> A Gem Of A Day
>  by Eddy13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> How We Got Here
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack came walking down the street. The first three looked like they had nearly been mauled to death, though Pinkie's everpresent grin remained. The latter two, despite looking alright, had a deep funk about them.

"Oi" Sunset groaned as she shook her bandaged head "I never want to go through that again".

"Likewise" Twilight agreed as she limped on, her glasses fractured.

"Oh, I don't know" Pinkie Pie said with a shrug "It seemed fun for me" before whipping out a slide whistle and going 'whoop!' on it.

Twilight grimaced. "Pinkie, hasn't that thing caused us enough trouble?"

"I keep telling you, that was an accident!" Pinkie Pie protested before giving another 'whoop!', before her eyes widened and she looked at the whistle in her hands "I don't believe it! I did it! I actually did it! Haha! Free ice cream for a month, here I come!"

"Well, I've certainly learned my lesson from all this" Twilight said with a sigh as she looked at the purple gem in her hand. "I've got to be more careful with this thing".

"I cannot believe the way I was treated!" Rarity was moaning "Imagine, me, trying to right a wrong, treated like a common criminal! And worse, that brute still gets away with the injustice she's committed!"

"Aah, give it a rest, Platinum Priss" Applejack said with a groan.

"I asked you to stop calling me that!" Rarity shrieked.

"This has officially been the most bizarre day of my life" Sunset said with a sigh "I can only wonder how it's going to end".

At that moment, the five were passing by a small chapel. Before they knew it, the door opened and out stepped Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, dressed in matching wedding gowns and wedding rings on their fingers. Giggling like school girls, the two newlyweds shared a loving kiss before descending down the steps, holding hands.

"I can't believe we actually did this" Fluttershy said in awe, not a hint of regret in her voice.

"No kidding" Rainbow agreed as she gave her new wife's hand an affectionate squeeze "And now you're mine forever, Mrs. Dash".

"Likewise, Mrs. Dash" Fluttershy said seductively as she wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash and kissed her passionately, which Rainbow reciprocated.

Catching something out of the corner of their eyes, the two brides broke away and turned to see their friends, who were looking on at them with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Well" Rainbow Dash said blushing while she and Fluttershy were still embracing "I suppose we've got a long story to tell".

Twenty minutes earlier...

"You ruffians can't do this to us!" Rarity was shrieking as she shook the bars of the jail cell she and Applejack were in "I do not belong in here! I was wronged! And this place is so vulgar!"

"Calm down, Platinum Priss" Applejack groused from the bunk beds.

"Applejack" Rarity turned to her cellmate "I'll have to ask you to knock that off. It's officially gotten old!"

At that moment, the door opened and in stepped Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie, all looking worse for wear.

"Good heavens!" Rarity remarked in shock "What in the world happened to you three?"

"Don't ask" Sunset and Twilight said together before Sunset turned to the police officer by the cell "How much is their bail?"

"It comes to $50" the policeman said.

"What?!" Rarity asked in disbelief "That's outrageous! It's bad enough to be arrested while trying to undo a wrongdoing, but to be charged so much for it?!"

"Just for that, it's now $100" the police officer said with contempt.

Before Rarity could protest again, Applejack covered her mouth while Sunset reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out a $100 bill.

"Oh, well" she said with a sigh as she handed it to the officer "It was nice while it lasted".

"I promise you, Sunset" Rarity said solemnly as the policeman opened the cell "I will pay you back" she then turned to the police officer with a look of disdain "And don't think that I won't talk to my family's lawyer about the treatment I endured in here, you uncouth brute!"

"You want to go back in again?" the police officer warned.

"Oh, that's it, Buster!" Rarity snapped "IT. IS. ON!" resulting in the others having to hold her back before she could attempt to strangle the policeman.

Fifteen minutes earlier...

"Ooh," Sunset was groaning as she wrapped her forehead with discarded cloth in an abandoned alleyway outside the warehouse, her clothes looking clawed and ripped "That wasn't pleasant".

"You said it" Twilight agreed while sitting on a box as she gingerly rubbed her throbbing ankle, her clothes as tattered as Sunset's "I twisted my ankle and broke my glasses in that battle".

"On the bright side, at least we managed to get your gem back, Twilight" Pinkie Pie said from a trash can, looking just as battered as the others, her kneecaps scraped and her left eye black and swollen.

"Yeah," Twilight said as she held up the purple stone, covered in green gunk "but it would've gone a lot smoother if not for you and that slide whistle of yours".

"Oh come on!" Pinkie Pie pouted as she held up the whistle "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? It. was. an. accident. Besides, I'd end up losing a month's worth of free ice cream if anything happened to this, and I couldn't deal with that!"

"Well, let's just get out of here and see how the others have been doing" Sunset said after finishing wrapping her head "I haven't seen Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, or Fluttershy all day!"

She was about to walk off when she looked down to the ground and saw something. "Hey, a $100 bill!" she said as she excitedly picked it up "This is great, I've never had a $100 before. Maybe this day is turning out better than I thought". At that moment, Sunset heard her phone ring. "Hello? Oh, hey Applejack! We were just talking about you! What are you up to?" A look of confusion came to her face "Wait, Applejack, slow down, I can't understand you. Wait, what? What do you mean you've only got one phone call?" Sunset's face went blank "Say again? You guys are where?" Turning away from her phone she looked to Twilight and Pinkie Pie. "You're not going to believe this".

Five minutes earlier...

"Ooh," Twilight groaned as she struggled to get back up from under the pile of boxes.

Looking down in front of her, she saw that her glasses had been knocked off her face. Reaching down, she picked up the glasses and put them back on...only to discover that the lenses had been fractured in the fall.

Nevertheless, by looking through them, she could plainly see that Sunset and Pinkie Pie were in need of assistance, the latter holding a broken mop handle while the former was riding the chimera like one of her kin. 

Looking down, Twilight spotted the gem on the floor a few feet away. Standing up, Twilight felt a surge of pain shoot through her leg. Gritting her teeth and with great difficulty, Twilight hobbled over to the gem and picked it up, momentarily shaking her hands to get off the gunk that was on it.

Looking down at the gem, Twilight could see her grim reflection in it. Raising her head, she looked back up just as the chimera tossed Sunset off. Squeezing the gem tight in her hand, a look of determination appeared on Twilight's face.

"Hey, you!" she called out to the chimera, getting the attention of all three of its heads, which regarded her with surprise. In the background, Pinkie was looking at an exasperated Sunset smugly. 

"I brought you into this world" Twilight said fiercely to the creature as she held up the gem in her hand with a firm grip "And I can send you back where you came from!"

Holding the gem over her head, Twilight began to concentrate, the gem in her hands glowing a bright purple. Swinging the gem downward in front of her, Twilight hurled a large burst of magical energy from the gem to the floor. 

Upon hitting the floor, the energy morphed into a large portal, which immediately began to suck everything around it in.

Acting quickly, Twilight, Sunset, and Pinkie Pie quickly grabbed onto something heavy or nailed down and held on for all they were worth.

As if sensing what was happening the chimera tried to run away from the portal, but its pull was too strong. All three of its heads looking scared, the creature attempted to used its claws to brace itself to the floor, only to leave long gouge marks as it was pulled backwards.

Little by little, the chimera was sucked towards the portal before it began being pulled in. Grasping the floor tightly with its front paws as the rest of itself was pulled in, the chimera looked like it was dangling from a cliff. Despite how hard it tried its best to hold on, the chimera's grip eventually gave way. With a final 'Roar!/Bwwaa!/Hiss!', the chimera fell down into the portal and disappeared back into its own dimension.

The moment its objective had been pulled in, the portal immediately sealed itself, the strong winds dying with it, leaving Twilight, Sunset and Pinkie Pie remaining in one piece.

"Whew" the trio sighed with relief, Twilight finally collapsing under her leg's pain while Sunset, her temples sore from being tossed, held her head while groaning.

Two minutes earlier...

"Twilight!" Sunset and Pinkie Pie shrieked in concern. Unfortunately, they had no time to do anything else as the chimera's snake tail came lunging at them, forcing them to go in opposite directions.

"We'll worry about Twilight later. Right now, we have to get the gem from it!" Sunset was frantically saying to Pinkie. "It's the only way we can send it back to Equestria!"

"But how do we make it let go?" Pinkie asked as the chimera faced them down a few feet away.

"I've got an idea" Sunset whispered to the partyplanner "You keep it distracted for a moment, okay?"

"Hey, getting one's attention is my specialty" Pinkie Pie said confidently "Would crying 'Hey, you!' work?"

"Pinkie, I doubt it would fall for something like that" Sunset said flatly "Try thinking of something else".

"Fine" Pinkie sighed in submission before looking around and spotting a mop on the floor.

Grabbing it up like a sword, Pinkie held it out against the beast before her. 

"Back, Simba!" she yelled like a liontamer as she held the mop out in front of her like a chair "Back!"

Sharing a look of disbelief between its three heads, the chimera slashed its claw across, splitting the mop handle in two.

"Oh, Mama" Pinkie Pie squeaked.

Fortunately, Pinkie's antics had provided Sunset a long enough distraction as she was putting her plan into motion.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this one" the bacon-color haired girl muttered to herself as she climbed on top of one of the still standing shelves.

Positioning herself directly over the chimera, Sunset leaped off the shelf and landed squarely on the chimera's back, taking it by surprise as it attempted to throw her off.

"Pinkie, now!" Sunset cried as she held on for dear life.

Swinging her broken handle like a club, Pinkie Pie struck the jaw of the chimera's tiger head head-on, knocking the gem out of its mouth and sending it flying to the ground.

Six minutes earlier...

With the chimera hot on their heels, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie ran like crazy through the warehouse corridor.

"Quick!" Sunset instructed while pointing at a lane on the left "This way!"

Listening to her instructions, Twilight and Pinkie followed Sunset's lead and turned left into the lane. The chimera, seeing its prey change directions, slipped on its feet as it passed the corridor but managed to right itself and pursue them.

"It's gaining on us!" Twilight gasped as she looked behind.

"Don't look back!" Sunset yelled "Just keep going!"

"But what are we going to do?!" Twilight gasped for breath "We can't keep running forever!"

"Like I said before" Pinkie Pie said flatly "Rookie!"

"We don't have to run forever" Sunset explained "We just need to keep moving till we can come up with something".

"It still has my gem!" Twilight said while panting, seeing the faint purple glow in the tiger head's mouth. "If we want to get rid of that brute, we need to get it back!"

"And we will!" Sunset replied "But first we've gotta get some breathing room between him and us!"

"On it!" Pinkie Pie said before stopping for a moment to nudge a box at the bottom of a pile before running again, causing the entire pile to collapse in front of the chimera.

"Do you think that will slow it down?" Twilight asked.

"Not for long" Sunset replied "Keep moving!"

Bursting through the blockade, the chimera sneered at the fleeing trio, having had enough of this chase. Spotting one of the shelves that formed the labyrinth within the warehouse, a cruel idea came to all three of its heads, all of them sharing a wicked grin in agreement.

With a 'Bwaa!', the chimera's goat head rammed the shelf as hard is it could. Sure enough, the shelf toppled over, bumping the one beside it, which in turned toppled over and hit the one behind it. In a domino chain reaction, most of the shelves within the warehouse crashed to the ground, eliminating the majority of the maze and reducing the areas the girls could hide. 

Sure enough, a good ten feet away from the chimera were the trio, having hidden within one of the maze's hideaways, but were now out in the open. Seeing that they were found, Sunset gulped nervously, Twilight grinned sheepishly and waved awkwardly at the chimera, and Pinkie Pie gave an indignant "Hey, you cheated! That's not how you play 'Hide and Seek'!"

Sporting three victorious grins, the chimera charged at the trio, the toppled over boxes giving it more room to charge.

"Scatter!" Sunset cried as she and the others split into three directions.

Stopping short, the chimera's three heads each kept looking at one of the girls: the snake head focused on Sunset, the goat head never let Pinkie out of its sight, and the tiger head holding the gem in its mouth eyed Twilight.

"Guess we have no choice now" Sunset said in submission "We have to fight!"

The three teens stood around the three-headed creature, all of them tense, waiting for the first move to be made.

It wasn't a long wait.

With a 'Hiss!', the chimera's snake tail shot at Sunset, who managed to sidestep it and avoid the blunt of the attack, but the snake fangs left a gnash on the left side of Sunset's skirt.

Ignoring the tear, Sunset remained focus on the chimera. Grabbing a box off the ground, Sunset hurled it at the creature, temporarily blocking its view of her as it slashed at the box with its claws.

"Sunset, quick!" Twilight cried out "Go for my gem!"

Making a mad dash for the gem in the tiger head's mouth, Sunset leaped forward...only to duck when the chimera swiped one of its paws at her, slashing along the back of her jacket.

"I'm going to need a new outfit when this is over" Sunset muttered "I just hope that Rarity is finished with that project of hers". Her self musings came to an end however, when she saw the snake tail lunge at her, forcing her to roll to the side to get away.

"BANZAI!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she leaped at the chimera, only to be struck head on by the chimera's goat head and sent flying.

"Okay" the partyplanner mumbled as she got up from her landing "Battle cries and surprise attacks do not mix!" She then fell back on her keister.

"Pinkie!" Sunset cried in concern, racing over to her fallen friend, avoiding nearly being shredded by a tiger paw in the process.

"Oh, this is all my fault" Twilight moaned, looking from the fallen partyplanner to the chimera, which was screeching viciously. Looking up, Twilight could see the purple gem glittering in the chimera's tiger mouth.

Eyes narrowed, Twilight knew what she had to do. "I did this" she muttered "And I have to fix it". Before anyone could move, she made a beeline straight for the chimera.

"Twilight, wait!" Sunset shouted as she was helping Pinkie Pie up.

Disregarding the call, Twilight lunged at the tiger head, grabbing it around the neck and attempted to reach into its mouth and rip the gem out. Aggravated at the teen, the chimera's snake tail shot forward and wrapped itself around her waist, pulling Twilight off the tiger head and into the air. Holding the girl behind it, the chimera then slammed her with its back goat legs, hurling Twilight into a pile of boxes with a 'Crash!'.

Seven minutes earlier...

"Hmmph" Suri Polomare said in satisfaction as she watched the police car haul away her interlopers, one of which was still shaking their fists angrily at her from the back of the car "Glad that's taken care of". 

At that moment, Suri's cellphone began to ring. Quickly she answered it. 

"Hello?" Her face broke into a wide grin as the voice on the end spoke to her "Ooh, so you saw my ad, did you? Why yes, I do have that item in stock. How many would you like to order?" 

Five minutes earlier...

"Hmm, I suppose you're probably right" Fluttershy agreed with her girlfriend.

"You bet I am" Rainbow nodded before pointing into the sky "Hey, there goes another one".

"Oh, how lovely" Fluttershy sighed before snuggling up to the prismatic athlete and laying her head in her lap while looking down from their hill. "Oh, Dashie" she cooed as Rainbow gently ran a hand through her hair "I wish that these moments between us could last forever".

"Hey, maybe they can" Rainbow Dash said with a wide grin and thoughtful eyes before she looked down at Fluttershy's smiling face "Fluttershy, I just had a crazy idea".

Two minute earlier...

"Take these two away, Officers" Suri Polomare said firmly as the black-clad Rarity and Applejack were taken to the police car in handcuffs "These thieves broke into my home and attempted to steal my creations".

Rarity's eyes twitched, her face turned red in fury and she whirled back towards Suri, struggling with the arresting officers.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" she screeched in disbelief at the fashion designer "You steal my greatest design ever and pass it off as your own, and I'm called a thief?!" She turned towards the officer holding her "How can you arrest me and not this witch?!"

"She's not the one who did a 'breaking-and-entering'" the police officer said flatly before shoving Rarity towards the car.

"Oh, this is a violation of my rights!" Rarity yelled furiously as she dragged her feet "I demand justice! I demand retribution! I demand karma!"

"Yah should demand a good attorney, Platinum Priss" Applejack said flatly to her associate from her side.

"Okay, now you're just doing it to be annoying" Rarity snapped at Applejack as they were shoved into the police car.

Five seconds earlier...

With the rumble of a stampede, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie zoomed down the corridor screaming, running for their lives as the chimera chased after them.

"Pinkie!" Sunset and Twilight admonished the partyplanner while running.

"Sorry" Pinkie meeped with a shrug.

Ten seconds earlier...

Finishing out their day together, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves sitting under a tree on a high hilltop, giving them a perfect view of the sparkling city below and the cloudless, starry sky above.

"Oh, look!" Fluttershy squealed as she pointed into the sky "A shooting star!"

"Awesome" Rainbow Dash said with a grin as she looked up at the sight, wrapped an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders.

"I've really had a great day with you, Rainbow" Fluttershy said with a giggle as she pressed her cheek to Dash's.

"Same here" Rainbow agreed with a blush, enjoying the physical contact.

"What do you suppose the others are doing?" Fluttershy had to inquire.

"Aah, they're probably having the time of their lives" Rainbow Dash said dismissively with a hand wave.

Seven minutes earlier...

After slipping in through the window and climbing down a stack of boxes to get to the ground, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie tiptoed towards the sleeping chimera. 

"Okay" Sunset was whispering from the front "We'll have to be really quiet about this. Once we get close enough, we'll pluck the gem out of its grip and then Twilight can open a portal. It'll be back home before it even wakes up".

Inch by inch, the trio neared the slumbering three-faced creature and the purple stone it was clutching.

"Very good" Sunset muttered "We're almost there".

Suddenly, the chimera began to stir.

"Freeze!" Sunset cried as she held up her arms to stop her friends.

Tensely, the trio watched as the chimera shifted itself. The tiger head yawned while the goat head smacked its lips before both of them laid back on the ground and went back to sleep.

"Whew" Sunset sighed with relief "Alright, let's go".

Resuming their tiptoeing, the three girls drew closer to the slumbering beast, the gem's glint seen clearly from under the tiger head.

"Alright" Sunset said when they were a few feet away from the chimera "We''re nearly there. It'll take all three of us to remove the gem. Pinkie and I will raise its heads up to give Twilight enough of an opening to reach under and get it. Understood?" 

"Got it" Twilight replied.

"Yep" Pinkie nodded "I hear you loud and clea--aaahhh!"

Pinkie had unfortunately stepped on a piece of pipe on the floor, causing her to lose her footing and fall on her keister with a 'thwack!'.

The instant Pinkie hit the floor, the chimera began to stir again. Panicking, Sunset and Twilight immediately ducked behind a nearby box. With teeth clenched, they watched nervously as the chimera hazily stretched out its tiger paws and goat legs. Worried that the chimera was about to wake up, they turned to Pinkie and gestured for her get over to their hiding place. Pinkie was about to get up and start walking towards the pair when she caught sight of something on the floor a few feet away from the chimera.

"My slide whistle!" Pinkie cried under her breath. Apparently, the whistle had been flung out of Pinkie's pocket when she fell. Looking back over at the chimera, Pinkie was relieved to see that it had fallen back to sleep. Her tongue stuck out, she began crawling on all fours toward the dropped object beside the creature.

"Pinkie, no!" Twilight cried in a whispered tone, but it went unheeded as Pinkie continued nearing the whistle.

Now, Pinkie was right in the face of the chimera's tiger head, her slide whistle being a foot away. Looking the chimera in the face with curiosity, Pinkie was surprised when the tiger head let out a loud yawn.

Holding her nose, Pinkie waved her hand through the surrounding air.

"Pe-Yew!" she gasped for air softly "What does this guy eat?!"

Looking back down, Pinkie turned her attention to her slide whistle. Off to the side,  Sunset was sweating  bullets and her breath was caught in her throat. Twilight, meanwhile, was on the verge of biting her fingernails to the bone as Pinkie slowly reached out and grasped the whistle. Anxiously, the pair nervously watched as Pinkie Pie pulled the slide whistle to herself and lifted it up, showing her friends she had gotten it; a sight which brought relief to her friends.

However, just as Pinkie was standing up, the slide whistle, which she had been holding upside down, allowed its slide to slip downward, emitting a low 'whoop!'.

Instantly, three sets of eyes popped open. Getting a good look at the girl in front of them, the eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oops" Pinkie squeaked.

12 minutes earlier...

Like a pair of spies, Rarity and Applejack climbed to the roof of the large house.

"Ah can't believe Ah'm doing this" Applejack muttered to herself.

"Shh!" Rarity whispered harshly, in spy mode "Come on, let's move!"

Quickly but with pose, Rarity dashed behind one of the many chimneys on the roof. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she immediately dashed to the next closest one, then the next, then the next. Applejack, giving a frustrated sigh, merely walked a straight line without bothering to hide behind anything.

"Yah do realize there's nobody tah see us up here, right, Rarity?" Applejack said flatly to the fashionista as she reached their destination.

"Oh, Barn Raiser" Rarity said with a shake of her head "You just don't know about presentation, do you? And I told you to call me by my code name".

Applejack sighed. "Fine. Wha' next, 'Platinum Priss'?"

Rarity smiled. "Very good. Now," she looked down through the skylight she was standing on "If I'm right, the sewing room should be directly below us. The design should be in there. Quickly, get the rappelling gear, Barn Raiser".

With a sigh, Applejack reached into the backpack on her back, pulled out two long black cords and tossed one to Rarity. Affixing them to the edge of the skylight, Rarity pushed the glass open gently, allowing the pair to slowly lower themselves into the room beneath.

Looking around, Rarity spotted a table off to the side. Dashing to it, Rarity began going through the papers on it.

"Don't just stand there, Barn Raiser!" she snapped at her partner in crime "Help me find my design! We have to get out of here before someone shows up!" 

Shaking her head, Applejack walked over to the table and helped Rarity sift through the papers.

Finally, Rarity came across a paper with a familiar design on it.

"Oh, here it is!" Rarity said relieved.

"Are ya sure tha one's yers?" Applejack inquired.

"Yes" Rarity replied "As I've said before, I recognize my handstyle. Besides, there's also a blue paint stain in the corner" she then spoke to the design in a babying tone "Are you alright, my precious masterpiece? It's okay. Mama's here now". She stood up and spoke normally "Come on, Barn Raiser. We're getting out of here".

"Uh, Rar...Ah mean, Platinum Priss?" Applejack commented while looking behind them.

"Yes, what is it?" Rarity inquired as she turned to face Applejack, who was pointing in the direction she was looking.

Turning, Rarity's face became a horrified gasp. For there behind them were three full rows of dresses of a certain design.

"Oh, no" Rarity gasped in panic "She's already started producing my outfit! It won't matter if we take the designs back. If she starts selling these now, everyone will think that I took the design from her!"

"Well, wha do we do now, Platinum Priss?" Applejack inquired.

After thinking for a few moments, Rarity came to a decision. "You grab the design" she instructed Applejack "I'll collect all the outfits and find something to put them in".

"Wha?" Applejack asked in disbelief "We can' possibly escape with all them dresses! The design is one thin', but THIS?!"

"We have no choice, Barn Raiser" Rarity said fiercely "I will not have my greatest work be pilfered from me and manufactured like on an assembly line!"

So saying, Rarity dashed forward to the rows of outfits. Shaking her head, Applejack turned back to the desk, picked up the design and rolled it up. With it securely under her arm, Applejack turned back to see that Rarity had already collected half the outfits, without having to tear one.

"Wha do ya plan to carry them in?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Rarity snapped as she moved onto the last row.

"Well, just hurry!" Applejack snapped "We don' know when someone's gonna..."

Before Applejack could finish, there was a loud shrilling 'Barrrrruuuuummmmm!' of a siren as a burglar alarm sounded.

In an instant, light illuminated the room as the door slammed opened. Turning, Applejack and Rarity both went wide-eyed at the sight of a frowning Suri standing in the doorframe with half a dozen guards.

Standing like deer in headlights, Applejack had to fire off one last remark from the side of her mouth.

"Any more ideas, Platinum Priss?" 

Ten minutes earlier...

Following the chimera's trail of footprints, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie tracked the creature to an old warehouse on the far side of town. 

"It must be hold up in there" Sunset surmised "This place looks abandoned, so it's almost like a cave to that thing".

"Well, then, let's get going" Pinkie Pie said as she walked towards the door.

"Wait a minute, Pinkie" Sunset stopped her "We need a visual on the chimera first before going in there. Come on, let's find a window".

Walking along the perimeter of the warehouse, the trio peered searched for a window to see if they could get a look at the chimera inside.

"There's one" Sunset said as she pointed at a second story window, which fortunately was accessible by a pile of boxes. "Come on" the striped-haired girl said as she walked toward the boxes.

Climbing up the pile, the girls reached the window and peered inside.

"I'm having a hard time seeing in there" Sunset commented "Do either of you see the chimera?"

"I'm still looking" Twilight replied.

"Ooh!" Pinkie cried "There it is!"

"Shh!" Sunset and Twilight shushed the girl before Sunset whispered "Where?"

Following the direction of Pinkie's pointing finger, sure enough, Sunset and Twilight could make out the form of the chimera. The creature was currently curled up with its three heads lying on the ground, sleeping.

"Look!" Twilight said while pointing. For there, nestled in the chimera's folded arms was Twilight's focusing gem.

"It's asleep at the moment" Sunset said to the others "We'll have to sneak in quietly in order to get back the gem".

"Yes, Ma'am!" Pinkie Pie saluted. Unfortunately, Pinkie's quick motion caused the pile of boxes the girls were on to start wobbling.

With a yell, the girls latched onto the ledge underneath the window just as the boxes underneath them gave way and crashed to the ground. Fortunately, upon looking in, they could see that the chimera was still asleep.

"Ooh, that wasn't very quiet, was it?" Pinkie asked with a sheepish grin, while Sunset and Twilight sighed in annoyance.

Five minutes earlier...

"Me and mah big mouth" Applejack groused as she was sitting in a bush, wearing a black sweater and matching cap.

"Platinum Priss to Barn Raiser. Come in, Barn Raiser, Over" Rarity's voice was coming in over the walkie talkie at Applejack's waist.

With a grumble, Applejack said "Rarity, why are yah speaking into tha thin'? Yer standing right beside me!"

Sure enough, there beside the cowgirl was Rarity, dressed in a black sweater and cap as well (much fancier than Applejack's, of course) and speaking into a walkie talkie.

"Ugh" Rarity groaned "Don't you know this is how heist procedures are carried out? And furthermore, until our mission is complete you are to refer to me as 'Platinum Priss'".

"Yer kiddin'" Applejack said flatly.

"I never kid when it comes to fashion" Rarity said sternly before looking forward "Now, our target is within view, Barn Raiser".

The two were currently sitting in the bushes outside Suri Polomare's humongous mansion. By now, the sun had set, meaning that the two teens were obscured in the shadows.

"Somewhere in there is my absconded dress design" Rarity said with determination "Our objective is to find my plundered piece and recover it before that insidious fiend starts using it! Let's go!"

With that, Rarity charged out of the bushes and ran towards the mansion. With a sigh, a reluctant Applejack followed her.

"Ah've got a bad feeling about this".

Three hours earlier...

"Rarity, git a hold of yerself!" Applejack said as Rarity was throwing a fit, along with everything else in the room.

"How could she do this to me?!" Rarity screeched as she hurled a table into a wall. "I trusted her! I thought she was A DECENT PERSON!"

Knowing she had no other choice, Applejack leaped up and slammed herself down on Rarity, pinning her to the floor.

"Now settle down an' calmly explain wha's got yer curls in a knot!" she shouted at the fashionista.

Panting like crazy, Rarity reached for the ad she had dropped and showed it to Applejack.

"Look!" she cried to the cowgirl.

Taking the ad, Applejack scanned it up and down. "So?"

"Take a look at the line of outfits along the bottom of it" Rarity said, her voice calmer, but rage and fury seething through her veins.

Applejack did what she was told. "Okay".

"Look at the third outfit from the far right" Rarity continued.

"What aboot it?" Applejack asked "It's just a-'

She was cut off by Rarity throwing her off with surprisingly incredible strength. "What about it?" she asked angrily "I'll tell you 'what about it', that is my dress design! She copied my design!" 

"Wait, are yah sure?" Applejack asked in confusion.

"Positive" Rarity replied "I recognize my own handstyle" she then started to frantically pace "What I can't figure out is how she did it. Even if she is good, there is no way she'd be able to mimic my style so perfectly from just memory" her eyes widened in realization "Unless..."

In a flash, she had dashed over to her desk where she had left her carrying case, frantically searching through it.

"No. No! NO! NOOO!" she screeched so loud that all the glass windows in the shop threatened to break.

"Wha? Wha is it?" Applejack asked in concern.

"My sketch is gone!" the fashionista responded with a wail "She didn't just copy me; that horrible witch outright stole my design! Now I don't even have proof that it's mine!"

With a mournful sigh, she collapsed onto her conveniently placed chase lounge.

"I can't believe it!" she moaned "She's going to get away with taking my greatest work away from me! After everything I've done: the long hours of ceaselessly perfecting every curve, the painstaking research into finding the proper fabric for it,  the tender, loving care that went into balancing out the ruffles and accessories, and the blood, sweat, and tears spent into giving it form, my most beautiful creation ever is to benefit some undeserving thief!" Her head falling forward onto the lounge's arm, she began sobbing loudly.

"Aah, man" Applejack said sympathetically as she walked up to the sobbing girl and gave her a consoling pat "Ah'm sorry about that, Rares. On tha bright side, this means tha yer outfit must've been pretty good if'n some big time designer was willin' tah get their mits on it." This comment only served to make Rarity bawl even louder, causing Applejack to flinch. 

"Okay, tha's not helpin'." 

She then sighed in submission to the brutal words she would be saying.

"Look, as much as Ah hate tah be a naysayer, yah may as well get over this and move on, cause it looks like yer out of luck here. Ah mean, without yer copy, yah can't claim she stole it from yah, and if ya tried takin' her tah court, she'd no doubt have a way tah make her look like the real owner. Sorry tah say it, but there's nothin' yah can do about this" she then shrugged "Ah mean, what options is there that yah have left? Break intah Suri's house an' steal back yer design?"

Seven seconds earlier...

"Rainbow, did you hear that?" Fluttershy asked as she turned her head to look back, momentarily pausing in-between her and Rainbow Dash feeding each other chocolate covered cherries under a tree in the park.

"Yeah" Rainbow agreed with wide eyes "That had to be the loudest profanity I've ever heard".

Three minutes earlier...

It wasn't long before Rarity and Applejack arrived back at Rarity's fashion shop and went up into the loft, which operated as Rarity's living quarters and work-space.

"Ahhh" Rarity sighed blissfully as she sat herself down in a plush chair "It feels so good to be able to relax after such a successful morning".

"So, Rares" Applejack piped up "Who was tha gal yah were wit' when Ah met up wit' ya?"

"Oh, you mean Suri Polomare?" Rarity inquired "She's the head of the Seamstress Club at the Fashion Institute. Even though she's as young as me, she's already a big name in the fashion industry. What's more, she knows quality outfits when she sees them. I'm telling you, you should have seen it, Applejack! She called my design one of the best she has ever seen! I'm still giddy over the praises I received from her!"

"Yeah, well" Applejack said slowly "Ah don't know why, but she seemed a little bit tah cheerful and friendly".

"Oh, Applejack" Rarity said with a chuckle "That's just the way she is. There's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic over meeting other people".

"Yeah, well, Ah'm just sayin' somethin' seemed off aboot her tah me" Applejack replied.

"Now, really, Applejack" Rarity said said with a frown "You feel that way about every new person you meet. Just because you're a bit stubborn and distrustful of those you meet for the first time doesn't mean they warrant it. Trust me, Suri is a decent human being completely worthy of faith".

Applejack sighed. "Alright, if yah say so".

"I do" Rarity said with conviction "Now if you'll pardon me, I need to start work on my new outfit soon. I can hardly wait to show it to Suri when it's finished!"

"Oh, before Ah forget, Rares" Applejack as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper "On our way comin' in here, Ah found this flier pinned tah yer front door".

"Ooh, wonderful!" Rarity squealed as she took the flier "It must be for Suri's newest sale. I can only imagine what new outfits she has come up with now".

Upon staring down at the flier, Rarity's grin faded away and her eyes went wide as saucers.

Thirty minutes earlier...

Throughout the afternoon, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went around town, enjoying their new relationship.

Going to the playground, Rainbow pushed Fluttershy on the swing, both of them smiling happily. The two went skinny dipping in the lake, where, after repeatedly being playfully splashed by Rainbow, Fluttershy retaliated by shoving her head under the water while giggling. The pair also shared a kissing session on a park bench (Rainbow had wanted to do it while they were still swimming, but Fluttershy said their relationship wasn't that intimate yet). They even made a brief stop at the amusement park to ride the merry-go-round, ferris wheel, and roller coaster.

Eventually, the pair found themselves walking down the street, holding hands while Fluttershy was laying her head on Rainbow Dash's shoulder.

"I'm having a really wonderful time with you, Rainbow" the yellow caregiver sighed blissfully.

"So am I with you, Flutters" the prismatic girl said fondly "This day has been just amazing! Falling for you has to be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me".

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that, Dashie" Fluttershy snuggled up to the shoulder she was resting on "Hmm, what do you think we should do next for our first date?"

"Hey, I know! How do you feel about chocolate covered cherries?" Rainbow Dash asked her new girlfriend with a mischievous grin.

"Ooh, Rainbow" Fluttershy giggled "How romantic".

Two hours and forty-five minutes earlier...

With a 'Roar!' from its tiger part, the chimera lunged forward, forcing Sunset to jump back to avoid being struck by its claw.

"Twilight, quick!" the lead Rainboom called out to the purple girl "Open another portal!"

"Oh, right!" Twilight squeaked before fumbling with the gem in her hands for a second.

Unfortunately, before Twilight could concentrate, the chimera leaped at her, knocking her over and causing the gem to go flying. Spotting the freefalling crystal, the chimera's six eyes became entranced by its glimmer. With a 'bwah!', the goat head leaned upward and caught the gem in its mouth. 

Turning back towards the three teens menacingly while clutching its new prize, the chimera rose up on its hind-legs like a whinnying horse as its tiger head gave a vicious 'Roar!' before the chimera ran off through the field and towards the town.

"Whew!" Pinkie Pie sighed with relief "Glad that's over".

"Are you kidding?!" Sunset cried as she helped Twilight up "We can't let that thing run loose in this world! There's no telling what it might do!"

"Unfortunately, it took my gem" Twilight replied as she held her arm in pain "Without it, I can't perform the spell that brought it here".

"Then we'll have to go after it and get that gem back" Sunset said in determination.

"Uh, shouldn't we get the others?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No time" Sunset said while shaking her head "If we lose that chimera's trail, we'll never get rid of it. Besides, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are probably still at it, we don't know where Applejack went and Rarity's got that big project of hers to finish. We'll have to handle this ourselves. Come on! After that chimera!"

With that, Sunset began running through the field in the direction the chimera went, Twilight right behind her. Remaining in the field a few seconds longer, Pinkie Pie shrugged before letting out a 'whoop!' on her slide whistle and followed her friends.

Two minutes earlier...

Making sure to brace herself, Twilight held the gem up over her head and concentrated hard. Within a few seconds, the gem in her hands began to glow a bright purple. In a flash, Twilight brought the gem down from over her head and let a lavender beam of light fly from the gem. The stream of purple energy flew forward and hit a nearby rock, causing it to grow three times its regular size.

"I did it" Twilight said in a whispered tone before speaking up "I did it! I actually did it! My size changing spell works!" 

"Wow" Pinkie Pie said in amazement "That was pretty good, Twilight". Impressed, the partygirl blew an extra loud 'whoop!' on her slide whistle.

"Hmm" Sunset said as she held a finger to her chin in thought "Not bad, Twilight".

"That's nothing" Twilight said with a grin "Watch this!"

Raising the gem over her head again, Twilight concentrated. The moment the gem's glow was at its peak, she brought the gem down in front of her and launched another ray of magic at the rock. In a flash, the rock had converted into a statue of Twilight and her six friends.

"Ooh" Pinkie Pie said impressed as she inspected the statue "Nice job, Twily. You even got Sunset's good side!"

"Haha!" Twilight cheered in excitement as she looked at the crystal in her hands "It works! It really works! My focal gem actually works! I can control my magic at will now!"

"Way to go, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie cheered before celebrating with another 'whoop!' from her slide whistle.

"Hmm" Sunset said with a grin "Perhaps I underestimated you, Twilight".

"Isn't it great?" Twilight said with a grin "Just think, if I keep going like this, I'll probably be as talented as my princess counterpart! I can hardly wai...AAAH!"

In the midst of her cheering, Twilight ended up walking backwards into a stray rock and stumbled over it. The gem in her hands went flying, still glowing bright purple with magic. As the trio watched, the gem fired a third beam of lavender light straight towards the ground. Bracing themselves for the worst, the trio watched as the beam lanced the ground. After a single moment which felt like eternity, the light faded away and the gem fell back to earth, where Twilight picked it up.

Inspecting the spot where the beam had hit, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie saw a small purple circle on the ground.

"Whew" Twilight said in relief "For a moment, I thought that was going to do something terrible".

"Uh, don't speak too soon" Pinkie Pie said as she slowly began to back away.

Turning back to where Pinkie was looking, Sunset and Twilight gaped in shock. For the purple circle on the ground begin to expand. Wider and wider it grew, spreading out in every direction.

Just when the girls were worried that it would become a bottomless void that would swallow everything, it stopped after moving out five feet.

"What in the world is that?" Twilight had to ask.

"I'm not sure" Sunset replied "But I think it'd be best if you made it vanish right away".

"Right" Twilight said as she held up her focal gem.

Before she could concentrate, however, a loud 'RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!' emanated from the pit, shaking the ground and knocking the three girls off their feet.

"Wh-What was that?!" Pinkie cried in shock.

Before Sunset could answer, however, a tiger's paw suddenly rose from the depths of the hole before latching onto the ground before it. Another soon joined it. Grasping the sides tightly, the two paws pulled hard and raised the body they were attached to upward.

From out of the hole emerged a vicious-looking creature. It had the head and front half of a tiger and the head and back half of a goat, as well as a snake for a tail.

"It's a chimera!" Sunset shrieked.

The three-headed beast rose up to its full height and moved forward as the hole behind it instantly closed and faded away. Taking in its new surroundings, the chimera spotted the trio of girls before it. With a vicious growl from both its tiger and goat heads, it lunged at them hungrily, forcing them to leap backwards.

"Nice Kitty, Kitty" Pinkie Pie said nervously "Good little Pussy, Maybe I have some catnip?"

In response to her comment, the chimera attempted to strike her with the horns on its goat head.

"Would you prefer some milk?" the partyplanner squeaked.

"Twilight, you've inadvertently opened a portal straight to Equestria and let a chimera into our world!" Sunset cried to the lavender girl.

"B-But how could I even do that?!" Twilight sputtered as the chimera's snake tail came at her, causing her to duck.

"You were thinking about Princess Twilight and your gem must've picked up on it" Sunset deduced "It must've acted reflexively when it flew from your hands!" she sighed in annoyance "This is even worse than earlier!"

Ten minutes earlier...

The moment the two arrived in town, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves at a table in their favorite coffee shop, sitting in close quarters while facing each other. The two were currently engrossed in a very delightful conversation.

"And Soarin didn't even know that the rope was tangled around his foot until he threw the javelin!" Rainbow Dash finished while laughing "Oh, man! It took nearly three hours to get him down from the flagpole!"

Fluttershy found herself giggling as well before taking a sip from the coffee she had ordered.

"Oh man!" Rainbow said after calming down from her laughing fit "How is it that we didn't spend more time just the two of us before now?"

"Probably because we were so busy working with the others to save the world so many times?" Fluttershy quipped.

Rainbow could help but laugh at the comment. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But you know, we really should consider spending more time by ourselves".

"Oh, I agree" Fluttershy nodded "The others are great and all, but there are times where you just want to hang out in pairs".

"Say" Rainbow said thoughtfully. "Maybe sometime, we can get together at my house and do some jamming by ourselves. I'd love to hear how much more beautiful your singing has gotten".

"You really think I have a great singing voice?" Fluttershy asked gratefully.

"Sure" Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically "I bet that if you sung while I played my guitar, it would sound amazing!" 

Fluttershy found herself smirking. "I think I can arrange that".

"Cool!" Dash said happily "I'm looking forward to it!"

"Say, Rainbow" Fluttershy said slowly "I have to ask".

"Yeah?" Dash invited.

"This thing we're doing right here..."

"Is this a date?"

Rainbow was a little surprised by the unexpected question. Eventually, however, her look of shock began to turn into a grin.

"...Yeah" she admitted slowly "I guess it is".

"Good" Fluttershy grinned herself "I was hoping it was".

"Actually, Fluttershy, there's something I need to confess" Rainbow Dash said before reaching across the table to lay her hand on Fluttershy's. 

Staring down at their hands, a blushing Fluttershy looked back up to the girl in front of her with sparkling eyes that made Rainbow's heart flutter.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Rainbow asked, conviction in her voice.

"How could I forget?" Fluttershy replied entranced "It was perhaps one of the greatest moments of my life".

"Yeah, well" Dash said slowly "Before the day I saved you from Hoops and Dumbbell, I had actually seen you at the summer camp before".

Fluttershy couldn't help but gape at the confession.

"Y-You did?"

"Yeah" Rainbow nodded "It was right after I had finished my first run of the obstacle course. After I had finished and set a record in the process, I heard the counselor call up the next kid in line. Turning around, I saw the person who was coming after me".

"You".

"To be honest, when I first saw you, I was a little...awestruck. I mean, the way your hair was silky looking, and it was long enough to cover one of your eyes. Not to mention that cute voice you made when you begged the counselor not to make you go. I was actually quite surprised that a girl like you was at the summer camp, especially after seeing your performance on the course".

"After that, I tried not to give you much thought, but the sight of your face was fixed into my brain. Then there was everything else that happened. While you stunk at the sport activities, when it came to the nature hikes and other things, you were a natural! I was almost eaten by mosquitoes every time we went into the woods, while you managed to make friends with every animal you saw. Even a bear!"

"Then, there was the time you slipped away when no one was looking" Fluttershy's eyes widened "Yes, I know about that. Anyway, I grew curious and decided to follow you. That's when I saw you go out into that meadow and you actually sung for all the animals there. And that voice of yours, I never heard anything like it before. It had to be the most amazing sound I ever heard".

"Eventually, when I saw you being tormented by Hoops and Dumbbell, I couldn't stand the sight. So...I stepped in and we finally met".

Fluttershy looked wide-eyed towards the girl before her, transfixed by what she had just heard.

"Y-You actually found me interesting even before we met?"

"Yes" Rainbow nodded. "But for a long time, I couldn't figure out why I was so drawn to you, and it's been eating at me for all these years. But now, however, I finally realize why I was so intrigued by you all those years ago".

"The truth is, I...I love you, Fluttershy".

Fluttershy's eyes widened bigger than ever before. She was completely bowled over by the confession she had just received. For a moment, she just sat their silently, not saying a word or moving a muscle. Then, her eyes went from big and wide to soft and glistening, while a warm smile grew on her lips.

She then placed her over hand on top of Rainbow's. 

"I have a confession of my own" she said slowly "You weren't the only one who noticed someone before officially meeting them".

Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise.

"Like you said, I was next in line after you" Fluttershy went on "And when I saw you complete the obstacle course before me, I was actually quite impressed. You were capable of performing physical activities effortlessly. You were everything I wished I was capable of doing. From that day, I looked up to you. But I felt there was no way a person like you would want a friend like me".

"That was, until the day Hoops and Dumbbell picked on me and you came to my aid to chase them off. I thought that there was no way I could be so lucky that a girl who was the exact opposite of me would see me as a friend. And yet, we've been friends since that fateful day".

"And now, I find out that you were just as captivated by me like I was with you" she went on, her smile growing larger and her eyes shimmering like stars "I've held this in for so long, worried how you would react if I said it. But now, I can tell you with confidence..."

"Rainbow...I love you, too".

Now it was Rainbow's turned to be bold over by the confession she had heard. Her eyes widened in complete surprise as she took in the words Fluttershy had just told her. Finally, she spoke.

"Y-You really do?" she had to ask.

"Uh huh" Fluttershy nodded, her cheeks blushing and her wide grin never fading as she held onto Rainbow's hand.

Slowly, a look of wonder and delight appeared on Rainbow's face as her mouth morphed into a grin as wide as Fluttershy's and her eyes began to sparkle before she placed her other hand on the growing pile of appendages on the table.

Staring at each other passionately with warm smiles, their hands refusing to let go of each other, the two girls leaned in and pressed their foreheads to each other, never breaking their locked gaze.

Finally, Fluttershy decided to speak up.

"So, Rainbow, does this mean you're my...?"

"Uh-huh" Rainbow nodded.

"And I'm you're...?"

"Oh yeah".

"And we're...?"

"I'd say pretty much".

"Well, then" Fluttershy said grinning "I guess there's only one thing left to do".

Knowing what Fluttershy was meaning, Rainbow leaned forward and puckered up, her new girlfriend doing the same as the two brought their lips together for the first time.

From a table a few feet away, two people who just happened to be there were staring at the display between the two girls. With a grin from his misshapen teeth, the brownish-gray man held out his hand to his date. With a sigh, the pink-skinned principal reached into her purse and handed a twenty dollar bill to the superintendent.

Forty minutes earlier...

"Alright, this should be far enough away from town" Sunset said as she looked around the field she, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie were currently standing in. "It should be safe to practice all you want out here, Twilight".

"Great!" Twilight said as she pulled out her focusing gem.

"Remember to keep in mind what I said" Sunset said sagely as she positioned herself besides Pinkie Pie "In case anything goes wrong, Pinkie and I will be monitoring you from the side". 

"Got it" Twilight said enthusiastically as she held up the gem.

"Oh, and Twilight" Sunset spoke one last time before flatly adding "Make sure to brace yourself this time".

"Yeah, we all heard what happened when you didn't brace last time" Pinkie Pie added before blowing a small 'whoop!' on her slide whistle, earning a look from the other two girls with her.

Twenty minutes earlier...

"Ah wonder how Rarity is doin' wit' tha club of hers" Applejack commented outloud after she had been on her own for nearly half an hour "Maybe Ah should go check on her".

Arriving at the Fashion Institute, Applejack walked up the massive steps and went through the halls before she spotted the door clearly marked 'Seamstress Club'. Opening the door, Applejack spotted Rarity conversing with Suri.

"So, Suri" Rarity was saying to the head of the Seamstress Club "You really think that I could improve the quality of my material by mixing silk and satin?" 

"Oh, my yes" Suri said with a nod "I have learned from myself that blending those two together produces even more fabulous outfits!"

"Hmm" Rarity said with deep consideration "It's something to consider. Oh, it is such a pleasure to have a conversation with one who knows as much fashion as you do".

"I couldn't agree with you more, Rarity" Suri said happily.

"And it's stimulating to talk with someone who shares my opinions on tweed vs polyester" Rarity shook her head in disbelief "Even my friends don't seem to understand why it's such an important topic".

Suri groaned "Really! How can no one be worried that tweed is dying out and being replaced by such a bland material?!"

"I know!" Rarity wailed over-dramatically.

"Uh, Rarity?" Applejack spoke up to get the talking pair's attention.

"Why, Applejack" Rarity said in surprise "What brings you here?"

"Ah was by mahself for a while and decided to see how yah were doin'" Applejack explained "Hope Ah didn' interrupt somethin' important".

"Oh, not at all, Darling" Rarity said dismissively "Suri and I were just talking about different materials in clothes" Her eyes then widened in shock "Oh my goodness, where are my manners?!" She quickly turned to face Suri while gesturing to Applejack "Suri, this is one of my good friends, Applejack".

"Nice to meet you" Suri said to the cowgirl.

"Thanks, Ah guess" Applejack replied, feeling a bit strange around the girl before looking back to Rarity "Uh, weren' Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy wit' yah?"

"Oh, they went off on their own some time ago" Rarity replied "I'm afraid I don't know where they've gone".

"Well, wherever they are, Ah hope they're still not at each other" Applejack shook her head.

"Anyway, Applejack" Rarity said "You've caught me when I just about to leave. You're welcome to come with me back to my shop if you want".

"Well, guess Ah'll take yah up on that offer" Applejack replied with a shrug.

"Aah, do you really have to go?" Suri asked sadly.

"I'm really sorry to run out like this," Rarity said remorsefully "I've thoroughly enjoyed our time together, but I do have things to take care of this afternoon. You understand, right?" 

"Of course" Suri nodded understandingly "New outfit designs won't make themselves".

"True, but if they did, we fashion designers would be out of work." Rarity joked, causing both her and Suri to giggle. "Before I go, however, I'd like to thank you for everything". 

"Oh, not all" Suri shook her head enthusiastically "It's I who should be thanking you. It was very nice to meet you".

"Likewise" Rarity smiled as she shook Suri's hand "I can't help but feel we've both gained a little something from this meeting".

"My thoughts exactly, Rarity" Suri said, a grin hidden on her face that neither Rarity or Applejack could see.

"Well, we best be off" Rarity said as she picked up her carrying case and started walking towards the door "Come along, Applejack" she turned to the seamstress for the last time "Good-Bye, Suri, take care of yourself".

"So long, Rarity, see ya" Suri waved as the two girls left, neither of them seeing the wicked grin growing on the seamstress's face.

Fifteen minutes earlier...

"I tried to tell you, Twilight" Sunset was saying as she, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie were walking down a sidewalk "Magic can be quite potent, even when the spells are harmless. One misstep and you could probably level an entire block with a teleportation spell!"

"Okay, I get that" Twilight nodded before holding up her gem "but that's why I need this thing, in order to control my magic better".

"And I understand that" Sunset replied "but I'm saying that if you want to do that, you'll have to learn to be more careful with it. Otherwise, you could-"

'Whoop!'

"Pinkie!" Sunset rounded on the partygirl.

"Sorry," Pinkie Pie said apologetically while holding up her slide whistle "but I've still got 983 toots to go".

Groaning, Sunset turned back to Twilight "Look, my point is that even though you won't become Midnight Sparkle anymore, if you don't watch it, it'll be just like when we first met at the Friendship Games; your recklessness causing all manner of chaos! So take it easy with that gem, okay?"

"I get what you're saying" Twilight said sincerely "I really do. But still, if I'm going to learn how to be careful with my gem, won't I need to practice with it?" 

"She does have a point there" Pinkie Pie imputed before going 'whoop!' on her whistle.

Sunset sighed. "Alright," she said concedingly "If you're really determined on using that gem, then it's best if you learn how to do so. But let's at least find a safer place for you to use it first".

Three minutes earlier...

"Whew" Suri said with relief after finishing inspecting the room "I don't know what that was, but it didn't cause too much damage, at least".

"Thank heavens" Rarity said with relief as she inspected the table she was working at "It would've been just ghastly if it had ruined all the..." she trailed off as she looked down at the table "Oh, my!" she gasped in shock "A dab of blue paint spilled onto my sketch!" Panicking, she inspected the paper before her before her face relaxed "Whew, no harm done. The paint only touched the corner of the paper. The drawing itself is intact" She turned back to Suri "Anyway, I believe we were discussing something".

"Yes" Suri nodded "I was saying that your outfit is absolutely fabulous. I have never seen anything so exquisite before, even my own creations".

Rarity chuckled "Yes, I certainly did outdo myself with this design".

"I'm just relieved whatever that was didn't mess it up" Suri went on "I don't know how I'd react if such a beautiful dress design had been destroyed".

"Thank you for your concern, Suri" Rarity said gratefully "After all the hard work I put into this sketch, to lose it in any way would be heart-rending to me". 

"I know the feeling, Rarity" Suri said sympathetically "I put so much love and care into all my creations that it'd break my heart if anything bad happened to them".

Rarity smiled. "Well, perhaps we can get together and exchange ideas sometime".

Suri grinned. "Sounds good to me".

"Wonderful" Rarity squealed "Now, back to the matter at hand. Where are the submission forms to join the Seamstress Club?"

"Oh, they're over there on the far desk" Suri pointed to the end of the room "I'll go get them".

"No need to trouble yourself" Rarity said as she walked past the girl "I can get them myself".

As Rarity walked towards the back of the room, Suri looked on with a grin, taking the opportunity to surreptitiously grab the design from Rarity's folder and place it in her bag without anyone seeing.

Five minutes earlier...

"Ooh" Rainbow groaned as she got up off the ground "My head". Hearing a soft groan, Rainbow looked to Fluttershy across from her, also lying on the ground. "Fluttershy, are you okay?" she asked in concern as she went to check on her friend.

"Oh, I believe so" Fluttershy muttered before looking up to see Rainbow staring down her, her eyes wide. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing" Rainbow said assuringly "It's just..." she started blushing "I never really took the time to appreciate how beautiful you are".

Fluttershy was at a loss for words. "You-You actually think I'm beautiful?"

"Well, how can I not?" Rainbow replied "I'm sure anyone with eyes could plainly see how attractive you are". 

Fluttershy felt herself blush over the unexpected compliment before admitting "I think you're pretty good-looking yourself, Rainbow. To be honest, I actually think you're...adorable".

"You know, if it was anyone else who had said that, I probably would've pummeled them" Rainbow joked, causing them both to giggle before she got somber. "Hey, listen" she said apologetically "About that little argument we were having. I want to say I'm sorry, it wasn't really that big a deal". 

"Oh, I'm sorry too" Fluttershy said guiltily "I should've been more sympathetic".

"Yeah, I guess we were both being pretty stubborn" Rainbow joked, causing them both to giggle again. "Say" the prismatic teen said slowly "Would you like to go into town and spend time together? You know, just the two of us?"

Fluttershy couldn't keep herself from grinning. "I'd like that very much".

Holding out her hand, Rainbow helped Fluttershy up off the ground before the two girls walked off together. As they did, their hands subconsciously reached for each other and their fingers interlocked together.

Three seconds earlier...

Sunset groaned before turning to Twilight. "You heard that one, right?"

"Uh, yes" Twilight nodded with wide eyes.

Five minutes earlier...

Flinching at the unmistakable sound of the door slamming, Rarity silently prayed that wherever they were going, her friends wouldn't jeopardize her chances of joining the Seamstress Club. With a sigh, she decided to focus on the matter at hand and went looking for a table to set up her portfolio. It was then that a young woman with pink skin, purplish hair, and wearing a bluff scarf came up to her.

"Hello, there" she said in a bubbly manner with a grin "I'm Suri Polomare, the head of the Seamstress Club, and you must be Rarity".

"It is an honor to meet you, Suri" Rarity said as she shook the woman's hand "I've heard so much about you! So young, and already you're selling outfits across the country! You even have a mail-order system!"

"Flatterer" Suri chuckled "Anyway, let's cut to the chase. You're here to join the Seamstress Club, right?"

"Oh, yes" Rarity nodded enthusiastically "It's been a dream of mine for a long time. The Seamstress Club has connections to the fashion industry, so if I were to join, it would well help me on my way to becoming a well-known designer!"

Suri chuckled "Well, that's a big dream. Anyway, do you have a submission design?"

"Oh, yes, yes" Rarity replied as she held up her carrying case. "It's in here. I've kept it secret from everyone. Even my own friends haven't been allowed to see it, even when one of them tried to peak at it multiple times".

Opening the case, Rarity pulled out her portfolio and placed it on the table in front of her.

"I consider it my Magnum Opus" the fashionista said proudly as she gripped the edge of the folder "I truly believe that this is the greatest dress that I've ever come up with! Behold!"

With that, she opened the folder with a dramatic flourish, allowing Suri to see the dress design with in. Upon looking down, Suri's eyes lit up when she took in the sight of the design.

"Why" she said with intrigue and awe as her mouth widened excitedly "This is amazing! I've never seen anything like it before! Of all the submission designs that have come into the Seamstress Club before, no one has ever presented such a wondrous and beautiful outfit!"

"Thank you" Rarity said with gratitude "You have exquisite taste, Suri".

"And you have exquisite talent" Suri said with a grin "You will make fine addition to the Seamstress Club".

"Ooh, thank you" Rarity nodded "I think we're going to get along quite remarkably, Suri".

Before anything else could be said, there was suddenly a loud, thunderous 'KKKKKAAAAA-RRRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHHH!' like an explosion before the entire room shook and shuttered like it was in a ferocious earthquake. Everyone in the room braced themselves on the tables as things on the walls fell off, sewing machine fell over, and bundles of material collapsed and unfurled along the floor.

After the shaking died down, everyone stood up to get their bearings.

"What in the world was that?" Suri asked in shock.

"I have no idea" Rarity said with wide eyes "It sounded like something crashing into the ground out by the lot".

Four minutes earlier...

Walking through the halls of the Fashion Institute, Rarity and Fluttershy made their way to the room which housed the Seamstress Club, Rainbow Dash lagging behind while looking at the card she had just received.

"Hurry up, Rainbow" Fluttershy nagged the girl "You wanted to be here, didn't you?"

"Alright! Alright!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she placed the card in her pocket.

"Girls, please" Rarity said exasperated "We're here".

Sure enough, the trio were standing in front of a door with the words 'Seamstress Club' over it. 

"Alright, this is it" Rarity said with suspense "One way or another, my future will be shaped by what occurs in this room" After spending a second to psych herself up, the fashionista opened her eyes with determination.

"Let's do this".

Going through the door, Rarity and the others found themselves in a large sewing room, filled with half a dozen girls, some of whom were operating sewing machines.

"Oh, I do believe I'd feel at home here" Rarity said in awe before she walked forward, with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash staying back.

"Wow" Fluttershy said as she watched Rarity look around the room with wonder "This really means a lot to her, doesn't it?"

"Oh" Rainbow Dash said mockingly "So you know what's important to Rarity, huh?"

Fluttershy groaned. "You're still on that? Good grief, let it go already! It's no big deal!"

"No big deal?!" Rainbow exploded "You wouldn't say that if I ended up letting your rabbit escape!"

"Well, that will never happen" Fluttershy said through clenched teeth "because the day I let you take care of Angel Bunny is the day I hand feed you cherries!"

"Why? Afraid that I might lose him?" Rainbow Dash mocked.

"No!" Fluttershy exploded "Because I know you're inept when it comes to animals! You couldn't even survive in the woods at Summer Camp without someone to help you out! Heck, you would've been mauled by a bear if it wasn't for me!"

"Are you expecting me to say thank you?" Dash asked with a mad laugh "Fat chance of that!"

"That's okay" Fluttershy sneered "Because there are times where I wonder if you really did me a favor that day you helped with Hoops and Dumbbell anyway!" 

"Alright, that's it!" Rainbow said grumpily "Let's go out by the lot and have this out right now!"

"Fine!" Fluttershy humphed before she walked out the door followed by Rainbow Dash, who loudly slammed the door behind her, nearly knocking things off the walls in the process.

Two minutes earlier...

With a grin that nearly split her face in two, Rarity stood before the Fashion Institute, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash right behind her.

"Oh, I'm so excited" Rarity said while nearly hopping "If I pass my screening, I'll be a part of the most exclusive knitting circle ever! Did you know that some of the best fashion designers to ever graduate from the Fashion Institute were members of the Seamstress Club?"

"That sounds really nice, Rarity" Fluttershy said sincerely before turning towards Rainbow Dash with a frown "Do you have to be here?"

"Only cause you're here" Rainbow countered with her arms folded.

Glaring, Fluttershy turned to Rarity and said "Come on, let's get you registered, Rarity".

With that, the two girls walked up the steps into the Fashion Institute, with Rainbow Dash coming up behind them.

"Hey, there!" a cheerful voice caught Rainbow's attention before she reached the steps, causing her to turn to see a thin man with light gray skin and dark brown curly hair wearing a snazzy blue suit approach her with a grin.

"My name is Venue" the man explained like a salesman "I've just opened my own chapel on Route 87 for all ceremonial needs. I do weddings, bar mitzvahs, funerals, and can even rent out for birthdays! Anyway, in honor of my opening day, I'm giving out one day only discounts to get publicity for my business! Here, take this!'

With that, he jubilantly gave Rainbow Dash a business card.

"That card is good for one free wedding till the end of the day" Venue said cheerfully "Spread the word, will ya?"

With that, the man walked off to give out more coupons, leaving Rainbow to look dumbfounded before staring down at the card she had received.

"Me? Get married?" the prismatic girl asked in disbelief as she walked up the stairs "Ha! Yeah, that'll be the day!"

Ten minutes earlier...

"So, girls" Twilight said to the trio with her "How about I show you all how my new focusing stone works?"

Sunset sighed. "Twilight, I still have misgivings about that thing".

"No, no" Twilight said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out the green folder she had picked up on her way out of her house earlier that morning "It'll work. Honest".

"We may as well let her do this, Sunset" Applejack commented "She really has her heart set on it".

Reluctantly nodding, Sunset backed away as she watched Twilight work.

After looking over one of the notes in the folder, Twilight placed the folder off to the side before taking a stance. Holding the gem up over her head with both hands, Twilight closed her eyes and began to concentrate. It wasn't long before a light glow began to fill the gem. As Sunset and Applejack watched, the glow within the gem grew brighter and brighter, to the point that the gem looked to be shinning. Sunset's eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps Twilight's gem would work after all. She was doing good. In just a moment, she'd be ready to-

'Whoop!'

Caught by surprise of the unexpected sound, Twilight lost her footing and stumbled, causing her to aim upward. In a flash, a huge sphere of magic fired from the gem and flew upward. The girls watched as the spell soared high into the air to the point that it reached the stratosphere and was soon out of sight.

"One down, 999 to go!"

The trio of shocked girls turned away from the area that the spell had flown and looked to the pink girl who had the slide whistle in her mouth.

"What?"

"Pinkie!" Twilight groaned "That's twice you've broken my concentration today! Do you have a desire to be disruptive?"

"No" Pinkie Pie shook her head "I have a desire to make people laugh!"

"Well, would you please exercise a little control over your noisemaking?" Twilight pleaded.

"Sure thing" Pinkie nodded.

"Well, at least I probably don't need to worry about that anymore" Twilight said with relief.

"Uh, but shouldn' we be worried aboot that thin' landin' on somebody?" Applejack asked nervously as she pointed to where the spell orb had flown off.

"Oh, don't worry" Twilight said dismissively "That was just a minor infatuation spell. It'll wear off after 24 hours so it won't do any real harm even if someone does get hit by it. Although they might feel a tad embarrassed afterwards".

"Uh, aren't you concerned it might do something more than that?" Sunset asked uneasily.

"Sunset, it's okay" Twilight said assuringly "I've told you before I have it under control".

"If you say so" Sunset said with a sigh "So, you guys have any ideas what to do?"

"Well, Ah think Ah'll go off on may own fer awhile" Applejack said as she broke off from the group "Ah'll see ya guys later, okay?"

"Alright, Applejack" Sunset waved as the cowgirl walked off "We'll see ya later".

"Looks like it's just the three of us" Twilight said to the remainder of the group "What should we do?"

"Ooh, want to walk around town doing nothing in particular?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Sunset shrugged. "Better than nothing, I guess".

With that the group was off, with Sunset the last in line. Before moving on from the statue, however, she took once last look into the sky where the orb of magic had flown, a look of concern on her face.

Twenty-Three minutes earlier...

The sun still climbing into the sky, Sunset and Applejack made their way down a sidewalk, the two of them haven gotten up early.

"So, Applejack" Sunset said to the cowgirl "What do you think we should do?"

"Well, are ya feelin' a bit hungry?" Applejack asked "We could stop off and git some breakfast".

Sunset shook her head. "Pass. I couldn't afford it".

"So?" Applejack asked "Ah'd pay fer yah. My treat".

Sunset shook her head again "I just wouldn't feel right having you do that for me" With a sigh, she stopped and stood in front of the town statue "I always seem to be short of cash. I still have trouble getting money in this world. Heck, I'm already behind on the rent for my apartment".

Before Applejack could comment on Sunset's money trouble, they were interrupted by the perfectly timed appearance of one of their friends.

"Hello, Sunset, Applejack" Rarity called out, a wide grin on her face and her portfolio carrying case under her arm.

"Hey there, Sugarcube" Applejack waved back to the fashion designer.

"Hi, Rarity" Sunset said "You're in a good mood this morning".

"Well, why shouldn't I be?" Rarity asked ecstatically "After all, I'm on the verge of joining the Seamstress Club!"

"Tha wha?" Applejack had to asked in confusion.

"The Seamstress Club" Rarity repeated "It's a very prestigious gathering of the best fashion designers at the Fashion Institute! I'm on my way over there right now with my submission design". 

"Oh, you mean that big project you've been working on for the past four weeks?" Sunset inquired. 

"Exactly" Rarity nodded "And then once I've registered my design, I'll then have to produce the outfit itself in order to be approved for membership. Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly breath properly!"

"Well, good fer yah, Rarity" Applejack said "Ah hope yah do good in gettin' in that club".

"So do I" Sunset added.

"Thank you both" Rarity said with gratitude.

Before the conversation between the trio could go on, however, it was broken by two arguing voices that were coming towards them.

"I don't see why you have to make such a big deal out of this" a surprisingly rough voice said.

"You obvious don't understand how important that thing was to me!" a familiar loud voice said.

Turning to the side, the three friends saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash coming down the sidewalk. What was shocking, however, was that the two seemed to be having a nasty argument. While they were familiar with Rainbow Dash getting annoyed and shouting at Fluttershy, they never once saw Fluttershy actually retaliate.

"Why should it matter so much to you?" Fluttershy retorted, her arms crossed and eyebrows narrowed as she walked ahead of Rainbow Dash "It was only a little bauble".

"LITTLE BAUBLE?!" Rainbow Dash exploded at the girl ahead of her "Why you little, uncaring, pea-brained excuse for a friend!"

"Look who's talking," Fluttershy turned around to face the prismatic athlete with a glare "you insensitive, loudmouthed, unreasonable old slowpoke!" 

"SLOWPOKE?!"

"YOU HEARD ME!" came another insult "Is there something wrong with your hearing too?!"

Having reached the others, the blue and yellow pair turned their backs to each other with a huff, refusing to look at one another. 

"Well, this is a rare sight" Applejack commented with wide eyes.

"What's with you two?" Sunset asked the bickering pair.

"I let this nincompoop borrow my autographed Wondercolt watch," Rainbow Dash jerked her thumb at the yellow girl behind her back "and she ended up misplacing it!"

"And she won't get over the fact that it was an accident!" Fluttershy pointed at the girl behind her.

"Uh, Rainbow" Applejack said slowly "Is somethin' like that really worth bein' angry over?"

"You don't understand" Rainbow Dash shook her head "That thing was signed by Spitfire herself! Do you know how rare it is to get her autograph?! Besides," she pointed at Fluttershy "there's also the matter that this hardheaded pest is arguing with me over it!"

"You always get on my case and I'm sick of it!" Fluttershy yelled back "So I've decided to finally stand up to you! You like giving an earful? Well, let's see how you like receiving it!"

"Why, I!" Rainbow whirled around sputtering angrily.

"Why, you!" Fluttershy did the same, looking Rainbow viciously in the eyes head on.

"Alright, alright" Applejack said calmly as she, Rarity and Sunset tried to keep the two feuding friends apart "Let's not do anythin' we'd regret".

"Indeed" Rarity nodded "Losing something you value is no reason to go losing your head".

"Yeah" Pinkie Pie chimed in "Don't let something this silly come between your friendship!"

"Aaahh!" the group yelled in shock at the unexpected appearance of their partyplanning friend.

"P-Pinkie!" Sunset cried as she and the others patted on their chests to restart their hearts "When did you get here?"

"Oh, right around the time Fluttershy was saying she was sick of Rainbow always yelling at her and decided it was time she did some of her own" Pinkie Pie explained "I didn't want to interrupt because when I did that to Twilight this morning, she got upset with me".

"Twilight?" Applejack asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm right here" Twilight said as she came up to the group panting "Sorry, but Pinkie ran ahead of me and it was difficult to catch up".

"Hmmph, rookie" Pinkie shook her head in amusement.

"So, what exactly is going on here?" Twilight asked the group "I heard a bit of shouting".

"Rainbow Dash an' Fluttershy are havin' a tiff" Applejack explained as the two aforementioned girls turned away from each other again, arms folded.

"Really?" Twilight asked in surprise "I thought they rarely had quarrels".

"Well, you've caught them on an off day" Sunset stated flatly, looking to the pair as they gave each other the cold shoulder.

"Well, anything else going on?" Twilight decided to change the subject to something more pleasant.

"Glad you asked, Twilight, Dear" Rarity said excitedly "I'm going to join the Seamstress Club today, after I show them my newest design!"

"You mean the design that you've kept secret even from us?" Twilight inquired.

"Yeah, I remember I kept trying to get a look at it, but you kept throwing me out of your shop" Pinkie Pie groused.

"Well, I'm sorry for keeping you all out of the loop" Rarity said apologetically "but I want this outfit to be a surprise".

"Aah, but I like surprises" Pinkie moaned.

"Oh, speaking of which" Twilight said excitedly "I've got quite an intriguing surprise for all of you".

"What?" Sunset asked with intrigue.

"Now that I know I can use magic without becoming Midnight Sparkle," Twilight said as she reached into her backpack "I developed an item to help me better utilize it".

After a few seconds of waiting, the girls watched as Twilight pulled the fist-sized purple gemstone out of her bag.

"I present to you my new focusing gem" Twilight said proudly.

Sunset's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the stone Twilight was holding.

"How in the world did you make that?" she had to ask.

"It wasn't easy" Twilight shrugged before turning towards a certain party-girl "especially with certain unexpected variables popping up." As Pinkie Pie grinned sheepishly, Twilight went on "In any case, with this little wonder, I'll now be able to use my magic with no problem at all".

"I don't know, Twilight" Sunset said unsure "Even with the proper means to control it, magic can still be unpredictable".

"Don't worry, Sunset" Twilight said confidently "I've done my math, and this will work perfectly".

Sunset, however, was still unsure.

"Well, you better make sure you don't let this knucklehead hold it, Twilight" Rainbow Dash said as she pointed to the yellow girl beside her "She might lose it".

"I heard that!" Fluttershy snapped.

"Good, because I wanted you to!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"Oh, not again" Applejack groaned.

"Well, this has been an intriguing conversation, but I do believe I should get going" Rarity said almost too quickly as she started to break away from the group "I simply mustn't be late for my appointment at the Seamstress Club. You girls take care, alright?"

"Wait up, Rarity, I think I'll go with you" Fluttershy said frowning as she followed the fashionista "There's a certain person here that I'd like to get away from for awhile".

"Get back here!" Rainbow ordered the retreating pink-haired girl "We're not done with this discussion!"

With that, she pursued Fluttershy, leaving Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

"Hey, wait, come back!" Pinkie Pie yelled out to the trio, but they were out of earshot "Oh, darn it" she moaned as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her newest instrument "I wanted them to see the new slide whistle I had gotten last night".

Applejack gave her a flat look "Is tha really somethin' tha worthwhile, Pinkie?"

"Of course it is, Applejack" Pinkie Pie said "This little baby will let me blow a wide variety of notes. And even better, I can blow it all day without running out of breath!"

"Is that so?" a voice piped up, causing the group to turn to see a familiar blue-skinned girl with white hair smirking "You really think you can play that little thing all day?"

"Of course, Trixie" Pinkie said confidently "Nobody has healthier lungs than me!"

Well, then" Trixie said with a finger to her chin while grinning widely "If you're so sure of yourself, how about making a little wager?"

"Uh, what kind?" Pinkie asked. 

"Trixie bets you a month's worth of free ice cream that you can't blow that thing 1,000 times by the end of the day".

"Ooh, you're on!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, the stakes Trixie suggested irresistible to her.

"Ha!" Trixie chortled as she walked away "Trixie looks forward to you paying for her ice cream for a month. Later!"

"Oh, yeah?" Pinkie retorted "We'll see about that when you're buying me 28 triple fudge sundaes!" 

"Pinkie, are ya nuts?" Applejack said in surprise "There's no way yah can blow tha whistle 1,000 times in one day!"

"Applejack, one never turns down a challenge when it comes to free ice cream" Pinkie Pie said seriously "I'm doing it, and I'm going to win".

"Oh, boy" Sunset sighed "I get the feeling this is going to be quite a day".

Fifteen minutes earlier...

Cheerfully singing, Rarity went about her room getting ready, feeling quite chipper about the day to come.

"Oh, I'm sure to impress the Seamstress Club with my newest design" she said giddily as she picked up her portfolio and opened it, looking down on her sketch "This is without a doubt my greatest creation" she said fondly as she gazed with pride at her work. "I'm actually surprised that Pinkie isn't here again trying to get a look at this. Still, I can't really blame her for wanting to look".

"I doubt anyone has ever seen such a beautiful wedding dress before".

Seven minutes earlier...

With a yawn, Rainbow Dash awoke from her slumber and stretched outwardly. Smacking her lips, the prismatic girl got out of bed with a stretch. She then turned her head in every direction of her room as if looking for something. Her eyes then let up as if she realized something before she reached for her phone. Dialing a number, Rainbow waited as the phone rang three times before it was answered.

"Hmm, hello?" a soft, groggy voice said on the other end.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow said to her lifelong friend "Do you remember the watch that you borrowed from me? Any chance I can have it back soon?"

"Oh, sorry, Rainbow" Fluttershy said apologetically as she was getting out of bed "But I think I might've lost it".

Rainbow Dash's eyes instantly shrunk as she took in what she just heard.

"YOU LOST IT?!" her voice exploded over the phone, forcing Fluttershy to hold it at arms length.

"I'm really sorry, Rainbow" the yellow girl said sincerely "I'll replace it".

"That's not the point!" Rainbow ranted over the line "I trusted you to be careful with that watch, Fluttershy! Ooh, sometimes I think you can't do anything right!"

"Now that's a bit unfair, Rainbow" Fluttershy said hurt "It was an accident. It's not like I meant to do it".

"It was still careless and idiotic of you, Fluttershy!" Rainbow yelled angrily "You promised me that you would take care of that watch while you had it, and you've broken that promise!"

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed as her grip on the phone tightened "I was hoping you'd be reasonable, Rainbow Dash" she said, feeling uncharacteristically aggressive today "but it seems that you're just too stubborn and pigheaded!"

Surprised at the unexpected retort, Rainbow Dash held the phone in front of her face and looked at it with disbelief.

"Grr" the prismatic girl growled "I've got a feeling this is going to be a long day".

Ten minutes earlier...

"Pinkie, I'm very glad that you're happy about your new slide whistle, but I'm busy at the moment!"

"Aah, but you haven't ever heard the best part yet" Pinkie Pie was saying to Twilight as she followed the lavender girl around her house, brandishing the slide whistle in her hand. "Since it has such a wide range of notes, it can be used for any musical moment!"

"That's very nice, Pinkie" Twilight said submissively as she was putting things into her backpack.

"Well, come on, what's taking you so long?" Pinkie asked as she noticed the speed Twilight was going at "I want to find the others so they can see my new slide whistle too!"

"I'll be right with you, Pinkie" Twilight replied "I just have to finish getting ready. I want to show the girls my new creation. You go wait outside for me, okay?"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie Pie saluted before heading out the door "We can both show our new goodies!"

Once she was left alone, Twilight picked up her new focal stone from her workbench and placed it into her bag. Double checking to make sure she had everything, Twilight was ready to. On her way to the door, however, Twilight made a brief stop at her desk where Spike was sitting beside her folders. The purple dog grinned widely at his mistress as Twilight grabbed the green folder off her desk and stuffed it into her bag.

"I think I'll take some of the spells I'm researching with me to see if my new focusing gem can enhance their effects." Twilight explained out loud before walking out the door "I'll see you later, Spike!"

"Bye, Twilight! See ya!" Spike said with a forced grin. Once Twilight was out of sight, Spike breathed outward and looked up into the sky pleadingly.

One minute earlier...

Crawling out from underneath the papers with a moan, Spike shook his head to clear off his dazed feelings before looking down.

"Uh, oh" the talking dog said nervously as he looked over the mess "If Twilight finds out about this, I'll be confined to the leash!" 

Checking to see that Twilight was engrossed in a discussion with Pinkie Pie over her new slide whistle, Spike surreptitiously began gathering the spilled papers before hastily shoving them back into the folders. He was in such a hurry that he didn't see he had placed the note that said XL in the orange folder and the note marked with XZ in the green folder.

Five minutes earlier...

"Okay, Spike" Twilight was saying at her workbench, which was practically covered with lab equipment pulsating with colorful lights "If this experiment works, I'll have the means to better control my magic".

The dog in question was standing a few feet behind her, still feeling sleepy.

"Why did you decide to do this experiment so early in the morning, Twi?" the dog had to ask with a yawn.

"Cause if I'm successful, I want the girls to be the first to see it" Twilight explained like it was obvious while she turned the tap of a beaker filled with glowing blue liquid, causing it to flow upward through a long tube.

"Whatever floats your boat, I guess" Spike shrugged as he took notice of the desk off to the side. His curiosity peaked, the little dog leaped onto the chair in front of it before climbing onto the desk. He then saw that there were two folders on the desk, one green and one orange. Intrigued a little, he leaned in close to them.

"Oh, do be careful around those notes, Spike" Twilight said warningly while momentarily turning away from her work "They are the spells I've been researching". 

"Spells?" Spike asked in confusion with a perplexed eyebrow raised.

"Yes" Twilight nodded as she turned back to her workbench "I've been developing theories on the different ways magic can affect living beings. Those folders hold the formulas I've already finished. The green folder contains spells capable of temporarily making people fall in love, and the orange contains truth spells that bring out a person's honest opinions about those around them. Anyway, please be careful not to mess them up. They've been organized perfectly".

"Well, if you say so" Spike replied, still eying the folders.

"Good" Twilight said as she continued to monitor her experiment. By now, the blue liquid had flowed into a beaker with bubbling yellow liquid, causing the contents to turn green. Taking the beaker, Twilight grabbed a petri dish filled with a red powder and upended the beaker's liquid into. Bubbling and smoking, the mixture turned brown, then orange, and then finally became a pure white.

Tensely, Twilight picked up a vial of pink liquid.

"Spike, I need you to be absolutely quiet now" she said in a hushed voice to her dog "I need utmost concentration so I can focus during this part".

Silently nodding, Spike watched as Twilight slowly began to to tip the vial downward. All she needed was just one little drop. That was all. Slowly. Careful. One false move could...

"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared out of nowhere "Check out what I got here!"

Her concentration broken, Twilight ended up up pouring the vial's entire contents into her mixture.

In a flash, the mix in the petri dish began to percolate madly while glowing multi-color as the dish shook and shuttered. Before Twilight even knew what was happening, the mixture erupted with a tremendous 'BBBBBLLLLLAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!' as a massive wave of magical energy burst forward, throwing Twilight and Pinkie Pie backwards as well as blowing Spike and the folders into the wall, causing the note marked XL to fly out of the green folder while a note that said XZ came out of the orange folder.

After a second that felt like an eternity, the magic wave was gone and the room was silent, save for the moans of the two girls who had been slammed into the wall.

"Ooh" Pinkie Pie said with spinning eyes as she picked herself up "Was that supposed to happen?"

"No" Twilight moaned as she sat up and grabbed her fallen glasses before addressing the party girl "Pinkie! Disregarding the fact that you somehow broke into my house without permission, do you realize that you almost got us all killed?!"

"Sorry" Pinkie Pie said sincerely before holding up a blue whistle with a ring at the end "But I just wanted to show you the new slide whistle I had gotten".

Twilight sighed. "Well, while I'm still getting used to your strange antics, in the future, could you please come into a room more quietly? There may come a day where your noise-making will cause us some real trouble". 

"Gotcha" Pinkie Pie nodded "Oh, by the way" she said while pointing "What's that over there?"

Turning in the direction Pinkie pointed, Twilight looked at her workbench. Instantly, her eyes widened and she lightly gasped as she took in the sight of the glowing purple gem that now resided on the bench.

"It worked" the lavender bookworm spoke softly as she got up and raced over to her workbench to get a better look at the gem on it "I can't believe it! It actually worked!"

"Uh, what worked?" Pinkie Pie had to ask.

"I've created a medium that will enable me to focus my magic!" Twilight explained excitedly as she picked up the lavender stone "This is a fantastic achievement!"

"Wowee, that's great, Twilight" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

"Thanks" Twilight said gratefully "Of course, I would've thought that your interference would've ruined the experiment. Still, I'm just glad that nothing catastrophic happened" she said relieved "There's no telling what that released wave of magic could've done".

"You mean like temporarily make the narrative of our lives appear in reverse?" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Huh?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing" Pinkie Pie singsonged while winking towards no one in particular.
> How We Got Here (Reversed)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, Spike" Twilight was saying at her workbench, which was practically covered with lab equipment pulsating with colorful lights "If this experiment works, I'll have the means to better control my magic".

The dog in question was standing a few feet behind her, still feeling sleepy.

"Why did you decide to do this experiment so early in the morning, Twi?" the dog had to ask with a yawn.

"Cause if I'm successful, I want the girls to be the first to see it" Twilight explained like it was obvious while she turned the tap of a beaker filled with glowing blue liquid, causing it to flow upward through a long tube.

"Whatever floats your boat, I guess" Spike shrugged as he took notice of the desk off to the side. His curiosity peaked, the little dog leaped onto the chair in front of it before climbing onto the desk. He then saw that there were two folders on the desk, one green and one orange. Intrigued a little, he leaned in close to them.

"Oh, do be careful around those notes, Spike" Twilight said warningly while momentarily turning away from her work "They are the spells I've been researching". 

"Spells?" Spike asked in confusion with a perplexed eyebrow raised.

"Yes" Twilight nodded as she turned back to her workbench "I've been developing theories on the different ways magic can affect living beings. Those folders hold the formulas I've already finished. The green folder contains spells capable of temporarily making people fall in love, and the orange contains truth spells that bring out a person's honest opinions about those around them. Anyway, please be careful not to mess them up. They've been organized perfectly".

"Well, if you say so" Spike replied, still eying the folders.

"Good" Twilight said as she continued to monitor her experiment. By now, the blue liquid had flowed into a beaker with bubbling yellow liquid, causing the contents to turn green. Taking the beaker, Twilight grabbed a petri dish filled with a red powder and upended the beaker's liquid into. Bubbling and smoking, the mixture turned brown, then orange, and then finally became a pure white.

Tensely, Twilight picked up a vial of pink liquid.

"Spike, I need you to be absolutely quiet now" she said in a hushed voice to her dog "I need utmost concentration so I can focus during this part".

Silently nodding, Spike watched as Twilight slowly began to to tip the vial downward. All she needed was just one little drop. That was all. Slowly. Careful. One false move could...

"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared out of nowhere "Check out what I got here!"

Her concentration broken, Twilight ended up up pouring the vial's entire contents into her mixture.

In a flash, the mix in the petri dish began to percolate madly while glowing multi-color as the dish shook and shuttered. Before Twilight even knew what was happening, the mixture erupted with a tremendous 'BBBBBLLLLLAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!' as a massive wave of magical energy burst forward, throwing Twilight and Pinkie Pie backwards as well as blowing Spike and the folders into the wall, causing the note marked XL to fly out of the green folder while a note that said XZ came out of the orange folder.

After a second that felt like an eternity, the magic wave was gone and the room was silent, save for the moans of the two girls who had been slammed into the wall.

"Ooh" Pinkie Pie said with spinning eyes as she picked herself up "Was that supposed to happen?"

"No" Twilight moaned as she sat up and grabbed her fallen glasses before addressing the party girl "Pinkie! Disregarding the fact that you somehow broke into my house without permission, do you realize that you almost got us all killed?!"

"Sorry" Pinkie Pie said sincerely before holding up a blue whistle with a ring at the end "But I just wanted to show you the new slide whistle I had gotten".

Twilight sighed. "Well, while I'm still getting used to your strange antics, in the future, could you please come into a room more quietly? There may come a day where your noise-making will cause us some real trouble". 

"Gotcha" Pinkie Pie nodded "Oh, by the way" she said while pointing "What's that over there?"

Turning in the direction Pinkie pointed, Twilight looked at her workbench. Instantly, her eyes widened and she lightly gasped as she took in the sight of the glowing purple gem that now resided on the bench.

"It worked" the lavender bookworm spoke softly as she got up and raced over to her workbench to get a better look at the gem on it "I can't believe it! It actually worked!"

"Uh, what worked?" Pinkie Pie had to ask.

"I've created a medium that will enable me to focus my magic!" Twilight explained excitedly as she picked up the lavender stone "This is a fantastic achievement!"

"Wowee, that's great, Twilight" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

"Thanks" Twilight said gratefully "Of course, I would've thought that your interference would've ruined the experiment. Still, I'm just glad that nothing catastrophic happened" she said relieved "There's no telling what that released wave of magic could've done".

"You mean like temporarily make the narrative of our lives appear in reverse?" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Huh?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing" Pinkie Pie singsonged while winking towards no one in particular.

Crawling out from underneath the papers with a moan, Spike shook his head to clear off his dazed feelings before looking down.

"Uh, oh" the talking dog said nervously as he looked over the mess "If Twilight finds out about this, I'll be confined to the leash!" 

Checking to see that Twilight was engrossed in a discussion with Pinkie Pie over her new slide whistle, Spike surreptitiously began gathering the spilled papers before hastily shoving them back into the folders. He was in such a hurry that he didn't see he had placed the note that said XL in the orange folder and the note marked with XZ in the green folder.

"Pinkie, I'm very glad that you're happy about your new slide whistle, but I'm busy at the moment!"

"Aah, but you haven't ever heard the best part yet" Pinkie Pie was saying to Twilight as she followed the lavender girl around her house, brandishing the slide whistle in her hand. "Since it has such a wide range of notes, it can be used for any musical moment!"

"That's very nice, Pinkie" Twilight said submissively as she was putting things into her backpack.

"Well, come on, what's taking you so long?" Pinkie asked as she noticed the speed Twilight was going at "I want to find the others so they can see my new slide whistle too!"

"I'll be right with you, Pinkie" Twilight replied "I just have to finish getting ready. I want to show the girls my new creation. You go wait outside for me, okay?"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie Pie saluted before heading out the door "We can both show our new goodies!"

Once she was left alone, Twilight picked up her new focal stone from her workbench and placed it into her bag. Double checking to make sure she had everything, Twilight was ready to. On her way to the door, however, Twilight made a brief stop at her desk where Spike was sitting beside her folders. The purple dog grinned widely at his mistress as Twilight grabbed the green folder off her desk and stuffed it into her bag.

"I think I'll take some of the spells I'm researching with me to see if my new focusing gem can enhance their effects." Twilight explained out loud before walking out the door "I'll see you later, Spike!"

"Bye, Twilight! See ya!" Spike said with a forced grin. Once Twilight was out of sight, Spike breathed outward and looked up into the sky pleadingly.





With a yawn, Rainbow Dash awoke from her slumber and stretched outwardly. Smacking her lips, the prismatic girl got out of bed with a stretch. She then turned her head in every direction of her room as if looking for something. Her eyes then let up as if she realized something before she reached for her phone. Dialing a number, Rainbow waited as the phone rang three times before it was answered.

"Hmm, hello?" a soft, groggy voice said on the other end.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow said to her lifelong friend "Do you remember the watch that you borrowed from me? Any chance I can have it back soon?"

"Oh, sorry, Rainbow" Fluttershy said apologetically as she was getting out of bed "But I think I might've lost it".

Rainbow Dash's eyes instantly shrunk as she took in what she just heard.

"YOU LOST IT?!" her voice exploded over the phone, forcing Fluttershy to hold it at arms length.

"I'm really sorry, Rainbow" the yellow girl said sincerely "I'll replace it".

"That's not the point!" Rainbow ranted over the line "I trusted you to be careful with that watch, Fluttershy! Ooh, sometimes I think you can't do anything right!"

"Now that's a bit unfair, Rainbow" Fluttershy said hurt "It was an accident. It's not like I meant to do it".

"It was still careless and idiotic of you, Fluttershy!" Rainbow yelled angrily "You promised me that you would take care of that watch while you had it, and you've broken that promise!"

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed as her grip on the phone tightened "I was hoping you'd be reasonable, Rainbow Dash" she said, feeling uncharacteristically aggressive today "but it seems that you're just too stubborn and pigheaded!"

Surprised at the unexpected retort, Rainbow Dash held the phone in front of her face and looked at it with disbelief.

"Grr" the prismatic girl growled "I've got a feeling this is going to be a long day".





Cheerfully singing, Rarity went about her room getting ready, feeling quite chipper about the day to come.

"Oh, I'm sure to impress the Seamstress Club with my newest design" she said giddily as she picked up her portfolio and opened it, looking down on her sketch "This is without a doubt my greatest creation" she said fondly as she gazed with pride at her work. "I'm actually surprised that Pinkie isn't here again trying to get a look at this. Still, I can't really blame her for wanting to look".

"I doubt anyone has ever seen such a beautiful wedding dress before".





The sun still climbing into the sky, Sunset and Applejack made their way down a sidewalk, the two of them haven gotten up early.

"So, Applejack" Sunset said to the cowgirl "What do you think we should do?"

"Well, are ya feelin' a bit hungry?" Applejack asked "We could stop off and git some breakfast".

Sunset shook her head. "Pass. I couldn't afford it".

"So?" Applejack asked "Ah'd pay fer yah. My treat".

Sunset shook her head again "I just wouldn't feel right having you do that for me" With a sigh, she stopped and stood in front of the town statue "I always seem to be short of cash. I still have trouble getting money in this world. Heck, I'm already behind on the rent for my apartment".

Before Applejack could comment on Sunset's money trouble, they were interrupted by the perfectly timed appearance of one of their friends.

"Hello, Sunset, Applejack" Rarity called out, a wide grin on her face and her portfolio carrying case under her arm.

"Hey there, Sugarcube" Applejack waved back to the fashion designer.

"Hi, Rarity" Sunset said "You're in a good mood this morning".

"Well, why shouldn't I be?" Rarity asked ecstatically "After all, I'm on the verge of joining the Seamstress Club!"

"Tha wha?" Applejack had to asked in confusion.

"The Seamstress Club" Rarity repeated "It's a very prestigious gathering of the best fashion designers at the Fashion Institute! I'm on my way over there right now with my submission design". 

"Oh, you mean that big project you've been working on for the past four weeks?" Sunset inquired. 

"Exactly" Rarity nodded "And then once I've registered my design, I'll then have to produce the outfit itself in order to be approved for membership. Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly breath properly!"

"Well, good fer yah, Rarity" Applejack said "Ah hope yah do good in gettin' in that club".

"So do I" Sunset added.

"Thank you both" Rarity said with gratitude.

Before the conversation between the trio could go on, however, it was broken by two arguing voices that were coming towards them.

"I don't see why you have to make such a big deal out of this" a surprisingly rough voice said.

"You obvious don't understand how important that thing was to me!" a familiar loud voice said.

Turning to the side, the three friends saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash coming down the sidewalk. What was shocking, however, was that the two seemed to be having a nasty argument. While they were familiar with Rainbow Dash getting annoyed and shouting at Fluttershy, they never once saw Fluttershy actually retaliate.

"Why should it matter so much to you?" Fluttershy retorted, her arms crossed and eyebrows narrowed as she walked ahead of Rainbow Dash "It was only a little bauble".

"LITTLE BAUBLE?!" Rainbow Dash exploded at the girl ahead of her "Why you little, uncaring, pea-brained excuse for a friend!"

"Look who's talking," Fluttershy turned around to face the prismatic athlete with a glare "you insensitive, loudmouthed, unreasonable old slowpoke!" 

"SLOWPOKE?!"

"YOU HEARD ME!" came another insult "Is there something wrong with your hearing too?!"

Having reached the others, the blue and yellow pair turned their backs to each other with a huff, refusing to look at one another. 

"Well, this is a rare sight" Applejack commented with wide eyes.

"What's with you two?" Sunset asked the bickering pair.

"I let this nincompoop borrow my autographed Wondercolt watch," Rainbow Dash jerked her thumb at the yellow girl behind her back "and she ended up misplacing it!"

"And she won't get over the fact that it was an accident!" Fluttershy pointed at the girl behind her.

"Uh, Rainbow" Applejack said slowly "Is somethin' like that really worth bein' angry over?"

"You don't understand" Rainbow Dash shook her head "That thing was signed by Spitfire herself! Do you know how rare it is to get her autograph?! Besides," she pointed at Fluttershy "there's also the matter that this hardheaded pest is arguing with me over it!"

"You always get on my case and I'm sick of it!" Fluttershy yelled back "So I've decided to finally stand up to you! You like giving an earful? Well, let's see how you like receiving it!"

"Why, I!" Rainbow whirled around sputtering angrily.

"Why, you!" Fluttershy did the same, looking Rainbow viciously in the eyes head on.

"Alright, alright" Applejack said calmly as she, Rarity and Sunset tried to keep the two feuding friends apart "Let's not do anythin' we'd regret".

"Indeed" Rarity nodded "Losing something you value is no reason to go losing your head".

"Yeah" Pinkie Pie chimed in "Don't let something this silly come between your friendship!"

"Aaahh!" the group yelled in shock at the unexpected appearance of their partyplanning friend.

"P-Pinkie!" Sunset cried as she and the others patted on their chests to restart their hearts "When did you get here?"

"Oh, right around the time Fluttershy was saying she was sick of Rainbow always yelling at her and decided it was time she did some of her own" Pinkie Pie explained "I didn't want to interrupt because when I did that to Twilight this morning, she got upset with me".

"Twilight?" Applejack asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm right here" Twilight said as she came up to the group panting "Sorry, but Pinkie ran ahead of me and it was difficult to catch up".

"Hmmph, rookie" Pinkie shook her head in amusement.

"So, what exactly is going on here?" Twilight asked the group "I heard a bit of shouting".

"Rainbow Dash an' Fluttershy are havin' a tiff" Applejack explained as the two aforementioned girls turned away from each other again, arms folded.

"Really?" Twilight asked in surprise "I thought they rarely had quarrels".

"Well, you've caught them on an off day" Sunset stated flatly, looking to the pair as they gave each other the cold shoulder.

"Well, anything else going on?" Twilight decided to change the subject to something more pleasant.

"Glad you asked, Twilight, Dear" Rarity said excitedly "I'm going to join the Seamstress Club today, after I show them my newest design!"

"You mean the design that you've kept secret even from us?" Twilight inquired.

"Yeah, I remember I kept trying to get a look at it, but you kept throwing me out of your shop" Pinkie Pie groused.

"Well, I'm sorry for keeping you all out of the loop" Rarity said apologetically "but I want this outfit to be a surprise".

"Aah, but I like surprises" Pinkie moaned.

"Oh, speaking of which" Twilight said excitedly "I've got quite an intriguing surprise for all of you".

"What?" Sunset asked with intrigue.

"Now that I know I can use magic without becoming Midnight Sparkle," Twilight said as she reached into her backpack "I developed an item to help me better utilize it".

After a few seconds of waiting, the girls watched as Twilight pulled the fist-sized purple gemstone out of her bag.

"I present to you my new focusing gem" Twilight said proudly.

Sunset's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the stone Twilight was holding.

"How in the world did you make that?" she had to ask.

"It wasn't easy" Twilight shrugged before turning towards a certain party-girl "especially with certain unexpected variables popping up." As Pinkie Pie grinned sheepishly, Twilight went on "In any case, with this little wonder, I'll now be able to use my magic with no problem at all".

"I don't know, Twilight" Sunset said unsure "Even with the proper means to control it, magic can still be unpredictable".

"Don't worry, Sunset" Twilight said confidently "I've done my math, and this will work perfectly".

Sunset, however, was still unsure.

"Well, you better make sure you don't let this knucklehead hold it, Twilight" Rainbow Dash said as she pointed to the yellow girl beside her "She might lose it".

"I heard that!" Fluttershy snapped.

"Good, because I wanted you to!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"Oh, not again" Applejack groaned.

"Well, this has been an intriguing conversation, but I do believe I should get going" Rarity said almost too quickly as she started to break away from the group "I simply mustn't be late for my appointment at the Seamstress Club. You girls take care, alright?"

"Wait up, Rarity, I think I'll go with you" Fluttershy said frowning as she followed the fashionista "There's a certain person here that I'd like to get away from for awhile".

"Get back here!" Rainbow ordered the retreating pink-haired girl "We're not done with this discussion!"

With that, she pursued Fluttershy, leaving Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

"Hey, wait, come back!" Pinkie Pie yelled out to the trio, but they were out of earshot "Oh, darn it" she moaned as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her newest instrument "I wanted them to see the new slide whistle I had gotten last night".

Applejack gave her a flat look "Is tha really somethin' tha worthwhile, Pinkie?"

"Of course it is, Applejack" Pinkie Pie said "This little baby will let me blow a wide variety of notes. And even better, I can blow it all day without running out of breath!"

"Is that?" a voice piped up, causing the group to turn to see a familiar blue-skinned girl with white hair smirking "You really think you can play that little thing all day?"

"Of course, Trixie" Pinkie said confidently "Nobody has healthier lungs than me!"

Well, then" Trixie said with a finger to her chin while grinning widely "If you're so sure of yourself, how about making a little wager?"

"Uh, what kind?" Pinkie asked. 

"Trixie bets you a month's worth of free ice cream that you can't blow that thing 1,000 times by the end of the day".

"Ooh, you're on!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, the stakes Trixie suggested irresistible to her.

"Ha!" Trixie chortled as she walked away "Trixie looks forward to you paying for her ice cream for a month. Later!"

"Oh, yeah?" Pinkie retorted "We'll see about that when you're buying me 28 triple fudge sundaes!" 

"Pinkie, are ya nuts?" Applejack said in surprise "There's no way yah can blow tha whistle 1,000 times in one day!"

"Applejack, one never turns down a challenge when it comes to free ice cream" Pinkie Pie said seriously "I'm doing it, and I'm going to win".

"Oh, boy" Sunset sighed "I get the feeling this is going to be quite a day".

"So, girls" Twilight said to the trio with her "How about I show you all how my new focusing stone works?"

Sunset sighed. "Twilight, I still have misgivings about that thing".

"No, no" Twilight said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out the green folder she had picked up on her way out of her house earlier that morning "It'll work. Honest".

"We may as well let her do this, Sunset" Applejack commented "She really has her heart set on it".

Reluctantly nodding, Sunset backed away as she watched Twilight work.

After looking over one of the notes in the folder, Twilight placed the folder off to the side before taking a stance. Holding the gem up over her head with both hands, Twilight closed her eyes and began to concentrate. It wasn't long before a light glow began to fill the gem. As Sunset and Applejack watched, the glow within the gem grew brighter and brighter, to the point that the gem looked to be shinning. Sunset's eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps Twilight's gem would work after all. She was doing good. In just a moment, she'd be ready to-

'Whoop!'

Caught by surprise of the unexpected sound, Twilight lost her footing and stumbled, causing her to aim upward. In a flash, a huge sphere of magic fired from the gem and flew upward. The girls watched as the spell soared high into the air to the point that it reached the stratosphere and was soon out of sight.

"One down, 999 to go!"

The trio of shocked girls turned away from the area that the spell had flown and looked to the pink girl who had the slide whistle in her mouth.

"What?"

"Pinkie!" Twilight groaned "That's twice you've broken my concentration today! Do you have a desire to be disruptive?"

"No" Pinkie Pie shook her head "I have a desire to make people laugh!"

"Well, would you please exercise a little control over your noisemaking?" Twilight pleaded.

"Sure thing" Pinkie nodded.

"Well, at least I probably won't worry about that anymore" Twilight said with relief.

"Uh, but shouldn' we be worried aboot that thin' landin' on somebody?" Applejack asked nervously as she pointed to where the spell orb had flown off.

"Oh, don't worry" Twilight said dismissively "That was just a minor infatuation spell. It'll wear off after 24 hours so it won't do any real harm even if someone does get hit by it. Although they might feel a tad embarrassed afterwards".

"Uh, aren't you concerned it might do something more than that?" Sunset asked uneasily.

"Sunset, it's okay" Twilight said assuringly "I've told you before I have it under control".

"If you say so" Sunset said with a sigh "So, you guys have any ideas what to do?"

"Well, Ah think Ah'll go off on may own fer awhile" Applejack said as she broke off from the group "Ah'll see ya guys later, okay?"

"Alright, Applejack" Sunset waved as the cowgirl walked off "We'll see ya later".

"Looks like it's just the three of us" Twilight said to the remainder of the group "What should we do?"

"Ooh, want to walk around town doing nothing in particular?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Sunset shrugged. "Better than nothing, I guess".

With that the group was off, with Sunset the last in line. Before moving on from the statue, however, she took once last look into the sky where the orb of magic had flown, a look of concern on her face.





With a grin that nearly split her face in two, Rarity stood before the Fashion Institute, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash right behind her.

"Oh, I'm so excited" Rarity said while nearly hopping "If I pass my screening, I'll be a part of the most exclusive knitting circle ever! Did you know that some of the best fashion designers to ever graduate from the Fashion Institute were members of the Seamstress Club?"

"That sounds really nice, Rarity" Fluttershy said sincerely before turning towards Rainbow Dash with a frown "Do you have to be here?"

"Only cause you're here" Rainbow countered with her arms folded.

Glaring, Fluttershy turned to Rarity and said "Come on, let's get you registered, Rarity".

With that, the two girls walked up the steps into the Fashion Institute, with Rainbow Dash coming up behind them.

"Hey, there!" a cheerful voice caught Rainbow's attention before she reached the steps, causing her to turn to see a thin man with light gray skin and dark brown curly hair wearing a snazzy blue suit approach her with a grin.

"My name is Venue" the man explained like a salesman "I've just opened my own chapel on Route 87 for all ceremonial needs. I do weddings, bar mitzvahs, funerals, and can even rent out for birthdays! Anyway, in honor of my opening day, I'm giving out one day only discounts to get publicity for my business! Here, take this!'

With that, he jubilantly gave Rainbow Dash a business card.

"That card is good for one free wedding till the end of the day" Venue said cheerfully "Spread the word, will ya?"

With that, the man walked off to give out more coupons, leaving Rainbow to look dumbfounded before staring down at the card she had received.

"Me? Get married?" the prismatic girl asked in disbelief as she walked up the stairs "Ha! Yeah, that'll be the day!"

Walking through the halls of the Fashion Institute, Rarity and Fluttershy made their way to the room which housed the Seamstress Club, Rainbow Dash lagging behind while looking at the card she had just received.

"Hurry up, Rainbow" Fluttershy nagged the girl "You wanted to be here, didn't you?"

"Alright! Alright!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she placed the card in her pocket.

"Girls, please" Rarity said exasperated "We're here".

Sure enough, the trio were standing in front of a door with the words 'Seamstress Club' over it. 

"Alright, this is it" Rarity said with suspense "One way or another, my future will be shaped by what occurs in this room" After spending a second to psych herself up, the fashionista opened her eyes with determination.

"Let's do this".

Going through the door, Rarity and the others found themselves in a large sewing room, filled with half a dozen girls, some of whom were operating sewing machines.

"Oh, I do believe I'd feel at home here" Rarity said in awe before she walked forward, with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash staying back.

"Wow" Fluttershy said as she watched Rarity look around the room with wonder "This really means a lot to her, doesn't it?"

"Oh" Rainbow Dash said mockingly "So you know what's important to Rarity, huh?"

Fluttershy groaned. "You're still on that? Good grief, let it go already! It's no big deal!"

"No big deal?!" Rainbow exploded "You wouldn't say that if I ended up letting your rabbit escape!"

"Well, that will never happen" Fluttershy said through clenched teeth "because the day I let you take care of Angel Bunny is the day I hand feed you cherries!"

"Why? Afraid that I might lose him?" Rainbow Dash mocked.

"No!" Fluttershy exploded "Because I know you're inept when it comes to animals! You couldn't even survive in the woods at Summer Camp without someone to help you out! Heck, you would've been mauled by a bear if it wasn't for me!"

"Are you expecting me to say thank you?" Dash asked with a mad laugh "Fat chance of that!"

"That's okay" Fluttershy sneered "Because there are times where I wonder if you really did me a favor that day you helped with Hoops and Dumbbell anyway!" 

"Alright, that's it!" Rainbow said grumpily "Let's go out by the lot and have this out right now!"

"Fine!" Fluttershy humphed before she walked out the door followed by Rainbow Dash, who loudly slammed the door behind her, nearly knocking things off the walls in the process.

Flinching at the unmistakable sound of the door slamming, Rarity silently prayed that wherever they were going, her friends wouldn't jeopardize her chances of joining the Seamstress Club. With a sigh, she decided to focus on the matter at hand and went looking for a table to set up her portfolio. It was then that a young woman with pink skin, purplish hair, and wearing a bluff scarf came up to her.

"Hello, there" she said in a bubbly manner with a grin "I'm Suri Polomare, the head of the Seamstress Club, and you must be Rarity".

"It is an honor to meet you, Suri" Rarity said as she shook the woman's hand "I've heard so much about you! So young, and already you're selling outfits across the country! You even have a mail-order system!"

"Flatterer" Suri chuckled "Anyway, let's cut to the chase. You're here to join the Seamstress Club, right?"

"Oh, yes" Rarity nodded enthusiastically "It's been a dream of mine for a long time. The Seamstress Club has connections to the fashion industry, so if I were to join, it would well help me on my way to becoming a well-known designer!"

Suri chuckled "Well, that's a big dream. Anyway, do you have a submission design?"

"Oh, yes, yes" Rarity replied as she held up her carrying case. "It's in here. I've kept it secret from everyone. Even my own friends haven't been allowed to see it, even when one of them tried to peak at it multiple times".

Opening the case, Rarity pulled out her portfolio and placed it on the table in front of her.

"I consider it my Magnum Opus" the fashionista said proudly as she gripped the edge of the folder "I truly believe that this is the greatest dress that I've ever come up with! Behold!"

With that, she opened the folder with a dramatic flourish, allowing Suri to see the dress design with in. Upon looking down, Suri's eyes lit up when she took in the sight of the design.

"Why" she said with intrigue and awe as her mouth widened excitedly "This is amazing! I've never seen anything it before! Of all the submission designs that have come into the Seamstress Club before, no one has ever presented such a wondrous and beautiful outfit!"

"Thank you" Rarity said with gratitude "You have exquisite taste, Suri".

"And you have exquisite talent" Suri said with a grin "You will make fine addition to the Seamstress Club".

"Ooh, thank you" Rarity nodded "I think we're going to get along quite remarkably, Suri".

Before anything else could be said, there was suddenly a loud, thunderous 'KKKKKAAAAA-RRRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHHH!' like an explosion before the entire room shook and shuttered like it was in a ferocious earthquake. Everyone in the room braced themselves on the tables as things on the walls fell off, sewing machine fell over, and bundles of material collapsed and unfurled along the floor.

After the shaking died down, everyone stood up to get their bearings.

"What in the world was that?" Suri asked in shock.

"I have no idea" Rarity said with wide eyes "It sounded like something crashing into the ground out by the lot".





Sunset groaned before turning to Twilight. "You heard that one, right?"

"Uh, yes" Twilight nodded with wide eyes.





"Ooh" Rainbow groaned as she got up off the ground "My head". Hearing a soft groan, Rainbow looked to Fluttershy across from her, also lying on the ground. "Fluttershy, are you okay?" she asked in concern as she went to check on her friend.

"Oh, I believe so" Fluttershy muttered before looking up to see Rainbow staring down her, her eyes wide. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing" Rainbow said assuringly "It's just..." she started blushing "I never really took the time to appreciate how beautiful you are".

Fluttershy was at a loss for words. "You-You actually think I'm beautiful?"

"Well, how can I not?" Rainbow replied "I'm sure anyone with eyes could plainly see how attractive you are". 

Fluttershy felt herself blush over the unexpected compliment before admitting "I think you're pretty good-looking yourself, Rainbow. To be honest, I actually think you're...adorable".

"You know, if it was anyone else who had said that, I probably would've pummeled them" Rainbow joked, causing them both to giggle before she got somber. "Hey, listen" she said apologetically "About that little argument we were having. I want to say I'm sorry, it wasn't really that big a deal". 

"Oh, I'm sorry too" Fluttershy said guiltily "I should've been more sympathetic".

"Yeah, I guess we were both being pretty stubborn" Rainbow joked, causing them both to giggle again. "Say" the prismatic teen said slowly "Would you like to go into town and spend time together? You know, just the two of us?"

Fluttershy couldn't keep herself from grinning. "I'd like that very much".

Holding out her hand, Rainbow helped Fluttershy up off the ground before the two girls walked off together. As they did, their hands subconsciously reached for each other and their fingers interlocked together.





"Whew" Suri said with relief after finishing inspecting the room "I don't know what that was, but it didn't cause too much damage, at least".

"Thank heavens" Rarity said with relief as she inspected the table she was working at "It would've been just ghastly if it had ruined all the..." she trailed off as she looked down at the table "Oh, my!" she gasped in shock "A dab of blue paint spilled onto my sketch!" Panicking, she inspected the paper before her before her face relaxed "Whew, no harm done. The paint only touched the corner of the paper. The drawing itself is intact" She turned back to Suri "Anyway, I believe we were discussing something".

"Yes" Suri nodded "I was saying that your outfit is absolutely fabulous. I have never seen anything so exquisite before, even my own creations".

Rarity chuckled "Yes, I certainly did outdo myself with this design".

"I'm just relieved whatever that was didn't messing it up" Suri went on "I don't know how I'd react if such a beautiful dress design had been destroyed".

"Thank you for your concern, Suri" Rarity said gratefully "After all the hard work I put into this sketch, to lose it in any way would be heart-rending to me". 

"I know the feeling, Rarity" Suri said sympathetically "I put so much love and care into all my creations that it'd break my heart if anything bad happened to them".

Rarity smiled. "Well, perhaps we can get together and exchange ideas sometime".

Suri grinned. "Sounds good to me".

"Wonderful" Rarity squealed "Now, back to the matter at hand. Where are the submission forms to join the Seamstress Club?"

"Oh, they're over there on the far desk" Suri pointed to the end of the room "I'll go get them".

"No need to trouble yourself" Rarity said as she walked past the girl "I can get them myself".

As Rarity walked towards the back of the room, Suri looked on with a grin, taking the opportunity to surreptitiously grab the design from Rarity's folder and place it in her bag without anyone seeing.





"I tried to tell you, Twilight" Sunset was saying as she, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie were walking down a sidewalk "Magic can be quite potent, even when the spells are harmless. One misstep and you could probably level an entire block with a teleportation spell!"

"Okay, I get that" Twilight nodded before holding up her gem "but that's why I need this thing, in order to control my magic better".

"And I understand that" Sunset replied "but I'm saying that if you want to do that, you'll have to learn to be more careful with it. Otherwise, you could-"

'Whoop!'

"Pinkie!" Sunset rounded on the partygirl.

"Sorry," Pinkie Pie said apologetically while holding up her slide whistle "but I've still got 983 toots to go".

Groaning, Sunset turned back to Twilight "Look, my point is that even though you won't become Midnight Sparkle anymore, if you don't watch it, it'll be just like when we first met at the Friendship Games; your recklessness causing all manner of chaos! So take it easy with that gem, okay?"

"I get what you're saying" Twilight said sincerely "I really do. But still, if I'm going to learn how to be careful with my gem, won't I need to practice with it?" 

"She does have a point there" Pinkie Pie imputed before going 'whoop!' on her whistle.

Sunset sighed. "Alright," she said concedingly "If you're really determined on using that gem, then it's best if you learn how to do so. But let's at least find a safer place for you to use it first".





"Ah wonder how Rarity is doin' wit' tha club of hers" Applejack commented outloud after she had been on her own for nearly half an hour "Maybe Ah should go check on her".

Arriving at the Fashion Institute, Applejack walked up the massive steps and went through the halls before she spotted the door clearly marked 'Seamstress Club'. Opening the door, Applejack spotted Rarity conversing with Suri.

"So, Suri" Rarity was saying to the head of the Seamstress Club "You really think that I could improve the quality of my material by mixing silk and satin?" 

"Oh, my yes" Suri said with a nod "I have learned from myself that blending those two together produces even more fabulous outfits!"

"Hmm" Rarity said with deep consideration "It's something to consider. Oh, it is such a pleasure to have a conversation with one who knows as much fashion as you do".

"I couldn't agree with you more, Rarity" Suri said happily.

"And it's stimulating to talk with someone who shares my opinions on tweed vs polyester" Rarity shook her head in disbelief "Even my friends don't seem to understand why it's such an important topic".

Suri groaned "Really! How can no one be worried that tweed is dying out and being replaced by such a bland material?!"

"I know!" Rarity wailed over-dramatically.

"Uh, Rarity?" Applejack spoke up to get the talking pair's attention.

"Why, Applejack" Rarity said in surprise "What brings you here?"

"Ah was by mahself for a while and decided to see how yah were doin'" Applejack explained "Hope Ah didn' interrupt somethin' important".

"Oh, not at all, Darling" Rarity said dismissively "Suri and I were just talking about different materials in clothes" Her eyes then widened in shock "Oh my goodness, where are my manners?!" She quickly turned to face Suri while gesturing to Applejack "Suri, this is one of my good friends, Applejack".

"Nice to meet you" Suri said to the cowgirl.

"Thanks, Ah guess" Applejack replied, feeling a bit strange around the girl before looking back to Rarity "Uh, weren' Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy wit' yah?"

"Oh, they went off on their own some time ago" Rarity replied "I'm afraid I don't know where they've gone".

"Well, wherever they are, Ah hope they're still not at each other" Applejack shook her head.

"Anyway, Applejack" Rarity said "You've caught me when I just about to leave. You're welcome to come with me back to my shop if you want".

"Well, guess Ah'll take yah up on that offer" Applejack replied with a shrug.

"Aah, do you really have to go?" Suri asked sadly.

"I'm really sorry to run out like this," Rarity said remorsefully "I've thoroughly enjoyed our time together, but I do have things to take care of this afternoon. You understand, right?" 

"Of course" Suri nodded understandingly "New outfit designs won't make themselves".

"True, but if they did, we fashion designers would be out of work." Rarity joked, causing both her and Suri to giggle. "Before I go, however, I'd like to thank you for everything". 

"Oh, not all" Suri shook her head enthusiastically "It's I who should be thanking you. It was very nice to meet you".

"Likewise" Rarity smiled as she shook Suri's hand "I can't help but feel we've both gained a little something from this meeting".

"My thoughts exactly, Rarity" Suri said, a grin hidden on her face that neither Rarity or Applejack could see.

"Well, we best be off" Rarity said as she picked up her carrying case and started walking towards the door "Come along, Applejack" she turned to the seamstress for the last time "Good-Bye, Suri, take care of yourself".

"So long, Rarity, see ya" Suri waved as the two girls left, neither of them seeing the wicked grin growing on the seamstress's face.





"Alright, this should be far enough away from town" Sunset said as she looked around the field she, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie were currently standing in. "It should be safe to practice all you want out here, Twilight".

"Great!" Twilight said as she pulled out her focusing gem.

"Remember to keep in mind what I said" Sunset said sagely as she positioned herself besides Pinkie Pie "In case anything goes wrong, Pinkie and I will be monitoring you from the side". 

"Got it" Twilight said enthusiastically as she held up the gem.

"Oh, and Twilight" Sunset spoke one last time before flatly adding "Make sure to brace yourself this time".

"Yeah, we all heard what happened when you didn't brace last time" Pinkie Pie added before blowing a small 'whoop!' on her slide whistle, earning a look from the other two girls with her.





The moment the two arrived in town, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves at a table in their favorite coffee shop, sitting in close quarters while facing each other. The two were currently engrossed in a very delightful conversation.

"And Soarin didn't even know that the rope was tangled around his foot until he threw the javelin!" Rainbow Dash finished while laughing "Oh, man! It took nearly three hours to get him down from the flagpole!"

Fluttershy found herself giggling as well before taking a sip from the coffee she had ordered.

"Oh man!" Rainbow said after calming down from her laughing fit "How is it that we didn't spend more time just the two of us before now?"

"Probably because we were so busy working with the others to save the world so many times?" Fluttershy quipped.

Rainbow could help but laugh at the comment. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But you know, we really should consider spending more time by ourselves".

"Oh, I agree" Fluttershy nodded "The others are great and all, but there are times where you just want to hang out in pairs".

"Say" Rainbow said thoughtfully. "Maybe sometime, we can get together at my house and do some jamming by ourselves. I'd love to hear how much more beautiful your singing has gotten".

"You really think I have a great singing voice?" Fluttershy asked gratefully.

"Sure" Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically "I bet that if you sung while I played my guitar, it would sound amazing!" 

Fluttershy found herself smirking. "I think I can arrange that".

"Cool!" Dash said happily "I'm looking forward to it!"

"Say, Rainbow" Fluttershy said slowly "I have to ask".

"Yeah?" Dash invited.

"This thing we're doing right here..."

"Is this a date?"

Rainbow was a little surprised by the unexpected question. Eventually, however, her look of shock began to turn into a grin.

"...Yeah" she admitted slowly "I guess it is".

"Good" Fluttershy grinned herself "I was hoping it was".

"Actually, Fluttershy, there's something I need to confess" Rainbow Dash said before reaching across the table to lay her hand on Fluttershy's. 

Staring down at their hands, a blushing Fluttershy looked back up to the girl in front of her with sparkling eyes that made Rainbow's heart flutter.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Rainbow asked, conviction in her voice.

"How could I forget?" Fluttershy replied entranced "It was perhaps one of the greatest moments of my life".

"Yeah, well" Dash said slowly "Before the day I saved you from Hoops and Dumbbell, I had actually seen you at the summer camp before".

Fluttershy couldn't help but gape at the confession.

"Y-You did?"

"Yeah" Rainbow nodded "It was right after I had finished my first run of the obstacle course. After I had finished and set a record in the process, I heard the counselor call up the next kid in line. Turning around, I saw the person who was coming after me".

"You".

"To be honest, when I first saw you, I was a little...awestruck. I mean, the way your hair was silky looking, and it was long enough to cover one of your eyes. Not to mention that cute voice you made when you begged the counselor not to make you go. I was actually quite surprised that a girl like you was at the summer camp, especially after seeing your performance on the course".

"After that, I tried not to give you much thought, but the sight of your face was fixed into my brain. Then there was everything else that happened. While you stunk at the sport activities, when it came to the nature hikes and other things, you were a natural! I was almost eaten by mosquitoes every time we went into the woods, while you managed to make friends with every animal you saw. Even a bear!"

"Then, there was the time you slipped away when no one was looking" Fluttershy's eyes widened "Yes, I know about that. Anyway, I grew curious and decided to follow you. That's when I saw you go out into that meadow and you actually sung for all the animals there. And that voice of yours, I never heard anything like it before. It had to be the most amazing sound I ever heard".

"Eventually, when I saw you being tormented by Hoops and Dumbbell, I couldn't stand the sight. So...I stepped in and we finally met".

Fluttershy looked wide-eyed towards the girl before her, transfixed by what she had just heard.

"Y-You actually found me interesting even before we met?"

"Yes" Rainbow nodded. "But for a long time, I couldn't figure out why I was so drawn to you, and it's been eating at me for all these years. But now, however, I finally realize why I was so intrigued by you all those years ago".

"The truth is, I...I love you, Fluttershy".

Fluttershy's eyes widened bigger than ever before. She was completely bowled over by the confession she had just received. For a moment, she just sat their silently, not saying a word or moving a muscle. Then, her eyes went from big and wide to soft and glistening, while a warm smile grew on her lips.

She then placed her over hand on top of Rainbow's. 

"I have a confession of my own" she said slowly "You weren't the only one who noticed someone before officially meeting them".

Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise.

"Like you said, I was next in line after you" Fluttershy went on "And when I saw you complete the obstacle course before me, I was actually quite impressed. You were capable of performing physical activities effortlessly. You were everything I wished I was capable of doing. From that day, I looked up to you. But I felt there was no way a person like you would want a friend like me".

"That was, until the day Hoops and Dumbbell picked on me and you came to my aid to chase them off. I thought that there was no way I could be so lucky that a girl who was the exact opposite of me would see me as a friend. And yet, we've been friends since that fateful day".

"And now, I find out that you were just as captivated by me like I was with you" she went on, her smile growing larger and her eyes shimmering like stars "I've held this in for so long, worried how you would react if I said it. But now, I can tell you with confidence..."

"Rainbow...I love you, too".

Now it was Rainbow's turned to be bold over by the confession she had heard. Her eyes widened in complete surprise as she took in the words Fluttershy had just told her. Finally, she spoke.

"Y-You really do?" she had to ask.

"Uh huh" Fluttershy nodded, her cheeks blushing and her wide grin never fading as she held onto Rainbow's hand.

Slowly, a look of wonder and delight appeared on Rainbow's face as her mouth morphed into a grin as wide as Fluttershy's and her eyes began to sparkle before she placed her other hand on the growing pile of appendages on the table.

Staring at each other passionately with warm smiles, their hands refusing to let go of each other, the two girls leaned in and pressed their foreheads to each other, never breaking their locked gaze.

Finally, Fluttershy decided to speak up.

"So, Rainbow, does this mean you're my...?"

"Uh-huh" Rainbow nodded.

"And I'm you're...?"

"Oh yeah".

"And we're...?"

"I'd say pretty much".

"Well, then" Fluttershy said grinning "I guess there's only one thing left to do".

Knowing what Fluttershy was meaning, Rainbow leaned forward and puckered up, her new girlfriend doing the same as the two brought their lips together for the first time.

From a table a few feet away, two people who just happened to be there were staring at the display between the two girls. With a grin from his misshapen teeth, the brownish-gray man held out his hand to his date. With a sigh, the pink-skinned principal reached into her purse and handed a twenty dollar bill to the superintendent.





Making sure to brace herself, Twilight held the gem up over her head and concentrated hard. Within a few seconds, the gem in her hands began to glow a bright purple. In a flash, Twilight brought the gem down from over her head and let a lavender beam of light fly from the gem. The stream of purple energy flew forward and hit a nearby rock, causing it to grow three times its regular size.

"I did it" Twilight said in a whispered tone before speaking up "I did it! I actually did it! My size changing spell works!" 

"Wow" Pinkie Pie said in amazement "That was pretty good, Twilight". Impressed, the partygirl blew an extra loud 'whoop!' on her slide whistle.

"Hmm" Sunset said as she held a finger to her chin in thought "Not bad, Twilight".

"That's nothing" Twilight said with a grin "Watch this!"

Raising the gem over her head again, Twilight concentrated. The moment the gem's glow was at its peak, she brought the gem down in front of her and launched another ray of magic at the rock. In a flash, the rock had converted into a statue of Twilight and her six friends.

"Ooh" Pinkie Pie said impressed as she inspected the statue "Nice job, Twily. You even got Sunset's good side!"

"Haha!" Twilight cheered in excitement as she looked at the crystal in her hands "It works! It really works! My focal gem actually works! I can control my magic at will now!"

"Way to go, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie cheered before celebrating with another 'whoop!' from her slide whistle.

"Hmm" Sunset said with a grin "Perhaps I underestimated you, Twilight".

"Isn't it great?" Twilight said with a grin "Just think, if I keep going like this, I'll probably be as talented as my princess counterpart! I can hardly wai...AAAH!"

In the midst of her cheering, Twilight ended up walking backwards into a stray rock and stumbled over it. The gem in her hands went flying, still glowing bright purple with magic. As the trio watched, the gem fired a third beam of lavender light straight towards the ground. Bracing themselves for the worst, the trio watched as the beam lanced the ground. After a single moment which felt like eternity, the light faded away and the gem fell back to earth, where Twilight picked it up.

Inspecting the spot where the beam had hit, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie saw a small purple circle on the ground.

"Whew" Twilight said in relief "For a moment, I thought that was going to do something terrible".

"Uh, don't speak too soon" Pinkie Pie said as she slowly began to back away.

Turning back to where Pinkie was looking, Sunset and Twilight gaped in shock. For the purple circle on the ground begin to expand. Wider and wider it grew, spreading out in every direction.

Just when the girls were worried that it would become a bottomless void that would swallow everything, it stopped after moving out five feet.

"What in the world is that?" Twilight had to ask.

"I'm not sure" Sunset replied "But I think it'd be best if you made it vanish right away".

"Right" Twilight said as she held up her focal gem.

Before she could concentrate, however, a loud 'RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!' emanated from the pit, shaking the ground and knocking the three girls off their feet.

"Wh-What was that?!" Pinkie cried in shock.

Before Sunset could answer, however, a tiger's paw suddenly rose from the depths of the hole before latching onto the ground before it. Another soon joined it. Grasping the sides tightly, the two paws pulled hard and raised the body they were attached to upward.

From out of the hole emerged a vicious-looking creature. It had the head and front half of a tiger and the head and back half of a goat, as well as a snake for a tail.

"It's a chimera!" Sunset shrieked.

The three-headed beast rose up to its full height and moved forward as the hole behind it instantly closed and faded away. Taking in its new surroundings, the chimera spotted the trio of girls before it. With a vicious growl from both its tiger and goat heads, it lunged at them hungrily, forcing them to leap backwards.

"Nice Kitty, Kitty" Pinkie Pie said nervously "Good little Pussy, Maybe I have some catnip?"

In response to her comment, the chimera attempted to strike her with the horns on its goat head.

"Would you prefer some milk?" the partyplanner squeaked.

"Twilight, you've inadvertently opened a portal straight to Equestria and let a chimera into our world!" Sunset cried to the lavender girl.

"B-But how could I even do that?!" Twilight sputtered as the chimera's snake tail came at her, causing her to duck.

"You were thinking about Princess Twilight and your gem must've picked up on it" Sunset deduced "It must've acted reflexively when it flew from your hands!" she sighed in annoyance "This is even worse than earlier!"

With a 'Roar!' from its tiger part, the chimera lunged forward, forcing Sunset to jump back to avoid being struck by its claw.

"Twilight, quick!" the lead Rainboom called out to the purple girl "Open another portal!"

"Oh, right!" Twilight squeaked before fumbling with the gem in her hands for a second.

Unfortunately, before Twilight could concentrate, the chimera leaped at her, knocking her over and causing the gem to go flying. Spotting the freefalling crystal, the chimera's six eyes became entranced by its glimmer. With a 'bwah!', the goat head leaned upward and caught the gem in its mouth. 

Turning back towards the three teens menacingly while clutching its new prize, the chimera rose up on its hind-legs like a whinnying horse as its tiger head gave a vicious 'Roar!' before the chimera ran off through the field and towards the town.

"Whew!" Pinkie Pie sighed with relief "Glad that's over".

"Are you kidding?!" Sunset cried as she helped Twilight up "We can't let that thing run loose in this world! There's no telling what it might do!"

"Unfortunately, it took my gem" Twilight replied as she held her arm in pain "Without it, I can't perform the spell that brought it here".

"Then we'll have to go after it and get that gem back" Sunset said in determination.

"Uh, shouldn't we get the others?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No time" Sunset said while shaking her head "If we lose that chimera's trail, we'll never get rid of it. Besides, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are probably still at it, we don't know where Applejack went and Rarity's got that big project of hers to finish. We'll have to handle this ourselves. Come on! After that chimera!"

With that, Sunset began running through the field in the direction the chimera went, Twilight right behind her. Remaining in the field a few seconds longer, Pinkie Pie shrugged before letting out a 'whoop!' on her slide whistle and followed her friends.





Throughout the afternoon, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went around town, enjoying their new relationship.

Going to the playground, Rainbow pushed Fluttershy on the swing, both of them smiling happily. The two went skinny dipping in the lake, where, after repeatedly being playfully splashed by Rainbow, Fluttershy retaliated by shoving her head under the water while giggling. The pair also shared a kissing session on a park bench (Rainbow had wanted to do it while they were still swimming, but Fluttershy said their relationship wasn't that intimate yet). They even made a brief stop at the amusement park to ride the merry-go-round, ferris wheel, and roller coaster.

Eventually, the pair found themselves walking down the street, holding hands while Fluttershy was laying her head on Rainbow Dash's shoulder.

"I'm having a really wonderful time with you, Rainbow" the yellow caregiver sighed blissfully.

"So am I with you, Flutters" the prismatic girl said fondly "This day has been just amazing! Falling for you has to be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me".

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that, Dashie" Fluttershy snuggled up to the shoulder she was resting on "Hmm, what do you think we should do next for our first date?"

"Hey, I know! How do you feel about chocolate covered cherries?" Rainbow Dash asked her new girlfriend with a mischievous grin.

"Ooh, Rainbow" Fluttershy giggled "How romantic".





It wasn't long before Rarity and Applejack arrived back at Rarity's fashion shop and went up into the loft, which operated as Rarity's living quarters and work-space.

"Ahhh" Rarity sighed blissfully as she sat herself down in a plush chair "It feels so good to be able to relax after such a successful morning".

"So, Rares" Applejack piped up "Who was tha gal yah were wit' when Ah met up wit' ya?"

"Oh, you mean Suri Polomare?" Rarity inquired "She's the head of the Seamstress Club at the Fashion Institute. Even though she's as young as me, she's already a big name in the fashion industry. What's more, she knows quality outfits when she sees them. I'm telling you, you should have seen it, Applejack! She called my design one of the best she has ever seen! I'm still giddy over the praises I received from her!"

"Yeah, well" Applejack said slowly "Ah don't know why, but she seemed a little bit tah cheerful and friendly".

"Oh, Applejack" Rarity said with a chuckle "That's just the way she is. There's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic over meeting other people".

"Yeah, well, Ah'm just sayin' somethin' seemed off aboot her tah me" Applejack replied.

"Now, really, Applejack" Rarity said said with a frown "You feel that way about every new person you meet. Just because you're a bit stubborn and distrustful of those you meet for the first time doesn't mean they warrant it. Trust me, Suri is a decent human being completely worthy of faith".

Applejack sighed. "Alright, if yah say so".

"I do" Rarity said with conviction "Now if you'll pardon me, I need to start work on my new outfit soon. I can hardly wait to show it to Suri when it's finished!"

"Oh, before Ah forget, Rares" Applejack as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper "On our way comin' in here, Ah found this flier pinned tah yer front door".

"Ooh, wonderful!" Rarity squealed as she took the flier "It must be for Suri's newest sale. I can only imagine what new outfits she has come up with now".

Upon staring down at the flier, Rarity's grin faded away and her eyes went wide as saucers.





"Rainbow, did you hear that?" Fluttershy asked as she turned her head to look back, momentarily pausing in-between her and Rainbow Dash feeding each other chocolate covered cherries under a tree in the park.

"Yeah" Rainbow agreed with wide eyes "That had to be the loudest profanity I've ever heard".





"Rarity, git a hold of yerself!" Applejack said as Rarity was throwing a fit, along with everything else in the room.

"How could she do this to me?!" Rarity screeched as she hurled a table into a wall. "I trusted her! I thought she was A DECENT PERSON!"

Knowing she had no other choice, Applejack leaped up and slammed herself down on Rarity, pinning her to the floor.

"Now settle down an' calmly explain wha's got yer curls in a knot!" she shouted at the fashionista.

Panting like crazy, Rarity reached for the ad she had dropped and showed it to Applejack.

"Look!" she cried to the cowgirl.

Taking the ad, Applejack scanned it up and down. "So?"

"Take a look at the line of outfits along the bottom of it" Rarity said, her voice calmer, but rage and fury seething through her veins.

Applejack did what she was told. "Okay".

"Look at the third outfit from the far right" Rarity continued.

"What aboot it?" Applejack asked "It's just a-'

She was cut off by Rarity throwing her off with surprisingly incredible strength. "What about it?" she asked angrily "I'll tell you 'what about it', that is my dress design! She copied my design!" 

"Wait, are yah sure?" Applejack asked in confusion.

"Positive" Rarity replied "I recognize my own handstyle" she then started to frantically pace "What I can't figure out is how she did it. Even if she is good, there is no way she'd be able to mimic my style so perfectly from just memory" her eyes widened in realization "Unless..."

In a flash, she had dashed over to her desk where she had left her carrying case, frantically searching through it.

"No. No! NO! NOOO!" she screeched so loud that all the glass windows in the shop threatened to break.

"Wha? Wha is it?" Applejack asked in concern.

"My sketch is gone!" the fashionista responded with a wail "She didn't just copy me; that horrible witch outright stole my design! Now I don't even have proof that it's mine!"

With a mournful sigh, she collapsed onto her conveniently placed chase lounge.

"I can't believe it!" she moaned "She's going to get away with taking my greatest work away from me! After everything I've done: the long hours of ceaselessly perfecting every curve, the painstaking research into finding the proper fabric for it,  the tender, loving care that went into balancing out the ruffles and accessories, and the blood, sweat, and tears spent into giving it form, my most beautiful creation ever is to benefit some undeserving thief!" Her head falling forward onto the lounge's arm, she began sobbing loudly.

"Aah, man" Applejack said sympathetically as she walked up to the sobbing girl and gave her a consoling pat "Ah'm sorry about that, Rares. On tha bright side, this means tha yer outfit must've been pretty good if'n some big time designer was willin' tah get their mits on it." This comment only served to make Rarity bawl even louder, causing Applejack to flinch. 

"Okay, tha's not helpin'." 

She then sighed in submission to the brutal words she would be saying.

"Look, as much as Ah hate tah be a naysayer, yah may as well get over this and move on, cause it looks like yer out of luck here. Ah mean, without yer copy, yah can't claim she stole it from yah, and if ya tried takin' her tah court, she'd no doubt have a way tah make her look like the real owner. Sorry tah say it, but there's nothin' yah can do about this" she then shrugged "Ah mean, what options is there that yah have left? Break intah Suri's house an' steal back yer design?"





"Me and mah big mouth" Applejack groused as she was sitting in a bush, wearing a black sweater and matching cap.

"Platinum Priss to Barn Raiser. Come in, Barn Raiser, Over" Rarity's voice was coming in over the walkie talkie at Applejack's waist.

With a grumble, Applejack said "Rarity, why are yah speaking into tha thin'? Yer standing right beside me!"

Sure enough, there beside the cowgirl was Rarity, dressed in a black sweater and cap as well (much fancier than Applejack's, of course) and speaking into a walkie talkie.

"Ugh" Rarity groaned "Don't you know this is how heist procedures are carried out? And furthermore, until our mission is complete you are to refer to me as 'Platinum Priss'".

"Yer kiddin'" Applejack said flatly.

"I never kid when it comes to fashion" Rarity said sternly before looking forward "Now, our target is within view, Barn Raiser".

The two were currently sitting in the bushes outside Suri Polomare's humongous mansion. By now, the sun had set, meaning that the two teens were obscured in the shadows.

"Somewhere in there is my absconded dress design" Rarity said with determination "Our objective is to find my plundered piece and recover it before that insidious fiend starts using it! Let's go!"

With that, Rarity charged out of the bushes and ran towards the mansion. With a sigh, a reluctant Applejack followed her.

"Ah've got a bad feeling about this".





Following the chimera's trail of footprints, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie tracked the creature to an old warehouse on the far side of town. 

"It must be hold up in there" Sunset surmised "This place looks abandoned, so it's almost like a cave to that thing".

"Well, then, let's get going" Pinkie Pie said as she walked towards the door.

"Wait a minute, Pinkie" Sunset stopped her "We need a visual on the chimera first before going in there. Come on, let's find a window".

Walking along the perimeter of the warehouse, the trio peered searched for a window to see if they could get a look at the chimera inside.

"There's one" Sunset said as she pointed at a second story window, which fortunately was accessible by a pile of boxes. "Come on" the striped-haired girl said as she walked toward the boxes.

Climbing up the pile, the girls reached the window and peered inside.

"I'm having a hard time seeing in there" Sunset commented "Do either of you see the chimera?"

"I'm still looking" Twilight replied.

"Ooh!" Pinkie cried "There it is!"

"Shh!" Sunset and Twilight shushed the girl before Sunset whispered "Where?"

Following the direction of Pinkie's pointing finger, sure enough, Sunset and Twilight could make out the form of the chimera. The creature was currently curled up with its three heads lying on the ground, sleeping.

"Look!" Twilight said while pointing. For there, nestled in the chimera's folded arms was Twilight's focusing gem.

"It's asleep at the moment" Sunset said to the others "We'll have to sneak in quietly in order to get back the gem".

"Yes, Ma'am!" Pinkie Pie saluted. Unfortunately, Pinkie's quick motion caused the pile of boxes the girls were on to start wobbling.

With a yell, the girls latched onto the ledge underneath the window just as the boxes underneath them gave way and crashed to the ground. Fortunately, upon looking in, they could see that the chimera was still asleep.

"Ooh, that wasn't very quiet, was it?" Pinkie asked with a sheepish grin, while Sunset and Twilight sighed in annoyance.





Like a pair of spies, Rarity and Applejack climbed to the roof of the large house.

"Ah can't believe Ah'm doing this" Applejack muttered to herself.

"Shh!" Rarity whispered harshly, in spy mode "Come on, let's move!"

Quickly but with pose, Rarity dashed behind one of the many chimneys on the roof. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she immediately dashed to the next closest one, then the next, then the next. Applejack, giving a frustrated sigh, merely walked a straight line without bothering to hide behind anything.

"Yah do realize there's nobody tah see us up here, right, Rarity?" Applejack said flatly to fashionista as she reached their destination.

"Oh, Barn Raiser" Rarity said with a shake of her head "You just don't know about presentation, do you? And I told you to call me by my code name".

Applejack sighed. "Fine. Wha' next, 'Platinum Priss'?"

Rarity smiled. "Very good. Now," she looked down through the skylight she was standing on "If I'm right, the sewing room should be directly below us. The design should be in there. Quickly, get the rappelling gear, Barn Raiser".

With a sigh, Applejack reached into the backpack on her back, pulled out two long black cords and tossed one to Rarity. Affixing them to the edge of the skylight, Rarity pushed the glass open gently, allowing the pair to slowly lower themselves into the room beneath.

Looking around, Rarity spotted a table off to the side. Dashing to it, Rarity began going through the papers on it.

"Don't just stand there, Barn Raiser!" she snapped at her partner in crime "Help me find my design! We have to get out of here before someone shows up!" 

Shaking her head, Applejack walked over to the table and helped Rarity sift through the papers.

Finally, Rarity came across a paper with a familiar design on it.

"Oh, here it is!" Rarity said relieved.

"Are ya sure tha one's yers?" Applejack inquired.

"Yes" Rarity replied "As I've said before, I recognize my handstyle. Besides, there's also a blue paint stain in the corner" she then spoke to the design in a babying tone "Are you alright, my precious masterpiece? It's okay. Mama's here now". She stood up and spoke normally "Come on, Barn Raiser. We're getting out of here".

"Uh, Rar...Ah mean, Platinum Priss?" Applejack commented while looking behind them.

"Yes, what is it?" Rarity inquired as she turned to face Applejack, who was pointing in the direction she was looking.

Turning, Rarity's face became a horrified gasp. For there behind them were three full rows of dresses of a certain design.

"Oh, no" Rarity gasped in panic "She's already started producing my outfit! It won't matter if we take the designs back. If she starts selling these now, everyone will think that I took the design from her!"

"Well, wha do we do now, Platinum Priss?" Applejack inquired.

After thinking for a few moments, Rarity came to a decision. "You grab the design" she instructed Applejack "I'll collect all the outfits and find something to put them in".

"Wha?" Applejack asked in disbelief "We can' possibly escape with all them dresses! The design is one thin', but THIS?!"

"We have no choice, Barn Raiser" Rarity said fiercely "I will not have my greatest work be pilfered from me and manufactured like on an assembly line!"

So saying, Rarity dashed forward to the rows of outfits. Shaking her head, Applejack turned back to the desk, picked up the design and rolled it up. With it securely under her arm, Applejack turned back to see that Rarity had already collected half the outfits, without having to tear one.

"Wha do ya plan to carry them in?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Rarity snapped as she moved onto the last row.

"Well, just hurry!" Applejack snapped "We don' know when someone's gonna..."

Before Applejack could finish, there was a loud shrilling 'Barrrrruuuuummmmm!' of a siren as a burglar alarm sounded.

In an instant, light illuminated the room as the door slammed opened. Turning, Applejack and Rarity both went wide-eyed at the sight of a frowning Suri standing in the doorframe with half a dozen guards.

Standing like deer in headlights, Applejack had to fire off one last remark from the side of her mouth.

"Any more ideas, Platinum Priss?" 





After slipping in through the window and climbing down a stack of boxes to get to the ground, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie tiptoed towards the sleeping chimera. 

"Okay" Sunset was whispering from the front "We'll have to be really quiet about this. Once we get close enough, we'll pluck the gem out of its grip and then Twilight can open a portal. It'll be back home before it even wakes up".

Inch by inch, the trio neared the slumbering three-faced creature and the purple stone it was clutching.

"Very good" Sunset muttered "We're almost there".

Suddenly, the chimera began to stir.

"Freeze!" Sunset cried as she held up her arms to stop her friends.

Tensely, the trio watched as the chimera shifted itself. The tiger head yawned while the goat head smacked its lips before both of them laid back on the ground and went back to sleep.

"Whew" Sunset sighed with relief "Alright, let's go".

Resuming their tiptoeing, the three girls drew closer to the slumbering beast, the gem's glint seen clearly from under the tiger head.

"Alright" Sunset said when they were a few feet away from the chimera "We''re nearly there. It'll take all three of us to remove the gem. Pinkie and I will raise its heads up to give Twilight enough of an opening to reach under and get it. Understood?" 

"Got it" Twilight replied.

"Yep" Pinkie nodded "I hear you loud and clea--aaahhh!"

Pinkie had unfortunately stepped on a piece of pipe on the floor, causing her to lose her footing and fall on her keister with a 'thwack!'.

The instant Pinkie hit the floor, the chimera began to stir again. Panicking, Sunset and Twilight immediately ducked behind a nearby box. With teeth clenched, they watched nervously as the chimera hazily stretched out its tiger paws and goat legs. Worried that the chimera was about to wake up, they turned to Pinkie and gestured for her get over to their hiding place. Pinkie was about to get up and start walking towards the pair when she caught sight of something on the floor a few feet away from the chimera.

"My slide whistle!" Pinkie cried under her breath. Apparently, the whistle had been flung out of Pinkie's pocket when she fell. Looking back over at the chimera, Pinkie was relieved to see that it had fallen back to sleep. Her tongue stuck out, she began crawling on all fours toward the dropped object beside the creature.

"Pinkie, no!" Twilight cried in a whispered tone, but it went unheeded as Pinkie continued nearing the whistle.

Now, Pinkie was right in the face of the chimera's tiger head, her slide whistle being a foot away. Looking the chimera in the face with curiosity, Pinkie was surprised when the tiger head let out a loud yawn.

Holding her nose, Pinkie waved her hand through the surrounding air.

"Pe-Yew!" she gasped for air softly "What does this guy eat?!"

Looking back down, Pinkie turned her attention to her slide whistle. Off to the side,  Sunset was sweating  bullets and her breath was caught in her throat. Twilight, meanwhile, was on the verge of biting her fingernails to the bone as Pinkie slowly reached out and grasped the whistle. Anxiously, the pair nervously watched as Pinkie Pie pulled the slide whistle to herself and lifted it up, showing her friends she had gotten it; a sight which brought relief to her friends.

However, just as Pinkie was standing up, the slide whistle, which she had been holding upside down, allowed its slide to slip downward, emitting a low 'whoop!'.

Instantly, three sets of eyes popped open. Getting a good look at the girl in front of them, the eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oops" Pinkie squeaked.





Finishing out their day together, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves sitting under a tree on a high hilltop, giving them a perfect view of the sparkling city below and the cloudless, starry sky above.

"Oh, look!" Fluttershy squealed as she pointed into the sky "A shooting star!"

"Awesome" Rainbow Dash said with a grin as she looked up at the sight, wrapped an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders.

"I've really had a great day with you, Rainbow" Fluttershy said with a giggle as she pressed her cheek to Dash's.

"Same here" Rainbow agreed with a blush, enjoying the physical contact.

"What do you suppose the others are doing?" Fluttershy had to inquire.

"Aah, they're probably having the time of their lives" Rainbow Dash said dismissively with a hand wave.





With the rumble of a stampede, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie zoomed down the corridor screaming, running for their lives as the chimera chased after them.

"Pinkie!" Sunset and Twilight admonished the partyplanner while running.

"Sorry" Pinkie meeped with a shrug.





"Take these two away, Officers" Suri Polomare said firmly as the black-clad Rarity and Applejack were taken to the police car in handcuffs "These thieves broke into my home and attempted to steal my creations".

Rarity's eyes twitched, her face turned red in fury and she whirled back towards Suri, struggling with the arresting officers.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" she screeched in disbelief at the fashion designer "You steal my greatest design ever and pass it off as your own, and I'm called a thief?!" She turned towards the officer holding her "How can you arrest me and not this witch?!"

"She's not the one who did a 'breaking-and-entering'" the police officer said flatly before shoving Rarity towards the car.

"Oh, this is a violation of my rights!" Rarity yelled furiously as she dragged her feet "I demand justice! I demand retribution! I demand karma!"

"Yah should demand a good attorney, Platinum Priss" Applejack said flatly to her associate from her side.

"Okay, now you're just doing it to be annoying" Rarity snapped at Applejack as they were shoved into the police car.





"Hmm, I suppose you're probably right" Fluttershy agreed with her girlfriend.

"You bet I am" Rainbow nodded before pointing into the sky "Hey, there goes another one".

"Oh, how lovely" Fluttershy sighed before snuggling up to the prismatic athlete and laying her head in her lap while looking down from their hill. "Oh, Dashie" she cooed as Rainbow gently ran a hand through her hair "I wish that these moments between us could last forever".

"Hey, maybe they can" Rainbow Dash said with a wide grin and thoughtful eyes before she looked down at Fluttershy's smiling face "Fluttershy, I just had a crazy idea".





"Hmmph" Suri Polomare said in satisfaction as she watched the police car haul away her interlopers, one of which was still shaking their fists angrily at her from the back of the car "Glad that's taken care of". 

At that moment, Suri's cellphone began to ring. Quickly she answered it. 

"Hello?" Her face broke into a wide grin as the voice on the end spoke to her "Ooh, so you saw my ad, did you? Why yes, I do have that item in stock. How many would you like to order?" 





With the chimera hot on their heels, Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie ran like crazy through the warehouse corridor.

"Quick!" Sunset instructed while pointing at a lane on the left "This way!"

Listening to her instructions, Twilight and Pinkie followed Sunset's lead and turned left into the lane. The chimera, seeing its prey change directions, slipped on its feet as it passed the corridor but managed to right itself and pursue them.

"It's gaining on us!" Twilight gasped as she looked behind.

"Don't look back!" Sunset yelled "Just keep going!"

"But what are we going to do?!" Twilight gasped for breath "We can't keep running forever!"

"Like I said before" Pinkie Pie said flatly "Rookie!"

"We don't have to run forever" Sunset explained "We just need to keep moving till we can come up with something".

"It still has my gem!" Twilight said while panting, seeing the faint purple glow in the tiger head's mouth. "If we want to get rid of that brute, we need to get it back!"

"And we will!" Sunset replied "But first we've gotta get some breathing room between him and us!"

"On it!" Pinkie Pie said before stopping for a moment to nudge a box at the bottom of a pile before running again, causing the entire pile to collapse in front of the chimera.

"Do you think that will slow it down?" Twilight asked.

"Not for long" Sunset replied "Keep moving!"

Bursting through the blockade, the chimera sneered at the fleeing trio, having had enough of this chase. Spotting one of the shelves that formed the labyrinth within the warehouse, a cruel idea came to all three of its heads, all of them sharing a wicked grin in agreement.

With a 'Bwaa!', the chimera's goat head rammed the shelf as hard is it could. Sure enough, the shelf toppled over, bumping the one beside it, which in turned toppled over and hit the one behind it. In a domino chain reaction, most of the shelves within the warehouse crashed to the ground, eliminating the majority of the maze and reducing the areas the girls could hide. 

Sure enough, a good ten feet away from the chimera were the trio, having hidden within one of the maze's hideaways, but were now out in the open. Seeing that they were found, Sunset gulped nervously, Twilight grinned sheepishly and waved awkwardly at the chimera, and Pinkie Pie gave an indignant "Hey, you cheated! That's not how you play 'Hide and Seek'!"

Sporting three victorious grins, the chimera charged at the trio, the toppled over boxes giving it more room to charge.

"Scatter!" Sunset cried as she and the others split into three directions.

Stopping short, the chimera's three heads each kept looking at one of the girls: the snake head focused on Sunset, the goat head never let Pinkie out of its sight, and the tiger head holding the gem in its mouth eyed Twilight.

"Guess we have no choice now" Sunset said in submission "We have to fight!"

The three teens stood around the three-headed creature, all of them tense, waiting for the first move to be made.

It wasn't a long wait.

With a 'Hiss!', the chimera's snake tail shot at Sunset, who managed to sidestep it and avoid the blunt of the attack, but the snake fangs left a gnash on the left side of Sunset's skirt.

Ignoring the tear, Sunset remained focus on the chimera. Grabbing a box off the ground, Sunset hurled it at the creature, temporarily blocking its view of her as it slashed at the box with its claws.

"Sunset, quick!" Twilight cried out "Go for my gem!"

Making a mad dash for the gem in the tiger head's mouth, Sunset leaped forward...only to duck when the chimera swiped one of its paws at her, slashing along the back of her jacket.

"I'm going to need a new outfit when this is over" Sunset muttered "I just hope that Rarity is finished with that project of hers". Her self musings came to an end however, when she saw the snake tail lunge at her, forcing her to roll to the side to get away.

"BANZAI!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she leaped at the chimera, only to be struck head on by the chimera's goat head and sent flying.

"Okay" the partyplanner mumbled as she got up from her landing "Battle cries and surprise attacks do not mix!" She then fell back on her keister.

"Pinkie!" Sunset cried in concern, racing over to her fallen friend, avoiding nearly being shredded by a lion paw in the process.

"Oh, this is all my fault" Twilight moaned, looking from the fallen partyplanner to the chimera, which was screeching viciously. Looking up, Twilight could see the purple gem glittering in the chimera's tiger mouth.

Eyes narrowed, Twilight knew what she had to do. "I did this" she muttered "And I have to fix it". Before anyone could move, she made a beeline straight for the chimera.

"Twilight, wait!" Sunset shouted as she was helping Pinkie Pie up.

Disregarding the call, Twilight lunged at the tiger head, grabbing it around the neck and attempted to reach into its mouth and rip the gem out. Aggravated at the teen, the chimera's snake tail shot forward and wrapped itself around her waist, pulling Twilight off the tiger head and into the air. Holding the girl behind it, the chimera then slammed her with its back goat legs, hurling Twilight into a pile of boxes with a 'Crash!'.

"Twilight!" Sunset and Pinkie Pie shrieked in concern. Unfortunately, they had no time to do anything else as the chimera's snake tail came lunging at them, forcing them to go in opposite directions.

"We'll worry about Twilight later. Right now, we have to get the gem from it!" Sunset was frantically saying to Pinkie. "It's the only way we can send it back to Equestria!"

"But how do we make it let go?" Pinkie asked as the chimera faced them down a few feet away.

"I've got an idea" Sunset whispered to the partyplanner "You keep it distracted for a moment, okay?"

"Hey, getting one's attention is my specialty" Pinkie Pie said confidently "Would crying 'Hey, you!' work?"

"Pinkie, I doubt it would fall for something like that" Sunset said flatly "Try thinking of something else".

"Fine" Pinkie sighed in submission before looking around and spotting a mop on the floor.

Grabbing it up like a sword, Pinkie held it out against the beast before her. 

"Back, Simba!" she yelled like a liontamer as she held the mop out in front of her like a chair "Back!"

Sharing a look of disbelief between its three heads, the chimera slashed its claw across, splitting the mop handle in two.

"Oh, Mama" Pinkie Pie squeaked.

Fortunately, Pinkie's antics had provided Sunset a long enough distraction as she was putting her plan into motion.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this one" the bacon-color haired girl muttered to herself as she climbed on top of one of the still standing shelves.

Positioning herself directly over the chimera, Sunset leaped off the shelf and landed squarely on the chimera's back, taking it by surprise as it attempted to throw her off.

"Pinkie, now!" Sunset cried as she held on for dear life.

Swinging her broken handle like a club, Pinkie Pie struck the jaw of the chimera's tiger head head-on, knocking the gem out of its mouth and sending it flying to the ground.

"Ooh," Twilight groaned as she struggled to get back up from under the pile of boxes.

Looking down in front of her, she saw that her glasses had been knocked off her face. Reaching down, she picked up the glasses and put them back on...only to discover that the lenses had been fractured in the fall.

Nevertheless, by looking through them, she could plainly see that Sunset and Pinkie Pie were in need of assistance, the latter holding a broken mop handle while the former was riding the chimera like one of her kin. 

Looking down, Twilight spotted the gem on the floor a few feet away. Standing up, Twilight felt a surge of pain shoot through her leg. Gritting her teeth and with great difficulty, Twilight hobbled over to the gem and picked it up, momentarily shaking her hands to get off the gunk that was on it.

Looking down at the gem, Twilight could see her grim reflection in it. Raising her head, she looked back up just as the chimera tossed Sunset off. Squeezing the gem tight in her hand, a look of determination appeared on Twilight's face.

"Hey, you!" she called out to the chimera, getting the attention of all three of its heads, which regarded her with surprise. In the background, Pinkie was looking at an exasperated Sunset smugly. 

"I brought you into this world" Twilight said fiercely to the creature as she held up the gem in her hand with a firm grip "And I can send you back where you came from!"

Holding the gem over her head, Twilight began to concentrate, the gem in her hands glowing a bright purple. Swinging the gem downward in front of her, Twilight hurled a large burst of magical energy from the gem to the floor. 

Upon hitting the floor, the energy morphed into a large portal, which immediately began to suck everything around it in.

Acting quickly, Twilight, Sunset, and Pinkie Pie quickly grabbed onto something heavy or nailed down and held on for all they were worth.

As if sensing what was happening the chimera tried to run away from the portal, but its pull was too strong. All three of its heads looking scared, the creature attempted to used its claws to brace itself to the floor, only to leave long gouge marks as it was pulled backwards.

Little by little, the chimera was sucked towards the portal before it began being pulled in. Grasping the floor tightly with its front paws as the rest of itself was pulled in, the chimera looked like it was dangling from a cliff. Despite how hard it tried its best to hold on, the chimera's grip eventually gave way. With a final 'Roar!/Bwwaa!/Hiss!', the chimera fell down into the portal and disappeared back into its own dimension.

The moment its objective had been pulled in, the portal immediately sealed itself, the strong winds dying with it, leaving Twilight, Sunset and Pinkie Pie remaining in one piece.

"Whew" the trio sighed with relief, Twilight finally collapsing under her leg's pain while Sunset, her temples sore from being tossed, held her head while groaning.





"Ooh," Sunset was groaning as she wrapped her forehead with discarded cloth in an abandoned alleyway outside the warehouse, her clothes looking clawed and ripped "That wasn't pleasant".

"You said it" Twilight agreed while sitting on a box as she gingerly rubbed her throbbing ankle, her clothes as tattered as Sunset's "I twisted my ankle and broke my glasses in that battle".

"On the bright side, at least we managed to get your gem back, Twilight" Pinkie Pie said from a trash can, looking just as battered as the others, her kneecaps scraped and her left eye black and swollen.

"Yeah," Twilight said as she held up the purple stone, covered in green gunk "but it would've gone a lot smoother if not for you and that slide whistle of yours".

"Oh come on!" Pinkie Pie pouted as she held up the whistle "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? It. was. an. accident. Besides, I'd end up losing a month's worth of free ice cream if anything happened to this, and I couldn't deal with that!"

"Well, let's just get out of here and see how the others have been doing" Sunset said after finishing wrapping her head "I haven't seen Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, or Fluttershy all day!"

She was about to walk off when she looked down to the ground and saw something. "Hey, a $100 bill!" she said as she excitedly picked it up "This is great, I've never had a $100 before. Maybe this day is turning out better than I thought". At that moment, Sunset heard her phone ring. "Hello? Oh, hey Applejack! We were just talking about you! What are you up to?" A look of confusion came to her face "Wait, Applejack, slow down, I can't understand you. Wait, what? What do you mean you've only got one phone call?" Sunset's face went blank "Say again? You guys are where?" Turning away from her phone she looked to Twilight and Pinkie Pie. "You're not going to believe this".





"You ruffians can't do this to us!" Rarity was shrieking as she shook the bars of the jail cell she and Applejack were in "I do not belong in here! I was wronged! And this place is so vulgar!"

"Calm down, Platinum Priss" Applejack groused from the bunk beds.

"Applejack" Rarity turned to her cellmate "I'll have to ask you to knock that off. It's officially gotten old!"

At that moment, the door opened and in stepped Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie, all looking worse for wear.

"Good heavens!" Rarity remarked in shock "What in the world happened to you three?"

"Don't ask" Sunset and Twilight said together before Sunset turned to the police officer by the cell "How much is their bail?"

"It comes to $50" the policeman said.

"What?!" Rarity asked in disbelief "That's outrageous! It's bad enough to be arrested while trying to undo a wrongdoing, but to be charged so much for it?!"

"Just for that, it's now $100" the police officer said with contempt.

Before Rarity could protest again, Applejack covered her mouth while Sunset reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out a $100 bill.

"Oh, well" she said with a sigh as she handed it to the officer "It was nice while it lasted".

"I promise you, Sunset" Rarity said solemnly as the policeman opened the cell "I will pay you back" she then turned to the police officer with a look of disdain "And don't think that I won't talk to my family's lawyer about the treatment I endured in here, you uncouth brute!"

"You want to go back in again?" the police officer warned.

"Oh, that's it, Buster!" Rarity snapped "IT. IS. ON!" resulting in the others having to hold her back before she could attempt to strangle the policeman.





Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack came walking down the street. The first three looked like they had nearly been mauled to death, though Pinkie's everpresent grin remained. The latter two, despite looking alright, had a deep funk about them.

"Oi" Sunset groaned as she shook her bandaged head "I never want to go through that again".

"Likewise" Twilight agreed as she limped on, her glasses fractured.

"Oh, I don't know" Pinkie Pie said with a shrug "It seemed fun for me" before whipping out a slide whistle and going 'whoop!' on it.

Twilight grimaced. "Pinkie, hasn't that thing caused us enough trouble?"

"I keep telling you, that was an accident!" Pinkie Pie protested before giving another 'whoop!', before her eyes widened and she looked at the whistle in her hands "I don't believe it! I did it! I actually did it! Haha! Free ice cream for a month, here I come!"

"Well, I've certainly learned my lesson from all this" Twilight said with a sigh as she looked at the purple gem in her hand. "I've got to be more careful with this thing".

"I cannot believe the way I was treated!" Rarity was moaning "Imagine, me, trying to right a wrong, treated like a common criminal! And worse, that brute still gets away with the injustice she's committed!"

"Aah, give it a rest, Platinum Priss" Applejack said with a groan.

"I asked you to stop calling me that!" Rarity shrieked.

"This has officially been the most bizarre day of my life" Sunset said with a sigh "I can only wonder how it's going to end".

At that moment, the five were passing by a small chapel. Before they knew it, the door opened and out stepped Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, dressed in matching wedding gowns and wedding rings on their fingers. Giggling like school girls, the two newlyweds shared a loving kiss before descending down the steps, holding hands.

"I can't believe we actually did this" Fluttershy said in awe, not a hint of regret in her voice.

"No kidding" Rainbow agreed as she gave her new wife's hand an affectionate squeeze "And now you're mine forever, Mrs. Dash".

"Likewise, Mrs. Dash" Fluttershy said seductively as she wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash and kissed her passionately, which Rainbow reciprocated.

Catching something out of the corner of their eyes, the two brides broke away and turned to see their friends, who were looking on at them with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Well" Rainbow Dash said blushing while she and Fluttershy were still embracing "I suppose we've got a long story to tell".