Apple Bloom trudged towards Carousel Boutique, her hooves dragged across the stone path as she walked. She continued with an annoyed look because of a certain pegasus behind her. The orange pegasus had been grumbling and complaining ever since they had left Sweet Apple Acres, and Apple Bloom was really starting to wish Scootaloo would just shut her mouth. Apple Bloom sighed and looked behind her, "Scoots could ya just stop ya whinin and be quiet, yur gettin on my nerves."

Scootaloo continued her grumbling and looked at her friend walking in front of her, "I just want to get this over with so I can go back to my practice session with Rainbow Dash."

"Well ya should ave thought of that before ya set off those lousy fireworks!" Apple Bloom responded.

"LOUSY?!" Scootaloo sped up her pace to catch up to the yellow earth pony, "Those fireworks would have been perfect if Sweetie Belle hadn't set them off early!

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and looked at Scootaloo, "She wouldn't have set them off if you hadn't said the code word! Why did you get those fireworks anyway? We don't have any need for them."

Scootaloo looked down and stopped walking, she scratched the path in front of her with her hoof before finally speaking.

"...I just wanted things to be like they used to be..."

Apple Bloom stopped and turned to the pegasus, "What do ya mean? What's changed?" she asked softly.

Scootaloo looked away, her mane, which had once been spiked up above her head, came down over her eyes, "Everything changed since we all finally got our cutie marks." she looked down to her flank which had a speeding wheel with a trail of blazing fire following it. Apple Bloom looked towards her own, a silver gear with an X formed over it by a hammer and a pickaxe. Scootaloo raised her head and looked at Apple Bloom, "I thought that by recreating the things we did when trying to get our cutie marks, things would feel like they used to, but all we did was blow up a house!"

Apple Bloom walked towards her pegasus friend and wrapped a hoof her, pulling her friend into a hug, "Things will always change sooner or later, but the cutie mark crusaders are forever!" she smiled as she realized her accidental rhyme, "And I want 'cha to know that Sweetie Belle and I will always be here for ya now matter what!" Scootaloo smiled up at one of her closest friends and blew her mane away from her face. She smiled slyly, "You have to admit it Apple Bloom, the fireworks were still pretty cool!"

Apple Bloom lightly hit her on the side of her head, playfully pushing her away, "Aw alright, they were okay now come on we still need to get Sweetie Belle!" the two ran towards their destination, smiles on both of their faces.

____

As they neared the boutique Apple Bloom realized she was not going to win this race. Even though she may have been an earth pony with strength and endurance, she was out matched. Scootaloo was a pegasus; light-weight, swift legs and wings, with a natural need for speed, not to mention speed was her special talent. As they continued to run Apple Bloom could see as Scootaloo started to pull ahead, with every gallop lengthening the distance. Scootaloo may still not be able to fly so well with her slightly undeveloped wings but she continued to flap them, using the air boost to go farther. When they closed in on the boutique Scootaloo flared her wings open, using them as a parachute to catch the wind and bring her to a stop right next to the door.

Apple Bloom wasn't so lucky.

In her race to catch up to Scootaloo, Apple Bloom had continued to speed up to try and catch the speedy pegasus. Now, however, she regretted that. When she had tried to slow down her legs continued to move in their own speeding wheel, rocketing her towards the unaware pegasus, "SCOOTALOO!!!!!" the pegasus turned, her victorious grin turned to a face saying "Oh crap." Apple Bloom decided she would just have to come to a complete stop, she closed her eyes and when her front hooves came back around she slammed them into the ground. Well her front hooves did stop, but she didn't think about her back ones. The sudden stop left the back legs with no way to go but up and over. Her front legs buckled and she came falling forward, her rump came over and she rolled, her hooves propelled her toward the frozen pegasus. Scootaloo flared her wings as she tried to avoid the rolling earth pony, but flying was not her specialty, and she soon came back to the ground. Apple Bloom finally hit something, it was soft and moved with her as they collided and rolled in the boutique

Apple Bloom opened her eyes and rubbed her head, as she grumbled she felt whatever was beneath her move.

"Apple Bloom, would it be to much to ask for you to, oh I don't know, GET OFF OF ME!"

The yellow earth pony looked towards the door, where she saw Scootaloo with an open mouth that kept twitching at the edges as the pegasus tried not to laugh. She stood up and looked down at what had stopped her rolling, and gasped. On the ground was a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane, and a deadpan expression on her face. Scootaloo was now snickering and put a hoof over her mouth and tried to stop it.

"Oh Sweetie Belle, uh, are you alright?" Apple Bloom asked as she watched her friend stand up.

"Ya, I'm fine," Sweetie Belle levitated a brush over and started to fix her mane, "just a little surprised and sore but nothing serious." She continued to brush out her mane until she got it somewhat back to it loose curly self, then looked to a mirror to check to make sure she still looked okay. "I don't think Rarity heard that, but we-"

"Sweetie Belle!"

"Never mind," The three looked towards the voice and saw a white unicorn with a purple mane up in a bun looking at them, levitating several colored fabrics, thread, and design sheets with her.

"Sweetie Belle how many times have I told you not to make so much noise when I'm trying to work, you know I'm on a tight schedule." Rarity walked over two a chest and pulled out several gems, "Honestly you girls have hardly changed at all and it's been years! When are you girls going to finally act like your sixteen instead of twelve." She continued to mumble as she collected more supplies, before finally walking back into the other room.

"Well that was uncalled for," Sweetie Belle sat down with flattened ears, and turned away from her friends. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared worried looks and approached their friend.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, you okay?" Scootaloo asked softly

Sweetie Belle straightened up and turn toward her two friends, "Ya everything's fine but we should get going." she headed towards the door and walked while her friends followed behind. Before long she perked up, stood taller, and put a small skip in her step. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other curiously as they followed their happy friends gaze, and both looked at each other slyly. They caught up with Sweetie Belle and went on different sides so that the unicorn was stuck in the middle, she paid them no mind as her gaze followed a brown earth pony with a two-toned orange mane, who had a controller as his cutie mark.

"Oh Sweetie Belle! Did you do something different with your manetoday?" Scootaloo asked in a loud voice.

"No I think it's her fur that looks different." Apple Bloom followed with an equally loud comment. Sweetie Belle looked at her friends and saw them smirk as they cocked their heads toward the earth pony who had stopped and turned towards them.

"Oh hi Button Mash!" Scootaloo called and waved her hoof. He waved back before his eyes turned to Sweetie Belle and he smiled at her before going on his way. Sweetie Belle's face was dyed red and she turned to quickly trot away, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo kept pace right next to her.

"You like him!" Scootaloo cooed.

"No I don't!" Sweetie Belle's voice cracked and she ducked her head and trotted faster.

"Yes you dooOOOooo!" Apple Bloom said in a sing song voice.

"I do not!" her voice cracked again, and she sped up to just short of a run.

"Sure you 'don't'" Scootaloo remarked.

Sweetie Belle turned and face her friends, "Oh just like you don't like Rumble?"

Scootaloo blushed, "Hey I-"

She turned to Apple Bloom, "Or how you don't like Pipsqueak?"

Apple Bloom turned as red as her mane, " I do not-"

"Sure you guys don't!" she giggled to herself, "Now enough boy talk we got to-" she stopped, and her friends slowed down. They were in front of the Golden Oaks Library, and could see an alicorn figure walking inside

"I thought Twilight got back tomorrow." Scootaloo said, then slowly smiled, "Hey, she probably has a spell that could help us clean up that building!" The three mares looked at one another and smiled.

"It can't hurt to ask," Apple Bloom said.

"No I'm sure she wouldn't be troubled at all!" Sweetie Belle replied. The three headed towards the door, their day may have just gotten better.

Author's Note

Finally I have been putting this first chapter off but now it's finally done and time to work on the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! :D