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Chapter 1 - It's Always That One Missed Detail1,559 words
Chapter 2 - A Sticky Situation2,650 words
Chapter 3 - The Calm Before the Storm1,424 words
Chapter 4 - A Plan Set in Motion2,455 words
Chapter 5 - Epilogue1,575 words

Chapter 4 - A Plan Set in Motion

Chapter 4 - A Plan Set in Motion

Applejack walked quickly down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres. Once she arrived at the farm, she saw that Apple Bloom was walking out of the barn with the tools that she had requested. “Hey, Apple Bloom!” yelled Applejack in greeting. “Ah need to get the covered wagon from the barn. Ah can give y’all a ride back to the library if you wait a few minutes. If Ah’d known we needed that wagon I wouldn’t have sent ya to get the tools.” Applejack scratched the back of her head. “Sorry about sendin’ y’all out here for nothin’.”

Apple Bloom put the toolbox down onto the ground and smiled. “No problem...besides, we can help Twilight a little faster now since you won’t have to look for the tools.”

Applejack smiled and nodded at her sister, and then walked into the barn. She walked around the various equipment and made her way to the back. She found the covered wagon in the far back corner, unseen from the front of the barn. The wagon was a little old, but it was still strong. The canvas that served as the covering was a little tattered around the edges, but that normally wasn’t much of a problem.

Applejack hitched the wagon up to herself and began carefully navigating around the equipment in the barn. After a few minutes she exited the barn without any incident. She stopped to allow Apple Bloom to climb up into the back of the wagon. Applejack looked back at the wagon. “Y’all settled in there, Apple Bloom?” she asked.

A slightly muffled voice came from inside of the wagon, “All set!”

Applejack smiled and said, “All right then. Let’s go and get this settled.”

“Um, Applejack?” asked Apple Bloom after a sudden thought hit her. “Who is watching our stand at Market?”

Applejack closed her eyes for a moment before replying. “Well...Ah had to let Pinkie Pie take care of things while Ah went to look for you and Big Macintosh.”

*-*-*-*

“Thank you Rarity, that was delicious!” said Twilight after she had finished the last bite of her hay wrap that Rarity was levitating for her to eat.

“You’re welcome,” said Rarity as she smiled at Twilight, “it was no trouble at all.” Rarity looked over at Big Macintosh. “Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”

“Thanks, but eenope,” answered Big Macintosh. “At least until I can let go of Miss Twilight’s mane, that is.”

The library door opened and Rainbow Dash rushed inside. “Guys, they’re back!”

Rarity looked towards the door and smiled as she saw a covered wagon backing up towards the library. She looked at Twilight and said, “We’ll have you free in no time.”

Hearing hoofsteps at the door, Rarity looked back in that direction and saw the two Apple sisters walking into the library. Applejack walked in first, and then Apple Bloom brought in the toolbox. Apple Bloom carried the tools over to the table and set down the toolbox.

Applejack stopped in the middle of the room. “Ah backed the wagon up as close to the library as Ah could. Also, we’re going to need a ramp to get the both of ya’ into the back of the wagon. Do y’all have any boards or planks we could use to make one?”

“What about the stepladder in the wagon?” asked Big Macintosh.

“Um, yeah, about that…” said Apple Bloom as she looked at the floor. “We sorta needed a ladder a few weekends ago when we were cleanin’ up the clubhouse.”

“I have a step ladder over in the side room.” Twilight said. “Spike usually uses it on reshelving day.”

Upon hearing this, Rainbow Dash walked over into the side room. She looked to her left and saw the ladder propped up against the section for rocks and minerals. “Heh, yep...Spike must have been using this,” she said after noticing that a book on gems was only partially pushed back on to the shelf with the other books. She collected it with her two front hooves and flew with it back into the main room and set it up in the doorway next to the wagon. “Will this work ok?” she asked.

“That will be just perfect,” answered Applejack. “It looks sturdy and is just the right height to step up into the back of the wagon.” She walked over to the table and reached into the toolbox. She moved some tools around until she smiled and said “There you are!” She then pulled out a hoof-powered drill. She set it down on the table and then reached back into the toolbox, quickly pulling out two pairs of safety gobbles. Applejack looked over at Rarity. “Could you help Twilight put these on? Ah’m goin’ to be careful, but better safe than sorry.”

Rarity nodded and collected the goggles with her magic and carefully levitated them onto Twilight’s head. She then carefully stretched the strap around Twilight’s head to make sure they are secure. Rarity looked back at Applejack and saw that she had quickly donned her set of goggles and was walking closer to them with the drill and the saw.

*-*-*-*

Twenty minutes later of careful drilling and sawing, Applejack had cut a four-inch path around the door to the hidden cabinet. She put down her tools and looked at Rarity. “Ok, Rarity, we’re going to need you to levitate the door for us so that it doesn’t fall down to the ground and hurt Twilight. You can’t use magic on the door, so focus on the wood around the door that we cut.”

Rarity nodded and then enveloped the wood buffer around the locked door with her magic.

Applejack looked at Twilight and Big Macintosh. “You two need to move slowly and back up a little bit.”

Big Macintosh nodded and Twilight said “Ok.” They slowly and awkwardly started walking backwards. They started pulling the door out from the wall as it was held in Rarity’s magic. Soon Twilight was able to step away from the wall the first time since early that morning.

Applejack nodded. “That’s it. Now, Twilight, slowly turn around using Big Macintosh as a pivot point so that you are facing the wagon. Rarity, I need you to stay at Twilight’s head. You will need to be up in front of her in the Wagon so that y’all have a good view of the door she’s stuck to.”

Twilight turned, and they slowly walked up into the back of the covered wagon. Applejack lifted up the back gate of the wagon to close it and then picked up the step ladder. She walked outside and in front of the wagon, and put the ladder onto the front seat. “Apple Bloom - I need you to sit up front and hold the ladder for me so that it doesn’t fall off.”

“Got it!” replied Apple Bloom as she jumped up onto the front of the wagon.

Applejack began moving slowly towards the spa the most direct route she knew of - one that goes through the market in the town square.

*-*-*-*

“It’s been a long morning,” Twilight said, “but we’re almost in the clear.” They had been riding for about ten minutes and could hear the crowd of the market outside of the covered wagon. Twilight smiled as she thought about being able to move her head around without a door attached to the end of it.

“Twilight, dear, don’t say things like that!” hissed Rarity. “You’ll tempt fate!”

Twilight continued smiling and blinked twice. “Tempt fate? Rarity, what could possibly go wrong now?”

“Twilight, you never know...,” Rarity started to say.

“Applejack! Thank goodness you’re here!” shouted a familiar loud and high-pitched voice.

*-*-*-*

Applejack looked over at Pinkie Pie as she rapidly approached the covered wagon. “Pinkie Pie, is everything ok? Are the sales doing well?”

“Doing well? Applejack, we RAN OUT of apples! How did you know we needed more?” Pinkie Pie said as she continued her approach.

“Uh, what do you mean?” asked Applejack. “Ah didn’t know that we…”

“Good ponies of Ponyville!” announced Pinkie Pie in a loud voice. “You will not lack apples anymore, for Applejack has gone to get more!” In a grand flourish, Pinkie Pie stood up on her two rear legs and grabbed the canvas of the covered wagon. She pulled it and spun towards the crowd at market as a loud ripping sound came from behind her. “Tadaa!”

The market suddenly became very quiet. After the tinkling of a fallen pin was heard, murmurs began circling throughout the crowd. Somewhere in the middle of the crowd there was a sound of POOMF, followed by an irked exclamation of “Oh, honestly!” Some of the crowd started backing away, while a small group to the side started stomping towards the mayor’s office.

“Aw, geez, Twilight! Is this why you sent me out with a to-do list this morning?” said Spike loudly from the crowd as he shielded his his eyes.

Pinkie Pie blinked and said quietly to herself, “Not quite the reaction I was expecting,” as she scratched the side of her head. She turned around and saw the inside of the no-longer-covered wagon. In a louder voice she said, “Huh...that’s one way to get more Apples….but that wasn’t quite what I was talking about.”

Twilight began to turn slightly red as her smile was slowly exchanged with a sheepish grin, and Big Macintosh...could now be mistaken as being a member of the Beet family.

“...what could happen,” deadpanned Rarity as she began to massage her forehead.

Applejack stomped her hoof. “Consarn it, this isn’t what it looks like!”

“It isn’t?” said an unexpectedly disappointed elderly voice. “The foals would have been cute as a button.”

“No, it isn’t,” Applejack answered as she looked at Granny Smith and then gave her, as well as the rest of the crowd, the short version of what was going on.

“Aw, fiddlesticks...we could have had a Sparkling Apple Cider in the family,” said Granny Smith as she started walking away from the crowd.

Rainbow Dash glided down and helped put the canvas back onto the wagon, and then they continued moving towards the spa.

*-*-*-*

Lotus Blossom was standing behind the counter in the entrance to the spa when she heard a wagon approach and then stop outside of the spa. She smiled and looked over at Sweetie Belle, who had been sitting on one of the couches close to the counter. “It sounds like our guests have arrived. Would you mind going into the back room to let everypony know to get ready?” She pulled out a couple of bits from under the counter and handed them to Sweetie Belle. “Afterwards, why don’t you and your two friends go and get some ice cream?”

Sweetie Belle smiled and shook her head as she accepted the bits. “Thanks, that sounds really good!” She headed towards the back room and quickly returned with Scootaloo. They walked outside, and saw Apple Bloom sitting in front of the wagon. “Hey, Apple Bloom! We’re going to go get ice cream! Want to come along?”

Apple Bloom smiled and hopped down from the wagon’s front seat, landing beside Applejack as she was unhitching the wagon. “Do y’all need any more help?” she asked as she looked at Applejack.

Applejack smiled at her sister. “We can take it from here, sugar cube. Go get some ice cream.”

The three fillies quickly headed down the road towards the ice cream stand.

*-*-*-*

Zecora was checking the temperature of the tub containing the large batch of sap-removing potion when she heard hoofsteps coming through the doorway. She finished her preparations and turned around to see the group that was standing by the tub in various degrees of awkwardness. She smiled, walked over to Twilight, and stood for a moment as she looked at Twilight’s horn stuck in the floating door. “Rarity, my dear, please help if you will. Hold this over her horn with your magical skill.” Zecora produced a jar containing a dark liquid. She opened the jar lid and held it up for Rarity.

Rarity levitated the jar over to Twilight’s horn, and in a quick motion, tipped it over and held it so that the mouth of the jar was pinned against the door with Twilight’s horn inside of the jar and potion.

Zecora looked over at Big Macintosh. “And now Big Macintosh, it’s your turn you see...pull back on her mane and her horn will be free.”

Big Macintosh nodded and said, “You ready, Miss Twilight?”

“Yes, let’s give this another try,” answered Twilight.

Big Macintosh slowly began pulling Twilight’s mane straight back, and as he began to lean into the pull there was a small pop, and then there was no longer any resistance as he pulled.

Twilight felt her head pulling back and heard the pop. She looked up, and seeing that her horn was no longer stuck, she breathed a sigh of relief as her friends cheered.

“And now, my two friends, to restore freedom of motion...come sit in the tub and soak in the potion,” Zecora said as she pointed towards the tub of sap-remover that she had prepared.

Twilight and Big Macintosh carefully got into the tub. As soon as they stepped in, the sap made contact with the solution and they were surrounded by bubbles frothing from the tub. In three short minutes, Big Macintosh was able pull his hooves off of Twilight and release her mane. He stepped out of the tub, followed by Twilight a moment later. Twilight was no longer stuck to the stallion, safety goggles, salad, hay fries, and that accursed door.

Twilight sat down for the first time since she had gotten stuck and looked at her friends. “Thank you, everypony. I can’t describe how good it feels to not be stuck anymore.” She moved her head around this way and that in order to relieve the stiffness in her neck. “We’ll need to go visit Fluttershy and explain what happened today...Rarity let me know that she may have misunderstood a few things. But first, could somepony let Spike in? I need to send a letter…”

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