Chapter 4-Thousand Hoof Crutch

Thousand hoof crutch:

“Twilight darling, Have you seen Pinkie Pie?” in the middle of the library floor  Rarity twirls her hair in yet another graceful curl from her styling as the mane-doo bounces back and forth. “……because the last that I heard from her she was saying some dreadful nonsense about a new pony and gravity control and bubblegum of all things! Do you think she’ll be here soon? All this waiting up is simply not good for my mane.”

“Well Rarity if I could predict Pinkie’s behavior, which I can’t…….” the lavender mare says as she practices one of her many examples of known magic turning a random book into an orange “It could be anywhere from two seconds to a week before she arrives.”

Looking at the door with an impatient glance Twilight sighs heavily as she mourns yet another of her well laid plans reduced to ruin. “And here I thought that because I told her we’d be doing some important work today, she would finally take things seriously and arrive on time. Silly me..…”

Looking around at her friends, that have been waiting for no less than fifty six minutes and twelve seconds, Twilight quickly goes through her figures calculating the effect of the lost time will have on their schedule. Already Fluttershy Rarity and Applejack have arrived, and Twilight knows that with every second they waste her plan threatens to unravel completely.

Twilight sighs once again. “We’re better off not waiting on her. Clear out everypony” Charging her horn with the glow of her magic twilight smiles as her aura fills a big empty space in the middle of the room. “All right, adjust aura, limit effect, perfect control and…….. Open!”

In a dramatic flash of light an octagonal center table reappears in the center of the room causing Fluttershy to squeak in surprise as the large cumbersome object relocates right in front of her. The table though ordinarily bare is covered this time in a full scale model of the entire town of ponyville and its surrounding areas in near perfect detail.

“Now you can all probably guess by what I’m drinking right now,” Twilight waves her handy thermos of coffee around with her telekinesis “…But I didn’t get much sleep last night. However all that lost sleep was worth it to construct this working model of Ponyville for our mission today. It’s made from the weather patrol’s maps and the town records so I’ve made sure it’s as accurate as physically possible.”

Applejack looks in amazement at the map whistling in pride “Wow Twi. Ah have ta admit that’s’ mighty impressive, but when did yawl have the time to throw this whole thing together?”

Twilight smiles awkwardly “oh it’s amazing what you can do when you don’t have to sleep applejack! I just couldn’t’ sleep with how nervous I was for this mission so I just stayed up all night throwing this together!” the lavender chuckles, taking a sip from her coffee thermos as the farmer takes a subsequent measured step away from the caffeine crazed mare.

“Anyways enough questions.” Twilight magics up a crystalline pointer, pointing it to the center of the town at a location that looks startlingly like Golden oaks library. “Now last night while I was putting this together, I organized a plan to survey the entirety of the town’s more easy-to-reach places searching for Red Stones before they could be subsequently discovered by the residents of the town.”

Levitating her mug for another sip of coffee the mare points to several locations at the border. “Given the plans of the town and calculations that I developed from the explosion, I was able to guess a trajectory at which a large majority of the Red stones have most possibly landed.”

The mare points her stylus to one side of the town, the side farthest from the everfree forest. “Here on the western side of the town, the side farthest from Canterlot, is where we will begin the search. According to my calculations and Rarity’s’ information, thank you Rarity….” The white unicorn nods “…..all the easily found Red Stones were either already found or were recovered by her. Therefore our mission for today is to get our hooves on as many of the Red Stones still undiscovered in this west portion of Town.

Slapping her pointer down on the table like a general at arms, Twilight makes her point with gusto. “Once that’s done then we can focus on getting the Red Stones out of the hooves of other ponies and locating some of the Stones hidden in more difficult to find places.”

Waving her pointer around with such enthusiasm that she nearly hits rarity, Twilight takes another sip of her Coffee as she elaborates on their plan of attack. “And now for the plan of attack. Rarity and Fluttershy will take one group and search the south west side of the map here. You two will use Rarity’s gem finding spell and Fluttershy’s ability to fly to get as many of the Red stones that you can from hard to reach places.”

Twilight groans “and I had planned for Pinkie to help me out so there’s going to be a change of plans.” Pointing her stylus at Applejack’s forehead twilight resumes “Applejack.”

The mare swallows nervously in the face of Twilight’s aura of command, saluting as sharply as an officer on duty. “Ye-Yes Twilight Mam?”

“I had planned for you to see if any of the ponies around town were acting strange or began hoarding strange objects recently, like the Red Stones, but the plan has changed. I need you to come with me and help me search the North West side of the town. Between Rarity’s gem finding spell which I just learned and your ability to distinguish Red Stones by passing a magical current through it with your stand; I estimate we should finish around…” Twilight looks outside to the position of the sun “.... 6:25 pm just before sundown with time allotted for lunch breaks, bathroom breaks and travel for good measure. By then we’ll have surveyed the west side of town and taken the Red Stones that have been infecting ponies off the streets.”

With a wave her horn the entire table and the pointer disappear in a flash of light leaving behind only an empty floor between the mares. “Questions?”

Fluttershy snakingly raises her hoof “Um… twilight not to …. Um criticize you or anything but are you sure that you are okay? I mean… I know that you want to help and all but….. Are you okay?”

Twilight groans “Ugh what is it with you guys first Applejack, then Rarity and now you Fluttershy. I keep telling you guys I’m used to all-nighters like this. I’ll be fine with a little coffee and a delayed sleep spell it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Um it’s not that…..” Fluttershy mutters “…. though it problem is the reason why….”

“Yes Fluttershy? what was so important that you had to interrupt the group to point it out?”

“It’s just that…..ummmmmm….”

‘YES? What is it?”

“…. Um I didn’t really want to be a bother….. But…” Fluttershy shuffles nervously on her flank, “but you’ve been holding your thermos of coffee upside down for the past half hour.”

Twilight processes the words for a few second before looking at the thermos she has been drinking from for the last twenty minutes. Sure enough the bottom half of the thermos, the side designed to serve as a bottom, is facing up at her, mocking her intelligence with it’s very presence. While the lip of the cup, the part that is designed to hold the liquids placed into it, is on the bottom of her thermos, its’ contents completely empty of the dark brown ambrosia she so craved. Twilight looks back to the door of the kitchen staring at her brand new coffee maker (that pinkie generously donated to the ponyville library) only see an offensively large amount of spilled coffee dripping from the counter. The stain no doubt the result of trying to pour coffee down the bottom end of a thermos. And as if things couldn’t get any worse the dark brown coffee is staining her purple coat.

Twilight knew many things; she knew the capitals of every major country surrounding Equestria. She knew the number of special magical elements, the three great composers of her time, as well as several miscellaneous facts that would surprise and enlighten the average pony. And she also knew that coffee stains were scientifically some of the hardest to remove, even magical cleaning had little effect on such powerful stains. And, with a great deal of pain, Twilight knew that for the rest of her day the remnants of the stain would be her reminder to all of ponyville the absolute level of her blunder. Now every time that she looks down on her coat for the next three days, every time she saw the brown blotch on her coat she could be reminded of her stupidity.

 “Oh…” the mare realizes now why the rest of the group was snickering all morning. “Well that explains the mystery of why I seemed to never run out of coffee, and why I feel an unquenched need for caffeine.” Twilight ignites her horn causing a gentle glowing aura to flow across her coat cleaning her from excess stains while patching a simple illusion spell over her coat to try and cover the remainder of the stain. With another spell she then levitates the same pot from the kitchen and pours herself a cup of coffee in the right way before taking a long, much needed sip. “Better, now were there any more questions any pony?” Twilight states as humorously as possible.

Applejack grins sheepishly “Now Twi I tried to tell ya sooner but… it was so gosh darn funny and yawl were…..”

“ARE. THERE. ANY. MORE. QQQQUUUUUUUEEEEEEEESSSSSSTTTTTTTTIIIIIIIIIOOOOOONNNNNSSSSSSS?”

“Nope no questions from this here farm mare! What bout you Rares?”

“No. No Questions! Fluttershy?”

“meep…..”

“Yep we’ve got no more questions to ask yawl, so let’s go!” The orange farm mare turns to leave however she is stopped once again by a familiar voice

“I just have one more thing to address before we leave…” Twilight takes another sip of her coffee.

With a feeling of Deja-vu almost permeable, as the orange farm mare turns to face Twilight “….. Give me a Break….. Twi what is it with yawl and ‘one more thing?’ Now ah know yer upset an all, but why da ya have to bring somtin important up when we’re all about to leave?” Applejack asks indignantly.

Twilight narrows her gaze at Applejack “I don’t know Applejack maybe heavy southern accents just cause me to forget what I was going to say.”

Applejack narrows her gaze back at the Purple mare “Touché, continue Twi.”

“Good.” Twilight nods her head as she pulls out a familiar black stone out of her saddle bags with her hoof “it’s about this” Twilight places the black stone on the table causing the others in the group to circle around it.

“Twilight…” Rarity comments as she removes a pair of her fashion spectacles out of her bag to get a better look “correct me if I am wrong but that seems like a normal Red stone. Not that they are supposed to be normal in any sense of the word.”

“That would be the case of this WAS a Red Stone of Aja..…” Lighting up her horn Twilight picks up the stone with her magic. Quickly the stone breaks out into a brilliant white light that banishes every shadow in the entire room with its overwhelming brilliance. The light, though incredibly bright, is not blinding or painful to the eyes in the slightest, allowing all the mares to stare enthralled by its unknown power. Then with the suddenness at which the light appeared, Twilight places it back on the table returning the room to its’ normal illumination. “This is the stone Applejack gave me not to long ago. It’s the one that Applebloom cut herself upon. I’m concerned because though it superficially resembles the Red Stones of Aja, it is fundamentally different in terms of density and magical essence.”

Applejack looks nervously at the black rock. “Define ‘fundamentally different’”

“That’s easy!” Pinkie says as she pops out from underneath Applejack’s hat causing the farmer to fumble about in terror “Twilight means that though it may look like those funny stones we’re looking for, the Red stones of Abra, it isn’t! Even though it looks like one. It’s like bagels and doughnuts! A bagel looks like a doughnut and is shaped like a doughnut but it isn’t one! Doughnut?” The pink mare says as she pulls a box of doughnuts out from behind her back.

Before twilight says a word Pinkie pie stuff a delicious sugary treat into her open mouth. “Speaking of which do you like it that I brought doughnuts to our secret meeting? Do you? Of course you do!  I know, ‘really cool pinkie’ it’s just one of the many perks of having a cool friend that works in a bakery!”

Twilight gapes  “Pinkie where were…”

“I was throwing a new party for the new pony in ponyville! Gravity well! He was really grumpy for some reason luckily I brought lots and lots of bubble gum! HE loved bubble gum!”

“Pinkie I’m trying to….”

“Oh and don’t worry about your whole plan Twibright! I’d be happy to ask around and see if any ponies are acting super strange around town. That is ask of any ponies are acting super strange other than me of course because everypony thinks that I’m really strange for some reason. You guys don’t think that though, right? But even if you did think I was really strange I’d totally forgive you cause you’re my best friends!”

Twilight’s mouth opens and closes unable to conjure a world that encompasses how strange Pinkie Pie really is. Twilight doesn’t think that there’s a word in any language that could encompass the enigma of Pinkie Pie. Unwilling to risk derailing the conversation any further than it already has, Twilight glares Pinkie into silence and continues. “Anyways, the two stones seem to be related somehow since they too seem to be able to produce the same ability to manifest stands as the Red Stones.”

Twilight taps the black stone on the table with her hoof. “However the most interesting thing about this ‘strange stone’ as I have dubbed it, is it seems to produce the same unknown energy the red stones produce but on a much more concentrated and purer level.  From what little I have seen from it so far it seems to have amplification far beyond the norm, surpassing the Red Stones hundreds of times over.”

With deft hooves twilight slips the stone back into her bag. I’ll be keeping the stone with today to see if we do find any more of these stones that I can use it for a comparison. So if any of you do happen to find any of these ‘strange stones’ be sure to collect them carefully and bring them to me immediately. We don’t know how powerful these stones are so, or what they can do, I would like to treat them with as much caution as possible.”

Twilight stretches her legs as she begins to speak “Okay, now we’re ready to leave.” Everypony gets up “But before we do I just have a few safety precautions that….”

Everypony groans at the idea of another Twilight safety lecture “Now everypony, nothing bad should happen today, ponyville is a relatively safe town. However untrained stand powers can play with the minds of ponies that aren’t used to controlling them.”

Rarity interrupts “Your mean stand powers can brainwash their own users?”

“No nothing like that Rarity. Think of it….” Twilight taps her hoof to her chin deep in thought “Well think if you just obtained the ability to fly, or if an earth pony just grew a horn. Gaining that much power instantly can corrupt and mislead a pony pretty easily.”

Twilight looks at her friends a serious look in her eyes “Now I believe that nothing bad or dangerous will happen today we’re not doing anything exotic or hazardous. If worst comes to worst and you encounter a dangerous stand user, just run away.”

Twilight gestures to everypony “We can call members of the royal guard to deal with any overt threats, and between me and Applejack we can handle anything most ponies. So just focus on the task at hoof: finding as many of the red stones, and these strange stones as possible before the day is up.”

Sticking her hoof towards the other girls Twilight grins “now are you all ready?”

Looking at her hoof Applejack smiles and places her hoof alongside Twilight’s “Ready.”

Pinkie smiles as she sticks her hoof in the center “Yepers! I’m Always Ready Twilight!”

Rarity places her hoof as well “Fashionably ready darling.”

Everypony looks over at Fluttershy, the butter yellow mare, hesitating, for a single moment before placing her hoof in the center with the others. “I’m… I’m here for you too Twilight. We may have just met a short time ago, but I feel as though we’ve known each other for a lot longer. So… So if you say that you REALLY need my help….. then I’m with you.” Fluttershy states with level of dedication one would not expect from the demure mare.

They break the five way hoof shake as twilight beams “I feel the same way Fluttershy.” The lavender mare looks around her “I still find it hard to believe that I made friends so quickly with you four. It’s like we have a connection that we all never knew about……” Twilight quickly pulls herself out of thought as she teleports over to the door

“Well enough of that.” Twilight throws open the door in front of her with pizazz. “We’ve got a job to take care of, so everypony do their best!”

…………………

The day passes quickly for the mares as the individual members of the team split up to cover more ground each of them finding quite a few pieces of the red stone located across the town. The day passes uneventfully like this, talk to locals, find a stone in an unexpected place, test for validity and repeat. It is in this monotonous state, as the sun rises past noon that Fluttershy and Rarity slowly pick up the pace of their own work eager to finish up their daily task.

“Hot” Rarity says, as Fluttershy flies a little closer to the thatched roof of a nearby house.

“Colder.” The mare repeats as Fluttershy flies lower, looking at the glass paned window sills.

“HOT! Boiling hot Darling it’s right in front of you!” Looking at the underside of the roof Fluttershy spies a small sharpened fragment of the Red Stone embedded deep in the wood. Extending her hoof with surgical precision, the yellow mare grabs a cloth from her saddlebag and wraps to around the stone as she carefully pulls it out of its prison.

“Great job Darling! Now be a dear and come down so we can put it away.” Fluttershy sighs to herself as she drifts down over to Rarity. Unfolding the cloth Rarity pinks up the stone with her magic causing to glow a bright Red. “Success! that’s another stone collected by team Rarity! I’ll daresay that Twilight and Applejack aren’t even doing half as well as we are.”

Rarity stuffs the stone in her bag and begins to trot leisurely away eager to put more distance between her team and Applejack’s. “Come along Fluttershy we’re ahead of schedule, and I just can’t wait to see Twilight’s face when we arrive early with more Red stones than she could ever…. Fluttershy? Are you coming?”

Standing as rooted to the ground as a tree, Fluttershy whispers to herself. Her voice just out of earshot of the ivory unicorn’s hearing, as she paws the ground with her hoof as nervously as possible.

“What is it Fluttershy Darling?” Rarity asks as she backpedals to her previous location “Are you all right? I haven’t been pushing you too hard have I? Goodness look at you! You’re sweating, let’s get you to some adequate shade!”

Finally the yellow Pegasus raises her voice to an audible level “why… why did you bring me along Rarity?”

Rarity blinks in confusion “Why? Darling whatever do you mean? I thought that you were keen on spending some time with me and making new friends like Twilight? Is it about your job?”

Fluttershy shakes her head “No it’s not that. I was able to get a leave of absence from the veterinarian’s office since it’s been slow lately. And Twilight’s pay is generous enough that I don’t have to worry about money…. It’s just…..”

Rarity tilts her head in confusion unable to process her friend’s concerns. Rarity had known Fluttershy from the yellow Pegasus had moved to Ponyville and they had instantly bonded over their respective love of beauty and implacable manners and etiquette. And despite the fact that she never quite got along with her Childhood friend Dash, she had always thought of Fluttershy as one of her closest friends in Ponyville. However the shy mare’s lack of overtness and her tendency to beat around the bush left the Pegasus a flighty enigma to the fashionista, if only for the fact that she would fail to communicate properly.

Rarity mentally debates the cause of the Pegasus’s sudden reluctance, when suddenly a dark and oppressive thought begins to take root in the unicorn’s mind. “Do you just not want to spend time with me anymore?” Rarity asks almost dismayed by the very utterance of her statement. “I know that we haven’t been very close lately, I even had to cancel a few of our little spa dates because of…..”

“NO! It’s not that, it would never be that Rarity, you’re a great friend and I’d never imply that you weren’t being a good friend.” Fluttershy lowers her head in shame as she paws the ground. “It’s just I wonder why you would want to involve such a useless pony in something as important as this….”

“…Fluttershy, surely you can’t believe that can you?” Rarity asks as she drapes her arm over the filly next to her “Now darling you really…….”

Brushing off the ivory unicorns’ closeness the Pegasus suddenly finds her voice. “But it’s true! I’m useless in all this…… this craziness.”

Fluttershy trots in place as she begins to nervously list all her deficiencies and failings in order to illustrate her point. “I’ve always been frail…….I’m afraid of everything…….. I can’t stand up for myself……… my only good talent is taking care of animals.”

Fluttershy points her hoof to Rarity tears dripping down her face. “But Rarity….. you’re the kindest and smartest mare that I know. You’re so generous and you care about everypony and you’re so rich and successful.”

The yellow mare turns away from Rarity unwilling to face the mare behind her “it’s the same with everypony else who is helping……. Twilight is really good with magic……… Applejack is really strong ……….. And pinkie always makes ponies feel better………….I….”

The mare gulps down her tears unwilling to let the pony behind her see her cry “…….I’m just in the way……I can’t do anything to help you…. So why do you even want me helping you?”

“….I …. I don’t even feel like I’m your friend sometimes……” Fluttershy sobs “……I just feel like a nuisance …. A pony who can only leach off the ponies around her……..” Fluttershy lowers her head to the dirt in shame at her own apparent failures, utterly convinced she is making life worse for the ponies around her just by merely existing.

However the pink manned mare’s pity party fails to even make a dent in the mind of her friend.  Mustering up an assuring smile that would make Pinkie Pie proud, Rarity trots over to the yellow mare and raises her face up with a gentle hoof. “Even if that were all true Fluttershy, even if you were the most useless pony on the planet, and I can assure you that you are not.” Rarity picks up the face of the Pegasus looking her straight in the eyes “You would still be the most considerate, the kindest, and the most genuine friend that I have ever known. I have never known you to upset any pony Fluttershy, and you never abandon your friends when you know that they need you. “

Rarity brushes off the tears that are slowly streaming off Fluttershy’s face with her magic as she smiles at her friend. “And I promise you darling it may not be today or tomorrow or the day after that.  But I assure you that you will have a moment in which all your friends depend upon what you can do.” Rarity smiles “and I know when that moment comes you won’t let us down.”

Fluttershy smiles a bit her earlier fears and uncertainties, unforgotten but suppressed under the immense level of confidence Rarity has given her.

“Besides.” Rarity remarks off hoof. “It may just be my opinion but our little team needs a little culture in it don’t you agree?” Rarity brushes her mane off to the side as she demonstrates her superior looks and class “Pinkie is a dear and Twilight is from Canterlot but no pony carries herself with the grace that you do Fluttershy. Could you imagine it? Taking Pinkie out to high tea? She wouldn’t last thirty seconds before the entire greens erupted in chaos!”

Rarity wraps her hoof around her friend “besides darling, with what Twilight is paying us we would be fools to not take this job. Twenty two bits an hour, with expenses? How could anypony pass that up?”

Fluttershy raises her hoof to her mouth in a cute giggle “it IS really silly….”

“Oh?” Rarity asks with a bemused expression “And what is that Darling?”

“Well, the idea of Pinkie sitting down for tea! I don’t think that she would last thirty seconds without breaking into a song about cupcakes!” And with their fears forgotten both mares break out into laughter both of them basking in the glory and wonder of a new day.

“Don’t worry about you lack of confidence deer.” Rarity once again assures her “Even I have times when I wish that I had more confidence…….” The ivory mare looks off in the distance, her eyes filling with worry and fear. “The confidence to tell a certain somepony close to my heart the truth..…..”

Fluttershy stops her mirthful smile as she looks at her friend’s face to see a look that the yellow mare had never seen before, a look of shame. Never before had Fluttershy seen this side of Rarity, a side that knew fear. To her Rarity was always so confident and brave, how could she be afraid of something? Fluttershy nudges the mare to her side “Um, Rarity? Are you okay?”

The quick shake knocks the ivory mare out of her daydream and back into the world of the living. “Oh I didn’t mean to worry you deer. Really it’s nothing.” Rarity states with dismissive flair. “Well come along Fluttershy we’ve got a long ways to go today. And I do not want to hear any more of your self-loathing.”

Fluttershy nods and prepares to follow her friend when suddenly as if on instincts the yellow mare turns her head left.

There resting just barely on her field of vision, sits an abandoned playground it’s gates covered in long dried ivy. As if drawn by a siren song the mare takes a step towards the yard’s rusted gate, then another, and another each step more automatic and devoid of thought than the last. By the time she realizes how strange she is acting Fluttershy is practically galloping towards the gate as Rarity calls out behind her. However Fluttershy does not hear her friend, any voices that she could possibly hear drowned out by a mythical haze that is filling her mind. She feels it, that in that abandoned place is something, something that fills life with meaning, something powerful and ancient as she suddenly comes to a stop in the middle of the park in an area of hoof high weed covered grass.

Suddenly the haze clears from her mind as she looks around in fright. “Where… where am I… how did I get… OW!” Raising her hoof in a yelp of pain Fluttershy lifts the bottom to see a small sharp rock only to cover her mouth to suppress her yelp of fear. There imbedded in the boney bottom of her hoof, the same black stone that she has been searching for.

Whimpering in pain Fluttershy reaches shakily out to her hoof her limb shaking more from fear than the pain of having a sharp object being driven into her hoof. Clenching her teeth and closing her eyes the mare winces as she pulls out the small black stone from her hoof placing the rock to her side as she fishes around her saddle bag for a bandage. “H-H-How c-could I be so dumb! I need to get this b-b-bleeding under control! From what Twilight told me cutting cut by these stones can make you really….Sick?”

Looking at the bottom of her hoof injured hoof Fluttershy had expected to find a gaping wound, a sore testament to her mistake. However instead she sees her hoof looking as perfect as it was looking before, as if her injury and exposure to the stone were a brief illusion. “W-W-What?! B-But I was sure that…..”

“Fluttershy!” The yellow mare turns around to see her fashion minded friend completely winded behind her. “There you are. Ugh and now I’m covered in sweat! Fluttershy Darling why did you run off like that I was calling out your name but you just kept on ignoring me and…. Hello? What’s this?”

Rarity’s keen eye suddenly spots the black stone lying not a hoof from the mare and with caution in her breath she picks up the stone with her magical aura. Suddenly just as Rarity’s magic touches the stone it erupts in a cascading stream of white light that seems to reflect off everything around them with equal radiance. The sudden surprise of the light causes Rarity to relinquish her magical hold on the stone, its inert form once again falls to the ground black as obsidian. “GASP!” Rarity gasps. “This must be one of those strange stones that Twilight told us to collect, oh good job Fluttershy! Not even my gem finding spell can locate these fragments! An you just so happened to find one out of the blue!”

“But…. I…… there was a voice …… and hoof…….and then blood…… and……..”

Not even giving the shy mare a chance to respond the Fashionista embraces the yellow mare. “I knew that I could rely on you. See Fluttershy? What did I tell you? You’ve already proven yourself useful; just picture the look on deer Twilight’s face when we come back with one of these marvelous stones that she asked for!”

Rarity embraces the yellow mare in a tight hug causing Fluttershy to blush with pride. She did find the stone….. Even though it was an accident. It was just like she felt called in its direction. Maybe, maybe she did have a role to play; maybe she could help her friends.

But what about her hoof? Was she going crazy or…….

Rarity breaks off the hug and looks around the park with her horn illuminated “Humh my spell doesn’t seem to have located any more of the Red stones around us, so we best be on our way to give this stone to Twilight…”

“You two are going nowhere!” the two mares turn towards the sound of the voice “and neither is that stone that you are holding!”

The mares both see that their only way out of the park blocked by a light green mare with a matching light green mane with whitish silvery highlights. Her coat mint green and well-groomed sits in stark contrast to her scraggly, free flowing mane that seems to sway in an imaginary wind. Her golden yellow eyes locked on the two mares with the intensity of a predator make it known that she isn’t playing around.  Her cutie mark barely obscured by her white and golden saddlebags is that of a golden lyre professing her pursuit of passion and of her skill with expression. “So in case you didn’t understand the first time….” The mare crosses her hooves confidently as she stands on two hooves. “empty your saddlebags now. You’re going to turn over those stones you’ve been collecting to me!”

Rarity gasps at the threats of this new stranger “why you ruffian! Trying to rob a pair of sweet defenseless mares in broad daylight! I will not stand for being mugged like this. I have friends in high places in the government, including the princess’ protégé! And to top it off I am a fourth dan in judo so would just walk away and…...”

The light green mare rolls her eyes at the antics amused by the unicorn’s beliefs that her opinion could stop a mugger “I’m not mugging you.” The mare lands back on all fours “I just want you to empty your bags and leave the stones that you’ve been collecting. Do that and we both walk away No pony the wiser to your little ‘secret mission’.”

“Um…” Fluttershy chimes in “I don’t mean to be rude miss….. But getting someone to give up something that they own IS stealing… So technically you are mugging us.”

The mugger sighs “Uh, news flash fillies, the stones that you’re collecting fell out of the sky! That means they’re fair game! Plus…” The mare takes a menacing step forward “if you feel ‘inclined’ to leave them behind for me, then it’s not stealing now is it?”

Fluttershy shakes like a leaf, however not every pony is so easily intimidated. Raising her nose up at the pony in front of her, Rarity responds to the mugger’s threats with indignation of a whole other kind. “I simply do not know what your problem is.” Rarity says as if the mugger’s manners are an affront to good culture “but I will not be intimidated by a thug! And I have no intention of letting you steal the stones that we have been searching all day for!”

Standing battle ready and glowing horn pointed at her opponent Rarity tries her hoof at her own brand of intimidation. “Now kindly step aside before I am forced to do something drastic!”

The green unicorn shrugs “suit yourself! We’ll just have to do this the hard way.” The green mare takes a similar combat stance mirroring her opponent. “However if you thought that your ability to use some judo would allow you to take me down, I just wanted you to know beforehand, you are dead wrong.” Lyra stares intently at the sputtering Ivory mare.

“How dare you!” Rarity shouts “You think that simply because I am a lady I can’t defend myself? I’ll have you know… AAAAAAAAAAAAA!” before she can even register what is going on the ivory mare finds herself is picked up off the ground. Her four hooves flail futilely against an invisible force her mind in limbo as her body is slammed against the hard unforgiving ground.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy rushes forward to her friend’s side making it half a step before she too is tripped by the same invisible force that just defeated her friend. Both mares try to rise but struggle vainly against the invisible force binding them as it feels like their bodies are bound in the coil of a serpent.

“He too easy. And you thought your little judo skills would bind me? Looks like you two are the ones tied up!” Suddenly the same invisible force pulls the saddlebags off of the two mares caring them over to their subduer. “And to the victors go the spoils.”

Rarity grunts against the force holding her to the ground all the while her horn radiates a light blue aura “All right, don’t say that I didn’t warn you!” with expert precision rarity fires a bolt of arcane energy that shoots towards the mint green mare.  Yet just as it looks as though Rarity has turned the tables on her attacker, the bolt of magic is brushed into the sky courtesy of the same invisible force.

“Wow that was close.” The green mare states as she glances at the stray beam of magic spiraling into the sky “I take it back prissy pony, you’ve got guts….” The mare strikes a dramatic pose “…..but fighting my stand, thousand hoof crutch, without a stand yourself is totally impossible!”

Her well laid plans having failed Rarity struggles vainly against the force holding her prone if only to feel that she is doing something to escape. “I-If you do a-anything to u-us then our friends w-won’t….”

“Oh quit your sniveling!” The mint mare snaps “I take back taking back what I said! You totally don’t have any guts.”

The green mare levitates the two mare’s saddle bags in front of her “I’m just after the sacred stones! It’s not like I was going to do anything weird to you or anything! Now let’s see here….” The green mare opens the bag and with her golden yellow aura pulls them out with one by one. Time after time she pulls out a glowing red stone only to throw it behind her in disgust. “Junk, Junk, Garbage, garbage, no…. Aha! Here we go!” Holding up the eerie golden glowing stone that Fluttershy just found the mare jumps for joy as she gazes into its depths. Stuffing the stone into her white saddle bags, the mare throws the two mare’s saddlebags back to them as she turns to leave.

“Well that’s all I needed” waving her hoof over the two mares they feel the bonds holding them to the ground fall off. “Later you two, and remember if you find any more of the Miracles stones that they belong to me Lyra Heartstrings.”

The green mare is about to walk away when Rarity leaps to her hooves “wait! Weren't you after the Red stones like us? Why are you just letting us go? What do you know about these other stones? Are you crazy?!” Fluttershy puts her hooves over her mouth as the green mare freezes at the sound of the word ‘crazy’. With terrifying slowness the mare turns her head slowly around inch by inch revealing an angry stare that would chill the blood of a Cockatrice.

The green mare turns slowly around the angry stare vanishing from her face as she gains control over her emotions once again. “Well since you asked, no I’m not after these whatever you call them ‘red stones’, why would I be? I already have a stand in case you didn’t know. Two I’m letting you go because you’re gonna find more of the Miracles stones for me. Third I want them because the stones can grant you wishes…..”

Rarity gasps “those stones….. Grant wishes!? What in the wide wide world of Equestria would make you believe in that hogwash?”

“…...as I said” Lyra continues over the ivory mare’s protests “The only reason that I’m after these stones is because they grant your ‘greatest desire’. When I found my piece of the stone it granted me a stand power and claimed that the stone existed to grant the desires of its user or something like that.”

“That means whoever possesses the prices of this stone will have their wishes granted!” The Mare looks towards the heavens hope in her eyes “and when I gather all the pieces, then I Lyra Heartstrings will finally and irrefutably be able to prove the existence of Humans!”

The entire park goes completely silent as both Rarity and Fluttershy stare mouths agape at the Lyra with the look a new pony to Ponyville might give Pinkie Pie. The only sound that can be heard is the blowing of the wind as an ironically timed the tumble weed rolls on the ground in front of them “….um Lyra was it?” Fluttershy raises her hoof “not to rain on your parade….. But humans don’t exist.”

The green mare practically explodes “That’s a lie! Humans DO exist! They were once a plentiful species that invented many great inventions that we ponies use today! Explain bowling balls! Humans existed! It’s a fact! I’m not crazy!” The crazy mare rants.

“Um I’m sorry Lyra but human existence has been debated for thousands of years but no certified evidence has ever existed to support the existence of humans.” Fluttershy states with the calm analytical logic of a seasoned animal expert. “In all zoological studies the closest thing to the mythical human is the monkey tribes of the southern islands and they went extinct five hundred years ago. I'm sorry but there’s just no evidence supporting their existence.”

“Humans DO exist.” Lyra insists “They even possess a technology that allows them to peer across the dimensional fabric of space time! They call it ‘Television’ and they’re using it to spy on all of us all the time!” Lyra’s eyes bulge “Imagine it; they are all watching us in our most private of moments right now for their own sick entertainment! That’s why I have to prove that they exist, I’m the only one that can stop their creepy spying!”

If silence could be any more awkward it would have broken the very dimensional fabric of space time. “Um…. Darling?” Rarity asks “I don’t mean to be rude and all but are you always so….”

“DON’T SAY IT!”

“……crazy?” Rarity winces.

The green mare nearly tears her mane out “I’m NOT crazy! Why does everypony think that I’m crazy, cause I’m not! Humans are real it’s all a conspiracy to cover up their existence! Why can’t anypony else see? This is why I need to gather the magic wish granting stones! To prove that a race of two legged hairless apes are spying on us and writing down out movements in their fan fictions! I’M NOT CRAZY!”

“Ah don’t know bout you Twi, but that sounds plenty crazy ta me.”

“Agreed applejack, it’s a good thing that Rarity signaled us when she did, this mare looks like she needs some help.” Twilight remarks “It may be that her stand is affecting her judgment, but what she said sounds really crazy.”

Suddenly the out of breath green unicorn breaks out of her rant just in time to see an orange earth pony and a lavender unicorn behind her cutting off her escape. “Who are you? How did you find me? What are you doing here in the first place? Are you after the Miracle stones as well?” The green mare suddenly gets defensive as she moves to confront the two newcomers.

The purple mare strikes a pose demonstrating her authority and elegance “I am princess representative Twilight Sparkle and on behalf of the crown I hereby command you to release my friends and turn yourself over to the government for your crimes against said agents of the crown.”

“An as fer how we found ya…” The orange mare points up to the sky, a large light blue cloud of smoke remaining motionless in the air “…yawl probably should have noticed that there flare now?”

Lyra looks up in the sky in utter surprise as the Ivory unicorn gloats “I said that I had friends in high places didn't I? I wasn’t begging and trying to distract you with small talk, I was stalling until my friends could arrive!” Rarity brushes her mane off to the side “That what you get from underestimating a fashionable lady!”

Lyra finally closes her mouth and looks at Rarity “well I’ll be fooled…… That blast of magic wasn’t to hit me; it was a flare to draw your allies to you.” Lyra can’t help but grin “Clever, I officially take back me taking back me taking back the fact that you actually have guts you prissy pony.”

The green mare turns to face her new opponents her entire body raring to go “But don’t get too cocky! You may be with the government but I have no intention of turning over these magical wishing stones to you. I am going to make my dream come true and show everypony they were wrong to doubt me. If you want me to surrender you’re going to have to use force! And my stand Thousand hoof crutch has never been beaten!”

Cracking her hooves, Applejack takes a step forward “fine by me, ah like having ta do things the hard way!” Leaping forward applejack manifests her stand in a single moment its heavy wooden body ready to attack. It’s glistening green mane shines as the setting sun reflects off of the stand’s crown and body it’s every muscle coiled to attack.

 Suddenly in a single blow Applejack’s foundation shatters the ground with a powerful right straight, its hoof contorting the earth from the impact, yet Lyra is nowhere to be found. “She’s….. Gone?”  Applejack gapes “Where did that there slippery varmint….”

Twilight points her hoof “Applejack, above you!”

Applejack looks up to see the green mare hanging from a lantern post above her head, her body suspended from the pole by several strange looking arms each one ending in five blunted claws of varying length. The dark iron arms seem to have grown out of the pole itself, their base seemingly a mix of the metal of the pole and the dark metal of the stand’s ‘limbs’. Looking down on her opponent Lyra breathes out a sigh of relief as another of the arms pops out of her back wiping the sweat off her brow.  “Whew that was too close. If that had actually hit me, it would really be all over….”

“What in tarnation?” Applejack shouts “Are ya a spider pony er somtin?”

Lyra laughs “it looks like your stand is pretty strong I’ll give you that, even off the owner is short on brains.” The mint green mare crosses her hooves in confidence “Fine I‘ll tell you! Thousand Hoof Crutch allows me to create arms and hands that can grow out of any non-living object within my range (well, including for me as well) allowing me to create an army of arms. It’s how I so easily defeated your friends before, and it’s how I’m going to defeat you!”

Suddenly several dozen arms grow out of the ground around Applejack each one blowing from the soil their twisted fingers outstretched. Then with remarkable precision each and every one of the metallic arms reaches out grabbing a part of the farmer’s body. Her friends call out in distress as the dozens of arms grapple Applejack from every angle rendering the orange mare unable to move even a muscle.

“Ha! Bet you didn't see that coming did you?” Lyra mocks “You seem to have a lot of raw power but you can’t defend against a lot of attacks at once can you bet that’s why you didn’t even bother to dodge hunh? You realized it was futile hunh?” the green mare crosses her hooves in pride “Yes sir, my stand is unbeatable, it’s only logical that even you’d give up struggling against it!”

Applejack not even wiggling spits in the dirt to her side “Nah I just didn’t move cause dodging too much trouble.”

“What?”

“Sides, it’s cowardly.” Applejack grins “Scaping’s easier.”

Lyra’s laughter stops instantly “escape? Ha you think you can wiggle out of a twenty three arm grapple? Dream on! But since you seem so confident that you can beat me I’ll knock you out quick with my signature thousand fist barrage!”

“….. Give me a Break…… where do all yawl idiots come from? Fine just make it quick, ah got harvestin ta do tomorrow.”

Manifesting even more arms around the paralyzed mare the hands curl up their digits into a ball as they all arch around the farm mare like snakes waiting to strike. Then suddenly all the arms snap out like bullets each one striking with incredible precision as they pound the paralyzed orange far mare.

Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola,Vola!VVVVOOOOOOOLLLLLLAAAAAAA!!!

However the orange mare doesn’t seem bothered at all by the mare’s attack. Leaning her head down as she manifests her wooden stand over her own body, it’s skin covering her like a shell of armor as the fists rush in attacking her from every direction. Blow after countless blow impacts the orange mare and her stand as Lyra mercilessly beats the orange mare with everything she has. Yet the as the attack dies down Applejack appears to be completely unfazed by a single attack as the fists that attacked her shatter into hundreds of pieces. The entire group (aside from Applejack) can only stare completely dumbfounded as Applejack has just endured a savage beating of supernatural origins without even being bothered by it.

“Yawl done yet?” the farm mare asks “standin here’s borin so I’d like to beat yawl and move on if you please.”

“How…. Why……. My stand…. How did you endure…… DO YOU EAT CEMENT OR SOMETHING?!?” Lyra screams “that was my best attack! What are you made of stone?!”

“Nah” the farm mare claims “mah stand’s power just makes it or anything it touches impossible to move is all, and since mah stand is tougher than cousin Braeburn’s apple jerky, well yawl might as well have been punchin a brick wall for all I care.”

“SOUTHERNISIMS!” Twilight calls out from the sidelines “Applejack you promised no southernisms!”

Applejack tilts her hat “sorry Twi, it’s a habit, me and what you call them ‘southernisms’ are as close as peas and gravy!”

“UUUURRRRRAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!” twilight screams

“Well…. Well…. You still can’t break free!” Lyra states glad for her sake that her stand is still holding the mare stationary. “Ha I got you there! I might not be able to injure you but if you can’t move then I win! Victory is mine! HaHaHaH……”

“UUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Applejack cries out as she and her stand push outwards against the strength of dozens of arms holding her to the spot at which she is rooted.

“Fool! You plan to break the grip of my stand? A regular pony like you? I’ve been given power by the miracle stones and I still have trouble with it. There’s no…”

“UUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Shattering Earth……” With the immense strength of her stand and her own potent physical strength honed over a lifetime of hard rigorous work, Applejack rips all of the arms out of the round with a shockwave of force as she breaks out of the hold with nothing more than physical strength. “….Overdrive!” Earth and stone fly into space as the stand stamps it’s weathered wooden hooves into the ground with an intimidating thunderclap.

Lyra stares unable to even think as she tries to comprehend the monstrous level of strength she just witnessed. Her opponent was able to break out of a hold with nothing more than raw strength she overpowered twenty three times a normal pony’s strength so easily. The arms ripped out of the ground fade back into the either as Lyra gapes at the sight she has just witnessed.

Dusting off her coat applejack smirks “Oh I forgot ta mention mah stand can also remove any object from its foundation by touchin it as well. So long as ah got the strength to rip it out of the earth like that.” Narrowing her gaze at the stunned green mare applejack stands battle ready “Now Is that all yawl got?”

“But…. Stones… and …humans….I…”

“Well it’s been a hoot Lyra with yawl funny stand and yer silly talk bout humans, but ah’ve got to be home in time for supper so I hope that yawl won’t think me rude fer finishing up our little ‘fight’ right now.” Launching out a powerful right hook with her stand Lyra is just able to pull her out of the way as Foundation bends the metal post that she was has hinging from like a straw.

Scared out of her wits to be on the receiving end of a stand that could do that to metal, Lyra puts her stand’s many arms to the best advantage, by using them to run away from the angered orange mare. Like a spider fleeing from a burning house the many arms popping out of the mare’s back carry her scurrying body across the ground while the orange farm mare follows hot on her heals.

“Lyra! Stop running around like a chicken in the farmhouse an get back here so I can punch yawl good!”

“NO!”

“I mean it Lyra get back here now and let’s end this little charade!”

“NO you can’t make me!”

“Lyra stop runnin about like a coward and git back here or so help me…”

The comical routine continues back and forth as Applejack chases the terrified Lyra heartstrings around the grassy abandoned park in the middle of nowhere over magical stones that fell from the sky. And as this scene of utter depravity against all the laws of the universe is going on the ponies on the sidelines watch on with mild amusement.

Suddenly the purple unicorn speaks up “Rarity?”

The ivory mare turns her head “Yes Twilight. What is it? Do you want more popcorn?” the generous mare says as she offers Twilight her bowl.

“No thanks Rarity I was just watching and thinking, when was it that our lives got so….so…….”

“Bizarre?” Fluttershy chimes in as she takes a deep slurp from her hay shake.

“Yeah that! I mean what the actual buck is it with us? I’ve been here all of five days and already I’m watching…... This, like it’s some spectator sport. When did this become my life? What in the world is the deal with Pinkie? Why in the world aren’t we helping Applejack?! This isn’t normal! It’s not rational! It’s pure and unadulterated…..”

The ivory mare places her hoof forcefully over the manic unicorns’ mouth silencing her rant. “Hush now darling, Applejack seems like she has everything under control.” The ivory mare says as she gently bops the purple unicorn on the head “besides I gave up trying to make sense of all this craziness a long time ago. As the saying goes ‘don’t question a good thing’ and I have lived by that.”

The ivory mare gestures out to the scene before her of an orange earth pony mare swinging a long metal pole after a scurrying spidery unicorn. “I mean think about it in this way twilight.” The ivory mare turns her head towards Twilight with a look of seriousness upon it “Would you rather be sitting in Canterlot doing taxes as some random everyday Jane. Or would you rather be a super magical apprentice of a mare who moves the sun and moon on a quest to recover magical stones that have rained down across the land while discovering a deep dark secret protected for a thousand years?”

“But…... logic and mathematics and probability says that this should be…..”

“I’d rather be friends with Rarity and you Twilight than live a predictable life.” Fluttershy says as she throws her empty hay soda in a nearby trash can.

“But…..” Twilight sighs utterly defeated. “You are right Fluttershy and you are too Rarity. Our lives might not make sense, but I’d rather have this than some dead end job. Especially with friends like you. Even though you all are a little weird.”

Rarity pats the lavender unicorn on the back both of them with newfound smiles on their faces “That’s the spirit twilight now finish your popcorn. OH! Darlings look they’ve stopped running around. Quick pretend we’ve been paying attention!”

Sure enough the two mares fighting have stopped running about both simply stand staring at each other each one dangerously out of breath. Both have withdrawn their stands keeping them at arm’s length as they get their breath back, each one daring the other to make the first move.

Finally the orange mare speaks up “I keep telling you Lyra, stop runnin about like a coward and fight like a mare, this is getting silly yawl know ya have no chance of beating me!”

“Dream on Apple Snacks.” The Green mare retorts “No way I’m just standing still while you pound me into the ground.” Lyra points her hoof at applejack’s stand “besides if you’re so tired of running around just send your stand closer to attack.”

“What?” the farm mare asks “what they hay are you talkin about? Move mah stand closer?”

“Yeah move it closer. You know like moving your stand closer towards your opponent like this.” Lyra manifests an arm directly in front of the orange mare causing it to grow out of the ground and tweak her nose before receding again.

“Ouch! Cut it out that hurt!” the orange mare says as she rubs her sore nose.

“THAT hurt? And after I hit your stand with everything I had? All I had all I had to do is attack you instead of your stand….” This causes the green mare to perk up as she realizes something.

A sly grin crosses her face as she takes a step backwards widening the gap between her and her opponent. “I get it, it’s not that your stand isn’t moving away from your body to attack me, it’s that it can’t! Your stand lacks the range and speed that my stand does so your are forced to follow me around like a little puppy while I stay safe outside the range of your attacks.”

“Hunh? What are ya talki… OUCH” Applejack falls to the ground as a rock smacks her in the head. Rising quickly back onto her hooves Applejack looks around her “what in the blazes where did that…. OW, hey!” looking in the direction the second rock came from Applejack looks to see one of Lyra’s arms tossing a rock in midair, catching it in its hand before it throws another projectile at her.

Manifesting her stand Applejack easily grabs and crushes the rock with her two hooves reducing the projectile to powder. “Enough o this playin around Lyra, fight me fair an….” Applejack barely has time to finish her sentence as she is tapped on the chin from below. “What the…” looking beneath her Applejack barely has time to watch three arms extend upwards. Acting as one the three arms of Lyra’s stand uppercut the orange farm mare and sending her flying into the air. With a resounding thud Applejack hits the ground hard as her Stetson flies off of her head.

“Hehe, so you thought I was crazy hunh?” Lyra stands victorious over her downed opponent. “Well I guess that you just lost to a crazy mare haven’t you?”

Applejack pulls herself off of the ground “ah haven’t lost yet.”

Lyra rolls her eyes “please I was trying to pull my punches because I didn’t what to cripple you or anything but it’s obvious that I’m the winner of this fight” Applejack surges forward to attack once again, her stand priming its’ hooves to attack. However this time Lyra deftly dodges out of the way as her arms trip Applejack sending her sprawling to the ground.

 “You see….” Lyra continues her adversary lying in the dirt “Your invincible stand has two weaknesses that I can easily exploit, first it is as slow as, how should I put this, ‘it’s as slow as molasses on hearth's warming’ Yehaw!”

“Oh dear Celestia now she’s doing them too!” Twilight cries out from the sidelines.

“……meaning my faster stand can get in and pound you the moment that your stand is no longer protecting yourself.” Lyra remarks confidently.

Using her stand Lyra throws another rock at Applejack’s exposed flank from behind drawing blood in the process “…..And second it can’t attack and defend at the same time, unlike my stand. All I have to do is wait for your slower stand to try and attack me and I can use my greater speed and range of over 20 meters to attack you when you can’t even touch me.”

Applejack tries move forward ant attack again however this time Lyra’s arms grab the pony by the tail and drag her painfully to the ground “You went on and on about how strong and invincible your stand was Applejack. However sometimes victory goes to the swift and the clever. My stand’s radius is 20 meters! There’s nowhere you can hide from my attacks!”

Suddenly hundreds of Lyra’s arms pop out of the ground like daisies each one holding a rock in their hands the size of a baseball. “And that is why this match… is over. Finishing attack Stone PONY!”

Attacking in perfect harmony, each arm throws their rock at the same time releasing a rain of rocks directly over Applejack’s head, threatening to crush the orange pony flat. The orange pony prone on the ground curls up vainly to protect herself from the rain of heavy stones hanging over her head. Flinching in fear from the imminent threat as the sound of stones impacting a hard object resonates through the field. Yet as she feels no pain from the rain of rocks the orange mare suddenly opens her eyes to see a shimmering barrier of purple light shielding her from the rockslide.

“Hey! NO Fair!” the Green mare complains “This was a one on one fight! You had no right to interfere! Twilight Sparkle!”

Sure enough the lavender mare stands resolutely in between Lyra and her friend Applejack. “You’re the one that has gone too far Lyra. I understand you might be cross with Applejack but this is ridiculous!”

The lavender mare swings her hoof to the side as if the brush away Lyra’s deluded notions ”you were speaking of fighting fairly and you deceived and betrayed Applejack by attacking from behind!”

Applejack shakily rises to her hooves as she tries to push back Twilight “Stay…. Stay out of this Twi… this… this is mah fight, ah won’t have….”

Applejack’s words are cut off as a familiar object fall back on her head. With fowl like surprise the mare feels the worn thick canvas of her Stetson; once again back in its place. “Mah hat? Ya, ya got it fer me Twilight?”

“Of course Applejack! We’re friends after all!” Twilight turns to the orange mare behind her a smile of genuine concern and happiness snapping Applejack out of her state. “I don’t mind you being in danger Applejack; I don’t mind you putting your life on the line especially if it means helping your friends and family.”

Twilight states as she places a reaffirming hoof on her shoulder. “That’s just a part of who you are Applejack and I realize that now. You want to stand up for something, and I respect that. BUT….” The purple mare scrapes her hoof on the ground like a bull ready to charge as she levels her gaze at the light green unicorn mare, Lyra Heartstrings. “If you think even for a second that I’m just going to sit here while you get beaten half to death you had better think again. I may not have a stand power but I promise you Applejack that you or any of my other friends who finds themselves in danger will never fight alone!”

Lyra opens her mouth to counter to lavender librarian’s words, to state how she is no match for her stand, but she never gets the chance.

Eclipsing even the light of the sun a bright white glow begins to emanate from Twilight’s bag shining through the heavy canvas as if it were a sheet of paper. All the mares turn their heads away to shield their eyes as the bright light surrounds the purple mare causing her very body to vanish from sight against the illuminating backdrop.

I couldn’t have said it better myself……. My little pony…..

The near blinded twilight rises from the ground shaking her head just as the light from her bag begins to die down. “Ugg what was that? What happened, who’s voice was….that?” Twilight stares forward at a strange looking double laying in front of her eyes.

The stand is about the lavender mare size, it’s sparkling coat is covered in star like shapes that surround and layer the stand with stars of all shapes and sizes. The flowing mane and tail gives it’s bright silvery-white mane the appearance of the Milky Way on a cold winter’s night. Taking the form of an androgynous unicorn, the stand’s star shaped tattoos spotted all over its white blemish less coat; follows a chaotic pattern of the most beautiful design. Yet the most distinguishing feature of the stand is its’ dark black saddle encrusted with gems from every color of the rainbow. The word F.R.I.E.N.D.S, dotted across both sides of the saddle in countless refracting gems causes the stand to sparkle like the stars on a cold and lonely evening.

She raises her right hoof and the stand mirrors her, she waves it does the same. She jumps up and down and the stand levitates up and down in front of her. Suddenly the mare blinks once and burst out into cheering “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I MANIFESTED A STAND! FINALLY! Applejack I finally manifested a stand! I’m a stand user! Finally after years and years of waiting I finally get a stand! Are you excited? Cause I’m certainly excited!” The purple mare practically gushes in joy as she begins to toy with her control over the figure in front of her causing it to levitate, move its’ limbs and strike countless crazy poses. Lyra Heartstrings gaping off to the side as she stares at the unicorn’s saddle bag is completely ignored in the wake of Twilights’ overwhelming excitement that seems to fill every fiber of her being. In fact were she not in the middle of a battle, the lavender unicorn would possibly have ranted on for hours about how excited she is and how proud the princess will be of her pupil once she finds out about her accomplishment.

“It’s the stone…..” Lyra claims almost to herself as she stares at Twilight’s bag. “It’s the Miracle stone! You have one!” the excited green mare jumps in the air with glee mirroring the lavender unicorn, the green mares’ outburst reminding Twilight that this is no time for celebration. “You had one and it granted your desire! That proves it! The stones grant wishes! HAHA!” the mare straightens herself out manifesting several arms around the purple mare “perfect. Now you can hand over the miracle stone you have to me!”

Twilight smirks as she strikes the cockiest pose a librarian can manage “oh I don’t think that I’ll be handing you anything Lyra, not into those….. Big….. ugly looking hands you have anyways.”

Lyra looks at her completely unamused  "lame.”

“….but you are the one that is going down! Get her standy!” suddenly the stand zooms at the green mare with frightening speed and before she can even raise a guard the stand is on top of Lyra. The stand glares at the green unicorn as Lyra realizes that there is no time to dodge, her eyes widening in terror.

Readying it’s hoof ‘standy’ throws a powerful right cross hitting Lyra right in the face as the mare screams in apparent agony. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…… what the? Shouldn’t that hurt?” Lyra looks at the stand in front of her and blinks. The stand throws another punch, and again Lyra blinks indifferently as eh blow bounces off her face.

The stand punches again hitting her in the face, however this time Lyra doesn’t even move apparently unfazed by the stand’s blow. “Wow….. That’s really REALLY lame.”

Twilight is completely shocked as she falls to her flank “what? My stand…. Is that weak! I don’t understand is something wrong why I… why did it….”

Putting her hoof to her mouth to stifle the giggles pouring out the mint mare cries out to Twilight. “Hey Twilight! Something’s wrong with your stand or something! Did you forget to change the batteries or something? All it was able to do was give me a splitting headache, and that’s about it. What are your trying to embarrass yourself? Because I find it hard to believe that you are this really this lame! ”

As Twilight sares agape at the powerlessness of her stand before her, Lyra bursts out laughing at the lavender mare’s apparent misfortune. “BWA HA HA HA HA. You finally managed to manifest a stand…. And it doesn’t do anything! HA Ha ha ha…he that is so priceless. He I really feel sorry for you, you know that Twilly. BwaHAHAHA!!”

Lyra stifles her laughter as her stand moves its’ multitude of arms each one clutching a large circular stone it its hands. “But no worries, I’ll show you the power of a REAL STAND and put you out of your misery real fast.” The arms juggle their rocks with deadly precision as they take their aim at the stunned purple unicorn. “I’ll make this quick. Finishing move Stone Pony!”

In a literal hail of rock and mortar Lyra’s Thousand Hoof Crutch sends her attack flying. The stones spiral through the air threatening to stone Twilight Sparkle who sits on her haunches staring at the form of her powerless stand manifested not a hoof’s length in front of her her. “My stand…. Useless….. there……….. there’s just no way……..”

“TWI look out!” moving with all the speed she can manage the injured mare Applejack moves her stand in the path of Lyra’s attack. As if moving in slow motion Applejack’s Foundation curls itself around the Purple mare and her stand ready to absorb the impact of Lyra’s attack with her own body.

Yet suddenly as Applejack’s Foundation touches the body of Twilight’s stand the two stands mesh together their bodies merging to form a single whole. Both Twilight and Applejack look on with glowing white eyes as both of their stands meld into one another from the slightest touch. The storm of rocks flying towards them fall to the ground crushed flat by intense gravitational forces as the two stands finish the merging process.

Yet all the physical merging of two stands is nothing compared to what is going on in the minds of the two mares. As if a barrier between Applejack and Twilight has been demolished the glowing eyes of the two mares show them everything they could possibly know about the other. Likes and Dislikes, Fears and Family, Memories and Feelings of one mare become crystal clear to the other as their thoughts mesh together in perfect harmony.

And as if symbolizing this mythic unity between the two mares in a flash of starlit light the two stands have become one. The Strong oaken armor of Foundation now adorned with twilight’s six pointed stars that form a layered pattern over the dark brown wood. It’s grassy mane now red as autumn flows gracefully, sparkling in a non-existent wind. The horned crown of Foundation, now adorned with gems of every color complements with the black saddle on its back, the gems in the Saddle Now spelling out the word FRIENDS in dark green emeralds.

Lyra sputters unable to understand the incredible scene that has happened before her. “What the hay is going on, what did you do? This had better not be another trick!”

Twilight and Applejack’s eyes continue to glow as they both stare at the defiant mint unicorn before them. Together as if psychically linked they raise their hooves towards the Green mare.

“Lyra…” Applejack says “your next line is going to be…”

“….don’t insult the fight you two…” the purple mare finishes

“…And that’s the one!” they both say simultaneously

“…..Don’t insult the fight you two!” the green mare angrily yells. Suddenly she realizes that something is very wrong “What the!?! Can you… can you read minds?”

Twilight smiles “you still don’t get it Lyra. And to tell you the truth I didn’t either for the longest time, but now I do.” Applejack and Twilight their eyes glowing step forward towards Lyra just as she takes a step back. “For the longest time I tried to take on the world by myself. But just recently I’ve learned something; that when two ponies work together as one, when they have an unbreakable bond with each other. Their power grows immensely!”

In perfect unicorn Twilight and Applejack strike a daring pose as the new version of foundation stares down at Lyra Heartstrings. “An that’s the power of FRIENDS!” Applejack shouts “It’s a stand creates a mental bond between us two, casuin two stands ta merge tagether!”

Applejack cracks her hooves “…and that means yawl are fighting two ponies in perfect harmony, with twice the power as before! Yawl won’t stand a chance!”

Lyra glares angrily at the two as her stand’s arms pick up more projectiles to attack them with. “So what? Your stand is still too far away to touch me! All I have to do is attack outside your range and I…… HEY what’s going on?!”

Raising its hoof the ‘FRIENDS’ Foundation lifts the green mare into the air as if by will alone. Small rocks orbit around the green mare as she flails about desperately trying to pull herself back to earth, her stand’s arms just inches short of pulling her back to the ground. Fear begins to fill Lyra’s senses as she floats weightlessly in midair unable to attack defend or move before the power of FRIENDS.

“This effect isn’t simple levitation Lyra, It’s Gravity.” Twilight states as Foundation holds Lyra weightlessly “Applejack’s original power allows her to create an unbreakable gravitational bond between two solid objects or dispel gravity all together for a split second or two causing the objects to lose their footing.”

Applejack continues “now with Twi’s friendly stand bostin mah power, it allows us to control gravity at a distance, turnin a pony completely weightless or strengthening gravity to crushing force.”

Twilight smirks. “And Guess what the effective distance of that power is?”

“I reckon it’s about twenty meters” Applejack smirks “the same as your stand.”

 “…so I guess….”

“….that you’re out of luck!” Applejack shouts

“Take this!” Twilight shouts “Gravitational…….”

“……Multiplication…..”

“……OVERDRIVE!” Both mares cry out at the same time as Foundation swings it’s hoof to the ground.

Lyra barely has time to think as she is hit by several G’s of Gravitational pressure, being hurled to the ground beneath her at subsonic speeds. In less than the time it takes for the mare to blink she finds herself smashed into the ground her body creating a crater in the ground from the force of her impact. For a few moments the mint unicorn manages to keep herself barely conscious as colorful purple, brown and orange shapes spin before her vision. But eventually and mercifully the battered mare passes out her consciousness drifting away as the blurry figures close in on her.

……………………..

“So let me get this straight darling you can read minds?”

“No Rarity it’s a mind link not telepathy.”

“Well…. Um forgive me for asking but isn’t that the same thing? I mean I’m not an expert on it or anything but it sounds like the same thing.”

    ‘Ugh, my head, what’s going on…..’

“No Fluttershy, it is not the same thing. Telepathy is one mind manipulating or accessing the thoughts memories and personalities of others. It’s why such magic is hard to perform and even harder to learn. It requires an immense amount of skill, and most of it is labeled black magic because it can be so easily abused.”

“So…. What is this mind link thing? Is it illegal? Cause if it is……”

     ‘My body…. Feels heavy… what happened…..’

“Well……… it’s sort of illegal but….”

“Illegal? Twi! Ah don’t want to go to jail, just because ah did that mind thing with yawl! I’m innocent!”

“Applejack if you would let me finish. It’s not illegal because it breaks any law. But because it can go wrong if you aren’t very, very ……”

     ‘The voices…. Who are they.....’

“Did it do something to mah head? Oh sweet Celestia it did didn’t it? What do I do what do I MMMUUUMMPPPHHHHH!”

“Thank you Rarity, and No Applejack it didn’t do anything technically wrong. A mind link or a mind meld as it is called was used by sorcerers to boost magical powers by linking two or more minds together. It’s not illegal because it requires consent in order for it to work properly, so it can’t be done on any pony against their will. If you try to do it on some pony against their will….. The mental feedback causes the spell to falter anywhere from one point zero seven seconds to five point fifty three seconds. And all that does is create mental strain on the minds of those linked, except for the one who performs the ritual of course because they’re protected by Maddy’s fourth law of spell craft ….. I get it that’s why it didn’t do anything to Lyra, she resisted the mind link so I couldn’t link with her without creating a potent mental feedback! Point for Celestia’s student!”

“…..Um, Darling?”

“Yes Rarity?”

“Um I hate to be so well…… but could you please say it in terms that a normal pony would understand?”

“……….. Two minds become one, unless you don’t allow it. If so, you get a headache. That simple enough for you?”

“But wait Twi. Yawl know that ah don’t mind it but I didn’t really agree to that mental shindig we did, so how did it work?”

      ‘Am I…. am I dead?’

“I was getting to that Applejack. In order to do a mind link you have to trust the other pony who you are doing the mind link with, that’s probably why you and I were able to do it, because you trusted me. Once the mind link is successful the two can pool magical power and mental focus allowing them to accomplish greater spells than they would normally be capable of.”

“All right ah get that. That stand of yer sure boosted my or our power, whatever yawl wanted to call it. But what was with the whole reading minds thing. While we were….... together……. ah could see a few of yer …… um…….. thoughts and ya could see some of mine. Is that normal?”

      ‘No calm down! I’m not dead I was fighting some pony… for something…..’

“Well……... That’s a part of a mind link Applejack. And I understand if you were uncomfortable with it and didn’t want to do it again! But during a mind link ponies can freely share knowledge with each other. So when we…… well mind merged……. You became able to see my surface thoughts and I became able to see your surface thoughts. It’s why we were so in-sync we could tell what the other was going to do as they thought to do it.”

“Oh….. so did you…… um……. Look at anything……. Important like?”

“Of course not Applejack! I would never! Like I said it only works with surface thoughts so unless you directly….. thought about something…… I wouldn’t be able to see it unless I really looked for it. And if I forcibly tried to look at something deeper in your unconscious and you didn’t want me to look at it you could easily resist my attempts to read your mind just by willing it!”

“Oh well then you didn’t see…… That’s good then real good!”

“It’s like I said Applejack a mind link is built upon trust between one pony and the other, if that trust is broken, the link fails. And I know it helped us win, but if you don’t feel comfortable with it any more than….”

       ‘Who was I fighting? What was I fighting for in the first place? I can’t remember….’

“Nah that’s fine Twi! It just caught me off guard somtin fierce. But after that it was like…... like looking off a mountain top and seeing all the land beneath ya.”

“Yes, I got that impression to Applejack, just from looking at your surface thought I could tell like there was a whole world of you that I hadn’t ever seen. I just was unsure that you would think the same. I was afraid that you would be…..… well averse to something so intimate.”

“Well I wouldn’t think about doin it all the time… but if we have to throw down I could imagine doin it again. I’ll tell ya Twilight Sparkle there’s a lot more ta ya than meets the eye.”

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” suddenly Lyra heartstring bolts up with a start seeing the faces of the four ponies that foiled her masterfully laid plans.

“Well look at who just woke up!” Applejack smirks condescendingly “It seems that our darling friend Lyra just woken up from her little nap.”

Quickly the green mare tries to activate her stand but fails miserably as it seems that the white binding rings holding her arms to her barrel are preventing her from manifesting her stand or shooting of more than a spark of magic. “Oh and in case you were getting any funny ideas, those binders around your arms are anti-stand collars manufactured by the Red Stone Group of canterlot.” Twilight points to the white rings “There’s no plausible chance of breaking out of those. Well there is a one in five million four hundred thousand and ninety eight percent chance of breaking out of them but like I said that chance is negligible.”

Despite the lavender mare’s words the green mare continues to thrash about on the ground for a few seconds before finally running out of breath and calming down. “Now that you’ve gotten your little temper tantrum out of the way, are you finally willing to reason?” The green mare pants for a few seconds more before nodding her head in the motion of yes.

“And you’re not going to give us any more trouble, right?” The mare thinks again before nodding yes.

“Good” the purple mare states as she sits down next to the green mare “now first question: you have to see now that attacking a governmental official was really crazy.” Lyra growls “Were you really so desperate to collect these stones as to risk the rest of your life in prison?”

The green mare looks deeply into the eyes of the purple mare, and for the first time that day Twilight doesn't see a cocky arrogant pony. Twilight sees the eyes of a pony consumed with desperation. The green mare sighs and looks away “you wouldn’t understand, you’re the princess’s apprentice. Everypony loves you just for being who you are. Me? Everypony hates me just for what I believe. How could you possibly understand it?” Lyra states with a twinge of sadness “I’ve spent my entire life slaving away to prove humans are real, to earn their respect, and all I’ve gotten is loneliness.”

The green mare chuckles darkly “heh I must have done something terribly evil in a past life if destiny itself hates me this much. I know it’s crazy to believe in Humans. I really do! It’s just…. It’s just…… I don’t know. I just don’t know why I don’t just quit….”

Suddenly the Applejack walks up to the green mare turning Lyra over so that she’s Looking the far mare straight in the eye “that’s cause you aint a quitter.”

“What? I’m not….. A quitter?”

“Ya heard me Lyra.” Applejack states with certainty “ya may be annoying, and be crazy bout humans. But if I’ve learned one thing from trading blows with ya it’s that ya don’t give up. Even when things get hairy an things look against ya, ya find a way ta win. Yer no Quitter, that’s why you don’t give up on yer dream.”

The green mare stares surprise in her eyes at the orange mare as Twilight chimes in “Applejack is right Lyra. It may SEEM crazy to believe in humans, but that doesn’t make you crazy for following your dream.” Twilight looks down “and you’re wrong even I make mistakes, if I had just accounted for the feedback of the stone’s energy none of this would have happened….”

The lavender mare stares Lyra in the eyes “but if I have learned anything throughout comment to ponyville it is when life beats you down you just have to get back up and try again. Cause if you don’t give up, even if you never reach your dream, even if you never prove humans are spying on us with ‘televisions’ amazing: things will happen. I promise you.”

“Twilight is right Darling.” Rarity chimes in “being lonely is painful have no doubts about it. But giving up on one’s dreams, giving up on the things that make a pony happy…. That is simply unbearable!”

As the purple unicorn places her hoof on Lyra’s solder the green mare begins to tear up “Twilight….. You……”

“Lyra Heartstrings!” All eyes and heads jerk behind them to see a steaming mad cream colored mare with a cutie mark of three wrapped candies on her flank. Her pink and blue mane bobbing along with her head as the mare snorts like a charging bull. And most disturbingly her face covered with a scowl that would frighten a manticore into giving up meat. Her blue and pink mane practically ripples in the wind as she steps menacingly towards the green mare who is struggling to get away. “What in Equestria are you doing?” The candy mare shouts “Running around town, bothering the princess representative, and….. Are those anti magic binders? What have you got to say for yourself!?!”

The green mare breaks out in a cold sweat as she realizes there is no easy way out of this situation “H-H-Hey Bonnie. What’s up?”

“Don’t you hey Bonnie me!” Bonnie snaps “What are you doing tied up like a common criminal, and in front of a government representative no less!”

“Well…. I… Well…….”

“You didn't do anything illegal again did you?! You remember the last time? You were lucky the Corns were willing to let you off with community service after you destroyed their barn with that missile of yours!”

“It was an airplane Bonnie! And I said I was sorry! I was just explaining how humans were real and how they’re spying on with their….”

Anything else the green mare could have said after that was cut off as the cream colored mare hits her in the mouth with a flying jump kick. “YOU IDIOT!” Bonnie screams as the green mare falls to the ground. Landing on her hooves the cream colored mare then proceeds to turn on a dime dragging the green mare in front of Twilight Sparkle.

“Princess Representative Twilight Sparkle….” The cream colored mare begins “I apologize profusely for Lyra and any stupid behavior she may have bothered you with today. We all know that you have more important things to do today than put up with Lyra and her shenanigans. I’m sorry If she bothered you about her humans are spying on us nonsense, she really is quite ill.” Bonnie Glares at the green mare with a look that could peel paint “I’ll have to straighten her out when we get back to the house.”

“Bon Bon! I’m not crazy humans are real as….” The green mare is shoved into the dirt, in simulated bowing.

“Please!” The cream colored mare bows down in front of Twilight “please forgive her! She’s just a stupid pony who doesn’t think about her actions. I’ll cover for if need be but I can promise you she’s not a bad pony. She doesn’t need to go to jail. I’ll make sure that she takes accountability.”

“Please….” The mare is practically begging now. “Please forgive her.”

Twilight looks at the two a long time before smiling “there’s really nothing to forgive ….. Bonnie was it? After all it was Lyra who volunteered to help us out!”

“What?” The cream colored mare asks skeptically.

“What!” The surprised Lyra Heartstrings yells.

“What!?” The rest of Twilight’s friends shout in unison.

“Oh absolutely!” Twilight nods like a con artist scamming a pony out of their last bit “Lyra has been a great help! Not only did I enjoy her…. Unique…. Perspectives on Anthropology, but she volunteered to try out the anti-magic collar we brought in case of emergencies.”

Twilight illuminates her horn causing the bindings to fall off the green mare. “I’m sorry about the misunderstanding, Lyra isn’t in any trouble and she’s free to leave at any time!”

Bonnie rises from the dirt “So Lyra wasn’t bothering you? She was helping you out? She’s not guilty of anything?”

Twilight grins “the only thing that she is guilty of is being a good citizen. You must be very proud of her.”

The cream mare shakes her head as if some pony complimenting Lyra must be a dream. The cream mare turns to Lyra “Lyra? Is this true? Did you help Twilight out today? And you didn't cause any trouble?!”

“What.” The stunned green mare stands prone. Suddenly a sharp jab from Applejack brings her to her senses “oh yeah! Of course I helped Twilight out today! Come on Bonnie did you ever need to doubt me like that?! That’s a pretty serious blow to my self-esteem right there.”

The green mare is suddenly enveloped in a tight hug “I never doubted you Lyra. I was just worried for you.” Bonnie then breaks the hug to stare Lyra in the eyes. “And I am proud of you. I couldn’t have a better sister.”

Lyra looks back at the cream colored mare “…..and I’m just happy to be your sister. You emotional fuzzy tail!” and with a happy heart the green mare plus her sister back into one last hug.

Their emotional display finished the cream mare turns around to leave “you have fun playing with your friends! I’m making you your favorite tonight so don‘t take too long!” The cream colored mare now with a smile on her face walks off as Lyra watches her back until she is out of sight.

Applejack touched by the scene puts her hoof on Lyra’s shoulder “yawl have a good sister. Not many ponies would put their necks on the line fer kin like that.”

Lyra risks a last look at Bonnie “yeah….. She is. We’ve never been actual blood, but that never really mattered much. She’s always been there for me, supporting me even if I failed, and loving me even more when I did. If that’s not family I don't know what is.”

Lyra turns to face Twilight her visage unnaturally serious “Twilight? Can I ask you a question?”

“Humm? Oh yes. What question did you have in mind?”

“Why did you cover for me like that?” Lyra asks with honest confusion “I mean I practically assaulted you! I went all out and I…. Could have really hurt you. You even held back your attack so that I wouldn't get hurt so why? Did you feel pity for me or something…..”

“No Lyra” Twilight shakes her head “it was nothing like that.

“Well what was it then!?”

Twilight stops thinking for a second “I guess it’s because…. Because I'm here to help other ponies, ponies like you. So when I slammed you into the ground or when Bonnie apologized for you I realized that you had ponies that you cared about, friends and family. And I wouldn’t want to make them sad.”

Twilight turns her neck down the path the cream colored mare went down “besides it looks like you already have one friend who cares about you. That mare Bon Bon may seem brash but it shows that she is really worried about you.”

Lyra stares at the mare before her as if she has just encountered a saint or a lunatic. She stares mouth agape for a few seconds more before bursting out laughing.

“What? What’s so funny?” The purple mare pouts “stop laughing…. I’m trying to be serious!”

“Hehe you’re saying that for real? He He! You must be incredibly naïve!” The green mare chuckles “you aren’t just a good fighter, but you have a good heart as well. You’re noble, not like those snobby nobles of canterlot, it’s like you’re noble even on a spiritual level.” The green mare walks up to the lavender one placing her hoof in hers. “I really have been utterly defeated by you Twilight sparkle. I concede.”

Feeling something in her hoof twilight opens it up to see a price of stone “is… Is this….”

“That’s the Miracle stone that I found. From now on it’s yours! Think of it as a memento of our fight.” The green mare turns on her hooves and begins to walk away “but don‘t think this is over! not by a long shot! Like you said I never give up! I’m still searching for the stones.”

The mare smiles back with a look of mischief on her face “So if we meet in the future Twilight sparkle, it‘ll be as rivals and not just friends!” Lyra raises her hoof in triumph, defeated in body but not in spirit as the small group watches her follow Bonnie’s path home.

Twilight looks down the path the brave mare just took as a look of contentment and happiness passes her face.

“Are ya sure that was all right Twi?” Applejack asks walking up to the lavender mare “just letting her go like that. I mean I don’t mean ta say throw the book at her, but that mare seems like she’s trouble. What if she starts fightin us an other ponies fer these stones?”

Twilight shakes her head “I don’t think that she’ll be intentionally hurting ponies any more to get their stones. I t seems that she’s begun to realize that she has to be responsible for her actions.” Twilight looks Applejack in the eyes “I don’t think that she’ll risk getting her sister in trouble by intentionally attacking ponies anymore don’t you.”

Applejack looks down as she becomes lost in thought. She thinks of her own sister, of everything she has done and everything she will do for her. She thinks of her sister still in a coma and how she would do anything to see her waking face again. But suddenly these somber thoughts are replaced by the loving look she saw in Lyra’s eyes as she watched her sister walk away. “……guess yer right Twi. No sister would risk their siblin’s hide like that.”

Twilight nods “I’m glad you agree Applejack, because we’ve got bigger things to worry about now.” Twilight extends her own hoof revealing the black stone in it. “Like these Strange stones….”

“Um…” Fluttershy raises her hoof “you mean miracle stones?”

“No Fluttershy, Strange stones not Miracle stones.” The lavender mare says sternly “I discovered these stones and analyzed their properties Not LYRA! I’m not going to let her name something that I discovered! GOT THAT!”

Fluttershy meeps at this outburst as Twilight turns back to Applejack “now where was I? Oh yes. These STRANGE STONES, seem to possess strange abilities that we can’t quite understand, they seem to be a pure version of the red stones that we are searching for and they seem to react to or draw out stand powers for a reason. This can be confirmed by the fact that Applebloom seems to have stand sickness from touching it as well as the fact that both Applejack and I have gained……” The lavender’s mare’s words die in her throat as she stands frozen on the spot the hairs on her mane springing up off her head.

Seeing the mare just freeze up Rarity trots cautiously to inch towards her. “Um… twilight darling are you okay? Can I….”

Twilight explodes outwards grasping Rarity in a monumental bear hug and bouncing around “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I HAVE A STAND RARITY! AFTER SO MANY YEARS I HAVE A STAND! NOW THE PRINCESS CAN REALLY BE PROUD OF ME AND STOP LOOKING AT ME IN DISAPPOINTMENT LIKE I KNOW SHE DOES WHEN SHE THINKS I’M NOT LOOKING AND I CAN SHOW UP MY BROTHER AND DO RESEARCH TO MASTER MY POWER AND…. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

“Twilight darling Please you’re overreacting again!” the ivory mare calls out while bouncing up and down against her will “please you’re upsetting my mane!” Twilight realizing that she has just caught one of her friends in one of her patented episodes of crazy stops immediately and pulls herself off of Rarity blushing in embarrassment.

Rarity brushes her mane to the side instantly curling it out with her magic “that’s better, well I’m glad that our work is done for the day, but my coat is all dusty and in desperate need of a shower so if you don’t mind I shall be departing until tomorrow.”  Preparing to leave the purple maned mare looks down the path Lyra took “to tell you the truth darling, I’m glad that everything worked out fine with Lyra. She did seem like a nice, though not very mature pony.”

Rarity smiles as she takes her first step back home “Now let’s OW!”

Rarity falls to her knees as Applejack rushes up to her “Rares are yawl all right?”

“Ugh, it’s nothing Applejack I just mush have injured my hoof in the little scuffle we had. Just a little scrape, that’s all.”

Applejack looks to her hoof and opens her eyes in fear. “A little scrape notin! There’s a hole in yer hoof!” Applejack turns Rarity’s hoof up to show her that the hardened bottom of her hoof has a small but sharp hole in it that is leaking blood. “That Lyra! She’s gona…”

“Applejack!” the ivory mare chastises “be reasonable and try to think! Lyra the dear never hurt either of us and even though I couldn’t see her stand power or whatever it looked like it was clear that she never touched the bottom of my hooves. It was an accident Applejack I probably just stepped on a nail is all.”

Twilight looks at the wound as she flows some of her healing magic into the wound “Rarity’s right this wound isn’t consistent with that of Lyra’s stand. Now I’ve healed the wound but you probably shouldn’t put too much pressure on it. Fluttershy can you walk her home? ……..Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy seems stuck in a daze her eyes locked on the wound in Rarity’s hoof as she slowly looks at her own hoof for comparison. “You… you couldn’t see it? Those arms….”

Twilight smirks “of course either of you couldn’t see it, in order to see a stand you either have to have a stand like Applejack, and now me. (EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!) Or you have to possess a ton of magical energy or have been exposed to the Red stones for years.”

Twilight looks over to the stunned yellow mare who looks more apprehensive than usual for Fluttershy “Fluttershy are you okay? you look a little out of it…”

Suddenly Fluttershy stands at attention “I’m OKAY! I’ll take Rarity home!” Picking up Rarity from the side so she can rest her wounded arm across her back Fluttershy begins to walk off in a hurry. “Don’t worry Rarity I’m sure with a little bubble bath and the newest magazine from fashion week and you’ll be right as rain in a few days. I promise…”

Applejack wipes her brow of sweat. “Well Rarity will be fine now Fluttershy will take her home safe an sound. Now that that’s done I should be getting home now.” Applejack turns to leave finding the way back to her house blocked by a starring Twilight Sparkle. “Uh Twi? I know you told us to tell you when you were doing it so here it goes. Yer acting strange again.”

Twilight continues to stare at the orange mare “what is it Twi? What? Is there somtin on mah face?”

“…..do you have a crush on Rarity?” the purple asks causing the strong farm mare to nearly collapse in on herself.

“W-W-WHAT! Why would ya even think that Twi!” Applejack fumes “T-T-That’s ridiculous!” shakes in rage as a dark red blush crosses her muzzle “Y-You must have got yer head stuck in too many of those bad romance novels er s-somtin. Rarity’s mah best friend ah’m just concerned about her prissy self.”

However Twilight is undeterred “why are you so adamant that you don’t? Rarity’s’ a great pony she’s got good looks, loves this town and you are both good friends. Why aren’t you….”

“Cause she’s a Friend that’s all!” the orange mare states as she tries to hide her raging blush with her Stetson “she’s my best friend and thinking of her in….. That way……. feels wrong. Especially cause she’s a mare and well…... In case yawl didn’t notice ah am too.”

“…….you have a thing about same sex couples Applejack?”

“Yes! No! I mean urrgh I have nothing about who other ponies live their lives with, but I come from a strong family line, that ah have a duty ta continue, that’s all.” Applejack places her Stetson back on her head as she recovers mentally from her own outburst “look I’m sorry fer that Twi, it’s just yawl were getting pretty personal there. Ah didn’t mean to say anything offensive to any pony.”

Applejack crosses her arms in defiance as she looks off at the white mare in the distance. “Sides Rare’s about as old fashioned as me! she’s always goin on about fairy tale endins and white stallions! She’d never go fer a gal like me…..”

Applejack’s eyes shoot open realizing how her own words have trapped her. “Not that ah’d want her to! Ah mean I’d sure be flattered if…. Ah mean ah wouldn’t want a mare to…….. URGH! I just happen to be s-s-straight Twi and that’s all!”

Twilight’s ears droop a little “I’m sorry for being nosy Applejack I just was curious if you and Rarity were, well an item because you always speak so highly of her.” The Lavender mare waves her hoof “….that and what I saw there…. But that was probably just a dream fragment.”

Every hair stands up on Applejack’s fur and her hat nearly flies off her head. “What did ya see..…” Applejack asks while her orange pelt grows whiter by the second.

“Oh well I didn’t want to say because everyone was around and it seemed personal; but when we mind merged I saw this image of you sitting on a picnic blanket with this unicorn mare who I couldn’t make out and she had her hair up in a bun and she was giggling and then you and her…...”

“WOW WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME I SHOULD REALLY BE AT HOME NOW! WELL SEE YA LATTER TWILIGHT BYE!”  The orange mare bolts away as fast as her hooves can carry her.

Twilight puts her hoof to her chin as she watches as her friend gallops away as if discord himself was after her “But why would she be blushing like that if it was just a…… oh my Celestia.” The purple mare gets to her hooves and begins chasing after the orange mare. The two mares then proceed to bolt down the empty country outskirts.

 “Applejack I understand now!! You don’t have to be ashamed that….…”

“AH CAN'T HEAR YOU!!! LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA!”

“Seriously Applejack I know that this is a sensitive topic. But you can’t hide from the truth! You taught me that!”

“LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA”

“I don’t think any less of you and I know this might be a big family issue but none of your friends would think it was awkward if you came out and said that you’re….…..”

“LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA”

“Though it does make sense in a town with such a high mare to stallion ratio that you would…….. That is not to say that environment is entirely responsible for being….… that is not to say it’s a bad thing to be….”

“LALALALAALALALLALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALAALLA! I CAN’T HEAR YOU! LALAlALAlA!” The orange mare shouts at the top of her lungs practically flying over the ground in an attempt to outrun the Lavender mare behind her.

Both of whom are running as fast has their hooves can carry them as the sun sets off behind them.