Father and Daughter' Day Out

Triple Crown stood outside the Las Pegasus Elementary School gate. Just like the rest of the city, it was a testament to the life of glamour and affluence. Its large construction rivaling that of the city's biggest casinos with its thick white stone walls and metal archways for exits. This was also attributed by the large number of well dressed ponies that were waiting for class to end.

Triple certainly wasn't dressed to their level, but he understood that such a place required a certain image to be upheld. So a nice white button-up shirt and black tie was about as fancy as he would get outside of formal parties. Given his large physique, the shirt was barely able to hold itself together as it was. It was always a struggle to have nice clothes.

"Good afternoon, Triple." A familiar voice of Dancing Butterfly drew his attention as the mare walked up to him. The yellow high-end prada-esce dress swayed as she walked towards him.

"Good afternoon, Dancing Butterfly. How are you?" He asked with a smile.

"I'm doing well. Thank you." She replied. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"As well as can be expected. I know I'm famous, but I've never been much for large crowds." He chuckled.

The sound of cloth tearing could be heard as the stallion blushed.

"Oh no, your shirt ripped. I swear, you need a better tailor… or a suit of armor." The pony critiqued as she inspected the damage. "Of course, I doubt that would do any better."

"That's why I always carry extra." He ripped the clothes off with his teeth as he reached into a saddlebag on the ground to pull out another shirt. "There, that's better."

"Well you certainly like to put on a show even when you're not fighting." She teased.

"Come on, I'm just like any other pony here that's just trying to pick up their kid." He sighed, pushing the matter aside.

"I'm only teasing, you. Don't fret over such a little jab." She playfully tapped his shoulder. "Just take the compliment."

"Sure, sure." He chuckled as he rubbed the spot in mock pain, but his fighting experience was sharp enough to know that it could have been a serious hit if she actually tried.

"So how are classes?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Busy as always so it does take up a lot of my time after school, but rich parents want to make sure their little ones are disciplined. Something E-quine-do offers. Not to mention that it keeps me employed."

"Sounds tough with so many silver spoons in Las Pegasus, though." He stated.

"Tell me about it. It's not the students, but the parents I have to worry about. If their little one doesn't get a new belt every few weeks, they think I'm not a good teacher and threaten to pull them out of my dojo. Honestly, I think they're the ones who need discipline."

This got the two to laugh at the joke just as she bell rang. "Well it looks like it's that time. So any plans for the weekend?"

"Figured I'd take Crown Jewel to someplace more slow-paced. Get away from the city for a while. So I figured Ponyville would be a nice place to visit for a few days."

"So a little father-daughter outing? That could be fun." She agreed. "It's too bad. My weekends are full with classes. Not a lot of time for myself and Mayfeather. I probably should look into taking some time off in the near future. I think you've got the right idea."

In that moment, a stampede of foals came rushing out as two broke ranks to head their direction.

"Mom, Dad!" They shouted joyfully and hugged their parents.

"Hey Crown Jewel are you ready to go? I packed our things so we can head straight to the train station from here."

"Ok." She took her bag and clambered onto her father's back with some assistance from him.

"Well, I've got a class to teach. Come along, Mayfeather. We got to get ready. See you around, Green Giant." Dancing said as she started walking. "Tell me about it when you get back."

"Will do, Dancing Butterfly."

"Bye Miss Butterfly. Bye Mayfeather." Crown waved as the two headed off.

XXXXX

Good time was made on the train ride as the two exited the car to see the town before them. "Here we are, Ponyville." Triple said, surveying the area with Crown laying on his head.

"Alright, what do we want to do first, Daddy?" Crown asked, using her altitude to look around.

"Well I already made reservations at the local hotel so we're in no rush to get there." He said as they walked around.

"Hi there." A trio of fillies appeared in a cloud of dust before them. "Welcome to Ponyville. It's nice to meet you." Said the yellow pony.

"Hello. May I help you?" He asked, intrigued by their sudden appearance.

"Did you happen to see a red and blue pony run by here?" The little white unicorn asked. "It seems that we've been getting a lot of ponies from out of town."

"Sorry, can't say I have. My little girl and I just got here so we really don't know anypony here. Say hi to them, Crown Jewel." Triple said.

"Uh, hi. It's nice to meet you." The foal waved to them.

"Hi, I'm Applebloom and these two are Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." She introduced. "We're the Cutiemark Crusaders."

"Wow you sure are big. Just like Bulk Biceps." Said Scootaloo with amazement.

"Of course, my sister would be all over him if she spots him." Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"Yeah, I haven't seen many ponies bigger than my brother." Apple Bloom stated.

"Why thank you. I do train a lot in my line of work, but we're here just to relax from the Las Pegasus."

"Las Pegasus. That's so cool. Well we could show you around town if you want. We know everything there is to know around Ponyville and everything around it. Even the Everfree forest."

"The Everfree Forest you say. I've only heard stories about it. It must be quite dangerous to live so close to such a place." Triple commented.

"Eh, it's not so bad. You just have to watch out for the occasional Cockatrice and Manticore, that's all."

"Good to know." Triple rubbed his chin in thought. "A tour does sound fun. What do you say, Crown Jewel?"

"Yay!" The filly leaped off his head with an elegant flip to stick a solid landing.

"Wow, nice landing." The three complimented.

"Thanks, it's nothing really. I enjoy gymnastics, but obviously it's not my talent." She said with a slight pout.

"No need to rush it. You're still young." Triple assured her.

"Maybe mine is more like you Daddy." She stood up on her back hooves and did a few punches.

"Maybe we can help? Our talent is to find a pony's cutiemark." Scootaloo promoted as the three rump bumped to display their near-identical emblems.

"That's so cool!" Crown said with stars in her eyes.

"So where to first?" Triple asked.

"We can start with a friendly Cupcake?" Sweetie Belle levitated the last treat in the box to the filly.

"Thanks." Crown Jewel said, taking a bite. "Chocolate with marshmallow filling. Tasty"

"Ooh, that's a good one. Pinkie always makes the best cupcakes." Scootaloo blew a bubble as it popped on her face.

XXXXX

"So this is the Town Hall." Applebloom showed the large building at the center of the Town Square. "We hold a lot of our big ceremonies here. We even had a wedding here where the entire town and even the princesses came to see."

"Must have been quite an event." Triple said.

"Oh it was, all during a Bugbear attack where our sisters had to fight it off too." The filly added.

"I guess that's why they couldn't make it. It did take all six of them around 20 minutes to beat it." Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin in thought.

"A Bugbear? I have heard that they are quite dangerous." Triple said.

"Sure, but Rainbow Dash is tough. She could have taken care of it all by herself if she wanted to." Scootaloo said with pride.

As if on cue, an evergrowing cry could be hear from above.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Said an ecstatic pony zipping down to land before the group. "You, ,you, you're you! I-I mean, you're him. Here, in Ponyville!" The mare struggled to speak as she tripped over her words.

"You know him?" The trio asked.

"Are you kidding? He's Triple Crown. The Three time CQC Heavyweight Champion. He's a legend." The pony explained.

"I wouldn't go that far." Triple said. "At least not to the level of the famous Rainbow Dash."

"You know my name. THE Triple Crown knows my name. This is the coolest thing, ever!" The Pegasus could barely contain herself with excitement.

"Well when you've saved Equestria as many times as you have, word spreads. Congratulations on joining the Wonderbolts. Crown Jewel is a big fan." He gestured to the tiny filly that was completely starstruck.

"Can I have your autograph?" Crown finally spoke, bringing out a pen and poster with the Wonderbolts.

"Sure, no problem." Rainbow took the pen and signed it on her image. "There you go."

Crown Jewel eyed the poster with glee. "Awesome. Now I have every Wonderbolt signature for my collection." She said as she carefully put it back in her bag.

"So what brings you to Ponyville?" The Rainbow asked.

"Just a little vacation with my daughter." Triple explained. "And these three have been showing us around."

"We're just happy to help." The CMCs replied in unison.

"Oh, before you go Mr. Crown, sir. Can I ask a simple request?" The mare asked nervously.

"Well since you obliged my little Jewel, I don't see why not." He said with a smile.

Rainbow got even more excited. "Would you... spar with me? Just one time. Please."

Triple couldn't help but chuckle deeply at her request. There are the occasional spectators who challenge him. Of course, he always turns them down because they won't risk their pride in the ring and rise through the ranks to face him. Arrogant and foolhardy individuals that are more mouth than grit… But this girl before gave him gave the impression that it was as if she was asking to play with her favorite Bucky Ball player. It would be fun for her.

"That does sound interesting to see what the famous Rainbow Dash was capable of. However, I'm on vacation so I'm just looking for something more low key, but…" He mulled over an idea. "How about a simple test of strength?" Triple raised a hoof up as a target.

"Deal." The blue mare landed as she did a few warm-up punches.

"Then let's see what you got." Triple goaded.

"Aw yeah!" Rainbow Dash reared back and struck the large hoof as hard as she could. The force from the blow was enough to cause her entire body shake like a bell from the recoil.

"Nice hit. Reminds me of someone back home." The turquoise stallion complimented as he lowered his leg.

"Awwwesome. Thanks." She said as she recovered, shaking her aching hoof, but smiling despite the pain. "Hey, there's the 'Iron Pony' competition going on today before the 'Running of the Leaves'. I got wrapped up in some friendship business and couldn't sign up in time, but it could be fun to watch. Wanna come?" She invited.

"What do you think?" Triple asked Crown Jewel, who answered by practically clamping onto her idol's foreleg, much to her surprise. "I'll take that as a yes."

XXXXX

"Yeah! Woohoo!" Crown Jewel shouted beside her new friends as they watched the competition.

"She certainly has spirit." Rainbow said, eyeing the energetic filly next to her.

"She is my biggest fan so she has learned to make sure she's heard in a crowd." Triple agreed.

"I'll say." The multi-colored pony agreed. "So how do you like Ponyville?"

"So far so good. Nice and quiet. Unlike Las Pegasus."

"Yeah… quiet." Rainbow said half-jokingly, as experience has taught her that Ponyville was far from quiet.

The competition was fierce as each strong contender vied for the top position. The barrel dodge, the tug-of-war, the hay toss, and many more athletic events were indeed an enjoyable sight. The four fillies were having fun eating food and talking. It seemed like the vacation was a good choice.

Even having some conversation with Rainbow Dash was nice. Despite being one of Equestria's Saviors, she was remarkably less uppity about her celebrity as opposed to her career as a Wonderbolt. But her confidence in her athletic skills was nearly as famous as she was because she couldn't help but proclaim how better or faster she could finish the events. At least she was a pony who could back up her words more than most, he'll say that much.

"How about I score you two some Wonderbolt tickets to our next event?" The multi-colored pony offered. "Anything for fans of mine."

"I'm sure we'd like that and it would be rude of me not to reply in kind."

"Really? That would be great. Front row?"

"Of course, anything for fans of mine." He mimicked." "If you make it four, I can get some for your friends, too."

"Awwwwesome!" The two shared a laugh at this.

"Look, there she is!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted, alerting a red Pegasus in the crowd.

"Uh oh." She said before bolting as a gray Pegasus struggled to catch up.

"Let's go. We won't give up yet! Hey, want to come?" The CMCs asked.

"Dad, can I?" Crown Jewel asked excitedly.

"Sure, just be careful and be at the hotel before it gets dark, ok."

"I will!" The filly shouted as she ran to catch up with her new friends.

"They seem like good kids."

"They're the best. Scootaloo is practically my little sister. She'll have a lot of fun with them." Rainbow added.

"I'll take your word for it, but now that the girls are gone. Care to make a wager on the events?"

"You're on!"

XXXXX

After the competition concluded, the two headed back into town with Triple less enthused than before. "Well, that could have turned out better." Triple groaned as the blue Pegasus fluttered beside him with a large sack of bits in her possession.

"You win some, you lose some." Rainbow Dash beamed. "Think of all the cider I could buy with this."

This stallion got a flash of revenge in his eye. "How about drinking competition? Double or nothing?" "His eagerness banking on her competitive nature.

Rainbow didn't think about it for long before declining the offer. "Nah, as much as I love cider, I doubt I could drink as much as you."

Triple laughed heartily. "Can't blame me for trying, hehe. Well I'd better head to the hotel. Jewel shouldn't be too long, now."

"Sure, it was fun hanging out with you, Mr. 'Wild Stallion'."

"You as well, Ms. Rainboom." He waved as they parted ways. "An interesting afternoon on the first day here. What are the odds?"

XXXXX

The four fillies stumbled through the door of their clubhouse, exhausted.

"Wow, she sure is fast." Scootaloo said as she fought to catch her breath.

"Of course, she's a full grown mare and we're just fillies." Sweetie Belle groaned, collapsing on the floor.

"I still think we almost had her a few times. Next time for sure." Applebloom said, tired, but determined.

"That was fun. Do you guys do this all of the time?" Crown Jewel asked, smiling at her little adventure with the three.

"Well, normally ponies come to us for help with their cutie marks. Normally they don't run away." Sweetie stated.

Jewel sat down as she looked around the room. A podium, a blackboard, lots of posters and lists of hundreds of activities.

"Woooow. You three sure like to stay busy." Jewel said in amazement.

"We sure do." Apple Bloom walked up to stand behind the podium. "As the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it is our mission to help ponies find their talents."

"Yeah!" The other two shouted in agreement. "Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Jewel listened with excitement on her face.

"Would you like to join? It would make you our first representative from Las Pegasus." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo asked.

"Really? That sounds so cool." The filly now more excited than before.

Applebloom took her position at the podium with her two companions taking either side.

"We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Crown Jewel to join us as a sister, friend, and fellow member as it is our duty to help all ponies in need of finding their talents." Applebloom finished.

"Congratulations!" Sweetie Belle placed a red cloak over the filly's neck as it draped over her back, displaying the CMC emblem of a foal silhouette with a blue shield background.

"Wow." Jewel said as she looked at the emblem.

"Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Scootaloo's wings fluttered with delight at the idea of their group growing larger.

"Thanks." Jewel said before her eyes caught the setting sun.

"Oh no. I promised Dad that I would be at the hotel before dark." She said in a panic.

"Oh don't worry, we can handle that. Cutie Mark Crusaders!" The three fillies high-hoofed.

XXXXX

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Jewel screamed as she clung to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle on a cart as Scootaloo zoomed down the trail on her scooter.

"Hang on. This is going to get bumpy." The orange filly warned, her wings buzzing like a hummingbird's as they caught air over a hill.

In the moment of suspension, Jewel's fear turned into joy as she caught a brief glimpse of the town.

"All right!" She shouted as they hit earth again.

"That's the spirit." Applebloom said as Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Faster! Faster!" Jewel shouted.

"Ok, hang on everypony!" Scootaloo leaned into her handlebars as her wings became a blur as the cart peeled out from the boost in speed.

The four were hollering as they exited Sweet Apple Acres and into Ponyville proper, tearing down the street as adults looked on in shock before narrowly getting hit.

"Sorry, we're in a hurry!" Scootaloo shouted behind her as they passed by in a cloud of dust.

Sweetie Belle looked over her shoulder as the sun was reaching the horizon. "We're almost out of time!" She urged her friend. "We're not going to make it!"

Applebloom frantically searched for something to help. Then her eyes fell upon a few large beams of wood leaning against a house.

"Scootaloo, there!" She pointed.

"On it!" Her friend replied as she changed direction towards the lumber.

"Sweetie Belle, Crown Jewel use your magic to help Scootaloo."

"Seriously?" The unicorn exclaimed a bit higher than normal. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises." She said, her horn began to glow as she concentrated on the cart as a soft green aura surrounded the vehicle. Jewel followed suit as she too channeled her magic to add with her new friend's.

The four braced themselves as they used the lumber as a makeshift ramp and flew into the air like a rocket. The two unicorns strained to keep the cart aloft as it cleared the house, but their immature magic could only do so much before gravity took hold once again. The four screamed just as it crashed into the hotel door, turning into splinters.

"What is going on out here?" The manager opened the door to see four dazed fillies amongst a pile of scrap wood.

"Girls, you had better have a good explanation for what you are doing?" She demanded with a stern look.

"Sorry, Miss Berry, we just wanted to make sure that our friend made it back." Applebloom apologized.

"Be that as it may, you could have hurt yourselves. One day you might not be so lucky." She chastised. "Miss Jewel, I was told to expect you. Your father is waiting for you so hurry up and say your goodbyes." She said as she turned back inside.

"Thanks for letting me hang out with you. It was fun." Crown Jewel said with a smile.

"Yeah, we should do this again tomorrow." Scootaloo suggested.

"I don't know. I really want to spend some time with my Dad since he gets really busy sometimes."

"Tell me about it. My sister can get really obsessed with her dresses." Sweetie groaned.

A train whistled in the distance, alerting the yellow pony. "That's the last train. Apple Jack and Granny Smith are going to be real mad if I don't get home. See you guys tomorrow." She waved as she took off back the way they came.

"I guess we should do the same. I don't want my aunts to worry about me." Scootaloo said as she picked up her still useable scooter and rolled away as Sweetie Belle was the last. "See you tomorrow if you can hang out." Sweetie Belle shouted in the distance.

"Ok, I will." Crown Jewel waved as her new friends left.

XXXXX

The next morning, the two had enjoyed a nice breakfast provided by the hotel before heading towards the ever-growing crowd. Soon, the two were surrounded by so many. Crown Jewel was glad that she stayed on her father's head.

"Apples! Get your fresh-picked apples! Also included with pies, fritters, crepes and cider to wash it down!" An orange mare with a cowboy had called, catching their attention.

"If you like red apples, then you will love these!" Followed a lavender pony with her own stand of produce beside the cowgirl's. "Tomatoes straight from the fields of Fillydelphia! Cherry, Campari, Brandywine, also made for ketchup or salsa to enhance your favorite meals! They can even be used for a nice juice to keep your energy up for those long races."

Triple Crown figured he could contribute to the local vendors and walked up to them.

"Good mornin, sir. My, aren't you a tall drink of cider?" Applejack commented. "I can see that you've got a good eye for food. What are you in the mood for?" She asked the giant. Now seeing him up close; he gave off a rather imposing figure.

"I could use a few of those pies." He requested.

"Good choice. Our pies are famous all over Equestria. If you haven't had one before, you'll never forget these."

"Do you want anything Crown Jewel?" He asked towards his head.

"Could I try a crepe, please?" The filly asked as she scanned the piles of pastries.

"Hey, you're the new filly Applebloom was talkin about. I'm her big sister, Apple Jack. Nice to meetcha." She tipped her hat as she placed the order before them and took the bits placed before her.

"Hi." Jewel waved. "Is she around today?"

"No, sorry. Something about a "Cutie Mark" emergency. I suppose that's keeping her busy." AJ replied, much to the girl's disappointment.

"Don't worry, Sweety. I'm sure we'll see your friends after this." Triple assured her as he went over to the next stand. "You have a nice day, Miss Jack."

The lavender pony smiled at the two warmly. "Hello there, might I interest you in a few bright red tomatoes? Maybe even mix in a few green ones to start off the holidays." She suggested, flicking her red and green mane to add to the theme.

"I was interested in that juice you mentioned to wash down all of this pie."

"Of course… hey, you look familiar. Have you ever been to Fillydelphia?"

"A few times for matches. My job takes me all over Equestria." He explained.

"That's it. You're that fighter. Never expected to meet someone like you in these parts."

"Stranger things have happened, I'm sure, Miss…"

"Night Shade."

"Miss Shade… I'm just taking some time away from the city with my little one."

"Well isn't that sweet of you." Night placed a large glass of tomato juice before him and a smaller glass of apple juice beside it. "That one's on the house."

"Heeyyy, where did you get that from?" AJ demanded.

"Don't worry, we're family. Gogogo." She hastily shooed them away as she coyly grinned from her berating cousin.

"They were nice." Crown Jewel said, enjoying her crepe and juice.

"Yeah, and so is the food." Triple Crown agreed as he inhaled his purchase. He needed a lot of calories to keep up with the demands of his body.

"Can we do the 'Running of the Leaves'?" His little girl asked.

"Sorry, but you're still too little to do this. Maybe in a few more years."

This did not sit well with her as she pouted.

Seeing her sad was one of the worst things for him and really didn't like to tell her no. Then he got an idea.

"Tell you what. How about I register and you can ride with me?" Doesn't that sound fun?"

This picked up the filly's spirits as she quickly agreed.

After registering, the number 55 was placed on his flank, a reporter interviewed him briefly, and he took a position at the rear. High above, he could see a Pink pony shouting through a megaphone.

"All right everypony! On your mark! Get set! GO!"

XXXXX

A/N

E-quine-do is obviously a play on Taekwondo, a martial art that focuses a lot on kicks so it works for them, being ponies and all.