What Has Become of Us: The Cutiemark Crusaders

The clubhouse was dark and gloomy as Apple Bloom stepped in. The smell of rotting wood filled the air of the treehouse. Despite the shadows towering the room, it felt inviting to her. She flipped on the light and waited for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo climbed up with Sweetie Belle asleep on her back. Sweetie Belle's cold body pressed up against Scoot's feathers making it uncomfortable. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo went upstairs and helped Sweetie onto her bed. One of her mechanical hinges squeaked. They lifted the blanket over her body. Tears formed in both crusaders eyes as they watched her slumber. It was unbearable to see her like this. Scootaloo glanced at Sweetie's flank. She wondered if robots can bear cutie marks. She cringed at the thought.

"C'mon, Scoot," Applebloom said, pulling her sisters hat over her eyes. "She'll be sleeping for a while."

Scootaloo looked at the mechanical body one more time. She joined Apple Bloom as they both slipped out of the room and closed the door. They looked down at their flanks. As grown mares, no pony has ever grown this old and had a blank flank. They stepped downstairs.

"How could something like this happen?" More tears filled Scootaloo's eyes.

"Oh, Scootaloo..." Apple Bloom tried to comfort her but Scoot just pushed her away.

"This is all my fault..." She whimpered.

"Scoot, this is not..."

"Yes it is!" She shouted back.

"Shhh!" Apple Bloom pointed to the attic. Scootaloo toned down a bit.

"If I would've stopped her, none of this would have happened!"

"This didn't all happin' cause of you! It was all a series of misfortunate events."

"Yeah, sure." Scoot whimpered.

"Scootaloo, we've all had our days were things don't go right..." Apple Bloom took off her hat and held it against her chest. Scootaloo glanced at her wings and opened them, one of the hinges creaking. She remembered the doctors attaching them on. She remembered the pain. She tried to blink away the memory and her tears. Apple Bloom put her hat back on.

"Thing like this happen, and we have to learn to except them." Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom and nodded.

"I still don't understand why this has to happen to us." She said.

"Everypony in Equestria had faced hard problems and we are three of them." Apple Bloom put a hoof on her back. "Sometimes we'll have to live with it. We're lucky we're alive."

Scoot looked up to Apple Bloom. They both smiled and Scootaloo wiped a tear from her eye. She took a deep breath. "Thanks, Apple Bloom." Apple Bloom smiled wider. Suddenly, something shocked them. Their ears rang as they heard a terrible noise, a blood curling scream. A wave of horror washed over both of them. There was nothing they could do. They looked at each other. That could only mean one thing.