When Bronze Star got back to the embassy that evening, he let his Aunt know that Spike had volunteered to be her guide and escort in Canterlot. As he predicted, Luna was very grateful for the baby dragon's offer.
Four days after the business with the grown dragon, Princess Luna was totally ready to move to the capital city. Bronze Star used Spike to let his mother know of this, and in response, Princess Celestia sent a train to pick her sister up. This particularly train had a car that was fit for Royalty. Much to Luna's delight, it was both private and secure.
Princess Luna had arranged to get to Canterlot before sunrise. She planned to lower the Moon herself to signal that she had returned to the throne. In order to get there on time, she left Ponyville in the very early morning.
Most of the town was still asleep at the time, but the City Council had gathered at the train staion to give Luna a modest send-off. Mayor Mare gave a short speech bidding the blue Alicorn farewell, and a claim that they were honored to have been a host for her for the past few weeks. Luna was very appreciative for their hospitality, as well as their gratitude.
Although the special train car was meant for Luna, eleven ponies would be travelling with her. Five of them were Mauser, Alpine, SIG Sauer, Noble Edict, and Spike. The other six were the half dozen members of the Royal Guard that Celestia had assigned to the embassy during Luna's stay there.
Before she got on the train, Noble Edict had met with Copper Hollow. She explained to him that she expected him to take over the position of the town's chief of security while she was in Canterlot. This made sense, seeing as how Copper Hollow was her main deputy. He gladly accepted the responsibility, and he assured her that he would keep the town safe in her absence.
Bronze Star also spoke with SIG Sauer and Spike before they left. He talked to them separately and asked both of them for a favor.
He asked SIG Sauer to begin the interrogation on Material Study and Sir Raoul Jowl as soon as possible, and he requested that the pine green Unicorn let him know if he and the other members of the Firebrand Regiment discovered any useful information.
Bronze Star asked Spike to pick up a few of his possessions from Canterlot, as well as a few of Twilight Sparkle's. Since Spike would be coming back to Ponyville within a week, he was willing to do this for the gold stallion. Bronze Star gave him a short list of the things he and Twilight wanted. Most of the items he asked for were in his room, which was always locked whenever it was empty. So he gave Spike the key to his chambers, asking him to keep it very close at all times. Spike promised the young prince that he would not let the key out of his sight.
After this, Noble Edict, Spike and SIG Sauer joined the others in Luna's car. Once all the luggage was packed and all the passengers were aboard, the conductor announced "Next stop, Canterlot!"
The train swiftly departed from the depot and headed north towards Canterlot. Alpine, Mauser, and Spike opened the windows to their car, leaned out, and vigorously waved at Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle. The gold stallion and the lavender mare giddily waved back.
Once their friends disappeared from their sight, Bronze Star and Twilight stopped waving, but they continued watching the train as it left. When it was out of their field of vision altogether, they left the train station.
As they went back into town, Bronze Star remarked "Well, Twilight, looks like it's just you and me."
"What do you mean?" the magic student inquired.
"We're the only remaining people currently living in Ponyville who are originally from Canterlot," Bronze Star enlightened her.
"Oh, right," Twilight Sparkle acknowledged. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"
"No, certainly not," Bronze Star asserted, "After all, you and I came to Ponyville for a different environment and to try new things. But I still think about the capital city often. Don't you?"
"Of course I do," Twilight commented.
"Well, I've found that with Mauser, Alpine, and SIG Sauer around, it's felt a little like home," Bronze Star perceived, "But now that they're going back to Canterlot, the feeling will probably start to diminish."
"Maybe," Twilight Sparkle debated, "That's one way to view it. However, I have a much more sanguine perspective. The capital city is our hometown, but who's to say we can't call someplace else our home at the same time?"
"That's certainly a more optimistic viewpoint," Bronze Star thought aloud, grinning, "Have you started to think of Ponyville as a second home?"
"Yes, I have," Twilight affirmed, "Haven't you?"
"Truthfully, so have I," Bronze Star disclosed, "Sure, Ponyville may not be as quiet, peaceful, and uneventful as we were led to believe, but its lifestyle is wonderful. There's a type of high regard for community and companionship here that doesn't exist in many other places these days. Everypony is very close to their neighbors, and everypony contributes something to the public good."
"That is quite respectable indeed," Twilight observed, "Personally, I can't think of a better place to learn about friendship than this town."
"I hear you there," Bronze Star stated, "At first glance, you'd think everypony in this town was friends with everypony else."
"That may actually be the case," Twilight conjectured, "Although the townsfolk don't always agree on everything, I've yet to see one of them get into an argument with another."
"Same here," Bronze Star said straightforwardly, "Perhaps the people in this town are above petty squabbles and disagreements."
Twilight lightly shrugged and muttered "Perhaps they are."
At the time, Bronze Star really was convinced that the people of Ponyville were capable of resolving their differences without conflict. However, a few days later, he discovered that his theory was quite wrong. The residents of Ponyville were more than capable of having a dispute with each other over many things. Sometimes the subject of their quarrel could even be a seemingly frivolous matter.
Two particular ponies had brought this to his attention. They happened to be two of the mares he was closest to, as well as two of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
One day, Ponyville was scheduled to receive some heavy rain in the late afternoon. In preparation for the storm, Copper Hollow decided to have people go around the town and patch up anything that could compromise anypony's safety. The Pegasi were busy moving the clouds into place, so the Earth Ponies and Unicorns handled the maintenance on the ground. Applejack, Rarity, and Bronze Star had volunteered to check the town square.
Most of the job involved inspecting the trees in the vicinity. Bronze Star inspected each of the trees individually, and whenever he spotted a branch that appeared loose or perilously close to snapping off, he notified the other mares. Applejack used her rope to lasso the branches and pull them down.
For a while, Rarity used her magic to do the same thing. But after a time, she decided to spend her time finding ways to improve the scenery. She levitated one of the broken branches back onto the tree it had fallen off of and wedged it into place. Then she cast a spell to transform the clusters of leaves into equine figurines.
Once she did this, she smirked in satisfaction and uttered "Hah! Perfect."
Applejack was not amused. She lassoed the branch and yanked it back to the ground. Ignoring the white mare's look of surprise, the orange mare spat out her rope and stated "Just take the broken limbs down, Rarity. Don't y'all care about nothin' other than prettifyin'?"
"Somepony has to," Rarity debated. She looked around the area and mumbled "You were making an absolute mess of the town square, Applejack."
"Yeah, well, the storm's gonna make an even bigger mess if we don't prune all these loose branches so they don't tumble down on anypony," Applejack countered.
Rarity scowled and remarked "I simply cannot imagine why the Pegasus ponies would schedule a dreadful downpour this evening and ruin what could have been a glorious sunny day."
Applejack sighed and uttered "Think more practical-like, will ya? They accidentally skipped a scheduled sprinkle last week, so we need a doozy of a downpour to make up for it, is all."
"As long as Rainbow Dash doesn't purposely try to drench us like last time, I have no complaints," Bronze Star commented.
"Me either," stated Applejack in agreement.
All of a sudden, there was a mild rumble of thunder in the distance. A few seconds later, the rain started pouring down. Bronze Star and Applejack were pretty much indifferent, but Rarity did not react very well.
"Oh no!" the fashion designer yelled in distress "My wonderfully styled mane shall be ruined!"
"Ya shoulda hurried up and finished the job already," Applejack drily told her.
Rarity then moved erratically around the clearing, as if she was actually try to dodge the raindrops. She shrieked "Oh! Ah! Oh Ph! It's coming down too fast! Ah! Oh! Oh! Ah! Help me!"
Bronze Star had to hold his front hoof over his mouth to keep himself from laughing. Applejack was just annoyed with Rarity's behavior, and in an effort to get her to stop, she went over to a picnic table and announced to her "Uh, there. Hunker down to yer heart's content whilst I finish things."
Rarity panted and galloped over to the table. She was about to duck under it, but she saw the ground beneath was covered in mud. She shouted "Oh, no, no, no!"
Applejack groaned and mumbled in exasperation "What now?"
"I prefer not to get my hooves muddy," Rarity softly replied.
"Guh," Applejack irately remarked, "There is just no pleasin' ya, is there? Everything's got to be just so."
Rarity scoffed and said "Well, and how does muddying my hooves serve any useful purpose?"
"Y'all wouldn't know useful if it came up and bit'cha," Applejack proclaimed.
Rarity announced and declared "That doesn't even make any sense."
"Does so," Applejack snapped.
"Does not," Rarity retorted.
"Does so."
"Does not."
"Does so."
"Does not."
"Does so infinity. Hah."
"Does not infinity plus one. Heh."
Bronze Star had looked back and forth between the two mares during this exchange of dialogue. At the end of it, he rolled his eyes and pronounced drily "Girls, is now really the ideal time and place for this?"
Applejack and Rarity heard the young prince, but they did not reply to him or turn towards him. They just glared crossly at each other in silence. Then Rarity proposed "What say we go our separate ways before one of us says something she will regret?"
"I reckon y'all are gonna say something you'll regret first," Applejack conjectured.
"On the contrary, I believe it shall most certainly be you who says something you will regret first," Rarity disputed.
"I'm not sayin' anythin'," Applejack decreed.
"Nor am I," Rarity declared.
"Y'all just be on yer way, then," Applejack advised.
"After you!" Rarity offered.
The two mares gradually backed away from each other and moved in opposite directions. Applejack seemed to be moving towards Sweet Apple Acres, and Rarity appeared to walk towards Carousel Boutique. Bronze Star simply remained in the center of the town square and watched as they departed.
Then out of a nowhere, there was another crack of thunder. This one was much louder and closer than the previous one. Bronze Star was a little surprised, but Applejack and Rarity were downright frightened. They yelped in fear and rushed back into the town square. They wrapped their front legs around each other. Bronze Star had been standing between them at that time, so they ended up inadvertently pulling him into their encirclement.
The gold stallion was surprised by this action, but he could not really blame the mares. After all, anypony could be spooked by thunder storms. Still, they both had a very strong grip, especially in times of stress.
Rarity nervously suggested "Perhaps we should stick together for now and find some shelter."
"Uh-huh, perhaps we should," Applejack concurred anxiously, "And fast."
They restlessly gazed around the area, as if they were afraid of the approaching tempest. Bronze Star found himself in an interesting position. Every now and then, he had secretly wondered what it would be like to be surrounded by two mares in a wet and dirty scenario, but this was not what he had in mind.
Presently, he was just worried that Applejack and Rarity would somehow squeeze him to death. He muttered patiently "Girls, if it's not too much to ask, would you mind letting go of my throat?"
"Oh, sorry," Applejack said compliantly, quickly releasing her hold on Bronze Star. He nodded appreciatively, saying "Thanks, Applejack."
Rarity, however, was not as willing to pull away. However, Bronze Star had a solution to remedy this problem.
He smirked and told the white Unicorn "You know, Rarity, it's a scientific fact that stallions are four times more likely to be struck by lightning than mares. You'd be considerably safer if you moved away from me."
At that, Rarity immediately let go of the gold stallion and backed away a few steps. Bronze Star chuckled lightly at her reaction. After he regained his breath, he stated "That's better. Now we can work on finding a safe haven. Any ideas?"
"Well, Sweet Apple Acres is on the outskirts of town," Applejack illuminated "We'll probably encounter a flash flood or something before we get there."
"Carousel Boutique is closer," Rarity pointed out, "But not that much closer. It must be at least five blocks away from here."
"And the embassy is on the other side of town," Bronze Star dismally remarked, "All our places of residence are too far away. We'll need another alternative."
A couple minutes earlier, several other ponies had been in the immediate and adjoining areas. Now there was not a single person to be seen anywhere.
"Looks like everypony else is already indoors," Applejack noted.
"That means everypony's at home," Bronze Star pointed out, "We could try going from house to house and knocking on the doors. Sooner or later, somepony's bound to give us refuge until the storm passes over."
"That might take too long," Rarity hypothesized, "I suggest we find a more… expedient answer to our dilemma."
"Sure, whatever," Applejack sardonically replied, "In the meantime, I'm not interested in gettin' any wetter than I already am. I'm getting under the table."
The farmer then approached the picnic table and crawled underneath it. Once she was in a somewhat suitable position, she declared "Heh. Nice and dry under here, sorta."
Rarity considered getting under the table as well, but then she saw the mud again. In response, she moved away and uttered "Oh! Unacceptable."
Bronze Star sighed and commented "As General Walther would say, we've flown into a vortex of misfortune."
Just then, they heard a voice call out "Applejack! Rarity! Bronze!"
It sounded relatively close. Applejack climbed out from under the table. Then she, Rarity, and Bronze Star looked around the area for the source of the voice. They quickly realized it was coming from Golden Oaks Library. A familiar lavender Unicorn was at the front entrance. She was yelling to the three ponies "Applejack! Rarity! Bronze!"
"Twilight?" the orange mare, the white mare, and the gold stallion stated in unison.
"I think she's inviting us over," Bronze Star observed.
"Works for me," Applejack decided.
"And me, as well," Rarity coincided.
The three young ponies hastily galloped towards the library. Once they got there, Twilight bid them "Come inside, guys, quick."
"Gladly, Twilight," Bronze Star said appreciatively, grinning. A moment later, his grin faltered and he mumbled "But with all due respect, have you gone mad?"
Twilight was perplexed by this question and the way it had been presented. She raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion "What do you mean?"
"What are doing, using my actual name in public?" Bronze Star stated somewhat demandingly. "Somepony could have heard you!"
Twilight Sparkle just snickered and wittily remarked "Do you see anypony else outside right now?"
Bronze Star turned his head in all directions, and he soon discovered that there wasn't a single soul in his field of vision. He then looked back to the lavender mare and answered her with "No, I do not."
"Then your identity is still safe," Twilight Sparkle deduced.
"I suppose you're right," Bronze Star inferred, "Sorry for my outburst."
"No worries," she assured him.
Rarity and Applejack were still standing outside the building. The orange mare looked up at the library, and she pronounced apprehensively "Whoa, nelly. Is inside a tree really the best place to be in a lightning storm?"
"It is if you have a magical lightning rod protecting your home like I do," Twilight slyly responded, "Come on in!"
Neither the two mares nor the stallion needed any more beckoning. Rarity smiled and uttered "Hah! We are most grateful for your invitation."
"Thank ya kindly for yer hospitality," Applejack muttered gratefully.
Before Applejack could step inside, Rarity stopped her and pointed out the mud on her hooves. She calmly recommended "Uh, do be a polite house guest and go wash up please, won't you?"
As the white mare entered the library, Applejack grumbled angrily.
Noticing her aggravation, Bronze Star trotted over to the orange mare and enquired "Everything alright?"
Applejack turned to him and expounded "If I gotta spend one more second with that fussbudget Rarity today, I can't be held responsible for what I'm gonna do."
Bronze Star raised an eyebrow in bewilderment and he inquired "Applejack, is there some sort of… hostility between you and Rarity?"
"Not really, Bronze," Applejack claimed, "She and I just have… very different ideals for everyday living."
"I guess that's understandable," Bronze Star stated in acceptance. He turned back to the door and called over his shoulder as he walked inside "Come on in when you're clean."
"I will," Applejack said in response.
Inside the library, Twilight Sparkle was talking to Rarity. She commented "Some storm, huh? The Pegasus ponies sure have outdone themselves this time. I hope you, Bronze Star, and Applejack don't have any trouble getting home."
Rarity gazed out the window and muttered disparagingly "It may indeed be a problem."
"Yeah, we'll probably drown before we even get halfway home," Bronze Star stated jokingly.
"Well, you're welcome to stay if need be," Twilight assured them, "Spike is away in Canterlot on royal business. I'm home all alone tonight."
Spike had already been in the capital city for nearly a week, but Twilight and Bronze had not told their friends about the baby dragon's assignment in Canterlot. They did not even seem to notice he was gone. That was the reason for Twilight's brief exposition.
There was a moment of silence following it, and then Twilight gasped excitedly as if she was getting an idea. She perkily proposed "You two and Applejack should totally sleep over! We'll have a slumber party! I've always wanted one of those."
"I'm up for that," Bronze Star agreed, smirking.
Rarity was not so open to this suggestion. She stated "Oh! Uh, goodness. Uh, I do believe I have another engagement scheduled for this evening that completely slipped my mind until just now."
Bronze Star was very unconvinced by this claim.
Rarity gave a nervous laugh and mumbled "Ah, silly me, I can't possibly stay here all night - with Applejack."
Bronze Star was somewhat astounded by this pitiful excuse. He curiously inquired "Rarity, are you and Applejack not on good terms with each other right now?"
"Oh, no, certainly not, Bronze," Rarity insisted, "She and I merely have… shall we say, radically different interests and opinions on certain things."
Bronze Star was skeptical, but he accepted this claim. He bluntly perceived "In any case, you should be able to stay under the same roof as her for one night."
Rarity sighed grumpily and mumbled "Fine."
Twilight Sparkle used her magic to remove a book from one of the shelves. She levitated it over to Bronze Star and Rarity so that they could see it.
Rarity read the title aloud: "Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask."
"Seems they've got textbooks for everything these days," Bronze Star commented.
"My own personal copy," Twilight Sparkle explicated with an eager grin, "It's a fantastic reference guide. You should see the table of contents. I've been waiting for a chance to use it, and today is the day! This is gonna be so great!"
Rarity peered towards the window out of the corner of her eyes. She saw Applejack washing herself up with a hose. The white mare turned back to the lavender mare and said tentatively "Yes, uh, great."
As she let out another nervous laugh, Bronze Star declared "I'll go check up on Applejack. Go ahead and start without me."
The two Unicorns agreed to this suggestion. Bronze Star trotted to the entrance of the library and stuck his head outside. He saw Applejack standing in a covered area, rinsing off her head, hooves, and body with the hose. He chuckled lightly at the sight and remarked "Isn't it a little pointless to use a hose to clean yourself in the midst of all this rain? That's kind of like searching for a glass of water when you live next to a freshwater lake."
Applejack scoffed in amusement. She looked over at the gold stallion and drily uttered "You may have a point there. Next time there's a huge thunderstorm in the area, I'll just step outside when I want to take a shower."
Bronze Star got a good laugh out of that. Then he asked the orange mare "At any rate, you almost done?"
"Yeah, just give me a couple seconds," Applejack requested.
Bronze Star stood idly by as the farmer finished washing up. Once all the mud was off her body, she shook her head and torso vigorously to dry herself off. When her coat and mane were perfectly dry, she turned to Bronze Star and asked him "So what's going on?"
"Twilight's got an idea for how we can get through the night," Bronze Star informed her. He gestured to the door and proposed "Let's go inside."
The prince and the farmer trotted back into the library. Inside the foundation, they found Rarity with a thick green substance smeared across her face. She was in the process of applying the same substance to Twilight Sparkle's face.
Applejack gasped and uttered in disbelief "What in tarnation... Now wait just a goll-darn minute. Ya make me wash the mud off my hooves, but it's okay for y'all to have mud all over yer faces?"
Rarity rolled her eyes and stated "Silly! This is called a mud mask. It's to refresh and rejuvenate your complexion."
"We're giving each other makeovers!" Twilight proclaimed cheerfully, "Eee-hee! We have to do it, it says so in the book."
At that, the lavender mare levitated her textbook over to Applejack. The orange mare noticed the title and expressed somewhat agitatedly "Slumber 101: Everything You... Oh hey, heh, would'ja look at the time. I gotta skidaddle on home quick. I'm powerful late for, uh, fer somethin'. Uh, g'night."
While she said this, Applejack had gradually advanced back towards the library's open door. By now, she was back outside, but she had yet to get back into the rain.
All of a sudden, there was another crash of lightning and a burst of thunder. It had startled the orange mare so much that she cried in shock and rushed back in straightaway. She then announced to the others "Or maybe I'll sit here for a spell."
"Glad you changed your mind," Bronze Star remarked, smirking.
"Hurray slumber party!" Twilight exclaimed.
Rarity abruptly tossed a pile of the green mud onto Applejack's face, and she proceeded to rub it on. Applejack was not fond of the feeling, but she did not protest. All she did was go "Blahch" in disgust.
Once Rarity finished applying the green mud, she placed two cucumber slices onto Applejack's eyes. The orange mare asked in bafflement "What in the world is this for?"
Rarity sighed and explained sneeringly "To reduce the puffiness around one's eyes, of course."
"Puffiness-schmuffiness!" Applejack said. She then used her tongue to pick the cucumber slices out of her eyes, and she brought them into her mouth. She cheekily added in "That's good eatin'!"
As she loudly chewed on the cucumbers, Rarity glared at her in annoyance. Bronze Star just snickered.
"Would you care for some mud, Bronze Star?" Rarity offered the gold stallion.
"No, thank you," Bronze Star sternly replied, "Not interested."
Rarity chuckled at his blunt response and presumed "Why not? Do you think it's too 'girly' or something of the sort?"
"If so, don't let that bother you, Bronze," Twilight Sparkle advised, studying her book, "It says here that stallions can partake in the makeovers, too. It wouldn't be emasculating."
"I'm not refusing because I think consider makeovers to be emasculating," Bronze Star disclosed, "I'm refusing because… well, if the point of a makeover is to make one look and feel young, it would be pretty meaningless for me to have one."
"Why's that?" Applejack queried.
"I may appear to be an Earth Pony, but I'm still an Alicorn," Bronze Star explained, "So while I do age, I don't grow old. My skin refreshes itself and rejuvenates on its own."
"Wow, fascinating," Applejack commented, "I knew Alicorns were blessed with eternal life, but I didn't know they had eternal youth, as well."
"Believe it, AJ," Bronze Star affirmed, "My mother and my aunt are both over a thousand years old, and neither of them has as much as a wrinkle to show for it."
"Now that's what I'd call the textbook definition of 'aging gracefully,'" Twilight observed.
"They should invent a spa treatment called the 'Alicorn Antidote,'" Rarity proposed.
"What would it do?" Bronze Star asked in interest.
"With luck, it would prevent one from appearing to age physically," Rarity theorized.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Bronze Star thought aloud, "But it would probably be quite difficult to procure such a material."
"Maybe, but you never know," Rarity said hopefully.
Bronze Star just shrugged and nodded in acknowledgement. There was a brief interval of silence, and then the gold stallion pronounced "Well, on the subject of eating, I don't believe any of us have had dinner yet. How about I slip into the kitchen and gets us some snacks?"
"Sounds good to me," Applejack frankly agreed, "I'll have anything with apples in it."
"Applejack," Rarity mumbled in urgency.
"What?" Applejack queried, perplexed by Rarity's sudden uneasiness.
"Have you forgotten he's royalty?" Rarity whispered heatedly, "If anything, we should be the ones fetching him food."
"Oh, give me a break," Applejack quietly spat back, "If he wanted us to get him anything, he would have asked us. But since he's offering to get the food, we should let him."
"Well, at least ask him if he's actually alright with it," Rarity crossly advised.
"Fine," Applejack uttered in irritation. She looked over at Bronze Star and inquired "You sure you don't mind?"
"Of course not," the gold stallion guaranteed her, "It'll give me something to do while you girls have your makeovers."
"Okay," Applejack acknowledged. She turned back to Rarity and grinned in appeasement. The white mare just scowled.
Bronze Star took this as his cue to leave the room. He speedily made his way over to the kitchen and told the mares "I'll be right back."
"We'll be waiting," Twilight Sparkle said in response.
The library's kitchen was very well-stocked. Bronze Star took his time to put together a platter of snacks. As he did this, he wondered what was going on with Applejack and Rarity. He had never seen the two mares so aggravated at each other. Both of them had claimed that they were not feuding over anything personal, and he believed them. However, he was fairly certain that they had some disdain for each other's standards of living. He predicted that this was going to be a long night if that was the case.
Twenty minutes after he left the front room, Bronze Star rejoined the mares. He carried in a tray of assorted snacks and stated "It's not what I'd call dinner, but it should suffice."
"Thanks, Bronze," Applejack said appreciatively, helping herself to an apple turnover.
"Thank you very much, indeed," Rarity proclaimed, taking some peeled carrots.
"I'd better check 'snacks' off the list," Twilight Sparkle thought aloud before she tucked into some coleslaw made of cabbage, greens, and marigolds.
Bronze Star started off with a couple hooffuls of a mixture of oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, and dried fruits. As he ate, he looked around the room to see what the others were up to. By this point, the mares had wiped all the green mud off their faces. Their manes were currently done up in curlers. Applejack appeared somewhat bothered by them, but Twilight and Rarity did not seem to mind.
"So, how are you getting along over there, Applejack?" Rarity asked the farmer.
"Just fine, Rarity," Applejack sarcastically informed the fashion designer.
There was no longer any doubt in Bronze Star's mind. This WAS going to be a long night.
"This is so awesome!" Twilight Sparkle giggled. She did not even seem to notice the tension between Applejack and Rarity. She used her magic to remove the curlers from her mane, as well as Applejack's mane and Rarity's mane. Then she picked up her book and used a quill to check off one of the boxes. She spoke to the others "Makeovers, check. Ooh, it says here we have to tell ghost stories. Who wants to go first?"
"Me!" Applejack volunteered. Once the others gave her their attention, she stated ominously "I'd like to tell y'all the terrifying tale of the prissy ghost who drove everypony crazy with her unnecessary neatness. Oo-oo! I'm sure y'all are familiar with that one?"
She had glared at Rarity when she said that last statement. The white mare just serenely responded "Never heard of it, but I have a much better one."
The other three ponies turned to her, and then she told them hauntingly "It's the horrifying story of the messy, inconsiderate ghost who irritated every pony within a hundred miles! Oo-oo!"
Applejack was very unamused by this. She declared accusingly "That's not a real story. You made it up."
"It is a ghost story, they're all made up," Rarity debated.
Suddenly, there was another crash of lightning and rumble of thunder. This one was so powerful that it extinguished all the lights. Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle screamed in alarm.
Bronze Star calmly lit a candle so that they were not sitting in total darkness. He slid the candle closer to the mares and proposed "If it's horror you want, let me have a go. I know of this one really creepy legend. It isn't really a ghost story, but it is scary enough to qualify as one."
"You've got my interest," Twilight Sparkle notified him. Applejack and Rarity both nodded in compliance.
"Alright," Bronze Star avowed. He thought about how to begin, and then he murmured in a disturbing tone of voice "This is a tale about my mother. I first heard it from my Aunt Luna. According to her, under a very specific set of circumstances, it is possible for somepony to draw out Princess Celestia's primal side. It's a side of her that nopony living has ever seen, and hopefully nopony ever will. This side of her has no control over urges and desires, and when this side of her emerges, nopony is safe from her. There was a time in the distant past when this side of her was drawn out for a long period, and the number of her victims went into the hundreds. This side of her is what Princess Luna refers to as… 'Molestia.'"
The three mares reacted differently to this revelation. Applejack seemed as though she was going to laugh, Rarity appeared to be shocked, and Twilight Sparkle just narrowed her eyes and glared at Bronze Star. She muttered sullenly "Okay, I've heard enough. Bronze, this is a slumber party, not… that OTHER kind of party."
Bronze Star chuckled at that, but he agreed to this request. He wryly remarked "You are no fun, you know that?"
"So I've heard," Twilight cockily retorted, "But I'd rather be tedious than depraved."
"Very well," Bronze Star stated, "You're probably better off not knowing about this tale, anyway."
"I should say so," Twilight coincided. There was another short period of quietness, and then the lavender mare brightened up and pronounced "I've got one! This story is called The Legend of The Headless Horse."
Applejack, Rarity, and Bronze Star gathered around her and listened to what she had to say. Twilight Sparkle stated unnervingly "It was a dark and stormy night, just like this one. And four ponies were having a slumber party, just like this one..."
This story lasted for nearly half an hour. The climax came about at the very end. Twilight Sparkle wrapped it up with "...and just when the last pony thought she was safe, there, standing right behind her, just inches away was - The Headless Horse!"
There was another rush of thunder and lightning, and the room was momentarily covered in darkness. Twilight took advantage of that moment to throw a blanket over her shoulders to make it appear as though her head was missing. When Applejack and Rarity saw her, they gasped and screamed in fright. They clung to each other and Bronze Star for assurance.
Bronze Star was reminded of earlier, when the three of them were outside in the rain. However, at least this time, they were not gripping him by the throat, and they were dry. He did not protest when the mares took ahold of him. He was glad to provide them with some feeling of security.
Twilight quickly turned the lights back on. Then she trotted over to her book and checked off another box, saying "Ghost story, check."
Applejack and Rarity soon realized their close proximity to each other, and they released Bronze Star and each other at the same time. Twilight Sparkle sauntered back over to them and proposed "Now, who wants s'mores?"
"I'll get everything we need," Bronze Star offered. He trotted back into the kitchen to find some graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows. As he gathered these items together, he muttered under his breath "At least they won't be able to argue about THIS."
He was wrong. Even with regards to making and eating s'mores, Applejack and Rarity disagreed.
While Applejack roasted the marshmallows, Rarity presented her own personal how-to guide on how to properly assemble the treat to Twilight Sparkle. She warily explained to her "Then you place one marshmallow on the top of the chocolate and be sure it's centered - that's critical - and then carefully put another perfectly square graham cracker on the top. And done. Ta-da!"
She laughed in satisfaction. Twilight Sparkle was actually somewhat intrigued. She said in astonishment "Ooo!"
Bronze Star and Applejack were not as impressed. The orange mare just smirked and professed "Nah, ya just eat 'em."
She picked the s'more Rarity had just made with her mouth and loudly munched on it. Rarity stared at her in displeasure as she ate it. When Applejack was finished chewing, she swallowed it. Then she let out a loud belch.
Rarity sighed and grumbled "You could at least say excuse me."
"Aw, I was just about to, but you interrupted me," Applejack alleged. She then closed her eyes and casually muttered "Pardon."
Rarity gazed towards the opposite end of the room while Applejack smiled in contentment.
Twilight went over to her book and crossed another item of the list. She announced "S'mores, check. Now the next item of fun we have to do is Truth or Dare."
"This should prove interesting," Bronze Star supposed.
This time, he was correct. Applejack and Rarity wasted no time in using this game as a means to attack each other.
"I dare Applejack to do something carefully and neatly for a change," Rarity proposed.
"Oh yeah?" Applejack countered, "Well I dare Rarity ta lighten up and stop obsessin' over every last little detail, for a change."
Bronze Star watched them incredulously. Twilight Sparkle was downright puzzled by her friends' actions.
Rarity turned to face the farmer and muttered angrily "I think the truth of the matter is that some pony could stand to pay a little more attention to details."
Applejack fumingly told the fashion designer in response "And I think the truth is some pony oughta quit with her fussin' so the rest of us can get things done."
"Um, I don't think this is how the game's supposed to work," Twilight Sparkle announced. She studied her book and proclaimed "You have to give an honest answer to any question or do whatever any pony dares you to do."
Applejack quickly came up with a wicked scheme. She turned to Rarity and stated "I dares you to step outside and let your precious, tidy mane get ruined again."
Rarity gasped in shock at this dare.
"You have to," Twilight informed her, "It's the rule."
"Hah!" Applejack said triumphantly.
"Fine!" Rarity coincided. She stomped to the entrance of the library, opened the door, and walked outside. The sound of the rain falling down could be heard. It was quickly accompanied by the sound of Rarity crying in distress.
Applejack began snickering at Rarity's discomfort. Bronze Star was a little amused by this, as well. He commented "Nice one, AJ."
A few seconds later, Rarity stepped back inside. She was dripping wet and her mane was drooping. Applejack was downright laughing by this point.
However, her enjoyment was short-lived. Rarity marched towards her and proposed "Okay. I dare Applejack to play dress-up in a frou-frou, glittery, lacey outfit."
Applejack gasped in astonishment, but she was not one to turn down a challenge. She stepped out of the room for a moment, and then she returned wearing a rather flamboyant dress. Bronze Star could not help but scoff; Applejack looked ridiculous in that getup. It reminded him of something his cousin once wore at the Grand Galloping Gala.
"Happy?" Applejack grumbled.
"Very," Rarity replied, smirking.
Bronze Star leaned over to Twilight Sparkle and remarked "You just happen to have that outfit lying around?"
Twilight blushed lightly and gazed away from her friend. Then she averred "It's just a costume I like."
"Then you have a rather unique sense of style," Bronze Star humorously observed.
"Whatever," Twilight bluntly commented. She looked over at Applejack and Rarity and stated awkwardly "Um, do Bronze or I ever get a turn?"
The orange mare and the white mare did not even answer her.
Applejack slyly proposed "I dare ya to enter the next rodeo when it comes to town."
"I dare you not to enter the next rodeo that comes to town," Rarity cleverly refuted.
"I dare ya to not comb your mane a hundred times before bed."
"And I dare you to comb yours just once."
"Alright, enough of this crap," Bronze Star sharply interjected. He waited until Applejack and Rarity were paying attention to him, and then he suggested "Girls, allow me and Twilight to demonstrate the proper way to play this game."
He trotted over to Twilight Sparkle and asked her "Twilight, truth or dare?"
"Hmmm… dare," the lavender mare replied.
The gold stallion grinned diabolically and proposed "I dare you to touch your tail with your horn."
"Uh… okay," Twilight accepted tentatively.
She looked over her shoulder at her tail. There were some ponies who had voluntary control over their tails, but she was not one of them. The most she could do was get it to flop around. Obviously, this was not going to be an easy task.
Twilight started by attempting to lean her head backwards. But no matter how hard she stretched her neck, she could not reach her tail with her horn over either of her shoulders. After a while, she tried lying flat on her back and putting her horn and tail together across her stomach. This was much easier said than done. She had to roll across the ground and alter her stance several times to find the most ideal position. Even then, she had difficulties moving her tail into place, and she was unable to keep an eye on her horn. After all, it was directly above her eyes.
Finally, after more than five minutes of exhaustive and persistent efforts, Twilight managed to brush the very tip of her horn against the end of her tail. She proudly announced "Done!"
By now, Bronze Star was chortling. He almost could not breath, he was laughing so hard. Applejack and Rarity were loudly giggling as well.
Twilight Sparkle felt like a bit of a fool, but she was not about to give up. When she got back to her hooves, she looked over at Bronze Star and declared "Have your laughs now, Bronze. But it's your turn next. Truth or dare?"
"I'll go with truth," Bronze Star answered candidly.
"Alright then," Twilight conceded. She took a few moments to think about what to ask him, and then she grinned evilly. She turned to Bronze Star and queried mischievously "In the time since we've come to Ponyville, have you developed personal feelings for any of the locals?"
Bronze Star had expected Twilight ask him to tell her about a confidential affair of the Canterlot Royalty or one of his private hobbies. He was prepared to discuss those subjects. However, this question had caught him entirely off-guard. He uneasily looked towards Twiight Sparkle and inquired "What exactly do you mean by that, Twilight?"
"Is there anypony in this town you'd like to be more than friends with?" Twilight clarified.
Bronze Star was afraid that this was what she meant. He nervously looked around at the three mares. By now, Rarity had dried off and Applejack had gotten undressed. All the attention was on the young prince at this time. After an unpleasant period of silence, he muttered "Er… well… um… uh… I, uh… well… uh…"
"We're waiting," Twilight said teasingly.
Ultimately Bronze Star sighed and softly declared "I suppose I have developed such feelings for a certain pony."
He was hoping that that response would be enough to satisfy Twilight's inquisitiveness. To his dismay, it was not. The lavender mare leaned closer to him and waved her hoof back and forth, as if she wanted to receive something from him.
"What?" he queried in confusion.
"That wasn't a yes/no question, Bronze," Twilight shrewdly pointed out, "Specify, if you would. What type of feelings?"
"Adulation and admiration," he candidly replied.
"In other words, romantic attraction?" Twilight assumed
"That's correct," Bronze Star affirmed.
"To whom?" she asked in interest.
"A mare," was all he said in response.
"I figured it was a mare," Twilight muttered, rolling her eyes, "Care to describe her?"
"Well, she's probably the best at what she does," Bronze Star tentatively disclosed, "She's also very eloquent, she has a particular lifestyle, and she's friends with both of us."
"Does she have a name?" Twilight asked, somewhat impatiently.
"Of course she has a name," Bronze Star mockingly retorted.
"Again, not a yes/no question," Twilight expressed amusingly, "Come on, quit stalling. Who is she? Who amongst the common folk of Ponyville has been lucky enough to gain the notice of Prince Bronze Star?"
Bronze Star had never seen Twilight so eager to learn a secret. He had tried to avoid answering directly, but he greatly underestimated Twilight's persistence and curiosity. He realized he could only put off answering her for so long. Still, he was hesitant to give a straightforward reply.
Eventually, Bronze Star looked the magic student in the eye and informed her "To be honest, Twilight… I'd rather not say."
"And why is that?" Twilight Sparkle asked him. Her tone was more inquisitive than disappointed.
"Because I'm not certain if she feels the same way about me," Bronze Star explicated, "Aside from that, she might not even be aware about my feelings for her. If so, I want her to know about them before anypony else knows. So until I know whether or not my feelings are mutual, I don't want to discuss them with anypony. If I did, I would probably make both her and myself a target for gossip. Or worse…"
Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle could understand and respect this reasoning. Although they were still hoping for a direct answer, they decided not to continue to press him for one.
Unbeknownst to Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle, Bronze Star had another reason for not revealing the name of the mare he fancied. This reason was the fact that she was with him at this very moment. Indeed, she was actually one of the three mares who were currently in the library.
"Okay, Bronze Star," Twilight Sparkle remarked steadily, "Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."
"It's alright, Twilight; you didn't," Bronze Star assured her. After a short pause, he proposed "Shall we continue playing?"
"Nah," Twilight Sparkle replied, turning back to her book, "I, uh, I think we should check off Truth or Dare and move on. Let's see what our next fun-fun-fun thing is, shall we?"
She studied the contents of the next page, and then she thought aloud "Hm, what does this mean? Pillow fight?"
"Oh, buck," Bronze Star uttered quietly.
"Oh, please," Rarity said in disapproval, "I am not at all interested in participating in something so crude."
A moment later, Applejack threw a pillow at Rarity from across the room. She managed to strike the white mare full in the face. This action quickly changed the white mare's stance. She glared at the orange mare and furiously announced "It! Is! On!"
She then picked the pillow up and flung it across the room. It hit Applejack squarely in the face.
The farmer was momentarily stunned, but she soon regained her composure and glowered at the fashion designer. This signified the official beginning of the pillow fight.
A more appropriate label for what happened would have been "pillow massacre." Applejack and Rartiy spent the next minute trying to belt each other with pillows. Many of their tactics were quite vicious and merciless. Applejack used her lasso to toss the pillows faster, and Rartiy used her magic to toss them in larger numbers. Obviously, they were taking this game much too seriously.
Bronze Star chose not to participate. He feared for his well-being, so he ducked for cover behind a table.
Twilight Sparkle stood in the center of the room reading her book. Unfortunately for her, she was caught directly in the crossfire of the pillow fight.
A minute later, she smiled, stood up straight, and announced "Oh, I get it! Pillow, fight! Fun!"
Then she was immediately hit by two pillows; one from Applejack, one from Rarity.
Despite the softness of the projectiles, they had struck her with great momentum and force. Twilight Sparkle dizzily spoke aloud "Uh, girls? Maybe we should take it down a notch?"
"I will if she will," Applejack avowed as she tossed more pillows towards Rarity.
Rarity struggled to dodge those pillows. She gasped and proclaimed "She started it."
Before long, Twilight was buried under a mountain of pillows. By then, both Applejack and Rarity were out of ammunition. So Bronze Star deemed it safe to come back out into the open. As he stepped out from his safe spot, Twilight managed to extricate herself from the mound of pillows. She spat out some feathers and weakly proposed "Maybe we should just call it a night and get some sleep?"
"That would probably be for the best," Bronze Star coincided. He looked back and forth between Applejack and Rarity, and he queried "What do you think, girls?"
"Yeah, I am startin' to feel a little tired," Applejack pronounced.
"We should probably settle down for the evening," Rarity concurred.
Bronze Star smirked and mumbled under his breath "They finally agreed on something,"
"What was that, Bronze?" Twilight queried in interest.
"Nothing," he quickly replied, picking up the snack platter, "Let's just head upstairs."
The four ponies quickly made their way to the second floor. There were two beds on the top platform. One of them was Twilight's. Spike slept in a basket at the base of her bed. That meant the other bed was vacant, and it had clean sheets as well.
"Four of us, and two beds," Twilight noted.
"This might be a bit of a problem," Applejack theorized.
"'Might be?'" Rarity repeated incredulously.
"Fine, it IS a problem," Applejack gloomily admitted, "We'd better decide on sleeping arrangements before we turn in."
"Well, Twilight should be able to sleep in her own bed," Applejack decisively declared, "So that leaves three of us and one bed. Who should get it?"
"I'd have thought that'd be obvious," Rarity murmured scathingly.
"You?" Applejack irately presumed.
"No, not me," Rarity snapped back. She casually nodded her head towards Bronze Star.
The gesture was not missed by the gold stallion. He lightly smiled and stated "I know what you're thinking, Rarity. It's very considerate of you to offer me the bed. I wouldn't expect anything less from the Element of Generosity. However, I cannot accept the offer."
"Why ever not, darling?" Rarity inquired.
"Two mares sleeping on the floor while I have a bed to myself?" Bronze Star pointed out, "I wouldn't hear of it."
"How would it be any better to force a prince sleep on the floor?" Rarity countered.
"The difference is that nopony would be forcing me to sleep there," Bronze Star expounded, "I would be doing so by my own choice. I'm choosing to give up the bed by my own accord."
"Are you sure of that?" the white mare asked him, slightly doubtful.
"Absolutely," Bronze Star asserted.
There was a short pause, and then Rarity nodded her head in acceptance and stated "Very well. If that is what you wish, I understand."
"So that leaves me and Rarity," Applejack prudently stated, "Which of us gets the bed?"
"You could share it," Bronze Star suggested.
"Share it?" Applejack and Rarity repeated in bafflement.
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Twilight Sparkle perceived, "I mean, my bed is just big enough for me. However, the other bed could easily accommodate two ponies."
"That's certainly an advantage," Applejack commented.
"Indeed it is," Rarity pronounced. "But I don't know about… the two of US sharing a bed."
"For once, I agree with you," Applejack mumbled heatedly.
"Well, the alternative is for one of you to share the bed with me," Bronze Star cheekily enlightened them, "Tell me that'd be any less awkward."
Applejack and Rarity both blushed heavily at that statement. Twilight Sparkle blushed a little, as well. Bronze Star could hardly blame them, considering the implications of what he just said. He was almost impelled to blush himself. Luckily, Applejack and Rarity did not complain any more. They were still somewhat reluctant to sleep together, but they agreed to share the bed.
"Now that that issue's been resolved, let's get some rest," Bronze Star recommended.
"We still haven't decided where you'll sleep, Bronze," Twilight pointed out.
"I'll sleep downstairs," he professed, "That huge pile of pillows left over from the pillow fight is still down there. We've got enough of them to make a small fortress. It shouldn't be too hard for me to get comfortable with them."
"Sounds like a plan," Twilight stated in approval, "You want a blanket?"
"Sure," he replied.
Twilight Sparkle trotted over to a closet, removed a folded blanket, and gave it to the gold stallion. Once he received it, he looked around at the three mares and said genially "Have a lovely evening. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," the three of them bade him in return.
Bronze Star then left the room and trotted back down to the ground floor. Initially, he approached the massive pile of pillows slowly, but then he charged towards it and lunged into the pile for fun. Some of the pillows were scattered around the room, but most of them did not move.
He chuckled in mild amusement at this little stunt. In a way, it reminded him of his foalhood. When he was a young colt, he often spent the entire night with Princess Celestia. On those nights, they had some of their best mother-son bonding time. They would pass the time in her room by playing games, making treats, and exchanging stories.
He remembered this one occasion when they made a fortress out of pillows and used it to reenact a scene from their favorite fable. This particular fable was about a noble warrior and a regal princess. Naturally, Celestia was the princess, and Bronze Star was the warrior. The scene they reenacted was the part where the princess was abducted by a jealous suitor and imprisoned in the dungeon of his castle, and the warrior had taken it upon himself to single-hoofedly rescue her.
Most of their reenactment had been performed very well. However, near the end of it, Bronze Star had accidentally stumbled into the fortress and knocked over part of it. He hastily apologized to his mother for ruining the skit. Luckily, she was not upset at all. In fact, she had purposely knocked over another section of the fortress just to make her son feel better. He most certainly felt better, and he was actually quite amused.
The two of them decided to forget about the skit altogether and just demolish the fortress for the fun of it. In the end, they were rolling around together in the remains of the fortress, playfully laughing. Once they had their enjoyment, they calmed down and rested in the pile for a while. They almost fell asleep on it, but the night was still young, and they had a lot more activities planned.
Although Bronze Star was too old to enjoy that sort of thing anymore, he still cherished the memories of those days. He could not remember the last time he and his mother had spent a whole night together. She had suggested doing it again a couple times, but he always seemed to have something going on at the time. Mostly, he was carrying out training exercises with SIG Sauer or maintaining national security with the Firebrand Regiment.
As he got settled in the pillow mountain in the library, Bronze Star wondered if his mother was still open to having another all-night hangout at the Castle. It had been a while since he thought of such a thing. This slumber party with Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle had reminded him just how much he enjoyed those nights with Princess Celestia. It also occurred to him that maybe they could get Princess Luna to join them. It could have been like a small reunion for them.
Bronze Star made a mental note to speak to his mother and aunt about this the next time he went to Canterlot. That probably would not be for several weeks, but he was a patient stallion. For now, he decided to get some rest and think about the future later.
For a while, he laid in quietness. The only sounds he heard were his own inhaling and exhaling. He felt very relaxed and at ease.
Then, just before he drifted off to sleep, he heard somepony shout "Geronimo!"
It only took him a moment to recognize the voice as Applejack's. This was followed by a crash and Rarity yelling "Hey!"
Bronze Star predicted that they were having yet another disagreement, presumably over how to sleep or something equally ridiculous. On the subject, Bronze Star was astonished by how poorly the farmer and the fashion designer got along. He could understand that they had their differences, but it was a wonder they were not at each other's throats by this point. If not for their constant bickering, he felt this would have been a fantastic slumber party.
Bronze Star could faintly make out Applejack and Rarity's voices upstairs. Since there was a closed door and over fifty feet of space between him and them, he was unable to discern what they were saying. They were doubtlessly arguing again. Bronze Star did not even care what the subject of their argument was. He was starting to become very annoyed by their dispute. He picked up one of his pillows and covered his head with it in effort to shut out the noise.
A few seconds later, he could hear Twilight's voice as well. Evidently, she was fed up with Applejack and Rarity's behavior as well. She was vocal about her disdain for their squabbling, and she accused them of making her very first slumber party a disaster. Then she said something in a very cynical tone of voice.
This was soon followed by a bolt of lightning striking the area outside the house and thunder rumbling alongside it. After this, Bronze Star heard all three of the mares gasping in shock and fear. Concerned, he sat up and turned in their direction. There was a bright glow peering from underneath the door, which meant that the lights were on upstairs. He wondered what was going on up there.
From his perspective it sounded as though the mares were trying to fix something. Shortly after, Applejack said something which implied that she had solved the problem. When he heard that, Bronze assumed that everything was alright. Then he decided to ease down and try to go to sleep.
But before he could rest his head on the pillows, there was a loud resounding crash. That was what brought Bronze Star to full attention. He jumped to his hooves and bellowed "What in the name of Starswirl the Bearded's erect horn?"
After that exclamation, he rushed upstairs, kicked open the door, and entered the second floor. To his vast surprise, there was a huge tree branch in the center of the room. The window at the far end of the room was open, and Rarity was standing right by it. She cried angrily while pointing to the tree branch "I tried to tell you it would come crashing down in here."
Applejack climbed over part of the tree branch and snappily retorted "Well, ya should'a tried harder."
Her eyes dilated in shock when she realized the full extent of the mess she had made. She sighed and sincerely told the lavender mare "I'm mighty sorry, Twilight."
The magic student was still engrossed in her book about slumber parties. She announced "It's... Well, it's not okay. There's a giant tree branch in the middle of my bedroom, and the book doesn't say anything about having a giant tree branch at your slumber party. Or at least I haven't found that entry yet. Ooh... ah!"
"Now's not the time for consulting a manual, Twilight," Bronze Star grimly advised, "Unless, of course, there's anything in there about cleanup."
"Maybe not, but I'll take a look anyway, Bronze," Twilight announced, flipping through the pages.
While she was busy with this, Bronze Star decided to help remove the branch. He could not venture a guess as to how it got there in the first place, but that did not matter to him. All he worried about was finding a way to get rid of it.
Currently, Applejack was the only one who was actively working to move the branch back outside. Bronze Star hastily trotted over to her and offered "Let me give you a hoof with this."
"Thanks," she told him gratefully.
As the two of them worked together to attempt to lift up the tree branch, Applejack looked towards the window. She noticed Rarity was just picking up leaves and trinkets. She heatedly muttered "What in tarnation are y'all doin' over there?"
"Cleaning up this mess some pony made," Rarity sardonically responded, "Who was that again? Oh, right, that's you."
"We gotta do somethin'!" Applejack proclaimed.
Bronze Star turned to the lavender mare and told her "Twilight, we could use a hoof here,"
"I'm on it!" Twilight Sparkle assured him. She rapidly looked through the contents of her book, saying "Baking... BFFs... Brothers... There's nothing in here about branches."
"That's not what I… oh, forget it," Bronze Star mumbled agitatedly. He turned to Applejack and dismally remarked "Looks like we're on our own."
"Or maybe not," she countered expectantly. She grunted as she tried to lift the tree again, and then she looked over at the white mare and demanded "Rarity, for pony's sake, stop sweatin' the small stuff and help us get rid of this thing!"
Rarity did not move so much as an inch towards the orange mare and the gold stallion. Applejack glared at her and remarked "I said hussle over here and help us!"
Again, Rarity ignored Applejack's plea for assistance. The farmer was starting to get desperate to get rid of the tree by this point, so she tried a different approach to get on Rarity's good side. She looked up at the fashion designer and sincerely told her "Look, I'm sorry, alright?"
This time, Rarity looked over her shoulder and queried skeptically "What was that?"
"I said I'm sorry!" Applejack reiterated, "I should'a listened to you when you noticed where this here branch would end up. Yer annoyin' attention to detail would'a saved us from this whole mess. But right now, ya need to stop bein' so dang fussy pickin' up all the little things and help me and Bronze move the one big thing in here that actually matters! Please!"
Rarity considered lending a hoof to dispose of the tree. After a moment of silence, she fretfully pronounced "Uh. Uh, but I'll get all icky."
Bronze Star and Applejack groaned at that. The latter of them stated vociferously "Consarnit! What the... eh... you... I mean, yes, ickiness is often a side effect of hard work. But y'all need to get over it, on account I just can't fix this mess I made myself. Bronze and I need your help."
Rarity looked at the tree branch, and then she gazed at the window. She realized that her friends really did need her help, and that by helping them, she would be able to clean up the mess more efficiently. She breathed in deeply and boldly declared "Let's do this."
Rarity trotted over to Applejack and Bronze Star, and she got into position alongside them. The three of them were able to lift the branch off the ground. While they did this, Twilight Sparkle informed her "Well, they do have a section about backyard slumber parties. Is that what we're doing right now? Does this count as camping?"
None of the other three ponies answered her. Working together, Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rarity heaved the branch off the ground and carried it over to the window. They grunted strenuously, determined to dispose of this large object. Little by little, they approached the window and raised the tree branch to its level.
"Come on, just a little more," Bronze Star muttered in encouragement.
After struggling with the tree branch for nearly a minute, Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rarity managed to raise it up to the window and push it through. The branch slid out and landed on the ground below with a loud throw. Bronze Star quickly shut the window so that no more rain could get inside.
Aside from some perspiration and deluge, Bronze Star and Applejack were mostly clean. Rarity, however, was covered in tree sap, mud, and needles. When she noticed this, she frowned and whimpered "U-ugh. Oh, I look awful."
Applejack and Bronze Star actually felt for her. Luckily, Applejack got an idea to cheer Rarity up. She trotted over to the snack platter, removed two cucumber slices, and carefully placed them over Rarity's eyes. Then she enquired "Better?"
Rarity was a little unsure at first. But then she just smiled in amusement and said appreciatively "Hmph, thanks."
She then reached her front legs out in attempt to hug Applejack. Of course, with the cucumber slices over her eyes, she could not see. Applejack stepped forward to help her, and she pulled the white mare into a friendly embrace. Rarity happily clasped onto the orange mare in return.
Bronze star smiled in adoration and satisfaction at the sight.
Although the tree branch was back outside, some clusters of leaves had been left behind in the library. They bore a striking resemblance to the equine figurines Rarity had made earlier. Twilight Sparkle peered up from her book and noticed them. She commented in interest "Oh, pretty! Where did these come from? They're not in the book either."
There was a short period of silence, and then all four ponies broke out into laughter.
Once the laughter subsided, Bronze Star enquired "So, what now? Shall we go back to sleep?"
"Nah, I don't feel like sleeping anymore," Applejack illuminated.
"I for one am currently wide awake," Rarity concurred.
"Yeah, I think I'll stay up a little while longer," Twilight Sparkle proclaimed.
"That sounds like a good idea," Bronze Star decided, "How 'bout we go ahead and stay up for the rest of the night? This is a slumber party, after all."
"Sure," the three mares replied simultaneously.
Rarity took a half-hour to clean herself up. While she was in the bathroom, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle filled Bronze Star in on how the tree branch had ended up in the library. As he suspected, it involved a disagreement between Applejack and Rarity. But he did not hold that against either mare, now that they seemed to be getting along.
After Rarity had washed off the mud and dried her mane, she rejoined the others in the main room of the library. Twilight consulted her book for more fun things to do, and she proposed that they pass the time by playing 20 Questions.
For the first round, Twilight Sparkle went first. Bronze Star sat out for this round so that Applejack and Rarity could have an opportunity to work together. Thankfully, the two of them were able to cooperate and help each other this time around.
Unfortunately, even with their combined efforts, they were unable to properly guess what Twilight Sparkle was thinking of, which turned out to be a telescope. However, Twilight and Bronze pointed out that the two of them were now openly accepting and helping each other. The orange mare and the white mare were pleased to discover this.
Twilight Sparkle noted that the whole evening could have gone the same way. In response to that, Applejack and Rarity subtly blamed each other for their disagreements. But straightaway, they refuted these accusations and apologized for their behavior. Ironically, they almost got into an argument over which of them had been the more unpleasant one.
When they realized what they were doing, the two of them and Bronze Star chuckled in amusement
Twilight grinned, sat between the other two mares, and announced "I declare my first slumber party a success!"
Applejack and Rarity bumped their front hooves and cheered happily.
Twilight picked up the open book and checked off a sentence at the bottom of the page. As she did this, she thought aloud "Have fun, check."
Applejack, Rarity, and Bronze Star laughed in amusement again.
The four friends spent the next few hours of the night partaking in various activities. The second half of the slumber part was a significant improvement on the first half. Applejack and Rarity did not come to blows over anything for the remainder of the night.
At about six in the morning, the thunderstorm finally stopped. Less than twenty minutes later, the Sun rose up. As the slumber party drew to a close, Twilight decided to write another letter to her mentor. While Applejack and Rarity played another game, the lavender mare took some parchment, a quill, and some ink. Then she wrote the following:
"Dear Princess Celestia,
It's hard to believe that two ponies who seem to have so little in common could ever get along. But I found out that if you embrace each other's differences, you'd just might be surprised to discover a way to be friends after all."
As she composed the letter, Bronze Star read it over her shoulder. When she was finished, he observed "Seems like a very informative lesson."
"I think so, too," she remarked, smirking. She wrapped up the scroll with the royal seal and set it aside. She planned to send it off to Canterlot later. Then she got an idea. She looked around at her friends and asked "So, who's up for another slumber party tomorrow night?"
There was a brief interval of silence as she waited for a response. She got one, but not a verbal one. Instead, she got hit in the face by two pillows. Applejack had thrown the first one; Rarity had thrown the second one.
Twilight got the hint. She tentatively stated "Ugh. How about a week from Thursday? Oh, how about two weeks from Saturday? A month from now?"
Applejack and Rarity burst out laughing at Twilight's remarks. Bronze Star and Twilight herself joined in a few seconds later.
After this, Bronze Star went over to the lavender mare and whispered to her "Well, at any rate, Spike's going to freak when he finds out we had a slumber party without him."
"Because he'd enjoy this sort of thing?" Twilight presumed.
"No, because Rarity spent the night over and he wasn't here," Bronze Star specified.
"Oh, that's true," Twilight acknowledged. There was a moment of quietness, and then the lavender mare announced "On that subject, we should probably get to the train station soon."
"How come?" Rarity inquired.
"We're expecting Spike to get there in a couple hours," Bronze Star expounded.
"Spike's out of town?" Applejack said in surprise, "I just thought he was staying somewhere else tonight."
"He was," Bronze Star affirmed, "Just not in Ponyville. He's been in Canterlot for the past week."
"What has he been doing there?" Rarity queried.
"Just some errands," Twilight Sparkle explained, "Mainly, he's been assisting Princess Luna. He volunteered to be her guide and escort for the first few days in the capital city."
"How's that arrangement been working out?" Applejack queried.
"It actually worked out rather well," Bronze Star revealed, "Both Twilight and I got a note from him the other day. He included a report of everything that had taken place during his stay in the capital city. According to it, everything has gone pretty smoothly for both him and my Aunt."
"That's quite fortunate," Rarity commented.
"I agree," Applejack stated, "So, how do you know he'll be coming back today?"
"At the end of the letters, he mentioned that he planned to return to Ponyville this morning," Twilight Sparkle enlightened them, "He's supposed to arrive on the eight o'clock train."
"That's about an hour and a-half from now," Applejack pointed out as she checked the time, "I don't think we have to go to the train station just yet."
"I should think not," Rarity coincided, "We could linger here for a little while longer."
"Sounds good to me," Bronze Star remarked, "Any ideas for what we can do?"
"Well, we ran out of snacks a few hours ago," Twilight noted, "So let's have breakfast."
Nopony protested this suggestion. So the three mares and the stallion went into the kitchen to have the morning meal. Bronze Star and Applejack handled making the food while Twilight Sparkle and Rarity set the table. Within twenty minutes, they were seated and eating together.
As they ate, they had a friendly conversation.
"Well, while some of us might have mixed feelings about the party, I certainly had fun last night," Twilight Sparkle disclosed.
"I gotta admit; I did, too," Applejack agreed.
"It may have started out unenjoyable, but it ended on a very pleasant manner," Rarity perceived.
"I'll drink to that," Bronze Star stated, raising his glass, "We had what I'd regard as first-class fun. Just like my mother used to make."
This comment confused the three mares. They all turned to him and said simultaneously "Huh?"
"When I was much younger, I would often spent whole nights with my mother," Bronze Star explicated, "You could say we had slumber parties of our own. Of course, it was always just the two of us; I'm not entirely sure two people are enough to have a party."
"You could ask Pinkie Pie," Rarity cheekily stated, "She would probably argue that two is enough."
"Heck, she might even say two is more than enough," Applejack cockily theorized.
"Knowing her, she might," Twilight Sparkle agreed, scoffing. She then turned back to the gold stallion and beckoned him "So, Bronze, tell us more. What did you and Princess Celestia do during your so-called 'slumber parties?'"
"Oh, quite a lot of great stuff," Bronze Star recalled, "My mother may be strict, authoritative, and plain-speaking in public, but I know firsthoof that when she's not busy running the country, she can be sweet, playful, and creative."
"That's nice," Rarity perceived, "What sort of things would you do with her?"
"A lot of the same things the four of us did last night," Bronze Star recounted, "The activities included but are not limited to storytelling, 20 questions, hide-and-seek, and the occasional pillow fight. Sometimes the pillow fights got out of control very quickly, though."
Applejack snickered a little and stated "Forgive me, but I'm having a tough time imagining Princess Celestia takin' part in a pillow fight."
"I can hardly blame you," Bronze Star stated, "After all, that's the kind of thing you'd have to see to believe. But trust me; my mother was what you might call a 'formidable adversary' in a pillow fight. However, more often than not, I won."
"Alright, Bronze!" Twilight Sparkle in mock glee, "One might say that even before you began your military training, you were achieving victory in the proverbial battlefield."
"That does sound like something SIG Sauer would say," Bronze Star remarked in agreement.
"Did you ever have a favorite activity or anything of the sort?" Rarity queried.
"Actually, yes," Bronze Star answered her, "Truth or Dare was always my favorite. My mother could come up with some pretty elaborate dares, and it was impossible to keep any secrets from her when I chose truth. But I could be just as imaginative and intrusive as her. However, one night when I was nine, I think I may have… crossed the line."
"Why do you say that?" Applejack queried.
Bronze Star did not reply straightaway. After a few seconds of quietness, he apprised them "Because on one occasion, she chose truth, and I asked her 'Who's my father?'"
The three mares softly gasped at that revelation. Bronze Star went on with "She had a similar reaction to that question. At the time, I was worried that I had angered her or something. So before anything else happened, I suggested that we drop the subject and do something else. She did not protest. I was able to save our evening together, but that was the last time we ever played Truth or Dare."
"Gee, that's too bad," Applejack commented.
"Yes, it is," Rarity coincided, "But I suppose now, you must have some idea of how Princess Celestia felt."
"What do you mean?" Bronze Star questioned.
"During our own game of Truth or Dare last night, you admitted to having strong feelings for a certain mare in Ponyville," "But you were, shall we say… reluctant to tell us who she was."
"So I was," Bronze Star recounted, "On that note, I apologize if I seemed to get somewhat worked up over that. It's just that… well, despite being one of the most well-known stallions in the country, I'm not popular with the mares. I have no idea what it's like to court somepony. I've never been on a date. In fact, I've never even been kissed."
"Neither have I, Bronze," Twilight Sparkle reminded him.
"I don't believe anypony in our group has," Rarity observed.
"Not even you, Rarity?" Bronze Star assumed in surprise.
"No, I'm saving my lips for the right stallion," the white mare proclaimed.
"I can respect that," the gold stallion conceded, "That's pretty much what I'm doing, too. This particular mare that I like, while it's much too early for me to think of her as 'the one,' I have become quite fond of her. But I don't want her to be aware of my feelings before anypony else, and I want to know whether or not she reciprocates my feelings before I tell her. That's why I didn't reveal her name last night."
"You don't have to explain yourself, Bronze," Applejack assured him, "To be honest, I think it's commendable, the way you're being so cautious about this."
"'Cautious?'" Bronze Star said in perplexity.
"A lot of stallions tend to be much too direct when approaching a mare," Applejack explicated, "You, on the other hoof, are actually making an effort to be subtle and careful. That's a sign of a pony who cares about his own feelings and the feelings of others. Truth be told, even if you weren't a prince, I don't think you'd have any difficulties with finding yourself a partner."
"Really?" Bronze Star remarked.
"Yeah," Applejack confirmed, "I don't see how anypony couldn't like you. You're hard-working, strong, dependable, compassionate, open-minded, rich, intelligent, courteous, and cunning. You're also well-versed in politics and war, as well as society. Sure, you may have some flaws, but then again, so do we all. I'd say your abilities greatly overshadow your defects."
Bronze Star was touched by this exposition. "Do you actually think all that about me, Applejack?"
"Element of Honesty, remember?" the orange mare brazenly replied, "So yes, I do. You can believe me when I tell you this, sugar cube. That mare you've fallen for… whoever she is, she's very lucky."
Bronze Star gave a pleasant smile and stated thankfully "I'm really glad to hear you say that, Applejack. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"Oh?" the orange mare stated, lifting her mug up to her lips, "How come?"
Bronze Star was initially impelled not to answer that question. But he had come this far, and he figured that given the circumstances, now would be as good a time as any to come forward. As Applejack took a drink from her mug, Bronze Star inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and then he answered her with "Because you ARE that mare."
Applejack had nearly emptied her mug, but when she heard that statement, she lowered her mug and expelled its contents from her mouth in absolute surprise. She had been facing Bronze Star at this time, so she ended up spewing her drink all over the gold stallion. He was just as alarmed by this action as she was by what he had told her.
For a moment, the four ponies sat in a very deep and uncomfortable silence. Bronze Star then looked himself over. His coat and his mane were covered in apple juice and spit. When he fully grasped this concept, he broke out guffawing.
The mares were surprised by his reaction, but then they joined him in laugher. This effectively changed the atmosphere of the scenario from unpleasant to hilarious.
Thirty seconds later, the four ponies calmed down. Then Bronze Star muttered drolly "Well, I didn't expect that."
"I know what you mean," Applejack professed.
"I'll get you a towel, Bronze," Twilight Sparkle proposed.
"And I'll get another towel for the floor and table," Rarity thought aloud.
The two Unicorns left the room to locate some towels. As a result, Bronze Star and Applejack were left alone for a few minutes.
"I'll bet they left us alone on purpose," Applejack observed.
"Well, even if they didn't, let's take advantage of their absence," Bronze Star suggested, "Now that you know how I feel… how does that make YOU feel?"
"Well, I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't surprised," Applejack responded, "So naturally, I am surprised. But in a good way."
"So do you… approve?" Bronze Star asked hopefully.
"'Approve?'" Applejack remarked, chuckling slightly, "Bronze, we're talking about feelings, not ideas. Must you always talk so formal?"
"I can't help it; that's the way I was raised," Bronze Star explained, "I'm used to using words like that."
"It's alright," Applejack asserted, "I actually think it's kinda nice."
"Oh, that's good," Bronze Star commented, "So, you didn't answer my question. Do you mind that I… like you as more than a friend?"
"No, I don't mind," she assured him, "But I'm curious. Why me?"
"The more appropriate question would be 'why not,'" Bronze Star countered, "That'd have a much shorter answer. Other than your stubbornness and your huge dislike of proper apparel and mannerisms, I can't think of a single aspect about your personality that I don't like. Your devotion to your family, your forgiving and caring mindset, your motherly demeanor, and your hardworking lifestyle much more than make up for that. Those are just a few of the things I like about you. I could try to list them all, but we'd probably be sitting here for too long if I did."
Applejack lightly scoffed at that. "Don't worry; I won't ask you to tell me all of them. You've already said quite enough."
"That's not a bad thing, is it?" he presumed a little worriedly.
"No, of course not," she guaranteed him, "I'm actually glad to know how you really feel about me, Bronze. Now we can be truthful and straightforward with each other."
"Indeed," Bronze Star concurred. He leaned forward and placed his hoof on Applejack's. Then he told her "While it is great that we both know how the other feels, I would prefer it if we take things slowly. So for now, let's just stay friends."
"I've got no problem with that," Applejack stated in approval, "We could start by sharing a meal. Say, sometime I could have you over at my place for dinner. You'd get to spend some time with me, my brother, my sister, and my granny."
"I'd like that," Bronze Star informed her, "That'd also be a fine way for me to get to know you and your family better."
"That's the idea," Applejack affirmed, "Come by anytime you want. I'm certain we'd be able to make you feel welcome."
"I'll keep that in mind," he declared, smiling.
A minute later, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity returned with a few towels. Rarity used a few of the towels to wiping the floor and table. Twilight Sparkle gave Bronze Star the other towels. As he dried himself, he comically mentioned "You know, this is the second time in the past two weeks that I've been covered in spit."
"At least it wasn't dragon spit this time," Rarity pointed out.
"True," Bronze Star concurred, "That's certainly an improvement."
"Are you going to be okay, Bronze?" Twilight Sparkle queried in concern.
"Ho, yeah," Bronze Star assured his friend. He gazed at Applejack out of the corner of his eye and added in "Everything will be quite alright."