Author's Notes: Finally! After fighting this chapter tooth and nail for two straight weeks, I've finally managed to finish it! This is the last of the Ponyville Tour chapters, though, so hopefully my writing muse will be back in a good mood come Chapter 27's return to the main focus of this story. Anyways, onto my usual dose of answering reviews:

"VirusChris": Once again, I'm glad I'm able to lend some amusement to the story, and continue to portray the Mane 6 accurately. Yes, AJ and RD are next up on my list...and I don't think I've done quite as well capturing them. But I guess you, and my other readers, will be the judges. And yes, Starfall's family will be appearing...sooner than you might think, too...

"SaberEdge": Thanks for the in-depth review, and I'll certainly be taking some of your suggestions into consideration in the future. Starfall's anti-socialist tendencies are part of his character...the reason for it will become clear with time. I might be over-doing it slightly, now that I look back, though, so I'll see what I can do.

"Phaedrolous": Sorry, but Starfall gaining an animal companion isn't on the table. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea...maybe a potential one-shot in the future...but I think I've distracted the story away from the main plot too much as it is with Starfall meeting all the Mane Six. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

"y2kbrony": While I don't frequent Equestria Daily, I've heard enough to know that having your fan fic featured there is a ridiculously huge honour, so I'm humbled that even one reader thinks I'm good enough for it...made my day when I read that. As to your suggestions, I'm finding the current system works for me. Answering reviews here eliminates the need for me to answer the same question multiple times. Lazy? Probably...but it works for both me and the readers. And having author's notes up top is just the way I do things...if you don't want to read them, just scroll down until you see the chapter title.

"namco402": Thanks for the huge compliment, and it is actually a dream of mine to one day write and publish my own, original book, and I have a few ideas for that in mind! And yes, certain interactions between Starfall and Twilight could allude to something...but let's face it, any friendship like theirs was going to have such allusions, there's not really any feasible way of avoiding it.

A huge thank you once again to everyone who has read, reviewed, faved, etc. And today a special thank-you must go to "Zorayda" (yes, the same Zorayda who wrote Pinkie's song a couple of chapters ago), who kindly agreed to beta this chapter for me. She won't be a full-time beta reader, just for this one chapter, but it's still a much appreciated favour!

And now, let us find out what has become of Starfall, and what Rarity's done to him, shall we...?

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Chapter 26

Apples and Rainbows

"Stop playing with it, Starfall!" Twilight scolded the pegasus for the fifth time since leaving Carousel Boutique, having once more caught Starfall giving in to the urge to run his hoof through his mane. "Don't you agree that Rarity did a good job with it?" she asked, offering him a small smile as she glanced briefly at his mane and tail.

Starfall himself glanced up at his mane, once more having to resist the urge to run a hoof through it. "It's not that she did a bad job, Twilight," he responded. "I mean, she did a fantastic job, it just feels so weird now," he added.

When Rarity had first started work on his mane and tail, Starfall had been terrified of what the fashionista was going to do to him. But it seemed that Rarity had previous experience dealing with stallions before, and the results spoke for themselves. Rather than trying to restyle his mane entirely, Rarity had simply done what Starfall sheepishly admitted his mane was probably overdue for...a neatening up. Removing the tangles had been a painful process for Starfall, since they were absolutely everywhere. But once that was over and done with, Rarity was able to get to work, first cutting them back slightly to neaten our the rather erratic length. Once that was done, all Rarity had done was give his mane and tail a long-overdue brush, keeping the slightly wild, untamed look, but neatening it all out so the white stripes running through his mane and tail were neat, and for once, clearly defined.

When Starfall was shown the results in a mirror, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. He had been worried he would lose the wild, free and untamed look he liked about his mane, but while it had received a much-needed neatening, the wild look was still retained, just with a bit more focus, which Starfall belatedly admitted to himself that he actually liked a lot better than his previous look. He had made sure to thank Rarity profusely for her efforts, the unicorn waving off any attempt at payment for her services, before sending himself and Twilight Sparkle off to continue their tour.

For the next part, it seemed Twilight was leading him out of town, out towards the massive farmlands and orchards he had seen during the flight into the town, the studious unicorn explaining where they were going as they went. "Another of my friends helps her family run the farm out here, Sweet Apple Acres," she said. "I don't know what their secret is, but their apples are the best in Equestria, and I'm not exaggerating in any way."

Starfall nodded, remembering the way Pinkie Pie had commented that the apple pie he had eaten earlier had used apples from this same farm, and he had to agree that there was something special about this place. "I don't doubt that for a second," he assured her, looking around as the scattered homes of the town outskirts gave way for the neatly arranged and organised apple trees, clearly the first fields of the farm, which acted as a rather alluring gateway to the farm itself.

Twilight smiled. "I bet it feels nice to be around nature again after spending all that time in the big city," she commented idly. "I mean, the city's great and all, but sometimes you just need a breath of fresh air and a change of scenery to liven yourself up again...at least, that's what I think. You know what I mean, Starfall?" she asked, looking over at him.

Starfall nodded, completely understanding what Twilight was trying to say. To him, Canterlot was an amazing place...any big city was. But having so many ponies, and so much civilisation in a single location tended to overwhelm the pegasus, considering he had been brought up in a smaller country town. The chance to escape back to a smaller town and connect with nature once again was one Starfall was glad he made. The trip to Ponyville may have been primarily out of curiosity, and to get away from Cosmo, and whatever he was up to, but it seemed fate was throwing up reason after reason for this decision to be a very good one.

Twilight smiled at Starfall's obvious happiness. "Just remember to stay clear of the Everfree Forest. I doubt even the Princess' know exactly what hides in there half the time, but ponies have wandered in only to never be found. I'd hate it if you became one of those ponies, okay?"

Starfall nodded again, understanding her concern. He had heard enough stories about the Everfree Forest in his time, and was aware of just how dangerous the place was supposed to be. "I doubt I'll be going anywhere near that place, Twilight. I'll probably be spending most of my time like I did back in Canterlot, just keeping up with my studies and occasionally going for a wander around town."

Twilight giggled at that. "You just can't get away from the stars, can you?" she asked with amusement, Starfall giving a sheepish shake of his head. "You know, that one thing I've been curious about since I met you, but never got around to asking in my letters; how did you end up so interested in the stars? No offence, but it's not often a pegasus takes an interest in something they can't fly to."

"None taken, Twilight," Starfall responded with a shrug, before looking up at the clear, slightly cloudy sky, knowing the stars were hiding up in that blue expanse, waiting for Luna to bring about nightfall before they would show themselves. "I've been interested in the stars since I was just a tiny colt," he explained, his voice starting to carry a nostalgic air to it. "Every chance I'd get, I'd go outside after dark and lay back, just watching them. Something about them always just...I don't know, called to me, I guess. I know it sounds silly, but for me, it's the way I've always been."

Twilight shook her head lightly, still smiling. "It's not silly, Starfall. I was always the same with books and magic. After I went to a Summer Sun Celebration and watched Princess Celestia raise the sun with her magic, I wanted to learn absolutely everything there was to know about magic. Once I realised how much knowledge was contained within books, my drive turned to also learning as much as I could, magic or not. Magic was always, and always will be, my biggest passion, but books, reading, and knowledge in general are big interests of mine. I didn't even make any friends until Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville, I became so obsessed with my studies."

Starfall smiled softly, able to relate to Twilight's past a little...even if his own past was far darker than the unicorn's. "I can definitely relate to that," he mentioned, before the sound of multiple voices ahead gave him an excuse to ignore Twilight's obvious curiosity, not wanting to mention any more of his past than that.

Eventually Twilight also turned to look for the source of the voices, both of them soon spotting a small group of ponies heading their way. Leading the way was a brilliant purple Earth Pony mare, her mane and tail also purple, though much paler than her coat, with a streak through them so pale it almost looked white. Her faded, pale green eyes seemed full of joy as she looked back over her shoulder to the group of a dozen or so foals she was guiding, all of them looking roughly the same age.

"Alright, class, settle down," the purple mare called, immediately identifying herself as a school teacher, with the foals in her care obviously the class she was in charge of. "Give Apple Bloom a bit of room, no need to crowd her," she added, half of the class offering the teacher innocent, sheepish looks, before stepping back a little, giving a pale olive filly a little room, making her sigh in relief, her bright red mane kept from getting in her sparkling orange eyes by an oversized pink bow. "Thanks, Miss Cheerilee," the foal said appreciatively, her country accent rather prominent to Starfall.

Cheerilee gave Apple Bloom a small smile. "You're welcome!" she replied brightly, before turning back around. "Now, let's all get back to school so we can get your things and have you finished on time," she added, to an excited murmur from the class, who clearly did not want to stay in school a single second longer than they had to.

Starfall quickly stepped back to the edge of the pathway as the class continued in their direction, Twilight doing the same to give them space to pass by. The unicorn gave Cheerilee a wave as they closed in, Cheerilee returning the gesturing and adding a merry, "Good afternoon, Twilight!" on top of it. She did slow down a little when she spotted Starfall, too, the pegasus giving her little more than a friendly smile. All the introductions today had left his anti-sociability a bit more sensitive. "Who's your new friend? I've never seen him around Ponyville before?"

"Apple Bloom! Sis! Wait up!" Before either Twilight or Starfall could answer Cheerilee, another voice called out from the direction of the farm, laced with a country accent similar to Apple Bloom's, making Starfall guess that it was a relative of some sort. That guess was all but confirmed when the pony herself came into view, racing down the path at a rather impressive speed...clearly a fit and athletic pony.

The first thing Starfall noticed about the pony was the distinctive, brown stetson hat the pony was wearing, the dusty, brimmed head-wear only increasing the image of a hard-working country filly Starfall was getting. Once Starfall got passed the hat, and saw the pale orange coat, straw-coloured mane and tail, both of which were tied back in loose ponytails, and the brilliant green eyes, there was no doubt left in Starfall's mind...this was another of Twilight's friends, the hard-working and dependable Applejack.

Even as he figured out who this new arrival was, the athletic Earth Pony finally caught up with Apple Bloom. "Sis, ya almost forgot this," she said, reaching over and pulling off a small set of saddlebags off her back, before passing them to Apple Bloom...obviously the foal's school bags. Apple Bloom gave her sister a slightly sheepish look and nod of thanks, before heading back to join the class once more, immediately joined by two classmates who were obviously her closest friends, a bright orange pegasus, and a snowy white unicorn, both young fillies.

Cheerilee gave them another wave as they hurried along, having clearly been held up a little too long now, Starfall secretly glad he had avoided that introduction. The way things were going at the moment, Twilight was not going to rest until she introduced him to the entire town. And even if she didn't, Starfall had a nagging worry that Pinkie would be glad to take on the job instead.

But in the end, he had traded one introduction for another, as Applejack spoke up. "Silly little filly's always forgettin' her things," the country pony mumbled, before turning to Twilight. "Howdy, Twilight! What brings ya up to the farm today, sugarcube?" she asked, before glancing in Starfall's direction.

Twilight had obviously caught Applejack's curious look, speaking up before Starfall was forced to say something. "I'm just showing Starfall around town, AJ," she explained, Starfall giving a wave to the Earth Pony as her eyes glimmered in understanding. "He just arrived earlier today, so I thought I'd show him around Ponyville. And no tour is complete without a look at your wonderful farm!"

Applejack smiled appreciatively at Twilight's compliment of her farm, before turning to Starfall, grabbing his fore hoof with hers and giving it a firm, vigorous shake. "Howdy, Starfall! It's nice to finally meet ya! I'm Applejack!" she introduced, Starfall smiling and nodding as she gave him his hoof back. "Twilight's told me all about ya...had some really nice things to say, too!"

Starfall gave Twilight an appreciative smile, as the unicorn gave him a sheepish look in return. "Twilight's letters had a lot of say about you, too, and it's nice to meet you, too, Applejack," he replied softly. Applejack seemed like a fairly down-to-earth type of pony, which Starfall was glad for...another overexcited, energetic mare like Pinkie Pie or Rarity would have been too much for the young stallion to cope with.

"So, if y'all gonna be visiting Sweet Apple Acres, how about ya come along and meet my family? Big Macintosh and Granny Smith are as likeable as can be, and the whole family always enjoys meetin' new ponies!" While Applejack may not be as excitable as Pinkie Pie or Rarity, it was obvious the Earth Pony was still rather exuberant when the occasion called, and clearly liked the idea of showing them around the farm.

Starfall, however, was kind of done meeting new ponies for the day. If he was honest with himself, he was curious to meet Applejack's family, but it had been a long day, and right now, he just wanted to rest for the remainder of the afternoon...and pray to the stars above that Pinkie's welcome party was not too lively. "Thanks for the offer, Applejack, but I..."

Before Starfall could say any more, though, the sound of something approaching at high speed, coupled with a distressed yell, made him turn around...just in time to spot a light blue blur speeding straight for him. He only just had enough time to brace himself before it slammed into him, sending him tumbling bodily to the ground in a mess of limbs, fur and feathers...many of which were not his, indicating that the blue blur was actually another pony.

Groaning, Starfall tried to get back up, but found the other pony had landed on top of him, leaving him pinned as she slowly came back to her senses, both of them clearly dazed and bruised by the accident, but fortunately neither of them seemed to be hurt. Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, before trotting over, lending a hoof to the yellow stallion as he saw Applejack help the newcomer out of the corner of his eye. Getting back up, Starfall quickly dusted himself off, flicking his left wing a little, wincing as it protested...that was going to leave a nasty bruise.

Confirming that the rest of him was fine, just a little sore and dusty from being slammed into the dirt roadway, Starfall turned to see the pony who had struck him. The pegasus mare's looks were incredibly distinctive, her blue coat almost lost to her multi-hued mane and tail, spanning all colours of the rainbow. Aside from the eye-catching colour, her mane was surprisingly done in a wild and free style similar to Starfall's own mane, though the mare's tail was noticeably longer than his. Her eyes were a striking shade of deep pink, and looked genuinely apologetic as she gave a light chuckle, before speaking up.

"Sorry about that. Yet another stunt that I still need to work the kinks out of," she explained, flicking her wings a little...clearly a pegasus who loved flying, and was a bit of a daredevil to top it off. The reference to stunt-based flying only confirmed it in Starfall's mind...this was the last of Twilight's closest pony friends she wanted him to meet, the brash and bold, but loyal Rainbow Dash.

Starfall shook his head, offering a small smile. "It was an honest mistake, and I'm fine, so no worries," he replied, shaking himself off again to try and get rid of the last of the lingering dust the crash had left him with as Rainbow Dash focused her attention on her two friends who had witnessed the crash.

Twilight was just shaking her head, giving Starfall the impression that this was not that uncommon of an occurrence. Her long-suffering tone as she spoke up only added to that suspicion. "Honestly, Rainbow...I was hoping to introduce Starfall to you in a slightly more normal way than that," she chided, though the yellow stargazer could tell her heart wasn't truly in it, her smile suggesting she really didn't mind this carelessness Rainbow Dash seemed to exude, but felt duty-bound to warn the pegasus when she went a bit too far with it.

Rainbow Dash seemed to completely ignore Twilight's chiding, whirling back around to face Starfall. "So you're the stargazing pegasus stallion Twilight's been talking about, huh?" she asked, getting a soft nod from the yellow pegasus in question. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Rainbow Dash, Equestria's greatest flier, and future Wonderbolt captain, at your service!"

Starfall gave a small smile of amusement at Rainbow Dash's boasting. Obviously she believed herself to be a very talented flier. While Starfall had heard of and knew of the Wonderbolts to a moderate extent, like any pegasus did, he had never really had a huge interest in flying as a profession and career. From the time he was a young foal, his passion had always been the stars, and that was the way it had stayed. "You must be pretty good if you think you can make the Wonderbolts team," he commented.

"I am good!" Dash assured Starfall, sounding almost insulted that Starfall didn't immediately believe her. Starfall had quickly gathered that Rainbow Dash was a pegasus with a big ego...one that seemed to need a lot of attention to keep her happy. "Hey, you're the first new pegasus I've seen in a while! How about we have a race sometime?" she challenged, a clear glint in her eyes at the prospect of and adrenaline rush that would also prove her boasting to Starfall.

The young stallion, however, grimaced and shook his head slightly at the prospect. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash, but I'm not a very strong or skilled flier. Any race against me would be rather pointless," he remarked, scuffing a hoof against the ground self-consciously. While he really didn't care about his weak flying prowess that much, admitting it to others always left him feeling slightly embarrassed. Even if they did not pursue it as a profession, flying was a big source of pride for nearly all pegusi. A pegasus with poor flying abilities was usually looked down on by others. Any pegasus who couldn't fly, for whatever reason, usually turned into a social outcast.

"So?" Rainbow Dash challenged. "Even if you're not a strong flier, a race will be fun. I'll even work out a way to even the odds a little if you want. Come on, Starfall, what do you say? It's been ages since I've gone up against somepony who I haven't raced before!"

"Well, I..." Starfall stalled, still reluctant, as he looked to Twilight Sparkle and Applejack for help. He would not be getting any sympathy from them, it seemed, as both of them were nodding for him to accept Dash's challenge.

"Go on, Starfall!" Twilight encouraged. "It'll be fun, and we'll all cheer you on!" she assured him, sending an innocent smile in Rainbow's direction as the pegasus glared at him. "Come on, Dash, let's face it, it's about time somepony beat you," she added.

Applejack added her own opinion, too. "Besides, I'm kinda curious to see what Starfall can do, myself," she said, giving Starfall an encouraging look. "Go on, sugarcube. I'm sure you'll have fun, win or lose."

Starfall looked between all three ponies for a short time, before sighing in surrender, "Okay...if you all want to see it, then I guess I can give Rainbow Dash a race," he said, smiling as the mare in question gave a whoop of delight. "Just...not today, okay? It's been a long day as it is, and I think there's still more to do," he added, getting a nod of confirmation from Twilight.

Dash just shrugged at this condition. "That's fine by me, I don't care when the race is, it's still going to be totally awesome!" she cried, allowing Starfall some small measure of relief. "So...how about next week? Gives you time to settle in and all, so you're not too nervous," she suggested.

Starfall nodded, noticing Twilight seemed to be agreeing with the suggestion as well, Applejack just shrugging in mild indifference. "Next week sounds good. Meet me at the Everfree Motel whenever you're ready, Dash...I'm staying there while in Ponyville," he explained, getting a nod from the brash pegasus.

"Next week it is, then! I can't wait to see what you're made of!" she said with a grin, bumping Starfall's shoulder with a hoof, before turning to address the group in general. "Well, I'd better get back to practising...my latest trick isn't going to learn itself. I'll catch up with you all at Pinkie's party tonight!" she said, before turning around and taking flight, zipping away and out of sight in a flash, Starfall grimacing at the prospect of racing a pegasus who could fly so fast, even from a standing start. He was both terrified and insanely curious to find out just what she could do when she really got going.

Turning back around, Starfall found that Applejack seemed to be taking her leave as well. "I'd better get back to the farm, myself. I'm supposed to finish bucking the north field this afternoon, and I'm far enough behind as it is with Miss Cheerilee bringing her class in a tour of our orchards."

Twilight nodded. "I understand, AJ...I could lend a hoof, if you want?" she offered. "Me and Starfall were going to come up and have a look around, anyway, so we could help you catch up a bit?" Starfall nodded to indicate that if he was wanted, he wouldn't mind helping out in what way he could...perhaps he could use this as an opportunity to pay Twilight's friends back for all their hospitality so far.

Applejack, however, shook her head. "Thanks for offerin', Twilight, but I think I got it handled. At least Big Macintosh is there to lend a hoof if I bite off more than I can chew this time," she added with a sheepish chuckle, Twilight giggling at what Starfall assumed was some kind of in-joke based off of some past event. "You go and show Starfall the rest of Ponyville, and I'll catch up with y'all back at Pinkie's party, 'kay?"

Twilight seemed to pause for a moment, as if trying to discern whether Applejack was being totally honest or not, before seeming to accept the story. "If you're sure, Applejack. I guess we'll see you this evening, then!"

Applejack nodded. "You can count on it! Nice meeting you again, Starfall!" she said, giving Starfall's hoof another vigorous shake, the pegasus stallion managing to smile warmly at her, before she galloped back up the road into the orchards, obvious hurrying to get her work done.

Starfall stood and waited as Twilight watched her hard-working friend go, before nodding to him. "Come on, Starfall, let's get back to town so I can show you a few more things...a tour of Sweet Apple Acres just isn't the same without AJ there to guide you, we'll come back another time."

Starfall nodded in understanding as he trotted after the purple unicorn, her next question setting the direction of the conversation for what he knew would take up a lot of the remainder of their tour. "So...now you've met all of my friends, what did you think of them?"