The Element of Love

by KingSombraTheTyrantRuler

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Main 6, Romance, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Second Person, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia
Length: 22589

(Y/N)'s life changes when her childhood friend, Dusk Shine comes to Ponyville to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.

(Y/N)'s life changes when her childhood friend, Dusk Shine comes to Ponyville to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.

Thankfully, it's not a bad change.

(The characters tagged on this story are all gender swapped.

This is a request from Alysa (SpaceLoverGirl).)

Published 2023-07-05 19:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-08-17 13:32:02 UTC

Friendship Is Magic- Part One

The Element of Love

Season One

Friendship Is Magic

Part One

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal brothers who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used his unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night.

Thus, the two brothers maintained balance for their kingdom, and their subjects- all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger brother became resentful.

The ponies relished and played in the day his elder brother brought forth, but shunned and slept through his beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn.

The elder brother tried to reason with him, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed him into a wicked stallion of darkness- Night-terror Nebula!

He vowed that he would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder brother harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom- The Elements of Harmony!

Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, he defeated his younger brother and banished him permanently in the moon. The elder brother took on the responsibility for both the Sun and the Moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.

You smile as you look out of the window. It's a bright and sunny day, which means it's perfect for going out.

Hmm… you haven't had breakfast yet, so perhaps a quick trip to Sugarcube Corner would be in order.

You hum as you fly there, with it only taking you a few minutes. You did have super fast speed after all. In fact, you were the only pony who was capable of rivalling Rainbow Blitz himself, who was literally the fastest pony in Ponyville.

You chuckle quietly as you remember the look on Rainbow's face when he saw how fast you were. He was so shocked…

You shake your head and see that you've arrived at the Café. You walk into it and go to the counter, to see that Bubble Berry, one of your many close friends, is there.

"Bubble! It's nice to see you. It's been a while... " You greet enthusiastically.

Bubble leaps over the counter and hugs you as tight as he can.

"B-bubble, I need to breathe!" You remind him, after which, he lets go and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, blushing.

You blush, while trying not to focus on how cute he is. Weakly, you attempt to change the topic. "So, I've noticed that the Café seems to be rather empty today."

"I think it's because with the Summer Sun Celebration coming up, everypony has been a little busy lately since they're preparing for it, " he replies, finally having stopped blushing.

"Oh, that's this week? I totally forgot about it!"

" Let me guess, you were too busy reading some books you borrowed from the Canterlot library? "

"You know me too well. Yes, I was. But it was this really interesting book about the Stallion in the Moon, Night-terror Nebula. "

"That's just an old ponies tale, (Y/N). You can't seriously be telling me that you believe in it."

"But Bubble, what if it's true? I mean, it would be good if it stayed as a pony tale, but…So it was from one of the books I borrowed from the Canterlot library, and there was another book… It said: Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in his escape, and he will bring about night time eternal."

You feel a chill going down your spine as you utter the prophecy aloud, and you see that Bubble also shudders. "That sounds bad… And I guess that my Bubble sense is warning me about something… but it might even be a totally different thing, like some pony new coming to town- Oh, hey, look over there! I swear I've never seen that pony before! "

Bubble bursts out of the Café, and you follow him. Standing in the middle of the street is a lavender coated unicorn stallion with streaks of purple in his mane. There is a dragon behind him.

There's only one pony who matches that description, and even if you haven't seen him in years… You have a pretty good memory.

"Dusk!" You run over to him, just as Bubble was about to begin talking, and envelop the nerdy stallion in a hug.

He's taken aback, and as you let go, he looks at you for a few seconds, before cautiously asking, "(Y/N)?"

"Somepony seems to have changed a lot over the years, " you smirk. "Who's your companion?"

" I'm Spike, " the dragon steps forward and puffs his chest out. "And I'm Dusk's Number One Assistant!"

" It's nice to meet you, Spike, " you smile. "And this is my friend, Bubble Berry."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bubble," greets Dusk, holding his hoof out.

Bubble blinks, and then gasps, zooming off. The only evidence that he was here is the huge cloud of dust.

Dusk turns to you. "Did I do something incorrectly?"

You laugh. "Bubble's like that. I bet he's probably preparing a party to welcome you and Spike to Ponyville. So, why did you come here?"

"Prince Solaris sent me to oversee the preparations for the festival. "

"You don't sound happy about that."

" Well, the Prince wanted Dusk to make some friends as well, " pipes in the dragon.

"It's not that… (Y/N), do you remember that story we read together once? The one about the Stallion in the Moon?"

" Well, of course. And I even read a book that had a slightly longer version of it. "

"I suppose you know of the prophecy?" Dusk asks quickly.

" Did we borrow the same books? " you laugh.

"Well, it may be possible that we did. Anyway, I wrote-"

"I think you mean that I wrote it," Spike interjects.

" Fine. So Spike wrote a letter to Prince Solaris about it for me, and the Prince told me that I should stop reading those 'dusty old books' and make some friends instead! Like, can you believe that?!"

You finally realise something. "Wait, wait, wait. You said the Prince sent you here, right? "

"Uh, yeah?"

"The Prince."

" Well, I am his personal student, after al-"

"When did all that happen? And how?"

" It's a long story… "

"Well, a long story that I'm willing to hear. That's why you should use letters! I know, why don't you tell me about it on the way to Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Sweet Apple Acres?"

" The Apples are in charge of the food, aren't they?"

Dusk consults his list and blinks in surprise. "They are."

You smirk at him, and he sighs and says, "Okay… So it began a while after you moved away from Canterlot…"

" And that's the whole story, " the lavender stallion finishes.

"Well, I guess I'm not too surprised that you ended up becoming the Prince's personal student. You deserve it."

The three of you have finally reached Sweet Apple Acres, and you take a moment to breathe in the sweet scent of apples grown with love, and the pastries and pies that you can smell before walking forward.

Dusk goes in first, with Spike sitting on his back, and you're about to say hi to Applejack, but he beats you to it. "Howdy, (Y/N)! And who are your friends?"

" Hey AJ. This is Dusk Shine and Spike. "

The farmer stops shaking your hoof and runs over to Dusk, overenthusiastically shaking his hoof at a speed only matched by Bubble while introducing himself.

"Well, howdy-doo, Mr Dusk, a pleasure makin' your acquaintance. I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin' new friends! "

"Friends? Actually, I—"

"So, what can I do for you?" Applejack asks, stopping Dusk halfway, and finally letting go of his hoof, which still shakes up and down on its own until you put a hoof on it, causing it to finally come to a stop.

Spike snickers.

"Well, I am in fact here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And you're in charge of the food, right?"

*We sure as sugar are! Would you care to sample some? "

"As long as it doesn't take too long.."

"Soup's on, everypony!" Applejack yells while banging some sort of triangular instrument. "Now, why don't I introduce y'all to the Apple family?"

"Thanks, but I really need to hurry—"

Before Dusk can even finish speaking, all of Applejack's relatives rush out and put a dish on the table as their names are said. "This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp…" He takes a deep breath and continues, "Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Up'n'attem, Granny Smith, we got guests."

"Why, I'd say you're already part of the family!"

"Okay, well, I can see the food situation is handled, so we'll be on our way."

"Aren't you gonna stay for brunch?" Apple Bloom asks, making those eyes that only foals can.

Dusk somehow manages to resist them, but you can hear the sorrow in his voice as he sighs, "Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do…"

Everypony sighs in disappointment. You join in, and bat your eyelashes at Dusk. "Pretty please?"

He stares at you for a few seconds, blushes, and then turns his face away, clearly flustered. The lavender stallion recomposes himself and clears his throat.

He gives you a We Don't Have Time for all This look. In return, you stare directly into his eyes and bat your eyes as intensely as you can.

Dusk sighs, seeing you won't give up. "...Fine."

You and Dusk are now walking away from Sweet Apple Acres, with full stomachs. "Ugh…" he groans. "I think I ate too much pie."

"You certainly did!" laughs Spike.

You also laugh. "I'd say that Dusk ate enough pie to feed at least ten hungry ponies. "

Spike bursts into laughter and rolls around while Dusk glances at you, unamused. "Ahem. Now, if we are quite done laughing over my lack of self control, perhaps we shall find the pony in charge of the clouds? That'd be… Rainbow Blitz? I don't know who he is, but that pegasus seems to be doing a lousy job of keeping the skies clear."

Not even a second after he said that, a rainbow blur zips down from the clouds above and lands right in front of Dusk.

Unfortunately, the figure happened to land into a puddle of mud, and while you were able to move out of the way in time, with Spike mirroring your actions, Dusk moved a little too late and consequently got covered in mud.

"Ugh…"

Rainbow Blitz sheepishly laughs. Dusk glares and the pegasus backs up a little before flying up. "I'll fix it!" he calls, before moving a cloud directly over Dusk, after which he proceeds to bounce up and down on it, causing the unicorn to become completely soaked.

Dusk groans again and Rainbow hops off the cloud."...I might have overdone it a little. Don't worry, I'll fix it with my very own Rain-blow dry. "

The pegasus then flies up again, but this time he flies around Dusk very fast. You know what will happen next, and go as far away as you can.

Once he finally comes to a stop you return to your original position and struggle not to burst out laughing at the aftermath of the Rain-blow dry.

First Spike fails to do so, with Blitz bursting into laughter next, and their laughter makes you lose control and you end up laughing.

The unicorn glares at the three of you. "Just what is so laughable about me that you three are laughing like maniacs? "

Spike throws Dusk a mirror and once he looks into it, his eyes widen and he frantically tries to fix his mane with his hooves. Eventually, he gives up and eyes the rainbow maned pegasus warily. "I suppose you're Rainbow Blitz? "

"Man, what's the deal with you?! How can you not know who I am? I'm like, the most awesome pegasus ever! Wait a second … I've never seen you before."

" That 's because Dusk lives in Canterlot. The Prince sent him here to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, " you explain.

"Huh… Hey, (Y/N), you know this pony?"

" Well, he's my foalhood friend from when I used to live in Canterlot. "

"Oh…"

Dusk recovers from his shock and clears his throat. "So, what were you so occupied with that you couldn't even clear the sky?"

"Huh? Well, I'm practising all my tricks so I can show the Wonderbolts. The sky can wait; it's not like the Prince or the Summer Sun Celebration will be here right now. "

Dusk puts a hoof under his chin and smirks. "The Wonderbolts?"

" Yeah. "

"The best flyers in all of Equestria? "

"That's them!"

You suddenly have a good idea of where Dusk is going with this, and you're about to warn him, but you're too late. "Well, I don't think they'd be impressed at all by a pegasus who can't even keep the skies clear for one day. "

Blitz's eyes narrow, and he says with a fierce determination, "I'll show you! I can clear the sky in ten seconds flat!"

" Now you've done it… " you mutter to Dusk as Blitz flies towards the sky with a speed that nearly makes you fall over due to the wind it creates.

In less than ten seconds, every cloud in sight is now blasted into oblivion. Dusk's jaw meets the ground.

Rainbow returns and laughs. "You should see the look on your face! That's why you should never, ever doubt the great and most awesome pegasus ever. Anyway, I'll be busy practising now, so unless there's anything else you all need, I'll be gone. "

Dusk only manages to close and open his mouth several times like a goldfish, with no words coming out, so you wave to Blitz as he flies off.

The lavender unicorn finally manages to close his mouth and you smirk. "Rainbow might take a while getting to do things, but he's actually one of the most reliable ponies around. He and Applejack would never let anyone down. "

"I think he's amazing," says Spike.

Dusk merely groans in response. "Uh...Let's go to the next pony now. Who is it again?"

Spike pulls out the list and reads, "According to the list, we're supposed to check on the decorations next."

"That'll be Elusive," you state. " He'll probably be in the town centre. "

You lead them there, and gaze around. "This is beautiful," you comment .

"Decorations...beautiful," Spike says.

"Yes, the décor is coming along nicely. This ought to be quick. I'll be at the library in no time. Beautiful indeed," remarks Dusk, also agreeing with you.

"No, no, no, oh! Goodness no, " you hear Elusive say as he levitates several brightly coloured ribbons around him, dropping each one.

Seeing that Elusive didn't seem to notice the three of you, Dusk does his traditional throat clearing and begins in a loud voice, "Good afternoon—"

"Just a moment, please! I'm 'in the zone', as it were. Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Elusive, you are a talent. Now, um, how can I help yo—" Elusive finally finishes deciding and turns to us, only to yelp at the sight of Dusk's mane. "Oh my stars, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure?!"

"Oh, you mean my mane?" inquires Dusk after a second of confusion. "Well, it's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations, and then I'll be out of your hair!"

"Out of my hair? What about your hair?!" shrieks the unicorn, dragging Dusk with him as he goes...somewhere. You have a slight suspicion that it's to the fashionista's boutique.

"Wait! Where are we going?! Help!"

That suspicion is only confirmed when you and Spike follow the duo and arrive at that specific location.

Elusive is busy levitating an assortment of suits, each of which he puts next to Dusk while muttering to himself. "No, no, uh-uh. Too green. Too yellow. Too poofy. Not poofy enough. Too frilly. Too... shiny. Now go on, dear. You were telling me where you're from."

As his mane is combed through and sprayed with those stuff used for mane, Dusk painfully winces while replying, " I've... been sent... from Canterlot... to—"

"Huh?" Elusive drops the manebrush in shock. "Canterlot?! Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it! We are going to be the best of friends, you and I…"

Dusk looks at you desperately as you and Spike stay in the background, and you sigh before getting an idea. "Elusive… Are you going to use emeralds for Dusk's suit?"

Elusive looks at you and then at the gems he's levitating. "Emeralds?! What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!""

"Quick! Before she decides to dye my coat a new colour! " Dusk runs away and you decide to also go before Elusive returns. He might decide to make some new clothes for you if he sees you, and that would take...forever. You shudder upon remembering that time when the marshmallow unicorn had gotten a thousand different ideas for dresses and had kept you as a model all day.

"Thanks for saving me back there, (Y/N), " says Dusk gratefully once you're at a safe enough distance.

"It's nothing," you say. "Elusive is a little obsessed with fashion and beauty, but he's actually not that bad once you get used to him."

Dusk mumbles something and then turns to Spike. "What's next on the list?"

"Oh, uh, music! It's the last one!"

You lead the way and soon the delightful sound of birds singing can be heard.

You smile as you hear Butterscotch talking to his birds, gently. "Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean no offence, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off. Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-"

And then Dusk walks forward and exclaims, "Hello!"

You feel a little guilty as the shy pegasus spreads his wings and flies into a tree in a panic. All the birds also fly away.

"Butterscotch isn't really a fan of loud noises…" you whisper to the unicorn.

He rubs the back of his neck and says at a lower volume, "Oh my, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten your birds. I'm just here to check up on the music and it's sounding beautiful. I'm Dusk Shine. You're Butterscotch, right?"

Butterscotch only squeaks in response.

Dusk awkwardly steps back. "Well, um, it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!"

Butterscotch squeaks again and you whisper to him, "I'm sorry about that, Dusk didn't intend to frighten you."

" It's okay… "

"Well, that was easy, " Dusk says to Spike, and Butterscotch looks up from the ground to meet Spike's eyes.

"A baby dragon!" gasps Butterscotch and runs over to Spike, picking him up and hugging him. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's sooo cute!"

"Well, well, well...!" begins Spike…

"Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful, I just don't even know what to say!" Butterscotch is acting in a way he normally wouldn't, and you swear you've never seen this side of him before. But that's not a bad thing; it's nice to see him finally express himself, even if it's because he's fascinated by Spike.

"Well, in that case we'd better be going, " Dusk says, most likely because he wants to get to the library as soon as possible, and levitates Spike onto his back and starts running.

You run after him, hearing Butterscotch mirroring your actions.

"Wait, wait! What's his name?"

"I'm Spike."

"Hi Spike, I'm Butterscotch. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?"

"Well, what do you wanna know?"

"Absolutely everything."

Spike is overjoyed at the fact that someone is finally paying attention to him, and Dusk groans, knowing that it'll be impossible to shake the fascinated pegasus off his tail.

He looks to you for help...but if you were to be honest...you were also curious about Spike's life. You never had encountered a dragon before, and to find out that this one was tame was a big surprise. How had Dusk even gotten Spike?,

You voice your questions and Spike smirks as he begins his tale...
"Well... I started out as a cute little purple and green egg…"

"...and that's the story of my whole entire life! Well, up until today. Do you wanna hear about today?"

"Oh, yes, please!" Butterscotch exclaims eagerly, and you're about to also agree, if only to annoy Dusk, when Spike suddenly yelps as the former chucks him off his back.

"I am so sorry, how did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep," Dusk quickly says, not giving Butterscotch a second to process anything.

"No I don't— whoa!"

"Aww, wook at dat, he's so sweepy he can't even keep his widdle balance!" the lavender unicorn baby-talks.

"Poor thing, you simply must get into bed…"

"Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, g'night!" The door is slammed in Butterscotch's face and you turn to him once again.

"I'm sorry for Dusk's...behaviour; he's just really eager to start reading as many books as he can, and besides, he's never been an extrovert… "

"I-"

Before the yellow pegasus can even say anything, you and he are pulled into the library and just in time to witness Bubble's second meeting with Dusk.

"Hi, I'm Bubble Berry, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?"

"Very surprised. Libraries are supposed to be quiet."

"Well, that's silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh, bo-ring! Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all" he does a deep gasp "remember? Y'see I've never seen you before and if I've never seen you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville!"

You tune out the rest of their conversation, not wishing to get a headache from the speed at which Bubble is talking.

You see that most of the ponies from Ponyville are here. It seems as though the party pony had tried to fit in as many as possible.

Applejack turns towards you, most likely to say something, but then he suddenly turns to Dusk's direction and asks, "Are you alright, sugarcube? "

He's standing in front of something that seems like the punch bowl, and his entire face is red. He's also gulping down as much punch as he can.

"Aww, he's so happy he's crying!"

Dusk runs up the stairs and you pick up the bottle which he just dropped. "Hot sauce."

Bubble takes the bottle off you and gulps it all down. "What? It tastes great!"

While Bubble is delightfully drinking the sauce, everyone returns to what they were doing before and you head upstairs to check on Dusk. There's a door that greets you once you reach the top, and you knock on it, figuring that the unicorn must be in there.

You receive no answer, but open it anyway to find Dusk laying on the bed and flipping through a book.

Once you've stepped in, you hear him groan, "Ugh, here I thought I'd have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it!"

"Dusk?"

" No! I don't want to spend more time with all those ponies! I can't afford to! "

"Dusk, it's okay. I'm not here to drag you downstairs. I just want to know if you're feeling fine. You've seemed stressed all day. "

"How else am I supposed to feel? Today's - I mean tomorrow will be the longest day of the thousandth year. Night-terror Nebula will return if all of this isn't just a tale, and Equestria will be doomed. And the Prince isn't even taking this seriously. "

He runs a hoof through his mane and chuckles, though it sounds a little unhinged. "If Nebula returns and fulfils the prophecy- if he actually brings about eternal night, the consequences will be disastrous. The Sun gives us light. It gives us warmth, and without it, we'd all freeze. It'd be so dark that it would be as though we were all staring into a black abyss. And no one is taking this seriously." He looks up from his hooves to you. "Do you think that it's really just a folk tale? "

You sit on the edge of his bed. "I'd like to believe that it's just a folk tale. But no matter how much I try to believe that, I just can't. I have some sort of feeling that something will go wrong tomorrow. It could be Nebula returning, or it could be something just going wrong with the preparations."

You shift your gaze from your hooves to his eyes. "But what I do know is that you need some rest. Don't worry so much."

" And how can I possibly do that? I should be researching the Elements of Harmony right now."

"The weight of the world doesn't rest on your shoulders. The fate of millions is too much for one pony to bear."

" I- So what do you suggest we do? "

"Haven't you made any friends today?"

" Friends? I've had no time to. That can wait. "

"Even if you don't see them as friends, they see you as a friend. And they're the right type of ponies to ask help from. They'd never let anyone down, ever. "

You had eventually convinced Dusk to stop worrying so much, and he was now sleeping, using the book as a pillow.

You giggle softly as you look at him. He hasn't changed one bit.

Suddenly you yawn, finding yourself exhausted. "Goodnight Dusk."

As you stand up to leave, you feel him grasp your hoof. "...don't...go," he grunts.

You move back to the bed and lay next to him, levitating a blanket over both of you.

Sleep takes you.

The following morning finds you and your friends in the town centre along with everyone else.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, as the mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration! In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honour to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria…" she pauses, perhaps to create suspense or a dramatic effect. "...Prince Solaris!"

"Huh?" mutters Elusive as he pulls back the curtain, only to reveal...nothing.

"Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!" urges Mayor Mare as the crowd begins to gasp and mutter nervously among themselves.

"Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games! Is he hiding?" asks Bubble excitedly.

"He's gone!" Elusive announces, placing a hoof on his forehead, and the ponies around you gasp.

"Ooh, he's good," says Bubble, still thinking that the Prince is hiding. You resist the urge to facehoof.

And then a swirl of blue-black smoke forms on the balcony, and it forms into the figure of a stallion. It's not too hard to guess who he is, and it seems Dusk has also come to the same conclusion as you.

"Night-terror Nebula. Ugh, I knew I should've studied more and found the Elements! "

"Don't panic," you tell Dusk, letting him grasp your hoof.

" Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces," drawls Nebula.

"What did you do with our Prince?!" demands Blitz defensively.

"Whoa there, Nelly…" mutters Applejack as he bites onto the former's tail to stop him from charging at Nebula.

"Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

" Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... King Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty—" You stuff a cupcake into Bubble's mouth and he manages to swallow it , but thankfully takes the hint and stays silent.

" Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" snarls the villainous being.

" I did. And I know who you are. You're the Stallion in the Moon – Night-terror Nebula!" says Dusk.

"Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."

" You're here to... to…"

"To bring night time eternal!" you say, completing Dusk's sentence.

"Well, we have quite the pair of bookworms here, don't we?" He chuckles. "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last."

He throws his head back and laughs villainously, with lightning striking the sky as he utters words that do nothing to help the sinking feeling in your gut. "From this moment forth, the night will last forever!"

Author's Note

As stated before in the description, this is a request.

Basically, it's a mane six X reader story, and every pony tagged in the characters will be part of the X reader thing.

(Y/N) is a mare, and an alicorn, the latter of which enables her to have the 'super fast' speed.

Beware. This is a long ride. It could last more than a year, even if I stick to my plan of weekly updates.

It will contain every episode from all nine seasons...

Don't forget to vote/like, comment, share, favorite and follow!

Friendship Is Magic- Part Two

The Element of Love

Season One

Friendship Is Magic

Part Two

Night-terror Nebula stands there, laughing evilly as he basks in the terror and fear from the ponies.

"Seize him! Only he knows where the Prince is!" yells Mayor mare and two Royal Guards fly forward.

"Do you fools really think that you can defeat me so easily? Do I look like a mere foal to you?" Nebula's horn glows and lightning appears right in front of the guards, making them panic and fly into the balcony. As a result, they fall to the ground.

Nebula laughs hysterically upon seeing this. "Your 'Prince' is so incompetent that he can't even train his own guards properly! Hahaha! Look at those fools!" Once he's done laughing, he stamps a hoof onto the balcony and sneers at the crowd. "Your Prince will not return, no matter what. Remember, he is at my mercy, so you might want to take a step back and think before attempting to attack me."

With that said, he transforms into a black fog-like creature and vanishes.

Rainbow tries to chase him, but you hold on to his tail with magic, and pull the pegasus back to Earth. "Rainbow," you say, looking into his eyes so that you can make sure he hears every word you say. "If Prince Solaris really is at the mercy of Nebula, we should make a plan and then chase after him."

Rainbow sighs. "Fine. And let go of my tail. Though, I can't blame you for holding on to it.It is pretty awesome after all, " he smirks. You roll your eyes and cease your spell.

"Hey, where's Dusk running off to?" asks Applejack, drawing the attention of yourself and the other four ponies around you to the galloping form of the aforementioned unicorn in the distance.

"I don't know, but let's follow him!" exclaims Bubble enthusiastically, bouncing off without a care in the world.

Eventually you arrive at the new temporary home of the lavender unicorn, otherwise known as the Golden Oaks Library.

You wonder why it's named that. It's the only library in the town, so shouldn't it be named the Ponyville Library or something?

Nopony knew why it had that name, other than Granny Smith, but you weren't looking forward to spending forever listening to her going on and on about anything and everything, suggesting that you would make a perfect partner for Applejack, or being given enough apple dishes to last a year.

You're about to knock on the door politely, but Rainbow kicks the door open and Bubble hops in.

Elusive sighs. "I've taught them thousands of times how to behave like civilised ponies, but they always forget. If they behave like this at the Grand Galloping Gala, they'll be lucky if Prince Solaris doesn't send guards to get them out, assuming the Prince is saved from that ghastly stallion. Honestly, who does he think he is, sabotaging the Summer Sun Celebration like that? I worked so hard, but my efforts were in vain… "

You nod as you walk forward, and go upstairs as you haven't found Dusk on the ground floor.

You can hear somepony struggling and Bubble, Rainbow and Applejack's voices.

"We should hurry before they do anything to Dusk, " you tell Elusive and Butterscotch before running forward and bursting into Dusk's room to find an incredibly confused and gagged Dusk, tied to his bed with a lasso, and the other three around the bed, glaring at him.

Bubble is wearing an interrogator's outfit, which doesn't surprise you that much as you're already used to him pulling things out of thin air.

"Mmff! Mmmfff!"

"Now tell us, who's side are you on?" demands Rainbow . "If you say it now, we'll let you go."

"Mmff!" Dusk looks towards you for help, and you facehoof.

"Applejack. Bubble. Rainbow. First of all, if you're questioning Dusk, how can he answer if he's gagged?"

The trio looks at each other, avoiding your gaze out of shame, and they sheepishly chuckle.

You resist the urge to facehoof again and instead, you free Dusk from his bindings. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No," he answers . "They bursted in, yelling about how I was some sort of spy, and, ugh...my head hurts."

You look towards Bubble accusingly. "I'm sorry for hitting your head with a rolling pin, Dusk! Actually wait, I'm not. You're. A. Spy."

"Everyone listen, and listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Dusk. Is. Not. A. Spy. Clear?"

"Then how does he know about this Night-terror Nebula? And why did he run away as soon as Nebula left? " Applejack questions, meeting your gaze with a hard stare of his own.

"I must admit, it is rather...suspicious…" pipes in Elusive .

" Having knowledge does not make a pony a spy, " scowls Dusk, now that his gag is removed. "I'd say you three are spies, what with the way that you attacked me! "

Rainbow Blitz wipes his hoof down his face. "Fine. We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, but if you're not a spy, then what are you?"

You all are now downstairs, and Dusk has finally finished his explanation.

Satisfied that nopony will attack him or suspect he's on Nebula's side, he leans back in exhaustion.

"Now that I have explained everything, let's move on. The legend said that the Elements of Harmony would be able to defeat Nebula, as it's the strongest magic known to Ponykind. Where's that book about the Elements…? I'm sure it was somewhere here before… "

You scan the shelves and pull a book out of the section with E, and pass it to Dusk. "Found it."

" That was...fast," remarks Rainbow.

"When you have a friend who's obsessed with libraries and books, you start to pick up a few things," you tell the pegasus, and wink in Dusk's direction.

Dusk opens the book and after flipping through a few pages, reads aloud, "There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony brothers. It is located in what is now..."

You shiver as you look at the Everfree Forest, at the entrance of which you are standing with your friends.

You can't help but feel a little afraid, and Bubble picks up on that. "(Y/N), there's no need to be afraid. I'll protect you from anything that will harm you!"

A moment after he takes your hoof in his own, Rainbow pulls you towards him. "I'm protecting (Y/N). It only makes sense that the coolest, bravest and most awesome pony in Equestria should protect a pony who's almost as cool as himself."

"Actually, I'd prefer if (Y/N) would come with me," says Elusive. " The dear could surely use my protection from that ghastly forest. For example, I can give her boots. None of you brought any clothing to be protected. " He then casts a light spell to show his boots, raincoat, and hat.

"As if (Y/N) would need any of those when she's with me," scoffs Applejack. "All of that fancy-shmancy stuff is only gonna weigh her down."

" Well, you could certainly use it. "

"Me? Use that? How will Ah fight any timberwolves comin' our way?"

"Timberwolves…" whispers Butterscotch nervously. "I forgot about that...But don't worry, (Y/N), I'll do my best to protect you."

Dusk scoffs. "What nonsense are you all talking about? I'm going in alone."

"If you think y'all can go in that forest alone and come out in one piece, yer mighty mistaken,partner. "

"I know several defensive and offensive spells..I am more than capable of defending myself from any creatures that might wish to attack me."

"Do ya know why hardly anypony knows anything about the Everfree Forest? It's because those who go in, never go out."

"So all of you would rather be stubborn and possibly get killed along with me instead of doing...whatever you do? "

"Dusk," you say, tired of this argument . "Isn't there a saying or that goes, the more the merrier? It'll be much safer if all of us go with you. What if you get lost in there? Or Nebula finds you, a-and -" your voice breaks down as you consider what might happen. "I just don't want to lose you…"

His stone cold expression softens. "Fine, we'll all go. But you'll stay right next to me."

With that, he holds your hoof and gently pulls you into the forest.

"Hey, no fair!" whines Blitz as he hurries after you two. "I should get to be with (Y/N)!"

"We're all going to be walking in a group," stares Dusk irritably. "What's the big deal?"

Rainbow groans and kicks a nearby tree in frustration. Cracks start to form on the ground, and before you know it, the soil beneath you.gives way, causing a landslide.

You scream as you lose balance, sliding down towards a huge rock that seems to be awaiting you. Panic has overtaken your brain, and your heart is beating so fast in fear that you feel it might burst out of your chest.

"Help!" you scream desperately as the others also slide towards you, each trying to reach out. Applejack grabs one of your hooves while you use the other to hold on to a tree root, and you breathe in and out, calming yourself.

"We can't hold onto this forever…" says the earth pony, looking at the sky as he does so. "Let go."

" What?! " You gesture to the rock that you know you'll eventually slide to. "I'll be dead!"

"No you won't," he says. "Ah know this sounds crazy, but if ya let go, you'll be safe. Ah'm saying the honest truth here, (Y/N). Why would Ah even lie to you anyway? "

Trusting Applejack, you close your eyes and let go. BAM! You open them again to see a purple beam strike the rock, and for two yellow and blue blurs to swoop down and pick you up.

Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch are carrying you through the air, and take you to the other side where Dusk, Elusive, Bubble and Applejack are.

You shakily stand on the ground, and Dusk puts a hoof around your shoulders to steady you. "Thanks for saving me…" you gratefully say to Applejack, Dusk, Rainbow and Butterscotch.

"I told you that the one and only awesome Rainbow Blitz would save you!"

"From something you caused, " scoffs Dusk.

Rainbow is about to start arguing when Butterscotch gasps, "A manticore! Coming towards us!"

True to his words, a manticore is growling and walking towards your direction.

"Stay here," orders the lavender unicorn, after which he marches towards the beast. His horn glows and he attempts to strike the manticore with bolts of magic.

The manticore gets angry and roars at Dusk. He steps back and coughs.

Applejack and Rainbow Blitz go next, and while the latter distracts it, the former waves his lasso around and ties the manticore up.

No sooner than the earth pony is about to tip his hat, the manticore rips the string off and attempts to catch Blitz and strike Applejack, both of whom are whisked away by Bubble in the nick of time.

Throughout this whole encounter, Butterscotch had been trying to get his companions to stop, but he was heard by no one. Yet this time, he yelled, "Wait!" and ran towards the manticore.

He looks at the manticore and says something you can't hear, before pulling something out of its paw, causing it to roar in pain.

" Butterscotch! " you shriek, fearing he would be eaten.

Thankfully your worries are for naught as contrary to everypony's expectations, the manticore happily licks the yellow pegasus' face and the latter returns to you and chucks a small thorn to the side.

Dusk is taken aback. "How…did you know about the thorn?"

"I didn't, " replies Butterscotch . "Sometimes we all just need to show a little kindness instead of taking an aggressive approach."

Elusive groans as he walks through the mud. "Ugh… All this mud will stay in my memory forever. Why does it have to be so dirty here? I need a rest from this horrifying sight. " A second later it becomes pitch black. "Well, I didn't mean that literally…"

Dusk casts a light spell, and you and Elusive copy him. With the three of you casting light spells, it's bright enough to see the surroundings.

You just focus on the ground, not willing to take the risk of tripping.

Suddenly Butterscotch quietly says, "I don't want anypony to panic, but is it just me or do those trees have faces?"

All of you look up at the trees. You don't have to look far as there's literally one right in front of your face. "AAAAH!" you scream. "The tree- i-it has-"

You move back from it as quickly as you can, and the seven of you are now surrounded completely by the magically corrupted trees.

Bubble bursts out laughing, much to the confusion of everyone around him.

"What's so funny about this here situation we're in?" Applejack asks him.

Bubble doesn't answer, instead opening his mouth...and starting to sing.

"When I was a little colt and the sun was going down…"

"Tell me he's not…" groans Dusk.

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown…"

"He is… "

"I'd hide under my pillow
From what I thought I saw
But Granny Berry said that wasn't the way
To deal with fears at all"

Rainbow asks, "Then what is?"

"She said, 'Bubble, you gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fears
You'll see that they can't hurt you
Just laugh to make them disappear.'
Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Gasps follow this laugh of his as the faces disappear.

"So, giggle at the ghostly
Guffaw at the grossly
Crack up at the creepy
Whoop it up with the weepy
Chortle at the kooky
Snortle at the spooky
And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha... heh...
Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!"

And as all of you take his advice with a grain of salt and laugh at the trees, the faces finally disappear and there's a huge lake in front of you.

A sea serpent appears just as Dusk is about to zap the lake with some sort of a spell.

"What a world, what a world," he sobs.

You step forward, concerned. "Excuse me, sir. Why are you crying?"

"Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now I look simply horrid." He continues wailing.

Rainbow groans into his hoof. "Oh, give me a break."

Applejack is unimpressed. "That's what all the fuss is about?"

"Why, of course it is, " Elusive chips in. "How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales."

"I know."

"And your expertly coiffed mane."

"Oh, I know, I know."

"Your fabulous manicure."

"It's so true!"

"All ruined without your beautiful mustache."

"It's true, I'm hideous!"

"I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected," says the marshmallow white unicorn, after which he yanks one of the scales out of the serpent's body.

"What did you do that for?" cries the serpent.

Elusive points the scale towards his own body; his tail to be more specific, and cuts it off. Now his tail can barely be called one…

He ignores your concerned look and with a flash of magic, restores the serpent's mustache.

"Oh-hohohoho! My mustache. How wonderful."

"You look smashing."

"We can cross now. Let's go. Ah!"

Dusk walks forward and is about to take a step into the water when the serpent lays his body across the lake. "Allow me."

"There it is, the ruin that holds The Elements of Harmony, " notifies Dusk.

"We made it!" you gasp and run forward, excited at the thought of what a Castle from a thousand years ago would look like.

"(Y/N), wait for us!" calls Applejack, and you would have fallen off the cliff if Rainbow hadn't flown forward and taken hold of you.

Once he puts you a safe distance away from it, he lets go of you and with fake annoyance, asks, "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?"

"Now what?" asks Bubble. "Are we going to stay here forever? The bridge is broken… "

"Duh."

"Oh yeah."

A few minutes after Rainbow flies to the other side, you begin to worry. had something bad happened to him?

"Rainbow, what's taking so long?" The clouds pass for a moment and you can see three figures in a strange uniform and blue mist around them. This must have been one of Nebula's traps... "Oh no. Rainbow! Don't listen to them."

A minute after that, he flies back and smirks at you. "See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'."

With the bridge now fixed, you all proceed to cross to the other side.

"Wow…" You take in the sight of the old castle. Even though it was far from its former glory, it was still beautiful.

You turn around to see Dusk standing near a pedestal, and join him. "The Elements of Harmony, we've found them, " he says. You reach out to touch one, but he grabs your hoof before you can. "Be careful around these."

Bubble counts them. "There's only five!"

"Well, the book did say that when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed," you say.

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure, " you admit. "But maybe it means it just needs a spark of magic?"

Dusk's eyes widen, and he leviates the spheres down. "You could be right. I guess giving it a try wouldn't hurt."

With that said, he steps back and his horn begins to glow. "Uh, all of you should probably step away as well. I'm not sure what could happen."

His magic surrounds the orbs, spinning them around...and nothing happens. "Maybe some alicorn magic will work?" he says, trying not to sound hopeful, but you know he's secretly hoping it'll do the trick.

"Okay," you say, and stand beside him. Your magic surrounds the spheres and you close your eyes in concentration , hoping for a spark...only for that concentration to be broken by the sound of villainous laughter.

A chill runs down your spine as you stand up to hear the gasps of your friends...and your eyes meet those of Night-Terror Nebula.

"Hello, my little band of troublemakers. It seems that you've somehow managed to pass all my tests… and make it to the Castle. I have no idea how you did that, but nevermind. You may have come here, with hope in your hearts, but that hope will be crushed, because… You cannot defeat me, no matter how hard you try. "

Dusk glares at the villain defiantly. "We have the Elements of Harmony, and -"

He smirks and levitates the Elements over to himself and drops them on the floor. "Oh my, how very careless of me. Ah well, what's happened is done, and you can all go home now. Goodbye. "

"Do y'all think we'll really give up so easily? We've done so much to make it here; we ain't just gonna return home like that."

The others , including you, nod and agree with Applejack's statement.

Nebula laughs again. "How about I put it this way? Either leave now, or you'll never be able to go home again. Or anywhere else, to be honest. "

"You can't scare us, Nebula. We're gonna kick your flank, and save the Prince!" says Rainbow.

"You foals are powerless against me. I shall rule Equestria, and the night will last forever."

Dusk is hiding his face in his hooves and everyone else is discussing something worriedly. You stand in front of them and stare at Nebula; your eyes meeting his. "You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here."

Nebula raises an eyebrow in confusion."What?"

You continue, "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty! Butterscotch, who tamed the manticore with his compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Bubble Berry, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Elusive, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Blitz, who could not abandon his friends for his own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us."

As you say each pony's name, the shards of the mentioned Element levitate next to them and become whole again, while the ponies also float in the air.

Nebula shakes his head in disbelief. "You don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"

You falter and that's when Dusk stands up. "But it did. Sure, it wasn't a magical spark, but it was a spark nonetheless." He then addresses the rest of you. "When I first came to Ponyville, I had only one goal in mind, which was to check on the preparations and read everything in the library. I never planned to spend so much time with you all. I used to think that socialising and having friends were a waste of time. Like, what was the use of that, when I could use my time to do something productive? "

"Get to the point, colt," growls the dark alicorn.

"Whatever you say… The thing is, these six ponies mean a lot to me. I can't imagine living without them. Even though five of them are ponies that I just met yesterday, I- there's some sort of feeling in my heart that tells me I can trust them. The spark I was speaking of was one that occurred in my heart, as sappy as it sounds. These six ponies are my friends, and together, we'll defeat you. "

As soon as he says that, he glows and floats in the air as well, with a new sphere forming next to him with the symbol of his cutie mark.

Nebula's smile fades upon seeing this new development and he snarls, "Well, I'll just destroy you six then!"

His horn glows, and a ball of magical energy flies towards your friends. You freeze in terror and your heart beats faster in fear and shock. No! I can't let it hit them!

At that moment, as it draws closer, seemingly in slow motion, you jump in front of them, ready to let it hit you.

They all gasp, "(Y/N)!" and you close your eyes, trying to push against it with your magic, and just as it's about to touch you…

Your body glows brightly and a sphere forms around your body, shielding you and taking the impact of the blast.

A rainbow seems to come out from your chest, and a bright light fills the room. When it fades, you see a sphere beside you, and it is in the shape of a heart.

Nebula's eyes widen in terror. "What?! No! No! T-this can't be happening!"

The seven of you hold hooves and as the spheres glow, a rainbow light bursts out from them and hits Nebula, who yells one final "No!"

You stand up and rub your head which was aching terribly. "Ugh, what happened?"

The ponies around you are all wearing golden armor, each with a different colored and shaped gem in the centre.

The gems are actually a lookalike of their cutie marks.

"(Y/N), dear, that looks absolutely dazzling!" compliments Elusive.

"Huh?"

"Your tiara of course! " exclaims Bubble.

You feel the top of your head with a hoof and take your tiara off. It's a beautiful gold one, with a sparkling pink heart in the middle and shiny all around.

"Wow…" you gape while looking at it, and put it back on your head just as Prince Solaris enters the room, causing you all to bow.

"There's no need to bow, my dear subjects," he says. Dusk approaches the Prince, who nods to him. "Dusk Shine, my faithful student. I see you have managed to complete your task here."

"I thought you said that it was just a folk tale, and that I should stop reading those 'dusty old books' and make some friends?"

" That was because I was confident you would be able to defeat Nebula on your own. I suppose you would be ready to return back to Canterlot now? "

"Prince… I…"

" What's the matter? I thought you wanted to return to your studies as soon as possible? "

"Well… I made some friends, just as you wanted… "

"And you don't want to leave them behind? Understable. In that case I shall send you an official letter, declaring that you may live in Ponyville and begin your studies on friendship. And might that be (Y/N), the alicorn that you once mentioned to me; your foalhood friend? "

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I see that you bear a crown… I suppose that means your Element is a new one. The Element of Love."

A groan is heard from somewhere across the room and the Prince walks there. "Brother… You have returned."

There is a light blue alicorn with a darker mane and a cutie mark which is of a half moon with a black splotch as the background.

"Did I hear that right?" asks Bubble. " Prince Solaris just called that stallion, brother? "

The alicorn flinches upon seeing Solaris approach him and looks away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"I'm...so sorry… " he mumbles.

"You need not apologise, Artemis. But if you really want to...you can start by buying cakes for me. "

"These past thousand years have done nothing to lessen your love of cake, have they?" Artemis hugs the Prince. " I've missed you, brother. "

"So have I."

And throughout this whole interaction, Bubble was still gasping the word brother in disbelief.

Author's Note

That's an image I found that saved the day.

This chapter was a real challenge to write. This whole week, I kept putting it off, and then today, I spent the whole day working on it and finished it just before midnight.

If you enjoyed this, don't forget to vote/like, comment, share, favorite and follow!

The Ticket Master

The Element of Love

Season One

Chapter Three

The Ticket Master

It's a hot and sunny day in Ponyville, and you and Dusk are helping Applejack out.

Spike was also there, but he was doing more eating than helping.

"Thank you both for helpin' me out," says Applejack.

" There's no need to thank me, Applejack, " you reply, grinning. "Seeing Big Mac wearing one of Granny Smith's girdles and walking through the town with it is more than worth it."

"I must admit that I am also looking forward to seeing Big Mac wearing a girdle, " says Dusk, chuckling quietly at the thought.

Your stomach rumbles. "And I can't wait to have lunch. Though, having some food after doing a lot of hard work makes it taste better."

"Ah can't agree more with you. "

Spike pulls out yet another apple, this time a huge red and juicy one, and bites down into it. This only makes you hungrier.

Suddenly, he burps loudly and a scroll appears, which the dragon holds and opens.

"Hear ye, hear ye. His Grand Royal Highness, Prince Solaris of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of, eh, yadda yadda yadda, and cordially extends an invitation to Dusk Shine plus one guest."

Two golden tickets float out.

"Are- are those tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?" asks Applejack, hesitating a little.

"Yes, I suppose they are. "

"The Gala..." you repeat. "Have you ever gone there?"

"This is the first time that the Prince sent me tickets, so no, I haven't been there before. But I've heard some ponies gossip about it when I study outdoors, and they say that it is a wonderful thing."

"What about you, Spike?"

The dragon shrugged. "I go everywhere Dusk goes and nowhere else."

Applejack starts, "Well, in that case-"

Rainbow Blitz flies down from out of nowhere. "Are those what I think they are? You've actually got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?"

" Hey! Ya told me you were too busy ta help out! And now y'all been eavesdroppin' on us?! "

"Eh, I was busy napping. I can't help you if I'm all out of energy, can I?"

Applejack merely scoffs.

" Anyway, " continues Rainbow. "About those tickets. You should totally give one to me, because -"

" Dusk is giving the ticket to me, " says Applejack.

"Oh? And what would you do there?"

" Why, there's plenty Ah can do there. If Ah bake a whole lot'a apple treats and sell them there, why, Ah could get enough bits ta do a whole lot'a fixin' around here. Ah could replace that saggy old roof, Big Mac could finally replace that saggy old plough, and Granny could replace that saggy old hip. "

"But Dusk, the wonderbolts are going to be there. They perform at the Gala every year, and...this is the only chance I'll have to see them," pleads Rainbow.

"Now hold on one pony-pickin' second there. Ah asked for that ticket first."

"So what? That doesn't mean you get it."

The two butt heads for a second before Applejack comes up with an idea. " Then Ah challenge you to a hoof wrestle. The winner gets the ticket. "

You decide to stand back and watch how this plays out.

"Uh…" Dusk freezes, unsure of what to do. " Well, whoever has the best reasons can go? "

"Getting into the wonderbolts."

"Drummin' up business for the farm."

"Fulfilling my lifelong dream."

"Money to fix Granny's hip."

Rainbow was about to add another reason when Dusk held his hoof up. "Those all seem like good reasons...but I'm starving right now. As the saying goes, making difficult or important decisions when hungry is not a wise thing to do." He awkwardly holds his hoof out in your direction. "Let's go and get a bite to eat."

You nod and take his hoof in yours.

"Sugarcube Corner?" you ask Dusk, surprised.

"Yeah," he says as if there's nothing wrong at all. "Sugarcube Corner."

You raise an eyebrow and put a hoof on his forehead. It's a normal temperature.

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you the one who's always saying that the food here is unhealthy? "

He shrugs. "Yes, it's unhealthy. But you like it, so I guess having one small meal here couldn't hurt. And besides, Bubble gives us a discount every time because we're his friends."

You poke his cheek and stick your tongue out. "Stingy…"

"Spending bits unnecessarily is something that should be avoided. "

You laugh and both of you make your way inside, with the dragon following.

"(Y/N)! Dusk! It's so good to see you two!" exclaims Bubble, leaping over the counter and running towards you.

He bumps into Spike due to his enthusiasm, causing the latter to trip, and drop the scroll he's holding. The golden tickets are in there, and fall out.

Bubble freezes instantly upon seeing the tickets. "Are those tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?!"

"Talk a bit quieter," hisses the lavender unicorn. "And yes, those are exactly what you said they are."

The shop bell rings as someone pushes the door open, and Spike hurries to pick the tickets up before they fly away with the wind.

It's none other than Elusive who has entered, and he beams warmly towards you, wearing a suit as usual. "(Y/N), you have no idea how much I had been wanting to see you!"

"It's nice to see you too, Elusive. "

He then turns to Dusk to greet him, but his gaze drifts towards Spike. Specifically, the golden tickets that are being held by the dragon.

"Are those -"

"Tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala? Yes, they are," says Dusk, rolling his eyes, obviously tired of this whole thing. "Why are you all making such a big fuss about it? "

Elusive stares at the unicorn. "Did you seriously just ask me that?" he deadpans.

"Uhh...Yeah? "

"My dear Dusk, you truly need to go out to more places instead of staying cooped up in your library all day. The Grand Galloping Gala is a ball hosted by Prince Solaris himself, and every stallion and mare looks forward to it. For it is rumoured to be the ball that makes lifetime partners meet!"

"Uh huh… "

"So, do you want to go to the ball, Elusive?" you ask.

"How can you ask such a question?!" he exclaims with a hoof on his chest. "Of course I do. Why, I've been wanting to go there ever since I was a colt. And once I go there, I'll find….her. "

"Her?"

"The mare whom I will marry, of course! She will be gentle and beautiful on the inside and the outside. She won't be just a pretty face either. She should be able to defend herself appropriately from anything that wishes to attack her, and she won't be arrogant. Ah, many times have I thought of a mare like that, but when I have everything planned out, how will I propose to her?" He casts a hesitant look in your direction as he says that.

" What, am I not good enough for you? " you ask sarcastically. You turn your head away in mock offence. "And here I thought Elusive could ne-"

"I never said that!" says a scarlet Elusive. "A-anyway, have you ever thought about the Gala, Bubble?"

"Me? Plenty of times."

"Oh?"

"The Grand Galloping Gala is basically a fancy and formal party that requires you to have an invitation. And I love parties! "

"The Grand Galloping Gala
A glorified party

Where you wear suits and formal clothes
And dance with mares politely

A party… a party…
Always on my mind

Oh, how I would love to go there
Dance all night long

While singing on a stage…
A song

The Grand Galloping Gala!
It would be the best place for me

Because even though it's just a formal ball, a gala…

In the end it's just a party! "

Silence follows after that.

Elusive gives Dusk his most dazzling smile. "So, Dusk...have you decided?"

Dusk looks from the fashionista's smiling face to that of the party pony.

"Um…" The lavender unicorn takes a step back, and the duo corner him. He looks at you, desperately begging you to do something.

You think for a moment before walking towards them and intentionally stumbling. "Ouch, my hoof!"

Elusive and Bubble both turn to you and help you up.

You wince as your fourth hoof touches the ground.

"(Y/N), does it hurt?" asks Elusive in concern.

"I...I think I might have sprained my ankle! Ow… It hurts so much! "

"I'll go get some bandages, and a compress," says Bubble , dashing off while Elusive lets you lean on him and takes you to a seat so you can rest.

While they're busy fussing over you, Dusk and Spike escape.

Now you need to escape as well before you get wrapped up in bandages. But Elusive has his hooves wrapped around you…

Upon that realisation, you blush and try to ignore your steadily heating cheeks. It's nice being held like this… and Elusive's fur is so soft and smells so wonderful…

Elusive seems to be blushing as well, and he leans closer to you, holding you slightly tighter and moving his face closer to yours.

His diamond blue eyes captivate you, and his lips demand your attention.

I wonder how they would feel…

You move your face forward subconsciously, and the unicorn above you inhales and exhales quicker as the distance becomes lesser by the second…

And then the door leading to the upper part of the shop, aka the living quarters is thrown open and Bubble bounces in. "I've got the bandages!"

In a split second, Elusive backs away from you quickly and he straightens his suit and runs a hoof through his mane.

"Are you fine, Elusive? You seem -"

"It is rather hot here. I'll be outside if you need anything."

With that he leaves.

Bubble looks towards the hastily retreating form of the white unicorn, and then to your reddened face. "What just happened? "

You slowly pull yourself up. "It really is hot here… I think I need some air as well."

The pink earth pony runs after you with a roll of bandages as you try to walk away as if you hadn't been so close to almost kissing Elusive.

"Hey! (Y/N)! Come back here! You're injured!"

You casually stroll through town, not really caring where you were walking and just letting your hooves carry you to wherever.

As a result of letting yourself get lost in your thoughts while walking, you end up bumping into somepony, almost knocking them down. " Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you… " You look up to see the least expected pony. "Butterscotch?"

"Uh...H-hi," he says, smiling shyly while looking anywhere but you.

"So, what are you doing?"

" Me? I was getting some food for Angel…. "

A look behind the pegasus reveals that the white bunny is indeed there.

"Ah…"

"He can really be a handful at times...but he also helps when I need him to."

You nod. "I guess you wouldn't mind if I come along?"

He just nods and you follow him...

A while later you reach the market and see Dusk and his assistant. "Dusk!"

"Hello again, (Y/N)," he says, making an effort to smile. He looks weary.

"What happened to you?"

"After you helped me escape from Elusive and Bubble, I went to get something to eat, then it started raining… Rainbow made a hole in the clouds so I could eat in peace… Basically, all of our friends other than Butterscotch started giving me favours so they could get the ticket. I was fortunate that I was able to escape from that mob Bubble accidentally made."

" The ticket? " asks Butterscotch, intrigued. "What ticket?"

" The ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, of course! " blurts out Spike and Dusk slaps a hoof over the dragon's mouth a little too late.

Butterscotch forgets all of his shyness and stands in front of you, no longer hiding.

" Let me guess, you want the ticket… " states Dusk in a monotone voice.

"I've always wanted to go to the Grand Galloping Gala, but not for the dance or party, no! It's more about the garden… The flowers there are very rare, and would only bloom at this time of year! The birds there? The -"

" I'm sorry to interrupt you, Butterscotch, but I haven't been able to eat anything all day. "

"I can buy some food for you! Oh, and I can also cook whatever you want!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," says Dusk. "I don't want any favours from anyone."

With that he walks away. You pat Butterscotch's back. "He's had a long day, and Dusk isn't really in a listening mood when he's starving."

As you also walk away, you swear that you could have heard Butterscotch whisper, "Starving…?"

...But it could have just been your imagination, so you shrug and follow Dusk.

You open the door to the Golden Oaks Library and let Dusk in first.

His jaw drops open. You follow his gaze to see a dinner table with several dishes on it, and Butterscotch standing there and smiling.

Angel and a few birds are also there.

"I don't fucking believe it… " he groans. "I never thought that you of all ponies would try to… " He then turns to you. "Do you want the ticket as well, (Y/N)? Just tell me now."

You shake your head. "I've never been interested in the Gala, because there's nothing there that I want to do."

"Really?" he asks in disbelief .

"Yes."

He just nods and both of you leave, only to see four ponies blocking the exit.

Namely, Applejack, Elusive, Rainbow, and Bubble.

At the sight of them, Dusk faints and you catch him. "No one is allowed in until Dusk regains consciousness."

With that said, you proceed to carry him up the stairs, using your earth pony strength. Being an alicorn was really handy…

"Dusk! You're awake!" you say, overjoyed, setting the glass of water down.

"What happened?"

"You fainted."

"They're not in here, are they?"

"I didn't let anyone in."

" Thanks… I dread facing them… That extra ticket has caused me nothing but misery… "

"Why don't you send it back to Prince Solaris then?"

"That's actually a good idea. Can you call the others in?"

You nod and head downstairs with Dusk following. You open the door and see that they're all outside. "Have you all been waiting outside all this time?" At their looks, you roll your eyes. "Dusk is ready to see everyone now…"

Once they're all in, Dusk glares at them. "Yare yare...I understand that each of you want the extra ticket, but do you really need to pester me continuously about it? I'm exhausted. This ticket has done nothing apart from causing me pain and stress. I want to make all of you happy, but there are only two tickets, and that can't satisfy all of you. So, I'm sending it back to Prince Solaris. "

He clears his throat. "Spike, start writing. Dear Prince Solaris, I appreciate the tickets that you sent me, and the invitation, but I must return them. One of the many joys of friendship is sharing things. But when you have more than your friends and there aren't enough blessings to go around, it can make you feel pretty awful. Your Faithful student, Dusk Shine."

The dragon rolls the scroll up, puts the tickets in, and it's gone.

A second later he burps out another scroll. "My Faithful Dusk Shine, you could have just said so. Here are eight tickets to the Gala. ~Prince Solaris."

Dusk hands them all out. "There. Problem solved..."

He collapses again. "I think Dusk really needs some food…"

Author's Note

Was that kiss scene a little too descriptive for an E rated story?

...I guess with the way it'll end, it should be rated T.

This was mostly easy to write. I divided the work out and finished it peacefully.

If you enjoyed this, don't forget to vote/like, comment, follow/favorite, and track the story to get automatically noticed of updates.

Applebuck Season

The Element of Love

Season One

Chapter Four

Applebuck Season

It was a hot day in Ponyville. You yawn. Last night you had been busy helping Dusk rearrange his books just the way he liked them, and as a result of that, you had gone to bed late.

Somehow, sleeping in had just made you feel more tired.

Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you force yourself to get up and start the day.

It's not like staying in bed any longer would have helped you anyways… Prince Solaris' sun shone right through your open curtains, filling the room with light and heat.

...Getting some light blocking curtains, or even finding a spell to block it didn't sound like a bad idea.

Shaking your head, you make your way to the bathroom and start getting yourself ready for the day.

Ponies always say that mares take hours in the bathroom. While you don't know about other mares, that saying is totally untrue for you because on a normal day, you take somewhere from ten to fifteen minutes.

Now that you're done getting yourself ready, you give yourself one last glance in the mirror and then head outside.

It was even sunnier, and you regretted not having worn a hat.

Trying to think of anything but the heat and the sunlight that irritates your eyes, you wonder what you would do today.

What was I going to do…? Your stomach rumbles. However, you don't feel like having breakfast at Sugarcube Corner today.

Dusk'smany lectures about how it was unhealthy to have sugary stuff everyday had started to have some effect on you…

Sighing, you look away from the tempting Café and decide to visit Applejack.

You hadn't seen him in a long time, and eating an apple would make the farmer happy. Not to mention that would also make the lavender unicorn proud.

"Hey Applejack!"

"Howdy, (Y/N)," he replies in the middle of bucking an apple tree. "What's up?"

You shrug. "I just wanted to see you since I haven't come here in a while. And have you got any apples to spare? I'm starving," you admit as your stomach rumbles again, but louder. Looking around, you notice that baskets are placed under every apple tree in sight. "Wait, it's Applebuck Season, right? Don't tell me you're doing it all on your own. "

"Mac got hurt, so Ah have'ta."

"I can help," you offer, remembering the last time that he had attempted to do it all by himself and succeeded, only to have his success rewarded by severely aching legs and insomnia.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I promised Mac ah'd do it all on my own. "

"And what did he say to that?"

" What else would he say? He just said that I wouldn't be able to do all of them by myself… " He snorts. "But what does he know? Ah'm more than capable of doing this by myself! "

"Applejack…"

"Didn't ya say y'all were hungry? Well, Ah'm sure Granny Smith will be more than happy to give you a meal."

You sigh and walk towards the farmhouse, deciding to eat instead of fruitlessly arguing with Applejack.

He was proud of what he could do, and his earth pony pride prevented him from accepting help. Plus, he was stubborn.

Too stubborn.

Knowing him, some sort of catastrophe would have to happen for him to let you help him.

Hopefully, nothing too bad would happen…

One Week Later

The days of the week pass by faster than ever, with you lending Bubble a helping hoof as the Cakes had gone on holiday.

Baking wasn't something you did on a regular basis- you never tried cooking before, but now you were more than sure that you could cook anything.

"And that," says Bubble proudly , "is the perfect way to ice a cake. It takes a lot of practice, but I'm confident that if anyone can get it right on the first try, it's you!"

You hear the bell ring, signifying that the door is opening, and soon, Applejack comes into the kitchen, looking as if he hadn't slept at all.

You look at Bubble, who shrugs. "I'm sure Applejack wouldn't mind helping us bake-"

"Haven't you seen how tired he looks?"

" Well… to be honest, he insisted on helping me. After the stampede, I was telling you about the Cakes vacation, remember? He overheard and said that he could help. I told him that he should have a rest and then help or he might do something wrong, but he said that since he's the most dependable pony in Ponyville, he can handle it. "

You sigh. Classic Applejack.

The pony in question stumbles forward, and you rush to his side to make sure he doesn't collapse. "I'm fine, (Y/N)," he mumbles.

"No, you're not. You need rest. And somepony to help you."

"Ever since we started dating, you've just become more and more caring," he says as you look for a place for him to rest.

You almost drop him in shock. "What-what did you just say?"

Bubble is also astonished.

"There's no need to be so shy… Everyone already knows, remember? We announced it two days ago."

"Applejack. Are you sure we're dating?"

"Are you saying you're gonna leave me after barely a week of us bein' out in public?" There's pain in his voice, and you decide to just go along with him.

"Of course not, dear. I-I guess I'm just not used to us being out in public, as you said. "

He smiles. "But," you continue, "if you truly loved me, you would let me help you, and you would have a rest. "

"No can do, sugar. Ah can't let you get injured. "

"Oh, and I can let you?"

"It's different."

You just turn your head away and walk out. Bubble rushes after you.

"What was that all about?"

"Applejack's sleep deprivation seems to have led him to believe that I'm dating him. And I think that it would be best to just pretend that I am. "

After watching Applejack create a mixture of inedible muffins, you were about to throw it away when he wasn't looking, but you had been stopped by the farmpony himself.

He even went ahead and sold them, which led to the hospital overflowing with sick ponies.

Dusk had gone there to see what happened, and right now you were standing in Sweet Apple Acres, busy tying the earth pony to a tree, with ropes.

"Sugarcube, what on earth are you doing? "

"Helping you."

"I don't need any help! Ah can handle this whole orchard myself. "

"Have some sleep, or I'll make you. "

"Y'all promised to never use your magic on me."

"Well, there are plenty of methods without magic."

He begins to struggle as you tie the last knot. "(Y/N), Ah need to harvest!"

"But your health comes first. And since you're too proud to let anyone help you… "

"Untie me this instant!"

"Only if you let me help you."

"Never! "

"Then let one of our friends help you."

"Not once in my lifetime! "

"Well, as you're currently so stubborn, I'll leave you to rest. I need to help Rainbow Blitz with something. "

You walk away, ignoring his cries of outrage, which are soon replaced with snores.

But then you pause. Even in his current sleep deprived state, he might be able to untie the ropes. After all, you weren't the best when it came to tying stuff.

And the tree you tied him to still had apples hanging from it.

Sighing, you release him from his binds, only to pull him along to your next destination.

And as he's asleep, you have to support his weight. Thankfully you were an alicorn...

You've reached the Town Centre, and Blitz is there, waiting for you. He waves to you. "Hey (Y/N)! It's about time you showed up. What's AJ doing here?"

"I apologise for the delay, but I had to stop him from overworking. I was going to leave Applejack tied to a tree so he could have some sort of rest, but I'm sure that since my knots aren't that good, he'd be able to untie himself…"

" I've never met a pony more stubborn than Applejack, " admits Blitz. "But right now we need to try out this trick I thought of! You just need to jump onto that part, and launch me up with the force!"

" Are you sure that's safe? "

"If we don't take risks now, are we supposed to do it when we become all old and wrinkly? And besides, " the athlete winks "I'm confident that even if I'm unable to open my wings in time, you'll save me from another concussion. "

With that reassurance, you start to walk up the stairs, leaving the apple farmer on the ground, only for him to let out a low groan.

He opens his eyes and stands up. After recovering from the disorientation due to the change in his surroundings, he looks up and sees you at the top of the ladder.

Just as you're about to jump, he holds out a hoof. "Wait!" Then he goes up the stairs as quickly as possible. "Ah ain't about to let mah marefriend possibly get hurt! "

"Get hurt?" you ask.

Blitz mutters, " Marefriend?! "

"Why, if y'all ain't careful enough, ya could fall off and get hurt!"

" I'm aiming to jump onto the seesaw, " you tell him.

"And if you miss your target, you'll get hurt! Look, Ah'm gonna do this for ya."

"Guys! I don't give a flying feather about who does it! One of you just jump already!"

Applejack steps forward and looks at the target. He then jumps, only to become dizzy and miscalculate it, leading to him falling splat on the ground.

It's kind of ironic, you think. He was telling me that I might miss my target and get hurt, but it looks like he's the one who got hurt.

You take a step forward, only for him to peel himself from the ground. "Ah ain't lettin' ya go just 'cause I missed."

He repeats his former actions, with the same result.

You wince as you look down at his beaten form.
…
…
…

Three more tries later, it's clear as day that the farmer won't be able to do it, but he still begs you to give him a second chance.

"Technically, this would be your… sixth chance. If you fall one more time, I won't speak to you, because watching you get hurt is not what I wanted to do."

He places a shaking hoof on your shoulder. "I swear Ah'll get it right this time!"

With that he steps forward, and this time you watch, unlike the others in which you had turned your face away, and perceived a moment too late that on his end of the seesaw, Blitz was lying, winded.

You're about to warn Applejack not to jump at the same time the pegasus shakes his head frantically, but both of your efforts were in vain.

The Bearer of the Element of Honesty had jumped, and the rainbow pegasus was now sent flying across the sky.

You descended the ladder and prayed that nothing else like that would happen.

Perhaps you should have prayed for no more mistakes to be committed by Applejack, but you cannot be blamed as you knew not of what would occur next.

It was a stampede of bunnies that happened next. In your whole life, you had never even dreamed of that, and your view on bunnies was now changed.

Before to you they had been cute, fluffy things, but after witnessing the destruction currently being caused by them?

You didn't even want to think about it.

Sighing, you join Dusk in placing all the bunnies back in their right place, and then you gather everyone in the Element Bearer group other than the one who had caused all this.

"I've had enough," you say. " Applejack was born a stubborn pony, and will always be stubborn, and even though I know that, I never knew he was this stubborn. Not to mention that he's too prideful to let us help him. That stallion needs to understand that he needs help! "

"I agree," whispers Butterscotch. "He didn't even listen to me when I told him that bunnies can't be handled the same way as cows, and he frightened them so much…"

"And those muffins he baked were a total disaster! So many ponies are sick from that...slop he mixed up! "

Rainbow also gives his complaint, and Elusive admits that the farmpony had stopped by his store earlier...and he didn't even want to think about the catastrophe that occurred there.

"I'm just thankful that he didn't do anything to my library. However, my reading session was interrupted when Spike informed me of the food poisoning incident. " He pauses and then says, "We need to act quickly before he causes anything else."

"So let's corner him and get him to put his pride away!" exclaims Bubble, determined.

You nod.

The six of you arrive at Sweet Apple Acres to find Applejack asleep on his hooves.

You tap him and he opens his eyes immediately. "Where'd y'all come from?! But Ah must admit, bein' woken up by you is the best thing."

"Applejack. There's something we've all got to tell you, " says Dusk, motioning for you to step aside.

"Is it that y'all have finally given up on trying to take (Y/N) from me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever it is, we're not here for that," the lavender unicorn states.

"As of late," says Elusive, "you've been rather...what shall I say?"

"Disaster causing?" offers Butterscotch shyly.

"What are y'all trying to say?" he asks , narrowing his eyes slightly.

"What we're trying to say is that whenever you tried to help any of us, nothing but disasters happened!" says Bubble.

Rainbow steps forward. "I asked (Y/N) to help me, but then you came, said something about her being your marefriend, and then you launched me when I wasn't ready! You literally threw me into Dusk's treehouse! ...It still hurts, you know. "

"Applejack. I don't know how long you've gone without proper sleep, but you need it right now. Have a good rest, and we'll all help with harvesting the rest of the apples. "

Applejack smirks. "Well, Ah don't need any help. Ah said Ah would harvest the whole orchard by myself, and Ah have done it!"

Big Mac appears. "Told ya Ah could do it," says Applejack smugly. "Well, how do ya like them apples?"

The red stallion hesitates, before scratching the back of his neck and pointing in another direction. "Well, how do ya like them apples?"

You see the direction he's pointing in, and see more full apple trees.

Applejack looks in that direction, turns pale, and faints.

"Don't worry, we'll all be here to help you," you say reassuringly even though he's unconscious .

Soon he regains consciousness and says, "You know what? Y'all are more than welcome to help me."

Seriously, he should've let everyone help him in the first place, and you tell him that .

He just turns away in shame.

The sun is setting, Dusk is writing his usual friendship report to the Prince, and all of you are gathered around a table, holding drinks, relaxing after a long day of work.

With six ponies doing the job, it only took a day to clear the rest of the orchard.

"See Applejack, if you had just let us help you, you could've been done in at least two days."

"Stop teasin' me…" groans the farmpony, placing his head on the table with his hooves on both sides.

"Hey, AJ," you say suddenly. He looks up at you upon hearing his name. "Was I a good marefriend?"

While everyone else bursts out in laughter, the now embarrassed Element of Honesty covers his face with his hat and resumes his former position. "Ah told y'all to stop teasin' me…"

Author's Note

If the quality of this isn't that good, it's because I'm exhausted.

Don't forget to vote/like, comment, favourite/track, etc.

Boast Busters

The Element of Love

Season One

Chapter Six

Boast Busters

Today, you had breakfast at Dusk's house to make up for last time, and then went with him on a walk.

"So, Dusk," you say as you step over a puddle and then resume holding his hoof. "What do you think of co-"

You hastily step out of the way as two colts come running in your direction, and wince as they crash into a tree.

"Well," said Dusk, grimacing at the sight, "what's got you two in such a hurry?"

"The Greatest and Most Powerful Unicorn has come to Ponyville!" yells Snips excitedly.

"And who might this unicorn be?" you question, raising an eyebrow.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie!" answers Snails, handing you a leaflet, which you.read and show to Dusk.

"She's going to be performing in the town centre," you murmur as the foals run off.

"Well, let's go see what tricks she's got. "

"Come one! Come all! Witness the power of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" exclaims a blue unicorn mare who's wearing a cape and a magicians' hat.

Ponies begin to mutter excitedly among themselves, and as the mare begins to cast spells, launch fireworks into the air and awe the audience, she watches them, smirking.

"Trixie bets that there is no unicorn greater than her! She possesses more power than everyone! Why, there is no unicorn more powerful than her in the whole of Equestria!"

"What a show off," remarks Elusive.

"Ah have a strong dislike for ponies who boast all the time… Specifically ones who pretend they're better than everyone else. Ah mean, if she just did some tricks, Ah'd be plenty fine with that, but there ain't no need for her to show her magic off like a school filly with new red ribbons. "

"And there's no need for anyone to come and do that when we've already got me around being better than the rest of us, " says Blitz.

You roll your eyes at his egotism while the apple farmer grunts angrily, at which the blue pegasus casts a quick glance towards him and then points at the stage. "I mean, magic-shmagic! Boo! Boo!"

Seeing that Applejack is pleased, Rainbow wipes the sweat off his forehead, and you laugh quietly at the whole thing.

Just as you're about to joke about how much the athlete cares about what AJ says, Trixie glares at the audience. "Trixie hears some naysayers in the audience. Those ponies know nothing of Trixie's power. Once, an Ursa Major invaded the town of Hoofington, but before any harm could occur to its inhabitants, Trixie vanquished the beast, and all by herself."

As she says this, multiple fireworks shoot off into the sky, depicting the battle between her and the creature.

Snips and Snails run forward and sing praises about Trixie.

She must be very powerful to have vanquished an Ursa Major…

Dusk says exactly what you're thinking, and Applejack scoffs. "Either very powerful, or just a faker."

Elusive just nods, and Bubble, who's remained silent this whole time says, "Snips and Snails are completely under her spell… They believe everything she says… "

Rainbow smirks. "Well, there's only one way to find out if she's just boasting or not. And that is to bring an Ursa Major into town. "

"And if she can't vanquish it, are you gonna?" asks Applejack, with a threatening tone, which causes Blitz to gulp.

"I mean, I bet I totally could get rid of a Major all by myself just by showing it how cool and awesome I am- it'd get overwhelmed by my awesomeness and run away. But just in case it's blind or something, we should just be safe than sorry. "

"Trixie hears that the naysayers are still unconvinced of her might. Well, if they think that Trixie is not the most powerful, then why don't they directly challenge her? You," she points at Rainbow " should come first. "

…

…

…

Within the span of five minutes, Trixie has managed to defeat Applejack, Elusive and Rainbow Blitz, leaving you, Dusk, Bubble and Butterscotch.

While Elusive ran off due to his mane colour, style and length having been changed, Rainbow and Applejack stayed, giving words of encouragement to you and the lavender unicorn.

"Come on, it's just a few spells. You'll dazzle Trixie with your knowledge, and BAM! She'll go just like that," says Rainbow.

"(Y/N)..." pleads Applejack. "Come on. If Dusk won't do it, then you can."

Before anyone else can start pressuring Dusk, you decide to just do it. "I'm going on stage," you inform them, not waiting for their response as you teleport onto it.

"Well, well, well...What do we have here? An alicorn? This should be interesting…"

"For this first spell," you announce, walking into the centre of the stage, "I'll need a volunteer. However, keep in mind that it'll be, of course, some sort of love spell, but it won't be anything too serious."

Surprisingly, Butterscotch steps forward and you can see that even though he's not willing to actually challenge the mare, he wants to do something to stand up for his friends.

"Are you sure?" you ask him, taken aback.

His face is pale and he's trembling, but smiles at you. "I'm sure. And please don't hold back. You don't need to use a less powerful spell just because it's me."

"Okay…"

With that, you close your eyes and let your horn glow. "By this flame of white light, your desire will soar and flare. When I say your name, of your fire shall I be aware…"

You open your eyes, and whisper, "Butterscotch."

The magical glow fades, and his cheeks are red as he smiles at you, half hiding behind your mane.

"(Y/N)..." He says your name in a tone of longing and deep desire, and runs his tongue over his lips, stepping closer. "I don't know how to say it. But the longer I wait, the more I fear I shall be driven insane! The beautiful sound of your voice, waking me with the sunrise, is something I've only imagined! For far too long have I been keeping my feelings to myself. No, I must express them! "

He takes a few steps closer, until there's only a hoof step separating the two of you, and taps his hooves. Angel comes with a box and a bunch of flowers, and you understand what's going to happen next.

The pegasus relieves the bunny of the objects and holding the flowers in one hoof, goes down on his knees and holds the box in the other hoof. It opens, and he gazes into your eyes earnestly.

"From the moment I first saw you, I was captivated! When you laughed, it was music to my ears! When you felt happiness, so did I! I felt every one of your sorrows as if it had been my own. (Y/N), I've always wanted to say this, but never got the courage to! Will you marry me? "

You smile as you ponder it. You liked all six of your friends in that way, and even if after the spell wore off, Butterscotch would probably get flustered and take all his words back…

But this was something you always wanted to do. You liked Butterscotch, he liked you… there was no problem with this, right?

You nod, and he stands up, places the ring on your horn, and then…

Another flash occurs, and just like that, the spell has worn off.

Butterscotch looks around at the cheering ponies, then to the flowers he's holding and the ring that's on your horn, and turns red.

"I-I- I'm so sorry, (Y/N)!" he exclaims and then runs off before you can say anything.

You hear claps. "Trixie must say, she is awed by this spell of yours. Love magic is extremely difficult to master… What do you say to a rematch? This evening, " she tells you and then disappears in blue smoke.

You walk off the stage and see your friends coming towards you. "I-I'm gonna go check on Butterscotch…" you mutter and run off.

"Butterscotch?"

After a couple of knocks, Butterscotch opens the door but shuts it as soon as he sees you.

"Butterscotch… I'm not angry."

The door opens just a tiny bit.

"You like me in that way, right?"

" … Since I can't see you, you have to use your words… "

You hear a sigh and the door fully opens. You go in, and once the door is shut, he accompanies you to his living room.

He fidgets nervously, and nods.

"See. As long as we both like each other, there's no problem."

"Y-y-you l-like me a-as well?"

You nod, smiling. "Though, I certainly wasn't expecting a marriage proposal just like that."

"..."

"I mean, I think I want to put off marrying just a little longer. Though, I certainly wouldn't mind dating… "

"R-really? "

"Really."

As you and Butterscotch are walking to Sugarcube Corner to get something to eat, you hear screams of terror and see that all of Ponyville's citizens are running in every direction, panicked.

Snips and Snails are amongst them, and they run straight to Trixie's caravan, knocking on it urgently.

Just as you're about to ask what's wrong, you see a beast unlike any other…

"That's an Ursa Minor," Butterscotch informs you. Strangely, he doesn't seem frightened at all.

"An Ursa Minor? Are you sure…? "

"I've learnt about every type of creature… And a pony with decent magical power should be able to vanquish it."

"...I'll be honest, I never really learnt spells related to vanquishing beasts and stuff. "

The streets are now empty, and Trixie comes out of her caravan just as the Minor is at arm's reach.

"What is it? Did Trixie not tell you that she shan't be disturbed until morning?!"

Snips points behind him, while Snails says, "We got an Ursa Major over here! Oh Great and Powerful Trixie, show us your might and vanquish it!"

"What?! An Ursa Major?! Are you two out of your little pony minds?! "

"We wanted to see you vanquish it…" says Snips.

"I thought you said that you saved the ponies of Hoofington," you remind her.

"Well, of course Trixie did! And Trixie will prove to all of you naysayers that Trixie is more than capable of vanquishing an Ursa Major, all by herself! "

She huffs and walks past you, staring at the Ursa. Her eyes close in concentration and feeble wisps of blue magic surround the Ursa, but die out after a few seconds.

"Come on G and PT! Quit playing around and actually do something! Where are all of those fireworks and stuff?!" demands Snips.

" Yeah! " agrees Snails.

"I think she was just pretending," you whisper to Butterscotch , and he nods.

"Go get Dusk; I'll try and calm the Ursa."

"Okay… "

You run towards the Golden Oaks Library and rush in without even knocking.

"Dusk! Dusk! It's urgent!"

"Woah, slow down (Y/N). What happened? "

"There's an Ursa Minor in town!"

" An Ursa Minor? How can you tell? "

"Butterscotch identified it. And Trixie is just talk and no show. She can't do it, and since my talent is love magic and I only learnt about magic dealing with emotions apart from a few basic spells… "

"Isn't Elusive free? "

"You really think he wants to come out of his house after what happened?"

" … "

"Come on Dusk, we need you. You're more than powerful enough for the job and Butterscotch can't hold the Ursa off for much longer…"

"I'm sorry…"

" Why don't you want to come? "

"I already know I possess a lot of magical power. But if I go and show everyone how truly powerful I am, it'd look like I'm showing off. And I'll also have to be the centre of attention…"

"What, and you think it looked like I was showing off when I did that love spell? You think Elusive was showing off when he-"

"That's different."

" It's completely the same. "

"Didn't you see how everyone reacted to Trixie? I don't want to lose any of my friends, especially you…"

"Well, you're not going to go and dance and sing about your power, are you? "

"But…" He's still hesitant.

"Come on…" you plead, batting your eyelashes. "Do it for me?"

He sighs in defeat, unable to resist your pleading eyes. "Fine…"

The two of you teleport to the town square, and Butterscotch gives a visible sigh of relief.

"I almost thought you weren't coming," he said.

" I'd never leave you in such a dangerous position like that, " you say, winking.

"Step back, everyone!" Dusk urges as Trixie runs away and he takes her place.

His horn begins to light up and magic surrounds the Ursa, lifting it up despite its resistance and sending a lullaby through its ears.

A couple of minutes later, the town water supply tank is lifted over here, but filled with milk, and acts like a bottle for the Ursa, which Dusk levitates away just as he collapses.

Your mouth falls open. You knew Dusk was powerful, but not that powerful!

He begins to sweat as he realises everyone is watching him.

You and the other members of the mane seven approach him.

"I'm sorry… I-"

"What's there to be sorry for?" asks Bubble .

"You saved the town, dude! " says Rainbow Blitz. "You were so awe -"

" But wasn't I showing off by doing that? "

"Eenope," says Applejack. "Y'all saved everyone . You're not prancing about and telling everyone about how powerful you are. There's nothing to apologise for. "

You and Butterscotch nod.

"You saved everyone. I'm proud of you," you tell him.

He blushes.

"S-so, about what happened on the stage… What happens now? " he asks.

You look at Butterscotch who turns crimson and tries to hide behind you, shaking his head frantically.

"Well, I think that Butterscotch will tell everyone when he's ready," you reply, smiling at his cuteness.

"Well, make sure you let me know before you do anything serious! I need to know how many parties I need to plan! "

Butterscotch, who had been coming out of his hiding spot, turns even redder and retreats back into your shadow.

You also turn red. "Anything serious? Bubble…"

"What? I me -"

"It's been a long day for everyone. Let's all go to bed," says Dusk, coming to your and Butterscotch's rescue.

Once everyone, including Butterscotch has gone, you smile appreciatively at him. "Thanks for saving us."

"There's no need to thank me. At least, not when you can more than repay me… "

" Huh? "

He smiles and steps closer to you, wrapping a hoof around your body, and as your eyes meet, you can tell that his ones are hiding his desire…

Your heart beats faster as his lips meet yours.

"Mn…"

Author's Note

One dowm, five to go...

Comments would be appreciated.

Dragonshy

The Element of Love

Season One

Chapter Seven

Dragonshy

You and Butterscotch are at Sugarcube Corner, having your first date.

...Seriously, why does nearly everything happen there? Not that you minded or anything; it was your favourite café, but still…

It took weeks for him to ask you out on one, and you had been nothing other than patient, letting him take his time.

"So…" says the pegasus , drawing your attention to him. "I hope you didn't feel bored… I mean, Sugarcube Corner is where everything happens, and as lame as it may seem, I thought that it would be easier for our first date to be here, because it's sort of a familiar place and stuff, and-" Suddenly he stops, coughing a little. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

You smile at him. "I don't think it was lame for you to let our first date be here. Being in a familiar place helps lower nervousness...I think. I was worried something might go wrong, because most of the time, when good things happen, bad things happen right after, or at least, that's my theory, and yeah… But coming here for the first date instead of some restaurant that was fancy to the highest degree possible put me at ease."

He stops fidgeting, placing his hooves on the table, and shyly returns your smile. "You really think so?"

Your hooves meet. "Yes, I think so."

He blushes at this, and is about to say something when Angel runs towards him from out of nowhere and begins choking.

Naturally, Butterscotch gets worried and begins asking Angel a lot of questions. "Angel, what happened? Did you get something stuck in your throat? I told you not to run while eating… "

The bunny shakes his head and points a paw in the direction of the sky while coughing hard enough to lift him up for a brief second.

Butterscotch doesn't get the hint, but you look at the sky and see that it's covered with some sort of smoke?

"Butterscotch, I think Angel is trying to tell you about the smoke in the sky," you say before he offers to do an operation on the bunny to help him.

"Hm?" He follows your gaze, and gasps. "T -that much smoke? ...I hope there's not a fire anywhere!"

"Let's go warn everyone, " you suggest, and leaving your half finished smoothie, you jump up and dash out of the café, with the pegasus following you.

You see Blitz and Bubble in the town centre, with the former bouncing a ball on his head while the latter bounces around him, counting.

Your companion rushes to tell them, but both are too absorbed into what they're doing to even hear him.

Suddenly Bubble stops bouncing and waves to you. "Hi Butterscotch! Hi (Y/N)!"

You're about to reply, but upon hearing your name, Blitz loses his concentration and groans. "Bubble… you made me lose count!"

"Sorry! I guess we'll just have to start over!"

"We'll all have to start over. And in a new village," mutters Butterscotch, who had given up on getting them to hear him, and was standing next to you.

"Hey, Bubble, Blitz," you start, only to find that they're both nowhere to be seen.

Butterscotch sighs, and you turn to him. "Sometimes, I wish my voice wasn't so quiet… No one ever hears me…"

"I don't think it's the pitch of your voice that matters- someone might have such a voice that they can be heard from quite a distance, yet no one pays attention to them. It's more of the way you conduct yourself. If you always seem sure of yourself, then no one will ever ignore you- you'll always be noticed. "

"Were you once as imperceptible as I?"

"Yes," you reply, with your smile fading at the memory of those days. "I used to be unsure of myself, always rethinking every action until I wore myself out… But those times have long passed, and I must tell you that as a pony who once experienced the feelings you feel most of the time, having even a little confidence in yourself and not saying yes to everyone will help you a lot."

Angel bunny, who had, to your obliviousness, been following the two of you this entire time, coughs very loudly, and you say, "Like, look at Angel! He might be a small bunny...But due to the way he acts, he always gets exactly what he wants. I don't mean that you should behave like a… Well, you know, but if you seem sure of yourself, then that'll help. And see, he proves that you don't need to have a loud voice to be l-"

Angel coughs again, way louder this time, and points at the sky. "Oh right, we need to warn everypony about the fire," says Butterscotch .

"How do you know it's a fire?"

"What else could possibly produce that much smoke? ...Let's find Dusk."

He runs towards the Golden Oaks Library and you're about to pass the bridge, but the aforementioned unicorn appears and you almost bump into him.

His dragon assistant is also there.

"Everyone! Some of you may have noticed the smoke in the sky, but there is no need to worry, for it is not from a fire! I have received a letter from Prince Solaris, which informs me that it is in fact, smoke caused by the snoring of a dragon, who has chosen to sleep near Ponyville. Feel free to go about your daily lives, for this problem is one that shall be solved, hopefully before the sun sets. "

Once his announcement finishes, everyone goes back to whatever they were doing before, and Dusk clears his throat, addressing you two.

"(Y/N), Butterscotch, I have no doubt that both of you have heard my announcement, and understand what I'm implying."

" You...want the seven of us to go to the dragon?" asks Butterscotch hesitantly.

"Why, there could not have been a closer guess. Yes, indeed, that is what I meant. If you could inform the others of this, I shall be very grateful, for I need to do some research before going. We could all meet up again at this bridge in an hour," says Dusk.

"Sure," you agree.

As you walk through Ponyville in search of your other friends, you can't help but notice the paleness that has taken over Butterscotch's features.

"Butterscotch...Are you okay?"

He blinks, as if emerging from a trance, and looks at you. "Yes...I'm fine…"

"Butterscotch -"

" I'm fine, (Y/N), " he says. "Let's just concentrate on finding the others."

You reluctantly agree, and the walk continues in silence.

An hour has passed, and you're at the bridge where it was agreed to meet.

Everyone is ready and here, apart from Butterscotch.

"Ugh… Why does Butterscotch have to be so slow?" groans Rainbow. "Do we even need to bring him along?"

"Everyone is valuable," replies Dusk without looking up from the map he's holding in order to determine the best route to the mountain on which the dragon is situated.

"Yeah, but what's Butterscotch gonna do, huh? He'll just slow us down, and this is a dragon we're going against. If he can't even handle seeing his own shadow, how can he be expected to go near a dragon?" demands Blitz.

"Rainbow's right…" you hear a familiar voice mutter. "I'm just going to be useless on this trip."

" Butterscotch! You finally came, " says Rainbow.

"Why, whatever was the delay caused by? I feared you weren't going to come," says Elusive who's wrapped a scarf around his neck.

"Butterscotch, don't listen to Blitz. Your ability to talk to all types of creatures will come in handy here, as well as your knowledge of them," you say, smiling at him.

He makes an effort to return your smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"So, I'm just going to explain the route now," says Dusk, pointing to the map as he explains what way will be best to go.

…

Ten minutes later, when the lavender unicorn is still explaining, Blitz yawns. "Dusk, hurry up…"

"Yeah! I wanna go to the mountain!" exclaims Bubble, bouncing around.

"And as much as I would love to hear your explanation, Dusk, I find it possible to freeze if we don't start walking now."

The unicorn scowls upon being interrupted, and rolls the map up. " Since everyone's so impatient, let's just go. "

Butterscotch walks slowly, and you stay with him, not wanting to leave him behind.

"There's no need to slow down for me; I'll make it there," he replies .

"And leave you? No way. "

"(Y/N)! If you're gonna be waiting around for Butterscotch, then at least make him walk faster! And if he can't walk faster, I'll pull him if you can't!"

"Butterscotch…"

"Are you sure we can't just catch up with them? I'm feeling tired."

"Well...Would you prefer to be pulled by Blitz?"

He shakes his head, but rather than walking faster, he sits down in the snow.

You sigh.

Not willing to leave your coltfriend to the mercy of an extremely impatient Rainbow Blitz, you decide to pull Butterscotch there…

…

…

Soon enough, all of you reach the mountain, and you stop to take a break from pulling Butterscotch, who winces as he stands.

"S-s-so, this is the d-d-dragon's cave?" he asks fearfully .

"It should be," says Dusk.

"A-and we have to go all the way u-up there?"

" Yes. "

The yellow pegasus is trembling… "Butterscotch? I'm sure it won't take that long to go up it, especially with the route that Dusk chose, " says Bubble, having noticed this.

"Wh-what if I fall while going up?"

"You could, I don't know, fly up there using the wings that you were born with?" suggests Blitz sarcastically.

"And I'll do my best to catch you," you reassure him.

Everyone starts climbing up, but Butterscotch's shaking hooves make it impossible for him to get a steady grip on the mountain, and after advancing a few steps, he tumbles down, but before any misfortune could occur to him, you catch him with your magic and set him beside you.

Holding his hoof, you say, "We're going around the mountain where it'll be less likely for Butterscotch to fall."

"Ah'll join y'all," offers Applejack, who had so far been busy speaking with Elusive and Bubble.

"Sure."

" Man...You guys took forever, just like I said, " Blitz says as soon as he sees you.

Butterscotch collapses on the ground, and Applejack sets his bags down.

While the three of you have a small rest from the exhausting walk around the mountain, the other four ponies who are part of your group jump over the gap that leads to the other side.

Blitz groans. "All of you can rest later...just jump over here and there's no more walking to do. "

Sighing, you stand up and prepare yourself for the jump, with Applejack copying you.

…

"Butterscotch aren't you going to come? " you ask once you've leapt over.

"I...What if I fall…?" he mumbles.

" You won't fall! Here, I'll show you how to do it! It's a hop, skip and a jump! " exclaims Bubble, springing back and forth between the two sides while repeating that.

Eventually Butterscotch decides to try, and almost falls, but manages to pull himself up at the last second and flops onto the snow.

"Now that everyone's here," says Dusk, " we can finally get started. So first I'll go and see if I can sort things out peacefully, and if I can't, then Elusive and Bubble go next, after them Applejack and Blitz can try, and then Butterscotch and (Y/N) can work as a team as well. "

…

…

…

Everyone has failed in their mission, and now it's your and Butterscotch's turn. The only problem is that as soon as he realised that, he fainted.

You open your bag and sprinkle a few drops of water on him, which causes him to instantly wake up.

"Butterscotch, it's our turn now," you remind him gently.

"O-our turn? Are you sure you can't go in there without me? "

"Butterscotch, with your amazing skills with creatures, nothing bad will happen," says Dusk.

"I...can't go," he says.

"Why not? " inquires Elusive. "If you're worried about the state of the dragon's cave, you needn't be worried because it's actually quite nice."

" It's not that… "

Everyone tries guessing, and Butterscotch holds a hoof up. "It's because...I'm scared of dragons. I know, I've faced a manticore," he says upon seeing Blitz's incredulous look , "and we faced Night terror Nebula together, but I've always been afraid of dragons for some reason. Dragons, who are capable of eating ponies… who breathe fire… And Spike is just a baby dragon, and he's different."

"There's hardly any difference. Look, did any of us get eaten? And you'll have (Y/N) with you," Blitz points out.

"I'm sorry…but I just can't go and face that dragon."

With that, he turns and runs down. You're about to go after him, but Blitz stops you.

"We can do this without Butterscotch. You can still have a try, and if the dragon still stays, we'll just have to use force. "

…

The dragon refused to listen to you. You were as close as Elusive had been, but one small mistake had you out.

...Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to offer to help the dragon tidy up.

Using force hadn't worked either, as no sooner than Blitz and Applejack set foot in the cave and had begun trying to force it out, they had been blasted out of it.

The dragon walked out of the cave, snarling, for it was fully angered now.

For every step back any of you took, it just came closer, until the six of you were cornered.

Magic didn't work on it…

"I guess this is the end," you say, gulping . "It was nice knowing you all."

Just as the dragon swipes its claw, Butterscotch flies up from out of nowhere and lands on its nose. "You should be ashamed of yourself! These ponies are all smaller than you, and you're just bullying them! "

The dragon pauses mid swipe and says something, pointing at Blitz. "Well, that was because you were being mean to our friends."

" I'm sure such a good dragon like you can find somewhere else to take a nap, somewhere that no creature can get harmed by your smoke, right? "

A few more words are exchanged between the two of them, and the dragon takes off, leaving you all in awe.

"I knew you could do it!" you say to Butterscotch , hugging him.

"Well… I just couldn't bear to watch and do nothing… I couldn't let you all get killed. Even if I was afraid of the dragon..."

"And I'm happy that you were able to face your fear and save us all."

"...Perhaps I was too inconsiderate about your feelings," says Blitz . "I made you feel like you were useless, and you still saved us all."

"It's okay," says Butterscotch . He then turns to you. "Since our date was interrupted… How does next week sound?"

Author's Note

...If the readers actually suggested ways that the episode could change, I'd probably be able to finish the chapter faster.

Comments would be appreciated.

Griffon The Brush-Off

The Element of Love

Season One

Chapter Five

Griffon The Brush-Off

This morning began like any other, with you waking up early and going to Sugarcube Corner for breakfast.

Though, yesterday evening Bubble had specifically asked you to go there, so that was another reason why you went there, other than the fact that you were a regular customer of the Café.

Thankfully, that also gave you a reason to deny Dusk's invitation to breakfast, and his idea of it was an extremely healthy one, even including bitter gourd and stuff like that…

However, you didn't mind spending time with Dusk.

"Are you sure you can't come?" he asks desperately.

"Sorry, but this time I have to meet Bubble… He looked really upset yesterday when I saw him… "

Dusk sighs. "I understand… But you're going to meet me straight after that."

"Okay." With that, you hurry to Sugarcube Corner and get yourself a seat, waiting for the pink earth pony.

Half an hour later, he arrives and sits opposite you. "Bubble, are you okay?"

He shakes his head. "I'll tell you, but first let's get something to eat."

…

…

Once the order is given, there's nothing to do but wait. You haven't an idea of what to say, and Bubble seems unwilling to break the silence.

He opens his mouth several times, as if wanting to say something, but closes it as soon as he opens it, much like a goldfish.

He only speaks once a waitress delivers the order, and even then, he takes a few sips of his strawberry milkshake, as if to steady himself.

You give him time, rather than demanding him to speak.

"So…" he begins slowly . "Rainbow Blitz had this childhood friend named Gilda, and she came the other day."

Another sip follows this statement.

"This Gilda… " you hesitantly say, unsure of whether he will continue or not. "What's she like?"

"She's a griffon, and forgive me for saying this… But she's a real b-word. "

Bubble rarely swore, both because he didn't want any angry mothers to come after him, and because he wasn't really the type to.

He only swore when he got really frustrated, and other than that, he would try to see the good in every situation.

He also never called anyone any offensive words. So hearing him describe Gilda like that is sort of a shock. She must be really bad…

"Really? " is the only word that escapes your mouth.

"Yes, really," says the party planner, shaking his head vigorously. "And before you say anything, it's not because she's spending every second with Blitz. I mean, even if I do want to hang out with him, she's his childhood friend, and since they haven't seen each other for a long time… the point is that I'm not jealous. "

He takes a few more sips, but these are much longer.

"How is Gilda a bi-"

"Shh! There are kids around!"

You roll your eyes. "Well then, how is Gilda a b-word?"

"I'll tell you everything...one second."

Bubble looks around the Café, before gulping the rest of his milkshake down and sighing.

"So?"

"Have a little patience, (Y/N)..." He stands up.

"Where are you going?"

"It might be safer at Dusk's house."

This time, you're the one to sigh. "Fine…"

A short walk across Ponyville has you two in front of the Golden Oaks Library, and Bubble knocks.

The door is opened almost immediately, Dusk says, "Come in." He locks it again. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Have you met Blitz's childhood friend yet? A griffon named Gilda?" you ask.

His eyes darken. "Oh, don't remind me of her… While I haven't exactly met that griffon, I happened to be at the market while he was...talking to Butterscotch. Except I wouldn't really call it talking. It was more of-"

"That b-word bullied Butterscotch!" exclaims Bubble in rage. "I saw the whole thing! She stood behind him on purpose so that he would bump into her!"

Your eyes darken. If that...griffon actually did what you just heard, then - "Tell me everything… "

"I'm going to go teach that bi- I mean b-word a lesson! " you say in anger.

"Wait," says Bubble, holding onto your hoof.

" Let me go, Bubble! I need to teach her that she can't mess around with my friends! How...how dare she! "

"(Y/N). Rushing out without a plan is not a good thing," Dusk says, but he doesn't stop you.

"We'll try a peaceful solution first," Bubble explains.

"A peaceful solution?"

"Let's see if that stick that's stuck up her rear end will come out once she experiences a party thrown and designed by yours truly."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work, then we can all teach her a lesson," says Dusk.

"Dusk and I will get things ready. In the meantime, can you get Butterscotch?"

"Consider it done."

" Butterscotch? It's me, (Y/N), " you say while knocking.

There's still no answer, which causes you to sigh. You had been knocking for the past half an hour, only to receive no reply.

Perhaps Butterscotch had gone somewhere…

Just as you're about to walk away, the door opens and a small, familiar white bunny peeks out.

"Hello Angel. Where's Butterscotch? Is he okay?"

Angel looks at you, comes out and checks the surroundings, and then tugs on you, signalling for you to enter, and you do so after a few seconds of looking between the bunny and the open door, which he shuts behind you, after which he runs to the living room.

You also go there to see that every animal within Butterscotch's cottage is standing around a sofa, upon which you suppose the pegasus is lying.

Once you have gotten closer, you see that yes, Butterscotch is lying there with his face in a pillow and his whole body shaking.

What that griffon did to him must have really scared him… If I could get my hooves on that...beast...she'll regret ever coming to this town, you think darkly.

"Butterscotch?" you ask gently, not to startle him but he gets startled anyways, sitting up and looking at you, though he still holds his pillow.

"(Y/N)?" he stutters. His voice is shaky and quieter than usual.

"It's okay, Butterscotch… Don't worry, I'll teach that griffon a lesson she'll never forget."

At the mention of the word griffon, he begins to tremble violently, and his eyes dart around, like that of a frightened rabbit.

"She's not here," you assure him. "If she was, I would've -"

"S-she's...so mean. I wonder how such a nice pony like Blitz could ever have been friends with her," says the pegasus slowly. "Yesterday, I was just taking the baby ducks out for a walk since they needed some fresh air, and I accidentally b-bumped into h-her… "

Tears form in his eyes at the memory, and you sit next to him, hugging him.

"I-it was just h-horrible… She began yelling at me, j-just because of such a small thing… "

"You know… Bubble told me that she stood behind you when you were walking so that you would bump into her. She had the whole thing planned out… "

Despite Butterscotch fearing that he would have another run-in with Gilda, you reassured him by saying that if she dared to do anything else, you'd break her beak.

However, he still decided to bring Harry the Bear with him for extra security, which you didn't mind, because if it made him feel safe, then it was fine.

Butterscotch goes into Sugarcube Corner where the party is being hosted, and you're about to enter it as well, but someone pushes you out of the way, and as you fall, you glare at the griffon who is laughing.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," she says sarcastically, beady eyes glinting as she watches your next move.

Standing up, you know exactly who she is, and you make sure there are no ponies around before making your horn glow as you cast a spell which levitates the sadist into the air.

There's an alleyway next to the sweet shop, and as it's rarely used, you throw the griffon down in rage.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem?! It was j-"

"Don't talk. I don't want to hear another word come out of your mouth. I know it wasn't an accident. You did it on purpose, just like what you did to Butterscotch. You know, he's really sensitive. What you did might not have affected someone else that much, but it's different with him. "

"Oh, that pathetic loser? It was his fault for-"

"For what? Being in your way? From what I was told, you were in his way. "

The griffon rolls her eyes and stands up, walking away, but you drag her back. "Just where do you think you're going, huh?"

"Away from you of course. I might get affected by your lameness if I stay for too long."

Not caring about the injury that would be done to the griffon, you slam her into the wall of the shop. "I understand that you're a sadist who thinks that bullying others and being arrogant is cool. You think that you're better than everyone. But you're actually the lamest person I've ever met. Putting up an act like that, pretending to be so high and mighty? It's pathetic. You're being like this because while Rainbow Blitz has become an Element of Harmony, is regarded as a national hero, and has earned the title of the only pony to have ever done a sonic rainboom, you haven't been able to accomplish as much, right?"

The griffon just stands up and turns away angrily, though you know that your words have reached her.

"So what, lame-o?! Why would I care about something as trivial as that, huh?!" She then chuckles. "You think you're so great, talking like that? Well, perhaps I should take you down a notch…"

Just as she's about to rush at you, Bubble appears out of nowhere and says, "Guys! Come in or you'll be late for the party!"

Bubble hops off and you follow him, but turn back and say, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you. It's a question that you, yourself, should know the answer to. What would Rainbow Blitz do if he saw your true side?"

With that, you walk into the shop with Bubble, ignoring the griffon's glare.

The party started just like any other, with ponies dancing to music that Vinyl played while chatting happily...until the door was slammed open, and none other than Gilda strutted in.

All the ponies present stopped what they were doing, and you feel a hoof on yours, only to see that Butterscotch is holding it, half hiding behind you.

Bubble stands next to him and chirps, "It'll be okay! Uncle Bubble's here to protect you!"

Butterscotch mutters something that sounds like, "...I'm a year older than you."

Bubble doesn't seem to hear him and hops off towards Gilda who asks, "What's this party for?"

"You seriously don't know?! It's a party thrown to celebrate you coming to Ponyville and reuniting with Blitz!" he replies enthusiastically.

"Well then, let's start this party," the griffon says, and is led to a cake which has just been unboxed.

Spike is about to cut it, but Gilda snatches the knife, saying, "Since it's my party, I should get to cut the cake."

It explodes once the knife goes through it, causing her to scowl while everyone laughs…

Gilda sets off one prank after another, and growls in frustration. "You just got me here to humiliate me, right?!"

"Humiliate you? No," explains Bubble . "We decided to use the nice approach on you and throw you a party so that you would stop being such a meanie and have a good time! "

"Then why am I the only one that got pranked?" she demands.

"It was just your luck. "

"Well, I'm leaving! I don't need your stupid lame pranks, or your lame-o town, or to see all of your lame faces! "

"So you think I'm lame?" asks a voice you know well, and Rainbow Blitz steps in from nowhere.

"What? Why would I call you lame?"

"You know, I was the one who set those pranks up. Every single one of them… And there's no need for your fake apologies, Gilda. I know the truth. You pretend to be nice to everyone when I'm around, but when I'm not? You just treat them like shit. You might be my childhood friend, but so is Butterscotch. "

"That lame -o? Ser-"

"I saw how you treated (Y/N). I heard every word that was exchanged between you two, " he continues coldly. "And to answer her question… If I had known that all this time, you were acting like this to my friends… Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Goodbye Gilda. Don't let me see your face ever again."

"What? Blitz, y-"

"I mean it."

The griffon's eyes betray her pain for a second before going back to their normal hateful gaze. " Fine! I don't need you anyways, Lame-O Blitz! "

With that outburst, she takes off and is gone.

"I hope that's the last we see of her," you say, sighing in relief.

"If she comes here again, I'll -"

"Let's forget about her," says Bubble , holding a few drinks, which he hands out. "For now, let's party!"

Author's Note

If this chapter seems rushed, it's because I was unwell and didn't have much ideas for how this would go, and I'm terrible at pacing anyways.

Writing this honestly feels like a chore... It's like a punishment for me not completing my other stories even after two years...

...A punishment that I deserve...

Comments would be appreciated...