//------------------------------//
// Appleloosa's Most Wanted 
// Story: The Little Pony Legend: A Kingdom of Friendship 
// by MaggiesHeartLove 
//------------------------------//


*(~)*
Romans 12:2~
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 
*(~)*

Appleloosa's Most Wanted



It was such a bright and shinning day in the country. Despite the heat, everypony was cheerful and excited to be here. Appleloosa was bursting with color, stands of apple sweets adorned the golden brown land, tents with fun games and prizes all around and as far as the eye could see. Ponies wore country attire; cowboy hats, bandanas, even country boots and belt buckles. Among the crowd as a trio of fillies and four young airbenders. 
"Aren't you glad y'all came with me to see Applejack compete in the Appleloosa rodeo?" Apple Bloom asked to her friends. 
Sweetie Belle and Scootalo smiled in agreement. The white unicorn had brought her little spirit friend, Valiant. He was a strange little creature appearing to be a mix of a bird and a mouse. But, regardless of his size, Valiant as very…well, valiant. Especially towards young Sweetie Belle.
The humans were none other than Jinora, Kai, Ikki and Meelo. Since Jinora was now bald due to her receiving her airbender tattoos, she wore a yellow cap, matching her red, orange and yellow airbender attire.
"Totally!" said Kai, his green eyes sparkling, "I've never been to a real rodeo before!"
"You didn't even know what a rodeo was until she explained it." Jinora stated with a knowing smirk, somewhat teasing her friend. 
"Still, it's unlike anything I've seen before!"
"I know what you mean, Kai!" said Scootaloo, who was also an airbender just like him and the others. "This place is a cutie mark gold mine!" she pointed her hoof towards the activities they were currently holding, "There's barrel racing, roping contests, rodeo clowning, steeplechase!" as she mentioned all of these, the others marveled at the events taking fold. 
"If we can get into some of these events, we could all three walk off the train back in Ponyville with brand spankin' new cutie marks!" said an excitable Apple Bloom. Gaining cutie marks was the three fillies ultimate goal in life. 
Scootaloo looked upon her blank flank, dreaming of her own cutie mark. "Wouldn't a barrel look good here?" she said with a sigh. 
"I want a lasso!" Apple Bloom said, shaking her flank.
However, Sweetie Belle wasn't entirely as excitable as her friends were at the moment, "I don't know... All these events look a little, well, dangerous."
"She's right." said Jinora, "And a lot of these ponies seem pretty experienced."
"No risk, no reward." Kai said proudly. Having been a street urchin for most of his life, taking risks was not something new to him.
Meelo jumped up with joy, "I wanna use a lasso!" 
"I wanna see the clowns!" Ikki exclaimed happily.
"There you kids are!" The children all turned their heads when they spotted both the firebender Mako and the pony pegasus Flash Sentry approach them. "I though we told you not to sneak off like that!"
Jinora spoke first, "Sorry Mako, we were just so excited."
"You kids need to be careful." said Flash.
"Why?" Kai asked, right before they heard another pony call out to them. He was the sheriff known as Silverstar. 
"There you two detectives are!"  he said in his strong country accent. 
"Sorry, Sheriff." Mako apologized, "We were just looking for these kids." he send them a very stern raised eyebrow, warning them not to sneak off again.
"Well, I need you boys to listen up!" said the pony sheriff, "We need a big presence at this here rodeo, so make yourself plenty seen! I want that low-down varmint to know we mean business!"
"You can count on us, sir!" Flash said as he and Mako saluted him.
Sweetie Belle whispered to her friends, "I hope nothing bad is going on."
Apple Bloom, on the other hand, couldn't be any moor thrilled, "A cutie mark-apalooza and a low-down varmint? This is shapin' up to be the most excitin' rodeo ever!"
"No!" the pony flinched after the two detectives yelled at them. "This is not a job for kids or fillies. Go find Braeburn and stay close to him and Applejack." Mako said like a stern father, "Got it?"
Meelo wined, "Awww, but we wanna stop the bad guy!"
"Look Meelo, Flash and I were called here to help with security. The Sheriff's already got bodyguards scattered across the place keeping a lookout. I doubt you'll be seeing an outlaw any time soon."
The kids, minus Jinora and Sweetie Belle, sighed sadly before walking away to find A.B's cousin, leaving the two boys to themselves. "Come on, Flash."
But while they went off to check on security, a shadowy figure his behind a stack of hay, leaving behind a single horseshoe print on the dirt as he walked away.
Whoever this outlaw was…he wasn't too far behind.


(~)


Applejack was at the top of her game! She was competing in the rodeo's tossing the rodeo's hay bale stacking event. Her hind legs kicked with such power you'd think they were made of metal or something. The bale landed flawlessly onto the very top of the stack, which was almost as high as a building, as her cousin Braeburn cheered for her. 
"Woo-hoo! Yee-haw! That's my cousin! Go, Applejack, go!"
Originally, he was meant to compete in this event, but after a tragic accident that wounded his left leg, he couldn't. So naturally, Applejack came to take his place. Despite his leg on a sash, he was still happy to have his favorite cousin take over for him. He was a good sport that way.
Applejack leaped down from the stack, bending a piece of rock to rise up and soften her fall, which was then lowered down with one tap of her hoof. The pony wiped away the sweat from her brow as she approached her cousin. "Whew! It's been a dog's age since I got to compete especially. All the rodeos 'round Ponyville being closed down for some reason."
"Well, I guess havin' injured kinfolk in Appleloosa sure paid off then, huh, cuz?"
"Just doin' my best to fill your horseshoes, Braeburn."
"Keep tossin' like that and I'll be out of a job!" he said. Applejack brohoofed his injured leg, making him wince. "Ow, ow!"
"Ooh, sorry. Say, where's my sister and the other kids?"
Braeburn's eyes widened in realization, "Uh-oh. Gee, uh, I guess I got so caught up watchin' you that I—"
"You said you'd keep an eye on those kids!" Applejack exclaimed sternly, "How am I supposed to focus on practicin' if you're not gonna—"
"There they are! Heh, right where I left 'em…" 
The Crusaders and the airbenders appeared behind Applejack. Scootaloo had bought a cactus-like hat, which was a tad too big for her. Meelo had a cowboy hat while Ikki, Jinora and Sweetie Belle had caramel apples. Kai had hose own hat as well, but was comically taller with an arrow sticking through it. But even though they were all fine, Applejack was still eying her cousin with disapproving eyes.
"Aw, don't be mad!" he then began to fake cry dramatically, "Owwwwch! My poor leg! Hurts so much…!" he gave her the big eyes and pouty lips, which made the children giggle.
"Y'all can't go runnin' off like that, y'hear?" said Applejack, "Backstage at a rodeo ain't no kind of playground! And I promised Tenzin I would keep an eye on you four."
"Relax, A.J." Kai said calmly, "We were just with Mako and Flash."
"Yeah, but they're here on business. They won't have much time to keep an eye on ya'll."
"Sorry, Applejack." said her little sister, speaking sincerely, "We won't wander off again." Scootaloo then elbowed her in the leg, reminding her to ask something. "But, uh, speakin' of the rodeo... what would you say about me and the Crusaders maybe competin' in one teensy-weensy little event or three?"
"And can we compete too?" Ikki sake hopefully. "Please, please, please, please, please, please, please!"
But before Applejack could say anything, Braeburn suddenly cried, "Look out!"
The tall stack of hay began to loose its balance and tumble down to the ground…with the children in its way!
Applejack used her earthbending to push them to the other side right in the nick of time when the hay stacks finally fell, causing the dust of the dirt to rise up. The children coughed once the dust cleared up and Applejack ran to check on them.
"Are you okay?!" the children all nodded in yes, "What the hay just happened?"
"You kids alright?" Braeburn asked with concern. Like with Applejack they nodded and said yes. 
Mako and Flash Sentry came running as well, inspecting the children. "What happened?! Is anybody hurt?" he inspected the kids, checking them for any scars or bruises and dusting their clothing. 
"We're okay, Mako. Really." Jinora assured him.
"Hey, Mako! Look at this!" 
The firebender came by when Flash called him out. He squatted down and noticed something on the ground. It was the mark of a very large horseshoe print. "That's the biggest hoofprint I've ever seen." said the firebender. 
Sheriff Silverstar approached the crime scene and his eyes became stern and his voice lowered in a dramatic way, "Sugar and salt licks! Well, I'll be…"
Applejack approached the four, "What is it, Sheriff?" she looked down at the hoofprint, along with Braeburn. 
"Is it him?"
"Ain't no doubt. It's Trouble Shoes."
At the mention of the name, a western harmonica riff played. 
"Meelo, stop that!" said Jinora.
Her little brother was playing the western, musical instrument. "Hey, I won it so I'm gonna use it!"
The children all shared the same expressions and asked the same question; Who is this Trouble Shoes? And why was he such a threat? 


(~)


Along with his deputies, and the firebender detective with his pegasus partner, Sheriff Silverstar stood on the wooden front porch of his office home as the crowd surrounding it began bombarding him with questions.
"Is it true? Is Trouble Shoes here?"
"You ain't gonna shut down the rodeo, are ya?!"
"All right now, I called for a meetin', not a mob scene." said the sheriff, and two stallions had to lower down their pitchfork and torch…much to their dismay. 
"Now, as many of you know, the Equestria rodeo circuit has been plagued by the dirty dealin's of a notorious outlaw."
"He knocked barrels every which way at the Hoof City rodeo!" said a female pony in the crowd, "Nearly crushed my Aunt Bae Mare!"
A male townspony cried out, "That's nothin'! He sabotaged the steer pen at Pinto Creek rodeo, settin' off such a stampede they cancelled the whole dadgum thing!"
"Now, now, it's true we had an incident this mornin' at our own Appleloosa rodeo. Hay bale stack came down right near on top of three little fillies and four innocent airbender kids!"
The crowd immediately felt sympathy for the children. "Not the airbenders!" a townspony cried out. They all knew how important they were in the human world.
The sheriff gestured to Mako and Flash Sentry, "The detectives and I examined them hoof-prints and, uh... it was Trouble Shoes, all right." the crowd gasped in horror at the news they hoped they didn't have to hear. "I reckon I oughta cancel this rodeo like all the others done. But dag-hoof it, this has gone far enough! We'll double the patrols! This rodeo will go on! Appleloosa ain't gonna be intimidated!" All the ponies cheered with great pride. There was no way they were letting a no good outlaw ruin their day. The sheriff turned to the detectives, "I want you boys to investigate where this varmint's gonna strike next. Whatever ya'll find, report back to me."
The boys saluted in response. This pony didn't hire the best of the Republic City and Canterlot Royal police force for nothing. The crowd dispersed, happy to know their rode was still going to be continue. "Glad that's settled." said Apple Bloom "So, uh, Applejack, about me and my pals competin' in the rodeo…" 


(~)


In Braeburns's country cottage, Applejack had the girls pack their things into their saddled bags and Mako had the children get their backpacks. 
"Don't send us home! It's not fair!" Ikki wined.
"Now, quit yer bellyachin'." said Applejack, "We can't have y'all around here with some outlaw on the loose. Aw, maybe I oughta call it quits and go home too."
Braeburn intervened, "No, you can't! This rodeo is important to Appleloosa! And with you in there, we got a real shot at winnin'!" 
"But we can't risk the safety of these kids." said Flash.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on em for ya." before any of them could protest, he shoved all three of them out the door, "Come on, now, you head on back to practice and lookin' for clues, don't worry none about these kids. I won't let 'em outta my sight."
He immediately slammed the door before the others could say another word. He placed on several locks and dragged a chair, sitting on it and keeping his eyes on the children. 
"Ya hear? Y'all ain't leavin' my sight!"
This was a real pickle now. The kids were locked up with Braeburn keeping his eyes on them…..This was going to be easy.


(~)


Once nighttime fell, Braeburn fell asleep on the job. He snored so loudly he couldn't hear Kai opening the window. He managed to unlock it using his pickpocketing skills. 
"Kai, what are you doing?" Jinora asked in a whisper, "We said we weren't going to wander off again."
"We're not wandering. We know exactly were we're going." he said as he placed one foot out the window, followed by the other, "To find Trouble Shoes."
Meelo was already on board, "Finally, somebody as fun as Uncle Bumi!" he readied to climb out just like Kai, but was stopped by his older sister. 
"I don't think it's such a good idea you guys."
"She's right." said Sweetie Belle, "What if he's dangerous?" 
But Apple Bloom was on Kai's side here. "I bet we can take em. We've got five airbenders, a waterbender and an earthbender. Wait up, Kai!" the pony leaped out with ease.
Scootaloo galloped her front hooves and did the same. Meelo did so as well. Jinora, Ikki and Sweetie shared the same concerned expressions, but realized they needed to go and knock some sense into them. Also, they couldn't let them go at it alone. They all climbed out the window and followed Kai and Apple Bloom into the night, with Valiant close behind. 
"But isn't he a dangerous criminal?" Sweetie asked.
"We only need to find him. We don't need to capture him." said Apple Bloom, "The sheriff can handle that!" she, Kai and Scootaloo leaped up onto the fence. 
"And once he's in jail, we'll be competing!" Scootaloo said excitedly, "And then it's…"
"Cutie mark city!" the two ponies hoof pumped and they and Kai leaped out from the fence. Jinora, Ikki and Meelo managed to leap over the fence with ease due to airbending, but Sweetie had a bit more trouble. 
"I still think we should go back." said Jinora, "What if the others find out we're gone?"
Ikki agreed, "Yeah. Then they'll tell Korra and Korra will tell daddy and daddy will tell mommy and then they'll ground us and then they'll never let us go to another rodeo again! And I like the rode!"
"Maybe." said Kai before grinning, "Ooooor, maybe they'll see we can handle our own and Mako will finally show me some respect."
Jinora crossed her ams, "Maybe he would is you stopped taking his wallet every chance you get."
"Hey, I always give it back! Come on, Jinora. Where's your sense of adventure?"
Jinora was always one to follow the rules…but, then again, they did manage to hold their own against bison smugglers, a combustion bender, and even Red Lotus sentries. How dangerous can one pony be?
"Okay. But if anything happens, I'm blaming you!"
"No you won't." he said cockily as he placed his hands behind his head and continued walking. 
Jinora growled in frustration at his cockiness, making her cheeks blush with red. Sometimes Kai could be infuriating…but he was still pretty cute. She, Ikki and Meelo followed him, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo but Sweetie Belle was still unsure about this whole idea. 
"Worst idea ever." she said to Valiant.


(~)


An owl was heard on the branches of the trees while the children continued searching for their outlaw. It appeared to be getting darker by the minute, most likely due to the trees hiding the starry night sky. Apple Bloom stopped at something in front of her. 
"It's another giant hoof print!" 
"It must be Trouble Shoes!" Meelo concluded before gaining a southern accent, "That no good varmint's gotta be close!"
"You know you don't have to do the voice, right?" Jinora said.
"When in Appleloosa, do as the Appleloosens do!" 
"Does anyone have any idea where we are?" Ikki asked, already trembling in fear. She screamed once lightning cracked, causing Scootaloo to hide behind Jinora's legs and rain started to pour on them. 
"Uh, maybe we should head back and try again later." said the frightened pegasus pony. 
"We can't give up now!" said Kai, "Come on, before we lose the trail!"
Apple Bloom followed him but the others were hesitant…until another lightning strike hit once more. Sweetie Belle and Ikki released a high-pitched squeal before running after the others. The rain began to fall down harder, making the hoofprints all muddy and hard to find. They didn't know how long it had been since they left, but it seemed that they would not be finding Trouble Shoes tonight. 
"Come on, we've gone far enough!" said Sweetie Belle, "It's time to go back!"
"The rain is only getting worse!" said Scootaloo, "Let's come back tomorrow."
Apple Bloom lowered her ears sadly, her big pink bow already down and soggy, "Maybe y'all are right." she looked up at Kai, who was so determined to capture Trouble Shoes, and giving up was something he always had trouble doing. He sadly, and reluctantly, gave up.
"Alright. So, how do we get back?"
"You mean you don't know?!" Jinora exclaimed. Lightning cracked once more, frightening the children as they huddled together. 
They were completely lost.


(~)


"Braeburn, it's Flash and Mako!" he heard the sound of the young stallion from the other side, jolting him awake. The yellow injured pony started to panic. The kids were no where in sight and the window was open. They snuck out after he doze off! How was he going to explain this to the boys. Or worse, how was he going to explain this to his cousin?
Two more knocks were heard and he became even more anxious. "Everything okay in there?" Mako asked.
He removed the locks on the door and opened it a peak. "Oh, he--hey, fellas! How's the detectevin' goin'?"
"Not so good." said Mako, his and Flash's hair were wet to the bone. "The rain's completely washed up all of the hoofprints." he then tried to look into the house, only to discover it was empty. "Uh, where are the kids?"
Braeburn chuckled nervously before he revealed the truth to them. He could have sworn his hears went deff after their reaction.
"You What?!"


(~)


The Sheriff was playing go fish with hid deputies when a soggy wet Mako, Flash, Applejack and Braeburn came rushing in through his door. 
"Sheriff Silverstar! You gotta help! My sister's gone! And her friends too!"
"We've searched and searched, but no sign of 'em anywhere!" said Braeburn.
"It must've been Trouble Shoes!"
"Now, now, hold on there." said the sheriff, "Trouble Shoes done a lot of bad things in his day, but nothin' like that!"
"You really wanna take that chance?"
The female pony did have a point. Outlaws are prone to doing unpredictable and at times very dangerous things to get what they want. He still wasn't sure if Trouble Shoes did take the children, but that really wasn't a chance he was willing to take. He leaped out of his chair and galloped ahead with his deputies and the others right behind in, heading out into the poring rain to find the kids and Trouble Shoes.
"Come on, y'all! Let's ride!"


(~)


This time, with with Scootaloo leading the way, the children continued to try and find a way back, but the forest was so large and it was so dark it was extremely hard to tell if they were close to the rodeo or not.
"You sure about this, Scootaloo?" Sweetie asked. 
"I thought I was, but now I'm not."
With his hair wet and his cloths soggy, Kai hung his head in shame. "So I pretty much got us completely and totally lost. How could this get any worse?"
To answer his question, Apple Bloom screamed as the cliffside underneath became moist and soggy, collapsing under her weight, taking the rest of the crusaders with it. The filled slid down in a muddy slope. The airbenders created air scooters and rushed down after them. Jinora managed to grab Scootaloo, Kai grabbed Sweetie Belle and Ikki grabbed Apple Bloom. They all landed safely at the end of the slop, but the mud as everywhere, covering their hooves and feet.
"We gotta get out of this rain." said Apple Bloom. "There's no tellin' how long this storm could last."
"Look!" Meelo pointed to something not too far away. It appeared to be some kind of mobile home which could be pulled by a stallion almost as big as Big Macintosh. It was old and rather rundown, but still, shelter was shelter. 
"It looks abandoned." said Apple Bloom, "Let's go see if we can find some blankets or something'."
Once they reached the place, Kai opened the door, which creaked. Lightning flashed once more and the children hurried inside, free from the storm. Sweetie Belle used her magic to close the door. The airbenders used their powers to air dry themselves, making the ponies' manes become frizzy, and Valiant was nearly blow off of Sweetie Belle's mane, for which he held on to tightly.
After fixing their hair, the kids started to explore the place. It looked like a very humble, but very, very messy place to live in. There were spiderwebs, broken plates and cups, books, pages and boxes everywhere. This was certainly no place to live in.  Ikki peaked under a table, "I wonder who lives here?" she asked.
A sound was heard from outside. It was some faint hoof steps, which became louder and louder, drawing closer and closer. "We're about to find out." Scootaloo said fearfully as she and her pony friends huddled together, backing away from the door. Kai and Jinora held Ikki and Meelo close for protection. The door opened and they saw an incredibly monstrously large creature standing before them, taller than anything they had encountered. Their first reaction was to scream!
The monster…screamed as well?
It hit its head against the entrance and galloped into the house, tumbling, tripping and colliding with anything and everything in sight. It was dark so it was hard to see who it was. The creature screamed the whole time, crying out in pain whenever he hit something. The kids didn't know if to be scared or concerned. This thing didn't seem to know where the heck he was going, and appeared to be just as frightened as the were. He finally hit his head with a lamp and fell to the floor.
Apple Bloom bravely walked up to him and his eyes slowly opened. "Hello? You alright?"
With more confidence, the others looked down at the creature, who in reality was a very large, and rather clumsy, stallion with brown hair and mane, light green eyes and his snout was white, with a single stripe coming down from his forehead towards his snout. He wore a simple yellow hat and he was tied up in a tangled mess of rope and silk. 
"Surely." he said in his strong country accent, much like all the ponies around these parts.
"We're really sorry." Ikki said, feeling sympathy for him. "We didn't mean any harm. We just came in to get out of the rain."
"Had some hot cider a-cookin' in the kitchen. Doubt it survived." the large pony looked over at his rather small kitchen, which indeed was destroyed from the crazy chaos he had unintentionally created. He then noticed the two legged creatures. "Aint ya'll four humans? Don't see many of them around these here parts. Thought you'd be taller."
"We get that a lot." said Meelo.
"I ain't gonna rise to greet y'all. Awfully rude, I reckon, but as you can see, I'm the fresh casualty of an unusually unfortunate circumstance. My lot in life, I suppose."
This poor pony looked so miserable, but why was he out here all alone? Kai amped up the guts to ask. "Are you... Trouble Shoes?"
"That's me."
Kai shook his head in disbelief, "What? But--but you're--I mean, you're so--"
"Pathetic? Yeah, I know."
That wasn't the word Kai would use, but right now it seemed like a pretty good fit. This big guy sure was miserable. He and Apple Bloom exchanged nods and approached the stallion until Scootaloo stopped them, "W-what are you doing?"
"We're gonna unwrap him." said Apple Bloom with a smile.
"You can't do that!" said Sweetie Belle, "That's Trouble Shoes!"
"Aw, he don't seem so bad." 
The two worked together and managed to untie the pony, who literally towered over them. He was the largest pony they had ever seen. Not as big as Celestia, but remarkably close. 
"Of course guests would arrive while I ain't got no pie to offer. Scores more misfortune points for old Trouble Shoes." the stallion then tripped on a banana pile and collided with a bookshelf, "Wh-whooaaa!" a bowling ball fell and landed on his head. "Typical. Bad luck never rests."
"You sure that's bad luck?" Jinora asked, "Seems like maybe you're just a little, um…"
"Klutzy?" Sweetie concluded. 
"Tell that to the flank!" Trouble Shoes showed them his cutie mark, which was a green horse show placed upside down, "Upside-down horseshoe – bad luck. Follows me wherever I go like sour on old milk. Y'all best vamoose before my bad luck rubs off and sticks to y'all. Get along! Skedaddle!" he walked to the entrance and pointed his hoof outside, telling them to leave. "Am-scray!"
"Um, we don't really know the way back to Appleloosa…" said Sctootaloo.
"But o' course I do. Wouldn't you know it? My lucky day." he said sarcastically. 


(~)


Trouble Shoes led the children across the forest. The rain finally stopped so that was good. Only, through the whole time, Trouble Shoes didn't talk or say anything. He just looked so sad and miserable. 
"It's actually kind of sweet of him to help us out like this." said Ikki. 
"I know! What do we do if he takes us back to Appleloosa and the sheriff arrests him?" Apple Bloom asked with worry. 
Scootaloo lowered her ears, "Man, If I get a cutie mark for that, I'll feel guilty every time I see it."
Kai knew they couldn't let that happen. Everything they said about Trouble Shoes was wrong. He wasn't dangerous, nor did he appear to want to cause trouble as his name implies. The young boy walked up to him. "Say, Trouble Shoes, you might not want to take us all the way back to Appleloosa. The sheriff sort thinks that you're a no-good outlaw trying to shut down the rodeo."
"My kind of luck he'd think that."
"But… is it true?"
"Y'all like stories?"
"Mm-hmm!" they all replied with smiles.
"Just my luck. I was hopin' you'd say no." knowing they were not going to leave him alone, the poor depressed stallion began sharing his tale.
"When I was a colt, I wanted to be a rodeo star somethin' fierce, but I just didn't seem to have the knack for it." He was such a spirited an curious little pony back in those days. Sure, he was a tad clumsy, but everypony around him knew he had talent in him somewhere. "After practecin' non stop, finally, I wrangled up the guts to audition for rodeo school. Right in the middle of that tryout, I knew I was doin' what I was meant to. And wouldn't you know it? In a flash comes this here cutie mark."
He could still remember that day. The worse day of his life The minute his cutie mark appeared, his lasso hit a barrel, which landed right on his head. The judges laughed so hard he thought he'd go deff. Never had the poor little pony felt so humiliated in his life.
"I can still remember them judges a-laughin'. Didn't even finish my routine 'cause right then I knew bad luck was my fate. That fire for rodeo never did leave me, though. Couldn't keep away from 'em. So I'd sneak down and have a look, and wouldn't you know it? Bad luck would strike again. Just my lot in life, I reckon…"
"That would explain all of the stuff that's been happening." Jinora concluded, "They were all just accidents."
"Poor Trouble Shoes." said Sweetie Belle, "I can't believe those mean judges would laugh at him like that."
Apple Bloom then smiled as she explained, "Don't you see? They weren't laughin' at him. They were just enjoyin' the show."
"What are you saying?" Kai asked.
"Explain, pony." said Meelo.
"Think about it. If we saw a rodeo clown doin' what he did back in that shack, we'd think he was the greatest!"
Kai scratched his head, "So, you're saying his destiny isn't bad luck, it's comedy?"
"Exactly!"
"He could still be in rodeos, just not the way he thought!" said Ikki.
"So he's been looking at his cutie mark wrong the whole time!" said Scootaloo.
Suddenly, a ring of fire appeared around Trouble Shoes, startling the poor stallion. He backed away and ropes came at him wrapping around his neck and torso as the fire dimmed down and Mako emerged, alongside the Sheriff, his men, Flash, Applejack and Braeburn. They had captured their supposed outlaw. 
"Just my luck."
The sheriff stood before him, "Trouble Shoes, you're under arrest for vandalizin' the property and peace of mind of the good rodeo-lovin' ponies of Equestria! Not to mention kidnappin'! And... generalized mayhem!"
The kids couldn't allow this to happen. They needed to clear this whole misunderstanding. "Wait!"
Applejack turned to her cousin, "Braeburn, get these kids someplace safe." she galloped away to join the others in taking poor Trouble Shoes away. Apple Bloom tried to reason with her sister, but she did not listen. 
"No!"
It was too late. Trouble Shoes was gone.


(~)


Back in Appleloosa, the kids tried to reason with Applejack and tell her what really happened. "But Trouble Shoes isn't the menace everypony thinks!" said Apple Bloom.
"It's true!" Kai defended for her, "He never really meant to hurt anyone!"
"Sakes alive, what's with you?" Applejack said, still shocked by their behaviors, "Why in tarnation would you want me to help get him out of jail when he's the one who ran off with y'all to begin with?!" The children winced with guilt. They didn't tell her they were the ones who snuck out. "Now if y'all excuse me, I'm off to win the Appleloosa rodeo hay bale monster stack."
"Um, Applejack?" Apple Bloom tried to tell her the truth but she was already out the door, just when Mako and Flash walked in.
"You kids ready to go?" asked the stallion. 
"We can't leave!" Jinora exclaimed, "We have to get Trouble Shoes out!"
"What's with you kids?" Mako asked, just as surprised as Applejack was. "The guy's a known criminal, not to mention he kidnapped yo--"
"No he didn't!" Jinora was ready to confess but Kai stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. He gestured with a nod to step down so he could step forward.
"He didn't kidnap us…we snuck out."
Mako only face palmed himself, "Why doesn't that surprise me? Okay, even so, he is still a criminal!"
"No, he's no! Everything that's been happening wasn't his fault. He has a cutie mark that's an upside-down horseshoe."
Flash winced, "Oooh, that's bad luck!"
"That's what he thought! All he ever wanted was to be in the rodeo, and he thought his cutie mark kept him from living his dream. But his destiny isn't to cause trouble, it's to make people laugh with his silliness!"
Apple Bloom stepped froward as well, "His cutie mark isn't meant to show bad luck, but to be a rodeo clown! He's got the clumsiness to pull it off, we've seen it."
"The poor guy's just been looking at his cutie mark the wrong way. I'm sorry we disobeyed you, but you can't let Trouble Shoes suffer because of our mistakes. All he really needs is a chance. One chance. Can't you give him that?"
One chance. One was all they were asking for. Mako began to realize they really did want to help their new friend. He may have made mistakes, but judging by how they have come to know him, he really was innocent. He knew he would never be where he was now if nobody had given him a chance. Even Flash Sentry agreed with the children.
What more could Mako do?


(~)


Poor Trouble Shoes sighed sadly as he gazed out form his prison cell in the sherif's office. "Well, at least I get me a view of one small corner of the rodeo." his weight gave way and broke his mattress, which was now around his waist. 
"Figures."
Sheriff Silverstar groaned, "Aw, come on now, Trouble Shoes! I'm runnin' out of mattresses!" he gestured to the pile of broken mattresses in the corner of the room. What more could this stallion do? He was just pure bad luck. There was no changing that.
From the window, the kids could see the sheriff leaning, about to take a nap. Kai started coming up with a plan. "Okay, Sweetie Belle, you use your magic to create a diversion, then while he's distracted Jinora and I will sneak in through the chimney and---"
The door opened and Apple Bloom came in, "Come on, sheriff! You're about to miss the hay bale monster stack!"
"Jiminy, that's startin' already?!" he quickly galloped away. Apple Bloom smiled proudly, leaving Kai dumbfounded.
"Or, we could just do that."
Meelo quickly grabbed the keys and uncooked the jail cell. "Let's go, Trouble Shoes! This here's a jailbreak!" he said in a southern accent. 
"Ain't no need. Can hear the rodeo just fine from this vantage."
"But we've got a plan to help you live your dream!" said Scootaloo.
"Listen, y'all, I'm a known criminal. How you proposin' on gettin' me into a rodeo?"
"We've got some friends to help with that!"


(~)


The crowd on the bleachers cheered as the ponies stacked the bales, with Applejack at the top of her game. She and the other ponies worked together to get the bales up to the very top without causing a tumble. A pole stood on the side with arrows on it, to see just how hight it would go. The airbenders and Crusaders cheered from the sidelines.
"Go, Applejack!" cheered A.B.
Mako and Flash walked up to them, "You guys sure about this?" asked the pony.
"We're sure of it." said Sweetie Belle. "Were is he?"
The two separated, revealing Trouble Shoes, now wearing a hilariously wonderful clown costume. Even though his dry demeanor did not change at all.
"Well, how do I look?"
Neither the boys, nor the kids, could help but giggle at the sight. But it was a good thing. Trouble Shoes was still hesitant. He still didn't believe nobody would notice him in this get up. However, the minute he saw those ponies stacking the hay barrels up so hight into the sky, it was like the spirited little child inside him came out again. For the first time since they saw him, he smiled and cheered with such enthusiasm. It was clear that this pony did belong in the rodeo.
"Come on now, stack them bales! Woo-hoo!"
A pony flung the final barrel, it was tossed left and right by the ponies already on the tall stack. Applejack kicked it with all of her might, and it landed onto the top. The crowd gasped for it seemed it would fall. Once it settled a pegasus pony flew up to the pole and rose the arrow up to the very tip top. They had hit the record and the audience cheered like mad.
Mako whistled and Flash flew up shouting, "I know her! I know her!"
"That's my sister!" Apple Bloom shouted proudly!
Applejack huddled with the others ponies, congratulating one another on a job well done. Entertainment music began playing, and the rodeo clowns came out. The audience immediately started laughing, even Trouble Shoes. Rodeo clowns were always the best. Their slapstick routines left everyone in stitches. Apple Bloom turned to the stallion, "'Kay now, Trouble Shoes, you're on!"
"Say what?! I may be dressed like one, but I ain't no rodeo clown."
"You got your cutie mark all wrong, Trouble Shoes! You were born to entertain! You've got a gift for makin' folks laugh, don't you?"
"But my cutie mark's an upside-down horseshoe, and that means bad luck." he hung his head in dismay.
"That all depends on how you look at it." Jinora said sweetly. 
Kai approached him, placing his hand on his back, "You always wanted to be a part of the rodeo, right? Well, now's your chance." 
"Everybody deserves a chance to prove themselves," said Mako, "Take it from a guy who knows."
Trouble Shoes knew it in his heart that the rodeo was where he belonged. He wanted it more than anything. Maybe they were right, maybe this was his chance. Maybe now he could finally be free of his curse. With a brave heart he leaped ahead and right into where the clowns were making others laugh to their heart's content. He stopped, looking back at the others, who encouraged him.
"Go on!"
Trouble Shoes quickly stepped on a colorful beach ball, which caused him to slip and fall on his back. "Whoa!" the ball flew off and landed on Breaburn's head. In no time at all, the ponies laughed at the scene. Their plan was working. 
Trouble Shoes was beginning to get nervous once they started laughing, but the children still cheered for him. Their friendship was a real encouragement. He galloped ahead, in an attempt to do another silly thing. He never did this before; causing mayhem intentionally to make ponies laugh.
While they were occupied with the show, Applejack came up to them with her very own trophy. "There y'all are! How 'bout your big sis, huh?" she was a tad surprised that nobody payed attention to her. Their eyes were glued to Trouble Shoes, who continued with his slapstick. Apple Bloom briefly looked at her sister.
"Yeah, way to go." she said flatly, still paying more attention to the comedy. 
Applejack was especially surprised when she saw the two boys just as interested as the kids were, "Since when are y'all so into rodeo clowns?" she was surprised when Mako shushed her and kept on watching the show.
The clowns flipped around with glee, leaping form the barrels. Trouble Shoes tried to do so, but he was far too big for it. One of the clowns ran up and accidentally collided with him. Trouble Shoes was then flipped into the air, falling on the ground. He landed on his back and other other clown landed on his legs, she began moving as if Trouble Shoes was a bicycle. It still made the audience laugh. 
They then started jumping into hoops, which were clued to hats on other clowns' heads. Trouble Shoes still wasn't convinced this was his calling. How could being a klutz ever be a good thing.
"Just leave me be, cutie mark!" 
He galloped ahead towards the clowns with the hoops. However, they app dispersed due to him charging at them. One with the hoop on his head ran away from the gigantic pony, knocking down barrels and hay stacks like crazy.
"I aim to clear that there hoop!"
The audience still believed it was part of the act an continued to laugh like mad. There was not a dull face in the entire area. One of the barrels ended up on Trouble Shoe's head, and he couldn't see a thing due to the hole being covered with a cork. 
"Come on now!" 
He ran all around, trying to get it off, but ended up knocking down the hay stack, and the barrels ended up on top of the running clowns. One even managed to land on Braeburn, which still made him and the audience laugh their heads off!
Trouble Shoes finally stopped running and his belt unbuckled, causing his clown trousers to fall, revealing his lower torso and cutie mark. It was the funniest part yet. Applejack had to wipe away a tear because of how hard she was laughing. "That's the best rodeo clown I ever seen!"
The crusaders, airbenders and the two boys cheered for their friend. He had done such a wonderful job, even he still didn't know it. Once the cork got out, Trouble Shoes could see what all the commotion was about. 
Much like when he was a colt, everybody was laughing. But, it wasn't a bad kind of laughing. They were happy. They were glad he was so clumsy and unpredictable. They were even cheering for him, saying how funny and talented he was. Maybe the kids were right. Maybe he really was looking at his cutie mark all wrong. He smiled as he removed the barrel, water spilling on his face, removing his clown makeup and big red shinny nose. His happy revelation was cut short when the audience gasped. 
"Trouble Shoes!"
"What the hay?!" Applejack couldn't believe her eyes. Mako, Flash and the kids winced at the sight. This was very bad. 
"He escaped from jail!" said one of the townspony. 
"Ruinin' another rodeo!"
"Let's get him!"
The two stallions form before finally found a use for their pitchfork and torch and the audience was just about ready to pounce on the poor pony. The children quickly ran up and defended him.
"Wait, y'all!" Apple Bloom cried out, "He ain't what you think he is!"
"Stand aside, young's!" said the sherif, "This one's goin' back to jail." suddenly, to his surprised, both Mako and Flash Sentry stood before him, blocking his path. "Boys, arrest him!" he ordered. But the two did not comply.
"No!" Mako replied sternly.
"Are you disobeyin' a direct order, boy?"
"I won't arrest him! Not until you hear what these kids have to say. You might actually learn something." he nodded to the kids, who smiled back.
"Trouble Shoes never wanted to ruin any rodeos!" said Meelo, "Those were just bad accidents!"
"Meelo, what are you talkin' about?" Applejack asked.
"Trouble Shoes has a gift for making ponies laugh!" said Scootaloo, "He's maybe the best rodeo clown I've ever seen!"
"That's true! He is awful funny." said one of the judges. 
Apple Bloom spoke next, "He thought his cutie mark was telling him to keep away from rodeos, but deep inside he knew it's where he was meant to be. He just didn't know how to do it."
The crowd muttered amongst one another and Trouble Shoes took off his head in humility, "What she says is true. This here entertainin' y'all with my klutzin'? That's what I was supposed to be doin'. I know it now. I didn't mean no harm, honest! I just ain't never loved nothin' like I love the rodeo, so I kept on sneakin' back and makin' a big old mess of things. Turns out I was just a-lookin' at my cutie mark all wrong."
The ponies no longer felt anger towards the pony, no they now completely understood him perfectly. Who could blame him for loving the rodeo? They all did! He made them laugh like they never laughed before. How can anypony be bad for that?
"That may be so, Trouble Shoes, but you still gotta face charges for the problems you've caused!" said the sheriff. 
"If I done wrong, I'll see to it that I take my medicine and square my accounts."
"Truth be told, we could understand all the trouble with the rodeos, but why'd you have to run off with these here little'uns last night?"
And now the time was back again for them to confess. Kai was the one who spoke first, "Uh, yeah, about that…"


(~)


After explaining the whole incident to the sheriff, Trouble Shoes was now free to be a rodeo clown. He had even began making new friends already. As for the kids…
They needed to face the consequences. They were all tasked with cleaning up after the show, and judging by all the events that took place, it was going to take a while. Applejack, Mako and Flash supervised them while they worked.
Jinora and Kai were sweeping the confetti. The young girl glared at the boy, "I blame you for this."
"Yeah, I know." he said. He really couldn't complain. "You really want us to clean up all this mess Trouble Shoes made?" he asked the orange pony.
"Maybe it'll teach you not to go wanderin' off after I say not to!" said Applejack. 
"Ugh. Ain't it bad enough that you get to go back to Ponyville with a shiny trophy, and all we're bringing back is these same old blank flanks?" said Apple Bloom, looking down at her flank. 
Mako then smiled at them, "You guys helped Trouble Shoes realize what his cutie mark really means. You believed in him even when no one else did." 
"Isn't that something you can take back with you?" said Flash, also smiling.
When they saw how happy their new friend was now, they realized Applejack was right. "I guess we did make things a little better." said Sweetie Belle.
"It does feel kinda nice." said Meelo.
Kai then smiled hopefully, "So…does this mean we can keep this little thing a secret from Tenzin?"
Mako, Flash and Applejack looked at each other and then at the kids, each giving them the same answer.
"Nnope!"


(~)