//------------------------------// // The Big Day // Story: Friendship's New Flight: Second Takeoff // by Masterob //------------------------------// It was the big day, ponies were lining up for their performances, professional, mediocre and amateurs alike. The stage was being set up for flight performances, fashion shows, music concerts and various entertainment spectacles. There was a special seat for Equestria's princesses up on the top of the bleachers, which is where Twilight was heading. Twilight approached her chair alongside Princess Cadance, Princess Luna & Princess Celestia. "Hello my fellow princesses", Twilight said with a bow. The other princesses returned the bow. "Well it looks like the show will start soon, is your friend Rainbow Dash ready?" Celestia asked. "Yeah, she's excited, though slightly disappointed that her team went home" Celestia nodded, "I am sorry to hear about that horrible situation with Applejack, rage can be a pony's worst enemy" Luna nodded, "I too know what it's like to have such an emotion" Cadance approached Twilight, "Things will get better, Applejack seems like a nice mare, she just reacted in the heat of a moment" Twilight sighed, "That's true, still doesn't justify her actions, she will have a lot to make up for" "You won't cut her off will you? The way you described Applejack it seems like you don't want anything to do with her, that would be just awful", Cadance said. Twilight arched an eyebrow, "Why would that be awful? I mean I have no intention to cut her off, she deserves another chance and I want to still have her around, why do so many ponies seem to feel for her, I don't get that, she chased a colt and threatened him, that's not something to just brush away". Celestia put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "I know you're very disappointed but the reason we're concerned is that stuff like this can ruin lives if not handled right, suppose she was cut off, it wouldn't help things, it would make it worse, the rage within her would build up and could lead to her own self-destruction, if you can forgive my sister for her actions as Nightmare Moon, and forgive Discord for his crimes, not to mention my sister forgiving me for the 1000 year banishment, I think you can forgive Applejack and try to help her, if she truly felt threatened by Thunderlane's presence, you needed to understand that". "But we tried, what was I supposed to do, keep Thunderlane away? That wouldn't be fair to him, she was being stubborn", Twilight argued. "Be nice Twilight, like I said, she went through a lot, she's only a pony". Twilight grew annoyed, "But that doesn't justify her actions!" Luna gasped, "Twilight, watch your tone with Celestia, she's your mentor AND your superior" Celestia shot a small glare at Luna, "Luna, that isn't necessary, Twilight's frustration is understandable, let me handle this". Luna lowered her head, "My apologies sister". Celestia turned back to Twilight, "My point is that while it's true Applejack should never have done that, you must try to see things from her point of view right now, she's probably hurting right now, don't leave someone in their time of need, she needs reassurance that her friends will be there for her, if you remind her of the magic of friendship, she will remember the joys of making new friends, you can still salvage this". Twilight nodded, "Sure thing princess" Shining Armor arrived in the area, "Twily, you're here!" Twilight smiled upon seeing her brother, "Shining, it's so good to see you" Twilight gave Shining a hug then asked, "You're here to watch the competition as well?" Shining nodded, "Yeah, I wanted to stay at the Crystal Empire just in case something happened, but Cadance insisted, she said the Empire will be fine without us for a few hours, besides I figured you'd be here so why not see the little sister that I miss so much". Twilight smiled, "You're always so nice, but that 'little sister' comment has me wondering about something". Shining sighed, "Let me guess, it has to do with your friend Applejack?" "Yeah, tell me, hypothetically if it were me and Thunderlane as a filly and a colt, and you saw that moment, would you have chased him around as well?" Shining chuckled a bit, "I'll be honest, if I saw that I probably would have, in fact even if I saw that at your current age I would have done that, I'd do anything to protect my little sister" Twilight nodded, "I see, do you think she was in the right?" "No, I never said what I would do is a good thing, but that's natural impulse, if you feel that she needs to make up for this then that's understandable, but be sure to forgive her". Twilight nodded, "Right, well I want to see Rainbow Dash for a moment before the competition, is that ok Princess Celestia?" "Twilight you don't need my permission, stay with them as long as you wish". "Thank you Princess Celestia, bye Luna, bye Cadance, bye BBBFF", Twilight said and left with a positive mood. Luna pouted a bit and turned to Celestia, "How come she only referred to you as Princess?" Celestia sighed, "Luna, it's not that big a deal". Luna blushed in anger, "Fine, have it your way" Shining and Cadance smiled awkwardly at that little exchange. At that moment, Spike rushed up to them, "Hey Cadance! Great to see you! Did you bring the special gem Celestia mentioned?" Cadance giggled, "Sure thing Spike, hold on". Spike looked very excited, "Crystal Empire Gems are the best!" Shining chuckled at Spike's enthusiasm, as did the two princesses. Later on Twilight met up with her friends at the buffet area. "Is Rainbow Dash ready?" Fluttershy spoke first, "She's a little nervous, she's going on soon" "She's also a little bummed that Thunderlane isn't here, poor Dashie", Pinkie Pie said. Twilight noticed Rainbow just sitting there twirling a straw in her drink, Twilight approached her, "You need to get ready, the flight show's first". Rainbow sighed, "What's the point, it doesn't feel that special anymore". "But you heard what Thunderlane said, he wants you to do well, do it for him". "I'd rather do it alongside him, I don't know why I just really feel odd not having him or the rest of the team with me on this", sigh continued twirling her drink. Twilight patted Rainbow's back, "This is your dream, how would Thunderlane feel if you gave up your dream because of him?" "I don't know Twilight, it's hard to focus when I feel partially responsible for what happened, it was my idea to bring Thunderlane and now he and his friends have been affected in the worst way possible, it's kinda my fault his brother is probably scarred for life". Twilight shook her head, "No it's not, you did a good thing, what happened was on Applejack, but we will deal with this, we will eventually forgive her, and we will have Thunderlane back with us". Rainbow wasn't too convinced, "I almost doubt it, I want to still be his friend, but I feel like it's gonna be really hard...but I care about him, I care a whole lot, I just want him here right now, to hoof-bump him, to ruffle his hair, to mess with him, and to show him I care deeply about him" A voice behind her said, "Well look who's all mushy now". Rainbow turned around and saw Thunderlane standing there. "Sup Rainbow, miss me?" Rainbow simply stood there for a moment. "Rainbow, are you ok, why are you...HOLY SHIT!" Rainbow had tackled Thunderlane with a hug. "You're back! I'm so happy you back!" Rainbow gave Thunderlane a big kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair, "I knew you'd come back!" Thunderlane blushed and awkwardly chuckled, "Of course, what are friends for?" Twilight approached Thunderlane, "You came back! I'm so happy to see you again", she gave Thunderlane a hug of her own, "I thought you were gonna stay home though? What about your brother and friends?" "What about us?" Twilight looked and saw Cloudchaser with Flitter and Rumble. Rainbow Dash smiled ear to ear, "All of you came!?" "Duh, we're a team, besides we're not gonna let you have ALL the fun", Cloudchaser said with a grin. Flitter nodded, still unable to speak, Rumble also nodded very shyly. "How'd you get here though? What made you change your minds?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well", Thunderlane started, "When we got home, we all felt a little bad, at the moment Rumble was still scared and Flitter was still hurt, but something in me nagged to go back, in fact while home sleeping, I realized I kinda just left you on your own when you really needed us, and after all that hard work we put in training, I didn't want that to go to waste" Cloudchaser stepped in to talk, "The next morning he asked us to watch Rumble and take care of him because he was gonna come back to Canterlot, that's when we decided he's not going by himelf, we're all going, we weren't gonna let any one pony stop us from doing something we worked for, we weren't gonna be intimidated to staying away, so we grabbed our bags and here we are". Rainbow flew a few somersaults in excitement, "This is so awesome, I swear I could kiss all of you!" Rumble flew up to her, "REALLY!?" Cloudchasher pulled Rumble back, "Easy hot shot, your manly aroma is what caused trouble for you before". "Besides, you already kissed me", Thunderlane said with a small blush, "But you can kiss Flitter & Cloudchaser". Cloudchaser glared at Thunderlane, "Keep dreaming Thunder" "Hey I'm game if you are", Rainbow said while starting at Cloudchaser, shifting her eyebrows up and down with affectionate eyes. Rumble was confused, "This might sound weird, but I kinda wanna see them kiss, I don't know why". All ponies except Rainbow and Cloudchaser blushed heavily. "Don't worry kid, one day we'll treat you and your brother to a show, but for now we have another show to prepare for", Rainbow said. "Right, lets do a few warm up wing ups, get our adrenaline going", Thunderlane suggested. Fluttershy approached Flitter, "Are you ok to fly? You're not too hurt are you?" Flitter simply patted Fluttershy's shoulder as if to say, 'I can handle this'. Cloudchaser approached Fluttershy, "Flitter's tougher than she lets on, she'll be fine" "I hope so, I'll be here if you need help though Flitter", Fluttershy assured. Flitter nodded and hugged Fluttershy before walking off with the others. "I appreciate your concern for my sister, you're a good friend Shy", Cloudchaser said. "Thanks, well I guess you should go get ready" "Yeah, lets go, we could use some of your cheerleading" Both giggled a bit at the joke and walked off with them. After a while the competition had started, The Wonderbolts warmed up the crowd with their theatrics, since they were gonna do flight shows first. Meanwhile Applejack started making her way to where the competition would be, she looked like she was determined to fix everything. "Ok, ah gotta find the others and pour my heart out, apologize, beg their forgiveness, I'll do what it takes to win them back, then when we get home, I'll make Thunderlane a nice big 'I'm so Sorry' Apple Pie" She looked found the area where everyone was and looked around among the competitors, "Ok, gotta find them, I'll just ask around", she approached one, the Canterlot Cellist Octavia, "Excuse me, but-" "Ahh!" Octavia moved away from Applejack. "Damn, guess more ponies know than ah thought, still gotta try", she noticed Vinyl Scratch sipping some soda, "Um excuse me?" Vinyl got wide eyed at Applejack, "Hey back off, don't want no trouble!" Applejack then pleaded, "Please don't run, ah just wanna find my friends, have you seen Princess Twilight Sparkle?" "Last I saw them, they were at the buffet", Vinyl pointed the direction, "I think they left though" Applejack nodded, "Thanks...by the way, how many ponies know about what happened yesterday?" "A lot, when ponies hear an angry pony threaten a colt, word gets around pretty quickly, most ponies were afraid to leave their rooms". Applejack groaned, "Ah messed up badly, ah need to make this right". "Better hurry then", Vinyl said and resumed her drink, "Just try to cool it a bit". "I'll try, thanks DJ", Applejack said and ran to find her friends. Rainbow and her team are doing their wing ups, near the stage. As Scootaloo watched, she wondered that if she did wing-ups if that would help her fly. Apple Bloom approached Rumble, "Can ah talk to yah for a moment?" Rumble stopped and focused on Apple Bloom, "Sure, what is it?" Apple Bloom rubbed her head a little, "Sorry I got yah into trouble with mah sister, and fer kissing you like that". "You already apologized, and I already forgave you, it wasn't your fault, you didn't know that would happen, Cloudchaser says I just have manly aroma". Apple Bloom chuckled, "Well you're very cute, so ah couldn't help myself, you still wanna be a Crusader?" Rumble nodded, "Of course, I like being with you girls, it's a refreshing sight" "Even Sweetie Belle?" "Flitter says she's just trying to get used to me, I think I can get on her good side, she seems very nice usually, maybe it's also because I'm a little cautious about what you want to do for your cutie marks". "Well ah guess I can't blame yah, we have gotten into trouble and broken some things, though Sweetie Belle can be the same way as you so ah don't get her deal, but we'll compromise, so don't worry about it". Scootaloo approached Rumble, "Think you could show me how to do the wing ups? Maybe it'll help me fly" Rumble nodded, "Sure, just do what I do", he continued his wing ups while Scootaloo joined him, though she had a harder time since she wasn't as used to it. Apple Bloom just stood back and watched him work out, it was quite a sight for her, to him he's so cute yet so stallion-like. Sweetie Belle also observed, doing a small huff, "Rumble...can't trust him for a moment". Nearby, Applejack had finally found her friends, but was surprised when she saw Thunderlane there with his friends. "They're back? Ah was hoping when I saw them again, ah had a pie ready, oh well I can still do all the apologizing right now", she approached the group and cleared her throat to get their attention, Hi y'all, how ya doin'?" Twilight and Rarity looked shocked to see Applejack, Fluttershy looked nervous, Rainbow & Cloudchaser had a look of disdain in their eyes, Rumble looked pretty scared but Apple Bloom stood by him so he would feel less frightened, everyone else just looked surprised and nervous. Applejack approached Thunderlane, "So, it looks like yer back...that's great", she nervously chuckled. Thunderlane simply nodded, unsure what to make of this. "That's mighty nice of ya, Rainbow really wanted yah to stay". Thunderlane nodded again, "Uh-huh" "Well things are turning out well at least, I made some mistakes that I'm really sorry for, you came to yer senses from your little overreaction, so everything turned out-" "What do you mean 'overreaction'?" Thunderlane asked, a little unhappy at the choice of words. Applejack put her hooves up defensively, "Wait, maybe I worded that wrong, but what ah'm saying is that some mistakes were made, but things may turn out well so maybe we put this all behind us and pretend it never happened, deal?" Applejack put her hoof out. Thunderlane sighed, "With all due respect, it's not as easy as 'putting it behind us', you hurt my friend and scared my brother, we're gonna need more than this" "Yer right, ah will make this up to yah, ah promise, maybe start with a good old Apple Family Apple Pie" "AJ, you've apologized before and you still relapsed, how can I trust you, keep in mind I have a brother and friends to worry about" Applejack wasn't sure how to answer that, but before she could say something, they heard Cheese Sandwich coming. "Hey there everypony, I got some treats for you!" he was coming with a big tray of cheesecakes, "Hey Thunderlane, you're back! And your friends, and Applejack, are you trying to make amends, that's really nice of you, I'm so-" Cheese however tripped over an article of clothing and tripped with the cakes flying out of his hooves. The clothing belonged to Coco, she was getting her clothes out for the fashion show later but dropped a piece, which caused Cheese to trip. "Oh no, are you ok Cheese Sandwich, I'm sorry about this", she then helped Cheese up. "It's fine my fair filly, accidents happen, besides one time I tripped over something, I ended up having the greatest experience of my life". Coco looked to where the cakes landed and got nervous, "I don't think that's gonna happen this time". Cheese got confused but also felt a little nervous when he saw that the cakes landed on Applejack, causing quite the mess. "Sorry about that Applejack, you should probably go get yourself cleaned up, I'll make this up to you, I'll get more cheesecakes and give you two big pieces, wouldn't that be great!?" Cheese stated. Applejack started to growl and turned menacingly to Cheese Sandwich, "You...you...YOU!" she walked toward Cheese, "Look what yah did ya clumsy oaf!" Everyone was shocked to see Applejack yell at Cheese. "Applejack, calm down, accidents happen", Cheese said. "This weren't no accident, yah did this on purprose, didn't ya!?" she got closer and her eyes went more insane, "DIDN'T YAH!?" "But Applejack!" "If you don't talk, I'll make yah!" she grabbed his shirt, "Admit you did this on purpose! This was just your attempt at humiliating me! You want to walk out of here yah better start talking!" "Don't you dare hurt him Applejack!" Pinkie warned. "Stay out of this Pinkie!" Applejack shouted back. Coco approached Applejack, "Please stop, you're losing your temper again, think of your friends" "Coco, stay back if you know what's good for yah", Applejack said with the coldest voice. "But Miss Applejack" Coco put her hoof on Applejack's arm, causing Applejack to immediately back hoof Coco, knocking her to the floor, much to the horror of those around, not just her 'friends', but other nearby ponies, this was starting to get some unwanted attention, which included Suri & The Flim Flam Brothers, each smiling in delight, for Suri it's seeing Coco get back hoofed, for Flim & Flam is seeing Applejack fall from grace. Applejack approached Coco, "I told yah to stay out of my way!" Rarity had enough, she approached Applejack and angrily got in her face, "You...how dare you, how dare you hurt her! You're such a...sucha ya...", Rarity simply finished her statement with a hard slap to Applejack's face. Something about that slap just knocked Applejack back to her senses, then she realized what she did, "Oh no". Rarity was still huffing and panting while glaring angrily at Applejack, who at this point was filling up with remorse and regret, "Rarity, ah swear I don't know-" "You hurt Coco! And you threatened Cheese for an accident that he was MORE than willing to make up for!" "Ah know, I messed up again but-" "No buts, it's clear that you're just getting worse!" Twilight stepped in, "She's right, it's clear to me that you've learned nothing, I'm sorry but since you're not willing to change, you are hearby banned from being in our company" Applejack sweated, "But sugarcube!" "Don't 'sugarcube' me", Twilight stated with a stern voice, "I demand you leave our sight!" "But...Fluttershy you want me to stay right?" Fluttershy turned to Flitter and simply approached her keeping her back to Applejack. "Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie simply approached Cheese and kept her back to Applejack. She wasn't gonna bother with Rainbow Dash, so she turned for one final plead to Rarity. "Please Rares, ah need ya, I...I really do care for yah, let me make it up, please" Despite the tears forming in Applejack's eyes, Rarity turned to Coco, keeping her back to Applejack. That was a big blow for Applejack, the friend she was closest to the most turning her back on her, that hurt worse than that slap a moment ago. Applejack notice all the ponies nearby were staring at her, most with disdain, even her own sister looked ashamed of her, Applejack ran away in fear, humiliation and heartbreak. Twilight had a lot on her mind now, she hated having to say that to Applejack but things must be done. Suri, Flim and Flam approached Twilight. "It must be tough being the Princess of Friendship, huh Twilight Sparkle, but do go easy on your friend, after all, she only slapped a spineless little traitor", Suri taunted. Rarity got in Suri's face, "Go away you filthy tramp!" Suri was taken back a bit, but she decided to leave, "Whatever, okay, it's your problem, not mine". Before they left, Flim approached Twilight, "So if the Apples go out of business, can we get the Cider Deal for Ponyville?" Twilight simply glared at him, "Leave my presence at once". Flim backed away and rejoined his group. Rainbow Dash sighed, "Come on group, we're almost up, just shake off everything and focus" As she was making her way to toward the stage area, she ran into Lightning Dust. "So your team came crawling back huh?" Rainbow Dash glared, "They didn't come 'crawling' back, they just know what it means to work as a team" "Hey I was a good teammate, you're the one who screwed me over!" "You endangered my friends!" "They shouldn't have been there in the first place!" "Doesn't matter, point is my team is back, so my gameplay is back, which means you're screwed" Lightning scoffed, "I don't think so", she flew off. Rainbow Dash turned to her friends, "Lets go team!" Rainbow and her team got ready for their turn and were formally introduced by Soarin. "Mares & Stallions, I'd like to personally introduce a rad team, a group that I believe has a lot of potential, give it up for Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane, Flitter, Cloudchaser & Rumble...The Flight of Friendship!" The team came on the stage. "Rainbow, did you pick that name?" Cloudchaser asked. "No, Twilight did, I was gonna change it but then you left so I didn't bother, it's too late now, lets just go for it, we'll change it later!" They all flew into the sky and performed their tricks, they did a few spins, twirls, and near ground dives, but what was impressive to the judges so far was the proper coordination of the group. "Ok team, lets do those tricks we practiced", Rainbow said. The others nodded and readied up. Trick 1, Flitter & Cloudchaser flew in circular hoops while Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane and Rumble flew through them, wowed some but mostly amateurish at best. Trick 2, they flew around in circles in formation of a sphere, that impressed people, they just need a little more. Then came the big one, "Ok team, lets do that big one we've been practicing", Rainbow said. "I don't know Rainbow, what if I mess up, it's pretty tricky", Rumble said. "Don't worry so much, just give it your all", Rainbow offered an encouraging smile. Rumble nodded, "Ok, I'll try Rainbow". Rainbow smiled, "That's all I'm asking". They put their hooves together and did a "Break!" before flying up. First they each flew upside down, so far so good, then they let their wings go limp and fell but turned at the last second and caught themselves flying, then they formed a tree formation, causing streaks in the air, while flying up toward the top, Thunder and his friends went through the tree together while Rainbow flew higher and flew back down with a Sonic Rainboom right through the tree streak and landed with the others with a loud thud that caused a mild shake in the area. All the ponies were impressed and showed it with a standing ovation. "We did it! We're awesome!" Rainbow shouted. "Wow, I didn't mess up, that's so cool!" Rumble shouted. "I'm proud of you kid", Rainbow said and kissed Rumble on his forehead, causing him to giggle and blush, he then flew he sky in excitement. Rainbow chuckled a bit, "Cute kid" Thunderlane approached her, "Wow Rainbow, do you have a thing for the colts in my family or something?" Rainbow simply glanced at him, "Is this about me kissing you before?" "Sorta, any particular reason you did that?" "I was happy to see you, what do you not like my kisses?" Rainbow asked with an eyebrow raise. Thunderlane waved his hooves in a 'no' gesture, "It's not that, I'm just a little surprised you did that, I actually liked it" Rainbow smiled evilly, "So you LIKE my kisses", she then approached him with evil yet seductive eyes. "Uh, yeah well, when I say that...", Thunderlane gulped a bit. "You want more of me?" she got close to his face. Thunderlane sweated up a storm, then he flew off in fear, causing Rainbow to chuckle, "I got him right where I want him", she left with a confident satisfied smile. Lightning Dust had just seen the performance of Dash and her Team, she was not pleased, "Dammit, that was good, too good, I can't be an afterthought to Dash, how can I sell myself?" She then remembered what Suri said about Flim and Flam, "Of course, they have golden tongues, they can help me!" She went to find the group, luckily she encountered Suri tending to her dresses, "Hey Suri, I have to tell you something" Suri simply turned around with a smile on her face, "Come to accept my sponsorship deal?" "Yes, I'll work with you, but I need it to be effective immediately" Suri got curious, "What's the rush?" "I need the golden tongues of Flim and Flam, I need them to make me out to be a big deal" "Let me guess, you saw that Rainbow-mane show off and she did well, now you need an edge" Lightning Dust nodded, "So, will you help?" Suri put her arm around Lightning, "Of course, IF you don't mind sharing the spotlight" "Huh?" Suri grinned, "Let's talk business". As they discussed plans, Rumble is still flying though the sky in his happiness. "Wow, first I do that trick, then Rainbow Dash kisses me, I'm so glad I came back here, I just wish that Applejack wouldn't be so mean, wonder where she went?" As if my happenstance, he noticed on the ground, not too far from the festivities, he saw Applejack alone, he got curious as to why she's there, figuring she'd be on her way home. "Lets see what she's up to", Rumble flew in close, not too close to be seen but close enough to hear. "Dammit, I screwed up again! How the hell do ah screw up something so simple!? I can't believe ah threatened Cheese, he's such a nice guy, and Coco, poor girl, now even mah own sister is ashamed of me, soon the whole family will be, I'm the rotten apple of the family" she sighed, "Ah deserve it, I ruined the trust of mah friends, I upset Pinkie Pie, the nicest pony in Ponyville, maybe even all of Equestria, Rainbow Dash already hates me, no more friendly competition with her, and Rarity...that rage in her eyes, she never looked at me like that, even when we'd get on each other's cases over the silliest things she has never been that angry with me, she's never put her hooves on me...except that one time but that was Discord's doing, but this time *sigh* I'll miss her". Applejack then realized something, "Oh no, what about the relationships between our sisters, my actions will affect those ah care about", the slammed her hoof down, "Damn, why did ah have to scare that colt? I wish he were here, I'd hold him close to me and promise him never to scare him again, I'd even offer to chaperone a date with Apple Bloom if he really wanted to, I'd give him any apple dessert he'd want, but more than all, I'd apologize straight to his face, if I'm lying, I'd leave forever, never come back", she sat in shame, "But what's the point, ah probably don't deserve a second chance" Rumble's had enough, he at this point believes Applejack is truly sorry for her actions, he doesn't want to here her berate herself any longer, he flew down to her, "Applejack?" Applejack was surprised to see Rumble there, "Rumble?" Rumble landed and nodded, "Hi Applejack" Applejack was a little surprised but shook it away, "You shouldn't be here, ah ain't safe to be around". Rumble approached her, "It's ok, I'm not afraid of you anymore, you look sad". Applejack turned away, "I'm fine Rumble, go back to your brother, don't worry about me". Rumble stood his ground, "I'm not leaving you by yourself, you need somepony with you". "Rumble!" Applejack faced him, "Just go, leave me be". Rumble got frustrated and stepped forward to her her, "I heard you say that if I were here you'd hold me close to you and what not, what happened to that?" Applejack got annoyed, "You were eavesdropping on me!?" "Yeah, so what? You're gonna lose your temper about that too!?" Rumble had a sense of uncertainty in his voice but maintained his composure. Applejack was feeling angry again, "Boy don't push me right now!" She gave him a threatening glare Rumble stood his ground with a glare of his own, "Or what? You're gonna hurt me!? Like you said before? Well...go ahead then!" Applejack raised her eyebrow, "Say what?" "Hit me like you hit Miss Coco before, I can take it!" He stood there and eyed her, "Do it!" Applejack looked at him like if he lost his mind, was he seriously asking her to throw a punch at him, "Boy you're crazy!" "You want to hit me, just to it, release your anger already!" Rumble held his face in position. Applejack looked astounded, "You're really crazy!" "I KNOW I AM! JUST DO IT!" Rumble shouted, his voice showing a little more anger. Applejack raised her hoof, "You really don't want this". Rumble was getting impatient, "Just hit me! Do it!" Applejack continued to hesitate, but Rumble kept shouting. "DO IT!" Applejack was really struggling. Rumble growled, "I said hit me! Quit being such a Bitch about it!" With one fell swoop she back-hoofed him hard right across his face, causing him to fall over a bit. She started panting in fury after and adrenaline after the attack, he simply got up and rubbed his face, he had a small bruise from the whack, afterwards he simply asked, "Do you feel better now?" Applejack couldn't contain her emotion and pulled him into a hug and started sobbing and apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry boy! I shouldn't hurt you! I'm so sorry", then started kissing the cheek she struck. Rumble simply hugged her back as she poured out her emotion. "Do you feel better AJ?" Applejack wiped her eyes a bit, "Maybe, but ah still should not have hit yah" "It's ok, I won't tell anyone, I'm sorry I called you a bitch" "That's fine, maybe I deserved that" "But you're not one, that's the issue", he looked her in the eyes, "You're a very pretty mare who loves her sister and friends, maybe to a fault, but you care for them, I just wanted you to care for me, my brother and my friends like you care for everyone else, that's one of the reasons I was so upset about you chasing me, not just because you were gonna hurt me, but I thought I'd never get you to love me, all we wanted was for you to love us", Rumble then kissed her cheek and smiled to her, "Cause I want to love you" Applejack couldn't believe this, the very foal that she terrorized had shown her something she lately thought she would lose. "Ah want to love you too, yer gonna get that, ah promise", she held him close again, as he continued to hold her, "And ah swear, ah ain't never gonna hurt you again". Rumble blushed during this, she wasn't so bad, it was nice to be on the receiving end of her affection, plus she was a pretty mare. Soon he broke the hug, "Lets get back to your friends, where you belong" Applejack nodded and wiped away any excess tears, Rumble then took her hoof, "Mind if I escort you?" Applejack giggled, "Aren't you just the little charmer, normally ah don't care for stallions to treat me like some Canterlot mare, but I'll make an exception for you". Rumble blushed a little more and went back to the others with Applejack. Meanwhile back at the stage, Lightning Dust was performing, she was doing pretty quick tricks and lightning zaps, while Flim and Flam took to the stage. "There you have it folks, the greatest Pegasus in Equestria, Lightning Dust, she's fast, she's agile, she's got tricks, and to all those interested, she's single", Flam said, raising his eyebrows at the last part. "Lightning Dust has the skills all pegusai wish they had, even Spitfire herself has endorsed Lightning Dust!" Flim said. Fleetfoot then shouted, "Get off the stage you morons! The sales stuff comes later!" Suri pushed her products to the stage, "But this should be seen now, Lightning Dust is our Sponsorship partner! So it's fitting that this gets handed now!" Soarin stepped in, "Seriously, off the stage! Do we need security!?" "But...but...watch though! Lightning hit your signature! Wow them now!" Suri shouted. Lightning grabbed some clouds and put them together, then at high speed, she went through the crowds, seting off some lightning in the process. "That's a nice little trick she likes to call, 'Lightning Strikes', it's very-" Suri was interrupted when the lightning started hitting parts of the stage and it started crumbling down, "Shit, that's not good, RUN!" Everyone started running for cover, some were still in harms way though, luckily The Wonderbolts, Rainbow's Group and other capable pegusai helped get some ponies out of harms way. Twilight, Rarity, Trixie & some other unicorns used their magic to create a protection field. After Thunderlane got one pony to safety he went back for another, "Everyone else ok?" He however missed on piece that was gonna land on him. "Thunderlane, watch out!" Rainbow shouted. Luckily a pony managed to move Thunderlane out the way just in time. Thunderlane groaned a bit, "Wow, that was close, thanks for the help..." he was surprised to see who his savior was, "Applejack?" Applejack tipped her hat somewhat shyly, "Hi Thunder, you ok?" Thunderlane got up, "I'm fine, little surprised you're here, thanks for saving me" "Well I had tah protect the big brother of my new little friend there", Applejack said and pointed to Rumble. Thunderlane looked surprised, "Rumble, you were with AJ this whole time?" Rumble nodded, "Yeah, we talked for a bit, she's really sorry for what she did, honest" Everyone eyed Applejack for a moment, "I'll be honest with you all, I was jealous of Thunderlane, ah for some reason though soon Dash would leave us to only be with him, so ah took it out on him, then when Rarity started liking him ah thought she would leave too, soon Fluttershy liked Flitter and ah started thinking our friendship would fall apart, what ah was too stubborn to realize was ah could have easily just accepted him and befriended him, then ah wouldn't be so worried, ah can see he's a true friend for coming back when Rainbow needed him, he wasn't gonna let anything stand in his way, that's a friend, more than I've been lately, so I'm sorry Thunderlane for treating you like garbage, I'm sorry for upsetting you Cloudchaser, I'm REALLY sorry for hurting you Flitter, I'll make it up to yah, ah promise, Cheese & Coco, I'm sorry for before, it'll never happen again" Rarity approached Applejack and looked in her eyes, she observed for a bit then spoke, "You've been crying before, haven't you?" Applejack blushed, "It was that obvious? Well before this I kinda poured my heart out to Rumble, so-" Rarity interrupted her by hugging Applejack, "I believe you Applejack, you truly are sorry, I forgive you" The other obliged by also forgiving Applejack, except Rainbow Dash, who stood there unsure. "Rainbow? I'm really sorry for acting like this and accusing you of being disloyal to your element, ah know how you truly feel about Thunderlane, ah accept him". Rainbow groaned then said, "Fine, I forgive you" Everyone then huddled around Applejack, taking turns hugging her, Big Macintosh had also arrived in time to join the group. "Yah did it AJ", Big Mac said. "Thanks big brother", Applejack replied with an honest smile. The Wonderbolts also noticed this sign of affection. "Wow, happy ending, good to see it", Spitfire said. Rumble gasped, "Wow it's Spitfire!" He was obviously excited to see her, something Spitfire grinned at. Rainbow contained her own excitement approached her, "So did you enjoy my team's performance?" Spitfire nodded, "Yeah, you're a good leader Rainbow, I've got my eyes on you 5, keep up the good work, there may be a spot for all of you on my roster someday" Lightning Dust also approached Spitfire, "What about me? How did I do? Gonna give me a spot soon?" Spitfire simply glared at Lightning Dust, "After that crap you pulled, you're lucky I don't have you banned from all flight shows in general! You're not getting in anytime soon!" Suri popped in, "What!? She was perfect!" "My decision is final, besides you're really freaken annoying" "Hmph, like I'm gonna stand here and get by some stallion-sounding mare, let me know when you stop acting gender confused you stuck up little-" with one swift motion, Spitfire knocked out Suri with a strong right hoof. Flim and Flam were surprised, as was Lightning Dust. The others looked surprised too, though Rainbow Dash & Rarity had a look of satisfaction on their faces. Flim then picked up Suri, "Ok well we'll be going now", he put Suri on his back while he, Flam and Lightning Dust left. Rumble approached Spitfire, "Personally I think you look and sound like a pretty mare" Spitfire grinned and ruffled Rumble's hair, "Smart kid, keep practicing and you're gonna be flying by my side soon, Rainbow Dash, you have a nice little progidy here, don't waste his potential". Rainbow saluted, "Yes ma'am" Twilight approached Thunderlane, "I take it the reason your brother charms girls is because he takes after you" Thunderlane sighed, "Yeah, but he usually has better luck, probably because since he's smaller and younger, mares find him cute and charming, but for me, they just think I'm being a pervert or something". Twilight giggled, "Well I don't think you're a pervert, you're really nice, you'd probably make a great coltfriend" Thunderlane grinned, "Wanna find out for yourself?" Twilight giggled a bit, "Thanks, but I'd rather stay friends for now, besides my brother said he'd beat you down if you tried dating me, besides I think another mare likes you" Thunderlane grew excited, "Huh? Who, tell me!" "Uh-uh, you'll just have to find out for yourself", Twilight said with a mischievous grin. Thunderlane pouted a bit, "You're pretty cruel" Twilight giggled, "Well you make it kinda easy, you're gonna be a lot of fun, I look forward to your company", she gave him a playful smile. Thunderlane groaned, between Cloudchaser, Rainbow Dash, now Twilight, he wondered why the pretty mares are always the most evil. Meanwhile Flim and Flam have taken Suri to a train, "Lets go Lightning, we have another town to get to", Flim said. Lightning was following but she noticed Trixie standing from afar, "Hold on guys, I have something to take care of!" "Hurry, the train leaves in 5 minutes!" Flam shouted. Lightning approached Trixie, "I take it you saw what happened with my show?" "Obviously, Trixie was right nearby, Trixie had to put up forcefields to protect herself and other ponies". "I really screwed up, now The Wonderbolts hate me more than ever, I'll never get it", Lightning lowered her head in shame. "Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's all over for you, you can still make a name for yourself without them, my advice is to take it easy with your stunts, stop trying to outshine others, once you get good enough you won't need to try, your skills will shine for you, Trixie learned that the hard way, plus who knows, it could pay off and you'll realize your dream". Lightning was a little confused, "Why are you so nice to me? I barely know you" "Trixie knows of you, Trixie too has been outcasted, so Trixie can relate to you, but Trixie also learned to adapt so things got better", she put her hooves on her shoulders, "You have a ton of potential, you, you just need to work it out better". Lightning smiled, "Thanks Trixie, it's nice to have at least one person appreciate me, though after today it's gonna be hard to get a gig". Trixie thought a moment, "Here's a proposition, if you promise not to get too extreme, you can join a show from The Great and Powerful Trixie, you and I can have a little sponsorship deal of our own, but for Trixie it's mostly to help you, Trixie suggests you talk to your partners, if you wish to speak to me again, send me a letter, here's where you mail it to", she gave her a piece of paper with an address, "Trixie will meet you there, for now Trixie has a show to do, good-bye my friend", Trixie gave Lightning a quick hug before sending down a smoke screen, though when it dissipated, Lightning saw Trixie still walking away. "Your trick didn't work!" Lightning shouted. "Don't push your luck!" Trixie shouted back. Lightning shrugged and went to the train with Suri and the Flim Flam brothers. After the Lightning Dust mess cleared, the show continued, the fashion show was next, Suri was already disqualified for the incident earlier, but another young promising fasion designer shined, that designer was Coco Pommel, who impressed fashionists like Photo Finish & Hoity Toity. Next came music, with great performances from Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, the two even doing a piece together that impressed everypony. And finally the entertainment part, Cheese, along with Pinkie whom he invited to do the show with him, wowed everyone with his antics, then Trixie, who put on a decent performance, though most thought she was too much of a show-off, especially Rainbow Dash who booed her several times, drawing Trixie's ire, though Trixie did no act upon it and simply choose to ignore her, like she said, don't try too hard to outshine others, just let it happen naturally. Besides Trixie knew that if she helped Lightning Dust, it would be the ultimate disgrace to Rainbow, while Trixie was somewhat neutral with the other ponies, she still didn't like Rainbow much. Soon the show finished, the talent received standing ovations, it was time for everyone to head home, Twilight had said farewell to her brother and the princesses and rejoined with her friends. First Pinkie said good-bye to Cheese, "I'm gonna miss you Cheese, try to stay in contact with me" "I will miss you as well Pinkie, I hope to come back to Ponyville real soon", the duo hugged before Cheese walked off with his poncho and his chicken. Trixie tipped her hat to Twilight, "I will see you again soon Princess Twilight Sparkle" "You could just call me Twilight, bye Trixie" Trixie then left with her magic show supplies. Fluttershy and Flitter said their good-byes to Soarin. "Bye girls, remember, stay pretty", Soarin said. Both giggled a bit then hugged Soarin good-bye, much to Thunderlane's jealousy. "I need to learn that charisma" Rainbow Dash put her arm around Thunderlane, "Hey, if it makes you feel better, you're ok in my book, you're no Soarin but you have your own qualities that make you special" Thunderlane blushed, "Thanks Rainbow, you're the best" "I know", she pulled him into an actual hug, "So are you, thanks for having my back today, you're not a lazy chump after all". Thunderlane pulled back a bit and looked Rainbow deadpanned in the eyes, "You are really something". Rainbow gave him a sly smile, "Sure am", then she boarded the train, leaving Thunderlane somewhat confused. Cloudchaser approached him, "When are you gonna tell her the main reason you came back?" "Give it time, she's a great mare and I want this to work, but I don't want to rush her". Cloudchaser nodded, "Be careful though, some other stallion could swipe her away, like maybe Soarin" Thunderlane lightly growled, "That better not happen". On the train, Twilight approached Rainbow, "So when are you gonna tell him the main reason you want him with us so much?" Rainbow groaned, "Give me a break, I'm not good with this type of lovey-dovey stuff" "It's not lovey-dovey, just tell him you like him". "Give it time Twilight, I got him where I want him", Rainbow smiled sinisterly. "Just be careful, some other mare may take the chance before you do". Rainbow had an angry look, "Then that mare will end up with broken limbs". Rainbow walked down the cart, Twilight sighed, "Better tread lightly on this then". Also on the train, Rarity was talking with Coco, "I'm so proud of you darling, the fact that Hoity Toity and Photo Finish themselves enjoyed your work is something of great admiration" "Thanks to you, you're a great inspiration". Applejack had found herself on the cart with them, "Oh, hi girls". Coco waved nervously, Rarity waved normally. Applejack approached Coco, "You ok? Yer not still hurt are you?" Coco shook her head, "I'm ok, thanks for apologizing" "Ain't nothing", she gave Coco a quick hug, "Can ah speak with Rarity?" Coco nodded, "Ok, we'll talk more soon Rarity, I'd like to work out the next visit before you stop at Ponyville" "Will do darling", once Coco left Rarity focused on Applejack. "You sure you're ok with me? Ah really messed up, I don't want to lose you as a friend" "It's gonna be a while before we can fully trust you again", Rarity then pulled Applejack into a hug, "But I'm sure soon things will be back to normal, I'll be with you every step of the way". Applejack hugged back, "Thanks Rarity". Rarity felt an urge of guilt, "I'm sorry I slapped you before". "It's fine, ah deserved that, but to be honest, the thought of losing my friends, especially you, hurt more than any slap could", she looked Rarity right in the eyes, "You mean a lot to me Rarity". Rarity started blushing a bit, "Thanks dear, you too". They resumed their hug, Applejack rubbing Rarity's mane and Rarity feeling a bit strange inside, she's always liked being with Applejack, but this time it felt different, she didn't know what it was but she didn't care at the moment, all that mattered was her making piece with Applejack. As the train moved, everything was smoother than the ride to Canterlot; Rarity sat with Applejack & Coco and discussed fashion and farmlife, Twilight sat with Flittershy & Flitter while Fluttershy gawked at how handsome Soarin was, Flitter nodding a lot, Big Macintosh sitting and relaxing on the way back home, Pinkie and Cloudchaser sat with Rumble and the Crusaders as they played a bit on the way home, Apple Bloom being once again, very friendly with Rumble, Sweetie Belle showing attitude and Scootaloo just going with it, Spike was sitting alone, picking his teeth after having stuffed his face with gems that Cadance had given him from The Crystal Empire, and Rainbow Dash sitting with Thunderlane, she had leant up against him a bit, he then put his arm around her very slowly to hold her to him, while she noticed she didn't really care, she figured whatever made him happy, she was not moving as she was a bit tired, besides she kinda liked it, and showed it with a smug smile. Once again, she has him right where she wants him.