• Published 7th Jul 2017
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My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! - Fullmetal Pony



Twilight Sparkle wants to be a hero. She didn't expect the most powerful hero in Equestria to lend her a hoof. She's now set on the path of legends, but it's not going to be an easy one. My Hero Academia Crossover

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Celebration

“How?” Moondancer asked. “How did you manage to book this place?”

The question was directed at Pinkie, but her sight was on the sign towering above her. When lit, its neon added an iconic touch that made Donut Joe’s a Canterlot landmark, especially the caramel and golden hues that colored the Os. Heroes, celebrities, and even royal envoys had passed through Joe’s glass doors to sample the legendary donuts within. While the sign was dark, the lights inside were on. Streamers and balloons could be spied through the smoked glass windows.

“I knew Applejack and I would be super duper tired after the exam, so I called in a favor!” Pinkie chirped. “Plus, I was hoping I’d make some new friends today, and I did! All the more reason to celebrate!”

Moondancer blinked, shook her head, and turned to Twilight. “You just keep pulling surprises on me.”

“Well, this is a better one than these.” Twilight pointed to her bandaged legs and horn. A snort from Moondancer drew a nervous chuckle.

Moondancer’s stern look lasted for a moment before it gave way to a sigh. “Fine, I’ve said my piece and your mom is probably gonna pull you through the wringer for this, so for now, let’s celebrate what is, for all intents and purposes, a success!”

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie cheered. She rushed forward and held open the door for everypony else.

Making their way inside, the group was buffeted by the heavenly smell of frying dough and music pumping through the sound system. Multi-colored lights flashed off the checkerboard floors, retro chairs, and well-aged booths.

Joe’s head appeared through the window behind the counter. Spotting the group, he glanced down at whatever confection he was preparing, finished off the step he was on, and then made his way out to the front. With legs spread wide, he called out, “Pinkie Pie, good to see ya!”

Like a tornado, Pinkie spun over to Joe, leapt over the counter, and wrapped her hooves around him. “You too, Mr. Joe! Thank you so so so so so so much!”

“Eh.” Joe swatted one hoof through the air and patted Pinkie on the back with another. “I always hate shutting down the entire day for the Entrance Exams. Plus, us Baker League members gotta be there to support the next generation of heroes and chefs. How are the Cakes, anyway?”

“Couldn’t be better!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Mrs. Cake’s getting pretty antsy though. I’m probably gonna need to go all out to make up for all the sweets she’s avoided these past few months. That’s not even getting to all the fun recipes I’ve got planned for the foals!”

While Pinkie and Joe chatted away and caught up, Twilight bent close to Applejack. “They mentioned the Baker League and the Cakes, right? As in the Dessert Duo?”

“Yessiree,” Applejack replied. “Gotta give it to you, Twilight, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d swear your talent was hero trivia instead of magic.”

“Sounds like Ponyville is filled with a bunch of retired and part-time heroes,” said Spike. He grinned. “Wouldn’t mind visiting sometime.”

“Well, you’ll always be welcome at Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack chuckled. “Granny Smith alone could tell you enough stories to keep you up for nights. Course, she’d probably fall asleep after one or two.”

Everyone had a good laugh at that, except for the gray filly with a pale violet mane that had appeared beside the group. She stood taller than everyone else and her figure was a bit closer to that of a mare based on the way her plain dress fit her. Her lips, pressed into a thin neutral line, and her half-open eyes combined to give off a somber tone that clashed with the festive surroundings.

“Um, hello?” Fluttershy dared to ask, since she was the closest to her. Such a sudden and silent appearance would have normally scared her half to death, but the filly gave off such a subdued vibe that her apparent teleportation did not disturb Fluttershy too deeply.

“Hello,” the filly replied, monotone giving no hint of emotion. Her leg reached out and clasped Fluttershy’s in a manner that matched an instructional diagram on how to greet somepony. “I’m Maud.”

“Nice to, uh, meet you, Maud. I’m Fluttershy.” After getting the introduction out, Fluttershy found herself at a loss of words. That was not out of the usual for her when meeting ponies. What was unnatural and stunned Fluttershy was the realization that she had never been the louder pony when making introductions.

Just as Fluttershy put her hoof back on the ground, Pinkie vaulted away from Joe and glomped onto the Maud. “Maud! You did a extracalafradiglistic job setting up! Test went well? Meet any fun ponies?”

Pinkie’s enthusiasm hit the brick wall of Maud’s stoicism. “The golems they used were of a poor quality. Too many sedimentary rocks.” With a slow methodic blink, she glanced at Spike. “Your creation of dragonglass was very informative though.”

“Uh…” Spike scratched her head. “Thanks?”

“So, are you another friend of Pinkie’s?” Twilight held out a hoof. When Maud took it, Twilight felt the rough texture of her hooves. Her grip was tepid, but a glance up the sleeve of her dress showed muscle not quite on Applejack’s level, but certainly clashing with the apathetic hold Maud had on Twilight. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you.”

“And you too,” Maud said with the same tone she had responded with to everything else. “And, no, I’m not Pinkie’s friend. I’m her sister.”

“Best older sister ever!” Pinkie exclaimed and pulled the string of a party popper.

The popper’s confetti rained down on Twilight, but she remained frozen in place. A gear had fallen out of place in her head. Perhaps it was the long day. Perhaps it was the backlash from using the Elements. Or, perhaps it was being thrust into a social situation she was unfamiliar with, but one thing or another must have caused her to mishear Pinkie.

“You two are related?” Spike asked, breaching the question Twilight’s mind could not process at this point. “Uh, no offense, but I’m not seeing much of a family resemblance.”

“Aw, don’t be silly, Spikey!” Pinkie grinned and put her face right beside Maud’s. “Tell me we couldn’t pass for twins!”

No one said anything for a moment and just stared with the same confusion that had beguiled Twilight, save for Applejack, who remained silent since it seemed like the politest thing to do.

Twilight managed to regain her wits with a shake of her head. Her mind latched onto a different detail while sidestepping a familial relation her brain could only classify as one of the great unsolvable mysteries of the universe. “You said ‘older sister,’ right? But you were applying today? How?”

“It’s a little out of the ordinary, but the School makes exceptions,” Maud droned. “The family thought it was best to watch out for Pinkie while she’s at the School.”

“I told them it’d be fine, but after today, I can see they had a point,” Pinkie said with a few nods of her head. “I really had to pull out all the stops at the end to make sure nopony got hurt, but still…”

Twilight registered a frown flash across Pinkie’s face with one last nod. The motion forced down Pinkie’s mane, giving the illusion that it was straightened for a split-second. As quickly as she had bowed, Pinkie shot back up, wide smile once more on her face.

“Everything worked out amazing in the end!” she exclaimed. “Now let’s party!”

“With some well-earned donuts for the future heroes!” Joe add as he stepped out of the kitchen. Piping hot donuts of several varieties floated around him and zoomed over to everyone.

“Thanks!” Twilight said along with everyone else. Before she dug into the rainbow-dotted donut Joe had sent her way, she asked, “Um… Mr. Joe, if you’re here, does that mean they’ve finished scoring all the exams?”

“Right you are, Ms. Sparkle,” Joe replied with a sly grin. “Now, I’m forbidden from discussing the results of the exam. You’ll have to wait for the official letter to come by the end of the week. On a completely unrelated note, this is quite a nice party Pinkie has set up.”

Everypony save for Maud cheered. She gave a monotone yay and toasted with her donut alongside everyone else’s.

“Um,” Spike spoke up. He held up a donut encrusted with emeralds that would have looked more at place in an art museum. The chunk Spike had already taken out of it diminished that prospect a little. “First, this is amazing. Second, know you can’t talk about results, but you wouldn’t have happened to have heard anything about a filly named Rarity? Amazing white coat? Perfectly maintained mane and tail? Three diamonds for a cutie mark?”

With each descriptor, Spike’s face gained a shade of red and his eyes matched up more and more with the glaze on his donut.

Joe brought a hoof to his chin. After a moment, he pointed to Spike. “To start, thank Pinkie for sending over a quick letter.” He puffed up his chest. “I’ll get a kick now that I can say I can bake with rocks and it’s still delicious!” After a hearty laugh, his calmed down. “As for a filly named Rarity, I didn’t see her file, but the name rings a bell. Plus, pretty sure her last name is Belle.”

Spike leaned closer. “Anything else?”

“One of my more secretive customers if I’m remembering correctly,” said Joe. “Acts like she’s got the paparazzi after her whenever she comes in. Guessing she’s one of the fillies that wants to look good for the colts, but nopony can resist the occasional trip to Joe’s!”

“Hmmm,” Spike muttered while Joe bellowed.

“Sounds like somepony has caught your eye,” Twilight teased. “I’m not at risk of losing my partner, am I?”

“It’s not like that!” Spike stammered. “It’s just she was so…”

“Radiant?” Maud finished. Everyone’s heads except for Joe’s twisted toward her. Maud slowly blinked. “Her talent and usage of carbon manipulation was very impressive. I may be here mainly for Pinkie’s sake, but I’d be lying if learning more about her and you, Spike, didn’t excite me.”

“Really?” Spike asked, taking in Maud’s unchanged expression.

“Yes, I haven’t been this excited since we found a deposit of aluminum oxide crystals on the farm.”

“Oh, that was the best!” Pinkie stuffed a full donut into her mouth and gulped it down. “The look on mom and dad’s faces!” Her legs whipped out and grabbed hold of Moondancer and Spike. “Come on! Time to party!”

“Wait, wh—” Moondancer was cut off by Pinkie pulling her off the ground and into an impromptu dance.

While she and Spike tried to match up with the blur Pinkie’s legs turned into, the rest of the group made their way over to a booth.

When they were seated, Applejack looked at Fluttershy. “So, I didn’t get much from Rainbow Dash other than her apparently being the ‘awesomest at everything’, but doesn’t seem like you two would really cross paths, no offense. You two another pair of surprise siblings?”

“Oh, no…” Fluttershy blushed and bent her head a few degrees lower. “Rainbow Dash has been my friend ever since we were in flight school together. Even back then, I knew she was going to be a great hero someday. Nopony could match her in training, and she was always helping out the, uh… less talented at school.”

“I wouldn’t call you less talented.” Twilight smiled. “You really saved my skin during the exam, and with quite the talent to boot. With all the meteorological talents pegasi usually developing, seeing you use an animal related talent was quite a surprise.”

Fluttershy squeaked and blushed a deeper red.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” Twilight yelped, whipping her hooves back and forth.

“I know it’s a little odd,” Fluttershy murmured. “And I’m not the best flyer either if I don’t use my talent, but I’ve always loved animals, so I was so happy when I got cutie mark connected to them. I… I mainly applied because I was worried about Rainbow Dash, but becoming a hero that saves animals would be nice.”

“Hmmm.” Twilight rubbed her chin and began muttering, “Rescue operations are a bit of a neglected field in heroics. Helping with evacuations and doing damage control is a major part of hero duties, but heroes mainly act as support to the Guard in those situations. Most agencies avoid a focus on rescue operations because of that direct competition with the Guard. Plus, heroes tend to prefer combat with villains.” Her leg swept away from her chin and jabbed at Fluttershy. “That said, heroes can sometimes mobilize faster than the Guard, and their unique skillset may make them better suited from the task. With your talent and the proper backing, you could carve out a really strong niche market!”

“Um…” Fluttershy sank away from Twilight’s hoof and into her seat. “Okay?”

A hoof clasped Twilight on the shoulder and pulled her back into the booth. Applejack shook her head. “Simmer down, girl. I think ‘that’s nice’ will do. Don’t need to blow any more gaskets today.”

Twilight blushed and bowed her head. “Right. Uh, any particular animals you like?”

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “I can’t think of an animal I don’t like. There’s blue jays, raccoons, bunnies, and all sorts of other animals I love taking care of. It actually made preparing for the exam quite pleasant.” She glanced across the room. Pinkie now had Moondancer and Spike doing a square dance with her. “Twilight, I bet you know all about the access hero licenses grant you, right?”

Twilight nodded.

“Well…” Fluttershy pressed her front hooves together, using them to hide a tiny grin. “A lot of areas only heroes and the Guard can go to are also home to incredibly rare creatures. Pigasuses, jackalopes, Orthroses, and so many more!” Even her own shout shocked Fluttershy and she hid behind some of her mane, but it could not fully cover her smile. “I… I really was impressed seeing you stand up to that scary unicorn, but when I saw Spike, I couldn’t resist. A baby dragon is one of the rarest creatures to see in all of Equestria. And, I mean, I want to be Spike’s friend because he’s nice, too.”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy, I get it.” Twilight smiled. “You should have seen me the first time we met. I had about a million questions, but the most important thing I learned is what a great partner Spike is.”

“So you two really are a duo, then?” Applejack asked and got a nod in reply. With a whistle, she leaned back. “Geez, Twilight, I thought I could zip around, but seems like you’re already leaps and bounds ahead of us.”

“I… I guess.” Twilight blushed. “What about you, Applejack? The Apples are a pretty old family, with lots of historical figures and heroes, so is heroics like a family tradition?”

Applejack did not immediately reply and instead vanished in a whoosh of wind and reappeared with a full mug of cider. She knocked it back and then set the mug down with a resounding smack. “Ah, sorry, Pa always took a big drink before telling us about the family. You’re partially right, Twilight. Us Apples take a lot of pride in our work: making sure ponies have good food, exploring the frontier, wrassling up varmints, and doing whatever else we can to make Equestria just a bit nicer.”

She pushed the drink aside, glanced at Fluttershy, and then looked straight at Twilight. “I’d be lying if I said Big Mac wasn’t a big reason I want to be a hero. There’s just something about how cool he looks in the papers, and how happy it makes it him when he helps a pony in trouble. There’s another reason though, but it’s a wee bit personal, so can you both promise not to talk about it too much?”

Fluttershy and Twilight nodded. Maud blinked.

Applejack took a big breath. “Granny Smith is getting on in years, and even with Big Mac and me helping to run the farm, Sweet Apple Acres just isn’t making the same ends meet that it used to. We get a bit of support from my Ma’s Pa, but, well…” Applejack glanced to the side. “That’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. Now, I know it ain’t the reason anypony should want to be a hero, but what a pro can make would go a long way to helping work out a lot of our finances and get a good nest egg going.”

Applejack lowered her head, sighed, and took another drink. Fluttershy shuffled a little closer and reached out a hoof. “As long as it’s for a good reason like that, I don’t see any problem.”

“Me neither,” said Twilight. “It could actually even be an advantage.”

Applejack’s hat skewed a little to the side. “Huh?”

“A major pitfall for young heroes is securing financing. The Crown provides a stipend, but it only gives those out to established agencies. That’s why a lot of graduates go to the big agencies at first, but those can trap you in contracts that make it difficult to scrounge up enough cash to go out on your own. Most young heroes are so eager to just get into the public eye and try and make a name for themselves, that they fail to consider long term planning.” Twilight smiled at Applejack. “So, if you’re already considering finances, you’re ahead of the game as well, Applejack!”

“I think that calls for another donut for all of us!” Applejack cheered.

Twilight lost herself in conversation, donuts, and friends. At some point, Pinkie, decked out in a fake mustache and clasping a rose in her mouth asked in a put-on accent if Twilight would have a dance. Everyone joined in for a bit. Some remained dancing, some went back to the booth. Everyone smiled and laughed the night away. Maybe if she were more familiar with outings like this, Twilight could have kept better track of the time or her drooping eyelid. At some point though, surrounded by new and old friends, Twilight fell asleep right in the booth.

~~~

Rainbow Dash guzzled down her mug of cider and slammed it down on the table. “Ah, needed that.”
“What happened to Miss ‘I’ll probably ace the practical so well, they’ll give me a medal or something?’” Gilda quipped before taking a gulp of her own drink. Flexing out a talon, she summoned over a waitress and pointed at Dash’s empty mug. “’nother round for the future hero.”

As the waitress bustled off, Gilda turned back to Dash. Rather than laugh or offer a cheer like she usually did when they went out, Dash was quiet and had her gaze was down on her empty mug. Hooves were clasped in front of her tense face.

“Hey,” said Gilda. “I was just messing around, nothing to get bummed out about.”

“I’m not ‘bummed out,’” A flex of her wings enunciated Dash’s words. Her focus remained on the mug. “I know I did awesome on that practical and I studied my flank off for that stupid written part.”

She looked up. Gilda tensed. She had only spotted the sharpened pupils on Dash when she was deep into her training and throwing all her weight at mastering a new flight maneuver.

“I’ve got a lot of competition, Gilda. There was this one jerk that stole a few of my points, nearly caught me in some of her spells too. Then, there’s the dragon. Little guy, but he’s got some serious firepower.” Excitement seeped into Dash’s tense expression. “And get this, he’s pals with the unicorn that took out that huge monster everypony was talking about! Nopony else in the other group could even put a scratch on it! All we got was a stupid rock hydra!”

Dash leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “I knew there were strong heroes out there, but I didn’t expect there to be so many ponies our age that could even get close to my awesomeness.”

“Think it will be a problem with your plan?” Gilda asked. The pungent scent of ozone made her immediately regret her words.

Dash glared at her and slammed a hoof into the table. “It won’t. I’ll show everypony what I can do with just my wings, get a license, and I’ll watch him squirm. When he’s on his knees and begging me to come back, I’ll get what I need. Nopony can stop that.”

“Okay, okay,” said Gilda. Relief flooded her when the waitress returned with a fresh mug. Desperate to change the subject, Gilda’s mind latched onto a question. “So, how was Fluttershy?”

She flinched upon realizing that was probably one of the worst things to ask. Dash did not seem to notice as she took a few gulps of her drink. The intensity dissipated from her eyes as the mug emptied. With a wipe of her mouth, she set it down.

“I wasn’t in the same group as her,” Dash sighed. “If I’d known she’d be facing such a powerful monster, exam or not, I’d have busted in to get her out of there. That thing sounded like it meant business: a ten or twenty-point deduction, I forget which, as big as a city, and it paralyzed you with some sort of terror beam.”

“’Terror beam?’” Gilda chuckled.

“Something like that,” Dash continued, eyes once more cast down. “Nopony could do anything against it, especially Fluttershy…” There was a moment of silence. Then, Dash grinned. “But that unicorn, Twilight, came at it with this huge spell and blasted the damn thing to smithereens. Ah, I wish I could have seen it! Fluttershy and Applejack made it sound like something you’d see Princess Celestia do!”

“And you think a unicorn that can take out giant fear monsters isn’t an issue for your plan?” Gilda asked.

Dash smirked, placed her hooves behind her head and leaned back. “If she could do something like that normally, maybe. She royally messed herself up casting whatever spell that was. Scared Fluttershy and a bunch of her friends half to death. Gave me a chance to meet Applejack and Pinkie Pie though.” Taking a breath, Dash’s eyes turned to some distant point that lay beyond the ceiling. Her grin widened. “Still, I owe Twilight for keeping Fluttershy safe, so now we’re rivals.”

Gilda coughed and spit some of her drink back into the mug. After a few hacks and thumps to her chest, she asked, “Really, Dash? You’re doing this again?”

“Look, the plan is the most important thing, but who says I can’t have some fun on the side?” With a flex of her barrel, Dash arced forward, and leaned on the table. “Aside from her, I’ve got a hoof wrestling score to settle with Applejack. Gotta find out what her talent is too. Still need to show that bacon-haired jerk not to mess with me as well. There’s the dragon too. Oh, and Pinkie Pie, totally gonna pay her back for that electric buzzer trick!”

Shaking with excitement, Dash chugged the rest of her drink. Wiping the foam from her mouth, she exclaimed, “Man, this is gonna be fun!”

Gilda shook her head. “You sure this hero stuff is really for you, Dash? I mean, I get it with the plan and all, but you make it sound more like a sport.”

“Eh.” Dash shrugged. “Nothing wrong with saving ponies and kicking villains to the curb. Plus, I’ll have the best sidekick anyway.”

Thinking carefully about her next words and not wanting to spoil the celebration a second time, Gilda raised her glass. “Cheers, to great hero, Rainbow Dash!”

“Ha-ha!” Dash raised her own glass and smashed it into Gilda’s. Cider covered shards rained down onto the table. Dash blinked as the bravado fled her and was replaced with red on her cheeks. “Oops.”

~~~

“Well you always were good at making an entrance and an exit,” Gilda teased.

The duo walked along the Canterlot streets. Neon illuminated their path and much of the city with shop names, ads for the latest perfumes, and solicitations for a few less popular heroes that had to advertise rather the rely on word of mouth. Every couple of feet, an alley would provide a view of another part of the city just as bright.

However, here and there, an alley did not offer a glistening peek at the rest of the Canterlot but either dead-ended or twisted into a labyrinth that only a certain kind of citizen would know well. Even with all the boasts and the power to back it up, Dash and Gilda were still young girls. They may not have followed all the rules or heeded every word their parents and teachers gave, but there were some warnings they took to heart.

On the Canterlot streets at night, they stuck close and to the middle of the street. They kept up conversation, joked, and occasionally gave each other a slap on the back or a wing to the ribs, but their eyes were always looking around, carefully taking in the surroundings—a skill honed from flight practice.

As they walked, the crowds thinned and the buildings lost floors and grew smaller. Eventually, they reached a point where the road turned to dirt. Beyond that was grassland and distant mountains. Dash’s eyes were on a far-off cloud, its edges tickling the tip of the moon’s crescent.

Dash tapped Gilda on the shoulder. “Thanks a lot for coming out.”

“Eh.” Gilda shrugged. “I was here for the family, so why no—”

Gilda’s eyes sharpened like those of a hawk guarding its nest. Her wings flared out, and she charged at Dash without warning. Before Dash could even ask what in Celestia’s name Gilda was doing, some sort of crimson rock exploded into Gilda’s chest, right where Dash’s head had been a second earlier. Gilda gasped in pain as the stone tore through her flesh and buried itself in her chest. She went limp and crumpled on top of Dash.

“Gilda!” Dash screamed.

In a flurry of hooves and feathers, she flipped Gilda off and let out a deafening battle cry. Crackling filled the air as she reared up and slammed her hooves down, sending out a thunderous discharge. At the same time, her wings flared. Lightning arced off her, blackening the ground, but no bolt struck anywhere near Gilda. Barring her teeth, Dash roared, “Show yourself! I’ll te—”

A groan from Gilda stifled Dash. The winds died down and the lightning ceased. Turning her back, she rushed to Gilda’s side. “Gilda! Don’t move! I’ll get yo—”

Gilda’s eyes flared back open. Even though Dash knew the glare Gilda wore was directed at their assailant, it still sent a chill down her spine. With a grunt, she slammed a paw into the dirt. “Son of a bitch! What in Tartarus hit me?!”

“Wait! Wait!” Dash urged. She reached out to put pressure on the wound, but just felt feathers. “Huh?” She pulled back her leg and found it dry. “Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” Gilda grumbled as she stood back up.

“Whatever tried to take us out!” Dash stomped the ground and glanced out into the distance. “Dammit! Forget it, let’s just get out of here!”

Both rocketed off the ground and darted back into Canterlot. As Dash flew, her scowl deepened. It was only thanks to the late hour and the attack occurring on the outskirts of Canterlot that nopony had seen her summon the weather. That shook her to the core almost as much as the actual attack.

~~~

The wind howled around the top of the mountain. A near constant assault by snow, steep peaks, and treacherous crevices made reaching the summit virtually impossible. Even the Guard knew terrain like this was too harsh and dangerous for training.

On a rare night like this, when the clouds parted and the pale moonlight glistened off the snow, the summit provided a clear view of Canterlot off in the distance. Even at night, with its glitz and glamor, it was the perfect match to the radiant air Celestia carried.

The glow of the moon cast twisted shadows of cliffs and peaks across the barren snow. Amidst the silhouettes of the mountain’s features, there was one shade stretched across the snowy canvas that stood apart from the rest. The moon distorted the shape, but limbs, torso, and a horned head with a wild mane whipping about were discernable.

The shadow’s owner glared down and watched as Rainbow Dash and Gilda soared back into Canterlot’s confines. With a snort, the magnification spell canceled out, and Canterlot once more appeared miles away.

“Damn.” A hoof slammed into the snow. The ground beneath it shuddered, the cliffs nearby loosed their swollen snowbanks into the abyss, and fresh crevices tore open near the figure. “I’ll have to round up the scum.”

Author's Note:

If you're wondering what Pinkie's favorite jam is

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