Noteworthy was bored. He surely wasn’t tired. No. He could handle a whole day at his job, doing nothing but watering flowers and collecting money from customers. No, Noteworthy was plain and simply bored out of his mind. His golden irises looked up at the Macintosh Mountains, finding the Sun slowly descending behind the rocky formation. It was about six o’ clock, which meant that he had about half an hour before he could get off work and get home.

And how great home would be, especially with what he was bringing. Looking to the ground next to him, Noteworthy smiled, his eyes taking notice of the large plastic bags nestled inside his saddlebags, already prepped for his departure. Knowing that there wouldn’t be many customers to tend to, he bent over and grasped his teeth on his bags, hoisting his head up and over and finally depositing the bags onto the stand in front of him.

Using his muzzle, he threw the flaps open, sucked in his cheeks, and made sure everything was there and accounted for. He had gotten groceries on his lunch break, a large amount that would probably make anypony think twice about eating it in its entirety. Bread, pasta, lettuce, it was all there. Eyes taking notice of the small list crammed against the bag, he retrieved it with a hoof and realized it was his shopping list.

He suddenly wondered why after wanting bread, pasta, and lettuce, she would want cookies. Scrunching his eyes, he then wondered what she had meant by cookie burgers, and remembered he had also gotten hay for them. Frowning, he let go of the list, watching as it floated down into the saddlebag. Closing the flap, he suddenly had an idea, turning tail to talk to his boss, who was busy doing his other job.

Turning the hose off, she turned, hearing his hoofsteps, “Hey Noteworthy, ya ready to go home so soon?” She laughed, giving him a smile, “I don’t mind if you get off early. I know how important it is for you to get ho-”

“Actually,” Noteworthy said, grinning at her, “I hope I’m not being too rude for asking, but… you mind if I grab a bouquet? I could pay.”

Roseluck’s ears flattened against her head as her lip wobbled, “No… no need, Noteworthy.” She turned, plucking a collection from the cart. “She still want roses?”

Noteworthy nodded, retrieving the bouquet from Roseluck, who couldn’t help but d’aww at the situation. Noteworthy gave a small thanks, turning on his heel to collect his saddlebags. Instead, another idea sprung, and he reached a hoof inside and found a single bit. Trotting over to the register, he opened it up and placed it inside, catching the attention of his boss.

“What, that’s it? One bit?”

“Yup. Deal with it, boss.”

“Rude,” Roseluck said, but she was chuckling.

Noteworthy, bouquet in hoof, turned back to his saddlebags and began to walk toward them, thinking about how great it would be to finally get home after the long day, and to finally see-

“YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!”

A blue Pegasus suddenly careened into the flower stand, absolutely destroying it and sending bits and pieces of wood into the air in his wake. He ducked, rolled, and finally settled on the grass in a broken position, before he got up and began to brush the dust off himself. He suddenly gained notice of a pair of eyes looking at him, and found a blue stallion glaring at him blankly, a frown on his face in what he assumed to be tranquil rage.

“Sup.”

“Shitbag.”

“Jesus,” Delirious said, drawing his head back, “work on the language dude. There’re foals here, man.” Ignoring the calling of protest from what he noticed was a mare, Delirious unfurled his wings and flew back to his attacker, giving a giggle all the while. “Dude you won’t fuckin’ believe what just happened-”

“Did you see that shit?! I sent your ass flying, Delirious!” Vanoss replied, a huge grin on his face as he threw up his arms.

“You fuckin’ dropkicked me, man. It was fuckin’ sick!”

“You two done yet?”

They turned, finding Rainbow Dash hovering in the air, arms crossed, “We’re kinda trying to find a missing cart here…”

“Oh, I found it!” Vanoss said, pointing at the stallion next to him, “It’s in Delirious’ asshole!”

Delirious giggled, turning his body around and sticking his rump out. Wiggling his body, he could barely keep himself together, “G-go on now! Take a look inside! There’s candy!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, rotating her body to hover away from the two, muttering, “Men…” under her breath, just enough for them to hear.

Vanoss and Delirious laughed into the dusk sky, their thoughts anywhere but their current mission. Calming down, they looked at one another with large, dramatic, right-after-you-make-a-shitty-joke-and-laugh-really-long sighs.

Vanoss broke the silence.

“No but seriously Delirious you need to stop sticking candy up your ass.”

Delirious raised his tail, reaching behind himself and pulling out a box of P’s & Q’s, whimpering feignedly, “I just c-can’t help myself man…” He opened the box as he began to cry, tipping the carton over until the contents spilled down his mouth.

“Jesus Delirious, I was just fucking around. That’s gross.”

“Yeah, well that’s what I said to your mama last night-”

“Fuckin’ got me,” Vanoss said with a laugh, to which Delirious joined, throwing the box of candy on the ground. Vanoss sighed, raising a hoof and placing his sunglasses atop his head. “God, I’m tired. It’s like eight o’ clock-”

“Actually,” a voice said from nearby, “it’s six oh-five in the afternoon.” They looked to the source, and found Apple Bloom, her Crusader cape furling in the wind behind her. She noticed Delirious staring, and promptly reached to her side and pulled his out. Frowning, she flung it at him, “Put this feathered thing on! Yer a Crusader, Delirious! Y’all gotta act like one!”

Delirious stretched the cape in front of him, eyeing its red surface with a raised brow, “It’s, like, the exact same as yours.” Looking down, he added, “I told y’all I don’t like wearin’ this thing…”

“Well, you’re gonna have ta deal with it,” Apple Bloom explained, sticking out her tongue, “plus, we actually did put something on your cape-”

“Hey! Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom turned, finding almost the rest of the party nearby. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gave her smiles, and immediately raised hooves to yawn simultaneously. Rainbow struggled to not join in, instead opting to remain hovering in the air, scratching the back of her head as she scanned the area around them.

The marketplace was about empty, the immediate time calling for ponies to return home for the day. Though there were a few left here and there, the amount was manageable, and the group was able to ask around about their mission in less than ten minutes.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to help them accomplish it.

“Still can’t believe nopony saw it yersterday…” Rainbow said, turning back to the others, “you’d think a big, wooden cart would be pretty easy ta spot.” Sighing, she looked behind her, watching out for her friend.

“Where’s Applejack?” Scootaloo asked, adjusting her cape with a hoof. Failing, she jumped slightly as Sweetie Belle ignited her horn next to her, beginning to do it herself.

“Not sure, Squirt. She could be anywhere by now.” She looked at the filly, adding, “I’m not sure why it’s so important to her…”

“Maybe it’s ‘cause she, I dunno, finds it important?” Delirious asked, giving the mare a blank look, “‘cause it’s, I dunno, the Harvest tomorrow?”

Rainbow Dash rotated swiftly, a glare on her brow as she pointed, “That’s not what I meant! I’d buy her a friggin’ ’nother one if I had to!” Crossing her arms, she gave another sigh, and finally yawned, “I just don’t know why this one is so important, I guess.”

“Well,” a voice began, “Ah s’pose it’s just ‘cause o’ tradition.”

Their heads turned, finding a very tired-looking Applejack trudging toward them as slowly as a snail in withdrawal. She stopped a foot away, adjusting Delirious’ cowboy hat atop her head. Looking at the group, she gave a weak smile, “That cart is Apple Family tradition, passed on by mah parents, and passed on by their’s.”

Rainbow gave a frown as she turned away slightly, trying her hardest to not yawn involuntarily.

Somepony else did next to her, catching the orange mare’s attention.

“Hey, Bloom,” she said, her voice soft, “y’all tired yet?”

Apple Bloom, through a yawn, waved her sister off, “‘course not! Ah can handle this! Ah ain’t tired-”

“Bloom, Ah wouldn’t put it past ya if y’all were tired. If ya wanna head back to the barn and get some shut-eye, Ah’d understand.” She spun, staring at the others, “that goes for you too, everypony. Ah shouldn’t’ve sent y’all on some wild goose chase. Goes to show how much Ah ain’t the Element of Loyalty-”

A cyan blur tackled her, grabbing her in a tight hug. Applejack, though confused at first, eventually realized who it was, and returned the gesture. Rainbow Dash escaped after a couple seconds, saying with a hoof to her chest, “But I am, and there’s no way I would not help my best friends.” She chuckled, adding, “Especially you, AJ.”

The mare smiled, looking to the ground next to her. Her little sister sat, belly to the air, asleep, snoring as loudly as a cow in a tin foil house. Applejack gave a small laugh, grinning, “Guess she got bored listenin’ to us ramble.” Bending over, she picked the filly up, nestling her over her back. “Ah’ve gotta get ‘er home. Ah s’pose you all should too. Ain’t fair o’ me to keep ya from sleep, especially you Rainbow Dash.”

She looked down at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, “And you two should head off home. Ah know fer a fact that Sweetie Belle’s got bass lessons tomorrow, an’ it’s not nice of me ta have Rares be worried about you,” Turning, she said over her shoulder, “head on home now.”

“Applejack, the Harvest is tomorrow. What’re you gonna do?” Rainbow Dash asked, a grim expression on her face.

Applejack spun, looking her friends in the face. In the dawning moonlight, they could see the large bags nestled underneath her eyelids, her kind, happy expression betraying them entirely. She gave a soft smile, claiming in a low voice, “...well, Ah s’pose the Harvest’ll have ta wait for a couple days. No worries.”

She looked at Delirious, but addressed the crowd, “Thanks for the help y’all. But Ah think it’s about time ta quit.”

Finally, she walked off, heading to Sweet Apple Acres, the snoozing Apple Bloom draped over her back. The five remaining looked at one another in silence, their thoughts different from each others.

Finally, Vanoss spoke, yawning, “Well, I’m fuckin’ tired.” He turned right, intending to head into town, “c’mon Delirious. Let’s see if we can get some dirty ass motel for the night.”

“No.”

“Don’t start none o’ this bullshit with me, Delirious. I’m tired, they’re tired, and you’re tired too, don’t even think about denying it. Let’s go to bed and get some food tomorrow. The cart’s long gone, man.”

“No it’s not.” He turned, glaring at his friend, “We’ll find it.”

“I’m not tired. I’ll help,” Scootaloo said, walking up next to Delirious.

“Me too!” Sweetie Belle shouted happily, bouncing next to the stallion. “Miss Philharmonica can wait until next week!”

All three turned to Rainbow Dash, who was in the midst of flaring her wings to take off. She looked at them, as if she was a foal who had been caught trying to get into the cookie jar. She gave a seemingly blank look.

Remaining like this, the two parties attempted a stare-off. Rainbow relented, folding her wings by her sides. She sighed, “Alright. Fine.”

“Yay!” Scootaloo called, rushing to the mare and giving her a hug. “Don’t worry Rainbow Dash! We’ll make sure to find it in ten seconds flat!”

Rainbow gave a snort of approval, smiling at the filly. “Good to hear, Squirt.” She joined the three, making it four. They all gave each other sly grins, and finally gazed at Vanoss as one, swift as a hungry vulture.

He gave a bored expression, rolling his eyes underneath his aviators.

“No.”

“Oh come on, Vanoss. Don’t be a di- don’t be a douche.”

He looked up at Rainbow Dash, who flipped a lock out of her eyes and frowned at him, “Delirious isn’t going with you. You really wanna walk through town by yourself?”

“Well, yeah. Watch, I’m going right now.” He began to walk backwards, still making eye contact with the group as he did so. “See? Look, I’m leaving. I’m leav-” He suddenly felt something hit him in his behind. Spinning on his hooves, he found a small tree in his way. Giving a harumph, he quickly reached to his crotch, pulling a special carbine out.

Holding it in one hoof, he fired without warning, spraying wood chips everywhere and eventually emptying the clip into the tree’s midsection.

Creaking in the wind, it fell over.

He looked back at the group, their faces seemingly unimpressed at his freakout.

His tongue against his cheek, he regarded the fallen tree on his right and the small rock to his left for awhile.

He gave the most forced sigh that humanity had ever seen, holstered his carbine, and gave the sky to his east a very hard glare. His hooves almost five-thousand pounds against the dirt, he joined the group, plopping himself down on the ground with a grunt of acceptance.

The four cheered.

Rainbow turned to Delirious, “So, I hope you don’t mind if I lead this, since I know the town better than you-”

“Sure.”

“Alright, cool.” She scratched the back of her head, glimpsing at the rest of the town. “I guess we might as well head that way, toward the square.”

Delirious nodded, beginning to follow Rainbow as she flapped her wings and began to fly toward the town center. Looking behind him, he waved a hoof at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who gave him large grins in return and joined him.

Rainbow stopped, whirling around as the three passed underneath her. Frowning, she hovered toward Vanoss who still sat on the ground. Crossing her forelegs, she growled at him, catching his attention. “Get your ass up, come on now.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, horse.”

She smacked him softly, threatening him, “I ever tell you what my people did to Earth Ponies in the war?”

“What, fire guns? Send bears?”

She gave him a grin, “You can’t die, right?”

Vanoss’ eyes went wide, sunglasses flying off and onto the ground. “Why-”

Suddenly, he found himself being held by a pair of hooves. Shouting, he grit his teeth, attempting to shove the mare off him as they began to ascend, but to no avail.

“Holy shit, you’re a lot stronger than I thought you were!”

Rainbow only beamed at him, brow furrowed to impossibly scary levels.

On the ground, Delirious, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo continued to walk away, completely aware of what was happening behind them. Softly, Delirious said, “Don’t look, alright guys?”

“Why not? He’ll come back-”

“It’ll fuck you up if you look.”

“How do you even know what she’s doing?” Sweetie asked, increasing her pace to further the distance away from the scene.

He remained silent for awhile as they trotted past the dark houses and bright street-lanterns, before simply saying, “I just do." Suddenly, he stopped, confusing the two. Without a word, he adjusted the capes around their necks, previously furled by the night's winds. Getting up, he smiled underneath the mask. "Now c’mon. I don’t think the square’s too far off.”

“Okay,” was their response.

Behind them, Rainbow Dash and Vanoss finally reached two-hundred feet.

Author's Notes:

I can see Vanoss as being a complete dick when he's tired.

Also, despite shit in real life, I was able to publish this five days after the last. I have no idea how I managed this. I believe it to be mediocre, though. I'm sorry, guys.