Sorry for taking so long school got the best of us. However, this story is nice and long so we hope it lasts long enough for us to update the story agaian!

Enjoy.

Firebolt

Chapter 10

I must be insane to forsake my original plans for this exchange deal.

With the barn full of great hiding places, I could have the luxury to watch Rainbow crumble under total humiliation when that cowgirl returns from the fashion show. Hatred will consume her friend's reasoning and compel her to stop helping Rainbow in locking me and my friends up in prison. But that vicious cycle won't end there… eventually, the cowgirl will convince the other mares to follow her example. My plan was foolproof. So why in the world am I helping my nemesis to regain back her loyalty?

Rainbow's simple head gesture towards the tight rope knot high above the wall post served as a hidden reminder. The idea of my nemesis giving back my old fame was all too tempting to resist. Yet that convenient exchange didn't help calm my nerves. Just because she's loyal enough to give me my share of the deal doesn't mean that she will actually succeed.

After she kicked Sky Rocket and Storm Cloud out of the barn, my suspicions intensified even more as I flew up towards the wooden post and worked my hoofs around the tightly constricted rope knot.

Despite of the pitch black darkness that blankets the entire room, the scattered rays of moonlight pouring through the small, obscured windows, revealing flying sawdust particles, had illuminated the wide open space near the wooden double doors. Towers of haystacks and empty barrels covered nearly half of the first floor while more are stored further back as well as some miscellaneous farm equipment that are poking out of the shadows.

"Hey, I'm not getting any younger down here!" Rainbow's annoying voice reverberated from below. Thinking of slapping a fresh strip of duct tape across her mouth, I unraveled the loosened knot with my teeth and wrapped the rope around my arm and torso for a firm hold. The sooner we finish this deal, the sooner we won't have to put up with each other's presence. I landed next to her until she nodded towards the lantern next to the empty barrels. "Bring that with us, we're gonna need some light."

I gave her a reluctant snort, but quickly regretted of doing so since she gladly took that as her advantage to open her mouth once again. "Hey if you want your reputation back, you have to do as I say." She stomped her hoof with authority. "Now do as I say!"

Sucking air in between my teeth, I walked over to the lantern, contemplating the irony of a pony in hostage ordering her captor around, when her diary, the bulletin list, and Sky's saddlebag caught the corner of my eye. They were still lying on the ground next to the glowing lantern, well hidden behind a couple of empty apple barrels… out of Rainbow's sight. Before grabbing the lantern, I stuffed her diary and the list in the saddlebag, threw it deeper into the maze of haystacks, and kicked patches of hay over the item. Satisfied of my endeavor, I turned around and stumbled upon Rainbow's face near mine.

"What you got there, Bolt?" She asked sharply.

Already irritated by her nosiness, I used my whole body to push her towards the lantern and muttered, "A lantern… duh."

After I picked up the lantern, she let out a low grunt and pushed her body against my shoulders while walking into the dark shadows. Swallowing down the impulse to shove her head into a haystack, I walked over to her side to shed some light in front of us, meeting her own steady pace. The sound of our hoofs crunched the dry hay and dirt. The aroma of dry vegetation and manure wafted my senses. Rainbow kept a forced dead silence between us without sparing an acknowledging glance at me. I gladly took her doggedness as an opportunity to observe some equipment that just entered within the light's vicinity. A wheelbarrow filled with manure was parked next to a couple of shovels leaning against the wall and some more empty barrels and tightly wrapped haystacks all over the place. Then a guttural squeal interrupted the silence, making my fur stand up until we walk upon an enclosed wooden pig pen. The fat, pink creatures slumbered peacefully on their round sides. Exhaustion hit me hard; one night sleep at the hospital was not enough for me to stay up late at night. The pungent smell of livestock and manure, however, awakened me. It's more overwhelming than Storm Cloud's month's worth of dirty laundry.

My eyes watered and I slapped my hoof onto my nose instantly. Rainbow saw my gesture and mocked, "Let me guess, you've never smelled pigs before." Still holding on to my nose, I ignored her remark and walked past her in hopes to escape from this area. She stifled a chuckle and called out from behind me as I kept on walking, "Keep your eyes open for a ramp. It's just up ahead."

Being true to her words, the lantern shown a wooden ramp that's slanted at a somewhat steep angle, the surface covered with stepping grooves. I stopped by the foot of it, knowing that my one-day experience of walking on land hadn't yet encouraged me to climb up steep angles.

Dumb gravity…

Glancing back at Rainbow, I saw her walked around the ramp and followed her to find a large assortment of stacked up wooden boxes. She picked up a crowbar next to the boxes, thrust it into an open crevice, and popped the box lid open without difficulty. Hundreds of unlit fire torches spilled out all at once as Rainbow leaned her elbow against the box, wearing a smug grin.

I stared at the contents and looked up at her, my tone drenched in contempt. "Torches? That's your idea of getting my reputation back? Torches?! What kinda guy do you thi-?"

She raised her hoof up to my face and replied coolly, "No no, don't thank me yet. There's more…" She walked around me to hop onto the wooden ramp and placed one hoof after the other in each groove. Not wanting to make a fool of myself in front of Rainbow, I decided to take the easy way out: fly over it.

Rainbow saw me soar over her head and land on top of the ramp. She rolled her eyes while exhaling condescendingly. Feeling proud of myself, I returned her a smirk, sensing her hidden envy in me having the liberty to spread my wings, as she walked towards the second floor that's made up of sturdy wooden planks. As the floorboards creaked under the weight of our hoofs, the lantern lit up some more haystacks that covered half of the upper floor and barrels, this time, filled with apples to the brim.

"Guess Storm Cloud and Sky Rocket didn't have to go out and pick apples after all." I commented out loud.

"I prefer them picking apples outside than to eat all of Applejack's hard work." Rainbow simply replied, "But that's not the only reason." She walked over to a hoof-carved constructing table, situated against a wall that's taped with numerous painted pictures. I was about to take a closer look at them when my hoof stepped on something that made me trip over and slammed my forehead against something hard. Pitch blackness overcame the room when the lantern dropped onto the floor and the floor itself shook at my fall. Rainbow broke the repetitive ringing in my ears with an indifferent remark. "Don't step on that wagon."

Lying on my belly, I rubbed my temples to relieve the throbbing pain and let my eyes adjust before looking up to see what got me square in the head… a wooden fence, built like a balcony with a bird eye view of the entire first floor. I sneezed out some sawdust and groaned while slowly standing back up on my four legs and turned to see a red wagon and the lantern with a crack on its side. Then I heard some hoofs rummaging through what sound like items in a box until a light beam flashed on, revealing Rainbow Dash holding a flashlight in her mouth. Within the light's vicinity, a cardboard box was pulled out from underneath the constructing table where some used paint cans are stored. Then I saw a couple of painted pictures of what look like the cowgirl's family members, three little fillies playing, and then a painting of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rainbow's scraggly blue arm hooked itself around Fluttershy's yellow square shoulders while Fluttershy wore a tiny black smile with red circles around her cheeks and pink mane covering half of her face.

I stepped towards the light beam before Rainbow flashed it into my eyes. "Ah, watch where you point that thing!"

"Eh, you'll get over it. If you're not Mr. Sensitive, that is." She said with the flashlight in her mouth and walked away from the table to the dustier parts of the floor.

After following her, I leaned against a haystack on my side, my hoof crossing over the other, and watched her put down the flashlight. She stood there for a moment and slowly rubbed the back of her head in meditation.

"Having second thoughts?" I asked with slight impatience..

Her countenance slowly grew serious as she finally looked up at me, her brows furrowed. "That plan of yours in getting me on my friends' good side better work."

"Chillax, I know what I'm doing." I waved her off without meeting her gaze.

She finally crouched down and began tapping her hoof against the wood in various places. "What I'm about to show you is inside my friend's secret hiding stash. But you must not tell any pony about this. Got it?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, caring less of her friend's business if not wondering how Rainbow managed to find out about her secret stash. "Sure, whatever."

After awhile of listening to wood tapping, the idea of Rainbow Dash befriending Fluttershy came into mind and I decided to make conversation. "So how long had you known Fluttershy?"

Taken aback at my question, Rainbow raised her head to face me suspiciously, "Why do you care?"

I shrugged. "Just curious. I mean, I've never really talked to her while growing up and she seemed like a nice mare."

Rainbow suddenly looked defensive. "Don't get any ideas of trying to be friends with her. She doesn't need a selfish pony like you to later ditch her whenever he feels like it."

I exhaled a long sigh in irritation and scratched the back of my head.

Here we go again…

"Speak for yourself, Rainbow Dash. But I for one would kill myself if I were to hurt her in that way."

Then she suddenly butted her head into mine. "And why is that? Do you have a crush on her or something?!"

"What kinda question is that?! Of course not!" I snapped, despite of feeling slightly relieved. Her retarded question implied that she had completely forgotten about Storm's earlier accusation of me checking her out. Yet I'm still amazed that she would assume that my romantic interest is my main reason to befriend Fluttershy.

I pulled my face away from her, feeling surprisingly drained from always being angry with her. "It's just that Fluttershy had been nothing but kind to me ever since I've dropped by to Ponyville… unlike your other friends." I muttered grudgingly at the end.

She hesitated for a moment and then resorted to asking, "Then how am I any different from her?!"

"Well for one, she didn't blurt out my secret fear to all of Equestria!" I glared at her as she opened her mouth to retaliate but softened in thought.

She then blew her long mane off her face and returned her attention to tapping the floorboard, muttering under her breath, "Whatever. Can't believe she's doing this to me. Always messing with me about…" She let out a low, frustrated growl and began knocking on the floor.

I could almost hear Sky Rocket advising me to leave an angry pony alone to cool off, but chucked the nagging conscience out the window. Rainbow's frustration is just too entertaining to not push her buttons. "Maybe because you're too much of a mule to listen to her." Her hostile glance made me snicker, "Just listen to what Fluttershy has to say and she won't mess with you."

"Shut your trap, Bolt! You don't know anything." She shook her head at me and returned to tapping on the floor in an attempt to ignore me.

Feeling amused, I placed my hoof next to her tapping hoof, expecting her to look at me. She froze in place but looked away from me with a pout. That girl will never change! So I wrap my hoof around her rope halter and gently pull her face towards me. "Oh but I do know. Fluttershy had 'joked' that we should be friends again… and you didn't take her seriously."

She slapped my hoof away and fixed a stern glare at me. "Hey, I've known her since foalhood back at summer flying academy! You weren't there when I had defended her honor whenever she was teased for her poor flying skills. So don't tell me that I don't take her seriously!" She stomped the floorboards with a loud thump and cracked a loose wooden plank. We stared down at it in amazement as Rainbow eagerly slid it open to reveal a secret storage compartment. I peeked over to see stacks of paper thin folders and scatters of official looking documents. Rainbow blew away the dust in the compartment. My nose tickled and I turned my face away to sneeze.

"Gesundheit." Rainbow replied, pulling out a crinkled receipt and showed it to me under the flashlight's beam. "This is the key to get your reputation back. Those fire torches down there are not your ordinary torches. They're specially manufactured to stay lit for months without washing out from the rain. Applejack needs them to light up the forest path at night so she and her family can walk home safely. Are you with me so far?"

I nodded.

"Show this to your weather manager. It'll convince him that the earth ponies need those torches lit up and he'll set up a date for you to perform your fiery lightning bolt once again. But if that doesn't work, you can drop my name in the conversation. Every pegasus worker at the factory respects me… well almost." She nudged her shoulder against mine.

Not caring too much of her remark, I said, "This is great and all but if that's the case then I can just ask my weather manager that I wanna perform my talent again."

She shook her head as if I'm naive. "Not with your new reputation as the pegasus who never walked on land. No manager, not even yours, will ever buy into your words alone… unless you're me. Loyal, awesome, cool, radical, amaz-"

"Alright I get it!" I snapped at her but she only gave a wink with an air of pride and casually wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Think of this receipt as tangible proof of your bravery against the ground. Then of course, you'll perform your talent… and become famous again." She muttered grudgingly.

As I tucked the receipt into my wing, the thought of every pony praising my name once again brought in fresh hope. Life will be back to normal just the way I like it.

"Now release me." Rainbow asserted.

I chuckled at her sheer ignorance. "First of all chick, we need Sky's lighter to burn that halter. And second, I say when I wanna release you."

Without paying mind to my response, she grabbed the flashlight and strode towards the constructing table, pulling me by the rope to follow her. She dug through the box again, pulled out a wood carving knife, and placed it on the table along with the flashlight. "Lucky for you, you've tied up a pony who knows how to keep her end of the deal." She wrapped her hoof around the rope tossed around my torso and pulled me close to meet her eyes, cold as steel. "Better keep yours."

Her bold suggestion made me slightly hesitant of picking up the knife until she sneered, "Oh I see, afraid that I'll break off the deal once I'm free." I pushed her away with my body, placed my hoof next to the knife and glared at her. "If my friends weren't involved in this predicament, I wouldn't care too much of what you'll do to our deal. So as for now, I have every right to be suspicious of you."

She shook her head both amusingly and incredulously. "So you thought kidnapping me will solve your friends' problem?"

I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to let her in on my motives behind the previous plot, and finally replied, "It's better than crawling on my knees, begging you to not press charges against us."

She only looked at me for a bit before giving an impish grin and leaned against the table on her side with her hoof casually crossed over the other. "Dude you're sick. Have to admit that I'm seeing a new side of you; you got guts. Relentless, at that." She placed her hoof on the knife and paused in thought. "Hm, I guess I can see why you've kidnapped me. I probably would've done the same thing if you were trying to send me to jail."

I watched her play with the knife's handle against the white light beam and replied cautiously, "Well then, I'm glad there's at least one thing that we can see eye to eye."

She stopped playing with the knife and looked up at me. "Maybe… unless you agree to cut me loose." She slid the knife across the table for me to catch it.

After taking a deep breath, I picked up the knife with my mouth and tucked my hoof under the halter to pull a rope section off of her face. The blade sliced the rope cleanly with a crisp snap, and I dropped it nonchalantly to grab the rope halter by the teeth over her ears. Unfortunately, the whole process of removing her halter felt like hours. My muzzle over her head, I tried to ignore Rainbow softly breathing down my neck. Its warmth sending shivers throughout my body. My conscience screaming the word "awkward" as I finally slid the rope halter down to her muzzle in which I quickly recanted, letting the halter drop from her face.

Not seeming to notice the awkwardness, she shook her whole mane and rubbed her face against her hoofs with a sigh of relief. My firm grip on the rope proved meaningless and I unraveled it off my torso and arms until a light clearing of the throat sounded. Rainbow turned herself around for me to untie the water hose still restraining her wings. Putting up a front of indifference, I pulled the hose upward by the teeth and loosened the knot with my hoofs. Then without difficulty, she spread out her wings and shot up into the air, leaving a dome of light, yellow sawdust behind her.

The fear of her escaping from the barn induced me to grab the flashlight with my hoofs and fly up into the darkness in search for the cyan pegasus. "Rainbow, remember our deal!" I warned.

"Lighten up old-timer! I'm stretching out my wings for a bit." Her light raspy voice echoed from the pitch blackness and the sound of her feathered wings flapping whizzed past me and then behind me. I whirled around and flashed the light in her direction but only caught a blur of rainbow colors by a second. She gave out what sounded like a low sinister chuckle by my left ear. Her wings then whistled against the air current as if she's diving down and returning back up towards the roof of the barn. Then a huge wind current caught me by surprise as it blew over my mane and before I knew it, I could sense her presence behind me. She whispered into my ear, "Looking for me?"

Her sheer audacity of picking on me in my state of anxiety made my blood boil. I whirled around to grab her but she already left and flew around me once in awhile to tap me in the shoulder. "Too slow!"

Well, two can play that game…

I landed on top of a towering haystack from the first floor and turned off the flashlight. I wait for my eyes to adjust and strained to listen for the flapping of her wings and her sleek body swiftly cutting through the dense, dry atmosphere. Then I found the shaded contours of her body hovering perilously right before me. She seemed unsure of what to make of the lack of lighting. A grin formed at the corner of my mouth as I pumped my wings, snatched her out of thin air, and dropped to the ground with her while tumbling into haystacks. Dirt flew around us as I pinned her down to her back and pressed my hoofs against hers. Her eyes flashing, she grabbed a mouthful of my mane and growled, "Get off of me!"

"Ow I can't, stupid! You're pulling my mane!" I pulled back to free myself but she wouldn't relent.

She yanked my mane down. "Take that back!"

"Take what back?!" I pulled back, my scalp burning in thousands of pinpricks.

"For calling me stupid!"

Infuriated, I snatched a long strand of her rainbow mane with my teeth from the back of her neck. "Tell you what, release my mane or else I'll tear yours!"

"That's it! You're dead!"

Suddenly a barn door busted open. I sat straight up, my heart pounding, and saw two pegasi figures zoomed inside and slammed the door shut. One of them jammed a huge wooden plank in between the barn door handles. The other held his head up, looking in our direction and a familiar nerdish voice sounded, "Firebolt! We got company! That cowgirl is heading this way!"

Rainbow stood up attentively as I shot up into the air in shock. "You led the cowgirl here?!"

"She only saw Storm Cloud's shadow a couple yards away." Sky explained, "And flying away without you is out of the question." He pressed his ear against the barn door to listen for sounds of galloping hoofs, his breathing remained controlled.

"We're dead…" Storm whined, backing away from the double doors. "Her friends are here to kill us…!"

"Woohoo!" Rainbow cheered, "My prayers had been answered!" She ran up to the door before I dove down and swept her off the ground.

Rainbow shouted, "Hey what gi-?!" My hoof cupped her mouth.

"What you think this is? A family reunion? We have a deal." I whispered through gritted teeth into her ear. She whipped around and shoved me away from her. "So what are we waiting for? Let's finish this before my friends get here."

"Bolt, don't you think it's too late to help Rainbow with her friends now?" Sky Rocket asked, flying around in search for something.

Upon hearing Sky's reasoning, Rainbow shot a nasty scowl in my direction, her tail whipping angrily. Her body language says it all; you're an epic failure.

Storm Cloud flew up to our level to soften the growing tension. "Not if the cowgirl doesn't suspect we're in here."

Suddenly a loud bang echoed from the other side of the door as my blood instantly turned icy cold. "I don't allow trespassers on mah property, ya hear?! Open up!" A female voice cried out with a strong country accent.

"Applejack!" Rainbow cried and flew towards the door before I shoved her against a wall post, pressing my full weight against her back as she thrashed about wildly, my hoof cupping her mouth once again.

Storm's mouth dropped while Sky flew around frantically. "I know I've placed it here somewhere… Bolt, where's my saddlebag?"

"I've hidden it already with the diary and the list. Guys, go hide!" I whispered fiercely.

"Wha th-?!" Rainbow muffled from under my hoof.

Storm didn't hesitate and flew up to the second floor while Sky stood behind, panic rising in his tone. "Wait, what about you?"

"Go now!"

Another loud bang made my insides jolt and convinced Sky to fly hard after Storm. My breath getting shallower, I focused all my adrenaline in restraining Rainbow.

Ok Bolt, it's you against the mares! Just find a hiding place!

Then another loud bang cracked the door slightly open. The wooden plank still remained in the handles. "Open up, I tell ya!"

Using the moonlight as my guide, I wrapped my arms around Rainbow's forelegs and soar through the towering haystacks. Then her head broke free from my grasp and she took a bite on my wrist. "Oww!" The pain coursed through my arm as Rainbow fell, spread her wings out before hitting the ground, and disappeared into the darkness.

My heart pounding rapidly, I flew after her, straining to listen for the sound of her wings above the heightening volume of more female voices and banging doors. I groped around for any signs of Rainbow; a flicker of her tail, the faint sound of her wings slicing the air current, an abnormal breeze pattern, or even her body slamming into me. Suddenly my hoofs touched a dry block of vegetation. It reached up from the ground to my altitude level. I waited there until I sensed a wind current somewhere below me. There was a pony figure hovering cautiously over the ground.

I got you now, Rainbow…

Then she zoomed towards the doors. By impulse, I spun around and kicked the towering haystack. The tower tipped over and slapped her down into the ground. A loud groan sounded from under the pile as I hovered over and began digging through it until her head popped up, spitting out strands of hay. Before I could grab her, she threw hay into my face. I rubbed it off my face before coming in contact with a barrel. I flipped over and fell to the ground on my shoulder. My head throbbed endlessly as I caught Rainbow dashing towards the doors but halted when a female voice muffled from outside. "Stand back girls, this is going to get messy."

Out of nowhere, an unfamiliar energy surrounded the room, debris and loose hay rolling past me and towards the double doors. My mane and tail began to blew towards the source from outside. Then a pink light bordered around its crevices, glowing brighter by every second.

Rainbow spun around and ran back towards me anxiously, as if familiar of its powerful effects. "Take cover!" She shouted.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion shook the whole barn. The unbearable pink light penetrated its way into the dark corners. Wooden chunks and splinters flew all over the place, with a residual hue of magical sparks. I crawled myself behind a couple of barrels, squeezing myself into the dark shadows, my heart threatening to come out of my chest. I could taste the salt on my lips as I peeked around the corner to see Twilight Sparkle standing hunched over, panting heavily with her horn glowing bright pink. The barn doors behind her had been demolished into rubble.

The moonlight spilled over the ground, exposing Rainbow Dash sprawled next to the haystacks, moaning painfully and rubbing her head. The five mares swarmed around the room in seconds, their dark shadows creeping towards the cyan pegasus.

Fluttershy's face lit up at the sight of her pegasus friend. "Oh Rainbow Dash, you're ok!" She flew over to her and gently wrapped her arms around her neck in a warm embrace.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack stood flabbergasted as I looked over to see Rainbow lying next to an empty apple basket with Storm's consumed apple cores all over the place. "So let me get this straight. While we're all busy struttin' around in our hoity-toity dresses, you've been stuffin' your face with mah apples?"

"No! It wasn't me!" Rainbow shouted in distress. "It was-!"

Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully, "Surprise!" Then she quickly gushed into a fast-paced speech all in one breath. "Were you surprised, huh huh huh?! I was surprised! To see you in Applejack's barn! Earlier I was like 'Where's Rainbow Dash?!' and we were all like worried about you and looked everywhere in Ponyville to find you! But then Applejack had to go home and we walked down a freakishly dark forest! And then Applejack was like 'Ah sure hope we find Rainbow Dash' and then voila! You were eating an apple tree!"

I looked up to see my friends hiding in the upper floor through the crevices of the wooden floorboards. Sky's dark silhouette stood against the scattered rays of moonlight while Storm sat next to the constructing table with paint cans.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow shouted, "I was not eating an apple tree!"

Then the pink pony rubbed her hoof against her chin, looking suspiciously at her. "Maybe or maybe not… but no pony, not even an apple tree eating pegasus, breaks a Pinkie promise."

"Wait, I can explain!" Rainbow pleaded.

"Good heavens…" Rarity had walked over to caress Rainbow's disheveled mane with her white, polished hoof, but pulled it back in horror when she discovered a dark bruise along her shoulder. "How did you get into this horrid appearance? You look like you've been mauled or something."

The open doorway behind the mares is starting to look like my only hope for me and my friends to escape. I just need to get up to the second floor and find them by going up that ramp. Pushing myself further into the darkness, I walked carefully towards the back of the barn while reaching out my hoof to feel my way around.

"Oh my…" Fluttershy gaped as I whipped around, my wings ready to take flight. But the shy pegasus placed her hoof next to Rainbow's bruise. "Don't worry, an ice pack will do the trick to keep it from swelling."

I took deep breaths and reminded myself that they can't see me in the dark. So I ventured forward, my hoof touching the wheel barrow and my legs grazing by some hay stacks and shovels.

Rarity then lifted her nose in a huff. "But I would have to agree with Pinkie; I simply cannot imagine why you would go back on your word and with such brashness at that. Can't you see how much precious time had been wasted in not attending your own modeling rehearsal?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Rainbow hovered over her friends. "Firebolt and his friends had tied me up with the rope and water hose and locked me up in here. They forced me to break my Pinkie promise."

All the mares gasped with Pinkie Pie being the loudest while Twilight had just finished examining the wound and asked, "If that's the case, then why are you not tied up?"

Twilight's question quickly grabbed my interest. Perhaps the second bulletin on our checklist is working!

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "Uh, see… Firebolt and I made this deal… that he'll release me if I help him get his reputation back."

The mares only stared at her in confusion. "Well uh, I guess that was mighty generous of him for releasin' you, considerin' that some ponies are still laughin' at him till this day." Applejack replied skeptically.

"Generous?! He kidnapped me, AJ!" Rainbow threw her hoofs up in the air.

Applejack took off her hat to scratch the side of her blonde mane before replacing it back on. "Then if what yer sayin' is true, where's Firebolt now?"

I held in my breath and pressed hard against the wall post and some barrels as Rainbow Dash hovered into the air, scanning the area where the pig pen and the ramp are located. "Firebolt, I know you're around here! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Screw that, chick… Think I'm stupid?

Applejack cocked an eyebrow at her but walked towards the wall post that had once carried the lantern. "Gonedarnit, where's mah lantern?"

"Firebolt broke it! It's up on the second floor." Rainbow pointed out, turning to face the cowgirl.

Rainbow, do Equestria a favor and shut up.

"I can help you with that, Applejack." Twilight said as she closed her eyes and her horn illuminated into a bright pink color. Rarity followed suit; her horn glowing into a soft blue shade.

"Aw thanks Twilight! Mind followin' me up the ramp?" Applejack asked modestly and Twilight nodded her head.

Fear lodged in my throat as Twilight's light inches its way in my direction. I pressed myself behind the haystack before she passed by following Applejack with Fluttershy, their hoofs crunching the dirt and hay. I turned around and sneaked deeper into the maze of haystacks and pressed myself against one. The haystack suddenly shook under the weight of a pony. I glanced up to see Pinkie Pie standing right above me. "Ohh this is like a game of hide-n-seek, but in the dark! My favorite!" Frozen in place, I waited for the pink pony to hop away but she only glanced back and chimed, "Come on Miss Fashionista, we're breaking nightlight!"

On my right, behind the wall of empty barrels, Rarity carefully tiptoed around the chaotic mess of haystacks. "Ugh, talk about not having your beauty sleep at this time of evening… Oh dear… I just had my hoofs manicured!"

The pink pony finally hopped onto the other haystacks as I eased my way past the wall of barrels. Rarity's blue light faded from a distance as I creep up towards the open doorway, bidding me to escape, until I heard some pony whisper, "Psst, Firebolt. Up here."

I looked up to see a dark blue hoof waving at me through a wide crevice. I climbed up the haystacks towards Storm Cloud until I sensed an abnormal breeze pattern coming towards me. I ducked behind another haystack as a pegasus flew passed me and headed towards the gorgeous, white unicorn, who paused to socialize with her friend. Rainbow hid her hoofs behind her back while trying to avoid Rarity's gaze. "So uh… are you, you know, still mad at me for the whole fashion thing?"

Rarity pursed her lips and fluffed her violet, curly mane. "Well to be frank, I was just a little peeved of the inconvenience." But then spoke more compassionately. "But all in all, I have already forgiven you, even before you told me that Firebolt is behind all this."

Forgiven… that easily?

Relief washed over Rainbow's face. "Phew, and for a minute there I thought you guys will hate me forever."

"Hate you?" Fluttershy intervened, walking towards them with Pinkie hopping beside her. "Oh, never. We're your best friends."

"Yeah duh! I mean, what good is a friend who suddenly hates you?" Pinkie added enthusiastically.

Rainbow crossed her arms and muttered, "I can name one pony."

I rolled my eyes at her comment until Sky whispered from above, his voice shaking. "Bolt, Applejack and Twilight are coming towards us. Any ideas?"

Thinking quickly, I looked around and saw a pig pen close to the ramp. "Give me some apples."

Sky stood there looking confused while Storm didn't hesitate to drop some apples into the crevice. I grabbed one in my mouth and flung it. The apple struck the pig's head, causing it to squeal wildly. And just as I expected, Applejack and Twilight ran back down the ramp to investigate the commotion with the rest of the mares.

I motioned my friends to fly down from the balcony and they hid behind the haystacks, waiting for me to meet them there. After checking to see Rainbow hovering over the pig pen, watching Fluttershy nuzzle the startled pig, I glided down next to the stallions.

"Wait," Sky replied, "We need to get my saddlebag."

"Are you crazy?" Storm asked incredulously. "Let's get out of here."

"And let Twilight find some evidence in it?"

Storm and I stood silent before I peeked over the haystack to find the bag's location closer to the pig pen. I gulped one last time and slowly crouch my way towards the middle of the barn. Sky watched me from the corner as Storm followed me from behind. As we ventured close to our destination, my eyes kept shifting towards the mares repetitively. Then Storm whispered, "I don't see Pinkie Pie anywhere."

He was right; Pinkie had already left her friends by the pig pen without a trace. My breathing quickened. "Storm, cover for me." I began digging for the saddlebag as Storm looked around and checked the mares from a distance. I brushed off the dirt and grabbed the saddlebag by the handle until Storm pulled me behind an empty barrel and cupped my mouth.

"Hey, wha the…" I muffled out loud before Storm shushed me and pointed at the pink pony bouncing across the haystacks towards us. She stopped suddenly at the sight of the fresh overturned dirt next to the saddlebag. "I found a saddlebag!" Pinkie cried in delight.

The mares surrounded the area all at once with Fluttershy standing on the other side of the barrel, whimpering fearfully, "Oh good, now we can go home and… get away from the dark."

Twilight levitated the saddlebag with her magic and squinted her eyes to read a stitched message on its side: "Property of Sky Rocket. Love, Mom."

"Awwww…" Half of the mares chorused as Rainbow landed next to Fluttershy and stuffed her hoof into the bag.

"Rainbow, you can't just rummage into other pony's stuff." Twilight scolded until the pegasus pulled out the bulletin checklist.

"If they wanna play dirty, we'll have to play by their rules." Rainbow asserted as she reached into it again and pulled out her diary. "Omigosh!" She hugged her diary against her chest. "I will never part with you again!" Her happy reunion instantly ended when she noticed that her friends were watching her amusingly and she cleared her throat. "Yeah well… I'm glad this book is in better hoofs."

Twilight read through the checklist and her mouth dropped as if she saw a ghost. "I… didn't think Sky would go this far."

"Let me see, let me see, let me see!" Pinkie shouted until Rainbow snatched it and skimmed through the checklist herself. Her mouth also dropped before gritting her teeth indignantly and thrust the list on the ground. "That's it! I'm sending this scumbag to jail!"

Applejack picked up the checklist for the rest to read. "Why that little…! I'm a fixin' to crack a whip on that boy! Who does he think he is tryin' to mess with our friendship?!"

Fluttershy cupped her mouth with her hoofs. "No… there must be some misunderstanding."

"He's the meanest kind of meanie mcmeaner pants! This calls for extreme measures!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Uh… oh…

Twilight stood silent for awhile before Rarity gently lifted her chin up to meet her gaze. "Oh darling, I understand what you're feeling right now. It goes to show that all stallions will eventually reveal their true colors."

Rainbow Dash shouted, "Firebolt is about to face my true colors- ALL SIX OF THEM!" Out of fury, she gave a powerful kick into the barrel and hit me across the face.

I groaned at the searing pain as Storm tried to grab me but froze when the unicorns' pink and blue light flashed at us.

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