Tom <<<<<
I woke up one morning in my bed, a comic book laid open on my sheets. I blinked a couple of times to get the tears from my eyes, and stretched. I fluttered my wings and yawned. I then hopped out of bed, grabbed the comic book, and walked over to my bookcase. I slid the comic into place and walked over to my mirror. I looked at my reflection, hoping a was presentable. Staring back at me was a dark blue colt with a short brown mane and tail. His eyes were brown and he didn't have a cutie mark. After making sure I looked presentable, I rushed out my door and trotted down the stairs.
Once I got down, the sweet aroma of pancakes filled my muzzle. yummy.... i thought, my mouth starting to drool. I rushed to the table and grabbed a fork. Mom greeted me with a smile and levitated a stack of pancakes covered in syrup over to me. I eyed them hungrily before I heard the rustling of a newspaper. I peered my head over the pancakes to see my dad, sitting on the other side of the table, sipping his coffee and reading the news.
"Hi dad." I said, trying to get his attention. Dad grumbled something about work and kept on reading, his wings twitching every so often. I sighed and picked up my fork. After about 3 minutes, I had completely devoured the plate of pancakes. Patting my stomach, I carried the plate over to the sink and thanked mom for the meal.
"Mom? Can i go play with Ginger today?" i asked hopefully. Mom smiled and nodded, walking over to the sink. I cheered in my head and dashed to the door. I opened it and ran out, only to slam into a white pegasus filly with an orange mane and crystal blue eyes. The filly sat on her haunches, rubbing her head. "Ow Tom...." she said. I blushed as I pulled her up.
"Hey Ginger, sorry about that, I was just on my way to see you." I said. Ginger smiled and chuckled.
"Its ok." she said, her cheeks turning a bright pink. We stood there like that for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say, until she spoke up.
"So. Wanna go see the crusaders?" she asked. I nodded and we walked towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Ginger <<<<<
After about 10 minutes of walking, We reached the treehouse. I ran up to the door, excited to see my friends. Tom followed slowly behind, being his usual shy self.
Once Tom had caught up with me, a knock on the wooden door. It was answered almost immediately by Sweetie Belle. "Hi Sweetie." i said. Sweetie smiled.
"Hi guys! Come on in! We were just about to start." she said, waving us in. I sat on a cushion, Tom beside me, as Apple Bllom took the stand. She pounded the mallet on the podium with her mouth.
"Welcome crusaders. We're gathered here today to do..well what else? Earn our cutie marks!" she said. We clapped our hooves, cheering at the thought. Apple Bloom continued her speech, picking up a clip board and scanning it carefully. She looked up from it and smiled.
"Ok. Today crusaders, Ginger is gonna to choose our cutie mark activities!" everypony looked at my happily, and i could feel my cheeks grow hot from blushing. Apple Bloom waved me up to the podium and i got up to talk. I cleared my throat and everypony stared at my cheerfully.
"I..um...hi everypony." i said, fumbling to get the words out. "Ok, so i was thinking that we could try maybe um...doing maybe something artistic?" i said, smiling nervously. There was silence for a few moments, then the entire room exploded in cheers. I smiled and hopped down from the podium.
"What did you have planned?" asked Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle ran over to me. "I'm so excited!" she said cheerfully. I looked over at Tom, who was looking at his hooves. I giggled to myself.
He is so weird sometimes....but thats why we're best friends i guess. I cleared my throat and the girls stopped talking and sat on their haunches. Tom joined them, smiling as he did.
"Ok, well i thought we would start with drawing pictures of animals." i said, as that was one of my favorite things to do in my free time. The crusaders cheered and we rushed out the door, Tom rolling his eyes and smiling. "To Fluttershy's!" i yelled happily.
Tom <<<<<
We soon arrived at Fluttershy's cottage, the girls cheering, me and Ginger out of breath, seeing how we ran the entire way. We walked up to the big wooden door and Sweetie Belle knocked. Fluttershy opened the door with a big smile.
"Oh. Hi kids. C..come on in..."she squeaked. We walked in as she guided us over to a wooden table. On the table there was five pads of paper, along with some quills, charcoal, and crayons. We each grabbed a pad of paper, along with our choice of drawing utensil. Fluttershy then guided us out to the backyard, where all of her animal friends lived.
There were bird houses hanging from the trees, chickens running around in their pen, and random animals such as a kangaroo, butterflies, rabbits, and even a bear. We sat down at a picnic table with our art supplies. "If you fillies need anything, don't be afraid to come in and ask me." Fluttershy said, walking back inside.
"Ok crusaders, what are we gonna draw?" asked Scootaloo, holding her charcoal in her wing, turning is slightly black. We all looked at Ginger, who smiled half-heartily.
"I...um...I thought we could just choose an animal to draw." she said, holding her pencil in her hoof. The crusaders and me nodded, and started looking for an animal to draw. I walked over to a small rock, and sat on it. I looked around me and saw a small brown and white dog. i smiled at the dog, its tail wagging. I pulled out my quill and started to draw the dog, smiling as it stared at me.
Ginger <<<<<
I walked over to a log resting on the ground. I set my pad and pencil down on the log and went to look for a creature that i could draw. I wanted to find something with wings, so i could draw them fluttering in the air. I started checking through the bushes when i heard the rustling of leaves. I looked around for the source of the noise when i heard a deep chuckle. My eyes widened and my heart started beating fast.
"Who-Who's there?" i stammered. I heard the laugh get louder. "I..I'm warning you...My friend is Princess Twilight Sparkle!" i said, trying to sound brave.
"I'm not going to hurt you child...." the voice said. I was deep, and a little scary, but almost inviting at the same time. "Who are you?" i asked, looking around. I saw movement in the tree next to me, and i looked up. In the tree, resting on a branch, there a draconequus, smiling at me. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. The draconequus smiled at me and climbed down the tree. "My name, if you were wondering child, is Discord." he said with a smile.
"D..D..Discord?" i stuttered. He nodded, shrinking down and climbing onto my back.
"Yes. I'm Discord. King of chaos, Commander of confusion, Depute of Disharmony. But, i'm Reformed." he said that last part with slight disgust. Just then, a small saddle appeared on my back, and Discord was wearing a cowboy's outfit. A bridle appeared in my mouth, and Discord held it. Discord kicked his legs into my side, and i couldn't help but walk. Discord walked me into Fluttershy's cottage, and caught her attention.
"Fluttershy my dear, look at what i found." he said with a devilish grin. I moaned because the bridle was starting to hurt my mouth. Fluttershy gasped when she saw the situation i was in. Immediately when he saw Fluttershy upset, Discord made the stuff on me disappear, and grew to his full size next to me.
"Sorry about Discord." Fluttershy told me. "He may be reformed, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like to cause trouble sometimes." she said, glaring at Discord. Discord shrunk down to the size of a canary and sat in fluttershy's long, pink mane. I couldn't help but giggle at Discord's antics. He must've seen me, cause he shot me a genuine smile.
"It's ok." i said. I stood there for a second before moving closer to Discord. "Discord? Could i maybe...um...maybe could I draw you?" I asked him. He gave me a confused look before blushing.
"Well, um...I guess that would be alright." he said, following me outside. "If i may ask...Ms...um..." "Ginger." i said. "Yes. If I may ask Ginger, why do you want to draw me?" he asked, floating in the air. i gave him a sheepish smile before answering.
"Well...It's just that i wanted to draw a creature that was truly unique, and you sure do fit the bill." He smiled. "Ok. So if you could do a pose that is comfortable, i'll draw you." i said, grabbing my pad and pencil. Discord smiled like a little filly on Christmas morning.
He then made a pose like he was singing, with one claw on his chest, and one in the air. His eyes were closed and his head was pointed in the air. The mis-matched wings on his back were spread out, and his mouth was opened wide. I smiled at this pose, seeing how it looked completely random, and totally Discord. I sat on the log, put my pad of paper on my lap, and began to draw the draconequus.
Tom <<<<<
I put down my pencil and looked at my drawing. i looked between the dog and my paper, making sure i had everything right. Sure, the head was too big for it's body, and the eyes didn't match. The ears were uneven and the tail looked like a stick was jammed up his butt. But I was happy with it and went to go show the girls.
I walked over to the girls to check out their drawings, and i saw Apple Bloom had drawn a picture of a butterfly in pencil. Or I think i was a butterfly. I walked up to her and complimented her on it and she corrected me saying it was actually a frog. I blushed and walked over to Scootaloo, who's left wing was smothered in charcoal. I looked at her pad of paper and saw she had drawn a....um....cat? "I like your cat." i told her. This resulted in a hoof to my face and a correction saying it was a bat. Rubbing my head, i walked over to Sweetie Belle, who had drawn an actually pretty decent picture of a rabbit.
"Nice bunny." i said. She smiled and thanked me, saying Angel Bunny had taught her how to draw rabbits correctly. I chuckled and went to find Ginger. The crusaders followed me, wanting to see her drawing after me telling her what a good drawer she is. I kept my drawing hidden cause it was pretty bad. We went around front, seeing she wasn't in the backyard with us anymore. We went through the gate and I froze at the sight I saw. In front of us, Ginger was sitting on a log with her pencil in hand, drawing a Draconequus! The crusaders just smiled and walked over to him.
"Hi Discord!" they said in unison. I hid behind a bush at the sound of that name. Last time Discord was here, he had turned me into a girl trying to create chaos. Luckily he had thought it wasn't enough, so he changed me back. Somehow, Discord knew i was there and started walking towards the bushes, making Ginger mad.
"Wait! I'm not done yet! Models need to be as still as stone!" she said. This got a giggle out of the crusaders, as well as Fluttershy, though i have no idea why. Discord peered into the bushes where i was hiding and moved the leaves out of the way. I sat there, on my haunches, shivering like a baby foal.
"Hello My Little Pony." he said. (Yes I had to put that in there) I sat there with my mouth wide open, not knowing what to do. "Discord, your scaring him. Please move away." Fluttershy said, flying over to comfort me. Discord rolled his eyes and said;
"Well I don't know why. You would think being turned into a mare wouldn't make him scared of me." he said, chuckling slightly to himself. Fluttershy glared at him and his smile disappeared. "I'll just me over here." he said, zipping back to where he was, Ginger getting back to drawing him. Fluttershy comforted me, and eventually I came out of the bushes.
While I was in the bushes, Ginger had had the chance to finish her drawing. She looked at it with pride then turned it around for us to see. The likeness between the picture and Discord was uncanny. Every scale, every feather, was practically perfect, down to how crooked his fang was in his mouth. We all looked at the picture, and Ginger started to blush.
Suddenly, her flank started to glow.
Ginger <<<<<
I showed my friends my picture and i felt myself fill up with pride. I couldn't help but blush, cause i wasn't used to getting much attention. Suddenly, my friends started gasping and pointing to my flank, and it started to feel warm. I looked and saw it was shining! My flank felt tingly, there was a big flash of light, and a picture was on my flank! I jumped up and down and cheered! "I got my cutie mark! I got my Cutie mark!" I chanted, me and the crusaders and Tom all dancing in a circle. I couldn't tell what it was, so i asked them to tell me.
"Its a pencil and a quill crossed over a heart!" Sweetie Belle said, jumping up and down. "Thats So awesome!!" Scoots yelled, fluttering in the air.
"Wait, so what's my special talent?" i asked, looking at my flank. I knew the pencil was for drawing, but nopony uses quills for drawing. Well, except Sweetie Belle. "Maybe its for writing?" Scoots said, looking at my flank.
"Maybe, i've always loved writing them." i said. I looked over to Tom, who was putting on a fake smile. I walked over to my best friend and sat next to him. "What's wrong?" I asked. He sighed and looked at me.
"Does this means your leaving the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" he asked sadly. I hadn't thought of that. The crusaders stopped jumping and dancing when they heard his question. I guess they hadn't thought of that either. They walked over to me and almost silently asked me the question too. I smiled.
"Of course not. You guys are gonna need my help getting rid of that blank flank title." i said. They all smiled and we started dancing again. After a while, we got tired and decided to go back to the tree house. Once inside, we all crashed on a beanbag or cushion. Rubbing my neck, i yawned and smiled at my friends. "Well, i think i'm gonna head home." i said, popping my back. Tom got up and did the same.
"Let me walk you home." he said, stretching. I nodded and we waved good-bye to the gang. As we walked, the sun started to go down. Tom looked upset, even though he tried to hide it. "Tom?" i asked. H looked at me. "Don't worry about it. You'll get your cutie mark." i said, trying to cheer him up. He smiled slightly and soon we got to my house. I hugged him and he blushed, then i walked inside. I closed the door and ran to my dad's lap, jumping on it. "Dad guess what!" i said.
"What darling?" he asked, his warm green eyes staring down at me. I showed him my flank and a big smile spread across his face. "Thats great sweet heart! I'm so proud of you!" he said, ruffling my mane with his hooves.
"Dad..." i said, fixing it. "Alright alright. Go up to bed. Sounds like you've had a long day." he said, as i yawned loudly. I smiled at him and flew up to my bedroom. I walked over to my bed and looked at my nightstand. I picked up the picture and sat on my bed. In it, there were three ponies. Me, My dad, who was a white pegasus with a blue mane and tail, wearing a set of royal armor, and my mom. She was a yellow pegasus, with a long flowing orange mane and tail. Her eyes were a deep crystal blue. My mom had died only 2 years ago, and I couldn't help but miss her. i started crying, my tears falling on the picture. My dad came into my room, and sat on the bed with me.
He draped his big wing around me and help me. "Its alright Ginger. Its ok. I'm here. I'm here." he said softly. I calmed down a bit, and hugged him tightly. "Why don't you come sleep with me tonight." he said, picking me up. I nodded and held the picture frame tightly, as he carried me to his room.
Ginger <<<<<
I was playing on my GameColt when i heard a knock on the door. I set it on the table and went to go see who was knocking. I opened the door to see Tom, standing there, out of breath. "Hi Tom." i said, waving him inside. He looked like he had been running. "Hi....Ginger...I...was...running from....the crusaders...." he said, holding his chest. "Why?" i asked, picking up my GameColt. He pointed to his flank, and there i saw a rose made of little rubies stuck to his flank. "what?" i asked, looking at it in confusion. "The crusaders thought they could get their cutie marks in bedazzling." he said, pulling off the gems. He yelped every time one came off, a small patch of blue fur along with it. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
One he had gotten all of the gems off, the fur around his flank was really thin. He rolled his eyes and came over to see what i was doing. I had already put my GameColt away, so i asked his what he wanted to do. "Well, we could go to SugarCube Corner." he said, a smile spreading across his face. "Ok." i said, and we walked out of the house, and towards the restaurant. After about 10 minutes of walking, we came up to the gingerbread house-looking store. We walked in and a little bell went off. Pinkie Pie zoomed up to the counter, a big smile plastered on her face. "Hey little fillies! What can i get for you today?" she asked, leaning over the counter to look at us. I realized something and whispered in Tom's ear. "Tom, we have no bits. We can't buy anything." i said nervously. he ignored me and continued to order. "Can we get two cupcakes please?" he asked. Pinkie zipped into the kitchen and came out in a matter of seconds with two lime green cupcakes.
She handed one to each of us, and Tom pulled two bits out of his shirt pocket. (I hadn't even realized he was wearing one, because it was a dark blue with a golden trim, and it matched his coat almost perfectly.) Pinkie scooped up the bits and put them in the register. "Thanks come again!" she said cheerfully. We walked out, cupcakes in our hooves, over to a picnic table. "Thanks for the cupcake." i told him, licking off the icing. "No problem." he said, taking a big bite out of his cupcake, lime green icing getting all over his muzzle. I giggled. Tom crossed his eyes to look at his muzzle, and this just made me laugh harder. He saw me laughing and smiled. After we had eaten our cupcakes and gotten cleaned up, Tom said that we should go see what the crusaders were doing. So, we set a course for Sweet Apple Acres.
Tom <<<<<
My hooves were killing me when we finally got the the clubhouse. I knocked on the door and walked in, only to see there was nopony there. "Huh. The crusaders must be somewhere else, trying to earn their cutie-marks." i said, looking at Ginger. She nodded and we went back to town.
Once we were back in Ponyville, I heard a loud noise. It sounded like a mixture of claws on a blackboard, and a walrus calling out. I guess Ginger heard it too, cause she started plugging her ears with her hooves. I motioned for her to follow me, as i tried to track down the source of the noise. I traced it back to Rarity's house.
We walked in the boutique and saw Rarity on the floor, clenching her ears with her hooves, and the Crusaders, in the weirdest outfits, doing what looked like.....singing? Ginger and I walked up to them and they stopped singing. "Oh. Hey guys! We're trying to get our cutie-marks in yodeling!" Scootaloo said, tugging at a suspender over her shoulder. "Oh. Ok, well we were looking for you guys so we could hang out with you, but seeing that your busy...." I said, turning to leave. Apple bloom spoke up and ran over to me. "Nah, this wasn't working out anyways. We'll be happy to hang you ya!" she said. And with that, they ran into the other room for a few minutes, only to come back out without the costumes on. "Ok. Ready to go?" i asked. They nodded, as well as Ginger, and we walked out of the boutique, Rarity silently thanking me from the ground.
"You guys wanna go see if Button's doing anything fun?" Ginger asked, walking beside me. "Yeah! He's always up to something." Sweetie Belle said, starting to blush. So, because I didn't know where Button lives, Ginger took us to Button's house. I knocked on the door and we waited for an answer. After a few minutes, a little brown colt with orange and tan hair, wearing a propeller hat opened the door. In his hoof, he was holding a juice box, sipping it as he pushed the door open. "hey guys!" he said. "Hey Button." i said. Button waved us inside and went to get another juice. When he came back, we were sitting on the floor. "So what's up?" he said, taking sips from his juice. "Well, we were wondering if you wanted to come hang out with us." Ginger said. Button nodded and i got up. I stretched and soon we left his house.
Ginger had told us to follow her, because she had a surprise. After walking for what seemed like hours, we finally got to our destination. According to Ginger. We were in what looked like a garden, but with weird statues everywhere. "This is where Discord used to be imprisoned. I usually visit here cause its so pretty, but I wanted to show you guys something." she said, leading us through the garden.
Soon we came to a clearing with mossy stone benches scattered around. Ginger told us to wait where we were and she'd be right back. She went behind some bushes for a moment, then came back out with a small marble box. I gave her a confused look. Ginger opened the box and inside were six amulets. Each one had a gemstone that was a different color, as well as a different shape.
Ginger <<<<<
We all stared at the amulets in awe. Each gemstone was different and unique. There was a purple music note, a pink flower, a gold sword, a white wheel, a lime green A button, and a turquoise paintbrush. "Where did you get these?" Button asked, picking up the amulet with the green gemstone. "Well, it's kind of a long story." i said. And with that, the fillies sat on their haunches and waited for me to speak.
"Ok. Well, it all started back before we were friends. I had a dream one night that i was being chased. I was running through the Ever-free forest, trying to escape the shadows, and the thing lurking in them. I tried to make out my surroundings, but everything looked the same. Same bushes, same creepy trees, same rocks. I heard a loud laughing, but it didn't sound good. This made me run faster, causing me to wheeze and gasp. I soon came to a clearing, where i sat down and was able to catch my breath. I didn't know where i was or if i'd ever get back to my family, so I started to cry.
Suddenly, the bushes started to rustle, and i jumped to my feet to face what ever was making the noise. I stared at the brush, tears streaming down my face and wetting my fur. Instead of a monster coming out of the brush, it turned out to be Princess Luna. I sat back on the grass, knowing Luna wouldn't hurt me, and stared at the ground. I felt a big wing drape over me and Luna began to talk. "It's ok child. I'm here to help." she said, comforting me. "What...what was that thing chasing me?" i asked. Luna gave me a concerning look. "In time you will know, but for now, take this." she said, as her horn lit up with magic, and the marble box appeared out of nowhere. "What's in it?" i asked, trying to force it open. "I cannot tell you. However, when the five friends you care most about are present, you will know." she said, setting the marble box on my lap. I looked at the box with curiosity. "Wait. Five friends? my only friend is Tom." i said. I looked up at her, but she had disappeared into thin air. I called for her, but got no reply. I woke up in my bed with a gasp, and saw the box at the foot of my bed. So, i decided to take the box and bury it until i found the five friends i care the most about."
That's where you guys come in." i said, blushing slightly. I waited for their response, but got none. They just stared at me with blank expressions. "I....um...i didn't..." i stammered. Then, i smile appeared on all of their faces. "That. Is Awesome!!" Scoots said, fluttering slightly in the air. Sweetie Belle squealed, and Tom was shooting me the biggest smile i'd ever seen. "So, what now? Are we supposed to put these amulets on?" Button asked, looking at the amulets. "I guess so." i said, putting on the amulet with the blue paintbrush gemstone. The amulet glowed when i clasped it on, then faded. "Whoa." Tom said, eyeing my neck.
They then proceeded to do the same, picking out the amulet which they liked best. Tom had the golden sword, Button had the A button, Sweetie belle had the music note, Scoots had the wheel, and Apple bloom had the flower. Each time a necklace was put on, it shined brightly.
To Be Continued...... :)