The train was thundering down the tracks at its maximum speed. It was in one of the many carriages that six ponies were peacefully asleep. Each of them was dreaming about events that had happened and events that most likely would have come within the gears of time itself. But not even the princess of the night could have been able to tell them, in what kind of adventure they would have come next. Trouble was a thing that always seemed to have haunting those very six no matter where they went. And now, while they were dreaming away into the land of sleep, whatever the next day would have brought them, trouble was still hot on their very hooves.
---
While the train began to slow down in its speed, the six ponies had awoken when the sun had begun to rise. Each of them was glancing towards the view that they had been given on the outside. Six pairs of eyes were all staring at pretty much nothing. The desert wasteland had been stretching before them without a single cloud in the skies above them. The serene scene was just the thing that they all needed in the moment.
When the time of sightseeing was over, it was Twilight who eyed Applejack with a gentle smile going across her muzzle. She was glad about the whole matter for some reason. But Applejack looked back into Twilight’s eyes and understood straight away what she was so happy about. Still, the words would have left her mouth. “Applejack, I can’t thank you enough that your cousin allows us to stay in their cabin near Dustbin. A little vacation far away from everypony is just what we need,” said Twilight to her. The unicorn happened to be more than right with her words though.
Applejack gave a nod in response to those very words. “Can’t argue with that,” she said, “that cabin’s been in the family for generations now. Ah believe when the first Apple ever came to Dustbin, it was bein’ build. ‘Tis a long and boring history. Maybe Ah’ll tell y’all when we’re really there. Mah mind’s a bit foggy ’bout the place.”
“Nopony found it a bit strange that Breaburn gave so little information about it all?” asked Rarity, who eyed the other two ponies. It was true that Breaburn had not spoken a word about the condition in which the cabin was. For all they knew, they could expect a roof and just four pillars holding it up. That was in fact Rarity’s worst nightmare on the matter, a thought that always gnawed within her mind.
Yet Rainbow, Fluttershy nor Pinkie seemed to mind it. They were all going on a vacation together. One that hopefully wouldn’t have been interrupted by anything out of the ordinary. Rainbow released a deep sigh before she closed her eyes for a moment. “All nice and such, saving Equestria over and over. But, our cutie marks lighting up whenever there’s something wrong. Who’s idea was that?!”
Applejack chuckled to herself before she shook her head a little bit. “Ah don’t wanna say it, but vibrating flanks ain’t particular our thing. Well, maybe Rarity’s, hehehe.”
“Excuse me!” answered Rarity in a raised voice, feeling herself insulted by the words. She glared to Applejack for a moment with a stare of utter thunder. That was before she realized that it was a most immature and improper joke that the cowgirl made. “Very, funny.”
“Hey, lighten up Rares! It’s not your flank that’s calling you out for a friendship problem!” commented Rainbow Dash before she erupted out in laughter. Though Rarity had to grit her teeth not to smack the pegasus with anything. All that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy could do was to go along with the laughing.
In the end, even Rarity could see in the jokes that had been made. Her mind just worked a bit slower in comparison to the rest of them. That, and she knew exactly which mouths had spoken the very words. She was fully aware just how she could be returning the ‘favor’ to both Rainbow and Applejack in time itself.
---
After the group had disembarked from the train, their luggage was carried within the magic of both Rarity and Twilight. The two unicorns made the job seem easy while they wandered through the main street of the Wild West town. A town which was fortunately accustomed to strangers like them. It of course also helped a lot that they were known throughout the land as the Elements of Harmony. Which meant for each of them that nopony would have just come up to them for anything they didn’t knew already.
It was a quiet day indeed for the town of Dustbin. Life just passed by as it would have done on every other day. The six ponies glanced to every shop and bar that they could see, interested in what might have been for sale. If anything, they would be having a true Wild West vacation, a thing that was standing high on their very list of doing things. Though they could check out the town and its folk out on a later date. First things had to be done first, they had to get to their cabin in order to drop their stuff.
They left the main street on the other side of town and kept on walking for about ten minutes. There, in the far of distance it became visible to them all. A cabin that seemed small, but the little windmill next to it showed them all something different. Twilight took a sip from her water while the sweat was wiped away. Even though they had battled harsh environments before, the desert sun was still beating down on them all. Rarity had even summoned a little parasol just for herself. Both Rainbow and Fluttershy had used their own wings in order to wave cool air around them. However Pinkie Pie managed to survive, was unknown for all of them.
The group continued their way down to the cabin and the revelations would have been made to each of them. It was a lot bigger than they had anticipated it to be. It was just a farm out there, in the middle of nowhere. A farm, abandoned by the residents who knew how long ago. Not that it mattered to them of course, it still looked pretty nice and clean.
Rarity would have lied if she stated she hadn’t fallen in love with the sight when she saw it. Everything around it was just picture-perfect for them all. Applejack even got a small tear to her eyes before a gentle chuckle would have been released. “The old farm of the Oranges, before they moved to Manehatten. Under the care of the Apples ever since.”
“I thought you said the first Apple that came to Dustbin had built it,” commented Rainbow, recalling their conversation in the train.
“Ah did and it was so,” returned Applejack. “The first Apple built it, but the Oranges made it their homestead. They weren’t, how do Ah call it... engineering marvels.” In an instant did everypony understood the words that had been spoken, the entire story was made clear to them.
When they did arrive, there was a note hammered on the front door and it caught Applejack’s attention at first. She feared the worst, but when she took the note and began to read it, it was the opposite that had become true. “Well, that makes sense... Appaloosa is a long way’s away from here, and it’s near harvesting season for ‘em.”
“Breaburn isn’t coming, I take?” asked Twilight. What followed was a sigh of relief from everypony else. Breaburn, while being helpful to all of the others, had a strange and curious manner to deal with others. A thing that they all had seen in Appaloosa before.
Applejack nodded to the words before she passed the note to all of the others, who understood the message. “Not that it really matters, Ah should know these kinds of houses like the back of mah hoof.”
---
The words of Applejack were indeed the very truth, she was well aware of the layout of the barn and everypony went to the room that they would sleep in. Rarity and Twilight shared a room, Fluttershy and Rainbow shared one, which left Applejack with Pinkie Pie. Not that it truly mattered. They would have only come into the bedrooms to sleep. The rest of the days would only have been busy for each of them.
After they had stored their stuff and unpacked most of what they had with them, they had all gathered within the living room to discuss what they would have started to do in the coming days. Lots of different plans were discussed though it was Rainbow who excused herself for a moment. She had to go to the bathroom in order to wash her face and feathers. The dust was never good for anything, that fact was obvious.
Though while Rainbow was away, the others also separated themselves. They would continue the discussion with some dinner. Everypony left the house or went to their bedroom for a moment. The travels had made their weary and worn out, yet there was one last little and nasty surprise that was left for them. Nopony had checked the bathroom up to that point.
So when Rainbow Dash placed her hoof at the door handle, she could have sworn to have heard something coming out of the bathroom, but it wasn’t locked. One of her eyebrows rose itself while a strange expression came to her face. “Can’t be right? Hey Fluttershy, you in there or what?” she asked in a loud enough voice. Though there came no answer from the other side.
Yet that scurrying sound returned a few moments later. Rainbow’s ears twitched for a moment before she placed them against the wooden door. Silence followed. Nothing but a normal silence came out of the room. The pegasus shrugged the matter off of her shoulders and turned the handle. Within seconds had she opened the door and had her first ever look into the bathroom.
There, all across the floor of the bathroom, on the wash table and even hanging in the shower curtains could they be seen. Rats! Dozens and dozens of rats who had made their living within the bathroom. Each of them was looking at Rainbow for a second before they all just rushed straight to the toilet. They disappeared all within it, only leaving their stench and droppings. Rainbow just stood there, baffled in the moment while she blinked only once.
Not even her guts and glory could have come to aid in the moment. The bathroom was a mess and just infested with nasty rats! There was nothing that could have been done, other than to abandon her mission. With haste did she leave the bathroom again and slammed the door shut tight behind her. Fear came to her eyes and she rushed to the living room, hoping to find somepony else there.
Much to her luck was there indeed one other pony that stood around there. And that very pony was nopony else than Twilight. She had returned to the living room in order to read a rather good book she had brought with her. But when Rainbow came barging in, all the hope for calm and quietness was just gone. “Ratsinthebathroom!” she shouted to Twilight.
Twilight didn’t understand a single word on the matter, and what else could she have asked of Rainbow than the most obvious question. “What did you just say?” she asked after the book had been placed aside and the reading glasses had been taken off. Curiosity had taken over Twilight.
“Rats in the bathroom!” said Rainbow, still fast, but also more understandable. That, was the start of it all. What followed, was a conversation at high speed and involving everypony in the end.
“Rats in the bathroom?” repeated Twilight.
“I told you, rats in the bathroom!”
“What did Ah hear? Rats in the bathroom?” asked Applejack when she came back in.
“Yes there are!” countered Rainbow straight away.
“I don’t believe there are rats in the bathroom.”
“But they are there! I’ve seen them with my own eyes!”
“Ah still say it’s mumbojumbo!”
“Hey everypony, what did I miss?” asked Fluttershy when she entered the house again. She had heard the commotion going on inside, while she was looking at the plants outside.
“Rats appear to be in the bathroom,” answered Twilight.
“They don’t appear!” shouted Rainbow. “They just are there!”
“Whatever, appear or are there, doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does!” commented Rainbow before she cut a glare to Twilight.
Though it was Fluttershy who made herself small and her face disappeared within her mane. “R-Rats, a-as in t-those h-hairy, g-giant ones?”
“Yes!” said Rainbow to her, having lost most of the control over her voice.
“I still can't believe that there are rats in the bathroom,” said Pinkie Pie, who had hopped in just like that.
“It’s not debatable whether or not they are there! They are, there!” countered Rainbow.
“How do y’all know so sure?!”
“I just know, alright, I’ve seen them with my own eyes!” said Rainbow to Applejack.
“O-Oh my,” was all that Fluttershy could bring out.
“We might become friends with the rats and have a party!”
“I doubt that one, Pinkie,” said Twilight, who glared at her with a serious look.
Almost everypony was present and the argument just kept on going at full speed. The massive amount of bickering among the friends had gotten the attention of Rarity. Who was up to that point still on the outside, minding her own business. Of course had she seen everypony go in and the commotion came out of it. Though she never brought herself to the point where she wanted to enter. That was until the cold winds finally came setting in.
Rarity entered the house again and saw everypony still bickering over whatever it was they were bickering. “So, what exactly, did I miss?” she asked of the group. All of the sudden were five pairs of eyes aimed at her like she had said something horribly wrong or just plain old unappropriated. It scared Rarity a little bit that they all looked at her like that. “Did, did I say something wrong?”
“There’re rats in the bathroom, Rarity,” said Twilight to her, “if we have to believe Rainbow.”
“Well why don’t you go and look for yourself then?!” exclaimed Rainbow before she huffed.
Twilight nodded to the words. The madness had been going on for long enough in her eyes. Something had to be done about it and by Celestia would she have been the one to do so. “Rarity, I’m not in the mood to argue, you’re coming with me,” stated the unicorn to the other. Rarity’s eyes went small before she released a gulp of terror. Twilight, had to be joking, right?
But the jokes were on Rarity. She was forced to check upon the bathroom with Twilight, who still didn’t let a word loose on the matter. The two unicorns had moved up to the door of the bathroom and Twilight shushed Rarity silent. And there, in the silence did the two mares listen to what they could hear. Outside of the commotion that was made by the other four ponies, there was still something else that they heard. Scurrying, something was scurrying within the bathroom walls.
Twilight looked to Rarity, who looked back to Twilight. The both of them had an expression of unknown to them. Whatever laid behind that door, they would figure out soon enough. Twilight placed her hoof upon the door handle and without waiting for Rarity’s approval, she opened it just like that. The door was swung open and everything inside of the bathroom just fell silent.
The two unicorns eyed on the inside and saw what Rainbow Dash had been talking about all this time. There were indeed, rats in the bathroom. Lots and lots of rats, who were all staring back at the two unicorns. Two unicorns whose hair were rising on their necks. The terror that was bestowed upon the two of them was the worst they had felt in a long, long time.
One of the rats hissed to them like it was a command to close the door, to which Twilight happily obeyed within an instant. The two unicorns looked at one another before they gulped deep. “Fighting Nightmare Moon over seeing those rats is a thing I prefer to take any day of the week,” said Twilight while she stroked her neck a little bit. Rarity just nodded to those words and together they went back to the rest of the group just like that.
“There are, indeed rats in the bathroom,” said Twilight to each of them, to which the rest of them gasped. All but Rainbow and Rarity. Rainbow just had the feeling of ‘I told you so’ and gave that expression to Twilight. Nopony else was happy with it, but the situation had to be dealt with before the first night,
Though there was nopony else who wanted to do that. Deep down in their hearts, were each of them terrified for rats. Though there was one brave soul who dared to step up. And that brave soul was nopony else than Fluttershy, how predictable it may have seem. The shyest pegasus of the bunch was great with animals. So the trust was placed upon her to get rid of the rats, no pressure there.
---
“You remember the plan right, Fluttershy?” asked Twilight moments after she had seen the last rays of sunlight disappear behind the horizon. The night had officially fallen to them all and all hopes had been placed upon Fluttershy. She would have used her charms and stare to persuade the rats from leaving the bathroom. It was a simple idea, but even around Fluttershy could the simplest of ideas become a much more difficult challenge.
But Fluttershy nodded to Twilight, saying that she did understood every part of the plan. Twilight wished her good luck before Fluttershy disappeared within the bathroom. All the hopes had been placed upon the pegasus in the moment. Every single moment could have changed everything for the lot of them. But as Twilight kept on listening, the shy voice of Fluttershy faded away for some reason.
The shy voice was replaced with a horrible hissing sound and a lot of yells from the pegasus herself. Twilight just wanted to barge into the room and aid Fluttershy, but the door was locked. Whatever the rats were doing to their friend, it would have been bad for them all.
Moments later, the door was opened again by a little army of rats and Fluttershy got kicked out. She crash-landed upon the floor and the door went shut again. Twilight was glad that Fluttershy seemed to be okay, but upon a closer inspection did the situation turn a bit more grim. Fluttershy had been knocked out by the rats and would have only slept through the rest of the night.
All that Twilight could have done, was to bring the blacked out pegasus back to the living room and ask the others what their ideas would have been. Upon returning, the mood quickly turned sour. “The rats are still in the bathroom?” asked Rainbow, asking to a road already known.
Twilight just nodded and placed Fluttershy within a chair and summoned a blanket to keep the mare warm. “I’m afraid that they still are. Not even Fluttershy seemed to be able to stop them.”
“Then all hope is lost!” exclaimed Rarity before she placed a hoof on her forehead and dropped herself down on the sofa. Not one that she had brought with her, but one that already stood there. Rainbow would have agreed on the matter, if she hadn’t looked to Applejack, who stood by the windows.
Her eyes looked to the world outside before a soft melody had left her throat. A melody that came to the others both familiar and spontaneous. A melody that each of them knew by heart, but none knew the lyrics that should have come accompanied with it. In a moment had Applejack turned herself around and thrown her hat over to the hat stand. It was then, that the words would have left her mouth.
It comes down to just one simple fact,
They've crossed the line, it's time to fight them back!
Stop the rats! Stop the rats!
Make them go and not come back!
Yes, it comes down to just one simple fact,
They've crossed the line, it's time that we attack!
“Oh! I know this song!” said Pinkie before she joined in with Applejack for a moment in order to sing another verse. The others could have only just pressed their hooves in their faces and sighed deep at the sight played out before them. Though it as a rather fortunate thing that Fluttershy wasn’t awake. It all seemed rather similar to another event that had happened, just mere months ago.
Twilight then eyed Applejack who was done with her singing and she had only two questions for the mare. “One, why the song. Two, what do you plan to do?” The first question was actually something that she wanted to have the answer on a bit more than the second one.
Applejack just grinned and chuckled for a moment, before she finally made her remark. “Simple ‘nough Twi, we’ve gone out in song more times than Ah can remember, but as to mah plan. Flush ‘em. Flush ‘em all!” And with those words had Applejack rushed over to the bathroom.
All of the others were looking to each other. She couldn’t have been right, right? She just had to be joking on the matter. There’s no way that Applejack could have done what she said she would have done, right? All of them followed the cowgirl over to the bathroom, where she already stood with a hoof at the door handle.
“Y’all wanna tell me to stop this madness?” she asked while she looked to her friends from the corners of her eyes. “Ah don’t know ‘bout you lot, but Ah don’t wanna share the night with these kind of vermin. Now if it’s all the same to ya, Ah be flushing ‘em.”
And just like that had Applejack opened the bathroom door and disappeared inside of it. With her friends at the other side of the wall, it was only her and the massive army of rats that laid before her. Each of the nasty little vermin had had its eyes upon her. But even though Applejack had become terrified for the dozens of rats in front of her, she never gave them any ground.
A smirk had grown across her muzzle and there was just one little word that she used in order to scare the living daylight out of the rats. “Boo,” was all that she said to them. And the rat, who had knocked out Fluttershy mere minutes ago, all just rushed over to the toilet bowl. They had become terrified for the dominant cowgirl in the room. Each and every last one of them had disappeared within it before Applejack made her final move.
Before any of the rats could have returned to the floor, she walked over to the toilet and flushed it. Again, and again, and again, and again. Until there was nothing left of them. “And that, should have taken care of that problem, back to the sewers y’all came from! Nasty vermin.” With one last spit into the toilet and one last flush, Applejack felt like her job had been done.
But then she looked into the bathroom itself and saw just how much droppings there were from the critters. “Even if it’s gonna take me all night, it will become clean again and Braeburn has to pay for his words.” And with those words, the door of the bathroom were opened again.
Everypony on the other side of the door thought that it was Applejack who would have been dragged out. But when Applejack herself came just walking out of the place, all she asked for was her hat. Nopony dared to ask the question of questions that was on their minds. Instead, Applejack just walked passed them, got her hat back from Twilight and nodded just once.
Everypony then rushed over to the door in the hope to see an empty bathroom. Their wish was partially granted though. The bathroom was empty, yes, save for the droppings that the rats had made. But the rats were gone, that was the most important thing of them all. Everypony let out a sigh in relief when that moment had come through to them all. They would have gotten a well-deserved nights rest and whatever Applejack had planned, it would have been something curious.
The cowgirl eventually came back with a lot of stuff to clean the place up.
---
The following morning had even Fluttershy awoken again, together with the rest of the group when the sun was already high in the skies. They had all slept on either a couch or a bed, depending on where they had fallen asleep. With the morning sun shining in the windows, the vacation for the six friends could have finally begun. And Applejack? She was hailed as a hero among her friends. For she, had done the impossible in their eyes. A thing that they couldn’t thank her enough for.
