The following day brought forth good weather, cheery spirits, and above all, hype. The Sweet Apple Acres team spread out across the Sweet Apple Acre, but not without chatter.

"Hey you guys, did you notice that Flim Flam Factories now has Fullbody's logo on it? 'Official Partners,' or something," Rainbow said, warming up.

"Yeah, Ah noticed. Somethin' must'a happened between Fullbody 'n those two," Applejack said, looking over a checklist.

"Ya don't say," Spike said, rolling his eyes.

Rarity lightly tapped Spike on the back of the head before stepping forward with her own checklist. "We should focus on our own campaign first. We have the plans for our advertisements down as well as the preparations for any actual shows during the competition. We need to make sure that the team is ready for the grunt work."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied, standing stoic as ever.

Rainbow's wings twitched with excitement. "I'm ready. Or something. A concept this simple shouldn't be so hard to execute."

Nodding, Rarity flipped to a page. "Today, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Big Macintosh will be bucking two rows worth of apples which should only take one hour at the most. After, baking should take two to three hours. Finally, from three o'clock to five o'clock, the products will go on sale in the Trotonto food court near the train station. Twilight wrote this schedule, so it should work."

"Question. Why are we doing this with so little time between the competition?" Rainbow asked.

"Because like most years, we're runnin' behind. Unlike most years, we actually had a chance t' practice this as a team, let alone have a team. These're the demo sales, and each team gets five before th' competition. We're lucky to get jus' one," Applejack said.

Rainbow frowned and quickly adjusted her harness. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

[*][*][*]

Elsewhere on the Market Harvest grounds, other teams prepared. One such team was giving a wordy lecture to its campaign manager... if she was there. Instead, a maroon unicorn stallion took the full lecture.

"We've spent lots of money on you so far and all you have to show for it is a couple of drawings?" An olive-green mare stood berating the stallion while he hung his head; Sweet Olive was the owner of the 'Olive Gardens'. "Celestia forbid I ask about the actual routine. 'We're not allowed to talk.' 'She'll get angry.'"

The stallion in question stood taller than the average workhorse and had a build smaller than the average mare. A shaggy brown mane draped over his face while a bushel of hair protruded from his forehead–a unicorn horn. A saddened, accepting expression was worn on his face while two figures behind him were more or less tuning out the lecture. This was Chibi Masato.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not the team manager. She always disappears, bosses us around when she's here, and, unfortunately for you and I, she calls the shots. You just have to trust us," Masato said, bowing quickly.

"I wish I could, guys, but you're giving me nothing to make me want to," Sweet Olive said, sighing.

"I could ask her once more and pass on the message, but I'm not sure she'll agree. Even if we want to do it regardless, our entire campaign relies on her. The body can't work without the muscle," Masato responded.

Sighing again, Sweet Olive shook her head, turning back to a greenhouse. Situated at the far-end of the Market Harvest lot stashed her close to Fullbody Winery. She kicked at the ground a few times before looking back to an apologetic-faced Masato while biting her lip. Clicking her tongue, she clopped her hooves together.

"Alright, but consider this the last straw. I want to see something come the first sales bout otherwise I'll hire somepony else to do it," Sweet Olive said.

Bowing his head, Masato gave Sweet Olive a small smile, still keeping his head low. She replied with an unsure smile before turning back to walk into the greenhouse. As soon as the door closed, Masato frantically turned to the two figures behind him.

"Okay, I did it last time, it's one of your turns now!" he spat out.

The two figures in question were a peach-coloured pegasus with a short, yellow mane drooping over her eyes. Her cutie mark depicted three rings with a pegasus silhouette flying through each of them in loops. The pegasus was named Spry. The other figure was a very shaggy-furred dog standing on his hindlegs; he had fur of white with brown patches all over his body. The dog was named Chance.

"No," was Spry's response.

Chance gave Masato a clueless look, oblivious to his lecture. He looked back at Spry whom was also staring at him before realizing the situation.

"What? No, I can't do it, I have practice," he responded.

"Yeah, we all do, whitey. Use your dog nose, go sniff out the blue big shot and ask," Spry replied, idly digging a hole in the ground.

Masato frantically paced back and forth, muttering to himself. "Delusional... can't get her... money spent... not ready... one day... dog."

Chance opened his mouth to argue his point, but growled in defeat and fell onto all fours before running down the path to the entrance. Alone with each other, Masato opened his mouth to speak before dirt was flung into his face.

"Can it, I don't want to hear it," Spry said before quietly taking off into the skies.

While choking and spitting out the dirt, Masato stumbled to the ground before shaking his head. Looking up, he watched as his two teammates left before grumbling and galloping after them.

So much for my plans, he thought.

Several minutes later, he slowed to a halt when he passed a certain lot, spotting Rainbow Dash bucking. He opened his mouth to speak before stopping once more.

"Do not bother teams that are in a drill," Flat Breadbasket's voice sounded in his mind.

He sighed before resuming his gallop. He had considered waiting for them with a topic in mind, but found his priorities elsewhere. He quickly signed out of the Market Harvest building and left into the city itself. Looking around, he spotted no sign of his teammates. Sighing, he reached back into his saddlebags and pulled out a small table. Setting it down in a busy food court, he removed his saddlebags and pulled out a sketchbook along with a dip pen and inkwell.

What better way to gather information on the enemies than to speak to them as friends? he thought.

He began to draw the surrounding area and before long, somepony else sat down next to him. A posh-looking pony admired his drawings, and he seemed to wear a team uniform. A fancy mane seemed to revolve around his horn.

"Hello. I see you're an artist," he said.

No, I'm a damn crystalline physicist. "Yeah, well, I try." With a faux smile, Masato chuckled modestly.

"Yes, well, I'm partaking in the Market Harvest and I, Ice Cool, act as the manager of Ice Flows, and-"

"Wait, you sell freaking ice in a farming competition?" Masato asked, looking away from his sketchbook entirely.

The stallion shook his head. "Not just ice, and like all good teams, I have my advertisement campaigns prepared already."

"Cool story." Masato leaned against his hoof.

"And I'm considering adding to my campaign. All I have are the typical bland ice-related posters ready, but with somepony else such as an artist, I can make it more visually appealing. I know you Freelance Artist types, always looking for work and needing money for lunch," he said, grinning. Masato rolled his eyes while obscured by his mane. "1,000 bits a poster. Pocket change to me, money to eat like a king for you. Whaddaya say?"

Raising an eyebrow out of doubt, Masato bit his lip. Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Sure, why not? Celestia knows I'm poor as a rat."

"Haha, cheer up, boy! You'll be living like a fancy rat for the next month," he said. His horn lit up and a stack of papers formed. "Sign these. I want three posters by the first official harvest tomorrow afternoon. Get it done by tonight and I'll double your payload."

Inaudibly grumbling was all Masato could do while he signed the papers in a matter of seconds. The stallion picked them up quickly and left without another word. As soon as he vanished into the crowd, Masato grinned.

I'd like to thank the Academy for this award in deception. Info gathering AND money as well as my own 'special touch' will serve 'well' for his campaign, he thought as he instantly began drawing sketches.

[*][*][*]

Spry lazily fluttered through the skies of Trotonto as pegasi began flying banners for harvest teams early. She half-payed attention, bypassing many rampant pegasi. Scouring down below, she spotted something interesting enough to make her double check. Quickly, gently and quietly, she swooped down and landed in an almost-empty street save for one pony in an expensive suit with a vine of grapes and bag of money for a cutie mark.

"Ooh! Mr. Moneybags!" Spry excitedly shouted out.

"Hmm?" Fullbody turned with half-lidded eyes.

Spry's face beamed with excitement only a filly could contain as she bounced excitedly on the spot. "May I have your autograph!?"

Chuckling, Fullbody levitated a sheet of paper along with a marker out. "Sure. I love it when ponies get their deserved respect," he said.

Spry nodded her head like an obedient puppy as Fullbody handed her the sheet. She looked at it amazingly as if astounded and Fullbody looked at her for a second. Looking back up, Spry cleared her throat.

"So, I've heard that you're in the Market Harvest again! Need advertisement help? I'm an acrobat with experience! I could do skywriting," Spry said excitedly.

"Although I like your enthusiasm, I am unable to accept... for now." He looked around quickly before looking back to Spry. "If you bring your credentials any time within the next week, I can still sign you up on our advertisement campaign. All help is appreciated, dear." Fullbody said. He looked at her for a second before frowning. "What did you say your name was?"

"Swift Star," Spry responded like a trained puppy.

Fullbody smiled, although the authenticity of the smile was debatable. "Alright then. Any time in the next week, simply tell the ponies working the front desk at my lot your name, and they'll redirect you to me." He looked up, hearing the buzz and whirr of crowds in the distance. Spotting a clock tower, his eyes seemed to widen. "Sweet Celestia, is that the time!? I must be going now. Until next time, m'lady!" Fullbody quickly bowed to Spry and made a hasty retreat.

Spry continued smiling whilst she waved her hoof. Once Fullbody was out of sight, her giddy attitude vanished and she slumped over, returning to her usual, dark expression.

"Sucker."

[*][*][*]

Chance scurried through Trotonto, constantly distracted by the food and foreign scents. Being a border town did not fare well for the atmosphere as it was never certain where or... when most characters were from. However, as a dog, with much training, he was able to use a simple cloth to detect the scent of the pony he was tracking. Several minutes passed before he deducted the food court area was void of the pony. Sighing, he trekked out to the residential houses near the Equestrian side of the city.

Fields were located everywhere, all of them well-worn from activity. A grand stadium stood in the centre of it all with many houses pixeled in various locations. His trail was starting to vanish as the pony's scent was gone. He growled and gave into his canine instincts for several minutes: running around in circles; chasing his tail; digging holes; marking his territory. He sat down on the grass in a field, rolling around dumbly while he thought.

Magic practice needs to be somewhere with lots of natural resources, somewhere isolated, and, knowing her, somewhere she could hear her own voice, Chance thought.

Standing up, he looked around the rural areas of the city before spotting a curious patch of trees in the distance; just outside of the city limits above the treeline there was flickering lights and barely audible shouts. Chance stood up, shook himself free of the grass, and began a run towards the location. After half an hour, he arrived at the edge of the city and entered the trees. Several minutes of running yielded the results he wanted. A clearing with a unicorn flaring magic with no regards for personal safety.

"Hey," Chance thought." Uh, I found you by scent. Sweet Olive asked about the campaign again."

The blue unicorn in question spun around, whipping her starry cape and silver-blue tail dramatically. Her brow remained invisible under the tip of her magicians hat, but she was glaring at Chance directly.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie stands by her decision to wait," Trixie declared in a booming voice enhanced by magic.

Chance winced as the loud noise penetrated his sensitive dog ears, but stood his ground. Clearing his throat, he proceeded into the clearing; a small lake with sandy edges and trees all around had been disrupted by various magical spells. Burn marks here, frozen water there. Trixie was standing in the centre of what appeared to be an explosion with a proud stance, head held high.

"I figured you would say that, but none of us are ready for the campaign yet," Chance said, pawing at the ground.

"I know, Trixie specifically ordered that you curs do the dirty work. You're merely the stage in the Great and Powerful Trixie's show; I may walk over you if I choose to. You and the others continue with your meagre deception. Trixie has to finalize her spell," she proclaimed.

She dramatically turned away, flicking her cape at Chance while a gust of wind pushed him back. He let out a low growl and sighed. The last he saw of Trixie was her horn lighting up brighter than any normal horn; anymore, and he would have been sick. Just as he left the trees at the edge of the city, a massive explosion of light flashed through the woods, regardless of the colour.

"Either she blew herself up or she created a sun," Chance spat before dashing towards the city.

Back inside the trees, Trixie let out a few huffs, almost snarling with rage as smoke cleared from the area. The lake was rippling wildly and the grass around her was burnt. Her coat and clothes remained unscathed.

"Ha, Trixie believes the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to reclaim her title as most powerful equine in Equestria!"

[*][*][*]

Later that day, Applejack slumped down on a chair minutes before dinner. Rainbow Dash was lying out cold on the bed at the hotel. Big Macintosh was on the ground next to Applejack, lightly panting. Spike and Rarity sat next to each other on the bed. Each pony was exhausted with Spike and Rarity being the least; management and working the register was never an exhausting job.

"So our demo sale was absolutely horrible," Spike blurted out.

Applejack facehoofed, drawing her hoof across her brow while Big Macintosh sighed. Rarity let out a coarse groan and fell back onto the bead, and Rainbow Dash snored. Spike flipped through the sheets.

"In terms of profit, we made little. Only 156 bits in profit. Customer service was hectic because the apples were held up by the rush, while the actual registry was..." He looked around to the others before shrugging. "It was hell."

"Spike, please watch your language," Rarity nonchalantly said without moving.

Spike rolled his eyes before flipping the page. "Damage to the Sweet Apple Acres stand was catastrophic when we were tackled. A new stand will cost a total of 400 bits minimum if we use the discount Market Harvest has," he continued. "Lost two bushels of apples, and my ankle was bruised."

"We can't afford to waste all of our profit on a new stand. That'll put us in th' negatives for demo sales," Applejack said. "Ah'll jus' hav' t' use bits outta m' own pocket."

Rarity sat back up on the bed and stared at Applejack with widened eyes. "Applejack, you can't. Let me do it, I insist! I've got so much more money lately from my sales, and I'm not trying to support a family," she said.

"Ah appreciate your offer, Rar'ty, but Ah'd prefer t' do it on my own," Applejack replied calmly.

Big Macintosh gave her a nudge on the side and when she turned to look at him, he had a deadpan stare. Applejack's lip quivered and after a few seconds, she exhaled coarsely.

"A'ight, fine, but Ah'll pay ya back in th' future," Applejack said. "And that is final."

Rarity idly waved a hoof as Spike cleared his throat. "Okay, now that we've got a new stand sorted out, we still have the issues of lost crop, police charges for causing a riot, and eternal banishment from the Dragon Kingdom."

"Come again?" Big Macintosh asked with a raised brow.

"I said lost crop, police charges for causing a riot, and property damages to other teams?" Spike seemed to ask himself as well as the others.

Shaking it off, Applejack cleared her throat. "A'ight, so after one demo sale, we're all plum tuckered, Rainbow is outta it entirely, Spike was injured, several police charges, and we've lost money... all before the Market Harvest began." Big Macintosh and Applejack looked up at the ceiling for a second. "Seems 'bout right."

"Jeez, is this a competition or a gang war?" Spike asked, dropping the notebook on his lap.

"I believe I have the same question. This is only a farming competition," Rarity said.

"Only a farmin' competition on the border of Equestria with many foreign folk in a city where farmin' is th' main income. This is completely normal. Last year, Big Mac hurt himself right before Applebuck season," Applejack said. "'bout a week before Twi came t' Ponyville."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh responded.

Sighing, Spike clapped his hands together. "Okay, if I'm going to be in a gang war, I want to wear a suit, fedora, and carry a briefcase everywhere I go," Spike responded. He looked to Rarity, ignoring her frown. "Rarity, I want a full suit made of the most expensive material you have with Fire Rubies encrusted into it as well as a monocle made of platinum."

"No," she replied.

Spike scoffed and hunched over, folding his arms. The rest of the group giggled, causing Rainbow to wake up.

"Huh? What's going on...?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Applejack is in a gang war," Spike spat out while falling back on the bed.

Rainbow sat up fast enough to knock her mane over her head. "What's this about violence and crime?"

"Nothin', Spike is jus' bein' silly," Applejack said, waving a hoof.

"Bah, I'm going to bed," Spike grumbled as he slid off the large bed and exited the room.

Rarity waved goodbye quickly, and Rainbow took Spike's place on the bed. She leaned against the footboard of the bed, smacking her dry lips.

"So what did I miss, exactly? Other than gang wars," Rainbow lazily said, yawning.

Sighing, Applejack looked over at Rainbow. "Well..."