The scream was unmistakable. One of unbridled terror, a fear for life. "Fluttershy?"Rainbow Dash comes to a stop, race forgotten as she searches the cloudscape for her friend. It takes but a moment to pinpoint the falling pegasus. A moment more to determine nopony was helping.
Without a second's more thought, she dropped into a dive. The wind stopped rustling through her mane as she moved ever faster. The world started to twist at her hoof as she drew ever nearer to the flailing pegasus. Her cries of terror were deafened by sheer speed. But she wrapped her hooves around the her falling friend before the ground could meet them. With a sharp turn, they were speeding along parallel to the hard earth. In her relief of the high speed catch, she never heard the snap.
"Well, if rock rollers isn't your sort of thing, I understand." The white filly leaned back against Tom, closing her eyes. "I could always try pop rocks. It's a shallow genre, but I think I know how to make it sizzle." Rarity smiled as she heard a snort from the other filly, though she managed to contain her giggles this time. "Though, I'll have to navigate some rocky terrain when I get home, I suppose. Mother is probably having such a fright." She opened her eyes to glare at the rock towering above her. "If I get home. Stupid rock."
In the distance, a bell started clanging. With a start, the pink filly was up, dusting herself off. Then she started walking toward the source of the sound. Stopping, she looked back at Rarity, indicating for her to follow.
"I'll try." She murmured in reply, standing up herself. Rarity walked in the indicated direction, but soon found herself being dragged by some metaphysical force back to the rock. Glancing over her shoulder, she let out a sigh. "You really suck, don't you Tom?"
The pink filly suppressed a giggle as she walked up to the rock. Circling what was quickly becoming a geological nightmare for Rarity, the pink filly inspected every tiny little facet of the rock, almost to such a degree that the white filly started to feel embarrassed for the inanimate object. Then, without warning, the other filly spun around and gave the rock a solid kick, making a crack in the rock.
"Tom!" Rarity shrieked, tackling the other filly. "Why did you do that? He might not be much to look at, but he's my destiny and only I can belittle him!" The pink filly wasn't even looking at her, instead staring at the crack in the rock. "Quit it with the silent treatment! What is wrong...with you?"
Have you tried checking inside?
Her mouth worked to come up with something to say, but nothing seemed to want to come out. She instead chose to direct her own attention to the crack in Tom, this time catching a glimmer of light. "You didn't say anything." Her horn began to glow, her field reaching into the rock and pulling loose a gemstone. "Why didn't you say anything?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other filly shake her head. With a sigh, she backed up, helping the other filly to her feet.
The pink filly started walking in the direction of the earlier sound, only pausing to see if Rarity would follow.
This time she wasn't pulled back towards Tom.
"Now, remember, we're always here for you." Naval smiled, checking the contents of the saddlebags again. "And so is your Grandma and siblings. No matter what kind of trouble you find yourself in, we'll always work to help you out of it."
"Ah'm not gonna get in trouble, Uncle Orange." Applejack giggled, dodging a kiss from her Aunt. "It's jus' a cherry farm."
"Blenheim said the same thing, more or less." The stallion laughed. "Regardless of the notion, I can show you the bail paperwork." He caught the filly in a hug as Valencia came ever closer.
"No! Traitor!" Applejack laughed as Aunt Orange kissed her cheek. "Help!"
"Now now." Naval squeezed the filly tighter before letting her go. "No need for any of that."
"Hmph." She sat down on her haunches, protruding her lip in her best fake pout. "Betrayed have Ah been by mine own kin."
"Such a shame you are not staying longer, dear." Valencia offered. "With a little more work, I might be able to rid you of that dreadful accent."
A shudder ran across the filly's backside. "Auntie! Ah'm tryin' ta leave on a good note."
"Well, I never." The mare replied with an air of mock indignation. "Children these days just do not appreciate when they are being helped."
"Valley."
The mare let out a snort of derision, but flashed a smile at Applejack before she walked out of the room with the daintiest of stomps.
"What jus' happened?"
"First hand experience on why frou-frou ponies rule Manehattan." He picked up the saddlebag and helped Applejack secure it. "Don't think she even wanted anything. Just a demonstration of the power of poise. You might not like being frou-frou, but surely you can appreciate how she controlled the situation."
"Ah spose..." She stared at the door. "But Ah like mah accent."
"Oh, that can be quite fine." Naval patted Applejack on the head. "It's more about knowing the right time and place." He started for the door. "Now, come along. You've got a train to catch."
The unicorn sniffed, her head nearly touching the ground. "I almost had it." She grumbled to the floor as if it could solve her problems.
"Now, Twi, don't be so upset." Velvet Tones was calm, trying to soothe his daughter. "No crying before you need your tears."
Twilight Sparkle, for her part, was determined to be inconsolable. "But I failed." Her voice broke into a sob, though her proclamations were still too quite to be called a wail.
Velvet decided to wrap her in a hug, letting the filly cry into his chest. "Honey, it's going to be okay." He stated, stroking her mane softly.
"No..." she managed to get out between sobs, "it's...not..." She pulled back to look her father in the eye. "I failed a test!" Twilight's tone implied the world ending couldn't have been any worse. "I'm a failure!"
"Did they actually say that?"
The family was jolted out of their own little world by an orange mare with a red and gold mane. "What business is it of yours?" Twinkle Shine placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"Just that there is a difference between thinking you failed and actually failing." The mare smirked at her own words. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm-"
"But I didn't hatch the egg." Twilight turned around to look at the older pony. "I failed at the task..."
"Really?" She stopped, keeping the filly in the corner of her eye. "What did you do?"
"I didn't hatch the egg." The filly lowered her gaze to the floor. "I thought I could, but I didn't."
"I mean, what did you try doing?"
"Oh." Twilight was nearly mumbling now. "Starswirl's Amniotic Incubation."
"That's actually pretty advanced." She turned to face the filly. "What else did you do?"
"I tried harder."
"Yeah, but what other spells did you use?"
"Starswirl's Amniotic Incubation." Twilight stared at the floor. "I figured, dragon eggs are probably harder to hatch than chicken eggs, so I...poured more power into the spell." She sniffed a little. "I...I was so close too. It almost-"
"It's a stone, kid."
"What?"
"They weren't testing your knowledge or power. They were testing you." She tapped the filly's chest. "After all, nobody wants to teach a crybaby."
"I'm not a crybaby." Twilight stood with a defiant look to her eye. "They lied to me."
"You sure sound like one."
"They didn't have to lie to me." The filly slumped a little. "I thought I failed..."
"Maybe." The mare smiled. "I didn't say you didn't. Just that if you did, it's because of who you are, not what you know."
"Now, listen here." Twinkle Shine took the pause in the conversation to step in between the stranger and her family. "I don't know what possessed you to think you could talk to a filly like that, but I will not allow you to do so to my-"
"I'm looking for an apprentice." The mare stated flatly. "If what your daughter says is the truth, and I felt it from the other side of the campus, so there must be a nugget to it, she almost hatched a stone." When she was met with stunned silence, she rolled her eyes. "That test is impossible to pass. That's the point, and she almost did it anyway."
"So..." Twilight spoke up, peeking around her mother, "you want to be my teacher?"
"Provisionally." The mare was all smiles again. "I've still got to test you personally, make sure you meet my standards."
Velvet Tone grabbed Twilight in a hug again. "We'll think about it."
"Okay. Don't have much time though."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't mention that?" She started examining her hoof. "The offer only exists so long as you don't know your test results."
"That's...that's not fair." The filly moaned. "How can I make an informed decision without all the information?"
"You never have all the information." The mare slammed her hoof down. "Use what you have. I'm offering you the chance at an apprenticeship. I'm sure the exam proctor was mad at you. What more do you need to know?"
"Is there anything better than a chance?"
"Nope."
"Can't I-"
"Nope." The mare had a grin now. "No guarantees. No sure things. You either stay at the mercy of somepony you think you've failed, or go to somepony you haven't failed yet."
"There are other options, Twi."
"Tick."
Twinkle Shine shot a venomous look at the mare. "We don't know if you've failed yet."
"Tock."
"There are other schools."
"Tick."
"Ma'am, can you please let-"
"Tock."
"This is a very important decision." Twinkle Shine scowled at the mare. "Can you let us discuss this with our daughter?"
Behind the group, the exam room door opened, giving way to the three exam proctors. "Ms. Sparkle, you-"
"I WANT TO BE YOUR STUDENT!" Twilight hopped from between her parents, staring at the mare.