Author's Note

I added a classic Hanna Montana song. I know it's not popular anymore, but you can't ignore a classic.

Chapter 4: Appaloosa (Re-edited on 13/09/2021)

Though it had been a few days at Camp Everfree, Twilight had an amazing time and made a handful of friends along the way. She was really glad to have met Gloriosa, for those two had gotten along like two peas in a pod. Invictus couldn’t help but smile when he saw them bond. Though Gloriosa may have been good friends with Sunset and the others, her becoming friends with Twilight had been a great bonus. They had a lot to talk about, even some issues that Gloriosa had in the past that Twilight was able to help her get over.

The day after that they left, with Gloriosa saying goodbye to Twilight, with the said princess promising to be in contact with her soon. Once both Invictus and Twilight boarded their ride, they drove off to their next destination. As they drove off the road, Twilight looked through the pictures and notes that she took, which she smiled with pride about.

Invictus couldn’t help but smile and chuckle when he saw her like that, with him saying ‘Enjoying yourself?’

‘How could I not?’ said Twilight with clear excitement in her voice ‘There are so many similarities between Camp Everfree and the Everfree Forest, even some differences.’

‘And not to mention with a handful of friends you’ve made when you got there.’ said Invictus as he pointed out a few things ‘Including Gloriosa.’

‘Oh, she’s amazing.’ said Twilight ‘I’m glad to see she’s doing great ever since Sunset and the others helped her out a while ago.’

‘Yeah, she’s really come far,’ said Invictus, then pointed out ‘Except for her brother. Didn’t expect that to happen. Though then again, I don’t know how Sci-Twi’s going to react once they get back. I’m surprised that Gloriosa didn’t tell her about it.’

‘I guess she just didn’t want my other me to have her heart broken if they told her the truth.’ said Twilight.

‘Yeah, usually being protective is Sunset’s job.’ said Invictus. He looked at Twilight and said ‘You should really see her, she’s really changed for the better. She’s ever really protective over her friends. Ever since that incident with Wallflower…’

‘Wait, how did you know about Wallflower?’ asked Twilight.

‘Let’s just say,’ said Invictus as he rolled his eyes ‘I sensed that she was going to use the memory stone, so I was able to use a spell of my own to protect my mind.’

Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘If you weren't affected, why didn’t you help her?’

‘Well for one I still had trust issues and I was still mad at her at her for insulting my mother.’ said Invictus, with Twilight rolled her eyes a bit backwards whilst she nodded, for he does have a good point. ‘Second, if I had to step in, then she wouldn’t have learned her lesson about being mindful of not hurting others’ feelings without her even realizing it and that she shouldn’t brush them off like that.’

He then thought out loud as he said ‘Well then again, Wallflower should’ve tried to talk to someone rather than just use the memory stone, it’s what got her into that mess in the first place.’

Twilight was a bit speechless, but then she said ‘But if you forgave her then, why didn’t you say something, or even helped her.’

‘Did Princess Celestia helped you make friends and helped you face Equestria’s enemies when you were facing a lot of unknowns?’ asked Invictus with a flexed eyebrow.

‘Touché.’ said Twilight, realizing that he had a good point.

He then sighed whilst he shook his head, gaining Twilight’s attention.

‘Is something wrong?’ asked Twilight, wondering what he was thinking.

‘Why the heck didn’t I apologize to her or ask her to be my friend.’ said Invictus as he thought out loud.

Twilight was a little surprised, and noticed he had a guilty look on his face. ‘You really feel bad about hurting Sunset?’

‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘What I did back then was out of line, and every time I wanted to apologize, I felt like a part of my pride kept me at bay. And thinking about it kind of reminds me of what happened between me and Dashie.’

‘Rainbow Dash?’ asked Twilight.

‘Yeah, see,’ said Invictus before he trailed off. He didn’t want to share it, but seeing that Princess Twilight was one of the most understanding ponies he knew, he decided to tell her to get things off of his chest. ‘I kind of lied when I said that Dash and I got along.’

‘What?’ said Twilight surprised.

‘Back then, Dash and I were best friends since we were in preschool.’ said Invictus as he started ‘We always enjoyed each other’s company, always had a few laughs. I loved hearing her quips and she loved my sense of humor and jokes.’

He then looked down with sadness ‘But by the time when we attended Freshman year, her ego sometimes get out of hand, and I wanted to…take our relationship to the next level.’

Twilight was surprised by this, and said ‘You have a crush on her?’

‘I used to.’ said Invictus ‘She didn’t want to commit and soon enough, I got so frustrated with her we ended up arguing. After that, things got a lot worst, and we stopped being friends after that.’

Twilight was surprised by this, with Invictus continuing ‘And after you helped set Sunset right, they had a hard time trusting her, and after all the hard work she did to earn their trusts, they didn’t trust her when they claimed her to be a Cyber bully. I confronted Dash about that and said that she shouldn’t have just brushed her off like that, for they didn’t have any solid proof that it was her. Sure it may look like that, but she would never do that, not whilst she was afraid to lose them.’

‘And I take it she didn’t take kindly that you defended a bully?’ asked Twilight.

‘Nope,’ said Invictus with a nod ‘She then said that it was typical of me for standing up for the wrong people that I was selfish, and said that she wondered why we weren't friends anymore. I also told her that we weren't friends because I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with and her ego was getting out of hand, so she pretended to not know me anymore, until she needed me to help do her homework, because she was too stupid and lazy to do any of them herself, and it was no wonder she was failing miserably at her grades.’

Invictus then pointed out at a few recent events. ‘Not to mention ever since she had magic inside of her, her ego kept getting out of hand. Oh sure, she said that she never left her friends hanging, and she was looking out for them. Yeah right, like she “Looked out” for them when her ego was getting out of hand during the battle of the bands. Like she “Looked out” for Sunset when they accused her of being a cyber bully. Like she “Looked out” for her friends when she got them trapped in the magic mirror, which wouldn’t have happened if she had just kept her trap shut instead of running her mouth off at Juniper Montage when she was still upset about certain events. And my personal favorite, like she “Looked out” for her friends when she ruined their Spring Break a few months back.’

Invictus then sighed as he said ‘I should’ve tried harder, but I wasn’t strong enough.’

Twilight stared at him with her mouth agape, with her saying ‘Wow. I didn’t know it was that bad.’

‘Yeah,’ said Invictus, until Twilight noticed that a tear was running down his eye, making him wipe it away as he said ‘I miss my best friend.’

Twilight couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention and said ‘When this trip is over, maybe I can help you patch things up with her, and maybe apologize to Sunset too.’

He looked at her and noticed her sympathetic look. If there was one thing about Twilight, is that once she sets her mind onto some things, she never stops until it’s fulfilled. Which is why she was worthy to be a Princess in the first place. Invictus managed a smile and said ‘Thanks.’

Twilight then changed the subject as she said ‘So, you mentioned something about getting to Appaloosa faster?’

‘Indeed I do.’ said Invictus as he managed a smirk, then used his magic to open a portal, allowing them to drive right through. Sure enough, they were in a completely different part of the country, whilst passing a sign that says “Appaloosa, five miles way”. Twilight was surprised by this, then looked at him and said ‘You can use your portal magic to travel all over the world?’

‘How else did you think we saved a lot of money on fuel whenever we travel.’ said Invictus with a smile.

Sure enough, once they arrived, Twilight was amazed by what she saw. When she was at Appaloosa on her world, it had somewhat of a Western type of look, but looking around is a quaint kind of town. The kind you would expect to thrive with the most upmost of care.

‘Amazing,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘I thought this place would look more like the Appaloosa I once visited some time ago.’

‘Trust me,’ said Invictus whilst he also remembered his own version of Appaloosa ‘The place had a bit more of a two hundred year ago look, but in this world, they’ve finally come out of the dark ages and adapted to modern society.’

Twilight looked at him, thinking about the Buffalo tribes as she said ‘And the Buffalo tribes?’

‘They’re still around.’ said Invictus whilst he thought about them ‘Their people have learnt to adapt here and are living happily among the Appaloosa townsfolk. Braeburn is doing okay though, but he’s doing much better ever since he and Little Strongheart started to date a while back.’

‘Wait, those two are dating?’ said a surprised Twilight.

‘I assume that those two in your world are?’ asked Invictus.

‘Well, they have much respect for each other,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘But other than that, I haven’t seen a slight hint of those two dating or anything.’

‘They should give it a chance.’ said Invictus. He then did a devilish smirk and said ‘Although, I wonder how they would react when they get in heat? A dashing pony cowboy, a buffalo of great strength and stride, together in a teepee in the same…’

‘Ugh, stop!!’ shouted Twilight as she raised both her hands in the air, much to her disgust and much to Invictus’ wide smile. ‘I don’t wanna think about that!!’

Invictus laughed out loud whilst he slammed his hand on the top of the steering wheel a couple of times, which caused Twilight to do a frustrated growl as she said ‘It’s not funny.’

‘I don’t know what’s more funny,’ said Invictus whilst he tried to contain himself ‘Your reaction when you turned into a human, or your reaction of a crossbreed mating season!!’

Invictus continued to laugh, with Twilight going ‘Oh, ha, ha. Very funny, can we please park somewhere?’

‘Sure, there’s a place where we can park at the hotel.’ said Invictus.

Sure enough, after stopping their ride at the parking lot, and checking themselves in at the Hotel, they walked out with proper Appaloosa attire.

Invictus had dressed up like the way Applejack and the others dressed during their Western night. He wore proper boots, blue jeans, a black shirt, a leather jacket and an awesome cowboy hat with glasses.

Twilight’s on the other hand almost looks like her counterpart’s, except that her cutie mark is on top of her hat, on the front and back of her vest.

‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she inspected herself ‘I really like this outfit.’

‘Thought you might,’ said Invictus ‘That outfit you’re wearing happens to nearly resembles to Sci-Twi’s outfit, except for your Cutie Mark I placed on both your hat and vest.’

‘So, what should we do in the meantime?’ said Twilight once she’s done inspecting herself, until her stomach growled, much to both their surprise, making her hold her stomach in embarrassment with a sheepish smile.

‘Well we can always eat at the diner there,’ said Invictus ‘They give out the best pancakes, as well as some pies over there.’

Twilight thought about it, then said ‘This would be the perfect opportunity to test out the taste differences between Equestria and this world’s pancakes and pies.’

Invictus couldn’t help but snickered at that, then said ‘This is the first time I’ve seen you interested in food experimentation, rather than taking notes.’

‘Ooh, good idea.’ said Twilight as she walked forward.

Invictus then realized what he did and slapped his forehead, saying ‘Me and my big mouth.’

Sure enough, they were at the local diner in town, where Twilight would sample both a pie that caught her eye as well as the pancakes.

The waitress next to Invictus was about to ask what Twilight was doing, with Invictus saying ‘She’s trying the different cuisine between Canterlot City and Appaloosa, see if the rumors are true that both the pancake and the pie are the best in this part of the country.’

The waitress smiled and walked away, knowing that Twilight will definitely enjoy them.

Twilight took her first bite out of the pancake. The moment when she placed it in her mouth, one could’ve sworn one would see stars in their eyes. She looked at the pancakes and smiled widely, as well as blushing at the same time, whilst holding both her hands close and shaking back and forth in the cutest manner. Invictus couldn’t help but be hypnotized by her cuteness.

‘Wow, these pancakes are amazing.’ said Twilight.

‘I hope you won’t let Mrs. Cake hear you say that. Or Pinkie Pie for that matter.’

Twilight blinked at that and looked at Invictus, who couldn’t help but chuckle. Twilight did the same, knowing that he was kidding.

She then sampled the pie next, which she thought it was heavenly. ‘Ooh,’ said Twilight as she held both her hands on both sides of her face, whilst staring dreamingly in the air ‘This coconut custard pie with whipped cream is fantastic.’

‘Good thing you didn’t say it’s better than Apple Pie,’ said Invictus, ‘Otherwise Applejack go all “What in dag nabbit tarnation are y’all talkin’ about, no varmint disrespects mah pie and gets away with it.” and stuff like that.’

Twilight couldn’t help but bawl with laughter when Invictus imitated her.

When all of a sudden ‘Ahem.’

The moment Invictus turned around, his eyes were wide as saucers, for standing behind him was none other than Applejack, tapping on her wrist with her finger whilst her arms were crossed, giving him the stink eye.

‘Oh, uh,’ said Invictus before he chuckled nervously whilst waving at her ‘Hi Applejack.’

‘Y’all are lucky that ah like y’all and yer one of our best customers Invictus,’ said Applejack sternly ‘Otherwise y’all would get firsthand experience of what a bull whip feels like.’

‘Applejack?’ said Twilight, clearly surprised to see her.

‘Twilight?’ said Applejack. However, she squinted her eyes, then widened when she realized who it was. ‘Twilight?!!’

Twilight stood up, walked over to Applejack and gave her a big hug, with AJ doing the same.

‘It’s so good to see you.’ said Twilight as she was excited.

‘It’s great to see ya too Sugarcube.’ said Applejack. ‘What are y’all doin’ here? Ah though you were still in Equestria.’

‘I wanted to come over to surprise all of you.’ said Twilight ‘But Invictus said all of you were away for summer break.’

‘We are,’ said Applejack ‘Ah’m here for the family reunion.’

‘They’re holding the reunion here this year?’ asked Invictus whilst he stood up to give Applejack a quick hug ‘I thought all of you were going to hold it in Van Hoover this year.’

‘We were,’ said Applejack ‘But unfortunately a wild storm kinda ruined the place a bit, so we moved it here.’

‘I’m so glad to see you,’ said Twilight ‘I heard that Rainbow Dash was here too.’

‘If yer lookin for her too, y’all just missed her,’ said Applejack ‘They just finished playing and are on their way to White Tail, then Everfree University is next on their list.’

‘Aw,’ said Twilight as she was somewhat disappointed ‘I really wanted to see her again.’

‘Oh don’t worry,’ said AJ as she assured the princess ‘Ah’m sure y’all will catch up with her sooner or later.’

She then looked at Invictus and asked ‘So what are y’all doin here?’

‘Well, see, it’s kind of like this…’ said Invictus as he began to explain.

One complicated recap later

‘So I decided to show her around a bit to see what the world has to offer.’ said Invictus as he finished concluding the story.

Applejack was taken aback what happened. ‘Ah still can’t believe that Iron Will would do something like that.’

‘I can’t believe it either.’ said Twilight as she looked down ‘I still couldn’t believe my mother didn’t read the fine print. I just wanted others to be happy.’

Applejack placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder and said ‘If there’s one thing y’all gotta learn Sugarcube, y’all can’t always please everyone.’

Applejack then looked at Invictus with a smile whilst elbowing him gently and said ‘And thanks fer showing her around. Glad y’all decided to help her explore the place.’

‘Thanks.’ said Invictus.

‘So, y’all gonna be at the Appaloosa jamboree?’ asked Applejack.

‘The what?’ asked Twilight.

‘It’s the biggest party event at Appaloosa,’ said Applejack ‘Mah entire family’s gonna be there to help celebrate their family reunion there, and many other townsfolk are also invited. Y’all should come too.’

‘That’s sounds great.’ said Twilight.

‘Where do we buy tickets?’ asked Invictus.

‘Thankfully the diner’s got people that sells tickets. So y’all had better hurry.’

‘Got it.’ said Invictus as he walked over.

Applejack then spoke to Twilight ‘It’s good to see you again Twilight.’

‘You too.’ said Twilight, then thought about something and asked ‘How well do you know Invictus?’

‘Oh, he’s a nice fellow,’ said Applejack ‘He sometimes comes to the farm and help out whenever we have problems.’

Twilight somehow felt uncomfortable, for it was none of her business to bring it up, but she decided to do so. ‘Did…’ she started ‘Did you know that Invictus and Rainbow Dash used to be best friends since preschool?’

Applejack was surprised by this, then said ‘Really? Well, ah know she was friends with Gilda before things went south between them, but ah never knew that they were friends before.’

‘Well,’ said Twilight, before she looked to see that Invictus was still busy, then looked back at Applejack ‘You gotta promise not to tell anyone besides our friends.’

Applejack nodded yes, agreeing with her friend. Twilight told Applejack what Invictus told her. After the whole story, Applejack’s eyes were widened with shock. ‘Whoa,’ she responded ‘No wonder she can’t sometimes stand him.’

‘More like the other way around.’ said Twilight ‘They used to be such good friends.’

‘Yeah, but like we all could expect,’ said Applejack whilst she crossed her arms ‘Rainbow has a tendency to let her ego get the better of her.’

‘Do you think that you could help find a way to help bring those two together,’ asked Twilight ‘Just to talk things out with them?’

‘Well,’ said Applejack as she thought about it ‘Ah suppose we could. Ah mean, from the sound of what y’all said, he sounded pretty hurt that they drifted apart ever since after the Freshman fair. That and he needs to apologize to Sunset before she got reformed.’

Twilight smiled and hugged Applejack, which her human farm friend hugged her in return. After they broke the hug, Invictus approached the girls and said ‘Alright, I got the tickets, so everything is set.’

‘Great,’ said Twilight as she held both her hands together with a smile ‘I can’t wait to see what the party will be like.’

‘Well then,’ said Applejack as she adjusted her hat ‘Ah’ll see y’all at the party.’

‘See you later Applejack.’ said Invictus as he and Twilight waved her goodbye.

Later that night

Sure enough, nearly half the town had gathered at a large building near the center of town. Everyone walked through the doors, whilst among them, both Invictus and Twilight, after they checked in the hotel and had a good shower, arrived at the building.

Twilight looked around and were surprised to see so many people together. Whilst she looked around, she recognized half the people, for they have a resemblance to Applejack’s family when she met all of them in Ponyville the first time she visited. She smiled when she saw Babs Seed, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Little Strong Heart, even Big Mac and Sugar Belle (though she wasn’t related, Big Mac was allowed to bring a date over).

‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said Twilight, amazed by what she was seeing.

‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he was slightly distracted by looking at Twilight without her noticing ‘It sure is.’

From afar, Applejack saw the two of them walked together. She then noticed that Invictus wanted to hold her hand but was really nervous. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk when she saw him trying to do that, for she knew that had to be another reason that he wanted to take her on the road trip in the first place.

As the crowds have a tendency to bump into one another whilst going inside a building, one of them bumped into Twilight by accident. Before she stumbled, Invictus immediately grabbed her hand out of instinct.

‘Here,’ said Invictus as he held her close ‘Don’t wanna lose you in the crowd. Things can get really crazy in crowed places like this.’

‘Thanks,’ said Twilight ‘Sometimes I wonder why everypony has the tendency into bumping into one another.’

‘Trust me when I say this Twilight,’ said Invictus ‘That question has been left unanswered since the beginning of the twenty first century.’

Applejack couldn’t help but smile when she saw the two of them close like that, which confirmed her suspicions.

Sure enough, both of them have made it to the table, where they saw so many Apple Families coming together for the celebrations, even a handful of other guests that were great friends with them.

They looked around and saw that all of them have gathered. On stage, they could see Granny Smith talking to everyone from stage.

‘Alright there everybody!!’ said Granny Smith ‘Welcome to the Fiftieth Apple Family Reunion!!

Everyone cheered as some clapped their hands, with some whistling, for this was truly a momentous occasion for everybody.

‘We’d like to welcome all Apple Family Members and new friends that came from afar for our little shindig!!’ said Granny Smith ‘So without further ado, we’d like to get this Apple Party on the way!! So without further ado, let the fun begin!!’

Everyone cheered for the announcement. Sure enough, within the first half hour, everyone was singing, dancing, and enjoying some of the festivities. Even Twilight was enjoying most of the foods, especially a certain pastry.

‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘I love this.’

‘Glad you like them.’ said Invictus ‘Applejack learned how to make them. They taste great and all, but she couldn’t come up with a better name. Then Rainbow Dash kinda ruined it for everyone when she gave it a name.’

‘Like what?’ asked Twilight.

‘You don’t wanna know.’ said Invictus quickly.

Sure enough, everyone began to gather near the dance floor. Invictus looked at the dance floor and had a sudden idea whilst a smile had grown on his face.

‘Hey,’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘If you want, do you wanna dance?’

Twilight, who was a little surprised at first, nearly chocked when he asked her that. She twiddled her hair a bit at first, which he knew she was nervous at first. She then said ‘I…I don’t know. I’m…not much of a dancer.’

‘That’s okay,’ said Invictus as he made a bold move by holding her hand and said ‘Stick with me and the Apples and you’ll do great out there.’

Twilight still felt a bit nervous, especially since he was holding her hand. For some reason, she felt more nervous whilst he was holding her hand, but in a strange way, she couldn’t help but smile at his words.

He then stood up and said ‘Be right back, I gotta do something.’

He quickly went over and up to the stage to ask the announcers on the stage, even Granny Smith, who was up there. He quickly whispered to them, requesting them for something. After a minute, they instantly smiled, for what he was suggesting was something they would gladly do. he quickly went back to Twilight, whilst she was curious of what he was planning.

‘What did you do?’ asked Twilight.

Invictus couldn’t help but smirk as he said ‘You’ll see.’

On stage, Granny Smith whispered to Applejack, who smiled and agreed to the request.

‘Alright now y’all,’ said Applejack as she spoke through the microphone, gaining everyone’s attention. ‘We got a request to play a classic that none had heard in a long time. Now for those who are interested, come on up on the dance stage and show us what yer made of!!’

‘So,’ said Invictus as he stood up ‘Are you ready?’

Twilight still felt nervous, for she still didn’t know how to dance all that well.

‘I…’ said Twilight, not feeling sure about herself ‘I don’t know…’

‘Do you trust me?’ asked Invictus.

‘What?’ said Twilight as she looked at him.

He held his hand out to her with a warm smile and asked ‘Do you trust me?’

Twilight slowly placed her hand in Invictus’ hand, allowing her to accept his hand whilst she stood up. He guided her towards the dance floor, with Applejack saying ‘Alright y’all, here we go.’

As Invictus and Twilight were at the center of the dance floor with the rest of the dancers, they were up front to see how Applejack was going to dance for them. She first clapped her hands in the air in order to rile up the crowd.

Boom, Boom clap

Boom de Clap de Clap (x4)

‘Try it with me, here we go’ said Applejack as she tried to get the crowd excited, which seems to work.

Boom, Boom clap

Boom de Clap de Clap

(Whoa, whoa)

‘That’s right y’all, show that there dance there.’ said Applejack whilst she got them into the beat

Boom de Clap de Clap

Boom, Boom clap

Boom de Clap de Clap

(Whoa, whoa)

Sure enough, Applejack started to sing.

1, 2, 3

Everybody come on,

Off your seats

I’m gonna tell you, all about a beat

That’s gonna make you move your feet

I’ll give the Bar-B-Q, show

And to tell you how to move

If you’re 5 or 82

This is something you can do

(Whoa, whoa)

Applejack began to dance, with the others watching.

Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it

Country-fey

Hip-Hop Fit

To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side

Jump to the left, stick it, glide

‘Come on y’all,’ said Applejack ‘Y’all see what I did there, now let me see y’all do the same.’

As soon as Applejack began to dance, so did a handful of others, with Twilight and Invictus following her lead.

Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it

Country-fey

Hip-Hop Fit

To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side

Jump to the left, stick it, glide

Whilst they tried to dance, Twilight couldn’t help but laugh over how ridiculous she felt, as did Invictus, but they kept a brave face whilst doing this.

Zig, Zag, cross the floor

Shuffle in Diagonal

When the drum hits, hands on your hips

One foot in, 180 twist and then a…

Zig, Zag, step, slide

Lean in left, clap three times

Shake it out, head to toe

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

As she sang, most of the crowd began to sing too.

Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3)

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

Applejack took another peek at both Twilight and Invictus, and she saw that they were having fun. She couldn’t help but smirk. She then had an idea and jumped off of the stage and sang between them, signaling them that they should follow her lead.

We get to 4, 5, 6

And you’re feeling busted

But it’s not time to quit

Practice makes you perfect

(Whoa, whoa)

The moment AJ began to dance, so too did Twilight and Invictus whilst they followed her lead.

Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it

Country-fey

Hip-Hop Fit

To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side

Jump to the left, stick it, glide

Sure enough, Twilight got into the hang of this, as did Invictus, whilst he enjoyed the festivities.

Zig, Zag, cross the floor

Shuffle in Diagonal

When the drum hits, hands on your hips

One foot in, 180 twist and then a…

Zig, Zag, step, slide

Lean in left, clap three times

Shake it out, head to toe

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3)

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

Applejack clapped her hands together, as did a few others, with Twilight and Invictus following her moves.

Boom de Clap de Clap

Boom, Boom clap

Come on, here we go!!

Boom, Boom clap

Boom de Clap de Clap

Clap Boom, boom clap

Boom de clap

Sure enough, the moment she began to dance, everyone on the dance floor, Twilight and Invictus included, all began to dance and enjoyed themselves.

Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it

Country-fey

Hip-Hop Fit

To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side

Jump to the left, stick it, glide

Zig, Zag, cross the floor

Shuffle in Diagonal

When the drum hits, hands on your hips

One foot in, 180 twist and then a…

Zig, Zag, step, slide

Lean in left, clap three times

Shake it out, head to toe

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3)

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3)

Throw it all together, that’s how we roll

Everyone cheered out over the dance and song, even Twilight enjoyed it as she had never laughed so much before.

Half an hour later, whilst Twilight decided to talk to some of AJ’s relatives to see if there was a difference between this world’s Apple Family and Equestria’s, Invictus decided to fetch them an appetizer plate, knowing that Twilight would need a snack after all the talking. After he placed the plate back on their table, he took a glass of cider and felt someone poking his shoulder. When he looked back, he saw AJ, still wearing that grin on her face.

‘Oh hey AJ, what’s up?’ asked Invictus before he took a sip of his glass.

‘Y’all enjoying yer date Sugarcube?’ asked Applejack with a smirk.

Invictus ended up spitting out the Cider in another direction to ensure that nobody would get soaked from his backwashed Cider. He looked at AJ surprised. ‘Uh, what?’

‘There’s no need to hide it Sugarcube.’ said Applejack as she walked over and stood near him. ‘Ah see the way y’all have been looking at her. Ah even saw how y’all attempted to hold her hand the whole time y’all were trying to get in.’

Invictus sighed whilst he placed the glass down and sat down. AJ, who knew Invictus for some time, chose to sit next to him so that they could have a conversation.

‘How long did y’all like her?’ asked Applejack.

Invictus thought about it, then answered ‘Since before the Fall Formal.’

‘Whoa, that long?’ asked Applejack.

‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘I wanted to talk to her and everything but…as you know…I’m not good at talking to girls.’

Applejack flexed an eyebrow and said ‘Ah’m a girl and y’all talk to me.’

‘That’s because, besides Dash, we’ve been friends since the Freshman Fair.’ said Invictus, which caused him to smile and look back at her ‘Best day of my life.’

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle, for even though he wasn’t her type, she counts him as one of her closest friends, even helped her after her parents died. She was then serious whilst she asked ‘And what about you and Dash?’

Invictus winced at that, for he had hoped that she didn’t answer that. ‘I guess Twilight told you?’

‘Bit by bit,’ said Applejack ‘Even from what Dash told me. But ah’d like to hear from y’all side of the story.’

But as Twilight came back, she saw Applejack talking to Invictus, whilst she noticed that he had a somewhat sad look on his face. She quietly snuck over and listened into their conversation so that she doesn’t give herself away. Invictus took a deep breath, turned around and told Applejack. Saying that they had been friends since Nursery School, but as they got older, she changed. Her ego got out of hand over the years and he couldn’t take it anymore, so he just stopped talking to her at all.

‘Whoa,’ said AJ ‘But since when did y’all talk to her?’

‘You remember the whole Anon-a-Miss ordeal?’ asked Invictus.

Now Applejack winced, feeling some shame of what happened between them and Sunset. ‘Ah try not to.’

‘I was the only one who defended Sunset.’ said Invictus, which he then chuckled ‘Which is weird right? A guy like me who scared her and nearly became her bully, defending her after everything she did. I’m just glad that her life got turned around before things got worse.’

‘So, y’all confronted Rainbow about it?’ asked AJ.

‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘I told her that they didn’t have any proof. I mean the day the video got posted, all of you were asleep around that time.’

‘Wait, what?’ asked AJ.

‘Seriously?’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘You were so focused about who posted the video, you didn’t check the time on when it was posted? It was posted at one in the morning, where she claimed that she went to sleep at ten after she wrote to Princess Twilight.’

AJ’s jaw dropped, causing her to slap her forehead, for she was such an idiot that she didn’t notice that. But then she said ‘What did y’all talk about?’

‘I told her that she couldn’t have done it, because she was too afraid to lose her friends and she would never do any of that. Then as usual, her ego got out of hand and thought that I was protecting the wrong person, and that she wondered why we weren't friends anymore.’ Invictus then sighed as he rubbed the back of his head and said ‘That’s when I lost my cool.’

‘What did y’all say?’ wondered AJ.

Invictus sighed and told her ‘I told her that the reason that we weren't friends anymore was because her ego always gets out of hand and that I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with, so she pretended to not even know me anymore, until she needed me to help do her homework, because she was too lazy and stupid to do any of it herself, and that it was no wonder she was failing miserably at her grades.’

AJ was shocked to hear that. ‘What in tarnation were y’all thinking, saying something like that?’

‘Like I said, I lost my cool.’ said Invictus ‘I then told her that at least I didn’t abandon my friends when they needed me the most. I told her that you guys were the only family Sunset ever had and that she didn’t have anyone else, that she was an orphan who grew up with no parents or anything. You of all people should know, I mean yeah you, Big Mac and Apple Bloom have Granny Smith, but you of all people know what it feels like to not have parents anymore.’

Applejack rubbed her arm and thought about that, she knows that Invictus would never disrespect them, but she knows what it felt like. And the day that Sunset told her about it one day whilst she was helping her out at her farm, which made her feel more guilty whilst she thought about it.

‘Yeah, I do.’ said AJ.

‘And not to mention that mess with Gilda and what she nearly did to Fluttershy…’ said Invictus.

AJ stopped him ‘Ah know. It was a day that…none of us wanted to remember.’

‘I just don’t know what to do anymore AJ.’ said Invictus ‘I know she always acts that way and all but…sometimes I wish she didn’t change that much. I missed all the times we hung out, that we always made each other laugh. Even that time when we played soccer together and went for milkshakes and fries after we played for two hours straight. I…I miss my best friend.’

AJ could tell that he was honest and sincere, and that he really missed her. He walked over to Invictus and placed her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention whilst giving him a sympathetic look.

‘Look,’ said Applejack ‘Ah may not know what happened between you two that you stopped being friends, but y’all should know better than anyone that one fight shouldn’t stop you from being friends. Ah know Ah wasn’t any different when Dash and I were at odds with one another, and that time Ah abandoned Sunset was the worst thing Ah ever did. But the one thing what Princess Twilight told me, is that if something doesn’t work out the way y’all expect it to, then y’all should work through it together, that’s how great friendship is.’

Invictus looked down, remembering the good times they had before those eventful days. AJ then said ‘Look, after Summer is over, y’all should talk to her, try to make things right. Ah know she can be really stubborn, but if y’all care about her…’

‘Which I do.’ interjected Invictus.

‘Then y’all should talk to her, tell her how y’all really feel. Only then will y’all find peace.’

Invictus couldn’t help but smile and look at her. ‘You always know what to say AJ.’

‘Least I could do after y’all helped me when ah needed a friend to talk to.’ said Applejack.

‘And I know I’m not your type, but may I? Just this once.’ asked Invictus.

AJ knew what he meant and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘Heck, why not.’

AJ then kissed him on the lips, which he appreciated. Twilight couldn’t help but smile, seeing how well two friends connect. Their lips soon depart, they couldn’t help but smile.

‘You know,’ said Invictus as he couldn’t help but chuckle ‘It’s a good thing we didn’t drink each other under the table, otherwise we would’ve taken things to the next level.’

Applejack couldn’t help but laugh as she slapped his back. It hurt a little, but Invictus was also able to laugh. Twilight decided to go back to him and tried to act normal in order to ensure she didn’t overhear them.

Later that night, Twilight and Invictus were on their way to their rooms back at the hotel. Twilight stood in front of her room and looked at Invictus. ‘I had a really fun time Invictus.’

‘I’m glad you liked it,’ said Invictus ‘Were you able to find what you were looking for with the Apple family.’

‘I sure do,’ said Twilight ‘They almost have the same qualities and personalities like everypony else in Equestria.’

‘They sure do,’ said Invictus ‘And I assume after your first adventure with them at CHS, you were able to compare notes between them and your pony friends?’

‘I sure did,’ said Twilight ‘I could tell they had some similarities, but also some differences too.’

‘But still, we’d best be getting to bed,’ said Invictus ‘We got a big day tomorrow.’

‘We sure do.’ said Twilight ‘Well, goodnight Invictus.’

‘Sweet dreams princess.’ said Invictus.

Twilight smiled and went into her room. Invictus smiled and walked a few rooms down. The moment he walked into his room…

‘Howdy Sugarcube.’ said a familiar voice.

Invictus was surprised to see Applejack. She was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and her hands resting on the bed.

‘AJ?’ said Invictus with a flexed eyebrow as he was surprised to see her ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Well,’ said Applejack as she stood up ‘Ah wanted to talk to y’all for one thing.’

She stood near Invictus with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. She took a deep breath, sighed, then looked at him.

‘About what happened between you and Rainbow,’ said Applejack ‘Ah know she can be insensitive and stubborn, and y’all feel terrible about what happened between you two during Anon-A-Miss. If it helps, Ah’ll try to talk to the girls about it and we’ll see if we can help you out with it on that.’

‘Oh uh…thanks.’ said Invictus ‘But…why are you helping me, I thought you’d be…’

‘Y’all just had a misunderstanding.’ said Applejack ‘Plus…yer always nice to me and…ah owe ya for helpin’ me out during mah tough time after Ah lost mah parents.’

She looked at him and said ‘Plus ah could see how much y’all love Twilight. I kinda noticed it a mile away.’

He lowered his head and said ‘Yeah, I do.’

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle and said ‘Good. But y’all have to prove to me that ya do.’

‘Come again?’ asked Invictus.

‘Look, ah care about mah friends, especially those who live in another dimension.’ said Applejack ‘So to prove to me that ya do…y’all have to prove to me that you do.’

‘How?’ asked Invictus.

Applejack slowly walked over to him, slowly moved to his ear and whispered the one thing he never thought she would ever say.

‘Ah want y’all to do me.’

That part, shocked Invictus more than anything, for out of all his friends, he never expected Applejack of all people to mention something like that to him. And as a result, he immediately backed himself against the wall and shouted ‘WHAT?!!’

‘Look,’ said Applejack ‘Ah normally wouldn’t ask this, but if you really love her, y’all gotta have to show me.’

Invictus was a bit too shell shocked and stunned by what Applejack, of all people, would ask him to do. He first glanced a bit down for a millisecond. But when he thought he noticed something, he looked again. To his surprise, her geode was glowing. He couldn’t explain how or why, but it must be very important for some reason. But, he noticed that there was a bottle of birth control pills, making him feel even more flustered.

She walked over to Invictus with bedroom eyes and a smile. Then she softly said ‘If y’all do. Then show me.’

She slowly placed her lips onto his. Kissing him, which made his eyes widened. But unknown to Applejack, the moment she did that, Invictus’ eyes suddenly began to sparkle, then glowed the colors of the rainbow, as if someone had casted a spell on him for something no one could explain.

He slowly closed her eyes and reached his hands out, gently placed it on Applejack’s hips and slowly pulled her close, whilst at the same time, she placed her hands on top of his shoulders. Their kiss deepened whilst Applejack moaned. She then used her tongue to try and find an entrance. But soon enough, Invictus allowed her entrance, making the two of them wrestle their tongues with one another as they kept embracing one another.

The two of them eventually broke the kiss and kept their smiles, but also kept their bedroom eyes.

‘For a country gal who works at a farm a lot,’ said Invictus ‘Your lips are really soft.’

‘Really now?’ said Applejack in a seductive smirk ‘What else can y’all tell that’s soft?’

Invictus’ hands slowly reached her waist and dug his hands under her shirt. He slowly stroked her back upwards whilst feeling the softness of her skin, but also felt the muscle. Farm work really did do wonders for her.

‘Damn girl,’ said Invictus as he slowly licked her neck, making her shiver as he said ‘You really do have amazing skin.’

That was, until he ended up reaching for both her breasts, making her gasp loudly.

‘But my oh my,’ said Invictus with a smirk ‘Those wonderful apples of yours really have bloomed wonders.’

Applejack ended up grabbing Invictus, but as she pulled on his shirt, she pushed him away with her foot, causing his short to be torn off, leaving him topless as he landed on the bed. Applejack could see just how well tone his body was. Though not really muscular, his body was really in shape.

Applejack walked over and climbed onto the bed. She ended up being on top of him and licked his neck, making him shiver too. She slowly sat up and tossed her hat above his head and removed her shirt in a seductive manner. Applejack removed her shirt, whilst she was still wearing her bra.

‘Would y’all like to do the honors?’ asked Applejack.

‘Oh, shit.’ said Invictus within his own head ‘This is really happening?’

His hands slowly reached for the strap of her bra and unclipped it, allowing her bra to fall off, revealing her breasts. He sat up and held her close whilst he was kissing her, making her squeak as he continued.

‘Oh,’ said Invictus with a smirk when he broke the kiss ‘Bit of a squeaker, are you?’

Applejack suddenly grabbed his shoulders and pinned him hard onto the ground and smacked her lips against his, making him moan twice as much, whilst his hands ended up removing her skirt at the same time, allowing it to fall down and taking her by surprise, but still kept it going. She soon broke the kiss and slowly stood up, whilst at the same time she pulled him up, allowing him to sit up as he was able to look at her.

She smirked as she kept waving her hips whilst she was still wearing her panties and boots. She used her feet to slowly pull her boots off. She playfully kicked one towards him, allowing him to catch it with his left hand. However, Applejack ended up kicking the right boot a bit too hard, causing it hit against his head, making him fall over, which surprised Applejack, and couldn’t help but stifle her laughter when she saw the silly mistake she made.

Invictus sat up and smirked ‘Oh, doing that now, are we?’

He ended up getting up, power walked to her, grabbed her, taking her by surprise, picked her up, walked back to bed and plopped her hard onto her back, making her look up as he still kept his smile. He ended up taking off his pants and his shorts, leaving him completely naked. Applejack’s face ended up being red as she couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

‘Looks like someone is excited for the event.’ said Applejack.

‘Well can you blame me,’ said Invictus as he looked at Applejack ‘All that farm work you did gave you a hot rocking body.’

‘Oh, shush you.’ said Applejack as she couldn’t hide the smirk from her face.

She grabbed Invictus and made him sat down on the bed, whilst at the same time, she scooched on closer as she placed his member between her bosom. She rubbed his member between her breasts, making Invictus moan, for it was a feeling he wasn’t going to forget anytime soon, nor the fact that his member was inside of her mouth.

‘Oh shit,’ said Invictus as he nearly rolled his eyes backwards whilst out of instinct, placed both his on her head gently ‘How is it you’re also so skilled in your mouth if you’ve used your hands for your job?’

Applejack wanted to smirk, but not whilst her mouth was full.

‘Oh shit,’ said Invictus as he felt he was going to blow ‘Applejack, I…I think I’m gonna…’

And just like that, he released his load inside her mouth, nearly making her gag. But because of her good swallowing throat (the very one that helped her beat Rainbow Dash in a Fizzy Apple Cider drinking contest), she swallowed his load without any problems. She released his member and wiped her mouth with a smile.

‘Now that you were able to swallow my load,’ said Invictus with a smirk, causing him to instantly grab her and pinned her back on the bed. She looked down as Invictus said ‘Let me swallow yours.’

He moved his head towards her delicate flower, placing his tongue against it. He began to lick it slowly, making her gasp sharply at the feeling of her delicate flower. The more he licked, the more she wanted more.

‘Oh mah stars,’ said Applejack ‘Y’all said ah have skill with mah mouth? How is it y’all are just that skilled?’

He smirked a bit for a few minutes before he continued to suck the juice right out of her, making her moan with more and more ecstasy. Applejack ended up wrapping her legs around his neck whilst placing her hands on his head, for she really didn’t want him to stop. Yet after another ten more licks, she finally gave in and squirted her juice down his throat, making him swallow every last drop of it.

Applejack soon released his head as her arms and legs collapsed onto the bed whilst she was panting with excitement. She slowly looked up and noticed that he was far from done. She chuckled a bit and asked ‘Ya still have some energy in ya?’

He then crawled onto the bed and helped her move a bit backwards until her entire boy was now on the bed, with Invictus being on top of her, keeping his smirk and said ‘Shall we find out?’

He slowly aimed his member and inserted it inside her delicate flower, making her gasp, for she never felt this feeling before. She kept her smile as he leaned in closer and said ‘Allow me to take the lead little lady.’

Before Applejack could even respond or retort, Invictus began to slowly thrust in her, making her moan the first time. He continued to keep up the pace as he kissed her on the lips.

‘Oooh, bad boy.’ said Applejack as she continued to enjoy the feeling.

‘Oh, I can be a bad cowboy alright.’ said Invictus as he slowly began to speed up his thrusts

‘Oh, Sugarcube…’ said Applejack as she was enjoying the feeling inside of her.

‘Oh, I love it when you say “Sugarcube”, cowgirl.’ said Invictus as he kept her pinned down, kissing her neck, making her squirm and giggle at the same time.

Invictus kept pounding her on the bed, making her moan like crazy, being caught in the bliss of things, unable being able to think. She quickly grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, making her on top. She couldn’t help but smirk as she was on top of him.

‘Wow,’ said Invictus ‘No matter what position, you’re still pretty badass.’

Applejack kept her smirk as she slowly sat ‘Now it’s mah turn to have some fun.’

‘Time to ride em up and rope em up, eh cowgirl?’ teased Invictus.

‘Oh just hush and enjoy the show,’ said Applejack.

Sure enough, she began to move her hips, making her moan all crazy whilst her breasts bounced violently. Invictus couldn’t help but grasp onto both of them, making her gasp out loudly. He thrusts continued to make her go crazy. But unknown to both of them, Applejack’s geode continued to glow brighter and brighter, as did Invictus. And from outside, one could almost see the bright light shining from underneath the door. The light continued to shine until both of them released their climax, leaving both of them shout in ecstasy.

The next morning, the sun slowly began to rise. Within Invictus’ apartment room, Invictus woke up, feeling groggy like they would do in most mornings. He suddenly felt something beside him. When he opened his eyes, to his shock, it was none other than Applejack, fast asleep in bed. He silently gasped, but then looked underneath his bed sheets and discovered that the both of them were naked. He slowly backed away and got up from bed whilst also quickly attempting to put his clothes on before anyone could expect anything.

A few hours later, Invictus had just finished helping Twilight pack up their things. As he was busy in their mode of transportation, Twilight somehow had a checklist on her. She somehow made a checklist that had a resemblance to her friends. She crossed Applejack off of her list, for deep down she really wanted to spend some time with them. She thankfully did when she bumped into Applejack, but she knows that they’ll bump into each other soon before she returns back home.

‘Hey Sugarcube.’ said Applejack, gaining the Princess of Friendship’s attention.

‘Oh, hey Applejack. What’s up.’ said Twilight after she turned to face her.

‘Ah’m really glad y’all could come visit. Wish it was somewhere close by.’

‘Don’t worry Applejack. Once all of you are done, I’d be more than happy to spend some more time with all of you.’ said Twilight ‘I wanted us to spend some time together too.’

‘Ah do too.’ said Applejack ‘So, what do y’all have right there.’

‘Oh, it’s a checklist.’ said Twilight as she looked it over ‘I really wanted to run into all of you, so I made up a checklist. I don’t know where we’re going to go next.’

Applejack suddenly had an idea ‘Oh, ah know. Seeing that y’all are traveling, why don’t y’all head for White Tail Nature Reserve?’

‘White Tail Nature Reserve?’ said Twilight.

‘Sure,’ said Applejack ‘Ah got a text from Fluttershy. She said that the place at Van Hoover got canceled, so they’re going to the Nature Reserve there instead.’

‘Oh, that’s perfect.’ said Twilight. ‘I can’t wait to see her again.’

‘Ah’m sure that she’ll be glad to see y’all again.’ said Applejack.

Invictus came out of their ride and said ‘Alright, everything’s…’

He then stopped in his tracks and saw Applejack, and she saw her. Causing the two of them to go red and cleared their throats, clearly both of them are now feeling greatly embarrassed about the whole ordeal from last night.

Twilight took notice and said ‘Uh, did something happen…’

‘No.’ said those two frantically, desperately trying to change the subject

‘O.K.’ said Twilight, clearly this was an awkward topic. ‘I’ll just wait in there.’

She climbed on board their RV, with Invictus clearing his throat and said ‘Listen, AJ, about last night…’

‘No, no. It’s alright. We won’t speak of it any further.’ said Applejack.

Invictus suddenly went red as he said ‘Although I have to admit…you were…amazing.’

Applejack felt really flustered, but couldn’t help but smile and said ‘Same with y’all. And do me a favor.’

She walked over and gave Invictus a light kiss, then whispered to his ear ‘Take good care of Twi, okay?’

Invictus watched as Applejack walked away, which in turn, he couldn’t help but smile. ‘That girl really knows how to calm a crown down.’

So Invictus walked back to the RV, started it up and left. He then looked at Twilight and asked ‘Where to next.’

‘Oh, there’s the White Tail Nature Reserve.’ said Twilight.

‘Okay then,’ said Invictus as he focused on the road ‘White Tail Nature Reserve it is.’

So the two of them drove off to the next destination, knowing that they’re entire trip was goin to be a memorable one.