• Published 3rd Nov 2015
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Tales of Another Ponyville - Paradise Oasis



Stoybelle tells tales of the ponies of a very Different Ponyville....

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Apple Spice up the World!

"All right girls, get those hooves high!" Twinkle Twirl called out. "Lift those back legs... and kick, and kick and kick!"

Twinkle Twirl has us running through our usual dance routines double duty this week, with the spring fancy paradise coming up next week and all. We're all putting that extra practice in, because the Twinkle Twirl dance studio troupe is going to get to do something we have never done before; dance in between the rolling flower floats as they go by during the parade itself. We've always been limited to dancing on stage when the parade was over- Wysteria didn't want attention pulled away from the flower floats during the event. But it turns out Princess Pinksparkle has an entirely different idea of what she wants for the holiday, and has decided to give viewers a little more variety this year.

"Apple Spice, get a little more spin in that jump!" Twinkle Twirl demanded, trotting between each of us five dancers as she barked out instructions. "Desert Rose, that Dance step looks terrible, you need to stay on your back for twenty seconds longer to make it work!"

Twinkle is a harsh taskmistress, but she is the best Dance teacher and troupe leader in Ponyvile- heck in all of Equestria! She has taught a whole generation of fillies and mares how to put a little spice up their dance steps. And she certainly helped me from being a klutz with two left hooves into a near-perfect dancer!

Oh, sorry... Name's Apple Spice, the twirling wonder of Ponyville's dance troupe. If you've ever seen one of our performances, I'm the whirling yellow mare with the orange and purple mane. And like every other member of the Apple family, I've got this big old apple cutie mark right on my flank. By no know means does that mean that I'm an apple farmer- oh no! My special talent is dancing, and there is nothing I love doing more than performing on stage with the rest of the Ponyville troupe.

"All right girls, that's enough for today!" Twinkle calls out, as we all collapse to the floor. "I want all of you to go hone, and get plenty of rest tonight! Because I want all of you back here bright and early tomorrow morning for early bird practice!"

"Later, Twinkle!" All six of us reply in unison, trotting out the door. As all of the other mares dispersed, I walked back towards my home just at the far western edge of town. It's a little more out of the way than where my other fellow dancers live, but it's a special place that only our particular family chooses to call home.

Greener than Green Meadows, four hundred acres of open fields, dotted with hundred of apple trees across the landscape. A pristine and natural setting, the beauty of this rolling orchard is broken up only by the occasional picnic bench and trashcan. Mares love to come here, and have sundae picnics with their families after church. There is no more pleasant place in all of Ponyville, not even Ponyville Park or Kimono's waterfall is this serene.

"Applejack, Applejack are you home?" I call out, as I come trotting up to the red house shaped like a giant apple. "I wanted to talk to you about the Spring Fancy Parade!"

"Well, howdy there, Spice! Good ta see y'all home early!" A red mare stuck her head out of the window, smiling at me. "Ah jest made some fresh peanut butter and apple butter sandwiches fer lunch, if y'all wanna come in fer a bite!"

A long time ago, these lands were the apple family's farm. But we couldn't afford to keep it, and greedy developers from the big cities of Equestria couldn't wait to get their slimy hooves on our farm, and turn it into a strip mall and housing development. So the town of Ponyville, not wanting those sleazeballs to destroy a place so near and dear to the community, bought it out from under us. The Apple Farm was turned into a park, and the Apple family was allowed to remain here and live, as caretakers of the park.

"So, how was things at yer dance practice today?" She asked me, putting down a plate of food as I trotted in through the door. "I bet y'all were the best dancer there!"

"Oh, I wasn't that good, A.J." I replied bashfully, sitting down at the table and took a bite of her sandwich. "I'm no better as dancer than anyone else there."

"Why, that's absolute hogwash, Spice!" A.J. snorted, stamping her hoof on the table. "Why, ah bet yer the greatest dancer in the troupe, nopony can jump and twirl with a ribbon streamer like y'all cain, Spice!"

Good old A.J., my cousin who is always sticking up for me, no matter the situation. She came here to Ponyville from somewhere else in Equestria a few years back, and moved into the Apple house with me to help take care of the park. She's always my biggest supporter in everything I do, wither it's fulfilling my dream of becoming a great dancer, or going after a stallion in town I have a crush on. She's always right there, cheering me on.

I guess the Apple family is always like that.

At least, they all should be. My own parents thought my dancing was a waste of time, and wanted me to take over running the orchard after they were gone. My brother Golden Delicious got to move into town and live out his dreams, but I was supposed to take over the family's job as caretakers, and keep the Apple tradition going here. Oh, I was allowed to do my ribbon dancing with Twinkle Twirl's troupe, but only as a side hobby. Planting apple trees and apple bucking was top priority, and anything else was a distraction.

As so after mom and dad died, I did take over the orchard, and tried to balance apple picking with my dancing (yes, I mean Picking. I refuse to apple buck and risk hurting my dancing legs.) Thank goodness A.J. came along and took over running the park, so I am now free to dance most of the time- while helping her out running the park on the side, that is.

"Soooo, I hear your troupe is performing at the spring fancy parade this year, huh?" A.J. said, pouring me a glass of cider. "I bet everypony will have their eyes glued on y'all... especially those stallions y'all have been eyeing, the ones who've been hanging around with yer brother Golden."

"Yeah, about that... A.J., you know that stallion I was interested in, Cinnamon Breeze?" I begin rubbing my hooves together nervously. "He agreed to go out with me on a date..."

"Well, ain't that just the sweetest thang!" Applejack declared, giving me a hug excitedly. "Ain't he thait one tap dancin' stallion with the pink coat an' mane? Course, we won't hold thait against him- everyone and evrythang in this town is pink!"

"Yeah, bu he only agreed to go out with me one one condition..." I tell her with a sigh. "He has a brother, Blue Mist... who has an eye on you. He'll only go out with me if we double date with both him and Knick-Knack."

"Knick-Knack? Ponyville's garbage stallion?" She asked in disgust, a nauseated sound creeping into her voice. "Y'all really want me ta go on a date with him?"

"Oh please, Applejack!" I pleaded, getting down on my back hooves. "It's the only way I can even get a date with him!"

"Oh, all raight... If it'll help y'all, ah'll do it." She sighed, shaking her head. "Besides, ah'm not one ta look down on a pony because of the profession he's in. Besides, the blue collar working stallion is just my type... but still, the manners a garbage pony must have, yeeech!"

Yeeeaaah... Applejack complained about a stallion's manners and cleanliness, as she belched and scratched her own flank with her hoof. Huh, maybe these two will get along better than I think they will.

Or maybe this will turn out be be the worst dating disaster in the history of Ponydom!

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