“Come on y’all, shake those hooves! These apples ain’t goin’ ao deliver themselves, ya know,” Applejack ordered. She reinforced her statement by slamming her hoof down hard on the ground.

Scribble groaned with pain as he pulled the wagon along. “Just where are we deliverin’ so much stuff?” Scribble asked, pointing a hoof towards the towering wagon full of goods. It was stocked with baskets of apples, a box apple cider, five bales of hay and two sacks of flour. Too heavy for just one pony to pull, least Scribble thought so.

“Quit yer belly achin’ an’ jus’ follow me, Scribble. We need ta get this stuff ta the Cakes fast.” Applejack quickly adjusted the saddle bags on her sister’s back before they could fall off for the third time this trip.

Scribble continued to pull the wagon, straining his legs as he did so. He couldn’t really hide the fact he was struggling to pull the loaded wagon full of supplies. It was easier to pull once the momentum picked up. But stopping and starting to turn corners and avoid other ponies in town was taking its toll.

“Tell me…again…why I had to…pull the wagon…AJ?” Scribble asked in between taking heavy breaths.

Applejack slowed a little to let Scribble catch up, as she now matched his much slower pace. “Cause, Big Mac is busy fixin’ the other wagon.” She gave a knowing filly another disapproved stare.

“But Applejack, it’s not completely ma fault. Was Scootaloo’s idea ta see if we could be go-kart racers,” Apple Bloom argued.

“Stow it, Apple Bloom. Yer already in enough trouble,” she ordered.

“But Applejack…”

Applejack cut her younger sibling off with a stern glare, making Apple bloom zip her lip faster than Rainbow Dash could perform a Sonic Rainboom.

Applejack took a look into the sky to check the time of day, and noticed they were running late. “Okay guys, enough chit-chat. We’re runnin’ late.” Applejack moved behind the wagon of supplies and lowered her head a little. She pressed her forehead to the back of the wagon and pushed, giving Scribble enough momentum to pull with normal speed.

It took another fifthteen minutes, but the trio from Sweet Apple Acres had finally arrived at the intended destination, a gingerbread house in the middle of town with aromas of only the sweetest verity floating out the front door.

“Ah think they already started cookin’. Me an’ Bloom will get these supplies in. Hurry an’ unload that wagon, Scribble!” Applejack yelled, as both she and Apple Bloom made a quick dash into the sweet shop.

Scribble let out a frustrated breath of air and looked up into Celestia’s beautiful morning sky. “She couldn’t have just left me to my work, could she? Nope, she had to drag me into town,” Scribble mumbled to himself. He unlatched the hook and pulled the back lid of the wagon down. After loading the bags of flour onto his back, Scribble took one last look into the sky, knowing it was going to be a long day.

Holding his head low and trotting slowly, Scribble made his way into the sweet shop to make the first of his deliveries when it happened. Streamers popped, balloons fell from the roof and a whole load of ponies screamed “SURPRISE” at the top of their lungs. At that moment the stream of positive energy from happy party ponies in the sweet shop collided with the negative energy that Scribble had been building up over the morning. He was frightened out of his flank, jumping up and sending the bags of flour on his back flying into the air. The two bags of flour hit the wall above the shop’s front door, and come back to earth with a vengeance.

A cloud of white filled the front door and surrounding area of Sugar Cube Corner, with the stunned party guests looking on with baited breath to see if Scribble was okay. When all the flour finally settled what was once a cream coated guest of honour for the surprise party was now a shocked white annoyed guest of honour. Silence was all that followed, with everypony still trying to process what just happened. All but two ponies it seemed, with a pair of baby fouls snickering to themselves near one of the tables of food.

It only took a couple of seconds for a pair of pink forehooves, one for each mouth, to stop the onslaught of giggling. “Pumpkin, Pound Cake. Sssshhhh! Stop it you two,” a laughing Pinkie Pie barley managed to say, letting out a few chuckles of her own.

By now it was written on just about everypony’s face. Try as they might, containing the laughter within was impossible. Applejack however was not laughing. She knew this was not going to end well. Racing across the party floor to Scribble who had already turned tail and started to make for the door. Applejack called out to him, pleading for him to stop.

Her calls fell on deaf ears. Scribble neither acknowledged her call or made any attempt to stop. He just kept slowly trotting in the direction of the apple farm. Applejack finally caught up to the Scribble who was lost in a world of his own despair. She put a forehoof around the back of his neck and came to a stop. This prompted Scribble to come to a complete halt, to which he offered no resistance. Applejack moved in front of him so she could look him directly in the eyes. She lifted his head up with a forehoof in attempt to comfort him. “Listen sugar, that was an accident. No need ta think it’s the end o’ the world.” She put a brave face and a big smile on for Scribble, in hopes it just might work. “We can still have a wonderful party fer ya. Let’s get ya cleaned up an’ back inta the fun. Sound good?”

Scribble hesitated at first, but slowly came around and agreed with a nod of his head. Applejack, despite the fact it would also get her partly covered in flour, gave Scribble a big hug. “Ah’m mighty proud of ya fer givin’ this party anotha’ go.”

Scribble took comfort in the fact there was somepony by his side during these hard times. If not for Applejack he would have no idea where he would be right now, most likely with his family in whatever amounted for an afterlife. Scribble scolded himself for thinking of such things, and simply concentrated on the pony who was the least bit nice towards him at the here and now.

Applejack broke the hug and started back towards the sweet shop. “Come on, let’s get ya all cleaned up,” she offered, motioning with her head towards a water tap on the side of the building. Scribble managed to brand a small smile as he followed Applejack towards the tap, and hopefully a clean coat.

By now loads of party guests had started peering out the windows and doors to see the situation unfold. One pony in particular bolted out the front door to offer her help once she saw Scribble’s coat covered in flour and Applejack’s idea being to use water to wash it off. She raced around the corner and caught Applejack just before she could apply water all over his coat. “Wait, stop!” she yelled, hoping it would get Applejack’s full attention.

It worked. Applejack halted from turning the tap on and releasing the water from the garden hose. “Darling, don’t ya know what would happen if you apply water to that flour?” Rarity asked, snatching the hose from Applejack’s mouth.

It suddenly dawned on Applejack and Scribble that adding water to flour would make the flour much harder to clean. Both of them branded blushing red cheeks in embarrassment of not noticing this point sooner, with both of them being experienced bakers and all. “Oh…yeah,” was all Applejack could say before a look from Rarity meant she was going to get scolded later for this.

By now Pinkie, Twilight and Rainbow had all come around the corner to investigate the situation. “Pinkie, be a dear and keep the party going for us please,” Rarity asked in her normal polite demeanour.

“Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie responded, a blur of pink all that was left of where she was standing.

Rainbow dash caught on quickly to the idea that she was going to have to help Pinkie stall the party. “But, just where are you going?” she demanded to know.

“I will be taking this pour soul back to my place for a proper cleansing. We simply can’t have him be at his own party looking like this.” Rarity pointed a hoof towards Scribble, presenting him like a new dress ready for display. The look in her eyes sold her friends, they agreed, some of them against better judgement.

Rainbow dash groaned in protest but, like the rest of the gang, agreed. Twilight thumping her in the side helped the decision. “Fine, but make it quick. We can’t keep all those guests distracted for long,” Rainbow huffed.

Twilight gave Rainbow anther disapproving stare as she shoved Rainbow Dash towards the door. “Just be sure you make it quick, please, Rarity.”

“Will do, Twilight,” Rarity agreed as she waved Twilight and Rainbow off. She turned her attention back to Applejack, “Applejack, you should help them out as well while I clean this poor pony up, goodness knows they will need all the help they can get.”

“Ah’m sorry Rarity, but no can do. Ah’ll be sticking close ta Scribble here,” Applejack announced, putting a hoof around Scribble to ease the pressure.

“Fine. Let’s hurry up and get to my house. I got just the thing for this kind of situation.” Rarity began to lead the way back to Carousel Boutique when she noticed Scribble was yet to move. “Come on, darling we must hurry,” Rarity pleaded hoping Scribble would see reason.

“It’s okay sugar, ya can trust Rarity here. If anypony can fix a fashion disaster, it’s her.” Applejack’s reassuring seemed to have done the trick. Scribble gave a reluctant nod, and followed after Rarity at full gallop.

Rarity hastily opened her front door before issuing orders, “Quickly dear, we must get him into the bathroom!”

Scribble paused just shy of putting a hoof into Rarity’s shop. Rarity turned and gave him a look of shock, wondering why he stopped. “Um…won’t I get flour all over your nice carpet?” Scribble sobbingly asked, not wanting to cause any damage to the shop.

Rarity was flabbergasted. She turned back around and grabbed Scribble by the forehoof, and dragged him into the boutique. “How can you even think about that at a time like this? We have a real emergency on our hooves here!” she yelled, pulling Scribble straight into the bathroom. Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at Scribble as she quickly followed him into the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Rarity shoved Scribble into the shower and shut the door. “Now hold still darling, this won’t take but a few minutes,” she ordered as her horn flared up.

“Rarity, jus’ what in tarnation ya thinkin’ o’ doin’ here?” Applejack looked worried as multiple pieces of makeup equipment started to hover around a sweating Scribble.

“Don’t worry, Applejack. I use this spell all the time to remove makeup really fast,” Rarity explained as she started to concentrate and surround Scribble in a glow of fine blue.

“Um Rarity, ya sure this is safe? I never been encased in Unicorn magic before.” Scribble panicked, starting to fidget and look really uneasy.

“Why yes darling. I assure you, it’s completely safe. Now hold still for just a moment,” Rarity ordered. The spell took full effect and blinded the entire bathroom in a white-blue glow. Powder brushes, lash groomers and an array of other makeup tools started to constantly pat down or stroke Scribble’s coat. White dust filled the air inside the blue bubble surrounding the flour coated pony. Rarity’s custom Makeup Remover spell seemed to be doing the trick. It peeled and brushed off all of the white flour of Scribble’s cream coat.

For the next three minutes Rarity filled the bubble with her magic, concentrating real hard, even sweating a little. “Okay, that should just about do it,” Rarity cheered, a blue bubble full with white flour bits filled a garbage bag floating nearby. What was left was a clean and sparkly Scribble Script.

He slowly opened his eyes upon feeling no more tools stroking or prodding his coat and mane. He looked round to see his hooves nice and clean, back to their normal creamy selves, and two very happy ponies with big smiles on their faces. “I take it the spell worked,” he ask, still with some doubt.

“Why, of course darling! I told you not to worry.” Rarity levitated over several mirrors so Scribble could look at himself from all directions.

“Wow Rarity, seems like ya cleaned him up real nice like,” Applejack complemented, impressed Rarity pulled it off.

“I’m back to normal, thanks mate.” Scribble was actually quite happy, no more flour and somepony was really nice to him with no strings attached. ‘Maybe Ponyville is a nice place for a new life…ya wishful thinking, like anything good every happens to me.’ Scribble’s smile disappeared again, with his normal mopey expression returning.

Rarity looked Applejack in the eye out of concern. “I thought he was happy to have the flour off?” she asked, wondering what she could have done to offend Scribble.

Applejack looked concerned, Scribble was just slumping deeper into his misery. “Hey now, no need ta go inta anotha slump again, is there? Ya jus’ got yerself cleaned up right?”

He let out a sigh, “I know, I know. It’s nopony’s fault…I just have things on my mind is all,” Scribble sadly admitted.

“Well, I know just the ticket then,” Rarity chirped getting the attention of the other two ponies in the bathroom. “Let’s make haste back to that party. Don’t want to keep those guests waiting too much longer, do we?”

Now all clean and ready to go, Scribble slowly made his way out the door. He stopped a second and turned to address Rarity for one last point before he forgot. “Um…thanks Rarity. What ya did, was…well, was very nice of ya. Cheers again, mate,” Scribble managed with somewhat of a smile. He then proceeded out the bathroom and made for the front door, trotting slowly and looking like a lifeless spirit more than an excited pony going to a party.

“What was that all about?” Rarity asked, confused beyond belief. “It’s like nopony has ever done anything nice for him before.”

“That’s probably not ta far from the truth,” Applejack let out in agreement.

“WHAT!....”

Scribbled turned back around to see what the sudden outburst was. His expression unchanged, but his curiosity aroused. He saw Applejack giving him a huge smile with one of her forehoofs stuck in Rarity’s mouth. Applejack used one of her hind legs to kick Rarity in the flank, hard. This elected a painful ‘yipe’ from Rarity, well as much of a yipe as she could manage with Applejack’s hoof in her mouth. ‘Great, more rejection… like I care anymore.’ Scribble let out another sigh and continued his slow trudge towards the front door.

“Listen, Ah promise Ah will explain later. Fer now, just keep yer yap shut, okay?” Applejack’s stern look conveyed her question in more ways than one to Rarity.

“Mmm hmm,” was all Rarity could manage with a hoof still in her mouth.

“Good.” Applejack finally pulled her hoof out of Rarity’s mouth with a loud pop. “Now let’s get ta the party, Scribble already out the door.” With her piece spoken, Applejack made after Scribble Script.

“Eww hew, my mouth,” Rarity cried out, tongue dangling out of her mouth in protest. Applejack quickly turned around and gave Rarity her version of Fluttershy’s stare. Rarity let out a loud huff in protest. “Fine! But they better have something at that party to get this taste out of my mouth.”

Scribble and his cleaning crew made it back to the party in good time. Taking only twenty five minutes to get Scribble all cleaned up and ready to shake his booty. He approached the door to the sweet shop much the same way he left, sad and upset. Applejack had just about all she could take of Scribble feeling down, and was about to literally buck him into the party when Pinkie Pie popped out of a nearby garden bed. Completely stunning Applejack and Rarity, but for some strange reason Scribble was unfazed. Whether he was just too depressed, or simply used to it, Applejack had no idea. She made a mental note to ask Scribble about this later.

“Welcome back party pony guest of honour!” Pinkie greeted with way to much excitement.

“Um Pinkie, ya might wanna settle down some…”

Applejack was cut off as Pinkie completely ignored her and pulled out a party hat. She quickly strapped it on Scribble’s head. “Don’t forget your party hat silly billy.”

“PINKIE!” Applejack yelled, now with her muzzle in Pinkie’s.

“Yes Applejack?” Pinkie chirped, giving Applejack a few fluttering winks.

Applejack let out a frustrated sigh, “Pinkie, ya need to settle down a bit. Take it easy on Scribble. He has been through quite an ordeal the last couple o’ weeks.”

“…Fine…party pooper,” Pinkie sobbed.

Applejack was about to speak when an impatient Pinkie cut her off to address Scribble. “So…hi, I’m Pinkie Pie. And I’m your very best of bestest friend here in Ponyville.”

Scribble’s eyes lit up with red veins visible throughout his whole eye. He froze in place at Pinkie’s last comment, almost the same reaction somepony would have if they got stunned with an electric zap.

Applejack shot to attention, “Oh no! Scribble, wait!”

It was too late before Pinkie or Rarity could even read the situation Scribble lost it. “No…no…nnnnooooo, not again. This is too hard! I can’t!” Scribble yelled as he started to flip out.

“Scribble, jus’ calm down,” Applejack peacefully encouraged, trying hard to avoid what happens next.

“Sorry Applejack! I just can’t do this! I just can’t, not now!” Scribble throw Pinkie Pie off his back and bolted back towards Sweet Apple Acres. No amount of yelling or begging from Applejack could stop him. Dust swept up into the air and droplets of water could be seen flying behind a saddened Scribble.

“Was it something I said?” ask a confused Pinkie.

Applejack let out a sigh, it was going to be a long night. “Yes Pinkie it was. But it not yer fault. Ah ain’t got the time ta explain jus’ now sorry girls. Have a nice party, ya hear?” She galloped off after Scribble. “Oh an’ tell Apple Bloom ta come right home afta’ the party please.”

Author's Notes:

Least I'm over being sick now. Sorry again for the delay. But that what we call life happens sometimes.