There was nothing spectacular, as far as he could tell. Bryan Ace had been the talent scout for the Manehattan Aeronautics Academy for the better part of two decades, during which he'd compiled some of the finest flyers in Equestria. With him as head talent scout, the academy had gone from mid-level threat, an underdog and not much more, to one of the premier flight schools in the first division. He'd garnered respect and admiration for bringing in the best flyers from all over to join the academy's team. If he was in a restaurant and some pony recognized him, he didn't have to pay for his meal. It's been a good while since he paid for a meal, long enough for forget how to exactly pay for one, and wasn't about to let that all slip away.
If only there was some talent around. The current academy team had just placed third in their league(upset in the semis, nothing he could've done about that), but most of them were graduating. The crop of underclassmen was good, but not great. Riding the bench during meets was no way to build their athletics up, but that's what they did while the seniors flew circles around the competition. It was Bryan's duty this offseason to find some flyers who could help them win now. The few he saw in surrounding towns could be built into a team to be reckoned with, but none of them were good enough to build a championship team around.
That's what brought him to Ponyville today. It was the next stop on his list, and a place where he had found considerable talent before. Two former league MVPs had come from Ponyville, but so far he didn't see any pegasi that could be more than second string. They moved fast, but seemed to be stuck in second gear. Even the fastest ones couldn't maintain that speed for more than a minute. Races were not one minute in length. Bryan knew this, but didn't have the heart to tell these poor kids that they weren't good enough.
"Nice performance. I've got your times, and if you're good enough to compete with the best in Equestria we'll keep in touch." In his years of telling flyers that they weren't going to make the team, he'd found this was the best way. Let's them know that there were simply better flyers in Equestria, rather than they aren't any good.
The afternoon session was coming to a close. Three more pegasi had to go, and then he would go into town to review his notes. Take a look at the best of the group and compile a makeshift team out of them, the recruits from the other towns and the current team. If the rest of his scouting trip is fruitless, he'll at least be able to contact some of the ponies here. He didn't think that would be the case, or at least he hoped not.
He had barely hit the stopwatch to time the eleventh trial when a rainbow trail crossed through the course. That whoosh sound, a sound he hadn't heard all session long, accompanied it. It was the first instance all afternoon than anything on that field had traveled fast enough to cause sound in its wake.
"Wow." Bryan let out under his breath. It was the first instance all afternoon that anything on that field traveled fast enough to bring that reaction out of him. He didn't think it was audible, but some of the participants that were huddled around him heard. If his 'nice performance' speech before didn't break their spirits, that sure did.
Though the rainbow and the pony attached to it weren't part of the trials that afternoon, it certainly was the fastest thing on the field. The fastest thing Bryan had seen in his current scouting trip. He was certain that if that pony were to join the Manehattan Aeronautics Academy for the upcoming season, they would be unstoppable.
It seemed like a fleeting dream, though. He cared for these kids, despite having only known them for a few hours. If he were to ask who that was, it would crush them; that a pony who wasn't even part of the trials could just zoom by and be practically given a spot. They would have to understand that this pony was undoubtedly better than them. Their expressions when the rainbow went by matched Bryan's.
He wouldn't have to ask, though. One of the participants brought their face out of a stupor long enough to shockingly speak the name:
"Rainbow Dash."
Number eleven finished their run. The remaining three completed the course. They were noticeably deflated, and who wouldn't be in this situation, but it is commendable that they flew the course at all. There was nothing spectacular, as far as Bryan could tell. What could be spectacular after witnessing this 'Rainbow Dash.' All he knew was, if this 'Rainbow Dash' could do that all the time, he might as well quit the scouting trip. His search was over.
He bid adieu to the crop of talent he had spent the afternoon working with. Not the cream of the crop, but he at least knew now who was that cream. Into Ponyville he went to compile notes regarding this group.
And to find this 'Rainbow Dash.'
Luckily for him, his search would not only be fruitful, but short. Good, because he was a pony who enjoyed business and pleasure. Right now, it was all business. Getting to find this 'Rainbow Dash' was his top priority. After finding this 'Rainbow Dash' and getting them to join the academy team, it would be all pleasure. Winning seasons, league championships, awards, a raise and more accolades were in his future. He wouldn't have to remember how to pay for meals. But that was in the future. Right now, it was all business.
As he walked into town, he saw a group surrounding what looked like the desert table in the academy's dining hall. It was indeed a desert table. Every pony around the table was partaking in a wide assortment of baked goods, all seeming to be composed with apples as the main ingredient. At least that's how they smelled. He would have to partake of one of those treats before he left. But that was in the future. Right now, it was all business.
From behind the table stood two ponies: the one on the right was a purple unicorn with a straight mane, the one on the left was a pink earth pony with a bouncy mane. The unicorn appeared to be more stoic and calm, while the earth pony was bouncy and appeared to have an abundance of energy. If any of the pegasi he saw before had that kind of energy, he would be bringing more than one back to Manehattan with him.
The two ponies running the stand greeted each pony that approached by name. Not a simple 'Hello' or 'Welcome' but along the lines of 'Hi Lily! Thanks for coming! How's your garden doing?' They appeared to have knowledge of every pony in line, and the line was probably fifty pony deep on each side. Surely, if his search for this 'Rainbow Dash' were to end soon, this was the best place to start. If he had the time, he would've gladly stood in line to greet the two and partake of their goods like a sensible pony. Right now, it was all business.
He approached the left side of the table, where the pink pony was. From next to the table, he could see her wearing blue and yellow socks with little tears running through them, particularly around the bottom of the hoof, and what appeared to be scorch marks. The pink pony turned to put the bits she received from her previous customer in a cart and caught him in the corner of her eye.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Welcome to our bake sale! Is there something you need! Anything! Huh! Huh! Huh!" Her face was simultaneously in his and darting all over at the same time. He was as confused as he was frightened.
"What a minute! I don't think I know you, and I know every pony in Ponyville! Are you new in town! You must be new if I don't know you! How wonderful! I didn't think I'd meet a new friend today, but I did have my hopes up! What's your name! Where are you from! Did you come to buy some apple pie! Apple Danish! Cupcakes with apple icing! Huh! I just realized, if you're new in town that must mean you have no friends here! And if you don't have any friends here, then you must be lonely! And if you're lonely, that must mean…" She had said all that in a matter of ten seconds flat and was continuing to talk, her mouth showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. If the pegasi back at the academy could fly as fast as she was speaking, they would win every meet in a landslide. The unicorn was showing concern on her face as she pulled Pinkie Pie back. It took a moment for Bryan to regain his senses.
"Sorry about that. She gets that way around people she's never met. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and we're having a bake sale today to raise bits to refurnish our town library. Would you like to try some of our delicious apple products?" Twilight was much more bearable than Pinkie Pie.
"Sure, I'll buy something..." He would, after all he was more than happy to help a worthy cause. Just because he was an athletic coach doesn't mean he didn't care about academics as well. Right now, it was all business. "…but first I have a question. Do you happen to know a 'Rainbow Dash?'"
The question had startled the pink one. She began to speak again, and dart her head all around Bryan's. She moved much too quickly and sporadically. All Bryan heard was bits and pieces, which amounted to Rainbow being a prankster and changing her life in some way that he didn't quite understand. He was afraid to ask her how exactly 'Equestria was made.' She continued talking as she tended to customers, not noticing that Bryan and Twilight had moved away to talk quieter.
"Well, I'm sure Pinkie Pie can tell a much better story than I could, but Rainbow Dash is one of the best flyers in all of Equestria. Strong, Cool, Brave. The fastest flyer I've ever seen, able to clear a sky in ten seconds flat and the first and only Pegasus to create a Sonic Rainboom." So, the legends were true. A pony was able to travel fast enough to create a sonic boom and a rainbow all in one. That's all he needed to hear.
"And, one of my best friends here in Ponyville." Icing on the cake, but loyalty is important to the team. It's better than bringing in a loner that he hopes will mesh well.
"That's all I need to hear. Now, where is Rainbow Dash?" Upon hearing this, the pink one turned to speak again. Bryan braced for the worst, but she spoke much calmer.
"Oh, Dashie ran home! I think she'll be coming back! Hehehe!"
"Well, in that case Miss Twilight, I'd like to give you this." He couldn't wait for this Rainbow Dash to show up, and he certainly didn't want to ask Pinkie Pie when/if Dash would come back. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't be able to decipher it amongst all that she would say. He wanted to get back right away to the academy to tell the athletics department about the pony that was going to help them dominate this season. Bryan pulled out his card that had the address of the school on it and handed it to Twilight Sparkle. "It's my card for the Manehattan Aeronautics Academy. We'd love to have this Rainbow Dash on our flight team."
"Oh wow! I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be honored to join your flight team." The sincerity in her voice seemed genuine.
"Tell this Rainbow Dash to come by tomorrow at noon for a full tour of the academy. And, give me one of those caramel apple cupcakes." After all, he did say he was going to buy something from them. While caramel apple cupcakes weren't exactly part of the diet that the members of the team go through, he figured it was alright to treat himself right now. He had just recruited the best flyer he'd seen in the past decade. He could head back to Manehattan to prepare for this Rainbow Dash's visit tomorrow. He quit his scouting trip. His search was over.
His business was over.
Right now, it was time for pleasure. Make that two caramel apple cupcakes.
There was something spectacular, as far as she could tell. Pinkie Pie was always excited to bake. Even though it had been her life for most of the time she'd been in Ponyville, she still looked at each baking job like it was a treat to do.
Especially today! One of her best-est-ee best friends, Twilight Sparkle, had asked her if she could help put on a bake sale. Twilight lived in the library in town, and through all her studying had managed to cause a lot of wear and tear to the inside. A little wear here and there doesn't hurt, until she rubbed her bookshelf too close and all those little wears and tears compiled and the bookshelf collapsed. Looking around, it seemed the rest of the furniture was on that same level. She needed some help to get the library back in top condition.
Pinkie Pie looked at a bake sale like a party that the whole town could take part in. To plan a party that big, though, she would need assistance from some of her best-est-ee best friends. Twilight had agreed to help, seeing as it was her studying habits that caused them to have the bake sale in the first place. Rainbow Dash agreed as well. Applejack would be supplying the apples. Rarity was in Trottingham delivering her lastest shipment of dresses and Fluttershy had many animal patients to see today. So, it would be a four pony baking team.
She put on her socks and came downstairs to the kitchen. Her blue and yellow socks matched her cutie mark. The colors still popped, having been made three days earlier by Rarity. It was easily the fifteenth pack she'd had made this year. Despite that, this was the first pack that she had that resembled her cutie mark. She started to get the sugar and flour ready before her friends showed up. It was slightly past the time they were supposed to show up when Applejack came by with a cart full of apples.
"Hey Pinkie Pie." Applejack came in hospitable as always, but the tone in her voice told that she had no time to chat. Less talking, more baking. "Brought the apples for the bake sale. A whole cart full."
"Oooooo, they look delicious. I can't wait to make some treats with them. Throw on an apron and let's get baking!"
"Uhh, listen Pinkie Pie, Ah hate tell you now, but Ah can't stay and help. Ah gotta go to Manehattan tomarra for business for the farm."
"Ohh, that's too bad. But, I bet your business thingy will be fun, too." Pinkie never stayed dejected for long.
"But…" Applejack pulled five apples out of her satchel and laid them on the counter, "…Ah would like your expert opinion on which of these here taste the best. If Ah'm going all the way to Manehattan, Ah wanna make sure Ah bring only the best of mah crop."
"Oh boy, I would love to be a taste tester." It's true, she did love the thought of being a taste tester. To have her tongue be the deciding factor in a 'Which-food-tastes-the-best' contest was a secret little fantasy that she wondered if it would ever come true. She would've rather have it be for cakes or pies or chocolate or cupcakes, but this'll do. As she ate each one, she gave Applejack her honest opinion.
"Number 1 is very crunchy but a little dry. Number 2 is sweety sweet sweety and has quite a flavor to it that I didn't think was even possible in an apple. Number 3 is juicy and red and wonderful all over. Number 4 is, well, let's not mention number 4. But Number 5 is tasty and makes my Pinkie tongue tingle."
"Eh, so, you picked…Number…5?"
"Well, Number 5 was goody, but I'd have to say Number 2 did the best. She's the queen of the apple eating contest!" Pinkie thought the queen deserved a party, but from inside her belly was no place for one.
"Number 2. That's from the Northeast fields. Okay. Ah'm sorry to run like this Pinkie Pie, but if all goes right tomarra, ole' Sweet Apple Acres will be doin' plenty business this season." Applejack left out the back way she came and galloped back to her farm. Whatever it was, Pinkie thought, it had to be of super-duper importance to drag Applejack from helping here. No need to fear, though, for as soon as Applejack was out the door, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash came through the main entranceway to the kitchen.
"Hi, Pinkie Pie. Thank you so much for helping me raise bits to get the library back in order." Twilight was as polite as she always was. That's what Pinkie Pie liked about her.
"I still can't believe you studied so hard that you broke the furniture." Rainbow Dash put in her two bits.
"I told you to just read the books Twilight, not hit them. Now, who's ready to get baking!"
"I'm ready. Wait, where's Applejack?" Twilight, always so inquisitive and observant, other reasons Pinkie Pie liked her.
"Oh, she had to run back to Sweet Apple Acres. Said she had a big day tomorrow in Manehattan."
"That's okay, we can pick up the slack. Pinkie Pie, toss me an apron!" Rainbow Dash was getting in the zone.
It was easy to bake all the treats. Twilight read the instructions and measured all the ingredients, with her organizing skills. Rainbow Dash mixed all the ingredients as fast as she could, which was even faster than Pinkie Pie could. As for Pinkie Pie, with a big chunk of the work being taken care of, was able to add much more love and smiles to the batches than she could without help. It's what made her baked goods good.
Pinkie Pie wore her socks while she baked. They were just so comfy the way Rarity made them that she couldn't help but wear them everywhere, even in the kitchen. As she mixed in her special ingredients, she couldn't help but get cake batter on her socks. As she was also the one to take the treats out of the oven, the cake batter would get heated and bake along with everything else. As it cooked, it caused little scorch marks to appear around the mounds of crust that were forming until, after rounds of treats were made, they hardened and chipped off her socks. The burnt crumbs left little tears in her socks, resembling the tears in her other 14 packs that Rarity had made her.
"Pinkie, you're socks. They've got burn marks on them." Twilight had noticed. She really had a good eye as far as Pinkie could tell.
"Oh, you know I didn't really notice." It's true, she hadn't. Pinkie had always garnered mounds of batter on her hoof-sies as she baked throughout her time at Sugarcube Corner, and she found that if she tried to wash it off during a baking session, more would just get on them later. Best thing she could do was waiting until the end to wash. The fact that she wore socks over them didn't register in her pink head that she should change her habits.
"Pinkie, you're going to ruin those socks if you use them to take things out of the oven." The fact that this happened to the other 14 packs of socks had not clicked in Pinkie's head yet. She just thought all socks eventually got like that.
"Watch, let me show you how it's done." Rainbow Dash took the next batch of cupcakes between her bare hooves and pulled them out of the over, still hot, and managed to put them on the stove-top without even wincing.
"Wow, how'd you do that without even thinking?" Twilight asked Rainbow.
"It's nothing Twilight, but then again, you aren't the strongest, coolest, most brave pony in all of Ponyville."
"Really, Rainbow Dash, the bravest?" Twilight was unsure of her boast.
"Duh, Twilight. Haven't you seen some of the things I've stood up to on our adventures."
As soon as Rainbow Dash said that she was the strongest, coolest, most brave pony, Pinkie Pie got an idea. An awful idea. Pinkie Pie got a wonderful, awful idea.
"Are you brave enough to hear a ghost story, Dashie?" Pinkie inquired. There were only a few batches left to be put in the over. They had time for a quick little joke.
"Pfft, a ghost story, please Pinkie Pie. Every pony knows that ghost stories aren't real, and most of them aren't that scary."
"This one's real. And spoooooooooooooky." Pinkie knew it was all in good fun. Time to see if she could prove Rainbow Dash wrong. Dim the lights, draw the blinds and give Pinkie the flashlight. It's ghost story time.
"Once, there was a rainbow pony who came into a bakery to help make some cupcakes with her pink pony friend." Pinkie was going on the fly, and wanted Rainbow to feel like she's in story. It's always much scarier if you feel like you're in the ghost story. And she wanted to give Dashie a little scare.
"The rainbow pony had gone down to the basement to get an ingredient for their cupcakes. There, she noticed bodies of other mares thrown in a pile. The pink pony came down and told the rainbow pony that she was the special ingredient." Dash was maintaining her cool, but seemed noticeably shaken.
"Then, the pink pony chains her to the wall and pulls out her knife, brandishing it over the rainbow pony's torso." Nice addition, Twilight. It sure helped scaring someone when you had help. Dash's coolness dropped by a good 20%, Pinkie noticed. It was so much fun to give her a little scare.
"The pink pony started cutting into the rainbow pony. First her legs, then her arms, then her wings, and finally, her head. Muwahahahaha." Dashie started trembling, her face quivering, wings shaking. She really needed to end the story good.
"The pink pony went back upstairs and finished her cupcakes." Good save, Twilight. Pinkie had no idea where to go, but now she had the perfect ending. If this didn't push Dashie out of being so brave, nothing would.
"A customer came by and told her the cupcakes tasted delicious. She asked what the secret ingredient was. And the pink pony said….(dramatic pause)….RAINBOW DASH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The sound of thunder caused by some trays falling was a great touch by Twilight.
Rainbow Dash let out a huge scream and flew out of Sugarcube Corner as fast as she could. As soon as she was out the door, Pinkie Pie and Twilight collapsed in a fit of the giggles.
"Wow, hehehe, I don't think I've ever seen Dashie fly that fast before, hehehe." Pinkie saw the direction she was headed. It was through the town square, past a field where there was a group of pegasi flying around and eventually making it back to her home.
"Hahaha, that was a good laugh, Pinkie. It was so funny to see Dash scared like that. Ahh, oh well, she'll come back later and we'll tell her how silly she was."
"Hehehe…" Ding! "…heheheOOOOO! The last batch of cupcakes is done. Let's bring them out and get this bake sale started."
The bake sale had a tremendous turn-out. Nearly every pony in Ponyville came out to trade some bits for some of Pinkie Pie's signature sugary indulgences if it meant they could help out Twilight. Aside from Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle knew every pony in Ponyville. They would have conversations with every pony and catch up with friends that they don't see as often as they'd like to. It was like a party that the whole town was invited for.
As Pinkie was creating good business, as she wouldn't be able to keep Sugarcube Corner running if she wasn't able to generate some sort of income for Mr. and Mrs. Cake, she turned at one point to see a pony standing on the side of the table, rather than in line. He was a burly pegasus, with a graying buzzcut, whistle around his neck and a determined look on his face. She gave him her pinkiest Pinkie Pie hello when she realized something else about this pegasus.
She didn't recognize him.
Pinkie got partway through offering her friendship to him and a party in his honor by Twilight Sparkle reminding her that she still had customers. Pinkie continued to offer him a party while asking Seafoam about her pet rock and handing her an apple strudel and taking her bits and giving her change and proceeding to talk to Colgate about her modern art piece she displays in her window. All seemingly at the same time. Pinkie Pie was as good at multitasking as Rarity was at making dresses.
By the time she finished with Colgate, the burly pegasus asked about Rainbow Dash. Pinkie overheard and immediately went back into welcoming mode to tell him everything she knew about Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in all of Ponyville! No wait, Cloudsdale, too! No! Wait! In all of Equestria! No to mention one of the best pranksters in all of Equestria! Did I mention that Dashie is the best prankster! Ooo! Ooo! Or the time that Rainbow Dash made me into the pony I am today! I never would've gotten my cutie mark and discovered parties if it weren't for Rainbow Dash and the Sonic Rainboom! Just Zoom! Zoom! Poom! And there I was! Went from an itty-bitty-little-wittle-twinkie-pinkie into the party pony you see today! And that's how Equestria was made! And then the dragon! Ooo! Or the time we found these dogs that hunt diamonds and stole our friend Rarity! Rainbow Dash wasn't scared! Dashie just went full steam ahead into those mines! Turned a corner! Then another corner! Then we hit a…"
Pinkie had been moved again by Twilight to her end of the table and her next customer. Twilight and the pegasus moved over a few feet to talk. Maybe Twilight knew this pony? Huh, guess he wasn't so lonely. Oh well, she was still planning a party for him anyway.
The burly pony asked where Rainbow Dash was. Pinkie Pie told him that Dashie went home and had a little giggle about it. If she wasn't so deep into conversations with Twist and Firefly simultaneously she would've elaborated. After all, she can't do everything at once.
The pegasus left, after giving Twilight something, and the two continued with the bake sale which went better than expected. Twilight had more than enough bits to refurnish the library. Before she left, she asked Twilight about what he had given her. Pinkie's mind was no longer occupied by other conversations; she could concentrate fully on Twilight.
"Apparently, he was a scout for the Manehattan Aeronautics Academy flight team. It seems he's interested in having Rainbow Dash join his team."
"Oooh! If it's a big Manehattan flight school then that must be a big deal. I bet Rainbow Dash would make a great addition to their team. I'm so happy for her." She had heard little remarks about flight schools like that from Mrs. Cake, who took an interest in the competitions.
"Huh! You know what Rainbow Dash deserves?" Twilight wouldn't have time to answer. "A PARTY! Oh, so that's three parties I have to plan. First, the party for that new pegasus pony. Then the one for Rainbow Dash getting into flight school. And one for Number 2, the apple eating contest queen! Oh, busy busy busy!"
Pinkie Pie hopped off back to Sugarcube corner. Parties don't plan themselves.
There was nothing spectacular, as far as she could tell. Applejack had seen her little sis try out so many different things to get her cutie mark. Singing, dancing, white water rafting, juggling, parkour. So seeing her jump rope now for her cutie mark was the next in a long line of inevitable failures for her.
She envied Apple Bloom's energy. The filly put her all into everything she did to try to earn her cutie mark. The problem was, she didn't know how to do most of the things she tried. Apple Bloom didn't really have much coordination with the toy. Applejack wasn't sure how she had managed to tangle the rope around her left leg and right arm at the same time.
Applejack had an idea of what her lil sis's talent might be. But it was better not to tell her, she knew. Her cutie mark was something for her to find on her own. That made it special; made it one you can truly call your own. Still, at times like this, she thought about at least giving her a little nudge in the right direction. It wouldn't be long before she and her friends, those crusaders, would try out spelunking or some such.
She had to protect her. She was the big sis.
"Apple Bloom, Ah really don't think that this here is quite working out. Maybe y'all should put that thar rope down and come help me in the apple cellar."
"Huh. You're right Applejack. Ah been jump ropin' fer hours now and still ain't got no cutie mark." Applejack could see she was noticeably upset.
"It's not your fault. Ah keep telling you not to try out things you're not so good at."
"Wha makes ya think that it's not my special talent. Maybe I just ain't jump roped enough yet." Applejack pointed out the rope serpentined around her torso. "Heh heh."
"Ah don't know why y'all keep trying every little niche you can think up in your silly little heads to earn that cutie mark. Why, look at me. Ah never went out on a limb and did anything like y'all are doing. No sir, no flower arrangin', no glass makin', no joustin'…" She could see ideas forming in her little sis's head. "…Nevermind. The point is, y'all should be embracing who you are, stead of trying to force yourself to be something that you just ain't."
"You're right Applejack. Huh! You said you needed help in the apple cellar. Maybe that's where my special talent is. Making apple cider, of course. It's so obvious." Apple Bloom ran towards the cellar as Applejack gave pursuit, trying to stop her lil sis from wrecking anything down there.
She pulled her lil sis away from the barrels where they kept a fresh supply of apple cider for such occasions. Pinkie Pie's been known to plan parties on a whim, so it's a good idea to keep some handy at all times. Applejack gave her her duty of sorting through the bushels she just brought in for any undesirable apples and separate them from the bunch. As she was coming out of the apple cellar to get back to her bucking, she saw something at the top of the stairs.
Something orange.
"Aunt Orange! Uncle Orange! Well, uh, howdy. What brings you all the way from Manehattan?" She still remembered the time she lived with them as a filly. Being so out of place in the big city. But, if she hadn't had found out what she wasn't, she never would've found out who she was.
"Well, hello, Applejack. It's nice to see you're keeping your, eh, farm so…tidy." Her Aunt Orange tried to feign sincerity. But Applejack knew that being out here in the country was not a place she was accustomed to.
"We come to you today with a business venture, if you'd be so kind as to accept." Uncle Orange was uppity as ever with his language. It was like listening to Rarity talk.
"Business venture? What'd y'all have in mind?" She hoped this wasn't some kind of prank on her and her country ways. Not that she thought her family would do such a thing, but she knew how the city folk looked down on her type.
"There is a new upscale restaurant opening up in Manehattan, The Apple of My Eye, run by one of our dear friends, Crepe Suzette."
"In addition to the standard fair, she wishes to incorporate a generous amount of apple based recipes into her repertoire." Applejack could barely get the gist of what her uncle was saying without getting irked by his constant use of fancy language. Why can't some ponies just talk normal like every pony else?
"And when she happened to mention that she was in need of a supplier, I told her that my niece was the proprietor of an orchard that carried such provisions." Again, the fancy talk was ruining the message.
"Miss Suzette would like to meet with you, tomorrow at noon, at the site of her new restaurant in Manehattan."
Applejack could at least figure out that part of the speech. She knew a good business deal when she heard one. Being able to supply a new restaurant in Manehattan would do wonders for publicity, not to mention the bits she could earn for ole' Sweet Apple Acres by signing the contract to be the sole apple provider.
"Well, golly. I don't know exactly what to say. Well, thank your Aunt and Uncle Orange!" She would've hugged them, but knew they would probably be against that sort of action. "You tell Crepe Suzette I'll see her tomarra." Her relatives turned to leave, apparently being nothing more than messengers on this occasion. She was excited about tomorrow, and was about to return to the apple cellar to see what damage Apple Bloom had caused, when her uncle dropped this on her.
"Oh, and dear, do be so kind as to bring Crepe Suzette a sampling of apples for her to taste. A cart will do."
Problem.
Applejack could buck a bushel of apples lickity-split, but a whole cart? By tomorrow? And bring it all the way to Manehattan? She knew that it would take a while to get that by hooves anyway, but with a cart in tow, she'd have to wake up before sun-up to get there. She knew how bad she acted when sleep deprived. Twilight had told her. If she was to get this contract, she would have to be well-rested. With the afternoon wearing thin, that would only leave her a few hours to buck the cart full.
As she went into the cellar, her head starting to spin from what she was thinking, she saw Apple Bloom with a big pile of apples next to her.
"Apple Bloom, Ah told y'all to only take out the bad ones."
"But those are the bad ones."
Big problem.
If Apple Bloom didn't mess up, which was possible, but not a risk she was willing to take at this point, then a good portion of the crop was suddenly tainted. She couldn't very well take those to Crepe Suzette if she wanted to get the contract. But how could she tell which field was tainted? And if one field was tainted, what about the others? She couldn't very well take a batch that was sub-par to a fancy place like Manehattan and expect to impress them.
Good thing for her, there was about of cart full of apples that Apple Bloom had decided were good enough. Whew, she might not have to worry at all about those bad apples until tomorrow when she gets back.
Then Applejack remembered that she had to deliver those apples to Sugarcube Corner. And after delivering, she had to help Twilight and her five friends make treats for a bake sale for the library.
REALLY BIG PROBLEM!
With those apples being used, she had to buck a new cart full of apples by sunset, after she did the baking and bake sale. Or, she thought, she could deliver the apples first, then head home and buck, then come back to help out as much as she could. That would be what she would do. She'd hate to disappoint her friends, but these were extenuating circumstances.
Then she realized that if she bucked all those apples, she'd definitely be tired. If she had to hand out bake goods, or worse, bake, when she was tired, it might cause bigger problems. Twilight had told her such.
Nope, she would have to miss the bake sale and devote the rest of her day to bucking.
But, how could she know which field had the tainted ones? And which one had the absolute best apples? She'd need to have a taste test. But who had the most refined taste buds of her friends, the ones most like that of a Manehattanite?
Rarity.
As much as she couldn't stand her attitude sometimes, she admitted to herself that only Rarity could help her now. She was gonna be at Sugarcube Corner anyway to help out. And no matter what her snooty opinion would be, she'd buck from the fields that Rarity considered the best. Her uppity-ness had finally found a use, as far as Applejack was concerned.
Before departing, she made a quick run to each of the five main fields: The Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, South and Southwest fields. She bucked one apple from each field and put them in satchel. Apple Bloom helped her pull the apples out of the cellar and hitch the cart to her. She was off, as fast as she could, to Sugarcube Corner.
Applejack got to the back entrance, where all delivers go, a little past the time when she was supposed to arrive. She walked in and looked for Rarity. She was nowhere to be found. Rarity was always so annoying prim and proper, she figured she be there on time. Unless she was being 'fashionably late.' She couldn't wait if she wanted to get everything done.
Pinkie Pie greeted her in typical Pinkie Pie fashion. She was someone who knew food, or at least sweets, but seemed to always give everything two hooves up. With things being what they were, she'd have to do.
She told Pinkie she was sorry she couldn't stay and explained why. Then she pulled out the 5 apples and asked for Pinkie to judge them. She did it in typical Pinkie Pie style, which left her confused as to which one won, but she at least now knew that Number 4, the South fields, was the tainted batch. Pinkie declared Number 2, the Northeast fields, the winner, and suggested throwing it a party. No time for that. She thanked Pinkie Pie and left as fast as she had arrived. No pony else was there, which made her feel even worse for abandoning her.
She made it back to Sweet Apple Acres faster than she thought she would. She went into the barn, hitched a cart to herself, galloped to the Northeast fields, watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders fail at limboing, which didn't take long, and started bucking. Big Macintosh finished his quota for the day, and when Applejack explained about Manehattan, he helped as much as he could. The Crusaders helped as much as they could, before Scootaloo turned it into Cutie Mark Crusader fencing with the broken branches.
Applejack wasn't sure how they managed to do it, but they got a whole cart full of Northeast field apples done by sun down. She was sure spent. Getting to sleep wouldn't be a problem tonight, as she practically nodded off in the fields. She went back to the barn, stopped Apple Bloom from trying to earn her cutie mark by eating fire, and went to bed. She'd be awake before sun-up, taking those apples to Manehattan to get that contract from Crepe Suzette.
There was nothing spectacular, as far as she could tell. The schematics that the contractor pony showed her had only the bare necessities. That's all she wanted. She didn't have the bits to get any larger bookcases or newer editions of books. And she didn't want to tell Princess Celestia that she damaged the library that she sent her to.
Dear Princess Celestia, I broke some things. Can you please send some bits? 3,000 ought to do. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
She couldn't disappoint the Princess like that.
Twilight was surprised how it happened, actually. Rainbow Dash said the she studied so hard she broke her bookcase. All she did was brush against it as she picked up her copy of Winter Weather Wonders: Rain and Snow and Sleet and Hail. She had been meaning to brush up on the extreme ends of the water cycle. Now she got to brush up on carpentry.
As she brushed against the case, the wall collapsed, more or less. Her constant shuffling of books on and off the shelves, along with overloading certain shelves with similar materials when she had cramming sessions to do, and the constant knocking of the bookcases by her and her friends, especially Pinkie Pie. It seemed her simple brushing against it was the straw that broke the pony's back.
Looking around, she noticed the other bookcases were worn as well. Not to mention her desks. She didn't think studying could actually do that. But when the contractor told her how much it would cost, she considered making due with her worn library wares.
But that wasn't Pinkie Pie style. She happened to mention her problem to Pinkie Pie while at Fluttershy's one day for breakfast, and Pinkie Pie immediately started coming up with ways to get her the bits to refurnish her library. Only one was illegal in any way. She eventually mentioned the idea of a bake sale, since she and Twilight knew every pony in Ponyville and those ponies would be more than happy to help Twilight in exchange for sweets.
When Twilight mentioned how much they needed to raise, though, Pinkie deflated. Luckily, Fluttershy offered to help bake. They were sure that Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity would help as well. With all six of them baking, they could end up with enough bits to refurnish the library twice over.
The day of the bake sale arrived. Fluttershy, however, had a heavy workload with a lot of animals coming in needing her expertise. Rarity had sold a line of clothes to a boutique in Trottingham and away delivering them. So, it would be a four pony baking team.
She had waited a bit longer at her library home than she would've wanted to. Rainbow Dash was supposed to meet her, but never showed up. Uggh, maybe she's just running late. If she left now, she would just make it to Sugarcube Corner on time. She didn't want to be late.
But she was. By a minute or two anyway. It wasn't like she'd not be allowed in for being the littlest bit behind schedule. She was a few feet away from Sugarcube Corner when she saw Applejack going in the back to deliver the apples. Before she had a chance to wave hello, Rainbow Dash came diving in front of her.
"Where've you been, Rainbow Dash? You were supposed to meet me at my home a while ago."
"Sorry, Twi. Clearing the skies took a bit longer than usual."
"Rainbow Dash, not being able to clear the sky fast as lightning?" Twilight was indeed puzzled by her statement. Could Rainbow have forgotten she was supposed to show up and help them? Could she have been hanging out with other friends? Nah, she's too loyal for that. It took a few seconds of searching in her head before coming to the obvious conclusion.
"You were taking a nap, weren't you?" Rainbow Dash's cheeky smile told her she had gotten it right.
"Eh he he…Let's go help Pinkie Pie, shall we."
Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked into the kitchen and found Pinkie Pie alone in her socks, sorting out her baking utensils. Pinkie told them that Applejack had to run to get ready for a big trip to Manehattan tomorrow. No matter, thought Twilight. The three of them could still get enough baking done. She wasn't out to get rich, just make enough to replace a few new bookcases.
For a while, things were going smooth. Twilight was the organizer of the group, playing to her strengths. As they were approaching the number that they had agreed upon would be enough to get her the bits necessary, she went over to Pinkie Pie to see if she could help her. Watching Pinkie take the cupcakes out of the oven, with her socks on, Twilight noticed the batter on her socks. As she was taking another batch out, the batter had hardened to the point it chipped off, causing a slight hole with a little scorch mark to appear. One would be enough to catch her eye, but there were roughly 20 different little holes and scorches.
After drawing this to their attention, Rainbow Dash pulled the next tray out sans oven mitts of any kind. Twilight commented on her strength in doing it, causing Dash to brag about her bravery. Pinkie Pie then began to set the atmosphere for a ghost story, in an attempt to test Dash's medal.
While it started off a little darker and grittier than she imagined, especially since this was sweet lovable Pinkie Pie spewing these tales, she remembered her first sleepover. How she told a ghost story that scared Rarity and Applejack. It was all in good fun then, so she wanted it to be good fun now as well. When it appeared Pinkie Pie had hit a wall, she jumped in to continue scaring Rainbow Dash. Her little addition scared Rainbow Dash more than she thought it would.
Pinkie's story ended on a dramatic note. It had scared her a little, but she knew it wasn't a real story, just all good fun. After all, she helped write it. Rainbow Dash, however, ended up bolting for her home as soon as the story concluded. The last time she saw Rainbow Dash fly that fast, she was attempting the Sonic Rainboom. Twilight hadn't thought that Dash, the bravest pony she knew, would get freaked out so much. Every pony gets scared sometimes, though. Maybe later she'd ask what happened, because after all, it was just good fun.
Pinkie Pie took the last batch of cupcakes out of the oven, which scared Twilight a little bit given the content of their ghost story, and they headed towards the town square. No sooner had she finished putting up the banners and getting the tables set up did Pinkie's shouting, or what Twilight believed to be her inside voice, begin to gather a crowd. Just about every pony in Ponyville had showed up, and any stragglers would show up before the day was through.
Twilight was enjoying herself. She got to talk to every pony about their day and what they were up to. All that time studying, to the point that it was detrimental to her furniture, had meant that her social life was virtually nil recently. This appeared to be the silver lining to that dark cloud that was her library falling under disrepair.
As she finished up with Honeysuckle, she noticed Pinkie Pie was talking very fast to a big, light-green pegasus with a graying buzzcut and whistle round his neck. Twilight had never seen him before, but the was Pinkie was talking, it seemed like she knew him pretty well. She recognized some of the things Pinkie Pie was saying. It was what Pinkie had said to her when Twilight first got to Ponyville. Pinkie Pie gave her quite a spiel, and she's certain that if she hadn't run out of the room after she burned her mouth on the hot sauce, Pinkie could've gone on for hours.
The burly pegasus was already showing facial signs of discomfort.
"Uh, Pinkie, your line's getting kind of long. How about I talk to this customer?" She pulled Pinkie Pie aside to talk to this pegasus. While he was technically out of line, the fact that he was new to Ponyville, as evidenced by Pinkie, was enough to let that slide in Twilight's eyes. Pinkie Pie was still giving her 'Welcome to Ponyville' speech while tending to her next two customers. Like her Pinkie Sense, Twilight still had no idea how Pinkie can seemingly carry on several conversations at once.
Twilight introduced herself to the new pegasus, informing him of the bake sale to raise bits for the library. It was best to be open with customers, or at least that's what she read. Might as well start now. He stated that he would buy one of the treats, which she was happy with, but first he asked about Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie interjected, telling about how Rainbow Dash got her her cutie mark. If he was befuddled before by Pinkie Pie, this wouldn't help. She pulled him aside and told him honestly what she knew about Rainbow Dash, one of her closest and dearest friends. She still mentioned that Rainbow Dash was brave, even though no more than two hours ago she had seen her fly near the speed of sound to get away from a ghost story. The pegasus seemed pleased.
He asked where Rainbow Dash was. Pinkie had mentioned the Dash went home and had a chuckle about it. Twilight would admit it's pretty humorous that Dash would be so scared from that ghost story that she and Pinkie made up on the spot, but it'd be easier not to go into it with the new pegasus. He gave Twilight a card that said he was from a flight school in Manehattan and told her to tell Rainbow to visit tomorrow at noon. She had never heard of the academy, but if this pegasus was from a major school and wanted Rainbow Dash on the team, it must've been a great honor. She was happy for her friend.
"Don't worry sir, I'll get this to Rainbow Dash as soon as I can."
He bought one caramel apple cupcake, then one more, and left. Twilight went back to the bake sale. An hour later it was over, and they had raised 3,570 bits. The refurnishing would only cost roughly 2,750 bits. Whatever was extra, she made sure would go to good use. She and Pinkie Pie took down all the streamers and tables and assorted things Pinkie Pie used to make the atmosphere more festive.
Pinkie Pie asked about the pegasus, and Twilight explained as much as she gathered from their talk. Pinkie was also happy for her good friend Rainbow Dash. She went hopping off, remarking about parties she had to plan for that pegasus, and now Rainbow Dash for getting into that academy, and for some apple eating contest queen. Oh, Pinkie Pie.
She prepared to bring the bits to the contractor pony, took down and folded the last banner, and low and behold, who should appear next to her…
Rainbow Dash.
There was nothing spectacular, as far as she could tell. Rainbow Dash knew that she wouldn't be late for her baking appointment with her friends. She would do anything for her friends. Even if the reasons they were having the bake sale were kind of odd. Twilight, who did nothing but study all day, ended up breaking a bookcase and needed to raise bits to replace it, as well as a few other pieces that were breaking down. She didn't even think it was possible to study that hard. Twilight pulled it off, though.
Her penchant for enjoying a nap now and then almost got her into trouble, though. Her afternoon snooze went a little longer than she planned. All she had to do was move the clouds over the athletic field. She didn't know why. No one was using it today, as far as she knew. But, she still had to go over there and get it done.
Ten. Seconds. Flat.
As she was finishing, she saw a few pegasi flying heading in that direction. But, she was sure no pony was using it today, and guessed that they were flying through to get somewhere else. Despite her quick work, she still ended up arriving late. Napped about 20% longer than she thought she did.
She managed to fly into Ponyville and get to Sugarcube Corner just as Twilight was getting there. She knew she was supposed to meet Twilight at her home, and tried to reason while she was late without mentioning that she was sleeping. Twilight saw through her. Sometimes, she wished Twilight wasn't such an egghead.
Rainbow Dash brought her in to the kitchen to avoid going into deeper conversation about her sleeping habits. As they said hello to Pinkie, still wearing socks, her latest fashion addiction that she hasn't seemed to break yet, Twilight noticed Applejack wasn't there. Pinkie mentioned a business venture in Manehattan. If Applejack could blow them off, she wondered how mad they would've been if she had slept threw a little bit of their kitchen duties. Probably a lot, since Manehattan usually means big things.
Dash was in charge of mixing ingredients, since she was the fastest. Twilight organized and Pinkie Pie did Pinkie Pie things. While wearing her socks. By the end, the fact that she wore her socks while handling the oven bothered Twilight for some reason. To gauge Twilight's reaction to a more ludicrous kitchen etiquette, she pulled the next tray out of the over with her bare hooves. Burned a little more than she thought, but she held it together. She had to project herself as the bravest pony in Ponyville.
She boasted a little. Not to toot her own horn, but if someone asked her about how tough she is, she had to let them know exactly how tough she was. Pinkie Pie then dimmed the lights and drew the blinds, talking about seeing how brave she was with a ghost story. Rainbow Dash knew she could handle a ghost story, especially whatever Pinkie Pie's idea of a scary story was. 'The cupcake didn't have enough icing to cover all of it!' she thought.
She was half right. Pinkie Pie's story started out with cupcakes. Then it took a weird left turn. Really weird. And then Dash started to lose her cool.
It wasn't the gore of the story that got to her. She could handle gore. Back at Junior Speedster Flight Camp, some of them would routinely get together to see who could tell the grossest story. She had come up with some pretty nasty ones herself. It was the fact that Pinkie Pie was telling this particularly twisted tale.
She was the only one who had seen Pinkie Pie's 'friends' right before her surprise party. Pinkie Pie was always friendly, but she seemed to be very attached to her. There were times when Dash was certain that Pinkie Pie pursued her. And Pinkie always found out where she was. And Pinkie always seemed to be the most 'unstable' amongst her friends. She always had a sneaking suspicion that something was not quite right about her good friend. So, in the back of her mind, in one dark corner, it seemed possible that this cupcakes story might be true. That fact that Twilight, the smartest of her friends, was contributing to this twisted tale only made it more likely that it was true.
Pinkie's laughter after she finished her story, with that horrible "RAINBOW DASH" and the thunder that accompanied it, finally broke her. She couldn't take it anymore and had to get out of that bakery. !
This might have been the fastest she'd ever flown when not attempting to do a sonic rainboom. The faster she got back to her home, the better. She needed comfort right now. Straight through the town square she went before making an abrupt turn off the beaten path. It was faster if she went through the athletic fields to get home. There was no event there before, but as she was zooming by, she ended up going straight through what seemed like a flight practice. Straight past one colt with an eleven taped to his flank. If she had disrupted practice, she was sorry, but getting home was all she could think about.
It took a few hours to calm down. She had realized that it was just a story. She had let a dark corner of her imagination roam free. As silly as she thought it was to have gone crazy over what was so obviously a made up story, she was a little irked at Pinkie Pie for actually getting her to lose her cool. While she could admit that it was a good prank, particularly if they pulled it on some pony else, she still was a bit mad at Pinkie Pie.
She left her home, the dark clouds had passed(thanks, Cloud Kicker) and she flew back towards Ponyville. The field where she had flown through the practice was empty, but she'd worry about that when she have the chance. The bake sale was over in the town square, as she saw Twilight putting away the banner with a cart full of bits next to her.
"Hey Twilight, sorry about flying off like that and missing the bake sale." At least it wasn't Pinkie Pie she ran into. She almost couldn't deal with her right now.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, it's no problem. We all get a little scared sometimes."
"I wasn't scared! Pinkie's story reminded me I left my oven on back home." Lie now, she thought, explain later.
"And it took you three hours to turn it off?" Dang, Twilight's too smart for her to try to fool.
"Yes! So, it seemed you got enough bits."
"Yeah, we did. Enough to fix up the library's furniture and then some. The bake sale went really well. You even got a message." This confused Dash more than it intrigued her.
"A message, from who?"
"It was a scout from the Manehattan Aeronautics Academy. He asked for you to come to his office in Manehattan at noon tomorrow for a visit and possibly join their flight team."
Now Rainbow Dash knew what she flew threw before. That was obviously a scouting trip. That one colt she flew by, number eleven, was obviously on a run to see if he could make it. Compared to her, he probably wouldn't make it. She felt sorry if she ruined his shot, but she couldn't turn this down.
Soarin', one of her idols in the Wonderbolts, had attended a flight school like that when he was younger. If she wanted to have an 'in' with her lifelong heroes, being able to say she went through the same training as them could give them something to bond over.
"" she found herself bouncing like Pinkie Pie with joy for this opportunity.
"Well, I'm glad you like it. Pinkie Pie's already planning a party for you joining the team, and for the scout that was here, and for an apple eating contest queen." The last one made little sense to her. But, then again, it was Pinkie Pie.
"Now, I have to take these bits to the contractor so he can start rebuilding the bookcase tomorrow. Good night Rainbow Dash."
"Night Twilight."
For someone who liked to nap, Rainbow Dash would sure have a hard time sleeping tonight, waiting for her opportunity that awaited when Princess Celestia next rose the sun.