Day 26: All's Fair in Love & Games - Part 1: To The Fair
The first thing that I did when I woke up was panic. It was because of three things.
The first was that I didn't know where I was. The room was unfamiliar. If it weren't so darnn cute, I'd have probably shit my metaphorical pants (since I don't wear pants anymore). To my left was a bookshelf full of children's books, on top of which a few knickknacks were placed. There was a small step to an elevated section where a small round window where the lack of sunlight streaming through made me surmise that this was east. Just under the window was small table with a lamp on it and next to that was a door. It was wide open but the angle from where I sat made it impossible for me to see outside.
Secondly, I didn't remember going anywhere. Last night was a complete blank. The only thing I remember was walking home with Twilight and Spike after my attack. Remembering the pain I had felt sent shivers down my spine. and after that...
Third and last of all, I didn't remember falling asleep. So, how did I end up here? On this bed? In this place?
Therefore panic was a natural reaction.
Fumbling out of the covers, I somehow got them tangled around myself and rolled over falling from the bed landing with a heavy thud on the floor.
“Nice to know you're up,” a familiar voice called out from outside the small room, “I'm down here!”
“Down?” I muttered quietly.
The sound of the voice calmed me down enough to stop and think about my current predicament and slip the covers off. Walking out of the open door I found that I was standing on the second story behind a simple, yet beautifully ornate railing that overlooked a large room full of books. I knew this place. I knew this room.
“Morning,” Spike said standing in the middle of the room below, all around him were shelves of books. “Was starting to get a little worried.”
“This... this is the library? How did I end up here?”
“Now that's a story. You kind of were out of it yesterday.”
He was right. I was.
“You kinda nodded off while we were walking home. It was scary. We didn't realize anything was wrong until you fell on your face. We thought you were being your usual self-”
“Oi!”
“... but when we went over to check, you were fast asleep. Had to carry your flank part of the way home. The next time someone says it's impossible to walk and sleep at the same time, I'm going to tell them that I've met a pony who did exactly that.”
“Sleep and walk?”
“Yep. You were sleepwalking, but not the slow, lumbering kind. You were walking as if you were awake. It was only when you walked into a tree and fumbled on the ground that we realized something was wrong. You were out like a light.” His smile faded, “It was kinda worrying. It took me over an hour to convince Twilight that you were fine, just real tired. I guess she thought you were in real bad shape, and to be honest, I didn't really know either. Anyway, she's gone out to do some errands. She said she'd head over to the train station. So it's just you and me here.”
“I was sleep walking?”
“Your brain didn't process anything after that, eh?”
I pouted a little bit. He just laughed silently.
“Seriously though, it really was like you were awake.”
“How'd I end up up here in bed?”
“I carried you up the stairs and put you in it. As I said, took me a while to calm Twilight down after convincing her that rest was all you needed. She was ready to go and get a doctor.” Spike's demeanor changed and he looked down at the ground, “Forest, you can be straight with me, are you really all right? You've been through a lot the past few days. We all have. Just... we're all worried about you. You've changed, and now Twilight's got this crazy notion you're a-”
“Let me come down!” I didn't want to hear it. I knew what he was going to say, and I didn't want to hear it. “Um... where are the stairs?”
“Over there.” Spike pointed to a cozy looking nest on the other side of the house, “Twilight's bedroom has the only staircase going up or down.”
I walked over to the bedroom (or would that be a bed area?) and couldn't resist snooping. Near a large window was a little bed made covered with a light purple blanket. It was so neat, tidy and perfectly pressed. All across the floor were neat stacks of books of varying heights. The sight of them made me smile. There was just something so 'Twilight' about it; the studious mare really loved her books. Next to the bed was a small desk covered with even more books and a large tome half open sat predominantly in the middle open to something in the middle. Since it was in Equestrian, I had no idea what it was about. It did have a really cool looking drawing though. Under the window was a large window sill that you could sit on, kinda like what Aiden had in his bakery. Here there were even more books stacked up, a couple were half opened and strewn about the place.
“Forest? You lost?” Spike called up to me.
“No. Coming.”
Turning around, I spotted the stairs leading down. Even they did not escape Twilight's studious nature. More books were strategically placed on top of one another and I wove around them taking extra care not to knock them over.
“Finally!” Spike stated as he saw me descending the last few steps, “What kept you?”
“Books. Lot's of them. Kinda hard to navigate up here without knocking them over.”
“Tell me about it. Twilight rarely walks down those stairs anymore, she usually just teleports everywhere now. It's kinda annoying how she can just 'poof' around the place, but if I could do it, I probably would too.”
“Dragons can't teleport?”
“No. Dragons have different kinds of magic. I've never really used mine. Not that I'd ever need to. Dragon magic is more, uh, dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Well, we're big, strong, our scales are a natural armor that can withstand most things, we breathe fire and we can fly.”
“You can fly?”
“Uh... no. Not yet. I haven't got my wings. Hard to fly without those. But when they grow out I will!” He looked over his shoulder, “Twilight says that when my wings start to grow, they'd grow in very fast. Dragons usually have their wings by now, but for some reason mine haven't formed yet.”
“That must be nice...” I muttered to myself. Spike looked at me confused, “I mean to be able to fly around, not that you don't have wings yet. Sometimes I wish that I was a Pegasus so I could just... go.”
“Well, if you ask Twilight she could give you temporary wings.”
I raised my right hoof to show off my bracelet and shook it in front of him.
“Oh yeah. Allergic to magic. Forgot about that. Sorry, Forest.”
“Why apologize? It's not like you had anything to do with it.”
“You know what I mean.”
I chuckled in response.
“I was also going to suggest asking Princess Celestia to change you. She has the power, you know. But considering what happened the last time she tried to cast magic on you...”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“Of course I did.”
“How did you hear about it?” I asked curiously.
“From Sweetie Belle. She heard it from Rarity, and Twilight tells Rarity everything. Well, Twilight tells her best friends everything. They don't really keep secrets from one another.” Spike looked at me, “You okay? You seem kinda out of it still...”
“If Princess Celestia can change anypony into anything, why would anyone choose to be an Earth pony?” I asked trying to divert the subject about me. Didn't want to discuss myself. In fact that was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
Spike shifted in his place, “First thing, Princess Celestia can't change anypony into anything, only into other kinds of ponies.”
“But... she was going to change me into my original form.”
“Really? Are you sure she didn't want to reveal your true form? That's a little different.”
“I don't get it.”
“She's not changing you. Changing you implies that she's turning you into something else. Revealing is... when you show something hidden. See the difference?”
He had a point. That was exactly what she wanted to do. So I nodded understanding Spike's point.
“On the subject of Earth ponies staying they way they are... that's kinda a touchy subject.”
“Humor me.”
“The short version? Ponies are proud to be what they are. If they're Pegasi, they usually stick to that. Unicorns wouldn't give up their magic for anything, and Earth ponies... well, they love what they are because they are, to me at least, the most important kind of pony in Equestria... not to mention especially strong.” Spike laughed nervously, “Don't tell anypony I said that. Some ponies will take that really personally.”
“Rainbow Dash?”
“... and Rarity.” Spike shrugged, “They're proud of what they are and believe... well, that without Pegasi or Unicorns nothing would get done.”
“You don't think that's right?”
“Well... certainly Pegasi and Unicorns make things easier, but when it comes to growing things and building things and making things, Earth ponies are better. I mean, take Applebloom for example. She is amazing. I've seen some of the things she's created and I can tell you that she is incredible.”
“Unicorns and Pegasi can't build things?”
“They can, just not as well. I mean, take Cloudsdale for example. Their cloud structures are impressive but clouds are easy to manipulate. Make a mistake? Just add some more cloud to it and start over. Try doing that with stone. Most of Canterlot was built by Earth ponies, the Unicorns adding their own touch in making the buildings look pretty. Earth ponies are just better at it than the others, and because of their strength, they can survive almost anywhere. That's why most frontier towns are built and run by Earth ponies.”
“I see.”
“You lost interest, didn't you?” Spike said smirking over at me.
I put on my shocked face. “What are you? Telepathic?”
The dragon shook his head and laughed quietly while pushing back the spines on his head. “Anyway, you hungry?”
“More than very,” I replied almost immediately.
He laughed again, “Well, I've made a nice, large stack of pancakes for you. Pinkie style. This way.”
“Pinkie style?”
“You'll see.”
As I entered the kitchen, my mouth literally dropped to the floor. Spike wasn't kidding when he said he made a large stack. It was massive. It was at least as high as my shoulder if I were to stand on the table. It was soaked in golden honey with a pretty sizable dollop of butter at the top and a generous helping of icing sugar around that made it look like a layer of snow.
“That's... pretty immense and intense.”
“Like I said: Pinkie style.” Spike shrugged and rubbed the back of his head again, “I got carried away, okay? I eat a lot, so I just kept on making them. Plus, I had to keep myself busy. Didn't want to disturb you. So... dig in?”
He didn't need to ask me twice. I zipped over to the nearest chair and literally 'dug in'. It was perfect. I couldn't help but stop for a moment after the first bite to lean back and savor the delectable flavors. The sweetness of the honey coupled with the pancake's own slightly savory taste was to die for. It had this near-crunchy texture that felt great to bite through, and the dough and consistency were sublime. All in all, I was quite content with the meal. I wondered if I'd ever taste anything this divine ever again.
About halfway through my stack I paused to finish chewing what was in my mouth. Spike sat opposite me grinning happily.
“Wha?” I asked, my mouth still half full.
“You. You're just so ridiculous. Here,” he handed me a napkin, “you got a some pancake on your face.”
I took it and wiped my muzzle while swallowing the contents in my mouth. “Aren't you going to eat something?”
Spike grinned, “Oh, this little thing?”
He bit off half the stack in one go.
I couldn't help but laugh, “You showoff. I'd hate to make an enemy out of you.”
That seemed to strike a nerve within the dragon. He sighed and looked down at his lap, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“I'm getting bigger...”
“Really? I could've sworn you've shrunk a little since I've been here,” I replied sarcastically.
He gave a little snort, “I'm trying to be serious for a second, Forest.”
“Okay, okay.”
“I've found that more and more of the ponies here in Ponyville have been avoiding me. Is it my imagination?”
I thought about it for a second. “Doubt it. After the way you just destroyed those pancakes, I'd think that they'd be afraid you'd be able to do that to them.”
Spike made a face, “Eating ponies? Disgusting.”
“I know, right? But you did say that Dragons ate ponies. Just because you don't doesn't means others won't.” The dragon just looked at me as I deliberately tried to ignore him and concentrate on finishing the pancakes in front of me. After a moment I felt his eyes literally boring holes in the top of my skull and stopped eating. As I raised my head to looked at him. He was looking at me with these big puppy-dog eyes. “What?”
“Are you... are you scared of me?”
“What? Me? Me! Ha! No. I'm not scared of you, Spike. Never will be.”
“Never?”
“Yes.”
“You'll never be afraid of me?”
“Nope.”
“You promise?”
“Eeyup.”
“I'm going to hold you to that,” he replied, “you better not disappoint. I'm not even going to ask for a Pinkie Promise, that's how much I trust you.”
“I won't let you down.”
He looked down at what was left of his stack of pancakes and grinned, “Wanna see if I can get the rest of it in one gulp?”
“Do it!”
And he did.
“Awesome.”
We were sitting outside the library digesting our food when Sweetie Belle came skipping along.
“Hi, Forest,” She sang.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Spike.” The way she said it was so damned cute, that my heart stopped beating for a split second.
“Hi, Sweets.”
She giggled at that.
“Sweets? Sounds like candy.” My comment fell on deaf ears.
“Wanna head over to train station or towards the fair?” Sweetie asked.
“Fair?”
Why did that sound so familiar?
“Yeah, the one to celebrate your win? You know?” Sweetie replied still smiling at Spike. She pried her attention away from her boyfriend – coltfriend – dragonfriend? Her man – stallion... whatever. Lover? Yeah, I'll go with that one. Lover.
“The Ponyville Race Cup Win Fair,” Spike announced.
“Oh yeah! I forgot about that!” How could I forget that? I was caught red-handed (red-hoofed?) with my lips firmly planted on Rainbow's in Rarity's boutique when she and I fought over that ledger. I wondered what Twilight would've said if she found out about it? Eager to change the subject of almost certain doom to myself should the purple mare ever discover that little secret, I convinced my brain to immediately change the subject. “Did Pinkie make up the name?”
“How'd you guess?” Spike asked sarcastically.
“Maybe I have some magic in me after all.”
The two of them rolled their eyes.
“Oi.”
“I don't think I need to go to the station. Twilight and the rest of the Elements will be there to greet the Race team, so I don't need to. Forest, you should go,” Spike insisted, “you're part of the team after all.”
“Wait, weren't they supposed to arrive yesterday?”
“They were, but from what I heard, Derpy got lost in Canterlot so they missed their train and had to spend an extra night there.”
I recalled the meeting of the Guard in the Everfree and how Derpy was with them. She was one of the secret guards who protected the Elements of Harmony undercover. Did she just pretend to be a clumsy and forgetful mare, was that perhaps why she kept calling herself Derpy Hooves, to give others the impression of a simple but clumsy mail-mare when in fact she was a friggin' Captain in the Equestrian Guard.
I admired that. I wondered what Ditzy was like when she wasn't putting on the act.
Spike sat back in his seat, “Sometimes I wonder how that mare gets things done, you know? Like she's always somehow on top of things despite her clumsiness. I wouldn't be surprised if it was all just an act. I mean, she was always with the Doctor, and he was a very smart guy. He was always talking about things that went way over my head. Somepony like that wouldn't take on Derpy as an assistant.”
“No offense Spike, but at the age everything went over your head. You didn't even know what a bachelor party was until well after Shining got married.”
Spike mumbled something and swept Sweetie off her hooves, placing her on his lap as he hugged her, “I am deeply offended. How are you going to make it up to me?”
“Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something,” she replied, before kissing his lips passionately.
Awkward. Better say something to remind them that they were in public.
“What was he like? Derpy's husband, I mean,” I asked looking away.
The couple parted lips instantly both putting on a slightly guilty smile.
“Husban?” Spike asked regaining his composure. “You mean The Doctor? Well, first thing, I don't think Derpy was ever married to him, and secondly, he was real strange.”
“Strange? He was more than that!” Sweetie squeaked, “My mom and Rarity used to say that the Doctor was the weirdest pony on Equestria. Him and Derpy would always go into the Everfree and sometimes stay there for long periods of time.”
Spike nodded, “Yeah, they'd be gone for weeks sometimes. Then they'd come back and stay for a bit before going off again. Derpy wasn't as clumsy back then as she is now. She changed after the Doctor vanished.”
“She was so sad for ages. If it weren't for Dinky and Amethyst... well, who knows.” Sweetie shook her head sadly.
“What happened to him?” I asked.
“No pony knows, Forest – well, apart from Derpy. She never talks about what happened and no matter how many times we've tried to get her to open up, she's never told anypony, or if she has then they haven't really let on. I don't think even Princess Celestia knows. All we know was that the Doctor vanished into the Everfree and was never heard from again. That was years ago, right Sweetie? I mean, I remember him vaguely. Never really talked to the guy.”
Sweetie Belle nodded, “Oh yes. Derpy was a young mare back then. I mean, I remember seeing the Doctor around, but I never really talked to him. He was always curious about things, always asking questions. Come to think of it... you kinda...”
“I kinda what?” I asked.
“You kinda look like him. Just a bit. Your coat is a bit darker, and so's your mane and tail, but... Spike, don't you agree?”
“Yeah, now that you mention it, you do have a slight resemblance to him, Forest.”
“That's... interesting,” I replied. What could it mean? No, can't dwell on that. Focus, Forest, focus. “What about Dinky?”
“What about her?” Spike looked at me.
“If Derpy is her mother, than wouldn't that make the Doctor her father?”
The two exchanged looks, “Honestly? I don't know. Nopony does, but it's pretty likely. This was way before my time and it happened before Sweetie was born, so...”
“It's complicated,” Sweetie confessed.
“Oh?”
“I think the Doctor never knew about Dinky.” Sweetie looked at her hooves, “I don't really want to spread this rumor... but it's the only one that makes sense.”
“So what you're saying is... Derpy never told the Doctor?” That was surprising.
Sweetie made a face and nodded her head slowly, “That's what I heard, so don't take it as the truth. The reason why I don't think Derpy told the Doctor...”
“Yes?”
“The reason... was because I think she was scared that if she told him she would never see him again.”
I furrowed my brow. “Really?”
Sweetie shrugged, “I don't know, Forest. Dinky is a year and a half younger than me. She's real smart for her age and that's why she was in our during school here in Ponyville. Most ponies her age were in a grade below. It might have been tough, but she didn't seem to mind. When we were older she got a scholarship to go to Luna's school. A full scholarship. I went to university in Canterlot too, but not to Luna's school.”
“So, let me get this straight. The Doctor knocked Derpy up, had Dinky, then, because she was scared the doc wouldn't love her, she never told him?”
“That's about it. It doesn't mean it's true. Remember that.”
“Wouldn't he notice her getting bigger? I mean, if you have something growing inside your belly, I don't think you can hide it.”
“That's the thing, though. He never noticed because he wasn't around at that time. My mother... she has a big mouth and during a particular 'scandalous' time, she had told Rarity that when I was just born the Doctor disappeared for a really long time. Almost a year. In that time Dinky was born.”
“Scandalous?” I asked.
“My mother likes to talk. She does it not to be mean or bad, she just likes to talk, but she sometimes says too much and things get blown out of proportion. At that time, Derpy was young and... well... she was just Derpy, so my mother thought that somepony... well... um...”
“Took advantage of Derpy because of how she is,” Spike concluded for her.
I stood there with my mouth open. On Earth, I wouldn't have batted an eyelid. Things like that were sadly very common there, but here it just seemed so... out of place.
“That's horrible!” I shouted.
“Well, a lot of ponies thought so too, but Ditzy put that rumor down. I'm not sure how, but she did, to the point where ponies still think highly of him. You can't talk badly about the Doctor in front of her. Trust me.”
“Then he came back?”
“Oh yes, but around that time Dinky was living with Amethyst.”
“I'm so confused.” I shook my head trying to sort out what I had just learnt to no avail. “Dinky lived with Amethyst Star? Why? And I don't get why Derpy didn't tell him. Wouldn't she want the doc to know? Maybe help raise the child?”
“That's not for us to decide, Forest. It's up to her to let him know or not,” Sweetie replied.
“But as the father of the child, doesn't he have a right?”
Sweetie shrugged, “We don't know if he is the father, Forest. It's not uncommon for mares to bring up foals on their own, but because it was Derpy...”
“The town thought that Derpy wasn't responsible enough to take care of Dinky on her own.” Spike gazed off into the distance, “I mean, it was a very touchy time. Some ponies thought that it was wrong for Dinky to be separated from her mother, but others said that it was dangerous for Dinky to remain with her. Some said that Derpy was unfit to be a mother.”
This was a subject well beyond my comfort zone.
“Why are we talking about this?” I asked interrupting Spike.
“What? You don't want to?” The dragon asked.
“No!”
“You were the one who asked about the Doctor, Forest,” Sweetie replied, coming to her lover's rescue.
“Yeah, but not about the entire family history, secret controversies included.”
Spike just stood there with his arms folded across his chest, the talon on his right hand tapping away at his scaly arm.
“I just didn't want to know. It felt way too personal for someone like me.”
“I understand. When I heard about this too, I didn't really like it either, but it does have a happy ending. So, that's pretty much it, about the Doctor that is. Don't think I can put in much else.” Spike looked over to Sweetie who also shook her head.
What was it they said about curiosity and cats?
“Oh fine. What happened after the town thought that Derpy wasn't well enough to take care of her own daughter? Might as well know it all,” I muttered the last part to myself.
“I think I mentioned that Dinky was put under Amethyst Star's care.”
“Yes, you did mention it.”
Spike nodded, “Since somepony got it into their heads that Derpy couldn't take care of Dinky alone, Amethyst came to her rescue and said it was okay if she became Dinky's legal guardian.”
“Derpy and Amethyst are neighbors and really good friends. Star and Dinky are more like sisters, though last I heard they had a fight and are not talking to each other,” Sweetie sighed. “They'll get over it. They always have this massive fights and not talk to each other for a few days, but this silence has gone on for so long now.”
“Must've been pretty bad if they're not talking for this long,” I uttered. As per usual, my comment was ignored.
“I'm just glad it was Amethyst that became Dinky's guardian,” Spike stated over the lingering silence. “She gave Derpy all the freedom she wanted to coming and visiting her daughter, stay the night for as many nights as she wanted, even gave Derpy a set of keys for her place! But it wasn't enough. Dinky was her daughter. That's about the time when the Doctor and Derpy would be gone for long periods of time.”
“Where would they go?” I asked.
Sweetie and Spike both shrugged. “That's the thing. Nopony knows.”
“Much of Dinky's younger life in Ponyville was under Amethyst's care. At first we kinda thought that Derpy was her older sister or an aunt instead of her mother. I think she also thought that until she was a little older, but she never hated Ditzy for it. Instead Dinky actually seemed to understand. She was always a lot more mature than us.”
“When I was in my final year at Ponyville Elementary, the Doctor vanished. Nopony really realized that he left until much, much later. By that time Derpy had moved to Canterlot by herself.” Sweetie sighed a little before she continued, “Pinkie threw a party for her, but... she just seemed so sad. Even Dinky couldn't snap her out of it.”
“She left Dinky behind?”
Sweetie nodded, “Well, Amethyst was still Dinky's legal guardian, and she had her jewelry store in town.”
“Anyway, she said she wanted change. She also wanted to be a better mother for her daughter. She was gone for a while. A few months, I think. Maybe a year. I can't remember, it was a while ago. I think that's around the time Rainbow disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“That's when she met her father.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah, because of that, I don't think anypony noticed that Derpy came back.” Spike thought about it for a moment.
“Wait. So, Derpy came back after Rainbow disappeared?”
“Definitely. I remember it clearly. It was practically the same day. The only reason why I remember it was because Derpy led a Pegasi search party combing the Everfree from above, while the Unicorns and Earth ponies combed through the forest itself. I was on that search.”
“So was I. It was so scary.” Sweetie looked at Spike and shuddered, “Imagine one of the Elements missing? What if something happened while they were gone?”
“Nothing did, thank Celestia and Luna.”
“How long was she gone for?”
“Who? Rainbow? Not that long. Quite short, actually. To us, at least.”
I recalled Tutela and her ability to manipulate the flow of time between the two worlds. She had said that she could slow time down, but not stop nor reverse it. She had also admitted that she watched us for her own amusement, which honestly stilled creeped the hell out of me. Still, I had to play along, feign ignorance. Spike didn't know the truth about me, only Twilight's truth. And for some reason, I decided to keep up the charade towards the Dragon I now considered my best friend, and I felt like scum for it. The only reason why I did so was because somewhere deep inside of me I actually felt really guilty for backing out of my deal with the Changeling. Strangely, I felt sorry for her.
“To you? What do you mean?” I asked.
“Let's just say that she had a second childhood. She grew up again.”
“What about her parents here?” I asked.
“Whose?”
“Rainbow's. She had parents before she vanished, right?”
Spike made a face. “I don't think I can talk about that.”
“Why not?”
“Just... I can't,” Spike insisted.
“You can talk about Derpy, Dinky and the Doctor, but not Rainbow?”
Spike laughed nervously, “Well, I kinda... promised that I wouldn't tell. You'll have to ask Rainbow herself.”
“Was it a Pinkie Promise?”
“Yes.”
For some reason I was satisfied with that answer. “Fine. So, Derpy was now back in Ponyville and led that search party for Rainbow. What happened after?”
“Over time, she became Dinky's guardian again. Don't get me wrong, Derpy frequently visited her daughter while she lived away. Almost every other week she'd come back to surprise her daughter. Derpy has always been there for Dinky, even if she wasn't exactly here,” Sweetie replied smiling. Her smiled faded a moment later, “Unlike my parents...” she muttered.
Spike hugged her with one arm, comforting her, “Yeah. Ditzy and Amethyst have managed to raise Dinky into a one of a kind, gentle, generous mare. Dinky's been a good friend to us all, and she's a wonderful pony inside and out.”
Sweetie giggled, “Dinky was Valedictorian at the Royal Academy of Magic, same as Twilight. She's a real powerful Unicorn; stronger than me. Twilight says that Dinky is as strong as her and that Princess Celestia considers her one of her star pupils. Just like Twilight herself!”
Now that was impressive.
“Few ponies alive can match Twilight's power.” Spike thought for a moment, “I'm just so amazed at that. Even though Twilight's parents are both very powerful Unicorns, both magically and politically, she's still so kind and gentle. You know that she comes from a really old family line of famous Unicorns. Someone like her gets to be arrogant and... and...”
“Proud?”
“Yeah, proud. I mean, she could be a like, I dunno, selfish, self-centered and stuff, but she isn't like that at all. She's...”
“Perfect?”
Spike smiled, “Took the words right out of my mouth. Don't let the Ponyville librarian fool you; her family is one of the most powerful and influential ones in Canterlot. Maybe even in all of Equestria.”
“Wow. You learn something new every- wait. I'm dating a mare who's one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Equestria?” I was stunned.
“Duh! Wait! You... you didn't know? C'mon, Forest! Her brother's the Captain of the Royal Guard. He oversees the security for both our Princesses. Her sister-in-law, Cadence, is an alicorn! Her aunt-in-law's the leader of our nation!”
“Princess Celestia is Twilight's aunt?”
“In-law. Yes. So is Princess Luna, for that matter.”
My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Why had I not realized this before?
“They're a very prominent family.”
No shit. “Yeah, I see.” Saying that I was shocked hearing this was an understatement.
“You... are you okay?” Spike asked.
“I've just been overwhelmed by this information.” I looked up at the bright sky, “I am not sure how to react to what you've just told me, so I'm just going to go 'wow', okay?”
“Okay.”
“Wow.” My voice had so little emotion in it, but that probably because I couldn't really voice what I felt inside. So much awe, respect and admiration. “I know I should sound more impressed than I am, but I just... can't express what I'm feeling inside.”
“I like that about you, Forest,” Spike said slapping my back, “you just don't care about names, titles or anything.”
“I do! I'm just speechless. I just don't really have any bearings to react to a who's who... know what I mean?”
“I guess. I mean, I think I'm like that too,” Spike smacked my back once again. “We've got a lot in common that way”
I couldn't help but feel that Spike was teasing me, but I wasn't sure.
What was wrong with me? How could I not realize the significance of Twilight's family? How could I not piece together the obvious like this? Somehow, I think that was something she did on purpose. When we had first met, she was really suspicious of me. Made it nearly impossible for me to get away with keeping my secret. She told me straight up that she didn't trust me. Regretfully, she was right. I wasn't who I said I was, and wasn't to be trusted. She had completely seen through me, saw that I was hiding a secret from her and her friends. It was only after Princess Celestia tore a hole through my chest that she started looking at me in a different light.
“Forest? You okay? You kinda spaced out there.”
“Hm? Yeah. Fine. Just thinking is all.”
“Are you sure? You've been standing there like that for a while, you know.”
“How long?”
“About a minute or two. Maybe longer. I was... distracted.” Spike looked at Sweetie who batted her eyelids at him.
“Anyway, I'm just surprised that Derpy still manages to get things done, you know? And not just get things done, but done efficiently. It just feels like she's acting...”
“Really? That is strange,” I muttered, purposely trying to avoid making any sort of comment.
Spike narrowed his eyes at me. “You know something.”
“Me? What makes you say that?” How? How does he know?
“Because I know you well enough to know that you're hiding something. I mean, you've been hiding something from us all along, so it isn't really a surprise.”
“W-what?”
“Look, I know you've been keeping something from us, but like I said before; I don't care. You're a good friend and that all that matters to me. I trust you.” Spike's friendly smile suddenly turned into a knowing smirk, “Thing is, what makes me curious now is that you know something about Derpy and you're not telling. That is juicy.”
“Quit it, Spike. You know that I just can't open my... aw, crud.”
Spike grinned, “Caught ya.”
Sweetie Belle giggled out loud, “Oh, Forest. How could you call for that? It's the oldest trick in the book.”
“Story of my life,” I grumbled to myself. “Come on, Spike. That's not fair!”
“Don't care. Now, tell me,” the dragon demanded.
“No.”
“Tell me.”
“No!”
“Tell me!”
“No!”
Spike just shrugged, “Fine. Whatever. See if I tell you anything. Especially what Twilight did to you last night.”
“I- wait, she... she did something?”
“Hm? I wouldn't know.” Spike turned his head away from me and looked up at the sky, “It's just too bad, because it was really kinda... daring.”
“Aw, that's a low blow.”
“That's the way it is, Forest. You either spill what you know or I won't.”
I thought about it for about five seconds, “Fine. I'll tell you.” Knowing about what Twilight did was just too much for me. I couldn't even begin to imagine. What kind of daring thing did the lavender Unicorn do to me? I had to know. I thought about how to phrase it but I couldn't think of anything overly clever. Blunt and straightforward it had to be.
Here goes... “Derpy is a Guard.”
“I knew it! I called it! Ha!” Spike stood up and raised his arms above his head like a champion boxer, “I am the best! Yeah!”
“You're not surprised?”
“Well,” he lowered his limbs, “like I said, I kinda expected it. But yeah, I am surprised that I was right. Who wouldn't be? I'm just surprised she told you...”
I grinned nervously.
“She didn't tell you?”
I shook my head.
“Then... how did you...?”
“Well, I kinda overheard her and a bunch of others in the Everfree. There were a bunch of these Guards talking about how they were secret bodyguards of the Elements and something about new orders. It... it was strange, you know. Oh! You wouldn't believe who else I saw there. Somepony you'd never expect. Somepony that, if you knew, would blow your mind away-”
“Applebloom.”
“Somepony that-” I did a double-take, “What? But how-”
He waved a rolled piece of parchment in front of me, “I've been getting dozens of these addressed to her yesterday and all morning today. They're unmarked, but I know they're from either the Equestrian Guard or the Royal Guard.”
“Wait! Stop, stop, stop. They're two different things?”
“Uh... yeah. One protects the Royal family, the other protects Equestria in general.”
“I thought they were the same thing-”
“You thought wrong. Anyway, like I said, I can send-”
“I know, I know. Spike's instant scroll messenger service. Fantastic service, if you don't mind a little charring around the edges.”
He gasped aloud, “How dare you? I never char my letters! That's a lie!”
That made me chuckle, “Sure, sure. Drama Dragon.”
“Moi? A drama Dragon?” He laughed, “Yeah, so Applebloom, huh? Wow.”
Sweetie looked at the both of us, “You're serious? Applebloom? A Guard?”
“Eeyup.”
Sweetie stood there and stared with her mouth hanging open. She just stared at nothing in particular. I think her brain could not wrap itself around that concept.
“Good for her. You don't get to be a Guard if you're not good. I mean, I've always known she was special, but wow. That really takes the cake. Imagine that.” Spike sat back slowly, “And don't worry, I won't tell her that I found out, at least not from you. Anyway, I've got to get these scrolls to her. I can't help feel that she's been avoiding my on purpose for that reason.”
We were interrupted by a large group of ponies now coming out of their homes, or poking their heads out of their windows along the upper floors. More and more were making their way to the streets, lining up along it on either side.
“Hey, Mint Tea, what's going on here?” Spike asked out loud.
A mare with a light green coat and a mane that had two shades of green paused and turned to him, “Hiya, Spike. It's the Racers. They're coming on the next train. We're waiting for-” She looked at me, “Forest! Aren't you supposed to go to the train station and meet them there?”
“I am?”
“I would like to think so. I want to see all or our champions together. Now, get going!” The mare said, pointing towards the general direction of the station.
“Uh... yes, ma'am!”
I stood up to go and found that I was alone in this endeavor. I turned to my best buddy, who had one arm wrapped around Sweetie who was nuzzling his neck.
Spike saw me and grinned, “Get going, Forest. I'll see you later.”
“You're not coming with me?”
He tightened his arm around a grinning Sweetie Belle, which made her blush.
I rolled my eyes. How predictable. ”Fine. See you later.”
“Later. Tell Twilight I'll see her at the fair.”
I put a hoof on my temple, “Fair. Tell Twilight that Spike'll be there.” I looked at him and grinned, “I think I got it.”
“You'll forget, won't you?”
I didn't comment, and turned and headed towards the train station. He was probably right. I would forget.
“Oh, and Forest,” Spike shouted from behind me, “about what Twilight did to you yesterday.”
I spun around. How could I forget our deal? I needed to know. I darted back to Spike and he motioned for me to come closer.
“She gave you a goodnight kiss,” he whispered in my ear.
“You said it was daring!”
“Who'd want to kiss that mug? I thought that was pretty daring.”
I made a face. “Thanks, Spike.”
“Anytime, Forest. Anytime...”
“There you are!” a familiar voice called out as I stepped onto the overly crowded platform. It took me a minute to convince a pair of guards that I was one of the Racers, “Any longer and I would've had to come and getcha.”
“Hi, Applejack. You look... happier.”
She nodded, “Got to see Atom. You shoulda seen his face when he saw me on the platform.” She giggled at that and sighed. I let her reminisce for a moment longer before coughing gently urging for her to continue her story. “Uh... yeah, so we had another nice long talk about things. We'll see how it goes, but he's stayin' in Canterlot for some time. Somethin' to do with what happened in The Pit and all. It was all hush-hush. He did take me to dinner, though. That was nice.”
I felt a tinge of jealousy, but it evaporated almost instantly. As I opened my mouth to reply, Pinkie bounced over to us, “Oh, Forest, Forest, Forest! Isn't this just so exciting? A fair! With cakes and sweets and chocolate éclairs, vanilla ice cream and candied apples! So many treats and sweets and... ooh, games! So many fun, fun, fun games! We've got to play them all. Really play them all!”
“Sounds like fun.” I couldn't help but laugh along with the excitable pink pony. She really was just too ridiculous for words. “What game should we play first?”
“I don't know! I wish I could play them all with all my friends at the exact same time all the time!”
“Sounds tiring.”
“Not for me!” She bounced again, “I've rested up completely and am rearing to go!”
“Okay then, let's go have as much fun as we possibly can.”
Pinkie skipped around and laughed. She was certainly good at making me feel happy.
A loud whistle blew, and in the distance I could see steam rising up into the air. The train chugged closer and closer to the station and I actually got really excited to see my teammates. The cheering had already started as the engine pulled in, and it reached a pretty deafening row by the time it stopped.
Regular passengers on the train disembarked first. A few of them smiled and waved at the crowd. More than a few waved back as well. Even I waved to a little filly who smiled shyly and hid behind her father's leg while waving cutely towards me. It was adorable.
Yeesh, what's happening to me?
“Oh, Forest. Here,” Pinkie said handing me a pair of sunglasses.
I looked at them, “Um... I don't need those, Pinkie. I'm standing in the shade...”
“Not right now you don't, but you will,” she giggled. “Trust me.”
I took them and at once my eyes were greeted by a flash of bright light that disoriented me for a split second. Just as I adjusted, another powerful flash blinded me again. Struggling, I placed the sungalsses over my eyes as more and more flashes ignited all around us. Cameras, of course, but I was still a little stunned by it. Above us the Pegasi were clicking away, while around us Earth and Unicorn ponies were going nuts as well.
The cheering got louder than before and the doors to the private car (train car) swung open.
Out stepped Scootaloo and she hovered for a moment before taking to the air, zipping high above the Pegasi paparazzi-wannabes before coming back down to the platform, halting just above it and elegantly touching down. That brought a rancorous applause from the crowd, who also started to chant her name. She did a polite curtsy. Other Pegasi were hovering above us and were now throwing flowers down. Orange flowers. A part of me was curious as to what those particular ones were called, but the interest faded as Derpy stumbled out and landed on her face on the platform.
And that's supposed to be the mare that's guarding Twilight?
I had to remind myself that it was all just an act, and a terribly good one at that. No one knew any better. I guess that was the whole point. Besides, Derpy didn't seem to mind. Scootaloo walked over and helped Derpy to her hooves. The both of them waved to an overly excitable crowd and as more flowers rained down upon them.
Then out exited Lavender. Although she didn't race, she was greeted with a substantial applause as well. After all, she was the pony that trained me. It was all that hard work she put into me, making my life difficult. I needed to go and thank her as much as possible. As I walked over to them, they all began to laugh.
“What?”
“Nothing, we're just a little bit overwhelmed by all this,” Lavender said shaking her head. “I've never seen so many of our friends in one place.”
“Forest!” Scootaloo shouted, “Where were you? You missed an awesome party! It was almost as awesome as one of Pinkie's, but it was with all the fancy ponies in Canterlot. You should have been there!”
“I was having a party of my own,” I replied, trying to deflect any more questions, especially in front of the cameras.
Just then the cheering elevated once more as out stepped Amethyst. She was helped off the train by the conductor onto the platform before she limped over towards us. She waved to the crowd slowly, her right front leg was still in a bandage from the last time I had seen her, as well as the cast and on her rear leg with that crutch-like apparatus. Ponies that were sitting stood up and continued to applaud her. She had put in so much effort into the race that she deserved that. A standing ovation.
I was glad that I somehow gave it all a happy ending, but even if I didn't, I don't think that anyone here would have thought any less of her for putting her all into it.
“Hey, I've got something for you,” Lavender said pulling me into headlock, “Something that you should've seen yesterday in the newspapers.”
She placed something in my hoof. I looked at it and couldn't help but smile. It was us! All of us. Except Rainbow Dash, that was. Five of the Elements plus the Ponyville team.
“Why does it look like it was taken in the day?”
“Dunno,” Lavender replied, “I guess it was the kind of flash they used.”
I took another good look at the picture, “You guys look so nice in your dresses. I kinda look out of place.”
“Don't worry. It's not like you had time to slip something on anyway.” Lavender released me and pushed me towards Amethyst.
“True,” I replied.
Amethyst threw her working hoof around my neck and pulled me close, “Thank you, Forest. Thank you. Not for winning, but for making me feel... that I didn't let you down.”
I felt warm and fuzzy inside, “You couldn't let me down even if you tried.”
Amethyst forced back a sniffle and kissed my cheek as a friend, nothing more... I think. “I owe you.”
“Nah. You don't-”
“Well, if you ever need anything. Anything at all, let me know.”
The way she said it and the look on her face made me blush. Mind out of the gutter, mind out of the gutter, mind out of the gutter...
“Hey Forest,” A voice called out. My heart skipped a beat as the most beautiful pony in Equestria walked over to me.
“Yes, Twilight?”
“How are you feeling? Are you okay?” She asked, standing next to Amethyst.
“Eeyup.”
“That's a relief.”
Amethyst excused herself and slowly made her way to the others. Twilight walked over to me and put a hoof on my noggin, “Are you sure? You scared me pretty badly last night.”
“Sorry, Twi, but I promise you I'm perfectly fine today.”
“Really?” She asked.
“Really. Might I also say, you look wonderful today... and... thanks...”
“Thanks for what?”
I fought the feeling of burning in my cheeks with little success, “I, um, for your goodnight kiss...” My voice was hardly a whisper. No way she could have heard me. Right?
The pink raising on her cheeks was so perfectly adorable that I wanted to go over and give he a tight hug. So she heard me, so what? I was about to walk over to her and hug her but a voice from behind stopped me.
“Are you ready for your victory parade?”
Reluctantly I pulled my eyes away from the beautiful mare to turn around only to find the mayor standing on the platform with her back towards me.
I could've hugged her!
“Is this really necessary?” Twilight asked.
Our eyes met and I could tell she was disappointed that she didn't get that hug. Or maybe that was me imagining things. I hoped not. So I leaned into her instead. A half-hug, I guess. She leaned back against me sending shivers down my spine.
“Necessary? No. But I think our champions deserve something special for what they did. Don't you agree? I think that the eleven of you deserve this.”
“Eleven?” Twilight asked slightly confused. She wasn't the only one.
“Of course! I did say 'our champions' after all. Our Racers might have won the Race for our town, but the Elements of Harmony have been the champions of ponykind many, many times, championing our ways and way of life.” The mayor didn't wait for a response, “Now let's get this show on the road!”
Pinkie pulled out a cannon and fired it up into the air.
“How-” I quickly understood the futility of that statement and just accepted it. The answer was obvious, I wondered why I even bothered.
“Magic,” Twilight whispered from next to me, a cute smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
I head-butted her gently inhaling her lavender odor. It was beyond divine. “I should know better by now.”
Twilight pushed me away gently, “Aw, come on. Just because you're allergic to it doesn't mean it's all bad.”
“You're probably right, but I've had, um, 'lousy' experience with magic.”
She laughed at that, which made me smile. She now knew me well enough to know I was joking. I liked that. I liked that a lot. Impulsively, I began to lean forwards staring deep into her gorgeous eyes, my body felt like it was being drawn to her like a magnet. She looked at me and smiled and in that moment I swear I saw sparkles forming around her.
“Forest!” someone screamed in my ear.
“Ah! What?” I whined, Rainbow hovering next to my head.
Rainbow just looked at me with a raised eyebrow, “I said: 'You should lead the way.' Didn't you hear me the first hundred times?”
“No.”
“Lead the way!” she pointed with her hoof.
“Me?”
“Because you won the Race for us, you ninny,” yet another voice stated, this time from directly above me. I looked up to see Scootaloo hovering in the air. She lowered her altitude only to have Rainbow throw a hoof around her neck.
Derpy was giggling to herself above the two Pegasi below her.
“Oh fine.”
I felt a gentle hoof on my shoulder. Twilight's touch was so electrifying. “I'll walk with you.”
There must have been the biggest smile anyone's every seen spread across my face. We began to walk towards the station exit catching up with Amethyst limping along. We slowed our pace down to match hers, and the three of us walked side by side.
“Forest, I'm sorry for going on like a broken record, but I just want to tell you that I'm still really, really sorry about what happened.“ She lowered her head. “I just can't get over the fact that we would've lost if it wasn't for you and it would've been all my fault. If you hadn't pushed yourself the way you did... and I'm sorry about your hooves.”
I opened my mouth to talk, but another voice came out.
“Don't be silly, Amethyst,” Rainbow stated landing next to the Unicorn, “if you hadn't hurt yourself like that, Forest would've never pushed himself as hard as he did. It was 'cause of you that he really, really tried. Right, Forest? Besides, it would've been Forest's fault if we lost the race.”
“Yeah, that's right. Wait. What?”
Rainbow hovered up into the air rolled onto her back laughing her head off along with the others. Amethyst tried to stifle a giggle but failed miserably. All I could do was pout, but I also couldn't help curl my lips ever so slightly around the edges.
“Honestly though, you all did great.” Rainbow grinned and raised her hoof.
I looked at it.
“C'mon, Forest. Don't leave me hangin'!”
I raised my hoof precariously. She then punched (hoofed?) it. She did the same to Amethyst, who used her working hoof to 'bump' Rainbow's.
“You really mean it?” Amethyst asked, “You're not just saying that to make me feel better?”
“Well... maybe a little?” she grinned.
Amethyst looked at Rainbow dryly, “I find your honesty refreshing. Perhaps a little too refreshing. Is Applejack's element rubbing off on you?”
Rainbow gasped over dramatically, “I hope not!”
“I heard that!” Applejack shouted from behind me.
All the cyan mare did was snort out a snicker before floating away towards Scootaloo and Derpy who had somehow gotten caught up in writing autographs. Suffice to say that all the attention diverted to Rainbow as soon as she started offering.
Wasn't that always the case?
“Forest,” the mayor called out to me, “you're going to lead the way through the town, along with Twilight, okay?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Didn't I just say you?”
“Um... okay... but...”
“No buts! Go on! Stop wasting time!” The mayor shoved me forwards. “The faster you get there, the quicker you can enjoy yourselves at the fair.”
Twilight smiled at me and walked by my side, “You know where to go?”
“Nope. I didn't even know there was a parade until Spike told me. That reminds me. He asked me to tell you something.” I grinned nervously, “What was it again?”
Twilight shook her head and placed a hoof on my shoulder, “Something about not coming here because of a particular white Unicorn mare?”
“That's right! Well... not exactly, but close enough. Why are you so smart?”
“Are you mocking me, Forest Fire?” Twilight said leaning against me and giving me a dry look.
“Yes.”
She giggled and nuzzled me, “Isn't it impressive that in the short time I've known you, I simply know how your mind works?”
“I can't help but feel slightly insulted by that, Twi,” I muttered.
The Unicorn giggled again, “It's not bad to be predictable sometimes, Forest.”
“It wasn't being predictable that I found insulting, missy. It's was the 'simple' part-”
“Forest!” the mayor yelled cutting me off, “Are you going to start leading the way or do I have to drag you along behind me? I want the fair to open!”
I gulped, “Oh, right. Um... let's go?” I looked at Twilight.
She followed close behind, “Don't worry, I'm right behind you.”
I felt so relieved that she was. Twilight was a great girl. Anyone would have been lucky to have her in their life, especially as a significant other. She was the greatest girlfriend (marefriend?) a guy like me could ever hope to dream for. How did someone like her fall for a schmuck like me? But, like everything in my life, it felt weird. I wasn't sure why, it just did. I felt really comfortable with her, and I really did like her, but it just felt like something was amiss.
There also was a certain orange Earth pony I still had feelings for. What Applejack had said to me as I hung on that cliff back in The Pit... felt strangely good. She had said she loved me, but she had also said she loved Atom. She even went to Canterlot to talk to the guy. Was she leading me on? No, not Applejack. She'd never do something like that. She also mentioned that talk they had in Canterlot about getting back together. Again. They always seemed to talk about it, but never did anything. Still, her happiness made me happy.
Then there's Twilight. She certainly did have feelings for me, but she never really said she loved me. Was that what's been bothering me? Was that why it felt weird being with her? Couldn't be... could it? Some things don't need to be said, do they?
“Forest? Forest. Equestria to Forest...”
“Huh? Sorry, Twilight, did you say something?”
“You don't need to apologize, silly.” She lightly slapped my chest. “You kind of spaced out there for a minute. Anyway, let's get going before the Mayor shouts at you again.”
“Good idea.”
As Twilight and I lead the way, Pinkie followed close behind bouncing along as she usually does. At the exit to the station, a large group of ponies began to cheer. As I stepped onto the road, I noticed that there was quite a sizable crowd as the ponies lines both sides of the street.
At least I wouldn't get lost.
Above us floated the three Pegasi and above them, sitting on the clouds or just hovering in the air, were other Pegasi who joined in the cheering of our little parade. Behind us, Fluttershy and Rarity were walking next to Amethyst, helping her along as best they could. The Element of Kindness seemed so gentle and caring, and Rarity went out of her way to make sure that nothing would hurt Amethyst. She still had that wheel-crutch supporting her cast-bound leg, and Rarity made sure that every pebble was nowhere near where Amethyst would go.
I didn't want to compare, but I kinda wished that Fluttershy or Rarity had taken care of me whenever I ended up in the hospital instead of Nurse Redheart.
Nah. That wasn't fair. Nurse Redheart may have been a little 'rough' with me, but that's because she cared. At least that's what I liked to believe. She had good reasons to have that attitude towards me, considering how I managed to mess up her hospital, annoy her staff and was a regular attendant in her Emergency Room despite repeated warnings and pleas for me to take better care of myself. I had ended up enough times in her care in the short period I had been in Equestria. I might as well have had made a home there. Redheart meant well and in reality treated me perfectly, but I couldn't help but feel I was like a real bad student that just kept getting sent to her for detention, she being the poor teacher that had to keep on punishing me.
Speaking of which, I saw her on the top floor of a house waving at me. I hardly recognized her without her hat on, but it was her all right. That, or she had an identical twin. I waved back at her, to which she gave me a stern expression. The 'don't-hurt-yourself-today-or-else' look. Definitely Redheart.
“Hey, Forest!” A stallion called out to me from a rooftop. Yes, he was literally standing on the roof of a house, and he was not a Pegasi. It took me a second to remember who he was.
“Brawny Hooves!” I shouted. I had not seen him since the time I had bought the furniture for the Apple family clubhouse.
He laughed and waved as I marched on past his home. I spotted his wife standing in the doorway to their home who grinned and gave me a friendly smile and a wave. Through the corner of my eye, I thought I spotted Pinkie's face darken slightly, but she just bounced around and threw more confetti into the air.
On we walked until we came to the Sugarcube Corner. Here Mr Cake walked into the middle of the road and handed me a cup of juice that I downed almost instantly. He laughed and handed me a second glass while Mrs. Cake hugged me.
“That's for being our town's champion,” She said as she released me from her embrace. “Sorry about all this, but the mayor said we had to put on a show. She wants to, um, sell the town as a friendly place for ponies to come and visit. She sees this as an opportunity to promote tourism.”
“What tourism?”
“Don't be mean. The mayor just wants us to have the ability to earn more bits.”
I had no idea I was being mean.
“I do hope it works. It will be nice for more ponies come to visit. It's all very exciting!”
“It is?”
Mr. Cake put a hoof on his wife's shoulder and rolled his eyes, “No. It's silly, really. There's nothing to see here except the Everfree, and that place doesn't have the best of reputations. It's not the place ponies would come to relax. Maybe the Daring Do sort would find it entertaining, but not normal folk.”
“Daring to do what?” I was confused.
“Daring Do, Forest. It's a name.”
“You don't know who Daring Do is?” Rainbow shouted landing next to me. “How can you not know who she is!”
“Sorry?” I squeaked.
“Forest, Rainbow, Twilight, Pinkie,” A voice shouted from next to us. It was a Pegasi photographer. “Can you please stand side by side for a picture with the lady?”
“The lady is Mrs. Cake!” I retorted, trying to find any excuse to escape Rainbow's wrath. “She owns the best bakery in Equestria!”
Mrs. Cake gave the photographer a firm nod, as if this was supposed to be common knowledge.
The photographer gave us a nervous smile and kept gesturing for the five of us to get closer together with his hooves. As soon as we did it seemed that every photographer from a mile radius jumped in on that opportunity and began to click away.
“Forest, can you please take your sunglasses off?” He asked, “Same for you, Pinkie.”
Pinkie complied instantly. I hesitated for a bit. The thought of being blinded by the flashes of light wasn't very appealing, but I did it anyway – and was promptly blinded by the bombardment of flash strobes from the hundreds of cameras. Okay, hundreds is an exaggeration, but there were more than a few of them.
“My eyes!” I whined, “I'm blind!”
“Are you okay, Forest?” Twilight asked, touching my shoulder.
“No. I need something!”
“What? What?” she asked, leaning on closer to me.
I looked up at her and gave her an impish grin, “A kiss on my eyes to make them feel better.“
Her response was a light smack on my head, “You're horrible.”
“By horrible, you mean horribly cute, no?”
She kissed my forehead, “And that's all you're getting from me... for now.”
The way she said it sent chills down my spine. Not the scary kind of chills, but the excited kind. The kind that made me almost embarrass myself in public with indecent exposure. Holy moley, was she sexy or what? She kept surprising me with this side of her.
“You're such a tease, Twilight Sparkle,” I whispered into her ear.
She just leaned away from me and pretended to look all innocent, which made her look so cute. From sexy to cute in practically an instant. Twilight certainly was a mare with skills. I liked those skills.
“Can you two lovebirds not flaunt yourselves for the world to see?” Applejack walked up to us and gave us both a knowing smile, “You wanna give Equestria a show?”
I smacked myself in the head, “You're right. Sorry, Twilight. I just... lose my head when it comes to you.”
Twilight cheeks grew slightly rosier at that, “That's okay, Forest. I can't seem to help myself either.”
From the corner of my eye I saw Rainbow gag on a hoof which made Scootaloo chuckle in response.
“Forest, Forest!” a voice called out, “Can I ride on your back?” Pumpkin trotted up to me and sat down on the ground in my way.
“Sure. Hop on... that is if your parents don't mind,” I quickly added the last part looking at her parents. Her brother hung back a little along with his friends.
Mr Cake nodded, “That's okay by me. We've got a stand all set up over at the fair. If you could take the kids with you, it'll give us time to lock up. We'll meet you there.”
Pumpkin cheered, and hopped up onto my back. “Gidyap!”
“Sorry, Pumpkin, but I can't run here. Too many...”
“Giddy up!” she moaned, “Please!”
“You really want me to run?”
She nodded quickly.
“Fine. Hang on-”
I felt another weight on top of me. I looked back to see Pound sitting behind his sister with a sheepish smile. “Room for one more?” He asked.
I sighed and turned my head to look down the road, “Fine. Hang on you two-”
Suddenly I felt another, heavier weight on my back.
“Pinkie!” Twilight reprimanded.
“What?” she squeaked, “If Forest is doing piggyback rides... or would that be ponyback rides? Well, if he's gonna do 'em, then I want in.”
“That's not fair, Pinkie. Forest can't carry-”
“It's okay, Twi. I can do it. Just took me a little surprise is all.”
“Are you sure?”
“If I can carry both Spike and Aiden on my back from here to Esperia at the same time, I think I can handle Pinkie and two foals.”
“We're not foals!” Pumpkin and Pound retorted at the same time in practically the same kind of voice.
“Yeah, and I'm not Pinkie. Oh wait. Yes I am.” Pinkie giggle-snorted and bounced up and down on my back, “Let's-go, let's-go, let's-go! Go, go, go!”
I looked at Twilight.
“Well, if you're sure you can handle the weight then it's okay. Go on. I'll meet you at the fair.”
“I donno where it is, though? I can't run to-”
“It's at the lake where the tryouts were held, darling,” Rarity said gesturing with her hoof down one of the roads that led past Sweet Apple Acres. “If you don't mind going on ahead it might make this little exhibition end quicker and allow me to return to my work. I mean, the way they expected me to not go prepared for this is astounding! I have a reputation to keep, you know. As the designer of the uniforms for the race it was important that I look the part...”
“The lake?” I whispered to Twilight, not wanting to interrupt Rarity's tirade as she continued talking.
“Yep.”
“I think I know where that is. Hang on,” I shouted, giving Rarity a slight fright. “Let's kick this into overdrive.”
“Over what?” Pumpkin asked out loud, but I pretended not to hear. I had already dug my heels into the ground after all. That meant I was ready to run.
I felt so light, so free, in that instant. It was as if the world itself pushed my belly up and away from it, urging me to get going.
Then a thought occurred to me. Was Equestria rejecting me? Like a puck on an air-hockey table? Like a magnet with a similar pole? Like a constant breeze blowing me away; strong enough to keep me aloft, but not strong enough to keep me away? Was the reason why I could run so fast because the world itself did see me as a part of it and was likely pushing me away as I was a living freak of nature?
Where do I come up with this stuff? I asked myself.
I pushed as hard as I could. I felt my body lurch forwards in one gigantic step that felt more like a leap. Then I heard the twins on top of me scream and Pinkie 'yahoo'ed' as I pulled myself through the streets of Ponyville. The crowd seemed to like it, but their cheering was behind me by the time I zipped by. The wind in my face felt so good, that I didn't want to stop. I wanted to keep on going. Too bad I had to. The road was blocked along that edge of town and the parade route doubled back and headed back through Ponyville.
“That was so fun!” Pound shouted from on top of me as I trotted a little ahead. The crowd was still cheering, and from the way Pinkie was jiggling on me I could tell she was waving quickly at them.
“That was scary,” Pumpkin replied to her brother. “Forest, did you run like that when you did the Race?”
“Nope. I was much faster then.”
“Can you run like how you did then?” Pound said, pulling on my mane forcing my head to turn and look at him.
I laughed, “Not with you three on my back. You'd get hurt.”
“Aw,” both the kids whined. “Please?”
“Sorry, kids. I would love to, but your parents would kill me if I tried.”
“But you didn't make the road get fired up,” Pinkie joined the kids in their whine-fest.
That made me chuckle a little, “You want me to light up the road?” I rubbed the back of my head with my hoof.
“Yeah!” all three of them shouted.
“Yeah!” half the crowd joined in.
“Show us that fire that won the cup for us!” a Unicorn shouted.
A Earth pony mare giggled, “I'd rather see that kiss between you and Twilight again.”
That made me feel kinda good, embarrassed and stupid all at the same time, so I just laughed embarrassedly and stupidly. It came out more like a goofy giggle.
“Forest!” the three on my back groaned again.
“Okay, okay. Hang on tightly to me.” I felt two pairs of hooves tighten themselves around my neck. “Someone's not holding me.”
Somepony! Damn it, Forest.
“I'm holding onto Pinkie,” Pumpkin stated. “Go!”
Again, I did the whole hoof in the ground thing. This time, however, I let myself go a little faster. Just a little. A smidgen. An iota. A teensy weensy. Just a slight raise in the speedometer.
I then realized that I could only do 'really fast' or 'really, really fast'. There was no 'little bit' fast. I stopped almost as soon as I started, and turned around to see the road lit up behind me. My passengers were all eerily silent as I waited for some form of a response. My heart was beating in fear. I was about to turn around when...
“That. Was. So. Awesome!” Pound shouted and hopped off and danced around the ground.
The crowd began cheering at me. A few even threw flowers in my general direction. I bowed low relishing the attention.
A few ponies from the crowd were begging for me to take them for a spin, to which I just smiled politely and shook my head. As much as I loved running, with those three on my back it felt real dangerous. I guess because of the foals, I didn't want to take a chance.
“Forest, let's go again!” Pumpkin asked, bouncing around me with her brother.
“Yeah, Forest, let's go again!” Pinkie joined in.
I made a face, “Guys, I know you liked it-”
“Liked it? Liked it! We loved it!” the three of them interrupted me at the same time.
I chuckled a little bit at that. “Okay, okay. You loved it, but that doesn't change the fact that it felt really dangerous when I did it,” I looked at each one in turn, “and I don't know what I'd do if I actually hurt any of you.”
Pumpkin blushed, Pound gagged (as boys do when it comes to mushy things), and Pinkie... well, Pinkie just looked at me. I couldn't help but smile at her, to which she looked away and giggled.
“Okee dokee lokee! Let's go on ahead to the fair,” she said and led the way.
The four of us eventually managed to complete the route through the town. Here there was a less of a crowd as most of the ponies were either making their way to the fair, or keeping up with the other members of the team. The router doubled back twice making sure that everypony got to have a good look at the team. It was just a shame that we weren't all together, though Derpy, Rainbow and Scootaloo did wave to us whenever we saw each other.
As we made our way over the crest of a hill that led by Sweet Apple Acres, I spotted Applebloom and Granny standing behind a table with mugs on it. There were a few ponies lined up in front. I trotted over and oogled at the various pints of cider on the table. The famous Apple family cider. I needed to consume it.
“Ooh! Cider! I love cider! It's so delectably delicious and appley!”
Pumpkin was still on my back while Pound proudly walked along by Pinkie's side. Well, maybe proudly was a bit of an exaggeration, but it must have been so cool for the two of them to ride pillion through the parade.
“Howdy, young un's,” Granny stated sitting on a chair to one side of the table. She was sitting slightly sideways. It was to accommodate having a tail. Sitting on it didn't feel very good. On her lap was a small box with a hole at the top, she shook it making the coins inside jingle around, “One bit for a pint of some nice cider, two for the special stuff.”
“How much for a glass of your infamous hooch?” I asked unable to resist the urge to taste that wonderful jet fuel again, despite the previous consequences.
Granny laughed in her special way, “For you? One bit. Everyone else has gotta pay five.”
“I feel so special.” Then I remembered, “Oh, I don't have any bits.”
“Then nothin' for you,” Granny replied and flashed me a knowing smile.
I knew that look. It was the 'I've-got-something-for-you-to-do' look. Somewhere in the back of my mind alarm bells went off, but the hooch called to me. Was I addicted? If I was, then it was the best addiction ever, “Fine. I'll bite. What do you want me to do?”
Granny nodded, approving the fact that I had caught on, “I wantcha to beat this Lance feller.”
Applebloom and I both ended up with the same shocked expression.
“What do you mean? You want me to beat him up?” I asked. Applebloom was still too stunned to talk.
“Now, don't get your tail in a twist. Not a fight. Forest wouldn't last two minutes against Lance.”
I made a sad face. That was probably true.
“No, I'm talkin' 'bout a good ol', frenly contest for the hoof of this here fair young maiden.”
“A friendly contest against a pony that whose talent is swordplay? Sounds...”
“Fun?” Pinkie offered.
“Romantic...” Pumpkin sighed.
“Bo-ring,” Pound bemoaned.
“Painful. It sounds painful,” I stated giving them each a look. “Why do you want me to compete against Lance anyway, Granny? Don't you approve of-”
“I don't approve nothin' yet. I don't want some random riff-raff datin' my granddaughter, y'hear? He's got to prove ta me that he can take good care of Applebloom so's I can go on ahead to the great big pasture in the sky without havin' ta worry if she's gonna be taken care of all right.”
“Granny...” Applebloom moaned, clearly embarrassed and humiliated. Today seemed to be all about being embarrassed. It was quite apparent why; our conversation had gained the curiosity of quite a few passersby and they were all listening in on the old mare's tirade.
“Uh... why me?” I asked.
“Because Big Mac's a stick in the mud. He's not the kinda pony who I can sucker- er- convince to do this for my... um...”
“Amusement?” Applebloom offered when Granny couldn't think of the word.
“I was gonna say for my granddaughter, but amusement's good too.” The old lady chuckled to herself.
“Why do I get the feeling that I'm being manipulated into something I know that'll get me into trouble?” I asked nobody in particular.
“You won't get in trouble,” Granny insisted, “you might make Lance mad, but I'll give ya a bottle of my finest hooch if you do this for me.”
“Sold!” I shouted, making all the ponies within our general vicinity jump. Hey, Granny's hooch was worth the risk, despite it making me end up in weird places. Like another town, for example, and not remembering how I got there in the first place. I saw the looks everyone was giving me. “What I meant to say was, sure Granny, I'd love to try and make your granddaughter's boyfriend jealous.”
Applebloom blushed, “He's not my boyfriend, um, coltfriend. Yet.”
She added that last word so quietly that I almost didn't pick it up. “Well, I said I'd do it, so I'd do it. What do I have to do exactly?”
“See, that's where this here fair comes in. You know how all them young un's like to show off their skills at the fair's games 'n all?”
“They do?” Well, I never really had many friends growing up, so I didn't really know about this nor did I frequent fairs, mainly for the same reason.
“You never tried impressin' a mare at a fair before? Back in the day that's all we did.”
“Granny, colts haven't done that since you were a filly,” Applebloom replied. I could tell she knew where this conversation was going.
“Eh, hogwash. When it comes down to it, it don't matter where it happens, s'longs it happens. Am I right, boy?” Granny said looking at me.
“I...” she gave me a look, “Yes, ma'am.”
Why can I never talk back to a woman anymore?
“So here's what I wantcha ta do,” Granny pulled me closer. “I wantcha to challenge that Lance feller to games at the fair, and I wantcha ta win. Understand?”
My face was literally stuck to hers as she was pressing our faces together, “But wha if ah can't win, Granny?”
“Nonsense! You're an honorary Apple now. You better not lose, or I'll make you one sorry pony. You get me?” She waved her crooked walking stick at me.
Wait. Where'd that walking stick come from? I never noticed it before. Wait double time. Did she just say that I was an...
“Honorary Apple?”
“Sure. You're like family now.”
My nose itched. My eyes stung. My lips quivered.
“Aw, don't get all weepy on me now, Forest. You might not be related to us by blood, but you still took great care of our family. With that harvester ya made, we're doin' better 'an okay. And we Apples take care of our own.”
I didn't know what to say. I coughed and wiped my eye. “Sorry, Granny. Just got something in my eye.”
They weren't tears. Nope, not tears at all. It's not like I was so touched by the fact that they really thought I was family now. It's not like this is the first time I've ever... I've ever...
“Aw, Forest...” Applebloom walked over to me and gave me a hug.
I sniffled a little, “Thanks.”
They were making it really hard for me to let go.
“Now, where was I?” Granny asked.
And there goes the touching moment. Can't deny that I was glad that Granny rolled over it. No one wanted to see a crying stallion, especially one that was supposed to be leading a parade I coughed and took a deep breath.
“You wanted me to beat Applebloom's boy- um, coltfriend at the fair.”
Nodding, Granny pushed herself up from the chair, “Now I want you ta beat him at every game. He has to know that I'm not gonna let just any stallion take my baby away without earnin' my approval.”
Applebloom sighed out loud.
“Are you sure, Granny? I think that somepony else would be a wiser choice. I'm not exactly... good at things like this.”
“What's the matter, Forest? You scared? You think you don't stand a chance?”
“Honestly? Considering that I've never done this before, nor know what to expect... yeah, I don't think I stand any chance at all.”
Pumpkin hugged my neck, “No worries, Forest. I'll help you. I'm good at playing games at the fair.”
“That's cause you cheat,” Pound muttered.
“Do not!”
“Do too!”
“Do not!”
“Do too!”
“Do not! Do not! Do not! Do not! Do not! Do not!”
“Do too, too, too, too, too, too, too!”
“Stop it! You're acting like foals,” I scolded.
That shut them up. Hey, what d'ya know? I actually did something responsi-
“Do nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!”
“Do toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
The twins screamed at the same exact time.
Oh my ears. My poor, poor ears.
“Pumpkin, Pound, please stop it. It's not nice to do that so close to Forest's ears especially after he took on you on such a nice ride on his back, okay? So, let's all be really quiet after we tell Forest how sorry we are, okay?”
“Yes, auntie Pinkie,” both the twins replied. “Sorry, Forest.”
If I had not seen Pinkie speaking, I would've never believed that such words were capable of leaving the mare's mouth. She was really great with the twins.
“It's okay, kids. When we get to the fair you can make as much noise as you want...”
They still stuck their tongues out at each other and gave those sibling glares, but at least they weren't screaming and hollering like they were just a moment before. I never want to experience anything like that again. Ever.
“You'd make an amazing mother, Pinkie,” I said smiling at her.
“Y-y-you think so?”
“I know so.”
Her smile was as bright and wonderful as Celestia's sun.
“So you got it, Forest?” Granny asked continuing from where she apparently left off.
Because of my short attention span, I had long since forgotten what the subject matter was. So, I did what I always do in situations where I have no idea what's going on.
I fudged it.
“Yes, Granny,” I remarked. “I got it.”
“You sure?”
“Eeyup.”
She laughed in her Granny Smith way, “Now don't you let me down, y'hear?”
“I won't.”
“I want you to beat him.”
“I will. I'll make sure that by the time I'm through he'll be running home to momma crying his little eyes out as I defeat him at all the games over at the fair!” I put on my best super-villain imitation laugh, “Mark my words, Forest will be triumphant!”
Just then, because the universe likes making me brunt of every joke, a colt walked up to us. And who else would it be except the very colt that no less than fifteen seconds ago we were discussing.
“Hi, Applebloom. Hello, Granny. Hello, Pinkie, Pound and Pumpkin.” Lance greeted us all with a smile and a friendly nod. Except me. He greeted me with a look that would've frozen ice.
“Hi Lance,” the three P's greeted at the same time.
Applebloom just blushed a little and batted her eyes.
Granny harrumphed and gave me a sharp nudge with her walking stick.
I took a step forward. “Lance! I challenge you to a dual!”
“When and where? I'll let you pick your blade of choice,” the younger stallion said in an eerily polite voice.
“N-n-no. Not that. Uh... you have to beat me in a set of challenges that test both mind and skill! Not just banging around two slabs of metal.”
“Two slabs of metal?” Lance was clearly angered by that comment.
Shit.
“Sir, swords are not just slabs of metal. They're-”
“Do you accept my challenge?” I shouted, not wanting to get into a debate about sharp-shiny things.
“Without knowing the contest? Without knowing the prize? I think not. I'm no fool.”
“The prize is... the prize is...” I looked around.
“The winner gets to kiss anypony they want!” Pumpkin blurted.
Pound pretended to vomit, which earned him another venomous glare by his sister.
“A kiss for anypony?” Pinkie asked, “Ooh, that sounds so fun! I want to play too.”
“You want to kiss Applebloom?” I asked, my eyes wide open.
“No, silly. Pumpkin said that the winner can kiss from anypony they want. I want to kiss somepony, so I wanna play too!” She looked at me, “I can't?”
“W-w-well...”
“Why not? The more the merrier,” Granny said. “Since so many of you are interested, let's write up a sign up sheet.”
“A sign up sheet?” I asked.
“Of course. It's to make sure that everypony agrees to the terms and conditions and not back off.” Granny reached over to the table and pulled open a drawer and took out a pad of paper, a quill and a pot of ink. She licked the tip of the quill before dipping it into the ink pot. “Okay, so whomever puts their name on this list gets to compete in our little competition. First off, you Forest.”
I signed the page with my terrible mouthwriting.
“Now, who's next?” Granny held the quill by the feather at the end making it clear that the next pony had to go and sign.
Lance did just that and gave Applebloom a shy smile that made the mare blush a little more.
Then Pinkie snatched the quill from Lance and put her own signature down on the paper.
“Whatcha guys doin'?” Applejack asked from behind me. I turned around to see that the rest of the girls had caught up to us.
“Ooh, ooh. Forest and Lance are having a contest to see who is better suited to being Applebloom's coltfriend, but Forest isn't doing it because he wants to be Applebloom's coltfriend, he's doing because Granny said she wanted him to do it because Forest is good at doing things like that because he somehow always manages to do things like that when you least expect it and so the winner of the contest will get to kiss anypony they want so that's why I am entering because I wa-”
“Pinkie, I can't understand it when you talk like that,” Applejack said as she removed her hoof from Pinkie's mouth.
“Sorry. I got excited. There's a contest going on. The winner gets to kiss whoever they want!”
The girls exchanged looks.
“So... anypony can take part. The winner gets to kiss anypony they want?” Rainbow gramaced, “Yuck. Who thought of that?”
“Pumpkin,” Pound said before anyone else could respond. Everyone turned their attention on him. “What? She did.”
Pumpkin just wiggled her brow.
“I'm in,” Twilight said taking the quill from Lance.
“Wha-?” Rainbow landed next to her friend. “You don't know what the rules are! You're just gonna go compete just like that? That's not very...”
“I'm feeling daring today, Dashie.” Twilight looked over to me, “Plus the prize is worth it.”
I grinned. I blushed. I felt silly. I loved it.
“Well, who else is competing?” Rainbow looked around.
“Just Pinkie, me, Lance and Twi,” I replied.
“And what's the contest? Racing? Flying? Sword fighting?”
“Fair ground games!” Pumpkin shouted out loud, “The winner depends on whether or not they can beat the games they play, and the one who gets the most amount of prizes wins.”
“You know what? That sounds like a lotta fun,” Applejack said.
“If AJ's playin', I'm playin',” Rainbow stated and put her signature down.
“Now hang on, I never said I was gonna play...”
“Dears, this is uncalled for and completely childish-” Rarity stated talking over Applejack.
“Just for that, I'm gonna go and kiss Fancypants.” Rainbow grinned at Rarity.
Rarity gasped, “You wouldn't dare?”
“Try me.”
“Well I never! This is completely uncouth and, and, ooh, I do abhor games and... well, perhaps getting a kiss isn't such a bad prize, especially when you work hard to get one.” Rarity put her name down and sighed, “There. You've suckered me into this juvenile contest, but I can assure you that I will do whatever it takes to win.”
“Now that sounds like fun,” Rainbow hiccuped and smacked the white Unicorn's back. “You must really like that Fancypants guy if you're gonna compete against Twilight – never mind me.”
“So long as you don't win, Rainbow, I don't care. I know who Twilight and Forest will kiss, so the only pony I'm going to worry about is you.”
“No offense, Rare, but I'd rather kiss an Ursa than Fancypants.”
Rarity gasped and made an angry face. “How. Dare. You?”
“Hey, just because you like that kinda stallion doesn't mean he appeals to me, okay? And what's with that caterpillar on above his mouth?”
“You mean a mustache? At least he's able to grow one, unlike yours?” Rarity remarked dryly.
Uh-oh. This was bad.
“I don't have a stallion, remember? We kinda ended things a little roughly, remember?”
“Girls!” Applejack shouted, “We're supposed to be here having fun. I don't want to see you trying to fighting like a pair of fillies.”
Rainbow snorted. I was surprised to see Rarity join in.
“It's just a bit of fun, Applejack,” Rarity explained. “We don't really mean it. It's just... banter. You know, to improve the gloating rights of the winner. Besides, I know that Rainbow would never do anything to betray my trust. She does have a rather... 'unique' taste in stallions.”
Rainbow deadpanned.
“Are you sure that's all it is?” The farmpony asked.
“What else could it be?” Rarity replied sweetly.
Now I was confused. I thought they were going to get all violent and stuff. Turns out, this was just them being all friends and... yeah, I didn't get it.
“What about you, Applejack? You get to kiss anypony.”
“There's no pony around that I'd like to kiss,” Applejack said through gritted teeth.
I felt hurt for some reason.
“What? Not even Forest?” Rainbow stated, pointing towards me.
It felt like someone injected lava into my face. Aw man, Rainbow. Why you do that?
The silence between me, Applejack and Twilight was deafening.
“I guess you're gonna have to compete against each other to see who gets Forest's lips.” Rainbow said it in a sing-song voice.
“Uh, Rainbow... that's... I mean...” heir eyes went to me, putting me in the spotlight, to which I could only shrug. What could I say?
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Atom. But let's be frank. He's not here. He's off in Canterlot leaving my best friend again. He could be wrapped up in some other mare's hooves right now,” Rainbow lowered herself the few few to the ground and put her hoof around Applejack's shoulders, “Forest, on the other hand, is here. Right now, the only mare standing between you and him is Twilight. Not to mention me. You know what, I'm in the contest, you're better off sitting with one out.”
“Now just wait one doggone minute,” Applejack was clearly unhappy at what Rainbow had said. I would've been too if I was in her shoes (horseshoes?), “now I know you're just tauntin' me, but I don't appreciate bein' told that Atom could be with somepony else. You know that that's a sensitive subject...”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, “So's Soarin, but I got over it. So, you competin' or what?”
“Oh, I'm in all right, but Forest and Twilight are not the reason why I'm going to take this seriously. Somepony needs to keep that over inflated ego of yours in check.”
“Um...” Fluttershy quietly declared, “shouldn't we be heading towards the fair now? Everypony is waiting for us.”
“They can wait for a few minutes longer, Shy,” Rainbow replied still looking at Applejack. “So, you think you're better than me?”
“I said that I'd take you down and I intend to, I never said nothin' about bein' better. Don't need to.” Applejack took the quill and signed the piece of paper. “There.”
The two ponies glared at one another, a slightly sadistic grin spread across each of their muzzles. They then both spat into their hooves and 'shook'. I made a face as did Twilight; that was pretty disgusting. We both looked at each other and laughed.
“Well, let's head over to the fair.” Twilight nudged, “Lead on, Forest!”
“Okay... wait, so we're all competing in this thing?”
“I think so. Well, except for Fluttershy, Amethyst-”
“I'm so taking part. There's this pony I really want to lay my lips on,” Lavender announced grinning from ear to ear, and she too put her name on the list.
Scootaloo rubbed her forehooves together, “I would play, but Featherweight's not gonna be here-”
“Bo-ring,” Pinkie chimed. “Oh, not you Scoots. I was just stating that waiting around doing nothing is so boring!”
“Well, then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow chided.
Then, from somewhere, I heard music. Of course I heard music. The fair was going, after all...
“We are going to the fair right now,” Rarity sung.
“For a contest they said,
For the simple prize of a kiss? Wow!
This is something that I wanted to miss.”
Oh. They're actually going to sing now.
“Don't get all high and mighty,
Don't get all huffy-puffy,
It's just for fun,
All said and done,
It'll be a blast, you'll see..” Rainbow's singing voice was actually pretty good.
“I got a challenge from him,” Lance suddenly sang out and pointed at me.
“For the hoof of Applebloom,” who was now blushing away.
“I know not why,
He wishes to try,
But for him there's only doom.”
Morbid fellow, isn't he?
“Challenges are things I like,
Don't believe me? Just ask Spike,” Twilight winked over to me.
“I hope to win,
Without chagrin,
And kiss the one who I like.”
Pinkie jumped ahead and started walking towards the lake, “Even if you don't win this contest,
Just knowing that you tried,
Your very hardest and your bestest,
Is enough, so come on, let's decide!”
“Decide what, dear Pinkie Pie,
Decide on the lucky guy?
Or what little treat,
I should go eat,
At the fair where we let fun freely fly,” Lavender sung.
“Don't be silly Lavender Hoof,
It's not just about eating delicious goodies,
Like,” Pinkie held the note and then took a long deep breath,
“Marshmallows, crisped rice cereal, pretzels, potato chips,
Toffee, corn-dogs, melons, apples, and all sorts of zesty dips.” She licked her lips.
“It's not about fritters, cakes, bakes, muffins or pie,
Nor about sweets, chocolate or brownies; do you comply?
It's about the sweetest treat of all,
A prize that is perfect in size,
A treat that can't be spared nor shared,
A special kind for lips to taste,
So don't let you skills go to waste,
Because you don't want to miss,
The grand prize; a kiss!
To the one that you like the most,
And to your friends you get to boast!”
“A kiss is the prize?
Did you hear that guys?” A random stallion said to his friends as he overheard the girls singing and somehow joined in.
“Who is the lucky one?
Who gets the deed done?”
“No, no, no, you big silly,
It can be to anypony,
From me to you,
I don't know who,
The winner gets to choose, you see?” Pinkie revealed.
“Can I join in?” One asked.
“Sounds like I might win,
And I would like a smack,
From the amazing Big Mac.”
“My brother?” Applejack asked incredulously out of song looking at the young stallion who just blushed.
“What? I think he's cute,” the stallion replied.
“Sorry but this is just between us,” Twilight replied politely.
“Aw,” the stallion moaned and continued walking towards the fair with his friends, who patted his back consoling him.
As we approached the last curve of the road, I could see the tents and decorations from the fair in the distance. It was huge! How the hell did I not notice them putting all this up?
“And now here we are at the fair,
The excitement is more than I can bear,
The games, the food,
I'm so in the mood!
Come on let's all get there!” Pinkie pulled me along.
“You're so silly, Pinkie,
Just you wait and see,
I'll beat Lance,
Do a victory dance,
And kiss my special somepony.” I sang... or at least I tried to sing.
“And do you know where?
At the fair!”
“The fair?” she asked with a wide smile.
“The fair!” I sang in response.
“The fair!” Pinkie replied in tune.
“We'll do it all,
and have ball. At. The. Fair.” She held the last word on a long note as the music reached it's finale and ended by melding into the music of the fair itself.
“Forest! Stop! Stop singing or you'll-”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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I wan't to know why people or ignoring this story? Makes no sense...
OH GOD YES NEW CHAPTER!!! thanx deathtap
CLIFF HANGER I BANISH THEEE
YESSSSSS!!!!!
Oh god I've waited months for this! Thank you!!!!!
Singing-based narcolepsy for the win!
YES! New chapter!... freakin' cliffhangers!
Oh boy...is AJ's resolve about me wavering? This is bad...and fuck you Rainbow Dash.
Wow, your really good at making songs and rhymes up.
Why can`t Forest learn to not pass out?
That`s just depressing.
*sigh* Do I even need to...