It’s a sunny day, with a few small clouds scatter about all over Ponyville.
Then with a sudden chime of a bell the silence is interrupted. It’s the school bell signaling that Ms. Cheerilee class is starting, and with that all the young colts and fillies make their way in to the school house. The young ones make their way to their seats.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sit across from each other in the front, behind them Snails and Snips in the same row towards the back. In the next two seats across was Rumble and behind him was Dinky. The next row was Applebloom in the front row, with Twist second, and Featherweight in the back. The next row was Sweetie Belle in front, Scootaloo in second, and lastly Berry Pinch or (Pinchy, as she likes to be called). In the last row there was only one new empty seat next to Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie noticed the new seat and quickly raised her hoof. “Ms. Cheerilee?” said Sweetie.
Cheerilee turn from the board to see Sweetie still holding up her hoof, “Yes, Sweetie Belle?” she said in a kind tone.
“There’s a seat here that wasn’t here last week, are we getting a new classmate?” asked Sweetie
“Oh why yes we are. He just transferred here from Saddle Arabia. I’ll introduce him when class starts” Cheerilee said with smile on her face.
All the foals stop talking as class began. “Alright, my little ponies I hope you had a good weekend, because today we have a new student.” After Cheerilee’s sentence, the sound of magic is heard and the door opens, and a sepia colored unicorn colt with a sand dune color mane walks through it. Cheerilee continued where she stopped. “Alright class, I want you to meet Desert Dust.”
“Umm… Hello everypony. You can just call me Desert really” he said nervously.
All the ponies in the class just looked for a moment and then a few raised their hooves to ask questions. Cheerilee looks to Desert, “How about you choose who to answer” she said in a kind tone. Desert nodded and raised hoof and said, “Um… the earth pony with the red bow, please” he said shyly.
Applebloom smiled and put down her hoof. “Well mah names Applebloom nice to meet ya. So ya from Saddle Arabia, but how come ya came to Ponyville?” said the yellow filly.
“Well I live with my aunt and she travels all over Equestria for her job, but I was actually born in Las Pegasus” said Desert.
Seconds after he had just finished answered, Desert saw a white hoof waving with excitement in the air and voice saying “Oh, pick me”. He turned his head to see that it belong to a white unicorn with purple and pink mane with a big smile. Desert couldn’t help call on the unicorn who was trying to get his attention.
“Okay, you the white unicorn?” he said with a perplexed tone.
Sweetie Belle put down her hoof and put them together and let out a small squeal of joy. “My name is Sweetie Belle” she happily said. “What does your aunt do? Oh and you know how to do magic. THAT’S SO AMAZING” she said excitedly.
Desert couldn’t help but form a small smile at Sweetie Belle’s happy demeanor. “My aunt is an archaeologist. I know she digs and helps uncover stuff from the past like fossils and artifacts.” “Oh yeah, she also a unicorn and she taught me a few spells so I can help her.”
After Desert finish answering Sweetie Belle, Cheerilee proceeded to say, “Yes, Desert aunt is a scientist who studies and reveals the past of other cultures. This also is what one of things we’re going to be learning about, along with what else is in the ground and can be uncovered, such as gems and other things.”
An orange hoof rose up behind Sweetie Belle. Cheerilee noticed the hoof and called the name she knew it belong to.
“Yes Scootaloo, you have a question?” said Cheerilee.
Scootaloo rose up to stand in order to better see and asked “Ms. Cheerilee, what are fossils and artifacts?”
“Good question Scootaloo” she said congratulating the orange pegasus. Cheerilee continued, “Fossils are bones of creatures and artifacts are items from the past long ago” she said with a wise tone.
“Desert, would be so kind as to take a seat?” asked Cheerilee.
The young colt walks and makes way to his seat. While sitting in his new desk he turns to see Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Applebloom smiling at him. Looking at their bright faces causes him to form a big smile on his face as well.
Miss Cheerilee asks for all the young ones attention and they begin the class.
The school bell begins to ring again, but this time it meant the end of Ms. Cheerilee’s classes today.
“Alright my little ponies, don’t forget to get your papers signed by your parents” said Cheerilee loudly as many of the foals quickly pack up their stuff into their saddlebags and made their way out of the door.
As Desert was about to walk out the door he’s sudden called by a voice. He turns to see who and sees Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.
“Yes?” he asked politely.
“Well we notice ya don’t have a cutie mark yet and were wondering…” said Applebloom before being interrupted.
Sweetie Belle rushes in front Applebloom and happily says, “Would like to join our club?”
“Sweetie Belle!?” Applebloom said angrily. “Ah was gonna ask him if he wanted to join.”
“Well, Sweetie Belle just beat you to it” said Scootaloo.
“Anyhoof, so Desert do you want to join?” Scootaloo asked while extending her hoof.
Desert looked at the three fillies and asked, “What’s the name of your club anyway and why does me not having a cutie mark matter?”
The three fillies formed big smiles. “Ya’ll know what this means?” Applebloom asked knowingly.
“I do, do you know Scootaloo?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“I totally know what this means” Scootaloo said in an excited tone.
Desert grew confused and worried at same time when the fillies huddled together with smiles on their faces. They then leaped into air.
“WERE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” yelled the three fillies.
They land and begin to say, “Were on a search” said Sweetie, “To find our special talents” said Scootaloo, “And get our cutie marks” Applebloom said.
Desert looked in awe after what he just saw.
“So now will join us?” asked Sweetie Belle with a smile while extending her hoof.
Desert looked in awed at the crusaders. He then laughs in amusement while hold his right foreleg to cover his expression. The young fillies looked at his reaction to their earlier proclamation and Sweetie puts her hoof back down. Scootaloo looked at Desert with disdain.
“Hey we practice that introduction, there no reason to be laughing” shouted Scootaloo.
“I’m sorry” stated Desert while holding back his laughter. “It just that I wasn’t expecting this and everything today” he said with a chuckle.
“What do ya mean, “everything today?” asked Applebloom.
With the rest of his chuckles out his system, Desert regains his self and begins to explain calmly, “Well, I’ve moved around a lot. Normally, the first day of a new school makes me very nervous and I pretty much a wallflower or not approached by anypony. Everypony today was so nice, try to talk to me, and that performance and just being invited to join a club. That was the icing on the cake for me” he ended with a big smile on his face.
“I understand, your laughing because this your first time feeling welcome in a new place” said Sweetie.
“Oh, I totally get it now. I’m sorry I shouted at you for thinking you making fun of us” Scootaloo said with apologetic look while rubbing her head with her hoof.
“It’s alright and yes” said Desert and then nodded.
The fillies looked at Desert with widen eyes and enlarge pupils.
“So you’re gonna to join” said Sweetie with an elated tone.
“Yep and thanks for letting me join” Desert said happily.
Scootaloo moves toward Desert, leans in and places her left hoof on his back and raises the other one in air. “Alright, we got a new member this is so awesome” she said in an excited voice.
“We’ve gotta give ya the official ceremony for joining” said Applebloom with joy.
Scootaloo and Sweetie smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Ceremony? What ceremony?” asked Desert?
At the clubhouse we see Desert waiting outside. Applebloom had asked him to wait outside while they get everything to together for the ceremony. He had been waiting for a few minutes, but during those minutes he heard a lot of banging, crashing, and cat screaming inside. He then wonder and thought to himself, “What in all of Equestria is going on in there?!”
His curiosity had gotten the best of him. He walks up to the door and was about to raise his hoof to open it but a thought crossed his mind. “They asked me to wait and their going through all this trouble for me”.
He puts his hoof down and turns around; the door opens at that moment. Applebloom pokes her head out, “Alright are ya ready for the… were ya’ll just about to leave?” she asked with a serious face.
Desert nervously looked at Applebloom at mention of the accusation. He thought he could outright say no, but what he was originally going to do would get him in more trouble. With Applebloom still giving that stern look, “Umm… I was just going to walk and look around the clubhouse” he said shakily.
Applebloom still staring at him intensely, “Well alright then” she said with a bit of doubt in her voice.
Her expression then changes to a joyfully one and handed Desert a folded piece red fabric stitched with a blue shield and a yellow pony wearing a cape.
“Now put that on and come on inside” said Applebloom while walking inside the clubhouse.
Desert unfolds the cloth he was given and finds it to be a cape. He turns and put on the cape, he quickly lights up his horn with magic and ties it’s tightly. He enjoys the look of the new acquired fabric, with long enough to cover his blank flank.
“Wow, I almost look like SuperColt” he said while imagining himself as a superhero with theme music in the background in his mind.
“Hey, come on already” yelled Scootaloo with impatience.
Desert rushes in at the sound of the displeased pegasus. ”I’m coming” he quickly said as makes his way in to the center of the clubhouse.
He suddenly trips over the carpet in the center of the club and lands face first on the floor. His hind legs in the air and the rest of his body lying on his forelegs, and to top it off the he was admiring lying over his face.
His response to the sudden fall, “OW… that really hurt” he said in a groaned voice.
Applebloom and Scootaloo try to hold in their giggling at the sight, even though it was quite funny on how he fell.
“Are you okay?” asked Sweetie with a concern look on her face.
Desert quickly got up, pull back the cape from his face, and dust himself off. “Yeah… I’m okay” he looked at the three fillies. “Guess I really need to be extra careful while crusading right?” He said with a chuckle at the end.
The three fillies smile at the Desert. Glad knowing he laugh off the recent trip and fall. Applebloom walks off to the side. “Let the ceremony begin” said Applebloom.
Scootaloo begins banging the drums in a steady beat in a repeat rhythm. She then starts banging wildly on the drums causing entire tree house to shake.
“Scootaloo” said Applebloom with the sound of her voice repel by the drum beats. Desert then falls again due the shaking from drumming filly. “Scootaloo!” both Applebloom and Sweetie yelled.
“Hey, you made lose focus on the beat” Scootaloo said angrily after come to an abrupt halt from her drum solo.
“We ain’t going through the same drum craziest we did with Babs. Besides look at Desert, he looks like how you look when all those chickens carry ya off last week.”
Scootaloo quickly remember the incidents with chickens. The sounds from the chickens. How they just carried her away into the coop, made her sit on eggs that were about to hatch, and how she had to act like a chicken to escape. In all sense they trying were making her part of the flock.
“Is she okay?” ask Desert.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle just shrug, “Don’t know” said Applebloom.
“Um… Scootaloo, are you okay? Sweetie asked the zoned out orange pegasus.
Scootaloo snaps out of her daze and sees others look at her strange. “Well, what we waiting for? Let’s finish the ceremony” she said nervously.
They all knew she was trying to change the subject and curious about what just happen, Desert was more because he was curious about the chicken incident. Sweetie Belle coughs loudly to get everyponies attention. They turn to Sweetie as she begins to read.
“We the Cutie Mark Crusaders gather here today for Desert Dust to join us as a sister, friend, confidant, gal pal, home girl, Amigo…” suddenly stop by Applebloom.
“Uh… Sweetie Ah’m pretty sure Desert’s a colt. Why are ya calling him girl names for friend?” asked Applebloom
“Well I was reading off the old speech since wasn’t a new one. I forgot some of names for friends were toward friends who were girls” said Sweetie while looking over the speech.
“Just skip to the end Sweetie” Scootaloo said with a sigh of annoyance.
“You’re in charge of writing the speech” said Sweetie while rushing through the speech. “Oh here it is, and a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader!”
Desert’s face lit up with a big smile. Scootaloo and Applebloom stand close and throw confetti, making this moment even more festive.