//------------------------------// // Ch. 1 - A Day in Ponyville // Story: My Little Pony Z: Friendship is Power // by BronyStache //------------------------------// Chapter 1: A Day in Ponyville A few miles outside of Ponyville, a tent sat in the middle of a large meadow. Twilight Sparkle sat next to the remains of a campfire, reading a book with a flower on the cover. She looked down from it and admired the beautiful day, the sun was shining and the field was calm and quiet except for a few giggles coming from the tall grass where Pinkie Pie and Spike were playing with some butterflies. The three of them had camped out here last night, a combination group activity and scientific expedition. “Twilight, come on.” Spike said as he ran back to the tent. “If we’re gonna go camping you can’t spend the whole time reading like you do at home.” “Yeah, silly filly!” Pinkie added as she jumped next to her. “Camping is supposed to be about eating s’mores, rolling in the meadow, and singing songs.” The hyperactive pony then grabbed one of the marshmallows they’d made s’mores with last night, put it in her mouth, and started rolling in the grass. She tried to start singing, but the gooey treat muffled her voice. “I’m sorry guys, but we’re not just out here to have fun.” Twilight said as she turned her book around for them to see. On the page was an illustration of a white flower with four pointed petals, with sparkles the author had drawn around it. “Equestrian Star Daisies are very rare and only bloom once a year for less than twenty four hours. When you told me there was a field that was full of them this close to Ponyville, Pinkie, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Their petals are said to sparkle like diamonds and if you pick one it won’t ever wilt as the petals become as solid as actual gemstones.” Spike and Pinkie looked at the picture with different responses. “We can take a bunch back with us and give them out at a party, and we’ll invite everypony in Ponyville, and they’ll each get a flower for themselves, and…” She cut herself off by eating more marshmallows. Spike rolled his eyes a bit. “Flowers are boring, and they’re not even real diamonds so you can’t even eat them.” He said with a shrug. “Well then I suppose you wouldn’t pick a bunch of them as a gift for Rarity?” Twilight teased him a bit. “Do… do you really think she’d like them?” Spike said with a love-struck look on his face. Twilight and Pinkie giggled a bit at him, but they were suddenly interrupted by a rush of air as something shot overhead at high-speed, leaving a rainbow in its path. “I wonder where Rainbow’s off to?” Spike asked recovering from the surprise. “I think she’s going to Rarity’s, that’s why they couldn’t come with us.” Twilight commented as she looked back to her book. “Oh, Spike, grab the picnic basket from the tent, the flowers are supposed to bloom in about an hour!” Spike listened and Pinky cheered as they went out toward an area where they planned to watch the flowers from. Over in Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Big Macintosh were walking through the orchard. They’d been working in the fields when they heard some weird noises in the distance. As they neared its source they saw Apple Bloom and her friends looking at some of the trees, an assortment of their weird and random toys scattered on the ground around them. “Um, what exactly are y’all doin’ out here?” Applejack asked, picking up what appeared to be a cross between a slingshot and a hammer. “Oh, it’s a good thing ya found us, Applejack.” Apple Bloom said, dropping some tool she had been holding. “The three us had a great idea! We’re gona be…” She paused for a second as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle took positions behind her. “Cutie Mark Crusaders: Applebuckin’ Machine Inventors!” The trio cheered, each striking an action pose. Applejack and Big Macintosh had grown used to the fillies’ antics by now, but they’re newest project seemed sillier than normal. “You see, we were thinking about new plans and Sweetie Belle pointed out that Rarity uses sewing machines to make her job easier…” Scootaloo began to explain. “So we started work on this!” She pointed her hoof at a large object covered by a sheet. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pulled off the sheet to reveal something that at first glance seemed like a pile of junk, but closer inspection revealed a series gears and ropes holding a hodgepodge of springs and wooden planks together. “Well girls, that’s uh… mighty impressive looking gizmo y’all got there. Ain’t it Big Macintosh?” Applejack commented trying to think of something supportive to say. Big Macintosh just kept looking at the machine, a mildly confused look on his face. “We’ll show you how it works.” Sweetie Belle said as she grabbed a rope that hung from the machine and pulled. The ropes, gears, and springs began moving and making noises like it was about to break apart. It stopped and went silent for a few seconds before a large mallet attached to a board swung out of it and hit one of the trees. The fillies watched excitedly as the tree shook, before a single apple fell from its branches. “But… but we worked so hard, why won’t it work?” Apple Bloom said, all three of them close to tears. “Now now girls, Applebuckin’ ain’t somethin ya can build a machine to do.” Applejack said encouragingly. “Heck, Big Macintosh an’ I had to practice fer years to get as good as we are at it, ain’t that right?” “Eeyup.” The big pony said as he walked up to the tree the machine had hit. With a hard kick with one hoof he shook the rest of the apples free, to the amazement of the three fillies. He smiled a bit at there reactions as he loaded them into a nearby cart. “Wow!” The three cheered in unison. “Do it again, do it again!” “We can’t.” Applejack said. “It ain’t harvestin’ time yet. We can’t just go about buckin’ all the trees to show…” She was interrupted by three adorable frowning faces surrounding her. She tried to move away, but there pleading eyes were too much to resist. “Ah fine, I’ll do one just to show y’all how it’s done.” She caved in, enticing three loud cheers. “Oh, you should do that one over there!” Sweetie Belle said as she pointed at Old Joe, the biggest and oldest tree in the field. “I bet you could clear that whole tree in one buck!” They all approached the big tree, which was almost five times larger than any of the others. “I don’t think so.” Big Macintosh chimed in. “It usually takes me four or five bucks to clear Old Joe.” He looked up into the trees braches, which stretched up beyond view from this close. Applejack shot him a look. “Are ya sayin’ I can’t do it? Ya ain’t that much better at buckin’ than me.” She walked up to the tree and got into position. Big Macintosh was about to protest when Apple Bloom bounced up in front of him. “You can do it, Applejack!” She cheered excitedly. The orange pony looked back at the tree, studying it closely for the right spot to kick. She dragged her hooves through the dirt a few times, getting the muscles ready, then took a deep breath and kicked with all her might. Old Joe shook through all its braches, each and every apple on them falling to the ground. The three little fillies cheered as Applejack stood looking triumphant, before suddenly cringing, falling down, and rubbing her back left hoof. She’d twisted it a bit in the kick and hit at a bad angle, leaving it sore and a little swollen. “You okay, Applejack?” Big Macintosh said as he looked at her hoof. “It doesn’t look like you can work on that hoof.” She tried to stand on it, but fell over again. “Just head back to the house, I can finish today’s work on my own.” Applejack stood up again. “Nah, its fine. I just need to keep my weight off…” She cringed again and hit the ground. “Would you girls mind giving me a lift back to the house?” She asked the fillies gathered around her. Scootaloo dashed off and got her scooter and wagon, as the other two helped her get in. “Yer sure you can handle everything?” “Eeyup.” Big Macintosh replied as he started loading Old Joe’s apples into the cart. As they sped back to the house Apple Bloom spoke up. “Hey, do y’all think we could get our cutie marks fer amateur first aid?” She asked, bringing a slightly frightened look to her big sister’s face. A rainbow streak shot across the sky, the wind it gave off startling everypony it passed. “Oh crud, I’m late! I can’t believe I slept in!” Rainbow Dash berated herself. She had promised Rarity she would be there by eleven o’clock and it was already almost noon. Rarity had told her something about a flight suit she’d made that was supposed to help her fly faster and said she’d give it to her if she helped her and Fluttershy with something. The prospect of flying faster was exciting enough, but she was also curious about the favor she was doing them. When she asked what it was, Rarity said it was a surprise that only she could help them with. She burst trough the doors of the Carousel Boutique and crashed into a bunch of mannequins. “Hey Rarity, sorry I’m late I was…” She started talking until she noticed there was nopony else in the room. “Um, is anyone here?” She checked the changing areas and the second floor, but all she found was Opalescence taking a nap. Distraught, she went downstairs and straightened up the mess she’d made and to wait for Rarity to return from wherever she’d gone. While adjusting a mirror she’d knocked over, something on the wall behind it caught her eye. “How long has this been here?” She asked herself as she moved the mirror to find a door hidden behind it. She assumed it was just a storage closet or something like that and almost ignored it, but then she felt something. It was like a wave of energy came from the door and ran over her body, an invigorating energy like she felt when flying at high speeds. Although she didn’t know much about magic, she could tell that this was something different, something she couldn’t completely grasp. Her curiosity finally got the better of her and she opened the door, anticipating something without knowing what it was. The door opened to a dimly lit stair well that went down below the boutique like a basement, a bright light shining in from the room below. She walked down the stairs and peeked around the corner into the mysterious room. It was much larger than the floors above and could only ever fit underground. The floor was made of solid, polished wood with a large black athletics mat that stopped about three feet from each wall and the walls were made of very simple wooden planks. Every few feet on the walls there was a vertical row of three circular holes, the wall on the opposite side of the stairs was covered in mirrors, and in the backmost corner was another door. It all seemed a bit too simple for a room Rarity would have, but sure enough a white unicorn with a purple mane was sitting right in the middle of the room. She was wearing a black headband and a pair of hoofbands, also oddly simple for Rarity, and Rainbow Dash just watched trying to figure out what she was seeing. Rarity sat perfectly still with her eyes closed as her horn started glowing a soft white color. The light from her horn slowly spread all over her body and, much to Rainbow’s surprise, she slowly lifted off the ground floating in mid air. Rainbow felt the same rush of energy that had lured her down here and could now tell that it was coming from Rarity. A clicking noise came from the wall and a large rubber ball shot from one of the holes in the wall, heading for the back of Rarity’s head. Without even opening her eyes, she moved to the left and dodged the ball, staying airborne. More balls were fired from the other holes and she began dodging them all gracefully, making it seem more like she was dancing. By the time the balls stopped firing, she had returned to her original position and hadn’t been hit by any of them. “That was AWESOME!!!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she entered the room. The sudden noise broke Rarity’s concentration and she fell to the ground surprised. “Rain… Rainbow Dash, when did you get here?” Rarity said as she stood up, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “Is it eleven o’clock already?” “Um, it’s almost noon.” Rainbow Dash said as she walked up to her. “But that doesn’t matter, what was all that?” “Well, you see… You know how I said me and Fluttershy needed your help with something?” “Yeah?” “Well…” Rarity looked around, still looking a bit embarrassed. “This is our martial arts dojo.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped a bit, her words getting lost in the hundreds of questions that came to mind. “You see, I’ve been trying to find a way to demonstrate how graceful my outfits are, but there is only so much that clothing can show by itself. I’ve been practicing down here to become more graceful by honing my mind and body into a beautifully efficient fashion machine.” Rainbow Dash finally managed to force a question forward. “But, you were just flying when I came in?” “Yes, that’s part of my training.” Rarity explained as she brought out a book with her magic. “It’s an old technique I read about that combines martial arts with magic, allowing unicorns to fly. I’ll never fly as fast as you can and I’m still trying to perfect it, but Rainbow can’t you just imagine…” She struck a pose like she was modeling. “People would line up to see me float gracefully through the air as I showcase my newest line of aerial fashion!” Her eyes sparkled as she fantasized about her plans. Slowly, Rainbow Dash started to piece what she was saying together, until another big question came to mind. “Wait a minute; you said that you and Fluttershy needed my help with something?” Rarity snapped out of her fantasy and responded. “That’s right. You see, Fluttershy is actually the one who taught me. She’s been practicing martial arts for a few years now.” Rainbow’s jaw hit the floor at that comment, the idea of Fluttershy doing something like this was just way too much to process. “I reacted the same way, darling.” Rarity commented as the door to the dojo opened. “Rarity, I brought you some more practice targets.” A gentle voice said from the stairwell. Fluttershy walked in with stack of wooden planks on her back. “These are a bit stronger than the last ones, I hope you don’t…” She stopped and dropped the wood when she noticed Rainbow Dash in the room. “Oh… um… hi Rainbow… um… I… oh dear.” She stuttered a bit, hiding part of her face behind her mane. Twilight Sparkle had laid a blanket out in another part of the meadow away from their tent. This spot was on top of a patch of grass that was completely surrounded by Equestrian Star Daisies, the perfect spot to watch them bloom from. “It should be any minute now.” Twilight said. “Spike, why don’t you hand out the sandwiches?” “Alright.” Spike said as he opened the picnic basket. “Let’s see we’ve got a daffodil dandelion sandwich for you, Twilight, a peanut butter and gemstone sandwich for me and a… uh…” Spike looked at the last sandwich he took out confused. “Oh, that’s my gumball, avocado, and cinnamon sandwich.” Pinkie Pie chimed in, taking the bizarre meal from spike. “I was going to put frosting on it too, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake needed it all for a big order today, so I went to make some for myself, but my favorite bowl was dirty and Gummy was using my sponge so I couldn’t clean it, so I had to bring it like this instead.” Twilight and Spike didn’t know what was more perplexing, Pinkie Pie’s taste in sandwiches or the bizarre reasoning for not adding frosting to it to it. Confusion aside, they enjoyed their lunch as they waited for the flowers to bloom. “Here it comes!” Twilight said excitedly. “Once the sun reaches the highest point in the sky, the daisies will bloom!” The three of them watched as the sun was raised to its peak and the flowers all around them began rustling. The first bud opened up into a fairly normal looking daisy with white petals, but with another smaller bud in the center. As the second bud opened a gleam from inside focused all of their attention. The four brilliant petals pushed the green bud aside and fell into their place, forming a four pointed star in the center of the flower. Soon, all the flowers in the field around them did the same and it became a shining sea of white. Each petal was clear and crystal like, sparkling beautifully in the light of the sun. The three witnesses could only marvel at the sight, it was like being surrounded by stars in the middle of the day. “They’ll stay bloomed all night.” Twilight said to break their silence. “Then at noon tomorrow they’ll close for another year. That’s why we camped out, so we could see them in the moon light as well.” “Wowie wow wow!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Its like if you took the sweetest treat ever and turned how it tasted into a flower! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so sparkly cool!” Suddenly, a loud boom echoed over the meadow as a bright sphere appeared over the horizon. A ball of fire that burned with an intensity that rivaled the sun shot over head and crashed in the distance with an even louder impact. “What was that?” Spike asked as the three stood and looked in the direction of the crash. “I don’t know.” Twilight answered. “But if I’m remembering correctly, whatever it is just landed in Sweet Apple Acres. Come on, we have to be sure nopony got hurt.” The three took off towards the site with no idea what to expect. What mysterious object waits at Sweet Apple Acres? What kind of help do Rarity and Fluttershy need from Rainbow Dash? Find out in the next chapter of My Little Pony Z! Ch. 2: An Explanation and a Confrontation, coming soon…