10
10
Apple Bloom took a deep breath to steady herself, taking in the sights and smells of a crisp autumn morning. She loved the fall season – the oranges and reds of the trees, the crispy cool climate, the Fall Harvest… it all reminded her of apples, and apples were definitely a comfort to her. They were a symbol of their family, and a symbol of home.
Taking in that breath, she felt a bittersweet sensation that soon home would be behind her, even if it was only temporary. It was also somewhat difficult to breathe properly with the massive, overburdened saddlebags she was carrying.
“I’m so excited!” Scootaloo jumped in the air, her wings fluttering futilely in an effort to keep her afloat, “Can you believe this? A royal job!”
“I wasn’t expecting to work for our fall break,” Sweetie Belle giggled, “but I’m not complaining.”
“It was nice of Ms. Cheerilee to move fall break so we wouldn’t miss too much class,” the pegasus noted. She saw Apple Bloom staring back in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. “Homesick already, Apple Bloom?”
“What?” the farm filly drawled before snapping back into reality, “I guess so. I’ve never been away from my family or my home for more than a week. We don’t know how long we’ll be in Canterlot helping Princess Celestia.”
“It’s not so bad, moving around,” Sweetie Belle said, “Mom and dad told me moving in with Rarity would help ‘broaden my horizons’. Think of it like an adventure!”
“My family’s pretty sedentary, besides my sister going off to save the world,” Apple Bloom snorted, “I’m just not used to it, is all. How about you, Scootaloo? Are you worried about leaving home, too?”
“Home?” the orange filly blinked, as if not recognizing the word for an instant. She recovered quickly, smiling. “My home is wherever my friends are.”
“Tacky~!” Sweetie Belle sing-songed, causing her friends to laugh. As it died down, Scootaloo nudged Sweetie Belle.
“Don’t look now, but here comes your drakefriend,” the pegasus whispered.
“It was one dance!” Sweetie Belle scowled, then put on a smile for the approaching dragon.
“I’m here to see you off,” Spike bowed, “just like I promised.”
“Every bit the gentledrake,” Apple Bloom curtsied in return, the gesture so painstakingly executed that her friends raised eyebrows in curiosity. When the farm filly had risen, she continued, “You didn’t have to come, you know. We spent all day yesterday together, and it got pretty late last night, what with the ghost stories.”
“Aw, poor Spike,” Sweetie Belle gasped in realization, “you didn’t have any pony to sleep next to last night!”
“I had my own tent,” Spike chuckled, “It was pretty roomy, actually.”
“What Sweetie Belle means is you didn’t have any pony there to help you feel safe,” Scootaloo explained, “Weren’t you scared by the stories?”
“Of course I was scared!” Spike exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at the gathering of older ponies before whispering, “I still can’t get that one about the clown out of my head!”
“How in Equestria did you get to sleep last night, then?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Years of practice,” the dragon smirked, “Well, the train will be here soon and your sisters wanna say goodbye, so I’ll quit wasting time.”
“Talking with you is never a waste of time, Spike,” Apple Bloom gave a friendly smile, her words causing the other fillies to exchange knowing smirks, “Thanks for coming to see us off; have a great week!”
“Thanks, you too!” the dragon said, moving back and making way for Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack.
“Alright, kiddo,” Applejack double-checked the large saddlebags, “All your snacks are in order, you got a decent amount of bits – bring us back a souvenir if you can – emergency clothes, sun lotion, fire-proof boots…”
“Why do I need half this stuff?” Apple Bloom grunted under the weight of the bags, “We’re probably not even staying the whole week!”
“An excellent question,” Rarity looked at the other two, before inhaling sharply, “Twilight spoke to me about the perks of studying under a Princess yesterday morn, and I in-turn explained it to Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”
“Okay…” Sweetie Belle tilted her head, “Except we aren’t studying – we’re helping with a problem.”
“From what I’ve heard, Princess Luna is taking on her own students,” Rainbow explained, “and she’s open to taking a few more…”
“Whoa, seriously?!” Scootaloo grinned at the idea, then frowned, “Wait, how much is tuition?”
“What the hay is tuition?” Rainbow knitted her brow at the question.
“Let’s pretend it isn’t an issue, alright?” Applejack said, “The point is, if Princess Celestia or Luna offer you a chance to study with them, we want you to know you can take it without worrying about us.”
“I, uh, made sure it was okay with your parents, Scootaloo,” Rainbow said with a knowing inflection, “They assured me they’d pay for any expenses.”
“You…” the pegasus filly started, then trailed off, “They don’t have to do that.”
“Shoot, no family would want their fillies to miss out on a chance to study under one of the Princesses!” Applejack said, “But, uh… if you don’t want to, if they offer just say no.”
“It’s just that we don’t want you to pass up the opportunity to study with them just because you’re worried about what we’d say,” Rarity smiled, “or how much it would cost.”
“You have our – and your parents’ – full support,” Rainbow Dash said with finality.
“We’ll have to think about it,” Apple Bloom frowned.
“I think it’d be great,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Me too!” Scootaloo pranced in place, wings fluttering, “Well, if they even offer.”
“Yeah, they probably won’t,” Apple Bloom laughed nervously.
Applejack frowned as she caught that anxious undertone in her sister’s voice. She had been panicked about the news Apple Bloom was leaving since she heard it, but only now did it sink in that this was the first time Apple Bloom would be away from home for an extended period of time without family. Applejack remembered her own trepidation whenever she left Ponyville and the sanctum of Sweet Apple Acres, but after Nightmare Moon, defeating villains seemed more important than her fears of leaving home. The thought of returning, one day, kept that fear from ever surfacing; she knew she’d see the farm again, partly because she had left before and come back.
Apple bloom didn’t have that, yet.
“Listen, sugar cube,” the peach-tone pony said, firmly, “you’ll see home again, so in the meantime, try and see the world. You always wanted to see where Zecora’s from, right?”
“Right…” Apple Bloom managed an abashed smile.
“Well, it’s a lot farther from here than Canterlot is,” the older of the two smirked.
“Think of this like a training exercise,” Rainbow explained to Scootaloo, though her words were for Apple Bloom, “You start by going somewhere not too far away, then work your way up. Before you know it, you’re in Griffonstone! Or, in your case Apple Bloom, wherever Zecora is from.”
“Why can’t Cheerilee keep being our teacher?” Apple Bloom asked.
“She can be your teacher,” Applejack assured her, “you don’t have to say yes just because they offer.”
“And there are a great many things the Princesses can teach you that Cheerilee simply cannot,” Rarity explained, “but I shan’t get your hopes up. After all, there’s no guarantee they’ll make the offer.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “Still, if they do offer, then we don’t want you to pass it up because of what we think. Or, uh, what your parents think.”
“Gee willikers, here comes the train!” Applejack blanched, “Let’s do a quick run through the checklist to-”
“Applejack…” her brother’s deep voice warned as he approached, carrying additional saddlebags.
“Sorry, Big Mac,” the farmer gave a sheepish smile, “I’m sure you can handle it from here.”
“Get ready, girls,” the eldest of the Apple siblings said as the train pulled up.
The fillies said their goodbyes as their older sisters watched them board the train, teary-eyed. Big Mac traded a few parting words with Spike, telling him they’d set up a Guy’s Night schedule when the dragon finally arrived in Canterlot. As the train started to depart, the send-off party stepped back from the tracks and waved their final goodbyes to their departing friends and family, missing them before they had even left their sight.
“I’m surprised the others didn’t show up,” Applejack noted, “I know it’s a Monday morning, and all, but it ain’t like them to just disappear.”
As if to prove her point, Fluttershy sped in, out-of-breath and looking ready to cry as she saw the smoke of the train disappearing over the horizon.
“Oh no!” she huffed between pants, “I missed it! Oh, and I had Discord help me prepare some trail mix for them, too…”
“Don’t worry, Flutters,” Rainbow Dash put a comforting wing around her friends’ shoulders, “The girls were so excited to get going they barely noticed we were here.”
“Still, it was very rude of me not to be here,” the yellow pegasus sighed in resignation, “Where are Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight?”
“Well, Twilight wouldn’t oversleep…” Spike stroked his chin in thought, “She must be pretty busy if she missed this, though.”
“I imagine Pinkie Pie kept Starlight up pretty late while visiting Maud,” Rainbow chuckled, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were still sleeping off a sugar high.”
“Ugh, one was enough for this month,” Rarity shook her head, “I couldn’t imagine having to deal with two late-night sugar binges in a row! I must find out how Pinkie Pie can manage it and maintain that figure…”
After sharing a laugh, the friends left the station to return to their usual weekly duties. The mares stuck together for as long as possible while Spike departed straight back to the castle.
“You really think the Princesses will offer them lessons?” Applejack asked.
“Sweetie Belle, perhaps,” Rarity noted, sadly, causing the farmer and cyan pegasus to round on her with inquisitive glares, “I’m sorry, but I can’t recall a single student the Princesses have had that wasn’t a unicorn.”
“She has a point,” Fluttershy said, “Even Starlight and Trixie are unicorns…”
“There are still plenty of promising careers in Canterlot,” Rarity said, quickly, “Admittedly, most of the more glamorous ones are held by unicorns, but there are others held exclusively by pegasi and earth ponies!”
“Like?” Applejack drawled.
“Uh…” the unicorn looked around, “Royal Guard?”
“They’re too young to join the Royal Guard!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, then smiled, “But Scootaloo would look pretty awesome in that armor.”
“That’s not fair,” the farmer shook her head in disgust, “Apple Bloom is an intelligent and caring pony, and she can’t find a successful career in Canterlot or be trained by the Princesses?”
“She can be successful,” Rarity said, quickly, “Think of all the greatest business-ponies in Equestria! Almost all of them are earth ponies.”
“And swindlers!” Applejack cringed, “You really want Apple Bloom to be like Filthy Rich, or Gladmane?”
“No pony said that,” Fluttershy shuddered at the thought of sweet Apple Bloom becoming anything like that particular stallion.
“Filthy Rich is hardly a swindler,” Rainbow laughed, “He got where he is by working hard and being the best in the business.”
“Oh, please,” Applejack muttered, “He might be an old business partner of the family, but that don’t change the fact he got where he is by strangling the life out of all the businesses in town.”
“My business is just fine, thank you very much,” the unicorn sniffed, “I think some pony is just jealous of Mr. Rich’s success.”
“Oh yeah?” Applejack glared at the unicorn in challenge, “Why in the hay would I be jealous of him? I have a family and friends that love me, a roof over my head, and three warm meals a day.”
“You’re also overworked and struggling to make ends meet, despite working your flank off every day!” Rainbow pointed out.
“Then that just shows Applejack was right and this is unfair,” Fluttershy noted, “Filthy Rich doesn’t do nearly as much as Applejack does, and he manages to set the prices for her family’s apple products in his favor. He’s getting rich off Applejack’s work while she struggles to keep the farm running.”
“Hey…” the farmer furrowed her brow, “you’re right! The prices are in Filthy’s favor!”
“Well, then that just shows you have no head for business!” Rarity snapped, “Honestly, your being poor has nothing to do with unfairness or Mr. Rich, but…”
She trailed off as she realized she had just called Applejack poor to her face. Looking back, she saw that even Rainbow was wincing. The two pegasi backed away from the earth pony standing defiantly, hat upon her head. Applejack inhaled slowly, then turned and walked away. The response was so underwhelming that the others only watched for a moment before galloping after her.
“Applejack, wait!” Rarity hurried after her, finding the long, quick strides of the earth mare more punishing than she was used to, “I didn’t mean it how it came out!”
“Oh yeah?” Applejack grunted, not slowing her pace.
“I only meant that you are, well… fiscally poor,” Rarity struggled to dig herself out of the hole she kept making, “B-but you are wealthy in the ways that matter, too.”
Applejack slowed a little at that, much to the unicorn’s relief, but then felt her heart drop when she listened to the farmer.
“It’s not the fact you called my family poor that bothers me; we are poor, at least compared to you, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight,” Applejack said, “It’s the fact you called me – excuse me – implied that my family was stupid, that our being poor is our own fault because we have ‘no head for business’. We agreed to those prices with Mr. Rich because it kept our products affordable and popular.”
“Th-then why were you outraged?” the unicorn blinked.
“Because Filthy Rich has been steadily marking up the prices,” Applejack explained, “but our prices have stayed the same because we knew it’d only make the products even more expensive and less popular. I’m only now realizing that Filthy Rich has no reason to keep increasing the prices, since we do the growing, the harvesting, the processing, and the packaging!”
“Sometimes the value of bits decreases, so he has to charge more…” Rarity said, weakly.
“Then why isn’t he paying us more to compensate?” Applejack demanded, “And he sets the darn prices, anyway! The only reason my bits don’t go as far as they used to is because Filthy Rich raises the prices on everything.”
“Well, the economy is a complicated creature…” Rarity tried to think of a way to explain it.
“Yeah, yeah,” Applejack kept walking, “Don’t waste your breath, Rarity; I’m just simple country rabble, remember? I’m poor because I’m too dumb to be otherwise.”
“I never said that!” the unicorn gasped, unable to follow her friend.
“Come on, AJ, you’re being unfair!” Rainbow yelled after the other mare.
“I think she has a point,” Fluttershy turned to leave, “Everything you said was just as insulting towards ponies like Pinkie Pie and myself, too. Just because we aren’t rich like you two…”
“We’re not rich,” Rainbow snorted, “Now, Celestia is rich.”
“When was the last time you worried about bills for your giant house in the sky?” Fluttershy asked, “The only reason I don’t have to is because I live off the land. Applejack works hard to run a farm, doing the fieldwork herself, goes to distant lands far away from her closest family and risks her life to save Equestria, and still manages to find time to spend with her friends. This past week you’ve called her rabble, said she had little reason to have a say in government, and now have called her whole family poor and, worse, that they deserve to be poor because they don’t understand business!”
“W-we didn’t say those things!” Rainbow Dash got angry, “I don’t remember saying those things! I would never say those things to a friend!”
Rarity looked less sure, but stayed silent.
“Well, that might not be how you said them, but that’s how we heard them,” Fluttershy said.
“Then your hearing is broken!” Rainbow snapped.
Fluttershy started walking away, but called back over her shoulder, “I’m surprised that every time one of us tries to explain why you’ve upset us, you blame us for being upset rather than yourselves for hurting our feelings.”
Rainbow fumed as she watched her oldest friend disappear in the crowd of ponies doing their daily runs. She and Rarity exchanged an odd look – a mixture of guilt, disappointment, frustration, and grief – before the unicorn went towards the Carousel Boutique. How did she keep managing to say the wrong things at the wrong time? It was very unlike her to be so tactless.
After a moment alone, Rainbow sighed and bolted into the air with a single, powerful flap of her wings. She couldn’t bog herself down with this drama; she had a job to get back to. There were more important things to worry about than some friendship in jeopardy.
…
Apple Bloom looked out the window, watching the countryside pass them by. On the benches near her were her two best friends and no pony else. They had managed to convince Big Mac to give them some privacy, though Apple Bloom had little idea why. She wasn’t feeling very talkative, and so far her friends had been nearly as silent, only trading whispers towards each other.
Apple Bloom frowned at the realization. Her best friends? Getting them away from witnesses? Whispering to each other behind her back? Uh-oh…
“So…” Sweetie Belle began in an overly-casual tone, “Do you like anybody?”
“What?” the earth filly did a double take at the suggestion, “No! Why would you girls think I liked any pony?”
“It doesn’t have to be any pony,” Scootaloo smirked, “It can be a griffon, or a donkey, or… a dragon.”
Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes, scowling. She saw where this was going, and it’d be a long train ride if they went there.
“I don’t like Spike,” she said, simply.
“Who said anything about Spike?” Sweetie Belle gave a look of mock surprise.
“Now that you mention it, though,” Scootaloo pretended as if she had to think it over on the spot, “you did seem pretty friendly with him back at the station…”
“Of course I was friendly,” Apple Bloom chose to look out the window. If her friends saw her face flushing in embarrassment, they’d misread it as a blush. “He’s our friend, ain’t he?”
“I’ve never seen you put so much effort into curtsying a friend before,” Sweetie Belle smirked and Apple Bloom could see it reflected in the window.
“H-he bowed, so I curtsied,” the farm-filly snorted, “It was the polite thing to do.”
“What about when you gushed all over him?” Scootaloo couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice as she mimicked Apple Bloom’s drawl, “’Talking to you is never a waste of time, Spike!’”
Sweetie Belle joined in on the pegasus’ sudden burst of laughter.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.
She knew from experience that if any of them got worked up, the other two would seize the opportunity to tease more. It wasn’t that they were malicious, but getting defensive – to their young minds, at least – was proof enough that they were hiding something, and that the teasing itself was justified.
“Huh,” Scootaloo noted after calming down, “You really don’t like him?”
“I guess not,” Sweetie Belle frowned, “Even you flipped out when we found out about your crush on Rumble.”
“I don’t have a crush on Rumble!” Scootaloo blurted, blushing and wings sputtering uselessly. She coughed into her hoof as she composed herself. “I mean… Whatever.”
After a moment of silence, the pegasus smirked back at Sweetie Belle.
“I guess this means you can ask him out, then,” she said, “Since Apple Bloom’s not interested, there’s nothing stopping you.”
“I told you, it was one dance!” Sweetie Belle scoffed, “It happened, like, two years ago!”
“Well, fine, if you’re not interested, maybe I’ll ask him out,” Scootaloo said.
A moment of silence passed before both unicorn and earth filly rounded on her.
“What?!” they both exclaimed, earning a cheeky grin from the pegasus filly.
“I thought neither of you cared?” she noted, sarcastically.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle scowled, exchanged looks of consternation, then both chose to stare out the windows.
“We don’t!” they said in unison.
“More dragon for me, I guess,” Scootaloo taunted, but they didn’t rise to the bait.
“Maybe I’ll ask Rumble out,” Apple Bloom muttered. She winced once she realized it was herself who had spoken.
“Ha!” Scootaloo threw her hooves up in victory, “I knew it! You like Spike!”
“Okay, fine!” Apple Bloom groaned, “Maybe I like him a little, but it’s not like I obsess over him like you do over Rumble.”
“I don’t obsess over him,” Scootaloo scowled, but it softened into a smile, “but maybe I do like him.”
“Knew it,” Sweetie Belle nudged Apple Bloom.
“Can’t we talk about something other than boys?” the farm filly asked, “Boys are boring.”
“Sorry Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo sighed, “I just don’t want to think about this job. What if we can’t handle it?”
“Princess Celestia didn’t give any details…” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Girls, when have we ever not been able to handle something?” Apple Bloom demanded, “We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not the Cutie Mark Quitters! If there’s a Cutie Mark problem, we can solve it!”
“Yeah!” the other fillies cheered, feeling their resolve bolstered by the pep talk.
“How bad could it be?” Apple Bloom asked, smugly.
…
“Oh, my aching head…” Starlight muttered as she stumbled into Twilight’s castle. Two late nights of sugar highs had taken their toll on her, though Pinkie Pie had woken unfazed by them. The unicorn, on the other hoof, needed some black coffee and several gallons of water to flush the powdery sucrose from her system. How many sweets had she eaten in order to feel so thoroughly sick?
“Afternoon, Starlight,” Spike greeted as he finished his daily chores. He looked at her in concern. “Did you just wake up?”
“N-no,” Starlight lied, squinting at the dragon, “Did you grow?”
“Is every pony seeing it except me?” Spike asked, “Seriously, I don’t look any different!”
“Mares notice these kinds of things,” the unicorn smirked, temporarily forgetting her pain and nausea, “Is Twilight here?”
“She’s not,” Spike looked worried, “She didn’t show up at the train station, either.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Starlight managed to hide her own concern, “What kind of trouble could she and Trixie get into, anyway?”
“Spike!” Twilight’s voice echoed from the grand entryway of the castle that Starlight had just come from. Both turned to see the Princess shielding her eyes with her wings while hauling a small cart. Inside the cart lay Trixie, snoring loudly, face covered by her hat. “Put on a pot of coffee! Make it blacker than Sombra’s heart!”
“What happened?” Starlight asked, eyes wide as the dragon ran off to comply.
“Trixie suggested we go to a… less than reputable establishment,” Twilight grimaced, “I felt I owed her, still. The cider was cheap and tasted awful, and the next thing I knew, we were both singing cabana music!”
Starlight blinked, trying and failing to imagine Twilight losing control like that.
“Where did you end up sleeping?” she asked as she helped the Princess out of the cart harness.
“Uh…” Twilight looked around, “Under this cart, I think?”
“You think?!” Starlight balked at the thought of Ponyville’s Princess sleeping under a cart!
“Snuggle-snuggle…” Trixie giggled under her hat, pawing at the air.
Without looking or even changing expression, Twilight kicked the cart with her back hoof, tipping it over and sending the magician rolling out into a heap. The unicorn groaned as she woke to the wonderful world of light and sound, feeling for all the world like some pony had set off her fireworks collection inside her head.
“Coffee…” she mewled, pathetically, unwilling to move.
“So…” Starlight looked back at the Princess, smiling slyly, “Did you have fun, at least?”
Twilight stared flatly at Starlight for nearly half a minute before her face split into a tired grin.
“Maybe,” she snorted, “Next time Discord offers to visit one of the rowdier establishments, I might take him up on the offer. It felt pretty good cutting loose.”
“Just don’t make a habit of it,” Starlight laughed, pleased to see her mentor so relaxed despite the pain, “That goes double for you, Trixie. We’re going to be students for royalty soon, so we need to start acting like it.”
“Just celebrating getting accepted to college…” Trixie slurred, partially buried in her hat and cape, “Maybe Trixie will learn how to turn the sun off…”
Spike returned with a pot of coffee and three mugs. The magician sat bolt upright at the smell, ignoring her fatigue and pain and drinking the black muck greedily. Twilight and Starlight drank in a more refined manner, but nearly as quickly. The dragon hurried off to make more as they finished the pot.
“Trixie hates this stuff,” Trixie mumbled, staring into her mug with distaste, “but it is the only thing that helps her think after a night of cider drinking.”
“How often do you do these kinds of things, Trixie?” Twilight asked, flexing and un-flexing her wings as she felt the headache ebb away.
“Usually after being defeated,” the blue-furred mare mumbled before taking another bitter swig, “Geeze, Spike, couldn’t you have added some sugar?”
“If you don’t want a refill…” the dragon threatened as he made to leave with the fresh pot he had brought.
“Trixie apologizes!” the magician said quickly in a panic.
“Did you have cider, too?” Twilight asked.
“Just another Pinkie Pie sugar bender,” Starlight smiled, weakly, “I don’t think it’s natural to keep having those.”
“Believe me, it’s not,” Twilight snorted, “I could make a career out of studying Pinkie Pie’s defiance of all natural law. I have a theory the Pie family might be part draconequus.”
“That…” Spike began, then tapped his chin in thought, “would actually answer a lot…”
“Anyway,” Twilight shook her head, “Are you two all packed? I know you don’t leave until Friday, but it’s best to have everything set up as soon as possible, that way you have nothing to worry about.”
“I didn’t have much to pack,” Starlight confessed, “other than the supplies you got for us.”
“Same,” Spike agreed.
“I suppose neither of you really have much in the way of personal possessions, huh…” Twilight frowned at the realization, “Is there anything either of you would like for the trip?”
“It’s fine, Twilight,” Starlight assured her, “I brought a few of my books.”
“And I brought some comics,” Spike added, staring sidelong at the unicorn, “including the graphic novel of Dragon Pit.”
“No way!” Starlight said with childlike wonder, then puckered her lips shut, “Um… yeah, that sounds neat.” After Twilight rolled her eyes, Starlight leaned in close to Spike. “So, uh… are we still gonna have Guys Night with Big Mac, or what?”
“I’ve got that packed, too,” Spike whispered, eying the Princess to make sure she wasn’t eavesdropping.
“Sounds like you two have everything you need, then,” Twilight smirked, “So, what should we do today? The map has been pretty silent for months, which is bizarre.”
“Yeah, it seems like it used to light up weekly,” Starlight giggled.
“I usually just do what you tell me to,” the dragon shrugged, “well, that and my usual chores – which are done, by the way.”
“I have a suggestion,” Starlight lit up. When both friends eyed her questioningly, she said “Kites!”
“…Kites?” Twilight deadpanned, but was overridden by Spike.
“That sounds like fun!” he said, “So, do I make my own, or…”
“Oh, I have plenty of spares,” Starlight chuckled with pride as she led the way to her collection of kites, “I have a Sky Hopper 9000 – only 500 of those were ever made.”
“I don’t know what that is, but it sounds neat!” Spike chortled as Twilight followed them, smiling at their peculiarities.
“Trixie prefers the Sorcerer Supreme,” the magician said, “When it flies it looks like it’s levitating.”
“I also bought a Princess Twilight kite from when Iron Will tried to merchandise your image,” Starlight giggled, “It’s still in its packaging, though; it’s just a recolor of the Celestia Flyer.”
“You sure like kites,” Twilight noted as she looked around Starlight’s room at the various kites. There were a lot of new ones… Twilight pointed at an interesting dragon-shaped one that was purple with green spines, smirking, “Where did you get that one?”
“Oh… uh…” Starlight coughed into her hoof, blushing, “I made it myself. I got the idea from a dream I had.”
“A good dream, I hope,” Spike mumbled without realizing it, wincing and blushing in equal measure when he realized he had thought it aloud.
Twilight glared at her blushing roommates, wondering if letting them go to Canterlot alone together was a good idea. Sighing in defeat she selected the Celestia Flyer and tried to ignore the other three smirking at her for her choice.
“Let’s go have some fun!” Twilight declared, leading the way to the park.
Headache aside, this was going to be a great week one way or the other.
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Intrigued by the warnings. Mostly political you say.
I will give it a try.
C...can this be a story
8768638
I try to be impartial, but everyone has a bias, so I put the warnings in. I'm hoping readers enjoy the story and don't let the ideologies of the characters detract from it...
8768679
Maybe someday. I'm sure somebody's written it, surely.
I could see Spike and Starlight taking over the world together. That’d be fun.
8769054
If I ever finish this fic, I might do a comedic one-shot about that. That's a big "if", though.
8768998
Nice. I like it. An excellent way (I think the best way...) is to grow and decide as you go.
Personally I have a problem with the idea of perfection. But I can get into that later.
I will say I like the idea of the use of a blankish slate here though.
Nicely done.
8769042
Ah. No worries on response time. I read this as a separate issue. It seemed to me that they sold the rights to the idea of carbonated juice versus the separate issue of it being sold with a voucher in someone else's name.
More a misjudgements of the issue than the issue itself I think then. At least that is how I read it.
8769198
It probably would have helped if I had called the drink Princess Pop and said they sold the rights to that. I considered it, but ended up not doing it for some reason...
8769186
Thank you; I try my best
Doesn't sound very loyal to me...
Yeah, that scene in the middle with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Papering over cracks, indeed. It's rather heartwarming to know that in comparison, Abby, Scoots and Sweetie Belle seem to have no more of a schism between the three of them than which stallion they like, be it pony or dragon.
Still, while they're getting into ideological fights and bringing sore wounds to the surface, they haven't hit rock bottom yet like what Twilight's prophetic dream hinted at as a possibility. Twilight can still let her mane loose and go clubbing with Trixie, it seems
