Cutie Marks At Last

Finally the graphic lesson was over. So was the school day. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom all rushed out to meet each other and talk about what they had learned.

"That was really awesome! I can't believe that stuff actually happened!" Sweetie Belle was beaming as if she had gotten a little baby kitten.

"Yeah! You... probably shouldn't tell Rarity about it, though." Scootaloo shuffled her hooves.

Apple Bloom was about to say something when she was pushed into a mud puddle. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon burst out laughing. "Watch it, you clumsy oaf!"

Apple Bloom lifted her face from the mud, then jumped up and started yelling. "Both of y'all are just cowards! It takes two of you to push one pony! No self-respectin' pony would EVER act like either of YOU meanies!"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just cackled and trotted off. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo rushed to Apple Bloom's side. "Apple Bloom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! But they need to be taught a lesson! Like back in the really old times where..." Apple Bloom's voice trailed off. She didn't need to finish her sentence. The same idea had already sprouted and was growing quickly.

Sweetie Belle smiled. "C'mon, you guys, let's go to the clubhouse." The crusaders all galloped there. Sweetie Belle slammed the door behind everypony.

"So, what will we do to them first?" Apple Bloom was the first to start. All the crusaders knew what the subject topic would be.

"Well, we need to get some sort of torture chamber ready first, right? How about the old basement by the clubhouse?"

"Great idea, Scoots!" Sweetie Belle hoofbumped Scootaloo.

"Come on, let's go down there!" They all trotted to behind the clubhouse and down a little cellar door. It was a large room, with dusty grey walls, a rectangular table about as big as two full-grown ponies, a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, and cobwebs everywhere. Apple Bloom began to dust away some of the cobwebs while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle poked around the room.

"Well, I think we should get a plan or something..." Scootaloo's sentence trailed off as she began thinking. "We need to get them down here, first of all, but they probably won't come down just because they feel like it..."

"Leave that to me!" Apple Bloom smiled confidently. "I can find SOME way to get them down here!"

"Ooo! Ooo! Can I, um, gather some of the equipment we'll need? For, you know, revenge?" Sweetie Belle's eyes were sparkling.

"Okay! Now, what do I do?... Oh! I can find a way to spruce this place up, maybe?... Yeah! I'll do that! See you guys later!" Scootaloo galloped back up and away. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle left, Apple Bloom heading for Sweet Apple Acres, Sweetie Belle heading for the hospital.

Sweetie Belle trotted into the hospital. The nurse at the desk looked down to her. "Can I help you, sweetie?"

"How did you know my name?" The confused look on the nurse's face immediately set Sweetie Belle straight. "Oops, never mind. Um, could I see the doctor's equipment for surgery? You know, like, scalpels? And knives?"

"Erm... well, the doctor could give you a little tour of what he uses... come with me." The nurse got up and trotted to a room where a doctor and a few nurses seemed to be preparing for surgery.

The doctor glanced at Sweetie Belle. "What do you need?"

"I want to see how you use your knives and stuff to cut ponies open. You know, for, um, surgery!"

"Er... okay, are you sure you want to? You could watch, we're doing a lung transplant for somepony, although the patient could very well die, and it's very gruesome..."

"Oh, I don't mind! I can handle it, definitely!"

"Well..." the doctor thought for a moment. "All right. Go wash your hooves, and we'll give you a mask to wear."

Sweetie Belle squealed in delight and went to wash her hooves. She washed them at least ten times, just to be sure. When she finally found her way back to the room, the patient was in the room, along with the donor lung.

"Did I miss anything?"

The doctor shook his head. "No, we're starting right now. Remember, if you need to, you can always leave."

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Sweetie Belle beamed and watched as they began their work.

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Sweetie Belle trotted to the basement of the clubhouse, carrying a surgical scalpel from the doctor, along with a warning to be very careful with it and use it only under adult supervision; a pair of scissors from Rarity and a stern warning on being VERY careful; a collection of knives from Pinkie Pie plus a few cupcakes, brownies, and pieces of cake for 'baking inspiration'; a hacksaw she had 'borrowed' from a carpenter.

The lights were off, so Sweetie Belle could barely make anything out. Apple Bloom was there already, holding a platter with some beautifully crafted caramel apples. Sweetie Belle licked her lips. "Wow, those look delicious!"

"It took me a while to think of something, but I finally got the idea after I read some books at Twilight's library about using potions and stuff! They were dusty ones, she said she didn't use 'em much since she rarely had any need to, but they're really interestin'!" Apple Bloom smiled and set the platter down.

Sweetie Belle nodded and looked around. "It's kinda dark in here... could we turn on the light?"

"Way ahead of you!" Scootaloo's voice came out of seemingly nowhere, but when the lone light bulb turned on, you could see that the table had some straps on it, perfect for holding somepony down by their limbs. Scootaloo sat atop it, grinning. "Whaddya think? With Sweetie's supplies here, I can finish getting the room ready, but this is what I've done so far!"

The room was less dusty and painted black, giving an eerie feel of nothingness. There was a small pushcart by the table with many aprons laid on it, some napkins, and a weird purple serum.

Sweetie Belle arranged her items on the pushcart and turned to Scootaloo."What's the purple stuff for?"

"Oh, Apple Bloom made that. It makes it so you can't feel anything. It's a... a... what did you say it was?"

"A numbing potion," Apple Bloom replied proudly.

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, that. So we need to come up with a method for what we're gonna do abo-"

The little door above opened. Rarity's voice was clearly heard. "Oh, my, girls, it's so dirty down there! Why, the whole room is black! It's positively disturbing! Sweetie Belle, it's time for dinner! Come on, now! And you'll need to take a bath! What IS all that stuff?..."

The crusaders scrambled to hide any incriminating evidence. Sweetie Belle trotted up, beaming. "Oh, it was nothing! What's for dinner?"

Rarity gasped in horror. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, I never noticed this, but you're bleeding! On your ear!" She swept her little sister into her hooves and cuddled her close. "Oh, you poor thing!"

Sweetie Belle realized she might have been standing too close during the lung surgery and groaned, struggling to get away. "Rarity, it's fine!"

"It's NOT fine! Did you hurt yourself with the scissors? Poor Sweetie Belle, are you sure you're not too badly hurt?"

"Rarity, this isn't even my blo- I mean, yes, I'm fine! It's... just a simple cut!" Sweetie Belle finally broke free and trotted off to Carousel Boutique.

Rarity followed. "What were you girls doing down there?"

"Crusader meeting. We wanted to fix that little place up, because, um, we liked it, and we hoped we could get room decorating cutie marks!"

"Oh, that's so nice! Well, I mean, I can see you haven't gotten them yet, but when you do, know that I'll be proud of you no matter what!"

Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded. Her mind became separated into two sides: one that told her to come clean to Rarity and hope she wouldn't mind, or keep it a secret between the crusaders.

In her mind, though, there was no doubt about getting revenge. The corruption had already grown far too much to ever go back.