The Alicorn Cutie Mark

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Silhouettes of nightmarish creatures capered about. A handful detaching from the main group, they lurched after her as she galloped through a hellish landscape that was near barren except for skeletal trees that dotted here and there. Arms, horribly distorted, reached for her and she neighed in terror as she imagined their razor-sharp claws raking across her flank and tangling in her main.

With a lurch, mostly because of the train clunking as it slowed down, Aurora Belle came awake. Blinking, looking sleepily, stupidly, around, she at first could not understand why was on a train. The nightmare, the same one she had intermittently for some time now, gradually slipped away as it came back to her all that had led her to this moment. Turning to look out the window, she sighed in resignation as she watched the train station draw closer.

All she wanted was her cutie mark. And it wasn’t for lack of trying that she didn’t have one yet. But, after a number of incidents, including one that involved a couple avocados that somehow ended up getting bucked through a ventilation, another that involved five pounds of raw oatmeal and her getting banned from Applewood Bowling Lanes, and lastly one that had turned out to be a misunderstanding and had led to her being bullied and harassed by a group of neighbourhood hooligans, she had been put on a train bound for Ponyville.

What she now found pointless was that, looking back, she couldn’t really be sure why she did the things she had done, as they had always ended with her still having a blank flank and often covered in something sticky, like sap or a syrup of some sort. And the thing that had finally pushed her mom to tell her, “You’re going to Ponyville to live with your aunt Sweetie Belle,” really hadn’t been her fault, despite what truant officer Cropkey insisted. It had been simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, mixed in with the neighbourhood filly and colt troublemakers who continuously tormented her.

“Next stop, Ponyville,” the conductor Pony suddenly cried out, breaking her out of her thoughts and watching as the train pulled into the station and slowed to a stop, Aurora Belle again sighed in resignation.

She missed Applewood, her mom, and her school, even though she really didn’t have anyone she could actually call a friend, as most were mere passing acquaintances. She wanted to go home, not be stuck with some relation she really didn’t know, yet was somepony her mom was certain could help her. Glancing one final time out the window, trying to get a good look at the town, but was unable to, she thought she would dislike it as she hopped down off the seat. Levitating her carry-on bag down out of the luggage rack, she trotted slowly down the main aisle toward the door.

After she’d disembarked it didn’t take her long to locate her two suitcases. Still unused to making more then one item float, she clumsily floating all three onto a cart then began to push it through the throng of Ponies. Wondering if any of them was Sweetie Belle, the Unicorn filly watched as the station slowly cleared out, leaving only the normal personal. Grousing about not being met, it came back to her how her mother had given her aunt’s home address. Figuring it must have been expected Sweetie Belle wouldn’t be able to meet her at the station, Aurora huffed and awkwardly floated two of her bags, clamped the third firmly in her mouth and hastily walked out of the station.

Outside, she found the street crowded with mares and stallions going about their business as they rushed to some destination, chatted with neighbours and friends, or visited the shops and stalls. Looking about, Aurora realised that she had no idea where to find her aunt’s place as she peered at all the nearby buildings. Choosing a direction, she began trotting, stopping every so often to let up on her magick to adjust her spell, which was wearing her out. Twenty minutes or so later, after having stopped and asked for a directions from a couple Ponies, one or two Hippogriffs and a Griffon who had demanded, “Got any bits?” Aurora angrily spat out her bag and gazed incredulously at the front door of what she guessed was her aunt’s cottage barely giving it a second thought as her other two suitcases thumped loudly onto the ground a couple steps behind her.

Unable to believe what she was seeing, the Unicorn filly stared at the note affixed to the door a moment longer before using her magick to pull it down. Her mystic ability, near drained after the strenuous task of floating things for such a long time, fizzing out, she watched the bit of paper sink to the ground. Stepping closer, she read the top line and confirmed it was indeed for her. Scanning the rest of the parchment, she read:

Aurora Belle

I am sorry that I was unable meet you at the train station or at home. An emergency came up that I could not get out of and I had to take care of it. I will see you later today, after school.

“School?!” the filly squeaked out, finding it incredible that she had only arrived and already she was expected to go to school. Flabbergasted by this, she looked at the rest of what her aunt wrote and read:

An old friend of mine will meet you at Sugar Cube Corners at eight, provided your train gets in on time. She will take you to school, as it has been arranged for you to be in her class. I trust you brought stuff with. If this is so, leave your bags just inside and when you get home later I will help you get settled. In the meantime, welcome to Ponyville. I know you are going to love it here and any way I can help you, especially in matters regarding cutie marks, I’ll be there.

Love

Sweetie Belle

Frustrated by the note, Aurora re-read it to see if she missed anything, including who was supposed to meet her and where Sugar Cube Corners was. Managing to coax a titbit of magick from her horn, she flipped the paper over to see if anything had been written on the back. Finding only instructions on how to get to her next destination, the filly snipped, “At least she left me directions,” as she read how to get to Sugar Cube Corners, then noted Sweetie Belle had also left instructions on how to find the school, which Aurora thought looked like it was on the other side of Ponyville.

Still unhappy, she used her magick to crumple the note. Glad that at least her mystic abilities hadn’t been too badly affected by her extraneous usage and were at least returning to what she viewed as normal, she crammed the note in her carry-on bag. Unsure of exactly what time it was, she heaved a sigh, dipped her head, bit down on the handle on the closest piece of luggage and began to drag her bags into her aunt’s cottage, of which she half expected to be locked, and was thankful it wasn’t.

After she had set in her stuff inside, Aurora hurried in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. Spotting a clock tower in the distance, she noted that it was nearly seven forty. Worried she would be late, she broke into a gallop until she approached what she guessed was the place she was her destination. Slowing, the filly started searching the crowd of Ponies as she approached a pink building that she thought looked a little like a gingerbread house.

As she scanned the crowd of mares and stallions, observing that there was no fillies or colts in the crowd, which she figured was because they must be already at school, the Unicorn filly noted that there didn’t appear to be any particular Pony who stood out as waiting for somepony. Drawing closer to the building, feeling like she was wasting her time, figuring that if nopony called out to her she would start toward the school, she turned and searched the crowd. Worried that she would be late for her first day of school, she continued to scan the crowd, the rich, fragrant smell of baked goods, many she noted obviously prepared with apples, wafting out the nearby open door as she did so.

Her stomach rumbled with hunger as she smelled more and more of the delicious aromas and after a moment, as she grew more and more certain she wasn’t going to find whomever her aunt had meant for to meet, she began wishing she had a couple of bits to purchase something from the bakery. Thinking about the blueberry scone her mom had packed her, which she had eaten shortly before bordering the train, she took a steps back the way she’d come and stopped when she heard a haughty voice state, “Do tell your mom and dad I said hello,” and glancing in the direction of the speaker, Aurora watched as an Earth Pony with a crown for a cutie mark exited the building.

There was something about the Pony that made her stand out above the rest. Aurora couldn’t quite put her hoof on what it was about the mare, but thought it must be the she seemed to disdain nearly all around her. “Like they are somehow beneath her,” the Unicorn filly decided.

As she watched the Earth Pony, Aurora toyed with the notion, “It’s almost like she’d royalty,” then considered that, if this Earth Pony was so, she wasn’t like Princess Twilight, whom she had seen twice, from a distance, through a crowd.

“Or like the royal sisters,” she mused as she visualised the pictures of Luna and Celestia she had seen in books.

The Earth mare, still pushing her way through the crowd, stopped unexpectedly and, almost as if she was aware she was being stared at, turned her head and gave Aurora a piercing glare. Suddenly acutely aware and ashamed that she had been gawking, and caught doing so, the young Unicorn wished she could be anywhere else at the moment. Then, to her shock, the Earth Pony trotted over to her. Stopping a couple steps away, the mare explained, “It is very rude to stare,” in a tone that declared this was common knowledge and Aurora should know it.

At a loss what she should say, the filly mumbled, “Sorry,” than, as an afterthought, added, “Ma’am.”

“You must be Sweetie Belle’s niece,” the Earth Pony declared as she gave Aurora a critical look, then, before the young Unicorn could say anything, the mare stated, “I do not approve tardiness. It is unbecoming.”

Again, Aurora was overcome with a sense of uncertainty as to what she should say. Everything that had happened and that she felt out of place overwhelming her, the filly stamped a hoof and huffed, “I only just got off the train.”

“Ugh. The train got in nearly fifty minutes ago.”

“Right. And there was no one to meet me, so I had to go find my aunt’s. Only, I didn’t know where it was. And when I found it, there was a note telling me she had gone off to deal with some emergency and I was to meet somepony here. Or head for school.”

“Those are excuses, which will often not get you anywhere in life,” the mare stated imperiously, then, without even waiting for Aurora to respond, walked away.

The young Unicorn, stunned by the mare’s behaviour and what she had said, watched the Earth Pony and how other creatures often moved out of her way. Not sure who the mare was, but leaning toward a certainty that she did not want to know, the filly started to turn her attention back to searching for whomever she was supposed to meet when the Earth Pony abruptly stopped and looked back at her. Positive she was about to get another verbal reprimand about something, Aurora was taken aback when the mare stated, “Well. Are you coming. Or are you going to stand there all day.”

Disliking the way the Pony spoke in such snooty tones, Aurora considered ignoring her as she cast at the crowd of Ponies. None of them seeming to stand out as the one aunt Sweetie Belle asked to meet her, the Unicorn filly sighed in resignation and galloped after the mare. Falling in step next to her, the young Unicorn listened as the Earth Pony proclaimed, “I am Diamond Tiara and I will be your teacher whilst you are living in Ponyville.”

Not happy with this, Aurora found herself sinking into a sense of moroseness. Next to her, Diamond Tiara lectured on how, with the opening of Twilight’s School of Friendship, Ponyville had seen an upsurge in residents. Upon hearing this, Aurora Belle turned her attention to studying the various occupants of Ponyville, ranging from Dragons to Griffons to Yaks to Hippogriffs to Zebras, wondering why they had all chosen such a place to call home. Continuing to look at the crowd of creatures, she barely paid attention as her teacher continued on with what she was saying.

“Of course, not every filly and colt, Dragon yearling, young Griffon, Zebras, Hippogriff, and Yak was suitable for Twilight’s school. So, they were sent to Ponyville’s original school house. This meant expanding the school, which my family was only too happy to provide the bits necessary for such a project. Afterward, my teacher, Miss Cheerilee, was made principal and, after much discussion, it was decided to divide the course load between two classes. Former class president Pipsqueak took one class. I took the other.

“This was of course a natural choice. Especially as it was Sweetie Belle and her crusader friends who helped me to start on the path to finding the Pony I not only wanted to be, but was meant to be.”

Aurora, still barely taking any of this in, instead resisted the urge to roll her eyes at some of the pretentiousness she was hearing in Diamond Tiara’s speech. Nodding at places she guessed she was supposed to, the Unicorn filly studied the buildings of Ponyville. Finding them rustic, she mentally compared them with what she was familiar with, then found herself wishing she was home as she wondered how long she was to live with her aunt, which brought her back to how all she wanted was her cutie mark. Approaching a particular building that stood out amongst the others, Aurora noted how it looked like a red schoolhouse that had been expanded on.

Diamond Tiara, who was now walking a couple steps in front of the young Unicorn, stated, “Normally, we begin classes at about eight. But for today, we will begin a little later, which means everyone stays a little later than usual,” as she headed inside the building.

Led toward a classroom in what Aurora Belle thought was the older section of the building, she stopped and stared at the sea of faces. At a loss as to where she should sit, the filly scanned the room for an empty desk as Diamond Tiara moved to the front of the room.

When she reached a specific point a couple inches from a stout desk, she faced the class and stamped her hoof. The room quieting, the Earth Pony declared, “Class. Today, we welcome somepony new. I expect you to make Aurora Belle here to feel as welcome as possible,” and glancing down her muzzle at the young Unicorn, Diamond Tiara told her, “Take a seat. You may sit next to Silver Dart,” and extending a hoof, she directed Aurora to the back of the classroom.

Aware of the large number of eyes on her, the Unicorn filly self-consciously trotted quickly to the back of the room. Finding an empty desk that had a slate and writing implement on top of it, she slipped into the seat. Fidgeting for a moment, she tried to get comfortable on the hard wooden chair that was attached to the desk.

In front of her, the Ponies, Zebras, Griffons, Yaks, Hippogriffs, and Dragons that had been watching her gradually turned their attention to the front as Diamond Tiara began her first lecture of the school day. Overwhelmed, struggling to follow along with the lesson, Aurora glanced at the Pony to her right. Immediately, she noticed that, like her, he also was a blank flank. Watching as he doodled on his slate with one of his wings, she waited a couple seconds before whispering, “I’m Aurora Belle.”

A twitch of his free wing, which she took to be his way of waving, and the brilliant cerulean Pegasus dourly said, “I’m Silver Dart,” as he wiped his slate and began drawing a new set of images.

Chapter 2

“My dad’s Arctic Silversky. You ever hear of him?”

Aurora Belle shook her head and Silver Dart told her, “Count yourself lucky,” before lapsing into gloomy silence.

School had let out some time ago and after telling the Pegasus she would see him later, the Unicorn filly had headed for her aunt’s cottage. When she found Sweetie Belle still was not home, it was no great surprise. Unsure what to do, but not wanting to stick around an empty house, Aurora had checked her bags before taking to wandering aimlessly.

She wasn’t exactly sure where she wanted to go. She toyed with the idea of going to look for her aunt, but did not have the slightest clue where to start, much less what Sweetie Belle looked like. It was by sheer happenstance she had run into Silver Dart. And after stopping at his house he invited her to meet the only other Pony he was friends with.

As the two ambled toward a place called Sweet Apple Acres, they had begun talking about random things before settling on the subject of families. Aurora Belle had only finished explaining how she’d been sent to live with an aunt she really did not know when the Pegasus colt had inquired if she had ever heard of his father. Thinking about all of this, the Unicorn filly eventually asked, “So who is Arctic Silversky?”

The cerulean Pegasus did not reply at first, which left Aurora Belle to wonder if this was a subject he did not want to talk about. About to ask if it was, Silver Dart suddenly explained, “My dad’s one of those high adventure, sports nuts. He’s flown in the Haytonna 500 a number of times and won every single time. So, it’s not like he is home a lot. He is either racing or off on some tour or something.

“If and when he’s home, he’s always insisting I try things him and mom like. It’s even gotten to the point were every time he see me, the first thing he says is, ‘Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let’s get you a cutie mark.’ And it’s worse if he’s has his pit crew with him.”

Again, he lapsed into silence whilst next to him, Aurora Belle tried to picture Silver Dart’s father and found she couldn’t. Curious to know more about him, and what a pit crew was, she was about to inquire when the colt suddenly exclaimed, “And my mom’s even worse than he is,” as a mixture of emotions crossed his young face.

A rapid flap of his wings and then he spat, “She’s this great Wonderbolt. And has done all these great things, including saving Equestria. When she’s home, she’s always encouraging me to try things she’s interested in. Stuff like flying fast. Or reading some old series of books called Daring Do. To top it all off, she’s always telling me how awesome I am, and can be, and that, whatever I am doing, I either need to be twenty percent cooler or it needs to be twenty percent cooler. Or some such like that.”

In the short time she had known him, this was the most animated Aurora had seen Silver Dart. Weaving through the crowd, she waited to see if he had anything more to say. Around them, the amount of Yaks, Hippogriffs, Dragons, Griffons, Ponies, and Zebras began to thin out as the two approached the edge of Ponyville. Noticing this, the young Unicorn briefly wondered how far outside of town their destination was, then turned her attention back to the subject at hoof.

Certain Silver Dart was not going to say anything more, she began by reiterating, “My mom sent me to Ponyville to live with my aunt Sweetie Belle,” then hastily added, “And she is not even my aunt. She’s like my cousin or second cousin or something like that. She’s only called aunt Sweetie Belle because I supposedly met her when I was a yearling. And unable to grasp how we were related, I was told that I kept calling her aunt Sweetie Belle. From there, the title stuck. And whenever we talk about her, she’s always called aunt Sweetie Belle,” and taking a deep breath, she waited to see if the cerulean Pegasus would say anything.

When it was clear he wouldn’t, the Unicorn filly took another deep breath and switching the subject, she stated, “As for my dad, I never really knew him. He disappeared some time before I was born. When I asked about him, my mom told me how he was studying stuff like Equestria’s history, a place called Equerry, and some supposed ruler named Catrina. After he vanished, the University or library or museum or whomever was sponsoring him sent mom all his stuff. According to mom, his diary had only three words, Beware the Others, written on the last page.

“Nopony knows what happened to him. Or, at least that’s what my mom is always telling me,” Aurora Belle finished and listening to their hooves strike the ground, she let her mind wander for a minute or so.

There was other things she could talk about, including the stories she had heard about the death threats sent to her father’s sponsors and her mother, all demanding specific items and information in regard to her dad, and the cultists, who had been supposedly led by a Griffon named Ivo Saddler, who had harassed her mother. Yet, she did not feel comfortable telling the colt these things yet. Figuring she might some day, she instead began talking about her mother.

“My mom has always struggled to make ends meet. I guess it wouldn’t be so bad had it only been my dad disappearing. But, shortly after I was born, these two shyster Ponies by the name of Hood and Wink, promising to help find my father, took my mother for nearly everything she had. And they would have. Except they were chased out of town by a mob demanding their bits back.

“Whether they could or could not do what they said, mom never found out. Mostly because she had other things to deal with, like finding a place she could afford, coping with two jobs, and raising me,” and looking away, the Unicorn filly sniffed sadly as she thought about her mom and how much she missed her. Wishing she could go home, no matter how bad it might be, she heaved a sigh and tried to find something good about having to leave home and live with a relation she did not really know.

Lost in her melancholy, Aurora noted that at some point the town had given way to trees. Not interested in what she was seeing, she looked ahead and noticed a large red barn and apple orchard dominated the landscape. Next to her, as if he could sense her feelings, Silver Dart said, “That right there is Sweet Apple Acres. Best apples in all of Equestria,” and making a motion with his wing, he commented, “Come on. I want to introduce you to Apple Pip,” as a way to not only distract her, but also himself, as talking about his family had bothered him a smidge and starting to gallop, the two raced the rest of the way.

From the moment she met Silver Dart’s friend, Aurora Belle got the sense she and the Earth Pony would get on splendidly and that Apple Pip felt the same way. Hanging out with the Pegasus colt and the Earth filly, the young Unicorn learned that the farm was run by Apple Pip’s mom, two aunts and her uncle. She also came to understand, as she helped fix up an old tree house that had belonged to the Earth Pony’s mom and her two friends, that Apple Pip was in Pipsqueak’s class and sometimes, like today, she was excused from school, as particular tasks sometimes required all five of the family.

“Which is why I ain’t gonna be in school tomorrow either,” Apple Pip explained as they put away the tools they had borrowed and trotted back to the tree house.

Following Silver Dart and Apple Pip inside, Aurora Belle asked, “Isn’t your mom afraid you will fall behind,” before adding, “I know my mom would be,” in a such a quiet tone it was almost missed by the other two.

“I make it up as I can,” Apple Pip answered easily. “Mostly in summer. Or, when they have the time, either my aunt Sugar Belle or my uncle Big Mac help me to make up what I missed.”

“Also aunt Scootaloo, if and when she’s around,” Silver Dart said, to which Apple Pip nodded.

A silence fell between the three and Aurora Belle found herself wondering if she would get to meet the Ponies the other two had mentioned. Finding such a notion to be pleasant, she considered the possibility that living in Ponyville might not be so bad. Looking at the pictures that had been hung on the walls as she thought this, aware the Apple Pip had walked over to an old podium they had found in the attic part of the tree house, Aurora was on the verge of inquiring who was in the pictures when the Earth filly banged her hoof a number of times on the podium’s top, then intoned, “I hereby announce out club come together. Out main goal is to get out cutie marks. As current members, we recognise Silver Dart, Aurora Belle, and me, Apple Pip. And from here on out, we shall be know as.”

Abruptly she faltered in her in her speech. A look of uncertainty and curiosity on her young face, the Earth Pony said, “Say. I reckon we should be deciding what out group is to be called.”

Both Aurora and Silver Dart in agreement, the three foals began tossing out ideas until the Pegasus colt called out, “Point of order.”

The other two looking at him, Apple Pip asked, “What in the hay does the mean?”

A twitch on his shoulders mixed with a flick of his wings to indicate a shrug and Silver Dart replied, “I dunno. Something I read or heard somewhere,” and clearing his throat, he quickly explained, “What I’m trying to drive at is that we should call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders in honour of aunt Scootaloo, Apple Pip’s mom, Apple Bloom, and Aurora Belle’s aunt Sweetie Belle.”

“Ah second that, “ Apple Pip squeaked and, after thinking about it, Aurora Belle nodded and said she was in agreement.

Afterward, as the young Unicorn tried to imagine her aunt as a filly and forming a club to get her cutie mark, Apple Pip again knocked her hoof against the top of the podium. Getting both of her friend’s attention, the Earth Pony stated, “It’s official. From here on out, we’ll be the Cutie Mark Crusaders and out goal will be finding ways to get our cutie mark.

“The first thing I reckon we should do is to figure out what things we’ve tried so that we don’t end up doing the same thing again,” and looking expectantly at her friends, the Earth filly waited.

It was Silver Dart who finally spoke up. Stating, “I really haven’t done anything to get my cutie mark,” in the same quiet tone he usually spoke in. Seeing the looks on his friend’s faces, he clarified, “Well, I suppose I have. But it was all the things my mom and dad made me do,” before going on to explain some of the trips him and his father made to Haytonna, how he learned a lot of the ins and outs of racing, the Junior Wonderbolts Camp his mom enrolled him in, and all the other stuff his parents did with him when they were home at the same time.

As she listened to the colt tell of the ways his parents attempted to help him get his cutie mark, Aurora thought of all of her attempts. Since she had first learned what a cutie mark was, how a Pony got one, and why it was they had them, the young Unicorn had wanted hers and was determined to get one any way that she could. This had led her to a number of accidents, failures, annoyances of other creatures, bans from certain places, and her mother calling her precocious, but risky. Usually in a frustrated tone with her eyes pinched near shut and a tired look on her face.

When it came time for her to talk, Aurora Belle found herself conflicted on how much she should tell. Starting slowly, she began explaining in a hesitant voice. Finding that neither Apple Pip nor Silver Dart appeared to want to stop her, she slid into an easy groove of explanation. Finishing with her aborted attempt to raise bees, she said, “How was I to know at the time you should not keep a beehive in the janitor’s closet at school? Or that the bees would eventually get into the duct works, make another nest and, in the end, cause the school to be shut down for two weeks not only get the bees out, but also clean up all the honey they had been making?”

Looks of astonishment greeted her when she stopped her narrative and nervously, the young Unicorn fidgeted as she wondered if maybe she said something wrong. To her surprise, Apple Pip commented, “Wow. I’d never think to try half what you’ve done,” and ticking off the things she had tried, most which entailed activities involving farm and orchard work, she ended with, “So, what should we try first? Something new? Or something that’s been already tried before?”

“Nearly everything I have attempted ended before I could finish. Sometimes before I even started,” Aurora Belle volunteered, than, as an afterthought, suggested, “Why don’t we draw straws? Whoever wins has to come up with an idea.”

Apple Pip nodded enthusiastically at this as Silver Dart said, “Okay,” and waving a hoof, the Earth Pony exclaimed, “Follow me,” before dashing out of the tree house.

A shared look of inquisitiveness passed between the colt and the filly before they hurried after their friend. The three racing through the orchard and toward the largest of the couple barns dotting the property and following her friends inside, Aurora wondered what Apple Pip was up to. Catching a brief flash of the Earth Pony’s strawberry red mane and tail disappearing up into the hay loft and curious to know if what her friend was up to had something to with her suggestion she once again shared a look with Silver Dart as they waited for their friend to come back down.

Moments later and the light-banana-yellow filly was back with three pieces of hay clamped firmly in her mouth. Spitting them out, she asked, “Aurora. Do you think you could cut these into three different lengths,” to which the young Unicorn said she could try.

After she had done this came the issue of how to blindly choose one of the pieces. Silver Dart, nimbly picking up the pieces with one of his wings, said, “I think I might be able to help,” as he made a series of complex motions with his wing that mixed the three pieces. Extending his wing out in front of him, the three pieces of hay slightly fanned, he offered, “You two pick. Whatever piece is left will be mine.”

Both fillies moved at the same time and each stopping, they looked at each other and laughed. Stepping back, Aurora Belle told Apple Pip, “You go ahead. I was going to use my magick anyway.”

The Earth Pony nodded at this, stepped forward, and gingerly took one of the stalks in her mouth. Next, the Unicorn filly levitated a piece toward herself. Each looking at the bit of hay they had chosen, they glanced at the Pegasus colt and then compared lengths.

Outside the barn, a female voice called out, “Come and get it y’all,” as the Cutie Mark Crusaders compared their individual pieces of hay. Determining that Silver Dart would decide what their first task would be, it was Apple Pip who asked, “Any ideas?”

The Pegasus, who looked like he might be sick, let his wings droop as he said, “No,” in his usual quiet, gloomy tone.

“I’m sure you will come up with something,” Aurora Belle reassured him, then stated, “In the meantime, I should probably get going. If she has finally gotten home, my aunt is probably wondering where I am,” as she thought, “Though I doubt she has gotten home.”

“Are ya’ kiddin’?” Apple Pip squeaked out. “My mom, aunts, and uncle would have no problem if you stayed for dinner. In fact, I reckon you’re already invited. I know Silver Dart is.”

Worried for a moment that her aunt would be upset, Aurora Belle almost insisted that she probably should go, but then decided it was not, at the moment, something to get worked up over. Nodding, she told the other filly, “Okay,” then, remembering how her mom always stressed the importance of manners, added, “Thank you.”

The three racing from the barn, they headed toward the house. Breathing in the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen, Aurora Belle momentarily forgot her troubles as her stomach grumbled hungrily. Inside the house, she was immediately introduced to Apple Pip’s mom, Apple Bloom, the Earth Pony’s aunts Apple Jack and Sugar Belle, and her uncle Big Mac as they sat down to what she thought, afterward, was the best meal she had ever eaten.

Chapter 3

When she finally got back to Sweetie Belle's cottage, Aurora Belle was surprised to find her aunt was home. Afraid her aunt would be mad, she was relieved when the Unicorn mare said, “Actually, that was one of the things I was going to suggest,” before explaining how she might not always be home, how having friends would be a good thing, and ending with, “My friendship with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom actually is one of the things that helped me get my cutie mark.”

Curious to hear more, Aurora Belle begged to for her aunt to tell her, but was disappointed when Sweetie Belle said, “That is a story best saved for later,” as she led the young Unicorn upstairs and into what would be her room.

From the moment she awoke the next day, the rest of the week fell into a sort of pattern. When she awoke, her aunt was often already gone, leaving Aurora to get ready for school. The few times she was home were the times the filly got to know not only Sweetie Belle, and how she got her cutie mark, but also meet Scootaloo, Featherweight, Silver Dart’s parents, albeit briefly, Zecora, the resident Zebra who made her home in the Everfree Forest, her other cousin Rarity, and several others, like Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy.

Yet, it was not always getting to know her aunt and meeting others the Unicorn mare knew, had helped in some way, and was friends with. When her aunt wasn’t home, Sweetie Belle left Aurora tasks for the young Unicorn to work on. Most of them the filly was able to complete on her own, but some had stumped her and she had to ask Apple Pip and Silver Dart for help, when she could get a hold of them.

Then there was school. After a couple classes Aurora Belle found out that though she was strict and often spoke down to the students, Diamond Tiara was a good teacher. The lessons she taught the class were confusing at first, but once the Unicorn filly figured out what she was being shown, she soon realised that the stuff was easy and that most of it was things she had already learned, though slightly different. As for the others in her class, she found that, except for the Dragons Crumble, Flashfire and Backdraft, her classmates were easy to work with and get along with.

Kept busy with everything, to the point she did not have any of her odd nightmares, Aurora Belle breathed a sigh of relief when of the end of the week finally came. Figuring she could spend the whole weekend hanging out with Apple Pip, of whom she had seen very little after their introduction, and Silver Dart, who she saw, outside of class, only a couple times, mostly because his dad kept planning activities in an attempt to help him get his cutie mark. Awaking early, and finding Sweetie Belle had already left, the filly thought about the day ahead and wondering if Silver Dart had come up with any ideas, she looked to see if her aunt had left any cutie mark exercises.

When it became apparent she had not been given any tasks, Aurora figured Sweetie Belle must have decided to give her the weekend to herself. Smiling as she fixed and ate breakfast, the young Unicorn went back to thinking about the day ahead, finding Silver Dart, and seeing if he had decided on what their first task would be.

She had tried, once or twice, to talk to him about the subject. But, if he had any plans or knew what to do, the Pegasus colt was mum and usually replied in short sentences that left Aurora Belle feeling a need to change the topic. Finishing her meal, she cleaned her dishes and hoped that this time, when she broached the subject, Silver Dart would be more open.

Breakfast done and cleaned up, the young Unicorn took one final look around the cottage to see if she missed anything that her aunt might have left her. Not seeing anything, she rushed out the front door, thinking about where she might find Silver Dart as she did. Deciding to try his house first, she galloped in the direction of where he lived.

Not even part way there she slowed when she spotted Apple Pip. Hailing the other filly, she asked, “Have you seen Silver Dart?” the moment her friend had drawn close enough that the two could hear each other properly over the din of the crowd.

A quick shake of her head and the Earth Pony replied, “Nope. Ah only just got away. Figured to try and look for him at his place.”

“That’s where I am heading now,” Aurora explained as they began walking.

Some time later, the two stared up at Silver Dart’s home, each with a discouraged look on her face. Having spent the last couple minutes called up, and getting no response, the Unicorn filly eventually glanced over at Apple Pip and inquired, “You don’t suppose he went somewhere with his parents?”

“Ah thought his mom was still away on business for Princess Twilight?”

This was news to Aurora Belle and commenting, “I did not know that,” she wondered where their friend was.

“Come on,” Apple Pip soon said and when the young Unicorn asked where, the Earth Pony replied, “Ah don’t rightly know. But it sure as heck beats standing here, looking up at what’s clearly an empty house.”

Aurora Belle, unable to come up with a reason as to why they should wait, looked at their friend’s home before following after Apple Pip. Heading back the way they came, the two discussed what they could do if they couldn’t find Silver Dart and places the colt usually hung out.

Since Aurora hadn’t known him that long, this fell to Apple Pip. Trotting toward Ponyville’s town square, the two fillies figured they should at least look for their friend before going off to do something else. Struggling through the thick crowd, Apple Pip soon asked, “Do you reckon we should split up? Or stick together?” as she glanced at the various denizens, searching for the familiar face of Silver Dart.

Before the young Unicorn could reply, a familiar voice called out, “Aurora Belle. Apple Pip,” and looking in the direction of the speaker, the two watched as Silver Dart forced his way toward them.

Several Griffons, a couple Dragons, and a Pony or two giving the cerulean Pegasus displeasing looks, the colt ignored them. Instead, as he got closer, he explained, “I just came from your place, Aurora. But, finding nopony home, I decided to try Sweet Apple Acres to see if Apple Pip was around. Or, if somepony knew where you might be.”

“We’ve been looking for you,” the Earth Pony told him as the young Unicorn explained that they had, only moments ago, been over at his place.

Silver Dart Nodded at this, then explained, “I left as early as I could. My dad’s pit crew arrived late last night and I didn’t want to stick around to be wrangled into another attempt to get me interested in racing,” and nickering in agitation, he looked over Apple Pip. A mischievous look crossing his face, he posed the question, “So what we gonna do?”

The Earth Pony, who knew exactly what her friend was up to, shrugged. As she did this, she started to say, “I dunno,” but stopped and with the serious look never leaving her, she suddenly belted out, “Hey, now don’t start that again!”

A number of creatures glanced in their direction, including a stallion wearing a fez with an hourglass on his flank accompanied by a Pony with a poufy, frizzy blonde mane and tail with a blue book stamped with a question mark for a cutie mark. Ignoring the quizzical stares the two were giving her friends, who had dissolved into peals of laughter, Aurora guessed what they had said must be a shared joke. Deciding she wasn’t offended, she waited until their laughter started to falter and die out before inquiring of Silver Dart, “So have you come up with anything we could try?”

The Pegasus colt used his wing to wipe his eyes, hiccoughed, then said, “I think so,” and making a motion for the two to follow, he began making his way through the crowd.

Curious to know what her friend was up to, Aurora Belle glanced over at Apple Pip. The Earth Pony offered a shrug before following after Silver Dart and, not wanting to be left behind, the young Unicorn trotted after. Catching up to her friends, she matched their pace as Silver Dart led them through Ponyville.

Eventually they came to the edge of town and gazing at the forest beyond, Aurora Belle tried to recall if Sweetie Belle had said anything about the woods. As Apple Pip slowed and came to a halt next to her, the Unicorn filly thought to herself, “Like maybe what, besides Zecora, lived in it, or if it is dangerous,” as she studied the trees and tried see whether there was anything moving about close by.

Next to her, an expression of worry on her young face, the Earth Pony squeaked out, “We aint ah going into the Everfree Forest, are we? Aunt Apple Jack says it ken be dangerous. And mama says I ain't ta go in unless accompanied by another.”

Wary, Aurora Belle continued to stare into the forest, still searching for the tiniest hint of anything moving or even coming toward them. Not seeing anything, but refusing to relax, she listened as Silver Dart explained, “We should be fine. We’ll stick to the path, like my dad said, and be only going as far as the Treehouse of Harmony.”

“What about cockatrices? Or Star Spiders? Or other creatures that could attack?” Apple Pip asked in a shuddering tone.

Aurora Belle, who was wondering what the Treehouse of Harmony was, snapped her head in the Earth Pony’s direction. About to inquire if such creatures did live in the forest, she never got a chance to when Silver Dart explained, “It’s not really cockatrice season. And besides, as I said, if we stay on the path, we should be fine,” in his usual sombre tone, then, his wings dropping, he abruptly said, “You know what. Never mind. It was probably a terrible idea. I’ll come up with something else.”

Shocked by what she was hearing, Apple Pip quickly shook her head and said, “No way. Let’s try your idea. Besides. Mama said I should only venture into the Everfree Forest with another. Having you and Aurora Belle I guess would count.”

“You still haven’t said what we are doing,” Aurora Belle announced suddenly as she continued to gaze at the woods with trepidation.

A heavy sigh from their colt friend and then he told them, “My idea, well, I wanted it to be a surprise,” and then, to the Unicorn’s amazement, he said, “It was actually you, Aurora, who gave me the idea.”

“Huh? Me?” the Unicorn filly responded in astonishment and looking at the colt, she listened as he explained what he was talking about.

“My dad and mom are always trying to get me interested in adventure and exploration and stuff like that. And, truthfully, I thought I didn’t like that. But then, when I was selected to go first, it got me thinking.

“I wasn’t sure what we should do and almost gave up. But then I went back to what you, Aurora, and I were talking about, when we were talking about our families. This got me to wondering if it isn’t so much that I dislike exploration and adventure. Maybe I don’t have any interests in the things my mom and dad are always trying to get me to do.

“From this, I was once again unsure what to do. Then it came to me. I heard somewhere tales about what the Treehouse of Harmony is sitting on. This got me to wondering if maybe I could test whether or not I had an interest in exploration. And, if it didn’t work out for me, maybe it will help one of you, or both, get your cutie mark.”

It was the most either of the fillies had ever heard their friend say at one time and for a moment, both stared at him with open mouths. Slowly working over her shock, Apple Pip finally ventured, “So we’re goin’ to do somethin’ involvin’ the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

A flick of his wings to indicate a shrug and Silver Dart said, “Wanted it to be a surprise. Though, now that I think about it, I don’t know why I wanted this. Why it was so important to do it this way,” then sighing, he fell back to what he had commented earlier by saying, “You know what. Never mind,” but added, “Let’s do something else. One of you pick something and I’ll come up with something else.”

“I’m curious about your idea,” Aurora Belle instantly commented. “And if nothing comes of it, I would like to see this Treehouse of Harmony, the ruins, and hear more about both of them.”

Apple Pip nodded and uttered, “Yeah,” then explained, “That’s the point of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, to find out not only what we’re interested in, but also what we are good at, as well as exploring and learning,” and taking a couple steps in front of the two other Ponies, she turned to face them and announced, “I say we try Silver Dart’s idea. Who’s with me?”

The young Unicorn cast a quick glance at her Pegasus friend and nodded before volunteering, “I am. As I said, if nothing comes of it, at least the two of you showed me something new,” before giving Silver Dart a look that matched Apple Pip’s as they waited to see what the colt would do.