Prologue:
Differences
The city of Townsville!
… Is not where this story takes place. Let's join our heroes, the Powerpuff Girls, as they recover from the latest scheme of villainy that has befallen them.
"When I get my hands on Princess, she's going to wish she was never born," Buttercup said, rousing Blossom from unconsciousness.
She tried to open her eyes, but that was a mistake. The sudden light set off a nuclear explosion in her brain, causing her to screw her eyes shut. "Now, Buttercup, don't do anything you might regret," Blossom chided. "After all, we're alive and well, aren't we? Er… alive anyway," she amended after a moment. "I have a headache the size of some of those monsters from Monster Island."
"Well, at least I'm not alone in that," Buttercup's voice replied. "Someone ought to tell those overseas scientists not to accept Princess's credit card. What was that gun, anyway?"
"Beats me," Bubbles chimed in with a groan. "Ow… why is the light so bright? Can someone turn it down?" She had apparently learned the same thing that Blossom had; don't open your eyes right after being unconscious.
Sucking in a breath, Blossom risked cracking one eye open. The sliver of light didn't set off any explosions in her mind, so she slowly opened it further, followed by her other eye. She was on her back, staring at the sky. Glancing around, she saw that she was in a clearing in a rather dark forest. The look of the trees gave her the shivers. Twitching a little, Blossom tried to move. When her body didn't protest, she forced herself to sit up with a grunt. As she did so, however, something felt off. Why couldn't she feel her hands? She looked down at her arms.
"What the heck?!" Her arm was covered in short, thick pink hair and ended in… well, a hoof. She winced as the shout set off another explosion in her head. Trying to massage her head didn't help that much, especially since she no longer had fingers.
"Blossom, not so loud," Buttercup groaned, with a whimper of agreement from Bubbles. "What's gotten you so… oh." As Buttercup's voice trailed off, Blossom looked around, and spotted what she assumed were her sisters.
A light-green pony was pushing herself to her hooves; the absolutely peeved expression on her face, in addition to an untidy black mane and tail, told that this was Buttercup. Next to her, a light-blue pony with Bubbles’s hai- uh, mane-style stared in turn at the other two and herself.
"Well… this is different," Bubbles said before rising to her hooves.
"Different? That's not the word I'd use," Buttercup snorted, scuffing the ground with a hoof. If it weren't for the fact that the ponies' mouths were moving in tandem with the words that were spoken, Blossom was sure she'd have been looking harder for her sisters. As it was, she could only look down at her own pink-haired legs and hooves.
"Alright, let's not lose our heads, here," Blossom said after a moment, trying to regain control of the situation. "This is… bizarre, true, but we can't fall to pieces because we're not in our old bodies. This isn't the first time we've been changed into something else, remember?"
"Yeah, but last time, we couldn't talk. This isn't normal," Buttercup countered. "Plus, that time was because Mojo stole that Anubis head, and was changing everyone. Who knows why or how we changed this time."
"Calm down, Buttercup," Bubbles said, lifting off into a hover. "We can't just… huh?" Twisting her head around, she looked at her back. A pair of wings the same color as her coat were flapping on Bubbles's back, keeping her aloft. "Where did these come from?" she asked, confused.
Blossom and Buttercup checked their own backs, only to find them devoid of wings. Buttercup then looked at Blossom, and her eyes widened. "No wings, but you've got a horn on your head, Leader Girl."
Reaching up with a hoof (a feat that she idly noted was normally impossible for ponies), Blossom could indeed feel something sticking out from her forehead. "So…I'm a unicorn, then? And Bubbles is a pegasus?"
Buttercup shrugged. "So what does that make me? Just a pony? Not like it really mat-oof!" She had attempted to kick off into the air, only to fall back to earth. "What the-?! I can't fly anymore!"
"What?!" the other two exclaimed, eyes widening.
Blossom then tried to fly as well, with no more success than Buttercup. Her eyes widened even more. "Girls, quick! We need to test all of our powers!" she ordered quickly. "We'll do our shared powers first, then the ones unique to each of us, got it?"
"Right!" Bubbles and Buttercup nodded.
"Okay, first thing's first: super strength!" Blossom said, standing up. She started to walk over to a tree, only to fall flat on her face as she tripped over her own hooves. "Ugh… correction: learning how to walk."
Buttercup chuckled a little, until she fell over with her first steps as well. "Seconded," she groaned.
Bubbles giggled at the display, until Blossom fixed her with a look. "Um, what?" the blond pegasus asked.
"You too, Bubbles. If Buttercup and I have to suffer, so do you," Blossom replied.
Sighing, Bubbles dropped out of her hover, and soon joined her sisters in tripping over herself.
"Ugh, this is going to take a while…" Buttercup moaned.
Despite Buttercup's worry, the three transformed superheroes were soon able to move about naturally, as though they'd been born ponies.
"Okay, let's try this again," Blossom said, walking- er, trotting - over to a tree. "First test: super strength!" She raised a forehoof before remembering that she currently lacked hands. Blinking, she frowned, then turned to face away from the tree before kicking out with one hind leg. The tree shook a little, but didn't budge otherwise. Her frown changed into a disappointed look.
"No luck?" Bubbles asked, trotting over to Blossom from where she had tried kicking at her own tree. "Well, I suppose it's not the end of the world. Super strength isn't every-"
CRACK! Crash!
Both of them jumped and spun to face the noise. They saw a very smug-looking Buttercup walking away from the splintered stump she had just kicked the tree off of.
"I think that's a check for me," the black-maned pony said.
Blossom coughed. "Okay. That's Buttercup: 1, Bubbles and I: 0. Next up…heat vision! Let's pile some dead twigs and such together for targets." She reached up to break off some branches from the tree she was next to, only to once again be reminded of her lack of fingers. "Ugh, this is ridiculous!" she burst out, surprising the other two. "How can a limb that moves like an arm not have anything to grip with?! If I could just grab and hold something, that would make things a lot easier right now!" She didn't notice a snapping sound, nor her sisters' eyes widening.
"Um, Leader Girl…?" Buttercup said, trailing off.
"What?" Blossom asked sharply, turning to look at her brash sister.
"The branches… your horn…" was all Bubbles could squeak out.
"What about the bran…ches…?" Blossom turned back around, only to see the branches she had been reaching for floating in front of her face, wrapped in a pink aura. "What the heck?!" As she gasped in shock, the aura vanished, and the branches fell to the ground.
"Uh, Blossom, your horn was glowing at the same time those branches were floating," Bubbles explained. "Maybe it's some kind of unicorn magic?"
Blossom blinked. "Maybe…" She then concentrated, thinking about moving the branches. After a few moments, the branches were wrapped in the pink aura again, and began floating. "So a unicorn's horn allows a form of telekinesis," she commented, as she began gathering more branches, as well as loose twigs and other forest debris. "Remarkable. Still, this makes things easier for us."
"Speak for yourself," Buttercup muttered, glaring at her hooves. She looked up, and saw that Blossom was arranging the various debris into three piles. She also surrounded each pile with a circle of rocks, to prevent fire from spreading.
"Alright, like I said," Blossom remarked as she trotted back over to her sisters. "Test 2: Heat Vision."
The three each looked at one of the three piles, and focused. A moment later, one of the piles burst into flame, courtesy of a red beam. Bubbles and Buttercup blinked, then glanced at Blossom, who stared upwards, slightly cross-eyed.
"Nice shot, Leader Girl," Buttercup commented. "Looks like that's a point for you."
"Yeah…only it didn't come from my eyes. It came from my horn," Blossom said, confused.
"Eh, a point's a point. Who cares how it happened? You've got our heat rays." Buttercup was doing her best to not sound disappointed.
Bubbles coughed this time. "Well, what's next on the list, Blossom?"
Blinking, the unicorn shook her head. "Um, let's see… how about our auxiliary vision abilities?" Seeing her sisters' blank stares, she sighed. "Telescopic and see-through vision."
"Oh," the other two said with a nod.
For a few moments, the Girls-turned-ponies looked around, focusing on their enhanced vision abilities. This time, Bubbles cheered. "I've got them! Both of them!"
Blossom and Buttercup sighed. "So is that one point or two?" asked Buttercup.
"Eh, the two are related, so we'll count it as one." Blossom said. "Hm, what else do we share…?"
"Hearing?" asked Buttercup.
"What should we listen for?" replied Blossom. "Ugh, I didn't think about this. Some of our powers are rather circumstantial."
"Hey, here's an idea," Buttercup said, turning to Bubbles. "Bubbles, fly up above the treeline, then try speaking to us like you would normally."
Bubbles blinked, but nodded, soaring up over the trees. A few moments passed before Blossom and Buttercup sighed again.
"I can't hear her. Can you?" asked Blossom.
"Nope. This bites. Only thing I've got so far is our strength." Buttercup was definitely disappointed… and unless Blossom's ears were failing her in more ways than one, there was also a bit of fear in the green pony's voice.
Bubbles soared back down at this point. "Well, looks like I've got that one, too. I could hear you two clearly."
"And we already know you've got flight," Blossom said. "Is there anything else we share?"
"I don't think so. The only things left I can think of are unique to one of us," Bubbles replied.
Neither of them noticed Buttercup's slowly shrinking irises. "Just… just unique powers?" she asked, unable to hide a stammer.
"Looks like," Blossom said. "Let's see if I've still got my ice breath…" She sucked in a breath, aiming at the still-burning pile of debris from her heat test. To her confusion, a blue ray shot out of her horn, freezing the flames solid. "Huh. Again, it came out of my horn."
Bubbles rolled her eyes. "Duh, Blossom. If you knew anything about fantasy, you'd know that unicorn horns are central to their magic."
"Well, excuse me for being more interested in facts rather than myths," Blossom retorted. Then she blinked. "Er, that is, should-be myths."
Bubbles sighed. "Well, I've got one thing left that I can think of…" She sucked in a breath of her own.
Blossom and Buttercup clapped their hooves over their ears just in time. A piercing shriek escaped Bubbles's lips, ruffling their manes from the force. It lasted only a second, but when they looked up, they saw that the loose debris piles had been blown away.
"Sonic Scream, check for Bubbles," Blossom said, standing up. She turned to Buttercup. "I can't remember, do you have - Buttercup?"
Buttercup had curled up in the fetal position, her irises little more than pinpricks now. "One thing… I only have one thing, out of all the things we used to share," she mumbled. "We used to be so alike… what's happened to us? Why are we so different now?" Her voice grew louder with every word.
Bubbles and Blossom exchanged wide-eyed looks. Neither of them could remember Buttercup acting like this before. "Um, Buttercup?" Bubbles asked, looking back at the increasingly hysterical pony.
Buttercup didn't hear her. "Why?! What's going on here?! Why am I the one who's lost the most?!" Before she could panic much further, her head was seized in a pink aura, and pulled to look Blossom in the eyes.
"Snap out of it!" barked the unicorn. Buttercup's hysterical rambling stopped. "Close your eyes," Blossom continued. The green pony did so. "Breathe. Just take a deep breath." Blossom repeated the mantra, recalling the first chapter of a book on meditation she had read once. Buttercup drew in a breath, then breathed out. Inhale, exhale. After another moment, she opened her eyes. Her irises had returned to normal.
"I'm sorry, girls. It was just too many blows in too short a time," she apologized, her eyes brimming with tears. "I mean, I know we'd all started to branch off from each other back home, but still, we had so much in common. And now? Now we've got nothing, aside from our names." Buttercup was the tough one, the pillar of strength for the girls. But even she wasn't immune to being sad. When she was sad about something, it was often something big.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone. "Oh," Bubbles said, hugging her with her forehooves. "Don't worry, Buttercup. Even if we're not the same anymore, we're still sisters at heart."
Blossom joined in the hug. "And that's what counts. Bubbles is right. We may not look the same or have the same powers, but it's what's inside that matters. Right now, we can't afford to lose our heads. We've got no idea where we are, or why we're in these bodies. We have to keep our cools until we know more. And we're not going to learn anything else here. So let's get moving."
Wiping the tears out of her eyes, Buttercup nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." Bubbles nodded as well, and the three girls set off.
After leaving the clearing, the forest had quickly turned dark. Still, with Bubbles scouting the way, they soon found a path that led out of the forest. As they left, they all unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yeesh… That place was creepy," Buttercup said, shivering a little.
"Were you scared?" asked Blossom in a teasing tone.
"No!" Buttercup replied quickly. "I'm just… not used to being so underpowered. Who knows what that place has in it? What if we'd run into something like a cockatrice?"
Blossom rolled her eyes. "Please, Buttercup, cockatrices only exist in myths."
Buttercup gave her a half-lidded stare in response. "Says the unicorn, who's traveling with a pegasus."
Blossom blinked. "Uh… point taken," she said, now giving the forest a wary look. After a moment, she shook herself. "Um, Bubbles, can you go up and have a look around for us?"
With a nod, Bubbles soared higher into the sky. She looked around for a bit, before jerking back in midair. Something had startled her. When she returned to the others, she said, "Well, I think I know why we have these new bodies."
"Huh?" the other two replied with a blink.
"You can probably see it over the next hill," Bubbles said, as she floated forward. The other two followed, cresting the hill, and gasped at what they saw.
A small town lay before them. It seemed to consist mostly of small one-or-two-story houses with thatched straw roofs. There were a few buildings that stood out, such as one that looked like the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel, a circular building with a small spire in the middle, and a rather large tree with windows. But what got the girls' attention were-
"Ponies!" Blossom and Buttercup breathed. The town appeared to be entirely inhabited by ponies. A few pegasi flew through the airspace above the town, while other ponies walked on the ground. The girls didn't need super vision to see all of this; all of the ponies were quadrupedal and colorful.
For a moment, all three of them just stared. After a moment, Blossom finally spoke. "That gun that Princess used… it must have been some sort of trans-dimensional displacement device! That's pretty amazing, actually."
Buttercup and Bubbles blinked and looked at her. "Uh, care to say that in layman's terms?" Buttercup asked.
Blossom sighed. "It transported us to another dimension. That's what that vortex was, a dimensional tear. Which means getting home's going to be trickier than I thought."
"Will we make it back home?" asked Bubbles, voice shaking slightly.
"I'm… not sure," Blossom admitted, looking down. "I've never heard of anything like this happening before." She shook herself, going into leader mode. "But we can worry about getting home later. Right now, we're in unfamiliar territory, so here's what we'll do. I'll go into town, see if they have a library or somewhere else where I can get some information. Bubbles, you fly overhead, scout the area. Buttercup, you look through the outskirts of town, see if you can learn anything from there. We'll try to meet up later, okay?"
Despite their trepidation at the possibility of not going home, the other two replied with a firm "Got it!" Bubbles took off into the air, while Buttercup took a side road that branched off of the path they were on. Blossom herself took a breath, then began her trek into town.
Chapter 1: Introductions, Part 1
Chapter 1:
Introductions, Part 1
As she got closer, Blossom could tell something right away; she was smaller than most of these ponies, albeit not by too much. It makes sense, she thought. We're only 12, still young by human standards. Most of these ponies are adults. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice another pony crossing her path until they collided.
"Oof!" Both Blossom and her new acquaintance went sprawling. From the sound of things, the other pony had dropped a few grocery bags. Blossom herself landed face-first in a mudhole, much to her embarrassment. I've already cleaned my hair 3 times today! she thought with a groan. She could hear a few other ponies chuckling, as well as one very nearby voice.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going at all!" The voice was cultured and female. Dragging her face out of the mud and shaking it a little, Blossom got a look at the speaker. She was another unicorn, one with a pure white coat and a curly purple mane and tail. The curls looked like they'd been styled that way on purpose. A few paper bags lay scattered around, though it looked like nothing had spilled.
"It's okay," Blossom said, pushing herself upright. "I wasn't paying any attention either. No harm done."
"No harm?" the white mare exclaimed. "My dear, I've completely ruined your mane. I simply must apologize in the best way possible!" As she spoke, her bags were lifted in a soft blue aura. "Come along, dear, I'll have you fixed up in no time at all!"
Blossom, distracted by remembering Bubble's words about unicorn magic, found herself being pulled along by the other unicorn's own telekinesis. "But-I-wait!" she tried to explain, to no avail. She found herself being led to the circular building with the spire, which bore a sign reading, 'Carousel Boutique'. Blossom hadn't imagined that ponies could run a boutique. Maybe this place won't be as bad as I thought…
A quick rinse and dry later, Blossom found herself being whisked through a fashion show the likes of which she'd never seen before. She'd been forced into half-a-dozen different outfits, when her 'host' had finally settled on a red frilly vest bordered with rubies.
"Well, my dear, what do you think?" the white unicorn asked, obviously pleased with this choice.
Blossom was entranced. She had never thought ponies would have such a sense of fashion! "This… is one of the best designs I've ever seen! I mean, I've worked on dresses before, but never with jewels. You've woven them into these outfits seamlessly. You're quite possibly the best fashion designer I've ever had the pleasure to meet!"
Her host's eyes sparkled. "Isn't it the truth? I've designed outfits fit for royalty. And you, my dear, have a better eye than most. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!" She smiled, then gasped. "Oh! Where have my manners gone? I've been so rude, dragging you into my store, and I haven't even given you my name!" Recovering her smile, she held out a hoof. "I'm Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique. Welcome to Ponyville!"
Blossom smiled back. "I'm Blossom," she replied, and shook Rarity's hoof with her own. With ponies like her, I think I might enjoy it here in Ponyville.
Bubbles was flying over the town, surveying the location of every building. She couldn't help but smile. It's so peaceful here…so serene…
The peace was shattered by a shout from behind and above her. "Incoming!!" Seconds from being run over by an out-of-control pegasus, Bubbles kicked off the air into a backwards somersault. At the height of her jump, she saw a rainbow-colored blur zoom by underneath, impacting with a cloud. Bubbles completed her somersault, and flew over to the cloud, a bit concerned as the other pony emerged.
It was another pegasus, as she thought. Her body was similar in hue to Bubbles herself. Her mane and tail, however, were almost a literal rainbow, including six of the main colors, from red to indigo. Both were done in a spiky style that heavily reminded Bubbles of Buttercup. Her rose-colored eyes were currently gazing at Bubbles with an appraising look.
"Nice reflexes," the rainbow-maned pegasus said at last, smiling. She patted the cloud next to her. Bubbles, taking the invitation, landed. It wasn't the first time she had sat down on a cloud. "You've got some moves, avoiding me like you did with hardly any warning and all. You got a name?" The pegasus's voice was brash, but friendly.
"I'm Bubbles," the blond pegasus answered, holding out a hoof.
"The name's Rainbow Dash," the other introduced herself, shaking the offered hoof. "You know, not every pegasus has the skill to do what you did. You a good flier?"
Bubbles blinked at the question. "Well, I like to think so, yes."
Rainbow got a gleam in her eyes. "Well, do you think you're good enough to take on the fastest flier in all Equestria? That is to say, me?"
Bubbles arched an eyebrow at the title. Someone's confident, she thought idly. Out loud, she asked, "Not sure. What's in it for me?"
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Whaddya mean, what's in it for you?! You're challenging the fastest flier in Equestria! If you win somehow, you get the right to call yourself that. If you lose, you can still say you had fun. It's as simple as that!"
Bubbles cocked her head to the side. "So… you race… for fun?" Bubbles wasn't an idiot. Call her a 'bimbo', and she'd clock you upside the head. Still, she was rather naive about certain things, such as sports.
"Uh, yeah! Why else would I race? Well, aside from practicing for the Wonderbolts," Rainbow was quick to add.
Not that I know who the Wonderbolts are, Bubbles thought. Still, she smiled. "Well, if you're practicing, I suppose I can oblige you."
"Great!" Rainbow began scanning around. "Alright, you see that cloud waaaay over there? Over the library? That's our endpoint."
The 'library', it seemed, was inside the tree with windows. Blossom might be in there by now… Nodding, Bubbles set herself in a racing stance. She'd seen some track-and-field races in her school days, so she knew a bit about how it worked. Next to her, Rainbow Dash took a similar stance. "So, are we going to have a countdown, or what?"
Dash smirked. "On your mark… get set… GO!" The rainbow-maned pegasus's legs fired, hurtling her forward at a speed few ponies could match.
Bubbles, however, was one of those few ponies. She kicked off the cloud at the same time Rainbow did, and flapped her wings furiously. She kept pace with Rainbow easily. Seeing this, Rainbow began to flap her wings harder, trying to get ahead. Bubbles, in response, matched the rhythm of Rainbow's wingbeats, keeping them neck-and-neck. Whenever Rainbow increased her speed, Bubbles matched it.
They collided with the cloud above the library at the exact same time, as Bubbles had planned on. She had no desire to be called the 'fastest flier in Equestria'. She wasn't competitive, after all. Next to her, Rainbow gave her a critical look.
"Not bad at all, Bubbles. But that was just a straight-shot course. Tying me on a straight course isn't that big a deal. It's when you add things like twists and turns and the like that I can really show what I've got." The rainbow-maned pegasus was trying to sound gruff, but Bubbles could hear that she had actually impressed the 'fastest flier'.
"It's no big deal, Rainbow. I'm not that competitive a pony, actually. I just wanted to help you get some practice for the Wonderbolts," Bubbles said.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Could've fooled me. You looked pretty serious during that little flight." She then smiled. "Now, if you really wanna help me practice, then you've gotta wait until I can get a real race course set up. That could take a while."
Bubbles blinked, but then smiled. "Sure. Just tell me when you've gotten things ready, and I'll be ready to help you out!"
"Great! This friendship is looking good," Rainbow Dash said, throwing a foreleg around Bubbles's neck. "By the way, welcome to Ponyville!"
Inwardly, Bubbles blinked at the casual acknowledgement of friendship, but then she smiled. Now that I think about it, we Powerpuff Girls don't have much in the way of true friends… this looks like a good time to change that.
Buttercup was lost. She could normally follow directions as well as the next person… when flying, anyway. On the ground, she needed something to follow, or someone to help her. She didn't have either at the moment.
She had taken the side road down for a while, but had gotten herself completely turned around and lost when she'd tripped over a loose stone. That trip had sent her careening off the path. Now she couldn't find the path, despite searching her best.
"Darn it, I wish Bubbles were here. She could probably find the path for me." Thinking about her sister made her remember why she was having such problems in the first place. "Argh! I just don't get it. Why were we all separated into different breeds? We're sisters, for crying out loud, we should at least have all been the same breed."
In her frustration, she kicked at a nearby tree with one of her hind legs. She hadn't used her full force, as she didn't hold grudges against plant life. Still, she was rather surprised when she found herself buried under a shower of apples. Surfacing, she looked at the apple pile she'd found herself in, then glanced around. She had stumbled into an apple orchard.
"Oh, great. That's all I need. If the orchard's owner comes out here and sees this, they are going to be peeved that I knocked down all of the apples on this tree," she groaned.
"Ah wouldn't say ah'd be peeved, more like ah'm curious as t'how ya bucked all the apples off with jus' one leg," came a southern drawl from behind her. Were it not for the feminine tone, Buttercup would have linked the voice to a certain territorial hillbilly back home. Still, she turned around slowly. If this pony is in any way pink, I'm booking it, she told herself.
Her fears, fortunately, were unfounded. The mare in question wasn't pink at all. Her body was colored orange, and she had a blond mane and tail, both tied off at the ends. Green eyes peered at Buttercup from beneath the rim of a brown hat. Overall, she gave a much more welcoming appearance than Fuzzy Lumpkins did.
"Um… hi. Sorry about this," Buttercup said, pulling herself out of the pile of apples.
"Don't worry 'bout it none, ah ain't mad, sugarcube. Like ah said, ah'm jus' curious as t'how ya bucked a full tree's crop off with jus' one leg," the cowpony repeated.
"Well… I've done a lot of training with my legs in my time. I'm probably one of the strongest ponies around," Buttercup said, truthfully. She had done a fair amount of kicking villains and criminals around, especially when she was younger.
The cowpony nodded, and smiled broadly. "With a kick like that, ah don' doubt it. Hay, ah thought fer a second ya might be family. But, ah've never seen ya at any o' the reunions, so that ain't it. Name's Applejack, by the way." She held out a hoof.
Buttercup blinked, then smiled back. "Buttercup. Nice to meet you," she replied, shaking the proffered hoof.
"Likewise," Applejack nodded. "So, if'n ya don' mind mah askin', what got ya so worked up ya decided to take it out on mah apple trees?"
Buttercup blinked, then sighed. "Well… I just got into town today. I came with… a couple of friends, a pegasus and a unicorn." She decided that saying they were her sisters wouldn't be believable, since they were all different breeds. "I've… just always been jealous. I mean, Blossom can move things with her mind and Bubbles can fly. Me? I can't do anything cool like that. I'm just a normal pony." She looked down, her earlier depression coming back full force.
Fortunately, she still wasn't alone. "Sugarcube, ah don' know who ya been talkin' to ta go an' get those kinda ideas in yer head. So ya don' have magic. So what? So ya cain't fly. Who cares?" Applejack leaned in, reaching out a hoof to raise Buttercup's head to look her in the eyes. "There are plenty o' things we earth ponies kin do that pegasi an' unicorns cain't. If'n it weren't fer us, the other breeds would starve. We grow most of Equestria's food, y'know. Not ta say pegasi and unicorns cain't grow their own, they jus' ain't as good as we are. Plus, we're usually stronger an' tougher than the average pony of another breed. Hay, ya done proved that already. Ah've yet ta see a unicorn or pegasus that kin buck a whole Sweet Apple Acres apple tree with one leg."
The cowpony's kind tone, combined with the southern drawl, had the desired effect of lifting Buttercup's spirits. "Yeah… you're right. I shouldn't sulk about the things I don't have. I gotta be proud of the things I do have, and work with them."
Applejack smiled. "Thar ya go, Buttercup. Ya jus' gotta think positive." She then looked around. "Say, ah was due ta bring in some o' our crop to market in Ponyville, anyway… Ya wouldn' mind lendin' a hoof, would ya?"
Buttercup blinked. "Well… what exactly would that entail?"
"Nothin' big. Ya'd just need ta pull the wagon inta town, while ah go on ahead and set up shop." Applejack led Buttercup through the orchard as she was talking. They soon came to a large barn. Near the barn was a wagon laden with various types of apples. "Normally, mah brother Big Macintosh would haul the wagon, but he went and hurt his ankle, so he ain't up to pullin' nothin' for a while."
Buttercup nodded. "Sounds simple enough… assuming I don't trip off the path again." Noting Applejack's odd look, the green pony sighed. "I have a bad sense of direction when I don't have something to follow, okay?"
"Ah. That'd explain why ya were in mah apple orchard, lookin' a little lost." The cowpony wasn't laughing, though she did have a small smile. "Don' worry none, ah won' say nothin' to nopony else. Meet ya in Ponyville!" With that, Applejack turned and headed down the path, under a sign that read 'Sweet Apple Acres'.
Sighing, she looked at the wagon, then turned around, backing herself into the harness. "Now how in the hay am I supposed to hook this up without help?" She blinked at the slip, as she'd meant to say 'heck'. "Great. Not even in town an hour, and I'm already getting used to the place." Not that there's anything wrong with that…
Chapter 2: Introductions, Part 2
Chapter 2:
Introductions, Part 2
Laughter could be heard from within Carousel Boutique. Two unicorns were looking over a few pieces of paper, occasionally switching out which one they were currently viewing.
"I must say, Blossom, it's so refreshing to meet somepony with a keen eye for design. Most ponies in Ponyville think I'm too stuck-up due to my fixation on fashion," Rarity said between chuckles.
"Well, I've never had that problem," Blossom replied. "My friends just had a habit of making dolls and such out of my mane and tail." She realized that calling Bubbles and Buttercup her relatives would be unwise, since none of them looked alike anymore. As she thought about them, a particular incident relating to them crossed her mind, souring her expression. "You know, one time when they were cleaning up after that, they ended up almost shearing off all of my mane?"
Rarity gasped, horrified. "How could your friends be so cruel? To ruin a perfect mane like yours should be a crime!"
Blossom rolled her eyes. "Buttercup decided the best way to untangle a knot was to pull. Hard. She ended up ripping that part of my mane out by the roots. Then she and Bubbles decided to… 'cover it up' by cutting the rest of my mane off. I was mad when I found out what happened… not to mention embarrassed when I realized the whole town could see me, and was laughing."
"And with good reason!" Rarity said with a nod. "This 'Buttercup' should really have known better. Does she not care for her own mane?"
"Not really," Blossom said with a grin. "It's so untidy… makes me cringe sometimes."
"Sounds like my friend Rainbow Dash," the white mare commented.
Both of them were somewhat startled as the door to the Boutique opened, admitting a much younger white unicorn with curly purple-and-pink hair. "Hey, Rarity, I just thought you should know – "
"Sweetie Belle!" scolded Rarity, interrupting the younger unicorn. "I'm currently working with a guest! You should have at least knocked before entering so casually!"
Sweetie Belle winced. "I'm sorry, big sister," she said. She then turned to Blossom. "Sorry for interrupting your business, miss."
Blossom couldn't help but be amazed at the filly's voice. It was soft, almost musical. And the look of wide-eyed innocence on her face was precious as well. So much so that Blossom wanted to make it up to her. "Oh, I don't mind. To be honest, Rarity kind of dragged me in here after knocking me into a mud hole."
Sweetie Belle's eyebrow arched, and she looked at Rarity, who had the good grace to blush. Then the younger unicorn rolled her eyes. "Ah, so she decided to apologize by way of a makeover?"
As Blossom nodded, Rarity pouted. "Am I that predictable?" the fashionista asked.
"Well, yeah," replied Sweetie Belle. "That, and she's wearing one of your ensembles right now."
Blossom and Rarity blinked, and looked at what the pink unicorn was wearing. She had apparently forgotten to remove the ruby-lined frilly vest after introducing herself to Rarity. Blossom chuckled nervously. "Eh-heh, I'll just get this off, shall I?" She used her telekin – magic, she mentally corrected herself – to undo the zipper on the back, and slipped out of the vest gracefully. Holding the vest in the air with her magic, she asked, "Um, where should I put this?"
"Allow me, dear," Rarity said, taking hold of the vest with her own magic. She set it off to the side, in a neatly folded pile of other clothes. "Now, then, Sweetie Belle, what was it you were saying?"
Sweetie Belle blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah! I ran into Spike on the way home from school. He wanted me to tell you there were some new fashion magazines available at the library."
Rarity's eyes sparkled a little at the mention of the magazines, but before she could say anything else, Blossom beat her to the punch. "The library! Oh, no, I completely forgot that I was supposed to be going there! Ugh, Bubbles and Buttercup will never let me live this down if they go there to find me, and I'm not there!"
She probably would have continued in this vein for a while, but Rarity cut in. "Easy, there, Blossom! I'm going there myself right now, so hopefully we can arrive before your friends show up. Nothing to worry about at all."
Blossom sighed in relief. "Thanks, Rarity. It's nice to have *ahack* somepony to show me around." The cough had come out as a result of strangling the word 'somebody'. Blossom was determined not to draw attention to herself by using strange vocabulary.
"Goodness, are you alright, Blossom? That sounded like it hurt," Rarity said, concerned.
"I'm fine," Blossom replied. "You know how it is. Sometimes things happen that you can't explain, right?"
Rarity nodded. "You do have a point." She lifted a pair of white saddlebags out of a box to the side, securing them around her middle with her magic. "Shall we be off to the library, then?"
Blossom nodded, and turned to Sweetie Belle. "It was nice meeting you, Sweetie Belle."
"You too, Miss Blossom!" replied the filly. "And don't worry, Rarity, I'll hold down the fort while you're at the library."
"Thank you, dear," Rarity said with a smile. "I'll be back in a jiffy."
The two older unicorns left, Sweetie Belle closing the door behind them.
"So…" Blossom began as they walked through the town. "She's rather nice, isn't she?"
"Oh, Sweetie Belle?" asked Rarity. "Yes, she's simply darling. She's also quite prone to driving me to distraction, and even frustration at times. I love her to death, and yet sometimes I wonder how on Equestria I've put up with her for so long."
"Ah, the joys of siblings," Blossom said knowingly.
This earned her a strange look from Rarity. "You have siblings of your own?"
Blossom mentally cursed at her slip-up, while quickly spinning a plausible cover story. "Well, not siblings by blood, but Bubbles and Buttercup have been with me all my life. All three of us are orphans. We were taken in and raised by the same pony. We're about as close as sisters."
"Oh, dear," Rarity said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
Blossom waved her off. "It's okay. I don't even remember my birth parents. It's just been Bubbles, Buttercup, the Professor, and myself, for about as long as I can remember. At least, until the three of us were struck by wanderlust."
Rarity smiled. "Well, you certainly picked a fine town to wander into. Ponyville's ponies are about the friendliest in all Equestria." She looked like she wanted to say more, but then glanced upward. "Oh! We're here!"
Blossom looked up as well. They had arrived at the hollowed-out tree's door, and the pink unicorn could clearly see the sign of a book off to the side. "This is the library?"
"Yes, indeed!" Rarity said with a nod. "Ponyville's Books and Branches library, run by my good friend, Twilight Sparkle. She's very bookish, but also very levelheaded."
As she opened the door, both unicorns' ears were assaulted by a shout. "SPIKE! I thought you said you were over that cold!"
"I am! It was the dust on the book's cover! At least I didn't hit the book this time, right?"
Blossom and Rarity looked at each other, then poked their heads inside. They could see a lavender-hued unicorn with a slate-blue mane currently scolding – Blossom had to blink to make sure her eyes were working correctly – a purple baby dragon. The reason for the scolding became obvious, as the smell of burning wood reached their noses.
"Twilight! What happened?" asked Rarity, stepping inside.
"Spike happened! He told me he was over that little head cold he had last week!" The lavender mare spun to face Rarity, her violet irises shrinking to pinpricks.
"I just said it was the dust on the book!" whined the dragon, in a petulant young boy's voice.
Blossom focused on the source of the smell. A small wooden table had caught fire; if what Twilight and Spike were saying was any indication, Spike had sneezed flames hot enough to ignite the dry wood.
Rarity also noticed. "Twilight, shouldn't you focus less on scolding dear Spike and more on extinguishing the fire?"
"I would, but our fire extinguisher is jammed, and I don't know any spells that can suppress flames!" Twilight said in a panic.
Before either of them could continue, Blossom began channeling her magic. A blue ray shot out from her horn, freezing the flames solid. The display silenced both older unicorns, as well as Spike.
Blossom admired her handiwork for a moment, then looked at Twilight. "If your fire extinguisher is jammed, you should get it replaced," she said seriously. "Especially if you plan on keeping a dragon in a library made out of wood."
Twilight had a dumbfounded look on her face. Not that I blame her, Blossom thought. On the one hand – er, hoof, she's probably glad that the damage was limited to the surface of the table. On the other, she's just been scolded by a unicorn at least five years her junior. That's got to be embarrassing.
Rarity broke the awkward silence. "Ahem. Twilight? This is Blossom, a newcomer to Ponyville. Blossom, this is Twilight Sparkle, the manager of this library, and her assistant Spike."
Twilight shook her head a little, and offered a hoof. "Pleased to meet you, Blossom," she said with a smile.
"Likewise," Blossom replied, shaking the hoof with her own. She then walked over, and offered a hoof to Spike, who shook it with both of his small hands.
Rarity, meanwhile, had walked over to the frozen flames. "Remarkable… I've never seen anything so detailed. You actually froze the flames themselves, rather than simply freezing the table. That must be some incredibly advanced magic."
Twilight walked over as well. "No kidding. This is something even I haven't read about."
Spike looked over at the librarian, astonished. "A spell you don't know about? That's a first."
"Oh, hush," Twilight replied with narrowed eyes. "I may be a powerful magician, but even I don't know every spell that exists." She turned to face Blossom. "So where'd you learn this one?"
Think quick, Blossom thought. "Well… back home, there was one day where it was really hot. And I mean unbearably hot. My dear friends and I were just laying around, trying not to move. It didn't help much. I finally just thought to myself, 'if only there were a way I could cool this place down'. Then, to my utter shock, that blue ray just shot out of my horn, freezing a nearby tree. That was when I realized that I could use that particular spell. And it's always been easy for me."
Spike whistled. "So that's why your cutie mark is a snowflake, rather than a flower of some kind."
Blossom blinked, and looked at the dragon, then followed his gaze to her flank. For the first time, she noticed the design of a very ornate white snowflake against the pink of her body. Deciding to go along with it, she replied, "Yes, that's it exactly."
"My goodness, your friends must have been relieved. If things were as hot as you said, knowing that their friend could produce ice would be a welcome relief," Rarity said.
Twilight, however, had a frown upon her face. "Still, why would the local pegasus ponies let things get that hot in the first place? Surely they would have arranged for a rain shower or two to cool things off before they got that far."
Blossom hadn't anticipated this. Pegasus ponies can apparently manipulate the weather. I'll be sure to mention that to Bubbles next time that I see her.
Before she could formulate a suitable reply, Rarity intervened. "Twilight, not every town has a dedicated weather team. To be honest, Ponyville's rather lucky for a frontier town in that respect. Blossom probably lived out somewhere where few pegasi go, and so they had to take what they could get from passing pegasi."
Seizing on Rarity's thread of thought, Blossom nodded. "My friend Bubbles was about the only pegasus that actually lived out there. It's a very small town, mostly earth ponies."
Twilight slowly nodded. "I guess that makes sense. One pegasus can't manage an entire town by herself. At least, I assume this 'Bubbles' is a mare?"
Blossom nodded back. "Both of my friends are mares. And they both came with me here to Ponyville."
Twilight shared a look with Rarity. "I don't suppose she's met Pinkie Pie yet, has she?" the librarian asked.
Rarity shook her head. "I believe I was the first pony she ran into… literally."
"Well, it's only a matter of time before Pinkie learns about them," Spike said, shuddering a bit. "Three new ponies… I'm having trouble picturing how big this one's gonna be."
Blossom blinked. "Uh, what are you three talking about?"
Rarity smiled. "One of our other friends, Pinkie Pie, is prone to throwing parties for every new pony that comes to Ponyville. And with three new ponies to welcome, she might go a little over the top."
"Seriously? She throws a party for every new pony? What for?" Blossom had trouble wrapping her head around the concept. Parties, she was familiar with. It was throwing a party for such a trivial reason that baffled her.
Twilight just shrugged. "It's who she is. She's determined to spread happiness, and parties are her means of doing so."
Blossom paused to absorb this. So this Pinkie Pie makes a living out of making others happy? Strange concept… and Bubbles helped out the Mayor and Ms. Bellum with celebrations back home… She suddenly shuddered, catching the others' attention.
"Blossom? Are you alright?" Rarity asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine," Blossom insisted. "I'm just a bit worried about Bubbles meeting this Pinkie Pie. Bubbles is a bit of a party pony herself."
Twilight and Rarity exchanged another look, this one of worry. "It couldn't be that bad… could it?" asked Twilight.
Spike groaned. "Twilight, you shouldn't have said that!"
A pair of pegasi were busy laughing at something one of them had said, coming close to falling off of the cloud they were lounging on.
"… And, and then, if you can believe it, he rips off the uniform, and it was the criminal from before! He'd posed as somepony else just to get at the oat pail! And right when he's finishing up, he found the diamond at the bottom of the pail! In plain view of everypony!" Bubbles choked out in her mirth. She'd made some adjustments to the story to better fit in here in Equestria.
Rainbow Dash howled, beating a hoof against the cloud. "Wow, talk about a dumb criminal! He put so much effort into trying to get that pail, and when he finally gets it, he completely forgets why he was after it in the first place!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "Whew. You've had a crazy life, haven't you, Bubbles?"
"Yep, pretty crazy," Bubbles agreed, still chuckling.
Before they could continue, a voice floated up to them. "Hey, most awesome pony in Equestria!"
The two poked their heads over the edge of the cloud, looking down at the source of the voice. It was a young pegasus filly, younger than Bubbles. Colored orange, with a purple mane and tail, she was looking up at Rainbow Dash with stars in her eyes.
"Well, if it isn't my number one fan!" Rainbow said, jumping down from the cloud. "Come on, Bubbles, introduce yourself!"
Bubbles followed Rainbow's lead, landing next to the filly. "Hi! I'm Bubbles. What's your name?" she asked, holding out a hoof to the orange pegasus.
"I'm Scootaloo!" the younger pegasus responded. "I heard you and Rainbow Dash laughing. What were you laughing at?"
"Just a funny story Bubbles was telling me," Rainbow said, drawing the filly's attention again. "So, squirt, what do you need?"
Scootaloo smiled. "Well, I was over at Fluttershy's cottage just now, and she asked me to ask you when you were planning on delivering the cloud cake. And to tell you to take your time, that it's no trouble."
Rainbow blinked, then slapped a forehoof to her face. "Oh, horseapples, I completely forgot!" She took off in a rainbow streak, heading up into the sky.
Bubbles followed her with her eyes for a bit, then looked back at Scootaloo, who still had a bit of a star-struck look. Giggling a little, she reached over with a hoof and closed the filly's mouth. "You don't want to catch flies, you know."
Scootaloo flushed. "Sorry." She then took a closer look at Bubbles. "So how'd you meet the awesome Rainbow Dash?"
"She nearly flew into me," Bubbles said matter-of-factly.
Scootaloo nodded. She knew that Rainbow, despite her awesomeness, had a slight tendancy towards clumsiness. Then she blinked. "Wait, nearly?"
"Yeah, I got out of the way in time," Bubbles nodded. "I think that impressed her."
Scootaloo's eyes widened. "Wow. Most pegasi end up sucking cloud right along with her. How much warning did you have?"
Bubbles put a hoof to her chin. "About… two seconds."
The younger pegasus whistled. "No wonder Rainbow Dash was impressed. Being able to avoid her with so little warning is no easy thing."
At this point, the object of their discussion came swooping back down, a white box sitting in a basket that was strapped to her back. "Okay, I got the cloud cake. Say, Bubbles, you wanna come meet Fluttershy? I get the feeling you two will get along great!"
Bubbles nodded. "Sure! I'm always looking to make new friends." She lifted off into a hover, pausing to wave goodbye to the filly. "See you later, Scootaloo!"
"Sure thing, Bubbles!" Scootaloo called back with a wave of her own.
The two older pegasi soared off, Rainbow in the lead. She flew at a more sedate pace this time, probably so the box on her back wasn't put under any strain. Bubbles didn't complain, as it gave her more time to enjoy the scenery.
"This place is a lot more scenic than my hometown," she called to Rainbow.
"Yeah, Ponyville's kinda rural, but that's part of its charm," Rainbow replied. "I've been managing the weather here for a few years now, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
"Really? But… didn't you say you wanted to join the Wonderbolts?" Bubbles asked, to hide her surprise at the comment regarding the weather. So, the weather here is managed by the ponies?
"Well, yeah," Rainbow said, slowing down a bit. "But the Wonderbolts have a full roster right now. I'm just practicing so that when a spot opens up, I can impress them. I keep telling everypony that I'll be joining them in no time, but I know it doesn't work that way." She offered a smirk to Bubbles. "Despite what some of my friends think, I'm not just a hot-blooded idiot."
Bubbles didn't say anything more, as Rainbow began descending. Bubbles followed, noting that they'd come to a cottage on the edge of a forest. It was the same dark forest that she and her sisters had come out of earlier that day. The cottage wasn't right next to the forest, but still close enough that Bubbles wondered how she hadn't seen it before.
Rainbow and Bubbles landed, as another pony walked out to greet them. It was another pegasus, this one colored butter-yellow. A wavy pink mane hid her right eye from view, but her left was visible, showing a cyan color. For a moment, she looked nervous, but on seeing Rainbow, she smiled.
"Oh, there you are, Rainbow," she said in a soft voice that Bubbles had a little trouble picking up without her super hearing. "I was beginning to get a little worried, but I know that you were probably practicing. And I know how you get when you're practicing."
"Yeah, sorry, Fluttershy," Rainbow said, rubbing a hoof behind her head in a bashful manner. "It totally slipped my mind until Scoots told me you were waiting for this." She turned her head around, grasping the box's handles in her teeth, and held it out to Fluttershy, who took it, and stepped inside the cottage. Rainbow followed, as did Bubbles after a moment.
The inside of the cottage was rather simple. There were no ornate decorations anywhere. Bubbles did note, however, that there were an abundance of bird cages and mouse holes. She saw Fluttershy set the box down on a table, and open it. Sniffing a bit, the yellow pegaus smiled.
"Ah… there's nothing quite like Cloudsdale cloud cake, is there, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.
Taking a sniff of her own, Rainbow grinned. "Not really… but you won't catch me saying that around Applejack."
The two chuckled a little, and it was then that Fluttershy finally noticed Bubbles. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," she said, her initial nervousness returning.
Bubbles shook her head, offering a warm smile. "Don't worry about it. I didn't want to interrupt two friends. I'm Bubbles," she said, offering a hoof.
Fluttershy blinked, but then smiled back. "Nice to meet you, Bubbles," she replied, shaking the offered hoof with her own. "I don't think I've seen you in Ponyville before. Are you new?"
"That's right. Rainbow here was the first pony I ran into… almost literally."
"Literally…?" Fluttershy began, then rounded on Rainbow. "Did you fly into her?" she asked accusingly.
"No!" Rainbow said quickly. "She got out of the way. Didn't you hear her? She said 'almost'."
"Oh," Fluttershy replied, lowering her head a little. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay," Bubbles said. "Rainbow was pretty impressed."
Further conversation was cut off as a white rabbit bounded up to Fluttershy, tapping its foot impatiently. "Oh, Angel Bunny! I'm sorry, I'll get you a carrot right away!" Fluttershy began to turn towards her pantry, but Angel hopped in front of her, shaking his head. "Oh, what's wrong, Angel Bunny? You haven't eaten much all week. Do you not like carrots anymore?" The rabbit shook his head again, chittering away. "Well, why aren't you eating them, then?"
"He's saying that the carrots you have are stale." Rabbit and pegasus turned to look at Bubbles, who had a completely serious expression on her face.
Fluttershy then turned back to the pantry, and pulled out a carrot. Nibbling a little on the end, she gagged. "Goodness, they are stale! Oh, Angel Bunny, I'm sorry! I'll go to town right away and get you some fresh ones. Is that alright?" The rabbit nodded slowly, still staring at Bubbles.
Rainbow was likewise staring at the younger pegasus. "Okay, how'd you know what Angel said? Nopony aside from Fluttershy can understand animals, and even she has problems sometimes."
Bubbles shrugged. "It's a gift of mine," she said. "I can literally understand and speak to every living creature under the sun. From the crawling ant to the great birds of prey, there's not a one I can't talk to."
Fluttershy and Rainbow exchanged surprised glances. "Wow. That's pretty impressive, Bubbles," Fluttershy said. "I'm able to communicate with animals on a deeper level than most ponies, but outright speaking to them is something else."
Rainbow was looking at Bubbles's flank. "You know, that answers one question I had. I kept wondering what your cutie mark represented, but now I know. Several circles, each one within another. Its a representation of sound waves!"
Bubbles and Fluttershy followed Rainbow's look. Sure enough, on Bubbles's flank was a series of five circles, each one set within another, larger one. The blond pegasus nodded. "That's it exactly, sound waves. Not only can I speak to any living creature, I've also got better hearing than most pegasi."
"I guess you'd have to, to understand what an ant's saying," Fluttershy said, fixing a pair of saddlebags to her midsection. "Well, I'd better get those carrots for Angel Bunny. He can be rather insistant when it comes to getting fed."
"We might as well come along," Rainbow said. "I mean, since Bubbles is new in town, she's going to have to meet Pinkie eventually."
"Oh, that's right," Fluttershy agreed. "I wonder how this one will turn out? Hopefully it will be surprising, but not startling."
Bubbles, despite her confusion, decided to follow the two other pegasi. I like surprises, after all!
"Dangit, Applejack!" groaned Buttercup. "You couldn't have hitched me up before running off?"
Buttercup had been trying, for the past ten minutes, to harness herself to the wagon. This was made difficult by the fact that she didn't have any hands to grip the harness with. Add that to her unfamiliarity with her new body, and her temper was beginning to flare up.
"Ugh!" She stepped away from the wagon. "Should I just get behind this thing and push? Because I think that's easier than trying to hitch myself up without help!"
"Did mah big sister rope you into helpin' out?" a high-pitched southern voice asked.
Buttercup turned to look at the speaker. It was a younger earth pony with bright red hair, a matching bow, and a yellow coat. Orange eyes looked at her curiously.
"Depends. Is your big sister named Applejack?" Buttercup asked. When the younger pony nodded, she sighed. "Yeah, she asked me to pull the wagon, but didn't bother - "
"Hitchin' ya up, ah heard ya complainin'," interrupted the younger pony. "Don' worry, ah'll take care o' that fer ya! Jus' get back in place, and ah'll take care of it."
Buttercup obliged after a moment, stepping back into place in the harness. The filly proceeded to wrap the straps around her with a combination of her hooves and her mouth, pulling them tight. Buttercup was impressed, as she was ready to go in seconds.
"Thar ya go, all set!" said the filly. She then hopped up onto the wagon. "By the way, mah name's Applebloom. What's yers?"
"I'm Buttercup," the older pony said. "Thanks for helping me, kid." She began to walk down the path to the farm's entrance, following the road… and keeping an eye out for errant rocks.
"So, how'd mah big sister convince ya ta help out?" asked Applebloom.
"Eh, call it repaying a favor. I was kinda down in the dumps earlier, and she helped me out of it," Buttercup explained. "Helping pull this cart is the least I can do to repay her."
"Yep, sounds like mah sister," Applebloom nodded. "Say, how come yer cutie mark's a black ribbon? Looks kinda girly, but ya don't seem very girly ta me."
Buttercup looked back at Applebloom, then where the filly was looking. She cocked her head as she looked at the black ribbon that seemed to be part of her coat on her flank. Wait, she thought as she looked closer, that's not a ribbon. That's…
"That's a black belt, kid," she said with pride. "Not a ribbon. It shows that when it comes to martial arts, I'm the best there is."
Applebloom's eyes widened. "Golly! Yer a real martial-artist pony? Ah tried gettin' mah cutie mark in karate, but that didn' turn out so good."
Buttercup chuckled. "Well, not everypony can do everything, kid. You'll find your place eventually." She turned back to the road, grateful that it was a rather straight path.
Eventually, they got into the town proper, Applebloom directing Buttercup to where the stand usually was. As they approached, Buttercup saw Applejack, along with a bouncing pink earth pony with an equally pink curly mane. Buttercup cringed at the sight; that was way too much pink in one place. Still, Applejack needed these apples. Sighing, she called out, "Hey, Applejack!"
Both older earth ponies looked over, and Applejack grinned. "There ya are, Buttercup. Ah was beginnin' to wonder what was holdin' ya up."
Applebloom rolled her eyes. "Maybe she'da been here sooner if somepony had bothered ta hitch her up to the wagon before runnin' off to Ponyville!"
Applejack blinked, then blushed. "Whoops. Sorry, sugarcube. Forgot that not everypony was raised on a farm."
Buttercup sighed as Applebloom undid the harness. "No big deal. Just consider this my way of saying thanks for helping me through my depression earlier."
"Aw, that's so sweet!" the pink pony said, in a high-pitched voice that reminded Buttercup of Bubbles on a sugar-high. "AJ, you didn't tell me you helped somepony out earlier! That's supposed to be my job!"
Applejack grinned at the pink pony. "Sorry, Pinkie Pie, but ah was there, and you weren't. If ya were, ah'd have asked ya what you were doin' in the middle of mah orchard."
Pinkie Pie grinned back. "Oh, it's okay, AJ!" With a sudden movement, she was in Buttercup's face, causing the younger pony to recoil. "So, you're name's Buttercup, huh? I'm Pinkie Pie, the premier party pony of Ponyville! And since I know everypony in Ponyville, and I don't know you, that must mean – " She let out a huge gasp. " – you're new! And a new pony means it's time for a PARTY!"
Buttercup's first impression of Pinkie Pie was that she'd consumed way too much sugar. But she found the pink pony's attitude kind of charming, similar to Bubbles. Still, she had to ask a question, so she stomped down on Pinkie Pie's tail before the older pony could run off. "Say, you throw a party for every new pony in Ponyville, Pinkie?"
Pinkie nodded happily. "Uh-huh! But you gotta let me go, or I'm not going to be able to set the party up for you!"
Buttercup grinned. "I know, but I just wanted to tell you that I actually came to town with a couple of friends, Blossom and Bubbles. So, you may want to make this party a little bigger than usual."
"THREE NEW PONIES?!" the pink pony exclaimed, nearly deafening the others. "I've got to get moving! This is going to require all the stops!" With a truly tremendous pull, she yanked her tail out from under Buttercup's hoof, and ran off at high speed.
Buttercup shook her head to stop it ringing. "Just how much sugar does that pony eat?"
Applejack tapped her ear a couple of times before answering. "She's an employee at Sugar Cube Corner, the local bakery. You tell me."
Buttercup cringed. "I'd rather not, actually."
