Equestria Wide River Expedition

The train whistle sang out to wake everyone on board. Each and everypony woke up with either a yawn, a jump, or a yelp. They looked outside to see another boarding platform that laid out with sand.

"Dear me, nobody told me there was a beach here! I would have brought my tanning plate!" Rarity complaints were ignored as the others were taking in the view of the beach.

They walked out of the train to be greeted with many smiles by many ponies. "Pinkie Pie would be proud," the six thought as they descended down the beach.

Applejack looked over at the inflated canoes located near the end of the beach. "Wait, we're expected to go on those things?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash observed where Applejack was now pointing at. "Heh. Looks like a two-seater."

Applejack smiled. "Well, Ah be! Looks like this will be a sister get-together!" She rubbed Apple Bloom head, which made Apple Bloom go into a giggling fit.

Rarity just sighed. "So we have to get on those things? What a dreadful vacation this will be."

Sweetie Belle looked at her sister. "C'mon Sis, don't be so... Erm... What's the word?"

Rainbow Dash flew over and whispered to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle's eyes brightened. "Sis, don't be such an a-"

Applejack covered her mouth quickly. "Hoe there! No need to repeat what Rainbow tells ya." Rainbow Dash was trying to contain her laughter from the side, which earned a glare from Applejack.

Rainbow Dash flew over to Scootaloo and started whispered. Scootaloo grinned as Rainbow Dash whispered to her, making her start to giggle. Scootaloo whispered back to Rainbow Dash what seemed to be mouthing "good one".

"Now Rainbow, you have to behave yourself. This is going to be dreadful as it is, and it's not going to help with a pony going berserk telling inappropriate things to some fillies!"

Applejack nodded. "She's right. Ya shouldn't go messin' with fillies' heads."

"Oh, come on. It was funny." Rainbow said. Applejack stared down at Rainbow Dash, who sheepishly grinned. "Of course I won't do that during the trip though! I mean, that would be totally uncool!" Applejack still stared at Rainbow Dash, making Rainbow Dash feel uncomfortable. She broke down by saying, "Alright! I won't play around with the fillies." She rose a hoof to a salute. "Pegasus' honor!"

Scootaloo jumped on Rainbow Dash's back. Rainbow Dash placed her hoof back on the ground to keep balance. "I never heard of that," Scootaloo proclaimed. "What's 'Pegasus' honor'?"

"Glad ya asked, Squirt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, regaining her prideful attitude. "Pegasus' honor is just another type of promise. But, you know, for Pegasi."

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense!" Scootaloo smiled from being enlightened.

A brighter sounding whistle was heard at the beach. "We better get a move on," Applejack stated. Each of them walked towards where the guides were blowing their whistles around the beach.

"Hello everypony!" a mare called out. "I welcome you here today on this fine morning! My name is Riverret Flow, and I'll be one of your guides today!"

"Riverret Flow, huh?" Applejack questioned to herself. "That seems awfully familiar..."

"So, if you haven't been on the river yet, raise your hooves!" Many of the crowd, including the six ponies, rose their hooves in the air. "Well, don't worry about that! You'll learn on the river how to raft. But for now, let me introduce you to my friend, Drench Apple!"

"Isn't that your cousin, Applejack?" Rarity asked silently.

"Ah knew that Drench worked on the river, but Ah didn't know that he meant this."

"Hey there everypony!" Drench Apple sang. "Welcome to the river! Before we go onto our expedition, I want to give you these cups for on the river!" He held up a cup with the Equestria Wide River Expedition logo imprinted on the side. "Each of y'all shall receive these cups. They will be your only access to the water here." He patted a orange water dispenser. "Remember, even if we're on the water, it ain't drinkable. Oh, and this here..." He patted a yellow water dispenser. "Is where you can get some lemonade."

"Why lemonade when yer an Apple?" Applejack asked.

"They wouldn't allow me to make apple cider for the trip. Anyways, it's time for Soak Strip to explain the rules while on the river!" Drench Apple pointed towards another pony, who was on an inflatable canoe.

"Thanks so much, Drench Lemon!" Drench Apple attempted to keep a smile on his face, but a glare escaped his eyes at Soak Strip. Soak Strip didn't mind and continued. "So you see what I'm on now? This is a 'ducky'."

"Where's the duck?" a pony asked from the crowd, in which there were giggles ringing from the crowd.

"An excellent question! On the river, we call these canoes 'duckies'. Reason why is-"

"We're sitting ducks on the river?" More snorts and giggles came from the crowd. Drench Apple smiled wider.

"Well, uh... Let me continue. In these 'duckies', you have a paddle for each partner."

"Why does your 'ducky' only have one seat then?"

"It's because I have been doing this a while, so I can go on the river alone. Now-"

"But don't you want to go on the river with Riverret on your side?"

Riverret Flow covered her face stifling a laugh while Soak Strip looked around in random directions, face turning a shade of red. "Moving on!" he blurted. "Now it's time for me to demonstrate what you have to do when you have to go on the river." Soak Strip jumped into the water. "When in the river and you have to go, you just smile and wave. We call these 'Smiley Breaks'."

"'Smiley Breaks'?" Apple Bloom asked quietly to Applejack.

Before Applejack could answer, Rarity exclaimed, "Eww, we're going in the water where everypony goes?"

"Don't fret, Miss. It flows pretty quickly, so it shouldn't be a problem." Soak Strip then swam back to his boat. "Now I'll demonstrate how to get back on the 'ducky'. Riverret?"

Riverret's horn glowed as the 'ducky' and Soak Strip floated upwards. Soak's bottom hooves were in the straps under the 'ducky' as he held on to the other side of the 'ducky'. "Now, as you can see, there's some straps underneath the 'ducky'. You can push yourself up from there and get back on." Soak Strip then pushed on the bottom and got back into the 'ducky'.

"See? Easy as a-WOAH!" The 'ducky' flipped over, resulting in Soak falling and splashing in the water, getting soaked. He swam to the surface and gasped as he got out of the water. The 'ducky' fell next to him, in which he grabbed and started swimming back to shore. While swimming, he exclaimed, "Anyways, we'll move on to the other signals. Mist Spring, you're on, you silent beast!"

Mist Spring raised a hoof in the air and bent it forwards. Riverret explained. "This mean that you are injured." Mist Spring then rose her other hoof and started waving. Riverret explained again. "This means you are okay." She then put her hooves pointed at Drench Apple.

"Thank you, Misty! Ah hope you enjoy the rafting trip! Remember, if y'all want a drink, y'all have to paddle yer way ta me." Drench Apple then started passing out the cups to each pony. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo ran towards the guides while Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash gathered together.

"Ulk! This trip will be a disaster on my hair and everything!" Rarity complained.

"Calm down, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said. "You need to remember why we're here in the first place."

"Yeah, remember what we're here fer. We're here fer the girls." Applejack then came to her ear and whispered, "You don't want ta ruin this for Sweetie Belle, do ya?"

Rarity wanted to talk back, but she knew that Applejack was right, so Rarity released a grunt of defeat. "Fine. But I'm taking a nice long shower at the spa when coming back."

"That's the spirit, sorta!" Applejack cheered. "Let's get ourselves together with our sisters!"

The three then walked to where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were; by the 'duckies'. They each reserved one for each of them. Rainbow Dash flew onto the 'ducky', which bounced Scootaloo upwards into the air. She fluttered her wings to slow her descent onto the 'ducky', in which Rainbow Dash patted her back upon Scootaloo's landing. Scootaloo smiled and relaxed on the 'ducky'. Rainbow Dash took her cup then pushed the 'ducky' from the beach into the water.

Applejack went into the 'ducky' and grabbed Apple Bloom in a hug. Apple Bloom laughed as she tried to escape, but Applejack kept a hold on her. After Apple Bloom accepted the hug, Applejack let go of Apple Bloom, in which she slumped into the 'ducky' and pushed it into the water. Applejack grabbed her cup from Apple Bloom afterward.

Rarity carefully got into the 'ducky' as Sweetie Belle carefully backed up. Rarity, after a while, finally got in the 'ducky' and used magic to lift it from the water and sand and carefully levitated over the water. Sweetie Belle looked down and asked, "Shouldn't we be on the water?" Rarity sheepishly grinned as she lowered the 'ducky' to the water. She felt the water splash on to her, so Rarity jumped upwards onto Sweetie Belle while yelping. Sweetie Belle showed that she wasn't amused, so Rarity climbed off her slowly into her seat. The water splashed onto Rarity, making her cringe. She finally sat on the seat, so Sweetie Belle smiled to show she was pleased. She handed the cup to Rarity, in which she took with her magic with a cheesy grin.

"Now, everypony!" Soak Strip called out. "Before you do anything, there are some things on the 'duckies' that you should be looking for. First thing is the life jacket! Make sure you and your partner get your life jackets on before you start paddling. If you don't have a life jacket, go get some from Drench Lemon!"

Drench Apple kept a scowl to himself as he looked into his boat for extra life jackets. Applejack and Apple Bloom grabbed their life jackets and put it on to each other. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash looked at the life jackets and pretended to put them on. Rarity looked at the life jacket in disgust. "Ew, that's so unfashionable." Sweetie Belle looked at Rarity with big eyes, so Rarity tried to contain herself and put on the life jacket. She tightened the life jacket before going on to Sweetie Belle, soon going back to disgust of how unfashionable it was. Applejack and Apple Bloom strapped each other, enjoying making the life jackets tighter. Soon, Applejack gave up, in which Apple Bloom hollered a cheer and sat back into her seat. Some ponies paddled to Drench Apple to get the life jackets while others strapped themselves up.

When everypony had their life jackets on (with the exception of the pretending pegasi), Soak Strip continued. "Next, you should find a paddle inside the 'duckie'. Everypony should have a paddle, but we must make sure, so... Everypony raise your paddle upwards!" Each pony grabbed a paddle from the sides and held it up with either their hooves or by magic.

Soak Strip nodded. "Alright then, let's go!" Soak Strip pressed forward, with everypony behind, Drench Apple following everypony in the back.

And so began the rafting trip that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were excited for.