My Little Mages: The Rainbow Keys

Chapters

Rarity Takes Manahattan
Leap of Faith
Rainbow Falls
Pinkie Pride
It Ain’t Easy Being Pixie

Rarity Takes Manahattan

Rarity was looking out the window of the train, a blissful smile on her face as she looked at the city of Manahatten and its skyline full of skyscrapers, many of them taller than the castles of Chantalot and Krystalopolies. Seated next to her was Applejack with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie seated across from her. “Congratulations on the invitation to this year’s Manahatten Fashion Week.” Pinkie said to Rarity. “Too bad Twilight and Spike couldn’t make it.”

Rarity turned from the window, “Let’s not forget she’s a princess now. And as one she needs to be seen positively. I’m glad she elected to provide summer workshops.” electing to address the absent princess of their party. “Sweetie’s spellcraft is actually advancing nicely.” she added.

“Zecora told Apple Bloom to get a few pointers of brewing potions from Twilight, something about learning how to learn differently and learning from other sources.” Applejack chimed in. While she was not stupid, nor Big Mac or Granny Smith, Apple Bloom was the member of the Apple family that actually understood academia.

“And Scoots could use some pointers in research.” Rainbow commented. Everyone was silent for almost a solid minute, didn’t Rainbow need to study for her Wonderbolt Reservist Entrance Exam in a few weeks? Sure she made it through Wonderbolt Academy, but that was if she had what it physically took to be a Wonderbolt. Now the question is, can Rainbow take the time to show she has the right mind. The rest elected to not press the issue, Rainbow was either going to take the exam seriously or not, and if she chose not to and that choice destroyed her chances to be a Wonderbolt, no skin off of anyone else's nose. Yeah Twilight would be a much needed good academic influence for Scootaloo, as everyone silently agreed.

Fluttershy sighed and shivered slightly, “I just hope she’s not overwhelmed.” the druid added, thinking about all those young students and Twilight by herself. “Couldn’t she start with say one, two, maybe three at most?” Fluttershy asked as she recalled her own experiences with school age children.

“And give grounds to be accused of nepotism?” Rarity asked in slight horror with an implied gasp. “Nonononononono.” she repeated swiftly and shook her head at the druid’s lack of knowledge of such matters. “As a princess now, Twilight’s actions are going to be highly screwtinized. If she just had Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo over, it would look like she’s playing favorites among the school age children of Magiville that haven’t uncovered their aura yet. Diamond Tiara is bad enough as she is, could you imagine what she could do if she thought her father could press a lawsuit against Twilight?” Rarity asked. Applejack shivered as she understood what would happen. It took Rainbow a little longer, but she too skwormed at the thought.

“Sorry I asked,” Fluttershy said as she wanted to be anywhere else at that second.

Pinkie coughed, “Girls.” she ordered, “We’ve passed Twilight time, now on to our designation and everything there.” Pinkie then turned her focus to Rarity, “So what’s the plan for fashion week aside from Rarity showing her new line?”

Rarity pulled out her purse a set of tickets, “Am owed a few favors by the costumer maker of the hottest musical on Mantraway.” Each of the four took one.

“SWEET!” Rainbow cheered as she made a fist with her left hand, turning it so that the back was facing the flow and brought her arm back so that her fist was now parallel with her chest. “Twi’s been so wanting to talk about this musical after Celestia and Luna took her to see it opening night.”

Fluttershy looked from the ticket back to Rarity, “But it has been sold out before Twilight’s coronation.” the druid pointed out “How did you get them?

Applejack gave the hermit her signature bemused look, “Didn’t Rarity just say that she was owed a few favors.” she pointed out before she looked over the ticket more thoroughly. “Thankfully these are good for any showing.”

“Why do you say that?” Pinkie asked.

Applejack just shook her head, “of mice and men, Sugarcube, of mice and men.” Applejack took a breath. “Hopefully Sunflower is there to pick us up.” she whispered.

Just then the train started to decelerate as it neared the station. “We will be arriving at Manahattan Grand Sage Station shortly, all passengers for Manahattan please disembark. Next stop Selam.” The conductor said as he walked down the car and repeated as he entered the next car and continued this repeat until he returned to the front.

“Well fortunately The Manafair Hotel is only a few blocks from the station and a short walk from the theatre, all in the very heart of this glorious metropolis.” Rarity said as she got her bag. “Another good thing is that Twilight lent us her bag of infinite holding. Can you imagine what it would be like to carry our luggage traditionally?” The question was rhetorical and every one of her group knew as they made no comment, and nodded agreement. After the train came to a stop and the five exited. Rarity saw an older man having a hard time getting on to the train. She focused her mind on the man’s walker and as she placed a hand on it the walker sprung to life and picked up its master and the man gave a grateful smile to Rarity as he got on the train. This was seen by a young man, about their age dressed in a three-piece striped blue suit. He opened the door for Rarity and her friends as they headed to the station exit. Once outside, “That is what makes Manahattan so splendid and amazing.'' She commented on how she helped someone and was then given small help in turn. “You do something nice for somebody, and then somebody will do something nice for you!” she declared. She took a deep breath as if she was preparing to belt out a song. “Oh, Manahattan, what you do to me
Such a huge bustling community—”

“Hey, save the musical number for the stage, yah country broad!” Rarity’s song was cut short by a shout that sounded like it came from a woman their age, but the diction was similar to how Babs Seeds spoke. The group turned to their left and saw a woman their age with green eyes, like Applejack, with blonde like orange hair with a white peddled flower with a yellow center in her hair just over her left ear. She was dressed in blue pants and a long sleeve, mostly dark pink light sweater. She was leaning against a yellow and white running car with the word ‘Taxi’ all over it. She spat on the ground, “It’s bad enough that you smell like country, could not act like you just got off tha bus.”

“Well good day to yah too, Sunflower.” Applejack spined back as she walked up to the woman, squinting slightly. It was clear there was little love between the paladin and this particular member of the Apple Clan.

“Jackie.” Sunflower retorted, just as bluntly as she crossed her arms. The two stood silent for almost a solid second as they seemed to be sizing each other up. “I can’t believe I let Babs talk me into this.” Sunflower said first as the cousins stared at each other.

“Ah ain’t too keen on Apple Bloom bein’ thah onah tah suggest this, either.” Applejack retorted.

After another second of tense silence, Sunflower then smiled as she patted the roof of the taxi car before she walked around to the driver’s seat. “Well, the meter’s runnin. You coming or not, I am on the clock.”

“She’s expecting us to pay?” Rainbow groaned as she was the first to enter the cab as she was going to the front passenger seat and started to open the door.

“HEY! All riders go to the backseat!” Sunflower shouted as she pulled the door back, shutting it and locked it before she rolled down the window. “The boss already bitches about the current insurance policy and that there aren’t enough trees for waivers and consent forms, and verbal contracts are worth the paper they're written on!”

Rainbow was about to explode at Sunflower, “Oh Dashie, it’s for our own safety.” Rarity said as she, Pinkie and Fluttershy walked around her to the back door and opened it. “Thank you so much for agreeing to this somewhat off label reservation and for picking us up here.” Rarity said with a smile, clearly attempting to defuse the situation.

“So where are you all heading?” Sunflower asked as Applejack was the last of the five to get in.

“The Manafair Hotel.” Rarity answered without missing a step, a confident smile on her face.

Sunflower looked into the rear-view mirror to get a look at Rarity while looking behind her car. “To meet a client at the bar who’s gonna foot the bill?” The disbelief that any of AJ’s friends could afford a room at the most expensive hotel for any period of time was saturated in her tone.

“Nonononononono.” Rarity shook her head as she rapidly and yet ladylike denied the implication. “I am a contestant for this year’s fashion week. I even booked a room.”

Sunflower just stared blankly at the answer for a solid second. She then turned from her seat and looked squarely at Applejack, “Is this broad for real?” Applejack nodded with a slight smirk that Sunflower didn’t fail to catch. Rarity then took out of her bag a diamond and placed it in Sunflower’s right hand. It was the closest to flawless that Sunflower had ever seen, the most devoid of colour, the most excellent cut and Sunflower could tell that it had a mass of 10 grams. Sunflower’s eyes widened even larger as Applejack smirked at her cousin’s agape mouth. “The Manafair Hotel it is. I’ll have to stop at one of the gem shops along the way to get your cha...” Rarity giggled causing Sunflower to trail off.

Once Sunflower was silenced, “Keep it, as a gratuity.” Fortunately for Sunflower, her mouth couldn’t drop any farther. After a brief second Sunflower was able to shut her mouth and then started to protest but Rarity waved her left hand, “I insist.” Sunflower then smiled and put the diamond into one of her pockets. As that happened Rarity sighed, “To think my dresses could soon be displayed on the most glamorous shopping thoroughfare of the most glamorous city in Mystica!” If Sunflower’s snort had any effect on Rarity’s musing, Rarity didn’t show as she continued to expose her thoughts, “Oh, it would be my dream come true!”

Pinkie then spoke up, “Unless there is something you need help with.” the jester pointed out.

At that moment, only Applejack seemed to realize that the cab was not moving. She leaned forward to speak to Sunflower, “Say, Cus, Ah know there’s still some bad blood between us, but taking it out on my friends is beyond petty, even for you.”

Sunflower tried to contort herself so that she could still look out her left side windows and mirrors, “Sorry cuz, but traffic is ridiculous.” she said as she nodded. Applejack looked and saw that Sunflower was sugarcoating the description.

As the two cousins spoke only so that they could hear each other, Rarity gave a ‘Hm,’ in response to Pinkie before she gave a proper reply, “Nothing I can think of.” She then reached into the bag she borrowed from Twilight to carry everything. “The dresses are all completely finished,” she said before she pulled the top of a roll of the fabric she brought just in case, “all made from a fabulous new fabric I've been developing for months. Stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery, but not showy.” she said as placed it back in.

Her friends smiled, it was clear none understood her, but they were happy that she was happy, “Sounds amazing.” Fluttershy spoke diplomatically to convey the support they offered Rarity.

Rarity smiled as she looked up, not so much at the ceiling of the taxi but into the ether beyond and between, “There's nothing left for me to do but check in at the runway with my dresses by two this afternoon.”

Sunflower broke from her vigil to safely enter traffic and turned to face Rarity with eyes widened in shock, “Two?” she asked as if Rarity just asked her to walk on water in a pair of cement shoes. Rarity nodded, blissfully unaware of what she just asked. “Then why didn’t you catch the previous train?” she asked, pointing out the reality of the situation. Before she gave any of the five a chance to answer, “You’ll be lucky to get there with less than a minute to spear in this traffic.”

Rarity gasped as it dawned on her that Manahatten was not Magiville, “Oh, my ribbons and threads. If I don't get there, I'm disqualified!” she started to panic and ventilated into the bag.

Sunflower muttered something that must have been something like ‘Old on two yah passess’ before she turned her left turn signal and made what even the five country bumpkins in her back seat could tell was an insane dash into traffic. Horns blared as Sunflower entered traffic and shot into the left most lane and drove like a demon as she weaved in and out of the lanes until she was able to pull up to the entrance of the Manafair Hotel, and her taxi was without a bent or starch. Her passengers, well it took a few seconds before they were able to stop screaming and crying. “Manafair Hotel.” Sunflower declared. “Sorry for the scare, but you asked to be here for a two in the afternoon check in.” she pointed out as she stopped the meter before she stepped out and walked around to open the door for them.

AJ was the only one to calmly get out, Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy were forced out as Rarity bolted out. “THANK YOU!” Rarity shouted as she ran into the lobby.

“Well I better get going.” Sunflower said as she started to driver’s seat.

“Say, give mah a couple of minutes, Ahm gonna check in to our room and then yah can give us a Real Manahatten tour, none of the tourist money skins.” Applejack said as she walked up to Sunflower and whispered into Sunflower’s ear. Sunflower couldn’t help but beam at what she heard. Applejack then went in behind Rarity, after handing her hat to Pinkie.

Inside Rarity arrived at the reception desk, she was out of break and struggling to collect her breath, “Good afternoon, I'm here for Fashion Week!” she managed to finally regain her breath and her composure.

The receptionist didn’t look up from the file she was examining. “Everybody's gathered in front of the runway and about to start, so you'll just have to bring your dresses along with you and store them backstage later.” her tone was mono. She clearly didn’t care for fashion week attendees. “Go down the second hall on the left and follow the signs, even a broad right off the bus can’t miss it.” she pointed with her right hand.

Rarity bolted. Just as she left, Applejack cleared her throat, “Well, I do declare, my uncle, Citrus Orange, was right.” she spoke in her best belle drawl. “This is the most be-a-utiful hotel this side of Chantalot and those on the other side can’t hold a candle.”

The receptionist turned to see Applejack. She smiled as the paladin looked over the lobby. This was someone she could work with. “Why thank you, this week everyone only talks about the fashion show, they seem to have forgotten the venue.”

“Now that's just wrong.” Applejack declared in shock. “And not a single 'thank you' or 'how do you do' for the receptionist, where are people’s manners?” she asked rhetorically. “Please forgive my friend’s lack of tack, Ms. Janine Magewitz,” Applejack recalled from the name plaque after she spotted it before looking around. “She didn’t mean any harm, but Ah do suppose I’m the one to blame. I should have gotten an earlier train.”

“Well life happens, so what can I do for one of Citrus Orange’s nieces?” Janine asked.

“I’d like to check myself and my friends into the room that was booked by our contestant friend, Rarity Crumbles-Flank.” knowing how Rarity felt about her family name, “It may be booked in her given name.” The receptionist started to look over the reservations.

At that moment, Rarity pulled out the bag of the mobile rack with the seven dresses she made for the competition as she rushed on to the stage and stood in a line of the five other contestants. She huffed and had a sigh of relief, “I made it!” she declared.

“And with only seconds to spare.” came the voice of an older woman, one in her early fifties. She was of dark skin, with dull pink hair, it was not dyed, and less dull pink eyes. She wore a pink shirt that looked like one wore by ESM officers in high formal events, blue pants and a set of round purple gem earrings. Her cufflinks had her aura marks, a pair of golden scissors with a spool of pink thread. “Miss Rarity Crumbles-Flanks, I presume. Rarity nodded. Rarity knew better than to speak. “Miss Crumbles-Flanks, how is it that all of the other attendants are here at least half an hour early and yet you arrive seconds before we begin?” Rarity remained silent as she knew any answer would not be satisfactory for the host of the event. The host struted so that she could look at all contestants. “Once we’re done here, you're to finish setting up backstage, so you'll be ready for your run-through appointment.” she said to all of them. She then focused solely on Rarity. “You show your designs last.” she didn’t need to point, everyone there knew she was talking at Rarity. She then turned and started to walk up and down the line of contestants. “We keep to a precise schedule, so let's try to be more than a few seconds early, hmm?” she asked. This would have gotten a chuckle out of the other contestants, but now was not the time. “Tomorrow is the contest to see which one of you gets to stay to meet top designers all across the city. The rest of you must go home early. So sad.” she said and then started to leave, “Dismissed!” she declared.

Most of the contestants left, Rarity sighed as she started to the other side of the curtains. She heard a chuckle she thought she remembered. “I can’t believe Prim Hemline used your family name, Rarity.” Rarity turned to the source of the voice. It was a woman about her age. She had brown eyes and violet hair done up in a slight back bun with a white band just behind her ears. She wore a light blue striped bandana around her neck and was dressed in what looked like a dark purple-red plaid skirt and blazer, on the back of the blazer was a set of three buttons, one yellow one blue and one purple. “But I’m glad you made it, Rarity.”

Rarity then remembered her, “Suri Polomage!” Rarity then hugged her old acquaintance. “It’s been three years, the Magiville Knitters League hasn’t been the same since you moved.” she stated after they ended the hug. “But I am glad to see you here too.” Rarity then looked around the place, “So you move to Manahatten?” it wasn’t a real question.

Suri laughed, “Yep. You know what they say, if you can make it in the big city…” she trailed off, letting Rarity finish it or leave it unstated. Rarity elected to not continue it as she allowed Suri to continue on. “And now here we are, competing!” she then laughed after the declaration.

Rarity turned from Suri, “Well, good luck!” the enchantress said as she started to leave.

Suri fought back a chuckle, “Oh, I don't need luck.” she declared. “Would you like a hand with your things?” she offered as Rarity was boarderline behind schedule. Rarity nodded thankfully. In the dressing room for the models after Rarity took the covers off of the dresses she made about twenty minutes later, “My, your collection is gorgeous!” Suri acknowledges, barely able to stop herself from being agape.

Rarity smiled and closed her eyes, “Oh now, I'm sure your collection is equally lovely, if not more so!” she complimented, while it was a competition, there was no reason to be unladylike. All the while she was looking for a place to put the two bolts of the fabric, she brought with her in the case of emergencies. A lady should always be prepared.

Suri shook her head, “It's alright,” she confessed, “but nothing like this!” she was still enamored by Rarity’s line as she looked over every piece, soaking in every detail, “Take my culottes, for example –” she stopped as she tried to find the right things to say, “they are simply crying out for just the right accent, but I haven't the slightest notion where I—” she gasped as turned back to the dresses. “Actually…” she trailed off as she actually touched one of the dresses, feeling the fabric, “just a touch of this fabric could be perfect with it. W– Oh, hey, would you mind terribly if I took a swatch?” she asked with a somewhat guilty smile.

“Oh, not at all!” Rarity said as she turned to Suri and levitated to her one of the two bolts. “Here, I have loads extra.” Rarity admitted.

Suri was absolutely at a loss, she wanted something to add just a little extra flare, but this. “You're sure?” she asked, not believing that Rarity would ever give her so much.

Rarity smiled, “Positive!” she declared as she turned from Suri. “Oh, well, it's been wonderful getting caught up, and I don't wish to be rude, but I must finish my preparations and I am a bit late as it... is?” she trailed off as she noticed that Suri was no longer there.

Almost two hours later Rarity arrived back in the lobby, she rang the bell at the receptionist’s desk. “Hello!” she said to the receptionist. “I'm here half an hour early for my run-through appointment,” she informed the mostly still uninterested Janine. “Just the way Prim likes!” Rarity added.

“Tell your friend, Miss Apple that you’re not making it easy to pardon your previous lack of tack.” Janine. She then pointed to a line that had formed, “Get in line over there.” Janine’s eyes then drifted from Rarity to her dresses. “Oh my, that fabric's gorgeous, did you make that yourself?” she asked in awe.

Rarity shut her eyes and smiled at the compliment before she provided confirmation, “Oh, why, yes.” She started the short description she gave her friends while in the cab, “It's stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery—”

Rarity stopped as she heard in slight distance echo Suri’s voice say the same word, “Shimmery, but not showy.” Rarity forced her way through the line to see on stage Suri with a mobile rack with exact replicas of her own dress. Standing next to her was a woman slightly younger than Rarity, she had blue eyes with hair that was two shades of light blue with one being slightly gray dressed in a simple lavender dress with a white brimmed sailor’s collar, a scarlet tie and a three colored hair clip. Embroidered on her skirt was her aura mark, a wide brim feathered lady’s hat. “And the entire line is in the same adorable pattern.” Suri added her own words to the pitch. “It works on everything from skirts to tops to shoes and,...''She chuckled before trailing off.

Prim was in the stands at the end of runway where the VIP of the audience and judges would seat for the proper show. She stood up and applied. “Bravo, Miss Polomage! I've never seen anything like it!” she said and headed to the nearby exit; it was her ritual to come in with fresh eyes.

Once Prim had exited, “You stole my fabric!” Rarity accused Suri as she all but ran onto the stage.

Suri was at first affronted but quickly regained her cool with a laugh, “I didn't steal it, okay?” it wasn’t an actual question, but there was a point to it that Rarity couldn’t accept unless she was the one that had to come up with the answer, “You gave it to me, 'member?” Suri reminded her as she walked past Rarity before she nodded to the other woman to push the mobile rack.

Rarity turned and refused to be walked over, “I gave you the fabric for accents!” she pointed out what she understood to be the terms of the offer, “Not for your whole line!” she called out the abuse. Rarity then realized something, those new dresses had to have been made in the last hour and half, “And how could you possibly make all of those outfits out of it so fast?!” she requested to know.

“Fast?” Suri asked as if she was insulted, “Hah!” her laugh compounded her point. She then pointed to the third woman there, “Coco Pommel took practically forever!” She identified and charged her assistant. “Nearly got me completely disqualified.” Suri added not pleased with the time it took Coco to work.

Coco gulped, “Well, I wanted to make sure you'd win,” her voice was small and timid. She wasn’t shy, more like soft spoken, “so I took the extra time to—” she tried to explain everything to her boss.

“Coco, I pay you to sew and get coffee, not talk.” Suri silenced Coco. “'Kay?” it was not a question and Coco only nodded and rolled the rack away to the model’s dressing room for the show.

Rarity however didn’t seem to notice this maltreatment as she was still trying to come to terms with what happened. She gasped in an attempt to get air in her lungs to prevent a panic attack, “How could this happen?” she asked.

Suri walked up to Rarity and placed her left arm around Rarity’s shoulders, “Aw, sweetie, don't blame yourself.” the words while by their own would be comforting, the tone Suri used was to pour salt into the wound, “It takes some small-town girls a while to learn it's every girl for herself in the big city, m'kay?” she added in a clear mockery of providing advice. Rarity ran away in tears. Once she was gone, it was only Suri and Coco on the stage, “Hope you realize how fortunate you are to have me as a mentor.” Suri said without looking at Coco. Before Coco could voice her opinion, “Now get me some coffee!'' She ordered and Coco ran to fill the order.

After getting her key to the room, Rarity was on her bed, still in tears, her oil-based mascara was running. “What a great afternoon!” Pinkie all but shouted as she, Rainbow, Applejack and Fluttershy entered the room.

“Pace yourself Pinkie, there still so much to do!” Rainbow tried to reign in her excitable friend. The irony of that was not lost on Applejack or Fluttershy.

Applejack took out their itinerary, “First there's the salon appointment at four fifty-five to get our hair done and then there's our fancy dinner at the Far-AWay Tavern at six with my uncle and aunt Orange, Sunflower and Babs and then there the…” Applejack trailed off to a stop, while she was the last to enter the room as she was the first to notice Rarity was a mess. ‘Buck’ she whispered just before everyone else noticed.

Fluttershy walked to Rarity’s bed, “Um...is... everything okay?” she asked timidly.

Rarity managed to take a breath and told the story, “And then Suri stole them!” she was struggling to not cry as she was breathing quickly. “I let one of the other contestants use some of my one-of-a-kind fabric” she stopped speaking as she started to breathe quickly again. “And then she turned it into a wardrobe just like mine,” she was nearing the end but needed another breather, “only now it looks like I'm the one copying her! My generosity has ruined me, I tell you! Ruined!” she then bawled and returned to tears.

Applejack held out her left hand with the palm up and brought the fingers in a few times, indicating that the others were to pay up. Fluttershy and Pinkie swiftly placed several bit notes in the paladin’s hand. Rainbow dug into her pockets only to find one bit coin. Applejack’s bemused face looked squarely at Rainbow. “Can I issue an IOU?” Rainbow asked weekly.

“Sun up to sun down for three days during the upcoming harvest.” Applejack declared. Rainbow sighed and nodded agreement.

Applejack turned to the still bawling Rarity. Slapping her would silence Rarity long enough to hear her, but she wouldn’t listen. Applejack took a breath, “So how can we help?”

“How?!” Rarity was almost incredulous, “That line and fabric was going to put me on the map, I was going to be properly recognized as one of Mystica’s greatest designers. There is no how! A new line would have to be far better than the last! It would have to be even more daring than anything I have mustered before! It would have to be so bold that even throwing in the kitchen sink would be tame…” Rarity trailed off as she looked around the room soon her eyes widened as an idea came upon her. “I still have a chance, with your help.”

While Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow all seemed gung-ho about it, Applejack sighed and went to the phone in the room. She dialed a phone number, “Hello Sunflower, could yah call Uncle Citrus and Aunt …, my friends and Ah aren’t gonna make it to the Far-Away Tavern tonight.” She waited. “Rarity seemed to have been more than generous with some fabric of and another contested beat to the punch with a near identical line.” Applejack paused and listened. “Yep, that was a right-off-the-bus mistake, can you help me out>” She paused as she allowed Sunflower to answer, “You’re a lifesaver, cousin.” Applejack then hung up the phone and cracked her knuckles.

It was past eight at night as Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy were nearing completion of Rarity’s on the spot dresses. Rainbow stopped sewing the piece was working on as her stomach growled like a movie dinosaur, “I’ll say, we’re supposed to be having dessert right now.” the elementalist bemoaned.

Rarity sighed, “I am sorry, room service should be here soon. This is a service industry and if a patron presses matters too hard they will be placed on the back burner.” She tried to explain and apologize.

Rainbow cleared the table she was working on with both her arms as she roared, matching her stomach. “At this rate we’ll miss the showing for tonight!”

Applejack stopped and tried to get between Rainbow and Rarity. “Now, Sugarcube, let’s try to keep our heads on, the tickets are good for any showing and we’ll be here for the rest of the week.” She tried to defuse the situation.

Rainbow moved AJ aside, “I get that this is a big thing to you, but you’re the one that screwed up and gave that Slurry Whatsherface an either roll and let her examine your dresses!” the elementalist pointed out.

Rarity narrowed her eyes, “Oh! I see!” Her tone started to raise. “I go out of my way to get you tickets for a show, and this is how you repay me?” Her question was not one expected to be answered by Rainbow as Rarity gave the ‘correct’ answer, “By abandoning me in my hour of need?” granted it was in the form of a question. “Oh, oh, oh! Fine! Go and see your little show tonight!” She declared as she pointed to the door. “And then tomorrow morning when you come to see my fashion show without any fashion to show, you can have more entertainment! ‘Oh, why look, there's our friend Rarity going down in flames! Isn't friendship magic?!’”She almost shouted. Rarity started going into one of her dramatic sighs, but this one was full of frustration and exhaustion.

Rainbow sighed as she, with Applejack’s help, picked everything back up and restarted the dress. After half an hour, the final dress was almost finished. Applejack clipped on the last pick. “And it’s done.” Applejack declared.

Rarity gasped as she covered the dress and put it onto the mobile rack and began to run out of the room, “Finally!” she declared.

Pinkie leaned out of the room, “You're welcome!” she shouted in her own Twilight-voice.

Hours later, well into the fashion week contest (in fact outside the sun was rising), the last model, wearing the last of Suri’s counterfeits, walked off of the runway and headed to the dressing room. Prim walked onto the stage. “Let's have another round of applause for Suri Polomage's amazing collection.” she announced and the audience applauded and cheered. The judges, however, reframed from any expression, they had to be seen to be impartial. “That fabric! So original!” Prim praised, moved by the fabric.

From the currents, Rarity sighed in ire. As Prim was exposing the history of Rarity’s career, Rarity heard Suri chuckle as she walked up to her, with Coco following with a clipboard and notepad. “Well look who's here. Here to show off your copycat collection, mm? Heh.” Suri just walked past Rarity, as far as she knew, she had beaten Rarity, and all because of Rarity’s misplaced generosity. However, Rarity took a calming breath.

Prim finished telling of Rarity’s career to date, “And now, we debut her brand new line – and I mean ‘brand new’ – Hotel Chic.” Prim stepped off the runway as the first of Rarity’s seven new dresses, each of them seemed to be themed after parts of a hotel room. How Rarity made it all work, someone with little fashion sense could not articulate, but each dress was almost drop dead gorgeous. The audience cheered, some applauded and others spoke excitedly, all sounding in praise. Even the judges were moved.

Rarity was in awe at how her hotel chic line was a massive success among the audience. People cheering and cameras clicking all the while, “Oh! They're liking it! I think I may have just won this thing! Oh, I can't wait to celebrate with…” As she looked at the audience only to see the section reserved for her friends was vacant. “My friends. They didn't come. What have I done?”

Before Rarity could fully let the absence of her friends and the start to recover from it, Prim Hemline took her out to the stage. Rarity didn’t know it but she was the only fashion designer that Prim ever escorted to the stage as the last model presenting her competitive line “Rarity, they all adore you! Aren't you going to tell them about your fabulous pieces?”

Rarity looked to the area her friends were to be and saw the cord that was in front of the area. She saw it glitter a rainbow made of the colors orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink. Her eyes then flashed the same rainbow. She knew what she had to do. Shutting her eyes and leaping off the stage heading towards the back exit. “I have to go.”

Prim gasped as she called out to Rarity, “Come back at once!” The audience gasped as Prim stormed a short distance but stopped before stepping off the stage. “This is unheard of!” Prim shouted.

Rarity was not phased as she ran to the room. Her friends were not there. She then ran down to the receptionist desk, but the receptionist wasn’t there. She then dashed outside and looked around in a panic. She then heard the bell hop address her, “ How do you do, ma'am? Contest going well?” he asked politely.

Rarity turned to face the bellhop, “No time to talk. I have to find my friends!” she explained.

The bellhop seeing the tears that were forming in Rarity’s eyes, “Oh, uh, they're gone already. I saw them headed out.” he informed in a soft and clearly attempting to be comforting tone. Rarity gasped and then ran to the train station. She failed to hear that the bellhop was trying to say something just as thunder rumbled. At the same time clouds rolled in and soon it began to pour.

She arrived at the station hoping to catch the next train with Magiville as a stop, however she just missed it and the next one would be hours later. Rarity dipped her head and turned around and exited the station. She slowly walked back to the hotel, all the while the rain came down, and it didn’t hide her tears. She stopped suddenly, a ways from the hotel, “Oh, Manahattan, what have I done?” Rarity started to sing only to be silenced yet again by a certain member of Applejack’s kin.

“HEY BROAD!” Sunflower shouted as she pulled Rarity out of the rain and under an awning, just before the traffic started to flash by just before Rarity was splashed. “Geez, what is wrong with you hicks?” she asked before she took a cigarette out of a box and lit it. “I know Jackie would throw a fit if she found out,” she inhaled and then exhaled a stream of the smoke, “But the Oranges can be just as trying to deal with.” She then turned her focus to Rarity and offered her one from the box. Rarity declined. Sunflower put out her cigarette and flicked it into the street then to the door, “Well you managed to make it for breakfast.” she said as she opened the door, revealing that they were at a restaurant, which happened to be the Far Away Tavern. Rarity was dumbfounded for a solid second, “You comin?”

Rarity followed and saw at a fairly large table not only her four friends that came with her but also Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, a girl the same age as the CMC. She had green eyes, her hair was two shades of a bright red with a noticeable left side bang. She wore a green jacket with numerous pockets over a white shirt. Rarity concluded that she was Babs Seeds. Also at the table was a young woman about her age, she had white hair with purple streaks and dressed not too dissimilar from a librarian, and wore a pair of school girl glasses, on her lap was a dog with purple fur. “Twilight?” Rarity asked.

The woman gave a freighted ‘ah’, “How did you guess?” she asked, confirming Rarity’s suspension.

“Spike as a dog.” Rarity answered as she pointed to the dragon turned canine. Spike turned around in Twilight’s lap and gave her a bemused look as if to say that he knew this was a bad idea. Twilight only rolled her eyes in response. “Are you using a glamour?” Rarity asked Twilight, calling attention to her new form. Twilight nodded as she tapped her glasses. While Rarity wanted to press the matter, other things were more pressing, “What are you all doing here, I thought you,” Rarity’s focus was on Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie, “left for home after how I…” Rarity could not bring herself to finish.

Applejack placed her fork down, “Took advantage of our friendship and treated us pretty rottenly.” the paladin finished for her. Rarity nodded, “Sugarcube, last night wasn’t your best night.” the farmer started. “But we’ve known you for years, and one bad night ain’t worth ending our friendship over.” Applejack then pointed to the empty chair, “Now eat up.” she ordered.

Rarity smiled, as tears of joy started to form in her eyes. “Oh, thank you! You really are the most wonderful friends a girl could have!” Rarity declared as she hugged Applejack, then Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie. “I am dreadfully sorry you missed the show you wanted to catch last night.” Then hummed for a second as she noticed the three younger sisters of her group, Twilight, Spike, Sunflower and Babs. “I know just the way to atone. But first I need to swing back to the hotel, I need to talk with Prim Hemline.”

“Nope.” Applejack said before she pointed to the food, “We all eat.” Rarity didn’t challenge as she picked up one of her forks and started her breakfast.

After they had finished their breakfast they headed back to the hotel. While Sunflower and Babs were about to leave, Rarity insisted that they come (a 2 gram ruby helped with her pitch). There Rarity rang the bell at the reception desk, this time the receptionist was there. Standing nearby were her friends. “I need a moment with Prim Hemline.” Rarity said to the receptionist. The receptionist turned to Rarity, “I have to rush back to Magiville, but I just wanted to thank her first for—” she started but was cut off by a familiar voice.

“Uh-uh-uh, you'd best steer clear of Prim for a while.” Rarity and her friends turned to see Suri Polomage with her assistant Coco next to her. “She's pretty furious.” Suri informed Rarity. “Isn't that right?” she turned to Coco as if to confirm. Coco nodded in agreement. Suri then turned back to Rarity. “Also, she doesn’t grant audiences to losers.” she added.

“I lost?” Rarity asked, shocked by the news at first but then felt nothing. It was as if it didn’t matter. She smiled and tossed her hair, “Doesn’t matter.” She turned around to face her friends, with her focus mostly one AJ, RD, Fluttershy and Pinkie, “I'm just happy you're all still here after how I treated you. Now let’s catch the show!” Rarity declared and the group left, with them cheering. Sunflower and Babs only shrugged as they followed.

After they left, Suri smiled as she turned to Coco, “And that is how it's done.” she declared before she had a small laugh. “Pretty clever how I convinced her to stay away from Prim, wasn't it?” she asked. Coco nodded. “Wouldn't have wanted her to find out the truth now, would we?” She asked and left. Coco looked in the direction that Suri walked and then turned to look where Rarity and her friends headed.

A few hours later, as they exited the show house with them heading back to the hotel, “THAT WAS AWESOME!!!” shouted Rainbow as she leapt into the air. Everyone nodded in agreement, there was no need to be as vocal. Sunflower and Babs had the biggest smiles, they clearly wanted to catch the play longer than any of the rest.

Applejack turned to Rarity, “As Sunflower would say, ‘How a broad like you score those tickets?’” she said, sounding like her cousin.

Rarity gave a sad sigh, “Remember my costume designer friend who got me the tickets?” she asked the paladin. Applejack nodded. “Well, I offered to make all the costumes for his next show.” she informed her friend. Applejack raised an eyebrow, “Yes I would be staying here in Manahattan until they costumes are done.” Applejack gave a small but sad nod. “It is still a great opportunity for my work.” Applejack only gave an understanding smile.

Just then, “WAIT!” they all heard shouted as Coco ran up to them, mostly to Rarity. After she caught up she had to collect her breath. Once she was able to breathe, “Mind if I join you?” she asked.

Rarity nodded, “Certainly Miss Pommel…” she trial off as Coco reached into a large purse she had and handed to Rarity a trophy, “This year’s Manahattan Fashion Week first place trophy?” she asked as she accepted it. She then gasped as she read the name of the victor. She then looked at Coco in confusion.

Coco nodded, “Yes, you won.” Coco confirmed. She took a breath, “Suri was hoping that if you didn't claim your prize, the judges would consider it a forfeit and first place would go to her.” Coco started to explain. This action on Suri’s part was not shocking or surprising for Rarity at that moment. “So she lied to make you go away, and, well, I lied too.” she confessed her part, tears of remorse in her eyes. “I've worked for Suri for so long, I started to believe that it really is every girl for herself in this town.”

Sunflower snorted in derision, “You believe this bimbo?” she asked Babs as she pointed to Coco with her left thumb. Babs snorted too and shock her head. “Look Mocha,” Sunflower started as she turned to focus on Coco.

“Coco.” Coco and Rarity corrected, Coco was more sheepish while Rarity was firm.

“Whatever,” Sunflower continued unconcerned. “It’s the girls that think its every one for herself that don’t last here.”

Coco sighed and continued, “Until I saw how generous you were with your friends and saw the results of how generous they were with you.” Coco paused as she took a breath and prepared to continue. “It made me start believing there was something better for me out there. So, I– I quit.” She told the last part of her story. She then looked squarely into Rarity’s eyes, “And I want to thank you for giving me the courage to do so, even though you weren’t aware.” Coco then reached into her bag and pulled out a small wrapped box, “I brought you something to say thank you.”

Rarity accepted the gift she wanted to hug Coco, but she knew Coco needed something more. Rarity gave a ‘Hm.’ as she thought. Then a light bulb went on above her head. “I suppose you'll need a job now that you're no longer with Suri.” Coco nodded in agreement. Rarity then expressed her idea, “How would you like to work for my friend making all the costumes for his next show?” she asked. Coco smiled and nodded in silence.

Back at their room, as everyone else were drifting into sleep later that night, Rarity opened the bag she borrowed from Twilight and took out the group journal, having been entrusted to her for the week. She opened it and turned to the next blank page. She took out a pen and started to write about the last couple of days. As she neared the end she gave her reflections on the events, ‘Manahattan was simply grand. It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that, while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never, ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends.’ their due as she jotted them down. Once she opened the box Coco gave her. It was a spool of thread that was the seven colors of the rainbow. She squinted at it in confusion for a second but smiled as she put it back into the box before returning it and the group journal to her bag. As she did that she failed to notice the spool flash a rainbow of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink.

Leap of Faith

Author's Note

A few key changes from the show episode, will explain if asked in the comments.

Oh as for the opening scene, they are all in at least neck deep water and they are all skinny-dipping.

Now on to, Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith

Applejack and Apple Bloom were splashing the water near the surface of the pond on the grounds of Sweet Apple Temple (a slight misnomer as it was water that filled a long inactive quarry). They were not alone with another young woman slightly younger than Applejack. She had brown eyes, light orange hair, her skin was slightly darker orange with a set of small curved horns coming from the side of her head. The woman then splashed Apple Bloom causing the young farmer to almost gag. After she resurfaced, Apple Bloom coughed, “Not cool, Strongheart.” she complained.

Applejack swam to Apple Bloom and patted her on the head, “Don’t be too sour, Sugarcube, she’s family after all.” the older farmer.

Before Apple Bloom protested, “EEEYYYUUUPPP!!!” was called shortly before the Apple Sister’s big brother cannon balled into the pond. The three ducked into the water to let the wave pass over them. After a second or so they re-surfaced as Big Mac swam to be a meter away and threaded water like the three girls.

“Nice one, Big Mac.” Apple Bloom complemented before she looked around. “Say where’s Braeburn?” she asked as she failed to spot her cousin on the shore. Big Mac pointed to one of the cliffs along the side of the pond about 30 meters up. Everyone looked up to see a man somewhere between Applejack’s and Big Mac’s ages. He had light brown hair with light amber highlights and green eyes, not an uncommon trait among the Apples.

Strongheart looked from the height of the cliff to the surface of the water and made some swift mental calculations. She didn’t like the results indicated by her eyes widening before she shouted in a slight panic, “Brae, hon, what are you trying to do?” It wasn’t really a question.

“If Granny can be an award winning high diver, one of her grandchild should win gold in the high dive.” Braeburn called back.

Apple Bloom, Applejack and Big Mac looked at each other then to Strongheart, “He can’t be that…” Apple Bloom started but was stopped short as they all heard, “GERONIMO!!!” shouted by the cowboy cleric of the Applesoolian branch of the Apple Family Tree.

“Eyup.” Big Mac answered as he covered Apple Bloom’s eyes, just as Applejack shut her eyes and Strongheart covered her face and turned away. All unable to watch as Braeburn’s shout turned into a scream until they heard the distinct thud of a hard belly flop from over ten meters.

Applejack was the first to open her eyes before she swam to help her cousin. “Looks like the swim is over.”

About two and a half hours later, as the Trunk of the Apple Family and their visiting kin were walking back to Sweet Apple Temple from Magiville General Hospital, “What in the sam hill got into yah, Boy?” Granny scolded the massively bruised Braeburn. Granny and the rest of her immediate family were in their usual garps, while Braeburn wore a leather steton of darker brown than AJ’s, with a similar leather vest with the typical white rodes of a cleric. Strongheart was now wearing what looked like a white headband with a feather and what looked like a one piece yellow gown like attire that covered her whole body from afar but was of several colors and patterns, all renderings of life along the plains. However, even with her attire, Strongheart’s bison-like tail and feet could be discerned. She was of the Tatanka. That was not the only thing that was not hidden.

Braeburn tried to laugh, but could only groan, “I thought I practiced my high divin’.” he replied.

Granny sighed, “High divin’ is incredibly dangerous.” the sage pointed out, “It is the riskiest, scariest, darn-fool thing I ever did do!” she added almost shouting. Her tone softened and saddened, “Done almost killed myself at least five time, almost sent my husband, your Grandpappy, Barrel Mac into an early grave a dozen more times, with all the worrin Ah put the poor man through.” After a moment of silence from the matriarch of the Apple Clan, she then pointed her staff to Strongheart’s slightly swollen belly. “And you got your own youngen to think about.” Braeburn was about to protest, but thought better of it after he opened his mouth and shut it. Granny then continued along the road home, “Now let’s get you back to the farm and start that special bath Dr. Redheart recommended. At least she gave them fancy salts for only two bits.” The last part was a slightly unjustified complaint, but none of the younger Apples, by blood or by law, felt any compulsion to comment.

Big Mac and Strongheart headed on ahead with Granny Smith, as Applejack pulled Braeburn aside with Apple Bloom electing to be with her sister. “Cus, yall know Granny’s discouragement was because she cares about you?” she asked.

Braeburn nodded, “Ah know, AJ,” he sighed before he looked up into the sky, “but Ah want my kid to be proud of me, not just because Strongheart and I were the first Tiefling-Earthborn couple.”

“You know they prefer their tribe name of Tatanka?” Apple Bloom asked before she was given a whack on the back of her head from AJ. “Ow.”

“Yah missin’ the point, Sugarcube.” Applejack pointed out. She then turned her focus back to Braeburn, “And yah thought that if you could earn the gold in men’s high diving in the Mystican Games your child would be proud of you?” Applejack elected to get to the heart of the matter. Braeburn nodded. The Apple Sisters were not sure what to say or do. Braeburn was going to be a father soon, and while being part of the first married couple between the tieflings of the Tatanka and the Earthborn of Appaloosa was a big deal, it was something more focused on bring two peoples that almost went to war together in a mutually beneficial bound that made both better. As the two tried to figure out what they could say to Braeburn they soon noticed that a loosely pack crowd of people were walking past them. Each person in various states of need for medical attention. “What the?” Applejack asked, “Where are they going, the hospital is that way!” she said as she pointed in the direction the Apples came from. “And Zeroca’s hut that way.” She said as she pointed in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Just then the three then started to hear something like fairground music, yet fairly far off. Apple Bloom and Braeburn both silently agreed to follow the crowd. “And where are yah two headin’?” Applejack asked them.

“Gonna see what this commotion is all about, Cousin.” Braeburn answered as he and Apple Bloom left Applejack.

Applejack sighed as she looked at a shadow of a nearby tree. “Well, Dr. Redheart said that he doesn’t need that bath for a couple hours.”

After about fifteen minutes they arrived in one of the open areas near Magiville, there was a large red and white circus style tent from which the music was coming and into which everyone was going. Applejack elected to fail back and watch, from the rear. Inside the tent was a decent size stage. On the stage was a steam powered wheeled contraption that seemed to be some sort of mobile presentation wheel. “Thank you, one and all, for your attendance, and we guarantee that your time here will not be spent in vain!” came a familiar voice of a man, Applejack knew it as once as Flim. This was followed by the voice of another man, and Applejack knew it was Flam as the two stepped onto the stage, “In fact, we think it will prove to be the most valuable time you've ever spent!” Applejack scowled at the two knowing that there was something a miss, but she couldn’t tell what or how. Flim took over the Brothers’ pitch, “Welcome, one and all, to the demonstration of a lifetime!” Then Flam took over, “A demonstration of a better life!” Then he passed it off to Flim, “A demonstration of a better time! And if we haven't captured your interest just yet, by the time we've finished, an unfortunate phenomenon practically guarantees that we will!” Flam took over the pitch by asking his brother to explain a particular word used, as if several in the crowd also didn’t know the word,“A phenomenon? What's that?” Flim smiled as he gave a reduced dictionary definition of the word, “It's a circumstance perceptible by the senses,” and then proceed to give an example, “but in this case, it's the simple fact that: There's ailments all around us in everything we touch and see.” he point out as he tapped the machine and it began to cycle through many images of a common afflictions.
Flam began to sing, this was clearly not the first time the two presented this. “A sickness that lies waiting there in every breath you breathe.”
“Disease will up and grab you as it crawls from land and sea.” Flim took the next line of the song.
“It's amazing how infected that the natural world and all its things can be,” Flam sang, as the two have gone from one to the other.
Flim stopped singing, but the music continued to play, “Now I understand that some of you don't think you're sick.” Flam then took over, “But twisted wrists and ankles and aching joints don't heal all that quick.” Flim then took the next line, “Consider just how dangerous this world is! You might…” he then trailed off as Flam sang the next part of the pitch, “Slip and fall, break or sprain something here tonight.”
Then Flim joined his brother as they both sang the rest of this pitch, “But luckily for you, we've got the thing you need
And it's easier when all you need's the cure
The Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic
Is just what the doctor ordered, I'm sure.” As they sang ‘Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic’ the presentation wheel showed an enlarged image of the bottled drink with their faces on the labels and the basic claim, along with its name.
The two once again stopped singing and Flim spoke, “Now I know our claims seem fantastical.” Flam then jumped in with “Impractical.” Flim then took over again with “Improbable.” which and the pitch then again passed to the brother as Flam said, “Impossible.” and the two said together, “And magical!” There as a second or two allowed for the brothers to look over the room again and while many seemed interested, this was still not an easy pitch. “So we welcome every suffering person to make their way up to the stage.” Flim said as he waved his hand and his focus gem glowed as the every front of the stage transmuted into a ramp with railing such that anyone could go up it. “Now don't crowd.” Flam requested the audience, “There is no need to for further injuries.” Flim cleared his throat as he saw that still the audience was nearing the point of purchasing the tonic, but not yet there. “And we'll prove our tonic's effectiveness before your very eyes.” he said as he and Flam levatiated a crate of the tonic and took one of the bottles out. “First one is on the house.” He announced. Flam looked around and then pointed to a person in the audience, “You there!” Flam called to the man he selected. The man in blue overalls standing in the back not far from Applejack. He had a set of ergonomic crutches with the upper part going around the upper arm as opposed to under the armpit. He also had dark silver hair and wore a set of large black frame glasses.

Applejack couldn’t tell his age, but she swinted at this, ‘why this guy all the way back hear?’ she thought. ‘There are plenty of people in worse cases much closer.’ she continued to muse to herself.

“Come up here, good sir.” Flam requested and the man approached. As he got up to the ramp, Flim took off the cap of the tonic he showed, “I'll wager you're tired of those crutches, my friend.” he reasoned. The man sighed and nodded. Flim then handed the man the tonic as Flam used his own body to support the man. “Try taking a sip of this!” Flam declared and the man drank the whole bottle. The man then pulled from Flam and was able to support himself without the crutch he held onto with his right hand. He then let go of the one he held with his left and was able to stand. He then lifted one of his legs and the crowd gasped as he was able to support himself on one leg.
After he put his foot down, “That's why you're so lucky we've got the thing for you
Just come on up, we've always got some more
Of the Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic.” The brothers sang as they walked with the man across the stage a few times, neither touching him, as if to sell an act.

The man scuffed at his crutches and started to dance out of the tent without them and threw the open ‘door’ of the tent as he sang, “I won't need these crutches to dance out the door.” and left the tent. Applejack raised an eyebrow at that, it sounded too in sync with the music for it to have naturally come from the man. It sounded rehearsed to Applejack’s ears.

Flim then took over the song, renewing the pitch. “Now some of you may suffer from feelings of despair
You're old, you're tired, your legs won't work, there's graying in your hair.” he said as he pointed to some of the older members of the crowd.
“Just listen and I'll tell you that you don't need to fear
Your ears will work, your muscles tone, your eyes will see so clear.” Flam took over the last part of the song just as the crowd started to chant, “Tonic... tonic... tonic…” the crowd chanted, almost everyone having been swept up in the presentation. Applejack could even hear Apple Bloom’s and Braeburn’s voices in the chant.

It was clear the brothers were closing in on the sell. But there was a little more they had to do. Flim started up the next part of the pitch, “It cures the runs, the spurs, and hair blight. Flam then added, “diarrhea and dysentery cured in just a night.” he claimed. Flim once again took over the pitch, “You've got swollen feet and rear or terrible orofacialcleft.” he listed off more afflections. The last one was not among those present, but still was in the pitch. Flam once again took over from his brother, “Saunter sitz and gallop plop will give your head some heft.” he pointed out , this time acknowledging a couple of the aflections among those there. “Hair loss, hay fever, or terrible tonsillitis.” Flim added to the list. Flam took over the pitch again as it seemed that they were nearing the end, “You heard it here, folks -- this is the only place in all of Mystica you'll find it!”
Flim once again began to sing with the music as they were about to end the pitch, “It can make you shorter, taller, or even grow old.”
Flam took over and questioned in song, “But who'd want that?”
Flim once again took over and sang “When with one drink”
Flim was then joined by Flam and the two seemed to arrive at the very end of both the song they have song somewhat piece mealy and the pitch for the tonic, “You can even be young again–”

“SOLD!” Shouted Braeburn as he leaped on to the stage cutting the song short.

Flam was shocked, the pitch as it was more geared to the more seniored in the audience who would appreciate some youth. However, Flim was not phased and took Braeburn’s hand and shook it, “Congratulations!” he declared, “You just made the purchase of a lifetime!” Applejack could only groan.

The next morning, along the shore of the river that cut through one of the farther corners of the Sweet Apple Temple farming ground, Apple Bloom, Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Mac and Strongheart were fishing with no hook or bait, just casting a line with a weight and burble. “Boy, I just can't believe all the things that Flim Flam Tonic can do!” the youngest Apple declared as she read the back of one of the bottles of tonic that Breaburn the afternoon before.

Applejack reeled her line in, “There’s an old sayin’ ‘When somethin’ sounds too good to be true, it usually is,’” The paladin pointed out.

Apple Bloom was not sure what to make of that. She “You mean Breaburn wasted his money?”

Applejack prepared to cast her line again, “Well, I don't know about that, but I don't think there's a tonic in Mystica that can even make the old young again like those two adversities. Too bad Twilight’s off tryin’ to keep A.K. Yearlin’ from filin’ a restrianin’ order on Rainbow just because the next damn Daring Do book was delayed.”

Apple Bloom was about to protest and defend the series, but that was a battle she was never gonna win, beside there was more immediate matters. “Okay, so why don’t we ask Zecora?” Apple Bloom elected to ask as she prepared another cast and sent her line flying. “She likely forgot more about potion in an hour than Twilight has learned in a year.”

“Ain’t in the mood to translate her rhymes today.” Big Mac commented, with his response being atypically worded and he reeled his line in. This got a nod of agreement from Applejack and Granny Smith. Apple Bloom had to grant that Zecora would be much clearer if she didn’t speak in rhymes.

“Besides, Ah thought she was spendin’ this week on the other side of the Everfree getting thin’s some ingredients that only grow there.” Granny pointed out. She elected to not touch her line and just let it bub.

Strongheart was not as visually calm as her in-laws, or so they rightfully assumed as she chucked her rod instead of casting and almost growled, “I should have been there!” as the rod plummeted and splashed into the river. “I could have stopped him from wasting that money that snake oil.”

Applejack patted Strongheart on the shoulder, “Braeburn’s a grown man, and while any married man should take his wife’s opinion into account, he’s decisions are his own.” Strongheart could only sigh in frustration. Applejack was right, she had to allow Braeburn to make his own choices. But it still stung that he spent any money on what had to be a bogus thing.

“Oh don’t be like that, Hon. They’re Enterprise Skim’s boys. They’re kin.” came the voice of Braeburn from the other side of the river. They all looked and saw Braeburn, wearing a set of swimming trunks, his massive bruise from yesterday was completely gone. They were all slightly agape, Dr. Redheart said it would take about two days, but there Braeburn was almost as good as new.

“BRAEBURN!!!” Strongheart shouted, more out of fear of what he might do than over anger at what he did. “Dr. Redheart said to take it easy for three days!” she called out.

Granny was the next to speak, “Besides, Enterprise Skim was a quack. Alway tryin’ to make some new fangled contraption to do a job in ten hours that an honest worker could do in three. Plum fool, got so wrapped up in those dime store novels of future tech, never could get him to work an honest day.”

“Didn’t he die when a branch fell on him fifteen years ago or there about?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac answered.

Applejack cleared her throat, “Not the time for this family history lesson.” she pointed out. “Braeburn, you better not be thinkin’ on div…” Applejack never finished as Braeburn took a diver’s stance and sprung into the air before he turned midair to complete the dive. Unlike the day before, he managed to not belly flop and dove into the water. Everyone gasped as Applejack and Big Mac stripped so that they would get the least of their clothes wet to go in after him. However Braeburn surfaced and started back stroking upstream as if he was done floating downstream and wanted a bit of a challenge going back up.

Applejack and Big Mac redressed themselves as they all headed for the shore and were greeted by Braeburn as he was drinking another of the tonics. It had to be at least the third he drank since he purchased a full crate last night. “How…” he started before he was silenced by Strongheart slapping him across the face with the back of her right hand.

“You almost gave me a heart attack, you idiot!” She tried her best to keep herself together.

As Braeburn rubbed his check, “Ah sorry, hon.” he was able to say. There was no reason to doubt his sincerity. “Ah go so caught up with this sprin’ in my step after Ah took this tonic and when I woke up to see my bruising was gone.” He stopped himself, “Ah got carried away and Ah was wrong to not talk with you first. I am sorry.” he repeated.

Strongheart took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Talk with me next time before you do anything that requires you to start above 5 meters for the next four days.” she stated her condition. It was understood that she had forgiven him.

Applejack was the next to speak, “While we’re all glad to see yah ready to get back inta the water and that yah’re feelin’ well. Ah ain’t so sure that tonic really does anythin'. Are yah’re sure it’s not that the treatment Dr. Redheart prescribed worked faster than she stated?” Applejack question.

Braeburn shrugged, “Well Ah could go back to the quarry and do another 30 meter belly flop and just really on Dr. Redheart’s treatment.” the actual cowboy there pointed out. He didn’t need to shift his eyes from Applejack to Strongheart to know the later was about to throw a rightful fit, “But Ah’m on thin ice as it is with meh wife and angerin’ a spouse is not, how would yah say, condosive for one’s health.” There was no further protest on Applejack’s part. She has no qualms with Strongheart and frankly didn’t want any at this point. She nodded, accepting Braeburn’s point. Braeburn then turned to his wife, “Say hon, I left my clothes back upstream, mid if I go and swim to get them?” he asked Strongheart. Strongheart thought for a second and then nodded. Braeburn smiled before he turned to Big Mac and Applejack, “Say, Cuz, wanna race?”

Applejack and Big Mac looked to each other and then the larger cleric spoke for the two of them with one of his two his renowned one-word answers, “Nope.” as he and Applejack shock their heads.

Braeburn shrugged his shoulders with his eyes shut, “Shoot you self, Cuz,” Braeburn then dove back into the river and swam upstream.

As Granny, Strongheart and Big Mac all started back upstream and home, Apple Bloom and Applejack had both seemed to stay behind. “Gee, it looks like that tonic works after all!” the younger farmgirl declared. She then rubbed her chin, “I wonder what's in it.” she mused.

Applejack could tell that Apple Bloom wanted to know how it worked. However Applejack was also curious, but she couldn’t help but feel that the tonic was not as advertised. “Ah think maybe it's time we found out.'' She agreed and the two spoke softly as if to plan something they wanted no one else to know.

That night, Applejack and Apple Bloom followed the path to the tent were the FlimFlam Brothers sold their tonic. It was just outside the limits of Magiville. As they approached, they couldn’t help but hear the jiggle of the ‘FlimFlam Miracle Curative Tonic’ faint as it was. Apple Bloom was the first to speak, as they had not spoken since they left the farm house, “So you're just gonna walk up and ask them how it works?” she asked.

Applejack took a slight second to look up to the starry sky, “Ah’m gonna start there,” she said, “Though if it's a genuine cure, Ah don't suppose they'll be too keen on sharin' the recipe.”

Just as Applejack said that, the two were a couple meters from the tent’s entrance as the man from the pitch that Applejack, Apple Bloom and Braeburn saw came out singing, “–out the door!”

The two Apples stopped in confusion, “Wait a second!” Apple Bloom was the first of the two to speak as the two recognized the man, and noticed his blue eyes. “That's that same man from before!” she pointed out.

The man looked to the Apples and then away and bolted. “Hey!” called out as she and Apple Bloom followed the man around the tent into the ‘backstage’ area. Soon they had him cornered in what seemed to be an open air dressing room. “Now hold it right there, Mister...?” the paladin trailed off as she had never got this man’s name.

The man gulped, “Shill.” he said weakly, “Silver Shill.” he gave his full name. It was then that the two farmers noticed his aura mark, two silver coins. “What do you two want?” he asked as he was looking around like a trapped animal, but not yet scared enough to lash out.

Applejack started closing the distance “Our cousin took some tonic and we want to know how it works.” She elected to not mix words and get to the heart of the matter.

Apple Bloom then started with the story, “Braeburn had this really bad bruise and was told to do little for the next couple days, and after he took it, he’s back to normal. Not unlike you couldn't walk and now you can.'' She made the comparison. “But what are you doin' back here?” she asked, confused. Applejack’s eyes widened and then narrowed as her sister spoke, the paladin’s suspecitions starting to be shown to be well founded. Silver’s gulp confirmed it.

“It’s because he's part of the act!” Applejack stated bluntly. Her left hand started to drift to her sword’s hilt, “It's time for you to tell the truth! You never needed crutches at all, did ya?” she asked getting ready to draw it. She was going to have the truth one way or another, and it is neither chaotic or evil to make it clear what would happen if one found out they were lied to. Silver panicked and saw a decommissioned version of the machine that Flim and Flam used in their pitch. He kicked it and it jetted out steam, forcing Applejack and Apple Bloom to take a few steps back. This enabled Silver to slip by them to the part of the track that forked into the place the two cornered Silver and another route.“Hey!” Applejack shouted. Once the steam died, Applejack and Apple Bloom doubled back and split to better find Silver. Applejack managed to find the right route as she saw him run pass that night’s crowd and into the tent. If the crowd noticed him, they didn’t care.

Applejack then followed Silver in, only to be greeted by Flim and Flam. Flim was the first to speak, “Well, if it isn't our most favorite Apple!” he said as he offered his right hand. When Applejack didn’t accept it. Flam spoke, “What brings you back to our humble abode?” he asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

Applejack then saw Silver trying to hide behind Flim. She glared at him before she turned to the brothers. “You two charlatans sold my cousin a bottle of tonic, and now he's off actin' like a bachelor without a care.”

The two brother’s looked at each other and smiled, Flim asked, “What's so bad about that?” addressing that Braeburn still having a spring in his step as a good thing.

Applejack glared up at Flim, “First off he’s married with his first child on the way, done near gave his wife a heart attack, which could have resulting in a misscharge.” Applejack started. “His bachelor days have been over for months and he needs to focus on being a father.” She then raised her right hand and held out two fingers, “Second, Ah know for a fact that yahr crony here.” she lowered he hand and pointed her finger at Silver, “is dressin' up as a different person every night so he can pretend to be cured!”

Flim nodded to the left and Silver left the three. Flam then spoke, “Well, well, well, that's quite an accusation.” It wasn’t a denial, but it was far from a confession. Flim then took over as Flam took backstage their earning, “But let's say that it's true…” he trialed of as he lead Applejack to the back following Flam. “Hypothetically…” Flam added as he pulled out an used crate and trailed for Flim to take over. Flim then added, “Theoretically…” and yet again trailed off for Flam to take over, “As I understand, our mutual cousin Braeburn wants to earn the gold in the Mystican Game Men’s High Dive.” he pointed out. Flim then took over for dramatic effect as he levitated as juicer as Flam made turn the crate upside down to be used as a table. “To be the star of the show, if for only event.” Flim said as he placed the juicer down and Flam levitated a sack. “But had a bad belly flop yesterday afternoon and narrowly avoided breaking a few ribs, and wouldn’t able to get enough training in.” he said as he emptied the sack showing it to be nothing but apples and beet leaves. Applejack nodded. She wasn’t about to say a word to confirm what they said, but she knew she couldn’t deny it. She also more focused on what they two put on their makeshift table. Flim then took over, “Well, then even if our tonic were nothing more than a mixture of apple juice and beet leaves…” he trailed off as he leaviated a couple of apples and a few beet leaves into the juicer. As Flim pressed, “Hypothetically…” Flam added, and elected to trail off for Flim to continue. Flim did so as he readied an empty bottle of the tonic for it to receive the blend, “Theoretically…” Flam then took over as the tonic was juiced into the bottle, “The fact is that your cousin, Braeburn, is happier now than before he tried it.” he pointed out. Applejack again elected to hold her tongue, but she had to grant the two at least one small nod. As Flam capped the bottle, Flim continued. “So, the question is…” he trailed off and then Flam finished as he handed Applejack the tonic and asked “Do you really want to be the person who takes all that happiness away?”

Applejack was about to counter, but somewhere deep down she agreed with the two. This left her tongue tied. Just then Apple Bloom arrived, “Ah’m sorry, Ah couldn’t find that Silver fella.” the younger farmer said, she didn’t see what Applejack was holding at first. But after she got closer, “Did yah find out what's in the tonic?” she asked.

Applejack looked at the bottle in her hand and then to the FlimFlam Brothers and repeated it a couple of times. She then shut her eyes and handed it back to Flam. She turn and spoke, “Honestly, Apple Bloom…” she trailed off as she tried to find the words, “as long as it works, I…” again she hesitated unsure of the ground she was treading on. “don't suppose it really matters.” she finished.

Apple Bloom dipped her head with an ‘oh’, she really wanted to know the recipe, if for nothing else then to study it. But she smiled and raised her head, “Well, if it doesn't matter to you, then it doesn't matter to me either, sis.” she declared before the two started out of the tent.

As the two passed the ‘threshold’, Flim called out to them, “That's the spirit!” Then Flam called out, “Come back anytime!” and the two returned to their collected funds, just as Silver joined them. It was time to count.

The next morning, at one of the other watering holes on the grounds of Sweet Apple Temple, Big Mac, Strongheart, Granny Smith were cooling themselves in the water. Applejack was on the shore. It was her turn to keep an eye on Braeburn as he continued to practice his drive, increasing the height five decimeters at a time since yesterday. At his rate he was practicing, he could easily do a 25 meters dive that afternoon. Applejack wanted to feel happy for Braeburn, but she could only feel sick to her own stomach. After another successful dive and surface. “That was great Braeburn!” Apple Bloom all but shouted, cheering her cousin on.

“Ah’d give it a solid 8.” Granny scored, “Don’t be in such a rush to get to a higher start, yah all get sloppier than Barrel Mac’s old biscuits and gravy.” She declared. She then hummed to herself and smiled, “They were still the best dorn biscuits and gravy Ah ever did have.” she pointed out. “Good thing he left the recipe.”

Braeburn swam up to his family, he nodded, electing to not argue the point. “You’re right, Granny,” he agreed. “Also can’t over do it, Am still taking part in the Magiville Swim Meet with Apple Bloom.” Braeburn then caught himself, “That is my wife is okay with me doing it.”

Strongheart thought for a few seconds, “I don’t know, you’ve been drinking alot of that tonic, sure it looks like it has been helping you with your recovery....” She trailed off unsure about how to feel or what to say. “Especially since Dr. Redheart said you should take it easy.”

No one seemed to know what to say. Strongheart had a point. Applejack, being farther from the rest of the family, was able to see that both Apple Bloom and Braeburn were somewhat crushed by this. Heck the swim meet was one of the reasons why Braeburn was here, it was the perfect chance to show to the Magiville team that he could, despite technically being from Applelossa, bring home the gold in the Men’s High Dive. Also the couple needed some time away from their neighbors every once in a while. Applejack took a breath and then spoke, “Well, Ah don’t know Strongheart,” Applejack started. “Dr. Redheart said that sometimes recoveries can be faster than she expected. And for much of Mystican history, most medicine and treatments were tonics and potions like what Flim and Flam sold.” Applejack started. She then stopped with the ‘history’ and ‘medical’ lesson. “Besides, a swim meet sounds pretty safe. And after all, if that tonic helped him with his dives in a river and a swimmin' hole, a pool should be no problem at all.” she added. This wasn’t a lie, but to call it the truth would be a stretch.

Strongheart thought on those words. After a few seconds she turned to Braeburn, “If you drown, I am not going in after you, and if you do need CPR, I am singing ‘And another one bits the dust'.’.” she stated her conditions. “Just to keep the tempo.” she added with a wink. Everyone could only give a weak nervous laugh. But it was the closest thing to a straight up yes Strongheart was going to give at this point.

“I’m gonna have to get some more of that tonic.” Braeburn said as he rubbed the back of his head.

It took a couple hours for the Apple family to arrive at the tent were Flim and Flam were selling their tonic, this time they were not having another ‘show’ instead it was just a stand at the entrance. Flam started the pitch, “Welcome, friends, and step right up! The next show starts in five minutes!” he said, while true, Flim gave a weak smile, because if these shows happened too often some one, other than Applejack, was going to put it all together and since Applejack had not given them a single bit, well those that have lost money are not known for their ready forgiveness. “But why not buy your tonic now and avoid the rush?” he asked as he levitated one of the bottles.

Braeburn, took the lead and placed another bag of bits on the stand, after side stepping the line, “Ah'll take another whole case!” he said. One of those in line, a young woman with some badges around her head and in a wheelchair, “Are you saying this stuff actually works?” she asked.

Applejack wanted to say ‘no’, but she couldn’t say it, Braeburn had recovered faster than what Dr. Redheart said he would after he started drinking the tonic, “It seems to work for him.” Applejack ultimately equivocated as she placed her left hand on Braeburn’s shoulder indicating the him she was referring to.

Flim then leapt upon the table, “You heard it here first, folks!” he declared as he held up a bottle of his tonic, “The Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic is Apple Family-tested and Applejack-approved!” he said as he gestured to Braeburn when he said the tonic was Apple Family-tested and then to Applejack when he said Applejack-Approved. The woman that asked if if worked reached into a pocket and took out a few coins, “If Applejack says it works, that's good enough for me!” she declared. The rest of the townsfolk cheered and started handing over their money for the tonic. Applejack could only grit her teeth, more so in horror of what she had possibly unleashed than of anything else.

That afternoon, at the Magiville public inground pool, a decent number of the Magiville residents were either showing off their aquatic skills (with some expecting to make the Magiville team for the Mystican Games) or they were there to watch, cheer, and for a few of them, judge. Off to the green Braeburn was in his swimming trunks and was stretching, making sure none of his muscles were tense. With him was Apple Bloom in a one piece swimsuit. Sitting in the area were the rest of the family. “Just remember, you two. The most important thing is to be safe and have fun, right?” Applejack asked, she was not yet ready to inform Braeburn that the tonic was little more than juiced apples and beet leaves but she was going to prod the two to act safely.

Braeburn didn’t stop his laugh, “With the routine Little Bloom came up with, it would be an abomination if we don’t win. Right, A.B.?” he asked.

Apple Bloom gave him a slight glare, “First, no, do ever call me Little Bloom or A.B. again,” while the youngest Apple didn’t specify what would happen if Braeburn did, it was not something he was going to push. Apple Bloom then softened, “but second, yeah, we’ve got this in the bag.”

While Strongheart, Big Mac and Granny Smith gave soft applauds at the confidence of the two. Applejack, was not so sure, “Well...uh... good luck, then!” she offered.

Braeburn barely fought back a chuckling snort, “Luck?” he asked dismissively, “Who needs luck, Cousin?” He continued his dismissal. “With Apple Bloom’s routine, our skill and some of this tonic...” he said before he picked up the bottle that was close to his feet and drank from it. After he swallowed and gave an ‘ah’ of refreshment, “on our side, how can we lose?”

Before Applejack could counter, “Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic!” came the voice of Flam. This was followed by the voice of Flim saying, “Get your Applejack-approved tonic!” he declared. It was then that Applejack saw that the two hoodwinkers had set up a stand a few meters away and were selling their tonic at the meet, “The Apples drink it – why shouldn't you?” He finished the pitch as residents of Magiville started to form a line.

Applejack could only sigh, what could she say? However this was lost on her cousin as he and Apple Bloom walked to one end of the pool, “Sorry Cous, but if'n you'll excuse us, we got some swimmin' to do!” he said before he and Apple Bloom did a near silent ribbleless dive and began the routine. It was a synchronized swim to the tune of ‘Blue Danube’. Applejack could never describe the movements or plot them out, that would have been Rarity’s department, but the farmer knew that it was beautiful and awe inspiring. Once the song was done, Apple Bloom and Braeburn exited the pool and bowed to the judges. There was thunderous applause. Applejack could only shake her head and give a small smile. All the while images of Braeburn and Apple Bloom were being made as they were given the first place trophy. Among them was a sport reporter, “That was some of the most amazing aquabatics I've ever seen!” the man declared as he pulled a pen and notepad, “How in Mystica did you do it? Hard work? Lots of practice?” he asked.

Braeburn smiled, as he patted Apple Bloom on the shoulder, “Well of course, you just can’t pull off any aquabatics without practice, training and hard work. You also need one of the brightest people around to develop any routine, especially one like the one we did.” he nodded toward Apple Bloom indicating that it was her idea. “But for myself, it was this tonic that gave me that helped me recover quick enough to perform today.”

Flim and Flam then almost slid from the ground next to the victors, “That's Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic, to be precise.” Flim said as he showed a bottle. “Buy it now while supplies last.” Flam added as he pointed to their stand.

Applejack took a deep breath and turned away, she just couldn’t face her family or all this right now. That was when she spotted Silver Shill, dressed in a black and white striped shirt like those often worn by referees but with a tray of the tonic that was supported by leather straps that went around his neck. Applejack walked up to him after he had made a sale of one bottle of the tonic. “What are you doin' here?” she asked, electing to get to subject matter.

Silver turned to face Applejack and after giving a short nervous laugh, “Oh, things are going so well, Flim and Flam gave me a promotion!” he declared. He then took out the bit he just got from the purchase that Applejack witnessed. “Just made my first bit as a salesman.” He couldn’t help himself from smiling, “No more costumes for this man.” he declared as he pocketed the coin and shut his eyes as a massive closed mouth smile formed on his face. After a second the confidence dropped as he opened his eyes and looked at what he was wearing and looked into the bemused face Applejack had on. “This is more of a uniform.” he equivocated. Applejack’s bemused expression didn’t change.“I used to wonder if I was doing the right thing. You know, pretending to be cured, basically lying to folks about this tonic. But thanks to you, I realized that sometimes honesty isn't the best policy.”

Applejack was shocked at what Silver Shill said, she looked away unsure what to do until she saw Braeburn take one of the tonics, she saw a rainbow made of the colors orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink glitter on the bottle. Applejack’s eyes then reflected the same rainbow and she knew what she had to do. As Braeburn was about to drink the tonic that Flim and Flam sold. Applejack took her lasso and pulled it away. “STOP!!!” she shouted. Everyone turned to the paladin as she drew her sword and pointed it into the air, “Zona Vero!” she shouted as a clear bubble formed around those gathered. “That tonic is nothing more than the juiced beet leaves and old apples. It has no healing properties. Ah been equivocating for those charlatans!” she said pointing to Flim and Flam. “They have done nothin’ but con yall of yar hard earned bits! And Ah helped them.” Applejack lowered her head in regret.

Silver Shill then stepped forward and threw the portable tray he had on the ground. “So have I, I have helped them con you all and many others. Not only that I helped them force Applejack into equivocating on their behalf. I am sorry.”

“Thank yah, Silver.” Applejack said as she accepted Silver’s apology. Her face, however, grew stern as she turned back to Flim and Flam, “But no more and never again!” She made a cross with her right hand as it glowed green like a granny smith apple. “Ah curse myself, should Ah ever help these two with lies and equivocations, may Ah die where Ah stand!” Applejack’s body then glowed with golden delicious yellow light as the curse took hold. She then turned to Flim and Flam and made the same cross pointing at them. “And Ah curse yah two, too. May yah never leave Las Magus ‘til yah both become honest men, through and through.” The brother’s bodies also glowed the same shade of yellow. “And leave your ill-gotten gains!” After making the curse on the brothers, Applejack swung her blade as a granny smith green bolt appeared to be sent from it striking the two and sending them flying.

Everyone was silent, none knew what to say. It was almost abdominal to most of Magiville that Applejack would so blazingly engage in such a falsehood that swindled money from so many of them. Yet she did confess to them when it would have been easier for her to let the lie continue. On top of that she had cursed herself. Such an act was unheard of. Applejack however, only sheathed her sword and headed home.

Once she was there, Applejack effectively dropped into one of the chairs on the front porch of the Sweet Apple Temple farm house and covered her face and wept, still riddled with guilt and shame. She didn’t know how long she cried but she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. She lifted her face and saw Silver Shill standing next to her. “I know I said it before, but I am sorry for my part in all this and how it affected you.” he started as he took a seat in the chair next to her. He reached into his pocket and took out a one bit coin. “This is the last bit I have to my name,” he said as he looked it over, “It’s also the first bit I was actually given by selling that damn tonic.” he continued to mused. He then closed his right hand around it. “And it will be the last one I will earn through dishonest means.” He looked from his hand to the farmland that made up the Temple grounds. “I’ve thought about throwing it away.” he said before he turned to face Applejack again, “But I want you to have it, as a reminder of how you helped a wretch see what is the truth.” Applejack wasn’t sure if she should accept it. “The reason why it’s the last bit I have is because I gave the person I swindled for this one of my own bits.” Silver said before he took Applejack’s right hand and placed the coin in. He closed AJ’s hand around it and stood up. “Well I need to be off, I have to find another town so I can start my honest life.” He smiled at Applejack and turned to the dirt path. “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…” he started to sing to himself softly and left.

After passing Silver, the rest of the Apples arrived home. Applejack gave a small frown, “Ah’m sorry, Cousin, I hope this doesn’t mean yah’ll stop trainin’ for your high dive.”

Braeburn laughed, “Why in tarnation would I do that?” he asked. “I just need to train smarter.” He stopped as he could feel the glare from Strongheart, “After I get the all clear from my wife.” he added with a weak laugh. “ and without any tonic.” This brought a laugh out of Applejack.

Later that night as Applejack was preparing to go to bed, she took out the group journal. She had finished describing everything and after some thought jotted down a reflection, ‘Bein' honest sure gets hard when it seems like the truth might hurt someone you care about. But I think believin' a lie can end up hurtin' even more. Maybe some people don't care about that – but I sure ain't one of them.’She finished jotting down. She looked at the calendar, tomorrow she would pass the journal to Rainbow. She failed to notice that the coin flashed a rainbow of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink.

Rainbow Falls

Author's Note

Let's all be honest with ourselves, Rainbow Falls was the worst and weakest entry of both the Equestrian Games arch and the 'Rainbow Key' arch. It needed a massive over haul, so that's what I did. The main thing of Rainbow being torn between joining the Cloudsdale team or staying on the Ponyville team will remain, as well as Soarin still faking his injury, but pretty much every thing else needed to be replace.
I'll gladly talk about the changes in the comments.

Rainbow Falls

The train from Magiville was one way to Rainbow Falls, the hosting site for the Mystican Games flight-based games preliminaries, Rainbow sat with one of her Aerial Relay teammates, Flash Sentry. They were keeping politely quiet. Flash was a member of the Royal Guards and Rainbow, while she only completed Wonderbolt Academy, was in the Wonderbolt camp. Thunderlane then joined his teammates. “Well, the other Air Sprinters aren’t too keen on you only doing the Aerial Relay.” Thunderlane said to Rainbow.

“Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot are competing for Cumula, and military personnel can only compete in one event.” Rainbow answered.

Flash snorted, “Active-duty military personnel,” he pointed out the incompleteness of Rainbow’s statement. His tone softened as he continued, “A reservist, like the Benchwarmer here, can compete in three,” he said as he nodded to Thunderlane. Thunderlane was unaffected by the insult and just shrugged, it was more like banter anyway. “Civilians,” he said as he looked squarely at Rainbow, “can compete in any number of events they can qualify for.”

“He’s got a point, you haven’t taken your history exam yet,” Thunderlane pointed out. “So why just Aerial Relay?” he asked.

Before Rainbow could answer, the group was joined by Magiville’s favorite mailperson, the Muffinmancer Brighteyes. “It’s because Rainbow is a lot better at things when she’s focused solely on the thing in question.” She pointed out. “Like me with my vision.” She added, as she called attention to her own strabismus. “If I wear an eyepatch, it helps me fly straight, especially at high speeds.”

Thunderlane placed a hand on her shoulder, a sort of comradery gesture, “Which is why you’re one of the alternatives for all the team sports.” he assured her. Brighteyes closed her eyes and smiled.

“Alright time to strategize,” Rainbow said as she reached her arms out to get a huddle of her team, Brighteyes among them. Rainbow’s eyes first went to Thunderlane, “In order to qualify we need to be among the fastest four teams to cross the finish line. Thunderlane, since you’re trying out for the Air sprinters and any other sport, we can’t tax you too hard, so you’re going to cover the first leg, it’s the shortest and has the least hurdles.” Rainbow started explaining her plan. Thunderlane nodded in solid agreement, the relay route wasn’t structured to have equidistance thirds nor equally difficult obstacles. And the first leg was the shortest and had the fewest obstacles. Flash said nothing, sure it meant that Thunderlane had it easier than him, but Thunderlane was trying out for three separate events. Brighteyes smiled and nodded in agreement. Rainbow turned her focus to Flash, “Sentry, you’ll be covering the second leg.”

“Well, I least know how to dodge,” Flash almost snorted.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and continued, “That leaves me with the last leg.”

Flash didn’t hide his disgust as he snorted, “Of course, gotta impress Spitfire somehow, and how better then to race neck and neck with her.” he chided her. Before Rainbow could rebuke him, “Whatever you want, Captain Dash.” He said as he broke the huddle and leaned back into his seat, “Just remember, if we don’t qualify, everyone else is gonna blame you.” he pointed out. Rainbow wanted to have the glory of the photo finish and with that came the shame of not qualifying.

Rainbow herself snorted, “Please, with me, any team will qualify, even if it has Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps having issues with his wings.” she challenged Flash. Flash just shrugged as if to say, ‘Whatever you say’.

“I am certain we’ll make it.” Thunderlane said and managed to defuse the situation. “We got two of the fastest Skyborn flyers on our team.” he continued, “And worst-case scenario, everyone will be eating Brighteyes’ dust.” Brighteyes smiled at the compliment from him. While Flash raised an eyebrow unsure of the claim. Rainbow was about to challenge, but had to concede. She knew Brighteyes is actually very fast, Rainbow raced her when they were children and Brighteyes was the top performer until her strabismus set in. Just then the conductor spoke as he started walking down the cabins, “Next stop, Rainbow Falls, end of the line.”

After exiting the train, the teams had checked in to their rooms at the Rainbow Falls Inn. Rainbow Falls wasn’t so much of a city or town, but a field with a few lodging places and crisscrossed with rivers next to a series of waterfalls. The water that flowed down the various falls had the unique property of being the seven colors of the rainbow, hence the name. The water was still safe to drink, bathe, cook, clean, etc, with, but it wasn’t a place for much permanent residency. After check in, the Magiville Skyborn competitors all headed to the largest field in the center, were Skyborn from the other cities were engaged in stretches and warm-ups for the many aerial events of Mystican Games they aimed to qualify for. Rainbow couldn’t help but grin at the sight. While this was the first time that Magiville ever fielded a team for the Mystican Games, she knew that all Magiville competitors were going for the gold. No one was going to call Magiville a backwater when they became the first city to win medals in all events and have a perfect gold medal count, something that no city ever achieved.

As they all entered the field and prepared to train, “And the game is on!” came the voice of Spitfire from above and behind Rainbow Dash, just before she, Fleetfoot and Soarin landed about three meters in front of her. They were in their Wonderbolt flight suit uniform.

Soarin was the first to take off his goggles, “And looks like the real competition here!” he declared as he walked up to and offered his hand to Rainbow, Thunderlane and Flash. Each accepted and shook his hand in turn.

Fleetfoot was the next to speak and actually approached the three, “Two days of practice, then we'll see you in the air, Rainbow Dash!” she said as she lightly and playfully punched Rainbow in the shoulder as a greeting. She then turned to actually look at Rainbow’s team mates. She said nothing about Thunderlane but as her eyes shifted to Flash, “If you're lucky and White Flag here doesn’t wave his sigil.” she jabbed at Flash before the three flew off.

“Haha, very funny, at least a civilian that couldn’t fly didn’t knock me out at a flying competition.” Flash called back, but the trio were out of earshot. Rainbow however, could only sigh in slight bliss. This was not lost on Flash, “Oh Faust help us!” he groaned as he covered his face with his right hand. After a second, he dropped his hand and looked squarely at Rainbow, “You’re still fangirling over them?” it wasn’t a question, but Rainbow had to be called out.

Rainbow shook her head in a poor attempt at denial, “It’s just that the Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one,” she said, mostly concluding that the praise given was directed at her. It was a correct inference, but by Flash’s frown, it didn’t help her case, “And we'll be winners just as soon as we practice!” she declared.

Flash was about to retort, but Thunderlane shouted, “Right on, Rainbow!”

Flash only sighed in defeat, “Whatever, let’s just get a few runs in today, before Thunderlane has to practice his sprinting.”

“After we observe and take a few pointers from the Wonderbolts.” Thunderlane suggested.

“Great call, we see how the team with the record of winning the gold in the aerial really trains and we can replicate it. You’re a genius!” Rainbow declared.

Flash wanted to roll his eyes and groan, but elected to just shut his eyes and take a deep breath. “Fine,” he agreed, defeated and deflated. “Fricking benchwarmers”, he whispered to himself as they followed the direction the Wonderbolts went.

Within moments they arrived at the Cumula/Wonderbolt pit stop. Spitfire was getting a massage as Fleetfoot was taking a water break, all the while Soarin was flying above them, “Watch and learn. Flying for Cumula are the Wonderbolts, and Wonderbolts are the best flyers there are.”

“No really, you don’t say.” The sarcasm and sardonicness in Flash’s tone was so apparent, the deaf could hear it.

Rainbow elected to ignore Flash’s remark, “And my personal heroes.” Flash only rolled his eyes at that. It wasn’t like it was some state secret that Rainbow was a fan of the Wonderbolts. However, he elected to bite his tongue. “So, maybe we can learn something.” Rainbow finished as she took out a pen and notebook. Thunderlane and Brighteyes did likewise. Flash knew most of the training routines of the Wonderbolts by heart, they weren’t that different from what the Skyborn in the Royal Guard went through. And so he walked over to the nearest pole, shut his eyes mostly and leaned on it.

Fleetfoot finished her water and looked up, watching Soarin’s routine. “C'mon, Soarin, pick up the pace!” she shouted, noting that Soarin should be going faster than he was. “You can do better than that!” she added in an attempt to motivate Soarin with a reminder.

Spitfire glanced from her massage table to Soarin in his flight and then back forward, “I sure hope so.” she said with no heart.

Soarin then shut his eyes, took a breath and caused his ethereal wings to beat faster, quickening his pace. However, Soarin seemed to misjudge the tightness of his turn and hit his right ankle against the side of the ring he was flying through. This caused his ethereal wing there to phase out and begin to plummet. Rainbow Dash had the fastest reflex time and was able to catch Soarin under his armpits and gently bring him to the ground. All but Flash cheered in excitement. He just clapped for Rainbow. “As good as any Wonderbolt!” Spitfire declared as she patted Rainbow on the shoulder. She then turned to Soarin, who was putting all of his weight on his left foot. “You okay, Soarin?” She asked. Soarin tried to shift his weight to his right foot, gritting his teeth, but almost fell over. It wasn’t at the degree of a broken bone, but that of a sprain ankle “MEDIC!” Spitfire shouted for medical attention, she was going to make sure her wingman was taken care of regardless. Within seconds two fairly large Earthborn men arrived with a stretcher to take Soarin to the Rainbow Falls Hospital.

“I am sure it’ll be okay by the try out, Boss.” Soarin said as he got on, with some help by Spitfire and Fleetfoot. All the while gritting through the pain.

“You worry about that sprained ankle, Clipper.” Fleetfoot said before she and Spitfire stepped back so as not to be in the way of the stretcher bearers.

Soarin nodded, “Sure thing. Oh, and thanks Rainbow, You’re the best!” his voice echoed as the stretcher was carried away.

Flash got off the pole and gave a sardonic clap, “Fantastic lesson,” he said as he finished the clap, “What a clip. At that speed he should have broken his leg, not sprained his ankle, and me without my pen.” he then snapped his right thumb and middle finger. “Darn, looks like I am gonna have to borrow Thunderlane’s or Brighteyes’ notes after all. Well, with this lesson over, I say we put some of that into practice.” Flash said as he left, Thunderlane and Brighteyes not far behind him.

Rainbow stayed behind to offer some form of sportsmanship support to the two, “That a really tough break to lose a teammate right before the tryouts.” she started.

Fleetfoot and Spitfire looked at each other for a solid second. Fleetfoot then nodded before the two put on their sunglasses, which hid their eyes. They turned from their leaving teammate to Rainbow. Fleetfoot was the first to speak of the two. “You grew up in Cumula, didn’t yah?” Fleetfoot asked. Rainbow nodded a yes. “And you’re still technically a resident of it, as well as a resident Magiville, aren’t yah?” she asked. Rainbow again nodded to confirm. She wasn’t sure were this was going.

Spitfire took over, “That means, if you wanted to, you could practice with us until Soarin recovered.” she informed Rainbow of the option.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head and neck, “Uh, I don't know. My team really needs me to be at my best in order to qualify.” she responded. “Don't wanna be too worn out by the time the race comes around.” she added.

Spitfire took off her glasses and placed a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, “Back at Wonderbolt Academy, you were put through some of the most intense workouts in all of Mystica. If you can survive that, then taking twice the time anyone else will to hone your relay skills can’t hurt you.”

Rainbow couldn’t help but give a little laugh, “Yeah, I did kick some major rear at the Academy…” she said looking back at her time at Wonderbolt Academy. However, her focus then shifted back to the present and the fact that she was not competing alone. “But I don't know how my teammates will feel about me practicing with the competition.” she caught herself.

Fleetfoot went to Rainbow’s other side, “Tell them, don’t tell them, consult them, don’t consult them, those are the calls only you can make.” she stated. “Besides, Thunderlane has to practice for the air sprinting and the gilded boy has to make it look like the Royal Guards are half-way confident.” Fleetfoot continued as she made Rainbow think about her teammates. “Think about it, Rainbow Dash! This is your chance to fly with the winners!”

Rainbow looked from the hovering finish line of the aerial relay then to the two Wonderbolts next to her. She then turned and looked for her team. She spotted them after a few seconds, Thunderlane was practicing his sprint, while Flash seemed to be doing nothing. Rainbow then turned back to the two Wonderbolts. “Alright, I'll do it.” she declared as she held out her right hand.

The two Wonderbolts nodded and each shook her hand in turn, “Excellent call, Rainbow Dash.” The training began half an hour later as Rainbow flew through a set of rings that crossed and pulled back at a timed interval. At the other end was Fleetfoot, hovering and waiting for Rainbow to deliver the button. Rainbow zig and zag through the course, trying to be both as straight as possible and get through as many rings without getting hit. Once she made it, Fleetfoot took the button and flew the next leg of the training run.

The scene then changed to later that day as Rainbow overseeing Thunderlane as he tried a similar course, but was clearly constructed on a shoestring budget, “Come on, Thunderlane, you can do it!” Thunderlane then picked up his pace, but it was too fast too soon and he sprinted towards the end. This caused him to trip in one of the rings and collide with Flash who was waiting for the button. Rainbow looked away at the moment of impact, but she heard all of it.

“DAMN IT, BENCHWARMER!” Flash roared as he tried to throw Thunderlane off of him, “This is not a sprint! Get your head on straight and focus on the sport you are on!” Rainbow only covered her face and groaned into the palms of her hand.

Events like this continued on for much of that day and into the next day. While the Magiville team were getting better with each attempt, Thunderlane still had the mentality of a sprinter and as such started off too fast and ended either tripping up near the end of his leg or bull rushing into Flash. Flash on the other hand, while he was able to cover his leg with greater and greater ease, he was still thrown off, mainly because he was recovering from the collision with Thunderlane. On the Cumula team, Rainbow had to admit that she, Spitfire and Fleetfoot were a well-oiled machine. Yet Rainbow had to admit that Flash and Thunderlane were pushing themselves and when she came back tired from her training with the Cumula, they never pushed her, they trusted her, heck they went out of their way to make sure Rainbow wasn’t strained and could go all out on the try out.

After another practice run with Spitfire and Fleetfoot, before rejoining Flash and Thunderlane, Rainbow knelt along the shore of one of the rivers that passed through Rainbow Falls and splashed her face with the water to cool, refresh and collect herself. She gave a sigh of relief. “It's not easy practicing with two teams, is it?” came a voice from behind her. Rainbow almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see Brighteyes. Brighteyes smiled, “Don’t worry, Thunderlane’s also has to train for the air sprinters and Flash has to drill regularly, and in order to keep access to his boons he has to make sure he has the time every twilight to affirm his devotion to Twilight, and everybody else is focused on their own qualifications.” she answered Rainbow’s unasked question.

Once Rainbow was able to think clearly, “Then how did you…” she started only to realized too late that if Brighteyes was able to keep track of Thunderlane and Flash enough to explain that how they failed to notice Rainbow’s habits, then Brighteyes would be able to notice Rainbow’s habits.

Brighteyes shrugged with her eyes closed and a closed mouth smile, “Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me, I’m a de facto alternate for team sports. I just need to do well enough to help the team that ends up needing me for the preliminaries to make through qualifications.” She then took some of the river’s water and splashed her own face. “Besides, who wouldn’t want to practice with the Wonderbolts?” she asked rhetorically.

Rainbow could sigh in defeat, “I know we’ll qualify. This will build up my endurance. I can easily fly fast enough to make up the time from whichever leg we fall behind in.” Brighteyes said nothing and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s also so much more fun working out with them, they have their own masseuse, pit team and everything.” Brighteyes said nothing but gave a small sad smile and shook her head. “And Magiville will still qualify!” Rainbow almost shouted.

“Whatever you say,” Brighteyes shrugged and closed her eyes and again splashed the cold water on her face before she took out two eye patches and covered both her eyes and lied down in the shade of a fairly large tree. Rainbow was no medical expert, but she swiftly concluded that this was because Brighteyes was seeking relief from a headache which was ultimately caused by her strabismus.

Rainbow was about to ask if she should get a doctor or some other medical help for Brighteyes when Spitfire and Fleetfoot walked up to her from behind, “Hey Rainbow, you got a minute?” Spitfire asked. Rainbow turned to face the two Wonderbolts and nodded.

Fleetfoot took over, “You could really be an asset to our team, so…” she trailed off as she tried to find the right words. “we want you to join the Cumula team.” she finished. Rainbow’s jaw started to drop. “Permanently.” Rainbow’s jaw then finished dropping as she gasped.

Before Rainbow could ask, Spitfire took over the explanation, “Soarin’s ankle won’t heal in time for the trails, by the looks of things. And if his ankle is still bumped-up, his ethereal wing won’t manifest in order for him to fly.” Rainbow was about to respond when Spitfire elected to point out a particular shortcoming oversight, “Of course, this means you won't be able to fly for Magiville, but let's face it. Even with you on their team, their chances of qualifying for the aerial relay—” He paused as the three watched as Thunderlane flew as fast as he could to cover his leg of the track. However, he was going too fast, too much like a sprinter and crashed into Flash.

The three cringed at the sight, Fleetfoot took over as they opened to see Flash yelling at Thunderlane about that collision, “—are pretty slim.”

As Rainbow tried to articulate an answer, Spitfire covered her mouth, “You should really take some time to think about it, Dash.” Rainbow squinted slightly in confusion. “Don’t get us wrong, we’re more than thankful that you agreed to train with us, but there’s a difference between training before the qualifying round and actually trying to qualify and compete in the Mystican Games, no need to give an immediate answer, just sleep on it and give us your answer in the morning.” Spitfire consulted before she and Fleetfoot took and left Rainbow to ponder her answer.

Once Spitfire and Fleetfoot were out of earshot, Rainbow turned to Brighteyes, “Did you hear that?” it wasn’t a question, not really but it was asked. “They want me to fly with them! It's like a dream come true!”

Brighteyes didn’t get up or turn her head, just continued to face upward towards the branches that covered her, “If you say so.” she started, “It’s not like Scootaloo will be wondering why you’re competing for another team after all the effort the CMC went through to be the bearers of the Magiville flag.” Brighteyes didn’t need vision, the blind could see that she hit Rainbow right in the heart with that retort. “Nor will your five closest friends find it hard to cheer on Cumula when they were led to believe that Magivillie will be getting all the gold.” she continued. Another blow that hit its mark with ease. “But go right ahead, it’s not like I have a sometimes-crippling disability that when I try to mitigate it, I lose most of my depth perception.” Brighteyes was not letting up. “Nor does Thunderlane have at least two sports he’s trying out for, and Flash clearly has all the respect in the world for you, and you possibly couldn’t lose any of it.” Brighteyes was clearly electing to show Rainbow no mercy.

Rainbow sighed, “But I really wanna fly with the best team!” she confessed. She then gave a pitiful moan, “What would you do?” she asked Brighteyes.

Brighteyes rolled to her side, not facing in the direction Rainbow was, “It really doesn’t matter what I would do in your shoes, Rainbow. In fact, it doesn’t matter what anyone else would do. The race is tomorrow, and regardless of whatever you choose, I need to be in my best shape and right now, I really could use some quiet. Now could you fly off and have your indecision crises somewhere else, my head is killing me.” Brighteyes said as she held the sides of her head with both hands, her voice weak and full of pain, all the while seeming to struggle with not letting herself take the fetal position.

The next day, as the praciting was winding down and the qualifying matches were underway. At the part of the grounds put aside for the aerial relay, Fleetfoot and Spitfire just finished as practice run and landed and nodded to Flash and Thunderlane indicating that it was clear for them to do their own practice run. Just before Flash and Thunderlane could take their starting stance. “Woe is me! Oooh!” came the voice of Rainbow moaning as she managed to wheel herself towards them. She was covered in bandages, a neck brace and other means of covering injuries. Everyone gasped in horror and shock at Rainbow's state.

Flash was the first of the Magiville team to approach Rainbow, “What happened?” he asked as he tried to make sense of Rainbow’s condition.

Rainbow looked down to the ground, “I was practicing my leg and misjudged my speed and ended up messing up an attempt of a sonic rainboom.” She lied. She then buried her face in her hands, “There is no way I can fly now.” she wept. “Ouch.” she squirmed from contacting her head with her hands.

Flash gave a sad and mournful sigh, then walked around the wheelchair and took the handlers, “Well you really shouldn’t be out and about, let’s get you to a medic.” and began to roll her to Rainbow Falls Hospital.

About an hour later inside one of the rooms of Rainbow Falls Hospital, Rainbow was on one of the beds with her bandaged arms and legs evaluated by a set of limb hammocks. Next to her various machines beeped and gave various other sounds as they read the vitals of Rainbow. The door then opened and Flash, Thunderlane and Brighteyes entered. “And how is our patient doing?” Thunderlane asked as he smiled at Rainbow.

“I've been better.” Rainbow answered.

“Well, the doctor has no idea what’s wrong,” Flash informed as he looked over the machines that were hooked up to Rainbow to check her vitals. After a solid second of looking, he gave up trying to understand anything they indicated as he turned back to face Rainbow and shrugged his shoulder, “but to be on the level about half the people with any advanced degrees are straight up quacks.”

“Say doesn’t Twilight have a few PhDs?” Thunderlane asked pointing out Twilight's education.

Flash had a soft laugh, “And a couple of ScD’s, and while I care about her, she sometimes makes Pinkie look like she is of sound mind.”, Rainbow didn’t and really couldn’t argue, Twilight could be crazier than Pinkie at times.

Thunderlane turned back to Rainbow and her suspended limbs, “Well, hopefully you’ll at least be able to catch our train home tomorrow.” he commented, making sure he didn’t touch any of the limbs. “But we got the try out covered, thanks to Brighteyes.” he said as he nodded to Brighteyes. Brighteyes nodded. “And even if you’re not able to fly in the games, you can have my gold medal, I’ll already have the gold for the air sprint.” Thunderlane offered.

Rainbow gave a sad smile as she barely could say above a whisper, “Thanks…”

Brighteyes cleared her throat and nodded to the door, “I think Rainbow Dash might need to rest some more.” she declared. Neither Flash nor Thunderlane challenged and then they each gave their own goodbye and left. After Thunderlane and Flash had shut the door, Brighteyes turned to Rainbow. In a rare moment both her eyes were focused solely on her. “Wow, Rainbow. You’re many things, but I never once thought you were a coward.” Rainbow was left speechless at the accusation. Not that someone accused her of anything, but that it was right on the money. “Choosing not to choose, isn’t making a choice. It’s putting it on someone else. And that’s what cowards do.” Brighteyes then left Rainbow and slammed the door with a thud. “Oops, my bad.” her voice was heard.

Just then the curtains that divided the room were pulled to reveal Soarin with his ankle bandaged in the hospital bed. “You sure have nice teammates, even with Brighteyes calling you a coward.” he said with a slight sadness and selfpity, “Nobody's been by to visit me that much.” he then sighed, “Most likely too busy practicing.”

Rainbow smiled, “Well, hopefully your wing will be better soon.” She wished him well.

Soarin actually pulled the covers off of him and showed his right ankle. “Oh, it's fine.” he said as he then stood up and stretched the right leg and hopped on it, even manifesting the ethereal wing there. He then sat back down on the bed, “I'm just keeping it safe in case my team wants me back.” he said before he allowed himself to fall back.

Rainbow was perplexed, “What do you mean, 'wants you back'?” she asked. This was not what she was told by Spitfire, “Spitfire and Fleetfoot told me that you were still too injured to fly!” she informed Soarin of the story she was told.

Soarin leaned forward, “Huh,” he said as he held his chin, “they told me that they were worried I wouldn't be one hundred percent by the tryouts,” he said as he looked at the floor, in a pose somewhat akin to the thinkers, “And so they were going with somebody else.” he informed as he lowered his hand and looked up, looking in the eye of Rainbow.

Rainbow gasped as she looked into the void in front of her, “And that somebody else was me!” she declared in revolution.

Soarin shook his head as he allowed himself to fall back onto the bed with a sighed, “I guess they’re all out of luck. Cumula…” he trailed off as he thought about what he just said, “Sweet Faust we need to come up with a better name for that place, why not something like Cloudsdale?”

“Put that motion forward during the next town meeting, but focus, Soarin!” Rainbow retorted, she really didn’t care. Yes, Cloudsdale would be a better name, but this wasn’t the time.

“Sorry, well it won't qualify without three fliers, and Magiville won't qualify without you. Too bad… it’s not Cumula needs another gold in the aerial relay, and if Spitfire and Fleetfoot are so concerned about winning, they can always come by and check up on me.” He then yawned and pulled the covers over him. “Besides, I really could use this break.”

As Soarin, Rainbow realized that he was staying here for the reason she was here, so that he didn’t have to make a choice. Rainbow was slightly taken aback at this among other things of recent, in particular, that what she had been told about Soarin was, in fact, a lie, ironically while trying to perpetuate a similar lie. She was ashamed of herself. She then looked at the glass of water on the stand next to her bed. She then saw it glitter with a rainbow made of the colours orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink. Her eyes then flashed the same rainbow. She knew what she had to do. She got out of bed. “Come on Soarin, we got work to do.” She said and started out. Soarin was reluctant, but he followed suit shortly after.

At the end of the air space for the track for the aerial relay, Brighteyes landed and called, “Time!”.

Flash stopped the stop watch he had and looked at it. His lips parted as he bared his teeth and clearly cringed, “We got a fifty-fifty chance of beating the clock if you don’t wear the eye patch.” he said reluctantly. Brighteyes groaned as she pulled out of one her pockets an eye patch. “Sorry, Brighteyes, but it’s our best shot.” Flash said. Brighteyes glared at him as she placed the eyepatch over the eye that was drifting. Flash couldn’t help but feel a shiver down his spin from that glare.

After Brighteyes put on the patch she looked from Flash and Thunderlane to see Rainbow out of the hospital bed walking towards the aerial relay track, “Is that Rainbow Dash... walking?” she asked as Rainbow walked by the Magiville team up to the Cumula team, Soarin a couple of meters behind her. This was not unwitnessed by everyone else within a hundred meters.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot finished drinking water as Rainbow approached. Fleetfoot was the first to speak, “Does... this mean you're feeling better?” Fleetfoot asked in confusion.

Rainbow began to take off all the bandages, gaze and all other medical things on her, “I feel great, because... I was never hurt in the first place.” She confessed. Everyone gasped, save Brighteyes who seemed to smile and nod like a parent happy that their child is owning up to their misbehavior on their own. Once everything was off her, “I faked my injury so that I wouldn't have to choose between flying for my current home and my old home.” she admitted. “I wanted to fly with you both, but I know I can't and I am terrible at making these kinds of hard decisions!”

Thunderlane was the first to speak, “Hey, you want to fly with Spitfire and Fleetfoot, there’s really nothing stopping yah. Magiville might not get the gold.” he then shrugged, “But hey he wears it on the regular so is it really all that great.” he asked rhetorically. Flash only rolled his eyes, he didn’t have a retort, but he seemed to side with Thunderlane, quietly.

Rainbow managed to fight off a smile, she was not in a place to feel glad. She took a breath and looked squarely at Spitfire, “I know now who I should be competing with.” she declared.

Spitfire looked towards Fleetfoot and received a nod. She then turned back to Rainbow, her glasses still on, “Good choice. Always stick with the winners.” she started.

Rainbow nodded, and turned to face Flash, Thunderlane, Brighteyes and all the others from Magiville there, “Magiville.” she declared and took a step towards them. She did an about face to look squarely at Spitfire and Fleetfoot so that they saw her face as she gave her answer, “Because it's not just where I live, but it's where my friends are. The people who really care about me, whether I can help them win a race or not.”

Spitfire took a few steps towards Rainbow as she lowered her shades slightly, exposing her eyes, “Are you sure that's the right decision?” she asked.

Rainbow raised her right hand and pointed to Spitfire, “You lied to me about Soarin just so you could get a flyer who wasn’t injured!” she said as she gestured to Soarin. She then lowered her right hand and then made a ‘X’ in front of her chest with her arms at her wrist. “You may be a winning team, but you’re not the kind of team I wanna be a part of.” she concluded as she dropped her arms.

Spitfire took off her shades and started a slow applause and was joined by Fleetfoot and the other Wonderbolts present. This left Rainbow and all the non-Wonderbolts present perplexed as Spitfire pulled out a Wonderbolt pin and put it on Rainbow while the rest of the Wonderbolts continued to clap. “It took you a while Dash, but I couldn’t be prouder of a cadet. Saw it at the Academy, seeing it again here. The Wonderbolts would be lucky to have someone like you as one of us.” The applause stopped. However, Rainbow could only look at Spitfire in unending confusion. “While the Academy and history exams are the official requirements to make it to the reverse, like any established group, we Wonderbolts need to see the character of possible members. Since you’re the Bearer of The Element of Loyalty and you’re know to make a big deal of who you stand with…” Spitfire paused as she gave Rainbow time to infer on her own what Spitfire was implying.

“So, this was a test?” Rainbow asked. “You and Fleetfoot were never gonna let me on the team?”

Spitfire shook her head, “If you picked to fly with us, you would compete with us.” she informed Rainbow. Rainbow couldn’t stop herself from smiling, but she swiftly caught herself and frowned that Spitfire was pretty much confessing that she was going to reward Rainbow for the wrong action, “However, what we wanted to see if you would take an almost sure win,” Spitfire gestured to herself and Fleetfoot, “or would you risk defeat standing by those that stand by you.” she said as she nodded to Flash, Thunderlane and Brighteyes. “And you made the right call.”

“But what about Soarin?” Rainbow asked as she pointed to him with her left hand, “You didn’t visit him or tell him that he was about to be replaced!” she accused Spitfire. When Spitfire tilted her head to her left and squinted, Rainbow started to see that this test was not solely being conducted by Spitfire.

Once Rainbow lowered her hand, she turned to face Soarin. Soarin rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah, sorry Rainbow, but this was actually my idea.” he confused with a nervous laugh. “Spitfire would never order any of us to risk serious injury to test a possible recruit, but Clipper choosing to live up to his name, well that’s a different story.”

Before Rainbow could reply, “Always trust a Blunderbolt to mess up a simple recruit screening.” Flash laughed as he placed an arm around Rainbow’s shoulder and with little effort brought her to the Magiville Aerial Really team. Once the team was together, “Well Dash, we’re up after the Blunderbolts for our qualification, if you want in, I’m game. Thunderlane?” Flash asked. Thunderlane nodded.

The three then turned to Brighteyes. The muffinmancer took off her eye patch, “I hate wearing this. You better make it or you can come to the post office to pick up your own mail for the next year.” she answered before they could ask the question.

Rainbow wanted to smile, happy for the acceptance, but then she looked at Thunderlane and Flash with a slight panic, “She can’t threaten that, can she?” she asked, referring to Brighteyes’ final statement.

The two men shrugged their shoulders, “I wouldn’t want to be proven wrong if I call that a bluff.” Thunderlane said. Flash nodded and the three got ready, each taking their spot along the track.

The Wonderbolts started their run, which took them 30 seconds as Spitfire crossed the finish line and landed next to her teammates, Fleetfoot and Soarin. The fastest of the six teams that were competing for qualification. Thunderlane was first, he stumbled here and there, but he managed to reach Flash. Flash bolted from his starting point and weaving in and out between the obstacles. He hit one, but managed to quickly recover and reached Rainbow. Rainbow flew as fast as she could without causing a sonic boom. As she flew even the Cumula cheer squad cheered her on. She crossed the finish line at just under 45 seconds. As the official stopwatch was pressed, and the time recorded, the official that oversaw the qualifications declared, “Magiville qualifies!” Everyone cheered and hallowed all for Magiville’s success.

Later that afternoon, Rainbow was lying on the grass, she took out the group journal and started to write about the last couple of days. After she wrote about the qualification. Rainbow stopped and took a minute to think about it all. She then jotted down, ‘I can't deny it. I love to win! But if I ever gotta choose between winning and competing alongside my friends, I'm always gonna choose my friends. 'Cause as much as I love winning, I love them waaaaay more.’ She didn’t notice that the Wonderbolt pin flashed a rainbow of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink.

Pinkie Pride

Guest Starring: Alfred Matthew 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Appaloosa was a buzz in cheer with all the Appaloosan and the whole of the Tatanka tribe there, all well into the celebration of Braeburn’s and Strongheart’s first anniversary, even as the sun was about to pass the western horizon, and with no indications of slowing down until well into the warm summer night. Ten kilometers away, astride the back a fiery red steed was a man wearing a wide brim stetson that straddled the line between it and a sombrero and a gray, white and light brown poncho. He had brown puffy hair and green eyes. “Well, Boneless. Looks like our work here is done.” he said in a stern voice to the rubber chicken with a bowler cap that was on his waist. He pulled on the reins and the horse turned and began to trot away. “Yep, those folks never partied so hard. Thanks to me: Cheese. Cheese Sandwich.” he said as he gave a grim and yet cheerful smile. Just then his body began to spasm, stretch, contour, etc. as the sound of an accordion playing was heard. In his motions his hat came off and floated to the ground as his poncho lifted to reveal a bright yellow shirt and in the center of the shirt was a grilled cheese sandwich as his aura mark which acted like an accordion. Once the spasm passed, “Woo-hoo-hoo! That was a doozy!” he said in a much more cheerful voice, clearly his actual voice. Which sounded like Weird Al Yankovic. He got off his horse and picked up his hat, “Well, Boneless. Looks like our next party is gonna be in…” he stopped as he got back on his horse and as he put his hat back on, “Magiville.”

It was a sunny day, about two weeks after the preliminaries of the Mystica games and two weeks before the flight of the pixies which Fluttershy helped plot to come through Magiville. The town was abuzz of an upcoming party, with balloons, banners and other party paraphernalia about the whole town. This just happened to be Musical Thursday. The focus of this Musical Thursday was Pinkie as she skipped through the town. She then started to kick off the first number of this musical, “Every single day there's something new you can plan for
Every single day there's something wonderful to do
But nothing makes me happy like a day that I can say
"Today I planned a party, and it's just for you!". She sang and traversed the town until it reached one of the town’s open-air vendors. His specialty was streamers for parties. “How's it going today, Pinkie?” he asked. Pinkie beamed, “Great, thanks!” she informed him. She then got down to business. “Got any streamers today?” she asked. The vendor chuckled, “You betcha!” he said and spread his arms to show his wares. As Pinkie handed him several bits, “Big party planned?” he asked. Pinkie smiled, “Don't you know it!” she declared and started off and renewed the song, “Don't have much time to gather all the things I need
If I'm really gonna make this party fly
For today's another day that all of Magiville will say.” As she sang, she pulled out her list and shook her head, but she then shrugged her shoulders, put it back into her hair and continued on as she sang.

After she said ‘say’. Many of the residents of the town took over the song and sang, “There goes the super party mage Pinkie Pie!” they declared.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake were pushing a stroller with their babies, Pound and Pumpkin. “She planned our first baby shower where we played all sorts of games
Having so much fun as we chose Pound and Pumpkin's names.” the middle-aged couple said as Pinkie skipped to be next to them, hugged the couple and then kissed the foreheads of Pound and Pumpkin.

As Pinkie continued to skip through the town, she passed by one of the restaurants in town. At one of the outside tables sat Diamond Tiara. The young girl then took over the song as she sang, “She planned my aura-ceañera my dad made me, I won't lie
I demanded all the best, I suppose she passed the test
Sure it was pretty good all thanks to Pinkie Pie.”

While it was the most profitable aura-ceañera for Pinkie, Diamond Tiara wasn’t a patron Pinkie wanted for a while. “Thanks, I guess?” she asked as the music of the song continued to play. However, she carried on to another vendor. This one with paint as his specialty, “What color paints do you need?” he asked. Pinkie beamed “I'm gonna need the full rainbow!” she answered. The vendor then gave her several … paint buckets each one of the seven colours of the rainbow. “A paintbrush too?” he asked as he offered a set. Pinkie nodded as she placed the paint cans in her hair and placed a fair number of coins on the stand as she accepted the set of paint brushes. “Yes, if you please!” was her answer. Pinkie then stepped up to the vendor across the short way, “And what from me?” she asked. As Pinkie placed a few bits on the stand, “Your biggest banner! This party's gonna be the best!” she answered and accepted the banner. The vendor laughed and agreed with, “I don't doubt it!”
The townsfolk started up the song, “Every single day there's something new we can plan for
Every single day there's something wonderful to try
But nothing makes us happy like a day that we can say
"Today there'll be a party planned by Pinkie Pie!"” The crowd took a pause in singing but the music continued as they followed Pinkie to Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie was preparing the banner that she just purchased that day, painting it for the party to come. Watching her were her six closest friends, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Twilight’s familiar, Spike the dragon. The crowd then started the song up again after about seconds of watching as Pinkie’s closest friends cheer her on, “There's no other body like her, no body that could be
As great! (As great!) As fun! (As fun!)
As our super party mage Pinkie!” as the banner was raised and everyone cheered. And with that the first number was over and everyone went about the rest of their business, or that which they needed to complete before sunset and the big party actually started.

Pinkie couldn’t contain her excitement as she hugged Rarity and ended giving her a noogie, much to the enchantress’ dismay, “Ooh, I am so, so, SO excited because today I'm planning the birthday bash of…” she paused as she pointed to the banner and announced the focus of the party, “Rainbow Dash!” she shouted as Rainbow studied the banner, it was a very accurate rendering of her, not quite in the realm of uncanny valley, but practically spot on.

Rainbow smirked and declared, “Yeah!” excited at the party later that day.

While Rainbow, and well everyone else was caught up in the excitement of everything, Pinkie was not as carefree. “Rainbow Dash.” she called her friend to focus,

Rainbow didn’t know why, but she felt uneasy, “Yes, Pinkie?” she asked with a degree of concern as she landed back on the ground.

Pinkie then pulled in close, so that their noses were barely a centimeter apart. “You realize that, by enlisting me as your party planner, I guarantee that this is going to be the funnest, most fantabulous, superbial party in Magiville?” she asked, looking squarely into Rainbow’s eyes.

“Uh...yeah?” Rainbow asked as she had no idea what to do as Pinkie was extremely serious. “I guess.” she finished.

Pinkie squirted and slightly scowled at Rainbow, “No guesses!” Pinkie declared. “Parties are no picnic.” she said to empathize with the point. Fluttershy was about to say something about how she liked a nice picnic party, but this was Pinkie’s domain and elected to refrain from speaking. “Parties. Are. Serious!” She hammered home her point. She then finally loosened her hold on Rainbow and performed her Pinkie Promise, with a real cupcake (with lime frosting) “And you have my certified Pinkie Party Promise that you will have the best birthday party ever!” she declared.

With the opportunity to get some space between her and Pinkie, Rainbow slowly stepped back as she gave an extremely nervous, “Okay.”

“Great!” Pinkie cheered as she sprung back to her normal cheerful self, both to the present relief of all her friends and yet to their long-term horror. “Now, who's ready to join this super duper party mage to plan this super duper pa-rty?” she asked, it was a rhetorical question, and she didn’t expect anyone to actually give an answer, but she instinctively asked it.

“I am.” came the voice of Cheese Sandwich from the shadow of one of the other structures. Everyone gasped as they turned and saw him, the brim of his hat lowered so as to hide the top part of his face. In his mouth was a party horn which he blew, not unlike someone puffing a cigar.

Pinke was the first to greet the stranger, “Who are you, stranger?” she asked, getting to the point. “Normally when someone is moving in my Pinkie Sense goes off.” she then looked at all the pockets of her jacket, “Shoot, I forgot which pocket my welcome wagon is in.” she wanted to curse.

The man stepped from the structure and walked toward Pinkie et al, “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Pinkie Pie, I am not moving in.” he explained, as he said Pinkie’s name, but only as if he knew of her by reputation. This was not so odd, Pinkie was the party planner for the wedding of Princess Cadance and Grand Marshall Shining Armor. The man then pulled out and held out a business card, “Name's Cheese Sandwich. I plan parties.” he said as he handed it to Pinkie.

Pinkie couldn’t help but smile, she knew so few other Mystican that were professional party planners, “What an amazing coincidence! I'm planning a party!” She informed Cheese after she accepted and read the business card.

As Pinkie handed it back to Cheese, “Oh, it's no coincidence, my little mage.” he said as he accepted it back and put it back into a pocket in his poncho. “My cheesy sense was a-tingling, telling me a party was in the works.”

“A cheesy sense?” Pinkie asked as she almost manifested out of nowhere infront of Cheese. After he recovered, Cheese nodded, “Ah! Double amazing!” she barely stopped herself from giving Cheese a hug, and also from exploding from the excitement of someone having a sense that could be similar to her own, “Maybe its like my Pinkie Sense!”

Cheese shook his head with a small smile, “Yes and no, it only senses parties that are coming up and only the ones that need to be bigger than big.” He elected to clarify the exact extent of his sense. “And thanks to that I happen to be the premiere party planner in all of Mystica.” he informed “If there's a party in need, there I'll be. Be it wingding, hoedown, hootenanny, or shindig, I'm your man.” he declared with a proud smirk on his face.

Pinkie gave another gasp as if to keep the air in her lungs, “A pair of party planners in Magiville?! What can be more perfect?!” neither was an actual question, but her excitement could barely be contained.

Not seeming to pick up the rhetorical nature of the questions, “I'll tell you what -- making this party epic!” she answered, barely able to hold in her own excitement about the day and the celebration that would be its focus. “ 'Cause this isn't just any birthday. It's also the anniversary of when I moved to Magiville!” she pointed out that “Or as I like to call it, my "birth-iversary"!”

After Rainbow said that Applejack turned and gave Rarity one of her bemused frowns, “It’s a port-”

“Ah know what it is, Sugarcube.” Applejack cut her off, “That’s never been the problem.” Rarity gave a weak laugh as she tried to avoid the topic. Applejack only closed her eyes and shook her head.

Rainbow, however, seemed to be oblivious to the exchange, and asked both Pinkie and the newcomer, “So what do you say, party planners?”

Pinkie didn’t fight back a giggle, “Oh, I think we can do it!” she declared.

Cheese shook his head, “Oh, I don't think so.” Everyone gasped at the answer. Cheese then threw off his hat and poncho. “I know so!” he shouted with cheer and glee. “After all…” he trailed before he started to sing, “The super-duper party mag-e–that mag-e is me
I always knew that was the kind of mag-e I would be.” As Cheese took a breath, “Me too!” Pinkie commented. Cheese then picked up, while he wasn’t singing it was still upbeat and close to the song as he called out getting the attention of more of the townsfolk. “Come on, folks! Who here likes to party?” He spotted an elderly gentleman and seemed to stretch and then stand next to him. “Ha-ha! You do! I can tell!” the man nodded in agreement. Cheese then started to sing properly again as the whole scene changed to a white field with a large wheel of swiss cheese, “When I was but a little boy, I just wanted to play” Pinkie chimed in agreement, “Like me!”
Cheese then started his song again, this time others popped out of the other holes in the cheese wheel all with frowns and shook their heads at him, “But everybody told me, "Cheese, that fun just wastes the day"”. Pinkie then chimed in again in agreement with an “As if!”
Cheese continued to sing as the scene changed to the area in front of Sugarcube Corner, with everyone looking at Cheese standing next to a picture on an easel. He removed the picture to show a picture of three women all three were frowning, “But when I threw a party and I busted out some moves.” he sang as he seemed to jump into the photo and began to dance in means that almost gave Pinkie’s a run for their money, “Uh-huh!” Pinkie agreed. Cheese continued his song as he placed party hats on the women and their modes brightened, “The folks finally saw the light and got into the groove”. Pinkie once again chimed in expressing her similar sentiment, “You know it!”
The scene then changed to back in front of Sugarcube Corner as Cheese was dressed in lederhosen as he played his accordion and sang, “The super-duper party mag-e–that mag-e is me.”. “And me!” Pinkie pointed out that she too was a ‘party mage’ and was also ‘super-duper’.
The scene changed to what looked like a witness window of a line up with Cheese on the second from the viewer’s right with three men that looked similar to him but each distinct if one paid close attention to each. Cheese sang, “You'll never meet another party mag-e quite like Cheese!” Pinkie once again chimed in, this time far less in agreement, and more of unsure question, “Uh, Pinkie?”
Cheese turned to the somewhat look alike to his left as he held out a jar of mayonnaise, “Hey, good-lookin', want some mayonnaise?” he asked.
The music started to pick up, and while Cheese didn’t really sing, but spoke in meter, tempo and tune with the music. “My parties are all off the hook
I never plan them by the book
I start out fun, then whoopsie-daisy
Everybody just gets crazy!
Bored of snacks made by your mom?
How about a giant party bomb?
Huge piñatas filled with cake
Or dive into my fruit punch lake!” as he ‘spoke’ the scene changed to match each line of the song until the line of the punch lake as he encouraged a man to jump off a diving board and the man called out, “Geronimo!” before he splashed into the ‘fruit punch lake’. Cheese then started to sing properly again as the scene changed to a disco, “The super-duper party mag-e–that mag-e is me
You'll never meet another party mag-e quite like Cheese.” as he sang others joined him on the dance floor before they hoisted him onto their shoulders, and he rode a human wave. The scene then changed to what looked like another party as large blue box opened, “C'mon, kid, take it for a spin!” Cheese said as it was revealed a large and surprisingly docile hippopotamus. He said to a boy that was the focus of the party, “Golly! Thanks, mister!” he said as he ran and jumped onto the hippo and it started to walk, giving the boy a ride.
Cheese started to sing, “Oh, when I throw a Cheese party, be sure to not be lame
And miss my pie fights, wacky kites, and streamers aren’t your bane
Fizzy drinks, Flower shirts, and brie fondue delight
You know that with Cheese Sandwich, you'll be partying all night!” As he sang, he pulled a woman that seemed to be about the same age as Rainbow, but was dressed like a schoolteacher from two centuries ago. He threw a cream pie into the woman’s face, before he handed her the strange kites and then threw a bucketful of streamers into her pie covered hair. This caused her to giggle silently. Things then changed to show the three things Cheese listed before he emerged from the fondue. The scene then changed to be back in Magiville as Cheese was again playing the accordion and hopping all around the part of town near Sugarcube Corner. He stopped singing as everyone in town had, by that time, arrived and soon picked him up and started to carry him off on their shoulder. As they started to take him from Sugarcube Corner, Cheese started to sing the last of his song’s lyrics, “The super-duper party mag-e–that mag-e is me-e-e-e-e.”

As everyone left the front of Sugarcube Corner, caught up in the excitement over the arrival of another Mystican with the specializes in parties and everything with it. The music of Cheese’s song started to go into a very depressing downbeat and Pinkie then began to sing, asking to the backs of all those that left her, including her five closest friends (and Spike), “But what about the super party mag-e named Pinkie...?”

As the time neared the second hour after midday, Rainbow gawked in awe over everything under construction for the party that Cheese was preparing. The centerpiece was a stage with a different banner, that to be frank, was on a level of professionalism that Pinkie could not achieve with her more hands on approach. After regaining her ability to speak, she flew up to Cheese, “My birth-iversary's already looking way cooler!” she declared. This brought a smile to Cheese’s face, yet there was a slight glim of sadness in it, yet it was a blink and miss sadness, and everyone around Cheese, not just Rainbow blinked. Rainbow gave Cheese a light punch to his right upper arm, “You are my kind of party mage, Cheese Sandwich.” she finished.

Cheese chuckled as he looked up from the blueprints and the stage under construction to Rainbow, “You got that right, Rainbow Dash.” he stated. He then turned around to everyone else involved in the preparations, “All right, party folks, we got a party tonight!” Everyone cheered before going back to work.

Back in front of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie sat on the ground, utterly broken. It didn’t help matters that one of the balloons from the party Cheese was planning floated over and hit one of the stands of the banner she painted for the party she planned. This caused the banner to fall behind Pinkie. She wanted to cry. How could one of her closest friends just change from her planning their party to another so…well, the only word that could describe it was ‘flippantly’. However, Pinkie's self-pity was cut short as she heard Twilight’s voice as her princess friend called her name, “Pinkie!”. Pinkie looked around before she spotted a watering tin and began to water the plants in front of Sugarcube Corner as Twilight walked up to her, “Aren't you gonna help plan the party?” Twilight asked in an attempt to get Pinkie involved with Rainbow’s birth-iversary despite Rainbow’s apparent change in party planner.

Pinkie closed her eyes as she continued to water, “That's okay.” she stated before she gave a chuckle with a minor degree of nervousness just under the surface. “Cheese obviously has what it takes to do it all by himself. Heh.” She continued in an attempt to be humble enough to accept that others might be better than her in party planning and such. Yet her disorganized and haphazard watering pointed to things not being how she described them.

Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling that she was not in a place or time that was safe for anyone, Pinkie was clearly not stable, but she had no idea how to actually handle the situation. All she could muster was to ask, “Really?”

Pinkie gave an open eyed open lipped smile what didn’t inspire much faith in Pinkie having a firm grip on her sanity, “Yes, indeedy!” Pinkie then started to chuckle, however it was clear there was a massive degree of nervousness in it. Twilight slowly took a step back, she wasn’t ready to handle a possibly mentally disurbed Pinkie. After Twilight left, Pinkie sighed as she dropped the weak facade that she had in joy in her at that moment, “After all, if Cheese really is the super duperiest partying-est mage of them all, maybe that means... I'm... not.”

Pinkie started to walk away from Sugarcube Corner and stopped at one of the bridges that went over one of the rivers that flowed through town and a sad tune started. Pinkie took a breath and started to sing, “For all my life, all I've wanted to do
Was make my friends want to smile true
But maybe I was wrong
And Pinkie Pie shouldn't plan parties at all
I'll try to get up on my feet
And try a different task
I'll find something new to do
There's gotta be more to me than planning a party or two
I put away my party cannon, I deflated all my balloons
The bubbles all burst, now what is next for you?
For you…”. As Pinkie sang from ‘I’ll try’ to ‘or two’, she imagined her taking on different jobs, first as a nurse, but gave a doctor performing a surgery a cupcake. This resulted in her being dismissed. This changed to her attempting to be a mailman, but it too was a disaster as she put streamers in a mailbox and made it something like her party cannon. This then changed to Pinkie at a construction site and making a support beam of a house under construction out of balloons. The balloons popped and Pinkie was not working at that site or in construction again. As Pinkie started ‘I put’ she was in the room on the top floor of Sugarcube Corner that the Cakes allowed her to stay in and she put her party cannon in a wardrobe and then deflated the balloons in the room. She continued to sing until she saw her reflection in the glass of a photo frame.

Pinkie stopped her lament as she looked beyond her reflection in the glass into the photo in the frame. It was the first party she threw. It was one of the few times she recalled her family expressing their happiness so openingly. “Oh, I remember this one: my first party ever. My whole family was there.” she mused. She knew that her family was still happy, even with their near stoic usual demeanors. She then looked from one to another, this was a surprise welcome party for Twilight inside the Golden Oak Library, “And that's Twilight's welcome-to-Magiville party. She didn't even expect that one.” She giggled at the memory. She then looked at another photo, this was of Gummy’s birthday. “Oh, look at Gummy! He just looks so excited for this birthday party!'' The little gator was motionless, but there was a shine in his eyes that hinted to him being happy. Pinkie then turned to another photo, this one was of the reception of the wedding of Shining and Cadance, “Hmm. Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding sure was special,” she couldn’t help but smile, joy starting to return, “especially once I got a hold of the music.”

Pinkie’s gaze then went to the other photos she had up in her room, each of a party she threw since she moved to Magiville as she started singing again, this time the music was more of a triumphant, “Oh, look at those happy faces
All the parties that I had thrown
I made them laugh, had such a blast
A smile that's all their own
They loved seeing me, the real Pinkie
Show them the time of their life like they've never known
Like they've never kno-o-own
I've got to get back out there, have to show them that I've tried
For there's only one great party mag-e -- that is Pinkie Pie
Won't let Cheese Sandwich beat me, won't let him get me down
For I am Pinkie, the bestest party mage around!” as she sang she looked from the photos and the unmistakable sincere joy in each to a set of doors of her room that went out onto the balcony just outside her room. As she reached the line ‘Show them’ she flung the doors open and stepped out her confidence returning, she knew who she was. As she reached the line, ‘I’ve got’ she dashed back in, not forgetting to shut the doors, and skipped down the stairs as she went into the kitchen of Sugarcube corner, where she made and devoured a simple cheese sandwich as she sang, ‘Won’t let’. She finished her song as she threw open the front door of Sugarcube Corner. After the music ended. Pinkie smiled as she knew what to do, “And I know just what to do!” she declared.

The time began to draw close to the third hour after midday and the party preparations were nearing completion. As everyone gave congratulations to Cheese about how everything was coming together, and while he did smile, there was faint sadness that would be caught if anyone took a second to look beyond the party. However, all this came to halt as Pinkie arrived and called out. “Freeze, Cheese!” and everything stopped as everyone turned to see Pinkie, her eyes narrowed, focused, and her brows lowered and seemingly wrathful. “I challenge you... to a goof off!” Everyone gasped at the challenged. While no one know what a goof off was, if Pinkie was being this serious about it, it was no laughing matter.

Cheese pulled out a red fuzz hat and placed it on his head, as he too scowled at the challenge, “This Cheese has stood alone a long time, Pinkie Pie.” he retorted as he walked closer to Pinkie, unphased by the declaration. “You think you can out-goof me?” he asked.

Pinkie fought back a snort as she shut her eyes as she stepped closer, “Oh, I don't think so.” Her eyes shot open, “I know so!” she declared, ready to put her money where her mouth was. Each started to walk towards the other, while at the same time circling each other in ever shrinking circles. “And the stakes are high, Cheese Sandwich. Whoever wins will be dubbed the ultimate super duper party mage and headline the Rainbow Dash birth-iversary bash!” she named the prize for the winner as the two were within arm's length of each other.

Everyone was silent, none having any idea what to say or do. That was until a very cautious Twilight asked about the other result of the challenge, “And the loser?”

Pinkie didn’t need to turn to answer the question, “Doesn't!” Everyone but Cheese gasped at the declaration, all swept up in the tension of this clash of party planning titans. Pinkie then leaned in “So, are you in, Cheese? Or are you... boneless?” she asked as she elbowed him as if to goat him on.

Cheese scowled, “Nobody calls me boneless.” he countered in a serious tone clearly incensed before he looked at the rubber chicken on his waist, “Right, Boneless?” he asked the chicken. There was no answer, not that one was expect.

Pinkie smirked as the challenged was accepted as she strutted to be a meter in front of Cheese, “Then the goof off is on for high-'' she stopped and looked at the town’s clock tower, she wasn’t going to be a fool by getting the time wrong. It read three hours after midday. “3:10 to goof off!”

“It is on.” Cheese agreed as the two squinted at each other, ready for this confrontation.

Ten minutes later, half the town was on each side of main street as Pinkie came from the eastern side of town dressed with a cartoonish ten gallon hat with an arrow going through it and a set of bejeweled cyan cowboy boots with spares, while Cheese, dressed with a trapper’s hat, a purple fish on the hat, a pair of cyan and pink elephant headed slippers on his hands (the cyan on his right and pink on his left) and mix-matched socks over his shoes (a green one on his right foot and a blue one on his left), came from the western side of town. As the two walked spurs jangled and squeaking was heard. After the two reached the opposite side of the intersection between it and Golden Oak Ave, they stopped and looked at each other. Pinkie had a party horn in her mouth and blew it.

Twilight stepped into the center of the street, equidistant from the two contestants with Rainbow on the sidelines but behind Twilight by about a meter. “All right, everybody. According to my official goof off rulebook…” She paused as she heard the muttering from the crowd. It was clear that there were questions about the existence of such a book. “And yes, there is indeed an official goof-off rulebook, It’s under ‘G’, Guidelines to Goof-offs. You all should seriously spend more time in the Golden Oak Library.” The explicit jab of the townsfolk’s seeming self-imposed limited literacy didn’t go unnoticed, but there was no real retort. Twilight continued to read from the book, “The two competitors have free range to goof about -- be it by singing, dancing, playing, prancing, joking, or performing -- to make the judge chortle, chuckle, giggle, guffaw, hoot and holler, whoop it up, and party down.” she read verbatim. It was clear that while the author knew the words, he or she didn’t truly understand the language of party planners. Twilight stopped after she read it and groaned. While she too didn’t ‘speak the language’ she knew that party planners and most people would never use those words in the context the author used. She took a breath and continued, “The funnier, sillier, wilder, and goofier, the better.” She then lowered the book and turned to Rainbow, “Rainbow Dash, since the winner will be headlining your party, you are the judge.” Twilight informed her as she pointed to the line in the text as she showed it Rainbow. It was then that it dawned on Rainbow that maybe, just maybe, there was a reason why the idiom ‘never change horses midstream’ existed as she gave a nervous ‘Heh’. If ever was a time to call things off, now was it. Yet Rainbow had made her bed, now she had to sleep in it. Twilight turned back to address the contestants as she walked to the center of the street. “Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie Pie, are you ready?” she asked.

Pinkie was the first to answer, “I was born ready!” was her declaration as she scowled at Cheese, ready for a fight.

Cheese scowled as he prepared his one-up, “I was ready before I was born!” he declared, challenging Pinkie.

Twilight looked from one of the two contenders to the other and then faced forward. She stretched out and raised her right arm. After she silently counted down from three, “Begin!” she called as she lowered her and flew up and back in order to get out of the area.

Each contestant took one step forward, then another, and Cheese started the goof off as he played polka music with an accordion while stepping so fast his feet were a blur. Pinkie then raised the bet as she started to sing while dancing on a large party ball as she juggled several cupcakes while wearing a beaner with a propeller on top and a fake mustache. “It's your birthday party, a very special day
I've got a song, it won't take long, I just wanted to say
Happy, happy, happy, happy
Happy, happy, happy, happy
Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday to you!” As she repeated the ‘happy’ she tossed a cupcake, which landed in Rainbow’s mouth as she devoured each.

After Pinkie sang, Cheese came down the street still playing the accordion while on a two-story cheese wheel, rolling it like he was a logger rolling a log down river. Once he got in between Pinkie and Rainbow, he jumped from it and started to sing, “If you wanna be the life of the party
But you're feeling just a little uptight
Call the doctor, beg and plead
"Doctor, tell me what I need"
Try to put a little cheese in your knees!” as he sang, he did various stretches and then moved Rainbow’s lips with his hand as he sang ‘Doctor, tell me what I need’. He then pulled aside and started to chicken dance as he sang, ‘Try…’ with a pair of swiss cheese wheels on his feet and once he finished ‘knees’, he raised each foot and chomped on the wheels.

After a couple seconds, Rainbow was ‘fished’ and reeled up to a hot air balloon by Pinkie. Pinkie started to sing, “Bubbles and balloons, bubbles and balloons
What's a birthday party without bubbles and balloons?
Star-shaped or trapezoid, look what I can do
Only Pinkie Pie can make a bubble shaped like you!” as she sang, ‘Star’ she made a star-shaped and then a trapezoid shaped balloon. She then made a bubble that was an almost exact replica of Rainbow Dash herself.

Just before Rainbow could break into a laugh, she was pulled onto the balcony on the top of Magiville city hall, “Just let yourself go floppy, for now this is your chance
Pretend you have no bones and do the rubber chicken dance!” as he sang, he flopped around not unlike a wave and then fish out of water and then a wave. He then stopped singing and shouted, “Hit it, Boneless!” everything changed to a stage with clear wiring attached to Boneless. The wires tightened and loosened making the rubber chicken ‘dance’.

Pinkie bounced on a trampoline getting Rainbow’s attention and sang as Rainbow flew from the top of Magiville city hall and to the ground, “Cooler than a rubber chicken and tastier than cake
Come on, you, let's party down and do the Gummy shake!” as Pinkie stopped singing and called out, “Hit it, Gummy!” The scene changed to Gummy, resting on a log near one of the bodies of water around town, “Uh-huh! You know it! Shake it!” she said as the alligator remained resting on the log.

Once the ‘Gummy Shake’ was over, Cheese pulled Rainbow aside and onto a large cheese themed float structured as a throne and begin to sing as he gave her a cheese wheel topped scepter and a cheese-themed hat, “'Cause I like to make you smile, smile, smile
Yes I do
It fills my heart with sunshine all the while
Yes it does
'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine.”

Pinkie emerged from under the carpet that divided the float, just a meter in front of Cheese, “That's my song!” she declared.

Cheese smiled as he shut his eyes, “What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about.” he denied that he took those lyrics from Pinkie’s song.

Pinkie was about to explode, “THAT'S IT!” she shouted. She took a breath and started to sing again, “Roll out the party cannon
When you hear the party cannon song
Ka-BOOM!” As she sang, she pulled out her party cannon and entered it before she fired herself out like a human cannon ball.

Once Pinkie finished, Cheese put on a helmet as he started to sing, “Why should you compromise? Try this one on for size
'Cause nothing quite says cheer like the ringing in your ear
Of the cheese supreme cannonball surprise!” As he sang, a cartoonish red bottomed and blue topped cannon with yellow stars all over it seemed to manifest out of nowhere under him and it fired very close to Rainbow, narrowly missing her. Granted it was not much different than Pinkie’s cannon.

As Cheese finished his bit, a construction crane came down the street, carrying a piñata that was at least two stories high. It was the seven colors of the rainbow with red at the bottom and violet on the top and structured like a multi-leveled cake. Pinkie was on the red layer and was singing “¡Dale, dale, dale
No pierdas el tino!
Porque si lo pierdes
¡Pierdes el camino!” Once she finished, she was off the piñata, however, a bird landed on the top and it caused the piñata to come crashing down.

The piñata nearly crushed Rainbow, Pinkie gasped as she ran to her friend. After the dust cleared, Rainbow was shown to be unharmed, but it was a near miss. “Rainbow's not having the best party ever!” Pinkie said realizing how close her friend was to being killed. Not far from Rainbow she saw a set of streams that made a rainbow of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink. Pinkie looked up and her eyes flashed the same rainbow. She knew what she had to do. “I... I broke the Pinkie Party Promise!” she admitted to herself. “Stop!” She screamed. “The goof off is off!” She shouted having everything come to a halt which was not already stopped by the near miss. Everyone was muttering in confusion.

“But I haven't named a winner.” Rainbow said as she brushed herself off, shaking off what happened in her usual manner.

Pinkie Pie shook her head as turned to Rainbow Dash, “You don't have to. I forfeit. Which means... Cheese Sandwich wins.” Pinkie was on the verge of tears and ran to Sugarcube Corner.

Half an hour later, Pinkie was on the edge of town, preparing to leave it. Everything she owned was in a cart that she could push by herself, with the exception of her party cannon and welcome wagon which were tied behind it and Gummy, who seemed to be floating in her hair, like any other crocodilian in a body of water, only to slip silently into his owner’s hair. She took a deep breath to collect herself before she began her trek back to the Pie Rock Farm quarry. However, she barely got started as she heard the voice of Rainbow call out. “Pinkie, wait!” Rainbow then landed a meter in front of Pinkie and pulled her friend into a hug, “I'm sorry I got all swept away by Cheese Sandwich.” she said as the faintest of tears managed to slide down her check onto Pinkie’s right shoulder.

Pinkie tightened the embrace for a second and then ended it as she took a step back. She took a breath and smiled, as she accepted Rainbow’s feeling of guilt and remorse, yet to her Rainbow did nothing wrong. She didn’t need to turn around to know that their closest mutual friends were behind her and were also riddled with guilt. She shook her head, “No. I'm sorry.” she said to Rainbow, while it was meant for all of her friends. “I let my pride get in the way of you having the best birth-iversary ever.” Pinkie admitted her own shortcoming. She turned around to see the party that Cheese was able to set up, “Cheese Sandwich really is a super-duper party planner, and he'll be a terrific headliner.” She had to admit Cheese’s talent. She then turned away and began to push her cart, “I should've been a big enough person to admit that and let you have your day.”

However. Rainbow bolted to be in front of Pinkie, “But don't you get it?” Rainbow asked, trying to get Pinkie to follow. “You're both super duper party mages.” Rainbow declared. “Sure, Cheese Sandwich is a great guest party mage,” she had to admit. However, this was not the only thing that had to be pointed out, “but you're Magiville's permanent party mage.” she informed as she took Pinkie by the arm, “Nobody could ever take your place, and we could never have a party without you.” Pinkie then hugged Rainbow. This led to a group hug with all of Pinkie’s closest friends.

“Rainbow Dash is right.” Came the voice of Cheese Sandwich as he walked towards the group. He had his hat over his heart, “I never meant to take your place here.” He started to explain his motives for going all out. “I just wanted to show you what a great party mage I am, Pinkie.”

Pinkie pointed to herself confused. “Why me?” She asked as she stepped away from the cart.

Cheese managed to stop a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well…” he trailed off slightly before the music of his introduction song started but it was a sadder tune at first. “I fear I told a little fib about my very past
I hope that when you hear the truth, you will not be aghast
I wasn't quite the super party mag-e like I claimed
The fact is that I was so shy, nobody knew my name
I stumbled into Magiville one afternoon by chance
And found the biggest ever celebration party dance
Everything was perfect, cheer was filling up the place
And I saw that everybody had a smile upon their face
I vowed that day to change my life, the past I did set free
For now, Cheese Sandwich was a party mag-e full of glee
A super duper party mag-e -- that's what I became
I traveled all Mystica, and all did know my name
But that never would have happened on my own, I'll tell you why
For the one who threw that party, it was you, Pinkie Pie.” As he sang ‘the fact.’ everything changed to show Cheese, again as a child. However, he was a shy child and ended up running away from Manahattan. The music started to mimic its earlier upbeat as he sang ‘I stumble’ and the image showed him stumbling not just into Magiville but during a party. While no one actually said hello, Cheese was clearly welcomed as he was given a jester’s hat and a grilled cheese sandwich. It is then that Cheese experienced the pivotal epiphany that led to his aura mark, and he discovered his purpose, to throw parties. The image shifted to a map of Mystica as he sang ‘I traveled’ and then from the map, Cheese burst from it as he sang, ‘all did.’. As he finished ‘my name’ the music went softer and serious as everything returned to the present for a little bit before he sang ‘why’ when the scene changed to the young Cheese at the party, he was struck by a rubber chicken (Boneless) and it knocked the hat he had down, but as Cheese (the adult Cheese who was singing) sang ‘it was’ Child Cheese raise the hat to see Pinkie when she was the same age as the CMC, standing with one foot on a ball and juggling three rubber chickens.

“Me?” the Pinke from the memory asked as the lyrics ended and the scene changed back to the present. Cheese nodded with a massive sincere grin. “Really?!” Pinkie continued to ask. Cheese nodded again with the same massive sincere grin. Pinkie held her chin in her right hand, “So I was the one that threw the awesomely spectacular party that inspired you to become an awesome spectacular party thrower?” she asked, pointing from herself to Cheese.

Cheese smiled, “Swear on Camembert!” he declared in affirmation. The two then hugged, now understanding each other. “Say I could use some help with the final stretch, and it’s not a party in Magiville without Pinkie!” Cheese pointed out.

“LET’S DO IT!” Pinkie shouted before she put everything into her hair, save her welcome wagon and party cannon, which she put in her right and left pocket respectively. Even Cheese was taken aback at this, but he elected to not question it.

The two then started to sing together, “Super duper party mag-es -- that is me and you
A party thrown by one is good, but not as great as two
Come on and let's join forces, have twice the expertise
Now let's all go to the party planned by Pinkie Pie and Cheese!” they sang as they skipped, dashed, etc. back to down and started the final preparations for the party.

Hours later, as the sun was starting to set, music was playing as people were cheering and various small ‘explosions’ of Pinkie’s and Cheese’s inventions. At the stage that Cheese oversaw the construction of, he and Pinkie stepped out from behind the curtain. Cheese had the microphone, “All right, everybody! We are here to celebrate the birthday…” he started then stopped as he passed it to Pinkie.
“...and anniversary…” Pinkie added and then paused so that the two could say the next part together. “...of Rainbow Dash!” both party mages declared before Rainbow also merged from behind the curtains, but her entrance was a sudden dash.

Rainbow took a moment to let the crowd cheer, ““Hey, everybody!” she called and was greeted with ‘Hey!' in turn. “Who's ready to party?!” it wasn’t a question as she pointedto Pinkie and ordered, “Hit it!”

Pinkie turned on the jukebox to play the music she was about to sing with, and took the microphone for herself and began to sing, “Get your hands up, party's starting out right now
Everybody, everybody get down
Time to make a wish, better make it right now
It's been a year and today is your birthday party
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party.” As she sang, Rainbow flew around town, building up speed, so that she ‘blew’ out the candles of her cake with a Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow managed to do so, without destroying the cake.

As the party continued Rainbow left the stage and flew around until she spotted Cheese leaning against a tree, “Cheese Sandwich!” she shouted before she landed next to the man, “I gotta tell ya, you and Pinkie have totally made this the best birthday/anniversary super combo ever!” she declared.

Cheese smiled as he put his poncho and hat on, “That's all I needed to hear, little lady.” he said as he took Boneless off of his belt and walked from the tree he was leaning on and started walking away from Rainbow towards Pinkie, who was also watching the party. Once he met up with her, he took Boneless off of his belt and held the rubber chicken to her. “Just a little memento of my visit.” he said, offering Boneless to her.

To say Pinkie was confused would be an understatement, “You're giving me your special rubber chicken friend?” she asked as she accepted Boneless, very much unsure about it all.

Cheese smiled as he managed to fight back a small giggle. He shook his head, “While he is not my only rubber chicken friend,” he said as he pulled out another rubber chicken with the rendering of ‘#2’ on its belly and place it on his waist where Boneless once claimed residence. Cheese then turned back to Pinkie, “He is still the most special,” he nodded towards Boneless. He then looked squarely at Pinkie, “But he wants to be with the person that gave him to me, albeit unintentionally. Also likes you and wants to stay, says he wants to be a reminder of us working together.” Pinkie smiled and hugged the rubber chicken, making it squeak. Cheese then put on his hat as he started to walk out of town, “Well, Boneless Two, another job well done.” he said toward the rubber chicken. “But it's time we mosey along. Another town, another party.” He walked off into the setting sun, off to the next party that he was needed.

Pinkie smiled to herself and turned to rejoin the party. Later that night after everyone had called it and were en route to bed, Pinkie pulled out the group journal, as it was her turn with it and wrote down the event of the day and as she concluded. ‘Sometimes the best plans are made with someone else, and if you let your pride get in the way, it’s never fun for anybody. ’ After she jotted down the last of her thoughts she looked to Boneless and smiled, “Cheese Sandwich, I’ll never forget that name.” she mused before she tucked herself in and held Boneless like a teddy bear. Unbeknownst to her, Boneless flashed a rainbow of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink.

It Ain’t Easy Being Pixie

Fluttershy was hosting her five closest friends for tea in her house, after everyone had enjoyed their tea (coffee in Applejack’s and Rainbow’s cases), she spoke, “Thank you all for coming today for the final preparations for the pixies’ flight through Magiville in two days.” the druid started.

Pinkie was the first of her five guests to speak, “Yes! Ooh, it's so exciting! Ah! I can't wait for Rainbow and all the other Skyborns to make the breeze for them so I can see how cute they are up close!” Fluttershy was thankful that served Pinkie decaffeinated and unsweetened tea. But as her friend seemed to bounce around regardless, Fluttershy was thankful Pinkie didn’t strike anything and cause it to break.

Rainbow put down her coffee, “We've never done it before,” she admitted in a small moment of humility, but the moment didn’t last long, “Not that I won't be totally awesome at it, because I totally will!” her ego needed to be fed, even if that meant she had to make such an unfounded claim.

Everyone else sans Fluttershy shook their heads, sometimes Rainbow was right to have her ego fed and sometimes she was wrong. All they could really hope for was that the next time Rainbow discovered she was wrong she would actually swallow the serving of humble pie she was going to get.

Fluttershy gave a soft sigh before she spoke, “The breeze is very important,” she informed, or more accurately confirmed, “but so is cheering on those teeny-tiny little things, so they have the confidence to ride that breeze to their mound.” she explained. "I was thinking we could do a special Pixie cheer!” However, before Pinkie could say anything, the druid covered her often excited friend’s mouth, “But the cheer should be a quiet cheer.” she informed. The other five looked to each other as they tried to fathom a ‘quiet-cheer’, it was borderline oxymoronic. Fluttershy continued, as if she would answer every question without being asked in time. “We don't want to startle them. They need to be able to concentrate.” she explained. Why don't we try it? You can do it, Pixies.” After a second of mentally preparing to give the quiet cheer, they repeated the cheer, “You can do it, Pixies!” slightly quieter than their normal voices. “A little quieter,” Fluttershy couched. “You can do it, Pixies!” the four repeated as they neared a whispered. Fluttershy pitched the air between her left thumb and index finger, “Just a little quieter.” she couched. The five rolled their eyes and in what could only be considered a whisper repeated the cheer, “You can do it, Pixies!” Fluttershy beamed before she shouted, “Perfect!” so load it shook her house. After everything settled Applejack gave the druid the paladin’s near signature bemused look with the other four giving their own variants. Fluttershy gave a weak laugh before she whispered, “yay.”

Two days later in the center of Magiville, everyone had gathered in the open, save the Skyborns employed by Cumula Weather’s Magiville Branch, who were a little over ten meters in the air and were using their ethereal wings and elemental magic to regulate the current of the wind a meter below them. That ‘layer’ was where the pixies were to fly through Magiville and its surrounding area. Among the land bound Magicborn, Earthborn and the fair number of Skyborn (because anymore would make the winds too powerful for the pixies), there was subdued soft music playing as the excitement of seeing the pixies managed to be kept subdued as well. In front of city hall, the Cakes were in a discussion with Fluttershy as they set out the baked goods they were commissioned for the after party. “What I don't understand is why they need the Skyborn to make a breeze for them.” Mr. Cake said as he got to the point

Fluttershy smiled, she rarely got the chance to give her knowledge, especially to adults that were not politely fanning interest, something that even her friends did with albeit with the best of intentions. “Well, you see, it's the breeze that activates the pixies' magic, and that magic protects the pollen they're carrying from being destroyed.”

The bakers look at each other in slight confusion. They had gone to an evening seminar hosted by Princess Twilight about the durability of pollen with samples that dated before 0 AC and thus they still didn’t follow, “So, no breeze means no magic means the pollen goes bad?” Mr. Cake asked, trying to but not able to reconcile what Princess Twilight taught and what Fluttershy was saying. He wasn’t alone in his confusion, but Mrs. Cake saw no need to chime in at this point.

“That's right!” Fluttershy declared. “You see this is a very special pollen and is harvested in a very particular way that makes it dependent on the pixies magic to maintain its structure.'' She gave a means to connect what seemed to be the contradictions between her statement and the lecture that she knew the Cakes attended. “And they only have a total of two days since the harvesting was completed to get that pollen back before the portal to their home closes.” she pointed out the time constraint that the pixies were under. “That's why it's ever-so-important that we help them make their way through Magiville safely.” she finished.

The Cakes turned to each, they both could tell that they still didn’t understand much of this, but they understood enough. Mrs. Cake spoke on her family’s behave, “We certainly wouldn't want to scare them and divert them from their path!” she declared, as Mr. Cake nodded in agreement. Fluttershy smiled and nodded, she knew the couple still didn’t understand it all, but they got the key points. “Well, you certainly know a lot about them.” Mrs. Cake finished. Fluttershy smiled and had a faint blush, few outside of her friends complimented her and her knowledge.

In less than ten minutes, the mayor of Magiville, after she was briefed by a Skyborn that was keeping an eye out for the pixies had spotted them, started to float from the side farthest from the Everfree Forest, cleared her throat and got everyone’s attention. Then in a whisper, “Everybody, it's time.” she started. “Please welcome…” she trailed off for a second or two just as the pixies got within visual range of most of the townsfolk. “The pixies!” she announced. Everyone turned and as silently as they could wooed and awed at the sight.

One of the pixies seemed to float alongside the rest of the tribe, he had blue skin, pink hair, with rose-red eyes and dressed in what seemed to be a black full bodysuit with white around the wrist, neck and ankles. He spoke the language of the pixies, “Lun! Arshen aifok!” in what was some sort of command. It was clear that he was among the leaders of the pixies. Everyone managed to keep their excitement over the cuteness of the pixies as they continued to float through the town.

Just then a leaf broke off a small branch and floated into the breeze. Everyone held their breath as they hoped it would just float along the pixies (beyond the fact if anyone tried to get the leaf it could do more harm than good). Yet the leaf cut across the path of the pixies in front of the last dozen. Everyone gasped as the dozen pixies panicked as they were caught in spirals, trapped in midair. Rainbow turned her head to her left as she tried to keep her torso forward as she spoke to the two Skyborn closest to her in their V formation. “Slow down the breeze for the other group to catch up!” she ordered. “They’re too far back! We can't connect the breeze to both sets!” the one on her right side pointed, calling attention to the increasing distance. Rainbow turned to face forward and came up with another idea, “What if we speed it up?” she asked, hoping that the other plan would work. “Then the first group'll be going too fast, and they'll get separated from each other even farther!” the one on her left pointed out.

The dozen pixies continued to panic as they continued to spin, trapped midair. The blue skinned pixie stopped and turned around midair to check the status of the rear dozen and saw their panic. “Tanagretu nik mir!” he shouted as he flew towards them against the breeze. “Maisegu de piripa!” he continued to command. He seemed about to shout something else as one of pixies was thrown out of the wind tunnel. Faster than anyone imagined, Fluttershy jumped into the air, her wings beating faster than ever, and she caught the pixie and flew closer to the rest of the panicking pixies. As Fluttershy got among the pixies, the commander shouted, “Mekenar stuf!” as he pointed to Fluttershy and the pixie she caught.

“Seabreeze's right!” she both identified the pixie in command and affirmed his command, “You must all gather as close as you possibly can!” she explained as she stretched out her arms and was able to catch all but Seabreeze, who managed to fly on his own next to Fluttershy as the druid brought them all safely to the ground, or rather an old stump. Once Fluttershy landed, everyone, save the recently identified Seabreeze, cheered.

After a second the cheering stopped and Seabreeze looked at Fluttershy, “Mugudi saikendus?” he asked the druid somewhat confused that another being seemed able to understand his tongue and yet not speak it.

Fluttershy only picked up the literal meaning of his question, that she understood his language, “Oh, I understand the language of all kinds of creatures!” she boasted.

Seabreeze squinted unimpressed, he had dealt with many Mysticans that could understand what his kind said, but none to date seemed able to actually speak it. “You must be so proud.” he mocked.

Fluttershy barely fought back a gasp of surprise, “And you speak my language too?” she asked.

Seabreeze gave a ‘pf’ and eyeroll, “I can.” he pointed to himself. He looked over his shoulder to the other pixies. “This lot can only understand you. Clearly, they're not the brightest bunch around.” The other pixies gave shouts of indignation. “Oh please, Mystican is not that hard to learn, we hear it every time and we have to harvest the pollen and go home.” he chastised the dozen. They only protested in response. He shook his head and turned back to Fluttershy.

While the pixies still shouted in indignation at Seabreeze, Pinkie was the first of Fluttershy’s friends to come on scene, “That was amazing!” the jester shouted as she hugged Fluttershy, turning the druid around to face their friends. Everyone else gave various cheers of praise.

Rainbow was the first to say something other than praise, “I'm sorry we couldn't get a breeze going that would get them back to the others.” she apologized for the shortcoming.

Fluttershy shook her head, “Oh, it's not your fault.” she pointed out.

Before this tangent was allowed to go further, Twilight spoke up, “I, for one, am very proud of you, Fluttershy. Leaping into action like that.” She praised the druid.

However, there was another matter to be addressed, and Rainbow elected to call out the elephant in the room, as delicately as she could, “So, Fluttershy, you want us to get the breeze going again so these little guys can get a move on?” she asked the druid. All the pixies, sans Seabreeze, cried in protest as they leapt from the stump and clung onto Fluttershy. Seabreeze remained on the stump.

“Maybe we should wait just a moment or so.” Fluttershy suggested. “They've been through so much…” she trailed off as she called attention to what they had experienced. Everyone, sans Seabreeze, gave various declarations of either agreement or deferment to Fluttershy’s knowledge on other creatures. Seabreeze could only look at the scene in sad disbelief.

An hour later, the pixies were resting throughout Fluttershy’s cabin some in Angel’s own bed. This didn’t settle well with the rabbit as he whimpered. Yet this was ignored by Fluttershy as she tended to the pixies. Fluttershy spotted one of the pixies shivering slightly, “Oh, my, Twirly, you look like you need a blanket.” she acknowledged and place one of Angel’s blankets around the pixie. “Sanken.” the pixie said in gratitude. Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, no problem.” she said. Another pixie held out a thumb thimble which was being used as a cup, “Malenki?” it asked. “Oh, did you need some more water?” before she went for the cup she had set out and the dropper she had in it. She squeezed it so that it would collect some of the water and the squeezed it into the thimble as a droplet. The pixies slipped the water up almost greedily. Fluttershy smiled.

There was a knock at the front door before it was opened by Applejack, “Hey there!” she said as she looked around before swinging it farther open to show both her and Twilight. “Can we come in?” She asked. After noting that no one was in danger of being stepped on, Fluttershy nodded.

After being allowed in, Twilight was the next to speak, “We just wanted to see if you thought the pixies were ready to give it another try.”

Fluttershy looked to the clock in her cabin, “Has it been an hour already?” she asked really to no one. As she understood the time on the clock, “Oh, my goodness!” she gasped. She turned back to the pixies and then looked out one of her windows, “Time flies when you're making sure little creatures don't feel that you're abandoning them to the cruel world.” However, outside her window everything was calm as a butterfly just floated without care in the light breeze.

Both Applejack and Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. Then Applejack shook her head, Fluttershy could not be this dense, not even Rainbow Dash could be that dense. Twilight elected a different approach as she walked up to Fluttershy, “But they're not going to a cruel world, right?” she questioned the druid’s logic. “They're going home.” she pointed out.

“Oh, yes, that's right!” Fluttershy looked from the window and Twilight to the pixies and recalled that indeed the pixies were following the breeze that would take them home. ““Oh, yes, that's right!” she declared. Once the druid agreed with the demigod, all the pixies, sans Seabreeze, floated to Fluttershy, as they gave cries of protests. As they clung to her, “On second thought, I don't think they're quite ready.” she sided with the pixies.

From the couch Seabreeze shouted, “Supa laipas data kurpa! Mise neku ersken laika maur! Siripat sulat!” he exclaimed.

Fluttershy were left agape in horror at what Seabreeze just said. Neither Twilight nor Applejack knew what the pixie just said, but they could tell that it was something they didn’t want to know. “Okay Ah haven’t the foggiest incline of what he just said, but Ah think Ah’m better off not knowin’ for the time bein’.” Applejack said as she turned to the druid. Fluttershy nodded affirming Applejack’s suspension. Applejack and Twilight then turned to the front door, “In any case, Ah'm sure yah know what you're doin'. No one knows rare magical creatures like you do.” the paladin said as she stepped out first.

Twilight was the next to step out, “We'll just wait for your word.” she wanted to make sure Fluttershy understood.

“Thank you. I'll be in touch very soon.” Fluttershy bid her friends farewell before she closed the door.

Once the door closed, Seabreeze spoke up. “We need to go now, or we will never get home!” he shouted at the other pixies, barking commands. “I wish we did not need that stupid breeze to activate our magic, or I would just force you all to fly home right now!” he continued, seemingly he was barely able to stop himself from exploding with wrath. “Why do we have to need magic to keep our pollen safe?” he bemoaned.

Trying to defuse the situation, “Um, now, Seabreeze-” Fluttershy started.

Seabreeze floated up to Fluttershy’s face, cutting her short, “Why are you giving in to these wimps?!” he asked; it was clearly rhetorical as he continued. “If they had not been so scared in the first place, this never would have happened!” he pointed out that the current situation was the result of the other twelve panicking.

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, not unlike how she had seen Applejack and Rarity done when the two lectured Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle for misbehaving, “But that is just not true, Seabreeze.” Fluttershy started. “It was because of a leaf, and you know that!” she pointed out the cause of the panic, the leaf cutting across their route.

Seabreeze rolled his eyes, “Oh, please!” he countered. He then looked at the other pixies, then back to Fluttershy, “They have no idea what they're doing out there!” as he pointed his left index finger at the druid, “Like you said, we need as much time as we can get because they are so incompetent!”

Fluttershy was taken aback at that, not even Discord had twisted her words or put them in her mouth like that. She was silent for a second as she collected her thoughts. “Well, I didn't say that exactly now, did I?” she asked, pointing out how Seabreeze her words to fit his own means. Seabreeze turned his back and gave a ‘Hmph!’. Fluttershy took a breath and then looked to the other pixies. “Oh, well, maybe a snack will lighten the mood.” she offered. The pixies gave coos of interest.

Half an hour later as four pixies were finishing a cookie humans would eat, and as one was munching on a grape, as three more rested on the floor, while another was eating a cupcake, the rest, sans Seabreeze, were lying on Fluttershy’s couch next to her as she read on of her books. A pixie burped and said, “Mi fargen.” Fluttershy smiled and said, “You're excused.” She then put the book she was reading down and got up, “Well, my pixies, I think we can all agree that now that you've eaten and you have a little energy going in your bodies, you're strong enough to face the breeze!” She then started to the door as she spoke to them, “I've loved having you here, and I hope I've made you all feel loved and special. But you have to go.” she informed the pixies with soft and fair words, making it clear that if the circumstances were different, the pixies would be welcomed to come back and stay with her longer. “Nobody here will deny that-” she continued.

“There is nothing special about these losers!” Seabreeze shouted as he floated past the other pixies and was in between them and Fluttershy. “They cannot handle a simple breeze home!” he berated the frailty of the twelve. “If they could just stick in formation and listen to me, we would be safe!” he shouted. “At home!” his voice started to not so much soften but deflate, “Home, where every pixie is like us!” he said, not fighting back the tears that pooled in his eyes and shed. He sighed in dejection as he floated through the front door and looked out the peephole.

As Seabreeze just hovered there, “Okay, well, a confusing pep-talk, but nonetheless. I do know that if you don't leave soon, you may never make it back, and that would be terrible!” She pointed out the situation the pixies were in. One of the pixies then sneezed before saying, “Merte marshken farde.” then another pixie coughed before saying “Merki marshken plumatu.”. Fluttershy looked at the pixie that last spoke with a questioning gaze, “I had no idea you all have colds! Really? All of you?” she asked, not quite believing the claim. All the pixies then started to cough, as if in proof that they were slightly under the weather. “Oh, dear.” Fluttershy all but gasped. “I can't let you go out there sick!” she declared. “What kind of a friend would I be if I made you go now?” she asked. The pixies then started to chatter excitedly.

Seabreeze had drifted from the front door to one of the bird houses inside the cabin, this one not in use, “D'oh! Irde turten manes pudenhel! Nievo ut! Parde tarmen!” he cursed trying to stop himself from ripping about the other pixies, ultimately he went into the birdhouse to give the last of his vents.

About another hour later, there was a knock at Fluttershy’s front door. The druid pulled away from the pixies and the situation around them and Seasbreeze and opened the door slightly to reveal Rainbow and a couple of the other Skyborns of the Magiville Branch of Cumula Weather just outside. “Hey, Fluttershy, just wondering if the pixies are ready to go yet.” Rainbow spoke, she was the lead and one of Fluttershy’s closest friends. “Clock's kinda ticking for them to make it back before their door closes.” she pointed out.

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy stated, clearly in agreement with the last thing Rainbow said, but quickly realizing that it might be confused with her saying that the pixies ready to make another attempt, “I mean, not quite.” she stated. She looked over her shoulder and then back to Rainbow, “Um, maybe just a few more minutes?” she asked before she closed the door.

After Fluttershy shut the door, “Uh, alright,” Rainbow said before she turned around and nodded for them to head off. As they flew, one of the other two spoke up. “If we wait too long, we'll have to create such a strong breeze, it may be more than they can handle.” she pointed out. Rainbow wanted to agree with her co-worker, but she knew Fluttershy was the expert in the field in question, “We just have to trust Fluttershy. She must know what she's doing.” she tried to

Half an hour later as the pixies seemed to be celebrating, with Fluttershy seemingly caught up in it all. One was playing a small saxophone that Fluttershy had made for the smaller animals that lived in her cabin, other than Angel. Seabreeze couldn’t take it as he grabbed the saxophone and threw it to the floor breaking it. Everyone gave a depressed “Aww!”. “Why are you spending your time on this?!” Seabreeze asked his arms up and out as if in defeat over some battle. “I will never get home!” he all but pleaded.

After a second of letting Seabreeze’s words sit in, Fluttershy couldn’t disagree with him. “Pixies, I must say, Seabreeze has a point.” she started to give her agreement. “I think it's time for me to get Rainbow Dash so that she and the others can create the breeze for you to get home.” She then started for the door. The pixies, sans Seabreeze, clung to her giving dismayed shouts in protest. “
“Ooh…” she trailed off. “You're all awfully anxious…'' She had to agree with the pixies in their state. “Oh, I don't want you to feel abandoned, or that I wasn't the most kind host I could possibly be…” she continued and trailed off slightly. Then one of the pixies spoke up, “Adoshen papan gorn.” Fluttershy nodded, “Oh, yes, that does make sense…” she trailed off and thought she asked Seabreeze, maybe reason with him, “Seabreeze, do you think you could wait just a couple more hou- Seabreeze? Seabreeze? Has anyone seen Seabreeze?” she asked. The other pixies looked around and each in turn raised their shoulders. Fluttershy then spotted that the peephole in her front door was opened. She dashed over and looked out only to gasp as she saw Seabreeze flying on his own. “Where's he going?” she asked more so to herself as she shut the peephole. “There's no way he can handle being out there on his own!” she declared and opened the door and shut it behind her before she went after Seabreeze.

Seabreeze was rapidly regretting his decision as he could barely maintain his own flight in the wind. “Ah! Ah! Ah! Blusken! Ah! Ah! Arge nusen! Uf! Osemi! Ah! Narsken! Noi serenda! Ah!” he cried as the breeze was just short of overpowering him and he struggled to not only stay upright but avoid hitting anything and keep himself going forward. A sudden increase in the force didn’t help matters as it loosen acorns causing them to fall, many of them barely missing him. “Ah! Gah! Ah! Kesino! Uu! Tu ge! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Miuse konda!” he cried after the impact of one near miss caused the air current to overpower him and sent in spiraling into a beehive. He covered his face and braced for impact. There was a squeal as he punctured the side of the hive and was at his waist inside the hive. He cautiously opened his eyes and cast a mild faire fire to see inside. If the bees weren’t already perturbed by the intrusion, the pixie’s attempt to illuminate his situation made it clear he was far from welcomed, as the buzzing indicated. “Vaior uskren! Yavaya…” Seabreeze shouted before he managed to pull himself out. The bees followed him as he was caught at the end of a branch below their hive. “Ibeku-u-u! Ah, sa-sabada!” he called out in fear as he lost his footing and had to grab the branch.

As the bees swarmed, preparing to take care of the intruder, “Excuse me, bees?” came Fluttershy’s voice. Every bee and Seasbreeze turned to see Fluttershy hovering close to the tree that all was playing out on. “Can you please back off my pixie friend?” she asked politely. “He didn't mean any harm. It was just an accident.” she explained to the bees. The bees were not moved and turned their focus back to Seabreeze. However, before they could go farther, “I'm working on a bee dance and was hoping you could help me?” Fluttershy asked. The bees turned to see a human sized bee with pink stripes were Fluttershy was. She began to perform an aerial dance that if translated into human speech roughly meant, ‘Does this bring to mind any images for you? Perhaps a bee?’. This didn’t move the bees and they prepared to give their lives to ensure their hive’s safety from the intruding pixie. “Excuse me!” Fluttershy shouted, once again a human, “I have done nothing but be kind, but I guess that is not working!” she scolded the swarm. “You bees know better than to hurt a helpless pixie! I demand that you go away now, or you'll have to answer to me!” For a brief second her irises flashed red as she gave the bees ‘the stare’. The bees seemed to have thought better and flew back to their hive.

After the bees left, returning to their hive, Fluttershy turned to Seabreeze. “Menkyulen. Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you for coming after me!” The small fairy said as he hugged her and then sat down on a branch so that they were at eye-level.

Fluttershy gave a smile as she looked at Seabreeze, “Of course. You could've gotten seriously hurt out there. Even Magiville is much too dangerous for you on your own. At your size, even an acorn is a threat!” Fluttershy pointed out as she reached her right hand to Seabreeze silently offering to carry him back.

Seabreeze threw his arms into the air, expressing his frustration over the situation, “Yeah, I know! That is one reason why I have been trying to get us to go from the beginning!"

Fluttershy was a little taken aback, but the direness of Seabreeze’s situation was finally dawning on her, “Oh, my goodness. I was just trying not to hurt any creature's feelings, but my displays of kindness may have cost you everything…” She gasped as she realized how little time Seabreeze and the other pixies have before they would be trapped outside of their mound. “Time is running out, and you may never make it home!”

Seabreeze gave a sigh before he spoke, “That is exactly what I have been telling all of them! But they do not listen to me! Nobody ever listens to me!” He turned away from Fluttershy and looked down towards the ground forlorn and dejected.

Fluttershy placed a finger on his shoulder as a soft smile grew on her face, “Seabreeze, I understand your feelings are hurt, but it's hard for them to hear you when you're shouting and being mean. The message doesn't get across.”

Seabreeze turned to Fluttershy and pointed towards the beehive he barely escaped from, “But what about those bees? You were not nice to them, and that was the only way they listened!” he pointed out.

Fluttershy shook her head at first, she could not help but feel that Seabreeze was conflating being firm with being abrasive. “Yes, but they had to go, and they wouldn't listen to me any other way. However, there is a difference between being firm and being abra...” Fluttershy paused as she saw a rainbow made of the colors of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink glitter on Seabreeze’s wings before her eyes reflected it. She knew then and there what she had to do. “We need to go, now!” She grabbed Seasbreeze and flew as fast as she could back home, making sure Seabreeze was not torn about by the force of the wind. After she and Seabreeze returned to her cabin, Fluttershy called all the other pixies’ attention. She shut her eyes, took a soft breath and then opened them and spoke to the twelve, “My dear pixies,” she started, “I had to rescue Seabreeze from serious harm,” she informed the pixies. “And now I know more than ever that you must leave before it's too late! You would never survive in Magiville.” she declared. The twelve were in disbelief, “Erski parli polin!” The pixies protested in the hope that Fluttershy wouldn’t cast them out as they went to her legs, like children to their mothers. Fluttershy, however, was not moved. “I can't help you anymore.” she pointed out to them. “In fact, I wasn't helping you at all by being nice.” She took another breath, “But the truth of the matter is that I must be firm!” She then went to her front door and took hold of the knob. “You must go, now!” she declared firmly as she opened the front door. Reluctantly the pixies floated out the last to leave was Seabreeze. Once she saw that Seabreeze had left, Fluttershy shut the door softly before she covered her face and cried. She knew it was the right thing to do, that housing the pixies was the wrong thing, and yet it didn’t stop the pain.

Outside, Rainbow and the whole of the Magiville Branch of Cumula Weather were using a tree and its leaves to visually judge the strength of the wind and have been trying to find the goldilocks zone. However, the leaves were on the verge of snapping off. “It's too strong!” Rainbow called out. The one over her immediate left called back, “We can't do it any lighter!” she informed Rainbow. “And if just one of us breaks off and land, it will be too light!” the one over her immediate right called out. Rainbow sighed. “Okay everyone, stop! We need to form a new plan.'' Everyone landed and took a break.

On the ground, the pixies kept close to Fluttershy, even Seabreeze as well as the rest of Fluttershy’s friends. The pixies all slumped and barely fought back tears. Fluttershy looked at the pixies, but she wasn’t looking as she did, but from a new point of view. Her eyes widened, “There’s too few of them.” she pointed out. “When they started their journey, there were more of them to face the breeze together.” she elaborated. This was not lost on anyone.

As everyone was at a loss of what to do, Twilight spoke up, “I've been studying an old spell book from the Castle of the Two Sisters.” she offered. Everyone turned to the new princess. “There's a spell that I think could help us!” she declared as she teleported the spell book she had ‘borrowed’ from the castle. She flipped through it and showed the pages with the spell, it was written in the same letters of modern Mystican but the words made less sense than the speech of the pixies with the images of a Mystican, a pixie and a set of arrows that pointed to and from the Mystican and the pixie. “A Transmutation spell that would transmute our bodies into the bodies of pixies!” she informed them with confidence. While Fluttershy seemed willing to, the others didn’t seem so willing.

“That won’t be necessary!” Everyone turned and saw Brighteyes. “I spoke with Time Turner after the pixies were separated and he has another idea.”

About an hour later, everyone was inside Time Turner’s house, pixies included. “Thank you all for coming.” he said as he opened the door to what seemed to be a blue box that had to an area of 1.4 meters square for its base and was 2.75 meters tall, suggesting a maximum volume of 3.85 cubic meters, “It’s larger on the inside.” he said as he entered. Everyone cautiously followed. “Now the pixie’s magic to protect the pollen they collected needs a certain wind speed when traveling a long distance. However, if it is just the last thirty meters, they would only need to hover around someone with a gentle flight, like Fluttershy, then all will be fine.” Time Turner said as he went to what looked like some sort of collection of buttons, switches, levers, pulleys, etc. arranged to look a control panel of some half-baked 960’s AC sci-fi television series and began pushing, switching and pulling things until the box started to rev and within seconds he dashed to the door to show that they on the shore of a river that came from a waterfall and in the side of cliff to the right of the waterfall (looking at the waterfall from its front) was a hole about eight meters vertically and six meter horizontally away from the door. “It’s on you Fluttershy, you have thirty minutes before the door closes. You should get there in less than five.” Time declared

Fluttershy nodded and stepped forward with the pixies holding on to her, “Maifo flai batendud!” she announced and started her flight towards the hole in the wall entrance into the pixies’ mound.

The flight was for the most part straight forward, but the wind was slightly stronger than expected. One of the pixies began to lose her grip. She then started to fall. One of the other pixies was able to get her, but they were starting to slip and fall behind. “Marskin farskin.” “Metar.” the two said to one another, feeling the fatigue of the wind. Twilight was right, there weren’t enough of them. However, their absence didn’t go unnoticed as Seabreeze managed to slip off and was flying in front of the two. “You can do this!” he declared to them. “I am sorry for how I treated you before!” He finally apologized for all he said and did. He took a breath, “It was not right that I called you names! I did not even really believe those things I said! I was worried we would never get back to our home, and I lashed out…” he trailed off slightly as he finally bore his soul and allowed himself to feel guilt. He then raised his hand and flew above and ended behind the two. “I know you can do this! I believe in you!” he declared as he offered his arms. “Hold on to me, let us join the group!” he said and the three were able to catch up, grabbing Fluttershy’s hair.

After getting through the hole in the cliff side, Fluttershy floated to another smaller hole in the far wall in less than three minutes. Once there she stopped, and the pixies were able to complete their journey. Fluttershy couldn’t fit, but she was able to see inside. The whole of the tribe that went to collect the pollen was there as well as the rest of the court that remained behind. And everyone greeted each other like they haven’t seen each other in years in joyous celebration. It was then that Fluttershy saw the reason for Seabreeze’s temper and desire as the first thing Seabreeze did was fly to female pixie with a baby in her arms. Fluttershy could only shed a tear, Seabreeze was just a father trying to do the best he could for his child. Her own father might normally be a timid man, but he would do anything for her. She took a breath and then cleared her throat to get the attention of the pixies. They all turned to look at her. “I wish you all well, and hopefully the next time you fly through Magiville it won’t be so…” she trailed off to find the right word. “Nerve wracking” she selected after some thought. “I too need to head home, and so I goodbye everyon…” she trailed off as she noticed that Seabreeze was not among the court. She tried to scan the inside, but she was limited by her size.

This search lasted less than a second as Seabreeze re-appeared with a flower with blue petals. He floated up to her and held out the flower to Fluttershy. “To remember us by.” he said with a smile.

Fluttershy reached in and accepted the flower with her right index and middle finger, “Thank you!” she said as she then placed the flower in her hair and over her right ear. “I'll miss you. I'll miss all of you!” Fluttershy gave her final farewells as pixies all called out their own farewells.

Later that night, after she had been taken home by Time Turner, Fluttershy wrote another entry into the group journal about everything that day. Once she finished, she paused and reflected on everything and then jotted down her musings, ‘My experiences with the pixies have helped me to see that kindness can take many forms, and sometimes being too kind can actually keep a friend from doing what they need to do. Pushing them away may seem cruel, but it's sometimes the kindest thing you can do. ’ She then set down the pen and shut the group journal. She took the flower Seabreeze gave her and put it into a flower vase with water to prevent it from wilting and went to bed. She failed to see the flower flash a rainbow of the colors of orange, yellow, alabaster, cyan, purple and pink.

Author's Note

And that's the Rainbow Key arch.
I don't know if I have any more in me.
Maybe I'll do a couple of bonus chapters to fill out a few things.
Will post a blog about it soon.
Foxhelm out.