Conflict
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A Day With Friends

Conflict

The Wonderbolt family touched down on the outskirts of Ponyville. Rainbow Blitz shivered as he gazed at the fringes of the Everfree Forest. He didn’t know why the foliage froze his heart, but he was certain it was one mystery he could leave unsolved. Soarin’ noticed Blitz’s involuntary spasm, and was quick to react in his usual manner.

“He’s cold Dashie! I knew we should’ve packed a sweater! Why did we think a scarf would be enough to keep him warm?”

“I’m not cold, Daddy,” Blitz said dryly. “I just don’t like that forest. I really don’t like that forest.”

He hopped off his father’s back, landing smoothly on the soft grass. Several butterflies scattered from their shelter in the turf, spiraling above his head and fleeing into the forest.

“See Soarin’, I told you there wasn’t anything to worry about.”

“I still say we should’ve taken the saddle,” her husband replied, disgruntled that his son had maintained his seat the entire flight.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. He’s such a big boy now, aren’t you, Rainbow Blitz?”

All three pegasus ponies turned their attention toward the new, tender, and remarkably sweet voice. There was no mistaking the soft-yellow pegasus pony, her pink mane and tail sprouting like the petals of a delicate flower. Fluttershy turned her gaze behind her, one eyebrow raised quizzically at a soft green light radiating from the foliage.

“Don’t you want to say hello to your friend?”

“In a second, Mom,” a gruff voice responded. “I’m casting a spell that hypnotizes these snakes into thinking they’re rabbits. Hehehe, you should see the looks on their faces when they see each other, hahahaha.”

“Capricorn!” Fluttershy gasped. “That’s not a very nice thing to do! Now you undo that spell right now and say hello to our friends, young colt!”

“Fiiiine,” the voice whined. The light disappeared with the sound of rustling grass. Rainbow Blitz smiled as a colt around his age emerged from the brush. While his blonde mane was cut fairly short, it retained his mother’s smooth, flowing image in the areas it didn’t split around his horn or from cowlicks. His salmon-colored coat contrasted pleasantly with his teal eyes, though his most interesting feature was the pair of wings that sprouted from his back. The alicorn colt bumped hooves with his friend, chuckling in a rough voice.

“Rainbow Blitz, my favorite prankster. I thought I’d never see you again after that gag at the Summer Sun Celebration.”

All parents present flinched at the memory of that particular ceremony. While Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ were still humiliated about their son ruining one of Princess Celestia’s most sacred traditions, Fluttershy’s main concern was over the condition of her bird friends after they flew away in panic. Capricorn continued, despite the embarrassed looks the two Wonderbolts were radiating.

“It’s a good thing too. Your pranks are hardcore, but at least nopony gets really hurt. I can’t tell you how many bruises I’ve gotten from Surprise’s pranks, although I gave her some nice ones in return.” He stopped a hoof on the ground, leaving a threatening imprint in the grass.

“Cappy, shame on you! Violence is never the answer, and you should know better than to hit a girl! Surely Princess Celestia taught you better than that! Surely I taught you better than that!” Fluttershy protested, visibly flustered from her son’s violent statement.

“Surprise isn’t a girl,” Capricorn grumbled. “She’s a demon in filly skin.”

“Cheers to that,” Rainbow Dash drawled absent-mindedly. The shocked stares from all four ponies brought her back to reality. “Oh… did I say that out loud? Hehehe… oops.”

“Oh, I’m sure her heart is… in the right place,” Fluttershy said, though the lack of certainty in her delivery didn’t show she believed in her own statement. She turned her attention to Soarin’. “Now then, just to make sure everypony is happy, I have a nice schedule for us to follow for the whole day. We’ll go back and finish feeding my animal friends at the cottage, and then it’s off to this nice little café that serves these tasty and healthy salads. After a yummy lunch, we’ll go to Sugarcube Corner for a little treat, and then to the library where Twilight can teleport us to Cloudsdale.”

“Is it safe to teleport that far?” Soarin’ asked nervously.

“She’s teleported us farther with less time to concentrate Soarin’, calm down already,” Rainbow Dash badgered. She changed her demeanor quickly, addressing Fluttershy. “It sounds like an awesome plan, Fluttershy. Thank you so much for watching him while we rehearse the show, and thanks a bunch for volunteering to take him too. You know Spitfire would have given us time to pick him up, especially since the media’s expecting a little routine from him too.”

“Oh it’s no trouble at all, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy politely replied. “And the tickets you gave us was such a nice gesture. Cappy has wanted to go to a Wonderbolt’s show for quite some time now. Although, I do know he wished his father could take him instead-“

“Don’t sweat it, Mom,” the alicorn colt interrupted, waving a hoof in the air casually. “Dad’s busy punishing bad guys in the Princess’ courts, I get it.”

“He uses lie detection spells and many others to solve cases, Capricorn! He doesn’t punish them!” Fluttershy barked. Suddenly aware of her raised volume, she blushed, scuffing a hoof on the ground awkwardly. “So, um, I guess this is where we go now. Now don’t you worry about a thing, Soarin’. His medical information is backed up in the Ponyville hospital, I have access to several messengers in case of emergency, I’ve been trained in CPR, and Twilight is just a short walk away in case he needs to be teleported anywhere. I know he doesn’t have any allergies, but I have a list of common allergenic foods to avoid, just in case.”

Soarin’ gawked, unable to think of any paranoid worries to add to Fluttershy’s extensive list. Rainbow Dash laughed, patting him roughly on the back.

“Hehehe, you should see the look on your face, Soarin’! I knew Fluttershy would be the one pony that could leave you speechless when it came to Blitz’s safety. Now c’mon we got practice. Give Mommy and Daddy a kiss, Rainbow Blitz.”

Blitz obliged with a strong blush tingeing his cheeks, mostly due to Capricorn’s snickering. He watched in awe as Soarin’ and Rainbow Dash took off into the air at high speeds, quickly fading into the distance. A familiar sensation overtook him, as it always did: loneliness.

“Are you all right, Rainbow Blitz?”

Fluttershy’s question brought the colt out of his trance.

“Huh? Uh… yeah, sure. Let’s go feed some critters!” He smiled with fake enthusiasm, hoping to fool his sitter. Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow in suspicion but said nothing. She led the way into town, giving the two colts appropriate space for private conversation.

“Soooooo,” Capricorn began. “You miss them, don’t you?”

Rainbow Blitz scrunched his eyes in confusion.

“Miss what now?”

“Your parents, you doofus. I saw the look on your face when they took off. You looked like my Mom after she releases her monarch butterflies into the wild for their migration.” He smirked as Blitz’s cheeks took on a rosy hue. “There’s no point in denying it. Your face says everything.”

Rainbow Blitz hung his head, avoiding any eye contact with his companion. Capricorn pinned his ears back in regret as he tried to think of a way to backpedal out of the topic. The two continued to drift further from Fluttershy as they slowed their pace.

“Hey now, it’ll be okay! I’m sure you’ll get to go to their practices eventually, just gotta wait a little is all.” He winked theatrically, hoping to lift the mood. Blitz drew his head up, making direct eye contact.

“Don’t you miss your Dad, Cappy?”

The young alicorn drew back in surprise at his question.

“Well, not really. I mean if I was in anypony else’s horseshoes I probably would. He works long hours, but he takes me to the castle for my lessons every school day. It’s not too far from where he works, and Princess Celestia scheduled our lunches together. She also made a deal with the interrogation division to make sure Dad gives me an hour of combat practice three days a week.”

“Interra what now?”

“Interrogation. It means they question criminals, and when they don’t give the right answers, it’s up to my dad to make sure they’re being honest.” Capricorn explained. “Anyways, combat practice is just us blowing stuff up. Dad says he’s not teaching me how to fight with my hooves until he knows he won’t break me. As for missing him, I see him in lunch and lessons and he teleports us to Canterlot, so he can be home in a second if Mom and me need him.” He shrugged. “I guess it’s hard to miss somepony when you see them all the time.”

Rainbow Blitz sighed, envious of his friend. “Yeah, I guess…”

“Well if it isn’t the royal snot!”

Capricorn jerked his head toward the snide remark.

“What do you want, Storm Kicker?!” he bellowed.

An older, grey pegasus colt with a trimmed purple mane smirked confidently. To his left and right was an orange earth pony filly and green unicorn colt, both with stockier builds and monotonous color patterns. They looked expectantly at their leader, waiting for him to lash out at Capricorn again.

“What’s the matter, your princeliness? Too royal to mingle with us lowly commoners?”

“No, too smart to hang with idiots like you three!” He hissed back.

Storm Kicker ignored the insult, directing his attention toward Rainbow Blitz. “I haven’t seen you before.” He stepped forward, grabbing a lock of red and orange mane. “What’s with the hair? You dye it just to look like Rainbow Dash or somethin’? Does the wittle confused colt wanna be a silly filly? Look guys, he even has her scarf.”

Blitz slapped the hoof away.

“Back off, jerk!” he growled.

“Check it out guys! Cappy’s little friend’s got some spunk.” All three stepped forward menacingly. “I like spunk. Makes it more fun when they cry.”

“That… might not be such a good idea.” Capricorn flashed the three bullies a coy smile. “I mean, it’s obvious why you wouldn’t even think about touching me. But him? Do you even know who he is?”

The trio looked at each other with worried expressions.

“This colt, the one you just made fun of and said you were gonna beat up, is Rainbow Dash’s son. Rainbow Blitz doesn’t need to dye his hair like a rainbow, because it’s natural, you morons.”

“You’re Rainbow Blitz? As in, the kid who’s performing at the Wonderbolts show this afternoon?” Storm Kicker scoffed, pulling his muzzle into a wicked grin. “They only let you do that cuz of your mommy. Face it kid, you’re riding off of your parents’ legacy. I bet you can’t even do a Sonic Rainboom.”

Fluttershy walked past the library, growing impatient at the colts’ privacy. Clearing her throat, she addressed the vacant air.

“Now then boys, I know it’s fun to catch up, but I can tell good stories too! Why, just the other day I saw a nest of baby birds hatch! You really don’t have to be so quiet…. too quiet.” She turned around quickly to face nothing but air. “Oh no, Rainbow Dash will never hear the end of it from Soarin’ if something bad happens! C’mon Fluttershy, they couldn’t have gone too far!”

Fluttershy retraced her steps in a canter, panicking as she thought of any trouble the children could have gotten into.

They could be hurt, or lost, or even scared! Oh Fluttershy, you’re the worst parent ever. I’ll bet they’re… completely fine.

Fluttershy came to a halt as she saw the five young ponies talking.

Oh how wonderful! They’re making friends with some of the other children. She inched closer until she paused. Oh Fluttershy, you really should give them their privacy. They’re growing up! They don’t need you breathing down their necks the whole time.

She watched with muted interest as Capricorn pointed to Rainbow Blitz. The smug smile on his muzzle was too tempting.

Well I guess it couldn’t hurt if I listened to just a little bit of it…

Fluttershy crept behind a nearby building, sticking one yellow ear out to eavesdrop on the children.

“Face it kid, you’re riding off of your parents’ legacy. I bet you can’t even do a Sonic Rainboom.”

Well that’s not a very nice thing to say. These boys sound like bullies.

She peeked her head from the building’s bend. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide with recognition.

Oh no, that’s Storm Kicker! Oh Cappy, what’ve you gotten Blitz into?

Capricorn pointed an accusing hoof at the ringleader of the older colts.

“Oh yeah? How do you know he can’t do a Sonic Rainboom? You’ve never seen him fly!”

Storm Kicker gave a cruel laugh and glared menacingly down at the two younger colts.

“All talk like always, Cappy. Face it; Rainbow Dash is the only pegasus who can do the Sonic Rainboom. This kid doesn’t have the skills to try something like that.”

“Now wait up, you big blowhard,” Capricorn barked. “He definitely does have the skills to try it.”

Well this seems familiar, Fluttershy thought, a wave of nostalgia hitting her.

“No he doesn’t, cuz he’s just a no-talent little shrimp.”

Rainbow Blitz fidgeted awkwardly. Capricorn took no notice of his friend’s discomfort and lashed back at their bullies.

“Then show up at the Wonderbolts show and see for yourself!”

Fluttershy bit her lip. Very, very familiar.

“Oh wait, it’s sold out.” He stuck his tongue out with a smug grin. “Too bad.”

Storm Kicker’s wicked smile didn’t fade.

“I do have tickets and I will see it for myself.”

Rainbow Blitz broke into a cold sweat. All confident features on Capricorn’s face turned to pure shock.

“H-how did-“

“I have connections,” Storm Kicker interrupted. He turned to leave, shooting a confident glance back at the two dumbstruck colts. “Can’t wait to see you perform, Rainbow Blitz. Or should I say, Rainbow Ditz!”

“Huh, yeah,” the unicorn chimed in. “Make sure to show up, or you’ll be… uh… Rainbow Quits!”

Their faint comments of approval among each other could be heard as they walked away from the defeated youngsters. Rainbow Blitz shot a panicked look at his friend.

“Cappy! What have you done?! I can’t do the Sonic Rainboom! I haven’t even tried!”

Capricorn regained his composure, flashing Blitz a small grin.

“Well how do you know you can’t if you haven’t tried it yet? C’mon, I bet you can learn it before the show. Imagine what everypony will say if you manage to pull that off!”

“No!”

Both colts jumped in surprise as Fluttershy abandoned her hiding spot behind the building. Capricorn stammered as he fought against his mother’s stern look.

“M-mom! H-how long were you-“

“Enough to see what kind of mess you just made, young colt!” She turned her attention to both of them. “Now there will be no Sonic Rainbooms, and no attempts at Sonic Rainbooms as long as I’m in charge! Do you understand?! Rainbow Blitz, I promised to look after you and it would be irresponsible on my part to let you even try something like that.”

Capricorn’s jaw dropped in horror at the implications.

“B-but those jerks-“

“Are bullies and will leave you alone, eventually. All they can do is say mean words. I’m in charge, and I want you both to follow me back to the cottage; that’s an order! And no more wandering off! We have a long day ahead of us.”

Fluttershy turned to leave for her cottage, looking back to make sure both boys were in tow. Capricorn’s head hung as he looked at the ground, and Rainbow Blitz eye’s darted around in panic. Their pathetic looks tugged at her heartstrings.

Poor things, she thought, sympathizing their misery. I’m sure they’ll feel better after a nice, relaxing day in Ponyville.

She resumed her path forward, not noticing Capricorn looking up with a confident smirk on his muzzle.

The day has just begun, Mom, he brooded. It has only just begun.

Playing Doctor
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A Day With Friends

Playing Doctor

Fluttershy led the two boys down the trail to her cottage, pleased by the visible changes in their demeanors. Rainbow Blitz looked at the woods in astonishment, taking in every visual detail he could get. Capricorn had stopped moping, but had started fidgeting and appeared to be impatient for something. Fluttershy didn’t think much of it; her son usually acted out one way or another. She looked back to Rainbow Blitz with a soft smile.

“Is there something on your mind, Rainbow Blitz?”

“I’ve never seen so many trees and animals up close. I mean, I’ve flown over them lots, and sometimes I see them in parks, but I didn’t know they were so…” he paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. “…wild.”

Fluttershy gaped at him in mute shock. Clearing her throat, she smiled apologetically and found her voice.

“Oh, um. Yes, it is very wild. Well not so wild, my animal friends love me, and I love them! The wild wild animals live deeper in the Everfree Forest.” She paused, considering the information Blitz revealed. “How is it even possible that you haven’t seen the woods up close? I mean, you’re such a strong flier, you can go wherever you want.”

“Oh, well I, um you see, uh I don’t really leave the house ‘cuz of the paparazzi. Not unless I practice flying or go to school.” He flashed a sheepish grin at Capricorn. “Or sneak away to Ponyville sometimes, and when I do that I just fly right over them. We all usually meet at Sugarcube Corner. I mean it’s not all that bad. There’s birds and stuff to watch, and I can always try to play with Tank, even if he can’t really do much.”

“Oh… my. Well, um, it sounds… peaceful?” Fluttershy flashed a hopeful grin.

“Sounds lonely to me,” Capricorn mumbled. His mother shot him a venomous look that promised him punishment for a later time. Rainbow Blitz didn’t pay much attention to their exchange; his attention had been grabbed by multiple fuzzy lumps littering the forest floor.

“Uuuum, Fluttershy, what the hay are those?”

“Oh, why those are beavers, Rainbow Blitz.”

Blitz furrowed his brow, scrunching his eyes to get a better look.

“They’re not moving. Are you sure?”

Fluttershy nodded confidently with a small smile.

“Absolutely! They were all scheduled for their physicals this morning. You see, beavers have very sharp teeth; they cut down trees with them, you know.” Her smile widened as Rainbow Blitz’s eyes bulged in surprise. “Their teeth are always growing, so they cut down trees to wear them down. It’s a completely natural and painless process. The problem is, we don’t have enough rivers and streams for all of them to make dams. So, it’s up to me to file their teeth, and to make things safer for myself, I give them all a nice little edible tranquilizer.”

Rainbow Blitz tilted his head in confusion.

“Tranka what now?”

“Tran-qui-liz-er,” Capricorn drawled. He rolled his eyes. “Don’t they teach you anything in school?”

Fluttershy gave her son a sharp swat on the back of his head.

“Not everypony has the privilege to study under the Princess herself, Capricorn! You really need to think about what you say before you hurt somepony’s feelings.”

He turned his head toward Rainbow Blitz and gave him a quick wink. Blitz returned the gesture with a short-lived smirk, quickly changing his expression to false sadness.

“I-I’m sorry, Rainbow Blitz,” Capricorn feigned. “I wasn’t being a nice pony, or a good friend. Can you ever, ever forgive me?!”

“Y-yeah, of course I do, Cappy,” Blitz said, failing to hold back his snickering. He composed himself, giving the most sincere look he could manage. “How could I not forgive my best friend?”

“Oh how wonderful,” Fluttershy happily sighed. “You two are being so nice that I think I’ll make us some tea before we start the day.”

“I’ll do it!” Capricorn bellowed, rushing for the porch. The green glow from his horn radiated the doorknob, swinging the door open.

“Out of my way, Angelo!”

His telekinetic magic tossed aside a brown, feisty, and very angry rabbit. The small, flustered mammal shook his fist in a manner that would have made his grandfather proud before hopping off into the woods to cool off.

Rainbow Blitz flinched as the sound of crashing pots and pans met his ears. Fluttershy trotted casually up to the open door, muttering under her breath.

“At least he’s starting a fire to help somepony this time…”

“Green tea with milk and two sugars! Just the way you like it, Mom.”

Fluttershy sat on her couch with Rainbow Blitz on one side, his scarf resting on the furniture’s arm. She took the cup, blowing on the liquid’s surface. Steam billowed off the edge, fading into the air as it left a spicy scent. She took a sip, enjoying the strong taste and looked down at her son, eyes glowing for her approval.

“It’s a wonderful cup of tea. Thank you Capricorn.”

Beaming with pride, Capricorn took his seat next to her.

“Now then,” Fluttershy began. “The restaurant we’ll be going to serves some very yummy pasta. They have a lot of-“

She yawned. Blinking rapidly, she shook her head and took another sip of the lukewarm tea.

“Please excuse me. I guess I didn’t sleep that well last night. I’m sure the caffeine will help me keep awake and alert. As I was saying, the restaurant has a lot of different pasta and-“

She yawned again, louder than the last time. Fluttershy shakily put her tea down onto the coffee table. Her vision blurred, and the world around her began to spiral into peaceful darkness.

Capricorn caught his mother with his magic as she fell, gently placing the fainted pegasus back on the couch. Rainbow Blitz jumped up and hovered in surprise, gawking at scene.

“Holy horseapples! Cappy, call the hospital! I’m faster, I’ll go get help!”

He felt the strong tug of Capricorn’s magic pull him down the ground.

“Calm down, Blitzy. She’s going to be fine,” he assured. “She was just tired.”

“How do you know?!” Blitz shrieked. “You’re not a doctor! She could be sick, or hurt or-“

He paused mid-panic, eyes shrinking to pinpricks as his mind connected imaginary dots. Rainbow Blitz looked at Capricorn with wide eyes.

“You didn’t.”

His friend’s small smirk was all the answer he needed. Blitz sped off to the kitchen, coming back shortly with an opened pill bottle.

“You gave your mom beaver tranquilizer?!” he howled. “You drugged your mom?!”

“Drug is such a harsh word,” Capricorn said calmly. “I like the sound of medicated better.”

Rainbow Blitz grabbed Capricorn by the shoulders and shook him roughly.

“Why would you do something like this, Cappy?!”

“Be-yee-cause child proo-oof bottles do-on’t work o-on unico-orns,” he said, his speech choppy from the rocking motions. Releasing himself from his friend’s grip, Capricorn continued. “Well, technically alicorns in my case. My mom really should have known better than-“

He paused, giving Blitz a brief look. Eyes bloodshot and watery, the pegasus colt was certainly a sad sight.

“Oh stop your worrying, Blitz! I’m the one who is gonna get in trouble, not you! I could already tell Mom was gonna ground me as soon as you left today, so I really didn’t have much to lose.”

Rainbow Blitz scrunched his brow with a forehoof in frustration.

“That doesn’t mean you-“

Capricorn silenced him with a hoof pressed against his muzzle.

“It’s for your own good.”

Blitz tilted his head in bewilderment.

“My own good?”

“Yeah, dude. How else are we gonna train you to do the Sonic Rainboom? Mom sure as hay wasn’t gonna let you do it.”

“The Sonic Rainboom?!” he cried. “You actually think I’m gonna try something like that?!

“What’s the matter, Blitzy?” Capricorn cooed. “Your old man starting to rub off on you? Are you a… chicken?”

“No!” he huffed. “I… I just haven’t tried it is all.”

“No time like the present,” Capricorn smirked. “There’s plenty of airspace above the fields nearby. Let’s go, we’ve only got one day to get this down.”

“B-but I… I,” Rainbow Blitz stammered.

Capricorn trotted to the door and looked back with determined, half-lidded eyes. Gesturing with a nod towards the door, he opened it and took off into the air. Blitz released an audible sigh and spread his wings.

“It’s going to be a long day.”

“This should be more than enough room to reach supersonic speeds, even if I did my math wrong!”

The two colts perched themselves on thin, icy cirrus clouds a considerable distance above the ground. Rainbow Blitz walked to the edge and looked down. The ground had become accurate grids of green and brown, testimony to the design put into earth pony agriculture. He shuddered, the combination of frigid air and his nerves taking control. Despite being accustomed to a life in the higher altitudes, Rainbow Blitz had never been so high up; Soarin’ had made sure of that personally. He looked back at Capricorn, happily sitting on the frosty cloud as he admired the scenery the high altitudes of the troposphere had to offer. His attitude was contagious; Blitz felt himself smiling and relaxed as his confidence swelled. He called out to get his friend’s attention.

“Hey, Cappy! How do I even do the Sonic Rainboom?”

Capricorn stared at him in disbelief.

“Your mom never told you?!”

Blitz shook his head glumly.

“No, she said she didn’t wanna tell me until I was maybe old enough to do it myself. Something about not wanting me to get hurt… “

He paused, frowning at a sudden revelation.

“You know what? I bet Dad had something to do with that,” he added bitterly.

“Well, lucky for you, my mom was there to see it several times, and she did tell me about it,” Capricorn proudly gloated.

He popped off the cloud with his hind legs and landed with his forelegs, perfectly balanced in a ‘hoofstand’.

“She said your mom would dive straight at the ground, hooves forward like this, and she would get going so fast the sound barrier would show up!”

“What’s a sound barrier?” Blitz asked innocently.

Capricorn lost his balance, falling face-first into the icy cirrus. The frosty body of the cloud muffled his grumbling, censoring him from taking any further stabs at his friend’s self-esteem. Capricorn tilted his head up, annoyed but composed as he spoke.

“The sound barrier is that last bit of resistance anything feels before making a sonic boom, or in your mom’s case a Sonic Rainboom. My mom said your mom would practice the Sonic Rainboom over a hundred times, and each time she would get shot back by the sonic barrier like a rubber band! She couldn’t get it in practice, but when the competition came up, Missus Rarity fell off a cloud or something.”

He tapped his chin, pondering the story for a bit.

“You know, my Mom didn’t really tell me too much about how she fell.”

Smiling again, his enthusiasm returned to his voice as the story reached its climax.

“But then as she was falling to her doom, your mom rushed after her and finally broke through the barrier, making the Sonic Rainboom! She did it again at Cadance’s wedding, and she didn’t even nosedive either!”

“So I just dive straight down and hope I can do it?” Blitz asked.

“You got it!”

Rainbow Blitz looked back down at the ground and took a deep breath. He jumped.

“C’mon Soarin’, you’ve been with us for how long now? You can’t just pause in the middle of a formation like that!”

Spitfire groaned in frustration as the stallion continued to ignore her. He hovered in the airspace, completely still aside from his beating wings, staring off into the distance. Rainbow Dash heard the commotion and broke formation, joining her captain and husband.

“What’s all the hubbub about?”

Spitfire pointed an accusing hoof at Soarin’.

“Ask your deadbeat husband! He stopped in the middle of formation; Rapidfire had to break his formation to get around him!”

She cleared her throat and softened her tone, doing her best to compose herself.

“Look, I told the princess I would think about letting your son come watch us, but I will not tolerate emotional blackmail. If you don’t fly, you get fired.”

“This isn’t about letting Rainbow Blitz watch us practice,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking from worry. She flew up to Soarin’, taking his hoof with hers and patting it with her other hoof. “What is it, Soarin’? What’s he doing?”

Spitfire cocked her head in obvious confusion.

“What the hay are you going on about, Dash?”

She looked at Spitfire, her expression dead serious as she explained.

“This is his ‘Rainbow Blitz is doing something really stupid’ look. Call it weird, call it a father’s intuition, but pluck my feathers if it isn’t usually spot-on. I think we need to go make sure he’s all right.”

“I don’t need your excuses, Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire barked. “I’ve had just about enough of-“

“Remember the Summer Sun Celebration?” Dash said, interrupting her captain’s tantrum.

“Who could forget?” She said dryly. “But I don’t see-“

“The same thing happened, but we couldn’t find Blitz in time.”

Spitfire gawked.

“Go find him. Now.”

The air rushed past his ears, screaming in protest as he continued to fly straight down. Rainbow Blitz could feel his eyes watering, the stinging wind lashing at them. He didn’t care; the adrenaline coursed through his bloodstream, driving him to push on faster, and he loved it. A rainbow trail faded quickly behind him, straining to keep up with his velocity. The speed was exhilarating.

Mom always told me how awesome it was to fly fast, he thought, but I didn’t know it could be so… amazing.

He always loved flying, but this had taken him to a new level of freedom.

As if on cue, the sonic cone formed around his forehooves, bending as he pressed forward. Blitz’s smile stretched as far and wide as it could go.

I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna do it! Sweet Celestia, I’m really going to-

The sudden spike in resistance interrupted his confident thoughts, as well as his momentum. He paused in midair, uttering the only phrase he could think of for the situation.

“Uh-oh.”

The sonic barrier catapulted the colt through the air, his shriek creating a strong Doppler effect.

“YEAAAAHAHAOOOOOOOOOW!”

He launched past Capricorn at an uncontrollable velocity, soaring towards a lush, established apple orchard on the outskirts of Ponyville. Capricorn hopped off the cloud and chased after his friend.

“Hang on Blitz!" He called after him. "Try to crash into the reservoir; if you hurt any trees, Applejack will tan your hide!”

Far From The Tree
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A Day With Friends

Far From The Tree

“Today you’re learnin’ how to buck like a real Apple! Pay close attention, sugarcube.”

The ‘sugarcube’ addressed was a very bored, very beautiful little filly. Her light caramel-colored coat practically glimmered in the sunlight, blemished only by three white freckles adorning her cheeks on each side. Her styled, strawberry-blonde mane and tail folded into luscious curls free from split ends. A curl of her mane looped in front of each ear, joining the rest that cascaded in thick spirals down her neck. She stifled a yawn with her hoof, disinterested in whatever it was her mentor had to say.

“Golden Delicious! Pay attention!” Applejack barked.

Golden Delicious gave her a bitter look as her vermillion eyes strayed upward.

“Yes, Mama,” she drawled, her voice thick like honey and laced with a strong southern accent.

Applejack struck a back leg out in demonstration, meeting the bark of one of her beloved apple trees. The resulting collision shook the entire tree, relinquishing its precious fruit in submission. She smiled and looked down at her disgruntled child.

“All right, Goldy, you try it,” she said, forcing herself to wear a smile larger than what should have been natural.

Golden Delicious turned her cheek and closed her eyes, refusing to meet her mother eye to eye. Applejack let out an exasperated groan and stomped on the ground in frustration.

“Dog gone-it, Golden Delicious! This ain’t about that fancy Photo Whatsit business, is it?”

Golden Delicious cracked an eye open.

“Photo Finish, Mama, wanted to give me the golden opportunity to be her cover model for all them fashion magazines. Ah could’ve been a star if Ah didn’t need no permission from you or Daddy.”

“Ah told you, sugarcube, Ah’m sorry,” Applejack solemnly said. She placed a comforting hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “But your daddy and me didn’t think you were quite ready for that kind of responsibility. Ah know you’ll get the chance again when you’re a little bigger and even prettier.”

“Flattery won’t work on me, Mama,” she growled, shrugging her mother’s hoof off. She turned a hoof up, examining it thoroughly. “Besides, Ah already know all that. Ah just don’t wanna ruin my hooficure. Can’t let Miss Aloe and Lotus’ hard work go to waste, and if anypony knows hard work, it’s you Mama.”

“Why Ah, you can’t just compare, Ah mean,” Applejack fumbled with her words. Taking a breath, she collected herself. “You can always get another hooficure, sugarcube. But you gotta learn from a young age the value of a hard day’s work.”

“Ah do know the value, Mama,” Golden Delicious huffed. “Ain’t nothin’ but a drop in the bucket of our profits. Why don’t we just hire somepony to do all that hard work for us?”

“Golden Delicious!” Applejack bellowed. “That ain’t the attitude Ah wanna hear from my own kin! This farm has been run by the Apple family generation to generation, and we only accept help from our friends or during the Winter Wrap Up preparations!”

“But Mama,” she cooed, a cocky smile crawling across her face. “If ya’ll didn’t accept help during them preparations, then you and Daddy would’ve never seen each other in… that kinda way. He even stuck around the farm just to spend more time with you. If you ask me, ain’t nothin’ but good things that can happen from hirin’ some help.”

“Yeah, uh, well Ah married him lickity split and brought him into the Apple family, and there ain’t nopony left here to get married,” Applejack smirked, happy to find a loophole in her daughter’s surprisingly solid logic. “Tradition still holds.”

Golden Delicious’ expression dropped; her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“Fine, if family’s gotta help on the farm then why don’t ya’ll have Gizmo workin’ ‘round here? Ain’t fair to ask such a pretty thing such as myself to help you and Uncle Macintosh when that colt gets to tinker around on his silly little projects.”

Applejack broke into a cold sweat.

“A-ah, well that is, he can’t! He’s a unicorn and, uh, he ain’t got natural muscles like us earth ponies do. Simple as that!” She forced a grin, her poker face failing as Golden Delicious’ eyes bore into hers.

“Pardon the language, Mama,” She snipped, agitation laced in her tone, “But that’s a load of horseapples and ya’ll know it! He can buck like any other Apple, and Ah know you ain’t lettin’ him round here ‘cuz you’re just scared he’ll blow up the barn again! All we gotta do is take away those silly toys of his. Ain’t fair to force me alone into it!”

Golden Delicious finished her rant with a kick of her leg, puncturing a deep hole into the bark of the tree. Apples showered onto the two earth ponies, filling the baskets laid out and littering the ground as they overflowed. Applejack gawked at her flustered daughter, who was more preoccupied eyeing over her back hoof.

“Now look at what you made me do Mama,” she whined, holding up the flawless hoof. “Ah got all worked up and now there’s a scratch on my hoof!”

Applejack leaned forward to inspect her daughter’s ‘injury’. She got up close and squinted, straining to find any imperfection on the keratin. Her eyes detected the slightest nick on the very bottom of the hoof. Applejack’s eyes wandered over to the tree, which had been less fortunate in the violent outcome. Bark splintered jaggedly away from the hole Golden Delicious had left, causing the farmer to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Woah nelly,” she gasped quietly. Looking back at her impatient daughter, she planted a kiss on the hoof and stroked her cheek. “Now now, sugarcube. Ain’t nothin’ but a tiny tiny scratch. Nopony will ever notice it. Ah gotta say, Ah am proud of them leg muscles you got, but Ah’m gonna have to ask you to tone the kicks down a might. That tree’s gonna die now, and Ah can’t afford to replace every single one.”

Golden Delicious smiled confidently, examining the hoof thoroughly.

“You know, Mama, Ah think Ah could afford to scratch up my perfect little hooves a couple times; nuthin’ the spa can’t fix. Kickin’ that hard really lets off some steam, and for whatever reason Ah’m feeling a might stressed out right now.”

Applejack released an audible sigh, apparently accepting defeat.

“All right, Golden Delicious. You win. You don’t have to applebuck today, on one condition.”

“And what would that be, Mama?”

“That would be providin’ you find somethin’ more productive to do with your time within the next five minutes,” she said, giving a small smile. “And the spa don’t count.”

Golden Delicious looked at her mother in bitter silence. Applejack looked back in smug confidence. The tension broke as an earsplitting screech drew the attention from both ponies. They looked up, seeing streak of rainbow shoot overhead into the orchard. The scratchy wailing became drowned out by a louder crashing noise filled with the sound of crushed foliage.

“That… that couldn’t have been Rainbow Dash,” Applejack drawled out loud.

Realization struck her, enticing a wide smile on her muzzle. “Well butter my biscuit, I plum forgot Rainbow Blitz was gettin’ foalsat by Fluttershy today. Woowee, it sure looks like she’s got her hooves full if she let that colt ricochet through the sky like that!”

“Mmmm, he sure was flyin’ awful fast,” Golden Delicious purred, fluttering her eyelashes remarkably fast. She adopted a dreamy gaze, zoning out into the distance where he had crashed. “Ah bet he tastes like zap apple jam on a honey bun.”

“Yeah, Ah... wait, what?!” Applejack croaked.

“Ah said that honeybun looks like zap apple jam,” Golden Delicious smirked, her tone overflowing with confidence. She trotted past her worried mother, tutting as she shook her head. “Really, Mama. You must learn to pay attention. That’s gotta be the tenth time you’ve misunderstood me this week. Ah think a hearin’ aid is in order.”

“Ah ain’t that old,” Applejack huffed. “Looks like he crashed in the south field. Ah think we better go check up on him to make sure he ain’t too banged up, dontcha think so-“

She paused, realizing she was talking to thin air.

“… Golden Delicious?”

Don't Be Shy
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A Day With Friends

Don't Be Shy

“Owwwwwwwwww,” Rainbow Blitz moaned loudly, rubbing his temples with a free forehoof. Head throbbing, his vision cleared, allowing him to see that he had become uncomfortably wedged between several broken branches at the top of an apple tree. Blitz wriggled himself free, releasing a yelp as he broke away from the foliage and plummeted toward the ground. Fluttering his wings, he slowed his fall’s momentum, landing with a grunt; the impact sent small jolts of pain down his legs. Rainbow Blitz touched a sore spot on his rump, wincing as he rubbed the discoloration that had started to form at the base of his tail.

“I’m gonna be feelin’ that one tomorrow…”

“YooooooHooooo!”

His ears perked up, guiding him to the source of the unusually sugary greeting. Rainbow Blitz watched as Golden Delicious trotted casually toward him from behind one of the many trees, eyeing him up and down with unbreakable focus. He could feel his heart pound and the heat surge to his cheeks as the pretty filly gave him a coy smile, fluttering her eyelashes in a very flirtatious manner. She walked up to him and got dangerously close, her eyes half-lidded in determination.

“Well hellooooo there, my delicious zap apple cutie. Did ya’ll come all this distance just to visit me?”

“I-uh, well-uhm, you see, duh-huh,” he fumbled, desperately trying to think of an appropriate response for the stunning little farm filly. The more she looked at him like that, the harder he blushed. Rainbow Blitz broke into a cold sweat at the unfamiliar situation; for once, he was at a complete loss for words.

“You don’t hafta’ lie to me, sugar,” she said with a quick wink, relieving Blitz of the breath he was unaware he was holding. “Ah know you were meant to spend the day with Cappy and his mama. But seein’ as how you’re shootin’ ‘round the sky all fast-like, Ah’m guessin’ Cappy found a way to keep Miss Fluttershy busy.”

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Blitz said with a forced grin, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

“Ah don’t even wanna know what that boy did this time,” she huffed, giving a frown that would normally be uncharacteristic given her current company. Quickly changing her demeanor, she smiled eagerly, taking Rainbow Blitz’s front hooves with her own. “But the important thing is you’re here now, my zap apple hunk. Ah reckon’ takin’ you out for a picnic might just excuse me from my mama’s silly busy-work.”

She paused, stretching her neck out to meet Blitz face-to-face, his blush returning stronger than before.

“And there’s… somethin’ Ah need your help with. And only you can be the one to do it for me, Rainbow Blitz.”

“W-what can I do for you?” He asked with a nervous smile, his voice wavering in parallel to his confidence.

Golden Delicious flashed him a playful grin.

“Weeelll, Ah-“

“Rainbow Blitz! Thank heavens ta’ Betsy you’re alive! How’s he doing, Golden Delicious? Anything broken?”

Golden Delicious groaned angrily at her mother’s unwanted entrance. She fumed internally, making her smile and response at her mother all the more bitter.

“He’s fine, Mama.”

“Yeah, I should be good. Just a few bumps and bruises,” he said assuredly, an adult’s presence bringing him back into his comfort zone. “Golden Delicious was just inviting me to go on a picnic.”

“Is that so?” Applejack growled, giving her daughter a sour look. Rainbow Blitz felt his fur stand on end, secretly thanking he wasn’t on the receiving end of Applejack’s anger.

Golden Delicious played with a lock of hair in a cat-like demeanor, rolling her eyes as she spoke.

“Ah don’t see why you’re upset, Mama. Ya’ll said if Ah could find somethin’ better to do with my time then Ah could go do it. And what could be better than makin’ sure this strappin’ young colt eats properly by givin’ him some good ol’ Apple family vittles?”

“Fine, you win,” Applejack deadpanned before forcing a small smile to address their guest. “Ah supposed a lunch break was in order anyhoo.”

“Did someone say lunch?”

All three pairs of eyes looked up at the gruff voice that had intruded on their conversation. Capricorn grinned from the surface of a cloud, his head popping out beyond the edge of the cumulus. Applejack gave the alicorn a piercing glare, causing the colt to recoil into the safety of his cumulus cover.

“What’d you do to your mama, ya’ little duh-link-wint? Where is she?”

Capricorn popped back out of the cloud and returned the glare, firing his own questions in defense.

“What’d you do to your husband, Missus Applejack? Where is he?”

Applejack’s eyes bulged in surprise, clearly caught off guard by the question, though she wasn’t about to let the misbehaved juvenile know that. She lowered her Stetson, attempting to block her horrible poker face.

“Ah had a very important job for him to do. He had to… um… find some very special fertilizer for the north fields.”

“S-so you sent him on a w-wild goose chase?” Capricorn snickered.

“All right, so what if Ah did!” Applejack bellowed up at him, blushing at the colt’s small victory. “Ah had to make sure he didn’t let Golden Delicious off too easy from today’s work! All she’s gotta do is bat them pretty eyes and he’ll spoil her more rotten than a tomato in a landfill.”

“Ah can’t help it if Daddy can’t say no,” Golden Delicious cooed, inspecting a forehoof that glimmered in the sunlight. Applejack rolled her eyes and continued despite her defeat.

“Ah had to think of some way to send him off for a spell. Now spill it; where’s your mama?”

Capricorn grinned sheepishly, kicking a part of the cloud off as he fidgeted.

“Let’s just say she, um, fell asleep on the job.”

“What’s that suppose ta’ mean?” Applejack raised a curious eyebrow, wondering how the quiet, responsible parent could have slacked off in a similar manner to the other’s parent during her younger napping days.

“Whatever you want it to mean, ma’am,” he answered politely, leaving the cowpony to ponder the possibilities that befell her unfortunate friend. Capricorn glided down gracefully in a manner that Applejack noted was remarkably similar to his mother, joining the other earth-bound ponies. “Lunch with you guys would be perfect! Blitz’ll need a lot of energy for the show today, especially if he’s gonna do the Sonic Rainboom!”

“The Sonic Rainboom?!” Applejack hollered, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Since when could you do that?”

Rainbow Blitz squirmed under her gaze, unable to fabricate a story under the pressure.

“Oh, uh, well I can’t, but-“

Capricorn quickly muzzled Blitz with hoof and turned towards the matriarchal cowpony, opting to finish the sentence for his silenced friend.

“He meant to say he can’t do it, yet. He’s almost there; he got the sonic barrier to show up, after all! He just needs a little… a little….”

The mischievous alicorn’s eyes lit up as an idea crossed his mind.

“Applejack! Maybe you can help us!”

“What in tarnation am Ah supposed ta’ do?” She asked skeptically, tilting her head in thought as she contemplated how an earth pony was supposed to help a pegasus fly. She chose to humor the boy; after all, she had sent Rainbow Blitz’s mother rocketing through the sky during a particularly sleepless week of her life.

“Well, if Rainbow Blitz gets going fast enough, he can break the sound barrier right?”

“Uh huh.”

“And with your lassoing skills, you could probably send him off pretty fast, right?”

Rainbow Blitz sat down and began to quiver in fear, his eyes shrinking to pinpricks as he pictured being tossed around by the centripetal force. Applejack let loose a defiant snort, stomping an angry, protesting hoof on the ground.

“Now if ya’ll think I’m gonna launch a child at break-neck speeds, you either think Ah’m negligent or just plain dumb. Ah probably should stop ya’ll from even tryin’ to do all this Rainboom stuff.”

“That’s quite all right, Mama,” Golden Delicious spoke up, taking a delicate step forward towards the boys. “Ah’m pretty good with a rope, wouldn’t you say so?”

“You bet your biscuit you are!” Applejack nodded proudly, quickly forgetting the context of the statement to indulge in bragging rights over one of the laborious activities her daughter would participate in. “Why, Ah haven’t seen a filly as talented at lassoin’ at your age since, well, mahself!”

“That’s great!” Capricorn sprang into the air, preparing to speed off toward a part of the farm where collateral damage wouldn’t be an issue. “Let’s go try it out!”

Golden Delicious jumped up with surprising agility, clamping onto the alicorn’s tail with her teeth and dragging him back down to the ground. Spitting the disgruntled colt’s blonde tail out, she shot him an annoyed stare.

“Now hold on, sugar,” She said sternly, her lecture-like tone bearing a strong resemblance to her mother or uncle, whenever he was provoked enough to deliver a tongue-lashing. “Ah didn’t say Ah was volunteerin’, now did I? This here stunt sounds like my little zap apple honeybun could get hurt if we don’t do it right.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her daughter’s refusal to ‘help’ the object of her affections perform a heroic, spectacular trick, but remained stoic. She wasn’t one to complain for any random spurts of responsibility Golden Delicious decided to display.

“Sounded like volunteering to me,” Capricorn grumbled. He planted his rump on the ground and crossed his forehooves. “Out with it. What do you want?”

“Funny ya’ll should mention that,” Golden Delicious cooed, ignoring the smacking sound of her mother’s face-hoof. She approached the sitting Rainbow Blitz, tilting her head down to meet him eye to eye. “’Cuz Ah need help as well, and you, sugarcube, are the only one who can help me. You see, one of the very most important things in a young lady’s life is, well,” She paused, relinquishing a slight blush on her freckled cheeks. “Her first kiss.”

“Where are you going with this?” Blitz asked, tilting his head in confusion, one eye scrunched up in obvious contemplation over the possibilities.

“Yeah, where are you going with this, sugarcube,” Applejack growled, gritting her teeth.

Golden Delicious ignored her mother’s aggression and continued.

“It’s very, very important to pick the right colt to share the divine experience with, otherwise the young filly in question will regret her decision for the rest of her life. You see, sugar, the colt for me has gotta’ be kind, polite, athletic, and respectful to yours truly. He’s gotta be a proper gentlecolt,” She paused again and added with a suggestive flutter of her eyelashes, “It don’t hurt none if he’s funny and a looker at that.”

“Wowee,” Blitz gasped, displaying sincere awe at the filly’s extensive list. “That’s a lot to expect from somepony. You’re gonna be looking forever to find a colt like that.”

The loud slapping sound of hoof on flesh interrupted the conversation, grabbing the attention of everypony present. Capricorn’s hoof fell to the ground, a red mark in tribute to his limb’s previous position crowned on his forehead, a testimony to his frustration.

“She’s talking about you, ya’ dingaling!” He belted.

“She is not,” Blitz said, dismissing the idea casually with the wave of his hoof. “I’m not all those things."

“Actually, sugar,” Golden Delicious blushed, demonstrating a rare side of modesty. “He’s right. Ah know you’re a bit of a prankster and can run your gab from time to time, but nopony’s perfect. Ah thought you were just a pretty face until Cappy showed us them letters you and your Daddy wrote for the Princess.”

“He did what?!” Blitz shrieked, panicking that his gush had been spread out for all of Equestria to see.

“Cappy didn’t know what they were, honeybun,” She defended. “All he knew was that you had written one of them, and we hadn’t seen ya’ll ‘round here in such a long time, that we thought somethin’ may have happened to you. He just wanted to make sure you were all right, even if he had to steal somethin’ from Princess Celestia herself. It’s actually rather sweet of him, when you think about it.”

“Yeah yeah, I missed you. So what?” Capricorn blushed, failing to hide a slight smile.

“Anyhoo,” Golden Delicious continued. “After Ah read that there letter, Ah fell hard, sugar. Ah didn’t know you were capable of bein’ such a sweet, carin’ little sparkler. And from that day on, my zap apple honeybun, Ah made my decision. Rainbow Blitz, Ah’d like to share my first kiss… with you.”

Realization from the revelation finally hit Rainbow Blitz. His cheeks flushed a strong crimson and he stammered, barely able to release the words.

“Y-y-y-you’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Yer darn right she’s kidding!” Applejack howled, eyes bloodshot in shame.

“Lips or cheek?” Capricorn asked, a playful smirk on his face as he nudged the young filly in approval.

Blitz gaped at Capricorn in shock.

“Cappy!”

“Oh, lips,” Golden Delicious sighed happily. “Most definitely lips.”

“Deal,” Capricorn said, shaking the young romantic’s hoof.

“Golden Delicious!” Applejack snarled. “Ah will not tolerate this sort of behavior, young filly! Nopony is gonna be lassoin’ anypony else, nopony is gonna be doin’ the Sonic Rainboom until they’re the right age ta’ do so, and nopony is gonna’ be kissin’ under my watch! Am Ah clear?!”

Golden Delicious shot her mother a venomous, sidelong glare.

“Mama, if you ruin this for me, Ah will make for certain that Daddy gets ahold of the grass seeds for this years Winter Wrapup.”

Her dirty look met her mother’s scowl, the two battling each other with their eyes. Applejack’s angry features quickly changed into a casual smile, the victor being decided.

“...Have fun kids!”

Applejack trotted away in a cold sweat, leaving behind a flabbergasted Rainbow Blitz to deal with the whims of the other children.

“Applejack!” He hollered. “Help me! Please!”

She, and along with her, Rainbow Blitz’s last hope vanished inside the barn, slamming the door shut in frustration. He whimpered as Capricorn took him by the tail, dragging him out to the open fields to seal his fate.

Confessions
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A Day With Friends

Confessions

“You mean to tell me that he drugged Missus Fluttershy?!”

“Pretty much,” Rainbow Blitz cringed, feeling shocked himself despite witnessing it firsthoof.

The trio walked along the edge of the apple orchard, the crisp fruit releasing a pleasant aroma that tantalized their appetites, in turn making the idea of their picnic much more satisfying. Golden Delicious walked alongside the pony of her affections, shaking her head from the disappointment she felt in her friend’s devious behavior. She looked back at the alicorn colt, his wings spread out as he balanced a well-stocked basket on his back.

“Oh, hon’,” She tutted disapprovingly. “Ah know you’re an aggressive little bundle, but Ah’ve never known ya’ to do sometin’ like this. Dontcha’ feel bad at all?”

“More than you can even imagine,” He muttered to himself, his teal eyes glazed and downcast.

Golden Delicious widened her eyes by a margin’ before darting them to her left. Rainbow Blitz walked on, unaware of the subtle emotional cues she picked up on. She slowed her pace, holding a foreleg out to detain his movements as well.

“Sugarcube, Ah plum forgot the zap apple jam back at the barn. Could you go back and get it for me?” She fluttered her eyelashes, inducing a goofy smile on his muzzle and light glow on his cheeks. “Ain’t nopony faster than you ‘round these parts, after all.”

He was off in a flash, leaving Golden Delicious free to begin her interrogation. She gave Capricorn a pleading look, resting a hoof delicately on his shoulder.

“C’mon, sugar. Ah’m listening loud ‘n clear. Why dontcha’ tell me what’s goin’ on?”

He closed his eyes, turning his nose to avoid any visual connection with the filly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Golden Delicious scowled, squeezing his shoulder with a crushing force.

“Out with it,” She imitated him, softening her grip once his eyes relinquished tears. “Why’d ya’ do it? Ain’t no use lyin’ to me, Cappy. Ah know you well enough by now. Who told off them colts that said you looked girly?”

“You did.”

“And who calmed my mama down when you accidently turned all her apples into oranges?”

“You did.”

“And who set things straight with Gizmo after things went a little too far?”

“Way too far. You did.”

“You bet Ah did. And Ah’d do it all again for ya’, sugar. Apple family doesn’t have ta’ run blood deep; it’s all about lookin’ out for the ones you care for. Now make this easier on yourself and tell the truth.”

Capricorn continued to let the tears flow, dipping his head to the ground in shame.

“Because I had to.”

“You had to go and drug your Mama?” She asked, cocking her head, a persecuting eyebrow raised.

He shifted uncomfortably, knowing she had him cornered.

“No, I probably could’ve done something else, but I was mad and did the first thing I could think of. Do you Pinkie Promise not to tell Blitz what I know?”

“Cross my heart an’ hope ta’ fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recited, a vermillion orb obscured by her hoof.

Capricorn sighed, lifting his head to meet Golden Delicious at eye level.

“Spitfire doesn’t want Rainbow Blitz at the practices. She thinks a kid would blab their entire routine to the public, especially if the media showed up at their doorstep. I wasn’t supposed to hear this, but the Princess wasn’t counting on me leaving my test to go eavesdrop on their ‘private’ conversation.” He paused, tapping his horn proudly.

“I spent the next few days learning a spell to measure a pony’s skills. You know, how fast they can run or fly, how strong their magic is, stuff like that. I used it to measure Blitzy and his parents this morning. It’s a good thing my mom doesn’t know anything about magic; I told her it was some hypnosis spell.”

“That’s mighty impressive, Cappy,” Golden Delicous drawled impatiently, “But Ah don’t see how keepin’ a tab on his wings is gonna convince the captain to let him inta’ practice.”

“That’s just it, Goldy!” He said, his expression lightening a bit. “What’s the one thing Rainbow Blitz could do that would make Spitfire wanna keep him around? What’s the flashiest move in the sky; the one she’d wanna make sure stays in the Wonderbolts forever and ever?”

“Oh sugar, is that why you’re so dead set on Rainbow Blitz learnin’ the Sonic Rainboom? Ah know he’s a bit of a flying wiz in his own right, but you can’t… possibly… think… that….,” She gaped, coming to grasp at what Capricorn had been implying. “You’re jokin’.”

“I’m not,” He grinned cheerily. “My spell told me he had the physical ability to do the Rainboom, and it was right! Blitz can form the Sonic Barrier! He just needs a little push to break it. He’s actually faster than his dad, but not quite at his mom’s level yet.” He frowned, pounding a hoof into the dirt in frustration. “They would know that if his dad wasn’t so dead-set on keeping him away from risks! They’re stunt fliers! It’s not exactly like they play it safe themselves. Anyways, Mom would never go against Soarin’s wishes, so that’s why I… I…”

“Took her outta the picture?”

“Yeah,” He pawed uncomfortably at the dirt, kicking a small cloud up. “I had to do it. Blitz is so lonely, and it’s not like he can always come to Ponyville to take him away from that. I did my research with the drugs too; I looked at the back. Turns out it’s the same stuff they put in cold medicine, only stronger. I still should’ve thought of something else, like teleportation.”

“Ya’ still owe her one heck of an apology, sugar,” She said, lowering her hoof to the ground. “But you already knew that.”

“Yeah,” He croaked meekly. “She’ll probably never trust me again… but it’s worth it if I can help Rainbow Blitz get into those practices. Just… don’t tell anypony what’s going on. Can’t let them think I’m turning out more and more like my mom.”

“Ah wouldn’t dream of it, sugarcube.”

Golden Delicious leaned forward, her teeth flashing and her eyes beaming with excitement.

“So, do ya’ think Blitz knows he can do it?”

“Does Blitz know he can do what now?”

Both ponies turned to the raspy voice in horror, each wondering how long the colorful colt had been hovering in their airspace. Rainbow Blitz held a stack of jars, his head poking around them and his lip jutted out in a pout.

“Were you guys making fun of me behind my back? You know I’d rather you just say it to my face instead.”

“O-oh no, sugar,” Golden Delicious stammered, her cheeks perked up in a forced smile. She took the jars from him, placing them in Capricorn’s basket. “Ain’t like that, honest. We were just wonderin’… if ya’ll knew about that rainbow trail you leave behind. You know, uh, ‘cuz it’s behind you and it’d be dangerous to not keep your eyes on the sky.”

“Of course I know I can do it!” Blitz chirped, blissfully ignorant of her forced demeanor He spun around, landing ahead of her after a successful roll. “I see it when I do corkscrews all the time. Now let’s go eat!”

“Yes, now that there is a good idea. Besides, Ah still gotta help ya’ll so Ah can get my kiss,” She added with a quick wink.

Rainbow Blitz flushed as he looked back, evoking mild laughter from the other two children.

Soarin’ pounded on the locked cottage door, wailing in despair for a response that would never come.

“Bliiiiiiiiitzy! It’s Daaaaaaddy! Aaaaanswer meeeeeee! Pleeeeeeease!”

“Soarin’, they probably left for town already,” Rainbow Dash sighed, her mane swishing along her neck as she shook her head in shame.

Soarin’ whimpered pathetically and continued knocking at the door, tears welling in his eyes as he was met by further silence.

Rainbow Dash groaned, stepping forward to drag her lamenting husband from Fluttershy’s property, when a flash of brown drew her rose eyes from the comical scene unwinding on the porch. An irritated auburn bunny halted to a stop in front of the prismatic Wonderbolt, waving his tiny arms to garner her attention. He motioned with a small paw for her to follow him, repeating himself several times for emphasis. Rainbow Dash knew enough about his temperamental grandsire to realize that Angelo was not chasing her off of his territory and actually had something important to show her. She followed him, leaving her hysteric husband to continue pounding away at the mahogany door.

Angelo rushed around to the back of the cottage, Rainbow Dash in tow, her thoughts reaching panic at the rabbit’s somber behavior. He jumped through a small flap, clearly built as a sort of ‘doggy door’ for smaller creatures and leapt up, perching on the doorknob. The familiar sounds of clicking reached Dash’s ears, informing her that the surprisingly mechanical savvy creature had unlocked the door. She pulled the door open violently, following the brown streak of fur to Fluttershy’s living room. Dash gasped as she bore witness to her delicate and demur friend uncharacteristically dribbling on the couch, her deep slumber eliciting a quiet snore on every down breath.

“Fluttershy!” She yelled, shaking the yellow pegasus roughly, breaking her unconscious state.

“Wha huh?!” Fluttershy wheezed, her speech slurred by the diminishing effects of the ‘medication’.

“What happened, Fluttershy? Where are the boys?” Dash asked, her tone completely calm and understanding. Something had to have happened; she knew Fluttershy better than to assume that the caretaker would even dream of dozing off in the middle of her responsibilities.

“I-I’m not sure,” she stuttered, blushing in mortification at the current situation. “We had some tea, and I-I-“

She froze, mouth agape as the gears in her mind turned, coming to a horrifying conclusion.

“No…” She croaked, hoping her first assumption wouldn’t be the correct one. She vanished from Dash’s grip, leaving behind nothing more than a yellow blur that bounded toward the kitchen.

“He did!” She shrieked, the framed pictures in her cottage shaking at the murderous volume the pegasus reached. “My little parasprite of a son drugged me!”

She stomped her way back into the living room, pictures falling off the walls as the house quivered in submission to her hoofsteps. Rainbow Dash shook in her seat, telling herself that it was Fluttershy’s treading that caused her involuntary spasms, not the bloodlust in her voice.

“Oh when I get my hooves on him! Just wait until his father hears about this! I can’t believe it! I mean he’s pulled some stuff, but this beats them all by a landslide!”

Rainbow Dash hovered in the air anxiously, eager to fly away and rescue her son from whatever terrible fate Fluttershy’s had in store for him.

“Why would he even do that?!”

“He, um…” Fluttershy quickly reverted back to her timid self, afraid to reveal the truth to her panicked friend. She hesitated, biting her lip as she weighed the pros and cons of sugarcoating the situation. Giving into her morals, she decided to be completely honest with the troubled parent.

“He wanted to train Rainbow Blitz so that he could do the Sonic Rainboom.”

Fluttershy’s door came crashing down, the frame splintered from impact. A cloud of dust settled, revealing Soarin’ who came stumbling in, eyes wide in panic.

“The Sonic Rainboom?!” He bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the house. Soarin’ shakily turned around and took flight, his trajectory wobbly and his voice fading out as he gained distance from the cottage. “My baaaaaabyyyyyyy!”

Both mares stood in mute shock, their trance broken by the sound of the last piece of doorframe falling. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat awkwardly, embarrassed by her husband’s display.

“I’ll pay for that.”

Impact
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A Day With Friends

Impact

“Now make sure that rope’s tighter than a bundled up knapsack, sugar!”

“I can’t feel my butt anymore,” Rainbow Blitz grumbled, yanking the rope taut around his midsection. Capricorn walked up, horn aglow in preparation of a spell. Rainbow Blitz flinched at the magic’s contact, his body developing an emerald glow as the aura spread over his features in a molasses-like viscosity. He inspected a hoof with skepticism, turning it over to see that the light had fully incased it.

“What the heck is this, Cappy?”

“Impact reduction spell,” He mumbled, eying his friend up and down to ensure that the spell had fully incased him. “Your dad’s already gonna throw a fit when he sees that bruise on your bum. May as well give you back to your parents as unbroken as possible. You ready?”

“No!” Blitz hissed, his eyes narrowed in a vicious glare. “I didn’t sign up for this, Cappy! You’re the one who said I have to-um, you know.”

“Are you saying you think she’s ugly?” Capricorn asked rhetorically, a smug eyebrow raised as he baited the rainbow colt.

“What?! No! She’s the prettiest filly in Ponyville; everypony knows that!”

“So you don’t wanna kiss her?”

“Yes- I mean no- I mean,” Blitz stammered, blushing furiously at his verbal slip. He took a deep breath, calming his speech and flush before looking his grinning friend in the eyes. “I don’t think I’m ready is all.”

“Sure you are! You just don’t know it yet.” Capricorn took a few steps back, cupping a hoof to his mouth to amplify his hollering. “He’s all set Golden Delicious! Do your stuff!”

“Maybe this isn’t the be-YEEEEEEOOOOW!” Rainbow Blitz howled, the rope squeezing the air from his lungs. Golden Delicious swung the rope fervently, forming a circular rainbow at the fiber’s end as she increased its velocity. Rainbow Blitz attempted to stretch his wings out from their folds. To his horror, the inner wing remained pinned to his side, the force pressuring it stronger than the specified muscles used to unfold it. Blitz’s vocal pleas to stop were lost among the air resistance. Golden Delicious reached max velocity, signaling to Capricorn with a wave of her immaculate hoof; the alicorn colt fired a green blast from his horn, singeing the rope thin. Rainbow Blitz squeezed his eyes shut, tears brought forth from the wind and his imposing fate.

*Snap*

Golden Delicious and Capricorn watched in stunned silence as the rainbow colt catapulted through the orchard, taking several branches with him. Apple leaves that had scattered throughout the air hovered gently down the ground, making soft rustling sounds in an otherwise completely silent scene. Golden Delicious shifted her eyes to her side, silently demanding an explanation from her winged friend. Capricorn hopped gracefully onto a single hoof, spinning around several times until his inner wing found itself pinned into its folds.

“Oh….”

Soarin’ pumped his wings against the air currents, sweat dripping off him as testimony to his strained efforts. The rings under his eyes formed deeper creases as several worst case scenarios played through his panicked mind, each ending disastrously for his little son. Soarin’s terror-filled fantasies were interrupted by a strong force colliding into him from above, sending him sprawling into a massive cloud bank. Eyes closed, he groaned painfully, flipping onto his back and pressing down onto the cumulus with his forehooves. He rose halfway before realizing somepony was pinning his wings down with their hooves. Soarin’ squinted his eyes open, meeting the amused gaze of his colorful wife. Rainbow Dash leaned forward, giving him a surprisingly gentle kiss despite the force she was exerting on his wings. She drew back, meeting his angry look with one of nostalgia and contentment.

“Just like our fifth date. Good times, good times,” She cooed, blushing slightly as old memories washed through her mind. Soarin’ growled deeply, his eyebrows narrowed and his muzzle scrunched into an angry scowl.

“Get off, Dashie! I have to find Blitzy while I still have the chance!”

Rainbow Dash let her smile fade and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Do you even know where he is?”

Soarin’s features drooped miserably and he shook his head slowly. His deep green eyes glistened with fresh tears. “No, I got a bad feeling about an hour ago and I haven’t felt anything since. I’m scared, Dashie. What if he-“

Rainbow Dash silenced him, a blue hoof pressed against his lighter toned muzzle. “Hey now, don’t talk like that. He’ll be fine. Now if only we knew how to find him.”

Fluttershy hovered precariously into the airspace, out of breath from her attempt to catch up to the two athletes. She flopped onto the cloud, gasping for precious air to relieve the burning in her wings. “I –gasp- have an –gasp- idea –gasp-.”

Both Wonderbolts turned their attention to the animal caretaker, giving her reasonable time to recover from her physical endeavors. Fluttershy wiped the sweat from her brow and regained her composure. “Why don’t you two just make an appearance in town? You’ll draw quite a lot of attention, and that way you can let him find you.”

“Uhhh, Fluttershy,” Dash drawled, her uncertainties clear in her tone, “Wouldn’t that just make it harder to find him? I mean he’s doing something he knows he could get in trouble for. Seems to me like that’d just show him where to avoid.”

“You’re wrong, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy shook her head, her tone becoming stern, “That colt is starved for attention from you two! I bet the only reason he agreed to go along with my son was so that he could learn something so amazing Spitfire would have no choice but to let him into the practices. The poor thing is willing to put himself into harm’s way just to get some attention, so why wouldn’t he come flying to you?”

Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ exchanged mutual guilty looks, the latter more pained given his previous knowledge of the matter.

“Uuuuuuuuhg my leg! That was reduced impact?”

Rainbow Blitz leaned back against the hard fibers of an apple tree, a path of destruction pointing directly to him. He rubbed a sore spot on one of his hind legs, grimly impressed by the welt that had developed. Capricorn’s protective spell had worked, but as Rainbow Blitz discovered first hoof, that didn’t make the experience painless in the slightest. To his chagrin, the spell had reached its maximum capacity for abuse near the end of his volley, leaving him completely unprotected for the final impact. He fidgeted with his hooves, mentally berating himself for leaving physical evidence that his father could use to justify further overprotection. Rainbow Blitz’s panicked thoughts were interrupted by Golden Delicious’ honeyed voice, her tone showing exaggerated concern.

“Oh my stars!” She cried, running up to him, her gait extraordinarily fast despite her precision to avoid scuffing her hooves. Golden Delicious stopped just short of him, reaching out a delicate hoof as she prodded different parts of his body. She exhaled a large sigh of relief, “Oh sugar, thank Celestia that little Cappy’s magic trick worked. Ain’t nothin’ worse than a welt and a few scrapes.”

“Yeah, back to the drawing board,” He said, pulling himself up from his slumped position. Golden Delicious jumped forward in a cat-like pounce, pinning him against the bark, their muzzles only an inch apart.

“Now hold on, Rainbow Blitz,” She smiled warmly, “We ain’t done here.”

His cheeks flushed fully and his voice cracked as he spoke. “B-but I didn’t do the Sonic Rainboom!”

“Ah believe the agreement was for me ta help you. There was nothin’ Ah said about ya’ll succeedin’,” She said softly, her own cheeks tinted with blush. “Now pucker up, sugarcube. Ah’m claimin’ my prize.”

Soarin’ came to a hault in midair, his ears perked and eyes shrunk to pinpricks. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spread out their wings, braking quickly to avoid collision with the stunned stallion. Dash frowned and tapped her husband with an impatient hoof.

“What’s the deal, Soarin’?”

“He’s at Sweet Apple Acres!” He bellowed, diving into a quick beeline for the apple orchard. Rainbow Dash grabbed Fluttershy by the hoof, dragging her slower friend at a high velocity to catch up with the panicked father.

Predators
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A Day With Friends

Predators

The troublemaking trio walked steadily through the bustling marketplace with ponies of various races, colors, and sizes throwing their bits away to whatever stands could sell their products best. Even Rainbow Blitz’s spectacular color scheme was lost among the sea of equines, all too busy to notice the child celebrity amongst the masses. Capricorn and Rainbow Blitz paused their weary hoofsteps, catching their breath as beads of sweat ran down their faces, splashing quietly into the dirt path below. The two colts were laden with bags of free merchandise that Golden Delicious had acquired, each a testimony of every vendor’s melted heart. Rainbow Blitz watched throughout the afternoon with concealed amusement as she charmed her way into the good graces of even the stingiest of business ponies. Never once did she ask or beg for the multitude of goods that were thrust upon her. Her strategy was simply flattery, whether it was for the vendor or their merchandise. The combination of her natural beauty and southern belle charms won her into the hearts of everypony, and the numerous clothes and trinkets the two colts labored with became even more abundant as they made their way further into the heart of Ponyville. Rainbow Blitz panted with visible strain, his voice cracking as he leaned over to whisper his complaints to Capricorn.

“How much longer is this gonna take?”

Despite his own obvious fatigue, Capricorn raised a cocky eyebrow and maintained a level tone. “What’s the matter, Blitzy? Don’t you like free stuff? Or are you just that tired? I thought athletes were good at endurance.”

“It’s not that,” Blitz shook his head, scattering sweat droplets into the air. “What if somepony recognizes me?” He grabbed a tuft of rainbow mane, as if to personify it as a scapegoat. “I don’t exactly blend in with the crowd, you know.”

Capricorn gave an amused snort and a roll of his eyes. “You kidding? It’s Ponyville Square during peak hours. We’re lucky nopony’s trampled us for a hairband…. yet. Anyways, if somepony did recognize you, we could lose them pretty quickly in the crowd.”

“Why don’t you have to hide from the crowd?” Rainbow Blitz whined indignantly. Golden Delicious approached the boys in a steady trot with another bag slung victoriously over her shoulder. She gave the two ponies a half-lidded knowing look, fluttering her eyelashes with a small smile.

“Who needs to hide, sugar? Ah really do hope a little kiss didn’t scare ya’ none,” She said confidently with a quick wink, despite the faint pink hue tinting her cheeks that betrayed her racing heart. Rainbow Blitz shook his head violently, fighting to control his own blush, his bangs forming a fiery blur as they glistened in the sunlight.

“No no, that was… cool,” Blitz croaked, his volume approaching levels more characteristic of Capricorn’s mother than his own. He pointed an accusing hoof at Capricorn’s horn, “He’s the one who’s the big deal. Why doesn’t he have to run away from the paparazzi?”

Golden Delicious and Capricorn gave each other a sidelong glance, their expressions exchanging mutual understanding for their friend’s ignorance. The young alicorn lifted a hoof, revealing an engraved horseshoe nailed firmly into the keratin.

“Charmed horseshoes,” He explained nonchalantly, examining the intricate patterns on the metal frame with feigned interest. “They hide my horn and make it look like another piece of hair or something like that. I wasn’t really paying attention to the magical details when Princess Celestia gave them to me.”

“B-but I can see it just fine! So could Storm Kicker! He called you a royal snot!” Rainbow Blitz protested, tapping Capricorn’s horn for emphasis. The peach pony’s muzzle curved down into scowl and he slapped the offending pale blue hoof away.

“Stop that! I may not have been paying attention to exactly what she told me, but it’s an illusion spell and it will only work on ponies that have no idea what I really am. You guys, the grown ups, and a few others are the only ones that know I’m not a pegasus, and I’d like to keep it that way. Somepony is gonna get suspicious if you draw attention to my horn, and I can only use the hair gel excuse so many times before they realize not even gel can make a mane that solid.”

“Oh, like he’s the one who who’s gonna spoil that there secret of yours?” Golden Delicious sneered, her bright eyes boring into Capricorn’s, causing him to slightly shrink back in shame. She turned to Rainbow Blitz and gave him a sincere and apologetic smile that seemed contagious, as he found himself smiling back. “Don’t you fret none, sugar. This silly colt got pushed around one too many times by that bully and pulled out some of his fancy magic tricks to bully him right back. Ah suppose there’s a lesson to be had from that, ain’t there Rainbow Blitz?”

“Rainbow Blitz? As in the Wonderbolt kid?”

All three children turned in horror to the piercing voice, its owner a teenage pegasus mare with long locks of dark purple hair that draped down her neck in waves, mingling with her soft pink coat. Her pale blue eyes shrunk to pinpricks and her muzzle developed a manic smile as she beheld the sight of Blitz’s rainbow mane under the loads of merchandise.

“Oh my gosh! It is you! I’m such a huge fan of your mom,” She gushed, drawing attention from several ponies in the crowd. Rainbow Blitz felt his ears pin back as the number of onlookers increased, forming a large crowd as the mare continued on despite his obvious discomfort. “I can’t believe I’m meeting Rainbow Dash’s son!”

The gasps and murmurs in the crowd became loud chatter, accompanied by the flash of one or two cameras. Golden Delicious squeezed between the two colts and grabbed each around the head, drawing their cheeks to hers in a tight embrace. Her forehead broke into a cold sweat and she forced a camera-ready smile, whispering through her teeth to the boys.

“Ah want you two ta’ drop those bags and hightail it outta here, ya hear?”

“But all your stuff-“ Rainbow Blitz started, his rebuttal cut off by a caramel hoof.

“This ain’t got nothin’ on what Ah come back with after takin’ Uncle Macintosh to the Square, sugar,” She said before bucking the heavy loads off of Capricorn and Blitz. “Now run!”

On cue, all madness broke loose. The three children galloped away from the crowd and further into town. The mob of hobby photographers and Wonderbolt fans took pursuit, chasing after the trio with the ferocity of a wolf pack. Rainbow Blitz looked up to see if an aerial escape would be viable, only to discover the hordes of pegasus ponies that had taken to the air in an attempt to capture him on film. Blitz considered taking to the air and outflying his harassers, but quickly decided against it when he realized it would not only separate him from his friends, but also put him into possibly unfamiliar airspace. He could feel the lactic acid building in his limbs, unused to the prolonged running that ground life had to offer. Blitz gave Golden Delicious a look of desperation, pleading her with wavering eyes to find a solution before he collapsed in an exhausted heap. His prayers went answered, as the young cowpony’s expression lit up and she quickly changed trajectory, heading towards a large tree in the middle of town. Blitz strained his eyes to read the sign on the tree, its elegant font forming the words ‘Golden Oaks Library’. They stopped, out of breath, at the door before Rainbow Blitz flew up and twisted the knob, forcing the door open. Capricorn hesitated as Golden Delicious and Blitz dashed in, his hoof frozen in midair as he stood completely immobilized. Capricorn’s chromatic friend shot him a terrorized look, his features clearly showing his questioning of the alicorn’s sanity.

“What are you doing!” Rainbow Blitz shrieked, his body rising in altitude as his wings fluttered in panic. Capricorn cringed and put his hoof down, turning his head away to break any eye contact.

“I-I can’t go in there!” He stuttered.

“It’s either here or out there with the crowd, sugar,” Golden Delicious said calmly. She grabbed Capricorn’s tail and yanked him inside, eliciting a yelp from the startled peach pony. “And Ah sure as ta’ Betsy ain’t lettin’ any friend of mine face them alone.”

The door slammed shut and clicked as Rainbow Blitz locked the bolts into place. He turned around and gasped at the sight of the library’s extravagant features. Blitz had heard many stories from Rainbow Dash about the library, but even his imagination failed to compare to magnificent internal structuring. His cheek rose slightly as he squinted a single eye in contemplation; outside of Sweet Apple Acres or Sugarcube Corner, he hadn’t really given the town any proper exploration. Making a mental note to correct this problem in the future, he landed onto the floor and began trotting around the building, taking in the sights of the numerous books and secretly wondering how many of them belonged to the Daring Doo series. His thoughts were interrupted by the pattering of hoofsteps as somepony desperately tried to race down the stairwell. All three ponies turned to the sound of a familiar mare’s voice that called from the upper story.

“I am so sorry! Spike just got back from the hospital after another one of my son’s experiments and I was just upstairs to make sure that he-“

She paused as she came into view, her lavender coat and pink streaked navy blue mane frazzled, though she was mostly shaken by the three particular visitors. Twilight Sparkle’s coat was smudged with black traces of soot, evidence of some sort of pyrotic assault.

“… ate his dinner.”

Golden Delicious gasped at the mare’s tattered appearance, rushing forward with prim hastiness and a leer that made the ends of Twilight’s coat hairs stand in slight fear.

“Auntie Twilight! Shame on you! Just take a gander at yerself! Uncle Macintosh deserves to come home after a hard day’s work to the pretty mare we all know and love, not the side effect of his son’s silly experiments.”

Twilight smiled down at the angry farm filly, her years with the Apple family numbing her to the harsh criticisms of Applejack’s daughter. She knew Golden Delicious had meant what she said as a backwards compliment and had lashed out at what she considered an intentional jeopardy of something she held to be valued highly: physical appearance.

Twilight brushed the soot off with a casual forehoof, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s an easy cleanup and I’ll be back to your standards long before your uncle gets home.” She said with a quick wink before turning her attention to the smudges on her coat. “Besides, this was from Spike; he’s sick in bed after getting caught in the aftermath of one of your cousin’s experiments.”

Seeing as her response had satisfied her niece, Twilight flashed a large smile to the most colorful guest in her library. “Rainbow Blitz! You’ve grown so much! It’s so good to see you; I hope you’ve been enjoying your stay in Ponyville for the day.”

“Ehehe, well it’s been busy, that’s for sure,” He said awkwardly, scratching the purple hairs at the back of his head with a forehoof.

As Twilight’s gaze wandered to the third guest in her library, her smile fell immediately along with her eyelids as they met Capricorn in a chilling stare.

“Capricorn,” She stated coolly.

“Mrs. Apple,” He deadpanned back.

“How are you enjoying the honor of having Princess Celestia as your teacher?” Twilight asked bitterly. Her teeth grit slightly as she spoke, a physical gesture that the young alicorn picked up on immediately.

He flashed a coy smile. “How are you enjoying the honor of not having Princess Celestia as your teacher?”

“I graduated, for your information!” Twilight shrieked, her bit of composure snapping at Capricorn’s jab. She pointed a proud hoof to herself. “I had to pass a difficult entrance exam to be even considered for an advanced magic school, and I passed with such flying colors that the Princess asked me to become her personal protégé. I worked my hooves to the bone to reach the magical prowess I have. You,” She hissed, her hoof quaking in rage as she pointed to the small anomaly, “are just a lucky combination of recessive alleles that just so happened to-“

“Yeah yeah,” Capricorn spoke up, interrupting the librarian’s rant. “I’ve heard it all before, lady. I don’t see how any of that is my fault, though.”

“You could at least show more professionalism and respect for others and not rely on your alicorn status as a safety net for when you do something wrong!” Twilight ranted. Her expression softened as she saw the young colt’s eyes well up with tears, his ears pinned back as she had obviously struck a chord. Catching onto her friend’s guilt, Golden Delicious tugged at Twilight’s leg, diverting her attention away from Capricorn.

“As delightful as this has been, Auntie Twilight,” She started hastily, her usual control and confidence in her speech completely absent. “We came here to see that boy of yours. We got a doozy of a problem, and Ah do believe he’s just the pony who can help us.”

“Oh! Why didn’t you say so?” Twilight chirped, trotting back up the stairs. “Gizmo! You have some visitors!”

One Plus The Crowd
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A Day With Friends

One Plus The Crowd

Soarin’ touched down on the inner edge of Sweet Apple Acres, his hooves sinking into the soil with a soft thump. The earthy smell danced around his nose, perfectly accenting the beautiful scenery that the rustic orchard had to offer. The verdigris leaves swayed gently in the daytime breeze, their tranquil motions having no effect on the pegasus in their company. Eyes bloodshot, Soarin’ galloped toward the unmistakable crimson farmhouse at the center of the property. His previous attempt to spot the children from the sky had gone unrewarded, and he wasn’t the kind of pony to wait for his wife to arrive with their slow-flying friend while his baby was in danger. Stopping at the door, he pounded it with a barrage of violent punches until the familiar sound of hoofsteps creaking on the wooden floor reached his ears. The door opened with a quick squeak, revealing a flustered caramel-colored stallion with a dark brown mane, the front parting in the middle as it rounded past each ear. His soft blue eyes matched the cutie mark on his flank, a trio of horseshoes that signified his special talent in hard labor. Caramel took a small step backwards as he took in the sight of the ragged Wonderbolt, his cerulean eyes bulging and jaw slightly slacked.

“S-Soarin’?! What the heck happened to you? What’re you doing here?”

“Kids,” Soarin’ gasped, his panting creating brief interruptions in his speech that seemed to emphasize his desperation. “Where *gasp* are *gasp* the kids?”

Caramel’s face fell into a bitter expression. His temperament quickly changing from one of worry to that of annoyed, he took a step to the side and craned his neck backwards, hollering angrily into the house. “Why don’t you ask Applejack that?! I was pretty busy this morning so I missed out on the little rugrat reunion!”

The sound of clopping hooves and creaking wood signaled the approach of another equine from the barn house’s interior. Guilty as sin, Applejack walked shamefaced to the door, avoiding the cynical gaze from her angry husband. Her eyes met the experienced flier’s, both pairs bloodshot from recent stress the two pones had endured.

“Uh, hey Soarin. What’re ya’ doin’ ‘round these parts?”

“Oh quit it with the formalities, Applejack!” Caramel yelled, his outburst cutting Soarin’ off before he had a chance to vocalize a response. “Why don’t you tell him about how you put me on a wild goose chase so that you could try to teach our daughter the value of a hard day’s work?”

“Well Ah-”

“Or why don’t you tell him about how you left the kids alone without an adult?”

“Well if you-“

“Or- and this is my favorite one, Soarin’,- why don’t you tell him about the dangerous stunt our kid agreed to help his with?!”

“Dangerous stunt!” Soarin’ cried, his lip trembling as the feeling of dread manifested itself as a knot in his stomach. “Do you mean-”

“Ah said Ah’m sorry, Caramel!” Applejack snapped back, interrupting Soarin’ as her husband had done, her eyes watering and cheeks slightly flushed at the embarrassment she felt for the example Caramel was making out of her. Caramel’s scowl fell at her display. “Ah couldn’t have you ‘round cuz you’re even worse at sayin’ no ta her than Ah am!”

“That’s because of that look she gives me. I can’t say no when she uses it,” He admitted before placing a hoof delicately under his wife’s chin, the keratin stroking against her fur as he drew her muzzle close to his. Applejack could feel his hot breath wash over her face as he looked at her with forgiving, tender eyes. “You know, she got it from you.”

“Oh hush…”

“It’s true,” He smiled, removing his flirtatious hoof from her chin as he redirected it to his own. “She definitely didn’t get it from this ugly mug. She’s too beautiful to-“

He never finished the sentence. Applejack’s lips pressed tightly against his, a slight blush rising with the heat of his face as his heart pounded from the surprise kiss. Pulling away slowly, she could still feel the warmth from his cheeks radiating onto her, the blush ever evident despite her closed eyes. Cracking them open slightly, Applejack allowed a small grin to creep across her face.

“Ah don’t do that ta’ ugly mugs.”

“You also shouldn’t be doing that in front of other ponies, Applejack,” The flustered stunt flier spoke up, his own face blushing in witness to the publically displayed affection. Neither member of the Apple family had time to respond before another pair of pegasus ponies touched down on their doorstep, one looking worse for the wear than her chromatic companion. Fluttershy’s raggedy wheezing sounded only slightly better than she looked, her mane draping over her sweat-laced face in frays that split unevenly from their exposure to the high velocities that Rainbow Dash had forced her to go through in the pursuit of her husband.

“What are we? A runway?” Caramel jeered, an angry hoof pointed at the pegasus trio.

Rainbow Dash rushed forward, coming nose to nose with Applejack, her snout pressing firmly into the cowpony as the two locked eyes, green battling against rose.

“Applejack! Please tell me you know where the kids are!” She begged, clutching at the cowpony’s orange shoulders with both hooves.

“Now what in Equestria makes ya’ think Ah know where them rascals are?” She retorted, eyes rolled back and away and her lips tucked in as her terrible poker face showed through. A low growl emanated from Rainbow Dash’s throat, threatening Applejack with wordless understanding about her inability to lie easily. She sighed digging a hoof at the floorboards timidly, her head turned in shame away from her friends and husband.

“Well, they’re… uh, together.” She confessed. “Ah left ‘em alone to try ‘n pull off the Sonic Rainboom after Golden Delicious told me she’d make sure her daddy here would get ahold of the seeds for Winter Wrap Up this year if Ah didn’t leave ‘em be.”

“I wouldn’t lose them again!” Caramel huffed, stomping a hoof on the creaking wood.

“You always say that every year, hon! Ah ain’t facin’ an angry, hungry herd of cows again, y’hear?”

A hoof stomped on the floorboard. Then another. The Apples paused their marital squabble, rings creasing under their eyes as the furious pegasus father slowly inched his way closer, wood cracking under each violent step. Head down and eyes glaring upward, Soarin’ spoke in ragged breaths, his speech matching the stride of his hooves.

“You… let… my baby… run off… to go risk his life!?!”

Ears pinned back in emanating rage, he nudged his wife aside and took to the air, hovering slightly above the ground as he glowered down at Applejack.

“Where is he?” He hissed, air rustling the blond bangs that bent from his breath. Applejack bit her lip, her own ears bent backwards from shame rather than anger.

“Ah don’t know, Soarin’. Ah’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t tell me where he is! Now where-“

A caramel hoof put itself between Applejack and her interrogator. Caramel joined his hoof, shakily stepping in front of his wife, his body a conversational barrier.

“S-she doesn’t know, S-soarin’!” He stammered, his vocal and physical quavering contradicting the position he put himself in. “And trying to force an answer out of her won’t get anything done.”

Fluttershy stepped up to Soarin’, putting a placating hoof on the fuming father’s shoulder. “Now now, Blitz is okay. I know he is; Capricorn is with him.”

The looks of bewilderment Fluttershy received from everypony present brought an embarrassed flush to the mare’s face, prompting further explanation. “As… horrible as the things he’s done are, there are always good intentions behind them…. And as much as I hate it sometimes, my son always thinks things through. Like when he drugged me this morning-“

“He did what?!” Both Apples shrieked.

“Please, let me explain,” She said patiently, waiting for the two farm ponies to calm down before resuming her son’s justification. “As I was saying, Capricorn drugged me this morning with some beaver tranquilizer I had left on the counter. That was… my mistake, and I do blame myself for making the procedure on beavers seem so casual. When Rainbow Dash found me today, I went to the kitchen and saw scratch marks on the backside of the bottle he had accidently made with his horn. That’s how I knew he had used the tranquilizer; he read the contents to make sure it was nontoxic.”

She paused her speech with a smile, taking in a twisted guilty pleasure at the impressed looks her friends gave at her son’s intelligence. Applejack raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“So, ya’ forgive him for druggin’ you?”

Fluttershy’s face fell into a bitter frown.

“No, my husband will take care of him when he gets home from work. In fact, the reason Capricorn resorted to tranquilizer was because Princess Celestia won’t be teaching him about sedation spells until she feels he’ll be responsible enough to make good decisions with them… which will probably take awhile,” She admitted with a sigh.

“You see, I may not be a unicorn, but I at least make sure I know what it is the princess is teaching my child; it gives us something to talk about over dinner and I never was fond of the idea about him growing closer to his father just because the two can perform magic. What Cappy has learned that I know he’ll have used on Rainbow Blitz is an impact reduction spell. He used it on himself to literally butt heads with some mountain rams I had to perform a checkup on. Blitz could bring a tree down and get a bruise at the worst.”

“A bruise!”

“Soarin’ that’s not important right now! We can put a Band-Aid on it later!” Rainbow Dash barked. “Since we didn’t see a Sonic Rainboom, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say they failed. Who do you think they’d go to for help, Applejack?”

Applejack squinted her eyes in strained thought. “Well since my little one’s with ‘em, Ah supposed they’d visit-“

Her eyes bulged out. “Oh, poor Cappy.”

Caramel turned to his wife, a glazed, half-lidded expression on his face. “Gizmo?”

“Gizmo,” Applejack deadpanned back to him.

“Gizmo! I said your friends are here!”

The continued silence was all the response Twilight Sparkle needed to understand that her shouts fell upon ears that were occupied and not listening. With a groan and a roll of her amethyst eyes, the flustered librarian trotted back upstairs, tossing back apologies to the three children waiting patiently in the middle of the library’s first floor. The three sat in awkward silence, though Golden Delicious couldn’t help but notice Capricorn’s teal eyes, now shrunk to pinpricks, continually shifting towards the door.

“Don’t even think about it, sugar,” The young farm filly spoke up. “The only thing keepin’ that there crowd away from Rainbow Blitz is a door and some spells my auntie set up, and while Ah love the crowd, my little zap apple don’t.”

“Besides,” Blitz chimed in, all too eager to avoid the paparazzi and their flashing cameras, “How bad can it be hanging out in the library?”

Before Rainbow Blitz could question the wicked scowl that cracked along Capricorn’s peach muzzle, the sound of clopping hoofsteps on the oak’s interior drew the attention of all three children. A unicorn colt trotted hurriedly down the steps, his choppy, yet combed, purple-grey mane and tail bouncing against his mild fuchsia coat with every step. Three large white freckles rested on each of his well-defined cheeks, the bone curving to give him a masculine and mature look for his age. His icy blue eyes scanned the present company, their findings giving rise to a wide smile that stretched the sides of his mouth to their limits. Despite his stallion-esque facial structures, the colt spoke in a higher pitched voice than any of the children present, the sound of it reminding Rainbow Blitz of somepony trying to sell a faulty product.

“Well well well! If it isn’t my lovely cousin, my bright and handsome celebrity friend, and my most talented, most-“

“Cut the sweet talk, Gizmo,” Capricorn interrupted, his eyes never leaving the unicorn in their fixed glare. “What do you want?”

The mauve-maned unicorn touched a forehoof to his chest, a feigned but well-practiced look of hurt and sadness taking over his facial expressions. “Why Capricorn, would you ever believe I wanted something from my friends other than their complete and total friendship? Besides, weren’t you the ones who came to visit me?”

“First of all,” The alicorn colt growled, “You always make it sound like you’ve ‘learned the error of your ways’, and then you pull a fast one on us and one of us, usually me, ends up being the guinea pig in one of your lousy experiments!”

“C’mon now, Cappy,” Gizmo said, approaching the blonde pony with a practiced smile. “My… projects are a blast!”

Golden Delicious sighed, her strawberry curls swaying as she tilted her head, a fair hoof brought to the side of her head. “Ah think a blast don’t do them justice, sugar. We, and by we I mean my Momma, Daddy, and Uncle, had ta’ rebuild the barn after your little hay stacking machine done short-circuited. Ah am most grateful that nopony got hurt when that project of yours blew up more than Surprise’s mamma after a broken Pinkie Promise.”

“That bad?” Rainbow Blitz smirked. Golden Delicious returned the entertained grin.

“That bad.”

“They aren’t that bad!” Gizmo protested, his hoof drawing invisible circles on the oak floor.

Salmon wings flared angrily. “My feathers didn’t grow back for two weeks! My dad had to take time off of work to homeschool me because I couldn’t leave the house without being a laughingstock!” The flustered colt calmed himself, eyes half-lidded to compliment the small frown he wore. “And second of all, we didn’t come to visit you. We just needed a way to escape the crowd that Blitz attracted. In fact, I think they’re gone, so we’ll be leaving.“

A fuchsia hoof slid its way around Capricorn’s shoulder, its owner flashing a confident grin as he spoke honeyed words. “Cappy! Buddy! It’s in the past! Can’t we all just get along?”

Golden Delicious just smiled. “Funny you should mention that, cous’. Ya’ see, Rainbow Blitz here needs to do the Sonic Rainboom of all things, and he needs ta’ learn it soon, y’hear? Think you can get along and help him out?”

The unicorn practically tripped over himself, stammering to back out of the verbal trap his cousin had set. “W-well, uhm, I’d love to but d-doing something like that takes a lot of time aaaaaand I don’t even know if I have something that can help you with your… problem.” Blue eyes rolled over into a fixated stare on Golden Delicious, the matching smile giving her all the information she needed to know.

“Ah’ll right, Gizmo,” She sighed, her curls swaying as she lowered her head submissively. “Whatcha want from us?”

“Weeeeeell,” He began, his body swaying playfully as he balanced on the tips of his hooves. “Since it’s Rainbow Blitz that needs the help, maybe he’d like to volunteer to help me test out one of my latest inventions. It mostly scans the magical properties of the distinct trails that pegasus ponies leave behind them when they fly, and I’ve just been itchin’ to test it out on a rainbow trail. I’ll just need some clippings from your mane and-“

A pale blue hoof shielded the rainbow hair from the inventor’s view. “Mess with the mane, you’ll feel the pain!”

“Yeesh, take it easy, Iron Will,” He replied sardonically, taking a step back from the angry pegasus colt, just to be safe. His eyes directed themselves once again at his cousin. “Well, it looks like Rainbow Blitz is out of the question. Such a shame too, if only there were some way to get some data I could work with, I might just be motivated enough to invent exactly what he needs!”

Golden Delicious’ vermillion eyes darted onto the only other study-case of interest in the room.

“How about scannin’ some fancy alicorn magic?” She asked suddenly.

“What?! No way am I gonna be another one of Gizmo’s experiments!”

Rainbow Blitz took a valiant step forward to defend his forcibly volunteered friend. “Yeah, I-“

He paused, a flashback quickly rearing up in his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lips or cheek?” Capricorn asked, a playful smirk on his face as he nudged the young filly in approval.

Blitz gaped at Capricorn in shock.

“Cappy!”

“Oh, lips,” Golden Delicious sighed happily. “Most definitely lips.”

“Deal,” Capricorn said, shaking the young romantic’s hoof.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“…think that’s a great idea,” Blitz finished, a wicked smile finding its way on the usually cheerful face.

Capricorn found himself surrounded by his friends, a cold sweat on his brow as they slowly backed him into a corner of the library. He gave the pegasus and earth pony a pleading look with his large, wavering aqua eyes, searching the depths of their faces for any sympathy. Finding none, his rump hit the floor with an audible thump, his forehooves crossed defiantly.

“Aw horseapples.”

Author's Note

Well, sorry it took so long. Make sure to comment/upvote. Discussion and lots of green makes me happy.

Ackscent
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A Day With Friends

Ackscent

“Wait for us, Soarin’! We ain’t all got motor-wings like ya’ll Wonderbolts.”

The panicked pegasus ignored Applejack’s request, his tunnel-vision failing to pick up on the rainbow trail of his quicker wife, the mare zipping ahead with practiced agility. Tucking her left wing in, Rainbow Dash veered to her left, the change in direction and drop in speed bringing her into collision with her husband. The impact sent both parents sprawling into the ground, grass and mud scattering through the air before splattering on the fringes of Sweet Apple Acre’s trees. Dash rubbed a sore spot on her forehead and recovered quickly, jumping on top of Soarin’ before he could continue his desperate pursuit. His hooves sunk into the mud as he began to rise slowly, the weight of his wife slowing him but not stopping the more developed muscles his stallion body had to offer.

“Soarin’!” Rainbow Dash grunted, struggling to force resistance against his body. “Why are you so freaked out? You know he’s an awesome flier, and if something bad had happened by now, he would’ve caused a scene!”

“Because I don’t wanna be a bad daddy anymore, Dashie!” He whimpered, letting her weight overtake him, the two athletes bumping with a squish onto the ground. Soarin’ covered his eyes with trembling hooves, sobbing quietly into the moist soil. “I’m not gonna be a bad daddy anymore. I wanna make it right…”

Eyes wide, Dash swallowed the lump in her throat, barely able to croak out a word despite the thoughts that raced through her mind. “W-what…?”

Soarin’ continued to blubber into the ground, not seeing or caring that the other parents had caught up, each one taken aback at the display. Ignoring their present company, Rainbow Dash laid a gentle hoof on her husband’s shoulder.

“Hey now,” She whispered calmly. “You’re not a bad father. You just have a busy job.”

“That’s no excuse, Dashie!” Soarin’ growled, sitting up quickly, his wife sliding down his back onto the ground. “When I became a father my life wasn’t supposed to be about myself. It was supposed to be about him. And I haven’t done that, and I can’t leave the Wonderbolts because-“

“Your contract isn’t up for renewal for a long time,” Rainbow Dash finished, a knowing frown on her face. “I already know, Soarin’. I’ve known for awhile, and I’ve been doing research with Princess Egghead to see if there’s a loophole, but there isn’t. You can’t leave the Wonderbolts. Not without voiding your contract and losing everything we have.”

Soarin’ slumped, ears drooping in surrender.

“But I can.”

His ears shot up in surprise, hooves grasping his wife by the shoulders, the rings under his eyes creasing.

“No Dashie! You can’t!” He pleaded. “Being a Wonderbolt is what you live for!”

“What I lived for,” Rainbow Dash corrected him. “It’s been a dream come true, but our kid is out there trying his best to do something stupid because he’s lonely. He needs me more than the crowd does, and if Spitfire can’t see that then I’ll have no other choice but to resign.”

“Besides,” She continued, barely choking out a weak chuckle. “I haven’t done a Sonic Rainboom since… well before I was even pregnant.”

“Why’s that?” Applejack cut in, earning a sharp glare from her chromatic friend for intruding on a personal conversation.

“I like to save them for special occasions ever since Twilight’s wedding,” Dash explained. “I performed them at almost every Wonderbolts show for a little while, but that was killer on my wings and the crowd just kind’ve expected it after awhile, y’know? There wasn’t anything special about it being a staple in our shows.”

“And it’s not exactly like you were in the best condition to perform one when Blitz was born,” Caramel chuckled. “Or even on his birthdays. Kid always sneaks out to visit us instead of being subjected to the public in Cloudsdale.”

“Ah still can’t see ya’ quittin’ that fancy flier team, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, frowning disapprovingly. “It just ain’t right, but Ah suppose it is the best for Rainbow Blitz. Speakin’ of which, we better find the little rascal before he actually gets himself hurt.”

“I actually think I know what to do,” Soarin’ said, earning the quizzical looks of his peers.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Soarin’ confirmed with a nod, biting his lower lip in anxiety. “But I’m not gonna like it.”

Capricorn didn’t know what was worse: the electric sensation dancing down the spinal chord in his vertebrate column, or the sugary sweet smile Gizmo wore as he recorded the readings his gadget produced. The machine reminded the alicorn colt more of a remote control than anything else, but the effect it had on him was too noticeable for it to be anything but what he had expected from the start: annoying lab testing.

He tried to make the best of it. Reading might have helped take his mind off the unbearable itchiness that came with Gizmo’s experimentation if he didn’t have to listen to a certain filly’s constant yammering directly behind him. Golden Delicious sat opposite of Rainbow Blitz on the library floor, the young beauty holding the speedster’s hooves with her own, her mouth moving rapidly as she explained the mechanics of the game they were about to try. The farm filly had decided to take it upon herself to teach the sheltered colt one of the several variants of ‘patty cake’ the children played at the schoolyard. Blitz nodded along as he listened to her instructions, intent on learning something most normal fillies and colts did in their free time.

“Aaaaaaand if you could use a little more magic, I should be able to get the eighty-sixth reading.”

With a grunt and roll of his eyes, Capricorn ignited his horn into a brighter light, the green aura sparking at the tip of the keratin. He didn’t mind the increase in power; he needed to turn the page of his book anyways. The salmon pony looked down at the literature he had borrowed- or rather bargained with Gizmo for to provide himself with entertainment while the unicorn did his busywork. He smirked, knowing the princess would be anything but happy if she were to discover he had taken the time to read from books on advanced magic that she had forbidden him from even laying a hoof on. Was it his fault he cared more about practical spells rather than turning a pencil into a feather?

Capricorn cringed as a powerful jolt of electrical current surged through his horseshoes, the metal acting as a lightning rod for the magical signals amplified through Gizmo’s contraption. The alicorn kicked at the ground and snorted bitterly. Stupid horseshoes. He still remembered the day Princess Celestia gave them to him.

“Horseshoes?! You said you were going to give me something cool!”

Celestia smiled. “They are very cool, my little student.”

Capricorn caught the implication, his eyes widening to match his growing smile. “What do they do?”

“They are enchanted with a spell to create an illusion,” The Sun princess explained. “They will hide your horn, allowing you to live the life of a normal pegasus. At least, when you’re not studying under my teachings, that is.”

She paused, her smile fading as she noticed the unenthused look her student was projecting.

“Is there something wrong, Capricorn?”

He squirmed uncomfortably. “What’s wrong with my horn? Why do I have to hide it? Mom always makes me wear a hat, but-”

“There is nothing wrong with it,” Celestia assured him, a hoof placed under his chin to bring him into comforting eye contact. “Your mother has done a wonderful job of keeping you out of the public eye, but you’ll be four soon, and it’s time you made some friends.” She moved her hoof to his snout, predicting his response with practiced ease. “Pony friends. Your animal friends are wonderful, but you cannot develop the necessary social skills a young colt will need. As an alicorn, you may attract unwanted attention, but as a pegasus, ponies will love you for being you, not because they assume you are royalty.”

“But what about magic?”

Celestia shook her head. “No magic when you are not in your lessons. To use magic would draw attention to your horn and break the illusionary spell.”

“I think I get it!” Capricorn beamed. “Make a bunch of friends when they think I’m a pegasus, and then I can take the horseshoes off and they’ll still be my friends because they like me for me!”

His confidence faltered as the princess cringed. “You… could. But it may be safer to keep the horseshoes on. Better to keep away from attention that could make your mother uncomfortable,” She finished confidently, hoping her answer would satisfy her young student.

“Oh she won’t mind,” The young alicorn said.

“I think it would be best if you let me explain it to him, sister.”

Celestia and Capricorn turned to the new presence that walked towards them, her starlit blue mane flowing from her as if it blew in the wind. Princess Luna approached the tiny alicorn, looking down at him with an intimidating gaze, causing him to shrink down towards the floor.

“Luna, I-“

“No, Celestia,” She interrupted, “You only sugarcoat the matter. Capricorn, my sister does speak the truth when she tells you that the charmed horseshoes will protect you from ponies who wish to use your alicorn status to their advantage. But she has neglected you by withholding the real reason you will need to be ‘protected’. My little pony, you simply are currently unworthy to hold such a high status.”

“Luna!”

“You haven’t proven yourself to handle such responsibilities,” She continued, ignoring Celestia’s outcry. “Cadence spread love. Twilight saved the world multiple times and invented a new strain of magic. You simply flitter away your talents for your own amusement.”

“B-but I-I-“

“You will withhold all your ‘buts’, young alicorn!” Luna roared, a hoof cracking the floor tiles as she stomped down. “You are not ready! Why somepony like you was gifted with both the horn and wings is bey-“

“Enough!”

Celestia’s command echoed through the chambers, the sound ringing in Luna’s ears. The princess of the day met her sister’s gaze, two sharp glares failing to pierce the other. Celestia directed her gaze downward, Luna’s aqua eyes following the lavender ones. Capricorn’s blonde bangs obscured a clear view of his face, but the tears accumulating on the ground and the sobs that wracked his body didn’t leave much room for guessing. The princess of the night touched a hoof to her lips, true regret showing through her wavering eyes. As quickly as her recognition of guilt appeared, it was gone, replaced by her practiced indifference. A cough resonated from her throat, commanding attention from her sister and her student.

“I will… entrust you to finish my speech, sister,” She said hesitantly, turning around to leave the two to their privacy.

Celestia draped a comforting wing over the crying child, his tears rolling off the pristine feathers.

“There there,” She cooed softly. “She didn’t mean it-“

“She did,” Capricorn said suddenly, interrupting his teacher. “And she’s right.”

“Capricorn,” Celestia said sternly. “I want you to look at me.”

He obliged, bringing a small smile to the princess’ lips and a small reflection to her mind. For all the attitude, the supposed indifference, and questionable moralities the young colt had, he was just that. A young colt.

“She simply went about it poorly, Cappy,” The elder alicorn finally said. “You are young- so very young. You’ve never been given the full freedom to explore and discover what it is that makes you truly happy. This is why I am giving you these shoes. They’ll allow you to live a normal life and find your special talent and from there on your studies will intensify.” She placed a hoof on the crown of his head, rustling the blonde mane affectionately. “I know you will find yourself. You just have to look. I have high hopes for you, Capricorn.”

Maybe my special talent is being a guinea pig, Capricorn thought bitterly to himself, his teeth gritting as the irritating magic danced around him, taking his measurements. The library door swung open without warning, a large burly red earth stallion with auburn hair behind it and a long hay straw between his lips. All activity in the room halted immediately, bringing Capricorn the sweet relief he desperately needed. The straw dropped from Big Macintosh’s mouth as he gaped in shock at the scene.

“D-dad!” Gizmo stuttered nervously, forcing a toothy smile. “What're ya' doing home early?”

“What’m Ah doin’ home early?” The farmer growled, his tone accusatory. “What’re you doin’ with Capricorn, Gizzy?”

“…Gizzy?” Rainbow Blitz snickered, sharing a mirthful smile with Golden Delicious. “And I thought I had it bad with Blitzy.”

“We were just playin’ laser tag, Pa!” The mechanic lied, sweat accumulating at his brow. “Honest!”

“That’s two weeks grounded, Gizmo!” Big Macintosh roared. “One fer experimentin’ on your friends again when we told ya’ not to and another one fer lyin’ ta’ me!”

“Yikes,” Capricorn said, feeling instinctive sympathy for the unicorn colt. Big Macintosh didn’t allow anyone else to express their thoughts on the matter, immediately turning to the other three juveniles in the library.

“And you three!” He barked. “Don’t think ya’ll are off the hook!”

Unphased, Golden Delicious smiled sweetly. “Whatever do ya mean, Uncle Macintosh? Lemme get ya’ some nice cool lemonade after workin’ hard all day and we can discuss this like civil ponies. Ah really think-”

“Don’cha try an butter me up, little missy!” Her uncle interrupted, well aware of the game she was trying to play. “Ah saw you hurtle that boy straight into the orchard. Ya’ll must’ve taken out fifty bits of crop, and you ain’t gettin’ off easy, ya' hear? Ah would’ve stopped ya’ clear at the market if it weren’t fer that dang crowd!”

Rainbow Blitz slowly inched toward Capricorn, eager to escape the stallion’s reprimanding. He wasn’t so fortunate.

“You two!” Macintosh bellowed. “What’d you boys do with Fluttershy! Ah’m well aware she was babysittin’ today-“

“Macintosh sweety! Is that you?” Twilight’s voice called out from upstairs, stopping the interrogation in its tracks.

Big Macintosh paused and blinked, slowly coming to reality with the situation.

“Eeyup!” He called out. Turning to address the four children, he spoke in a calm, soft tone. “Now listen. Ya’ll are in a heap of trouble, but it ain’t often that Gizmo’s mama gets ta’ see her friends that don’t live in Ponyville, even when she’s off on business in Canterlot, and after all the ruckus Ah’m guessin’ Blitz’s mama will probably be showin’ up.”

Macintosh walked to one of the library’s shelves, poking his muzzle deep into the hollow space. An audible ‘click’ was heard and a secret compartment opened up, revealing a small bag. Taking the bag with his teeth, Macintosh tossed it to his son, the unicorn colt’s horn instinctively glowing and catching it in his telekinetic grasp.

“Here are some bits, Gizmo,” His father explained. “Go take yer friends to Sugarcube Corner and get somethin’ sweet ta' eat, and no funny business, ya' hear? Ah want ya’ll ta’ be perfectly behaved little children sittin' in the sweet shop when your parents come ta’ pick you up. Ah’m entrustin’ this ta’ you, son. Are we clear?”

“Ah understand, Pa,” Gizmo said shakily, taking the bag of bits with his magic. One by one, the little ponies exited the library single file, the door closed gently by Golden Delicious’s delicate touch. Big Macintosh sighed heavily. He sure as hay didn’t like disciplining the children, but somepony had to and he wasn’t about to let his wife taint her reunion just because the kids decided to act out. Macintosh made a note to have a talk with his sister about her daughter’s behavior, but pushed these thoughts aside as he climbed the library’s stairs, meeting the purple pony waiting for him at the top. Blinking a few times, the stallion smiled.

“Sometimes when Ah’m tired enough, your horseshoes even work on me, hon.”

“So how are we gonna get Blitz to do the Sonic Rainboom now?” Capricorn groaned, his hooves creating a small trail as he dragged his feet along the dirt path.

“You nuts, hon?” Golden Delicious chided, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. “Ah say we count our blessings and be grateful that crowd is gone. Cousin Gizmo’s experimentin’ took quite awhile.”

“Yeah, we had our fun, but I’m not ticking my dad off anymore,” Gizmo said matter of factly. Capricorn merely smiled and tilted his head.

“Say Gizmo, does anypony else know about that nervous accent of yours?” He asked teasingly. “Ah don’t recall ever hearin’ ya’ talk like that before, and boy howdy, Ah’ve known ya’ for quite some time, ya’ hear?”

Gizmo stopped dead in his tracks. The mechanic broke a sweat and smiled nervously.

“You know with a few modifications, I think Pinkie Pie may have exactly what we need.”

Author's Note

Finally, another chapter. I've been super busy, but I REALLY wanted to get Big Macintosh into the story so I could show you what I believe fatherhood would do to him (mostly inspired by Ponyville Confidential). I hope it doesn't feel too rushed (I always feel like my chapters are rushed, but whatever.)

Absence
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A Day With Friends

Absence

The enticing scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies permeated the air of Sugarcube Corner, normally enticing little colts and fillies to beg their parents for just one bite of the tempting treats. Whether from their children’s whining or their own desire for the baked goods, they always relented, spending their hard-earned bits for a few guilty moments of pure sweetness. Today however, business was slow. Unusually slow, a pale beige pegasus stallion- barely into his young adult years, thought to himself. His wild, brown mane bobbed up and down as he scrubbed lazily away at a dirty pot, the suds bubbles drifting into the air, some landing delicately on the hammer that adorned his flank. The colt was disgruntled that he got stuck yet again with dish duty, though he honestly didn’t have much to complain about. It could have been worse- he could have had the other duty. The stallion snickered as he heard a yelp- the third that hour, sounding from the second floor of the establishment, quickly followed by angry hoofsteps down the stairwell. Eyes half lidded in confidence that could only be attained through practiced guessing, the pegasus counted down to himself.

“Three. Two. One-“

“Pound Cake!”

Pound Cake allowed himself a satisfied smile, turning to show his full attention to his new company. A unicorn mare coated in sticky dough stomped her way into the kitchen, a trail of the mixture left behind with every hoofstep. While only her blue eyes were visible beneath the moistened flour, Pound Cake had no difficulty recognizing his twin sister.

“She get you again, Pumpkin?”

“It’s not funny, Pound!” The frazzled unicorn pouted. “Pinkie Pie put me in charge of her when she heard all the commotion outside!”

“Yeah, well that’s what you get for ditching me last time we got assigned to babysit,” Pound Cake snarled. “Especially when I had already had… prior commitments.”

“Oh like you have anything to complain about!” Pumpkin Cake hissed. “You got to watch over your idols’ adorable little kid, and you actually conned the poor thing into helping you out on your date instead of properly watching him like you were supposed to!”

“He offered!” The stallion defended.

“Yeah, I’m sure he did,” His sister replied sarcastically.

“Yeah, and I’m sure attending your optional environmental protest was so much more important than helping out,” He retorted, though his anger was short lived as a smile made its way to his face. “Though looking at your success right now, I’m guessing you couldn’t have handled a kid that flies twice as fast.”

“Whatever!” Pumpkin Cake huffed indignantly. “Now get those wings flapping and help me catch Surprise! The little monster put a tarantula on my bed!”

Chuckling quietly, Pound Cake took to the air. “Did Pinkie ever say why she needed to take off so fast?”

“No, but it’s not like I was gonna question her,” Pumpkin admitted. “She is in charge while Mom and Dad are off at that one baking competition.”

“Dude, I wish we could be on television,” Pound Cake grumbled. With a powerful gust of his wings, the pegasus made a hasty retreat from the kitchen, flying upstairs with only a trail of wind leaving behind evidence of his presence. Pumpkin Cake closed her eyes, submitting to the mundane peace that Sugarcube Corner’s slow day had to offer her. The tip of her horn lit up, drawing water from the faucet until it tickled at her fur, working the cookie dough off of the individual hairs with expertise precision. Inch by inch, the mixture peeled off, revealing her pale gold coat, consistent in its color except on her flank where a sprouting plant was imprinted. Smiling at her work, Pumkpin Cake took a moment to enjoy the quiet in the store. After all, it meant Pound Cake was taking care of everything just fine, or so she hoped. The filly upstairs wasn’t called Surprise for no reason. The tranquility was lost as the familiar sound of jingling bells alerted the unicorn to the presence of a customer. Forcing her best ‘customer service’ smile, Pumpkin trotted out into the store’s front room and behind the countertop display case.

“I’ve got it, Pound!” She hollered up, quickly turning her attention to the store’s customers. Or rather, lack of customers. Pumpkin turned her head from side to side, searching in vain for whoever had set off the front door.

“Down here, Pumpkin!”

Obeying and recognizing the high pitched voice, the ginger unicorn looked down with a smile.

“Hello, Gizmo,” She said pleasantly, before noticing his current company. Her eyes widened slightly, creased rings forming under them in a slight strain. “….And everypony else. Did Surprise invite you all over?” Her voice cracked, the worry self-evident in her tone despite her persistent smile.

“We got sent here by Uncle Macintosh,” Golden Delicious grunted, still displeased that her charms have no ability to get her out of trouble. “Said ta’ wait here for our parents to come ‘n pick us up.”

“Oh!” Pumpkin Cake responded, the relief in her voice following a relaxation of her features. “Well, Pound Cake is playing with Surprise upstairs if you want to join them.” Her blue eyes darted over, focusing on Rainbow Blitz. “Maybe you can help him on his next date, Blitzy.” She added with a quick wink, earning a scowl from the young colt.

“And maybe you can ditch me again,” Blitz growled.

The mare cringed with guilt and turned to continue her brother’s dish duty in the kitchen, pausing only as she heard Capricorn’s rough voice call out after her.

“You couldn’t handle Surprise, could you?”

Pumpkin Cake flushed. “Now what makes you say that?”

The alicorn fluttered up to eye level, giving the unicorn’s horn a few taps.

“You still have some cookie dough in your mane and your horn is really warm,” He explained. “Too warm for just doing dishes; you were working yourself hard, and it’s not like you to do any heavy lifting when you can just play the gentlecolt’s card and have your physically fit brother do it for you.”

Pumpkin gaped slightly. Composing herself, she shook head slowly and turned to make her way into the kitchen. “I’ll never understand how a pegasus knows so much about unicorn anatomy.” She called back, still in disbelief at how easily the young colt had analyzed her.

With a slight thump, Capricorn landed back on the ground and took a moment to bask in his small victory. Walking towards the stairwell, he began to make his way up the steps, the slightest hesitation in his hoof steps.

“Well,” He said dryly, looking back at the three other children. “Time for us to have some fun with our good friend Surprise.”

At Applejack’s insistence, the adults walked towards the library at a brisk but controlled pace, taking the time to catch up on their busy lives. Soarin’ had managed to strike up a conversation with Caramel about their predictions for the Equestrian Games while the mares reminisced about their past times in Ponyville, though the two stallions could hardly maintain the conversation for long. After all, one of them merely watched the games while the other had actually competed, leading the talk to silence as they merely walked along, realizing they had nothing in common to bond over. The other three had no such trouble; Rainbow Dash blinked back tears as her body betrayed the nostalgia she felt, though she refused to be sad. To be sad would mean she had regrets, and the chromatic pegsus had nothing but happy memories about the right decisions she had made in life. Besides, She thought, If I do quit, I’ll have plenty of time to catch up. Maybe early retirement isn’t such a bad thing…

“Oh, the library,” Fluttershy sighed endearingly, breaking Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts. True to her words, the five ponies had indeed arrived at the town’s signature library, the giant oak looming over them. “There are so many memories in this place, but there can’t be nearly as much for us as there is for Twilight.”

“Ha, then quit standin’ around, Fluttershy! Open the door up,” Rainbow Dash commanded cheerfully. “I haven’t gotten to see Princess Egghead in a long time.”

“That’s Princess Egghead Sparkle to you, Rainbow Dash.”

Upon closer inspection, Dash and everypony else realized the library door had been slightly ajar upon their arrival, the youngest princess standing behind it with a joyous grin that stretched from cheek to cheek. Swinging the door wide open, Twilight threw her forelegs over her speedy friend, bringing her into a reciprocated tight embrace.

“It’s so good to see you again,” The alicorn said, drawing herself back from the hug. She adopted a knowing look, her eyes drifting towards Soarin’. “Now don’t you worry a thing about the children. Macintosh gave them a scolding and sent them off to go wait for you at Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake are out of town to compete on a television show, but Pinkie, Pound, and Pumpkin are there and probably watching them as we speak.”

“Oh thank Celestia,” Soarin’ sighed with relief. “Pinkie can take care of them.”

“Yeah, the three of us can handle anything!” A new, yet very familiar and bubbly voice spoke up. All six heads turned in surprise and horror to see Pinkie Pie in the library’s main room, her body resting at an incline on one of the plush chairs.

“Pinkie!” Twilight cried out in shock. “How did you get there?”

“I walked,” The party mare explained matter-of-factly. “But there’s five of us original gal pals here so let’s party!”

“Hold on a moment,” Caramel spoke up. “If you’re here, then that means you left the twins alone to watch Surprise and the others?”

“Don’t forget about Donut Joe!” Pinkie chirped.

“But don’t your husband manage the diner in Canterlot on the weekends, hon?” Applejack asked.

“... Oh yeah! I guess the twins really are on their own,” Pinkie Pie giggled. “They’re totally in over their heads!”

“Dashie,” Soarin’ croaked, a slight twitch in his eye. “Can I panic now?”

“Permission to freak out, Soarin,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking. “Our boy is practically left alone with Surprise.”

Author's Note

Shorter chapter, but it's finals week. I only got this one out because it was already done for the most part and just needed minor tweaking.

Suspense
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A Day With Friends

Suspense

The pleasant, crisp air of Canterlot hung in the air, gracing everypony’s breath with a taste of the fresh, cool temperature associated with the city’s higher altitude. Despite the cooler air, not a single pony was cold- Celestia’s sun shone without a challenging cloud in the sky, bringing radiating warmth onto the city’s surface, the infrared spreading throughout and allowing every living thing to enjoy the fine day. Gossip bounced from one pony to the next throughout the bustling city streets, ears open and eyes wide as pieces of information, some true and most false, reached one another, the happenings of Equestria distorted through dramatic retellings and the heavy influence of personal bias. Yet despite the misunderstandings that spread through Equestria’s capitol city like wildfire in a dry grassland, one thing was a certainty among everypony of even the mildest of sports enthusiasts: The son of Rainbow Dash, the only pony in modern times to ever successfully perform the Sonic Rainboom, would be performing during the Wonderbolts show that evening. Speculations as to the colt’s performance were of course discussed, the more levelheaded fans explaining that the chromatic child’s stunt display would be heavily underwhelming due to the physical limitations that came with a five-year-old’s body. Their logic was overwhelmed by the rumors of Rainbow Blitz’s ability to break the sound barrier and follow in his mother’s hoofsteps, achieving his destiny as the child prodigy everypony hoped to see soon after the marriage between two of Equestria’s finest fliers. While the child’s performance was of great interest to a particular stallion, the gossip surrounding him was not. The stallion’s ivory coat and styled soft blue mane and moustache bobbed up and down with every trot, his expertly polished hooves in a slight hurry due to his excitement. Keeping his monocle in place, the noble stallion turned his head, the slightest hint of child-like bliss laced throughout his tone.

“Come along, come along now, Fleur.” He commanded politely. “We already received word from Rarity that the dress you commissioned is finished, and knowing her work, it will be the finest in Canterlot. Aren’t you excited?”

To say that the unicorn in his wake was lovely was an understatement. Fleur de Lis was as beautiful as she was over a decade ago, though her flawless features were, at present, tainted by the slightest of frowns. The fashion model kept her relaxed pace, refusing to hurry herself for the sake of arriving a minute or two earlier.

“Fancy Pants, my dear husband,” She cooed threateningly, an eyebrow raised in cynicism that the stallion knew all too well meant she understood his true intentions. “We both know the real reason you look forward to much to receiving my commissioned dress.”

Her words seemed to strike a chord within Fancy Pants, the elite noblepony freezing in place, his monocle popping from the security of his eye. Fleur sidled up to her husband, a smirk now gracing her fair muzzle as she whispered into his ear.

“We both know you want to hear the most reliable gossip straight from horse’s mouth. Why listen to the silly ramblings of foolish and ignorant nobleponies when you can get the news straight? After all, one of Rainbow Dash’s closest friends must know a thing or two about the child’s capabilities, would you not agree?”

Fancy Pants exhaled heavily, giving up his charade with his clever wife. “You know me all too well, my dear,” He admitted, though the elite business pony was not about to admit defeat. “Could we please hurry along? I do wish to hear whether the rumors of the child’s ability to perform a Sonic Rainboom are true. And Rarity and her husband are such dear friends of ours- isn’t a little haste worth it to see them that much sooner?”

Fleur smiled sweetly, grateful for her husband’s honesty. “Of course, love.”

The fashion model broke into a cantor, leaving her surprised husband in the dust. Fancy Pants shook his head, collecting himself at the unexpected speed that Fleur had accelerated to and made off after her, the sight an odd spectacle for everypony who managed to catch a view.

The wooden steps of Sugarcube Corner creaked with every step, the small scream from the cellulose echoing the tension held by the four children. Reaching the top, Capricorn stretched a foreleg out to touch the closed door. The alicorn stopped himself, musing over the situation he was about to throw himself into before redirecting his hoof in a conspicuous point toward Ponyville’s colorful guest.

“You go in first, Rainbow Blitz,” He commanded, his tone completely serious despite the incredulous looks the stunt flier was giving back.

“Why me?!” Blitz asked, his voice a hushed shriek to prevent revealing their presence to the two pegasus ponies on the other side.

“Because she’s nice to you,” Gizmo stated matter-of-factly, offering a small shrug with his shoulders that showed he thought Capricorn’s idea to send their celebrity friend in first was simply the safest approach to handling their situation. “She has been ever since you pulled off that prank at the Summer Sun Celebration. I guess you earned her respect- or she has a crush on you.”

“Ya' know what,” Golden Delicious piped up, a small scowl on her muzzle that revealed she was not fond of the idea of somepony else seeing Rainbow Blitz in a romantic light. “Ah’ll go first.”

“Are you sure?” Capricorn asked worriedly, knowing all too well the potential danger the farm filly was throwing herself into. Golden Delicious closed the distance between herself and the door with a few confident steps, pushing the salmon colt aside with ease.

“Oh don’t ya’ll fret about me,” She said flatly, her voice icy and serious. “Ah ain’t scared of Surprise.”

Grabbing the door’s handle, she yanked it open fiercely, an act the others considered surprising due to the delicacy she normally maintained in her actions. With nothing to obstruct her view, Golden Delicious looked inside the main room of Sugarcube Corner’s second floor. She gasped.

Author's Note

Quick update, but I promise there will be more this week. I just wanted to get something out, but I won't be able to write again until later tonight and felt setting up two cliffhangers (meeting the last two children) would be an attempt at suspense.

Fear Itself
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A Day With Friends

Fear Itself

Pound Cake wasn’t having a very good day, to say the least. He knew the day would be anything but fun the minute his parents announced that they would be headed to Canterlot to participate in a television show about over-decorated pastries and confectionaries. And when they left the twins alone, it was bound to happen. It always happened every single time. Pumpkin Cake would flutter her eyelashes and melt their father’s heart, giving herself unsaid authority over her twin brother for the remainder of their time alone together. The stupid Daddy’s little girl stereotype even got him stuck babysitting on an important date night, when she ditched him to do it by himself- although he was elated to learn who it was he would be babysitting. He wouldn’t let Pumpkin Cake know that little detail- not as long as he could hold some emotional blackmail over her head. He did have another trick up his sleeve, even if he hated to admit it. As much as Pumpkin was Daddy’s little girl, one could say he was definitely a-

“Mamma’s boy!”

Pound Cake shifted slightly in his sleep, disturbed by the slight noise that gurgled across the brook of his unconsciousness. The disturbance allowed him to enter a semi-lucid state, giving the elder colt enough leeway to begin the process of collecting his thoughts.

What had happened today, anyways? Pound Cake fought to remember, his grogginess scattering the feeble attempts to-

“Mamma’s boy!”

There it was again. The sound was clearer to Pound this time around- a voice, and familiar too. It wasn’t just the voice- everything was becoming clearer. Suddenly, he remembered. He woke up, did his chores, got the news from Pinkie about her friends having a surprise visit, continued his chores, and then went upstairs to deal with-

Surprise! Pound Cake screamed internally. Of course it was Surprise- how hadn’t it been obvious even when he was unconscious? The colt’s eyes shot open, his blurred vision allowing a collage of whites, yellows and purples to come into focus. Sure enough, the opal pegasus filly came into view, burning purple eyes locked on him. She smirked, her curly blonde main bobbing with every slow shake of her head.

“Finally woke up, eh Mamma’s boy?” Surprise sneered, her voice teasing and cruel. Pound Cake made to lunge at the filly, only to fall onto his muzzle as his legs met sudden resistance. Holding up a forehoof, Pound discovered both front hooves had been hoof-cuffed to the post of the bed. He looked at his captor inquisitively.

“Hoof-Cuffs?”

The snowy pegasus shrugged, seemingly understanding of the colt’s confusion. “I found them in your parents’ room. Beats me what they were in there for, but they’re sure keeping you in place.”

Pound Cake blanched, pushing aside several horrific mental scenarios that tried to force their way into his imagination. Deciding to move the conversation forward, he flashed the little filly a small smile.

“I gotta give you props, Surprise. I’m not even sure how you managed to pull this off.”

“That’s because the sleeping pills haven’t left you yet,” She replied nonchalantly, examining a hoof with fake disinterest as she played with her prey. She looked up, an eyebrow raised condescendingly. “You really can’t resist scones, can you?”

“You drugged me?!” Pound growled, yanking the cuffs against the bedpost, only to rediscover that he was hopelessly captured.

“Yep,” She confirmed, putting down her hoof. Surprise trotted to the opposite side of the room and approached a wooden chest, creaking it open. Items scattered as she rummaged, her voice somewhat duller as it echoed around the wooden structure. “We’re going to have so much fun, mamma’s boy. Just you and me- no interruptions.”

Pound Cake began sweating, fearing the young filly’s words. “C-c’mon now, sweetheart. Let’s not do anything too crazy.”

The pegasus filly turned to face her panicked ‘babysitter’, a misleading warm smile stretched on her muzzle and her front hooves behind her back. She buzzed over on her wings in a flash, shoving a sock she had pulled from the chest into the beige colt’s mouth with her forehoof. With a wicked grin, Surprise revealed the other forehoof from behind her back, the keratin sporting a pair of vicious pliers. Pound screamed into the sock, his muffled voice barely increasing in volume as the filly advanced.

“That is a… very charming invitation, Connie,” Fancy Pants said hesitantly, ears pinned back as he continued to read the beautiful, flowing caligraphy. “I had no idea you had such a colorful vocabulary to describe your feelings on paper to your dear cousin.”

“That gold digger’s nothin’ but a silly filly who can’t see past her own reflection,” Pure Connoisseur huffed, finishing the letter with a very violent period.

On the other side of the main room, Fleur de Lis, unaware to the violent language across the room, had busied herself by modeling her dress in front of the Boutique’s vanity mirror. She payed no heed as Braeburn rushed to and from the kitchen, desperately trying to revive his unconscious wife, as she lay incapacitated on the couch. Sprits of tea scattered onto the wooden floor when a ceramic tray wobbled precariously on the cowpony’s back, his priorities placing Rarity’s consciousness over the floor’s spotless appearance. With only Fancy Pants and Connie left unoccupied and conscious, the latter had volunteered to send invitations to her dear friends and relatives under the elder pony’s supervision. The task seemed simple enough to the blue-maned stallion, and he was quite impressed with the cordial diction Rarity’s child had chosen throughout her writing, at least until the time came for her to invite her distant family. Fancy Pants took the quill from Connie’s hoof with the faint glow emanating from his horn, his telekinetic grasp scratching out the less flattering content of her message.

“How about we word this a little... more delicately,” The stallion smiled, ignoring the young filly’s indignant look as she pouted at the interruption. “Let’s imitate your style for Gizmo and Surprise’s letters.”

“Aye don’t know what yer talkin’ about,” Connie lied, eyes half lidded in an unamused stare. Fancy Pants chuckled softly, deciding to play her game.

“Well for starters, instead of calling Surprise a cruel prankster, you simply stated you ‘wished for today’s activities to remain carefree and family fun for everypony’. And for Gizmo, you insisted that he ‘leave all technology at home so that his first live performance of a Wonderbolt’s aerial performance would be free from distractions’.”

The pale filly looked away, refusing to meet Fancy Pant’s knowing gaze. “Connie dear, wouldn’t your other cousin appreciate a warm welcome as well?”

“They’re maye second cousins,” She corrected him. Still looking away, the Earth filly pulled out a new sheet of paper and began her second draft, eliciting a warm smile from her supervisor. Twenty seconds passed before she was done, dotting the end of the paper and handing the paper off behind her. Fancy Pants’ eyes moved side to side as they traced the lettering. Head nodding in approval of the updated invitation, the noblepony cast his judgment vocally.

“Wonderful work, my dear! Now the last is simply for Fluttershy and her boy.”

“Capricorn?!” The filly shrieked, becoming the center of attention for everypony in the room, including her now-conscious mother. She shook her head violently, as if the name had tainted her. “ Aye can’t stand that boy, and there ain’t no way Aye’m sendin’ that rude, filly-lookin’ colt anything written by maye hoof!”

Fleur de Lis blinked twice, her lip slightly pouting as she looked at Pure Connoisseur with concern. “But isn’t it just as rude to leave the poor dear uninvited?”

“Or ta’ even call him girly,” Braeburn added, approaching his daughter with a stern gaze. “Ya’ know better than that little lady, ‘specially when it ain’t true. Ever since he got a proper haircut, he looks just as coltish as any other… well colt. Ya’ were even speechless yerself when ya’ saw him.”

“Well it simply was just such a transformation,” Rarity said, intervening herself between her child and the present company. Fleur put a hoof to her mouth to conceal the slightest gasp as the gears in her mind turned. If Rarity noticed, she paid the mare’s revelation no heed. She instead smiled sweetly, addressing Fancy Pants with the slightest nod. “Would it be all right with you to write the final invitation? I believe I have a few… select words to say with my daughter in private. We shouldn’t be too long.”

“Not at all, my dear,” The classy stallion said with a polite nod. Mother and daughter turned to leave at Rarity’s cue with Braeburn following in the rear. An alabaster hoof stopped him in his place, prompting a confused frown from the golden stallion. Rarity frowned slightly, her ears pinned back with true regret.

“I’m sorry, darling. But I believe it would be in our daughter’s best interest if we had this conversation one on one.”

“B-but Ah have as much a right ta’ be there for any ol’ family meetin’,” Braeburn stammered, fighting to argue with the glistening sapphire eyes that begged him to drop the matter. “There ain’t nothin’ she shouldn’t be able ta’ tell me that she can’t tell you, ya’ hear?”

“I understand well and clearly, my love, but this really is something I must speak to her with- alone,” Rarity pleaded, wrapping her flawless hooves around her husband as she rested her muzzle next to his ear. “Please, Braeburn. Celestia knows she’ll have a hard enough time coming to terms with it even in private with me.”

They broke their embrace, the cowpony dejectedly standing his ground as he watched his wife turn tail and climb the stairs of their boutique, daughter in tow. Connie looked back only once, making painful eye contact with her father and breaking it only once Rarity took her hoof. The stallion was left alone in the boutique with his prestigious company with awkward silence hanging thickly in the air, its only interruptions the sound of Fancy Pants’ quill scratching parchment.

Author's Note

Just wanted to get another chapter out- now it's time to go back to my study cave.

Golden
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A Day With Friends

Golden

Golden Delicious gasped, choking slightly on the quick intake of air. The three colts dropped their jaws one by one, eyes wide at the scene behind the door. Capricorn took a step forward for a better view, eyes tracing the two ponies in the bedroom. Pound Cake was bound with rope and gagged- with a sock no less, and his eyes were red and puffy. Tearstains adorned his cheeks, dampening and darkening the soft fur. The alicorn colt shuddered at the thought of whatever microbes the silencing article of clothing had introduced to Pound’s system before he pushed the idea aside. His eyes drifted to the right, taking in full view of the teenager’s tormenter. The pearly filly’s hooves held a pair of formidable pliers, their crushing embrace tight on the quill tip of a large pegasus feather- most likely Pound Cake’s. Surprise wore a devilish smirk, her purple eyes flicking between direct contact with Capricorn’s teal gaze and the floor below her prisoner’s legs. Guided by her subtle cue, the peach pony directed his eyes to the wooden floor, only to see that-

“Awwwwww, dude, you tickled him until he peed?!”

“Oh that is dee-sgusting,” Golden Delicious said, wrinkling her nose in repulsion. Rainbow Blitz walked up, flinching slightly as he too caught view of Pound Cake’s soiling.

“Aw, c’mon, that’s just mean.”

“Are you honestly surprised?” Gizmo asked rhetorically, his gaze deadpan at the rainbow colt.

“I think Pound Cake is the one who’s been… ‘Surprised’,” Capricorn responded cheekily with a small grin, earning three unamused glares in response.

His smile faded. “Yeah… I don’t know what I was going for with that one. All right, Surprise,” He said expectantly. “You had your… fun. Let him go.”

Surprise rolled her eyes. Fluttering over to the beige colt with his deep brown eyes watching her every move, she loosened his bonds. He lunged forward, pinning the blonde filly under a single large hoof. His free hoof tore the sock from his mouth.

“You little monster! I’m gonna-“

“Do what?” Surprise asked flatly, her tone uncaring and eyes half-lidded in apathy despite the pegasus stallion pinning her to the floor. “Hurt a little filly? Will that make you feel good about yourself? Make you look tough? I wonder what your parents would think.”

Pound Cake lifted his hoof, taking a shaky step back from white pegasus filly. She sat up, her expression unchanged. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“I’ll let your mother take care of you later,” The teen colt snarled. Looking down, his expression dropped. “…after I clean up this mess.”

He raised his head, looking at his previous captor. “Actually, you can-“

“Yeah, not gonna happen,” Surprise piped up, cutting him off mid-sentence. She smirked slightly. “That is, unless you want me to tell everypony that I had to clean up after you wet yourself.”

Pound groaned, his forehead creasing as he forced his eyes shut. “Just go play downstairs,” He said, defeated. “I need a shower… and a mop.”

Surprise trotted over to her ‘friends’, stopping at Rainbow Blitz. She allowed an unusually friendly smile to overcome her face.

“Good to see you again, Rainbow Blitz. Got any pranks in mind for the day?”

The prismatic pony shrugged. “None today- I promised my Dad I wouldn’t for a while after I soaked the Canterlot Fair in soda clouds.”

“You clever little colt,” Surprise chuckled softly. “What kind of bugs swarmed them?”

“Fire ants- and boy was my dad mad. He-“

“Ah think,” Golden Delicious interrupted, physically placing herself between the conversing children. “We can discuss this later.”

Surprise glowered at the farm filly. “Territorial, aren’t we?”

“Hold the cat fight for later, ladies,” Capricorn said dismissively. He turned to face Surprise. “We need your help, Surprise. Please.”

“With?” She asked, intrigued with the sudden formality.

Capricorn’s eyes darted over to Pound Cake, the young stallion staring intently on them.

“Ask her downstairs,” Pound said flatly. “I really don’t wanna know what you all have planned, especially if you need her help.”

The group complied, forming a small mob as they rushed towards the door, barely squeezing by each other to enter the stairwell. Pound Cake shook his head.

“What in Celestia’s name are they about to get themselves into?”

Soarin’ thrust his hooves up, flipping the green public park trash can with maniacal ease. Rummaging through the litter, he found no evidence of his son, which in turn led to the stallion rushing towards the next waste dispenser with even more gusto than before. His wife promptly tackled him before he could begin his excavation, pinning him once again to the ground.

“For Pete’s sake, Soarin’! Just because Capricorn ended up in the trash after one of Surprise’s pranks doesn’t mean she’s gonna do the same to Blitz!”

Dash’s words did little to ease her husband, the stallion still struggling despite his wife remaining firmly on top.

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie chimed in, followed closely by the small group of parents. “Besides, my daughter isn’t really one to repeat herself.”

“Luna forbid she reuse the same ol’ shenanigan ta’ make other ponies suffer,” Applejack commentated dryly.

“She doesn’t purposely make other ponies suffer!” Pinkie Pie defended. She looked to the ground, shuffling a forehoof with awkward embarrassment. “She just takes her pranks too far… and then doesn’t care if they got hurt or embarrassed after. But it’s not like all your kids are that innocent either!”

“Care to explain?” Caramel asked aggressively, his snout pressing against hers.

“Your filly,” Pinkie said sharply, a hoof jabbing Caramel accusingly on his invasive snout. “Has a warped idea of romance because you and Applejack have really bad fights, but really really good makeups! It’s obvious Golden Delicious ignores the bad and idolizes the good in your relationship. I’ve heard from Surprise about her feelings for Blitz. Imagine what she’s going to do to him, or has done to him if she’s going by your books!”

Pinkie took a step to the side with a huff, leaving Caramel gaping at her accusations. “And you think I’m too lenient with my daughter?!”

Fluttershy took a ginger step forward, placing herself between the party pony and the two farm ponies. “Now let’s not judge each other’s parenting skills. We’re all doing our best to teach our children what’s right and wrong-“

“Such as drugging your mother so that you can help your friend perform a dangerous stunt in front of thousands of judgmental sports ponies?” Soarin’ asked smarmily.

“Soarin’-” Dash warned, increasing pressure on her husband with a forehoof. Fluttershy stomped a hoof down, surprising Dash enough to jump off her husband.

“Well at least Capricorn gets the attention he needs instead of being so neglected that he’d turn to dangerous stunts just to get his parents to spend time with him!”

“Fluttershy!” Dash gasped, voice cracking slightly at her timid friend’s harsh rebuttal.

“Everypony stop fighting this instant!” Twilight shouted, her wings flaring with the authority of her ascended race. Her princess stature provided immediate compliance, and she had everypony’s full attention. She allowed a satisfied smile to grace her lips. “None of us are perfect parents- heck my kid has a hard time realizing that ponies are more than just test subjects.”

She paused, scratching the back of her neck with a forehoof. “I really need to have Spike monitor him more closely when babysitting.”

“Focus princess,” Caramel deadpanned. The lavender alicorn flushed slightly.

“But, that doesn’t mean we’re bad parents. We are learning just as much as our children are- maybe even more. They’re learning how to grow, and we’re learning how to nurture. We’ve all made mistakes as parents- everypony does! We’re bad parents if we choose to ignore our mistakes and leave them unfixed, and I think we’ve all learned so much today.”

Twilight turned her attention to Pinkie Pie. “Such as the importance of proper discipline.”

She looked to Caramel and Applejack. “Or defining the importance of reality versus imagination.”

Fluttershy flinched slightly under the princess’ gaze. “Or how others can be hurt when you don’t think about the consequences of your actions.”

Twilight finally stopped at Rainbow Dash and Soarin’. “Or the importance of real, consistent bonding time that can’t be replaced with an occasional day off.”

The lavender alicorn cracked a guilty smile.

“Or how precious life is and to not sacrifice it just to answer a few trivial questions. Let’s just be grateful they’re still young and have plenty of time to grow out of the bad habits we’ve put them in.”

Everypony present smiled slightly, accepting the truth in Twilight’s message. Applejack chuckled quietly. “Let’s also be grateful them young ‘uns won’t get into a heap of trouble at Sugarcube Corner.”

Pinkie Pie and Twilight looked at the others in confusion. Cued by Pinkie’s nod, the princess spoke the question on both of their minds. “What were they up to before Big Mac rushed them off to the sweet shop?”

“They were trying to find ways to help Blitzy do the Sonic Rainboom,” Rainbow Dash explained, a slight roll in her eyes. “Like they can get him going fast enough. The only way to learn it is a nosedive.”

Soarin’ prodded her side gently. “Not exactly making me feel any better here…”

“But they don’t know that,” Twilight interjected, a small trace of panic edged in her voice.

“Pinkie Pie!” Caramel piped up, catching the implications of Twilight's tone. “Is there anything, I mean anything the kids could and would use at Sugarcube Corner that would make Rainbow Blitz go fast?”

“Hmmmm,” The party pony contemplated, a hoof dramatically tapping her chin for effect. “Well, there is something… but!” She shook her head and smiled widely, a slight giggle in her voice. “It’s just too silly! There’s no way they’d do it!”

“Why do I get the feeling…” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

“Aw, c’mon Dashie!” Pinkie chirped, placing a foreleg around her friend’s shoulder. “There’s no way they’d fire Rainbow Blitz out of my party cannon! That’d just be-“

“Blitzy!” Soarin’ shrieked, taking off down the road in full gallop. His voice began to fade from the group as he gained distance. “Daddy’s coming! Just hold on!”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, life has been pretty busy. I promise I'll start writing more consistently so that chapters are longer and better, and so I can finally finish this story and move onto the next one.

Acceptance
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A Day With Friends

Acceptance

Rarity’s horn began to glow a faint blue, the magical aura of her telekinetic spell tucking away at the corners of a pale yellow bedspread. How many times had she done the same, mundane task for her little daughter, she didn’t know. She had lost count when the stubborn little thing turned five, and simply took it upon herself to do it instead. The sheets lay crisp and flat, matching the order of the modest but tastefully decorated bedroom. From the dressers to the toy chest and even the picture frames that lay aligned on the various furnishings, not a single item clashed structurally or by color. Rarity couldn’t help but marvel at it all; despite her futile attempts to domesticate many of Pure Connoisseur’s tendencies, the filly had excellent taste without any assistance from her tasteful mother. Uncanny even, considering she had yet to even properly educate her daughter on the basics of fashion and design. There were however, higher priorities, such as proper manners at the dinner table, refined speech, and of course, making her own bed.

“Connie, dear,” The unicorn began, the slightest hint of scolding in her voice. “How many times must I ask you to make your bed before you finally do it?”

Her daughter sat on the floor, bright green eyes dull in the shadow of her downcast forehead. “Aye can’t make it as nice as you, Mamma. No horn- and ‘sides. Why make my bed when there ain’t no one seein’ it but me?”

Rarity smiled her patient smile, practiced over the years of experience with inquiring children. “It practices good habits. What if somepony new here were to accidently stumble across your bedroom? It wouldn’t make a very good first impression, now would it?”

The pale Earth pony sighed slightly. “Aye guess not Mamma.” She looked up, cheeks blushed slightly. “Why’d ya’ call me up here?”

Her mother sat at the edge of the bed, inviting her to sit with a slight pat on the bedspread. Connie obeyed, gingerly making her way to her own bed and climbing up as if she was a stranger, despite the familiar territory. She leaned her head against her mother’s side, shades of periwinkle drifting across her vision as the strands of hair fled from her pompadour’s hold. Rarity brushed the offending hairs from her daughter’s face, hugging her tightly.

“Darling, what have I told you about asking questions you already know the answer to?”

The filly twitched in surprise, squirming further into Rarity’s embrace. “It ain’t polite or ladylike. Aye’m sorry.”

The pearly unicorn continued to hold her daughter gently, her warm embrace soothing on the filly’s nervous composure. “It’s just us here, sweetheart. What’s bothering you?”

“Aye also thought ya’ said rhee-torical questions were also unladylike.”

Rarity pulled away from her daughter, momentarily surprised by the child’s sudden burst of wit. She was further surprised to see the filly smiling coyly, very aware of her small victory. Connie’s grin shriveled as her mother glared at her like an outfit composed of clashing neon colors. Knowing better than to push the expertise dressmaker any further, she closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

“Why did it have ta’ be him, Mama?”

Rarity’s stern gaze immediately dissolved as the depressing tone of her daughter’s confiding tugged at her heartstrings. She took Connie back into her embrace, stroking the filly’s bluish locks with a gentle touch mastered through her years of motherly pampering.

“Now now,” She cooed soothingly. “There is nothing wrong with it-“

“There’s everything wrong with it, Mama!” Connie shrieked, tearing free from Rarity once again. She flushed, from rage or embarrassment- Rarity wasn’t quite sure, but there was no denying her daughter’s frustration. “Ya’ have any idea how rotten it is ta’… ta’…”

The young filly began to blush a deeper shade of crimson, her cheeks two glowing beets partially obscured by the periwinkle vines of her hair. Rarity grinned with half-lidded eyes that spoke with a certain confidence that only the most experienced socialites had under their belts.

“Have a crush on somepony you don’t want to?” She half-sang, finishing her daughter’s confession and eliciting a deeper frown and blush from the flustered child.

“Mama! It ain’t funny!” Connie whined, pouting dramatically as if the added feature could gain her enough sympathy to stop her mother’s teasing. Her efforts went to waste as Rarity broke into full laughter.

“Oh sweetheart, of course it is!” Rarity said, pausing to laugh again. She stopped as tears began to form in her daughter’s eyes, and with a heavy groan she wrapped a pearly foreleg around her daughter’s pale frame. “Connie, this is a matter of your heart, not your pride. Now I know these feelings began after Capricorn’s new haircut- which I must say looks quite dashing compared to his previous, more… feminine hairstyle. But appearance isn’t the only thing to it, now is it?”

“A-ah don’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout,” The filly sniffed, attempting to conceal her sobs as indignity. “The boy’s nothin’ but trouble and the less Ah see him, the better.”

“Oh come now,” Rarity pressed. “I certainly had troubles accepting my feelings for your father during our courtship, but I learned to stop being so silly when I learned to love both the diamond and the rough.”

“Really?” Connie asked suspiciously. “Ya’ had trouble fallin’ fer Daddy? Ain’t nopony more gentlecoltly than him round these parts- ya’ said so yerself!”

“I know that, dear,” She said patiently. The corners of her mouth tugged to form a slight, content smile and her cerulean eyes glazed slightly over as she dove into memories of young, exciting love. “But I was so young and ignorant of what was truly important. While I loved the Apple family dearly for my friendship with Applejack, the thought of marrying an Apple seemed, at the time, so… uncouth.”

“Uncouth?!” The little Earth pony barked. Rarity flinched internally from the sudden change in volume at close quarters, but refused to budge and give her daughter the opportunity to throw a tantrum.

“I said it seemed uncouth,” She repeated sternly- not stern enough to leave the impression of a scolding, but with enough determination to stand her ground without leaving Pure Connoisseur feeling defensive. Rarity was sure not to repeat her mistakes in parenting, and her filly’s extraordinary ability to pick up on the slightest changes in tone meant the dressmaker had to be extra careful when sharing a life lesson. “I was a different pony back then, sweetheart. Not in the sense of who I was or how I viewed myself, but how I viewed others. I was so narrow-minded at one point in my life that I actually disliked Applejack simply because of our differences! However, our friendship grew, and through that I found myself growing as well and become more accepting of the other lifestyles ponies have.”

“What does this haf’ ta’ do with me ‘n Capricorn?” Connie asked suspiciously, not understanding the direction her mother was steering their conversation. Rarity quickly pecked her daughter on the nose with a swift kiss, following Connie’s reactive squeak by blowing a raspberry on her cheek.

“It means, you and Capricorn both still have so much growing up to do,” She said over the giggling of her flustered daughter. “You have a simple crush, darling. Enjoy it for what it is and try not to make yourself miserable by overthinking it, okay?”

Pure Connoisseur breathed steadily, controlling the last of her laughter fits. She smiled and gave Rarity a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Mamma.”

Author's Note

Short chapter, and I apologize for such a long wait for so... little. My schedule has been all over the place and honestly writing MLP fanfiction comes at the bottom of my priorities, although I am hoping to pump out another, longer chapter tonight and have it up tomorrow (I want to finish this fic so I can focus on either starting another one or finishing other ones). This will be the only fic I'll be updating so that I can get it done ASAP.

Breakfast Brutality
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A Day With Friends

Breakfast Brutality

The soft morning rays of sunlight etched through the window slits of a comfortable, upscale cloud home. Their glow provided warmth to a small lump under the blankets of a cozy bed, fighting the frigid high-altitude air. The lump rose and fell with a gentle rhythm, revealing nothing except for a few strands of red hair that refused the blanket’s hospitality. A scratchy voice laced deep breaths; the weekend truly was the prime time for sleeping in, and the unconscious lump enjoyed every fleeting minute of it. The soft, creaking sound of the bedroom door failed to stir the bed occupant’s slumber, as did the hoofsteps that followed. Rainbow Dash groggily approached the bed, pausing for a moment. She sympathized with the lump, but as much as they both enjoyed their shut-eye, there was an agenda to be followed. Gently removing the covers, Rainbow Dash took in the image of her slumbering child, cherishing every moment. His unmistakable rainbow mane clung to his pale blue face, bent from the pillow's influence. He shifted from the uncomfortable temperature change, but remained unconscious. Nuzzling the colt’s wings, Dash spoke in a hushed tone, a faint melody tracing her words.

“Whose little wings are these?”

The colt smiled and kept his eyes closed, feigning a slumbering image.

“They’re tired wings that think Mommy should let them sleep more.”

Rainbow Dash suppressed her laughter and formed a confident smile.

“All right, but I guess they’ll have to miss chocolate chip pancakes. It’s too bad; I hear they’re one of Rainbow Blitz’s favorites. I wouldn’t wanna be the wings that made him miss those.”

Rainbow Blitz snapped his eyes open.

“They might be willing to work out a deal.”

Soarin’ lazily stirred pancake batter over the counter, the chocolate chips rising and sinking in motion to the spatula’s will. He gazed at sweet mix longingly before turning his attention to the boiling oatmeal on the stove. He gave the slop a venomous glare before the cinnamon and sugar on the countertop caught his attention. Soarin’ scanned the kitchen area, confirming he was truly alone. Grabbing the containers, he shook a generous amount into the mush before quickly returning them to their former positions. Soarin’ stirred the oatmeal quickly to hide the additions before the distinct sound of hoofsteps sounded from the hallway.

Oh man, He thought, biting his lip. Just in time.

Rainbow Dash trotted into the kitchen, her son bouncing up and down on her back as he attempted to awaken from his half-conscious stupor. She plopped him onto the stack of Daring Doo books situated on a kitchen table chair before checking on breakfast’s progression. Soarin’ poured the pancake batter into a readied pan, creating a large puddle that fizzled around the edges. The aroma danced around his nostrils, eliciting a loud gurgle from his hungry stomach. He sighed and took his pot of sweetened oatmeal, pouring it into a ceramic bowl before taking his place at the table.

Rainbow Dash walked to the pan and flipped the pancake, catching it neatly as it landed face-up with a sizzle. She gave her family a brief glance, enjoying the mundane scene.

It’s certainly a nice change, that’s for sure, she mused, smiling as her son gave a vocal yawn.

Rainbow Blitz rubbed the sleep from his eyes, barely aware of the pancake’s aroma. Soarin’ munched happily on his oatmeal...

Wait a minute. He looks too happy eating that stuff. Dash squinted her eyes threateningly. I’ll take care of that little mystery myself.

Soarin’ finished the meal with a belch, contently patting his stomach. Rainbow Blitz eyed him with a knowing smirk.

“Sugar and spice makes everything nice, isn’t that right, Dad?” he whispered.

Soarin’ broke into a cold sweat and looked at his wife, paranoid that she overheard their son.

“What do you want?” he whispered back.

“Longer flight lessons,” Blitz murmured. He tapped his chin in contemplation. “And mini-golf. My friends said it was fun.”

“Deal.”

“What’re you boys talkin’ about, hmmmm?”

Rainbow Dash stood menacingly in front of them, spatula in hoof. Soarin’ choked on his words, unable to vocalize a response. Luckily, Blitz did not share in his disability.

“Dad was just tellin’ me how excited he was to see me give my performance at the Wonderbolts’ show today.”

Dash smiled warmly at her son’s fib.

“We’re both excited for you Blitzy.” She ruffled his bedhead, earning an audible grumble from the colt. “Spitfire finally allowed it after the media hounded her to let you perform once you started flying. You sure you wanna do this?”

“You bet I do, and I’m gonna knock their saddles off!”

“If you’ve learned anything from your father’s lesson I know you will, Blitzy. Take a word of advice: don’t try anything you’re not comfortable doing. Nopony is expecting anything like a Sonic Rainboom from a five-year-old. I was twice your age before I did mine and sealed the deal with my cutie mark.”

“Your mother’s right, Blitzy.” Soarin’ piped up. “Nothing dangerous, no sharp turns, nothing too fast… you know, how about we just cancel and tell them you need more lessons first? That way-”

The angry looks from the two spectral mane ponies forced Soarin’ to shrink back.

“Oh will you relax, Soarin!” Dash growled. “He’ll be just fine! He’s a natural born flier and he’s even gotten a lesson from you.”

“Still waiting on that next lesson,” Blitz grumbled.

“How about waiting until after the final performance of the season before givin’ us lip, Blitzy?”

Rainbow Blitz whined indignantly before his mother continued. “As I was saying, if anypony was gonna teach him how to fly safe, it was definitely you Soarin’! C’mon let him perform.”

Soarin’ sighed, pinning his ears back in annoyance.

“You’re just asking to be nice, and I don’t really have a choice in the matter, do I?”

“Pretty much,” Rainbow Dash and Blitz responded simultaneously. Soarin’ stood up with a huff, bringing his dishes to the sink. A familiar glance was exchanged between mother and son before Dash walked up to her disgruntled husband. He hung his head in false sadness, giving her a pathetic look as his eyes drifted upward. Pressing her muzzle against his, she kissed him for his troubles. Licking her lips, Dash made audible ‘tuts’. Her suspicions confirmed, she scowled and pounded a hoof on the countertop. Rainbow Blitz covered his ears for the oncoming storm.

“Cinnamon and sugar?! Really Soarin’?! Do the doctor’s orders mean nothing to you?! You’re lucky we have a big show today, or I’d be working your wings so hard you’d become an earth pony!”

“She found out on her own Dad!” Rainbow Blitz piped up, drawing attention from both parents. “I still get my longer flying lessons and mini-golf.”

Rainbow Dash gave her husband an incredulous look that quickly turned into over-boiled anger. Soarin’ trembled in fear from the fury in Dash’s features. To his surprise, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and did her best to calm down.

“Soarin’, I’m only upset because I’m worried about you! Please, pleeeease stop with the sugar.” She paused, taking one of his forehooves with hers. “For me? I don’t wanna see you fall short of the cut.”

Soarin’ nodded solemnly, reminding himself to have more self control in the future.

“You’re still taking Blitzy mini-golfing and giving him extra time in his lessons. I don’t know where you’ll really find the free time for that, but hey, you got yourself into that one. He gets to wake you up too; have fun taking him nice and early to go have a good time while I sleep in.” Rainbow Dash finished, giving her husband a quick peck on the cheek, his skin taught as his eye twitched. Grabbing the pan’s handle, Rainbow Dash tossed the pancake into the air. Soarin’ watched in amazement as the giant flapjack landed perfectly on the waiting plate situated on the countertop.

Every single time! He shook his head, envious of her accuracy. How does she do it?

Grabbing the plate, Rainbow Dash trotted over to the table and dropped it neatly in front of Blitz. The two rainbow-maned pegasus ponies gave each other identical smirks. Soarin’ knew those looks all too well; they were the looks of competition.

“So, little colt. Think you got what it takes to keep your appetite up with the legendary Rainbow Dash?”

“I was born ready,” Rainbow Blitz barked, pounding a hoof on the table. “Now let’s quit yakkin’ and start snackin’!”

They both readied themselves at opposite sides of the pancake. Mouths ready, they looked to their referee to start the signal. Soarin’ cleared his throat before bellowing,

“Ready! Set! Eat!”

A pale blue hoof swung down, signaling the beginning of breakfast carnage.

Melted chocolate splattered the floor. Pancake crumbs littered the table. Not a scrap of edible pancake remained. Soarin’ remained frozen in awe at the ferocity his wife and son had attacked the flapjack with. He had his heydays with pies and other sweets, but not even those could compare to two stubborn athletes eating for the sake of beating the other. Both pegasus ponies were covered in chocolate and crumbs from snout to tail. Rainbow Blitz walked unsteadily from the table, zigzagging toward his bathroom. He looked back, his voice resembling a moan as he forced himself to speak.

“Some day," he paused, releasing a deep belch, "Mom. I’ll beat you someday.”

“In your dreams, kiddo,” Dash replied, maintaining a laid-back position the whole time, her hooves relaxed behind her head. She waited until she heard the sound of his door closing and the water running before she flopped down onto the ground, groaning in pain. “Sweet Celestia, does he have your appetite or what? That kid can eat! I’m not sure if I can keep up with him next time around, Soarin’. How did I even beat him this time?”

Soarin’ gave his wife a playful smirk.

“Pride? Stubbornness? Recklessness? Gluttony?”

Rainbow Dash returned the smirk, approaching Soarin’ before throwing her hooves over him in a light embrace.

“Watch it, mister. I’m still mad at you, remember? I wouldn’t worry about it too much, though. The show today should be pretty good exercise,” she paused, giving him a coy smile. “But there are… other ways you can burn some calories.”

Soarin’ flushed red and nodded, smiling at the implications. Dash’s smirk vanished, replaced by a more serious expression.

“But if you cheat your diet again, you’ll have to find your own way to ‘burn calories’ for a month. Got it?”

Soarin’ gulped and nodded. “Yes, Dashie.”

She smiled once again and pecked him on lips before trotting off to their restroom to wash the chocolate smudges off of her coat.

“You have your lunch money?”

“Yes, Dad,” Blitz deadpanned.

“First Aid kit?”

“In my backpack, Dad.”

“Scarf?”

“I’m wearing it, Dad!”

Soarin’ paused, scratching his chin with a forehoof. His eyes squinted as he concentrated in thought.

“Sunscreen?”

“Daaaaaaaaad!”

“Oh for the love of Celestia, Soarin’, the kid’s gonna be fine!” Rainbow Dash barked. “He’s being watched by Fluttershy today for Pete’s sake! If there’s anypony who is even close to being as overprotective as you, it’s her. Now let’s get a move on. Ponyville’s a long flight.”

Soarin’ grunted but obeyed his wife. He pulled an object made from refined fabric, strapping it to his back, much to the displeasure of Rainbow Blitz.

“Awwwww Daddy, not the saddle!” Blitz moaned. “Please! Anything but the saddle!”

Soarin’ shot his son a stern, authoritative look and pointed to the saddle with a forehoof, silently commanding him to take a seat.

“Don’t make him use the saddle, Soarin’!” Dash shouted. “He’s a strong flier. You know that.”

“He’s still only five, Dashie,” Soarin’ barked back. “He can’t make that trip in one go; his muscles aren’t developed enough.”

“Nopony said he had to,” she said. ”Just let him ride without the saddle; if he falls off he can just, oh I don’t know, fly back to us!” Dash paused, raising an eyebrow in smug confidence. “It’s not like he’s in danger of falling to his doom or something. You know either of us would be more than capable of catching him if there was an accident.”

“B-but he… b-but,” Soarin’ stammered, unable to come up with a logical counterargument. Rainbow Blitz ripped the saddle off and climbed onto his father’s back, hugging his neck and nuzzling into the fur. Soarin’ let out an exaggerated sigh before tilting his head up, meeting a pair of rose eyes. Rainbow Dash smiled warmly, stepping forward and strapping Soarin’s flight goggles over his eyes.

“All set for Ponyville.”

Appearances
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A Day With Friends

Appearances

Out of breath, Fancy Pants managed to catch up to his lithe wife, the model giving him a satisfied look that made the stallion regret asking her to hurry up in the first place. The two upper class unicorns had stopped in front of the porch of a charming building, the rustic design reminiscent of Western architecture found in the old colonies throughout the desert lands. The structure had been polished and decorated to match the aristocratic dignity of its fellow neighborhood, yet retained a warm quality about it that could only be described as ‘home’. A large sign with intricate calligraphy was firmly adorned above the porch, revealing the title of ‘Sweet Boutique’ to all of Canterlot. The couple made their way up the porch, the doorknob turning in cue as it glowed a light shade of blue to match the aura radiating from Fancy Pant’s ignited horn. The magic pulled the door open, fading away as the two unicorns walked into the shop, their ears pinned back instinctively as their subconscious prepared them for the welcoming they had become accustomed to in this particular shop. Flinching, the noble couple shut their eyes and braced themselves. One second of silence passed, and fifteen more followed in its wake before they opened their eyes, taking in the full sight of Sweet Boutique. The décor that lined the store was similar to its predecessor in Ponyville as far as its fashion sense was concerned; yet despite the familiarity it held to its past incarnation, there were three distinct features that made the Sweet Boutique of Canterlot very different from the Carousel Boutique of Ponyville. The first- though presently absent as Fancy Pants and Fleur had discovered, difference was the ‘warm’ welcoming every customer received upon entrance to the fine establishment. The second was the addition of male ponyquins and the third a window case display of various sweets and pastries available for purchase, each styled beautifully and crafted as if they had been prepared for the royal family themselves.

“Mr. Fancy Pants, Mrs. Fleur. A pleasure to see the two of you,” A sweet, refined, and most surprisingly soft voice greeted the couple. Caught off guard, Fancy Pants and Fleur directed their attention towards toward the display case, a sheepish grin on each of their faces revealing the mutual embarrassment they felt for not seeing their greeter. Behind the counter, an Earth pony filly sat upon a tall stool, her very pale yellow forelegs resting on the seat in front of her as she attempted to balance herself. Fancy Pants couldn’t help but smile at her appearance, which seemed to be as imbalanced as she was on the stool. Her mane, streaked with contrasting light and dark tones of periwinkle, had been curled in the front into a pompadour bun, the odd hair or two escaping its clutch in defiance for her mother's attempt to tame them. The rest of her mane ran wild from where Rarity had simply given up and pinched it in a ponytail, skipping down her back in a chaotic fashion that matched her tail. Vibrant green eyes looked toward the two incomers with patience and a kind smile.

“Pure Connoisseur, the pleasure is ours,” Fancy Pants responded with a small bow, feeling guilty about his earlier overlook. Fleur de Lis shared neither her husband’s formality nor his pretenses, instead choosing to be direct.

“Connie, dear,” She said warmly, her voice honeyed as if to coax an infant rabbit from the safety of its home. “It’s just us here. There’s no need to pretend, sweetheart.”

Pure Connoisseur’s eyes traced the room, confirming for herself that the model’s statement was correct.

“Thank the princesses themselves!” She sighed, her voice now sharp and grating with a heavy Southwest accent. She leapt down from her perch, trotting casually around the counter and approaching the boutique’s present customers before giving them a small bow. “Aye’ll admit, Aye’m glad it’s ya’ll and not Upper Crust and Jet Set. They always put Mama through the ringer when they get commissions here! T’aint fair on her and it sure don’t make Daddy happy ta’ see her treated that way.”

“Where are your parents, Connie?” Fleur inquired, curious as to why such a young filly was allowed to run the store by herself.

“Mama’s workin’ on the commissions of some clients who want ‘em up an’ runnin’ by the Grand Galloping Gala,” She explained casually, her body turning as she motioned for Fleur and Fancy Pants to follow her. “And Daddy’s bakin’ some muffins ta’ restock the ones we sold out today. He was runnin’ the front, but left me ta’ greet ponies while he went ta’ make sure they don’t burn. C’mon, Ah’m sure he’d like the surprise visit. You can even see what we put in our goods ta’ make the finest treats in Canterlot.”

“They must be the best if you think so, dear,” Fleur said sincerely, satisfied with the filly’s honest answer but still slightly annoyed that her parents, no matter how overworked, left her alone in the front. The unicorns followed Connie’s lead, the Earth filly pushing past two hinged doors, obviously installed by Rarity to fit the slight Western theme the store held.

“Daddy, lookit who came ta’ visit!” Connie hollered, her volume louder than necessary for her voice to be carried throughout the kitchen, forcing her company to pin their ears back in minor irritation at the noise. Despite her best efforts, her intended target for the receiving end of her message was preoccupied, the only evidence of his existence being a golden rump protruding from the oven’s open door, a large red apple tattooed on his flank and a wild amber tail with two tones swishing as he fiddled around. The stallion pulled his front half from the cooking appliance, a mitt between his teeth to protect his mouth from the fiery steel of the muffin tray. His mane bobbed as he set the tray on the counter, green eyes that matched the filly’s focusing on her.

“Ah’m sorry, my little sugarplum,” The stallion apologized. “Ah couldn’t hear ya’ on account that Ah was checkin’ the consistency of these here muffins, and takin’ ‘em out once Ah figured they were done bakin’. What did ya’ need, sweetie? Did somepony show-“

He paused, noticing his present- and very prestigious company.

“-Up.”

“No need to apologize, Braeburn. You were simply doing your part in running this fine establishment,” Fancy Pants chuckled, amused to have caught the baker in a precarious and unflattering position. Fleur did not let on to be as amused, though the red tinge on her cheeks left an indication that she was even more entertained than her husband by Braeburn’s revealing position. “And I can see that your daughter was true to her words,” The noble unicorn continued. “I trust that she wasn’t left unattended in the front for long?”

“Oh my stars, no!” Braeburn cried out, flushing a bit when he realized he had given the impression of a neglectful parent in the presence of such company. Calming down, he composed himself before explaining, a hoof raised delicately to his chin as he carefully answered Fancy Pants' question. “She couldn’t have been out there for more than a minute or two. Why, it was just luck ya’ll happened ta’ come by just as I went to take out the muffins. But enough of me runnin’ my mouth. Ya’ll were here ta’ pick up a dress from Rarity, right?”

“That would be correct,” Fleur answered, the sharpness in her tone causing her host to shirk back in slight fear. “And I believe my husband wishes to harass your wife on the prediction of Rainbow Blitz’s performance today. Word on the street is he will be the youngest pony ever to successfully perform the Sonic Rainboom.”

“The word is right, but Mama wouldn’t know ponyfeathers about it,” Pure Connoisseur spoke up, an eyebrow raised in the slightest satisfaction that she knew better than the public gossip chain. She revelled in the attention all three adults were giving her for a few moments before continuing. “But just because that colt has the ability to do it don’t mean he’s ready. His mama had ta’ save my mama before she could break the barrier at will. Ah don’t even think Blitz knows he can do it yet.”

Fleur and Fancy Pants blinked, their eyes drifting toward the other as they both wondered the same thing.

“If you don’t mind my asking, how do you know he can do it when he doesn’t know?” The fashion model finally spoke up.

“Ah have a very reliable magical source that learned not too long ago how ta’ measure how good a pony is at doin’ somethin’. And if my source is right, Blitzy can do it. But,” Connie sighed, ears drooping slightly as she delivered the last bit of information. “He needs the right motivation ta’ do it. Ain’t gonna happen outta nowhere in front of the crowd! Ah just hope that boy puts on a good show that everypony will enjoy- Sonic Rainboom or not. Poor little sugarcube would be crushed if’n he got rejected at somethin’ he loved so much.”

“Ah, so I suppose that tidbit settles the rumor about Rainbow Blitz being forced into stunt flying,” Fancy Pants said with a slight blush, embarrassed to admit that he had let the Canterlot gossip chain have any significant effect on his own hypotheses.

“Forced?” The Earth filly scoffed. “That boy's practically aglow when he’s flyin’. He’s just a might more modest about it than his mama was- but all the same there’s that much more pressure on him for him ta’ succeed. It ain’t just the crowd he thinks he’s gotta please. Can’t be easy thinkin’ ya’ might let your parents down.”

“Rainbow Blitz’s parents will love him no matter what- success or failure,” Fleur said reassuringly- if only to ease her own empathetic guilt for the colt’s situation. “Now then, what, or rather who is this magical source you speak of?”

Both Earth ponies flinched, though Connie’s pleading eyes prompted her father to take the lead and explain. “Ah’m afraid we aren’t at liberty ta’ discuss that. Princess Luna’s orders.”

Before the two unicorns could inquire further, the kitchen doors burst forward, an alabaster unicorn with beautifully styled purple locks joining them, an elegant gown consisting of mellow shades of lavender that blended to bring out the eyes of its intended client within the clutches of her indigo magic. Her eyes lit up at the company, clearly betraying the excitement she felt at their well-timed visit.

“Fleur! Fancy Pants! Oh how delightful for you both to drop by!” Rarity squealed, embracing them both with a light hug. She turned her attention to Fleur, cerulean eyes glowing with the desire for approval directing the fashion model towards the floating gown. “Now don’t you hesitate to ask for any adjustments, Fleur! This is your dress and should be exactly how you want it!”

“Don’t you change a thing about it, Rarity. It’s perfect,” Fleur said, knowing all too well the other unicorn’s taste in fashion was far superior to her own. After all, she only wore the clothes; she didn’t design them.

“Oh you flatter me, darling, but I am far from perfect. I insist- if there is anything you want changed please tell me.”

“Rarity, we wouldn’t change a thing about this dress knowing you put your heart and soul into it,” Fancy Pants echoed his wife, ending any further discussion on the matter. “Now then,” He continued, delivering a small, respectful bow as he spoke. “Would the three of you care to join us in our private box for the Wonderbolts airshow today? I’m sure you would have the opportunity to reunite with Rainbow Dash after the show.”

“Oh that would be simply marvelous,” The dramatic unicorn squealed before calming down, delivering a small, sad sigh. “It’s been weeks since I’ve had the chance to chat with her- with any of my Ponyville friends really. The last time was at our pretend book club.”

“Well then, I shall have to invite them as well,” Fancy Pants offered, a smirk appearing on his muzzle as his tailor friend all but fainted into the waiting forelegs of her unsurprised husband. Rarity drew several sharp, long breaths, doing her best to collect herself as she rested against Braeburn’s embrace. Knowing his wife would be out of commission for a good minute or so, the stallion decided to answer for her.

“Ah think she’s sayin’ thank ya’ very kindly. Ah guess there’s nothin’ left ta’ do but call ‘em.”

Author's Note

Things... happened over break, which delayed this chapter, and now school is back. Hopefully I'll keep a regular updated pace, but I have two other stories I've been neglecting and I really should work on those first before another chapter.