Fallen Eagle

Chapter 39: Happy Freakin' New Year

FIRST OFF, CONGRATULATIONS TO NUKEM99 ON BEING THE STORY'S 400TH REVIEW.

So, here we are one year later. The fact that more than a year has passed since I published the first chapter seems almost surreal to me. Just one year ago, I'd watched every episode of the show, but I still didn't really know that much about it. I fell in love with the show back in London in July of last year, but my appreciation for the show grew and grew to the point where I had to publish a story. I can tell you, every single one of you that in terms of Fanfiction writing, the past year has been the biggest blast I've ever had on this site. I've never worked on a story for more than a year, but I am glad it is this one.

From its inception, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever have a successful story. I understand it's not as successful as numerous others, but in terms of what I've written before, holy shit. What started out as nothing more than a simple story about a human in Equestria helped me to get further involved with the show. I

The biggest thing I can take away from this isn't the number of reviews of I have or the favorites or follows. It's the friendships I've made with fellow authors and the privilege of discovering stories far beyond the qualities of this one. I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you who made this story possible. While I care more for the quality of fans (ones that help me when I'm stuck with writer's block or point out mistakes that I can fix) over quantity, the amount of people giving me feedback is the main reason for why I continue to strive to bring you the best story I possibly can.

The memories I've made over the past year not only writing the story, but just talking with other authors about it and MLP in general are ones I'll always treasure.

What started out as a story to help me explore more themes for the show has exploded into something so much more. It's helped me to connect with an audience better than any story I have ever written and it's also helped me realize that I may want to write for a TV show one day.

I don't plan to still be working on the story at the two year mark, but we still have quite a ways to go before the story reaches the finale.

Once more, a HUGE Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story for so long and thank you to the more recent fans. You guys are the best and I just can't thank you enough for the support.

We're past the 400th review mark, now let's get to 500!

ALSO. Please take note that since this is the one year anniversary, at the end of the chapter I have rounded up over twenty pieces of unreleased trivia for the story. I only wish for everyone to read them before reviewing to tell me what you think. Some pieces would have been HUGE game changers for the story.

This chapter is dedicated to all of the friends I've made on the site since joining the Brony fandom. This is the absolute best fandom I've been apart of since joining the Jeff Gordon fandom in 1998.

Episode Ratings! (Since this Author's note is long enough, I shall just give the rating for the past two episodes)

Crusaders of the Lost Mark: Platinum

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows: Platinum

OBSERVER01: Obviously Etherea needs a hoofslap, but one can at least understand her motives. And don't worry, she's not a one scene character...

Dixie Darlin: I don't say this often, but one of my favorite episodes is Sisterhooves Social. It's great to see Rarity take a break from dressmaking and acting all proper so she can spend quality time with Sweetie Belle. Sleepless in Ponyville is also a great one near the end where she partakes in a race with Sweetie Belle. The foursome suggestion was not my idea, just saying. But we don't know Bon Bon's answer yet...If you want a Feather Duster episode, you can contact Sassymouse; she's got a ton of great ideas for her.

Sassymouse: Just barely Rarity and Spike stuff. Mainly Sweetie Belle seeing teeny hints that Rarity feels she's making a mistake. I figured the cliffhanger would help people realize that I'm not going to write Ivan and AJ's relationship as a perfect one where nothing goes wrong. How boring would that be? And I'm glad you got the Fly on the wall joke, too bad no one else noticed it. I hope you write Feather Duster like that or else I'll feel like I'm making her OOC :P You know an epic author? Can I meet them?

SkullCrusher550: Thank you; I hope you enjoy what I have in store

theflammablefiredragon: Discord's just being Discord. I still honestly can't believe the positive reception he's gotten from my writings. He's so complex and intriguing that I see how hard it can be to write him.

chaos stripe: Scootaloo can be conniving when she wants.

Srey: We've already had loads of emotionally romantic and emotionally sad chapters that it was time to have a more comedic touch to get everybody cooled down before we get an action chapter. I guess you could say Discord and the Flim Flam bros had cameos. I wanted to put in Flim and Flam at some point without trying to hatch a new scheme, and Fallout fans wanted a Lucky 38 reference, so I mashed them together. Actually, until I read your review, I did NOT realize that Feather Duster's planning was akin to Yzma's planning from The Emperor's New Groove, nice spot! I'll give more of a brief snippet of the episode later on in the author's note.

StacheKing: Feather Duster's just a lazy mare trying to accomplish something. She's a little klutzy. As for the 400th review, I understand that you want someone else to have it, but in all honesty, you and just a select few were ones I was hoping to be it. However, that doesn't mean I can't thank you, Nukem999 and Srey for being more critical than fans. And that does NOT take away from any of my fans at all. I cherish every review I get it (with the exception of flames) and seeing how much someone enjoyed a chapter makes me feel happy, but thanks to more critical reviews like the ones you, Srey and Nukem999 have given me, they've helped me to be a better writer, and that's something that can't be appreciated enough.

KillerWoW: I shan't forget Pinkie!

Nukem999: Thank you for being the 400th review my good friend! Of course the main genre is drama, but I do like to mix it up a bit to help keep readers entertained.

SquirtlePWN: Thank you Squirtle. We have a lot more to come, so stick around!

One final note, yes the next chapter IS the Nightmare episode from Season 5. The first time I watched it, I knew right away it HAD to go into Fallen Eagle, especially now that I've given Luna a special somepony to make the episode a little more interesting.

---

(With Pinkie Pie)

The element of laughter had not yet explored the wonders that her specific destination had to offer. That, of course, didn't mean she was going to blow it off. As much as Pinkie Pie wanted to visit this place, she knew that if she waited longer, it would feel that much more special. And by that, she was so full of excitement that even the largest candy store in Equestria couldn't keep her occupied. "Okay," Pinkie exited the candy store with frosting, chocolate and crumbs coating her face. "Now onto the granddaddy of them all," she checked off a checkmark on a list, circling the final item on the list. Licking all of the candy residue from her face, Pinkie tucked the list into her mane, looking across the street to the conclusion of her travel day, the one place she's always wanted to visit.

"Hey, watch it!" A taxi carriage pony scolded her as she darted across the busy street traffic. She didn't even wait for a traffic signal; Pinkie couldn't wait any longer. Like a hound dog that had a strong scent infiltrating its nostrils, Pinkie knew precisely where she was going, zeroing in on her target. She didn't even notice the street traffic at all whilst crossing the road. Nothing would get in the way of obtaining her goal. She hopped to and fro, bouncing around, a little higher each time as the words Colta-Cola World written in cursive grew closer and closer.

"OOF!" Perhaps a little too close. Pinkie face planted the red and white sign, sticking to it like superglue. When she pulled her head away and shook it to get the stars out of her eyesight, she almost felt like crying. Her tongue fell out of her mouth and licked the sign, imagining the taste of fresh Colta-Cola right from the main tourist attraction. "No," she sucked the salty droplets back into her tear ducts. "No crying, Pinkie Pie," her cheek nuzzled the red sign affectionately, "in moments like this, you must remain strong!" The party pony then felt her body slipping from the sign, "Uh oh," was all she could say before she detached and fell to the ground below.

"Are you okay, miss?" A passerby stopped to assist Pinkie. The energetic mare hopped right to her hooves as if nothing had happened, even if her vision was once again clouded by stars. "I...guess...so," the pony uncomfortably walked away while Pinkie hopped up and down as if the sidewalk were a trampoline.

"I can't believe it!" Pinkie grinned. "The one place in Equestria dedicated to my favorite soda, at last I get to pay my respects," she softly put her hoof on the door, pushing it in slowly. "Good thing I haven't had a drink today," she smacked her dry lips and stuck out her parched tongue. Continuing to push the door forward, Pinkie Pie entered one of the biggest places she'd dreamed of visiting and nearly fainted.

The first thing she came upon was a giant fountain bottle spewing out Colta-Cola into a pool below. Numerous ponies surrounded the pool with sample cups, dipping them into the cola and savoring the flavor that washed into their mouths. Tongue panting, Pinkie rubbed her hooves together as drool began to drip out her now moist mouth. She galloped towards the table where she could get a sample cup, yet something else caught her eye. A soda bar serving every different flavor from classic Colta-Cola up to cherry Colta-Cola was placed near the back of the building with about thirty barstools placed in front of the bar. Pondering whether or not there was a soda drinking contest, Pinkie jerked her head around to see a video playing from a projector about the history of the soda. "Hey, could you please move it?" A Unicorn pushed her way past Pinkie Pie; the party pony didn't care.

All of the sights, sounds, smells and tastes she imagined flipped Pinkie's excitement meter up to the max. She felt like bursting out and singing a song, but she clamped her hooves down onto her muzzle before anything could happen. "Just calm down, Pinkie," she advised herself, "you've trained for years for a moment like this," she took several deep breaths like Cadence taught Twilight, helping her relax. "GIFT SHOP!" She suddenly exclaimed after opening her eyes on a different part of the building. Rushing over so fast that she left a dust image of herself floating in the air, Pinkie shook with glee at all of the glass bottles, mugs, travel mugs, lunch boxes, ball caps, T-Shirts, jackets, commemorative plates and puzzles that lined the shelves. "So many things to choose, so little luggage space!" she popped in and around different items, scanning for the perfect souvenir to bring home.

"Can I help you?" an employee approached Pinkie from behind. The worker then found himself within the grasp of Pinkie Pie's hooves, being shaken like a rag doll. "Ma'am, what are you doing?!"

"How do you live with yourself?! Putting up so many colorful collectibles, it's enough to drive a pony mad from having to choose!" Pinkie released the stallion, hyperventilating. Without warning, Pinkie suddenly grabbed numerous amounts of anything she could fit in her forelegs, dropping them onto the counter. "I'll take six of these, eight of those, three of that, twelve of these, twenty-three of those," the salespony completely lost track of how many items per product Pinkie was picking out. She was zooming around the shop so fast that she could rival one of his favorite superheroes, Fillysecond. "And two hundred mini cans; they're so adorable!" Pinkie slowed to a stop in front of the counter, counting off everything she had selected.

"Uh, miss, are you 100% certain you wish to purchase all of these?" the salespony asked, not even grabbing his price gun.

"Of course I'm 100% certain! I'm the customer aren't I? And isn't the customer always right?" Pinkie pushed her face into the salespony's and braced her hooves on top of the counter. Gulping, the stallion scanned all of Pinkie's items about as fast as Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds in Ponyville. "I got my own system for this," Pinkie bragged, "buy your souvenirs first; then you have time to soak in the sights without forgetting everything. Oooh, I can't wait to show my twinzie what I got. I did grab a picture frame right?" Pinkie asked, checking through one of the countless bags.

"Yes, seventeen as a matter of fact," the ever growing annoyed salespony replied with an eye roll. He was consistently a nice, hard working pony and could easily deal with awestruck tourists, but Pinkie Pie was of an entirely different breed. He didn't mind selling her dozens upon dozens of souvenirs and trinkets to help make money for the store, but her enthusiasm and near endless chatter was grating against his brain.

"Perfect!" She beamed, "Oh boy I can't wait to fill these up with pictures of me and my best friend, Surprise!" Pinkie thought cheerfully, "She's a Wonderbolt you know," the mare added, playfully jabbing her elbow into the cashier's side.

"I am well aware," the Unicorn replied, scanning the last can of Colta-Cola as the final price appeared on his register. "I'm going to have to ask you again, ma'am," he began before Pinkie corrected him.

"Aw, just call me Pinkie Pie; I don't like all this 'ma'am' business unless I'm in charge of running Sugar Cube Corner. Have you been to Ponyville? Because that's where Sugar Cube Corner is and it has the best goodies in all of Equestria," Pinkie started to ramble, giving the poor stallion behind the counter a headache. "And when I'm not in charge, don't worry I work and live there anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Cake run it-" Pinkie stopped rambling on when a thought hit her. "Wait, what was your question, sir?" She asked politely. Slapping his hooves against his face, the stallion yanked down on his face until his bottom eyelids sagged.

"Are you 100% sure you wish to purchase all of this?" He asked, his patience about as thin as fishing line. Chuckling, Pinkie playfully patted his cheeks, only increasing his rage.

"You silly, I'm completely positive. Nothing could make me not want all of this cool, collectible stuff that'll totally help make my room back home the coolest room in Equestria!" She bragged again, this time displaying her classic big goofy smile. Just to make her go away, the stallion was happy enough to burst her bubble and tapped the cash register display.

"Well, then, you owe Colta-Cola world thirteen thousand eight hundred seventy-two bits," he grinned, removing his hoof from the register display. Pinkie's face was stuck with her huge, toothy smile and wide eyes. She couldn't move as her sugar charged brain over and over again processed the amount of bits both the employee and the register had given her. "Miss?" the employee clapped his hooves in front of her face. Without warning, the pink pony face planted the counter, only to slowly bring her head back up eye level with the stallion. Her grin was still sculpted into her face, but it was slowly morphing into something else.

"Ehhh," Pinkie cocked her head to the side, squinting her right eye and pouting her lips, "on second thought, maybe I'll think about it. Just keep my stuff off to the side would you?" She requested. "Don't go away," she added. The salespony couldn't get another word in as Pinkie hopped away, looking to explore the rest of the attraction. 'She's not coming back,' the stallion looked at the mountain of knick-knacks that Pinkie left for him. "Hmm, what to do now?" Pinkie continued hopping her way through Colta-Cola world. Everything seemed so exciting, intriguing and memorable that picking where to start seemed impossible.

"Colta-Cola was originally invented over 100 years ago," Pinkie heard the narration from a Colta-Cola documentary as she bounced her way around the building. The pink mare came to a screeching halt and zoomed her way over to where a few fillies and colts were standing with their parents. She collapsed onto her flank, copying what the smaller ponies were doing and bit her lip in anticipation. "And today of course, it is nothing short of one of the most delicious inventions to ponykind, selling more than five million bottles annually all across Equestria."

"Aww, must've missed the beginning," the party pony said dejectedly.

"Now, in appreciation for being loyal customers for so many years, you may now receive your free samples courtesy of-" the narration continued while the other ponies in attendance grinned at the thought of free soda. Pinkie Pie spun around and let out her trademark gasp. Her jaw hit the floor and her irises grew to the size of pancakes, glistening like finely polished crystal.

"CLINKY THE COLTA-COLA BOTTLE!" Pinkie screeched excitedly at a pony wearing a glass bottle costume, holding free mini cans of the soda. Colts and fillies swarmed the mascot while Pinkie Pie dug a small book out of her mane and a pen. "I didn't expect this, but I'm definitely getting his autograph!" She said cheerfully to a random pony next to her. "Right between two of my friends: Minuette and Colgate," she explained, staring at the empty space that would be filled with Clinky's autograph. "HEY!" she noticed something peculiar about the two autographs on the page. Rolling their eyes, the other pony took advantage of a distracted Pinkie Pie and swiped her free sample.

"Would you like a picture, ma'am?" the stallion inside the costume asked.

"Maybe my autograph book is broken?" Pinkie darted her eyes in between the two names. The mare shook her head and looked up to see the cheery mascot of her favorite drink waiting for her. She could hardly believe it. Having looked up to Clinky since she was a party filly, getting to meet him in Las Pegasus would be a dream come true. With an ever expanding smile, Pinkie zoomed over, forelegs outstretched, ready to tackle-hug the bottle when her left ear twitched.

"Uh, is everything okay, ma'am?" the mascot questioned when she skidded to a stop right in front of him. Pinkie held a hoof in the air, telling him to keep quiet. Like a bloodhound, she dropped her head to the ground and put her ear on the floor rather than her nose. "Okay, next!" the Clinky stallion motioned. Pinkie Pie scooted across the ground, getting the same sense she'd gotten a few hours earlier in the hotel casino.

"Hmm, could it be?" she questioned herself, moving in and around dozens of legs without bumping into any of them. The thrills, sounds and tastes of Colta-Cola world took a sudden back seat to Pinkie as she sensed something even more fun heading her way. Or somepony as she found out after bumping into a mare.

"TWINZIE!" Surprise yelled when Pinkie walked into her legs.

"SURPRISE!" Pinkie Pie hopped up from the ground and bear hugged her Pegasus clone. They both squealed in delight at being together once again, garnering quite a bit of attention from the other attendants.

"Wow, it's been like forever since I've seen you!" Surprise pet Pinkie's poofy mane.

"I know! It's already been like three hours!" Pinkie agreed.

"Felt like four honestly, especially with the big news I have!" the white Pegasus was prepared to show Pinkie a smaller version of the check from the slot machine she'd won, planning on throwing the biggest bash after the air show that night. Throwing a massive party, on the name night as a New Year's Eve air show with Pinkie Pie as her co-host? Surprise couldn't fathom a better way to end an old year and begin anew.

"You won fifty thousand bits from an old Wonderbolts slot machine back at our hotel after Misty Fly specifically told you to quit while you were ahead and it got you sooooo angry that you hit the lever on the slot machine and it gave you the big jackpot that you're now gonna use to throw a New Year's party after the air show?!" Pinkie began to take deep, long breaths after spouting off her long winded guess. Surprise blinked in amazement from a few different things really, but mainly from Pinkie's guess.

"Wow, when you're on the receiving end on that, it feels like you were just quoted every Daring Do novel ever written with no breaks!" the yellow maned pony held her head, remembering all of the times at the Academy that she'd done that to her friends.

"Eh, just call it my seventh sense," Pinkie breathed onto her hoof and shined it on her chest. "But, FIFTY THOUSAND BITS! You've struck gold, Twinzie!" She congratulated by hugging Surprise once again.

"And it looks like you were already in the right place! But don't tell me you've seen everything already," Surprise feared, "I wanted to explore Colta-Cola world with the coolest and funnest mare in Equestria."

"Hmm, I think Rainbow Dash was wanting to spend time with Soarin," Pinkie rubbed her chin. When Surprise looked confused, Pinkie laughed and patted her shoulder. "Gotcha!" She giggled. "And don't you worry, sister; I just barely got here in time to nearly get scammed by the outrageous souvenir prices. Other than that, I was hoping I could challenge you to a soda drinking contest back at the soda bar," Pinkie pointe her hoof towards the back of the giant room. "They've got every Colta-Cola flavor and every flavor of other soda made by the company." The Wonderbolt smirked, chuckling at Pinkie and wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'll have you know I was the soda binging champion in eighth grade!" Surprise instilled a sense of competition within her friend.

"Well, I drank a whole barrel of soda to put out a fire in my mouth. All in eight seconds," the two look-alikes narrowed their eyes like ponies in a Western film. They both realized that with those words, there was but one thing they could do. "You may be my twin and may have won fifty-thousand bits," Pinkie added, moving closer to Surprise.

"But there's only gonna be one way to see just who's the real soda fan among us," Surprise concluded, bumping her nose against Pinkie's.

"Do you girls want Clinky's autograph at all before he goes on break?" another employee questioned. The two mares narrowed their eyes even more, breaking apart their faces and ignored the employee's inquiry. Glancing over toward the soda bar which was only occupied by three other ponies, Pinkie Pie and Surprise kicked off their venture to determine who could handle their soda better.

"Any rules?" Surprise asked Pinkie, seeing how the latter was the one who had suggested the idea. They had chosen the two most centered stools at the bar, perfect so the barkeep could refill their drinks almost immediately.

"First one to collapse loses," Pinkie explained as two 64 ounce mugs of Colta-Cola cherry found their way to the duo. "Oh, and I hope you have a strong bladder," she added with a wink.

"Pssh," Surprise snickered, "if I can hold it in during an entire air show without stopping, I think this should be cake," she winked.

"Don't try and distract me with thoughts of cake!" Pinkie slipped her hoof through the handle of the mug, ready for action. Surprise repeated the same motions, bringing her mug up close to her mouth and waited for Pinkie's command. "Barkeep, you might not want to move," Pinkie advised the mare behind the bar.

"But my break is in five minutes," the mare responded, "and you're not my boss," she added.

"GO!" Pinkie Pie shouted, completely ignoring the barkeep's explanation. Both ponies instantly slammed their mugs against their muzzles, guzzling down the cherry flavored soda without stopping to breathe. A few streams of the drink escaped their mouths and spilled down their necks, but they got the majority of the soda down. The only thing left to do was to keep drinking as much as their stomachs and bladders would allow.

BUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRP

Both mares let out dragon sized belches, wiping their mouths clean of residual liquid before thrusting their mugs back toward the mare running the soda bar. "You're looking a little full there, Pinkie," Surprise cocked an eyebrow.

"I may be in shape, but my tummy can handle any amount of food or drink at once," Pinkie swore as their mugs were refilled.

*Twelve drinks later*

Word of the contest quickly spread through the building, drawing a huge crowd to watch. Another barkeep had taken the spot of refilling the mugs as extra bags of soda syrup were placed near dispenser for quick refills. "Do you have any plans for your winnings?" Pinkie and Surprise still held normal conversations during their game so it wouldn't get too competitive. Although, after so many ounces of soda, their words were starting slur a bit from the amount of grogginess their bodies were expelling.

"A New Year's party to end all New Year's parties!" Surprise slammed her mug down onto the bar top. "I'll rent out the entertainment room at our hotel and invite The Blue Stallion Group to entertain us!"

"Didn't Soarin already rent it out?" Pinkie questioned. Surprise let out another belch before replying.

"Oh, details! Besides, I think he's gonna try and bed Rainbow finally, so what does he care what goes on in the entertainment room?" She asked, demanding another refill. Pinkie wanted to contradict that explanation due to the estrus, but she was still determined to outdrink her twin, no matter what she had to do.

*Thirty-two drinks later*

"You know my friend, hic, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie now had a case of the hiccups and burps. Her face was starting to turn a shade of green and she was starting to feel sleepy and icky at the same time.

"The one that lives in a cottage, or the one that's the dressmaker?" Surprise's vision was starting to cloud up; she was almost positive that her blood was slowly morphing into cherry Colta-Cola.

"The cottage lover that lives in an animal," Pinkie explained, still sipping the remnants of her next drink. "Oh, wait, switch those around," she corrected herself.

"What about her?" Surprise braced her foreleg on the bar top to keep from collapsing.

"I think she and Big Mac," Pinkie slurred in a whisper, "would make a cute pairing."

"You mean Cougar's marefriend's big bro?" Surprise snapped her head around, only to slap her mouth with her hoof to keep from barfing. Normal Colta-Cola wouldn't have this effect on them, but the extra sweetness from the cherry flavoring was taking its toll on the two.

"That's the one, Surprise," Pinkie chuckled. "They're both kinda shy, and they like to sing with each other in the Pony Tones," she explained.

"What about his current marefriend?" Surprise questioned, rocking back and forth in her stool.

"Oh yeah, must be the soda making me all loopy!" Pinkie laughed at her reflection in her mug. "What would be a stranger couple, do you think?" She tapped Surprise on the shoulder.

"Rarity and Applejack!" Surprise exclaimed as the effects of the soda were really beginning to hammer down on her. Both mares looked at each other before bursting into laughter, cackling like hyenas on speed.

"Y-you're funny, Surprise!" Pinkie slammed her hoof on the bar multiple times. "Even in an alternate universe where every straight pony was interested in the same gender and vice versa, what in Equestria would they even talk about?!"

"I think we should cut them off sir," the gift shop employee said worriedly to his superior. "They've drank nearly a combined six week supply!" he complained.

"Hmm, not yet," the manager didn't care about the current conversation. He had a bet against the assistant manager that Pinkie would win; he didn't want to call it off and lose.

*The 92nd drink*

"I think I can taste SOUND!" Surprise whined. Both Surprise and Pinkie Pie's bellies had swollen to the size of boulders. The stools had long since snapped around their 56th drinks.

"You think that's bad, I can hear colors!" Pinkie held her ears shut. Being in a room full of ponies consisting of every color imaginable was becoming quite painful.

"Okay, we're done here!" The owner of Colta-Cola World stepped forth. "This was intriguing at first, but half a year's supply has been consumed by TWO MARES!" She snapped at the manager. "And I do believe they may require medical attention!" She added.

"Fine, I'll make them stop. And I thought I was close to winning too," he replied, trotting behind the bar and confiscated the mugs from the mares. "Sorry ladies, but you're both cut off," he apologized. "We're starting to lose money, but you may each take a free Colta-Cola hat," he tossed them a pair of red caps.

"After over ninety drinks, all we get are achey tummies and hats?" Pinkie's face was about lime green by now. Surprise's was no better; she had began to convulse a little from the massive amount of sugar she had consumed.

"TOTALLY WORTH IT!" The duo high-hoofed, putting the caps on. The two stood up from the ground, waddling as they attempted to walk out of the store.

"Are you two certain you don't need to go to the hospital?" The owner worriedly asked the two not because she was concerned for their health, but because she was afraid of a lawsuit.

"We're big girls, missy," Surprise tried to jab the owner in the side, but she couldn't feel her foreleg for some reason. "We don't need no stinkin' doctors!" she added, lightly shoving Pinkie Pie. This playful shove, however, proved disastrous as Pinkie fell over onto her side and began to roll like a watermelon. "RUNAWAY TWINZIE!" Surprise attempted to fly after her clone, but her added weight barely lifted her off the ground, so she settled for 'running.'

"Oh no, somepony make the room stop spinning!" Pinkie snapped her eyes shut so she wouldn't get motion sickness.

"Come back, Pinkie!" Surprise begged, "And could you slow down, please? I can't keep up like I used to!" A few workers tried to get in front of Pinkie to slow her down, but she was rolling too fast and was far too heavy for regular ponies.

"Uh-oh, move outta the way!" Pinkie cracked an eye open to see numerous guests and workers standing in her path. "Sorry! Excuse me! I can't steer!" She exclaimed after running over a few patrons. "Who's driving this crazy thing!?" She cried out before slamming into the giant Colta-Cola fountain which finally stopped her.

"About time," Surprise wheezed and huffed. "You shouldn't run off like that Pinkie; you had me worried!" She scolded her twin, trying to help her to her hooves. "At least you got a strike," she joked.

"Ugh, I'm never drinking soda again," Pinkie burped again.

Crrrrrraaaaacccccckkkkk

The two mares looked up in horror to see the fountain cracking from where Pinkie had ran into it. "SHUT OFF THE SUPPLY!" The manager yelled before it was too late.

"EVERYPONY OUT!" The assistant manager ordered as the crack grew larger. Surprise desperately tried to get Pinkie off the ground so they could run to safety, yet Pinkie was stuck on her back, and pushing her over wasn't easy.

"Come on, Pinkie, we've gotta move!" Surprise flapped her wings fervently, doing whatever she could to move Pinkie.

"I'm trying, don't rush me!" the party pony snapped. "Oh, sweet karma," Pinkie's irises shrank as the entire bottle cracked, leaving thousands of gallons of Colta-Cola raining down upon them before an ocean of it poured out.

---

(With Lullaby)

"Wow," the dark purple mare said astonishingly. "How come I've never heard of this place?" She questioned rhetorically as she trotted around an arcade. Yet, this was no ordinary arcade; this was the arcade set up specifically for fans of retro gaming with games such as Super Mareio Sisters, Pac Mare and Coltra. "Okay, I'm kind of happy now that Fluttershy ditched me," Lullaby fought to contain bursting out into gleeful tears at the beautiful sight. The games weren't the only reason the Wonderbolt was happy; she had foalsat plenty of colts and fillies in her day and had acquired a soft spot for them. Witnessing happy ponies playing video games was one of Lullaby's favorite sights.

"Look mommy, I won sixteen tickets!" A colt waved the red strands of paper.

"Then let's go pick out a prize, sweetie!" The colt's mother hugged him and walked him over to the ticket counter. Contrary to a popular belief that all arcade gamers are in it for ticket prizes, Lullaby didn't care about winning anything other than a high score. Usually she'd give her tickets to a little kid so they could trade them for a prize at the counter. Still, seeing happy colts and fillies brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, what to do first?" Lullaby deliberated. She patted a small bag of bits she carried under her wing when she wasn't at the Academy or at an air show. At the moment, she knew not if she was supposed to trade in her bits for tokens. Yet, she put that aside, wandering around the gaming paradise and checking out every possible game. "Maybe I should talk to Soarin about getting a few arcade games in the break room," she added, darting her head back and forth at the games lining the walls. "Nah; I'd probably get too distracted and miss practice."

The mare then felt a tapping at her rear leg, causing her to come to a stop and look behind at what was touching her. "E-excuse me, miss?" A little colt, only about four or five years old and wearing a Wonderbolts T-shirt asked timidly. "I-I'm sorry to bother you," he apologized. Smiling, Lullaby turned around completely and knelt down to the colt's level.

"What can I do for you, sweetie?" She asked kindly. The poor little guy's nervousness seemed to only grow as what appeared to be his mother appeared, sighing in relief.

"Honey, you can't just run off like that! Especially in a crowded place such as this," the mare picked up the colt, nuzzling him in her foreleg. "I'm sorry ma'am; he saw you and started exclaiming that you were a Wonderbolt and wanted to meet you," she explained, still cradling her Earth Pony colt. Chuckling, Lullaby stood up on all fours and waved her hoof.

"Oh, it's no trouble, ma'am. Not a lot of ponies recognize me as a Wonderbolt yet. I'm still a rookie," she said. "Did your son want an autograph?" She asked, looking at the colt and made a funny face for him. The little colt nodded, pointing to his T-shirt near the Wonderbolt's logo.

"If it's not a problem; I don't like bothering other ponies in public like this," the mare held out a black permanent marker, trying her best to smile, but ended up looking embarrassed for looking like she was annoying Lullaby. The Wonderbolt quickly grabbed a permanent marker from the colt's mother and scribbled her name plus a few musical notes around her autograph for the colt.

"I don't see a problem with it at all," Lullaby grinned, patting the colt on the head. "There you go little buddy," she tickled her hoof under his chin. Looking down, the Earth Pony smiled, ready to burst with excitement before thrusting his forelegs around Lullaby's neck.

"Thank you, miss Lullaby!" He exclaimed happily, "You're my favorite Wonderbolt!" he added. The rookie 'Bolt had to do a double take. She was just barely in her freshman year of being in among the best of the best Pegasi, yet she already had a rather large fan? The flight demo team hadn't even performed an air show in nearly a year!

"Um, thanks?" the filly and colt loving mare replied, puzzled. Luckily, the colt's mom was there for another explanation.

"Ever since we received the team's new lineup from the Wonderbolt magazine, he's just been so fascinated with you," she explained. "I guess since he's just a little guy he picked a rookie Wonderbolt to look up to. And going off your bio, I think he made the right choice."

"Aw, thank you," Lullaby felt touched.

"And I also think he has the teeniest crush on you," the mother teased.

"MOM!" The colt blushed, releasing his grip from Lullaby's leg. Lullaby couldn't help but giggle and feel honored. "I just thinks she's pretty!" he humphed, hiding his face from the Wonderbolt.

"That's so sweet of you," Lullaby played along. "I hope you two are free tonight; we're having our New Year's air show at the Maredalay Bay hotel around midnight," she acknowledged. As if the embarrassment was sucked out with a vacuum, the colt perked right up and put on a begging face for his mom.

"Hmm, you don't have school tomorrow," she tapped her chin. "Is the show affordable? Sometimes your ticket prices are a little steep," the Earth Pony mother seethed, trying to not offend Lullaby.

"Our newest captain made sure that because it's our first show in a long time, the average ticket price is only twenty bits a pop. VIP is seventy-five bits," Lullaby replied.

"Then I do believe we have something to look forward to tonight," the mare nuzzled her son's nose with her own. "We'll hopefully catch a good glimpse of you tonight, Ms. Lullaby."

"Bye!" the colt waved goodbye to Pegasus as his mom escorted him out of the arcade. Lullaby waved back, having a special feeling that she already had a fan so early in her career.

"It's so good to see high status ponies that don't have swollen egos," a stallion remarked next to Lullaby. She wasn't as caught off guard as last time, but her heart rate increased slightly. "I didn't really expect to see a Wonderbolt in an arcade," a brown Unicorn grinned out of the corner of his mouth. "Unless you scheduled an autograph session and our manager didn't tell us?"

"No sir," the purple mare shook her head. "I was just seeing what all the hubbub was about Las Pegasus and came across this place. I'm a sucker for classic games," she explained.

"Ah," the stallion nodded, "well then, are there any particular games you're interested in playing? We have a change machine right here that converts your bits into tokens," he tapped the side of machine where a few ponies were receiving said tokens.

"Well, I've seen a few of my favorites from when I was filly," Lullaby began, moving over and digging out her bag of bits from her wing, "you know, Super Mareio Sisters, Pac-Mare, and Coltra, those kinds."

"Any idea which one you'll play first?" The employee asked.

"It's gonna be a tossup, but I guess I'll leave it to fate," Lullaby grinned, jingling her new tokens in her hoof. She turned around to scope out the aisle of games again before seeing a most beautiful sight.

Clink, clink, clink

Her tokens clattered to the linoleum floor, rolling around yet staying right in front of Lullaby. Eyes widened, jaw dropped, breathing labored and shuddering, Lullaby felt like she had been conked on the head and was having a dream sequence like in many books she'd read. "Uh, Ms. Lullaby?" the employee gently tapped her side, hoping to get a response out of her.

"I-I thought I'd never see this again," Lullaby subconsciously picked up her tokens with her wing, setting them gently on her back and gradually made her way over to her new destination. Cocking an eyebrow, the Unicorn looked up at the game Lullaby was referring to and cracked a small smile.

"Yep, our owner finally got enough money to renovate some old machines. Customers retro and modern just love it," he bragged. Not hearing this, the purple Wonderbolt continued marching on until she arrived in front of just one of six games, stopping at the one in the center. The cabinet was sleek, as black as the long-retired Captain Nighthawk's fur with beautiful hoof-painted imagery of Celestia clad in golden battle armor and Luna clad in silver battle armor adorned the sides. Above the screen in silver and gold cursive lettering was the words: Gallopa. The theme music she'd cherished from her foalhood played over the demo mode of the game, only making her feel more euphoric from her memories.

"You know, wouldn't it be cool if the all the characters in the arcade came to life after closing time?" Lullaby heard a couple of colts talking chatting as they walked on by the game cabinet. Grabbing a single token from her back with her wing, Lullaby gracefully traced it with her hoof before inserting it into the coin slot. The theme music played once again, only furthering the tingles in the tips of her hooves.

STAGE 1 in pixelated, blue letters appeared on the screen with an overhead view of Celestia flying over an enslaved Crystal Empire on the bottom of the screen. She moved the joystick around, testing how fluid the controls were to see if there were any challenges. The on-screen Celestia moved flawlessly, eliciting a determined grin from the Wonderbolt. Suddenly, a group of Sombra's guards appeared at the top of the screen, firing spears and arrows at the game Celestia. As if she were a computer, Lullaby moved her joystick in a very specific pattern, easily maneuvering around the projectiles without trying. The mare then nearly obliterated the fire button, punching it so many times until the guards were destroyed. STAGE 1 CLEARED flashed across the screen. "Ah, Stage 1, could you be any more predictable?" Lullaby sighed happily.

"Geez, took you long enough to beat Stage 1," a cocky colt's voice interrupted Lullaby's relaxing moment. Throwing her concentration off temporarily, Lullaby checked behind her and found a small brown colt with orange eyes, a brown and tan colored mane and tail with a propellor beanie atop his head.

"Beg pardon, little buddy?" The Wonderbolt questioned as the colt trotted to the arcade machine next to her. "NOOOO!" She screamed when she heard the sound of her ship exploding multiple times. Snapping her head back around, she saw that all of her ships were gone with the words GAME OVER flashing on the screen. The colt behind her started guffawing rather evilly.

"A true gaming pony never let's themselves get distracted," he bragged. Sliding a dejected hoof down the screen, the purple Pegasus slowly turned to face the colt once again. "I once went on a thirty-three hour binge of Gallopa without bathroom breaks. And there was also a lightning storm outside. My mom had to liquify my food so I could eat it through a straw," he added.

"I'm more of a game hobbyist than a gamer," Lullaby responded. "Sure I love video games, but not to that extent."

"Pfft, it's because you don't have the guts to be the best," the Earth Pony scoffed.

"Have you ever thought of playing games for fun?" Lullaby squinted her eyes, trying to regain her patience skills from years of foalsitting. The colt laughed even harder before taking his beanie off his head to scratch his mane. "I've pretty much mastered the patterns on Gallopa and Pac-Mare, yet I've been able to keep the fun in gaming, little colt," she finished with a sneer.

"First off lady, my name is Button Mash, not 'little colt,'" Button lightly slapped his hoof on the game cabinet he was standing in front of.

"Oh? Well, my name isn't 'lady,' it's Lullaby," the mare's strong patience was gradually beginning to diminish.

"Fine, whatever," Button Mash rolled his eyes, "second, I used to be as naive as you back when I was younger."

"You mean in your mother's womb?" Lullaby joked.

"HEY! Nopony talks about my mom like that!" Button jumped up and bopped her nose. The mare stood, stunned that a little colt had just scolded her rather than the other way around. She'd dealt with disobedient kids before, but none to this extreme.

"Woah, just calm down Button," Lullaby breathed in and out of her nose several times. "We're on the same team. Just a pair of gamers looking to waste a few hours in front of a screen," she attempted to smooth out the situation.

"But you just said you were hobbyist, not a gamer, so we're not on the same team," Button called her out.

"We both enjoy video games; what does it matter?" Lullaby was completely lost on what to say or do with this stubborn little guy. "You know what? So what if you're a gamer and I'm just a hobbyist? I can guarantee that a hobbyist is just as a good as a 'true' gamer," she quoted with her hooves.

"Ha! That's like saying a Hoofball fan can play for their favorite team and take them to the Championships," Button scoffed, folding his forelegs over his chest. "But if you really think you're just as good as me, then we'll play Gallopa at the exact same time. And we'll just play the most simple way: Whoever can get to the furthest stage, no matter the score, wins," he offered.

"Little colt," Lullaby mocked, "I've had experience with this baby longer than you've been able to talk," the Wonderbolt lightly tapped the side of her game cabinet. Hearing the insult, Button Mash took off his beanie and shook it over his hoof, dropping out a bit.

"You're going down, old mare!" he taunted right back, shoving the bit into the Gallopa machine right next to Lullaby. Having never been called old before, Lullaby clenched her jaws and crammed her own bit into her machine, grasping the joystick in her hoof and hovering the other over the start/fire button. "We go at the same time, right?"

"layerteS gho, veqlargh ghaH tIv," was Button Mash's response before adding a cocky nod.

"Are you deranged or something?" Lullaby felt a little weirded out by his strange language. She couldn't ponder on it for long as simultaneously, their game cabinets chirped with the theme song and flashed STAGE 1 across their screens. Both ponies clicked and clacked their fire buttons, shooting off Celestia's beams of magic and blowing up the computer guards.

"See? Told you that you were slow," Button bragged as STAGE 1 CLEARED flashed across his screen before Lullaby's.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish, brat," Lullaby replied as she received the same message on her game.

*45 minutes later*

"I think we have a Gallopa record in the making," one of several dozen spectators commented as he watched the battle before him. In less than an hour, both Lullaby and Button Mash had surpassed Stage 200, the highest stage that anypony in the game's history had reached, and had beaten it in the quickest time as well by twenty-seven minutes. A few employees had gotten word out to the city's newspaper who in return dispatched several photographers and two columnists to document what was happening.

"Complimentary Colta-Colas?" a few other workers offered to both gamers. They had stuck straws into the glass bottles so the risk of distraction would remain at a minimum. Lullaby quickly wrapped her lips around the red and white straw, sucking up the drink and cooling herself off while still smoothly maneuvering her joystick and pressing the fire button. Button Mash's mother had arrived and per the norm was waiting to get it over with since the arcade workers tended to his thirst.

"Maybe I underestimated you," Button Mash chatted with Lullaby, never blinking or taking his eyes off the screen, "but that doesn't mean I'm ready to throw in the towel."

"You have a lot to learn, kid," Lullaby replied as she reached the 205th stage of the game. At Stage 5, both ponies had received an upgrade and now had Celestia and Luna to destroy Sombra's evil guards.

"I have a lot to learn? You're three stages behind me, toots," he teased. "I guess when I reach your age my reflexes will wither too."

"Good, good, let the arrogance flow through you," Lullaby encouraged, hoping to force him into a mistake. Despite the amount of skills both ponies possessed at Gallopa and how far they'd gotten, Lullaby only had two extra lives and Button Mash had one. That was the price he paid for immediately tackling the later stages of the game rather than using strategy to stay ahead.

"It's not bad if you can back it up," Button Mash's irises shrank as he tried to kick his concentration into high gear. With sweat pouring off his forehead and running down his face, Button Mash extended his lead on Lullaby to four stages with no end in sight. "You know, nopony knows what the highest stage is."

"I'm well aware. Some say the game crashes if you beat stage 250, but it keeps your high score," Lullaby ate up some of Button's lead, closing in by two stages.

"Guess I'll be the first pony in history to see if the legends are true," Button quickly stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth. Seeing that another wave of evil guards was incoming, Button parked his Celestia/Luna combo at the bottom left of the screen so he could quickly study the pattern of the stage.

BOOM!

"WHAT? NO, NOOOOOO!" Button screamed as his 8-Bit Luna vanished after an 8-Bit guard hit her. "B-b-b-b-b-but how can the rules change now!?" He demanded. "That's totally cheap; I call redo!" He quickly manipulated his last Celestia across the bottom of the screen to avoid getting a GAME OVER.

"You can't get a redo in Gallopa," one onlooker sneered.

"But the enemies NEVER get that close to the edge!" Button argued.

"Maybe that's why the higher stages are harder, sweetie," Lullaby said in a condescending tone.

"Only mom gets to call me that," Button Mash seethed.

"Come on kid!" Another bystander shouted, "I've got five hundred bits on you to win!"

"Go Ms. Lullaby!" The colt from earlier cheered on his favorite Wonderbolt. Lullaby was glad to have some ponies rooting for her to win, but her mind was drifting elsewhere. She called fillies and colts 'sweetie' all the time; it was in her nature. But Button Mash's negative response to the nickname gave her an evil idea. It wasn't exactly cheating per se, but one could call it questionable.

"You better win; you wouldn't want to disappoint your fans, would you sweetie?" Lullaby quickly darted her eyes over to Button Mash.

"Hey! I said only my mother gets to call me that, pervert," Button Mash growled, nearly allowing his final Celestia to get blown up.

"Hmm, how about this," Lullaby suggested as she closed up to only one stage behind Button Mash. "If you win, I can give you a victory kiss on the cheek how about?" she suggested. Button's eyes shrank and he gagged.

"EWWWW!" I don't want old lady lips on my face!" His hoof bumped the joystick, leading his 8-Bit Celestia straight into oncoming fire.

BOOM! His final life exploded.

"NOO! NOOOOOOOO!" Button cried, repeatedly hitting the fire button over and over, thrusting the joystick around.

GAME OVER appeared on his screen along with the game over theme. Lullaby on the other hoof reached the exact same stage as Button, and with two lives left, there was no way she could lose.

"Oh crap, that was my kid's college fund," the mare who had bet five hundred bits on Button Mash turned pale.

"AND WE HAVE A WINNER!" One of the employees announced as Lullaby surpassed Button's last stage, winning their little competition. "And now I'm off work! SO LONG SUCKERS!" He galloped away.

"Well, that was exciting," the dozens of bystanders suddenly cleared the area as soon as Lullaby had won.

"Aww," Lullaby did feel a twinge of sadness as she saw Button suppressing tears whilst hugging his mother. "You're a heck of a gamer, Button Mash, but..."

"I guess I'm not the best at video games. No matter how good I am, there's somepony who might be better," he sighed dejectedly. "You win, old- Ms. Lullaby," he caught himself before he called her an old mare again. "And I'm sorry for saying those awful things to you; I just get a little competitive."

"It's okay, Button Mash," Lullaby ruffled his hair. "I used to let competition rule me when I was your age, but I learned having fun makes better memories that getting the high score, even if it is a pretty cool feeling. Which by the way," she lifted up his chin and pointed his head at the game he was at.

"I, I got the high score?!" He exclaimed.

"Yep; even though my strategy of taking it slow worked in my favor, you obliterating every enemy in sight instantly got you the higher score, so you kind of won and lost," Lullaby smiled. "Come on, Button and Button's mom, I'll treat you two to a milkshake."

"Highest score! Oh yeah! Just wait until I tell the whole class when Hearth's Warming break is over!" As the trio left, none of them saw the gallons upon gallons of Colta-Cola seeping through the ceiling and running down the walls of the arcade.

---

(Hoofer Dam. Ivan's POV)

The 1:00 Las Pegasus sun was making my sweat glands work overtime in our train car. Luckily, AJ, Applebloom and I had the car all to ourselves so we could lower the window however far we wished. The only downside was it was still too hot to cuddle either of the Apple sisters. Even though we had to take an early train just to get to Las Pegasus, the three of us still dreaded another train ride, but we were thinking more along the lines of what we would get to do once we reached the tour we had agreed upon. But still, fuck this damn heat! I got cooked up sometimes in my F-15, but at least we had some cooling systems to prevent heat stroke! Yet the stuffy car coupled with three bodies of heat just about made all three of us go insane. "Thank goodness!" Applebloom groaned once the train came to a stop and the three of us departed our train in a small town on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. "If Ah had ta sit in that train car one more minute, Ah'd be about ready ta be flipped over!" She stretched and stuck her head in a small pond near the train depot.

"Come on lil sis," AJ pulled her sister from the water, "we'll get some bottles 'o water 'n some electric mini fans ta cool us off." Applebloom whined when the sun quickly dried off her head and bow, but followed AJ's orders and stuck to the shade her elder sister had. The three of us got off of the train platform and followed a large group of ponies over to where the brochure said to wait for our tour guide to show up. ""I thought you two would be used to high temperatures," I cricked my neck, looking for a magazine stand or a gift shop to buy anything that could cool us off. "Working all day every day in the summer for years has to feel normal by now, right?"

"We do have a nice, big barn ta cool off in, Ivan," Applejack reminded me as she and Applebloom trotted up to where I was standing so we could wait for the tour to start. "Not ta mention the pond we have at the south end 'o the property."

"Besides, it ain't too hot in Ponyville except on rare occasions," Applebloom looked up at me. "Here is kinda like Appleloosa, a hot, dry desert with very little water resources. Plus, sittin' in a stuffy compartment with fur on our bodies doesn't help." We stopped at a building entrance where most other ponies from our train ride had gathered. A sign with tour information was taped up in the window, more than likely a clever trap for tourists to go in for drinks and souvenirs after the tour or after reading the sign. But the small waft of cool air from inside felt like heaven.

"Let's see, the tour doesn't start fer another ten minutes," Applejack read off of the sign and double checked a clock within the shop. "How's about a nice, cold soda pop?" She suggested, digging some bits from her fanny pack. Applebloom's dry lips and tongue was the only answer AJ needed from her, but I wasn't really in the mood for a true soda per se.

"If they have it, I'm sort of craving lemon lime soda please," I smiled. Quickly fanning herself with her cowgirl hat, Applejack mentally took note of what both Applebloom and I wanted to drink.

"Okay, so two Colta-Cola's 'n a lemon lime, Ah'll be back in a jiffy," she put her hat back atop her head and wiped some sweat from her forehead before trotting into the air conditioned paradise. Deciding to get out of the way and the scorching sun, Applebloom followed me over to where we would eventually be getting a brief description of later. With dozens upon dozens of picture taking vacationers, Applebloom and I braced ourselves against a concrete wall and peered over the side of the Hoofer Dam.

"Any reason why you didn't go with your sister?" I questioned, squinting my eyes and wishing I remembered my sunglasses before leaving Ponyville. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Applebloom shift in her position so she could talk to me and look out at the deep canyon.

"Eh, Ah may be gettin' a little too warm, but we're gonna hit the souvenir stand after the tour anyway," she shrugged. "That 'n Ah just like spendin' time with ya." she added. I chuckled, ruffling her red mane.

"I appreciate it, Applebloom; you're a sweet kid," I responded, resting my chin on top of my hands. "Have you thought of any New Year's resolutions?" I asked her a second question to help pass the time before Applejack would return. I absolutely adored Applebloom like a little sister, but since I was now, as Rarity would put it, 'courting' Applejack, I still liked to be as close to her as possible. "Anything besides getting your cutie mark?" I corrected as she sucked in a deep breath to answer me.

"Darn it," she pouted as I crushed her little moment. "Yer gonna have ta come back ta me then," she lightly bumped my arm with her hoof. "Do you have any, then?" She questioned me as we moved to get some more cover from the sun.

"I guess work to be a little more open with my friends and make sure your sister is happy," I explained, crossing my arms over my chest. "And maybe even try and get closer to Twilight," I added. "We bonded during Hearth's Warming; I don't see a reason why we can't become even better friends now that we're on the same page." Applebloom didn't respond to my proposed resolutions, but I didn't mind as she was intrigued by everything about the dam.

"Would ya look at this, Cougar?" Applebloom looked straight down to the bottom of the dam, gazing in amazement at how something this large was constructed. "How tall do ya think this here dam is? A thousand feet? Five thousand feet?" she guessed, gazing around at the river below.

"Well, it says here that it stands 730 feet from base to top," I grinned, reading off a small description from the brochure I'd acquired back at the hotel. Feeling a pretty good gust of wind, I clamped one of my hands over my hat so I wouldn't lose it to the wind and I quickly folded up the brochure with my other hand.

"Oh, Ah guess Ah was way off," Applebloom blushed.

"Hey, who really cares as long as we're having fun?" I chuckled, bending down to pat her head.

"Ah just can't wait ta go inside the dam 'n see how it works!" she clapped her hooves together. "Maybe if Ah talk ta some 'o the workers, Ah could work towards gettin' a cutie mark in hydro electric engineerin'!" she then rubbed her two hooves together. "Wouldn't that make a flank kickin' cutie mark?" She asked me. A sudden image of Applebloom playing with the controls followed by the flooding of the canyon and a power outage across Las Pegasus appeared in my mind. I gulped, thinking of the correct words to say without sounding condescending.

"Uh, maybe you should just look with your eyes, Bloom," I ruffled her mane while biting my lower lip, "and not your hooves," I added under my breath. It wasn't that I always assumed something catastrophic would go wrong when she tried to earn her cutie mark, but the stakes were raised when dealing with something like hydroelectricity. Thankfully, Applebloom didn't pout or resist; she just shrugged and turned back around at the sight below the dam.

"Oh well, Ah don't really want a talent that keeps me inside all day come ta think of it," she agreed. "Hey, do ya think if Scootaloo 'n Sweetie Belle were here 'n we had a couple 'o bungee ropes," she began.

"Your family would murder me if I ever let you bungee jump off anything higher than three feet," I scooted her away from the edge of the concrete barrier.

"Don't ya think that's takin' it a little far?" Applebloom cocked her head. "Ah mean, yer datin' my sister; Ah'd think she'd just be a little miffed at ya, but not enough ta kill ya. 'O course Big Mac would be the one ta worry about," she rambled.

"Just a figure of speech, Applebloom," I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Slowly turning my gaze around, I found half a dozen ponies staring at me with cameras pointed in my direction. A few of them snapped pictures while others just stared or pointed. Right, these types of ponies were still around. Living where just about the entire town had grown accustomed to me had blinded the fact that there were still ponies and other residents of Equestria that had yet to actually meet me in person. I didn't mind that ponies were curious about me, but I loathed being stared at. So I stared right back at them, like we were in a Western film just so they'd mind their own business.

Most of them took a few pictures and went on their merry way after losing interest, yet some stayed, still feeling a little intrigued. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on my, but I thought I had heard one of them say, "I hope that thing has had its shots, whatever it is." I suppose that news article about the timberwolves didn't make it out this far, but then again, I didn't care for the news article to begin with. Snorting, my attention was grabbed from Applebloom as an orange pony that I loved had found us.

"Ivan, Applebloom!" Applejack's voice cut through the chatter of the other tourists. "Can you believe the prices here?" She exclaimed, taking her hat off which was now holding all three of our drinks. "Eight bits fer one bottle 'o soda, that's pathway robbery!" Grabbing my lemon lime soda, I held the bottle cap against the concrete, lightly punching downward on the bottle so the cap would pop off.

"AJ, I can pay you back when we get to the hotel," I promised, tossing my cap into a nearby trash can before lightly pecking Applejack's lips.

"Ain't you sweet? But don't worry about it; it's just soda pop to cool us off on a hot summer's day," she replied. "Applebloom! Ya know the dentist said ta not open yer soda bottles unless ya want braces!" Applebloom froze in place with her teeth clenched tightly on the top of the bottle like a vice. Smiling nervously, the filly removed her mouth and copied what I had done to open my bottle.

"So, did you find any new info about the tour?" I asked my girlfriend.

"Nope; I just went in there fer soda," AJ burped softly after taking a huge swig of her pop. "Did ya want ta know anythin' else about it 'fore it started?" she asked me before letting out a soft belch. "Oop, pardon," she chuckled.

"Eh, not really," I shrugged whilst sipping my own drink.

"Was there any cool souvenirs inside, AJ?" Applebloom set her glass bottle on a cement post.

"Eeyup," she responded just like her brother, "though remember Applebloom that we're savin' those for after the tour," she patted Applebloom's back.

"Sa-weet!" Applebloom cheered, "Ah want a hat, a shirt, a snow globe, a poster, a framed picture," she trailed off about the souvenirs she wanted as Applejack face-hoofed.

"I can't imagine how expensive souvenirs are if a bottle of soda is eight bits," I smirked. The ringing of a bell garnered all of our attentions toward a yellow Earth Pony with a five 'o clock shadow, an orange vest and a blue hard hat. The stallion was standing in front of a large pair of metal doors where other sightseers had begun gathering.

"The 1:15 dam tour is about to begin!" he announced, "anypony wishing to join the tour, we begin shortly; don't miss the elevator, or you'll have to wait another forty-five minutes for the next tour to start!" he concluded. We all hurriedly guzzled down our remaining sodas and tossed them into the garbage, hustling over before the tour would be full.

"Hey Applebloom, what do you think of this part?" I pointed to a picture on the wall of the building. "Going through a rock tunnel with water dripping down the sides?"

"Hmm, sounds a little dangerous," she cocked an eyebrow, "Ah'm lookin' forward to it!" she exclaimed. I picked her up and plopped her on my shoulders like we'd both grown accustomed to over the months. She loved getting a better view than anyone else, and I wasn't going to say no to that face of hers.

"I'll be honest AJ, I kind of miss Twilight's trivia babbling," I admitted. "Usually she'd be over with what the tour would cover and then it'd be more of a hands on experience without trying to keep up."

"See? I told ya it would grow on ya, buster," Applejack playfully rolled her eyes. "Aren't ya worried ya might a tad too tall in some 'o the tunnels?" Despite some of the low ceilings in a few buildings around Ponyville, it didn't really bother me enough to refuse to go inside, but considering the spaces would be much more cramped than a house or a dessert shop, I may find myself a little uncomfortable later on.

"If it comes to height problems in the tunnels, I'll just bend as low as I can go," I shrugged. The generator room was probably a couple dozen feet high, so those didn't worry me in the least.

"Okay, everypony that's in the tour, go ahead and enter the elevator; no pushing!" the guide ordered. Surprisingly, the tourists ahead of us followed instructions, politely entering the elevator without much hassle. "Uh, hold on," the stallion got in between us and the elevator door. He gave us a suspicious look, mainly geared towards me.

"Aw, are ya full?" Applebloom questioned in a disappointed tone. I felt her slump over the top of my head.

"No," the guide shook his head as he adjusted his blue hard hat.

"Don't tell me ya don't allow kids," Applejack groaned.

"It's not that either," the worker motioned to the other fillies and colts waiting for the tour to begin. "Look, I'm sorry ma'am, but we don't allow pets on the tour, unless they are service animals," he pointed a hoof to me. Did I really just hear that? I stood frozen in place.

"Ah, Ah'm sorry; what did ya just say?" Applejack asked as if someone had just told her a huge secret about one of our friends. The combination of shock and anger was riding out on the edge of her voice.

"Look, I've read the papers on what this, thing did for you and your friends," the stallion took off his helmet to run a hoof through his greasy mane, "and that it's friends with Celestia and Luna, but that doesn't mean we can just look the other way on our pet policy."

"Y'all think Cougar is a pet?!" Applebloom shouted. "Did ya purposely hit yerself in the head this mornin'?"

"Bloom..." I warned her.

"E-excuse me? Ah don't think ya know what yer talkin' about," Applejack said condescendingly.

"It's not a pony, a zebra, a griffon, a moose, a caribou or a mule, therefore it falls under the pet category like a dog or a cat," the stallion explained.

"You forgot dragons there, buddy," I set Applebloom on the ground.

"Dragons don't even qualify as pets," he said in a know-it-all voice.

"Great, just what we needed, a dirty speciesist on our vacation!" Applebloom exclaimed, threatening to kick the stallion in the shin. I grabbed her and held her back from doing anything stupid. I really don't give a shit what anyone thinks of me, but that wasn't the case with these two.

"Do you want me to lose my job?" He demanded.

"No, Ah just want ya ta drop yer prejudices 'n treat my coltfriend here like an equal! Y'all just take one look at him 'n think just cause he walks on two legs instead 'o four that he's an animal," Applejack raised her voice. "Well y'all don't know him like we do!" She held my hand in her hoof, causing a few ponies' eyes to bulge. "'Sides, there ain't a sign around here that says no pets!" AJ called out his bluff.

"Hold on, did you just call him your coltfriend?" a sightseer asked from the elevator.

"Got a problem with that, lady?!" I had to tighten my grip on Applebloom's shoulder after she yelled at the tourist.

"Why, yes Ah did, ma'am," Applejack squeezed my hand more with her hoof. "If ya have a problem, then just keep it ta yerself."

"Come on girls," I said calmly, "let's just go grab a bite somewhere and figure out something else to do," I tried to guide them away.

"While I don't agree with the fact that you're dating..."

"His name is Ivan, he's a human 'n he's one 'o the sweetest creatures Ah've ever met!" Applejack corrected in a hostile manner, starting to lose her temper further.

"Ivan," the stallion repeated for AJ, feeling a little scared by Applejack's aggression, "you don't have to leave. You just need to leave him up here while you and your sister proceed to the tour. As long as 'Ivan' stays out of trouble, we won't force him to leave." Applejack and Applebloom shook their heads, refusing the guide's offer.

"Uh-uh," Applebloom said, "he's like a brother ta me; we ain't goin' unless he gets ta go 'n that's final!" She jeered.

"Well, I'm sorry, but my hooves are tied."

"Just listen ta yerself," my girlfriend jabbed the guide in his chest, "replace the words 'it' and 'pet' with mare, Unicorn, Pegasus or griffon. Don't ya know how disgustin' ya sound?"

"Listen ma'am, either you and your sister are going on this tour while your human waits up here in the gift shop or wherever he wants, or you can leave and stop wasting everypony else's time."

"Come on, Ivan, we're leavin'!" Applejack yanked myself and Applebloom away from the tour guide and his sightseers. "Ugh," she groaned angrily, stomping her way over to the small train depot to wait for the next train to take us back to Las Pegasus. "Ah can't believe somepony would say somethin' like that about ya."

"Applejack, you know there are other ponies out there who still think I belong in a lab or a zoo," I removed my hand from her hoof.

"Just 'cause they think that doesn't mean it's true, Cougar," Applebloom hopped onto her sister's back. "Ah just can't stand ponies who judge others based on what they look like. It's just so aggravatin'!"

"Doesn't this bother you at all, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Well, yeah it does," I replied. "It's never fun to have someone spouting lies or prejudices about you, but that's their fault for not taking the time to truly get to know you."

"Then why didn't ya at least try ta stand up fer yerself?"

"I was going to, but I never really got the chance, hun," I joked with a smirk. Applejack caught what I was getting to and blushed.

"What kind 'o girl doesn't stand up fer her stallion? Ah ain't about ta let anypony do ya harm physically or mentally, Ivan. Besides, ya've stood up fer yer friends plenty 'o times, Ah was just repayin' the favor. Ya mean a lot ta me 'n my family 'n our friends, Sugarcube. Ah won't stand fer bullyin' just 'cause yer different."

"And you all mean a lot to me too. Nothing is ever going to change that," I replied, bending down to hug both the Apple sisters. "The next time we get into a situation like that where any of you are being treated like that, I'll be the one defending you," I swore.

"Just like you've always tried ta be," Applebloom smiled. I could sense that both of them were still pretty irritated, even after a few minutes to calm down.

"Now, what do you two say about leaving this dump and finding something to eat?" I was responded to with a loud gurgle coming from Applebloom's gut. The yellow filly covered her stomach with her hooves to try and quiet the noise.

"The train ride isn't exactly short, but Ah do know of a restaurant right near the Las Pegasus train depot," Applejack smirked.

"Oh yeah? What's it called?" I asked as a train whistle sounded off from around the bend.

"Let's just say, Ah hope ya like country music," Applejack nuzzled my side.

---

(1 hour before the air show. With Wave Chill, Rapidfire and Silver Lining)

The three of the few male Wonderbolts had gathered together in the Maredalay Bay bar for their pre-show ritual. Normally they would include the Streak twins, but unfortunately the pair were sentenced to a whole day of community service for the hotel for causing a fight and hitting a few security ponies in the process. The punishment was either helping the hotel maintenance crew for the day or spend the entire day in hotel jail. "So, Chill," Rapidfire grunted as he sat himself down at the bar next to his two squad mates. "See much of Lightning or Fire lately?" the red stallion questioned.

"Nah," the navy blue Wonderbolt replied, propping his hooves onto the mahogany bar surface, "the last I saw of them, they were replacing a net decoration in the lobby that some nut stole," he rolled his eyes. "Only in Las Pegasus," Wave Chill added with a chuckle.

"From what Soarin told me, their sentence will be over before the air show," Rapidfire recounted. "As much as those two annoy me, we'll need every Wonderbolt at the ready for our big comeback, even the shy one, uh, Fender," he guessed.

"Her name's 'Cinder,' Rapid," the smokey grey Pegasus of the trio corrected. "You've trained with her over half a year now; you should've known every one of your wingpony's names."

"Cut him just a little slack, Silver," Wave Chill retorted. "Cinder barely talks to anypony except Lullaby, Rainbow Dash, and Lightning Streak," he explained.

"That's no excuse, Wave Chill. The Wonderbolts are a family; a family looks out for each other and trusts one another. Forgetting a family member's name means you don't really trust them," Silver Lining delineated. The oldest member of the current Wonderbolt lineup was full of the previous generation's wisdom, assuming the role of the pony anyone could talk to should they need some advice.

"Ugh," Rapidfire groaned, "this is a vacation, Silver. Can't you lay off the 'Wise Wonderbolt' status for just one day," he complained.

"When you get to be my age, you'll barely be able to tolerate the idiocy the stupid kids of your time spews out," the astute Pegasus explained.

"Oh haha, very funny old-timer," the thick accented pony rolled his eyes. The slowly thinning white and grey mane of Silver Lining illustrated his age to most judge by the book ponies, but portrayed his years of experience to more astute ponies. "When I get to be your age, hopefully I won't look your age," he smirked.

"Stupid kids these days," Silver Lining muttered. Silver waited patiently, thinking about what beverage to order while checking out some of the wall art and neon beer signs around the bar, knowing that a Las Pegasus bartender was more than likely quite the busy pony. The same could not be said for his two young comrades, unfortunately. While Rapidfire lived by his name, always wanting to get things done and over with as quickly as possible, no matter how sloppy it was done, Wave Chill faired better in the patience category. Not by much, however, compared to Silver Lining.

"Okay, where's our barkeep? I need to be loosened up a bit before a show," he questioned impatiently. The spikey-maned stallion eyeballed a few other customers sitting at the bar, furrowing his eyebrows at some of their drinks of choice.

"Do you think they have pretzels here?" Rapidfire wondered out loud. The response Rapidfire received was the sound of clinking glass from behind the bar. A rather attractive magenta Pegasus mare appeared at the counter with three sparkling mugs in front of the trio of Wonderbolts. Before saying anything, the mare reached behind her and slid a bowl of pretzels over to Rapidfire with a smile.

"So, what can I get for you gentlecolts tonight?" the bartender asked. Silver Lining rolled his eyes as Wave Chill and Rapidfire were busy checking out the mare behind the bar, though she didn't seem to care very much.

"I'll take a Coltweiser please," the green eyed older Pegasus requested politely. Raising an eyebrow, Silver Lining picked up a few pretzels from Rapidfire's bowl and chucked them at the duo when they didn't respond. "Barkeep's waiting boys," he groaned.

"Oh, uh I'll take a Smarenoff please," Wave Chill cleared his throat as the barkeep wrote down his order.

"And for you, sir?" the mare asked. Trying to act cool, the red stallion leaned forward on his right foreleg with a cocky grin on his muzzle.

"Just a Marewaukee Brew, Ginger," he squinted his golden eyes at her name tag. Quickly, the Pegasus filled up the mugs with the trio's respective beers sliding them across the bar like a pro up to their awaiting hooves. "So, how long have you been a bartender?" Rapidfire asked, sipping his drink cooly. Wave Chill gave a dirty look to a few Las Pegasus ponies that look rather disgusted with his beer choice.

"Only a few months while I work for my degree at UNLP," Ginger replied, wiping down a few streaks of water from the beer mugs. "Rapidfire," she winked in his direction.

"Ah, so you've heard of me?" Rapidfire began to munch on the pretzels in front of him.

"Yep, I know all the Wonderbolts; I'm looking forward to the show tonight. I get off the clock in thirty," Ginger replied. Wave Chill set his half-full mug down onto a coaster, spotting an opportunity.

"Your coltfriend is one lucky stallion." Rapidfire's eyes shot open and nearly burst into flame as his own squad mate muscles in on his trials. Blushing, the pink Pegasus giggled, topping off Wave's beer.

"And you're too kind, Wave Chill, but I'm not taken at the moment," she winked. "Too much school and work to really have a meaningful relationship, you know?" She questioned.

"W-well, I'm not taken either. I can take you on a private tour of the Wonderbolt's Academy whenever you'd like," Rapidfire butt in, trying to get Ginger's attention away from Wave Chill.

"You don't have the authority to do that Rapidfire, and you know it," Silver Lining reminded the stallion a little loud so Ginger would hear. "At least not without Soarin's permission," he added. While he didn't enjoy being the 'rulebook' pony, Silver really wanted to try and help Rapid see the broader picture of being a Wonderbolt instead of having the fame go to his head.

"I would if Soarin had given me the Co-captain position instead of his marefriend!" The red pony growled, nearly crushing the glass mug in his hoof. "Or moved you up to Co-captain status and put me as third in command."

"Aw, that would be amazing!" Ginger said, excited. "But, as long Silver Lining could give me the tour," she added. Both Wave Chill and Rapidfire nearly spat out their beer at her statement while Silver just smirked.

"You do know that he's married, right?" Wave Chill asked, trying to wrap his head around why she wanted Silver to take her on an Academy tour instead of him.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ginger questioned. "He's always been a favorite of mine. Ever since I was a little filly, I always cheered him on at air shows," she smiled towards the elder Pegasus.

"Why thank you, Ginger," Silver said proudly. "Would you like an autograph?" he produced a black pen from his mane. Becoming giddy, Ginger ripped off an empty sheet from her notepad and had Silver give her his signature. "There you go," the smoky grey Wonderbolt winked, sliding the paper over to the bartender.

"I can't wait to get this framed!" she lightly tucked it in her mane.

"Do you want my autograph too?" Rapidfire snatched the pen from Silver Lining.

"Sorry, I have other patrons to serve. See you boys at the air show!" she waved, trotting down the bar to serve other ponies. Despite being shocked at the fact that a 20 something year old mare practically ignored the both of them, Wave Chill and Rapidfire got a peek at Ginger's flank as she trotted away.

"Hey! Didn't your mothers teach you it's impolite to gawk at a mare like that?" Silver Lining smacked both stallions on the wing. "I understand that it's Las Pegasus, but you have to uphold your dignity at least and treat mares like ponies, not objects."

"Enough with the damn preaching, Silver!" Rapidfire rubbed his wing. "So we stole a glance, what's the matter with that?"

"As much as it pains me, he's right, Silver. Mares check us out all the time during and after shows," Wave Chill agreed.

"Me more than others," Rapidfire flexed his foreleg muscles.

"Checking out is one thing," thinning maned stallion explained, "but gawking at ponies like pie is impolite. Like when I first met my wife, I thought she was gorgeous, but I always treated her like a pony and still do to this day. Sure, every now and then I find myself staring at her-"

"So, you're a hypocrite?" Wave Chill gulped his Smarenoff.

"No," Silver growled, "I do find myself staring at her, but it's because I still can't believe I'm married to the perfect mare, and that she's stuck with me for so many years," he added.

"Okay, so how do you know I wasn't looking for a mare to spend the rest of my life with?" Rapidfire demanded, tossing a large hoof-full of pretzels into his mouth, munching on them loudly. Wave Chill and Silver Lining both shook their heads and cocked their eyebrows at their fellow Pegasus. "What?" He asked, puzzled.

"Don't bullshit us, dude," Wave stated.

"Please, you were looking for the cliche one night stand in Las Pegasus, Rapid," Silver Lining said in a 'Give me a freaking break,' voice. "I'm not an author, but I do know of the stereotype Las Pegasus holds." Rapidfire didn't have a chance to respond; Silver had more to say. "We already have one Fleetfoot in our squad; we don't need two!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, where is Fleetfoot anyway?" Wave Chill suddenly realized he hadn't seen her since that morning after dumping the Wonderbolts after checking in to the Maredalay Bay. "I figured that she'd be back by now."

"More than likely finishing up with a 'client' at the Troticana or wherever," Silver Lining gently set his mug on a coaster albeit with a huff. "I've never seen a mare or stallion as active as Fleetfoot. How that mare still has the energy to even form coherent thoughts is beyond me."

"Excuse me?! How the Tartarus am I like a second Fleetfoot?" Rapidfire shoved his bowl of Pretzels out of the way.

"I never said you were, Rapid. All I said was you could become a second Fleetfoot if you continued to pursue mares like that," Silver arched an eyebrow. "Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with attraction, but you'll never truly be happy 'entertaining' numerous partners every day."

"I don't know," Wave Chill scratched his neck, "Rapid or I would've been pretty happy if we got Ginger for the night," he admitted.

"What he said," Rapidfire pointed his hoof at his navy blue squad mate. Groaning in frustration, Silver Lining placed his head into his hooves and rubbed his temples gently. "Are you feeling okay, Old-Timer?"

"Don't ponies these days care about the sanctity of marriage anymore? I'm a little lenient on the whole sex before marriage, but it seems like all anypony cares about is the former!" He exclaimed, removing one of his hooves from his head and inserting it through the handle on his mug, chugging a good portion of it down. Now, Silver Lining was the most level headed Wonderbolt at the Academy next to Fire Streak. And while Wave Chill and Rapidfire were just having a little fun, Silver Lining losing his cool surprised them both.

"Woah," Rapidfire set his mug down, holding out a hoof to try and ease Silver Lining.

"You're really going to base that assumption off just what Fleetfoot and Rapidfire feel?" Wave Chill asked. The veteran Bolt gently took his mug away from his muzzle, inhaling sharply through his nose. "I mean, that's just a little unfair, don't you think?" With an ashamed exhale, Silver Lining set his now empty beer mug onto a coast, gently rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry boys," he apologized, "that was wrong of me. When I was your age, taking a step like that was a huge decision that my generation didn't take lightly. Thanks to Fleetfoot coming back to the Academy at all hours of the night, sometimes with somepony to 'entertain,' I just have a bad feeling that all your generation cares about is pleasuring yourselves."

"Okay, Fleet is a different case entirely," Rapidfire patted Silver Lining's back, shocked that the older stallion didn't object. "Once in awhile, if I feel I'm in the mood, I'll go out and see if a mare wants to spend the night with me," he admitted.

"Besides, we're still 'young whippersnappers,'" Wave Chill said in a stereotypical old man voice, "we still have time before seriously considering settling down with a family."

"And," Rapidfire continued, "gleaning some lessons from you, we'll still be able to continue on as Wonderbolts when we get married," he complemented.

"You two know I don't talk like that," Silver Lining completely ignored Rapidfire's complement.

"Hey, come on!" Wave Chill raised his voice in excitement, "we're just a few guys having a drink before a show. Giving ourselves a hard time is one of our favorite pastimes," the navy blue stallion grabbed a few pretzels from Rapidfire and munched on them. Rapidfire nodded while Silver Lining shrugged in agreement. "While we're on the topic, how is Cloud Showers doing?" He asked curiously as Rapidfire snatched the pretzels back. The instant his wife's name was mentioned, Silver Lining perked back up.

"Cloud is doing just fine, thanks for asking boys," a smile spread across Silver's muzzle. "She enjoys having the extra free time I've had since May, but she also misses watching all of us perform," he sighed happily.

"Glad to hear it," Wave grinned. "I hope you don't mind me saying that I see her as the Academy mom." Silver Lining's face of bliss immediately morphed into confusion as he slowly spun around on his bar stool to look at Wave Chill.

"Yeah, it's always a treat when she visits. Those cookies she bakes are worth the extra laps we have to fly to work off the weight," Rapidfire concurred. "That and I always love hearing stories from when she was younger."

"She and I are only twenty years older than you two; there's not too much of a time gap there."

"Cloud Showers is still an interesting pony, Silver," Wave explained. "Are you saying we shouldn't enjoy her company whenever she visits?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth," Silver growled. "It's fine that you two like to spend time with Cloud when she takes time to visit me at the Academy, but stop pretending like she and I are a pair of fossils," he ordered.

"Nopony ever said that," Wave Chill defended. "But is there any reason why she couldn't come to the air show tonight?" Silver Lining scratched his chin before replying, unsure of how the conversation kept jumping around about relationships like this.

"Our daughter is still too young to come to Las Pegasus and we couldn't find a foalsitter in time," Silver explained. "Like I said before, I'm lucky to have a mare like Cloud Showers that can put up with a Wonderbolt's schedule. I don't know how different I'd be without her."

"You'd probably be a lot more grouchy, that's pretty much a guarantee," Rapidfire polished off his bowl of pretzels.

"I'm only grouchy towards you when you're acting like an idiot, Rapidfire," Silver retorted, "or when you keep demanding more respect from some of us just because you've been in the squad longer than anypony except myself."

"What about when he whines that he doesn't have a marefriend?" Wave Chill added, enjoying pissing off Rapidfire.

"Okay, I plead guilty to demanding a lot of respect and for sometimes acting like an idiot about it, but I don't whine that I don't have a marefriend, Wave Chill," Rapid sneered, trying to intimidate the blue Pegasus into backing down.

"Oh, I almost forgot about that, Wave Chill," Silver smirked. "Ugh, do Rainbow Dash and Soarin have to flirt with each other while we're eating?" The aging Bolt mocked in a fake Rapidfire accent.

"Or," Wave Chill joined in, "'How does Lightning Streak get a marefriend before me?!'"

"Stop it!" Rapid slammed a hoof on the bar.

"And the classic, 'Blaze, High Winds, can you help me get a marefriend?'" Silver joined in.

"Rapid, are you turning red with anger? I can't tell," Wave asked in a smart ass tone. He and Silver started chuckling loudly at the joke while Rapidfire shook with rage.

"I said STOP IT!" The red Pegasus rose his voice. "And how did you know I asked those two for help?!"

"Blaze is a bucking chatterbox. You should've just asked High Winds," Wave Chill replied. "'Why is it so difficult for me to get past the first date?'"

"SHHHHUUUUUUUTTTTT UUUUUUPPPPP!" Rapidfire suddenly burst, causing the whole bar to instantly quiet down. "SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up," the stallion calmed down, lowering the volume of his voice. The trio of Wonderbolts looked behind them to see every patron, waiter and waitress staring at them like they were plotting to steal Celestia's crown.

"Wonderbolt business, go back to your drinks," Silver Lining quickly assumed control of the situation. Albeit reluctantly, most of the patrons resumed their own conversations while Rapidfire quietly sipped his beer in shame.

"I'm sorry guys," he apologized.

"It's cool, bro, we took it too far," Wave Chill patted Rapid's wing.

"We're both sorry," Silver corrected, "but you really shouldn't get so worked up over not having a special somepony just yet. After all, you said you're both still young and have plenty of time," he pointed out, trying to make Rapid feel better.

"And you and Cloud Showers constantly remind us that you both got married when you were younger than us," Rapid replied.

"Different times, son," Silver Lining said to Rapid for the first time. "At least that's one good thing I can say about your generation: you're getting married later my generation and my parent's generation would. You have more time to really explore the type of mare you want to be with."

"Besides," Wave Chill chimed in, "if I were you, I wouldn't be moping about not having a marefriend."

"Oh, really?" Rapid didn't believe him, "and why would you say that?"

"While I don't find her as a possible special somepony," he ran a hoof through his spiky mane.

"You're bringing up, Surprise?" Rapidfire groaned.

"Come on, dude," Wave Chill smacked Rapidfire's shoulder. "I'm being about 95% serious here. She's always trying to ask you out to dinner or to see what plans for parties she wants to throw or to just go for a flight."

"What's the other 5%?" Rapidfire cocked an eyebrow.

"This is a mare you don't have to pay to talk to you," Wave Chill joked. "Hey! You asked," he ducked from Rapidfire's hoof.

"For your information, she hasn't asked me to 'Fly,' yet. All she does really is ask me to have a doughnut with her or watch horror movies with her."

"While I too only see her as a squad mate, I do think she is rather cute," Silver Lining piped up, "why don't you at least try a date with her? Even you know she's interested in you, and she's never brought a strange Pegasus to the Academy that wasn't the pink Earth Pony."

"You're only going to laugh at me," Rapidfire refused. Silver Lining and Wave Chill glanced at each other, nodding in silent agreement that they would keep a straight face for their comrade.

"We both promise to listen to you, Rapid," Silver pledged.

"I don't know..."

"Would you grow a pair and just tell us already?!" Wave Chill smacked Rapid upside the head. Shocked, the red stallion shook his head, casting a glance over to Wave Chill who glared at him. Knowing he meant business, Rapid gulped and unearthed a secret he'd kept from everypony he knew.

"Okay, it's not that I'm uninterested in her, she is cute," Rapid admitted. "I don't know, maybe it's just her 100% positive attitude, at least until Misty Fly shows up, her giddiness for anything and everything about candies, pranks, and parties. And how she goes out of her way to brighten everypony's day. But, I always do my best to push her away..." Rapidfire paused at the two shocked Wonderbolts before him.

"Let me get this straight, you actually do find her attractive?" Silver Lining dug around his ear with his hoof, trying to find any blockage in case he misheard Rapidfire.

"Yes...I just pretend she annoys me," he hung his head in remorse.

"WHY do you push her away then and whine about not having a marefriend?!" Wave Chill demanded. "Just say yes to her and BOOM, problem solved!" He flailed his forelegs around.

"But I can't, Wave Chill. Don't you get it?"

"Are you saying you're a coward? Because I can definitely believe that," Wave Chill said half serious and half jokingly.

"Chill..." Silver warned.

"Do you see how happy she is all the time? I'd be thrilled to share that with her," Rapid explained. "But what if I do say yes and we start a relationship?"

"Then I'd congratulate you and pour honey down my uniform for a day," Wave Chill replied. Silver Lining raised his hoof and smacked the navy blue stallion on the back of the head. "Owch!" He groaned in pain.

"I think we'd all be happy for you," Silver smiled. "Then you can double date, possibly with myself and Cloud Showers if I'm in the mood."

"What if I hurt her?" Rapid didn't seem to hear the older stallion.

"Huh?" Both Silver Lining and Wave Chill said at the same time.

"What if, I break her heart or just do something incredibly stupid that hurts her? That's quite the feat to make somepony like Surprise sad. If I were able to do that, I don't know how I could live with myself."

"Son, the only advice I can give you for that is to do what you feel is right. You may just find your special somepony if you take the risk and say, 'Yes.' You took huge risks for the huge reward of becoming a Wonderbolt; saying yes to an invitation to spend quality time with Surprise can lead to a huge reward for both of you, Rapid. You're the one who's always saying you want a special somepony. You have a good chance, just don't let it slip through your hooves."

"Wow Silver, you've outdone yourself with that," Wave Chill mumbled with an impressed sigh.

Rapidfire began to process the advice that Silver Lining had willfully distributed to him, thinking of all the times he could've said yes to Surprise, only to push her away for fear of hurting her. Looking upwards from the mahogany surface of the bar top, Rapidfire found his reflection in a giant mirror on the back wall of the bar, taking notice of the empty seat next to him. "How much longer until the show starts, Sir?" he asked Silver Lining. The smokey grey Pegasus nearly fainted at Rapidfire's first sign of respect geared towards him.

---

(11:50 pm. Roof of the Maredalay Bay, Ivan's POV)

"Now that's a view," Applejack said, dazzled by all the brilliant neon lights of the Las Pegasus strip. Our hotel was situated absolutely perfect for a view like this. Sitting at one end of the strip, we had a completely unobstructed view of every hotel in sight.

"You said it, big sis," Applebloom snapped a few pictures with a camera she bought at a souvenir stand. We ate lunch at a country style restaurant after the incident at the Hoofer Dam. While it still didn't bother me, AJ and Bloom were still pretty miffed on the train ride back to the city, but getting food in their bellies seemed to placate their attitudes.

"Careful, Applebloom," I warned.

"Ah'm not gonna go tumblin' off the side 'o the hotel, Cougar," the yellow pony looked behind me just to roll her orange eyes. Chuckling, I bent down to ruffle her red mane.

"That's not what I meant. I was justing warning you not to waste all of your film before the show," I lightly tapped her camera with my finger. Looking down at her camera and back up at me, Applebloom grinned, clicking on a button to lock the film so she couldn't take anymore pictures. "How about a better view?" I suggested, grabbing her sides and gently placing her atop my shoulders.

"Ya big doof!" She exclaimed. "First ya tell me not ta waste my film, then ya prop me on yer shoulders for an even better view?"

"Hey, it was only a suggestion," I grinned as she bopped the top of my head with her hoof. Applejack chuckled at our little brother/sister display, leaning a bit closer to me as we patiently awaited the rest of our friends to join. I found it odd that it was only ten minutes to midnight and none of the Wonderbolts were here. Maybe they were planning a sneak attack from behind like the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds liked to do. "Scootaloo, do any of the Wonderbolts show up and talk with fans before shows?" I questioned.

The three of us had bumped into Scootaloo after we ate a late lunch and decided to go see a musical at the Heavy Metal hotel a few blocks off the strip. It turns out that Rainbow had left Scootaloo in the hooves of Feather Duster for the day; the orange filly ditched her from the get go and was hiding out watching the same musical at the same hotel. So, we bought her another ticket and gladly allowed her to join us to watch the show again. "Sometimes," Scootaloo scratched the back of her purple mane. "But Rainbow and Soarin didn't tell me any of their routine plans for the show," she explained.

"Applejack, Cougar!" A familiar voice called out to us. Turning around, the four of us were met with the sight of Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, and...Discord?

"Hello my other friends!" The draconequus greeted, walking up to us wearing a tuxedo and carrying a cane in his eagle talons.

"Discord? What are you doing here?" I asked, setting Applebloom onto the ground.

"It's Las Pegasus, my dear friend," Discord struck the top of my head with his cane. But instead of being hit with a hard cane, the object in his hand turned into a piece of licorice. "Care for some sweets?"

"Eh, no thanks," I flung the candy off only to have Discord suck it up like a spaghetti noodle.

"We found him in an abandoned casino, giving shelter to the Flim Flam brothers," Fluttershy explained, "isn't he a sweetie?" Discord visibly shuddered, but I suspect he didn't mind who said it.

"The Flim Flam brothers don't have a home?" AJ asked, shocked. "Ah guess karma done took care 'o them, but Ah feel a little bad."

"Oh worry not my dear," Discord lightly traced a digit from his lion paw under Applejack's chin. I wasn't the jealous type, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to keep an eye on that, even though I knew Discord had no feelings for AJ. The orange mare jerked her head away from the lion paw, "they're nice and comfy in the penthouse suite of my casino; they should be looking for real jobs soon enough," he assured her.

"I didn't take you for a Wonderbolts fan, Discord," Spike chimed in as he and Twilight sipped some hot cocoa.

"To be honest, I'm more of a fan of when they face plant objects," Discord admitted. "I've got twenty bits that says Soarin crashes through a window of the hotel in the middle of a newlywed's honeymoon," he winked.

"Discord!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Lighten up star butt," Discord rolled his eyes. "it's just a joke. You know, those things that are supposed to make you laugh?" He asked condescendingly. With a snap of his fingers, canned laughter from a cliche sitcom suddenly filled the air, alerting other ponies on the roof.

"Oh haha," Twilight amused Discord enough to stop the laughter. Fluttershy on the other hand was actually giggling louder than I thought she could sound.

"You're so funny, Discord," the yellow Pegasus giggled, placing a hoof on his side.

"How was your day without a schedule, Twilight?" I asked as Discord and Fluttershy decided to check out the view like AJ, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and myself did. Spinning around, the princess of Friendship grabbed Spike within her magical aura and yanked him close to her so she could hug him with her wing.

"Thanks to Spike, it was one of the best days I've ever had," Twilight responded. "I got even closer to my baby boy," Spike groaned in embarrassment at Twilight's nickname for him, "and I had fun exploring a haunted casino, even if it turned out to not be haunted."

"And then we somehow ended up on stage during the Blue Stallion Group's show," Spike added. "I'm not saying it wasn't fun, but it was just strange how it just sort of, happened," he scratched the side of his head. He groaned again as Twilight kissed his cheek. "Mom!"

"Sorry, Spike. I just love your reaction to that," his alicorn mother giggled, releasing him from her wing. "We need to try another schedule free day sometime," she added, "or!" she gasped, "We should make all of our vacations schedule free," she magicked up a scroll of parchment and a quill.

"YOU!" An angry voice suddenly broke our peace. A dust colored blur shot by us, nearly knocking me onto the ground. I braced myself against the railing as AJ helped steady me. Feather Duster grabbed Scootaloo in her hooves, picked her up and held her close to her face. "WHERE THE BUCKING TARTARUS HAVE YOU BEEN!?" The janitor growled.

"Ugh, have you brushed your teeth lately?" Scootaloo held her nose with a hoof, clearly unfazed by Feather Duster.

"Because of you you little hellion, I got chased like a wild animal by angry parents who thought I was a foalnapper!" She screamed into Scootaloo's face. "I only lost them when I had to hide in a dumpster; do you know how nasty Las Pegasus garbage is?!"

"I thought you were a janitor," Scootaloo said sarcastically as the majority of us were a little concerned for the filly, "shouldn't you be used to garbage?" She blew a raspberry into Feather Duster's face, making the mare drop her.

"Do you know what I'm going to do now, you little smart ass?" Feather Duster clenched her teeth so hard I thought her bottom teeth would disintegrate. "I'm gonna tie you up in a rope, stick you in a giant slingshot, fling you back to Ponyville, and I'll finally be rid of you forever!"

"Despite the little fact that her sister is yer boss?" Applebloom raised an eyebrow.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Feather Duster screamed in frustration, picking up a nearby bucket and thrust her head inside where muffled curse words emitted from inside. After a good thirty seconds of swearing, the mare ripped the bucket off her head and chucked it over the side of the roof.

"Uh, isn't that dangerous for ponies on the ground?" Spike asked her.

"Nopony asked you!" The irritated Pegasus stomped around the roof.

"For her claiming to be evil, she's pretty stupid," Sweetie Belle chimed in, having stumbled upon Feather Duster's little rant with her big sister. "Looks like we got here just in time, Rarity," she added with a cheesy grin.

"Rarity?" Applejack asked, trying to suppress a hearty laugh, "What in the wide, wide world 'o Equestria happened ta yer mane?" She snickered a little out of her nose. I had to cover my mouth to avoid laughing as well; Rarity's usual perfectly crafted mane was sticking straight out of her head like someone yanked it back and sprayed fifty-five gallons of hairspray onto her mane.

"I spent the day at an amusement park with my darling little sister," Rarity held Sweetie Belle close in her foreleg. "And let me tell you, it was worth my mane losing its artistic coiffure just to see Sweetie Belle happy," she affirmed. But, Rarity being Rarity, she took out a hairbrush and with a few strokes, her mane returned back to normal much to her own satisfaction.

"Thanks, Rarity," Sweetie Belle hugged her sister. "I love you," she added.

"Aw, I love you too, Sweetie darling," Rarity replied. "I must remember to spend a little more time with you than usual; I think today was a good start," she grinned. A gust of wind swept through the ever growing crowd, making a few ponies shiver. I didn't mind of course, but Rarity certainly did. "Oh my, I forgot my scarf in my room, but I don't want to miss Rainbow's first show as a Wonderbolt." However, a certain purple dragon either taking advantage of a good opportunity or just being the kind guy he was quickly ran his cup of cocoa over to Rarity.

"Do you want a sip, Rarity?" He offered, "I've only taken a few," he shook the cup.

"How sweet of you, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity gushed, patting his head and took a tiny sip of the drink. Yet, the dragon was not done there, ever so gingerly, Spike inched closer to Rarity before exhaling. He didn't emit any emerald fire, but from over here, we could feel the heat radiating off of his breath. "Oh my, that's much more comfortable," Rarity found herself snuggling Spike a bit like a blanket. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing tonight?" She complemented Spike with a kiss to the cheek.

"That's one way to earn brownie points," I said softly to AJ.

"If Ah recall, ya tried that on me when ya gave me that massage before the Gala," Applejack teased me with a nudge of her elbow.

"But that was just me being a good friend!" I defended. With a chuckle, AJ gave me a light peck on the side of my neck.

"Just keep tellin' yerself that, Ivan," she smiled, nuzzling me close. Blushing, I looked over at the door leading to the stairwell of the hotel to see Lyra and Bon Bon emerge, but I could see the faintest hint of gold in the center of Lyra's horn.

"Hey ladies!" I waved them over, curious how their day went. Bon Bon noticed me right away and pulled Lyra over in our direction. As they drew closer, the gold glimmer on Lyra's horn grew clearer and clearer, holy shit. "Lyra, is that-" I began before Sweetie Belle gasped loudly.

"OH MY CELESTIA!" She squealed. "Is that a WEDDING RING!?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"WHAT!?" Rarity spun around, nearly knocking poor Spike to the ground. With both of them smiling proudly, Bon Bon cleared her throat as my jaw dropped.

"My closest friends, I'd just like to announce that Lyra and I have finally come to a decision and have gotten married!" Bon Bon announced.

"Okay, what brought this on?!" Applejack demanded.

"AND HOW COULD YOU GET MARRIED WITHOUT INVITING US!?" Rarity screamed, "I would have brought my bridesmaid dress," she whined.

"Well, it was mainly to get away from High Winds and Blaze," Lyra explained, "but after I asked Bonnie if she meant it, she told me that if I was ready, she'd go through with it. I of course said yes," the two nuzzled each other. "And don't worry," she added, "we're officially married now, but we'll have a better ceremony back in Ponyville, one that can accommodate all of you."

"Rarity?" Bon Bon turned to the seamstress.

"Dresses, wedding planning?" Rarity's horn started to shower blue sparks with excitement.

"If you don't mind," Bon Bon said kindly. Rarity started to dance around all four legs, squealing in delight.

"EEEE!" She squealed even louder. "I can't wait to get started!" Rarity cheered.

"If she's done, I'd like to extend my congratulations," Twilight shook Lyra's hoof. "And I would also like to loan you my castle for the ceremony, if you wish." Both Lyra and Bon Bon nearly passed out at Twilight's offer.

"Are you really serious?" Lyra questioned. Twilight only nodded in reply, smiling at the newlywed couple.

"We'll take it!" Bon Bon took Twilight's hoof in hers and shook it vigorously. It was then that everyone else surrounded the pair of mares, each congratulating both of them. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom all jumped around the duo, clamoring to be flower fillies once again like AJ told me they were at Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding. And since Twilight was friends with Lyra when they were fillies themselves, Bon Bon offered Twilight to be her best mare which Twilight accepted without second thought.

"Crap, this means I have to wear a tux again," I complained out loud.

"Oh it's not as bad as you think," Applejack lightly touched my hand with her hoof.

"AJ, that's one thing we have in common, hun," my fingers gently applied pressure to her hoof, "we both don't like dressing up too often."

"Ah know, but it's fer friends. 'N ya clean up real good in a tux," she purred? Woah, I've never heard Applejack talk to me like that. I don't know if I should feel nervous or excited. "If Rainbow 'n the Bolts are plannin' ta sneak up on all of us for the show, then Pinkie's the only one left ta show up."

"Uh, um," I was still reeling in from Applejack's sort of saucy voice. "She said something about Colta-Cola world, maybe she's still trying to beat a drinking challenge." A sudden flash of pink quickly proved me wrong. She zoomed past everyone; the force of her speed rivaling that of hurricane wind.

"What is it with everypony trying to knock me and Cougar down!" Spike tried to regain his balance only to have Twilight steady him with her magic.

"My knee was feeling achey," Pinkie was hyperventilating from running so fast.

"Where did the bucket come from?" Fluttershy asked, pointing to the object on top of Pinkie's head. Feather Duster whistled innocently and cast her gaze out to the strip. The pink mare ripped the bucket off her head and tossed it to the ground.

"Somepony got engaged; who was it?! I have an reception party to plan!" She screamed. "Was it you two?" She galloped over to me and AJ in the blink of an eye.

"After a week?" I demanded. "Don't you think that's moving a bit too quickly?"

"Hmm, you're right. All that cherry Colta-Cola is still wracking my precious Pinkie brain," she rubbed her temples. "And then Surprise and I sort of broke Colta-Cola world, so she had to give up the fifty thousand bits she won," Pinkie explained. "Oof!" She cried out, bending her knee several times. Suddenly, she let out a huge gasp and pointed back and forth between Lyra and Bon Bon. "OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!" Pinkie grabbed ahold of Lyra and Bon Bon in her forelegs. "It's about time you two got married! It feels like we've been waiting for one of you to pop the question for like, five years or something!"

"Pinkie," Spike said, "since you and Surprise have that 'twin sense,' do you have any idea where Rainbow and the Wonderbolts are?" He asked.

"Ooh! Twitch, twitch, twitchy-twitch," Pinkie's tail shot out and vibrated several times. Twilight gasped, grabbed Spike and collapsed to the ground with her son.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"IT MEANS DUCK!" Applejack grabbed ahold of my arms and yanked me to the ground. Just as our whole group hit the deck, minus Discord who nonchalantly sipped a coffee mug, the Wonderbolts appeared out of nowhere from behind the hotel, swooping down low enough to create a large breeze.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The other dozens of ponies on the roof cheered.

"GO RAINBOW DASH!" Scootaloo hopped up to her hooves and cheered.

"Okay, Ah think we're good now," Applejack helped me to my feet. "Ah wouldn't doubt Rainbow came up with that one."

"Wow….." I said, mesmerized by all the Pegasus ponies in the sky twirling and dancing at hundreds of miles per hour. My hand snaked its way around Applejack, scratching her lightly on her side. "Here's to a new year, AJ," I rubbed my cheek against the top of her head.

"A new year fer us ta be together," Applejack replied, stepping closer to me and snuggling my ribs as Rainbow Dash came roaring toward us, a bright flash of the rainbow bursting from around the cyan pony. I had a feeling that this would be the best year I've had in a long time; getting to share it with the mare I loved made me feel more excited.

---

(3:00 am. Ivan and AJ's room. Ivan's POV)

"Oh fuck, what's that sound?" I groaned, barely able to open my eyes. I swear I heard someone pounding a hammer into something; my brain was radiating with pain.

"Oh good, yer up," a southern voice said, angrily?

"Applejack, why is Big Macintosh working on the house so early?" I asked, opening my eyes only to see an alarm clock reading 3:00 am and an upset Applejack sitting on the foot of our bed. Those were the only things I could make out until my vision de-clouded itself. Looking down, I found myself lumped onto the floor with a broken plant vase, a lamp and an empty bottle of Marewaukee Brew. "Did someone try to burgle us last night?" I questioned, trying to sit up. When I did, however, there was a sudden rush in my stomach. Bracing my palms on the floor, I steadied myself until the dizziness wore off, but the pounding in my head and dryness of my mouth remained.

"Do ya need a bucket?" the mare asked, though she didn't sound willing to help. She sounded more stern than usual.

"N-no, I think I'm good," my words slurred. Pushing myself up slowly, the debris on my back slowly slid off, though a few spots of dirt rode down the back of my shirt. I grabbed ahold of the table next to the bed, gingerly picking myself up off the ground. "What the hell happened in here? I feel like Big Mac used me as a punching bag."

"You did all this," Applejack remarked, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

"Were, were you watching me all night?" I asked her, sitting myself down next to her.

"Just fer the hour you were knocked out is all," she said, still sounding pissed off. What in the name of Morgan Freeman happened? AJ was practically cuddling me on the roof the last time I remember. "Ya know, yer a lot heavier than ya look," she added grumpily.

"Did Rainbow swoop too low and hit me?" The pounding in my head seemed to get worse. My right hand started to rub my temples, hoping to dull the pain. I looked over to see Applejack shuffling what appeared to be a few photos around before she handed me a few of them.

"Ya don't recall a damn thing, do ya?" Uh oh, the last time she said something like that to me was when I withheld telling her that I ate meat.

"I can't, I can't like to you," forming words was beginning to get rather difficult for me. "Sorry, lie, to you," I corrected myself, still slurring. "No, I don't remember anything AJ," I took a chance and leaned close to her. Thankfully, she didn't move away, but she felt tensed up instead of loose.

"Well, go on 'n take a look then," she requested. I would've preferred her raising her voice at me; this 'calm angry' was pretty intimidating. She tapped the photos abruptly with her hoof when I couldn't put together what she meant. Finally my brain started to piece together that I was more hungover than I'd ever been. And the pounding in my head was the pounding that I was hearing.

"Who took these?" I asked, slowly flipping them around to try and form the story of the past few hours.

"Soarin hired a professional photographer ta document the after air show party," Applejack explained. 'O course nopony thought this'd be documented," she pointed to a picture of me on stage in what appeared to be a private club. I had a microphone in one hand and a plant in the other. The same plant that lied on the floor in front of the bed. Each photo that I gazed over surprised me and made me feel even worse.

"A-AJ," I began.

"Just, think," she ordered. "Think back ta the party." Squinting my eyes until all I saw was black, a few brief segments began to appear in my head. Whether or not this would be all I remembered had yet to be determined. I began to see the images a little more clearly now. Soarin had made a toast to not only the Wonderbolts, but everyone in the room. Everyone that had been invited on the trip was a close friend in some form to everyone else according to Soarin, and the show was dedicated to everyone, not just the return of the Wonderbolts. Soon enough, Fluttershy took the fillies up to her room since the party was beginning to get a little rowdier.

*Flashback*

"Come on, Cougar, it's new year's!" Rapidfire lightly shoved me as I held a bottle of beer in my hand.

"I don't know guys," I replied. "I've already had three and that's my limit," I explained.

"You can have a few more to celebrate, dude!" Soarin encouraged, chugging down some of his beer. "Celebrate the new year and celebrate that you finally got together with Applejack!" He added, pushing the bottle closer to my mouth. I was feeling a little tipsy already, and Applejack was busy talking with Rarity about something, so I guess one more wouldn't hurt. She wouldn't find out.

"There you go!" Lightning Streak cheered as I drank from my fourth bottle.

"Just letting you know that this is my last one, okay?" I paused. "It is a special occasion for many reasons," I said, resuming my drink. The next thing I knew, I was dancing around on stage, singing one of my favorite songs A cappella.

"You shhhhhake my neeeerves and you rrrrrrattle my braaaain! Too much of love drrrrriiiiives a maaaaan insssaaanne!" I slurred the hell out of the song, holding my seventh beer in my hand. "Goooodneeesshshh grasshhhouss GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!"

"Come on, giddy up Rapidfire!" I shouted as I jumped onto Rapid's back like a cowboy. The stallion started to buck wildly as I held on to him, slapping his flank. "ROCK 'N ROOOLLLLLL!"

*End Flashback

"Oh, crap," the pictures fell out of my hands. "A-AJ," I choked out.

"You knew yer limit, yet ya continued ta drink anyway," my girlfriend said angrily. 'Nice going, Ivan,' my brain said to me. I felt awful about everything, but who would I even begin to apologize for this?

"AJ, hun," I placed a hungover hand on AJ's shoulder. "I know, that what I did was uncharacteristic of me. But in my defense, it was a New Year's party," I only realized how stupid and selfish that sounded too late.

"Ivan, Ah'm not mad, but Ah AM sorely disappointed in ya. You know better than ta do this," she scolded me. My eyes started to feel wet, was I crying? My shaky fingers touched just under my eyes, feeling a hint of wetness below. "Look, Ah know it was a party, but we have limits fer a reason. What's the point 'o havin' them if ya break them without worryin' about the consequences?"

"I-I'm sorry AJ," I whispered to her.

"Ah know ya are, but how would ya feel if you had to drag my drunken flank upstairs covered in all that crap?" She pointed back to the mess of debris on the floor. Holding my head in my hands, I struggled to hold back tears. I was pissed at myself for acting like a dumbfuck, especially in front of so many ponies that I was honored to call my friends, but I'd disappointed Applejack and possibly tainted our still young relationship.

"Embarrassed, humiliated, regretful…."

"Now hold it right there, buster. You must be drunker than Ah thought if ya think Ah regret anythin," she assured me. "Ivan, Ah still love ya, more than just about anythin' in Equestria. Yer my special somepony, a special somepony that just made a mistake. It's not like ya cheated on me or stole anythin'." She nestled her head on my shoulder, but I quickly pushed her away.

"But I hurt you," I argued.

"Do ya see any bruises on me?" she asked, anger quickly fading away to concern.

"I hurt your trust. You gave me your trust, and like a fucking idiot I stomped it into the ground so I could have fun."

"Ivan, Ah still trust ya. Ah'm still disappointed, but yer actin' like Ah never want ta see ya again, 'n you know that's simply not true. We all make mistakes, nopony is perfect. Look," she added when I sat in silence feeling sorry for myself, "we've had a long day. Let's get some sleep 'n we can talk about it in the mornin,'" she kissed my cheek.

"I'll just go get the couch ready," I stood up, still being careful to not rush and accidentally vomit.

"Woah now, Ah ain't kickin' ya out!" Applejack exclaimed, hopping to her hooves.

"You never said that, I know," I walked out of the room, "but I don't deserve to share a bed with you after what I did," I grabbed a spare blanket from the suite closet and laced it over the large couch in the sitting room.

"'Course you do, Sugarcube," Applejack ripped the blanket from the sofa. "Ah still want ya by my side." She placed her hoof on my chest, giving me a look of forgiveness, compassion, and love.

"Why do I?" I asked her.

"Because, Ah love, 'n Ah forgive ya," she replied. "Please, just come ta bed, Ivan. Ah wanna feel yer arms around me, protectin' me 'n lovin' me." When she saw I wasn't budging, she slowly removed her hoof from my chest. "Fine, it's yer decision. But, Ah'm leavin' the door open in case ya change yer mind." And with that, Applejack solemnly trotted back into our hotel bedroom. The soft rustling of the sheets was the last sound I heard before a sad sigh. I was completely conflicted. On one hand, I felt like I didn't deserve Applejack after making an ass out of myself in front of everyone and then having her drag my drunk ass back to the room. I didn't want to hurt her anymore, but I also wanted to run back in the room and do what she wanted: to just hold her and tell her how much I love her. Where's a DeLorean when I needed one?

I collapsed onto the couch, covering my eyes with my arm, hoping that I was just having a nightmare and I would wake up with AJ cuddling my torso. "Luna?" I called out quietly, "Please tell me I'm having a nightmare."

"No, you're very much awake," a soft voice behind me said. Nearly having a heart attack, I flipped my body over on the couch to find Celestia standing in the kitchen of the suite. Her transparent rainbow mane flowed gracefully even without wind.

"Celestia, what in your name are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just on my way to give you your late Christmas present, but instead I find you refusing to share a bed with your special somepony…."

"Long story short, I got drunk and made a fool out of myself in front of all of my friends and humiliated Applejack," I explained, sitting up. The alicorn regally walked over and joined me on the couch, rubbing my back with her wing.

"It appears to me that you just disappointed her by failing to adhere to your previously set limits on alcohol consumption."

"She had to drag my drunk, unconscious body back to the room, Celestia," I replied, "I think that qualifies as humiliation."

"While that may be, she was willing to forgive you and still occupy the same bed as you. I think that speaks volumes for just how much she loves you, Cougar."

"See it in my eyes. She gives me her trust and her heart, and in only a week and break one. Who's to say I won't break the other?" I asked the princess.

"I see that you blind yourself with negativity," Celestia wasted no time in responding. "One mistake does not constitute failure."

"Celestia, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt Applejack. She's who I live for now, not myself. What good am I if I break her trust?"

"Understandable thinking since this is your first relationship. Cougar, the love between a mare and a stallion can only grow if both learn from each other's mistakes. It's more than likely that Applejack will make mistakes as well further along in your relationship. Would you consider the trust you put in Applejack to be tarnished if she made one mistake?"

"Absolutely not; if she did make a mistake, I'd help her get through it. I would do anything for Applejack," I swore to the alicorn.

"So, why is one mistake on your part worse than if she made one?" Celestia questioned. Now, that did make me stop and have to think harder for a second. Of course, like AJ told me, no one is perfect or mistake free, but I would try my absolute best to make sure the mare I loved was happy, loved, and could trust me. The only sounds I could hear was AJ's soft breathing, Celesita's feathers rubbing up and down my back, and the pounding in my head that was starting to diminish.

"Because it's my job to make her happy and feel loved," I replied quietly, feeling that was the best answer I could give.

"Correction: It is both your jobs to make each other happy and feel loved," Celestia stopped rubbing my back with her wing. "Right now, the best thing you can do is march into that room and be there for her like she wanted. Or you can do what you feel is right and sleep alone. The choice is yours of course. But, before I go, Merry late Christmas," a golden burst of light illuminated the room, intensifying my headache.

"What is it?" I asked, still shielding my eyes that had spots appearing everywhere.

"You know of my pet phoenix, right?" Celestia replied with a question.

"Uh, yeah, Philomena, right?"

"Indeed. She laid an egg not too long ago, and I had planned to give it to you on Christmas, but the poor thing had yet to hatch, so Philomena kept it warm until he was ready," Celestia explained as I saw a tiny red lump floating in Celestia's golden magic. She levitate the lump over to me where she dropped it into my hands.

"Why did you decide on me?" I lightly stroked the baby bird that cooed from my touch.

"A phoenix is a huge responsibility; since you were in the military for so long and you don't have a pet, I thought you might want him. I would keep him, but I only time for one pet at the moment."

"What about Luna?" I asked.

"She's more of a bat mare," Celestia smiled.

"Thank you, Celestia," I said after looking up from the baby bird. "This means a lot to me," I stroked the baby again on the wing.

"Just remember that a phoenix has a fast growth cycle. He'll be full grown in about a month." My little moment of happiness from the phoenix was shattered when I heard Applejack mumbled something incoherently from the other room.

"Do you have a cage for him, by any chance?"

Poof

A golden cage appeared in the corner of the sitting room, complete with old newspapers lining the tray on the bottom. "Once he reaches adulthood, you can graduate him to a perch," she explained. "But for now," she levitated the phoenix over to the cage and covered it with a cloth. "I do believe you have more pressing matters to attend to," she looked over at the bedroom. She didn't say anything else; she disappeared in a flash of magic, leaving me alone with my new companion.

Grunting, I sat up from the couch, leaving the blanket on the floor and used the wall to keep myself steady so I wouldn't fall over onto the floor. I knew what I had to do. Walking into the bedroom, Applejack's body was facing away from the door as she silently snored away in her sleep. The worst part was I could faintly see her forelegs stretched out, as if her sleeping form was intending for me to be there.

As softly as I could, I lifted the blanket up and slinked onto the bed. Every little creak it made worried me that AJ would wake up. Staying up for so long probably helped, but she didn't stir or awaken as I scooted closer to her sleeping form. Gently, I moved my left arm under her body, wrapping it around and pulling it closer as I laced my right arm on top of her. "I love you, Applejack," I whispered, kissing her cheek and holding her tighter. Almost immediately, her body rolled over so she was facing me albeit asleep. Her head then snuggled under my neck as her hoof laid on top of my arm. With another kiss, this time on her forehead, my eyelids drooped lower and lower until I too entered the land of slumber. But more importantly, I entered slumber with Applejack in my arms.

End Chapter 39

---

Okay, so that's it for the Las Pegasus arc of the story. Ivan had a little bit of ups and downs, but it seems that he and AJ can patch it up and work to correct those mistakes. I had so much fun writing the characters in an MLP Las Vegas, but it's time for this arc to end. ONWARD TO THE NIGHTMARE EPISODE!

But first, how about that sweet, sweet trivia?

Fallen Eagle Trivia

1) Dishonorable wasn't originally connected to Fallen Eagle. The first ending of Dishonorable seemed too corny, so I added in the plane crash to continue it.

2) Ivan's original name was Anthony Gordon. A cross between Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. It was changed because it was just a little too generic. I then switched it to Ivan after watching Rocky IV because I wanted a tough sounding name. Pearson is the last name of NASCAR Legend David Pearson and my good friend, Sassymouse, says every Pearson she's met was a take no shit kind of guy

3) When I was writing Ivan and Luna's midnight chat in Chapter 3, it was going to be the start of a romance between them. However, after seeing some potential chemistry between Ivan and AJ, I went in that direction.

4) The first idea for Fallen Eagle came to me when I was listening to the Top Gun soundtrack and heard the song Heaven in your Eyes, imagining Spike and Rarity dancing to it at the Gala.

5) After deciding that Ivan would be with AJ, I didn't want Luna alone, (she's my 2nd favorite character after AJ) so Checkered Flag was born. I was going to have her fall for him at the Gala, but I thought it would make their relationship more interesting if they revealed they were dating in secret for awhile.

6) Ivan's callsign wasn't always Cougar. In rough drafts, it was Grizz. However, Grizz just doesn't roll off the tongue like Cougar for the story. I did keep it, obviously, and still had use for it.

7) I WAS going to write a chapter where Ivan introduced Thanksgiving to the characters, but pacing problems forced me to omit it.

8) I actually had the two songs from the confession chapter planned out back in December of 2014 around the time Rainbow Rocks debuted on Netflix.

9) Before I had settled on 'Alone' by Heart for AJ's song, 'Could it Be?' From Kim Possible: So the Drama was one of my original choices. But it just didn't sound like an AJ song, more of a Rarity or even a Celestia song.

10) In a rough draft of the confession chapter, there was going to be a third song, one that Ivan sang. It was 'Let Me be the One' by Def Leppard from their 'X' album. However, since 99% of the story is in his view, the song would've been redundant, so the chat with Luna was written to coincide with her and Celestia's song.

11) The running titles in contention for the story were 'Into the Danger Zone,' and 'Hard Lock.' Fallen Eagle was chosen because of the name of the jet Ivan flew and the story is of Ivan's fall and rise.

12) I have voice actors all picked out for every one of my major OC's, but they will all remain secret until the finale with the exception of Checkered Flag as you all know is voiced by Jeff Gordon.

13) I created Etherea nearly a year ago because until I had seen Rainbow Rocks, I only saw Sunset Shimmer as a villain. Yes, she was the original choice to be the antagonist about keeping the purity of ponies intact. I ADORE her character now, especially her development, so it would've killed me to make her a villain.

14) Sweetie Belle broke the 4th wall in the first Las Pegasus chapter by giving Twilight 22 minutes before cracking. Every one part episode of the show is around 22 minutes in length.

15) My original Gala plan involved The Crusaders performing with Ivan and Vinyl. I actually can't remember why I changed it

16) Zecora hasn't appeared due to the fact I would mutilate her character. I respect her and refuse to 'damage' her in any way.

17) This one may anger a few people, but here goes. I wrote in AJ getting upset at Applebloom about Caramel simply because I don't like CaraJack at all. If you guys like the couple, awesome, I don't think of you any less. Watching Winter Wrap up, it's pretty clear she's annoyed by the mere mention of his name. To me, that doesn't translate as secret feelings.

18) Blueblood IS coming back from the Griffon Kingdom shortly.

19) The story was never meant to delve into Season 5, but I couldn't pass up the story potentials.

20) Ivan was supposed to go on a rescue mission to get AJ and his friends back from Starlight's village when they never cane back. That sequence would've been a cross between 007 and Mission: Impossible. However, every idea I had written down for what he'd actually do was pretty boring, so I opted for a huge bonding moment between he and Applebloom.

21) The opening air battle was originally set on the beaches in an abandoned Miami, Florida with ground troops occupying the beaches. The enemies would've attacked with Battleships and Destroyers while the USAF and Navy in a joint-op defended the beach in an Empire Strikes Back homage. That was changed because I couldn't figure out how to get Ivan to the Bermuda Triangle. The homage is still somewhat intact where Ivan tells Reaper, "Attack pattern Delta, go now."

22) When I first began the story, I was reading a few fanfics to try and get a better grasp on the characters. Until I looked them up, I had NO clue who Lyra and Bon Bon were. And then I of course didn't forsee them becoming one of my favorite fanon couples. As for making Bon Bon the 'dude' in the relationship, I think that came around from watching a few of her scenes from Call of the Cutie and Putting your Hoof down. Plus, Lyra didn't really have a speaking role until Slice of Life.

23) Button Mash said, "Enjoy the Loser's circle, She-Devil," in Klingon to Lullaby at the arcade.

24) The reason why I'm giving a good focus on Spike and why I ultimately decided to age him is because of the writers for the show. I look at Spike and see some really intriguing ways to help his character grow, but the writers WASTE this potential with episodes like Princess Spike and *Shudder* Spike at your service. The only way I could flesh him out in this story was to have him age, to become more of an adult and have both he and Twilight embrace the mother/son role.

25) There was going to be a sequence where Luna sensed the nightmares of a trapped Reaper being held captive in Cuba. Ivan would've launched a rescue mission with the Mane 6, Luna and a few guards to rescue him. However, I kept him dead to force Ivan to accept his previous life was over in every way. He'll never see another human in front of him ever again. REPEAT. REAPER IS DEAD.