//------------------------------//
// Fire. 
// Story: My Little Musketeer! 
// by Appl3dashie 
//------------------------------//

"Hurry!" Pearl yelled flying above them. "They can't hold her forever!" 

"We're going as fast as we can!" Rainbowdash yelled. 

"Not fast enough!" Pearl yelled back.

"Watch out!" Pinkie yelled pointing to the sky. One massive fireball hit a tree. It started a fire which spread to the next tree. And the next. And the next. Until the forest was bright orange.

"Well don't just stand there!" Pearl snapped. "Princess Silver sent out a fireball! Now hurry up!" She flew over the trees at great speed. Followed by Rainbowdash.

"Well?" Twilight yelled as she teleported through the forest dodging all the flames. "OH NO! Guys we gotta rescue Pinkie and Applejack!" Twilight yelled up at Rainbowdash. But she paid no attention.  "RAINBOWDASH!" Twilight yelled. 

Meanwhile...

"Pinkie get behind me!" Applejack pushed Pinkie behind her. 

"Applejack! Help!" Pinkie felt tears coming to her eyes before evaporating. 

"Just stay there!" Applejack pushed Pinkie back more. I hate how earth ponies don't have wings or magic... she thought.

"Applejack!" Pinkie pushed Applejack to the ground as another fireball hit the ground.

"Thanks Pinkie..." Applejack quickly got up. "Follow me now!" Applejack dashed through the bushes which haven't caught on fire yet.

"Wait for me!" Pinkie cried. They swiftly dodged balls of fire and burning bushes. Until they reached a dead end. "We can't go past!" Pinkie tried to break the boulder blocking their path but the pink mare couldn't do anything.

"Like I said before get behind me!" Applejack yelled at her. Pinkie cowered behind Applejack.

"D-Do you think we'll be okay?" she whimpered. 

"I dunno… Don't ya worry if we don't make it out… we'll still be together…" Applejack sat down beside Pinkie hugging her waiting for the flames to reach them.

"Goodbye Applejack…" Pinkie smiled. "We tried our best." She nuzzled Applejacks cheek before leaning down to rest her head on Applejacks neck. 

"Bye P-" Applejack was cut off. A rainbow swooped past her demolishing the flames. 

"Hey! The element of loyalty never leaves her friends!" Rainbowdash winked. 

"Rainbow!" Pinkie and Applejack wrapped her in a big hug. 

"Are they okay?" Twilight teleported next to them.

"They're fine."

"Come on! This isn't gonna stay like this forever!" Twilight pushed them. 

"But Twilight. They're still earth ponies!" Rainbowdash said back. 

"Well there is a simple solution." Pearl appeared next to Twilight. It started to get hotter. "It's easy Applejack will get carried on Rainbows back while flying and I'll carry Pinkie." Pearl smiled. 

"But I'll go through you! Your just a ghost after all…." Pinkie said. 

"Just trust me." Pearl smiled softly.

"Okay then…" The heat when up and notch. Soon the fire licked at branches of the trees. 

"Come on we gotta hurry!" Twilight said. 

"Applejack get on me!" Rainbowdash yelled. Applejack climbed onto Rainbows back. Rainbow struggled but she stood up right. 

"Now now now Rainbow." Pearl winked. "Your the fastest flying in Equestria! You should be strong." She laughed. Pinkie jumped on her back and away they soared.

"Whoa! I've never been flying!" Applejack looked down at the view. 

"Eh… It's nothing special… Just some fire…" Rainbow watched Twilight teleport through trees and bushes. 

"I've only been on balloons but this view is way way better!" Applejack gasped. 

"Seriously its not special… its just high up."

"I suppose your so used to flying you've never taken in the surroundings?" Applejack said.

"Yeah… I guess. Anyways…" Rainbowdash shrugged. 

"Ya know you really need to stop and take in the view." Applejack said. Rainbowdash closed her eyes and instead of watching Pearl she looked down at the fire. She ignored the fire and looked at the trees. She then looked up at the sky. At the bright stars. 

"Wow… Actually I've never really…" Rainbow gasped at the sights.

"I know its beautiful if you've worked in the fields your whole life." Applejack grinned. Rainbows heart started to beat a little faster when she was around Applejack. "So uh do you even know where we're going?" She asked.

"No but still I could stay up here all day if I had wings." 

"Yeah me to." They flew in silence for a bit. "Hey Applejack?" 

"Yeah?" Rainbow thought it would be good to admit her feelings to her but instead she hid them.

"Never mind."

"Ya sure?" Applejack asked. 

She can sense something… Just tell her! B-but if I do she'll probably think I'm some kinda freak! I'll stay silent… No… she should know get it off my mind. Rainbowdash thought.

"Umm can I tell you something?"

"Anythin"

"Ya know we've had fights… We've had… arguments… We've had a lot of things we've gone through… Well I've always had a-"

"Crush?"

"Yeah." Rainbowdash blushed. "…So… you don't think I'm weird or stupid?"

"No no. I've had a crush kinda to."

"Y-You do?" Rainbowdash gasped.

"Yeah… not a biggie though…" she smiled softly.

"So do you think we could be more then friends?"

"I'll think 'bout it." she winked. They swooped down to a clear space (even through the fire started spreading quicker.).

"Is it a yes or no?" Rainbow asked annoyed.

"Its a…" Applejack mocked.

"What?"

"A…"

"What!"

"A…" 

"WHAT?!" 

"THE FIRE GET BACK IN THE AIR!" Applejack jumped up back on her back and they flew into the air. "Its yes… how could I say no." Applejack smiled.

"R-Really?!" Rainbow wanted to do a flip but she remembered Applejack was on her back.

"Eeyup!"

"All this time I've had to hide my feelings from the one pony I loved...." Rainbow sighed. She remembered the time she'd messed up in front of Applejack at a picnic. 

Rainbowdash galloped pass the barbeque Applejack had going.

"Howdy Rainbow!" She stopped and waved.

"Smells good Applejack!" she dashed off. "I spoke to Applejack! SQUEEE!" She squealed.

"The meat is ready!" Applejack yelled. Rainbow zoomed over picking up a plate while running. 

"Hey what sauce did you use?" Rainbow said as she placed some tomato sauce over her sausage.

"This cook never reveals her sauces." Applejack laughed.

"Umm..." Rainbow looked around at the rest of her friends. They were all laughing but only Rainbowdash didn't understand the joke. "I don't get it." 

"You don't get it?!" Pinkie shouted. "How can't you not understand an awesome fabulous AMAZING joke like that?!" Rainbow looked over Pinkies shoulder. Applejack was walking towards a tree with that look that means 'Your dumb.' look. 

She sighed at the memories.

Meanwhile...

"So Pinkie tell me about the crew." Pearl said.

"They're fine... Well I guess..."

"I'm actually glad I'm dead." Pinkie gasped.

"How could you... Why could you.... 	HUH?!" Pinkie just gasped.

"I was going to walk the plank away." She sighed. 

"Aww I have that feeling to! Once my friends abandoned me for this other party planner! I wanted to jump off sugarcube corners balcony!" 

"Sugarcube corner?" Pearl asked curiously.

"Yeah!  If you heard we don't belong in this time. We belong in the time its called 2012. Ya know how to spell it?"

"Yes yes... Now I want to know everything about 2012. Am I there?"

"No but we got sugarcube corner and Fluttershy's cottage shes my friend from the other world. She is so kind but she is so shy! So I don't get it but she is great! Because she can communicate with animals on a different level! And she is a pegasus! Ya know how to spell that right? Course ya do! Anyway then there is Rarity and she is a total fashion lunatic!" 

"Hmm..." Pearl replied highly interested.

Meanwhile...

"Gotta go faster!" Twilight panted teleporting past flames. "Nearly there!" she didn't even know where she was heading. 

"Lookie here!" A stallion stumbled out from a tree. "I'm Static and this is my crew!" Around 13 other stallions jumped out of the bushes snatching Twilight.

"H-Hey let me go!" She struggled.

"Do you even know who we are?" he growled. 

"Duh your weirdos." 

"Grrr.... We're bandits and since this is our forest I'm sorry but you'll have to die." he held up a gun. 

"Not today!" Rainbowdash swooped in and punched him away. 

"Attacker!" They pounced on her like a cat. 

"Run Twilie!" She yelled. Twilight's legs reacted quicker then her brain. 

"Gotta go…" she panted. 

"Don't think about it!" Static jumped on her out of a bush but she rolled underneath him. She's got the skills! he thought racing after her. 

"Haha!" Applejack knocked him over. "Whatd'ya think ya doin?" She said pointing her sword at him. 

"One of Silver's musketeers! Should've known they'd find us…" he growled. 

"Applejack where in Equestria did you…" she looked at her clothes. Blue hat with a blue cape. With Celestias symbol in white in the middle. She held a silver sword in her hoof. 

"Guess who turned back to snatch some of Princess Silvers goods?" she grinned. 

"Wow! You did that just for me?"

"Eeyup! We're not the only ones." Pinkie and Rainbow came into sight. 

"But where is Pearl?" Everything went silent (minus the annoying chirp of the crickets.). 

"Well...." Rainbowdash started. 

"Nothing happened! But she got hit by a boulder when we were fighting and then she swooped up but and arrow went through her heart she then fell to the ground!" Pinkie smiled. The others glared at her. "What? I'm just being honest." she glared at Applejack. 

"Yeah... That's pretty much everything that's happened to her..." Rainbowdash said. 

"GET OFF HIM!"  said a brownish pony.. She body slammed into Applejack knocking her down.

"Thanks Shining." Static jumped to his hooves. BANG went the siren. The pirates and other four ponies had hands again. 

"Yes!" Twilight grinned.

"Not so fast!" Shining knocked Twilight down with one kick. But Twilight was prepared. She grabbed her hoof with her hands and flung Shining into the bushes. 

"Twilight watch out!" Applejack pushed down a stallion that was nearly going to strike down Twilight. She snatched up her sword from Rainbowdash who flew past her. "D-Don't hurt me!" but that was to late. She pierced the sword through his skin. "Sleep tight..." she mumbled turning back to the battle. 

"No! No no!" Shining quickly lunged back at Twilight. "GRR!" she slapped Twilight but Twilight grabbed her sword that lay still on the ground. "Don't fail me now!" she whispered before swiping the sword at Shining. 

"UNFAIR!" Shining desperately looked around for a sword. Instead she only found a shield... made out of wood. "Stay back!" she cried. Twilight thought something.

We're all ponies....maybe if we let her have mercy we could recruit her to our guide... after all remember Shining Armour is adopted... remember when he showed up out our house saying "Pwease adopwt mwe?" as a baby when I was so young? Dad was going to kill him because he went into our house without asking! Thank goodness mum said "We'll adopt you." She stopped fighting but still held her sword in her hand. "Sorry..." she snatched the shield up and with her magic turned it into iron. 

"Please... let me fight with you..." Shining said in a weak voice. "If no that's okay... but please just let me fight for you..." she stood up. "I know I know... I totally suck at fighting. But you totally inspired me! I mean wow! Your an inspiration." Twilight thought it over. 

"Okay... but if you betray us..." she held her sword up. "The consequences are not pretty..." she growled. 

"I promise." Twilight gave her a sword and when her hoof touched it away she went. Shining was like a bullet.

Meanwhile...

"You think your so tough?" Rainbowdash mocked three ponies. They held their shields a bit higher. "Come on fight me!" she raised her sword. "Come on! All 3 at once!" she said. The one on the right lowered her shield. She was a changeling. Yellow hair and yellow eyes.

"Try me." She said in a low tone. Rainbowdash quickly remembered LightningDust. The anger at her bubbled inside of her. 

"Yeah go Daffodil!" The two other shields yelled. Daffodil dropped her shield and pointed her sword at Rainbowdash. 

"321 GO!" Rainbowdash zoomed at her but before she got within an arms reach she swooped up. She went higher then the clouds. Daffodil followed behind. "FIGHT ME!" Rainbowdash lunged her sword at her. While Daffodil ducked Rainbow kicked her stomach. 

"AHHA!" she cried. Rainbow wasn't finished. She cut her wings off. Since her wings were made of stuff like cellophane she didn't feel anything. "HELP!" she soared down through the sky. Rainbow zoomed down she punched her head and when she got to the ground she slammed her down hard. Rainbow felt sweat trickling down her cheek. She breathed hard. Her chest going up and down wildly. Then she turned to the 2 shields. 

"WHOSE NEXT?" she yelled. 

"Me." The next changeling was red. 

"Y-yay Ruby!" the last shield whispered. 

"Shut up!" she yelled at the other shield. "I'm ready." she threw her shield at Rainbow but Rainbowdash caught it and flew at her with it. She smashed into her with the shield. Ruby teleported behind her and stabbed her horn into Rainbowdash's leg causing her to fall. 

"Ahh!" Rainbow screamed as she lay on the ground. Ruby teleported on top of her. 

"STOP!" the last shield was flung to the ground and the dragon pony pushed down Ruby. 

"I-I knew it!" Ruby shouted. "You'd betray us in a battle! Stupid dragon!" she pushed the pony off her. 

"B-But!"

"NO BUTS LIBRA!" yelled Ruby. "You betrayed us again!"

"HEY GET OFF HER!" Rainbow swatted Ruby with a stick sending her flying into a tree. She flew up at her grabbing her neck and holding her up. "Listen here punk ya should've let her go at the start." Rainbow choked her until she had no air left. 

"Thanks…" Libra whispered. "You didn't need to do that… I should've died not Ruby." 

"No.. you stood up for me even when I beat your friends up." She winked. 

"So.. your not gonna kill me?" Rainbowdash shook her head. 

"Nah… instead I was gonna ask you to join me and my friends fight this lame battle." she held out her hand. Libra shook her hand. 

"Lets win this." she flew into the air before diving down at the ponies. 

"Thats my girl!" Rainbow cheered. 

While this stuff was happening in the forest this is what happened to Pinkamena Diane Pie...

"More cider?" She asked.

"What the hell are you even using this for?" The barpony asked before tossing her 5 more ciders. 

"A battle."

"Cider battle?"

"Yeah!" She carried the humungous stack of ciders out all the way to the forest again.

Back in the forest...

"Where did Pinkie go?" Applejack asked Rainbowdash.

"Dunno but she'd better get back soon! These ponies are getting on my nerves!" Rainbowdash said pushing back 5 changelings.

"CIDER FIGHT PARTYY!" cried the pink mare from the top of a burning tree. She threw the mugs of cider down at the battle putting out all flames and blinding all enemies. 

"WOO YEAH PINKIE!" Applejack cried. 

"Rainbow help!" Twilight cried. She was stuck under 3 blinded stallions. Rainbow swooped and punched the 3 blinded stallions off her. "Thanks." she nuzzled her on the nose. Then Rainbow remembered. The time she was in the lake with Twilight. Now she's hooked up with Applejack. 

"No…no no no!" Rainbow ran away. "I've cheated… I don't know what to do!" she ran through the bushes. 

"Whats with Rainbow?" Libra asked. 

"Ehh I dunno…." Applejack started trotting towards the bushes but Shining stopped her. 

"I'll do this." she winked before running into the bushes. "Rainbowdash?" she yelled out. 

"Over here..." said a miserable voice. 

"Oh Rainbowdash what's wrong?" Rainbow turned and explained everything from Twilight in the forest to Applejack becoming her marefriend.

"Now I can't choose between them both!" she cried.

"Ahh I know that feeling... Feels like you can't do anything." Shining smiled softly. "The point is.. if Twilight tries to flirt with you or Applejack just ignore them. Be yourself. Talk to them casually and if it goes downhill from there fly away." She felt she needed to say more. "I remember the time I found out that my best friend was gay." 

"How dare you compare the problem to you and your stupid friend!" Rainbow snapped.

"Whoa whoa whoa girl... I didn't mean to compare it to you." They sat in silence for a bit. 

"Sorry... I'll go out and follow your advice... I should work."

"That's better." They cleaned Rainbow's face from the tears and headed back to the girls. Each step Rainbowdash wanted to hide. She wanted to crawl away into a deep hole. 

No... her mind would say when Rainbow's legs stopped. "Must keep going..." she would whisper. The breeze gave her strength. Each step made her feel her world was coming together again....