My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Battling the Tides

“So, yer whole plan is to just keep wanderin’ around the city, hopin’ ya just happen to run into Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy? No offense, Applejack, but that really doesn’t seem like much of a plan,” Apple Bloom said, prompting a sigh from Applejack.

“Y’all ain’t exactly wrong there, sugar cube, it ain’t much of a plan. But, the way Ah figure it, not much of a plan’s still better than no plan at all, so until we can come up with a better idea, we’re just gonna keep searchin’.”

“And besides all that, our not-much-of-a-plan plan did allow us to find the three of you, so it’s hardly been a total loss,” Rarity added. “Now, while we’re on the subject of searching for our missing friends, does anyone have any idea where we should start looking today?”

“Ooh, how about down by the boardwalk?” Scootaloo suggested eagerly. “That place looked pretty awesome, and we haven’t had the chance to really check it out yet.”

“Scootaloo, we’re supposed to be lookin’ fer Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, not funnel cake,” Apple Bloom admonished her friend.

“Actually, the boardwalk doesn’t sound like all that bad a place to look,” Applejack said. “It definitely sounds like the sort of place Pinkie Pie’d head towards, and if she’s there then likely as not Fluttershy’s gonna be there too.

“Awesome! So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Scootaloo cheered before rushing off as fast as she could.

“I realize Rainbow Dash is only her honorary older sister, yet I still somehow see the family resemblance,” Rarity said mildly as they watched Scootaloo go.

“Loud, always rushing off everywhere, doesn’t always think things through before doing them…yeah, that’s pretty much both of them. I still say they might be distant cousins or something, like you two and Pinkie Pie,” Sweetie Belle said.

“We can gab about who might be related to who later, let’s get after her before she manages to get out of sight,” Applejack said. A quick round of murmured agreements followed and the rest of the group hurried after Scootaloo towards the boardwalk area. True to Appejack’s assessment, the Aquarius City boardwalk was the exact sort of place one would have expected to find Pinkie Pie. Everywhere one looked, there was another arcade, souvenir stand or vendor offering food that was some combination of sweet, deep fried, or on a stick. Altogether, it rivaled Las Pegasus as the worst source of sensory overload Applejack had ever had to deal with.

“You know, I hate to admit it, but I’m starting to think Apple Bloom may be right about our needing a new plan of action,” Rarity said after an hour of searching had failed to yield any results. “With all the crowds and noise around here, even Pinkie Pie might not stand out, and even if she did we could wander around this city for days without ever seeing her.”

“Well, if y’all have any ideas than Ah’m all ears,” Applejack replied. “Believe me, Ah wish Ah had a better plan than this. It ain’t like Pinkie Pie’s just gonna fly out and crash into us or anythin’.” Before Rarity could respond, a sudden gust of wind sent an errant piece of paper straight into her face.

“Ew! How do the people here stand all this—” Rarity let out a sudden gasp as she glanced down as the paper before excitedly pointing at it. “Applejack! Look! It’s Pinkie Pie!”

“What in tarnation are y’all talkin’ about?” Applejack grumbled as she took a look at the paper. Sure enough, the flyer, an apparent advertisement for a local restaurant, sported a picture of a triumphantly grinning Pinkie Pie. “Well Ah’ll be. Says here she’s somethin’ called the ‘Beach Battle Champion’, whatever that means. Well, at least that proves Pinkie really was here at some point. We should probably check this place out and see if they have any idea where she is now.”

*********

“Pinkie Pie? Oh, our tournament champion, I remember here. Kind of hard to forget her, actually. Nice girl, though. Are you friends of hers?” Makoa asked as he looked at the flyer Rarity showed him.

“We are, though I’m a little surprised Pinkie Pie would have gotten involved in a tournament like that. It doesn’t really seem like the sort of thing-“

“The prize was a year’s supply of malasadas,” Makoa interjected.

“Ah, never mind then. Mystery solved,” Rarity said as the others nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, would y’all happen to know where the hay she went off to? We’ve been tryin’ to catch up with her fer a while now, and this is the closest we’ve gotten so far.” Makoa looked thoughtful for a moment before responding.

“I don’t know exactly where she is right now, but I’m pretty sure I heard that she and her friends were at the gym when the whole mess at the docks when down. You might want to try asking Captain Trask, he’d know more than I would.”

“Hold on there just one second. What ‘whole mess’?” Applejack asked warily.

*********

“So, I was wondering, the other friend they said was with Pinkie Pie, could that have been Discord? Because this feels like a Discord-type mess,” Sweetie Belle said as the group stood in front of what had formerly been ‘Smilin’ Jack’s Seafood’, and was now the temporary home of the Aquarius City Gym. The story that the original gym had sailed off, supposedly with their friends in tow, had been difficult to believe at first. But, a trip to the docks and the sight of the devastated moorings had proven that something disastrous had indeed occurred. A lack of details as to what precisely had transpired, not to mention how their friends might have been involved, now led the group to this abandoned seafood restaurant-turned gym.

“Not that I’m particularly inclined to defend Discord, but I don’t think this was his doing,” Rarity said. “As much as Discord is, well, Discord, he does tend to maintain a certain personal-style with his antics, and this just doesn’t feel like him.”

“If y’all say so,” Applejack replied, not sounding particularly convinced. “Anyhow, this here’s the best lead we’ve gotten since we got here, so we better check it out.” A loud crash was heard as part of the restaurant signage came loose and fell to the ground. “Let’s just hope the gym leader ain’t so sore that he won’t talk to us.” The rest of the ground murmured their agreement as they all went inside. The interior of the makeshift gym was in just as sorry a state as the outside. While the building clearly hadn’t been used as a restaurant in some time, the furnishings were all still present, even down to the tacky and aging nautical decorations festooning the walls. The light fixtures, or at least those that were still intact, were all out, however, leaving the only illumination coming from what little sunlight could penetrate the filthy windows.

“It’s hard to believe this place is really being used as a gym,” Sweetie Belle said as she looked around the decaying dining room. “When we came here for Apple Bloom’s battle, I thought somebody had given us the wrong address as a prank or something. I mean, this place is so—”

“Messy?” Rarity suggested.

“Creepy?” Scootaloo added.

“Depressin’?” Apple Bloom said.

“Small, I was going to say small. It really doesn’t seem like you’d have enough room to have any sort of Pokémon battle here at all,” Sweetie Belle said. “Although, those other answers aren’t exactly wrong, either.”

“Yarr, well excuse me. If’n I’d have know the Queen of Galar was comin’ to visit, I’d have cleaned the place up a bit,” an irate voice called out from behind what had once been the restaurant’s bar. Moments later, a beleaguered-looking man in a dark blue raincoat attempted to pull himself up from behind the bar, only to give up and crash back down to the floor partway through.

“Y’all alright over there?” Applejack called out as she headed over to see if the man was hurt.

“Aye, I’m doin’ just fine and dandy. Nothin’ but gumdrops and lollipops as far as the eye can see,” came the sarcastic reply as the man pulled himself back up. “Sure, me gym, which was also me home, got Shanghaied and then run around, so I’m reduced to livin’ in me family’s old restaurant, but other than that, I’m just peachy.”

“Hold on a sec, are y’all sayin’ yer the Aquarius Gym Leader?” Applejack asked in shock.

“Yep, that’s him,” Apple Bloom replied. “Ah had a hard time believin’ it at first when Ah came here fer mah gym battle with him, but he’s it.”

“Aye, I remember ye now, we battle fer yer second badge a day or two ago. So, what brings ye girls back to this wretched place – I mean, to me gym?” Trask asked.

“We were actually hopin’ y’all could tell us a bit about what happened to yer old gym,” Applejack said. “We’ve been tryin’ to track down a couple of our friends, and we heard they might’ve been mixed up in that whole mess somehow.”

“And just what makes ye think yer friends were the ones involved in me tragedy? And, more importantly, what makes ye think I’d be inclined to help ye if that were the case?”

“Look, Ah ain’t gonna try sayin’ that y’all don’t have a powerful reason to be sore at someone, but Ah ain’t convinced that mah friends were the one’s responsible fer yer troubles. Ah’ve known both of them fer years, and Celestia knows they can cause plenty of trouble without meanin’ to (especially Pinkie Pie). But, Ah also know that neither of ‘em would have destroyed somebody’s home, least not on purpose.” Trask looked he was about to resond to this before a though suddenly appeared to strike him.

“Ye said one of yer friends went by the name Pinkie Pie? She wouldn’t happen to be an overly cheery sort, probably should lay off the coffee a bit?”

“Lay off the sugar’d be a bit closer to the mark, but yeah, that’s her alright. So, Ah’m guessin’ ya’ll have met her, at least?” Applejack asked hopefully.

“Aye, that I have. She was the trainer I battled right before me gym was taken fer a joyride. Last I saw, she was still on the accursed thing when it was sailin’ off into the horizon.”

“Gaah! Y’all mean to say she and Fluttershy are already someplace else? Consarn dagnabbit—” Applejack paused her fury for a moment as she realized her impressionable younger sister was present before excusing herself and storming outside, where she continued her tirade.

“Yeesh, Ah haven’t seen Applejack that worked up since our prize apple lost to a strawberry at the last county fair,” Apple Bloom said as snippets of an archaic cursing fit could be heard from outside.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, darling,” Rarity said. “We’ve simply had something of an…overly eventful trip here, and Applejack just needs a little time to work the stress out of her system. In the meantime, I don’t suppose you’d happen to have any idea where our friends might have headed after your gym ran aground?”

“Arr, I haven’t a clue. They went ashore and reported it, but after that I haven’t heard a whisper about them. Been a bit too buys getting’ me new gym sorted out and whatnot.” Trask plopped himself down in a nearby chair as he spoke, only for its legs to give out and send him crashing to the floor in a flurry of unintelligible cursing.

“Between the captain and Applejack, I really hope Sweetie Belle gets through this without picking up any additions to her vocabulary,” Rarity thought to herself as she watched Trask pull himself back to his feet. While the Aquarius City Gym Leader might not have known where Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were precisely, Rarity suspected he likely had at least some clue to the general direction they were headed. “Provided, of course, that something can be done to put him in a more helpful mood. There has to be something I can do to nudge Mr. Trask out of this rut. Think, Rarity, what would you do if you were dealing with a fellow designer who’d all but given up after a professional disaster? I suppose I’d usually try and find some way of reigniting their spark of passion, but how would I do that here?” Rarity suddenly let out a gasp as a metaphorical lightbulb went off in her head. “Pardon me, Mr.—”

“That be ‘Captain’, missy,” Trask snapped almost reflexively.

“Ah, I apologize, Captain Trask, I was wondering if I could impose on you for a gym battle before we leave to continue our search for our friends,” Rarity asked.

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed in shock at her older sister’s request. “I know you said you’ve been challenging gyms too, but is this really a good time for that?” As Sweetie Belle spoke, she gave a meaningful glace out the front window towards Applejack, who had only just started to calm down.

“Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle, I know exactly what I’m doing. Well, Captain, what do you say? I would understand if you don’t feel that you’re up to it, given the condition of your current facility—"

“Yarr, fallin’ apart or not, this place still be the Aquarius City Gym, at least until I get me old gym back, and proper gym or not I still be the gym leader. So I’ll be acceptin’ yer challenge, and don’t think I won’t be sendin’ yer Pokémon dow to Davey Jones’ locker!”

“Well, we’ll see about that, now won’t we?” Rarity replied before glancing around the decrepit dining room. “So, will we need to clear the tables away, or…”

“Don’t be daft, lass, follow me,” Trask said as motioned for Rarity to follow him through the dining room. Trask proceeded to lead Rarity to what at one point had been an outside dining area overlooking the shore. While the furniture here was in even more dire shape than what was inside, the view of the ocean the space offered was still quite impressive. “Since the old restaurant don’t really be set up fer havin’ battles, I’ve taken the gym’s arena out into open water. I hope ye don’t mind gettin’ wet, because in this gym, the whole battlefield’s a splash zone!” As Trask spoke, Rarity took a closer look at the waters stretching out before the restaurant and saw that there were two circular platforms floating in the water, each about ten feet across.

“I see. Well, that does seem appropriate for a Water-Type gym. Now, how exactly does one reach the platforms? Is there a boat, or…” Rarity asked, her voice trailing off uneasily.

“Yarr, well, if ye don’t want to try swimmin’ over to it, then there’s a canoe down on the shore. As fer me…” Trask tossed out a Poké Ball over the water, unleashing a snarling, blue, piscine Pokémon that looked to be predominately razor-sharp teeth. “Avast, Sharpedo, get me to the platform! I’ve got a challenger to battle!” The Sharpedo growled as Trask hopped onto its back before it rocketed through the water towards the further platform.

“I’ll give him this, he does certainly know how to set the stage,” Rarity said as she clambered down to the shore, where she found an old, beat-up canoe along with a few thoughtfully provided life jackets. Upon seeing the jackets, however, Rarity let out a resigned sigh.

“Is there something wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked from vantage point up on the patio.

“No, it’s nothing,” Rarity said, despite wincing a little as she put on one of the life jackets. “It’s just that orange is a terrible color for me, especially this shade. It clashes terribly with my hair and doesn’t work at all with my complexion.”

“Arr, the jackets be fer yer safety, not fer complimentin’ yer outfit! Now, hurry up and get out here so we can get this battle started,” Trask growled impatiently. “Though, I suppose I should be askin’ one thing first. Which of yer badges will ye be battlin’ fer?”

“This would be my – Oof! – my third badge,” Rarity replied as she pushed the canoe into the water and clambered inside. “You really should think about adding a way to access your arena that isn’t quite so…aquatic.”

“Well, the circumstances here aren’t really the best fer anyone, but we make do. Now, prepare yerself, missy, because yer about to face the ragin’ fury of the seas themselves. Cloyster! Go!” With that, Trask threw out his first Poké Ball, unveiling a massive mollusk with a lavender-grey shell covered in spike and protuberances. A menacingly grinning face peered out from inside the shell, half-concealed by the seawater of the arena.

“A shellfish? Well, I won’t complain if you want to stay on the defensive,” Rarity said as she finally reached her platform and climbed out of the canoe. “As for myself, I think I’ll be playing things a bit more straightforward. Go Prinplup!”

“So, it’s a sea-battle yer wantin’, is it? I think I can accommodate ye. Cloyster, give that seabird a taste of yer broadside. Ice Shard!” The moment Trask spoke, Cloyster’s front-facing spike began to glow a bright blue as a ball of similarly colored energy formed in front of it. Moments later, the sphere erupted as a stream of icicles burst forth straight towards Prinplup.

“Prinplup! Bubble Beam!” Rarity yelled out, prompting Prinplup to exhale its own attack and send a cloud of deep blue bubbles towards Cloyster. The two attacks met in the middle with a small explosion, sending a combination of mist and ice shards flying in every direction. Neither attack canceled the other out, however, and several icicles sailed through the collision to strike Prinplup. Cloyster fared little better, as numerous bubbles survived to detonate against its shell. “Hmm, not bad, but I think this battle calls for a more avant-garde approach. Prinplup, use Bide, if you please.” Prinplup gave Rarity a questioning look as it seemed to brace itself for something, a faint white glow surrounding its form.

“A bold move, but are ye really so sure it was a wise one? Cloyster, cut it down with yer Razor Shell!” Cloyster let out a low, evil chuckle as the spines on its sides began to glow, until bright blue blades of energy extended out from them. It then proceeded to rocket forward through the water and slammed directly into Prinplup. Prinplup took the attack head on, continuing to brace itself as the glow surrounding it started to intensify.

“What the hay does Rarity think she’s doin’?” Apple Bloom and her friends turned away from the battle to see Applejack standing behind them wearing an annoyed expression. “She’s just havin’ her Pokémon sit there and take a beatin’ like it’s a dirty rug or somethin’.” Sure enough, Prinplup continued to hold still as Trask ordered his Cloyster to launch attack after attack.

“Ah dunno, Applejack, Ah think there’s somethin’ else goin’ on, too,” Apple Bloom said. “Trask seems awfully worked up over somethin’, and he wasn’t like that at all when Ah battled him.”

“Whatever it is, I think we’re about to see it go off! Look!” Scootaloo exclaimed. The white glow Prinplup had been emitting had now intensified to the point that it almost completely obscured its form, which appeared to be what Rarity had been waiting for.

“Alright, Prinplup, that’s enough.” For a brief moment, Prinplup relaxed itself as the glowing light surrounding it flowed and concentrated into the ends of its flippers. This brief moment of serenity was swiftly shattered, however, as Prinplup proceeded to thrust its flippers forward towards Cloyster, unleashing the pent-up energy in a massive torrent. The energy blast struck Cloyster square on the side of its shell with enough force to send it flying clear out of the water, landing several yards away with a loud splash. “It’s like I’ve always told Sweetie Belle, a little patience can go a long way.”

“Pat yerself on the back all ye like, y’ve still got two Pokémon to go afore ye’ve won this battle, and me next Pokémon won’t be beaten so easily. Go Quagsire!” Trask tossed out his next Poké Ball, revealing his Quagsire, which promptly crashed into the water before poking its head back up with a vacant expression plastered on its face.

“I can’t really say what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that,” Rarity said as she watched Quagsire bob up and down in the water, all the while staring blankly ahead.

“Be careful, Rarity!” Apple Bloom cried out. “That Quagsire of his might look goofy, but it’s a lot tougher than it looks!”

“I suspected as much; I can’t imagine a gym leader would use a Pokémon like that if it didn’t have something special on the inside. No matter, Prinplup, darling, use your Bubble Beam attack,” Rarity commanded.

“Ye’ll need to do much bore than offer me Quagsire a bubble bath if ye want to win this. Quagsire, use Amnesia!” From Quagsire’s unchanging expression it wasn’t entire clear if it had even heard Trask’s order. Regardless, a visible blue glow began to outline Quagsire’s body even as it was battered by Prinplup’s onslaught of exploding bubbles.

“Very well, the, if a change in tactics is in order…Prinplup! Move in and use Fury Attack!” Prinplup nodded its head as it rushed through the water towards Quagsire, which barely even seemed to register that its opponent was hurtling towards it. Once it closed the distance, Prinplup began viciously jabbing at Quagsire’s face with its beak, which finally managed to produce a reaction from Quagsire as it flinched away.

“Darn it, Quagsire, don’t just float there like a lump of driftwood, use Mud Bomb!” Quagsire’s cheeks promptly puffed out, even as Prinplup’s blows continued to rain down on it. Before Prinplup could full process what was happening, Quagsire spat out a massive glob of mud directly into its face, striking with enough force to throw Prinplup back.

“Ew! Gross gross gross!” Rarity cried out as she watched Prinplup flounder back to the surface, the sticky mud still coating the front of its torso. “Don’t worry, Prinplup, once this battle is over, I’ll see to it that you get a proper spa treatment to wash out that revolting muck. In the meantime, perhaps it would be better to keep your distance from that…thing. Use another Bubble Beam attack!”

“Aw, what’s the matter, miss? Is the battle gettin’ a bit too rough fer ye? Quagsire, give that prissy little penguin another taste of yer Mud Bomb!” With Prinplup’s bubbles bursting all around it, Quagsire fired back with a barrage of clumps of mud, one of which struck Prinplup square in the face. The unfortunate Pokémon let out a squawk of alarm as it toppled back into the water and desperately tried to wipe the mud from its eyes.

“Of all the…Prinplup, Fury Attack!” Every bit as enraged as its trainer, Prinplup threw itself back at Quagsire with a vengeance and unleashed another frenzied assault with its beak. Partly blinded by Quagsire’s attack, however, most of Prinplup’s attacks completely missed their mark, and in the end, it only managed to land a few glancing blows.

“It looks like yer Prinplup’s all fury and no fight. Quagsire, why don’t ye use another Amnesia while ye have the chance.”

“That. Is. It.” Rarity snarled as she stretched out the arm she wore her Z-ring on. “I had hoped to save this for a bit later, but clearly that isn’t really an option anymore. Prinplup, get ready,” Rarity called out as she began forming the poses for her attack, while Prinplup mimicked her movements. “Breakneck Blitz!” Rarity’s Z-ring exploded with light as streams of golden energy flowed from it into Prinplup. The energy was rapidly absorbed into Prinplup’s body before it launched itself forward, as though it had been shot from a cannon, hurtling towards Quagsire at a terrifying speed. True to form, Quagsire barely even seemed to register the incoming threat until Prinplup slammed into it with enough force to send it skipping along the surface of the water.

“Arr, well, let’s just say Quagsire’s no longer able to battle and leave it at that,” Trask said as he recalled his Quagsire to its ball.

“In fairness, I think Prinplup has had just about enough for the time being as well,” Rarity admitted as she recalled her exhausted Pokémon. “There’s really no point in forcing it to keep battling like this when I still have two perfectly fine Pokémon ready to go against your…I believe this is your last Pokémon, isn’t it?” Rarity asked with an air of false innocence.

“Aye, it may be, but unlike ye I still have me Z-move ready to do, so don’t think ye have the advantage just yet. Go Carvanha!”

“Go Tauros.” Rarity’s Tauros landed in the water with an audible splash, where it floundered about for a bit before managing to find its equilibrium.

“So, do ye expect that lumberin’ lump to actually fight me Carvanha, or are ye just offerin’ it a side of beef to snack on? Either way, I’m not about to take it easy on ye. Carvanha! Get ready to send that best to the briny deep with—”

“Tauros, Horn Attack.” Tauros let out an angry bellow as Rarity’s command cut Trask off, before slamming its head down into the water. Moments later, Tauros violently resurfaced, tossing a hapless Carvanha upwards into the air as it did so. As Carvanha plummeted back down, Tauros took the opportunity to slam its horns into it, tossing Carvanha away like a ragdoll.

“That…didn’t be goin’ quite as I had been expectin’,” Trask said as he looked down at his Carvanha, which was floating by on its side completely unconscious. “Well, Carvanha’s been thoroughly keelhauled, and seein’ as how that was the last of me Pokémon, that would mean yer the winner of this battle. Congratulations, I’ll get ye yer plunder as soon as we get back to shore.”

“Ah, yes, about that,” Rarity said as she noticed that the canoe had drifted back to the beach during the battle, leaving her stranded on her platform.

Trask gave Rarity an evil grin. “What’s the matter, ye can swim, can’t ye?”

*********

“—only, when he tried that on me, Ah just had one of mah Pokémon carry me back,” Apple Bloom explained. “Ah didn’t even realize those platform thingies had motors under ‘em.”

“To be fair, with things bein’ the way they are, I think I’m allowed a little joke here and there. I never expected ye to actually try swimmin’ back,” Trask added. Rarity, meanwhile, said nothing to this, merely continuing to glare murderously at the gym leader as she sat dripping wet on the patio chair. “Anyways, ye did beat me fair and square, so ye’ve earned these; a Tide badge and a bit of Waterinium-Z,” Trask said in a bid to change the subject, handing Rarity a small box containing her badge and Z-crystal.

“Thank you,” Rarity said tersely as she accepted the box.

“Rarity, fer Celestia’s sake would y’all let it go already? A little sea water ain’t gonna hurt ya none, and we’ve got bigger problems then yer outfit needin’ a wash. In case y’all’ve forgotten, we missed Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and now we ain’t got a clue where they are or where they’re headed.” Applejack said.

“Well, truth be told, I might be able to help ye a bit with that last point,” Trask said. “I couldn’t tell ye where yer friends are right now or where they’re headed, but I can tell ye where they’ll be goin’ eventually. Keystone City.”

“And just how in the hay would y’all know that?” Applejack demanded.

“Simple, if yer pink-haired friend’s collectin’ gym badges, the she’ll get sent off to Keystone once she get’s her fourth badge.” Trask replied.

“And why would that be?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll be happy to tell ye all about it, once ye get yer fourth badge,” Trask smirked, only to quickly shrink under the withering glares he received from Rarity and Applejack. “There be things involved in trainin’ Pokémon that not everybody can be trusted to handle, that’s why we wait until someone’s gotten four of their badges. But, mark me words, once yer friends have four badges they’ll be sent straight off to Keystone.”

“Wonderful, and we were already in Keystone at the beginning of this whole mess,” Rarity growled. “So now I suppose we need to try going through that blasted mountain pass again and—”

“Nuh uh,” Applejack said firmly. “Tryin’ to go around that swamp is what got us into this mess in the first place. Sorry, Rarity, but Ah ain’t gonna risk goin’ through that mess a second time.”

“Oh no, Applejack, you’re not really suggesting—”

“Ah ain’t suggestin’ anything’. This time, we’re goin’ strait through the swamp.”

Comments

[KnightMysterio]

Rarity: "But... the mud... and the FILTH."

Applejack: "A little muck won't kill ya."

Rarity: "YES IT WILL!"

Applejack: "Y'all have taken mud baths at the spa before!"

Rarity: "That is EXTRAORDINARILY different and I am prepared to go on for as long as Twilight does about all the differences."

Applejack: "Absolutely not. GIRLS! We're leaving!"

Rarity: "Wait, I still have a slideshow I need to set up!"

[Alabenson]

11464214
This is now the in-cannon conversation that followed the end of the chapter

[ANW]

11465012
As Applejack was dragging Rarity away.
Trask:I wonder when they will realize that the mud there is a bit more toxic then they think. Yahahhahaha