“Let’s take it in for the night, girls,” pouted the small orange filly as she trotted into the tree house. Her two friends followed her, with equally disappointed expressions. The trio had made various attempts at gaining their cutie marks, and this day was no different. They had yet again wasted their day performing humorously deranged stunts, but, like any other day, they ended in failure.
“Let’s just face it now, we’re never gonna get out cutie marks!” Apple Bloom whined, on the verge of giving up.
“Hey, don’t say that!” Sweetie Belle lectured, her voice cracking as her voice raised. Though she refused to admit it, she was tempted to give in to failure. Were they acting fickle, or were they simply beginning to embrace a brutal reality? She shook her her head at this ridiculous thought. They were just kids! Their cutie marks would come in time, and they shouldn’t fret over such frivolous matters.
Of course, she couldn’t say this to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, as they were both too stubborn to listen. “Why don’t we take a break for a while?” Sweetie suggested. “We can try again tomorrow, right Scootaloo?”
The filly flipped her fuchsia mane and sighed. “Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled. Suddenly, she perked up. “It is getting pretty late, why don’t we meet here tomorrow at dawn? I think I might just have an awesome idea, but we can’t do it right now.”
“Yer not gonna make us do somethin’ involving trees, are ya? It took forever for Applejack to get the sap out of mah mane last time...” Apple Bloom stroked her velvet red mane, recalling the various incidents.
“Don’t worry, Apple Bloom, we’re way past those lame old ideas. This one’s going to blow some minds!” Scootaloo exclaimed triumphantly, leaving Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to exchange looks.
“Would ya mind tellin’ us what that idea is?” Apple Bloom asked.
Scootaloo shook her head. “No, not yet. I need to think this through,” she explained. “Be here at dawn tomorrow and I’ll explain everything!” The two fillies again exchanged questioning glances, but nodded, and with that, they called it a night.
Sweetie Belle wearily made her way through the front door. “Hey, Rarity,” the marshmallow hued filly said in a tired but warm voice. She was always excited to see her big sister, no matter how stressful her day had been. Celestia knows how strenuous life could be for a young filly!
“Good evening darling,” Rarity replied, slightly turning her head from her work to acknowledge her sister’s presence. “Any luck with your cutie marks today?” She asked enthusiastically, though she figured nothing new had happened.
“No,” Sweetie sulked, brushing her hoof against the ground. “This is getting so pathetic! When are we going to get them?” She bleakly drooped her head, her vibrant mane covering her face.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity trotted over to her sister, pulling her into a warm embrace. “Don’t speak so negatively! You’re just fillies, you can’t expect to gain your marks over night!”
Sweetie Belle’s glistening green eyes met her sister’s gaze. “But we’ve tried everything! And all the colts and fillies in our class have already gotten their marks! What’s so wrong with us?” Again, she dropped her head in a disappointed manner.
“Listen to me, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity looked at her sister, who refused to look up at her. “Everything takes time! You’re just a child right now. You have all the time in the world to figure yourselves out! Just look here,” She turned her head toward her own flank. “Do you think this just came over night? I stressed over my cutie day and night before the moment finally came. And it took long, but look how happy I am today!”
“But...well... It’s just not the same, I guess. Well, it is...but... I don’t know, I guess I don’t really want to talk about it anymore.” Sweetie Belle had already lifted her gaze up to her sister’s cutie mark. She couldn’t help but admire how beautiful it truly was. It consisted of three shiny blue gems, representing Rarity’s fashionable abilities and nature. “I kind of want to take my mind off of it...”
“Hmmm...” Rarity thought, quietly wishing that she could help her sister further, though she knew she had to drop it for now. “Oooh, I have the most perfect idea, darling,” she declared, not realizing that Sweetie Belle had already figured that it had to do with her work. “Why don’t you come along and assist me; I’ve just started to design some dresses for ponies of about your age group. Perhaps it can spark some ideas in that brilliant mind of yours?”
Though Sweetie Belle was actually about to consider her sister’s suggestion, she decided against it. There just seemed to be no point in further disheartening her. “Nah, I think I’ll just be heading to bed,” the filly stated, and she departed to her room.
Rarity couldn’t help but feel sorry for her sister. “Oh, I just wish that I could help her further,” she thought out loud, and she continued to work on her current creation.
Just as Sweetie was shifting comfortably in her bed, she suddenly remembered something. “Oh darn, I left my saddlebag at the front door...” She groggily climbed out of her covers and headed towards the staircase. Just as she was entering the boutique, she heard a noise.
“Guh!” Rarity, shouted in surprise, as she accidentally pinched her hoof in her sewing machine. “For Celestia’s sake, son of a -- !!!” CLANG. her tape measure fell to the floor on that last word, yet Sweetie Belle had heard it all. The squeaky little filly stared in awe as she witnessed her sister rubbing her hoof in and over-dramatic fashion. The slight shock had prevented Rarity from noticing her sister quickly running back up the stairs as she quickly picked up the tape measure.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she frantically looked around. “Oh, thankfully Sweetie Belle is in bed... I would have some explaining to do! Forgive me for my foul mouth, Celestia.” And she worked vigorously through the progressive night.
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle tossed and turned. “Geez...” She mumbled to herself. “I wonder what that meant back there?” She turned onto her side, gently finding her comfort zone, and began to drift off. “Well, I guess I can worry about it in the morning. I’ve got a big day ahead of me tomorrow.” She thought, recalling Scootaloo’s excitement over her new plan. She blinked her emerald eyes shut, and entered the dreamy land of Princess Luna’s night.
As the rising sun peaked in through the windows, Sweetie Belle slowly opened her eyes and yawned. Usually when she woke this early, she would roll over and go back to sleep, but not today. She climbed out of bed, stretching her back legs as she trotted over to her mirror.
After failing to pick up her hairbrush with magic, she began to manually stroke her mane with the brush in her hoof, all the while thinking, maybe someday.
Her presence in the kitchen so early came as a shock to Rarity. “Well good morning, sunshine! Up early, I see...” Sweetie Belle simply shrugged, struggling to wipe the sleep from her eyes. “Perhaps I’ll make us a nice breakfast since we’re eating together? I know you must have had another rough night.”
She’s trying to cheer me up again, Sweetie thought. She appreciated the gesture, but this happened too often for her to get over with pancakes. “I’ll just grab some oats and head out,” the marshmallow filly stated. “Scootaloo wants to meet us early today so we can work on some new plan of hers.”
“How interesting, I’m sure you fillies will have a good time,” Rarity suggested, though she expected disaster to strike in the near future.
“I hope so,” Sweetie replied. She recalled the events of last night in her head. Suddenly, she remembered something else... “Uhhh, hey Rarity? I wanted to ask you about something that happened last night, but I’m not sure how to--” She realized mid sentence that she would be late if she didn’t wrap things up. “Oh no, I’m gonna be late! I’ll see you later Rarity!” And with that, she zoomed out of the house.
“Hmm, I do wonder what she was going to ask me,” Rarity thought out loud with a chuckle. Her laughter turned into a groan when she noticed that her little sister hadn’t cleaned up after herself.
Upon entering the clubhouse, the young unicorn noticed that her two friends had already made it. “Finally,” Scootaloo said, impatiently. “Now I can tell you guys my plan. But first, you guys gotta promise not to tell anyone, not even Applejack or Rarity.”
“Yer makin’ it sound like it’s somethin’ bad...” Apple Bloom protested.
“Alright, I guess you could tell them if you wanted. The point is, this is big.” Scootaloo didn’t even attempt to suppress the excitement from her face.
“Well? Tell us what it is!” squeaked Sweetie Belle.
“Brace yourselves Crusaders. We’ve tried zip-lining, we’ve tried sailing, and we’ve even tried performing. I think it’s pretty clear what’s missing here...” The orange filly rubbed her hooves together as her two friends looked on in confusion. “Oh come on, isn’t it obvious?” Scootaloo only received annoyed expressions. “We’re going to build a plane!” she declared.
“We’re ...gonna...what?” Sweetie Belle looked over at Apple Bloom, who said nothing.
“Oh, come on. We built a pumpkin float when Apple Bloom’s cousin was in town! I mean, yeah, we rigged it and all, but...it would have worked just as fine if we hadn’t, right?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, pumpkins and floats don’t fly,” Apple Bloom replied.
Scootaloo was slightly shocked. “Jeez, you two act like we’ve never done anything freakishly unrealistic and dangerous before,” she stated. “Have you seen the things that Rainbow Dash has done, and Pinkie Pie? Sometimes even Twilight...but mostly Rainbow Dash?!”
“Ah guess you do have a point. Maybe we could try, right Sweetie?” Apple Bloom turned towards her friend. Sweetie Belle tilted her head, but finally shrugged and gave in.
It was worth a try. What’s the worst that could happen? Sweetie Belle had thought.
As if on cue, the plan had failed...yet again. The three crusaders groaned in self-pity as they looked at the damage caused to their tree house after their abomination has smashed into it.
“Ugh, it was probably the steering wheel! I couldn’t even control where it was going,” Scoots complained.
“Maybe it’s because planes don’t have steerin’ wheels?” Argued Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo shot her a look. “Well, how else are you supposed to move the plane?! It obviously wasn’t screwed on right!”
“Huh, maybe yer head wasn’t screwed on right...” Apple Bloom mumbled under her breath, though Scootaloo had still heard it.
“Oh yeah? Maybe if you’re such a genius in this area, you should fix the plane on your own!”
“Why in Equestria would Ah wanna fix that worn down piece o’ junk, when it was your dumb idea that ruined our tree house!”
The argument carried on, Sweetie Belle witnessing it all. It didn’t happen often, but the Crusaders really knew how to bicker with each other. Sweetie usually had tried to avoid it.
Not this time.
“Listen to me, you two...” The innocent filly attempted to step in, but was bluntly cut off.
Oh, darn it... Just... Just... Guh! “Hey, you two...”
Didn’t work again. Sweetie had heard enough. She built her tone into a full on yell.
“Be quiet, right now! Knock it off, you two -- !!” CRASH! A few planks of wood from the tree house toppled onto the half demolished plane.
Then, there was silence.
The arguing fillies had stopped in their tracks, simply looking in the glistening emerald eyes of their friend, Sweetie Belle. She had rarely gotten angry, and was already calming down.
“Woah...I’m sorry for that, girls. I guess I just got a little angry is all,” Sweetie explained.
Scootaloo looked in awe. “Wh...what was that word you just said..?”
Sweetie Belle gasped. Oh no, she thought. She had heard Rarity saying it out of angst and pain. What did it mean? Had she used it in the right context?
“Well, last night...I heard Rarity...er, she was...like...” Sweetie Bell squeaked and stuttered rapidly. Why was she freaking out so much? Was it really a big deal? “I heard Rarity say it and, well, I guess it just came out. No harm done here, right?”
Scootaloo’s ears twitched. “Huh..you know, I think I kind of like it.. It sounds, like...emotional, you know? How did it go again?”
“I think it went like -- ..” CREAK!
A branch from the tree house tumbled down, hopelessly.
"Oh, darn it!!!" Scootaloo felt her face turning red. She wouldn't say it out load, but she was embarrassed.
"Aw, come on, it ain't that bad. We can get it fixed up nice and new, soon!" Apple Bloom reassured, though she was filled with doubt. The tree was pretty much ruined. How could they possibly rebuild their tree house, not to mention restore the damaged items and memories.
"No, I just.. I'm so angry right now, I could just...just..." The red-faced filly shut her eyes tightly. "Errg.... Son of a -- !!!!" PLOP!
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked over in awe, immediately being joined by Sweetie Bell. They looked down to see the basket of apples had fallen on the ground. Then they looked up to see who had dropped it.
“What in...tarnation...” said Applejack, bewildered beyond belief.
Applejack stood before the trio of fillies, her jaw nearly touching the ground. She didn’t know which situation to tackle first, the tree house that was half destroyed, or the word that had just left Scootaloo’s mouth.
Had she heard correctly? Maybe the heat of the moment had gotten to her head?
Her eyes remained focused on the shambles that lay behind the fillies.
“Uhmm... Now, girls, Ah, uh...” At a loss for words, Applejack simply paused, trying to think of what to say.
“Sis, please don’t be mad!” Apple Bloom pleaded.
“Wait just a second, there, AB...” Applejack started.
“Yeah, it was an accident, we never meant to do it!” Sweetie Belle added.
“Hold on, there!” Applejack interrupted. “Can somepony just explain what’s goin’ on here?”
Apple Bloom glanced worriedly at her friends. “Well, y’see, we had this idea, and we tried to build a plane, but it didn’t work too well, and then we accidentally crashed into the tree house,” she explained, pointing a hoof at the mangled half-tree house, that barely stood above the wreckage of their failed airplane.
“It was my fault,” Scootaloo admitted. “I didn’t think this would happen! I just thought we’d be able to go on cool adventures and stuff, but then the steering wheel got stuck…”
“Ah can’t believe this,” said an awestricken Applejack. She slowly trotted toward the fallen branches and studied the damage on her old tree house. “This’ll take a while to rebuild,” she thought out loud, with a slight hint of sadness. It was her old tree house, after all.
She turned toward the girls. “Wait just a second. How in Celestia’s name did y’all build yerselves an airplane?” Her voice had changed into a strict, questioning tone, which the fillies had returned with nervous grins.
“It was Scootaloo’s idea!” Apple Bloom pointed out, accusingly.
“Way to rat me out, idiot face!” Scootaloo shot back.
“Quiet yerselves, girls! Ah don’t care whose fault it was!” Applejack reprimanded. “You could’ve gotten seriously hurt!” The fillies quieted down, guiltily lowering their heads to avoid eye contact with Applejack.
“We’re sorry, sis,” said Apple Bloom, who was hesitant to meet her sister’s gaze.
Sweetie Bell suddenly jumped in excitement. “Hey, we can help you rebuild it!” She squeaked.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo added. “The Cutie Mark Repair Service. It’ll be awesome as --!!”
CRASH! Another tree branch snapped off and fell onto the airplane.
Applejack stared at the orange filly in astonishment, trying to figure out just how to respond.
“What’s wrong, sis?” Apple Bloom inquired, who had noticed the shock on her sister’s face.
“Scoot,” Applejack started, ignoring Apple Bloom’s question. “Where’d ya hear that word?”
“Re..repair service?”
“Er, no. I meant...” Applejack darted her eyes away. “The other one..”
“I think she means --”
“Ah! Yep, that’s the one, thank ya Sweetie,” the mare interrupted Sweetie Belle mid-word.
Sweetie Belle’s ear twitched in confusion. “Wait, that word? What’s wrong with it?”
“Ya don’t know what it means?” Applejack asked. The fillies anxiously exchanged glances, then shook their heads at the farm mare. “Oh boy,” was Applejack’s reply, her tone uneasy.
“What is it?” the Crusaders asked simultaneously.
Applejack cringed. “Oh, Ah guess y’all are old enough to hear this,” she began. “Sometimes, there are words that aren’t okay to use. They could hurt somepony around ya, and...” Applejack stopped to think. “It could influence others around y’all to misbehave.”
“Misbehave?” Apple Bloom asked. “Why’s that?”
“Well, when ya say rude things, ponies around ya will think it’s alright to act rude,” Applejack explained.
“That’s silly!” said Apple Bloom.
“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Ponies shouldn’t misbehave for any reason!”
They looked Scootaloo. She sighed. “I guess misbehaving is bad,” she admitted.
“Good,” Applejack said, a small grin spreading on her face. “Can y’all promise me that ya won’t ever say that word, or anything else that’ll hurt anypony’s feelings?”
“Not even Diamond Tiara?” Scootaloo questioned.
“Ah know she can be a real pain in the flank, but ya can’t be mean ta her either!” Applejack said.
The fillies sighed, but agreed. “Okay,” they responded in unison.
“Does this mean yer not mad?” Apple Bloom asked, jumping in excitement.
“Nice try,” Applejack said, half smirking. “Y’all are still in trouble for the damage caused here,” she declared, the fillies groaning in displeasure. “Now how ‘bout we head out into town,” she said, placing Apple Bloom on her back. “We’ll find a few friends to help us out with this mess! And on the way, y’all can tell me jus’ where ya heard that word in the first place.”
Sweetie Belle quivered slightly, but followed next to Applejack, explaining the whole situation to her.
Upon entering Sugacube Corner, Applejack and the fillies noticed all of their friends.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were exchanging stories and experiences about their pets. Twilight was attempting to discuss her new book with Pinkie Pie, who was chowing down on some fresh cupcakes. Rarity was awkwardly giggling at Pinkie Pie’s antics, and listening to Twilight’s explanation.
“Howdy,” Applejack addressed her friends, who greeted her at once.
“Hi!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “You want a cupcake?” She shoved a cupcake into Applejack’s face.
“Uh, no thanks, Sugarcube…”
“Oh well, suit yourself!” The pink mare exclaimed, devouring the remaining cupcakes.
“Ah actually came here ‘cause Ah wanted to talk to y’all about somethin’,” Applejack said. “There’s been a bit of a mishap back at the farm, and rebuilding needs to be done.”
“We’d be happy to help, Applejack,” replied Twilight with a warm smile. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
“What happened at the farm?” Fluttershy inquired.
“Nothin’ too unfixable,” Applejack responded, eyeing the fillies. The smiled back sheepishly. “That reminds me, Rar, could Ah have a word with you for a moment?”
Rarity joined Applejack and Sweetie Belle at a separate table away from the others. “What seems to be the problem, darling?” she asked.
“Well y’see, the girls here came up with an ingenious little plan to get their Cutie Marks again,” Applejack began, glancing at the fillies. Rarity braced herself. “This plan resulted in the destruction of their clubhouse.”
“Oh dear, how did this happen?” Rarity asked.
“We wanted to build a plane, but something went wrong, and we…crashed.” The unicorn filly squeaked.
“Oh Sweetie Belle!” Scolded Rarity. “What am I going to do with you? Thank goodness you’re not harmed in any way,” she said, embracing her sister. She turned to Applejack. “I assure you, we’ll be assisting in the clean up.”
“Thanks, Rar,” Applejack replied. “That’s not all Ah wanted to talk about though.”
Rarity examined the unicorn filly in her arms. “What else happened?” She asked, nervously.
“Sweetie Belle and Ah had a little talk and, well—“
“Hey, what’s your problem?!” Scootaloo’s voice rang through out the room. When the two mares looked over, they realized that Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were arguing with none other than the notorious Diamond Tiara.
“It’s not my fault you didn’t move out the way, blank flank!” Diamond Tiara said, viciously, as her trusty sidekick Silver Spoon chuckled.
Apple Bloom stepped in to defend her friend. “Ya didn’t have to make her drop her cupcake!”
“Hush up, you blank flank!” Tiara said with a snicker. “Now, out of my way.”
Apple Bloom growled. “Just forget her,” Scootaloo insisted. “Remember what your sister said? Don’t be mean.” This actually shocked Apple Bloom coming from Scootaloo. She Probably still feels guilty, Apple Bloom thought.
Tiara cut in. “The flightless Pegasus doesn’t want to pick a fight? There’s a shock! Maybe you’ll get a cutie mark for being a scaredy cat.”
Applejack had heard enough. Just as she was about to cut in, Apple Bloom spoke up again. “Ya know what? Ah’m tire of you pickin’ on me and mah friends!”
“Is that your best comeback? I guess it’s not a shock coming from a girl who works on a farm all day.”
Scootaloo finally stepped in. “You leave her alone! You dirty, rotten, spoiled little…little… little --!!!”
DING went the oven. Looks like the cookies were done!
Silence filled the room. Diamond Tiara’s cheeks burned redder than an apple, while Silver Spoon just gaped at the farm filly. Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped to the floor.
Applejack froze in her seat, shocked, confused, and embarrassed. A dumbstruck Rarity covered her mouth with her hoof in shock, and Sweetie Belle facehoofed.
Stunned, Fluttershy silently gasped. Pinkie Pie did the same thing, just ten times louder, and with rapid arm movements.
The magic that Twilight was using to hold her book went out, dropping her book to the floor, her mouth agape and her eyes gaped in shock.
At first Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide. Suddenly, she burst out into laughter. She wrapped her front hooves around her self and fell to the floor. A few tears escaped her eyes before she sat up and noticed Twilight and Fluttershy glaring at her. “Err, that was funny,” she said, fixing her mane.
“You…urg, ugh! I won’t waste my time with you blank flanks anymore!” Diamond Tiara stormed off, her silver coated friend following her immediately. As the trotted away, Silver Spoon leaned close to whisper something Tiara, as if to ask what had just happened.
“Uh…oops,” Scootaloo said, gaping around the room.
“…That happened...” Applejack finally replied to Rarity, with a sheepish grin on her face.
“Alright, glad we could all make it here,” said Applejack, standing in front of the tattered remains of the CMC clubhouse.
“I’m hoping you girls learned your lesson today?” Rarity asked the fillies.
“We did,” Apple Bloom answered.
“Yeah, I’m sorry for…pretty much everything,” Scootaloo said.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused,” Sweetie Belle said, her eyes slightly welling up.
Rarity pulled her sister in for another embrace. “It’s okay, Sweetie,” she said. “You didn’t know. Just promise me that you’ll come to me when you don’t understand something. I’ll answer any question you have, no matter how busy I may be!”
“Really?” Sweetie Belle asked, in disbelief.
Rarity chuckled nervously. “Well, I’ll try. If it can’t be helped, ask another mare or stallion you trust, like Applejack.” Applejack responded by pulling her sister in for a hug as well.
“Pfft,” Scootaloo blew a raspberry. “That’s cute and all, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders Architects are to tough for that mushy stuff!”
“Hah, come her squirt!” Rainbow Dash laughed, pulling Scootaloo under her wing. The flightless filly blushed in embarrassment, but smiled as she snuggled into the cyan mare’s wing. The others giggled.
“This’ll be fun!” Apple Bloom shouted in glee, her front hooves kicking rapidly.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, ‘cause after this, yer all grounded for this dangerous stunt ya pulled here.” Applejack smirked.
“Oh, alright, Ah guess we deserve it,” Apple Bloom admitted, her friends nodding in agreement.
“Let’s get building, everypony!” declared Applejack, and the mares and fillies tackled the obstacles before them.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today we learned that it’s not always okay to take risks. Taking things to far can cost a lot, including losing something you love, like friendship. We also learned that it’s okay to ask for help when you don’t understand something, or don’t know how else to do it. Family and friends are important, and will always understand you, no matter what your situation may be! We can’t wait to spread this message to all of our friends. Keep your eye on the paper for the Cutie Mark Crusaders Motivational Speakers!
Your youngest of loyal subjects,
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle…
a.k.a. The future Cutie Mark Crusaders Presidents of Equestria!
Princess Celestia chuckled as she sipped her tea.
“What are you reading, sister?” Princess Luna asked, intrigued. “A letter from thy subject, Twilight Sparkle and friends?”
“Indeed, it is.” Celestia said rolling up the letter with a spark of magic from her horn. “Care to join me for some tea before raising the moon?”
“No, thank you, sister. I’d best be off to take care of some other matters. Good night.” Luna said, nuzzling her sister’s head, and then trotting off.
As Celestia turned to organize the papers on her desk, she accidently knocked over her tea, knocking it off the desk. “Oh -- !!”
CRASH! The small cup fell to the floor, managing to smash into a few small pieces.
Luna poked her head back into the room. “’Tia, do you just…”
Celestia blushed. “Well, what would a royal princess be without her flaws?” She laughed, her sister joining in. “Perhaps I’ll assist you in raising the moon tonight?”
“That would be nice, sister,” Luna said, warmly smiling toward her sister, and the two went off to bring an end to such and eventful day.
