Dusk Dawns

by AlphatheGriffin17

Last Roundup

Change once again proved to be a constant feature in Equestria, as the end of February drew in and with it, the end of winter. Celestia started to raise her sun more, allowing its warm rays to once again bathe the land, the blankets of snow that had covered the ground melting away, allowing nature to reawaken once again. Animals were brought out of their homes from their long slumber, the southern birds were returned and everything was green and growing, bringing new life to Ponyville and all across the land.

Just like last year, everypony had gathered together in Ponyville for the annual Winter Wrap Up celebration. With Twilight in her new organisational position from the previous year, the transition from winter to spring went even more smoothly than last year, which had been more last minute and nerve wracking for her and Dusk when they'd tried to find their place. Now, she had even more time to organize everypony and bring in spring on time again.

Dusk had again enjoyed the experience of doing his part, waking up the animals like he had last year and with the bell-ringing system Twilight had established, it was just as efficient, although they were still allowed to go around with individual bells and wake them up if they liked. Ray had also found his place in the same position too, though Dusk had the impression it was for reasons other than liking animals.

He was also more relived that spring had come back. With the… unpleasant experience he'd had with winter this year, he was glad to have a time that reminded him of new life to distract his troubled mind. Even if he was trying his hardest to keep Doom under wraps, a little more help was always welcome and the coming spring, in addition to the process to bring it in, made the whole task even more welcome.

Many new opportunities and sights came with spring and one of those was what Dusk was preparing for right now, at Sweet Apple Acres with his friends. For the past few days, Applejack had been away in Canterlot, competing for the Equestria Rodeo competition. He remembered vaguely seeing posters for it when he'd lived there, but had never taken much interest in it. Now though, he was rather excited to hear about it.

They hadn't actually gone to see Applejack compete, for the rodeo lasted a while and they all had commitments here that were coming back full circle now that the winter holiday was over. They had, however, prepared this surprise party for Applejack when she got back, as well as given her a big send-off for it.

That had been fun…

---

Dusk had arrived a little earlier than the rest of the crowds to town hall, where the populace would be gathered to see off Applejack for the competition. It was more out of a habit than anything else that he did and the first thing he saw was Rainbow Dash, putting up a banner with Applejack on it. He could also hear what sounded like lightning strikes from somewhere, but he moved to greet his friend first.

"Coming along well I see," he noted.

"Should be, with me on the case," she answered confidently. She really had improved since the whole 'crush' incident and things were pretty much back to normal now. "Just need to hammer this last bit in and-"

She was cut off by a bolt of lightning that shot past her and singed her tail, one that Dusk had to jump back to avoid.

"What in the world…?" His question was answered indirectly by Rainbow's next words.

"Now, careful, Derpy!" she warned to a pegasus pony, who was bouncing on a storm cloud. "Don't want to do any more damage than you've already done."

She gestured to the town hall, the roof of which collapsed in, as if on cue. However, Dusk was more focused on the mare she was talking to. Her fur was a dull grey, her mane and tail a dirty blonde, a trio of bubbles as her cutie mark. She had an innocent, almost care-free expression on her face, as she stood on top of the cloud. The feature that caught his attention, however, was her eyes. Neither of them were looking in any one direction and looked unfocused.

He was looking because he'd met this mare before, though she had never introduced herself to him. She'd been rather abashed last time. He waited to get her attention, while she resumed bouncing on the cloud.

"I just don't know what went wrong," she said in a light, perky voice before being electrocuted by lightning.

"Yeah. It's a mystery," Rainbow muttered sarcastically.

"You okay there?" asked Dusk.

"Don't worry, I'm used to that," she replied brightly. A smile perked when she saw him. "Oh, hey there trilby pony!"

"So, you do remember me?" he noted, as she flew down to meet him.

"Sure I do!" Her expression became apologetic. "Sorry again for almost dropping that piano on you. Twice."

"It's already been forgiven. That muffin you gave me saw to that, one of the best I've eaten," he complimented.

"Thanks. I made sure it tasted good, just to let you know how sorry I was. It's one of the things I like to do."

"Well, it worked, though just the apology would have sufficed. Still, we've never been formally introduced. I'm Dusk Noir," he greeted, holding out a hoof.

"That's a nice name. I'm Derpy Hooves. Nice to meet you, Mr. Dusk!" She held out her hoof, but completely missed his. He had to move his over to shake it. "Oops… sorry."

"Quite alright," he assured. "I understand if you… well…"

"If I what?" she asked.

"Well… if you have… difficulties with…" He found to be too polite to say what he had in mind for fear of offending her.

"Oh, you mean my eyes?" She didn't appear offended by drawing his attention to them. "Don't worry, I get that all the time."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm sure you don't wanna know about all that…"

"Very well," he said gently. "I understand if you don't want to tell me."

Her expression brightened a little. "You… you really wanna know?"

"Only to offer some help, if I can," he told her. "Again, we've only just met, so I understand if you don't feel comfortable sharing that."

"That's… that's really nice of you." He felt his cheeks go warm a bit from that. "I just… they can cause some problems sometimes, my eyes. Enough that some ponies call me… Ditzy Doo. You know…"

He felt a small well of pity for her. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I'm fine, but thanks for the offer anyway."

"May I ask, what is it? Is it a medical condition or…?"

"Actually, my left eye is the okay one, it's the right one that doesn't stay still. Righty just likes to wander around a bit, see?" Now he noticed, he did see that her left eye remained focused on hi, while the other seemed to move every time she blinked.

"It must be… difficult living with that. I'm sorry to keep mentioning it…"

"Don't worry, at least you're being nice about it," she said brightly. "Actually, it's not that bad. It means I get to see things most ponies don't and, if I really concentrate…" She scrunched up her eyes for a few seconds and when she opened them, both were facing forward. "Ta-da! See, no problem."

"That's good to know," he said honestly. "I sympathise, Miss Hooves, having some eye trouble myself."

"Yeah, thanks. Even so, it can be a little tough sometimes," she said sadly. "I can live with these, but it kinda means I'm a little clumsy."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"There, all done!" Rainbow said from above, having hammered in the last nail for the banner.

Derpy flew up to have a look, teetering around awkwardly. "Nice work, Rainbow Dash." She didn't quite look where she was going and her rump knocked into a support beam.

The result was that, impossibly, the whole thing broke and fell on top of Rainbow as she tried to stop it falling, crashing through the wooden floor and into the basement of town hall.

"I stand corrected, it seems," muttered Dusk, trotting over to the hole as Derpy peered in.

"You okay, Rainbow Dash? Anything I can do to help?" she called down.

Rainbow shot back up in an instant. "No! Nothing! In the name of Celestia, just sit there and do nothing!"

That was precisely what she did, parking her behind on the ground. He heard a loud slam, the sound of wood breaking and finally the floor collapsing again, Derpy grabbing Rainbow in an attempt to stop herself falling. In the end, both were dragged down.

"Oops. My bad," Derpy's voice echoed.

Dusk was about to offer help, when he realised that a large crowed of ponies had already gathered, all of them chanting Applejack's name enthusiastically. The mayor stood at her podium on the stage and raised her hooves to call for peace.

"Everypony, can I get your attention? Attention please!" The crowd ceased their chant to listen. "Yes, we are all here to send Applejack to compete in this year's Equestria Rodeo competition in Canterlot." She allowed them to cheer and clap in appreciation. "And, I want to thank Applejack in advance, for generously offering up her prize money to fix town hall."

Derpy, perched from the hole she'd made, threw in her own support. "Yeah, Applejack! Whoohoo!" Dusk caught her before she felt again, levitating her out with his magic. "Thanks, Dusk."

"Speech! Speech!" called Pinkie.

Applejack looked abashed. "Oh, shucks. Ah'm not much fer speeches."

"Alright then, no speech!"

"Buuut, this here is the nicest send-off anypony could ask for. Y'all have been cheering me on in every rodeo since ah was a little, little pony. So it seems only fittin' to use ma winnings to fix up town hall. Ah promise to make Ponyville proud."

Once the crowds had dispersed, the rest of them gathered at the train station to say one last goodbye before she got on the train.

"Ah want you ta show all them high-falutin' rodeo ponies what a real rodeo pony's like!" Granny Smith told her.

"You betcha, Granny Smith," she promised.

"And bring back all that money!" added the Mayor.

"You betcha, Mayor."

"You make sure you knock those high flying, uptight ponies down a peg," put in Ray, hugging her while she patted him on the back. "Ow! But don't knock me down!"

"Sorry, Ray. Don't y'all worry, all ma prizes oughta help ya on the road ta recovery," she joked.

"I knew there was something the doctors were missing." Some of his bruises still remained, his leg was bandaged, as was the gash on his eye, but he was coping well enough with his injuries.

Or if was in discomfort, he didn't say much about it.

"You'll be the best out there," said Dusk. "Perform to the best of your abilities and they'll all see."

"And have fun. And don't be nervous. Or if you are, use that nervous energy to do even better than you already would! And eat peanuts and popcorn and taffy and taffy gives lots of nervous energy!" Pinkie stuffed some sweets into her mouth at this.

"Like he said, just do your best, Applejack," advised Twilight.

"Ah'll do better than ma best!" she promised.

The guard's voice reached their ears."The train to Canterlot is about to leave! All aboard who's coming aboard!"

Applejack smiled a little sadly. "Guess that means me."

"Seeya in a week!" called Rainbow.

"With lots of new blue ribbons!" called Apple Bloom.

"And lots of money!" repeated the Mayor.

"Darn tootin'!" She climbed on the train as it started to pull away, sticking her head out of the window. "See y'all in a week, with a big bag full of blue ribbons!"

They all ran after the train until the end of the station, with the exception of Ray, who couldn't put pressure on his leg. Even so, he hobbled after it as fast as he could, Fluttershy watching him rather closely as he did.

"And drink sarsaparilla!" They all stared at Pinkie for this last remark. "What? It gives you extra sass."

---

A week had now passed since Applejack had left for the rodeo and they were all eagerly awaiting her return. Everypony, including a few other members of the Apple family, had assembled in the barn to assist with hanging up the decorations. Applejack had been greatfly missed over the past week and they were all excited to her again.

That and the party was another welcome distraction for Dusk for… other reasons.

"Oh, I hope Applejack is surprised by this surprise party!" said Fluttershy, while she hung up a banner.

"Well, that is the point," said Rainbow, attaching a streamer to it.

"I know, but I hope she isn't so surprised she's startled, because while being surprised can be nice, being startled can be... very startling."

"Surprise!" cried Pinkie, sending her to the floor out of fright.

Or she would have, if Ray hadn't darted forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Oh, Pinkie, you startled me." She blushed furiously now. "Thank you, Ray…"

"Huh?" He looked up like he'd just noticed what had happened. "Oh, right. Yeah I… just acted, I guess…"

"Sorry! I was just practicing my "surprise!" for when we surprise Applejack with this super cool party for becoming rodeo champion of Equestria! Surprise!"

"Well… thank you…" She rose rather quickly now, her cheeks still flushed. "Oh wait, you're not hurt are you?"

"Why would I be hurt?"

"Well… your um…" She gestured to his general figure.

"Oh, these?" The majority of his bruises and welts were gone, the bandaging on his leg and eye less now, but there was still some signs of it. "Nah, I told you, it's fine." He grimaced a little as he tried to push himself up.

"Are you sure? Here, let me…" She gave him a little support, helping him back up.

"Thanks and really, I'm fine with this." He shared a smile with Rarity. "It was worth it, believe me."

"Well, it is very much appreciated," returned the debutante, levitating a banner with her magic.

"Here, want me to get that?" He started to limp over, his own horn glowing, but Rarity stopped him.

"No, thank you. I'm quite capable with a simple banner."

"Come on, gimme something here!"

"No, you've done enough." She forced him to sit. "You just rest up now."

"What makes you think I'm gonna take orders from a snob like you?" he demanded, though he was grinning.

"Because the snob knows that the doctor said you should rest until you are fully recovered."

"Yeah, and that same doctor said I'm making great progress."

"You can fail the final leg if you put in too much."

"Who are you to talk to me about failing legs?"

"Still arguing then," Twilight whispered to him.

"I noticed. They're like an old married couple," he noted.

She giggled at this. "Don't let them hear you say that."

"Duly noted." He smiled towards them, Ray trying to stand up again and Rarity once again pushing him to the floor. "Still, you never know, stranger things have happened."

"Like what?"

"Like they're actually friends now."

"Fair point."

"And you and me happened, but that's something else entirely." He felt a sharp pain from a turnip that hit his head. "Ow! How did…?"

"I heard that!" called Ray. "I have ears like a fox!"

"That's a little strange. Why don't you have ears like a pony?" he returned.

"Was that a joke? I think that was joke! You see," he said, tapping his nose, "the system works."

"Quiet, you two, I think Applejack's coming!" whispered Twilight urgently.

They all dived into their hiding places and turned off the lights. Dusk could feel his excitement mounting as the door opened and he jumped up with the others with a cry of…

"SURPRISE!"

"Surprise!" cried Pinkie, a little too late. "Aw, shoot!"

The recipient, however, wasn't Applejack. "Wow, this is the best surprise ever! How did you know it was my birthday?"

Twilight met the mailpony outside, took the letter off him and slammed the door on him. Dusk didn't have long to feel sorry for him until Pinkie left him a slice of cake, hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed.

"Who's it from, Twilight? What's it say?" asked Apple Bloom.

"It's from Applejack." She read it aloud.

Family and friends, not coming back to Ponyville. Don't worry, will send money soon.

"That's all there is," she said, turning the note around.

Everypony had already gasped part way through the note and now they were in complete shock at the end of it, Dusk included. He didn't even need to deliberate on his own thoughts for what had happened, for everypony soon voiced them for him.

"Applejack's... not comin' back?" Apple Bloom dared to ask.

Rainbow looked flabbergasted. "What do you mean Applejack's not coming back?! She loves Ponyville!"

"And she loves Sweet Apple Acres!" put in Granny.

"And she loves her family!" Apple Bloom's bottom lip started to quiver

"Oh, something just dreadful must have happened to Applejack to make her not return!" exclaimed Rarity.

"That's what I was thinking as well," put in Dusk. "This is most unlike her."

"Maybe she's hurt, or sad, or scared!" Fluttershy despaired.

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go find her!" ordered Rainbow.

"I second that!" agreed Ray and nopony else argued against it.

"Don't worry. We'll search all of Equestria if we have to. We'll bring her back," promised Twilight to her family.

Apple Bloom sniffed but looked hopeful. "Y'all are the best."

"Good luck to ya," Granny wished.

Twilight nodded and, as one, the group ventured out of the barn and towards the train station… until they were stopped.

"Hey, wait up for me!" Ray called, hobbling after them.

"Ray? You're coming too?"

"No, Dusk, I'm just coming to see you off and wave goodbye from the train station," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Forget that, there's no way you're leaving me behind."

"We appreciate it, Ray, but we've known Applejack longer than you have," pointed out Rainbow. "You don't have to come along with us."

"Uh, yes I do," he said, as if it were obvious. "It'll be boring here without you guys."

"Don't you need to stay here and rest?" asked Fluttershy.

"I think we've already established I'm not doing as I'm told where that's concerned."

"Even so, you should-"

"Don't try and get rid of me, Rarity," he interrupted. "You're right, I haven't known Applejack for as long as you guys. Heck, I probably wouldn't have even been worried by that letter, if I hadn't seen how you all reacted to it. Despite that though, she's as much my friend as she is yours and I'm worried about her too. You're gonna have to knock me out to get me to stay."

Dusk could see the others looking around unsurely. Whether it was due to the state that he was in or the deeply personal feelings to do with this, combined with the fact he hadn't been around as long, he wasn't sure. But one thing he was sure about was that his fellow stallion had him convinced.

He admired him for that. He'd known the girls for about this long when they were first in trouble and he'd still hesitated before going to help, stopped by his fear and attitude to himself. Ray had put himself forward, without hesitation, even though he was injured, to put his efforts in to help find their lost friend.

"Thank you, Ray," he said, the first to speak up. "We might need all the help we can get."

"You know it," he winked. "Besides, I was planning to ask her for a job at the farm when she got back. Now, I'm a little bit annoyed that she's not even here to be asked."

Rainbow laughed. "Maybe that's why she's not back. She knew you were gonna ask and decided to skip town rather than face you."

"Then that just increases my annoyance. Now, are we gonna stand around talking or are we gonna get our Applejack back?"

"Ooh, the second one?" piped up Pinkie. "Even though we're doing the first one right now, but we should do the second one, because that sounds better."

"Okay then, I guess there's no dissuading you then. Can you keep up with your leg?" Ray nodded and saluted. "Right then ladies, gentlecolts, let's move out!"

They all galloped towards the station at full pelt, Ray doing an admirable effort to keep up with them, though they did have to stop and wait at times. Once they got on a train to Canterlot, they reviewed over what they were going to do. Since Dusk knew he wouldn't be able to track her, due to possible distance, so they were all given a photo of Applejack to ask around for her, to see if anypony had seen her.

Even though all of them were going to be putting their efforts in, Dusk was still worried about what might have happened to her. She had strong emotional bonds here in Ponyville, both with her family and her friends, both of which she remained dedicated and loyal to. Were he a betting pony, he would say the chances were higher of Discord reforming or Trixie losing her ego than Applejack ever abandoning her home.

She wrote that she wasn't coming back, but she didn't say that she was never returning. Perhaps she only intended this to be temporary. She'd said that she would send the money later. Had she been attacked and had her money taken, now she was in pursuit of the criminals to get it back? It seemed unlikely, but it would explain not telling them so as not to worry them and fit with her attitude of trying to solve problems by herself first, before asking for friend's help.

He just hoped that, whatever had happened, she was alright and that they would find her. He hated puctring the idea of them failing to find her, returning to Ponyville and having to tell her family that they hadn't been able to find her. That and he didn't want her to go… he missed her, as he would if any of them decided to leave.

Have faith, he told himself mentally. We'll find her. We have to…

Once they arrived in Canterlot, they ran straight for the last place that she would have been seen, at the rodeo arena where the contest was held. Armed with their photos and a determination to find their friend, they split up and asked around to all of those present if they had seen her. There were some other entertainers there and some cleaning staff for the aftermath, so it stood to reason one of them was bound to have seen her.

However, hours passed as they carried out their search and not a single pony gathered had seen her. If they had seen her, they didn't know where she had gone after the rodeo. They kept hope for as long as they could but, eventually after the majority of the ponies had gone, even they began to feel like they were never going to find her. Dusk had tried using a puppet to track her just so he could say he had tried, but it had just stood still and not moved. Wherever she was, she was beyond his reach.

Then, just when things had seemed hopeless, they finally found a lead which put them on the right track, quite literally. One of the contestants recognised her and told them that Applejack had last been seen boarding a train to a desert outpost called Dodge Junction. Their hopes partially rekindled, they had quickly boarded another train and set off for it.

Even though they had this lead, some of them were still acting rather forlorn about finding her.

"I hope this lead doesn't turn out to be a dead end," said Rainbow, staring out the window. "I don't wanna go home empty-hooved after promising we'd find her."

Fluttershy was in agreement. "I don't know how we'll break it to the Apple family."

"I don't know how we'll break it to Ponyville!" added Twilight.

"I don't know how I'll make it to the next stop!" screeched Pinkie, desperately crossing her legs.

"Pinkie, we did say for you to go while we were in Canterlot," reminded Dusk.

"Yeah, but I didn't need to go then, but now I do!" she insisted.

"Just hold it in," encouraged Ray.

"I don't know if I can! Are we there yet?"

"No, we're not," replied Dusk patiently.

"How about now?"

"Still travelling."

"What about now?"

"Do not make me turn this train around!" yelled Ray.

Dusk turned to him. "How can you turn it round? You're not even driving and we're not a track station or turn table."

Ray only smiled knowingly. "You underestimate me, my friend."

Dusk looked around to see everypony was smiling a little more from that, added to the fact that they were now actually pulling into the station and tried to bolster their spirits.

"Have faith, girls. We'll find her. If she is here, I can use my magic to track her now."

"I hope so," Twilight said, standing up to leave. "Just in case, we'll fan out and try to find her separately."

Dusk nodded, looking around the junction, which reminded him a lot of Appleloosa in its construction, mainly because of the buildings obviously meant to be fitting best in a desert environment and the dress code of those who lived here. Apart from one cherry harvesting business, there wasn't anything of notable interest about the town. It was often described as rest stop before heading off somewhere more interesting.

Dusk was just about to prepare his spell when Pinkie dashed by to an outhouse, knocking him down in the process.

"Hurryhurryhurryhurryhurry! Hurry it up in there!" he heard her urge frantically to whoever was inside.

Just as he stood up and was about to rejoin the others, he heard a very familiar voice emerge from the rest room.

"Huh, some ponies. Sheesh."

He was shocked for a moment, not expecting to have found her so quickly, but a slight adjustment of his askew glasses told him it was definitely her. He could already feel the smile and relief break over him, while he and Pinkie called the girl's attention to where she was, galloping after her and reaching her first.

"Well, fancy running into you here," he said with a grin.

Looking her over, she appeared to be unharmed or in distress in any way. However, at the sight of him and the others rushing over, she looked less happy and more… well, worried. Before he could ask about it, however or she could reply, the others joined them.

"Oh, Applejack, thank heavens!" Rarity said.

"We're so glad you're safe!" added Fluttershy.

Pinkie was still chanting nearby. "I found her, I found her, I found her, I-"

"Uh, Pinkie? Didn't you have an… issue to attend to?" reminded Ray.

"Oh yeah. Thanks Ray, be right back!" She rushed to the restroom again and slammed the door behind her.

"Uh, hey, everypony. What's up?" the farm pony greeted nervously.

Rainbow was straight to the point. "Why didn't you come back to Ponyville?!"

"Yes, why are you here?" Rarity asked, looking around with obvious disdain.

"Are you okay?" asked Fluttershy with concern.

"Do you have any snacks?"

"Can I have a job?"

They all looked at Pinkie and Ray for a moment, for their rather respective, out of place questions concerning the situation, but decided not to be distracted from the current issue.

"Tell us what happened, Applejack!" demanded Twilight.

Her eyes darted about nervously and she shuffled on her hooves. But before she could say anything, a newcomer arrived in the form of a beige-coloured mare, with a grand mane cut, curled tail and yellow ascot.

"Applejack? Are these some -a your Ponyville friends?" she asked in a cheery tone.

"Yes ma'am," answered Twilight.

"And you are...?" Rarity asked.

"Why, ah'm Cherry Jubilee, boss-a Cherry Hill Ranch. Hasn't Applejack told ya? Ah saw her compete at the Equestria Rodeo. Never saw anypony win so many ribbons in all ma life," she said proudly.

Applejack looked away sheepishly. "Aw shucks, Miss Jubilee. Ya don't have ta go inta all that."

"Oh, she's so modest. Anyway, ah can always use a pony with quick hooves and a strong back. So, when ah heard Applejack was lookin' for a change of scenery, ah snapped her up as quick as ah could and brought her ta Dodge Junction." They all exchanged disbelieving looks from this explanation. "Well, ah'll let you catch up with your friends. See you back at the ranch."

Rainbow was the first to ask what they were all thinking to a slightly sweating Applejack. "'Change of scenery'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"No big deal, guys. Ah thought cherries would be a nice change from apples, so ah took the job and came here. That's it. End-a story," she said quickly, turning her back on them.

"That's it? Well, that's a terrible story!" said Pinkie

"Yes, sorry to say, but I feel that isn't much of an adequate explanation," voiced Dusk.

"Sorry, but that's all there is to tell." She started to walk away, barely looking back. "Thanks fer checkin' on me, but y'all can go home now. Tell ma family hi, and that ah'm doing A-okay."

"Excuse me, AJ," Rainbow snapped, blocking her progress and glaring, "but we didn't travel all over Equestria searching for you to come home without you!"

"Well ah didn't ask you ta come lookin' for me!" she retorted. "There is nothin' to tell and ah am not going back to Ponyville!"

They watched after her until she had gone before conferring among each other.

"I don't care what she says, Applejack's not telling us something," Twilight said.

"Ray, you're good with this kind of thing. Thoughts?" Dusk asked him.

"Twilight's pretty much said it," he agreed. "You can tell she's hiding something."

"Really? You… can?" asked Dusk, feeling a stab of fear for his own secret.

"Yeah…" Ray's gaze lingered on him for a bit, before talking again. "Short explanation, avoidance of the subject, nervous eyes and a tiny little bit of sweat. Like an owner of a café being asked what the weird white thing is you found in your food and that you think the drink looks like it's been spat in."

"That's a very specific example," noted Rarity.

"Believe me, there's a reason for it," he answered.

"Whatever, you're both right," said Rainbow. "We gotta get her to spill the beans."

"What?! She had beans? Ugh, I told her I was snacky!" groaned Pinkie.

"Anyway, do you have any ideas, Twilight?" asked Fluttershy.

Both she and Dusk looked at each other and back at the group.

"Give us a moment," she requested, leaning in closer to Dusk. "Right, we need to find a way to talk to her without her avoiding us."

"It would also have to be at a place where we could have constant access to her," he put in.

"Perhaps find out where she's staying and wait for her?"

"No, she could just as easily lock herself in her room and avoid us that way. We really just need to bring her back to Ponyville."

"And how do we do that? Brute force? That would look rather strange, a group of seven ponies dragging another, kicking and screaming onto the train while trying to keep her quiet."

"Good point, you're right. The best way is to get her to go willingly and the root of that would be finding the cause of why she's here in the first place."

"Which brings us back to square one. We need somewhere we could get access to her…"

"Somewhere we could talk to her without her avoiding us…"

"Somewhere like…" Their faces brightened at almost the same instant. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think I am," he replied confidently.

"Wow. Are they usually like that?" Ray enquired to Rainbow.

"More than you'd like, less than you'd hope. Have the eggheads hatched a plan?" she asked.

"Yes, we do," they said simultaneously.

Within the hour, they initiated their plan to make Applejack say more about what had happened in Canterlot. They'd all gone to see Cherry Jubilee and asked her if there were any jobs they could have while associating with Applejack. The mare had been delighted and understanding to take them on, so she assigned the girls as cherry pickers and Dusk to run on the machine with Applejack to convey the cherries along. Ray, due to his injured state, was given the job of placing the cherries from the baskets onto the machine, so as not to exert himself.

They were lead into the sorting room, just as Applejack was starting her shift, explained as to what they should do and set to work with the sentiment to 'have fun'. Applejack was, of course, suspicious of their intentions and warned them that there was to be no questions concerning Ponyville while they worked. She added a glare to Dusk, who was running right next to her, but he just held her gaze, not shying away.

He and Applejack started at a gentle trot on the wheel, turning the mechanism that moved the conveyer belt with the cherries on, which Ray was putting on one at a time from the other side of the wall. Occasionally glancing at Applejack, he caught Twilight's eye and her wink, the signal to begin their interrogation.

"So, Applejack, how did you enjoy Canterlot?" She glared at him, but he kept his composure. "You said not to ask about Ponyville, I'm asking about Canterlot, completely different."

"Canterlot was fine," she answered dully.

"Was the rodeo fun?" put in Twilight.

"Yes."

"Did you meet some nice ponies there?"

"Some."

"Really?" Rainbow darted over, an excited look on her face. "Did you see Wild Bull Hickok? What about Calamity Mane?"

"Yes, saw 'em both."

Rainbow grinned in an attempt to lighten her attitude, but Applejack remained stubbornly tight-lipped and didn't say anything further. Their intention was to try to discern exactly why she had decided not to return, without directly referencing Ponyville, so they could try and help her. The trick was getting her to open up.

Rarity asked the next question they needed, now that small talk had failed. "And how did you meet Miss Jubilee?"

"Um, well, Miss Jubilee had a cherry stand at the rodeo. Real good treats."

While she was being asked about this, she sped up from a gentle trot to a fast walk, so Dusk had to walk faster to keep pace.

"Um, excuse me?" Nopony paid note to Fluttershy, continuing to listen to this new information.

"Cherry winks, cherry cheesecake, cherry tarts. We struck up a conversation bein' orchard folk and all."

"So you told her about Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight asked.

"Yes."

"Did you tell her why you weren't going back?" demanded Rainbow.

"No, 'cuz it was none of her business!" she shouted back, now speeding to a jog, along with Dusk.

"Ooh... Can you please slow down?"

"Is it because I made it rain on you that one time?" asked Rainbow.

"No!"

"Help!" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see they were having trouble at the conveyer belt, with Ray no doubt having to place on more cherries to keep up with it.

Twilight tried her hoof. "Is it because you were insulted when I gave you that book on organized orchards?"

"NO!"

Now, she was galloping full pelt and Dusk, who didn't much in the way of stamina as it was, started having difficulty maintaining the speeds, panting and knowing he'd have to slow down and rest at some point.

He was also growing a little more frustrated with Applejack not telling them, as well as her being inconsiderate towards him.

"Is it because you were insulted when I insulted your hair?" asked Rarity.

"No no NO! I'm not telling you why, so just–"

"Just tell us!" he growled and he knew it was in a slightly deeper voice than normal, along with a glare.

Except that was all he needed to slow down. He fell and ended up being spun around the wheel, unable to stop himself and the world whizzing by in a circular blur.

"STOP!"

"Hey, guys!" he heard Ray yell. "She said- WHOA!"

Now, she stopped, screeching to a halt. The force of the sudden stop was enough to catapult Dusk from the wheel and send him smacking into the wall, sliding down in a heap. He was vaguely aware of a loud splat and simultaneous gasps from everypony present, but was in such a daze from the dizziness and his head, that it didn't really register.

He raised his head, tried to stand up, wobbled a bit and fell back down, this time into some squashed cherries.

After he'd been given some time to recover, he found out what had happened in those few seconds. Ray had stuck his head out of the hole where the cherries came from, had fallen on the belt and ended up being buried in a mountain of red and yellow fruit, having to be helped out by an anxious Fluttershy. Some of the cherries had hit Applejack, who had left the room covered in juice and angry at them all.

They reviewed the situation while cleaning up the mess they'd made, Dusk silently thankful nopony appeared to have noticed his little lapse there. It was nowhere near as bad as the last one, but still… it was enough that he felt more aware than ever.

"Well, girls and guys," Twilight said, cleaning up a patch with a mop, "we seem to be striking out."

Rainbow threw down her mop. "That's 'cause we're playing too nice."

"Yes. Desperate times do call for desperate measures," reasoned Rarity.

"It's time to call in the big guns." Everypony looked right at Pinkie Pie, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Wait… surely we don't need to go that far?" whispered Dusk.

"I know… it seems… cruel," Fluttershy agreed.

"I know where you're coming from, but I don't think we have much of a choice here," said Twilight, though not without some fear in her voice.

"I know… but still…" Fluttershy didn't even finish her sentence.

They all nodded, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

Everypony except Ray. "Hold on, what can she do that the rest of you can't to make her talk?"

"Exactly that. Talk." Rainbow only gave him a knowing smile and some ear plugs. "Just wear these, stand back and watch.

Taking places behind trees or bushes out in the orchard, all wearing ear protection, they stood back and watched as Applejack bucked the cherries out, soon approached by Pinkie Pie. She started to help Applejack with the harvesting and talking to her, though they couldn't hear what she was saying. Not long after, she went into a full tirade of talking, a bombardment of babbling and properly perplexing procrastination. It really was remarkable as to how much she could talk about… anything.

Applejack was clearly trying to resist, walking away from her and making an effort to focus on anything other than the flood of speech spilling from Pinkie's mouth. But everypony had their breaking point, even one as stubborn as Applejack and soon, even she couldn't stand the raw power of Pinkie talk any longer.

Dusk liked to call it the Final Solution.

"No! Make it stop, make it stop!"

Rainbow darted over, covering Pinkie's mouth while she continued to jabber away. "The only way to make it stop is for you to spill the beans."

"Never!"

Rainbow smiled wickedly, pulling away her hoof. "Speaking of beans, did you ever realize how many words rhyme with 'beans'? Lean, mean, spleen, unclean, bean..."

"Alright, alright! Ah'll tell everypony what's goin' on! Jus' please stop talkin'!" They all emerged from their hiding places at this.

"Whoa… all that just from her rambling?" Dusk nodded in answer to Ray's question. "Wow… that's some power."

"But with great power comes great responsibility," replied Dusk. "One we must never, ever misuse."

"Right…" He looked unsurely at Pinkie for a moment, but returned his attention to Applejack with the others.

"But... can it wait 'til tomorrow at breakfast? Ah'm plum tuckered out."

"Tomorrow, huh? I don't know..." Rainbow remarked suspiciously.

"Do you Pinkie promise?" asked Pinkie.

Applejack sighed and did the actions. "Ah will tell you the whole truth at breakfast. Pinkie promise."

Ray stared again in disbelief. "Pinkie promise? She really is something else."

"Yes, although we're still trying to figure out what exactly," added Dusk.

---

Dusk awoke earlier than the others and began to make his way to where Applejack was staying at the inn. He hoped to be the first there, to try and get some proper answers from her, perhaps sympathize with her, in private, about how he knew how it felt to hide a terrible secret. All without telling her about his own, of course.

He was just rounding the corner to her room when he found that she was already leaving. Obviously, from her time on the farm, she was an early riser too.

"Good morning, Applejack. On your way to breakfast?"

She started and whipped around, smiling uneasily. "Oh, uh… howdy, Dusk. What um… what y'all doin' here?"

"Well, you know how I am with waking up early and I decided to meet you for breakfast," he explained. "Shall we, then?"

"Right. Well… heh, t'aint no need fer that, sugarcube," she laughed nervously. "Y'all can head on back ta bed, no need ta get up on ma account."

"That's nice of you to offer, but…" Now not only noticing her jittery disposition, he noted too that she wore her saddlebags. "Are you going somewhere?"

She started again. "Wha…? Why do ya ask that?"

"I just noticed your saddlebags. Have you packed to come home already?"

"No! Ah mean, yes, ah mean… in a manner-a speakin'," she stammered. "Ah just um… like ta be prepared, ya know? Just in case?"

"It didn't take long for you to change your mind then," he said, feeling all the more suspicious.

"Heh, guess not. Suppose that um… ya'll bein' here helped ta change that. See sense an' what not."

He felt disappointment sink in even more. "Applejack, as one poor liar to another, I can tell you that you're doing a worse job than even I could manage."

"Now, Dusk… let's not be hasty here."

"I would say that you were planning to encompass every definition of the term, before I showed up." He let how he felt show on his face. "Applejack, why are you trying to hide from us?"

"Ah… ah jus'… ah was gonna…" She stopped and sighed. "Ah just… can't tell ya, ah can't."

"Why not? We're your friends, you shouldn't be trying to hide from us." He took a few steps closer. "If you won't talk to the others, at least talk to me. Help me understand."

"Dusk, ah can't tell ya, ah just can't! Ya can't know, none-a can." She looked up, a hint of regret in her eyes. "Fer the record, ah'm real sorry for what ah have ta do."

"Applejack, what are you-?" He got the answer in the form of her turning suddenly, bringing up her rear hooves.

He only just had enough time to raise a shield, but it was still enough to buck him down the hall and smack into the wall. He felt the pain in his back and his vision was blurry, for his glasses had fallen off. He put them back on, just in time to see her gallop out of the door and out into the street.

Shaking off the anger and betrayal from the fact she'd attacked him, he stood up and shouted down the hall for the others.

"Everypony! Applejack's trying to get away! Quickly, we need to get after her!"

"She's what?" The first head to stick out of the door was Pinkie Pie. "She's… she's…" Steam poured out of her ears, her eyes narrowed, turning yellow and red, with an expression that could reduce a dragon to a quivering wreck.

"Pinkie…?" Ray was also arriving now, his eyes locked on her. "Are you..?"

"NOPONY BREAKS A PINKIE PROMISE!" she cried in a distorted voice.

"…I'm scared…"

"Come on!" she rallied, the others all galloping out of their rooms and out into the street, where they could see Applejack jumping on a stagecoach. "Applejack! YOU PINKIE PROMISED! Get back here!"

Her eyes widened, she yelped and flung the reins, sending the four stallions pulling into it speeding off down the streets. They ran as fast as they could, even Ray, but on hoof, they had no chance of catching up to her.

"She's gonna get away!" Pinkie screeched.

"Oh no, she won't! Look!" Twilight pointed to an empty cart, with enough room that they could all fit into it.

After fixing Rainbow and Fluttershy to the harness and hopping in, they were soon after her, tearing down the streets of Dodge. Bewildered ponies had to stop as it came, or dive out of the way, but the two pegasi made sure not to hit anypony as they went. With both of them pulling, they were soon catching up.

"Oh, we have you now!" Pinkie cried.

"… Still kinda scared…"

"Either man up, or get off!"

"Yes ma'am."

They closed the distance between them, they would soon catch up. Just a little closer…

Suddenly, Dusk had to hold onto the side as the cart screeched to the left. A rabbit had hopped into its path and Fluttershy had to stop to avoid it. Once the mammal in question had left and Rainbow had finished glaring at Fluttershy, they resumed their chase.

The pursuit took them out of Dodge and into the desert, the wind whipping through their manes and dust kicking up in the wheels, which were a blur with the speed they were going at. Once again though, they were catching up to the stagecoach.

They pulled up to the side, close enough that Rainbow rammed the cart into the side of the carriage, in an attempt to ram her off course.

"Whoa!" Applejack wobbled in the seat. "What the hay?"

"Pull over!" ordered Rainbow.

"Hey! Cut that out! Whoa!" She rammed it again, but she still wouldn't stop.

Why wouldn't she stop? Why did she keep running? Why did she… she attacked him. She kicked him! He'd tried to help and she'd kicked him!

Dusk now felt his anger at her boil over again, to the point where he wanted to make sure she wouldn't get away. Whipping off his hat, he lowered his head and let loose with a barrage of colour pellets at the coach, splintering at some of the wheel and whizzing over Applejack's head. Trying something else, he hardened his hat and threw it at the coach, knocking it at the side.

He caught it with a spell, brought it back and was about to try again, when he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

"Dusk, wait!" Twilight called. "If you damage it too much, you might hurt Applejack and the ponies pulling it!"

"But I-!"

"Dusk, just stop!" The pleading note in her voice brought him to his senses and he once again suppressed the anger, calming himself down.

"I… I'm sorry, I just… I forgot myself…" he muttered. "This whole thing, it's just…"

"I know," she sympathised. "But don't worry, we're not going to let her get away."

"Right… you're- DUST!"

He shut his eyes, just as a cloud of dust covered them all. They all coughed to get it out of their lungs, watching the coach pull away again. She'd ridden fats enough to leave them literally in the dust.

Rarity brushed some out of her fur. "That was rude!"

Pinkie wasn't discouraged. "Get them! GET THEM!"

"Come on, Fluttershy!" bolstered Rainbow and the two put on extra speed, catching up to the rear within seconds.

Applejack was at the reins, desperately urging her drivers to go faster, but they pulled up alongside again. Close enough to jump the gap, Pinkie took a chance and dived over, landing right next to her in the seat.

"Applejack, you broke your Pinkie promise! Apologize!" she demanded.

"Pinkie, ah did not break my promise!" argued Applejack.

Anger turned to confusion. "Wha?"

"If y'all reckon back, ah told you that ah would tell you everything at breakfast. But ah didn't come to breakfast. Ah couldn't come to that breakfast, not if it meant telling y'all what happened."

"Well, I... I..."

"Ah'm sorry, Pinkie, but ah can't tell y'all the truth. Ah just can't."

Couldn't tell them the truth, just like him… now, his anger had been replaced by pity and made him feel even worse about his actions before. But he didn't have long to feel sorry for himself.

"Well I heard a sorry in there, so that'll have to do for now. I'll get a real apology later. Raritycatchme." Without warning, Pinkie jumped off the stagecoach and fell towards the fashionista.

"What? Pinkie-!"

Before she could move, before Dusk could grab her hoof, Pinkie crashed into her, cutting her scream short and forcing them both off the cart.

"Rainbow, go back!" called Twilight.

"No time! They knew what they were getting into!"

"We can't leave them there!" Ray shouted. "Go back!"

"If we do, she'll get away and then we might never catch her!" She glanced back at Ray. "I'm sorry, but we can go back for them later."

"But… fine then…" He didn't look happy, but Ray complied. "My turn now…"

Dusk knew how he felt, but he also knew they had no choice. He turned to comfort her, but gasped when he saw that he was gone. Had he fallen too? Up ahead, he saw his answer, on the coach with Applejack… even though she was still a good distance away.

The others all noticed this too.

"How the hay did he manage to get on that coach? We aren't even close to it!" Rainbow asked incredulously.

"It doesn't matter, look!" Twilight's hoof pointed to the two of them, Applejack swinging her hooves at him to get him off, while Ray did his best to dodge.

But that wasn't the only thing. He could hear a steady chugging to their left and looked to see a train coming along the tracks. Applejack's coach had picked up speed, no doubt intending to lose them between the train if she got over the tracks first.

Dusk leaned forward, like he could will their cart to go faster. He saw Ray get hit, lose his hoofing and wobble on the edge of the seat. The train barriers were lowering, the locomotive speeding closer and closer, as was the coach. Would Applejack make it? Would the coach get hit?

She made the tracks, the train in inches. Ray couldn't hold any longer, fell just before the train, hurtling to the ground.

"Ray, NO!" Fluttershy galloped impossibly faster, her eyes fixed on the falling stallion.

Twilight and Dusk looked at each other, nodded in silent confirmation and prepared their magic. Just as they reached the wall of train carriages whizzing by in front of them, just before Ray hit the ground, Dusk caught him in an aura, while Twilight lifted the cart, Rainbow and Fluttershy spreading their wings.

It was perfectly well timed. Ray landed back inside and they soared over the train, over Applejack and landed on the other side.

"Phew… that… was close." Ray grinned at Dusk. "Thanks for the save."

"My pleasure," he assured.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" Even though she was completely out of breath, Fluttershy was more concerned for Ray then for herself.

"Don't sweat it, pun intended, I'm fine." His smile softened as he looked at her. "You did great. Thanks…"

Dusk would have deliberated more on the notable blushes the two of them had, but there wasn't time. Though she had lost her coach, Applejack was still trying to escape.

"Not so fast!" Rainbow pulled out of her harness and took after her, Dusk jumping out and following, intending to bounce above and cut her off.

Rainbow got there first, tackling her, the two of them tumbling to the ground. The force caused Applejack's bag to open, the contents spilling out onto the desert ground. The yellow of the sand was decorated with many different colours of ribbon, shining in the sun.

The farm pony, stuck under Rainbow, buried her head in her hooves. "Fine. Now ya know."

"Know what?" asked Twilight.

"Well, just look!" she yelled, despair in her voice.

"I am. You won an amazing number of ribbons, just like Miss Jubilee said!"

"Just like we said you would," added Dusk.

"Yeah. I've seen Final Fantasy books with less ribbons than what you have," put in Ray.

"Don't you get it? There's every color of ribbon down there. Every colour... but... blue." She sank to the ground, her head bowed. "Ah came in fourth, third, even second, but ah didn't win one first prize, and ah certainly didn't win any prize money."

"But the telegram said you were gonna send money," remembered Rainbow.

"That's why ah came here. Ah wanted to earn some money. After that big old send-off Ponyville gave me, ah just didn't have the nerve to come back empty-hooved. Ah couldn't come home a failure." She walked away from them, unable to look at them out of shame.

Pity and compassion for his friend was all that Dusk felt, as he was sure that all the others did too. Of course she'd be ashamed of herself, the old Applejack pride shining through, but for her failure to win for herself, but for her friends. Her family… how could one not admire that?

Twilight broke the silence.

"Applejack, you're not a failure."

"And we're your friends!" added Rainbow. "We don't care if you came in fiftieth place! You're still number one in our books.

"What she said, even if it was corny," agreed Ray.

She dared to turn her head around. "So... yer not upset, or disappointed?"

They all shook their heads, though Dusk added, "Apart from of course feeling a little annoyed that you didn't just tell us from the beginning."

Like I can talk, he thought…

"But what about the mayor?" she asked, still unconvinced. "I don't think I can face her and tell her I didn't get that money to fix the broken roof."

"Applejack, we can always find a way to fix that hole in the roof," dismissed Fluttershy. "But if you don't come back, we'll never be able to fix the hole in our hearts."

Twilight and Fluttershy nuzzled up to her, finally reconciled. Dusk was about to, but he felt inappropriate doing it. Applejack, however, didn't miss this and walked over to him, looking uneasy again.

"Y'all were right, Dusk. Ah shoulda jus' said from the start. Ah was empty headed, ta think y'all wouldn't try comin' after me. Ah'm sorry ah… ah kicked ya. Can ya forgive me?"

"I already have," he said in a heartbeat. "Even though your hooves did leave quite an impression. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"That ain't never gonna happen?" She turned to Twilight. "Permission ta hug yer stallion?"

"Granted," she smiled.

"Thanks." Now, he didn't feel as bad… even though his own guilt still niggled away at him, during the warmth of her embrace. "Still, ferget about ma bad side, ah ain't never gonna get on yers."

"Yes, indeed…" Dusk looked away, knowing what she was referring to.

He heard a sniff from above and saw Rainbow wiping away her tears. "Darn it! Now you got me acting all sappy!"

"Is it always like this with you guys?" Ray asked, a smile of his own on his face.

"Mostly, yes. You're not discouraged, are you?" he brought up.

"Are you kidding? No way!" He laughed and grinned wider. "That was the most exciting thing I've ever done! Period!"

"I thought you might say something like that." A question raised in his mind. "How did you get on that coach anyway?"

"I have my methods. Now, I believe we have two mares in distress to save?" he noted.

"Oh no, Rarity and Pinkie!" Twilight gasped. "I completely forgot in all that happened. Let's go and find them."

"I'm glad you didn't." Ray hopped back in the cart with them. "After all, who am I meant to have arguments with if she's gone?"

---

Not too far away from Ponyville, in the town of Hoofdale, in a small basement, full of design ideas and paper from various sessions of brainstorming, there was a palpable excitement in the air, particularly from two of the three present.

Flim and Flam eagerly looked over the blueprints that they had been given, carefully examining them to see if it fit in with their designs. To their utter delight, they found that not only was it possible to build this machine they needed for their cider business, but that they could do it with the materials they had.

"At last, my brother!" Flim said excitedly. "Our prayers have been answered!"

"You see? I knew somepony would notice our idea soon enough!" replied Flam in an equal tone.

"How right you were, Flam, how right you were!" He looked back at the pony who had given it to them. "My brother and I cannot tell you how grateful we are for this. These designs are brilliant!"

The stallion, a grey-furred Pegasus, simply smiled. "I thought you might like them. I'd heard about you two and your ideas and I feel the same. We could all do with easy access cider, in great amounts for everypony."

"We're very glad to hear you say that and to use these designs to finally achieve that aim," said Flam. "If there is anything we can do to repay you, ask away."

"Actually, there is one thing." He pulled something else out of his saddlebag. "I've already told you of my interest in cider and was wondering if you'd add this to one of your samples. It's a small ingredient, that might help improve its flavour."

They took it and looked it over. It was phial of liquid, that was a strange swirling mix of different colours, including purple, red, gold and black. Neither of them had seen anything like it before. They were about to ask, but they had no reason to doubt this stallion. He clearly knew what he was talking about, with these plans and the way he presented them, why doubt this.

Besides, it might help them make a little more money, if it did work.

"Why, certainly," they said without hesitation. "Anything to improve the quality of Equestria's favourite drink."

"Thank you. Just two things I need to ask of you when you try it. Make sure the first town you go to is Ponyville and that, when you present the machine there, give the first sample of this ingredient to this pony." He gave them a photo. "I hear he'd be more than willing to try it out."

"Again, your wish is our command," they both replied. "Now, let's get to work constructing this magnificent creation. We can have it ready to roll in a few days."

"Just make sure you don't mention me," he added, his smile growing wider. "I want it to be a surprise for him."

It didn't sound like an unreasonable request and one that they could easily fulfil. After all, the pony in the picture was quite distinctive, with the trilby hat and glasses he wore. It really would be no trouble at all.

Comments

[laser68]

dat ending

[SCI-FIWIZARDMAN]

2595697..................is an epic foreshadow. Edge will get what's coming to him, fear not. As for the next chapter......well, for now my main concern is putting up with those annoying entrepreneur brothers. And their singing. Gah.

[SaxPon3]

DUN....DUN.....DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

[Phase Nexus]

Who the fuck is this asshole?!

[dude2976]

2606922. I wonder who he is too!!!! dun dun dunnnnnn

[Sarazu]

2606922
That's Hard Edge, so now we have proxies acting through a proxy that's gonna be fun for our fave group of ponies to unwind.

[MrLucksman]

"Actually, my left eye is the okay one, it's the right one that doesn't stay still. Righty just likes to wander around a bit, see?" Now he noticed, he did see that her left eye remained focused on hi, while the other seemed to move every time she blinked.

Him*

[Witchery]

Well fuck. Either mind control serum or something to have Doom take over or blend with Dusk's personality.

[X 865]

Bewildered ponies had to stop as it came, or dive out of the way, but the two pegasi made sure to hit anypony as they went.

I never took Fluttershy to be someone who plays GTA.