//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three: I Guess Luck can be a Superpower 
// Story: Lucky Horseshoes 
// by Foal Star 
//------------------------------//

Trouble Shoes felt relieved that, so far, everything had been going relatively smoothly with Applejack despite his new "luck powers," as Pinkie Pie coined seemed to be happening throughout the day. Despite all the strange luck brought onto him due to his cutie mark, the mare is much better and more confident. But was his good luck a superpower? That was still up for debate. As the stallion thought about this, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a little bunny standing in the middle of the street nibbling on a carrot. But then noticed that a carriage led by two massive earth pony stallions was racing down the road at breakneck speeds rolling down the road and saw they were going to hit the bunny! Without thinking, Trouble Shoes swooped in, nabbed the bunny, and made his way to safety as the carriage trampled over the carrot. When the stallion got up, he brushed the dirt off the poor scared rabbit and whispered, "Hey, are you okay? You gave me a scare back there."

He then turned to see a yellow pegasus fly over with a worried look on her face and cried out, "Oh, thank Celestia!" 

She flew over, grabbed the bunny, and hugged it tightly, crying, "Oh, thank you for saving my adorable little bunny." The pegasus looked up and asked, "What's your name?"

The former stallion threw a hoof and said, "My friends call me Lucky, and it was no big deal."

Fluttershy flew to him with a smile and squealed, "Oh, but it is a big deal! Anypony who risks their neck for a bunny is a friend in my book!"

Applejack then came running by, looking somewhat worried, and upon seeing "Lucky," gave a sigh of relief and said, "Looks like you're alright, though ya might've gotten smashed by that carriage."

"Oh no, I'm fine, plus it seems I've made a new friend," Trouble Shoes replied, pointing a hoof at the yellow pegasus.

"Well, looky here, guess ya making friends with Fluttershy already."

"Oh, Applejack, you know this pony?"

The orange-coated mare gave a hearty laugh, "Know her!? Fluttershy's one of my closest friends."

Fluttershy bent her head down, looking rather bashful at Trouble Shoes, "Well, Lucky, it was a pleasure meeting you. How long are you planning to stay in Ponyville?"

The former stallion paused as she tapped a hoof to her chin and replied, "Oh, well, just until the Appleloosa Rodeo; from there, not sure where I'll be going."

"Well…would you want to stay in Ponyville?"

Lucky's ears perked up, and he cheered, "Oh, of course!? That sounds like a great idea!"

Applejack approached Trouble Shoes and gave him a nuzzle, then said, "Well, she's welcome to stay at my place for as long as she wants."

"That does sound lovely," She turned to face Trouble Shoes, then added, "Please stop by my cottage at any time." Fluttershy finished as she flew off with her bunny.

Trouble Shoes then let out a sigh of relief as he plopped down onto a park bench, then said, "Well, that went well."

Applejack trotted over, sat beside her, and asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Trouble Shoes then turned to face Applejack with a guilty look and said, "Well, you see, I've been thinking…what if my luck isn't making me lucky but causing bad luck for others? What if that bunny was only in trouble because of me?"

The farm mare was surprised by the question and responded, "Um…well, that's hard to say; I don't know much about cutie marks, but I doubt they can do that."

"What if at the rodeo, instead of just making me good, I make others screw up or worse! I couldn't bear to see other ponies get hurt."

Applejack placed a hoof on his shoulder and said, "Listen, there's no way a cutie mark causes other ponies to get hurt or have bad luck. You have a lot of good luck, and from the looks of things, you're using it for good. You stopped a thief and saved a bunny, so if you have unnaturally good luck, then I would say you've been using it for good so far. If it helps you with the rodeo, why don't you put the winnings into helping others? Why don't we take a page from Pinkie Pie's book and make your good luck into a superpower?"

Trouble Shoes chuckled at the thought, then said, "Well, said…but what about you? I don't want to make you feel bad about losing to me at the rodeo because of my cutie mark."

The farm mare sighed as she sat by her friend and said, "Listen, I may seem more humble than most, but I also have my pride. Not too long ago, I went to compete in the biggest rodeo in Canterlot and lost at nearly every event. I was so stubborn and I ended up lying to my friends and family. Then I went to work at a cherry farm to make up the earnings in return for all the support I got from Ponyville."

"I see…"

"Well, after my friends had to come and knock some sense into me, I realized how badly I wanted to be a rodeo star myself," She then showed her cutie mark and said, "But listen, I know deep down even if I get every blue ribbon at every rodeo show that isn't gonna make me feel satisfied. Helping my family and running Sweet Apple Acres keeps me going, and I'm proud of my hard work to keep my family’s apple orchard running and have no regrets about that."

Lucky gave Applejack a playful smirk and then asked, "Well, guess you're trying to say I shouldn't feel bad about beating you?"

Applejack smirked back and said, "Yeah, something like that."

Lucky paused then an idea came into her head as she thought aloud, "Well, I just had this crazy idea. What if instead of me trying to compete against you, why don't we go as a team?"

"A team?"

The orange-coated mare flashed her a smile and exclaimed, "Yeah, we compete both for Ponyville at Appleloosa! Heck, they have tons of rodeo ponies! I bet Ponyville can use extra hoof winning blue ribbons!"

Trouble Shoes tapped a hoof to his chin, thinking things over, and whispered, "Right, you have a point." 

"It sounds like a great idea; we can compete together!" Applejack laughed as she shot up onto her hooves, then exclaimed, "Between you and me, we can win every blue ribbon in Appleloosa!"

Trouble Shoes got up, seeing that Applejack made some excellent points, and added, "Then we can use our winnings to help Ponyville and Appleloosa alike…that way, we can use my luck powers for good."

Applejack snickered and said, "Mentioning your powers, if we're gonna be superheroes, we'll need costumes."

Lucky paused with a surprised look on his face and asked, "Oh, you know somepony who could make us uniforms?"

Applejack smirked and said, "Yeah, I know, just the pony."









During the afternoon, Rarity was standing behind her counter, going about her business selling her outfits to ponies. It was a rather dull day, and she couldn't help but let her mind drift, thinking about her new boutique in Canterlot and hoping that Sassy Saddles had been doing well since their last meeting a few weeks ago. She heard her bell ring, looked over near the entrance, and spotted her friend Applejack trotting alongside another earth pony she had never seen before. A brown-coated mare with bright green eyes, she was super eye-catching with her wavy dark brown mane, and she looked right at the fashionista and asked, "So this is Rarity?"

"Yup, that's her, alright."

Rarity threw a hoof and scoffed, "Do you have to say that, Applejack? Now who's your friend here?"

The brown-coated earth pony held out a hoof with a smile. "My name is Lucky Horseshoes."

"Oh, that's quite an interesting name. Are you really lucky?"

Lucky got rather bashful and said, "Pinkie Pie thinks I have a superpower."

Rarity couldn't help but laugh. "Pinkie Pie says a lot of crazy things," She then shrugged and added, "But who knows, you could have a superpower?"

She turned towards Applejack and asked, "So what brings you to my boutique?”

Applejack started to scratch her mane as she seemed somewhat embarrassed and said, "Well, if I'm being honest, we came here because we're teaming up for the big rodeo in Appleloosa, and we need matching uniforms."

Rarity then clapped her hooves together. "Oh, that sounds intriguing. Who knew the thing that would get Applejack to come over looking for a new outfit would be a rodeo!?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in; we just need matching hats and boots," The farm mare then got rather serious and snapped, "Let me add, we don't do anything too fru fru."

Lucky couldn't help but look rather squeamish and squeak, "Yes, please, not anything too fru fru, please."

Rarity rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, of course, I understand Applejack's rustic charm; I'll work out something but come, I need to get your measurements!"

The fashionista then escorted Applejack and the new pony "Lucky" onto one of her stands. She was going over them with measuring tape and sizing their bodies and heads. Rarity couldn't help but take her time with Lucky and couldn't help but admire her femininity and rustic charm being a good mix, especially the four-leaf clover cutie mark on her flank and the white stripe of fur on the mare's muzzle with her glistening emerald eyes and long thick lashes.

"Um, Rarity? Are you okay?"

The white-coated unicorn squeaked in surprise and exclaimed, "I apologize!" 

She then wrapped up her measurements, wrote them down, and added, "Well, I think I have an idea; how about you come by tomorrow, and I'll have your outfits ready for you?"

Lucky's face brightened as she exclaimed, "That would be great!" She then took out the bag of bits from earlier, and Rarity shook a hoof. "There's no need for payment."

"You sure these outfits look mighty expensive? I don't mind paying for this.”

Rarity tapped a hoof to her chin, then, with a smile, exclaimed, "I have a better idea; why don't you simply sponsor my shop at the rodeo? I bet any Appleloosans seeing your outfits will come running to my doors. Spread the word Rarity, make your uniforms, and that'll be payment enough."

Lucky bowed her head with a bashful look and whispered, "You're too generous."

Rarity took the brown-coated mare by the hoof and gazed at her as she said, "Take it from me, darling. You can never be too generous." She booped her muzzle and said, "Now, while you're here in Ponyville, why don't we take you to the spa!"

"Spa?" Lucky squeaked in surprise. "I… I've never been to a spa!?"

"Oh, darling, then you're in for a treat!" Rarity chimed as she clapped her hooves together. She then took Lucky by the hoof and led her out the door.

"W…wait!? I seriously don't want to get all girly up, please!?" The mare whined. 

"Oh, it won't be that bad," Applejack laughed as she nuzzled her friend, "Trust me, even I can take a spa trip occasionally."

"Applejack speaks the truth; trust me, darling, the day spa in Ponyville will treat you like royalty!"

"Well, that does sound lovely, but still, I'm not sure if I'm ready for a spa treatment," Lucky whined, but it was no use as the two mares continued pushing her out the door, and they headed off the road. 









Trouble Shoes didn't consider his gender swap since some stallion was eyeing him earlier this afternoon. They were now in Ponyville's Day Spa, surrounded by purple marble. It wasn't long until she came forward with a blush as a blue-coated earth pony mare named Lotus with a slick pink mane and her sister Aloe having a pink coat and smooth blue hair. They both bowed and said in unison, "Welcome, Rarity and Applejack. Do you wish for your usuals?"

 "Of course! But can you take care of our new friend here? This is her first time at a spa," Rarity explained.

"Oh, the newcomer, what's her name?" Lotus asked with a bashful smirk making Trouble Shoes feel somewhat overwhelmed with these mares looking at him seductively. 

He threw his hooves over his face and cried, "It's Lucky."

The stallion was then escorted by the spa ponies and was laid down on a bench. Meanwhile, the two went to work scrubbing his hooves with pumice stones. Trouble Shoes winced as it was such an odd feeling as his hooves were rather sensitive, making him kick and squeal. Trouble Shoes could feel chunks of dirt and bone despite his gender transformation; it didn't get rid of her hooves' rough state being worn down from years of back-breaking toil.

Aloe was sweating, trying to scrub out the dirt and grime from her back hooves, and wheezed, "Rarity wasn't kidding when you said you never went to a spa before."

"Yes, indeed, her hooves are worse than Applejack's," Lotus commented. 

Trouble Shoes let the hoof care continue, and in a matter of minutes, his once rough hooves covered in mud were now spotless and smooth as glass. The two spa mares then applied a thick layer of green mud onto his face. They then escorted him to a massive hot bath in the back of the spa, and there he laid down gently until she was waist-deep in the bubbly suds, alongside Applejack and Rarity. The three mostly relaxed with little conversation until the fashionista turned her attention towards him and asked, "So, Lucky, tell us about yourself, darling? What brought you to Ponyville?"

The brown-coated mare's cheeks flushed pink, and he said, "Well, um…you see, I'm from Appleloosa, and I didn't have much going on," The former stallion sighed as he laid back and said, "Honestly, I think I should've moved to Ponyville earlier."

Rarity was getting her horn scrubbed down with a pumice stone by Aloe and Lotus as she said, "I see? From what Applejack tells me, you're the best rodeo pony she's ever seen."

Trouble Shoes bowed his head feeling a bit bashful, seeing he had to lie a little to keep them from learning his former life as a clumsy stallion, and said, "Well…I, um, was somepony who just did odd jobs around Appleloosa, nothing special…I was always timid of crowds and tried to keep my head down."

The farm mare turned towards him and said, "You sound a lot like Fluttershy; she can be like that."

Trouble Shoes thought back to the shy yellow pegasus he had met earlier. They saw he was somewhat similar to her, being shy but sweet and caring. Then said, "Yes, that's true. I am quite shy and avoid crowds, but I always wanted to be a rodeo pony and practice in secret. I just never completed it officially before."

The fashionista laughed, "Well, from the sounds of it, you just need a confidence boost, darling!"

Trouble Shoes blinked, being somewhat surprised, never thinking about that seeing he always was doubting himself, and thought maybe that was hampering his ability to perform and whispered, "Yeah, maybe you're right?"

The farm mare gave her a pat on the shoulder, "We can provide that; all you got ta do is be yourself."

"Right," Trouble Shoes replied with a smile as he laid back, relaxing and feeling relieved and relaxed not just from being pampered but because he was much more confident than before. The former stallion could achieve his dream of being a rodeo star, and the best part was that he wouldn't have to do it alone. 









Later that evening, they were at a party with the others, and Trouble Shoes was nervous. Still, as he went through the castle doors, she was surprised how it was unlike anything she expected in a green banner with gold lining reading: "Welcome to Ponyville Lucky!" with a banquet filled with food and bowls of punch. Ponies were laughing with music blasting through the castle. Trouble Shoes' heart leaped with joy as he saw how welcoming these ponies were.

"Hello, Lucky!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced over with a smile.

"Hello, Pinkie," Trouble Shoes replied as he felt somewhat nervous around the pink party pony and asked, "Hopefully, we didn't get off on the wrong hoof?"

The pink-coated earth pony threw a hoof and said, "Oh, I hope I didn't get off the wrong hoof! I was just surprised by your luck powers."

"Right, my luck powers," The brown-coated mare couldn't help but squeak with a blush on his face. 

"Oh, but she does have luck powers!" 

Trouble Shoes recognized the voice of Fluttershy to see the pegasus flying over. "She saved one of my bunnies from being crushed by a carriage."

Pinkie Pie gasped and exclaimed, "No way! Doesn't that confirm what I've said before!?"

"Luck powers, huh? Pinkie Pie could be onto something." 

The ponies all turned to see a purple-coated alicorn, then came over and held out a hoof, "Sorry, I never introduced you to Ponyville officially. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm honored to have you compete for Ponyville in the upcoming rodeo in Appleloosa."

"Princess Twilight! Oh no, thank you for hosting this party!" Trouble Shoes cried as he shook her hoof.

"Well, any friend of Applejack's is a friend of mine."

Trouble Shoes bowed before the princess and said, "So what do you mean? Could Pinkie Pie's theory be true? My cutie mark is giving me luck powers?"

Twilight shrugged, "Honestly, I'm not sure; I've read many books on cutie marks, and there's never been anything recorded about one giving a pony good luck powers. I'll be sure to look into it."

"Thank you, princess, that would be wonderful," The former stallion replied with a smile hoping Princess Twilight could find an answer to her cutie mark. 

They then went to the banquet table, and a cream pie came flying out of nowhere; Trouble Shoes ducked and could dodge it in time, but then she heard a Splat! And looked behind her to see that the cream pie had slammed into Applejack's face.

"Rats!" Pinkie shouted as she bounced away.

Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed agitatedly, "This isn't gonna get old fast." As the mare wiped the cream pie from her face.

"Guess Pinkie Pie is testing my luck powers?"

"Yeah, guess so, might as well get ready for more cream pies to be thrown at us."

Trouble Shoes then noticed another pegasus; this one had a light blue coat and a wild rainbow-colored mane with magenta-colored eyes. As she said, "That was pretty awesome!"

"What was?"

"Dodging that pie! Pinkie Pie told me you had luck powers, but you have good reflexes!" 

Trouble Shoes couldn't help feeling better about himself, but he was confused and said, "Thank you, but who are you?"

The pegasus pointed a hoof to her chest and said, "Name's Rainbow Dash!"

"Ok, Applejack mentioned you before," Trouble Shoes replied as he shook her hoof. 

"Good thing she did; glad to see another athletic pony around here, and I heard you're competing for Ponyville at the Appleloosa rodeo?"

"That's right." 

 "Well, why don't you and I have a hoof race? I could test your endurance and see how well you do against me?"

"Uh, sure? Maybe sometime tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow!? Why not now?"

Applejack rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Rainbow, you're fast, but Lucky is gonna leave you in the dust."

"As if! Even with her luck powers, there's no way she can beat me in a hoof race!"

Trouble Shoes gulped as he looked downward and uncertain, but Applejack slapped her on the back, "Come on, Lucky, let's knock Rainbow's ego down a notch."

It was only a short time until everypony was outside the castle, it being night now, with the moon shining its silvery glow onto the crystals that lit up Twilight's castle. The princess of friendship herself was setting up a starting line and a finish line with her magic while the rest of her friends were standing on the sidelines. Other than Pinkie was warming up her party cannon while eyeing Trouble Shoes with a suspicious look.  

Trouble Shoes couldn't help but feel nervous, racing Rainbow Dash, wondering what could happen. Applejack then came over and asked, "Are you nervous?" 

Trouble Shoes gulped as he looked over at Applejack and admitted, "Yeah, a little."

"It's okay, just relax. You got this. Just give it your all."

Trouble Shoes couldn't help but feel his anxieties melt away at Applejack's words and then nuzzled him. "Don't worry; I got this."

He and Rainbow Dash took their positions at the starting line as Twilight stood before them and said, "Alright, the race is simple, one lap around the castle. Remember, Rainbow Dash, don't use your wings and keep this race clean; no shortcuts or cheating."

"Alright, we get it; let's start the race already!" Rainbow shouted as she pawed at the ground. 

Twilight nodded as she raised her hooves onto her back, threw out her wings, and said, "On the count of three."

Trouble Shoes still felt anxious, but seeing Applejack's face calmed him as he faced forward, seeing that the night sky made it quite dark. But luckily for them, Twilight had illuminated the path with little balls of light. 

"One."

The former stallion bent forward, as did Rainbow Dash.

"Two"

Pinkie Pie then lit her party cannon and waited as the sizzling flame trailed up the whisk at the end of her cannon. 

"Three!"

Pinkie Pie then shot out her party cannon with four-leaf clovers bursting outward like before. Then the two mares burst off from the starting line and raced across the field around the massive crystal castle. Trouble Shoes were surprised at how fast Rainbow was on the hoof. Even without her wings, she was outpacing her by a few feet. Trouble Shoes saw that there was almost nothing he could do to win and wondered if his "good luck powers" would kick in. Near the finish line, Trouble Shoes watched as Rainbow Dash was about to cross it. Still, somehow, she suddenly tripped on something and stumbled a bit. Meanwhile, Trouble Shoes ran past her, turning back to help Rainbow Dash onto her hooves as she grumbled, "Did you leave that there?"

"No, of course not! I swear I didn't!" Trouble Shoes cried out. 

Twilight came over and asked, "I saw the whole race; Lucky didn't cheat; it was just an accident. If anything, it's my fault. I should've spotted the rock before the race began."

Everypony nodded in agreement as Pinkie still eyed Lucky. Rainbow just sighed and grumbled, "Fine, I'll take the loss," She turned to Trouble Shoes and said, "We are going to race again, and next time, I'll make sure there aren't any rocks on our course."

"Of course, for sure," Trouble Shoes replied and took a bow, then watched as Rainbow limped back inside along with the rest of her friends. 

Meanwhile, Applejack came over and nuzzled him. "Looks like you won."

"Rainbow Dash just stumbled on a rock; it wasn't a fair race."

The farm mare rolled her eyes, "That's Rainbow Dash's fault for not paying attention to her hooves. Trust me; it ain't the first time she tripped on a hoof race and blamed it on me."

Trouble Shoes shook his head, still feeling responsible, and said, "Yeah, but what if I caused her to trip? I didn't want to, but…"

Applejack trotted close to him, gave him a gentle nuzzle, and said, "There's no way a cutie mark can cause other ponies bad luck. Trust me, alright? You won fair and square."

Trouble Shoes felt his heart racing as he wondered why he felt so queasy around Applejack. Was it because he couldn't take his eyes off her rustic charm and those piercing emerald-green eyes? But what if she was into only mares? Was it fair not to tell her he was a stallion?

Applejack seemed unable to take her eyes off his. Then, without thinking, they both came right up close to each other, and then their muzzles came up close together, and then without a second thought, the two mares started to kiss under the moonlight.