud expression was turned into a look of absolute fury. Her face became as red as a hot stove and she even started to steam up. When she spoke, her voice had also changed, making it sound more gravely. "What? WHAAAAAAT? A TAIL EXTENSION? THAT LOUSY HUNTSPONY TRICKED ME! I'LL HAVE HIS...Fluttering Snow has tail extensions?" The mirror shrugged, just as lost as she was. "I can't believe that lousy fool! He said he was going to take care of it, but he's been pulled in by her 'sweetness!' Well then, I wasn't planning on getting my own hooves dirty, but if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!" Rarity started to think again. Think of a way to deal with Snow once and for all. She paced the room back and forth as she thought. Suddenly, a devious smile came to her face as an idea popped into her head. An even better one than before. Rarity's horn began to glow as before as she called out, "Wizard! I need you!"
Within a few minutes, Queen Rarity's Court Wizard entered. She was a unicorn with a purple coat, purple mane with pink highlights, and a group of stars as her cutie mark. Though her name was Twilight, Rarity never called her by name, mostly out of never getting to know it. As soon as she entered the chambers, Queen Rarity was in her face. "Wizard! I need a spell!"
"What kind of spell your highness?" Twilight asked.
"Do you know any...powerful sleeping spells?" Rarity responded.
"Why yes your highness," Twilight replied, "I happen to know a sleeping spell so powerful, it would make it seem like the pony was dead. Only one thing can break the spell, but it is VERY unlikely that they would have one at that time."
"Perfect!" Rarity snickered. Her horn suddenly began to glow again, as a shiny red apple came hovering through the air and landed in Rarity's grasp. "I want you to put that spell into this apple. Call it...an experiment that I'm working on."
"Very well your highness," Twilight said. She took a few steps back as she closed her eyes to focus. Soon, her horn began to glow with a purple aura as she aimed at the apple. And then, in a split second, A beam of light shot out of the horn and hit the apple directly. Though the apple still maintained its red, delicious appearance, inside, the spell had been put in place, and was ready to put anypony to sleep who bit into it.
"Well done Wizard!" Rarity congratulated, "You may go." Twilight bowed as she left the room. Rarity eyed the apple with a devious smile. "Now, all I have to do is make sure that Snow bites the apple, and all my problems will be over!"
"But how are you gonna do that?" the mirror asked, "She probably knows that you tried to take her out once already."
"Ah simple mirror, "Rarity scoffed, "The best thing about Fluttering Snow is that she's so forgiving. And naive. No mistakes this time. Tomorrow, Fluttering Snow will sing her last song for a very, VERY long time."
Morning had come as the warm sun beams shown through the spaces in the trees and to the middle of the clearing. The cottage stood peacefully in the center, and inside, seven happy dwarf ponies were eating a delicious breakfast prepared by Fluttering Snow.
Scoots smiled big as she cleaned off her fried oats. "Miss Snow, that was some of the best fried oats I've ever tasted!"
"And not only that, but you are a wonderful housekeeper!" Sweetie chimed in, "I mean, I've never seen this place so clean!"
"And thanks for singing us all to sleep last night," Pipsy said happily, "It was beautiful."
Snow smiled sweetly. "Thank you guys. It was no trouble at all. You all took me in, so it's the least I can do." As Snow got up to clean the dishes, there was a sudden knock at the door.
"Now who could that be?" Bloomy asked. The others shrugged as Snow went to answer. As soon as she opened the door though, her face changed to that of worry. The dwarf ponies noticed this and went to see who was at the door. When they saw who it was, their faces changed to that of pure terror. There was Queen Rarity, standing with a smile (obviously forced), right in front of Snow and the others. An awkward moment of silence passed as the ponies just stared at each other, until Scoots broke the silence.
"What the hay are YOU doing here Queen Rarity?" she asked rudely.
"Yeah! Yer not welcome here!" Bloomy chimed in.
"Please please," Rarity answered calmly, but elegantly, "I'm just here to talk to Snow. To...apologize." It was obvious that she had to swallow her pride to even say "apologize" to Snow, who looked at her with confusion.
"Apologize?" Snow asked.
"Y-yes," Rarity answered, "I-I shouldn't have tried to take you out. I just let my jealousy get the better of me is all. I'm deeply sorry. And to show my apology," Rarity's horn glowed again as she levitated her poisoned apple out of her saddle bag up in front of Snow's face, "I brought you a peace offering." Snow eyed the apple curiously. She knew she should've been acting more suspicious, but she lived by the philosophy that everypony deserved a second chance. Plus the apple DID look tempting. Snow smiled softly and took the apple while the others looked on with worry.
"You thure you wanna eat that? Twisty asked, "You don't know what sthe did to it!"
"It's ok Twisty," Snow said sweetly, "I'm willing to bury the hatchet and give the Queen a second chance. We've all made mistakes." Rarity chuckled deviously as she watched Snow take the bait. Snow turned back to the apple and slowly opened her mouth as she moved the apple closer to her teeth. Rarity and the dwarf ponies watched in anticipation to see what would happen next. As Snow bit down, a loud CRUNCH was heard as she chewed the apple with a sweet expression, obviously liking the taste. "Mmmmm," Snow hummed happily as she swallowed, "It's really good. Nice and juicy. Thank you your Majes-" Suddenly, Snow's expression changed. Her sweet smile quickly faded into a slight frown. She felt her eyes starting to get heavy as they started to close. Her legs then gave out as she dropped to the ground, her eyes finally closing completely.
Rarity couldn't hold it in anymore. A maniacal laugh started to build up as she looked at Snow's now unconscious body. What started as a chuckle ended up as a full out cackle as the dwarf ponies ran to Snow's side, an expression of horror on each of their faces. The started to shake Snow, but she wouldn't budge an inch.
"What did you do to her?" Sweetie snapped at Rarity.
"I simply put little, innocent Fluttering Snow into a deep deep sleep," Rarity responded, still smiling sinisterly, "It's finally done! Now I'M the fairest of them all!"
"That's what this was about?" Scoots asked disgustedly, "You poisoned Miss Snow just so you could win a popularity contest? She gave you a second chance and it was all an act for your own benefit? You...you...WITCH!"
Rarity stopped her laughing as she heard the word "witch" reach her ears. Normally she didn't let words get to her, but something about being called a witch hit her in a way that she never felt before. "Now now. Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" she asked.
"I don't think it's harsh enough!" Snipsy snapped, "I'd say she's a MONSTER!" That hurt even more, but the others chimed in with some more.
"You're desthpicable!" Twisty shouted.
"Absolutely horrid!" Pipsy growled.
"This is why NOPONY in the kingdom likes you!" Bloomy said, "You're nothing but a heartless dictator who doesn't care about others feelings!"
"You're mean!" Snails chimed in. Simple, but effective.
These words sank into Rarity like quicksand. She never heard others talk to her like that, but then again, she never took the time to listen to them. Was it true? Was she despised throughout the entire kingdom? Was she nothing but a heartless dictating monster who took out whoever got in her way? Rarity's cocky smile faded quickly as she looked at the glaring dwarf ponies before her. A sudden pain came to her heart as a realization came to her; she WASN'T liked at all! Her outer beauty was hiding an inner demon all along. She never had any real friends, or even real fans. She just threatened those who would go against her. What was the point of being the fairest of them all if she was all alone.
Just then, Rarity felt something else. Something sliding down her cheek. It was a tear. She was actually, truly disgusted with herself. Fluttering Snow deserved the title Fairest in the Land, because she had kindness in her heart, something that Rarity was missing. She had let her jealousy drive her into doing something inhumane.
"W-w-what have I done?" Rarity mumbled as more tears started to show. The others' expression changed to that of confusion when they saw the Queen crying. "What have I done? I-I feel so horrible! Why couldn't I see it before! Oh Snow! I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry!"
"Well if you're really sorry," Sweetie said, "Then tell us how to wake her up!"
"I-I seriously don't know," Rarity replied, "I was never told. I don't know how to wake her!" Everypony hung their head in defeat as they looked at Snow's sleeping body. There was no known way to wake her up. The dwarf ponies started to cry too as they started to mourn the fate of their old friend.
"Hey! What's wrong with everypony!"
Everypony jumped at the new high-pitched voice. They all turned to see a smiling pink face standing behind them. The pink stranger looked from Rarity to the dwarf ponies to Snow as she observed the situation. "I was just walking along the path when I saw you guys gathered around this sleeping pegasus. Is something wrong?" she asked happily.
"Something terrible madame!" Pipsy squeaked as he wiped the tears from his eyes, "Miss Fluttering Snow has fallen asleep because of a poisoned apple, and we don't know how to wake her up!"
"Well, can I try?" the stranger asked. The others looked at each other with confusion, wandering if a stranger who they just met would know anything about lifting a spell from a poisoned apple. However, they were willing to try anything, so they nodded and cleared a path for the stranger. The pink earth pony hopped over to the sleeping body as she observed it closely, trying to see what could be done. Suddenly, all the ponies present gasped as they saw the stranger start leaning her head down towards Snow's. From the look of it, it looked like she was getting ready to KISS her! Would that really work? The others watched with anticipation as the stranger's lips drew closer and closer to Snow's. Closer and closer and closer. Their lips were millimeters apart when...
BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!
The sound of an air horn shook the clearing as the stranger held it right next to Snow's ear. Everypony jumped from fright, but not as much as Fluttering Snow. Not only did she wake up almost instantly, but she got so much of a fright, she blasted off ten feet into the air before gently coming down. Everypony rubbed their ears in pain as the stranger quickly said, "Well, there you go! Glad I was able to help! See ya around!" And with that, the stranger was hopping down the trail, singing a happy tune. Nopony knew what to say. How can anypony respond from that? A stranger just...comes out of nowhere and is able to break a powerful sleeping spell with an AIR HORN? They didn't even get the stranger's name.
But it didn't matter, as Fluttering Snow was back to normal! All the dwarf ponies ran to her and gathered for a big group hug as they continued to cry, but with happy tears.
"We're so glad you're alright Miss Snow!" Sweetie sobbed.
"Don't leave uth again!" Twisty cried.
"WE MISSED YOU!" Bloomy and Pipsy said together.
Snow smiled happily as she looked over the sobbing dwarf ponies. Still, something didn't seem right, like there was somepony missing. She then looked up to see Rarity leaving the clearing with her head hanging. Snow broke through the others and trotted up to her. "Your Majesty?" Rarity turned around with a sad look on her face, tears still lingering in her eyes. Snow wrapped an arm around her as she used her other one to wipe the tears away. "You don't have to leave yet."
"But...but why would you say that?" Rarity asked with utter confusion, "I tried to take you out...twice! And I lied to you. And you STILL forgive me?"
"Everypony makes mistakes," Snow responded with a caring smile, "Nopony deserves to be alone. It's natural to let emotions get the better of you, for better or for worse, but that doesn't mean you're a terrible pony. I'm willing to forgive you if YOU can forgive yourself." Rarity looked at the smiling pegasus in front of her, and couldn't help but feel...in awe. Fluttering Snow really WAS the fairest in the land, and Rarity was alright with that. For the first time, she was alright with that title belonging to somepony else, because she deserved it.
"I think I learned an important lesson today," Rarity said softly.
"That inner beauty is just as, if not more, important than outer beauty and that you shouldn't let jealousy get the better of you because it just leaves to you hurting those around you, not to mention that there's no point in being fairest if you're all alone?" Snails said out of nowhere.
Dead silence filled the air as everypony, jaws literally dropped down to the floor, stared at Snails in utter shock and confusion. "What?" Snails asked as he looked at everypony, "Every now and then I have my moments!"
And that's the story of Fluttering Snow and the Seven Ponies. If you're wondering what happened to everypony, Fluttering Snow continued to live in the cottage, looking after her new friends. Queen Rarity returned to the throne as a newly developed ruler. She started treating others with pure kindness and generosity, and in time, she became much loved throughout the kingdom, proving once again that inner beauty is what counts every time. And as you probably guessed, they all lived happily ever after.
THE END.
As Pinkie ended her story, she looked up to see the Cake twins sleeping like a rock. Pinkie smiled softly as she went over to each of them, kissed them on the foreheads, and headed for the door. As she turned the lights off, she heard a slight grumble from behind. She turned around to see Pumpkin, sitting up, looking at Pinkie.
"Thanks for the stories Aunt Pinkie," she grumbled drowsily, "Do...do you think we can hear some more tomorrow?"
Pinkie smiled even bigger. "You bet kiddo," she said sweetly, "Goodnight." She then quietly closed the door, and headed off to her own room, humming as she trotted.
