Chapter 23 - Roommate, Part 1
Scruffy slowly blinked himself awake. He sleepily stared at the ceiling, which quite clearly was not his bedroom’s. It took his groggy mind a minute to understand that he was staring at his living room’s ceiling and that he was lying on the couch. He had accidentally fallen asleep watching the news, the result of a week’s worth of poorly rested nights. He was feeling much better, thanks to Zecora’s medicine from few days back, but all he needed was a few calm nights to get his energy back.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes. A quick glance at a clock showed that he had been sleeping for little over an hour, and it was almost noon. Not that he was in a hurry to be anywhere, but he had plans to go visit his friends today, and those excursions tended to last longer than he anticipated. Scruffy was almost certain that if he did not go there today, there would be an annoyed pegasus banging on his door soon.
Knock knock knock
Maybe it was too late already, Scruffy thought as he dragged himself to his feet. It was unexpected to get so many visits in such a short time, but by all means it was not unwelcome. He was not sure who it could be this time. It was unlikely for any ponies to visit again so soon, unless it really was Rainbow coming to tell him to stop lazing around and get a move on already. There was one other it could be, but she probably would not come for a few days hence.
As he shuffled to the door, Scruffy tried to shake off the last cobwebs of sleep, and straighten his clothes so that he did not look too scruffy. If it was by some chance his pony friends, he did not need to see Rarity in another fit of rage over attire. He took a few more seconds to try to fix his bed hair, before giving up and opening the door.
“Greetings! You must be mister Scruffy. Sergeant Strawberry Dazzle of the Equestrian Royal Guard, at your service!”
Scruffy stared at the rose red maned pegasus, completely caught off guard by the energetic greeting and the winning smile she was giving him. She had a dusty brown coat and was clad in impressive, shining steel armor, although the overall effect was diminished somewhat by how small she was compared to him. Staring at the waist high pony, ‘delightfully huggable’ is what came to mind rather than ‘stoic defender of people’.
“Uhh...hjello?” Scruffy carefully greeted once he found his voice again.
“By personal wish of Princess of the Night, Lady Luna, I hereby inform you that I have been asked to serve as your escort and guard while on Equestrian grounds,” the pony declared, splaying open her wings and doing a little bow.
“Um...ahha?”
“When the Princesses received the report from Celestia’s pupil, Twilight, they became concerned for your safety travelling through the Everfree forest, as you seem to be unfamiliar with the dangers within it. Lady Luna wasted no time searching for candidates to fulfil this duty.” Strawberry Dazzle folded her wings and took on a more relaxed posture. “I’d certainly wish you’d accept their offer to have a guard around, if for no other reason than to give them some peace of mind. To borrow Lady Luna’s words, ‘If that damn fool gets himself hurt, there’s going to be a reckoning’,” Dazzle chuckled. Scruffy let out a loud, unamused snort.
“I never see tanger in forest.”
“Just because you have been lucky enough to avoid it until now doesn’t mean there isn’t any,” Dazzle huffed and gave him a piercing stare.
“I think poni warry too much, but thiis, um...if make them not worry…”
“It’ll make them worry less, but since worrying is practically the number one item in their job description...” Dazzle shrugged, letting the words hang in the air.
“...I kuess I not mind.”
“Good choice!” Dazzle gave a wide, eager smile. “So...where do I stay?”
********************
After quickly introducing Strawberry Dazzle to the many wonders of his home, Scruffy informed her that he planned to visit Ponyville today, and the two of them soon set off.
“So...you kuard?” Scruffy awkwardly asked after several minutes of walking. Dazzle had absolutely forbid him from going through the forest, instead taking the initiative and leading him around it. Scruffy was confident he could have just walked past her, but not wishing to be rude, he instead allowed her to lead.
“Yes, part of the Royal Guard of Canterlot. I’ve only been posted there for...hmm, nearly ten months, I think?”
“Huh? That look, no um...sjeem little? You not look new,” Scruffy pondered. Scruffy didn’t know much about military, and pony military even less so, but Strawberry Dazzle seemed to carry herself with professional military poise.
“That’s because I’m not a new recruit. I have been assigned to the Royal Guard for only ten months, but I have many years of experience in the Equestrian National Guard.” Since Scruffy did not quite seem to understand what she was talking about, Dazzle quickly clarified. “The National Guard is what all military personnel are part of. Ponies commonly use it to refer to just the individual forces stationed in each town and city, and not the entire military force of Equestria, so that is a bit of a misnomer. The Royal Guard are the forces stationed in Canterlot, and they are called that because, you know, it’s the capital and the royal castle is there and all,” Dazzle shrugged with her wings.
“Ah. So, uh, Royal Kuard is all best kuard since protect Princess?” Dazzle let out a merry laugh.
“I wouldn’t say ‘best’, but you need to have a very good record to land a spot in the Royal Guard. It is a very sought after position, not just anypony can get there. I’ve heard the Guard Academy at Canterlot is absolutely brutal.”
“Good know I have very good kuard then.” Dazzle let out another burst of laughter.
“Those aren’t exactly the words my previous commander would have used, but we’ll roll with it, yeah?” she smiled.
To pass the time during their walk, the two of them talked about Strawberry Dazzle’s life in the guard and how the Princesses were doing back in Canterlot. Scruffy was unsure of the route they were taking, but he trusted Strawberry to know the way. After a much longer walk than he would have liked, they started to getting closer to Ponyville proper. They had gotten a glimpse of Sweet Apple Acres, and Scruffy could almost smell the sweet scent of apples. Except, when he took a deep breath in, he did smell something, and it was anything but sweet. It was a rancid, fetid smell, wafting in from among the trees.
“Horseapples! Quick, get away from the forest!” Dazzle commanded, having caught the scent as well. She took a defensive stance, her eyes immediately alert for anything dangerous lurking further in the woods. They had been walking barely within the tree line, and Dazzle backpedaled her charge in to the clear.
“What wro-” Scruffy tried to ask, but was interrupted by a stern look.
“Come on already! There’s-”
“TIMBERWOLVES!”
They both snapped their heads towards the voice which rang out from the direction of the apple farm. It was unmistakably Twilight’s.
“Twilight! Strawperry, what happen?” Scruffy asked nervously.
“There’s timberwolves around! Hurry, we need to get you to safety!” Dazzle insisted, and when it was apparent that Scruffy was not making any quick getaways, she turned around and tried to push him away from the sounds while keeping vigil for any attacks.
“But...Twilight…” Scruffy objected, only taking a few steps before halting.
“My job is to keep you safe, first and foremost. So would you get a move on already?!” Dazzle pleaded. She didn’t doubt her ability to take on a timberwolf or two, maybe even three if she was alone. But with a frail, old stallion as her charge, taking on the monsters and keeping him safe would be problematic.
“We not let Twilight harm,” Scruffy insisted, digging his heels in and refusing to be pushed. They heard another loud scream ring through the orchard, followed by an echoing howl. The menacing cry made Scruffy’s skin crawl, but he didn’t relent. “W-we help. Must.”
“Stupid, brave old goat,” Dazzle swore under her breath. She glanced towards where the screams had come from, then turned back towards Scruffy. The howl had spooked him, that was much clear, but he seemed to be adamant about wanting to make sure his friends were alright. “Fine. Let’s get a move on then, and for Celestia’s sake, do NOT go near the timberwolves.”
********************
“Spike, duck!” Applejack yelled and bucked the boulder next to her as hard as she could. A lance of pain shot through her legs and she grimaced, but the large boulder slid over and fell down from the top of a pile on to the unsuspecting timberwolves below, who had just about enough time to let out surprised yelps prior to being crushed to bits of firewood. Before Applejack could celebrate or even take a breather, the rock pile she stood on wobbled uncomfortably as she tried to balance herself and promptly collapsed from under her.
“Applejack!” Spike yelled.
If she wasn’t currently screaming for her life, Applejack would have laughed at how unbelievable all of this was. What were the odds that real timberwolves would show up just as they were about to trick Spike with their fake timberwolf, so that he could save her and not be indebted to her anymore? Normally, encountering them twice during the same season was rare, but twice in the same week? Unbelievable.
Once the rumbling of stones finally ceased, Applejack found herself lying on her belly, face in the mud, but mostly okay. Sure, she felt bruised and battered, but nothing serious.
“AJ! Are you okay?” Rainbow asked as she galloped to her. Applejack lifted her head and saw the remains of the timberwolf she had been fighting with.
“Y-yeah...ain’t nothing broken, I think,” she hacked. “What happened to Rarity and Fluttershy?”
“They ran in to the orchards with two timberwolves in tow. But don’t worry, Twilight and Pinkie galloped after them. I’m sure they have already reduced them to two piles of toothpicks,” Rainbow explained, kicking her left hind leg for emphasis.
“Um...girls?” Spike nervously called. “I...I think we might have big problem…”
Applejack and Rainbow both turned to what Spike was gawking at. Their jaws fell open as they watched the remains of the timberwolves slowly start to reanimate and coalesce in to a much bigger one, an alpha.
“Umm...I think it’s time to run,” Rainbow nervously gulped.
“Good call,” Applejack muttered and tried to stand up, but to her horror, her left hind leg was stuck in the rubble. “I...I can’t! I’m stuck!” she gasped.
Spike and Rainbow quickly moved to help her. They attempted to shift the rocks so that Applejack could pull her leg free, but too many were piled on top of her. They didn’t have enough leverage to move them.
“Hngh!” Spike strained as he tried to lift a rock up. The large timberwolf was forming piece by piece, and it would not take long for it to be complete.
“Forget it Spike! You two have to get out of here!” Applejack commanded and was immediately face to face with an angry Rainbow Dash.
“Are you crazy?! I’m not gonna leave you here! I’m going to…” Rainbow turned around, locking gazes with the timberwolf alpha, and gulped nervously. “...I-I’m gonna show this hunk-a-junk not to mess with my friends…”
The alpha timberwolf, now fully constructed, took one unimpressed look at Rainbow’s defiant glare and let out a mighty roar. Nervous but undeterred, Rainbow shot forwards, striking the beast squarely in its wooden muzzle with her forelegs. The timberwolf reeled back, surprised that its prey hadn’t scampered off. It let out several odd huffs, almost like it was sneezing, before focusing its piercing eyes at Rainbow and snapping its jaws at her.
“Woah!” Rainbow exclaimed as she dived away, avoiding the clumsy beast’s attempts to catch her. She weaved and dodged around the creature, striking it whenever she had a chance and flying away whenever the beast swatted at her.
“Yeah! Go Rainbow!” Spike cheered.
“Have some of this!” Rainbow screamed as she made a wide circle away from the timberwolf, before slamming in to the side of its head with full force. This version, however, was much sturdier than its smaller counterparts, and the attack only caused minor cracks to form. The big wolf merely shook its head in annoyance before going after Rainbow again.
With all the training in the academy and the crazy stunts she always practiced, Rainbow managed to stay well out of the lumbering monster’s reach as she flew, delivering punch after punch. The beast roared in frustration as it chased after Rainbow, jumping back and forth in hopes of seizing its prismatic prey. Eventually, once the pest proved to be too elusive to catch, it huffed in anger, and focused on other, more easily available targets.
“Hey! I’m over here, you big, stupid mutt!” Rainbow taunted, delivering another strike in the back of the wolf’s head, but it only made a single snap at Rainbow before losing interest. The alpha wolf hungrily stared down at Applejack, who was still stuck in place. Sap drooled from its mouth as it deemed her to be good first pick.
“Applejack!” Spike exclaimed and hopped in front of the mare as the timberwolf stalked towards them.
“Spike, RUN!” Applejack commanded the dragon.
The wolf snarled, reared its head back, and grinned viciously, ready to jump on to the hapless mare, before another streak of red and gray interrupted it by slammed in to its jaw, shattering one of the fangs completely. The shock and force of impact was so much as to cause the wolf to fall on to its back as it scrambled away.
“What the... Who is that?” Rainbow asked no one in particular as the newcomer stopped and surveyed the immediate situation. She only got a moment’s reprieve, as the now enraged timberwolf sprung back up to its legs and snarled menacingly. The pegasus in guard armor quickly glanced at Applejack and Spike, before focusing on the monster again.
The wolf swung one of its claws at the guardsmare, but she dodged out of the way easily with quick dive down. Her wings beat furiously as she went under the beast’s belly and flew behind it, before rocketing forward with full force and delivering a powerful strike to the back of the monster’s neck.
“Grr,” the mare snarled, flexing her legs as she flew to safe distance. The armored boots she was wearing absorbed some of the blow, but that did not change the fact that she had flown straight in to a creature made of solid logs hooves first. Even Applejack would feel that if she applied so much force while apple bucking. As the mare avoided another angry attempt to squish her like a mosquito, she finally noticed Rainbow.
“You. Sergeant Strawberry Dazzle of the Royal Guard. Get your friends and clear the area!” she barked orders as she flew next to Rainbow.
“What? No!” Rainbow objected and got a withering glare in return. “Erm, I m-mean, Applejack’s hoof is stuck in the rocks. She can’t get away!” Rainbow hastily added.
“Perfect. Just perfect,” she murmured. She dived back down, with Rainbow quickly catching up to her to fly in unison to distract the timberwolf.
“We have to take it down,” Rainbow said resolutely as they dodged another paw.
“‘We’? You should get to safety and let me handle this.”
“No! I can fight, and there’s no way I’m leaving my pal right in the middle of danger.”
“...What qualifications do you have?” Dazzle asked after a moment of consideration. The situation was already dire enough, some help might prove to be necessary, and she didn’t have the time to argue with an obstinate pegasus anyway.
“Wonderbolts Academy boot camp, and I’m the Element of Loyalty.”
“The Element of-...Fine. With me then! You are my wingpony!” Dazzle yelled, and they both dived down as the timberwolf tried to snatch them with its jaw. The two pegasi circled around it, and with Dazzle in the lead, they struk one of its knees from behind, causing the beast to topple over as the leg gave from under it.
“It’s just too heavy, Applejack. We’d need a stick or something,” Spike said. While the two pegasi battled the timberwolf, he was trying to help Applejack get her hind leg free, but no matter how much he huffed and strained, the rocks just would not budge.
“Hnrgh!” Applejack growled as she attempted to pull her leg out. “Ain’t any sticks around. That big lumbering beast took ‘em all,” she said, glaring at the timberwolf. “Consarnit all.”
“AJ, Spike!” Scruffy panted, jogging in to view from behind the rock pile
“Scruffy! What in the blazes are you doing here?” Applejack asked.
“I-I come visit, with kuard. You okay?” he asked worriedly, leaning to examine her leg.
“I’m fine, just stuck,” she explained. She quickly noticed how his hands were shaking, and how he flinched when the timberwolf growled. “Scruffy, you should get out of here. That timberwolf is no joke.”
“W-what? AJ, we have get you free,” Scruffy countered.
Before Applejack could reply, the timberwolf stomped one of its legs next to them as it tried to turn around to get to Rainbow and Dazzle. The tremor caused Scruffy to fall over, his mouth hanging open in shock as he craned his head to look at the timberwolf. Thankfully it soon stepped away as it chased the pegasi, allowing Applejack and Spike let out the breath they each had been holding.
“Are you okay?” Spike asked Scruffy, patting his shoulder in a calming gesture while nervously biting his other claw.
“Spike, you should take Scruffy out of here,” Applejack demanded more calmly this time.
“But what about you?” Spike argued.
“Nevermind me! I’m stuck here, no matter if you’re gawking at me or not, but you need to take Scruffy to safety!”
Spike turned towards Scruffy, who was still focused on the fight. The elder stallion was shaking and sweating, and it was clear to Spike that he was terrified of the timberwolf. Considering what they learned a few days back, this must have been the first time he had come face to face with the Everfree Forest’s dangerous inhabitants.
“It’s gonna be okay Scruffy. Rainbow and that guard mare will defeat the timberwolf, just you see!” Spike encouraged, giving another pat to his shoulder. As Scruffy turned his gaze from the wolf to him, Spike noticed that Scruffy looked much paler than normal. He was not sure if that was because he was afraid or not, but it could not be for any good reason. Scruffy stared at him for several seconds, unblinking and unmoving. Finally something seemed to click as he placed one of his hands on Spike’s chest.
“Fire,” he said.
“Huh?”
“Spike, fire!” Scruffy repeated, more insistent. He seemed to have shaken most of his fear off, although his trembling had not stopped. “It made of tree. Yjou set fire it!”
“M-m-me? B-but I can’t breathe that much fire! And I’d need to get really close!” Spike stammered in terror.
“Fire is a good repellent for timberwolves, since they are made of bits of dead wood, leaves, and moss. If we could somehow get just a bit of fire on it, it would burn down to a crisp lickety-split,” Applejack explained, but then looked at Spike. “But you’re right, you’d have to get near it first, and the way it’s rampaging, it’s too dangerous.”
Scruffy turned towards the monster again, examining it with wary eyes. The two pegasi’s pestering seemed to be too much for the timberwolf to ignore, since it was completely overlooking the three of them. It madly swung around, trying to hit the bothersome ponies out of the sky with its paws or catch them in its maw. For now, they were keeping ahead of it, but with one unlucky hit from the monster, it would be all over.
There has to be something, Scruffy thought to himself, searching around for something, anything, they could use. But there were only rocks. Nothing that they could set fire to and throw at the monster. The few small sticks that were left on the ground were too tiny and light. They would not reach. He took a napkin from his pocket, wiping the sweat from his brow, trying to think. Then the idea hit him. He did have something on him they could use.
“Spike...I have idea.”
********************
While Scruffy was carrying out his plan, Rainbow and Dazzle were having a hard time with the timberwolf. That damn thing is just too tough, Rainbow silently cursed. Their hooves just did not have enough power to cause any major damage to its armor-like bark, no matter how many hits they got in. If they tried to go any faster or harder, they would risk breaking their own bones in the process. Rainbow could already feel a dull ache in her hooves, although there was no chance she was going to let that slow her down. At least they could keep the beast’s attention away from the others for now.
“Ready for another pass?” the guardsmare yelled.
“Ready!” Rainbow replied, and they went for another dive.
The beast snarled and snapped its mouth to catch them, but they dodged at just the last second, one dodging to the left and other to the right. They made a tight circle, before they crashed in to both sides of the wolf’s head. It howled in pain and anger, swiping at the duo, but they once again retreated before it even had a chance to fight back.
“Horseapples! This is going nowhere. We’ll tire out before we can make a good enough dent in that thick bark,” Dazzle swore as they caught up to each other again.
“We don’t have any other choice! If we let up, then that log face is going to go right after Applejack again!”
“We don’t have to take it down, all we need to do is keep it busy long enough to get you all out of here! Go help your friend, I’ll keep it dis-”
“What the...is that Scruffy?!” Rainbow asked, cutting Dazzle short.
“WHAT?” Dazzle screeched, losing focus momentarily and almost failing to dodge away quickly enough when the wolf made another attack.
“...What the heck is he doing?”
Scruffy was kneeling besides Spike, and for some reason, he had taken off his pants. He was holding them in his hands, and it looked like he and Spike and Applejack were examining them carefully as he did something to them.
“What in tartarus is that stallion doing here?! I ordered him to stay at a safe distance!” Dazzle bristled. They saw Scruffy fumble with the pants for a moment, before Spike took a deep breath and set them on fire.
“Fire! That’s it! We can set the timberwolf on fire!” Rainbow exclaimed once she saw the pants alight.
“Wait. How is he going to…” Dazzle began, but stopped when it became apparent that Scruffy was going to do exactly what she did not want him to do. Scruffy stood up with his flaming weapon in hand, tied and weighted with the belt from his pants and possibly some rocks inside the folds. He eyed the beast warily, and began to jog towards it. His steps seemed unsure, but he pressed on as Rainbow and Dazzle made another pass, trying to keep the timberwolf’s attention on themselves. But despite their best efforts, the beast eventually either saw Scruffy or smelled the fire and turned towards him.
At that moment, Scruffy spun the leggings two times around his head, before tossing them as hard as he could. Rainbow realised he was using them like a bola, like Ahuizot’s minions in the Daring Do books. The beast, seeing the fire, immediately scampered backwards, but Rainbow could tell the flaming garments would not reach it.
“Keep it busy!” Rainbow yelled to Dazzle and sped up towards the most unlikely weapon she had ever witnessed.
Dazzle, spotting her opportunity, flew down, striking at the creature’s joints again, unbalancing it so that it would not get away in time. Rainbow caught the fiery trousers mid flight and headed towards the timberwolf. The wolf had regained its footing, but thanks to Strawberry it was already too late. Spotting the flaming payload she was carrying, it made one last, desperate attempt to bat Rainbow away, but she weaved past the attack and stuck the ablaze pants between the sticks of the giant beast’s leg.
The timberwolf immediately panicked, swinging its limb to try to dislodge the fire, but it was stuck firmly. The dead leaves easily caught fire, rapidly spreading the beast’s demise along its limb. The timberwolf yelped in pain, bouncing up and down in futile attempt to escape the flames. In its rampage, one of its legs managed to clip Dazzle in the head, stunning her. Rainbow dived after her, catching her before she hit the ground but not managing to slow down enough to entirely avoid a crash. The timberwolf cried in terror and ran as fast as its paws could carry it in to the depths of Everfree forest.
“We...we did it. We did it!” Spike cheered once the wolf completely disappeared from view. Scruffy let out a breath he had been holding, sitting down then lying on the ground as his wobbly legs could carry him no longer.
“Whoowee,” Applejack exhaled. “Hopefully that shows those darn timberwolves to never come back again!” Almost as soon as she had managed to say that, they heard somepony calling them.
“Applejack! Spike! Are you alright?” The two in question turned towards the voice. Twilight galloped towards them with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and a very sour looking Rarity in tow.
“Twilight! You’re okay!” Spike happily responded, running to meet Twilight and giving her a hug.
“I’m sorry we’re late, but Rarity and Fluttershy managed to run pretty far before we caught up to them and fought off the timberwolves, but everypony’s fine.”
“I’m not fine, Twilight!” Rarity bemoaned and turned sideways to show her tail, which seemed to be missing a bit and was drooping with sap. “That ghastly beast chomped on my beautiful tail, and now it’s ruhuhuhuined!” she wailed. All the other ponies rolled their eyes.
Twilight took a moment to survey the area. They had heard the howls and echoing bucks on wood coming from here, but it seemed Applejack and Rainbow had defeated whatever it was that had made those noises, as there was no sign of timberwolves.
“Is that Scruffy? Is he okay?!” Fluttershy gasped once she noticed the prone figure. She galloped to his side and promptly began to fuss over him.
“Twilight, Pinkie, could you help me out here?” Applejack asked when nopony was coming towards her.
“Applejack! Why are you standing in the middle of all these rocks? Have you decided to change from an apple farmer to a rock farmer?” Pinkie asked with a giggle as she bounced to her friend and began lifting the rocks.
“Not quite,” Applejack quipped, stretching as much as she could. With her leg numb having been trapped under a heavy rock all this time, she had to limp over to the rest of the group.
“Scruffy, how did you get here?” Twilight asked as the old stallion was trying his best to assure Fluttershy he was fine.
“I uh, come visit,” he replied with a tired voice. He looked exhausted, his hair was a mess and he was covered in sweat, but he appeared to be mostly okay.
“Oh...uh, well, sorry it wasn’t the best time for a visit,” Twilight apologized with an awkward smile.
“Hey, where’s Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked, trying to spot the flier in the sky. “Is she napping somewhere?”
“Huh? Oh no,” Applejack exclaimed worriedly. “I saw her go after the guard when the timberwolf knocked her out. I thought she caught her, but… We have to go make sure they’re okay.”
“The guard?” Rarity asked as Applejack began to lead them towards where she had seen them fall. Spike and Fluttershy stayed with Scruffy, who was feeling too weak to get up right away.
“I think she’s with Scruffy. Her name was...Strawbale something. I couldn’t quite hear,” Applejack elaborated.
“Raaainbooow! Where aaare youuu?” Pinkie yelled as they searched.
********************
“Urgh,” Rainbow moaned as she came to, her head pounding painfully. She was lying on top of the guardsmare in a bush. Rainbow had not had the time to correct her course when she caught Dazzle, and the extra weight from the guard’s armor turned it from freefall to a crash landing. By far not the worst Rainbow had ever had, but when they hit the bush, she had unfortunately bonked her head on the guard’s barding. Strawberry groaned as she too started to wake up, one of her hooves reaching up and fiddling with the straps to get her helmet off.
“Raaainbooow! Where aaare youuu?”
“Hey, you okay?” Rainbow asked as she attempted to shake the dizziness off.
“Hrmh...could be better,” Dazzle croaked and coughed. “Could be dead too, so I shouldn’t complain too much,” she continued, finally getting her helmet off.
“Heh, no worries! There was no chance you would have reached the ground with me around,” Rainbow boasted and tried to strike as good of a pose as she could over the mare. Dazzle blinked, focusing her eyes on Rainbow and smiling charmingly.
“It’s good to know that there was somepony strong and handsome like you to take care of me, then,” Dazzle sweet talked, her voice slow as she fluttered her eyelashes.
“Err...thanks?” Rainbow said back unsure.
“Mmh… It certainly shows that you’ve had some Wonderbolts training. Well toned body and pristine wings…” Dazzle practically purred as she brushed an errant strand of Rainbow’s mane to the side. Rainbow blushed at the sudden tone the conversation had taken.
“Erm...this is getting a bit-”
“So, wanna go ****?” Dazzle eagerly asked, giving a wide grin. Rainbow couldn’t have bolted backwards any faster, her wings snapping fully open as she scrambled to stand up and take a step back.
“WH-WH-WH-WHAT?” she yelled, her face turning beet red.
“You know what I’m talking about. Go have some fun? Have a romp in the hay? Go r-”
“I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID!” Rainbow shot back, her voice a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “WHAT KIND OF... That’s not... You can’t just ask THAT!”
“Why not?” Dazzle pouted. “We seemed to be doing well up there, and I just thought that if we had good synergy in the sky, maybe we would have even better synergy...in bed,” she said, waggling her eyebrows and making rude gestures with her hooves while Rainbow wished she could bury herself under the rocks to escape this conversation. “Besides, you’re hot. We should totally get to know each other, pretty colt.”
“PRETTY CO- I’M A MARE YOU FEATHERBRAIN!” Rainbow screamed, flapping her wings angrily.
This caused Dazzle’s expression shift to surprise, as she stared Rainbow in the eyes. Her gaze lowered for a moment, before climbing back up to meet Rainbow’s.
“Oh.”
“OH?!”
“Huh. I thought you were one of those pretty, feminine stallions. You know, with your raspy voice and all.” Strawberry casually explained, like she had simply mistaken the day of the week. “And here I thought I had finally gotten lucky…” When Rainbow did not seem to be placated by her words, she continued. “Uh, my bad,” she said, followed by an awkward chuckle.
Rainbow was at a utter loss for words. She could not think of any words to convey exactly how much she wanted to punch the cheeky mare right in her muzzle, which was just as well because it was at that moment she noticed the rest of her friends, watching from the sidelines. Fluttershy and Rarity both had blushes on their faces, while Pinkie’s cheeks were bulging as she held back her laughter as long as she could. Twilight’s and Applejack’s expressions both seemed to say, “I’m too tired to deal with this.” Applejack gave one look at the two before burying her face in her hoof.
“So...erm…” Strawberry coughed to clear her throat as she got up from the ground and turned towards the newly arrived mares. “Sergeant Strawberry Dazzle of the Equestrian Royal Guard... Nice to meet you!”
Oh my, well that took an interesting turn didn't it? 
As you might have noticed, this scene went a bit differently than in the show. When I watched that episode, I thought to myself "what in the rooting tooting tarnation was THAT!" I mean come on, Applejack gets trapped by a pebble! They have lifted heavier things with one hoof than that small rock. And the end. A big, mean timberwolf is about to attack AJ and Spike, but not to worry, because Spike has another pebble! AND THE TIMBERWOLF CHOKES ON IT!!!! THAT'S HOW THEY DEFEAT IT! 
Well anyway, hopefully you have a pleasant week everypony. 
Oh, but before you go! Would you like to commission me for a short story? Because I'm planning on doing some commissions soon. I'll make a proper blog post about it all once I know what I'm doing, so make sure to keep an eye out for that if you are interested. 
Stats
Page generated in 0.039 seconds
Total duration
1,022 users online
1,676,662 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I would feel sorry for Rainbow Dash but I think Strawberry Dazzle might need glasses. Let's see how the girls tease her over this.
Didn't this story used to be complete?
9025747
Maybe this is a good lesson on not trying to hit on somebody after suffering a concussion?
9025753
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnope
I really liked this chapter. I really want to see more of strawberry though. Love the last bit of the story as well. Hope to see more of that honestly.
Scruffy should stop the ponies. They keep showing up on his side and could cause an incident.
Celestia's so called guard will probably cause more problems than she helps.
Twilight has derailed the study of the object through her stupid arrogance.
Lel
You got featured again today.
And that's one of the many reasons why no one speaks about Season 3.
Poor, poor Rainbow. Though, this does make me wonder exactly what ships will be coming up through the story. We already know of AJ and Flutters, but what about the others?
9025818
As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with you.
9025866
So not quite the same as being featured, but nice nonetheless. 
Actually, the last three spots in the feature box are reserved for popular stories when they update.
9025818
I have an itchy feeling Discord is have a nice holiday right now.
Rainbow being mistaken for a colt is quickly becoming one of my favorite things. And if commissioning another chapter sooner is allowed then I would happily shell out some money when if I got the chance.
oh god that ending I feel like that was partically inspired by a fic that got featured recently
I wonder what felt worse to Rainbow:
When the mare so tactlessly showed interest towards her?
When it turned out that the mare wasn't interested, after all?
Or the fact that
yet anothersomepony had mistaken her for a stallion? xDI wonder if Scruffy knew she was a mare…
9025949
It was planned out a month or more ago, but we had a laugh when the fic you refer to came out.
9025961
well you can't blame me for making the connection it just seemed to timly
9025942 Rainbow being mistaken for a colt has been a trend for the last three weeks. It’s a given, what with her raspy voice and all.
Was the last scene really necessary? I mean, the whole chapter was an action sequence and I was worried about the two potentially being injured from the crash, then out of nowhere the guard who just met Rainbow wants to have sex with her? Her having mistaken her for a stallion due to a few slightly stereotypically masculine features is a little nonsensical, and having the only answer needed to the question "Want to bang?" be "I'm a mare!" is frankly outdated. AJ and Fluttershy have a thing going in the story, this is obviously a world where two mares getting together isn't unheard of or taboo. I was honestly waiting for Strawberry to reply "So?"
Very nice.
i like strawberry. the got moxy
9025818
agreeed. months of him romping thru the forest no issue. one time a guard escorts him? trouble. i see a pattern
You know, with a Royal Guard going to Scruffy's house, Equestria has technically invaded Finland.
9025983
Yes.
And hey, she just knows what she likes, eh? If there's nothing wrong with AJxFS, there's nothing wrong with somepony else just not being into that. Also, the rude gestures may have insinuated some things.
Really though, that last scene is a fat, juicy, succulent... piece of character development, yep. 
9026037
As a Swede I wholeheartedly welcome our new neighbors to the nordic union.
Poor Rainbow.
9025747
i dont feel bad. that was great
Reminds me of how Dethklok beat Musta Krakish.
9025997
We have a theory that either Everfree Dangers are drawn to Ponies, or they just can’t exist around lone humans.
9026208
interesting.. there's also the fact humans are predators and pony are prey.
That ending made me chuckle, a nice chapter all in all!
Technically...
9026417
And it's not like Scruffy can just tell them that he's a man, because the pony language doesn't have a word for the thing that doesn't exist in their lands. 
I mean, they don't know what he is, so its better to refer him as a stallion than a 'whatchamacallit'.
9026102
At least we can use our new overlords as fluffy, warm pillows to stave off the winter colds.
9025997
Not to mention that the moment they tell him to wear his amulet to bed, something bad happened.
9025983
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I don't know, was it necessary? Is any silly thing I write necessary? The reason for it being there is because I thought it was funny, and that it would provoke a reaction from the reader. Some would laugh, some would go "wtf" and others might get shocked at the brazen nature of this new mare. Is it out of place? In the sense that you wouldn't expect it to be there, maybe, but Dazzle's character is that she has absolutely zero sense how to show interest in somebody like that. She sees somebody good looking, it's already clear they work well together, they are already in a compromising position; bish bash time to go bang!
How else would she mistake Rainbow for a stallion if not for "a few slightly stereotypically masculine features"? Because she's blue? Because it's sunny outside?
What exactly is "outdated" in the fact that Strawberry Dazzle is straight? Look, I agree, I think it would make the world a much better place if we all could just love everyone, because then we wouldn't have all this problems with each others sexuality. But the matter of the fact is that Dazzle is into stallions, and to her, mares are only pretty to look at, but she doesn't want to take them in to bed because there are certain bits missing from the equation. Not everyone is into everyone.
Also, this just happened to pop up while I was writing this, so I'll just leave it here...
generated.inspirobot.me/077/aXm954xjU.jpg
9025957
He only needs reading glasses, not regular ones.
9025965
That story might have pushed me even more in this direction.
9025942
If that is what you want to commission me for, I'd be more than happy. 
banner2.kisspng.com/20180327/prw/kisspng-emoji-discord-meme-android-imgur-thinking-5ab9e09a302f12.8060406115221310981974.jpg
Well, I mean, uh, I guess?
I can't decide on the joke:
"This gives new meaning to 'hot pants'."
or
"The trousers have gone horribly wrong!"
9026499
Both seem to be alright.
9026463
knew it
9026507
wouldn't that be better as "alight"?
Yeah, that was a big disappoint about the aired episode. I mean, what the f**k were the writers even thinking when they came up with that ending!? Logically, that should've ended as: Dragon + Dogwood = Accidentally-Becoming-Celestia's-Problem!
Well, maybe now that he's had his first brush with the more hostile Equestrian creatures he'll be a bit less dismissive of the ponies' concern over him.
9026457 I mean hey, nothing is really necessary or unnecessary. I just decided to offer a bit of criticism. Do with that as you will. To me the section feels a little tonally dissonant with the rest of the chapter. I'm glad others found it funny, but to me it felt a little forced, like it didn't quite fit with what was going on. It was also a sudden shift in character for Strawberry, who has been very serious and protective character throughout the chapter. It feels odd to me that instead of going to check on the others to make sure no one is wounded, she asks Rainbow to bang as soon as she wakes up. I understand she's multifaceted, but from what we know about her it seems like she would be more immediately worried about finding Scruffy and making sure that Applejack got free of the rocks, keeping the civilians safe.
Going back and rereading I realized that I had missed Strawberry calling her "Pretty Colt" which makes sense as to why Rainbow had that outburst now. Originally I had thought that RD had suggested her being a mare as a reason they obviously wouldn't be together and then Strawberry agreed, which confused me because RD didn't know Strawberry's sexuality and she lives in a world where two mares getting together is not uncommon. That was what I thought was outdated and out of place, that that answer would have been a sensible one for Rainbow to give to a mare asking her to bang, but I can see I simply misread.
On a similar note, is Rainbow being mistaken for a stallion a running gag in this story? It has been a while since I read any of the early chapters of Stranger and I simply don't recall.
It's been a bit since the last chapter. Glad to see more
Oh poor Rainbow....
9026703
I understand it was criticism, and I thank you for it, but the way you brought it up was a bit poor. You should have started the way you wrote it here, instead of "was it really necessary", because that doesn't tell me much and makes it seem like you are just dismissing the part I wrote.
Ah, I see. Well, good that that got sorted out.
Also, it is not. There was another story with that idea.
9026417
im with trix on this one. and to be fair, he IS a male. so it fits, species not withstanding
Rainbow
9026874
I already got that pointed out.