Journeys and Destinations: A Friendship for Eternity

by Fluttercheer

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Other, Adventure
Length: 11843

The Cutie Mark Crusaders become traveling sales ponies and go on the biggest adventure of their life.....

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got taught in their talents by Twilight.
They now want to show off their skills in public in hope they will finally get their cutie marks. Conflicted between their dreams for the future and their friendship, they make the decision to become traveling sales ponies.
But their families are right when they tell them that Equestria is a dangerous place.

The journey they set forth on will not only change their future, but their whole lives forever.....

This first chapter was written for Round #9 of the Season 4 Writer's Training Grounds of Equestria Daily for "Twilight Time".
But there's more to come, I have planned this as a very long, on-going story!

Now with new, amazing cover art from ParadigmPizza!

Published 2014-03-02 03:10:12 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-23 22:26:13 UTC

Chapter 1: The Decision That Changed Our Lives

It was a quiet, ordinary morning in Ponyville. Ponies opened their windows and let the sun shine into their houses. Fillies and colts hurried to finish their breakfast to go out and meet their friends. Adults prepared themselves for work and shops were opened. The town was about to awake. Nothing special seemed to happen on this day, however, a new shop had opened.

The ringing of a bell could be heard on the marketplace, followed by the voice of a filly.

“Plant growin' potions! Plant growin' potions! Buy one today from our newly opened Cutie Mark Crusaders potion shop an' y'all get one potion for free! Plant growin' potions for every tree or flower ya'll need! They will let each of ya'll plants grow faster! Buy some potions!”

The voice came from a stall with a sign with the inscription “Cutie Mark Crusaders Potions” on top of it.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood in front of the stall to hoof out flyers to the ponies passing by. While Scootaloo was using her hooves for it, Sweetie Belle used her magic to levitate the flyers from her back to the passersby. She used her magic as often as she could in hope this would bring her finally her cutie mark.

While Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were busy with distributing the flyers, Apple Bloom talked with the curious customers that came to their stall and sold the potions she made to them.

So far, she had already sold two potions and was quite satisfied with these first sales. Two successful sales — minutes after they had opened their business — were a good outcome. She hoped that the success would continue to get rid of all the potions she made to get her cutie mark because she wouldn't know what to do with all those potions if she shouldn't be able to sell them all.

While she was buried in her thoughts, another customer came to the stall. It was Rose from the flower shop.

“Hi Rose!” Apple Bloom greeted her. “Do ya want to buy some potions? Ya could let ya roses grow much faster with them!”

“That's why I came,” Rose replied, her voice a little anxious. “I want to participate in a flower contest in Canterlot next week with a new kind of roses I breed exclusively for the contest. But the storm from last night wiped them all out and I don't have the time to let new ones grow! It's a disaster!” Apple Bloom was worried for a moment that she could faint, but the red-maned mare somehow managed it to stay on her hooves.

“Then ya'll exactly at the right place!” She pointed at a row with small bottles of red potions, labelled with “Roses”. “If ya use these potions, ya can let ya roses grow in no time!” Apple Bloom said with a smile.

“That's exactly what I need!” Rose answered. “I take all ten of them! How much makes that?”

“That would be 50 bits!”

A frown appeared on Rose's forehead. “5 bits per bottle? That's a lot.....” Rose hesitated. She had already spent a lot of money this month to prepare her roses for the contest in the best way possible.

“Yeah, but it takes time to make these potions an' some of the ingredients are hard to find. Ah even had to buy some! But because it's our first day ya get another bottle for free for each one ya buy! Ya can buy only five an' get the other five for free or ya can buy all ten an' get ten other potions for free!”

Rose looked down on the bottles with the potions in front of Apple Bloom and scrutinized them. 50 bits was not a small amount of money, but if she would buy all ten rose potions she could bring over some other flower potions for Lily and Daisy. Then they could let their flowers grow faster too and their shop could sell more flowers in a shorter amount of time. This should make the investment in the expensive rose potions worth it.

“Okay, I take all ten!” she said. Rose pulled her wallet out of her saddlebag and gave Apple Bloom the required amount.

“Thanks! Just choose ten other bottles, whichever ya like! We still have potions for daisies, gillyflowers, tulips, lilies and orchids!”

Rose let her eyes wander over the bottles filled with potions in various colors and then decided for two per sort. She gave all of the bottles in her saddlebags, then she quickly took her leave and hurried back to her shop to get her roses ready for the contest. Apple Bloom waved goodbye to her. In the corner of her eyes she saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle coming back to their stall and turned her attention to them.

“Hey, have y'all hoofed out all the flyers already?” she asked them surprised.

“Yep, they're all gone!” Scootaloo answered cheerishly.

“Great! And ya know what? Rose from the flower shop just bought all our rose potions!”

“Really?! That's awesome!” The pegasus filly jumped and let her wings buzz.

“Yeah, if it goes on like that, we will have sold all the potions before noon!” Sweetie Belle added.

“Maybe we will get our cutie marks for selling things? We seem to be good at it!” Scootaloo noted.

“Maybe,” Apple Bloom answered. “There's always a possibility!” A broad grin appeared on their faces.

“Then let's do it!” Apple Bloom said excited. “Can ya speak to more ponies to advertise our stall?”

“Sure, we're on it!” Scootaloo replied and chased off, dragging Sweetie Belle behind her.

The next hours were not so successful anymore as they had hoped they would be. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had talked to many ponies and most of them seemed interested, but only three more customers came this morning. One of them bought even three bottles at once, but the other two only one bottle each. At noon, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo returned to the stall, their bodies wet from sweat.

“How many potions have you sold?” Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom, a bit out of breath.

“Ah still have twenty-six potions left. An' the last customer came an hour ago! Ah think we're out of business for today.”

“Should we try it a little bit longer?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I'm not sure.” Scootaloo panted. She looked up to the sun, that had reached her highest position in the sky in the meanwhile.

“It became so hot and I'm getting exhausted. I think we should quit for today. We still can sell more of them tomorrow!”

They nodded in agreement.

“Okay then. Ah'll pack the potions in mah bag an' then we can leave!” Apple Bloom pulled out a saddle bag under the table and carefully placed the bottles with the potions in it. She threw the saddle bag on her back. “Okay, let's go!”

“The first thing I need now is something cold to drink. I'm so thirsty!” Scootaloo moaned while they trotted away from their stall.

“Then let's return to the farm! Applejack just made new apple juice yesterday!”

When they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom quickly galloped up the stairs and into her room. She took off the saddle bag, placed it on her bed and rushed down the stairs back to her friends again. The three fillies headed into the kitchen.

Apple Bloom opened the fridge and took out a big jug full of apple juice and a small plate with some daisy sandwiches — eagerly watched by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle who couldn't wait to wet their dry tongues — and placed everything on a tray that stood on the table. Then she opened one of the cupboards and took out three glasses. She placed them also on the tray and was about to put it on her back as Sweetie Belle interrupted her.

“Wait. I take care of this.” She activated her horn and the tray hovered over to her, surrounded by her magic's green aura.

“Are you sure?” Scootaloo asked her with a raised eyebrow. “This tray is heavier than a broom.”

“But I need more practice! I can't always just lift brooms when I want to get my cutie mark in magic!”

“Yeah, but I'm thirsty.”

“An' ah don't want to lick the juice from the ground,” Apple Bloom added.

“Don't worry. I can handle this,” Sweetie Belle said with a voice full of confidence.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged nervous looks. “We all know what happened when she said that the last time.....” Apple Bloom said worried.

Sweetie Belle grinned and trotted out of the door with the tray. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom followed her and they fled from the heat into the orchards and under the shadows of the trees. Sweetie Belle had already entered their clubhouse when Apple Bloom and Scootaloo arrived there. They trotted up the ramp and followed her inside.

Sweetie Belle had put down the tray on the floor in the middle of the clubhouse. She even had poured some juice in each of their glasses already and arranged them now around the tray with her magic. After she had finished she turned round to them with a big grin on her face. “See? Told ya I can do it!”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked in awe at the scenery. Apple Bloom was the first one that got her speech back. “Wow! That's terrific!”

“Yeah, you really learn fast! That's impressive!” Scootaloo added.

“Hm!” Sweetie Belle said, raising her head proudly. Then they looked at each other and laughed. They grouped themselves around the tray, each sitting in front of one of the glasses. Scootaloo was the first one who grabbed her glass. She emptied it in one gulp. Then she grabbed the jug and poured apple juice into her glass until it was full again. She emptied the second glass like the first and then a third one followed. After she had emptied the third glass she grabbed one of the sandwiches, took a bite and began to chew delightfully on it.

In the meantime, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had also emptied their glasses and they grabbed a sandwich too. After some quiet chewing, Apple Bloom began to speak. “Ah haven't gotten mah cutie mark yet, but the potions really turned out fine an' the sales were good too! Ah sold more than half of mah potions today!”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said between two bites.

“But we also need to find something that me and Scoots can do to get better at our talents!” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “Hoofing out flyers with my magic is good to stay in practice, but if I want to get my cutie mark in magic I have to do more!”

Scootaloo nodded in agreement. She swallowed what she had in her mouth and then added, “And it's the same with me. If I want to get better with my mechanical skills I have to use them more often! I should repair more vehicles and build some by myself!”

“But where can we use our talents more? Where could we find a place where I can use my magic and where you can try out your mechanical skills?” They lapsed into silence and thought about what they could do.

Apple Bloom had finished her sandwich now as well and also began to dwell on thoughts. Suddenly she remembered something Granny Smith once told her. It was something about her foalhood and Apple Bloom began to think that this could be the solution for their problem. “Ah think ah know somethin',” she began slowly.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at her. “What is it?” Scootaloo asked.

“There is somethin' Granny Smith told me once. When she was a filly, she traveled by herself through Equestria an' had many adventures. She likes to talk about those adventures.”

“And?” Scootaloo asked. She didn't understand.

“Granny always tells me how many things she learned on those adventures and how useful they turned out for her in her later life. An'—”

“Wait,” Sweetie Belle interrupted her. “Do you want to say she got her cutie mark on an adventure?”

“No,” Apple Bloom answered. “She already had her cutie mark when she left Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Then how should this help us?” Scootaloo asked confused.

“Well, if we stay in Ponyville an' sell our potions here there is nothin' y'all could do to get better at ya talents. But if we would become traveling salesponies an' sell our potions all over Equestria, there would! Scootaloo, you could build a wheeled shop that can be moved by Sweetie's magic an' ya could repair it when it get's damaged during our journey! An' ah could mix more potions to sell them in our traveling shop! So could everyone of us use her talent and get better with it!”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at her for a moment before Scootaloo began to talk again. “I understand, but why leave Ponyville? I'm sure we can find something to use our talents on here too!”

“That's right, but do ya think we could still see us as often as now once we have our cutie marks?”

Scootaloo stared blankly at her.

“I know what Apple Bloom means,” Sweetie Belle took the word. “It looks like we all have different talents. If Apple Bloom gets her cutie mark in potion mixing, if you get your cutie mark in building vehicles and if I get my cutie mark in magic we would work in different places once we get them. We couldn't be together all the time anymore then! But if we do what Apple Bloom suggested we could still use our talents, get our cutie marks and stay together for all time!”

Scootaloo looked at the ground. “I know.” Her voice sounded weaker now. “I already thought about that. But if we do that, we will probably be away from Ponyville for a very long time. Maybe even years. I couldn't see Rainbow Dash anymore then.....”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked down too now. “Ah would also miss mah sister. An' Big McIntosh an' Granny Smith too.”

“And I would miss Rarity and my parents.....”

“I don't think I can do that,” Scootaloo said after some silent moments. “I could never leave Rainbow Dash.”

“But what's with our friendship then?” Apple Bloom began again.

“We would still be friends,” Scootaloo answered. “Only because we have different jobs doesn't mean we can't see us anymore.”

“But have ya already forgot what ya told us just some days ago? What was it again what ya want to do to fly?”

Scootaloo looked over to her friend. When she answered, she began to understand. Her eyes looked to the side, avoiding the face of Apple Bloom now. “I said I want to build an airship one day.”

“An' where can ya learn that?” Apple Bloom probed further.

Scootaloo sighed. “In the Airship Factory in Canterlot.”

“Right. An' that would mean ya must move away from Ponyville to work there! Ya can't go there by train every day, it's too far away! An' what is with Sweetie Belle? She said she wants to become a fashion designer like Rarity! But with her, Ponyville already has a fashion designer! Ah don't think she could make a good business here as long as Rarity lives here too an' Rarity hasn't planned to move away. That means Sweetie Belle would also move to another town! We all would live in different towns an' barely see us then!”

“I know! I understand that all!” Scootaloo bursted out. “But Rainbow Dash means so much to me too.....” she added in a lower tone. Tears began to glisten in her eyes. “I just don't know what I should do without her.” Then the tears streamed down her face.

Sweetie Belle walked over to her, sat beside her and laid a hoof around her shoulders. She looked to Apple Bloom. “Either we leave our sisters and parents or we have to leave each other one day. We must decide it somehow.”

Now Apple Bloom also walked over to Scootaloo. She sat down right from her and put a hoof around her shoulders too.

They looked quietly at the ground for some minutes, the silence only interrupted by Scootaloo's sobbing. The sadness they felt was reflected in Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's eyes.
Then Sweetie Belle talked again. “You could still see Rainbow Dash, even when we travel through Equestria.”

Scootaloo sniffed. “You think so? How should this be possible?”

“Because we would be traveling salesponies!”

Scootaloo looked at her, a hunch of confusion being visible behind her tears.

“Even when we travel through Equestria, this doesn't mean we have to stay away from Ponyville forever! Nothing stops us from returning to Ponyville every once in a while to sell potions here too! Isn't this a good compromise?”

“An' if ya feel sad an' miss Rainbow Dash too much we will also come back here so ya can spend some days with her! Promise!”

Sweetie Belle nodded agreeingly.

Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom, her vision still blurry. “You would really return just because I miss Rainbow Dash?”

“Sure! We are friends! We don't want ya to become sad!” Apple Bloom assured her.

Scootaloo suddenly reached out and pulled her two friends closer to her. “You are not just my friends!” she said in a more happy tone. “You are the best friends a filly could ever have!”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle joined in on the hug, now with smiles adorning their faces. After some minutes of group hugging, Scootaloo wiped the tears out of her eyes. “Ok, I agree! Let's become salesponies and travel the world!” She threw her right hoof into the air to accompany her words. The pegasus filly shared a smile with her friends and then Sweetie Belle said “But we must convince our parents and sisters first!”

“Yeah, but I'm sure we can make it! If we go together to them, we can convince them!”

“Should we tell it to them now?” Apple Bloom asked. "Or should we wait until we have built a shop and are ready to leave?"

“I think it's better to do it now,” Sweetie Belle answered. "The longer we wait, the harder it will become."

This was something all of them agreed on. Leaving their families wouldn't be easy and maybe they would also need a lot of time to convince them.

“Okay, then it's set!” Scootaloo said energetically and galloped out of the clubhouse. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle followed her.

Soon, they had reached the border of the orchard and could see the farmhouse. “Who should we tell it first? Applejack?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Applejack is still busy with workin' on the farm. An' my big brother too,” Apple Bloom explained.

“And I'm sure Cheerilee is still at school,” Scootaloo added. "We can only go to your parents.”

“I'm not sure if they're at home. But I guess we have no other choice. Let's try it!” Sweetie Belle answered.

On the way to Sweetie Belle's house, they discussed how they could convince their parents and big sisters to let them go. They knew that it wouldn't be easy. They were still little fillies after all and it was sure that nopony would be happy about their plan. But they had also made the decision to not let themselves become stopped by anypony. Shortly before they arrived at Sweetie Belle's house they came to the agreement that it would be the best to simply tell them their reason why they want to do that. Their reason was a heartwarming one and they hoped it would be enough to convince their loved ones.

Surprisingly, Sweetie Belle's parents allowed her to go almost immediately. They didn't even need to try to convince them much. After Sweetie's mom had opened the door, they entered the house and sat down at the table in the kitchen. Sweetie's parents had just finished lunch and her mum was busy with washing the dishes. Her dad sat at the table and read in the newspaper. Sweetie Belle waited for some moments, trying to find the right words.

“We have a new plan to get our cutie marks,” she began.

“Oh yes? What do you want to try this time, Sweetie?” her mom asked while she cleaned one of the plates.

“We..... We want to become traveling salesponies and go on a journey to sell the potions Apple Bloom makes all over Equestria. And we don't know how long we will stay away from Ponyville.”

Her mom let the plate that she held in her hooves glide into the kitchen sink and turned round. She looked at Sweetie Belle and a sad, worried expression could be seen on her face. Her dad put his newspaper down and looked in the same way at her. Sweetie Belle looked down on the table. She expected a no from her parents. Her mom trotted slowly over to the table. “If that is what you want you can go,” she said to her, a little heartache clinging in her voice.

“Yes, that sounds like a fantastic idea, Sweetie! A little filly like you can learn much on a journey like this!” her dad added.

Sweetie Belle raised her head again. “But we have good reasons to go! If we don't go together on this journey then— Wait, what?!” She looked confused from her mom to her dad. “Did you just allow me to go?!”

“Yes, Sweetie Belle. We would miss you, but if this is your wish we don't want to stand in your way,” her mom answered.

“But..... Aren't you worried that something could happen to me?” she asked, now even more confused.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom turned round to her, with strained looks on their faces.

“That's not what ya should ask them!” Apple Bloom, who sat right next to her, whispered in a suppressed voice.

“We are, Sweetie. But we also trust you.”

“That's right!” Sweetie's dad took the floor. “If she has big goals our little daughter can do everything!” He reached across the table and stroked her mane gently.

Sweetie Belle smiled at them. Her happiness let her forget any etiquette for a moment and she jumped on the table and gave her dad a big hug. Then she turned around to her mom and did the same to her. “I thank you so much!” she said. Her eyes got caught on the clock at the opposite wall of the kitchen and she gasped. “But now we have to go! We still have to talk to Miss Cheerilee and Applejack!” She released the hug, jumped down from the table and headed for the kitchen door, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom following her suit. Sweetie Belle's parents wished them good luck and then they galloped out of the kitchen and headed for the front door.

Their next destination was Scootaloo's house. It was not far away from Sweetie's house so it took them only some minutes to reach it. When they knocked at the door, a surprised Cheerilee opened them.

“Oh, hi you three! Aren't you at the marketplace to sell Apple Bloom's potions?”

“That's why we came,” Scootaloo said. “There is something important we have to tell you!”

Cheerilee stepped aside and let them in. They trotted into the living room and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat down on one of the sofas while Cheerilee took a seat in the arm chair on the opposite side.

“So, what is it what you want to tell me?” she asked kindly.

“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and I decided to make a travel,” Scootaloo began carefully.

“That sounds nice. Do you want to visit Canterlot?”

“Well, no, it's not that kind of travel. After we sold some potions today, we were sitting in our clubhouse and talked about what Sweetie Belle and I could do to get better at our talents and earn our cutie marks. Apple Bloom had the idea that we could become traveling salesponies to sale the potions she makes all over Equestria. She said that I could get better in my mechanical skills when I build a wheeled shop and when I repair it during our journey and that Sweetie Belle could get better in her magic when she uses her magic to move it.”

“So you want to leave Ponyville? Alone and on your own?”

“Yeah, that's what we thought about.”

Some wrinkles appeared on Cheerilee's forehead. “This is a very dangerous plan. You are still little fillies and Equestria is big and full of dangers. I don't think I can allow you that.”

“But—” Scootaloo began, but Apple Bloom interrupted her. “But it's for our cutie marks! That's the only way how we can get them!”

“For your cutie marks?”, Cheerilee asked surprised. “But you can get your cutie marks here in Ponyville too. Why do you think you have to leave for getting them?”

“It's also for our future!” Sweetie Belle added. “Once we get our cutie marks we must all live in different towns! Scootaloo wants to learn how to build an airship in the Airship Factory in Canterlot, but she can't go there everyday by train! And if I want to open up a fashion business I must move to Manehattan or another town, because Rarity sells her dresses here. We could hardly see us then!”

“That's right! And we don't want to break away from each other!” Scootaloo added to Sweetie Belle's explanation. Cheerilee looked at the three sad little faces that were directed straight at her now.

“I can understand you and it's a good plan to stick together. But why do you want to do that now? You could wait some years until you are older and then still become traveling salesponies.”

This was something they hadn't thought of. They couldn't deny that Cheerilee was right: They could wait some years and then still travel through Equestria together.

“What should we do?” Scootaloo asked towards Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “Should we scratch our plan for now?” They didn't answer her for some moments, but then Apple Bloom broke the silence.

“No!”, she exclaimed. The other three ponies looked surprised at her. “This is the fastest way to get our cutie marks! If we stay here in Ponyville we can't do so many things to get better at our talents..... But we have a much bigger chance to get them quick when we make this journey! Ah can mix more potions then because ah need many to sell them! An' Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle would have always somethin' to do with repairing the shop an' move it forward! We will never get our cutie marks so quick like we would on this journey if we stay here!”

“She's right. We must go now!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said in unison.

For a moment, Cheerilee looked silently at them. Then her face took on a strict expression. “I'm sorry if you can't get your cutie marks quick when you stay here, but I still won't—”

“PLEASE!" The three voices of them interrupted her.

They stormed over to her like at an invisible command. Scootaloo took up position in front of her and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle left and right of her, with their hooves leaned onto the sides of the chair so that they were at eye level with Cheerilee.

“I will write you every week if you let me go, I promise!” Scootaloo begged.

“Please allow Scootaloo to go!” Sweetie Belle continued. “Even my parents allowed me to go. They were worried too when they heard about our plan, but they also said that they trust me! Please, you must trust Scootaloo too!”

Cheerilee looked at the three pleading faces. They were full of confidence and conviction. She sighed. “Is it really so important for you?” she asked.

“YES!" the three fillies answered at the same time.

Cheerilee gave in. “Okay, Scootaloo, I allow you to go.” The pleading in the faces of the three Crusaders turned into big smiles.

“But only with one condition,” Cheerilee said. “I want that all three of you go with me to Twilight. I will ask her if she has something magical that can protect you on your journey.”

Their smiles turned into grins. Cheerilee allowed it! And her condition was a small price for getting her approval! They just nodded excited in agreement and then all three of them fell round her neck in their gratitude.

“Can we go now?” Scootaloo asked after they let her go. “We still must talk to Apple Bloom's family about our plan!”

Cheerilee nodded and they headed out of the house and made their way to the library.

After they did arrive there Scootaloo explained their plan in quick words to Twilight.

“So you want to go on a big journey. That's not a bad idea. I'm sure you can learn many things from a journey like this.”

Sweetie Belle's ears perked up as she heard nearly the same words that her dad said from the mouth of the studious alicorn. First her dad, now Twilight and not to forget what Apple Bloom said about the things Granny Smith learned on her journey. The more she heard, the more she was convinced that the journey would be a really good idea. If this shouldn't get them their cutie marks, what then? The unicorn filly smiled.

Cheerilee stepped up to Twilight. “But don't you think it's too dangerous for three little fillies? It's true that I told Scootaloo she can go, but I will only allow it if you have something that could protect them during their journey.”

“I'm sure it's safe for them. We defeated King Sombra, it was quite a while ago since we heard the last time something from Chrysalis and her changeling army and Discord is good now. Sort of....." She grimaced. "But anyway, he will stay here in Ponyville. Even if he still follows evil plans, they won't harm them because they won't be here if something happens. And who knows..... Maybe it's safer for them if they aren't here for a while anyway. Although, giving them a little magical something to protect them would not be a bad idea either.”

Twilight turned around on the spot, walked to the other side of the room and opened a drawer. She rummaged around in it for some time. Then a smile appeared on her face as she found what she was looking for. She took it out with one hoof and closed the drawer again with the other one. Now she was holding a small, round and black jewel. “This is something Celestia gave me when I moved to Ponyville. She said it can increase the magic of a unicorn many times over its regular power. I never needed it, but maybe it can be useful for you now.” She trotted back to them and placed the jewel on Scootaloo's back. “Sweetie Belle just has to use her magic on it to activate it. But use it wise. It can only be used three times and there is no way to charge it. Wait with using it until there is a real emergency.”

Scootaloo's eyes were fixated on the jewel while Twilight had carried it over, a reverent expression in them. She nodded slowly and then turned round to Cheerilee. “You allow it now, right?!” she asked her excited, her big, round eyes full of anticipation.

Cheerilee hesitated with her answer. She looked at Twilight instead. “I'm not sure if this is enough. How strong can Sweetie Belle's magic become with it?”

“I don't know exactly,” Twilight answered. “Celestia said a unicorn that uses it is able to do more with its magic than before. But she never told me what these things are. And I trusted her, so I never asked about it.”

“Is it enough?” Scootaloo looked up to Cheerilee.

Cheerilee was about to say no again. If Twilight didn't know exactly how this magical jewel could protect them, how could she know that they were really safe with it? But when she saw Scootaloo's determined expression she just couldn't say no anymore. The condition was fulfilled, even when she didn't knew what this jewel could do for them, and she wasn't able to bring it over her to disappoint Scootaloo and her friends again. And she trusted Celestia too. When the jewel came from her, it should really be something that was able to protect them. “It's enough,” she said to the eager orange filly in front of her.

The Crusaders broke out in deafening cheers.

“But all of you must promise me to be careful.”

“We promise it! We'll be as careful as possible!” Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said together.

“And I have not forgot what you promised, Scootaloo. I expect a letter from you every week.”

“Don't worry, you will get it! I write you once a week!”

Cheerilee nodded with a smile. “But now you should hurry,” she said to them. “You still have to ask Apple Bloom's family, right?”

They nodded and then they galloped out of the library and headed back to the farm from where they started, leaving Cheerilee and Twilight alone in the library.

Unfortunately, Applejack turned out as the hardest one to convince.

“Ahm not allowin' this!” Applejack told them in a loud, strict voice after they had explained her everything.

“But, big sis—” Apple Bloom began to argue with her.

“No 'but'!” she interrupted her. “Have y'all even thought about this plan? Equestria is no playground! It's a dangerous land! Y'all should forget this plan stat, Apple Bloom!”

“Eeyup,” Big McIntosh confirmed Applejack's lecture.

“An' the same for ya two!” She looked at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Y'all must have lost ya mind when ya really plan to do something like that! Have ya even asked ya parents about that?”

“I did and my parents allowed me to go!” Sweetie Belle replied defiantly.

“And Cheerilee also said I could go!” Scootaloo added. “It was not easy to convince her but at the end she said yes!”

“Ah can't believe it! How can they let ya go! Y'all could meet some changelings out there or worse!”

“But Scootaloo an' ah are strong! An' Sweetie Belle has gotten better with her magic! Ahm sure we could take on some changelings!”

“And Twilight gave us this magical jewel!” Scootaloo added. She took it from her back with her mouth and placed it on the floor to show it to Applejack. “She said she got it from Celestia and that it can increase Sweetie Belle's magic! With this, we can take on some changelings for sure!”

“Yeah, maybe y'all can take on some changelings,” Applejack began again. “But what if y'all meet a whole army of them? They are still out there somewhere! It was not even half a year ago when Chrysalis captured y'all!”

“But the changelings that caught us have changed themselves into animals! That was different!” Apple Bloom continued arguing with her big sister.

“An' who says they won't do that again?”

“But Twilight said they.....”

“Ah don't care about what Twilight says to this!” Applejack interrupted her harshly. “Ahm your big sister and not Twilight! An' mah answer is no!”

Apple Bloom was running out of ideas. They had tried out every argument to convince Applejack, but nothing had worked. She sat down and stared sadly at the ground. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle followed her example.

Applejack came a step closer to her little sister and lifted her chin with her hoof. “Listen, Sugarcube,” she began talking again, more softly now. “Ah can understand why ya want to go, but ah can't risk loosin' mah little sister. What should ah do without ya?” Apple Bloom didn't answer and just continued eyeing the ground.

“Oh, Applejack, ya too overprotective again!” Granny Smith entered the room. “Ya should let those fillies go!”

“Y'all too, Granny?” Applejack looked shocked at her, with her mouth wide open.

“When ah travelled through Equestria ah was even a year younger than our little Apple Bloom here! An' ah didn't have a wheeled shop to hide! Ah was sleepin' under the open sky an' when ah needed money to buy food ah had to work for it. An' ah was alone! Ah wasn't travelin' with two friends that could have helped me!”

“I know this story, Granny,” Applejack answered. “But that were other times back then! Today, Equestria is much more dangerous!”

“What do ya know! The Scariest Cave of Equestria already existed back then an' ah can tell ya that it was much more dangerous than the cave we saw! An' ah met more than one changeling on mah journey!”

“But y'all don't understand—”

“Don't tell me what ah understand an' what not!” Granny Smith raised her voice and shot Applejack an angry glance. “Ah had many dangerous adventures, but ahm still here!”

She looked at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and eyed them scrutinizing. “Ah can see the same fire in their eyes like I had in mine when ah started my journey! Those fillies have everything they need to handle some dangerous adventures!”

“But—” Applejack began again, but Granny Smith interrupted her.

“Ahm maybe old but ahm still part of this family an' ah have to say somethin' about that too! An' ah know much more about adventures than ya, Applejack! Ya should have more respect for an old adventurer!”

Granny Smith's talk reminded Applejack again on it that her knowledge about adventures was really much bigger than her own. She sighed. “Okay, Granny, ah let Apple Bloom go. But only because ah have respect for ya as an adventurer.”

Big McIntosh still looked worried, but Granny's talk had the same effect on him. He agreed with a short “Eeyup!”.

“That's what ah wanted to hear!” Granny said satisfied.

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up and she jumped happily on the back of her big sister. “Thank ya, sis!” She snuggled her head against hers.

“Ahm not happy about this, Apple Bloom.”

“Don't worry, Applejack, ah'll be careful! Everything will be fine!” She wrapped her little hooves around Applejack's neck from behind and snuggled even more against her.

Then she jumped down and walked over to Granny Smith. She embraced her with a hug. “Thank ya, Granny!”

Granny put a hoof around her. “Ooooh, there's nothing to thank for! How could ah not support a buddin' adventurer pony?” she replied with a smirk.

Apple Bloom presented her with a smile and then let her go and trotted back to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. They looked at each other and grinned.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Traveling Salesponies!” they shouted together. Then they jumped into the air and exchanged a high-hoof together.

“Now we just have to build a wheeled shop an' then our journey can begin!” Apple Bloom said excited. “We should begin now with it, the sooner we're ready, the sooner we can leave!” she added in her youthful ambition. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could only agree with her. Scootaloo picked up the jewel and put it on her back again and then they proceeded to gallop outside as Applejack suddenly stopped them.

“Not so fast, y'all three!” They stopped and turned around to her. Apple Bloom looked worried at her big sister.

“Y'all should wait until tomorrow with that,” Applejack said. “It's already evening an' time for dinner. Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle, y'all should go home now. Ya parents are waitin' for y'all. Ahm sure they want to eat dinner with ya today.”

“That's right. Soon they won't see us for a long time,” Scootaloo said with a trace of sadness in her voice. She looked to Apple Bloom. “We have much work ahead of us tomorrow so we all get better soon to bed tonight!”

“Right an' tomorrow we'll meet here again to build our shop!” she answered, barely able to contain her excitement.

Sweetie Belle and she waved a quick goodbye to her and then left the farm house and hurried back to their families. When they were gone, the Apples sat at the table for dinner.

For the rest of the evening, Apple Bloom only talked about the journey that lied ahead of her and she was already busy with imagining what adventures she and her friends would experience on their journey. As she had finished her meal she stood up from the table to go up to her room. “Ahm goin' to bed now. Good night, y'all!” she said tired.

Applejack, Big McIntosh and Granny Smith wished her a good night too and then she headed up the stairs. Applejack looked after her until her tail disappeared at the top of the stairs. “Ahm afraid, Granny. What if mah decision was wrong?”

“Oh, don't worry, Applejack,” Granny Smith replied with her soft voice. “Apple Bloom has a strong will, ah know she will make it.” She gently and reassuringly touched one of Applejack's hooves.

“Ah hope ya'll be right, Granny.....”

When Apple Bloom entered her room, the saddle bag with her potions caught her eye. She took it into her hooves, looked at it and smiled. Soon she would get her cutie mark, she was sure of it. And together on a journey with her friends it would be even more fun to get it!

She trotted over to her desk and placed the saddlebag carefully on it and then she climbed into her bed. She snuggled into the pillow and pulled the blanket close to her chin. “Ahm sure a cutie mark for potion mixin' will look good on mah flank,” she thought to herself.

In her last awake moments she was already designing the shop they wanted to build tomorrow in her imagination and with these thoughts, she slowly fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 2: Preparations for the Journey

On the next morning, the usually so quiet air on Sweet Apple Acres was permeated with loud construction sounds of hammering, sawing and drilling.

A bunch of four delivery ponies who were carrying some furniture towards the source of the sounds shook their heads, visibly displeased to carry the heavy pieces from Ponyville all the way to the farm outside of town. As they had arrived on Sweet Apple Acres, they saw three fillies that the town knew all too well building something that looked like a small house in progress.

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had gotten up very early this day, their excitement for their plans making it unable for them to sleep any longer. Since hours already, they were busy with constructing the shop and even though it wasn't even noon yet, the scaffold of their shop stood. Now the fillies were busy with drawing marks on different-sized planks and cutting them to the fitting lenghts for the various parts of the shop. Each of them was so concentrated on her work that nopony of them noticed the delivery ponies approaching.

They announced themselves, noting that the furniture that was ordered for Sweet Apple Acres had arrived. The fillies didn't hear them and acted like they weren't there at all. Glances were exchanged between the delivery ponies, then one of the stallions in the group harrumphed loudly. “The furniture is here!” he said sharply.

This made the trio look up. Looking first at him, then at his co-workers, then at the furniture. Sheepish grins appeared on their faces, their eyes emanating an apologetic expression. “Ahm sorry!” Apple Bloom said while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle continued to give them charming grins of embarrassment. “Just put them down here.” She pointed to a spot some meters to their right. “Applejack is in the house,” she said then, then she looked down again and proceeded with her work. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle followed her example and none of the three paid the ponies who brought the furniture for the interior of their shop anymore attention.

The stallion snorted, then he and his co-workers brought all the pieces they were carrying to the spot Apple Bloom had shown them. As this was done, the ponies turned around, intended to make their way over to the farmhouse, as they suddenly saw Applejack standing behind them. She was making a grim face. The four workmates shuddered a little over the way she looked, but then they noticed that she wasn't even looking at them. She was scrutinizing the furniture that they just brought to the farm. Very slowly, her eyes wandered over the cabinets, the small fitted kitchen, the table, the three chairs and the three-part bunk bed. She looked unsatisfied with the furniture and the four ponies in front of her already prepared themselves for it that she would complain about it. But then she hoofed them the money, part of which was the farm's, with the rest of the amount consisting of money from Sweetie Belle's parents and Cheerilee, and the four ponies bowed their heads a little and then left.

The three families had chipped in to pay for the furniture, as well as for the necessary material to build the wheeled shop. And some of the money came from Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle themselves as well. Even though they couldn't afford it to bring up all the money on their own, they still wanted to make a financial contribution to their journey. So the three friends put in the money they had left from selling Apple Bloom's potions and their own savings. Which was to Applejack's dismay. A little bit of money to start out at the beginning of their journey in case something went wrong would have put her more at ease with the dangerous and, in her opinion, reckless plan the three young ponies, especially her own little sister, had made. Until they were at the shop earlier this morning, so that they could get the furniture of their choice, she had tried to talk them out of it, but eventually, she gave up, as the fillies just continued to resist and insisted on it to put in their own money too.

Applejack sighed. Apple Bloom just didn't know what she was doing. As she sat together at the table with her little sister and her two friends, who had decided to relocate their breakfast on the farm today, early this morning, she was close to forbid it again. Only a angry glance by Granny Smith, who seemed to be able to read her mind, or perhaps just the expession in her eyes, prevented her from saying something. But nonetheless, she did not really agree to the plan. She couldn't.

Applejack sighed a second time, then she set herself into motion, trotted over to the fillies and began to pace around them. Just drawing circles around the Crusaders, her face showing a suspicious expression, she closely eyed what they did with the wooden planks. A few minutes went by like that until she was noticed.

“Psst!” Sweetie Belle said, looking over to Apple Bloom.

The yellow filly looked back at her friend. “Yeah?”

“What is Applejack doing?” Sweetie Belle asked her.

Now Apple Bloom noticed the strange behavior of her big sister too. She followed Applejack's movements with her eyes a little, then she spoke up to her. “Uh, Applejack? Why are ya wanderin' around us like that?”

“Ahm just watchin' ya workin',” she said rather monotone, her voice sounding absent.

Scootaloo had looked up too by now and exchanged a strained, and slightly frightened, look with Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle's face showed a similar expression.

“It's just that ya creepin' us out a little, Applejack,” Apple Bloom spoke again. The look in Applejack's face remained and she didn't bat an eye and just continued pacing. It was like the mare was in trance.

The three fillies gulped. “I go inside for a moment,” Sweetie Belle said then, put down her pencil and went into the farmhouse. As she returned, Granny Smith was at her side. A hushed talk with Applejack later and she stopped her incessant circling. Instead, she went to the pile of planks that still needed to be cut to size and inspected them. Here and there, she lifted one up and knocked against it, like she wanted to see how robust it was.

The trio of friends sighed relieved. Even though they knew that Applejack wouldn't do something to them, the peculiar behavior of her scared them a little. But now that she was busy doing something else, they could concentrate on their work again. After an hour or so had passed, they were ready and had all the planks cut to the right size. Now it was time for more hammering, to attach them to the scaffold as the inner and outer paneling of their wheeled shop that would make its actual walls and its surface.

As the paneling was attached everywhere but at the backwall of the shop, they put down the hammers for a moment and carried in the furniture for their future home. With some help of Big Mac, they carried in the bunk bed first and placed it at the back of the room, with the headboard at the right wall. Next was the kitchen, that got its position at the right side of the room, just in a meter's distance from the big bed. The table and the three chairs found their place to its left, right in the middle of the room and finally, they carried in the cabinets; the two smaller ones were put down by them beside the kitchen, the bigger one at the opposite side of the room, left from the door that led into their actual shop. As this was done, they took the hammers again and finished the work they had begun.

Applejack was still eyeing them closely while they did all that, but at least she was staying at a safe distance now and did not constantly look over their shoulders. A state that the three friends appreciated. Sadly, it didn't last long.

As they were finished two hours later, Apple Bloom began to construct the doors while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were taking a little break. She was building two of them:

One for the entrance of the private part of their shop, the part where they would sleep in, have their lunches and where they would relax after a long day of potion selling. The part in which they would live in.

And another door for the entrance of their actual shop. Apple Bloom had planned that their shop could only be entered from the living area of their home, not from the outside. It would be easier to protect the shop from burglars who intended to steal their potions or the money they earned, she figured. She also made the door that led to the outside a bit thicker, to make it more durable in case they would come into extreme weather conditions or if the emergency should arise that somepony tried to break in.

Additionally, she was constructing a small hatch. On the backside of their living area, left of their beds, there was a quadratic hole that led out to the seats at the front of the wheeled shop. The hatch would cover the hole so that they could close it when they didn't need it.

She had just finished the two doors and the hatch, the doors equipped with locks they had left at Sweet Apple Acres, as Applejack suddenly stood in front of her while she was doing a last check to see if everything was done alright. Without saying a word, her big sister placed another lock on the last door that Apple Bloom had built, the door that was the entrance to their living area. A stern expression was on her face.

Apple Bloom looked up surprised to her. The look on Applejack's face slightly intimated her, it was the first time that Applejack looked at her that sternly. Then she looked down at the lock Applejack had brought with her and, noticing what it was, she explained her big sister that she already had built in a lock into all of the doors.

But Applejack just shook her head, slowly, without letting Apple Bloom out of her sight. “It's another one,” she said taught. “Apple Bloom, ah want that ya build a second lock into this door.”

What Apple Bloom just saw now was that it was a special security lock. It could be opened with a key too, but because it was enchanted with magic, it was only possible to insert the key at one side of the door, at the inside, and it was even impossible to use a lockpick to open it. Every intruder who would try to forcefully unlock the door from the outer side would get blown off of his hooves by a magical impact. Its power depended on it how hard the intruder was trying to get in. If somepony would really try to crack the lock open with some heavy instruments, the impact was even strong enough to be lethal. It was the ultimate way to protect your home from other ponies breaking in. But it was only available for purchase in Canterlot. And on top of that, due to it that it had the potential to kill a pony that was trying to crack it open, it raised a lot of controversy when it came onto the market and it was quickly declared illegal. This was a few years ago and the only place where a pony could still buy such a lock was on the black market in Equestria's capital city. It was an absolute mystery to Apple Bloom how Applejack got her hooves at one and that even in such a short amount of time!

And what was worse, she didn't like Applejack's demand. “But Applejack, ahm already finished with the door. If ah build a second lock into it, ah will have ta change so many things and we're losin' a lot of time!” The filly frowned at her big sister.

“Ah don't care about that, Apple Bloom.” A strict answer came from her. “Ah want that ya stay safe on this journey and Twilight's magical doohickey ain't be enough!”

The filly attempted to protest again. “But Applejack, we want ta –“

“Ah already told ya yesterday that ah don't wanna hear any “buts” on this, Apple Bloom!” Applejack cut her little sister off and stomped with her hoof on the ground, her face distorted in anger. She had raised her voice a lot while she said that, a mixture of worry and fury clearly audible in it.

Apple Bloom winced over this reaction of her big sister and did a step back from the table on which she had been working on the doors. She didn't understand the world anymore. Even though her sister was sometimes overprotective and too worried about her well-being, she had never yelled at her like that. She had never talked to her that loudly. And never so furiously. And she had never stomped her hoof into the ground like that. It was completely new for her to hear her big sister talk with her in such a way. In this moment, she felt like she didn't know Applejack anymore. It frightened her.

Taken aback by the harsh reaction, Apple Bloom sat down. A few tears dropped from her eyes and fell to the ground in front of her, before more of them streamed down her cheeks. Apple Bloom was not an overly sensitive filly, but her big sister acting like that to her was too much, even for a brave, perseverant filly like her. Having closed her eyes, she began to sob quietly.

In a matter of seconds, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who had overheard everything, were at her side. “What happened, Apple Bloom? Why was Applejack yelling like this?” Scootaloo asked her. As she didn't receive an answer except for more sobs, she turned her attention to Applejack, who still looked sternly at her little sister, a disapproving and at the same time confused expression on her face. “Why did you talk with her like that?!” she asked her upset.

“She is your little sister.” was all that Sweetie Belle could muster as criticism. Her eyes and mouth were widely open in shock as she stared at Applejack.

From one moment to another, and as sudden as her harsh outburst had come over her, an expression of guilt and shock washed over Applejack's face. The accusatory words of the other two fillies had snapped her out of her furious state and now she realized what she had done. She bit her lip for a moment as Apple Bloom's distraught crying stung in her heart just now. Shakingly, Applejack trotted around the table. She sat down at her little sister's side and reached out with her hooves to pull Apple Bloom into a close hug. The first attempt failed, as Apple Bloom instinctively pushed her bigger sister's hooves aside, signaling how much she was hurt by her reaction, but a second, more desperate attempt, led to success and Applejack was holding her little sister tightly against her.

“Ahm sorry, Apple Bloom,” she began with an apologetic talk. “Ah don't know what's gotten into me for a moment there.”

The little filly sniffed a few times, trying to gather some courage to talk. “W-Why did ya scream at me l-like this? A-Ah haven't done anything b-bad. Ah just w-want ta go on a j-journey with mah friends. And ah just d-didn't wanted ta d-do everything again.....” she finally managed to say, but was interrupted by her sobbing.

“Ah know, Apple Bloom.” Applejack's voice didn't sound any less teary now. “Ahm just so afraid that something is happenin' to ya while ya are gone. Losin' mah little sister..... Ah couldn't bear that.”

Apple Bloom moved away from her chest and looked up to her, the hair in her face drenched with her tears and a shimmer of red skin shining through it. Then she leaned against her again. “M-Maybe ah shouldn't go then,” she said quietly. “If it's w-worryin' ya so m-much.”

Alarming looks appeared on the faces of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but Applejack said something before they could.

“No, Apple Bloom.” She sighed. “Ah am worried sick about ya and ahm goin' ta miss ya a lot while ya'll be gone.” She reached with a hoof under Apple Bloom's chin and lifted it up so that she could look into her eyes that were still full of tears. “But mah little sister is growin' up and ah can't prevent that from happenin'. If ya really want ta make this journey then ah..... ah have ta let ya go.” A few tears appeared in her own eyes now. “Just promise that ya'll goin' to be as smart as ya acted when ya met that chimera during the pie delivery if anythin' dangerous happens.”

Upon hearing these words, Apple Bloom's expression had turned into a compassionate one. Now it was her who wrapped Applejack into a hug. She buried her face into her neck. “Ah promise, Applejack! Ah will do everything ta stay fine. And ah will build in the lock ya gave me!”

“Thanks, Apple Bloom.” Applejack put her hooves around her little sister's body and pressed her tightly against her again.

“And..... Ah guess ya won't mind if ah do the same as Scootaloo? If ah write ya once a week?” Apple Bloom asked her big sister.

Applejack responded with a chuckle. “Of course ah won't mind. Ah look forward ta every letter ya'll be sending me, Big Mac and Granny!”

Apple Bloom released the hug and faced her sister again. She rubbed the last tears out of her eyes and smiled at her. Then she gently nuzzled her nose, which Applejack returned with a nuzzle on her own.

“Let's go and fix the door now, shall we?”, Applejack asked her then. “Ahm goin' ta help ya and then we're done in a jiffy!”

Apple Bloom agreed happily and together the two sisters began to work, assisted by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

Soon they were finished and as Apple Bloom already wanted to proceed with building in the door, the four ponies noticed that the sun was already going down and that it was starting to become dark. Their shop wasn't quite finished yet, but there was no point in working in the dark, so the three friends decided to call it a day and to finish everything tomorrow.

The next day began a little bit later for them, at least for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They were exhausted from the work on the day before and, not being as used to get up early as Apple Bloom was, they overslept. The sun was already making its way to the highest point in the sky when they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. To their surprise, Apple Bloom and her big sister were already working on the shop. They were busy with hanging the entrance door on its hinges and fixating it there as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle approached them. As they had reached them, they drove in the last two screws, then they turned around to them.

“Heya Scoots and Sweetie!” Apple Bloom welcomed them cheerfully, visibly happy, as Applejack put a hoof around her and gave her a noogie with the other one. “Ya late,” Apple Bloom added then.

“Yeah, we overslept because we were so tired from yesterday,” Sweetie Belle explained their late arrival, which Scootaloo confirmed with a nod.

“That's not bad,” Apple Bloom calmed them. “Applejack and ah already built in all the doors and the hatch. There's not much left anymore now. Soon we'll be ready ta leave!”

The promising announcement by Apple Bloom filled the other two fillies with new energy and quickly they went to work again. Since Applejack was helping them now, they had it easier and were faster.

They took the two biggest planks and put them on top of the shop and the next thing they knew was that the roof of the shop was in it's place, ready to fulfill its purpose of protecting them from rain and snow. It was raised a bit on the front right, where their beds stood, to generate more room for the one of them who would sleep in the top bunk.

In the next step, Apple Bloom was constructing the wheels of their shop and the axels for them, while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were at the front of it, glueing some cushions on the seats there. As the wheels were constructed, the three fillies lifted up the shop and rested it on them, once again with Big Mac's and, this time, also Applejack's help. The fillies reached once more for hammers and nails and fixated the wheels on the construction. Then they replaced hammer and nails with screwdrivers and screws and took the last plank they had for building their shop. They placed it over the window of their shop on the left side, at which they wanted to welcome customers during their journey, and, with Big Mac holding it in position, the three fillies were driving in the screws through holes in the hinges of it.

As the lid to close their shop window was securely at its place, they closed it and reached for some buckets with paint and began to draw a picture on the lid. As they were done, the lid was adorned with the depiction of a vial that contained a green, bubbling potion, with thick green lines, to symbolize the scent of the potion, leading away from it.

Then they were finished. Their wheeled shop stood and was prepared for their journey!

Excitedly, they let their brushes drop into the buckets like on a invisible command and darted into the inside of their shop. With widely opened eyes, they looked around in what should soon be their new home. There was not much room anymore to trot between all the furniture and they probably would have to move the table and one of the chairs to the side a little if they wanted to enter the shop, but the fillies liked what they saw. It was cozy.

After admiring everything in the room, they opened the door of their shop and stormed into it. They opened the lid and fixated it with a stick, to test the view they had when looking out of their shop window. Leaning on the board in front of them, they had an excellent sight over a good portion of the acres. If a customer would approach their shop, they would definitely see him coming from the distance! The fillies shut the window again and closed it with a lock that was attached to it, then they went back outside and continued with admiring the outer appearance of their shop.

It was where Applejack joined them again. While her little sister's and her best friends' eyes grew in sensation, she gave the construction a sceptical look. Something was bothering her and made her thinking. Carefully, to not push them out of their joy too much, she adressed the issue. “Uh, how have ya planned ta move around the shop? Ah guess ya won't push it from behind all the time.”

This was the keyword for Apple Bloom. “Nothin' easier than that, sis!” She quickly gallopped over to the front of the shop and to Applejack's surprise, opened the seat with the cushions on it, revealing a cavity under it.

Applejack looked into it curiously, seeing a lot of wooden gear wheels in it that were closely connected to each other and obviously part of some sort of mechanism. “What are these for?” she asked her little sister.

“These will move our front wheels!” Apple Bloom explained proudly. “And Sweetie Belle is goin' ta set them into motion usin' her magic!” Now a proud grin appeared on Sweetie's face.

Applejack nodded, astounded by that idea. That way everything made sense. Sweetie was talking a lot about it how she thinks that she will get her cutie mark in magic and that way, with constantly moving the shop around, she could practice constantly. There was just one thing Applejack still did not understand. “But if Sweetie Belle uses her magic ta move ya shop around, then why is she not just movin' the wheels directly?”

Now it was for Sweetie Belle to explain something to the mare. “Because that would be too easy!” she chimed. “Just moving the wheels isn't hard, but the gear wheels are smaller, so I need more concentration to move them. And because that's harder than just moving the front wheels, I get more practice and get better at magic faster!” An excited squeak left her throat as she ended her sentence.

Another thing that made sense. Apparently, the fillies had thought on everything. Or did they? “But what if Sweetie Belle gets too tired or falls sick?” Applejack continued to ask. “Are ya just interruptin' ya journey then and wait until she can move the shop again?”

Now it was Apple Bloom's turn with explaining again. She shook her head, then she pointed to a button on the wall behind the seats. “Look at the gear wheels!” she just said, then she pushed the button and, to Applejack's fascination, the gear wheels started to move and the shop began to roll forward. Apple Bloom pushed the button a second time and it stopped again. “See? That way we can move it any time we want, even if Sweetie can't do it for some reason! And the gear wheels were all Scootaloo's idea! She designed them and implemented them!”

Scootaloo was imitating Sweetie Belle now and proudfully wore a grin on her own.

Now every doubt of Applejack had vanished. The three fillies had indeed thought on everything. She wanted to say something, but remained speechless from what she just saw. Not being a engineering genius herself, Scootaloo's skills impressed her strongly.

The fillies noticed her reaction and exchanged broad grins with each other. Then Apple Bloom asked an obvious question. “So, girls, now that our shop is built, where are we headin' ta first?”

Now that they were ready for their journey, they didn't wanted to waste time anymore. On the next morning, they had decided, they would leave Ponyville together, giving them enough time to meet their families a last time before they wouldn't see them for many months. But before they went to meet them, they had to determine what their first destination would be.

Before Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could answer Apple Bloom's question and name their suggestions, they were interrupted by Applejack. Apple Bloom's question had brought her back into reality. “Appleloosa,” she said taut.

“Appleloosa?” Apple Bloom asked her surprised. She had actually imagined that they would first travel to a town that she didn't know as well as the western town in the south of Equestria, due to her visiting her cousin Braeburn a few times.

Applejack nodded. “Ah want that ya go there first. It's where ya cousin lives and ah will feel better to hear from him that ya reached ya first destination safely!” The tone in her voice sounded a bit commanding and demanding again, but softer than on the day before.

Due to their talk yesterday, Apple Bloom understood why Applejack was making this suggestion and agreed. “Okay, then Appleloosa it is!” She stretched a hoof into the air.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle agreed easily too. They were never in Appleloosa anyway and except for Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, during a visit there that was way too short and that didn't lead them further than to the train station, they didn't know any of the other towns in Equestria, so pretty much every place would be exciting for them to see.

It was set. The fillies exchanged a hoofbump in their typical fashion, then Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle left. Now it was time for a last meeting with their families. Time to say goodbye to them and to have some last quality time with them before their journey began.

Apple Bloom, who of course stayed on the farm, waved her two friends goodbye, then she went with Applejack into the farmhouse, each of them having wrapped a hoof around the other one.

At town square, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle separated ways. While Sweetie Belle was heading home to her parents and Rarity, Scootaloo was making her way to her own house, being sure that Cheerilee would already be waiting for her inside of it.....