//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: The Sisterverse Social // by brokenimage321 //------------------------------// “Racers!” cried the old mare into the megaphone, “Line up with your partners!” Pinks bit her lip, then looked around. There was Applejack, at the starting line—but where was Bloom? She was supposed to be here already… She swallowed nervously, then pushed her way back into the crowd, listening with half an ear to Granny Smith. “This here’s the Sisterhooves Social Obstacle Race,” she was saying. “There’s six events that you gotta do—and you all gotta do ‘em,” she added. “No tryin’ to cheat or nothin’, y’hear?” A nervous chuckle rippled through the crowd. “Th’ first sisters to cross the finish line together,” she said, “each get a blue ribbon, and a case o’ our own world-famous zap-apple jam to share!” A few, scattered cheers. “Last thing,” Granny Smith called. “Play fair. That means no magic, an’ no flyin’. Got that?” A smattering of murmured agreement. “Awright! Everyone here?” Pinks winced, then stood on tip-hoof and scanned the crowd, trying hard to ignore the icky feeling in her stomach. * * * “Y’all ready?” cried the old mare. Twilight looked up and down the line. There were ten or fifteen other pairs of sisters poised for the race, of all ages—some quite young, and a couple that looked to be just older than she. There was even a pair of pegasi—a blue one and a yellow one. But, though she looked as hard as she could, there was no Serenade. Twilight bit her lip again, then stood on tip-hoof and looked over the heads of the crowd. As she looked, she felt somepony walk up beside her. She turned and almost yelped—beside her stood Radiance, staring straight ahead, her eyes hard and sharp. And perched on her head was a white-and-blue baseball cap two sizes too small for her. On front, sparkling blue glitter-glue spelled out “BEST SISTERS 4EVER—SERENADE.” Radiance flicked her gaze down at Twilight, then back forward again. “Not a word,” she hissed. Twilight swallowed. “What happened to Serenade?” “Ate too much pie,” Radiance said. “I’m taking her place.” Despite herself, Twilight cracked a smile. “Aww,” she said, trying to mask her feelings with sarcasm, “you do care!” Radiance’s lips twitched into a hint of a smile—one she quickly smothered. “Stay focused,” she snapped. “We’re gonna win this.” She slowly lowered herself into a runner’s stance. “I promised we would.” Twilight eyed her, taking in her steely determination, then swallowed. She faced forward, and tried to mimic her sister’s pose. * * * “On yer marks…” Flyby elbowed Rainbow and stuck out her tongue. Rainbow glared back at her, the goggles she hadn’t worn since she was a filly perched on her forehead. She growled, then elbowed Flyby back. Both of them turned to face forward as the mare spoke again. * * * “Get set…” Applejack sighed. Apple Bloom hadn’t come, for some reason. That was it, then. And she’d almost let herself get excited about the race... She was about to take a step backwards—out of the race, back to the life of the responsible farmpony—when, suddenly, she became aware of another pony standing at her side. She turned and saw her sister Pink Pearl Apple beside her. But she wasn’t wearing her normal, red bandana—it was a green one, just like the one around Applejack's own neck. Applejack stared. Pinks turned and flashed Applejack a smile. Somehow, without words, Applejack knew what she was thinking: You gotta have a sister to race in the Sisterhooves Social, dontcha? Well, I’m a sister too, ain’t I? Applejack opened her mouth to respond— “GOOOOO!!”bellowed Granny Smith. * * * Apple Bloom trotted to a stop beside the river. She pushed her mane out of her eyes, then looked around. After just a moment, her shoulders sagged, and she sighed heavily. Her mane ribbon had finally drifted to a stop—on the very tip of a branch that hung out over the water. A branch far too thin and spindly for even her to climb out and get it. Apple Bloom looked around for a stick or something she could use to grab it—and discovered, to her surprise, that she wasn’t alone. Up against the base of a nearby tree, dozing in the warm sunshine, was a little white unicorn, lying next to a little purple dragon. The unicorn, with crumbs all over her face, lazily opened an eye, watched her for a moment, then rolled over and lay still. Apple Bloom mentally shrugged, then bit her lip. Slowly, she walked over to the riverbank, and watched her ribbon sway in the wind. * * * Radiance exploded off the starting line, her muscles snapping like steel springs. Twilight galloped after her, her mane flapping in the breeze. They rounded a corner, and Twilight saw the mud pit—the first big obstacle. For a split second, she wondered how Radiance—prim, perfect Radiance, who would lose her mind if a single hair of her mane was out of place—would handle the mud. But there was no time to think, the mud was upon them— And suddenly, Radiance leapt. Radiance arced gracefully through the air, her mane streaming behind her like some descending goddess. She touched down in the middle of the mud pit, spraying earth and water all about her as she landed. And, almost before Twilight could register the sight, Radiance was off again, shooting up a rooster tail of spray as she thundered forward. The whole process, from leap to landing, took no more than three or four seconds. And yet, Twilight couldn’t get it out of her head. As she, herself, splashed through the mud, Twilight couldn’t get the image of her sister flying through the air out of her head. The Radiance she knew could barely dust her room without having a conniption; then, why in Equestria did she throw herself into the mud like that? And, almost before she asked the question, Radiance’s voice echoed inside her skull. We’re gonna win this. I promised we would. I promised. A chill ran down Twilight’s spine. She lowered her head and charged forward. * * * Flyby was the first to see the row of tables. She galloped up beside one, as Rainbow skidded to a stop on the other side. Rainbow and Flyby looked down at the same moment. On the table between them sat two apple pies—not the full-size wagon-wheel pies they’d been selling, but smaller ones, just this side of too large for a single pony. Rainbow flashed Flyby a grin. “Race you to the bottom!” she cried joyfully. Then, as Flyby watched, she smashed her face directly into the pie, spraying apple goo and pastry crumbs all over the place. A moment later, and she started to munch noisily. Flyby leaned in and took a delicate bite of her pie, then chewed throughtfully. It was good, sure, but not necessarily shove-the-whole-pie-down-the-proverbial-pie-hole-at-once good. As she chewed, her ears pricked up, and she looked around. Suddenly, she froze. Her eyes widened, and, slowly, her chest began to rise and fall in quick little flutters. What fire was left in her eyes quickly blew out. There were ponies. Ponies cheering. Ponies watching. Watching her. Waiting for her to eat the pie, to make a mess, to get it all over her, to laugh— “Hey.” Flyby heard the voice, but the laughter in her head was too loud, swirling around her—! “Flyby,” said the voice. “Fly, look at me.” Flyby swallowed, then looked down at her sister. Her face was covered in apple goo, but she was looking up at Flyby. “Listen to me,” Rainbow said. “They don’t matter.” Flyby swallowed. “I mean, look,” Rainbow continued, nodding to the side. Flyby glanced around. Of the dozen pairs of racers, four of them were already at their tables, trying to navigate their own pies. As she watched, a fifth pair—the farm sisters—dashed up. The pink one grabbed her pie in both hooves, and choked the thing down whole. “See?” Rainbow whispered. “No one cares. There’s so many others, that everyone’s looking somewhere else.” Flyby swallowed, then turned back to Rainbow. Slowly, a little warmth crept back into her eyes, and she smiled. She glanced back down at her pie, and Rainbow grinned. “Try slamming your face in it,” she said. “It’s fun.” And, with that, Rainbow went back to eating. Flyby smiled, then took another bite—and, after a seconds’ hesitation, opened her mouth wider and took another one. * * * Pinks slammed into the hay bale with her shoulder. It titled forward a few inches, then dropped back into place. Pinks strained, her hooves grinding into the dirt beneath her, but the bale didn’t move. Pinks grimaced. She was an Apple. Should’ve been easy as pie to push this thing. Couldn’t be that hard—they let little fillies participate, after all! But then again—a drop of sweat rolled down the back of her neck—she wasn’t a real farmpony, was she? Big Mac and Jackie did all the real work. They did the bucking and hauling, but all Pinks did was sort the apples and sell them. Did she even belong on a farm, if she couldn’t do the actual work? Was she even a real Apple at all, if she couldn’t even—? Beside her, someone thudded into the bale. “Ready?” Applejack grunted. Pinks nodded. “Push,” Applejack ordered. Pinks braced herself again, and started pushing. And the bale moved, smooth as—well, not smooth as applesauce, it wasn’t that easy. But you get the idea. Smooth as something that was almost smooth, but with big chunks in. Smooth as pie filling? Either way, it moved. Pinks pushed—or, really, she steered while Applejack pushed—until she saw the big chalk line pass under their hooves. “We’re good!” Pinks cried—then collapsed against the bale in relief. Applejack put her arm around her, and gave her a little squeeze. “Good job, Pinks,” she said. Pinks shook her head. “Nuh-uh,” she said. “You did all the work. I was just there to make you look good.” “That’s stinkin’ thinkin’,” Applejack replied. “Couldn’t a’ done it without ya, and you know it.” She pulled her hoof from around Pinks’s shoulders, and stood tall. “Now c’mon,” she said. “We got a race to win!” Jackie leapt over the bale and took running. Pinks smiled, then took off after her. * * * Apple Bloom bit her lip, then took a hesitant step forward, onto the downslope of the steep bank. It held for just a moment—but then, it started to crumble, and Apple Bloom yanked her hoof back. She sighed in irritation, then looked up at her ribbon, still suspended over the rushing water. “Hey,” said a voice. “Need some help?” Apple Bloom jumped, then turned and looked. The little unicorn under the tree had woken up, and was looking up at her now. “I, uh…” Apple Bloom turned, self-consciously, and looked back up at her ribbon. “I s’pose,” she admitted. The unicorn rolled onto her belly, then stood with a grimace. She plodded over next to Apple Bloom and looked at the ribbon, then back to her. Her eyes flicked up to her disheveled mane, then back down to her face. “You could always use a scrunchie,” the unicorn said. “I like my ribbon,” she said defensively. The unicorn nodded thoughtfully, then stuck out a hoof. “I’m Moonlight Serenade,” she said. “Most just call me Serenade.” “Apple Bloom,” said Apple Bloom. Serenade nodded, then turned and looked at the ribbon. She stuck her tongue in between her teeth, then lit her horn. * * * Radiance glowered down into the vat of grapes. Twilight was already inside, stomping away without a care in the world. Radiance winced; though she’d always thought hoof-pressed grape juice was romantic, at least in theory, in execution, it was proving to be… well, sticky, to put it frankly. And they’d just been running through the mud and everything, too—and that little tub of water they’d splashed in was hardly enough to properly clean one’s hooves— Twilight glanced up at her. “C’mon, Radey,” she jeered. “Can’t win this for Serenade from up there!” Radiance scowled at her, sniffed, and took a delicate step down into the vat. At the very first squish she recoiled, and nearly stepped out again—but Radiance set her jaw. She was not going to let little Serenade down. And she was not, in a million years,going to let Twilight get the better of her. And yet, it was so messy… Radiance halfheartedly stepped all the way down into the grape sludge. She reluctantly picked up one of her forehooves, then set it down again, trying to ignore the unpleasant squelch. She lifted up a second hoof, then set it down again, and very nearly gagged. She didn’t mind a little mess—but getting your hooves all wet and sticky when there was perfectly good grape juice to be had at the store was simply going too far— Out of the corner of her eye, Radiance saw Twilight, still stomping happily, look up at her. If she had been paying any more attention, she might have noticed Twilight stop moving, then watch her for a few moments. She might even have caught the wicked flash of inspiration that crossed her gaze. “Omigosh, Radiance!” Twilight cried. “There’s a spider! A big, hairy one! In your mane!” Radiance’s eyes bulged, and she shrieked like a frightened schoolfilly. She jumped up in the air a little, and, when she came down, she jogged in place for a few, terrified seconds—spraying Twilight with more than a little grape juice in the process. Twilight just smirked back at her. Radiance noticed Twilight’s expression, then stopped her shrieking. She watched Twilight with wide eyes for just a moment, then stopped her jogging and glared at her. “There is no spider,” she said, accusingly. Twilight looked down at the grapes and resumed her stomping. “Sorry,” she said. “Must have been a trick of the light or something.” Radiance glared at her—then glanced down at her hooves. She stared at them for a moment in silence. Well… now that she couldn’t get her hooves much dirtier, maybe it wouldn’t hurt... She started her stomping again, matching Twilight’s pace in a casual jog. After a moment, she shot her a grin—a tiny one, with more than a hint of irritation—but a grin nonetheless. * * * “Apple catchin’,” Applejack managed to say, her sides already heaving. “Launch, or catch?” “Catch,” Pinks said, without hesitation. She dashed forward, scooped up the bushel, and kept running, all without breaking stride. AJ stopped for just a moment to catch her breath, then glanced over at the apples, where they stood piled in a bushel on the end of a narrow, wooden bench. They’d decided to use the benches because they’d run out of chairs for the old folks who wanted to watch the festivities, and barrels were too high off the ground. But, maybe… “Incoming!” AJ hollered, then leapt on one end of the bench. The bushel launched up in the air like it had been shot from a catapult. AJ stepped down, then watched the apples fly through the air. As they started to fall, she bit her lip. She needn’t have worried; Pinks didn’t even blink. She watched the apples for a moment, then dropped her bushel, picked it up in her hooves, and held it over her head. And, with a thunderous roar like falling water, all the apples slammed into the bushel. Every single one. Applejack let out a low whistle as Pinks set down the bushel. She shot a smile at Applejack, then turned and trotted towards the next event. Applejack took a deep breath, then galloped up to join her. As she drew closer to Pinks, Applejack felt a little twinge of envy. Pinks could really move when she wanted to—and she could keep moving all day, if needed. And, she was so good with those hooves of hers, it was almost scary, sometimes. Applejack frowned. She was the stronger of the two, they’d settled that a long time ago. But maybe there was more to being an Apple than just applebucking… Pinks looked over her shoulder at Applejack. “C’mon, slowpoke!” she cried joyfully. “Don’t make me leave ya behind, now!” Applejack grinned, took a deep breath, then put on a fresh burst of speed. * * * “Careful, now,” Apple Bloom said. “Y’don’t want to fall in…” Serenade shot her a poisonous look. “I’m not gonna fall in,” she said. “I’m not a baby, you know.” Apple Bloom bit her lower lip, then took a step back. Serenade snorted, then turned back to the river. She stared at the ribbon, still hanging off the end of the branch, then lit her horn. Apple Bloom watched as the ribbon glowed faintly green. Serenade gave a little groan, but it didn’t move. Serenade glanced back over her shoulder, took a step closer to the water, and strained until a vein popped out on her neck—but still, the ribbon did not move. Serenade snarled. Her horn glowed brighter, and she took another step forward. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Don’t—!” * * * “Nice and slow, Rainbow,” Flyby murmured. Rainbow almost nodded, but she caught herself at the last second. She glanced at the egg balance on the end of her nose—so close she almost had to go cross-eyed—and scowled. She squinted past the egg, at the basket sitting on the table at the other end of the yard. All she had to do was make it over there without dropping the egg. Easy, right? The egg wobbled dangerously on her snout. She glanced at it, watched it wibble a bit, then took another, hesitant step forward. She glanced at the basket. It was still so far away—hardly any closer than when she’d started—what, a half-hour ago? As Rainbow stared at the basket, she felt a fire spark in the back of her brain. The egg began to tremble. What was she even doing this for? She has joined because she wanted to race, not to carry eggs. And why did they have to walk all this distance? If they wanted to see them do something stupid as carrying eggs on their noses, they could have got their jollies in ten feet, not a thousand, couldn’t they? And why eggs? This damn thing had been in a chicken’s butt fifteen minutes ago, and now they wanted her to carry it in her face? What was wrong—? And suddenly, Rainbow felt the gentle touch of feathers on her shoulder. “Easy, Rainbow,” Flyby said, gently. “Easy.” Rainbow’s eyes widened. She took a deep breath through her clenched teeth. “Let it pass,” Flyby said. “It can only hurt you if you let it.” Rainbow breathed out, then back in again. “Save the anger,” Flyby said. “Save it for when you really need it. A blue ribbon and some jam isn’t worth it.” Rainbow took another deep breath, then opened her eyes. She turned and shot a glance at Flyby, then took another careful, measured step. Flyby walked beside her, her wing draped over her shoulder, until they reached the egg basket. * * * Radiance charged around the corner, and almost shrieked in joy. There, up ahead, waved the checkered banner—they were almost there! She glanced behind her to make sure Twilight was at her tail—and she snarled. Twilight was right behind her, yes—but just behind her was a pair of pegasi in goggles, and, just behind them was a pair of earth ponies wearing bandanas. She and Twilight had almost won, but they weren’t home yet. Radiance kept running, and slowly, Twilight, legs pistoning in a lilac blur, pulled up alongside her. But Radiance’s breath was coming in sharp, ragged stabs, and she could feel herself slowing down. That was all the opening the others needed. The sound of pounding hooves grew louder. On her left came the pegasi, and, on the right, the earth ponies. All six of them, somehow, miraculously, were pelting, neck-and-neck, towards the finish line. Radiance snarled. She had done so much—and she wasn’t going to lose now, not after everything— Radiance gritted her teeth and tried to force the last bit of strength she had into her limbs. The finish line was so close, and yet so far away— —do it for Serenade— And suddenly, a filly leapt onto the course, right in their path. Before Radiance herself could even register the sight, her knees locked in place, and she skidded to a halt. Beside her, Twilight cried out in alarm. The others must have heard the cry, or perhaps seen the filly themselves, as they, too, forced themselves to stop. After a moment of silent confusion, the orange earth pony stepped forward. “Apple Bloom?” she asked the filly. “What in the hay are you doin’—?” The filly gulped, and looked up at the pony with wild eyes. “In—the—river—!” she managed to gasp, in between breaths. The orange one cocked her head, and the pink one stepped up beside her. “What’s in the river?” The filly took another deep, rattling breath. “S-S…” she stammered. “S-Sara—” Radiance froze. Then, before anyone could say another word, she stepped forward. “Serenade?” she barked. “Serenade fell in the river?” Apple Bloom looked up at her, then just nodded. Around her, the other ponies gasped and cried—but Radiance zeroed in on the filly. “Where?” she demanded. “Show me!” The yellow pegasus looked at her sister. The blue one nodded, then stepped forward. “Show all of us,” she said, picking the filly up around her middle. “And quick,” she added, flapping her wings.