"Do we have to do this?" Lucky mumbled, being somewhat insecure as she approached the Ponyville Day spa alongside Rarity and Applejack. She has gone here before, but she still wasn't used to the idea of being pampered, and it's been a while since her last visit. As they approached the doorway, Lucky remained hesitant to go inside. The fashionista trotted alongside her must've noticed her being hesitant and said, "Come now as a new mare; I think it's about time we get you to express yourself fully."
Applejack nudged her as well, then insisted. "Come on now, don't be shy, even if I come here to get pampered occasionally. I promise I'll be with you every step of the way."
"Ok…" Lucky whispered as she nudged her mare friend back; having Applejack tag along helped ease her insecurities so she felt less anxious indulging in more feminine activities. The trio then went into the spa lobby, and it wasn't long until Aloe and Lotus came over, and both bowed. "Welcome, Rarity, Applejack…."
Lotus looked up, turned her attention to the brown-coated mare, and asked, "What was your name again?"
"It's Lucky."
"Right, Lucky, thank you."
Aloe turned to Rarity. "So, will we be doing your usual?"
"Yes, of course, and make sure to add Lucky as well."
"Alright, lucky for you three, we aren't that busy today; come, let's get started."
The three were then taken to benches in the back of the spa to start their pedicures. As the brown-coated mare was laid out on a table, she had her hooves grind as she kicked and squeaked out in shock as she felt pieces of old hoof being removed and scraped off. Her hooves were feeling rather sensitive and so good at the same time. A thick green face mask was then slowly applied to her face, and the heavy cream on it felt calm and cooling. She then had her mane all wrapped up in a towel. She was then settled down along with Rarity and Applejack, sitting beside her in a massive hot tub bubbling with two relaxing deep in the sweet-smelling bath. After relaxing for nearly an hour, Lucky let out a sigh of relief as she was neck deep in a hot tub with a green face mask over her face while enjoying a nice relaxing bath with her friend Rarity as she was enjoying a nice restful night before the big rodeo tomorrow. The fashionista then pulled a cucumber slice from her right eye to see her and asked, "So, are you enjoying being a mare?"
Lucky was now fully accepting herself as she laid her head back as her mane was steaming under a towel and sighed, "Oh, it's been amazing, and I can't wait for tomorrow."
Rarity swam over a little, getting close to her, and asked, "Well darling, I think that if you're going to stay as a mare, I've been meaning to ask, would you like me to make you a dress?"
Lucky's eyes went wide with surprise as the cucumber slices plopped into the water as she cried, "A d…dress!?"
"Yes, darling, we should definitely make you a dress!" Rarity chimed.
"Are you serious!?"
"Oh, I certainly am! Twilight is throwing a party after you and Applejack return from the Canterlot Rodeo!"
Lucky looked nervously at Applejack, wondering to herself if she'd confirm this wasn't too girly, but her mare friend nuzzled in on her left and asked, "Just go on, let her make you a dress."
"What if we both got all dressed up for the party tomorrow?"
The orange-coated earth pony nuzzled her mare friend and whispered in her ear, "Sounds like a swell idea. I am planning to wear my gala dress; after all, we'll both be the belles of the ball."
Lucky couldn't help but take the opportunity to kiss Applejack on the lips, then whispered, "I would like that."
The white-coated unicorn clapped her hooves together and chirped. "That sounds wonderful darlings! We shall go to my boutique once you're finished freshening up; I'll get your measurements and think of a design; then, by tomorrow evening, your dress will be ready."
"Yes, that does sound wonderful," Lucky whispered to herself as she laid back in the bath.
"That sounds like a great idea to me. Can't wait to see Lucky all prettied up."
"Guess you want to get your hooves and makeup done too!?"
Lucky imagined herself having makeup and thick eyeliner and becoming excited as she squealed, "That sounds wonderful!"
The mare then laid back and decided just to let go and relax, enjoying herself at the moment as she continued to soak in the bath salts around her body, feeling any stress she had melt away in the steamy bath water and letting herself truly embrace not caring what is masculine or feminine and imaging herself all dressed up like some fairy tale princess.
The following morning, Lucky was slowly waking up in Applejack's, all wrapped up in a pile of blankets and with her all snuggled up next to her side. The smell of apple cinnamon pancakes wafting from the kitchen downstairs which was making her mouth water. But she turned her attention back to her mare friend, who was still lying in bed looking so peaceful as ever, her blonde mane going over her face. The brown-coated earth pony wouldn't mind just laying back in bed and snuggling her new marefriend, but she knew they both had to get up to make their train. Lucky then nuzzled Applejack's mane and whispered, "It's time to wake up."
The orange-coated mare blinked and looked out the window; she threw a blanket over her face and yawned, "Hmmm, can't we just sleep in?"
Lucky bent down, kissed her, then whispered, "We can't have a rodeo to get to."
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up." Applejack stretched her limbs and followed Lucky downstairs as they followed the scent of pancakes to the kitchen. They found Big Mac flipping pancakes within, and the stallion turned to them with a smile. "Morning!"
"Morning, Big Mac," Lucky yawned as she and Applejack trotted to their seats and sat down with a plate of pancakes for her and Lucky. They both greedily ate as much as possible, shoveling away as many pancakes as possible and drowning down their mugs of coffee. Apple Bloom trotted to Lucky as they enjoyed their meal and asked, "So you're gonna tell me about this other Trouble Shoes?"
The brown-coated earth pony paused and tapped a hoof to her chin. "Oh him, yes, he was quite funny; he reminded me of myself when I was a stallion."
"So, he was super clumsy and stuff?"
"Yes, he's a rodeo clown, and you helped him get his new cutie mark."
The little filly started to bounce up and down in excitement. "That sounds so cool! I bet once I get my cutie mark, I can also help other ponies get theirs!"
Lucky ruffled her mane with a smile. "That sounds wonderful. From the sounds of things, your other version of yourself doesn't sound much different from you."
"That's awesome! I think it'll be great to get the other cutie mark crusaders and go help other ponies find their cutie marks!"
Applejack hugged her sister and ruffled her mane as she insisted, "How about you focus on getting your cutie mark first,"
Apple Bloom fought her off, then looked at Lucky and asked, "What about Applejack? Was she any different from our alternate selves?"
Lucky's cheeks flushed red and scratched the back of her mane as she stammered, "Oh, uh? Well, crazy thing you're a stallion in this alternate universe."
The orange-coated mare's face turned red as Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom burst into laughter.
"Oh, ha-ha, I bet you two were gender swapped as well." Applejack snapped as she went back to her meal.
Lucky couldn't help but nudge her, and they began to get up from the table, then saw Granny trotting downstairs.
"Guess you two are gonna be competing against each other, huh?" the old mare asked as she came downstairs.
"Yes, granny, but just for this year," the orange-coated earth pony replied.
"Well, there's no way some Appleloosan is gonna take home any blue ribbon this year! Not with my Applejack competin'!"
The brown-coated mare smirked at Applejack, then said, "Not this year."
Applejack nudged her marefriend and replied with a smirk. "Well, it's not like you have your luck powers anymore, so don't count your chickens before they hatch."
Lucky nudged back and then replied with a smirk. "Oh, come on, we both know who is going to win."
"Oh yeah, and who would that be?"
Lucky kissed her marefriend on the nose, then chirped, "Me, of course!"
"You wish."
Big Mac, who was trotting by, just chuckled as Granny snapped, "Alright, save it for the bedroom!"
"Oh, shut it, Granny!" Applejack snapped.
The two mares then trotted off together through the front door and headed straight towards the train station, strutting together.
As they approached the train station, the mares were stunned by the number of ponies waiting to greet them. As the two continued to trot towards the train, the crowd started clopping on the ground and cheering as they approached. They went through the crowds of ponies waving back, then as they got onto the station itself, Twilight and the rest of her friends were all waiting for them to see them off.
"Good luck!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she bounced over and shot off her party cannon, covering the two in confetti.
Applejack laughed and hugged her friend, "Aww, thanks, Pinkie!"
Twilight trotted towards them, turned to Lucky, and asked, "So Lucky, are you feeling ok? Any side effects."
"No, I'm fine, Twilight, but thank you for asking."
Rarity winked, then said, "Oh, Lucky, just to let you know your dress is ready."
The brown-coated mare was somewhat surprised by this and exclaimed, "That's wonderful, thank you!"
The mare gave her a quick hug. "Good luck, darling; I'll see you after the rodeo."
Lucky returned the hug as the two went onto the train; the two mares were sitting next to each other. As the train chugged towards Canterlot, Applejack laid herself next to Lucky and tilted her hat over her face; as she started to fall asleep, Lucky laid her head next to her's, and with the rhythmic chugging of the train, she also fell asleep right alongside her marefriend and wishing she could compete with her.
The following afternoon, Lucky and Applejack arrived at the course, a massive stadium set up for dozens of different events with entire crowds of ponies sitting on the benches. The following afternoon, Lucky and Applejack arrived at the course, a massive stadium set up with with the areas surrounding an enormous patch of dirt which was set up for dozens of different events and with rows of benches surrounding the area with crowds of ponies who mainly were grabbing snacks, and chatting amongst each other with the anticipation of the rodeo growing. She and her marefriend went to the relatively long registration line. Two earth ponies spent nearly an hour making their way through the registration. They both gave each other a longing look as the farm mare registered herself under Ponyville, and Lucky went under Appleloosa.
She then turned to see Braeburn trotting towards her, and the mare was relieved to see he was no longer wearing a cast and seemed much more cheerful than when they last saw him. She continued to greet him. "Hey, Braeburn, it looks like your leg's all healed up."
The stallion gave a sheepish look as he lifted his left foreleg and said, "Yeah, it was a bit tough getting back into the swing of things, but I'm on the mend."
The brown-coated mare smirked and replied, "Well, hopefully, I won't have to carry us."
"Oh, don't you worry? I'm ready to take home as many blue ribbons as I possibly can."
Their conversation was cut short as an announcer shouted, "Fillies and Gentlecolts! Welcome to the annual Canterlot Rodeo! "Contestants! Please enter the track as we start our day's first team event, the hurdle race!"
The ponies all started to get to their places as they waited, and they watched as the other teams went out to the hurdles.
This time, as Lucky and Braeburn started their charge across the lane, they continued to run around together, doing reasonably well as they glided over the low-bearing fences and seemed to work well together. They eventually made it to the end of the track, and the two breathed heavily and looked somewhat out of breath.
"Fillies and gentlecolts! It seems that team Appleloosa just broke last year's world record by ten seconds with a grand total of forty seconds; well done!"
There was another round of applause as the next pair came to the starting position; Applejack and Caramel came together. Lucky winced a little seeing Caramel smacking a hoof against one of the fences, but they had a relatively good time.
"There was a small stumble, but team Ponyville made it at the end of the race with a solid fifty-five seconds; well done."
Lucky blushed, seeing she and Braeburn won the first race and that they were working together well as a team. But she saw the disappointed look on Applejack's face and knew she must feel horrible for messing up. Then they waited until the next event was being set up with another round of applause as the barrel lassoing contest, with the pyramids of barrels set up and ready. With piles of barrels about a hundred meters away with a few lassos hung up and ready for use.
"Now we come to the barrel tossing competition! The pairs of ponies will each have a chance to toss one barrel at their stack; the group that knocks the most down wins!"
Lucky got rather excited and followed Braeburn, and then the two started lassoing and throwing their barrels. Their luck didn't end up so well, with their barrels smashing into their pyramid, but it was less impactful than they were hoping, with only a few stumbling and smashing on the ground below.
"That was an excellent attempt from team Ponyville, taking about half of their barrels."
Despite their rather disappointing effort, there was thunderous applause from the crowds of ponies in the stands; they then went to the sidelines of the arena and watched other teams perform, with most of them doing worse than them, surprisingly making Lucky feel a bit better seeing she was doing well even without the curse following her anymore.
Applejack and Caramel then went towards their tower, took their positions, picked up their lassos, latched their projectile barrels, and sent them flying through the air and colliding them against their tower, knocking over every barrel. They looked to see that the entire stack was gone, and they had a perfect score; the only thing left of their tower was shattered pieces of wood and iron. The two were stunned, with Lucky even being somewhat surprised at how well they did. Then the stands erupted with thunderous applause, with ponies cheering as the announcer exclaimed, "Another perfect record broken and another blue ribbon taken by Team Ponyville!"
Another round of applause came from the crowd, and despite her not doing so well, she felt relieved seeing how happy Applejack looked receiving her first blue ribbon and wished her the best in the next event. It didn't take long until the announcer shouted once more.
"Ok, folks! This is the last event for our team events! Barrel weaving! Our competitors will have to weave through each set of barrels to the finish line, but as you know, if either member of the team hits a barrel, there will be a ten-second penalty to their overall time! They will be disqualified if they fail to weave through a single pair of barrels. Let's see how our teams do!"
Most of the competitors then went to the sidelines and watched the teams compete one at a time. Most did pretty well, with few ponies hitting the barrels. Braeburn was looking rather excited as he nudged Lucky. "Hey, we make a pretty good team. Wana compete for us next year.
Lucky shook her head. "no," and replied, "Sorry, you know Applejack and I are an item now. If it weren't for my obligation to Appleloosa, I would be competing with her."
Braeburn got rather sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. "Right, I apologize; that was a stupid question."
"It's fine; thank you for letting me stay at your home and believing in me.
"Well, knowing Applejack, she's pretty good at judging a pony's character…also to be honest, before you turned into a mare, I thought you were a menace myself."
"It's understandable, but you changed your mind…heck you're one of the few ponies who didn't want to go to war with the buffalo?"
"You're giving me too much credit; Twilight and her friends stopped the fighting."
"And who has been keeping the peace since they left?"
"Well…yeah, me, I guess."
Lucky nodded, "Exactly, don't be selling yourself short; you're a good pony."
"Thanks, Lucky. Well, even if you don't compete for Applelososa, I hope you return from time to time. You're always welcome to stay at my place."
"Of course, and vice versa, you should visit Sweet Apple Acres more."
Their conversation was cut short when the announcer shouted.
"That was a wonderful attempt from team Cloudesdale! Let's give the Cloud Busters a round of applause!"
There was another round of applause from the stands, and then the announcer continued, "Now the next team up is Team Ponyville! Let's see how they fare!"
Applejack and Caramel both came forward waving their hooves at the crowd; then, as they made their way to the finish line, they gave each other a nod and readied themselves. When the announcer shouted, "Go!" They dashed off with a trail of dust, but they were able to run together as the pair dodged and weaved through the barrels seamlessly. Lucky was biting her hoof, hoping Applejack wouldn't mess up like last time, but It wasn't long until the pair of earth ponies made it to the finish line once more, with the announcer shouting, "Once again, team Ponyville scored a near-perfect record of 30 seconds! Well done!"
The crowd roared with applause, which was even louder than it had been since the rodeo started.
"Now for our last team event for the day! Let's see how well team Appleloosa performs!"
Lucky and Braeburn both came forward, throwing their hooves in the air as they both flashed each other a smirk and then looked straight at the maze of barrels before them. When the announcer shouted, "Go!" They also burst off through the barrels, dodging and weaving almost flawlessly, and Lucky was feeling the exhilaration from their performance, being able to make it to the end of the course. Lucky was too out of breath and winded when they crossed the finish line. She turned to see Braeburn by her side, also looking out of breath as the announcer shouted, "Once again, team Appleloosa scored a time of 30 seconds! It seems that Team Appleloosa and Ponyville tied for first place; well done!"
The crowd went wild with clopping and cheering from the stands above, and then she turned to see Applejack running towards her, looking and shouting, "Seems like we tied."
"That we did; guess my luck's rubbed off on you."
"It's more than luck, sugarcube," Applejack whispered; she then leaned in and gave her marefriend a kiss on the lips, and they held it together in their embrace, enjoying the moment, not caring that the stallions nearby were watching or the crowd above or the announcer making commentary on the two. All that mattered at the moment was their love.
Later that evening, Lucky was in Rarity's boutique with the fashionista, busying herself over brushing her mane, applying makeup, and gossiping about a bunch of rich ponies wanting to sponsor her in the next rodeo. Meanwhile, the brown-coated mare was zoning out as she looked at her reflection sporting a beautiful silk emerald dress lined with gold thread, small earrings of shamrocks in each of her ears, her dark brown mane now all curled up in a cute corkscrew-like how Rarity did her hair. Lucky also couldn't help but admire the makeup with a light blush on her cheeks, thick black eyeliner around her eyes, and her lipstick, making her lips have a healthy shade of pink.
Lucky wasn't sure of feminine beauty standards, seeing as most mares that lived in Appleloosa were rather rustic in their clothes and looks, and asked out loud, "Do I really look beautiful!?"
Rarity suddenly got in front of her and squealed, "Darling, you look absolutely wonderful!" She then shoved her flank out the door and cried, "Now go out there and show the new you!"
With a confident smile, she strutted out with her mane flowing behind her and squeaking, feeling a bit wobbly with sparkly gold-heeled shoes on her hooves. She then trotted straight to Twilight's castle; upon arriving, she saw Applejack was the first to arrive at the party and waiting for Lucky, and then she saw her marefriend trotting towards her; the farm mare's eyes suddenly went wide. Feeling nervous about being all prettied up, she waved a hoof and stammered, "h…hello Applejack."
The mare's mouth dropped upon seeing her friend in such a getup, and seeming to be completely dumbstruck by her beauty. "Lucky you look uh…soum…."
"I…I know we like the rustic charm, but Rarity insisted I try something more feminine and couldn't help bu-"
Before she could finish, Applejack laid a kiss on her cheeks and said, "Sorry, I should've said you were pretty. Don't fret, how about it."
She twirled about in her rustic gold address with brown saddle; she looked beautiful with the dress amplifying the rustic charm that Lucky admired in her mare friend and said, "Yeah, you look so cute!"
"Awww shucks, now come on, let's go have some fun!" Applejack and Rarity basically dragged the still-hesitant Lucky through the doors of the castle. Upon entering the main hall, once again, all of Twilight's other friends celebrated together with cheerful music playing in the background, a banquet of food laid out of all kinds, and a massive punch bowl. But what was most astonishing was hanging over the entrance a banner with a green and orange patchwork pattern with gold lining reading: "Welcome back Lucky and Applejack!" in big, bold yellow letters. Lucky's heart leaped with joy as she was thrilled to see so many coming to see her compete and accept her for who she was.
"Hello, Lucky!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced over and threw her into a tight hug, making the Clydesdale squeak out. "Oh hey, Pinkie."
She then gave her a hoof bump, and the pink-coated earth pony threw a hoof and said, "So it's true, huh, you're staying a mare for good?"
Lucky gave a slow nod and an "Ey'yup."
Pinkie Pie wrapped her hooves around her new friend." That's awesome; I'm so happy for you!"
"Right, thank you," The brown-coated mare couldn't help but squeak with a blush on her face.
Pinkie Pie was suddenly levitated by magic as Twilight trotted over, "Alright, Pinkie, give our guests some space."
The violet alicorn then got rather flustered upon seeing Lucky and squeaked, "So uh…well uh, you do look great!"
Lucky, for some reason, got a bit dumbfounded upon seeing the princess and performed a curtsey as she replied, "Thank you, princess."
This got a laugh from everypony, and even Twilight giggled as she replied, "Please, there's no need for that! Just go and have fun."
She then flew off to talk to Rarity as she and Applejack went to the banquet table to the east; both earth ponies were starving after the day's events, and the two chowed down on pastries and hay burgers for some time that was until Fluttershy flew over and asked, "so…um... Lucky?"
"Yes Fluttershy?"
"I uh just wanted to say…well, you look really beautiful."
The Clydesdale once again got flustered once again but replied, "Thank you."
"Well, um, there's one other thing I've been meaning to do but been a bit too afraid to ask."
"Oh, and what's that?"
"I think it's better if I show you."
Fluttershy whispered, "All alright, you can come out now."
Then the Clydesdale spotted a rabbit crawling out from under the table as it hopped over to her, and then she realized it was the one she saved a few weeks ago and, with a smile, hugged it. "Hey, little guy, glad you're safe."
The bunny eyed her as Fluttershy whispered, "Well, um, I don't mean to be rude, but it's a girl."
"Oh, sorry!"
The little ball of fluff seemed to accept her apology by hopping onto Lucky's back and bouncing up and down on her back. The Clydesdale was rather surprised as she blinked, "Huh, didn't expect that?"
Fluttershy replied, "Well, she seems to have taken a liking to you and has been restless since the accident…I… I've been meaning to ask if it would be ok for you to take her as a pet, but you've been busy with other stuff recently…and now that the ro-"
"Stop, it's ok, I…I wouldn't mind having a pet."
The rabbit hopped up and down with excitement, and then Fluttershy asked, "What should you call her?"
"Hmmm, what about Spring? She's so jumpy!"
This got a good laugh from Applejack and a giggle from the pegasus.
"Spring it is, then I can give you tips on caring for her…"
"That would be great, thank you."
Then, as Fluttershy left, Lucky turned to her marefriend and asked, "Would it be ok if Spring hangs out on your farm?"
"Of course, it's ok, but I hope she's better behaved than Angel."
"Oh, who's that?"
"Flutetrshy's pet bunny; he's a bit of a jerk," the orange-coated mare then giggled as Spring bounced on her and snuggled into her mane. "Ok, I can already tell she's nothing like that jerk."
Lucky turned to face her marefriend and slowly moved in closer, "Well, we're finally alone; maybe we can um…."
Her train of thought was broken; she then turned her head and saw Rainbow Dash flying towards them with a confident look on her face as she asked. "So, how about we have another hoof race."
Lucky wouldn't mind having a rematch with Rainbow Dash, but she was still exhausted from the events at the rodeo earlier. She wanted to spend some time with Applejack, so she stammered, "I wouldn't mind, but I got all prettied up, and I don't want to ruin the dress Rarity made for me."
"Guess you're scared you're gonna lose this time."
Lucky's competitive nature then came out as she scoffed, "Oh, you're so on!"
"Darling, wait!" Rarity shouted, but Lucky was already throwing off her dress as the fashionista quickly levitated it aside. She then followed the rainbow-haired pegasus outside as it was night once again, with the star shining above and the moon shining brightly over the gemlike castle.
This time, the place was fairly lit, with globes of light surrounding the palace, and Twilight flew around the castle as she double-checked for any obstacles. When she returned, she turned her attention to the two and said, "Now it's time for round two; the rules are like before one lap around the castle."
The two then bent forward as they readied themselves.
"You'll go on the count of three."
“One…two…three…go!”
Just as Twilight shouted go, the two mares burst off around the castle; Lucky was starting to feel sore and weary from the day's prior events, and she knew at the start there was no way she was going to beat Rainbow Dash. Still, she pushed out whatever stamina she had left and pushed onward as they crossed the finish line with Rainbow Dash a few feet in front of her. As Lucky sprinted across the finish line, Rainbow eyed her. "Were you going easy on me?"
"Nope, luck powers are gone; you're really fast and were already tuckered out from the rodeo," Lucky wheezed as she had to take a moment to catch her breath.
Rainbow Dash then slammed a hoof into her face and shouted, "Buck! I'm stupid," She then let out a sigh, "All right, how about we do a redo later, huh?"
Lucky let out a chuckle and wheezed, "Sure, sounds like a good idea."
Twilight smiled, "Glad to hear; now, why don't we come inside! We have more partying to do!"
They all went back into the castle to continue the party through the rest of the evening.
Later that evening, Applejack and Lucky were alone in Applejack's bed as they lay next to each other. The two mares were just relaxing in each other's embrace as they were making out. The orange-coated earth pony pushed the dark brown mane from her marefriend's face and whispered, "You really are beautiful, fair, and humble…"
"Are you just saying that?"
"No, I'm not; you changed a lot since you came back from the reflection pool."
Lucky lowered her gaze as she did change a lot but felt guilty for her actions early on and said, "Well, I think that I realized that life is more than just about me."
"It wasn't all your fault; your life hasn't been easy, and I also was too harsh with my words."
"Yeah, but I needed a reality check, and you were there every step of the way." The Clydesdale then laid a kiss on her marefriend's lips, and they continued to make out, unable to stop as they laid on each other and the light of the candle beside their bed went out.