The fifth installment of a What If series, that involves the rewriting of episodes. But this collection contains only ten episodes from Seasons 1, and 4-6 (Warning!: Episodes rewritten based on personal opinion, please respect it. Thank you.).
Five times the rewrites, five times the speculation, five times the drama! It's here once again, that series which dares to ask the question: "What if that episode had been written differently?"
Since Season 7 is still ongoing at the moment, we've got episodes from Season 1, and Season 4-6 up for a rewrite, ten to be exact. They include one episode being expanded in a two parter, another taking place in a timeline with a different episode order, and even two bonus chapters involving a different character being the star. But what episodes will make the cut of this ten episode collection? Well, you'll have to read to find out.
Yet again, I must reiterate that all of the episodes that appear here and are rewritten are the result of my personal opinion, so don't get upset if an episode you like is on the list or an episode you didn't like isn't on the list. I'll respect your opinions, so long as you respect mine, and again know that you are not obligated to read any of these chapters if you don't want to.
And in case it was ever in doubt, I mean no disrespect to Hasbro, the DHX writing and directing staff, or the people who like the episodes rewritten here. The intent of this fic, like its predecessors, is for entertainment purposes only.
It was a fine Spring day in Ponyville, the kind of day when flowers were in bloom and there was not a cloud in sight. The perfect day for a nature loving pony like Fluttershy to be out and about in the fields, picking flowers with the help of her animal friends. And as always, the pegasus sang a little song to herself as she leisurely skipped along. "La, la la, la la, la la, la la," She hummed, all the while animals were bringing a variety of different colored flowers to her. One squirrel presented a dandelion to Fluttershy, only for a gust of wind to blow it away. "Thank you little squirrel, but remember: these flowers are for Princess Celestia when she comes to town. Only the prettiest ones will do for her." Fluttershy spoke kindly, then went back to singing. True, Princess Celestia wouldn't be visiting for another day, but it never hurt to be prepared ahead of time.
Suddenly, a faint chirp like sound reached Fluttershy's ears, prompting the gentle mare to be startled just a little! "Gah! Who's there?!" She asked, for she had never heard this sort of sound before. The chirp came again, this time revealing itself as a small, blue colored, ball like creature, with two green eyes, and four tiny wings. Fluttershy had never seen this kind of creature before, but she was never one to miss out on making a new animal friend. "Hello, little guy. I've never seen anything like you before," She greeted in a soft tone. "What's your name? Mine's Fluttershy."
The creature didn't answer, it just started to cry, giving off a few faint sniffles. "What's wrong? Are you hungry?" Fluttershy asked, before she took out an apple, crushed it with one of her hooves, and offered it to the tiny creature. "Here you go, eat up." She encouraged.
The creature stopped sniffling, instead turning its attention to the tasty treat Fluttershy had offered it. It quickly devoured not the mashed up apple, but the entire bucket, leaving no trace of any apples! In fact, the only sound it made was a content belch. But Fluttershy didn't seem bothered by the creature's big appetite, she simply exclaimed with a gasp. "I guess you were hungry. You probably haven't had a bite to eat in a while."
The creature just flew towards Fluttershy, nestling into her mane as it purred softly, not unlike a kitten. Cooing, Fluttershy exclaimed! "Ooh, you're the cutest little thing ever! I can't wait to show you to all my friends." And Fluttershy set off, seemingly unaware of the now empty bucket of apples that rested nearby.
Fluttershy wasn't the only one preparing for Princess Celestia's visit to Ponyville, at the Golden Oak Library, Twilight was busy fussing over Spike, as he was cleaning the whole library from top to bottom. Hardly one to be patient in a time like this, Twilight grumbled. "Oh! Hurry up, Spike! This place isn't gonna clean itself you know."
Spike sighed, as he grumbled back. "Yeah, well it also didn't mess itself up. I don't see why I always have to be the one cleaning up this place, when half the time you're the one who gets it all dirty. And I'm still mad about you having that sleepover with Rarity and Applejack while I was away."
"For the last time, Spike, it wasn't intentional to leave you out," Twilight apologized. "And we can't worry about that now, we've got more important things to deal with. Princess Celestia will be here tomorrow, and I want this place spotless!"
"Funny, I thought this was just an unofficial quick and casual visit." Spike remarked.
Twilight only groaned louder! "Spike, we've been over this before! There's nothing casual about a visit from royalty. I want this place to be spic and span, and you've barely made a dent in the clutter."
"Well, maybe you should start reading those books at one a time," Spike suggested. "Or you know, not leave them laying about all the time. You know where they go, and you've got magic. After all the lectures you gave me about picking up after myself, you can't even follow your own advice?"
Twilight just sighed, she never liked arguing with Spike. But sometimes he could be very difficult. "Everything's got to be perfect, Spike," She replied. "We can discuss how to avoid the clutter once this visit has come and gone, but for now I need to make sure Princess Celestia's visit goes off without a hitch. If I can't do that if I'm spending all my time arguing with you about chores," With a groan, she then added. "Look, I need to go check on some other things around town. So why don't you use that time to put everything back to the best of your ability and dust the place off? Whatever you don't get done by the time I come back, I'll take care of for you. How's that sound?"
"Sure, whatever you say," Spike said with a shrug, then under his breath he faintly muttered. "Mom."
"What was that, Spike?" Twilight called, as she headed towards the door.
"Nothing, just get out of here. I can manage just fine without you breathing down my neck, thank you very much." Spike grumbled, and turned back to dusting.
"Gee, somedragon sure woke up on the wrong side of the basket this morning." Twilight thought to herself, opening the front door with her magic.
Twilight felt much better once she was outside, and catching a whiff of that lovely Spring air, it was truly a beautiful day. It seemed like the kind of day in which nothing could go wrong. And so far, it seemed like the rest of the preparations for Princess Celestia's visit were coming along nicely.
After crossing a bridge, Twilight came across Berry Punch and Golden Harvest, who had been entrusted with displaying the banner for Celestia's royal carriage. However, when the banner was put up and unfolded, it read only: "Welcome Princess Celest". Twilight, needless to say, was anything but impressed. "Hey, what happened to the rest of her name?" She inquired.
"We... couldn't fit it all in." Golden Harvest confessed, trying not to look ashamed.
Twilight shook her head. "Look, you can't just hang a banner that says 'Welcome Princess Celest'. So take it down and try again, okay?" And she left without saying another word, while Berry and Golden exchanged looks of exhaustion and frustration.
Next, Twilight passed by a mare by the name of Bon-Bon, who was watering some flowers. "Ah, that looks perfect. Keep up the good work." She encouraged, and then headed to Sugarcube Corner.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake were hard at work, making all sorts of confections, as Twilight announced her arrival with the jingling of the bell above the door. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. How's the banquet coming?" She asked, cheerfully.
Nervously, Mrs. Cake looked at Twilight and answered. "Uh...it would be coming a little better if..."
But there was no need for Mrs. Cake to say more, for at that very moment Pinkie Pie appeared, munching on the cakes and smearing frosting all over her face. "Mmm." She said to herself, before she noticed the frosting and slurped it all up. All the while, she wore a plastic crown.
"Pinkie! What in the wide world of Equestria are you doing?" Twilight complained, rushing over to her friend as she scolded. "Don't you know that those sweets are supposed to be for the princess at tomorrow's banquet?"
"I know," Pinkie hastily answered. "That's why I'm tasting them. Giving them something of a taste taste, you know. Somepony needs to make sure that everything is tasty enough to touch the royal tongue, and I, Pinkie Pie, declare that these treats are fit for a king, or a queen, or a princess. Besides, what if somepony tried to poison the princess?"
"What are you talking about? Nopony would do something like that." Twilight protested.
"You can never be sure of that, which is why you need a pony like me to be the taste tester," Pinkie replied, and quickly added. "See, nothing's happened to me, so these treats are safe for the princess."
Just then, Fluttershy came sliding in, as she greeted. "Twilight, Pinkie, you won't believe..." But as she slid she took notice of Twilight and Pinkie's faces, and hastily apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, am I interrupting something? Is this maybe a bad time?"
"No, not at all," Pinkie quickly replied, having taken off her crown. "Come on in and make yourself at home," She then wrapped her tongue around a cake, and swallowed it whole not unlike the way a snake would devour its prey. "What's going on, Fluttershy?" She asked, after slurping down the cake (much to Twilight's disapproving look).
"You won't believe what I found at the edge of the Everfree Forest while I was picking flowers," Fluttershy explained with a happy smile, and turned to her mane as she instructed. "Come on out, little guy. It's okay. No one's going to hurt you."
There came a series of purrs and chirps, before three similar looking, ball shaped creatures appeared. One was blue, another was red, and a third was yellow. Fluttershy seemed to be surprised by this. "Three?" She asked with a gasp, and then to the blue one she asked. "Did you invite friends without asking me?"
"What are those? They don't look like anything I've ever seen or read about before." Twilight asked Fluttershy.
"I'm not sure. And I'm also not sure where these other two came from, I only found the blue one." Fluttershy answered, sounding rather surprised at the existence of three creatures instead of one.
But before Twilight, Fluttershy, or anypony else could say anything, Pinkie made a gag face and remarked. "Ugh! A parasprite? Are you kidding? Fluttershy, how can you bring those things here?"
"A para-what?" Twilight asked. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"Of course you haven't, you've never met a parasprite before," Pinkie commented, sounding rather unhappy. "Trust me, they're nothing but trouble. They may look cute and innocent, but you take your eyes off them for even a second and they'll multiple out of control! Now I gotta go find a trombone."
"A trombone?" Fluttershy asked Pinkie. "You're not making a lick of sense."
But Twilight was filled with curiosity, and so she approached Pinkie and said to her. "You seem to know something about these creatures. Do you mind telling me why?"
"Well, it's a bit of a long story, and it involves going all the way back to my childhood," Pinkie answered. "You really wanna know, because it's not pretty."
"I was going to go back and check on Spike, but he seems to be rather grumpy today for some reason," Twilight commented. "Besides, I have a feeling this could be a great learning experience for me. Any knowledge about parasprites would be helpful."
"I'd like to hear the story too, Pinkie, if you don't mind that is." Fluttershy encouraged.
"You really wanna know, huh?" Pinkie asked her friends, both of whom nodded. A sigh of reluctance escaped the pink party pony's lips. "Well, I was hoping you'd say no. But I guess if you want to know so badly, there's no point in not telling you. Like I said though, it's not pretty. Even today I still don't like talking about it."
"It's okay, you don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable with it," Fluttershy suggested to Pinkie. "I'm sure Twilight could find a book that would tell us what we need to know."
But Pinkie only shook her head. "No, you girls deserve to know. I won't let Ponyville meet the same fate as my old home," Her voice took on quite the serious tone, as she began with an unexpected revelation. "I wasn't born in Ponyville, in fact I didn't come here until after I got my cutie mark. I grew up on a rock farm in the town of Ponypalooza, just outside of Ponyville, along with my sisters. Their names were Limestone, Maud, and Marble, though those were just the nicknames I gave them."
"A rock farm?!" Twilight gasped, her eyes widening. "I can't imagine a pony like you growing up in a place like that."
"Well you'd better believe it," Pinkie replied, as she continued her narration. "I was the second youngest of my four sisters, and we often had to help our parents with the harvesting. Then, one day, Limestone brought home this strange creature we'd never seen before. And this is what happened next." And here is how the rest of Pinkie's story unfolded:
At the Pie Family rock farm, everypony was gathered around the dining room table, or rather everypony except one. A fact that did not escape the brilliant amber colored eyes of Igneous Rock Pie. He fidgeted with his black colored stenson hat, which he usually did whenever he was trying to keep his anger under control. It was obvious to everypony what he was not happy about. "Where is Limestone?" He inquired of his daughters seated at the table. "Truly, she is aware that it is not polite to keep one's family waiting at dinner, is she not?"
"Now Igneous, there's no need for concern," Cloudy Quartz advised, reaching a hoof out to calm her husband. "I am sure Limestone would not keep us waiting without a reason. Most likely she is in the washroom, washing her hooves."
"Well, she sure is taking her sweet time. Not that there's anything wrong with that." Marble answered, blinking and letting her mane cover her left eye (she tended to do this a lot).
"Should I go and fetch her?" Maud offered.
But there was no need for that, for at that very moment who should come trotting into the dining room but Limestone herself? And was it just the lighting, or did it seem like she was hiding something in that opalish gray mane of hers?
Igneous immediately glared at his eldest daughter, and he spoke in a tone of voice he seldom used for he very rarely showed his emotions openly. "Limeamina Dolly Pie, where hast thou been?!" He demanded. "Truly, thou hast good reason for keeping thy's family waiting?!"
Gulping, Limestone nodded and said in her scratchy voice. "Y-yes, Father. I... uh, found this little creature out in the fields and... it followed me back inside." She lightly brushed her mane, and out popped four ball shaped creatures with tiny wings, they were blue, pink, gray, and brown in color.
"Hey, looks like your little friend brought more friends!" Pinkie commented, fascinated by the brightly colored creatures that stood out amidst the dull grays and browns of the rock farm.
"Limestone, what have we said about bringing unwanted pets into the house?" Cloudy scolded. "You know what your father has said about pets."
Limestone tried her best not to be intimidated. "I don't know how the other three got here, I only took the blue one because it looked lonely," She confessed, and then she did something she rarely did, she dropped to one knee, parted her mane so that her eyes could be seen completely, and she looked into her father's amber eyes as she pleaded. "Please, can we keep them, Father? I promise I'll take care of them, I'll feed them, take them on walks, clean up after them, give them baths, and everything. I've always wanted a pet, and this is the perfect chance for me to learn how to care for them."
"Hey, how come you get to keep all four?!" Pinkie spoke up, looking at her big sister. "That pink one seems to really like me, I want to keep it!"
"I'm actually quite fond of the brown one. I would like to take care of it" Marble nodded.
"The gray one speaks to me, I should be allowed to keep it." Maud lightly commented.
"Now, children, it is not for you to decide," Cloudy cautioned. "Your father holds the final say, and if he says no then that means no."
Igneous wanted nothing more than to say no, and indeed he was going to as he opened his mouth to speak. But he took one look at the sad puppy dog eyes of his eldest daughter, and the looks of eagerness that he could pick on his other daughters, some of which were open about expressing them, and others who were keeping it hidden. "I always wanted a pet of my own when I was but a wee colt," He thought to himself. "But my parents never let me have one. Who am I to inflict that sort of disappointment on my daughters?" Reluctantly, he declared. "Limestone, Maud, Pinkie, Marble, you may keep these... whatever they are called. Each of you may take one and claim it as your own."
"Hooray!" The sisters all cheered (though some cheered louder than others).
"But know that you will be responsible for taking care of them, your mother and I will not be assisting you at all," Igneous quickly added. "I do hope you will understand that having a pet and caring for it is a very big responsibility. And that will include making sure these pets are house broken and properly trained. Are you sure the four of you are up for the task?" One by one, each of his daughters said yes, and then Limestone offered each of her younger sisters the colored creature they had expressed an interest in, keeping the blue one for herself.
"Now, if there are nomore matters that need to be discussed now, let us enjoy this meal." Igneous spoke up, clearing his throat. Limestone quickly made her way over to the table, and nothing more was said as the Pie family enjoyed a delicious supper of rock soup.
Day turned into night, and every Pie family member went to bed. However, just an hour after lights out, Pinkie was woken from her slumber in the most unexpected of ways, the sound of buzzing. And not just any buzzing, this buzzing was the kind of buzzing that was only heard when there was a good number of creatures.
Flicking on her bedroom light, Pinkie's mouth dropped wide open in shock at the sight that greeted her eyes! No longer was there just one, pink colored, ball like creature with wings, now there was an entire room full of them! And they came in every color of the rainbow! "Hey, what's the big idea?!" Pinkie complained. "You weren't supposed to invite friends, Mom and Dad won't let me keep all of you!"
But the creatures didn't care, they just buzzed around the room and pressed themselves up against the door, as if they were trying to force it down. "I'm sorry, but all of you have to leave. Mom and Dad don't like loud parties after dark. I only want Artie I, the pink colored one, to stay." Pinkie grumbled, as she got out of her bed, trotted to the bedroom door, and opened it. That was a mistake, the creatures zoomed right out the door and began to fill the hallway! "Hey, where are you going?! The back door's this way!" Pinkie shouted at the creatures, but they took no notice.
"You too, Pinkie?" A familiar flat sounding voice called, soon revealing itself to be none other than Maud, Pinkie's favorite sister.
"What do you mean 'you too'?" Pinkie asked Maud, suddenly stricken with worry. But before Maud could say anything, there came the sound of a frantic scream from the kitchen!
Pinkie and Maud rushed to the kitchen, surprised to see the light was already on. And what they saw, was enough to make even Maud's eyes widen (something that almost never happened):
There were Limestone and Marble, overwhelmed by a massive swarm of the very same creatures that had been in Pinkie's room! All around them, the creatures were devouring every item of food in their sights, leaving Marble and Limestone in a state of near panic!
"What be all this noise, grandchildren?" An old sounding, gravelly voice suddenly spoke up. "It is not wise for youngins to be up past their bed time." From the shadows, an elderly looking earth pony mare appeared. Her coat looked almost like Pinkie's, except it seemed to have lost its luster and was mostly a dull and faded shade. Her mane and tail were just like Pinkie's (or at least how they had been since Pinkie got her cutie mark, but that was another story), except they were a ghostly white in color. And her eyes were a faded blue in color.
"Oh great, now we've gone and woke up Granny Pie," Limestone grumbled, rolling her eyes as she momentarily forgot to be frightened. "Now we're going to hear another one of her crazy old mares tales."
"Hey, I like Granny Pie's stories!" Pinkie protested. She and her grandmother had always been close, especially ever since the old mare had taught Pinkie how to laugh away her fear of the darkness.
"W-we didn't mean to wake you, Granny Pie," Marble hastily apologized, even as she continued to cower at the sight unfolding all around her. "It's just... Ed here got hungry, so I thought I'd give it a little late night snack. But by the time I got to the kitchen, several Ed look alikes had appeared, and once they ate the food I offered them, they grew even more. And then Limestone showed up with her creatures, and everything just got crazy."
"Pinkie and I had the same problem, except ours apparently didn't want to wait until they were fed," Maud explained. "I saw how they grow. They spit out these tiny hairballs that grow into similar looking creatures with the only difference being their color. Granny Pie, you have to help us."
Suddenly, one of the creatures landed right on Granny Pie's nose. The elderly mare took one look at the creature, and her eyes filled with horror and dread! "Oh, monster of so little size. Is this a parasprite I see before my eyes?!" She exclaimed.
"A para-what?!" All four Pie siblings exclaimed at once.
Looking at the "parasprite", Granny Pie was silent for but a moment before she declared out loud: "Tales of crops and harvests consumed. If these creatures are here tonight, they will not leave us anytime soon! Unless..."
"Unless what?!" Limestone demanded. "Come on, Granny Pie, out with it! How do we rid ourselves of these creatures before they eat us out of house and home?"
"There is only one way we can be safe, one way we can rid ourselves of these invaders," Granny Pie somberly explained. "Quickly, there's no time to waste! We must gather up all the musical instruments we can find!"
But the Pie sisters all looked at their grandmother as if she had just lost her mind. Surely, they had misheard.
"Well, let's not stand around here, talking about it!" Granny Pie urged. "All of you search the house for any musical instruments, it doesn't matter what they are or well you can play them! These parasprites will only continue to multiple if we don't take action, NOW!"
"Granny Pie, have you lost your mind?!" Limestone snapped, looking at the elderly earth pony mare. "Our very livelihood is at stake, and all you can think of is musical instruments?! We have more important things to worry about than who's the most musically talented!"
"I fail to see how collecting musical instruments will stop these 'parasprites' if that's what they are called," Maud added. "We just need to not feed them again. They must have another weakness, maybe they're like rocks and don't like water?"
Marble was a little more reluctant to say what she wanted to say, but she somehow managed to force out. "I just don't see how something as crazy as that will help us. How do we even know if they are actually parasprites?"
"Come on, girls!" Limestone encouraged, turning her back on Granny Pie. "We'll solve this problem on our own! Mom and Pop will surely know what to do, they ALWAYS have the answers! Am I right?!"
"Mm-hmm." Marble quickly agreed.
"Yes. If Granny Pie knows of these parasprites, then Mom and Dad will know as much as she does if not more." Maud concluded.
But Pinkie didn't join in, not right away at least. She didn't think her grandmother was crazy, even if she wondered why she thought musical instruments were needed to stop these so called parasprites. Was she really going to turn her back on the mare who understood her the most? The mare responsible for her positive outlook on life?
"Hey, Pinkie, what are you doing just standing there?!" Limestone demanded. "We're going to get some real answers!"
"But what if Granny Pie's right?" Pinkie asked against her better judgement. "What if she knows something Mom and Dad don't? It can't hurt to at least try it her way, right?"
Limestone's response was to growl at Pinkie and roll her eyes. "You honestly think our grandmother is right when she thinks musical instruments will stop these creatures?! Face it, Pinkie, she's even crazier than you, and not in a good way! You wanna spend all your time listening to her crazy nonsense, be my guest! As for me, Maud, and Marble, we're going to get real answers and real solutions!" And she stormed off in a huff, Maud and Marble reluctantly followed. Soon, only Pinkie and Granny Pie remained in the kitchen, which was continuing to fill up with parasprites. Many of them had stopped eating food, and were moving on to other things, like floor boards, furniture, and even walls!
Granny Pie didn't appear to be bothered at all by what had just transpired before her ears. The mare simply smiled at Pinkie and reassured her. "Do not worry, Pinkamina, in time your sisters will see for themselves who is right," Her faded blue eyes took on a look of seriousness, as she then added. "Now come on, we've got to start rounding up as many musical instruments as we can! Those parasprites will not stop until they've eaten everything they possibly can! A parasprite's appetite knows no bounds!"
"Yes Granny Pie, right away ma'am!" Pinkie saluted, and zipped away in a pink blur of motion! She zoomed all over the house, checking from top to bottom for musical instruments big and small alike! It didn't matter if it was a tuba, a drum, a harmonic, an accordion, or even just a flute, she scooped it up and took off to find another instrument!
But even as she was collecting the instruments, a part of Pinkie couldn't help but wonder. "What if big sister Limey is right? What if Granny Pie's methods don't work?"
After what seemed like several minutes (but probably had only been half that time due to how fast Pinkie was moving), Pinkie and Granny Pie met up, putting their combined collection of musical instruments on the floor near the kitchen. The swarm of parasprites was only growing by the second, and they showed no signs of stopping anytime soon!
Pinkie was going to reach out a hoof and try to play the instruments, but Granny Pie stopped her from doing so. "You've done a good job, child. These instruments will be more than enough to drive out the parasprites."
"But, how are you gonna do that? How can you possibly play all those instruments at the same time?" Pinkie asked her grandmother, as she watched the elderly mare grab the instruments and hastily place them near or over herself. "Even I think this is crazy."
"Just watch me, granddaughter," Granny Pie said with a wink. "This will work." And she started to play a melody, as she moved her mouth from the harmonica to the tuba, while the drums banged about loudly, and several other instruments seemed to start playing all on their own.
Pinkie waited and watched patiently, but nothing seemed to happen, even as Granny Pie kept on playing and the music grew only louder. If Igneous and Cloudy weren't already awake thanks to Limestone, they would certainly be awake now. "It's not working! Limey was right after all, the Pie family rock farm is doomed!" She thought to herself, for she doubted that whatever knowledge her parents might have about parasprites would be enough to stop the swarm!
Yet, just when Pinkie was thoroughly convinced that her Granny Pie's method had failed, and the parasprites were going to devour the rock farm in its entirety, something unexpected happened! A blue colored parasprite started to bob its head up and down to the beat of the music! Slowly but surely, more parasprites joined in, all of them stopping whatever it was they were doing! Soon, a long line of parasprites were forming behind Granny Pie, as she just continued to play and marched along. The parasprites followed after her, completely entranced by the music, and she led them right out the kitchen door and far away from the family rock farm.
Granny Pie didn't come back until sunrise, tired but victorious. The entire Pie family was there to greet her, and she proudly told them. "The parasprites will never bother us again. I have sent them deep into the Everfree Forest, where they will do no harm to anypony!"
"Ma, we owe you a great debt of thanks," Igneous replied, taking off his stenson hat and bowing to Granny Pie. "You have saved the family rock farm from complete destruction."
"It is fortunate that you knew how to deal with the parasprites," Cloudy added. "Never in all my years have I ever heard of such creatures, or the damage they can do with their bottomless appetites."
"In my long years of living, I have seen many creatures that most ponies could only dream of," Granny Pie explained, and then shook her head. "Sadly, most ponies believe that said creatures are just myths, and parasprites are one of them. But now you all know that they are very real indeed, and quite dangerous if you let them into your house."
"And that is how I learned to listen whenever Granny Pie spoke. If not for her quick thinking, those parasprites would've made a meal out of the rock farm." Pinkie said, as she finished her story. By now, her friends Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, had all gathered to listen.
"I must say, that's quite the story, Pinkie." Rarity commented.
Rainbow Dash, however, was still skeptical. "So, let's say I believe you, Pinkie and that story actually happened as you described it. Are you sure it's really necessary to do the same thing here? I mean, look around you, you don't see a swarm of parasprites, do you?"
But Pinkie had turned her attention to Fluttershy, more specifically to her right wing. She was noticing something, or rather a lack of something. "Fluttershy, where are those little creatures you found near the Everfree Forest?" She asked with a serious eye.
"Whatever do you mean, Pinkie? They're right-" But when Fluttershy turned to look at her right wing, the three ball shaped creatures from earlier were nowhere to be seen! "Oh my! I'm so sorry, Pinkie! I was so entertained by your story, I forgot to keep an eye on my new friends!"
Pinkie just sighed. "It's alright, Fluttershy. But I'll have to be quick if I want to stop those parasprites from destroying Ponyville! I'm sure they've already grow and eaten all the food they can find! Now, where am I gonna find a harmonica?" And with that, she was gone in a pink blur of motion.
"Okay, I know being random is her thing and all, but this is just crazy!" Applejack exclaimed. "She honestly expects us to believe to that we can stop those 'parasprites' or whatever they are from destroyin' Ponyville, if we do what she claims her grandmother did once?!"
"It's not like we have a lot of other options at the moment," Rarity commented, before she suddenly gasped. "Oh no, my boutique! I can't let those creatures eat up my dresses, I'll go out of business!" And she too rushed away.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't see what the big deal is," Rainbow said to Twilight. "I can easily take out that adorable trash. Just say the word and I'll suck them up into a tornado."
"And what would you do then?" Twilight asked the cyan speedster.
Rainbow gulped, she hadn't expected to be put on the spot like that. "Uh... I don't know.... I'm sure I'll think of something when the time comes!" She hastily answered.
"That's what I was afraid of," Twilight commented, then she got an idea! "Maybe the library has information about 'parasprites' and how they can be stopped! The rest of you try to lure the parasprites away from anywhere where there's food!"
"You got a better idea, Twilight?" Applejack asked with concern.
"Of course. We need to build an exact copy of Ponyville right over there!" Twilight joked, pointing a hoof across the street. "Look, Rarity was right, we don't have a lot of other options. Pinkie might be onto something, or she might not be. Let her try her own thing, it can't do any harm. If I can find a better solution, I'll let you all know!"
But there was no need for anypony to do anything, for at that very moment there came the distant sound of music. "That's strange," Twilight commented. "Princess Celestia's not supposed to be here til tomorrow, and Spike would've told me if she was going to show up early." In the back of her mind though she couldn't help but wonder. "What if she's making a surprise early visit?! Oh no, I'm not prepared! And neither is Ponyville!"
The music grew louder, and the source of it soon revealed itself to be none other than Pinkie Pie herself! And lined up behind her for what seemed like miles, were the parasprites, which were all completely entranced by Pinkie's melody. She strolled straight through town, playing her music and leading the parasprites along. She didn't stop, until she had trotted right out of town and toward the edge of the Everfree Forest. She kept on playing, until the last of the parasprites had retreated back into the tall pines and mysterious shrubbery, with not a trace of any of them left behind. "Well, my work here is done." Pinkie said to herself, all the while everypony looked on in surprise, unable to say anything.
"Spike? Spike?" Twilight called, rushing back into the Golden Oak Library.
"What is it, Twilight?" Spike asked, sounding a bit less grumpy now that the library was clean.
"No time to explain, I need that book on rare and unusual creatures. You know, the one where I learned about Ursa Minors and Majors?" Twilight questioned, as she rushed to the shelves.
"Twilight, wait!" Spike called, jumping in front of her. "I just got done reshelfing everything and making sure all books are in their proper order. I'll get it for you, I don't want another mess to clean up."
Twilight clammed up, realizing her mistake. "I really need to remember I'm not the only one who calls this library home," She thought, as she waited for Spike to retrieve the appropriate book. "Come to think of it, Spike's done an awful lot for me over the years, and I've barely done anything to reward him for it. I need to start working on that."
"Here it is!" Spike called out, tossing a book with a spine the same color as the night sky to Twilight.
"Thanks, Spike. And good job on the cleaning," Twilight said sincerely. "Remind me to ask Princess Celestia where I can find some good gems when she comes to town tomorrow."
"Will do, I've been really craving those things lately." Spike said, licking his lips as he walked off somewhere.
Twilight opened the book with her magic and scrolled through the pages, until at last she came across the one on parasprites. Sure enough, it depicted an ink image similar to the creatures that had terrorized Ponyville earlier. She read on for a bit, picking up mostly the same information she'd learned from Pinkie's story. But as she neared the end, she read something that made her gasp, and caused her to momentarily lose her focus! Her magic faded, and the book fell to the ground with a loud thud! For the passage had read as follows: "There is no known way by which a parasprite may be stopped once it begins to multiple. If one is spotted, do not attempt to feed it or take it with you. They are considered dangerous due to their unlimited appetite." "That means only Pinkie Pie had any knowledge about how to stop those things," She realized. "If we hadn't listened to her, Ponyville would've been destroyed for sure!"
Then, realizing what this meant and what she had to do, Twilight trotted over to a nearby desk and took out a quill and some ink. She unfolded a scroll, and dipped the quill into the ink, as she proceeded to write a letter which read as follows:
Dear Princess Celestia,
Recently, I learned a very important lesson from my good friend, Pinkie Pie. She told me and my other friends about the time when her family's farm became infested with parasprites, and her grandmother was the only one who knew the trick to driving them away.
Hearing Pinkie's story, and seeing her use it to stop a similar infestation in Ponyville, it's caused to me learn that sometimes the solution to your friends problems can come from where you least expect it. So it's a good idea to stop and listen to your friends' opinions and perspectives, even if they don't always seem to make sense. Sometimes, the most unconventional option, could be the solution you've been looking for.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Twilight smiled, as she examined the letter for any mistakes. There weren't any, the report was perfect and ready for Princess Celestia's viewing eyes. Now all that remained, was to get Spike to send it, and survey the damage the parasprites might have caused. Hopefully, it was nothing that couldn't be fixed up by tomorrow. Because how in the world would she explain Ponyville's run down appearance to Celestia?
Inside the Golden Oak Library, Twilight was watching over the Cutie Mark Crusaders. This was another one of their frequent one on one sessions with Twilight, unofficially dubbed "Twilight Time".
Sweetie Belle was the first one to volunteer for a lesson, even thought Twilight cautioned to the young unicorn. "Uh, Sweetie Belle, maybe we should run through the steps another few times before you try it on your own. Remember, magic is very powerful, but also very dangerous."
Sweetie Belle only shook her head. "Nope. I'm ready to give it a shot, Twilight!"
"Okay then!" Twilight reluctantly agreed. "Don't forget what I taught you, Sweetie Belle. Concentration is a must."
Sweetie just nodded, and focused her horn on a broom that sat near the library door. She enveloped the broom in a pale, light grayish sap green aura, as her horn began to spark. Now, the broom wasn't that heavy, but Sweetie found herself straining just to maintain a grip on it, let alone try to move it under her own power. "Can't... seem... to...!" She groaned, before suddenly her neck clicked, her magic faded, and the broom fell over. "Ugh! I think I threw my neck out..." She remarked, as her neck felt rather stiff.
"Aw, you're okay. You did pretty well for a first attempt." Scootaloo encouraged.
"Yeah, ya just need a little more practice and then liftin' brooms'll be a cinch!" Apple Bloom chimed in.
"I doubt it. That thing weighs a ton." Sweetie remarked.
Just then, Spike came walking in through the door as he asked out loud. " Hey, has anypony seen my– " But then he quickly spotted the broom and changed his sentence. "Oh, there it is." And he cheerfully went about sweeping the floor, while whistling a cheerful tune to himself.
"I swear, Rarity makes magic look so easy!" Sweetie complained with a noticeable hint of jealousy. "I'll never get my cutie mark for this, to say nothing of the possibility of playing musical instruments with it."
Twilight only laughed. "I wouldn't say that, Sweetie Belle. Maybe you won't get a cutie mark in magic, but with practice I'm sure we can work up to levitating multiple objects, and getting you some music lessons. After all, that's part of the reason why I founded this special time just for us. To help you three explore things you're interested in, and give you something to do besides tear up town searching for your cutie marks."
Meanwhile, Spike had stumbled across a bunch of random mechanical parts strewn about the library floor. With a frown, he complained. "Hey, who's gonna clean up this mess? I am NOT a janitor."
"Sorry, Spike," Scootaloo apologized, rushing over. "But it's no mess! These are all the carefully arranged pieces of a unicycle that I took apart and will be putting back together... as soon as Twilight shows me how that is." The tomboyish filly proceeded to let out a high pitched squee, as her eyes grew wide and she gave off a massive smile.
Twilight didn't fall for it. "Scootaloo, I already told you I won't show you how, but I'll help you find the instructions so you can figure it out yourself," She said with a laugh. "After all, if you want to learn how to repair your scooter, you can't depend on anypony else to do it for you, not even once. Besides, I'm not that skilled at hoof-eye coordination."
Groaning, Scootaloo turned around and went towards the bookshelves as she complained. "Ugh, I hate research! It's so boring!"
Twilight ignored Scootaloo's comment, and simply instructed. "To your left, third shelf from the bottom. You'll find it in no time."
"Thanks again for helpin' us learn all these new skills, Twilight," Apple Bloom spoke up. "Sure beats workin' for the school paper."
Twilight smiled at Apple Bloom. "Always glad to pass on my love of learning for learning's sake. You three make fine students."
Apple Bloom nodded, before she added. "Maybe Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, seein' as they know what they wanna do with their skills and are makin' progress. As for me, I'm afraid I'll never get the hang of this potion-makin', and Zecora doesn't want me blowin' up her hut by accident. I think she's still mad about the whole 'Cutie Pox' incident."
"Well, you did take some of her ingredients without permission," Twilight scolded. "But Zecora hasn't stopped inviting you over, so I'm sure she's not too mad. She's likely looking out for your safety, she's had years of potion making experience, so she knows what she's doing. You're a greenhorn."
"Yeah, I know," Apple Bloom commented. "It sure would be nice if I could someday perfect my potion makin', not only would I impress Zecora, but I think I could help my family grow a lot of crops. I just wish I knew what I was doin' wrong."
"Did you follow the magic plant-growing formula I gave you last time?" Twilight asked the farm filly.
"Well... uh... more or less." Apple Bloom answered rather nervously.
Twilight smiled. "Then let's try it out on this apple seedling and see how we do. Okay?"
"Okay," Apple Bloom reluctantly replied and she nervously whispered to herself. "Oh... I hope this works."
Apple Bloom flipped a switch, and a drop of the formula landed in her potted plant, kicking up a huge cloud of green colored dust.
Twilight coughed, as she fanned the dust away with a hoof. As for the seedling, it seemed to briefly start sprouting, before it hunched over and starting coughing and sputtering line crazy.
Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle giggled, as Apple Bloom just commented to the plant. "Layin' it on a little bit thick there, aren't we, pal?"
The next day, at school, all three crusaders were playing with Pipsqueak, while the rest of their classmates occupied themselves with whatever they wanted.
But all of a sudden, there came a whistle, and a familiar obnoxious voice called out. "Yoo-hoo! Gather 'round! It's time!" Everyone rushed over to the source of the noise, which of course turned out to be Diamond Tiara. And she was accompanied by Silver Spoon. "You all know that I promised to show off an amazing, first-time-ever acrobatic display for you all today, right?!" The pink coated filly asked. All her classmates nodded, and cheered in delight. "I know, it's so exciting. But I'm tired." Diamond commented, as all the colts and fillies whined.
"That's not fair, Di," Silver Spoon complained. "You promised them a show."
"Patience, Silver Spoon, I was just getting to that," Diamond replied, and then she explained to her classmates. "I did not wish to disappoint you all, so I brought my butler Randolph. After all, I never said I would be the one doing those acrobatics," She then shouted. "Hey, Randolph, that's your cue!"
Randolph just sighed. "Coming Mistress Diamond." He called, as the light grayish-purple earth pony stallion with a curly greenish grey mane and tail, and a cutie mark depicting a feather duster, limped out into the sunshine. His light cobalt blue eyes indicated just how tired he was, but he was never one to disobey an order from the family he'd sworn an oath to serve. "She really does take after her mother too much. The things I do for the sake of that paycheck and cute face." He thought to himself, as he proceeded to show off feats of acrobatics that shouldn't have been possible for a pony of his age and dexterity.
Everypony was amazed, but the applause only grew once Diamond not so subtlely shoved the older butler aside to bask in the spotlight. "Sorry, Randolph." She quickly apologized, even as she continued to bask in the applause and praise.
Silver Spoon felt sorry for Randolph, but not enough to credit him for his performance. She simply commented. "That was amazing, Diamond Tiara. You should take that on the road."
"Don't give me any ideas, Silver Spoon," Tiara laughed. "I doubt Mother and Father would approve of me dropping out of school to become a performer, no matter how appealing that idea might be."
"Can you believe her?" Apple Bloom groaned, watching the two fillies from a distance. "She's got some nerve treatin' her butler like that. I'd never do that to Granny Smith."
"You think you know a pony, and then they go and do stuff like this," Scootaloo commented. "She's using somepony else to build herself up, and without even putting any effort into learn her own skills like we do! If I wasn't the filly I was, I'd probably punch her."
"Now, now, let's not talk bad about her behind her back. We have a truce with her, remember?" Sweetie cautioned. "Besides, if we get really good at the stuff Twilight's teaching us, we could be the big shots around here for a change! Just picture it!" And indeed the fillies did, or at least Sweetie Belle did:
She imagined that she and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders, were showing off their Twilight Time skills for all to see. "Check this out!" Scootaloo exclaimed, as she easily put together a unicycle with minimal effort.
"And check this out!" Apple Bloom shouted, as she poured a potion into the ground and caused a gigantic apple tree to sprout up from the ground. All of their classmates were amazed, if the oohs and aahs were anything to go by.
"And now, check this out!" Sweetie Belle declared, as she used her magic to pick up Diamond Tiara and spin and toss her around as if she were nothing but a rag doll.
"Hey, put me down! I don't like heights!" Diamond pleaded, to no avail. All the while, ponies were laughing and giggling at her humiliation.
"Now for the grand finale!" Sweetie boasted, as she pulled Tiara close. "You'll make a fine drum stick, I just hope you provide a good beat."
"Noooooooooo!" Tiara screamed, as Sweetie giggled in delight.
"Hey, can you hear me? Equestria to Sweetie Belle, come in." Diamond called out, tapping on Sweetie Belle's head and snapping her out of her fantasy.
Momentarily forgetting where she was, Sweetie shook her head. "Huh? Huh? What? What?"
"Gosh, it's like talking to soap!" Tiara remarked. "I've been asking you for the past several minutes and you've said nothing."
"Sorry, I zoned out there for a bit," Sweetie apologized. "What is it? You want something?"
Diamond sighed, and put a hoof to her face. "Guess I'll have to repeat myself again. I was asking if your sister Rarity will be taking you to Manehattan anytime soon."
"Because if she is, maybe you can meet up with us while we hang out with a bunch of famous celebrities. Maybe even Countess Coloratura, the greatest singing sensation since Sapphire Shores." Silver Spoon offered, as hints of glee could be detected in her tone of voice.
Despite her lingering resentment for the two, Scootaloo still commented. "Cool!"
Apple Bloom was also taken aback by the fillies' offer. "Ya know, that's... actually pretty nice of you girls."
But Sweetie sighed as she confessed. "Actually, my sister hasn't offered to take me to Manehattan anytime soon. It totally stinks too, 'cause she's going there in a few weeks for 'Fashion Week' or something. It's just not fair, I'm old enough."
"Yeah, we figured. Too bad, so sad," Diamond taunted, and then she and Silver Spoon did their signature secret hoofshake. "Bump, bump, sugar lump rump!" They laughed, delighting in rubbing their victory in the Crusaders' faces.
Furious at the two, and her anger rising, Sweetie blurted out at the top of her lungs! "Oh, yeah?! Well, I don't have to go all the way to Manehattan just to hang out with the famous and super-cool ponies! Me and my friends hang out with Princess Twilight all the time! In fact, I'd say it's just about time for another one of our Twilight Time sessions!" And then she, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all trotted off.
Diamond and Silver's mouth both dropped open in shock, they could hardly believe their ears! "Wait, d-did you say Princess Twilight?! As in the Princess Twilight?! You hang out with her all the time? For real?" Diamond asked, rushing to catch up to the fillies, all the while hoping this wasn't some cruel prank.
"Well, all the time might be exaggeratin' a bit, once a week or so is more like it." Apple Bloom explained.
"Yeah, and she helps us learn cool new stuff to do! That we actually do ourselves!" Scootaloo added, making sure to emphasize the last part of her speech. "Why do you suddenly care so much? Hoping to gain favor with her or something like that?"
"Is this about the flag carrying incident?" Tiara remarked. "I said I was sorry, and you said you forgave me."
"I was there, I heard everything!" Silver insisted.
"I know, but I never said I'd forget what you did," Scootaloo angrily replied. "Quite frankly, I don't think I ever will, and there's no way I'm just inviting you two to the special time my friends and I get with Princess Twilight. Besides, what does it matter? You can always see her when she's in town."
"You don't understand!" Diamond pleaded. "I mean, sure, Silver Spoon and I see her around town a lot. In fact, we saw her a lot when she was just a regular old unicorn, but hardly anypony took notice of her."
"Yeah," Silver Spoon agreed. "We just thought 'whatever'."
"But now she's a princess, which makes her totally awesome!" Tiara fondly exclaimed! "She's got wings and everything! She's even an alicorn for crying out loud, do you know how many alicorns live here in Ponyville besides Princess Twilight?! None, zilch, nadda!" Adopting the best pleading tone she could muster up, the pink coated filly added. "So can I– "
"We!" Silver Spoon chimed in.
"-go?" Diamond asked the Crusaders. "Please?"
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shook their heads. After all the trouble the two rich fillies had given them over the years, they were hardly willing to go out of their way to be nice to them, truce or no truce.
Even Sweetie Belle was skeptical of letting the two tag along, but for noticeably different reasons. "Twilight Time is just supposed to be between Princess Twilight and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, that's it. It just wouldn't be right if we brought you along," She told Diamond and Silver. "Whatever it is, why don't you just talk to Twilight about it next time she's in town? Or, is something the matter?"
Tiara suddenly froze right on the spot and began to shiver, even though it was actually rather warm out. "Uh..." She stammered, unable to say or do anything else.
Sensing the problem, Silver Spoon looked at her friend and lightly nudged her as she gave a wink that seemed encouraging. It was as if the grey coated filly was telling her pink coated friend: "Go on, you have to tell them. I've got your back."
With a sigh, Diamond reluctantly spoke up and said to the Crusaders. "Look, there's.... something personal I want to try and talk to Princess Twilight about. Something I'd rather be kept private. And I'd like it very much if..." The pink coated filly stopped suddenly and groaned in frustration. "Ugh, this is so LAME! Can you at least try to put in a good word for me with Princess Twilight, please? I can promise to owe you one if you'd like, any kind of favor you want, it's yours."
Apple Bloom looked at Diamond and Silver, as she nervously began to say. "Uh, I don't think we should–"
But Sweetie Belle quickly spoke up and interrupted. "- Would you two excuse us for a moment? Crusaders talk and all that."
"Fine, just don't keep me waiting. I haven't got all day you know." Diamond remarked, and reluctantly clammed up as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined Sweetie Belle in a huddle.
"We should totally say yes! This is a golden opportunity!" Sweetie suggested in a whisper, once all three were huddled close together.
"Are you kiddin'? I don't want them laughing at us while I'm mixin' potions and accidentally sendin' plants into chokin' fits! And I still ain't gotten over the fact that Diamond was partially responsible for what happened with Babs." Apple Bloom complained.
"But don't you see? They need our help with something, and we are the only ones who can give them what they want," Sweetie explained with a smile. "Plus, if we take to see Twilight, then they'll have to start learning something too. That'll really turn the tables on them."
"And they won't be able to laugh at us when they're so busy trying to learn stuff of their own. Which means I'll finally get some payback." Scootaloo realized.
"Guess it wouldn't hurt to invite them over, I think I've got a pretty good idea of what Diamond wants to talk to Twilight 'bout anyway. And it's kinda fun to see them workin' hard to get on our good side for a change," Apple Bloom agreed, and broke off the huddle as she informed Diamond and Silver. "Ya can come along, just this once."
Diamond and Silver were elated! "Oh thank you, Crusaders! You won't regret this, I promise!" Tiara insisted.
Under her breath Scootaloo commented. "I sure hope not." But no one heard but her.
Diamond and Silver followed the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as they were led through town and right up to the doorstep of the Golden Oak Library. Neither filly could contain their excitement! "Oh, my gosh! Princess Twilight lives in there! And I'm about to go inside and see her! I can't even tell you how excited I am!" Diamond exclaimed!
"I can't either!" Silver exclaimed too, bouncing up and down repeatedly!
As Apple Bloom and Scootaloo knocked on the front door, Sweetie Belle turned to the fillies with whom she currently shared an uneasy truce with, and cautioned. "Now remember, Twilight takes this time out with us so we can learn stuff. So please try to be respectful, and keep the comments to a minimum."
But just as soon as Sweetie's words had left her lips, the library door swung open and out trotted Twilight. "Hey there, girls! Come on in!" She encouraged to the Crusaders.
Forgetting all about what Sweetie had just told them, Diamond and Silver rushed up to Twilight and started shrieking like fanponies! "Princess Twilight!" They loudly squealed in unison!
"Oh, it's really her! This is like a dream come true!" Tiara happily exclaimed!
"Oh, my gosh, I don't believe it! Please tell me I'm not dreaming!" Silver added!
Twilight was more than a bit unnerved by the overenthusiastic responses from Diamond and Silver, as she sheepishly said to the Crusaders. "Oh, and, uh, you brought guests. Great!" She said with a nervous chuckle.
"Don't worry, it'll only be this once," Scootaloo cautioned. "Trust me, it's not a decision we came to lightly."
Meanwhile, Diamond was practically gushing with excitement and enthusiasm! "Princess Twilight, it is such a thrill and honor to be here! You have no idea how long I've been waiting," Looking at the pink skunk stripe in the alicorn's tail, she then asked. "Oh my gosh, who dyes your tail?"
"Actually, it's not dyed at all. I've always been this way," Twilight explained to the filly, and as she led all five of her young guests inside she asked Tiara. "Is there anything I can help you or your friend with?"
"Huh? Oh, in a bit," Tiara said with a nod. "It's a little bit... complicated to put it mildly."
"I see," Twilight commented, taking note of the nervous look the pink coated filly had just given her. Then to the Cutie Mark Crusaders she whispered. "Listen, I'm all for helping as many ponies as I can, but maybe we should keep these weekly visits just between us, hm? I've only got so much time on my hooves as it is. Now then, which one of you three wants to practice first?" But there were no replies.
"Hey, are you going to help me or just make we watch these three numskulls mess everything up?" Diamond pouted impatiently. "Some of us have more important matters to worry about."
"I'll get to you in a minute, Diamond Tiara. Hold your horses," Twilight scolded, and then suggested. "Why don't you and Silver Spoon go look for Spike and see if he needs help with anything? I'm sure he'd appreciate the company."
But Sweetie Belle protested. "Shouldn't they be going first on the practice sessions? I mean, they probably could stand to learn some new skills."
"No, silly!" Twilight giggled, and explained. "I'll need time to set up a lesson plan for those two, especially if they're not going to be coming back with you girls. Now then, since there are no volunteers, I'll pick for you," Randomly settling on Apple Bloom, she spoke up. "Apple Bloom, go ahead. Let's see how your plant potions are coming along."
"Great, so much for our brilliant plan!" Apple Bloom thought to herself, as she reluctantly went to get her plant making stuff, including the formula. "No favor from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon could be worth this humiliation!"
The three Crusaders were too busy focusing on their humiliation to pay much attention to anything else that happened at that fateful Twilight Time. They didn't seem to take notice of the few instances where Diamond would slip away to talk with Twilight, or where Silver or Diamond would spend time working with Spike to clean up the library.
As the next day dawned, Apple Bloom was complaining loudly to Sweetie Belle. "I tell ya, you've had dumb ideas in the past, Sweetie Belle. But this one really takes the cake. I can't believe I let you talk us into bringin' guests yesterday, let alone the ponies that almost broke our friendship apart."
"Well, I didn't actually hear them laugh at us even once, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo replied. "And trust me, I'd have known if they were. Whatever it is Diamond wanted to talk to Twilight about must've been really important."
Apple Bloom only shook her head in protest. "It's 'cause they laughed on the inside. Next time we decide to bring guests to Twilight Time, knock some sense into me!"
"Don't worry. We won't make that same mistake again, I swear it." Sweetie firmly vowed, before the Crusaders took notice of both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approaching. Though, was it just their imagination, or did they seem to have a huge crowd following them for whatever reason?
"Aw, great!" Apple Bloom groaned upon taking notice of the gathering crowd. "Look who showed up to make fun of us. Probably went and blabbed to the whole schoolyard 'bout our humiliatin' failures. Nice goin', Sweetie Belle, we're the laughin' stocks of the playground."
"So much for learning skills to be big shots," Scootaloo sighed. "Guess only our big sisters and families won't be laughing at us."
But Diamond seemed to be smiling, not out of malice, but out of happiness. The same held true for Silver. "Hey, guess what, Crusaders!" She asked out loud, then before any of them could reply she quickly added. "You remember how I agreed to owe you a favor for yesterday? Well, I decided I'd repay you by going around and talking up your special Twilight Time."
"And you're never gonna believe what everypony told her," Silver said with a grin. "Trust me, you can try to guess but you won't get it right!"
"Oh no, here it comes..." Sweetie sighed, and she and her friends braced for the inevitable jeers, snickers, and teasing remarks.
"They all want in!" Tiara proudly boasted. "Thanks to me, you three are now the hottest thing around. You're welcome."
All the colts and fillies that had gathered behind Diamond and Silver started to chant over and over again. "Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time!"
"You're lucky Di opted to leave out some of the 'unnecessary' details," Silver said with a wink. "She figured it was the least she could do for you three. Hope you enjoy your fame."
"Uh-oh..." Sweetie Belle gulped, as she thought in her mind. "This could be a problem."
For several minutes, the Crusaders just stood there, unable to think of what to say or do. All the while, the crowd of colts and fillies just kept chanting over and over again! "Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time!"
At last, Sweetie found the courage to speak. "Wow! All these ponies really wanna meet Twilight that badly?" She asked, even though she was pretty sure there was no point in asking that question. Indeed, everypony in the crowd nodded.
"If you can get us to see the princess, we'll love you forever, Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Pipsqueak chanted. "I think Princess Twilight might just be more popular than Princess Luna!"
Everypony in the crowd cheered loudly. But Diamond quickly shushed them. "Now, now, everypony! Settle down. Demanding time with the princess as an unruly mob simply won't do, not at all," She commented. "Might I suggest that you perhaps get organized through us, the Cutie Mark Crusaders' nearest and dearest acquaintances?" As she spoke this statement, she put her hoof around Scootaloo and whispered. "I hope you're satisfied, you three are the only ones who can get me to have time alone with the princess. And she's the only one I feel comfortable discussing my problem with. Let's just say it's family issues."
"Okay?" Scootaloo whispered back, unsure what to make of this information.
Meanwhile, Silver Spoon had rolled out a clipboard and was currently working on organizing the foals into an orderly line as she barked out orders. "Everypony get in line! Single file please! No pushing, no pushing!"
"Goodness, what a mess." Apple Bloom remarked, watching all the cheering foals from afar. The line of them stretched on for miles with no end in sight.
"Of awesome!" Sweetie Belle realized, and quickly explained. "They all think we're the greatest thing ever, because we're their one ticket to get time with Ponyville's newest and biggest celebrity, Princess Twilight! We're really and truly and certifiably the biggest of the big shots in school right now! Inviting Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon worked out better than we thought!"
"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Scootaloo asked Sweetie. "There's absolutely no way we can just 'convince' Twilight to let us bring our whole class over, just so they can hang out with her. And no way are we bringing them to the clubhouse, that's for official Cutie Mark Crusaders only!"
"What if we invited 'em somewhere else, and got Twilight to come and hang out with us there?" Apple Bloom suggested. "We've got her wrapped around our little hooves now, along with just 'bout everypony here except Miss. Cheerilee."
"Maybe that could work, but where would we invite them?" Scootaloo wondered. "It's got to be somewhere where Twilight's not gonna suspect anything, but also somewhere that'll be able to fit an entire schoolhouse of ponies."
Taking a deep breath, Sweetie looked at both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom said to them. "Relax. I got this. Just leave everything to me."
Later that day, when school had let out, the Crusaders made arrangements to get Twilight to come down to the Hay Burger and hang out with them. Twilight, suspecting nothing, agreed. "It'll be nice to take a break from our lessons," Twilight told them. "The Hay Burger is my favorite eating spot! Save a table for me if you can!"
And when those arrangements were set, the Crusaders made sure to let all their classmates know where Princess Twilight would be. Needless to say, all the colts and fillies were absolutely thrilled with the idea.
Even so, the Crusaders knew a lot was riding on this. If it didn't pan out just right, they risked losing their credibility with Twilight, or even their fame they had worked to build up.
"I don't know about this, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom nervously commented. "I'm not sure we can pull this off."
Sweetie Belle simply answered. "Hey, you said not to invite them to Twilight Time and I didn't. So what's the problem, exactly?"
"This feels like a trick, and not a very good either one," Scootaloo commented. "I can't help but feel guilty doing this. Maybe we should just stop now and confess to Twilight what we tried to do?"
But Sweetie replied with a gasp! "Have you lost your mind, Scootaloo?! This is our big chance to cement ourselves as the most popular students in school, even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are eager to kiss our hooves if it means they get a chance to see Princess Twilight. Besides, what's tricky about any of this? All we're doing is inviting Twilight out for a meal to thank her for all the nice things she's done for us, while leaving out the fact that she's gonna have some fans who want to meet her. As long as nopony mentions who told them about Twilight Time, we're safe. The princess will never know."
"Did someone say 'princess'?" Pipsqueak shouted, popping up from behind a bush. "Where?! Where?! Where?!"
"Hey, keep it down! For the record, Silver Spoon and I were here first!" Diamond shushed, pushing Pip down into the bush. "And we're the only ones besides the Crusaders who can talk to the princess without any trouble!"
"All of you need to stay out of site until I give the signal," Sweetie advised. "Princess Twilight will be here any minute. And remember, not a word about where you learned of this."
"As you wish, Sweetie Belle," Diamond reluctantly obeyed. "But you three owe me once again for keeping these fanponies under control for you. So I don't want hear any complaints when I call in the favor."
"Hey, don't forget about me, Di!" Silver complained.
"I was just about to mention you, Silver Spoon," Tiara replied, and made another shushing motion. "Now keep it down, or you're gonna give us away before I... I mean we have a chance to talk with the princess."
As it turned out, Twilight was a very messy eater. She didn't seem to care about her lack of table manners, as she just munched on her hay burger, smearing her cheeks with stains of ketchup. "Wow! I didn't realize just how hungry I was!" She exclaimed, talking even though her mouth was full. "I'm so glad you girls asked me to join you here today," She swallowed her first burger, as she used a second one to wipe her face and then added. "I'm so honored!" And then she ate her second burger whole and licked her lips.
"Really? You're honored to be here with us?" Sweetie asked, sounding rather surprised that Twilight would make such a statement.
Twilight nodded, as she took a break from eating and explained to her young students. "I originally started Twilight Time to help you three with some of your homework, never did I anticipate that from those humble beginnings it would evolve into the special time we now have with each other. And I remember when you first approached me and asked if I would help you all develop new skills."
"Oh, you do?" Sweetie asked again, while in the back of her mind she was wondering. "Why am I feeling so guilty about using this to make myself and my friends popular? Isn't this what anypony would do in our situation?"
With a smile, and a look of fondness in her eyes, Twilight recalled. "That was one of the happiest moments of my entire life. I remember thinking 'Working with young students so devoted to the joy of learning purely for its own sake? What could be better?'" She paused for a moment to eat some of her horseshoe fries, before she added. "You all remind me so much of myself when I was your age. So eager to learn, and so selfless in your pursuit of knowledge."
After sipping on her soda a bit, Twilight continued. "Now then, is there a reason why you three asked me to come and hang out with you here? And where are your friends Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? I was hoping to have a talk with them so we could start working on a lesson plan, though I must say Diamond's family situation is... 'unique' to say the least. I still think she should try talking to her dad about it though, he really should know what's going on around the Rich family household. As an outsider with only Diamond's word to go on, there's not much I can do about it. All the same, I can tell it's troubling her greatly if she's coming to talk to me about it."
"Um, what did you and Diamond talk about exactly?" Scootaloo inquired. "And, would it have anything to do with her mother by any chance?"
Before Twilight could explain, Pinkie Pie suddenly called out. "Twilight!" And she appeared near the table, carrying an empty tray. "Haven't seen you here at the Hay Burger in, like, forever and a half!"
"I know," Twilight smiled as she replied. "I've been so busy studying that chest, that I forgot how delicious everything is here! I need to see about ordering take out for Spike, I know he prefers gems but I think he's really missing out on a world of flavor."
"Totally!" Pinkie exclaimed, tilting her head. As she did, she saw what seemed to be an armada of oogling colts and fillies pressed up against the window. "Hey, what's going on out there?" She asked, but when Twilight turned to look the school ponies had vanished. "Oh, never mind, they're gone," Pinkie commented, but as soon as Twilight turned her back the ponies returned. "They're back!" She shouted, but of course when Twilight turned to look, the ponies vanished again. "Never mind, they're gone again." And then Pinkie trotted off somewhere else.
"That was too close!" Apple Bloom thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief as Twilight sipped her drink.
But unknown to Twilight, the ponies Pinkie had spotted earlier were back, and this time they had brought cameras. They all started clicking, snapping photos. And Scootaloo couldn't resist making poses, first on her own and then with Sweetie Belle.
Gritting her teeth, Apple Bloom lightly nudged Scootaloo and told her. "Knock it off, will ya?!"
Finally sensing that something was up, Twilight turned to the window as she asked. "What in the world is going on out–" But then she gasped upon spotting all the colts and fillies with cameras. She got up from her seat, as she said to the Crusaders. "Stay here. These little ponies are just looking for an autograph I'll bet, this won't take long."
As Twilight headed outside to face the crowd of school ponies, Apple Bloom complained to Scootaloo about the incident that had ended up giving them away. "What was all this? And this?" She grumbled, mimicking the poses Scootaloo had made earlier.
"What? I couldn't help it," Scootaloo confessed. "When I don't smile in a picture, I look sad."
"Oh, we're gonna look sad all right... " Sweetie groaned, putting her head down on the table. "There goes our connection with Twilight, right out the window! Followed by our popularity."
"M-maybe it won't be as bad as we think?" Scootaloo suggested in a hopeful tone.
"Are you kidding?! Of course it's gonna be bad!" Sweetie complained.
"I told ya this was a terrible idea! But did ya listen to me, no!" Apple Bloom snapped at Sweetie.
Scootaloo just sighed. "Twilight's gonna be so ticked at us. We have to get out of here, now."
Meanwhile, Twilight had gone outside and was currently confronting the massive crowd of ponies that were all staring at her with wide eyes. "Uh, can I... help you?" She asked.
The colts and fillies responded, by rushing right up to Twilight, all of them yelling, shouting, and screaming like crazy! Some clamored to have their picture taken with her, others simply wanted her autograph, and a few (or rather just Diamond Tiara) hoped to get a chance to talk with her.
"You seriously all want my autograph?" Twilight asked the crowd, before she said to them. "Okay, I guess I'll sign a couple for you, but then I really must get back to my little friends. They're the ones for whom Twilight Time was originally created," Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Twilight spotted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, as they were trying to slip away unnoticed. "Oh, there you are!" She called out to them, pulling them close with her magic. "Was this the reason you were being secretive earlier? You didn't know how I'd react to knowing I had a fan club?"
"Um... yes, that's exactly why we were dishonest with you earlier, Twilight," Sweetie lied. "I'm sorry, we should've just let you know without tricking you. We won't do it again."
Diamond could hardly believe what she was hearing! "How dare they!" She thought to herself. "After all the work I put into building up their reputation, this is how they repay me?! Was it really so wrong of me to just want to have somepony to talk to about the problems I'm having with my mother?!"
"Well, girls, this was a lot of fun!" Twilight said to the Crusaders, as she wrapped them in a wing hug. "I don't know how I can ever repay you for introducing me to so many young fans! I might have to see about setting up my own classroom somewhere, or talk to Cheerilee about being a substitute teacher for a day! See ya around, bye!" And then she flew off.
Not long after Twilight was out of earshot, Pipsqueak said out loud. "To think I've been to the Hay Burger so many times, never knowing it's a regular hangout for a princess!"
"Hey, are you deaf or something?!" Silver remarked. "Princess Twilight only came here because of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they've got her under their control! Wherever they go, she goes!"
"That's not-" Apple Bloom began, but Sweetie Belle quickly silenced her.
"We've finally arrived, we're big shots now! Let them think whatever they want," The white coated filly suggested, and then to the crowd she said loudly. "Yes, that's right, we the Cutie Mark Crusaders, are officially the closest connection to Princess Twilight, the newest and most popularity celebrity in all of Equestria! If you want to see Princess Twilight or even talk to her, we're your ponies!"
"I believe we have arrived, Cutie Mark Crusaders." Scootaloo said to herself, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll bet even Rainbow Dash could only dream of fame like this." She thought to herself.
"Hey, Crusaders," Pipsqueak spoke up, attracting attention. "I'm opening up a new lemonade stand! Won't you come to the grand opening next week?"
"I don't know, Pip." Apple Bloom skeptically answered.
"I'll give you free lemonade for a week!" Pip offered. "And I know some of my friends would like to offer their services to you. Hoof massages, hoof polishes, bow bedazzling, you name it!"
But Diamond spoke up and interrupted. "Oh please, don't waste your time on princess ooglers like Pipsqueak. If you three really wanna make the most of your reputation, then you must come to my pool party next week. It'll be much cooler. I'll even throw in a tour of the mansion for no extra cost." She then gave a glare at the Crusaders that seemed to indicate. "Don't forget who it was who told everypony about your connection to the princess, and who left out certain 'details'."
"Sorry, Pip," Sweetie apologized. "We'll try to make the lemonade stand opening if we can, but a pool party at a mansion doesn't happen often."
"Aw, that's not fair!" Pipsqueak whined, but the Crusaders took little notice.
If the Crusaders at all suspected Diamond and Silver were up to something, they didn't show it and neither did they say anything as they came up to the gates of Rich Mansion. Randolph was there to greet them. "Ah, you must be the guests Mistress Diamond has been expecting, good. Please, right this way." He instructed, and lead them around back to where the pool was.
"Thank you, Randolph," Diamond politely bowed. "You may go, we'll call if we need anything."
"As you wish, Mistress Diamond." Randolph bowed in reply, and then departed without saying another word.
Once alone with the Crusaders, Tiara instantly marched up to them and angrily demanded. "Just what do you think you're doing?! Taking all the credit for the hard work I put into making you all popular!"
"You mean we!" Silver chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "I was there too, Di, don't forget that!"
"And how did you repay us?! By turning our backs on us and and not letting me get a chance to talk to Princess Twilight!" Tiara complained, stomping her hooves down firmly. "I thought we had a deal, Crusaders! Silver and I would keep quiet about your 'humiliating failures', and in exchange you would let the both of us be the ones you'd reward with personal time with the princess! Do you even realize how hard it's been for me to put up with everything I go through at home?! I wasn't asking for much! I just wanted to have somepony to talk about my mother with, was that so wrong?!" Tears began to form in the pink coated filly's eyes.
"Now look what you've done!" Silver Spoon lectured at the Crusaders! "You've gone and made Diamond cry! I hope you three are happy with yourselves!"
Nervously backing away, Sweetie Belle commented. "Uh, gee girls, this has been great and all, but we really have to go. It's Twilight Time."
"We're coming too, right?" Silver asked, looking the three squarely in the eyes.
Gulping, Sweetie confessed. "Um... a-actually, no. We didn't have a chance to ask Twilight, so–"
"Oh, I see how it is," Silver remarked. "We helped make you the biggest of big shots in school, and you couldn't even keep your end of the bargain. Well, if that's how you wanna play it, fine! Let's see how you answer to all the ponies you built your fame on, the ponies who didn't care about you until they learned you knew Princess Twilight. Your days of fame and fortune are over!"
Sure enough, a massive mob of colts and fillies were waiting for the Crusaders as they approached the front gate. All of them chanting furiously. "Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time! Twilight Time!"
"Okay, I know exactly how to handle this." Sweetie quickly suggested.
"And that would be?" Apple Bloom inquired.
"Run!" Sweetie shouted, and that's just what the Crusaders did! They took off running as fast as their legs could carry them, but the mob of colts and fillies were in hot pursuit, both on hoof, and on scooters!
The chase seemed to stretch on for miles, with no end in sight. And despite the best efforts of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were unable to ditch the mob!
At last, they neared the front door! All three fillies were out of breath, and their legs hurt like crazy. But the mob was right behind them! In between gasps for air, Sweetie Belle frantically instructed to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom! "We... made... it... Quick! Knock on–"
But just then, the mob overtook and surrounded them, as the ponies on scooters skidded to a halt. The colts and fillies proceeded to part, as Diamond and Silver came trotting towards the CMC, and instructed the scooter ponies to knock on the door. The knock seemed to echo everywhere, and just a second later, Twilight opened the door, surprised to see just how many ponies had shown up at her doorstep. "What is the meaning of this?!" She demanded of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "I thought I said we should keep Twilight Time to just the four of us?!"
"W-we didn't mean for so many ponies to be here! Honest!" Scootaloo pleaded. "Please, we can explain everything!"
"And besides, wouldn't it be rude to turn away guests? Especially ones like these?" Apple Bloom added.
With a sigh, Twilight reluctantly said to her students. "Oh, alright, just this once."
"So you're not mad? Not even a little?" Scootaloo asked, even though she wasn't sure she should tempt fate like that.
"Maybe, that all depends." Twilight explained seriously.
"Depends on what?" Apple Bloom asked, as everypony made their way inside.
"On whether or not you've been keeping up with your studies, and if you truly valued our time together." Twilight told them, casting a stern look.
"Oh boy," Sweetie gulped, and nervously she said to Twilight. "We wanted our time together just as a way to be with you and learn new things. Really and truly! It was never our intention to use it to make ourselves famous."
Looking at the Crusaders, Twilight gave one command. "Prove it."
"Huh?!" Was all Sweetie could say in response.
"If what you said is true, then I'm sure you've all been practicing your skills over the past week. Show me how much better you gotten," Twilight instructed. "That way I'll know for sure if you're being honest."
But Apple Bloom protested. "Uh, well, uh... we... can't. At least, not right this moment."
"We kinda rushed over and forgot to bring our stuff. Sorry." Scootaloo apologized, hoping she didn't look too guilty.
"I see. That's unfortunate." Twilight remarked, her tone of voice indicating that she wasn't thrilled with what she'd just heard.
But just then, Sweetie Belle had an idea! "No, wait!" She called out to Twilight, and then to all the ponies gathered she said. "Hey, everypony, you're in luck! You came to chat with a princess, but instead you're getting dinner and a show! Get ready, 'cause we, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, are about to lay on you the amazing skills that we've learned in Twilight Time!" Suddenly, the colts and fillies anger was replaced by a new emotion, intrigue. "Unfortunately, since we don't have Scootaloo's unicycle parts, she'll just take apart and put back together one of the scooters from outside," Sweetie went on. "Any volunteers?"
Not surprisingly, none of the scooter ponies volunteered. That didn't stop Scootaloo, she just grabbed hold of the first scooter she could find and began to carefully disassemble it piece by piece. "Hey, what are you doing?! That's my scooter!" Pipsqueak complained.
But Scootaloo only said in reply. "You got us into this mess, kid. Might wanna roll with us here."
Unphased by this, Sweetie went on explaining. "Now, since Apple Bloom doesn't have her apple seed with her to try her plant growth formula on, she'll just grab a fresh apple from the kitchen," And as Apple Bloom went to do so, Sweetie grabbed a broom and tossed it down onto the floor as she declared. "And I will begin the show by using my magic to lift this here broom! Now watch and prepare to be amazed!"
For a while, things seemed to go pretty well for the Crusaders. Scootaloo managed to put Pip's scooter back together in seemingly pristine condition, as if it had never been taken apart at all. And Sweetie was able to lift the broom fairly well with little signs of visible strain. Apple Bloom poured as much of her plant growth formula onto the apple as she could as she instructed. "Become a tree!"
Suddenly, Sweetie found herself struggling to lift the broom. "Rise!" She shouted, to no avail, as her magic began to fail! To make matters worse, Pip's scooter began to creak and fall apart! And as for Apple Bloom's apple, it grew too well! It grew to massive size, and suddenly burst, showering everyone in the library with applesauce!
"Okay... that didn't turn out quite how I had hoped," Sweetie reluctantly spoke. "Uh, ta-da?"
Twilight only sighed and shook her head. "Looks like Twilight Time is over for now," All the colts and fillies whined, as Twilight ushered them out. "Sorry, but I'm gonna need time to clean this place up and sort things out with my students," She explained. "You'll just have to find something better to do with your time."
"But what about me? What about my mother?!" Diamond pleaded. "I want to talk to you, Princess Twilight! Please, don't shut me out!"
"I'm afraid I can only help you so much," Twilight replied to the pink coated filly. "I appreciate that you're coming to me with these concerns, and maybe we can work something out later. But in the meantime, I suggest you try talking to your father, or your butler. Heck, even try talking to Cheerilee, I'm sure any one of them would listen."
Tiara sighed. "Thanks, Princess Twilight, I think. I suppose I can try those things."
Twilight nodded and gave a smile of support, as she used her magic to close the library door. Still coated in applesauce, she turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and in a scolding tone of voice she said to them. "I gave you a chance to prove yourselves. But it seems like you cared more about utilizing your connections to me to make yourselves famous, rather than actually trying to learn stuff. I get that you wanted to be more popular, but I thought you of all ponies would understand that being famous isn't necessarily something to strive for in life."
"But, aren't you famous and smart?" Apple Bloom inquired. "And ain't that kind of the same with our sisters and their friends?"
"I only recently became famous, and that's not what I set out to be," Twilight explained. "I earned my wings through hard work and dedication, and the same goes for my title and crown. But I don't believe for one second that because of all that, I can just kick back, and smile and wave. When I took you three on as my students and started Twilight Time, it was my hope to leave a lasting contribution for the next generation. Yet, you three went and soiled my intentions, when you chose to place your own reputation above all else. And look where it got you, covered in applesauce and rejected by most of, if not all your peers," With a sigh, Twilight paused before she added. "Despite what you might think, I'm not mad with you three. But I am disappointed. It's going to take a while for me to again trust you. However, if you're still willing to learn new things, I'm willing to continue these Twilight Time sessions in secret."
"We're sorry, Twilight, really," Scootaloo apologized, as all three Crusaders gave the young alicorn a great big hug. "We didn't mean for any of this to happen. It all just got so far out of hoof."
"I'm sure you are," Twilight nodded. "But I'm not the only one you three need to apologize to."
"You don't mean..." Scootaloo began.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Twilight said firmly. "Diamond Tiara may have been partially responsible for all of this, but she was also hoping to gain a trusted pony to talk to about some personal issues. Now, I know you've had a 'complicated' past with her, but she is a pony like you and I. And regardless of what she's said and done, you wronged her and for that you must apologize."
Scootaloo sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. But I guess it was inevitable. Come on, Crusaders! Hopefully, Diamond hasn't gone too far!"
And indeed she hadn't, the pink coated filly was barely out of sight of the Golden Oak Library when the Crusaders caught up to her. It was easy to tell from her frown and low hanging head, that she was feeling pretty sorry for herself.
"Hey, Diamond Tiara!" Sweetie shouted, attracting the filly's attention.
Turning to face the trio, Diamond growled ever so slightly. "What do you want now? Haven't you got better things to do than to kick a filly while she's down?"
"Look, we just wanted to say, we're sorry 'bout earlier," Apple Bloom apologized. "We didn't mean to rob ya of a chance to talk about somethin' that was really botherin' ya."
"What?! You feel sorry for me?!" Tiara asked, and all three Crusaders nodded. "Well, don't! It's my own fault!" She loudly exclaimed, trying to hold back tears! "I didn't want it badly enough, otherwise I would've gotten a connection to the princess on my own, rather than count on you three to do it for me! Besides, Princess Twilight is right, I need to talk with more important ponies about this, ponies that can actually do something!"
"But, you still forgive us, right? I mean, we're not gonna go back to being enemies, are we?" Scootaloo nervously asked.
Diamond was silent for a moment, before she sighed and reluctantly replied. "Yeah, sure, whatever. But we're not really friends, more like friendly rivals. Same as it always was."
"So, about your mom?" Sweetie asked. "Is there something you wanna tell us about her?"
Tiara opened her mouth to speak, but then she suddenly shut it and shook her head. "You're better off not knowing," She said to the three fillies. "Trust me on this one. And for your sakes, you'd best not snoop around my house or anything. I don't need Mother getting the wrong idea." And with, that the pink coated filly turned and trotted off without another word.
"O-kay, that was... weird," Scootaloo commented, as her fellow Crusaders nodded. "I suppose all that's left, is to see if Princess Twilight will ever let us come back to the library for Twilight Time sessions."
And indeed she did. In fact, Twilight had a very special surprise for the Crusaders. "Spike, can you bring me that book from the third shelf from the top?" She instructed the next day, once the library had been cleaned up.
"Got it!" Spike replied but a second later, and brought it over to Twilight. It had a dark blue cover with a purple spine, and a little seal that depicted a shield. "Here you go!" Spike said to Twilight, as he gave her the book.
Twilight smiled, patting Spike on the head. "Thank you, my son. What would I do without you?"
Spike blushed. "Mom, stop it! Seriously! You're gonna embarrass me." And then he walked off to grab a broom and start sweeping.
"It is with great pleasure, that I officially give you girls your very own journal to write in," Twilight proudly explained, beaming with pride. "Now you can share your own friendship lessons with each other, and have a source by which you can remember the lessons you've learned."
All three Crusaders were delighted, but it was Sweetie Belle who opted to write the first journal entry. And it read something like this:
I guess Twilight must not be so super-upset anymore, 'cause she's letting us do a diary entry like our sisters do. Boy, did we ever get our priorities messed up. We started acting special just because we were friends with someone special. And we almost forgot the real reason she's special – because she's our friend. But she forgave us, and, like magic, things are good as new! Now that's the kind of magic I really want to get good at, now that I'm getting so good at the other kind.
During the Twilight Time where Sweetie Belle wrote down that entry, Twilight was amazed at how far her three young students had come. Sweetie had little trouble levitating brooms, and on occasion she could levitate drum sticks or a smybol or two. Scootaloo could take a scooter apart and put it back together in about a minute. And although Apple Bloom couldn't yet grow a tree, she could at least produce small flowers with her plant growth formula. "Wow, all three of you have made so much progress! I'm really proud of you. See you next time!" Twilight beamed, before she sent the Crusaders on their way.
But Sweetie had opted to write a little bit extra in her journal entry. More specifically a little something that read like this:
We're just glad that Twilight Time is back to normal. Well... almost back to normal.
Almost before they had left the library, the three fillies adopted thick sunglasses and very fancy dresses. "I just hope no one sees us like this." Sweetie whispered.
"Why? Is it 'cause we're tryin' to keep Twilight Time a secret now?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Or is it because we look completely ridiculous?" Scootaloo added.
"Well, a little of both, actually." Sweetie replied.
As for Twilight, she just laughed. "Some things never change." She thought to herself.
S5 E13: Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? (What If?)
In the hallways of Canterlot Castle, six pairs of hooves were frantically rushing! Their destination was the throne room, and they had very little time to act! All they knew, was that they were the last line of defense against a returning threat to Equestria!
Standing near her throne, Princess Luna became aware of a glowing dark blue/purple, smoke like object. She knew at once what it was and what it was going to do. She made no efforts to resist, fight back, or call for help. In fact, she simply said to the object. "Ah, greetings, Tantabus. We meet again. Yes, I am ready. Do your worst." And Luna began to grunt and groan, as she was enveloped into a spear of darkness, slowly transforming.
The six pair of hooves entered the throne room, their owners revealing themselves as the six ponies chosen to wield The Elements of Harmony up until recently. But when they laid eyes upon the throne, they gasped in horror! They were too late to stop the transformation.
"Princess Luna's turning into Nightmare Moon again!" Twilight exclaimed.
And indeed she did, Luna fully transformed into the wicked mare of darkness that had long since been dismissed as legend to all but a few. She immediately cackled, as her hooves landed on the ground and shook it like thunder. "How observant you are, fellow princess. But it will do you no good. Welcome to your destruction!" She proclaimed in a thunderous tone of voice.
"Oh yeah? Well, we've got the cure for that!" Rainbow Dash boasted. "Ready girls?!"
All nodded at once. "Ready!"
"Good!" Twilight smiled firmly, as she stepped forward. "Time to show Nightmare Moon the true magic that is friendship!" Then with a repeated chorus of "Almighty Rainbow of Harmony, unleash your power and grant us your aid!" The six mares transformed into the forms they had previously taken on to combat the dreaded Lord Tirek when he escaped from Tartarus just a few months ago.
"What's this?! A new form?!" Nightmare Moon mockingly commented. "Well, it won't do any of you any good! The time has come for you all to cease to exist!"
"Not today, Nightmare Moon!" Applejack cried out, and a beam of rainbow colored energy suddenly shout out from the six ponies! Nightmare Moon quickly threw up a magical barrier to protect herself, and an intense struggle quickly unfolded! Magical energy crackled and sizzled, as sparks flew everywhere! Luckily, the castle had long since been abandoned of all its inhabitants, save for the dueling combatants now fiercely entangled in the clash!
Nightmare Moon seemed to be gaining the upper hoof in combat, as she continued to laugh while her barrier slowly seemed to push the rainbow beams back! But then suddenly, the puff of smoke from earlier seemed to take on a mind of its own! With a ripping sound, it began to cut a hole in the sky and slowly slip away! "Wait! What is it doing?!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, just before she saw the thing vanish! "No! It's gone! But, that's impossible! It's not supposed to do that!" She protested, and began to grunt as she felt her powers weakening, while the rainbow beams began to envelope her entire body! "Noooooooo!" She cried, while the six ponies all cheered at their victory!
Luna's eyes suddenly fluttered open, and she woke up in her bed in a cold sweat, panting heavily to herself! It took but a moment for her to regain her bearings, and realize what had just transpired in her sleep! "What? My dream ended... happily? No. That. Cannot. Happen!" She vowed!
The next morning started off like any other for Princess Celestia. She rose before dawn to raise the sun, refreshed and ready after a good night's sleep. Then she made her way to the kitchen, quickly whipping up some pancakes for herself and her sister, even though Luna never had time to enjoy them. Who knows? Maybe this time would be the lucky occasion on which Luna would finally acknowledge her sister's carefully crafted culinary creations.
But when the doors to the kitchen were flung open with a light blue aura, and Celestia got a good look at her sister, it quickly became obvious that Luna would once again be in no mood for breakfast, no matter how tasty and tempting it might be.
Normally, Luna was groggy, and at times a bit grouchy when she awoke but for a few minutes to rest. As Princess of the Night and guardian of the dream world, it was kind of expected that one forgo sleep at the usual time. And only fits of sleep, no matter how envigorating, were never enough to put one in a good state early in the morning. However, it seemed like last night had been especially taxing on Luna. The bags underneath her eyes seemed to be much more pronounced, her entire appearance seemed much more dishelved and disfigured. It seemed like Luna hadn't slept even a little, and was ready to fall into a deep sleep at a moment's notice.
Naturally, Celestia's sisterly instincits immediately kicked in. Sure, Luna may not be all that little anymore, but she was still the little sister. And all good big sisters were expected to take notice when their younger siblings were not well. She was at Luna's side in but a minute, and was quick to help her to a seat at the kitchen table. "Good morning, Luna," Celestia greeted warmly, hoping to gauge Luna's overall mood. "Rough night last night?"
"No, just a very demanding one," Luna insisted, even as she almost faceplanted right into the pancakes on her plate. "Sister, I appreciate this gift, but I'm afraid I must again decline your offer to dine."
"Luna, please don't lie to me!" Celestia spoke up, taking on a tone of seriousness. "You look unwell. I know something is bothering you. What happened to you last night?"
Luna only shook her head. "It's nothing that need concern you, Celestia. It concerns matters of the dream world, which you cannot enter without me. Your magic holds no sway there, and you know it."
Celestia put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Technically, I never fully gave up that power. I could still enter of my own free will if I so chose."
Luna smirked. "We both know you'll never do that, sister. You only briefly wielded that power in my absence, then abandoned it before the end of the first year I was gone."
"You know me too well, Luna," Celestia sighed longingly. "That was too much power for any one pony to wield. The more I held onto it, the more it spoke to me, telling me things I didn't want to hear. I don't believe it was the work of the same Nightmare Forces that manipulated you and ultimately exploited your own insecurities and dark desires. But all the same I couldn't risk the possibility that I would too would fall from the light."
Despite her tired state, Luna couldn't help but laugh a little. "I remember the first time I encountered that projection of you when I regained my dream powers upon my return. I must say, I didn't imagine an evil version of yourself to look so much like my dark form, Nightmare Moon. Are you sure you weren't secretly envious of her, just a little? I hate to compliment such a foul creature, but Nightmare Moon was good looking. I can see why she left such a strong impression on ponies."
Celestia laughed as well, even though she didn't find it all that funny. If it gave her the ability to lure Luna into a false sense of security and get her to open up, she'd take a little bit of self deprecating humor. "I assure you, I was never jealous of Nightmare Moon, or of you, despite what my darker self might have led you to believe," Then she added. "You wouldn't wish to see me become that, would you sister? Surely, you would not subject yourself to the agony I had to endure for a thousand years?"
"No, I would rather die than be forced to turn on you again, sister!" Luna vowed, pounding her hooves on the table. "And if this is all some secret test or prank, it's not funny and I want no part of it!"
"Then please, for your own sake, you must tell what is troubling you!" Celestia pleaded quite insistently, shooting Luna her best pair of puppy dog eyes as she all but dropped to her knees in a begging pose. "Luna, I can't stand the thought that something might be wrong and that there's nothing I can do to help you. Without you, I will have nopony to interpret my dreams when they become visions of the future. And worse still, I may lose you to the darkness forever, and I can't live without you, not even now that Cadence and Twilight are alicorns!"
Luna opened her mouth to speak, but then she paused and clammed up. Should she really tell her sister about the Tantabus? What would Celestia think of such a creation, especially if she knew of its origins and intent? Up til now, Luna had prided herself on keeping the existence of the Tantabus secret, even from her sister from whom she could hide almost nothing. "The Tantabus couldn't have gotten that far! I should be able to track it down within the dreams of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and without assistance. No need to worry my sister unnecessarily." She thought to herself, and thus she only said to her sister. "I... cannot discuss this with you, dear sister. If you knew of what I have tried to hide, you would surely turn against me."
"Luna, you mustn't keep secrets from me!" Celestia insisted. "Aren't you aware of what happened the last time you tried to do that?"
Luna reluctantly nodded, but she only said. "I am aware, but I still cannot discuss such a matter with you. However, I would be open to the possibility of taking to a trusted third party. Somepony that will keep the matters discussed confidential."
At that comment, Celestia paused and a faint glint seemed to come into her eyes. But if she was at all up to anything, she didn't show it. She merely presented a small business card to Luna and told her. "I believe this will help you greatly, my dear sister. This pony is a direct descendent of the pony who helped me to cope with the first few years of your long absence. She's a very skilled therapist with a resume and clientele to match. I've no doubt that she'll be able to help you with your problem, whatever it may be."
Luna examined the card carefully, checking for any hidden details. Be they a faint smudge of ink, a scribble not so cleverly hidden from sight, an address or name known to be false, or even some secret message on either side of the card. Nothing about it seemed phony, everything was as it should be. Even the name sounded professional. The card read: "Sunshine Smiles: Determined to help you find that light at the end of your tunnel."
"Please, Luna. You must do this!" Celestia again pleaded. "Either for my sake, or for your own."
"But what about my duties as Princess of the Night?" Luna asked with concern. "What will happen if I don't return by nightfall?"
Celestia just winked. "Don't worry, Luna. I have a feeling Sunshine Smiles will be very understanding if you need to cut your time short. Few ponies ever solve their problems on their very first therapy session."
Luna reluctantly accepted the card, and sighed. "Very well, I suppose I'll give this therapist a try," She then got up from her chair and with a yawn she added. "That is, after I take my customary early morning nap."
"You do that, Luna. And I hope you sleep well." Celestia politely responded, watching as her sister departed from the kitchen without another word, and without grabbing a bite to eat. "Oh Luna, I just know you're going to love talking to Sunshine Smiles." She thought to herself.
Luna spent most of her nap trying to hunt down the Tantabus, to no avail. With Twilight and her friends all awake, she couldn't enter their dreams to check if the Tantabus resided there. And a search of the few ponies that the six mares knew who were also asleep at the time, turned up no trace of the Tantabus anywhere. "Curses, how could something I created become so good at hiding from me?!" She thought to herself. "It was never supposed to do any of this!"
When Luna awoke, she felt refreshed and invigorated. After a quick shower and a little bit of time spent combing her mane and tail to look presentable, she set off for the location of Sunshine Smile's office. To her surprise, said office resided within the confines of the castle. Just across the courtyard and on the first floor of the tower Celestia often resided in when not on her royal throne. Luna found this fact most peculiar, what kind of therapist would choose to live in a castle, let alone in the one that housed the rulers of Equestria? Come to think of it, Luna couldn't remember ever having seen this office anywhere before, and she knew she had come this way at least twice (probably more than that when she was still small and regaining her powers, thus needing the comfort of her big sister to get her through the night).
The princess shook her head. "I'm thinking way too much about this, especially in my still sleep deprived state," She thought to herself. "I simply never noticed this detail before on any of my visits, because I was not aware of it and thus didn't think to look for it. I'm sure that if I had known this place existed, I would've looked out for it and spotted it long before this point," With a sigh, Luna reluctantly reached a hoof out and knocked on the door. "I hope I'm making the right decision by coming here. The Tantabus and the problems it's created are my burden and my burden alone to bear. The things I do to alleviate my sister's concerns."
The door swung open, and a warm and friendly voice called out. "Ah, you must be my next client. Please, do come in and make yourself comfortable."
Luna did so, and she was instantly greeted with the sight of an office that seemed almost out of place in the city of Canterlot. Whereas most buildings were built and designed to be as lavish as possible, this office seemed almost comforting in its simplicity. Just a soft, carpeted floor, and simple but soothing colors that made up the roof and walls. There was no receptionist's desk or chairs, let alone any sembelence of a waiting room. Instead, at the end of a short hallway, resided the door to what was likely Sunshine Smile's personal office. And there stood a mare who Luna presumed to be Sunshine Smiles herself. She had a beautiful yellow coat that was almost the same color as the sun when it first rose in the east, her mane and tail appeared to be a simple pink in color, while her eyes were the beautiful blue color of a cloud free sky on a sunlit day. Her cutie mark depicted a smiling sun, not that Luna had expected anything else.
The mare approached Luna, and lightly shook her hoof as she introduced herself. "As you've probably guessed, my name is Sunshine Smiles, professional therapist. Your sister sent a message informing me that you would be arriving here, Luna. Or do you prefer Princess Luna?" Sunshine spoke with a warm and gentle tone, not unlike that of a warm breeze on a lovely Spring day.
"Please, just Luna will do, thank you," Luna nodded, returning the hoofshake. "I am... pleased to see you, even if I came here mostly to please my overly worried sister."
"It's what sisters do," Sunshine replied, as she used her magic (which Luna noticed seemed to have the same color to its aura as that of her older sister) to put on a pair of red tinted glasses. She then instructed. "But we can discuss these matters more in depth once you're in my private quarters. If you'll kindly step this way, Luna."
Luna did so, and it wasn't long before she was firmly inside what seemed like a traditional therapist's office, complete with a long reclining sofa that almost liked like it had come from another town over or so.
Clearing her throat, Sunshine grabbed a quill and paper, and motioned for Luna to sit down on the couch. "Please, make yourself comfortable, Luna. I find it much easier to discuss the issues with my clients once they're in a relaxed state of mind."
Reluctantly, Luna did so, the couch just barely fit her length wise. "So, this is what waking world therapy feels like?" She thought to herself. "Perhaps I should consider this approach the next time I confront a pony struggling to deal with their fears? I have netted a few successes, most noticeably with The Cutie Mark Crusaders, but there have been those I've unintentionally frightened with my ways."
"So, Luna," Sunshine spoke up, rapping a hoof at the edge of the sofa. "Your sister tells me that you appeared... 'troubled' as she put it when you woke up this morning. Is that true?"
Luna nodded. "Indeed I was. But it's hardly the first time I've had to deal with this sort of concern," And she explained to Sunshine. "As Princess of the Night, I often tend to stay up during dark in order to guard the dream world and watch over the dreams of all, both young and old alike. And sometimes there are problems that arise which my sister is ill equipped to deal with it and require my expertise. Needless to say, sleep doesn't come easily. When possible, I have caught a few winks in the dream world to catch up. But usually I require at least a morning nap after lowering the moon. Fortunately, I have my trusty pet Tiberus to ensure I'm not disturbed."
"Tiberus, eh?" Sunshine commented, lifting her glasses for a moment. "Please, tell me more about him. What's he like?"
Luna smiled. "Tiberus is an opossum, one that I found on one of my night time strolls about a year or two after my return. By now it should be common knowledge I was banished to the moon for a thousand years, no?"
Sunshine nodded. "Yes, though I also remember that many still regard Nightmare Moon as nothing but an old legend. Anyway, is there anything more you can tell me about Tiberus? Any details at all?"
"But I thought this therapy was about me, not my pet?" Luna questioned.
"It is, but I find it helps to build a bridge with my clients before I make a major effort to try and discuss and diagnose their problems," Sunshine explained to Luna, as she jotted down a few notes. "So tell me, what kind of pet is Tiberus like? Is he playful, protective, demanding, uptight, scary?"
"Oh no no no, nothing along those lines," Luna retorted with a firm shake of her head. She found it hard not to sigh, as she fondly recalled all the happy memories she had with Tiberus. "Aside from having to clean up after him per my sister's orders, Tiberus is a very well behaved and friendly pet. He loves cuddling and like me he prefers the peace and quiet of nighttime to be active. Fortunately, while he has a big appetite, he's not very picky when it comes to his food. He usually eats whatever I give him. And in return, I can always count on him to keep watch while I sleep. Regrettably, however, Tiberus is away for right now. It's mating season, and I can tell he longs for a family of his own. I just pray that should he find one, he won't have to leave me behind. The only other pet I ever had, was an owl when I was just a little filly. But my parents wouldn't let me keep it, it kept shedding feathers and bringing back presents from outside."
"Sounds like you and Tiberus are very close," Sunshine commented, jotting down more notes on her pad. "So, tell me, Luna, what is it that caused you not to sleep even remotely well last night? Is it possible for a princess to have nightmares?"
Luna seemed to hesitate for a moment, and her lips quivered, before she reluctantly confessed. "As ashamed as I am to admit it, yes. The nightmares began before my banishment, and at first they were harmless enough. It was through these nightmares that I first encountered the nightmare forces. They tempted me, exploited my fears and concerns, and played to my feelings of jealousy and anger. The end result, was my decision to embrace the darkness and block out the sun in order to force my subjects to appreciate the splendor of my night. But that caused me to become Nightmare Moon, and if you've heard the stories then you know what happened next."
"I can sense that this... Nightmare Moon you mention is something you regret deeply," Sunshine noted. "But tell me, why is that so? Aren't you and Nightmare Moon technically separate entities?"
"No, I despise any such notion! Even my own sister has sometimes made that mistake in my presence!" Luna bellowed, slipping into her Royal Canterlot tone of voice, which caused the very room to shake and Sunshine's glasses to almost fly right off her face! Realizing her mistake, Luna blushed and lowered the volume a little, even as she continued to angrily rant. "It would be too easy to say that I was not in control, that Nightmare Moon was not my decision or my responsibility! While I may have been 'influenced' by the nightmare forces into being their pawn, the fact of the matter is I still chose to accept their terms! I acted irrationally, simply because I wasn't willing to talk things out with my sister, and thus I bear the responsibility for everything that Nightmare Moon said and did! Even upon my return, I was still at first jealous and full of rage, for I thought that everypony had forgotten about me! It was only once the Elements of Harmony found new bearers and purged me of my darker self, that I realized such was not the case! But while I at first made the mistake of wanting to forget about my past as Nightmare Moon, I soon came to realize that like it or not it was my legacy, and thus my burden!"
"Burden?" Sunshine asked, as she slowly pushed her glasses back into their proper place.
Luna nodded once again. "Yes, burden. I could never allow myself to forget that experience, because if I did I knew it would inevitably happen again. That is why I had to resort to 'extreme measures' to ensure I was always reminded of my painful lesson."
Upon hearing Luna speak the words "Extreme Measures", Sunshine Smiles suddenly felt her heart fill with dread. Whatever Luna was about to tell her, she was sure she wasn't going to like hearing it. But it was her job as a therapist to help her client overcome the issue or issues most troubling them, and in order to do that she would have to get as many details as she could, even if that meant having to press in areas her client might not necessarily be comfortable discussing. Still, sensing that this could get heavy, she retreated but for a moment and soon came back with a tea set that had seen better days. It was old and worn, the paint almost chipping away in spots.
"What is the meaning of this?" Luna inquired of her therapist, as she sat up on the couch. "I thought I was here to discuss the matters concerning my inability to get even a few hours worth of good sleep the previous night, not sip tea like some little filly."
Sunshine only laughed, as she poured herself a cup and offered one to Luna. "I thought a princess like you would understand more than anypony else, tea is not just for little fillies playing tea party and dressing up," She commented with a smile. "For centuries, tea has been known to have a powerful calming effect when drunk under the right circumstances. I'm not sure what these 'extreme measures' you've mentioned are, but I can sense they involve a subject very personal to you. One that carries with a lot of emotional baggage. It might be wise to have something to calm the nerves, just in case. It worked wonders with your sister when my ancestor Sunshine Goodness was helping her cope with your absence. And it's been a well known fact that the royal family extending back to your grandmother, believed fully well in the healing and spiritual powers associated with tea. Surely, a cup before you discuss any further will at least hopefully unnerve you a bit."
Luna eyed the tea cup very skeptically. A part of her felt very thirsty, and that tea seemed like just the thing to quench her thirst. But was she really going to sip tea from a mare she didn't even know all that well? What if this mare held some kind of grudge against her and was going to poison her? Or what if she had secretly slipped something into the tea that would make Luna talk about anything and everything, even if the alicorn would rather it be kept to herself? At last, against her better judgement, Luna enveloped the cup with her magic and slowly put it up to her lips. The tea worked its way down her throat very slowly, yet once she'd drunk it, the tea seemed to have an almost soothing effect, as if the princess were doing induced into a trance of some kind. "What did you put in this tea? It's like nothing I've ever consumed before. I must know what the ingredients are." Luna demanded of Sunshine.
"It's a family recipe, passed down from generation to generation," Sunshine explained and gave a knowing wink. "It's a secret that I will take with me to my grave, unless of course I have foals of my own that follow in my hoofsteps."
"Curses! So secretive and mysterious! I swear, she's almost as sneaky as my sister!" Luna thought to herself. Knowing that she couldn't pry any details from such a pony, she just lay back down on the therapy sofa as Sunshine sat back down in her chair and made sure her glasses were secured properly. "Well, I suppose now you want to know what I meant earlier when I mentioned the 'Extreme Measures' I took to make sure I wouldn't become Nightmare Moon again, correct?" She asked of Sunshine.
Sunshine didn't nod or even smile, she simply encouraged. "I would like that very much, but I can't force you to confront anything if you're not ready to address it. I can try to nudge and steer the conversation towards that, but in the end it must be you who chooses to confront whatever it is that troubles you. After all, as Princess of the Night and guardian of the dream world, I'm sure you know how fear works and how it must be overcome. So, if you're ready, please enlighten me on the details."
Luna sighed yet again, but this time the sigh was long and drawn out, indicating that whatever was about to be discussed was not going to be easy for the alicorn. But it had to be done, Sunshine seemed intent on getting an answer, and if she didn't, Celestia probably would. "There's...no easy way to describe what I'm about to tell you. And I ask that you please not judge me for it."
"It's not my place to pass judgement on the actions of my clients," Sunshine reassured Luna, lightly patting her on the head. "Now, if you would be so kind. But know that you're free to stop at any time."
But Luna only adopted a rather serious and even seemingly regretful tone of voice, as she elaborated in no unclear terms. "I ended up drawing on my experiences from my time as the nightmare forces' pawn, and was able to create a being that I dubbed Tantabus," She appeared to shudder a little, as she went on. "It was a small, whispy little thing that was supposed to be harmless enough and pose no threat to anypony. All it was intended to do, was make it so that my dreams would always involve the same nightmare over and over again. In the nightmare, I'm alone in the palace with nopony in sight. Only six ponies chosen by harmony seek to stop me, but they never arrive in time to prevent my transformation into Nightmare Moon. At first they wielded only the Elements of Harmony, then later they took up a new form I've been told they call 'Rainbow Power'. But no matter what they use against me, it never works. They are always defeated, and I laugh and cackle at my victory, before I proceed to plunge the entire world into eternal night, forever! But last night, it was different. It seems I underestimated the extent to which the Tantabus could have an influence, or just how powerful I had made it."
Unsurprisingly, even though she wrote down as many details as she could, Sunshine was horrified by what Luna was telling her! Still, she managed to find the courage to ask. "So, what happened? I take it you wouldn't tell me about this without a reason."
"Yes," Luna said to Sunshine, then she reluctantly added. "The Tantabus somehow escaped from my dream, and is most likely hiding out somewhere within the dreams of Twilight Sparkle or one of her friends. Which one, I'm afraid I can't say for sure as they're all currently awake. And I fear that if any of them dream of anypony else, the Tantabus will escape to the dreams of those ponies and grow stronger. Soon it may even grow powerful enough to develop a physical form and enter the waking world."
"I see," Sunshine commented with concern. "And does your sister know about any of this?"
Luna firmly shook her head in protest. "No, my sister's magic has no power in the dream world. But I wish more than ever that it did, and that she was aware of this problem. Oh, I can't believe I was so stupid as to not tell her all this myself! What was I thinking?!" And she hung her head in shame and guilt.
But then, all of a sudden, Luna could not believe the sight that unfolded before her very eyes! "So, you really don't recognize me, do you?" Sunshine asked, as she approached Luna and looked liked she was going to take off her glasses.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Luna commented in response. "Should I know you?"
In response, Sunshine took off her glasses, and taking a towel she rubbed the spot on her flanks were her cutie mark was, revealing itself not as a smiling sun but just a normal sun. Luna realized at once who that cutie mark belonged to! "Sister?!" She happily squealed, albeit with some surprise!
"That's right, it's me, Luna!" Celestia revealed, as her horn lit up and she transformed to her normal appearance in the blink of an eye. "I'm sorry I had to lie to you and trick you like this, sister. But it was the only way I could find out what was troubling you," She added with tears in her eyes. "I thought we agreed not to keep such big secrets from each other like this? Not after what happened last time."
Luna, with tears in her eyes, threw herself into her sister's embrace and apologized profusely! "Celestia, I'm sorry! But I thought for sure you wouldn't understand about the Tantabus! You'd think I was conspiring against you!"
"Luna, why would I ever think something like that?!" Celestia asked somberly. "I seriously want to know! It's like you don't know me at all! After everything we've been through over the years, and after the 1,000 years of separation, why would I believe you'd conspire against me a second time?!"
"I... don't know, I really don't know," Luna apologized, sobbing heavily. "I just got scared once Nightmare Moon was defeated! She'd keep haunting my dreams, promising to come back! I couldn't let myself be tempted, all I could think about was making sure I remembered how terrible Nightmare Moon was, so I'd know why I couldn't ever go back to being her or rise up against you! I never intended for any of this to happen, it was just supposed to be a harmless way for me to keep myself on the straight and narrow path."
"Yet look what you were doing to yourself, dear sister," Celestia commented, while she lightly stroked Luna's mane to try and calm her sister down like she used to do. "You were torturing and tormenting yourself, all behind my back and in a place where I couldn't get to you. And look at what you're doing now, look at the pony you've become since all of that. If you were truly still tempted by the darkness, you wouldn't be so afraid of it."
"But sister, what if I ever do turn against you for one reason or another?" Luna asked with worry. "What will happen if we are driven apart again, or I'm forced to rise up against you?"
Celestia was silent for a moment, as she allowed her sister to blow her nose with a tissue. But then she spoke in a soft and gentle voice. "I understand your concerns, Luna. I've had many a sleepless night worrying about them myself. But I learned long ago that it doesn't do good to dwell too much on the 'What Ifs' of the past, and even the possibilities of the future, as we can't truly change either of them. The past is in the past, we can only learn from it. The future is determined by our present, in what we say and do, and fail to say and do. It's our job to learn from the past, to face the challenges of the present, in order to leave a better future. So do you understand now? You can't let yourself worry to the degree where it paralyzes you with fear. In the end it never does you any good, it just leaves you feeling worse and prevents you from truly coping with and learning from your mistakes."
Luna continued to sob for a little bit, but gradually her sobs deminished until at last they ceased entirely. "I'm so sorry, Celestia. I never meant for any of this to happen!" She apologized, and then with newfound determination she declared. "Now it's up to me to make things right! I shall lure the Tantabus back on my own, I created it and part of it is still obedient to my commands. The time has come for me to atone for my past mistakes, and finally put them to bed for good."
Surprised and concerned, Celestia asked Luna. "Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you into the dream world? I could do it just this one with my own power."
But Luna stomped her hoof down, as she firmly insisted. "No, you need only rest, my dear sister. I created the Tantabus, so it's my responsibility and therefore my burden! I can't ask you to risk yourself for me, we both know what you risk by coming to the dream world on your own power. Besides, I'm not a scared little filly who has to cower behind you anymore. The time has come for me to truly step out of your shadow and be my own mare."
Celestia sighed. Her sister seemed quite determined if the expression in her eyes was any determination. It was the same look of determination she was used to seeing in the eyes of her former student (and now fellow princess) whenever she took on a challenge from her mentor. When a pony got like that, there wasn't much that could be done to talk them out of whatever they were about to do. She reluctantly relented. "Very well, Luna. But if you need me, I trust you know how to enter my dreams?"
"Indeed I do, but I assure you I can manage just fine on my own," Luna commented. "But thank you, sister, for the appreciation and concern. I doubt anypony else would've done what you did for me today, you are truly the best sister I could ask for!"
Celestia just smiled. But deep down she was worried, even though she kept it confined to the deepest part of her mind. "What else are you are keeping secret from me, Luna? What else do you not wish to trouble me with? I just want to help you, but I'm not a mind reader." She thought to herself.
That very night, Luna found herself alone in the confines of her dream. Nopony was around to help her this time, and her dreams were what they usually were, calm and serene. But they would not be that way for long, as the Princess of the Night took a deep breath, and then called out. "Tantabus! Hear my voice and do as you are told! You shall terrorize the innocent no longer! Come back to me so we can end this!"
Sure enough, the Tantabus slowly came creeping back. And not surprisingly, it took the form of Nightmare Moon in all her wickedness, cackling like crazy! "Ah, hello Luna! A pleasure to see you again!"
"Nightmare Moon, I might have figured you'd show up again." Luna commented with narrowed eyebrows.
"So, have you finally given up trying to fight the darkness?" Nightmare Moon taunted, flashing a toothy grin. "Are you ready to accept that I AM you?"
"You may be a part of me, as much as I hate to admit it," Luna spoke, her tone of voice slowly rising as her confidence began to build up. "But you are NOT me, and you won't exist independent of me in any way, shape, or form, ever again!I I am the Princess of the Night, protector of the dream world, and the rightful and respected co-ruler of Equestria alongside my sister! No longer am I a darkness loving tyrant like you, or the scared little filly who feared you for far too long! You and the Tantabus exist because of me, a mistake I shall rectify this instant!"
As Luna spoke these words, Nightmare Moon suddenly found herself being pulled towards Luna! Slowly, the Tantabus found that it couldn't maintain the form it was in, and try as it might it could not escape as Luna slowly walked up to it! The Tantabus had now grown to the size of a fully fledged alicorn, one even bigger than Celestia! But Luna wasn't afraid, she just approached the Tantabus and reached a hoof out to it, even as it briefly reverted to Nightmare Moon! "What are you doing?! You're a fool to deny the power I brought you! If we joined together again, we could truly prevail over Celestia and rule Equestria forever!"
"Sorry, that offer has expired!" Luna taunted. "And now, Nightmare Moon, I think it's time you got a much needed time out! Go to your room, you're grounded!" And with that, she recalled the Tantabus back into herself!
"Nooooooooooooooo!" Nightmare Moon screamed, even as she began to revert back to the Tantabus! "Mark my words, you can't be rid of me forever, Luna! Somehow, someway, I will be back! I'll remember thhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiissssssss!"
In a matter of seconds it was all over, the Tantabus was nomore, pulled back into the neck of its creator. And Luna stood there in the dreamscape for a moment, triumphant but very tired. "When was the last time I ever had a night off?" She asked herself, and almost instinctively she began to lay down and close her eyes. Normally, Luna would avoid falling asleep in the dream realm. But tonight, she felt she'd more than earned a rest. She had finally overcome her greatest fear, and all with the help of her big sister.
But just before she dozed off, Luna found herself wondering. "If Celestia was able to hide all those pains from me for so long, what else has she been hiding from me? Perhaps I should talk to her someday, preferably once I've gotten enough sleep to think properly."
It had been a few weeks since the fateful opening (and almost closing) of Canterlot Carousel, and business was booming. Having found herself with some free time to spare, Rarity opted to stop by her second boutique in her expanding fashion empire, and lend Sassy Saddles a hoof. Of course, she had another reason for wanting to be in Canterlot, but although Rarity cared deeply about it, her dedication to the boutique came first. Business before pleasure as they always said.
Rarity was currently hard at work, moving a trio of carefully crafted dresses that resided on poles. She was placing them near the front window so that potential customers passing by might take notice of them. "Oh, Sassy Saddles, don't you just love my new Femme Mystique Chic line of gowns?" She happily asked her business partner and manager.
Sassy Saddles eyed the dresses carefully, and let out a gasp! She could hardly believe the amount of detail that had gone into them. "Why sequins and sashes, Rarity, they're absolutely exquisite! Where in Equestria did you find the inspiration?" She immediately asked.
Rarity happily confessed. "Oh, I modeled them after the adventures of Shadow Spade. Her stories are always full of mystery and suspense and, best of all... fabulous costumes! I've read her books multiple times since I was a filly, she always believes no detail is too small or insignificant to be overlooked."
"Oh, they're absolutely perfect! I have a feeling these dresses will be big hits!" Sassy happily exclaimed, before she took notice of something Rarity was doing and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Uh, what are you doing?" She asked Rarity.
While humming to herself, Rarity told Sassy. "Oh, uh, just making some minor adjustments here and there," She proceeded to blow on the dresses to shake off any dust or cobwebs that might have gathered on the dress. She then began moving the poles the dresses were on so they would be displayed in just the right place. "Shadow Spade always believes it all comes down to attention to detail. And so do I. If I'm going to market these dresses, they've got to exact replicas of the ones Shadow Spade wears, and they need to be in the perfect spot to attract customers," After a bit of moving around, Rarity found just the right place to put the dresses, and with a smile she proclaimed. "There! Now it's perfect."
But just then, the front door swung open rather suddenly, and threw itself up against the wall! Rainbow Dash came flying in a second later. "Hey girls, how's it-" She began, only to hear a crash and notice Rarity and Sassy become entangled in a pile of dresses that were now scattered across the boutique floor. With a nervous laugh, Rainbow quickly added in apology. "-Oops. My bad." And in her mind she was silently pleading. "Please don't let them hold this against me."
Rainbow quickly went to work helping to clean up the mess she'd inadvertently made. And of course, she was quick to apologize to Rarity and Sassy. "Sorry I messed up your dress thingy, girls."
Sassy sighed, but refrained from raising her voice. "That's alright. Nothing we can't fix in a stitch," She told Rainbow Dash, and then asked. "But what are you doing in Canterlot, especially here of all places? I thought Rarity told me you don't usually like to wear dresses."
"I don't, and that's not what I'm here," Rainbow replied. "I came here 'cause I heard Rarity was gonna be here, and there was something I wanted to ask her. Guess I should've knocked first though."
Rarity just smiled, dusting herself off. "Do you need my help with something, darling? I thought you were here for the opening of Princess Celestia's royal garden tomorrow." She inquired of her rainbow maned friend.
The cyan speedster gave a nervous chuckle, stroking the back of her neck with a hoof. "Well, kind of," She explained. "The Wonderbolts are gonna perform at the ceremony tomorrow, kicking things off with an aerial display. But, I'm not gonna be flying with them."
"Why? I thought you were part of The Wonderbolts now." Sassy inquired.
"Not really, I'm still just a reserve member. I was just the lucky one they called up in case somepony gets sick or can't fly, so I can take their place as a backup flyer," Rainbow explained. "And... I was kind of hoping Rarity could accompany me. I do get some perks as a reserve member. I'll still get to stay in the castle with the other Wonderbolts, and eat awesome food at the dinner tonight. But I really need somepony to talk to, to help keep my mind off the fact that I'm gonna be so close to the action, but still not performing. Spitfire says I'm not ready to graduate yet, and there aren't any openings at the moment, which totally stinks."
Rarity quickly patted her friend with a hoof. "I know it can't be easy for you to know that you've come so far, and yet you're still not quite a full fledged Wonderbolt yet. That modesty of yours is greatly appreciated, and I'm sure it won't be long before you're working your way up the ranks. In fact, I daresay you might just become captain yourself someday in the forseeable future." She said, all the while speaking in a sweet tone of voice.
Rainbow felt her cheeks flushing red. "Rarity, stop it!" She demanded, though not very loudly. "You're embarrassing me, really. All I wanted to know was, if you were gonna be at the dinner tonight? A simple yes or no would've been fine."
"Sorry, guess I got a bit carried away," Rarity apologized, but then added. "But to answer your question, Rainbow Dash, heavens, yes! A chance to dress up, be charming and show off my newest femme mystique couture? I wouldn't miss it for all of Equestria."
"Great! See ya tonight!" Rainbow eagerly replied and zipped away, though not before she added. "And thanks for the moral support, Rarity!" She closed the door a bit too loudly, thus rattling the dresses that had just been put back on display. Fortunately, they didn't crash, much to the relief of both Rarity and Sassy.
In fact, Sassy had her own observations to pass on to her employer about what had just transpired. "Why, Rarity, I daresay you could sweet talk a foal out of candy." She commented.
Rarity only playfully laughed as she responded. "Oh, it was nothing. Besides, nopony minds a compliment. Now, you simply must help me pick out an outfit for tonight. Something from the new collection, of course. This is a big chance to really push them to potential clients! By the end of tonight, we could very well be swimming in orders!"
Later that evening, Rarity had put on a simple white gown from the new collection, and had shown up to the castle for the dinner. It wasn't anything special, just a formal meet and eat for those interested in attending. Even so, Rarity took some relief in the fact that she wasn't the only one dressed up for the occasion, even though she seemed to be the most dressed up of everypony gathered.
Rainbow Dash was glad to see Rarity, and quickly led her to the main hall where the dinner was being held. "Come on, let's grab some grub!" She said to her friend.
Rarity grabbed a plate with her magic, but as she was busy looking over the food and deciding on what to eat, she caught a whiff of a rather strong but pleasant smell. A smell that she was fairly certain she knew the identity of. "Mm, is that Juniper Phoenix I smell?" She asked out loud.
"No, it's broccoli!" Rainbow replied, munching on some of the aforementioned vegetable that was now on her plate.
But Rarity kept sniffing, she was sure her nose wasn't playing tricks on her. And sure enough, an aged masculine voice responded by saying. "Yeah, Juniper Phoenix is one of my favorite stallion colognes. I've worn it for years."
Rarity soon discovered that the owner of the voice was a somewhat elderly looking pegasus stallion with light grayish cerulean coat that seemed a bit pale in shade. He had a dark lime greenish-gray mane and tail, which had yellowish-greenish gray stripes. Both looked surprisingly well kept for the most part, as did his eyes of brilliant amber. And although he wore a brown and black flight jacket with the Wonderbolts logo on it, and a white scarf around his neck, his cutie mark was easily seen. It depicted a flight hat and goggles, not unlike the kind ponies piloting those strange flying machines wore.
Delighted to have meet the stallion to whom the cologne scent belonged to, Rarity began to chat. "Oh, it's one of my favorite colognes as well. It's so masculine and yet—" As Rarity spoke she didn't seem to be aware of Rainbow dropping her plate in shock, causing it to fall to the ground and smash into pieces. "—also soft with the barest hint of floral notes and—"
Just then, Rainbow appeared and hushed her friend as she told her! "Rarity! Don't you know who this is?!"
Unable to guess what Rainbow expected her to see, Rarity simply answered. "A gentlepony with fabulous taste in colognes and scarves perhaps?"
"No, it's Wind Rider!" Rainbow shook her head.
"Oh! So nice to meet you Mr. Wind Rider sir!" Rarity greeted.
Rainbow explained quite furiously. "You didn't let me finish! He's a living legend. He holds the Wonderbolt record in the Mustang Marathon! Of all the Wonderbolts, he's one of my personal favorites!"
"Always nice to meet another fan," The old stallion laughed. "But that Mustang Marathon was a long time ago. Honestly, I can't believe I still hold the record. I guess nopony else has ever been able to get the chance."
"Ah, Wind Rider, there you are!" Spitfire called out, appearing besides the stallion. "I see you've already met Rainbow Dash! I tell you, she's one of our most promising Reserves. In fact, she just might beat your record one of these days."
But Rainbow played it off. "Oh, heh, I'm nowhere near as good as you. I mean, I'm fast, but I don't have the endurance to go long distances. Besides, I'm not looking to break records, though I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to unintentionally breaking them."
"Ah, don't be so modest," Spitfire teased, lightly tapping a hoof against Rainbow. "A little practice and you'll be beating records in no time, just like Wind Rider in his prime."
With a laugh, Wind Rider commented. "Well, it's nice to meet you fillies. Now if you'll excuse me." And he went off to do other things.
"Not as nice as it is to meet you, sir," Rainbow said with a sigh. Then, barely containing a laugh she squealed! "I can't believe I just met Wind Rider! This is so amazing!"
"Yeah," Misty Fly explained. "He's going to be coming out of retirement to take the spot of honor in the center of our aerial flower formation tomorrow. It'll be a real treat for the fans."
Rainbow gasped, she could hardly believe her ears! "Really? That's so incredible!" But then she felt her heart sank as she realized where she'd be while all the action was unfolding. "Guess I'll just watch Wind Rider being awesome from the sidelines... Practice tomorrow is gonna be so boring." She complained.
Fortunately, Rarity was quick to offer. "Well, I don't suppose I could keep you company? Could I?"
Surprised at this, Rainbow turned around and quickly hugged Rarity as she exclaimed! "You could! They always let friends and family come and watch practices!" It was then that she noticed that she'd unintentionally spilled a cup of punch on Rarity's dress, as she heard a splash, and Rarity let out a groan of protest.
"Oops. Heh, sorry about that," Rainbow apologized. "Lemme help you clean that up." She proceeded to spit into her hooves.
Rarity backed away a little, as she replied. "Uh, no-no, it's almost impossible to get such stains out of silk. But not to worry. I've come prepared! You never knew when a fashion emergency will strike." Rarity proceeded to light up her horn, and brought forth a huge chest. She quickly swapped out her stained silk dress, for a similarly looking one stored within it, and sent the chest with the stained dress away.
When the dinner had concluded, Rarity accompanied Rainbow Dash and Spitfire to their sleeping quarters. And again, Rarity expressed her gratefulness to her friend. "That dinner was absolutely divine. Thanks for inviting me!"
"Hey, what are friends for? Am I right?" Rainbow jabbed.
Rarity just nodded, then took notice of where Rainbow and Spitfire were going to stay for the night. "Ooh, you're going to be staying in the east tower? You're so lucky, I've heard those rooms have the best view of Canterlot!"
"How lucky are we?" Spitfire commented, and then said to Rainbow. "Well, we better get some shuteye before practice." And the door slammed shut behind her.
"Guess I'll see you tomorrow, Rarity!" Rainbow said to Rarity, as she turned towards the door.
"Good night! Sweet dreams!" Rarity called, and then departed from the tower.
The next day, Rarity was with Rainbow at the track set up for the Wonderbolts to practice and perform. Rainbow mostly just sat on the sidelines, watching the other Wonderbolts zoom past overhead, while Rarity worked some sunscreen into her coat. "Thanks again for keeping me company, Rarity," She said with a sigh. "If you weren't here, well, I don't know who I'd be talking to right now."
But suddenly, Soarin landed on the stand in front of the two mares, and took off his flight goggles as he said with a laugh. "Eh, you'd be talkin' to me," And then he explained. "Rainbow Dash, Spitfire's mom sent a message last night that she was sick. So Spitfire had to leave to take care of her."
"Oh, no! I hope her mom's okay!" Rainbow gasped. "I know I'd hate to hear one of my parents were sick."
"Yeah, I hope so too, and I feel the same way," Soarin replied with a nod. "But in the meantime, we need you to fly in her place."
"L-Like, in the actual show?" Rainbow asked, hoping she wasn't hearing things.
"Unless Spitfire comes back, yes," Soarin replied firmly. "After all, with Spitfire away, the chain of command dictates I call the shots. So what I say goes."
"I won't let you down, Soarin!" Rainbow firmly vowed, then spun up into the sky as she proclaimed! "This is the best thing ever! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Then, as she performed a series of odd moves in mid-air, she said in a sing-song voice. "I'm gonna get to fly with Wind Rider and the Wonderbolts, 'cause I'm the bestest and I'm awesome and they know it! Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh..."
"Uh...Rainbow Dash?" Soarin called, unsure what to make of all this.
But Rarity just shushed Soarin and told him. "Let her have this, darling. It's not everyday you get to fly alongside your idols."
Rainbow Dash was soon flying high in the sky with the other Wonderbolts, busy enjoying every moment possible. This was like a dream come true for her. And Rarity, while she was never truly fascinated by the Wonderbolts, she was still delighted to see their splendid performance and see her friend so happy.
Then, unexpectedly, an older looking mare with a coat, mane and tail, and eyes all similar in color to Spitfire, appeared. She had a purple jacket on, and was wearing a beaded necklace. Her cutie mark was an orange colored rocket. "Hello there!" Rarity greeted politely. "Friend or family?"
"Family," The mare replied in a warm and soft tone. "My daughter's a Wonderbolt, but I don't see her up there. Do you know Spitfire by any chance?"
Rarity quickly realized who this pony must be, and she was quite surprised. "Ooh, so you're Spitfire's mom? But what are you doing here? I thought you were sick."
"What?" Spitfire's mom replied, as if she had no idea about any of this.
"Well, Spitfire got a note from you saying you weren't feeling well, and she went home to take care of you." Rarity explained.
"I didn't send a note. I'm fit as a fiddle, and I'd know if I'd sent a letter like that." Spitfire's mom insinisted.
"That's so strange," Rarity commented. "Could it be that Spitfire misread one of your past letters that got delayed or lost in the mail?"
"Maybe, but not likely. I haven't been sick for a long time." Spitfire's mom told Rarity.
Just then, Soarin flew by, and when he saw Spitfire's mom he almost did a double take. "Stormy Flare? Aren't you supposed to be sick or something?" He asked. And when Stormy Flare shook her head, Soarin began to comment. "'Kay, what's happening here? I don't like the sound of this."
"I don't know," Stormy Flare spoke up. "But I do know I didn't send my daughter a note, especially not one telling her I was sick. Something's not right."
"Could somepony have perhaps sent Spitfire a fake note?" Rarity wondered out loud.
"Maybe, but who would do such a thing?" Misty Fly asked.
Soarin quickly deduced. "Somepony who wanted her out of the show, I suppose."
"But why would anypony do that?" Rainbow asked, she had heard everything.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Wind Rider commented quite bluntly. "Maybe so they could take her spot. And I think we all know who that is." As he finished speaking this, all the Wonderbolts turned their gaze toward Rainbow, and shot her stern glances. Poor Rainbow realized, that she was suddenly facing a likely accusation for something she'd only just found out about. "What did I even do?!" She thought to herself.
Rainbow soon found out, the Wonderbolts suspected that she was responsible for Spitfire's unexpected leave of absence. Naturally, Rainbow protested the very notion that she had anything to do with it! "What?! Me?! I would never do that to Spitfire!" She insisted as innocently as she could. "Why would you even think it was me?"
"To be honest, we don't know. But you have to admit it's pretty suspicious," Blaze commented. "I saw you and my big sister leave the dinner together, which means you were the last one to see Spitfire before today."
"It's because we were roommates in the castle!" Rainbow explained. "Spitfire never mentioned anything about a letter, and she also never mentioned anything about her mother! How could I have written a letter like that without her stumbling across it?! She had to obtain my signature for the Reserve paperwork, she'd know what my hoofwriting looks like!"
"Perhaps, but the fact of the matter is you were the last one to see Spitfire before she unexpectedly had to leave," Misty Fly told Rainbow. And you did say you'd do anything to fly with Wind Rider."
Rainbow gulped and insisted. "Yeah, but I didn't mean anything. Obviously I'd draw the line at forcing her to disappear unannounced! That's not something I'd do, no matter how much I might be tempted!"
"Well actually, you weren't the last one to see Spitfire before she left," Soarin said to Rainbow. "Spitfire stopped by my room and told me she had to go see her mom at around midnight last night. So where were you then? Care to explain your alibi?"
Rainbow nodded. "I was asleep in bed by that point, I'm sure the guards on duty will tell you that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was asleep before Spitfire. So there's no way I could've waited for her to fall asleep, fake the letter, and pass it along to her. Right?"
"I'd like to believe that, Rainbow Dash. I really would," Soarin commented seriously. "But unless you can back that up with solid proof, your alibi's not airtight," As he turned to the other Wonderbolts he said to Rainbow. "Can you excuse us for a moment? You'll understand, this is a very serious situation, and protocol must be followed to the best of our ability."
Rainbow gulped, but obliged. "S-sure. Just... don't keep me in the dark for too long, 'kay?"
Soarin didn't acknowledge the reply, he just huddled together with the rest of the Wonderbolts, and they all whispered amongst each other for a bit. Then, they broke it off, and Soarin approached Rainbow again as he said to her. "I don't want to believe you'd do such a thing, Rainbow Dash. And that's why, per Wonderbolts regulations, I'm gonna give you a chance to prove your case."
"Meaning what exactly?" Rainbow asked.
"It's simple," Soarin explained. "If you can prove that somepony or something else is the reason behind Spitfire's disappearance before the start of the show, then you can still fly with us. In the meantime, Misty Fly, Blaze, head over to Stormy Flare's house and try to find Spitfire and bring her back," After the two flew off, Soarin turned back to Rainbow and warned her. "I'd start getting your facts in order if I were you, 'cause you'll have to make a pretty good case as to why you couldn't have sent that letter. And it's only fair to warn you, if turns out you did indeed send that letter, then the bylaws are clear. I'd have no choice but to ban you from the Wonderbolts forever. Understand?"
Rainbow sighed. "I understand, and thanks for giving me a chance, Soarin. Guess I owe ya one."
"Think nothing of it, I think it's only fair the accused be given a chance to clear their name," Soarin instructed. "But you'd better not waste any time, the show starts in a few hours. If you can't provide some solid evidence, I'll have no choice but to assume you did do it."
"Just great," Rainbow moaned to herself. "How am I gonna prove I didn't send a letter that I didn't send?"
"With me of course!" A familiar voiced called out, soon revealing itself as Rarity dressed up in a black detective's hat and a red trench coat. "Detective Rarity is on the case, and we are going to get to the bottom of this mystery faster than my costume change! I gurantee it!"
"Uh, Rarity, no offense but what's with the getup?" Rainbow questioned.
Rarity payed no mind to her cyan coated friend's blunt remark. "Obviously, I am channeling Shadow Spade through these gorgeous garments," She explained. "And I'm sure she would say that the best way to prove that you didn't send the letter is to find out whoever did. First stop – the scene of the crime!"
The two friends set off for the castle room, and as they did Rarity couldn't help but imagine herself as Shadow Spade in one of her crime novels. Knowing that Shadow Spade had a flair for dramatic narrations, Rarity opted to narrate a little something to herself, which went like this: "We had a long road ahead of us, Rainbow Dash and I. But, I was up for the challenge. I wasn't about to let my friend be found guilty without a darned good reason!"
They reached the castle room in which Rainbow and Spitfire had spent the night, and Rarity quickly went to work looking for clues, all the while narrating. "There I was, surveying the crime scene, and looking très chic while doing it." Rarity soon spotted an envelope on the floor and examined it. "This must be the envelope for the letter Spitfire got!" Catching a whiff of something, she opted to smell it. That particular fragrance seemed strangely familiar, as if Rarity had picked up that scent before somewhere. Then she noticed something else, traces of rainbow colored hair in a neat cut laying on the floor next to the envelope. "These look like hairs from a rainbow mane!" She exclaimed, as she placed them into a bag for safe keeping.
"Uh-oh, that's not good." Rainbow gulped.
"Maybe, or maybe not," Rarity explained. "Either way, this piece of evidence is worth holding onto for a closer inspection." Then she began to narrate: "Rainbow Dash was getting antsy, but I had faith that I could clear her name and find the real culprit."
Unaware of Rarity's narrations, Rainbow commented. "What are you doing?"
"Uh, just thinking thoughts," Rarity nervously stammered. "Come on." As they set off, Rarity narrated to herself again: "Rainbow Dash was right. In order to solve the mystery, we had to be focused. Driven. One hundred percent in the—" But then something caught her eye, namely the curtains not far from the castle room. "Ooh! The damask pattern on these curtains is exquisite!" She exclaimed. "And just look at this velvet rope-holder, it seems like it was untouched up until last night! What a travesty!"
"We don't have time to look at the décor! They're gonna kick me out of the Wonderbolts unless we solve this thing!" Rainbow complained.
But Rarity reassured her troubled friend. "That rope-holder's condition might be a clue. These curtains would make a fine hiding place for somepony trying to avoid being seen by Spitfire or the guards. And the only way they could do that, was if they used the rope-holder."
"You think somepony would hide behind curtains like a game?!" Rainbow groaned. "This is serious, Rarity!"
"I know, Rainbow, and I'm on this case like a charm on a bracelet!" Rarity replied. "I'm already beginning to think you've been framed, though the question is: By who and for what reason? Now, here's what I'm thinking: somepony had to bring Spitfire that letter, which means somepony must have seen them! And I think you know who I'm talking about!"
"The royal guards!" Rainbow exclaimed with hope! "If anypony can prove my alibi, it's them!"
Rarity and Rainbow approached the three royal guards who had been on duty the last night, and decided that for the sake of time, they would have to interrogate them a little. It was the fastest way to get any useful information out of them.
Opting for a gentle touch, Rarity politely spoke to the three guards. "Now, I just have a few questions for you, and I'm sure that once we get some things cleared up, we'll—"
But Rainbow was too impatient to wait for results! "Come on, Rarity, we don't have all day! We have to press them hard right from the start!" Then to one of the guards she demanded. "Where were you on the night of last night at midnight?! Tell me!"
Nervously, the guard answered. "We were just here, guarding the hallway entrance like we were supposed to."
"A likely story," Rainbow questioned. "Next I suppose you'll tell me the butler did it."
"Did what?" The guard asked in confusion, and then answered. "I'm telling you, we were there all night, and no one went in or out of that hallway."
"Except for you of course." Another guard confirmed.
"So what are you tryin' to say?" Rainbow asked. "You saying I'm the culprit?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but what I'm saying is simple," The guard answered. "There were only two rooms in the northwest wing: yours and Spitfire's. So the only other pony who had access to that wing was you."
Rainbow gulped yet again, so much for her alibi.
Rarity could see what was going on, and she didn't like it. In fact, she narrated to herself: "The waters were getting choppy. Rainbow Dash's tactics were, well, horrid. I figured it was time for another approach." Then while appearing on a sofa she announced. "Perhaps I should take it from here!" And she turned on her charm as she sweetly talked to the guards. "You castle guards have such a difficult job. I'm guessing that at times it can be rather... boring to say the least."
"It is," The first guard confessed. "I've counted all three hundred and forty five bolts in the ceiling tiles two hundred and ninety three times! We're never needed for anything, the princesses always handle the big problems. And when the princesses need help we quickly get taken out of commission!"
"And of course being a castle guard can be thankless work," Rarity said in a sympathetic tone. "Now, I'm not saying that you did, but if you took a break, you more than deserved it."
The guard sighed. "Oh, you're right. We don't get a lot of recognition for what we do. everypony always thinks we're useless."
"Well, except for last night," The other guard confessed. "Somepony was nice enough to leave a cake for us. So we did take one little break when we ate that cake. Maybe somepony slipped past during that point, but if they did please don't tell Captain Armor about it. We'll surely catch an earful from him about abandoning our post."
"Relax, your secret's safe with me," Rarity winked. "Now, tell me about that cake. Any details at all would be helpful. Maybe you could start by telling me what kind of cake it was?"
"Cherry with a custard filling." The guard from before answered.
"And what about the frosting? Was it vanilla or chocolate?" Rarity asked, pressing for more details.
"Chocolate." Replied the first guard.
Sensing she was onto something, Rarity pressed further still. "Was the base of the cake decorated with buttercream rosettes by any chance?"
"Yeah, it was. Found that kind of odd, but hey, you can't argue with free cake!" The guard answered.
Rainbow found herself getting fed up with the line of questioning, she failed to see how any of it was helping. "Ugh, who cares how it was decorated?! It's a cake, it probably came from a shop in town!"
Rarity narrated quickly to herself: "Rainbow Dash was questioning my methods, and rightfully so. But not to worry, for I knew what I was doing."
"Do you really?" Rainbow complained.
"Oh, oh, oh. Did I say that one out loud?" Rarity pondered. "If I did I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do it."
"I've been hearing some of your narrations, Rarity," Rainbow commented. "This isn't like one of your crime novels, this is real!" But then she hung her head and slumped down to the level of Rarity's legs as she added. "Oh, what's the use?! I mean, even I think I'm guilty at this point! And who could blame me?! I really did want to fly in that show! What if I somehow wrote that note when I was asleep?! Do you know what I do when I sleep?! Because I sure don't!"
Even though her friend was clearly distraught and ready to give up on herself, Rarity remained calm and lightly shushed Rainbow. "Oh, calm down, Rainbow Dash. We'll get to the bottom of this soon enough. For there's only one bakery in all of Canterlot that makes a chocolate cherry cake with custard filling and buttercream frosting rosettes and that's..."
Rainbow still couldn't believe where that line of thinking ultimately lead. " ...Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop! Oh, and what luck, there's Cinnamon Chai herself!" Rarity exclaimed. "Once I've heard from her, I think I can piece this all together."
Cinnamon Chai was a unicorn mare with a light brown, a darker brown mane and tail styled into a series of lovely curls, dark purple eyes, a cutie mark depicting a cinnamon stick in a drink, and a white apron. She was currently cleaning a cup with a rag. "Hello, how can I help you?" She asked, as Rarity approached her.
"I've heard you have the best chocolate cherry custard cake with buttercream frosting rosettes in town!" Rarity said to Cinnamon.
Cinnamon happily exclaimed in response! "Ah, you travel in the right circles! We have the only chocolate cherry custard cake with buttercream frosting rosettes in town!"
Eyeing a nearby display window, Rarity commented. "Oh, no. But it seems somepony's already bought it! So who was the lucky pony?"
"Oh, why I can't say!" Cinnamon answered after thinking it over for a moment.
"Why? Because it was somepony famous or something along those lines?" Rarity questioned.
Cinnamon shook her head. "No... because it was hard to tell! It was practically midnight when the customer came in, and I couldn't tell if it was a mare or a stallion. They had a light blue coat, though of what shade I couldn't tell since it was so dark. Whoever it was wore a trench coat, sunglasses, and a scarf around their head which covered most of their face. Ooh, but I do remember that when the customer spoke, he or she had a really deep, raspy voice."
"What do you mean, raspy?" Rainbow questioned from afar.
"Well, kinda like yours actually." Cinnamon answered, which prompted another gulp from Rainbow.
Rarity could sense she was onto to something, though what that was she couldn't tell. So she told Cinnamon. "If there's anything else you can remember about the client, dish."
Cinnamon briefly pondered, then told Rarity. "Well, have I got a story for you! The pony who bought the cake threw a big fit when they accidentally got chocolate ganache on their scarf!"
"That's terrible, what a crime against fashion!" Rarity exclaimed. "What color was the scarf? Can you remember?"
"I think it was white," Cinnamon answered. "No, maybe more an ivory..."
"Ivory? You don't say!" Rarity remarked, that detail seemed very crucial.
But just then Rainbow butted in. "I can't believe you're talking fashion at a time like this, Rarity! You're supposed to be helping me, and the show starts in less than an hour from now!"
"Rainbow, don't panic, please," Rarity instructed. "I know my methods seem odd and unusual, but I need you to trust me. They are producing results."
But Rainbow only replied with. "Trust you?! Why?! You've spent more time changing clothes than trying to help me! You said you were gonna prove my innocence, but all you've done is show off your collection and waste time chasing dead ends that aren't gonna prove anything! Face it, I'm doomed! You didn't have to take up this case just to try and give me a false sense of security!"
Despite her friend's outburst, Rarity said nothing. She just waited for Rainbow to finish and then calmly told her. "I understand you're upset, Rainbow Dash. But I meant every word of it when I said I'd prove your innocence. I don't believe you'd do such a thing any more than Soarin does, and I've know you better than he does. You're Rainbow Dash, Ponyville's best weather captain in history. I know you'd never turn your back on those you care about or admire, no matter how tempted you might be."
"But, all the evidence, it points to me!" Rainbow commented, struggling to keep the tears out of her eyes. "How could it not be me?! How do you know for sure I didn't do it without knowing it somehow?!"
"Just look at the evidence more closely," Rarity explained. "At a first glance it would seem that all of it points to you as the culprit. But it's never as simple as that. That raspy voice bit could easily be a red herring used by the true culprit to throw us off the trail, and place suspicion on yourself. But the bit with the scarf suggests that it can't be you, because you don't wear an ivory scarf now do you?"
"No," Rainbow agreed. "But I don't see where you're going with all this, Rarity. You saying somepony tried to frame me?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Rarity replied. "For the longest time I couldn't figure who that could be, as there are no immediate suspects with the motive or opportunity. But that scarf was the last clue I needed, and with it I think I've just about solved this mystery."
"You mean, you know who did it?!" Rainbow asked, hopefully.
"Perhaps, but I want you to understand that what I'm about to do is not a decision I've arrived at lightly. And a part of me hopes I'm still wrong," Rarity cautioned to her friend. "Knowing all that. Do you still trust me enough to let me present my case to the Wonderbolts?"
"Of course, Rarity!" Rainbow happily exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly. "And I'm sorry I was so harsh just a minute or two ago. You're truly one of the best friends I could've asked for, you get me in a way few others do."
Rarity smiled. "It's quite alright, Rainbow, darling. Now come on, we'd best be going if we want to get back in time to clear your name." As the two set off though, Rarity narrated in her mind: "Rainbow Dash was obviously still fraught with worry, but I had all my ducks in a row. She was not going to like it, but there was only one way to find out if my suspicions were correct."
Back at the track, things weren't going well for the Wonderbolts. Soarin was so upset he'd resorted to stress eating an apple pie, loudly munching away for all to hear. It was the only thing helping him cope.
Just then, the door flung open and Blaze and Misty Fly returned. But with them came only bad news. "We looked everywhere, but Spitfire wasn't at Mom's house!" Blaze reported to all gathered.
"Where could she be?" Stormy Flare wondered. "I hope she hasn't gotten herself hurt."
The door swung open again, and Rarity announced loudly. "I've found the culprit!" Following a loud gulp from Soarin and a few nervous looks from the rest of the Wonderbolts, Rarity added. "Somepony sent Spitfire away and framed Rainbow Dash for it to kick her out of the Wonderbolts. Said pony is in this very room, and that pony is none other than... Wind Rider!" All the Wonderbolts gasped in shock!
Even Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what Rarity was suggesting. And she was quick to voice her criticisms! "Rarity, I can't believe you would accuse Wind Rider of framing me! He's a living legend, for pony's sake! I haven't done anything to him!"
"But all the evidence points to him!" Rarity protested. "Now allow me to explain. I never believed you would send Spitfire away, not for a second. So when we found the rainbow hairs in Spitfire's room, I could tell that they didn't just fall out. They... were cut!" She presented the bag of rainbow hairs for all to see. "Nopony loses hair in a chunk. And look at the ends. It's a straight line! They were clearly cut with shears, which means somepony planted it at the scene of the crime! Then when we were examining Spitfire's room more carefully, I smelled something on the envelope. A familiar fragrance known as Juniper Phoenix, Wind Rider's cologne of choice and one of his personal favorites! Now tell me if that's just a coincidence."
"Pah, you call that proof?" Wind Rider scoffed. "Anypony could've cut off those hairs, and just because you smelled a cologne I happened to put on yesterday, doesn't mean it puts me at the scene of the crime. I was nowhere near the northeast wing of the castle that night, I was asleep in my bed in the southwest wing, all the way on the other side of the castle! Besides, Juniper Phoenix is a very popular fragrance I'll have you know."
"True, but my argument is just getting started," Rarity explained. "In the castle hallway, I noticed some of the damask curtains fell out of their velvet rope-holder after being touched, then put back in their place earlier this morning. Thus indicating that somepony had been hiding behind them! Perhaps after they dropped off the fake letter, so as to avoid detection by Spitfire?"
"Anypony could've moved those curtains," Wind Rider protested. "I gotta say, your logic is looking pretty sloppy so far, Miss."
Rarity gave a knowing wink as she added. "Precisely why I questioned the castle guards! They informed me that they were at their post at the entrance to the hallway all night, except for a small window of time when somepony brought them cake. A one of a kind cake sold at one particular store, the owner of which testified to having ordered by a pony with a raspy voice while concealing their face! Whoever ordered the cake got a chocolate stain on their ivory scarf, and I couldn't help but notice that Wind Rider's scarf is tied in a tight Windsor knot instead of its usual loose slipknot! And why is that? Is it perhaps to hide the chocolate stain?!" Using her magic, Rarity undid the knot and exposed Wind Rider's scarf for all to see! Sure enough, a huge chocolate stain could be seen on it! Everypony gasped, except for Rarity!
With suspicion now falling on him, Wind Rider was quick to try and deflect the attention. "Ah, this is preposterous. Wonderbolts, you don't believe a word of this, right? That chocolate stain could've come from anywhere, what does this amateur detective know about solving a crime?! Nothing, that's what!"
Rarity didn't buy Wind Rider's excuse for a second. "Just admit it – you're as guilty of framing Rainbow Dash as you are of ruining that ivory scarf! And I'd say the evidence makes a pretty good case for both!"
"You're really not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Wind Rider grumbled. "You're a stubborn little brat, you know that?" Then he reluctantly confessed. "Ah, fine! You caught me! I did it! There, you happy now?!"
Rainbow could hardly believe such words were coming out of the mouth of a pony she'd once considered among the best Wonderbolts! "But why, Wind Rider?! What did I ever do to you to deserve this?! Whatever it was, I'm sorry!"
"It's simple," Rarity commented. "It was because he was afraid that you would break his long-distance Wonderbolt record! I heard him last night when Spitfire said that you were close to breaking his record. He said, and I quote, 'Heh-heh'. That's the polite but disingenuous laugh you make when you want to seem happy but really you're not. He figured if he could get you kicked out of the Wonderbolts by framing you for this crime, his record would stand forever! And I suspect he's done the same to anypony who's ever come close to breaking any of the records he still holds that are dear to his heart!"
"Don't go putting words in my mouth!" Wind Rider complained loudly. "You think is about some silly record?! Clearly, you don't know me OR the Wonderbolts!"
"Hey, far as I'm concerned you give us a bad name at the moment!" Soarin jabbed. "Explain yourself this instant, Wind Rider! Why would you do such a thing?!"
"You all know the reason," Wind Rider growled in a low voice. "It's because of her!" He pointed a hoof to Rainbow Dash as he complained. "Back in my day, a Wonderbolt was a position you had to earn, not one that could just be hoofed out on a silver platter! I didn't get my position because I was friends with a princess or two, and maybe saved the world a couple of times! I got to where I was through hard work and determination, not to mention a drive to be better than the rest! Was it a bit ruthless, maybe, but back in the day you had to be tough to be a Wonderbolt! I couldn't let some upstart hotshot get into the ranks, far as I'm concerned you're far too reckless, kid! One of these days you're gonna get yourself killed with your behavior the way it is! So I did what I had to do to preserve the reputation and credibility of the Wonderbolts! And I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling ponies!"
"Really? That is so not cool. And to think I once looked up to you," Rainbow protested, glaring at Wind Rider. "For your information, I had to apply for the academy before I could even be considered for a position in the reserves, Captain Spitfire told me so herself. And I trained quite hard under her."
Wind Rider just snorted. "Spitfire's too soft, she doesn't have the guts to uphold the high standards to which we Wonderbolts are held! It's times like this that make me wish I'd come out of retirement sooner, in order to challenge her for the position of captain! I know what it takes to be a Wonderbolt, and any of you would do the same in my position!"
"You don't get it, do you?" Rainbow remarked. "That's not what being a Wonderbolt is all about."
"She's right you know!" Soarin commented, glaring at Wind Rider. "Wonderbolts look out for each other! Which reminds me, where is Spitfire? Where did you send her? She'd better be alright, for your sake!"
Wind Rider confessed. "She's fine, for now anyways. I sent her that letter pretending to be Stormy Flare. I told her I had Pegasitis, and the only cure for that is the ice iris in the Crystal Mountains."
"No wonder she's been gone so long. Ice irises are almost impossible to find in spring!" Rainbow commented. "Of course the Crystal Mountains would be the only place to have them!"
Soarin sighed as he concluded. "The Crystal Mountains are too far for anypony to make it there and back before the royal garden opening! So unfortunately, Rainbow Dash, we need you to fly in Spitfire's place anyway!"
Rainbow didn't like the idea of replacing Spitfire, so she told Soarin. "But Spitfire shouldn't have to miss this! I'm gonna get her!"
"But you'll never make it in time!" Soarin protested.
"Then there's no time to lose!" Rainbow said firmly, and zipped away before anyone could stop her!
Nearly an hour passed with no sign of Rainbow Dash or Spitfire anywhere. Even the best of Wonderbolts were beginning to worry, all except Wind Rider who just smirked with triumph. In a matter of minutes, two of the biggest threats to his future would be gone.
"Rainbow Dash is still gone! I don't think she's gonna make it!" Blaze commented, glancing out a nearby window.
"Oh, don't panic. If I know Rainbow Dash, she'll come through like she always does." Rarity replied, and she was right. The door suddenly swung open, and Spitfire came trotting in, panting heavily. It was clear to all that she was out of breath, no doubt from the long flight back.
"Spitfire, you're back! I can't believe you made it!" Soarin exclaimed, rushing over to his captain!
Out of breath, Spitfire was barely able to reply. "I wouldn't have, if Rainbow hadn't found me so fast! Gave me enough time to fly back! Thanks for holding down the fort while I was gone, Soarin."
"Hey, don't mention it," Soarin nodded. "But please, next time don't disappear on me on such short notice."
Meanwhile, Rainbow had made her way over to Rarity and said to her. "Rare, I couldn't have done it without you. And I'm sorry I doubted you."
"It's alright," Rarity apologized. "I didn't want to get your hopes up until I was sure, and I couldn't be sure until I saw that chocolate stain. Up to that point it was speculation and stringing together the clues. They all pointed to Wind Rider, but he had a pretty good alibi for the initial time of the crime."
"Yeah, but you ended up blowing the lid on it and exposing him for the jerk he was," Rainbow commented, before realization struck her and she glumly added. "Just like me. I'm some friend, huh? You believed in me when I doubted myself, and yet I didn't return the favor."
"Actually, you're quite a good friend. You needen't beat yourself up for a few honest mistakes," Rarity replied and explained. "Look at what you just did. You went to get Spitfire, even though it meant you couldn't fly today. If that's not the hallmark of a good friend, I don't know what is."
"Yeah, you're right," Rainbow sighed. "I hope someday I'll get my chance to fly with the Wonderbolts."
"Well, someday's today," Spitfire proudly declared. "How'd you like Wind Rider's spot in the show?"
Wind Rider could hardly believe the decision, and he quickly protested! "Uh, w-w-what? Y-You can't do this to me! I'm one of the greatest Wonderbolts there ever was! Without me, you'd all be nothing!"
"I don't think so! Besides, I'm the captain, so I give the orders!" Spitfire growled at Wind Rider. "And for attempting to frame Rainbow Dash, tricking me, and trying to impersonate my mother for the sake of your petty feud, I hereby strip you of your Wonderbolts status forever! You're hereby dishonorably dismissed, Wind Rider! And all your standing records will be erased from the books!" Then to Blaze and Misty Fly she instructed. "Take him away!"
Once Wind Rider had left, Soarin looked at Rainbow and asked her. "So, would you still like to fly with us?"
Excited by the proposal, Rainbow flew into the air as she happily proclaimed! "Would I?! Woo-hoo! Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah, aww yeah..."
"Uh, Rainbow Dash?" Soarin commented. "There's no time for this, you need to suit up, now."
"Coming!" Rainbow called in an embarrassing tone. "Even if it's just for this one occasion, this is like a dream come true!" She thought to herself.
As Rarity watched her friend perform with the Wonderbolts, she smiled and narrated to herself about the events that had just transpired on this day: "So my friend got her moment in the sun after all. Or the center of an aerial flower, as the case may be. And as for me? Why, I got a chance to show off my Femme Mystique Chic collection for all to see!"
"That's nice, dear." Stormy Flare commented, snapping Rarity out of her inner monologue.
"Oh, did I say that out loud?" Rarity commented in a faint tone of embarrassment.
Stormy Flare only chuckled. "It's alright. My daughters used to do that all the time when they were younger. They had such active imaginations."
"The mother of two Wonderbolts, one of which is captain," Rarity commented. "You must be so proud of them."
"Yes, very," Stormy replied. "As I'm sure you must be seeing your friend up there."
"Of course," Rarity nodded. "And I just know she'll make a fine Wonderbolt in her own right one of these days."
S6 E3: Starlight and the Pies (Gift of the Maud Pie What If?)
Pinkie Pie was extremely excited, even more so than she normally was! Today was a special day, the kind of day that she and her younger sister, Marble, were going to spend together. They'd already agreed on the beautiful coastal city of Baltimare, a thriving port town on the eastern end of Equestria.
But Pinkie wasn't going alone, she was bringing along her new friend, Starlight Glimmer. The same unicorn who had just joined the circle of friends less than a year ago. "We're going to Baltimare, we're going to Baltimare, we're going to Baltimare...!" Pinkie chimed in a singsong tone.
"Ah yes, I hear it's lovely this time of year," Starlight commented, as she gazed out the window of the train car she and Pinkie were in. "Thanks again for bringing me along, Pinkie. But are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, this is a special thing you and your sisters do. I wouldn't want to intrude, especially since I'm still getting used to this whole 'friendship' thing. It's all so complicated."
Sensing Starlight's not so hidden signs of distress, Pinkie halted her excited prancing and took a moment to sit next to Starlight and stroke her back with a hoof. "Hey, I already wrote to Marble telling her you'd be with me. She said she was fine with it, Starlight," She reassured her friend. "And you really shouldn't doubt yourself so much. Don't forget, it was your connection to Sunburst that saved the day back at the Crystal Empire just a few weeks ago. Otherwise, well... we wouldn't be sitting here, discussing it. Now would we?"
"No we wouldn't, I suppose you make a good point," Starlight replied, a faint sigh escaped her lips. "It's just... I'm still barely finding my way around Twilight's castle. You really think I can be trusted in a big city like Baltimare, especially considering some of the things I did?"
"Twilight said a change of scenery might do you some good," Pinkie told Starlight, still stroking her back. "And listen, we've all done things in the past that we regret. Some of us more than others. But you don't need to worry yourself silly about them, Marble doesn't know yet. And even if she does, I'm pretty sure she won't judge you too harshly for it. She's not the type of pony to hold a grudge. That's Limestone's department."
Starlight couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, your oldest sister's a real grouch. Glad I never had a sibling like her growing up."
"Hey, she's not all grumpy," Pinkie protested. "On a good day, she's actually kind of nice once you get to know her. Take it from me, Starlight. When it comes to the Pie family, there's more to us than meets the eye. And it's definitely more than you'd expect."
"Still, of all the friends to bring you with on this trip, why me?" Starlight questioned of her pink coated friend.
Pinkie only laughed. "Because, silly, you were the only available option. Rarity's off in Manehattan, scouring locations for a third boutique she's gonna call 'Rarity For You', Rainbow Dash is away on official Wonderbolt business even if she's still a reserve, Applejack and Fluttershy are busy with their own problems, and Spike's keeping an eye on Twilight while she works out some lesson plans for you."
"Guess it's not surprising Twilight thinks of him as a son," Starlight giggled. "But you won't believe what he's already calling me. I don't think I'm quite ready for the label of 'Big Sister', if anything I should be the 'Little Sister' to his 'Big Brother'."
Pinkie got a few good chuckles from Starlight's comment. "See, Starlight? You know how to make me laugh, and in a good way too," She told her friend. "I just know Marble's gonna like that about you."
The train pulled into the station in Baltimare a moment later, and Pinkie and Starlight departed without fanfare. But they were quickly stricken by the beauty of the town, and Starlight in particular was fascinated by the glamorous buildings that looked like they'd rival the kind seen in Manehattan and Los Pegasus in terms of sheer beauty. Near the docks, a bunch of merchants were selling their goods, either on small boats shored up with anchors and ropes, or in little shacks made of wood. The cry of seagulls could be heard for miles on end, and if one truly focused they could smell the sea air and the smell of fish.
"This city's simply a-ma-zing! It's just... everything, ever!" Starlight dreamily sighed, at a loss for words for such beauty.
Pinkie's attention, however, was focused on an earth pony mare with a familiar turquoiseish grey coat, a dark grey mane and tail with lighter grey streaks which normally fell into a bang over the right eye, but the mane had been pushed aside and left to hang. All the better, as it showed the mare's grayish violet eyes in all their majesty, and her cutie mark which depicted three purple marbles.
"And it's about to get everything ever-er! Because guess who I see!" She happily exclaimed, then bounced down the steps as she chanted. "M-A-R-B-L-E! Put 'em together and what does that spell?!"
"It spells Marble, of course." Marble Pie replied in her gentle tone of voice.
Excitedly, Pinkie fired off her party cannon, and cheered loudly! "Marble, Marble, Marble! Hooray! This is gonna be so sweet!" And little did Pinkie know, she was right about her prediction. This day would indeed be sweet, but not for the reasons she was thinking.
After breaking free from the embrace Pinkie placed her and Marble in, Starlight commented. "You Pie sisters sure have some sweet traditions, I'll give you that. So, what? Every year, you set aside a special day to spend with each of your sisters, Pinkie?"
Pinkie nodded. "Correct. I do separate trips with each one, and we make it super fun by picking out a different location every year! We see the sights of the chosen city all day and then we swap gifts at sunset!"
"Limestone, Maud, and I do it too," Marble explained. "In fact, Limestone and Maud just did one in Manehattan about a month ago. They chose Manehattan since it's close to where Maud's studying for her rocktorate. Maud says that if all goes well, she should graduate by the end of the school year."
"Huh, why does the mentioning of a rocktorate sound so familiar? I've never met Maud before," Starlight thought to herself. "Although, come to think of it, wasn't there that one rock obessed pony I ran into once? I knew I should've asked for a name!" But rather than ask this question, for fear Marble would ask about her past, Starlight said out loud. "So, does this special day of yours have a name or something?"
"Mm-hmm. We call it PSSD!" Marble answered with a nod.
In a hushed voice, Starlight asked the sisters. "Okay, so what's the secret?"
"Excuse me?" Pinkie asked in reply. "I didn't say anything. Did you, Marble?" Marble shook her head.
"But, you just said 'psst'. Didn't you?" Starlight asked in confusion.
Pinkie laughed, and explained. "No, silly! Not psst, PSSD! P-S-S-S-D! That means, Pie Sisters Surprise Swap Day!"
"O-kay," Starlight realized, blushing a bit at her mistake. "Guess I'll just leave you two to your PSSSD then. Have fun you two, and tell me all about at sundown."
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Marble asked Starlight. "You're Pinkie's invited guest."
"You sure? I wouldn't want to intrude." Starlight commented.
"It's fine, we used to have our parents come along on some of these PSSD occasions. And friends can be just like family." Marble explained, and then she turned to eye the postcards for a moment, wondering if she should buy one.
That gave Pinkie the chance to pull Starlight aside and whisper to her. "Can I ask you a quick question?"
Suspecting nothing, Starlight smiled and said. "Oh, of course. What is it?"
Clinging to Starlight's front right hoof, Pinkie shouted out! "Will you please help me?!"
"Uh, sure. But only if you let go of my hoof and stand up..." Starlight answered.
Pinkie did so, and then she whispered to Starlight. "This is top secret, you can't tell Marble anything about this. Got it?!"
"O-of course, whatever you say, Pinkie." Starlight gulped.
Content with Starlight's answer, Pinkie explained. "Marble and I haven't been as close as I would like, even though we're technically twin sisters. She's always been closer to Limestone. Every year, no matter how hard I try, Limestone's gift always upstages and outshines mine. So this year I really want to get something extra special for Marble, something that'll totally blow all her other PSSSD gifts out of the water! She deserves only the best, since she seems to get pretty good gifts for me! I know there's no beating Maud when it comes to gift giving, but I'm hoping to settle for second best this year! Fortunately, I'm in luck! I know Marble's been looking for a special dress, something to help her cope with the chilly nights on the rock farm since it gets pretty drafty! And there's a store here in Baltimare that has it on sale!"
"I see. So you want to get her one without spoiling the surprise?" Starlight concluded. "That sounds really sweet and all, but I don't see how I'm supposed to help."
"I need you to try and talk with my sister, get to know her a little!" Pinkie instructed. "That way you can keep her busy while I sneak away to the store and buy the dress for the swap at sunset! Think of this as a sort of unofficial friendship assignment."
Starlight tried not to let Pinkie see how nervous she was. Her previous friendship assignment hadn't exactly gone the greatest, unless you considered having to spill your whole troubled past to the pony you'd once held responsible for your pain a condition of success (and after talking with Sunburst, Starlight regretted that she'd ever blamed him for her own inability to stay in touch, not that it changed anything). But Twilight had told her that a major friendship no no, was disappointing a friend when they were counting on you the most. So, despite her concerns, Starlight took a deep breath and told Pinkie. "Well... I guess I could at least try, no promises though. You gotta a plan for making sure Marble doesn't suspect a thing when you're halfway across town, shopping?"
"Already thought of that, and got it covered," Pinkie said with a wink. "I've planned a sightseeing path that leads right by the store. Marble will never know. It's the perfect plan!" She shouted, a bit too loudly! The noise echoed everywhere, and quite a few residents of Baltimare could be heard yelling out storms of protest. Even a few salty seaponies could be heard remarking in their sailor tongues about such a shout.
Sensing the mood had suddenly become awkward, Starlight decided to take action. For she was never the kind of pony who fared well in awkward situations. "This would be so much easier if I could just fly kites," She thought to herself. "Kite flying is so much simpler, quieter, and comforting. Nopony ever has to say or do anything if they don't want to. Probably could've brought one to Baltimare, a place like this must get pretty good gusts." She then cautioned to Pinkie. "Y-Yes, yes, yes, we can do that. But uh, let's not get too excited until you actually have that dress."
Pinkie nodded, and then as she rejoined Marble she vowed. "Mark my words, Marble! I'm going to get you the greatest PSSSD present in the history of ever! You deserve it!"
Starlight followed Pinkie and Marble, as they made their way through the heart of Baltimare, all the while taking in the sights. It was quite lovely at this time of year, and the weather was just fine. As luck would have it, the shop carrying the dress Pinkie had in mind for Marble, wasn't the only shop that resided in the center of town. Many of the shops were lined up along a beautiful boulevard, near a park that was over flowing with lush green trees. And in the distance, one could see a hill from which it was possible to stand and look out towards the sea.
At last, the group stopped for lunch at a local bar. Said bar had a splendid seafood menu, consisting of the finest fare brought up from the seas. It had some non seafood stuff as well though, and Marble opted for a simple salad.
Deciding that now would be a good chance to get a progress report, Starlight suddenly spoke up. "You know what, Pinkie Pie? Uh, maybe you could help me figure out what to order!" And she propped up a menu and gestured for Pinkie to come over.
Pinkie did so, and frantically whispered to Starlight. "The plan's working like a charm, Marble doesn't suspect a thing! The store carrying that dress is just a block away! But as soon as I slip away, Marble's sure to notice! That's where you come in, Starlight!"
Whispering back, Starlight nodded. "Right, I'll stay here and distract Marble, while you get that dress. Hope you're gonna gift wrap it."
"I already thought of that, I'll arrange to pick it up later," Pinkie whispered at Starlight. "Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly."
"It's alright, Pinkie," Starlight said in a reassuring tone. "Go get that dress and make your sister proud!"
"Gotcha!" Pinkie nodded, before she whispered something into Starlight's ear and told her. "Just play along, make it look convincing."
Pulling Pinkie away from the menu, Starlight said loudly. "Oh, why, thank you for the kind assistance, Pinkie Pie. And now I know exactly what to order."
"You're very welcome, Starlight!" Pinkie spoke up, making sure to sound as loud and convincing as possible. "Now, excuse me while I uh... go wash my hooves. Yeah, that's it! Forgot I used the little filly's room earlier!" And she took off, though in the process she ended up knocking down Starlight's menu and she hastily apologized. "Sorry!" Then she zoomed away as fast as her hooves would let her!
"Good luck, Pinkie!" Starlight thought to herself, and turned her attention to Marble. "So... uh... Marble?" Starlight began, trying to think of how to start a conversation. She didn't know that much about Pinkie's little sister, or what her interests might be. "What's life like on the rock farm? Can you tell me?"
"I was hoping you'd ask," Marble said with a smile. "It's actually pretty nice. Really peaceful, and not a lot of noise from day to day. There's a lot to do though besides just the chores. Did I ever tell you about the time I became hide and seek champion of the Pie family?"
Deciding that was as good a conversation starter as any, Starlight slowly encouraged. "Then... uh... why not enlighten me? Sounds like a fascinating story."
"Oh, it is. And you're never going to guess how I won!" Marble winked, and began her tale. "It all started about a year after Pinkie got her cutie mark and her mane and tail turned all poofy."
Once she was content with the knowledge that she'd safely ditched Marble, Pinkie wasted no time in rushing straight to the store where she'd seen the dress earlier. She was recalling to herself what the dress had looked like. "Hoof-stitched ten-thousand-thread-count velvet-lined with a shimmering blue fabric! Marble's sure to love it! I need it!"
But when Pinkie reached the dress shop, a sight she hadn't wanted to see greeted her eyes! The store door was locked, and the display window that had housed that beautiful dress, was now empty! "Oh, no. Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no-no! This can't be!" Pinkie exclaimed in horror, as she tried in vain to turn the door knob! "Hello, Mr. Dress Store Owner, or Miss. Dress Store Owner, whoever you!" Pinkie called out, while pounding frantically on the door! "Please, tell me you've got another dress like the one you used to have in your display window, and you just forgot to put it out there! I'll gladly pay you whatever you want for it!"
Just then, a police mare with a two toned mane and tail of light orange, a bluish-grey coat, a cutie mark depicting a police badge, a police hat and suit, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, and carrying a pair of hoofcuffs, showed up. "Miss, the store's clearly closed. Been closed all day," The officer told Pinkie. "I'm sorry, you'll just have to come back tomorrow. The owner had to order more dresses, everything sold out unexpectedly."
Pinkie felt her heart sink to the bottom of her body. "But it can't be. It just can't be!" She protested, even though she knew it probably was true. "If I can't get that dress, then not only am I not getting my little sister the greatest present in the history of PSSSD, but now I have no PSSSD present for my sister at all! What am I supposed to do about that?!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am," The officer apologized. "Just try your luck with another store. Good luck." And she trotted off somewhere else.
"Anyway, that's how I became the official champion of hide and seek on the family rock farm. A title I've held to this very day." Marble spoke, having finished telling Starlight her story.
Starlight didn't quite know what to say. "Well... that's.... uh.... something I guess. Kind of reminds me of the games Sunburst and I used to play when we were younger."
"Who's Sunburst?" Marble innocently asked.
"Huh? O-oh, just an... old acquaintance I just reconnected with a while back," Starlight answered with a nervous laugh. Fortunately, she forgot all about her little 'slip up' once she spotted Pinkie approaching her. "Pinkie Pie, you're back!" She exclaimed. "No doubt your hooves are sparkling clean by now."
"Huh? Oh, right." Pinkie sighed, having momentarily forgotten her "excuse" from earlier.
Sensing that something was wrong with Pinkie (if her somewhat deflated appearance was any indication), Starlight quickly barked out an order! "Waiter! One super-deluxe two-mile-high hot fudge sundae, stat!" Quick as a flash, the gigantic sundae was placed on the table. Then, Starlight quickly hid behind the sundae and frantically whispered to Pinkie. "What happened? Where's the dress? Please tell me you didn't forget to bring bits."
Pinkie shook her head, and then after inhaling she quickly spotted. "The dress store was closed because the owner ran out of everything, including that dress I wanted to buy so badly! And so there's no way that I can get the perfect present for Marble, and now I don't have any present for her at all, so it'll be the worst Pie Sisters' Surprise Swap Day ever!" Pinkie proceeded to bury her head into the sundae, so as to muffle her sobs of distress.
"Gee, that's a real shame," Starlight commented, though not too loudly. "Well, maybe I could help you pick out something else for Marble? Any gift's better than no gift, right."
"But that's the thing, I don't have any other gift!" Pinkie sobbed from inside the sundae. "And there's no way I can just slip away to do some window shopping, Marble's sure to notice. I didn't see her fascinated by any of the things in the stores we passed, and sundown's less than half a day away!"
"You sure there's nothing I can do to help?" Starlight offered. "Maybe I could teleport back to Ponyville and see if Rarity has something similar at her boutique? Or maybe I could get Spike to send Rarity a letter requesting her to make it?"
"No, I can't ask you to do that for me, Starlight," Pinkie sadly replied, lifting her head out of the sundae. "One of the first things you've got to learn about friendship, magic can't solve all your problems."
"But, I thought friendship was magic and stuff like that?" Starlight protested. "I don't want to believe we should just give up! There's got to be something we can do!"
"Maybe there is, but if so I haven't thought of it yet," Pinkie sighed. "Maybe I just... need to go for a little walk to clear my head. Keep Marble occupied til I get back."
"Pinkie, wait!" Starlight called, but it was no use, Pinkie was already gone. "Why did I have to say yes to this?" She thought to herself. "I didn't expect PSSSD to be so complicated."
And so it was that Pinkie was moping about the streets of Baltimare, feeling quite sorry for herself. The sights and sounds of the bustling town at mid day, all blended together in the pink party pony's mind. She'd put all her hopes into that dress, and now she was stuck without a Plan B. "Some big sister I turned out to be." Pinkie thought to herself.
Suddenly, Pinkie spotted something out of the corner of her eye that caught her attention! A hoof-stitched ten-thousand-thread-count velvet-lined dress with a shimmering blue fabric! And it was currently being carried around on the back of a light yellow coated, scrawny looking earth pony stallion. Said stallion had a mane and tail that split down the center, and was an ashish grey in color. And he had both gold earrings, and a gold tooth.
Her heart racing with a newly found sense of hope, Pinkie rushed up to the stallion and said to him. "Excuse me, sir! I couldn't help but notice that fine dress you're carrying! Is there any chance you'd maybe be willing to part with it? I really need it. Like, really really really need it!"
"So lemme get this straight:" The stallion asked in response. "You, uh, really really need this pouch, huh?"
"Actually, I believe I said really really really." Pinkie corrected.
"Right, right, whatever," The stallion replied. "Well, I hope you know, a dress like this is practically one of a kind. Naturally, it's very hard to come by these days, so I can't just give it away. But I might be able to part with it for the right price. Think you can afford it?"
"Totally, name your price!" Pinkie said happily.
"Price, eh? You want the dress that badly, eh?" The stallion asked, putting a hoof to his chin.
"You mean, you'll sell it to me?! And I'll finally be able to give my sister the perfect Pie Sisters' Surprise Swap Day present? Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Pinkie happily shouted, firing off her party cannon in celebration. "So, how much is it, mister?"
But the stallion found himself drawn to Pinkie's party cannon, and he was eyeing it very closely, taking in every detail he possibly could. "Hmmm. That's one sweet party cannon you got there, miss," He commented, and then he said. "I'll tell you what. I'd be more than happy to give you this dress, and all for the low, low price of... that cannon."
Pinkie gasped, pulling her party cannon close! "M-My... party cannon...?" She remarked, her lips quivering. "But, you don't understand, this cannon isn't for sale! It's a PSSSD gift from my sister, Maud!"
"Sorry, that's my deal, kid. Take it or leave it," The stallion said firmly. "If you really wanna give that sister of yours the perfect present, then you'll have to give up your party cannon. So, what do you say? The cannon or the dress, what's it going to be?"
Pinkie eventually caught up to Starlight and Marble, who had long since left the bar and were now strolling along the streets with no particular destination in mind. Fortunately, Pinkie had found the perfect spot to store the dress she'd gotten, inside her mane. It didn't really bother her, she'd stuffed far heavier things in there without it slowing her down.
Starlight was currently holding a camera with her magic, while Marble stood next to one of the anchored boats near the harbor. "Oh, you're finally back! What kept you?!" Starlight asked Pinkie. "I have to say, I think I'm starting to like your sister, Pinkie. She's got some interesting stories to tell at the least," Then she turned her attention to Marble and instructed. "Just a little more to the left, Marble! Okay, now back a bit! Yeah, that's good! Hold that pose! I think we just found your new holiday card!" With Marble distracted, Starlight turned back to Pinkie and in a hushed tone she inquired. "So, did you manage to find a gift for Marble after all? Please say yes, please say yes."
"Yes," Pinkie said in a flat tone. "I managed to get the dress for Marble after all, and... that's really the only thing that matters."
Starlight was delighted! "Alright! Congratulations, Pinkie! I'm so glad to hear that! Marble's going to love it!"
But Pinkie only replied with a flat. "Yup."
"Hold on a minute, what do you mean 'Yup.'?" Starlight asked, frustration slipping into her tone of voice. "You just got your sister the greatest PSSSD present in the history of ever, and you mean to tell me that all you have to say for yourself is 'Yup.'?"
"Yup." Pinkie flatly replied again.
Starlight could hardly believe what she was hearing, this wasn't the Pinkie Pie that she knew. She knew for a fact her friend should be a LOT more excited! And she was quick to say so. "But... you're Pinkie Pie. I mean, you're supposed to be all:" Using her magic, Starlight tried her best to imitate Pinkie's behavior. "'Oh, I'm so excited I bought that dress! And I know that I say excited a lot when I'm actually just kind of excited, but this time I'm really excited about how excited I am about being this excited over that fine dress!' And then you'd fire off your party cannon."
"Well, my party cannon's not with me anymore." Pinkie flatly answered.
Starlight gasped! A bit too loudly, as Marble ended up overhearing. "What's the commotion, Starlight? And what's taking you so long to snap a picture? I could've done that by now." She called, and came over.
"I... don't know. I really don't know," Starlight told Marble. "I think it has something to do with Pinkie Pie. She mentioned something about her party cannon."
"Ah yes, she loves that cannon a lot," Marble commented, before she took notice of something. "Say, where's your cannon, Pinkie? You didn't lose it, did you?"
"No, I didn't lose it. I gave it an early retirement," Pinkie flatly answered. "But it was worth it."
"Worth it?! Worth it for what, Pinkie?!" Marble demanded, displaying an anger she rarely showed to anypony. "Pinkie, that cannon was a PSSSD gift from Maud, how could you just get rid of it so easily?!"
"What?! You sold your party cannon?!" Starlight exclaimed to Pinkie.
Pinkie shook her head. "I didn't sell it, I know where it is. But..." She trailed off.
"Oh no, please don't tell me you did-" Starlight began, but quickly clammed up when she realized what she was going to say.
Marble turned to Starlight. "My sister did what, Starlight?!" She demanded, her anger not letting up for a second. "You and my sister have been acting weird all day and talking behind my back! I'm fine with a little secrecy, but I'm beginning to think you're trying to hide something from me!"
"Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are by all of this," Starlight nervously insisted, backing away. "I had no idea Pinkie was gonna do any of this! I didn't give her any ideas, in fact I'd have probably talked her out of it! She feels bad that the gifts that she always gives you are never as good as the ones that Limestone gets for you, or at least that's what she told me!"
"What?!" Marble asked.
"Starlight, no! Don't tell her that!" Pinkie pleaded. "It was supposed to be a secret!"
"I'm sorry, Pinkie. I'm not good with interrogations," Starlight apologized, as she then explained to Marble. "That's why she was willing to give up that party cannon for that dress!
"Wait?! You mean she gave up her party cannon?! And for a dress?!" Marble exclaimed!
Pinkie sighed, realizing she'd been found out. She pulled the dress out of her mane and presented it to Marble. "Here it is, your PSSSD present. Surprise." She said flatly.
"Pinkie, you didn't have to do that!" Marble protested firmly. "Especially since now I can't give you the gift I was going to give you. Cupcake scented confetti for your party cannon."
"I'm sorry, sis," Pinkie apologized. "I wanted to give you the best PSSSD present in the history of ever. You deserved only the best."
Now it was Marble's turn to sigh. "Pinkie, you didn't have to get me anything really fancy just to show your appreciation. Just being here with you today, is a gift in and of itself. That's way more important than some silly dress, even if I wanted it."
"I know that now," Pinkie realized, hanging her head. "Some PSSSD this turned out to be, huh?"
"I'm really sorry about all of this, Marble," Starlight apologized, also hanging her head. "I was part of all this. I knew about the dress, and how Pinkie wanted to get it for you no matter what. I just didn't imagine she'd be crazy enough to actually trade her party cannon for it. She says she never leaves home without it."
"No, Starlight, this isn't your fault," Pinkie insisted. "I'm the one who traded away my party cannon, not you. In fact, you spent more time with my sister today than I did."
"Hey, the day's not over yet, big sis!" Marble said firmly. "You of all ponies taught me that you should always strive to make the most of each day! I think we can still track down your party cannon and make everything right."
"How are you gonna do that?" Starlight asked with concern. "Whoever Pinkie traded that cannon to is probably far away by now, maybe even in another city."
Marble smiled and winked. "I have my own way, 'Marble Sense' you might call it. I can pick up on things in the air that most ponies wouldn't notice. It's why I don't like to talk much, it's easier to hear and feel what goes on around you if you don't speak," After explaining this, Marble paused, and put a hoof to her ear as she raised it toward the sky. "I can sense something in the wind. The smell of confetti, and the sound of an explosion." She then turned, and trotted off towards the sun, which was just beginning to set.
"Where're you going, Marble?!" Pinkie called.
"To get your cannon back. Come on." Marble said seriously, motioning for Pinkie and Starlight to follow her.
It wasn't long before Marble managed to track down the very pony who matched the description Pinkie had given. "There. He's the one, right?" Marble asked.
Pinkie nodded. "Yep! That sure is the pony I got the dress from! At least he seems to be taking good care of the party cannon."
"How are you gonna get it back?" Starlight asked Marble. "I don't think he's the kind of pony who'll just give it back if you ask nicely."
"Can't hurt to try," Marble replied, and approached the stallion with her dress in tow. She quickly tossed it to him and said firmly. "Here's your dress back, I'd like to exchange it for my sister's party cannon, if you please."
But the stallion only scoffed at Marble, tossing the dress back to her. "Sorry, missy, all sales are final. No refunds, no take backs, no exchanges. That's my policy."
Marble tossed the dress back at the stallion, and said a bit more firmly. "I'd like to return this dress for my sister's party cannon, please!"
"What part of 'no way' don't you understand?" The stallion snorted, rolling his eyes. "I got this here cannon fair and square, and I ain't givin' it up. No way, no how."
"Oh really?" Starlight said in an ominous tone, her horn sparking to life as she adopted a mischevious grin.
Pinkie became concerned. "Starlight, I don't think Twilight would approve of this." She warned.
"Relax, I won't hurt him," Starlight replied, even though her tone of voice didn't change. She proceeded to envelope the stallion completely in her magic, and lift him off the ground. "Now, let's try this again, shall we? You're going to take the dress and give my friend her party cannon back. Or do I have to make you, because I will? Normally, I'd detest doing such a thing, but for a pony like you I'm willing to make an exception."
The stallion was quickly stricken with panic! "No, no! Please! Anything but this!" He shouted, as he tried in vain to break free. "Okay, okay! You win! I'll do whatever you say, just put me down, now!" Starlight did so, and the stallion quickly snatched up the dress and ran off, though not before he shouted! "Your friend can keep that cannon of hers, just stay away from me you freak!"
"Sorry you had to see that, Marble," Starlight apologized, as her horn stopped glowing. "Ponies like that always get on my nerves."
"Here, Pinkie," Marble smiled, approaching the party cannon. "I believe this is yours."
"Thanks, Marble," Pinkie smiled back, as she wrapped her hooves firmly around the party cannon. "Guess I kind of ruined the whole PSSSD thing now, since you had to give up my gift."
"Pinkie, gift giving isn't a competition. It's an expression of love, and you always make sure to give your gifts with lots of love. That's why I'll always love them, and you, five-ever. That's even longer than for-ever." Marble explained, and she and Pinkie shared a passionate hug.
"Yeah, you're right," Pinkie agreed. "But you know, I still have a lot of bits left, and it's not technically sundown just yet. Since I couldn't get you the dress, how about I take you and Starlight on a ride? There's a small lake not too far from here with a beautiful view. Technically there are swan boats, but there are real swans here we can ride, if you're up for it."
"Just a swan boat ride would be nice, Pinkie, thank you," Marble replied. "I think it's safe to say, this has been a PSSSD to remember."
"Yeah, I'll bet it totally blows Limestone and Maud's PSSsD in Manehattan out of the water," Pinkie giggled. "But we'll have to be quick to catch the last boat ride. Starlight and I have a train to catch."
"Good thing I can teleport," Starlight offered. "Just name the location, and I'll take us there with my magic."
But Marble looked at Starlight and said to her. "If it's all the same to you, Starlight. I think Pinkie and I would rather walk there. It's part of the whole PSSSD experience." And the two sisters went off together, walking towards the setting sun.
Starlight stood there for but a moment, before she rushed to catch up with them. "Well, at least the sea air's put me in a good mood. I'm actually looking forward to Twilight's friendship lessons now." She thought to herself.
Winter had come to the town of Ponyville, more specifically the festive and cheerful holiday known to all as "Hearth's Warming". True to form, the entire town had its own way of celebrating, particularly when word got out that Princess Twilight was hosting a massive Hearth's Warming Eve party at her castle! Everywhere you went, you could hear ponies rushing around and singing in merry and jolly tones. Pretty soon, the chorus went something like this:
Ponies' voices fill the night.
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Happy hearts so full and bright.
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Oh, what a sight.
Look at the light.
All for tonight.
'Cause Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
No Hearth's Warming would be complete without snow, and the pegasi made sure to bring it by the shovel full. As they moved the heavy clouds full of fluffy white snow into place, they could be heard singing:
Clouds arranged 'til they're just so.
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Gonna make some awesome snow!
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
The chill wind blows.
Making a show!
Snowflakes aglow.
'Cause Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
The pegasi weren't the only ones with reason to celebrate, naturally the earth ponies had their own reasons to be happy. Pinkie Pie and Applejack could be heard singing, and when you put their parts together, it sounded something like this:
A day that's filled with songs to sing.
Ding-dong, ding-dong-ding!
Cakes and pastries we shall bring.
Ding-dong, ding-dong-ding!
We're so busy making merry.
The windigos should all be wary!
And as our mighty voices carry!
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Rarity was put in charge of decorating the castle for the party, and even she had her own little part to add to the growing chorus of voices young and old alike, all of which were gathering in the main hall of the castle (where a giant tree covered with freshly fallen snow rested). And her part went something like this:
Decorations we shall make.
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Perfection you just cannot fake.
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Not one mistake.
No, don't let that break!
Oh, for goodness' sake!
In spite of the setback, the entire town all joined together as they loudly sang:
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once a—
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
The castle's three main occupants were witnessing the entire celebration going on down below, two of them excited for what the night would bring, but the other couldn't bring herself to feel the same way.
"Hey, Starlight!" Twilight called to her student. "Ready to celebrate your first Hearth's Warming Eve here in Ponyville with all your friends?"
Starlight's response was to sigh. "Yeah, about that. I was thinking I might just skip it." This prompted both Twilight and Spike to gasp! Starlight skipping Hearth's Warming was a development they hadn't expected at all! And both of them not only wondered if they could change Starlight's mind, but what could possibly make a pony want to skip over a holiday as wonderful as Hearth's Warming?
"Skip Hearth's Warming Eve?! Are you crazy?!" Spike exclaimed. "The holiday only comes once a year you know!"
Starlight sighed again, she was in no mood to discuss the matter. "I just find it all a little silly. It's never done anything for me. It's mostly a day dedicated to presents and candy, isn't it?"
"And why in Equestria would you deny yourself presents and candy? That's crazy talk!" Spike exclaimed again. "Please tell me this is all just a joke, one of your big sister pranks!"
Starlight shook her head. "I'm not joking. Hearth's Warming was seldom joyful for me, even back before I ran that village," She explained. "I remember a couple of Hearth's Warmings were spent at Sunburst's place before he moved away, but he seemed to be the only one whose family had time to celebrate it. My parents did presents, but that was about as far they went with the festivities. And of course, in Our Town, Hearth's Warming was just a passing footnote. Not that we could've held much of a party or anything when all our bakers and decorators were the same."
"Well, I think what Spike was trying to say earlier," Twilight chimed in. "Is that Hearth's Warming is about more than presents and candy. It's a time to spend with friends and family when we celebrate a very important day in Equestria's history. Look at how many showed up here tonight."
Starlight eyed the crowd, but what she saw didn't really convince her. She saw a lot of ponies stuffing their faces at the food table, sipping cider and hot chocolate by the fire, or just running about giggling and singing about random stuff. It just seemed like one big racket to her. "I think to most ponies, it's just an excuse for silly songs and fun, not a day to remember some old story," She commented to Twilight. "Look, if you and Spike wanna spend the rest of the evening doing all that stuff, that's fine by me. Personally, I think I'm just gonna call it an early night. Nopony's gonna be available to chat when they're thinking about the holiday. Just tell them to keep the noise to a minimum if they can, some of us are gonna be trying to sleep."
Sensing that there was only one way to solve Starlight's case of holiday blues, Twilight suddenly teleported in front of her student and said to her. "Well, maybe you just haven't heard the right Hearth's Warming Eve story yet!"
"Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns sing songs around a hearth to fight back an eternal winter caused by the mythical windigos? Ha! Every colt and filly knows that story," Starlight retorted. "They insist on teaching it in school every winter, to say nothing of the dime a dozen plays on it."
But Twilight shook her head. "No, not that one. I was referring to my personal favorite holiday story, one I've read many times," Twilight boasted. "'A Hearth's Warming Tail'! It's been a Sparkle family tradition for generations to read it on Hearth's Warming Eve. My mom or dad would read it when Shining Armor and I were little ponies, sometimes with Cadence or Shining's buddies from Canterlot University. And of course, Spike's heard it every year since I brought him home on my first Hearth's Warming."
"Yeah, and I loved the story from the time I was old enough to remember it!" Spike happily exclaimed, as he nuzzled into Twilight's embrace. "Please, can we read it, Mom? And do the voices if you can, that's always the best part of the story."
"We'll see, my son," Twilight motherly cooed. "I don't want to lessen the importance of the story for Starlight. But I might sneak in a voice or two here and there. Come on, Starlight!"
Twilight led Spike and Starlight to the castle library, and when they were comfortably resting in their chosen places, she got the aforementioned book down from the shelf. Sitting down next to Spike, Twilight flipped open the book as she read aloud: "This is the story of a powerful unicorn named Snowfall Frost, who hated Hearth's Warming Eve. In fact, the whole Hearth's Warming season. That is, until one fateful Hearth's Warming eve with some unexpected guests. It all began many years ago in Canterlot. Every home in Canterlot was filled with holiday spirit. Every home... except one. That of Snowfall Frost," Pausing for a moment, she explained to Starlight. "Snowfall kind of looks like you, the descriptions of her even match your appearance."
"Funny how that works," Starlight commented. "Anyway, proceed."
Twilight did so, and she resumed narrating: "It was said of Snowfall that she was almost as studied as Star Swirl the Bearded. Almost, since everypony knows that Star Swirl was an expert at everything from transfiguration, dimensional calibration, teleportation—"
"We get it. Star Swirl's awesome. Move on." Spike grumbled.
"Right," Twilight reluctantly agreed, and then narrated: "The point is, Snowfall was also a powerful unicorn. She wanted to be perfect. And anything that got in the way of that was a waste of time. Thus, she came to despise Hearth's Warming, but especially Hearth's Warming Eve." And here is how the story unfolded as Twilight narrated it:
Snowfall did indeed resemble Starlight (at least in the minds of all hearing the story, after all it was from Twilight's perspective). But unlike Starlight, she wore a red coat with a white collar, a matching red top hat, and bright red spectacles. She devoted herself to perfecting her magic, and using it to create all sorts of things. Unfortunately, she required absolute concentration when doing so, which is why she often locked herself away in her study, and came out very rarely. But as misfortune would have it, today her concentration was interrupted rather rudely by the ringing of bells from outside! This caused her to drop a failed bulb on the ground, causing it to shatter into tiny pieces! "Well, that batch is ruined," She grumbled to herself, and then she loudly shouted. "Ash Hatchet!"
"Ash Hatchet was short for Ashley Hatchet, Snowfall's loyal assistant," Twilight narrated. "Think of her as Rainbow Dash, but a more finely dressed version of her." And then the story resumed:
"Yes boss? You rang?" Ash Hatchet asked politely.
Snowfall pointed to the floor where the pieces of the broken bulb lay, and instructed. "Get this mess cleaned up, now if you please. Those foolish ponies were ringing those blasted bells outside the window again and I lost my concentration! I have half a mind to lodge a complaint at the castle! If there's one thing I can't stand, it's all the racket this holiday brings with it!"
Ash only sighed, her boss was not the kind of pony you wanted to waste time arguing with. "No wonder nopony ever wanted to work with you," She grumbled under her breath. "Ponies actually enjoying Hearth's Warming Eve. Where did they ever get that crazy idea?"
"I heard that!" Snowfall snapped. "Least you forget, I took you on as my partner when nopony else would. And so soon after my old partner vanished without a trace. So unless you wish to see your pay docked, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself, Ash Hatchet! Today is nothing to celebrate if you ask me. Hearth's Warming Eve is nothing but a menace. A dangerous day for all of Equestria."
Despite the warning, Ash couldn't help but comment in protest. "Dangerous?! It's awesome! It's the day we remember how unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies came together in friendship to defeat the windigos! Don't tell you've forgotten that?"
"Bah humbug, that's what I say!" Snowfall retorted. "That silly old legend is the problem! Telling everypony that 'singing songs and being nice' will solve anything? I've spent years studying magic, and that's not how it works. That 'magic of friendship' they peddled never did anything for me, or anypony else as far as I could tell! I got to where I was through hard work and determination, not through believing in some old fairy tale that never held any relevance!"
Sweeping the bulb pieces into a dust pan and dropping it in the trash, Ash muttered to herself. "Think you might be missing the point there, boss."
Snowfall responded by teleporting towards Ash and rambling. "You know what I believe in, Ash Hatchet? Work hard, learn, and use your skills to better Equestria. It's done wonders for me, and that's a worthy goal for any pony to strive for if you ask me. So I advise you to keep the holiday of Hearth's Warming in your way, and allow me to keep it in mine."
"But you don't keep it, boss." Ash retorted.
Snowfall growled, glaring at her coworker. "You're right, I don't. I opt to keep busy at this wasteful time of year. So allow me to leave it alone then," Then she sarcastically added. "But, by all means, if you want to go home early, ignore all of the work you have, and spend the rest—"
But Ash had already taken off, flying right out the door as she shouted! "Sweet! Thanks, boss! Hope to see ya at your cousin Glow's big party!"
"Hey, I didn't say you could leave!" Snowfall complained, but of course it was too late for Ash to hear any of it. "Ugh! Great, now I'm forced to work alone on today of all days! I've no intention of being a guest at that party. Why, I require food and drink nomore than anypony else," She thought out loud. Looking out at the crowd below, she remarked coldly. "I hate Hearth's Warming Eve! Indeed, I hate the whole Hearth's Warming holiday! It's a holiday fit only for fools!"
"And let me guess?" A voice suddenly called out. "'Anyone who says otherwise deserves to be boiled in their own pudding, stuffed like a turkey, and buried with a stake of holly through their heart!' Am I right?"
Snowfall looked all around for the source of the noise, but couldn't find it. "Who said that?!" She demanded, stomping her hooves firmly on the ground. "Ash, I swear, this better not be one of your 'pranks'! It isn't funny!"
"Who's this 'Ash' you speak of?" The voice called again. "Perhaps you refer to my 'replacement'?"
"Enough with the suspense, who are you and what do you want with me?!" Snowfall demanded loudly. "Show yourself, unless you're afraid!"
But all of a sudden, a candle (which had provided the lone source of light for the room) blew out, as a strong gust of cold wind swept into the room and prompted Snowfall to shiver. "You mean, you don't remember me, Snowfall?" The voice asked, as darkness enveloped the room. "Oh, I'm crushed, really. How soon the high and mighty forget. Well, I suppose I can't blame you, it has been years, decades even since last we spoke." Suddenly, a glowing pale blue colored figure appeared, standing in the doorway as if it had just walked right through it. The figure wore a finely tailored suit and tie, complete with a top hat and a cane, but its entire body looked to be a mismatch of various creatures with not a single part matching another.
Snowfall recognized the figure at once, and nearly jumped back in surprise. "Mr. D? Is it really you?" She asked in a skeptical tone.
"Indeed it is," Mr. D replied, as he slowly walked forward. As he did so, it became possible to notice that all his arms and legs appeared to be chained up, and weighed down by heavy iron balls and concrete blocks. "Splendid to see you again, Snowfall."
"But, it can't be!" Snowfall protested. "You vanished long ago, and they found no trace of you anywhere, not even a note!"
"Well, as you can see, I'm alive now. At least, from a certain standpoint," Mr. D spoke. "I apologize for the crude state of my appearance, but this wasn't exactly my idea of a fashion statement. In fact, I'm kind of not supposed to be here. It's forbidden for me to speak to you in this physical plane of existence, naturally my time is very short. I suspect it's not long before the forces who gave me this form catch onto me, and force me to leave."
"Well I'm sorry to hear that, but I don't have much time to spare myself," Snowfall replied to Mr. D. "But by all means, why have you decided to grace my presence now of all times? What reason have you to show your face before me?"
Mr. D laughed coldly. "I thought you'd never ask, Snowfall," He proceed to draw close to her, so that it was possible to hear the clunking of his chains. "I've come to offer myself as a warning to you. You're heading down a dark path, one from which there is no going back. But it's not too late to save yourself, if you act now it may be possible to change your future."
"Okay, now I know I'm hearing things! You're sounding just like those phony fortune tellers that claim they can see the future!" Snowfall remarked, then she eyed Mr. D carefully, finally taking notice of the chains as she asked. "Say, what's with these wretched and unsightly chains?!"
"Oh, the chains? I was wondering when you would take notice, Snowfall," Mr. D answered. "You remember how as your partner, I followed your beliefs and methods to the letter, never once questioning them?" Snowfall nodded, and Mr. D added. "Well, I was wrong, and so are you! These chains are the price I pay, for I forged them in my life by my own actions. My own selfish and heinous acts of greed! Made them link by link, yard by yard, year after year! And I tell you, Snowfall, you wear such chains yourself, you just don't know it! They were as long as this when I left you, and if you could see the size and weight of them now you would turn as pale as me!"
Snowfall scoffed at the supposed "warning" from Mr. D. "Please, if I really had these chains I'm sure I'd know of their existence before now. Nightmare Night's not for almost a year still, stop trying to scare me."
Mr. D only shook his head. "I tell you, Snowfall Frost, the chains are there and they won't go away so easily! Everything you say and do is counted against you, as it was for me when I left this plane of existence behind! It's my burden, my penalty, my curse! Ponykind should've been my business, but instead I walked through clouds of my fellow beings with my eyes turned down. I am doomed to walk this path, chained up and restrained by my thoughtless, selfish ways! But take heed, for fate is on your side! My path may not change, but yours still might! That is what I am capable of."
"Please, no more of this, Mr. D! I don't scare easily, and I won't just abandon my ways because you say so!" Snowfall retorted. "Whatever awaits me in... wherever it is you are, I'll answer for it when the time comes. I appreciate having this talk though."
Mr. D groaned, as the chains began to pull on him as if they were alive! "Well, seems I've less time to speak to you than I thought," He told Snowfall. "But, I won't be the only one talking to you tonight! Listen carefully, Snowfall Frost! For tonight, you shall be visited by three spirits, haunted if you prefer!"
"Haunted?! I've already had enough of that nonsense!" Snowfall protested. "Why can't I just meet them now all at once, and be done with it?"
"That's not how it works, these spirits work in mysterious ways, Snowfall. Even more mysterious than I," Mr. D cautioned. "But I'd pay close attention to what they'll have to say, for without the help of the spirits, you can not hope to avoid the path that I made! Expect the first of 'em soon, you'll know when they'll make their presence known to you!" And then, just as mysteriously as he had arrived, Mr. D vanished without a trace. A rush of hot wind restored the candle to its bright, flaming state, and light came back to the workshop, as if Mr. D had never been there at all. And of course, had Snowfall told you, you wouldn't have believed her one bit.
Yet, it seemed that the whole event that had just transpired, was as real as real could be. Naturally, a visit from the supernatural was enough to leave Snowfall shaken, just a little. "Could he have been anymore cryptic and non informative?" Snowfall thought out loud, before she shook her head. "My senses must be playing tricks on me. That sure looked like Mr. D, but how I do know it was really him? Something I ate must've caused my mind to go crazy for a moment or two. Dare I say it, there was far more of a gravy than a grave about that spirit. Now, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"
Of course, it didn't take long for Snowfall to be reminded of what had so enraged her earlier. The sound of bells jingling and ponies giggling could be heard for miles and miles. "Bah humbug!" Snowfall grumbled again. "I've said it once, and I'll say it a thousand times if I must! I hate Hearth's Warming Eve!" It was then that her unicorn mind began to scheme, and soon it had settled on an idea. Truly a most frightening and unpredictable idea, one that sounded good to her but to anyone else would've crazy and foolish. Yes, she got the most wonderfully AWFUL idea she had ever gotten! "In fact, all of Equestria would be better off if we just skipped the day altogether. And luckily, I'm just the pony to do it."
And so it was that Snowfall went about singing, while scheming and preparing a cauldron, filling it with such things as a discarded Hearth's Warming reeth, a toy from a child that had been tossed aside without fanfare, and all sorts of chemicals in a rainbow of colors. And what was it that Snowfall sang? Well, no one could tell for certain, but all agree that it went something like this:
'Happy Hearth's Warming!', they say in the street.
'Happy Hearth's Warming!', oh they think they're so sweet.
Words said so often that they lack any real meaning.
So why should I join in when I could be intervening?
Everypony loves this cursed holiday.
But would they be better off with it out of the way?
Now's there no need to reply to your trite invitations.
The calendar shorter by a single day.
But is my magic up to the test?
Time to see, I can't delay!
Say goodbye to the holiday!
Prepare the spell, no hesitation!
All memory shall fade away!
See Equestria's new transformation!
And no more shall anypony say.
'Happy Hearth's Warming'... after today!
Some even say that Snowfall laughed rather sinisterly, ignoring the ominous projections in her cauldron. But as none were there to witness the actual events, they could only speculate with no real proof. Maybe Snowfall had just sang without care, or perhaps she'd payed no mind to whatever she saw. Perhaps she had hesitated briefly, for one reason or another. Yet in the end, whatever reasons she might have had for her decision to erase Hearth's Warming from existence, they were enough to overpower any concerns or doubts the powerful unicorn might have had.
Standing over her simmering cauldron, her magic charged and ready, Snowfall proudly proclaimed to herself! "Once the spell is cast, all of Equestria will be better off, and they'll have me to thank for it! Congratulations, Snowfall Frost! You're a genius!"
"Wait just a minute!" Starlight spoke up, interrupting the story. "So, let me see if I've got this straight so far. Snowfall doesn't like Hearth's Warming Eve so she decides to just cast a spell to get rid of it altogether? That seems a little extreme."
"Says the pony who tried to make everypony the same by replacing their cutie marks with equal signs among other things." Spike mumbled, as he sipped his hot coco.
Alas, his remarks didn't go unnoticed. "I heard that, you scale covered brat!" Starlight exclaimed, narrowing her eyes and blowing steam out of her nostrils.
"Hey, I was just making a statement. Your past's not really squeaky clean, and you know it," Spike commented. "Personally, I'd say you're lucky you aren't currently spending the holiday in jail."
"Oh, and you think you're so perfect?!" Starlight remarked, rolling her eyes. "Twilight told me about your little rampage through town a few years back, and all because you got presents on your birthday besides a book! You should be lucky that your mom lets you open presents early, the first time I tried to do that I got grounded!"
"It's called 'a tradition', just as it's tradition to celebrate Hearth's Warming with friends and family!" Spike remarked back. "Far as I'm concerned, your behavior right now could teach Snowfall some lessons on grouchiness during the holiday!"
"Why you little-" Starlight began, lighting her horn up ominously!
Twilight set the book down and quickly intervened. "Stop it, both of you! Today of all days is NOT the time to be fighting!" Shushing them both with a wing, Twilight explained. "Both of you have done bad things in your past, and neither of you have the right to judge because of it. Starlight, Spike is right that you of all ponies are far from the right to judge Snowfall for such rash behavior. And Spike, you know better than to bring up Starlight's past like that. Anyway, Starlight, I think what my son was trying to get at, is that everypony has their reasons for doing things. Even Snowfall. And if I could continue the story, then we might just find out what they are. So, if there are no more 'interruptions'..." She glared harshly at Spike and Starlight.
Spike and Starlight quickly clammed up. "I'm fine." Starlight answered.
"Proceed." Spike encouraged, as he returned to his spot and began to sip his hot coco again.
"Alright then," Twilight said firmly, sitting back down in her reading chair. "Now, get ready, Starlight. This is where things get interesting. Anyway, Snowfall was all set to cast her spell that would erase Hearth's Warming Eve for all time. When a voice from the hearth caught her attention." And the story resumed from there:
"You sure you wanna go through with this, Snowfall?" An unfamiliar voiced suddenly called out, seemingly originating from the bubbling cauldron resting above the hearth.
Already a little on edge from her encounter earlier with Mr. D, Snowfall nervously answered. "Huh?! Who's there?! Who said that?!"
Just then, there was a seeming apple shaped bubble that rose from the cauldron, followed shortly by a ghost like figure that seemed to take the appearance of a pony, one all dressed up in cowpony attire. "The Spirit of Hearth's Warmin' Past, that's who. And you and me have got to have us a little chat." The spirit spoke, rising out of the cauldron and appearing in front of Snowfall.
Snowfall was surprised but for a second. "A spirit?!" She exclaimed, before she recalled Mr. D's' warning' from earlier. Even so, it seemed too convenient. Adopting a suspicious look, Starlight eyed the spirit and demanded. "I didn't cast any spirit summoning spell. What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're the spirit whose coming was foretold to me."
"Right as rain, Snowfall," The spirit laughed, as she phased right through Snowfall, causing the unicorn to shiver as though she'd been hit by a cold gust of wind from outside. "And to answer your question, it's simple. You don't really think a spell like that would get by without some powerful forces noticin'? Suffice it to say, you've got your attention, Snowfall Frost, and we've got some pretty strong opinions on this here spell of yours ya got brewin'."
"'We'?" Snowfall commented, though part of her was certain who The Spirit of Hearth's Warming past was referring to.
Snowfall's suspicions seemed to be confirmed a moment later, when the spirit turned to her and answered. "The other spirits. Don't worry, they'll be along in a bit. But for now, it's just you and me. So let's get a move on. We got a ton to see and barely any time to see it."
Snowfall only laughed in protest, even though her top hat had landed on her head (she had taken it off earlier while working on her spell). "Beg your pardon, spirit? I'm not going anywhere. I've got a spell to cast, and I don't need a history lesson about Hearth's Warming Eve, thank you."
The spirit only pushed open the study window as she answered. "We aren't goin' to the past to learn about the holiday. We're goin' to learn about you. 'Bout where it is ya went wrong. Now, hold on tight, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."
Snowfall yelped, as she felt a lasso suddenly tie up her legs and cause her to trip. Worse yet, she found herself being pulled by The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past, who was leading Snowfall right towards the window! Snowfall yelped, certain she would fall. Yet, as if by magic, not only did she not fall once she'd cleared the window, but the biting winter wind no longer bothered her. It was as if she didn't exist at all.
Unconcerned by Snowfall's protests, The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past just sang aloud as she led Snowfall along. But Snowfall was the only one who heard, and to this day it is said that the song she heard went something like this:
As a young thing, life sure is somethin'.
You go 'bout makin' choices large and small.
Always growin' like a seedlin'.
And playin' is like dreamin'.
And then before you know it, big and tall.
And every little bitty choice you make.
Sends you down a path to who you are today.
So let's take a little trip down memory lane.
And see just what the past has to say.
The song was interrupted briefly, as Snowfall and the spirit touched down lightly in the snow. But things had changed. They were no longer in the hustle and bustle of Canterlot just before Hearth's Warming Day, they were now clearly in a tree filled countryside, snow covering the branches for miles and miles. The only trace of civilization in this remote area, was a small schoolhouse that seemed to be brand new, and had clearly not existed just a moment ago.
"Now, tell me, Snowfall Frost," The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past spoke up. "This place ring a bell?"
Snowfall examined the building carefully, taking in every little detail. The chalkboard, the shelves, the desks, the floorboards, the windows, and of course the fine brick walls. Everything about them seemed familiar. And then it hit Snowfall, almost as hard as a snowball! "I... I don't believe it!" She exclaimed. "This is the old schoolhouse I attended when I was but a filly! Only it looks brand spanking new!"
"Say, what's that on your cheek?" The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past commented upon briefly noticing something streaking down Snowfall's face.
Quickly recovering, the unicorn insisted. "It's nothing!" But just then, Snowfall heard some giggles, and turning her head she saw a familiar purplish-grey coated filly with the most innocent looking eyes of moderate persian blue, a two toned purple mane and tail with light grayish-aqua colored highlights, with the mane styled into two short pigtails. The filly wore a white ten gallon hat and matching boots, as well as a cute little light purple colored shirt with a red bow.
Following close behind the filly, were four ponies of similar height (and likely age). A snow white coated earth pony colt with blue eyes, a light blue coated unicorn colt also with blue eyes, a pinkish-purple coated unicorn mare with purple eyes, and a midnight blue coated pegasus mare with light blue eyes, all darted past (each dressed for the cold weather around them with matching hats, boots, and scarves)! "Hey, I know those ponies!" Snowfall realized! "Brian! Sam! Rebecca! Tabitha!" But none of them acknowledged Snowfall's presence, they seemed content to chase after the filly version of her.
"They're just reflections of your past, you're but an observer to it all, Snowfall," The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past explained. "They can neither see or hear you. That's the rules for visitin' the past, ya can look but don't touch. Messin' with the past's a big no no, all kind of bad things can happen even if ya have good intentions," Watching the young Snowfall Frost rush past, the spirit then cooed. "Aw, look how cute you were back then. Looks like you're not too upset it's Hearth's Warmin' Eve either. Now let's see where and when that all changed." And she began to sing:
The seeds of the past.
They grow pretty fast.
Just look at who you were back then.
The seeds, as they grow.
Look what they can show.
Reveal the truth time and again.
The scene changed, and now a young Snowfall was inside the classroom, hanging decorations. All of a sudden, she hung an ornament on a unicorn stallion who had a rather pronounced frown, and who seemed to have little space between his nose and his mouth. He was a greenish-grey in color, wore a dark black coat with two buttons, had eyes a disapproving black in color, and a grayish-green mane and tail that hung limp against his body. "Just what do you think you're doing, Snowfall?" The stallion demanded in a bitter tone. "Slacking off again, are we?"
Young Snowfall shook her head. "Of course not, I'm decorating the classroom for Hearth's Warming Eve, Professor Flintheart."
"Ah yes, I see the holiday has come once again," Professor Flintheart remarked, using his dull dark purple magic to pull the star shaped ornament off his horn. "And for you that seems to be an excuse to neglect your lessons. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time with the holiday, not if you truly wish to be successful in life."
"Whatever do you mean, Professor?" Snowfall innocently asked. "Don't you celebrate the holiday with family and friends too?"
"I have no family, and you're the only pony who's ever so much as taken an interest in what I have to say. Were this school not so desperate for teachers, they'd want nothing to do with a 'stick in the mud' like me," Professor Flintheart grumbled. "Let me ask you, Snowfall. You said you wanted to learn to be a powerful unicorn, did you not?"
"I do!" Snowfall nodded happily.
"And do you remember what I said is the way that ones becomes a powerful unicorn?" Professor Flintheart asked his student.
Snowfall cleared her throat and recited from memory. "Work hard, learn, and use your skills to better Equestria. You say that all the time."
The present Snowfall tried not to notice the look The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past was giving her at the moment.
"Ah, I see my ways are not entirely lost on the current generation after all. A pity that the rest of your classmates are as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach," Professor Flintheart commented, holding out the ornament from before. "But tell me. How do these things help you to learn magic?"
"Oh, that's easy, professor!" Snowfall eagerly replied. "I want to be strong enough to stop windigos and help ponies!"
But to Snowfall's surprise, Professor Flintheart coldly told her in response. "Snowfall, I'm so disappointed in you. I thought you of all ponies would know the truth."
"About what? Please don't tell me Santa Hooves isn't real." Snowfall pleaded.
"Of course he's not real, you're old enough to know that," Professor Flintheart lectured. "But Santa Hooves isn't the only thing you're too old to still be believing in. I've never met a windigo in all my life, and neither has anypony else."
Snowfall's heart sank, why hadn't anypony ever told her this before. "But... but..." She stammered. "What about the tale of Equestria's founding, and how the three tribes came together to fend off the icy touch of the windigos? Surely, that's real!"
"Please, don't embarrass yourself any further, Snowfall," Professor Flintheart scolded in a bitter tone. "That's just a story we tell little ponies to make them behave. The three tribes did unite eventually, but not over some make believe ice horses that don't exist! Real magic is something that takes time to learn, it's not something you can just put off for a nonsense holiday," He proceeded to use his magic, and shatter the ornament into a million tiny pieces.
Poor Snowfall could feel her little heart breaking in a similar way. Pushing the box of decorations towards Snowfall, Professor Flintheart turned his back on the filly and coldly told her. "So, do you see now? There's no time for fun and games if you wish to be as powerful as I am or even Starswirl the Bearded. But, it's your choice, Snowfall. Either spend your time learning to become a powerful unicorn or play with your toys and make nothing of yourself." And with that, he departed, leaving Snowfall alone with her thoughts and broken heart.
The present Snowfall and The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past, then watched the terrible scene unfold as a young Snowfall made the fateful decision to turn her back on the holiday that had once brought her great happiness. All the while, The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past sang:
Then some distress, words so careless.
Standin' there, you don't know what to do.
Feelin' helpless, you can't make it hurt less.
So you go and change your point of view.
And in that moment, though you didn't know it.
Your defenses set up walls you built to last.
Leading to the pony you've become today.
And the spell that you're about to cast.
It all comes from your past.
Seeing her young self start down a path of bitterness, Snowfall found herself unable to keep from singing:
The seeds of the past.
We grow up so fast.
But some hurts never go away.
The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past then sang:
The seeds, as they grow.
But this we can't let go.
All tied to this one holiday.
The years performed their terrible dance in the blink of an eye, and soon Snowfall could see that schoolhouse begin to age before her. The paint dulled and chipped away, cracks and splinters appeared in the floorboards, dust and cobwebs began to gather in corners. Yet through it all, young Snowfall remained devoted to her studies, even as the rest of her classmates laughed and played.
Before long, Snowfall was no longer that heartbroken little filly who'd been told the alledged truth about Hearth's Warming. She was now a young mare, accepting her degree from Professor Flintheart on whom the years had not been kind. His mane and tail were now a ghostly white in color, his body seemed wrinkly and shallow, and his eyes barely held any color to them. Yet he still seemed to have the strength to strut across the stage and give Snowfall her diploma, all the while giving her a reassuring pat on the back and what seemed to be an approving smile.
Then, a moment later, there was a rush of wind and the scene changed! Snowfall Frost now found herself looking out on a street in the city of Manehattan, a street that she hadn't seen in years. Yet it was still instantly recognizable to her, as was the strange looking building with funny looking smokestacks which The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past was now looking at. "My time is beginnin' to run short. So, Snowfall Frost. Do you recognize this place at all?"
"I sure do," Snowfall nodded. "But I don't believe it! It's the site of my first job, 'Crazy Al's Rubber Chicken Factory and Emporium'!"
"That's right, and it looks like it's Hearth's Warmin' Eve again." The spirit pointed out, as Snowfall's attention was drawn to the lamps that began to light up one by one, bathing the snow covered city of Manehattan in their glow. Just then, the door to the factory swung open, and out stepped an earth pony stallion with a coat of light brilliant gamboge, and green eyes. He wore a bright yellow business suit, and a powdered wig (even though it was clear he didn't actually need one, especially when it clashed with his brown colored tail that was all nice and poofy).
"Hey, it's Crazy Al himself!" Snowfall exclaimed. "I'd almost forgotten he loved to dress up all funny looking."
Crazy Al was admiring the lamp lights, and how well they shined off the white snow amidst the darkness of night. "Ah, tis dusk and the lamp lighters are hard at work once again," He commented. "The perfect time for a rocking Hearth's Warming Eve party!" And with that he stepped back inside the factory and shut the door.
Inside the factory, work had all but stopped. The machines were slowly winding down and grinding to a halt, but the workers hadn't left for home. They were all gathering in the nearby emporium, finely decorated just for the holiday. Lights were hung from the ceiling and along the walls, a large table full of delicious goodies and tempting drinks rested off to the left, and in the center of the room was a massive dance floor, at the end of which stood a giant podium with a microphone.
Tapping on the mic, Crazy Al spoke to all who had gathered. "I thank you all for your hard work throughout the year. But here at Crazy Al's, you're more than just my employees, you're my family! And it's always been a tradition in my family to host a gigantic Hearth's Warming party on the night of Hearth's Warming Eve! So, that's what I'm doing! Feel free to stuff your faces full, drink to your heart's content, and dance your horseshoes off!"
"Except some of us don't wear horseshoes!" A familiar wacky voice called out, soon revealing itself as belonging to a creature with all sorts of mismatched body parts.
"Mr. D!" Snowfall exclaimed, even though she was but an observer to the events. "I'd almost forgotten, this is where we first met. Eventually, we went into business together, that is until his sudden disappearance left me partnerless."
"Sounds as if you two were close," The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past commented, and then winked as she added. "But, he's not the only one with an important role in your life that showed up to this party tonight. Watch closely, Snowfall. I have a feelin' you're about to see another old acquaintance."
Snowfall looked down at the ongoing party, spotting a younger version of herself sitting by herself in a corner and flipping through a black spined book of some kind. She'd long since stopped wearing her mane in two short pigtails, instead opting to let part of it hang loose like a curl. Just then, Crazy Al approached her. "Hey, Snowfall. The party's in full swing! You should be out there making merry and having yourself a good time!"
"But Crazy Al, surely taking tonight of all nights off will cost this place money!" Snowfall protested. "We're barely staying afloat as it is! What if this causes us to go under and we're forced to go out of business?!"
Crazy Al only laughed, patting Snowfall on the back with a hoof. "Ah, you worry too much, Snowfall! I may have hired you to be my bookkeeper, but as your boss I'm telling you to lighten up and enjoy yourself for an evening. I've been doing this for years and the factory and emporium have been chugging along just fine. So throw those troubles away, and get out there and be part of the celebration! That's an order!"
"But sir-" Snowfall protested.
"I'm not taking no for an answer, Snowfall," Crazy Al replied, scooping up the account book and shutting it. "You let me worry about numbers, and you worry about whether we've got enough punch to keep everypony here satisfied. Even Mr. D's having a ball, in fact he's the life of the party right now!"
"How low can I go?!" Mr. D playfully chanted, as he snapped his talons and his neck began to bend back, while he tried to make his way through an ever lowering limbo bar.
Reluctantly, Snowfall got up and joined the party. But the joyous celebration only made her feel like even more of an outcast. This went against everything Professor Flintheart had taught her, and Snowfall was still broken up at the fact that he'd recently passed away from a sudden and unexpected illness. She had hoped he would live long enough to see her become the most powerful unicorn since Starswirl the Bearded.
Snowfall was so distracted by all of this, that she didn't notice when she bumped into an earth pony stallion with a reddish coat, and a brilliant orange mane and tail styled to absolute perfection. She instantly gazed upward, and found herself lost in his moderate sap green eyes. He had on a fine red dress suit with yellow trim, and even wore a matching top hat. "Oh, terribly sorry, ma'am," The stallion apologized in a gentle, country sounding tone of voice. "Didn't see ya there. Hope I didn't hurt ya."
Snowfall found herself blushing a bit, mostly in embarrassment. "Oh no, it was totally my fault. I forgot to watch where I was going," She apologized. "The name's Snowfall Frost."
"Peter, ma'am," Peter greeted, tipping his hat to Snowfall. "I must say, ya look pretty underdressed for the occasion. Ya ain't got anythin' on, not even a tie."
"W-well, i-in my defense. I wasn't exactly expecting to take part in the festivities tonight." Snowfall answered.
Peter laughed a little. "On Hearth's Warmin' Eve of all nights? Snowfall, you crack me up. Come on, let's you and I have ourselves the time of our lives."
"I'm... not really in the mood for celebrating, Peter. Thank you for the offer though." Snowfall insisted, slowly backing away. But unfortunately, she ended up stumbling and falling forward! Luckily, Peter caught her in his hooves and helped her up.
"Well, now ya owe me for savin' you from what would've been a most humilatin' fall," Peter teased. "I hope you ain't got three left hooves, 'cause I was hopin' to ask ya to dance."
"Dance? But, I don't know how!" Snowfall sheepishly admitted.
"Is that so? Well, no time like the present to learn. Come on!" Peter said firmly, and he pulled Snowfall toward the dance floor.
Snowfall wanted to protest and break away from Peter, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Something about him drew her to him. Besides, it was rude to turn down an offer from such a well groomed and behaved pony. And Crazy Al had told her to have a good time. One dance wouldn't hurt.
Yet as the night wore on, one dance became two, then three, then four, and then five. And with each dance, Snowfall found herself growing more and more attached to Peter, the blush on her face becoming harder and harder not to notice.
All of a sudden, the scene changed once again. Now it was the day before Hearth's Warming, and Snowfall was with Peter in a snow covered field just outside the city of Canterlot. Yet, it was quickly clear to the present Snowfall, that things were far from pleasant and cheerful.
"Snowfall, why are ya delayin' our marriage for yet another year? It's the third year in a row!" Peter complained loudly. "I'm tired of waitin', I want to get hitched now while there's still a chance! We ain't gettin' any younger ya know."
Snowfall said to Peter in reply. "I know, Peter. But business continues to be very poor right now, I'm barely making ends meet for the both of us as it is. And I want our wedding to be perfect, you deserve only the best."
"That's what ya've been sayin' for the past three years, Snowfall!" Peter grumbled. "Seems like ya keep pushin' it off and pushin' it off. Please, let me come to work with ya! I'm sure I can find a good payin' job somewhere in the city!"
"No, Peter, I can't ask you to do that," Snowfall insisted. "Please, just one more year, I beg of you! I've just entered into a partnership with Mr. D. You remember him from Crazy Al's Rubber Chicken Factory and Emporium, right?"
"Eeyup, sure was nice of ya to give him a job after Crazy Al announced his retirement and shuddered the factory," Peter nodded. "But I just don't know, Snowfall. Seems like ya don't love me as much as ya love money, and I don't want to have to compete for your heart."
"Now that's just crazy talk, Peter!" Snowfall protested. "I love you!"
Peter was silent for a moment, as he looked into Snowfall's eyes. But then he got up from the bench he'd been sitting on and began to walk away. He hadn't gotten far though, when he suddenly turned around, looked right at Snowfall, and said to her. "Ya did once, a long time ago. I'm sorry, Snowfall, but I can't be part of somethin' if there's really nothin' between us. I fear somethin' else has replaced me out of your own fear of poverty." Then he turned around again, and trotted off over the horizon.
Snowfall took off running as fast as she could, trying to catch up to Peter! But she hadn't gotten very far when she stumbled in the snow, and Peter vanished! Tears welled up in her eyes, as she slowly picked herself up, the young mare feeling heartbroken all over again!
Present Snowfall had been watching the entire scene unfold, and she had tears in her eyes as well. Turning to The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past, she said angrily. "Spirit, why do you insist on tormenting and torturing me so?!"
"It ain't my doin', Snowfall Frost," The spirit replied with a shake of her head. "I told you, these are projections of your past. They are what they are, don't blame me. Obviously, you've had a history of bad memories associated with the holiday. And the only way ya can move on from 'em, is to confront 'em. You really think that castin' a spell to erase the holiday from existence will magically make all that pain and sufferin' go away?"
Snowfall growled and bit her teeth, narrowing her eyes in anger. "Please, spirit, show me no more! Leave my sight at once and haunt me no longer! I closed the door on my past long ago and for good reason, I certainly don't enjoy having it reopened!"
The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past reluctantly obliged. "Very well, Snowfall. If that is what you wish. But don't forget, there are still two more spirits you have yet to meet with. And I'd say both of them have some advice that's worth listenin' to. Hopefully, you'll heed their advice before it's too late."
"So, what happens next?" Starlight asked Twilight, having become intrigued with the direction of the story. "And are you sure that this isn't all some story you just made up to teach me a lesson? I mean, is it really a coincidence that all the characters talk like ponies I know?"
"Trust me, I felt the same way the first couple of times I heard it. But any resemblance to any ponies past or present is strictly coincidental." Spike told Starlight, sipping from his chocolate again.
Just then, from down the hall there came the sound of a crash followed by some angry shouts, and a innocent, bubbly voice calling out. "Oops, my bad!"
Twilight sighed, as she got up from her chair and set the book aside. "I'd better go see what all the commotion is about," She said to Starlight. "I'm sorry, looks like the rest of story will have to wait."
"But that's not fair! You can't just stop a story right when it was getting interesting!" Starlight protested, appearing in front of Twilight. "Come on, I really wanna know how it all ends! Does Snowfall Frost succeed in erasing Hearth's Warming forever?! And who are the other spirits?!"
"Curious to know, aren't we?" Twilight commented, and when Starlight nodded she said to her student. "Tell you what, Starlight. I'll go down there and see if my help is needed with whatever that disturbance was. Hopefully, Derpy didn't break anything too important or expensive. And once I'm sure everything's under control and there are no big disasters that need tending to, I'll come back here and we can finish the story. How's that sound?"
"Great, I guess." Starlight sighed.
"Good," Twilight smiled, placing the book back on the shelf. "I shouldn't be long, Starlight. Just be patient and I'll be back as soon as possible!" And then Twilight exited the library and headed to the hall to check on the party.
"Ah, a break, excellent," Spike spoke up. "That hot chocolate went right through me. I'll be back in a minute, Starlight!" And the little dragon raced away as fast as his legs would let him.
"So I'm all alone again, and on Hearth's Warming Eve no less," Starlight thought to herself with a sigh. "Just great."
When last we left our main characters, they were in the midst of celebrating a wonderful holiday. The holiday of Hearth's Warming, Hearth's Warming Eve to be precise.
Twilight was hosting a massive party at her castle, and the entire town of Ponyville was firmly wrapped up in the spirit of the holiday. Making merry and singing songs. Everything seemed to be perfect, that is until Twilight had asked a simple question to her student, Starlight. "Ready to celebrate your first Hearth's Warming Eve here in Ponyville with all your friends?"
Starlight had responded by saying. "I was thinking I might just skip it."
Both Twilight and Spike had gasped upon hearing this, and Spike had quickly exclaimed! "Skip Hearth's Warming Eve?!"
"I just find it all a little silly. It's never done anything for me." Starlight had answered.
"Well, maybe you just haven't heard the right Hearth's Warming Eve story yet!" Twilight had suggested, quickly revealing the story that she had in mind. "'A Hearth's Warming Tail'! It's been a Sparkle family tradition for generations to read it on Hearth's Warming Eve."
And so it was that Twilight had taken to reading the story to Spike and Starlight. And the story so far had gone like this: "This is the story of a powerful unicorn named Snowfall Frost, who hated Hearth's Warming Eve. In fact, the whole Hearth's Warming season. That is, until one fateful Hearth's Warming eve with some unexpected guests. It all began many years ago in Canterlot."
"Bah humbug, that's what I say!" Snowfall complained about the holiday. "You know what I believe in, Ash Hatchet? Work hard, learn, and use your skills to better Equestria. I hate Hearth's Warming Eve! Indeed, I hate the whole Hearth's Warming holiday!"
But from out of the blue, an old acquaintance by the name of Mr. D had showed up, dressed in chains and concrete blocks, and he warned Snowfall. "These chains are the price I pay, for I forged them in my life by my own actions. My own selfish and heinous acts of greed! And I tell you, Snowfall, you wear such chains yourself, you just don't know it! Listen carefully, Snowfall Frost! For tonight, you shall be visited by three spirits, haunted if you prefer!I'd pay close attention to what they'll have to say, for without the help of the spirits, you can not hope to avoid the path that I made!"
Though frightened a little by Mr. D's unexpected visit, Snowfall set about erasing the holiday anyway. To the point where she was ready to cast a spell to eliminate the holiday forever. But suddenly, The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past appeared, taking Snowfall along on a trip back to her past. "You don't really think a spell like that would get by without some powerful forces noticin'? Suffice it to say, you've got your attention, Snowfall Frost, and we've got some pretty strong opinions on this here spell of yours ya got brewin'. So let's get a move on. We got a ton to see and barely any time to see it."
The trip to Snowfall's past had revealed a lot of memories that Snowfall had all but forgotten. Most of them unpleasant, for there was the memory of her foalhood teacher, Professor Flintheart, who had broken the innocence of young Snowfall Frost by telling her. "Snowfall, I'm so disappointed in you. I thought you of all ponies would know the truth. I've never met a windigo in all my life, and neither has anypony else. Real magic is something that takes time to learn, it's not something you can just put off for a nonsense holiday," And after breaking an ornament Snowfall had hung on his horn, the professor had told Snowfall. "Either spend your time learning to become a powerful unicorn or play with your toys and make nothing of yourself."
Next, Snowfall visited the memories of her first job. "'Crazy Al's Rubber Chicken Factory and Emporium'!" She'd exclaimed upon recognizing the building in Manehattan. And from there she'd witnessed the scenes of her falling for an earth pony stallion named Peter, only for Peter to break off their relationship some years later.
"Seems like ya don't love me as much as ya love money, and I don't want to have to compete for your heart." Peter had told Snowfall.
"Now that's just crazy talk, Peter! I love you!" Snowfall had insisted, but alas Peter left her anyway.
Heartbroken all over again at reliving such a painful memory, the present Snowfall told The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past! "Please, spirit, show me no more! Leave my sight at once!"
"Very well, Snowfall," The spirit had replied. "But don't forget, there are still two more spirits you have yet to meet with."
But the story had stopped there, as Twilight had to leave to deal with a disturbance in the main hall. Before she left though, she told Starlight. "I'll go down there and see if my help is needed with whatever that disturbance was. And once I'm sure everything's under control and there are no big disasters that need tending to, I'll come back here and we can finish the story. How's that sound?"
"Great, I guess." Starlight had sighed, and was soon left alone as Twilight went to tend to the commotion, and Spike departed to use the little dragon's room. All the unicorn could do, was wait for Twilight and Spike to come back, so that she could hear how the rest of the story would pan out. Luckily, she doesn't have long to wait. For Twilight and Spike are about to come back.
Twilight came back into the library, whistling a cheerful little tune to herself. Spike and Starlight were already waiting for her. "Okay, that took a little longer than I would've liked. But I managed to get everything sorted out a-okay," She announced, as she sank into her comfy chair and pulled the book down from the shelf on which it rested with her magic. "Now, where was I?" She asked, taking a moment to get her bearings. She quickly remembered though, and with a smile she said. "Ah yes, we were just getting to the part where Snowfall returns from her trip to the past."
"Ooh, I love this next part! It's always my favorite!" Spike said happily. "Trust me, Starlight! This is when things really get interesting!"
"If you say so, Spike," Starlight shrugged with uncertainty. "I can't believe I've gone my whole life never even hearing of this story."
"It is hard to find, admittedly. It was written long ago, so not everything about is completely relevant to today's day and age," Twilight explained. "It took me months to track down a copy for the library, I almost had to ask my mom if I could borrow the one she keeps at my old home in Canterlot," Then, opening up the book, Twilight narrated. "The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past vanished as mysteriously as she had arrived. In the blink of an eye, Snowfall was back to the present and was alone once again." And here is how the story progressed from that point:
Snowfall looked all around, but found neither hide nor hair of the spirit. Part of her was relieved, but another part of her was confused. It seemed as if not a moment had passed since she'd inexplicably been pulled out of her study window. Her bubbling cauldron and roaring hearth remained untouched, as if nothing had happened. Was it possible she'd just dreamt the whole thing? But if that was true, why had it felt so real and so painful?
"S-spirit? Are you still there?" Snowfall called out in uncertainty. "What am I supposed to—" But Snowfall's thoughts were suddenly interrupted, as she noticed a gigantic present that the unicorn could've sworn wasn't there a moment ago. Using her magic, Snowfall examined the tag. It just read in large letters: 'To Snowfall Frost'. Was this the calling card of the second spirit? Well, there was only one way to know for sure. Against her better judgement, Snowfall enveloped the pink ribbon on top with her magic and undid it.
Without warning, the ground began to shake as without warning there came a thunderous boom! Even though it was just confetti launching into the air, the noise was loud enough to cause vibrations and give Snowfall a good scare! She could've sworn she'd heard the sound of cannon fire, but that couldn't be, there was not a cannon to be seen.
Then the ground shook anew, as a tall, shadowy figure emerged from within the box. "Greetings, Snowfall Frost!" The figure spoke in a loud and booming voice. "Be not afraid, for it is only I, the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents! Come and get to know me better!" It was then that the spirit revealed its true form, a not so giant pink coated earth pony, dressed up in a fine yellow suit.
Snowfall was frightened but for a moment, before she corrected. "Um, don't you mean 'Present', like the time?"
However, the spirit answered back in a loud (but not thunderous) voice! "No! Presents! You know: Toys, Hearth's Warming dolls... Here, want a cupcake?"
Snowfall accepted the items without fanfare, as she groaned. "Fine, 'Presents'," She proceeded to toss all of the items she'd been given into the nearest wastebasket. "All of the pointless things that ponies waste their time on," She emphasized. "Far as I'm concerned, today's generation of children is spoiled rotten! I never got a single toy or doll as a present, yet I turned out just fine! Gifts are a waste of time and money if you ask me," Eyeing the spirit, she then asked. "And just what was it with you looking so big earlier? Is that your true form, or just an illusion?"
The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents only laughed, then explained. "I can change my shape and size at will, Snowfall Frost. For you have never seen the likes of me before, nor have you entertained any of my older sisters. I just figured intimidation wouldn't be necessary for a pony as misguided as you. Besides, it means I don't have to throw my voice and get all scratchy. And this way we can get to know each other better, or did I already say that?" Reaching into the wastebasket, she retrieved all the discarded gifts and told Snowfall. "You shouldn't just throw these thoughtful gifts away, they were given with love and care. And some of them cost nearly everything the buyer had."
"Like I said, a waste of time and money," Snowfall scoffed. "If you're trying to convince me otherwise, don't bother. Only reinforces my belief that this is a wasteful time of year. A time for fools who find themselves older and not a single bit more to their name."
The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents just laughed again. "Oh Snowfall, you're so silly. It's not what the gift is that matters most, it's what the gift means!"
"But it doesn't mean anything. It's all just stuff, rather pointless stuff at that!" Snowfall protested.
"Exactly! Well except for the pointless part," The spirit answered. "They don't mean anything by themselves, but when given to another they can take on a whole new meaning. For example, sometimes a cupcake means 'I love you!' Or a toy means 'Hi, how're you doing?!' Or sometimes a book means 'Your mane looks amazing!'" As she spoke a scarf appeared around the spirit's neck, and she added. "And sometimes a scarf means... Well, a scarf usuallymeans you look cold. That one's easy. But even that can have different meanings when done by different ponies. Like if one were to put a blanket on somepony to keep them warm at night."
"I don't understand anything you're saying, spirit," Snowfall remarked. "Even Mr. D makes more sense than you, and I could barely understand how he functioned."
"Well, just you wait, Snowfall," The spirit said with a laugh. "You may not understand it now, but you will soon enough. I promise you that," Then, suddenly, The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents started to shake and tremble, as her whole body twitched! "Whoa! Whoa!" She exclaimed.
Snowfall went from being confused, to being freaked out! She'd never seen anything like this before. "What's happening to you, spirit?!" She reluctantly asked. "Are you okay?!"
"Oh, I'm fine!" The spirit answered, even as she continued to twitch. "But my Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents Sense is going off!"
"And that means?" Snowfall asked against her better judgement.
The spirit laughed. "That means a song is coming on!" And with that, she started to push Snowfall out into the streets, all the while singing to herself:
Just take a look at everything around you.
All the smells that surely will astound you.
Open up your heart, and it will surround you.
In the magic of Hearth's Warming Eve!
It's the little things that make it better.
Like little ponies spreading cheer.
Just give a toy, a hug, or a sweater.
Memories that last all year!
The present's always filled with presents!
Large, medium, and small!
But sometimes the most important things.
Aren't very big at all!
The spirit cured a little colt who had previously been unable to walk without assistance, and together they shared a wonderful tap dancing performance for a bit.
But it wasn't long before the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents led Snowfall Frost onward, eventually stopping at a relatively unimpressive but large brick house. The lights were on, and when one looked in through the windows, it was easy to see that a huge Hearth's Warming Eve party was going on! Everypony seemed cheerful and upbeat, but Snowfall could only look on and observe from outside. Meanwhile, the spirit was singing loudly:
What a party, there's so much to see here.
Can't believe you didn't want to be here.
You'd have had a blast, that I guarantee here.
For this is the spirit of Hearth's Warming Eve.
Cider's flowing, this is living.
Come on and feel the beat!
Life is better when you're giving.
And each time you do it feels so sweet.
The present's always filled with presents!
So come on, open up your eyes!
Spend some time with ponies just like you.
And watch as your spirits rise!
The present's always filled with presents!
Just take a look around!
The real reason for the holiday.
Is quite easily found!
Yes, the real reason for the holiday.
Is quite easily found!
And the reason is to be with your friends!
"And the reason is to be with your friends!" Twilight sang, mimicking Pinkie Pie. When she had stopped, she noticed that Starlight was eyeing her suspiciously. "What? I have something in my teeth?" She asked.
"Uh, you know you're doing your Pinkie Pie voice, right?" Starlight replied with a smirk. "I know Spike said you do voices, because it's part of the experience, but I didn't think he meant it like this."
"I was not using my Pinkie Pie voice!" Twilight protested, though the blush on her cheeks told a different story. Even Spike couldn't help but giggle.
"Well, anyway..." Starlight commented, changing the subject. "So, what happens next?"
Twilight smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask, Starlight. This is when things get interesting. The party was-" She began.
But Spike suddenly interrupted. "Wait! Can we take a quick break, Mom? I need to refill my cocoa. I kind of forgot to earlier."
Twilight groaned a little, but obliged. "Fine. But hurry up! We're almost to the best part! And you don't wanna miss it!" She cautioned.
Fortunately for Twilight and Starlight, Spike wasn't gone for long. He returned shortly with a full mug of hot cocoa. In fact, it was so hot that he had to blow on it to disperse the steam. "Okay, I'm ready. Proceed." He said to Twilight.
Clearing her throat, Twilight narrated: "The party was in full swing. And all Snowfall Frost could do, was watch."
"Spirit, why did you bring me here?" Snowfall inquired of the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents. "This seems like some random Hearth's Warming Eve party. I don't see why I should care."
"Oh, but you should," The spirit replied with a wink. "I have a feeling you'll recognize these party goers."
Snowfall pressed her face up to the window, and she nearly gasped at the faces she spotted! There was her partner, Ash Hatchet! And she wasn't alone, Holly, and Snowfall's cousin Glow were right there with her. Surprisingly, Snowfall could overhear everything they were saying, as if the window was open (even though it wasn't).
"Ah, Ash Hatchet! Nice of you to come!" Glow exclaimed, offering a hug.
"Hey, Glow. Nice to see you too." Ash said with a sigh.
"Why, whatever is the matter, darling?" Glow inquired. "What's got you so down on Hearth's Warming Eve of all nights?"
"Don't tell me, it's the eggnog isn't it?" Holly remarked. "Oh, I knew I put in too much cinnamon!"
But Ash shook her head. "Oh, no, the eggnog was awesome, Holly. You outdid yourself. I'm just mad at somepony who was complaining about how 'awful' Hearth's Warming Eve is," She explained with a grumble. "And I'll give you three guesses as to who it is."
Holly and Glow exchanged knowing glances, before Glow began. "I don't suppose that pony's name starts with 'Snow'?"
"And ends with 'Frost'?" Holly ended.
"Bingo!" Ash confirmed with a nod. "She said that Hearth's Warming Eve is just an excuse to party, and we would all be better off spending time working to make Equestria a better place. Heck, she even said 'Bah humbug!' when I pressed her on the legend behind the holiday."
The entire crowd booed and jeered, some even exchanging insulting names about Snowfall. They didn't seem to be aware that Snowfall was overhearing everything, it was as if she was invisible even though she was just outside.
Glow sighed. "That's my cousin, Snowfall, for you. I can't remember the last time I saw her take a day off from work, not even for a holiday. I hate to speak ill of a pony who's not here, but it seems she's turned her back on the holiday for good! She always asks me what reason I have to be so merry when I'm poor enough, and I just ask her what right she has to be so grumpy if she's rich enough. I have always hoped that hosting this party and offering her an invitation would break through that icy heart of hers. Alas, I dare say she's as heartless as the windigos of old. Only there's no ponies left to warm her up." Everyone present had a good laugh at that.
Having heard the whole thing, Snowfall felt something inside her be stirred just a little. For the first time since she couldn't remember, the grouchy mare felt hurt. "Is that really what ponies think of me? I never meant to be that cold, I thought my intentions were pure and desirable," She thought to herself. "Was I mistaken?"
"Are we talking about Miss. Frost again?" A rather raspy voice called out, followed by a series of coughs. "She can't be all bad if she gave my big sis the night off."
The music stopped, and everypony turned their attention to the source of the noise. It soon revealed itself as an orange coated pegasus filly with faint bags under her grayish-purple eyes that indicated a few sleepless nights. Her moderate purplish-pink mane and tail looked a bit disshelved, and she seemed to move slower than was normal for a filly her age.
"Madeline?" Ash asked, addressing the filly by name. "What are you doing up this late? You should be in bed little filly, doctor's orders!"
"I know, I know. But I couldn't sleep, not tonight," Madeline coughed. "Tomorrow is Hearth's Warming Day!"
"Right, and you don't want to spend it stuck in bed, coughing up a fit, now do you?" Ash inquired of the filly.
"It's alright, dear," Called a masculine sounding voice. "The kid's with me, I let her stay up. Figured as long as she takes her medicine and is in bed before midnight, it can't her to let her burn some of that late night oil." The identity of this voice soon revealed itself as a pegasus stallion with a very pale cornflower blue coat, a very dark blue mane and tail styled bushy, and emerald green eyes.
"Hold on a second there!" Starlight exclaimed, interrupting the story. "That sounds like Soarin! Rainbow Dash mentioned him back when she first told me about the Wonderbolts!"
"Yeah, and?" Spike asked Starlight.
"I know for a fact he and Rainbow Dash aren't a couple. Heck, they're not even dating last time I checked," Starlight explained. "So, what's he doing in this story, serving as the husband?"
Twilight simply responded, by saying to Starlight. "I assure you that any relations to any ponies past or present that are featured in this story, are strictly coincidental. Now if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have this story done before midnight, thank you very much."
"Okay, okay, no more commentary from me," Starlight reluctantly agreed. "Proceed."
Clearing her throat, Twilight resumed narrating: "It was none other than Matt Hatchet, Ash Hatchet's husband."
All eyes fell upon Matt and Madeline, both of whom had not been seen prior to this point. Glow quickly turned to Ash Hatchet and said to her. "You never mentioned that you and your husband had a filly, Ashley. I must say, she doesn't seem to have much of a resemblance to either of her parents."
"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong," Ash quickly corrected. "Madeline's not my kid, or Matt's. And before you ask, no, she's not adopted!"
"Then, what is she doing at your place? Shouldn't she be with her parents?" Holly inquired.
"Parents are out of town again, said it'd be okay if I spent the holiday at Ash's place," Madeline answered, coughing yet again. "It stinks, but at least that way they can make enough money to put food on the table and pay for my medicine. Besides, this year I got to come along and be part of this awesome Hearth's Warming Eve party! It totally knocks my horseshoes off!" She buzzed her tiny wings in excitement, but that only stirred up dust which made her cough some more. And her coughs sounded a bit sickeningly in nature.
Ash quickly grew concerned, so she flew over to Madeline and lightly cooed. "Okay, kiddo, that's enough excitement for you for one night. You need to rest and get your strength back, that cold's not gonna go away if you keep staying up late all the time."
"Aw, no fair!" Madeline complained, and turning to Matt she pleaded. "Do I have to?"
Matt chuckled a little, ushering the filly along to the back with a wing. "Yes, I'm afraid so, my little pony. Besides, if you don't go to sleep now, Santa Hooves will pass you by. And you've been a good filly this year, right?"
Madeline nodded. "Yup, super duper extra good! But it's really too bad Miss. Frost doesn't believe in Santa Hooves, or Hearth's Warming Eve. She's a real grouch."
"Yeah, she is," Glow teased, and then she asked Ash. "So, what does Snowfall think a better Equestria looks like, exactly? I really wanna know."
"Ponies working hard, learning, and using their abilities for the benefit of Equestria. Or something along those lines," Ash answered. "I don't know, she says she learned it from some old professor whose name I can't remember."
Both Holly and Glow giggled at that remark, before there came a thunk and the sound of foals laughing and running about.
"Oh, I don't know," Matt commented with a smile. "I'd say it looks like we've got everything on Snowfall's list right here. We've all worked hard over the year, learned a lot, and have been using their talents for the benefit of all. And all of that went into organizing and hosting this here party. If Snowfall can't see that, well that's too bad on her part, 'cause she's missin' out!"
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I think a perfect Equestria looks a lot like a Hearth's Warming Eve party." Holly added, and many ponies nodded their heads in agreement.
Snowfall suddenly found that she was filled with a new emotion, regret. "I don't get it. I've treated them all so horribly, and given them nothing but bad things to think of when it comes to me. Yet here they are, laughing, eating, drinking, playing, and having a good time. And they still find a good word or two to say about me. Is this what it's like to care about others? To embrace the magic of Hearth's Warming?" She thought to herself.
Unaware of Snowfall's internal monologue, the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents commented out loud. "Me too! It's too bad it's going to be the last one ever! Ever! Ever! Ever!" As she spoke the last line, a ghostly echo began to sound, and a mysterious fog began to roll in. In the distance, one could hear the clanging chimes of bells in the clock towers as they struck the hour.
Stricken with a sense of dread, Snowfall eyed the spirit. And she had to blink and rub her eyes to be sure she wasn't seeing things! The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents was turning a ghostly white in color, with each passing second more and more color was draining from her, as she slowly retreated into the fog bank. Frantically, Snowfall called out! "Spirit? What do you mean? What's going to happen?!"
"It's not my place to predict the future, Snowfall Frost," The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents answered ominously. "I'm sorry, I should've told you this sooner. As the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents, I don't get to hang around for very long. Just 'til midnight on Hearth's Warming Day."
"B-but it's not Hearth's Warming Day, it's Hearth's Warming Eve!" Snowfall protested. "Spirit, please, don't leave me! I don't want you to go!"
"That's very touching of you, Snowfall," The spirit commented, even as the chimes only echoed ever louder. "But you're powerless to intervene with the spirits. Mr. D tried, and it cost him his physical form. Because of you, Hearth's Warming Day will never come this year, or any year to come."
"No, that can't be!" Snowfall exclaimed, and desperately she pleaded with the fading spirit. "Please! I need to know! About that girl! About little Madeline! She's gonna get better, right?! Right?! If not by her own hoof, then surely by my hoof or somepony's else's, right?!"
The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents only answered. "The future is clouded, and even if it weren't I'd be powerless to say what it holds for sure. But I do know this, if things continue as they are and these shadows remain unchanged, Madeline won't get better, and neither will anypony else. If you wish to know more, you'll just have to wait. There's still one final spirit you must meet with tonight. And what she has to show you, might just be the most important thing you'll hear in your entire life. Sorry our time together was so short, but I'll always live on in your memories. Don't forget what I have shown you, you have the power to change the present, and bring presents to all." And just as the clock struck twelve, the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents vanished with no evidence left behind of her existence.
Snowfall was not alone for long though. The bitter biting winter wind came blowing in, as did blinding snow and ice, as the temperature plummeted far below what should be normal for this time of year. Yet amidst this wintry tempest, Snowfall could make out the presence of a large, looming figure. Even bigger than the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents had initially appeared to be. Said figure was cloaked in a dark hooded cloak, which made it impossible to tell who or what it was. And not a sound could be heard from it above the roaring wind.
Still, Snowfall crept forward a little, just enough to be able to make out the sound of breathing from the looming figure. And she asked it. "I assume I'm now in the presence of the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come, correct?" The figure nodded. "You're here to show me the future my actions have caused, aren't you?" Snowfall asked, and the figure nodded again. "Look, I don't know what it is you wish to show me. And you should know, spirit, that I fear you more than any other specter I've met so far. But I want to say, I'm sorry. I had no idea the holiday meant so much to so many ponies. Show me what you will, show me that what I'm about to see may yet be changed."
At last, the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come spoke. And when she did, she spoke in a loud and echoy voice. "It's too late, Snowfall Frost."
"Why?" Snowfall asked the spirit. "Surely, you're here to show me how miserable my Hearth's Warming Eve is, and how terrible I've made it for others, right?"
"No," The spirit replied ominously. "For now, there are no more Hearth's Warmings left for me to show, either to you or to anyone."
"Why not?" Snowfall inquired. "Even if my future can't be changed, surely others' futures will not suffer the same fate? Please, I'll do anything, spirit! But you must let me help!"
The spirit only shook her head. "You will succeed in erasing the holiday of Hearth's Warming forever, as you wished, Snowfall Frost." She explained.
"And what happens? Why is it that everything is hidden by snow?" Snowfall reluctantly asked.
But rather than reply with words, The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come sang in a dark and ominous voice:
I see a cold wind blowing through.
And I see days neither fun nor free.
I see only a future caused by you!
But I also see a path not meant to be!
The future should be filled with magic.
Both dreams and wishes brought to life.
But the days ahead are only dark and tragic.
There's no time for hope when all is strife!
Whatever there might have been.
All the dreams that ponies share.
Now, because of you, Snowfall Frost!
The future is a only cold nightmare!
As the spirit sang, Snowfall saw what appeared to horses made of ice and snow, driving blinding blizzards that buried entire cities and towns! Horrified, she exclaimed! "Windigos?! But, they aren't actually real! It's just a little filly's story! Professor Flintheart said so!"
The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come replied firmly. "They are all too real, Snowfall, and your actions will allow them to return. The future of Equestria shall be bathed in a blanket of eternal snow! That is the fate you've brought on it!"
Horrified at this revelation, Snowfall grabbed the edge of the spirit's cloak and pleaded desperately with it! "No! I never meant for any of this to happen! I didn't understand! I didn't see how important Hearth's Warming really was! Please, spirit! Let me go back! I haven't cast the spell yet! Is there still time?! Tell me there's still time to make things right! I'm sorry! I won't try to erase the holiday ever again! I see now, that it is important! That it is worth celebrating! Whatever wrongs I've done in the past, it doesn't have to define my future or Equestria's future! Send me back to the present, let me give those ponies the present they deserve!"
All of a sudden, the wind stopped, and Snowfall opened her eyes! She found herself laying on the floor of her study, as though she'd just had a bad dream. Of course, Snowfall knew otherwise. That was no dream, it had all been real. She'd been lucky enough to be blessed with a chance to change the future. Eyeing the potion that she'd whipped up, Snowfall instantly felt her heart fill with dread. Just looking at the bubbling green liquid made her feel ill. "I don't know what I was thinking trying to create such a spell!" She said to herself, as she rushed over and took the cauldron off the hearth. She quickly carried out of her study and down the hall, pouring the contents right down the kitchen sink! "Never again!" She vowed, as she swore she saw a windigo briefly emerge from the drain and let out a faint whiny.
Shaken with fright, Snowfall carefully carried her now empty cauldron back to the study, and snuffed out the flames on the hearth. The room grew dark, but only until Snowfall remembered the candles, and lit a few. Only then did the mare pause to take some deep breaths, and boy did she need them. The entire experience had left her badly shaken. "What I've seen tonight, I don't know if I'll ever truly be able to forget it." She thought to herself.
Just then, there came the sound of bells chiming, announcing that it was midnight. Pushing open her study window, Snowfall looked down at the street, eyeing the colt that had previously needed a crutch, but retained the gift given to him by the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents. She shouted down to him! "You there, lad! What day is it?!"
Curious but also worried, the colt called up to Snowfall! "The clock just struck midnight! It's officially Hearth's Warming Day, ma'am!"
"Hearth's Warming Day!" Snowfall realized to herself! "There's still time to make everything right!" Then to the colt she replied. "Right you are, you're a smart young lad. Have you ever considered dancing lessons?"
"I have, but up until a few hours ago I could not walk on my own power," The colt answered. "Then it was like magic, this spirit appeared and with her powers my legs could move whenever I wanted them to. I don't know if I have the money to afford dancing lessons though, ma'am."
Snowfall laughed. "Not to worry, youngster. I shall teach you myself. You stop by my place every afternoon at exactly four o'clock, and I'll set up a studio for you to dance to your heart's content. I'll consult only the finest books on the art, and work with you step by step."
"I shall look forward to that, ma'am!" The colt called, walking off. "See you this afternoon!"
"Oh, I should think not, lad!" Snowfall said with a chuckle. "This afternoon would be Hearth's Warming Day afternoon! You deserve to spend the day with those you care about! But I expect to see you at my doorstep the very next day at the designated time," She watched the colt run off, before she then turned her attention inward. "Now, to give Ash Cratchet and all those party goers something to talk about." She said to herself, as her horn began to light up.
The party at Glow's was still going on, even as the midnight hour arrived. Music was playing, drinks were flowing, and ponies of all different species were chattering up a storm.
All of a sudden, there came an unexpected knock at the door. A few ponies stopped partying, but most went on celebrating without hesitation. Most likely a guest had arrived late.
But when the door was opened, there stood the last pony anypony had expected to see out and about on Hearth's Warming, Snowfall Frost! She was even wearing her top hat. "Oh my goodness, can it be?!" Glow exclaimed.
"Snowfall Frost?" Holly asked.
Snowfall nodded. "I was hoping I wasn't too late for the party? I brought gifts and everything." It was then that the music stopped playing, and everypony became aware of the presence of their up til now unannounced guest.
Ash could hardly believe her eyes, and spat out her drink in shock! "Boss?!"
"What do you want now, Snowfall Frost?!" Matt remarked, his eyes narrowing on Snowfall as he cast an angry glare. "Come to order my dear Ashley back to work, on tonight of all nights no less?!"
Snowfall shook her head. "I was wrong earlier, about Hearth's Warming Eve, and about Hearth's Warming in general. It's not all about just singing and presents. The singing and presents are all about celebrating the ponies in our lives. The ponies we should listen to more often: our friends. So, I know it's not much but, here. Think of this as my long overdue present. A way for me to say thanks for all the hard work you've done for me, Ash Cratchet."
"Wow," Ash remarked, ripped open the hastily wrapped box presented to her. It turned out to be a potion of some kind. Reading the label, she commented. "Dragon toenail? Uh... thanks? I think?"
"I was in a hurry. I'll do better next time. I promise." Snowfall responded, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty for her hasty gift giving.
But Ash replied to Snowfall. "Ha. You kidding, boss? No one's ever given me dragon toenail before! And coming from a pony like you, that just makes it even more awesome! Now come get some eggnog and have fun! We're gonna dance the night away!"
"Well, I have one more gift to give to you. Something I'm sure you and your husband will greatly appreciate," Snowfall said to Ash. "I think it's time I raised your salary up a few notches. That way you can afford to save more for your family, and treat them better. And as for that kid you're caring for, I'm gonna see to it that she gets the best medicine money can buy. And if that doesn't work, I'll personally pay for her to have a vacation in Applewood on the west coast. The sea air should do her some good."
"Oh, Snowfall, you didn't have to do that! But I'm glad you did!" Ash happily exclaimed. "Wait til I tell Madeline about this! She'll be through the roof!"
"And from then on, it was always said that of all the Hearth's Warming Eve celebrations, Snowfall's was the Hearth's Warmingest." Twilight narrated.
"And what about Madeline?" Starlight asked with worry. "What happened to her?"
Twilight smiled, and narrated further: "And little Madeline did indeed get better. And Snowfall Frost became something of an aunt to her. In fact, Madeline was heard to say on that fateful Hearth's Warming Eve/Hearth's Warming Day: 'May Faust bless us, everyone!' The end." And with that, Twilight closed the book, placing it back on the shelf.
"That was a good story," Starlight commented. "Makes me wish I'd have read it sooner."
"Well, you're welcome to read it on your own whenever you want. And of course, for however many Hearth's Warmings you continue to stay at the castle for, you can expect that we'll read it together again, voices and all," Twilight said to Starlight. "After all, you're part of the family now."
"Yup, you'll make a pretty cool big sis!" Spike playfully teased, poking at Starlight a little with one of his claws.
"Guess you can call it a night if you really want to, Starlight," Twilight told her student, as all three left the library. "Spike and I are heading downstairs, and if you wanted to, you'd be welcome to join us. But the choice is up to you. If you still want to go to bed early, we'll try to keep it down a little."
For a little while, Starlight hesitated, even after Twilight and Spike left to join the party. Sure, everyone gathered seemed to be having fun, and some of them Starlight knew quite well. But after all the years of less than wonderful Hearth's Warming memories, was she about to risk opening up her heart and taking part in the festivities, simply because they'd been brought to her doorstep?
But eventually, Starlight found that try as she might, a part of her missed those Hearth's Warming memories of old. All the times spent staying up late with Sunburst as a little pony, singing songs and playing in the snow, while the adults drank eggnog and cider, and shared delicious treats. Then they would curl up by the fire place for stories, or decorate a giant tree that would reside in the center of the house. And the next morning, they would wake to find presents and presents galore. Maybe this celebration here and now wouldn't be exactly like those, but it sure beat just moping around on the holiday. So Starlight came downstairs amidst the sound of ponies laughing.
Twilight soon took notice. "Welcome to the party! Happy Hearth's Warming, Starlight." She greeted.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Twilight." Starlight replied, and then she began to sing:
Hearth's Warming Eve is filled with presents.
And some take you by surprise.
A story shared by your good friends.
That makes your spirits rise.
Sometimes you just let go of the past.
And Enjoy the present while it lasts.
And really it's not that much to ask.
With good friends by your side.
Oh, now it's time to celebrate!
A chorus of ponies joined in and sang:
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Singing with them, Starlight added:
All together, feeling great!
And the chorus replied:
'Cause Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Happily, Starlight sang to herself:
Can hardly wait!
We'll party 'til late!
It's our favorite date!
And now, full of holiday cheer and festive spirit, Starlight joined a massive chorus of ponies that all sang together:
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once a—
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve!
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve!
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
And thus a good time was had by all, on the most wonderful of nights, in the most magical of towns in all of Equestria. All would look back on the joyous celebration with nothing but good memories. And like all good memories, the celebration never faded from the minds of those lucky enough to have attended it that fateful night.
S6 E16: 28 Pranks Later (What If?) (Bonus Chapter)
It was an eerie moonlit night in Ponyville, the kind of night in which fog tended to settle into some of the lower areas. The kind of night one probably shouldn't be out and about on, at least not on their own. Yet, such was the unfortunate case for one pony, Fluttershy. True, she didn't fear the darkness and wasn't much of a scaredy cat anymore, but given the choice she would rather be safe at home than braving the night by herself. Well, at least she wasn't completely alone, she had a few of her animal friends for company, including Harry the Bear and Angel Bunny.
Suddenly, the peace and quiet was disturbed by a faint sound. Fluttershy's ears picked it up. It sounded like the rustling of leaves, as though someone or something was not far behind. But when Fluttershy spun around to look, she saw nothing. "I-is anyone there?" She called out, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. The only reply came in the form of a gust of wind.
Fluttershy turned her back to facing forward, and resumed her trot home. Picking up the pace only a little, just in case she was maybe being followed by something that wasn't friendly. Hopefully, whoever or whatever that something was, had no plans involving Fluttershy in any way, shape, or form. "Take it easy, Fluttershy. It's probably just your imagination," She thought, giving herself a mental pep talk. "Nothing's out there. Right?"
But something was indeed out there, something big and alive! Peering out from behind a bush, the figure's bright yellow eyes glowed, as it eyed its unsuspecting victim. Slowly, it left the safety of its hiding spot and began to stalk its target, teeth bared and ready for action.
In the distance, Fluttershy could spot the path leading towards her cottage, and safety. "Oh good, soon I'll be safe and sound in my home. And my imagination can stop playing tricks on me." The pegasus thought to herself, already looking forward to curling up on the sofa in a thick wool blanket, sipping hot cocoa with her animal friends.
The creature following her had other plans! It suddenly sprang forward, revealing itself as a timberwolf, a fully grown one at that! Sure, it was by itself, but its razor sharp teeth, glowing eyes, and bad breath were enough to make it quite the threat! It let out a great big roar, and Fluttershy nearly jumped into Harry's waiting arms in fright! Naturally, she opted for a much better option, run!
Fluttershy bolted, desperately trying to get to her cottage before the timberwolf could catch her! But it seemed that no matter how hard she ran, the timberwolf easily kept pace with her! Then the worst possible thing happened! In her haste to flee, Fluttershy had forgotten to pay attention to where she was going, and she tripped over a broken off tree branch that was laying in the road! Stumbling but for a moment, Fluttershy picked herself up and found herself snout to snout with the timberwolf!
"P-please d-don't e-eat me, M-Mr. T-timberwolf, sir!" Fluttershy nervously stammered. "W-whatever you w-want f-from me, j-just l-leave me in one piece."
The timberwolf didn't respond, it just growled and sharpened its claws! It then lunged straight for Fluttershy!
In a state of panic, Fluttershy did the only thing she could of think! She reared back a hoof, and socked the timberwolf right on the muzzle!
That got results alright, but not the ones Fluttershy could've expected. The timberwolf reared back, putting a paw to its snout. Then suddenly it cried out in a loud voice! "Owie! You didn't have to be so rough!"
Fluttershy knew who that voice belonged to. "Discord?" She asked, her voice changing from frightened to angry.
The timberwolf disappeared in a flash of white light, and in its place stood none other than the master of chaos himself, Discord. He was still holding a paw to his nose, which had a clear red mark from the sight of impact. "Geez, Fluttershy. Can't you take a little joke?" Discord demanded. "My poor nose didn't deserve that!"
"That wasn't funny, Discord! In fact, that was downright nasty!" Fluttershy complained, glaring at the creature she still considered a friend even after some of the things he'd done since becoming reformed. "I was terrified for my life!"
"I know, but that's what made the whole thing funny!" Discord laughed. "Come on, where's your sense of humor? I was going to reveal myself to you right before my teeth would've actually made contact with you. It would've been the most hilarious prank, and we would've had a barrel of laughs."
Fluttershy only continued to glare at Discord, as she trotted back up to the path to her cottage. "I didn't think it was so 'hilarious' Discord. Friends don't do that to other friends."
"But I was just trying to have a little fun. It was a harmless prank, I swear. You were in no real danger." Discord innocently pleaded.
Fluttershy just sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead. "Look, it's late and I'm in no mood to argue about it, Discord."
"Neither am I, and I like a good argument." Discord commented, as he briefly split into two versions of himself. One was red and the other was blue, both were shouting unintelligable words at each other.
"But," Fluttershy added, as she approached her cottage door. "I am going to tell the girls about this. They've been complaining to me for a few days now that you've been pranking them without rhyme or reason, and that it's getting out of control."
"Out of control?! Do you even know who it is you're talking to?!" Discord remarked. "What's life without a little chaos now and then?!"
"There's such a thing as too much chaos, Discord! And perhaps it's time we all had a talk about where to draw that line," Fluttershy cautioned. "This is serious, I can't stick up for you anymore, Discord."
"But-but..." Discord stammered.
"We'll discuss this tomorrow, Discord. In the meantime, you'd better not go around pranking other ponies like you just did," Fluttershy warned. "They might react with far less restraint than I did." And with that, she closed her cottage door in Discord's face.
"Geez. I swear I'll never understand these ponies," Discord thought to himself. "All I want is to have a little fun. Surely, a few pranks here and there isn't doing anything wrong, right?"
Just as Fluttershy had promised, the very next day Discord was called over to Twilight's castle. And all seven mares were there, each of them registering clear frowns of disapproval.
"Fluttershy told us about what happened last night, Discord," Twilight began, hooves folded across her chest. "And we're not happy about that, not at all."
"It's one thing to prank somepony in harmless fun. It's another thing entirely to do stuff like go around posing as a timberwolf, and making ponies think you're gonna eat them. Even Gilda never went that far with some of her harsher pranks." Rainbow Dash added.
"Quite frankly, prankin' Fluttershy like that was the last straw," Applejack remarked, pounding her hooves on the table. "Ya've been runnin' around, prankin' all of us for the past few weeks. It's gettin' out of hoof!"
With a nod, Starlight commented. "And some of your pranks were pretty mean. Like that trick you pulled with the scrolls that made them come to life. You made me thought I'd summoned a ghost or something."
"Oh lighten up, you've got no sense of humor," Discord retorted. "I was going easy on you that time."
Pinkie Pie's look shifted from angry, to worried. "Look, Discord, I get you wanna have a little fun with life. Trust me, I know what that feels like. But there are other ways to do that." She cautioned.
"Pinkie's right, Discord," Twilight agreed as she moved to sit down in her chair. "Why don't you just take a break from pranking for a little bit? That way..." But what Twilight wanted to say next was cut off, for as she sat down in her chair there came an audible fart sound. No one said a word, but Discord barely managed to keep himself from chuckling.
Starlight quickly came over, and used her magic to remove a deflated whoopie cushion. "A whoopie cushion? Really?" She remarked, glaring at Discord. "How amateurish can you get?!"
"Pah! You ponies have no sense of humor! I doubt you'd know a good prank if it bit you on the tail!" Discord snorted. "You gotta have respect for the classics, whoopie cushions, joy buzzers, squirting flowers, the whole nine years. First you get mad with me for going all out with my pranks, and now you're saying I'm too much of amateur because I use stuff like whoopie cushions?"
"The point is, your pranks are getting out of control, and we don't like it," Starlight tried to explain. "Heck, I never really liked pranks. They were the first thing I banned in 'Our Town', the last thing I needed then was unconvinced prankster exposing my secret by mistake. You know, it's times like this that make me sorely tempted to go back to my own ways, just to teach guys like you a thing or two."
"And if you ask me, I'd say you're pretty lazy with your pranking," Rarity chimed in. "Not that I've ever partaken in any such juvenile behavior, but from what Sweetie Belle tells me, pranking is an art unto itself. It's got to serve a purpose other than you doing it just to have fun at somepony else's expense."
"If you can't take the time to think about what is and isn't acceptable when it comes to prankin', then I'd say it's time you called it quits and stopped drivin' us crazy all the time!" Applejack demanded. "We've got our own problems to take care of, and not all of us have time for your pranks. If ya really want to annoy us, then why can't you do normal chaotic stuff like make it rain chocolate milk, or create self growin'/self poppin' popcorn?"
"You think I can't prank my way out of a paper bag?!" Discord snarled. "Well, I'll prove you all wrong! Just you wait, pretty soon you'll see that I'm a true pranking master, and we'll all be laughing along!" And with that, he disappeared with a snap of his talons.
"Well, that could've gone better," Twilight remarked, and sighed. "Why do I get the feeling Discord's going to do something crazy and stupid?"
"Whatever it is, I hope it won't involve me. I want nothing to do with whatever sort of pranking agenda he's got on his mind." Starlight added.
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash just exchanged nervous glances. Though they didn't know Discord as well as Fluttershy, they knew full well the kind of trouble a determined prankster could be when they perceived themselves as being challenged. And given Discord's ego, he seemed unlikely to yield until he'd gotten his revenge.
Shortly after the meeting at Twilight's castle was adjourned, Rarity returned to Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle was already there, waiting for her. And Rarity led her little sister up to her workshop, as she said. "I know you're excited about the Filly Guide Cookie Drive, but I still have to do a few finishing touches on your uniform."
"Okay, just make them quick. We'll need the uniforms to pick up the boxes of cookies. And they're going to be delivered tomorrow." Sweetie Belle replied, before she and Rarity both laid eyes on Sweetie Belle's Filly Guide uniform, which rested atop a massive cake of some sort.
Rarity growled a little, but Sweetie simply opted to munch of some the cake. "Hmm. Not bad," She commented. "But where'd this giant cake from? It's not like it just magically appeared."
"Good question, Sweetie Belle," Rarity responded, and then eyed a small note that rested near the cake. "What's this? 'To Rarity: You asked for it.'"
"Asked for what? What does it mean?" Sweetie asked Rarity.
Rarity tapped a hoof against her chin, before realization suddenly struck her. "I think I know what it means," She said to her little sister. "This must be Discord's idea of a prank. He's even more of an amateur than I thought if he's gonna be this obvious about it. No doubt he's rigged some kind of bobby trap or other device to your Filly Guide uniform up there. And I suspect trying to use my magic will spring it."
"So then, how do we get it down?" Sweetie inquired. "Should I get a ladder?"
But Rarity shook her head, turning her attention away from the giant cake. "No, Sweetie Belle. The simple answer is: We don't. If Discord actually thinks I'm going to fall for something so obvious, he's got another thing coming. There's more uniforms where that one came from! After all, I always come prepared for emergencies like this!" Trotting over to her sewing machine, Rarity thought to herself. "Clearly being eons old has left Discord out of touch with the modern art of pranking. Even I would know better than to set up something so obvious. That letter was practically a dead giveaway, I'd have to be stupid to fall for such an obvious trap. Good try, Discord. But you'll have to do a lot better than that!" However, when Rarity went to her sewing machine and prepared to turn it on, it collapsed with a splat! "Huh?! What the-?!" Rarity exclaimed.
Sweetie Belle rushed over, quickly discovering that the sewing machine had been replaced with a well made cake replica. And like with the actual cake, the filly couldn't resist taking a bite. "Hmm. The sewing machine cake is actually better than the cake cake. My compliments to the chef." She commented.
Rarity, however, let out a growl. "Discord!"
"Gotcha! Ha-ha! How's that for effort?" Discord taunted from behind the second floor window.
"Very funny, Discord," Rarity remarked with a groan. "I guess I fell for an obvious bluff. But you'd better not have replaced my actual sewing machine! I need it!"
"Relax, your sewing machine should work just fine, once you find it," Discord laughed. "I could tell you where it is, but you need the exercise." And then he set off.
Rarity sighed. She didn't want to admit it, but Discord's prank had actually been rather clever. "Even Rainbow Dash's pranks are never that well thought out. Perhaps I underestimated Discord, just a little." Rarity thought to herself, then went to look for her sewing machine and hope that Discord had indeed not tampered with it. After all, he'd never actually said the uniform on top of the cake wasn't booby trapped.
That night, at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom was surprised to find her sister's bedroom completely covered with pans and bells, which clanged and jingled when moved. Curious and a bit worried, Apple Bloom asked her big sister. "What's all this, Applejack? I thought you were gonna help me get ready for the Filly Guide Cookie Drive. Ya know the Crusaders and I have been lookin' forward to it."
"Uh, yeah, really sorry about that," Applejack apologized to Apple Bloom. "But the thing is, Discord's been on a prankin' spree as of late and with him you can never be too careful. I ain't takin' any chances this time!"
"Do you really think Discord is gonna try and prank you in your sleep?" Apple Bloom asked with concern. "Seems kind of unlikely to me. Discord's a little crazy, but I think even he understands the concept of a good night's sleep."
"I would hope Discord has the sense to leave me alone tonight. But just in case he tries somethin', I'm gonna be ready for him!" Applejack firmly vowed. "He's not prankin' me on my watch! Not if I have anythin' to say about it," She then clicked off the lamp and yawned a bit before she said to Apple Bloom. "Now go and get some sleep, okay? See ya in the mornin', sugarcube."
Applejack fell asleep at once, certain she'd outfoxed Discord and kept him at bay. But as she woke up the next morning, the first thing the farmpony heard, was the sound of a pig oinking. "Huh?!" Applejack exclaimed, as her eyes shot open! Sure enough, a pig was sleeping next to her in her bed! Just then, the rooster crowed. "Whoa! What the hay?!" Applejack remarked with fright, and stumbled out of bed, only to land with a splat in a thick puddle of mud in the middle of the pigpen. Only then did she hear the sound of pans clanking. "Discord!" Applejack shouted, as she slowly picked herself up.
Discord was hovering overhead on a cloud, he had seen everything. "Phew, Applejack! You need a shower, badly! You're what skunks point at when they say: 'That stinks!'" He playfully teased, and then laughed. "Still think I'm lazy, huh?! Well, what do you have to say about this?"
"Ha ha, you're a laugh riot, really," Applejack grumbled under her breath. "But don't go pullin' a stunt like that again! Do you have any idea how hard it is to wash off mud?"
"Would you like some help with that?" Discord offered. "I promise, no surprises this time."
But Applejack shook her head and insisted. "No thank you, I'm not fallin' for another one of your pranks! Just leave me alone and get outta here! And I hope ya don't plan on botherin' me, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash while we're helpin' our little sisters with their annual Filly Guide Cookie Drive."
"Suit yourself." Discord taunted, before he made the cloud he was on shoot off a lightning bolt!
Applejack jumped in surprise! "Not funny, Discord!" She said with a growl.
"Oopsie, that was a mistake, I swear." Discord said in an innocent tone of voice, before he quickly zoomed away, leaving the cloud behind. Sure enough, it began to rain.
Applejack just sighed. "Well, I guess I needed the shower. Just hope the smell washes off too." She thought to herself.
Later that same day, Discord was tanning himself near a small pond just outside of Ponyville. He hadn't heard a peep from anypony all day, but he assumed his friends were probably talking about him. No doubt sharing a few laughs at his pranks on Rarity and Applejack. "By tomorrow I'm sure my pranks will be a fond memory for them," He thought to himself. "I didn't do anything really bad, nothing that those ponies couldn't undo. Besides, Rarity got a free cake, and Applejack a free shower. Who says I can't be nice?"
Just then, Discord turned his head, and he saw two familiar ponies approaching him. They weren't Rarity and Applejack though, or even Fluttershy and Twilight, and they certainly weren't Spike and Starlight (though Discord knew Spike wasn't a pony). They were Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, fellow pranksters as far as Discord was concerned.
Reluctantly getting up from his chair and setting down his tanning mirror, Discord greeted the two mares as they trotted up to him. "My my, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. What a pleasant surprise." He cheerfully greeted.
"I wish we could say the feeling's mutual, Discord. But we can't." Rainbow Dash glumly replied.
"Oh, and whyever not?" Discord innocently asked. "If this is about my pranking, I'll have you know I haven't pranked anypony since this morning."
"Unfortunately, that's what we came to talk to you about, Discord," Pinkie Pie commented, gulping a bit. "Apparently you've been causing mischief all over Ponyville for the past several days, and you pranking our friends was just the latest in an ongoing spree. Ponies are starting to say things about you."
"Oh goody!" Discord eagerly exclaimed. "I'm all aglow with the praise I'm no doubt getting!" And his entire body lit up like a Hearth's Warming Tree.
But Pinkie and Rainbow exchanged looks, before they shook their heads. Rainbow was the first to explain. "It's not very good. They're wishing you'd just stop."
"Stop?! Now?! And they say I'm the crazy one!" Discord retorted, feeling quite hurt at the suggestion. "So maybe I had a bit too much fun with those ponies. So what? It's not like I did anything they couldn't undo. If anything, so far I've held back on them!"
"Then maybe now would be a good time to call it quits," Pinkie suggested to Discord. "Please, you've already proven your point. You're certainly no amateur when it comes to pranking ponies, and after this morning no one will deny you put a lot of effort into your practical jokes."
"Then you should be siding with me, not against me!" Discord demanded. "Or are you just mad that I'm proving myself to be as good as a prankster as the queens of pranking when it comes to Ponyville? Think maybe I might decide to expand into Canterlot and beyond?"
"Look, all we're saying is, maybe it's best to quit while you're ahead rather than push your luck," Rainbow cautioned, her tone of voice conveying just how hard it was for her to make such comments. "Take it from a pony who once milked her superhero status for more than it was worth. Nothing lasts forever. At least if you stop now, maybe in time we can put this all behind us and have a good laugh. Ponies were just starting to trust you again after what happened with Tirek two years ago, you really wanna give them reason to be afraid of you all over again?!"
Upon hearing Tirek's name be mentioned, Discord's eyes lit up like fire, and his face contorted itself into a frown. "You DARE bring up that incident in my presence?! You know full well how much I regretted it, you both stood up for me and even were willing to lie for me to keep your friend in the dark! Yet now you're trying to guilt trip me into giving up the thing that's brought me so much joy?! And all because a few ponies can't take a harmless little joke?!"
"What?! No, no, no, you've got it all wrong!" Rainbow insisted, as she and Pinkie felt themselves being backed into a corner.
"Please, Discord, you have to trust us on this one!" Pinkie firmly pleaded. "If you're gonna prank anyponies, why not prank us?! Prank the ones who can take it and will understand!"
But Discord had heard more than enough, with his feelings deeply hurt and old wounds reopened, he was in no mood for further discussion. "Just leave me alone, we're done here!" He said firmly. "If those ponies wanna fear me, I'll give them a reason to fear me! Maybe then they'll understand that I'm someone you shouldn't tick off! I may be reformed, but I'm still Discord, I'm still going to act chaotic! And I think it's time all of Ponyville was reminded of how chaotic I can really be!"
Reluctantly, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were forced to realize that they couldn't argue with Discord. Despite their best efforts, it seemed like he was going to keep pranking for quite some time, and there was little they could do to prevent that. However, when Discord wasn't looking, Pinkie pocketed an innocent looking box of cookies and started to eat them. "Hmm, something about these Filly Guide cookies feel... different. But why?" She thought to herself, wondering if the funny taste the cookies had in her mouth was something to be concerned about, or just her mind playing tricks on her.
"I'll show them! I'll show them all what a REAL prank looks like!" Discord mentally vowed. "Maybe then they'll finally start laughing along with me, rather than telling me to stop."
The next morning, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, along with their big sisters, were getting ready for the annual Filly Guide Cookie Drive. They'd already picked up the boxes of cookies the dat before, and thanks to canvasing the week before, they knew which Ponyville residents wanted what cookies and how much of those cookies they'd order. The weather was as it always was for this time of year, and no one had heard a peep from Discord. So it seemed like today was going to be a peaceful and quiet, uneventful day.
But it didn't quite turn out that way. Shortly before the cookie drive was slated to begin, Twilight called Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash away. She had some bad news. "Mrs. Cake just told me that Pinkie Pie's sick today, and won't be ordering any cookies," She told them. "In fact, she says we need to come over to Sugarcube Corner right away and see Pinkie's condition for herself."
"Why? Is it something serious?" Rainbow asked with concern.
"Or contagious?" Rarity added. "Because if it is, I certainly don't want to catch whatever Pinkie's caught."
"Mrs. Cake wouldn't say, though she did tell me she doesn't believe it to be contagious," Twilight explained to the three, and to the Cutie Mark Crusaders she apologized. "I'm sorry, you'll just have to postpone the start of the drive for a while. If Mrs. Cake wants us to look at Pinkie, something must be wrong. It's possible she may even need one of us to watch the twins in Pinkie's place."
"Ah, but that's not fair, we were all set to start going door to door." Scootaloo grumbled.
"Well, at least we know we don't need to worry about Pinkie Pie this time around," Apple Bloom commented, crossing Pinkie's name off the chart. "And that frees up a lot of boxes for other ponies."
"We might actually finish with some left over because of that," Sweetie Belle added, and then she confessed. "I... kind of took the liberty of ordering some extra boxes, just because we always seem to barely have enough for everypony due to Pinkie Pie. I didn't want to risk a shortage this year."
"Just sit tight, girls. Hopefully we'll be back soon," Rarity expressed in an upbeat tone. "In the meantime, stay here and keep yourselves out of trouble til we get back. Think you can manage that?"
"Yes, Rarity." All three fillies nodded.
Twilight proceeded to teleport herself and her three friends to Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy, Starlight, and Spike were already there, as was Discord. Mrs. Cake was waiting for them, as they approached Pinkie's bedroom. "I'm not sure when this came on, but the poor dear's been sick in bed since this morning. She hasn't moved an inch." She said with concern.
"It's okay, Mrs. Cake. We'll take it from here, you worry about Sugarcube Corner and your family." Twilight advised.
"But Pinkie is part of my family as well, and has been for years." Mrs. Cake confessed.
Fluttershy put a hoof to Mrs. Cake's back. "I'm sure you've done all you can for Pinkie. But there's no need to exhaust yourself worrying nonstop about her. We're here for her now, so you just relax. Maybe wash your hooves so you don't catch what Pinkies has, just in case."
Mrs. Cake reluctantly did so, and then all of Pinkie's friends approached her bedside. They were surprised at what greeted their eyes.
Pinkie Pie was laying in bed alright, but the color seemed to have gone from her coat. She was still pink, but the luster seemed to have faded to grey. Her mane and tail, though still poofy, looked disfigured in spots. There were a few bags under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep the night before. But the most concerning thing of all, was a smear of rainbow coloring across her lips. And beneath her bed rested an empty box of some kind.
Pinkie coughed, speaking in a raspy tone of voice as she looked at all her friends. "Oh, hey everypony, nice of you all to drop by," She spoke, pausing as another cough came on. "Sorry I'm not feeling well today, I don't really know what brought it on. I felt fine up til last night, then all of a sudden I started having this tickle in my throat that wouldn't go away. The only thing that made me feel better, was this box of cookies. But every time I ate them, my mouth turned all rainbow for some reason."
"Yes, we can see that just fine," Starlight commented, as she pulled out the box with her magic. "Do you know where this came from?"
Pinkie shook her head, coughing some more. "I just found it laying on the ground yesterday with no label. It was unopened though, so I figured it would be safe to eat them. Guess I was wrong."
Everyone in the room seemed to be concerned about Pinkie's mysterious ailment, except for Discord who seemed baffled. "No, it couldn't possibly be. I made sure to count all the boxes myself," He thought. "No way did one escape my sight. And even if it somehow did, it can't possibly be connected to Pinkie's condition. There's no way, it doesn't make sense even to me! There must be another explanation for it all, something I'll surely think of any minute now." But nothing came to that chaotic mind of his.
"So, would you like a glass of water or something?" Spike offered to Pinkie. "Or maybe we should see a doctor, just to be sure this isn't something to worry about?"
But Pinkie weakly replied. "Actually, I don't think I can even stand up..." Then without warning she grabbed Spike and shouted! "Unless you've got more cookies!"
"Gah, Pinkie!" Spike exclaimed, brushing her hoof aside in panic!
Pinkie seemed to realize at once what she did, as she fell back upon her bed and apologized. "Sorry, Spike. I don't know what came over me. It's just... all of a sudden... I found myself craving those cookies above everything else," She coughed again. "I think you're right, I think something might be wrong with me."
A sense of dread and even panic suddenly filled the room! Things were far worse than anyone had expected them to be when they entered!
Reluctantly, Twilight trotted forward and suggested. "I... think I could try something that might at least let me see into your mind, Pinkie. It's kind of risky though." She warned.
"No, Twilight..." Pinkie weakly protested. "I... think I know what's wrong with me now," All of a sudden, she sat straight up in her bed! Everyone gasped! "Something...in those cookies...changed me... I...need...COOKIES!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs, and began moaning and groaning, her eyes shrunk as she seemed unable to say anything except "COOKIES!" over and over again!
"Pinkie?! What's gotten into you?!" Rainbow Dash frantically exclaimed, but all she heard in reply was Pinkie shouting for cookies.
"Something's wrong with Pinkie, she's acting like a... a... ZOMBIE!" Spike exclaimed in fright! "Run for your lives!"
But Twilight quickly leaped into action, throwing up a protective barrier! "Everyone, stay back! I don't know what's caused this change in behavior from Pinkie Pie, but we're going to get the bottom of it! And so long as I'm standing here, I'll see to it that she doesn't go near anypony else!"
"What could've caused this behavior? That's what I want to know," Fluttershy spoke up with concern. "It can't just be a random box of cookies, could it? I mean, maybe the sugar could make you act a little crazy and crave them more, but not to this extent."
Suddenly, Discord let out an audible gulp and started to sweat. "Uh, actually. They can, or at least they could if they were these joke cookies I had specially ordered."
"Joke cookies?" Fluttershy asked with concern, raising an eyebrow. "Discord? What did you do?"
Still sweating a little, and trying not to look too guilty, Discord confessed. "This wasn't supposed to happen, I swear! It was all supposed to be a harmless prank," Then he suddenly gasped as he realized something. "Oh no, the rest of the cookies!" He disappeared in a flash of light before anyone could stop him!
Discord teleported right to the wagon holding the Filly Guide cookies, he quickly counted them all off in his head. "Good, all accounted for," Discord said to himself, before he suddenly heard the sound of munching, causing him to gasp all over again. "No! Please no!" He shouted, as he rushed towards the source of the munching.
It turned out to be none other than Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, who were all eating cookies out of an opened box. "Oh no, you didn't! You did!" Discord cried out, his eyes widening in horror upon seeing the three fillies.
"What? We were hungry. We just ate one box for a snack." Sweetie Belle innocently replied, even as her lips were smeared with a rainbow coloring.
"You can have one if ya'd like, we ordered extra this year." Apple Bloom offered, her lips also covered with the rainbow smear.
Scootaloo licked her lips, the rainbow smear remaining no matter how much she moved her tongue. "It's funny though, they really tickle your throat. And once you eat one you can't help but want more."
"It's too late, they've already fallen victim!" Discord thought to himself, as he quickly grabbed the wagon filled with cookies and disappeared again!
"Well, that was just weird." Sweetie commented, then went back to eating the cookies.
Discord reappeared in Pinkie's bedroom at Sugarcube Corner, the wagon in tow. Quickly snatching up all but Twilight, he snapped his talons as he shouted firmly. "There's no time to explain, we've gotta get somewhere safe!"
"Somewhere safe" turned out to be Twilight's castle, or rather the library inside it! Discord barely waited for everyone to land safely on the floor, before he set the wagon in the middle of the room and started tossing a bunch of dynamite sticks and tnt barrels, along with a big red plunger! "Stay back, everypony! It's gonna blow! Plug your ears!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, and did so as he pressed down on the plunger! A gigantic explosion rocked the library, and when the dust had settled there was a huge black crater where the wagon had been.
"Discord, Twilight's gonna kill me when she see the big hole you just made!" Starlight angrily exclaimed. "I don't show up to your place and destroy your stuff, do I?!"
"And those cookies were for the Filly Guide Cookie Drive!" Applejack added, glaring at Discord. "Now, thanks to you, there's not gonna be a Cookie Drive!"
"You don't understand!" Discord hastily began. "I switched out the normal cookies for boxes of joke cookies, I had them specially ordered the day before!"
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash all exclaimed together! "You did what?!"
"It was just supposed to be a harmless prank, I swear!" Discord insisted, waving his arms about in dramatic fashion. "But, somehow, it seems something in the joke cookies has turned everypony into mindless, cookie craving, zombieponies!"
"And you just destroyed the only clue we have to curing Pinkie Pie!" Spike remarked, putting a claw to his face. "Great thinking, Discord."
But Fluttershy spotted something out of the corner of her eye, and flew over to inspect it. Blowing on it a little, she blew off the ashes and the dust. "Actually, one box survived," She informed everyone in the library. "Maybe something on the label can tell us what's causing this."
"Great! We'd better hurry before the Cutie Mark Crusaders are infected too!" Discord exclaimed, before he put a paw to his mouth as he realized his mistake.
Unfortunately, said mistake was overheard by all present. And the big sisters of the three fillies now revealed to be potentially afflicted, glared at the chaos maker. "Discord, you'd better hope we can find a way to cure everyony, for your sake," Rainbow Dash warned. "You've royally screwed up here."
"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "I don't know how I'll explain to Mother and Father that their youngest daughter is a cookie craving zombiepony."
"I don't know if I'll even be able to believe it myself." Applejack commented, still shaken with fright and disbelief after all she'd witnessed. It was all too much for her mind to bare and process.
What followed was a long period of silence, as all seven in the castle examined the charred joke cookie box for any traces of a cure, or at the least any idea of what had caused the ponies that had eaten them to become zombies.
But minutes ticked by without anyone mentioning anything. That is, until Spike suddenly shouted out! "Hey, I think I've found something!" He called everyone's attention to some small written words printed on the bottom right corner of the box. "Starlight, magnifying glass please." Spike instructed.
Starlight lit up her horn, enveloping a magnifying glass from a lonely corner. "Here you go, Spike. Hope you've found something good." She commented, as Spike accepted the object with a claw.
"I sure have," Spike nodded. "Just listen to this: 'Warning! These cookies are not to be consumed, the rainbow coloring used for the joke is supposed to make the cookies stand out. For reasons not fully known, ponies eating these cookies have turned into addicted zombies.'"
Discord groaned, slapping a paw to his face. "You know, they really should put something like that in bold print. Who in their right mind would think to look for something down there?"
"Does it say anything about a cure, Spike?" Starlight asked the dragon, and she pleaded. "Please say yes, please say yes."
Spike moved the glass one way, then another, and then another. He even double and triple checked the printed words. Then he shook his head. "No, nothing. It mentions nothing about what happens if anyone consumes the cookies. I guess whoever wrote this warning, never believed anyone would actually eat them."
"B-but, that can't be right! It can't!" Discord replied with horror. "I never meant for any of this to happen! There's got to be someway to undo of all this! Please, Spike, there must be something you're overlooking!"
"But I've read and re-read the fine print every which way I can," Spike protested. "I've found nothing."
"Maybe try the ingredients list?" Applejack suggested. "Maybe it's like an allergic reaction, if you know what caused the allergy, you can make somethin' to counter it. Perhaps that'll work here?"
"Hold on, let me check!" Spike replied, moving the box so as to get a look at the ingredients used in the joke cookies. He scanned through, spotting the usual baking stuff like milk, eggs, and flour. Then all of a sudden he read aloud. "Poison Joke."
"Wait a minute, that must be it!" Fluttershy realized! "Poison joke must be causing this, somehow!"
"Poison joke?! I'm allergic to poison joke!" Starlight exclaimed! "And I was going to order some of those cookies! Discord, you could've given me an allergic reaction!"
"Not by intention, Starlight! I had no idea poison joke was part of these joke cookies, honest!" Discord said nervously, trying to assert his innocence. "Had I know what these cookies involved and what they did, I'd never have ordered them, let alone swapped them out for the Filly Guide cookies," Hastily changing the subject he asked. "So, does anypony know poison joke can be cured? I mean, now that we know what caused this, surely we can fix it, no?"
"Correction, you are going to fix it!" Rarity said firmly. "You caused this fine mess, so you're the one who has to clean it up."
Surprisingly, Discord made no effort to fight the decision. "I suppose I should've expected that," He said with a sigh. "Now, the cure? Is there anything we could use for a cure for this unexpected development?"
"There should be some of that herbal bath stuff down at the spa," Rarity suggested. "Aloe and Lotus keep it on hoof in case anypony ever steps in or touches poison joke. It happens surprisingly often, small wonder Zecora always wears that long cloak of hers when trotting to and from her hut for supplies."
"Well then, there's no time to lose! Just hope Aloe and Lotus aren't out of their cure." Discord said firmly, and teleported away.
Aloe and Lotus were very surprised to see Discord at the spa, especially in such an out of breath appearance. "Discord? What brings you to spa?" Aloe asked the chaos maker.
"No time to explain," Discord panted. "I need that herbal bath stuff you use for poison joke, and I need it now!"
Lotus quickly rushed off and returned shortly with a vase that seemed quite heavy. "This is all we have of cure. Why you need it, Discord?" She asked, hoping for a response.
"I need it to right a wrong I made, that is all." Discord vaguely answered, as he took the vase and then vanished.
"I hope Discord returns it, Zecora says ingredients to make cure shall not be ready for few more days." Aloe said to Lotus.
Discord quickly teleported to the last location of the CMC, relieved to see that they hadn't wandered too far from the wagon. "I hope this works!" He thought to himself, as he unscrewed the top of the vase, and hastily dumped some of its contents on the heads of the three fillies.
For a moment, nothing happened. But then suddenly, the fillies all shook their heads and the rainbow smears on their cheeks seemed to vanish. "Hey, what's the big idea, Discord?!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Tonight's not my bath night!"
"Do you girls remember anything at all from when I was last here?" Discord asked them.
"All I can remember is eating those Filly Guide cookies and thinking they tasted funny," Sweetie Belle answered him. "Other than that, everything up until now is a blur. Why do you ask? Did we do something wrong?"
"They don't remember anything, good!" Discord realized, but knew better than to say such a thing out loud. He simply said to the fillies. "No, you did nothing wrong. But I did. I'm sorry, I inadvertently sabotaged your Filly Guide Cookie Drive."
"Wait, what?!" Apple Bloom shouted.
"No time to explain, just don't eat anymore Filly Guide cookies if you happen to find them!" Discord cautioned, before he screwed the lid back onto the vase and snapped his talons, disappearing again.
Arriving back in Pinkie's bedroom, Discord almost couldn't believe his eyes! Not only was Pinkie Pie a mindless, cooking craving zombie, but it seemed that Mrs. Cake, Mr. Cake, and even the twins Pound and Pumpkin Cake had been affected. "Should've figured Pinkie would let them have a box." Discord thought, as he saw Twilight visibly straining herself to keep her force field up.
"Hey, princess!" Discord called with a whistle. "Somepony call a cavalry?!"
"Discord?!" Twilight exclaimed!
Discord managed to push through Twilight's force field, and unscrewing the lid on his vase he carefully aimed it at the approaching wave of zombieponies, all of them chanting and moaning "Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!". "Oh, I think there's just enough left for all of them. But I've gotta time this just right!" Discord thought to himself, as he shut his eyes and threw the vase's contents towards Pinkie and the Cakes.
When at last Discord worked up the courage to open his eyes, to his great relief he saw the wide eyed faces of five ponies, who'd still had rainbow smears on their mouths just a moment or two ago. "Oh good, everything's back to normal." Discord said to himself, breathing a much needed sigh of relief.
Twilight cancelled her force field just seconds later, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. "Well, that was certainly an experience I could live without," She said to herself, as she wiped the sweat from her brows. "Just what in the name of Celestia happened?"
"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know," Pinkie demanded. "One moment I find myself fighting a strange craving for cookies, and the next I'm standing in the middle of my room with no memory of what happened. Did I somehow sleeptrot again even though it's the middle of the day?"
All eyes fell upon on the individual holding the now empty vase that had previously contained the cure for poison joke. Gulping, Discord suddenly felt like a bug under a microscope. In this case, a really small bug under a really big microscope. But he could see no way out. Fleeing now would only make him seem further guilty. Reluctantly, Discord knew the time had come to fess up. "Well, it all began with my 'brilliant' idea to pull off a prank using the Filly Guide Cookie Drive." He narrated, as he began his confession of the day's events and his role in them.
Later that same day, in the city of Canterlot, Princess Celestia was surprised to suddenly receive a letter. Or rather, a friendship report. She hadn't gotten one of those in a very long time. Curiously, she unfolded it and read the report, which went something like this:
Dear Princess Celestia,
I hope I've got this right, this is the first time I've had to truly write any kind of letter, let alone a friendship report telling you what I learned today.
Well, I sure learned a powerful lesson today, even if I'm not entirely sure you can call it a 'friendship lesson'. Then again, I've heard that ponies write to you all the time for the silliest of reasons. So I guess this letter could count.
Anyway, the lesson I learned (and boy is it a doozy of a lesson) is that with pranking there comes a responsibility to ensure that you think things through. A prank is only fun if everyone's laughing at it before long, and some pranks are funny if done in good nature and without meaning harm.
But other pranks, intentionally or not, are bad. If they cause others to get hurt, or feel hurt, then your prank just comes across as mean and unfunny, and no one will laugh along with it.
Most importantly, I've learned that while friends can prank friends, it's usually best not to drag others into your pranking sprees or wars. If you're mad with what somepony says or does, take it up with them and leave others out of it. Otherwise, you only end up making those who might have previously supported you, angry with you. And nothing can ruin friendships faster than anger caused by misunderstanding.
Your 'fateful' subject,
Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.
P.S. I saved a little something special for you at the end of this letter, and neither Twilight or Spike know about it. Bet you want to know what it is? Well, unfold the letter and find out, if you dare!
Princess Celestia did so, only to end up getting a cream pie to her face, courtesy of a spring! But rather than get upset or furious, the sun princess only giggled and licked traces of the pie off her face. "You sly dog, Discord," She thought to herself, trying to control her laughter. "You caught me off guard. I see that even after all these years, you haven't lost your sense of humor. And it's nice to see you're learning how to use it for all the right reasons."
S6 E23: Where The Apple Lies (What If?) (Bonus Chapter)
Diamond Tiara was trotting down the road, talking to her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (who had made her an honorary member not too long ago). "I never realized how much fun you girls have in one day," The pink coated filly commented with a bright smile. "It sure beats Mother's idea of fun, that's for sure. I don't see what's fun about etiquette lessons and 'learning how to be a rich pony' as she puts it. It's like she doesn't realize I'm not the same pony anymore, and I'm never going back to who I was."
"Well, if you ever need somepony to talk to, we're always here for you," Apple Bloom offered. "Once a Cutie Mark Crusader, always a Cutie Mark Crusader!"
"Yeah, and we never turn our back on a crusader in need!" Scootaloo vowed.
"You could stay the night at one of our places if you want. Once we got permission from our families of course," Sweetie Belle suggested. "It's been a long time since I last held a slumber party."
"That's a great idea!" Scootaloo exclaimed, buzzing her wings in excitement as she leaped into the air! "How about we-"
But just then, in the distance a familiar sweet sounding voice could be hearing calling "Scootaloo!". And if one glanced toward the horizon, it was possible to make out the faint outline of an amber coated pegasus mare with rose colored eyes. Scootaloo knew who that pony was, and she sighed. "Sorry, girls, guess that'll have to wait for another day. Mom wants me home early. Guess Dad must be working late again." And she quickly turned and trotted off in the direction of the voice.
"You know, I need to get going too. Sorry, Diamond Tiara," Sweetie Belle apologized. "Rarity's busy with her newest boutique, and Mom and Dad live all the way on the other side of town. They usually don't mind where I am, but even they will throw a fit if I'm not home by sundown." And she too turned and trotted off.
Now Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were alone, the two fillies whose families were business partners. "Let me guess, you're going to leave me too for some reason." Tiara said to Apple Bloom, eyeing the farm filly suspiciously.
Apple Bloom sighed, and nodded. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that, Diamond Tiara. I got some chores I need to get done, and I don't think my family would approve of ya helpin' out. We Apples do our assigned chores on our own with no fuss and no help unless the situation calls for it," But before she trotted off, she asked Diamond. "See ya tomorrow when your dad comes by to pick up the zap apple jam for his store?"
"Sure, I guess." Tiara sighed, then watched as her last friend trotted off into the distance. Seeing no other options, the pink coated filly decided it was best to just head home. With any luck, maybe her mother would still be at the spa and the filly would be spared another harsh lecture.
Making her way up to the front gate of her family mansion, it was only now that Diamond got a good look at herself. She was covered in tree sap and pine needles for reasons she still couldn't believe. "Guess that's the last time I let Scootaloo talk me into bungee jumping," She thought to herself, just before the pink coated filly spotted the faint traces of a turned up snout, and she nearly jumped back in surprise! "Oh no, just my luck Mother would be home early! I can't let her see me like this, she'll surely ground me!" Stricken with panic, the filly's mind started to scheme! She needed to find a way to sneak into the mansion and get cleaned up, before her mom could lay eyes on her disfigured state of appearance.
"I know, I'll sneak around to the pool and come in through there!" Diamond decided. "Nopony would ever suspect that! And even if Randolph spots me, I can always pay him to keep quiet. It's worked before." And that's just what the filly decided to do. Unfortunately, trying to squeeze in through the pool side gate proved to be rather difficult, thanks in no small part to the sticky sap still clinging to Tiara's pink coat. "Stupid tree sap!" She mumbled, a bit too loudly!
Having heard the angry shout of protest, Spoiled Rich darted around to the back! Sure enough, her eyes fell upon her head strong daughter, covered from head to hooves in tree sap and pine needles, not to mention an unhealthy coat of dust. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Spoiled remarked with a frown. "It's not enough that you've publicly humiliated me twice, now you're tracking dirt and grime into my house? And after all I've done for you?"
"Nice to see you too, Mother," Diamond muttered under her breath, as she finally managed to squeeze on through the gate and land right at the hooves of her mother. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to wash off the sap and pine. And I'm in no mood for one of your lectures."
But Spoiled's eyes narrowed, and she grabbed her daughter by the ear (one of the few places void of tree sap or pine needles). "Well too bad, a lecture is just what you're going to get, young filly! I've had up to here with your ungratefulness, especially since you're hanging out with those 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' losers!"
"I wasn't hanging out with them!" Tiara protested.
"Oh, and just how do you explain your current state of appearance?" Spoiled asked with a snarl, dragging her daughter along (even as Diamond dug her hooves into the ground to try and resist). "I wasn't born yesterday you know."
"Well I... uh.... I..." Diamond stuttered, before she quickly thought up a lie. "I was just playing with Silver Spoon! Yeah, that's it! We were playing hide and seek and I accidentally hid in a tree!"
"Really?" Spoiled remarked. "Then how do you explain that torn piece of red cloth sticking to your back leg? I can think of only one way you could've gotten that. Now you're lying to me too? Well, that's strike three for you, young filly. Just wait til your father gets home and hears about this," And she dragged Diamond kicking and screaming into the bathroom. "You can just sit here 'til Randolph comes to clean you up, while I think of a proper way to punish you for your bad behavior. And don't think you can go pleading to 'Daddy', I'm sure he'll frown upon your behavior as well."
Fortunately, Diamond didn't have to wait long for Randolph to enter the bathroom and start a bath for her. But although it felt nice to finally be rid of the sticky sap and pine, and rinse off the dirt, the pink coated filly couldn't help but worry. Her dad seldom got mad with her, the most recent occasion had been when she'd exploited Sweetie Belle's stage fright out of pure jealousy (something Tiara suspected Sweetie hadn't truly forgotten), but when he did he was always scary and very strict. Just what would he have to say about all that had transpired just a short time ago?
Tiara soon found out. Just after she'd gotten out of the bath and had dried off, the filly exited the bathroom only to run straight into the hooves of her father, still sporting his favorite neck tie. The pink coated filly gulped. "Uh, h-hey Dad," She nervously greeted. "How was work today?"
"Fine, just fine, thank ya for askin'," Filthy Rich said in a somber tone. "I heard about your recent unsuccessful attempt to sneak back home unnoticed. Your mom made sure to provide plenty of details."
"You're in big trouble now, young filly. And you've got no one to blame but yourself!" Spoiled taunted with a snarl.
Filthy put up a hoof and silenced his wife. "That's enough, hun. No need to frighten our little Diamond anymore than you already have. I'll take care of the lecturin' and punishin', why don't you just go read your magazines? That always calms you down."
"But Filthy-" Spoiled began.
"No buts, Spoiled," Filthy interrupted. "I need to start takin' a more active role in raisin' our daughter, and that includes settin' her straight when she does wrong. If I need your assistance, I'll gladly call for it. Now please leave my sight, and leave the rest to me."
Spoiled reluctantly obliged. "Fine, but you'd better not let her push you around like she always does, dear," She grumbled. "I swear, she probably likes to boast about how she has you wrapped around her little hoof. Both my mother and my father made sure that wasn't the case with me."
"And we all know how that turned out." Diamond thought, but didn't dare say it out loud.
Spoiled turned and trotted off without another word. But the silence once she'd left didn't last long. Filthy cleared his throat and spoke. "Let's adjourn to my study, Diamond. I ain't mad at what you did, but I am disappointed."
"Why is that, Father?" Tiara nervously asked, swallowing a lump in her throat.
"You'll know soon enough." Was all that Filthy replied with, and needless to say those vague words created a lot of uncertainty for his daughter.
Soon, father and daughter were in Filthy's private study. The fireplace crackled, as a roaring fire lit up the room. Diamond had opted to sit on a small leather couch, while Filthy sat in his favorite reclining chair made of soft cloth. "So, do you know what is you're in trouble for, Diamond?" Filthy asked his daughter.
"I... think so," Diamond gulped. "I tried to sneak into the house, didn't clean myself up before I entered, and lied to Mother about where I'd been."
"Actually, only that last one," Filthy said to his daughter. "Lyin' is a serious thing, Diamond. Maybe once in a while it won't do any harm, but in time it can become a very bad habit to keep. One that I don't want ya pickin' up if I can help it."
"It was just one little lie, and Mom easily saw through it," Tiara protested. "It's not like I've been doing it a lot."
"Even so, you know better than to lie about things like that," Filthy lectured. "I know you and your mom don't really see eye to eye on a lot of things, includin' your choice of company, but that's no excuse to lie. What if we didn't know where ya were, 'cause you lied to us or didn't tell us the whole truth? Or what if you got hurt while hangin' with your friends and didn't tell us?"
"And why do you care so much about honesty?" Tiara asked her father. "You're not the Element of Honesty, and as far as I know you've never told a lie in your life. In fact, you have a reputation for being the most honest and humble business pony in all of Equestria."
All of a sudden, without warning, Filthy Rich threw back his head and laughed. He laughed long and hard, to the point where Diamond wondered if her father had snapped and gone crazy for some reason. Fortunately, the stallion eventually regained his composure, wiping tears from his eyes. "Well, that may be the case nowadays, but it certainly wasn't always the case."
"What?! You must be joking, there's no way you were ever dishonest!" Tiara exclaimed.
"It's true, I tell ya," Filthy replied with a nod. "My honesty and humbleness is somethin' I picked up over time. In fact, I once told a lie that nearly cost me the business deal with the Apple family, and got me on Granny Smith's bad side. I've never told ya story before, have I?"
"No, I don't think you have." Diamond recalled, raking her brain for any memories of that story. There were none, her mind drew a blank.
Filthy smiled, before he looked all around to make sure he and his daughter were alone in his study. Once the stallion was certain the coast was clear, he leaned back in his chair and said with a smile. "Well then, get comfy, my little Diamond. Because I've got quite the story to tell, and I think you're very much goin' to like what you here," Then he began to narrate: "It all started before you were born, heck I'd only just met your mother 'bout half a year ago when it all happened." And this is how the story unfolded:
Filthy Rich and his young bride to be Spoiled were out in town, taking in the sights. "I can't tell ya how pleased I am to have ya as part of the family," He said to Spoiled. "It's almost all I've been thinkin' 'bout for weeks."
Spoiled (her mane and tail styled into a pigtail held up by a braid) just replied with a faint smile. "Whatever you say, dear. I know you're thrilled to be running your grandfather's store now, and you're eager to show me off to your clients, but is all of this really necessary? Why not pack it up and move to Canterlot? A town like this isn't really my taste, it reminds me too much of my parents' farm."
Filthy only laughed. "Come now, Spoiled, hun. I like to keep the business firmly in its roots. My grandpappy founded Barnyard Bargains right here in Ponyville, and I ain't 'bout to soil his legacy by uprootin' and movin'. Canterlot is at the top of cities to expand to someday though," Then suddenly he spotted two familiar looking earth ponies, and called out to them. "And look, here come two of the ponies to whom my family owes everythin', the apple siblings, Big Macintosh and Applejack."
"Oh, hey there, Filthy Rich!" Applejack greeted (at the moment she didn't quite come up to Filthy's height, not that she was small, it's just that her brother was abnormally high for ponies his age and those genes hadn't been passed on to Applejack).
"Just Rich, please," Filthy insisted. "And I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Spoiled Milk. Honey, this is Applejack and Big Mac, the two hardest workin' ponies at Sweet Apple Acres."
"You work on a farm? How... quaint," Spoiled remarked, trying to sound interested. "Guess it's a small world after all, I happen to be from a line of dairy farmers myself. Not that I particularly like the idea of it, too smelly for my tastes."
Filthy chuckled a little as he cautioned. "Oh, now, dear, be nice. After all, Sweet Apple Acres makes zap apple jam. It's one of Dad's best-sellers."
"You mean one of your best-sellers," Spoiled corrected, as she then said to Big Macintosh and Applejack. "My amazing husband-to-be is running the Rich family business now. Did you know that? Well, now you do. After all, it's all he ever talks about, when he's not gushing over me."
"Honey, I just told ya to be nice," Filthy lightly scolded, and then he apologized. "Don't mind Spoiled Milk. She's just proud of me, and I'm eager to please," Then he added. "Uh, but she's right. I'm in charge of the store now, and I'm just burstin' with new ideas I wanna try! Ideas that'll really bring in the profits and make Barnyard Bargains a household name."
"Like what?" Applejack asked, her curiosity aroused.
Having been unexpectedly pressed, Filthy decided on the first idea that had come to his mind, one that he hadn't actually gotten approval for just yet. "Well, how 'bout this?" He proposed. "Cider season's just around the corner. So why not let me sell it for ya in the store? We can split the profits."
"That is an interestin' idea." Applejack agreed.
Big Macintosh thought otherwise. "Well, maybe it's interestin' for the likes of you. But it's definitely not a new idea. Granny Smith told us that your grandpa, Stinkin' Rich, used to ask her every year if he could sell our cider in your store, and Granny told him every year about the tradition of everypony in Ponyville linin' up out at Sweet Apple Acres to get their cider. I don't think she'd change her mind just 'cause you're runnin' the store now."
"So, maybe it's time the next generation had a say in things," Filthy suggested. "Maybe it's time to start a new tradition. After all, I'm sure some day, one o' y'all will take over the farm just like I've taken over the store. Now, I ain't a bettin' stallion, but I'm guessin' it'll the one with the best ideas who takes charge."
Big Macintosh quickly spoke up. "Well, now, as I've said many a time before, ideas are all well an' good, but you can't plow a field—"
But Applejack interrupted, thinking otherwise. "Ya know what, Mr. Rich? How 'bout this? We'll give ya three barrels of cider early, and if it sells well, then we'll make a deal for the rest? Sound good to you?"
Filthy's eyes lit up with delight! "Oh, hey, now! That's perfect! You provide the cider, and I'll take care of the rest!" He told Applejack, then he turned to Spoiled Milk and happily told her. "Come on, honey. I've gotta get everythin' ready. Dad's gonna be so proud of me!"
Once Filthy and Spoiled had left the Apple siblings, Spoiled nervously looked at the stallion to whom she was engaged, and said to him. "Uh, dear, you do know that your father didn't give you permission to make deals without his approval, right? To say nothing of how your grandfather will feel about you making deals with the Apple siblings and not telling Granny Smith about it."
"Ah, what the Apple siblings don't know what hurt 'em," Filthy retorted. "So maybe I lied a bit about what runnin' the store actually meant. It'll be all be water under the bridge once that cider sells, and Barnyard Bargains is rollin' in the bits. Granny Smith would have to be a fool to say no, with the profit split we'll both get what we want. I'll be able to expand, and Sweet Apple Acres can finally get that renovation it's been long overdue for."
"Whatever you say, dear." Spoiled replied, knowing full well that when Filthy got one of those crazy ideas he was so famous for, there was no stopping him.
"Boy did I bite off more than I could possibly chew," Filthy laughed, pausing his story for a brief moment to catch his breath. "I really should've listened to your mom's advice, would've saved me a lot of trouble."
"I never knew Mother had a past that was so.... unwealthy," Diamond commented, surprised at this revelation. "She always told me her cutie mark was the result of her being raised by the finest jewelers in Equestria. Should've figured that was an exaggeration."
Filthy nodded. "Your mom ain't exactly proud of where she comes from, especially not since she got her cutie mark. But if you wanna know more about that you'll have to ask her on your own terms. And if she asks, I told ya nothin'." Filthy ended the last sentence with a wink.
"So, what happened next?" Tiara asked. She had found herself growing suddenly intrigued by her father's story.
Filthy leaned back in his reclining chair, taking a moment to think about some things if the hoof put up to his chin was any indication. Then he explained. "Well, part of this story I got filled in on after the fact. Granny Smith wanted to know just how things got so out of hoof, and when I told her 'bout some of the stuff that baffled me, she let me in on her side of things. Anyway, it turns out Big Macintosh and Applejack were havin' a feud 'bout who was gonna take over the farm from Granny Smith when they got older. And that's part of what led to things gettin' so out of control." And the story resumed from there:
"I just can't believe you'd make a deal with Filthy Rich without even talkin' to Granny!" Big Macintosh lectured to his sister. "What would Ma and Pa say if they were here now, 'stead of on vacation?!"
But Applejack replied. "Who says they'd have to know, it wouldn't concern them anyways. And besides, Granny's gonna love the idea. And then she'll decide that I'm the one who should take over the farm. You'll see."
"See what?" Granny Smith asked, appearing in the barn where Applejack and Big Macintosh were standing. "Shouldn't you two be workin' on your chores, not makin' idle chit-chat 'bout nonsense? I'm tired of hearin' you two bicker back and forth all day. No wonder your parents left ya in my care while they went off on vacation, they're probably tired of dealin' with it too. And I for one don't blame 'em. Now what's this all about?"
"Applejack here had another one of her 'big ideas', like the time she thought it was a good idea to scare the pigs into eatin' their slop," Big Macintosh answered. "And I think we all know my position on such 'big ideas'. You can't—"
"'Can't plow a field with 'em.' We know!" Both Granny Smith and Applejack responded at the same time.
"Ee... right, reckon that was obvious." Big Macintosh agreed, while in his mind he thought. "I gotta think of a better response when somepony guesses what I'm trying to get at. 'Eeright' doesn't quite roll off the tongue."
Granny Smith then turned her attention to Applejack, and she sternly asked her granddaughter. "So, what's this big idea of yours, hmm? Big Mac's right that most of your other ones haven't worked out."
In spite of that comment, Applejack confessed. "Well actually, it's more of an opportunity, Granny. Y'see, we ran into Filthy Rich and his 'fiancee' or somethin' like that in town. Did ya know he's runnin' the family store now? Just took over from his dad."
"Yes, Applejack, I know," Granny Smith remarked. "Why ya think I keep such close contacts with the Rich family? Get to the point. What does this here 'opportunity' of yours mean for Sweet Apple Acres?"
Nervously, Applejack tried to explain. "Well, uh, since cider season's almost here, he—or, I-I mean, I—thought it'd be a good idea to give him a few barrels of cider to sell at the store before the season starts. Just to see if it works out."
"Oh, is that all?" Granny Smith asked, then she quickly answered. "Absolutely not!"
With a groan, Applejack pleaded. "But, Granny, why can't we sell a few barrels o' cider to Filthy Rich, just this once? And how is it any different than when you gave zap apple jam to Filthy's grandpappy to sell? I'm just tryin' to follow your example, Ma and Pa said I could learn a lot from ya."
"I'll tell you why not, Applejack. And you'd better listen too, Big Mac," Granny Smith said sternly. "Cider and zap apple jam ain't the same thing, and ya can't sell 'em the same way. The jars for zap apple jam preserve the flavor for months, it takes a long time before it goes rotten. Cider on the other hoof, that stuff spoils the second it comes out the press. And that is why every cider season, all of Ponyville lines up at Sweet Apple Acres for fresh cider! First come first serve, that's the way we've always done it! Now, ya got anymore questions you want answered?"
"Just one," Applejack replied. "Look, I get what you're sayin', Granny. But couldn't you make an exception just this once? I sort of promised, and I don't wanna soil our family's relationship with Filthy Rich. It'll only be for the three barrels I promised him, then I'll tell him what you told me. I'm sure he'll understand."
Granny Smith only shook her head. "The answer is still no, Applejack," She said firmly. "Besides, cider makin' is iffy business, ya need a good apple crop to make the best cider. And unfortunately, we're probably not gonna have a lot this year anyway, what with all the blight and all. I'm sorry, Applejack. But you'll just have to unpromise. And if Filthy Rich has a problem, he can take it up with me! I'll set him straight!" And with that, she turned and trotted away.
Big Macintosh snickered, as he taunted. "I hate to say I told you so, Applejack, but—"
Applejack growled, interrupting her brother. "You an' I both know you don't hate to say anythin'. So zip it!"
The Apple siblings weren't the only ones who got a talking to from their elders. When Filthy Rich told his dad, Stupid Rich (though he was actually rather clever), the elder Rich was anything but pleased at the deal that had been made without his approval. And sure enough, he marched Filthy to the back of the store where his office was, and his green eyes looked into his son's blue eyes. In a lot of ways, Stupid Rich looked like his son, even down to the coat and the style of the mane and tail. But Stupid Rich had a golden mane and tail, and his cutie mark depicted a sack of bits. Plus, he preferred to wear an entire suit, and not just a tie.
"Son, what in samhill were you thinkin'?!" Stupid scolded, pounding his hooves on his desk. "I finally agree with my dad to let ya run the store with me, so you get a feel for how things are run, and you go about makin' deals behind my back. And with the family to whom our family's fortune was founded on no less."
"But Dad!" Filthy protested.
"Don't you 'But Dad!' me young stallion!" Stupid lectured as he shook his hoof in front of Filthy's face. "You done screwed up somethin' fierce! My father gave up on tryin' to get Granny Smith to sell her cider in the store years ago, and I figured that was a good enough reason for me to leave well enough alone! I don't know what's worse, the fact that you struck a deal with the Apple siblings without consulting their parents or Granny Smith, or the fact that you assumed I'd approve of such backroom dealin'! That's not how we run things at Barnyard Bargains! Sure, we work our tails off to outsell and outperform the competition, but we do it the honest way, never through underhoofed tactics like secret deals! If your mother were here today, she'd be ashamed of the stallion you're turnin' into! You know full well she didn't raise you to act that way!"
Filthy hung his head in shame. "Look, I'm sorry, Dad," He apologized sincerely. "I really am. I just thought it wouldn't hurt to maybe do somethin' nice for the Apples, and do what you and Grandpappy couldn't. I reckon their folks at least will be takin' over the farm before long, Granny Smith's gotta be gettin' close to retirement. Figured the least I could do was try to strike a deal to help the next generation."
"This is exactly why I told you that all business deals had to be run by me for approval!" Stupid scolded once again. "So the next time you see those Apple siblings, you tell them the deal is off. And if they ask why, tell 'em your pappy said so. Is that clear?"
Filthy gulped, and nodded. "Yes, Father, I understand. I'll keep an eye out for 'em first chance I get."
Stupid smiled, his mood slowly improving, as he patted his son lightly on the head. "Excellent, glad ya see things my way, son. There may be a business pony in you yet. Now you'd best be on your way, I'd like this whole ordeal to be sorted before I leave for Vanhoover to talk to the Pears. Grandpear seems interested in possibly sellin' his merchendise back here in Ponyville again. And I don't want any distractions."
Filthy left his father's office, relieved to see that Spoiled had spent the entire time browsing the isles of the store and doing a little window shopping. She seemed to be especially interested in the foal care isle. "She must be really eager to be a mother," Filthy thought to himself. "Well, I reckon we'll have to hold off for a few years and get settled into our married life. A foal's gonna be quite the investment, and I wanna make it when we know we're ready to pay the price."
"Oh, there you are, dear," Spoiled greeted, strolling over to her husband. "I must say, your family's store is certainly more glamorus than it seemed from the outside. So, how did things go with you and your dad?"
Filthy sighed, as he confessed. "I'm afraid he didn't like what I had to say. He told me to tell Big Macintosh and Applejack that the deal's off. But I already went and set up a display stand for the cider."
"Well, what does that old coot know?" Spoiled remarked. "He's never worked on a farm, I have. My family used to sell milk to stores all the time and it worked out just fine for us. Maybe it's time you showed your father who really deserves to be running things around here. You know full well you want to be in charge, so why not use this as your chance to prove your father wrong and show your grandfather that you have the vision to bring Barnyard Bargains into the future."
Filthy pondered Spoiled's statement for a little bit. True, he wanted to take over Barnyard Bargains someday, and he was determined to prove himself to his father. But at the same time, he loved his dad very much, did Filthy really want to undermine his father's position just because his wife to be supposedly knew better?
While Filthy was still stewing over this, who should come trotting into the store but Big Macintosh and Applejack themselves? "Uh, hey there, Mr. Rich." Applejack greeted with a nervous way.
"And don't forget about the pony soon to be known as Mrs. Rich, Rich with a 'R'." Spoiled snorted, perceiving herself as having been insulted.
"So sorry, Mrs. Rich," Big Macintosh apologized. "We'll be out of your mane soon enough, I promise. But uh... Applejack has here somethin' she'd like to say. Ain't that right, Applejack?" And Big Mac nudged his little sister forward.
"And I've got somethin' I need to tell the both of you," Filthy Rich reluctantly began, as he prepared to confess. "You see, about that deal we made, ya know how we shook hooves and everythin'? Well..."
But before Filthy could say anything else, Applejack blurted out. "Y'see, Mr. Rich, Granny's uh... sick! Yeah, sick!"
"Wait, Granny's sick? I-I had no idea." Filthy gasped.
Nervously, Big Mac added. "Ee... yeah. Nopony did actually."
Before Filthy could press that statement, Applejack hastily added (as beads of sweet poured down her face). "Uh, what Big Mac means is, uh, we've been tryin' to keep it quiet. Don't want others to make rash decisions about doin' business with Sweet Apple Acres just because we're, uh, a little short-hooved at the moment. Hope you understand, that's why I made the deal on her behalf. Figured it's what she'd want."
"Oh my!" Filthy exclaimed, and he forgot all about telling the Apple siblings what his father had wanted him to say. "O-Of course, of course! I am so sorry. Please let me know if there's anything' Spoiled or I can do for you."
Sensing that her brother was about to speak up, Applejack simply replied. "Much appreciated. But right now, we-we only ask for your understandin' during this difficult time. Rest assured we'll let you know when Granny's feelin' better, the deal's still on."
"Mm-hmm." Filthy nodded, then watched as the Apple siblings disappeared before he had a chance to open his mouth again. "Well, so much for that opportunity. Guess there's only one way to straighten this mess out." He thought to himself.
Later that day, Filthy and Spoiled decided it would be best to pay Granny Smith a visit. It helped that doing so would give Filthy a chance to tell the Apple siblings about that cider deal, and how he'd have to call it off. Filthy knocked on the front door of the house next to the barn, even though part of him felt bad for disturbing the Apple family during supper time.
When the door opened, Big Macintosh and Applejack were there to greet him. Filthy proceeded to apologize. "Sorry to drop by unannounced. We just wanted to come by to wish Granny a speedy recovery."
Accepting the flowers, Big Macintosh seemed to almost sarcastically say to Applejack. "Look, sis. Our good friend, Mr. Rich and his fiancée... are here. Oh, and they brought flowers! For Granny! On account o' she's sick! Like you said. Ain't that sweet?"
Hearing the kitchen door rattle, Applejack said. "Uh, excuse me one second!" And then she rushed away before anyone could stop her!
"What's goin' on here?" Filthy asked Big Macintosh. "Is your sister okay? She's actin' kind of weird."
"And where is Granny Smith exactly? Perhaps we could come in and see her?" Spoiled suggested.
"If not, that's fine. I've got somethin' I'd like to talk to you and your sister about if possible." Filthy insisted with a smile.
Just then, Applejack came bursting back into the room and she shouted! "You can't see Granny, neither of you can! She's sick, like really really sick!"
"With what exactly?" Spoiled asked with concern. "It's not anything fatal or contagious, is it?"
"Oh no, nothin' like that," Applejack hastily answered. "But we had to take her to Ponyville General just before you got here, just to be safe. Doctors say she's been workin' herself too hard in her advanced age and it wore her body down. They reckon it'll be a while before she's back on her hooves. 'Course, we Apples know Granny's a fighter! Don't we, Big Mac?"
"Huh?" Big Mac asked, as if he wasn't aware of any this. When Applejack ribbed him he quickly answered. "Oh, ee... right, right, of course. Guess it just slipped my mind so we've got so many other things to worry about. Bad luck it had to happen while our parents on vacation. Hope they don't have to cut it short to come and get us," Hastily changing the subject, he asked Filthy. "So, you said you wanted to talk to us 'bout somethin' if it were possible?"
"I... uh..." Filthy stammered, the words he wanted to say refusing to come out. At last he managed to croak out. "Just wanted to offer my condolences for your granny's condition and ask for directions to her hospital room. I'd hate to see these flowers go to waste."
"I don't remember the room," Applejack hastily answered. "And I don't think Granny Smith would want anypony to see her in her weakened state. But I'll let her know you stopped by, thanks a ton, Mr. Rich."
"Same to you, Applejack." Filthy replied, and then he and Spoiled left without saying another word.
However, once they'd left Sweet Apple Acres, Spoiled was quick to turn to her husband to be and ask him. "Dear, why didn't you tell them the deal was off back there when you had the chance? I thought that's what your father told you to do. Or are you suddenly taking my advice? I certainly didn't intend for you to do it now that Granny Smith is sick."
"I'm sorry, honey," Filthy apologized. "But I just couldn't bring myself to say it to their faces. They've been through enough as it is, they don't need to be worryin' about what me breakin' off a deal means for their family. I figured we'll just stop by the hospital to see how Granny Smith's doin', and tell her to tell her grandkids I'm callin' off the deal. Granny's an understandin' pony, she'll know how to break it to 'em. And my old stallion won't have to worry a pretty little hair 'bout Granny refusin' to work with us. See, I'm smart, everythin's gonna work out just fine."
Spoiled eyed her husband, as if she somehow doubted him or had another idea in mind for what he could do. But all she said to him was. "Fine by me, Filthy, darling. I'd have told it to those... young ponies the first chance I got, but then I'm not in your horseshoes, so it's not my place to say. I'm sure this will indeed work out in your favor."
But upon entering the hospital's waiting room and trotting up to the desk, both Filthy and Spoiled were surprised to learn that there was no record of Granny Smith being admitted for any reason. At least, not from the records the nurses could pull up. "I'm sorry, we're a bit overwhelmed at the moment," Nurse Redheart apologized. "We've been asked to assist a hospital in Fillydelphia with a sudden flu outbreak. It's possible Granny Smith's room number was lost in the chaos, our book keeping staff have been struggling to keep track of all our patients. If possible, try to track down one of the doctors, they might be able to help you."
Just then, Applejack came trotting up to Filthy and Spoiled as she said with a nervous laugh. "Fancy meetin' you two here!"
"Of course, my husband to be figured it would be nice to pay your dear old granny a visit." Spoiled said to Applejack.
"Well, I'm glad we found you, because I can't seem to find Granny's room or any nurses who know where she is," Filthy told Applejack. "You sure she's sick? Or did she just hurt herself and the doctors patched her up and sent her home?"
"Oh no, she's plenty sick alright. But I reckon it what she got ain't contagious if you're just comin' for a quick visit," Applejack insisted. "If you're lookin' for Granny's room... Well, just go down here, take a left, then a right, go down some stairs, up a bunch more stairs, uh, through the cafeteria, left three more times, and then you're there! Easy as Granny's apple pie!" She finished that sentence with another nervous laugh.
Spoiled looked at Filthy as though she wanted him to say something, but Filthy took no notice, especially since he saw Applejack trotting off down the corner. "Uh, aren't you comin' with us? I was hopin' we'd get a chance to talk." Filthy offered.
"You go on ahead!" Applejack hastily encouraged. "I gotta find Big Mac! I get the feelin' he'd love to talk with ya two!"
"Once again, I didn't take the chance to just tell Applejack 'bout the fact that the deal was off," Filthy narrated to his daughter. "Instead, I let her slip away. And you'll never guess what happened next. Even to this day I can hardly believe everythin' turned out the way it did."
Diamond, now fully intrigued by the story and the events surrounding it, eagerly asked with eyes all a glow! "What happened?! Tell me, please!"
"Alright, but I reckon you ought to know that a lot of this I only learned about through Granny Smith after it all went down," Filthy cautioned. "Anyway, your mom and I followed Applejack's directions, not realizin' we'd been sent on a wild goose chase. And while we were wanderin' about, Applejack was puttin' her own plan into motion." And here is the rest of the story Filthy told:
By a stroke of luck, Applejack had found an unoccupied hospital room with an unused bed. And she was currently instructing to her brother. "All right, climb up here and I'll cover you up. Then I'll just bring Mr. Rich and his... whatever he called his special somepony in, tell 'em you're Granny, but you're not allowed to take the sheets off 'cause you're so sick. You moan a few times, they leave, and this whole thing is over."
Big Macintosh, naturally, opposed the entire idea! Putting his hoof down he told his sister. "This is spinnin' way out of control, Applejack! Don't you know what throwin' the sheet over somepony usually means?!"
"I do, which is why your mane's gonna stick just a bit." Applejack answered.
Big Macintosh wasn't convinced at all. "Now, sis, I know you thought that sellin' cider in Filthy's store was a good idea, and maybe in your mind it was. But I'll tell ya, it ain't worth lyin' to him about Granny bein' sick and needin' to go to the hospital, or fibbin' to Granny to get her to come here 'cause she thinks they need her help solvin' blight on ponies, or-"
But Applejack loudly shouted at her brother, interrupting him. "For the love of Celestia, Big Macintosh, please just listen to me for once! This ain't about my ideas. If Mr. Rich finds out about all the lies, then he'll cut off ties with us forever and the farm'll go under! Now do you want that to happen, or do you wanna help?"
Big Macintosh grumbled, even as he reluctantly obeyed. "Why can't you be Granny?" He complained. "You're her size, your coat's closer in color to hers, you're a mare like her, and this is all your fault in the first place. Let me do the talkin' like ya should've done in the first place."
"I would, but if I let you do the talkin', you'd just ramble on and on until we all got caught!" Applejack protested, then instructed. "Now, just lay down, keep still, and promise me you won't say anythin' for once in your life! Okay?"
"Eeyup." Big Mac reluctantly obliged, even as he was thinking to himself. "This is the stupidest idea I've ever followed through on. There's no way this will work, not in a million years."
"Okay, now just stay quiet while I make sure Granny's out of the way and won't blow our cover. Don't even cough." Applejack instructed, and rushed out of the room to look for Granny Smith.
Having reached the end of Applejack's instructions, Filthy and Spoiled found that they were nowhere close to any hospital room. Both of them were out of breath, their legs aching from all the running and trotting they'd done.
"Dear, I hate to speak ill of your family's business partners, but I'm starting to think this is all a set up," Spoiled commented, in between gasps for breath. "And I don't think they like me very much for some reason."
"I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation behind this misunderstandin', honey," Filthy insisted. "Look, there's Applejack now. I'll just tell her 'bout the deal bein' off, and then she can point us to Granny Smith."
"Hey you two," Applejack greeted. "Looks like ya got a little lost. Sorry I wasn't there to help you follow my directions, but Big Macintosh got a little lost too. This hospital's pretty big."
"So, where's your granny?" Spoiled asked Applejack. "I mean, she is here, isn't she?"
Applejack nodded. "Well, you're in luck, 'cause it's-it's right over here, and this time I'll make sure you don't get lost," But just as Applejack was going to lead Filthy and Spoiled into the room where Big Macintosh was waiting to fool them, she saw a gurney come squeaking past, and she quickly spotted the trace of orange mane poking through the top of the sheet. "What in the dadgum—?!" She exclaimed.
"Oh great. What now?" Spoiled grumbled.
Applejack hastily (and rather nervously) answered. "He– I mean, she was right here! Oh, no. We gotta go! There's been a misunderstandin'!"
"I'll say there is!" Spoiled remarked, as she took notice of the squeaking gurney. "I-Is that Granny Smith?" She asked Applejack, who nodded in confirmation.
"Well, where are they takin' her?" Filthy asked with worry.
Before Applejack could explain, the gurney was wheeled into the operating theater! Applejack's face nearly turned pale! "You two, don't lose that gurney whatever you do!" She instructed, and took off running while frantically calling out. "Granny! Granny Smith! Granny, where are ya?!"
Fortunately, neither Filthy or Spoiled heard any of it, as they had already made their way into the operating theater. A doctor quickly escorted them to the stands. "You two just stay here, this is a sterilized environment. We can't risk contamination to the patient." He instructed quite seriously.
Suddenly, the doors to the theater burst open, and Applejack came frantically rushing in! "Stop! That's my brother!" She shouted at the doctors.
"Big Mac?!" A familiar female voice called out, soon revealing itself as Granny Smith dressed in a doctor's outfit and wearing a mask over her face.
"What's going on here?!" Doctor Stablehoof demanded! "Who let this kid into the operating theater without a mask and gown?! And who is this new doctor?!"
"Doctor? Me? Oh no, I ain't ever been to medical school, sunny," Granny quickly answered. "I'm afraid there's been a misunderstandin' here, doc. Seems my grandkids have gone and gotten themselves into trouble behind my back."
"What?!" Everyone in the audience exclaimed.
"But then, if you're Granny Smith-" Filthy Rich began.
"-Who's that under the blanket?" Spoiled finished.
As if to answer the question, there came a loud and masculine sounding cough. Granny Smith quickly rushed over and pulled the blanket off, revealing a very frightened Big Macintosh shaking and sweating like there was no tomorrow. "I might have known it," Granny Smith said seriously. "Big Mac, Applejack, I reckon you two got some 'splanin' to do, don't ya?"
"Eeyup." Was all Big Mac could bring himself to say.
Applejack sighed, she was on her own for this one. She proceeded to explain. "I'm not sure if I was worried that nopony was listenin' to my ideas or just nervous that I wouldn't be the one to end up runnin' the farm someday, but... I ended up promised somethin' to Filthy Rich that I couldn't deliver, and I was too embarrassed to admit it."
"So, Granny Smith was never sick?" Filthy asked.
Applejack nodded. "It was all a bunch of lies. A-And I thought if you found out, you'd stop doin' business with the farm. So I just kept tellin' more. I'm truly sorry, Mr. Rich, I never meant for any of this to happen. Please don't make Granny and the farm suffer for what I did! This whole thing is my fault."
Looking down at the younger Apple sibling, Filthy's guilt finally caught up to him and he confessed. "Applejack, this ain't entirely your fault. My father told me to tell you that the deal's off. And you weren't the only one lyin', I lied too. I may have been allowed to run the store, but I certainly wasn't allowed to make deals like the one we did behind our elders' backs. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth, largely 'cause I was too ashamed to admit it. If I hadn't lied the way I did, you'd have never made the deal, and none of this would've happened."
"Well, that's very nice of you to say, Filthy," Granny commented, then turned to her grandchildren. "But as for you two, I don't know what in blazes you're goin' on about when you say one of you is gonna take over the farm! Far as I'm concerned, that's a long way away, I ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon!" She proceed to blow a raspberry. "Runnin' the farm. Not after this display! Not likely! And you just wait til your folks come home, I reckon they won't be happy to hear 'bout any of this."
Both Applejack and Big Macintosh gulped, as Applejack insisted. "But Granny, they'll be so ticked off! I reckon' they'll ground us for the rest of our lives!"
"Seems a bit extreme, but I'm sure they won't let either of ya off easily," Granny Smith lectured. "And sorry to say, you're gonna have to reap what you've sewn with all your lies! No Apple family member's gonna grow up rotten on my watch, not if I have anythin' to say about it!" Then she turned her attention to Filthy Rich and told him in no unclear terms. "And don't you go gettin' any ideas about cuttin' ties with Sweet Apple Acres, or I'm goin' right to your grandpappy. Get me? I can imagine he'll have some choice words if he hears about all of this."
Filthy gulped, shrinking in his seat. "Um, yes, ma'am."
"So you see, Diamond?" Filthy asked as he finished his story. "All those lies Applejack and I told made a simple misunderstandin' turn into a great big mess. If we'd just been honest with each other, we could've saved ourselves the embarrassment and the harsh punishments we got as a result. It took years before my dad was able to convince my grandpappy to give me another chance. And even then I didn't take full charge of Barnyard Bargains til the year you were born."
"I understand, Father," Diamond nodded in obligement. "I'm certainly going to think twice about lying from now on, even if it's easily seen through. But I may have to kind of 'omit some details' whenever Mother asks me where I'm going. I still don't think she approves of my choice of friends."
"Well, I'll try to have a talk with your mom in the near future 'bout lettin' her mane down a bit," Filthy suggested. "But although she has a strange way of showin' it, she does care about you and wants you to grow up right. You do need to be aware of your social standin', just a little. And you need to make sure you've got a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness. After all, when someday you take over the family business, I hope you won't make the same mistakes that I did."
"Or the mistakes Mother made." Tiara commented.
"Your mom ain't perfect, and neither am I," Filthy replied to his little princess. "And I know you and Spoiled have been havin' 'issues' on and off lately. But like it or not, you're livin' under this roof, so that means you at least have to agree to disagree with her, and the both of ya are gonna have try to at least 'pretend' to get along. You don't have to like it, but it's not healthy for the both of you to be snippin' at each other all day. That's the kind of stuff that led to the problems in that story I just told ya. You understand what I'm sayin', Diamond?"
"Yes, Father," Diamond reluctantly agreed. "But you'll stick up for me if Mother tries to make me be like her, right?"
"Of course, sweetie," Filthy said with a fatherly smile, patting his daughter on the head. "Don't you ever be afraid to talk to me 'bout stuff like that. I'll always do my best to be there for you and support you." And he and his daughter shared a passionate embrace.
Inside the compound at Wonderbolt Academy, Rainbow Dash was cleaning out her locker. It was her first major period of time off since being accepted into the Wonderbolts' ranks not too long ago. As she did so, she couldn't help but brag to the others about what she was going to do. "Spring training with the Wonderbolts was great and all, but I can't wait to get back to Ponyville," She told them in no uncertain terms. "I can catch up on Daring Do with Twilight, help Applejack make my favorite cider, and even have a sleepover with Pinkie."
"We get it, Dash, you have a fun week planned," Misty Fly grumbled. "It's all you've been talking about for the past few days."
"Might wanna make the most of it, newbie," Spitfire commented, trotting past. "Because meanwhile I'm stuck here running trials week at the academy."
"But you love yelling and blowing your whistle, don't you?" Rainbow asked.
Spitfire grinned, as she opened her locker. "Soarin told you that, didn't he? That Soarin, always a wisecracker, but he's a nice guy at heart. Besides, I may not exactly like it, but somepony's gotta whip those cadets into shape so it might as well be me."
"Don't go too hard on 'em now, captain." Rainbow playfully cautioned.
"Relax, Dash, this isn't my first trials week. And if I need your help, well I'm sure you'll know," Spitfire laughed in reply. "Now you'd better get going. And I hope I'll see you here bright and early when your week off is over."
"Yes ma'am!" Rainbow saluted, and once she'd cleaned out her locker and put on her flight jacket, she took off. "This is going to be so much fun!" She thought out loud. But she had barely left academy grounds when her cutie mark started to glow. In fact, a giant projection of her cutie mark suddenly appeared in the sky. "Another map adventure, huh? Well, better see what it's all about." Rainbow said to herself, and zoomed towards Twilight's castle as fast as she could.
Twilight was waiting for Rainbow when she arrived, as were Spike and Starlight (who had just come back from the Crystal Empire). "Good, you're here." Twilight smiled.
"I came as soon as I got the signal," Rainbow replied to Twilight, and then she asked. "So, where's the map calling me this time? Yakyakistan? Baltimare? Rainbow Falls? Here? Please say here!"
Starlight gave Rainbow a nervous glance, and reluctantly she said. "Well, do you want the good news or the not so good news?"
Rainbow sighed, she had a bad feeling about where this was leading. "Great, what is it?" She asked with dread.
"Well, the good news is, we've both been called by the map." Twilight beamed happily, displaying her glowing cutie mark.
"Sweet, been a long time since we've done anything together!" Rainbow cheered! But then she remembered the other part of Starlight's message and she reluctantly asked. "Wait, does that mean there's bad news too?"
"Uh, I guess. I mean, it all depends," Spike said with a nervous laugh. "The map's calling you two to a place I'm sure you're familiar with."
Rainbow looked at the map and saw the symbols depicting her cutie mark and Twilight's cutie mark, were currently hovering over the symbol for Wonderbolt Academy up in Cloudsdale. Rainbow groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me, I was just there! Why didn't the map just call me while I was up there and send you to me?!"
Twilight and Rainbow quickly made arrangements to head up to Cloudsdale, even though Rainbow warned Twilight. "Spitfire's running trials week for the new recruits. Most of 'em will make it into the Reserves, but she's not going to take kindly to anypony disturbing her at this busy time."
"Well we'll just tell her that we're on official friendship business, and that we'll do our best to stay out of her way," Twilight suggested, then she turned to Starlight and Spike and asked them. "You two can manage until we get back, right? I don't have to worry about a bunch of out of control, mindless clones running amuck, do I?"
"Twilight, that was just the one time! I didn't mean for any of that to happen!" Starlight whined.
Spike just played it off and reassured Twilight. "Relax, Mom, I'll keep an eye on big sis for you. You just worry about finding and solving that friendship problem. This might be the perfect opportunity to invite Big Mac over for another guy's night."
"Just please don't make me the damasel in distress this time!" Starlight protested.
"You could always join in if you want," Spike suggested. "The more the merrier."
Starlight shook her head. "Thanks, but after what Discord did I'd rather not be any part of swinging swords and skeleton soldiers, thank you very much."
"Your loss." Spike shrugged, as he and Starlight watched Twilight and Rainbow Dash set off for the Wonderbolt Academy.
"So, what kind of friendship problem do you think we're being called for?" Twilight asked Rainbow, as the two approached academy grounds. "Do you suppose it's possible we're here to help some recruits, or maybe the Wonderbolts' themselves?"
"How should I know, I'm on the bottom of the totem pole, it's not my place to ask questions. Besides, I wasn't expecting a map mission just after I got to come home for the week," Rainbow protested. "Why don't we ask Spitfire? She knows everything that goes on at the academy, she should be able to point us in the right direction."
Suddenly, just as Twilight and Rainbow had touched down on academy grounds, a pegasus mare with a pinkish-white coat, a two shaded pink mane and tail styled loosely (with a pink bow in the mane), and blue eyes came up to them and said. "Um, I just wanted you to know, you two are my favorite ponies in all of Equestria."
But just as the mare had said this, another female voice commented. "Oh well isn't that sweet? Now get going on those laps, Angel Wings! I do not have all day!" The voice was enough to scare Angel Wings into the air, and the owner of the voice soon revealed itself as Spitfire, sporting her whistle, sunglasses, and of course her academy outfit. "Ah, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight, what a surprise," She greeted in a friendly tone. "What brings you here? I hope you realize this is trials week, I'm a very busy mare right now."
"We're here to solve a friendship problem," Twilight explained. "Have you by any chance noticed any of the cadets having trouble with friendship?"
Spitfire shook her head. "I'm their drill instructor, my job is to put them through their paces and make sure they know what's expected of them. I don't have time to concern myself with their personal relationships, not that I've noticed any of them quarreling with each other."
"What about the Wonderbolts then?" Rainbow asked Spitfire. "Any of them dealing with a friendship problem that might need a second opinion."
Just then, as if in answer to Rainbow's question, there came the sound of a rather audible argument. And the voices arguing sounded very familiar. "How many times must you be told, Flatfoot? Chain of command says I'm in charge while Spitfire's away, and that's final!" A masculine voice argued.
"But the chain of command also mentions that Spitfire's right hoof pony gets to take charge whenever she's not available! So that means you answer to me, Clipper, not the other way around!" A feminine voice argued back.
Spitfire groaned, putting a wing over her face. "Not again!" She remarked.
Rainbow realized at once who the voices belonged to, and when she and Twilight (along with Spitfire) drew closer, they could see that the ponies involved in the argument, were none other than Soarin and Fleetfoot. Turning to Spitfire, Rainbow asked. "You mean to tell me they've been arguing like this before?"
Spitfire reluctantly nodded, and sighed. "It happens every time I'm running trials week or busy with other academy business. The both of them think they should be in charge because of their position, and they always quarrel nonstop. I've tried to get them to knock it off, and even had the other Wonderbolts attempt to play peacemaker, but nothing seems to work."
Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances. "You don't think this is the problem we've been called here to solve?" Twilight asked. "I mean, the map's friendship problems usually are never this obvious."
"Maybe, but it's the first real sign of trouble we've seen since we got here," Rainbow concluded. "All of the cadets seem to be getting along just fine with one another." And indeed they were, all of the cadets were flying about without any signs that they were at all unhappy or upset for any reason. In fact, it was easy to hear their excited buzzing, as they zoomed back and forth overhead.
"If you girls wanna play friendship counselor for those two, be my guest," Spitfire spoke up, eyeing the arguing Soarin and Fleetfoot from afar. "But you're on your own if you do so, I'll be busy drilling these recruits til kingdom come. Good luck, because you'll certainly need it," And with that, she flew off while barking out. "Hey, who said you guys could take a break?! You don't stop flying til I say so, now move it!"
Rainbow and Twilight quickly approached Soarin and Fleetfoot, both of whom were still arguing as though they had nothing better to do with their time. "I'm telling you, Soarin. Spitfire would never trust a pony who's always sneaking pies, especially apple pies. That's why she'd want me to take charge in her absence." Fleetfoot said with a smirk.
"Oh really, and you think you're so much better, Fleetfoot?" Soarin snipped. "You may be the fastest Wonderbolt, but you're always the first one to tire out or rush ahead. Don't know about you, but that's hardly the kind of behavior Spitfire would want in a de-facto leader. Don't forget, I was in charge when Wind Rider sent Spitfire away and tried to frame Rainbow Dash for the crime. Besides, I've got seniority."
"That's only because you and Spitfire were childhood friends and she felt sorry for you!" Fleetfoot protested. "You always get favorable treatment, I had to actually work to get where I was!"
"You know Spitfire doesn't play favorites!" Soarin snapped back. "How dare you imply I didn't make my way up the ranks fair and square!"
Just then, a powerful voice echoed out! "Stop!" Soarin and Fleetfoot both turned to look, as they saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash approach them, Twilight using her magic to effectively silence the two arguing Wonderbolts and thus get their attention.
"What's this all about?!" Rainbow inquired. "Why are you two arguing about who should be in charge while Spitfire's running trial's week? What difference does it make, it's just a temporary position."
"Because as far as I'm concerned, Fleetfoot's out for my position. I'm sure it's no secret she wants me off the team," Soarin snorted, once allowed to speak. "She tried to boot me off when we competed for Cloudsdale at the Equestria Games, but Spitfire wouldn't let her."
"I was trying to do you a favor, Soarin," Fleetfoot insisted. "How could you be expected to perform well knowing that you were flying for your friend who couldn't be there, and one of our Reserve members? Besides, maybe you should take that a sign that you're not invincible, just because you're second from the top. There's always somepony waiting for you to let down your guard."
"And paranoia like that is exactly why I'm in second in command and co-captain, and you're just Spitfire's right hoof mare," Soarin snarled, sticking out his tongue. "Come on, Crash, tell me I'm right."
Fleetfoot snapped back. "Don't listen to that guy, Crash, he's just jealous. I'm the one's who right, aren't I?"
Rainbow wasn't sure how to respond, she really didn't like the idea of having to pick sides in an argument like this. "Uh... I don't know, really I don't," She sheepishly answered. "Couldn't you just ask Spitfire and clear this all up with her after trials week?"
"Or maybe you two could take turns?" Twilight suggested. "Whatever your differences are, some silly temporary title shouldn't cause you to yell and argue. You're both fine Wonderbolts in my book, and I'm sure there's room for both of you to share the leadership role while Spitfire's away."
But Soarin and Fleetfoot both pointed a hoof at each other and shouted! "Not with that pony!"
"But you guys-" Rainbow began, only for her plea to be cut off.
"Enough of this," Soarin snorted. "I'm not staying here to be insulted. I know I'm right, and I'm sure Fleetfoot will come to her senses soon enough." And he flew off with some angry flaps of his wings.
"Pah, what does Soarin actually know?" Fleetfoot remarked with a glare. "Just wait, he'll come around eventually. I try to do something nice for him, and this is how he repays me?" And she too flew off, leaving Twilight and Rainbow to just look at each other with concern and confusion.
"Well, that could've gone better." Twilight unhappily sighed.
Rainbow and Twilight tried to look for Soarin and Fleetfoot off they flew off, but there seemed to be no sign of them anywhere. It quickly became apparent that, wherever the disgruntled Wonderbolts might be, they didn't want to be found. After an exhausting hour of searching all over the academy grounds, both Rainbow and Twilight were forced to give up, their wings ached all over.
"Why can't the map ever give us a straight forward mission?" Rainbow asked Twilight, as the two landed on the runway, panting heavily. "Just find the problem and solve it in the blink of an eye, is that so much to ask for? At this rate it's gonna take all week."
"I hope not," Twilight panted. "Now that Starlight's come back I've got to start her friendship lessons back up again. No way am I letting her slack off again. There must be something we haven't thought of that'll solve this friendship problem, it doesn't seem as difficult as getting as two families to stop fighting."
"Or trying to patch things up with Gilda while in Griffonstone." Rainbow agreed.
Just then, Spitfire blew her whistle. "Hey, you two! Clear the runway, now! I've got cadets coming in any minute, and they need a landing path free of obstacles!"
"Sorry ma'am!" Twilight and Rainbow both apologized, and got off the runway just in time. One by one all of the cadets came swooping down and skidded to a halt on the runway.
"Adorable, they're so full of hope," Rainbow commented in a soft tone of voice. "Reminds me of the time I was just a cadet. Feels so weird looking back, to remember a time before you had wings, Twilight."
Twilight blushed. "Yeah, and let's not forget all the crash landings in the Golden Oak Library. To say nothing of how much of an amateur I was when I first gained my wings. Sure is weird how time flies."
But the happy reminiscing was cut short, when an angry looking Spitfire approached the two, her eyebrows raised and her whistle dangling from her neck. "Okay, what's the big idea?! I told you two to stay out of my way during trials week, and the next thing I know you're blocking the runway!" She complained. "I want answers and I want 'em now!"
Rainbow immediately took the blame. "Sorry, Spitfire, ma'am," She saluted. "We were just exhausted from looking for Soarin and Fleetfoot. We couldn't get them to settle their differences and they just flew off."
"We searched hi and low, and everywhere in between," Twilight added. "It's like they've just vanished into thin air."
"Oh, is that all?" Spitfire asked, her tone changing from angry to sympathetic. "Well, you don't need to beat yourselves up too badly. I'm sure you gave it your best shot. Knowing Soarin and Fleefoot, they'll turn up eventually," Then she sighed. "But I don't have time to mount a search party, I've got these new recruits to train. They're the most promising batch yet, but they're so sloppy. I guess I'm gonna have to drill them all on basic technique in the classroom portion."
Twilight's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing that! "Classroom portion?!" She asked, hoping she hadn't misheard.
Spitfire nodded and sighed. "Yeah. It's everypony's least favorite part of trials week, but it has to be done. Usually I get Soarin or Fleetfoot to take care of that for me, but it looks like I can't count on either of them to show up this time. Oh well, sometimes being captain means doing the things you really don't want to do, for the sake of the team."
But Twilight suggested. "Well, maybe we can help!"
"What do you mean we?" Rainbow asked Twilight. "I'm not an egghead like you."
"But you know everything there is to know about flying," Twilight explained. "Between your knowledge and my teaching skills, I think we can really whip those cadets into shape."
"So, you'll be the substitute teachers?" Spitfire asked Twilight and Rainbow. Twilight eagerly nodded, but Rainbow nodded very reluctantly. "Alright, but be warned about what you're getting yourselves into," Blowing her whistle, Spitfire shouted. "Alright, newbies, line up for classroom portion!"
All the cadets started pushing, shoving, and tripping, as they tried to assemble themselves into a line. Spitfire just shook her head and whispered. "You've got your work cut out for you."
"We'll do our best, Spitfire," Twilight promised. "In the meantime, why don't you go look for Soarin and Fleetfoot and see if you can't talk some sense into them? Maybe they'll listen to you more than they listened to us."
"It's worth a shot, but no promises," Spitfire replied, as she began to flap her wings. "Best of luck to the both of you."
Sometime later, as Twilight and Rainbow prepared to head into the academy classroom (which was set up opposite of the barracks and mess hall), Rainbow was commenting to Twilight. "I don't see why we need to take Spitfire's place for this. What exactly's the point of teaching some cadets? You learn more by experience than you ever do by some text book."
"That may be true, but this gives us a chance to scour for new friendship problems here," Twilight explained to Rainbow. "I'm pretty sure Spitfire can talk some sense into her teammates, that can't be what the map called us here for. We'll find a friendship problem among the cadets a lot quicker if we put ourselves in a place where we can interact with them," She then asked Rainbow. "Did you bring the secret weapon?"
Rainbow smirked, pulling out an air horn. "Sure did. I catch any cadet falling asleep or slacking off, I give 'em a blast to wake them up!" She demonstrated by pushing on the air horn, causing it to let out an audible blast.
"Just don't get carried away now." Twilight laughed, and then she and Rainbow headed into the classroom.
But as soon as the door swung open, Rainbow couldn't resist blaring the air horn again as she proclaimed! "Wake up, newbies! Class is in session!"
The cadets were all talking and chattering amongst themselves, and it was pretty obvious what they were all thinking. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. And this is my good friend, Rainbow Dash, the youngest and newest member of the Wonderbolts." Twilight greeted, introducing herself to the cadets.
"But you can call us T-Sparks and The Dashinator!" Rainbow boasted. "We're going to be your substitute teachers for the classroom portion, so no snoozing! 'Cause if you do-" Rainbow blared the air horn once again. "So, any questions?"
"Yeah, where's Spitfire?" Asked a male cadet. "I thought she was going to be teaching us."
"Spitfire had a 'Wonderbolts Emergency' to tend to on short notice," Twilight quickly replied. "Rest assured, she believes we're qualified enough to teach you. Now then, we've told our names, so it's time you told us ours. And then we'll begin the lessons, okay?"
The cadets all nodded slowly.
"Good," Twilight smiled. "So, who wants to be first to tell us who they are?"
The classroom portion flew by quicker than either Twilight or Rainbow would've liked, and one by one all of the cadets filed out of the classroom and back into the sky.
"Well, I guess there were a few problems, though strangely none of them friendship related," Twilight commented. "But overall I'd said that went pretty well."
"Yeah, nopony fell asleep," Rainbow yawned, and when Twilight pressed her she corrected. "What? I'm not a student. Besides, I didn't actually doze off. Maybe I was tempted once or twice, but I caught myself."
Twilight didn't elaborate further, she and Rainbow just headed back to the runway. "So, do you think Spitfire managed to solve Soarin and Fleetfoot's feud while we were busy teaching?"
As if on cue, Spitfire touched down on the runway, looking quite exhausted, and without either Soarin or Fleetfoot anywhere near her. "That answer your question?" Rainbow whispered to Twilight, as they quickly trotted over to the Wonderbolt captain.
"I tried my best, girls," Spitfire told them both. "I'm sorry, it seems that even threatening to put Misty Fly in charge while I'm gone wasn't enough to straighten them out. I'm the captain of the Wonderbolts, not a friendship counselor. So, how did teaching go? You spot any cadets that might need extra help?"
"No, all of the cadets seemed to be pretty quick learners," Twilight replied to Spitfire. "Although there was this one stallion, Sky Stinger I believe his name was. He seemed to be awfully full of himself, even boasted that he was the best flyer where he came from."
Spitfire just rolled her eyes. "Figures, there's always at least one hot shot who thinks they're the best of the best. He'll learn soon enough that it doesn't matter how good you think you are. If you wanna make it into the Wonderbolts, you've got to realize you're always gonna start out as a small fish in a big pond. Guess he'll learn that soon enough."
"I feel sorry for his partner, Vapor Trail," Rainbow commented. "I think it's clear she wants to make it in with Sky. I'm worried she might try to sabotage her chances if she doesn't think Sky's gonna make it."
"Like I didn't have enough on my plate dealing with Angel Wings," Spitfire sighed again. "And of course Soarin and Fleetfoot's argument. At this point, I give up. They can argue and bicker to their heart's content as far as I'm concerned, I don't have time to deal with it. The cadets and trials week come first," She then ordered. "Alright, cadets, break time's over! Back into the sky! Time to see how good you do navigating the obstacle course! You know the drill, single file in alphabetical order! Angel Wings, you're up first." And all of the cadets lined up as Spitfire had ordered, as Angel Wings took to the air with a flap of her wings.
"Guess we're back to square one," Twilight said to Rainbow. "Getting Soarin and Fleetfoot to reconcile their differences and stop arguing."
"But we already tried talking to them at the same time, and I'm pretty sure Spitfire did the same," Rainbow commented, hanging her head. "I don't see what more we can do, Twilight. I'm nowhere near as pushy as Spitfire can be, and neither do I have the authority or rank to give weight to my words. Even you can at least amplify your voice to sound intimidating."
Twilight shook her head. "Perhaps what we need, is a gentler approach. Rather than try to force them to get back together and be forced to take sides, why don't we break off and each talk to one of them?" She suggested. "Maybe then we can find some common ground between them, and go from there?"
Rainbow tapped a hoof to her chin, as she pondered deeply. "Well... I guess it can't hurt to try that approach. Why don't you go talk to Soarin, and I'll see about talking to Fleetfoot?"
"Okay, but why do you want to talk to Fleetfoot?" Twilight asked Rainbow, as the two of them took to the sky in search of the two Wonderbolts.
"Fleetfoot's always more tempermental and ego-driven," Rainbow explained. "And if anypony knows what that's like, it's me. Soarin's always been more laid back, he's usually a nice guy. So I think you'll have better luck talking with him."
"I... guess that makes sense," Twilight reluctantly agreed. "We should try to meet back here before long though, so we can discuss what we've found out."
"Right, we'll meet up again in half an hour tops!" Rainbow firmly replied. "Now let's split up! You look for Soarin, and I'll try to find Fleetfoot!"
"Wait, but I-" Twilight began, only to be cut off as Rainbow zoomed away. Twilight just sighed. "-Don't know my way around the academy like you," She then groaned. "Guess I'm on my own. I just hope Soarin doesn't prove too hard to find."
And as luck would have it, Twilight ended up bumping into Soarin, quite by accident. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Soarin. I really didn't see you there, I swear!" Twilight hastily apologized.
"It's alright, at least you're not Fleetfoot," Soarin replied, as he and Twilight touched down on the ground near the classroom. "Speaking of which, I hope you're not here to try and talk me into patching things up with the hothead. If she really thinks the bolts will somehow listen to her, just because she's the fastest among us, I'd like to see her try and do it. But I guarantee you she'll fail."
"It sounds like you and Fleetfoot have a long and complicated history, if what Spitfire says is true," Twilight commented. "Did this all really begin when Fleetfoot tried to replace you just for one occasion?"
Soarin shook his head. "No, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. From day one Fleetfoot was a bragger and a blowhard, always boasting about her speed as if that was somehow a feat worthy of praise," He spoke in a tone that indicated rare traces of anger. "For the record, I could easily outfly her if I wanted to. Most of the times I let her win because those derbies are for charity, or for entertaining the elites of Canterlot. Fleetfoot never understands the importance of pacing yourself."
Twilight was busy writing down notes on a sheet of paper, as she encouraged with a nod. "Go on, go on. Tell me more, please. Maybe tell me about Fleetfoot being Spitfire's right hoof mare?"
"Look, I didn't mind Fleetfoot getting that promotion, I really didn't," Soarin answered. "Misty Fly needed some time off for personal matters, and even when she came back she chose not to reclaim the title she used to hold. Fleetfoot more than proved herself to be a worth pony, even if she could be a bit rash. What I did mind, was the sudden uptick in her ego once she got that promotion. It seemed like she became even more boastful, even more hotheaded, and even more arrogant. I once heard her boast that if it weren't for her, the entire Wonderbolts would disband."
"And, did you talk to her about any of this?" Twilight asked Soarin. "I would hope you don't expect your teammates to be mind readers."
"'Course I talked to her, but she didn't listen. She thought I was just jealous of the fact that Spitfire picked her to replace Misty Fly, never mind the fact that I'm happy being the Wonderbolts co-captain," Soarin remarked, his eyes narrowing in anger. "And then in retaliation for that, she tried to boot me off the team before the Equestria Games, and she would've succeeded too if Spitfire hadn't intervened! Fleetfoot claimed she did it for me, but I wasn't born yesterday, I knew what her real motivations were!" Soarin then sighed. "It's a real shame too, when Fleetfoot was among the junior Wonderbolts, she seemed to be a lot sweeter. She was like that adorable little sister, we even joked about making her the team mascot. I guess nothing lasts forever."
Twilight made sure to jot down everything she deemed important, working her quill to the point where it nearly caught fire as a result. "Fascinating," She commented to Soarin. "Well, thank you for telling me this. But I think you need to tell Fleetfoot how you feel, maybe this time she'll listen."
"Listen to me? Seriously?" Soarin grumbled. "I very much doubt it, but I suppose I'll tag along just so you can see for yourself." And he followed Twilight as she took off across the academy grounds.
While Twilight was busy talking to Soarin, Rainbow had the rather fortunate stroke of luck to run into Fleetfoot as she was hanging out near the mess hall. "Hey, Fleetfoot! You got a moment or two to spare?!" Rainbow called, landing beside the mare.
"Huh? Oh, it's just you, Dash," Fleetfoot said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do at the moment. I just hope whatever you're here to talk about, doesn't involve that goody twohorseshoes co-captain whose name just so happens to be Soarin."
"But don't you think maybe it's time you two stopped fighting and shouting?" Rainbow suggested to Fleetfoot. "Whatever your grudge is, it's not worth ruining your friendship."
"Friendship? That's a very strange way of saying that I should patch things up with an ungrateful stallion like Soarin," Fleetfoot snarled. "I try to do something nice for him when he needs it most, and he takes it as an insult. All because he thinks his position as co-captain makes him an obvious choice for anything involving the Wonderbolts. So what if he's been around longer? Seniority doesn't automatically make you more qualified than someone younger!"
Rainbow tried to put a wing around Fleetfoot as she cautioned. "Look, if anypony knows what it feels like to be on the bottom of the totem pole and be eager to prove yourself, it's me. But you know that's not how the Wonderbolts operate. I had to learn that standing out wasn't always the right thing to do, that there's no I in team," She said in a gentle tone. "And just look at the position you've snagged for yourself, Spitfire's right hoof mare. I know a lot of ponies would kill to be in your position at such a young age."
"Try telling that to Soarin, he's like the obnoxious old brother I never wanted," Fleetfoot complained. "There's no winning with him. I try to prove I could beat him in a race fair and square, he claims he lets me win because I don't pace myself. I tell him that being co-captain doesn't always mean he outranks me, he just claims I'm lucky to be in a position anywhere close to that. I try to give him some time off to be with his friend without costing the team, he perceives it as a threat and thinks I'm out for his position. Far as I'm concerned, he's ungrateful. And the hard truth is, he wasn't always that way. Back before I was Spitfire's right hoof mare, back when I was a junior member of the Wonderbolts, he would always stick up for me and support me. I should've known then it would be too good to last."
Rainbow was unsure just what to make of all this, so she just said the first thing that came to her mind. "Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding? I know Soarin, and I know he's not arrogant or a jerk. Perhaps you two just need to do a better job of communicating about what's bothering you."
"I doubt that very much, but if you really wanna see for yourself, I guess I'll play along," Fleetfloot reluctantly replied. "Just don't be surprised when it doesn't work out." And then she followed Rainbow, as the two Wonderbolts headed across the academy grounds.
Despite not having arranged to bring the two feuding Wonderbolts to the same place at the same time, both Twilight and Rainbow were left to hope that things would work out, as they both gave each other nervous glances and waves.
"What is she/he doing here?!" Soarin and Fleetfoot both demanded at the same time, refusing to make eye contact with each other.
"Don't look at me," Twilight hastily replied. "This was Rainbow Dash's idea, I just played along."
Both Soarin and Fleetfoot exclaimed at the same time. "What?!"
Rainbow immediately swooped in, as she forced the two Wonderbolts to look at each other and said to them. "Look, whatever your problems with each other, you're both Wonderbolts. You're both on the same team, and you both want to be the best you can be. It's time you talked things out and tried to explain just what it is that's driving a wedge between you. I'm sure even the other Wonderbolts are tired of you fighting non-stop and not speaking to each other. Don't you think it's time you at least tried to patch things up?"
Neither Soarin or Fleetfoot said a word, they'd been so busy thinking about themselves that they hadn't stopped to think how their teammates might feel, or the kind of example they might be setting for others.
But before either one could get in a word edge wise, a pegasus mare with an extremely light greenish-grey coat, a light grey/light greenish-grey/pale green mane and tail styled up like whispy clouds, light-grayish turquoise eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a shooting star, came rushing out onto the runway! Spitfire recognized the mare at once. "Vapor Trail?! What are you doing out here?! And where's your partner, Sky Stinger?!"
Panting heavily, Vapor Trail explained. "It's Sky Stinger! I told him he wasn't all that good a flyer and he needed a lot more practice, and he completely flipped out on me!" Vapor appeared to be so unnerved that she was speaking quite loudly. "Then he just flew off somewhere to prove he didn't need anypony's help and could totally fly fine on his own! It's all my fault, I shouldn't have been covering up his weak fly skills to make him feel better!"
"What?! You mean to tell me that Sky Stinger left academy grounds, without telling a soul?!" Spitfire exclaimed, her sunglasses sliding off her face in shock!
"Please, you've got to help me find him! He could be in serious danger!" Vapor Trail pleaded! "He's a little taller than me, has a moderate cerulean coat, a light sea green mane and tail styled into a set of bangs, eyes a light sea green in color, and a cutie mark that depicts an upside-down lightning bolt! I think he took off towards the southeast!"
"We'll do what we can, Vapor Trail," Spitfire assured the frightened mare. "I'll assemble a search party at once. And when I find that Sky Stinger, I'm gonna give him an earful for leaving the academy in the middle of trials week!"
Just then, a high pitched whining sound filled the air. Everypony seemed to stop what they were doing, as Spitfire recognized at once what that sound meant. "It's an academy emergency, something must be up!" She realized, and instructed to the recruits. "Everypony stay here unless told to do otherwise, I'll be back shortly!" And indeed she was, Spitfire came back in the blink of an eye with bad news. "A couple of storm clouds somehow slipped out of the weather factory and now they've banded together in the southeast," She informed, taking off her sunglasses. "Needless to say, bad weather's on the way, heading right for the academy. It's nothing too serious and it's expected to pass very quickly, but I'm not taking any chances! I want everypony inside until the storm has safely passed, no ifs, ands, or buts!"
"But Sky's out there all by himself, he'll never make it through the storm!" Vapor Trail protested! "You've got to help him!"
"I'm sorry, Vapor Trail, but I'm not jeopardizing the safety of the recruits or the Wonderbolts," Spitfire said with a shake of her head. "Flying through a storm is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, even experienced pegasi opt to stay away from storms if they can. Sky will just have to hold on until the storm has passed. I don't like the idea of leaving anypony to fend for themselves, but I'm also not going to risk lives to save a hot shot recruit that wanted to prove himself. The storm will be here any minute now, hardly enough time to find the ponies best suited for the job."
"Then I guess I'll have to do it myself!" Vapor Trail vowed, as she slapped on a pair of flight goggles and took off in the direction of the approaching storm!
Spitfire could hardly believe her eyes! "Is she crazy?! She's putting herself in harm's way flying into that storm!" She exclaimed, shaking her head! "I hope none of you other recruits are getting any ideas! I haven't had a cadet injured on or near academy grounds, and I'm not about to let that happen to any of you! Inside, now!"
All the cadets quickly rushed for the nearest shelter that they could find, but Soarin looked at Fleetfoot and said to her. "Come on, we've gotta help those newbies! They'll never find their way back without our help!"
"But Soarin, that's dangerous! You know the risks with flying in storms, especially ones like this that pop up unexpectedly!" Fleetfoot protested with worry. "What if something happens to us?!"
"We're Wonderbolts, it's our duty to help ponies in need no matter the risk to ourselves!" Soarin vowed! "We'll be fine, we've dealt with storms before so we know a thing or two," With a wink he then added. "Don't tell me the high and mighty Fleetfoot of all ponies is afraid of a little inclement weather?"
Fleetfoot groaned as she looked at Soarin, who had that massive grin on his face. "Oh, I hate when you do that!" She grumbled. "Fine! But if I get hit by a lightning bolt, it's your fault!" And she and Soarin took to the skies, forgetting all about their feud.
Having seen all of this, Rainbow Dash was quick to dig into her saddle bag and pull out her flight goggles. "I had a feeling I might need these," She said to Twilight. "Those guys need my help!"
"But Rainbow, you heard what Spitfire said," Twilight protested. "Please, think this through, don't be reckless! Soarin and Fleetfoot can handle things just fine!"
"Maybe, but I've got lots of experience with storms, especially surprise ones like this!" Rainbow firmly vowed. "I've got to make sure they can find their way out! I'll be fine, I promise!"
Reluctantly, Twilight decided not to argue. "Then you'd better be quick about it, the storm will be here any minute. Best of luck, Rainbow Dash, and be careful!"
"I will, you just get inside and leave everything to Soarin, Fleetfoot, and I!" Rainbow replied, zipping away in a rainbow colored blur!
Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Fleetfoot, all caught up to Vapor Trail, just as they reached the outer edge of the storm. High wind and heavy rain soon battered them, and were it not for their flight goggles they wouldn't have been able to see a thing. Soon, they were seeing the flashes of lightning and the crackles of thunder, as the wind and rain only grew more intense!
Suddenly, amidst the roaring wind and booming thunder, Vapor shouted! "Look, I can see Sky!" And sure enough, there was the stallion Vapor had described! He seemed to be trying his hardest just to stay in the air, and with every flap of his wings you could see that he was exhausting a lot of energy.
"Sky!" Vapor called out, flying towards her partner!
"What do you want now?!" Sky snorted! "Come to rub salt in the wound about how right you were?! Because you were right after all, I'm not Stratsburg's most promising flyer! In fact, I'm not a good flyer at all, I stink! You should've just left me here to crash and burn!"
Vapor shook her head. "Don't be silly, Sky! This isn't about your flying skills, I came back because I'm not giving up on you!" She then pleaded. "Please, let me help you! We can work on your flying skills together back at the academy, but for now we need to get out of this storm! Your pride isn't worth this!"
Any will Sky might have had to resist, was melted away when he looked into Vapor's eyes and saw how worried she was. "Okay, okay, it's a deal!" Sky promised. "Now please tell me you know how to get us out of this storm!"
"That's why I'm not the only one who came flying after you, I've got three of the best Wonderbolts right here with me!" Vapor Trail smiled.
"Enough with the chit-chat, we've gotta get out of here, now!" Rainbow said firmly. "It's too dangerous to stay inside the center of the storm for long!"
"Fleetfoot, you stay with Sky and help guide him, I'll take care of Vapor!" Soarin instructed.
Fleetfoot nodded. "Right, and we'll both follow Rainbow Dash's lead! So lead us on, Dash! Show us what Spitfire saw in you when she made you a Wonderbolt!"
Despite the conditions, Rainbow smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask! Hang on tight, everypony! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
And indeed it was. Flying back through the storm (which was now directly over the academy grounds) was a frightening, hair raising experience the likes of which the five ponies involved in it would never forget. Often times they had to divert their route a little, as a straight forward path was too turbulent for them to attempt. The whole time, Soarin and Fleetfoot, though they occasionally separated, shouted orders and directions back and forth to each other, as if they'd never been fighting at all.
At last, just as the storm was moving on from the academy, and the sky was beginning to brighten, the five pegasi touched down carefully on the still soggy runway. All of them exhausted, but triumphant. Everypony came rushing out to see them, cheering loudly and asking questions!
"That was a very near thing back there," Sky panted, very much out of breath. "Thanks for not giving up on me, Vapor Trail. I'm sorry I got so mad earlier and stormed off."
"That's alright, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth earlier," Vapor replied, hugging Sky tightly. "And whatever punishment we receive from Spitfire, we'll face it together."
Just then, Angel Wings came up and said to the two. "Um, I just wanted you to know. You two are my new favorite ponies in all of Equestria."
"Hey, I heard that!" Rainbow remarked, causing Angel Wings to flap off into the sky.
"Well, we'd never have made it out of there if it weren't for the help of the Wonderbolts," Sky commented, turning to Soarin and Fleetfoot. "You two especially, thanks for helping guide us out."
"You're welcome." Soarin and Fleetfoot both nodded.
Then Soarin said to Fleetfoot. "You know, Fleetfoot. We make a pretty good team, you and I. You could be my wingpony."
Fleetfoot laughed as she replied to Soarin. "Horseapples. You could be my wingpony."
Just then, Spitfire pushed through the crowd, turning her attention to Sky and Vapor. "Alright you two, the party's over!" She said sternly. "I must admit, that was some pretty good flying you put on back there. But you also disobeyed Wonderbolt protocol, and that kind of reckless attitude is something I can't just overlook," Both Sky and Vapor gulped, as Spitfire added. "I think there's a spot on the Reserves for the both of you, if you can prove in the evaluations that the flying skills you displayed back there weren't just a fluke. But if you join the team in any way, you'll be both on probation for three months. In the meantime, I expect you both to study hard, I'll be expecting great things from you in your solo evaluations. Is that clear?!"
Sky and Vapor both nodded. "Yes ma'am." They both said at the same time, and then they turned and trotted off.
Once the crowd had dispersed, Soarin and Fleetfoot turned to Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Soarin was the first one to speak. "Thanks for helping us settle our dispute. If you hadn't brought us out here, we wouldn't have been here to help rescue Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail in that storm."
Fleetfoot proceeded to add. "And we never would've remembered how great we are when we work as a team. Or that we need to do a better job of talking to each other whenever things go wrong," To Soarin she apologized. "I'm sorry you got the wrong idea about me trying to replace you at the Equestria Games."
"I'm sorry I took my position for granted, and that we both forgot about how close we used to be when you were a junior member," Soarin apologized back. "I hope it's not too late to start over."
Fleetfoot hugged Soarin tightly as she insisted. "Of course it's not, it's never too late!"
At that moment, Rainbow and Twilight felt a tingle on their flanks. Turning to look, they saw their cutie marks glowing brightly, and they knew what that meant. "Looks like another job well done." Twilight said with a smile.
Rainbow nodded. "Yup, now let's go home. I can't wait to catch up on Daring Do, make cider with Applejack, and do all the other things I was so looking forward to on my week off from the Wonderbolts."
As Rainbow and Twilight neared Twilight's castle a short time later, Twilight was wondering to herself. "I sure hope Spike and Starlight are doing okay. I know we haven't been gone that long, but it has been more than half a day at least."
"Ah, I'm sure they're fine," Rainbow replied. "As long as Starlight's not pulling any crazy spells, or Spike's inviting Discord over, I think everything will be a-okay."
Upon arriving in the main hallway of the castle (after pushing open the front doors), Twilight called out. "Spike! Starlight! We're back!" But there was no reply, and neither did either one come rushing forward to greet either Twilight or Rainbow.
Soon, the two knew why. Upon entering the throne room to set their saddle bags aside and empty them out, Twilight and Rainbow were surprised at the sight that greeted their eyes!
Spike had set up the fantasy world of Spiketopia in all its paper and cardboard glory, as his custom made character Garbuncle the Wizard rested in the middle of the board, which draped over the table map. Spike himself was sitting in Twilight's throne, the character guide for Ogres and Oubliettes resting nearby alongside several different colored dice.
Seated across the table, in Rarity's throne, was Starlight. She had her own fictional character who appeared to be designed to look like the rogue character type, if the hood and leather jacket were any indication. And she seemed to be completely engrossed in whatever sort of quest her character was intended to complete, as it rested besides Garbuncle.
Twilight barely resisted the urge to gasp, instead opting to clear her throat. Spike and Starlight turned in surprise! "Oh, hey girls!" Spike quickly greeted, as Starlight nervously waved a hoof. "You're back already?" Twilight and Rainbow just smiled, opting to say nothing.
