Becoming Pinkie Pie
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 5: The Running of the Leaves
Everypony gathered around Town Hall, chatting with friends and acquaintances. A makeshift stage and podium had been erected, and Mayor Mare was there, just waiting for noon to arrive. At the designated time, she addressed the crowd. “Good afternoon, everypony. Please be quiet, so that everypony can hear.”
The crowd grew quiet, and the mayor continued. “This weekend is the annual Running of the Leaves. As per Ponyville tradition, we will run on a trail around town and through the Whitetail Wood, to shake the leaves off the trees before winter arrives. I know you’re all eager to help. Now, I’ll turn the podium over to the organizer for this year’s run, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight Sparkle stepped onto the stage, taking the podium as the mayor stepped aside. “Thank you, Mayor. After discussing matters with Mayor Mare and several prominent townsponies, I have come up with a new, more efficient organization for this year’s race.
“There will be three groups running this weekend. The main run will begin at eleven o’clock in the morning. This run will be most familiar to you all, with a focus on dropping the leaves from the tree. It’s a chance to spend time with your fellow ponies, help out the town, and get some good exercise. At three o’clock in the afternoon, we’re asking pegasi to participate in a fly through the Whitetail Wood. There are some leaves that just won’t fall, so this will be a chance to use your wings to make sure all the leaves have fallen.
“Finally, for those of you with a more competitive mindset, we’re starting off the Running of the Leaves at eight o’clock in the morning with a race. Each participant will be timed. But since the point of the race is to shake the leaves off the trees, you will also be scored on how many leaves you drop. I’ve just finished researching a spell that will follow the magic from a pony’s body to the trees and leaves, and enable us to count the fallen leaves. Thus, for the competitive race, each pony will be scored fifty percent on speed and fifty percent on how many leaves that pony knocks off the trees.
In the crowd, a light blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane shot into the air. “Oh, COME ON!” she yelled.
On stage, Twilight Sparkle was giving final instruction on signing up for one’s preferred run. In the crowd, not far from Rainbow Dash, Applejack smirked. “Looks like the race is all mine this year,” she said confidently.
Rainbow Dash flew down to Applejack’s eye level and threw her forelegs into the air. “This is totally uncool! How am I supposed to compete against your big legs?”
“You callin’ me fat, airhead?” Applejack challenged.
“No, it’s just your…” Rainbow Dash said, looking at Applejack’s legs. She quickly looked away. “You’re an earth pony, and you can kick apples off a tree, so of course you’re going to be better at shaking the leaves off the trees!”
“You ever try it, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“I… uh, no,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“It’s not too hard. Stop by the farm tomorrow, and Ah’ll show you,” Applejack suggested. “If you can keep your hooves on the ground enough to knock down at least half the leaves Ah do, Ah guarantee Ah’ll beat your time.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” Rainbow Dash said, leaning in closer to Applejack.
“It is,” Applejack said, not giving an inch.
Rainbow Dash flew back and spit into her hoof. Applejack repeated the gesture. They placed their hooves together.
“You’re on,” both ponies said.
Rainbow Dash flew away, leaving Applejack sensing a little feeling of disappointment from those watching her.
“So why am I here again?”
Applejack just stared at Rainbow Dash, and then pointed to the apple trees around her. While their fruit had been harvested over the past month, the trees still had all their leaves. “You want practice droppin’ leaves from trees? Good thing there’s lots of trees here,” she said.
“But why do you have to get the leaves off the trees?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Same reason we do the Runnin’ of the Leaves,” Applejack replied. Upon seeing Rainbow Dash’s blank stare, she continued. “We need to do it before you pegasi bring the winter snow.”
“But why? Wouldn’t it help the trees in spring if they didn’t need to grow leaves again?”
Applejack facehoofed. “Ya gotta get on the ground more, airhead! Ah don’t know if you ever noticed, but snow is heavy! If the leaves stay on the trees, the snow gets caught up in ‘em, and then the branches break. And Ah’m not gonna let that happen to Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Eh. The clouds always feel like the same weight to me,” Rainbow Dash said. “So now, what do we do with the trees?”
“Just run around ‘em.” Applejack demonstrated by galloping around one apple tree. Her hooves impacted the ground solidly. The branches of the tree shook, almost imperceptibly, and before long, leaves sloughed off the branches, forming a skirt of orange and red. “Now you give it a try.”
Rainbow Dash circled another tree, consciously altering the normal light touch she used while walking. Keeping her wings folded and letting her full weight hit the ground with each step, she completed her circuit. She looked up, and saw a tree still covered in leaves. Her efforts only loosened one leaf, which fluttered down and poked her in the eye.
“Ow!” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“It was good first effort,” Applejack said, fighting back a snicker. “Why don’t ya try again?”
Rainbow Dash circled the same tree, hoping that her first attempt loosened the leaves. If it did, the four leaves that fell didn’t make it obvious.
“What is wrong with me?” Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping up and down. No more leaves fell.
“Didja ask?” Applejack inquired.
“Ask?”
“You know, ask. Ask the tree to shed its leaves,” Applejack explained.
“Hey, tree, drop your leaves!” Rainbow Dash shouted. The tree, being a tree, didn’t react.
Applejack facehoofed again. “Didn’t ya ever pay attention in class?” she said, exasperated. “Oh, Celestia,” she muttered.
“Eh, not so much,” Rainbow Dash said. “I had better things to do.”
“So did Ah,” Applejack replied. “Ah wanted to go out and work, but Ma and Pa and Granny Smith wouldn’t cotton to me bein’ a lazy student. If you want the full egghead explanation, go talk to Twilight, but every schoolfoal learns that magic’s just a reflection of your will. If it weren’t, then every critter in the woods would knock the leaves off the trees just by walkin’ by.”
“Yeah, maybe I remember hearing about that in class,” Rainbow Dash said.
“So it’s not just landin’ on the ground hard with each step, it’s wantin’ the leaves to fall. It’s magic that comes easiest to us earth ponies, but it’s not beyond anypony’s abilities,” Applejack explained. “Whaddaya think? Want to give it another try?”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash said. She stared at the tree, giving it her best intimidating gaze. The tree, being a cool customer, was unfazed. This time, her steps around the tree knocked off a quarter of the leaves.
“Try bein’ nicer,” Applejack suggested.
“Nicer? It’s just a tree, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash replied.
Applejack loomed over Rainbow Dash. “You did not just say that, Rainbow,” she hissed.
Rainbow Dash rose to respond to the challenge. Staring into Applejack’s eyes, she saw a hint of sadness behind the anger. The pegasus’ retort died in her throat. She remembered all the things that were important to her. The Wonderbolts were just a flying team. Daring Do was just a book series. Applejack was just a.... Okay, the way she named a tree Bloomberg and talked to it as if it were a baby was a little strange, but the tree was obviously important to her, in the way the clouds she created never were. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I’ll never have that same connection to these trees that you do.”
Applejack smiled. She turned to the tree and gave it a gentle pat. “See, Longbranch? She’s sorry. Now why don’t you give her another try?”
Okay, back to creepy, Rainbow Dash thought. She focused again on the tree, trying to send a helpful urge with each hooffall. The pegasus was surprised to feel leaves accumulating in her feathers as she went along.
“Good job, Rainbow!” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash looked up. There were still a noticeable number of leaves, but it worked!
“No problem at all!” Rainbow Dash said cockily.
“We’ll see about that, sugarcube. Not all trees are as nice as Longbranch here.”
Applejack continued to show off techniques useful to get the leaves off the trees. Rainbow Dash would fail at each of her first attempts, often in hilarious ways. But with practice, she picked up these techniques. She wasn’t going to knock down more leaves than Applejack, but with her newfound understanding of this magic, the pegasus wasn’t going to be embarrassed about her performance.
The two ponies finished clearing the branches of the trees in the north orchard. “Thanks for yer help, Rainbow. Least Ah could do is offer you lunch,” Applejack said.
“You had me at lunch,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“That was the last thing Ah said,” Applejack commented. She started back to the farmhouse, humming an up-tempo tune.
“What song is that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack reflected on the song. As she had trained Rainbow Dash, she had felt those watchers occasionally, for a few seconds at a time, normally when something new or funny was happening. There was music in the background. Taking all those moments together, there was the song she was now humming.
“Just a little somethin’ Ah picked up,” Applejack replied.
Rainbow Dash’s wings twitched as she drank her apple soup. “Stupid leaves!” she complained.
“Well, Ah warned you that Old Gnarlroot was a cranky tree,” Applejack lectured. “Ah told you to be gentle.”
“Yeah, but did the tree really have to drop that sap on me?” Rainbow Dash shook her wing. “Twigs. Leaves. Argh! They’re not coming out!”
Applejack laughed. “Just finish your soup, and then use the shower. If there’s one thing mah sister has taught me, it’s that hot water and a little scrubbin’ will take care of tree sap.”
Rainbow Dash took another sip of soup, the twitching in her wings increasing in pace. Finally, she lifted the bowl of soup to her mouth, and drank the rest of it in one large gulp. Applejack felt her tail twitch, then her hoof itch, her eye bug out, her left ear twitch, and her right ear flop. That means a big mess with food, she thought, holding her own bowl.
Rainbow Dash dropped her bowl on the table, and before it even finished vibrating, she had already flown upstairs. The extremely fast flight of a powerful pegasus tends to wreak havoc when unleashed in a confined space. Having the contents of a soup bowl blown onto one’s face and mane tends to make that point very obvious.
Applejack grumbled, heading over to the sink to wash her face and neck. She undid her ponytail to wipe out the small amount of soup that had blown into her mane. And I’m still hungry, she thought. Something felt wrong. She touched her head, and found her hat was no longer on her head. She looked over at the soup pot, and realized her hat was now resting in the soup pot.
The hungry and irate mare headed to the back room of the house. She pulled out the laundry soap and cleaned the food out of her hat. But it would have to spend the rest of the day drying. So, Applejack headed upstairs, to her bedroom. Normally, she’d hang her hat on the bedpost, but when it gets wet, it has to be treated gently. That lesson from her father played over and over in her mind.
Applejack turned her hat upside down and placed it on her nightstand. It’s bad luck to set your hat on the bed, Pa said. She flipped the sweat band inside out, to make sure it dried without shrinking. Her stomach growled again. A little hat flavoring in the soup wouldn’t hurt anypony.
Applejack stepped into the hallway the same moment Rainbow Dash exited the bathroom. The pegasus’ mane lay flat on her head, still damp. The two mares stared at each other.
“Thanksforyourhelpgottagobye!” Rainbow Dash said before leaving out the nearest exit, one of the windows.
Over the rest of the week, Applejack and her family cleared the remaining leaves from the trees in their orchard. It was good practice for the weekend, as well as necessary work. If family lore held true, the Zap Apples would be coming sometime next week, and that would monopolize all their time. Best to get this chore out of the way now.
Applejack rose before dawn the day of the Running of the Leaves. It was hard for her to sleep. She hadn’t been this nervous about a competition since… since ever, really. Even during rodeo last year, getting ready to start her last event, her last chance to win the prize money she promised Ponyville, she didn’t feel nervous. She remained confident.
But this. Did she make a bet her legs couldn’t back up? Rainbow Dash was fast, even without her wings. And even if Applejack scored better in Twilight Sparkle’s convoluted point system, it wouldn’t be a win if she didn’t cross the finish line first.
After attending to her morning chores, Applejack walked over to the starting line. Ponies were setting up bleachers and stalls. Twilight Sparkle was among the ponies already there. “Sorry, Applejack, I’m not ready to admit racers yet,” she said.
“That’s okay, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “Ah’m just lookin’ to get a feel for the forest today.”
Twilight Sparkle stared at her sternly. “No funny business, right?”
“Of course not. Ah learned mah lesson good,” Applejack said. “But if Ah’m gonna knock down the most leaves, I gotta know how the trees feel.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “Good luck. Oh, and I’ve narrowed my research down somewhat, but I still don’t have an answer.”
“Answer to what?” Applejack wondered. Oh, that. “Look, Ah meant it when Ah said that new spell for the Running was more important. Shucks, that’s gotta be the hundredth spell you’ve created.”
“One hundred and eighteenth, counting only those spells officially submitted to the Mage’s Guild in Canterlot,” Twilight Sparkle clarified. “In any case, I know you’re not subject to any mage-created spell, so no curses or enchantments, and it’s not mineral in origin, but I haven’t been able to narrow down the mundane sources further than that.”
“Ah’ll worry about that later. See ya at eight,” Applejack said. She headed into the Whitetail Wood and listened, feeling the magic around her. The oaks were eager to shed their leaves, the maples bothered by the taps draining their sap, and the pine trees were just wondering what the big deal was. She quickly synthesized her leaf strategy, and prepared to stretch her muscles.
“That was fast,” Twilight Sparkle commented.
Applejack looked behind her. She had just visited trees throughout the Whitetail Wood, a circuit that takes more than two hours to complete at a full gallop, in a matter of minutes.
“Ah will win this thing fair and square,” Applejack said to herself.
“Everypony, please form a single line to receive your number and the spell,” Twilight Sparkle called. The group of dedicated racers, about twenty ponies in total, formed a line. About a hundred townsponies turned out to watch the race before running later in the morning.
“Here you go, Applejack. You’ll be Number 3, for three apples,” Twilight Sparkle said. Her horn glowed, and energy encased Applejack’s hooves.
“Sounds fine,” Applejack replied.
Five ponies later, it was Rainbow Dash’s turn. “Here you go, Rainbow Dash, Number 1.2.”
“What kind of number is 1.2?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It’s 20% cooler than Number 1!” Twilight Sparkle replied cheerily. Rainbow Dash groaned.
The pegasus shot into the air as Twilight Sparkle cast her spell. “You should have warned me, Twilight! I don’t like ponies touching my hooves!”
“I wasn’t touching them. It’s just a little magic,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“I… don’t… like… ponies… touching… my… hooves,” Rainbow Dash reiterated.
“Sorry. I’m all done. Next!”
Applejack smiled upon seeing Rainbow Dash’s reaction. “If a little magic bothers you, what makes you think you have a chance today?” she taunted.
“I know I’m the better athlete, and I’m going to prove it again,” Rainbow Dash replied.
A few minutes later, everypony was checked in. “May I have your attention?” Twilight Sparkle called. “The route for this year’s race is unchanged. It has been marked clearly with yellow arrows. If you see a red arrow, that means somepony has moved the arrow.” She looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “The arrow will turn yellow when it is again pointing in the right direction.”
Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed, and a blackboard appeared just on the other side of the finish line. “When you cross the finish line, your time and your ranking in terms of number of leaves felled will be recorded. Because of the magic spell on your hooves, your time will be recorded automatically. No matter how close the race, the winner will be known.
“Pinkie Pie will again be providing aerial commentary from the balloon. And that about wraps it up. Let’s have a good, clean race, and watch out for tree stumps!”
The unicorn took a position near the starting line. The racers knew what that meant, and took their positions. “On your mark, get set, GO!” Twilight Sparkle announced.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash took no time in taking the lead. The earth pony veered to the right, where the trees looked a little larger. She willed her sympathetic feelings to flow through the earth to these trees, urging them to shed their leaves. A cascade of browns, oranges, and yellows followed her.
Rainbow Dash remembered her lessons well. Plenty of leaves fell down after she passed. She took it seriously, for once, Applejack thought. It wouldn’t surprise her to learn that she had practiced on her own over the last few days.
Applejack respected Rainbow Dash’s preparation, and so was unwilling to take anything for granted. She paced herself, keeping up with Rainbow Dash, for the first half of the race. Sometimes she pulled ahead, sometimes she lagged, but she was always within sight of her. They exchanged friendly taunts as they passed. By keeping her speed relatively slow, she made sure she was able to focus on the leaves. Near the end of the race, that might need to be set aside to focus on speed, so best to rack up the leaf count early.
Applejack also kept an eye on the other competitors. The confectioner, Bon-Bon, was a surprisingly hardy runner. And Applejack’s agricultural rival, Golden Harvest, was always near the front, her distinctive carrot-colored mane visible. Beating her, in both time and leaves felled, was goal number two.
Rainbow Dash again caught up to Applejack, but rather than brag about how she was going to leave her in the dust, she asked “So why isn’t your brother racing?”
“He decided he’d rather do the fun run with Fluttershy,” Applejack replied.
“Well, good for him,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yeah, it’s about time,” Applejack said. She had always thought there might be something between the two shy ponies. Getting the two of them to walk from Fluttershy’s cottage back to the farm must have gotten them to talking a little, and their time together on Nightmare Night even more. Her brother did seem unusually happy over the last week.
“Ah gotta ask him how he convinced Fluttershy to come out of her cottage on Nightmare Night,” Applejack said to herself. She smiled. That smile turned to a frown when she realized Rainbow Dash had passed her and left her in the dust. “Consarn it!”
With a few minutes’ worth of hard running, Applejack pulled even with her rival. “How dare you, usin’ my family to sneak ahead!” she scolded.
“All’s fair in love and running,” Rainbow Dash replied, increasing her speed.
Applejack assessed the situation and smiled. Rainbow Dash had already been running fast, and was now running faster than she had been the entire race. Applejack decided it was time to burn a bit of the energy she had been conserving. She sprinted forward, waving her hat to Rainbow Dash as she passed. As expected, Rainbow Dash matched, and then exceeded her speed.
Just a little more, Applejack thought. If Rainbow Dash hit the wall, she’d be much slower for the rest of the race. Then a horrible thought filled Applejack’s mind. “Metaphorical wall!” she shouted. Fortunately, no real wall suddenly appeared in the middle of the woods. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash slowed down. Applejack easily passed Rainbow Dash as she dropped her speed, but she knew she’d have to slow down herself.
Applejack again picked up the sound of hooves behind her. But these were different; the sound of shod hooves hitting the ground was distinctive. Shoeshine had decided to make a move. She had already passed Bon-Bon and Golden Harvest, and was pulling ahead of Rainbow Dash. Applejack noticed the pegasus didn’t react to being passed, and she agreed. With a half hour left in the race, Shoeshine couldn’t maintain that pace. The orange pony let herself fall into second place.
Fifteen minutes later, after passing a now slower Shoeshine, Applejack sensed Golden Harvest making her move. She wanted to conserve her energy for her final showdown with Rainbow Dash, but pride would not let her spend even a second behind her rival. Applejack kept her lead, but fatigue was rising.
Out of the Whitetail Wood. Back to Ponyville. Even Applejack’s thoughts were shortened by the fatigue she was feeling. Still, she pressed on. Keep going. The finish line was coming. Soon. Soon.
The sound of hooves. A light touch on the ground. Rainbow Dash. She was running fast enough to leave a rainbow streak behind her. Applejack told her body to ignore the pain, ignore the tiredness, and go. Run. Faster.
The finish line was in sight. She didn’t look back. She relied on instinct, relied on her other senses. She was just fast enough. Rainbow Dash was just slow enough. She would cross the finish line first. Then, she sensed it. She first felt it in her hooves, a different sensation from each step. Then, she heard it. Where once there were two sets of hooves creating a discordant rhythm, now there was only one. She finally spared a glance backwards. For the first time this race, Rainbow Dash had unfurled her wings, and had taken to the air. Without even enough time to gain altitude in this close race, the pegasus was flying close to the ground.
Oh, no you don’t.
Applejack jumped, grabbing her friend by the barrel. The extra weight pulled Rainbow Dash to the ground. Together, the two ponies rolled, a ball of legs and tails, right across the finish line, kicking up a tremendous cloud of dust. Their speed was so great that not even crashing through a table holding mugs of water slowed their movement.
When the two ponies’ rolling finally stopped, they finally dared to open their eyes. They had ended up under some bushes, still tangled together. They were dirty, sweaty, and wet. Thorns scratched their hides. Leaves were stuck in their manes. When Applejack’s breathing finally slowed enough to let her speak, she said “Ah won.”
“No way!” Rainbow Dash gasped between heavy breaths. “My hoof… clearly… crossed the… finish line… before… you kicked me….”
Applejack brushed her mane back. Somehow, in all the tumbling, she had lost her hat and her hair tie. Rainbow Dash fared little better, the mugs of water plastering her mane to her forehead. Applejack pushed a red lock off of Rainbow’s eyes. “Ah want you to look me in the eye and tell me you’re sure you won.”
Rainbow Dash did look Applejack in the eye, a red glow rising in her cheeks. She willed her mouth to work, but no words came.
Applejack felt a twitch in both ears, a tangle in her tail, an itch on her muzzle, and a flush on her face. She continued to stare at Rainbow Dash.
Back at the finish line, Twilight Sparkle was announcing something. It was two distant for either mare to understand, but the sound snapped Rainbow Dash to attention. “That’s probably our times!” she said. “Don’t you want to see who won?”
Applejack thought about times and leaves dropped and winning, about being out there. She thought about what was in here, thorns and branches and Rainbow Dash. “Buck that,” she said as she kissed Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes popped open. There she was, the strong and competitive and fun pony, and that mane, that loose mane that hadn’t left her mind for three days. She eagerly returned the kiss.
After a seeming eternity of bliss and dreams finally realized, physiology reasserted itself, and the two ponies broke the kiss, gasping for breath. “Best Running of the Leaves ever!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
The two mares returned to making up for lost time, just the sound of each other’s breaths and heartbeats to track the time, plus the tapping of a hoof.
Wait, the tapping of a hoof?
Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to see an impatient Pinkie Pie. One foreleg was lifting the branches of the bush, while the other was tapping the ground. “You’re late for your super quick and super surprise party!” she scolded.
“What party?” Applejack asked.
“The twitch in both ears, tangle in your tail, and itch on your muzzle means there’s a party in that tent over there!” Pinkie Pie explained.
Applejack thought back to that combo, which didn’t make any sense to her. “But what about the flush in the face?” she asked.
Pinkie Pie pointed a foreleg at each mare’s face. “Well, duh!”
Applejack started to stand up, but then looked at Pinkie Pie. She was pointing at them while still holding up the branch and tapping her hoof. “Uh, Pinkie, where’d you get those extra legs?” Applejack asked.
“It’s simple!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Just count two and two and two!”
“Two and two and two?” Applejack echoed. Looking down, the farmpony saw six orange legs. “Ahhhh!” she screamed.
“This is such an odd time for a party!” Rarity complained.
“I don’t feel right leaving Spike to handle the announcement of the winners. What if he gets my point formula wrong?” Twilight Sparkle worried.
“And I really am looking forward to the fun race,” Fluttershy said.
“Well don’t you worry!” Pinkie Pie announced. “All the guests are here, and it’s time to party!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed Pinkie Pie into the tent, looking like they had just escaped Tartarus, but they’d never looked happier.
“My, you two look dreadful!” Rarity said.
“Ah don’t think so,” Applejack said.
“Neither do I,” Rainbow Dash said.
“So what is this party?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“It’s a super duper fun celebration of everything good that has happened to my best friends ever party!” Pinkie Pie replied.
As everypony stared at Pinkie Pie, she pulled a cloth from the tower of treats that hadn’t been there seconds earlier. “Like me! I just finished my brand new cinnamon apple rainbow swirl cupcake recipe, and just in time!”
“In time for what?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Applejack replied by giving Rainbow Dash a quick kiss.
“Oh! How delightful!” Rarity said, starry-eyed. “I must think wedding dresses! Fashion! But where will I find the time?”
“Now hold your horses,” Applejack protested. “You’re puttin’ the cart ahead of the pony there.”
“Did you say busy?” Pinkie Pie said.
“Well, yes,” Rarity replied. “It seems my latest line of fashions inspired by the Crystal Empire caught the attention of two of Canterlot’s chief trendsetters, and now they’re all the rage. That was a most unexpected happening on Nightmare Night!”
Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves. “And you, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Well, I did just complete my one hundred and eighteenth spell, but more importantly, I’m about to be published! My paper on ultra-rare earth pony transpositioning and sensory magic will be appearing in the Canterlot Journal of Applied Metaphysics!” The unicorn was practically beaming.
Pinkie Pie then turned to Fluttershy. The pegasus ducked her head under one wing. “Nope, nothing special happening with me,” she said quietly.
Applejack pulled her wing back. “Well Ah think you and mah brother make a cute couple,” she said. Being that she had two wings, Fluttershy promptly hid under the other.
“Eeyup,” Pinkie Pie said, imitating Big McIntosh. She even had a stalk of wheat in her mouth.
“Well, I think it’s wonderful that we’ve all found our heart’s desire,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Wait, that’s it!” Twilight Sparkle cast a spell, scanning Applejack. “Your Pinkie powers came from an application of….”
“The plant, Heart’s Desire?” Applejack interrupted. “That plant?” She pointed to Pinkie Pie. On further examination, that wasn’t wheat in her mouth, but rather a flower with rose pink petals.
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie Pie said.
“But I don’t remember encountering the plant recently,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Well, all of my bestest best friends, that’s you, decided to throw me a party. Me, of all ponies! And you let me throw the party with you!” Pinkie Pie said rapidly. “So I thought what’s the best way to thank my bestest best friends? Whatever their heart desires! So I made delicious punch with a little floral extra!”
“You knew all along! Tail twitch, hoof itch, eye bugging out, left ear twitch, right ear flop. Ah had that happen a few days ago!” Applejack said. “You said somethin’ fun would happen, but that combo means somethin’ else!”
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie Pie said.
“You shouldn’t use plants like Heart’s Desire like that, Pinkie. Why, the effects could be catastrophic!”
“Nuh-uh! I didn’t know exactly what would happen, but I knew everything would be fine, because when I drank the first cup of punch, my heart’s desire was for each of you to find your heart’s desire,” Pinkie Pie explained.
“But what about your cupcakes?” Fluttershy asked.
“Oh, that’s not my heart’s desire! I create new flavors of cupcakes every day, and three times on Sunday!”
“Well, sugarcube, it’s been fun, but mah new heart’s desire is for you, Pinkie, to be the only Pinkie,” Applejack said. And with that, she bit down on the flower hanging out of Pinkie Pie’s mouth. She swallowed the flower and counted. “Two and two and two,” Applejack muttered. She looked down and realized how foolish counting to six using her four hooves was.
“Pinkie, I think we need to have a talk about the proper use of magical plants and…” Twilight Sparkle said, before a cupcake interrupted her.
“It’s time to race, but don’t forget to try a cupcake!” Pinkie Pie said. With a few impossible moves of her forelegs, everypony got a cupcake, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash each received a gift box with more cupcakes.
With the second run about to start, the shortest Pinkie party on record officially ended.
Before Twilight Sparkle headed to the starting line, she caught up with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you two!” she said, smiling.
“Yeah, it’s still a blur right now,” Rainbow Dash said.
“It’s like Ah won a race Ah’ve been runnin’ for years,” Applejack added.
“And speaking of running… A tie,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Ah what?” Applejack uttered.
“The race. It was a tie. You crossed the finish line in such a way that not even my magic could see which pony was first,” Twilight Sparkle said. “But don’t you want to be evenly matched with each other? Isn’t that your heart’s desire?”
Applejack looked at her marefriend and smiled. “Ah guess it is,” she admitted.
As Celestia’s sun set following a day of harvesting Zap Apples, Applejack and Rainbow Dash headed back to the farmhouse. The two mares, tired and a bit sweaty, stepped inside. The roaring fireplace filled the rustic farmhouse with much-appreciated warmth.
“You know what would really hit the spot?” Rainbow Dash said. “Some of those awesome apple cinnamon cupcakes Pinkie Pie made. Are there any left?”
“Ah think so,” Applejack replied.
Applejack ventured into the kitchen, which was currently empty. Pumpkin soup simmered on the stove. She suspected it would still take another half hour for the soup to be ready. Still, she was famished, so she had no qualms about heading to the icebox.
She frowned as she opened the icebox. Somepony had taken one of the last two cupcakes. Probably Apple Bloom, she thought. Applejack could take the lone cupcake out to Rainbow Dash, but then they’d both do that dance where they say the other pony should have the cupcake even though they want it more than anything. And they were too hungry to be satisfied with half a cupcake.
Applejack frowned, and then pushed herself into the icebox.
In the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie heard the icebox open. She turned to see Applejack step out of it.
“Pinkie, we got a snack emergency. Got any more of those apple cinnamon cupcakes?” Applejack asked.
Pinkie Pie smiled widely, then grabbed her dear friend in a hug. She bounced up and down, forcing Applejack to move with her.
They broke the embrace, and Applejack smiled. “Ah won’t tell nopony if you don’t,” she said.