Radio Station Dilemmas

Chapter 6

Azura gasped in horror inside the kitchen as Applejack made her presence known and commented she had helped her. She was sure, Twilight would investigate and tell Discord about it.

  “Azura, huh,” Twilight said quizzically, “I wasn’t aware of any second canteen employee, I will need to investigate this.”

Azura worried that she would be discovered and looked for a back exit as she heard Twilight start to trot toward the kitchen.

“Hey, boss, why are heading behind the canteen?” asked a brash voice in a curious manner.

“I already told you, I’m investigating something,” Twilight replied a little harshly, but stated her intentions.

“Why bother?” Rarity’s voice snapped, “I’d rather get this lunch break done and over with.”

“Yeah, who cares,” the loud voice yelled in agreement.

“I do!” Twilight yelled, “And as your boss, it is my job to investigate all matters relating to business and an unmentioned employee raises my suspicions!”

“Oh, I’ve just decided I don’t like this discussion and I don’t like any of you, come here!” A loud voice boomed and Azura heard a punch being landed.

Azura worried that Applejack would get hurt or involved and a brawl might get started and opened the kitchen door, only to see Twilight growl and a grey Pegasus kick Rarity.

“Alright y’all, stop this reckless brawl before I have to wrangle all of ya’!” Applejack threatened and puffed her chest out and glared her eyes out toward the fighting ponies.

The brawling continued regardless as Azura saw who she assumed was Pinkie Pie, judging on the fact she somewhat resembled the photo Spike had shown her rip a few tail hairs out of Twilight’s tail causing Twilight to yelp.

“That’s it!” Applejack hollered and then Azura turned her attention and saw Applejack remove her hat and reveal a rope underneath. For a brief second, Azura even saw that the piece of mane underneath Applejack’s hat was just as beautiful as the rest of her mane and wondered why she hid it under a hat and then she saw Applejack score a perfect neck noose around Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, I was just getting started!” complained Pinkie Pie as Applejack dragged her across the floor. Then, Azura noticed Applejack’s eyes look toward her as if expecting her to try and help sort out the brawling ponies rather than watch on from the safety of the kitchen door.

The grey Pegasus and Rarity continued to tussle, while Twilight was getting involved too and Azura didn’t think it wise to attempt to break it up as she was likely to get hurt, but then out of nowhere, Azura saw another rope fly through the sky and score another perfect neck noose around the Pegasus and Applejack dragged her across the floor.

“Hey, what’s your problem!” complained the Pegasus.

“So, it’s just me and you now,” Twilight said glaring down toward Rarity. Rarity failed to back off and the two locked eyes. Azura watched as Twilight and Rarity snorted at each other and made waving hoof movements as if to charge or fight.

“Come on, Azura, stop them, I can’t keep all four of them down at the same time,” Applejack lifted her head toward Azura and Azura noticed she was struggling to keep Pinkie and the grey Pegasus from hitting each other and her. Then, light from two auras drew her attention as Rarity and Twilight began to charge up their magic, but Twilight looked stronger.

Azura decided she had to act and galloped fast toward Rarity and tackled her, trying to save her from being blasted by Twilight’s superior magic. As Azura tackled Rarity, she got a brief look back toward Twilight and noticed she seemed almost fully charged and the strength of her aura looked very frightening, but then the canteen doors opened.

“Twilight, stop!” Spike’s voice yelled across the canteen. Twilight growled and turned her attention.

“I told you to call me boss or ma’am! And I was about to put a stop to some disorderly conduct!” Twilight fumed to Spike.

“By blasting Rarity and Azura with your magic!” Spike yelled back, “You know there’s no way to resolve conflict or treat a friend, even if they’re mad at you!”

“Friend?” Twilight stuttered in puzzlement and her charge faltered slightly.

“Hey, get off me!” Rarity yelled up at Azura, but Azura saw Rarity appeared to be willing to keep fighting if she let her up and kept her pinned down.

“Yes, friend!” Spike stubbornly crossed his arms and glanced disappointingly toward Twilight.

“In fact, you’re all friends and me and Fluttershy have photos proving it!” Spike bellowed.

“Are you sure this is a good time to do this?” asked a quivering voice and then saw a shy yellow Pegasus with an overflowing pink mane trot nervously over to Spike, but upon seeing Fluttershy, Azura sussed out the other Pegasus had to be Rainbow Dash by process of elimination.

“Just get off!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Azura made sure her body weight pinned Rarity, but turned her head to see Applejack was trying to stop her from squirming and escaping.

“It has to be now, Fluttershy or Dash escapes or Twilight goes to tell Discord about this,” Spike stated with encouragement and looked toward Fluttershy.

“Okay,” Fluttershy muttered and then produced a photo that showed Applejack, herself, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Twilight all having smiles and being happy in each other’s company. Spike also showed his photo and Azura noticed they were one and the same photo.

Twilight stared toward the photos in much puzzlement and stood still. The two matching photos were harder to dismiss as coincidence or as fake when they looked the same.

“Azura, get Rarity to look, AJ, get Dash and Pinkie to look,” Spike instructed boldly.

Azura managed to grab a hold on Rarity’s head and force her to look toward the photos. However, as Azura got Rarity’s head into position, when Rarity looked toward the photos, Azura noticed her resistance against her grip stopped as she gave them a look.

“I’m free!” Pinkie chirped happily as Azura turned and saw Pinkie had managed to bite through her rope and bounce up while Applejack had managed to make Rainbow Dash look at the photos.

“And I’m going to tell Discord all about this,” Pinkie declared.

“Oh, no…. you’re not…” Fluttershy boldly stated and hoofed over her photo to Spike and flew over and tackled Pinkie just as she about to run through the kitchen and look through for an escape route.

“Is that a photo of me? Why do I look so happy and different?” Twilight commented in puzzlement.

“It’s because in this photo, you, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity are all friends and not dull and grey pawns inside a radio station working for Discord,” Spike stated boldly and flashed the two photos as high as his claws would allow. Azura felt Rarity’s head budge and thought briefly she was trying to escape, but then noticed it was only to get a better look at the photos.

“Ya’ know I just got me a feeling that he’s telling the truth,” Applejack stated and Azura turned her attention.

Then, Azura marvelled at the sight of a brief orange magic aura surround Applejack and then in the blink of an eye, there was a flash and then the aura went away and Applejack’s entire body had colour. From all of her golden yellow tail with one red ribbon keeping her tail tied up a bit to her entire body being orange and all grey disappearing from her mane too. Rainbow Dash gasped in disbelief below, but failed to use the opportunity to escape.

“Just how did you do that?” Rainbow Dash asked in an awestruck voice.

“I just have to admit that was awesome,” Rainbow Dash declared happily with much emphasis on the word awesome. Azura noticed a small part of her mane and tail changed colour from dull and grey to rainbow coloured.

“Oh, who cares and some pony get this Pegasus off me,” whined Pinkie. Azura found herself wondering if Pinkie had missed the transformation, because she was stunned into being awestruck too as she felt her mouth gape open in disbelief.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Fluttershy asserted herself confidently and kept Pinkie pinned against the floor.

“These photos show all of you as your real selves and the power of friendship,” Spike stated boldly and got the attention of every pony including Pinkie as Fluttershy grabbed her head and turned it toward Spike and the photos. Azura noticed there was barely any resistance from Rarity and she had completely quit trying to escape as she looked back over to Spike.

“Friendship? Why does that word sound so familiar to me all of a sudden?” Twilight asked and exchanged a puzzled look toward Spike. Azura noticed a small part of her tail had changed colour from dull and grey to sapphire blue with a velvet and rose streak in it again. It seemed Spike was getting through to her.

“Oh, Twilight, don’t you remember you’re the Princess of Friendship?” Fluttershy stated in a confused tone and tilted her head as she thought it puzzling that Twilight couldn’t remember.

“No, I can’t be,” Twilight refused to accept Fluttershy words.

“I’m the assistant manager of this radio station and all of you should return to work!” Twilight yelled and spread her wings out and glared toward Fluttershy with some intimidation.

“But, Twilight, we’re still on lunch break for another ten minutes,” Rarity whined and Azura thought this a ridiculous reaction considering Twilight seemed to want to fight again. However, it caused Twilight to turn her attention to Rarity and gave her a glance.

“Hey, look here, Twilight, Fluttershy is telling ya’ the truth and ya’ know I am when I look at ya’ like this,” Applejack said while trotting over toward Twilight and then intensely glared into Twilight’s dull and grey eyes. Twilight seemed fixated into place and unable to back off or break Applejack’s gaze straight into her eyes and Azura saw the yellow swirling effect return to her eyes.

However, as soon as it appeared, it began to fade fast and then in one blink of Twilight’s eyes, the effect wasn’t there when she re-opened them and her eyes were no longer dull and grey, but violet instead.

“I find myself strangely believing you, but how can be this be?” Twilight spoke with confusion.

“Hey, if she’s the Princess of Friendship, then what’s my role?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah, and what’s mine?” Pinkie asked loudly.

“I would like to know mine too,” Rarity added and Azura was curious too and looked over to Spike.

“Rainbow Dash, you’re the Element of Loyalty and the fastest flyer in all of Equestria,” Spike turned and addressed Rainbow Dash first.

“Really? I’m the fastest flyer in all of Equestria that sounds cool and totally awesome,” Rainbow Dash boasted and burst out of Applejack’s grip, but instead of going to Discord, she decided to perform an aerial flip inside the canteen and exchanged a small confident smile afterwards.

Azura marvelled at Rainbow’s ability and noticed that more of Rainbow’s mane had changed colour from dull and grey to rainbow coloured and even a small patch of her fur had changed from dull and grey to cerulean blue.

Spike smiled at Rainbow’s display too and even when she was just standing, Azura noticed Rainbow Dash looked confident and much happier.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie, you’re the Element of Laughter and like to throw parties and be friendly to every pony,” Spike turned to address Pinkie next.

“I like to throw parties!” Pinkie yelled happily as she bounced out of Fluttershy’s grip, “That sounds like fun!” Azura thought so too as she liked parties on occasion and saw Pinkie’s tail change from dull and grey to pink.

“Rarity, you’re the Element of Generosity, you’re sometimes a little vain, but you have a generous and warm heart underneath,” Spike addressed Rarity next.

Azura decided not even to try and restrain Rarity as she stood up after listening to Spike’s words and tilted her head in curiosity. Azura noticed her tail change from dull and grey to purple again too.

“You can tell these things and even show us a couple of photos, Spike, but that doesn’t make true,” Twilight bluntly stated out of nowhere and sounded that somehow she was still sceptical.

Azura looked down glumly as Twilight seemed hard to convince and noticed Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity look down too as if Twilight’s negative statement affected them too.

“You remembered my name!” Spike stated happily and hugged himself into Twilight.

Twilight flinched nervously, but then wrapped her front left leg around Spike’s neck and accepted it. Azura noticed a small patch of Twilight’s fur turned into a mulberry colour.

“And he’s telling all of y’all the truth by the way,” Applejack added and exchanged a stern glance toward Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity and Twilight.

“So, if I can fly really fast I can do this,” Rainbow Dash said and then took off and then performed another flip, two perfect barrel rolls and a small loop-de-loop all while in the air of the canteen space and then smiled and was impressed with her skill.

Azura awed at Dash’s ability too and then noticed more of her had changed and then she was surrounded by a cerulean blue aura and when it disappeared, all of her fur was cerulean blue coloured and her mane and tail were fully rainbow coloured. Rainbow Dash even beamed a bright smile at herself.

“How did you do that!?” Pinkie asked, “That was amazing!” Pinkie bounced up and down twice on the spot and smiled. Azura noticed more of her fur had changed to a pink colour and thought maybe she was going through a transformation too.

“But can you do this?” Pinkie laughed and then bounced up and down lots of times in a very fast manner, performed a backflip and a joyful dance and beamed a happy smile.

“That was fun!” Pinkie yelled out happily and then in the blink of an eye, she was surrounded by a pink magic aura and when it disappeared, all of her grey fur and mane had changed to pink.

“How did you both just do that?” Twilight asked and looked to Rainbow and Pinkie for answers.

“I would want to know too,” Rarity spoke in a formal and elegant, but curious tone.

“I honestly don’t know at the moment, but after I saw what happened to Applejack, I just thought it was awesome! And I felt I could remember something about liking things that are just plain awesome,” Rainbow Dash answered with much emphasis on the two times she said the word awesome.

“And when I saw Rainbow Dash fly around like she did, it triggered something that made me think it was fun, but I wanted to prove to myself that you don’t have to be a Pegasus to have fun!” Pinkie gave her answer in a happy tone.

Meanwhile, Azura could see Twilight was stunned by what she had witnessed and slowly more and more of her fur, mane and tail were changing colour as if these events were triggering memories fighting back against Discord’s controlling spell. Azura also looked at Rarity and saw her fur was now mostly white and her mane and tail were purple.

“No, something still doesn’t feel right about this and I need to report it to Discord,” Twilight shook her head. Azura noticed Twilight’s doubt seemed to change a small part of fur back into a dull and grey colour. Then, a brief smoke vapour appeared and then Discord was there….