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         My Little Pony: FiM--Tales Of Friendship          
                       -by MontyCS-                        
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           1: Prince Blueblood VS Big Macintosh            
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1: Prince Blueblood VS Big Macintosh
Celestia's sun shone brightly over Ponyville as Rarity made her way through the Ponyville marketplace, which was abuzz with activity. Needing a break from her fashioning, the white unicorn mare had decided to head into town to get a little shopping done.
"All right, what's next on my list?" she asked herself, taking out her shopping list with her magic.
Suddenly, a familiar voice caught Rarity's ear, and she turned to see Applejack, and her older brother Big Macintosh, the two earth ponies having set up a stand nearby to sell apples, apple jam, apple juice, etc. Smiling, Rarity began to make her way over to them to say hello to her friend. As the white unicorn mare approached, Applejack suddenly looked up, and took notice of her.
"Howdy, Rarity!" the orange earth pony greeted, "What brings ya here?"
"Oh, I had some shopping to do, and when I saw you here, I thought I'd come over for a quick hello." Rarity replied.
"Well, can Ah get ya anythin'?" Applejack asked.
Rarity nodded, "One apple juice please."
Smiling, Applejack gestured to her brother, and Big Mac promptly handed a small jug of apple juice out to Rarity, who took it with her magic, before paying her friend two bits.
"Well, good day to the both of you." Rarity said.
"Same ta y'all." Applejack responded in kind.
But just as Rarity was turning to leave, there suddenly came a loud commotion from further down in the marketplace.
However, neither the white unicorn mare, nor the Apple siblings could see what was going on, as a large crowd had gathered around whatever it was.
"Make way, common ponies!" a voice shouted, "Make way for royalty!"
"Royalty?" Rarity wondered aloud.
Could Princess Celestia possibly be in town? Or perhaps even Luna?
No. Somehow, white unicorn mare didn't think so. This certainly didn't feel like either of the princesses. But then, who could it possibly be?
Slowly, the crowd of ponies parted, and Rarity's breath caught in her throat when she finally saw just who it was. Flanked by two royal guardsmen, and being carried on a royal litter, was none other than Prince Blueblood, the very same Prince Blueblood who Rarity had met, and spent the evening with at the Grand Galloping Gala!
Rarity hadn't seen him since then, and had fervently hoped she'd never see him again after the terrible way he'd treated her that night. Behind her, Applejack also stared in shock at Prince Blueblood, for she remembered him as well.
Blueblood cast a rather disdainful gaze around at the ponies of Ponyville, as though he viewed these "common folk" as being beneath him. Then, the snooty prince finally caught sight of Rarity herself, and it quickly became clear that he recognized her as he narrowed his eyes, and pointed his hoof in her direction.
"That's her!" Blueblood said to his entourage, "She's the one!"
As the royal entourage came forward, Rarity glared at her "prince uncharming" as anger, and apprehension warred within her. What in the name of Celestia was he doing here? Rarity very much doubted that it was for anything nice. And just how did he find her? She'd smashed the glass slipper she'd dropped on the stairwell at the Gala the very moment Pinkie Pie had pointed it out to her. But apparently, defying that classic fairy tale moment hadn't been enough...
At last, the arrogant prince motioned for his litter bearers to stop, and they gently set the litter down. Getting to his hooves, Blueblood purposefully strode up to Rarity. She had half a mind to give him a good walloping, feeling she'd let him off way too easy at the Gala with a mere tongue lashing, then smearing him with the cake he'd pushed her into, but the presence of the two royal guards made her think better of it.
"Well hello, Miss Rarity..." Blueblood scowled.
Rarity almost growled, "Prince Blueblood, what a surprise..."
"Hmph, you didn't think you could actually just walk away from me did you?" he asked, "After how you treated me at the gala?"
"After how I treated you?!" Rarity said indignantly.
"Yes!" Blueblood snapped, "You ruined my beautiful, freshly-groomed coat, and then, as if that weren't enough, you left me lying traumatized, and absolutely helpless on the ballroom floor as the gala descended into utter chaos! Never I have been so violated, and so insulted in my life! I demand restitution!"
"Restitution?!" Rarity's temper flared, "You treat me horribly from the moment we first meet, make me wait on you hoof, and hoof for the entire evening, use me to shield yourself from a flying cake, and you mean to tell me that I owe you restitution?"
"That is right!" Blueblood bluntly replied, "And if I were you, I would just consider yourself fortunate that..."
"Hey!" Applejack suddenly leapt to her friend's side, "Leave her be! That ain't no-"
"This does not concern you, common pony..." the snobbish prince began to tell Applejack off, but the cowpony wasn't one to be ignored.
"Honestly, if Ah were as rich as y'all, Ah could afford some manners!" she asserted, actually taking a confrontational step toward him.
This caught Blueblood's attention, and he was outraged at this perceived act of insolence.
"I'll teach YOU some manners, you...!" he started to say, but then he finally recognized her as well, "Wait a minute! I know you! You're the pony who soiled my royal lips with common carnival fare!"
In the background, Big Mac's eyes widened in shock at Blueblood's words, and he stared at the scene playing out before him as the prince shifted focus to his sister.
Rarity quickly came to her friend's defense, "You mean how she gave you an apple fritter free of charge because you were going to make ME pay, and then insulted her for it because it wasn't good enough for you?"
"That sounds 'bout right, Rarity." Applejack said, unable to agree more.
"Hah! You even admit it!" Blueblood pointed a hoof accusedly at her, "And as if that weren't enough, now you think you can meddle in affairs, my affairs, that are not your business!"
"Why of all th'...! Rarity's mah friend; stickin' up fer her is mah-" Applejack started to say, before the prince cut her off.
"Silence!" he yelled, "You just consider yourself fortunate that I am willing to forgive your shameful transgressions, as well as Miss Rarity's..." he paused to give Rarity a stern look, " ...in exchange for proper compensation."
Rarity and Applejack both stared slack-jawed at the prince as it now sunk in to them that Blueblood wasn't just demanding an apology, but actual monetary compensation from BOTH of them, with Rarity's "crime" being getting justifiably furious with him for treating her horribly at the gala, while Applejack was "guilty" of giving him an apple fritter he didn't like for FREE, and trying to stick up for her friend!
"Well?" the prince asked impatiently.
"Is this some kind of distasteful joke?!" Rarity cried.
"I am a prince!" Blueblood snapped, "I am entitled to compensation!"
In the background, Big Mac's eyes darkened as he glared daggers at the prince. Not only that, but the townsponies watching the scene were also appalled at Blueblood's atrocious, self-serving behavior; even his own royal guards, and litter bearers seemed rather embarrassed by him.
Applejack narrowed her eyes, "May we suggest where y'all can PUT yer compensation, mah good sir?"
"Wha-WHAT did you say?!" Blueblood cried, utterly aghast.
"You heard what she said!" Rarity asserted, "You...YOU boorish, brainless, LOUT!"
Blueblood's eyes seemed ready to pop out of his skull. "How-How DARE you?! I'll...!"
Suddenly, Rarity was pushed aside, and Prince Blueblood suddenly found himself staring into the eyes of a very angry Big Macintosh.
"Y'all will do WHAT?" Big Macintosh said scarily quiet voice.
For a moment, Prince Blueblood was taken aback, and even somewhat intimidated at the sudden appearance of this big, red earth stallion, but soon recomposed himself.
"Another one?!" Blueblood exclaimed, "Does everypony in this lowly community think they're entitled to a butt in?!"
Suddenly, one of Blueblood's royal guardsmen stepped forward, hoping to avoid any escalation.
"With all due respect, Prince Blueblood..." he said uncomfortably, "You're not exactly making the best impression here."
But the prince merely scoffed, and waved him away, "Please. One of my status does not concern himself with the opinions of mere common ponies such as this ignoramus. Just who does who think he is anyway?!"
"Name's Big Macintosh." Big Mac said simply.
"Oh, wait. I just realized..." Blueblood replied, "I don't care. Now stand aside."
But Big Mic stood his ground, "Nnnope."
Applejack quickly came to her brother's side. "C'mon, big brother. Rarity, an' Ah can handle this..."
"Yer mah sister, Applejack, an' Rarity's yer friend..." he replied, "If somepony's got an apple ta pick with y'all, they got an apple ta pick with ME."
The crowd of townsponies that had gathered watched the scene in growing anticipation. Those who knew Big Macintosh personally, including Applejack herself, were a bit taken aback at what was playing out before them. Big Mac was usually a rather quiet, and shy pony; he must truly be angry to be acting this way, getting right in the face of this rude, and snobbish prince who'd insulted and threatened Rarity, and his sister.
"Oh, siblings. How touching." Prince Blueblood sarcastically sneered, "Well then, why don't you take your dear sister's advice before you bring more dishonor to her, and your family?"
"Ah got a better idea. How about y'all apologize ta her, an' Rarity, an' go home?" Big Mac seethed.
For a moment, Blueblood stared at Big Mac in stunned silence.
"You presume to tell me what to do?" he said in a barely contained voice. "Do you dare threaten me?"
"Nnnope. I'm just givin' y'all a chance ta leave with some dignity." Big Mac replied.
"Dignity?!" Blueblood cried, "NOW, this plain, country bumpkin talks to me of dignity?! I can't believe I'm hearing such insolent nonsense! Now for the final time, peasant, you will stand aside before I change my mind, and stomp whatever dignity you may have beneath my royal hooves!"
"Whaddya say we put a little wager on that, an' settle this pony ta pony. Applejack an' Rarity's honor against yer compensation." Big Mac dared.
For a long moment, Prince Blueblood only held Big Mac's gaze as he realized that the red earth stallion was CHALLENGING him, and as that fully sank in, he found himself actually considering it.
But why? Why should he accept this challenge? He had absolutely no reason, and certainly no obligation to. As far as he was concerned, he was owed restitution for what was done to him, and if these ponies refused to give it to him, he had royal connections to force their compliance. There was no reason, no need...
And yet...
Was he really just going to shrink away from this insolent common pony? Why should he be afraid of one who was beneath him? Such perceived cowardice would be shamefully unfitting for one of his status. No. Blueblood would not back down; he was a prince, and he would not be threatened or dictated to. He would teach this Big Mac pony some respect.
"You think you intimidate me?" Prince Blueblood said scornfully, "If so, then you're even more dimwitted than you look. Though I guess that should be expected from one such as you."
Big Mac scowled at the prince, but stayed silent.
"You are insignificant." Prince Blueblood continued, "You have nothing on one such as me, and I have no reason to put what I am already owed on the line. But... A prince of my noble status does not just walk away when he's been disrespected. You think you have what it takes to stand hoof to hoof with me? I shall prove your worthlessness. I accept your challenge."
There were gasps, and murmurs in the crowd of ponies watching the scene. Was this really happening? Was Big Macintosh really going DUEL Prince Blueblood in some fashion?
"Of course, since you are the one who is challenging me, then it is only fair that I choose the contest." Prince Blueblood pointed out, "And I pick...Hmmm...Ah! A Joust; such a fitting competition for this occasion, since I am, after all, royalty, and you seem to be so eager to be Miss Rarity and your sister's...knight in shining armor."
OF COURSE Prince Blueblood would pick something that Big Mac would probably have little-to-no experience or even practice of, everypony thought.
At length, Big Mac merely grunted, "Fine."
"Oh, wait a moment..." Blueblood said suddenly, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "You wouldn't happen to own a set of armor, a helmet, and a lance, would you? Oh, what a stupid question! OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T! Fortunately, I suppose we MIGHT just be able to scrounge up a leftover set just for the occasion. I guess that just leaves the question of when and where."
"Sweet Apple Acres in one week at noon." Big Mac declared.
"Is that your home turf? Perfect!" Prince Blueblood taunted, "That will make your defeat all the more sweeter."
"Remember mah terms." Big Mac said, "If Ah win, Applejack, an' Rarity owe ya nothin', y'all will apologize ta them, an' y'all will never bother 'em again."
"I remember your terms, now you will hear MINE." Prince Blueblood smugly replied, "When I win, your sister, and Miss Rarity will apologize to ME, they WILL pay me what I am rightfully owed, and YOU will kneel before me in front of this entire town, and kiss my hooves. Do we have a deal?"
For what seemed liked an eternally long moment, Big Mac just stared at Blueblood, until at last, he held out his hoof for the prince to shake, and said, "Deal."
Prince Blueblood however, just looked at Big Mac's hoof with disgust, certain that it must be covered in who knew what kinds of filth considering that this farm pony worked out in the fields every day.
"Ugh. I just had myself groomed." the snotty prince declined, before turning away to remount his royal litter. Before he, and his entourage left however, Blueblood turned back to Big Mac for a parting shot, "See you soon...what was your name again?"
"Big Macintosh." Big Mac said, trying to keep his expression neutral.
"Whatever..." Prince Blueblood replied nonchalantly.
With that, the arrogant prince departed. For now at least. And as the royal entourage faded from the view of the townsponies, all eyes were inevitably drawn to Big Mac, who just continued to angrily stare after the departed Prince Blueblood.
In that moment, everypony had a serious gut feeling that somepony was gonna pay...
A short time later, Rarity was accompanying Big Mac, and Applejack as the siblings were heading back to Sweet Apple Acres. Needless to say, both the orange earth mare, and white unicorn mare were a little concerned by what had just occurred at the marketplace.
"Big Mac, are y'all sure 'bout this?" Applejack asked.
"Prince Blueblood's argument wasn't even with you." Rarity pointed out, "It was us he wanted. We never wanted to drag you into this debacle."
"It was mah choice. Nopony, prince 'r no prince, is gonna mess with y'all on mah watch" Big Mac insisted, before softening his voice to an almost regretful tone, "But Ah...Ah shouldn't 'ave bet yer honor without askin' y'all first. If Ah lose...then th' two of ya will have ta..."
Rarity quickly shook her head, "No, don't worry about that. That brute wouldn't have let that matter go in any case."
"Rarity's right, big brother." Applejack nodded, "Yer th' one we're concerned about. Ah don't wanna see that hoity-toity prince humiliate y'all in front o' everypony."
"Ah know..." Big Mac sighed, "But Ah couldn't just gonna stand there, an' let 'im harass th' two o' ya like that, even if it did mean riskin' mah own dignity."
Rarity couldn't help but be a little touched, "Well, Big Macintosh, perhaps Prince Blueblood was right about one thing. You DO seem eager to be our knight in shining armor, and that's certainly more than can be said about him."
Big Mac almost blushed at Rarity's words, but he did feel somewhat reassured.
"Rarity's right, Big Mac." Applejack added, "An' besides, Ah may be Ponyville's ten time rodeo champeen, but y'all won yer fair share o' blue ribbons in some of those competitions as well. Blueblood may think he's crafty by choosin' ta settle this in a joust, but if he thinks y'all are no competitor, he's got another thing comin'."
Big Mac nodded, "Maybe. But he was still countin' on th' fact that Ah ain't never jousted before, an' Ah haven't. That's one area Ah'm really lackin' in."
"Well then..." Applejack said, "We'll all just have ta use what time we've got 'til then ta try, an' get y'all as ready as can be."
"Think can we do that?" her brother asked.
The orange earth pony grinned, "The Apple family has never turned down a challenge before now has it? We sure as hay ain't gonna start now."
Big Mac just grinned back at her in response.
"Well, I for one, would love to see Prince Blueblood put in his place." Rarity added, "So if there's anything I can do, please do not hesitate to ask."
"Y'all just make sure everypony else is there ta give Big Mac their support, Rarity." Applejack replied.
The white unicorn nodded, "Of course we'll be there."
"In the meantime..." Applejack continued, "We're probably gonna be a bit busy fer th' next seven days."
"Eeyup. So we'd better get started." Big Bac agreed.
"Well, I shan't keep you from what needs to be done any longer." Rarity said, "I'll see the two of you later."
Applejack, and Big Mac nodded, and with that, the white unicorn began to make her way back into Ponyville, while the two siblings headed in the direction of the Apple family farm. For them, there was much work to be done, and only a week to do it, so there was no time to be lost...
One week later, nearly the entire town gathered in a field at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres to watch the jousting contest between Big Mac and Blueblood. A few members of the Canterlot Press had also arrived to report on the event, and were trying to hype it up as a "showdown of the classes" with Prince Blueblood representing the upper-crust, and Big Mac representing the common pony (or the "crumbs" in Prince Blueblood's own words.).
Before long, Rarity arrived at the improvised jousting arena accompanied by Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, who had also come to watch, and show their support.
"Wow." Rainbow Dash commented, "They drew quite a crowd."
"So where's Applejack and Big Mac?" Fluttershy asked, "I don't see them anywhere."
"Nopony has seen or heard from them in seven whole days now." Twilight put in.
"Actually, Twilight..." Pinkie Pie pointed out, "I think it's been closer to a week."
Everypony just rolled their eyes at Pinkie's comment.
"Well..." Rarity said at last, "They only had a week to prepare, and they meant to make the most of it."
It was then that a commotion coming from up ahead drew their attention.
"Look! There they are!" Rarity pointed as her eyes lit up.
Sure enough, Big Mac, and Applejack, as well as Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith were making their way onto the field, with the crowd parting to make way. Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, & Rainbow Dash quickly made their way over, eager to know whether Big Mac thought he was ready.
"Applejack! Big Macintosh!" Rarity exclaimed.
"What have you two been doing for the past week?" Twilight asked.
"Gettin' ready fer today that's what." Applejack replied.
"Well..." Rainbow Dash asked, " Is he ready?"
Applejack paused for a moment, then replied, "We hope so..."
"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed.
Big Mac had indeed been as busy as a bee as he trained with his family's help to prepare for today's competition. For the past seven days, Big Mac had run laps around the farm, run the obstacle course they used to practice for rodeo competitions, and they'd even set up a makeshift practice target which he had practiced jousting on using long wooden pole as a makeshift lance. Heck, for the past week, he'd even done all his chores in HALF the time they usually took him!
Long, and short of it, Big Mac hadn't been idle; he had taken this as seriously as he, a lowly farm pony, possibly could have. Now all that was left was the actual jousting competition itself...
"Hope so?" Apple Bloom suddenly piped up, "Ah know so! Mah big brother is th' best there is!"
Big Mac smiled at his little sister's faith, and confidence in him. Upon hearing the news, Apple Bloom had actually been excited at the prospect of her big brother taking on a mean prince in a jousting competition, saying that Big Mac was gonna be "a knight for a day" just like in the fairy tales. While her optimism, and innocent mindfulness were indeed precious, Big Mac only hoped that this did indeed have a fairy tale ending.
Several other ponies from the crowd then pressed forward, all of whom had questions for him, and he quickly found himself becoming overwhelmed from the pressure due to his shyness.
"All right! Stand back!" Granny Smith shouted, "Stand back! Give mah grandson some air!"
Thankfully, in that moment, everypony's attention was suddenly arrested by another commotion as a royal trumpet sounded off in the distance, and a procession of Canterlot ponies began making their way onto the field.
Nopony said a word, as it was pretty obvious as to who was coming.
First came a pair of Canterlot royal guards, followed by several servants, and flunkies in expensive clothing who began spreading confetti into the air, as the trumpeter continued to play a fanfare. Bringing up the rear were two ponies pulling carts which were both covered by a tarp. And in the middle of the whole procession, seated high up on his royal litter, was Prince Blueblood, who carried himself in an unquestionably pompous manner.
"Of course... He's making an entrance..." Rarity muttered.
As the litter bearers reached their destination, they carefully put Prince Blueblood down as two of his servants began to literally roll out a red velvet carpet for him that led up right to Big Mac, Applejack, Rarity, and the others. The arrogant prince then proceeded to stride up to his "low-born" challenger with much swagger.
For a moment, Prince Blueblood, and Big Macintosh just stared one another down as everypony else just looked on in silent anticipation. After what felt like hours, but was probably just a few moments, Prince Blueblood broke the tense silence.
"So, you actually showed up." he addressed Big Mac, "Are you prepared to do or die, common pony?"
"Eeyup." the red earth stallion replied.
Then, the prince leaned in closer, "I'm willing to give you one more chance to...leave with some dignity." he sneered, repeating Big Mac's own words from before, "Leave Miss Rarity, and your sister to me, and I'll forget about you."
"Nnnope." Big Mac declined.
Blueblood turned toward Rarity, and Applejack, "Did either of you even try to talk some sense into him?"
"It's his choice. He wants it." Applejack said simply.
"And besides..." Rarity added with a wry smile, "I'm kind of looking forward to this..."
Prince Blueblood scowled, turning back to Big Mac, "Very well."
Big Mac's other friends, and family all glared at the arrogant prince, but he paid them no heed, for they were of no concern, unless they dared to make themselves so.
"Well, let's get on with it then, shall we? I haven't got all day." Blueblood said somewhat impatiently.
The two ponies in Blueblood's entourage who'd been hauling the carts now pulled them forward, and removed the tarps covering them, revealing that each cart contained a set of armor, a helmet, and a lance. At this, Prince Blueblood promptly headed over to the cart that contained his armor, and after a moment's hesitation, Big Mac followed suit, heading over to the other cart.
The armor bearers then helped the two combatants into their armor, and once they had finished, stood back to allow everypony a proper look at them. For several long moments, the crowd couldn't do anything but take in the sight before them:
Prince Blueblood proudly stood clad in suit of golden armor, and a golden helmet complete with a visor to lower over his face in order to protect his "royal looks". Big Mac, on the other hoof, wore a relatively plain, and clearly unpolished suit of armor, and a normal helmet that didn't include a visor. What was more, despite his determination, Big Mac, unlike Blueblood, couldn't help but feel a bit awkward wearing it.
His friends, and family however, felt both a bit prideful, and excited at this whole thing, especially Apple Bloom.
"Ah can't believe it! Mah big brother's a knight fer a day!" the little filly delightedly bounced up, and down, before running up to him, "Ah know, big brother! We'll call ya: Big Mac, th' Apple Knight!"
Big Mac suppressed a chuckle, smiling down at his littlest sister. Prince Blueblood on the other hoof...
"The 'Apple Knight'?!" the prince scoffed, "That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!"
"Says you!" Apple Bloom shot back.
Blueblood just looked at Big Mac, "Seriously, does nopony in your family understand the concept of respect?"
"Might ask y'all th' same thing." Granny Smith answered first.
"Never mind." Prince Blueblood said, ignoring her.
As if on cue, the pony who'd be acting as the official for the competition came forward to stand between Prince Blueblood, and Big Mac, raising his voice for everypony to hear.
"Welcome, one and all, everypony! If I may now have your attention please. The tournament shall soon begin, but first, allow me to introduce our competitors..."
"Standing to my left, representing Canterlot, Prince Blueblood!" the official gestured to the prince, before then gesturing to Big Mac, "And standing to my right, representing Ponyville, Big Macintosh!"
Most of the crowd cheered for Big Mac, lending him their support, but gave a rather muted response to Prince Blueblood, not surprising considering his bad treatment of virtually everypony else. Blueblood just scowled haughtily at them; these low-born ponies could cheer Big Mac, and not cheer him all they wanted, it'd only make their despair at seeing their "champion" kiss his hooves after his victory all the more satisfying.
The official then proceeded to lay out the basic rules of the contest, as well Big Mac, and Prince Blueblood's respective terms for victory for those who didn't already know.
"And now..." he concluded, "The two competitors may proceed to their respective stations at the ends of the barrier."
During the past three days, a small fence had been constructed in the center of the field to act as a makeshift tilt barrier for the jousting tournament. But just as Big Mac was starting to make his way towards his respective side, Prince Blueblood quickly took a step in front of him.
"Well, Big Macintosh, the time has come..." the prince sneered, "You should've backed down while you could."
"Perhaps it's Y'ALL who shoulda backed down..." Big Mac calmly retorted.
Blueblood frowned, clearly not pleased with the response, "Just remember: I gave you chances."
And with that, the prince stalked off towards his end of the tilt barrier, and after a short moment of glaring after him, Big Mac followed suit.
As Big Mac reached his respective end of the tilt barrier, his friends, and family approached him for a final show of support, with Applejack, and Rarity in particular stepping forward.
"Well, Big Mac..." Applejack sighed, "This is it. We did all we could get ready. Ah guess th' only thing left ta say is: good luck, big brother."
"Thanks, sis," Big Mac replied, "Ah hope Ah don't let y'all down."
"Believe me, you won't." Rarity assured, "I never meant to get either of you involved in this, but you know, I'm actually quite touched. It's not often that somepony rushes to my rescue. Whatever happens, Big Macintosh, you'll still be more chivalrous than Blueblood will ever be."
Big Mac could only smile as he once again found himself trying not to blush at Rarity's words.
"Hey!" Prince Blueblood impatiently shouted from his end of the tilt barrier, "Can we get on with it already?!"
By now, everypony else was dangerously close to charging down the tilt barrier to give Prince Blueblood what for themselves, but ultimately, decided to leave it to Big Mac, who simply gave them a nod to assure them that he fully intended to.
"Go get 'em, big brother!" Apple Bloom called out to him as he took his place at his end of the tilt barrier.
It was then that the two armor bearers approached the competitors, and placed their lances onto the lance rests that were attached to the sides of their armor. As Big Mac took a moment to get a feel for his lance, Prince Blueblood just smiled knowingly at his own, for the prince knew that his victory was already in the bag.
And then, the moment that everypony had been waiting for finally arrived.
"Competitors, take your positions!" the official instructed.
As Big Mac, and Prince Blueblood assumed their final positions to begin the joust, the crowd of ponies held it's collective breath. The two stallions glared down the tilt barrier at one another, and tensed their bodies, waiting for the signal to charge.
This was it.
"Get ready..." the official shouted.
Prince Blueblood smirked, lowering the visor of his helmet; this was going to be grand, and it wouldn't take long either. Once he put this common pony in his place, he would claim what he was owed from Miss Rarity, and Applejack, then leave this one-horse town, and get back to Canterlot.
"Get set..." the official shouted again.
Big Mac shook off any lingering doubts, reminding himself what was at stake. He thought about his sister, and Rarity; how shamefully Prince Blueblood had treated them, how their honor was on the line, and how they were counting on him. The red earth stallion needed no further motivation. He would not fail them. He COULD NOT...
"CHARGE!!!" the official finally called.
Both stallions rocketed forward the exact moment they received the signal to charge. The entire crowd began shouting, and cheering as the two gladiators barreled down their respective sides of the tilt barrier towards one another. As Prince Blueblood, and Big Mac closed the distance, they both put on speed, and began to angle their lances across the barrier, both aiming to deliver a decisive blow to their opponent.
For a moment, time seemed to slow down for both the competitors, and the crowd, when suddenly, their came a loud clang as the tip of Prince Blueblood's lance connected with Big Mac's armor. The red earth stallion staggered badly under the impact of the heavy blow, and was just barely able to stay on his hooves; his own aim had been off, with the tip of his lance merely glancing off of Blueblood's helmet.
Prince Blueblood merely shook his head, before looking back, and laughing underneath his visor when he saw Big Mac leaning against the barrier to support himself as he staggered towards the opposite end.
"Ha-Ha-Ha! Is that the best you can do, you big oaf? Pathetic!" Blueblood mockingly shouted as he rounded the end of the barrier.
Slowly regaining his bearings, Big Mac also rounded the barrier until both stallions stood on opposite ends once again. Suddenly, he found himself wondering if perhaps he'd bitten off more than he could chew. He hadn't been ready for a hit like that, and he didn't know if he could take another one.
Within the crowd, Big Mac's friends, and family also grew increasingly concerned, because now they could see that he might be in trouble. Applejack, and Rarity's hearts in particular began to sink; Big Mac was doing this for their sake, and not only was there a possibility that he could get hurt, but if he lost, then Blueblood would humiliate him in front of everypony. Above all else, neither mare wanted that; the fact that they'd also have to pay Blueblood his compensation meant nothing to them. That wasn't important.
"Don't give up, Big Mac! Y'all can do it!" Applejack called to her brother.
"We have faith in you! Be our knight!" Rarity shouted her encouragement.
Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and the rest of the Mane Six all followed their example, with the rest of the Ponyville crowd quickly joining in, hoping to invoke a second wind.
Hearing the calls of encouragement reminded Big Mac of what he was fighting for. Once again, he thought about his sister, & Rarity, as well as Prince Blueblood's behavior... And that was all it took for him to regain his resolve. He would NOT let his friends and family down, nor would he let that prissy prince have the satisfaction of thinking that he could just step on anypony he pleased.
It was then that Prince Blueblood, smug as ever, began his second charge down the tilt barrier. Taking a few deep breaths, Big Mac promptly did the same.
Once again, the two stallions thundered down their respective sides of the barrier. Once again, the two rivals put on speed as they closed the distance, and angled their lances across the barrier to deliver a blow to their opponent.
Beneath the visor of his helmet, Prince Blueblood grinned in a sinister fashion, for he just knew that his moment of triumph was at hoof. At the same time, Big Mac put every ounce of speed, and strength that he could muster into the charge, determined to do this for his friends, and family, or go down trying.
Again, time seemed to slow down...
Then, the whole crowd was shocked into silence when there came an almost deafening CLANG as the tips of BOTH Prince Blueblood, and Big Mac's lances struck home this time. What happened next only prolonged everypony's stunned silence, as Prince Blueblood suddenly let out a SCREAM as he was sent flying through the air by the force of Big Mac's blow!
While Big Mac himself was again heavily staggered by the blow from his rival's lance, this time, he had been ready for it, and was able to, if not no-sell it, at least withstand it. Recovering his balance again, the red earth stallion quickly headed to the end of the tilt barrier to see where Blueblood had landed.
Prince Blueblood lay some distance away from barrier, completely dazed, and loudly groaning in pain. For a moment, he'd almost forgotten where he was, and couldn't understand what had happened. How did Big Mac do that? He was just a common pony who'd never jousted before in his life.
But what the prince hadn't considered however, was that while this was true, in reality, Blueblood had only ever jousted a few times himself before, and even then it was more as a hobby rather than as actual competition. What was more, while Big Mac had taken this very seriously, and trained as hard as he possibly could for past week, Blueblood, assuming an easy victory over his low-born opponent, hadn't even bothered to truly prepare. And last but not least, he'd also completely failed to consider just how strong Big Mac actually was.
At last, Blueblood managed to sit up, and remove his helmet, trying to clear the cobwebs from his head, when suddenly, a shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see Big Mac standing before him with a real angry look on his face. Then, the red earth stallion began to menacingly advance toward him...
"N-No, wait!" Prince Blueblood blurted out, stumbling to his hooves, and staggering backwards, "Don't hurt me! No, no! Don't hurt me!"
Then, in his panic, the prince tripped over his own hooves, and fell backwards right into a mud puddle, getting mud all over himself.
"Uuugghh! My coat! My mane!" he wailed dramatically, then looked up to see Big Mac standing over him again.
"Ah think that's th' least o' yer worries right now..." Big Mac said, taking off his own helmet, and tossing it aside.
"No! Stop! All right! All right!" Prince Blueblood cried, "I yield! YOU WIN!"
At Blueblood's submission, the entire crowd erupted into almost deafening cheers of triumph.
"Prince Blueblood had yielded!" the official shouted over the din, "And the winner is...Big Macintosh!"
A huge grin spread across Big Mac's face as it all sunk in; the red earth stallion almost couldn't believe it. He had actually done it. He had actually won.
The Mane Six, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith all ran to him the moment he was declared the victor, and almost smothered him with acclaim.
"Ya did it, Big Mac!" Applejack cried.
"Yes!" Rarity joyfully exclaimed, "I knew you wouldn't let us down!"
"Y'all won, big brother!" Apple Bloom all but squealed.
Granny Smith beamed from ear to ear, "If only yer Ma, an' Pa could see this!"
As other ponies crowded around Big Mac to voice their own praise, and congratulations, the red earth stallion was so overcome with emotion that he actually shred a few stallionly tears.
Prince Blueblood on the other hoof whimpered rather pathetically as he crawled out of the mud, and into the waiting hooves of his flunkies who were scrambling to attend to him.
"Get this filth off of me, you imbeciles!" the prince dramatically whined, "Get it off!"
Suddenly, one of the Canterlot press ponies trotted up to them, and snapped a picture of Blueblood still covered in mud, adding to his misery.
"Get out of here!" he screeched helplessly.
A short time later, once both sets of armor had been packed back into the carts, and Prince Blueblood had been at least somewhat cleaned up (though he still looked a mess), his entourage quickly made ready to depart.
But just as Blueblood's servants began to escort him back to his litter, they suddenly found their path blocked by Big Mac, the Mane Six, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith, who had no intention of letting him leave until he fulfilled the terms of his defeat.
"Out of my way!" the humiliated prince spat in frustration.
"Y'all lost fair, an' square, Blueblood..." Big Mac declared.
"Prince Blueblood!" his defeated opponent insisted.
The red earth stallion ignored him, "Now apologize ta Rarity, an' mah sister..."
"I am royalty!" Blueblood cried indignantly, "You cannot tell me what to do, peasant!".
"We had a deal, an' y'all will honor yer end o' it!" Big Mac demanded.
"Deal or no deal, I will NOT grovel to the likes of you, and your kind!" the prince retorted.
Suddenly, Rarity stepped forward, "Then perhaps we should have Princess Celestia settle this matter."
"Yeah..." Applejack agreed, stepping up as well, "Ah'm sure she'd be quite interested ta hear 'bout all this."
"I should think so!" came the voice of the jousting official as he suddenly made his way toward them, "Especially considering the fact that Prince Blueblood cheated!"
"What?" everypony exclaimed, as a look of panic spread across Blueblood's face.
The official proceeded to explain how in a jousting tournament, all competitors were given lances of the same size, weight, and hardness both to prevent serious injury, and to prevent anypony from having an unfair advantage over their opponent. As it turned out, while the official had been helping the armor bearers pack up, he had discovered that the lance Prince Blueblood had been using against Big Mac was not a proper jousting lance, but one specially made to be much harder, allowing him to inflict heavier blows. It was subtle, but it was still cheating.
"Y'all cheated..." Applejack smirked at Blueblood, "An' y'all STILL couldn't beat 'im?!"
"And you said HE was pathetic!" Rarity added, trying to sound outraged, but was also clearly trying hard not to crack up, "Yes, Applejack; Princess Celestia, and all of Canterlot would be very interested to hear about this!"
Prince Blueblood's face turned an almost beet red as he lowered his gaze in shame, and humiliation as the reality of his defeat fully sank in. Not only had he lost, but he'd been caught cheating. There was no way Princess Celestia would allow him to get away with this, royalty or not. He would either apologize to Rarity, and Applejack now as per the agreement, or he would be forced to do so later by Princess Celestia, and she'd make it more painful for him.
"All right, all right..." he groaned, looking back up to face both Rarity, and Applejack, "Miss Rarity, Miss Applejack, I am so terribly sorry for the way I treated the both of you at the Grand Galloping Gala, and in the Ponyville Marketplace. My behavior was very unbefitting for a prince, and I hope you may one day forgive my shameful transgressions."
Rarity just grinned smugly, "Apology accepted."
"We can let bygones be bygones." Applejack added with equal satisfaction, "Now git outta here."
And with that, Prince Blueblood dejectedly headed over to his royal litter with his servants in tow.
"I can't believe it. I, a royal prince of Canterlot, lost to a common farm pony..." he muttered as he slumped into the seat of his litter, before turning to his servants, "Just get me back to Canterlot. I need my royal bath."
A few moments later, everypony looked on as the royal entourage faded into the distance, taking Prince Blueblood home with his tail between his legs.
With that, most of the crowd quickly began to depart as well, leaving Big Mac, the Mane Six, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith mostly alone.
"You were simply magnificent, Big Macintosh..." Rarity praised.
Applejack beamed, "Darn tootin' he was! Knocking Blueblood off his high horse like that! He'll be th' laughin' stock o' Canterlot fer months!"
The rest of the Mane Six all voiced their commendations as well.
"Ah, it was nothin' really..." the red earth stallion replied modestly.
"Nothin'?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, "It was somethin' all right! Our big brother was a knight fer a day, an' beat th' nasty prince! We ain't never gonna forget this!"
"Nnnope. Ah guess not." Big Mac ultimately admitted.
Granny Smith stepped up, "Ah know ya think that y'all were just doin' th' decent thing by stickin' up fer Applejack, an' Rarity, but even so, y'all should be proud. Ah sure am, an' Ah know yer Ma, an' Pa would be to."
The others all nodded in agreement.
"Just wait till we go tell th' relatives!" Apple Bloom said.
"Well, before anypony goes anywhere..." Rarity suddenly walked up to Big Mac, "Big Mac, there's something I'd like to give you."
"Huh?" Big Mac turned to face her.
"I never imagined that I would ever do this..." the white unicorn said with a odd smile, "But it seems only fitting that the damsel reward the knight for coming to her rescue. So..."
Then, to everypony's surprise, especially Big Mac's, Rarity proceeded to give to the red earth stallion a kiss on the cheek. And this time, Big Mac wasn't able to keep himself from blushing.
"O-O-Ooooh...!" he could only exclaim.
Rarity began to giggle, and then the others started chuckling as well. Before long everypony had erupted into bouts of laughter as Big Mac just broke into the most bashful smile one could possibly imagine.
END
Author's Note
Well, I hope you enjoyed this first installment. Stay tuned for my next segment: "Slumber Pals":
With Twilight out of town, Spike is feeling lonely. Feeling sorry for him, the Cutie Mark Crusaders invite him to their clubhouse for a sleepover. But soon, things start to go bump in the night..."

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                      2: Slumber Pals                      
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2: Slumber Pals
At first, it seemed like just another ordinary day at the Golden Oak Library as Spike did his chores as he usually did. However, once the baby dragon had finished his final task of sweeping the downstairs, he was finally forced to look up, and take in the now vacant library.
"Well, that's it. That was the last thing on the list of things to do...," he mused to himself as he put away his broom, and dustpan, "So, now what am I supposed to do?"
The truth of the matter was, it actually wasn't an ordinary day for Spike, because Twilight wasn't there, and she wouldn't be there for a couple of days. The lavender unicorn had left that very morning for some business out of town and was expected to be gone for the whole weekend, so Spike was in charge of keeping the library in order until she got back.
"Are you sure that you'll be all right?" the lavender unicorn had asked him just before she left.
"Of course. You know you can depend on me." Spike had replied, not wanting her to worry about anything.
Well, now the library was in order; there were no more chores for Spike to do that day, and with Twilight gone, there was nothing that she needed his help with either.
And now, with nothing to occupy his mind, Spike was really beginning to feel Twilight's absence, not to mention the emptiness of the library. Before long, the baby dragon began to feel a bit bored, and more than a little lonely.
Making an effort to distract himself, he tried to read a book, and then do a jigsaw puzzle, but found that he simply couldn't concentrate. At last, Spike resorted to one of the simplest things he could think of: doodling on a piece of paper. But it was only once he was finished, that he finally looked down, and actually saw what he'd been drawing:
A rather crude portrait of himself, and Twilight together...
Dropping his pencil, Spike could only let out a disheartened sigh.
"I give up," he said miserably.
It was no use; he just couldn't get his mind off of the situation at hand. He was bored, and worse than being bored was being lonely. It was very rare for him, and Twilight to be separated for a lengthy period of time, let alone with nothing for him to do.
Spike began to feel as though the walls of the library were closing in on him as it fully dawned on him that this was how it would be for the whole weekend.
And it was only just after noon on the first day...
Despondent, Spike absent-mindedly stood up and headed for the front door of library.
As he opened it, and stepped outside, the baby dragon realized that he had no idea what he was doing, or where he was going for that matter, but he just didn't want to be in the library right now.
It just felt too...
Too lonely...
It was about this time that the Ponyville Schoolhouse was just letting out, and everypony was now heading home for the weekend. But none were more excited for this particular weekend than the Cutie Mark Crusaders, because earlier in the week, the three little fillies had made plans to have a sleepover in their clubhouse, and tonight was the big night.
"Finally, the weekend is here!" Scootaloo happily exclaimed.
"Yep!" Sweetie Belle put in, "And you know what that means, right Crusaders?"
"Why, Ah've been lookin' forward ta this all week!" Apple Bloom replied.
As the rest of their classmates hurried home, the three fillies slowed their pace to discuss their plans.
"This'll be so much fun!" said Scootaloo, "We can stay up really late, play some games, tell cool stories..."
"We'll need to bring some snacks." Sweetie Belle added.
Apple Bloom nodded, "An' don't forget yer sleepin' bags!"
But as the three fillies continued to chatter amongst themselves, a loud clattering noise suddenly drew their attention, and they looked down just as an empty soda can landed at their hooves. Turning to see where it had come from, the Crusaders saw none other than Spike, who'd just kicked the can out of his way as he aimlessly wandered around Ponyville with absolutely no sense of direction or purpose.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo couldn't help but feel a little concerned when they saw this, because there was clearly something wrong with the baby dragon, who hadn't even noticed them yet, and seemed very despondent.
"Hey, Spike?" Scootaloo called.
Startled, Spike finally looked up to see them standing there.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, hi guys..." he stammered, before noticing the can he'd kicked before their hooves, "Sorry... I guess I was just a bit...distracted or something..."
"Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing...I'm fine..." Spike replied rather halfheartedly.
"Are ya sure?" Apple Bloom inquired, "Y'all seem a little down in th' dumps."
The baby dragon sighed, "I don't know... I guess I'm just feeling a little...lonely..."
"Lonely?" Scootaloo repeated.
Sweetie Belle stepped forward, "Is everything all right with Twilight?"
"Twilight isn't here; she left for Canterlot this morning." Spike told them.
Then, the white unicorn filly remembered, "Oh, yeah. Rarity said something about that..."
"So, yer all alone? Fer th' whole weekend?" Apple Bloom asked.
Spike somberly nodded, "Yeah. It's just me..."
"So... what are you gonna do?" inquired Scootaloo.
The little dragon just shrugged glumly; there really wasn't much to say.
As the silence stretched out between them, the Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all shared a look with one another. The Crusaders couldn't help but feel bad for Spike. He was, after all, a kid like them, and he was all by his lonesome for the whole weekend while they would be having fun together at their slumber party tonight...
"Well, I probably shouldn't keep the three of you any longer." Spike finally said as he turned to leave, "See you guys later..."
But as he began to walk away, the Crusaders began to smile as a thought suddenly came to them, and upon sharing a second look with one another, they quickly realized that they all had the same idea. Nodding to each other, the three fillies hurried after Spike.
"Spike, wait!" Sweetie Belle called.
Stopping in his tracks, Spike turned to look back at them, "Yeah?"
"Are you busy tonight?" Scootaloo inquired.
"No; the library's clean as a whistle. Why?" the baby dragon replied.
"Well..." Apple Bloom began, "We're havin' a sleepover at our clubhouse tonight, an' we just thought that maybe y'all would like ta come."
Unsurprisingly, Spike was a bit taken back, "You...you mean you want to...invite me?"
"That's right." the yellow earth filly confirmed.
"Whaddya say?" asked Scootaloo.
The fact was, Spike didn't know what to say. Nopony had ever invited him to a sleepover before. And the few times that he had been invited somewhere, it was usually in Twilight's company.
"I... I don't know..." he said at last, rather flustered, "Th-this is kinda... I-I mean... I really don't wanna intrude..."
"Aw come on. We insist.", Apple Bloom maintained.
"Well..." Spike started to say.
It'll be fun!" Sweetie Belle said, "And besides, we wouldn't want you to be all alone for the whole weekend."
The white unicorn filly's words seemed to resonate with baby dragon, and Spike soon found himself seriously considering their invitation. He couldn't help but feel rather touched that the Crusaders were so concerned about him and wanted to cheer him up. Despite his hesitancy, it would feel kind of rude to refuse them, especially with how sincere the three fillies were.
Why shouldn't he accept? He didn't have anything else to do, and it would mean that he wouldn't have to be alone. Moreover, the Crusaders didn't WANT him to be, because they cared about him...
Ultimately, Spike smiled appreciatively and found himself saying, "Yeah. Okay."
"All right! Hoof!" all three fillies crowed, sharing a three-way high hoof/hoof bump.
Holding their pose, the Crusaders all gave Spike an inviting look, and after a brief moment of hesitation, the little dragon joined in, bumping a claw with their hooves.
And so, it was only a few short hours later that Spike accompanied the Cutie Mark Crusaders to their clubhouse just as dusk was falling.
The baby dragon was now actually feeling rather enthusiastic about this. The truth was, he'd come to realize that between always helping Twilight, and keeping the library in order, he rarely had an opportunity like this to just hang out and have fun with friends like a normal kid.
"You young'uns have fun." said Granny Smith, who'd come to see them off.
"We will, Granny." replied Apple Bloom.
"An' if ya need anythin', or something's wrong, y'all know where ta come." the elderly earth pony added.
"We'll be fine, Granny Smith. There's no need to worry." Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle respectively assured.
Smiling, Granny Smith nodded, but wasn't entirely satisfied, so she then turned to look at Spike.
"And Spike..." she said with a wink, and a sarcastic grin, "Y'all keep 'em outta trouble, huh, little feller?"
"Su-sure thing." the little dragon nodded.
With that, Granny Smith turned, and headed back to the farmhouse. At the same time, the Crusaders began to head up the clubhouse ramp.
"Come on, Spike." they called.
And with that, Spike promptly followed them into the clubhouse.
Once inside, the three little fillies, and the baby dragon quickly got set up with Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo unpacking the snacks and games, while Sweetie Belle, and Spike rolled out the sleeping bags, and pillows.
Before they got started, Apple Bloom did a final check of clubhouse to make sure everything was in order for the evening. Once she accounted for everything downstairs, the yellow earth filly headed up to upper level of the clubhouse which the Crusaders used as an observatory. After a quick scan of the small room revealed nothing out of the ordinary, Apple Bloom started to head back down when something suddenly caught her eye.
There was a small hole in the ceiling, and the sight of it made Apple Bloom scowl.
She'd been meaning to get Applejack or Big Mac to patch that hole for some time now but had just never gotten around to it. Then, the Crusaders began making plans for their sleepover, and the yellow earth filly had forgotten about it completely.
Apple Bloom looked around; there had to be something she could use lying around here somewhere. There...
There was an empty bottle lying in the corner of the room. Apple Bloom picked it up, and looked it over, before finally deciding that it would do, at least for now. Using the bottle as a makeshift cork, she plugged the hole with it, before heading back downstairs to rejoin her friends...
"So... uh...what do we do first?" Spike asked, now that they were all settled, as this was a something of a new, or at least a different, experience for him.
Apple Bloom grinned over Spike's shoulder at Sweetie Belle, who knowingly grinned back.
"A better question would be, 'What shouldn't we do first?'" the yellow earth filly replied.
This left Spike somewhat confused, but before the baby dragon could even open his mouth to inquire further, something soft, and feathery hit him on the back of the head. He spun around to see a fallen pillow, and Sweetie Belle trying to stifle a giggle.
For a long moment, Spike just stood frozen to the spot in shock, but then, a huge grin suddenly spread across his face.
"Oh, no you don't!" he said, picking up his own pillow, and throwing it at Sweetie Belle, who quickly ducked.
"PILLOW FIGHT!!!" Scootaloo practically shrieked.
Within seconds, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike were chasing each other around the clubhouse, laughing uncontrollably, and swatting at one another with their pillows. Before long, the floor was all but covered in feathers, and any doubts that still may have been lingering in Spike's mind had evaporated.
The pillow fight went on until the three little fillies, and baby dragon had all tired themselves out. But no sooner had everypony taken a moment to catch their breath, they wasted absolutely no time in getting to the next round of fun.
For a while, Spike, and the Crusaders kept themselves busy by playing a board game and telling each other jokes before then heading up to the observatory where they took turns using the telescope to gaze out at the stars. Spike was even able to use knowledge he gained from working with Twilight to point out various star constellations in the night sky.
Then, everypony finally decided that it was time for some snacks. Much to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, & Scootaloo's delight, Spike demonstrated his ability to use his flame breath to roast marshmallows, allowing them to make smores, which they all quickly devoured.
Later, the Crusaders' laughter filled the clubhouse as Spike entertained them by doing a disco dance. By now, not only was the little dragon thoroughly enjoying himself, but he was also loving the attention.
In a few moments, the Crusaders joined in on the dancing, and they all danced until finally, the four of them fell back onto the floor, laughing until their sides hurt.
"This has gotta be the best slumber party in history!" Scootaloo said once they'd all caught their breath again.
"Darn tootin' it is!" Apple Bloom agreed, before then saying in a sarcastic tone, "Well, it seems ta be gettin' late. Anypony think we oughta go ta bed yet?"
"NOPE!" everypony else chorused.
Apple Bloom grinned, "Didn't think so! Especially not when we haven't even told any ghost stories yet!"
Sweetie Belle, and Spike were enthusiastic, but Scootaloo on the other hoof looked rather uneasy at the prospect.
"Uh...Actually..." the orange pegasus filly stammered, "I... uh...don't know any good ghost stories. How about we...uh...tell some more jokes?"
Spike produced a book from his bag, "That's okay, Scootaloo. I brought a book from the library full of spooky stories just for the occasion."
"Thanks, Spike. But that ain't necessary. Ah already got one in mind." Apple Bloom replied.
"Oh, okay." the baby dragon replied.
The yellow earth filly gestured for her friends to sit in a circle, "Just gather 'round everypony. Ah'm gonna tell y'all a story that's been in mah family fer years!"
"Is-is it a true story?" Scootaloo asked nervously as everyone took their places.
Apple Bloom nodded sinisterly as she turned down the lights, "True as true blue. In fact, it happened ta none other than Granny Smith..."
Somewhat intrigued, but also rather unsettled, Sweetie Belle, and Spike looked at each other, as Scootaloo squirmed slightly.
"It's called 'Th' Legend of th' Phantom Pony'..."Apple Bloom began, "Long ago, before Ah, Applejack, or even Big Mac was born, on a night just like this one, Granny Smith had just settled into ta get some much-needed shuteye. But then suddenly, she sat straight up in bed when she heard a strange sound comin' through her open window. The sound of somethin' movin' around out in the orchards. And so, she slowly crept outside ta investigate..."
And so, the story went.
Before long, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike all began to shake as Apple Bloom told them about how Granny Smith met the Phantom Pony and was chased by the specter all through the orchards, and about how she just barely managed to escape back into the farmhouse. But even then, she could still see the apparition, and hear its ghostly moans through the farmhouse windows.
"Granny didn't get a wink o' sleep that night...", the yellow earth filly concluded, "And now, she says that on some nights when th' moon is full, an' th' wind is howlin' through th' trees, you can see th' Phantom Pony wanderin' thru th' fields, lookin' fer somepony ta spirit away...FOREVER!"
And then, at that very moment, the light suddenly went out, plunging everypony into total darkness, and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Spike all screamed in terror as maniacal laughter filled the clubhouse.
But then, the maniacal laughter petered out as the lights came back, revealing only Apple Bloom with a massively self-satisfied grin plastered on her face.
"Ah, calm down, it ain't true." she chuckled.
Scootaloo stammered, trying to find her voice, "It-it's n-not?"
"But you just said that it was!" Sweetie Belle pointed out.
"Yeah..." the Apple Bloom laughed, "That's what Granny said when she first told me th' story. But Applejack told me later on that she was just joshin' us."
Scootaloo visibly relaxed at this revelation; Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, looked slightly unamused.
"Well, you almost had us going there." the white unicorn filly sarcastically replied.
"Sure had me going." Spike admitted.
"N-Not me... I, uh, w-wasn't scared at all." Scootaloo smiled nervously, wanting to change the subject, "Uh, anypony up for a game of twenty questions?"
Fortunately for Scootaloo, the others agreed.
However, in spite of the fun they were having, and their earlier enthusiasm, everypony did inevitably begin to get tired.
Sweetie Belle yawned, "I think maybe we oughta call it a night, guys."
"Yeah, I'm getting sleepy." Scootaloo put in.
"I'll admit it's way past my bedtime to." Spike put in.
And so, the three fillies, and baby dragon promptly rolled out their sleeping bags to get settled in for the night. But first Apple Bloom had a little announcement to make...
"Ah declare this slumber party a success!" the yellow earth filly declared.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both let out cheers of agreement as Spike just smiled and nodded.
"Guys..." he said at last, "I really want to thank you for inviting me. I mean, otherwise, I probably just would've been moping around the library, and... well...it feels nice to know that you three care so much about me."
The Crusaders all smiled warmly at Spike's words.
"We're really glad that y'all decided ta come, Spike." Apple Bloom told the baby dragon.
"I doubt we would've had half as much fun without you." Scootaloo added.
Sweetie Belle nodded, "Yeah, Spike. You're really good company."
"Well, I... heh heh..." Spike smiled rather bashfully, "I guess I am pretty fun."
The Crusaders all giggled.
"Well, goodnight y'all." Apple Bloom said as she finally turned off the light.
"Goodnight." the others replied in kind.
Before long, the Crusaders had all drifted off to sleep. Spike, however, found that he was having some trouble, for it was pretty rare for the baby dragon to sleep anywhere other than his own bed.
But eventually, after some tossing and turning, sheer tiredness won out, and his eyelids finally began to droop.
Suddenly, the baby dragon sat straight up, and looked around, for at very moment, there came an eerie, shrill noise from somewhere in the clubhouse.
Owooooooo!
"Wh-What's that?" Spike blurted out.
"Huh...?" Scootaloo mumbled as she, and Sweetie Belle both began to rouse.
Owooooooo!
"Shh!" Spike said, "There it is again!"
Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle suddenly shot up in their sleeping bags. The two fillies were now wide awake, for both had heard it this time. For a long moment, the three of them could only listen in fear, but then Sweetie Belle suddenly turned very serious, and rather annoyed.
"Wait..." the white unicorn filly said, before then turning towards Apple Bloom, her voice filled with sarcasm, "Very funny, Apple Bloom. It's the Phantom Pony, just like in the story, right? Well, you got us, so cut it-"
Sweetie Belle stopped in mid-sentence when she saw that Apple Bloom wasn't in her sleeping bag. Instead, the yellow earth filly was huddled in the corner, trembling in terror.
The sound came again. Owooooooo!
"Sw-Sweetie B-Belle..." Apple Bloom said through chattering teeth, "Ah'm not doin' this!"
Everypony's blood turned to ice as that reality washed over them, and before the three little fillies, and baby dragon knew it, they had all scrambled to the center of the clubhouse, shaking in terror, and clinging to one another.
"It... It-It really IS the Phantom Pony!" Scootaloo gasped out.
"B-B-But...But that's ridiculous!" stammered Sweetie Belle, "Applejack said that Granny Smith just ma-made that story up! Right, Apple Bloom?"
"R-Right!" Apple Bloom shakily replied, "An' besides we ain't got nothin' ta worry about. Whatever it is, it can't git us in here!"
For a moment, all three fillies slightly relaxed at this. But Apple Bloom had spoken too soon, for it was then that a terrifying thought occurred to Spike.
"Unless IT got in here FIRST..." he pointed out.
With that possibility, any relief the four of them may have felt quickly evaporated.
Owooooooo!
Screaming in terror, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Spike all ran for the exit. Flinging open the clubhouse door, they fled out into the night, away from the terrible sound.
Everything in the next few minutes was a complete blur, with none of them thinking of anything else except how to run faster.
At last, the four of them finally stopped, nearly collapsing from sheer exhaustion. As they all panted, and gasped for breath, the three fillies, & baby dragon tried to get their bearings. To their surprise, they found that they had run all the way from the clubhouse to the very edge of Sweet Apple Acres.
"Okay..." Spike said at last, "I think we lost it...wh-whatever it was..."
Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom, "That WASN'T really the Phantom Pony, was it Apple Bloom?"
"Ah told ya!" the yellow earth filly replied, "Applejack said it was all nonsense!"
"M-maybe...maybe were just...just hearing things..." Scootaloo suggested.
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom quickly nodded, "Maybe it was just our imagination..."
"Well, that was the first time I ever HEARD mine!" Spike replied.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"R-Remember what Granny said..." Apple Bloom replied, "She said that if we needed anythin', we knew where ta go. We just gotta...just gotta make our way back ta th' farm."
Sweetie Belle wasn't entirely reassured, "Yeah... In the dark...".
Apple Bloom gulped at the thought, "Don't worry. There...There ain't n-nothin' sc-scary about the dark."
"No..." said a shaking Scootaloo, "It's wh-what's IN the dark that you gotta watch out for!"
"N-Not ta worry, Crusaders..." Apple Bloom tried to smile, "At least we got Spike with us."
"Huh?" Spike looked up; he was a bit caught off guard.
Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo on the other hoof, were at least a little reassured at Apple Bloom's words.
"Yeah, I guess that kinda does make me feel better." Sweetie Belle remarked.
"Really?" Spike asked, "It does?"
"Sure!" Scootaloo put in, "I mean, nothing would dare come after us while we've got a dragon with us, right?"
Though Spike suspected that the Crusaders were just trying to reassure themselves, he couldn't help but feel a little flattered in spite of himself.
"R-Right!" the baby dragon found himself saying.
It was then that everypony finally realized that it was rather cold out here in the blowing wind. They been so scared during their flight from the clubhouse that they just hadn't noticed until now.
Sweetie Belle shivered, "Perhaps we should get going. It's pretty gusty out here."
"Well then..." Apple Bloom said, "What're we waitin' fer? Let's go!"
But then, there suddenly came a loud rustling noise from something moving around in the bushes right behind them.
Alarmed, the three little fillies, and baby dragon turned to look just as whatever it was started to emerge, and right then, and there, their newfound confidence evaporated. They DID NOT want to see what it was. Letting out cries of fright, the four of them darted off into the night, and the general direction of farm...
Following Apple Bloom's direction, the group began making their way back to the farm. However, their trek through the orchards seemed to be taking longer than they expected. Not only that, Apple Bloom's friends couldn't help but think about how everything seemed to look the same in the darkness of night. And to make matters worse, the wind was blowing harder, and it looked like a storm was on the way.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Spike asked Apple Bloom.
"Of course, Ah'm sure!" the yellow earth filly insisted, "Ah live here, don't Ah?"
Suddenly, the still of the night was shattered by a loud screech; the sound made the three fillies, and baby dragon all jump in fight, and huddle together.
"Spike, that wasn't fu-funny!" a trembling Sweetie Belle exclaimed, but she was already doubting her own words, "Th-that WAS you, wasn't it?"
"I re-really wish I could say it was..." replied Spike, "But it wasn't!
Apple Bloom then tried to calm her friends, and herself down, "C-calm down, everypony. There ain't nothin' ta get all panicked about..."
"I'm not panicked!" Scootaloo insisted, "Who's panicked?! NOBODY'S PANICKED!!!"
Then, the loud screeching sound came again, and this time, everypony lost their nerve. Before any of them knew it, the Crusaders, and Spike were again running blindly through the orchards. At last, they came to a tree with with a hollowed-out trunk, and without giving the matter any further though, all four of them lunged toward it, hoping that they would be able to hide inside.
"There! We can hide in there!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
But the white unicorn filly had spoken too soon, for at that very moment, a bolt of lightning cracked, lighting up the sky, and illuminating the opening in the hollow tree, causing all four of them to freeze in place.
From the outside, the opening looked like the gaping maw of some huge monster snarling at them; a gaping maw that they had been just about to enter...
Again, the three little fillies, and baby dragon all cried out in terror before running off into the night.
They ran, and ran, until suddenly, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike came to an abrupt halt when they suddenly realized that Apple Bloom was no longer with them.
"Where's Apple Bloom?" an alarmed Scootaloo asked.
"Apple Bloom! Where are you?" Sweetie Belle, and Spike called out.
There quickly came a reply, "HELP!"
Turning in the direction of the call for help, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike saw Apple Bloom some distance behind them. The yellow earth filly's bow had gotten tangled in the branch of a tree, which in the darkness of night looked more like the claws of some terrifying creature grasping at her.
Darting back to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike quickly began working to free their friend.
"We gotcha, Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo said.
"Get me outta here!" Apple Bloom cried.
Suddenly, they all heard the loud screeching noise from earlier again and looked up to see a dark shape swooping down at them from night sky!
"Hurry up!" shrieked Apple Bloom.
"Come on! Come on!" Sweetie Belle groaned.
They worked frantically until, after several long, nerve-wracking moments, Apple Bloom's bow finally became unstuck, and all four of them literally DOVE to the ground just as the dark shape flew right above their heads, letting out another screech as it disappeared back into the night sky.
But in the brief moment that it had been directly over them, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike had all seen it clearly, and they suddenly felt a sense of relief wash over them.
"Hey, wait!" Sweetie Belle gasped in realization "That's just an owl!"
"What? An owl?" Scootaloo blinked.
For a moment, the four of them just sat there as the realization sank in. At last, Apple Bloom let out a long sigh; she was relieved, but at the same time, somewhat annoyed, and embarrassed.
"Of course. It's just an owl..." she said sarcastically, "Great, now Ah feel like such a fool..."
"Y-Yeah, me to!" Spike agreed, trying to suppress a bout of nervous laughter, "What the heck are we doing? Running away from a bird, thinking that we're being chase by the..."
Spike's voice suddenly trailed off, and the baby dragon's face went ashen gray as his features morphed into an expression of utter terror.
"...the...the..." he stammered, much to the increasing alarm of the Crusaders.
"Spike? What? What is it?!" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo respectively asked.
One of Spike's claws shot forward, and he pointed to the area right behind where the three fillies were standing.
"...the...Th-The Phantom Pony!!!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The Crusaders whirled around, and to their horror, saw a tall, dark, and menacing-looking figure standing right in front of them! For an eternally long moment, they just stood frozen to the ground. They might very well have been frozen; their faces went so cold. At last, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo all found their voices, and screamed in terror at the figure looming over them.
This was it! This was it! The Phantom Pony was really here, standing right before them!
What happened next, happened so fast that they could hardly believe it, as Spike, without thinking, and acting out of pure instinct, practically leapt in front of the Crusaders, and let out a hot breath of flame at the fiend. The fire quickly engulfed the figure, and within moments it crumbled to the ground.
For another long moment, the three little fillies, and baby dragon just stood there staring down at the charred, and smoldering remains of the Phantom Pony, trying figure out just WHAT had happened. At last, they all took a closer look, and finally, they realized...
"It... It's just a scarecrow!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, pointing out the blackened straw, and the still visible button eyes on the charred face.
"Oh...Right..." said Scootaloo.
Spike blushed, "Sorry about that..."
Sweetie Belle groaned, "Oh, this is ridiculous! What's wrong with us? We're freaking out over nothing!" She then gestured to the ruined scarecrow, to the sky, and the trees. "That was just a scarecrow, that was just an owl, and these are just trees!"
Suddenly, there came a rustling from one of the bushes nearby, and the four friends again froze in place as they realized that the thing that had scared them on the edge of the farm was back!
"Th-Th-Then what's THAT?" Scootaloo asked.
Spike and the Crusaders huddled together again as the thing emerged from the bushes to reveal...
A small, furry creature with long ears, and a bushy tail.
"A rabbit..." Spike said dryly, "A fuzzy, cuddly rabbit..."
For a long moment, they all just stared at the rabbit, until at finally, they all burst into almost uncontrollable laughter, unable to believe their own foolishness. Meanwhile, the rabbit just stared back at them in confusion, wondering just what their deal was before finally hopping off into the night.
The three little fillies, and baby dragon all laughed until another crack of lightning finally brought them back to the present. By now, the weather was rapidly turning bad, and it was pretty obvious that it was about to start pouring down rain any second.
"C'mon, everypony." Apple Bloom said at last, "We better get back to th' clubhouse."
The four friends made it back to the clubhouse just as it began to rain, for which they were eternally grateful, as they all felt they'd been through enough tonight without getting wet. Once inside again, they just couldn't help but feel very silly about themselves, and the absurdity of the whole situation. They'd been letting their imaginations go wild and scaring themselves all along.
"We weren't running from anything!" Scootaloo chortled, "And nothing was running after us!"
"Nnnope!" confirmed Apple Bloom, imitating her big brother.
"I have to admit though..." Sweetie Belle laughed, turning toward Spike, "Even if there really wasn't any danger, it WAS pretty cool when Spike protected us from the...the..." She couldn't get the words out through her laughter.
"The 'Phantom Scarecrow'?" a grinning Scootaloo finished for her.
Apple Bloom giggled, "Darn tootin' it was!"
Spike blushed, "Ah, it was nothing; to be honest, it kinda just happened. But really, Apple Bloom, I AM sorry about the scarecrow."
"Don't worry about it, Spike. We got a couple of spares." Apple Bloom reassured him, "And besides, we all got a good laugh out of it."
The baby dragon had to agree, "Yeah, I guess we did. I mean, we probably looked pretty ridiculous out there."
"I, for one, FEEL pretty ridiculous!" Sweetie Belle put in, "Running around like that when there was nothing to be scared of!"
But the white unicorn filly may have spoken too soon AGAIN, for at that very moment, there came a terrifying sound resonating throughout the clubhouse, the very same sound that had scared the four of them off into the night into the first place!
Owooooooo!
Once again, everypony felt their blood turn to ice. They were all so shocked that for a moment, nopony said word. Then the sound came again, causing the three little fillies, and baby dragon to once again huddle together in the center of the clubhouse.
Owooooooo!
"Or...maybe there is!" Spike gulped.
"But...But I don't understand." Sweetie Belle trembled, "It was all just supposed to have been our imaginations!"
Scootaloo groaned, "Oh, just when we think we're out, we get pulled back in!"
For a long moment, they all just stood there, quivering in fear...
Owooooooo!
But then, Apple Bloom suddenly stopped shaking, and looked up, for it was just then that a lightbulb had gone off in yellow earth filly's head.
"Hey, wait a minute!" she said, "I know what that sound is!"
"Huh? What?" Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo asked.
Separating from her friends, Apple Bloom quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor of the clubhouse. To Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike, time seemed to slow to a crawl as they waited for her to return.
Owooooooo! Came the sound again.
Then, the sound abruptly ceased, and there was complete, and utter silence...
"Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle called fearfully.
After a tense, and eternally long moment, there came the sound of hoofsteps coming down the stairs until finally, Apple Bloom reappeared, grinning at her friends.
"Ah've captured th' ghost!" the yellow earth filly declared, holding up the empty bottle.
Needless to say, this confused the others.
"I don't get it." Scootaloo said.
"Just listen." Apple Bloom held the neck of bottle up to her lips, and blew hard, producing a smaller version of the sound that had been scaring them.
"Ah was usin' this bottle ta plug a hole in th' roof." she explained, "So when th' wind blew across a certain way..."
"It hooted!" Spike finished.
Apple Bloom smiled sheepishly, "Silly me. We were havin' so much fun earlier that Ah forgot all about it. Sorry, guys."
"Well..." Sweetie Belle said at last, "If nothing else, this is one slumber party I don't think any of us will ever forget."
"You can say that again." Scootaloo chuckled.
"For sure." added Spike.
Apple Bloom yawned, "Well, Ah don't know about th' rest of y'all, but Ah've had enough excitement fer one night. What do y'all say we go to bed, an' fer real this time?"
Nopony could argue with that. And thankfully, the rest of their night's sleep was uninterrupted.
The next morning, the three little fillies, and baby dragon gathered at the front of the clubhouse to say their goodbyes. Granny Smith had come to see Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Spike off before walking Apple Bloom back to the farm. When the elderly earth pony heard about the events the night before, she laughed as if it was the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard.
"Scared out o' yer wits by an empty bottle!" Granny Smith guffawed, "That's a new one on me! An' burnin' down a scarecrow because y'all thought it was th' Phantom Pony! Y'all must've felt so ridiculous!"
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Spike all smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, we did..." Apple Bloom admitted, "But even so, we still had a great time."
"We sure did." Scootaloo nodded, "We really need to do this again sometime."
"Absolutely!" agreed Sweetie Belle.
Granny Smith smiled, turning to look at Spike, "An' Ah trust that y'all will want Spike ta come again? Seems ta me that y'all oughta hang out more often."
"We'd like that very much, Granny." Apple Bloom nodded.
"If you all will have me, so would I." replied Spike.
The three little fillies were very pleased at Spike's words.
After a brief silence, Scootaloo inquired, "So what are you gonna do now?"
Spike shrugged, "I guess I'll just head back to the library and do my chores as usual."
"Will you be all right?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah." Spike nodded, "Twilight will be back tomorrow; I think can manage until then."
"That's good ta hear." grinned Granny Smith, "An' just think o' th' story you'll have ta tell her about last night!"
Spike couldn't help but chuckle, "Yep."
"Well, thanks again for coming, Spike" said Sweetie Belle, "And for giving us such a fun time."
"Thanks again for inviting me." the baby dragon replied, "And for caring about me..."
The Crusaders all smiled warmly.
"What else are friends fer?" asked Apple Bloom.
Spike smiled back at Crusaders, and then the three little fillies, and baby dragon all came together in a group hug, knowing that as long as they remembered their friends, none of them would ever have to feel lonely again...
END.
Author's Note
And that's our second addition to MLP: Tales Of Friendship! I'm sorry it took so long to get here. It's just been a busy time. But I promise that there WILL be more to come! So stayed tuned for our next episode, for following the events of "The Last Roundup", Applejack, and Rainbow Dash must make things up to Pinkie Pie, and Rarity.

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              3: The Last Roundup: Aftermath               
//-------------------------------------------------------//
3: The Last Roundup: Aftermath
Dear Princess Celestia,
It's a tad easier to be proud when you come in first than it is when you finish further back. But there's no reason to hide when you don't do as well as you'd hoped. You can't run away from your problems. Better to run to your friends and family.
Applejack finished her letter to Princess Celestia just as the train pulled into the station at Ponyville. Sticking her head out the window, she waved to her family, Mayor Mare, and the few other ponies who'd come give her a warm welcome home.
As the orange earth pony stepped off the train, Winona was the first to greet her, virtually tackling Applejack to the ground to smother her in kisses. Everypony smiled with Big Mac even shredding some stallionly tears before he dog-piled onto his sister, with Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom quickly following suit.
Once the hugging was over, Applejack apologized profusely to her friends, and family for not coming home just because she couldn't face her problems, and to Mayor Mare for failing to get any prize money to fix town hall. Everypony forgave Applejack, for they were just glad to have her back at last, and Mayor Mare assured her that they would just find another way to raise the money they needed.
At last, it was time for everypony to go home, and they all started to leave the station...
But then, Fluttershy suddenly stopped in her tracks, and put a hoof to her chin in deep thought.
"Fluttershy? What is it?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know..." the yellow pegasus said, "I've just got this funny feeling that we forgot something..."
"Huh?" inquired Applejack.
Rainbow Dash scoffed, "Oh, come on! What are you talking about? What could we possibly have..."
The sky blue pegasus stopped in mid-sentence, and her face went pale as it suddenly dawned on her, with her friends all coming to the same realization mere seconds later:
Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were missing from the group. They hadn't forgotten something; they had forgotten two someponies.
"Uh-Oh." was all Rainbow Dash could say.
Back out in the middle of the desert, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, having missed the last train back to Ponyville, had appropriated a hoof-operated rail cart to get themselves back home. While Pinkie Pie had remained cheerful in spite of their present situation, Rarity was not even remotely happy.
After the two of them had fallen out of the cart, Rainbow Dash had declined to go back for the two of them in favor of chasing after Applejack, saying that there was no time, and that her friends knew what they were getting into.
As if that weren't enough, afterwards the sky blue pegasus and the others had apparently forgotten all about them, and just gone home, leaving the two of stranded in Appleoosa until they'd found the rail cart.
"What do you think, Rarity?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Chimicherry or cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga?"
Rarity huffed, "When I get back, you're gonna get it, Rainbow Dash!"
The white unicorn mare could only grumble as Pinkie kept asking the same question over, and over again while they continued to pump the cart.
Celestia's sun was setting when Pinkie Pie, and Rarity FINALLY pulled into Ponyville Station. At last, they'd made it home. And a good thing to, because Pinkie Pie had not shut up for the entire journey, and if Rarity had had to listen to her for even one more minute, she seriously would've strangled the pink earth pony.
Needless to say, Rarity was tired, and in a foul mood by the time she and Pinkie stepped off the rail car onto the station platform, and she needed a moment to catch her breath.
"Rarity! Pinkie Pie!" came Twilight's voice.
Looking up, Rarity saw the rest of the Mane Six coming towards them. The others had been waiting for her, and Pinkie for hours.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" said Fluttershy, "We're so sorry. We didn't mean to leave you behind..."
But Rarity barely acknowledged them as she glared daggers at Rainbow Dash.
The sky blue pegasus chuckled nervously, "Yeah...heh heh...slight mistake..."
"You..." Rarity seethed.
Rainbow quickly tried to take off, and fly away, but Rarity used her magic to grab her by the tail, and drag her back over to where she was standing.
"Do you have ANY idea what I've BEEN THROUGH?!?!" Rarity asked in a fury.
"I'm-I'm sorry! I really, REALLY mean it!" Rainbow babbled, "I swear I'll somehow make this up to you!"
"REALLY?! WILL YOU?!"
Applejack quickly ran up to them, "Calm down, Rarity! It weren't all Rainbow's fault. Ah was th' one that got y'all dragged into this mess in th' first place. None o' this ever woulda happened if it weren't fer me runnin' off like that. Ah shoulda just told y'all th' truth ta begin with."
Pinkie Pie glared at her; she hadn't forgotten about the "Pinkie Promise" Applejack had wormed her way out of fulfilling.
"Yes, you should have..." she said in a deadly serious voice, lacking any of her usually cheerfulness.
Ashamed, Applejack lowered her eyes, unable to meet her friend's gaze, "Ah got some powerful explainin' ta do Ah know...
Applejack filled Pinkie Pie, and Rarity in on what she'd already told the others, about how she'd failed to win any prize money at the rodeo to fix town hall, and hadn't the nerve to come home empty-hooved after the send-off Ponyville gave her.
"Ah'm so sorry." the orange earth pony said, "Ah realize now that Ah was just runnin' away from mah problems, an' Ah hurt mah friends an' family doin' so. Ah can't take back what Ah did. Friends should never do that ta friends, an' friends should always keep their promises, not weasel their way out of them. What Ah did was wrong, an' it completely went against my element of honesty ta boot. All Ah can do is say is Ah'm sorry, an' hope that one day, y'all will find it ta forgive me..."
Rainbow Dash suddenly stepped up next to Applejack to have her own say.
"Me to..." the sky blue pegasus said sincerely, "Friends don't abandon friends, especially not when they bear the element of loyalty. I guess we were just so eager to get Applejack back home that I... Oh, what's the use? I know that's no excuse, and I really hope you'll give me a chance to make it up to you."
After a very long moment, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity shared a look, before finally nodding to one another.
"Well, that WAS a pretty good apology." Pinkie Pie said.
Rarity grumbled for moment, but ultimately relented, "Yes...Yes, I guess it was..."
"Honestly, Rarity..." Rainbow Dash implored, "I do feel terrible for leaving you out there. I really want to try to fix this."
"And Pinkie Pie..." Applejack addressed the pink earth pony, "That goes for me to. If there's anything Ah can do ta make things right, y'all name it, an' it's half done."
"Well..." Pinkie thought for a moment, "I do probably have a lot of lost time to make up for at Sugar Cube Corner."
"Say no more! I'll be there first thing in the morning!" the cowpony said.
Pinkie Pie found herself smiling, "Okay! As long as you aren't so tired that you end up making baked bads again!"
"Ah promise ta get a good night's sleep!" Applejack assured as she and Pinkie started to laugh.
Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity, "How about it, Rarity? Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
After a long moment, Rarity sighed, "All right. But I'm going to need to sleep on it."
Rainbow nodded accordingly, "Okay, that's fine. I mean, we've had rough day, right?"
Rarity glared at Rainbow for her choice of words.
"Err, uh, I mean YOU'VE had a rough day!" Rainbow quickly corrected herself.
"All right, all right, everypony..." Twilight said at last, "It's really getting late, and we're all exhausted. How about we all just head home now, and worry about this tomorrow?"
In the end, nopony could argue.
And so, it was early the next morning that Applejack was making her way to Sugarcube Corner to fulfill her commitment to Pinkie Pie, when she heard the flapping of wings, and looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering just above her.
"Hey, Applejack." the sky pegasus greeted.
"Howdy, Rainbow. Applejack greeted back, "Off to see Rarity?"
"Yeah. And I guess you're off to meet with Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Eeyup." said the orange earth pony in imitation of her big brother, "Ah guess Ah got a day o' bakin' ahead o' me. How 'bout   
you?"
Rainbow shrugged, "I have no idea what Rarity will want me to do. And I guess there's only one way to find out."
"Well, Ah guess we'd better get on with it." said Applejack.
"Yeah." Rainbow agreed, "I guess we'd better. Good luck."
Applejack nodded, "Same ta y'all."
With that, the two of them parted ways, with Rainbow Dash taking off in the direction of the Carousel Boutique, and Applejack continuing on her way to Sugarcube Corner.
Arriving at her destination shortly after, Applejack headed up to the front door, and started to reach for the door handle when the door suddenly burst open by itself.
"Good morning, Applejack!", Pinkie Pie almost shouted in her friend's face, almost causing her to jump in surprise.
"Oh! Uh, mornin' Pinkie Pie."
"Good to see you looking so well rested, and ready to go!" the pink earth pony said as she led her friend into the sweet shop, "Because we've got a busy day ahead of us!"
"Yeah...Ah'm sure we do." Applejack suddenly got a slightly unsettling feeling, but she wasn't sure why, because after all, she could bake anything from fritters to pies in the blink of an eye.
"So where are Mr. and Mrs. Cake?" she asked.
"They'll be back later. For right now, it's just us." Pinkie answered, "And in that case we'd better get started! Besides all the usual business, we've got a big order to fill."
"A big order? Fer who?" asked Applejack.
"Filthy Rich!" Pinkie said cheerfully, "He's got a big company event coming up, and he's ordered 500 cupcakes just for the occasion!"
"FIVE HUNDRED?!" Applejack exclaimed in shock.
Needless to say, the orange earth pony was beginning to wonder what she'd gotten herself into...
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, having just arrived at the Carousel Boutique, gave the door a brisk knock. Despite herself, the sky blue pegasus couldn't help but feel a little anxious about this. She hoped Rarity had had enough time to cool off, because she honestly couldn't blame her friend for being furious with her the previous evening.
Though Rainbow was glad that Rarity had accepted her apology, and offer to make it up to her, she could only wonder what sort of "favor" the white unicorn had in mind.
Within a few moments, Rarity answered the door, and Rainbow was somewhat surprised to see that, in stark contrast to the day before, she actually seemed to be in a good mood.
"Ah, Rainbow Dash! Please do come in!" Rarity said in a rather cheerful voice.
"Oh, hey, Rarity..." Rainbow said as she stepped inside, "Nice to see you in such a good mood. I mean, after how things were last night, I figured..."
Rarity casually waved it off, "Oh, pshaw, my dear. You may be surprised at how much a good night sleep can accomplish. If nothing else, I at least got a marvelous workout on that hand cart, and so I slept like a foal."
Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly, "Well, at least you, and Pinkie getting left behind was good for something."
"Well, enough of that now." Rarity insisted, gesturing the sky blue pegasus to follow, "Come; there is much for us to do."
As Rainbow Dash followed Rarity upstairs however, she found herself suddenly unable to shake a strange sense of unease. Was it just her, or did Rarity seem to be in too much of a good mood? Rainbow had expected her to still be at least a little sore after yesterday.
Upon entering Rarity's inspiration room, Rainbow Dash quickly deduced that what her friend had in mind involved her fashion work. And unfortunately, Rainbow Dash had little-to-no knowledge, experience, or interest in that type of thing.
"Uh, Rarity..." the sky blue pegasus said, "I promised that I'd make it up to you, but I'm really not the right pony for fashion work."
"Never fear, my dear." Rarity assured, "I will be doing all of the actual work. The only thing you will need to do is stand still for me."
Needless to say, this confused Rainbow Dash, "Wha... Stand still? How is that going to help...?"
Rarity just smiled knowingly.
Alarmed, Rainbow Dash instinctively hovered in the air as she held out her hooves in defense as it finally dawned on her just what Rarity had in mind: she wanted Rainbow to MODEL for her.
"Oh, no. Wait a minute. Hold it. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. Don't even--No!"
Rarity's smile only grew wider.
"Don't look at me like that! You're getting 'no' from me!" Rainbow asserted, stubbornly crossing her hooves across her chest, "You understand? NO! I will not EVER be a fashion model for you!"
Cut to just a few moments later, and Rainbow Dash was modeling was for the new dress Rarity was making, while a smirking Rarity measured, and sewed.
"Aww, nuts!" the sky blue pegasus grumbled.
She should've known that Rarity wouldn't have let her off so easily...
Back at Sugarcube Corner, Applejack soon found herself working like a dog. While Pinkie Pie worked at the front counter, it fell to the orange earth pony to do the majority of the work on fulfilling Filthy Rich's huge order of 500 cupcakes. And that was only the half of it, as Pinkie Pie would often suddenly call on her to bring one of the boxes of baked goods up front, or some other odd job.
In fact, it was just as Applejack was putting another batch of cupcakes in the oven that Pinkie stuck her head in the kitchen again.
"Applejack, would you please bring the box on top of the stack out to the counter?"
Applejack sighed, "Be right out, Pinkie."
"Okey, dokey, lokey!" chimed the pink earth pony.
Closing the oven, Applejack promptly headed over to the stack of boxes containing baked goods, and retrieved the one on top, before heading out of the kitchen.
Upon reaching the front counter, Applejack found Pinkie Pie waiting on a rather long line that led all the way out the door, which could only mean that there'd be more boxes to bring out sooner or later.
"Here ya go, Pinkie." Applejack placed the box on the counter.
Pinkie nodded, before turning her attention to the customer, "Here you go! Please come again!"
The customer smiled, and opened the box, but then looked up with a confused frown.
"But I ordered chocolate chip muffins." the pony pointed out.
"Oops! Sorry about that." Pinkie apologized before turning to Applejack, "My bad, Applejack. It was the box on the BOTTOM of the stack, not the one on the top. Just be careful not to knock the whole stack down!"
Rolling her eyes, a slightly annoyed Applejack headed back into the kitchen to get the right box. Thankfully, she DIDN'T knock the whole stack down, for that was the last thing she was in the mood for.
Once that order of business had been taken care of, Applejack began to head back to the oven to check on the cupcakes when...
"Oh, and Applejack..." called Pinkie again, freezing the orange earth pony in her tracks, "While you're out here, could you go fill those two empty candy jars by the front window?"
Giving her friend a somewhat half-hearted salute, Applejack took a bag of candy out from under the counter before heading over to fill up the jars...
Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass caused her to jump!
Turning in the direction of the sound, Applejack saw Dinky Doo, and Button Mash standing over by the candy shelves at the far wall, and on the floor at their hooves was a broken candy jar with its contents scattered about.
Dinky looked mortified, "Uh, we didn't do it! I mean... It's not our fault. I mean...", At last, the little filly gave up, "We're sorry!"
Button Mash said nothing, but tears were clearly welling in his eyes.
"It's all right, sugarcubes." Applejack reassured, "It was an accident. Just help me clean it up."
Visibly relaxing, the little filly, and colt eagerly nodded in agreement. Retrieving a broom, Applejack carefully swept up the broken glass into a dustpan, before giving Dinky, and Button Mash a new jar to replace the scattered candy on the floor into.
"Just watch what yer doin' next time, okay?" Applejack advised as she placed the new jar on the shelf once it was filled.
Dinky and Button Mash both nodded happily. With that taken care of, the orange earth pony headed back over to Pinkie Pie.
"Great work, Applejack!" praised Pinkie.
Though weary, Applejack smiled, "Anythin' else that needs doin' out here, Pinkie?"
"I'll call you if there is." her friend assured, "For now, you can head back to the kitchen. We still got orders to fill, and several hours of work to make up for!"
"Great..." Applejack muttered sarcastically, for this was turning out to be more rigorous than she'd expected.
It woulda been easier fer everypony if Ah'd just told th' truth in th' first place. she mused, This is what Ah get fer breakin' a Pinkie promise, an' lyin' ta mah friends. This is mah penance, Ah guess...
But then, Applejack was abruptly shaken out of her thoughts when a strong odor reached her nostrils...
"Hey, Pinkie, you smell something?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.
"Oh, uh, it wasn't me!" the pink earth pony quickly said.
Applejack scowled in annoyance, "No, it ain't that! It's smells like somethin's burnin'..." Suddenly her eyes went wide with realization, "SOMETHIN'S BURNIN'?! Oh, no! Th' CUPCAKES!"
"FIRE!" Pinkie Pie shouted out, causing all of the customers to rush outside in a panic.
At the same time, Applejack raced back inside the kitchen, and yanked open the oven only to be met with a huge cloud of smoke. Coughing, she quickly took off her hat, and used it to wave the smoke away. Unfortunately, a quick look inside the oven showed that she'd been too late; the cupcakes were burnt to a crisp.
"Dang it!" grumbled Applejack, knowing she'd now have to bake another batch to replace this one, but at least nothing was on fire. "Well, Ah guess it coulda been worse."
But the orange earth pony had spoken too soon, for no sooner had she said those words, that the kitchen door burst open, and Pinkie Pie rushed inside carrying a bucket of water.
"Stand back, Applejack! FIRE!" she yelled as she threw the contents of the bucket in the general direction of the oven without even looking.
When she finally did look, however, she saw that the only thing she'd managed to drench was Applejack.
"Oh... Uh..." said Pinkie meekly, "So, I guess there's no fire?"
Wet, and dripping, Applejack just glared at her in utter exasperation.
Rainbow Dash was NOT having a good time. By now, the dress Rarity was making had taken proper shape, and the sky blue pegasus was fully clad in silk, lace, and velvet. It took literally all of Rainbow's resolve to remain still while Rarity did her work.
To make matters worse, the white unicorn had ALSO insisted on doing Rainbow's mane, and even applied some makeup to "complete" the outfit. Rainbow had been THIS close to putting her hoof down at that, but her inner voice had reminded her that she was doing this in order to make it up to Rarity. Maybe so, but that DID NOT mean she had to like it, and as such, she'd done her best to just mentally retreat into herself for the duration.
At last, Rarity was finished, and for a moment, she just stood there admiring her work, before then pulling a large mirror over so that Rainbow could also see the results.
Rarity was beaming, "Oh, Rainbow Dash, you look so...so...!"
"Stupid?" Rainbow all but growled.
"Nonsense, darling! You look so BEAUTIFUL!" said Rarity.
The sky blue pegasus was NOT amused, "I feel ridiculous."
"Oh, come now!" Rarity insisted, "You should feel honored! This is some of my best work!"
"I'm sure it is. Can I take this thing off now?" Rainbow asked somewhat impatiently.
"Well, all right." the white unicorn agreed.
Finally... Rainbow said to herself as she began to tug at the garment.
"Ah ah ah! You'll ruin it!" Rarity stopped her, "We must do this carefully."
Rainbow could only let out an exasperated sigh as she grudgingly allowed Rarity to undress her. In the end, what should've only taken a few seconds took what felt more like almost five minutes as the white unicorn took extreme (and almost excessive) care in taking off the dress. After all, the last thing she wanted was for it to get torn, stained, or wrinkled. Once it was finally off, Rainbow Dash wasted no time in shaking out her mane, and rubbing off the makeup.
"Okay, now what, Rarity?" she asked.
"Well, now that our work is done, my dear..." Rarity said, as she carefully hung the dress on the wall, "All we need to do is clean up after ourselves."
Rainbow Dash gazed at the huge mess that was strewn all about Rarity's inspiration room.
"I thought you said that our work was DONE!" was all she could say.
And so, the sky blue pegasus, and white unicorn spent the next hour cleaning up. Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, this job would ALSO prove to be no cakewalk, as Rarity had a certain rule for cleaning her inspiration room.
For one thing, not EVERYTHING was meant to be picked up or put away, and Rarity had to tell Rainbow to pick several things back EXACTLY where she got them as not to screw up the room's "organized chaos". As for the things that WERE supposed to be picked up or put away, Rarity made a HUGE deal about being careful with them, and putting them away properly, which to the white unicorn meant something more like putting them away PERFECTLY.
In the end, what SHOULD have taken less than HALF an hour, ended up taking more like one WHOLE hour. But Rainbow Dash took some comfort in reminding herself that this would soon be over. It was almost done.
It had better be in any rate, because something was telling Rainbow Dash that Rarity was getting a bit too much of a kick out all this.
After the "false alarm" with the oven, Pinkie Pie had gone outside to assure the customers that everything was under control, while Applejack went to dry herself off. Before long, business had resumed at Sugarcube Corner with no real harm done.
Finally, at long last, the last batch of cupcakes was done, and Applejack placed the last box on the now massive stack that made up Pinkie Pie's, or rather Filthy Rich's big order. And just in time to, for Filthy Rich arrived shortly afterwards with several delivery ponies in tow to pick up his order.
"I've got to say, you're a real lifesaver!" he said as his entourage loaded the boxes of cupcakes in their wagons, "I was afraid it was too big an order to get ready in time. Especially with Mr. and Mrs. Cake gone!"
"Well, I think Applejack deserves most of the credit." Pinkie Pie pointed out, "I couldn't have done it without her!"
"Ah doubt it, considering that Ah did all th' bakin'." Applejack snarked.
Pinkie just laughed, "Oh, Applejack, you're such a kidder!"
Before either of them could say another word, Filthy Rich suddenly turned to Applejack and gave her sincere look of gratitude.
"I really appreciate this, Applejack. You really do take up after your Grandmother."
Applejack found herself smiling. It had been a hassle, and she was tired, but it always felt good to see the results of a job well done.
Once Mr. Rich had left, she and Pinkie got back to work. Now that most of the major orders had been fulfilled, it was just normal business as usual at Sugarcube Corner, and it seemed like the worst was over. This was especially so when less than an hour later, Mr. And Mrs. Cake came through the door, having returned early their outing.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" exclaimed Pinkie, "You're back!"
Mr. Cake nodded, "Yeah, we got done earlier than we expected."
"Well, it looks like everything has gone well..." Mrs. Cake observed.
"All big orders are taken care of, Mrs. Cake." Pinkie confirmed.
"Wonderful!" said Mrs. Cake, "In that case, why don't you girls take the rest of the day off?"
"What?" questioned both Pinkie and Applejack.
"We can take care of everything else." Mr. Cake agreed with his wife.
"But... But what about...?" Pinkie Pie started to say.
Mrs. Cake just smiled, "It's all right, Pinkie Pie. You've both done more than enough. And besides, I understand you two have some things you need to work out."
Ultimately, both Pinkie Pie, and Applejack found themselves smiling.
"Thank you, Mrs. Cake!" was all Pinkie Pie could say.
Applejack couldn't agree more, "That's mighty kind o' y'all!"
And so, with the Cakes' blessing, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie headed out. For a brief moment, Pinkie Pie wondered if Applejack would take this opportunity to leave, but to her surprise...
"So, what do ya wanna do now, Pinkie?" asked Applejack.
Pinkie Pie looked thoughtfully at her friend, "You mean you'll still stay with me? Even though we been relieved of duty?"
"Ah don't think Ah'm off th' hook just yet." the orange earth pony said.
"No, I guess not." Pinkie Pie grinned, "How about we go see how Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are doing?"
Applejack nodded in agreement, "Sounds good ta me."
The two ponies promptly set out for the Carousel Boutique. As they walked, Applejack felt rather relieved. It had been rough going, but it had been a job well done, and they'd been let off sooner than expected. It now seemed like the hard part was over, and that things were starting to look up...
"While we're at it..." Pinkie Pie interrupted her train of thought, "You never did give me an answer."
Applejack blinked, "Answer?"
"To my question from the day before yesterday!" Pinkie clarified.
"What question?" Applejack asked, before a look of horror spread across her face with realization, "Wait! Wait a minute! You mean...?"
Pinkie nodded eagerly, "Yeah, that one! Which do you think sounds better? Chimicherry or cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga?"
"Oh, no...!" Applejack moaned as Pinkie Pie went on, and on, and on.
She should have known that it was too good to be true...
Rainbow Dash's ordeal wasn't over yet either. After they'd finally gotten Rarity's inspiration room reorganized exactly to Rarity's satisfaction, the white unicorn had insisted that Rainbow Dash accompany her for a meal in the downstairs kitchen as they had both missed lunch due to their work.
The sky blue pegasus guessed she couldn't complain about that, as she hasn't realized how hungry she was, and Rarity was basically giving her a free meal, though she felt it was a small wonder that she even still HAD an appetite after this whole farce.
"There is nothing quite a like a fine day's work, wouldn't you say, Rainbow?" Rarity asked as she took a sip of tea.
"Whatever you say, Rarity." replied Rainbow Dash as she chewed a piece of her sandwich.
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said suddenly, "Mind your manners!"
The sky blue pegasus swallowed, and wiped her mouth with her hoof before defensively asking, "What?"
The white unicorn pointed a hoof at her, "Don't you know that it's impolite to chew with your mouth open? And please remember to use a serviette, darling!"
"Use a what?" Rainbow inquired.
"A napkin, my dear!" Rarity clarified.
"Right, sorry..." Rainbow sighed in annoyance.
"But I do hope you enjoy your meal, Rainbow Dash." added Rarity, her voice softening, "Once we're done, we need to head back upstairs."
Rainbow looked up, "What? Why?"
Rarity smiled, "Because we still have another dress to get done."
"WHAT?!" her friend cried.
"Kidding!" laughed Rarity, "I'm just kidding, Rainbow."
Rainbow however, while relieved, was not exactly amused. She couldn't take much more of this and was starting to lose patience.
"Very funny..." she scowled.
"Oh, come now, Rainbow." Rarity said, "Can you not take a little joke?"
"A joke is one thing, and I get that I owe you after yesterday..." argued Rainbow Dash, "But I'm getting the feeling that you're enjoying all of this. Like a little too much."
"Why, I never...!" Rarity began to say in indignation.
Before the conversation could go any farther however, Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle suddenly rushed into the kitchen looking very distressed.
"Rarity! Come outside quick!" the little filly said.
Rarity was alarmed, "Sweetie Belle? What is it?"
"It's Opal!" Sweetie Belle blurted out, "She's stuck!"
"What?!" her big sister exclaimed, scrambling up from the table.
Rarity, and Sweetie Belle quickly rushed out the front door of the Carousel Boutique, and Rarity saw to her horror that her cat Opal was huddled up on the branch of a high tree next to her house, and she really was stuck. At the sight of it's owner, the white cat let out a distressed meow.
"Opal!" Rarity cried, before frantically looking around for anypony who could help, "Help! Please help! Somepony save my poor little kitty!"
Right at that moment, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were just making their way up to the Carousel Boutique. However, Pinkie Pie had not shut up since they'd left Sugarcube Corner, continuing to talk Applejack's ear off, so neither of them heard Rarity's calls at first.
"Chimicherry or cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga?"
At last, Applejack stopped dead in her tracks, and covered her ears with her hooves.
"DEAUGH!!! Cherrychanga, Pinkie! There! Are ya happy now?!" she screamed.
But then, the orange earth pony looked up, and saw Rarity, and Sweetie Belle standing in front of the tree, with Opal stuck up in it.
Applejack pointed towards the scene, "Pinkie, look!"
Pinkie Pie did so, and her bubbly demeanor instantly faded, "Oh, no!"
"Come on!" urged Applejack.
The two earth ponies quickly rushed over to Rarity and Sweetie Belle.
"Applejack! Pinkie Pie!" Rarity wailed, "Opal is stuck up in the tree, and can't get down!"
"Uh, we can see that, Rarity." said Pinkie Pie in a deadpan voice.
"Pinkie! Not helpin'!" Applejack snapped before turning her frustration onto herself, "Oh, if only Ah'd thought ta bring mah lasso with me!"
Rarity was beside herself, "Oh, what shall we do! WHATEVER SHALL WE DO?!"
Suddenly, everypony felt a slight breeze ruffle their manes as a flash of color zoomed overhead. Before any of them realized what happened, there was none other than Rainbow Dash hovering in the air right next to the branch Opal was stuck on.
"Come on, Opal. I got you." the sky blue pegasus coaxed, "Come on. Good, kitty."
Gently taking Opal in her hooves, Rainbow Dash carefully lowered herself, and the cat back onto the ground. Grateful, Opal took a moment to nuzzle one of Rainbow's forehooves before running back over to Rarity.
"Opal!" the white unicorn joyfully cooed, before turning her attention to Rainbow, "Oh, Rainbow Dash, thank Celestia you were here! I truly don't know what I would've done it you hadn't been!"
"Oh, I don't know..." Rainbow replied sarcastically, "You COULD have just used your magic to get her down."
Rarity blinked, then began to blush, "Oh, yeah. Right. I... didn't think about that..."
"Well, in any case..." Applejack said, "Way ta go, Rainbow Dash!"
"You're a real cat saver!" declared Pinkie Pie.
"Honestly, Dashie..." Rarity asked, "How can I ever repay you?"
Rainbow looked at her thoughtfully, "Could you maybe let me off the hook now?"
"Of course!" Rarity nodded, "You've earned it. Really, you have." she paused, flushing again, "And I'm sorry for being so hard on you. I guess I did go a little overboard..."
Rainbow Dash shrugged, "Well, I DID leave you behind in Appleoosa, so it's not like I didn't earn it."
"Don't take all the credit, Rainbow Dash..." Applejack interjected, "Y'all never woulda been in that situation if Ah'd just kept mah pinkie promise, an' told y'all th' truth."
"Yeah, let's not forget about that!" Pinkie Pie put in, but then her voice softened, "But I know that you're really sorry, Applejack, and I think you've been through enough. I'm letting you off the hook to."
"Really?" Applejack's eyes lit up.
"Under one condition..." a VERY serious Pinkie clarified, before poking Applejack in the chest to punctuate every syllable, her eyes staring into Applejack's soul, "Don't. EVER. Break. A Pinkie promise. AGAIN."
Everypony stared at Pinkie Pie, for she was really starting to scare them.
At last, Applejack nodded, Y'all got it, Pinkie."
Then, just as soon as it had come, Pinkie's unsettling demeanor vanished, and she was back to her usual bubbly self.
"Good! That's all over now! Doesn't everypony feel better? I do! That was getting very tense!"
The others just sighed, and roll their eyes. At last, Rainbow Dash broke the awkward silence.
"Well, how about it, everypony?" the sky blue pegasus asked, holding out her hoof, "Friends?"
Rarity, Applejack, & Pinkie Pie all smiled warmly, and joined hooves with Rainbow Dash.
"Friends." they all said together.
And so, after all that hassle, there were at last no more hard feelings between anypony. As the old saying goes: "All's Well That Ends Well".
"So, Rainbow Dash..." Applejack asked, "Just what were y'all doin' fer Rarity today anyways?"
Rainbow Dash flushed, and after a very long moment said, "How about you go first?"
Needless to say, there were some stories to tell...
END
Author's Note
And that's our third addition to MLP: Tales Of Friendship! Hope you all enjoyed it, and stayed tuned, for there will be more to come! I'm not exactly sure what the next part will consist of yet, but it will star Fluttershy, and Twilight.