Ponyville High

"Ah can´t believe it, AJ! Yeer first week isn´t even over you already come back with a black eye!" Granny Smith complained, as she carefully tried to mend her grandaughter´s wounds. "Just what in Tartarus were you thinkin´?"

"Ah was defending mah friend, granny, she took a beating too. It´s something about morals."

"A friend? Why, that´s very noble of you, little filly, but you shouldn´t just go risk yourself willy nilly.Should´ve called the teacher.Look at this, Ah don´t think I´ve seen you worse." She handed her a mirror, Applejack looked at herself in it and cringed.But her crining was soon hidden under a laugh.

"You should´ve seen how the other girl came out of it."

Big Mac, who was sitting nearby, chuckled a bit too.Their grandmother shook her head. "Now, don´t say that.That isn´t right.She might be horrible but you´re not better talking like that." Suddenly, the sounds of a baby whailing came from one of the bedrooms upstairs.Granny Smith put a hoof in her own forehead. "UGH, ya kids.You´re trying to make me go nuts, aren´t ya?"

"Ah´m sorry, Granny, Ah won´t do it again, Ah promise." She did the Pinkie Promise gesture with her hoof, confusing the elderly pony.

She raised an eyebrow."You keep that promise,kid." She started walking towards the crying foal. "You need me you know where to find me."

Once their grandmother was gone, the two siblings stayed in silence until Applejack broke the ice.

"Hey, Big Mac, Pinkie and I......................Ya know, the friend Ah was defending.Would like to sign up for the Puddingheads next week.So Ah was wondering if ya could............."

"Train ya? Eeyup." Big Mac smiled.He missed playing with his little sister like in the old days and he was eager to meet this friend of hers.

"Thanks.Tomorrow, after scho..........."

"Eenope." He shook his head dissaprovingly.

"WHAT?! Why?"

He gave her the mirror once again and gestured to her wounds.Applejack may´ve not been able to admit it, but they hurt enough on their own and seeing her brother point them out made them even more painful.She forced a smile and a laugh.

"C´me on, Mac, Ah´m a strong, grown up girl.Don´t think Ah can´t handle it."

"Eenope."

She rolled her eyes. "Wensday after school?"

"Eenope."

"Thursday?"

"Eeyup."

"Deal." They spit drool on their whooves and did a bro-hoof.She yawned. "Ah´m gonna hit the hay.Night, Mac"

"Take care, Apple Jaqueline."

"It´s not Apple Jaqueline anymore, bro." She smiled to herself. "It´s Applejack."

"GOOD MORNING, APPLEJACK!! HOW´S THE EYE?" A voice spooked the earth pony from behind.

"GAAH!" She shouted as she fell backwards and discovered it was Pinkie  who talked to her.

"GAAH! Yourself.    But that doesn´t answer my question, silly."

Applejack chuckled as her new friend helped her get up.      "Fine.   Not  as painful as ya think."

"I beg to differ.    You´re suggesting I think."     She  protested and, then, out of nowhere, she blew a raspberry on the farmer´s face. Applejack chuckled once again.

"So Ah´m guessing there´ll be no objections when Ah tell you we´re practicing for the hoofball try-outs with mah brother this Thursday?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING?! I´LL BE GLAD TO COME!!" Pinkie shouted as she hugged her.     Applejack hugged back.    "Hey, think Rarity might want to come?"

"Didn´t she tell you yesterday that she didn´t like hoofball?"

"But we´re her friends! shouldn´t she be supporting us and cheering us on?" She asked.   AJ had to admit, she made a valid point there.   "Besides, you said your brother was gonna be there. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge; saynomore."    Pinkie giggled and blushed.

"PINKIE PIE!!" Applejack scolded as she pulled away the hug.   "The very idea."

"Oh, come on, can´t I ask her?"

"Go ahead.   It´s not like she´s going to say yes anyways."

Pinkie ran towards Rarity, who was talking to her popular friends once again.    She shouted, jumped around, called her name, did everything to get her attention, but she was way too focused on the other fillies.

"Huh.    Doesn´t even look at me."   Pinkie frowned.

"Pinkie, Ah......."

"NEVERMIND!!" Her smile returned in full force.    "WE´LL ASK HER LATER!!"

Applejack sighed.   "Yeah, sure."

The next day.

"Psst!!" Rarity heard a voice behind her.    She ignored it,though, and continued writing things down on her notepad.

"Psst!!!" She heard it again and felt something lightly pat against her neck.    She looked to the corner of her eye to find a small piece of paper that had fallen on the floor.    She sighed and went back to writing.

"RARITY!!"  She heard.   This time, she did turn around to find Pinkie Pie holding a piece of paper with her mouth.     It said: "Hoofball practice tomorrow at AJ´S. "       Rarity sighed, picked up her quill and wrote a simple:  "No thank you.",    she then went back to her notepad.

Pinkie took the paper and read it aloud, frowning.

"Pinkie Pie."    The teacher called.   "Are you passing notes?"

She gasped.    "No, ma´am.   Sorry, ma´am."

The teacher rolled her eyes and went back to the blackboard.

Thursday

"Are ya sure a wanna ask her AGAIN?" Applejack asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Sure.     Who knows? Maybe she´s changed her mind or something, BRB!!" Pinkie assured her as she went to Rarity and her friends and overheard:

"Braces are so unfortunate.   I feel sorry for the ponies who have to wear them.    And ponytails with ribbons or bows? what is this? the era of the two sisters?" She heard Rarity laugh to her friends and pouted.

"She´s not coming."

"Ah don´t like saying Ah told ya so; but Ah told ya so."    She put a hoof around her friend.   "Come on, hun, we´re gonna have one heck of a time with or without Rarity.    We´ll train hard, work hard, and make it to the team."

"You really think so?"

"Ah know so."

"Okay, everypony, REST!!!" Big Macintosh announced and the two fillies fell down, exhausted.    "Be back in an hour.  Don´t destroy anything."

They laughed hard but Applejack´s brother just shook his head.

"No joke." He then went back to the barn, leaving the two fillies alone.

"Want me to get some apple juice?" The farmer asked to her friend.

"Sure, thanks."

Applejack went to the barn with her brother and Pinkie started walking around the orchard when she saw her.     A skinny, yellow pegasus filly; she was wearing a green sweater and braces.      She looked at the birds, fed them, talked to them, sang to them and drew pictures of them on her notepad.     Pinkie giggled.

"HI!!!"

"Um....Hello?"

"OOPS!! I scared your birds.    SORRY!!"

"It´s okay, they´ll be back.    But they´re not MY birds."

"Oh.   OKAY!" She sat down next to her, causing her to bite her lip.    "So, I´ve never seen YOU around here before.   Where you from?"

"Um....Cloudsdale."

"Oooh!! That´s so cool!! Is it true that the walls are made of cloud there?!"

She merely nodded.

"AWESOME!!! So, um....What are you doing here?"

"Birdwatching."

"NICE!!! Can I watch them with you?"

It took her a while, a few minutes, to shrugg and nod.

Pinkie frowned.   "You hesitated."

"Well, I´m not exactly a social butterfly."

"CUTIE MARK JOKE!!!" Pinkie laughed hard, pointing t her flank, where three pink butterflies flew around happy.

The filly meeped and looked down on the floor.   Pinkie stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, why aren´t you laughing?"

"You´re making fun of me."

"I´m not making fun of you.    I´m not laughing AT you, I´m laughing WITH you."

"Nopony´s ever done that before."

"Really? DARN, you need new friends.   Wanna be friends?"

"Um"  She shrugged and nodded again.

"GREAT!!! I´m Pinkamena Diane Pie but you can just call me Pinkie Pie.   you?"

"Fluttershy Butterscocth."