• Published 19th Mar 2013
  • 6,895 Views, 797 Comments

Apple Scratch : Onward to the Equestria Games! - Mariacheat-Brony



(Humanized) Ponyville has been chosen to host the most important sporting events in the Country. It's up to the two sisters of the Apple family and their friends to represent their town in the games.

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In Ponyville's Gymnasium.

"Hello again, everyone!" Pinkie said to a magic crystal orb that was floating in front of her, thanks to a Titanian's magic assistance. "I'm talking to you thanks to a rather super duper awesomely fantastic communication spell device Twilight worked on with Smarty Pants here. Come on, Smarty! Say hello to the crowd." She added while pulling the Titianian who was levitating the orb in front of it.

Said Titanian was a young woman with long dark grey and black hair styled in dreadlocks. She had a rather pale skin and particularly intriguing eyes, barely hidden by her black rimmed glasses. Her right eye was deep purple while her left one was blueish-grey.

"Ms Pinkamena, I told you already to not use that ridiculous nickname. My name's Samantha!" The young woman said with an annoyed frown. "Could you please address to me with my real name?"

"Mhmmm!" Pinkie scratched her chin with a reflective frown. "It depends... Will you stop calling me Pinkamena?"

"But, that's your name.." Samantha said with a crooked eyebrow.

"Wrong answer!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "You're now stuck with the nickname! The author shall now write your lines as Smarty Pants instead of Samantha. Or Smarty. That's up to him, anyway." Pinkie explained with a shrug.

"......What?" Smarty Pants blinked in confusion.

"As I was saying," Pinkie reported her attention to the floating orb, ignoring Smarty Pants' question. "Meet Smarty Pants! She has recently graduated from Canterlot University in Magical Engineering. She participated in the creation of this vision orb that allows you all in the Coliseum to be able to see us while we're inside Ponyville Gymnasium for today's last trial." Pinkie explained cheerfully. "Isn't it great?"

"They can see you and hear you, but you can't hear them cheering from here." Smarty Pants said slowly as Pinkie was expecting to hear the crowd answer her question. "The other 'side' of the orb is connected to the Coliseum's screens thanks to Miss Sparkle's team."

"See? That's why I call her Smarty Pants!" Pinkie said happily. "I should totally hire her in my lab team when the Games are over and that we're back in Canterlot."

"You have a lab team that works for you?" Smarty asked in disbelief. "I thought only Miss Sparkle had one."

"Well, if you accept my offer, I would have one as well." Pinkie chuckled.

"I appreciate the offer but I was hoping to work with Miss Sparkle." Smarty Pants explained uneasily. "It's more my field of expertise."

"Aww, don't do that!" Pinkie whined with disappointment. "I need someone like you for my next idea."

"I hardly think that I would be of any uses in the making of a vanilla pudding grenade, Miss Pinkamena." Smarty Pants deadpanned her cotton candy haired interlocutor.

"Silly! That's no idea!" Pinkie giggled loudly. "That's just some randoms thoughts, beside I finished it last night! First, listen to my idea."

Pinkie leaned closely to Smarty Pants and whispered something inaudible in her ear. As Pinkie explained her idea, Smarty's bicolored eyes grew wider, reaching the size of saucers when Pinkie pulled away from her ear.

"Is....Is that even possible?" Smarty asked with a small voice, her interest in Pinkie's idea was obvious.

"You'll come to learn that EVERYTHING is possible with your Auntie Pinkie Pie around!" Pinkie said happily while patting Smarty's shoulder.

"I'm six years older than you." Smarty muttered under her breath.

"You game?" Pinkie asked eagerly.

Smarty Pants pondered for a minute. "I'm game!" She finally said with a determined nod.

"Awesome! Now, I simply must ask permission to the Princesses for the project and the lab team." Pinkie said. "I'll ask later, anyway back to the Games!" Pinkie Pie said as Smarty Pants got outside the scope of the crystal orb. "As I told you earlier, we're in Ponyville's Gymnasium, just outside the Coliseum. We're going to end this days of competition with Gymnastic."

Pinkie Pie walked to the edge of the balcony and signaled Smarty Pants to make to orb float next to her, bringing the all gymnasium into view for the crowd. Multiples apparatuses were being set by the Games staff while the competitors were warming up. At the edge of the gym, a large table for four persons was set up.

"As you can see the judges are taking place." Pinkie commented. "Each one of them is going to give a mark on ten for the performance's they are about to see. The teams with the three highest scores would be on the podium. If I believe the schedule, there's going to be the rhythmic gymnastic trial and then the day will be over." Pinkie explained. "Oh, you're probably wandering who the judges are, aren't you? Well, you see...."


"Remind me," Fleur de Lys said softly to the two persons who were sitting next to her at the Judges' table. "Why are you two judges of this competition again?"

"Izn't obvious, Fleur?" A woman with short white hair and gaudy pink shades replied with a strong Germane accent. "I, Photo Finish, am here becauze I'm well known through all of Equeztria to find the one who has De Magicks!" She dramatically pointed her finger at the ceiling. "Who better than I, Photo Finish, can judge a dizplay of beauty as a gymnastic trial?"

"I don't really understand your question, my dear." A man with curly grey and white hair styled in a ponytail and wearing a tuxedo and sunglasses said in a pompous, overly fancied voice. "We live in the world of fashion, we see grace, attitude, beauty everywhere we turn."

"...." Fleur de Lys looked at them with narrowed eyes. "You're both here to recruit new fashion models among the gymnasts, aren't you?" She asked slowly.

Photo Finish and the man looked at each other for a few seconds before sighing simultaneously.

"Hoity, I told you she'd zee through us like through a plain glass window." Photo Finish said slowly.

"What can we do, my dear?" Hoity Toity shrugged, his voice abandoning the pompous tone he had been displayed before. "How did you find out, Fleur?"

"You think I forgot how you recruited me in the past?" Fleur asked with a soft giggle. "Anyway, you've spotted someone interesting?" She asked with curiosity.

"For my part, not really!" Hoity Toity shook her head. "But, my extravagant wife here keep on saying that there's something about those two blondes in Ponyville's team."

"Are you talking about Applejack and Cloud Kicker?" Rarity asked softly as she took the last seat at the judges' table.

"Rarity, my dear!" Fleur said happily. "It's so good to see you!"

"Do you know theze two?" Photo Finish asked with a professional and hurried interest.

"What she means is 'Hello, how are you?'" Hoity Toity said with a small chuckle, not without chastising his wife with a short glare.

"It's ok, Hoity Toity." Rarity waved off. "To answer your question, Photo Finish, yes. I do know them."

"Excellent!" Photo Finish said before standing up from her chair. "I have now an 'in'............................................. I GO!" She dashed toward the area where Applejack and Cloud Kicker were chatting nearby Rose who was warming up, followed by three of her assistants who had been standing by behind the judges' table.

Rarity blinked. "...... Excuse me, but I really got to see that!" She said with a small giggle before standing up and walking after Photo Finish.


"So, that's what happened with Octavia's brother!" Cloud Kicker said grimly as Applejack ended her explanations about the story between Vinyl and Cornelio, according to her word of telling the guard everything about it. "You should have come to me afterward. Noble or not, assault and battery are a big deal!"

"That wasn't really in our plan that day, Cloudy." Applejack sighed. "Vinyl was hurtin', Granny and Octavia were worried sick about Vinyl, Ah had yelled at Rarity in a fit of anger.... There were just too many things happenin' at the same time. As soon as Vinyl got better and Ah had calmed down, we kinda decided to forget about it."

"I suppose you did what you thought was right." Cloud Kicker let out slowly. "If it happens again, come and tell me directly."

"So that you could save me from lifetime in jail?" Applejack asked playfully.

"No! So that I can come with you and beat the crap out of the responsible with you." Cloud Kicker said with a playful wink. "And, hopefully we could be cell-mates!"

"Ain't that against some allegiance oath to the Guard?" Applejack asked with a smirk.

"My allegiance to my friends matters more than the one to the Guard, AJ." Cloud Kicker said with sincerity. She blinked as she looked at something behind Applejack. "Huh.... You got someone behind you...." She said slowly.

"What?" Applejack said in confusion before turning around.

"Haaar! She's even good looking from the front!" Photo Finish said with giddiness before starting to inspect, rather rudely, Applejack's features.

"Woah there, missy!" Applejack shouted before grabbing Photo Finish, who had her face way too close to Applejack's chest, by the collar of her dress and lifting her away. "Ah don' know who ya are, but Ah sure know we didn't raise them pigs together, so back off."

"Oh my! Those are real muscles!" Photo Finish said in amazement as she palpated Applejack's arm, not really bothered by the fact her feet weren't touching the ground anymore. "So much different from what I zee usually. Zhose models only pump iron and have no actual merits, but you... You're ze real deal! You're ze deep black chocolate wrapped in a zimple and beautiful paper zat suits milk chocolate. Under zis coat of simple and innocent farm girl, there's a woman that can take over all of Equeztria!"

"...Beg pardon?" Applejack asked in bewilderment.

"Now, don't get intimidate by me." Photo Finish said casually. "For I, Photo Finish, am going to make you shine all over Equeztria. For you have.....De Magicks!" She pointed dramatically her finger in the air.

"Riiiiight." Applejack said slowly before hearing a small laugh coming from behind the woman hanging in front of her. A laugh she would recognize instantly between a thousand of others. "Friend of yars, Rarity?"

"Sort of." Rarity giggled as she walked next to her lover. "Now, be a dear and put her down."

"It depends. Is she going to invade ma personal space again?" Applejack asked.

"No, I have ze informations I needed." Photo Finish shrugged. "I just need to zee how good will you look in a proper attire, but that can't be achieved here."

"Ah don't really get what ya want, but since Rarity asked." Applejack gently put Photo Finish down.

"Hoooo!"

"Mmmmm!."

"Oh my..!"

Three loud pleased squeals came from behind them, followed by three thuds that were characteristic of a body falling on the ground. Applejack, Rarity and Photo Finish looked at where the sounds came from. They saw Cloud Kicker frowning sourly while she was casually rubbing her hands together in a sign of victory and Photo Finish's three assistants lying unconscious on the floor.

"Cloud Kicker...." Applejack growled loudly.

"What?" Cloud Kicker said in annoyance. "I told them to stop and they didn't listen."

"Ah agree with the principle, but why did you have to use it?"

"I can't control it, you know that!" Cloud Kicker shrugged in a bad mood pout.

"Vhat just happened?" Photo Finish asked with curiosity.

"Nothing, Photo Finish! Nothing happened!" Rarity shook her head quickly, trying to convince both the photographer and herself. "Anyway, we have a contest to judge. So, let's go!" She added, pushing Photo Finish away.

"Hang on,... YER one of the judges?" Applejack asked Rarity in surprise.

"Why yes! It's tradition for the representative of Arts in the Council to judge those kind of events." Rarity explained. "Anyway, we'll be off." She gave a small glance at Photo Finish's assistants on the floor before levitating the three of them behind her, not without wincing at the effort.

"Let me help ya with that, Sugarcube!" Applejack before putting two assistants on each of her shoulders. "Ya ain't used to lift that much with yar magic."

"Thank you for your concern, Applejack." Rarity said with a relieved smile. "You don't hope me to favor your team because of that, do you?" She asked playfully.

"Darn it, Ms Belle!" Applejack gasped, as if caught red handed. "Ya saw right through ma well thought plan Ah came up with at least ten seconds in advance."

"Oh, my star!" Rarity dramatically lifted her hand to her forehead. "I'm shocked with what I just heard! Jacquelyn Apple is trying to get favors from the judges in a contest she isn't even participating in." Applejack and Rarity couldn't keep it straight any longer and started giggling madly. "Even just saying it sounds too ridiculous."

"Ah agree!"

"Haaaar." Photo Finish snorted in annoyance. "Get a room, you two!"

"Mhmmmm! Later!" Rarity whispered so that only Applejack could hear her while casting a knowing glance at the farmer. "You and I still have unfinished business to attend, my dear Applejack!"

"Ah know, Rarity." Applejack whispered back in a sultry tone. "Since, Ah'm sorta late on that particular job, you should expect me to work on it twice harder than this morning, at least." Rarity could only bite her lip with a growing blush at that comment.


"How you're holding up, Rose?" Applejack asked as Rose was rolling her ankle under Redheart's watch.

"Pretty good so far." Rose said with a smile, she gave her ankle swift rolls clockwise and counterclockwise. "Good as new!" She commented before standing up.

"Ready to blow their mind away?" Redheart asked with a wink.

"Ready to try, at least." Rose shrugged as the first competitor was getting ready. She noticed her setting up a record in a player. "Oh-oh!" She let out with wide eyes. "I think we have a problem..."

"What problem?" Allie asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"It's a rhythmic gymnastic trial." Rose gulped uneasily. "And Vinyl is out of commission... So, I'm without any musical arrangement."

"Oh fu...." Cloud Kicker groaned.

"What are we going to do?" Allie asked in panic.

"Couldn't we ask for one of the other team their record?" Ditzy suggested uneasily.

"No, we can't!" Rose shook her head as panic started to gain on her good mood. "My choreography is based on Vinyl's piece! If I change the music, I'd have to change the choreography as well."

"Never fear!" Turner said as he came back from the Coliseum's locker room with a violin case in his right hand. "Vinyl had planned the possibility for her absence in the afternoon." He explained by showing the violin case with his left hand.

"So, what?" Applejack asked. "Yer gonna play, Doc'?"

"Oh, no, no!" Turner shook his head with a big smile before tossing the violin case at Applejack. "You are!"

"WHAT?" Applejack shouted in surprise. "Who in tarnation came up with that idea?"

"Vinyl and Zecora, why?" Turner said casually.

"What's the big deal, AJ?" Cloud Kicker frowned. "You can play pretty well. Not at Vinyl's level, of course! But you're far from being bad with a violin."

"Well,... Ah ain't comfortable with playin' in front of people..." Applejack muttered.

"Oh, please!" Rose pleaded with big teary eyes.

She was soon joined by Allie and Ditzy who kept staring at Applejack with big shining puppy eyes. Despite how much she would tell the contrary, Applejack was a sucker when dealing with pouting faces. When AppleBloom was little, she knew that Applejack was the one to go to for hidden cookies or sweets. One tear in the eye and the bottom lip over the top one and it was hook, line and sinker. After a few seconds of a three way assault of pleading eyes, Applejack sighed in defeat.

"Fine!" She muttered. "Give me the damn sheets so that Ah can prepare!"

"Yay!" Allie and Ditzy shouted in victory.

Applejack started reading the music sheets a bit apart from her teammates as she needed quiet to try to memorize them. Luckily for her, it wasn't a really complicated piece. Applejack wasn't a novice in playing but she had mostly played without any sheets, at family reunions where just an ambiance tune was sufficient. Vinyl had taught her a few tricks to read them, but it was still pretty annoying for Applejack.

"AJ, what are you doing?" The voice of Rainbow Dash asked with curiosity from behind her.

"Howdy, Rainbow." Applejack said without looking up from her sheets. "Just readin' some music sheets. Ah'm taking Vinyl's place for Rose's music arrangement."

"You know how to play the violin?" Rainbow asked with surprise.

"A little." Applejack shrugged. "How are things going on for yer team?"

"Well, things are going pretty good so far, if you don't count the situation with Gilda..." She said sourly.

"What happened with her?"

"I... I had to suspend her from the active roster." Rainbow said with a pinch of sadness.

"Good riddance!" Applejack muttered.

"Hey, easy! She's still my friend." Rainbow snapped. "She just.... made a mistake."

"Threatenin' Cloud Kicker of telling everythin' about her and Twilight to Shining Armor so that she'd give up the fight, for insultin' her in front of the whole Coliseum in the end, ain't what Ah'd call a mistake, RD." Applejack growled.

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow said slowly. "What's that story about Gilda blackmailing Cloud Kicker?"

"Ah guess she didn't tell ya that part." Applejack said sourly.

"No, she didn't." Rainbow said slowly with a sigh. "..... You're not making this up, are you?" She asked with incertitude.

"Don' insult me, Rainbow!" Applejack growled, finally looking at Rainbow Dash. She blinked profusely at the sight of the Council Member, confusion replacing her anger immediately and making her forget about Gilda. "What in tarnation are ya doing in that git-up, RD?"

Rainbow Dash was wearing a cyan leotard with the symbol of Cloudsdale team; the winged lightning bolt, on the shoulder and a rainbow pattern that circled her waist. She had her chromatic hair styled in a tight bun at the rear of her head. She was also holding a red ball between her right arm and her hip.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Rainbow asked with a crooked eyebrow.

"Nothing... It's just that it makes look like yer participating in this here trial." Applejack stammered.

"Well, I am! Got a problem with that?" Rainbow asked with narrowed eyes.

"No....Not at all." Applejack quickly waved her hands defensively. "It's just... surprisin', that's all."

"I can admit that." Rainbow conceded with a sigh. "My mom sort of insisted that I do one thing at least girly enough by her standards, so I took rhythmic gymnastic." She explained, scratching the tip of her nose sheepishly. "It does help a lot for finding new stunts."

"Ah suppose it does...." Applejack whispered.

"Miss Dash!" A Games official said as he walked next to them. "You're next."

"Oh, ok! I'm coming." Rainbow said casually. "See you later, AJ! Good luck with those music sheets."

"Thanks. Break a leg as they say!" Applejack said as Rainbow went to the performing area. "Rainbow Dash doin' rhythmic gymnastic......Who would have guessed that?" She pondered out loud.


Rainbow exhaled softly before taking her starting stance. She bent backward while lifting her right leg as high as she could. She put her left hand on the ground, her posture being similar to a "h", the ball secured firmly secured between her left thigh and her belly. When the music started, she made a move.

She lifted her left hand from the ground while she spun a quart turn counterclockwise on her left leg, while her right hand gently grabbed the ball on her belly. She straightened up right before making a quintuple pirouette on her right leg with the ball high above her head between her palms.

She let the ball slide along her right arm while bending forward, making the ball roll along her shoulder line before securing it between her shoulder blades while she was on her knees and her arms were extended in front of her, nearly in a form of prostration.

Rainbow lifted her legs up right while leaning on her hands and chest for support. After a few seconds, she let her legs fall delicately toward the ground while she straightened her upper body. As she did, the ball rolled along back up to between her calves. Only to make the ball roll back with the perfect opposite move. When the ball reached her neck, she bent her head between her extended arms to let it roll along them.

She secured the ball within the grip of her right hand as she stood up. She did a small dribble before doing a cartwheel, using her leg movement to make the ball climb up to her to her waist where her left hand was waiting for it. After that she turn around and launched the ball straight into the air. She bent over and casted her right left up so that ball could rebound on her feet sole before doing a forward cartwheel and catching the ball in the middle of it.

Rainbow kept on going like that for a minutes or two as the crowd watched in silence and awe. Her movements' speed increased with the music and the ball kept rolling along her limbs as if it was mocking gravity. Now, Applejack knew why Rainbow had trained so much at dribble and at making the ball rebound on her limbs while she was at Sweet Apple Acres during the summer.

Rainbow launched the ball higher than before and spun forward a couple of times to fall in a sitting position. She opened her legs a bit to let the ball between them and closed them immediately afterwards. She took the ball in her hand before standing up doing some pirouettes before launching the ball high into the air again.

Rainbow bent over and kicked the ball into the air as it landed on her left sole before doing a forward cartwheel followed by a roll and ending her course in a sitting position, forming a double pyramid with her profile line. The ball fell between her upper body and thighs before she locked it by taking a nearly fetal position as the music came to a stop.

Rainbow stood up slowly, lightly panting at her effort but maintaining a perfect composure as she was facing the judges' table under the applauses from the other teams and few spectators that had decided to come into the gymnasium to see the competitions. The four judges pondered in silence for around a minute before each of them raised a card with Rainbow's score on it.


Rose nervously took her spot in the corner of the performing area while Applejack readied her fiddle, she insisted on calling it like that instead of violin, with Allie levitating the music sheets in front of her. She unfurled her ribbon and took her starting position.

She passed the ribbon around her forehead and opened her arms wide, the wand of the ribbon parallel to her right arm and delicately secured between her thumb and fore-finger. Her other arm was stretched out and held an other part of the ribbon in order that it wasn't loose between her two hands. Applejack gently placed her bow on the fiddle's string when Rose stood on her tiptoe and tilted her arm-line to the left a bit. Applejack started to play some quick notes and, at the sounds of music, Rose started her routine.

With one swift circling move from her right wrist, the ribbon unfurled itself from around her head. Rose did a few pirouettes to let the ribbon completely unfurled itself, before she started to make it take the shape of a spiral thanks to swift rolls from her wrist.

After that, Rose grabbed the end of the ribbon with her left hand and threw the wand of it into the air while she was spinning on her right foot. Still spinning, she took a few steps to the center of the stage, her hands joined high above her head. She opened her hand a bit, letting the ribbon loose between them, before she lift her leg up to between her hands. With one sharp descending movement from her leg, she pulled the ribbon down, causing it's wand to fly above and landing in front of her.

She made a step forward, fetching the wand of the ribbon between her toes, before she launched it into the air in full extension of a forward cartwheel. Before it touched the ground again, Rose kicked the wand to her left in the middle of a graceful ballet jump. She yanked the ribbon in a circling motion of her arm after making few small dance leaps.

The ribbon flew majestically at each of her movement, as if it had its own will to dazzle the audience. With another yank on the ribbon, the wand nearly literally flew back in Roseluck's hand. Rose did a large jump worthy of all her years of classical dance experience. She landed on the tip of her right foot while her left feet joined her hands above her head by stretching her leg far up behind her back. She then proceeded to make the ribbon spin around her, as if she was inside of a maroon reversed drill/spiral made of silk.

As Applejack's playing grew quicker, Rose's movements became more swift and graceful than before. Each jump, leap, cartwheel or arabesque she did was accompanied by the hypnotizing sight of her ribbon which formed waves, loops, circles or spirals.

The music climbed to its peak and Rose casted the wand into the air with the ribbon flying behind and forming a nice and neat curb. That was the toughest part of Roseluck's routine. She ran a few steps before doing a front flip followed by a cartwheel, and a second, and a third and a fourth. In the middle of the fourth, Rose gabbed the wand with the toes of her right foot before leaning on her left leg and rolled over in a sitting position.

She did a backward roll after having spun the ribbon with a rotative move of her ankle. As she did so, the wand of the ribbon was once again casted in the air. She managed to straighten up on both her feet and grabbed the wand of the ribbon before undertaking a sextuple pirouettes while the ribbon was spiraling around her.

Applejack abruptly stopped the music and, when she did, Rose stopped her pirouette by firmly planting her foot on the mat and her wrist stopped spinning to let the ribbon wrap itself around her like a snake around its prey, carried by the momentum it had accumulated.

Rose's chest lifted heavily from the effort while the audience started to applaud fervently. Rose untangled herself from the ribbon as the judges pondered over her marks, before furling it around the wand. She looked at her teammates who either winked, thumbed up or nodded at her with a comforting smile. She turned back to the judges' table as they were lifting the cards that determined her score.

Author's Note:

There you go...
Gosh that was hard.
Yes I humanized Smarty Pants! Why? Not a clue!:derpytongue2: (Actually I do but still)
Yes, the judges for rhythmic gymnastic are a photographer, a fashion designer, a former model and gymnast and twenty two year old seamstress... (Now that I wrote it like that, it makes even less sense.:facehoof:)

Anyway, What do you think of Rainbow Dash the rhythmic gymnast?

You probably noticed that I left RD and Rose's scores unknown... That's because I'm weak. I can't decide which one of them is going to beat the other. That's where you intervene! :twilightsmile: You decide who Between RD and Rose wins (no matter the reasons) and, only if you want , come up with a score for each one of them. (each judge gives maximum ten points for a total combined of 40)
(It's also a small test. If you like that, I might do it again for some not very important trials.)

Anyway, I hope that I didn't do bad with this chapter and that you liked it.

Stay tuned for what's next.

Mariacheat-Brony