Truth or Dare -- Chapter Four


It’s not as over-the-top as one of Pinkie Pie’s normal parties, but the seven of you enjoying a quiet little party in the library puts you in high spirits and washes away the sleepy feelings from looking after a quiet library by yourself for a whole day. Pinkie brings out a small cake (another mouth-watering triple-layered chocolate cake with chocolate fudge between the layers) with a single candle on it. You can’t help but feel joyful as the seven of you gather around the cake and start singing ‘Happy Birthday’, Twilight singing along.

Seeing her with her five friends and yourself, you see a more confident, relaxed side of her that you’ve never seen before, one you wish you would see more often.

“Happy Birthday, Twilight,” you say as you levitate the present over to her. Her eyes light up in wonder as the gift touches down gently on the tabletop beside the cake. Not bothering to use her magic (or neatly unwrap the present, as you thought she would), she rips apart the yellow wrapping paper with her teeth, revealing the box within. She nudges the lid of the box with her nose, revealing several scrolls of fresh parchment, a crystal inkwell with royal blue ink inside, and a dozen eagle-feather quills, with curious-looking purple nubs.

“Ugh!” Rarity scoffs. “Chestnut and purple absolutely don’t mix!”

“Rarity!” Twilight hisses.

“I made them myself,” you say defensively. “I happened to be wandering in the Everfree Forest one day when I met a purple sea serpent. He and I talked for a while, and I mentioned I wanted to make a present for a friend.” You look at Twilight, smiling warmly. “He gave me some of his scales, and he said that I could probably use them to make something ‘absolutely fabulous’,” you say, perfectly imitating the sea serpent. “When Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came to me and told me that your birthday was coming up, it seemed a good enough time to give them to you as any.”

She wraps her forelegs around you in a hug. “Thank you.”

“Enough with the mushy stuff!” Rainbow Dash says, interrupting the moment. “Time for a party game!”

“Ooh! Ooh! I brought ‘Pin the Tail on the’…”

Once more, a sky-blue hoof stops Pinkie Pie’s sentence. “Nuh-uh, Pinkie Pie. I got a better idea.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh?” Rarity asks, intrigued. “And what might that be?”

“Truth or Dare,” Rainbow Dash replies. “Except that no one is removed from play, and we all play to win.”

“Oh, um…” Fluttershy takes a reluctant step back. “…I think I’ll sit this one out, you guys.”

“You can’t do that, you silly filly!” Pinkie Pie says, appearing behind the yellow pegasus. “You’ll miss out on the fun!”

“Oh, it’s all right,” Fluttershy says in a low voice, trying to back away. “I’m not very good at Truth or Dare.”

“Nuh-uh, Fluttershy. You’re not sitting this one out, either.” Rainbow Dash reaches into her saddlebags and starts taking out bottles of yellow liquid, occasionally taking out small bottles of red liquid. “Now where did I put those peppermints?”

“Rfff hfff!” answers Pinkie Pie, appearing beside Rainbow Dash with a bag of mints in her mouth.

The blue pegasus just glances at Pinkie and sighs, taking the bag of mints in her hooves. “Thanks, Pinkie.” She places the mints by the bottles and sticks her head into her saddlebag, continuing to rummage through it.

You trade wary glances with Applejack and Twilight. “What in Celestia’s name is she up to?”

She starts placing shot glasses onto the floor. “Hey,” she calls out. “Any of you guys know a lie detection spell?”

“…No,” Twilight says, her voice trailing off.

“I was reading up on one earlier, actually,” you say. “Lemme see if I can try it…” You close your eyes. Visualize a large circle, wide enough to surround yourself and whoever else needs to be in the circle, you mentally recall as you call forth your magic. Envision a sky-blue light enveloping anything and everything in the circle. You start to feel a bit of mental strain, but nothing that you haven’t experienced before. Finally, visualize a red light and connect all the necessary ponies to it with a green tendril of magic…

You open your eyes and feel a couple of beads of sweat on your brow. “I think that worked,” you say after a breath. “Try it now?”

“Hmm…” Rarity thinks for a moment. “I think orange and lime-green go perfect together with dark blue.” A buzzing noise cuts the silence and a red light flashes in the air above her.

“Wow. That’s perfect,” Rainbow Dash says. She takes one last shot glass out of her saddlebag and looks at everypony with a sly grin. “I remember playing this version some time ago. Everypony gets into a circle and gets a shot glass.” She glances at you and Twilight, and the two of you start placing shot glasses in front of yourself and the others as they gather into a circle.

“Now, where did that thing…” Her gaze darts left and right, and she finds what she was looking for: an empty bottle. She picks it up and places it on the center of the circle. “Seeing as I know how to play, I’ll go first.” She bats at the bottle and it starts to spin. Everyone’s attention is riveted as the bottle stops, its mouth pointing at Twilight. “Okay, now Twilight, I get to ask you: Truth or Dare?”

You and Twilight glance at each other. She breaks contact first and sighs. “Truth, Dash.”

“Okay!” She thinks for a minute. Her face lights up with an idea and she looks at Twilight. “I’ll start with something simple.” She closes her eyes and raises a hoof. “Did I or did I not clear up the sky in ten seconds flat when you thought I couldn’t do it?”

Twilight nods. “You did.” A green light immediately appears over Twilight, followed by a dinging sound. Rainbow Dash opens the bag of wrapped mints, picks one up and tosses it to Twilight.

“All right!” Rainbow Dash says, her voice laced with excitement. “So, Twilight gets the first point.” She looks around. “The first person to have fifteen mints wins the game.”

“Seems easy enough,” you say.

A mischievous glint in Rainbow Dash’s eye tells you otherwise. “Oh, really?” She looks over to Pinkie Pie, who’s on her left. “Your turn, Pinkie Pie.”

“Okee-dokee-lokee!” She bats the empty bottle enthusiastically, and it spins for a full minute before it slows and, as you expect, it points to you. She looks up at you. “Truth or Dare?”

You look Rainbow Dash in the eye. “Dare,” you say in a challenge.

Pinkie Pie hops up and down. “Oh, goody goody!” She suddenly stops and thinks for a moment. “Umm…” All eyes are on her as she continues to think of something. “Ooh! I got one!” She points to Rarity. “I dare you to use your magic and turn her hair green!”

You turn to Rarity, who is sending you the nastiest glare you’ve ever seen. “Try it. I dare you,” she growls, narrowing her eyes. It’s plain to see that she could do some long-term damage, with or without her magic, but you slowly start to visualize her hair turning forest green. You’re about to call forth your magic when you notice that Rarity’s own horn is glowing, a red aura about it.

“Um…” Twilight starts, tapping your shoulder. “I wouldn’t, if I were you…”

You can see that Rarity’s ready to go through with whatever she has planned. Defeated, you let go of the image in your mind. You shake your head. “I can’t do it.”

Rainbow Dash chuckles smugly as she uncorks one bottle containing yellow liquid and one bottle containing red liquid. She fills your shot glass up with the yellow liquid and pours three drops of the red liquid into your glass. She waggles her eyebrows as soon as she places the smaller bottle down.

“Drink up,” she says. You pick the shot glass up with your teeth and knock your head back, popping the mixture into your mouth. As soon as you place the shot glass onto the floor in front of you, the vilest taste wreaks havoc on your tastebuds and your tongue feels like it’s on fire. It doesn’t show any sign of abating as you swallow it.

“Aww!” you manage to sputter. “What in the name of Celestia’s back left hoof was that?”

“Lemon juice and tobaschoof sauce,” the blue pegasus answers matter-of-factly.

“What?” All eyes turn to Rainbow Dash. She nods casually.

“Yup,” she answers. “You can use the mints you earn to clean your mouth, but that means one less mint to your total.” She looks at you. “You have to have fifteen uneaten mints to win the game.”

“Rainbow Dash, this has to be the worst possible version of Truth or Dare that I’ve ever played,” Rarity says.

“Aww, come on, Sugarcube, it’s not that bad,” Applejack cuts in. “’Sides, it’s mah turn.” The orange earth pony bats at the bottle, sending it spinning.

“Oh, I forgot to say, if it points to you, then you get to spin again,” Rainbow Dash says as the bottle starts to slow down.

+ 	+     + 	+ 	+

The game continues innocently enough for another twenty minutes. At this point, Pinkie Pie has three mints, Applejack has nine, you and Fluttershy have six, Twilight has four, Rarity has eight, and Rainbow Dash has twelve. You’ve only gone through one bottle of lemon juice and a third of a bottle of hot sauce. Fluttershy spins the bottle and it comes to a stop in front of Applejack.

“Truth,” Applejack says.

“Okay,” the yellow pegasus says quietly. “Umm…” Her cheeks go red and she looks down at the floor. “Have you…” She cowers a little. “Have you…everhadyourfirstkiss?” She immediately hides under her forelegs.

Applejack looks around nervously. “Well, uh…” She smiles shyly. “…No?” A green light appears on her head and a dinging sound rings in your ears.

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asks as she tosses Applejack a mint.

“Now don’t go gettin’ any funny ideas in yer head, Dash,” she warns her. “Yer treadin’ inta dangerous territory.”

Rainbow Dash just waves it off and turns to Rarity. “Your turn, Rarity.” You notice the small wink that passes between them.

Rarity spins the bottle, and, as some form of fate would have it, it points to you.

“Well?” she asks expectantly, her eyes shimmering with mischief. “Truth…or Dare?”

You narrow her eyes. “Truth,” you say.

Rarity grins. “Now, darling, seeing as Applejack has never had her first kiss, if given the opportunity, would you be the stallion to offer her that?”

You look at everypony, their eyes riveted onto you.

“Oh, come on, darling!” Rarity says, rolling her eyes. You give a sad look at Twilight Sparkle before lowering your head.

“I would,” you say quietly. The dinging in your ears feels hollow and you feel two pairs of eyes staring into your heart and soul as you hear the crinkling of a mint wrapper at your front hooves. You close your eyes, afraid to make eye contact with either Twilight or Applejack as the bottle spins again.

“Oh,” was Fluttershy’s only reply as you open your eyes and see the bottle point at her.

Rainbow Dash grins. “Well, Fluttershy? Truth or Dare?”

She stares at the mouth of the bottle. “Well, um…” Her eyes dart up as her gaze travels towards yourself and everypony else. “…Truth,” she answers quietly.

“I noticed you were gone for almost an hour at the party,” Rainbow Dash says with a grin. “Where’d you run off to?”

Her gaze immediately flicks to you, and you’re fairly positive that everypony noticed. With a gulp, she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

Rainbow Dash fills Fluttershy’s shot glass with lemon juice and hot sauce with a shrug. The yellow pegasus reluctantly picks up the shot glass with her teeth and knocks her head back, downing the mixture in one gulp. She starts coughing as soon as she swallows, and immediately she unwraps a mint with her teeth and hooves and pops it into her mouth.

“Dash, I think this game is getting out of hand,” Twilight says carefully. “Seeing as you have the most mints, can’t we just finish the game here and say you were the winner?”

“Oh come on, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash says, “it’s just a game.” She looks down at the bottle to see that it’s stopped spinning and is pointing at her.

“Truth or Dare, Dashie?” Pinkie asks excitedly. Rainbow Dash suddenly blushes and her eyes widen.

“Pinkie Pie!” she says quickly, her eyes nervously darting around the circle. Twilight suddenly starts to giggle beside you. You turn to her, a question in your eyes, and she points with her gaze at the blue pegasus. You look and see that her wings have unfurled and her blush starts to brighten.

Applejack’s the only one to break out into laughter, though everyone is either smirking or giggling silently. Applejack straightens up and puts a hoof to her lips to try to contain her amusement, but she fails miserably and bursts into laughter again. Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes and looks down in embarrassment.

“Dare,” she says with a sigh.

This one seems too easy, you think. I’m not sure if Pinkie Pie believes in karma, but…

“Okay! I dare you to ask anypony in the circle to help you with your wings,” the pink earth pony states bluntly.

…But she sure has no idea of subtlety, you finish thinking as there is a collective gasp from around the circle.

“Pinkie Pie, that’s out of the question!” Rarity pipes up, much to everyone’s surprise. “I’ve heard of…” She pauses, thinking of a roundabout way of avoiding using a more blunt term for Rainbow Dash’s current condition. “…I’ve heard of these things happening to pegasi, and it’s a natural but embarrassing thing. It’s also just as embarrassing to have to ask someone to help…relieve them….of their problem.”

Rainbow Dash shakes her head and waves Rarity’s objection away. “Naw, it’s okay, Rarity. I chose ‘Dare’. I gotta either deal with it or face the punishment.”

“We can make an exception to the rule, Rainbow Dash…”

Her gaze is icy as she whirls to face the snow-white unicorn. “I said it’s fine!”

The air is thick with uncertainty before the pegasus sighs and moves towards the center of the circle. “Fluttershy…”

Fluttershy immediately raises her head. “Oh! M-m-me?” She shakes her head quickly. “But, I’ve…I’ve never had to…”

Rainbow Dash snorts. “It’s fine. I’ll teach you how to do it.” She glances at you for the briefest of moments before turning her head away. “And you can, too, I suppose. Fluttershy’s a little on the light side.”

You glance at Twilight, who shrugs. You shrug in return, get up and walk towards Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy cautiously steps to the fore.

“Okay…” Rainbow Dash says after taking a breath. “It’s different for every pegasus, but…” She looks around the circle. You look around as well, and everypony’s gaze is full of awe rather than ridicule. She closes her eyes but points her head in your direction. “You handle my right wing, it’s the less sensitive one. Fluttershy, take my left wing.” You and the yellow pegasus follow her orders.

“Like I said, it’s different for every pegasus. Start rubbing forwards and backwards at the base of my wings.”

You look around again, expecting anypony to say something, but their attention is anchored to what’s going on in the middle of the circle. Shaking your head, you return your attention to Rainbow Dash and slowly start to rub at the base of her right wing. Fluttershy’s face is completely red as she slowly starts to do the same, her wings starting to rise of their own accord.

Rainbow Dash lets out a stuttered breath. “Okay. Start moving upwards along my wings, still rubbing in the same direction.” Her eyes still closed, she turns her head in Fluttershy’s direction. “Umm, Fluttershy…”

“Y-y-yes, Rainbow Dash?”

“Could you…” She hesitates for a moment, her eyelids clenching shut. “Could you…al-alternate strokes?” She lowers her head shamefully. “Like, as he’s…going in one direction, you could move the…opposite direction?”

You and the yellow pegasus make eye contact, and all of a sudden her wings unfurl fully. She turns away. “If…if that’s what you…”

Rainbow Dash nods quickly, and you see Fluttershy watching you move your hooves. She quickly notices your rhythm and starts to rub Dash’s wing the opposite way. The blue pegasus nods slowly.

“Be…be careful towards the tips of my wings,” she says shyly. “That’s the most sensitive part.”

As the two of you get closer to her wingtips, Rainbow Dash nudges the empty bottle from underneath her and lies down, giving you and Fluttershy easier access to the tips of her wings. At the very touch, she hisses suddenly, and the two of you stop your ministrations in surprise.

“O-o-okay…” the blue pegasus says, her voice a little shaky. “F-from the t-t-tips, start rub-rubbing along…the wing…please.”

You and Fluttershy trade a passing glance and a blush as the two of you follow Rainbow Dash’s orders. You glance down at Rainbow Dash. Her eyes are still closed and sweat is starting to bead on her forehead, but she’s biting her lower lip in what seems to be reluctant pleasure. She shudders as you rub down along the length of her wing and pause at the base.

“Oh!” she says suddenly. “Wait! Rub in circles right…there…”

You start to rub in circles at the base of her wing, and slowly her wings start to point upward.

“Just like that…” she moans with a nod, her eyes still screwed shut. “Just…like that…”

Of your own accord, you start to massage in circles along her wing, gently pressing it down. Fluttershy looks at your hooves rather than your face and follows your pacing, also gently pressing the wing down. Rainbow Dash’s eyes suddenly fly open in surprise, though completely oblivious to the others.

“Oh!” Her entire body starts to shake. “A little more…” She starts to pant. “A little—”

As you and Fluttershy reach the tips of Rainbow Dash’s wings again, the blue pegasus immediately tenses up and her wings point upward and she shoots to her feet, sending yourself and Fluttershy sprawling onto the floor. Her wings start quivering for a few seconds as she starts to gasp uncontrollably. Something seems to explode inside of Rainbow Dash as her wings convulse furiously once more and she arches her back and cries out in ecstasy.

As quickly as the image of Rainbow Dash in the throes of pleasure appears, it fades away as her legs give out and she collapses onto the floor, her wings laying, completely slack, at her sides. Her breathing is heavy but you can tell she’s satisfied.

“Oh, stallion…” she murmurs as her breathing slows to a more even pace. The entire room is quiet for a full minute before the tension is broken.

“Umm…”

You suddenly remember you have an audience as Applejack pipes up.

“A-are we still playing the game?”

TWO

A few seconds passed before you finally got the nerve up and said your name to the whole class. There were hushed whispers amongst the others, which died down when Ms. Cheerilee cleared her throat.

“Well, what do you like to do for fun?” Ms. Cheerilee asked.

You really didn’t like all this attention. All the eyes on you felt like bugs you just wanted to swat off. Instead of making a scene, you try to answer the question.

“I like… I like the ocean. And reading maps. And using the tools.”

Ms. Cheerilee gave you a look, as did the other ponies.

“The tools? What kind of tools?” A pink earth pony asked in the front.

You smiled. All the navigation gear you find on a boat was what your dad had called ‘The tools’. He had taught you the name and how to use every single one at one point or another and could name them in your sleep.

“Oh, all sorts. Rulers, compasses, astrolabes, telescopes, sextant-“

You were cut off when a yellow Pegasus colt got up and yelled

“He said sex!”

Immediately, the other ponies joined in started laughing. Your cheeks turned bright red and felt like they were going to burst into flames any moment. All you could do was hang your head and hope that the laughter died down soon. Which, thanks to Ms. Cheerilee, ended very quickly.

“CLASS!” She yelled out. The laughter stopped dead. The class was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone drooped their head a bit as Ms. Cheerilee began to chew them out.

“This is NOT how we treat a new class mate! And Half-Back! What do you have to say for yourself?!?”
The yellow Pegasus looked at Ms. Cheerilee for a second and then back to you.

“I’m sorry.” He said, half-heartedly.
You knew for a fact he wasn’t. Ms. Cheerilee turned to you and sighed.

“I’m sorry for that. Why don’t you take a seat over there” She suggested, pointing to an empty chair in the front row. Taking a seat, you find yourself in-between two fillies. To your right, there was a yellow earth pony with a bright red mane that held a large red bow. To your left, there was a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane.

“Applebloom and Sweetie Belle will help you and get you settled in if you need it.” Ms. Cheerilee said with nod to the two fillies sitting next to you. “Now class, yesterday we were discussing the founders of Ponyville who…”
You tuned out Ms.Cheerilee, still trying to recover from that little fiasco.
“Sextant? Nice choice of words, dumbo.” You thought to yourself. You slipped back in your desk as far as you dared, hoping that if you made yourself look as small as possible, the class will forget about you and move on. But no such luck.

“Hey… Hey you…” You hear to your right. Looking, you see Applebloom, looking at you with a smile.
“Hey… You don’t have your Cutie Mark?” She asked.

You rolled your eyes and wonder which Princess you angered to deserve this. First you get embarrassed by one of the tools and now they were going to pick on you for being a Blank-Flank.

“Ya, what about it?” You asked, a little ticked off.

She looks behind and you motions her eyes to you. Glancing behind you, you see an orange Pegasus looking down at your side, which makes you a little uncomfortable. She then looks over to your right and motions with her head to you. The unicorn looks at your left side first and then tries to look at your right, craning her neck, only to fall out of her seat and onto the floor. The class snickers at the display, but Sweetie Belle swiftly gets back into her seat before Ms. Cheerilee turns around, only to give you and the three around a puzzled look. Sighing heavily, you realize all at once that waking up was a bad idea and try to remember your dream.

“Well Cap’n, wadda we do wit ‘em?” One of your pirate crew asks. You circle the captured crew of the schooner.

“Hm. Hmm… HMMMM….” You muse. A smile creeps across your face.

“We COULD feed ‘em to the sharks!” You say, slamming your jaws shut inches away from a scared sailor’s face. “No…” You say aloud. “I have a better idea!”

Slamming a hoof down, you give the order. “Let ‘em live, but empty the larder, toss the magazine overboard, and take whatever’s valuable! Let ‘em tell the tale of THE PIRATE KING AND HIS DREAD CREW!” You yell. Your crew yells back in joy.

“We’re gonna feast tonight!” One of your crew yells as he carries a barrel stocked full of dried fruits and vegetables. You smile at the haul, but the smile turns into a look of confusion when you hear a mare yell out.

“Get your hooves off of me, you beast!”

Looking in the direction of the voice, you see two of your crew carrying a mare with yellow fur in a regal dress. Her hair is done up in a large, red bow. As she’s brought before you, you put a hoof under her chin and look up at her, her orange eyes gazing into yours. You stare into them for what seems to be for an eternity. And then she says your name. And again. And again. And again, you’re being shaken.

Your eyes snap open and you look around.

“Dumb old reality again...” You say before remembering the last part of your dream. Your cheeks turn red as you look around. Applebloom is looking at you with a smile.

“If you’re gonna fall asleep, best to do it in the back of the room.”

You smile sheepishly. “Thanks for waking me.”

She smiles back and nods. You turn away quickly, hoping that she didn’t notice your blush. “What was that about?” You ask yourself. You’ve dreamt of being a pirate before, but it never involved a damsel, especially not one in the real world. You don’t have much time to think this over as Ms. Cheerilee chimes in.

“Well class, that does it for now. You have a wonderful day!”

She didn’t even get the second sentence out before everyone started moving around and leaving. Sighing heavily, you go to the back of the room and grab your things, trying to ignore the snickers from the other ponies. Before you can make it out the door, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and the orange Pegasus who sat behind you call out to you. Turning around, you look at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Uhh… Can I help you?” You ask hesistantly.

The three fillies look at each other and giggle. “You don’t have your cutie mark.” The orange Pegasus said with a smirk. This was the straw that broke the ponies back.

“I’ve been embarrassed beyond belief, fell asleep in class, and now you’re making fun of me for being a blank flank!” You yell, stomping your foot down.

“Way to make a pony feel welcome.” You say as you storm out. Before you can even get a foot down the road, they start chasing you. You break into a full gallop, your breaking point reached. You blink back tears as you wonder why this was happening. Why your dad have to disappear, why you had to move, why they made fun of you, and most importantly, why this Pegasus was now sitting on your back.

“Hey you! Get offa me!” You yell as you buck around violently.

The Pegasus stays on and tackles you to the ground. “My name isn’t ‘Hey you!’” she says. “It’s Scootaloo and we’re not making fun of you! See?” She says as she points to her friend’s sides.

You blink a few times, trying to wrap your head around it. They both had blank flanks and you wagered a guess that Scootaloo didn’t have one either, which was proved right when she got off of you and joined the three.

“Then why are you chasing me?” You ask.

“Well duh!” Applebloom says, helping you up. “You were running.” She says with a grin.

“Not only that,” Sweetie Belle chimes in “but we want you to join us!”
You blink a few times, still lost completely. “I don’t follow.” You say, shaking your head.
The three fillies get a grin ear to ear and take a deep breath and yell

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!”

THREE

You blink a few times before answering, wondering if this is some sort of joke. “The what?”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom says with much enthusiasm.

“We’re going to discover are hidden talents!” Sweetie Belle chimes in.

“And earn our Cutie Marks!” Scootaloo finishes.

You can’t help but feel that they rehearsed this before, probably in front of a mirror, since they were now posing. “I really don’t know…” You say tentatively.

“Oh come on! There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain!” Scootaloo says.

You make a face, still not knowing what to do. The thought of getting your Cutie Mark had crossed your mind before, but it never had really bothered you to the point that you turned it into a quest like these three fillies had. Sure, it got annoying when your friends back in Clydesdale would bust on you about being a blank flank, but… You couldn’t finish the thought. Apple Bloom was now looking at you with those big, soulful eyes. She wasn’t even saying anything. She was just looking at you. But the look said it all and you finally caved. “Alright, alright. I’ll join.” You say, blushing. “Just stop with the look.”

All three girls jumped up and down and squealed with delight. “Apple Bloom, you have got to teach me that look! It’s up there with The Stare.” Sweetie Belle says as she tries to give an intimidating look before cracking up.

“Well… I’d better get home first.” You finally say. “My mom is probably wondering where I am”
The three fillies perk up. “Alright then! Meet us at Sugar Cube in an hour!” Scootaloo said. “We’ve got a plan!”

Your three new friends ran off towards Ponyville leaving you confused. And flustered when Apple Bloom stopped and turned back to you, giving you a wink. You didn’t really know what to do, so you ended up standing there with a goofy smile on your face. You thought a lot about the day on the way home and when your mom asked you how it went, you decided to leave out some parts you’d rather forget. When you got to the part about Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo your mom only sits there and smiles when you describe each one. After having some lunch, you decide to pour yourself into your dad’s maps again. You thought it would help clear your mind, but it doesn’t help. You keep coming back and back again to her. Why did she make you feel so… Weird? Sighing, you look at the clock on the wall and realize that it’s time to start making your way to Sugar Cube Corner.

“Where are you going?” Your mom asks as you make your way to the door.

“I’m going to go and meet up with my friends.” You reply nonchalantly.

Your mom smiles. “Alright then… You have fun on your date, Casanova.” She says with a giggle.

You blush heavily and stomp your hoof. “MOOOO~M!”

You leave before she could say anything else and hope that your blush is gone before you make it to Sugar Cube Corner. Fortunately, you were able to turn your mind back to the maps.
“I wonder if I can use the tub tonight and try to recreate the ocean currents. Then I can-“ your thoughts were cut off when you felt a series of hooves grab you and drag you into an alleyway across from Sugar Cube Corner. In a panic, you start struggling and flailing around. Your hoof connects with something and you hear an audible. “OW!” The hooves let go of you and turning around, you see Scootaloo giving you a dirty look while Apple Bloom consoled Sweetie Belle, who was rubbing her nose and was on the verge of tears. “Oh my gosh!” You yell out. “Sweetie Belle, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was you guys and I sort of freaked! Are you okay?” You ask, hoping the unicorn wasn’t about to start crying.

“Ya…” She says with a sniffle. “I told you it wasn’t a smart idea to scare him like that!” She tried to say. It more or less sounded like she had a nasty head cold. You can’t help but still feel bad and offer another apology. “Really, I’m sorry. I’d never do something like that on purpose.” You say with a smile. She smiles back.

“Oh, I know that. You’re way too nice to be a bully.” She not only surprised you with those words, but with a hug. You can’t help but feel your whole face turn red.

“Alright then!” Scootaloo says with new confidence, causing both you and Sweetie Belle to jump back from eachother.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake are in Fillydelphia for a cooking contest and Pinkie Pie is headin’ over ta Sweet Apple Acres inna bit.” Apple Bloom says. “Mah sister’s gunna teach her some Apple Family recipes. Once she’s gone, we’re gonna go in there an’ do it.” You blink a few times and raise a hoof.

“Uhh… What is it we’re going to do exactly?” You ask.

“We’re going to make candy!” Sweetie Belle says happily “Nice and safe! Not like last time…” She shivers slightly.

You raise an eyebrow and begin to regret agreeing to all of this. “What do you mean ‘Not like last time?’”

“How was I supposed to know that the cannon was going to explode like that?!?” Scootaloo yells as she throws her hands up into the air. “The pony I borrowed it from said it worked like a charm.”

Applebloom scowls “Scootaloo, that pony had three legs an’ was burnt worse than one of my Auntie Oops’ pies. ”

“Your point?” Scootaloo asks before realizing what Applebloom was getting at. “Oh. Okay, not my best moment. But hey at least we test fired it first.”

What in the world did you just get yourself into? Well, there was no going back now.
You follow the three fillies as they move across the Ponyville Street, trying to remain hidden. Once you finally make it to the back door of Sugar Cube Corner, you and the three fillies sneak into the shop unnoticed.

“So, what are we making?” You ask.

“Well, last time I tried to make cupcakes, it didn’t go so smooth.” Apple Bloom said, a little disheartened at remembering her past failure.

“Why not candy?” Sweetie Bell suggests.

“Why not? It couldn’t be that hard, could it?” You encourage. Maybe this wasn’t going to turn off bad afterall.

“OOH! OOH! Can we make bubblegum?!?” Scootaloo asks excitingly. “I LOVE bubblegum!”

“Are there any recipes around here?” Sweetie Belle asks, looking through some drawers.

“Over here! Hmm… Candy, candy, cand- Ah!” Apple Bloom exclaims. Pulling out an index card from the box, she shows you a simple recipe.

“Ya, we can do this!” You say happily “We’ll have bubblegum in less than 15 minutes with this!”

You never believed so much could go wrong in such little time. But there you were. Suspended from the ceiling by a giant wad of gum. Where did it go wrong? When Apple Bloom used too much gum base? When Scootaloo tried to fix this by adding more syrup? When Sweetie Belle thought that doubling the temperature would balance everything out? Or when you got distracted when Scootaloo licked some of the gum sweetener that you got on your neck and you let the mixture expand into the giant mass that now held you in its gummy grip. Ya, that last part seems about right.

“How should we get him down?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We could use peanut butter. When I got gum stuck in my mane last week, peanut butter got it right out.” Apple Bloom suggested.

“We could eat it.” Scootaloo said as she flew up and took a bite out of mass you were stuck in.

“MMM! Thif if rolly goob!” Scootaloo tried to say inbetween chews.

As you stared at the floor, you began to wonder why your life has gotten so complicated. And how in the world you were going to explain to your mom that you got gum over 80% of your body.

FOUR

“What if we froze it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Rarity got gum on her coat once and froze it. It just broke off.” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know Rarity chewed gum.”

“She doesn’t. That’s why she freaked out and screamed for 10 minutes first.” Sweetie Belle said sounding almost a little ashamed. Sighing, you tried to calm yourself down. “Don’t get mad… Don’t get mad… Wait, then get even.” You think to yourself. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom debated whether to cover you in ice or smear apple butter on you while Scootaloo happily chewed away at the gum. Before the debate could turn into an argument, the sound of the front door closing made you all stop what you were doing.

“Quick! Get me down!” You hiss as you flail your hooves around.

“There’s no time!” Apple Bloom said as she threw the sticky pot into a nearby cupboard.
Sweetie Belle starts putting away the ingredients you used and looks up at you. “Just hang in there!” You stop flailing around and stare daggers at her. She laughed nervously. “Oh right. Sorry, wrong choice of words.”

“We have a plan!” Apple Bloom said, trying to dispose of the last of the evidence. Scootaloo had ripped the gum off of the walls and had stuffed it into her maw, which look liked it held a piece of gum the size of your head. She simply nodded quickly and helped the others clean up quickly before leaving out the back door. Before you could call out to them, a pink earth pony with a mane that looked like cotton candy had entered the kitchen. You immediately froze, hoping that she didn’t notice you. She looked around the kitchen, her eyes darting back and forth. Her face bore an almost predatory look, as if hunting for something.

“I know you’re here.” She said finally. You held your breath, waiting for her to look up and turn you over to the Ponyville Police for breaking and entering. Instead, she opens the fridge and pulls out a plate of cupcakes and grins from ear to ear.

“There you are!” She yells happily. You don’t know how, but she manages to shove the whole cupcake into her mouth and swallow it whole. She eats two more cupcakes like this before she stops and sniffs the air.

“Why do I smell gum?” She asked aloud. Getting up, she began sniffing the kitchen all over, without looking up, thankfully. She finally stops and begins rubbing her nose furiously. “Oh don’t tell me I got gum stuck in my nose again!” She says, obviously annoyed at the idea. You watch as she leaves the kitchen and hear her thunder up the stairs, saying something about needing a crowbar and a pound of oatmeal. Sighing, you wonder how you’re going to get yourself out of this sticky situation. Playing back what you just thought, you actually want to punch yourself for such a horrible pun.

“Hey!” Whipping your head around, you see Apple Bloom standing in the door way with some rope in her mouth. “Catch!” She yells quietly.

The rope hits you in the face, but you manage to grab a hold of it with your teeth. “Now don’t let go!” She says. Giving a nod behind her, you begin to feel yourself being pulled from the gum, slowly but surely. With a final yank, you fly out the back door of Sugar Cube Corner and land in a bush.

“See, I told ya we had a plan!” Apple Bloom says with confidence over you. You flail around and get yourself to your hooves. You’re mad. No, you’re beyond mad. Your father had a word for this feeling. A word your mom didn’t like you to use.

The three fillies stared at you, either waiting for you to say something, but you didn’t. The only thing you could hear was Scootaloo smacking her gum.

You tried to find the right words. Well, you had a few choice words you wanted to use, but the last time you used those words, your mom had tanned your hide raw.

“That was just crazy!” You finally say. “I mean, I was just hanging from the ceiling by a wad of gum!”

Apple Bloom giggles. “Ya, that was pretty funny.”

You started to toss around the idea about running away right now and never looking back when something behind Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got your attention: Scootaloo and her giant bubble. She had apparently worked the gum enough to get a bubble going and had made a bubble that was almost as big as she was.

“Uhh…” Was all you could say before the bubble popped, showering Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo with ABC gum. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle glared at Scootaloo as they tried to scrape the gum off. She gave the two a gummy grin. “Sorry.”

“Heh…” The three fillies looked at you. It started as a chuckle but quickly turned into a full on roar of laughter. It became contagious as the three fillies looked at each other and joined in. You and your friends laughed for what felt like ages. When you finally calmed down, your sides hurt and your eyes watered. Using a gummy hoof, you wiped away the tears and breathed a side of relief.

“Okay. THAT was funny.” You finally say. “Come on. Let’s find a way to get this gum off.”

Sweetie Belle frowned. “We can’t ask my sister. She’s spent the day locked up in her shop, trying to fill this huge order that came in from out of town.”

“Well what do we do now?” You ask.

“Oh! Oh! We could-“ You cut Apple Bloom off, knowing what she was going to suggest.

“And don’t say apple butter!”

 She seemed a little down. What was with her and apple butter? Her eyes widened and she smiled.

“What about Twilight? She’s really good wit magic!” Apple Bloom suggested.

Scootaloo nodded her head quickly. “Ya! It’ll come off easy with a little magic!” She said in between chews.

You shrug. “Why not? Lead on.”

You followed the three fillies to the Ponyville library. You remembered seeing it on the way into Ponyville when you first arrived and had made a mental note to check it out as soon as you could. But with everything going on, from the introduction fiasco to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, you had completely forgotten. Reaching out with a hoof that didn’t have gum on it, you knocked on the door.

“Hold on! Hold on! I’m coming! Keep your saddles on!” You hear a boy from inside call out. When the door opens, you have to do a double take. Standing before you was a purple and green dragon, just a bit taller than you. This was the first time you had ever seen a dragon, so you were at a loss for words.

Especially when the dragon started cracking up.

“What happened to you guys?” He said, still smirking.

Apple Bloom sighed. “It’s a long story Spike. Can you just get Twilight? We need some help.”

“Sure.” Spike said. “She’s in her lab. Just stick around!” He said with a laugh before slipping inside.
The four of you didn’t have much to say, so all you could do was wait around and listen to Scootaloo smack her gum.

“Scootaloo, could you close your mouth when you chew? It’s getting annoying.” Apple Bloom says, putting emphasis on “really”

Scootaloo scowled at Apple Bloom for a moment before smacking her gum at a much faster rate, really trying to annoy her.

“Why you… C’mere!” Apple Bloom yells before tackling Scootaloo. They roll around on the ground for a few minutes before the door to the library opens.

“Ponies, Ponies, a little order here?” A female voice says behind you. A violet unicorn stood in the doorway, looking at you four with a raised eyebrow. “What…” She shook her head. “Nevermind. I don’t want to know. What did you need?” She asks.

You wave a hoof at the gum covering most of your body. “If you could just…” you allude. She gives you a smile and shakes her head. “Alright, alright. I can take a hint. Let me try something…” Her horn glows with a violet light before you and the three fillies are hit by a cold, stiff breeze that permeates you to the core. Your teeth immediately begin to chatter, but you smile as you see the gum break apart and fall on the ground. Giving a shake, the rest comes lose. “T-T-Thanks.” You manage to sputter out.

“ah ongue!” You hear one of fillies call out. Scootaloo stood there with her tongue hanging out; the gum she had been chewing froze to it. “eh ah ahh!” she yelled as she shook her head back and forth.

“Here lemme help.” Apple Bloom said as she grabbed a hold of the chunk of frozen gum. “I’m gunna pull it off, okay? On the count of three.” Scootaloo nodded and braced herself. “One… Two…” Apple Bloom gave a devilish grin. She ripped it off. Scootaloo’s eyes went wide and she yelled at the top of her lungs as she held her tongue.

“Hey, hey, easy now, it’s over.” You say, trying to comfort her.

“No! ‘he wipped mah ‘ongue off!” Scootaloo says she holds her tongue.

“Come on, let me see.” You say.

Scootaloo runs up to you and opens her mouth. Her breath still smelled sweet like bubblegum. Other than a little red spot, it was in tact.

“Come on, you’re fine. Don’t be such a baby.” Scootaloo looks at you and sticks out her sore tongue, something she wish she didn’t.

“Alright, well, I’m heading home. It’s getting late.” Sweetie Belle says.

“Ya, and it’s almost time for dinner!” Apple Bloom says as she trots off.

Scootaloo decides that speaking isn’t such a good idea at the moment and just smiles at you. You smile back, waving them all off as they head home.

“Well, you sure are the popular one?” Twilight teased. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here.”

“Ya, I just moved in. I meant to stop by earlier, but things got a little crazy.”

Twilight cocks her head at you. “Stop by? For what?”

“Well this is a library, right?” You ask.

“Oh. Oh!” Twilight realizes what you’re after. “I usually don’t get a lot of ponies stopping by after books. What do you want to read? The Pony Went Over the Mountain? The Three Ponies? The Little Pony That Could?” She suggested, bringing a pile of children’s books, naming the titles. You shake your head, feeling a little insulted, but not surprised that she would suggest children’s books. You were still a kid, of course.

“I was actually hoping you had something on ocean currents around Equestria.” You ask. She’s a little take back at your request, but gets the idea.

“Here we are!” She says, levitating a book in front of you.  The title read “Ocean Circulation, Volume 1”

The book was pretty thick, but that didn’t stop you. “Thank you! I’ll get it back when I’m done!” You say as you hurry out the door, the book balanced on your back.

It didn’t take long for you to get home. Your mother was waiting for you, drinking a cup of tea. “Welcome home.” She says. “Have fun with your date?”

You blush, but don’t let it get to you. “I’m going to my room. Call me when dinner’s ready.”

The book was getting heavy and you wanted to get it off your back, not just for relief, but also to see inside. Setting it on the desk next to your maps, you crack open the book and begin flipping through the pages. You stopped when you finally found it. A map that matched one of your dad’s map. The one in the book had very detailed drawings of the currents swirling around in the open ocean. Immediately, you begin to make notes on the map. You only took a break when your mom brought up your dinner and you fell asleep around midnight.