Silver Bells

Silver Bells

Chapter 2:

Sweetened

By: Pencil Pop The Unicorn

Scootaloo wrapped her hoof tightly around the motorcycle handle with a sly grin on her face, as she looked down onto the steep cliff.

"Are you sure we should do this? Maybe we should go back and help Rarity finish mending our Cutie Mark Crusader capes." Sweetie Belle asked quietly.

"I agree with Sweetie', wha' can' we just go help Rarity? Or Applejack? She needs help makin' cider for Dashie'!" Apple Bloom asked.

"Come on, girls! We need a cutie mark fast and we need it now. And this is the fastest way I know." Scootaloo reasured.

"Well, I don't know Scootaloo, maybe it's not the best thing to do. After all, we can stand Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's teasing for a few more years." Sweetie replied.

"YEARS?! Oh heck no, I'm not waiting for YEARS. We will get our cutie marks TODAY. Who's with me?"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle sighed sadly, as they nodded; knowing that Scootaloo would've continued on her plan even if they disagreed.

"Alright," Scootaloo began, "Here goes nothing! All for one and one for all!"

The filly started the engine of the motorcycle, as she reversed for a while, farther and farther away from the cliff's edge.

"FOR NARNIA!!!!!" Scootaloo joked, as she pressed on the pedal, throwing the motorcycle at full speed, driving off the cliff, into the air.

For a while, Scootaloo's plan seemed to work; the jet packs attached to the motorcycle kept it afloat as the three stared down, into the river several feet down below. And the running engine seemed to make it move through the sky.

They had actually did it.

They had defied gravity.

They were flying.

For a moment at least, until Scootaloo realized they flying forward... more like falling downward.

The engine stopped.

"Uh oh." Scootaloo wheezed, as the jetpacks attatched to the motorcycle slipped off.

Apparently that belt that Scootaloo had used to tie the jetpacks to the motorcycle weren't that strong after all.

The three fillies exchanged scared looks, as they continued to be still in the sky for one second more, then having them, the motorcycle, and their still blank flanks falling down the cliff.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" the three screamed, Sweetie Belle screaming the loudest.

The three held onto eachother real tight, a few tears escaping their eyes.

"Well, it looks like this is it for the Cutie Mark Crusaders..." Applebloom yelled as the strong wind flew past her, falling down the mountain with her friends.

"I think it is!" Scootaloo yelled back, straining to hear her friend over the hard blowing wind.

"I knew we should've stayed home and helped Rarity!!!!!!!" Sweetie Belle also screamed, as they continued to fall.

The three continued to hold on real tight, closing their eyes, when suddenly, they heard a snap of a tree branch, and they were stopped. They weren't falling anymore; something was holding them.

They opened their large filly eyes; it was a tree.

The three foals were caught in a tree branch that they hadn't seen next to the river when they were looking down only a few minutes ago. Somehow, their attempts in getting their cutie marks always ended in landing in a tree, breaking a few branches, and-

"Tree sap..." the three moaned, as they lifted their now slimy hooves.

They were covered in it. Not surprising them. After all, it was their usual cutie mark attempt residue, and it was a tree that they were sitting in.

Then, Sweetie Belle realizing that they were looking at their hooves, and managed to lift them, jumped up onto the tallest branch on the tree and screamed happily.

"WE'RE ALIVE!!!" She beamed.

Applebloom and Scootaloo looked up at her.

"Yay...." They moaned grimmly.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea." Scootaloo ended their conversation, as she laid on the branch with her friends, too lazy to get up and try to wash off the tree sap.

Applejack slapped a wooden mug onto the table, as she dashed back to the wagon, grabbing a bottle of apple cider, returning to the table, popping the lid open, and then serving it into the mug.

Rarity, who sat before the mug, and her friend, was pleased.

"Why, thank you, darling. It was nice to spend the afternoon with you."

Applejack set the bottle of cider down.

"Not ah' problem, Rarity! I actually appreciated that you could be joinin' me and Big Macintosh for lunch."

Rarity blushed at the name; 'Big Macintosh'.

But Applejack didn't mind, she knew her best friend had a crush on her older brother.

"And it looks like dem' little ones are enjoyin' themselves on this playdate."

Rarity looked up from her apple cider.

"Speaking of which, where are those three anyways? I don't see them anywhere!"

"Ah' thaink' they said they'd be ovah' there, in the mountains of the apple forest. Let's take a stroll through Sweet Apple Acres and find em'."

Rarity got up, slightly worried.

"We'd better."

The farmer and the dressmaker walked down the cobblestone path of the apple forest as they got closer and closer to the cliffs. As they walked, they caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash soaring by.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack shouted.

The pegasus stopped, mid-air, as she turned around and flew towards the unicorn and earth pony.

"Hey, Applejack! Hey, Rarity! What's up?" she greeted.

"Why, hello, darling! We're just looking for Sweetie Belle and the others. We think they're over by the mountains." Rarity answered, trying to hide her worried look.

"Oh Rarity! Don't be so freaking scared, they're fine, I'm sure!"

"That's what you say, Dash. But who knows what could be happening to them!"

Rainbow Dash sneered.

"All right, do you want me to fly over to the cliffs and check it out or what?"

"Could ya' Dash?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, sure! I'll be there in a jiffy."

"Thank you, Dash! Really!" Rarity answered.

Rainbow Dash stood for only a second longer as she then zoomed past them, past the apple trees, to the cliffs.

She flew overhead, looking around at each cliff.

Nothing.

No sign of the three awfully curious fillies.

"Hmm." Dash muttered, as she then flew down the cliffs, getting closer and closer to a waterfall.

She stopped.

Nothing there.

She then looked down the waterfall, seeing a river that it connected to, with a bushel of trees along its river banks, and... a blob of bright colors.

No, three blobs.

It was Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, in a tree.

Dash soared over to the vegetation.

"What the heck are you three doing all the way over here?!?!!?" Dash screamed.

Scootaloo smiled nervously.

"Sorry Dash... we were... trying to get our cutie marks again. Heh." Scootaloo tried to explain.

Applejack and Rarity sprinted in behind Dash.

"Applebloom?! Wha' in the name of freakin' apples are you three doin'?!?!" the farmer screamed.

"Sweetie Belle! Have anything to explain?" the dressmaker asked crossly.

Sweetie Belle looked nervously at Rarity, as she took a breath, and then began to scream.

"ITWASSCOOTALOO'SFAULTNOTMINESHEMADEUSDOTHISSINCESHEWANTEDUSTOGETOURCUTIEMARKSI'MSOSORRYRARITYBUTBLAMESCOOTALOOBLAMEANYONEBUTMEI'MINNOCENT!!!!!!"

Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash looked confused at Sweetie Belle, as they then glanced over to the nervously-smiling Scootaloo.

"Sweetie Belle's right. It's my fault. Sorry, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo apologized.

Rarity looked at the three.

"You three scared me half to death!" Rarity shouted.

"Sorry." Sweetie Belle also apologized, as the blue glow of magic from her older sister lifted her and her friends out of the tree onto the grassy dirt.

Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle thumped onto the floor.

It was at least a few seconds of getting the stink eye from their angry older sisters before Applebloom smiled and spoke up.

"Hey! Maybe we could get our cutie marks from-"

"NO!!!" the three older mares shouted.

Applebloom cringed.

"I was just gonna' say we could try gettin' our cutie marks by singing! We were working on our singing act! Ready, girls?"

The other two fillies were exhausted, yet they managed to wheeze out in perfect harmony.

"Here we go back..."

"This is the moment."

"This is the night..."

"We'll fight till' it's ovahh..

"So we put our hands up-"

"Like the ceiling can't hold us..."

The three began to sing in stereo.

"Like-like, the ceiling can't hold u-u-u-us..."

"Like-like, the ceiling can't hold u-u-u-us..."

"Like-like, the ceiling can't hold u-u-u-us..."

The three looked up to their older siblings.

They looked pretty decent now.

Singing always does the trick.

Rarity was nodding.

"Well, darlings, singing is a much better idea on how to get your cutie marks than trying to fly on a motorcycle or something else stupid like that." Rarity agreed.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at eachother, as Applejack then spoke up.

"Girls, we actually wanted to talk with ya'll bout' somethin' back at the barn. Come along now, while we get ya'll washed outta' that tree sap."

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack helped the other two young fillies out of the tree, as they then began walking down the cobblestone path.

Back towards the barn.

Applebloom frowned as she sat in the wooden tub full of water that sat outside of the Apples' barn. Applejack splashed a bucket of water onto the young filly's face, as she glanced over to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were already drying in a towel, next to Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

Dash, gulping down her 12th cup of cider, as she then slammed the wooden mug down, completely empty.

The pegasus burped. Rarity scoffed.

"Boy, do I love cider!" Dash shouted, "This is freaking good, AJ!"

"Why, thanks Dash." Applejack responded.

Applebloom looked up at her sister, curiously, and then began to speak, water rushing past her face.

"Applejack, what did you need to tell us?" Applebloom asked.

Applejack smiled down onto her little sister, still pouring water onto her face.

"Well, me and Rarity wanted to talk to ya'll abou' somethin' important."

Rarity lifted her head when she heard this.

"Oh, yes darlings. Ummm, well, how do I put this... let's see, um, we got a special letter today from the Boarding School of Manehatten; it was a sign up form for this year's class. Although the school year has already started, this boarding school has only half a school year, which is why sign-up sheets have come out now. Anyways, me and Applejack were thinking that you; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, are old enough to start taking care on your own, and so we have decided to sign you two up."

Applebloom looked up from the tub wide-eyed, so did Sweetie Belle, who was currently sitting next to Rarity herself.

Scootaloo also turned over to look at the unicorn.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle didn't know how to explain the feeling, since they were happy that they would still be together, sad that Scootaloo wasn't involved, angry that they were getting ditched and thrown into some fancy boarding school, and curious on the experience. Most of all though, they were freaking shocked.

"What about Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Rarity then turned over to Rainbow Dash, who was looking perplexed.

"Thas' right..." Applejack started, "We didn't ask Dashie' about lettin' Scootaloo come along."

Rainbow Dash though for a moment, as she then smiled.

"Eh, go ahead kiddo."

Scootaloo jumped up and screamed.

"YAY!"

But Applebloom and Sweetie Belle continued to look strangely at the farmer and dressmaker.

"When will we be leaving?" Applebloom asked.

"Tomorrow." Applejack answered.

"How will we get there?"

"Well, Granny Smith has a friend back in Appaloosa who is goin' ovah' to Manehatten, and in order to get there, the train will be going through Ponyville, which will obviously stop at the Ponyville station. She'll pick ya up there, and you girls will go with her. Once ya'll get ovah' there in Manehatten, she'll take a taxi with ya'll and take ya'll to tha' boardin' school. Easy."

Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle looked nervously at eachother, and then looked back at their older sisters.

This really WAS it for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The three fillies took their last look at the Apples' barn as they loaded into the carpool. Granny Smith's friend was another old mare, with caramel-colored skin, and a firey red mane and tail. She wore glasses, and wore a bow in her hair, similar to Applebloom's. She was wrinkly, yet she somehow managed to keep her eyes bright and young, along with her eyelashes that hid her amber eyes. What was Granny Smith's excuse?

It was a fairly large cart, with a roof and everything, as the two colts who were tied to the front waited patiently for the foals to board.

Applejack appeared out of the barn, along with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, waiting to say goodbye.

The farmer stood next to the car, the Crusaders now having boarded.

Applejack waved.

"We sure will miss ya'll. Bye girls! We'll see ya'll this summer." Applejack goodbyed.

"Bye, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity shouted, "Stay safe!"

"I will!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"Stay cool, kid!" Dash also added.

"I will, Dash!" Scootaloo answered.

"Bye Applebloom..." Applejack ended, as she stuck a hoof through the window.

Applebloom punched Applejack's hoof with her own.

"Bye sis, I sure will miss ya'll."

The cart started to move, as the fillies continued to wave at eachother.

Applejack pulled her hoof back out of the window, as she then resumed to waving.

Applebloom did her last wave, and turned back around, closing the car window as she turned.

The barn was now going farther and farther away, as the carpool continued to move down the road. The barn was now a speck.

Applebloom sighed.

Sweetie Belle patted her friend on the back.

"Don't worry, Applebloom! We'll be fine! As long as we're together!" Sweetie Belle soothed.

"Yeah, as long as we're together forever! Best friends forever!" Scootaloo agreed.

The two hugged Applebloom as she thought to herself.

Best Friends For Always.

Together Forever.