Princess Luna stared woefully at the dark sky - it was filled with storm clouds that threatened to open any moment and let out all the rain. She sighed and dug her hove into the dirt, wondering what she should do. She wanted to bring out the night sky, to show ever pony in Equestria that the moon was just as beautiful as the sun, but there was no way any pony would be able to see it with all of the clouds. She was about to fly back to the palace when she heard some voices, coming up the hill behind her.
“Are you sure you’re readin’ that right?” one voice asked.
“Yes, of course I’m sure!” a second one said.
“Because we don’ wanna get lost, ya know.”
“Especially on a night like this,” a new voice added.
Princess Luna approached the voices and found three young fillies, each without their Cutie Marks, reading a map that hovered in the air.
“Where did you three come from?” she asked them.
The girls looked up suddenly, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. They exchanged glances and looked everywhere but in Princess Luna’s direction.
“Um...” Sweetie Belle said, “from the library in Ponyville. My sister and her friends are having a slumber party.”
“Your sister..?” Princess Luna asked warily, looking up at the gloomy clouds that were starting to obstruct the moon.
“Hey, I know you!” Scootaloo cried out, pointing her hove at Princess Luna. “You’re Princess Celestia’s evil sister!”
Princess Luna looked taken aback and lowered her head in shame. “Um...”
“No, Scoot!” Apple Bloom said angrily. “She ain’t evil! She was just misguided!”
“Misguided? She tried to bring eternal night to all of Equestria!” Scootaloo turned from the princess and faced Apple Bloom head on as Sweetie Belle watched the two fillies argue, rolling her eyes.
Princess Luna sank lower to the ground. “Um...”
“That’s what my big sister, Applejack told me!” Apple Bloom said and Princess Luna looked up at her.
“I know Applejack,” she interjected carefully, not wanting to recount the Summer Sun Celebration any more than she had to.
“You know my sister?” Apple Bloom exclaimed excitedly, turning from Scootaloo to face the princess, forgetting about the argument.
“Um... yes, I do,” Princess Luna said, standing up a little more.
“What about my big sister, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked, wide-eyed and eager.
“Oh, yes, her too,” Princess Luna said, standing up to her full height.
“Then you must know the coolest pony in all of Ponyville too!” Scootaloo exclaimed happily.
“Yes, of course. I know Pinkie Pie.”
Scootaloo looked dumbstruck. “No I mean --”
Thunder cracked overhead and the fillies lowered themselves to the ground, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, and as it faded into the distance, each of them let out an ear piercing scream and started running around Princess Luna in circles.
“Girls, girls --” the princess said, stepping forward then back, realizing that each of them had their eyes closed and were screaming too loud to hear her. “Girls!” she said a little louder to no avail, and as heavy rain drops started to fall, Princess Luna gathered up all of her inner strength and cried “GIRLS!”
Apple Bloom stopped and Sweetie Belle ran into her and then Scootaloo into her. “Ooof!” she cried as she fell over beside Sweetie Belle. Princess Luna hid a soft smile behind her hoof.
“Girls,” she said before they could start arguing about who ran into whom, “we need to get out of here, it’s going to rain soon!”
“It’s already rainin’,” Apple Bloom said innocently; the heavy rain was starting to make her bow droop.
“Yes, you’re right. Come on every pony!” Princess Luna spread her wings out and pushed the three in front of her, making them trot back down the hillside.
“No, we can’t leave yet!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, digging her hooves into the mud. “Ooh... Rarity is not going to like that...” she said when she realized how dirty she was getting.
“She’s right!” Scootaloo said.
“About her hooves?”
“No, Apple Bloom, about leaving now. We were just about to discover the Cutie Mark Treasure Trove!”
“The what?” Princess Luna stopped pushing the girls forwards, but she left her wings outstretched, trying to cover them as heavy rain started to fall.
“The Cutie Mark Treasure Trove!” Sweetie Bell said excitedly. Her horn began to glow a soft blue light and the paper map floated up and hovered in front of Princess Luna. “According to this map, the trove is just across the river, through the Everfree Forest...” Sweet Belle gulped and Scootaloo scoffed.
“Well, I’m not afraid of going through the Everfree Forest!”
“I... I didn’t say I was ---”
“Girls,” Princess Luna said, trying not to sound as exasperated as she felt, “what is the Cutie Mark Treasure Trove?”
Apple Bloom gasped, leaving the few rocks that were sitting in front of her over turned but unexamined. “You don’t know what that is?!”
“Um, no...” the princess winced as a bolt of lightening lit up the dark clouds.
“It’s a huge treasure trove filled with Cutie Marks and we found a map in one of Twilight Sparkle’s books at the library!” she exclaimed and Scootaloo nodded, agreeing.
“So that’s why you snuck out during a rain storm? To go to the... go to this place?”
“Well, yeah!” Scootaloo said enthusiastically. “How else are we going to earn our Cutie Marks if we don’t have an adventure?”
“Okay, well,” Princess Luna said, realizing that she was going to be defeated by three fillies, “at least let me adventure with you.”
“I... I dunno...” Apple Bloom said, looking around at her friends. “This is an adventure for the Cutie Mark Crusaders and you already have your Cutie Mark --”
Thunder cracked the sky again and the girls screamed and tried to get as close to Princess Luna’s body and still stay beneath their wings as they possibly could; Scootaloo was shaking violently.
“Let’s have an adventure together. Sweetie Belle, do you still have your map out?”
“Um, yes,” her horn was still glowing a pale blue. “Look it says that we have to go north... or is that south? Hm... maybe I’m reading it wrong...”
“Look!” the princess cried suddenly and the fillies stopped and looked wide-eyed at where she was pointing. A giant black rock was sitting on the grass.
“What?” Scootaloo asked. “It’s just a rock.”
“Better give it a closer look,” Princess Luna said mysteriously.
The four trotted over to the rock and while they were distracted, Princess Luna’s horn began to glow a soft lavender and slowly the map began to change, making new routes and new locations and new directions.
“Nope,” Apple Bloom said after she had turned the rock over. “Just a rock.”
“Oh, alright then. Sweetie Belle, let’s check the map again,” Princess Luna said, ignoring the exasperated looked Scootaloo was giving her.
“Oh, okay this makes more sense now!” Sweetie Belle said triumphantly. “C’mon guys! Let’s go... this way!”
As the four started off together, Apple Bloom eyed the dark clouds that swirled above them. “Hey, how about a story?” she suggested.
“A story?” Princess Luna echoed, keeping an eye on Sweetie Belle’s map, making sure that it allowed for only one possible choice in route.
“Yeah. How did you get your Cutie Mark, Princess Luna?”
“Oh, well, it’s not really that interesting,” she glanced over her shoulder and at the dark crescent moon on her flank.
“Awe! please?!” the fillies begged in unison.
The kept trudging through the mud and Princess Luna gave one more glance at Sweetie Belle’s map; it was still hovering in front of Sweetie Belle, but she had yet to notice the trails and locations were slowly shifting, taking them back to Ponyville.
“I got my Cutie Mark after I raised the moon for the first time. My father taught me how to do it, and I spent hours watching him and then finally, when I could do it by myself, my Cutie mark appeared.” Princess Luna sounded so happy, smiling at the memories.
“That doesn't sound so exciting!” Scootaloo scoffed, blowing a few strands of her wet mane off of her face.
“Finding your Cutie Mark doesn't have to take you so far from home,” Princess Luna said as they dodged heavier rain drops from above and bigger mud puddles down below. “Sometimes it’s closer than you think...”
“There’s the library!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed suddenly.
“What?” Scootaloo demanded, about to rush from underneath Princess Luna’s wing span, until she pulled Scoot back in line with her teeth. “Belle, you’ve been reading it wrong!”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom piped in. “How can the map to the Cutie Mark Treasure Trove lead back to the library?”
“I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle said, looking up at Luna with a quivering chin.
“It’s alright girls. Let’s go inside and get warmed up.”
They were just about to protest when another crack of thunder shook the earth and the girls screamed and they all went bounding into the warm safety of the library.
//
“The moon isn’t out tonight, girls,” Twilight Sparkle said disappointedly. She sighed, staring out of the window.
“Oh, sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly. “I was practicing a new trick I saw the Wonderbolts do and I sort of lost track of time.”
“That’s too bad,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I was hoping to stay up and see it tonight.”
“Hey, Rarity...?”
“Hey is for horses, Twilight Sparkle,” Rarity said, flicking her mane over one shoulder.
“Um, yes... are the girls still upstairs?”
“Yes, they’re sleeping. Why do you ask?”
“Because they’re running towards the library door --”
Suddenly the Crusaders burst through the door with a disheveled Princess Luna trailing behind them.
“Princess Luna!” Twilight exclaimed and the six ponies bowed before her.
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity said suddenly, rising up. “I’ve been beside myself with worry. What have I told you about sneaking out late at night? And Apple Bloom’s bow! My dear, you look simply ghastly. How could you do this to your beloved sister?” Rarity asked woefully.
“I’m sorry sis,” Sweetie Belle said, sitting down on the warm rug. “We were just trying to find the Cutie Mark Treasure Trove and then it started raining -- No we started arguing and then it started raining--”
“No, no no,” Rarity cut off Sweetie Belle before she could go any further. “I don’t want to hear any of your excuses. Go get into the tub, and watch out for Gummy. Pinkie Pie was bathing him earlier... frightful thing.”
“Besides,” Twilight said smiling, “The Cutie Mark Treasure Trove is a book series. You three stole a map out of a novel, not a guide book.”
“Oh,” Scootaloo said when her two friends looked at her disparagingly. “Well at least we had fun out there, right? Right?”
“Apple Bloom, come over here this instant,” Applejack cried suddenly and Apple Bloom wandered over to her, as she wrapped a thick blanket round her younger sister’s back.
“Do I even haveta say anythin’?”
“No, ma'am.”
“Alright then. Go get yerself into the tub too. We don’t want y’all catchin’ a chill.”
Apple Bloom trudged behind Sweetie Belle and into the bathroom; her heavy blanket fell off of her back and on to the floor.
Scootaloo was the last of the crusaders standing in the library’s doorway. She had a huge smile on her face, matched only by her wide and happy eyes. She was staring at Rainbow Dash, waiting for her to say something too.
“Uh...” Twilight Sparkle said when Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything, “why don’t we get you warmed up too, Scoot?”
“Rainbow Dash, It was so cool! There was a huge thunder storm and I wasn’t afraid at all!”
“Uh, that’s great kid,” Rainbow said awkwardly as Scoot disappeared into the bathroom with Twilight, who came back out after helping Scootaloo into the bathtub.
“Thank you for bringing them all back, your majesty,” Rarity said, bowing her head to Princess Luna, as Applejack shook out the blanket and draped it across the princess’ shoulders. “But, if I may, what were you doing outside on a night like this?”
“Oh,” Princess Luna said softly and Fluttershy went to stand by her, trying to encourage her to speak up. “I was going to bring out the moon tonight, but it was so cloudy, I thought no pony would be able to see it.”
Applejack shot a look at Rainbow Dash, who dug her hove into the wooden floor, trying not to be noticed.
“I... I’m sorry, Princess, it was my job to clear the sky tonight, but I sort of forgot...”
“Oh,” Princess Luna said again, “that’s alright, but... um...” she trailed off shyly, looking up and around at all of Twilight’s books.
“Go on,” Fluttershy prompted gently.
“I was wondering, maybe you could help me clear the sky so I can bring out the moon? Then maybe we could have a ---”
“A Moon Viewing Party?!” Pinkie Pie squealed, bounding up and down. “That’s a great idea!”
Princess Luna smiled softly. “Alright then, Rainbow Dash, will clear the sky so I can bring the moon out?”
“Sure thing!”
“Oh, I bet the moon will be beautiful too,” Fluttershy said dreamily as the two ponies flew out the library door.
“Well, c’mon every pony!” Applejack cried. “We’ve got three youngsters who need to go back to bed --”
“And a party to put on!” Pinkie Pie said, excitedly.
The four remaining ponies set about their tasks, while Twilight stayed back and watched as the dark, gloomy rain clouds were dashed away and a bright, beautiful moon took its rightful place in the night sky.
