My Little Pony: Onverseby Goat CarnivalChaptersNightly Storm: Wonderbolt Race!Blue Stem: PlaydateShiver Snowhoof: The Concert of NerdsCider Blitz: Friends Over FamilyNightly Storm: Wonderbolt Race!"Pleeeeeeeeeease daaaaaaaaaad!!!!!!" Nightly cried in her regular Manipulating my Dad to Get me Something I Want voice. It didn't always work, but she had this feeling that this specific request would get Mountain Mist to agree with her. At school, Nightly had found a poster on the wall in gym advertising the annual Foal's Flight Race held on the Wonderbolt's Derby track. It was for pegasus foals ages ten to thirteen, and she was finally old enough to join. She was already the fastest flier in her weekend flight classes, so what the heck, right? "A race, huh?" Mountain Mist commented with a chuckle. "You sure you're up to the challenge?" "Of course I am!" Nightly answered with a prideful gusto in her voice. She excitedly flew up and over her dad's head, landing at his side and head butting him in the ribs playfully. He responded to this action by pulling her close and messing up her mane with his hoof. Nightly knew that when her dad phrased his answers as a call to a challenge, it always meant yes. She was finally going to enter her first public race, with a real prize and everything! The two of them stopped playing once they heard a latch close in the other room. "I'm home!" a young colt's voice called. It was Nightly's older brother, Cumulus Chariot. "Cloudy!" Nightly called, using her affectionate nickname she often used for her brother. "Do you want to compete in the Foal's Flight Race with me?" She excitedly shoved the poster in Cumulus's face. He looked at the poster with a confused expression. "A race?" He raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "You know I'm not exactly the best when it comes to races, right?" "Well, even the best Wonderbolts started somewhere!" Nightly said. She then smirked for a brief second and immediately pouted over-dramatically. "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my big brother wasn't with me in my first race! I might DIE of sadness! Pleeeeeeease join me Cloudy!" "I didn't even say 'no' yet, Stormy," Cumulus said with a sigh. "But what's your answer?" Nightly whined again. Cumulus looked at his sister eye-to-eye. She knew that Cumulus was vulnerable to her pouty face, and so she puckered her lower lip and lowered her eyebrows in an attempt to persuade him more. Cumulus closed his eyes and sighed as their dad walked through the doorway to join them. "Alright, Sis." Nightly squealed with excitement and wrapped her forelegs around her brother. "This'll be so much fun! Just imagine the first place trophy with my name on it over the mantle! And Cumulus's participation trophy!" "'Participation trophy?!'" Cumulus scoffed, pulling away from his sister's embrace. "I'm going to at least make the top five! I think they get like, a cool medal or something..." Nightly laughed and playfully pushed down on her brother's head. "It's cool that you're at least this confident, bro!" She started cantering into a small liftoff to the second floor of their house. "See you in the morning! The sign-ups are this Saturday and the race is a week after that!" She closed the door to her room and flopped on her bed. She looked over at the signed poster of Rainbow Dash that hung on her wall in a sleek black frame. In just a week (and four days) she would finally be racing on the track flown on by the most incredible flight team in Equestria- nay(neigh) -the world! She quickly saluted the poster and settled under the covers, too thrilled to fall asleep. Finally, the big day arrived! Nightly, Cumulus, and Mountain Mist all walked up to the stadium entrance, Nightly being unable to stay still out of pure excitement. "I can't believe it, the actual Wonderbolt's Derby track! I wonder if there'll be any Wonderbolts here. Do you think Soarin will be here? Or maybe Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger? OR!! What if it's Rainbow Dash?!" "I doubt there'll be any Wonderbolts here," Cumulus said. "I think that's only for the Young Flier's Competition, which, ironically, we're too young for." Nightly frowned, but only for a second as they were just about to enter the stadium. Her perky attitude bounced right back as she found herself on the cloud-lined stadium floor. There were 24 other foals around her, not counting her brother, and just about 200 ponies in the stands with almost 35 other ponies still on the stadium floor. Obviously not as many spectators as an official Wonderbolts event, but definitely more than your average foal race. Over the speakers, the hit rock single "Taught to Fly" by the new band Anomaly Chasers appropriately played on a loop. Mountain Mist walked his foals over to the sign-in table, where the ponies sitting there gave him two large stickers, one labeled "H" and the other labeled "I." He hoofed them to his children, gave them a reassuring hug, and flew off into the stands. "I guess these are our positions at the starting line?" Cumulus observed, putting the "I" sticker on his chest. Nightly decided to mess around and put the "H" sticker just under her left eye. "RACERS, TO YOUR POSITIONS!" A voice called over the intercom, cutting through the chorus of Taught to Fly, much to everypony's disappointment. Nightly and Cumulus trotted up to their places at the start line, right next to each other. Nightly looked over and smiled at her brother. She held up a hoof as the countdown to start began. "Good luck!" she said, excitedly. Cumulus smiled back and held his hoof up as well, hitting it against his sister's to perform a hoof bump. "You too, sis!" "THREE!" The countdown began as sweat started to stream down Nightly's brow. The heat and moisture caused the sticker to fall off her face. Not like she needed it for the rest of the race, anyhow. "TWO!!" All of the racers' wings shot up, ready to take flight. Nightly smiled and raised her wings, feeling like she had reached the height of her confidence in herself. "ONE! GO!!!" All the young pegasi took off. Nightly zoomed around the track, overtaking five of the ponies in front of her. She was now in third place. She just had two more ponies to pass, and then she had to stay in that position till the end of the final lap. She beat her wings harder and harder, sweat flying off her. She crossed the lap line. That makes four, now only two laps left. She kept her wing beat rate at an increasing pace, finally managing to overtake second place. Now she just had to take over first. Nightly looked to her left across the track. In eleventh place stayed Cumulus, trying his darnedest to overtake at least one pony. At least all the others behind him didn't seem to be fast enough to claim his place either. She opened her mouth in a wide grin as she passed the line again. She was in the last lap now. Her wingbeats started to stagger, but her pace remained consistent enough to pass the colt in front of her. She was finally in the lead, and only a few paces away from the finish line. She moved into the last stretch, passing the finish line with a flash of light. "THE FIRST PLACE WINNER; NIGHTLY STORM!" The announcer presented the rank over the speaker system. Thunderous stomping and cheers erupted from the audience. The rest of the racers passed the line after her as she sat off to the side, panting with uneven breaths. Through the cheers in the stands, Mountain Mist flew down and called to his daughter. Her head shot up expectantly and she rushed over into her father's embrace. "I'm so proud of you, Stormy!" Mountain Mist exclaimed, hugging his daughter as tight as he could. Cumulus trotted over to join them. Mountain Mist looked up and pulled his son in as well, hugging them both to the point of nearly suffocating them. "You both looked incredible out there. I really am proud of you two!" Pulling away from the hug, Cumulus and Mountain Mist both smiled at her, and then suddenly gasped. "Nightly!" Cumulus started, excitedly. "You got your cutie mark!" "I WHAT?!" Nightly turned her head to look at her flank. There, on a previously blank canvas, sat the image of a gray cloud and blue lightning bolt in front of a crescent moon. "No way! I won AND got my cutie mark?! BEFORE MY OLDER BROTHER?!! Is this a dream?" The race officials trotted over to the family happily. "Congratulations, miss Storm." One of them held out his hoof to shake her's. He then turned to Mountain Mist. "You must be very proud, sir." Mountain Mist nodded with a wide smile on his face. Once the last racer passed the line, the cheering in the audience got louder as the announcer came back over the speakers. "PLEASE STOMP FOR ALL THE TALENTED YOUNG FLIERS WHO PARTICIPATED TODAY!" She stopped to allow the audience time to cheer. "AND NOW, FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! PLEASE WELCOME, TO PRESENT THE AWARDS; FORMER WONDERBOLT, SPITFIRE!" Cheering suddenly erupted from even the racers as a yellow-orange pegasus flew over the stadium wearing a brown aviator's jacket, waving to the audience as she landed on three organic legs and one prosthetic to replace her right hind-leg. Excitedly, Nightly shoved her brother back and forth as he held a shocked gaze on his face. "Can you believe it?! SPITFIRE! GIVING ME A TROPHY!!" She then smirked at him teasingly. "And you said there wouldn't be any Wonderbolts here!" Cumulus snapped out of his shock. He looked at his sister and scoffed "She's retired, that doesn't count!" he commented, defensively. Nightly joined the second and third finishers on a podium in the middle of the stadium, where Spitfire was waiting for them. She hoofed the third and second placers their trophies, congratulating them on making it to the top three. She then turned to Nightly, who was grinning ear to ear with excitement. "Congratulations, kid," Spitfire said with a prideful smile on her face. "I haven't seen flying like that since Rainbow Dash first joined the Wonderbolts." Nightly kept smiling, unable to speak as the former leader of the Wonderbolts patted her shoulder. "You'd make a great Wonderbolt one day," Spitfire added as she hoofed Nightly the first place trophy. She then put her foreleg around her, signaling to the camera crew standing on the clouds in front of the podium. They took a bunch of pictures of the winners. With every picture, the smile on Nightly's face was always genuine. She had won her first public race! She earned the respect of a famous former Wonderbolt. She earned the recognition of the citizens of Canterlot. Nightly Storm had made her first step on the path to being a famous flier. On the way out of the stadium, Nightly and her family were stopped by the reporters from the award ceremony. "Excuse me!" one of them called. Mountain Mist turned around and looked at the mare that had called to them. "Would you three mind if we got one quick family shot for Monday's paper?" Mountain Mist shared a glance with his children and looked back at the reporters. He shrugged and shook his head no, positioning his children into a good pose. He put his forelegs around his kids and Nightly held her trophy so that it was in the shot. The photographers took a few pictures and thanked the family. Mountain Mist wrapped his wing around his daughter and nuzzled her happily. "You did wonderfully today, honey." "Thanks dad. I just wish I could've talked to Spitfire when I had the chance." She looked back at the trophy that was resting under her wing, and then over to her cutie mark. "But I had a lot of fun today." Blue Stem: PlaydateUpon hearing the door to his room slam shut upstairs, Blue Stem sighed and sat down at the dinner table. He continued to glare daggers at his family, who had been eavesdropping on the fight he'd just had with his twin brother. "I can't believe y'all were listening in on us like that!" he scolded, trying his best not to sound too angry. The day he was born into the Apple family, he had basically signed the "Big Meddling Family" contract, that had no loopholes or outs as long as he was an Apple. And he liked it that way. Sure, it becomes a bit of a nuisance when his family gets defensive, protective, or clingy, but if it wasn't the best display of familial love and loyalty he'd ever heard of then he didn't know what was. "Sorry, Sketcher..." Rainbow Dash apologized with a chuckle. The rest of the family gathered at the dinner table, voicing their apologies as well. Though he felt overwhelmed by the mass amounts of attention, Stem forgave his family and smiled at them warmly. Truth be told, he was only really mad at Blitz, but not in a petty way. He was mad that Blitz would be so ignorant as to feel entitled to Stem's attention and friendship at all times. But at the same time, Stem understood that his brother would want to have a while to forget about the fight. The family avoided consoling Stem during and after dinner. He waited a few hours before trotting up the stairs to his room, luckily finding that Blitz was already asleep. Space was all Blitz needed for now, even if, deep down, Stem desperately wanted to talk to his brother about their argument. But he loved his brother more than anything, and he knew what was best for him in this moment. As he settled into bed, though, Stem's mind began to race with thoughts about his disagreement with his brother. Was there anything truly wrong with wanting to have fun outside of the family? He liked hanging out with Golden Strokes and Two Pair. They made his life less of a formulaic hassle. Was there anything really wrong with that? The answer to that was simple and straight; no. All Stem wanted was for Blitz to come to that understanding soon. But he could be a stubborn pony when he wanted to... Stem sighed quietly and closed his eyes, drowning his negative thoughts of his brother's mindset with excitement for tomorrow with Strokes and Ace. Stem trotted into town with his ma, a blue saddlebag draped over his back containing a nearly-full sketchbook and a completely empty sketchbook as a backup, as well as a number of colorful pens and pencils. It was really early in the morning. Celestia's sun was only just starting to peak over the mountains. Stem had insisted on leaving this early for Blitz's sake. He and his friends had decided on meeting up at Sugarcube Corner, which would conveniently provide a substitute for his unplanned absence from breakfast. Hooray for convenient planning! he thought. As Stem and Applejack got closer to the sweets shop, he noticed his two friends sitting on the front steps looking through Strokes's sketchbooks and both enjoying some muffins. "Hey guys!" Stem called as he shot ahead of his mother. Strokes and Ace both looked up excitedly at their friend running towards them. They stood up and leaped off the steps, Ace shoving his muffin in his mouth, knocking over their best friend and laughing. Stem loved his friends like they were part of his family. He hugged them tightly, keeping his mouth closed so as to not accidentally catch the crumbs that were flying out of Ace's mouth. Applejack slowly walked up to them, laughing at the antics of the three foals in front of her. "Howdy you two!" She greeted Stem's friends with a warm smile. They hardly acknowledged her, and she ended up having to pry the foals apart. "Hecklin' hyena's, kiddos! It's as if ya hadn't seen each other in an entire lifetime!" The three friends looked at each other and smiled. They had to admit, they may have overreacted to seeing each other, considering it hadn't been an entire 24 hours since they saw each other last. Applejack gave Stem a quick kiss on the forehead and started to walk off. "Have fun you three!" she called as a pink mare emerged from Sugarcube Corner. Stem waved goodbye to his mom and turned around to greet his -- though still not officially confirmed to even be distantly related -- aunt Pinkie Pie. Even this early in the morning, the energetic mare was always excited to greet anyone. She hugged Stem tightly, greeting him with her trademark, friendly, ear-to-ear grin. "You kids here to have tons-a-fun today?" she asked cheerfully. The three all nodded in unison, though they knew their definition of fun was very far off from Pinkie Pie's. They all loved sitting in the middle of town makings crafts and playing the latest card or board game Ace had mastered. Pinkie Pie kept up her friendly smile and shuffled Stem's hair. "Alrighty, then! Just pop in the shop if you need me-- or a delicious cupcake!" "Actually, Aunt Pie!" Stem called before the pink mare could step through the doorway. "Could you get me a muffin too? Lemon-poppy seed, please!" Pinkie Pie nodded and closed the door. "Lemon-poppy seed?!" Ace scoffed in fake bewilderment. "Strokes, we're gonna have to throw this one out. We've got a traitorous apple." Stem punched his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Can't I just appreciate fruits outside of my family's primary export?" Strokes groaned mockingly and leaned against the large brown colt affectionately. "Always with the big words, Stem!" she chuckled. "Ah thought chu werr eh cuhntree pony!" Stem laughed at Strokes's horrible attempt at a southern accent as they all sat down at the nearest table. Stem excitedly pulled out his sketchbook as his muffin order dropped onto the table in front of him. "Y'all wanna see my newest drawings? My moms say they really admire 'em, they said I could even be a comic artist one day!" Stem prompted. The three foals doodled and played throughout the morning, though mostly playing as Two Pair introduced them to the complicated yet addicting world of Appleoosa Hold-Em Poker. Before they knew it, it was eleven, just an hour before Stem had to start heading back. They didn't let it bother them though. They continued to do their work, listening to some grungy stable rock over a radio Pinkie Pie had given them and drinking some Fresh Lemonadetm. As Stem finished his glass, he turned to his sketchbook. He was finally on the last page. He'd seen Strokes finish her sketchbooks many times before, but this was the first time he actually got to finish one of his own. He excitedly picked up his pen in his mouth, starting on the basic shape of a pony. He drew a strong looking earth pony mare in a white, pink, and blue dress, and he was smiling the entire time at the whole concept of a mare like the one before him on the paper. He hoped to be as happy as he'd drawn her. The joy he got from drawing this even filled him with some confidence in himself to talk to and make up with his brother. Stem closed his book as he felt a satisfying shiver run down his spine to his flanks. "Hey guys! I finally filled up the sketchbook!" "Really?" Strokes asked excitedly. "Can I see?" She shifted around the table to stand by her friend's side. After shoving past Ace's game of Solitaire, Strokes got a quick glance at Stem's sides. "Stem, take a quick look around at your flanks buddy," she told him, slyly. "What's wrong? Snake bite? Splinters?" Stem turned to both sides before standing up to get a better look. His eyes nearly glossed over the image of a blue pen drawing a lightning bolt rested on his mottled brown flank. "Holy high-flyin' haystacks, a cutie mark!" he exclaimed. Stem danced excitedly, happy that he finally got his cutie mark. "I can't wait to tell aunt Applebloom! She'll be so proud!" He quickly turned his head back to Strokes, putting on a fake concerned expression. "I must say, though, it is rather disconcerting that ya had yer eyes on my flank." Strokes laughed and hugged her friend, brushing off the sarcastic comment. "Yo, Sketcher!" It was Rainbow Dash. She was a little early to pick him up, but Stem didn't care. In fact, the timing couldn't be more perfect. He REALLY wanted to show off his new cutie mark to his family. He rushed happily over to his mom and hugged her tight. "The family started cooking up some cider. They sent me out here to keep me from -- well, doing that thing I always do!" she explained with an awkward chuckle. Stem didn't quite know what she meant by that, but it didn't matter to him. He was too excited by the events that had just transpired. "Mom! Guess what!" he started, brimming with enthusiasm. "I got my cutie mark!" "No kidding? Let me see!" Stem let his mom eye the marking proudly. "Congratulations, sport!" she commented proudly. "I gotta get you back to the farm! Everypony will be so proud!" After Stem grabbed his stuff, the two of them started rushing back to Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash stating over and over again how proud she was of her sketcher. Once they'd reached the orchard, they were greeted by Applejack with a jug of cider. "AJ!" Rainbow Dash called. She took off and picked up speed, landing next to Applejack. She landed a loving kiss on her cheek before turning back to Stem, who struggled to catch up on hoof. Applejack hugged and kissed her son on his forehead. Behind her, still in the air, Rainbow Dash signaled to Stem to tell his ma the great news. "OH! Ma, guess what!" "What is it, sug'r?" Stem turned so his ma could get a good view of his cutie mark. Upon seeing this, Applejack's face lit up and she pulled her son in for a tight squeeze. "Congratulations, kiddo!" She quickly ebbed her smile, keeping it at a small grin. Eyeing her wife, Applejack gestured for the two of them to follow her inside. "How about a jug a' cider to celebrate?" she offered, leading them through the door. Stem happily followed his mother inside, bounding with every step. As the orange mare in front of him moved aside, however, Stem stopped suddenly. There, before him, stood Cider Blitz. He was standing in front of the stove, facing the door with a wide-eyed expression on his face. Strangely, though, there was no air of worry or hatred anywhere in the room. "H-hey, Blitz!" Stem greeted. Blitz smiled and burst across the room, hugging his brother as tightly as he could. "I'm so sorry for last night, Stem!" Blitz apologized. Stem couldn't believe how relatively quick his brother had changed his attitude. "Oh, yea! It's okay, bro. I for-" "But guess what!" Blitz interrupted, pulling his brother away from his embrace. "I got my cutie mark!" Stem couldn't believe his ears. "You did?! No way! L-let me see!" Blitz stepped back and turned to the side, letting his brother get a good angle of his new marking. His flank bore the image of a jug of cider with a pair of wings and a lightning bolt coming out of the top. Stem leaped forward and repeated the hug. "Congratulations, bro! And check it out--" he turned to show off his cutie mark as well. "--I got mine too! "Awesome!" Blitz echoed the word often spoken again and again by his mom as he picked his brother up about an inch off the floor. Stem could hear his present family giggling at the antics of the twins. He remembered hearing a lecture from Princess Twilight once about how significant it is for ponies to get their cutie marks in the same day. He recalled how the Cutie Mark Crusaders had all earned their matching cutie marks. He remembered the story of how his mom's Sonic Rainboom had not only earned her and Applejack their cutie marks, but their other four friends as well. Stem knew how important it tended to be to earn one's cutie mark on the same day as somepony else. He rested his head in his brother's mane, knowing that in sharing such an important event with him, their friendship would never falter. Shiver Snowhoof: The Concert of NerdsShiver walked tiredly onto the rubber turf at Twilight Sparkle's Integrated School of Friendship, wearing his usual scarf and a striped turtleneck sweater. As the fashionable ward of Rarity, the element of generosity and one of the teachers at the school, he was often expected to spend some time there learning something. 'Course, he never even bothered to try. He found having to learn about friendship kind of pointless, at least for him. He was raised around the six friendliest ponies in Equestria. He knew enough about the magic of friendship already. "Shiver!" somepony called. It was Rainbow Dash, who was often in charge of gym classes when her wife, Applejack, wasn't. "Come to help out my gym class?" she asked expectantly. He continued his tired trot and stood next to her. "Yep, but don't assume I'm here to learn," he scoffed. "I just got bored." Rainbow Dash frowned at his answer, but quickly shoved it off as a timer on her left hoof went off. She then blew her whistle loudly and the students in the class gathered around the two ponies. "Alright everyone!" Rainbow began in her stern Wonderbolt captain voice, pacing back and forth to make sure it got to all the creatures in the class. "First thing's on the docket, I'd like you all to meet Shiver Snowhoof. He's generously agreed to help out with this class. I'm sure you're all aware of the importance of generosity as you've learned in Rarity's class!" Shiver let an exasperated sigh out at the same time as one of the griffons in the class. Noticing this, Shiver met his eyes. He smiled at him, but in response to the griffon's friendly acknowledgement Shiver just looked away to hide a quick blush, much to the griffon's apparent disappointment mixed with confusion. Shiver never came to the school to seek out friendships. He was content with Burner. He just felt that not every creature needed a friend for each day of the week. He kept his glance away from the eyes of the diverse set of creatures standing before him, fearing held gazes might ignite a new friendship he wasn’t ready for. While he did this, Rainbow Dash continued to bark commands at her class. That doesn’t sound like friendship, he thought to himself sarcastically. He put a small smile on his face and subconsciously turned his head back towards the griffon from before. Wait, shit! He didn’t want the griffon to think that he actually liked him. The class then broke into a bunch of teams and gathered in specific places on the field. Clearly they were getting amped for some kind of sport, but Shiver didn’t care for any sports except hockey and cricket. He sighed and sat down on the nearest bench. Bored with nothing to do, Shiver took a sketchbook out of a large hidden pocket inside his turtleneck. The sketchbook was filled with new and innovative designs, each one of them in some way combining fashion and function. He looked out at the many students running around kicking a leather ball throughout the field. He tried to focus on at least one student, but he kept finding himself on the same griffon. After minutes of avoiding looking at the griffon, Shiver just gave up and decided to design something for him. A design that he swore would remain PURE CONCEPT til the end of time. He began by sketching a front, side, and overhead view of the griffon’s basic build, as he did with every new design. He started sketching a jacket shape, where the sleeves were a different color from the rest of the article and were far too big for the griffin’s arms. He continued sketching until the final product took the shape of a handsome griffon in a letterman jacket. Nnnope, wait. Not handsome. Just a regular griffon in a nice looking jacket that will never be made because this is pure concept and nothing else. Rainbow Dash’s whistle suddenly blew, followed by a loud and stern order. “Gil! Bench!” The griffon Shiver had been observing saluted his coach and started to fly towards the very bench where Shiver was sitting. Shitshitshitshitshit! The same curse chanted through Shiver’s head as he hid the sketchbook back in his pocket. Gil sat down uncomfortably close to Shiver, shaking sweat out of his feathers. “Ugh… Sweatthatdidntcomefromasituationinvolvingrocknrollenthusiasm~” Shiver groaned under his breath. He shifted to the left, away from the sweaty griffon. Unfortunately, Gil seemed to notice this. He held out his claw to greet the well-dressed unicorn next to him. “Hi there! Shiver, right?” Reluctantly, Shiver placed his hoof in the open claw and nodded. Gil shook his hoof excitedly. “I’m Gil!” As Shiver pulled his hoof from the tight grip, Rainbow Dash landed in front of the two boys and smiled. "Finally making friends, eh, Shiver?" she snarked. "Good job, Gil! That's your third new friend this week!" "Still working on the friend part there, Ma'am!" Gil responded, eyeing the stallion next to him smugly. Rainbow Dash silently nodded and trotted back onto the field, out of the boys' earshot. Now alone again, Gil and Shiver both shifted uncomfortably next to each other. In an attempt to avoid further conversation, Shiver pulled his MP3 player and headphones out of his pocket and started listening to his song playlists. After the first song, Gil tapped on Shiver's shoulder. He reluctantly pulled the headphones off and looked at the griffon next to him. "Is that UFO Freaks?" Gil asked with a sly grin on his face. "Maybe..." Shiver grumbled. "Dude, they're my favorite band!" Shiver's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked, now unafraid to admit he was interested in what Gil had to say. "Totally! I'm a big fan of all the rock bands. UFO Freaks, Anomaly Chasers, Ocean Lords, Metal Virgin..." Shiver was ecstatic to be in the company of another metal fan. None of his current friends were as into heavy metal as he was; not even Burner would accompany him to concerts. He might finally have a friend he could enjoy his favorite music with. "Hey, me and some of my friends are gonna be at The Chaos Carnival tonight for a concert. Wanna come?" Gil asked. "The Chaos Carnival?" Shiver asked, confused. "You mean the On'O place with all the Discord lamps?" "It's so much more than that, now!" Gil said excitedly. "For one, they took down all the Discord lamps. They only allow On'O sessions in private rooms and the main part is a rock n' roll-themed bar now." "Sounds like a nerd's paradise..." Shiver snarked with a small smile. Gil laughed at Shiver's joke and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you there, right?" he asked expectantly. Shiver nodded as he let the griffon's sharp talons off of him. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Gil smiled as Rainbow Dash's whistle blew sharply. He flew off back towards the field, waving at Shiver. As he waved back, Shiver realized what had just happened. He had just made a friend. Fuck. "Wow, Gil. Could've told me there was a wait..." Shiver grumbled to himself as he stood in line to enter The Chaos Carnival. Though at this point it seemed more like a club. He looked around. There were about 10 creatures in front of him and 20 behind. He’d never thought in a million years that this place would be this popular. So much for quiet On’O parties with Two Pair. Shiver stretched uncomfortably in the line. While his outfit of a red blazer and his trademark scarf done up like a tie was perfectly fitted to provide comfort, the crowd around him seemed to take all the comfort away. He looked ahead to the front of the line at the bouncer. It looked like he was talking to someone… Oh it was Gil. Gil seemed to notice Shiver in the line and waved at him, gesturing for him to come up to the front. He sidestepped out of the line, his spot immediately getting filled by the creatures behind him. “Come on in!” Gil told him excitedly. He started to lead him inside. “I’m sure you’ll love the band! At least… I hope you do!” They walked down a hall filled with several doors. Shiver guessed these might be the On’O rooms. The hall led to a huge open party room, filled with ponies, griffons, changelings, dragons… hell, even yaks! And whereas the average party bar would have two levels, this one had three. Needless to say, Kauga had gone through a hell of a remodel since the last time Shiver had been there. The boys shoved through the crowded floor to the main bar. Gil ordered a glass of beer for Shiver, and then immediately disappeared. "Gil?" Shiver called. The griffon was nowhere to be seen. He'd thought they were going to enjoy the show together. "Way to abandon me, dude. Another beer, please." It was by his third beer that the band started to take the stage. Shiver tried to remember the name of the band as the bassist hyped up the crowd. "HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING TONIGHT?!" a voice called from overhead. Shiver looked up above the stage and saw a shape descending with a guitar around his chest. The crowd's cheers may have just been misleading him, but Shiver could swear the voice sounded like Gil's... "ARE YOU READY FOR TARTARUS UNLEASHED?!" the voice continued. The cheers picked up again, and the lead singer started on the opening riff of one of their songs. Shiver shoved his way to the front of the crowd, so he could stand at the base of the stage. He looked up at the guitarist before him. It really was Gil. "YOU'RE IN A BAND?!" Shiver shouted with disbelief. After the show, Gil had tracked the now drunk pony down and invited him to the greenroom to hang out with his band. It was there that he met the other three band members; the drummer, a hippogriff mare named Sunwhisper, the second guitarist, a changeling named Ephemerid, and the bassist, a unicorn stallion named Star Shooter. Gil flipped his head back out of the sink he was washing his sweaty feathers in. "What, were the last two hours not a big enough hint for you?" he joked, drying his feathers off with a wash cloth. "I've just never known anyone in a band before. I mean, Burner's little brother Crimson has a piano toy he likes to play with, but--" "Is this guy drunk?" asked Sunwhisper. Gil responded to her question with a big laugh. "No doubt!" "I just can't believe you've been in a band this whole time!" Shiver continued. "What were you called again?" "Tartarus Unleashed." "Tar-tar sauce fun peas..." Sunwhisper sighed and placed a claw on Gil's shoulder. "You might wanna walk this guy home, G," she advised. "Can't very well do that. Don't know where he lives," Gil protested. "I shouldn't take him to my house either..." "I LIVE IN A CAROUSEL!" Shiver suddenly blurted. Clearly no one knew what he meant. "Guess I'll just have to break in my dorm at the school again. Unless Merid or Star wanna take him in?" "Noooooo" Star replied with a knowing cadence in his voice. He nudged Merid, who also denied Gil's offer with a rapid shake of their head. "You're stuck with the drunk hottie for tonight, G," they laughed. The rest of the band gave Gil some friendly jabs in the shoulder and left the greenroom, leaving the griffon alone with the drunk unicorn. Even drunk as he was, Shiver recognized the implications in the band members' tones. Gil seemed to notice this too, as when he signaled for him to lean against his shoulder, and spread his wing over the unicorn's back to provide extra support, he let out a very stern, yet slightly awkward, "Don't try anything with me tonight." Cider Blitz: Friends Over FamilyBlitz sat silently on the porch of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. He rolled a ball back and forth between his wings slowly, feeling bored as the setting sun. On his left sat his elder cousin, Crumble, and on his right his twin brother, Blue Stem. The three colts were waiting. They didn't know what for, but they were. Suddenly, a rainbow blur shot up over a hill. At the same time three muscular, warmly-colored earth ponies cantered out of the array of apple trees. That's what they were waiting for; their family. The three colts got up and excitedly ran towards the four adult ponies. Blitz practically pounced on his moms, giving them the biggest hugs he could. "Wow, miss us much?" Rainbow Dash chuckled with a sideways glance to her wife. Applejack shuffled her son's hair. "How was yer day, Lil' Fizzer?" "Boring!" Blitz responded. "The half-day at school went by too fast, and then I couldn't do anything else once I got home and did all my chores!" "Wait, there was a half day today?!" Applebloom asked, letting go of Blue Stem's embrace. "Why didn't anypony tell me?! Heavens to soil, the Sanctuary is always busy on early release school days!" "Well, you were out in the orchard," Blitz answered. "And aunt Sugar Belle says we ain't permitted ta' go out there without an adult accompanying us," Stem added. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Applebloom all looked accusingly over at Big Macintosh, who was playfully shuffling his son's hair. He quickly stopped once he felt the mares' eyes burning into him. "I ain't got a thing to do with it!" he proclaimed defensively. Applebloom and Rainbow Dash both laughed at him while Applejack looked back at her sons. "Well, from now on, y'all can join us in the orchard whenever ya like," she said softly. Blitz smiled when he heard his ma say this. He loved growing up on a farm. He always felt unique when he and his brother talked about the farm workings in front of the class. He wasn't the brightest kid in class, but he was always happy when the orchard came into conversation. "Can you teach me some orchard stuff tomorrow, ma?" Blitz asked, looking at Applejack hopefully. "Don't you have school tomorrow?" Blitz shook his head no. "It's summer vacation now!" Applejack tensed suddenly. “Summer vacation already?” she said with a slight chuckle. “Gosh, time sure does fly, don’t it?” She wrapped her hoof around Blitz’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Ya know, with summer always comes one Sweet Apple Acres tradition yer mom never likes to skimp out on.” Cider Blitz danced excitedly, knowing his ma was talking about the very sales week that contributed to his namesake. “Cider season!” he said happily. Ahead of them, Rainbow Dash stopped and turned her head almost the full 180 degrees. “Did somepony just mention cider and NOT have it be in reference to my wonderful pegasus son?” she joked, flying up and back to her family. She playfully pushed on Blitz’s head while wrapping her wing affectionately around Applejack. “You and Stem might get to make your first pots of cider all on your own! I may not have been a part of this family when I was your age but I know that when a foal gets trusted with their first big task like that it’s a very important moment in their life!” Blitz smiled at his mom and then looked excitedly back at his brother, whose head was dropping a little. “Hey, Stem, something wrong?” Stem lifted his head and looked at his pegasus twin. “Well, actually,” he began, “I kinda had an occupied day tomorrow with Strokes and Ace.” Strokes and Ace, full names Golden Strokes and Two Pair, were Blue Stem’s best friends from school. After Strokes introduced him to the world of art, Stem would end up spending a lot of time with her and Ace in the park playing games and drawing pictures; without Blitz. This naturally made Blitz very jealous and sad, as he thought he’d be able to spend time with his brother all the time, but no! He had to spend all his time with a couple of city-folk! Blitz would never admit his jealousy though. He frowned at his brother, but still kept a chipper and affirming tone to his voice. “O-okay then…” he stammered. “Ya don’t have to work in the orchard with me tomorrow in that case.” Stem lifted his head high, looking at his brother with a surprised expression. “I never said I couldn’t participate in orchard work!” He protested as they stepped onto the porch. The rest of their family had already stepped inside, so it was just the two of them now. Blitz stepped backwards, opening his wings. Were they really about to fight? “It’s fine, Stem!” he assured him, trying his best to sound sincere. “You can hang out with them all day tomorrow if ya want to!” “Cut the crap, Blitz!” Stem scolded, squaring up to his brother. “I know how ya feel about my friends!” Blitz folded his wings and cast his glance sideways. Stem sighed and walked closer to his brother, pulling him into a warm embrace. “I understand ya enjoy hanging out with me and being my brother,” Stem comforted. “But we don’t have ta do everything together. We gotta have our own lives.” He pulled away from the hug and lightly punched his brother on the shoulder. “I’ll be hanging out with Ace and Strokes tomorrow until lunchtime, so I’ll still be able to work the orchard with ya!” he said. Blitz grumbled. “But we won’t get the time to make cider together…” Stem sighed again and put his hoof on the door. “The orchard ain’t everything, Blitz,” he said as he opened the door. Blitz reluctantly followed him inside, where they found their family all standing nonchalantly in an obvious attempt to hide the fact that they were listening in on the brothers’ conversation. Stem looked them on in mild anger, but Blitz didn’t even care. He just grabbed a fresh apple off the dinner table, tucked it under his wing, and stomped up to his and Stem’s room. Blitz woke up early in the morning to a rooster's crow, as he always had for the past twelve years. He turned over and looked at Stem's bed. Empty. Good! He told himself. I didn't wanna talk to him anyhow... He flew down the stairs, not knowing wether he wanted to see Stem at the breakfast table. It didn't matter either way, because he was already gone. The only other ponies in the kitchen were Sugar Belle and Crumble. The two unicorns were working together to make pancakes. "Good morning, Blitz!" Sugar Belle greeted her nephew. She was clearly refraining from mentioning the fight she'd eavesdropped on the night before with the rest of their family. "Sleep well?" Blitz nodded and grumbled as he landed on the hard wooden floor. "Where's everypony else?" he asked. "Big Mac is out preparing the trees for today's harvests, Applebloom is covering the summer camps at the Sanctuary, and Rainbow Dash is still asleep. She's lived here thirteen years and still can't get on farm schedule..." Blitz noticed that Sugar Belle had neglected to mention Applejack and Blue Stem. She must have known he didn't want to hear about Stem after the previous night, and he guessed that his ma was the one who took him into town to hang out with his friends. Blitz poured a quick glass of apple juice and started towards the door. "Where are ya going?" Crumble asked. "I'm just going ta see if Big Mac will give me a few pointers on harvesting. Come get us when breakfast is ready!" He set his empty glass down on the counter and darted out the door, taking off just a few paces from the porch. Let's see, they covered the southeast section of orchard yesterday, so that means today is... south section. He landed just before reaching the line of apple trees he’d guessed his uncle had been working in. He trotted through the trees, following the line of baskets and once again taking a moment to appreciate orchard life. He found his uncle about halfway through the array, organizing empty wicker baskets and pushing on the trees to check their sturdiness. “Hey, Uncle Mac!” Blitz called. The soft-spoken stallion nodded kindly to his nephew and gestured him over. All thoughts of his fight with Stem suddenly left Blitz's mind as he trotted closer to his uncle. The two of them spent most of the morning practicing the family tradition of apple bucking. By the time Crumble came trotting up to invite them to breakfast, Blitz had filled up his first basket of apples. "Dad! Blitz! Breakfast's ready!" Crumble called. He cast a surprised glance at the wicker basket filled with fresh red apples, and Blitz noticed his eyes quickly flash with jealousy. They all started trotting back to the farmhouse. Once they got up to the door, Blitz heard Applejack's voice, in a conversation with Rainbow Dash and Sugar Belle. About Stem. "He's really gonna go somewhere with those drawings of his!" she proclaimed excitedly. "Our sketcher really is talented." "You don't have to tell me that!" Rainbow Dash responded excitedly. "Both our boys have gotta be the coolest colts in Ponyville." Blitz started to get fed up with hearing about his twin. He trudged through the door, stopping at the sink to wash his front hooves of the dirt he'd picked up out in the orchard. "Hey there, Li'l Fizzer!" Applejack called to her son. "How was your first time apple bucking?" Blitz turned and smiled at her. "It was really fun, ma!" he said as he sat in his usual dining chair, right next to Rainbow Dash. "Well I'm glad!" Applejack exclaimed happily. "Think you'll be willing to make your first pot of cider in a few hours?" she added, holding her wife close to prevent her from getting excited at the mention of her favorite beverage. Blitz frowned, remembering what Rainbow Dash had said the night before about it being a significant moment in an Apple Family foal's life, and that he wouldn't be able to do it with Stem. "Maybe..." he sighed, starting to poke his breakfast absentmindedly. The adults at the table all shared worried glances at Blitz's disgruntled attitude, but reluctantly changed the subject of conversation and continued on with the meal. If only Blitz would make up with Stem and remove all awkwardness from the household. After breakfast, Blitz had gone back upstairs to his room. He was just sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling quietly. After a few hours he heard a knock at the door. "Hey, Blitz?" Rainbow Dash's voice came from the other side of the door. "It's your moms. Can we come in?" Great. Both his moms were here to give him a lecture. He opened the door and let Applejack and Rainbow Dash in. They both sat down on Stem's bed across the room. "Is everything alright, Fizzer?" Applejack asked. "I know you had a fight with Stem yesterday." "Everyone in the house knows!" Blitz snapped. "Right, and we have tried ta avoid talking 'bout it..." Applejack began. "But it seems to have really made you mad. We think you need to talk about it," Rainbow Dash added. Blitz grumbled and turned over in his bed. "I just wish Stem wasn't spending all his time in town with Golden Strokes and Two Pair," he said finally. "Your brother's gonna have ta have a life outside the family, Blitz." Applejack comforted. "Everyone in the family will. Heck, if I'd not had a life outside the family I never woulda met yer mom." "But he hardly ever makes time for us! He knows we love him more than a couple of friends could, right?" "Just because he spends time away from the family doesn't mean he doesn't love us," Rainbow Dash said, wrapping her wing around her son. "Everyone has a life outside of their family. Stem always comes home after hanging out with his friends and he always hangs out with us when he's on the farm. If you love your brother, you'll be happy if he's happy with his life. And you do love your brother, right?" "Yes..." Blitz sighed. "And he does seem happy when he's with Golden Strokes and Two Pair." He looked over to his brother's side of the room and smiled. "And if he's happy... I'm happy!" "Awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered, doing a small roll in the air. "Now let's go downstairs and make some cider."
Nightly Storm: Wonderbolt Race!"Pleeeeeeeeeease daaaaaaaaaad!!!!!!" Nightly cried in her regular Manipulating my Dad to Get me Something I Want voice. It didn't always work, but she had this feeling that this specific request would get Mountain Mist to agree with her. At school, Nightly had found a poster on the wall in gym advertising the annual Foal's Flight Race held on the Wonderbolt's Derby track. It was for pegasus foals ages ten to thirteen, and she was finally old enough to join. She was already the fastest flier in her weekend flight classes, so what the heck, right? "A race, huh?" Mountain Mist commented with a chuckle. "You sure you're up to the challenge?" "Of course I am!" Nightly answered with a prideful gusto in her voice. She excitedly flew up and over her dad's head, landing at his side and head butting him in the ribs playfully. He responded to this action by pulling her close and messing up her mane with his hoof. Nightly knew that when her dad phrased his answers as a call to a challenge, it always meant yes. She was finally going to enter her first public race, with a real prize and everything! The two of them stopped playing once they heard a latch close in the other room. "I'm home!" a young colt's voice called. It was Nightly's older brother, Cumulus Chariot. "Cloudy!" Nightly called, using her affectionate nickname she often used for her brother. "Do you want to compete in the Foal's Flight Race with me?" She excitedly shoved the poster in Cumulus's face. He looked at the poster with a confused expression. "A race?" He raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "You know I'm not exactly the best when it comes to races, right?" "Well, even the best Wonderbolts started somewhere!" Nightly said. She then smirked for a brief second and immediately pouted over-dramatically. "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my big brother wasn't with me in my first race! I might DIE of sadness! Pleeeeeeease join me Cloudy!" "I didn't even say 'no' yet, Stormy," Cumulus said with a sigh. "But what's your answer?" Nightly whined again. Cumulus looked at his sister eye-to-eye. She knew that Cumulus was vulnerable to her pouty face, and so she puckered her lower lip and lowered her eyebrows in an attempt to persuade him more. Cumulus closed his eyes and sighed as their dad walked through the doorway to join them. "Alright, Sis." Nightly squealed with excitement and wrapped her forelegs around her brother. "This'll be so much fun! Just imagine the first place trophy with my name on it over the mantle! And Cumulus's participation trophy!" "'Participation trophy?!'" Cumulus scoffed, pulling away from his sister's embrace. "I'm going to at least make the top five! I think they get like, a cool medal or something..." Nightly laughed and playfully pushed down on her brother's head. "It's cool that you're at least this confident, bro!" She started cantering into a small liftoff to the second floor of their house. "See you in the morning! The sign-ups are this Saturday and the race is a week after that!" She closed the door to her room and flopped on her bed. She looked over at the signed poster of Rainbow Dash that hung on her wall in a sleek black frame. In just a week (and four days) she would finally be racing on the track flown on by the most incredible flight team in Equestria- nay(neigh) -the world! She quickly saluted the poster and settled under the covers, too thrilled to fall asleep. Finally, the big day arrived! Nightly, Cumulus, and Mountain Mist all walked up to the stadium entrance, Nightly being unable to stay still out of pure excitement. "I can't believe it, the actual Wonderbolt's Derby track! I wonder if there'll be any Wonderbolts here. Do you think Soarin will be here? Or maybe Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger? OR!! What if it's Rainbow Dash?!" "I doubt there'll be any Wonderbolts here," Cumulus said. "I think that's only for the Young Flier's Competition, which, ironically, we're too young for." Nightly frowned, but only for a second as they were just about to enter the stadium. Her perky attitude bounced right back as she found herself on the cloud-lined stadium floor. There were 24 other foals around her, not counting her brother, and just about 200 ponies in the stands with almost 35 other ponies still on the stadium floor. Obviously not as many spectators as an official Wonderbolts event, but definitely more than your average foal race. Over the speakers, the hit rock single "Taught to Fly" by the new band Anomaly Chasers appropriately played on a loop. Mountain Mist walked his foals over to the sign-in table, where the ponies sitting there gave him two large stickers, one labeled "H" and the other labeled "I." He hoofed them to his children, gave them a reassuring hug, and flew off into the stands. "I guess these are our positions at the starting line?" Cumulus observed, putting the "I" sticker on his chest. Nightly decided to mess around and put the "H" sticker just under her left eye. "RACERS, TO YOUR POSITIONS!" A voice called over the intercom, cutting through the chorus of Taught to Fly, much to everypony's disappointment. Nightly and Cumulus trotted up to their places at the start line, right next to each other. Nightly looked over and smiled at her brother. She held up a hoof as the countdown to start began. "Good luck!" she said, excitedly. Cumulus smiled back and held his hoof up as well, hitting it against his sister's to perform a hoof bump. "You too, sis!" "THREE!" The countdown began as sweat started to stream down Nightly's brow. The heat and moisture caused the sticker to fall off her face. Not like she needed it for the rest of the race, anyhow. "TWO!!" All of the racers' wings shot up, ready to take flight. Nightly smiled and raised her wings, feeling like she had reached the height of her confidence in herself. "ONE! GO!!!" All the young pegasi took off. Nightly zoomed around the track, overtaking five of the ponies in front of her. She was now in third place. She just had two more ponies to pass, and then she had to stay in that position till the end of the final lap. She beat her wings harder and harder, sweat flying off her. She crossed the lap line. That makes four, now only two laps left. She kept her wing beat rate at an increasing pace, finally managing to overtake second place. Now she just had to take over first. Nightly looked to her left across the track. In eleventh place stayed Cumulus, trying his darnedest to overtake at least one pony. At least all the others behind him didn't seem to be fast enough to claim his place either. She opened her mouth in a wide grin as she passed the line again. She was in the last lap now. Her wingbeats started to stagger, but her pace remained consistent enough to pass the colt in front of her. She was finally in the lead, and only a few paces away from the finish line. She moved into the last stretch, passing the finish line with a flash of light. "THE FIRST PLACE WINNER; NIGHTLY STORM!" The announcer presented the rank over the speaker system. Thunderous stomping and cheers erupted from the audience. The rest of the racers passed the line after her as she sat off to the side, panting with uneven breaths. Through the cheers in the stands, Mountain Mist flew down and called to his daughter. Her head shot up expectantly and she rushed over into her father's embrace. "I'm so proud of you, Stormy!" Mountain Mist exclaimed, hugging his daughter as tight as he could. Cumulus trotted over to join them. Mountain Mist looked up and pulled his son in as well, hugging them both to the point of nearly suffocating them. "You both looked incredible out there. I really am proud of you two!" Pulling away from the hug, Cumulus and Mountain Mist both smiled at her, and then suddenly gasped. "Nightly!" Cumulus started, excitedly. "You got your cutie mark!" "I WHAT?!" Nightly turned her head to look at her flank. There, on a previously blank canvas, sat the image of a gray cloud and blue lightning bolt in front of a crescent moon. "No way! I won AND got my cutie mark?! BEFORE MY OLDER BROTHER?!! Is this a dream?" The race officials trotted over to the family happily. "Congratulations, miss Storm." One of them held out his hoof to shake her's. He then turned to Mountain Mist. "You must be very proud, sir." Mountain Mist nodded with a wide smile on his face. Once the last racer passed the line, the cheering in the audience got louder as the announcer came back over the speakers. "PLEASE STOMP FOR ALL THE TALENTED YOUNG FLIERS WHO PARTICIPATED TODAY!" She stopped to allow the audience time to cheer. "AND NOW, FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! PLEASE WELCOME, TO PRESENT THE AWARDS; FORMER WONDERBOLT, SPITFIRE!" Cheering suddenly erupted from even the racers as a yellow-orange pegasus flew over the stadium wearing a brown aviator's jacket, waving to the audience as she landed on three organic legs and one prosthetic to replace her right hind-leg. Excitedly, Nightly shoved her brother back and forth as he held a shocked gaze on his face. "Can you believe it?! SPITFIRE! GIVING ME A TROPHY!!" She then smirked at him teasingly. "And you said there wouldn't be any Wonderbolts here!" Cumulus snapped out of his shock. He looked at his sister and scoffed "She's retired, that doesn't count!" he commented, defensively. Nightly joined the second and third finishers on a podium in the middle of the stadium, where Spitfire was waiting for them. She hoofed the third and second placers their trophies, congratulating them on making it to the top three. She then turned to Nightly, who was grinning ear to ear with excitement. "Congratulations, kid," Spitfire said with a prideful smile on her face. "I haven't seen flying like that since Rainbow Dash first joined the Wonderbolts." Nightly kept smiling, unable to speak as the former leader of the Wonderbolts patted her shoulder. "You'd make a great Wonderbolt one day," Spitfire added as she hoofed Nightly the first place trophy. She then put her foreleg around her, signaling to the camera crew standing on the clouds in front of the podium. They took a bunch of pictures of the winners. With every picture, the smile on Nightly's face was always genuine. She had won her first public race! She earned the respect of a famous former Wonderbolt. She earned the recognition of the citizens of Canterlot. Nightly Storm had made her first step on the path to being a famous flier. On the way out of the stadium, Nightly and her family were stopped by the reporters from the award ceremony. "Excuse me!" one of them called. Mountain Mist turned around and looked at the mare that had called to them. "Would you three mind if we got one quick family shot for Monday's paper?" Mountain Mist shared a glance with his children and looked back at the reporters. He shrugged and shook his head no, positioning his children into a good pose. He put his forelegs around his kids and Nightly held her trophy so that it was in the shot. The photographers took a few pictures and thanked the family. Mountain Mist wrapped his wing around his daughter and nuzzled her happily. "You did wonderfully today, honey." "Thanks dad. I just wish I could've talked to Spitfire when I had the chance." She looked back at the trophy that was resting under her wing, and then over to her cutie mark. "But I had a lot of fun today."
Blue Stem: PlaydateUpon hearing the door to his room slam shut upstairs, Blue Stem sighed and sat down at the dinner table. He continued to glare daggers at his family, who had been eavesdropping on the fight he'd just had with his twin brother. "I can't believe y'all were listening in on us like that!" he scolded, trying his best not to sound too angry. The day he was born into the Apple family, he had basically signed the "Big Meddling Family" contract, that had no loopholes or outs as long as he was an Apple. And he liked it that way. Sure, it becomes a bit of a nuisance when his family gets defensive, protective, or clingy, but if it wasn't the best display of familial love and loyalty he'd ever heard of then he didn't know what was. "Sorry, Sketcher..." Rainbow Dash apologized with a chuckle. The rest of the family gathered at the dinner table, voicing their apologies as well. Though he felt overwhelmed by the mass amounts of attention, Stem forgave his family and smiled at them warmly. Truth be told, he was only really mad at Blitz, but not in a petty way. He was mad that Blitz would be so ignorant as to feel entitled to Stem's attention and friendship at all times. But at the same time, Stem understood that his brother would want to have a while to forget about the fight. The family avoided consoling Stem during and after dinner. He waited a few hours before trotting up the stairs to his room, luckily finding that Blitz was already asleep. Space was all Blitz needed for now, even if, deep down, Stem desperately wanted to talk to his brother about their argument. But he loved his brother more than anything, and he knew what was best for him in this moment. As he settled into bed, though, Stem's mind began to race with thoughts about his disagreement with his brother. Was there anything truly wrong with wanting to have fun outside of the family? He liked hanging out with Golden Strokes and Two Pair. They made his life less of a formulaic hassle. Was there anything really wrong with that? The answer to that was simple and straight; no. All Stem wanted was for Blitz to come to that understanding soon. But he could be a stubborn pony when he wanted to... Stem sighed quietly and closed his eyes, drowning his negative thoughts of his brother's mindset with excitement for tomorrow with Strokes and Ace. Stem trotted into town with his ma, a blue saddlebag draped over his back containing a nearly-full sketchbook and a completely empty sketchbook as a backup, as well as a number of colorful pens and pencils. It was really early in the morning. Celestia's sun was only just starting to peak over the mountains. Stem had insisted on leaving this early for Blitz's sake. He and his friends had decided on meeting up at Sugarcube Corner, which would conveniently provide a substitute for his unplanned absence from breakfast. Hooray for convenient planning! he thought. As Stem and Applejack got closer to the sweets shop, he noticed his two friends sitting on the front steps looking through Strokes's sketchbooks and both enjoying some muffins. "Hey guys!" Stem called as he shot ahead of his mother. Strokes and Ace both looked up excitedly at their friend running towards them. They stood up and leaped off the steps, Ace shoving his muffin in his mouth, knocking over their best friend and laughing. Stem loved his friends like they were part of his family. He hugged them tightly, keeping his mouth closed so as to not accidentally catch the crumbs that were flying out of Ace's mouth. Applejack slowly walked up to them, laughing at the antics of the three foals in front of her. "Howdy you two!" She greeted Stem's friends with a warm smile. They hardly acknowledged her, and she ended up having to pry the foals apart. "Hecklin' hyena's, kiddos! It's as if ya hadn't seen each other in an entire lifetime!" The three friends looked at each other and smiled. They had to admit, they may have overreacted to seeing each other, considering it hadn't been an entire 24 hours since they saw each other last. Applejack gave Stem a quick kiss on the forehead and started to walk off. "Have fun you three!" she called as a pink mare emerged from Sugarcube Corner. Stem waved goodbye to his mom and turned around to greet his -- though still not officially confirmed to even be distantly related -- aunt Pinkie Pie. Even this early in the morning, the energetic mare was always excited to greet anyone. She hugged Stem tightly, greeting him with her trademark, friendly, ear-to-ear grin. "You kids here to have tons-a-fun today?" she asked cheerfully. The three all nodded in unison, though they knew their definition of fun was very far off from Pinkie Pie's. They all loved sitting in the middle of town makings crafts and playing the latest card or board game Ace had mastered. Pinkie Pie kept up her friendly smile and shuffled Stem's hair. "Alrighty, then! Just pop in the shop if you need me-- or a delicious cupcake!" "Actually, Aunt Pie!" Stem called before the pink mare could step through the doorway. "Could you get me a muffin too? Lemon-poppy seed, please!" Pinkie Pie nodded and closed the door. "Lemon-poppy seed?!" Ace scoffed in fake bewilderment. "Strokes, we're gonna have to throw this one out. We've got a traitorous apple." Stem punched his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Can't I just appreciate fruits outside of my family's primary export?" Strokes groaned mockingly and leaned against the large brown colt affectionately. "Always with the big words, Stem!" she chuckled. "Ah thought chu werr eh cuhntree pony!" Stem laughed at Strokes's horrible attempt at a southern accent as they all sat down at the nearest table. Stem excitedly pulled out his sketchbook as his muffin order dropped onto the table in front of him. "Y'all wanna see my newest drawings? My moms say they really admire 'em, they said I could even be a comic artist one day!" Stem prompted. The three foals doodled and played throughout the morning, though mostly playing as Two Pair introduced them to the complicated yet addicting world of Appleoosa Hold-Em Poker. Before they knew it, it was eleven, just an hour before Stem had to start heading back. They didn't let it bother them though. They continued to do their work, listening to some grungy stable rock over a radio Pinkie Pie had given them and drinking some Fresh Lemonadetm. As Stem finished his glass, he turned to his sketchbook. He was finally on the last page. He'd seen Strokes finish her sketchbooks many times before, but this was the first time he actually got to finish one of his own. He excitedly picked up his pen in his mouth, starting on the basic shape of a pony. He drew a strong looking earth pony mare in a white, pink, and blue dress, and he was smiling the entire time at the whole concept of a mare like the one before him on the paper. He hoped to be as happy as he'd drawn her. The joy he got from drawing this even filled him with some confidence in himself to talk to and make up with his brother. Stem closed his book as he felt a satisfying shiver run down his spine to his flanks. "Hey guys! I finally filled up the sketchbook!" "Really?" Strokes asked excitedly. "Can I see?" She shifted around the table to stand by her friend's side. After shoving past Ace's game of Solitaire, Strokes got a quick glance at Stem's sides. "Stem, take a quick look around at your flanks buddy," she told him, slyly. "What's wrong? Snake bite? Splinters?" Stem turned to both sides before standing up to get a better look. His eyes nearly glossed over the image of a blue pen drawing a lightning bolt rested on his mottled brown flank. "Holy high-flyin' haystacks, a cutie mark!" he exclaimed. Stem danced excitedly, happy that he finally got his cutie mark. "I can't wait to tell aunt Applebloom! She'll be so proud!" He quickly turned his head back to Strokes, putting on a fake concerned expression. "I must say, though, it is rather disconcerting that ya had yer eyes on my flank." Strokes laughed and hugged her friend, brushing off the sarcastic comment. "Yo, Sketcher!" It was Rainbow Dash. She was a little early to pick him up, but Stem didn't care. In fact, the timing couldn't be more perfect. He REALLY wanted to show off his new cutie mark to his family. He rushed happily over to his mom and hugged her tight. "The family started cooking up some cider. They sent me out here to keep me from -- well, doing that thing I always do!" she explained with an awkward chuckle. Stem didn't quite know what she meant by that, but it didn't matter to him. He was too excited by the events that had just transpired. "Mom! Guess what!" he started, brimming with enthusiasm. "I got my cutie mark!" "No kidding? Let me see!" Stem let his mom eye the marking proudly. "Congratulations, sport!" she commented proudly. "I gotta get you back to the farm! Everypony will be so proud!" After Stem grabbed his stuff, the two of them started rushing back to Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash stating over and over again how proud she was of her sketcher. Once they'd reached the orchard, they were greeted by Applejack with a jug of cider. "AJ!" Rainbow Dash called. She took off and picked up speed, landing next to Applejack. She landed a loving kiss on her cheek before turning back to Stem, who struggled to catch up on hoof. Applejack hugged and kissed her son on his forehead. Behind her, still in the air, Rainbow Dash signaled to Stem to tell his ma the great news. "OH! Ma, guess what!" "What is it, sug'r?" Stem turned so his ma could get a good view of his cutie mark. Upon seeing this, Applejack's face lit up and she pulled her son in for a tight squeeze. "Congratulations, kiddo!" She quickly ebbed her smile, keeping it at a small grin. Eyeing her wife, Applejack gestured for the two of them to follow her inside. "How about a jug a' cider to celebrate?" she offered, leading them through the door. Stem happily followed his mother inside, bounding with every step. As the orange mare in front of him moved aside, however, Stem stopped suddenly. There, before him, stood Cider Blitz. He was standing in front of the stove, facing the door with a wide-eyed expression on his face. Strangely, though, there was no air of worry or hatred anywhere in the room. "H-hey, Blitz!" Stem greeted. Blitz smiled and burst across the room, hugging his brother as tightly as he could. "I'm so sorry for last night, Stem!" Blitz apologized. Stem couldn't believe how relatively quick his brother had changed his attitude. "Oh, yea! It's okay, bro. I for-" "But guess what!" Blitz interrupted, pulling his brother away from his embrace. "I got my cutie mark!" Stem couldn't believe his ears. "You did?! No way! L-let me see!" Blitz stepped back and turned to the side, letting his brother get a good angle of his new marking. His flank bore the image of a jug of cider with a pair of wings and a lightning bolt coming out of the top. Stem leaped forward and repeated the hug. "Congratulations, bro! And check it out--" he turned to show off his cutie mark as well. "--I got mine too! "Awesome!" Blitz echoed the word often spoken again and again by his mom as he picked his brother up about an inch off the floor. Stem could hear his present family giggling at the antics of the twins. He remembered hearing a lecture from Princess Twilight once about how significant it is for ponies to get their cutie marks in the same day. He recalled how the Cutie Mark Crusaders had all earned their matching cutie marks. He remembered the story of how his mom's Sonic Rainboom had not only earned her and Applejack their cutie marks, but their other four friends as well. Stem knew how important it tended to be to earn one's cutie mark on the same day as somepony else. He rested his head in his brother's mane, knowing that in sharing such an important event with him, their friendship would never falter.
Shiver Snowhoof: The Concert of NerdsShiver walked tiredly onto the rubber turf at Twilight Sparkle's Integrated School of Friendship, wearing his usual scarf and a striped turtleneck sweater. As the fashionable ward of Rarity, the element of generosity and one of the teachers at the school, he was often expected to spend some time there learning something. 'Course, he never even bothered to try. He found having to learn about friendship kind of pointless, at least for him. He was raised around the six friendliest ponies in Equestria. He knew enough about the magic of friendship already. "Shiver!" somepony called. It was Rainbow Dash, who was often in charge of gym classes when her wife, Applejack, wasn't. "Come to help out my gym class?" she asked expectantly. He continued his tired trot and stood next to her. "Yep, but don't assume I'm here to learn," he scoffed. "I just got bored." Rainbow Dash frowned at his answer, but quickly shoved it off as a timer on her left hoof went off. She then blew her whistle loudly and the students in the class gathered around the two ponies. "Alright everyone!" Rainbow began in her stern Wonderbolt captain voice, pacing back and forth to make sure it got to all the creatures in the class. "First thing's on the docket, I'd like you all to meet Shiver Snowhoof. He's generously agreed to help out with this class. I'm sure you're all aware of the importance of generosity as you've learned in Rarity's class!" Shiver let an exasperated sigh out at the same time as one of the griffons in the class. Noticing this, Shiver met his eyes. He smiled at him, but in response to the griffon's friendly acknowledgement Shiver just looked away to hide a quick blush, much to the griffon's apparent disappointment mixed with confusion. Shiver never came to the school to seek out friendships. He was content with Burner. He just felt that not every creature needed a friend for each day of the week. He kept his glance away from the eyes of the diverse set of creatures standing before him, fearing held gazes might ignite a new friendship he wasn’t ready for. While he did this, Rainbow Dash continued to bark commands at her class. That doesn’t sound like friendship, he thought to himself sarcastically. He put a small smile on his face and subconsciously turned his head back towards the griffon from before. Wait, shit! He didn’t want the griffon to think that he actually liked him. The class then broke into a bunch of teams and gathered in specific places on the field. Clearly they were getting amped for some kind of sport, but Shiver didn’t care for any sports except hockey and cricket. He sighed and sat down on the nearest bench. Bored with nothing to do, Shiver took a sketchbook out of a large hidden pocket inside his turtleneck. The sketchbook was filled with new and innovative designs, each one of them in some way combining fashion and function. He looked out at the many students running around kicking a leather ball throughout the field. He tried to focus on at least one student, but he kept finding himself on the same griffon. After minutes of avoiding looking at the griffon, Shiver just gave up and decided to design something for him. A design that he swore would remain PURE CONCEPT til the end of time. He began by sketching a front, side, and overhead view of the griffon’s basic build, as he did with every new design. He started sketching a jacket shape, where the sleeves were a different color from the rest of the article and were far too big for the griffin’s arms. He continued sketching until the final product took the shape of a handsome griffon in a letterman jacket. Nnnope, wait. Not handsome. Just a regular griffon in a nice looking jacket that will never be made because this is pure concept and nothing else. Rainbow Dash’s whistle suddenly blew, followed by a loud and stern order. “Gil! Bench!” The griffon Shiver had been observing saluted his coach and started to fly towards the very bench where Shiver was sitting. Shitshitshitshitshit! The same curse chanted through Shiver’s head as he hid the sketchbook back in his pocket. Gil sat down uncomfortably close to Shiver, shaking sweat out of his feathers. “Ugh… Sweatthatdidntcomefromasituationinvolvingrocknrollenthusiasm~” Shiver groaned under his breath. He shifted to the left, away from the sweaty griffon. Unfortunately, Gil seemed to notice this. He held out his claw to greet the well-dressed unicorn next to him. “Hi there! Shiver, right?” Reluctantly, Shiver placed his hoof in the open claw and nodded. Gil shook his hoof excitedly. “I’m Gil!” As Shiver pulled his hoof from the tight grip, Rainbow Dash landed in front of the two boys and smiled. "Finally making friends, eh, Shiver?" she snarked. "Good job, Gil! That's your third new friend this week!" "Still working on the friend part there, Ma'am!" Gil responded, eyeing the stallion next to him smugly. Rainbow Dash silently nodded and trotted back onto the field, out of the boys' earshot. Now alone again, Gil and Shiver both shifted uncomfortably next to each other. In an attempt to avoid further conversation, Shiver pulled his MP3 player and headphones out of his pocket and started listening to his song playlists. After the first song, Gil tapped on Shiver's shoulder. He reluctantly pulled the headphones off and looked at the griffon next to him. "Is that UFO Freaks?" Gil asked with a sly grin on his face. "Maybe..." Shiver grumbled. "Dude, they're my favorite band!" Shiver's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked, now unafraid to admit he was interested in what Gil had to say. "Totally! I'm a big fan of all the rock bands. UFO Freaks, Anomaly Chasers, Ocean Lords, Metal Virgin..." Shiver was ecstatic to be in the company of another metal fan. None of his current friends were as into heavy metal as he was; not even Burner would accompany him to concerts. He might finally have a friend he could enjoy his favorite music with. "Hey, me and some of my friends are gonna be at The Chaos Carnival tonight for a concert. Wanna come?" Gil asked. "The Chaos Carnival?" Shiver asked, confused. "You mean the On'O place with all the Discord lamps?" "It's so much more than that, now!" Gil said excitedly. "For one, they took down all the Discord lamps. They only allow On'O sessions in private rooms and the main part is a rock n' roll-themed bar now." "Sounds like a nerd's paradise..." Shiver snarked with a small smile. Gil laughed at Shiver's joke and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you there, right?" he asked expectantly. Shiver nodded as he let the griffon's sharp talons off of him. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Gil smiled as Rainbow Dash's whistle blew sharply. He flew off back towards the field, waving at Shiver. As he waved back, Shiver realized what had just happened. He had just made a friend. Fuck. "Wow, Gil. Could've told me there was a wait..." Shiver grumbled to himself as he stood in line to enter The Chaos Carnival. Though at this point it seemed more like a club. He looked around. There were about 10 creatures in front of him and 20 behind. He’d never thought in a million years that this place would be this popular. So much for quiet On’O parties with Two Pair. Shiver stretched uncomfortably in the line. While his outfit of a red blazer and his trademark scarf done up like a tie was perfectly fitted to provide comfort, the crowd around him seemed to take all the comfort away. He looked ahead to the front of the line at the bouncer. It looked like he was talking to someone… Oh it was Gil. Gil seemed to notice Shiver in the line and waved at him, gesturing for him to come up to the front. He sidestepped out of the line, his spot immediately getting filled by the creatures behind him. “Come on in!” Gil told him excitedly. He started to lead him inside. “I’m sure you’ll love the band! At least… I hope you do!” They walked down a hall filled with several doors. Shiver guessed these might be the On’O rooms. The hall led to a huge open party room, filled with ponies, griffons, changelings, dragons… hell, even yaks! And whereas the average party bar would have two levels, this one had three. Needless to say, Kauga had gone through a hell of a remodel since the last time Shiver had been there. The boys shoved through the crowded floor to the main bar. Gil ordered a glass of beer for Shiver, and then immediately disappeared. "Gil?" Shiver called. The griffon was nowhere to be seen. He'd thought they were going to enjoy the show together. "Way to abandon me, dude. Another beer, please." It was by his third beer that the band started to take the stage. Shiver tried to remember the name of the band as the bassist hyped up the crowd. "HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING TONIGHT?!" a voice called from overhead. Shiver looked up above the stage and saw a shape descending with a guitar around his chest. The crowd's cheers may have just been misleading him, but Shiver could swear the voice sounded like Gil's... "ARE YOU READY FOR TARTARUS UNLEASHED?!" the voice continued. The cheers picked up again, and the lead singer started on the opening riff of one of their songs. Shiver shoved his way to the front of the crowd, so he could stand at the base of the stage. He looked up at the guitarist before him. It really was Gil. "YOU'RE IN A BAND?!" Shiver shouted with disbelief. After the show, Gil had tracked the now drunk pony down and invited him to the greenroom to hang out with his band. It was there that he met the other three band members; the drummer, a hippogriff mare named Sunwhisper, the second guitarist, a changeling named Ephemerid, and the bassist, a unicorn stallion named Star Shooter. Gil flipped his head back out of the sink he was washing his sweaty feathers in. "What, were the last two hours not a big enough hint for you?" he joked, drying his feathers off with a wash cloth. "I've just never known anyone in a band before. I mean, Burner's little brother Crimson has a piano toy he likes to play with, but--" "Is this guy drunk?" asked Sunwhisper. Gil responded to her question with a big laugh. "No doubt!" "I just can't believe you've been in a band this whole time!" Shiver continued. "What were you called again?" "Tartarus Unleashed." "Tar-tar sauce fun peas..." Sunwhisper sighed and placed a claw on Gil's shoulder. "You might wanna walk this guy home, G," she advised. "Can't very well do that. Don't know where he lives," Gil protested. "I shouldn't take him to my house either..." "I LIVE IN A CAROUSEL!" Shiver suddenly blurted. Clearly no one knew what he meant. "Guess I'll just have to break in my dorm at the school again. Unless Merid or Star wanna take him in?" "Noooooo" Star replied with a knowing cadence in his voice. He nudged Merid, who also denied Gil's offer with a rapid shake of their head. "You're stuck with the drunk hottie for tonight, G," they laughed. The rest of the band gave Gil some friendly jabs in the shoulder and left the greenroom, leaving the griffon alone with the drunk unicorn. Even drunk as he was, Shiver recognized the implications in the band members' tones. Gil seemed to notice this too, as when he signaled for him to lean against his shoulder, and spread his wing over the unicorn's back to provide extra support, he let out a very stern, yet slightly awkward, "Don't try anything with me tonight."
Cider Blitz: Friends Over FamilyBlitz sat silently on the porch of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. He rolled a ball back and forth between his wings slowly, feeling bored as the setting sun. On his left sat his elder cousin, Crumble, and on his right his twin brother, Blue Stem. The three colts were waiting. They didn't know what for, but they were. Suddenly, a rainbow blur shot up over a hill. At the same time three muscular, warmly-colored earth ponies cantered out of the array of apple trees. That's what they were waiting for; their family. The three colts got up and excitedly ran towards the four adult ponies. Blitz practically pounced on his moms, giving them the biggest hugs he could. "Wow, miss us much?" Rainbow Dash chuckled with a sideways glance to her wife. Applejack shuffled her son's hair. "How was yer day, Lil' Fizzer?" "Boring!" Blitz responded. "The half-day at school went by too fast, and then I couldn't do anything else once I got home and did all my chores!" "Wait, there was a half day today?!" Applebloom asked, letting go of Blue Stem's embrace. "Why didn't anypony tell me?! Heavens to soil, the Sanctuary is always busy on early release school days!" "Well, you were out in the orchard," Blitz answered. "And aunt Sugar Belle says we ain't permitted ta' go out there without an adult accompanying us," Stem added. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Applebloom all looked accusingly over at Big Macintosh, who was playfully shuffling his son's hair. He quickly stopped once he felt the mares' eyes burning into him. "I ain't got a thing to do with it!" he proclaimed defensively. Applebloom and Rainbow Dash both laughed at him while Applejack looked back at her sons. "Well, from now on, y'all can join us in the orchard whenever ya like," she said softly. Blitz smiled when he heard his ma say this. He loved growing up on a farm. He always felt unique when he and his brother talked about the farm workings in front of the class. He wasn't the brightest kid in class, but he was always happy when the orchard came into conversation. "Can you teach me some orchard stuff tomorrow, ma?" Blitz asked, looking at Applejack hopefully. "Don't you have school tomorrow?" Blitz shook his head no. "It's summer vacation now!" Applejack tensed suddenly. “Summer vacation already?” she said with a slight chuckle. “Gosh, time sure does fly, don’t it?” She wrapped her hoof around Blitz’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Ya know, with summer always comes one Sweet Apple Acres tradition yer mom never likes to skimp out on.” Cider Blitz danced excitedly, knowing his ma was talking about the very sales week that contributed to his namesake. “Cider season!” he said happily. Ahead of them, Rainbow Dash stopped and turned her head almost the full 180 degrees. “Did somepony just mention cider and NOT have it be in reference to my wonderful pegasus son?” she joked, flying up and back to her family. She playfully pushed on Blitz’s head while wrapping her wing affectionately around Applejack. “You and Stem might get to make your first pots of cider all on your own! I may not have been a part of this family when I was your age but I know that when a foal gets trusted with their first big task like that it’s a very important moment in their life!” Blitz smiled at his mom and then looked excitedly back at his brother, whose head was dropping a little. “Hey, Stem, something wrong?” Stem lifted his head and looked at his pegasus twin. “Well, actually,” he began, “I kinda had an occupied day tomorrow with Strokes and Ace.” Strokes and Ace, full names Golden Strokes and Two Pair, were Blue Stem’s best friends from school. After Strokes introduced him to the world of art, Stem would end up spending a lot of time with her and Ace in the park playing games and drawing pictures; without Blitz. This naturally made Blitz very jealous and sad, as he thought he’d be able to spend time with his brother all the time, but no! He had to spend all his time with a couple of city-folk! Blitz would never admit his jealousy though. He frowned at his brother, but still kept a chipper and affirming tone to his voice. “O-okay then…” he stammered. “Ya don’t have to work in the orchard with me tomorrow in that case.” Stem lifted his head high, looking at his brother with a surprised expression. “I never said I couldn’t participate in orchard work!” He protested as they stepped onto the porch. The rest of their family had already stepped inside, so it was just the two of them now. Blitz stepped backwards, opening his wings. Were they really about to fight? “It’s fine, Stem!” he assured him, trying his best to sound sincere. “You can hang out with them all day tomorrow if ya want to!” “Cut the crap, Blitz!” Stem scolded, squaring up to his brother. “I know how ya feel about my friends!” Blitz folded his wings and cast his glance sideways. Stem sighed and walked closer to his brother, pulling him into a warm embrace. “I understand ya enjoy hanging out with me and being my brother,” Stem comforted. “But we don’t have ta do everything together. We gotta have our own lives.” He pulled away from the hug and lightly punched his brother on the shoulder. “I’ll be hanging out with Ace and Strokes tomorrow until lunchtime, so I’ll still be able to work the orchard with ya!” he said. Blitz grumbled. “But we won’t get the time to make cider together…” Stem sighed again and put his hoof on the door. “The orchard ain’t everything, Blitz,” he said as he opened the door. Blitz reluctantly followed him inside, where they found their family all standing nonchalantly in an obvious attempt to hide the fact that they were listening in on the brothers’ conversation. Stem looked them on in mild anger, but Blitz didn’t even care. He just grabbed a fresh apple off the dinner table, tucked it under his wing, and stomped up to his and Stem’s room. Blitz woke up early in the morning to a rooster's crow, as he always had for the past twelve years. He turned over and looked at Stem's bed. Empty. Good! He told himself. I didn't wanna talk to him anyhow... He flew down the stairs, not knowing wether he wanted to see Stem at the breakfast table. It didn't matter either way, because he was already gone. The only other ponies in the kitchen were Sugar Belle and Crumble. The two unicorns were working together to make pancakes. "Good morning, Blitz!" Sugar Belle greeted her nephew. She was clearly refraining from mentioning the fight she'd eavesdropped on the night before with the rest of their family. "Sleep well?" Blitz nodded and grumbled as he landed on the hard wooden floor. "Where's everypony else?" he asked. "Big Mac is out preparing the trees for today's harvests, Applebloom is covering the summer camps at the Sanctuary, and Rainbow Dash is still asleep. She's lived here thirteen years and still can't get on farm schedule..." Blitz noticed that Sugar Belle had neglected to mention Applejack and Blue Stem. She must have known he didn't want to hear about Stem after the previous night, and he guessed that his ma was the one who took him into town to hang out with his friends. Blitz poured a quick glass of apple juice and started towards the door. "Where are ya going?" Crumble asked. "I'm just going ta see if Big Mac will give me a few pointers on harvesting. Come get us when breakfast is ready!" He set his empty glass down on the counter and darted out the door, taking off just a few paces from the porch. Let's see, they covered the southeast section of orchard yesterday, so that means today is... south section. He landed just before reaching the line of apple trees he’d guessed his uncle had been working in. He trotted through the trees, following the line of baskets and once again taking a moment to appreciate orchard life. He found his uncle about halfway through the array, organizing empty wicker baskets and pushing on the trees to check their sturdiness. “Hey, Uncle Mac!” Blitz called. The soft-spoken stallion nodded kindly to his nephew and gestured him over. All thoughts of his fight with Stem suddenly left Blitz's mind as he trotted closer to his uncle. The two of them spent most of the morning practicing the family tradition of apple bucking. By the time Crumble came trotting up to invite them to breakfast, Blitz had filled up his first basket of apples. "Dad! Blitz! Breakfast's ready!" Crumble called. He cast a surprised glance at the wicker basket filled with fresh red apples, and Blitz noticed his eyes quickly flash with jealousy. They all started trotting back to the farmhouse. Once they got up to the door, Blitz heard Applejack's voice, in a conversation with Rainbow Dash and Sugar Belle. About Stem. "He's really gonna go somewhere with those drawings of his!" she proclaimed excitedly. "Our sketcher really is talented." "You don't have to tell me that!" Rainbow Dash responded excitedly. "Both our boys have gotta be the coolest colts in Ponyville." Blitz started to get fed up with hearing about his twin. He trudged through the door, stopping at the sink to wash his front hooves of the dirt he'd picked up out in the orchard. "Hey there, Li'l Fizzer!" Applejack called to her son. "How was your first time apple bucking?" Blitz turned and smiled at her. "It was really fun, ma!" he said as he sat in his usual dining chair, right next to Rainbow Dash. "Well I'm glad!" Applejack exclaimed happily. "Think you'll be willing to make your first pot of cider in a few hours?" she added, holding her wife close to prevent her from getting excited at the mention of her favorite beverage. Blitz frowned, remembering what Rainbow Dash had said the night before about it being a significant moment in an Apple Family foal's life, and that he wouldn't be able to do it with Stem. "Maybe..." he sighed, starting to poke his breakfast absentmindedly. The adults at the table all shared worried glances at Blitz's disgruntled attitude, but reluctantly changed the subject of conversation and continued on with the meal. If only Blitz would make up with Stem and remove all awkwardness from the household. After breakfast, Blitz had gone back upstairs to his room. He was just sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling quietly. After a few hours he heard a knock at the door. "Hey, Blitz?" Rainbow Dash's voice came from the other side of the door. "It's your moms. Can we come in?" Great. Both his moms were here to give him a lecture. He opened the door and let Applejack and Rainbow Dash in. They both sat down on Stem's bed across the room. "Is everything alright, Fizzer?" Applejack asked. "I know you had a fight with Stem yesterday." "Everyone in the house knows!" Blitz snapped. "Right, and we have tried ta avoid talking 'bout it..." Applejack began. "But it seems to have really made you mad. We think you need to talk about it," Rainbow Dash added. Blitz grumbled and turned over in his bed. "I just wish Stem wasn't spending all his time in town with Golden Strokes and Two Pair," he said finally. "Your brother's gonna have ta have a life outside the family, Blitz." Applejack comforted. "Everyone in the family will. Heck, if I'd not had a life outside the family I never woulda met yer mom." "But he hardly ever makes time for us! He knows we love him more than a couple of friends could, right?" "Just because he spends time away from the family doesn't mean he doesn't love us," Rainbow Dash said, wrapping her wing around her son. "Everyone has a life outside of their family. Stem always comes home after hanging out with his friends and he always hangs out with us when he's on the farm. If you love your brother, you'll be happy if he's happy with his life. And you do love your brother, right?" "Yes..." Blitz sighed. "And he does seem happy when he's with Golden Strokes and Two Pair." He looked over to his brother's side of the room and smiled. "And if he's happy... I'm happy!" "Awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered, doing a small roll in the air. "Now let's go downstairs and make some cider."
