Ponyville Tales

Chapters

Empire
Diamond Den
Forest Frenzy
Funny Films
Decisions
Fair Play
Castle Crashing

Empire

“You’ve got the checklist I made for you?”

“Yes, Twilight…”

“And the checklist for the checklist?”

“YES. The more time you spend making sure I’m ready, the more time it takes for your chores to get done.” Spike huffed, tapping his foot in front of the library’s entrance as Twilight searched through a pile of scrolls nearby.

She looked up, having found what she wanted. “You’re right, you’re right, sorry. This is the last list.” She trotted over and handed him another tan-colored scroll, to add to the three he was already carrying. “Thanks again for agreeing to go out and do some errands, Spike.”

Settling the scroll under his arm with the rest, Spike turned to go. “It’s not like I haven’t done any chores for you before while you stayed home and studied. It’s no problem. I’ll be back before you know it,” he said with a nod.

Twilight grinned, “I know you will, Number One Assistant. Be careful out there Spike, take your time.”

With a wave, Spike set out. Twilight gently closed the door behind the young dragon. Looking out the window to make sure he was gone, she turned and rubbed her hooves together, a grin spreading across her face.

“Almost there…almost…there.” Spike collapsed at his destination, the front door of the library. It had been a long day…he’d had to wander around town, ordering supplies from all kinds of businesses, not to mention stumbling upon Rarity about halfway through and helping her with some tasks for awhile. He hated to admit it, but he was still just a young dragon. Nevertheless, he had managed to work hard enough to get his errands done early. He opened the door, anticipating a nice, long nap.

He ducked under a projectile pillow instead. “What th-…” The words caught in his throat as he finally noticed the madness that was taking place in the lobby. On the side of the room opposite the stairs was a massive castle that reached the ceiling, made entirely of pillows. Pillows ran out of it, wielding little paper swords and shields. Charging from down the stairs was an army of books, also equipped with little paper weaponry and attacking the pillows, clearly wanting to lay siege to the castle.

Spike rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the warfare was still going on. A few more animate objects were flung about as the makeshift weapons hit them, somehow being strong enough to toss the soldiers aside. Spike slowly edged towards the stairs as a gap in book reinforcements gave him the perfect opportunity to sneak upstairs and find Twilight…surely she had to have an idea what was causing this insanity.

Making sure the way was clear, Spike started up the stairs. He let out a cry as he bumped into a solid wall of oak. Retreating back down the stairs, Spike hid under a table and watched as the wall moved downstairs. Eventually, the wall became the foot of a bed as Twilight’s guest bed lumbered down the stairs carefully. It was soon in full view, and so was its rider: Twilight, clad in an impromptu bed sheet cape and a paper crown. Her horn aglow, clearly casting magic, Twilight called out. “Time’s running short! Defeat the vile pillow folk before Spike comes home! For the book empire!”

“…Twilight?!”

Twilight turned, startled. Her horn lost its glow as the pillow and book soldiers lost their enchantment and fell inanimate again. Her bed mount stopped moving and settled down with a creak. She stepped down off the bed, a blush quickly reaching critical levels on her face.

“S-spike! I didn’t think you’d be back so early,” Twilight said with a nervous cough. “Uh…I can explain?”

Spike crossed his arms, his nap plans forgotten. “So, this is how you pass the time when I’m out doing errands?”

Twilight hung her head low. “…Sometimes.”

Spike eyed her up and down, tapping his foot as Twilight continued looking at the floor. After a moment, she looked up a little. “…you want to join in?”

“I was waiting for you to ask.”

Pillow soldiers were flung aside as the books had gained the clear advantage. They carved a path through the battlefield, getting closer and closer to Fort Fluffy. The books had just breached the castle when their leader started making her way down the stairs, her horn aglow and her bed mount ready to deliver her to the enemy’s crumpled defenses. Right behind her was her new general, Sir Spike, clad in his own cape and a cooking pot hat, heading downstairs atop his bathtub mount. Twilight looked back and smiled at him. “I believe it’s your turn to rally the troops, sergeant.”

Spike gave a short laugh and turned to the battlefield, holding his paper sword high. The books hopped up and down as he let out a yell.

“For the book empire!”

Diamond Den

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy dear, are you home?”

Rarity creaked open the front door to her timid friend’s forest cottage. “It’s Friday, time for our weekly spa treatment!” Stepping further in, Rarity found Fluttershy reading a book in her living room, hoof moving across the page.

“You know, darling, Twilight’s the one who’s supposed to be the bookworm.” Rarity grinned at her own joke as Fluttershy took her nose out of the book.

“Oh… sorry… I didn’t forget, but I was just looking through my herb guidebook again.” She glanced back at the book, her eyes settling on one of the pictures. “Like this Manedril Weed… so very rare nowadays…”

“Hmm… yes, you have talked about it before. Didn’t you say it’s nearly nonexistent in Equestria?”

“Yes…” she sighed, closing the book. “A shame…I could make something lovely with it. I‘d love to have some.” Standing up, she moved to the door. “Sorry for keeping you waiting... I’m ready to go now. Oh, if you are, that is.”

“Right behind you.” Rarity gestured towards the door and watched as her friend left. She quickly reached to the back of her head, shuffling through her mane. Yes, you’ve said you wish you had some…so that’s why I got some! she thought cheerfully. Finding some while out on that gem hunt with Spike was lucky. It’s the perfect gift! And yet, she couldn’t seem to find it. Fluttershy noticed Rarity wasn’t following and turned back.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t notice you were doing something. Oh, do you have an itch? I have a remedy for that.”

“No, no, I’m fine, hehe... coming.“ She played off the hair searching as scratching her head and went to follow her friend. That’s odd, she thought. Now where did I put it…

And then it hit her. Oh, dear.

“Almost there…”

Rarity huffed, the long climb to her favorite gem-hunting area taking its toll on the high-class pony. It would be worth it in the end, though; if she could complete Sapphire Shore’s order, she’d earn a very good reputation for designing outfits for the Pony of Pop. She wasn’t looking forward to a walk up here every day, though.

“You look tired, Rarity,” Spike chimed in. “Sit here and rest for a minute, I’ll take the wagon up ahead.”

“Oh, thank you Spike.” Rarity laid down slightly off the path, making sure to sweep away any dust first. “I’ll be with you momentarily.”

“Take your time,” Spike replied. She watched as he pulled the wagon farther up the path, before resting her head on the ground for a quick five-minute rest. She ended up sticking her head in some grass, pausing to take a look at what dared to offend a lady’s rest.

It was a few tufts of vibrant orange grass, a very unusual color. Rarity wracked her brain; surely she’d seen something like this before…

“Ah-ha!” She HAD seen it before. Fluttershy had, more than once, gone on a tirade about her herb studies during their weekly get-togethers. She covered a large range of herbs, but the one she talked about most often sounded like it looked a lot like this. It would make a great gift for her yellow friend.

She plucked the plant from the ground, admiring the fiery appearance of the little weed. A problem quickly arose, though: how would she carry it? Well, if her tail could be sacrificed to please a river serpent, a few blades of grass in her hair couldn’t do much harm. Her magic didn’t branch out into anything not a gem, garment, or accessory though, but maybe if she thought of the grass as some sort of hair braid…

She smiled as her magic took effect, gripping the herb and levitating it up to her mane. It flew into the purple locks, entwining deep within them. Sure they were no longer visible, Rarity got up and began the trek to the top of the path. The thought of being able to give her friend something she wanted gave the unicorn new energy, allowing her to catch up to Spike quickly. “Sorry about that Spike, shall we begin?”

“Bring the cart, Spike! There are more over here!”

Her horn aglow, Rarity let it lead her across the plain. The pull was stronger than usual this time…surely there had to be large stash of gems nearby, the sparkling jewels that she needed to finish her latest work order. The pull got stronger and stronger as she walked, Spike following behind with his red wagon already filled with a decent amount of gems. Soon enough, the pull ceased and the ground in front of her illuminated, revealing a cache of emeralds and rubies just waiting to be dug up. “Spike, where are you?” she called, right before Spike arrived. “You know, it’s terrible to keep a lady waiting,” she teased.

“Coming!” he responded, letting go of the wagon and moving to the glowing ground Rarity had marked for him. With claws outstretched, he quickly got to work digging for the prize.

“I think we’re really going to hit gold this time…so to speak” Rarity said with a giggle, already imagining the marvelous work she could perform with all the gems they were finding. A rustle in the bushes nearby stole her focus for a moment, her ears picking up what sounded like whispering. She ignored it and looked back when Spike returned to the surface with a ‘Jackpot!’.

And that’s what it was; a large pile of gems, more than enough to give her a good start on her order. Rarity smiled as Spike loaded up the wagon, now filled way past capacity. “Well, Spike, I think that’s all we can do for today…and these will certainly get me well on my way with Sapphire’s outfit,” Rarity told her helper. “Why don‘t we start to head ho-…” she began, before her horn burst to life, her magic pointing out a nearby load of gems. One more can’t hurt… she thought. “Ooo, on second thought, this way Spike!”

Her magic didn’t lead her towards the ground, though, it seemed to want to drag her up into the trees. She was beginning to think it was malfunctioning when something sparkled within the branches. “Oh, strange…it‘s in the trees?”

She leaned in closer for a better look. She let out an admiring gasp as a brilliant golden gem peered out at her. She was about to pluck the gem from its leafy resting place when it started to move closer, a head suddenly appearing over it… and a repulsive head at that.

Rarity backed up, startled. “Uh…urm…good day, gentle…uhm…fellow I am Rarity, and this is my friend, Spike.” she blathered, Spike waving nervously on his cue. “And you are?”

The creature leapt from its place in the branches, revealing a red-vested, gray-furred creature slowly prowling towards her on its hind legs. “A Diamond Dog!” it growled, pacing closer and closer.

“Wait, stop! You’re getting dirt all over my coat! This is no way to treat a lady!”

Rarity screamed as she was dragged farther and farther into the Diamond Dog’s den. Two more of the creatures had shown up, a burly bluish one and a short brown one. Rarity and Spike had fought back and tried to escape, but it was no use; Rarity had been captured. The one that seemed to be leader, the red-vested one they called Rover, was dragging her by her tail as the burly dog (Fido) and the shorter one (Spot) dug them a tunnel, taking them to who-knows-where.

Her shouting was having no effect as the creatures ignored her, seemingly knowing exactly where they were going. Rarity squirmed and tried to find purchase in the ground, but hooves were not designed for holding onto flat surfaces. The dogs had slowed down, shouting to each other that they were almost to the main chamber. Sensing their slowing down, Rarity gave one last struggle, but to no avail; Rover clung tighter to her tail and yanked, the sudden flare of pain shutting her up. She was dragged deeper until they reached a chamber, where they would make their demands and Rarity would nearly drive them insane with her behavior, until her friends came to ‘rescue’ her.

Meanwhile, the strands of grass had come undone and fluttered out of her mane during her last attempt at freedom. They remained where they fell, deep within the lair of the Diamond Dogs.

“Rarity? Rarity, are you okay?”

Rarity shook her head fast, clearing away her thoughts. “Er…yes, yes, I’m fine. But, uh…do you think we could postpone our spa-day for an hour or two? There’s something I forgot to take care of.”

Fluttershy stared quizzically at her. “Well, it’s unusual…but, it’s okay, no, take your time.”

Shooting her an apologetic smile, Rarity ran out the door and in the direction of her gem hunting ground.

It wasn’t long before the white mare was standing over the entrance to the place she’d been (more or less) held captive in not long ago. There were a lot of freshly dug holes nearby, but most had been filled up. Rarity stared over the edge, hoping to gauge how deep it went. Kicking a pebble over the edge, she noted it didn’t take long for it to thump to the ground and roll away. It wasn’t a steep drop, but it’d be hard to get out. Not to mention all the loose dirt… I hope Fluttershy appreciates this…

Throwing any doubts behind her, Rarity stepped forward and felt the earth fall away beneath her. For just a moment she was falling, before clumsily landing on a slope. She slid down it a little, all kinds of dirt coating her hooves already. Off to a great start…

She stood up, noting that she was in a tunnel that branched off three ways. No guard dogs were around; as far as she could remember, they usually stuck to the main chambers. The real problem would be finding the herb and getting out unnoticed. But if she could just reuse that spell she’d used to magically grasp it the first time, thinking of it as an accessory, maybe she could…

Aha!

Her horn gave off a glow, which she diminished to make it less noticeable. It worked, her horn pulling towards the leftmost tunnel. With luck, it would lead her straight to the forlorn plant, and then she could get the hay out of here. With one last look towards the surface, Rarity started on her way down into the earth, the glow of numerous gems and dull red lanterns lighting the way.

It didn’t take long to run into complications. She still had the tiniest grasp on the plant in her tracking spell, but the massive amount of gems surrounding her made it hard to focus. The farther in she went, the more her horn wanted to drag her off in another direction. It didn’t help that absolutely none of the passages looked familiar to her, not that she’d tried very hard to memorize the filthy place. She had just arrived in another large, dome-like cave, with another series of passages off to the side. Rarity groaned and flopped to the ground, her spell dying down, too exhausted to care about what the cave floor would do to her coat. Using the spell for such long periods of time was starting to wear her out. Her mission could wait five minutes…

“Help…help me…”

Rarity’s ears perked up, a sound softly echoing around the chamber. Curiosity beating out her exhaustion, Rarity got to her feet and went to the source of the sound, located behind a large boulder in the corner.

“Oh my Celestia!”

She found herself looking right into a dull-iron cage, a lump piled in the center of it. The lump stirred, raising its head; a gray-coated unicorn looked at her through unfocused yellow eyes, her fiery, orange hair dirty and unkempt. “Thank goodness…I was beginning to think you hadn’t heard me…” she mumbled, climbing unsteadily to her feet.

“You poor thing, what have they done to you?”

The captured pony coughed. “I’m a miner pony from the Ponyville Excavation Team, sent here to check for any nearby ore deposits. Not here, exactly…” she explained, gesturing towards the gloomy little cavern, “but up on the surface. I came alone…lazy foals thought it’d be a simple scouting job...but I was no match when those creatures teamed up on me and dragged me down here. It seems they’ve tightened security since their last prisoner though…they keep ranting about a white mare who sounded a lot…like…you?”

The mare squinted closer at Rarity, who shrunk back a little. “Er…yes, that would probably be me. They caught me up on the surface about two days ago, though they couldn’t handle a real lady, I suppose. I had no idea they would replace me so fast though…I’m sorry I made this experience any worse, dear. But why’d they take you?”

The mare turned, showing off her cutie mark: A rock-like, gray stone. “It’s iron ore, if you couldn’t guess. The dogs want gems, as I’m sure they showed you. I can’t say I’m specialized in finding any…but I’m a good miner and I have a decent grasp over finding ore…and maybe VERY nearby gems. They immediately put me to work, digging for any gems I managed to find, not feeding me very much at all.” As if on cue, her stomach roared.

“Oh my. I don’t have any rations on me but…hmmm…I know, I’ll find a way to get you out of there! We’ll have you back to town by tonight.”

A small smile crept over the unicorn’s face. “You’d do that? Thank you…thank you so much. I think the leader of these dogs has the key to this thing.” The mare weakly kicked the bar of the cage to make her point.

“I’ll be quick, just hold in there!” Rarity turned and went back to the tunnels, before her original mission came to mind. “Oh, uh, miss…miner, would you happen to have seen some kind of orange plant down here?” She called to the enslaved pony, who was starting to nestle back into the bottom of the cage again.

“Call me Quicksilver,” she called back, bursting into another small coughing fit. “Can’t say I saw anything of the sort…sorry.”

Rarity huffed. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. But surely the herb had to be close to the main tunnel area, and that’s where she’d find Rover as well. She started up her spell again, which pointed out one of the rightmost pathways out of around five or so. Taking a quick mental note to start marking her paths so she could easily get back to the caged pony, Rarity started down the passage, now even more determined to finish her mission in the underground tunnel system.

The bad news: The amount of gems around her had become too much for her to focus on the herb any longer. The good news: If the gem concentration was this high, she must be close. Entering another large chamber, Rarity ducked behind a boulder when she saw a pair of brown, brawny guards walking by. Yes, she was definitely close. When the guards had gone done another tunnel Rarity peeked from behind the rock, and was stunned by the steaming underground lake that lay in front of her. A hot spring?

She tiptoed to the edge of the pool, dipping her front hoof in. The water swirled around it, definitely hot but not scalding. Rarity gave a contented sigh as all the grime from her traveling swirled away into the pool. Maybe she could make some time on her way back to fully enjoy this well-hidden treat. The arrival of several unwelcome voices broke that thought as Rarity dived back behind the boulder.

“New Pony does work well!” Rarity gulped as the familiar voice came closer and closer. She peeked around the boulder and spotted the intruder; the red-vested Rover and his two head lackeys. “Much more digging, much less complaining.”

“And the whining!” Spot agreed, comically tugging his ears down. “Not so noisy, either!”

Rover gave a rasping laugh as he led them even closer to Rarity’s hiding spot. “Don’t forget, much less maintenance too. New one goes for days without eating, whiny marshmallow hag-pony would not even work without water.” HAG-PONY?! Rarity thought, snarling.

Fido chuckled, the brawny dog’s shoulders rising and falling. “Speaking of new pony, let’s get break over with fast so she get more time to work.” Rover nodded at his companion before stopping short, his arms outstretched. “Oof! What is it, boss?”

Rarity flinched as the trio froze near her location. Rover sniffed the air, stepping around in random directions. “Something smell funny. And frilly.”

Not daring to peek again, Rarity listened in. “Is probably just Spot, boss.” Fido chuckled again as Spot growled at him. “Was probably good idea to choose bath for break time.”

The sniffing ceased. “Maybe right. Let’s get this over with.”

Their talking turned to idle banter as Rarity heard shuffling, followed by splashes. So much for my bath… She peered around the boulder, smirking at the sight of the three mutts splashing and doggy paddling in the springs. What really drew her attention was the shiny glint coming off from the pile of clothes they’d left behind on land. The key!

Thanking her lucky stars that the key wasn’t just a bath toy to the Diamond Dogs, she reached out with her magic and took a hold of the pile of clothes. She scooted it closer and closer slowly, going unnoticed by the trio. Soon enough the pile lay at her feet, Rarity almost gagging on the stench. Uuuugh…their clothes need the bath more than they do. Holding her breath, Rarity held one of the pairs of pants up and shook it upside down, not willing to risk what horrible things she might find in their pockets. She stifled the urge to cough as a cloud of dirt and dust flew out of the pockets. That’s…just disgusting. Waving the cloud away, Rarity tried the second pair and smiled as the key fell to the ground with a clink, along with more dust. She grabbed the key in her teeth and made to sneak towards the way she came from. The dust would have none of that though; it swirled around her, making her nose itch unbearably. Don’t sneeze…no, don’t!

ACHOO!

Rarity sniffled. Well, maybe they were too busy splashing about to hear her.

“IT’S THE WHINY ONE, BOSS!”

Oh horseapples.

She hadn’t had time to see which tunnel had her marks in them, the Diamond Dogs had called for guards as they scrambled to find their clothes. She picked the closest tunnel and ran as the sound of heavy paws had filled the chamber. Now she was lost; safe, but lost.

“Check this way! We know tunnels better than Whiny One!”

Okay, maybe not safe. She ducked into a tiny chamber off the path, crouching low to stay out of sight. The sound of charging Diamond Dogs eventually went past her, though she wasn’t sure if it was worth the scratchy grass sticking up into her face.

Wait…grass? Underground?

She looked down, the orange strands of the missing herb resting literally right underneath her nose. At last! Once again making the plant an accessory, Rarity weaved it back into her hair and made sure it was double knotted this time. Her goal was accomplished, but she was still lost.

“You see noisy white pony, gray one?”

“Bite…me…”

“Don’t tempt us, Pony. Have you seen whiny pony or not?”

Hearing sounds coming farther down the tunnel, Rarity put her hoof to her face. Of course they’d connect some of their tunnels. Quicksilver must have lied, since the sound of clanking armor grew more and more distant. Following where she’d heard the voices coming from, Rarity soon found herself back in Quicksilver’s prison. Rushing to the cage, she unlocked it and entered, shaking the lump on the floor. “Get up dear, we need to get out of here!”

The gray mare blinked, exhaustion clearly written on her face. A bright smile lit up her face as she saw her rescuer wasn’t outside the bars, but inside. “I almost thought you weren’t going to make it.”

“A real lady lets no challenge stand in her way. Now we’re running out of time, we need to escape!”

Quicksilver shook her head, still wondering if she was just hallucinating the white unicorn in front of her. “Freedom? Really?” She warily rose to her feet, finally noticing that the jail door was unlocked. “Freedom!”

“Shhhh! I may have…raised some alarms. Quick, do you know the way to the exit?”

“I’ll do us one better! I think I have enough energy left…”

Quicksilver wobbled out of the cage, stretching her legs. “The walls in my cell were too hard to work with…but if I try hard enough, maybe I can dig us right out of here…”

Rarity watched as the pony weakly scratched at the wall. At first it looked like they were going nowhere, but soon enough Quicksilver’s talent kicked in and she was quickly burrowing through the rock, almost as if she was just shoving it out of the way. Reluctantly, Rarity followed her into the custom-made passage. Dirt and gravel rained down on her, but they were too close to freedom for her to mind.

Soon enough, Quicksilver slowed, giving the rock wall ahead one last kick as it broke open and revealed Celestia’s sun smiling down on them. Quicksilver exited first, Rarity quickly following behind her. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief and shook herself, knocking off all kinds of dirt and grime. She needed that spa-day more than ever. Vowing not to come back to this ground for a LONG time, Rarity would definitely have the time for that.

“Let’s get you back to town, miss…” Rarity looked around, until finding the mining unicorn passed out not far away. “Miss!”

Rarity searched for the other mare’s magic with her own, barely being able to find it. She was just unconscious, but she needed medical attention, right now. Rarity very carefully lifted the knocked out miner onto her back, wobbling a little under the weight, before setting off down the path back to town.

“Oh, you’re back Rarity. Didn’t think it’d be so long. And you brought a friend too, that’s…oh my goodness.”

Fluttershy stepped aside to allow her friend to enter, who quickly walked to her couch and deposited another mare onto it. “Step aside,” Fluttershy commanded, her medical training kicking in. “What happened to the poor thing? It looks like has hasn’t eaten in days...”

“I’ll tell you later, dear...” Rarity stood aside as her friend inspected the overworked mare. Suddenly remembering the herb, Rarity reached up and retrieved it. “Oh, Fluttershy, maybe this will help?”

Her friend turned and her eyes widened as she saw the rare herb. “Oh, yes! Watch the patient please, if it’s no trouble…I’ll be back in no time!”

Rarity smiled, happy that her gift could be of use so fast. She sat down near Quicksilver, gently nudging the pony back into consciousness. “Are you okay?” The miner opened her eyes halfway and nodded.

“Thanks…if you hadn’t come, I don’t know if I would have made it…”

“It was no trouble, dear. Get some rest, Fluttershy will be back in a minute to fix you up.”

Quicksilver smiled, shutting her eyes again. “When I recover, remind me to take you two out for lunch sometime…”

Making sure her friend was resting, Rarity waited patiently for her friend to return. She wondered what such a rare herb would do…instantly restore Quicksilver to full health? Repel all the grime that had accumulated on them? Oooooo, I hope it’s that one. A moment later, Fluttershy returned carrying one tray delicately balanced on her hoof. She settled it on the living room table, revealing a tea set ready to serve beverages.

“Oh, I’m parched. Thank you dear,” Rarity said. “But forgive my curiosity, what are you going to do with that herb I found for you?”

Fluttershy smiled at her. “Oh, I’ve already used it. It’s right there…” she replied, pointing towards the tea. Rarity’s expression slowly turned confused.

“So the tea is medicine?”

“Oh, no. That herb you brought was almost nonexistent because everyone always harvested it for their tea, with few bothering to replant it. It makes the finest tea brew ever recorded. I’m so thankful you brought me some, I can’t imagine the trouble you went through to get it…please, you and her have some while I go get my medical supplies, and we can let your new friend rest while we enjoy our spa day. Forgive me for saying so but…it looks like you could really need it.”

Fluttershy floated off to the back room again. Rarity’s eye twitched, her anger slowly rising. All…that…effort…for TEA?! That foal is going to get a piece of my MIND! Rarity snarled, starting to rise to her feet. A hoof shot out from the couch, stopping her in her place.

“Yes, friend, you definitely deserve some time to yourself…I’ll be okay here…I owe you my life. I’m going to rest for awhile…tell your friend I said thanks.”

Quicksilver let her go and rolled over, her breathing gradually slowing down as she fell asleep. Rarity slowly let her rage simmer down. Oh, well…it may have been a foal’s errand, but I did someone a good favor today. And…I made a new friend.

Fluttershy came back soon after, tending to any wounds Quicksilver had and giving her some remedies to help her return to strength. After all was fine, she and Rarity made ready to go; Rarity REALLY needed that spa day now, noting her dirty-encrusted coat. Fluttershy went on ahead, going to meet her outside. Before following after her, Rarity went to her sleeping miner friend and draped a blanket carefully over her. The mare sighed contentedly and rolled over, and Rarity quietly left.

“Ready to go, Fluttershy,” Rarity called out. “Oh, and in a few weeks, maybe a new friend of mine could join us on our next spa-day.”

A couple weeks had passed when Rarity found herself inside a humid little workshop somewhere on the edge of town. She passed by pony after pony, all hard at work moving large mining tools or working at stations, hammering the bits of geode and ore that they’d come across. Halfway through the shop, she paused behind the only unicorn in sight besides herself. This gray mare was working diligently, using her magic to levitate a hammer and some forceps, holding a glowing silver bar in place as she hammered the metal into a more useful shape. After turning the bar into an expertly crafted metal piece, the miner turned to levitate the object into a nearby bin.

“What’s that you’re working on, dear?”

Surprise quickly turned to remembrance as Quicksilver finally noticed the unicorn behind her. “Well, if it isn’t the hero of the day,” she said with a smirk.

“It sure is, come to meet her friend, miss “Can’t-whine-to-save-her-life.”

Quicksilver rolled her eyes, letting her magic fade as the part fell into the bin. “Har har. I still don’t believe you defeated those creatures just by being a pain. And it’s a door frame, if it’s not obvious. Anyway, what brings you here, Rarity?”

“I seem to recall you offering to take me and your caring doctor Fluttershy out to lunch once you got better. As it so happens, Fluttershy and I were walking by, and we just happened to be peckish. Shall we go?”

“You really should plan these things out first. But...” Quicksilver looked out a window and noted the sun’s position. “Yeah, it’s almost break time. I’ve got my bits up near the front; let’s get outta here.”

After QuickSilver sealed the bin, the two made their way outside, grabbing Quicksilver’s money pouch along the way. Joining up with Fluttershy outside, the trio headed into town, keeping an eye out for an interesting restaurant and discussing their upcoming spa -day along the way.

Forest Frenzy

“Applejack? Applejack, there you are! Come quickly, Fluttershy’s gone missing!”

The orange pony looked up, taking her hooves off the tree she’d been kicking to harvest this season’s crop. “Huh? Whaddaya mean by that?”

Rarity came to a stop in front of her friend, trying to catch her breath. “I went… went…puff… one moment, dear… I went to see if she if she wanted to come for a walk around town with me today… but her cottage was completely empty. I thought that maybe she’d just gone out but… I checked her backyard, and there was a massive paw print around back!”

“Yer point bein’?”

“Do you not even care that Fluttershy might be in danger? Agh...why did the other three have to be impossible to find...”

Applejack glowered at the white mare. “Listen here, ah don’t think we got anythin’ to worry about; Fluttershy would definitely be able tah see danger comin’ a mile away. And giant paw prints?” Her expression softened. “But if yer so worked up about it, ah suppose ah can just get these apples harvested when we get back.”

“Oh, thank you so much dear…”

“And by that, ah mean yer gonna help me.”

If Rarity’s face could get any paler, it was doing a good job of it then. “But…uh…err…fine, fine. Just come quickly; something definitely isn’t right.”

“Then ah’ll see you there!” And with that, the earth pony charged off towards Fluttershy’s cottage, located near the edge of the forest. With a groan, Rarity rubbed her aching forelimbs and began to follow her friend.

“Would you just stop for a moment? All this sweat is bad for my coat! Huff…huff… Applejack, STO-” Rarity called out, running into her friend from behind. The dazed unicorn shook her head. “Hmmm… you know, you can take orders really well when you choose to.”

But the orange mare wasn’t paying her any attention. They’d arrived at their meek friend’s house and headed around back, only to stop short in front of a paw print at least twice the size of themselves. The paw print led to another, and another, until the trail eventually reached the forest’s edge and disappeared into the trees. Applejack let out a low whistle. “And here ah thought you were just kiddin’ around.”

“Please, I leave the jokes to Pinkie. But that’s besides the point, what should we do?”

Applejack’s eyes followed the trail as she moved a hoof to her chin. “Ah reckon we should pay Zecora a visit; if Fluttershy’s in the forest, surely she musta caught sight of her.”

“Excellent idea. Shall we go?”

“Ya read mah mind. We’re comin’, Fluttershy!” Applejack ran forward, but found herself making no progress. She stopped struggling and noticed Rarity had clamped her teeth onto the earth pony’s tail, halting her progress.

Rarity let go of the golden hair, moving to Applejack’s front and giving her a stern look. “That’ll be enough of that, missie. I’m all for hurrying, but just one minute to walk normally and rest isn’t too much to ask for.” With that, Rarity walked off into the woods, in the direction of their mystic friend’s hut. Applejack rolled her eyes and followed after her, the forest swallowing the pair of ponies up.

“Ah’m tellin’ ya, it’s this way!”

“Don’t be a foal; clearly THIS is the path that leads to Zecora’s!”

“Who you callin’ a foal, Miss Priss?”

“Of all the nerve!” Rarity groaned, running a hoof down her face. They’d been arguing on which way to go for the past five minutes, and she was CLEARLY right.

“Alright, we can’t be bickerin’ about this all day; Fluttershy may be in real danger.” Applejack pulled out a shiny golden coin, displaying the proud figure of Celestia on one side and the regal image of Luna on the other. “Sun or moon?”

“Hmmph, couldn’t solve it any more diplomatically? Very well then, sun.”

Applejack tossed the coin high into the air, letting it fall back onto her hoof. She stomped it onto the ground and moved her hoof aside to reveal the results: Celestia’s smiling face loomed up at them.

“That settles that,” Rarity said with a smirk. “This way!”

Applejack grumbled, reluctantly following her friend down the path she’d chosen. They walked in silence for awhile until the path gradually turned to grass, the trail gradually fading away.

“I know ya won and all, but ah’m pretty sure this isn’t the right way…”

Rarity, unfortunately, had to agree. The few times she’d gone to visit her striped friend, there had always been a path to lead the way. If only this forest was easier to navigate…

Rarity was about to voice her agreement and turn back when a shuffling sound came from the side of the path. A head shot out of the bushes, startling the duo and making Rarity shriek. They calmed down after noting it was just a little brown cow, playfully poking its head onto the path.

“Aww, well ain’t you just the most precious thing. You get lost, little fella?” Applejack walked forward, stroking the little calf’s head. Rarity smiled at the gesture, but her face fell when the creature’s expression turned menacing. What is a cow doing out in the forest, anyway? I’m sure Twilight told me a story about something like this once…

Recognition slowly dawned on the unicorn. “Applejack, step away, now!”

The earth pony kept stroking the calf, turning her head back towards her friend. “What are ya talkin’ about? Is there somethin’ behind the cow?” She looked back only to see that the calf’s head was rising and rising until it towered above the bushes, revealing a matted torso and a pair of sharp, menacing hooves. Applejack stepped back as the beast stepped forward, revealing the lower half of a tall, black pony.

“What is that thing?!” Applejack yelped, turning to hoof it in the other direction.

“It’s a centauros! EVERY PONY FOR THEMSELVES!”

The pair fled in the direction they came from, the monster slamming its hooves into the ground right where they’d been standing. They’d gotten a head start, with the aggressive creature struggling to pull its forelegs out of the ground, the sheer force of its attack having embedded them into the earth. It let out a roar and charged down the path, at a speed that would rival even the fastest earth ponies.

“We can‘t outrun it! What are we going to do?” Rarity huffed. She glanced back and picked up speed, seeing the monster gaining ground way too fast.

Applejack’s expression hardened as a plan came to her. “Quick, distract the thing!”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “You’re not serious?!”

“Trust me!” Applejack replied. And with that, she ducked off the path and into the bushes. Rarity tried to shout at the deserter, but she noticed the rampaging monster almost right at her heels and quickly picked up the pace.

“For the love of Celestia, HELP ME!” Rarity stumbled over a root and nearly fell over, quickly righting herself as the monster’s hooves thundered behind her. “Why haven’t you given up yet, you cretin?!” The centauros replied with another ear-piercing roar; but this time, it was of pain. Sensing the creature slowing to a halt behind her, Rarity stopped and turned to see what’d happened.

“Yeeeeeeeeeehaw!”

Applejack had the monster by the ears, having managed to leap onto its back while Rarity had its attention. The monster was bucking, furiously trying to knock the pony off of its hindquarters. It shook back and forth, Applejack trying her best to keep perfectly still. Soon enough it moved too close to a nearby tree and, with a yank of its ears, Applejack pulled the creature hard towards the trunk. Its head slammed into the bark, the creature giving a low moan as it slumped to the floor. Applejack hopped off, holding her head high. “Good enough for ya, princess?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. The duo paused as the creature stirred with a groan. Looking at each other in unison, Rarity simply said “Your path.” Happy to oblige, Applejack led the way back where they came, the creature left behind alone to deal with the pounding headache it’d wake up with.

Applejack had been right. After a short walk, the pair found themselves outside the familiar residence of their mystical friend. Raising a hoof, Rarity knocked on the wooden door. A voice called out from within, “Come in, come in, there’s no need to be shy. Let me see who it is who has stopped by to say ‘hi’!”

The two ponies entered, the tangy smell of Zecora’s latest concoction tickling their noses. The zebra was watching over the pot, reading from a small book as she randomly threw different varieties of herbs into the brew. “Welcome, my friends! What brings you here? Something’s written on your face…it appears to be fear?”

“We’re fine, dear…we just had an…unpleasant trip over here. But there IS something we’d like to ask of you.” Rarity sighed. “Do you think you could help us?”

“No trouble at all, I’ll fetch some refreshment. Sit, drink up, and tell of what has you so spent.” The zebra placed a lid on the brew, sealing off its aroma. She walked to a shelf and took a number of bottles down, mixing them together into a few glasses. Rarity and Applejack took a seat and Zecora handed each of them a bubbling glass.

The pair sipped the fruity concoction, the drink refreshing their exhausted bodies. “Thank you, darling,” Rarity chimed in. “But we’ve come to ask if, by chance, you’ve seen Fluttershy come by recently? She’s gone missing, and there’s been signs of a large creature around her house.”

“You ask this zebra if she’s seen, your shy little friend, miss fashion queen?” Zecora lifted a hoof to her chin, pondering for a moment. “Ah, yes! While I worked on my latest brew, I heard the sounds of not one, but two.”

The two guests leaned forward, Applejack speaking in earnest. “Ya’ve heard Fluttershy? How was she? Who was with her?”

“Her condition I simply could not tell… but from the sound of her voice, she seemed quite well.”

Rarity looked towards Applejack. “She’s okay! Well…for now.” She turned back to Zecora. “Do you have any idea where she went?”

Zecora collected the glasses and set them aside, heading towards the door while her two friends followed. “Her voice was headed to the east.” Zecora gave them a smile and opened the door for them. “Good luck, my friends, but beware the beasts!”

“Thank you dearie! Stop by town anytime, we do need to get together again at some point.” The pair waved goodbye to their friend, who gently closed the door behind them. Following Zecora’s directions, they began to head east in search of their missing yellow friend.

“I can’t, I simply can’t!”

“Come awwwwwwn! We’ve got to get to Fluttershy before anything happens! And it’s just a little MUD fer cryin’ out loud!”

The trip had gone just fine for a while, until their path crossed with a muddy mire. Applejack had no qualms with the earthy mixture, but Rarity had sat down and refused to go on. “Just mud? That ooze won’t come out of my coat for WEEKS!”

Applejack groaned and rubbed her forehead, glancing around to see if there was any other solution. She walked to a low-hanging tree, plucking a thick vine from its branches. After tugging on the taut vine to test its strength, the earth pony quickly tied a loop in the end and gave it a few test twirls. Satisfied, she swung it around over her head and released it, grinning as the improvised lasso landed perfectly around a sturdy tree branch over the quagmire. “’Nother perfect shot,” she mused, giving the vine a quick tug to tighten it.

“What are you…?” Rarity started, giving a quizzical expression. Her face quickly fell when she put two and two together. “Surely you jest…”

“Noooope.” Applejack retorted gleefully, grabbing her friend around the waist as she held the rope in her mouth. With a shout (and a squeal from Rarity), the orange pony leapt off the ground and held tight to the vine, letting their momentum swing them across the mud patch. The vine was too short though; at the rate they were going, they’d end up just short of clean ground and plunge right into the mud. Applejack had to think quickly; a hissy-fit from Rarity was the last thing they needed right now. Hastily coming to a decision, Applejack shoved the white unicorn away from her, pushing her back a little as Rarity was flung to safety from the mud, leaving Applejack to swing back and forth as the vine slowly came to a standstill over the mire. With a gulp, the earth pony let go, seeing no other way to escape.

Squick!

Rarity groaned from the shore, uneasily rising to her feet. “You could have been a little gentler, Applejack…Applejack? Where’d you go?” She turned around and quickly moved a hoof to her mouth to restrain a laugh as her friend slowly crept out of the bog, covered head to toe in sticky mud.

“Snrrrrt…I always thought equestrian mud monsters were just a myth…hee…” Rarity teased. “Well, brown always was your color…snrrrt…” She couldn’t hold it back any longer, as the unicorn fell to the ground in laughter. Unamused, Applejack wiped the mud from her eyes and flicked it onto her friend’s nose. “Hey!”

“We got no time for this sugahcube,” Applejack said with a grin at her friend’s reaction to being struck with exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. “Now can we go? Fluttershy’s a-waitin’.”

“Right, right…” Still trying to wipe the offending ooze from her face, Rarity stood up. “If I remember correctly from our Nightmare Moon excursion, there should be a river just ahead. We’ll get you cleaned up and be on our way. Let‘s be off.” She started to walk into the woods when she turned to her filthy friend. “And…thanks.”

Applejack grinned. “Tweren’t nothin’.” After trying to shake off as much muck as she could, the earth pony trotted quickly to catch up to her friend, both of them heading deeper into the forest.

Rarity had been right. The duo exited into a clearing, cut in two by a sparkling river. And therein lay the problem…there was no way across.

“At this rate, we’ll be too late to get to Fluttershy…” Applejack mumbled, already beginning the search for anything that would help them cross before she washed off any grime.

“Hold on a second,” Rarity called out. Applejack raised an eyebrow at her as she white unicorn walked to the river’s edge. Picking up a pebble, she dropped it into the water with a plink.

“Uh…thas’ nice and all, but shouldn’t we be findin’ a way to cross the river?”

Rarity hushed her, staring down into the river’s depths. Curious, Applejack joined by her side and peered in. At first, there wasn’t much to look at; the river flowed beneath them undisturbed. Applejack was just beginning to question her friend’s sanity when a long, dark shadow pierced her field of vision. It swam beneath the river smoothly, coming to a stop just below them. Applejack leapt back as the shadow burst out of the water, Rarity remaining still.

“Oooooh, it makes me so mad when something tries to pollute my river!” A giant purple serpent was now taking up most of the river, running the offending pebble between his claws. With a sigh, he flicked it far across the clearing.

“Steven?”

Hearing his name, the river serpent looked around, finally settling his gaze right below him. “Yes, who may I say is speakin-…Rarity? Rarity, is that you? Oh, it is! I haven’t seen you since you and your friends introduced yourselves to me on your way back from your last trip!”

The unicorn smiled as the creature she’d helped out of a ‘hairy’ situation recognized her. “It’s been far too long, Steven! How’s the moustache?”

The serpent grinned, turning his head and leaning in to show off the item in question. Rarity’s tail still glimmered on the side of his face, a bit of orange peeking out to the side of it. “Oh, it’s still faaaabulous, thanks to vou! And I think my old one might even be growing back!” He spun his finger through it, uncoiling the facial hair. “I’m so grateful for your help dear, I was afraid without my moustache my girlfriend would leave me! What brings you out here?”

“Yes, it IS looking amazing, darling. And we’re out here because we need…wait, ‘girlfriend‘?”

“Oh, yes!” Rarity and Applejack gave each other surprised expressions while Steven sank under the waves, reappearing quickly with something clutched in his hand. He held out a picture frame, which Rarity took in her hoof. Admiring it, she noted the familiar figure of Steven coiled around another serpent. The other one, a bright shade of green, smiled at the camera, running a claw through her long blonde hair. “That’s Hilda, who‘s currently interning out in the Celestial Sea,” Steven pointed out. Leaning in close, he gave his facial hair another twirl. “She’s due back in a few months…I simply can’t wait! And she looooves the moustache.”

“Err…right. Yes.” Rarity handed the picture back to her serpent friend, who sighed and held it close to his heart. “Well then…you remember Applejack, I assume?” she asked, pointing to the mare in question.

“Oh, this simply won’t do for a friend of Rarity!” Steven eyed Applejack up and down, grimacing at the mud coating her. “Uno momento, dear,” he said towards the white unicorn. He picked up Applejack, ignoring her protests, and dropped her on the edge of the water. He grabbed her back gently between his claws. “Now, miss Applejack, are you ready for the SPIN CYCLE?”

“Ah beg yer pardon?”

“Here we go!” With a twist of the wrist, Applejack was spinning at mach four. Muck and grime flew off in waves as Steven proceeded to scoop up and pour water onto her. Moments later, he deposited a very clean (and VERY dizzy) earth pony back onto the shore.

Rarity held back another giggling fit. “Thank you very much, Steven. But back to the point, have you seen a yellow pegasus come by your way recently?”

The serpent held a claw to his chin, pondering. “I don’t think I saw her go by, but I did see a big creature leap over my river carrying something in its mouth. Rotten little thing almost got some fur in the water!”

Rarity sighed. Well, it’s the only lead we’ve got… “I don’t suppose you could help us across the river, darling?”

“Of course, of course! Hop on!” The serpent extended his hands, gesturing for them to climb aboard. Rarity hopped onto one hand while Applejack squirmed to get away from the other, fearing another extreme bath. Steven plucked her up anyway and turned, depositing them gently on the other bank.

“Ooooh, you’re such a good help, darling!”

“It’s the least I could do to repay you, and for keeping my relationship alive.” Not missing a chance to show off his ‘stache, the serpent once again twirled it. “Come back anytime! Oh, and one more thing.” Steven leaned low, scooping up some water and extending it to Rarity. The unicorn looked inside at her reflection, remembering that Applejack had hit her with some ballistic mud earlier. Scrubbing it off in the impromptu pool, Rarity rechecked her reflection. Satisfied with the perfection that looked back at her, she smiled up at the serpent. “And thank you again. Give my regards to Hilda.”

“Gladly! Take care!” With that, the serpent sank back below the waves, leaving the two mares alone in the clearing. Noting Applejack still dazed on the ground, Rarity trotted over and helped her wobble to her feet. Letting her rest on her for awhile, Rarity led Applejack back onto the trail into the woods. After getting far enough away, the two looked towards each other. “…GIRLFRIEND?”

“R-Rarity!”

The unicorn looked behind her and gave her friend a confused look. The two had been walking for about ten minutes when Applejack fell back and called out for Rarity’s attention. “Yes, what is it dear?”

“O-on your hoof!”

Confused, the mare looked down. Peering back at her was a fuzzy black creature, staring up at her with its glossy eyes and scuttling about on eight legs. “Oh, it’s just a spider. What about it?”

Applejack looked surprised. “I reckoned that you, of all ponies, would be ‘fraid of…s-spiders.”

“Oh, no dear. I wouldn’t go looking for them…but I don’t mind them. After all, legend says that the first dress material was silk, given generously by spiders who wished to make peace with the ponies.” Rarity scratched her head. “Though I’m not sure how long that lasted…soon after, ponies not only learned how to create their own silk, but how to make cloth as well.” The white mare gently scraped the spider off her hoof, watching it waddle towards Applejack, who quickly kicked it away into the bushes. “Aww, was that necessary? Poor thing. And besides, you’re the LAST pony I’d expect to be afraid of anything.”

Embarassed, Applejack turned her gaze downward. “It’s…it’s not somethin’ ah’m proud of.” She absent-mindedly kicked her hoof across the ground. “When you accidentally lock yourself in the cellar as a filly and get surrounded by the…t-things for a couple hours til’ someone rescues ya…well, havin’ a small phobia is a lil’ bit justified.”

Surprised that her friend would trust her with this information, Rarity walked over and placed a reassuring hoof around her neck. “I’m so sorry, darling…but it was just one little spider. I’m sure we’ll reach Fluttershy soon, and then we can get out of this Celestia forsaken place.”

Applejack calmed herself down. “Thanks, hon. Ah needed that. Yer right, she’s waitin’ on us, let’s g-…”

Rarity watched as her friend looked forward, her jaw dropping. Confused, Rarity waved a hoof in front of her face. “Applejack? Is something the matter? What is it?” she asked. She looked where her friend was gaping and her jaw dropped as well. The baby spider looked down on them, almost as if it were mad at being turned into a projectile. It was currently riding on the head of its mother…which was about the height of eight ponies stacked on one another.

“A-Applejack?”

“Y-yeah?”

“I…I might be a little scared of s-spiders now, t-too.”

“R-run?”

“RUN!”

The two ran straight under the massive arachnid, keeping to the path as the furious spider gave chase. They didn’t get far before the creature started shooting webs at them, missing them by mere inches while its child chattered happily atop its head.

“Applejack! We can’t escape that thing!” Rarity huffed. “We have to do something! Think you’re up for another rodeo?”

“ARE YA CRAZY?! Ah ain’t gettin’ NEAR that thing!”

“Okay, okay! Think, Rarity, think…” Her mind racing as fast as she was, her thoughts drifted to the fabric lecture she’d given her arachnophobic friend mere moments ago. Aha!

The mommy spider was gaining, launching another glob of web at them. Rarity worked quickly, letting a magic glow flow into her horn as she focused on the projectile webbing. The web stopped in mid-air as the same glow enshrouded it. It worked!

She made the glob levitate behind them, trying to focus on running and fiddling with the web at the same time. Soon enough, and with the addition of a few more ballistic web missiles, Rarity decided she’d done enough. Here goes nothing…

She stopped, while Applejack kept running on. She turned to look at her creation: A long string of webbing, the object that would either save her life, or get her in deeper trouble. Concentrating, she let the arachnid get closer.

“Come on…”

When it was only a few feet away, Rarity struck. Flinging the web towards the spider’s legs, they hit it perfectly. Tripping over the web, the spider crashed to the ground. It struggled, only managing to ensnare itself even more in the sticky mess. The baby spider skittered around nervously on its mother’s head, before fleeing from Rarity’s glare. “Take that, pests!”

With a smirk, Rarity walked down the path. She found Applejack watching from behind a tree, her eyes wide.

“Wow, Rarity…ah didn’t think ya had it in ya.”

The unicorn tossed her mane over her shoulder, smiling proudly. “I’m a mare of many surprises, darling. Now shall w-…”

A shriek came from farther down the path. The two mares looked at each other quickly before charging down the path. “Fluttershy!”

They came to another clearing, the two mares ending up opposite a cliffside. The screaming had died down, but they were sure that it had come from on top of the cliff. “Fluttershy! Ya up there, hon?” Applejack called out.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a head peered over the side, shadowed by Celestia‘s setting sun. “Flutters?” Rarity called out tentatively.

The head came out further, revealing a body. The shadows fell away as a manticore glanced down at them from on top of the cliff. The two mares groaned. “It’s just one of those things again…” Rarity sighed, but she quickly paused. “Wait, what does it have in its mouth?”

As if it had heard, the manticore let go of whatever it was holding. A few scraps of yellow fur floated down, coming to a rest in front of the mares.

“…Oh Celestia,” Applejack murmured. The orange pony looked up, glaring fiercely at the creature. “What have ya done with her? She better be alright up there!” Looking bored, the manticore just laid down and gazed at the two ponies. Its indifference only served to tick off the earth pony. “Ya hear me up there, ya mangy house cat?!”

The creature perked up,sensing the insult. Snarling, it got to its feet and started clambering down the cliff. “Yer lookin’ for a fight, fleabag? Ya got one!” Applejack shouted, pushing her hat forward.

“Dear, I don’t think you’re helping the situation…” Rarity cautioned. But by then the manticore had reached the ground…and the earth shook as it leapt off the cliff onto the forest floor. The last time they’d dealt with a manticore, back on their hunt for the elements, it had been about half the size of this one. The mares gulped.

“We got this!…Right, Rarity?”

“S-sure, dear.”

The manticore made the first move, slamming its paw onto the ground right where Rarity was. Seeing it coming, Applejack leapt onto her friend, knocking them both out of the way as its claws raked the ground. Turning towards their attacker, Applejack leapt forward and spun, kicking the monster right across the face. It barely even flinched, striking the pony with its paw and knocking her across the clearing and into a cluster of bushes.

“Applejack!” Rarity shouted, concern for her friend causing her to lose her focus. The manticore took advantage, leaping forward and putting its arms around the white mare. She was completely engaged in the beast’s arms.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh Celestia.” The manticore licked its lips hungrily before snapping its jaw forward, missing Rarity by an inch. It repeated this several times, Rarity leaping out of the way consistently. The little charlatan is PLAYING with me! she thought, dodging another snap of its jaws.

The manticore was getting bored, though. It yawned its mouth wide open and slowly began drawing its arms towards it, dragging Rarity along with them. No, no, NO! I don’t want to be lunch!

The mouth snapped shut inches in front of Rarity. The arms released, freeing her as she quickly bolted away. She looked back, seeing what could have freed her. Applejack smiled at her, clutching a vine tightly in her mouth, the other end wrapped around the creature’s ear and yanking hard. The beast roared in pain, jerking its head to the side. The vine snapped, causing Applejack to fall flat on her flank. Wasting no time, she coiled the rope up and secured it on her hip before getting to her feet.

“Ah was hopin’ to have a good lunch when this was all over,” she growled. “But it looks like it’ll have tah wait.” She lifted her hat off her head, revealing a couple apples resting on her head. She removed them and replaced her hat, before turning and kneeling down. She flipped the apples behind her and kicked with all her might, launching the ballistic fruit straight towards the manticore.

They were both perfect hits. The first smashed into its right eye with enough force to turn the apple to mush. The other one slammed into its left eye before bouncing to the floor. The beast roared, stumbling around blindly and squashing the poor second apple.

“Keep it busy Rarity, ah ain’t done yet!” Applejack grabbed her vine-rope and ran to the clearing’s edge, towards a couple trees. Rarity watched as the monster rubbed the eye that wasn’t covered in apple ooze, slowly regaining vision in it. Its eye rested on her, pure fury written all over its face. It launched itself forward, smashing a closed fist into the ground in front of her. The ground split, launching the unicorn up into the air. She shrieked as she came down, landing clumsily over by where Applejack had run off too.

“It’s all ready!” Her orange friend called out. Rarity slowly raised herself on a hoof, seeing that Applejack had tied the vine between two trees to create a tripwire.

Understanding what she had to do, Rarity got up and called for the monster, who was trying to clean the ooze from its other eye. “You cantankerous kitten! Are you too scared to fight? I thought you were a monster, not a mouse!”

Turning towards the mare, the beast raised its scorpion tail high over its head. It slowly approached, jabbing its stinger in the air a few times. As it got closer, Rarity backed away slowly, until it leapt forward and jabbed the stinger into the ground. Rarity dodged, starting to run towards the tripwire. The manticore followed, attempting to strike the pony with its tail every few seconds.

Reaching the tripwire, the unicorn jumped over it, clearing it by a few inches. Seeing her friend had succeeded, Applejack pulled the vine tighter, keeping it as taut as possible. Blinded by rage and apple mush, the beast ran forward and tripped over the cord, slamming its face into the forest floor. It stayed still, as the two ponies stepped forward to inspect it.

Two paws shout out, grabbing the ponies off the ground and startling them. They squirmed in its grasp as it stared hatefully at them. Moving Rarity into the fist Applejack was occupying, it unsheathed its claws and held them over the two struggling mares heads. It slammed its hand down.

“Leon! You let my friends go, now!”

The two mares watched as the creature’s paw stopped hurtling down on them. It unclenched its fist and let the two mares drop to the ground with a thud. It walked towards the cliff while the two ponies tiredly got to their feet. Looking to see who saved them, a large grin burst over both their faces.

“Fluttershy!”

Their meek friend stood on top of the cliff, looking no worse for the wear. She stared down at the creature. “Now tell them you’re sorry!”

The manticore grumbled before turning towards the two ponies and mewling a few incomprehensible sentences at them. Fluttershy’s expression softened. “That’s a good boy! Now come on up, you don’t want to be miss it. We’re almost done.”

Fluttershy turned to go back to the cave. The manticore rubbing its eyes clean before starting up the cliff side. Applejack called out to their friend, “Now wait a darn second Fluttershy! We’ve been lookin’ all over for ya! Ya can’t just leave us down here!”

The yellow Pegasus turned back, remembering that her friends were there. She called out to them. “Oh…so sorry, I’ve just been really busy the past few hours…could you wait just a little bit longer? Sorry for the wait…I’ll make it up to you, I have some medical supplies with me. I’ll patch you both up, just hold on a minute…if you don’t mind, that is…”

The manticore had reached the top of the cliffside by this point, and it and Fluttershy disappeared over the cliff’s face. Too tired to even attempt to try and climb the cliff, the two mares sat in the clearing in silence, resting their aching limbs. Five or so minutes later, Fluttershy reappeared over the cliff side. Holding a white case with a bright red cross sign on it, she glided down towards her friends.

She arrived and began patching them up, cleaning and bandaging any scratches or scrapes. The two weary mares were still full of questions, though.

“We’ve been looking all over for you, dear.” Rarity moaned a little as Fluttershy spread a stinging salve over her forelimb, before the stinging turned to a soothing sensation. “What happened?”

“Yeah! Ya can’t imagine what we went through ta find you. We thought ya were in danger!” Applejack chimed in.

“Oh my…maybe I should have taken the time to leave a note. I’m so sorry, this is my fault…” Fluttershy muttered, placing a small bandage on Applejack’s cheek. “The least I can do is explain…you two remember that manticore we dealt with back when we were looking for the elements of harmony?” The two mares nodded. “Well, it all began soon after that…”

Fluttershy sighed. She loved Angel, she really did, but when he was refusing to eat his lunch, it was almost enough to make her want to kick something. She quickly got rid of that thought…kicking things was much too rude, she would never…

Getting her thoughts back on track, she nudged the carrot even closer to the little white rabbit, who simply shook his head again. “Please, Angel, for me?” The rabbit looked at her out of the corner of its eye before raising its nose to the air again.

Fluttershy wracked her brain. “If you eat it, later I’ll bake you some of those carrot crisps you love so much,” she bargained. Angel merely gave her another dismissive glance. His eyes bulged as he glanced over her shoulder. He grabbed the carrot and retreated into his little wooden house, slamming the door shut.

“Oh, my. Good boy, Angel!” Fluttershy praised, turning to go back to her cottage to make good on her promise of carrot-flavored treats. Running into something, she backed up and looked to see what had snuck up behind her.

“Grwwrrwr?”

Fluttershy panicked as a manticore looked down at her, having wandered into her backyard. She calmed herself down when she recognized it as the one that she had helped out back in the Everfree forest. It stepped forward and licked her face, causing her to giggle. “Oh, it’s nice to see you too, Mr. Manticore.”

The creature seemed to hiss when its name was called, but it quickly stopped. It turned and motioned for the meek Pegasus to climb onto its back. Always a trusting pony at heart, Fluttershy gently eased herself up onto the beast’s back. After making sure she was settled, it took off into the woods.

“Whoa! W-where are you taking me, Mr. Manticore?”

It didn’t respond, simply charging on ahead, dodging tree branches and other obstacles. After a short amount of time, they’d managed to get deep into the forest, quickly approaching a cliff side. It clambered up, Fluttershy clinging to its back, before reaching the top and revealing a cave set in a rocky mountain wall. The manticore entered, motioning for the pegasus to climb down. She complied, and the manticore led her deeper into the cave. Soon it opened into a vast cave, and Fluttershy looked around in awe. It was filled to the brim with the manticore’s kin; small ones, older ones, even a baby or two were nestling on rock ledges or grumbling to their fellow manticores.

Her manticore friend led her towards the back of the cave, the other creatures gazing at the pegasus with something akin to respect, or at least having the courtesy to not devour her. At the back of the cave sat the largest manticore in the entire cave: the pride leader.

Her friend sat down next to the leader, nuzzling up to him. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry…Mrs. Manticore,” Fluttershy said, apologizing to her friend. The leader stared down at Fluttershy, as if it were judging her. After a moment, it bent down, and nuzzled the pegasus’s face with its own. It motioned towards a spot next to it, and Fluttershy stepped forward and sat where she was directed. She made herself comfortable and began to observe the manticores as they went about their day.

Fluttershy frowned, glancing across her backyard towards the woods. She still remembered the first day she’d met up with her manticore friend… after it had led her to its pride, they had allowed Fluttershy to stay and observe them. She’d learned so much, and she’d befriended quite a few of them too. Eventually, Celestia turned the reins over to Luna as the sun set and the moon took its place. Once night had set, her manticore friend had taken her home, where she documented anything useful about the species into her animal guidebook.

Since that day, the manticore would stop by every once in awhile. Sometimes it would just laze around in her backyard as the two played or relaxed; even a few of the animals had grown used to its presence. Yet on other days, the manticore would take her back to its cave to allow her to study their kind some more, befriend them, and to teach her a few things they’d somehow managed to master. Once, they even led her to a herb she’d never even heard of before, which she took home and found out it could be turned into an effective aloe substitute, or be made into a refreshing skin paste.

But her friend had randomly stopped showing up about a month ago. Fluttershy didn’t mind at first, since it sometimes took a few days before the manticore made an appearance. But days turned into weeks, which turned into a month in good time. Now, she was thinking the manticore had abandoned her. She sighed, sniffling a little. It’s alright, she probably has good reason for not coming to see you…

She raised the tea she’d made to her face, taking a long sip to calm her nerves. After nearly draining the cup, she lowered it and looked into the eyes of the manticore pride leader.

“GYAAAAAAAAAH!”

Fluttershy flew out of her chair, ducking under her backyard’s picnic table. The leader stepped over and pawed at the ground in front of her, motioning that it was all right. Opening her eyes, the pegasus crawled out from under the table, a blush all over her face.

“Err…sorry for the rudeness, Leon…” She’d given some of the manticores names awhile back; she wondered how Grumby the elder manticore had been dealing with his weak hips. She always called the first manticore ‘friend‘, though. “You startled me…but that didn’t give me any right to get scared.” A thought of her friend jolted through her mind. “Is your mate alright? What’s happened to her? I haven’t seen her in so long…please, tell me she’s okay…”

The pride lord glanced up at the sun, seeming to note that time was running short. Taking no time to answer questions, it gently picked up Fluttershy in its mouth, grabbing her by her back. It quickly bolted into the woods, leaving paw prints in the muddy ground as it went. Fluttershy simply stayed quiet the whole ride; she should have been worried a monster had her in its jaws, but she was as relaxed as ever. She knew it was taking her to reunite with her friend.

Fluttershy finished up her story, putting the finishing touches on caring for her friends wounds. “I’m sorry again for the trouble I caused you two…” she apologized.

“It’s quite alright, dearie.” Rarity, feeling much better, got to her feet. “But it’s getting late, and we should probably get back home. No doubt someone has to have noticed our disappearance by now.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ve finished my work here…” A smile slowly crossed her face. “And I think I’ll be seeing more of my friend, too. And an extra friend, as well.”

As if on cue, the pride leader walked onto the top of the cliff face. Looking behind it, a smile seemed to dance across its face as a familiar manticore strode forward and sat down beside it. Blushing at the memory that last time they’d met, Rarity had kicked this manticore hard in the face, Rarity tried to stay out of sight. She poked her head back out when yet another manticore stepped out onto the cliff.

It was just a baby, probably even a newborn. With no mane and the tiniest little scorpion tail, it wobbled out onto the cliff face and slipped, trying to get a hang of walking. The leader picked it up with its teeth, coming down the cliffside with it, Fluttershy’s manticore following after it. The leader mumbled to Fluttershy, who nodded. “Thank you so much for offering to take us back home, Leon.” The large manticore placed the baby on the yellow pony’s back before kneeling down, motioning for the ponies to climb aboard. Making sure to keep the baby on her back, Fluttershy climbed up, her friends right behind her.

After making sure they were all up, the leader stood. Fluttershy’s manticore came over and nuzzled the baby, as well as giving Fluttershy a lick. She giggled, waved goodbye, and the leader took off.

The three watched the baby manticore roll around in the leader’s mane for awhile, watching it squirm around in the tangled locks. Eventually, Rarity spoke up. “You never did say why you were brought out here, dear.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Oh…my apologies…that baby rolling around in Leon’s hair? That’s Manny, the newest manticore. He belongs to Leon himself…and my friend.”

Applejack scratched the manticore cub under the chin, smiling as it purred. “So yer sayin’ that you were brought out here ta watch it?”

“Oh, no. He was born no more than an hour ago…I had to help deliver him.”

Rarity and Applejack shuddered, trying not to imagine what Fluttershy had been up to for the past few hours. Then they took a look at Manny, who was batting at his scorpion tail, and decided that whatever she’d had to do, it was worth it. The trio played with the baby until the lights of Ponyville appeared in the distance.

Rarity groaned. “Oh, I’m definitely going to need a bath after all this. But to be honest, I’m going to miss this little guy.” She stroked its back, listening to it purr. Applejack voiced her agreement.

“Well…no one ever said you could never see him again. Maybe next time my friend comes to visit, we can pick you up and we can all go see Manny together…If you want, that is.”

Rarity conjured up a thought of being surrounded by manticores in a small, filthy cave. “I’ll have to think about it, dea-…” She was silenced as Applejack quickly elbowed the unicorn in the ribs.

“What she’s tryin’ to say is, we’d be happy to.” Rarity shot the orange pony a glare as Fluttershy smiled.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” The trio saw Fluttershy’s cottage approaching fast. Preparing to depart, they all gave Manny some pats or scratches before Leon came to a stop. They gave him their thanks and turned to enter the cottage, ready to relax after such an exhausting day. Applejack was busy reminding Rarity that she still had to help her with the harvest tomorrow as she closed the door behind her.

Manny scooted up his father’s mane, wanting one more look at the yellow pony that had been there when he first came into the world. He gave a little mew, his father reaching up with his tail and stroking his son’s back with the flat of it. He growled, reassuring Manny that soon, they could see her again. With one last look at the cottage, the two set off into the woods. They were goin’ home, and they knew that Leon’s mate, and Manny’s mother, would be waiting right there for them.

Funny Films

“I’m so glad you showed up! Come in, come in.”

Twilight held the front door to her library home open as her pink pony friend bounced onto the premises. Pinkie leapt into the center of the room and pulled out a pair of shades, placing them over her eyes. “Not a problem at all, silly filly! You know I love a party.”

Twilight giggled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “Except for the part where it isn’t a party…just a movie night.”

“Oh. Close enough!” Pinkie removed the shades and tossed them away, a crack filling the room as they crash-landed in the corner. “Well then my booky-wooky friend, race ya upstairs!” And with that, the party pony charged up the stairs to the second floor before dive bombing into one of the blue bean bag chairs that her friend had set up in front of a little television set.

“Nice landing, Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie lifted her head out of the cushy seat to see who else had showed up to the night’s event. Rainbow Dash sat next to her, smirking at the pink pony from on top of a green beanbag. Looking past her, Pinkie saw Fluttershy shuffling through a few DVD cases, trying to see if there was anything that might be too scary… judging by the huge stack of rejected DVDs next to her, there were a lot.

Twilight chose that moment to head upstairs, walking towards her friends. “It looks like this is everypony. Applejack has some last minute harvesting to do, and Rarity has to watch Sweetie Belle today. So…” Twilight looked to the side and levitated a scroll and quill over to her, a magic glow coming from her horn. Next to a crudely drawn picture of Twilight and her friends, she drew a big check mark. “Invite friends…check! Ooo, my first movie night is going to be a blast!” She inspected the scroll again. “Next step is…snacks! Oh no, I forgot the popcorn! Be right back, everypony!”

Twilight turned to go down the stairs when she noticed her pink friend following behind her. “Uh…can I help you, Pinkie Pie?”

“I’m coming to help with the snacks! You know it’s not popcorn without the Pinkie touch.” Pinkie Pie raised a hoof up and gently poked Twilight on her nose, proving her point.

“Err…thanks, but no thanks. Last time you touched my food, it ended up chocolate-coated, buried in a mountain of sprinkles, and somehow glued to the ceiling. Just stay here, please. I’ll be back in a moment!” With that, the unicorn fled downstairs to hurriedly throw together something to eat. Pinkie shrugged and bounced over to Fluttershy, who looked up in surprise when her pink friend landed right in front of her.

“Whatcha recommend, Fluttershy?” Without waiting for an answer, Pinkie dug through the DVD pile, randomly tossing DVDs aside. “Oooooh, how about Nightmare Moon on Oak Street?”

Fluttershy hid herself behind her hair. “No, no thank you…sorry…but that’s just too scary…”

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “I’ve always wanted to see that one!”

“Meep…well…uh…maybe later…sorry…”

Pinkie tossed the case back into the pile and brought out another. “How about a comedy? Nopony can say no to a good giggle! Or a long laugh. Or a silly smile.” To prove her point, Pinkie put on a goofy face. Fluttershy giggled at her friend‘s antics.

“Well…okay. Would that be okay with you, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered. She leapt into her blue beanbag chair right as Twilight returned, carrying bowls of popcorn for everyone.

“Pick something?” The unicorn asked, handing out a bowl to everypony in the room.

Pinkie held out the case they’d chosen. “10 seconds or less!”

“Ooh, I loved that one,” Twilight said with a smile. “Okay by me.” She grabbed her checklist again, scrawling big checks next to pictures of food and a television. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Ouch, that’s gotta hurt!”

Rainbow Dash was getting into the movie, which had just come to a fight scene. Swinging a few fake jabs, she was grinning ear to ear as it played. The movie had been really funny, but the laughter had ceased when one of the main cast had to duke it out with an assassin. Well, most of them had ceased laughing.

Pinkie was still giggling up a storm, laughing more with each jab. Twilight gave her friend a confused expression. “Uh…Pinkie? The funny parts over for now.” It did nothing to silence her chuckling though, with their other friends starting to take notice.

“Hee! It’s just so funny! The way he falls down after that hit! HA!” Pinkie giggled some more, shoveling some more popcorn into her mouth. “This is a riot!”

Twilight scratched her head. “Hmmmm… curious. Even the more serious moments are funny to you.” Twilight’s face lit up as inspiration hit. “I’ve got it! After this, how about we try something even more somber?”

“If you don’t mind me asking…how somber?” Fluttershy questioned.

“For a proper test, we’ll need something really sad. How about…of mice and mares?”

Fluttershy’s expression fell. “Oh nonononono, I’ve already read the book…I’m sorry but, I couldn’t…”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “C’mon, even I’m curious. I’ll give you my popcorn, Fluttershy. You can put up with one less-positive movie, right?”

“…Well…I suppose so.”

“Excellent!” Twilight exclaimed. “After this is over, the experiment can begin!”

“You are all so weird,” Pinkie quipped, right before burrowing her head into her popcorn.

“Noooooo! Kenny!” Fluttershy was in tears, and her friends weren’t holding up so well either. Even Rainbow Dash was looking a little uneasy. Pinkie, however, let out another laugh.

“Why so frowny, ponies? Hee! One second he’s there and the next, FLOP!” Pinkie said. The others broke away from the movie long enough to give her a curious look.

“Well…” Twilight started, “That’s definitely odd.” The unicorn scribbled a few notes on a sheet of parchment she’d grabbed during the intermission. “I guess the next thing to test would be…horror.”

Fluttershy’s expression paled as she slowly got out of her seat, backing towards the stairs. “W-well, it’s been fun everypony…but, uh…I think Angel needs feeding…sorry…”

The yellow Pegasus ended up bumping right into Rainbow Dash, who’d snuck up from behind by flying over her. “Come on, Fluttershy! One more can’t hurt.”

“But…”

“No buts, pony!” The cyan Pegasus began nudging her friend gently back into her seat. “Plus, you gotta see the movie I brought!” Rainbow Dash quickly skimmed through the DVD pile before selecting one: Mareanormal Activity.

“Not that one!” Fluttershy exclaimed. Twilight levitated a piece of popcorn into her mouth, the tasty treat silencing the meek pony’s protests.

“Ooh, I’ve always wanted to see this! Nothing’s too scary wary for the Pinkie Pie!” The pink pony said with a grin. She inhaled whatever popcorn was left in the bowl and turned to Twilight to ask for more, wearing her bowl as an impromptu hat. A few refills and a calmed down Fluttershy later, the next movie began.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight were busy trying to coax Fluttershy out of the closet she‘d flown into. Meanwhile, Pinkie was rolling around on the ground in hysterics. “Those faces that demon thingy keeps making! HAH!”

Twilight remembered the point of them playing the movie and turned to her pink friend. “Hmmm…it’s true, NOTHING bothers you.” The unicorn scribbled some more notes on her pad. “Well, I think now’s a good point to end the movie night on…maybe we should have just let Fluttershy go home.”

Pinkie got up, placing her popcorn bowl on her back. “Awwww, a little scare isn’t a bad thing. It builds character!” She walked over to join her friends around the closet. “Mind if I finish the popcorn Twilight? It’s so good!”

“Sure, if you help us get Fluttershy out.”

“Oh, that’s easy!” The pink pony stepped over to the closet and began pawing at it, scratching noises filling the room. “Fluuuuutershhhhhhhy… Flllllluuuuutteershhhhhyyyy…” The closet door was visibly shaking, the pony holding it shut getting frightened. “…Boo.”

“Aiiiieeeee!” The yellow pegasus rocketed out of the door and down the stairs, sending all her friends into an out of control spin. Pinkie tottered about and felt her popcorn bowl fall off her back, crashing onto the floor. She stopped herself and saw her precious snack food littered all over the ground.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Pinkie bent down, grasping a few pieces of popcorn in her hooves. She raised them to the sky. “WHHHHHHY CELESTIA, WHHHHHHHHY!”

Twilight and Rainbow looked at their friend and restrained their giggles. “Oh my,” Twi said, “I guess she does have a weakness.” She grabbed the checklist from earlier and placed a large check next to a scribbling of the word ‘fun’. “Well, thanks for coming everypony! Now, let’s get Pinkie some popcorn to take home and make sure Fluttershy hasn’t gotten herself locked in my kitchen pantry.”

Decisions

“Why can’t more days be like this…”

Rainbow Dash was lounging on her favorite napping cloud, enjoying the sunny weather. Her and the weather team had done a good job; aside from her personal cloud, there wasn’t a single one in the sky. There was nothing to do but kick back, relax, and maybe saw a few logs…

Or maybe go into a freefall. The cyan Pegasus shot her limbs out in a panic as the cloud beneath her suddenly disappeared with a poof. She started flapping her wings, attempting to pull herself out of the fall, but there was no need; she’d landed in the arms of someone. She slowly took her eyes off the ground to see who her rescuer was.

“What’s new, dweeb?”

Oh, here we go… Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and flew out of the griffin’s arms, doing a loop and stopping herself right in front of Gilda. “You’ve got some guts, showing your face around here again. Are you actually going to say something worthwhile, or are you just here to destroy my napping cloud?”

“Whoa, chill out, Dash. It was just a joke…remember, like old times?” The pegasus shot her a look. “Alright, fine I’ll get to the point…sheesh.” Gilda searched through her feathers for something. Finally finding it, she retrieved it and showed it off; two tickets glimmered in the sunlight.

“Are those…?”

“You know it, Dashie. Two tickets to the Wonderbolts show this afternoon.”

Rainbow Dash reached out a hoof tentatively, reaching out to the tickets to see if they were actually there. She quickly caught herself and pulled her hoof back. “Wait a second, why are you showing me this? Last time I checked, we weren’t friends.”

Gilda smirked, crossing her arms. “I decided I’d give ya a second chance; something tells me the old Rainbow Dash is still there, buried under a bunch of lame. I knew you liked the Wonderbolts, and one of my friends had a couple spare tickets, so I bought ‘em off him. Pretty cool, eh?”

“Giving ME a second chance? Why I oughta…” The tickets seemed to flash a little brighter. “…Ehehe, what I meant was, what time do I show up?”

“8 o’ clock tonight, Cloudsdale Stadium. Be there, or be square.” With a dismissive wave, Gilda flew off, leaving Rainbow Dash to wonder if she should really follow through on this.

On one hoof…she’s a snotty brat who thinks I’m the one who’s uncool. She rubbed her chin. On the other hoof…Wonderbolts.

Moments later, she was rushing home as fast as she could to grab her #1 Wonderbolt Fan foam glove.

She’d almost gotten home when she flew by Sweet Apple Acres, knocking off the hat of a certain orange pony. “Whoa there, Rainbow, what’s the rush?”

Rainbow did a quick 180 and landed next to Applejack. “Gotta go get some stuff, got something awesome to do tonight!”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Well shoot, ah didn’t think having to watch Pinkie Pie would excite ya this much.”

Rainbow turned to go. “Yeah, gotta run, things to…” She turned back. “Wait, what?”

“Remember, sugarcube? Pinkie came down with the flu, and we’ve all been taken turns makin’ sure she’s all right. Lessee… I took the first turn this morning… Twilight’s there right now… Fluttershy should be next… then you, then Rarity.”

Rainbow groaned. She’d completely forgotten about her sick friend, along with their collective promise to keep an eye on her and help her recover. “Uh…yeah, I didn’t forget! Of course not. I’ll… see ya later.”

Rainbow flew off, leaving Applejack to return to her work. “Well, she’s actin’ mighty strange today,” The orange pony mused to herself.

Rainbow shut the fluffy door to her cloud home before hovering through her living room and upstairs to her bedroom. She looked out the window at a sun dial she kept outside, showing that it was closely approaching Fluttershy’s turn to watch over their sick friend. And right when she was supposed to meet Gilda, it would be her turn to take over for a few hours. Geez…the show will be over way before Rarity shows up!

The pegasus flopped down onto her self-made cloud bed. She glanced up at the autographed poster taped to her wall- Soarin’, Spitfire, and more, all posing for last year’s show- and then buried her head in her pillow.

What am I going to do… she groaned. The show comes ONCE A YEAR… I can’t miss that. An image of her sickly pink friend rose to the top of her mind, the party pony a bright shade of green. …but I can’t just abandon a friend either.

She sighed and rolled onto her back, placing a hoof over her chest. She looked at her dresser and saw something peeking out from under it. Curious, she got up and pulled it out from under the dresser. It was her foam hand, proudly declaring that the Wonderbolts were #1. And then she knew what she had to do.

She raced out of the house, taking just enough time to close the front door behind her. If she hurried, she might have just enough time…

Something knocked downstairs at the front door to Sugar Cube Corner. Fluttershy looked up from her sick friend, raising an ear. The knocking stopped as Mrs. Cake opened the door, greeting whoever had answered. Fluttershyshrugged and went back to treating Pinkie Pie.

The worst of the sickness was hitting the pink pony now. Her face was, quite literally, green, and the pile of blankets over her did nothing to stop the shaking. To make matters worse, Fluttershy had forgotten one of her fever-reducing remedies at home, leaving Pinkie to deal with the illness on common-cold mixtures alone.

She sighed as her friend weakly leaned over, getting sick into a small trash can again. She held Pinkie’s hair back as the pink pony got rid of all the soup Fluttershy had managed to get into her. Once she had emptied herself out, Fluttershy gently leaned Pinkie’s head back onto the pillow.

“I’m sorry again for forgetting the fever medicine… so, so sorry…” Fluttershy glanced out the window, noting that Celestia’s sun was beginning to sink down over the horizon. “Rainbow should be here soon to take her turn. I’ll be sure to go home straight away and bring back the medicine…sorry…”

Pinkie looked at her through bleary eyes. “It’s okey dokey, Fluttershy… I’ve handled parties rougher than this…” She went into a coughing fit before leaning her head back again. “I’m just glad to have friends so nice that they’d take the time to care for me…”

Fluttershy smiled at her friend as someone knocked at Pinkie’s door. “Oh…I’ll be right back, Pinkie.” Fluttershy hovered over to the door and opened it. “Is that you, Mr. Cake?”

She was knocked aside as something jumped into the room. Her eyes rattled around until she shook her head, focusing on the newcomer. “Rainbow Dash?”

“You know it!” The blue Pegasus trotted towards her, removing something from her back. “I stopped by your house to see if there was anything that might help…just found a buncha weird liquidy things. I brought some down; maybe it‘ll help.” Rainbow Dash handed her a familiar green vial. The fever remedy! “I also stopped by the store and got a few things to pass the time, some soup, some vitamins, some…hey, you listening, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy ignored her, quickly moving to where she’d left her mobile medical equipment. She laced the remedy with a few more vitamins and mixed it all in with some more soup, making sure to use a correct dosage. Satisfied that it was done, she quickly moved to Pinkie. “Uhm…do you think you could handle just a teeny bit more soup, Pinkie?…”

Pinkie gave the tiniest nod. Rainbow stood by and watched as Fluttershy spoon-fed the pink pony a little bit of the soup. Pinkie could barely swallow it, but she managed to get a few spoonfuls down. Fluttershy sat the soup aside and the two pegasi watched as their friend’s green face started to take on a familiar pinkish glow. After the green had almost faded, Fluttershy started getting Pinkie to eat more soup, and she happily complied.

The two pegasi watched as their pink friend finished the rest of the mixture. She slurped down the rest and then closed her eyes, finally feeling well enough to get some decent sleep. Fluttershy smiled as she took her friend’s bowl away and started packing up her equipment. “Oh, thanks so much for bringing that, Dashie. Without that mixture, you would have had much worse to deal with…”

The rainbow-maned pegasus scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly. “Uh, yeah… I knew you needed it,” she lied. Her face quickly fell, though, something seeming to cross her mind as she saw the sun setting.

Fluttershy noticed Rainbow‘s expression. “Forgive me for asking, but… is something wrong, Rainbow Dash?…” she questioned. Her rainbow friend snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head, glancing at their peacefully sleeping friend.

“Well, if Pinkie was awake, I’m sure she’d like to thank you…” Fluttershy said. “Rarity should be coming in a few hours… I hope it wasn’t any trouble getting the remedy. Good luck… I‘ll come back after Rarity‘s turn to give her another dose, if she‘s willing to take it…” With that, Fluttershy gathered up the rest of her belongings into a small white case with a red cross on it. She gave Rainbow Dash a smile on her way out.

The light blue mare went and sat by her friend’s bedside. Pinkie had fallen asleep quickly, her breathing making the pile of covers rise and fall. Seeing that Pinkie’s fever had eased up a little, Rainbow Dash tossed a few blankets off the pile. Without much to do, her thoughts began to wander to what Gilda was up to. Did she bother waiting? Is she in the show right now? Ugh, freakin’ lucky sky punk…

A pink hoof rested gently on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “Thanks for coming, Dashie,” Pinkie mumbled, before letting go and falling asleep again. Rainbow Dash smiled. Well, at least I’m here for a true friend. Gilda, eat your heart out.

The hours went by pretty boring at first, but Pinkie woke up about halfway through. Feeling much better, she’d allowed Dash to show her the things she’d picked up to make her sick time more enjoyable. Currently, she was wearing a couple yellow party hats stuck to her head while Rainbow Dash read her bad puns from a joke book. No matter how bad, she was always guaranteed a laugh.

“Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one…what do you call a flying snake?”

Still giggling at the last joke, Pinkie covered her mouth. “Hmmm…I dunno, Dashie. What do ya call a flying snake?”

“A pega-hiss!”

Pinkie Pie burst into a fresh round of laughter, her infectious laughter starting to get to the Rainbow Dash as well. “Ooooh, that was awful, Dashie. C’mon, another one!”

“Okay, okay…” Her search for another joke was interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Setting the book aside, Rainbow Dash fluttered over and opened the door.

“Why hello there, darling!” Rarity stepped into the room, carrying her saddlebags with her. “I’ve come to relieve you. How’s our sick little friend?”

Pinkie Pie, still giggling, gave a little wave. Rarity waved back “Oh my, she looks so much better. Thanks for keeping a good eye on her, Rainbow Dash.”

“Not a problem.” Another thought of the missed Wonderbolt show struck her; she shot it down quickly. “Happy to help!”

Rarity walked to Pinkie’s bedside and dropped her saddlebags on the ground. “Oh, I almost forgot… Rainbow Dash? You knew about that Wonderbolt show tonight, didn’t you?”

…Grrrrrrr. “Uh… yeah, why?”

“Well, I think it was very kind of you to skip it to keep an eye on your ill-feeling friend.” Rarity opened up one of the saddlebags and shuffled around. “Which is why when I found out a designer friend of mine was going to be setting the scenery for a little Wonderbolts after party, I was able to call in a favor and get us these.” The white unicorn found what she was looking for and took it from the saddlebag. Seven VIP passes glimmered in the room’s light.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.” Rainbow snatched the passes from her friend and fitted one around her neck, enjoying the feeling of knowing that this little thing could get her some personal time with her idols. “Thank you! Ah, I don’t even know what to say, this is…wait, seven passes?”

Rarity shrugged. “A little honest birdie told me that you shot by her and told her that you had something to do tonight. I had a little inkling that Pinkie wasn’t on the top of your list of things to do,” she whispered, keeping Pinkie oblivious to the information. “Assuming that’s the case, and with the Wonderbolt show having been sold out for a week or so, surely you must have had someone else get you a ticket…and that person would probably be going with you as well. Am I wrong?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Well, then feel free to give that extra ticket to this mystery friend of yours. I would love to meet them!” Rarity chimed. Oh, no you wouldn’t, thought Rainbow Dash. “Anyway, the event’s this weekend. Do me a favor and pass the rest of the passes out to our friends, dearie.”

“No problem. Good luck with Pinkie Pie. Thanks again!” Rainbow Dash handed a couple passes out to Rarity and Pinkie, wishing the latter the best of luck with her illness. After making her exit, she went home, Gilda and her offer forgotten. She flew home, tossing the passes onto her dresser and flopping onto her bed. She glanced at her Wonderbolt poster and smiled, before slowly falling into a pleasant sleep.

Rainbow Dash flew through the skies, the citizens of Ponyville bustling about far beneath her. She’d awoken early and gotten to work, already having handed out passes to everypony but Twilight. And the extra pass, she thought. Still not sure what to do with that…

She came to a landing outside of the town’s library, residence of her bookworm friend, Twilight. She raised her hoof to knock on the door. A claw snaked out from behind her and grabbed her arm.

“There you are, lame-o.” Rainbow Dash was spun around, ending up face to face with Gilda. “Guess you thought you were too good for me, huh? Well, you missed a kickin’ show last night, AND you wasted your chance to regain some of your coolness. Man, I don’t know why I ever bothered with you.”

Rainbow Dash glared. “Just back off, okay. I didn’t go, big freakin’ whoop. Got a problem with that, I’ll deal with you after I deliver these.” The pegasus removed the two passes she’d been keeping around her neck, her own pass nestled safely away at home.

“Deal with ME? Who do YOU think yer dealin’ with, you…” Gilda narrowed her eyes. “Wait, what are those?”

“Passes to the Wonderbolt after party, that my REAL FRIEND got me. Six for me and my friends, and an extra.”

Gilda’s expression softened. “Ehehe…you know I was just jokin’, Dashie. Its all good… but hey, why don’t I take that extra pass off your hands? We can go to the party, you can introduce me to your friends… I’m sure we just had an… ‘error in communication‘. We’ll all have a kickin’ time, I just know it.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Keeping her eyes on Gilda, she raised a hoof to the door, knocking loudly. A few scurrying sounds were heard until the door was opened, revealing Spike glancing curiously at the newcomers.

“What’s up, Rainbow and…uh…” Spike backed up a little, intimidated by his first look at a griffin. “Uh…Twilight’s sorting some things upstairs. Should I go get her?”

“No need,” Rainbow Dash said, turning to Spike. She dropped the passes into his claws. “Just wanted to drop these off. One’s for Twilight…and the other, you can have.”

Spike admired the passes while Rainbow Dash giggled at Gilda’s open jawed expression. “Gee, thanks Rainbow Dash. I’ll make sure she gets one. You coming in?”

“Nah, got places to be.” Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at the angry griffin behind her. “Tell Twilight I said ‘hi’.”

“Gotcha. See you later, Rainbow and…bird…lion…thing. Sorry.” The baby dragon closed the door, shouting out for Twilight as he did so. Rainbow Dash turned back to Gilda, a smirk on her face.

Gilda glowered at her. “I gave you a second chance and this is how you repay me? Really, why did I ever bother with you? You know what, I got better things to do than hang out with the queen of dorks. Later.” The griffin flapped her wings and took to the skies, heading towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Rainbow simply smiled and shook her head, knowing in her heart she’d made the right decision. With no other pressing matters to attend to, she turned to go to Sugar Cube Corner…her pink pony friend would definitely be happy to see her.

Fair Play

Applejack reached up, pressing her hat farther onto her head. Walking along Ponyville’s roads on her way back to the orchard, the weather wasn’t being too kind that day. It was extremely windy; leaves were flying everywhere, trees swayed back and forth, and her hat was being very uncooperative with her desire to not chase it in the breeze.

“Oof!”

Applejack reeled back as something struck her in the face, letting her hat go free. She reached up and removed the ballistic object, looking back and grumbling as her hat sailed away on a gust of wind. Quick to act, she leapt up onto a nearby fence post, using it to propel herself far enough into the air to catch her hat. She landed and stuck it back on her head with one hoof, using her other hoof to hold the object that had almost made her lose her headgear. She inspected it.

“Oh…jus’ a flier. Dang litterers.” She started to crumple it up when the title caught her eye. She took a second look.

Attention, farmers of Equestria!

The 20th annual Farmer Competition, a long standing tradition amongst the hardworking ponies with a bit of a green-hoof, is almost upon us! With this year’s list of judges including…

“Yak, yak, yak… boring.” Applejack quickly skimmed through the rest of the flier.

…all farmers of adult age and beyond are eligible to join. This year’s contest location: Ponyville. One contest winner shall receive 1000 bits, while all other participants will receive a bag of seed for any plant of their choice.

Applejack read that again. She’d heard of the farmer’s competition before, but had never paid attention due to how far from home it was. But now… One thousand bits?! That could pay for Granny’s operation! Get us a new barn! Restock our supplies! …Maybe even a new yoke for Big Macintosh, and some extra left over for Apple Bloom to use for her club’s little adventures. She scratched that last idea off the list. Well…maybe she’d settle for some new decorations for their clubhouse.

She noted the date. Two weeks from now, huh? She slipped the flier under her hat. The rest of the way home, she whistled an old tune and thought up ways to prepare for the event.

The day had arrived. The weather had perked up over the last couple weeks, giving Applejack the perfect weather for training. From dawn till dusk, she was either doing her chores or training. She’d herded the cattle until she could have them rounded up in no time, she’d baked all kinds of apple-based goods with the fruit leftover from the harvest, and she’d even let Big Mac take a rest, taking the plow out for a spin herself. It hadn’t been easy, but she had to be at her best for the event.

And here she was. Standing in line with a bunch of other farm ponies from all over Equestria. She looked behind her into the stands, seeking out her friends. Fluttershy caught her eye and waved at her, Pinkie Pie chowing down on all kinds of snacks next to the yellow pegasus. Next to Pinkie was Twilight and Rarity, who gave a large wave before returning to their discussion. At the end of the row was Spike and Rainbow Dash, the dragon scooting as close to Rarity as he could while Rainbow Dash cheered Applejack on.

“Woo! You got this, iron pony! Show these foals how it’s done, before I come down there and do it for ya!” Applejack grinned at her friend’s enthusiasm before a loud crackle boomed over the contest grounds, attracting Applejack’s attention. In front of all the contestants, a chocolate-brown stallion with a green mane had taken the stage, a yellow bandana wrapped around his neck. He was shaking a megaphone over his hoof, clearly frustrated.

“Is this bloomin’ thing on… it was fine a second ag-… ah, there we are.” He gave a warm smile to the crowd and held the megaphone to his mouth. “Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to the 20th annual Equestrian Farmer Competition!” A wave of applause came from the audience, ponies stomping their hooves on the stands. “We thank you all for coming, and we hope to have as great a time as every year! Our judges, Frond Leaf… that’s me… Peachy Keen, and Tomato Jack are proud to be the hosts of these fifty ready-lookin’ competitors!

“To start off, I’ll have my fellow judges announce our competitors today. C’mon down!” Two ponies walked onstage; a peach-colored mare sporting a light brown mane walking astride a red-coated and green haired stallion. After Frond handed off the microphone and sat, the new judges took over.

“Let’s get this show on the road! Starting with the A’s…” The farmers all stood up, appearing at their proudest as their names were called off. “Adam, apple farmer of Trottingham, Antsy, grain-grower of Fillydelphia, Applejack, local apple farmer from Ponyville…” Applejack stood tall and waved back at her friends, who burst into a round of cheering as soon as the orange pony’s name was called. The judges went down the row, finally getting to the final contender. “And last but not least, Ziggy, the professional pear-planter of Ponyville!”

That name seems a lil’ familiar... Applejack leaned forward, glancing down to the very end of the row. She noted the unicorn that she assumed was Ziggy, a light purple stallion sporting a pair of crossed pears as his cutie mark. He nervously rubbed his mane, a darker shade of purple, as he grinned at someone in the crowd. Now ah know where I’ve heard of him before! Applejack recalled that Ziggy was a more unique kind of farmer; it was mostly earth ponies who took to tilling the earth, so when a unicorn got into farming they always seemed to stand out. Applejack recalled seeing Ziggy at the market every once in awhile, though she usually paid more attention to making sure her prices undercut everypony elses to notice.

The judges called everypony’s attention back to the stage. “It’s time to get this started! We’d like all our contestants to move to the eastern field for our first event: The Fruit Fling!”

Applejack stretched out her legs, preparing herself for the event. She’d done a good share of apple throwing, hoping an event like this would show up. Looking around, she saw the other contestants looking just as prepared.

The judges stopped chatting amongst themselves and got the megaphone again. “It looks like we’re all ready! For those unaware, the rules are as follows…you’ve each been provided with a pile of produce, and I’m sure you’ve noted the baskets in front of you.” Five wide wooden baskets stretched out in front of each contestant. “Y’all have three minutes to toss as much fruit as you can into them. The closest basket gives 100 points, continuing along until you get 500 for the last basket. Be warned, throwing into another pony’s basket will give THEM the points. First place gets 10 points for their personal score, and the next nine winners after that get points depending on their rank. For example, tenth place gets one point, seventh gets four points…etcetera.

“And with that, let’s begin! On yer mark…” All the contestants grabbed a fruit. “Get set…” Everypony tensed up, ready to let the fruit fly. “…GO!”

Right off the bat, Applejack took the lead. She managed to get three shots into the farthest bucket, and the rest all found their way into buckets as well. A minute passed, Applejack never letting the fruit stop flying. She wiped her brow and looked to the scorekeeper’s area, her eyes quickly scanning the list. She was up at the top, the pony behind her trailing by about 800 points. She scanned farther up, seeing that she had second place. She saw the current first place contestant and gasped.

He’s ahead by HOW MUCH?!

Sitting at the top of the scoreboard was Ziggy, ahead by at least a thousand points. She looked down the row towards the unicorn, seeing that almost every shot he was making was sinking into the last two baskets. He looked so calm doing it, almost as if no effort was needed.

Wait a darn second… Applejack looked closer, noting a faint glow around Ziggy’s horn. She watched as he tossed an apple slightly off course, before the apple somehow bumped something in midair and fell into the five-hundred point basket. He’s CHEATIN’!

Growling, Applejack picked up an apple off the pile and pulled it back, prepared to let it fly in order to throw the unfair unicorn off course. She tensed before dropping her hoof with a sigh. Naw… I can’t stoop to his level. She picked up a few more fruits off the pile. Then I’ll just have ta beat him fair and square!

Applejack worked even harder than before, sinking shot after shot and trying her best to avoid missing. Moments later, an alarm sounded, signaling the end of the event. Every competitor dropped what they were carrying and stretched out their arms, waiting for the results.

“Good job everypony,” Frond Leaf called out. “One moment to tally up the scores…”

The crowd sat in silence as the judges wrote down notes, scoring every contestant. At last, they took their eyes off their papers. “Alright then…first place…” Applejack leaned in close. “…Ziggy, with twelve thousand, eight hundred points!” Applejack groaned as the crowd burst into applause. “Followed by Applejack with ten thousand, seven hundred. Third place goes to Whitevine, scoring nine thousand, five hundred…”

The judges droned on. Applejack paid no attention as she simmered in her unpleasant thoughts. Nopony saw that? At all? It ain’t fair! She sighed. Well… it’ll just be more satisfying when ah win, then.

The judges finished off the results. “Congrats on a great event! Now let’s take a five minute rest while we set up for the next event: Speed Herdin’!”

The contestants all wandered off, planning on enjoying their break to the fullest. Applejack headed into the stands to see her friends, who met her with sympathy and encouragement. Nopony else seemed to have seen the unicorn’s cheating, though. She looked farther down the stand and glared at her magical opponent, Ziggy too busy talking with a green mare to notice.

The contestants converged again, the break having ended. “And we’re back, everypony!” Another round of applause as the judges soaked it in. “Now for our second event, Speed Herdin’. Starting with our first place winner from last round and moving on down to last place, contestants will have to herd a flock of scattered sheep into their pen in as little time as possible.” The red judge extended a hoof, pointing out the roped off area where ten sheep wandered around a pen. “As before, first place gets 10 points, second gets 9, and so on. First up: Ziggy!”

The unicorn stepped up, head held high. The crowd went wild as he took his place in the roped off area. Just keep hammin’ it up, pal, Applejack grumbled. Ziggy grabbed a rope, quickly tying it into a lasso, and braced himself as a countdown timer ticked down.

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One! GO!”

Ziggy quickly got to work. Applejack had to admit, when he wasn’t cheating, he did a fairly good job. In mere moments, he’d roped up three of the ten wandering sheep and gotten them in the pen. But as she expected, a small glow wrapped itself around his horn once more, and she noticed the sheep starting to be gently tugged closer to the pen. Once again, Applejack watched as the cheater received his score: 2 minutes, 17 seconds. She frowned and pushed her hat far up on her head, taking her place in the pen as Ziggy left it.

“Next up, Applejack! Three, two, one, GO!”

Determined to show up the cheater, Applejack worked fast. Using the provided lasso, she flung it towards the closest sheep. The loop fit snuggly around the creature’s fluffy body. Direct hit! She started pulling the sheep around the pen, using the rope between them as a wall that pushed any other sheep forward with it. “Git along, critters! Hee-yah!”

Moments later, with every sheep being led along by the rope, Applejack directed them to the pen’s entrance. The sheep filed in one by one, until the last one remaining was the one she had roped. She let it loose and gently nudged it into the pen, closing the gate behind it. She stood on her hind legs and waved her hat to the crowd, a round of applause shaking the field.

“Applejack, your time: 2 minutes, 3 seconds!”

Ah did it! Applejack left the area, shooting a smile towards Ziggy as she left. The unicorn returned the look, his grin showing that he wasn’t planning on making this easy on her.

Applejack returned to the line of contestants to watch as everypony took their turn. She watched as each pony completed the event until the scores were announced. Applejack had taken first place, making the score tied at nineteen between her and Ziggy. The next event was called and everypony started moving to the next area. Applejack smiled and took her place in line, knowing that she was going to do her best to win the contest…and win it fairly.

The contest dragged on, with Ziggy and Applejack always switching back and forth on the leader board. They kept taking turns switching between first and last place, Ziggy sometimes winning with his unfair tactics, and Applejack sometimes winning through pure will. Right now, they were currently tied at ninety-five points each, having a decent lead over everypony else. The last event was about to be announced and everyone was settling down, ready to hear the event that would end this exciting tie.

The judges took the stage once more. “It’s been a fun day everypony, but it’s about time we find out who the best farmer in Equestria is!” Peachy Keen pointed towards the setting sun. “The day’s about to end, and after this last event, so will the contest! Now, it’s time for our final event!” The judges paused, everypony leaning in to hear the final challenge. “The last event of the day… Plow Pullin’ Triathlon!”

Another round of applause shot across the field as the contestants took their place in front of a large field. The judges explained the rules as assistants came and yoked plows to every competitor. “For our final event, simply get this plow across the field in as short a time as possible. On the other side, you’ll find a bag of seed that needs to be sowed across the plow line you just made. Finally, grabbing a watering can from where you first started, you’ll have to water your freshly planted crops. First one to finish gets top points!”

After the rules were announced, Applejack looked around. To her dismay, she had the displeasure of being placed next to Ziggy for the contest. She glowered at the unicorn, pausing when she noticed something was off.

He looks… nervous. Applejack scratched her head as she saw her fellow competitor staring across the field with wide eyes, trying to keep his composure. He’s been fine up till this point… well, fine as a cheater can be… so what’s eatin’ him?

The sound of the countdown clock starting up helped her regain her focus. She braced herself, ready to charge across the field as fast as the plow would allow her. “Three, two, one, GO!”

Applejack ran forward, feeling the ropes around her go taut as she reached the end of them. She began pulling, slowly getting the plow to pick up speed. Soon enough, she got the plow moving swiftly across the field. She looked back at her unicorn rival and watched as Ziggy shot her a look, the familiar magical glow starting to seep into his horn. Moments later he’d almost caught up to her, his plow moving along behind him as if it was gliding across the field. She picked up the pace, straining against the ropes to make the plow go even faster.

Both made it to the end of the field at about the same time, the rest of the competition still a decent ways back. They unhitched themselves from the plow and picked up a small bag of seeds in each of their mouths. Ready for part two, Applejack and Ziggy started making their way across the field, placing seeds in the plow line and covering them up at appropriate intervals.

About halfway down the line, Applejack looked to her rival. Ziggy was at it again, but he was getting sloppy; the dirt being used to cover up the seeds seemed to fall and cover the hole up on its own, the unicorn making no effort to make it seem natural. Applejack saw her chance. If I can just keep up tha pressure…

The two kept at it, fully planting the entire row before any other competitor had even done theirs halfway. Ziggy finished first, tossing the seeds aside and grabbing a watering pail. Applejack wasn’t far behind, doing the same and quickly turning to begin the third leg of the race.

The two were neck and neck, both getting nervous and keeping an eye on the other. They were approaching the end, and Applejack used one last burst of energy. She shot forward, quickly watering the seeds and getting close to the finish.

“No!” Ziggy cried out, the glow surrounding his horn no longer barely noticeable. The watering can flew out of his mouth and farther down the row, quickly coating the last few plants before being flung aside. Applejack’s heart fell as the audience cheered.

Ah…lost?

Applejack set the watering can aside, refusing to look up. The other competitors finished at their own pace, seeing the event already being completed. Soon enough, the line had formed up again as everypony awaited the results.

Frond Leaf took the stage. “It’s been a fun event, everypony,” he began, “but it’s time for us to announce our winner!” The audience fell silent, waiting for the announcement. “This year’s winner of the annual equestrian Farmer Competition, the pony who can proudly fill their money bag with a thousand bits, is…ZIGGY!”

The audience went wild, which only served to make Applejack’s heart sink a little more. She looked back into the audience, her friend’s giving her sympathetic looks. She turned and watched Ziggy step forward, ready to claim his prize.

“Hold it right there, pony boy,” Tomato Jack called out. The audience’s cheering stopped as Ziggy froze in his tracks. “You did good, that’s fer sure, but that little bit of unsportsmanlike conduct there at the end has just gotten ya disqualified.”

The audience gave a collective gasp as Ziggy slammed a frustrated hoof onto the ground. “You can’t be serious! I won fair and square!”

“Do ya take us for foals, boy? We saw that little stunt with the floating watering can. And frankly, a lot of your other wins have been suspicious as well.” Tomato Jack took the megaphone from Frond Leaf, stepping up to the front of the stage. “Since our ‘winner’ has been disqualified for unfair conduct, this year’s REAL winner is…APPLEJACK!”

The crowd went wild again, Applejack barely believing what she’d heard. “Get on up there, filly!” Rainbow Dash called out from the audience. Shaking herself from her stupor, Applejack walked past a sad-looking Ziggy and climbed onstage, heading up to the judges. Peachy Keen pulled out a money bag, the sound of many bits jangling within making a symphony to Applejack’s ears.

“For your hard, HONEST work,” Palm Fronds began, shooting a look towards Ziggy, “We’re proud to present you with the grand prize! Congratulations!” Applejack took the bag from Peachy, turning to the audience and waving. The audience went wild, especially her friends.

Tomato Jack got out the megaphone one last time. “And with that, everypony, the 20th annual Farmer’s Competition comes to an end! All those who entered can pick up your complementary bag of seed from the supply tent! Thank you, and GOOD NIGHT!”

The crowd was starting to disperse, and it wasn’t much trouble for Applejack to find her friends… mainly considering they ran to her, first.

“Oh my gosh you did so good Applejack way to go we need to celebrate!” Pinkie blathered, gripping Applejack in a big hug. Pinkie let her go and Rainbow Dash was next, giving the contest winner a high five.

“I knew ya could do it, iron pony. Now if you need any help spendin’ those bits, you know where to find me…” Rainbow Dash joked, grinning at her friend.

“Hay no, this is all goin’ towards the farm,” Applejack stated.

“And that’s good enough reason,” Twilight said. “Congratulations, Applejack! And I think I even got a lesson out of this today… cheaters never win… yes, that will work. Celestia will be happy, I can‘t wait to send it!” Spike agreed, giving the winner a thumbs up from on top of Twilight's back.

Fluttershy spoke up. “Ooo, yes, good work Applejack… but, should we be going now?… If you don’t mind me asking…”

Applejack nodded her head down the road that’d take them back into Ponyville. “I got somethin’ to take care of first. Y’all go on without me, ah’ll catch up.”

“Don’t keep us waiting, darling,” Rarity chided. “Being a champion is no excuse for being tardy. Come along, everypony.” Applejack’s friends said their goodbyes and walked away, waving back at the orange pony. Applejack returned the wave and waited until they’d exited the contest grounds. She turned and headed towards the stands. Now, let’s see what that cheater has ta say…

Applejack crept around, seeking out the unicorn that had been a pain in her flank the entire contest. He wasn’t in the stands, or by the exit, or even by the stage. She had almost decided to give up and go home when she heard chatting coming from behind a large tent, where they’d kept a lot of contest supplies. She pressed herself against the tent and peeked around, keeping herself hidden as much as possible.

“The farm’s done for…” Someone moaned. Applejack saw that it was Ziggy, talking to a green earth pony mare and two young fillies. “I let y’all down…”

“Hush now, darlin’… we’ll find a way to get those parasprites dealt with and get our crop harvested before ya know it.” The mare stepped forward, nuzzling Ziggy. The two fillies came up as well, holding onto the unicorn’s legs.

Ziggy sighed. “What did a cheater like me ever do to deserve a wife and kids as great as you guys.”

Wait… he has a family?!

“But as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Ziggy went on, “The farm’s a lost cause. We can’t afford to hire an exterminator now, nor can we afford to pay the bills. We’ll have to take what we managed to get from the crop and sell it off, and hope we can afford the fare to get to Manehatton. If we’re lucky, my cousins can give us some room and board for the winter.”

Ziggy ruffled the head of one of the fillies, a yellow unicorn with a light blue mane. “Lemon Drop, you might have to drop out of your school and learn at home for awhile…” He turned to the other filly, a lime green earth pony with a dark green mane. “That goes for you too, Bounty.”

The filly’s faces dropped. “Okay, pa,” they muttered in unison. Ziggy gently picked them up and put them on his back.

Applejack was torn inside, actually feeling sorry for the cheater. Ah needed the money, sure… but they needed it just as much. Ah ain’t got any respect for the cheater, but I can’t just let them lose everything they have…

Ziggy sighed. “Sorry girls…but that’s the way it’s gotta be.” The unicorn started heading down the path to the exit, his wife following at his side. “Time to go home… we need to start packing.”

“WAIT!”

The family paused, turning at the sound of Applejack’s outburst. The orange pony blushed, realizing she’d shouted louder than she should have. “Uhm… sorry ‘bout that… but ah happened to overhear yer troubles.” She eyed Ziggy up and down. “Ah don’t condone what ya did, but if yer sorry, I think ah might know a way to help ya.”

Ziggy raised an eyebrow. “Yes, miss… what was it… Applejack, I’m very sorry for what I did. I don’t see how you could help, though.”

Applejack grinned. “You said you had parasprites, right? And harvestin’ troubles?”

“That’s right.”

“Then worry no more. Just let me call a few friends of mine…”

Applejack walked across the field, transporting two baskets filled with limes that were slung across her back. The sound of polka music drifted across the farm, and Applejack watched as a baby parasprite bounced past her, heading to catch up with the rest of its family in their pursuit of Pinkie’s Polka.

“Good job, Pinkie!” Applejack called out to her friend, who gave her a wave with both hooves before leading the parasprite procession into the forest. Applejack resumed her walk, passing by Twilight and Rarity. The two unicorns were plucking limes one by one from the orchard’s trees, depositing them into nearby baskets. “Yer doin’ good gals, but let’s pick up the pace a lil‘ bit,” Applejack called out to them.

“Okay, Applejack!” Twilight shouted back. She nodded to Rarity, and they let the magical glow around their horns brighten. Entire bucketfuls of limes started coming down from the trees, filling the baskets to the brim in no time.

“Much better, gals!” Applejack continued on her walk, finally reaching her destination moments later. Outside a bright orange barn sat Ziggy and his family, taking a five minute break from the harvest. Applejack slung the buckets off her back and next to the family, right next to all the other buckets of limes they’d already harvested. “A couple more bushels for y’all. If we keep up the pace, ah think we’ll be done soon.”

Ziggy smiled at Applejack. “Oh, we can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done, especially considering how I acted during the contest. How can we repay you?”

“You don’t owe me nothin’, ah’m happy to help. Mah friends will probably be hungry afterwards though, so get them fed… and just promise me you won’t stoop to dirty tricks again. Aside from that, we’re even, pardner.”

Ziggy nodded, standing up and shaking Applejack‘s hoof. “Understood.” He called for his family to get to their feet and led them towards their farmhouse, ready to make a feast for the generous ponies that’d saved their farm. At that moment, Rainbow Dash flew in, carrying a few baskets of limes with her as well.

“Oof… I don’t see how ya do this stuff every day, Applejack,” the blue pegasus moaned.

Applejack smirked. “Gettin’ tired, sugahcube?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You wish, Applecrack. I’m going to get more limes harvested than you before the day’s done, and that’s a promise!” She placed her buckets with the rest and wiped her brow. “But aside from that, I still don’t see why you decided to help that fink.”

“Don’t you worry yer little head, Dash. He might’ve sunk low, but it was outta desperation.”

“Whatever you say.” Rainbow Dash stretched out her legs, flapping her wings to prepare for her next takeoff. “I gotta admit, Fluttershy’s animal friends are making the harvest on her side of the field really easy. Oh yeah, I’ve been wondering, what are ya gonna do with all those bits you won? I can still help ya spend them…”

Applejack rolled her eyes and ruffled her friend’s mane. “Ah think ah’ll pass. But by all means, don’t let that stop you from coming around and helping me carry some things ah’ll be buyin’ for Sweet Apple Acres.”

“We’ll see about that, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, bending low. “Now, how about I show you how harvestin’ is really done?”

Applejack smirked, bending low on her haunches as well. “Is that a challenge?”

“You bet it is! ThreetwooneGO!”

The two ponies shot out of the barn and onto the field, enjoying their little contest and getting their work done as well. Ziggy watched from the family’s house, smiling at the generous mare who’d helped them out of their jam, despite the mistakes he’d made. He smiled and went back into the house to continue their work on making dinner, closing the front door behind him.

Castle Crashing

The guards halted, the carriage they were pulling rolling to a stop. A light gray servant-stallion walked up to the carriage, opening the door and stepping aside with a bow. The carriage rattled around a bit as the riders within got to their feet, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. With a hop, the first pony let herself out into the cool night air.

A purple unicorn was the first out, turning and smiling towards the servant like he was an old friend. She stood aside as more ponies stepped out: An orange pony settling a hat on her head, followed by a pink mare practically bouncing out of the carriage. Following after them was a white unicorn and a yellow pegasus, with the procession finally ending when a blue Pegasus flew out of the vehicle fast enough to spin the servant around. Shaking his head, the servant brushed off his coat and closed the carriage door.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?”

Startled, the servant opened the door up again. A small, purple dragon stared back, tapping his foot. “Much better.” The baby dragon hopped out, moving to join back up with the group of mares. The purple unicorn motioned for him to climb up, and the dragon did. The group started up a set of marble stairs, approaching the famous Canterlot Castle. The dragon took in the sights of the majestic stone structure, home to Equestria’s very own diarchy, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The group approached the shimmering white walls of the castle, approaching a large wooden door. With a creak, the door seemed to open towards the mares all on its own. The group stepped inside, chatting all the way as the door closed behind them.

Inside the castle, the pack of ponies found themselves in front of an elegant staircase inside the main hall, a hallway set on each side of the stairway. Their eyes followed the stairs upwards until they rested on the regal figure of their Princess of the Sun: Celestia.

“Welcome, my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia greeted, the purple unicorn smiling as her name was called. “And greetings to all of her friends as well. Pinkie Pie…” The pink pony hopped up and down happily. “Applejack…” The orange pony took her hat off gave a little bow. “Rarity…” The white unicorn bowed down low, eager to show how cultured she was. “Rainbow Dash…” The blue Pegasus saluted. “And last but not least, Fluttershy,” Celestia finished, the yellow pegasus blushing and hiding behind her hair. The dragon cleared his throat and the princess smiled. “And Spike, of course. How could I forget?”

Twilight stepped forward, bowing down. “It’s a pleasure to be here, princess. But, if you don’t mind me asking… why were we called?”

“If I recall correctly, our recent gala event left a few certain ponies unsatisfied,” Celestia began. “And that is why I called you here, Twilight Sparkle, as well as your friends. What kind of teacher would I be if I were to let my student or her associates be wronged? So I invited you here to dine with me tonight, where we can see what we shall do about your issues with the gala… and come the morrow, we shall fix what has gone wrong. Tonight, if you wish, you may stay at the palace and accept my offer, or go home and be brought back again the next day.”

The ponies were in awe. A personal request to stay at Canterlot Castle, from the princess herself? “A-are you sure, princess?” Twilight Sparkle asked. Celestia nodded, smiling down at her subjects. “Well…” Twilight looked to her friends, all of them nodding eagerly at her. “…we would be honored to accept your generous offer.”

“Most excellent,” Celestia said. “I have pressing matters to attend to, but worry not, I’ll meet you all for supper within the next few hours. By all means, feel free to explore the grounds. Until then, my little ponies.” With that, the princess turned and left through the doorway behind her, the door closing with a click. The ponies watched her leave before Twilight turned to the rest.

“Okay… we’re guests of the princess… so we have to be on our BEST behavior. Okay, girls?” The other mares all voiced their agreement. “Thank you,” Twilight said. She paused and did a quick head count on the mares before her. One… two… three… four. Four?! Twilight glanced around in a panic, seeking out the missing pony. Down the rightmost hallway was Pinkie Pie, happily bouncing along the passage. “Pinkie? PINKIE!”

The pink pony paid her no mind as she headed down the hall, turning the corner as she hummed a tune. Twilight let Spike off her back and ran down the hall, looking around. “Where… how… PINKIE!” She groaned, Pinkie Pie having disappeared from sight. She looked to her remaining friends. “Stay here, girls, I’m going to go find her. Be right back!” Leaving them alone in the main hall, Twilight began her trip through the mazelike corridors of the castle, having only her memories of past trips through its confusing halls to guide her.

Rarity huffed. “Well, I have no intention of moving. We DO have to make a good impression… right, ladies?” Rarity turned to see the nods of Applejack and Rainbow Dash… but no Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy? Flutters!” Rarity looked around, seeking out their missing friend. She spotted the yellow pegasus running down the leftmost hallway, Fluttershy looking like she knew where she was going. “Fluttershy, dear, wait! Slow down! Come back! Oh dear…” The Pegasus rounded a corner and Rarity groaned, beginning to run after her. “You three stay here, please,” she called over her shoulder, “Celestia forbid we end up with ANOTHER pony to find!” Rarity turned the corner, heading out of sight.

Applejack let out a low whistle. “Well, thingss are gettin’ off on the right hoof already.” She heard the castle’s main door creak open behind her, turning to see the cause. Rainbow Dash, now with Spike on her back, was trying to sneak out the main entrance. “And where in tarnation do ya’ll think yer goin’?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Nopony’s gonna mind if I stretch my wings while we wait for everypony to get rounded back up. Spike wanted to come along, got a problem with that?”

“Well ah, fer one, am gonna stay right here and wait.” Applejack planted her flank firmly on the floor. “Go ahead and ignore yer friend’s request, but don’t expect me to vouch for ya when they get back and you’re nowhere ta be found.”

“You’ll vouch for me?” Rainbow Dash said, clearly ignoring the first half of the statement. “Great! Be back in a flash!” With Spike in tow, the pegasus exited the front door and let it close. Applejack heard a soft fluttering of flapping wings come from outside as her friend took to the skies. Left alone, Applejack sighed and laid down, determined to be the only pony with will strong enough to not wander off.

A minute passed… then five… then ten. “Whelp, this is borin‘. Maybe the others need mah help chasin’ down the runners.” Applejack rose to her feet, playing a quick game of EenyMeenyMineyMoe to determine which hallway to take. Landing on the rightmost path, she headed down it, leaving the main hall completely empty.

Pinkie Pie bounced through the halls, taking ‘make yourself at home’ a little bit too literally. Humming an upbeat tune, she rounded yet another corner into a carpeted corridor. She’d just begun humming the tune over again for the twenty-fourth time when a wonderful smell washed over her.

Mmmm! Pinkie’s lookin’ for some cookin’! Tracking the smell to a door farther down the hall, she pushed it open with a hoof and entered. Inside, she found herself in a tiled room, stoves and shelves all over the place. Working at numerous stations were ponies dressed up in chef outfits, running back and forth in order to prepare whatever they were working on as perfectly as they could.

“Ve need four cupz of sugar, station two! Go, go, go!” A light brown pony sporting a chocolate-colored mane, tail, and moustache, passed by Pinkie. He stopped bellowing orders and turned, noticing the intruder. “Who iz dis?” He wondered aloud, picking at his facial hair in contemplation. “Ve ‘ave to prepare for ze dinner tonight for ze princess and her guests, no time to deal with vou! Skedaddle!” The chef pony began nudging Pinkie out of the room, ignoring her protests.

“Hold on there Flambé,” called out a female chef pony from across the room. “That mare you’re shoving IS one of the guests.”

The first chef stopped trying to kick Pinkie out long enough to eye her up and down. “Oh, so it is! My apologies for my rudeness, mizz… I am Flambé, head chef of zis kitchen.” The chef bowed low, picking up Pinkie’s hoof and kissing it. Pinkie giggled, the chef giving her a curious look. “Pardon?”

“Your moustache… so tickly!”

“Oui, I suppose it is. Come, let me make it up to vou for my brashness. Let me give vou ze tour of Canterlot’s elegant kitchen!”

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie chimed, beginning to follow Flambé around the room. They passed station after station, the head chef pointing out what each one was currently preparing.

“And zis one… zis pony right here, he makes ze best marrowroot gumbo vou will EVER taste!” Flambé rambled, his hoof around the arm of a nervous-looking chef. With a gentle push, he nudged the chef back to his station, moving on to continue the tour. Pinkie followed, but paused as the tour passed right by an ornate double door.

“Ooo, Commander Chef, the tour has a question!” Pinkie called out, causing Flambé to turn to her.

“Zat would be?”

“What’s behind this?” Pinkie questioned, pointing towards the door.

“Well, let me show vou.” Flambé moved to the door, nudging it open with his head. Pinkie looked into room and gasped. She’d found paradise.

Sweets of all varieties adorned the walls and floor; cakes and cookies resting on shelves while bottles of juice and sacks of sugar cluttered the floor. Pinkie’s jaw hit the ground, and she shoved it back into place as the chef closed the door again.

“Zat is ze sweet storage, where we keep our desserts. If vou have still have room after supper, maybe vou will get to try one of our sugary concoctions. Shall we move on?”

Without waiting for an answer, the chef walked away. Pinkie waited for him to get far enough away, checking to make sure no other cooks were watching. She gently pushed open the door with one hoof, looked around warily one last time, and slipped into the sugary wonderland unnoticed.

“Pinkie! PINKIE!”

Twilight huffed, the run through the castle’s halls starting to get to her. Not that she was a very athletic pony in the first place, of course. She opened another door, seeing if the pink pony had slipped in there. “Oh boy, another supply closet. Next…” Twilight groaned, shutting the door. “Next one has to be it…”

She ran to the next door, pausing to catch her breath. Believing herself to be ready, she opened the door.

“Oh… wow.”

Twilight stepped within, stepping closer to the thousands of books within. She’d stumbled upon the library, one of her favorite places to visit when she was a filly. Momentarily forgetting her renegade friend, the unicorn moved throughout the room, taking in the familiar sights. She crossed through an aisle, filled to the brim with Old Equestrian folklore, and found herself in a studying area. Huh. That’s new…

The new area wasn’t large, just a big wooden table and a couple silky cushions to sit on. The table was completely loaded down with books, and one was being read right now. Twilight stepped closer to the other pony in the room, who’d just noticed the newcomer.

“Luna?”

The moon princess smiled, placing a hoof in her book to mark her place. “Twilight! We…” she paused. “…I, am glad to see you.”

“Likewise, princess.” Twilight bowed low.

“Please, Twilight Sparkle, you of all ponies should know that isn’t necessary.” Luna teased. Twilight blushed and stood up.

“Sorry… I see you’ve been working on modernizing?”

Luna nodded. “All these new addendums, rules, customs… it’s enough to even make a princess weary. I didn‘t even have the time to visit the gala, what with all the studying. Speaking of the gala, I understand that the events transpiring there are why my sister invited you here today?”

“That’s right.” A realization suddenly hit Twilight. “Oh, that’s right! Listen, have you seen Pinkie Pie bounce through here? You remember her… the eccentric one?”

“Oh, yes, I remember her,” Luna said with a giggle. “But no… I haven’t seen your friend.”

Twilight frowned. “Oh.” She sighed, turning to go. “Well… I need to find her. It was nice seeing you again, Luna.”

“And you too, Twilight,” Luna replied, sounding disappointed. “Come back anytime. I’ll be here, catching up on Equestrian Arcane Theory, volume seven.”

Twilight paused, slowly turning around. “…volume seven, you say?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ve been unable to find that for months! It’s the only one in the series I don’t have!” Twilight leapt onto the cushion next to Luna, leaning forward on the table to get a closer look at the tome.

“Weren’t you trying to find your friend, Twilight?”

“Oh… right. Well… I’m sure she’ll be fine on her own for now. I won’t stay long.” Twilight pointed towards the text. “Which part are you on?”

Luna smiled, happy to have some company. “Well, let’s see…”

Fluttershy peeked outside, the garden looking just as it had the last time she’d been here. She stepped outside, staying as quiet as possible, approaching the herd of animals that were inhabiting the middle of it. She approached slowly, edging closer to the crowd of exotic birds, rare critters, and even kangaroos. Don’t you worry, little fellas, Flutters just wants to be your friend…

She made it to the very edge of the herd, finding herself right at the feet of an unaware flamingo. She tentatively reached out with her hoof, touching the pink bird’s leg.

“Hello there, little guy… I’m…”

The flamingo pulled its leg back and let out a squawk, taking to the sky. All the other animals turned to see what the commotion was, only to see the intruder in their midst. The peaceful scene went crazy as animals started to flee in all directions.

“Wait!” Fluttershy called out, raising a hoof. It was no use; the clearing was empty within moments. “I just want… to be your friend…” Fluttershy sighed, before a devious plan formed in her mind. She approached a tree in the garden and tore some branches down. “Sorry about this, Mr. Oak…” She began twisting branches together, clearly making something. She chuckled softly, the laugh slowly growing more ominous…

Rarity turned another corner. “A wonderful surprise… yet another hallway.” She huffed and began running again, already exhausted. She passed by an open door on her left, in pursuit of her friend. Wait one moment… open door?

Rarity paused and went back, inspecting the door that was open just a crack. “Fluttershy, if you’re in there, say something dear!” When she was met with nothing but silence, the unicorn took matters into her own hooves and stepped into the room.

She found herself in a bedchamber, complete with a balcony off to the left. What really caught her eye, though, was the object taking up half the room.

“…a… racecarriage bed?”

Rarity stepped closer to the bed, which was shaped like one of the bright red carriages that racers often used for the competitions in Manehatton. She moved to the side of the room, bumping into a cabinet. Curious, she looked inside, surprised to find a large number of animal plushies inside. She read the a note pinned to the inside of the door: BLUEBLOOD’S PERSONAL COLLECTION, KEEP OUT. THAT MEANS YOU, HOOVESWORTH.

This is that rapscallion’s room? She thought. She took a look at the bed and the collection again and giggled. Oh, this is too good! Wait until the ladies hear about this!

Trying to keep her giggles from becoming full-fledged laughter, Rarity shut the cabinet and walked out onto the balcony. She finally lost it, laughter pouring out of her as she tried to keep standing. After a moment she stood up, wiping a tear from her eye. Something caught her attention. Huh… what’s this? She noticed an easel seated right at the edge of the balcony, facing towards her. She stepped closer and inspected it.

This… this is… beautiful. She found herself looking at a painting, a very well-drawn representation of the night sky. Stars dotted the canvas, each one so well pronounced that they almost seemed to glow. Lightly faded lines connected some of them, forming a kind of constellation on the canvas. So this is his talent?

Rarity had to admit, for a scoundrel, he had an amazing ability for drawing the night sky. She admired it a moment longer before turning to go, satisfied that Fluttershy wasn’t here.

Click.

Rarity paused at the sound of the room’s door opening and ducked to the side of the balcony’s exit, pressing herself against the wall. Someone’s coming! What will they think if they find me in here?!

Staying absolutely silent, Rarity listened as an unfortunately familiar voice began talking. “Augh… it smells like commoner in here.” Blueblood?!

She stayed completely still as she listened to the prince walk around his room. She heard the cabinets she’d opened being investigated. “Hoovesworth! He’s been rummaging through my collection AGAIN. How many times must I tell that yokel that he can go get his own collection.” Rarity listened as Blueblood rearranged a few things. “Don’t worry, Prince Bluewhale and Rock Lobster, I’ll make sure that nosy servant is put in his place.”

Rarity pressed herself farther against the wall as the prince closed the cabinet and started walking out onto the balcony. He passed right by the hiding unicorn, not seeing her. He sat in front of the easel and grabbed the paint palette sitting next to it. Resting it on his hoof, he grabbed a paint brush and dabbed it into the colors resting on the palette. He hummed to himself, touching up his painting as he did so.

Oh Celestia, help me. I have to get out of here... Rarity took a tentative step towards the exit, apparently loud enough to get Blueblood to raise his head up and listen attentively. Hearing nothing, he shrugged and resumed his work. Oh dear… I’m a goner. My reputation will NEVER live this down…

Rarity glanced towards the balcony’s edge, seeing if there was a trellis she could possibly escape with. She found herself looking into Rainbow Dash’s face. Rarity covered her mouth, restraining a gasp, and decided now was not the time to ask why the pegasus had disobeyed Twilight’s request… or why she had Spike on her back. Help… me… Rarity mouthed. With a grin, Rainbow Dash nodded and quietly let herself off the balcony, flying to the prince’s front side.

“Hey, princie!”

Blueblood looked up from his work. “Huh?”

Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue, shaking her head back and forth. “I never!” The prince exclaimed, completely distracted. Rainbow Dash watched with satisfaction as her stuck friend quietly slipped off the balcony and into the room, making a run for the door and escaping. Her task completed, the pegasus took off, ignoring the prince’s threats of calling the guards.

“Good one, Rainbow Dash!” Spike congratulated her, reaching down to high-five the pegasus.

“Ain’t nothin’ to it, Spike.” Though I’m sure gonna enjoy teasing Rarity about why she was on the prince’s balcony, Rainbow Dash mused. “Hold on, we’re going in for a landing!”

Spike clung to her back as the pegasus looped around, flying to the highest part of the castle. Finding an open window, the duo landed on the threshold. Spike hopped off, landing inside the carpeted room. “You were right Rainbow, that beats the hay out of waiting in the main hall.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Rainbow Dash teased. She looked around the room they’d landed in. “Better question… where are we?”

They’d ended up in someone’s bedroom, lavishly decorated. Two beds sat next to each other; one with shiny white silk sheets, and the other covered with a dark purple blanket. Spike seemed to tense up. “I don’t think we should be in here.”

“Why’s that?”

“Taking a wild guess here… this is Celestia and Luna’s room.”

“…Cool!”

“Cool?”

“Yeah! I’ve gotta see this.” Rainbow Dash hopped off the window ledge and approached a dresser, ignoring Spike’s protests. She opened the top drawer and gasped as she saw hundreds of glimmering gems within. Spike quieted down and looked in awe at the banquet before him.

“Still think we shouldn’t be here?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I… we shouldn’t… well, I’m sure they won’t miss one or two of these.”

“Chow down!” Rainbow Dash said. She walked over to a wardrobe next to Celestia’s bed while Spike took his pick of gems to eat. Opening it, she saw a number of accessories and garments inside.

“Boring.” She glanced up to the top shelf. Wait… is that a… Wonderbolts souvenir collector’s shirt? Ohmygoshohmygosh those are practically NONEXISTANT! Rainbow Dash flew up, taking a hold of the shirt. They won’t mind if I try it on…

She pulled the shirt towards herself, huffing when it snagged on something. She yanked it towards her hard. “C’mon… stupid… thing…” She tugged more and more, pausing when she heard a creaking. She flew back quickly as the cabinet she was infiltrating fell over from Rainbow Dash’s pulling, falling onto and smashing Celestia’s bed. “Whoa!”

Spike looked up, a load of gems filling his arms. “What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash flew to him and picked him up off the ground, causing him to drop his jackpot. “Hey! What’s the big idea?”

“No time, we gotta get out of here!” She flew them out the window, getting tangled up in the curtains as she did so. She twisted and turned until she flung them off, tearing them off the wall and depositing them on the floor. “Can it get any worse?!” Without waiting to see if it could, she fled back in the direction of the main entrance.

“You in here, Twilight?”

Applejack took her head out of another pantry. “Guess not.” She’d been going door to door, trying to find any of her missing friends. So far, no luck. Moving to the next door in the hall, she tried again. She peeked in, seeing a large pool set in the floor. A cleaner was scrubbing the floors, and he waved his hat at her before resuming his work. “Pool room… nope.”

She went down to the next room. Inside was a pool table, where a couple of staff members making use of the table gave her a fierce look as she interrupted their game. “Pool room… nope.”

Next room: A laboratory filled to the brim with vials of chemicals and testing equipment. “Lab… nope.”

Next: A room filled with a number of pets. Out of the pack came a yellow dog, who came up and licked Applejack’s face. “Lab… nope.”

She went down to the next room, peeking her head in. Someone shrieked and she exited quickly, shutting the door. “Erm… sorry, mam!” She called out, continuing down the hall. …Wait a second… we don’t usually wear clothes.

Discarding that thought, she went to the next room. She peeked her head in before pulling back and slamming the door, leaning her body against it as something pounded on the door. “Why the HAY do they have a bear room?!”

After the door stopped rocking, Applejack went down to the last room in the hall. She stepped inside…

“And after Columbine the Fifth was removed from the position of mayor of Trottingham, the fifteenth addendum was added to the city’s municipal law.”

Twilight rubbed her chin. “Fascinating, Luna… but what about the unspeakable act done by Clarity in the fifth century? Surely that would have achieved the same addendum, and much sooner too.”

“That’s a good point, Twilight, but…”

“There ya are!”

Twilight and Luna looked to see who’d interrupted their discussion. Applejack walked up to them, grabbing Twilight by the hoof. “Ah’ve been lookin’ all over for everypony! Something told me ah’d find ya in the library. Ya ever find Pinkie Pie?”

Sudden realization struck the unicorn. “Pinkie! I completely forgot!” Twilight groaned. “And the others are gone too? Just great.” She turned to Luna. “How long have we been here?”

“About an hour, I believe.”

Twilight groaned. “Sorry Luna, but we have to go.” She got up, walking away with Applejack.

“Alright, come back anytime. See you at dinner!” Luna called out, returning to her studying. Twilight and Applejack found the exit, beginning the search for Pinkie Pie once again.

“Sacrebleu! She is a MADMARE!”

Applejack and Twilight spun out as a pony in a chef outfit raced by them, followed by a crowd of similarly dressed ponies. Twilight’s horn lit up as she grabbed one of the stampede’s stragglers with her magic, halting him in his place. “Hold it one moment. What’s going on?”

The chef, a new one by the looks of him, fidgeted his hooves nervously. “The kitchen has been taken over! Some sugar-crazed mare chased everypony away when we found her devouring our entire sugar storage!”

Twilight and Applejack looked at each other. “Pinkie Pie,” they agreed. “Where’s the kitchen?” Twilight asked the chef.

“Take a right, third door down!”

“Thank you!” Letting the chef go, the two mares raced down the hall, following his directions. They ended up at their destination and entered, flinching as a sack of sugar smashed into the wall beside them.

“It’s mine! All mine! No one keeps Pinkie from the treats!” The newcomers watched as Pinkie retreated behind a wall of sugar sacks she’d arranged into an impromptu fort. Taking advantage of the momentary ceasefire, Twilight and Applejack rushed the fort, leaping over its tasty battlements. They found Pinkie reloading on pastry projectiles, the sugar-crazed mare leaping up in surprise as her friends snuck up on her.

“Candy Castle is under attack! YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!” Pinkie Pie dodged around her friends and climbed on top of a big pile of sugar, before swan diving off it and into a pile of cakes. Twilight and Applejack looked at each other in confusion before dumping out a sack of sugar and throwing the bag over Pinkie. “Hey! No fair!”

Applejack tied the bag closed and slung it onto her back, she and Twilight ignoring Pinkie’s protests. “Alright, we finally found her, “ Twilight said. “Let’s head back to the main entrance; maybe the others have come back by now.”

Applejack nodded in agreement, and the mares set off for the entrance, making sure their sugar-overdosing friend stayed securely on Applejack’s back.

“Oh, animal friends, I’ve got a treat for you…”

Fluttershy hid behind a tree, peeking out to see her latest trap: A pitfall, where the bait was a cupcake she’d stolen from one of the rooms near the garden. All her other traps had failed… the net, the snare, even the one where she disguised herself as a rock. The animals simply refused to be caught, let alone befriend her. She refused to give in until she’d befriended at least ONE of the stubborn creatures.

She heard something coming and hid behind the tree again. Yes, nothing to fear, friend… just a little closer… She heard a thump as her trap sprung, something falling into the pit. At last!

Fluttershy stepped out from behind the tree, heading towards the pit. “Sorry for the trick, little fella, but now we can be friends and…” She paused, seeing that the thing in the pit was NOT what she was hoping for.

“I… just wanted a snack, dear… can you help me up?” Rarity smiled sheepishly, extending a hoof. Fluttershy reached down and pulled her out of the trap.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Rarity… really, really sorry…”

Rarity shuddered, noticing all the dirt on herself. “It’s… fine, I suppose. But where did you go? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“I just wanted to make friends with the royal animals… I’m sorry…”

“A lovely thought, dear, but don’t you think making an animal fall into a hole might hurt them a little?”

Fluttershy hid herself behind her wing. “I… I was so desperate to get them to stop running from me, I guess I got carried away…” Fluttershy whimpered. “I… I think I’m ready to go back now.”

Rarity wrapped an arm around the yellow pegasus. “There, there, darling… you did your best. Maybe we can visit tomorrow morning… after I get a nice, long bath, of course. Let’s get back to the main hall, our friends must be worried sick.” She looked up as a rustling in the branches above them stole her attention. “…Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash dropped out of the tree and landed next to her friends, looking nervous with Spike in tow. “Good, you found Fluttershy… quick, let’s get back to the main entrance! Alibis are good!”

“What are you going on about, dear? And why are you he-?

“No time! Quick, Fluttershy, help me out here!” Rainbow Dash deposited Spike onto Rarity’s back and took her by the hoof, motioning for Fluttershy to do the same. Despite the unicorn’s protests, the four of them took to the skies, heading towards the main entrance.

Applejack gently lowered the bag off her back, Pinkie having quieted down awhile ago. They’d finally found their way back to the main hall, finding it empty upon their return. Twilight untied the sack and Pinkie Pie flopped out, looking exhausted. “Sugar rush… wearing off… must get back to… my kingdom…” she moaned.

“I don’t think you’ll be having any dessert tonight, Pinkie,” Twilight scolded. “Applejack, you stay here and watch her, I’ll go find the oth-”

The front door burst open, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash depositing Rarity and Spike on the floor. Rainbow Dash quickly leaned against the wall, inspecting her hooves and acting like nothing was wrong. Twilight blinked. “Well… alright then. Now that we’re all here…”

Twilight quieted down when the door at the top of the staircase opened, every pony in the room looking up towards it. Celestia entered, looking surprised. “My little ponies… what a surprise to see you here. I did say you could explore the castle, did I not?”

The mares all nervously shuffled their feet. Twilight spoke up, “Er… yes, but we decided we’d rather just stay here until dinner time.”

Celestia shrugged. “As you wish. Speaking of dining, it’s time for supper. Shall we wash up and go to the dining hall?”

Everypony mumbled their agreement and got to their feet, letting their princess go down the stairs and down the hall before they followed her. “You have to try Chef Creole’s tomato soup, it’s simply divine,” Celestia mused. “And for dessert, Golden Whisk makes the best cakes. By all means, try some.” Pinkie Pie perked up for a minute, before Twilight’s stern glare made her lower her head again.

Against all odds, the dinner was going well. Pinkie Pie was too tired to make a mess, and everypony else was on their best behavior. The two princesses sat at the head of the table, each finishing off their salads as supper started to die down. Butlers streamed back and forth, making sure food and drink were topped off (and steering very clear of Pinkie Pie).

Seeing everypony at least almost done eating, Celestia spoke up. “As you recall, we’re all here to fix what went wrong at the gala. If everypony’s finished with their meals, let’s begin.” Everypony else approved, while Pinkie Pie desperately tried to convince someone to get her some dessert. “Let’s begin with Twilight… my faithful student, I do have to apologize for being too busy to spare even a moment. So tomorrow morning, how about you accompany me while I perform my daily tasks? We can talk all you wish.”

Twilight grinned widely. “Princess, it would be my honor.”

Celestia smiled and turned to Applejack. “And Applejack, your goods were destroyed during the event, were they not? Do not worry, for you shall be personally repaid from the royal treasury.”

Applejack bowed in thanks, raising her glass to her princess. “Mighty kind of ya, mam.”

Pinkie was next. “You never got to experience the party you wanted. We can’t recreate a party… but Twilight has told me of your love of sweets. Maybe you’d agree to a tour of our kitchen?”

Pinkie Pie seemed to sink down in her seat. “An oki-dokie suggestion, but I think I’ll pass. Ooo, but I’ll take some dessert, though!”

Celestia shrugged and had the servants fulfill the pony’s request, though they seemed very reluctant to do so. Once she was served, Rarity was next. “I understand my nephew was your reason for visiting the gala?”

“As much as I hate to refuse an offer from royalty… if you’re going to try and hook me up with him, I think I’ll decline… but thank you, your majesty.”

Celestia chuckled. “Yes, my nephew has always been a little… arrogant. But what I was actually going to suggest was if you would like to take a few baubles from my gem collection? I’m sure there’s something in there you could use in your work, and Spike is free to take some as well.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up. “How generous, princess! We’d be delighted to accept.”

With a nod, Celestia’s eyes turned to Rainbow Dash. “And you…”

“No thanks, don’t need any reward, nope!” Rainbow Dash looked around warily. “Just glad to be here!”

Celestia gave her a curious look. “Erm… well, I was going to offer you a look at some Wonderbolts collectibles, including this one shirt I managed to come across…”

“NO! No, no reason to go to your room and get it.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “How’d you know it was in my room?”

“Uh… why wouldn’t it be? Common sense, hello!” Rainbow Dash gulped.

“Well… then at least let me put in a good word with them for you, since you never got the opportunity to truly spend time with them.”

“Yeah, sure, fine, that works. Thank you.”

“Excellent.” She turned to the only one left. “Fluttershy, I’ve heard you had trouble befriending the royal creatures?”

“Y-yes, your majesty…”

The princess nodded. “The animals come from faraway lands; they never really did get along with Ponyville citizens. But I digress… how would you like to spend tomorrow with a familiar face?’

Celestia pointed at the dining hall’s window as something flew in through it. It landed on Celestia’s shoulder, preening its wing. “Philomena!” Fluttershy called out, the fiery bird cocking its head towards the yellow pegasus. “If it’s okay with you, princess… it’d be an honor.”

“Well, then I believe we have everything settled out then.” The princesses got up, everypony following their example. “It’s about time everypony got some rest. Let us show you the bedchambers, and tomorrow, we’ll make sure everything is set right.”

“Here we are. The servants will clean up the room tomorrow, so feel free to stay up as long as you like.”

The ponies all yawned, shuffling into the room tiredly. “Thanks for the offer, princess,” Twilight droned, “but I think we’re all ready for bed.”

Celestia nodded. “As you wish. Sweet dreams, everypony.” She left, leaving the ponies alone in their room for the night. With six beds, three on each wall, they’d all have a place to lay their heads. They each chose one and settled in, everyone too exhausted to even consider staying up.

Twilight went to the lightswitch, flicking it off. “Tonight went… better than expected. It could have gone better, but… thanks, girls. Good night.” The others all mumbled their good nights, and everypony settled into their beds.

An hour or so later, a screech came from the highest reaches of the castle. Rainbow Dash flinched, hiding deeper under her covers.