Episode 5- The Shy Posey and the Rambunctious Apple Dumpling
The Friendship Express chugged into the Ponyville train station, letting out a huff and a puff of smoke as it came to a stop. Inside the train, one of the passengers, an Earth Pony filly with a light golden-brown coat, and a yellow-orange mane pulled into two stubby ponytails atop her head, smiled when she saw she'd finally arrived in Ponyville. She hopped off of her seat, and tried to reach the suitcase the porter had put on the luggage rail, high out of her reach. Luckily, the conductor happened to be passing by and helped her out.
"Here you go, little miss." he said kindly as he handed her her suitcase.
"Thank you kindly mister." replied the filly. "Hope you have a good day!" And with that, the filly exited the train and stepped onto the platform, searching around for any sign of her relatives.
"Well howdy there." said a voice. The filly turned to see an orange Earth Pony with a blonde mane and wearing a cowpony hat, approaching her. "You wouldn't happen to be Apple Dumpling, would ya?" the mare asked.
The filly gave a proud nod. "That's my name!" she said.
The Pony smiled. "I'm Applejack, your cousin once removed, I'm glad to finally meet ya Apple Dumpling."
"Thanks, Applejack!" replied Apple Dumpling with a large grin. "I'm really looking forward to staying here with you and the other Apples in Ponyville."
"In that case, why don't we head on down to the farm right now so you can get to know everypony better. How does that sound?" said Applejack, as the two walked side by side down the train platform.
"I'd like that very much, cuz." said Apple Dumpling. "Lead the way!"
Applejack laughed at Dumpling's enthusiasim and walked with her toward the farm.
* * *
At Sweet Apple Acres...
Apple Dumpling looked around with wide eyes at everything she saw. From the schoolhouse, to the apple trees, to the great big barn that resided on the other side of the white fence that surrounded Sweet Apple Acres. It reminded her bit of home, but of course, it wasn't quite so big as this. Still, it was good to see surroundings that were somewhat familiar. And waiting for her just outside the fence, were three members of the Apple family, plus two new ponies that had joined the farm not too long ago.
"Let introduce you to everypony." said Applejack, first stepping up to the tall, strong stallion with a red hide and an orange mane. "This here is my big brother, Big Macintosh, course, we all just call him Big Mac."
"Eeyup!" replied Big Mac.
Applejack then moved onto a mare with a light yellow coat and a red mane, wearing a pink bow in her mane. "This is my little sister Apple Bloom, I'm sure you two will get along like two peas from the same pod."
"Howdy there!" said Apple Bloom, shaking Apple Dumpling's hoof. "We're mighty glad to have you here."
Apple Dumpling smiled widely at her. She seemed really nice.
"This here is Granny Smith." said Applejack, gesturing to an old pony mare nodding off in an old rocking chair. Applejack lightly shook Granny's shoulder. "Wake up, Granny Smith! Apple Dumpling's here."
But Granny Smith just mumbled something her sleep and continued to snore.
"It's probably for the best, sis." said Apple Bloom. "We'll introduce her later, when Granny's not too tired."
Applejack sighed. "Alright then. That leaves the two newest ponies here on the farm." She gestured to an Earth Pony stallion with a tan coat and a brown mane, there was a colt standing next to him with the same color coat, except his mane was messier, and was the color of blueberries. "These are our new farmhooves, Buckwheat and his little brother, Huckleberry. But around here, we just call em Buck and Huck."
Buck gave a friendly wave and smile at Apple Dumpling, while Huck walked up to her, eyeing her up and down.
"Pleasure to meet you, miss Dumpling." Buck said politely. Dumpling nodded at him. She could tell he was a nice guy just by looking at him. Call it, intuition, or whatever you like.
She turned to Buck's younger brother. "Hi there!" said Apple Dumpling, extending her hoof out to Huck. "I'm Apple Dumpling!"
After a minute of hesitation, Huck took Apple Dumpling's hoof and the two gave an equally strong shake.
"Wow, you're pretty strong." remarked Huck. He moved his hoof from Dumpling's strong grip.
Apple Dumpling laughed. "You bet I am! I may be small, but I've got quite a bit of muscle on me." She flexed her left bicep for emphasis.
Huck smirked. "Are you any good at arm wrestling?" he asked.
"Sure! I've done it loads of times, and I haven't lost yet." she said confidently.
"In that case, wanna have a go with me later? I bet I can beat you in no time flat."
"You're on!"
"Now that everypony's been acquainted." said Buck, cutting in. "Why don't we all head inside for some lunch. And Apple Dumpling can tell us all about the train ride over here."
Apple Dumpling rubbed her belly. "Mmm! Lunch sounds good." she said.
"Bet I can eat more than you." said Huck.
"I'd like to see you try." shot back Apple Dumpling.
"Alright then, race you there!" And like that, the two young ponies dashed off toward the farmhouse, while the adults laughed as they watched them.
"Looks like those two are going to become good friends real quick." said Applejack. "Right Big Mac?"
"Eeyup!" replied Big Mac.
High in the sky, in a little cloud house in Cloudsdale, a young Pegasus filly, Posey, was busy taking care of the plants in her bedroom. Gardening was her special talent, her passion, and anypony who saw Posey's could see that right away. From the floor to the ceiling, large varieties of plants were flourishing, making it look like a garden or a forest instead of a bedroom. Posey was doing what she did best, making sure her plants were well-fed and well-watered, when all of a sudden, her father, Zephyr Breeze, entered her bedroom, taking her completely by surprise.
"Hey, Posey!" he cried enthusiastically.
Posey jumped back in surprise, letting out a squee as she accidentally dropped her watering can onto the floor.
"Whoops! Sorry about that." said Zephyr, walking over to her, picking the can up and handing it to her.
"It's okay, daddy." said Posey softly, taking the watering can from him.
"That's good. Anyway, I wanted to check and see if you were ready for your first day at your new school tomorrow." he said.
"Hmm? Oh. Yes, I'm ready." said Posey. She'd been trying not to think too much about tomorrow. On one hoof, she was eager to be going to school in Ponyville, but on the other, she felt a little anxious and intimidated to meet all those new ponies.
"I told your aunt how you were going to start going to school in Ponyville, and she said that she was glad, and that she wanted to help walk you over to the schoolhouse for your first day."
"Auntie Fluttershy's going to be there?" asked Posey, her spirits picking up.
"You betcha." he replied.
"Yay!" she cheered softly.
Posey felt herself grinning. How could she not? Fluttershy was her favorite and only aunt after all. Because her mom passed away when Posey was born, Fluttershy help her brother out from time to time in raising her, and so at times, Fluttershy felt more like a mother to Posey, always knowing what to do and how to make her feel better. And she'd need her there on her first day in a new and unfamiliar place.
Zephyr smiled at Posey. "I thought you'd be excited to hear that." he said.
Posey went up to her dad and hugged him. "Thank you, daddy." she said. Zephyr returned the hug.
"Any time, Posey. I was a little surprised at first when you said you wanted to go to school in Ponyville, but if it makes you happy, then I don't mind." said Zephyr.
"I am happy daddy, very happy." Posey replied. And she meant it.
The reason Posey wanted to go to school in Ponyville, was to get away from those mean colts who would always pick on her. To have a chance of fitting in and actually gain the courage to make some new friends. And even though she was a little nervous about it, Posey couldn't wait to have a fresh start in Ponyville, and to try to be more bold like her aunt, one little step at a time of course.
Early the next day...
Posey was happily skipping down the dirt path, with her dad and her aunt, Fluttershy.
"Do you think schoolponies here will be nice?" Posey asked.
Fluttershy giggled. "Of course they will be. You have nothing to worry about." she said.
"Right you are sis." said Zephyr. "Just go in there, and show them what you've got."
Posey was smiling from ear to ear. With her dad and her aunt by her side, Posey felt like she could face everypony head on. It wasn't long before the schoolhouse came into sight.
"Well, here we are." said Fluttershy. "Your new school."
"Wow." said Posey, watching as some other fillies and colts around her age filed into the building. "There are a lot more ponies than I thought there would be."
"Hey, don't you worry about that." said Zephyr, ruffling up his daughter's pale pink and honey streaked mane. "You just go in there and do your best. Okay?"
Posey smiled at her dad. "Okay daddy." she said.
"That's my girl." Zephyr gave Posey a quick hug, before turning her over to Fluttershy. "I gotta get going, I have a lot of ponies lined up for some scheduled mane therapy. I'll be back to pick you up from your aunt's later."
"Have a good day." said Posey, as her dad began to fly off.
"I will, have fun!"
"I will!"
Posey waved goodbye, as she and Fluttershy walked up to the schoolhouse steps. "Wait here Posey, while I go talk to the teacher real quick."
"Okay, auntie." said Posey, sitting herself down on the steps to wait patiently.
Posey had expected to just quietly sit there and tell herself to not be intimidated, but instead, ended up getting startled by an Earth Pony filly.
"Howdy there!" she said suddenly.
"Eep!" cried Posey in surprise.
The filly took Posey's hoof and began to shake it with a lot of strength and enthusiasm. "My name's Apple Dumpling, course, you can just call me Dumpling if you'd like. Anyway, I'm new here to Ponyville, and it's certainly nice to meet you. What's your name?"
Posey just stared at Apple Dumpling, not sure what to say. She opened her mouth to try and speak, but no words came out.
What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" asked Dumpling. Posey said nothing. "Not much of a talker are you? That's alright, I understand. My cousin Big Mac is the same. But I think his actions speak louder than his words, don't you think?"
Posey just looked down in silence, not sure how to reply. She wasn't really social around other ponies, and didn't really know how to talk or act in front of others. She felt more comfortable with her own family (and that nice Pegasus she met a while ago in the forest). Luckily, Posey was saved by the arrival of both her aunt and the teacher.
"Posey, this is Miss Merrilee, she's going to be your teacher." said Fluttershy, introducing her to the Earth Pony mare.
"So, you're Mariposa." said Merrilee gently. "Aren't you just a sweet little thing, I'm glad that you'll be joining our class starting today."
Posey turned to the teacher and smiled nervously. "T-thank you." she mumbled.
"Hey there, Miss Merrilee!" interrupted Dumpling, stepping up to the teacher. "I'm Apple Dumpling, I heard you were expecting me?"
"Ah yes, it's good to meet you too, Apple Dumpling. If you and Mariposa would please follow me inside, I'd like to introduce you to the rest of the class."
"Alrighty!" said Apple Dumpling, following her inside.
Fluttershy turned to Posey and gave her a hug goodbye. "I'll come back soon, have a good day." she said, and headed off down the dirt path. Posey felt tempted to follow after her instead of facing all those ponies, but she took a deep, calming breath, and went inside the schoolhouse.
Posey and Dumpling stood next to each other in front of the class, the students all talking and playing at their desks in a rowdy manner. Miss Merrilee called for their attention.
"Alright class, settle down now. We have some new students who will be joining us today." she said, gesturing toward the two fillies. "This is Mariposa and Apple Dumpling, please make them feel welcome here on their first day."
The colts and fillies gave them friendly smiles, making Posey feel a little less nervous. "Alright now, Apple Dumpling, you can sit up front with Huckleberry, and Mariposa, you can sit behind them next to Neighthan." said Merrilee, ushering them to their seats.
Dumpling gave Huckleberry a hoof bump, while Posey shyly introduced herself to the Earth Pony colt next to her desk. He had a yellow green coat, and a tousled honey-brown mane.
"H-hello, my name's Mariposa." she said.
The colt gave her a small smile. "My name's Neighthan, Neighthan Trotter." he replied.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Neighthan." Neighthan's smile grew and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink in embarrassment.
"Same to you." he said.
Miss Merrilee clapped her hooves, calling for the class's attention again. "Alright now, it's time to begin today's lesson." Everypony listened to her, as she turned to write down the lesson on the black board and began to instruct the class.
* * *
Fifteen minutes. It had only been roughly fifteen minutes and already Dumping felt bored. She let out a yawn as she willed herself to keep her eyes open. She and Huck had stayed up late last night, having a few arm wrestling matches and talking about what kind of things they liked to do for fun. And now, as a result, Dumpling was starting to doze off in class. Her attention zoned in and out as she stared straight ahead at the black board, the teacher's voice becoming muffled as she felt herself tempted to lay her head on her desk and fall asleep.
"Apple Dumpling." said Merrilee. Dumpling didn't answer. "Apple Dumpling." She repeated, speaking a little louder.
"Huh?! Wha?!" Dumpling snapped back to attention. "Yes, Miss Merrilee?"
"Do you know the answer to this problem?" Merrilee asked, pointing to a math equation written on the board.
Dumpling hung her head in embarrassment. "Um...no." she answered.
Merrilee sighed. "Then I think it'd be best Apple Dumpling, if you try to pay more attention during class." she said.
"Right, sorry."
A few of the schoolponies giggled, but quickly quieted down as Miss Merrilee addressed them and explained how to follow the equation. Dumpling's gaze drifted all around the classroom, until it landed on Posey, who appeared to be writing something down. Overcome with curiosity, she tried to get a good look at what it was, but ended up accidentally falling out of her chair and onto the floor, causing a ruckus.
"Apple Dumpling, if you continue to disrupt this class I'll have no choice but to give you detention. Do you understand?" said Merrilee.
"Yes." sighed Dumpling.
"Good. Now then, where were we?"
Dumpling looked over her shoulder at Posey, and continued to watch whatever it was she was writing on that paper.
"Hey." Huck hissed at her in a whisper. "What are you doing? Do you want to get in trouble again?"
"I'm just wondering what she's up to is all." she whispered back at him. "It's not like I'm doing anything wrong."
"Huckleberry, Apple Dumpling, are you two whispering?" asked the teacher, giving them a serious look.
"No, Miss Merrilee." The two said hurriedly in unison.
This seemed to satisfy the teacher and she went back to teaching the class.
Guess I'll have to wait until later to ask her. Dumpling thought to herself.
Later, at recess...
At lunch recess, the schoolponies all went outside to eat and play on the little playground. Posey and Neighthan sat down at one of the picnic tables and chatted while they ate.
"So, Mariposa, what kind of things do you like?" asked Neighthan.
"Well, I like a lot of things." Posey replied simply. "Flowers, gardening, cute little animals, things like that."
"Really? Are you any good? At gardening I mean."
Posey nodded. "Uh-huh. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I love growing so many wonderful and beautiful plants, and it's always fun to watch a plant grow as you take care of it."
"It does sound like fun. You'll have to show me sometime."
Posey blushed a little. "Oh, I don't know if I'd be a good teacher." she said modestly. "Besides, it's pretty easy. I'm sure if you wanted to, you could probably grow something on your own."
"You think?"
Posey nodded.
Then, as the two of them were about to continue with their conversation, they were interrupted by the appearance of Apple Dumpling, who plopped down between them right on the bench.
"Hey, mind if I sit here?" Dumpling asked.
"Um..." Posey said meekly.
"Great!" said Dumpling cutting her off. "So, your name's Mariposa, is it? You must be new here to Ponyville too!"
"Uh, yes. I guess you could say that." she said timidly.
"This is my first time in town, but I've heard all about it from my cousin Applejack, and so far, it looks like an awfully nice place. I think I'm gonna like it here." Dumpling's eyes then widened as she remembered something, and then she got up close to Posey, not realizing that she was in her personal space. "Oh, I almost forgot! I wanted to ask you what you were doodling on that piece of paper during class."
"I...was just taking some notes."
"Really? Let me see!" Before Posey had a chance to say anything, Apple Dumpling took the paper and looked over it. "Wow! You sure are good at taking notes. It looks like you wrote down almost every word Miss Merrilee said and wrote."
Posey tentatively took the paper back, looking down at her hooves. "Y-yes. Now, um, if you don't mind--"
But Dumpling once again interrupted her. "I've never really been all too good at note taking myself. Hey! Maybe you could help me sometime, or maybe even you could loan me your notes!"
"I-I don't..."
"Alright, I've decided!"
"Huh?"
"Mariposa, I'd like you to be my new friend!"
"Wait, what?"
"Why not? You're nice, you seem pretty smart, and we're both new here! Why, when I came to Ponyville, I told myself that as soon as I got here, I'll make as many new friends as possible. I already made Huck my first new friend, so why not you too?"
Posey stumbled with her words. This was all happening too fast for her, and Dumpling was coming on a little strong for her. "Well, I don't--" She let out another squee as Dumpling pulled her into a sudden, tight hug.
"Oh, we're gonna have so much fun together! We can run races, arm wrestle, and--" This time, Dumpling was cut off by Huck, who was calling her over from the other end of the schoolyard.
"Hey Dumpling! Come on over here, I want you to meet the rest of the guys!" he shouted to her.
"Be right there!" she called back. Dumpling looked back at Posey and said, "Well, I gotta go, but I'll talk to you later. See you around." Dumpling got up from the table and raced over to Huck.
"Uh, what just happened?" asked Neighthan, a little confused as to all that happened in those last few moments.
Posey let out a sigh.
"Are you alright?" Neighthan asked, concerned.
"Yes, I'm fine." said Posey.
"You sure?"
"Uh-huh." she said, nodding. "I was just a little...overwhelmed, that's all."
"I'd say more than a little." Neighthan said.
"Why don't we talk about something else?" Suggested Posey, wanting to change the subject.
"Well, okay then. If you want." Though Neighthan still seemed a little unsure. He could see that Apple Dumpling had meant well, but she seemed that she had unintentionally frazzled Posey. He decided to leave it be for now and to change the subject like she said, in order to calm down her nerves.
After school...
As soon as school ended for the day, a throng of schoolponies galloped out of the building, each hoping to enjoy the rest of the day and to play with their friends. Posey said goodbye to Miss Merrilee and Neighthan, as she waited on the steps once more, waiting for her aunt to come and pick her up. She'd been minding her own business, when once again, she was startled by the sudden appearance of Apple Dumpling.
"Hey Mariposa!" she exclaimed eagerly. "What are you doing sitting here? Are you gonna go home?"
"I'm waiting for my auntie to come and pick me up." Posey answered quietly.
"Hmm, sounds like you've got quite a bit of free time then while you wait." said Dumpling. "I know! Why don't I stay and wait with you?"
"Um, won't your family be wondering what's keeping you?"
"Ah they won't mind. Besides, you don't wanna sit out here all by yourself, do ya?"
"I guess not."
"Then it's settled." Apple Dumpling sat down and scooted next to Posey. "So, where are ya from Mariposa?"
"Um, Cloudsdale." answered Posey.
"Cloudsdale, huh? You must be a really great flier then!"
"Oh, well, not exactly. I don't really like flying, unless I have to."
"A Pegasus who doesn't like flying? That's pretty strange."
Posey shifted uncomfortably and looked away from Apple Dumpling.
"Hey, ya wanna play a game?" Apple Dumpling asked.
"A...game?"
Dumpling nodded. "Yeah, we could arm wrestle, like I talked about earlier, or we could play this one game I know on the swings."
"The swings." Posey said quickly. "If, that's alright." She didn't like the thought of arm wrestling against Apple Dumpling, who proved to be a strong pony, but the swings sounded like a much safer thing to do.
"Alright then, come on!" Dumpling took Posey by the hoof and dragged her over to the swing set. Each of them sat on the swing and began to move back and forth. "Try to get as high as you can." said Dumpling.
Posey did as she said, swinging higher and higher into the air. She looked up into the sky as she went up, and actually fond herself enjoying it, deciding that it wasn't so bad.
"Okay, now, on my mark..." said Dumpling, gripping onto the chains tightly.
Posey arched an eyebrow in confusion, but did as she said, wondering what Dumpling was planning to do.
"And....JUMP!"
"What?!"
Dumpling let go of the chains when she was up in the air and landed a good distance away from the swing set and firmly on her hooves. "That was great!" she cried. She turned to her side, expecting to see Posey next to her, only to find she wasn't there. She looked over her shoulder at the swing set and saw Posey slowly swinging to a stop, remaining firmly in place. "Hey, what's wrong? You're supposed to jump off the swing and land on the ground."
"I didn't want to." Posey said shyly.
"Why not?" asked Dumpling.
"Because, I just didn't want to, okay?" Posey got off the swing and trotted away.
"Well, okay, I'll see you tomorrow I guess!" Dumpling called out, watching as Posey went back to the schoolhouse, where her aunt finally arrived and picked her up.
At Fluttershy's cottage...
"So, how was school?" Fluttershy asked Posey, as she prepared to make some tea for the both of them.
"It was okay." answered Posey simply.
Fluttershy frowned. Something about her niece's tone and the way she shifted on the sofa didn't seem right. She trotted over and sat down next to Posey. "Alright, what's wrong?" she asked.
Posey's pupils shrunk, she looked away from her aunt's face. "N-nothing's wrong. I had a good day at school, and everything was fine." she said quickly.
Unfortunately for her, Fluttershy didn't buy it for a single minute. She placed an arm around Posey and spoke calmly and sweetly. "Posey, you know if something's bothering you, you can always tell me or your dad about it."
"I know." Posey sighed.
"So, what's wrong?"
Posey hesitated for a moment, before coming clean. "Well, you see, there's this filly at school, Apple Dumpling. She's nice, I guess, but she's also a little rowdy and a little intimidating for me. Like earlier, before you came to pick me up, she wanted me to jump off the swing while I was in the air."
Fluttershy gasped. "Oh goodness!" she exclaimed.
Posey nodded. "I didn't jump, of course, I was too scared to. Apple Dumpling says she wants me to be her new friend, but I don't know if I really even want to, especially if it means I'll be doing anymore scary stuff like that in the future."
"I understand." Fluttershy said, patting Posey's back to comfort her. "When I was your age, there were times where I wondered if I'd end up getting hurt too, because of how Rainbow Dash was so much stronger and faster than me. I thought that our friendship wouldn't last very long."
"What happened?"
"Well, I told Rainbow Dash about my fears. She scoffed at some of them, saying that those things were too silly for me to be afraid of them. But, she understood how I liked things not so rough, and what sort of things made me uncomfortable. By telling her those things, Rainbow Dash respected my space and comfort zone, even though she tried to pull me out of both on a few occasions, and the two of us have remained friends to this day."
Posey had been listening carefully to her aunt's story, taking in all she had to say. "So...I should tell her about what makes me uncomfortable?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Exactly. Just tell her, and once she knows about your comfort zone, I'm sure the two of you will become good friends."
"I do want to make friends." Posey admitted. She thought about Neighthan as she said this. "Okay, auntie, I'll give it a try tomorrow."
Fluttershy smiled. "Good. Now, how about some tea?"
"Yes, please!" said Posey.
Fluttershy fixed Posey up a couple of tea, made the way she liked it. She drank the warm concoction and smiled, immediately feeling much better. And so, the two Pegasi sat there, with Posey telling Fluttershy about the rest of her school day, and waiting for her dad to come by to take her home.
The next day...
Posey was once again sitting with Neighthan, telling him about all the plants she had growing in her room back in Cloudsdale.
"One of my favorites is this Plundervine plant that Uncle Discord gave me." said Posey, appearing quite cheerful as she described her dear plants
Neighthan's eyes widened. "A Plundervine? Aren't those supposed to be dangerous and...well, chaotic?" he asked.
"Normally yes, but not this one. Uncle Discord used some of his magic to keep it from growing anymore. It has these little stems with blue spikes, and it has a mouth, kind of like a Venus Flytrap's. It took a while to get him to behave, but now he's awfully sweet and I like to talk to him from time to time."
"Him?"
Posey nodded. "Uh-huh! I call him Chewie, because he has a large appetite. But don't worry, he doesn't bite strangers as much as he did before."
"Sounds kind of dangerous." said Neighthan.
"Daddy said the same thing, but my auntie and I managed to convince him otherwise. Besides, Uncle Discord took most of the dangerous stuff away from it, so it's almost completely harmless."
"If you say so."
It was then that Apple Dumpling went up to the two of them again, just like she did the other day.
"Hey guys! What're you two talking about?" she asked.
"Nothing much." answered Neighthan. "Mariposa here was talking about some of her plants."
"Plants huh? Are you a gardener?"
"Um, yes. It's kind of my special talent." said Posey, cracking an awkward smile and attempting to be friendly.
"Really? I do a bit of digging myself, what with working on the farm and all." Dumpling replied proudly. "Anyhoo, you guys wanna play?"
"Play what?" asked Posey, a little warily.
"Huck, Sugar, Spice, and I are all gonna play tag. You wanna join?"
Posey looked over Dumpling's shoulder to see Huck and two Unicorn fillies waiting near the slide.
"You're not gonna be too rough, are you?" Posey asked cautiously.
"I don't think so, why do you ask?"
"Well..." Posey looked up at Apple Dumpling, calling upon the advice her aunt had given her. "It's just that, I don't usually play a lot, and I don't like doing anything that's scary or that could get me hurt." she said.
"You don't have to worry about that." Dumpling assured her. "All we're doing is running around and tagging one another. Nothing scary or harmful at all."
"You're sure?"
"I promise." said Dumpling.
"Well, okay then, if you're sure." Posey got up from the bench and looked over at Neighthan.
"You go on." said Neighthan, waving a hoof. "I'll just sit here and watch."
"You can be the judge or the referee, or whatever it is they call it." said Apple Dumpling. "You know, to see if a pony is playing fair or not."
"Sure." Neighthan replied.
Posey smiled a little. It was nice of Apple Dumpling trying to make Neighthan feel included. Maybe she would be a good friend to her.
* * *
Apple Dumpling walked Posey over to the group that was waiting for them. "Mariposa says she's in." she said.
"Great!" said Huck.
"Wonderful!" Sugar said sweetly. She had a pale turquoise hide and a curly apricot-colored mane, and a cutie mark of three sugar cubes.
"Good to have you in the game." said Spice in a good sportsmanlike manner. She was a little taller than Sugar by a couple inches, and had a tan coat, a chocolate brown mane that was straight, and a cutie mark of a bottle of cinnamon being sprinkled out.
"Thank you." Posey said shyly.
"Enough talk, let's get on with starting the game." said Apple Dumpling. "Who's going to be it?"
"Not me, if you don't mind." said Posey.
The rest of them said not it as well, leaving Apple Dumpling left as the only pony who didn't say it quick enough. "Alright, I'll be it. I needed a good work out anyway." she said. "All of you get a good distance away, and on the count of three, we start the game. Got it?"
"Got it!" Everypony said in unison.
"Good. Let's get started." They did as Dumpling had told them and all spread out around the playground, waiting for her to give the word to start the chase. "Everypony ready?" she called out.
"Ready!" they answered back.
"1...2..3! Here I come!" shouted Dumpling, running toward them. Everypony scattered, galloping at great speed to avoid getting tagged by Apple Dumpling. Dumpling reached out a hoof and tagged Sugar. "Tag! You're it!"
Sugar laughed and ran after the other players. She managed to catch up to Spice and tag her. "Tag!"
Spice looked around for who she should tag, and decided to go with Huck, since he was the closest. She snuck up behind him and tapped him on the back. "You're it!" cried Spice, and off she galloped like the wind.
"Hey!" Huck cried out in protest. But then he heard the giggling of Apple Dumpling and went after her. Dumpling managed to dodge his first few attempts, but he still managed to make her it once again.
"Barn it!" said Apple Dumpling she, like Spice, looked around for a good target to go after.
She spotted Posey and decided to give chase. Posey immediately noticed and dashed off before Dumpling had a chance to get the jump on her. Dumpling grinned to herself. Posey wasn't the best flier, but she was a fast runner, which gave Apple Dumpling a kind of thrill as she went after the Pegasus, weaving in and out of playground equipment, and slowing down only to throw Dumpling off her guard before speeding up ahead of her. Pretty soon, Dumpling got caught up in the game, and was thinking of a way of trying to tag Posey and beat her. She got an idea as she saw Posey beginning to slow down a little. She prepared her legs for the maneuver, wasting no time, once Posey was in close vicinity. In a swift move, Dumpling jumped, and pounced onto Posey, like a predator would its prey, tumbling a little on the ground.
"Tag! You're it!" Dumpling proclaimed, feeling proud of herself. But that pride quickly vanished as she heard Posey sniffling and crying a little in pain. Dumpling got off her and stood there, watching as Posey slowly got up. Neighthan ran over to her looking worried.
"Mariposa! Are you all right?" he asked her.
Posey sniffed and shook her head. "I think I hurt my wings." she said, wincing as they moved slightly.
"I'll get Miss Merrilee." said Spice running toward the schoolhouse.
"Sorry about that." said Dumpling.
Posey looked at Dumpling with watery eyes. "You promised." she mumbled. "You promised I wouldn't get hurt, but you lied!"
Dumpling's eyes widened at those words. "I didn't lie!" she said defensively. "It's not like I meant to hurt your wings. I was just playing, that's all. Friends do it all the time."
"Then I don't think I want to be your friend." said Posey with a sniff. Neighthan walked with her toward the schoolhouse, leaving Apple Dumpling rooted to the spot.
"Fine then." said Dumpling, attempting to be indifferent about it. "See if I care, I did nothing wrong." But in truth, Dumpling felt a bit of sadness inside her chest.
At Sweet Apple Acres...
Apple Dumpling was in a sour mood as she sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hooves, and her elbows planted firmly on the table. She'd tried to talk to Posey again after school got out, but she had to stay behind and get a scolding from Miss Merrilee for hurting Posey, but got off with a warning since it was an accident. By the time Dumpling was finished with her scolding, Posey was already leaving with her aunt, and appeared to have been avoiding eye contact with her.
"Is everything okay, Dumpling?" Applejack asked, as she entered the kitchen.
"Not really." answered Apple Dumpling.
Applejack nodded. "I heard from Huck how there was an incident at school with one of your classmates." she said.
"It was just an accident." Dumpling said defensively.
Applejack pulled up a chair and sat across Apple Dumpling at the table. "Tell me all about it." she said.
And so Apple Dumpling told Applejack the whole story, all the while Applejack listened carefully, nodding here and there at certain parts of the story.
"And that's what happened." concluded Apple Dumpling. "Now it seems like Mariposa doesn't wanna talk to me at all."
Applejack sighed. "Well, can't say I don't blame her."
"You mean you're siding with her?!" asked Apple Dumpling.
"Look, all I'm saying is that Mariposa has every right to be upset with you."
"But I didn't do anything wrong!"
"That may seem like it to you, but not to Mariposa. She told you how she doesn't like rough housing, and you promised not to during the game, only to end up breaking that promise and end up hurting her." Explained Applejack. "I know you probably didn't mean to, but Mariposa comes from a family of soft-spoken, reserved Pegasi." Then she added under her breath, "Except for her dad of course."
Apple Dumpling looked down at her hooves guiltily. Posey had told her that, and she had promised that she wouldn't get hurt. There was nopony else to blame but herself. She hung her head as her cousin continued on.
"Look, the point is, Mariposa gave you her trust, and you broke it, and if you want to make it up to her, then you're gonna have to earn back that trust and show how sorry you are." said Applejack. "Then, I'm sure she'll forgive you."
"But how do I do that?" asked Apple Dumpling.
"That's something you're gonna have to figure out yourself." answered Applejack. She got up from the table and left Dumpling alone in the kitchen to think things over.
"I already told her that I was sorry." Dumpling said to herself. "So what else can I do?" She thought about it, and remembered something from earlier that day, about Posey and gardening. "That's it!" she cried. She'd come up with a way to make it up to Posey, and possibly gain back her trust.
The next day, a little after school...
Apple Dumpling had wasted no time in putting her plan into action. She had went over to Miss Merrilee and asked her if she and a couple of the students could work on the old garden out behind the schoolhouse. Miss Merrilee agreed, and Dumpling moved on to gathering the needed supplies. Before the bell had run to signal the end of school, Apple Dumpling left Posey a note on her desk, telling her to meet her out behind the school. After waiting a moment or two, Posey finally showed up, much to Apple Dumpling's relief.
"You actually made it." Apple Dumpling said with a grin.
Posey stood her ground, looking at Apple Dumpling warily. "Don't get excited just yet, I just want to know what this is all about."
Dumpling nodded seriously. "It's...about what happened the other day. I'm sorry that I got you hurt and I'm sorry that I broke my promise." she said sincerely. "I just get really excited sometimes, and I can get a little carried away. I guess I was just so happy you wanted to join us."
"But...we've only just met a couple days ago." pointed out Posey.
"I know, but, I was still glad, because it meant that I had a chance to make another new friend."
Posey stared at her in silence.
"Guess I kinda messed up on that, didn't I?" asked Dumpling.laughing nervously and rubbing the back of her head. "But that's why I asked you to come here, to make it up to you."
"How?"
"With this." Apple Dumpling stepped away from the small patch of dirt she'd been obscuring. Next to the dirt were some gardening supplies, seeds, flowers bulbs, and fertilizer.
Posey's eyes widened and she gasped. "Wha, what is this?"
"I remembered how that one colt mentioned you liked gardening, so I thought maybe you and I could work on the school's garden, together."
Posey was speechless, as she looked down at the dirt, and then at the seeds and bulbs that were waiting to be planted. A Smile slowly sprung onto her face. "I'd like that, very much." she said.
* * *
Posey and Apple Dumpling got right to work on tending to the patch of dirt, making little furrows, adding the seeds and bulbs, and adding water and fertilizer to help them grow.
"Phew!" Dumpling exclaimed as she wiped some sweat off her brow. Both she and Posey had some dirt on their hooves and faces from their work. "I think we did a pretty good job." she said.
"I think so too." agreed Posey. "It won't be long before these little ones blossom and become fully grown."
"Yeah. Hey, if you'd like maybe we can work on the garden some more. You know, if you want to."
"Sure!"
It was right then that both the fillies heard somepony softly calling out for Posey. "That must be Auntie Fluttershy." said Posey. "I have to get going."
"Alright then." said Apple Dumpling. "It was nice hanging out with ya, I hope we do it again sometime."
Posey nodded. "Yes, I hope we can do it again as well." She then turned to leave. "Goodbye, Dumpling."
"Bye, Mariposa." said Dumpling, waving goodbye.
Posey stopped. "Um, Dumpling?"
"Yeah?"
"If you like, you can just call me Posey for short." She looked at her from over her shoulder and smiled.
Apple Dumpling returned the smile. "Bye, Posey."
And thus, began the start of what would become a memorable friendship for the two of them.