//------------------------------// // Friendship is Puppies, part 3 [20] // Story: Twilight gets a Puppy // by TDR //------------------------------// Twilight Gets a Puppy By TDR Friendship is Puppies, part 3 [Sweet Apple Acres] “Sorry bout that, mai sister dun know her own strength sometimes.” Applejack chuckled. Rahs and Twilight had recovered fairly quickly, though both of them were making mental notes to write some heart felt apology letters to the Guards and castle staff they knew when younger. Spike wasn't sure what had happened. Sure the filly had been cute, but not cute enough to have caused his siblings collapse. Maybe it was a gaze attack? What would the saving throw for that be? Spike pondered all this as he ate, stuffing his face and making a mess of himself. Twilight managed to finally eat some as well, rather impressed by the skill of the cooks. Some of the dishes were on par, if not better than the kitchen staff Celestia had. Rahs was slightly less interested in eating than the others. Most of the offered food was pastries or treats and that sort of food had always seemed bland to him. Granted he was hungry and everything smelled rather good. It also wouldn't do to refuse any of the piled food, that could be seen as rude. He picked up an apple fritter, looking it over before taking a bite out of the pastry simply planning on downing it and stating it tasted good before trying something else. [Five minutes later.] “Uhhh is yer brother okay?” Applejack questioned. “He ain't moved in a while an he's drooling all over his fritter.” Spike and Twilight stopped and looked up seeing the vacant stare in Rahs' eyes, an apple fritter half in and half out of his mouth clamped tightly in his jaws. “This again....” Twilight sighed. “Yeah, but there's no Unicorn this time.” Spike pointed out curiously. “Good point. Applejack did a Unicorn make that fritter?” Twilight asked curiously. “Nah, most of tha Apple families Earth ponies, not that we dun have Unicorns, but none of them made it here this time.”Applejack added. “ Sides tha fritters are onea Big Mac's specialties. “Eeeyup.” Big mac added. “Woof!” Rahs said suddenly, downing the fritter and three more like it in the time it took the others to realize he had started moving again. “You can taste it?”Twilight questioned. “Ah hope he can taste it tha way he's scarfing them down....Them teeth of his are a might worrying through.”Applejack pointed out. “I've got those too.” Spike smiled showing his sharp teeth. “Neat” Applebloom chimed” Do yall eat ponies?” “Applebloom.” Applejack chided. “Nah, I eat gems mostly and Rahs eats magic as well as small game and whatever the chefs in Canterlot prepare.” Spike explained. “So what he eats like rabbits and stuff?” Applebloom questioned.” Ah know a mean lil white rabbit he ken eat.” “Applebloom no. Much as ah pain as Angel is yah ain't gonna feed him tah anybody... on that note make sure Rahs don't eat nothing around here without checking with Fluttershy first. Ah figure most of tha critters in town are practically her pets.” Applejack pointed out, not sure where this conversation was going. “She's on my checklist. Besides he's going to be too stuffed to go after anything else.” Twilight stated as Rahs downed a whole pie in four bites. Twilight pondered, curious about something as her brother ate. “Applejack, can I get one of those apples you harvested earlier?” “Sure thing, not sure why considering that everything on tha table's made from them same apples, but ah can't fault yah fer wanted tah try one fresh from tha tree.” Applejack noted trotting off and coming back with a couple of apples. Twilight picked one up in a hoof looking it over before nodding and setting it before Rahs. “Rahs eat that would you. I want to check something.” Twilight stated. “Bark?” Rahs questioned, pausing in mid bite of another fritter. He narrowed his eyes at his sister before he looked at the apple warily. “Yes it is another experiment, and no I have not done anything to the apple, it's the control.” Twilight explained. “It's a wut now?” Applejack asked. “Control. A scientific control is an experiment or observation designed to minimize the effects of variables other than the independent variable. The fritter batter for example. This increases the reliability of the results, often through a comparison between control measurements and the other measurements.”Twilight rambled. “Wut?” Applebloom blinked. “She wants to see if it's the apple or the pastry that has the magic Rahs is tasting.” Spike explained. “Well why didn't she say it like that then?” Applebloom fussed. “I did.” Twilight complained. Rahs stared at Twilight a moment before taking a bite out of the apple watching Twilight's reaction to him doing it before his eyes went wide his ears standing straight up. He blinked once looking at the apple before falling off the seat with a crash, his tail wagging like mad. “AH DIDN'T DO IT!” Applebloom screamed out. “Ah hah!” Twilight exclaimed. “It is the apple.” “Is he okay?” Applejack questioned. “They do this sort of stuff all the time. He's fine.” Spike waved a claw as Twilight whipped out a notebook and started jotting things down. “Very interesting, very interesting.” Twilight muttered. “Care tah explain?” Applejack blinked looking down at the prone Moon Dog along with the rest of the Apples. These three were weird and Applejack knew Pinkie Pie. “Many carnivores don't have the ability to taste sweet things. Carnivores don't need the ability to taste sweet for survival. He can taste bitter and sour flavors so as to detect spoiled meat, but not sweet. However Rahs has been able to smell sweet things even though sugar isn't something he can taste. He rather likes gummies and marshmallows because of the fat and salt not the sugar. The apple however should have had little to none of this and thus had no greater sensation than water to him however since the apple is infused with magic it there for triggers his taste and thus allows him to find a flavor to it even though it's not the apple itself he is tasting. This ties in with my three tribes theory about various Earth Pony magics and the ambient effect on the local environment due to prolonged contact or effect with the auras and efforts........” “Ah don't follow.” Applejack commented though Twilight continued as she jotted down more notes, going into complacent theory and natural versus nurture. The rest of the Apple family seemed just as confused as Applejack was, save Big Mac who stood there and listened nodding occasionally to what she was saying. “Okay, right... ummm hey Spike, ken ya translate again?” Applebloom asked. “Okay. Imagine that apples all tasted like water to you.....” Spike started though there was a collective gasp of horror from the gathered Apple's around them and he was sure one of the stallions fainted.” IMAGINE I said..... any way now say one day you take a bite of an apple expecting the same and actually get the proper flavor of it. Or you bite into a piece of plain bread and instead it's a cupcake. Rahs normally can't taste anything sweet, but if it's got magic in that he tastes it instead. So having never actually tasted an apple before his brain overloaded from the sensation and shut down for a bit. He does this from time to time. Particularly if he's not expecting the flavor.” “ Okay ah think ah got that.” Applejack stated rubbing the back of her head. “That is one weird dog.” “You have no idea.” Spike commented returning to the food before him as Twilight continued to mutter and write. “And her?”Applejack asked. “She'll run out of paper in a minute, yell at me to get her more, realize where we are, and then apologize to everyone.” Spike explained. “That happen often too?” Applejack asked. “More than Rahs' food comas, yeah.” Spike agreed. “That is somethin else.” Applejack commented. “You get used to it.” Spike shrugged eating another fritter. [Later still] “I hate both of you bottomless pits sooooooo much right now.” Twilight groaned as she walked. The mare was struggling with the amount of food she had eaten. Spike walked ahead of her looking over the check list and Rahs behind her with a bag of fresh apples he had been given that he was quickly getting to the bottom of. “Let's see , there's supposed to be some Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash around whose job it is to be clearing the clouds. The three stopped to look up at the sky speckled with white fluffy clouds everywhere. “Well she's not doing a very good job, is she?” Twilight grumbled before a prismatic blur slammed into her sending her tumbling across the ground to land with a splash in a oversized mud puddle left from the last rainstorm. Rahs was over to her in a heartbeat yanking the blue figure off Twilight, holding it up by the scruff of the neck and away from Twilight as he checked on his sister. Twilight groaned as the blue figure Rahs had pulled free chuckled a little. “Hehe... 'scuse me....” the muddy figure muttered. Rahs turned his attention to the blue mare in his grip with a growl. The mud covered Pegasus blinked at the angry scowl on the canines face. The cyan blue Pegasus in his grip was a mare, very athletic looking as well, though it also seemed she had fallen asleep in a box of melted crayons with how many colors her mane and tail were. “Hey it was an accident, chill. Down boy, heel!” the mare stated flailing a hoof at Rahs slinging a bit of mud on him.”Ummm oops....” “Put her down Rahs.... I'm pretty sure that wasn't an attempt on my life.” Twilight muttered slowly standing up. “If it was she's a lousy assassin.” Spike pointed out. Rahs grumbled setting the mare down and wiping the mud off his coat in annoyance. “Okay yeah here lemmi help with that.” the mare stated looking at the mud soaked Twilight before zipping off. “You're three for three of ponies running away from you.” Spike chuckled. “Oh, ha ha....”Twilight grumbled. Rahs blinked looking up as a shadow passed over the sun and the Pegasus flew a cloud over Twilight. He stepped back out of the puddle and out from under the cloud as the Pegasus began jumping atop of it dropping a torrential down pour on Twilight. Twilight simply sat down, her mane covering her face. Rahs and Spike both looked up as the mare leans over the cloud looking down at the dripping Twilight with a small chuckle. “Oops guess I overdid it.” Rahs rolled his eyes as Spike chimed up. “Really ,you think?” “Oh how about this?” the mare darted down zooming around Twilight, a vortex of rainbow colored wind whipping around Twilight as a small tornado formed around her. The blue Pegasus zipped off above Spike and Rahs as if posing on a stage.” My very own patented rainblow dry!” The mare floated down landing lightly. “ No no, don't thank me, you're quite welcome.” She blinked as Rahs and Spike seemed to be doing their best to hide their snickering before the Pegasus turned to look back at Twilight. Twilight stood behind her with an expression that the brothers realized long ago meant she was contemplating murder and how to get away with it. The Pegasus clearly didn't know the look or didn't care and lost it completely at the sight of Twilight's mane and tail having gone from straight and hanging over her shoulders, to having the same mass of hair piled high and twisted atop of her head. Even her tail was a curly mess that had shaped it's self almost into a cork screw. The mares laughter was infectious as even her brothers couldn't hold back theirs any more. “Let me guess.” Twilight growled.” Rainbow Dash...” The laughter from the mare stopped abruptly as she picked herself up.” The one and only. Why yah heard of me?” Dash zipped back into the air hovering inches from Twilight's face with a big grin across her features. “What I heard is that you are supposed to be keeping the sky clear for the Summer Sun Celebration.”Twilight snapped before calming a moment. “I'm Twilight Sparkle, these are my brothers Spike and Rahs. Princess Celestia sent me to oversee the preparations for the Celebration this year...... where'd she go?” Rahs pointed up to where Rainbow dash had decided to recline on a cloud taking a nap there. “Yeah yeah. That'll be a snap. I'll do it ina jiffy.” Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “ Just as soon as I'm done practicing.” “Practicing ? For what?” Twilight asked. Dash bolted up right on her cloud pointing a hoof at a poster on the side of a building behind the small group. “THE WONDERBOLTS! They're gonna perform at the celebration tomorrow and I'm gonna show em my stuff.” “ What you mean like crashing into things and messing up ponies manes?” Spike snarked. “Hey that was an accident.” Dash shouted back. “Twice in a row.” Spike returned.” And if we count the deluge as a separate incident you're three for three. Not exactly Wonderbolt material there.” “Bork.” Rahs added. “Good point. Why would they even accept a Pegasus who can't keep the sky clear for one measly day.”Twilight explained with a small smirk. Rainbow Dash glared over the edge off the cloud at Twilight.” Hey, I can clear this sky in ten seconds flat.” “Prove it.” Twilight grinned back with a air of malice. Rainbow Dash seemed a bit taken aback by Twilight's challenge, but her eyes narrowed as she launched herself from her cloud bed destroying it in the process as she tore across the sky like a rainbow hued blur dissipating clouds with hardly any effort. Rahs' coat and Twilight's mangled mane whipping about as the blur tore back and forth across the sky, the trio's heads turning to watch the mare as she zipped about. Dash did one last loop dropping through the final cloud before landing with a grin.”What did I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging.” “Woof.” Rahs stated having timed her being at 'eleven seconds flat, though the other two ignored him. “Wow.” Spike chimed up staring at the mare with awe. Even Twilight was taken aback. “You should see the look on your faces.” Rainbow Dash laughed though she stopped noting Rahs impassive face. “Well not his. What's up with the mutt?” Rahs growled holding up two claws. He wasn't speaking, just growling this time. “What?” Dash questioned. “Bark.” Rahs explained. “He said yeah that was impressive, but you've already attacked Twilight, made a dog joke and called him a mutt.” Spike pointed out. “He's already not that fond of you.” “He's a Diamond Dog.... emphasis on dog..... and I already apologized to Twilight for hitting her that was an accident.” Rainbow Dash explained with a wave of her hooves. “I'm not trying to start something, but, well he's a dog right?” “Meow.” Rahs stated with a grin getting a confused look from Dash, a laugh from Spike, and a face hoof from Twilight. “Now you did it, he's speaking fancy again.”Twilight rolled her eyes. “What....” Dash questioned a moment her wings fanning in confusion before she laughed hopping back into the air.” You guys are a riot, I'm definitely gonna have to hang out with you some more. Later!” Rainbow Dash grinned and back flipped into the air shooting off into the sky. “Well that was a thing that happened.” Twilight muttered watching after the mare. There was a chance that she might be correct about her skills and not just a braggart. It might be interesting to test those abilities at some point or another...... Her eyes narrowed as she slowly turned her gaze up to Rahs. The Moon Dog had taken her momentary mental distraction to find a way to amuse himself. Currently that was swatting at Twilight's mess of mane and watching it bounce like a spring. “Boingy Boingy.” Spike laughed.