Rarity's Little Disasterby SaekwakaChaptersRarity's First MistakeOven BakedPinkie's OfferA Valuable Lesson in CookingGummy's Warm WelcomeThe Wrath of the Innocent PegasiCrash LandingRarity's First MistakeIt was simply glorious outside that day - despite the damp grass from yesterday's rain, of course. Incidently, my hooficure would have to suffer the consequences of a muddy, messy trip over to Apple Jack's. Allow me to explain; Apple Jack agreed to watch over Sweetie Belle and Opal for the day since Fluttershy was evidently busy with an ill bear. The only thing I had to do in return was bring my sister over to Sweet Apple Acres. I was NOT about to trust the care of my precious little Opal to Sweetie Belle. So, I left my other sewing project back on the desk in my room, and escorted Sweetie Belle to Sweet Apple Acres in hopes that I would actually make some progress in my work. The design of my new project was still in the "brain-storming" department. Why I ever used material before drawing out my final design, I cannot rightly say now. Since that mistake, though, I knew that I did have to rectify the damage done. Anyways, when we arrived at Apple Jack's with my hooves completely filthy, I first noticed Big Macintosh leading two other little fillies (Apple Bloom and Scootaloo) to the front door. I knew it was rude to pry, but I suppose my curiosity got the better of me at that moment, so I spoke to him. "Good day, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo. What might you be doing - if you don't mind my asking, of course." "Well, yah see," Apple Bloom started. "We were just on our way inside to see if Granny Smith was around to teach us how to create tasty treats. 'Course, we ain't never been too good at cookin', but we thought maybe we could retry and do better with Granny. But then, we couldn't find her, so we asked Big Macintosh to help." "Best of luck to you and your efforts." I said politely, then added: "Is there a chance one of you would know the whereabouts of Apple Jack? I need to make sure Opal's safe in her care." From behind me, I heard the low, angry grumble of my cat. "Sweetie Belle! You mustn't shake her cage around so much! You're scaring my poor, sweet Opal!" "Sorry, sis;" Sweetie Belle set Opal's carrier down, "it's big and heavy. Can't you carry it for a while?" "Well, it appears now I have to. I don't want her fur in a mess from all that unnessisary movement." Instead of carrying Opal's carrier in my mouth like Sweetie Belle did (which is somewhat unsanitary if one were to think about it), I levitated it using my magic. Of course, Sweetie Belle had a horn too, but I wasn't about to take any chances of her dropping Opal. "Sorry, Rarity." She mumbled quietly, staring down at her hooves. "It's quite all right." I answered, just before Apple Bloom interjected. "Well, if y'all are done, I'll tell ya' that Apple Jack's just in the barn fetchin' some more baskets." "Oh, yes. Right." I blushed. "I am extremely sorry you had to witness that." How humiliating. I wasn't even staying here, and still, I was proving myself a horrible house guest. "It's okay! Oh, wait, Big Macintosh!" Called Apple Bloom, just as Big Mac entered his home. Only Scootaloo hesitated to invite my little sister along. "Come on, Sweetie Belle! We might actually get our Cutie Marks this time!" Sweetie Belle beamed, then ran inside to follow the rest of her friends. A figure from the distance stepped out of the barn. And not a moment too soon. Apple Jack exitied her barn. Seeing this, I stepped out into the wet grass and mud, and brought Opal and her grooming kit to her. She saw me, then gave me a friendly smile. "Howdy there, Rarity. Glad you could stop to see me!" "Yes, delightful to see you as well. I can't thank you enough for offering to help with Sweetie and Opal. Why, even Twilight was too busy to help!" "Well, you're here now. Let me know if there's anything else you need me to do. I'll be happy to help with whatever ya' need." "I am extremely grateful for your offer, but right now, I just wanted to be sure my little baby would be all right until she was in your care." "Don't you worry 'bout a thing! She'll be safe and sound with me." "I have no doubts about that," I assured her. "I'd stay and chat, but I've much to do. Everything you need to know is written down in Opal's grooming kit." I hovered Opal's grooming kit and carrier closer to Applejack. Without having to be asked, she picked the kit up with her mouth, and balanced it on her back. Then, she grabbed Opal's carrier. "Good luck, dearie!" I smiled at her, and left the acres to head home. It is such a nice day out. Perhaps before setting to work, I could take a quick walk around the park. There's nothing wrong with a little break. When I'm done, I can head back to the spa for a few hours to have a redo done on my hooves. With that settled, I made my way to the park instead of immediately home. This was, perhaps, my first mistake in this giant mess. Oven BakedWith the sun still beaming down on her back, Rainbow Dash led Derpy Hooves away from the scene of their previous crime and to a spot she thought was safe. Rarity wouldn't mind, she was sure. "Now listen up, and listen good! If you want to learn anything from this, you will do EXACTLY as I say. Got it?" Rainbow Dash stared firmly into her student's eyes. "Sure thing, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy exlaimed, barely able to hold in her excitement. "Good, now first thing about being less destructive is balance. So, to fix this, how about we start off by flying straight?" Derpy sat wordlessly; as if trying to soak in every word Rainbow Dash said. "Over there," Rainbow continued in her stern, demanding tone, "I set up a small, red flag. Over here, I have placed a small, blue flag. I want you to fly from here to there without making any curves at all. Since I know you can at least fly slowly, let's speed up your pace a bit." This task seemed simple enough. The blue flag, located only two feet away from where Derpy sat, waved with the wind in unison with the red flag; which was located approxomately fifteen feet north of them. Set in those positions, the two flags created a straight, imaginary line. "Okie-dokie!" Obediently, Derpy stumbled over to the blue start flag, and stretched her wings. "I'll be following you the whole time, so if you make ONE mistake, we're going to start over." Rainbow said, preparing herself as well. After stretching their wings (if one would call Derpy's strange, irratic movements "stretching"), they stood before the blue line, ready to fly. "We're about to go." She announced. "This will be fun, huh?" Derpy flashed her childish smile. Brushing this aside, Rainbow counted off. "Ready..." Their wings flicked out at the same time. "Set..." Rainbow instinctively set one of her hooves out in front of her, while Derpy, who had somewhat of a short attention span, fixed her eyes greedily on a nearby pink butterfly. "Take o-" Something large tumbled right into Rainbow Dash before she could finish, leaving her sprawling on the grass both confused and annoyed. "HI, RAINBOW DASH!" A high pitched voice stung her ears while stars danced before her eyes. "I saw you and Derpy here and thought you two were having fun, and since I absolutely, positively LOVE having lots of fun, I thought I'd join you! Is that okay? I hope it's okay; because if it's not, then I would have jumped in and surprised you all for nothing! Wouldn't that just STINK?! There's nothing less fun than being told it's not okay to join in the fun when you went to all the trouble of trying to double the fun! Hey Rainbow, are you having more fun than you had before? Because I-" "Pinkie." Rainbow inturruped, picking herself up off the ground. "Am having twenty times more fun just being here!" "Pinkie, Derpy and I are not here to 'have fun.' This is serious training. She wants to learn how to help, so-" "You're teaching her to stop destroying things? Do you think Rarity's okay with your little flag thingy SO close to her shop? Well, I guess it's a good thing you're teaching her, because I don't want my room messed up AGAIN! But I can hardly blame Derpy because who ever had any real fun without a big mess? Think about it: it's almost-" By this time, Rainbow's patience was wearing thin. "Pinkie. You can watch us train if you want; just don't get in the way. Okay?" "Okie-dokie!" Squealed Pinkie Pie, then skipped a short distance away to view the session. Rainbow sighed with exasperation. "Derpy, are you still ready?" Silence. Rainbow felt a lump rise to her throat. Oh no, she thought. During her conversation with Pinkie, she hadn't realized Derpy left. "Hey, Rainbow, look! Derpy's trying to rebuild Rarity's house!" She was half right. Evidently, Derpy crashed into Rarity's shop after speeding off from the start flag, and was picking up pieces of wood before entering the shop. Luckily, there was only one visible hole. "I thought she was going a little fast when I tackled you!" Pinkie said. "You SAW? Why didn't you tell me?" "Was I supposed to?" Rainbow Dash didn't stop to respond. She zoomed over to the hole in hopes of spotting Derpy. No luck. If Derpy wasn't on the ground, she was probably flying around somewhere. If not, Rainbow could at least spot her from a distance. So, she rocketed towards the sky. After several minutes of searching, Rainbow caught sight of something. Heading for the dead center of Rarity's top floor, spun Derpy uncontrollably. "Derpy, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Rainbow yelled, and swooped down to avert Derpy from the clothing store. "I can't stop, Rainbow! Help me!" Rainbow caught hold of Derpy's stomach and tried to steer her away from the building. They struggled in the air; kicking and spinning in an irratic fashion. From below, Pinkie was heard laughing furiously. "Pinkie, this is no time to be- OOF!" I really wish she wouldn't flail so much, she thought, groaning from the pain of Derpy's kick. "R-RAINBOW DASH!" Derpy managed to cry out moments before they slammed into Rarity's roof. Bits of ceiling and furniture from above rooms crackled and shattered before hitting their heads and the floor. "This is very bad." CRACK! "Oh, great. What did you break this time, Derpy?" She roared. "But I didn't touch anything this time!" Derpy insisted. "When Rarity sees this... Oh, man." Rainbow stood in the center of the devistated clothing store. "We can fix this! Don't worry!" Derpy grabbed a nearby chunk of what used to be Rarity's holding rack for her fabrics, went to the gigantic hold in the ceiling, and set it on top. "Derpy, NO!" The curve of Rarity's roof rejected the piece; sliding it off instantly. The weight of the wood increased the size of the hole, then crashed against the door. "I can fix that!" Knocking down the remaining furniture, Derpy made her way over to open the front door. Rainbow Dash would have stopped her, but at that moment, she smelled something odd. I hope that's not what I think I smell. Shuddering, she followed the scent into the kitchen. Bad. Very bad. Extremely bad. While the microwave toppled over, the kitchen sink was spewing out water from the severed nozzle. The stove, Dash noticed, blazed furiously from the inside. WHY WOULD SHE RUN AN ERRAND WHILE COOKING? Rainbow Dash sped over to the fire. "Oh." The word slipped quietly out of her mouth. The word; the simple, tiny word held all the tension she had felt from Derpy's mishaps that day. It also held a sudden realization: Rarity did not cook anything. At least, Rainbow thought Rarity didn't regularly cook cupcakes and leave the freshly made mess unattended to. Though, she thought she might know who would make the mistake of setting an unfamilliar oven to bake at five hundred degrees. A pink figure bounced in through the smoke. "Aw, MAN! They're burnt! How could they be BURNT?" Pinkie Pie complained, oblivious to the noise Derpy was making. "YOU made this mess? Why would you be cooking anything while the house is a disaster?" Rainbow Dash could not believe any of what was happening. While Derpy and I wreck Rarity's home, Pinkie Pie's baking sweets. Typical. "I thought she'd like having something good after seeing her house so bad. Sheesh, no need to overreact!" Rainbow Dash would have remained silent and held her position if she hadn't noticed the room becoming darker. We are so dead... Smoke drizzled from every open hole and window in Rarity's home while the fire grew larger and hotter with each passing second. BWOOSH! The flames engulfed the stove, setting off a loud fire-alarm. Grabbing Pinkie, Rainbow fled from the kitchen to safety. After placing Pinkie far from the house, she shouted "WAIT THERE," then returned to the smoking house in search for Derpy. Inside the front display of the shop, Rainbow only took a second to view the damage Derpy had done. Scattered, disassembled furniture were lying on the now filthy base. The once standing, closed walls were now barely holding up the top floor. No Derpy. "Rainbow!" A voice called out to her. Upstairs, she knew. It took Rainbow Dash no more than five seconds to locate Derpy helplessly struggling with a broken wing. "Oh, no." Rainbow removed Rarity's fallen desk from her wing, then carried her off to Pinkie. As soon as she flew out the opening, the bottom floor fell beneath the weight of the top floor. The tip of the boutique toppled inward, and the flames spread throughout the ruins of Rarity's shop. In the midst of Rainbow's confused silence, a familliar scream broke her line of thoughts. "What happened?!" The voice screeched. Rainbow gulped. There, just beyond her reach, stood Rarity. Pinkie's OfferMy house. Destroyed. In flames. My work. Destroyed. In flames. This cannot be happening. Oh, dark and dismal day! The world seems to be spinning. No light shines on my luck! "Oooh! Can we bring fireworks, too? It would be so pretty! Let's go get some! C'mon, Dashie! They aren't going to buy themselves!" Pinkie Pie shouted. I think at that point, my cheeks were burning red; though I could not rightly say, since I could not see them. "You!" I snapped at Pinkie Pie. How Pinkie could afford to continue her levity when a house was on fire, I will never understand. "You are not going ANYWHERE until one of you tells me WHY AND HOW MY WORK HAS GONE TO WASTE AND HOW MY BEAUTIFUL BOUTIQUE IS BEING REDUCED TO ASHES!" My nostrils seemed to be invoulintarily flaring, but at that moment, my facial appearance (as BARBARIC as that may sound) was the least of my concerns. As expected, Rainbow was the first to step up. "Rarity, Derpy and I were training to make her less destructive-" "And you see how well that turned out!" I scoffed at the irony of her statement. "And you see, well, things didn't exactly go as planned." Rainbow Dash shifted her hooves. Perhaps due to discomfort. "I certainly hope that isn't the end of your tale! She somehow managed to set my house on fire as well, I presume?!" "Well, no; that was Pinkie. After Derpy crashed into your roof and walls, Pinkie decided she wanted to set the oven at five hundred in order to make cupcakes." Pinkie Pie interjected, "and it would have worked, too - if it weren't for you meddling ponies!" Dash, I noticed, looked upset as well. "Pinkie Pie, you are so RANDOM!" I could not believe this. Pinkie Pie was making jokes, Rainbow Dash was the cause of this whole mess, and Derpy - wait,why is she crying? "R-Rainbow D-D-Dash..." She stammered, sniffling. Poor dear! She must have been feeling so guilty over wrecking my house! Well, how could I remain upset with such a kind-hearted, gentle- "Rainbow, m-my w-wing hurts really b-bad!" Derpy began to wail. My jaw dropped - only by a little, mind anypony containing the decency to even care! "Excuse me?" I said. "Oh, yeah, right," Rainbow Dash began, her brows furrowing with concern. "When I went to get her out of the fire, I noticed her wing was broken. We'll just need to get her to a hospital." "Uhm, hello! Let's get those fireworks A.S.A.P!" I am pleased to note (while looking back on this incident) that everypony ignored Pinkie's request to celebrate my misfortune by using firearms. "And what about my house? Is there nopony to repair this?!" "The fire-fighter ponies and comstruction workers will. Rarity, I don't say this often, but..." She muttered the next few words quietly. Prideful pony. "I'm really sorry." At that moment, I thought it best not to mention how much it would have cost to repair the house, since Rainbow hardly ever apologized. "R-Rarity, I'm s-s-sorry, t-too." Derpy blubbered to me. "Maybe w-when my wing is better, I c-can help fix-" "No need! It's quite all right, darling! Feel better soon!" Leaning to my ear, Rainbow whispered, "good call." A few seconds of silence passed. "Well," she announced to everypony this time. "I'm off to bring Derpy to a medic." No. She cannot be leaving mw here homeless. I'll have to live the rest of my days in the gutter, begging for some extra money to buy food. My beautiful mane and tail will no longer be styled! No! My poor, fabulous mane! To solve this problem, I did the only thing I thought sensible: cry. "Oh, woe is me-he-he! I have no place to stay; no place to sleep! My designs are all gone! In the blink of an eye, too-" Rainbow halted in her tracks. "Well, technically, it took a little longer to destro-" "I don't care how l-long it took! I'm ruined, finished! Poor Rarity! I'll be too hideous to walk the streets! Woe is me! Woe is m-me!" Since I had no pillow nor my lavishly decorated sofa to fall dramatically on, I simply stood there and wailed instead. Yes, now everypony could see just how bad my situation was. "Hey, Rarity! You can stay with me!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down excitedly. Rainbow Dash covered her face with her hoof. "I'll go alert the fire-fighters." "Silly Dashie! They're already here! See? Lookie! They arrived several minutes ago while Derpy began crying!" "Why didn't you tell us?!" Rainbow demanded viciously. Pinkie continued to smile. "Why didn't you ask?" For some strange reason, we all stood in silence for a moment - prior to Derpy's sniffling, of course. "C'mon Rarity!" Pinkie squealed, breaking the silence. Startled, I gasped. Her sudden shouts are completely unnessisary; someday, she might give a pony a heart-attack! "We'll have a fun, fun welcome party for you!" Bouncing, she headed towards the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. I suppose her room will have to do, I thought; then, trudged reluctantly behind her. "It's kind of a mess now since Derpy made a few holes in the walls and crashed into some furniture, but it's not so bad! Don't worry - you'll feel right at home once you get used to it!" I sighed. Well, here we go. A Valuable Lesson in Cooking"Granny Smith!" Three young, anxious ponies scuttled towards the old mare rocking in her chair on the front porch. "What, what is it?" The pony called "Granny Smith" snorted, now awakened from her snooze. "Where were you?" Demanded little Apple Bloom. "Yeah, we looked everywhere, but we still couldn't find you!" Included Scootaloo. "Why, I was..." Granny trailed off, placing a hoof on her chin, then looking up at the clouds as if they held an answer for her. "What was I doin' before I fell asleep?" "Nevermind that," said an impatient Sweetie Belle. "We have cutie marks to get, remember, Apple Bloom?" "Yeah, yeah." Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Just hold yourself for a minute; I'm gettin' to that!" "Say, Granny Smith," Scootaloo began, evidently oblivious to her other friends' conversation. "Can you teach us how to cook?" "Why, certainly!" The old pony cawed gleefully. "Come right on in the kitchen, and we'll get started." "Awesome! With Granny Smith teaching us, we'll get our cutie marks in no time!" Scootaloo said to the other two just before entering Apple Jack's house. Nodding with agreement, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trailed behind eagerly. *** "Now, Opal! I might not be an expert on cats, but I do know that if- GAH!" Apple Jack cringed as the fluffy little creature scratched the side of her cheek. "See here, cat!" Spat Apple Jack. "Rarity's comin' back soon, and if she sees you covered in mud, she's going to be right mad!" Opal, now trapped in the corner of the Apples' barn, yowled furiously. This cat is trying to rip me to shreds! Thought Apple Jack as she gingerly tapped the scratch on her face using her hoof. 'Course, that ain't nothin' compared to what Rarity'll do if she sees her precious Opal covered in mud. That silly creature ran straight into a mud puddle! Why did the Pegasi have to schedule a rain for yesterday?! Opal hissed in the silence, inturrupting Apple Jack's thoughts. "Hmph. You wanna make this hard?" Apple Jack challenged. "Well two can play this game!" *** Fine, sifted flour coated Scootaloo's hooves. "Are you sure this is what we're supposed to do?" She asked, kneading the dough. "This is kind if boring." "Just be patient," replied Sweetie. "Maybe the fun part hasn't come yet." "Ain't nothin' like bakin' sweet apple pie!" Granny Smith sang out, pulling out a basket of big, bright-red apples. "And we're supposed to be putting this on top? It looks a little bulky for a pie..." Scootaloo raised her hooves away from the fat lump if dough. "Well, we haven't rolled it out yet!" Argued Apple Bloom. "Hey, Granny Smith," said Sweetie Belle. "How long do we have to leave it in for?" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it; now we have to, uh," Granny paused for a moment. Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "Have to...?" "Oh! Yes, that's right. We gotta cut up these apples a bit." Scootaloo covered her face with her hoof. "This is so lame." "I'll say," snorted Apple Bloom. "You got flour and bits of dough all over your face!" *** It's too quiet in here. Inside of her closed barn, Apple Jack froze; letting the light from the cieling bulb reveal her determined stance. To herself, she spoke aloud. "She's around here somewhere, I know it!" Thunk! "What was that?" Apple Jack turned instinctively towards the sound, but only to find her remaining apple barrels stacked lazily in the same corner and manner she had stacked them earlier today. No cat, hmm? Well, why don't I just take a look at what's over there? Casually, she trotted over to the barrels that seemed to have created the sound. Empty?! "How in tarnation could this be-" WOOSH! Something small rushed inbetween her hooves; but not fast enough. Quickly, Apple Jack caught the furry feline using her jaws. She will now be groomed. With that, she carried little Opal towards the grooming kit in the corner. *** "And finally!" Said Granny Smith, picking up the unbaked pie. Scootaloo leaned over and whispered in Sweetie Belle's ear, "finally is right." Sweetie sniggered. "We put this in the oven, and set it for ten minutes and two-hundred-fifty degrees!" "Are you sure that's right, Granny?" Asked Apple Bloom. "Well, in all honesty, no. But I'm trying out a new recipe that I got from that, er, Pinkie Pie gal. You kids have fun!" After that, Granny Smith exited the room to continue her nap on the front porch. The three girls stood silently around the mess they had just made in the proccess of baking an apple pie. "This stinks." Pouted Scootaloo. "I know! We have to wait a whole ten minutes just to get our cutie marks!" Agreed Sweetie, sitting down on the flour dusted floor and then crossing her hooves. "Well, at least it wasn't Granny's old recipe. That one took longer!" Apple Bloom said. "Isn't there a way we could speed it up?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning her head in the direction of Apple Bloom. Before she had time to answer, Scootaloo perked up, and practically shouted with excitement, "I know! We can set the oven to five-hundred degrees for five minutes!" "That's a great idea!" Squealed Sweetie. Apple Bloom, however, was less enthusiastic. "I don't know, you guys. Granny Smith said that she was followin' Pinkie's recipe. Maybe we should just-" "Change the settings? You read my mind!" Said Scootaloo, turning the oven to five-hundred. "I didn't say that! I said we should leave it!" Apple Bloom said, turning the oven back to its original settings. "And I say we speed this up so we can actually get our cutie marks before we're snoring in rocking chairs!" Scootaloo changed the oven back, evidently unaware of the pie's bubbling inside. Sweetie Belle seemed to be the only one to notice. "Uhm, guys?" Sweetie Belle said, watching her two friends fight over the settings on the oven. Back, and forth from two-hundred-fifty to five-hundred the oven went; over and over again. Still, nopony heard Sweetie Belle's objections. Pop! A dough-bubble explosion sounded from inside."I think you should stop now!" Ignoring Sweetie Belle's plead, Apple Bloom continued to argue with Scootaloo while the pie inside the oven still boiled and popped furiously. "Stay!" "Change!" "Stay!" "Cha-" Splat! Now, in the oven, the pie splattered in a sticky, doughy mess. Ding! The oven sounded. "Well," started Sweetie Belle, "your plan worked, Scootaloo. It's done." Gummy's Warm WelcomeI cannot believe I'm stuck staying with Pinkie Pie in her bedroom. This isn't happening. This is not happening. No, keep it together, Rarity. You can endure this. I just had to keep taking slow, deep breaths. Yes, that's it; in, out, in, out. "Hey, Rarity! Lookie! Lookie! We're here!" Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly and pointed with her right hoof towards the top floor of Sugar Cube Corner - which had several holes in it. Wonderful. Only Pinkie Pie would cheer and celebrate the occassion of a damaged building. Nevertheless, I would try not to ruin her good mood. She was, after all, inviting me into her home. "It's, uh, lovely, Pinkie Pie." "Silly, you've seen this place before!" Yes, I thought. But never in the form of swiss cheese. "Come on, we'll make you and Sweetie Belle a spot in my bedroom!" Sweetie Belle and Opal! Oh, no! I can't leave them with Apple Jack without permission first! Well, perhaps after this, I'll go explain the whole mess to her. I silently began working out a plan in my head on how I might address the matter. "Oh, my, yes. Let's uh," I cleared my throat, returning back to reality in time to see that we were making our way up the stairs. "Let's do that." We walked up the remaining stair steps and stepped into Pinkie's bedroom to see furniture knocked down to the floor, at least four holes in the walls, and a giant gap located directly above where her window used to be. That wasn't the worst part, no: in the middle of the messed up room, sat a yellow-eyed, baby alligator. "Gummy!" Pinkie yelled, running towards the little monster. "Lookie, Rarity! He's happy to see you!" Gummy, who had started nibbling on Pinkie's ear as soon as she set him on her back, stared at me. "I believe he is a lot more happy to see you, Pinkie." Thank Celestia for that. "Non-sense!" She said, grabbing the reptile with her mouth. Unsanitary! "Pinkie, dear," backing away from her, I could feel my heart rate increase. "What on earth do you think you're-" "Go, Gummy! Share your love!" She cried, throwing the toothless alligator towards me. I did what any sensible pony would do in my situation: I screamed right when the horrible beast was chucked onto my forehead. Without another thought, I shook him off my face, then darted out of Sugar Cube Corner as fast as my hooves would allow! From her broken window, Pinkie called to me. "Wait, Rarity! We haven't thrown you your party yet!" *** Upon arrival of Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed Apple Jack exiting the barn with Opal's carrier in her mouth. Perfect, Apple Jack! Once again, you proved how excellent you are with timing! I trotted to her. "Apple Jack, dear!" I called. She turned to meet my gaze, then rushed to meet me. Placing the carrier at my hooves, she said, "Howdy there, Rarity! Opal's all cleaned and groomed now; though it took a right lot of effort to do that. As for your sister, well, she and the other two fillies made a huge mess in the kitchen, but don't worry; she's still clean. It's a little early to be pickin' her up, though. I thought she was gonna stay 'til-" "Nevermind that, darling. I have come here with an emergancy." "What kind of emergancy? Is there anything I can do to help yah out?" "Well, that's the thing. See, my house may have suffered a bit of damage due to some certain ponies and their reckless behaviour, and let's just say that I haven't really decided on what my temporary home will be. That, and I can't have Sweetie Belle and Opal trudging the streets with me, now can I? And honestly, I know your house is full enough as it is, but I was wondering if you could let Sweetie and Opal stay for just a bit longer?" "Why, sure thing; Apple Bloom'd love to have Sweetie Belle around here. And you know, it's no trouble if you wanna stay here-" "Great! I cannot thank you enough, my dearest Apple Jack! I am in your debt. How long will they be allowed to stay, hmm?" "Well," began Apple Jack, "I reckon it all depends on how long it'll be before you can find a place to stay while your house is under reconstruction. That is, if you've requested it. But you could just stay-" "I left my money in my saddle bag at my house! Oh, I do hope that hasn't burned as well! Forgetting everything else (including my lady-like manners - what was I thinking?), I sprinted out of Sweet Apple Acres and to the remainder of my boutique. Silently, I scolded myself. Why didn't I grab what could be salvaged BEFORE? And now, I'm even running. I'm so uncivilized! No; I must keep my cool. There are exceptions to everything, Rarity; even manners. You've just lost your house and all you possessions. Don't lose your head, too. The Wrath of the Innocent PegasiApple Jack shook her head and watched Rarity sprint from Sweet Apple Acres. "Poor Rarity. She seems to be forgettin' everything. It's not like her to be so unorginized." She said to no pony in particular. Glancing down at the little, groomed beast in the crate, she added, "Well, while you're here, you may as well adjust your bad attitude, 'cause the way things are cookin', you ain't goin' home to Mommy anytime soon." Picking up the crate with her mouth, she walked towards the house. I should prob'ly tell the others 'bout this - not that Rainbow'd be able to invite her to her house or nothin', seein' as it's in the clouds. Though, she might be able to spread the word quicker than the press would. Apple Jack stepped on the porch of her home. I just hope that somepony'll be able to help 'er soon. Otherwise, she'll lose her head. Inside, she saw the three fillies look up at her hopefully. "What do y'all want?" She asked. "We're mighty sorry, Apple Jack." Apple Bloom said. Next, Scootaloo stepped up. "Yeah. We really messed up. We- OW!" Sweetie Belle nudged her. "I should have waited until the pie was done." She corrected. Sweetie Belle was last to speak up, "Are you mad at us?" "Ain't mad, but I hope y'all have learned your lesson." The three fillies nodded in response. "That's good," Apple Jack said, nodding with approval. "Sweetie, I should probably tell you that your sister's goin' through," she coughed, pausing to search for the right words. "A bit o' trouble, and it seems you're gonna be stayin' here for a bit longer 'til-" "YAAAAY!" Sweetie screeched, leaping into the air with joy. "Did'ja hear that, Apple Bloom?" "Sure did! This's gonna be lots of fun, ain't it?" Apple Bloom bounced a little on her hooves. Scootaloo just stared, then bowed her head. It was about time for her to go home. "Well," she said, turning for the door, "I'll see you guys later. I hope you have fun. I'm sorry about the mess, Apple Jack." The three other ponies watched sadly after Scootaloo. Poor thing, Apple Jack thought, guilt sweeping over her. She just seems so lonely and sad now. Wonder why she ain't glad to be goin' home to her family? After a few minutes, Apple Jack's guilt took over the better of her. Before Apple Jack could stop herself, she trotted briskly after the orange pony. "Wait, Scootaloo! Wait!" In the mud heading for the exit of Sweet Apple Acres, was Scootaloo, who turned around instinctively towards the sound of her name. "Scootaloo!" Apple Jack panted. "How would you like to stay here for a few more days? You can go ask your parents after you tell the other two." At the sight of the fillie's brightened eyes, Apple Jack's heart lifted. Now, she won't be lonely no more. Apple Jack smiled, watching Scootaloo sprint towards her house. Before Scootaloo made it halfway to the door, she called, "Guys! Guys! I can stay! We can make another pie!" Now, Apple Jack's heart fell. Dear, sweet Celestia: I've brought doom into my house. *** Rainbow Dash sat beside Derpy Hooves's hospital bed. "Hey Rainbow," Derpy said. "Yeah?" "Can we play a game?" At this, Rainbow remained silent for a minute. Don't do it, Dash. You're already scraping up the bits to pay for the repairs of Rarity's house and possessions. She told herself. On top of that, I'm also paying for Derpy's medical expenses. I don't think I can take the blame for another broken building or bone or WHATEVER might be destroyed next! To be honest, I don't know why I'm paying; maybe I feel just a teensy bit guilty... Still, I can't afford another tragedy! "Please, Dash? I'm so bored!" "I know the feeling, Derpy. Just hang tight, all right?" The book cart rolled by. Perfect. If reading could entertain an athlete, it surely could keep Derpy occupied. "Hey, wait!" She called after the nurse pushing the cart. "Is it cool if I borrow one of these?" The mare looked around, looking for the pony who might've spoken, then caught the stare of Dash. She smiled, then said, "Why, yes! Of course!" "Thanks." Rainbow said, grabbing a random children's book off the shelf. "Anytime!" The mare answered, then walked off. Rainbow took the book back to Derpy. "Here," she said, placing the book on Derpy's bed. "Maybe reading something might give you something to do for a bit." Derpy looked at the book, then awkwardly began shifting her hooves. "What?" Asked Rainbow. When Derpy remained silent, Rainbow said in a much harsher tone, "What?!" Derpy looked straight into Dash's eyes, and answered, "I can't read. Will you read it to me?" Rainbow Dash could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Read it to you? And why should I-" Derpy's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, I just-" "No, no; don't do that. Don't cry, Derpy." To cover her guilt from Derpy, she added, "Your tears might be made of acid or something. If it means that much to you, then I'll read you the book, but NO crying AT ALL. Got it?" "Okay, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy perked up, and returned to her happy self once again. I'm never training Derpy again. Rainbow thought, opening the book. "Okay, let's see..." She skimmed the first page, then felt a sickening knot in her stomach. You have got to be kidding me! She sighed, then began reading. "The Little Colt that Could, written by Pony Piper." Derpy raised one of her hooves, and began waving it in the air. Confused, Rainbow asked, "What's wrong?" "I have a question," she said, still frantically waving her hoof. "Um, okay? Go ahead, I guess." "Why'd you say the author's name?" "I guess it's 'cause that's how most ponies start a book, I guess. Now, as I was-" Derpy flicked her hoof in the air again. "Yes, Derpy." Rainbow moaned. "What is it?" "Why?" "Because the author needs credit! Now can I go on?" Derpy nodded, laying both her hooves out in front of her and resuming her previous, relaxed position. "Illistrated by Lois Lenski-Hoof. Now, to the first page-" "What's 'illistrated' mean?" "It means 'drawn.'" "Drawin' what?" "It means the pony who drew and painted the pictures." "Oh." Said Derpy, scratching her head before continuing her questions. "Why doesn't the author finish what they're saying?" "...What?" "It says 'The Little Colt that Could,' but it never said what he could do. Now I'll never know the end of the-" "You'll never know the end of the story if we don't pass the title page!" Rainbow snapped. "Gosh, you're right, Rainbow Dash! Maybe you should turn the page!" Derpy gasped. Rainbow, keeping her eyes on Derpy in order to know whether to take that as sarcasm or just typical Derpy, turned the cardboard cover. "Once, there was a filly named Tommy. Tommy was a pegasus who was always last place in flight school. All the other fillies and colts could fly-" "Why is his name Tommy?" "Because Pony Piper named him something weird and made up." She cleared her throat, then continued. "All the other fillies and colts could fly very fast, but they always left poor Tommy behind. All of the other young ponies made fun of Tommy, except his two friends, Bobby and Timmy." Rainbow turned turned the page. "Those names sound funny." "I know." "How come don't get made fun of for having funny names?" "Derpy, if I knew, I would tell you." "Do you know why?" For pony's sake. This is torture. By now, Rainbow was losing patience. "Didn't you hear me say that I would tell you if I knew?" "Yeah, but then you never said if you knew or not, so I didn't know." "Stop asking questions or you'll never know!" They sat in a tense silence, both staring at each other. Derpy, who seemed oblivious to Rainbow's annoyance, just smiled. Rainbow just glared at her until her impatience took control, then covered her face using both of her hooves. "Okay, Derpy. If you want me to finish this for you, you're going to need to tone it down just a bit with the questions, all right?" Then came an answer that Rainbow was not prepared for. "Why?" Yeah. Should of expected as much. Crash Landing"No, Derpy! Not that way, you're going to-" CRASH. Rainbow Dash shielded her face with her hooves right before the debris of Sugar Cube Corner's top story hit her. "Now look what you did!" Rainbow cried. "When Mr and Mrs. Cake see this..." She trailed off, shaking her head while landing softy next to Derpy in what was now the remainder of Pinkie Pie's bedroom. She then stared distantly through the holes inside Pinkie's walls as if somehow, a miracle would occur before her eyes to completely fill in the spaces. "Sorry Rainbow Dash," said Derpy. "Maybe I could help fi-" "NO!" Rainbow shouted fiercly. She cleared her throat, then in a softer tone said, "I mean, no. Please don't." Seeing the dissapointed look on the little pony's face, Rainbow Dash sighed. "Listen, Derpy; if you really want to help with anything, you need to learn to be a little less..." She paused, as if searching for the correct word. Derpy blinked at her expectantly. "Destructive." Rainbow finished, watching a piece of wood drop to the floor. "Well, gee Rainbow Dash; I don't mean to be!" Derpy exlaimed. "I just don't know what went wrong!" "Go outside, and wait for me there. I'll clean up the mess, but don't you DARE do anything, understand?" "Okie-dokie, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy beamed, then spread out her wings in preperation for take off. Rainbow gasped, quickly grabbed the end of Derpy's tail with her mouth just before the innocent pony lifted off the ground. Derpy halted, turned to face Rainbow, and asked, "What's wrong?" "I think it'd be better if you used to stairs." "Will do! Thanks for your help, Rainbow!" Rainbow nodded, then busied herself by picking up the leftover wood from the ruined furniture. At that, Derpy stumbled out of the room; allowing her footsteps to echo throughout the shop. Celestia knows that pony will need as much help as she can get her hooves on. She thought bitterly. No more than two seconds later, Rainbow stopped herself and shouted, "Wait, what did I-" The sound of breaking glass and a loud THUNK inturrupted her sentence. Horrified, Rainbow sped down stairs as fast as she could. "Oops." Rainbow stared at the broken display case at the front of the room, then, scanned the entire area with her eyes to find a different mess. Sitting there with a smashed, chocolate-covered cake on her head, was Derpy. Rainbow sighed. "Just go outside, please."
Rarity's First MistakeIt was simply glorious outside that day - despite the damp grass from yesterday's rain, of course. Incidently, my hooficure would have to suffer the consequences of a muddy, messy trip over to Apple Jack's. Allow me to explain; Apple Jack agreed to watch over Sweetie Belle and Opal for the day since Fluttershy was evidently busy with an ill bear. The only thing I had to do in return was bring my sister over to Sweet Apple Acres. I was NOT about to trust the care of my precious little Opal to Sweetie Belle. So, I left my other sewing project back on the desk in my room, and escorted Sweetie Belle to Sweet Apple Acres in hopes that I would actually make some progress in my work. The design of my new project was still in the "brain-storming" department. Why I ever used material before drawing out my final design, I cannot rightly say now. Since that mistake, though, I knew that I did have to rectify the damage done. Anyways, when we arrived at Apple Jack's with my hooves completely filthy, I first noticed Big Macintosh leading two other little fillies (Apple Bloom and Scootaloo) to the front door. I knew it was rude to pry, but I suppose my curiosity got the better of me at that moment, so I spoke to him. "Good day, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo. What might you be doing - if you don't mind my asking, of course." "Well, yah see," Apple Bloom started. "We were just on our way inside to see if Granny Smith was around to teach us how to create tasty treats. 'Course, we ain't never been too good at cookin', but we thought maybe we could retry and do better with Granny. But then, we couldn't find her, so we asked Big Macintosh to help." "Best of luck to you and your efforts." I said politely, then added: "Is there a chance one of you would know the whereabouts of Apple Jack? I need to make sure Opal's safe in her care." From behind me, I heard the low, angry grumble of my cat. "Sweetie Belle! You mustn't shake her cage around so much! You're scaring my poor, sweet Opal!" "Sorry, sis;" Sweetie Belle set Opal's carrier down, "it's big and heavy. Can't you carry it for a while?" "Well, it appears now I have to. I don't want her fur in a mess from all that unnessisary movement." Instead of carrying Opal's carrier in my mouth like Sweetie Belle did (which is somewhat unsanitary if one were to think about it), I levitated it using my magic. Of course, Sweetie Belle had a horn too, but I wasn't about to take any chances of her dropping Opal. "Sorry, Rarity." She mumbled quietly, staring down at her hooves. "It's quite all right." I answered, just before Apple Bloom interjected. "Well, if y'all are done, I'll tell ya' that Apple Jack's just in the barn fetchin' some more baskets." "Oh, yes. Right." I blushed. "I am extremely sorry you had to witness that." How humiliating. I wasn't even staying here, and still, I was proving myself a horrible house guest. "It's okay! Oh, wait, Big Macintosh!" Called Apple Bloom, just as Big Mac entered his home. Only Scootaloo hesitated to invite my little sister along. "Come on, Sweetie Belle! We might actually get our Cutie Marks this time!" Sweetie Belle beamed, then ran inside to follow the rest of her friends. A figure from the distance stepped out of the barn. And not a moment too soon. Apple Jack exitied her barn. Seeing this, I stepped out into the wet grass and mud, and brought Opal and her grooming kit to her. She saw me, then gave me a friendly smile. "Howdy there, Rarity. Glad you could stop to see me!" "Yes, delightful to see you as well. I can't thank you enough for offering to help with Sweetie and Opal. Why, even Twilight was too busy to help!" "Well, you're here now. Let me know if there's anything else you need me to do. I'll be happy to help with whatever ya' need." "I am extremely grateful for your offer, but right now, I just wanted to be sure my little baby would be all right until she was in your care." "Don't you worry 'bout a thing! She'll be safe and sound with me." "I have no doubts about that," I assured her. "I'd stay and chat, but I've much to do. Everything you need to know is written down in Opal's grooming kit." I hovered Opal's grooming kit and carrier closer to Applejack. Without having to be asked, she picked the kit up with her mouth, and balanced it on her back. Then, she grabbed Opal's carrier. "Good luck, dearie!" I smiled at her, and left the acres to head home. It is such a nice day out. Perhaps before setting to work, I could take a quick walk around the park. There's nothing wrong with a little break. When I'm done, I can head back to the spa for a few hours to have a redo done on my hooves. With that settled, I made my way to the park instead of immediately home. This was, perhaps, my first mistake in this giant mess.
Oven BakedWith the sun still beaming down on her back, Rainbow Dash led Derpy Hooves away from the scene of their previous crime and to a spot she thought was safe. Rarity wouldn't mind, she was sure. "Now listen up, and listen good! If you want to learn anything from this, you will do EXACTLY as I say. Got it?" Rainbow Dash stared firmly into her student's eyes. "Sure thing, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy exlaimed, barely able to hold in her excitement. "Good, now first thing about being less destructive is balance. So, to fix this, how about we start off by flying straight?" Derpy sat wordlessly; as if trying to soak in every word Rainbow Dash said. "Over there," Rainbow continued in her stern, demanding tone, "I set up a small, red flag. Over here, I have placed a small, blue flag. I want you to fly from here to there without making any curves at all. Since I know you can at least fly slowly, let's speed up your pace a bit." This task seemed simple enough. The blue flag, located only two feet away from where Derpy sat, waved with the wind in unison with the red flag; which was located approxomately fifteen feet north of them. Set in those positions, the two flags created a straight, imaginary line. "Okie-dokie!" Obediently, Derpy stumbled over to the blue start flag, and stretched her wings. "I'll be following you the whole time, so if you make ONE mistake, we're going to start over." Rainbow said, preparing herself as well. After stretching their wings (if one would call Derpy's strange, irratic movements "stretching"), they stood before the blue line, ready to fly. "We're about to go." She announced. "This will be fun, huh?" Derpy flashed her childish smile. Brushing this aside, Rainbow counted off. "Ready..." Their wings flicked out at the same time. "Set..." Rainbow instinctively set one of her hooves out in front of her, while Derpy, who had somewhat of a short attention span, fixed her eyes greedily on a nearby pink butterfly. "Take o-" Something large tumbled right into Rainbow Dash before she could finish, leaving her sprawling on the grass both confused and annoyed. "HI, RAINBOW DASH!" A high pitched voice stung her ears while stars danced before her eyes. "I saw you and Derpy here and thought you two were having fun, and since I absolutely, positively LOVE having lots of fun, I thought I'd join you! Is that okay? I hope it's okay; because if it's not, then I would have jumped in and surprised you all for nothing! Wouldn't that just STINK?! There's nothing less fun than being told it's not okay to join in the fun when you went to all the trouble of trying to double the fun! Hey Rainbow, are you having more fun than you had before? Because I-" "Pinkie." Rainbow inturruped, picking herself up off the ground. "Am having twenty times more fun just being here!" "Pinkie, Derpy and I are not here to 'have fun.' This is serious training. She wants to learn how to help, so-" "You're teaching her to stop destroying things? Do you think Rarity's okay with your little flag thingy SO close to her shop? Well, I guess it's a good thing you're teaching her, because I don't want my room messed up AGAIN! But I can hardly blame Derpy because who ever had any real fun without a big mess? Think about it: it's almost-" By this time, Rainbow's patience was wearing thin. "Pinkie. You can watch us train if you want; just don't get in the way. Okay?" "Okie-dokie!" Squealed Pinkie Pie, then skipped a short distance away to view the session. Rainbow sighed with exasperation. "Derpy, are you still ready?" Silence. Rainbow felt a lump rise to her throat. Oh no, she thought. During her conversation with Pinkie, she hadn't realized Derpy left. "Hey, Rainbow, look! Derpy's trying to rebuild Rarity's house!" She was half right. Evidently, Derpy crashed into Rarity's shop after speeding off from the start flag, and was picking up pieces of wood before entering the shop. Luckily, there was only one visible hole. "I thought she was going a little fast when I tackled you!" Pinkie said. "You SAW? Why didn't you tell me?" "Was I supposed to?" Rainbow Dash didn't stop to respond. She zoomed over to the hole in hopes of spotting Derpy. No luck. If Derpy wasn't on the ground, she was probably flying around somewhere. If not, Rainbow could at least spot her from a distance. So, she rocketed towards the sky. After several minutes of searching, Rainbow caught sight of something. Heading for the dead center of Rarity's top floor, spun Derpy uncontrollably. "Derpy, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Rainbow yelled, and swooped down to avert Derpy from the clothing store. "I can't stop, Rainbow! Help me!" Rainbow caught hold of Derpy's stomach and tried to steer her away from the building. They struggled in the air; kicking and spinning in an irratic fashion. From below, Pinkie was heard laughing furiously. "Pinkie, this is no time to be- OOF!" I really wish she wouldn't flail so much, she thought, groaning from the pain of Derpy's kick. "R-RAINBOW DASH!" Derpy managed to cry out moments before they slammed into Rarity's roof. Bits of ceiling and furniture from above rooms crackled and shattered before hitting their heads and the floor. "This is very bad." CRACK! "Oh, great. What did you break this time, Derpy?" She roared. "But I didn't touch anything this time!" Derpy insisted. "When Rarity sees this... Oh, man." Rainbow stood in the center of the devistated clothing store. "We can fix this! Don't worry!" Derpy grabbed a nearby chunk of what used to be Rarity's holding rack for her fabrics, went to the gigantic hold in the ceiling, and set it on top. "Derpy, NO!" The curve of Rarity's roof rejected the piece; sliding it off instantly. The weight of the wood increased the size of the hole, then crashed against the door. "I can fix that!" Knocking down the remaining furniture, Derpy made her way over to open the front door. Rainbow Dash would have stopped her, but at that moment, she smelled something odd. I hope that's not what I think I smell. Shuddering, she followed the scent into the kitchen. Bad. Very bad. Extremely bad. While the microwave toppled over, the kitchen sink was spewing out water from the severed nozzle. The stove, Dash noticed, blazed furiously from the inside. WHY WOULD SHE RUN AN ERRAND WHILE COOKING? Rainbow Dash sped over to the fire. "Oh." The word slipped quietly out of her mouth. The word; the simple, tiny word held all the tension she had felt from Derpy's mishaps that day. It also held a sudden realization: Rarity did not cook anything. At least, Rainbow thought Rarity didn't regularly cook cupcakes and leave the freshly made mess unattended to. Though, she thought she might know who would make the mistake of setting an unfamilliar oven to bake at five hundred degrees. A pink figure bounced in through the smoke. "Aw, MAN! They're burnt! How could they be BURNT?" Pinkie Pie complained, oblivious to the noise Derpy was making. "YOU made this mess? Why would you be cooking anything while the house is a disaster?" Rainbow Dash could not believe any of what was happening. While Derpy and I wreck Rarity's home, Pinkie Pie's baking sweets. Typical. "I thought she'd like having something good after seeing her house so bad. Sheesh, no need to overreact!" Rainbow Dash would have remained silent and held her position if she hadn't noticed the room becoming darker. We are so dead... Smoke drizzled from every open hole and window in Rarity's home while the fire grew larger and hotter with each passing second. BWOOSH! The flames engulfed the stove, setting off a loud fire-alarm. Grabbing Pinkie, Rainbow fled from the kitchen to safety. After placing Pinkie far from the house, she shouted "WAIT THERE," then returned to the smoking house in search for Derpy. Inside the front display of the shop, Rainbow only took a second to view the damage Derpy had done. Scattered, disassembled furniture were lying on the now filthy base. The once standing, closed walls were now barely holding up the top floor. No Derpy. "Rainbow!" A voice called out to her. Upstairs, she knew. It took Rainbow Dash no more than five seconds to locate Derpy helplessly struggling with a broken wing. "Oh, no." Rainbow removed Rarity's fallen desk from her wing, then carried her off to Pinkie. As soon as she flew out the opening, the bottom floor fell beneath the weight of the top floor. The tip of the boutique toppled inward, and the flames spread throughout the ruins of Rarity's shop. In the midst of Rainbow's confused silence, a familliar scream broke her line of thoughts. "What happened?!" The voice screeched. Rainbow gulped. There, just beyond her reach, stood Rarity.
Pinkie's OfferMy house. Destroyed. In flames. My work. Destroyed. In flames. This cannot be happening. Oh, dark and dismal day! The world seems to be spinning. No light shines on my luck! "Oooh! Can we bring fireworks, too? It would be so pretty! Let's go get some! C'mon, Dashie! They aren't going to buy themselves!" Pinkie Pie shouted. I think at that point, my cheeks were burning red; though I could not rightly say, since I could not see them. "You!" I snapped at Pinkie Pie. How Pinkie could afford to continue her levity when a house was on fire, I will never understand. "You are not going ANYWHERE until one of you tells me WHY AND HOW MY WORK HAS GONE TO WASTE AND HOW MY BEAUTIFUL BOUTIQUE IS BEING REDUCED TO ASHES!" My nostrils seemed to be invoulintarily flaring, but at that moment, my facial appearance (as BARBARIC as that may sound) was the least of my concerns. As expected, Rainbow was the first to step up. "Rarity, Derpy and I were training to make her less destructive-" "And you see how well that turned out!" I scoffed at the irony of her statement. "And you see, well, things didn't exactly go as planned." Rainbow Dash shifted her hooves. Perhaps due to discomfort. "I certainly hope that isn't the end of your tale! She somehow managed to set my house on fire as well, I presume?!" "Well, no; that was Pinkie. After Derpy crashed into your roof and walls, Pinkie decided she wanted to set the oven at five hundred in order to make cupcakes." Pinkie Pie interjected, "and it would have worked, too - if it weren't for you meddling ponies!" Dash, I noticed, looked upset as well. "Pinkie Pie, you are so RANDOM!" I could not believe this. Pinkie Pie was making jokes, Rainbow Dash was the cause of this whole mess, and Derpy - wait,why is she crying? "R-Rainbow D-D-Dash..." She stammered, sniffling. Poor dear! She must have been feeling so guilty over wrecking my house! Well, how could I remain upset with such a kind-hearted, gentle- "Rainbow, m-my w-wing hurts really b-bad!" Derpy began to wail. My jaw dropped - only by a little, mind anypony containing the decency to even care! "Excuse me?" I said. "Oh, yeah, right," Rainbow Dash began, her brows furrowing with concern. "When I went to get her out of the fire, I noticed her wing was broken. We'll just need to get her to a hospital." "Uhm, hello! Let's get those fireworks A.S.A.P!" I am pleased to note (while looking back on this incident) that everypony ignored Pinkie's request to celebrate my misfortune by using firearms. "And what about my house? Is there nopony to repair this?!" "The fire-fighter ponies and comstruction workers will. Rarity, I don't say this often, but..." She muttered the next few words quietly. Prideful pony. "I'm really sorry." At that moment, I thought it best not to mention how much it would have cost to repair the house, since Rainbow hardly ever apologized. "R-Rarity, I'm s-s-sorry, t-too." Derpy blubbered to me. "Maybe w-when my wing is better, I c-can help fix-" "No need! It's quite all right, darling! Feel better soon!" Leaning to my ear, Rainbow whispered, "good call." A few seconds of silence passed. "Well," she announced to everypony this time. "I'm off to bring Derpy to a medic." No. She cannot be leaving mw here homeless. I'll have to live the rest of my days in the gutter, begging for some extra money to buy food. My beautiful mane and tail will no longer be styled! No! My poor, fabulous mane! To solve this problem, I did the only thing I thought sensible: cry. "Oh, woe is me-he-he! I have no place to stay; no place to sleep! My designs are all gone! In the blink of an eye, too-" Rainbow halted in her tracks. "Well, technically, it took a little longer to destro-" "I don't care how l-long it took! I'm ruined, finished! Poor Rarity! I'll be too hideous to walk the streets! Woe is me! Woe is m-me!" Since I had no pillow nor my lavishly decorated sofa to fall dramatically on, I simply stood there and wailed instead. Yes, now everypony could see just how bad my situation was. "Hey, Rarity! You can stay with me!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down excitedly. Rainbow Dash covered her face with her hoof. "I'll go alert the fire-fighters." "Silly Dashie! They're already here! See? Lookie! They arrived several minutes ago while Derpy began crying!" "Why didn't you tell us?!" Rainbow demanded viciously. Pinkie continued to smile. "Why didn't you ask?" For some strange reason, we all stood in silence for a moment - prior to Derpy's sniffling, of course. "C'mon Rarity!" Pinkie squealed, breaking the silence. Startled, I gasped. Her sudden shouts are completely unnessisary; someday, she might give a pony a heart-attack! "We'll have a fun, fun welcome party for you!" Bouncing, she headed towards the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. I suppose her room will have to do, I thought; then, trudged reluctantly behind her. "It's kind of a mess now since Derpy made a few holes in the walls and crashed into some furniture, but it's not so bad! Don't worry - you'll feel right at home once you get used to it!" I sighed. Well, here we go.
A Valuable Lesson in Cooking"Granny Smith!" Three young, anxious ponies scuttled towards the old mare rocking in her chair on the front porch. "What, what is it?" The pony called "Granny Smith" snorted, now awakened from her snooze. "Where were you?" Demanded little Apple Bloom. "Yeah, we looked everywhere, but we still couldn't find you!" Included Scootaloo. "Why, I was..." Granny trailed off, placing a hoof on her chin, then looking up at the clouds as if they held an answer for her. "What was I doin' before I fell asleep?" "Nevermind that," said an impatient Sweetie Belle. "We have cutie marks to get, remember, Apple Bloom?" "Yeah, yeah." Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Just hold yourself for a minute; I'm gettin' to that!" "Say, Granny Smith," Scootaloo began, evidently oblivious to her other friends' conversation. "Can you teach us how to cook?" "Why, certainly!" The old pony cawed gleefully. "Come right on in the kitchen, and we'll get started." "Awesome! With Granny Smith teaching us, we'll get our cutie marks in no time!" Scootaloo said to the other two just before entering Apple Jack's house. Nodding with agreement, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trailed behind eagerly. *** "Now, Opal! I might not be an expert on cats, but I do know that if- GAH!" Apple Jack cringed as the fluffy little creature scratched the side of her cheek. "See here, cat!" Spat Apple Jack. "Rarity's comin' back soon, and if she sees you covered in mud, she's going to be right mad!" Opal, now trapped in the corner of the Apples' barn, yowled furiously. This cat is trying to rip me to shreds! Thought Apple Jack as she gingerly tapped the scratch on her face using her hoof. 'Course, that ain't nothin' compared to what Rarity'll do if she sees her precious Opal covered in mud. That silly creature ran straight into a mud puddle! Why did the Pegasi have to schedule a rain for yesterday?! Opal hissed in the silence, inturrupting Apple Jack's thoughts. "Hmph. You wanna make this hard?" Apple Jack challenged. "Well two can play this game!" *** Fine, sifted flour coated Scootaloo's hooves. "Are you sure this is what we're supposed to do?" She asked, kneading the dough. "This is kind if boring." "Just be patient," replied Sweetie. "Maybe the fun part hasn't come yet." "Ain't nothin' like bakin' sweet apple pie!" Granny Smith sang out, pulling out a basket of big, bright-red apples. "And we're supposed to be putting this on top? It looks a little bulky for a pie..." Scootaloo raised her hooves away from the fat lump if dough. "Well, we haven't rolled it out yet!" Argued Apple Bloom. "Hey, Granny Smith," said Sweetie Belle. "How long do we have to leave it in for?" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it; now we have to, uh," Granny paused for a moment. Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "Have to...?" "Oh! Yes, that's right. We gotta cut up these apples a bit." Scootaloo covered her face with her hoof. "This is so lame." "I'll say," snorted Apple Bloom. "You got flour and bits of dough all over your face!" *** It's too quiet in here. Inside of her closed barn, Apple Jack froze; letting the light from the cieling bulb reveal her determined stance. To herself, she spoke aloud. "She's around here somewhere, I know it!" Thunk! "What was that?" Apple Jack turned instinctively towards the sound, but only to find her remaining apple barrels stacked lazily in the same corner and manner she had stacked them earlier today. No cat, hmm? Well, why don't I just take a look at what's over there? Casually, she trotted over to the barrels that seemed to have created the sound. Empty?! "How in tarnation could this be-" WOOSH! Something small rushed inbetween her hooves; but not fast enough. Quickly, Apple Jack caught the furry feline using her jaws. She will now be groomed. With that, she carried little Opal towards the grooming kit in the corner. *** "And finally!" Said Granny Smith, picking up the unbaked pie. Scootaloo leaned over and whispered in Sweetie Belle's ear, "finally is right." Sweetie sniggered. "We put this in the oven, and set it for ten minutes and two-hundred-fifty degrees!" "Are you sure that's right, Granny?" Asked Apple Bloom. "Well, in all honesty, no. But I'm trying out a new recipe that I got from that, er, Pinkie Pie gal. You kids have fun!" After that, Granny Smith exited the room to continue her nap on the front porch. The three girls stood silently around the mess they had just made in the proccess of baking an apple pie. "This stinks." Pouted Scootaloo. "I know! We have to wait a whole ten minutes just to get our cutie marks!" Agreed Sweetie, sitting down on the flour dusted floor and then crossing her hooves. "Well, at least it wasn't Granny's old recipe. That one took longer!" Apple Bloom said. "Isn't there a way we could speed it up?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning her head in the direction of Apple Bloom. Before she had time to answer, Scootaloo perked up, and practically shouted with excitement, "I know! We can set the oven to five-hundred degrees for five minutes!" "That's a great idea!" Squealed Sweetie. Apple Bloom, however, was less enthusiastic. "I don't know, you guys. Granny Smith said that she was followin' Pinkie's recipe. Maybe we should just-" "Change the settings? You read my mind!" Said Scootaloo, turning the oven to five-hundred. "I didn't say that! I said we should leave it!" Apple Bloom said, turning the oven back to its original settings. "And I say we speed this up so we can actually get our cutie marks before we're snoring in rocking chairs!" Scootaloo changed the oven back, evidently unaware of the pie's bubbling inside. Sweetie Belle seemed to be the only one to notice. "Uhm, guys?" Sweetie Belle said, watching her two friends fight over the settings on the oven. Back, and forth from two-hundred-fifty to five-hundred the oven went; over and over again. Still, nopony heard Sweetie Belle's objections. Pop! A dough-bubble explosion sounded from inside."I think you should stop now!" Ignoring Sweetie Belle's plead, Apple Bloom continued to argue with Scootaloo while the pie inside the oven still boiled and popped furiously. "Stay!" "Change!" "Stay!" "Cha-" Splat! Now, in the oven, the pie splattered in a sticky, doughy mess. Ding! The oven sounded. "Well," started Sweetie Belle, "your plan worked, Scootaloo. It's done."
Gummy's Warm WelcomeI cannot believe I'm stuck staying with Pinkie Pie in her bedroom. This isn't happening. This is not happening. No, keep it together, Rarity. You can endure this. I just had to keep taking slow, deep breaths. Yes, that's it; in, out, in, out. "Hey, Rarity! Lookie! Lookie! We're here!" Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly and pointed with her right hoof towards the top floor of Sugar Cube Corner - which had several holes in it. Wonderful. Only Pinkie Pie would cheer and celebrate the occassion of a damaged building. Nevertheless, I would try not to ruin her good mood. She was, after all, inviting me into her home. "It's, uh, lovely, Pinkie Pie." "Silly, you've seen this place before!" Yes, I thought. But never in the form of swiss cheese. "Come on, we'll make you and Sweetie Belle a spot in my bedroom!" Sweetie Belle and Opal! Oh, no! I can't leave them with Apple Jack without permission first! Well, perhaps after this, I'll go explain the whole mess to her. I silently began working out a plan in my head on how I might address the matter. "Oh, my, yes. Let's uh," I cleared my throat, returning back to reality in time to see that we were making our way up the stairs. "Let's do that." We walked up the remaining stair steps and stepped into Pinkie's bedroom to see furniture knocked down to the floor, at least four holes in the walls, and a giant gap located directly above where her window used to be. That wasn't the worst part, no: in the middle of the messed up room, sat a yellow-eyed, baby alligator. "Gummy!" Pinkie yelled, running towards the little monster. "Lookie, Rarity! He's happy to see you!" Gummy, who had started nibbling on Pinkie's ear as soon as she set him on her back, stared at me. "I believe he is a lot more happy to see you, Pinkie." Thank Celestia for that. "Non-sense!" She said, grabbing the reptile with her mouth. Unsanitary! "Pinkie, dear," backing away from her, I could feel my heart rate increase. "What on earth do you think you're-" "Go, Gummy! Share your love!" She cried, throwing the toothless alligator towards me. I did what any sensible pony would do in my situation: I screamed right when the horrible beast was chucked onto my forehead. Without another thought, I shook him off my face, then darted out of Sugar Cube Corner as fast as my hooves would allow! From her broken window, Pinkie called to me. "Wait, Rarity! We haven't thrown you your party yet!" *** Upon arrival of Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed Apple Jack exiting the barn with Opal's carrier in her mouth. Perfect, Apple Jack! Once again, you proved how excellent you are with timing! I trotted to her. "Apple Jack, dear!" I called. She turned to meet my gaze, then rushed to meet me. Placing the carrier at my hooves, she said, "Howdy there, Rarity! Opal's all cleaned and groomed now; though it took a right lot of effort to do that. As for your sister, well, she and the other two fillies made a huge mess in the kitchen, but don't worry; she's still clean. It's a little early to be pickin' her up, though. I thought she was gonna stay 'til-" "Nevermind that, darling. I have come here with an emergancy." "What kind of emergancy? Is there anything I can do to help yah out?" "Well, that's the thing. See, my house may have suffered a bit of damage due to some certain ponies and their reckless behaviour, and let's just say that I haven't really decided on what my temporary home will be. That, and I can't have Sweetie Belle and Opal trudging the streets with me, now can I? And honestly, I know your house is full enough as it is, but I was wondering if you could let Sweetie and Opal stay for just a bit longer?" "Why, sure thing; Apple Bloom'd love to have Sweetie Belle around here. And you know, it's no trouble if you wanna stay here-" "Great! I cannot thank you enough, my dearest Apple Jack! I am in your debt. How long will they be allowed to stay, hmm?" "Well," began Apple Jack, "I reckon it all depends on how long it'll be before you can find a place to stay while your house is under reconstruction. That is, if you've requested it. But you could just stay-" "I left my money in my saddle bag at my house! Oh, I do hope that hasn't burned as well! Forgetting everything else (including my lady-like manners - what was I thinking?), I sprinted out of Sweet Apple Acres and to the remainder of my boutique. Silently, I scolded myself. Why didn't I grab what could be salvaged BEFORE? And now, I'm even running. I'm so uncivilized! No; I must keep my cool. There are exceptions to everything, Rarity; even manners. You've just lost your house and all you possessions. Don't lose your head, too.
The Wrath of the Innocent PegasiApple Jack shook her head and watched Rarity sprint from Sweet Apple Acres. "Poor Rarity. She seems to be forgettin' everything. It's not like her to be so unorginized." She said to no pony in particular. Glancing down at the little, groomed beast in the crate, she added, "Well, while you're here, you may as well adjust your bad attitude, 'cause the way things are cookin', you ain't goin' home to Mommy anytime soon." Picking up the crate with her mouth, she walked towards the house. I should prob'ly tell the others 'bout this - not that Rainbow'd be able to invite her to her house or nothin', seein' as it's in the clouds. Though, she might be able to spread the word quicker than the press would. Apple Jack stepped on the porch of her home. I just hope that somepony'll be able to help 'er soon. Otherwise, she'll lose her head. Inside, she saw the three fillies look up at her hopefully. "What do y'all want?" She asked. "We're mighty sorry, Apple Jack." Apple Bloom said. Next, Scootaloo stepped up. "Yeah. We really messed up. We- OW!" Sweetie Belle nudged her. "I should have waited until the pie was done." She corrected. Sweetie Belle was last to speak up, "Are you mad at us?" "Ain't mad, but I hope y'all have learned your lesson." The three fillies nodded in response. "That's good," Apple Jack said, nodding with approval. "Sweetie, I should probably tell you that your sister's goin' through," she coughed, pausing to search for the right words. "A bit o' trouble, and it seems you're gonna be stayin' here for a bit longer 'til-" "YAAAAY!" Sweetie screeched, leaping into the air with joy. "Did'ja hear that, Apple Bloom?" "Sure did! This's gonna be lots of fun, ain't it?" Apple Bloom bounced a little on her hooves. Scootaloo just stared, then bowed her head. It was about time for her to go home. "Well," she said, turning for the door, "I'll see you guys later. I hope you have fun. I'm sorry about the mess, Apple Jack." The three other ponies watched sadly after Scootaloo. Poor thing, Apple Jack thought, guilt sweeping over her. She just seems so lonely and sad now. Wonder why she ain't glad to be goin' home to her family? After a few minutes, Apple Jack's guilt took over the better of her. Before Apple Jack could stop herself, she trotted briskly after the orange pony. "Wait, Scootaloo! Wait!" In the mud heading for the exit of Sweet Apple Acres, was Scootaloo, who turned around instinctively towards the sound of her name. "Scootaloo!" Apple Jack panted. "How would you like to stay here for a few more days? You can go ask your parents after you tell the other two." At the sight of the fillie's brightened eyes, Apple Jack's heart lifted. Now, she won't be lonely no more. Apple Jack smiled, watching Scootaloo sprint towards her house. Before Scootaloo made it halfway to the door, she called, "Guys! Guys! I can stay! We can make another pie!" Now, Apple Jack's heart fell. Dear, sweet Celestia: I've brought doom into my house. *** Rainbow Dash sat beside Derpy Hooves's hospital bed. "Hey Rainbow," Derpy said. "Yeah?" "Can we play a game?" At this, Rainbow remained silent for a minute. Don't do it, Dash. You're already scraping up the bits to pay for the repairs of Rarity's house and possessions. She told herself. On top of that, I'm also paying for Derpy's medical expenses. I don't think I can take the blame for another broken building or bone or WHATEVER might be destroyed next! To be honest, I don't know why I'm paying; maybe I feel just a teensy bit guilty... Still, I can't afford another tragedy! "Please, Dash? I'm so bored!" "I know the feeling, Derpy. Just hang tight, all right?" The book cart rolled by. Perfect. If reading could entertain an athlete, it surely could keep Derpy occupied. "Hey, wait!" She called after the nurse pushing the cart. "Is it cool if I borrow one of these?" The mare looked around, looking for the pony who might've spoken, then caught the stare of Dash. She smiled, then said, "Why, yes! Of course!" "Thanks." Rainbow said, grabbing a random children's book off the shelf. "Anytime!" The mare answered, then walked off. Rainbow took the book back to Derpy. "Here," she said, placing the book on Derpy's bed. "Maybe reading something might give you something to do for a bit." Derpy looked at the book, then awkwardly began shifting her hooves. "What?" Asked Rainbow. When Derpy remained silent, Rainbow said in a much harsher tone, "What?!" Derpy looked straight into Dash's eyes, and answered, "I can't read. Will you read it to me?" Rainbow Dash could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Read it to you? And why should I-" Derpy's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, I just-" "No, no; don't do that. Don't cry, Derpy." To cover her guilt from Derpy, she added, "Your tears might be made of acid or something. If it means that much to you, then I'll read you the book, but NO crying AT ALL. Got it?" "Okay, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy perked up, and returned to her happy self once again. I'm never training Derpy again. Rainbow thought, opening the book. "Okay, let's see..." She skimmed the first page, then felt a sickening knot in her stomach. You have got to be kidding me! She sighed, then began reading. "The Little Colt that Could, written by Pony Piper." Derpy raised one of her hooves, and began waving it in the air. Confused, Rainbow asked, "What's wrong?" "I have a question," she said, still frantically waving her hoof. "Um, okay? Go ahead, I guess." "Why'd you say the author's name?" "I guess it's 'cause that's how most ponies start a book, I guess. Now, as I was-" Derpy flicked her hoof in the air again. "Yes, Derpy." Rainbow moaned. "What is it?" "Why?" "Because the author needs credit! Now can I go on?" Derpy nodded, laying both her hooves out in front of her and resuming her previous, relaxed position. "Illistrated by Lois Lenski-Hoof. Now, to the first page-" "What's 'illistrated' mean?" "It means 'drawn.'" "Drawin' what?" "It means the pony who drew and painted the pictures." "Oh." Said Derpy, scratching her head before continuing her questions. "Why doesn't the author finish what they're saying?" "...What?" "It says 'The Little Colt that Could,' but it never said what he could do. Now I'll never know the end of the-" "You'll never know the end of the story if we don't pass the title page!" Rainbow snapped. "Gosh, you're right, Rainbow Dash! Maybe you should turn the page!" Derpy gasped. Rainbow, keeping her eyes on Derpy in order to know whether to take that as sarcasm or just typical Derpy, turned the cardboard cover. "Once, there was a filly named Tommy. Tommy was a pegasus who was always last place in flight school. All the other fillies and colts could fly-" "Why is his name Tommy?" "Because Pony Piper named him something weird and made up." She cleared her throat, then continued. "All the other fillies and colts could fly very fast, but they always left poor Tommy behind. All of the other young ponies made fun of Tommy, except his two friends, Bobby and Timmy." Rainbow turned turned the page. "Those names sound funny." "I know." "How come don't get made fun of for having funny names?" "Derpy, if I knew, I would tell you." "Do you know why?" For pony's sake. This is torture. By now, Rainbow was losing patience. "Didn't you hear me say that I would tell you if I knew?" "Yeah, but then you never said if you knew or not, so I didn't know." "Stop asking questions or you'll never know!" They sat in a tense silence, both staring at each other. Derpy, who seemed oblivious to Rainbow's annoyance, just smiled. Rainbow just glared at her until her impatience took control, then covered her face using both of her hooves. "Okay, Derpy. If you want me to finish this for you, you're going to need to tone it down just a bit with the questions, all right?" Then came an answer that Rainbow was not prepared for. "Why?" Yeah. Should of expected as much.
Crash Landing"No, Derpy! Not that way, you're going to-" CRASH. Rainbow Dash shielded her face with her hooves right before the debris of Sugar Cube Corner's top story hit her. "Now look what you did!" Rainbow cried. "When Mr and Mrs. Cake see this..." She trailed off, shaking her head while landing softy next to Derpy in what was now the remainder of Pinkie Pie's bedroom. She then stared distantly through the holes inside Pinkie's walls as if somehow, a miracle would occur before her eyes to completely fill in the spaces. "Sorry Rainbow Dash," said Derpy. "Maybe I could help fi-" "NO!" Rainbow shouted fiercly. She cleared her throat, then in a softer tone said, "I mean, no. Please don't." Seeing the dissapointed look on the little pony's face, Rainbow Dash sighed. "Listen, Derpy; if you really want to help with anything, you need to learn to be a little less..." She paused, as if searching for the correct word. Derpy blinked at her expectantly. "Destructive." Rainbow finished, watching a piece of wood drop to the floor. "Well, gee Rainbow Dash; I don't mean to be!" Derpy exlaimed. "I just don't know what went wrong!" "Go outside, and wait for me there. I'll clean up the mess, but don't you DARE do anything, understand?" "Okie-dokie, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy beamed, then spread out her wings in preperation for take off. Rainbow gasped, quickly grabbed the end of Derpy's tail with her mouth just before the innocent pony lifted off the ground. Derpy halted, turned to face Rainbow, and asked, "What's wrong?" "I think it'd be better if you used to stairs." "Will do! Thanks for your help, Rainbow!" Rainbow nodded, then busied herself by picking up the leftover wood from the ruined furniture. At that, Derpy stumbled out of the room; allowing her footsteps to echo throughout the shop. Celestia knows that pony will need as much help as she can get her hooves on. She thought bitterly. No more than two seconds later, Rainbow stopped herself and shouted, "Wait, what did I-" The sound of breaking glass and a loud THUNK inturrupted her sentence. Horrified, Rainbow sped down stairs as fast as she could. "Oops." Rainbow stared at the broken display case at the front of the room, then, scanned the entire area with her eyes to find a different mess. Sitting there with a smashed, chocolate-covered cake on her head, was Derpy. Rainbow sighed. "Just go outside, please."
