“It was a dark and stormy night.” I was reading my comic book. I like reading. Especially when I have to sit on a train going to a new home, it breaks the clickity clack of the locomotive galloping down the rails. I didn’t want to leave my home in Dodge Junction, but my mom had decided for me. I needed to go away from the ranch because of my allergy. This was the worse, of all things to be allergic to – cherries. I would break out in a rash that sometimes infected my eyes. They would get all itchy and leak mucus. Then my nose would start running, and I’d snort it back into my throat which would then get sore.
Why couldn’t mom come with me? Why did I have to leave my brothers and sisters? “Stupid allergy, stupid cherry trees” I muttered. Who was this Aunt Carrot I found myself coming to live with? “Ponyville, ug”
The conductor chipped in, “Ponyville next stop” as the train began its slow deceleration. I didn’t want to look out the window, but I was curious. Rolling hills with apple trees, two story houses, everything was so much greener. So I was here, better grab my bag and trot toward the door. “Goshdarnit”, I couldn’t reach it. I’m too small. I guess the conductor noticed as he reached over me and pulled my sack down. It was nice of him to carry the bag over to the door for me, just as the train stopped. “Thanks” I said as he tossed the satchel onto the platform, and I think he was thinking of tossing me, so I scooted out fast.
On the platform were few others, but I spotted my aunt instantly. Yeah, I had never met here before, but that green mane really stood out. She was talking to another pony, who looked just like her, except she had orange hair. They both approached me smiling.
“Auntie Carrot?”
“Yes” they replied in chorus.
My confusion grew and I guess they noticed.
“Hello Canoe, I’m your aunt Julienne Carrot” said the green mane, “and this is my sister Caroline”.
“Oh” was all I could say.
“Caroline is here to carry your bags back to my house while we hurry over to the school house to get you registered.”
“Oh” this was getting worse. No slack, off to school on my first day in town. I suddenly had an image that my aunts would throw me into a pond of alligators to teach me to swim. Good thing I already know how to swim.
Aunt Julienne and I trotted off to the school house while Aunt Caroline said her goodbyes and galloped into town. The school house was kind of nice. They had a playground! This might not be so bad. I cautiously followed my Aunt into the school room. The little ponies were watching what the teacher was writing on the board. She stopped and turned toward us, the little ponies also stared at us.
The teacher addressed me, “Welcome to our class Canoe, I’m Miss Cherrilee.” Clearly Aunt Julienne and Miss Cherrilee had already registered me some other day. My doom was sealed.
“I’ll be back to get you after school” said Aunt Julienne. She stooped down to me, hesitated, and then gave me a quick hug. I could hear some pony snicker in the class.
“Class” said the teacher, “please welcome Canoe Jubilee”. “Canoe, will you take the seat in the middle of the front row today. Apple Bloom, who normally sits there didn’t come to school today. I’ll have a desk for you tomorrow.” Sitting in the front row may not be bad. The two ponies to my either side were cute and they had their cutie marks. Oh, older mares, not bad at all. The one on my left had some type of crown as a cutie mark. The one on my right had a spoon for a cutie mark, and nice glasses. I hope she likes to read like I do.
Miss Cherrilee was quizzing the students on their spelling. One in the back row she called “Snails” was having a difficult time spelling deluxe “deluxe, d-e-e-l-u-x, deluxe”. I think I did these spelling words last year. The teacher said to me, “since you probably didn’t know you would be taking a quiz today, I’ll give you an easy word. Can you spell ‘apple’?
“Mmm, apple, r-e-d-d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, apple”. My classmates were snickering. I didn’t know if they knew how to spell red delicious or if they were laughing at me because I had started spelling apple with an ‘r’.
Miss Cherrilee had a stunned look on her face which slid into a smile. “Very good Canoe. I will not underestimate you again, although I sometimes spell apple, m-a-c-i-n-t-o-s-h.” I think I like Miss Cherrilee. She could have come down hard on me. I could definitely hear that some of my class mates were not catching our little joke.
We did math after the spelling quiz. Simple addition and subtraction, were my classmates so far behind me that we don’t do multiplication and division? I think there will be times when class work will be very boring.
After school, Miss Cherrilee insured that my classmates introduced themselves to me. My classmates probably hated me because of this. I made it a point to remember Diamond Tiara and especially Silver Spoon. There was also Snails and his friend Snips, Featherweight, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, and some others. They were all quick to leave the school and trot home.
I stood in front of the door with Miss Cherrilee. She asked “do you know your way home? I think your Aunt Julienne may be late getting here.”
“No, I haven’t even been there yet”.
“I have some work to do. You can play in the playground for now. If your aunt isn’t back by the time I am done, I’ll show you the way there.” She went back inside to her desk.
I stood outside the school house looking down the road for my aunt, either aunt. It is not that the playground wasn’t nice. It is nice; I just didn’t feel like playing in an empty playground. I eventually found myself sitting on the swing, not that I was swinging, or anything. I just was sitting thinking about being away from home, being here, hating my allergy.
“Hey you! Swings are for swinging” came a shout from above. Looking up, there was a gray pegasus with a blonde mane, hovering. She dropped down toward me saying, “I’m Derpy or Ditsy, or you can call me either.”
I couldn’t help but smile, “Hello Either, how are you? My name is Canoe.”
“No, I’m Ditsy or Derpy, and you’re Aunt Julienne, and I am suppose to take you to your nephew”, she said dropping down to the ground.
At this point, Miss Cherrilee came outside. She said, “Hi Derpy, is anything wrong?”
“It’s Ditsy, and no, nothing’s wrong. Her nephew Canoe sent me here to fetch her Uncle Julienne.”
“Okay,” I said “I think I better go with her.”
“Well” said Miss Cherrilee, “but remember Ditsy, 'Uncle' Canoe cannot fly.”
“WHAT ARE you teaching these PONIES? Of course he can’t fly. He is an EARTH pony and MY NAME IS DERPY!”
I lead the way for the gray pegasus, away from the school house and the flabbergasted teacher. I wonder if taking Derpy away earns me extra credit with Miss Cherrilee? Derpy and I trotted toward the largest group of buildings, I was leading. Something about my companion with the lazy eye convinced me that she would not get me to where I wanted to go. So this was my excuse to do a little exploring. She tagged along as if I knew where I was suppose to go, and this worked well for me. From my comic books I had learned that when exploring a maze, always turn right or left and eventually you will find the exit. I turned left.
It was one of the wider streets with nice little shops along the sides. Oddly though, there appear to be a big tree in the street up ahead. A big tree with windows, and a door.
“What is that?” I asked.
“That’s the librarian, Spike” said Derpy
“So that’s the library and Spike is the librarian”.
“No silly”, interrupted another pony “Spike is the dragon”.
“Hi Pinky” said Derpy.
“DRAGON?!” I exclaimed.
“Hello” said the pink cotton colored candy pony with the red mane. “Who’s your friend?” directing her comment toward Derpy.
“I’m Canoe, but wait you keep a dragon in your library?” said I “Don’t dragons breath fire and burn things down? Isn’t that dangerous, especially in a library?”
“No silly”, said Pinky “let me show you to Twilight and her dragon.”
As we walked up to the red door, I had to ask “Is Twilight the dragon keeper?”
“You are being so silly, Canoe. Wait and see and we will have to have a very silly party to welcome you.” Said Pinky, knocking the door open and strolling into the tree house.
Inside I came face to face and eye to eye with the smallest pink dragon I had ever seen. Well, actually, I have never seen a dragon before so Spike is my first dragon. Someone was talking to me, but I was just too stunned to look away.
“So you are Derby’s friend? I’m Twilight Sparkle” said the purple pony at the edge of my vision.
“Hi, I’m Spike” said the dragon with the big teeth-y smile starring into my eyes.
2nd & 3rd Chapters
I awoke in a strange room and a strange bed. By looking out the window, I could tell it was either sunset or sunrise. Looking around, I saw my sack lying on the floor. I deduced that I must be in Aunt Julienne’s house. I guess I must have been a lot more tired after my long journey and exploration of Ponyville. I got slowly out of the bed (my bed?) and opened the door (my door?). I was at the top of a stair case with two opposing doors. I had a feeling some pony was downstairs. I went down the stairs.
In the kitchen, Aunt Julienne was chopping onions; she rushed to me and hugged me. She was crying. She was so sorry she had been too busy to come to the school and get me. She had gotten Derby to go get me, because Derby was the only one not doing anything. Apparently, I had fainted meeting my first dragon. I explained to my aunt that I had taken advantage of Derpy’s constant state of confusion to do my own exploring. I tried to look sorry. I think she believed me. I think I believed me.
Aunt Julienne was making stew for dinner. She explained it was her week. She and Aunt Caroline traded weeks to do the cooking. Next week we would be eating at Aunt Caroline’s house next door.
She came right into the house through the back door, not even knocking. We had stew for dinner, a mix of carrots, onions and something green. It tasted good. My Aunts tried to talk to me about my day. They had had a big order of carrots to fill and apologized for not being more attentive. After I had fainted at the library, it had put my Aunts into a sort of frenzy. They had both come to the tree house and fetched me home. So it appears the whole town knows about me now. He faints at the sight of dragons. They must think me a wimp.
I got an apple for dessert. Then I went up to my room to unpack my bag. Half way unpacked, I found a note from mom and a comic book. I guess I fell asleep reading them on the bed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the morning, we had a quick breakfast. I grab my lunch bag and was out the door and halfway down the street before I realized I still didn’t know where the school was. I reasoned that I could follow the other students if I saw any. I noticed a strange puttering sound behind me coming up the street.
“Hey, Scootaloo, can you show me the way to school” I said as she zoomed on by.
I think she yelled back to me “Wes, bust eye rave sue top bye lair tea sand get wheat bees shell cursed.”
She was out of earshot before I could catch her. Still I persisted and follow her path. I arrived in the town square and now I realized where the library and train station would be. I arrived at the school before Miss Cherrilee started ringing the school bell.
A filly was apologizing to the teacher, “I had to stay home yesterday, my granny smith was having one of her spells.” I didn’t know her, but she probably was Apple Bloom. She had the nicest western (not southern) draw. I hope she was a good friend of Silver Spoon. The sound of Apple’s voice took me home to mom and Dodge Junction. It made me happy and sad at the same time.
There was a seat for me in the back row between Snips and Snails. They didn’t look happy about having me there. That morning Miss Cherrilee gave us new spelling words to learn, a history lesson on Equestria, and a math problem. At recess I followed the others out into the playground. Tiara and Spoon went to one corner of the playground. Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom trotted to the other. I was about to follow Snips and Snails when Tiara said “oh look, another blank flank.”
Turning toward the cute fillies, I said “Yup, I won’t have a cutie mark for another year.”
They giggled, so I pressed “May I join you for lunch?”
“Oh, no” said Silver Spoon “We simply must not keep company with a blank.”
I turned away while they continued to giggle. To be rejected by my one true love even before I could confess my feelings soured my heart till it dripped poison into my lost soul. I sat down with Snips and Snails.
Apple Bloom came near and said to me “Don’t take Tiara and Silver Spoon too seriously.” Oh, the sound of home, that sweet melody that renews my heart and refreshes my spirit. Apple Bloom returned and sat with her friends.
Snips and Snails were arguing about some pony called Trixie.
“She’s powerful” said Snails.
“She’s great” said Snips.
“She’s great and POWERFUL” answered Snails.
“She’s GREAT and powerful” responded Snips.
“Are you ready for the quiz this afternoon?” I interrupted.
“QUIZ?!” they exclaimed.
“I have had a quiz every afternoon, since I’ve been coming to this school” I said not mentioning that this was my first full day.
“Will it be a math quiz?” asked Snips worriedly.
“I hope it’s not a spelling test” said Snails.
“It will be a math quiz” said Snips.
“No it’s a spelling test” answered Snails.
“Math” said Snips
“Spelling” responded Snails.
Ponies in school usually think of recess as a type of escape. Never was I so happy to be incarcerated into class before. Miss Cherrilee did not have a quiz for us. She gave a lecture on the wonder of Princess Luna and the generosity of Princess Celestia. Then we did math problems.
After school, Sweetie Bell and her friends were about to say something to me, when Tiara said “So the new blank flank is going to join the cutie mark questers.”
“That’s crusaders” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“Excuse me?” I asked, and then quickly turning to Diamond Tiara and smiling I said “You’re right, what value is there in a name. Let’s consider yours; diamond, a rare stone, cut to enhance its loveliness, finally polished and sparkling. As for tiara, a finely wrought half crown, a symbol of authority and splendor, a wired headdress made from something precious, fragile and delicate. In other words Diamond Tiara is HIGHLY OVERPRICED and EASY TO BREAK.”
She looked like she was about to cry, she turned and ran. Silver Spoon galloped after her.
“That was so cool” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“That was so mean” said Apple Bloom.
“She deserved it” said Sweetie Bell.
“You need to apologize” demanded Apple Bloom.
“Yes, that was nasty, I’ll do it tomorrow in school” I responded.
“No school tomorrow” said Scootaloo.
“I don’t know where she lives?” I questioned.
“We’ll show you tomorrow while we are CUTIE MARK CRUSADING” they shouted in chorus.
“You should see our club house” said Sweetie Bell.
“You should join our club” said Scootaloo.
“After he apologizes” interrupted Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, you could get a cutie mark in apologizing” piped Sweetie Bell.
“What would that look like?” whispered Scootaloo.
“Where should we meet?” I asked.
“We can meet at Rarity’s” volunteered Scootaloo.
“What’s rare-it-ies?” I asked.
“It’s my sister’s boutique” said Sweetie Bell.
“It’s where Sweetie Bell lives” said Apple Bloom.
“Don’t know it” I said.
“We could meet at Sweet Apple Acres” suggested Apple Bloom.
“Pardon, I don’t know that either” I said.
“What places do you know, Canoe?” asked Apple Bloom. Oh, the sweet joy her voice inspires, what rapture fills my heart to bursting knowing she knows my name. That I would be so fortunate that she would deem me worthy to remember, alas, do I deceive myself and make too much of this utterance?
“The train station, the school house, the Library, and Aunt Carrot’s” I said.
“Great, we can meet you at the Library” said Scootaloo.
“Very well, but wait, where are you going now?” I asked.
“To the clubhouse” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“We have some important business to discuss” said Apple Bloom.
“We’ll tell you about it later” offered Sweetie Bell.
“Shuss” said Apple Bloom.
“It’s a secret?” asked Scootaloo.
“Shuss” repeated Apple Bloom. “We will meet you, Canoe, early tomorrow at the Library” while herding her friends away.
“Good bye” I said turning away to go home. I wanted to make a stop first. ‘Cutie Mark Apology’, what would that look like?
I knocked upon the library door and the dragon opened it. “Hi, I’m Spike” he said.
“Howdy, er, Mr. Spike” I responded.
“It’s just Spike” he said, “I sorry about yesterday, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh no, er Spike” I said accepting his invitation to enter. “I was very tired and surprised. You are a dragon. You are supposed to be scary.”
“Please don’t encourage him” said the purple unicorn descending the stairs into the main room. “Hello, I’m Twilight Sparkle, we met yesterday, remember?”
“Yes, Miss Sparkle” I continued “I came to apologize for my poor behavior yesterday.”
“Call me Twilight” she said, “and nonsense, there are lots of crazy things that happen around here.”
“Really crazy” whispered Spike “believe me.”
“Who” said an unidentified voice.
My puzzled look prompted Miss Sparkle, “that’s my #2 assistant Owliwiscious”.
“I’m #1” said Spike.
“Who” said the owl.
“Me” said Spike.
“I have never seen an owl so big. Are his feathers very soft?” I asked.
“Yes” said Miss Sparkle, “how did you know that?”
“Back home, out west, on the Jubilee ranch, because of my allergy, I did all the odd jobs. When my sister found a baby owl, she named it Softy, it became my job to take care of him. I raised him, taught him to hunt, and let him go. He lives nearby in a cactus tree and patrols the cherry orchard.”
“You’re talking about Cherries Jubilee and her place in Dodge Junction?!” asked Miss Sparkle.
“Yes, Cherries Jubilee is my mom” I said.
“Who” said the owl.
“My mom” I repeated.
“My friends and I went to your mom’s ranch to rescue our friend” said Twilight.
“Rescue?” I asked.
“Our friend Applejack was too embarrassed to come home, so her friends and I went to Dodge to get her” said Twilight.
“I remember Applejack, she taught me some rope tricks.”
“Who” said the owl.
“Applejack!” said me and Twilight in unison.
“So Miss Twilight, you’re saying Applejack went maverick, needed to be lasso, corralled, rounded up and herded back to the fold” I said.
“As her brother would say ‘eeyup’” said Miss Twilight.
______________________________________________________________
The next morning as I knocked upon the library door, the dragon opened the door and greeted me in his ridiculous, had me giggling, apron.
“I’m making breakfast for Twilight” said Spike “come on in.”
“Is she up yet?” I asked not noticing her around.
“No, she’s still in bed” said Spike “want to see?”
“Who” said the owl.
“Twilight” said Spike.
“No thank you” I said while realizing that if Twilight was not up yet, that I had arrived before the cutie mark crusaders. I quietly followed Spike downstairs into the kitchen. He didn’t ask for my help and seemed to be doing fine. I busied myself counting the tree rings in the floor.
“Hey, Spike” I asked “does the library have a comic book section?”
“Yes, but it’s a secret” answered Spike “I can’t show it while Twilight is around. She doesn’t really approve.”
“Approve of what Spike?” demanded Twilight. She was standing in the steps that enter the kitchen with the Owlowiscious upon her shoulders.
“Good morning Miss Twilight” I said
“Good morning, Canoe” she said and then “Spike, I certainly don’t approve of having guests let into my home before I have gotten up in the morning. So what else do I not approve of?”
“Er…” stammered Spike.
“I had suggested that Spike put hot peppers in your breakfast to assist your efforts to wake up” I lied.
“No, I certainly would not approve of that” she said, “thank you, Spike, for protecting me from well-intentioned friends.”
As we munched upon breakfast (my second), I asked “Do you know how old this home is?”
“That’s a good question” said Miss Sparkle “I’ll have to ask Princess Celestia since I found no books about this tree house.”
“Maybe not” I suggested “I was trying to count the tree rings in the floor earlier…”
“There are 1,492 rings” interrupted Spike.
“By Celestia” exclaimed Twilight “that makes this house almost as old as Canterlot.”
“Actually, if I may correct a common historical error” I said. “The Canterlot crystal mines started about nineteen hundred years ago, and ponies often mistake that for the beginning of Canterlot. But in fact, Canterlot only became a royal seat of power for the ‘good king’ fourteen hundred and sixty three years ago. Therefore the house we are in right now eating breakfast is twenty nine years older than Canterlot.”
“You’re really surprising, Canoe. How do you know so much about history?” asked Twilight.
“I like to read” I responded. “May I ask how close are you to Princess Celestia, that you can casually ask her the origin of your house?”
“She’s her star pupil” offered Spike.
“Who” said the owl.
“Twilight” said Spike.
“Princess Celestia sent me here about 2 ½ years ago to make friends, so that I could harness the elements of harmony” said Twilight. “She assigned this tree house library to be my residence.”
“That means…” I was trying to say, but stopped as we could hear a knocking upon the door upstairs. “My school friends are here for me. Finish your breakfast, we have crusading to do.” I rushed upstairs and trotted to the door. Opening it I greeted Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, some unknown blue winged pony, and APPLEJACK!
“Hold on there, partner” said Applejack partially escaping my hug. “I thought it might be you, when Apple Bloom described her new friend last night at dinner. I just had to see for myself. What in tarnation are you doing here?”
“Mom sent me east to live with Aunt Carrot because of my allergy. I learned some new rope tricks, want to see em?”
“No need to show off, sugarcube” said Applejack “I believe ya.”
“Let go of my sister” said Apple Bloom. I complied.
“What were you doing inside the Library at this time of the morning?” asked Sweetie Bell.
“Having breakfast with Twilight and Spike” I responded.
“What? How did you get in?” demanded the blue pony.
“Howdy, my name is Canoe Jubilee, and you are? ...” I asked.
“Rainbow Dash, and don’t try to change the subject” she responded.
“Spike let me in” I volunteered.
“And why would he do that?” Rainbow pressed.
“Cause I knocked” I said.
“That’s telling her” interrupted Applejack. “Take my sister and her friends and do your crusading. Me and Dash have some talking to do with Twilight. See you later, partner.”
“Happy trails, partner” I said, leading the crusader triad away from the tree house.
“I should be leading” said Scootaloo. “You told us you didn’t know where Tiara lived.”
“I don’t” I said, “but a proper apology is better with flowers and there is this nice little flower stand I am going to.”
“What’s with all that ‘partner’ talk with my sister?” asked Apple Bloom.
“When your sister worked at the ranch, she would get lonesome in the evening, so we would tell each other stories about the old west, tales of bandits, bank robbers, and stage coach robbers. Her favorite was the day the streets of Dodge ran red. We’d imagine ourselves doing those things. That’s why we call each other partners.”
“Did you ever see a shoot-out?” asked Scootaloo.
“No” I said as we arrived at the flower stand. “How many flowers can I get for a bit?” I asked ignoring the sign which said 1 flower per bit.
“For our special colt” looking down and seeing my three companions she said “today’s special is 3 for 1.”
I gave the lady 2 bits and got 6 of the saddest flowers she had.
“I hope your friends enjoy them” she said.
“Just between you and me” I lied “these flowers are for my blind grand mare.”
4th & 5th Chapters
We arrived in the ‘best’ neighborhood, at the best of houses. The crusaders pointed out the house and gave me room for my embarrassing errand. Most of the windows were open to let the cool air flow in and out of the house. The initials ‘F.R.’ were upon the mailbox. Around the house were flowers growing in abundance and their fragrance enhanced the breeze. My paltry bouquet appeared even more dismal. Two ornamental apple trees adorn the front yard, with more along the sides of the yard. They had a special brass knocker upon the large double door.
I used it, and waited. The door slowly opened partway. Silver Spoon stood in the opening blocking any attempt at entrance.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Good day Miss Spoon, I am so sorry to burden you with my bad impression. I have come to apologize to Miss Tiara.”
“She doesn’t want to see you” she said and closed the door.
Knowing that my voice would carry through the open windows I raised it and said “how terrible, I had hoped that she who is dear would entreat with me and accept my supplication in private. Oh that I had not pledge myself this course to follow for I must accept the embarrassment of proclaiming my apology in public. Woe is me to suggest that she is beautiful, nay she is not, rather she is radiant, luminous as the moon, dazzling as the stars, brilliant as the sun, resplendent as …”
The door opened.
“Enough” Tiara hissed. “Why are you here?”
“I beg thee to accept my apology.”
“If I accept it, will you go away?” she demanded.
“Banish me to the moon if thy will, only forgive me the sorrow I have caused thee.”
“You’re forgiven, now go. Go to the moon” she said, turned and walked away.
“Why do you talk like that?” asked Silver Spoon still standing in the doorway.
Presenting my flowers to her I said “It works.”
I spent the rest of the day enjoying the tour of Pony Ville, the crusaders provided. We traveled to Fluttershy’s to meet her critters. Then we went to Rarity’s Boutique, but she was not there. At Sugarcube Corner, Pinky Pie introduced me to Mr & Mrs Cake. From there we went to the clubhouse and I was made an official member following a very, very long drum roll by Scootaloo. Applejack called us down from the clubhouse for dinner. She led us to the barn? She opened the door to this dark cavern. I entered timidly.
“SURPRIZE” echoed the hall. Balloons rose, streamers flew across the hall, confetti dropped from the rafters. My classmates were there, all of them. Miss Cherrilee was there, standing next to a big red stallion. Aunt Caroline was there. Derpy was there, standing next to a brown stallion. Aunt Julienne was there. Miss Fluttershy and Spike were there. Miss Twilight and Silver Spoon were there. Snips and some white unicorn were there. Every pony was smiling. Featherweight was taking pictures with his flash camera. My eyes were watering. No, I was crying. I was so happy, I was unhappy. I wanted mom to be here. I didn’t want to be this happy and not be home. I wanted to be miserable. I wanted to be home with my brothers and sisters. I started sobbing out loud. Applejack hugged me and asked “What’s wrong partner?” I couldn’t stop crying. Aunt Julienne was hugging me now. I was hugging her back tightly. Everyone was getting quiet. Except me, I was bawling.
Pinky Pie said “Silly pony, I promised you a silly party, but I didn’t think it would be this silly.”
I started to giggle. I choked out “thanks Pinky.” I loosened my grip on my aunt. I was still crying, but I wasn’t sobbing anymore. Some pony got me a glass of cider to drink. Ponies were talking again. Some were talking about leaving early. I choke out to Applejack “please partner, don’t let them leave yet.”
“Sure thing, sugarcube” she said.
The tears refused to stop. I think Applejack must have closed the barn door to keep every pony inside. I let go of my aunt. Most of the smiles were gone, some ponies were glum or embarrassed. The tears were still flowing. I climbed up on a hay bale and tried to speak. My audience was attentive, but I had no words. The ponies shuffled nervously. The silence seemed eternal. I tried again “I’m such a silly pony… thanks”. The tears started pouring again. “Bravo” shouted Miss Cherrilee. “Bravo” echoed Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara. Forelegs were clopping on the earth floor. More cries of “Bravo” sounded, more hooves clopped. I stepped down from the hay bale and was immediately hugged by Aunt Julienne, followed by others. Even Rainbow Dash gave me a quick hug. Applejack opened the doors and let some fresh air into the barn. No pony left, yet. I moved around thanking every pony.
Diamond Tiara asked me “how was the moon?”
“Wretched, cheerless, and depressing, Princess Luna has forbidden me to return” I said.
“Glad to have you back” said Silver Spoon.
Spike said “that was the best speech ever, short and sweet.”
Rarity introduced herself saying “darling, I must teach you how to be more dramatic, how to let the words flow from your heart, how to elucidate your deepest feelings…”
