//------------------------------// // Peace Descends! Welcome The New Student! // Story: Ponyville's First Warrior Meet // by Wise Cracker //------------------------------// Miss Cheerilee came in with a smile that Monday morning. Silver Spoon dragged herself into class, still bruised and battered, wearing bandages on where Whimper had hit her neck. Rumble practically pranced in, wearing his bruises and chafed fur with the pride of any boy who’d survived combat. The foals all got seated, and only a few of them noticed there was an extra chair in today. Where it had come from, whom it was for, no one knew. Cheerilee’s smile only grew when she got around to clarifying the matter. “Good morning, everypony. Now, before we get started on today’s lessons, I’d like you all to welcome a new student.” Scootaloo’s ears perked. “I’m sure most of you saw him at the Warrior Meet this weekend, and while he may be a little bit intimidating, I expect you all to treat him with kindness and respect, and make him feel welcome. He’s not here to hurt you, he doesn’t have any grudges against anyone, and he most certainly did not get kicked out of his last school because of a temper problem. Regardless of what you may hear, he transferred because it was better for him.” Scootaloo gasped. “I don’t believe it. It really worked out. He’s here.” “Everypony, say hi to Live Wire.” Scootaloo’s ears drooped. “Oh. Him.” He looked quite different out of his armour, but the coffee brown unicorn colt with the white mane and tail still kept his cutie mark covered with his regular day clothes: a grey shirt and shorts. All in all, Scootaloo couldn’t blame him. If she ended up with an ugly – or, horror of horrors, uncool – cutie mark, she’d probably consider the same thing. The colt stepped in to stand in front of Cheerilee. At a respectable and, most importantly, safe distance, that is. “Err, hi, everypony. My name’s Live Wire. I’m ten years old, and, err… I have a talent for electrical stuff. Actually, scratch that: I have a talent for electrical magic. Umm, I know a few of you from kindergarten, but that’s been a few years, so I guess most of you don’t remember me.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is: don’t touch me.” A vague “Huh?” went through the class. Cheerilee chuckled nervously. “What he means is: Live Wire’s magic is still growing, and it has a tendency to build up under his fur.” He nodded and smiled, nervous though he was. A crackle went through his mane and tail, just loud enough to be heard but not powerful enough to be seen flashing. “Yes, thank you. B-but don’t worry, it’s not that I can’t control it. I can totally control it. Just not all the time. I’m still growing, and some days it’s easier to control than others, and I don’t know what exactly makes it harder or easier to control. And before you ask, no, nopony else does, either. I can’t say that much about it, and if I knew who to ask, I’d have asked them myself by now.” Sweetie Belle winced in sympathy. She remembered that problem all too well. “Anyway, as long as you don’t touch me, I won’t shock you or anything. But I’ll try not to get too close in the first place. That’s why I’m saying it now: I’m not keeping my distance because I don’t like you. I probably do like you,” he said with a flourish. “But I kinda need to keep my distance for you to be safe. I mean, it’s either that or wearing rubber, and… trust me, you don’t want that any more than I do. Not that I wouldn’t do it if I had to, it’s just that the squeaking gets pretty distracting after a while.” He looked at his clothes then. “I usually cover up, but it’s not insulated. I just prefer not being, umm, exposed, you know. At least for now.” Cheerilee rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Live Wire. Go on, get seated and we can start today’s lessons.” Scootaloo moped as Live Wire took his seat. He moved carefully so as not to bump into anyone. While he was getting settled in, Scootaloo turned to the girl next to her. “Hey, Silver Spoon, I forgot to ask: what did Whimper say to you after the fight?” Silver’s heart skipped a beat at the thought. Don’t tell him my name right away. Silver Spoon lay on the couch, idly rubbing her sore arm with the other sore arm. It didn’t help much, but at least it distracted her from the pain in her neck. She winced when she heard the front door open and close. “I’m home!” Silver Bullet called out. The shiny grey stallion smiled when he saw his daughter, then frowned in disappointment when he saw her injuries and bandages. “Met your match at the Meet, I see?” Silver sat upright. Something cracked, and she wasn’t sure if it was the couch or her joints. “Yes, sir.” “Did you at least win against anyone?” Silver Bullet had already turned his back on her, too busy taking off his armour to bother noticing her cringe. She gulped. “I-I won against Rumble?” He sighed. “Okay, so you beat up a boy who’s training to be a Wonderbolt one day, not a warrior, and who’s only been taking lessons for a week. That’s something, I suppose.” “And the kid who beat me, I didn’t lose to him right away. I put up a good fight.” He snorted. “Sure you did.” “No, really,” she protested. “I did everything right. I did the Seven Deadly Blows on him, I choked him, I fought him with everything I had. We were even, but he still won.” “Uhuh.” Silver Spoon winced again. “And he said he knew you.” The stallion’s ears flicked towards her. “Another Royal Guard child, then?” He turned to look her in the eyes. “Whose was it? Burning Saddle’s son? Master Yee Hao? I heard she was putting her son on the circuit, too.” “W-well, he said his dad’s name was Summer Breeze.” Bullet scoffed. “There’s plenty of Summer Breezes in Equestria, Silver Spoon, and none of them are grandmasters.” He shook his head, disappointment written all over his face. “You got beaten by a fateless nobody.” That remark sent daggers into her heart. Or maybe Whimper had used another delayed Death Touch on her, she wasn’t sure. Either way, she wanted to see what the boy meant. “Summer Breeze from Bogsdown?” “Bogsdown?” Silver Bullet rubbed his chin, thinking. “Oh, that one. Yes, that Summer Breeze is very capable, not someone you’d want to challenge lightly. Certainly someone to lend an ear to when he speaks. That’s Passiflora’s husband, isn’t it?” “Yup, that’s the one.” “Thought so. Very capable at his job, but then you’d have to be, working that shift. Still, that’s only a Weather Patrol captain, he’s not a Royal Guard.” “He, umm, he said his name was Whimper. The boy, I mean.” Silver Bullet froze, and then so did she. The terror that washed over her father’s face and locked his body was something she’d never forget. He stared at her in disbelief. “I beg your pardon?” “Doldrum Whimper, from Bogsdown, the son of Summer Breeze. That’s the kid who beat me. I’m telling you, it was close, I got him as good as he got me. But he still beat me.” “Y-you… you fought...” Silver Bullet shivered. “You fought… him?” She nodded. “Yes, sir.” He stayed still for a second, in a way she’d only seen him do when he was staring down a predator. “And this Whimper, that wouldn’t be a, err, pegasus colt, golden eyes, fairly muscular, by any chance?” Again, she nodded. “Blue fur, dark blue mane and tail. Really hard muscles. Like, rock hard, he knows Iron Saddle and everything, Shredder style of fighting, too. I tried, daddy, I really tried. I almost got him, he even admitted it. Does that count for anything?” Before she even knew it, he was on her, hugging and clutching her tight. “Oh, sweetie, you went up against that, that... No wonder you’re beaten up. Did he break anything, did he go for your throat?” She gasped for air. Silver Bullet did not do hugs. Silver Bullet was not a weakling. To have him hug her like that was a rare thing indeed, especially when she wasn’t hospitalised. The few times she could recall a hug from her father, it was always tainted with the smell of disinfectant and the memory of either doing something incredibly stupid or being very worried about her own health. But she was fine now. She wasn’t in any danger, and yet her father was embracing her, almost like he wanted to protect her. What from, or rather why, she could only guess. He knew. That Whimper kid knew. He… wanted me to get a hug. He was right. I couldn’t read his attacks. But he read me like an open book. And daddy’s scared of him? Who was that kid? “N-no, I went for his. I tried to choke him, but it didn’t work. He got a little mad after that.” Silver Bullet squeezed her so tight she thought she’d pop. “You did well, then. Very well.” “What?” He backed away enough to let her see the sincerity in his eyes. “I’m proud of you, Silver Spoon. To go up against a monster like that and still be able to walk away, that takes real strength.” He smiled. “I knew you had it in you.” She felt like crying when her father stroked her mane away from her eyes. He didn’t do that very often, but it was an affection she craved almost as much as his approval. She returned the favour, stroking his spikey mane out of his blue eyes. That was their ritual: keeping the hair out of each other’s eyes, so they could see the enemy. Of course, Silver Bullet had an easier time keeping his mane out of his eyes than his daughter did, since, unlike his daughter, he had a horn to park it on. The bell rang for first recess. Live Wire’s first classes had passed without any incident, aside from one very foolish fly that had decided to land on the wrong pony. Live Wire was quickly seated close to a window, to make sure the smell of burning insect didn’t fill the room. Cheerilee motioned to Scootaloo before the girl went out. “Scootaloo? Could I have a word with you?” “Huh? Sure. What’s the matter?” Cheerilee looked at the floor for a moment. She had to be delicate about this, but some amount of force was required. She couldn’t afford to look too meek about the situation. “About your friend, Doldrum Whimper.” The girl flinched. “I don’t suppose it would help if I said it wasn’t his fault again?” Cheerilee looked up and kept her voice as calm as she could. “No, no, it wouldn’t make a difference. In case you missed it the first time, I don’t actually have a say in that sort of thing, you see. I got his request for transferral along with Live Wire’s. Whimper will start attending class here next week.” “He’s coming to school? Here?” Cheerilee nodded. “Yes, and he’s lost quite a lot of time, so I’ll be busy getting him up to speed.” Her wings flared up, then clenched to her sides. “That’s great! Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” Cheerilee bit her lip. “Scootaloo, I’m going to need you to try and behave while he’s in class. Bogsdown has a different culture in its schools. He doesn’t know how things are done here, he’ll look to you to check what is normal. So please, try to set a good example and don’t get him into trouble.” “Okay, I won’t.” “I mean it. No dragging him into fights. Even if it’s a fight you think he needs to start.” Scootaloo sighed. “I won’t, I promise.” Cheerilee chuckled. They do make an odd couple, those two. “No distracting him from class, either. I don’t want to see any note-passing to him, no jumping at the window when he’s alone with me for remedial studies. He’s not going to have it easy here, you need to realise that.” “Okay. I won’t get in his way.” “And...” Cheerilee sighed. “No pressuring him with regards to the counselling, or his punishment.” “Wait, what?” “According to his transfer file, he requires regular counselling. That’s why they couldn’t keep him in Bogsdown; the authorities in Canterlot had to settle on how to treat him.” “So what did they settle on?” Cheerilee winced. “I’m honestly not sure. The paper just said that a course of therapy had been settled on. Apparently that took a while, something about forms being signed, sealed, delivered, submitted to public inquiry and then being burned and buried for some reason. Anyway, whatever it is he needs to get, apparently there are Ponyville ponies who are qualified to deliver it. He’s probably already here for the first week, and for evaluation. And, possibly, receiving his punishment. It’s hard to tell therapy from punishment when it comes to little ponies, sometimes. The point I’m trying to make is: that’s a personal matter. I’m going to need you to respect his space when he’s here.” “But I’m his friend. Can’t I talk to him, hang out with him?” “Oh, you can, of course, but you can’t pressure him. If you do, and something happens, I’m responsible. Do you understand that? If he gets into a fight here, if he hurts someone in class, and I think you know he can, I’m the one who has to explain it to the parents. So I’m asking you, please, don’t take any chances.” Scootaloo nodded with a reluctant pout. “Okay. I won’t, I promise.” “Alright, then. Just one more thing, Scootaloo.” “What?” “Stop blaming yourself. You’ve owned up to what you did, you took responsibility. That’s all anyone can ask.” “Okay. Umm, just out of curiosity, though, are you sure it’s okay to have Whimper around? After what he did to Silver Spoon?” Cheerilee smiled. “Don’t be silly. Rumble and Silver Spoon are still welcome here, and they both fought each other. And Live Wire is aiming to make it his profession one day. It wouldn’t be fair to exclude him without excluding the others. Besides…” she looked wistfully out the window. “It’s not the first time I have to deal with a nice pony who happens to be good at fighting.” At that point, Scootaloo dashed out, because that was a flashback she did not want to get involved in. “So your friend’s comin’ to town anyway, huh?” Apple Bloom said as the rest of class enjoyed their recess. “That’s great news.” “Err, yeah, great.” Scootaloo made a point of staring at the ground. “What’s the matter?” “It’s nothing, just that… Miss Cheerilee said he’s getting special counselling here, too. Ponies still treat him like he’s sick for some reason.” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara came walking by. “What’s the matter?” Silver asked. “Whimper’s coming to school here next week, but he’s still forced to go through counselling,” Apple Bloom replied. “Oh,” Silver said. “Well, like, that’s okay. It could be a lot worse, I guess.” She nudged Diamond Tiara. Diamond grumbled. “Umm, girls? Me and Silver Spoon have something to say.” “If you’re gonna apologise, Diamond-” Apple Bloom started. “No! I am not apologising. Silver Spoon can do what she wants, but I have to uphold the Rich family name.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re upholding their name alright.” “What Diamond Tiara is trying to say is: we’re calling a truce,” Silver Spoon said. “A whatnow?” “A truce. A ceasefire,” Diamond Tiara said. “Like a ‘stop arguing time’ thing, sort of.” “Is something wrong?” Rumble asked as he floated up behind them. “No, Rumble, you should hear this, too,” Silver Spoon replied. “We’re not going to be picking on you anymore, not for real.” “Of course, we’ll still call you blank flanks since you’re, you know, blank flanks without any special talents,” Diamond Tiara added. Silver Spoon sighed. “But we’re not going to try and get even for the times you got us in trouble. No more back and forth, just, like, a clean slate from now on. We’re not gonna start any trouble, and we don’t want you to start any trouble, either. Except maybe you, Rumble. I think I still owe you one. If you want to settle the score, it’s fine.” Rumble shrugged. “That’s okay, Silver Spoon, I’m not gonna hold a grudge. A truce sounds fine to me.” “Me too,” Apple Bloom said. “Me three,” Scootaloo said. Sweetie Belle just nodded to spare her voice. “Good. Oh, and, umm, if you run into Whimper, would you tell him I said ‘thanks,’ please? Not for getting beaten up, obviously, but like, he’ll know what for.” Silver Spoon rubbed the bandage on her neck. “Will do,” Scootaloo said. “If I run into him.” The bell sounded. The truce was official, the recess was over. Peace had descended over the playground of Ponyville Elementary. How long it would last, none of the warriors knew. Apple Bloom had other things on her mind, though. “Hey, Live Wire, I don’t suppose you’d know where Whimper is right now?” He stopped halfway to the doorway. He’d already taken off his shirt, which Apple Bloom took as a good sign. He still wore his shorts, though, covering up his cutie mark. Sweetie Belle hadn’t said anything about it, so Apple Bloom didn’t push the subject. He’d get through that on his own, she decided. Typical boy stuff. “At home, I guess, unless he’s already started counselling.” “Doesn’t sound too likely.” “He probably is. Miss Cheerilee said he might be here already, for the first week and for, umm, evolution?” Scootaloo tried. “Evaluation,” Live Wire corrected. “Gesundheit,” Scootaloo replied. “So he’s in Ponyville already?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Huh. I wonder who they got to take care of him?” “Fluttershy, are you sure this is a good idea?” Applejack asked, looking up at an apple tree that was currently being shaken by a conspicuously buff-looking pegasus colt who, as far as Applejack knew, really should have been in school right about now. “Umm, no, but the official said I had to, and the letter from Canterlot said you had to.” Fluttershy was really regretting taking that summer course one time. But how could she refuse? She was already working for the Equestrian government, technically, and the Equestrian government pays extra when you get your certificates. The fact that a certificate in magical child care came with the possibility of getting drafted had never really bothered her, mostly because of the odds of it ever coming up were so slim. Then again, so were the odds of her becoming a national hero, a fashion model, or having a conversation with a full-grown dragon without getting eaten in the process, and look how that turned out. Perhaps she should have taken a summer course in probability studies, she realised. Applejack sighed. “Look, I’m all for doin’ the right thing here, but I’m pretty sure gettin’ free labour out of a little boy who ought to be in school ain’t exactly right. I’m feeling guilty just lookin’ at him. It’s like every apple he’s getting is… dirty somehow.” “Is this okay?” Doldrum Whimper called out as he carefully shook the branches of the apple tree he was in, yielding some ripe, red apples. “Yeah, that’s fine, I’ll tell you when to stop!” Applejack shouted, before whispering. “There’s gotta be some law against this.” “Umm, that’s what I thought, but apparently there isn’t. There are a few laws for it, actually. A lot of Equestrian farms are taking in troubled children now, for therapy. I guess someone in Canterlot thinks that’ll help.” Applejack groaned. “Ugh, probably Uncle Apple ‘Shine again, he’s always pullin’ stuff like this. You’d think having a relative in politics would be a good thing.” “So, is this okay with you?” The farmer had to clench her teeth together hard to stop from shouting. “No, this ain’t okay with me. It ain’t okay by a long shot. I don’t even know why my farm’s eligible. And if I wasn’t obliged to do it, I wouldn’t do it. But if I am obliged, I guess I’ll make the most of it. That’s good, little boy, you can come down now!” Doldrum Whimper gulped and carefully, slowly, flew down to land in front of the mares. Applejack let out a low growl and leaned in closer for effect. “Okay, so you got yourself into so much trouble you got suspended from school, huh? And now somepony decided you need anger management therapy? Or administrative punishment, whatever they wanna call it?” “Y-yes, Ma’am,” he said with a shiver. Applejack glared at him. “And what, pray tell, did you do to get into that much trouble?” “He, umm, he got into a few fights over the summer,” Fluttershy said. “I wasn’t asking you, Fluttershy, I wanna hear it from… what was your name again, youngin?” “Whimper. Doldrum Whimper, Ma’am.” “Wow. There’s a name you don’t hear much nowadays. Okay, spill the beans. Why did you get suspended?” He idly kicked the ground and avoided looking directly at Applejack. “It’s like Miss Fluttershy said. Me and my friends were relaxing in the park one day, a ball nearly hit my friend, I knocked it out of the way. Some pony insulted me and my friends, so I threw the ball at him, pretty hard. Then they told me I had to join a class, where everypony fights. I didn’t like that, so I refused. And after that, some other kids started pushing my friends around, and I lost my temper.” “So it wasn’t your fault, then, is that what you’re saying?” Whimper shrugged, and now he did look her in the eyes. “I did the fighting, Ma’am. I did the hurting. I can’t really blame anypony else for that.” Applejack pouted. “Could you excuse us for a second?” She took Fluttershy a dozen paces away so he wouldn’t hear. Just like she asked, he sat there, calmly, quietly, like he did everything, as far as Applejack could tell. “Fluttershy, what are you hoping to accomplish here?” Fluttershy’s wings flared up in defence. “I’m just doing what I was told to do, Applejack. The ponies in Canterlot want him to go here.” “What for?” “I think it was something about farm life being good to build character and discipline.” Applejack’s face went into ‘annoyed’ mode. “Really? Somepony thinks that thing over there needs more character and discipline? Look at him: he’s more ripped than Big Mac was at his age, and he ain’t even an Earth pony. What am I supposed to do? Yell at him so he’ll behave?” As much as she hated to, Fluttershy nodded. “Umm, yes. I think that’s exactly what they were expecting. And after that, they expect you to evaluate him: write down if you think there were any problems, if you think he’ll misbehave when he goes back to class.” Applejack groaned. “I don’t think he’d misbehave now. I don’t get it. You’re sure this kid is that big a cretin that he’d need to do farmwork to straighten him out?” “Maybe not, but he did hurt a few kids at the Warrior Meet the other day.” “Wait, what?” “Umm, the Warrior Meet? He was there yesterday. He took out three children from a ninja school, including Silver Spoon.” Applejack tilted her head, confused. “That kid beat up Silver Spoon?” “Yes.” “But I thought Silver Spoon was some super special fighter that could beat anypony?” “She is. Or at least, she was, until she tried to beat him. He overpowered her, brutally. He looks nice and friendly, Applejack, but, umm…” Fluttershy leaned in to whisper even more quietly than usual. “He’s dangerous.” She thought long and hard then. “This ain’t the same kid Rainbow was talking about, is it? Scootaloo’s friend?” “Yes, that’s him.” “Well, why didn’t you say so? Obviously there’s been some misunderstanding.” “I’m not so sure about that, Applejack. He has a record. According to his file, he’s not a very nice pony. And he didn’t fight very nicely yesterday, either.” “But he is friends with Scootaloo, isn’t he?” The pegasus shrugged. “I guess. But I don’t know if he is a good pony or not. He can act like one, but when he fought, he was scary. He fought an older pony, and won. He beat a teenaged unicorn, who already knew attack spells.” “That doesn’t say anything about his character,” Applejack argued. “I know. But it does say something about what might happen if you let your guard down.” Applejack sighed. “I guess you got a point there. Okay, if it’ll get him back into class, I’ll do it. But it still ain’t right. Now how long do I gotta keep him busy?” “From morning ‘till evening,” Fluttershy said. “School hours. For a week. After that, you fill out the form, he’ll be going to school in Ponyville.” “Figures,” she said with a snort. “And what am I supposed to do with him? What am I allowed to do?” “Pretty much everything Apple Bloom would do if she wasn’t going to go to school.” “Okay.” Applejack walked back towards him. “Whimper! I’ve made up my mind, and you can do your community service, therapy, new-fangled whatchamacallit here. I’ve only got one rule: whatever I say, goes. I tell you to jump, you ask how high. I tell you to run, you ask how fast. Got that?” He shivered in fear. “Yes, Ma’am.” Fluttershy winced and nudged Applejack. “Actually, he umm...” She leaned in to whisper. Applejack was startled when Fluttershy withdrew, and stared at him for a second. The shame on his face was enough to tell her Fluttershy wasn’t lying. “Oh. Well, I guess runnin’s out, then. Doesn’t matter, anyhow. I need to go harvest the west section of the orchard today, and daylight’s burnin’, so let’s go. Fluttershy, thanks for the, err, ‘delivery,’ I guess.” “Thank you, Miss Fluttershy,” Whimper said. “You’re welcome. If you need me for anything, just ask.” “Will do,” Applejack replied as she trotted off. Fluttershy departed and Whimper flew up a bit to catch up. Ever the savvy consumer, she decided to check what core she had in the apple. “So, I take it you’re into fitness and stuff?” “Yes, Ma’am.” “Applecross Games, that sort of thing?” “Uhuh.” “Ever do any farm work?” “Lots of times. My aunt Blossom has a cherry orchard.” Applejack froze. “Then why in tarnation couldn’t they send you there?” “Because she’s related, I guess?” Applejack resumed the pace and looked him over. “You’re not really that bad, are ya? I mean, this whole thing with you getting kicked out of school, it ain’t warranted, is it?” “If it was, I wouldn’t really be able to tell, I think.” “Fair enough. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just supposed to make sure you don’t get out of line, so don’t expect me to go easy on you.” “I won’t.” “But… as long as you don’t give me a reason, I ain’t gonna make you do anything too hard. Apple Bloom can do some pretty heavy lifting, and you look like a fine little workhorse, but I ain’t takin’ any chances. I’m sure your mom wouldn’t appreciate it.” “I’ll try not to give you a reason, then, Ma’am.” “Good.” Applejack set down her basket. “You put your basket over there, fly up the tree, and start shakin’, nice and gentle like.” “You don’t want me to buck the tree?” “You’re strong enough to buck a tree?” She chuckled. “Maybe a soft little cherry tree, but these are hardy apple trees. No, you stick to shaking. I’m sure you’re strong, but you wouldn’t wanna hurt yourself showing off.” “Okay.” “Oh, and one more thing.” “Huh?” “It’s Applejack. I don’t have a rank, and I ain’t a teacher, so you don’t have to call me Ma’am.” Once school was out, the girls headed to the clubhouse. With the Warrior Meet over and their flanks lacking any ninja stars, black belts, or sumo diapers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had a vital matter to discuss. “So how are we going to get our cutie marks next?” Scootaloo asked. “We still haven’t tried pirating,” Apple Bloom replied. “We’re gonna need a parrot, a hook, some eyepatches, and a ship.” “Fluttershy probably has a spare parrot,” Scootaloo said. “My big sister might have some eyepatches from her stage costumes,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Then all we need is a hook and a ship. I’m sure Applejack will have a hook lying around somewhere.” “Do you think she’ll let us use it?” “Sure. It’s not like we can hurt ourselves with that sort of thing, right? We just came out of a Warrior Meet: we’ve proven we’re rough warriors with honour and a sense of responsibility,” Apple Bloom argued. “Except we did ninja fighting, which doesn’t involve a lot of honour or responsibility,” Scootaloo remarked. “Oh, hush. That’s all the more reason we should try the switch. Come on, girls, let’s go!” “Piracy?” Applejack asked. “Y’all wanna be pirates now?” “Well, yeah. Why not? We did ninjas, next up is pirates.” “I don’t know, Apple Bloom. I’m all for you gals tryin’ new things, but I draw the line at piracy. Ponies and pirating do not mix.” “But we gotta do something!” Scootaloo exclaimed, flying up at Applejack. The mare grumbled. That little filly had developed a habit of flying up into anypony’s face over the summer. It reminded her of Rainbow Dash in that regard. It was definitely just her and not a pegasus thing, since she’d seen Rumble and Thunderlane around town, and Rumble always stayed on the ground, even when he was arguing. Ditto Featherweight, and both those boys were capable flyers. “Look, all I’m sayin’ is that pirating ain’t something you wanna do lightly, and it’s not something you get a talent in anyways. Pirating is against the law, by definition.” “Oh, come on,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s not like we’ve got any law enforcement around Ponyville anyways. Half the time I’m not even sure we have laws.” “Oh, we’ve got’em alright.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “No pirating, and that’s final. I’m not letting you get into trouble again. Besides, even if you found a parrot and a hook, where would you get a ship?” “Oh, hi, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo gasped as she looked up. “Whimper?” “Well, I guess that’s one ship you can try,” Applejack muttered under her breath. Whimper flew down to greet the girls. “Umm, hi.” Apple Bloom froze. “Applejack, what’s he doin’ here?” “Fluttershy dropped him off this morning. Apparently somepony in Canterlot decided he needed to be rehabilitated or something, and somepony around here signed up the Apple farm as a community service centre or whatever Canterlot ponies call it.” “Huh. I wonder how that happened,” Sweetie Belle said. “Probably when Big Mac hurt his back and Granny Smith tried to do the paperwork for him,” Apple Bloom joked. “She almost got Spike registered as an endangered species, too. We were this close to gettin’ turned into a dragon sanctuary.” She gestured with a hoof to her eye to mark just how close. Applejack grunted. “Anyway, he’s just helpin’ out for a week, and after that I gotta sign a paper and after that he’s going back to school where he belongs.” “That’s great!” Scootaloo jumped up again and started buzzing around with joy. “Hey, do you wanna hang out with us today? We’re gonna try and get our cutie marks again.” The boy’s ears fell back against his head. “Umm, sure? If your friends don’t mind having me around, that is.” Scootaloo stopped and hung in mid-air. “Well, girls?” Apple Bloom pouted and pondered for a second. “I don’t see why not. But you gotta promise you won’t beat anypony up. Unless we say so. Then you can beat ’em into a pulp.” He chuckled. “I won’t.” “What do you think, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle gave them all a curt wave. “Of course he can hang out with us. We’re gonna let Waiwai into our club, too, right?” Apple Bloom tapped her chin, thinking. “Yeah, we never did get around to expanding. I’m sure having ponies around who already have their cutie marks would be fine. Rumble would probably like having some support when he starts competin’. But that still doesn’t answer the question: what are we gonna do today?” “Ooh! Ooh! If we can’t be pirates, what about pilots?” “My restraining order is still valid for another two weeks, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. “What about pepper farmers?” Sweetie Belle coughed. “I’d rather wait until my throat feels better before I try eating anything hot, Apple Bloom. Why not potion makers?” Scootaloo shook her head. “My restraining order for that doesn’t run out until next year.” Apple Bloom quirked an eyebrow. “Really? Mine expired last week, how did that happen?” “I don’t know. I think it had something to do with using pegasus feathers for everything.” “That sounds so unfair,” Apple Bloom said. “Tell me about it.” “What do you think, Whimper?” The boy blinked at Apple Bloom. “What?” “What do you think we should do?” she asked. “You know, if you’re gonna be joining us and all, you should get a say in what we do, right?” “Umm...” He looked away, and thought long and hard. Scootaloo jumped around him, bombarding him with suggestions. “Ooh! Ooh! Pencil drawing, peacock herding, pickle pickling?” Whimper grumbled. “Scootaloo, you’re doing it again.” “Yeah, quit your fidgetin’ and let him think. Yeesh, no wonder he doesn’t talk much.” Applejack had to suppress a snicker. With all the experience Apple Bloom had gotten in dealing with Big Mac, chances were she wasn’t going to let him go without getting at least one suggestion out of him. “Have you tried prospecting yet?” “Prospecting?” Scootaloo asked. “Yes. You know, digging for gold, silver.” He hesitated. “Manganite?” “That’s a great idea,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Belle can use her sister’s spell to go looking for gems, we can get Spike to help with the digging if he’s up for it, so you wouldn’t be the only boy around.” “That would be nice,” Whimper said. “And you and Scootaloo can keep a lookout.” Whimper smiled. Then the girls were gone, and he found himself taking off to catch up. “Hey, kiddo,” Applejack said, stopping him. “Huh? Oh, is it okay for me to leave?” “Yeah, yeah, day’s over. But, umm, just a little warning: don’t let the girls walk all over you. They’re nice, but they ain’t used to boys yet. Except Apple Bloom.” “It’s okay. I know Scootaloo.” “My point exactly. Don’t be afraid to raise your voice if you have to.” “I won’t. Umm, what if something happens?” “What do you mean?” “What if we run into something while we’re digging?” “Oh, don’t you fret about that,” Applejack said. “There’s nothing out there in the hills.” “Really?” “Really. Trust me, kid, this is Ponyville.” That made his ears fall back again. “Umm, but Scootaloo said-” “Scootaloo exaggerates. She’s a nice girl, but she hypes stuff up, almost as much as she hypes herself up. It’s fine. Really, this ain’t like your hometown. Ponies aren’t going to go after you here. You have nothing to worry about. You can relax now,” Applejack said. “Seriously.” His wings flared up again and his smile came back. “Okay. I’ll try to relax.” “Good. And have fun with the girls.” “Will do. Thank you!” Applejack chuckled as he flew off after the girls. Then she rolled her eyes. Poor kid. Oh well, at least he’s got the girls looking out for him. He’ll be much better off here. A couple of weeks in Ponyville, and he’ll loosen up. Not like anything ever happens around here. The End.