//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 - Visiting  
// Story: Lessons From Ponyville Elementary 
// by Blade Star 
//------------------------------//

    Since Roger didn’t have to go down to Tartarus for another month or so, things quickly settled down again after his first trip. I remained concerned, but I think it was mainly just my own anxiety talking more than anything else. 

The weekend soon rolled around again. The weather, while still heading toward winter remained fairly clear and bright, with only a few clouds dotting the sky. It certainly makes a change from living back in our old home. In Britain, rain was not the norm more than overcast clouds was, an irritating mix between fair and middling. Here in Equestria, at least this part, the weather was fairly mild and warm, though not so much that it became too uncomfortable. I suppose that’s what you get for living damn near in the middle of the country. 

Since school was out on a Saturday, and I had little in the way of work to do, I decided to go and visit my children. They may both be almost grown up now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stop by to check in on them from time to time. To me, they’ll always be my little babies. Plus, given the recent near miss involving a certain rainbow maned pegasus who pretty much single handedly blanketed Ponyville in snow a month earlier than usual, I wanted to check on them. Everypony in town had been busy cleaning up that mess, there was still the odd bit of snow left.  

I decided to drop in on my son first. While I sometimes see Blade Star looking after the Apple’s stand at the market, and at the odd school function, I don’t get much of a chance to just talk with him. All too often, we speak only in passing, rather than sitting down together to catch up. 

So, I made for Sweet Apple Acres. Sometimes, I’m not sure whether to call it a ranch or a farm. On the one hand, the place’s main product is apples from the orchards, as well as few other crops. But on the other hand, I know they let the local cattle and sheep graze some of their pasture and take them in during winter. Heading up the dusty path I worked my way toward the farmhouse. However, as I got within sight of it, I found that the place had been altered somewhat. 

You see, surrounding the farm on one side is a few grassy pens, used for holding sheep and cattle. They were all fairly large and around then ran an oval dirt path. Now, instead of sheep and cattle, the pens were all filled with hay bales, barrels, and other obstacles. Perched on the fence was Apple Bloom, currently wearing her older sister’s hat, and next to her was Blade Star. The pair were watching Applejack race around the course. 

I think they call it ‘barrel racing’, a ladies sport if I remember correctly. Applejack was quickly weaving between barrels, trying to get as close as she could to each one and following a precise pattern. Both ponies watching her seemed suitably impressed, as was I. She cleared the course quickly and only skimmed one barrel. 

“Great work, Applejack!” my son cheered. “Ah’d call that twenty eight seconds. Y’all are on course for that blue ribbon for sure.” Applejack, panting a little, trotted over to the fence and retrieved her hat from Apple Bloom.

“Thank, Bones,” she replied, huffing and puffing a little. “Still reckon Ah can do better though. How ‘bout you take another go at the jump course again.” He nodded in agreement. 

“Sure thing, AJ. Who knows, Ah might even have a shot at a ribbon myself.” Hanging his hat on a fence post, he clambered over the fence. As he was halfway over, he spotted me. 

“Well, hey, Mom,” he called out, waving a foreleg at me. “Come to watch us training?” 

“Training?” I replied. “What are you training for?” Jumping down off the fence and snorting a little, he explained. 

“Ponyville’s rodeo is coming up in a couple of weeks. Usually it’s just Applejack who competes. But Ah figured Ah might try throwin’ my hat in the ring. She’s been showin’ me the ropes and gettin’ me in shape.” He paused for a moment. “Remember? Ah told you ‘bout it when ya dropped by the market stand a couple weeks back.”

My son, competing, at sports? I didn’t recall him telling me anything about that, though I do have a knack for tuning out at times. I remember a weedy young lad who could barely play football, never mind run for extended periods. 

It’s amazing just how far he’s come this past year. He’s stronger, fitter, and much more focused; he’s finally found a direction in life. It couldn’t hurt to watch, I’d never seen a rodeo anyway. I always thought that was just a bunch of drunken yahoos riding terrified bulls until they got thrown off. 

“Well this I must see,” I said, half-sarcastically. 

Joining the two Apple sisters perched on the fence, I watched as Blade Star readied himself at the start of the course. It was a simple circuit with eight jumps to complete. According to Applejack, the fastest time around the course would win, with time penalties added for not properly clearing a jump. 

“Alright, sugarcube, ya ready?” Applejack called out. Blade Star nodded, he was crouching low like a predator ready to pounce. Applejack readied her stopwatch. “Three, two, one, go!”





Much to my surprise, my son took off like a bat out of hell, kicking up dust as he began to gallop toward the first jump. Keeping up his speed, he took a flying leap through the air and easily cleared the first hurdle, landing a little heavily back on the dirt track. 

The next one was a little tougher, with the bars set slightly higher, though this too proved no problem for him. Rounding the first bend, he came to the next, more challenging jump. While it didn’t need much in the way of height, the jump distance was doubled. This took a little more effort from him, and as he landed, I saw his hooves skid a little on the loose ground. 

The last jump in the practice course was the toughest, being a high jump, and being immediately followed by a shallow muddy trough. Increasing his speed to full chaff, Blade Star gritted his teeth and leapt skyward like a wingless pegasus. For a moment, it looked as if he would clear it, but a sagging back leg just tapped the bar, knocking it free of its mounting. Still, his distance was good, as he avoided landing in the mud trough. 

Coming around the final bend, he galloped across the finish line and pulled up, his sides heaving and his head down, with his tongue lolling out. A moment later, he walked over to join the three of us.

“How did Ah do that time, AJ?” he asked, panting a little. Grabbing his hat off the fence post, he wafted it in an effort to cool down. 

“Not too shabby, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “Although ya didn’t quite pass the last jump.” The now somewhat more recovered stallion nodded.

“Yeah, Ah thought Ah felt somethin'. Put too much into that last but one jump; couldn’t keep my hind legs up. What was my time with that anyway?”

“Thirty one seconds,” Applejack said, showing him the watch’s face. “Ya still got a ways to go before ya beat my record.” Cracking a smile, Blade Star laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘Jack,” he answered. He then turned to me. “What do y’all reckon, Mom?” I smiled.

“Well, as one of your video game characters put it,” I shifted my voice to mimic the character in question. “‘Pretty good, Soap. But I’ve seen better’.” He smiled at the reference. Motioning for me to follow them, Blade Star led Applejack and Apple Bloom over to one of the other pens. In it stood two of the cows that live nearby, a heifer and a young bull.

Cows…they occupy a very strange spot in the pecking order here in Equestria. They’re sentient; they talk and are about as intelligent as a pony. But they are still regarded, not necessarily as livestock, but not the same level as ponies. I guess coming from a world where both ponies and cattle are just dumb beasts makes it a bit harder to get your head around it. Anyway, as we walked up, my son called out to the bovines. 

“Hey, Mooriel,” he hollered. Dear god, the puns in this world! “Your boy ready to start on the team roping?” The two cows looked up from their grazing.

“He sure is,” Mooriel replied. “He’s been looking forward to helping all week, haven’t you, sweetie?” The young bull nodded. 

“What’s team roping then?” I asked curiously. Apple Bloom explained, while Bones and Applejack grabbed lassos and prepared themselves. 

“Simple really,” she said. “Ya start with a runnin’ bull. Two ponies chase after him with rope. The first pony has to lasso the bull either around the horns or the neck, and then pull him to the left. After that, the second pony has to lasso the hind legs. Then they both pull away to make the bull fall down. It’s how we separate bulls that are too big for one pony to handle alone. When they’re young or near matin’ season, they can get real ornery.”

“Sounds pretty rough.” I replied. That bull might have been a bit on the small side, but I still wouldn’t fancy going near it. At this point, my son pipped up.

“Don’t worry, Mom,” he called out. “Applejack an’ me have done this a bunch of times. Hay, we’re getting pretty good at it right, AJ?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack replied, mimicking her big brother. She then called out to the bull. “Alright, sport. Ya get a three second head start whenever you’re ready.” 

A moment later, the bull rocketed off toward the other side of the pen, Applejack and Bones in hot pursuit. The pen was pretty large, with plenty of space for all three to go on a merry chase. The two ponies quickly began calling out to each other. 

“Alright Bones, Ah’ll take the head, you take the heel!” Applejack shouted over the sound of galloping hooves. 

“Okay, AJ, waitin’ on your call.” my son replied, slackening his pace a little. 

Putting on a burst of speed, Applejack manoeuvred herself in front of the bull, looking back every few seconds to check that it wasn’t changing direction in an effort to get away. After a couple of seconds, she began to wind up her lasso, spinning it over her head and creating a large loop. Taking careful aim, a difficult thing to do when you’re doing the whole thing with your mouth, she threw the loop toward the back of the bull neck. The lasso landed squarely on top of both of the bull’s horns as Applejack pulled it taught.  With another swift tug, I watched as the bull made a sharp turn to the left.

“Now, Bones!” Applejack shouted, her voice slightly muffled from still holding the rope. 

My son had been keeping station just behind the bull and had been winding up his own lasso when Applejack did. His though was a little different, instead of the typical over the head style, his lasso was spinning on his left.

As Applejack pulled the bull to the left, he tossed the lasso towards its legs. The open lasso landed under the bull, and it effectively jumped into the lasso. However, Blade Star reacted milliseconds too soon and pulled the rope with only one leg in the loop. Still, it seemed to work. With both ponies pulling in each direction, the bull fell on its side and came to a stop. 

The two ponies also pulled up and examined their work.

“Dagnabbit!” my son exclaimed. “Ah only got his one leg. If this had been the real deal that’d been five seconds on our time.” 

“Still not too bad for a relative newbie, Bones,” Applejack consoled. “Now, come, let’s set this feller free.” The pair trotted over to the downed bull. Applejack eased the rope off of his horns. The bull snorted irritably. Blade Star meanwhile, went to remove his own rope from its hind leg.

I knew the moment Applejack pulled the rope off his horns that something wasn’t right. And so did Applejack, judging by the worried look on her face. As soon as the rope came away, the bull began to thrash around, presumably in an effort to knock off the rope around its back leg. My son just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As he moved in to remove his own rope, and before anypony could shout a warning that the bull was getting distressed, he caught a hoof clear in the face that sent him flying. 

“Blade Star!” I exclaimed, as did Applejack and Apple Bloom. 

Hopping the fence with speed I didn’t know I had, I ran over to the injured unicorn, with the two mares hot on my heels. The bull meanwhile, now free of its confines, went running off toward the other side of the pen. 

Running over to him, I got down my knees. He was breathing still, but seemed to be out cold. And the injury looked fairly serious; a nasty gash just above his eye. He’d certainly have quite the shiner in an hour or so. Applejack too seemed equally worried, and I saw tears forming in poor Apple Bloom’s eyes.

“Bones! Bones!” Applejack cried out, shaking barrel a little. “Speak to me, sugarcube!” 

I was just about to tell Applejack to run for the doctor, when he stirred at last. He was coming around; evidently the kick had put him out only for a moment. His good eye half fluttered open.

“Are you alright, son?” I asked, still quite worried. However, he still seemed to have been knocked a bit woozy, judging by his response. 

“Nah…Ah don’t wanna fight no Union.” he mumbled incoherently, waving a hoof around unsteadily. The three of us looked at in each other in concern. A moment later though, he came around properly, and woke up.

“Ooh, son of a…what the hay happened?” he asked, wincing as he touched the cut above his eye where the edge of the bull’s hoof had cut the skin.

“The bull kicked ya,” Applejack explained. “Knocked ya out for ‘bout a minute.” Pulling him up off the ground she pulled him close in a fierce hug. As his mother, I now stepped in. 

Holding up my finger, I told him to follow it. He seemed okay. The kick had been bad, but at least he didn’t seem to be concussed. Still, upon fetching Granny Smith, who brought an ice pack for the swelling, it was decided that he ought to go and see the doctor to be safe.

“Well, at least Ah’ve got time to heal up before the rodeo,” Blade Star said as we all sat together in the kitchen, with him holding an ice pack to the one side of his head. “And ya know what they say, ‘Jack; a bad dress rehearsal leads to a great openin’ night!” 





I stayed with the Apples until Nurse Redheart arrived on the scene. Both Applejack, and myself, were quite insistent that she check him over. After all, I remember reading about the infamous ‘Talk and Die’ Syndrome. You take a whack to the head and it causes a bleed in the brain, you maybe get a headache or feel a little drunk, then, perhaps a day later, you drop dead. 

Luckily, ponies seem to be significantly more resilient than humans are. After all, on more than one occasion, I’ve seen Rainbow Dash, in the process of trying out a new trick, going flying into the side of a building, and walk away with barely a scratch. Still, always better to be safe than sorry if you ask me. 

With my son moving about under his own steam, and the bull given a severe reprimand by his mother, I left Sweet Apple Acres. I didn’t head back home though; I wanted to see Lizzie first. 

My daughter lives with Fluttershy, right on the border of the Everfree Forest, in an adorable little cottage that’s damn near covered with bird houses and other shelters for the various little (and not so little) creatures Fluttershy cares for.

Walking over the little cackling brook and up the winding path to the cottage, I knocked on the door. To my surprise, it seemed to be opened by nobody. The door opened, but there was nopony there.

“Er, hello?” I called out. I was half expecting Discord to jump out at me. He sometimes comes and visits Fluttershy, even taking tea with her.

But no Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony was forthcoming. I was about to push the door open and head inside to make sure everything was alright, when I heard something; a signature stamping sound. Looking down at my feet I saw Fluttershy’s pet rabbit; Angel Bunny, who was stamping his foot indignantly as he glared up at me. 

According to my son, the small rabbit is the single most evil being in the history of the universe. I don’t think that’s the case. He can be a jerk at times, but he’s not that terrible. The white rabbit stopped his stamping and stared at me with a look of cat-like disgust, as if to say ‘What the hell do you want?’. While only Fluttershy can understand his squeaking, he seems to understand everypony and can communicate pretty well through gestures. 

“Oh, er, hi, Angel,” I tried. I still find it a bit weird talking to a pet. “Is Lizzie around?” 

In response, the rabbit pointed out toward the nearby pond. Evidently he meant to say that that was where she was. Thanking him, which got him to slam the door in my face, I headed down to the pond. Cresting the little rise above it, I found Fluttershy and Lizzie looking after several ducks and a goose, who seemed to be in something of an argument with one another, judging by all the quaking and wing flapping. As I walked down, I heard Fluttershy trying to negotiate. 

“Now, now, Alaxgander,” she said in an admonishing tone. “You agreed to share this pond with Mr. McDuck and his family.” The goose honked irritably. I can’t stand geese; evil creatures. 

“Come on now,” Fluttershy continued patiently. “You can still use your half of the pond, and I’ll have plenty of food for all of you. But you can’t go on picking fights like this.” The male duck then pipped up.

“Oh, are you sure?” she asked. The duck nodded in response. “Alright then.”

“Alaxgander, Mr. McDuck here says that he’d be happy to let you in his half of the pond if you keep those mean crows away. Do you think you could do that?” The goose considered for a moment before nodding in agreement. Fluttershy smiled as the two species waddled back into the water. 

“Well, that went pretty well,” Lizzie declared, having watched Fluttershy diffuse the situation. “It’ll be nice to be able to rest and not hear those two yelling at each other.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. 

“Alaxgander isn’t so bad once you get to know him, Lizzie,” she replied. “He’s just very set in his way is all.” 

“Sounds like my dad.” I chipped in. My sudden arrival though scared the living daylights out of Fluttershy, and the poor mare leapt into the air and wrapped herself around a branch that hung over the pond, sending all the water fowl scattering. Lizzie looked up at the quivering pegasus.

“Relax, Fluttershy,” she called up. “It’s just my mum.” Fluttershy turned her head to see me, and after a few moments let go of the branch and glided back to the ground, blushing all the way.

“Oh…erm…sorry, Margaret,” she apologised. “You startled me.” I smiled in an attempt to calm her.

“No, my fault, Fluttershy,” I replied. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just thought I’d drop by to say hello to you and Lizzie.” 

My daughter trotted over to me and, jumping up onto her hind legs, hugged me tightly. 

“Hey, Mam,” she said warmly. Letting me go, she dropped down onto all fours again. “Sorry I couldn’t drop by last week. Flitter busted her left wing, so I have to cover her shifts for a while.”

“How is life in the Weather Patrol anyway?” I asked. Threading her way between us, Fluttershy began to lead us toward her cottage. Lizzie shrugged her shoulders as we walked.

“Oh, you know, same old, same old,” she replied. “It’s been kind of routine lately. But we’re all getting ready for winter soon. This’ll be my first year on snow duty, but Dash says it’s a heck of a lot easier than working with heavy storms, and I’ve managed those just fine.” 

“Sounds good then. And how’s Dewdrop?”

At this, my daughter stopped mid-stride for a moment. Her ears perked up and she let out a sharp whinny. Dewdrop, you see, is one of the pegasi on the patrol. He joined up not too long after Lizzie did, since he did so well on Tornado duty (pegasi seem to have something of a draft when a tornado needs forming due to the numbers needed). While she won’t admit anything, I know for a fact that the pegasus is sweet on her.

He actually reminds me a bit of Roger when I first met him. He was shy, quiet, and subdued, but he had his charms. And while I can’t speak for Lizzie, I’m fairly sure she likes him too.

The trouble is, the last boy she went out with turned out to be a bit of a twat, for want of a better word. She started off as just friends, he didn’t have as nice a home life as she did, so I think her maternal instinct more than anything else, kicked in. It was a bit like her bringing home a stray pup. To start with, things went smoothly, and they were like normal high school sweethearts. As the months went on though, he began to get a bit…clingy. Not possessive or abusive, mind you, he just got a bit dependent on her. And as much as I hate to say it, she wore the trousers in the relationship.

Anyway, long story short, she dumped him, though it took some doing, and she’s been a bit hesitant about relationships ever since. So, being the nosy mother I am, I occasionally interfere and try to give her a nudge in the right direction. At least with Bones he was just plain oblivious to the fact that Applejack liked him. This is two ponies who clearly like each other, but neither of whom are willing to make a move. 

Lizzie turned to me, a false look of confusion on her face. I spotted her eyes darting about and a faint blush appearing. 

“Dewdrop? What about him?” she asked, trying to feign ignorance. I shrugged my shoulders innocently.

“Oh, I just heard from Roseluck that he took you out for coffee up in Cloudsdale last week.” Roseluck is one of the florists in Ponyville, and aside from Rarity, is the main pipeline for gossip. 

“Yeah, so?” Lizzie shot back hotly. “Friends do go out for lunch you know.”

“Alright, alright,” I replied placatingly. “Just asking, no need to get your mane in a tangle.” Lizzie snorted a little.

“Dewdrop’s fine, Mum,” she answered begrudgingly. “Rainbow’s had me help teach him some of the more advanced weather control stuff for a couple weeks.”

Fluttershy led us back to her house. Letting the two of us in, we continued to chat on her sofa. Angel grumpily hopped up to us with a tea tray.

The three of us sat and talked for a while. Fluttershy filled me in on the little dispute she had just settled between a newly arrived load of ducks, and the one, extremely cranky goose. Lizzie chipped in a little too. Even with her job on the weather patrol, she still does her best to pitch in and help Fluttershy when she can. She also does her best to mitigate Rainbow Dash’s pranking. Apparently, the pegasus is infamous for her practical jokes. Fluttershy used to be exempt from these, given her sensitive nature. However, given the strides she’s made this past year in building up her confidence, Rainbow seems to have decided that she’s fair game. 

Other than that though, the pair seem to be getting along just fine, although Lizzie still can’t stand Discord, and prefers to go for a long flight when he drops by. Aside from that though, they seem to be doing just fine. 

I stayed for a little while longer before I headed home. Despite being one of my days off, things had still been a little hectic. Heading back to town, I made for home for the evening.





A few days later, after school let out, I joined Apple Bloom on her walk home. The rodeo was in a few days and Bones, now sufficiently recovered, was again practicing with Applejack for the various events. 

When Apple Bloom asked if I wanted to join her, my first reaction was to politely refuse. After all, the last time, my poor boy had been kicked in the head by a frightened bull, and I couldn’t help but feel as though I was a bad luck charm. The little filly though was insistent and all but dragged me to Sweet Apple Acres.

I expected quite a few possible scenarios, most of which involved the two ponies training for a variety of events. But when we got there, Applejack and Blade Star were sitting, slumped outside the farmhouse, looking absolutely miserable. A newspaper sat a little ways off.

“What’s got you two looking so glum?” I asked as Apple Bloom and I walked up. 

In response, my son activated his magic, and levitated over the newspaper, kindly holding it just in front of me. The main headline seemed to be the cause of his and Applejack’s bad humour. The headline read ‘Ponyville Rodeo Cancelled’. I took a look at the article that followed.

While there wasn’t much in the way of details, or even a full explanation as to why the rodeo had been shut down, it was quite clear that there was no hope of reconsideration. The article also said that this was part of an on-going trend, with several other rodeos being cancelled at the last minute. Only Appleloosa remained defiant and insisted that the rodeo there would go ahead.

Understandably, the two farm ponies were more than a little disappointed. Applejack had been hoping to add to her collection of blue ribbons, whilst Bones had been looking forward to competing for the first time. And knowing my husband, he was probably ticked as well for all the bets he’d have to take down.    

“Well, that’s a bit of bad luck,” I commented as I finished reading the article. “What’s made them close anyway? The article doesn’t say.” Bones shrugged his shoulders.

“No idea,” he replied. “Somethin’ ‘bout a whole mess of accidents and upsets. Whole thing has everypony spooked real good.” 

“Well, except Appleloosa,” I prompted. At that, Bones’ and Applejack’s ears perked up and they both jumped to their hooves.

“Say what now?” Applejack asked excitedly. I pointed to the relevant spot in the article.

“Well, it says here that Appleloosa’s organisers are still going ahead with their rodeo a week on Monday.” The two ponies quickly scanned the page and smiled.

With their spirits perked up, the pair let out a loud yee-haw, and started celebrating like nopony’s business. It looked as if the pair would be going to the rodeo after all. All of a sudden though, Applejack stopped.

“Wait a minute,” she muttered to herself, continuing to read the article. “Aw shucks. Bones, ya ain’t gonna believe this!” My son now stopped his celebrating.

“What is it, AJ?” he asked. Helpfully, Appleloosa’s rodeo organisers had attached entry forms in the paper to help boost numbers. But Applejack had spotted something of an issue for Blade Star.

“Here,” she said, pointing to the rule set. “It says right here, that in order to compete, a pony must be of sound mind and body, and not have sustained any serious injury within the last month.”

“Yeah, so...oh, right.” Bones’ ears wilted and he looked down at the ground. That kick from the bull would surely count, and thus bar him from competing. “Well that sucks. Y’all are still goin’ though right? An’ ya can take AB and her friends with ya.” Applejack didn’t look to certain.

“Well, Bones, Ah…Ah don’t know. Ah’m not sure it’d be right of me to go an leave you here.” Bones smiled and gently nuzzled her.

“Hey, come on,” he encouraged. “Just ‘cause Ah have to sit this one out doesn’t mean y’all have to. Besides, Ah’m sure Macintosh will appreciate havin’ somepony around to help out here. Heck, AB would be upset somethin’ fierce too if ya didn’t go.” To my son’s credit, he did make a good argument. It was nice to see how he’d matured. 

After considering for a few moments, Applejack agreed. She, along with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo would head down to Appleloosa. My son, Big Mac, and Granny Smith, would stay here to mind the farm. While it was a shame my son couldn’t go, he didn’t seem too disappointed. As Applejack headed off to find Apple Bloom, I asked him about it. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, just my luck.” he replied.





Next Tuesday, I was taking the morning lessons when the Cutie Mark Crusaders returned. The three had been down in Appleloosa for a couple of days with Applejack, and her cousin Braeburn, at the rodeo. And boy did they have a story to tell. When morning break started, the trio stayed behind in the classroom to tell me what happened.

“So, let get this straight,” I said, after they’d finished recounting their tale. “You three went to the rodeo, heard Troubleshoes was around, snuck out and went to try and find him, got lost, accidentally  found Troubleshoes, went back to town with him, staged a jailbreak after he got arrested, snuck him into the rodeo, and then showed him that he was great as a rodeo clown?”

“Yep,” Apple Bloom replied, the three fillies nodding their heads. I leaned back against my desk at the front of the classroom. “We still didn’t get our cutie marks though.” At this, their faces became a bit sullen. 

“Never mind the cutie marks,” I said, in an effort to perk of their spirits. “Girls, you just had an amazing adventure, and helped a pony completely change their life. Cutie mark or not, you did good. I just can’t wait to tell Roger.”

“Why?” Scootaloo piped up. I smiled and laughed a little.

“Didn’t you girls hear about it? He was chasing Troubleshoes up near Canterlot last week with the Royal Guard, nearly caught him too. And now he’ll get to find out that three little fillies managed catch him by accident!”