In Zecora’s vaja, things were happening. Or were they?! Let’s find out. One... two... three... nom. How many licks does it take to get to the iron and nickel centre of a Tootsie Pop? I sure don’t have the patience to find out.

“Hiiighway, to, the, com-fort zone!” Scootaloo sang. “I don’t know, it’s not as dramatic.”

“You’re probably right,” Zecora said. “We might need to... to....”

“...Yyyeeeaaahhh?”

“I can’t think of anything.”

“It’s okay—”

“It’s not okay, I used to rhyme all the time. I’ve been yelling at ponies because I can’t come up with anything and they rightfully complain about it.”

“Come on. Nopony... or zebra... else does it, so why should you have to?”

“Because I’m supposed to. I rhyme, that’s my thing. I can’t just....”

“...Yeah?”

“I can’t think of anything.”

“It’s okay—”

Meanwhile, Applejack had just woken up. She opened her eyes, got out of bed, blah blah blah, then she said something.

“Rainbow,” she said, seeing her on the bed. She giggled for one “hm”. “Never gets up before me....”

She went downstairs into the lavatory and brushed her teeth. Immediately after finishing, i.e., doing the spitty part, she realised something.

“Wait a minute...” she said to her reflection. “Ah didn’t ‘ave Rainbow over last naht.”

She had a super sexy shower and that was fun, then she went back up to her room.

“Rainbow,” she said softly, nudging Rainbow Dash slightly.

No response.

“Wake up,” she said firmly, applying a moderate amount of pressure to her.

No response.

“RAINBOW DASH!”

Rainbow rolled over. “What?”

“You weren’ here last naht.”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“Ah mean you weren’t here, and now you’re in mah bed.”

“I was here. You probably just don’t remember shit ‘cause of all the drinkin’ you did. Now lemme sleep.”

“Did Ah do any stupid drunk stuff?”

“I saw you unconscious on the floor, so I got to Twilight so she could get you to Zecora and then everything was fine. Now lemme sleep.”

“Scootaloo?” Zecora said to a rather fainted-looking Scootaloo. “You drank the healing thing, right?”

She looked at a couple fun magical alchemy potions and noticed that the bottle with the clear liquid was full instead of the bottle with the clear liquid.

“Crap.”

Zecora carried Scootaloo uphill through the snow to the normal hospital.

“Holy Magikarp, Zecora?”

“Can you fix the Scootaloo on my back?”

“I can tell a doctor to do it.”

“That’s what I mean.”

MEANWHILE AT SWEET APPLE ACRES!

“Do ya realahse what this means?” Apple Bloom said to Sweetie Belle between sips of soft (hopefully) cider.

“Scootaloo might be dead or something and we should be worried? Because we already covered that.”

“Exactly, but how are we gonna do the BallX game without ‘er?”

“Can we bring in a different pony?”

“No.”

“Then what can we do? Lose by default?”

“There’s not much Ah can—”

The phone rang and Applejack immediately bolted down the stairs. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle continued to stare at each other, each expecting the other to say something.

“Apple Bloom,” Applejack said. Interestingly, Apple Bloom came down and got the phone.

“Hello?” Apple Bloom said.

“Hey, Apple Bloom,” said Pinkie Pie. “You should know that since the BallX field’s gonna be snowed over for a while and with all the unicorns and shovel-owners in Ponyville having more important things to do, the game’s gonna be postponed until the snow melts.”

“Really? That’s awe—er, Ah mean aww, that sucks.”

“Welps, unless somepony decides they care about a random BallX game in the next before the snow melts, that’s how it is. Bye!”

“Bah.”

They both hung up.

“Ah need to know all the details ah your lahfe,” Applejack said.

“The BallX game’s gettin’ delayed.”

“Ah know, Rainbow told me.”

“Whah di’int y’ tell me?”

“‘Cause Ah ain’t gonna give the enemy all that information.”

“‘Kay... Ah’mma go back upstairs now.”

“Me too.”

“Will she be all right?” Zecora said to a random nurse.

“She should be out in two weeks.”

“All right.”

“Aren’t ya usually gone bah this tahme?”

“But I love you and I wanna do anythin’ you want.”

“Marshmallows?”

“No.”

“But that’s all ah feel lahke.”

“So do you want me to leave or not?”

“Go.”

Rainbow left the building and Applejack slammed her door in both ways.

“Ah regret mah decision.”

Big Mac knocked Applejack’s door. Not like that.

“What?” Applejack said.

“I gave the prisoners soup—”

“You what?! Big Mac, Ah can’—”

“Listen. I gave the prisoners soup, but it was cold. Not cooled down, I had it in the fridge.”

“Oh, that’s what that was about... ‘kay.”

“You could see how confused and surprised and saddened each one of them was when they took their first bite and it was fridge-cold... I feel sort of evil, actually.”

“You can’t let yourself think that, Big Mac. They trespass an’ clop to you, so we keep ‘em in ‘til we feel lahke it.”

“I just feel sometimes we’re overreacting a little.”

“Don’ be ridiculous....”

Big Mac went to his room and spent the rest of the day watching Minecraft videos.

“Need ta end ahn somethin’ all climactic...” Applejack said. “Ah know, Ah can talk about the weather! Wait, that’s climatic. But, uh... this show’s mane characters don’ ‘ave very good criminal records. Twahlaht’s a rapist, Rainbow’s a thief, Ah’m a foalnapper, some ah Pinkie’s pranks haven’ been so legal... so there you go.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 162: The Penultimate Chapter Estimated time remaining: 28 Minutes