The Cutie Mark Crusaders - Operation : May the Best Win!

Chapter 2 :

An Unforgettable Night.

After his encounter with Scootaloo, Spike quickly went to give Applebloom her card. He was sleepy, and wished to flop down on his bed, and not wake up until a millennia later.

‘That Scootaloo,’ Spike thought. ‘Making me remember stuff I wish I wouldn't want to remember.’ He blushes a little. ‘Although, there are some other stuff I want to only remember…’ Spike shakes his head. ‘What am I thinking? At this moment, they are my friends, and I shouldn't think of them like that.’

Meanwhile, at dinner in Sweet Apple Acres…

Granny Smith enters the kitchen with her apple pie, and notices Big Mac on his chair. “Where in tarnation are those two fillies at?” the old mare asks.

“They are arguing in the living room,” the red farm pony replies, looking at the pie very hungrily. “Applebloom arrived in a little late, and ya know how mah sis goes overprotective on 'er,” he tries to get a small portion of the pie.

Granny Smith smacks his hoof away. “Be patient, little 'un. Ya know the rules : No one gets ta eat 'till everyone is at the table,” the old mare sighs. “Ah know that the loss of yer parents were tough fer ya'll three. Taking care of ya'll three is now mah duty, and that's why Applejack gets worried with Applebloom. She must understand that she is not a filly anymore,” Granny Smith says, earning a nod from Big Mac.

In the living room…

“What have Ah told ya 'bout arrivin' late?” Applejack said to her little sister. “Don't ya know it is dangerous out there to return at night?”

“Applejack, Ah'm NOT a foal, or a filly anymore!” Applebloom retorted back very annoyed. “Ah am old enough where ya don't have ta follow me everywhere!”

Applejack gets more angry. “Listen to me, Applebloom! As long as you live in this barn, ya have ta follow the orders of your older sister, even if you don't like it, or else…” she sighs. “Listen, Ah know you are a fully grown mare, but that doesn't change the fact that Ah still have to worry about ya. I love ya a lot, and that's why I worry about ha so much. Big Mac is our big brother, and believe it, or not, under his serious expression, he truly cares about you as well.”

“At least he doesn't get mad like you do,” Applebloom mumbles under her breath.

“That's because he is less worried about you, but ya gotta understand that Ah do it fer yer own good. One day, you'll appreciate it,” Applejack said.

“Then, Ah must assume that ya won't let me go out tomorrow with Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle in the forest alone,” Applebloom concluded in a sad tone.

“And ya assumed right, unless a grown up goes with ya, Ah ain't lettin' ya go nowhere,” Applejack stated.

“I can't believe ya would talk ta Rarity, or Rainbow Dash ta make us avoid goin' ta the forest alone, and find our Cutie Marks!” Applebloom angrily said.

“Listen to me, Applebloom!” Applejack gets as angry as her little sister. “In the first place, ya don't have the right ta talk to yer older sis like that, unless ya really want ta get a spankin' on yer flank so that they become real blank. In the second place, Ah'll only let ya camp out tonight if only, Ah repeat, only if somepony knocks on that door in the next five seconds!” she concluded by pointing her hoof at the wooden door.

Not even a second passed before somepony knocked on the door which made Applebloom grin for her good luck.

‘Who in tarnation is that knockin' at the door? I hope is it just the wind, or Ah'll have ta keep mah promise,” she asked in her thoughts.

Applejack opens the door, and for her bad luck, it was Spike who knocked on her door.

“Howdy, Spike!” the orange farm pony forces a smile. “What brings ya 'round these hours?”

“Hi, Applejack,” Spike greeted. “I just came by to give this card from Sweetie Belle,” he showed the rolled up card that he had on his claws.

Without warning, Applebloom places herself in front of Applejack, takes the card from Spike with her mouth, and rushes back inside the barn to read it.

“Damn that pony,” Applejack mumbles under her breath, and looks at her sister for lacking good manners at that moment. “Ah'm sorry, Spike for her behavior. Ya came by at the wrong moment.”

“Quite the contrary, Spike, you arrived at an excellent moment,” Applebloom scoffs, and gets closer to the two. “Thanks to ya, now Ah can go tomorrow with Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle to camp!” she grins in a sign of victory in front of Applejack.

“Oh, yeah? What makes ya think that?” Applejack asks, completely confused.

“Well, if Ah remember correctly, ya said that only, and Ah repeat, only if somepony knocked on that door on the next five seconds, Ah could go with my friends. Thanks to Celestia, Spike came by just in time ta save me. Now, ya gotta keep yer promise,” she smirks. “Ya don't want ta make a bad example of yer Element of Honesty.”

Applebloom was right, she couldn't break her promise that she made that moment, but she had a Plan B…

Applejack sighs. “Alright, Ah admit that ya won, and that Ah never break mah promises, but that doesn't mean your other two friends can't go without supervision. If ya don't have the permission of Rarity, or Rainbow Dash, ya won't be able ta go.”

Applejack's confidence was so great that she was convinced that she had won the battle, but she didn't take in consideration one thing, and unknowingly, Applebloom already knew what she was about to say.

Applebloom smirks. “Oh, sis, Ah knew ya would say somethin' like that, and once again, luck is by my side,” the red maned mare gives the card to Spike. “Spike, could you read the letter for me?”

“Sure, Applebloom. No problem,” Spike says as he clears his throat.

*From Sweetie Belle :

Dear Applebloom, I sent Spike with this card to let you know that we will be meeting at four in the evening at the clubhouse to go to the forest, and arrive at night to camp to get our Cutie Marks.

At first, Rarity would oppose to go because she thought it was to dangerous, and you know how she is. But for my luck, Rainbow Dash was at the Boutique, and talked with her. She soon gave me permission to go with you two.*

Without anything else to say, we await you tomorrow at the clubhouse. Don't forget to bring everything you need to camp.

Applejack couldn't believe that she was defeated twice in a row by her little sister. She didn't have anything else to defeat her with, and was about to resign to let her go because if she lost again, she would have won three out of three, and that would be bad for Applejack since that would mean that her little sister would have the upper hoof.

Applejack sighed in defeat. “Ah, shucks! Well, ya win. Ya get ta go tomorrow with 'em,” she turns her head to look at Spike. An idea forms in her head, and her defeated expression turns into one of victory. “But… Spike goes with ya.”

“WHAT!?” Applebloom, and Spike both shout.

“That's right, young 'un. Spike'll have ta go whether ya like, or not,” Applejack grins confidently. ‘Let's see how ya get off this 'un,’ the farm pony thought.

For Applebloom, this was as far as Applejack would get in trying to convince her to not go, and she wasn't about to give up. If she were to think this properly, she could win once, and for all. If she declined, she would have to stay, and that was a big no for her. If she accepted, she would have to support the care of Spike's health for Applejack, also taking in mind that the dragon was about the same age as them. Then, the red maned mare had an idea in which Applejack couldn't decline, and would lead her to victory.

“Alright, Applejack,” Applebloom accepted. “Spike will go with us.”

“Well, it's settled. Then - ” Applejack was interrupted.

“Wait a minute, Ah ain't done yet. Like Ah said, Spike can go with us, but only until the point where we will camp. Until then, he'll have to go, and on the next day, he can go, or ya can go to pick us up at five in the evenin'. What do ya say, sis?” Applebloom gives Applejack a devious grin.

Applejack sighed, and embraced her sister, ruffling her mane up a bit. “It looks like Ah taught ya well ya little mischievous rascal,” she releases her. “Alright, it's a deal,” she spits on her right hoof, and extends it to her sister.

Applebloom chuckles a little. “Hehe, well, I learned from the best,” she then spits on her left hoof, and shakes her hoof with her sister, sealing the deal.

Spike - who had an “I'm still here” expression - doesn't get say anything to what just happened. “Well, after I have just been involved in something I didn't have to opportunity to decline, or accept, I think I'll see you at four at the clubhouse.”

Both ponies grin at him sheepishly, and apologize, which he in turn waved it off. Spike says his goodbyes, and takes off flight to his home while both mares are being scolded by Granny Smith for not coming inside the kitchen to eat. Big Mac couldn't contain himself, and ate all of the pie. That night, the Cutie Mark Crusaders slept like little foals for tomorrow awaited them a great day, and terrific night, for it was their first time camping alone.

The next day at the clubhouse of the Crusaders…

Sweetie Belle had a list, and a quill that were both levitated by her magic.

“Mosquito repellent?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Check,” Scootaloo replied.

“Water containers?”

“Check.”

“Food for two days?”

“I don't know why that much, but check.”

“That's because you have a huge appetite. Continuing with the list, sleeping bags?”

“Check.”

“Life sized Rainbow Dash doll?”

“Check,” Scootaloo then blushed, and became annoyed. “Hey, wait a minute, don't make me say stuff I don't want to.”

Sweetie Belle chuckles. “You don't trick us covering it with all the stuff that you carry in your backpack,” she points her hoof that was overstuffed, and formed the figure of Rainbow Dash, and everything else that covered it.

Scootaloo became very embarrassed. “Dang, I should have brought my inflatable doll…” she said in a low voice, unaware that Sweetie Belle heard her.

The white unicorn smirks. “Mmm, so, you also have an inflatable doll, huh?” she laughs. “So my suspicions were right, you don't like stallions, you like mares!”

Scootaloo was very annoyed. “Don't be stupid! I like stallions, it's just that all of this that I have for Rainbow Dash is because I admire her a lot like a big sister, a hero, an adventurer that I admire with all my soul.”

“Yeah, yeah, like you say, if you would have liked a stallion, wouldn't you have told us already?” Sweetie Belles teased.

Scootaloo doesn't look at her. “It's because I can't ask no one out. I'm sorry,” she gets sad.

Sweetie Belle sees what she has caused, and places her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. “I'm sorry, I think I crossed the line. I apologize, sometimes, I exaggerate on my teasing.”

Scootaloo takes her hoof, and looks at her. “Don't worry. The truth is, it's my fault for not being sincere with my feelings, and it is for that I can't say them because I'm still fighting with my emotions.

“Don't worry, the day you feel ready, you can say it to us before you say it to the stallion you like,” Sweetie Belle assured.

Scootaloo laughed nervously. “Haha, yeah… stallion.”

Sweetie Belle didn't took a lot of importance to what Scootaloo said, and looked at the clock. It was four in the evening, and Applebloom still didn't arrive.

Sweetie Belle was desperate. “It is becoming late, and Applebloom still doesn't arrive yet.”

Just as she said that, Applebloom opened the door, and exclaimed, “Hold your horses! I'm here! Gosh, you sound like your sister, Sweetie Belle.”

“Don't mention it,” a baritone voice said as Spike came in behind Applebloom.

“SPIKE!” Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle exclaimed as they saw the dragon.

“Hehe, uh, hi, girls,” he sheepishly greeted the duo.

Applebloom looks at them, and asks, “Long story, I'll tell ya on the way we get there. Have ya found out where we will be campin'?”

Scootaloo takes out a map. “Well, I marked two points on where we could pass the night,” she extends the map, and with an “X” she marked the zones they could pass the night. “One could be close to the waterfall. There is a cave behind it, and other zone we could pass the night would be aside a river.

Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle both exclaimed, “Behind the waterfall!”

“Well, it is settled then. We might as well get marching while there is still light,” Scootaloo suggested.

The three Cutie Mark Crusaders, and one purple dragon left the clubhouse to march towards the forest. In the way, Applebloom explained them why Spike was with them, and why he was accompanying them.

“I only have to accompany you all to the waterfall, and then you guys are on your own,” Spike explained.

“You see, Spike, if you were a pony, you could always be with us, and it would be even better to help you find your Cutie Mark if you were a blank flank!” Scootaloo said. ‘Maybe, I shouldn't keep my feelings to myself…’ she thought.

“Even if he had a Cutie Mark, it would still be fun,” Sweetie Belle replied.

Spike chuckled. “Hehe, don't worry. I won't feel bad for not being able to stay with you guys,” he assured.

“Hey, Spike, Ah'm sorry if my sis had to involve ya into all this, but if it weren't fer ya, and the card, Ah wouldn't be here with the girls,” Applebloom expressed her sincerity.

“No problem, AB! After all, even if I weren't obligated, if I may say, I would have still accepted the favor of my cute friend,” he said truthfully.

Applebloom's face turned red at the mention of “cute”. “Th…Th…Th-Thanks, S-Spike. You are very friendly,” she complimented.

“Yep, that's me! Spike the friendly dragon, hehe.”

That's how they spent their time after an hour, and a half of walking. They soon arrived to their destination, and the waterfall that Scootaloo mentioned of was very beautiful with the sunset. After seeing such a landscape, they entered behind the waterfall. The cave was very spacious, and they couldn't see the end of it, but when it was necessary, they could stay close to the waterfall, and where it wasn't so wet. Spike brought them firewood for a campfire while they unloaded, and placed their belongings in their correct order. Spike, upon arriving, saw that everything was ready, and left the firewood at a place, and took a few twigs to light them up with his green, draconic fire to start the campfire. Once he set fire to the campfire, he said his goodbyes to each Crusader, and left, heading towards Ponyville.

Meanwhile, he Crusaders were now alone, and their only main objective now was to discuss on how they could obtain their Cutie Marks.

“I say, we go explore this cave, and try to find something that will give us our Cutie Marks, like a hidden treasure, or an ancient civilization that many thought was lost, or a mythical creature!” she fluttered her wings in excitement.

“That sounds very risky, for we could probably find ourselves with stuff in which could put us in danger, and I don't think no one can hear us from far away,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, we could try exploring the forest at night for a bit, and see who is more brave to obtain their Cutie Marks in the darkness,” Applebloom suggested.

“No, thanks. I prefer to stay here, and tell stories of terror. It's much safer, and completely without running into no danger,” she voiced out her thoughts.

“Well, I'm bored. Boooooorrrrreeeeeddd. We need true action, not stupid terror stories,” Scootaloo said.

“You say that because you are afraid that this will be like last time,” Applebloom said.

“Hey, that was happened only once! I'm now much more braver than before,” Scootaloo said very annoyed.

Suddenly, they heard a distant voice from the inside of the cave.

“Whhheeerrreee iiiiissss mmyyyy rrruussttyyy hhorrsseeessshhhhooeee?”

Scootaloo, who was a little nervous, said, “Ha, ha, ha, quit it, girls. It's not funny. I know it's you two, so stop playing around,” she said unsurely.

Applebloom became nervous. “Uhh, Scootaloo, it's not us.”

Sweetie Belle was trembling with fear. “We were sitting here all the time.”

The terrifying voice is heard again, but this time, much closer than before.

“Whhheeerrreee iiiiissss mmyyyy rrruussttyyy hhorrsseeessshhhhooeee?”

Scootaloo was visibly shaking from fear. “Hey, it's not funny. Sweetie Belle, turn off your magic.”

Applebloom points to Sweetie Belle's horn. “Scootaloo, it's not her. Look, her horn is not glowing!”

Scootaloo was very terrified by now. Her face was starting to become pale. She looks at the depths of the cave, and notices something moving towards them.

“RUUUUUN!” the orange pegasus screams out. While she runs, she grabs at both Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle. They were headed towards Scootaloo's tent until, suddenly, Applebloom slipped from Scootaloo's grip. The other two enclose themselves inside the tent while the farm pony was paralyzed with fear as she saw a silhouette of a pony moving towards her. As the silhouette moved closer to her, she took more steps back. As she was taking more steps backward, she didn't notice the slippery edge of the end of the rocks, and falls. Upon reacting, she sees a nearby twig, and clamps her mouth around it, clinging to dear life.

‘Oh, Celestia, if Ah had only listened to my sister, Ah wouldn't be in a situation like this. Please, somepony help me!’ she thought as she cried.

Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were inside the tent, and they didn't notice Applebloom falling off. They didn't even know if she was with them, but they only had two thoughts going through their minds.

‘I don't want to die today! I want to make my dreams a reality!’ Scootaloo thinks as she grabs her Rainbow Dash doll. ‘Rainbow Dash, where are you?’

‘Oh, Celestia, Rarity was right. I am still a little filly for these kinds of stuff. For the love of Celestia, somepony help us!’ she pleaded in her mind.

The hoofsteps were becoming louder, and closer. The silhouette came closer, and closer to their camping tent. Then the zipper begins to lower ever so slightly, and Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle begin to cry, and screaming. Upon opening, they see that it was a simple, ancient miner.

“Hi, girls,” he greeted. “Pardon my intrusion, but have you seen my rusty horseshoe? I've been looking for it all day, and I haven't found it.”

Both terrified ponies shake their head no. Then, they heard a familiar deep, baritone voice.

“Do you mean this one, sir?” Spike holds up his claw with a very rusty horseshoe.

The miner squints his eyes to see it better. “Yes, it's that one. Where did you find it, son?”

“I was close by the river. I found it in a hole in the ground, which seems to be the entrance of the mine,” he explained.

“Oh, that's right. I left it there. I wonder how I forgot. Thanks a bunch, dragon!” he places the horseshoe underneath his left hoof, and then presses against it, clicking once the horseshoe is stuck with his left hoof. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to rest, goodbye,” and the miner left from where he came from.

“Goodbye, sir,” he said. He goes to the edge of the cave, and finds Applebloom hanging from a twig that was embedded into the ground.

Spike flew right next to Applebloom, and embedded his hind feet on the rocky wall. He stretched out his forelimbs to the mare, and cradled her. He then let go of the wall, and flew up the cliff.

After helping Applebloom, he tried to calm down the trembling pegasus, and unicorn. As time went on, Scootaloo hugged her action doll, and Sweetie Belle hugged a photo of her sister, who was the admiration of her. All three of them were hugging Spike, and soon, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were asleep.

“You don't think of sleeping, or what?” Spike looks at Applebloom, who is really sleepy.

“After all of what happened,” she yawns. “I don't have the urge to sleep. I wish i had something to hug like them to feel myself secure.”

Spike blushes at his idea. “Well, uh, if you want, you can hug me if you want until you go to sleep,” he suggested.

Applebloom didn't think twice, and wrapped her forelimbs at Spike's waist. “Thanks, Spike, you always know how to make a friend feel better.”

Spike encloses Applebloom with his wings, and with a claw, he gently caressed her red, silky mane. “You don't have to give me the thanks. They only raised me up like this, that's all.”

“Spike, I doubt it,” Applebloom said.

“What's wrong?” he asked, concerned that he did something wrong.

“How did you know that we were in trouble?” Applebloom asked.

Spike chuckled. “He, he, I never left, to be honest. After you guys picked this place, I went to other one, which wasn't very far away. If something were to happen to you guys, I would never forgive myself, and when I heard your screams from the cave, I saw the entrance of the mine. There, I saw the horseshoe, and took it. Your screams, and the miner's voice came from the cave, and I was going to intervene,” he sighed. “But it was too late. You guys were already frightened, and it seemed that those two were very traumatized. I don't think that you guys will go camping again without your guardians by your side.”

Applebloom looks in the direction of the camping tents, and spoke up. “In that, you have a point.”

“Besides,” Spike continued. “I was very worried about you. You were lucky that I saw your reflection in the waterfall, or else, something bad would have happened, and I probably wouldn't have forgiven myself.”

Applebloom turned red from her draconic friend's sincerity. “Are…Are y-you s-serious? You were worried about me?”

“Why shouldn't I?” Spike confessed, and then caressed her mane again. “After all, you are one of my great friends.”

After hearing those words, Applebloom didn't know if she should feel happy, or if she should feel sad, for she wanted another answer, but her weariness, and the heat of Spike's body made her drift off to sleep.

Spike observed Applebloom sleep peacefully, and he smiled. “He, he, sweet dreams, little adventurer.”