"It's very nice of you to allow me to come for this Applejack. I am very thankful to you for allowing me to do this." Deca said.
"When ya mentioned that you've never seen a single rodeo, what kind of friend would ah be if ah didn't give you the opportunity to come see one?" Applejack asked.
"Am I the only one that finds the fact that we're bringing a robot to a place where it can get muddy a little counter productive?" Spoiled Rich asked.
"Not to worry about that. Mud was splashed on me once a few days back and the circuitry of this body was just fine." Deca said.
"Besides mom, that's still Deca in there. It's just a body for that AI I told you about." Diamond Tiara said.
"I still find the whole thing a little wierd." Spoiled Rich said.
"I'm surprised your coming along Diamond Tiara." Sweetie Belle said.
"I'm not going to try and do any of that activities, but I did want to come along to support Applejack at least." Diamond Tiara said. "Besides, you girls will probably be trying to do the various activities to get your cutie marks."
"Ah just hope this year's rodeo isn't sabotaged like last year's." Applejack said.
Spoiled Rich's ears perked up at that. "Sabotaged? Who would sabotage a rodeo? It's important to Apploosa right?" Spoiled Rich asked.
"Wasn't that the Buffalo just messing with the settlers?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Oh. Ah'm guessing ah forgot to mention that Braeborn had asked the Buffalo if any of them had information about an outlaw known as Trouble Shoes." Applejack said.
"Outlaw?!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed.
"Yeah. Every time something went wrong around the rodeo, an upside down horshoe print has been spotted. And one time, one pony even saw the stallion known as Trouble Shoes flee the scene of the crime." Applejack said.
"And the town still wants to hold another rodeo?" Spoiled Rich asked.
"This year, with the Buffalo's help, Appaloosa wants to capture Trouble Shoes once and for all." Applejack said. "We don't want any more sabotage."
"We can help sis." Apple Bloom said.
"What?" Applejack turned towards her sister.
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders will see if we can find Trouble Shoe's house. That would make it easier for the Appleloosa's local police force to capture him wouldn't it? That way, every pony can focus on the rodeo." Apple Bloom said.
"Heh. Guess it's good Team Strikers is also here." Raiden said.
"Since when was your team on this train?" Spoiled Rich asked.
"Are you sure you all can handle looking after the kids?" Applejack asked.
"Trouble Shoes may still show up at the Rodeo though." Scootaloo pointed out.
"I've already got a plan: Lightning and I will stay at where the Rodeo is set up and see if we can't capture Trouble Shoes there. Meanwhile, Bart and Minx can go with the foals to find Trouble Shoes's house." Raiden said.
"Really? You'd trust Bart and I with that?" Minx asked.
"I think it's time the two of you had your own heroic achievements away from Lightning and I; otherwise, you'd probably never live up to the reputation we carry." Raiden said. "And finding an outlaw's home seems like a great first step."
"We won't let you down Raiden!" Bart said.
However, after actually encountering Trouble Shoes, and learning about him, this actually caused the CMC to defend him, and explain the whole situation. Seems Trouble Shoes was never doing anything intentionally; a side effect that's been going on with him ever since getting his cutie mark is causing bad luck to occur at the most in-opportune times. It's why everything revolving around him is just his cutie mark effecting the world around him.
And after hearing the story of Trouble Shoes, the town was more then happy to let the stallion run around as a Rodeo Clown; as it seems the other kids around found his bad luck funny to see, which got the adults laughing too.
"You know, this reminds me of Absols in a way." Lightning said.
"Absols are a Pokemon--" Deca began.
"Nope! I'm not even going to let you finish any data you have. See, the thing about Absols is that many people believe that Absols are harbingers of disasters thanks to many superstitions. But they don't actually cause any disasters ironically. They are there to try and warn people of an incoming disaster. However, the superstitions make it very easy for some trouble maker to blame a disaster they themselves caused on an Absol if one was spotted nearby." Lightning Said. "It happens way more often than you'd think it does."
"As some pony whose suffered from a similar fate, ah can relate." Trouble Shoes said.
"I suppose you can huh?" Spoiled Rich asked.
"No cutie marks for clearing the name of a stallion who can't help being cursed with bad luck though." Scootaloo said.
"Maybe not, but you kids still did a good thing here today. You should be proud of that." Raiden said.
Suddenly, a dust tornado began to head for Appaloosa. "LOOK OUT, A DUST TORNADO!" Scootaloo said.
"But it's no where even close to the season for those!" Braeburn said.
"That's because that was made by some yellow maned teal green pegasus. I saw it." Little Strongeheart said.
"...Lightning Dust caused it? But why?" Applejack asked.
"More importantly, how can we stop it? There's not any Pegasi besides Scootaloo and Rumble and their both just kids." Spoiled Rich said.
"Do we run for cover?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"But what about the Rodeo?" Rumble asked.
"...We've got no choice but to try." Scootaloo said.
Miracle of miracles, Scootaloo and Rumble managed to calm down the dust tornado by working together.
"Two good deeds in one day. We gotta step up our game Bart." Minx said.
"We should let them have this one though. They saved the rodeo." Bart said.
Deca MLP Log #4
Subject: The Concept of Luck & Trouble Shoes
Previously, this AI did not believe that it was possible for any kind of luck to physically exist. But that changed once this unit encountered Trouble Shoes; a stallion whose cutie mark causes bad luck to happen in his vicinity. As such, I have decided to rethink my interpretation. While it's possible for people to make their own luck in life, luck does play a pivotal factor in the world around us and exists just as much as the oxygen in the air. As such, what was once an imaginary concept is very much as real as the earth beneath our very feet, hooves, paws, and whatever else intelligent life forms have. And I have Trouble Shoes to thank for teaching me this.
Meanwhile, Lightning Dust was in a dirt ditch out in the desert. "Worthless Pegasus. You just HAD to get yourself caught. You didn't even realize that you were spotted. You have no place in my squad if your caught so easily like that. So you are officially discarded." Marina said as she walked away.
Lightning Dust meanwhile could only be thankful that that Mawile didn't kill her; because the power and technique behind that Mawile...
Lightning Dust had to discard that thought; not wanting to think about what she'd look like if the Mawile really did decide to kill her.